Kayra turned to stone on the spot. The ancient voice echoed like a sledgehammer in every cell of his mind.

  "How did I not notice you before?"

  the entity continued, its voice curious yet filled with disgust.

  "Your presence is so faint, so insignificant... Perhaps it's because you're just a weak piece of flesh. Still, I wondered how a parasite, not belonging to this cosmic fabric, managed to seep in here."

  Kayra tried to shout, "Who are you?" but his lips felt sealed by an invisible lock. The voice, not deigning Kayra's questions as more than noise, continued.

  "Your presence is faint and insignificant... I suppose you're simply worthless. A mistake, a tiny parasite to be erased... Then you must be cleansed."

  With these words, a portal tore open right in front of Kayra—pitch black, absorbing light, with purple sparks spraying from its edges. From within the portal, a creature emerged, resembling a gigantic centipede with metallic shells of ebony blackness. The creature's hundreds of legs, sharp as needles, sparked against the rocks, and the dozens of red eyes on its head shone with hunger. The creature possessed both a geometric perfection and pure savagery.

  Kayra's kinesthetic intuition screamed in his brain like a nuclear explosion. But his body... His body was completely paralyzed under this absolute will.

  Move... Kayra screamed inwardly.

  At that moment, the striver's mind that had survived 30 days of hell kicked in. It searched for the smallest crack under the pressure. He refused to be a victim waiting for death. He focused all his mana and will on a single point: his trembling right leg.

  As his veins bulged as if they would burst, while the entire universe told him "stop," he said "walk."

  With a painful crack from his joints, Kayra, slipping through the absolute paralysis, took a tiny, determined step.

  This step was an act of rebellion in the face of the impossible.

  Just as the creature tensed, ready to pounce from the portal onto Kayra, the portal silently closed, and the creature vanished into the void.

  The ancient voice echoed again, this time with a hint of surprise and a venomous appreciation:

  "Interesting... Such a stubborn will in such a weak body. Perhaps, instead of immediate erasure, you are worth testing, little parasite."

  Silence.

  With the withdrawal of the ancient voice, the frozen feeling of time in the cave suddenly dissipated. Kayra, with his freed body, stumbled forward, gasping for breath. His lungs burned, his heart pounded as if trying to burst from his ribcage.

  "Bot! Are you there? Answer me!" he shouted, but there was only an empty hum in his mind. The Bot was still under the seal of silence struck by that transcendent entity. But just then, an interface appeared in his field of vision, much darker than the system screens he had seen before, with purple smoke trailing from its edges.

  [EMERGENCY QUEST: TRIAL OF THE TRANSCENDENT ENTITY]

  [Quest Giver: Unidentified / Transcendent Entity]

  [Objective: Kill the Bear poisoned by miasma.]

  [Time Limit: 60:00 Minutes]

  [Penalty Condition: In case of quest failure, penalty protocol will activate.

  Penalty: ABSOLUTE EXILE – TRANSFER TO THE INFINITE DESERT REGION.]

  Kayra swallowed as he read the screen. He thought of the imposing, poisonous bear he had encountered on day 25, the pure destructive energy it emitted. Just its presence alone had been enough to shake Kayra's consciousness.

  But when his gaze caught the words [INFINITE DESERT], the centipede-like horror from that dark portal flashed before his eyes.

  "The monster inside that portal..." Kayra murmured, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Next to that thing, this bear is just a minor threat."

  Indeed, it was. The bear was a disaster for this valley, yes; but that interdimensional entity he had just witnessed possessed the power to shatter reality itself. The place he would be sent to if he failed would be a hell filled with monsters like that centipede.

  Kayra crouched where he was, trying to process what had happened. His mind was still crushed under the weight of that ancient voice, but the purple timer before his eyes was decreasing with a merciless rhythm: [58:40... 58:39...]

  "Think, Kayra, think!" he whispered to himself. Panic meant making mistakes.

  He remembered the moment he saw the bear; those huge mana waves the creature emitted were like invisible sledgehammers. When he accidentally got close, he experienced dizziness and nausea; if he got closer, the intensely wild mana could render him unconscious, leading to absolute death.

