The icy wind of Shadow Mountain bit into Leonardo's skin as he reached the sacred waterfall. His timer was flashing a dangerous crimson: 00:45... 00:44...
Without a second thought, he dove toward the edge of the pool. The water was freezing, like thousands of tiny needles piercing his face.
One wash... Two... His heart hammered against his ribs. Five... Six... By the ninth wash, his muscles were screaming in exhaustion. With a final gasp, he cupped the water for the tenth time and splashed it over his tired eyes.
Ding!
[Mission Accomplished!] Reward: +5 Mana Points, Secret Spell: [Flicker Step] unlocked. Current Mana: 5/100
Suddenly, a warm, golden current surged through Leonardo's veins. The pain in his bleeding knee vanished instantly. He looked down at his palms—a faint blue glow was dancing between his fingers.
"Is this... magic?" he whispered, his voice trembling. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like a 'magicless trash.'
But the mountain had other plans. A low, guttural growl echoed from the shadows. A Shadow Wolf, its eyes glowing with hunger, stepped into the moonlight.
Leonardo froze. He had no weapon, only 5 points of mana and a spell he didn't know how to use. The system screen flickered again:
[Warning: Hostile Entity Detected!] Objective: Survive or Kill. Tip: Use [Flicker Step] to dodge.
The wolf lunged. Leonardo felt a sudden instinct take over. He activated the spell, and in a blur of blue light, he appeared five feet away from his original spot. He had survived the first strike.