_ 21st December 2025, 4:50 am _
The drumming sounds of the rain crashing against Uche's studio apartment window had never been a problem until tonight.
Was he nervous or excited?
He couldn't tell for sure.
The room was dark because of a power outage, which is quite common whenever it rains in this part of the world. However, the blinding flash that always came before the rumbling sound of thunder revealed a figure seated at the edge of a bed.
He had a lean, muscular build, a slim face, and a light brown skin tone, which complimented his cornrows hairstyle and neat side fades.
Uche was dressed in a sleeveless turtleneck black shirt and black cargo pants, which complimented his gloves and running shoes. It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume he was preparing for a midnight robbery but he had greater plans in mind.
This was the night he was going to take the first step towards becoming Africa's greatest Hunter!
Pa–!
Uche left red palm prints on both cheeks; it stung like hell but stopped him from falling into the well of negativity. The decision to become a hunter was not an easy one.
Contrary to people's expectations, acquiring the powers of the world tree was not as easy as America's greatest hunter; Dillan Cage made it seem.
In his book, Dillan explained how the world tree and its trials worked.
The first and most important information was the nature of the trials. According to him, a person's trial is determined by his or her ancestry. Even if the person was a Chinese born in an African country, once he summoned the world tree and stepped in, his trial will take place in an ancient Chinese setting.
In these trials, the player finds himself in the body of a character in a story with memories of the past and the future. They are given a goal which they are expected to accomplish.
Should a player die in this story, they die in reality. The world tree spits out the corpse at a random location in the world. Sometimes on the peak of a mountain or in the bottom of the ocean.
The point is most people who fail just vanished and their bodies are rarely recovered. Aspiring hunter mortality rate was at 50%, that's why even after five years since the discovery of world tree, there was still a shortage of hunters.
There were more hunters dying in gates than the world was producing. Most attempts end in failure and failure means death.
If Uche had a choice he wouldn't be doing this.
"A battle is first lost in mind." He reminded himself.
He tossed his phone on the bed and jumped to his feet energetically.
"Door!" Uche's voice reflected his conviction.
Dong–!
The sound of the ogene shook the air, its metallic clang rippling like a heartbeat.
Another joined.
Then another.
Dong–! Dong–!
Dong–! Dong–!
The wind howled, twisting like spirits dancing in the night. The air cracked open, splitting like a calabash dropped from the heavens.
Out of the rupture, a grand door emerged, carved from the oldest iroko wood and pulsating with a life of its own.
Its towering frame bore the engravings of Nsibidi symbols, shifting and rearranging themselves as if there was life in each letter.
From the edges of the door, fresh blood dripped and the door came with a heavy scent of burning camwood and palm oil; thick and intoxicating.
The thought of taking the test already unnerved him.
'But why does our door have to be this spooky?' Uche complained.
"Fuck it."
Before Uche could take a step forward, the atmosphere changed. A strong chilly wind blew even though the window was locked shut. A creaking sound resonated; not from the door, but from the four corners of the room while the door slowly slid open.
All he could see was darkness!
Without hesitation, he took bold strides until his figure disappeared into the darkness. A second later the door slammed shut with a bang before fading away in an eerie fog.
__________________________________
Uche found himself in complete darkness;a world void of light and sound.
"PLAYER... ACKNOWLEDGED!" A terrifyingly deep yet feminine voice boomed from a distance.
A glowing panel blocked his sight as a few messages spiraled into existence. It felt like an idea stolen from MMORPG games.
{Name: Uche Chibo}
{Ancestry: Igbo}
{Spirit level: 0}
{Strength: 5} {Agility: 5}
{Health: 5/5} {Spirit Power: 5}
{Fatigue: 5%}
Uche recognized these stats because it was a never-ending topic on forums and interviews.
Why?
Because stats revealed your base capabilities as a human. Ten points in any stats represented the peak of human physical capabilities.
"Average?" Uche didn't sound surprised. It was more like he expected this.
{Ancestry confirmed}
{Trial will begin on 3....2....1...}
And the world turned completely dark again.
_________________________________
That was the first thing Uche felt was a suffocating weight pressed against his chest. His body ached—no, screamed—as if he had been trampled by war elephants.
A sharp, coppery scent lingered in the air, mixing with the stench of sweat, damp earth, and something rotting.
He groaned, shifting slightly, and pain exploded through his ribs. His wrists burned, raw, and chafed. The cold metal bit into his skin—they were chains.
He was shackled!
The realization sent a surge of panic through him, but his body was too drained to react.
Slowly, his senses sharpened while his eyelids lazily flipped open.
The air was thick and stale, weighed down by the scent of unwashed bodies. Somewhere close, water dripped, the plink... plink... plink... echoing through the confined space.
Through half-lidded eyes, he took in his surroundings. The cell was dim, lit only by a flickering oil lamp outside the iron bars. Shadows danced on the walls, stretching like twisted spirits. A few other men lay in the filth, some groaning in pain, others too still to be asleep.
'What the hell is this?' Uche panicked
His head throbbed as if someone had split his skull open. This body's memories were disjointed and hazy. He struggled, but eventually, he began piecing them together.
He was General Obinna Dike, a highly respected military leader in the Kingdom of Nri-Oba, a prosperous and sacred Igbo Kingdom known for its warrior tradition and strong reverence for the warriors God; Ikenga.
If such an important person was in chains, that meant something had gone terribly wrong!
{The trial begins now} the voice returned.
{General Obinna was framed for attempting to assassinate Crown Prince Ikemefuna and for secretly working with the enemy to weaken the kingdom's defenses. He has been declared a traitor to the kingdom and sentenced to execution in three weeks.}
{Primary task: Survive}
{Secondary task: Save the Kingdom of Nir-Oba}
Wam–!
Uche's vision blurred and a static sound tormented his ears as more memories poured in.
A forged letter was found in his chambers, detailing plans to overthrow the king. Witnesses who were obviously bribed soldiers claimed they saw him meeting with spies from the enemy kingdom.
Finally, a poisoned meal meant for the prince was linked to one of his trusted aides.
"Wait, hold on… How am I supposed to survive when I have been sentenced to death already?" Uche gasped between labori
ous breaths.
The pain he felt made it hard to think and he could barely move. This was not a trial, this was a death sentence!
"Fuck my luck!"