“Shit!” I stare at the burning cloud encroaching on my position. How many of these things are there to create such a massive cloud! It’s bigger than a city block! This time, hiding in the trees won’t cut it since the heat caused by their angry shouts is enough to start a few fires. I already see columns of black smoke rising over the horizon. Like dark splotches of paint over the pristine blue canvas of the sky.

I need to run away now, or I’m going to turn into charcoal. My eyes wander around, where can I hide? The trees are out, and I don’t see any convenient caves. That only leaves me with one last option, running away. Where should I run? I need to be smart about this, or a bunch of angry flamethrowers with antlers will pursue me. I look up again, the cloud is approaching fast. They should be there in about ten minutes so I need to act! I scratch the back of my head, how can I make sure that they don’t find me again? I could stay put and wait in the Twilight World until they’re gone. But that would eat up the entirety of my remaining countdown.

Maybe I should run towards them? As suicidal as it sounds, running towards my would-be pursuers could be an interesting possibility. That way there’s no chance for me to cross paths with the horde of flaming abominations. Then, I can go deeper in the forest once they decide that their stampede is over. I would be long gone by the time they go back to their original spot! I nod to myself, that sounds like a plan!

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

***Countdown: 00:52:18***

Now it’s time to run! I push my legs to their limits as I bolt towards the location of the burning cloud. It is dissipating now that there are no longer any Scaled Flame Deers to fuel its growth. The dead forest is easy to navigate. It takes about fifteen minutes before I reach the beginning of the trail left behind by the stampede. It’s an impressive sight. An inky black line of destruction and desolation is cutting through the lush forest. Well, it isn’t so green and lush in the Twilight World. More like dead and brown. But still, it's not hard to imagine what the carnage looks like.

That means I’m on the right track! It takes another ten minutes of running before I reach the origin point of the stampede. It is similar to the destruction caused by the Deer I killed, but the scope is ten times greater. The sheer destruction is awe-inspiring, and it makes me shiver. What would have happened to me if I didn’t have the Twilight World? I would be dead, running away from creatures faster than me until my stamina depletes and burn alive.

Once again, I’m very thankful for the Twilight World.

I keep running and leave the destruction behind me. Ten minutes later and I’m panting against a tree. My lungs are burning and my legs are sore. I still get tired in the Twilight World, and now I’m exhausted! I glance at my countdown, I only have seventeen minutes left so I should go back to reality. But I’m not sure I can appear here. What if there’s another pack of deadly creatures waiting here? Something could tear me apart before I can understand what’s happening to me. I look at a tree and let out a long sigh as I reach for a branch.

Five minutes, and two sore arms, later and I’m sitting on a thick branch. The calm shuffle of the trees returns as I exit the Twilight World. I’m still panting as I recuperate both stamina and countdown time. Taking a look below me reveals that I’m alone, at least as far as I can tell. There are no obvious traces of predators and the rumble of the stampede is almost inaudible now. It doesn’t take long for it to disappear completely.

“Fuck me,” I sigh as I stare at the rare patches of sky visible through the forest’s canopy. I wonder how my progress looks to my observers. It must be weird from their point of view. The Bracer must disconnects for a while before I reappear in another place without any warning. “Well, I still have two to go.” I need to find another lone Scaled Flame Deer and a Silvery Harpy. It’s easier said than done. From the size alone the pack of Scaled Flame Deers is about forty to fifty individuals strong. I could be way off, but that’s my rough estimate based on the size of the burned path they left behind. Even if I’m completely wrong and there are only ten of them, it’s nine too many. Fighting one was already difficult, so I would be courting death if I took on the entire pack.

No, I need to bide my time and look for the perfect opportunity. I still have a couple of hours before the end of the Test, so I can afford some idle time to recuperate. I wait for twenty minutes before going back down from my hiding spot. I’m still sore, but it’s manageable. My countdown has refilled a bit, enough to afford me an emergency escape if I create another stampede.

“This fucking place,” I say to myself as I explore the area. A group of stampeding Scaled Flame Deers is already enough to cause so much destruction, so why is this forest still here? From what I’ve seen it should have burned down a long time ago. I shake my head, there’s no way that I can understand the intricacies of this fucked up Pocket Dimension. I need to get out of here as soon as possible before something I can’t kill notices my presence.

The woods are silent now that I think about it. There’s not even the rustle of leaves caused by the wind. Everything is still, like— I stop moving. There’s something right in front of me, above my chin. A thin strand of transparent goop, like a spiderweb, blocks the path. I wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for a lucky reflection! I step back and angle my head in all sorts of fashion to confirm that it isn’t an isolated incident. I pale and gulp when I realize that — similar strands cover the entire area in front of me. Nothing could step inside this place without the owner of the webs noticing the intruder!

And I’m not going to stick around to find out what abomination laid out these traps. Nope! I back out and look for a way forward that doesn’t involve crossing the territory of the yet unseen creature. The sheer size of the strands still tells me a few critical things, like the massive size of the beast. I’m already done fighting gigantic abominations even if something tells me that I haven’t seen the worst that this place has to offer. I click my tongue, how big is this monster’s territory? I walked around for close to ten minutes, but there’s no end in sight.

