Elise shoved a loaf of hard bread into her sack, then tied the straps as tight as she could. "This should be enough. We won't be there for a long time, right?"
"I doubt it will take too long. So far, it's only taken us a couple of hours to complete the first few doors," Callum stated, adjusting the laces on his boots. "If it's like the last three doors, it shouldn't take that long."
Jean sat silently at the center of the food hall, holding the metal plate embedded in his arm. He could feel a faint vibration from the plate. Ever since the system interface appeared, it had kept telling him to enter the next door. It felt as if it was directing his actions. The buzzing in the back of his head hurt every time the system instructed him to enter the door.
Lydia slid a sack filled with food toward him. "Hey, you okay? You've been quiet ever since we got back."
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just this goddamn noise in my head." The buzzing kept playing in the back of his mind, making him feel sick to his stomach. "This thing keeps saying stuff to me. It just will not shut up."
"Maybe you're the chosen one or something," Ronan joked as he wrapped bundles.
Elise said, "We still have to figure out how to trigger a level-up. Then we can hopefully survive this mess."
Jean looked up at the group. "If it's like a dungeon in video games, there's a chance we might have to fight monsters to level up. We might even have to fight a final boss."
"Well, that's why we have to find out how it works, so you can beat the boss." Callum chucked a pack over his shoulder as he walked toward the door. "We ready?"
"I don't think I will ever be ready... Let's go," Lydia joked.
"I'm always ready," Ronan laughed.
As they approached the fourth door, they noticed something. It was different from the normal black glossy door. A thick slab of iron was embedded in old stone. They all pushed with all their might, trying to move the heavy door. As it creaked open, cold air poured out, the sound echoing as if it were the groans of something ancient awakening.
The inside was a simple, rectangular room, completely different from the ruins, caverns, and jungle they had explored before. Smooth concrete walls. A grey floor. A single lightbulb lit the space with a harsh greyish light. It buzzed, but not like the one in Jean's head.
In the center of the room stood a small stand. A letter lay on it, sealed with crimson wax none of them recognized.
Elise broke the seal and read aloud:
"To grow, you must choose your path alone. Each door is tied to your fate. You may not turn back. Choose wisely."
Five doors stood evenly spread apart from one another, all marked with a faint glowing rune.
"So we're splitting up?" Ronan jumped straight to a door with a fist on it. "I call this door."
"Looks like it," Jean said. The metal plate in his arm began to glow, creating a rune similar to the one on the doors. "I guess I'll pick this one then." The rune on his door had an eye as its symbol.
Elise stepped toward a door that had a book on it. She glanced at the others and said, "I guess there is no backing out now."
Lydia walked up to a door with a sharp dagger on it and said nothing.
Callum stepped forward to the only door left, which had a multiplication symbol.
No one knew what their symbol represented, but they all grabbed their doorknobs and walked in.
Jean stopped for a moment before opening his door. He grabbed the door and opened it. As he stepped inside, the door slammed behind him with a metallic clang.
"Okay. No turning back, I guess," he stuttered.
He hated how nervous he was. He swallowed hard and walked down the hallway.
It was an empty, narrow corridor with a gray wall and floor. The dull light overhead felt blinding, yet the corridor looked harmless.
It made him feel even more uneasy.
He took a step forward, foot after foot.
Click.
He felt his heart jump.
Thwip!
A sharp dart shot out from a hole in the wall—before he could react, it tore across his upper cheek. He felt an immediate sting. He reached at his face to feel himself. He then looked at his hand. Blood. He cried out, jumping backward as he grabbed his wound.
"Ahh! What the hell?!"
[Minor Damage Taken: -3 HP][Trap Encounter Logged.][Skill Acquired: Basic Dodge Lv.1][Nimbleness +1]
Jean held his cheek, trying to stop his bleeding. It wasn't too deep, but it hurt like hell. It might even scar up.
"I didn't even do anything!" he yelled, looking around the walls, looking for traps. "I just took one step. That trap was so cheap."
The system text hovered in front of his eyes.
"Basic dodge? You think that was a dodge? I didn't even dodge anything!"
He took a big, deep breath and slowly started to walk forward. His eyes darted across the floor. His body felt like a rubber band stretched to the limit; his body was tense.
Another step. Nothing.
Then another.
Click.
He barely had time to register the clicking sound before a big axe dropped from the ceiling, swinging in an arc toward him.
"Oh crap."
Jean threw himself to the left side. He hit the floor shoulder-first, skidding down the wall. The blade sliced the air right where he was standing.
He lay there for a few seconds, still trying to think about what had happened. He groaned. His left rib throbbed, and his head felt as if it was spinning.
[You evaded an attack. Evasion Experience +5][Pain Tolerance +1]
His pupils dilated to the notification, then he looked back to the shining blade. His heart still pounding—it felt painful.
"This... is insane," he mumbled. "They really expect me to survive this?"
He slowly pushed himself off the wall and up onto his feet, grimacing every time he moved. "I got this. Just got to survive. Don't die and maybe this plate will do something."
His voice cracked near the end. He kept on biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from losing it.
Jean moved slower, crouching low and hugging the wall. He flinched with every step, even at the slightest sound.
Another trap went off.
The panel in the floor opened up, and fire burst up. Jean screamed, sadly jumping backward too late. The flames burned his legs, burning through the fabric.
He collapsed to the ground, patting at his pants, trying to stop the fire.
"Ahh god!"
Tears in his eyes. It felt like his skin itself had been ripped open.
[Burn Damage Sustained: -10 HP][Pain Tolerance +2][Skill Progress: Dodge Lv.1 → Dodge Lv.2]
Jean rolled around, panting hard. "This skill isn't even helping me! This is torture!"
He wanted to quit. He wanted to get out of here.
The system didn't care. It just rewarded him for his hardships. As if the pain was part of a lesson.
He wiped his tears and forced himself upright, limping forward.
He didn't feel stronger in any way.
But somehow, he kept moving forward.
Jean came to the end of the corridor and the door mechanically opened itself up.
He saw another long hallway. It looked the same as the last room.
Twice as long.
Dimmer.
Silent.
He stepped forward, ready for more traps. As he walked, the world exploded into movement.
Spikes shot out from the ceiling. The floor opened up into a pitch-black void. Walls pushed inward, trying to crush him.
He ran.
Rolled. Slid. Dodged.
Sometimes barely missing him. Sometimes dodging perfectly.
The system kept talking in his ear.
[Dodge Lv.4][Pain Tolerance +3][Trap Sense Lv.2]
He had minor bruising but no blood... He finally felt his level rising.
It was like the level-up was actually doing something. The metal plate embedded in him didn't feel like a foreign object anymore, but a processor, upgrading him in real time.
The world felt slow after he leveled up. He felt stronger. More confident. Just better.
[Level Up Acquired: Level 1 → 2][Skill Tree Unlocked: Physical Aptitude – Beginner Tier Available]
The world paused for a second. A brand-new interface appeared before his eye. A branching skill tree of possible traits: Balance, Reaction Time, Agility, Endurance.
He instantly knew what to pick. He selected Agility.
[Trait Acquired: Agility +1]
He felt lighter. Every step felt easier, more fluid.
After around thirty minutes, Jean had finally reached the end of the second hallway, panting hard. His body ached, but it felt good. He smiled slightly through the sweat and blood.
So this is how it works, he thought to himself.
As Jean opens the final door, expecting the end of his trial, he steps into a massive concrete arena. The atmosphere changes immediately. It's not about traps anymore. Shadows slither in the corners. Glowing eyes blink in the darkness ahead.
[Welcome to Stage Two: Combat Simulation Initiated.]