Whoosh!
A broken laugh almost escaped him as one of the Harriers swam past him.
’This is unfair.’
Everything about this trial had been unfair. The blindness, the ice he couldn’t stand on. And now this... three monsters tearing him apart underwater while he drowned.
’So fucking unfair.’
He snapped his eyes open as he watched helplessly as they passed him between them like a toy. One slammed him into the ice ceiling hard enough to crack it. Another drove a joint into his stomach, folding him. The third grabbed his leg, shaking him violently upside down.
Hits came from every direction. The water around him slowly turned red.
Jisung had nothing left to fight with.
His broken arm hung useless, his knee was wrecked and his lungs screamed.
He tried to kick, but nothing answered. His fingers twitched toward the surface, a few meters up, close enough to see the pale smear of light through the ice.
’It might as well be another world.’ Jisung smiled taking another hit from one of the beasts.
Even though he knew this was it, one thought remained in his mind.
’I don’t want to die. Not like this.’
His vision started narrowing at the edges, closing in slow from both sides when he heard a message ring out.
’It was either the slowest notification to show up or my eyes just don’t want to open.’ he grinned despite himself.
Finally, he forced his eyes open and felt goosebumps as he read the message before him.
[Story Archive:]
[The Sole Regressor
I Am God Class
Don’t Mess With My Fist]
He recalled every moment he got each of those story notifications. But they didn’t seem like anything.
Another message appeared.
[YOU CAN HARNESS THE POWER OF A STORY]
’...huh?’
｢ A Story is a record of extraordinary achievements preserved within the Archive.
To harness its power, a participant must meet certain circumstances that align with the essence the Story represents. ｣
Jisung blinked. There was one particular story on his mind. The one he believed matched his personality best. He didn’t think much of it untill now.
’Can I really...’
Before he could finish thinking, a message rang out.
[Your Story ’DON’T MESS WITH MY FIST’ Has Been Activated]
｢ Story: DON’T MESS WITH MY FIST
A Story born from the struggle against unreasonable oppression. It represents the will to stand against those who abuse their power and the conviction to answer injustice with one’s own hands. ｣
Power surged through him. It didn’t heal his broken arm or the pain that ran through his body, but it was enough to make them stopped mattering. Something ancient and furious woke up within him.
The part of him that had spent years swallowing injustice and staying quiet immediately vanished.
He tried to move a little and it didn’t hurt. He eyed the Harrier that gripped him tightly.
[TIME REMAINING: 00:03:50]
’I’m ready.’
[Massive Adaptability To Any Situation Lv.0 (Muscle Memory): Activated]
[Goal Recognized: Defeat the Split-Fang Harrier]
His free hand shot forward and tore out the eye of the creature holding him. The Harrier shrieked and released him instantly.
He grabbed its beak, forced it open wider, bubbles streamed out from his mouth but he didn’t mind. When its grip loosened just enough for him to wrench himself free, he charged at it and drove three heavy punches straight into its body, each one held through the recoil so the full force sank deep.
The creature thrashed wildly.
The creature came around in a tight U-turn, charging back at him.
He dodged, grabbed the top of its beak again, and despite the water dragging against every motion, he landed a clean Mattis punch straight into its flesh.
The Harrier cried out slowing its movements but Jisung didn’t stop.
Using the momentum, he ripped the beak clean from its joint with a wet crack, spun, and drove the jagged weapon through the first Harrier’s neck.
Its body went limp and began to sink.
Jisung watched it go for a moment before turning on the second, driving the stolen beak through its abdomen and slitting it in half.
The last one tried to flee. He caught it, drove the weapon home in one brutal motion.
Ssshcck!
He severed its head.
The water fell silent.
He watched all three Harriers as they slowly sunk deeper into the darkness.
Ding!
[Massive Adaptability To Any Situation Lv.0 (Muscle Memory): Deactivated
➛ Goal Cleared: Split-Fang Harrier Defeated]
[Your Story ’DON’T MESS WITH MY FIST’ Has Been Deactivated]
[TIME REMAINING: 00:00:12]
The moment the message rang out, everything crashed back all at once. The broken bones, the empty lungs and the exhaustion.
He began to swim for the surface. He pushed with everything he had left, but there was nothing left to push with. His eyes were already closing.
He was almost there.
’Almost.’
Jisung started sinking before he even realized he’d stopped moving.
His entire body went slack. He started sinking deeper into the dark water, his good arm still drifting upward on instinct, fingers reaching toward a surface he could no longer see.
[TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00]
Ding!
[Your Awakening Trial Has Ended]
Silence.
Another message rang out.
[Congratulations, Participant 34]
[You have completed your Awakening Trial. In every generation, 1 in 10 participants successfully complete the tutorial. You have proven yourself Participant 34. You are deemed worthy to enter The Seasons.
