SYNOPSIS:

> Summoned to another world, Arc must become a hero— or die trying.

>

> Arc was an ordinary young woman from Earth trying to make it through college when she found herself in a frozen wasteland, armed with nothing but a spear, and hounded by monsters. It is a trial given to her by the System to become a Hero— a hellish training for her to undergo for reasons she does not know.

>

> And when she finally escapes, she emerges with only a single goal: to find answers on why she was summoned here. And if someone gets in her way?

>

> She’ll make them regret it.

CHAPTER. 1: RESOLUTION OF SURVIVAL

Hell⁠— I was in hell.

I was panting, my heart was working overdrive in order to keep me running. My legs screamed after every step as they felt like giving up at any given moment.

I was never athletic⁠— always preferring to stay inside and paint, I was an art major, a lazy one at that. Exercise was never really a priority in my life, I never thought it would be a priority, but I was wrong⁠—

The white beast behind me shrieked, trying to rip me to shreds.

I gritted my teeth, expecting the twisted monster to catch up at any moment. Yesterday had been a normal day, with art studies and practices⁠, it ended uneventfully, until⁠— I found myself in this white snowy hell. Plains of white, dead grass and trees, and a wretched creature that immediately attacked me⁠—

Over five minutes had passed and the thing wasn’t letting up.

I looked behind only to see the incarnation of hatred, a beast of white fur and red eyes that resembled a wolf. An animal that was more aggressive than anything I knew of; one seemingly driven by primal hatred. Why was it attacking me? Why did it have a personal grudge against me?!

“What the fuck is your problem?!” I screamed jumping over a fallen tree.

The dead tree exploded right behind me as I stared in horror, my question resounding in the air never to be answered until a screen flashed in front of the wolf.

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

“What the fuck?!” I cried before focusing on running; what was⁠— and another screen flashed before my vision with a chime.

[ The Arctic Wolf is the starting enemy for your training as a Hero. ]

My eyes skimmed over the words⁠ before screaming out loud— “That doesn’t make sense!”

I ran into a forest of dead trees. What were the floating screens?! Was I in some kind of game?! Nothing made sense, not even how rabid the beast behind me was⁠—

And another screen appeared.

[ Arc. You have been chosen as a Hero by The System due to your talents. You have been summoned to E̴͕̻̔̿̊̑͜r̸͉͍̅̒͑̍ŗ̶̗̭̬̮̦̇̈̓͜ǫ̸͈̽́̽͑̂͋̋̕r̴̙̯̼͓̙̲̙͉̃̓͂̆̾̀̌̀ in order to maintain the E̴͕̻̔̿̊̑͜r̸͉͍̅̒͑̍ŗ̶̗̭̬̮̦̇̈̓͜ǫ̸͈̽́̽͑̂͋̋̕r̴̙̯̼͓̙̲̙͉̃̓͂̆̾̀̌̀ and purge the Ư̸̖̦̥͑̌͋̀͘n̷̳̼̙̐̎͌͐̈́̈͜ḵ̶̢̥̬̘̪̯͐͊ͅṇ̶̢̲̌͆͝o̷͇̓̅͐͌̐̄̽̈́w̵͚̤̮̖̋̀͛̂n̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏.

You are currently undergoing training. ]

“That still doesn’t make sense!” I panted.

What System? What Hero? Error, Error, Unknown? Training⁠⁠— ?! What the fuck!

I wove in between the numerous dead trees, trying to run away from the rabid beast chasing behind me. My eyes darted, trying to find the best path for me to take, but at that moment, I heard the breathing of the best behind me on my neck, and the explosion of wood.

My heart skipped a beat as I immediately swerved in a different direction, nearly tripping. Why was it so relentless— I heard the roars of hatred coming for me— Where had the wolf even come from? It appeared mid-air!

I ran from the beast as it tore through the forest—

“I’m going to die⁠—” There was no other way about it. It was only a matter of time. “I don’t want to die!” I cried, running.

And at that moment, a new screen appeared.

[ You have received Tier: F. Weapon: Training Spear.

