"Oh my, he's hurt again, isn't he?"
"Besides, why does the leader still allow him to take the exam? He clearly won't make it."
"You know, our leader doesn't like stupid people. Probably that is why—to reduce foolish people like him."
"Yet he came back every time before. How lucky."
To be fair, Levi Karevill could hear those whispers—it was too loud to be called such, but he couldn't deny it.
Ignoring them was the only sane option he got for now. He was here to carry out his mission, earn money, and survive.
So why if I am lucky? I can't die in a place like this. I won't.
His plan was simple—he just needed to pass the test after failing almost 50 times.
49 times, to be exact.
This time, he would succeed. He had to succeed.
His heart was pounding, and adrenaline rushed through his system. But despite this, he stood with his face straight toward the big green rectangle in front of him. The portal to the test.
"Participants are invited to enter their respective rooms." The announcer called in.
Even though he had done it so many times, Levi was still anxious.
What if he failed again this time? Like... really failed?
Levi didn't want to think about it too much, and he stepped in. The portal glowed every time a person walked in, sending each of them to different places and different tasks to complete as part of their test.
I can do this. I can. Levi muttered to himself. This time, I was going to make it out alive and successful.
He said it all like a magic spell as the green light surrounding him changed, pulling him into a giant cave that was so dark.
There should only be 15 versions of the test site. A dark cave was definitely not on the list, Levi was sure of it.
In 49 of his experiences—let's call them that, for the sake of his self-motivation phase—this was completely new.
"What is this place?"
With the low magic power inside him, he flickered a little spark to light up the room.
The dim light showed them rough stone walls, wet with moisture. The air was thick and cold, almost as if it were pressing against his skin. Every breath felt like inhaling smoke—sharp, toxic, wrong.
He took a cautious step forward.
The ground shook under his feet.
Then it hit something. It's fast. Silent. Sharp. He didn't see it coming.
He saw blood before he realized he was in pain. His side burned, and then he felt the warmth of his own blood trickling down.
"What the hell—?"
Levi took a step back, barely holding himself up. There was no enemy in sight. There's nothing to fight about. He didn't know what had just attacked him.
Another strike.
This one just touched his thigh. He lowered himself to one knee, his heart pounding in his chest.
Invisible. The attacker was invisible.
"No, this isn't part of the test," he whispered, breathing heavily. "This isn't how it's supposed to be."
He cast a basic detection spell, the only one he could afford to waste mana on, but it didn't work. Nullified.
Everything was wrong.
He was being hunted in a place where hunting is not allowed by something that should not be there.
It's a trap.
Did someone mess with the portal?
He tried to crawl backward, but he was hit and knocked flat.
His vision blurred. He had blood in his eyes. He felt a static sound in his ears.
Was this how it ended? After everything?
He was going to die.
He failed again.
And this time, he couldn't even resign from the test.
It was… pathetic.
Levi's consciousness faded, and something inside him said that now he wouldn't be able to try again. It was his end.
But then, something appeared. A light so bright it made him squint his eyes forcefully until something showed in front of him.
A box and a voice.
System is now loading…
1%
5%
50%
100%
System Activated.
You are about to restart your life as the descendant of the Light God, Aseraph.
Accept the offer?