Nathan:

The world went dark and I felt like all the fibres of my body were being pulled and pushed apart, it didn’t hurt mind you, time seemed to pass slow and at the same time it felt like it only took a second for everything to happen, and then as quick as it started it finished and I was there.

Where is there you ask me? No fucking clue. But there I was, in all my glory. I wondered how many people would accept the tutorial and if we would arrive all together on the same spot or I would encounter them as I travelled…

For your bravery you acquired the following:

· (Title) - Tutorial – Extreme Difficulty (5) - Survival

· (Skill) - Analyse (U)

· (Quest) – Multiple Entrances

· 10 Status Points

· 1000 Essence

"What the actual fuck?" I exclaimed, faced with the daunting challenge of "Survival," the hardest difficulty level. I had no clue about surviving, but the allure of better rewards and tougher challenges enticed me. With little at stake and a sense of discontentment in my life—hating my job, living with acquaintances, being in a foreign country without family, and a history of failed relationships—I made a hasty decision, aware of my lack of thoughtful consideration.

Quickly scanning the text, I memorized the information but dismissed it to survey my surroundings. Anxious about potential threats or worse, I found myself in a glade—a serene clearing nestled within a familiar forest. Towering trees, ranging from 45m to 65m in height with long branches, greeted my gaze. Though not entirely unfamiliar, their leaves boasted a distinctive bluish tint. The time appeared to be around 11 am, with the sun radiating brightly in a pleasant sky. The weather was comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold, accompanied by a gentle forest breeze.

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Noticing a change in my attire, I observed that I was no longer clad in shorts and a loose t-shirt. Instead, I wore loose-fitting brownish garments made of an unknown material. Strangely, sandals adorned my feet— an unconventional choice given the foretelling of technological erasure. Perhaps clothing fell within its purview.

Apart from the trees and the peculiar hemp clothing, the clearing housed only a large triangular black stone, reaching up to my hips. As I touched it, a screen suddenly materialized, startling me.

Looking at that, made me think two things, one was that I didn’t have much time in the Safe-Zone, and I would have to eventually find somewhere else safe to stay or make sure this place stayed safe, the second thing was, I would have to leave the clearing and fight whatever was out there, I assumed fighting because I was sure the system wasn’t gonna hand out math exams as a test. I felt troubled and confused, I sat down looking around and I couldn’t see any creatures, or anything alive for that matter which was reassuring, because I had absolutely no idea how to fight or anything to fight with. That’s when reality hit me, I started thinking things through, I was in an Alien Planet as far as I could tell, no one around, no idea what to do, I shouldn’t have chosen this difficulty, what the fuck have I done, I’m no hero, I’ve got into fights before, but they weren’t life threatening.

I started feeling a sense of impending danger, my heart started pounding faster and I was sweating profusely, then my hands started shaking, I knew what was coming, I was having a panic attack…

After 20 minutes passed, I started feeling slightly better, while I lied down in fetal position on the ground and my breath calmed I could faintly hear what seemed to be stream of water which I hadn’t noticed as it was behind an elevation, at last I had water nearby.

I sat down and my brain started working again, sluggish, but my thoughts started coming back to me slowly after a couple minutes of forced meditation. I was aware I was in a safe-area but realization really came to me that I was protected for at least a week so I shouldn’t have to worry for now and I felt like I somehow had overlooked the triangular black stone and it had more to offer.