Genesis of Earth

Kael's eyes remained locked on his status screen, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

His progression had been clear, measurable.

From the moment he had first stepped into this nightmare, he had fought desperately for survival. He had barely scraped through the early levels, pushing his body and mind beyond their limits.

But now?

Now, he could see tangible proof that he was growing stronger.

The increase in HP, MP, and stats signified something important—

He was evolving.

His hand hovered over the two free stat points.

Where should he allocate them?

Would he increase his Intelligence to further enhance his magical prowess?

Or improve his Endurance so he could last longer in fights?

He was still deliberating when—

A new system message appeared before his eyes.

[Recovery Period: 5 minutes before Level 5 begins.]

Kael blinked, his thoughts snapping back to reality.

Five minutes?

How much time had already passed since he was inside the trial?

Had it been seconds? Minutes? Hours?

He had no idea.

Kael quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for any other players.

But the hall remained empty.

No one else had arrived.

That realization sent a chill down his spine.

How long was I inside that last trial?

For all he knew, the others were still trapped inside their own mental battles.

A sigh escaped his lips, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

The countdown had already begun.

He had five minutes.

Five minutes to prepare for whatever Level 5 was about to throw at him.

Kael shook off his lingering thoughts and straightened up.

No point in wasting time.

He flexed his fingers, tightening his grip on the blood-stained sword strapped to his back.

His body was tired, bruised, but he had no choice but to move forward.

Just as he was about to reassess his stats—

His vision blurred.

A cold sensation crawled across his skin, pulling him forward—

And before he could react—

The world shifted once again.

Kael stumbled slightly as his boots touched solid ground.

He quickly regained his footing, scanning his new surroundings.

Gone was the familiar hall of the trials.

Instead—

He stood in a dimly lit dungeon.

The walls stretched endlessly in both directions, rough and damp stone giving off a faint musty scent. The only illumination came from patches of glowing moss that clung to the cracks in the stone, casting an eerie greenish-blue glow along the corridor.

The air was stale, heavy, filled with an unsettling silence.

Then, a system message flickered before his eyes.

[Level 5: Dungeon Trial]

Objective: Reach the end of the dungeon and defeat the final boss.

Obstacles: Defeat enemies and avoid traps along the way.

Kael's brows lifted slightly.

That was… simple.

Too simple.

Compared to the psychological hell he had just endured, this trial seemed straightforward.

He just had to fight through enemies and avoid traps.

His instincts immediately screamed at him.

It won't be that easy.

The previous trials had only grown more difficult as they progressed.

If this dungeon was Level 5—

Then it would be more dangerous than anything he had faced so far.

Kael tightened his grip on his sword.

And he was lucky he did—

Because in the next instant—

A low growl echoed from the darkness.

Kael's body snapped into high alert.

His stance shifted instinctively, his sword raised in front of him in a defensive position.

His blade was still slick with blood from his previous encounters. He had barely had a moment to clean it—

But there was no time to worry about that now.

From the depths of the corridor, two glowing eyes pierced through the shadows.

A presence lurking just beyond the reach of the glowing moss.

Kael remained still.

Waiting.

Then—

The creature charged.

Its footsteps pounded against the stone, a deep, guttural snarl ripping through the silence.

Kael's grip tightened.

He stood his ground, unflinching, his heart hammering—

Until, at last, the monster came into full view.

His eyes narrowed.

A zombie.

Just a zombie.

As the undead lunged forward—

Kael reacted instantly.

A single fluid movement.

His sword arced upward, slicing clean through the zombie's neck.

The creature collapsed, its head rolling across the dungeon floor.

A notification appeared.

[You have killed a Lesser Zombie. +20 XP]

Kael frowned.

That was… easy.

Too easy.

He exhaled sharply, shaking off the thought.

He had to stay focused.

Without wasting another second, Kael stepped forward, venturing deeper into the dungeon.

As Kael walked, he soon found himself at the edge of a sloping passageway.

The only way forward was down.

Kael took a slow breath and descended carefully.

The moment his boots touched the bottom—

Two figures emerged from the shadows.

Zombies.

And the moment they saw him—

They charged.

Kael's reflexes kicked in immediately.

His left hand crackled with energy as he formed a Mana Bolt.

With a flick of his wrist—

He launched the magical projectile.

The first zombie's skull exploded, sending it crashing lifelessly to the ground.

The second zombie lunged—

But Kael was faster.

He sidestepped, raising his sword—

And with a single precise strike, he cleaved through its torso.

A second notification appeared.

[You have killed a Lesser Zombie. +20 XP]

Kael exhaled.

But just as he stepped forward—

Click.

A cold dread washed over him.

Without thinking—

Kael threw himself sideways.

SHINK!

A massive blade dropped from the ceiling, slicing through the exact spot where he had just been standing.

The sharp edge embedded itself deep into the ground.

Kael stared at it, his heart pounding.

A single second slower—

And he would have been cut in half.

A cold sweat ran down his back.

So, that's how it is…

Traps.

Deadly, instant-kill traps.

Kael took a shaky breath and pushed forward, more cautious than ever.

Further down the passage, he arrived at a cross-section.

After a brief moment of thought, he chose the right path.

But as soon as he stepped inside—

Rushed footsteps echoed behind him.

Kael's instincts screamed—

He whipped around, swinging his sword—

His blade buried itself into a zombie's torso.

The creature snarled, thrashing—alerting others.

Kael cursed. And swiftly dispatched it but it was late.

He heard more footsteps approaching.

More enemies.

He yanked his sword free, preparing his magic.

Then—

Three zombies emerged.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

.

His first spell flew forward, knocking one zombie down—

Causing it to trip over the corpse of the first.

Kael grinned.

One down.

He sliced through the next, severing its head.

The final zombie stumbled to its feet—

Kael silenced it with a precise thrust.

[You have killed a Lesser Zombie. +20 XP]

[You have killed a Lesser Zombie. +20 XP]

[You have killed a Lesser Zombie. +20 XP]