Huff... huff...
The only sound is my own breathing ragged, uneven, echoing through the silence like a dying engine.
Cold air cuts my throat with every inhale, and every exhale escapes in pale, smoky wisps.
I'm slumped on the ground, The sun hangs overhead, bright but distant, offering no warmth. My body trembles not from fear anymore, but from sheer exhaustion.
Somehow, I survived.
Barely.
But to understand how I ended up here bruised, bloodied, and breathless we have to go back.
Back two hours, to where it all began.
***
As great as all these rewards are… I can't say I feel much excitement.
Because if there's one thing my old life taught me, it's this:
When the world gives you something. a gift, a break, a win. it never comes without a catch.
Sooner or later, it throws something at you so brutal, so absurd, you're left wondering if whatever you gained was ever worth the chaos that followed.
I braced myself for what was about to come.
One...
Two...
Three...
Nothing.
I slowly exhaled, loosening my grip on the dagger. Maybe I was just being paranoid. But could you blame me? After everything I'd been through in the last few days, anyone would have their guard up.
Then, out of nowhere—
Ding!
The sound sliced through the silence, sending a jolt of terror down my spine. The damn status window was back again.
! Mr. M's HOW TO SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD 101 !
LESSON TWO: BEGINS NOW!!!
(;^ω^）Good luck.
***
Before I could even process what was happening, a colossal humanoid creature materialized out of the dense shadows of the trees, its form woven from branches and darkness. It towered over me, an impossible giant.
I'm fuc-
The monstrous being swung its massive arm, a sweeping blow that connected with brutal force.
My small, fragile body was launched into the air like a ragdoll, each impact against the trees a jarring explosion of pain.
I crashed to the ground, the air forced from my lungs as I coughed up blood, the metallic tang filling my mouth.
Desperate, I tried to rise, but a blinding cloud of snow dust filled the air, obscuring everything. I was lost in a swirling white void, the creature's presence an unseen, looming threat.
...
Still dazed from the earlier impact, a new sound pierced through the ringing in my ears, footsteps. Not one, not three, but a multitude, an army of them closing in.
Panic flared as I realized I was completely surrounded.
Instinct took over. I reached for the familiar grip of my dagger, hidden behind my back, but before my fingers could close around it, a black arm shot out from the swirling snow. It moved with impossible speed, batting my hand away.
I lunged for the dagger, but the arm vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving me grasping at empty air.
Then, out of nowhere, another arm materialized. This time, it was a fist, rock-hard and aimed directly at my face. There was no time to react.
The blow landed with sickening force, sending a jolt of pain through my skull. And then, just like the first, the arm was gone, dissolving into the swirling snow dust, leaving me reeling and utterly vulnerable.
Frostneedle!
I shouted, the word ripped from my throat in a desperate cry.
I channeled my skill, praying to hit at least one of the unseen enemies, but it was a wasted effort.
The icy needles burst forth, a flurry of frozen shards that tore through the snow-covered surroundings, but met only empty air. A wave of frustration washed over me as I realized the futility of my attack.
Whatever creatures were out there, they were gone, vanished without a trace.
Gritting my teeth against the pain, I forced my aching body to move, pushing through the never ending cloud of snow that clung to everything. Each step was a struggle, sometimes stumbling over fallen trees hidden beneath the drifts, branches tearing at my skin.
Still, I pressed on, moving blindly forward.
Then, without warning, a bone-chilling wind slammed into me, a gale of icy air that stole my breath. The snow dust vanished in an instant, revealing the source of the gale: the humongous creature.
It stood before me, its massive chest heaving as it exhaled a torrent of freezing air, trying to encase me in ice.
The force of the wind sent me rolling back a few meters, the ground a blur beneath me. But somehow, I managed to find my footing, digging my boots into the snow, and braced myself against the onslaught, determined to withstand the creature's deadly breath.
Unfair. Unfair. Unfair.
The word hammered through my mind, a relentless mantra fueled by rage and desperation.
I hated the creature's dismissive arrogance, the way it brushed me off as if I were nothing more than a speck of dirt beneath its feet. The burning humiliation fueled my next move.
FROSTBIND!!!
I shouted the command once more, pouring every ounce of my remaining energy into the skill.
In an instant, the creature's icy breath solidified, freezing mid-air and surging back into its massive form. The giant staggered, its eyes widening in shock as the ice spread through its inner core, stunning it from within.
It clutched at its chest, a strangled roar escaping its throat. Seemingly unable to breathe, it pounded its massive fists against its own body, desperately trying to dislodge the frozen mass that choked it from the inside.
I knew this was my only chance.
Wasting no time, I used the frozen wind as a precarious bridge, leaping across the icy expanse to close the distance between us. The ice cracked and groaned beneath my weight, but I pressed on, with nothing but hope.
In a desperate gambit, the giant creature shuddered, its form fracturing and dissolving into a swarm of normal-sized, black humanoid figures.
One moment there was a single, towering threat, and the next, there were hundreds of them, a tide of darkness surging towards me.
Their eyes glowed with malevolent intent, their movements swift and predatory.
I was surrounded, outnumbered beyond reason, and the frozen bridge was beginning to buckle under the sudden, overwhelming weight.
The ice groaned, cracks spider-webbing across its surface. Then, with a deafening roar, it shattered, plunging me and a cluster of the black humanoids into a chaotic freefall. The ground rushed up to meet us, a dizzying mix of snow and shadow blurring together as we plummeted.
With a quiet thud, I slammed into the snowy ground, the impact jarring my already battered body.
But adrenaline surged through me, pushing me to my feet. With a burst of desperate energy, I threw a sloppy punch at one of the black humanoids struggling to rise.
The punch connected, but the force was weak, the movement clumsy.
I found myself off-balance, stumbling forward, and then falling, the ground rushing up to meet me once more. I tried to scramble back up, but before I could regain my footing, a shadow fell over me.
Another black humanoid, still plummeting from above, crashed down on top of me, pinning me beneath its weight.
A groan escaped my lips as my face slammed into the cold, unforgiving ground, a gritty mix of snow and dirt filling my mouth. The air was forced from my lungs, and I struggled to breathe, the weight of the creature pressing down on me with suffocating force.
I blacked out...
***
I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.
-Maya Angelou