Alex stood in front of the metal door, watching it slowly begin to open after the countdown ended. His heartbeat quickened with each number. "Five... four... three... two..." Then, a metallic sound echoed through the small room as the door revealed an empty, steel-walled chamber.
He hesitated for a moment, his feet frozen in place as he peered inside. There was nothing remarkable—just an empty space with high ceilings gleaming under cold white lights. But there was something else—a teleportation gate. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He'd never seen one before, only heard about them on the news and in reports.
"This is the test room?" he muttered under his breath, stepping in cautiously. It wasn't what he had envisioned at all. He had expected the space to be an arena—a battlefield for a decisive face-off against the mysterious instructor assessing him. Instead, it seemed to be nothing more than a checkpoint.
As he examined the silent steel walls, a calm robotic voice emanated from the ceiling:
"Please change into the black leather combat suit before entering the teleportation gate."
Alex froze, startled. "Change my clothes?" he murmured in confusion, glancing around for a dressing room or some sort of explanation. Suddenly, a small drawer slid out of the wall, revealing a sleek black outfit with sharp, intricate details.
Picking it up, Alex was struck by its weight and unexpected softness. "Dungeon beast leather?" he thought, astonished. It was his first time seeing gear like this, let alone touching it. These suits were renowned for their strength and rarity, reserved only for the elite hunters.
"Well, looks like I'm joining the elite… for a few minutes at least." He sighed, shedding his casual clothes and pulling on the combat suit.
Minutes later, he stood before the reflective metal walls, examining his own image. He paused, almost not recognizing himself. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the unfamiliar sight.
"Who is this guy?" he thought, turning his head to catch more details of the suit. "Am I a secret agent now? Am I about to infiltrate some lab and stop a nuclear explosion?" A wry grin tugged at his lips. "All I'm missing are sunglasses and a sports car."
Turning to his faint reflection, he mockingly addressed himself in a dramatic tone:
"Alex Müller, secret agent on a mission to save the world from the deadliest dungeon beasts… or maybe just save himself from failing this evaluation."
He chuckled quietly to himself. The tension began to lift as the weight of the suit settled on his shoulders, grounding him. But no amount of internal jokes could change the reality of what lay ahead.
The robotic voice interrupted his thoughts again:
"Please proceed to the transportation gate now."
Taking a deep breath, Alex moved toward the gate, trying to steady his nerves. "So, this is it," he thought as he approached the portal, its glowing surface resembling a doorway to another world. "First time for everything—technology, monsters, this test. None of this was in my plans."
He slowly extended his hand toward the gate, each step causing his heart to race. "Will it hurt?" he wondered, steeling himself to cross the threshold. Then, with a faint smirk, he muttered, "Well, if this suit hasn't killed me yet, I think I'll survive."
The smirk vanished as he stepped through the gate, feeling a faint pulse in the air around him, as if the entire world had blinked out of existence.
---
When Alex opened his eyes, he was stunned by what he saw. He stood in a deep, rocky valley, surrounded by massive jagged cliffs. The cracked, rugged ground stretched out beneath him, while the overcast sky above flickered with sporadic streaks of lightning. The air was thick, heavy with an electric charge.
Catching his breath, he began to move cautiously, taking in the eerie silence of the place. "What is this place?" he murmured, scanning his surroundings with unease. The landscape looked abandoned, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Suddenly, the air around him shifted. His chest tightened just as he spotted movement in the sky.
"Boom!" A massive lightning bolt streaked down, aimed directly at him. Without thinking, his body reacted instinctively, darting out of the way just in time. The bolt struck the ground behind him, leaving a deep, smoldering crater.
His breathing quickened as he stared at the spot where he'd been standing moments before. Whatever this test was, it had just begun—and it wasn't playing around.
Alex's eyes widened as he stared at the scorched crater left by the lightning strike. "That... almost killed me!" His heart pounded violently in his chest, a raw, instinctual fear creeping into his bones. He spun around, scanning his surroundings frantically for the source of the attack, his hand clutching his chest as if to confirm he was still alive.
A calm yet mocking voice echoed from seemingly nowhere and everywhere at once—a woman's voice. "Not bad. Your reaction time's decent enough."
Alex froze, his body stiff as he tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from, his eyes darting across the rocky expanse.
"What was your name again?" The voice paused briefly, almost theatrically, before continuing with a mock sigh. "Ah, right. Alex Müller."
Realization hit him hard. "So, this is the evaluator," he thought, the weight of the situation pressing down on his chest. He had expected this to be tough, but an ambush like this? He wasn't prepared.
The voice spoke again, now tinged with indifference. "Your abilities... well, if I'm being honest, they're kind of disappointing." Her words echoed, each syllable cutting sharper than the last. "Random teleportation? Seriously?"
Alex's face paled slightly, though he worked to keep his expression neutral. This wasn't the first time someone had doubted his capabilities, but hearing it so bluntly—especially from someone in her position—stung.
He took a moment to steady his breath before replying, his voice calm but firm. "Yes." He kept his tone respectful but refrained from offering any more information. There was no need to give her any additional ammunition.
He decided to address her directly, hoping to take control of the situation. "Professor, shouldn't you face me directly if this is supposed to be an evaluation?" His words were polite, but there was a subtle confidence in his tone.
A brief silence followed, as though she were contemplating his words. Then, without warning—BOOM!—the ground behind him shook violently.
Alex spun around, his breath catching as he saw her for the first time. She stood a few paces away, electricity crackling and dancing around her body like a living force. Her presence was overwhelming.
