Arina gasped as the beast's claws slashed against her shimmering shield, sending sparks flying. The force of the impact shook her to the core. She wasn't a warrior, she wasn't trained for this—how was she supposed to survive?
Her heart raced as the creature growled, its glowing green eyes locked onto her. The system's shield was the only thing keeping her alive, but even that was flickering, cracks spreading through the glowing barrier.
"Think, Arina," she whispered to herself, trying to push through the panic. The beast circled her, looking for a weakness, and she knew she didn't have long before it struck again.
The beast lunged again, but this time, Arina was ready. She dove to the side just as the claws struck, narrowly avoiding the blow. Her body moved on instinct, but the panic in her mind remained. She had no weapons, no way to fight back. Was this how it was going to end? Barely minutes into this new, terrifying world?
Then, another message flickered in front of her.
[Ability Unlocked: Basic Dash – Allows quick movement for evasion. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 5 seconds.]
The words blinked into existence as if in answer to her desperation. She didn't have time to question it. The beast roared and lunged at her again, its massive form barreling toward her. Arianna focused on the new ability, and without thinking, she activated it.
Her vision blurred, and for a brief moment, everything sped up. She darted to the side, faster than she had ever moved before, narrowly escaping the beast's claws. Her heart raced as the world snapped back into focus. She was several feet away from where she'd been standing.
It worked. The system was really helping her.
But the beast wasn't finished. It turned with a snarl, green eyes glowing with fury as it stalked toward her again. Arianna's shield flickered dangerously, and her legs felt like they might give out any second. She couldn't rely on dodging forever.
[Warning: Hostile Creature Level 5.]
Another system message flashed in her vision. The beast was level 5—and judging by the "1" next to her name on the system screen, she was severely outmatched. The only advantage she had was the system, but she didn't know how to use it effectively yet.
Survive. That's the only goal. She repeated the system's command in her head, using it to ground herself as the beast prowled closer. I just need to survive.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her trembled, and she froze. The beast paused too, sensing the shift. In the distance, the jagged mountains rumbled, and something enormous shifted in the shadows beyond. Her blood ran cold.
What was happening?
A deafening roar echoed through the landscape, deeper and far more menacing than the creature in front of her. The beast in front of her hesitated, its attention pulled away. Whatever was coming, it was bigger, more dangerous. And it was getting closer.
[System Alert: High-Level Threat Detected.]
"Not now!" Arina shouted, her voice trembling as the ground shook again. She glanced behind her, desperately searching for an escape route. The beast in front of her seemed equally torn, its ears twitching as it debated whether to fight her or flee from whatever was approaching.
[New Quest: Flee to Safety.]
Without thinking, Arina bolted. She didn't need the system to tell her twice. The Basic Dash ability activated again, propelling her forward with a burst of speed. Her legs burned, but adrenaline pushed her to keep running. The beast roared behind her, but it didn't chase. Instead, it turned and ran in the opposite direction, toward the deeper shadows of the mountains.
Whatever was coming scared even that thing.
Arina's breath came in ragged gasps as she raced across the uneven terrain, her mind in a whirl of terror and confusion. What kind of world had she been thrown into? How was she supposed to survive in a place where every corner held a new threat?
Another message from the system appeared.
[XP Gained: 50 for Evasion.]
She wasn't sure if that was supposed to be comforting, but she couldn't focus on it now. The rumbling was growing louder, the ground quaking beneath her feet. She risked a glance over her shoulder—and froze in horror.
A massive shadow was approaching, blotting out the silver light of the sky. It was enormous, far larger than the beast that had attacked her. Its shape was indistinct in the haze, but it moved with terrifying speed, its size so immense that the very ground seemed to tremble beneath its steps.
This can't be real. It was the only thought Arina could muster, but the cold sweat on her skin and the pounding of her heart told her otherwise. This was real, all of it.
The landscape was shifting as she ran, the jagged black stones rising and falling like waves. It was as if the very world was responding to the approach of this colossal creature. She didn't dare stop to look back again, but the fear clawed at her with every step.
[New Ability Unlocked: Sprint – Temporarily increases movement speed. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
"Thank you, system!" she breathed, immediately activating the ability. Her feet seemed to fly across the ground, her speed doubling. For a brief moment, it felt like she was soaring, and the distance between her and the looming shadow increased slightly.
But the relief was short-lived.
As the system's sprint wore off, her legs faltered, exhaustion taking its toll. The colossal shadow was gaining again, and she knew she couldn't outrun it forever. Fear gripped her as the rumbling grew deafening, shaking the very air around her.
Just as she thought it was the end, the ground dipped sharply ahead of her—a steep drop into a ravine. Arianna skidded to a halt at the edge, her chest heaving as she looked down. It wasn't too far down, maybe twenty feet, but it wasn't something she could survive without injury.
Behind her, the shadow closed in, and she made a split-second decision. Taking a deep breath, Arianna jumped.
The wind rushed past her as she fell, and for a brief second, everything was silent. Then, with a hard thud, she hit the ground, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Pain shot through her leg, but she was alive. Alive.
The rumbling above paused. Whatever was chasing her stopped at the edge of the ravine, peering down at her for a moment before retreating into the distance with a low, earth-shaking growl.
Arianna lay there, her body aching, but relief flooded her. She had survived.
---
[Quest Completed: Flee to Safety.]
The system message floated into her vision, but this time, it felt more like a reward than an obstacle.
[XP Gained: 100 for Survival.]
"Yeah," she muttered, wincing as she tried to sit up. "Survival."
As the adrenaline faded, exhaustion hit her like a wave. Her leg throbbed from the fall, and her body ached from running. But despite the pain, she felt something she hadn't expected: determination.
She didn't know how long she had until the next threat came, but one thing was certain. She couldn't go back to her old life, not now. This world might be terrifying, but the system had chosen her for a reason. She wasn't going to back down.
Not until she understood what was happening—and not until she figured out how to survive, no matter the cost.
©Beersheba