The blinding light vanished.
Sun Li staggered over uneven, slick ground, coughing as the air slammed into him—thick, metallic, the stench of rot and iron clinging to his lungs like rusted chains. Every inhale felt like swallowing rusted metal.
The crimson glow filtering through twisted branches cast everything in a bloody haze.
This wasn't a city. This wasn't even Earth.
He blinked repeatedly, vision swimming. He was in a forest, but calling it that felt like calling a storm a drizzle. The trees were colossal—black, gnarled, bark cracked like ancient scars. Crimson leaves clung to their branches, dripping a slow, viscous sap that hissed faintly upon hitting the ground, like sibilant whispers of warning. Humidity pressed against his chest with the weight of a boulder; every breath was a labor, every step a battle.
Around him, hundreds of other players scrambled. Panic rang out in every language—screams, commands, sobs. Athletic teens in combat gear, young adults with toned bodies, and a few in expensive prep-class armor all surged forward or huddled in fear. Many clutched practice weapons—dull blades, wooden staffs—but all radiated confidence.
Sun Li glanced down at himself: bare feet caked in crimson mud, tattered pajamas draping a skeletal frame. No weapon. No armor. No hope.
Of course.
A bitter laugh bubbled up. The world finally gives me a chance to live… and dumps me into a death game already half-dead.
Before him, a glowing blue holographic panel materialized, sharp against the red-tinged forest:
[Tutorial Trial: Crimson Thicket]
[Objective: Survive for 6 hours or reach the Extraction Point 5 km north]
[Enemies: Low-tier Crimson Beasts (Goblin Hounds, Blood Vines, etc.)]
[Reward for Completion: Basic Class Selection + Starter Gift Pack]
[Failure: Death]
[Time Remaining: 5:59:58… 5:59:57…]
The countdown ticked like a merciless metronome.
Panic erupted. Some bolted north, some formed hasty squads, others collapsed in despair. Sun Li read the panel three times, slowly, deliberately. Six hours. Five kilometers. In this place.
He exhaled.
I'm the weakest here.
No anger. No self-pity. Just fact. Hunger. Illness. Pain. A lifetime of surviving the impossible.
Then why not see how far this broken body can go?
A trembling step forward. Then another. The cold, slimy mud tugged at his feet, but they held.
Northward—the faint break in the crimson canopy marked the path.
Then a scream split the air.
A girl, seventeen, high-end combat gear, had strayed too close to a writhing cluster of blood-red vines. They lashed like serpents, wrapping her legs, dragging her toward a pulsating pod on the ground. She slashed with a short sword, severing some vines, but more replaced them instantly.
By the time others arrived, the pod split open like a snapping maw. The girl was gone. Only her sword remained, impaled in mud.
Sun Li's face remained neutral.
Blood Vines. Note to self: don't touch anything alive.
He adjusted his route, giving the foliage a wide berth.
More panels appeared—personal this time:
[Name: Sun Li]
[Level: 1]
[Class: None]
[Health: 30/30 (Chronic Illness: -50% stamina regen, -20% pain threshold)]
[Stamina: 20/50]
[Strength: 4 | Agility: 5 | Vitality: 6 | Intelligence: 11 | Perception: 13 | Will: 15]
Strength 4? Accurate. Most of the athletic types probably started with double that.
Intelligence, Perception, Will—higher than average. Years of watching, guessing, enduring pain quietly—it had built something. Survival instincts he never knew he had.
Sun Li moved deliberately. Step by step, shadow by shadow. He avoided obvious paths, kept to edges, conserved energy.
The forest was alive: distant howls, rustling leaves, wet squelches. Occasionally, bodies lay in his path—players who rushed ahead and failed.
A boy, eighteen, muscular, throat torn out. Sun Li scavenged: boots too large but better than bare feet. A dull knife. Survival over sentiment.
[Acquired: Worn Leather Boots (+2 Defense, +10% movement speed in rough terrain)]
[Acquired: Rusty Dagger (Low damage, high bleed chance)]
Stamina ticked up slightly. Relief was a luxury.
Time blurred. The forest remained a crimson dusk. Goblin Hounds passed. Sun Li waited. Let the strong carve the path. He followed in their wake.
Hours—or minutes? Fourth hour—stamina drained, illness debuff biting deep. Shallow gasps. Vision swimming.
A hollow beneath a tree root offered a brief reprieve. Ten minutes—enough.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Patient Shadow]
[For surviving 4 hours without engaging in direct combat]
[Reward: +3 Agility, +5 Perception, Skill: Stealth (Basic)]
Movement became quieter, lighter. Shadows became allies.
The forest thinned. Extraction Point was near.
Then it rumbled.
Not hounds, not vines—a low, hungry growl. Ground trembled.
Ahead: battlefield remnants. Dozens of bodies. Broken weapons. Blood painting the crimson leaves darker.
And in the center… a shape. Massive. Shrouded in red mist.
Yellow, slitted eyes locked on his hiding spot.
It stepped forward. Fur black and red, muscles rippling, jagged bone spikes protruding from its spine. Saliva dripped from fangs longer than Sun Li's dagger.
[Elite Guardian: Crimson Alpha]
[Level 8]
[Boss of the Tutorial Trial]
[Warning: Recommended party of 10+ Level 3 players]
Sun Li's breath caught.
The Alpha sniffed, lips curling into a grotesque grin.
It was coming.
The trial wasn't over.
And his real fight had just begun.