As usual, going to the parking lot doesn’t take a lot of time thanks to the Twilight World. I chuckle, driving like a maniac will become a habit if I keep going like this. I hope I will remember how to drive properly! The world regains its colors, and the hustle and bustle of a lively city reach my ears. Hopefully, no one sees me. Or it’s going to cause a panic. I smile at the absurdity of the situation. People would freak out if they saw someone carrying a rifle in the middle of the street, yet they have no idea about what’s happening right under their noses.

A rifle would look mild in comparison to the demonic Tethering Bracer, or even the Spell-In-A-Tube. Speaking of them, I should decide what to do with these things. I can’t duplicate them because they contain an energy source, so I have to decide if I use them or turn them into Twilight Points. The Fireball they contain seems to be good enough to take down an Awakened gang member. They could come in handy. Furthermore, it’s only worth 10 Twilight Points, which doesn’t sound like a lot. If only I could see how many Points I need before —

***Display Qualification Upgrade Progress Bar? (Y/N)***

Ask, and you shall receive! These blue windows are helpful at times, even if they are very stingy with what I would consider vital information. I accept, and the window at the corner of my vision updates.

***Countdown: 00:54:21***

***Next Qualification Upgrade: (0/100)***

Okay, that’s a lot more than I expected. I reached the second level when I got 10 Points. Does that mean that the requirement for each level increases by a magnitude? It's depressing. I shake my head, I have to find a better source of Twilight Points because the 10 Points provided by the Spell-In-A-Tube are not going to cut it. I might be luckier than most since I have the Lockheart family to help me. If I can sneak around and absorb ridiculous artifacts that no one would miss, then — A predatory grin creeps on my face. Yeah, that could — Someone tapping on the windows of my car makes me jump in surprise, and I reach for my rifle. Who the fuck was that? Did someone spot me?

“Calm down.” A familiar voice says. I relax when I recognize the owner of the voice. Johnathan is here! He must have arrived pretty recently since his gait is uncertain and his face pale. “Just-Just let me adjust for a moment.”

“You came here with a Bracer?” I ask with a knowing look. Those things are abominations. Devilish inventions that make the life of its user miserable!

“Is it that obvious?” he makes a wry smile before taking a deep breath. “Okay, I’m good now. Can you come out of your car?” he asks.

“Is there anyone else nearby?” I ask as I take a look around the deserted parking lot. I can’t see anyone, but I’m not a magical superhuman. I could have missed something.

Johnathan shakes his head, “No, why do you ask?” his gaze freezes when he looks at me. “Oh. I see.”

“Okay,” I mutter as I leave my vehicle. “Did I overdo it?” I ask as I take a look at my attire.

“I—No, I don’t think so?” my friend scratches the back of his head. “I would have never expected that from you. It's a surprise, but I should never judge a book by its cover and all that.”

I snort, “Like you are one to talk. Who would have known that my friend was a member of definitely-not-the-magical-mafia.”

Johnathan deflates, “Point taken. Man, seeing you like that is so weird to me.” He mumbles.

“What? Is a rifle not good for a Test Of Might?” I ask with a frown. I swear, if my preparations were for nothing — Then I would be screwed.

“I can’t tell you that.” The Lockheart heir replies with a sheepish smile as he hands me a Bracer. I shudder as I put on the device, aware of what’s to come. “Ready?”

“Yes,” I reply with a grim expression. At the moment, I’m more scared of the Bracer than of the Test. Johnathan grabs the beam that has become visible to my eyes and disappears. I close my eyes before touching the magical construct. “For fuck’s sake!” I scream as my stomach lurches. The trip is over in a few seconds, but they felt like hours. My knees are wobbly as I open my eyes, once again in the middle of the Lockheart estate. My attire earns me a few raised eyebrows and hushed whispers, but I ignore them.

Who cares what they think of me? Only my survival matters. I will not die to a Goblin because I wanted to be fashionable.

“Over here,” Johnathan waves. His steps are as unsteady as mine as we enter the manor. Seeing the massive corridors again confirms my theory. This place is bigger on the inside. There’s no other way that they can house that many people. I follow my friend in silence as he guides me through the maze that is his home. Robbing that place and escaping in an hour would be impossible. I’m glad that I didn’t succumb to my urges back then.

We reach a large industrial elevator, and I can’t help but whistle. “You have multiple elevators in your home,” I mumble. My friend looks at me like I’m the abnormal one for not having freaking private elevators! Rich kids, I swear.

“It’s going to be fast,” my friend warns as the doors close. The entire elevator, big enough to hold a dozen of people with room to spare, falls like a brick.

“Holy shit!” I grit my teeth as the descent continues. “Can’t you people do things normally? For fuck’s sake!”

“You think I enjoy it?” Johnathan replies with an even paler face. I’m almost certain that he will pass out in the next moment, but he somehow holds on to consciousness. All thanks to his rigorous training I assume. The elevator stops in an instant, and I take deep breaths of relief.

“That was insane,” I say to my friend with shaky knees. “How can your people go through that every day and not pass out?”

“You tell me, man. You tell me.” He replies with a thousand yards stare. “Let’s go, my brother is waiting.” I follow my friend. The basement levels of this gigantic mansion look pretty drab. The fanciness of the upper floors is gone. Instead, we are navigating through concrete hallways lit up by bright ceiling lights. “We’re here,” he says as he pushes open a thick steel door with many locks. I can’t help but stare at the door, which looks like it can withstand a nuclear explosion. What’s in that basement that could warrant such heavy security?

