Cold air filled Jeong Min's lungs as he opened his eyes.
The forest around him looked nothing like the world he knew. The trees were tall and twisted, their branches curling like skeletal fingers clawing toward the dark sky above. A thick black mist crawled across the ground, moving slowly between the roots.
The silence was unnatural.
No insects.No wind.
Just darkness.
Jeong Min slowly pushed himself up from the cold soil, wincing as pain spread through his ribs.
"…Great."
He glanced around carefully.
"This definitely isn't Seoul."
The translucent blue screen still floated before his eyes.
[Shadow Trial Active]
Location: Shadow ForestObjective: SurviveTime Remaining: 28:47
Jeong Min rubbed his face.
"So this is the trial."
He looked up at the twisted trees again.
The place felt wrong.
Even the air seemed heavier.
Another message appeared on the system window.
[Host Compatibility: 3%]
Jeong Min sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it."
The next line appeared almost instantly.
[Host evaluation: Unsuitable.]
"…You really don't like me, do you?"
The system didn't respond.
Jeong Min slowly began walking through the forest, keeping his steps quiet.
His mind was racing.
If this place was real… then the danger was real too.
And the system already said something important.
Survive.
Not win.
Not fight.
Just survive.
That meant something in this forest could easily kill him.
A faint cracking sound echoed somewhere behind him.
Jeong Min froze.
His body stiffened instantly.
Another crack.
A branch breaking.
Slowly, carefully, he turned his head.
Something moved between the trees.
Two glowing red dots stared at him from the darkness.
Jeong Min's heartbeat quickened.
"…Eyes."
The creature stepped forward.
It looked like a wolf… but wrong.
Its body was thin and elongated, its limbs too long for a normal animal. Black mist seeped from its skin as if its body was slowly dissolving into smoke.
The beast sniffed the air.
Then it growled.
The sound vibrated through Jeong Min's chest.
A new system message appeared.
[Shadow Beast Detected]
Threat Level: Fatal
Jeong Min swallowed.
"Fatal…"
The beast took one step forward.
Then another.
It was hunting him.
Jeong Min forced himself to stay calm.
Running blindly would only make things worse.
He looked around quickly.
Trees.
Rocks.
A small slope.
Think.
Think fast.
The beast suddenly lunged.
Jeong Min jumped aside just in time.
Claws slashed through the air where his neck had been a moment earlier.
The ground exploded with dirt.
Jeong Min rolled across the forest floor and scrambled back to his feet.
"Too fast…"
The creature growled again.
Its red eyes locked onto him.
Jeong Min's brain worked quickly.
He couldn't fight it.
That much was obvious.
But maybe he didn't need to.
His eyes scanned the forest again.
Then he noticed something.
A narrow path between two tall rock formations.
Perfect.
Jeong Min ran.
Branches whipped across his arms as he sprinted toward the rocks.
Behind him, the shadow beast chased him with terrifying speed.
The ground trembled under its weight.
Jeong Min reached the rocky passage and slipped inside.
The space between the rocks was extremely narrow.
Barely wide enough for a human.
The beast charged toward him.
Then it stopped.
The creature's shoulders were too wide to enter.
Its claws scraped against the stone angrily.
Jeong Min leaned against the rock wall, breathing heavily.
"…That's right."
He muttered.
"You're bigger than me."
The beast snarled and tried forcing its way through the gap.
The rocks held.
Jeong Min slowly backed deeper into the passage.
He didn't relax.
Not yet.
The system screen flickered again.
[Host Action Analysis…]
A short pause followed.
Then a new message appeared.
[Result: Tactical avoidance detected.]
Jeong Min raised an eyebrow.
"Tactical avoidance?"
Another message appeared.
[Host lacks combat ability.]
"…Rude."
The next line appeared.
[However…]
[Host demonstrates abnormal survival reasoning.]
Jeong Min chuckled quietly.
"Now that's more like it."
The shadow beast finally gave up trying to squeeze through the rocks.
It circled the entrance instead, growling.
Waiting.
Jeong Min glanced at the timer.
Time Remaining: 23:12
He exhaled slowly.
"Just survive."
That was the rule.
But deep down, he understood something important.
This trial wasn't about strength.
It was about thinking.
And the system…
It was watching