Show your resolve to become a hero or die trying. ]

A small light fixture appeared from thin air as a black spear manifested before me, floating at the same speed I ran. My mind spun⁠— Show resolve or die? Was there no other option? I heard the wolf chasing after me, it was an impossible situation, but now⁠— now I had a weapon.

I hesitated, but I still reached out for the spear as I held it in my hand. I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to fight either, but running wasn’t getting anywhere, and the more I ran the more tired I felt. I didn’t want to fight, but I literally had no other choice.

Gritting my teeth, I spun around to face the wolf, only to see it already jumping towards me⁠— I raised my spear, almost by instinct as I thrust into the jumping beast. The black blade of the weapon pierced the shoulder of the wolf as it squealed.

The weight of the monster made my arms tremble as I somehow sent the massive white wolf onto the ground, shrieking in pain. I didn’t understand how I had enough strength to do so, how I still had breath even after running for so long, but it didn’t matter now.

I drew back my spear as adrenaline pumped through my veins, immediately driving the weapon into the wolf’s neck. Somehow managing to pull it back before dodging the claws of my adversary, driven by nothing by instincts I side-stepped yet again as I stabbed forward⁠—

The Arctic Wolf shrieked as its crimson blood splattered, and at that moment another screen flashed.

[ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]

I drew back the spear deep breaths as I stared at the limp white beast… It was dead. I sighed, I had managed to kill it, and I was now safe. My eyes wandered around the vast white land and decayed forest.

Just how did I get here?

I stared at my surroundings for a few moments, before another screen flashed before my eyes.

[ You have acquired a Skill: Frenzied Whirlwind. Tier: F. ]

[ Well done. Intensity has been increased. ]

Skill? My mind paused⁠. I didn’t understand what that meant⁠— and what did it mean by intensity? I stared at the screen for a few moments, before a flash in the distance distracted me. I turned and⁠— more flashes of light appeared around me. All spawning new enemies into the world, the same kind of hate-driven beast I had just killed⁠—

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

…

Dozens appeared in my surroundings and I paled.

There were so many of them. My mind almost stilled as I stared at my surroundings. They had practically come from thin air, the same kind of hate-driven beasts as the one I had just killed. Except, there were dozens instead of one.

Was this what it meant by Intensity⁠—

And they growled as they immediately took notice of me. My mind spun as I immediately turned around gripping my spear in fear. I couldn’t fight so many at once. There were far too many of them, if they caught up to me I would be done for.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

My heart raced as I jumped over a dead tree, the growls of the numerous Arctic Wolves resounded in my ears as I made my attempt to escape.

The forest in my surroundings blurred as I quickly exited it, with the wolves following closely behind me. Rabid and full of hatred. I ran for my life as the symphony of death chased after me. There had to be something.

A way to escape⁠—

And my eyes saw a rock formation in the distance, one that resembled a cave. It was far away, and it wasn’t a guaranteed way to escape, but the snarls behind me kept me from thinking as I focused on running. I just had to escape⁠—

I was tackled, rolling through the snow as I tussled with an Arctic Wolf. My heart raced⁠—

“Fuck off, get away⁠— fuck⁠—” I cursed slamming and kicking it. My spear stabbed into its shoulder as I managed to kick it away. “Gah⁠—”

It scratched my leg as I finally managed to kick it away. I scrambled making distance between me and the wolf⁠⁠— and another wolf tackled me as I hit the cold hard ground with a grunt. It went directly for my neck as I raised my spear and made it bite into its shaft.

The Arctic Wolf pressed down as I struggled to fight with its strength. The growls rushed as I rolled with the wolf, finally managing to break its grip and drawing back my spear before stabbing it in its direction. Nicking its leg as it snarled, and at that moment, by sheer instinct, I side-stepped as a wolf narrowly missed me.

I backed off only to hear growls behind me, and that’s when I realized, I was surrounded⁠.

Fuck⁠—

A deep bellow shook the land as my heart instinctively felt primal fear⁠— what was that⁠— and the land shook. Trees inside the forest fell, as a shadow towered over the sky. Almost every single wolf in unison shivered as they all turned, and at that moment I saw it.

An impossibly large being of white fur and animal features, imposing with red lights for eyes⁠—

And it stepped forward as its step seemed to dwarf the land, immediately slamming down⁠— blood and entrails, snow and dirt exploded as two wolves not too far away from me were stomped out of existence in just a single moment.

