Axel felt like he was floating the moment he entered the portal, but that same moment didn't last as he found himself hurtling down at a tremendous speed before falling face flat ito a pile of mud.
He coughed up mud from his mouth as he rose; this disgusting substance nearly entered his throat. He couldn't even breathe properly. The mud had slipped down his face, and he stretched out his hand wildly, looking for something to clean his face.
He managed to feel a large leaf and he used it to clean his face.
He got up, throwing the leaf away. He hoped it was not poisonous. He took a look at his surrounding and he knew immediately.
This was not a field, not even in the slightest. It resembled more of a forest, and it was serene and calm where he stood.
There was a ping on his watch and he looked down at it, only for a voice to blare out.
"I just remembered something. I must tell you about the beasts and creatures located in this test. They are ranked from Rank Six, which is the lowest, all the way to Rank Three, which is the highest. Do not be fooled by any of them. Good luck."
Axel scoffed and picked up his sword before stepping out of the mud and beginning to walk into the "field". The occasional chirps and sounds from birds and creatures were adamantbut he continued his journey.
His watch vibrated, and he looked down at it. A holographic interface popped up, and Axel watched it show the leaderboard the old man was talking about.
*1. Sierra Nightshade:45pts
*2. Alae Bardos:40pts
*3. Mina Startlet: 36p.s
*4. Eric Vesna:29pts
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197. Axel Dexerous: 0pt
Axel looked at the leaderboard, his eyes narrowing in thought. The leaderboard showed that people had already started killing the beasts and creatures. Someone named Sierra Nightshade was already in the lead and that person was talented enough to be up there.
Eric was also in the fourth place, and that meant the confidence he had shown earlier was not for show as he had earlier thought. Another holographic interface popped up on the screen of the watch.
[1:42:33]
Axel had only one hour to pass the test, or else he was going to fail. It was time for him to move forward. He immediately began to move forward.
He began to run, his feet club hing on the loose stone and pebbles. He needed to find a beast abandoned fast, to be able to be on the leaderboard. People were already ahead of him and he needed to be part of them.
He was a bit relieved that he knew how to fight from his previous world. He had participated in karate lessons and had won a few competitions. He was also proficient in fencing which he actually loved. He was also an avid reader of webnovels and manga, and he loved watching anime. The latter, he always practiced their fighting scenes secretly and with no hesitation in his room and in hidden places.
But now, he was in another world. He could die here at any moment. The mythical beasts and weird creatures he had watched on television were now real here. If he wasn't careful, he might breathe his last here. And he didn't want that. He had to win this.
He noticed a small grassy trail up ahead and rushed forward. As he reached it, he suddenly stopped. He had heard something. Something that had chilled him to his bones.
A growl.
And he had heard it again.
Suddenly, he felt something drop on his head. It was slimy, hot and it smelled really bad. It was super repulsive to him and he gagged at the smell. He felt it drip onto his nose and he knew what it was.
Saliva.
And where had it come from?
Axel's heart skipped a beat. He slowly looked up. And what he saw made him gasp.
Perched on a large branch, was a creature that was massive in size. The size of a large alligator. Its skin was a mixture of obsidian and purple with the yellow spots designed like polka dots. Its eyes were beady, and they were piercingly blood red. It looked like a komodo dragon. A bigger version.
The creature growled again, its eyes focused on Axel with raving hunger and fascination. Clearly, Alex had become his next meal.
"Oh, shit," Axel whispered in fear, as he slowly and gradually took a step back. But it was all for nothing. Axel watched the creature snarling and then leap down, claws outstretched, serrated fangs open to attack him.
Instinct took over, Axel leapt back, his toes brushing the earth as he launched himself meters away in a flash. Just a heartbeat later, a colossal and snaky claw slammed into the earth where he had stood, the impact cracking the earth in a spiderweb of deep fissures.
Faced with this monstrous creature, every hair on Axel's body stood on end. He didn't even realise he was holding the blade tightly. And now he found himself moving without even realising, his blade already swinging.
The creature snarled and leapt too but Axel was faster. He swung the blade feeling it pass through the creature's neck smoothly and with no resistance. He landed safely as he saw the dismembered headrail into the wet soil, it's faceq caught in a snarl forever, then the body crashed next onto the ground.
Axel watched as the green oily ichor gushed out of the stump of fhe creatures body.
'I actually killed that thing.' He thought, I was shocked and clearly did not believe it. Then his face morphed into a smile, and he grinned.
If he could kill it, then maybe this test would be very easy. Then he heard a ping on his watch, and he looked at it.
[Axel Dexerous: 3pts]
His smile faded into the shadows as he remembered that it was a Rank Six beat and that was why it was easy to kill.
'I should have known.' He thought. "It couldn't be that easy.'
He continued moving forward, breaking into a run when he felt like it. He wasn't going to check the leaderboard until the end of the test because if he did, he would feel distracted and discouraged.
It wasn't long until he saw another creature again. It was furry, feral, and very big. It resembled a Siberian tiger, but what unnerved him was the ferocious fangs that sprouted from its mouth.
"OK," Axel muttered, feeling confident as he stared at the snarling creature. "I can take this one down. It's a Rank Five"
He rushed headlong towards the creature, but then he stumbled, nearly tripping over himself.
"What the....." He muttered, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. "What's happening to me?"
Then it dawned on him. The saliva from the last creature. He was poisoned!
"Dammit!!" He muttered as the tiger, sensing his discomfort, began to advance further towards him." I'm screwed."