Your real journey is about to begin]
[Coins Awarded: 20,000]
[The Seasons Await You, Participant Yu Jisung]
[System Compatibility Scan Initiating]
[Scan Complete. Compatibility: 100%]
[System Unlock In Progress...]
[System Unlock Cancelled]
[Participant Yu Jisung Has Already Awakened A System! Get lost ■■■■■]
[This One’s Mine]
[System Message Deletion in Progress...]
[6 Messages Has Been Deleted Successfully]
[Transportation To Paradise Will Commence Shortly...]
A light appeared. It came from nowhere and everywhere at once. It shone on Jisung’s still body and swallowed him whole.
Seconds later, it appeared on a grass field, and in the same second Jisung’s body materialized there.
[Transportation To Paradise Complete]
[You Have Entered A New Location]
****
Two hours later.
The first thing Jisung heard was...
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
...and somewhere beneath it, murmuring voices too far away to mean anything. Darkness stretched everywhere before him.
’Where am I?’
The thought echoed strangely, like it had been spoken into an empty room.
He reached for something to follow it with; a memory, a name or even a feeling. But nothing came. It was like someone had reached inside his skull and pulled out the plug on everything all at once.
He could feel his own heartbeat. He could even hear himself breathing. But his body didn’t seem to belong to him yet. He tried to move, just slightly, and pain tore through him in response.
’Argh.’
He felt as though his mind was trapped in a dead body. Except, they weren’t supposed to hurt this much, he thought.
’Did I die?’
’Am I dead?’
No answer came from the darkness, except the echo of his own thought.
Then, something touched him.
He flinched, more from surprise than pain, because it was the first thing from outside himself that he’d felt in what could have been hours or minutes.
It moved gently along his arm. Soft and careful. It felt ticklish too, in a way that almost made him want to laugh, except laughing meant using muscles, and every single one of them ached at the moment.
Then something sharp found his skin and pushed through it.
The pain arrived so unexpectedly that he tried to scream. But his throat wouldn’t cooperate. His muscles ached as he felt liquid spreading cold beneath his skin. Every attempt to think his way out of it only earned him a fresh migraine behind his eyes.
Two seconds passed and the sharp thing was drawn back out, slowly and carefully, and a strange feeling of relief followed.
It didn’t happen all at once. But he was regaining himself. His senses were sharpening gradually. He could hear clearer now.
"Beep. Beep."
The sound was louder than he thought it would be.
’Annoying,’ he thought, and almost smiled at how normal and painless the complaint sounded in his own head.
He willed his eyes open, but they wouldn’t listen.
"He’s movin’!"
Jisung heard a voice call out.
’Huh? Was that a man’s voice?’ he wondered hazily.
It was gentle and soft. He concluded that it was the voice of an angel.
"It worked. Bring the injection. Hurry!"
The voice came again and he felt goosebumps everywhere.
He didn’t remember much of anything right now, but his heart rate spiking and his breath hardening on its own sent one clear message.
Move. Now.
’I have to wake up.’
He pushed hard. His body still felt like it belonged to someone heavier than him. He tried harder and finally, his eyes twitched once and finally cracked open onto a blur of white light.
"C’mon! He’s the only one awake. Let’s not waste the opportunity." The gentle voice came again, sounding more urgent.
His fingers twitched against the sheets.
’Wake up, Jisung.’
He pulled within himself harder and finally... he had full control over his body.
"I’m up!"
The young man in the chair beside the bed nearly launched out of his seat as Jisung shot upright with a scream tearing out of him.
A syringe slipped from his hand, the needle falling and burying itself into the man’s own foot but he didn’t seem to notice.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Jisung stared, breath ragged, blinking against the light, and found a face staring back at him.
Wide-eyed, part frozen and somewhere between terror, confusion and disbelief.
"...Angel?" he rasped, voice barely above a whisper.
The man’s hands were shaking. He opened his mouth and what came out was a loud bark that stung Jisung’s ears.
"Angela!"
Jisung’s brow furrowed slowly as the word arrived late in his still-fogged mind.
"There’s..." he mumbled. "...another angel?"
The man looked, if possible, even more terrified than before. He took a step back on instinct, and that did it.
A small twinge in his foot made him pause.
He took a step back again, and this time it was unmistakable. Something wet was spreading in his boots and pain was spreading from around the same area.
’It’s gotta be sweat,’ he told himself, and went to move a third time.
The pain sharpened immediately. He looked down. Jisung’s eyes were already there ahead of him, fixed on the same spot.
Both of them stared at the syringe standing upright out of his foot.
"Arghhhhhh!"
The scream cracked through the quiet room, and Jisung, still hazy, felt his body give out beneath him and he fell back against the bed.
’’’
Author’s Note: If you’re enjoying the novel, don’t forget to add it to your library and show some support. It really helps!
’’’