Chapter 1. The Beginning

The sound of people softly talking, listening to songs as they waited in a line for their turn.

"29 dollars and 56 cents," I said after scanning the last item. The man before me took thirty out, kept them on the counter, picked up the stuff he had just bought, and left.

"Thanks, I guess." There were still thirty minutes until my shift ended.

Afterward, I could go home, play games, or sleep. Living alone had its benefits; cooking was a pain, but my skills were enough to make something decently edible.

The part-timers of the next shift were slowly arriving. Chris, the guy on the counter next to me, got up, ready to leave as his replacement finished changing into his uniform.

"You brought an umbrella?" I asked him when he looked at me. He was always rushing, busy jumping from one part-time to another, and I doubt he even had the time to look at the forecast.

"Why?"

"It's gonna snow."

"Really? I forgot to check the forecast this morning!"

"There are always spare ones at the back, ones that forgot and never came to take it back. Ask the manager, and he'll allow you to borrow one if it's just for a day."

"Thanks, Ray. I'll treat you to something tomorrow." He said and ran off, probably to some other part-time.

The only family he had left was his sister. She was two years younger than him, in her last year of high school. She will be studying at university next year.

Chris was working to pay for her uni, and I did not even know how much he worked nowadays. He was also amongst the toppers of his batch. I wasn't too far below the above-average rank where I regularly placed.

My parents worked at high posts and were always overseas, touring the world as they worked. They sent me enough to pay my fees, rent, daily needs, and a little extra.

If I wanted anything more, I had to earn it. My parents wished I had become independent earlier than others my age. Able to take care of myself and learn about the world early on.

I did learn to cook that way, so it was kind of working.

'It was supposed to be a light snow, not a full-on snowstorm.' I sighed and thought, standing under a building, taking shelter from the raging snowstorm outside.

There were other people with me, cursing at the weather, the forecast, and even their lives. The last group probably had a bad day.

It was almost midnight, and my apartment was quite some distance. I would've reached an hour or two earlier, but on my way home, I met some friends, and they dragged me with them to drink.

I didn't stay there for long, but now I was stuck here because of that slight detour.

Complaining wouldn't stop this snowstorm, and seeing that the weather wouldn't calm down so early, I started reading a book on my phone. This way, I could at least kill some time.

I had only read a few words when something felt off. I looked up, and nothing had changed; the snow and the people were still there. Shrugging, I went back to reading my book but,

I noticed that there were no sounds.

The wind, people, I could hear nothing. I looked up, but everything went dark this time, as if someone had turned off the lights.

I couldn't hear, see, feel, or smell. I was robbed of my senses, and even shouting did not help. I stood there as my brain worked at full speed, trying to comprehend what was happening.

But I was interrupted by a sound, no, not a sound, a thought. That was the closest to how I could describe that weird feeling.

[Star found]

[Sentinent species present]

[Grade: E-]

[Grade does not meet requirements]

[Applying case 8]

[Placing beings in the nearest Trial Tower]

'What is goi-' my thoughts muddled by nausea and a pull that affected my entire body; I probably lost consciousness after that as I remembered nothing.

Waking up, I could feel the grass below me, the refreshing smell you get when the first raindrops hit land. Slowing opening my eyes, I could see vegetation all around me, a lush forest as far as my sight could see.

I was confused. Why was I here? Where is this? But then what happened before I lost consciousness flowed in; I was hoping this was a dream, but these boxes before my eyes screamed that this was all real.

[Choose a weapon]

[Sword]

[Spear]

[Axe]

This list continued with things I didn't even think could be used as a weapon, chains, flutes, and needles. Why was I being made to choose a weapon? What is all this?

I browsed through the options and stopped on twin swords. I was leaning towards a sword, but twin swords didn't sound so bad, either. They were cool sounding and probably cool looking too.

I had never used a weapon before, only a knife and that as a kitchen utensil. Every weapon was new to me, so it didn't matter which I chose; they were all just sharp objects in my hand.

Two swords appeared on the ground in front of me. They were a little curved, not too much, just a little, and the handles had a cover around them in the same direction in which the blade curved.

The handles were black, and the blade appeared to be made of steel, but they were not overly heavy, perfect for swinging them around. They did come with a sheath that I could tie to my waist.

I swung the swords around a little, and while doing that, another box appeared.

[Kill the incoming monster]

"Huh, what?"

Everything felt like a game, monsters, weapons, and quests. I looked around and saw a greyish thing run towards me; it had sharp claws and rows of teeth inside its mouth.

The goblin was approximately three feet tall, but it was fast.

It jumped; I panicked and fell on my butt as I tried to take a step back.

My eyes closed on their own.

Swinging the short sword in my hand and feeling it hit something made me look up to see the monster jumping back with a gash on one of its arms. Red blood dripped as it stared and growled.

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