SCREEEEEECCHHHH


    ROOOOOOOOOARRR


    BOOOOOOOOOOOOM


    "SHIT!"


    Nn cursed loudly as he sprinted through the icy field.


    A powerful shockwave undted from where he had been standing just five seconds ago, leaving nothing but a massive, unending crater.


    Like a specter, something appeared before Nn''s face, roughly shing forth.


    Nn quickly shed out with his dagger, the sound of a metallic collision ringing out—clearly, this was only the beginning.


    CLAAANG


    CLAAANG


    CLAAAANG


    Unending shing noises resounded as Nn sprinted through the icyndscape.


    Shadow stalkers weaved in and out of existence around his figure, as Nn shed out with as much speed as he could while making sure he ran as fast as possible.


    Yet, he still couldn''t avoid various cuts that tore into his skin.


    TWUUUUUAK


    An especially loud sound was made as Nn instinctively darted away from where he stood.


    In the next instant, arge drill-like ice stalk mmed into a behemoth that was catching up to Nn, ripping a hole through its massive bulk.


    But what was even more mind-numbing was the fact that the hole in the behemoth''s stomach quickly began closing up by gathering the power from the ice below.


    Soon, it was back to full health and began chasing Nn once more.


    That was the true horror of them.


    Nn could confidently say he had killed almost ten of these creatures from both groups, yet the fact was that exactly thirty were chasing him right now.


    The creatures were undying!!


    They simply healed back, and before Nn could wipe them outpletely, he would be forced to evade another attack.


    Then the one he had just almost wiped out would simplye back to life.


    Knowing that, Nn had turned this into a chase, sprinting as fast as he could while trying to block the attacks.


    The most horrific fact was that the behemoth''s single stroke was enough to leave a gigantic crater on the ground, and Nn knew well that if it dared to m down on him, he would be more than dead.


    That was why he didn''t dare to stop at all.


    Immediately, he dashed to the side.


    He could see the head of the serpent and, intently, he sprinted before it, his dagger cleaving forth and slicing its head off.


    The serpent''s body dropped limply on the ground, yet barely five seconds passed when another head began forming, and it dove into the icy arena, rapidly chasing after Nn.


    "What the hell is this even!?"


    "The creatures can''t die! And they outnumber me and are stronger than me! How am I supposed toplete such a trial!?"


    Nn roared in his head as he dodged an ice stalk that dug a hole through his shoulder, blood spraying all over the ice.


    He dodged his face to the side as three ws appeared,ing from another Hollow Stalker that had inched close enough to him.


    RIIIIIIP


    RIIIIIIP


    Instantly, Nn shed out twice toward the stalker''s head, cleaving it in two as its upper body fell.


    Yet, turning his head backward, he could see the stalker already regenerating while chasing after him.


    The truth was, the creatures didn''t even dodge Nn''s strikes at all, almost like they knew it was useless, and therefore they simply focused on trying to damage him as much as possible.


    He was now stuck in a battle with immortal devilish creatures, with a half-broken knee, a hole in his shoulder, a blood-blinded left eye, and deep cuts that prated as deep as his skull.


    His heart was furiously pumping blood and so was adrenaline, yet it had been more than a few days since Nn felt like he had been stuck in this endless loop of suffering, and the beating of his heart was now starting to slow.


    His steps were getting heavier, his vision more blurry than ever, and his bones were slowly freezing due to the cold environment.


    Yet he had no choice, no choice but to keep fighting, unless he was willing to swallow death!


    "Tch, why!? Why did I even sign up for this!? Why am I even here at all!?" Nn wondered as he felt the soaring sound of something approaching from behind.


    He leaned to the side, the side rib of his clothes getting ripped apart along with a part of his skin as arge ice stalk shot past, tearing with it Nn''s own skin and muscles, leaving ghastly white bones that soon became covered with blood peeking out.


    "Tch," With an inability to resolve the situation, what quickly followed for Nn was self-doubt.


    There was no way he could solve this madness of a situation he was in.


    Even if he paused topletely eliminate one of these creatures, he could be gravely injured by the others, and then what?


    He eliminated one out of thirty in exchange for a grievous injury. He wouldn''t even eliminate the second one before he died.


    Then what was the point?


    He couldn''t run forever, as his body was starting to give up on him, and he couldn''t turn back in anger, as therey death behind him!


    So what should he do?


    Why had he even bothered to agree with the system toe to the trial ground? He should have just tried to talk it out with his bullies or looked for another way.


    At least, he would still be able to live a little longer than now.


    "No! No!" Nn roared out in his head as a w shed from the side.


    He shed forth, both of the creatures, knocking each other back as Nn rolled in the icy arena.


    He quickly jumped up to the ground as a serpent tore through his side, diving out from the ground, only to have its body separated into two by Nn''s dagger.


    SOOOOOAAARRRR


    BOOOOOOOOOM


    The sound of something soaring forth with speed resounded as Nn turned to the distance and saw a gigantic axe flying toward his face.


    Instinctively, he raised the dagger before him, and the axe knocked into it, sending him flying with fierce speed into the far distance.


    BAAANG


    BAAAANG


    BAAAANG


    His body repeatedly carved abyssal craters into the icy ground before finally, Nn came to a screeching halt inside a crater which quickly filled up with red blood.


    His eyes slowly lost their light, but he reaffirmed one thing in his mind...


    "No one forced me here. I had to do this... to be free."