(Toby's POV)
The world shimmered into clarity with a static pulse. The teleportation faded, leaving Toby standing alone beneath a bleached white sky. The sun blazed directly overhead, relentless and without mercy, as if the heavens had decided this particular patch of jungle needed grilling.
"Hot," Toby muttered, shielding his eyes. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful."
The jungle hissed around him. Insects buzzed in sweltering waves, their incessant whines mixing with the distant screeches of unseen creatures. Somewhere nearby, something large exhaled in a slow, wet, hungry rhythm. He could almost feel the thrum of its heartbeat from across the distance. Toby's lips twitched.
He didn't want to think about it. Not yet. There was a time for everything.
Then came the voice.
< SYSTEM NOTICE >
Phase One: Survival
You have been transported to a First Order Beast World. There are currently 12,489 participants active within this domain.
Objective:
Survive for 30 days, or be among the last 1,000 candidates remaining.
Rules:
1. Death is possible. If you are no longer able to continue, speak the phrase:
"I give up on the exam."
You will be safely removed from the trial.
2. Beast strength will increase daily. On the final day, the strongest threats will begin at the Second Order.
3. Teaming up is permitted.
4. All spatial equipment is disabled for the duration of this phase.
5. Each kill grants points. These points will determine your ranking at the end of Phase One.
---
The final line burned briefly before fading:
> Begin.
Toby squinted against the sun's glare, his fingers already itching for the comfort of his scythe. "They could've at least added a fan."
His eyes swept the area. It looked like every other godforsaken jungle. Overgrown vegetation with vines that looked like they were bred for the express purpose of dragging people into the underbrush. He could already feel the sweat beading down his back, the heat making the air thick and oppressive. The ground was damp, littered with thick leaves that squelched underfoot, and not a single patch of shade in sight. It felt like he was walking straight into an oven.
His feet moved without him thinking, the compulsion to keep going, to move and find some form of respite, stronger than the desire to stop and assess the situation. There were other competitors out here, but they were a secondary concern for now.
A burst of movement in the trees to his left snapped him out of his reverie. Two panther-like beasts leapt from opposite branches, silent as shadows. Toby didn't even flinch. He stepped once, dragging his heel through the dirt to sketch a crescent-shaped mana line. His fingers twitched, pulling his mana in a smooth arc.
Shink!
The line flashed, an invisible force cleaving through the beasts midair. Both fell in perfect halves, their bodies slackening into a heap as steam rose from the precision cuts. Toby sighed, brushing off a fleck of gore that had landed on his sleeve, his expression unchanged.
"One day," he muttered aloud, "I'll wake up somewhere cold. Maybe even a place where nothing's trying to kill me."
With a soft sigh, he adjusted his scythe, letting the blade catch the faint light filtering through the canopy above, before continuing on his path.
---
Hours slipped by. The sun continued its unrelenting march across the sky, and Toby's stomach began to growl in protest, though his mind remained sharp and focused. He didn't mind the hunger too much—it was just another element to master, another condition to overcome. But the overwhelming flare of the sun, sending waves of heat towards him, was starting to grate on his nerves.
Deliberately, he chose shadowed paths, where the trees clustered densely enough to keep the worst of the sun's wrath at bay. He ignored signs of other humans, other competitors—people were noisy, loud, and clumsy. Beasts, on the other hand, could be dealt with. But the moment he thought he'd have some peace…
A sudden eruption of soil ahead of him caught his attention. He had a heartbeat to brace himself before a massive, burrowing insect the size of a cartwheel shot up from the ground, its pale hooks glistening like jagged teeth. It screeched as it lunged for him, a swarm of smaller variants following close behind.
Toby exhaled long and low. "Of course."
The scythe in his hand felt right, like a natural extension of his body. With a practiced flick, his mana surged, pooling into the blade. He stepped forward, unhurried, as if the jungle's noisy interruptions were nothing more than a passing nuisance.
The first insect fell with a single swipe, its body sliced neatly in two. The others came at him in a flurry of claws and gnashing jaws. Toby danced through their ranks, his feet barely brushing the earth as his scythe sliced through one after another. His movements were fluid, graceful in their violence, like a masterful dance he had performed a thousand times before.
Minutes later, silence reigned again. The bodies of the insects were scattered across the ground, twitching their final, futile movements. Toby wiped a smear of ichor from his boot with a disgusted look.
"I liked these boots," he muttered, before moving on.
---
Twilight crept across the horizon, the oppressive heat of midday giving way to a cooler, more manageable evening. Toby had long since abandoned any hope of finding comfort, but he had learned to settle for less. There was a slight breeze now, and the air felt less suffocating.
It was then that he saw it—through the dense trees ahead, a glimmer of movement. A tall-horned deer-like beast grazed near a small creek, its antlers curving elegantly toward the sky. Its thick fur shimmered in the fading light, and the breeze carried its scent right past him, inviting him closer. It hadn't noticed him yet.
Perfect.
Toby crouched, his movements smooth and deliberate. He laid a magic circle beneath his boots, the mana nearly invisible as it rippled across the ground. He focused on the beast, slowly feeding a thread of binding mana forward like a spider's thread, careful not to alert it. The creature tensed, but just a second too late. One flick of his scythe, and its neck split cleanly in two. The beast collapsed with a soft thud.
Toby smiled. There was a quiet satisfaction in the knowledge that his hunger could be calmed as soon as he found a proper shelter.
---
Dawn painted the world in cold blue light, creeping through the thick canopy overhead. Toby had walked through the night, guided by the subtle shifts in air currents and the instinctive pull of the environment. He found the temperature now was just right—finally, it was the perfect time.
Near a ravine's edge, his gaze caught on movement once again. A saber-toothed feline stepped out from behind the rocks, its eyes gleaming in the early light. Its mate, a silver-hued monstrosity, prowled silently beside it. Behind them, a massive, poison-skinned frog-beast sat waiting, its tongue flicking out in anticipation.
"Really?" Toby asked, his voice a tired rasp. "I just want a nap."
With a low growl, the beasts lunged in unison, their hunger unmistakable. Toby's feet moved before his mind caught up. He dropped the deer beside him and vanished in a flicker of movement.
He reappeared behind them in the same instant, his scythe already drawn. Five threads of mana sliced through the air, weaving through the beasts like sharp silk. The feline heads fell, clean and silent, followed by the frog's own body. The remaining saber-tooth didn't even twitch before it hit the ground.
Toby wiped the nonexistent sweat from his brow. "That's enough cardio for a week."
---
Midmorning. He had walked through the jungle for what seemed like forever, but at last, something promising appeared in the distance. The entrance to a cave, tucked between jagged cliffs and half-concealed by wind-worn trees, beckoned him like a secret oasis in the oppressive heat.
As he neared, Toby could smell it—a faint, metallic tang in the air, mingled with the scent of damp stone. This was no ordinary cave. Someone had been here. The air was cold, curling out of the entrance in welcome, and the ground around it showed signs of past battles—faint red drops lining the ground, and the unmistakable scent of blood long cooled. He grinned, his eyes already gleaming with the thought,
'I could rest here till the owner comes back,' he thought as he slowly approached the cave. 'I just rest for one night, one night couldn't hurt, right?'
"Finally," he whispered, having finally convinced himself. He hoisted the deer over his shoulder, moving with renewed purpose toward the cave's entrance.
The moss curtain at the mouth parted easily as he pushed through, stepping into the cool darkness within. The shadows swallowed him up, and he let out a long, exhausted breath.
"Home."
Steel hissed from the shadows.
Toby's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he reacted, his scythe clashing against a blade.