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SYSTEM NOTICE: You have entered the Multiverse survival trial.
Main objective: Survive for 14 days.
Side objective: Earn points to gain better rewards at the evaluation.
Current participants: 49.978/50.000
Your current points: 0
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The words flickered into existence on a system window like the one he'd seen his status on before, hammering in the words of the strange woman in the library once more. Survive. He looked out over the crowd, gauging their reactions to it. Some became frantic, breaking down into heavy sobbing while others clearly laughed at it all, not believing what they were experiencing was their current reality. He squeezed Suz's hand tighter, elliciting a silent gasp from the girl. ''Dad, you're hurting me.''
Adam immediately loosened his grip, only now remembering how he was stronger than he'd ever felt before. ''I'm sorry, baby. Did you see the screen too?''
She nodded, ''Yeah. What does it mean that we have to earn points?''
''I don't know. Maybe we'll have to do some type of minigame or something. This all seems so game like, don't you think?'' Adam let go of her hand to pull her in closer to him, trying to share his warmth with the girl that clearly was uncomfortable in the cold air. His statement elicited a quiet giggle from the girl, amusement clear on her pale face as she answered.''Yeah, that would be interesting, wouldn't it?''
Forcing a smile, Adam took a second to look them both over. The clothes they'd worn before they were transported were gone, replaced with simple robes. Susanne's was a loose fitting white one, whereas his was a dull red in color. Strapped to a simple leather belt on his waist was a knife the length of his forearm, so something closer to a small sword in the end. Suz also had a belt of her own, but instead of a knife tucked into it, there was a small stick like wand.
''What archetype did you choose, Suz?'' Adam rubbed her shoulder, hoping to stave off some of the cold with friction. ''Healer.'' She answered quietly, reaching for the wand tucked into her belt and taking it out. ''Maybe I can save someones life one day, you know?'' Turning to him, she flashed her characteristic grin, her white teeth on full display.
''That sounds like you. I chose Mage, so I'm not sure why I have this thing instead of a staff, you know?'' Adam reached down to the knife and unsheathed it, holding it steady in his hand before looking out over the crowd. ''We should probably find some cover and get a fi—'' his sentence was cut short when loud 'thwang' sounds erupted from the other side of the clearing. Frantic screams followed as he saw most of the group of people begin to run his way.
''KILL THE MAK'RA!'' A thunderously loud roar echoed from the treeline as large, feline creatures looking like tigers standing on their hind legs burst out from inbetween the dense trees. Ranging in colours from white and gray to orange or just black furred, the monsters carried large weapons that they immediately began to swing into the few that had reacted too slow for the charge. Hammers and swords immediately crushed or bisected their victims with ease, elliciting an even more panicked escape from the surviving witnesses.
Adam ripped Suz off of her feet and began to sprint the complete opposite direction, his heart stuck in his throat after seeing but a moment of the carnage. ''Wha—'' Susanne started, her voice barely audible over his thundering heartbeat and the screams of the dying. Having hefted her over his shoulder, Adam quickly made his way through the underbrush and into the forest. ''Tell me if they're following us, Suz!''
Survive. It was starting to make sense now. This wasn't just a trial to see if they'd be able to endure whatever nature could throw at them, but survival of the fittest. Putting one foot in front of the other, Adam quickly fell into a full sprint, mustering all the strength he had to propel them forwards. Jumping over tree roots poking through the light dusting of snow covering the ground and barreling through naked bushes, time seemed to blend together as he focused on just putting as much space as he could behind him.
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''Dad!'' His daughter's voice cut through the haze, snapping him back into reality. ''I can see one of them! It's getting closer!''
