It's been a few hours since then, I'm almost naked, covering my privates with a spare towel she reluctantly gave me. I guess it was better for her eyes to see a towel rather than my genitals. I'm not sure why that would be the case.

Anyway, apparently I stink as I look out the passenger side window. It's only sand dunes in sight.

"You stink... where have you actually been? You smell horrible. Don't you shower?"

I appear dumbfounded, using my tongue to check my teeth. "Where I was before, showering or even brushing your teeth was a luxury." If not for my awakening, would my teeth have rotted until I died? I've never bothered paying attention to them, but they at least feel quite pristine. Logically I could've died ten times over just because of them if I wasn't superhuman. Thinking about it makes me shiver a little.

Let alone the eeriness of poisoned blood due to a cavity, the pain from even a single attacked nerve would have turned me mad.

She looks over a few times but doesn't say anything, soon keeping her gaze onto the dunes ahead. It's very sandy I must say. Thankfully there isn't much wind, so I have yet to snack on sand when I open my mouth. I don't mind a bit of crunch in my food, but this one's different.

The road is boring to be fair, so I ended up sleeping during most of it. I guess I was tired. No need to stay alerted anyway, since I can't win in a fight. Might as well use this time accordingly. And before I know it, a large structure is in view.

An airport.

I'll be honest here, it doesn't match the surroundings. It's pretty damn out of place.

I mean, pure white pristine walls and clear glass often taken care of doesn't fit into the harsh desert, nor the rock prisons I was held within. Surprising me further is the lack of surrounding structures. It's not an airport inside a touristic area, it's a damn airport planted in the desert out of nowhere. It doesn't even make much sense, don't you need roads? Do people just rent stuff here? What if you can't pay your way back from here?

But before I draw conclusions, I should first see what the insides look like.

And so I do, led by Melina. It's much more luxurious than I first anticipated. Pristine doesn't fit anymore. I'm almost expecting to see gold plated walls soon. Because, to be fair, there actually is gold ornaments everywhere. What would a bit more do?

I follow her, clearly experienced in this place, as I wonder about everything. Between hard, cold stone, and blazing hot sand, the touch of modernization strikes me deeply.

The arched glass ceiling does wonders to my eyes as light blinds me. It blinds me too much.

Because it isn't the light I'm used to.

[Processing...]

[Challenge feature unlocked.]

[Tier-3 Challenges unlocked.]

[Challenge feature initializing...]

Watching these prompts go, I immediately ask for the bathroom and make a run for it. This doesn't sound good.

[Tier-3 Challenge selected.]

Locked up in a stall I patiently wait. But I don't have to wait for long.

[Initializing Tier-3 Challenge, 'Roar of the Abyss'...]

Roar of the Abyss

Challenge (T-3)

>Objective : Survive the fall.

>Difficulty : Fated

>Mission Difficulty : Beginner

>Mission Failure Penalty : All stats slightly diminished for 30 days.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

[Good luck. And may Fate be with you.]

A feeling of pain emerged from my entire being. I blinked for only a moment, shifting reality. No more was the airport bathroom stall, nor the modern feel. I was immersed in soft freshness and horrible suffering.

My young and fit body, even though slightly malnourished, lacked food no longer. I was sated, yet the flesh that should've protected me, instead brought me to my psychological knees. "Huff!" I breathe in and out, in and out...

[Initialization successful. The host's body has been stabilized.]

"Hey, you guys want to get a drink after that?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I don't know, I've got stuff to do."

[You may pronounce or think 'Status' to obtain more information at any given time.]

I can finally understand. The softness came from dew covered grass. The pain from injuries. But what... who...

Looking up with my eyes only, as I stay sideways on the greenery, my hearing catches onto their discussion.

"Who'll do it?"

"I don't know man, whoever wants to. But he's all bloody and shit, my boots are new."

"Wait, are those..."

"That's right! Bet you didn't notice it before, hey?"

"Brother, if you're going to spend so much, at least make it noticeable..."

Left with only my brain, I read the prompts while listening somewhat.

"Well... hum... you guys don't know shit. Maybe it's not the best looking for its price, but it's comfortable! If it feels good, it's worth goods."

