7
Author: Samster_x
last update2025-09-12 19:09:46

~Laurent

I woke with a gasp—air tearing into my lungs like I had been drowning for centuries. My eyes darted around. White walls. A ceiling fan that clicked faintly as it spun. Curtains drawn halfway across a window where sunlight streamed in too warm, too gentle, too alive.

My trembling hands flew to my chest, then my arms, then my legs. My body was whole. No bones shattered, no blood dripping. My ribs—weren’t they broken? My skin—wasn’t it flayed? I flexed my fingers, watching them curl and uncurl in disbelief.

“I… I’m alive?” My own whisper startled me.

The door creaked open. Several men in crisp uniforms entered, their footsteps measured, their expressions tight but relieved. Administrative staff from the Academy.

“Laurent,” one of them exhaled. “Thank goodness you’re awake.”

I sat up weakly, voice rasping. “What happened? Where am I?”

“You’re in a hospital.” He replied.

“What about the monsters? Did you kill them? Do you know where they came from?” I asked.

The man at the front—stern face, streaks of gray in his hair—shifted uneasily. “We don’t fully know yet. The forest chosen for your field trip was inspected personally by the director and a team of hunters. They swore it was clear of any high-ranked beasts. How creatures like the ones that attacked you managed to appear… it’s still a mystery to us.”

I stared at my hands again, remembering the screams, the blood, the shadows of claws behind us.

“My classmates…” I croaked. “Are they… okay?”

“Some of them survived. They met the rescue party on their way out, and we brought them to safety. Others…” He paused, jaw tight. “…others went into the cave you all were fleeing from. They said there was nothing inside. No traps. No corpses. Nothing that your colleagues claimed was in there, all we found was you. You were found inside a well. Barely alive. It’s a miracle you’re even breathing now.”

I gasped, remembering someone I should not have forgotten. “What about Ciela? Is she okay?”

For the first time, the man’s expression softened. “Ciela. Yes. She was the one who told us you were still inside. Without her, we might never have gone back for you. She’s alive, but…” He exhaled slowly. “She’s shaken. Deeply. She won’t be resuming classes anytime soon. Neither will most of your classmates.”

Relief washed over me, followed immediately by guilt. She had risked herself for me, again and again.

“And me? When can I leave? I feel fine now.”

“You have to stay here for at least a week. The hospital can’t discharge you yet. But whenever they can, you’ll be able to resume classes.”

And with that, they left, closing the door gently behind them.

I saw a flicker just above my head when they left.

At first, I thought it was just the sunlight catching my eyes but then glowing shapes bled into the air before me—letters, crisp and sharp, suspended in front of my bed.

[Status Menu]

I froze. My breath caught. “What… what is this?”

I reached out instinctively, and my hand passed through it. The screen rippled like water but held its form. Rows unfolded in neat columns, alien and clean:

• Strength: 0

• Agility: 0

• Endurance: 0

• Perception: 0

• Intelligence: 0

Each line pulsed faintly, as though alive. Beneath it, a smaller box blinked:

[Daily Task Generated]

Perform: 50 Push-ups

Reward: +1 Strength

Failure: Penalty – Pain

I blinked. My mouth went dry. “Push-ups? Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m exercising after that near death experience I had.”

I sagged back into the bed. My body still felt like glass held together with string.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. For a few hours, I slept peacefully. My body finally getting the rest it hadn’t gotten in a while but then I was jolted awake by pain.

It began as a throb in my chest, dull but insistent, like someone pressing a thumb into a bruise. Then it spread. Muscles locked, bones ached, nerves screamed. I arched off the bed, clenching my teeth to stop from crying out. The agony climbed like fire through my veins, relentless, searing. My skull felt like it was cracking from the inside.

I tried to claw at the sheets, at my skin, at anything—but the pain was everywhere.

For one endless hour, I writhed in silent torment, sweat soaking the sheets. My throat was raw from holding back screams.