"Oh, come on!" Alex muttered under his breath, trying to process what he was seeing. But there was no time to think.
In a blink, she was on him. Her knee drove into his chest with the force of a thunderbolt, sending him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll. The world spun as he crashed into the ground, dust and debris exploding around him.
"What the hell is this?!" he thought, coughing as he struggled to get back on his feet. He barely had a second to breathe before—BOOM!—another strike hit him, this time a punch that sent shockwaves through his entire body.
Every time he tried to retaliate, she was faster. His clumsy attempt at a counterattack was easily deflected as she sidestepped gracefully, grabbing his head in one swift motion. Before he could react, a surge of electricity coursed through him. His muscles seized up, pain ripping through him so intensely that he couldn't even scream.
With ruthless precision, she flung him like a toy, his body colliding hard against a jagged boulder. Dust filled the air as he slumped to the ground, his vision swimming.
Lying there, staring up at the stormy sky, Alex's mind raced. "What just happened?" His body refused to move, every inch of him aching.
Before he could gather his thoughts, another flash of lightning lit up the sky. "No..." he whispered hoarsely, watching as the crackling bolt zeroed in on him.
At the last second, he rolled desperately to the side, the lightning striking the ground inches away, sending up a shower of dirt and debris.
Panting, drenched in sweat, Alex scrambled to his feet, barely managing to stay upright. That's when her voice came again, this time dripping with mockery.
"Is that it, Alex? Is this all you've got?"
Her words stung as much as her attacks, but it was what she said next that truly froze him in place.
"And to think… this is how you beat my brother?"
Alex blinked, his thoughts grinding to a halt. Her brother? What was she talking about? His voice came out shaky, barely audible. "Wait… I beat your brother?"
The professor paused for a moment, as if recalculating her thoughts, before an incredibly embarrassed expression spread across her face. Her sarcastic demeanor melted away, replaced by a bright flush of red. She placed one hand on her forehead and smacked it lightly with the other.
"Oh my God! How could I forget to introduce myself?!"
She began pacing in circles nervously, flailing her hands like she was trying to fix some invisible catastrophe. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Where the hell are my manners?!"
Alex, who stood frozen, felt like he was trapped in a scene from a sitcom. "Is this woman serious right now?" he thought, his disbelief written all over his face as he watched her unravel before his eyes. He glanced around quickly, half-expecting hidden cameras to pop out. "What kind of professor is this?"
After a brief but chaotic moment, she stopped, took a deep breath, and abruptly shifted into a startlingly serious demeanor.
"I am Alexandra Thunder," she declared, her voice formal, as if addressing a grand audience. "A professor at the university. Actually, this is my third year here. And the problem is that you had the audacity to…t.t.t..to…" She paused, pointing a sharp finger at him as though accusing him of a heinous crime. "…to harm my little brother!"
Alex's eyes widened as if struck by lightning. "Your… little brother?" he stammered, the situation spiraling into incomprehensibility.
"Who's that?" he blurted out, sounding almost comically clueless, hoping for some clarification.
"Momo!" she replied confidently, as if the name explained everything.
Alex raised an eyebrow, bewildered. "Momo? Who the hell is Momo?"
The professor paused again, placing a hand on her forehead, trying to compose herself. "His name is Matthew! We call him Momo—it's a family nickname. Seriously , don't act like you don't know Momo?"
Alex's brain raced, desperately trying to recall anything about that name. " Momo… Matthew… Who the hell is this guy?!" he muttered to himself, frustration mounting. But suddenly, it hit him.
A flashback jolted him. Memories he had buried surged back like a lightning strike.
"Matthew… electricity… oh, right! Matthew!" he murmured slowly, piecing it together. The scene from the training arena replayed vividly in his mind.
Matthew, a year older and wielding powerful lightning abilities, had taunted Alex relentlessly during their sparring match. Alex had started the fight calmly, but Matthew's smug remarks and endless provocations chipped away at his patience. In a moment of blind fury, Alex unleashed everything he had on "Momo"—sorry, Matthew—leaving him in a pitiful state, barely able to stand.
Snapping back to reality, Alex's face turned pale as he realized that the sparring match wasn't just a friendly competition; it had been dangerously close to spiraling out of control. He looked at Professor Alexandra, his wide eyes betraying his panic as if he'd just seen a ghost.
"Oh God… it was an accident…" he mumbled, struggling to find the right words.
His anxiety was evident, his hands trembling slightly. Alexandra's fiery gaze bore into him, sparks practically crackling in the air around her. Slowly, she stepped closer, bending slightly to meet his eyes, her grin a strange mix of menace and amusement.
"An accident? Really?" she asked, her voice soft but charged with energy. "Let me tell you something, Alex…"
She paused, placing a finger lightly against his chest, maintaining that unsettling smile. "I don't forgive easily. And in my family, when someone hurts one of us, we don't just talk it out…"
Alex gulped, instinctively stepping back. "Um… what do you do then?" he asked hesitantly, his voice trembling as though he already regretted the question.
Alexandra straightened, crossing her arms as her cold smile deepened. "We make them pay, of course! And you, dear Alex, better be ready… because the price is going to be steep."
She raised a single eyebrow in challenge, adding, "And no, it won't be something simple like treating me to dinner."
Alex stared at her, the tension etched into his face unmistakable. "Is this a threat… or a declaration of my doom?" he wondered, his thoughts spiraling as Alexandra began circling him like a predator stalking its prey.
TO BE CONTINUED…