Sora pressed on with her training, her breath tearing from her chest in harsh, uneven gasps. Sweat clung to her skin, muscles trembling as the hours bled together into a single, merciless stretch of exhaustion.
By the time she staggered to a halt, the sun had began to set. As if responding to the coming dusk, distant howls rose from the forest—long, hungry cries that sent a chill crawling up her spine.
Sora wiped the sweat from her brow and steadied herself, forcing her breathing to slow.
'The night is closing in… she thought grimly. I have to move.'
"Let's see what comes next."
Physical Training Initiated
• Style: Basic Survival Conditioning
• Environment: Forest Clearing
• Assistance: None
[TRAINING TASKS]
• Continuous Run: Completed
(Stamina and leg strength)
• Tree Striking Drill
— Punch Tree Trunk x50
— Palm Strikes x30
(Knuckle toughness, arm strength)
• Weapon Weight Familiarization
— Carry Halberd while walking: Completed
"Tree striking drill?" Sora glanced at the prompt, her expression twisting with clear reluctance. This was not something she wanted to do.
"I suppose my opinion doesn't matter," she muttered.
The thought of the penalty alone was enough to silence any further complaints. Now Sora found herself standing in a vast expanse of a surreal landscape standing befoe a sturdy tree at the middle.
It had taken her minutes to find this tree but at least she was here and now she could begin her training.
'So… how am I supposed to do this? Do I just strike it?'
Sora balled her fist, raising it in he head and bringing it down with terrible force, the tree shaking from the force. She stopped for a second, her brain trying to process the pain then a scream emerged from her lips.
She held her hand in pain, the pain from the strike burning.
Sora clicked her tongue. "Well, that was pointless."
She had spoken sooner as the system dinged another time.
Punch Tree Trunk—1/50
The young elf let out a ragged sigh, she tightened her fist another time and began, striking the tree continuously, her fists burning, bleeding. Soon, she was done moving to palm strikes.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Training Completed
• Status: Success
• Timer: Halted
• Penalty: Avoided
• Condition: Satisfied
[RESULT]
• Endurance: Improved
• Strength: Increased
• Discipline: Reinforced
>> System standing by for next quest.
Sora gasped for air, her fists bleeding. Then her body begam to glow, a feeling of ease rushing through.
The pain from her fists subsided, almost like it never happened. The young elf looked down at her body which felt lighter now.
Then it emerged once more with a message.
Mental Resistance Limit Reached
Entering Forced Slumber
• State: Rest Mode
• Duration: Calculating…
• Recovery: In Progress
• External Awareness: Suppressed
[NOTE]
Mental fortitude will regenerate during slumber.
Further actions are locked.
>> System entering standby…
As Sora read through, before she could mutter a word, her body went limp, eyes rolling back as she fell to the ground.
She awoke with a start, but this time she was no longer in that landscape now in her bedroom.
'Was that... a dream?'
She sat, her mind still raced with little thoughts again on what just happened. She was sure that she did all those training.
How did she emerge here?
Before she could dwell on it further, the system chimed, pulling her attention away from her thoughts. A new message appeared, and for a moment, Sora wondered if it was another quest. But this was different. She leaned closer to read it:
[[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Reward Acquired
• Item: Gift Box
• Source: Training Completion Reward
• Status: Secured
• Inventory: Added
>> Open gift box?
'A gift? Now of all times?' Sora frowned as she muttered in her thoughts, well at least that whole training wasn't a dream.
She tapped her finger against the option.
At the foot of her bed, a parcel materialized. She reached for it, and as soon as her fingers touched the wrapping, it shimmered with a bright white light. When the glow faded, a single key rested in her palm.
[You have obtained a dream key]
Sora stared at the key, her mind buzzing with questions. A dream key? What was it for? How was she supposed to use it? The mysteries kept piling up, and Sora couldn't help but feel that her life was spiraling into something far beyond her control.
Sora swung her legs off the bed, settling into a seated position at the edge. The cold air brushing against her exposed thighs and waist, as she stared down at this peculiar key in hand. 'A key?' she thought, tilting her head slightly. What kind of door could this open?
Maybe it belonged to a hidden magic door, because Sorelia had already made it quite clear that magic existed. Or perhaps there was a phrase she had to say to activate it.
