6 seconds until Quest 3 begins.
Aiden's heartbeat drowned out every sound except the growl rising from the abyss beneath him. The crevice walls pressed into his ribs, stealing his breath.
5 seconds.
The cavern floor trembled. Chunks of stone fell into the darkness.
4 seconds.
He couldn't run.
He couldn't fight.
He had no skills left.
Aiden clenched his teeth. "Move… Move… MOVE—!"
But his body was still too weak after Adrenal Surge's crash. His limbs felt like wet sand.
3 seconds.
A massive claw hooked over the ledge, black scales glistening like polished obsidian.
2 seconds.
Another claw.
Then a horned head.
Eyes glowing a hollow, corpse-blue.
A Nightscale Ravager. Tier-B.
A monster elite teams avoided.
It lifted itself out of the chasm like something dragging itself from the mouth of hell.
Aiden couldn't breathe.
1 second.
The system chimed.
---
FORCED QUEST 3: "DON'T BLINK"
Difficulty: Nightmare
Reward: ???
Failure: Death
Objective:
Maintain eye contact with the Ravager.
If you blink, you die.
Timer: 60 seconds
---
Aiden's eyes widened—instantly a mistake.
The Ravager lunged so fast the air folded around it. Its face stopped inches from Aiden's head, staring directly into his soul.
Its breath stank of rot and blood.
Aiden froze.
His entire face twitched. His eyes were already burning. He wanted—needed—to blink.
But the system message glowed in front of him, merciless:
---
Blinking = Death
---
The Ravager tilted its massive head, sniffing the crevice. Aiden couldn't move. One twitch and those teeth would rip him in half.
The monster leaned in closer, so close its scales scraped stone.
Aiden's eyes burned hotter. A stabbing, melting pain.
Timer: 47 seconds.
Aiden swallowed hard. His throat was so dry it felt like swallowing knives.
His vision started shimmering.
The shaking in his legs spread upward.
His eyelids twitched violently.
"No… no… please… not now…"
Blood vessel pressure surged behind his eyes.
Tears formed from the strain—
And that almost ruined everything.
The Ravager's jaw opened a few centimeters, enough for Aiden to see a forest of bone-sharp teeth.
"You blink," he whispered to himself, "you die. You blink, you die…"
The monster exhaled a gust of hot, corpse-smelling air straight into his face.
Aiden gagged—
His eyes instinctively squeezed—
But he forced them back open with a choked cry.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Timer: 29 seconds.
His vision wobbled.
Dark spots flickered around the edges.
I can't… I literally can't…
His eyes spasmed uncontrollably.
The Ravager sensed it.
Its pupils dilated.
Its jaw unhinged wider.
It moved its face even closer, almost amused.
Aiden felt his mind slipping.
Timer: 18 seconds.
His eyes were blurring completely now.
Every nerve in his face begged—screamed—for relief.
He bit his tongue hard enough to bleed just to stay conscious.
"I'm not dying here," he rasped.
"Not… here…"
The Ravager suddenly snapped its jaw shut inches from his face—testing him.
Aiden almost screamed—and his eyelids twitched down.
Timer: 7 seconds.
He was at his limit.
His eyes couldn't take it.
He was going to blink.
He had to blink.
Timer: 5 seconds.
The Ravager drew back to strike.
Aiden's vision turned completely red.
His eyelids dropped—
And the system detonated a message across his vision:
---
TENACITY SURGE: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
Emergency Override Triggered
Your refusal to die has forced your body past its natural limits.
---
Aiden's eyes snapped open again—
Unblinking—
Burning like fire—
His entire body locking itself into sheer survival mode.
The Ravager froze mid-strike.
Timer: 2 seconds.
Aiden screamed from pain and rage—but he kept staring.
The monster hesitated.
Timer: 1 second.
And then—
---
QUEST COMPLETE
---
A shockwave erupted from Aiden's body.
Not mana—
Not magic—
Something raw and unseen, like his will forced itself outward.
The Ravager staggered back three full steps, snarling in confusion.
A new window appeared:
---
Reward Unlocked:
New Trait — [Eye of Persistence]
Effects:
Temporary immunity to fear-based skills
Vision becomes sharper under extreme stress
Eyes resist involuntary blinking for longer durations
Hidden passive: Your gaze may disrupt weaker monsters.
---
Aiden panted, vision flickering back to normal.
His eyes were bloodshot.
He could barely see straight.
But the monster was still there.
And he was still trapped.
The Ravager let out a low, furious roar—louder than anything he'd heard yet.
It wasn't backing off.
It was preparing to attack again.
Aiden's heart sank.
Then the system appeared again—
This time with a message that made his blood run cold:
---
Forced Fourth Quest Incoming
Category: Kill Quest
Target: Nightscale Ravager (Tier-B)
Status: Initiation in 30 seconds
Escape: Unavailable
---
Aiden's mouth fell open.
"Kill… that?"
His heart hammered.
His knees shook.
He had no weapon.
No strength.
No hope.
The system didn't care.
A new line appeared beneath the quest:
---
**You survived three deaths.
Now earn your right to live.**
---
The Ravager lowered itself.
Muscles coiling.
Ready to finish what it started.
Aiden prepared to die—
When suddenly—
The cavern wall behind him exploded.
A massive force tore the stone apart, sending shards everywhere.
And a figure landed in front of him.
Tall.
Clad in deep gray armor.
Carrying a spear dripping with a faint silver aura.
The stranger didn't look back at Aiden.
He simply said one thing:
"Kid… stay behind me if you want to live."
Aiden's eyes widened.
He had never seen this man before.
But the system reacted instantly:
---
Unknown Entity Detected
Classification: ???
Danger Level: Undefined
Warning: This individual has no recorded presence in the academy's history.
---
Aiden's blood ran cold.
Whoever this man was—
He wasn't supposed to be here.
The Ravager roared.
The man lifted his spear.