ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 2: ﴾ 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖘 ﴿ ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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﴾ Time Left: 175 seconds ﴿

With 5 seconds already lost, Jay didn't dally any longer and rushed toward his wardrobe. He quickly donned a black tracksuit and a pair of sports shoes. In a hurry, he grabbed his mini trekking bag from the top right corner of his wardrobe and glanced at the countdown notification.

﴾ Time Left: 131 seconds ﴿

Knowing he had little time, Jay moved swiftly, slipping two pairs of clothes and a pair of boxing wraps into his bag. He then ran toward the kitchen, grabbing a few high-calorie foods and stuffing them into his bag along with a kitchen knife that was lying nearby.

When he thought his preparations were complete, he looked back at the countdown notification.

﴾ Time Left: 24 seconds ﴿

With 24 seconds left, he relaxed for a moment, ruffling his long hair that reached his nape. Then, a sudden realization hit him: if the information in the notifications was true, he wouldn't be able to return to Earth for another 18 months.

Since he lived alone, his family would be worried if they didn't hear from him for several days. If he was out of contact for 18 months, they would freak out, possibly believing he had been kidnapped or killed.

Intending to send a message to them, he rushed toward his bedroom, his trekking bag slung over his shoulder. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and, knowing his family would likely be asleep and that he didn't have many seconds left before teleporting, decided not to call. Instead, he shouted, "Hey Siri, send a voice message to Kay!"

By the time he reached his bed, the iPhone screen had brightened, and an animated Siri orb appeared along with a message that stated, "To Kay in Messages, go ahead:" A male version of Siri's voice sounded, audible enough to Jay who neared it in a hurry.

Once the recording started, he spoke as fast as he could in a serious tone, "Kay, listen carefully. I don't have much time to explain. I might be out of contact for the next 18 months due to something I can't explain right now. Please tell the family I went on a long overseas business trip or something similar, so they don't worry. Take care of them in my absence. Bye."

After he finished speaking, Siri displayed a waveform of the recording on the screen along with options to send, cancel, or replay the recording. Just as he tapped the send option, he vanished from the spot where he stood, and his phone fell back onto the bedside table.

After that, Jay appeared in a dense forest. The disorienting sensation of teleportation hit him hard, and with utmost self-control, he suppressed the urge to puke.

He stood still for a moment, taking deep breaths, allowing the nausea to subside. Once he felt steady, he began to search his vicinity, scanning the area for any signs of life. The forest was eerily quiet, and there were no living beings in sight.

In the first few seconds, panic surged through him. Being teleported to an unknown forest terrain in an unknown area was deeply unsettling. However, as he calmed down, a surge of relief washed over him.

He was actually glad that he had prepared himself instead of ignoring the strange notifications. The forest around him was primitive and untouched, its raw beauty both intimidating and awe-inspiring.

The trees were massive, towering above him with heights mostly over 20 meters and average widths of around 4 meters. Their ancient, gnarled trunks seemed to hold the history of centuries past.

Jay couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the size and majesty of these trees. Their leaves formed a thick canopy overhead, filtering the sunlight into delicate, dappled patterns on the forest floor.

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After a few moments of amazement, he forced himself to focus. Spotting an enormous tree with a burrow at its base, he quickly ran toward it. The burrow had a diameter of about 1 meter, providing a potential hiding spot.

He carefully checked the interior of the tree burrow, his heart pounding in his chest. Finding no signs of other living creatures, he sighed in relief.

What surprised him was the size of the burrow. It was spacious, more than he had expected. He entered the burrow, noting that even with his 6-foot height, he had to stand on his toes and stretch his hand vertically to touch the top of the space.

The burrow was dark and cool, a stark contrast to the warm, sun-dappled forest outside.

Stealthily, he exited the burrow, crouching low to avoid detection. He harvested a few nearby bushes, carefully pulling them out by the roots.

With those bushes in hand, he returned to the burrow and used them to cover the entrance, creating a makeshift camouflage. Once inside, he retreated into the darkness of the burrow, the entrance now obscured by foliage.

The interior was pitch black, but the darkness didn't bother him. He sat down, his back against the cool, rough bark of the tree, and began to gather his thoughts.

The notifications had been bizarre and overwhelming, but he needed to make sense of them. As he sat in the quiet solitude of the burrow, he summarized the information in his mind.

An entity named 'System' was assimilating Earth with the rest of the Universe. Due to this, the System required data from individuals with the Innate Abilities with the highest potential. Jay was still clueless about what these innate abilities entailed.

Among the three Sub-Programs of the Trial Program, the ALPHA Program was the first to start. This meant only 11 Chosen were teleported into the Trial Zone initially.

After three months, another 100 individuals would be selected for the BETA Program to enter the Trial Zone. Since he couldn't discover any of the remaining 10 Alpha Chosen near him, Jay realized they must have been teleported randomly within the Trial Zone.

He tried to communicate with this 'System' but was only met with awkward silence. After a moment, he mumbled to himself, "If I want to survive, hiding won't do. I have no idea how long I'll be stuck in this place, and I can't afford to sit idle. I need to find water and food, and figure out how to navigate this environment. Waiting around could be a death sentence."

With that realization, he decided he needed to find a water source and gather food.

While deep in thought, a glint at the top-left of his vision interrupted his train of thought. He blinked, trying to focus on the strange shimmer that had caught his attention.

﴾ ALPHA Program | Day - 1 | 00:12:47 ﴿

The display showed the time since he had teleported to the Trial Zone. Another discovery was a letter 'S' at the top right of his vision. Curious, Jay thought about it, and a notification tab abruptly appeared in front of him.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ STATUS ﴿

Name: Jay | Age: 23

Race: Lesser Human ⧼Male⧽

Level: N/A | Tier: N/A

Life Energy: 25/100

Strength: 12 | Agility: 10

Vitality: 11 | Endurance: 12

Spirit: 8 | Luck: 7

Health: 110/110

Stamina: 60/60

Spirit Energy: 40/40

Undistributed Stats: 0

INNATE TALENT:║LOOT║⧼ Locked ⧽

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

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