Soon, a portal opened in front of them, its swirling colours humming softly as a notification fshed:
[Portal will close in 10:00]
The familiar sickly sensation from their first portal experience crept up on Nova again, but he quickly shook it off. He turoward Jack, his expression focused. “Ready?”
Jaodded, his gaze sharp and unwavering. “Once we’re out, find the White portal aer. We o keep moving or we’ll be dead the mome caught.”
Nova gave a subtle nod. “Yeah, don’t wait for me if you find a White portal. You know the rendezvous point if we’re separated. I’ll catch up when I’m strong enough.”
Jack gave him a reassuring smile, though there was an edge of worry in his eyes. “Yes, I’ll see you there.”
Without another word, they both stepped into the portal. The world around them twisted and ed, and the sickly sensation smmed into Nova’s stomach. His head spun as if he were being torn apart from the i. He ched his teeth, trying to hold onto his senses, and after a few seds, the disfort subsided.
When his eyes snapped open again, he sed his surroundings quickly, but there was no sign of Jack. Instead, a vibrant Green portal stht before him, just a couple of steps away. He hesitated for only a moment, his instincts telling him to be cautious, but the pull of the portal was undeniable. If he took two steps, he’d be inside.
Nova was taken aback, his gaze fixed on the swirling Green portal in front of him. ‘Should I ehis one?’ he wondered, hesitating. ‘If I remember correctly, after White, Green portals were the most on. That should mean they aren’t much harder than White, right?’
His thoughts were cut short as he noticed people darting through the streets, using their powers recklessly. It didn’t take long for him to realize the truth—there were too many of them, and they moved in anized patterns, like a gang patrolling their territory. The oppressive atmosphere made ohing clear: he had no ce of esg alive if he stayed.
Gripping his fists, Nova steeled his resolve. Entering the portal was a gamble, but it was far better than waiting to be ered by these people. Without sed-guessing himself, he luoward the Green portal and stepped through.
The momeered, a wave of nausea hit him like a sledgehammer. The spinniion in his head was far worse than when he had used the White portal. His stomach ed violently, and he felt like he was moments away from throwing up. Yet, he had no trol over his body; it was as if he were suspended in a chaotic void. Milliseds stretched into agonizing hours in this disorienting state.
A momehe chaos subsided, and the surroundings gradually stabilized. Nova found himself standing in peared to be a waiting room, much like the one from the White portal. The only noticeable difference was the dense Green fog swirling around, giving the area an eerie, vibrant glow.
Before he could take in more details, a meiotificati in his ears:[Select a on][Mission starts in 05:00]
“Same notification as before, huh” Nova muttered, his voice eg faintly in the fog. He ched his fists, feeling a small wave of relief. ‘At least they let me pick a on here’ he thought. ‘Without it, I’d be utterly defenseless. Too bad they don’t let you take these ons outside… Does that mean I o find something perma inside? What a pain.’
Shaking off his frustration, Nova focused on his choice. He pictured a spear, its sleek form materializing in his mind’s eye. Almost instantly, a prompt appeared:[Spear selected][Are you sure?]
“Yeah, yeah, just give me the spear” Nova thought, impatiently dismissing the firmation.
In an instant, a spear materialized in his left hand, its weight and bance immediately registering in his grip. He gave it a small twirl to test it, nodding in approval.
The five-minute tdown ticked away in silence as Nova sat, spear resting across his p, lost in thought.
‘…The spear has five basic attacks’, he recalled. ‘Since I’ve already learhrust, I still o master Sweep, Overhead Strike, Lunge, and Jab.’ Nova gripped the spear tighter, resolving to work through the teiques systematically.
His thoughts then shifted to something he had almost fotten. ‘ht—the medallion from the st mission.’ With that realization, he focused his mind on it, summoning the system.
[Retrieve Goblin Syer’s Medallion?]
“Yes” Nova thought without hesitation.
The medallion appeared in Nova’s hand out of thin air, its metallic surface cool to the touch. He exami closely. It was a simple pendant, inscribed with what looked like intricate symbols—likely the goblin nguage. Without hesitation, Nova slipped it around his neck.
Immediately, his senses expanded outward in a ripple, granting him a clear awareness of everything within a 10-meter radius. He could feel the faint movement of the air, the subtle vibrations of the ground, and even the presence of the Green fog around him.
“This is... kinda nice” he muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
He leaned back, gripping his spear loosely, and waited for the timer to hit zero.
