Wein gritted his teeth, crouched low in the dirt, one arm clutched tightly against his side. Pain flared with each ragged breath, stabbing through his chest like hot glass. Blood leaked from the corner of his lips, thick and metallic. His vision pulsed with every beat of his racing heart, trembling on the edge of collapse.
But he couldn't give up. Not here. Not like this.
He tried to steady his body, tried to will strength back into his limbs. But even moving an inch felt like dragging the weight of the world.
Ahead of him, the towering shadow of the Skitter Boss crept closer, its grotesque limbs moving with a slow, deliberate rhythm. Each step landed with a shudder, a scraping clack of blade-like legs tearing into the forest floor.
Time seemed to stall. The only sound that filled his ears was the heavy thud of his own heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He reached out, fingers clawing across the dirt. His sword lay just out of reach, glinting faintly where it had fallen. He tried to crawl toward it.
But lightning shot through his ribs.
He gasped. His breath cut short. Agony arced through his chest, and he collapsed onto his elbow, panting.
All around him, the forest blurred. The trees stretched and warped. Shadows flickered at the edge of his sight, twisting into grotesque shapes. Claw marks scored deep into the earth, branches snapped and broken from earlier impacts. The scent of blood, bark, and sweat filled the air like a choking fog.
"I… I don't even have the strength left to stand…" he murmured, voice hoarse. His words trembled, laced with frustration and disbelief.
The Skitter Boss crept closer.
Click. Clack. Click.
Its jagged legs dragged across tree trunks, tearing bark free. Its bloated body cast a long, writhing shadow across the ground.
Then he heard the smaller Skitters emerging from behind the Skitter Boss. Their eyes glinted in the low light, mandibles twitching. They skittered forward in unison, slow and purposeful.
Wein turned his head weakly. The bitter taste of defeat flooded his mouth.
So this is it.
He had once imagined that being transported to this world would come with power, purpose and maybe even a chosen destiny. He had expected to fight monsters, to climb through the tower like some hero out of a story. He thought knowledge from the game would be enough.
But this? This was nothing like he imagined.
He was beaten. Crippled. Helpless.
In this world of beasts…he was the prey.
The glowing timer above flickered—
[112 seconds remaining.]
The Skitter Boss hissed.
The sound was low and wet, vibrating through the forest like a beast exhaling heat. Its mandibles clicked, its forelimbs rose, poised like spears. It was preparing to end it.
Wein blinked. His body gave out. He slumped onto the cold ground.
The pain in his chest spread, slow and numbing, like frost creeping under his skin.
It hurt… so much. He couldn't even move.
Should he just give up? Maybe if he died here… he'd wake up back on Earth?
Wein couldn't help but wonder.
But then—
Something shifted.
A dull throb echoed from deep within him. Faint. Steady. Like a second heartbeat pulsing in rhythm with his own.
Then came the heat.
It rose from his spine—slow and coiling, like embers catching fire in his bones. It moved through his chest, then his arms, then to the very tips of his fingers. His limbs stopped shaking. His vision cleared.
The pain faded.
Wein gasped, startled.
And his eyes—
His once-clear blue irises shimmered. Gold flecks bloomed in the depths of his gaze, like sunlight scattered across the surface of a lake. His pupils narrowed. His vision sharpened.
The forest hushed.
No ringing. No clicking.
Just silence. A deep, impossible stillness.
"…What… what's happening…?" he whispered. His voice echoed faintly, as if the air itself had thickened.
Then, all at once—his perception shifted. It was as if something had pulled him into a dark abyss.
Swallowed by the darkness.
—
When his eyes opened again, he was no longer sprawled on the forest floor like a beaten dog. Or enshrouded in darkness.
Instead…
He stood atop the exit platform.
The floor beneath him was etched with swirling runes, glowing softly beneath his boots. The runes pulsed with slow, rhythmic light, like the heartbeat of the world.
Wein blinked.
His body still ached, but the pain was distant now—muted, like a bad dream. His breath came easier. His chest was no longer crushed by agony.
"…What the hell…?"
His eyes scanned the clearing in front of him.
There, lying in pieces, was the Skitter Boss.
Its once-massive form had been reduced to a corpse. Its limbs were cleanly severed, carapace shattered like glass. Segments of its body had been cleaved apart—so precise, it looked as if it had been butchered with expert precision.
The smaller Skitters were scattered around it—cut down mid-motion. None of them had even a chance to run.
He watched as their bodies slowly dissolved into nothingness, glowing numbers rising from the remains—marking the completion of the task.
Wein's breath caught. He stared, wide-eyed, frozen in place.
"What… what happened here…?"
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked down at his own body—still trembling, still bruised, but whole.
But he knew, without a doubt, that it wasn't him who had slain those beasts.
Ding!
A soft chime rang through the air.
Words shimmered into view above the platform, glowing bright in gold:
[You have conquered Level 2 of the Beast Tower.]
[Rewards Unlocked:
Steel Sword (Lv. 2)
Healing Pill x1
Beast Contract: Level 2]
[Clear Conditions Met.]
[Do you wish to proceed to Level 3? Or exit the Beast Tower?]
Wein stared at the glowing message, chest rising and falling.
He had cleared Level 2, but he didn't know how to feel about it.
He remembered the moment right before everything went black—the shift in his vision, the strange fire in his veins.
"...That strange feeling again…"
It wasn't the first time he had felt this same feeling.
He remembered when he was training with Terr. That strange sensation, like watching himself from the outside. As if his body had moved on its own. As if someone else had taken the wheel.
His gaze dropped.
Even now, his body stood tall. Unbroken. His wounds had healed just enough to let him move freely. Whoever—or whatever—had taken over… had protected him. Had fought for him.
But why? How was this even possible? Could this be his cheat in this world? And who exactly was the one controlling him?
The light of the message pulsed again in front of him.
[Do you wish to proceed to Level 3? Or exit the Beast Tower?]
But whoever it was, one thing was certain. It had helped him.
Without it, he was sure he would've died.
"Whoever you are..." he murmured, his voice barely audible. "I don't know what you are… or what you want from me…"
A soft wind stirred across the platform, brushing his hair aside, cool against his skin.
"…but if your purpose is to help me… then fine."
He drew a slow, steady breath.
"If using my body to fight is how you help me—then go ahead. Use it."
He stepped forward, eyes fixed on the path ahead.
"But in return… I want strength. I want to survive. I want to climb this tower as fast as possible."
He looked up at the glowing words, his gaze steady now.
"Proceed to the next level."
The platform beneath him responded at once. Light flared beneath his feet, spiraling outward in glowing runes that shimmered like stars.
The world around him rippled and twisted.
And just before everything faded—his blue eyes glowed once more, flecked with golden specks of light.