What is⁠—

[The Overlord: Tier: ???]

And another screen flashed.

[ The final opponent of training, training will come to an end once The Overlord has been defeated. ]

I had no time to even try and understand what the screen just said as It stomped once more, killing another wolf in an instant. Snarls and growls drew me back to reality as I turned around and ran. All of the Arctic Wolves in my surroundings shrieked as they spread in multiple directions.

I ran in the direction of the cave as all the wolves spread out, panic blaring through the atmosphere as my mind blared warnings in all directions. I ran with all I had, the panicked shrieks in my surroundings echoed as I rapidly closed in towards the cave.

However, I was not alone as another Arctic Wolf chased after me, its ragged and desperate breath sent shivers down my spine, as it sped up before it⁠— jumped.

I ducked, barely avoiding its tackle as it landed with a burst of snow.

The Arctic Wolf immediately turned to attack me once more, frenzied and panicked, its fur standing on end as it took a step towards me— and it exploded. An icicle of ice appeared along with an explosion of snow as I heard the roars of the Overlord in the distance.

I craned my head only to see a silhouette with flashes of lights moving, hearing distant slaughter⁠—

My heart skipped as I turned around and ran towards the cave.

Those few seconds were grueling, seared into my mind as I was terrified beyond reasonable belief. But eventually, I made it inside before going down the ice ravine it was connected to, once I heard calm, that was when I finally relaxed.

I was… safe.

I stared at my shaking hands, at the spear lying next to me, and there was only one thought in my mind after all of that.

“What the fuck is going on…” I stared at the icy ceiling. “I was just doing fucking anatomy practice out of all things, and now I am in this frozen hell⁠— what even is the System anyway?! What is this hero thing!?” I cried in anger.

I didn’t understand it. The flashing screens⁠— were they the System like a videogame or something⁠— no, ignoring that; what. What even was happening, what was this training thing⁠— what was this place?

And at that moment, a screen appeared.

[ These are the training grounds for you, Arc, to become a Hero in order to maintain the E̴͕̻̔̿̊̑͜r̸͉͍̅̒͑̍ŗ̶̗̭̬̮̦̇̈̓͜ǫ̸͈̽́̽͑̂͋̋̕r̴̙̯̼͓̙̲̙͉̃̓͂̆̾̀̌̀ and purge the Ư̸̖̦̥͑̌͋̀͘n̷̳̼̙̐̎͌͐̈́̈͜ḵ̶̢̥̬̘̪̯͐͊ͅṇ̶̢̲̌͆͝o̷͇̓̅͐͌̐̄̽̈́w̵͚̤̮̖̋̀͛̂n̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏. ]

I snorted. “Fuck off…” And a sigh left me. “I just want to go home…”

I didn’t understand what was going on, or what the purpose of things was, however, I didn’t want to deal with this bullshit.

[ You will remain in this place until your training is finished. Great talent resides within you. ]

“Shut up.”

I was stranded in fantasy land. I didn’t want to fight anymore, I didn’t even want to kill that Arctic Wolf, but I had no choice, and for some reason, I didn’t even fucking hesitate to stab it. For some god-forsaken reason, I even had a vague instinct of what to do. The impression of its death was practically nothing in my mind.

I could sleep and forget about it.

I closed my eyes. “Fuck.”

I shouldn’t have been able to run for so long, nor have that much strength. It took me a moment to calm down before I stared at the fallen spear on the ground. Right now, nothing made sense to me; I wasn’t this strong or physically gifted in the past.

Why now?

[ Because you are a Hero candidate. Great potential resides within you. You have learned a skill, it should come in second nature to use it, so long as you desire it. ]

I scowled. “I said to shut up!”

But even then, the words of the floating screen resided in my head. I had been able to run for so long because I was a Hero candidate? And then there was the skill I quote on quote “learned”. I remembered that notification. But still…

Second nature?

I slowly stood up and grabbed my spear. I didn’t want to believe the floating words, but I still prepared a stance and focused for just a moment⁠— Frenzied Whirlwind⁠— and during that instance, I could imagine the skill for a moment. A series of fast and lethal thrusts of the spear, I just had to⁠—

Do it!