  "I can't face it one-on-one," he said with a realistic tone.

  His striver's mind sought an opening within the impossibility. This wouldn't be a battle of strength; it had to be a battle of wits and stealth. He had to use the bear's massive size against it and do something within the mana it emitted.

  He needed a weapon, a tool.

  He looked at his hands. Empty.

  "The dagger!" He jumped up from his spot. He walked deeper into the cave to where he had left the dagger. The dagger, in its blood-red sheath, glowed faintly in the cave's darkness. The moment he reached out and grasped the hilt, that familiar, powerful heartbeat pulsed in his palm.

  He didn't know what it was, he had no time to think. The only thing he could call a weapon in his hand was this small dagger that occasionally exhibited heartbeats.

  After tucking the dagger into his waistband, he hesitated. He looked at the makeshift pile of fibers on him; these coarse, fibrous plant pieces he had layered around his body for protection against the cold nights had now become shackles. To survive, he needed a moment's speed, perfect agility, and these bulky excesses only restricted his movement.

  "I can't dodge those claws like this," he murmured.

  With a sharp movement, he untied the loose fiber bindings on his shoulders and chest and threw them to the ground. With a single slash of the dagger's sharp tip, he cut away the scattered pieces that unnecessarily wrapped his body and fluttered in the wind. Now only the lower parts remained, fitting more snugly to his body without hindering his mobility.

  He rolled his shoulders in circular motions, raised his arms, allowing his ribcage to expand freely. The firm, resilient muscles he had built over 30 days now stood out more clearly in the daylight. He felt lighter, faster, and more dangerous than ever. Shedding the excess had sharpened not only his body but also his mind.

  He planted his feet firmly on the ground, rising and falling slightly on the balls of his feet. He was coiled like a spring.

  "Now we're talking," Kayra said, once again feeling the dagger's hilt in his bare palm.

  As the timer showed [54:10], he shot out of the cave mouth towards the valley like a shadow.

  His body was now completely different from the clumsy, weak structure of thirty days ago. As he ran, he focused his mind on a single point: Mana Manipulation. This time, he didn't just hold that familiar warmth from his training in his palms. Using his will, he pumped that energy like a river into his leg muscles and deep into his arms.

  Mana, like pure fuel flowing through his veins, made his muscle fibers tremble; with every step that touched the ground, it launched him forward with a force that could shatter rocks. He had reached a speed far exceeding even his former self in the previous world, gliding down the valley slopes like a projectile.

  The timer in the corner of his vision raced: [52:15... 52:14...]

  "No Bot, no analysis," he thought as the wind roared in his ears. "Just this plan."

  And racing against time, he put his plan into action.

  [Time Remaining: 25 minutes]

  Kayra glided down to the valley floor like a ghost. He had spent most of his time preparing the plan in his head. The timer in the corner of his vision threatened him, flashing purple light.

  [Time Remaining: 24:12]

  With its massive frame and miasmic fumes spreading around, the Bear was tearing apart a tree trunk with its claws fifty meters away, snapping it like a matchstick. Kayra held his breath, crouching behind a rock. The Bot's reassuring voice was absent; only the thumping of his own pulse was in his ears.

  "I need to make it follow me," he whispered. "I can't handle this beast on flat ground. I need to lure it... to that special place."

  Kayra picked up a heavy, sharp piece of rock from the ground. Transforming the mana in his arms into explosive power, he hurled the stone directly at the Bear's head. The moment the stone struck the Bear's head, it sounded like a giant sledgehammer hitting metal. The Bear turned around with an earth-shattering roar. The purple Miasma light in its eyes shone with hatred. Without a moment's hesitation, Kayra revealed himself and sprinted towards the area with the steep cliffs.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Come on, big guy! Follow me!"

  The Bear launched itself with a roar that made heaven and earth tremble.

  When Kayra reached the area with the steep cliffs, it looked like he was entering an ordinary, earthen path. When he reached that critical point, he maximized the mana density in his legs. His steps pushed against the ground like small explosions, hurling him meters forward each time. With minimal contact with the ground, Kayra moved like a skipping stone across the earth.