And then, just as suddenly, it stopped.

I collapsed, gasping, trembling like a leaf.

The task blinked again.

[Daily Task Generated]

Perform: 50 Push-ups

Reward: +1 Strength

Failure: Penalty – Pain

“…you have got to be kidding me,” I rasped but obeyed.

I slid off the bed, knees weak, arms shaking. I collapsed after five. The push-ups were clumsy, pathetic. My arms screamed. My breath tore ragged from my lungs. But the memory of that pain drove me forward.

Six. Seven. Eight. Collapse.

Fifteen minutes later, I crawled back into position.

Ten more. Collapse.

The task didn’t disappear until my chest hit the floor for the fiftieth time. My arms gave out completely, but in its place came a soft chime.

[Task Completed]

Strength: +1

I blinked at the glowing numbers. Strength: 1

I climbed on to my bed and stared at the menu showing just before my eyes. What the hell was this?

The next day, another task showed up the way the last one did, with the same punishment attached for failure. Sit-ups. Hurdles. Then sprints—though I could only shuffle down the hallway under the nurse’s suspicious gaze. Sparring drills—pathetic flailing at an empty corner of the room until my arms remembered movement.

Every failure brought pain. Agony so sharp that I learned to move no matter how broken I felt.

Every completion brought reward. The numbers ticked higher. I still had no clue what those numbers were actually doing but in order to avoid pain, I followed through with all the tasks.

By the seventh day, I stared at the screen with a strange mix of fear and awe:

• Strength: 8

• Agility: 6

• Endurance: 7

• Perception: 6

• Intelligence: 6

The numbers had increased a lot since I woke up and the daily tasks felt a lot easier for me now. I could now do more than fifty push ups without difficulty, jogging for miles was no longer a struggle and sit ups became a breeze.

When they discharged me, my legs didn’t feel like twigs anymore and my arms weren’t as flabby anymore.

The next morning, I stood in the Academy cafeteria, tray in hand. The murmur of voices fell as I walked past. Dozens of eyes clung to me, whispers trailing behind. I just ignored them though. I kept my eyes down, clutching the tray, searching desperately for somewhere—anywhere—to sit.

And then I saw her, by a table sitting by herself.

Ciela.

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  • 11

    ~Laurent The morning light broke through the cracks in the curtain, a pale stripe across my face. I groaned and rolled onto my side, blinking at the faint hum that always came before the shimmer. [Status Menu] It spread across my vision, neat and precise as ever. Name: Laurent Draven Level: 2 Strength: 29 Agility: 10 Endurance: 11 Perception: 6 Intelligence: 8 Skills: • Blood Instinct • Night Vision • Claw Manifestation • Fang Bite • Shadow Step • Blood Recovery Weapons: • Fang & Talon (Twin Daggers) I swiped the screen and a new icon blinked at the corner of my vision: [Inbox: 1 New Message] A familiar tension crawled up my spine as I tapped it open. [Daily Task Generated] Mission: Enter the Crimson Hollow and retrieve the Heart of the Abyss. Defeat the guardian, Gorath the Warden. Rewards: New weapon, +20 attribute points, possible rare skill unlock. Penalty: Loss of half current stats. Physical trauma. I stared at it for a moment.

  • 10

    ~Laurent “Laurent? What are you doing here?” The voice made my heart stop. I froze where I was, still half-kneeling in the grass, blood drying on my sleeve. I turned slowly, dreading who I’d see. Ciela stood a few paces away, sunlight curling through her yellow hair like gold wire. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight of me. “I—uh…” My brain scrambled. I couldn’t exactly tell her I’d just returned from fighting a crypt full of undead. “I dropped something. Must’ve rolled under the shrubs.” Her brows lifted. “You’re lying on the ground because of a lost pencil?” I forced a weak laugh. “Not a pencil. Something more important. You don’t have to worry about it. I’m sure I’ll find it. What are you doing out here though?” Something in her face softened. She hesitated, then smiled faintly. “Was looking for you. Thought you ran into trouble again.” “I’ll be more careful to avoid those from now on so you’ll be able to rest. You have other things to worry about othe

