Ramsey had completed his training with Elder Popas, who had suddenly vanished from the training field, but not before gifting him a blade as a parting gesture.
Exhausted from the intensive sessions, he decided to push time forward to his trial by sleeping the rest of the way. When the next day arrived, Ramsey ironically felt as if time was moving too fast.
Sunlight poured into his room through the ancient-looking windows, illuminating the chamber with golden rays that made everything appear timeless and worn. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, his mind swirling with conflicting thoughts and emotions that could only be imagined.
"Guess it's time," he muttered to himself.
He hopped up from the bed and wore his robe, making an effort to find something simple and practical. It wouldn't help to die in fancy clothes, and if he somehow managed to survive, those fine garments would likely end up as tattered rags anyway. Functionality mattered more than appearance in what lay ahead.
He didn't forget to strap his sword to his side before heading out of the room. The weight of the blade against his hip served as a constant reminder of what awaited him.
What exactly was the midnight trial? There was no fixed time when the trial began or ended, which made it even more daunting. The task itself was relatively straightforward in concept but terrifying in execution: enter the midnight forest and retrieve the midnight herb.
Ramsey had once wondered why everything about the forest carried the midnight designation until Popas revealed the chilling truth during one of their training sessions. He recalled the old man's ominous words with perfect clarity.
"The midnight forest is one of the many anomalies in this entire region. Even the region itself is named Midnight. However, the reason it's called that is a chilling thought. It's never day in the forest.
Every second, what anyone who has gone deep into the forest would see is pitch-black darkness. Terrifying demonic beasts roam the forest day and night without rest. At the heart of the forest, however, grows an obsidian plant. This herb not only boosts cultivation dramatically, but it can also rapidly increase the cosmic particles in a person's body. This is the herb you have been sent to retrieve.
If you succeed, you can simply consume the plant and further your strength instead of bringing it home. Or you can bring it home and join a tournament you won't win. The choice is yours to make."
Ramsey began his journey to the forest, making sure to heed every one of Popas's stern warnings. He practiced his sword strikes along the way, hoping to rid himself of the gnawing anxiousness, but the nervous energy persisted despite his efforts.
The whispers continued as he passed through the village. This time the hushed voices were mixed with a bit of admiration rather than mere curiosity or pity.
He walked toward the forest, which lay a considerable distance from his lodging. At the edges of the mysterious woodland, everything seemed surprisingly normal. He could even see a few travelers passing by along the main road, going about their daily business as if the forest held no particular significance.
With a deep breath and a determined huff, Ramsey stepped across the threshold. The edge of the forest seemed remarkably normal at first glance, though an underlying tension hung in the air.
Initially, he remained very scared and on high alert. Every snap of a branch, every distant cry of a beast, or cheerful chirp from a bird caused his nerves to spike painfully. He would instinctively jump for his sword, hand gripping the hilt, only to realize it was nothing threatening at all.
He walked deeper and deeper into the woods, but the only creatures he encountered were red-eyed bunnies. These were among the most harmless beasts that existed in the region.
They hopped around playfully and wiggled their cute fluffy tails as if mocking his excessive fear and caution.
"I've been walking for hours, and still I haven't even seen the dangers Popas warned me about," he said aloud, trying to lighten his mood. "Maybe he was warning me against bunny attacks." He laughed at his own joke, though the sound felt hollow in the quiet forest.
"I still can't believe I'm here, though. Everything feels like a vivid dream. I was just a scholar in my school back on Earth. I had never even held a sword before, let alone practiced martial techniques or combat forms." He sighed deeply, reminiscing about his previous life and the dramatic changes that had brought him to this moment.
But how could he think about the past without thinking about the person who made it all matter? Without her, he would have definitely remained an arrogant jerk for his entire life. She was the one who checked his overwhelming arrogance when he foolishly thought being academically smart was all there was to life. That person was his beloved sister Mary.
Ironically, Mary wasn't particularly smart herself in traditional academic terms. She was a compulsive gambler and a terrible student who struggled with her studies. Just as she had helped him understand his character flaws and shortcomings, he had tried desperately to help her recognize and overcome her own destructive patterns, but his efforts proved futile.
Everything changed when she borrowed money from the wrong person: Mance Wallace, a renowned and ruthless gangster. Mance demanded payment sooner than originally agreed upon, even adding unreasonable interest charges in typical gangster fashion. The situation escalated quickly and dangerously. In the end, Ramsey had to sacrifice his own life so Mary could live and hopefully escape that dangerous world. He hoped she had changed for the better and that his death hadn't gone to waste.
Either way, his sacrifice hadn't been meaningless. For some inexplicable reason, he had been reborn in the body of someone this world consistently underestimated. With his sharp analytical mind from his previous life and his newfound physical strength and magical abilities, he would train relentlessly and become the richest, most carefree man in this entire world. A genuine smile bloomed across his face at the ambitious thought. Little did he know, he would have an encounter with his sister in this trial, in the strangest way imaginable.
Lost in these nostalgic thoughts and future dreams, Ramsey absentmindedly decided to rest under a large, sturdy tree. He sat beneath its sprawling branches and rested his tired back and aching legs against the rough bark. The peaceful moment felt like a brief respite from his anxiety.
Suddenly, the danger he had been both eager and terrified to encounter finally arrived without warning. The sound of small, rhythmic clicking noises filled the air around him, growing steadily louder and more menacing. The clicking seemed to come from multiple directions simultaneously, creating an unsettling symphony.
Ramsey opened his eyes wide, and shock appeared clearly on his face as he realized what was happening.
"OMG," he whispered in genuine shock, using the common expression from Earth. His voice was barely audible over the increasingly loud clicking sounds that now surrounded him completely. His hand instinctively moved toward his sword as he prepared to face whatever creatures were making those ominous noises in the supposedly harmless outer section of the midnight forest.