The moment both feet crossed the threshold—
The world changed.
Not visually.
Not immediately.
But something in the air shifted.
The warmth disappeared.
The gentle breeze vanished.
Silence deepened.
Too deep.
My body froze.
Every instinct I possessed exploded into motion.
Danger.
My pupils shrank.
The beautiful field before me remained untouched—lush green grass stretching endlessly beneath golden light, ancient trees swaying softly under a peaceful sky.
Yet now—
I could feel it.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
The peace felt artificial.
Manufactured.
Like a perfect painting.
Too perfect.
The wind brushed against my skin again.
Soft.
Gentle.
Comforting.
And that was exactly what made my blood run cold.
Because—
I couldn't hear it.
No rustling leaves.
No distant birds.
No insects.
No movement.
Nothing.
The entire world was silent.
My heartbeat thundered loudly in my ears.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
I slowly turned.
The gate behind me—
Was gone.
Gone.
No tower. No gate. No path back.
Only endless trees.
My expression hardened.
So this is the real trial.
Not a battlefield.
Not yet.
A test.
Of awareness.
Of instinct.
Of perception.
I inhaled slowly.
Then closed my eyes.
If sight lied—
I would trust everything else.
Breath.
Heartbeat.
Air pressure.
Energy fluctuations.
Intent.
I extended my senses outward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The peaceful world around me remained unchanged.
Then—
I found it.
A disturbance.
Small.
Extremely faint.
But there.
Thirty meters ahead.
Something existed there.
Something hidden.
My eyes snapped open.
The world shattered.
CRACK.
Like glass breaking.
The peaceful sky fractured.
The emerald grass rotted black.
Golden sunlight vanished.
The towering trees twisted into dead skeletal pillars.
The beautiful field disappeared.
And what replaced it—
Made even me stop breathing for a moment.
A battlefield.
No—
A graveyard.
Corpses covered the land.
Mountains of bodies stretched as far as my eyes could see.
Human. Beast. Orc. Creatures I couldn't even identify.
Rotting flesh.
Broken armor.
Severed limbs.
Ancient weapons embedded into blood-soaked earth.
The smell hit me next.
Rot.
Blood.
Death.
So much death.
The pressure descended instantly.
BOOOOOOM—!!
My knees nearly buckled.
The air itself became heavy.
Oppressive.
Every breath felt like inhaling molten iron.
This pressure…
It wasn't just power.
It was slaughter.
The accumulated killing intent of countless deaths.
My muscles tensed violently as sweat rolled down my neck.
This battlefield had witnessed horrors beyond imagination.
And standing in the middle of it—
Was a figure.
Tall.
Massive.
Still.
It stood atop a mountain of corpses, unmoving.
Watching me.
Its presence alone distorted the air.
My breathing slowed.
Controlled.
Measured.
I stared.
It stared back.
Then—
It moved.
One step.
BOOM.
The battlefield trembled.
Second step.
BOOM.
The corpses beneath its feet sank deeper into the earth.
Third step.
BOOOOOOM.
The pressure doubled.
My instincts screamed.
Run.
Retreat.
Escape.
But there was nowhere to run.
The figure stepped fully into view.
An orc.
But unlike any I had imagined.
Its skin was deep crimson red, scarred and battle-worn like forged metal stained in blood.
Tall.
Easily over three meters.
Broad shoulders.
Dense muscles packed with terrifying explosive power.
Its upper body was bare, revealing countless scars carved across brutal flesh.
Each scar told a story.
Each scar whispered survival.
Its arms were monstrous, veins pulsing like molten lava beneath red skin.
Wrapped around both wrists were obsidian-black bracelets etched with ancient runes.
Its hair was wild and dark, hanging heavily down its back.
Its face was rough.
Brutal.
Built for war.
And its eyes—
Black pupils.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Yet every few seconds—
Those black pupils flickered red.
Like embers beneath ash.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Something worse.
Controlled violence.
Ancient violence.
A warrior.
No.
A survivor.
A monster forged through endless war.
Then a screen appeared before me.
Red.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
---
> Welcome, Challenger, to the Tower of Trial
> FIRST STAGE — SURVIVAL
> Objective: Survive
---
The red screen vanished.
My system appeared next.
Blue.
Familiar.
Cold.
---
> System Notification
Welcome to the Trial Tower
> CURRENT ENEMY STATUS
Race: Orc
Age: Half Cycle
Realm: Demi-God
Law: Wrath
Title: Orc Warrior
Notes:
A proud race that would rather die than accept defeat.
Threat Level: EXTREME
---
My eyes narrowed.
Extreme.
Not low.
Extreme.
Good.
At least the system wasn't lying anymore.
I looked up.
The orc had stopped ten meters away.
We faced each other in silence.
No unnecessary movements.
No roar.
No intimidation.
Just pressure.
Its aura began rising.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Yet every second—
The battlefield grew heavier.
Corpses trembled.
Weapons rattled.
The air screamed.
My blood stirred beneath the seal.
Not violently.
Not wildly.
Attentively.
Watching.
Learning.
The orc lowered into a fighting stance.
Simple.
Efficient.
No wasted movement.
No openings.
My pupils burned blue.
I adjusted my stance.
Prime Instinct.
Every breath controlled.
Every muscle aligned.
Then—
The orc spoke.
Its voice was deep.
Ancient.
Heavy with authority.
"…Survive."
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The ground exploded.
The orc vanished.
Fast.
Too fast.
My instincts detonated.
Left.
I twisted—
BAMMMMM—!!
A fist slammed into my guard.
The impact shattered the ground beneath me.
Pain exploded through both arms.
I was blown backward.
Before I landed—
He was already there.
A knee rose.
BAM—!!
My ribs screamed.
Air exploded from my lungs.
Then—
A downward elbow.
BOOOOOOM—!!
The battlefield cracked.
A crater formed.
My body slammed into blood-soaked earth.
Pain erupted everywhere.
But before my mind could process it—
I rolled.
Instinct.
A giant fist crashed where my head had been.
BOOOOM.
The corpse mountain exploded.
I sprang backward, breathing hard.
Blood dripped from my lips.
The orc stood still again.
Watching.
Waiting.
Testing.
No excitement.
No arrogance.
Just absolute calm.
Like everything so far—
Was casual.
My heart pounded.
This monster…
He wasn't trying to kill me.
Not yet.
He was measuring.
And the worst part—
I could feel it.
He hadn't used full strength.
Not even close.
I wiped blood from my mouth.
Then smiled.
A dangerous smile.
Because despite the pain…
Despite the overwhelming pressure…
Despite facing a monster far beyond me—
Something inside me stirred.
Excitement.
My blue pupils glowed brighter.
The seal pulsed once.
Contained.
Watching.
Learning.
The orc's black pupils flickered red again.
For the first time—
I felt it.
Recognition.
He noticed.
The pressure around him changed.
Slightly.
Dangerously.
The battlefield trembled.
The corpses shook.
And then—
The orc smiled.
A small smile.
Brutal.
Predatory.
Like a warrior finally finding prey worth hunting.
My instincts screamed louder than ever.
This time—
Not warning me to run.
Warning me to evolve.
Or die.