Hasib stared at the two options for several seconds.
What was this?
He had no idea where the strange screen had come from, or why he was the only one who could see it.
His gaze moved between the two choices.
[YES]
[NO]
After a moment, his eyes settled on the first one.
He didn’t know why he chose it.
Maybe it was the frustration still lingering in his chest after losing. Maybe he was simply tired of always being the weakest among them. Or perhaps, somewhere deep inside, he genuinely wanted to know what would happen if he accepted.
Without moving his lips, he answered in his mind.
Yes.
The instant the thought formed, the screen flickered. The two choices disappeared. A new message appeared.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
Hasib’s eyes widened. Before he could react, his vision went dark.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then the darkness changed. It was no longer darkness.
It felt as though he were standing inside an endless grey emptiness that stretched beyond the reach of his sight.
Three lines of glowing text appeared before him.
[Complete three tasks.]
[STRETCHING]
[RUNNING]
[MOVEMENT POSTURE]
Hasib had barely finished reading them when something cold wrapped around his wrists.
He looked down. Thin, pale cords had appeared around both his wrists and ankles. They looked almost alive, segmented like strange tendrils, yet he could not trace them back to any source.
"What..."
The cords suddenly pulled. Hasib’s body was jerked in four different directions at once.
"Ah!"
He lost his balance and crashed onto the grey floor. Before he could recover, the cords tightened again and dragged him several feet across the ground.
He grabbed one of them and tried to pull it away. It did not move. Instead, it tightened around his wrist.
Get off me!
He twisted. He rolled. He tried to brace himself against the ground. Nothing worked. Every time he managed to regain his balance, the cords pulled again.
His arms began to burn. His breathing grew heavier. Sweat trickled down his face as he struggled against something he could not even understand.
The pull never stopped, and nothing told him how long it would last. At some point, even his thoughts scattered. He stopped asking how much longer it would go on. He simply kept resisting.
Then, without warning, the cords released him. Hasib collapsed onto his hands and knees, his chest heaving.
[Time: 15:00]
[First task complete]
He stared at the words. His arms trembled. Faint red marks circled his wrists, though the pain was already fading. He touched one carefully.
What was that?
He slowly pushed himself to his feet.
If this is supposed to be training, then whoever designed it has a seriously strange idea of training.
He barely had time to finish the thought. A deep rumbling echoed through the grey space, and the ground beneath his feet began to shake.
Hasib turned around. Something enormous was approaching. At first it looked like a giant cylinder rolling through the distance. As it came closer, he realized how massive it was, wider than his own height, and moving directly toward him.
Hasib did not wait to find out what would happen if it reached him. He ran.
His legs were already exhausted, but fear gave them strength. The corridor seemed endless, with nowhere to hide. The rumbling behind him grew louder with every second.
What is this place?
His breathing turned ragged.
And what the hell is that thing?
He glanced back. His heart nearly stopped. Blades had appeared around the surface of the enormous cylinder. They spun with every rotation, turning the machine into something far more dangerous than he had first thought.
"Seriously?!"
Hasib veered toward the side of the corridor. His legs ached badly.
This has to be a nightmare.
He ran faster.
There’s no way this is real.
Then his foot struck a stone. He stumbled and fell hard. Pain shot through his leg, sharper than anything the cords had done to him. His leg was injured.
He forced himself back up. He was limping now, but he kept going.
A translucent message appeared beside his vision.
[Your movement is impaired due to injury.]
[A recovery item may be used free of charge for the first time.]
[Use it?]
[YES / NO]
Hasib glanced at the message. He hesitated for barely a moment. Then he chose NO.
If this really is training...
He gritted his teeth.
I’ll find out how far I can go without relying on it.
The decision gave him a little more determination. He pushed forward, his injured leg protesting with every step. At first he could barely run. Then he forced himself to move faster.
Behind him, the machine kept coming, the sound growing louder, closer.
Hasib looked back. The roller was almost upon him.
Come on...
Pain shot through his leg and his vision blurred for a moment. Still, he did not stop.
Then he saw something ahead. A small red flag.
The finish line.
A faint smile crossed his exhausted face.
"I’m almost there."
