His legs and flippers, which had propelled him so powerfully underwater, felt awkward and heavy. Each step felt like he was dragging enormous weights.
Instincts screamed at him to slip back into the water where he could maneuver effortlessly. But he knew couldn't afford to rely on one environment alone, no matter how tempting it was to escape the rough terrain.
Survival meant adaptation.
He was a creature of both water and land. If he wanted to survive, he had to adapt.
Steeling his mind, Nyx pushed himself up and once again started to walk awkwardly. The movement pattern of having to move four limbs to push himself forward was too foreign to someone who used to walk on two legs… though he had only been allowed to walk in his dreams.
What's more, the shell on his back was abnormally heavy, drastically slowing down his speed.
Nyx sighed as he walked to the dense, tangled greenery up ahead.
'The more I think about it, the more I realize being a tortoise sucks.'
By the time Nyx reached the treeline, the clouds above him had darkened considerably. Lightning crackled through the dark clouds, illuminating the island.
Worried, Nyx frowned. Only now, he realized he didn't take into account his slow speed compared to the speed of the clouds darkening above him.
'It's good to have a high IQ, but putting it into practice without actual hands-on experience is vastly different.'
Storms meant chaos and unpredictable waves. On the other hand, even though storms did not bring the same level of danger on land, the unpredictable nature of lightning frightened him. His shell might be hard, but it would be useless against lightning. A single well-aimed lightning bolt, and he was as good as dead. He'd be lucky to be afforded enough time to scream before dying, or unlucky, depending on how one viewed it.
As that realization hit Nyx, so did a droplet of water. His frown deepened as more raindrops fell, each colder than the last. In an instant, the occasional drops of water turned into a drizzle.
"Great," Nyx muttered bitterly. "It's my first day in the Trial, and I'm already dealing with rain, lightning, mud, and soon hungry animals."
Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. Soon, Nyx found himself flinching.
However, true to his words about thinking ahead and being more alert, Nyx lifted his flippers and legs and entered the forest.
The trees were dense in this part of the forest, making it a perfect place to hide away from the rain.
But…the dangers would come later. Something about The System's words about the Trial's dangers did not sit well with him.
It was unknown whether it was instincts he acquired upon becoming a tortoise, or something else, but, right now, he wanted to believe in them.
Ahead, a particular bush caught his eyes. It was small but dense — perfect for his slightly larger-than-an-adult palm-sized body. Moreover, it was situated beside a tree.
Scurrying over to the bush with haste, Nyx circled it, eyeing it with growing satisfaction. Then, he returned to behind the tree and got to work. Lifting his flippers, he shoved them into the dirt and shoveled out a considerable amount of dirt. Like a dog digging a hole, each scoop of his flippers sent dirt flying under his body, some even landing on his face. Frowning in disgust, he tried not to think about it and continued clawing away.
This was for his survival… for his future.
Once he dug out a half-a-foot-long tunnel straight down and a straight tunnel from under the tree to under the bush on the other side, Nyx shoved the dirt out.
His makeshift home for the foreseeable future had been made, but Nyx was still not satisfied. Jumping and climbing out, he spun his body in search of leaves.
Luckily, it didn't take him more than a second for his eyes to come in contact with fallen leaves that still looked green and fresh. Nyx walked over and, whether he wanted to or not, opened his mouth and clamped down on several leaves.
Fighting off the bitter taste, Nyx returned to beside the tunnel he dug and spat them out.
Though the leaves tasted unpleasant, they were wide and thick. But he was still not done — five leaves were still not enough for what he planned to do with them.
He needed more. With that in mind, for the next couple of minutes, Nyx went back and forth, collecting leaves and spitting them out in front of the hole.
By the time a large pile of leaves was in front of his makeshift home, Nyx lay sprawled with his tongue out, gasping for air.
'I-I did it.'
After a while, Nyx climbed back on his four limbs and looked over the pile of leaves and dirt. He then got to work arranging half of the leaves haphazardly around the tree as if they had fallen from the branches of the tree. As for the remaining half, he shoved them into the tunnel for later.
Next came the tricky part. He positioned halfway into the hole, then dug his clawed feet into the dirt at the sides.
'There's no going back now.' Nyx thought as he took deep breaths, filling his lungs with as much air as they could store.
After that, he placed his flippers around the mound of dirt he created at the entrance, and began dragging it into the hole along with his body.
Nyx was aware that from the outside, any animal with a modicum of intelligence would know something had dug a hole. But there was nothing he could do. If he had more time available, he would have dug the opening of his tunnel somewhere far away, under a bush, perhaps…
Hopefully, luck would be on his side, and a creature would not listen to its curiosity.
'That better not have been a reg flag.'
Shaking his head, Nyx removed the hellish thought… or, at least attempted to. Soon, realizing he couldn't remove his fear of death.
Death was inevitable, but those who hoped to continue living would find it difficult to face death with nonchalance. As glaring as the truth was, Nyx only now found out.
Nyx sighed and tried to cheer himself up.
'Think of the positive… I have a home now.'
He looked around his burrow, feeling overwhelming pride. It was small, but for a tortoise of his size, it might as well be a mansion.
… Though that might be a bit of a stretch.
Nyx chuckled.
'This is just the start.'
He then walked over to the pile of leaves he had previously thrown into his home. Even if he was a tortoise now, he was still a human mentally. A nice, warm padding below his body and a warm blanket was necessary.
It was a necessity he wouldn't just give up.
Nyx layered the leaves, making a soft, makeshift mattress. Soon, he laid his body down on his bed and threw a few leaves over his shell. Without string, he would have to make do with his blanket. 'This is the life.' Nyx mused, smilingly 'The life that I don't mind living. A life where I live on my own terms. I do what I want when I want to.'
And that was what Nyx hoped his life would be from now on. If not, he would fight for it.
An opportunity like the Trial was a once-in-a-billion chance. He'd be a fool to give it up. Thus, he swore he would survive and return to the real world with strength that could easily overpower those arrogant and vile creatures.
Then, he closed his eyes and listened to the rain and thunder, while waiting for The System.
After a while, the mechanical, emotionless, and genderless voice resounded in his mind.
<{Nyx, the grace period is up. The two worlds will now converge, and the real Trial begins now. Good luck.}>
Immediately after, the sound of roars and howls resounded, filling the forest and overshadowing the thunder.
Nyx trembled, and his eyes opened. Noticeable fear could be seen in his bright green pupils.
'What on Earth is producing those roars?'
Even with his limited knowledge, he was willing to swear on his life that no animal on present Earth could make such a thunderous, guttural roar. What's worse, he could hear several terrifying roars, each different and powerful.
According to Doctor Rose, only in the distant past, during the Mesozoic Era — when dinosaurs ruled the land and the world was far more dangerous did creatures — could such sounds have been produced.
However, the entrance of the forest where his burrow was located was quiet and calm. He didn't hear any sounds directly above his home. That was a relief.
The abnormal, ferocious roars came from the distance, most likely, where he saw the tall, jagged cliffs.
Nyx swore.
'I'd rather spend an eternity chained and drained of my blood than venture to the source of those roars.'