"Sam, it's your turn to do the dishes tonight," Grace said to Sam as she stood up from the dinner table.

Sam smiled, rubbing his belly that had just been stuffed with the delicious feast.

"Of course, just give me a minute to digest that amazing meal," Sam said as he grabbed a toothpick and leisurely laid back in his chair while picking his teeth.

"I mean it this time, Sam! You can't just say you were too full and fall asleep like last time…" Grace said, but then her words suddenly slurred as the entire apartment shook.

"Huh? Is this an earthquake?" Sam yelled as he quickly stood up. Sam tried to grab Grace's hand, but the woman suddenly disappeared, leaving Sam shocked.

"Grace?!" Sam shouted out loud when his vision suddenly blurred. The next moment, Sam found himself standing in the middle of a large empty room. Before him stood a disgusting-looking creature that seemed like a cross between a wolf and a person. The creature was covered in brown fur and held a rusted knife. Sam was terrified and backed away, realizing the creature was motionless, as if time and space around it had been frozen.

[Please select your weapon]

The announcement suddenly appeared before Sam's eyes. Along with the message, three images also appeared before him: a sword, a bow, and a staff.

"Huh? Where am I? What's going on?" Sam thought in disbelief as the toothpick fell from his mouth. Sam couldn't help but catch it out of reflex. As soon as he grabbed the toothpick, a notification appeared before him again.

[Weapon: Toothpick (F), has been selected. Trial has begun!]

"Huh?... Wait, no! I need a re-do! That's not my weapon. Give me the sword!" Sam yelled aloud as the frozen beast suddenly began to move. It snarled loudly and ran towards Sam while waving its rusted sword around.

"Ahh!" Sam yelled as he tried to run, but the creature was too fast. Within moments, it was right behind him. Despite being half Sam's size, the creature was fearless as it leapt towards him and slashed him across the shoulder.

"Ahh, it hurts!" Sam yelled in pain as he fell to the ground. Sam quickly turned to face the beast that was in midair.

"Fine, have it your way! Let's just die here like a man!" Sam roared while extending his arms to catch the creature. However, Sam was surprised by its inhuman strength as it easily overpowered him and pushed him down to the ground.

The creature raised its blade again and stabbed him in the chest, right below his heart. Sam yelled out in pain again as he spat out blood and gritted his teeth.

Sam's body and left arm were pinned down by the creature's body, so he wasn't able to move it at all. However, his right hand was free and still had the wooden toothpick in it.

Sam punched the creature a few times, but his fist did nothing. The creature simply chuckled at his desperate attempts of survival.

"I'm going to die because of this stupid toothpick!" Sam yelled as tears welled up in his eyes. However, Sam's despair quickly turned into anger as he gripped the toothpick between his thumb and finger. Sam then thrust the toothpick into the creature's right eye, piercing into it and causing the beast to scream in pain.

As soon as the toothpick drew blood, it began to vibrate violently and dug itself deeper into the creature's skull.

"Huh?" Sam watched in astonishment as the beast screamed in pain while scratching at its own eye, causing even more damage.

[Toothpick(F)'s weapon trait: Bloodlust(F) has been activated]

"A toothpick has a weapon trait?... Ah, now's not the time to think about that. I need to take this chance!" Sam whispered to himself as he quickly stood up and grabbed the rusted knife that the creature had dropped.

The beast was stiff, writhing in pain, as it seemed the toothpick had dug itself deep into its brain. Sam didn't waste another second and repeatedly stabbed the creature with its own knife over and over. Sam only stopped and dropped to the ground in exhaustion when he saw a notification.

[Kobold(F) Trial has been defeated. You have gained (1x) Random Skill Book]

"Haha! I did it. I survived!" Sam roared when he suddenly felt light-headed. Sam looked down and quickly realized that his chest had a massive hole and was bleeding profusely. The adrenaline immediately left his body as the overwhelming pain shocked him, causing his vision to blur.

[Exiting Trial]

This was the last notification Sam saw before passing out. Sam later woke up back in his apartment, standing at the spot where he had been before he disappeared.

"Ah… I'm alive?" Sam mumbled to himself as he touched the spot where he had been stabbed. To his relief, he didn't have any wounds.

"I got lucky. Very lucky…" Sam thought to himself as he started to wonder if the whole thing was just a dream. However, Sam suddenly opened his right hand and noticed the toothpick was still there. As Sam looked at it, a notification appeared before his eyes.

[Weapon]: Toothpick (F)

[Trait]: Bloodlust (F)

[Attribute]: Growth (Bonded to Sam)

"This is amazing! But why did it have to be a toothpick…" Sam mumbled to himself as a realization suddenly dawned on him.

"Right, where's Grace?… Grace!" Sam said aloud as he checked the bedroom. His attention was suddenly pulled to the cityscape before him.

"What the…" Sam mumbled in shock as he looked out into the cityscape filled with burning buildings, loud horns, and people's screams.

Everywhere Sam looked, he saw large purple portals where nightmarish creatures were constantly appearing. People ran in every which way to try and save their lives, while the slower ones quickly fell to the monsters.

"Are they… holding weapons?" Sam said to himself when he noticed people running around with swords, bows, and staff. Some dropped their weapons as they ran away, while others tried to fight back against the creatures. Sam was even shocked to see a woman shoot a small ball of fire from her staff at one of the creatures, causing it to catch alight. She seemed happy but was immediately surrounded and overrun by the creatures that proceeded to maul her.

Sam quickly looked away while shaking his head.

'Grace, where did you go…' Sam thought as he ran towards the front door. However, he soon noticed a sticky note on the door, which he grabbed and started to read.

"Sam, I don't know what's going on. I died to a monster and somehow came back? Anyway, I waited for a few hours, and you haven't come back yet, so I'm leaving you this note. The building isn't safe anymore; monsters are killing people left and right. I'm going with the neighbors to the rooftop. They say it should be safe there, and the chances of a helicopter finding us are higher. Come up once you get back. Stay safe, I love you…" Sam read the note with a sigh as he put it in his pocket.

"Did everyone get summoned to that place?. How late did I get back?" Sam said to himself as he ran into the room and began to pack the essentials into a backpack.

"Food, water, and a few changes of underwear…Now I just need a weapon and I'll be ready to go!" Sam said with a sigh as he looked at the toothpick in his hands again before quietly putting it into his jacket pocket. Sam then grabbed a knife from the kitchen table and then headed out into the hallway.