The man sighed and shook his head, trying to move on. "Anyway, the rules are simple," he said, his tone shifting into something more serious. "You will all die—many times. But as long as you don't give up or commit suicide, you'll keep reviving. Fail to endure, and I'll toss you into the abyss for wasting my time." Zane would soon realize that, in this place, the Master had absolute control over life and death. As long as he permits it, you would revive no matter how many times you die.
His voice dropped a notch, heavy and cold.
"Now—look over there." He raised his hand and pointed toward a massive mountain range that stretched endlessly toward the sky. The peak vanished into the clouds. It had to be hundreds of kilometers away.
"You'll climb that mountain and rest there. You have one week before training begins."
Everyone turned to look. The mountain was no joke. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel—sharp cliffs, icy peaks, and ominous winds swirling around its height. Some of the other trainees narrowed their eyes in focus. A few cracked their knuckles, stretching like they were warming up for a morning jog.
Zane's jaw dropped. "Climb… that? He's joking, right?"
No one laughed.
"The first to reach the summit gets to choose their lodging. The rest will follow, in order of arrival," the master added. Then, with a simple wave of his hand, he gave the signal. "Begin."
And just like that, the ground shook with movement. Trainees dashed forward with blinding speed—some vanished in a blur, others leapt great distances. Zane barely managed to get to his feet.
His eyes widened as he looked at the shrinking figures ahead. "What kind of monsters are these people...?"
And more importantly—how was he supposed to compete?
"If I don't hurry, I won't get to pick where to sleep. I'll go ahead—catch up if you can," said the girl who had helped Zane earlier. Her voice was calm, but there was a quiet urgency in her tone. Without waiting for a reply, she turned to leave.
"Wait! What's your name?" Zane called out, still on one knee, panting under the crushing weight of gravity.
"Onilia," she replied over her shoulder, not even breaking stride. "From the planet Nanaly. I'm ranked Apex. What about you?"
"Apex?" Zane blinked. That was the highest known rank right?. She said it so casually, like it was no big deal.
"I'm Zane… from Earth," he muttered, slightly embarrassed. "I'm not even ranker yet. Still stuck in the tutorial phase."
Onilia glanced at him with a flicker of confusion, her expression unreadable. "Huh. Well, good luck," she said with a small wave.
Before he could blink, she vanished. Just like that. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. A strong gust of wind slammed into him a second later, knocking him back a few feet.
"What the hell? Was that… speed?" Zane groaned as he hit the ground again, coughing from the impact.
'How are they moving that fast in this kind of gravity? I couldn't even run like that on Earth, and the gravity there didn't feel like the wrath of a thousand anvils!'
Still, there was no point in wasting time. He had to climb that mountain.
Gritting his teeth, Zane forced himself to his feet again. His legs trembled. His body felt like it was being crushed under several tons of weight. Every joint screamed in protest. Moving felt impossible. Like someone had tied his limbs to two giant ships and dropped a car on his back.
He staggered, trying to take a step—but fell to one knee again. He clenched his fists. His arms shook. His vision blurred.
High above, the master of the realm stood watching from the cliff. He hadn't stopped smiling since Zane first arrived.
"I don't remember the last time I saw you this amused, Master," said a woman beside him, offering a steaming cup of tea.
"Look down," the Master replied with a chuckle. "You'll understand."
The woman followed his gaze and squinted. "Why isn't he moving?" she asked, staring at Zane who looked completely frozen in place.
The master opened his mouth to reply—when suddenly, Zane moved.
'Screw this. If I can't pass this trial… what'll happen to Ariel?' he thought.
Instead of trying to walk again, he dropped to all fours. To his surprise, crawling was easier. Not easy—but manageable. Inch by inch, he began to move forward, dragging himself like a wounded soldier in a battlefield.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" the master burst into laughter, nearly spilling his tea. Even the woman beside him giggled softly, covering her mouth.
"It looks like the gravity is too much for him," she said. "I give it ten minutes before he quits."
"Which planet is he from?" she added, curious.
"Earth, it seems," the master replied, sipping his tea with a grin.
"Earth?" she repeated, raising a brow. "Can't say I've ever heard of it."
"It appears to be a newly discovered planet still in its tutorial phase," the master said, sipping his tea as he gazed down from the cliff. "Though I still can't understand why the monster meant to kill him sent him here instead. Aside from being downright hilarious, I don't see anything special about him."
"That really is strange," the lady beside him replied, her voice soft but curious.
Meanwhile, Zane was deep in his own thoughts. From what he'd pieced together so far, time worked differently here. One day on Earth equaled a hundred days in this realm. That meant he had more time to get stronger… but before he could train, he needed to overcome the crushing gravity.
"Alright," he muttered, "let's do this."
He dropped to all fours and began crawling toward the mountain's base. It was only a few kilometres away, but under this gravity, it felt like dragging a truck with his spine. His palms scraped against the sharp ground, and his knees burned with every crawl. Over and over, he forced himself to reach the base and crawl back again. His skin tore. Blood smeared the ground. But he didn't stop.
After what felt like an eternity—two days, to be exact—Zane made it back to where he started. He groaned and slowly rose to his feet.
He was standing. Actually standing.
"Yesss! After two damn days of crawling, I can finally walk!"
He wanted to jump, scream, and dance like a maniac. But before he could, a deep, booming laughter thundered across the sky.
The master clutched his sides, tears in his eyes. "He's… he's celebrating just because he can walk? Oh, heavens… my stomach—! I'm going inside. If I stay out here any longer, I might die. I've ruled galaxies, terrified Errors—and now, I'm about to die from laughter because of this guy. Bwahahaha!"
With another fit of laughter, he vanished into thin air.
"Tch," Zane muttered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He didn't care what the so-called 'master' thought. He had survived two full days crawling through hell. Now he was walking. That was enough for now. He began pacing slowly, stretching his muscles and getting used to his new movement.
'Just you wait… I'll show all of you.'
But soon, another problem crept up—hunger.
He hadn't eaten or drunk anything in two days, and it was starting to get to him. His legs trembled. His stomach growled like a wild beast.
"You're still here?" came a voice behind him.
Zane turned to see Onilia walking toward him. She carried a bottle of water and something wrapped in thick green leaves—probably food, though Zane couldn't tell what it was.
"Here," she said, casually handing him the items.
Zane stared at them, then shook his head. "I can't accept this, Onilia. You've already helped me so much. I can't keep relying on you. The training will start soon, and I need to stand on my own."
He hadn't even finished speaking when a blur flashed before him.
BOOM!
Her fist sank deep into his gut. The ground beneath him cracked, and the air rippled with the force. Zane coughed up blood as his knees buckled.
[System Notice]
Player Zane Walker has died.
A few seconds later, he revived with a gasp, lying flat on the ground.
Before she could even say another word, he scrambled to his feet and snatched the food and water out of her hands.
"Thank you," he muttered between bites, not even caring what he was eating. Whatever it was, it tasted like heaven.
She watched him with a smug grin, arms folded across her chest. She didn't say much, but it was clear—she wasn't the type to take no for an answer. She would kill for it.
Zane gulped down the water like a man who hadn't seen rain in years. He wiped his mouth and exhaled.
'Note to self… never refuse food from a woman who can punch you into yesterday.'