10 The first trial: Savage Rival

'Why is everything always going wrong?' Adam thought in panic, remembering a famous law stating that anything that could go wrong would go wrong.

He refused to succumb to despair and started to have delusional thoughts to uplift his mood. 'The message never specified the kind of trial I'll have to face. Maybe it'll be knowledge-related or a physical test like push-ups, abs or pull-ups.'

As he revelled in his fantasies, the thirty seconds passed in a flash, and the room rumbled to life. The white stone slabs covering the ground became soft and brown as trees sprouted, reaching maturity in a few seconds.

Soon, a lush forest filled his vision as the darkness above disappeared, replaced by a blue sky.

His eyes widened in shock at the supernatural transformation, bewildering him as the fresh scent of nature invaded his nostrils before rows of texts appeared again.

[Defeat five wild beasts to complete the first trial.]

[Reward's quality and uses are based on the type of beasts defeated.]

[Slay the boss to obtain the highest reward.]

[Remaining time: Forty-eight hours.]

"@4#C! ~." He cursed. What he dreaded ultimately happened. It was not a physical test. No. He had to defeat ferocious beasts in the wilds.

"What rotten luck. Kill wild beasts? Who am I? Where am I? Get me out!" He yelled, grabbing his head in despair.

No matter what beasts he faced, he had no confidence in winning. As a modern and civilized citizen, combat was an alien concept to him, an uncharted territory in his otherwise orderly life.

The human physique, while remarkable in its own right, paled in comparison to the primal prowess of wild beasts. Their dominance in the food chain stemmed from the cunning of their minds, not their brawns.

ROAR

As he pondered in despair, a terrifying growl took him out of his daze. He gazed at the bushes a hundred meters away, a visceral fear gripping his heart as his legs trembled.

A brown bear about 1.5 meters tall gazed back at him, ferocity flashing in its feral eyes.

Some people genuinely thought that after a few years of training, they could fight a bear head-on and win. However, he knew...

He knew the nightmarish creature would swat him to death instantly if he were caught.

Win against a bear? Who are you kidding? That thing weighed, at a minimum, three times his weight. One hit was all it would take for the bear to turn him into a bloody mass of ripped flesh and broken bones.

Panicking, he made the worst possible mistake. He turned, exposing his back to the beast, and ran away.

Who could blame him, though?

It was the first time he encountered a bear in his life. He didn't know that showing his back and fleeing would instantly make him appear as easy prey in the beast's mind.

ROOOOOAR

Without surprise, the bear pursued him relentlessly, asserting dominance with a thunderous roar. Its four deadly paws left deep gouges in the earth as it thundered forward at an appalling fifty kilometers per hour.

Alarmed by the terrifying roar and the sound of the heavy paws colliding with the ground, he turned his head and witnessed the charging beast in dread.

"AHHH, leave me alone. I taste terrible!" He screamed in gloom as he scrambled up a tall tree, believing he would be safe inside its dense foliage.

After swiftly climbing a few meters, he instinctively peered down, hope swelling within him.

With bated breath, he saw the bear reach the tree and circle it before raising its head, gazing at its prey.

He sighed in relief, thinking he escaped his dangerous predicament and could finally catch his breath.

However, under his shocked gaze, the bear stood on its hind legs and swiftly ascended the tree, shattering his sense of safety as he realised bears were capable climbers.

"Son of a..." He muttered while resuming his climb, moving his limbs faster than ever.

After climbing a few meters, he glanced down, watching with a sinking feeling as the distance between them dangerously narrowed.

The bear was faster than him. It would catch up in a dozen seconds at most.

Faced with his impending doom and overwhelmed by panic, he utterly gave up on his rational thinking.

Fueled by his survival instinct, the cracking sound of nearby branches being broken resounded as he hurled them at the bear below, desperate to slow its pursuit. "Don't come closer! Stop following me. AHHHH!" his voice echoed through the forest, a mixture of fear and defiance.

Sadly, without proper footing and aiming, the branches didn't help much as they rebounded against the thick fur of the creature.

Cornered and feeling the icy touch of death caressing his back as if to call him into its embrace, something snapped in his mind.

He halted his vain struggle, his mind now devoid of distractions, his eyes ablaze with defiance. With resolve hardened, he seized a thick, sturdy branch, planted his foot firmly on another, and leapt into the abyss.

With the branch tightly clenched between his two hands, he raised his arms above his head as his hateful words reverberated against the calmness of the forest.

"You want to eat me? Fuck you. I'll make sure my flesh is the most bitter you ever tasted."

Simultaneously, he brought his arms down, every muscle and joint straining with the effort as he aimed the branch at the bear's left eye.

He was done shaking in fear. The creature wanted to devour him? Fine. He would fight back and make it regret ever facing him.

The branch plunged into the bear's eye for a few centimeters before breaking against its thick skull in a rain of splinters.

The bear opened its broad maw and roared painfully, his long and sharp fangs akin to knives in full display, ready to bite the human who dared to harm him to oblivion.

However, his counterattack wasn't done yet. He was still clenching half the branch in his hands, and the broken part offered him a pointed weapon.

Instinct guiding his movement, he plunged it into the bear's remaining eye and pushed with all his strength.

The bear, assaulted by the pain of feeling his brain being pierced through his right eye, lost his grip.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOWR

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Human and beast screamed, one in pain and outrage, the other in hate and madness while plummeting to the ground.