"It's dark… So fucking dark… where… How… Light?"
A chilling, feminine voice echoed, "Hahahaha, you think all this shimmer and light is beautiful? Then wake up!"
My eyes snapped open, revealing a hellish panorama. Sunlight was nonexistent. Rivers of magma illuminated the landscape, the air thick and caustic, making each breath a searing agony. Panic surged through me, a primal scream tearing from my throat. Before me stood a monstrosity, a colossal beast with vacant, magma-filled eyes and a maw spewing molten rock. Its flesh sizzled, a grotesque spectacle. I crumpled to my knees, speechless. My life flashed before me, not in fear of death, but in a desperate search for the reason I'd been condemned to this inferno. I'd tried to be a good person, I thought. I'd helped others without hesitation. Was this my reward? I even prayed…
"It doesn't matter now," I thought, scrambling to my feet. "I have to run."
Adrenaline surged through my veins, fueling a desperate flight. My body burned, my lungs screamed for air, but I ran, and ran, until I stumbled upon a cave. It offered a semblance of respite, a chilling counterpoint to the infernal heat outside. I collapsed, tears streaming down my face. The searing pain intensified.
"It's a dream, right?" I whispered, clinging to the illusion. "This can't be real. There has to be a mistake. I'm going crazy, that's it!"
Denial held sway for an hour before exhaustion dragged me into an uneasy slumber. Awakening, I was still trapped in this infernal realm. Despair washed over me. Why me? Why? WHY?
In a surge of anguish, I spotted a sharp stone. Tears blurring my vision, I raised it, intending to end the torment. But the stone wouldn't pierce my skin. Why?
Then, a chilling realization dawned. A faint blue hue shimmered in the darkness. A system. A goddamned system! Someone had sent me here.
A cold dread gripped me as I accessed the system.
Race: Human
Level: -1
"That's it?" I screamed, tears mingling with the sulfurous stench. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Hope, a fragile ember, flickered. I had to survive. Hunger gnawed at me. I remembered "OUTDOOR MEN," my favorite survival YouTuber. What could he teach me in this hellish environment?
I needed protection. Clutching the sharp stone, I ventured out. The air was stifling, a noxious blend of sulfur and something akin to… piss. Keeping my head low, I began to explore the fiery landscape. My cave was nestled on a mountainside, overlooking pools of magma and strange, skeletal islands. As I descended, the heat intensified.
"If I can't kill myself," I muttered, "hopefully nothing else can."
At the mountain's base, a horrifying sight met my gaze. A creature of flesh, writhing and glitching, pulsed with a grotesque life. It moved in jerky, agonizing spasms. I approached cautiously, attempting to access the system for identification, but nothing appeared.
The creature sensed my presence. A mass of skin, meat, and bone, it lunged towards me. Panic seized me. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I screamed, bracing for impact. It landed with a sickening thud, tearing a chunk of flesh from my arm. Fury erupted within me. I wouldn't die without a fight.
With a bloodcurdling scream, I launched myself at the creature. It was immense, but not insurmountable. I rained blows upon it with the stone, the creature squirming and writhing in pain. It retaliated, tearing at me with its grotesque appendages. But I persevered, driving the stone deeper and deeper until the creature finally ceased its struggle.
I surveyed the carnage, my body bleeding profusely. How was I still alive? Exhausted and delirious, I collapsed, the stench of blood and sulfur filling my senses. Certainly, let's continue the story where we left off:
The searing pain in my arm was a constant, throbbing reminder of my encounter with the flesh abomination. Delirium threatened to pull me under, but a primal instinct for survival kept me tethered to consciousness. I had to find a way to staunch the bleeding.
My gaze fell upon the creature I had slain. A wave of nausea washed over me, but desperation overruled my disgust. I tore off strips of its flesh, using them to crudely bandage my wound. The taste of raw meat filled my mouth, a metallic tang that almost made me vomit. But I forced myself to consume it, desperate for sustenance.
Weakness gnawed at me, but I knew I couldn't afford to rest for long. This infernal place was a constant threat. I needed shelter, fire, and weapons.
The cave, despite its chilling temperature, offered some semblance of safety. I dragged the remains of the creature inside, resolving to use its bones as tools. The sharp stone, my only weapon, was inadequate. I needed something more.
Hours bled into days. I spent my time scavenging for scraps of edible vegetation, the sparse offerings of this desolate landscape. I learned to navigate the treacherous terrain, avoiding the molten rivers and the grotesque creatures that lurked in the shadows. I discovered a small, sulfurous spring, the water lukewarm and foul-tasting, but it quenched my thirst.
One day, while exploring a nearby cavern, I stumbled upon a discarded metal object, half-buried in the ash. It was a crude knife, its blade rusted but still sharp. A surge of adrenaline coursed through me. This was a game-changer.
With renewed purpose, I began to fashion crude weapons from the bones of the creature. I sharpened them on rocks, creating makeshift spears and a crude club. I learned to hunt small, rodent-like creatures that scurried through the ash, their flesh tough but edible.
One evening, as I sat by a small fire, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows on the cave walls, the system interface appeared before me.
Level: 1
A flicker of hope ignited within me. Perhaps there was a way to improve, to grow stronger in this hellish environment. The system offered no instructions, no guidance. It was a blank slate, a mystery waiting to be unraveled.
I spent the next few days experimenting. I pushed my body to its limits, hunting, scavenging, and honing my combat skills. I even attempted to meditate, to focus my mind, hoping to unlock the system's secrets.
One day, while hunting a particularly elusive creature, I felt a strange sensation. A surge of energy, a tingling sensation that coursed through my veins. I had leveled up.
Level: 2
A new option appeared in the system interface: [Skill Tree]
Intrigued, I accessed the Skill Tree. A rudimentary tree diagram appeared, displaying a single node: [Strength]
I selected the node. A description appeared:
[Strength]
* Increase physical strength.
* Unlocks: [Enhanced Endurance]
I selected the [Upgrade] option. A wave of warmth washed over me, followed by an invigorating surge of energy. I felt stronger, more powerful.
With renewed vigor, I continued to explore this infernal realm. I encountered new creatures, more grotesque and dangerous than the flesh abomination. I learned to fight with a ferocity born of desperation. I learned to survive.
But the system, with its enigmatic Skill Tree, remained a constant source of fascination. What other skills awaited me? What secrets did this hellish world hold?
The answers, I knew, lay within myself. In the relentless struggle for survival, I had found a purpose. I was no longer just a victim, a pawn in some unknown game. I was a survivor, a warrior, a force to be reckoned with.
And in this infernal realm, I would not only survive, I would thrive.