System
name: Kent Lark
title: god of weapons
core: level 1
abilities: weapon teleportation [rank 1]
restrictions: god trials [every time you level up, a trial will commence. If you die in trial, you die in real life]
…
Looking from side to side, the endless lush green grass spread endlessly. My memories quickly regained as I stood up.
Where am I? was the first thought that came to my mind. I knew where I was, but I wasn't sure how or why.
Reading the system message, I was flabbergasted." A trial where I could die? This can't be real. How do I escape this? How do I survive?" I said aloud with utter shock and desperation.
A loud sound echoed in the mysterious dimension, and the only description I could think of for the eerie sound was an earth-shaking rumble of countless footsteps.
Turning my head slightly, I saw a centipede monster with countless legs and two enormous black horns emerging beside its eyes. It was clad in dark grey armor.
Awestruck, I stumbled back to a sitting position. The centipede was slow, almost to a laughable extent, but it was enormous; Each of its legs was as tall as I was, towering beneath its massive upper body.
After a few seconds of organizing my mind, the monster was already within my striking range. Swiftly jumping from place to place, I dashed towards the beast's left side. Its slow movements only allowed it to turn its head toward me, but it was too late.
Teleporting my sword from the grass into my hand, I thrust precisely, aiming to hit the cracks within its armor. With a loud cackling sound of metal clashing, my arm was thrown back, and the monster's armor was still perfectly intact.
Without allowing me time to react, the monster swiftly rammed its horns into my right side. Luckily, I was able to move my sword to where the horns hit because if not, I would have most probably died.
The impact threw me off the ground, launching my weapon into the grass. I flew straight into the air, quickly composing myself. I looked from above at the monster. A faint glow of yellow was emitting from above its head.
Realizing that my only chance of killing it was to strike there, I teleported my sword back into my hands, and without hesitation, I lunged the blade toward the monster's exposed core.
My only mistake was expecting the monster to stay still; it sensed the incoming attack and dashed forward to avoid any strike from above. "I was ready for that to happen!" I said with a smirk, plummeting toward the ground.
I teleported the sword again, but this time, I teleported my sword precisely to where the core was. The weapon kept its momentum, hitting the monster's core and shattering it into countless pieces.
Hitting the ground, I sighed, knowing I at least tried surviving. The system opened again moments before I lost consciousness.
system
you have successfully cleared the first trial. You will be fully healed, and the reward will be received.
…
Panting, my entire body began convulsing in unimaginable pain; every shattered bone in my body was slowly placed back to its original place, and all fractures were mended. When the pain finally stopped, I looked at the system.
"A reward? How intriguing. I didn't know there would be a reward, but I guess I deserve it." I said, grateful for the fact that I survived and for the nice reward in the end.
Slowly, my head began to spin again, and Vertigo overtook me, and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness once more. I already knew what would happen this time, so when I found myself lying on the ground beside my bed, staring at the cracks in the wooden ceiling, I wasn't surprised.
Mentally exhausted from the fact, I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if I had died in the trial. Would it have killed me in real life as well? Convincing myself to avoid any thoughts of the battle, I relaxed.
Slowly climbing onto my bed, the soft bed bent under my waist, causing me to fall asleep. I couldn't help but ponder what the next day's events would bring.
After waking up, I jumped out of bed with renewed vigor. Walking towards the bathroom door, I pushed it open, only to be startled by a system notification.
system
Would you like to receive your rewards? Would you like to transition?
…
Countless thoughts ran through my mind: what was this transition? Would it hurt or benefit me?
After some consideration, I decided to accept both.
system
reward: new ability [storage dimension]
storage dimension: grants the user control over a dimension where no living thing can enter and is used to store items.
Transition: a process that reforms the body into a newly formed, stronger, faster, and more capable one. The process will begin shortly.
…
It began after a few seconds of silence; every muscle, bone, and cell in my body was reformed. The pain felt as if countless blades were tearing through my flesh, shredding me apart piece by piece; my bones were pummeled into dust, and even my hair was shredded.
Panting, I collapsed to the ground from the pain. The room began disappearing, and my eyes were closed only to stop before I lost consciousness. When I stood up, everything felt normal again. I rushed to the bathroom mirror.
My reflection was a stranger. My once familiar features were gone, replaced by pale, ghostly skin and eyes that seemed devoid of life. Fear clawed at my chest, and a whisper escaped my lips: "What have I become?".
My long pale blond hair was in place, left unchanged, my skin as pale as a wall, and my eyes turned almost entirely white.
"No, this is impossible! How? My skin, my eyes, what happened to them?" I said to myself, trying not to scream.
If the system could reshape my body like this, what else could it do? Would others recognize me if I returned to the world outside? These thoughts weighed on me.
Calming myself down, I understood that this was reality now, and no matter what I tried to do, I couldn't revert my body to how it was.