Should I turn back? I shake my head. The stampede of Scaled Flame Deers might have abandoned its pursuit and is going back to their resting area. I doubt they would since they trashed the place, but I don’t want to leave my fate up to chance. This beast must not have closed off the entirety of the forest. That would be impossible, the sheer size of the wooded area is mind-boggling, it’s almost endless. I am about to step back when I hear a familiar sound, a pained shriek. I freeze, that’s a Scaled Flame Deer! It sounds afraid, but more importantly, alone.

It's my chance! I ready my rifle as I sprint towards the source of the noise. I realize pretty quickly that it is very close to the territory full of giant spiderwebs. Way too close, I — My jaw drops as I step into a small creek with a tiny stream of water flowing in the middle. There, I spot a Scaled Flame Deer, but it’s smaller. Its scales are also lighter in color, and its antlers are not developed. Finding a young Scaled Flame Deer should have been a joyous occasion. But — It’s stuck in the strands placed above the water.

I piece together the scene. The lost young Deer wandered around and drank some water. But, it didn’t notice the strands and got caught like an insect in a spiderweb. The beast shrieks and trashes, creating bursts of fire that do not even singe the webs. I’m not even sorry as I empty a magazine inside the trapped creature. If the beast that spat out those webs is anything like a spider, then I saved that Deer from a long and excruciating death.

It also helped me with my Test, which was the main reason for my actions.

I spare one last glance at the lifeless suspended body and turn around — A sloshing noise reaches my ears. It’s like someone filled up a large plastic bag with water and shook it like a maniac. Vibrations are also resonating through the ground. I gulp as I ready my weapon. Something big is coming, and it’s in a hurry. I run back as fast as I can while maintaining eye contact with the direction where the tremor is coming from. The sloshing is getting louder and the tremor is growing in intensity, which means that it’s very close! I jump behind one of the thick trees at the edge of the clearing and lean enough to have a look at the body of the dead Deer.

My stomach churns when a wriggling mass of gray flesh encased in translucent skin emerges from the forest. Its body jiggles with each of the movements of its four thick limbs. These limbs end up in a hand-like appendage with three fingers on each. The main body itself is long and ends up in a thin spiked tail. But what makes me almost shit my pants is the front of the abomination. A lamprey-like maw occupies the front of the main tube-like body. Those sharp teeth could shred a car without a second thought! Its undulating body pulsates as it approaches its prey, the mouth opens up, and — Good fucking lord. It swallows the Scaled Flame Deer! The horror’s body undulates as the body enters its stomach, and the carcass disappears just like that.

The eyes of the creature rise like a snail’s antennas. Two black orbs on top of veiny tendrils emerge above the maw as it scans its surroundings. I stop breathing as it keeps looking, its mouth undulating like it's smelling something.

What the fuck is that? What the — that’s not something I can fight. I need to run away!

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

***Countdown: 00:26:35***

I’m glad that my countdown got refilled because I’m going to use every second it has left. I have to put as much distance as I can between me and that creature. It will swallow me in an instant before I can escape with the Twilight World. I can’t help but laugh. How naive I was! I thought that Scaled Flame Deer was the epitome of death and destruction. But I was wrong, very wrong. Instead, the creature I would struggle to fight is a mere snack for some gigantic mutant spider lamprey! Fuck this place, fuck this!

I run as fast as my legs can go, jumping over roots and dead foliage alike. Who knew that fleeing from a demon from hell would turn an average Joe into an Olympic runner? Fuck, fuck! I keep looking back, almost expecting the beast to have followed me into the Twilight World. Fifteen minutes later and I’m vomiting on the roots of a massive tree. At this point, I almost fainted from exhaustion as I pushed my body to its limits. My vision is blurry and the taste of bile in my mouth makes me gag.

I hate this Pocket Dimension so much! Holy shit! Who knew that I could hate a universe with such a burning passion. I grit my teeth as I exit the Twilight World. It might be unsafe to appear here, but I can’t let my countdown reach zero, or I’m dead. Eleven minutes is already too close for comfort, so I should not push my luck.

The forest regains its colors as the world shifts. I scan my surroundings, ready to jump back into the safety of the Twilight World. Saying that I’m nervous wouldn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling right now. I want out of this hell! I grit my teeth as I force my hands to stop trembling.

“Fuck, fuck!” I mutter on repeat as I stare at the darkness. For the first time in my life, the dark is the enemy. A source of death and misery. I can hardly hear anything as my thumping heartbeat resonates in my skull. Cold sweat covers my body while I survey the area. My back is against the tree as I keep looking around, keep looking for any potential assailant. I hyperventilate as I grip my rifle so tightly that my knuckles start to hurt.

A sudden shockwave makes me fall while the tree groans and creak.

“Don’t tell me—” I look up, and my heart skips a beat. A wingspan of several meters. Knife-like feathers and talons that could cut a tank in half.

There’s a Silvery Harpy right there!