Hearing that she could use the hand crossbow to grab onto a pterosaur and move through the air, **Otilia** was thrilled. It felt like—for the first time—she was finally close to clearing this insane level.
> "This game is operating at hell difficulty… No, *Shura difficulty*," she muttered.
> "No tutorials, no hints, just instant death... but—"
She covered one eye dramatically, then stretched out the other hand as if clutching fate itself.
> "Kukuku... As expected of me... the primordial light born in darkness... the daughter of light and shadow... the *protagonist* of this tale! I've already seen this game's ending~!"
She laughed, leaning forward with arms outstretched in full chuuni-mode—and her confidence was so exaggerated that it left some onlookers confused.
On the deck, the **armored man** glanced at her nervously.
> "Is she... okay?" he whispered.
> "She's an adventurer," the leather-armored girl beside him replied flatly. "There are all types. This one's... not particularly rare."
> "Right... makes sense, I guess."
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, **Evan Walker** wiped the sweat from his brow as he observed everything from the Nightmare Realm's monitoring space. Next to him floated a cloud of black mist—the **Nightmare Lord**.
> "So... what do you think?" Evan asked. "Can she pull it off? This prologue trial, can she actually break through?"
> "Food is still just food," the Nightmare Lord dismissed coldly. "She has innate spiritual power, yes—but has no idea how to wield it. She's as helpless as an ant. She'll die a dozen more times."
> "Hmph. Don't underestimate her. For a player who's just entered the Nightmare World with zero tutorials, figuring out a survival route after only two deaths is *pretty impressive*."
Evan smiled.
> "Besides, this is our **first real player**—she's doubling as our unofficial bug-tester."
> "Bug... tester?"
The Nightmare Lord frowned. He had no frame of reference for gaming terminology.
> "A 'bug' is an error," Evan explained patiently. "She's helping us identify any flaws in the game world we created."
> "Flaws...? There are no flaws. The Nightmare World I forged is *perfect*!" the Nightmare Lord growled proudly.
> "Nobody's perfect," Evan replied casually. "We're not gods or world-creators. A fantasy world, even one made from dreams, is bound to have holes and glitches. We just need to be able to spot and fix them."
A flicker passed through the Nightmare Lord's haze at the mention of "world creators." For a second, his presence stilled—locked in distant, silent memory.
### Onboard the Ship…
The hull tilted again—reaching a perilous 90-degree angle. But this time, Otilia was ready. With the knowledge gained from her previous two attempts, she gripped a stronger position and avoided falling off.
> "Where... where is it... Ah! There!" she shouted.
Above, circling the sky, was a **pterosaur**.
> "If I can just fire the crossbow—dang it!" she hissed.
She couldn't use it. Both hands were holding onto the tilting ship, and letting go would've meant falling to her death.
The ship groaned, the tilt worsening.
Suddenly, a voice rang out nearby.
> "Jump! There's land below—*jump now!*"
It was the **leather-armored girl**. She had released her grip and leapt from the failing ship without hesitation.
Otilia glanced down.
To her surprise—it wasn't ocean below anymore, but **land**.
With an NPC leading the way... she didn't hesitate.
She let go and jumped.
Pain jolted through her as she landed roughly on all fours—but she didn't roll off or die.
> "Okay... I'm alive. That was way better," she breathed.
Then, she noticed something strange. The ground was searing hot—dark rocks lined the surface, threaded with glowing red cracks. From higher elevations, **magma** dripped in slow, menacing globs.
> "If one of those touches me... I am *so* dead."
Moments later, the land began to tremble once more.
Otilia fell, gripping the rocky floor as everything beneath her heaved violently.
This wasn't the climax—it was just the beginning.
Suddenly, she noticed the floor beneath her **tilting**.
> "Over there! Pterosaurs! Hurry!" the NPC shouted, beckoning from a slightly higher ledge.
Otilia scrambled across the dangerous terrain, joining the girl in yellow leather armor.
> "You're okay—good," the girl said. "Did you see anyone else?"
Otilia shook her head.
> "No idea what happened to the others… but this place—it's shaking again!"
The lava-covered slope was now rising like a wall!
> "Hold on!" the NPC gripped the jagged rock face. "We have to move—*climb!*"
The tilted "ground" had become a near-vertical cliff.
Thankfully, the surface was uneven, with ledges and handholds.
The NPC climbed easily, but Otilia hesitated.
> "Seriously? I'm supposed to—ME?! A girl who's never scaled a rock wall in her life?" she yelled. "This is absolute garbage design! UGH!"
Even so, she started climbing—awkwardly, slowly—but she was determined.
She stumbled and cursed with every step, but there was something freeing about it. After all, *death didn't carry a penalty here.* If she failed, she could just start over.
No pressure. Only progress.
Finally, **they reached the top**.
Otilia collapsed to her hands and knees, panting hard.
> "Haa... Haa..."
> "No time to rest! Over there! The pterosaur is about to take off!" the girl yelled, sprinting forward.
Eyes widening, Otilia forced herself up and ran as fast as she could.
Up ahead—a sheer **cliff**.
And above it, circling in the sky—her goal.
> "Just one shot... one moment..."
> "This is it!"
Without hesitation, she leapt off the cliff.
Midair, she spun and aimed her **hand crossbow** toward the soaring beast.
This was her one shot.
No safety net. No retries.
Victory or death—she had never felt **cooler** in her life.
> *To be continued...*