The board's processing seemed to drag on forever, leaving Kendrik restless and impatient. The notification continued to flash:
[Notification]
{System still processing challenges that would be suitable for the candidate, wait a moment}
Kendrik's frustration grew as the minutes ticked by. He was desperate to escape the desolate realm, but his memories of the events leading up to his arrival remained shrouded in mystery. The pain in his chest, however, was too real.
As he struggled to breathe, Kendrik became aware of a strange sensation in his chest. It felt as though air was entering and exiting through an open wound. His hand instinctively went to his chest, and he winced as his fingers made contact with a tender scar.
The board's processing continued, displaying a progress bar that inched along a glacial pace:
[Notification]
{Downloading suitable challenges for candidate}
The download progress hovered around 25-30%, leaving Kendrik with ample time to examine his wounds. He attempted to peek through his battered clothes, but the darkness of the realm made it impossible.
With a growing sense of unease, Kendrik carefully removed his blue royal guard suit, revealing the true extent of his injuries. His eyes widened in horror as he beheld the gaping wound in his chest.
"What the hell is this?" Kendrik's voice trembled as he stared at the open wound, his mind reeling with implications.
Kendrik's mind reeled as he gazed at the open wound in his chest. His memories, once a jumbled puzzle, now played like a distorted video tape, pausing and glitching with each fragmented clip.
"Ahhhh!!!" Kendrik screamed, clutching his head in agony. A severe headache ravaged his mind, fueled by his desperate attempts to recall the events leading up to his arrival in this desolate realm.
Kendrik's body trembled, his nose bleeding profusely. The pain was unbearable, and his memories remained frustratingly elusive. The few glimpses he caught were blurry and indistinct, like a watercolor painting in the rain.
Just as Kendrik seemed to be at his breaking point, the board notified him:
[Notification]
{Suitable challenges for candidate successfully downloaded}
Summoning his last vestiges of strength, Kendrik stumbled to his feet, facing the board with a mixture of trepidation and determination. Initially, his vision was blurry due to the lingering effects of his headache. However, within minutes, his pain mysteriously vanished, leaving him feeling rejuvenated and perplexed.
Kendrik's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his healed body. "How is this possible? Just minutes ago, I was sure I was dying!" He examined himself, searching for any signs of previous agony.
The board displayed the challenge list, but only one was revealed, while the rest were locked and written in an ancient language:
[Notification]
{First challenge: Candidate must survive a harsh environment without consuming food or water for 31 calendar days}
Kendrik's face contorted in horror. "Thus must be a joke! How could I survive without food or water for 31 days?" He laughed in disbelief, but the next notification erased his amusement:
[Notification]
{Failure to complete the given challenge may result in excruciating death as penalty}
Kendrik's heart sank, and his mind reeled with the weight of the challenge. Another notification appeared:
[Notification]
{If this challenge isn't accepted by the candidate within 10 seconds, punishment will be given}
The board began its countdown:
[Notification]
{Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two...}
Kendrik's panic grew as he struggled to make a decision. Time was running out, and the consequences of refusal were dire.
The final countdown number appeared:
[Notification]
{One, candidate never accepted the requested challenge there for he will receive punishment}
Kendrik's hesitation proved. The board's punishment was swiftly and merciless...
Kendrik's punishment was a descent into unmitigated agony. As the countdown reached its climax, his body felt like it was being stretched to the breaking point, like a rubber band on the verge of snapping. His scream was a raw, anguished cry as his insides twisted in ways that defied human anatomy.
The pain was a living, breathing entity that wrapped itself around Kendrik's mind and body, squeezing the life out of him. His bones cracked and shattered like brittle twigs, his face contorted in a grimace of unbearable suffering. His eyes bulged from their sockets, his teeth felt like they were ripped from his gums, and his vision blurred into a maddening haze.
Finally, the torture ceased, leaving Kendrik gasping for air like a bleached fish. He found himself lying on a desolate beach, the black coarse and unforgiving beneath his battered body. The ocean waters lapped at his feet, but this was no idyllic paradise. The waves were sicky green, the water churning with unseen pollutants.
Kendrik stumbled to his feet, surveying his surroundings with a growing sense of unease. His body was a canvas of cuts and bruises, his skin slick with sweat and grime. He wore only his underwear shorts, a stark reminder of his invulnerability in this forsaken place.
As he gazed out at the twisted landscape, something slithered behind, it's presence marked by an unsettling rustling in the sand. Kendrik's heart skipped a beat at the creature wrapped itself around his ankles, pulling him down into the depths of the polluted ocean.
Kendrik's memories of the descent into the ocean's depths were hazy, his senses overwhelmed by the crushing water pressure and the creatures incredible speed. He recalled hitting his head on the hard rock, feeling a searing pain ad his skin spit open, and his blood mingling with the murky water.
As his vision cleared, Kendrik beheld the creature that had dragged him down. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen - a gigantic, dead creature that resembled a Shallow, but with a twisted, nightmarish quality. Its face was a void, with skin peeled back to reveal a swirling vortex of water, like the Bermuda Triangle. The creature's body was a grotesque parody of life, with exposed ribs and a hollow, empty torso. The signs of its former humanity were tattered remnants of pants clinging to its lower body.
Kendrik's mind reeled, still disoriented from the concussion. But before he could process the horror before him, a system notification appeared.
[Notification]
{Defeat and kill the Dead Demon Water and escape the poisonous water before estimated time runs out}
Kendrik's heart sank as he realized this was his punishment, his trial by fire. And the board's deadline was daunting: 24 hours to defeat the Dead Water Demon and escape the toxic waters. The real challenge had yet to begin, and Kendrik wondered if he had the strength to survive.
Kendrik struggled to break free from the Dead Water Demon's grasp, its void-like face leering at him as it taunted him. The toxic water choked the life out of him, and Kendrik's lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. He fought with every ounce of strength, but the demo's grip was unyielding.
In a desperate bid to escape, Kendrik's hands flailed wildly, searching for anything to use against the demon. His fingers closed around a large rock, and with a surge of adrenaline, he smashed it into the demon's face. The impact was immense, and the demon recoiled, releasing Kendrik from its grasp.
Seizing the opportunity, Kendrik kicked upwards, his body screaming in protest as he pushed through the crushing water pressure. The demon, however, far from defeated. Kendrik's blood, still fresh on its face, seemed to invigorate it, and it gave chase, its massive body propelling itself through the water with ease.
Kendrik's exhaustion was palpable, his muscles screaming in agony as he struggled to escape. The demon closed in, its grip closing around Kendrik's ankle like a vice. Kendrik tried to kick free, but the demon was too cunning. With a sudden twist, it spun Kendrik around and hurled him back into the depths of the ocean.
The impact was catastrophic. Kendrik's body crashed into the ocean floor, the sound of his own bones cracking echoing through the water. The demon loomed over him, its face twisted in a malevolent grimace. With a final, cruel thrust, it pushed Kendrik's body into the darkness, silencing his screams.