[ENTERING GREAT TRIAL PLANE]
The moment Alexander opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a completely white room, devoid of anything but an eerie silence.
[WELCOME TO GREAT TRIAL PLANE. THE TRIAL IS BEGINNING....]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 1]
[RANDOMLY SELECTING A LANDSCAPE...]
Suddenly, the white room shifted, dissolving into a peaceful grassland. The sky was a calm blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds, and a few scattered trees lined the horizon. For a brief moment, Alexander felt a sense of calm wash over him as he took in the serene surroundings.
But before he could fully appreciate it, a loud screech pierced the air. Just a few meters away, a creature appeared—a massive lizard with red, glimmering scales, its body about three meters long. Its beady eyes locked onto Alexander, and a fierce, primal aura radiated from it.
[KILL THE FIRE LIZARD TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL]
The Fire Lizard opened its wide jaws and unleashed a torrent of scorching flames in Alexander's direction. The high-temperature fire surged toward him, burning the air as it passed.
"No wonder it's called a Fire Lizard," Alexander muttered, effortlessly dodging the fiery attack. As he glanced back at the spot where the flames had landed, all that remained was scorched earth, charred black from the intense heat.
"Just as expected from a low 2-grade beast. Its power can't be underestimated." Alexander's eyes sharpened, feeling the heat of the battle rising.
A sleek sword appeared in Alexander's hand, its metallic gleam catching the light. "This system inventory is definitely useful," he mused, gripping the hilt tightly. "Pity it's only add one slot for each major realm breakthrough."
Without wasting another second, Alexander activated his Wind Steps, his body becoming a blur of motion. The wind gathered around his feet, propelling him forward at lightning speed as he charged directly at the Fire Lizard. The beast snarled, preparing to release another fiery attack, but Alexander was already closing the distance.
***
"AAAHHHHhhhh!" Melina sprinted through the thick jungle, her heart pounding as the creature chasing her let out a sickening hiss. Behind her, a grotesque insect-like creature, resembling a cockroach but half the size of a human, crawled at an alarming speed. Its slick, dark shell gleamed under the scattered rays of sunlight peeking through the dense canopy.
"Hwwaaaaa, it's that idiot's fault!" she cursed under her breath, half-crying. "He told me about the trial but didn't mention this!"
Her breath was ragged as she kept running, eyes darting around for any sign of salvation. She had forgotten to prepare a proper weapon, and while that might've been forgivable, dealing with this wasn't. Her skin crawled as she glanced back at the nightmarish creature.
"Damn it! Of all the creatures, it had to be this!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the trees. "The Undying—ugh!" She was almost in tears, her legs burning from the effort of outrunning the abomination. "Not only are they disgusting, but they're also the hardest to kill!"
The Undying were infamous creatures, existing solely to feed and spread like pests. Despite being only high 1st-grade beasts, they were notoriously difficult to kill, requiring the strength of an Astral Foundation expert to put them down for good. Their regenerative abilities earned them the name, and to her horror, she realized there was no way she could harm it—let alone destroy it.
"No weapon, no strength... great," she muttered sarcastically, still sprinting with the cockroach-like monstrosity gaining on her. "I'm so dead!"
As Melina sprinted through the jungle, her foot suddenly snagged on a broken tree branch hidden beneath the undergrowth. She tumbled forward, hitting the ground hard with a groan. Her heart pounded, and as she glanced back, her stomach churned—the Undying was mere meters away now, its grotesque form inching closer, its antennas twitching with hunger.
A shudder ran through her, but it wasn't fear—it was pure disgust. "Ugh, I can't believe I have to deal with this thing," she muttered, her skin crawling as the creature's ugly body skittered toward her.
Despite its horrendous appearance and the fact that it was nearly impossible to kill, the Undying had one laughable flaw—its attack power was pathetically weak. It couldn't hurt her much, but getting touched by it? That was an unbearable thought.
"Of course," she thought bitterly, "when the gods open all the doors, they close a few, huh?"
As the Undying crawled closer, Melina knew she had no choice but to fight. With no weapon at hand, she clenched her right fist and focused all her strength into it. This was a technique she was still developing, inspired by a certain bald, overpowered hero from her past life's manga.
"Aaaaah! SERIOUS PUNCH!" she screamed, slamming her fist into the creature.
A deafening sound echoed through the jungle as her fist connected, and for a brief moment, the cockroach-like Undying seemed to stop in its tracks. Green, disgusting blood oozed from the point of impact, but just as quickly as the damage appeared, it healed in the blink of an eye.
The air between them stilled, as if time itself had paused, and Melina's heart sank.
Realizing that her "Serious Punch" had barely fazed the creature, she wasted no time. "Well, this is a lost cause," she muttered and turned on her heel, bolting away as fast as she could, the Undying skittering after her once again.
"What do I do now?" she thought frantically, "I can't fail the first level of the trial! I'd be a disgrace to all transmigrated people everywhere!"
Panting, she mentally cursed her situation. "Damn, why do all the others get overpowered gold fingers from the start? Is it because I wasn't mocked for being useless? Or because I wasn't betrayed by a scumbag fiancé? Maybe it's because no one ever called off my engagement or humiliated me in public!"
As Melina ran, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her body from the strain of her previous attack. Blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth, sliding down her neck and landing on the simple necklace she wore.
Suddenly, the necklace began to glow a faint red, the light intensifying with each second.
"What the..." she muttered, glancing down at it in confusion.
___________________________
[Author's Room]
In a dimly lit room, a man with glasses sat hunched over a keyboard, the soft clattering of his typing the only sound. Suddenly, a loud knock echoed from the door, startling him. Before he could react, the knocking turned into furious pounding. Just as he stood up, the door burst off its hinges, crashing to the floor inches from where he stood, leaving him frozen in fear, heart racing.
A stunning girl with fiery red eyes and black hair stormed into the room, her expression furious.
Melina: "You must be that author who put me in such a ridiculous scene!"
Author: "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Melina: "Don't 'huh' me! You threw a delicate, weak lady like me into danger! Have you no sense of decency as a man?"
Author: "It's just part of the plot…"
Melina: "To hell with your plot! Why's my OP cheat according to laws of transmigration"
With that, she grabbed his collar, her grip tight, making his blood run cold.
Author: "Soon, soon..."
Melina: "It better be soon, or next time..."
With a cold snort, she released him and turned to leave, causing him to sigh in relief. But then she stopped abruptly, nearly freezing his heart.
Melina: "Right! I almost forgot!"
She turned back, a mischievous smile revealing her white teeth.
"Support this book and watch me become the Pirate King! Kufkufkuff!"