And yet, amidst the chaos, something stirred in his mind. A whisper, a presence he could not see, yet could feel.
[Vessel System Activated. User: Hope Hale. Potential Detected: Human Survival Aptitude – HIGH. Trials Pending.]
Hope exhaled slowly, letting the tension roll off him. He had survived the worst life could throw at him: his brother's death, the gang-rape incident, a courtroom of lies. He could survive this too.
But survival wasn't enough. He needed strength. The streets were crawling with Awakened who treated humans like insects. Every encounter reminded him of his limits. Every fight he had lost—or barely survived—was a lesson.
Hope tightened his fists. He remembered the twins daggers he had kept hidden all this time. Lightweight, lethal, extensions of his hands and mind. Obsidian Dance, he thought grimly. One day, these instincts would matter.
And then… the whisper returned.
[Trial 1 – Beast Gauntlet Ready. Activation may occur anytime. Objective: Survive until death. Reward: Unknown.]
Hope froze, golden eyes narrowing. The System never explained why. It never guided. It only tested. And tests, he knew, would come at the worst possible moments.
The wind carried a faint smell of sulfur and wet fur. Shadows twisted unnaturally along the ruined streets. Somewhere, a low growl rumbled.
Hope drew his twin daggers in a fluid motion. It begins.
The first wave hit like a tidal surge.
From the shadows of broken walls and collapsed vehicles, beasts appeared. Twisted forms—some like wolves with elongated claws, some like bears with jagged teeth, others unrecognizable monstrosities whose eyes glowed a hellish red. Their numbers seemed infinite. For every one he killed, another appeared.
Hope's heart did not race—at least, not outwardly. His fingers tightened around the daggers, golden eyes scanning and calculating.
Obsidian Dance.
He moved like a shadow, twin daggers flashing. One beast lunged from his left; he spun, slashing in an arc that split its jaw. Another came from behind; a dagger spun from his hand mid-air, embedding itself in its skull.
[Wave 1 Defeated. Progressing…]
The beasts adapted. They coordinated. Their numbers increased. Hope's body was pushed to its limits. Blood slicked the rubble beneath his feet. Every breath burned. Every strike mattered.
[Wave 2 Defeated. Progressing…]
Hope didn't falter. He anticipated attacks before they came, felt the weight of the System's judgment pressing on him. His twin daggers were extensions of thought, slicing through enemies with lethal precision. He was not just surviving; he was honing himself, every strike a lesson, every dodge a refinement.
Hours—or was it minutes?—passed. Time felt distorted, a haze of claws, fangs, and shadows. Just as exhaustion threatened to claim him, a final roar tore through the ruins. The beasts halted, trembling, then vanished as if the world itself had swallowed them.
[Trial Complete. Reward: Twin Dagger Mastery. Combat Reflexes Sharpened. Agility Enhanced. Status: Ready for Real Combat.]
Hope staggered, chest heaving, daggers dripping with blood. He stared at his reflection in a shard of broken glass: a man who had survived the impossible.
The system spoke again, almost casually:
[Trial 2 – Elemental Labyrinth Pending. Activation Time: Unknown.]
Hope sheathed his daggers, feeling the weight of the System's tests on his shoulders. He didn't know when the next trial would strike—but he knew one thing: he would not be caught unprepared.
Let them come. Let them try. I will rise above them all, he thought, golden eyes glinting in the ruined light.
The streets were quiet… too quiet. And in that silence, Hope knew the System's trials—and the dangers of the awakened world—were far from over.
[End of Chapter – To Be Continued.]