[Mission starts in 00:02][Mission starts in 00:01][Mission started]
A series of notifications appeared in his mind.
[Mission: Survive for 1 day]Rewards:
Primary Reward:Gold: 5,000 sEXP: 650Title: Survivrao those who endure harsh ditions and outst all odds, the "Survivor" title symbolizes unyielding perseverand mental fortitude.Bonus:+10% Vigor+5% Resistao Enviroal Hazards+5% Healing SpeedSpecial Reward: (If the mission is pleted without losing any body parts)Light Armor: (+2 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +5 Speed)
When Nova saw the rewards, he leasantly surprised. ‘These rewards are way better than the White portal ones,’ he thought. ‘Maybe I might die in this trial. If the rewards reflect how dangerous it is, then this trial should be at least 5 to 10 times more dangerous than the previous one.’
As the fog began to disperse, it revealed a barren nd stretched out before him. Nova sed his surroundings and noticed two promi structures: a cavern and an arena. He guessed that the cavern was for resting and the arena was meant for bat, though the details were unclear.
As if reading his thoughts, a notification appeared:
[Fight starts in 05:00][Be at the arena by the end of the tdown. The penalty is death.]
“Damn, did it have to be such a killjoy? Death just for beihey should’ve implemehis system in various jobs. Half the popution would’ve disappeared on the first day” Nova muttered with a slight ugh, shaking his head.
With no time to waste, he made his way toward the arena.
A couple of mier, Nova found himself standing in the ter of the arena. Gng at the timer, he saw that there were still 2 minutes remaining. Deg to use the time productively, he took a stance, gripping his spear tightly.
Nova shifted into position, gripping the spear firmly before thrusting it forward with precision. A notificati in his ears.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
Curious, he opened his status to cheuch progress he had made. However, a slight disappoi crept over him as he read the numbers.
Spear Thrust (0) (1/500)
“1 point for each thrust... It’ll probably take me about 16 mio hit 500 if I don’t stop. Alright, let’s make use of the dowo push my skills up. I should be fih just 4 hours of sleep”. Nova muttered, calg his training schedule. “It’s going to be the busiest day of my life.”
With a pn f in his mind, he got back to work, thrusting the spear repeatedly.
By the time the timer was about to hit zero, Nova gave his progress o gnce.
Spear Thrust (0) (65/500)
The tdown reached its final moments.
[Fight starts in 00:01]
[Fight started]
Then, from the other side of the arena, a goblin emerged—t, hulking, and far rger than anything Nova could have possibly imagined. Its every step seemed to shake the grouh it. Above its head, a red name glowed ominously:
[Goblin General]
Nova narrowed his eyes, gripping his spear tightly as a thought crossed his mind.
‘Let me see his status’ he thought, fog ily on the massive figure before him.
[Goblin General]
Rank: 0
Name: None
Species: Goblin
Affiliation: None
Level: 0
Css: None
Attributes:
Strength: 14
Vigor: 15
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 6
Intelligence: 5
Wisdom: 4
Will: 0
Luck: 0
"This guy is broken. O will probably kill me, and I have no idea how many times I’ll have to stab him to take him down…" Nova muttered with a sigh. "Green portal, huh? Figures this would be the first fight."
The goblin general loomed before him, a standing at 6’0 figure of raw mes sickly greenish skin was marred by deep battle scars and tribal tattoos, each marking a tale of survival and quest. The armor it wore was a grotesque patchwork of its enemies’ remains—reinforced leather, sged metal ptes, and bone adors that gave it an almost primal appearance. Draped over its shoulder was a tattered cloak, once-proud banners of defeated foes now reduced to trophies of its victories. In its hand, it wielded a jagged sword, chipped yet deadly, glinting faintly in the arena’s harsh light.
Nova raised an eyebrow at the imposing sight but didn’t hesitate. Wasting time on this oppo wasn’t an option—every sed spent here was time he could i in training and growing stronger.
Without a word, he dashed toward the goblin general’s right fnk, his spear aimed for the creature’s exposed side. His movements were swift and deliberate, the spear cutting through the air in a precise thrust.
The goblin general didn’t have time to react fully, but its instincts kicked in. With a guttural snarl, it brought its jagged sword down in a sharp artercepting the spear mid-strike.
Nova halted his attack, wary of his spear snapping uhe goblin general’s powerful ter. He quickly sidestepped, moving fluidly behind the goblin, and drove his spear forward in another precise thrust aimed at its back.
