Uriel found himself frustrated, angry, and visibly upset for several reasons, one of which was that he was not at home in his soft, comfortable gaming chair with his gaming PC, playing the best games humanity had to offer. Worst of all, he had left his animes unfinished, needing only 34 more episodes to catch up with One Piece.
Letting out a sigh, he stopped banging his head. Anyone who saw him would undoubtedly think he was crazy.
Inhaling the air, he wrinkled his face in a grimace of disgust. The air was horrible—a mix of strong chemicals, rotten garbage, and death. The worst part was that the body he was using carried the same irritating smell.
Ever since he was little, his nose had been very sensitive to smells, something that had always bothered him as he constantly had to deal with even slight odors.
However, in this situation, he could only resign himself.
Looking at his body, Uriel frowned. He was thin, very thin. His light, somewhat tanned skin was covered in dirt and dust. He had bruises and traces of blood that stained his only garment—a shirt with a hole in the chest area, stained with blood but with no wound underneath.
The only good thing he could take from it was that his vision was quite good, and he didn't need glasses.
But everything else stank.
Letting out a sigh and then a yawn, ever since he had arrived in this world a few days ago, he had felt an enormous, abnormal amount of sleepiness. His strength was gradually fading, and he felt he could fall asleep at any moment, yet he resisted.
Pulling an opaque brown tube from his pocket, he removed part of the wrapper and let the pasty liquid reach his mouth before swallowing it. After swallowing, he tried to vomit but managed to keep it down in his stomach.
That pasty sludge was horrible. Uriel would kill for even a piece of decent bread, even with a bit of mold. However, all he had was the synthetic paste the government gave to the people from the outskirts.
Stretching a bit, he began walking toward the nearest police station.
Three days ago, he had discovered where he was, and what he found made him simply resign himself.
He was in Shadow Slave, a cruel and merciless world where the only way to survive was to be strong and kill your enemies.
The world was similar to Earth, except that it had been severely damaged by resource wars centuries ago.
The war had killed billions, eradicating thousands upon thousands of species like elephants, bears, cats, tigers, lions, and a long list of others.
Added to the great war, the Nightmare Spell came afterward, causing another massive upheaval.
However, little of that truly mattered to him.
He knew this world and its mysteries—the Sovereigns, the gods, destiny, the demons—but that knowledge served him little or nothing.
There was nothing he could do to change it, not at the moment. He was a reincarnated person in a world heavily influenced by destiny. Perhaps his arrival was the work of destiny, or a move to defy destiny, or simply an error unseen by destiny.
These and more questions crossed his sleep-deprived mind.
However, one thing he was sure of was that his arrival in this world would bring something. His purpose was something he could faintly feel inside.
At some point or another, he would interact with the group of protagonists, but that would be in the future. As long as he didn't get involved with them, he'd be fine.
His only concern was surviving his first Nightmare.
When Uriel set his thoughts aside, he realized he had stopped in front of the police station.
Inside, there was an officer who looked tired. He gave Uriel a quick glance and frowned with evident displeasure.
"Are you lost, kid?"
Uriel looked around. He could see reinforced armor plates on the walls, and poorly hidden turret nests in the ceilings and walls. The officer looked unkempt and had a mean appearance.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Uriel blinked, snapping out of his trance.
"No," he responded, pausing for a moment before adding, "As required by the Third Special Directive, I am here to surrender as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."
Upon hearing this, the officer's face changed instantly—from annoyance to wariness. He scrutinized the fragile-looking young man with intensity.
"Are you sure you're infected? When did you start showing symptoms?"
"About nine days ago," Alexander replied. In fact, he was surprised about how long he had resisted the urge to sleep. At first, he thought he was simply tired. When he realized what it was, seven days had already passed, and it took him another two to reach the nearest police station.
Alexander watched as the officer's face turned pale.
"Shit." With a quick movement, the officer pressed a button on his terminal and shouted: "Attention! Code Black in the lobby! Repeat! CODE BLACK!"
…
For Uriel, everything happened in a blur. Within minutes, he was immobilized by several officers in a strange chair that prevented him from moving his body. The turrets were deployed and ready in case he turned into a Nightmare Creature if he failed the Spell test.
He felt he was reaching his limit. At most, he had a few minutes left before falling asleep.
The reinforced door of the chamber opened, and a young-looking police officer entered, perhaps in his thirties. His face was scarred, and one of his eyes was covered by a patch. The officer checked the restraints and then took a quick look at his watch.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Uriel."
The officer nodded. "Do you want me to contact your family?"
Alexander shook his head. "I'm an orphan. Don't bother."
The officer's expression darkened for a few seconds upon hearing this, then returned to normal.
"Alright, kid. How long can you stay awake?"
"Uh… maybe another five minutes," he explained.
"Then we don't have much time for the full procedure. Try to resist as long as you can and listen very carefully. Understood?"
Uriel nodded slightly, though he was partially asleep.
"How much do you know about the Nightmare Spell?"
"As much as anyone. Not the dramas or videos on the net," he explained.
"Good. That will speed things up. When you sleep, you will be transported into your first Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, you will encounter monsters, of course, but also people. Remember: they are not real. They are just illusions conjured to test you."
The officer paused and continued. Uriel paid some attention, as sleep was already creeping into his eyes. In any case, he already knew a lot about how to survive and conquer the Nightmare.
After the officer finished giving basic advice, Uriel finally fell asleep.
Uriel saw nothing but darkness for a few moments before a voice echoed everywhere.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your first trial!]