He didn't even know what a trial was, and yet here he was—locked in some unknown place, being forced to play along.
He frowned, lowering himself back onto the ground. Taking one short but deep breath, he tried calming his nerves.
"Okay… if I'm going to take this trial anyway, I should at least know a thing or two about it."
By instinct, the system screen flickered back to the home menu. Multiple options lined up before him. He didn't hesitate and went for the most obvious one: [Attributes].
_
[Strength: 12]
[Stamina: 22]
[Agility: 12]
[Acuity: 15]
_
"Hm… decent stats. Just stamina's higher than the others. Maybe I should thank my beloved Aunt Mary." He scoffed at his own sarcasm.
'But… acuity? What even is that?'
He squinted at the screen until his eyes caught a small "!" symbol. Probably an "about" button. Clicking it revealed exactly what he expected:
[Acuity is an attribute which measures the user's mental capacity and resistance to mind-related user's ability.]
Kai tapped his chin and tilted his head, staring at the line.
"Does that mean… I've got a mind-related soulmark ability?"
Shaking his head, he shoved the thought aside and closed the tab. Back on the home screen, another option grabbed his attention.
"Next… oh, 'Skills' looks interesting."
_
[System Skills]
[Assess (Level 1)]
[Overclock Sync (Level 1)]
?? [Locked]
?? [Locked]
_
Only two skills, but Kai's face lit up anyway.
"Two already? I'll take it."
He hovered over the little "about" sign again, eager for details.
[Assess is a system skill that allows the user to access information about a targeted subject. The subject can be anything physical.]
'Oooh… that's cool,' he grinned inwardly. 'Though at this level, I doubt it shows anything too important.'
_
[Overclock Sync is a system skill that hints the user at the best possible move in a given situation.]
[Activation time: 5 seconds]
[Cooldown: 12 hours]
_
Kai's jaw slackened.
"The best possible move?! That's even better than I thought. And yeah… leveling it up probably just lowers cooldown and activation time."
He smirked, closing the tab with a bit more confidence than before.
"Items? Yeah, that's gotta be empty." He tapped on [Items].
[No items]
"As expected." He shrugged. Still, he pressed "about" just to be sure.
_
['Item' is a system tab where users can store and use rewarded objects, i.e. magic potions or elemental fragments.]
_
"Hm. So trial rewards go here. Noted."
Next came the tab he was most excited for.
[Quests]
'If this is like a game, quests are what keep things moving. No boredom, right?'
_
[Mega Quest: Collect all the Shadow Element Fragments]
[Mega Reward: ??? Unknown]
_
Kai blinked.
"Shadow element fragments? Where the hell am I supposed to find those?"
Still, the words "mega quest" made his gut twist with both dread and thrill.
'If it's tough, then the reward must be worth it.'
_
['Quest' is a system function that challenges the user by pushing them beyond their capabilities, offering tempting rewards in return.]
_
Kai let out a short laugh, shoulders shaking.
He'd loved playing games once upon a time—but actually being inside one was something else.
Excitement and fear tugged at him in equal measure. Still, with how trash his life had been, risking it here didn't feel like such a loss. If he died, so what? It wouldn't be worse than wasting away back home.
Returning to the home screen, another tab caught his eye.
_
[Inventory]
[0/2 slots]
_
"Inventory… I already know what this is. But let's see anyway."
_
[Inventory is a system function that allows users to store external non-living physical items, such as armor or clothes, in a dimension unaffected by time.]
_
Kai whistled.
"So basically, pocket space. Neat."
He was about to close it out when something else flashed at the corner.
'Wait… one more tab?' He tried opening it.
[Complete the first trial to unlock this tab]
Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as if it could somehow take away the pressure weighing on him. 'I now have more than just one reason to complete the first trial…' he muttered inwardly. His eyes darted around the home screen, and a thought struck him. 'Wait… there should be a player profile, shouldn't there?'
Sure enough, tucked in the top-left corner was a small circular profile-like icon. The moment he noticed it, curiosity pulled his hand toward it. He tapped without hesitation.
_
[User : Kai Zen]
[HP : 20/20]
[Soulmark status : Awakened]
_
Kai's jaw was practically unhinged. "I knew it!!" He couldn't stop himself from hopping slightly off the ground, a surge of excitement coursing through his veins. "I knew that it had to be my soulmark!"
The rush of adrenaline slowed, and he scratched his temple as his enthusiasm began to shift into cautious thought. Yes… it explains everything—me being here, the strange pain, even the patterns I saw earlier…
But then again, he wasn't certain. Right now, he was just throwing stones blindfolded, hoping one of them would hit the target. Once he returned to reality, he'd confirm everything. If this really was his ability, then what kind of effect would it have outside this strange realm? Could he use these skills back home—or was it all just a cruel illusion? Questions piled up in his mind, each heavier than the last, but there was no use overthinking. The only clear way forward was the trial.
"Alright then," he whispered to himself, straightening his back. "But before diving in headfirst, let's run a test or two."
He activated his skill [Assess], targeting the dense mist that stretched endlessly around him.
_
[Assess]
[Subject : Trial Realm]
[???]
[???]
_
Kai groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "As I thought… it's practically useless at this level." He kicked the mist half-heartedly. "But at least it confirms one thing—I can use my skills here." His lips curved in a half-smile. "Which means this place isn't just some hallucination… it's real enough to matter."
His eyes flicked toward the other ability waiting in his arsenal: [Overclock Sync]. But its long cooldown stared back at him like a trap waiting to be sprung. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. "No. I'll save that one. Who knows when it'll actually save my life."
"Now… second test."
Kai crouched low, palms pressing against the cold, metallic ground. His muscles tightened, and he began to push up, exhaling sharply each time until his breath grew ragged. Sweat dotted his forehead as his arms trembled from strain. Eventually, he collapsed back down with a heavy thud, chest rising and falling like he had just run a marathon.
So, even here… I can tire out. The realization both relieved and unsettled him. He wasn't immune to exhaustion, even in this strange dimension. That meant his body still mattered. He'd have to pace himself.
He lay on the ground a moment longer, waiting for his stamina to recover. The silence pressed down on him, broken only by his steadying breaths. Then, with renewed focus, Kai pushed himself back to his feet.
"Enough warm-up. Time to get this over with."
He started with a slow walk, then broke into a jog, mist parting before him as if it recognized his intent. The moment he gained momentum, the screen appeared again before his eyes.
[Do you want to initiate the trial?]
[Yes] [No]
Kai's heartbeat kicked up a notch. But he answered without hesitation.
"Yes."