The roller was dangerously close now. Its blades trailed only a short distance behind him, and he could hear the violent rotation and feel the vibration beneath his feet. The red flag grew closer.
Three steps. Two. One.
His hand shot forward. His fingers wrapped around the pole.
At that exact moment, the roller crossed the line behind him. The force of its passing sent his shirt fluttering violently. One of the blades came so close it tore a small section of fabric.
Hasib froze. For one terrifying second, he thought he was too late. Then the machine disappeared. Just like that.
Silence returned. Hasib stood there, breathing heavily.
[Second task complete]
[Reward: Green Box]
A pale green box materialized in front of him. Hasib eyed it suspiciously before opening it. Inside were a boiled mushroom and a cup of juice.
He blinked.
That’s the reward?
He picked up the mushroom. It looked completely ordinary, but he was exhausted enough that he didn’t particularly care. He took a bite. His eyebrows lifted.
It’s actually good.
He finished it quickly and drank the juice. A warm sensation spread through his body. The exhaustion weighing him down began to fade, and the pain in his injured leg slowly disappeared until nothing remained.
Hasib looked down at his leg.
So that’s what the recovery item does.
Before he could think about it further, the grey world changed again.
[Third task will begin in 3... 2... 1...]
The world shifted. Hasib found himself standing among countless blocks. Some were low. Others rose several meters into the air. They were scattered everywhere, forming a strange maze of platforms and gaps.
What kind of place is this?
Before he could figure it out, a warning appeared.
[Danger detected above]
[Please observe the timer]
A timer appeared in the corner of his vision.
[9:59]
Hasib looked upward. His expression changed instantly. Arrows were falling from the sky.
"Run!"
He sprinted toward the nearest tall block. An arrow shot past him. Another followed. Hasib jumped onto the block, and one arrow grazed his arm.
He flinched and looked down. A small cut had opened. Blood began to seep from it. Then, within moments, the bleeding stopped.
It healed by itself?
Another arrow came flying toward him. There was no time to think. He lifted the practice sword still gripped in his hand.
The arrow reached him. His body moved before his mind could react. His sword turned at an angle.
Clang!
The arrow was knocked away.
Hasib stared at his blade.
What... was that?
He hadn’t planned the movement. He hadn’t even thought about blocking. His body had simply reacted.
Another arrow came, and he blocked it. Then another. This time, he knew exactly how to move the blade.
That one was better.
An arrow suddenly came from the opposite side. Hasib twisted his body, and it passed close enough for him to feel the wind. His heart pounded.
That was too close.
He moved again. Step. Turn. Jump. Land. Block.
His movements gradually became more natural. He began to notice things he hadn’t noticed before: the distance between the blocks, the position of his feet, the angle of his body, the way he held his sword. Every arrow taught him something about how to move.
He glanced at the timer.
[2:09]
His breathing quickened. Only two minutes remained.
A low block appeared ahead. Hasib tightened his grip on the sword and jumped. The instant he landed, another warning appeared.
[Attack phase two has begun]
[All conditions remain unchanged]
[Arrow speed increased]
What?!
The arrows became faster. Much faster. He barely had time to react. One came from above, and he moved left. Another came from the front, and he raised his sword. A third came from the side, and he ducked.
His movements were becoming instinctive. He jumped onto the side of a tall block and ran along its narrow surface, arrows striking the stone around him. He kept moving. For a while, he managed to hold the rhythm.
Then an arrow came from his blind side. Hasib noticed it at the last possible moment. His sword moved.
Clang!
The arrow flew away.
That was close.
He continued. A low block appeared directly ahead. He swallowed and jumped. An arrow came toward his back, and he realized it too late. Hasib twisted in midair and swung his sword behind him, but the angle was wrong.
Damn it!
He closed his eyes.
A long beep echoed through the strange world. Hasib opened his eyes. The arrows had stopped. Then fireworks burst across the sky.
[Third task complete]
[Congratulations]
[Level Up: +2]
[Rewards acquired: Red Box ×1]
[Blue Box ×1]
Two boxes appeared in front of him. Hasib stared at them. Despite everything that had happened, curiosity won. He slowly reached toward the red box.
What’s inside?