FUCK!
'That was the only thought in my mind as l ran as fast as l could.'
The white-haired boy stumbled through the blinding snow, each step sinking deep as if the earth itself wanted to swallow him. Frost clung to his lashes, turning his vision hazy, and his breath came out in sharp, ragged bursts that burned his throat. His legs trembled beneath him, boots heavy with packed ice, yet he forced them forward again and again. Every stride grew shorter, weaker, but the desperation in his eyes burned hotter than the cold that gnawed at his skin.
'Holy shit, l am going to fucking die.'
(Flashback)
"Hey man"
Looking back l saw a familiar face immediately recognizing him as a friend l greeted him.
"Hey Max, how you been?"
"Good, good. Anyway how you holding up?"
I knew what he meant by that. Today was our high school graduation day, which meant everyone's parents would be there and l lost mine in an accident several years ago. He must be making sure l was OK since l would be alone during the event.
"l told I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. You just focus on what you have to do."
"Yeah bro, sorry l asked."
"You don't need to apologize for asking a question." I laughed him off.
(Flashback end)
'Fuck if l don't fix this fast l really am going to shit myself.'
Blue eyes flashed against the white wilderness, as the boy spun in place, searching for any break in the endless forest of frost-coated trees. Branches sagged under thick layers of snow, forming pale walls that trapped him in a frozen maze. Behind him, shrill chattering echoed as ice goblins darted between the trunks, their small forms blending with the storm. Panic tightened his chest. He pushed aside clawing branches and scanned wildly for a clearing, a cave, anything that might serve as an escape before the creatures closed in.
(Flash back)
As l walkde through the halls of my school l decided to vist my classroom one last time before leaving this place for good.
The class room was eerily silent. The whole place was empty save for a letter on my old desk.
'Wait a leter, that shouldn't be there'
'What's worse it was addressed to my name, the words Colt Reeper was neatly embedded on the front cover.'
Carefully l opened it.
Dear Mr. Colt Reeper,
We hope this letter finds you in good health and sound mind. You have been carefully selected as a candidate for participation in a controlled experimental initiative conducted by our organization. While the nature of our institution must remain disclosed at this time, the opportunity we present is both extraordinary and singular.
Should you choose to accept this invitation, you will be transported to a constructed fantasy world designed to test adaptability, resilience, and strategic capability. Successful participation in this initiative carries a reward of profound personal significance: you will be granted the opportunity to see your family once more.
However, acceptance is contingent upon one essential condition. Before formal induction into the program, you must overcome a preliminary survival challenge. This assessment is designed to evaluate your suitability for the environment you will enter. The challenge will demand courage, intelligence, and perseverance. Only those who successfully complete it will be formally accepted.
This invitation is extended exclusively to you. Participation is voluntary, but once accepted, withdrawal will not be permitted until the assessment concludes.
We advise you to consider this decision with care.
Should you accept, further instructions will be provided.
Respectfully,
The Directorate
Experimental World Initiative.
I stared at it dumbfounded.
'You gotta be shitting me'
Of course l would jump at the opportunity to see my parents again but l wasn't an idiot, or maybe l was.
'I'll sign it right now but if it doesn't work then I'll just dispose of it. I mean what is the worst that could happen?'
Without think further l signed it, shoved the letter in my pocket and left.
(Flashback end)
A sharp whistle split the air—then impact. The force of an ice-forged arrow struck his side, knocking him off balance and sending him skidding across the snow. Gritting his teeth against the shock, he tore the shaft free and surged to his feet just as an ice goblin archer leapt from the trees. Steel met frozen blade in a brief, fierce clash, sparks scattering against the storm. The goblin hissed and lunged again, but the boy twisted away, using the creature's momentum against it before breaking free. Without daring to look back at the gathering horde, he turned and ran, vanishing into the white wilderness as the goblins' cries faded behind him.
I didn't stop not even to fight. Without slowing down l summoned my system windows.
'System'
As l screamed the word in my mind as translucent blue holographic interface opened up before me.
________________________________________
[Name: Colt Reeper]
[Age:8]
[Rank: none]
[Strength F- ★☆☆☆☆]
[Speed C- ★★☆☆☆]
[Intelligence G+ ★☆☆☆☆]
[Defense E ★★★☆☆]
[Endurance D ★★★☆☆]
[Health D- ★★★★☆]
[Physique: ???]
[Bloodline: ???]
[Blessing: health regeneration]
[Gives user the ability to Heal any wounds however fatal, regenerate limbs and organs over a period of time.
Warning: the more severe the wounds the longer it takes to heal]
[Body constitution:0/3]
________________________________________
'I don't get what any of this means. Except for health regeneration and speed being my highest stat. But where the hell are my OP skills and legendary bloodline!'
My legs kept pounding into the snow, my breath coming out in desperate gasps.
'System show me the quest screen.'
________________________________________
[QUEST]
[SURVIVE THE CURRENT TEST]
[1:23:54 / 2:0:0]
[Reward: unknown]
[Penalty: death]
________________________________________
'I knew it. I'm FUCKED!'
(Flashback)
I was halfway home when the black cars rolled up beside me, doors opening in perfect silence as men in dark suits stepped out and called my name like they'd been expecting me. Before I could even process what was happening, firm hands guided me inside, and the city lights disappeared behind tinted glass. They didn't explain anything—just drove. The building they took me to had no signs, no windows, just layers of security doors that hissed open one after another until I was standing in a sterile room lit by cold white lights. In the center sat a massive water tank filled with pale blue liquid, wires and tubes coiling from it like veins. They strapped sensors to my skin and lowered me in; the fluid was warm, thick, almost alive. Through the glass in front of me, I saw another tank connected by cables pulsing with light—and inside it floated a young boy, no older than eight, his white hair drifting like snow in water, his blue eyes open and staring straight at me as if he'd been waiting.
The door slid open once more, and an old man entered, his posture straight despite his age, a silver-topped cane tapping softly against the floor. He stopped in front of my tank, folding his hands behind his back as he looked at me through the glass. "Colt," he began, his voice calm and deliberate, echoing through the chamber's speakers, "your current body has reached the end of its usefulness to us." My pulse spiked, but the liquid muffled any movement I tried to make. "We will be dissolving it once the transfer begins. Your consciousness will be relocated into the compatible vessel beside you." The cables linking my tank to the young white-haired boy's flickered with pale light. "That child was engineered for a different environment—another world entirely. A realm of medieval kingdoms, blade and forge, ancient craft magic woven into steel and stone, and lands overrun with untamed beasts."
He stepped closer, resting a hand lightly against the glass. "You will be sent there immediately after the transfer. But understand this—there will be no guidance, no protection. Before further experimentation continues, you must pass a survival trial. Endure the world. Adapt to it. Prove that the vessel—and your will—are worth our investment." The machines surrounding us began to hum louder, the glow intensifying between the two tanks, while the boy's blue eyes remained fixed on mine, unblinking, as if he already knew which of us would awaken.
I didn't feel anything during the transfer.
The only thing l know is that l will been sent to this magical world, this will become my reality.
(Flashback end)