They led us outside, and the moment I stepped out…
my eyes widened slightly, as if they were trying to comprehend what I was seeing in front of me.
The place resembled a huge barn, in fact…
it was literally a barn.
The only difference was that it wasn't above ground, but built deep within it, under thick layers of dirt and الصخور, as if it were a prison hidden from the eyes of the world.
But I didn't have time to think about that for long,
as while we were walking slowly under the eyes of the guards, I began to see from afar people coming out from different directions.
If it was even possible to describe them as "people" in the first place…
because in reality, they were beings from other races, creatures I had only seen in the pages of novels.
My eyes fell on a creature about one and a half meters tall, its body green, its skin rough like reptile skin, and its fangs protruding forward in a terrifying way, as if it was ready to tear apart anything that came close to it.
In fact, it wasn't just one…
there were several individuals like it, in a number equal to ours, or perhaps slightly more, standing in irregular rows, watching us with cold eyes devoid of mercy.
But what truly caught my attention wasn't those small ones,
but that massive creature leading them.
Its height was about two meters, and its green body was muscular, like a massive mass of moving flesh, swelling with every step it took.
And it was holding a gigantic sword in one hand, as if it weighed nothing at all, while I swallowed my saliva unconsciously, and felt a chill run through my limbs.
It's an orc… how huge it is when you see it in reality, and this close specifically.
But… how can it even go to the bathroom at this size?
Damn… why am I thinking about stupid things in a situation like this?
I quickly looked to the right side, and saw other creatures coming from there with heavy steps.
They were dwarves… but their appearance was somewhat strange.
Where did their beards go?
Isn't every dwarf supposed to have a thick beard and a long mustache like in the stories?
No… I don't think so. It seems they are still young, their features not fully developed yet.
But still, they were noticeably fat, and their bodies were filled in an unnatural way.
"Damn… I must escape from this place, if I even can. I don't want to become a tool in someone else's hand, nor a slave without will."
"Haaah… hmm… let me think calmly."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the disturbance of my heart, while I began to recall the events of the novel I had read before.
The demon's heart in the story contained thirty barns, or maybe a bit more than that as I remember,
and each barn was dedicated to a different race of creatures.
So… how will I escape from here?
First, I must stay alive until I become awakened.
Only then will I have a real chance to escape.
I will survive until tomorrow… if that person was right.
Although I know well that I might die at any moment,
but I must hold on to some hope, even if it is slight,
because even if I survive until tomorrow, I might die because of the awakening itself.
Why?
Because they will force me into forced awakening,
and it is something that may lead to certain death in many cases.
In this world, any person who awakens their power is usually at the age of seventeen, when the body and mind are ready to that power.
As for me… I wasn't sure of my age at this moment,
but I was most likely between thirteen or fourteen.
It is true that forced awakening may be useful in some aspects, but in the future it becomes a fatal flaw, limiting the development of power, and leaving permanent effects on the body and mind over time.
But… this doesn't matter to me now. Because I… am not even sure if I will have a future in the first place.
The only thing I am sure of is that I have no choice. Whether I like it or not… they will force me to awaken.
The white-masked man, who was at the front, suddenly stopped, which made me swallow my saliva, and stop thinking as I looked forward.
But the moment I cast a glance forward… my eyes opened wide, as I stared at the scene with real astonishment.
We were standing in a wide space, and in front of us stretched a long path, paved with glowing black stones, as if they had just come out of the heart of fire. The path pulsed with a hidden heat, as if every step on it could be the last.
Above, giant axes were moving up and down without stopping, cutting through the air with a sharp, terrifying sound, as if they were waiting for just a single moment of carelessness. From where I stood, I could feel strong winds coming from the front, carrying with them a sense of danger.
And it didn't stop there.
There were huge rocks that fell from above and then rose again continuously, in a regular but deadly motion, like a merciless trap. At the front, there stood a gelatinous creature, resembling a slime, stretching and contracting slowly, blocking the entire path, as if it were a silent guardian of this hell.
And behind it…
lightning struck the ground randomly, white flashes tearing through the darkness violently, lighting up the place for seconds and revealing a terrifying abyss. And at the end, there was a floating platform in the air, seeming close… but in reality out of reach, and beneath it stretched a bottomless pit, endless darkness, as if the ground itself had disappeared.
I swallowed my saliva with difficulty, and felt a chill run through my limbs, before muttering in a low voice: "The path of death…"
It truly was the path of death.
No, it wasn't just one path… but twenty paths to death, every step carrying the possibility of an end. I was no longer able to focus; my eyes moved between the axes, the rocks, the slime, and the lightning, as if my mind refused to comprehend all this madness at once.
And at that moment, after barely a second had passed…
I heard the voice of the white-masked man.
"You will split into groups, as usual.
Each group consists of five people… they must cross the path and reach the floating platform. After that, what always happens will happen. You will fight the dwarves and the orcs. The duration is only five minutes.
After that, it ends… and we move on to normal training."
What the hell is this nonsense?
Isn't there supposed to be training first?
All of this is because of that damn author… he throws logic into the trash without hesitation.
Or is this what "logic" is in the first place?
I shook my head in regret as I thought about somewhat stupid things.
Is it supposed to be like those ridiculous plots… saving the world and so on?
But which world would I save? There are hundreds of planets in this stupid novel.
"Mud Worm, Sleeping Gazelle, Filthy Pig, Giant Bear, Weak Insect… you are the first to go. Take your positions immediately."
"Ah…"
Is he referring to me? No… not necessarily.
But it might actually be me. They used to call me "the insect," and suddenly, someone hit me from behind. When I turned, it was Mud Worm, speaking with excitement:
"Finally we're on the same team, my friend! Will you show me that move—what was it called… hmm, ah, the family—in this battle? It really made me curious."
So… it's me after all. But wait, did I do something in the past that made him think I'm his friend?
Maybe that was before I reincarnated into this body.
I stepped forward slowly, walking beside Mud Worm, before three other people joined us.
"Who are they? Do you know their names?"
"Yes, yes! Do you see that one who looks like he's about to fall asleep at any moment? His name is Sleeping Gazelle."
He pointed at him, so I looked at the boy he meant.
He was about our age, with messy black hair, dark eyes, and calm features that suggested constant fatigue.
Then he continued, pointing at another person:
"As for that one who smells bad… he's the Pig."
I looked at him. His appearance was somewhat ugly;
his face was full of pimples, some of his teeth were broken or decayed, and he was completely bald, which added to his harshness and strange intimidation, if he even had any to begin with.
"Ah, you should be careful of the Bear… he doesn't like jokes much."
The Bear? I looked at him. He was an extremely fat boy, his large belly clearly protruding from under his clothes, and his cheeks noticeably swollen.
His body looked like a heavy mass of flesh, but his eyes were sharp in an unsettling way.
"Am I in a zoo or what? But… honestly, their names sound better than mine."
What is this? I thought as I looked at the masked figures walking toward us.
Then, without any warning, the chains that had been restraining our hands suddenly disappeared, as if they had evaporated into the air.
I felt that I had become free. But that feeling didn't last long.
"Let the group move toward the floating platform… quickly."
I let out a slow sigh, as I was about to take my first step on the path of death. I didn't know whether I would stay alive… or if I would die, the death of insects.