Beneath gloomy red skies, on a ruined and desolate Earth cracked everywhere, a young man was panting and hiding behind a gigantic, withered tree, gripping a sharp spear. Despite his visibly fatigued face, his concentration remained unwavering.

Just ten meters away, a black beast- over two meters tall, without eyes, was sniffing the ground for his traces.

The black beast's face was hideous, its jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth. Its tongue lolled out, dripping with saliva as it eagerly sought its prey.

The black beast inched closer to the tree, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. The young man's heartbeat quickened, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He tightened the grip on his spear, every muscle on his body tensed for the impending confrontation.

Within moments, the black beast closed in, merely a few steps away from him.

A hint of a smile crossed his face as the beast took the bait. Now with a little confidence, the young man is determined to survive this ordeal.

As the beast approached near successfully capturing his scent, the young man cautiously positioned himself backward to kill the beast in one go.

*Crack*

But a small, withered branch cracked beneath his foot.

The black beast pounced, excitement and joy evident in its movements. The young man couldn't react in time and fell backward, but he clung to his spear, his only lifeline.

As the beast loomed, the young man raised his spear and shielding his face and vitals perfectly.

'Damn! Why is it so heavy?' The young man cursed, frustrated while feeling the oppression from its weight. When the beast landed on him, his breath momentarily stopped. 

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The beast's saliva splattered onto the young man's face, its foul stench making him gag. With a surge of adrenaline, he kicked the beast's abdomen and rolled away, the ground scraping against his skin.

The beast stumbled, as it was disturbed by the sudden shift of weight.

'It's now or never.'

Knowing that it was his only chance to finish it off, the young man got back immediately and threw the spear by putting all his strength.

The spear plunged deep into the beast's stomach with perfect accuracy. 

Hearing the satisfying thud of the spear hitting its mark, without confirming whether his prey was injured or not, the young man ran away from there.

*AHHUI*

Only the screams of the half-dead beast were heard from time to time. It was full of agony and madness.

Surprisingly, the black breast didn't die from that strike, even the spear wasn't in its stomach. 

Only a deep hole, huge enough for an adult to place hands inside and blood was dripping like a waterfall.

Despite its mortal wound, the black beast stood up and frantically searched for the young man.

Another spear flew through the air, plunging deep into the beast's head."

This time, the beast wasn't even able to scream and fell to the ground, taking its last breath.

The scene fell into silence. 

A minute later, the young man revealed himself. 

The young man who's overly cautious is called Asher, who just turned 18 years old. 

"That was too close," Asher muttered, his voice trembling slightly. He retrieved his spear, the weight of his near-death experience sinking in. 'I need to be more careful if I want to survive here.' he thought, hardening his resolve.

'I need to find a shelter before the sun sets.'

It's been more than 5 hours since Asher arrived in this forsaken world with no people and the sun is above his head, indicating that it was already noon.

Without shelter, surviving in the wilderness teeming with black beasts is tantamount to seeking death. 

Asher sat beside the withered tree, catching his breath. He cleaned his spear with a torn cloth, lost in thought. His thoughts dwelled on the price he paid to arrive here.

[Name: Asher

Status: Cursed

Species: Human

Rank: Awakened

Trait: [Dimensional Body],[Soul Sovereign]

Curse: Nightmare of Regrets

Note: Please do not have any regrets or they will haunt you for the rest of your life.]

[Nightmare of Regrets: Regrets will haunt you forever in the form of nightmare when you are in state of sleep.]