  • 9

    ~Laurent I opened my eyes and was greeted by the ray of sun that creeped in through the window. I got off my bed and stretched, yawning. As if waiting for me to get up, an inevitable shimmer burned across my vision. [Status Menu] • Strength: 29 • Agility: 10 • Endurance: 11 • Perception: 6 • Intelligence: 8 Current Level: 2 Skills available: Blood Instinct, Night Vision And then the part that I never looked forward to showed up: [Daily Task Generated] Raid the Ashen Crypt and slay the Master. Reward: New skills, extra points Penalty: Loss of current points, extreme pain I let out a shaky breath and rubbed my face with both hands. "I feel this thing is on a mission to kill me." I hadn't heard too much about the Ashen Crypt but from the little I'd learned. I knew it wasn't a place that people visited often especially not alone and it was my task for the day not to only visit there but also slay the master. How was I going to do that?! I dragged myself upright anywa

  • 8

    ~Laurent Ciela sat alone, her hair spilling like starlight over her shoulder, her fork barely touching the food on her plate. Her gaze drifted, unfocused, as if she wasn’t really here at all. My legs carried me before I could think. I slid onto the bench across from her. Her fork froze midair. She looked up—and her eyes widened. Her mouth parted, a soft gasp breaking free. “…Laurent?” I gave a nervous smile. “Yeah… I’m back.” She set her fork down, staring at me like I was a ghost. “I—I thought you were still in the hospital. You… you shouldn’t even be walking yet.” I shrugged, though my chest still ached faintly. “But I am. No need to worry.” A flicker of relief crossed her face before she caught it and straightened. “How are you feeling?” “Better than I expected.” I flexed my fingers, as if to prove it. “And you? After… everything.” Her lips pressed tight. A shadow passed over her eyes. “…Trying. Nights are the hardest.” “Why did you come back to school? You could’ve take

  • 7

    ~Laurent I woke with a gasp—air tearing into my lungs like I had been drowning for centuries. My eyes darted around. White walls. A ceiling fan that clicked faintly as it spun. Curtains drawn halfway across a window where sunlight streamed in too warm, too gentle, too alive. My trembling hands flew to my chest, then my arms, then my legs. My body was whole. No bones shattered, no blood dripping. My ribs—weren’t they broken? My skin—wasn’t it flayed? I flexed my fingers, watching them curl and uncurl in disbelief. “I… I’m alive?” My own whisper startled me. The door creaked open. Several men in crisp uniforms entered, their footsteps measured, their expressions tight but relieved. Administrative staff from the Academy. “Laurent,” one of them exhaled. “Thank goodness you’re awake.” I sat up weakly, voice rasping. “What happened? Where am I?” “You’re in a hospital.” He replied. “What about the monsters? Did you kill them? Do you know where they came from?” I asked. The man at t

  • 6

    ~Laurent Everyone was frozen in fear for about a minute before we turned on our heels. Adrenaline pumped through our veins, fueling our speed. My feet pounded against the dirt, frantic and desperate. Behind me, I heard the sound of bones snapping, claws raking flesh, and the unending roar of the monster chasing us. The monster was catching those too slow to keep up and ripping them apart. “Don’t look back!” Ciela’s voice cracked with panic. Her hand gripped mine like iron, dragging me forward when my legs threatened to give way. But the screams—they wouldn’t stop. Every few seconds another one rang out, high-pitched, choked, then cut short. A boy I knew from class, gone. A girl whose laugh used to echo across the cafeteria, gone. I could hear them being caught, shredded, crushed, but I couldn’t turn. If I turned, I’d freeze. If I froze, I’d die. My chest burned, my ribs screamed in protest, and tears blurred my eyes. I wanted to shout, to beg, to stop running. But Ciela’s han

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