  And then the moment came.

  The Bear's massive claw stepped with all its weight onto the ground Kayra had just crossed. Time slowed in that second. The ground began to crack like a sheet of glass. First a thin crack, then a deafening sound of breaking... The wild gleam in the Bear's eyes gave way to an animalistic confusion for the first time.

  BOOOOM!

  The ground completely collapsed. The Bear, uselessly clawing at the air, plunged into the darkness, towards that ancient arena of reckoning. Kayra stopped right at the edge of the pit and turned around. From within the dust cloud, the sound of the Bear hitting the bottom shook the valley.

  Below was a field of death. That deep pit which had tried to swallow Kayra on the twenty-fifth day now glowed like a purple ember, filled with hundreds of Mana Leech plants Kayra had secretly gathered.

  The moment the Bear hit the bottom, the waiting vines coiled around the beast's limbs like lassos. The more the Bear thrashed, the more the greedy Mana Leeches attached themselves to its skin like parasites. The Bear's roars had turned into cries of pain; the leeches were drawing out its massive wild mana, vein by vein, the plants doing their job faithfully. Still, uncontrolled mana bursts leaking from the dying beast pounded the pit walls.

  Kayra fixed his gaze on the massive boulder hanging on a ledge right above the pit. That mass, which was once about to crush him, was now his absolute executioner. He took a step towards the boulder, but a final wave of mana from the Bear struck his chest like a sledgehammer; his dazed body nearly fell into the pit, but he planted his feet firmly on the ground.

  "Not yet..." he said, retreating, swallowing the taste of blood in his mouth. "Looks like I need to wait a bit."

  He knelt at the edge of the pit. Minutes later, the bear's roars turned into exhausted growls. The bursts had weakened enough not to affect Kayra anymore.

  He looked at the remaining time.

  [08:15]

  Kayra stood up. He approached that massive boulder. He placed his hand on its rough, cold surface. This rock was meant to be his end on day 25; but today, it was the hammer of his will. He gathered his mana in his arms and legs, his muscles swelling as if they would tear his skin, and with all his might, he pushed against the boulder.

  "This is for you," Kayra said through gritted teeth. "And for me."

  The massive boulder lost its last resistance to gravity. With a friction sound moaning like a wail, it began to fall, like an absolute judgment, directly onto the helpless monster inside the pit.

  The rock hit the bottom of the pit with a terrible crash. The valley shook for seconds; birds screeched from the forest. The massive dust cloud rising from the pit completely blocked Kayra's vision.

  Kayra, on his knees, breathed heavily despite the lung-burning dust. His body trembled. Using mana so intensely and pushing that massive rock had exhausted all his energy reserves.

  Silence...

  The valley fell into a deep silence, as if it hadn't just witnessed the savagery that occurred. No roar, no mana burst... As the dust cloud slowly cleared, only the silhouette of the massive boulder at the bottom of the pit and a faint purple glow, slowly fading, seeping from under the rock, were visible.

  Kayra, on his knees, fighting the dust filling his lungs, focused his eyes on a single point: The purple timer.

  [02:13... 02:12...]

  "It's over..." Kayra whispered in a hoarse voice. "It's dead... it's over." But the timer didn't stop. The numbers continued their merciless descent under Kayra's bewildered gaze. "Why? Why isn't it stopping?"

  A chill spread through his entire body.

  Kinesthetic intuition was reacting.

  Just then, a massive, blood-soaked claw dug into the edge of the pit, emerging from the dust and earth.

  Kayra's pupils contracted with fear. From the pit, the Bear was climbing up, half-destroyed, one eye blind, blood gushing from everywhere. The rock had crushed it but hadn't managed to kill it. The Bear's imposing mana waves were gone; it no longer emitted them, but what remained was pure, animalistic hatred and survival instinct.

  Kayra couldn't even move from exhaustion. The Bear, crawling like a zombie, reached Kayra. With a final surge of strength, the beast swung its claw.

  CRAAAACK!

