The man and woman approached Arvian cautiously.
"Hey," the man said, his voice shaky but determined. "Could you tell us who you are? Are you also here for this... trial?"
Arvian nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I am..."
Before he could say more, he noticed some change in their expressions shift. Both of them suddenly stiffened, their gazes locking on something in front of them.
Arvian turned his head and immediately realized what they were looking at—the same glowing screen that had appeared for him earlier. His eyes narrowed.
'So, they also have a system...'
The man and the woman stared at their screens with wide eyes, their expressions rapidly morphing into shock. Then, as if on cue, they both exclaimed in unison:
"Master? You're our leader?"
Arvian blinked in confusion. "Wait... what?"
At that moment, a screen materialized in front of him as well, displaying a new message.
◇_______________◇
[System Notification]
Hey Arvian!
Congratulations! You have been designated as the Leader of your trial team.
— As the leader, your decisions will determine the survival and success of your team. Choose wisely.
— Team synchronization bonus: +10% attribute boost when fighting alongside teammates.
— Leadership skill unlocked: Command Aura Lv.1 (Boosts morale and stamina of nearby allies).
"Survive together—or perish as one."
◇_______________◇
Arvian stared at the screen in disbelief. "Leader? Me?"
The woman stepped closer, her fear now mixed with hope. "If you're our leader, then... does that mean you know what's going on?"
The man nodded eagerly. "Yeah, what do we do, Master?"
Arvian's heart raced. He clenched his fists, glancing at the two of them, then at the endless ruins around them. 'Leader... woww.'
'But if I'm the leader, I should act that way, these might be also got reincarnated.'
Arvian's mind churned as he processed the situation. If he was the leader, he needed to act like one. He straightened his posture, ignoring the lingering pain.
"Let me ask you something," he said, his voice steadier than he felt. "Are you both from another world? Did you...transmigrate too?"
The man and woman exchanged glances before nodding. The woman, still visibly shaken, spoke first. "Yes. I… I remember dying. And then this… system thing appeared, saying something about a trial. That's all I know."
"Same here," the man added, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I thought I was done for, but now… I'm here."
Arvian inhaled deeply. "Well then, it looks like we're in the same boat. I think the only way to survive and make use of this second chance is to complete this trial."
Both of them introduced themselves to Arvian.
"My name is Astrea Veyre, but you can call me Astrea." The womwn said.
"Darius Kain." The man muttered.
Before they could say anything more the world around them began to shift.
The collapsed buildings started to fade.
And then everything went dark for a while, leaving only a pitch-black sky that was visible from all sides and was brightly lit by stars.
Then, slowly, the environment began to materialize.
A ground of swirling purple and silver emerged beneath their feet, rippling like liquid but solid enough to stand on
A strange, unearthly glow glistened in it, reflecting shards of light like polished gems.
Around them, unfamiliar buildings began to rise, their shapes ragged and uneven, as though they had been built by a mind bent on chaos.
Some twisted toward the sky, while others seemed to spiral endlessly inward.
A second silvery purple ground then appeared in the sky, obstructing it.
The world, the surroundings, and the environment abruptly changed to a cave, leaving no room for stars lights to come.
Before they could say anything, the screen flickered in front of them.
◇_______________◇
[System Notification]
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
Initializing Trial Protocol...
Stage One: Shattered Horizons
[SYSTEM ALERT]
You have entered the Fragment Zone: "Shardfall Basin."
Environment Status: Unstable
Threat Level: High
Survival Probability: 24%
Objective:
Navigate the collapsing terrain.
Avoid dangers and reach the Extraction Beacon within the time limit: 45 minutes.
Key Dangers:
1. Fragment Collapse: Structures are disintegrating; safe zones are temporary.
2. Voidborn Predators: Hostile entities emerge from shadow fissures.
3. Gravity Flux: Unstable gravitational fields will pull objects—and you—into the abyss.
Special Note:
Teamwork is essential for survival.
Individual actions impact the group's success.
[TIMER STARTED: 45:00]
[SYSTEM WARNING]
Gravity Surge Detected. Affected Zone Expanding.
Distance to safe zone: 800 meters.
Estimated Collapse Time: 02:00 minutes.
Recommended Action:
Stabilize debris bridges using nearby energy fragments.
Use Ethereal Link (team synergy ability) to slow environmental decay.
[SYSTEM ALERT: VOIDBORN DETECTED]
Enemy Type: Shadow Reavers
Weakness: Light Constructs
Threat Level: Moderate
Recommendation: Work together to create barriers and delay enemy advancement.
◇_______________◇
[SYSTEM UPDATE: PROGRESS CHECKPOINT]
Distance to Extraction Beacon: 200 meters.
Environmental Collapse Progress: 85%.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: FINAL WARNING]
Core Fragment Integrity Failing. Immediate evacuation is required.
The safe route is highlighted on the map.
[TIMER REMAINING: 03:00]
◇_______________◇
The other two were just rereading the notification while Arvian read it first.
'What the hell, why in the world the trial information is too lengthy? I haven't seen anything in the system web novels have read giving a trial like this system is doing.'
"The trial seems to be a bit difficult, as the system notification itself says, the difficulty is high." Arvian broke the silence of the place.
"We need to move to the safe zone fast or else we will be struck in the collapse; only three minutes are left, and the time is already running." Arvian continued.
"Master Arvian, I didn't understand a thing. What is going on?" With a frustrated tone, Astrea mumbled.
"Well, for now, we need to find the safe zone; we don't have much time left."
"Let's go."
The safe zone was marked in the north direction, so all of them hurried in that direction.
The seconds were passing.
[2:30]
They were directly heading toward the north.
However, a wall of large, purple stones blocked the path.
The route to the zone was not clearly marked on the map.
There was an open path to their left, but four creatures were waiting for them.
The creatures growled and lunged toward them.