I think we should get moving now. We don't know how much time has passed while we were in the portal.
It would be disheartening to die after going through all this and finally winning the trial, only to not make it to the safe zone."
They all stood up immediately after Elias spoke and began to move.
The marsh was very still. The mist had begun to thin out, but the damp ground remained slick beneath their feet.
Elias glanced over at Dan and Lyra as they moved forward, each of their steps heavy with exhaustion, though Lyra, as usual, was trying to keep up a brave front.
The distant hum of the portal was the only sound accompanying them as they moved farther away from it.
"We've done it," Dan said, breaking the silence, his voice hoarse but filled with triumph.
He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, grimacing at the sweat and grime that coated his skin.
"I thought we were done for back there. That tree was just... too much. I almost thought it was going to eat us alive."
"I'm glad we made it."
Elias didn't respond immediately.
His face was hard to read, his focus sharp as he scanned their surroundings. Something felt... off. "It's not over yet.
We need to cross into Safe Zone Beta, but there's no way it's going to be simple. Not after all this."
"Right, because why would it be simple?" Lyra muttered under her breath, rubbing her side where the wound from her final trial still throbbed.
Her eyes shifted toward the faint glow of the portal, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her dagger. "A break would be too much to ask for."
Serena, who had been mostly quiet since their arrival, spoke up. "We don't need another trial, not right now," she said, her voice quiet with a hint of anxiety barely noticeable. "We've been through enough.
If Safe Zone Beta is really what they say it is, we should be able to enter without any more interference."
"Safe Zone?" Dan chuckled, glancing sideways at Serena. "Safe, my foot.
You don't walk into a zone called 'safe' after surviving what we just did. If anything, that's a red flag, a big one." He made air quotes, mocking the idea of safety.
"This is a death zone, and anything 'safe' in a place like this should be flagged as suspicious."
"I think you're being a little too paranoid," Serena shot back, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But, sure, keep it up.
I'd love to hear what you think is going to pop out of the portal next." If you don't believe anything,you will at least believe the system notification.
Dan grinned. "Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine. We just survived that tree, didn't we?"
Elias rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile at their back and forth. "Keep your humor,it is good to see a stroke of normalcy within you guys,but don't let it blind you.
There are forces beyond what we've already faced. Just... be prepared."
The atmosphere around them seemed to change as they stepped closer, the weight of the air growing heavier with each passing step.
The ground seemed to shift beneath them as though the marsh itself was unwilling to let them go.
They felt a low hum in their bones... like the very land itself was reacting to their presence. It was strange, unsettling.
"Do you feel that?" Lyra asked, her voice tight with tension.
She was no longer walking casually, now fully alert, her body bracing for whatever might come next.
"I do," Elias replied, his expression hardening. "Something's not right. This isn't the way it should be."
Even Serena, with the aid of her ability, could sense that something was terribly wrong.
She was already on guard with her hands on her dagger.
A portal appeared before them, growing larger and bigger, its swirling, pulsating energy beckoning them.
Before they could react, the ground beneath their feet trembled, and a bright flash of light erupted from the portal.
The world shifted, bending and warping around them.
The air was filled with static, crackling and zipping through the space.
They felt themselves being pulled toward the portal, their bodies straining against an invisible force. In the blink of an eye, they were through.
Safe Zone Beta
The change was immediate and jarring. They were no longer in the swampy, murky marsh.
The landscape before them was starkly different... open, expansive, and filled with a strange, almost suffocating energy.
They stood in a vast, open plain surrounded by towering, jagged rocks, and the sky above was a deep, unsettling shade of purple, swirling with unnatural clouds.
The atmosphere was thick, charged, as though it were holding back something dangerous just beneath the surface.
It was still daylight, but the shadows here felt... wrong, too long and sharp.
"This place..." Serena whispered, her voice filled with awe. "It's nothing like the marsh. It's... different."
Dan grinned as he looked around. "You could say that again. I feel like I've just walked into an alien world.
It's like someone decided to slap a new coat of paint on a dead planet." He looked down at his boots. "No mud, no muck... I can almost breathe again."
Lyra frowned, her gaze darting across the strange horizon. "Not quite. Something's off. The air... it's almost suffocating."
Elias stepped forward, his posture rigid. "Keep your guard up," he murmured. "We're not here to take a vacation."
The group moved cautiously forward, their eyes scanning the unfamiliar place. In the distance, the air shimmered.
They could see faint figures moving, but they were too far to make out any details. It was hard to shake the feeling that they were being watched.
"Okay, I'll admit it," Dan said, cracking a grin. "This place is kind of cool... in a creepy, 'I'm going to die' sort of way." He leaned toward Elias, lowering his voice dramatically. "What do you think? Secret assassin hideout? A lair of superpowered lunatics?"
Elias ignored him, his eyes narrowing as he took in the faint movement in the distance. "Whatever it is, it's not friendly. Stay alert."
As they continued to move through the strange landscape, it quickly became clear that this was no ordinary place.
The atmosphere here was charged with raw power.
The system notification chimes loudly in the air.
System Notification:
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Users!]
[You all have successfully made it to Safe Zone Beta.]
[You made very good use of your time.]
[You have obtained various rewards from this trial.]
[Another journey begins now.]
The sarcastic voice chimed in again.
"Don't feel mighty….it's nothing special. Just a few monsters here and there aren't enough to think you're strong."
"Expected nothing less," Elias muttered under his breath.
The system notification chimes again and its translucent screen appeared;
[Ding!]
[Congratulations User 223:Elias]
[You have succeeded in levelling up to level two]
[Your stats has been successfully updated]
Player Stats Update:
User: Elias (Player 223)
Race: Human (Potential Unknown)
Level: 2
Class: Undefined
Core Alignment: Aether Core (Origin Unknown)
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Agility: 12
Endurance: 8
Luck: 5
Mana: 7
Aether Core Synchronization: Active
Health Points (HP): 40/40
Mana Points (MP): 50/50
Experience Points (XP): 233/400
Skills Tab:
Instinctive Dodge
Rip Strike
Equipment:
Weapon: Short Blade
Dark Shard: (+15% Attack Power; Absorbs 5% damage dealt)
Armor: Reinforced Fur Armor (+5 Defense, +2 Agility