"What the hell?" These were the first words Mike uttered as he woke up after fainting. The reason for his words? Once again, he had woken up in a strange place he had never seen before, and once again, he had no idea how he got there.
"That damned fox..." Mike muttered as he stood up, unable to shake the feeling of betrayal. Right after the fox had given him those delicious silver fruits, lowering his guard, it had thrown that strange black egg at him, causing him to faint from the unbearable pain in his head.
Mike cautiously looked around. He was in a place unlike anything he had seen before. The ground was entirely black, made of a material Mike couldn't identify. The ceiling was the same color but absurdly high, stretching up several kilometers. The walls were also black, though they seemed so far away that Mike couldn't gauge just how spacious the area was.
In the middle of this completely black space, there was a single source of light at its center. Mike noticed he wasn't far from it, so he began walking toward it, figuring he didn't have much else to do in this strange place.
It didn't take long for Mike to see what the source of light was. In front of him stood a large, gleaming golden altar. Just looking at it, Mike knew it must be worth a fortune. But what truly caught his attention was what sat atop the altar—an egg. An incredibly large egg with a white shell and a giant black question mark emblazoned on its surface.
Before Mike could think any further about the strange egg, a mysterious voice echoed in his head.
[Ding! The user is ready to hatch their first egg! Prepare yourself!]
"Huh? What—" Mike began, thoroughly confused by the voice's message. But before he could finish speaking, something happened to the large egg before him. The enormous white egg, as big as a mountain, transformed into a small yellow egg the size of a fist. The only similarity it had to the original was the black question mark still emblazoned on its shell.
Quickly, the small yellow egg transformed again, this time into a green egg the size of Mike himself, the black question mark still present. Soon after, the green egg morphed into a giant golden egg, then a tiny purple egg, followed by a large red egg, and finally a perfectly normal white egg. But through all the transformations, the black question mark remained constant.
The eggs began to change at a dizzying speed, so fast that Mike could barely distinguish one from the next. Still, he was mesmerized by the scene unfolding before him. Watching the eggs rapidly shift, Mike felt a mix of curiosity and anticipation. He was eager to see the final egg and what creature would emerge from it, even though he had no idea why this was happening in the first place.
Eventually, the speed of the transformations began to slow until, at last, the eggs stopped changing, revealing the final form. The egg was white with a few orange spots, slightly larger than a normal chicken egg. The black question mark on its shell was now orange, but even so, Mike couldn't take his eyes off it.
CRACK!
The first crack appeared on the shell. Mike watched intently, his anticipation mixed with a trace of fear. He didn't know what kind of creature would emerge, nor did he understand where he was or why the egg was hatching. But since no one seemed willing to answer his questions, he waited anxiously.
CRACK! CRACK!
Two more cracks formed at the bottom of the egg, and soon, two small feet burst through. Mike stared closely at the two feet poking out. To his surprise, they looked almost identical to a chicken's feet. Before he could study them further, the feet planted themselves firmly on the ground, creating a bizarre and awkward sight.
Mike looked at the creature standing on the altar. Apart from its feet, the rest of its body was still concealed inside the egg, so he couldn't yet identify what kind of creature it was.
CRACK!
Another crack appeared on the front of the egg, and a small beak pushed through. Mike examined the beak, noticing more and more similarities to an ordinary chicken. But before he could confirm his suspicions, the mysterious voice spoke in his head once again.
[Ding! The first egg has hatched! Tame the beast to leave the mental space! To tame the beast, the user must maintain contact with it for 10 seconds. Good luck!]
"Huh? Tame the beast? What are you talking about?" Mike shouted, trying to communicate with the voice. But no matter how loudly he yelled, the voice didn't respond, leaving Mike frustrated.
Quickly, Mike tried to process what the voice had said.
"Apparently, I'm in this so-called mental space, and to get out, I have to touch that egg for 10 seconds..." he muttered to himself. Despite not understanding anything that was happening, Mike managed to stay calm. After all the unpredictable events he had experienced since passing the purity test, something within Mike had begun to change. Without realizing it, he was becoming accustomed to dealing with dangerous and unpredictable situations.
With renewed determination, Mike turned his focus to the egg on the altar. If he had to hold onto it for 10 seconds to escape this strange place, then that's exactly what he would do. And there was no better time than now, while the creature inside the egg was still partially encased, to grab it and hold on by force for those 10 seconds.
Cautiously, Mike approached the altar, keeping his eyes fixed on the cracked egg. Though the creature's feet and beak were visible, it hadn't moved yet, making it easy for Mike to position himself behind the egg.
In one swift motion, Mike grabbed the creature's two feet and lifted it into the air, holding it upside down. The creature was surprisingly light, making it easy for Mike to hold, but he didn't give much thought to the creature's comfort. All that mattered was keeping it in his grip for 10 seconds, even if it meant dangling it upside down with its beak pointed at him.
"Chirp!" The creature squirmed, its feet wriggling in Mike's grasp, and let out a loud chirp. It was clear the creature wasn't comfortable with the position it was in, thrashing about in an attempt to escape. But unfortunately for it, Mike didn't care about its feelings.
[Ding! Contact with the beast detected! Initiating countdown: 10, 9, 8...]
Hearing the countdown in his head, Mike instinctively tightened his grip on the creature's feet. He was eager to get out of this strange place.
"Chirp! Chirp!" The creature screeched and thrashed even harder, causing the remaining shell fragments clinging to its body to crack further.
CRACK! CRACK!
[7, 6, 5, 4...]
The countdown continued as the eggshell kept breaking, revealing the creature's body. It was small, with two tiny wings and a little head, a fluffy, round body resembling a furry ball. Its entire body was yellow, except for its orange legs and beak, and its black eyes. Mike was a bit surprised as he looked at the creature, the "beast" before him looked exactly like an ordinary chick.
"Chirp! Chirp!" Despite its harmless appearance, the chick continued to cry and struggle. But Mike didn't loosen his grip, determined to hold on until the countdown ended.
[3...]
"Chirp!" Another shrill cry came from the chick, but Mike remained steadfast, gripping its legs tightly.
[2...]
"Chiiirrp!" This time, the chick's cry was filled with panic and fear, but even so, Mike didn't let go.
[1...]
As the final number echoed in his mind, Mike prepared to release the creature's legs. Unfortunately for him, the chick didn't know that. After crying out several times in vain, it decided to act. Without hesitation, it sucked in a large breath and exhaled—straight at Mike.
But what it exhaled wasn't air.
FWOOSH!
"Fuck!" Mike shouted in panic, staring down in disbelief. The innocent-looking chick in his hands had just spat a fireball like it was nothing. Thankfully, the fireball wasn't very large, and since Mike's legs were spread wide, it passed between them without hitting him. But that didn't stop Mike from being terrified—after all, he had felt the heat pass dangerously close to his, well, family jewels.
[Ding! Congratulations!...]