Unfortunately, this is where our conversation comes to an end. If the system could provide one finally insight it would be: SURVIVE.]
The system's ominous sent a cold shiver down his spine.
He turned to the floor, the water was around his ankles and steadily rising.
He couldn't think— he continued to hammer continuously against the glass—
Nothing.
"Come on system, I need something, an insight, a little advice maybe even a fucking vague clue."
He screamed aloud within the pod.
There was still no answer.
He took off his glasses, clearing the smudge and water droplets on them for him to get a better look at the landscape.
He bent down, running his hands at the bottom of the platform.
Splashing water around while rummaging the floor.
He stood back up, using his wet hands to slick his hair back, somehow even as cold water pooled around him, he was sweating buckets.
He turned his eyes to the ceiling.
Placing his hands over the corners where the pool poured from, it was pointless, time consuming and stupid.
"What type of awakening is this, anyway? Fuck!"
He screamed.
He couldn't even reach the top, jumping and stretching his hands but all to no avail.
He didn't even need to look anymore as he felt the water rise to his knees and his body slightly float up.
He held his breath. Bracing himself as he bent down back into the water.
Opening his eyes as he ran his fingers through the platform's seams trying to find something or anything out of place—
His fingers caught something—
A seam on the bottom of the pod he hadn't noticed before— his heart leapt for joy.
The dug his tiny fingernails against it, prying it with all he could. It gave slightly. A panel? A hatch? He pulled harder.
The seam gave out as pushed him back against his momentum.
It didn't matter. He gathered himself instantly and jumped back in to see what he ripped open— A black cavity. Underneath was just another.
"ARGH!"
He screamed underwater before jumping back up.
The water now stood against his waist.
"Why would you bring me back from the dead just to die in an even more sadistic way? What type of sick demented joke is this?"
He roared endlessly.
The water now rose around his chest and lifted his entire body off the floor.
Clothes completely drenched. Body sweaty. Mind in disarray.
He turned to the glass, squinting his eyes before he noticed it—
The bulge on the glass from the immense water pressure. The entire glass now bent slightly outward.
It was still unbreakable but that meant the weak parts of the pod would somehow give in when the pressure filled all the way up and still kept coming in.
There's no way the entire thing was sealed tight, right? Right?
It was most definitely a long shot but at this point what choice did he have— the water was now by his neck.
He was merely tilting his head upward just to breathe and there was no other way out. At least none that he had found.
As the water pooled around him— his face met with that to the ceiling.
He took his last breath— just before the entire thing was submerged in water.
He pushed himself a little lower, gliding against the pressure.
Raising his eyes to the top, feeling every inch of it before pushing on every part to check for weak points.
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Wait—
A shaky panel? A hatch? An opening? Whatever it was, it was a way out and his only choice.
He rammed his fists against it with all his force— it moved slightly but was still too wedged in.
'Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.'
He cursed internally.
It was slowly getting harder and harder to think, his body was oxygen starved and the pressure behind his eyes was excruciatingly painful.
He swam lower into the water, using his hand to guide him before he rolled.
Lowering his upper body and raising his feet to the top— he stretched out his feet with all he could, pounding against the wedge.
~BAM.~
Once.
~BAM.~
Twice.
"Fucking come on!"
He screamed, bubbling water.
Again. Again. Again.
The top of the pod flew open. He turned around, pushing himself out of the pod.
He reached the top.
"Ahhhhhh."
He gasped for air, his lungs burning and heart pounding in his ears.
He crawled out from the top. Hacking over and over.
The pulled himself out and fell to the floor in a harsh thud.
He stretched out his body on the floor— chest heaving in and out while his eyes remained tightly shut.
"Oh thank God."
No sooner did those words leave his lips than the interface return.
[Awakening Trail successfully.
However, due to mysterious anomalies during host's initial awakening trial, the Aetherfall protocol has been permanently altered.
Host will be subject to mandatory sequential trials even after other hosts have been offered options to trials— ALL TRIALS FOR HOST WILL BE MANDATORY.
Until Paragon Ascension has been exceeded.
Failure to complete any trial will result in the utter and irreversible termination of spirit and vessel.
In summary:
Host will either survive or be terminated.]
'Just my fucking luck, of course the system hates me.'
He thought as he rubbed his eyes whilst sprawled on the floor.
"At least give me a good ability or something"
He called out to the system.
[Faculty Determined: Faculty Of Aether Studies.]
[Affinity Determined: Replication.]
[Replication: The ability to copy others affinity for about 10 - 15 seconds, based on the amount of aether needed and rank.]
[ Host: Aegon Dhalar.
Age: 19.
Faculty: Aether Studies.
Affinity: Replication.
Rank: Novus.
Aether control: Pathetically Poor.]
'Just my fucking luck.'
He frowned and ran a hand across his face.
'I remember the goddamn novel.'
He shot his back up, resting his hands on his knees and his head down.
Aegon Dhalar, he might not have remembered everything because he didn't read it but from the first five chapters he read from the webnovel 'My Harem and I', he knew.
He was the scrawny whimpy best friend of the MC who was destined to die during his awakening for plot progression.
It was simple, if Aegon died during the awakening trial the MC had the excuse that everything he would ever do was to avenge his best friend's death.
A best friend he didn't give a second thought of other than to say, 'i'll avenge you brother'.
The character was so poorly thought of that he was surprised he even had a last name because it was never, absolutely never not once mentioned in the novel.
And now his problems were lined up, firstly, he was going into a world he had no prior knowledge of except the first five chapters.
He had no previous memory of this guy except what he read from the novel which wasn't a lot.
He however, knew all the faculties to an amount and knew that the faculty and affinity he just awakened was absolutely useless.
And now to top it all off, he had another awakening trial in six months.
[... End of Awakening Trial
Host will now return to world.]