Determined to test out her theory, she stretched forth her hand, the key glinting in the dim light of dawn. Her eyes narrowed with focus, as she commanded, "Open," But nothing strange or exciting occurred. The room remained silent, the key still in her hand. Frustration flickered across her face, the type her mother would give her if she refused to help in the kitchen instead of watching other blacksmiths work as she pulled her hand back, glaring at the key.
But she refused to give up so easily.
Maybe there was a specific word, something more fitting. Once more, she extended her hand.
"Open"
A swirling vortex of shadows and golden light burst to life around her, tendrils of energy snaking through the air.
'Well, that was easier than I expected'
Sora gasped, her eyes wide as the wind in the room intensified, lifting objects off the ground and sending them spinning. The shadows coalesced, forming a massive gate right in front of her. It was an eerie, otherworldly structure—a metal frame with a shimmering, translucent black surface that seemed to ripple like liquid. Shadowy tendrils extended from it, reaching out toward her.
Sora's eyes widened in shock.
'What is that thing? Why is it heading this way? Am I about to be killed?'
The tendrils held her, grabbing every part of her body, pulling her toward itself as shadows engulfed her, and in an instant, the gate vanished, leaving the room eerily silent and still once more. Sora was gone, swept into whatever realm the dream key had unlocked.
Sora groaned in pain as she pushed herself up from the rough, stony ground, her body aching from the impact she endured. Her nightwear, already barely covering her, was now torn and dirtied with stains of blood, clinging to her skin in tatters. She winced as she touched her face, her fingers coming away with a faint smear of blood from the cuts left by the jagged rocks. The ground beneath her was unforgiving—a stark opposition of the soft rice fields she had seen in her dreams.
Shakily, she rose to her feet, her legs trembling as she steadied herself. The rocky terrain had scraped her knees and palms, leaving small but stinging wounds. She glanced behind her, hoping to see the gate that had dragged her into this strange place, but there was nothing—just an empty, desolate expanse. Her heart sank as she realized she was trapped in whatever this underworld could be.
'Goddess above… where in the world am I?'
She wasn't sure where this key had taken her but just as the system mentioned, she was now in some dream world.
Turning her gaze forward, Sora's eyes widened. In the distance, rising from the center of the stony field, was a massive castle. Its towering spires pierced the gray sky, and its dark, imposing walls seemed to radiate an aura of both grandeur and foreboding. The castle looked ancient, its stonework weathered by time, yet it stood as if it had been waiting for her arrival.
Sora's mind raced.
She read through her system, looking for maybe a single answer or more if she was lucky.
Name: Sora Miragale
Title: ...
Stage: 1st Stage
Class: Chaos Gauntlet User
Rank: D
Physical Amplification (PA): 25
Chaos Output (CO): 22
Adaptation (ADT): 25
Entropy Control (EC): 23
Stability (STB): 23
Mental Resistance: 24/50
'Well, there's nothing... Only my status which has increased'
Now that she was here with no idea of how to escape, there was no time to dwell on it, with no way back and no other options in sight, she took a deep breath and began walking toward the castle, each step cautious and deliberate on the uneven ground.
As she drew closer, the castle loomed larger, its details becoming clearer. The gates were massive, wrought iron adorned with intricate designs that seemed to shift and change as she looked at them. The air around the castle felt heavy, charged with an energy that made her skin prickle. Sora hesitated for a moment at the base of the steps leading up to the gates, her heart pounding in her chest.
A heavy sigh escaped from her lips. "Well, if this is the end," she whispered, "then I'll meet it head-on."
With a determined breath, she climbed the steps, her hand reaching out to push open the heavy gates. As they creaked open, a rush of cold air swept past her, carrying with it the faint scent of something ancient and mysterious. Sora gulped, her heart beating as she stepped inside, her eyes adjusting to the dim light as the gates closed behind her with a resounding clang.
Candles that levitated at the sides, lit up with blue flames slowly revealing a red carpet that went on and on and many pictures of mystical beasts and beings. And finally at the middle of this strange section, she could clearly see multiple red eyes glaring at her.
Sora was taken aback by this, and before she could react the candles had all been lit, revealing five pairs of glowing red eyes emnetting from a pack of beasts, their mouth filled with bile that trickled down their jaws as they growled or rather—laughed.
These were hyenas but not just any type of hyenas. They stood as humanoid entities, ready to tear her to shreds.
Above their heads, a glowing screen appeared with a name displayed on it in a white color.
[Common Gnoll]
Yes, that was indeed teir names. Dangerous creatures who often appeared in groups.