The bar sank more than halfway into the creature's body. Max released it instinctively, his knees buckling as his body trembled violently, forcing him onto his back. He rolled to the side and pushed himself up on shaking legs.
The flickering lights returned, revealing the grotesque scene. The monster stood there, the iron bar lodged firmly between its legs, blood streaming down and pooling across the floor. Its white eyes glinted with pain and disbelief.
Max let out a dark, amused chuckle. "Well, that's… unfortunate for you," he muttered under his breath, the absurdity of the moment slicing through the tension.
The creature's horror and confusion were palpable. It staggered, trying to maintain balance, but the situation had become almost ridiculous, a once terrifying predator now humbled by a simple, well-placed iron bar. Max's pulse raced, but a grim satisfaction curled inside him.
Purple blood gushed like a fountain between its legs. Its body trembled in excruciating pain.
Max picked up one of the iron bars and approached the creature, gripping its head with his trembling left hand. The tremor came from both the pain in his wounded shoulder and the adrenaline of finishing the ugly being before him.
He drove the iron bar into the creature's spinal cord, splattering purple blood across the carriage.
Max had been just a normal guy, but now, inhabiting this young Max Eisenwald body, he had no choice but to survive. To pass this trial, he had to kill the savage monster that wanted nothing more than to tear him apart and consume his bones.
The creature's body finally stilled. Max looked down at the gaping wounds in its back, blood seeping from the shattered areas, crushed bones visible beneath.
He released his grip on its head, and the body collapsed into the pool of its own blood.
Max exhaled sharply and laughed, a mix of relief and exhilaration. "Hahaha!" he shouted, throwing his words at the corpse.
"You ugly, disgusting creature! Did you really think you could eat me? Now eat and drink your own flesh and blood! Yaaaah!"
150 Exp+
"Purple… skin… crawler spawn?" Max muttered under his breath, staring at the glowing words floating in the air. His heart hammered violently, chest rising and falling like he had just sprinted a mile. He couldn't believe he had survived that… thing.
A shaky breath, trying to calm himself. "STATUS PANEL," he murmured, recalling fragments of the host's memory. Fingers hovered over the floating interface, uncertain but drawn to it.
****
>> STATUS PANEL<<
[Name] Max Eisenwald
[Level] 0
[EXP] 125 / 500
[Age] 16
[Race] ???
[Skills]
* Innate : Survival Reflexes
* Advanced : None
[Abilities] None
[Magic] None
****
Max stared at the numbers. Level 0. Only 125 points toward the next level. Five hundred needed to grow stronger. And that skill—Survival Reflexes. That little thing had just saved his life. Hands trembled slightly at the thought.
It wasn't luck. The surge of power had hit the moment the monster's claws came down.
The body had twisted, rolled, countered almost instinctively. The bar had struck its mark… and it had worked.
A shiver ran down Max's spine remembering the purple blood, the way the monster had staggered. A nervous laugh escaped him.
"Useful… yeah, very useful." Shoulder throbbed, legs trembled, but his mind sharpened.
This world didn't forgive mistakes. Every skill, every level, every decision could mean life or death. To survive, Max had to grow stronger.
Clenching fists, tension in his body twisting into resolve.
"Okay," Max whispered to himself, voice firm despite the pounding in his chest.
"Survived this fight… but the real challenge starts now. Time to see what I'm truly capable of."
A cold unease crept into Max's chest as the sound of metal clanging echoed from the previous carriage.
His eyes snapped toward the source, instantly picking out small, skittering figures crawling across the floor.
Some clung to the ceiling, others clung to the walls, leaping and scrambling with terrifying agility. They moved in every direction, filling the carriage with relentless motion.
What Max feared most in his life crawled before him now—horrifying spiders.
Dozens of them, each nearly a foot tall, advanced toward him with unnerving precision.
Their grey bodies were slick and segmented, two rows of blood-red eyes glowing like coals in the dim light.
Around a dozen black, jagged legs jutted from each body, sharp as blades. Thin spines and viscous hairs bristled along their limbs, glinting like teeth coated in dried blood.
Tik… Tik…
The sound of their claws scraping the metal floor and ceiling echoed through the carriage, creating a suffocating, rhythmic beat that made Max's skin crawl. Every movement was deliberate, predatory.
Max's heart hammered in his chest. These weren't ordinary spiders, they were hunters, and he was the prey.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to focus. His muscles tensed.
Max's heart, calm like still water moments ago, now screamed in terror. Shit! First it had been the ugly purple monster, and now a dozen spiders were crawling straight toward him.
Don't tell me I'm releasing some kind of hormones… when the hell is this trial going to end?
He hurriedly grabbed a meter-long iron bar, its sharp edge cold and heavy in his hands, and held it before his chest in a defensive stance. Stepping back cautiously, his eyes glowed with focus as he tracked the incoming spiders.
The first spider slithered into the carriage, its spindly legs scraping against the metal floor.
Its body twisted unnaturally, and a nozzle-shaped appendage at the tip of its rear swelled ominously. In an instant, it fired a grey, dart-like projectile.
By sheer chance, the arrow struck the iron bar Max was gripping with his right hand.
The impact rattled through the bar, but the force was surprisingly weak. He looked down and saw the bar now covered in grey threads, spider silk, sticky and glinting faintly.
The threads hissed and sizzled as they corroded the iron, releasing faint smoke.
Acidic properties… Max realized instantly. His grip tightened, and his senses sharpened.
Every twitch of the spiders' legs, every rustle of silk across the metal floor, now demanded his full attention.
"This is bad. If any part of my body touches this spiderweb, it's going to hurt… a lot."
Max flung the iron bar at the nearest spiders, forcing them to scatter.
He quickly grabbed another spear-shaped iron bar, about five feet long, holding it firmly with his right hand while supporting it with his left. Muscles tensed, he rushed forward.
The spiders sensed the incoming threat and skittered to the sides, leaving small gaps in their formation. Max seized the opportunity and drove the spear toward the nearest spider.
The sharp iron tip pierced straight through its head, emerging from the underside with a wet squelch.
Max didn't even pause. He swung the shaft, using it to slam the spider against the wall.
Two more spiders collided with the barrier, their bodies hitting with heavy thuds before sliding down, leaving trails of sticky silk and black blood behind.
Max's eyes glimmered with a mix of adrenaline and grim satisfaction. Every movement had to be precise, one mistake, and that acidic silk could ruin him. But for now, he had the advantage.
The spear that had pierced the spider's head sent its body flying before it crashed against the wall.
Max felt heat spreading across his chest as his clothes began to burn, corroded by a spiderweb shot from a creature clinging to the ceiling some distance away.
He didn't notice that he hadn't received any experience points for killing the spiders.
His focus was entirely on the enemies in front of him, leaving him oblivious to the dangerous trap he was about to fall into.