Is this it then? The thought struck Adam before quickly purging it as he stopped in his tracks, putting Suz down and reaching for the blade at his hip. The tall and bulky monster looked like it was about fifty meters away, and at the pace it was going it looked like he only had a few seconds before it was in front of him. 'Survive'. Survival. That was all that mattered right this moment. Fleeing was not viable, so he'd have to fight it and win. The thought of the spells he'd been granted at the inception of this trial fluttered to mind before focusing on the shield spell. 'Arcane Shield (Common) - Form a barrier of pure energy in front of you to block attacks before they reach you.'
He instinctively knew how to activate it, the spell taking only a moment to flutter alive. A strange energy expanded from the core of his abdomen, quickly pushing itself outwards through his body only to appear as a faintly shimmering light-blue film that came to a rest just a few centimeters over his skin and clothes.
''Two seconds, Adam!'' Sanna's hurried voice came out from behind him as he brought his focus back on the lumbering monster quickly approaching them. With not enough time to say anything, Adam instead brought his empty left hand up towards the creature, willing his second spell to come alive. The text once again fluttered through his mind as a foreign energy washed out from his abdomen, quickly making its way up his chest and along his arm before exploding out from his palm and racing towards the monster. 'Energy bolt (Common) - Concentrate raw mana into a bolt of pure energy, then release it toward your target.'
The strange, light-blue energy that the bolt was made of churned and sparked in the air, seemingly igniting it with chaotic energies as it traveled. Instantly, it was already close to striking the creature that was but a second away and Adam burst into movement, intending to try to capitalize on whatever momentum it could procure him. A loud 'thud', sounding much like a sledgehammer hitting something soft, rang out as the bolt struck the charging creature. With his blade in hand, Adam quickly closed the remaining gap to it, only to realize the sheer size of it up close. A full two heads taller than him and twice as wide, the feline monstrosity was reeling from the bolt that it'd taken mostly head on, blocking most of it with both arms held up in front of it. Fur sizzled, filling the air with the smell of burnt hair as Adam dove in on its left side and thrust his blade up towards its unprotected chest, hoping to get it inbetween the ribs. Having never stabbed anything before, the ease at which the dagger buried itself up into the base of the hilt shocked him. Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering accompanied by a loud and angry roar reached his ears before he felt something heavy hit him in the shoulder, lifting him off his feet and throwing him into the air away from the creature.
With adrenaline pumping through his body, the flaring pain he felt from his left shoulder was quickly forgotten as he landed unsteadily on his feet a few meters away, eyes still focused on his foe. Having lost the dagger, he quickly raised his right arm and willed another energy bolt into existence. The creature, which he now saw was wielding a large hammer like weapon, burst into a sprint towards him as the bolt came alive and spilled out from Adam's palm. The air crackled as the projectile traveled through it only to slam into the monsters unprotected head a moment later. The sound of something loudly snapping accompanied the fleshy 'thud' of the hit before the hulking creature crumpled under its own weight and fell into an unmoving heap just infront of Adam. Focusing on the spell, he willed another energy bolt into existence and released it towards its head once more. The swirling energies slammed into the back of it's furry skull, shattering it and spraying the surrounding area in gore and bone fragments.
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You've killed [Raz'at Warrior, level 1].
You've leveled up!
You've leveled up!
Do you wish to store the spirit of Aarim, [Raz'at warrior, level 1] within your own soul? Yes/No [1:53]
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The text fluttered to life infront of him, signifying the end of the battle. With adrenaline still flowing wildly through his veins, Adam skimmed through it before focusing in on the last sentence. Soul storage. His mutated ability, and it was seemingly timed too. Without thinking any further about it, he focused on the ability and mentally selected yes. The same feeling as when he'd cast spells began to spill out from his abdomen, but much stronger this time. The sheer amount of, what was probably mana, began to sear through his abdomen as it quickly expanded out towards his skin. The pain that accompanied it immediately brought him to his knees down on the bloodsoaked snow as the mana poured out of every pore in his body only to waft over towards the dead warrior, forming a translucent cocoon that covered its entire body. Within only a second after forming, the cocoon shattered and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared before Adams vision blurred and faded to black.