  Three gashes opened on Kayra's chest. Blood spurted onto the ground, fresh and hot. Kayra couldn't even scream from the pain; he just stumbled backward and fell on his back. His chest burned, breathing became torture.

  The Bear lunged at Kayra like a beast drunk on victory. It pressed its massive, blood-soaked claw with all its might onto Kayra's freshly torn chest. Kayra heard the crack of his ribcage. His bones pressed into his lungs, the world slowly darkened. The Bear leaned down, saliva and blood dripping from its mouth, right up to Kayra's face; its vengeful growl grated in Kayra's ears.

  "Is this it..." Kayra thought as his consciousness blurred. "Is this as far as I go?"

  No. His mind flared one last time as he felt the cold breath of death.

  His right hand, reaching out from where it lay, found the hilt of his dagger.

  As the Bear opened its mouth to tear out Kayra's throat, Kayra focused all his will on a single point and plunged the blood-red dagger with all his might into the Bear's remaining good eye!

  "AARRGHHHH!"

  The Bear's agonizing scream echoed through the valley. Kayra let go of the dagger, but the dagger... the dagger began to behave as if it had a life independent of Kayra. From the eye it was embedded in, crimson, vein-like lines of light began to spread throughout the Bear's entire body.

  Kayra watched the massive mass crushing him shudder. As those veins from the dagger absorbed the bear's remaining life energy and blood, the dagger glowed. This horror continued until that last wild light in the Bear's eyes died out and its body slumped to the ground like a log.

  The bear was dead. This time, it was truly over.

  Kayra lay there, under the heavy pressure on his chest, with blood seeping from his wounds. The purple timer in the sky froze at [00:02] and shattered into a thousand pieces like glass, disappearing.

  As he struggled to breathe, the darkness before his eyes gave way to a bright, golden-yellow light. The suspended purple dust particles merged to form a new screen.

  [TRANSCENDENT ENTITY QUEST COMPLETED]

  [LEVEL UP: 1 + 1 -> 2]

  [PLEASE CHOOSE A SKILL!]

  Kayra's consciousness was fading, the world spinning around him. Just then, the familiar, mechanical timbre he had longed for echoed in his mind.

  ["Kayra! Pull yourself together, Kayra! Don't lose consciousness!"]

  Kayra smiled faintly through his blood-filled mouth. "Bot... Is that you? It's good... it's good to hear your voice."

  ["I'm here, Kayra, I've been here all along, I just couldn't make you hear my voice. But that doesn't matter now. Damage assessment in progress: Deep claw marks on the chest area; skin and muscle tissue severely lacerated. Lungs detected as intact, but three ribs have fractures. Blood loss is approaching critical levels!"]

  Kayra took a rasping breath. "What do I... need to do?"

  ["Focus on the screen in front of you! We have no time. Select the [REGENERATION] skill from the skill tree immediately. You can't last much longer with these wounds!"]

  Hearing the rare urgency in the Bot's voice, Kayra didn't even bother to see what the other skill was. If the Bot suggested it, it was the most logical choice. With difficulty, he raised his trembling, bloody fingertip and touched the glowing icon.

  [SKILL ACQUIRED: REGENERATION]

  [SKILL DESCRIPTION: Accelerates the cellular repair process using mana. Minor wounds heal completely within seconds, moderate wounds within hours, and major wounds within days.]

  [REGENERATION ACTIVATING...]

  ["Kayra, listen to me!"]

  said the Bot, its voice echoing directly in the depths of his consciousness.

  ["Your mana is almost depleted. Don't try to heal your entire body; you don't have the strength for that! Focus only on those deep gashes on your chest. You must stop the blood loss, or you'll lose consciousness in a few minutes!"]

  Following the Bot's warning, Kayra focused all his will on his ribcage. At that moment, he felt an intense tingling between his torn flesh, as if thousands of needles were pricking him. An unbearable mix of itching and stinging enveloped the wounded area. However, the skin fibers weren't knitting together and healing; only the flow of blood was slowing down. His mana had diminished so much that the system could only perform the most basic repair.

  ["Okay, that's enough!"]

  said the Bot, its voice growing weaker and starting to crackle.