I lunged with my spear forward as my muscles tensed, and at that moment a familiar feeling overtook my actions as I followed it; stabbing multiple times in quick succession towards the air, and⁠— the feeling ended as soon as it came. The skill ended just like that.

I stared at the air in silence.

“What was… that?”

I was… I didn’t⁠— things didn’t make sense right now. I shook my head. Even if I accepted everything I had just been told in full stride, there was still a huge problem⁠—

What am I even supposed to do now?

I didn’t want to die in this place. I was stuck in a cave, the twisted Overlord thing was still above ground, I was⁠—

And at that moment a growl entered my ears. I looked towards the curve of the tunnel, where an Arctic Wolf immediately ran towards me, baring its fangs.

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

I raised my spear as I prepared myself to receive the pouncing beasts, but at that moment more roars joined it, as two more monsters rounded the corner.

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

[Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]

Fuck⁠— I stabbed forward, making the Arctic Wolf squeal, and without giving me respite, the two other monsters pounced on me. Forcing me to draw back. My heart was rushing once more as I took deep breaths, my arm was still in pain from the injury earlier⁠—

I didn’t want to die.

And the wolves attacked again as I was pushed back. It was three against one, my mind whirled, panicking for answers as I somehow dodged and ducked between the attacks⁠—

I had to use the skill⁠.

Otherwise, I was going to die⁠—

And a wolf pounced as I prepared the spear, this time following the familiar motions⁠ as something inside of me engaged, my arm muscles tensing⁠— [Frenzied Whirlwind]⁠— I stabbed multiple times forward in an instant, piercing through the torso of the wolf numerous times as a screen flashed.

[ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]

Then, the two other wolves pounced on me as I drew back. One missed and the other one managed to scratch my arm as I grunted. Holding my spear before thrusting once more⁠—

I stabbed onto the closest wolf drawing blood, before reeling my spear and⁠— [Frenzied Whirlwind⁠]—

Stabbing multiple times through the wolf⁠—

[ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]

I panted watching the now-dead wolf on the ground, I felt more tired than ever. Meanwhile, the last remaining Arctic Wolf pounced on me as I attempted to dodge, but I was sluggish as it managed to slash at my arm, drawing a grunt from me.

Just once more⁠—

My body was screaming at me to stop, and yet I raised my spear anyway, ignoring all protests. If I stopped now, there would be no tomorrow; there would be no nothing. The wolf snarled as I prepared my spear and it rushed⁠—

[Frenzied Whirlwind⁠]—

I stabbed thrice onto the wolf before the skill ended from pure exhaustion. The beast yelped as it drew back bleeding, but I marched forward with labored breaths as I used all my remaining strength with one final stab.

[ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]

And it died…

I collapsed on the ground as another screen appeared before me.

[ You have leveled up. ]

[ Levels are a window to growth, granting you attributes and the capacity to be stronger. ]

[ Certain milestones will grant bonus rewards as well as Skills to aid you in battle. ]

[ As a Hero your attributes have been automatically distributed in an optimal manner. ]

I stared, glazing over all of the text, as I barely registered its meaning past being stronger. After, a long sigh of relief hit me. Despite everything that had happened, I was still very much alive.

My mind wandered back to the initial chase, the confusion I felt upon getting to this frozen land, and finally, at the Overlord⁠—

The final opponent of training.

I still didn’t understand what the System was, or if I could even return home, but right now, there was a simple resolve in my mind.

I’m going to kill the Overlord.

Slowly, I stood up and reached for the spear impaled on the Arctic Wolf, drawing it from its body with a splatter of blood.

I’m going to live no matter what.

Author Notes:

> Thanks you all for reading! I will be posting a bunch of chapters today, and from there on 5x a week! Or at least that's the plan. I'm pretty excited about Arc, and had a blast writing it.

>

> I want to extend a special thank you to MelasDelta, author of Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero] and Salvos for helping me with feedback and constructive criticism and beta reading during the writing of Arc, as well as simply being and amazing friend and mentor throughout my writing journey. If you haven't read their works, I highly recommend them!