*Whoosh!*
Like a sudden gust of wind, the sound vanished, leaving the entire area of Thaloria in eerie silence. Moments later, a dark blue system panel materialized before everyone present.
[—Task/First Game—]
[Task Name: Escaping from the monsters' pursuit.]
[Description: Thousands of years ago, Thaloria suffered a devastating attack from horrifying monsters. The assault shattered one of the great worlds, leaving all life in Thaloria to perish miserably. To commemorate this tragic event, all participants must escape and fight to survive.]
[Objective: Survive the onslaught of the monsters that once destroyed Thaloria by reaching safe zones scattered across predetermined locations. Warning: Each safe zone has a capacity limit of nineteen participants. Once the quota is met, the safe zone will automatically lock, preventing further entry.]
[Start Time: One minute from now.]
[Finish Time: In one hour.]
[Reward: A random unique-level skill and 300 EXP.]
[Punishment: Death!]
Merlin stared at the system panel, reading each line carefully. His usually indifferent expression grew tense.
"The first task is to escape the monsters' pursuit?" He muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with wariness and caution.
He hadn't expected the first task or game to be something so gruesome. As a man from the modern world, he had never encountered, let alone seen, a monster.
According to the system panel in front of him, Thaloria, once a great world, had been destroyed, with countless lives lost to the monsters now central to this task.
The mere thought of those past horrors sent a chill down his spine, let alone the prospect of having to escape those monsters.
Just as Merlin was lost in thought, the [Start time] on the system panel, which had previously read "In one minute," suddenly changed to "Already started."
*Boom!*
A deafening explosion reverberated through Thaloria, followed by a terrifying earthquake that made the ground tremble violently beneath them.
*Roar!*
From all directions, a bone-chilling roar echoed across the terrain. Many unprepared participants felt their hearts race, cold sweat soaking through their clothes.
Merlin, his face now pale, turned to see a massive black cloud hurtling toward him.
Upon closer inspection, the black cloud revealed itself as a swarm of grotesque monsters. Enormous dragons soared above, their massive bodies looming in the sky. Giant ants, each more than ten meters tall with sinister red fangs, scuttled below, accompanied by various other terrifying creatures.
The sheer size of these monsters, combined with the menacing aura they radiated, was enough to freeze anyone in place, paralyzed by fear.
"F***! Are these the monsters that destroyed Thaloria in the past? They're even more terrifying than I imagined!" Merlin cursed inwardly, his body trembling.
No matter how clever, cunning, or ruthless he was, facing this horde of monsters struck pure terror in him.
Without a second thought, Merlin dashed away with all his might, desperate to evade their pursuit.
*Roar!*
The monstrous roars echoed relentlessly from behind, each one threatening to rip apart his soul.
"Damn it! This test is a nightmare!" Merlin shouted in frustration, his pace quickening.
He could feel it—those monsters had one objective: to capture him. He wasn't sure if the other participants were experiencing the same, but they must all be facing a similar nightmare.
*Boom!*
The sound of explosions from the destruction of the towering trees behind him reverberated through the air, intensifying Merlin's fear.
It was worth noting that all the trees in this forest stood over fifty meters tall, some even taller. Their immense size made Merlin, a man over six feet five inches, feel as small as an ant in comparison.
One could only imagine the power and terror of the monsters behind him, easily toppling those giant trees with a single crash.
If they had caught him, he wouldn't have had time to scream before meeting his end.
*Whoosh!*
A sudden shockwave hit him from behind, causing his steps to stagger and nearly knocking him off balance.
*Roar!*
A deafening roar came from above, leaving Merlin stunned as an enormous black dragon hovered into view. Its massive body and wide wings, as large as a five-story building, were utterly terrifying.
The dragon slowly lowered its gaze, and their eyes met. In its dark, red-pupiled eyes, Merlin felt an overwhelming surge of hatred, fury, and madness.
*Buzz!*
Before Merlin could react, the dragon opened its mouth, and a red fireball formed at lightning speed. The searing heat made Merlin's hair stand on end.
"What!? A fireball!?" Merlin exclaimed in disbelief.
*Whoosh!*
In the blink of an eye, the dragon hurled the fireball directly at him!
"Not good!" Merlin's eyes widened in fear, and he instantly leaped to the left.
*Boom!*
The fireball destroyed dozens of nearby trees, igniting a raging inferno that consumed the entire area.
The force of the explosion sent Merlin tumbling through the air, rolling until he collided with a large rock.
"Ugh!" The impact forced a loud cough from him, pain radiating through his entire body.
"Bastard!" Merlin cursed, struggling to push himself to his feet.
His gaze shifted forward, and he saw the flames—massive and furious, painting the scene in a way words couldn't fully capture.
"If I get hit by that fireball, I'm dead!" Merlin gritted his teeth, his hands trembling as he clenched them tightly.
Now, he fully understood why only ten people could pass and enter the Altheran world. The tasks in this test were utterly insane and dangerously lethal!
*Roar!*
The dragon's roar reverberated through the sky, and Merlin's gaze met its piercing eyes once again.
"Damn it! If I had the power, I'd make sure to get revenge!" Merlin swore silently.
As someone who always repaid evil with vengeance, he couldn't let this damned dragon get away with this.
But he also knew, deep down, that in his current state, he had no power to fight the dragon or the other monsters chasing him. His hatred had to be set aside for now. The most important thing was to find a safe zone and complete this first task.
Regaining his focus, Merlin continued his frantic running from the monsters.
In just fifteen minutes, he had covered hundreds of meters, and behind him, thousands of trees lay destroyed by the rampaging monsters.
"Shit! Where the hell is the safe zone?" Merlin muttered angrily, his head swiveling from side to side.
He had been running for a while, but there was no sign of the safe zone, leaving him frustrated and angry. If this continued, the monsters behind him would catch up and kill him.
As Merlin pushed on, scanning his surroundings, something suddenly caught his eye.
A few hundred meters ahead, a circle of green light appeared before him. Above it, a light green column of light flickered, displaying the inscription "[4/19]."
"Found it!" Merlin's eyes brightened, and a faint smile spread across his lips.
The green circle was clearly the safe zone. If he could reach it, his life would be spared!
But just as relief began to settle in, a woman's voice rang out from behind him.
"Wait! Handsome, please wait for me!"