  ["You've managed to largely stop the blood loss; clotting has occurred over your wounds, but the skin is still open. You've survived the immediate danger for now..."]

  Kayra touched his bloody chest with trembling hands. The wounds were no longer gushing; a thick layer of coagulated blood had sealed the wound like a plug. But every breath still felt like thousands of glass shards were embedded in his ribcage.

  ["Kayra... Since your mana is almost depleted, I have to fall silent again,"]

  said the Bot, its voice fading away.

  ["You've survived the critical condition for the most part, but don't let your guard down. Every movement, every step will cause you immense agony. The internal damage is very fresh, and it seems you'll need a long time to heal. Don't give up..."]

  The Bot's voice cut off with a final crackle. His mind was once again cloaked in that eerie silence.

  Kayra struggled to get up. The moment he moved his arm even a centimeter, his cracked ribs ground against each other. The pain scorched his entire nervous system like an electric current. His vision nearly went dark; he clenched his teeth so hard he almost split his lips.

  "Pain..." Kayra rasped, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "It really is... agonizing."

  As his chest, covered in blood clots, rose and fell with every breath, he forced himself to stand.

  Just then, all the sounds in the world were silenced as if cut by a knife. The howling wind died down, the dust particles floating in the air froze in place.

  Time stopped, crushed under an invisible, colossal will.

  Kayra turned to stone on the spot. That familiar, transcendent pressure pounded the walls of his mind like a sledgehammer, while the entity's voice echoed not in the void, but directly in the depths of his soul. The voice spoke with that cold timbre, devoid of any emotion, carrying only absolute superiority.

  "You're still breathing..."

  The voice continued with a weight that crushed Kayra's soul, murmuring with that timbre that commanded the very fabric of the universe.

  "Your presence is still faint and insignificant... But this stubborn will was enough to keep that piece of flesh standing. Perhaps you are not a mistake to be erased from this cosmic fabric, but a deviation to be observed."

  As Kayra, breathless with pain, resisted kneeling before the invisible force, the voice thundered in his mind one last time, like a final command.

  "Live... Live and evolve, little ant. Let's see how much longer you can survive in this savage world."

  With these words, the absolute seal on time was suddenly broken. The world rushed back onto Kayra with all its noise and brutal reality. Overwhelmed by the weight of reality following the frozen silence, Kayra shuddered violently.

  "Ahhh!"

  He stumbled forward. With time flowing again, the clotted wounds on his chest began to sting once more, as if thousands of red-hot spikes were being driven into them. With every breath, the cracks in his ribs rubbed together; he bit his lips to stay conscious.

  The transcendent entity was gone, but the command it left—"Live"—echoed in Kayra's veins like a strange obligation. In this desolate valley, with the Bot silenced and his body on the verge of collapse, Kayra was now alone with his greatest enemy: that unbearable agony pushing him to his limits.

  As Kayra tried to find his balance on trembling legs, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on his back, unlike any pain he had ever felt before, as if his skin was being branded with hot iron.

  "Ahhh... No!"

  The skin on his back grew hot as if seared, and the ember-fire, penetrating to his very bones, pinned Kayra to the spot. The pain was so intense it even made him forget the claw wounds on his chest. This mysterious energy, covering his entire back, etched itself into his skin, tracing complex lines; a massive serpent symbol, devouring its own tail, symbolizing eternity, was carved onto Kayra's back.

  As Kayra, gasping, on the verge of collapsing to the ground with tears in his eyes from the pain, an interface appeared right in front of him, much brighter than previous screens, pure gold in color. The words fell into his mind, cold and decisive like a court verdict.

  [YOU HAVE BEEN MARKED BY THE

  TRANSCENDENT ENTITY "OUROBOROS".

  YOU ARE NOW ITS PROPERTY.]

  Kayra froze as he read the glowing golden letters through his tears. "Its property?..." he murmured, his voice a whisper mixed with sobs and horror. The taste of that impossible victory he had just won left a bitter, metallic feeling in his mouth. When he realized that in this world, where he had fought for his freedom, he had merely become a plaything for an even greater power, the determination in his gaze gave way to deep bewilderment.