"H-How... is this even possible?" Laren asked, seated on the ground, staring at the scene beyond him.
Destruction.
Utter and pure destruction.
At this point, Laren couldn't believe his eyes. It felt like he was witnessing a miracle. At first, it seemed like they had just walked into an ambush. But in the very next instant...
... the tables turned drastically.
'Just who the hell is this Maria girl?!' That was the only thought echoing in his mind. He couldn't comprehend it. How... HOW... JUST HOW WAS A LOW-RANKER ABLE TO POSSESS SUCH POWER?!
It was so brief, so sudden. One moment, many members of the other teams had jumped them, and the next, a massive wave of lightning obliterated everything in its path. It was so strange, so... surreal. And now... he was terrified.
[+2000]
"And this was supposed to be hell?" Maria muttered sarcastically before turning to look at the utterly terrified Laren.
"Get up... we have to go," she said, heading toward the exit after having gathered enough food.
Hearing this, Laren wasted no time. He shot to his feet and followed her, albeit keeping some distance. "Where... are we going?" he asked. She paused for a brief moment, before a small, wicked smile crept onto her face.
"Let's go collect our rebellious teammate. It seems he didn't take my warning to heart," she said and continued walking.
Laren shuddered, fearing for the fate that would inevitably be Leo's.
...
...
...
[I told you... I am your guide.]
"In what...?"
[The mission.]
"What mission?"
[... You are a player in this world, chosen from countless others. You are on a mission, and once completed successfully, you will be given back your memories. ****** ************ ************ ************ ************** **********.]
"You said this exact same thing before. Why do I feel like you're reading a script?" I asked with a frown.
At this moment, I was finally able to retrieve one of the healing potions from my graph watch. I feel SOOOO stupid right now. I wonder how the instructors watching the exam reacted to my every attempt at survival. They're probably laughing their asses off!
Damn.
What was I even thinking?!
A makeshift spear? Who the hell was I supposed to kill with that? A mana beast? A Tridaqs? A student?! Who the hell am I supposed to kill when this whole world revolves around magic?!
Hah. At least I didn't go too far before I realized it.
"Haaah," I sighed, holding up the potion in my hand. It was greenish in color, typical of a fantasy world.
[.....]
And that bastard went silent. Seems I struck a nerve.
Haah.
This system isn't helpful at all. I can't even trust the bastard since I don't know its true objective.
With that, I downed the potion in one gulp. And in that very instant...
"What the...?" I muttered in absolute fascination.
I felt a refreshing, somewhat addictive calmness rush over me, and in the next moment, my leg, which had been hurting like hell after my 'treatment,' began cooling down. I couldn't see what was happening since I had it wrapped in the torn cloth, but from what I could feel, it was regenerating.
"Woah... this... can't be," I muttered in shock, dumbfounded by how efficient the potion was.
But then...
"BOOOOOOOOOM!"
"Crap! It seems someone's making their move," I said, standing up instantly. I bent down before tiptoeing carefully toward the open to see what was happening.
First and foremost, a massive thank you to everyone who's been following along! Your support means the world to me, and it's truly motivating to know you're enjoying the journey. I'm back in action, and I can't wait to share more of it with you!
I took some time to revisit the previous chapters and made some edits I think you'll love. Check them out, and then let's jump back into the adventure!