The sensation only lasted for an instant, and before he knew it— he was back in the forest, feeling the soft grass underneath the soles of his newly acquired leather boots. Jack’s guard was immediately heightened, as his eyes darted around the surroundings, scanning for any elements in the terrain he could use to his advantage— the wide Douglas-Fir trees providing him with plenty of cover for evasion, especially from any long-range attacks. On the other hand, the patches of dense foliage that were interspersed between trees— thick dark-green bushes, exposed roots and to a lesser extent, dead leaves and twigs, that might give away his location via sound, were potential threats.

He immediately took two steps back, with a firm grip on his sword. Jack had been taught to hold the sword with enough strength that it had no chance of flying out of his hands, yet maintain a flexibility within his grip at the same time— the first concept his instructor had drilled within his head, to avoid fracturing his wrist

The air in front of him started shimmering, and a few seconds later Jack got to witness the same mysterious ability that had transported him earlier. Jack felt a powerful force weighing down upon him from all sides, like gravity but it wasn’t pulling him towards the ground, but inwards— it felt as if he took a single step in any direction, his body would implode in a most gruesome manner. Naturally, he no longer had any intention to.

A black-haired man appearing to be in his late twenties, with pale white skin, brown eyes and a lean build was ejected from the portal, landing on the ground in an instant— clearly the work of the entity that transported them. He wore a baggy, dark-green hooded linen shirt that extended almost to knee level, a thin rope tied around the waist to give it a tight fit— the hood only allowing for a tuft of black hair to peek out from behind it. His leggings were tucked into a pair of long leather shoes with a thin sole, and he held a Short Bow in his right hand.

Two more portals opened up in rapid succession, and Jack watched on— still unable to move, as a burly man wielding a pair of bronze gauntlets, that in all fairness, looked mighty impressive, and a woman in her mid twenties, holding a long spear with both her hands, were ejected from the portal.

The man stood at an impressive height of six foot two, only an inch shorter than Jack himself. The man was the oldest here, somewhere between mid to late thirties. With a clean shaven, or perhaps naturally bald head, long beard and a heavier build that was still well-muscled at the same time, it was safe to say that on first glance, the man looked more intimidating than Jack. He made no further movement, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead— from the strained expression on his face, Jack figured he was feeling the pressure too. That was good, it implied that this force weighing down on them was intended for mutual restraint.

The woman stood at a height of five foot seven, her light brown hair tied neatly into a ponytail, matching with her attractive amber eyes. She had an athletic build, and was dressed in an outfit that was nearly identical to Jack’s, holding a reinforced wooden spear with a bluish-silver metal tip. Her eyes darted around frantically in every direction, much like the Archer’s were, both of them carrying a mix of shock, disbelief and a tinge of horror in their eyes— the reality of their new situation not yet having fully set in.

The pressure made blinking hard, let alone talking, so an eerie silence rested over the group for half a minute, before a change occurred.

Trial I: Awakening.

Duration: 59 D 24H 00M

Notice: Planet Earth is now the 84th planet under the jurisdiction of the third realm, by the authority of the Divine System. Any position of power, rights, or privileges you held previously are now considered forfeit.

The three realms offer you a choice: Accept mortality, or defy death. You have witnessed our power, the power to colonize a world in an instant, the power to reduce light years' distance to mere seconds. Bathed in the Divine Flames, you can now tap into that power— a power that defies the laws of the world you understand, a power that can make the impossible, trivial. A power that makes living forever, a reality.

The civilization you have so painstakingly evolved over the years shall no longer offer you protection. No matter where you run, danger awaits. Show us the resilience of your race— stand your ground and fight, struggle for your survival long enough to unlock your talent, or die trying.

Rules:

Cultivation can be achieved by killing another life form and absorbing a part of their cultivation cycle, including other humans. During the period of this trial, the cultivator may encounter the following enemies: evolved predators from Earth, dungeon monsters, enemies of the three realms and other [Hidden Pieces].

For every kill, Tutorial Points [TP] are awarded, which can be used to purchase special items from the [System Shop]. Killing another cultivator awards all their Tutorial Points and the most valuable item in their possession. Additional items may be awarded for killing more powerful enemies.

There is no restriction against teaming up with other cultivators. The only objective is survival, via any and every means possible.

The system is now unlocked.

The following items have been deposited into your Inventory:

500 nourishment capsules (One capsule removes food requirement for twenty four hours).

500 hydration capsules (One capsule removes water requirement for twenty four hours)

5 Recovery Pill (Heals non-lethal wounds over the period of five hours)

Jack’s expression turned grave as he finished reading through the system prompt, though his heart did speed up when the prospect of immortality was discussed. But there was a subtle shift in atmosphere, and he could feel the other’s gazes pass by him. Human nature was one thing, but this was encouraging taking out other cultivators to increase your own chance of survival— betrayal, treachery, ambushes and much more was on the cards now.

The situation had been elevated— this was now the second worst case scenario, only succeeded by all out nuclear war, and Jack’s priorities and mindset shifted accordingly. It was a situation of pure anarchy, directed by extra-terrestrial entities that did not seem to care how many of them would die in the process of ‘awakening the talent’, whatever that meant.

Name

Jack Fletcher

Age

28.6 Years

Race

Human [F-]

Level

1

Class

Swordsman [Offensive]

Cultivation

Initiate I

Talent

-

Skills:

Inspect, Qi Blade

Equipment

[F-] Bastard Sword

STR

6

CON

6

DEX

8

AGI

9

PER

8

WIS

7

INT

9

WIL

7

QI

10/10

Another wave of information flowed through Jack’s mind, but this time it wasn’t accompanied by a wave of crippling pain. The contents of the information were fairly simple, and Jack understood what the numbers on the screen represented now. It was the system’s judgment of his current physical, mental and sensory capabilities, quantified in numerical form, so he could make sense of it.

Barring the low strength and constitution score due to his lean, fit build, Jack was pretty flattered by the results. But he had no time to dwell on the matter, as it was followed by another system prompt in quick succession.

The First Trial hereby commences.