“I see you’ve come,” Nathaniel nods with a grunt before grabbing a cigarette. But, I’m not focused on his smoking habit. Instead, my eyes wander over an orb of distorted space sitting atop a raised platform. The ball rotates at random intervals, and each rotation t makes it wobble while it shakes the very fabric of reality around its smooth surface. A faint image of a forested landscape is visible, but the ripples caused by the movements make it hard to discern anything. “For this Test Of Might, you will hunt those beasts.” Nathaniel grabs something resembling a miniature projector out of his pocket. The device emits a faint hum as a floating, almost life-like hologram appears.

The beast itself looks like a giant deer, but its snout is missing. Instead, it’s a flat surface with a wide-open mouth covered in tiny sharp teeth. The antlers of the beast also emit a faint glow, and flames engulf its hooves. I expected fur, not dark glistening scales.

“This is a Scaled Flame Deer. A tough bastard,” Nathaniel says. “You need to hunt two of them. Don’t worry, those creatures move in packs so they will be easy to find.”

I gulp. I wasn’t worried about finding them! This thing looks like a nightmare given form, an abomination ready to tear me apart. And he tells me that there’s going to be a lot of them? Fucking hell. I glance at the door behind me, which is already locked. Is it too late to run away?

“The other target for this test is a Silvery Harpy.” The image shifts to a bear-sized bird. Its silver feathers look like a bunch of sharp knives, and its serrated beak makes me weak in the knees. It has six spider-like legs, also covered in knife-like feathers. The avian monstrosity's deep black eyes are terrifying. I can’t help but glance at my rifle. Can I even kill something like this?

“Any questions?” Nathaniel asks. “None? Good, because you can’t ask them. Let’s go!” he continues as he points at the orb. “Enter the Pocket dimension, and kill your prey. You have six hours to finish your tasks, or else you will fail the Test. We will pull you out of the Pocket Dimension with the Bracer once you’re done or when you’re in a critical condition. Of course, getting pulled out before you can do your tasks will result in a failed Test. We will track you through the Bracer so don’t worry about not finding your way back.”

I nod, barely able to process his words as I stare at the entrance of the Pocket Dimension. I thought I could do it, and— I’m about to piss my pants. Those abominations could kill me in an instant, yet I am supposed to hunt them? Who do they think I am? A super-soldier? I tighten my grip on my rifle. I want to give up. My survival instincts are screaming at me to run as far away from this gate to hell.

Yet, I take a step forward. And another one. The Twilight World can only reach its maximum potential if I get a foot into the world of the Awakened, and this Test is my only way in. I grit my teeth as I step through the jello-like orb, and the world in front of me changes in an instant. Gone are the sterile, hospital-like smells of the Lockheart basement.

Instead, it's wet foliage and cut grass that greets my arrival. I ended up at the border of a forest full of large trees, trees so tall that I can hardly see their peaks over the cloudless blue sky. I look back, and the entrance of the Pocket Dimension is almost invisible. Only a few spatial fluctuations betray its position, and I wouldn’t know it was there if I wasn’t looking.

“Here we go,” I mumble as I flick off the safety on my firearm. This is it, the Test Of Might. I pay a lot of attention to my surroundings. If this dimension can house insane predators like the ones I’m supposed to kill, then it is reasonable to assume that other creatures are roaming around.

Where should I go? I have no information about my targets, but I can infer some things thanks to the location of my drop-off point. I can assume that the creatures are residing within the damp forest. Otherwise, the entrance of the Pocket Dimension would be somewhere else. It's a Test Of Might, not a Test Of Tracking. I take another deep breath and enter the forest. The fallen branches are crunching under my boots.

Saying that I’m on edge does not even begin to describe my current state. My heart is about to explode, my mouth is dry, and I keep scanning my surroundings. “Fuck, fuck.” I mumble as I look around. This place is creepy and dangerous. What is lurking around? What if some of the local apex predators are already following me?

Who knows if the Bracer can pull me out fast enough if a dragon or some other mystical horror pins me down. Fucking hell, this was a bad idea! Regret mounts with each step I take into the dark forest. Each unknown plant could attack me. Or they could fill my body with mind-bending poisons that would kill me in an instant.

How can the main characters in Isekai stories be so calm? This place is a Pocket Dimension, so I know I can go back. I’m also well-prepared, but I am a loud noise away from shitting my pants. I grit my teeth, failure is a guarantee if I stay stressed.

***Welcome, Heir of the Twilight World.***

***Countdown: 00:57:59***

The atmosphere changes as soon as I enter the Twilight World. The dangerous aura changes to a calm melancholy as I stare at the dark sky illuminated by two red moons. I exhale and look around. The forest is a lot less scary now that I know that nothing can jump out of nowhere and devour my insides. My stress dissipates as I regain my confidence, the initial shock fading as I take a closer look at my surroundings. “This isn’t so bad, and the Twilight World will save me if something attacks.” A faint smile appears on my face as I go back to the terrifying reality of the Pocket Dimension.

I am here to hunt, not to be hunted. And, even if I end up running for my life, I can disappear! The Twilight World is ideal for someone like me, someone who lacks bravery. I shrug, I’m worrying for nothing. With any luck, the creatures I’m supposed to hunt are the worst this world has to offer.

After all, what would be worse than those abominations?