"Sounds like a coping mechanism to me."

"Yup. Definitely."

Status? Just status?

Soul Name : Jack Heltros

Name : ???

Age : ???

Immortal Cultivation : Qi Refining Realm (Sixth Revolution)

Immortal Title : None

HP | ⦿⊚⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (4 / 32)

DT | ⊚⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (1 / 32)

STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F

SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F

END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F

SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F

SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F

WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F

LUCK : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F+

Skill : None

Lost would be an understatement. But before I can fathom how bad my predicament is, it only gets worse. A pressure on my spine, while I lay sideways still. It only takes a moment for the pressure to intensify, the sensation of a sole on my back. I'm being kicked, however I wish it only was for torture. Because the next moment, my body is sent past the gentle grass and pure wind. I'm now hovering briefly over the abyss.

"Wai-" I attempt to speak as my body falls. It falls rapidly.

The sky leaves only a slit above me, heading deeper into the grey rocky ravine. It's uneven, my body turning to face the bottom. My arms flailing around, trying to grab onto something, but to no avail.

Crashing like a falling star, the darkness only grows more intimidating as the bare bottom falls into view.

How long? A couple seconds? Maybe a few.

From the softness of the fresh dew, to the agonizing terror far below. In a few seconds, as wind howls at me, I go from Heaven to Hell.

My eyes widen. My heart stops. My vision blurs. My senses vanish after an explosive burst of damnation.

Right as I'm about to hit rock bottom, quite literally, an unfortunate spur of rock formation stands in the way of my fall. This thin yet sturdy wall of sorts connects with my waist and splits me right in half. The upper portion of my body, the only thing left to feel, spins uncontrollably before landing face first into a puddle. How many bones broken? Too many to count.

How many seconds left to live? Less than I'm comfortable counting.

My eyes dart to the dirty, old water, watching the limited sunlight show me like a mirror. My face... this isn't my face. This isn't my flesh.

But so what..?

Darkness finally preys on my defenseless mind.

.

.

.

[You have failed the mission!]

[Ensuing the Mission Failure Penalty!]

[All of your stats have been reduced by 15% for the next 30 days!]

[Time remaining : 719:55]

Opening my eyes, I'm back into the stall. I definitely feel weakened. Fifteen percent less is no joke. But what is in even worse condition is my frail mind. I can only stay seated on the toilet, my hands in my dirty hair.

"Fuck..."

I cry.

And before long, I'm on the ground, vomiting into the toilet bowl. Goddammit.

Damn it all!

What the fuck just happened? I can't process anything...

A good half an hour later, I slug my way through the bathroom door. Immediately, I'm met with a stern gaze. "What were you doing in here? I've been waiting forever. Did you have diarrhea or something? Had I booked the flight earlier, we would've looked silly by now."

Obvious to my sharpened hearing, but not so much to my blurry eyes, it's Melina. She must have her arms crossed I would guess.

A swipe of my forearm later, my eyes see better already. "Sorry, I was caught up with stuff."

"In the bathroom..? If you say so..." I don't mind her weirded out attitude, as she turns her back to me, directing us both into the right direction. The path leading to our destination is short lived, even though the airport spans quite the surface.

Strangely enough, she doesn't ask about my tears on the way. But she does look bothered. I doubt it's a kindness driven reaction however.

It's fine though, I can just say I'm happy to go back home.

Thinking about it as we get spare clothes for me, I wonder about what's going on back there. I'm not experienced in portal subjugation, but even then, the mess it was seems inadequate. But, like I said, I don't know enough to draw conclusions.

Be it if the space nausea was overwhelmingly potent or not, or whether internal strife helped me in the end, it doesn't matter now. I should just be thankful to be alive and relatively well. Many people ended up with unmarked graves in that place.

Putting on a white shirt and a pair of beige shorts, basically the same as I was used to, except brand new, we're heading to the final destination of this region.

A few annoying procedures later, as well as a five hours long wait, we step foot into the airplane.

I'm excited, I won't lie. It's probably evident when I sit down, letting my leg uncontrollably shake.