The goblin general attempted to evade, clumsily shifting to the side, but its bulk and ck of agility worked against it. The spear’s tip found its mark, pierg through the goblin’s flesh. Yet, the monstrous foe didn’t even flinch. It turned with an almost meical resilies jagged sword swinging down in a brutal arc with all its might.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
Nova gritted his teeth and yahe spear free, his muscles straining as he narrowly dodged the desding bde. The on smmed into the ground with such force that a cloud of dust erupted, obsg the battlefield.
Nova leapt back, his grip tightening on his spear as his eyes sed the swirling dust. The goblin general was no longer in sight.
He shifted into a defeance, his senses on high alert. The medallion around his neck pulsed faintly, its piving him a heightened awarehat enpassed a teer radius. Every nerve in his body was tense, waiting.
Suddenly, there was a subtle shift in the dust—a flicker of movement his heightened senses detected just in time. Without hesitation, Nova dodged to the side, and a jagged sword burst through the dust, aimed directly at where he had been standing moments before.
The goblin general’s attack speed was astonishingly fast, and Nova couldn’t help but feel the iy of the battle weigh on him.
‘I o push further. I ’t let myself stay in this disadvantageous position so early in the fight. I’ll try to exhaust him... make him tire himself out’ Nova thought, determination building within him.
With that resolve, Nova surged forward, closing the distawee lightning speed. The goblin general barely had time to react, seeing only a blur before Nova was right in front of him, spear thrusting toward his belly.
But the goblin wasn’t unprepared. It quickly pulled its sword bad swung, not at the spear but directly at Nova.
Nova’s eyes gleamed with uanding as his lips curled up in a smile. The goblin’s attack speed might be terrifying, but his movement speed wasn’t as quick.
Without halting his thrust, Nova swiftly released his grip with his left hand and sidestepped to the right, spinning with the motion. His back was now to the goblin general, and with a reverse grip on the spear, he aimed it precisely. The bde of the spear found its mark in the goblin’s belly, sinking in with a siing squelch.
The goblin’s sword sshed through nothing but empty air. For a brief moment, the only sound in the arena was the ominous drip of the goblin’s blood hitting the sand.
Nova wasn’t going to take any ces. With both hands firmly gripping the spear, he swiftly ya out of the goblin general’s belly areated, putting distaween them.
The goblin general let out a furious roar, his body trembling with rage, but he quickly suppressed it. As a seasoned general, he knew better than to let his emotions trol his as. He took a deep breath, his anger simmerih the surface, and focused, ready to fight with more caution and precision.
‘This goblin is probably as smart as an average man’ Nova thought, watg the goblin’s as and how he posed himself in the heat of battle.
Not wasting any time, Nova dashed forward once more, his speed reag its peak as he closed the gap betweehe goblin general tensed, preparing himself for another onsught, but Nova was ready to mix things up.
With a sudden sidestep, Nova angled his body and thrust his spear, this time aiming for the goblin’s legs. If he could ihe goblin’s mobility, the fight would be as good as won. The goblin general would bee nothing more than a pung bag for him to toy with.
The goblin general was caught off guard by Nova's target, his defense gging just enough to give Nova the opening he needed. By the time the goblin had raised his sword, the spear had already punctured his right leg, exiting just above the knee. A siing crack echoed as the goblin's knee buckled uhe sudden force, and the general stumbled, struggling to maintain his bance.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
Nova, having found his rhythm, wasted no time. He quickly dashed behind the goblin and thrust his spear straight into the back of the right khe goblin's howl of pain echoed across the arena, his sword swinging wildly in desperation, but his strikes were as clumsy as his movements.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
Nova, however, was already several paces away, the goblin's frantic swings from a safe distahe goblin's energy was quickly draining, his movements growing sluggish with each futile attack. A smirk crept across Nova's face as he watched the goblin burn through his stamina.
"I made the right choice going for speed first" Nova muttered to himself, watg the goblin general waste his precious energy in what had bee a hopeless battle.
Nova stood over the goblin general, watg as the st of its stamina drained away. The goblin was barely ging to sciousness, kneeling i with nth left to fight baova’s eyes looked down on him and then, without hesitation, he gripped the spear firmly with both hands, pulling it back before thrusting forward with all the strength he could muster. The spear tip tore through the goblin general’s skull, entering from one side aing from the other, ending the battle in a single decisive strike.
A notification echoed in his mind.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
[Received 2500 Stat EXP]
