As Leon and Elvis walked down the hallway, Leon couldn’t help but wonder why the human girl was in this world.

‘Am I not the only one who was transported here?’

If there were other humans here, this was big. If he could team up with them, they would have a greater chance of finishing this trial.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Elvis whispered, “To defeat an Oni, we need to crush the third eye that it has. So, you’ll distract it, then I’ll destroy the eye with a Mana blast.”

Leon nodded. “Seems simple enough. Are you sure the Wendigo won’t stop us though?”

Elvis shook his head. “It most likely won’t. It’ll keep watching from afar.”

The two exited the hallway, then cautiously entered the lunchroom, gagging at the stench. “Do Oni smell this bad?”

Elvis nodded, his face a pale green. “C’mon, we need to focus.”

Leon and Elvis hid beneath a table, cautiously surveying the monster before them.

It was huge, at least 10 feet tall, with such heavy mass that the ground cracked beneath every step.

“Wish me luck.” Leon leaped over the table, activating his Skill Tree.

[Cosmos’s First Step: Heat Death]

The Oni flew back, its weight working against it, causing it to slam into the wall. Dust flew from the ceiling and the lunchroom walls began cracking.

The huge giant growled, brandishing his huge club. ‘A kanabō,’ thought Leon, dodging a swing that decimated half of the room.

Luckily, as Leon was more trained in dodging and defense, he could evade the heavy and clumsy attacks.

He quickly brought the sword up, deflecting a quick swing. Although he had directed the powerful strike instead of directly blocking it, the resulting shockwave was still enough to send him flying.

“Uekh!”

Coughing up blood as he crashed into the wall, Leon fired a blast of fire at the Oni. However, it simply batted out the powerful fiery torrent.

Elvis called out. “It’s immune to all Elemental magic! Don’t waste your Mana!”

Nodding, Leon dodged another swing. Twisting his torso, he managed to cut deeply into the Oni’s skin, blood bursting from the wound.

Leon jumped back, yelling, “Do it!”

Immediately, a huge blast of pure Mana followed, striking true. The third eye on the center of the giant’s forehead exploded, as the Oni staggered back.

As the huge monster collapsed, Leon hurried over to Elvis. “How’s your Mana?”

Elvis grimaced. “The Oni’s just a lower-tier, but I used up nearly all my Mana. I don’t know how we will deal with the Werewolf.”

“I have a plan. I’ll use the [Dice] Skill.” Leon helped Elvis stand up, brushing away the dust. “C’mon. We don’t have much time.”

Elvis nodded. “We need to hurry and get to the weapons before the Wendigo decides to just kill us.”

They walked out of the cafeteria, heading over to the Potions room. Leon turned to Elvis. “Are you sure there’s no other way to go than the Potions room?”

Elvis nodded. “All other paths have more powerful monsters.”

Opening the door, they stepped in quietly. Leon looked around the spacious, yet cluttered, room. He had never been here before.

It looked almost like a library, with huge bookshelves surrounding an area filled with sinks, potion bottles, and cauldrons.

A soft growl echoed through the room, bringing goosebumps to Leon’s skin. He turned to Elvis. “When I use the Skill, be prepared to run. It might not work.”

[You have activated the Skill [Dice]

[You have rolled a ‘Straight up’!]

[You have won!]

Sighing, Leon fell into darkness.

‘Hopefully, I won’t wake up in the afterlife.’

***

Elvis’s POV

I had seen Leon use this Skill before, but that was on screen.

Now feeling the pressure he was giving off, I was trembling in fear.

‘How can anybody even have this power?’

Leon slowly stood up, as the Werewolf howled. It emerged from the opposite side of the room, its fur glistening with blood, gnawing at a severed arm.

Throwing up a white liquid at the sight, I forced myself to calm down. I looked as Leon pulled out his falchion, dark energy crackling around him.

[Cosmos’s First Step: Heat Death]

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Activating his Skill Tree, the Werewolf flew back, breaking through rooms from the explosive presence.

The Werewolf quickly recovered, using his pure instincts to dodge multiple killing blows. However, Leon reacted quickly, pinning the monster against the wall with a sharp dagger. The wolf-man howled but was shut off as a quick slit to the throat began choking him with the thick blood.

Hawking out blood, the Werewolf leaned over, falling with a slump to the ground. Soon, its eyes glazed over, and the fur and teeth retracted, revealing a demon in his 40s.

I stood up, cautiously approaching my friend.

“Is it dead? Did you kill it?”

Leon nodded. “Yes.”

“Umm…” I kept a safe distance away. ‘That isn’t Leon.’

“Can you give Leon his body back now?”

The person made Leon’s head shake. “He’s talking with someone. Please have patience.”

I sighed. “Okay.” Sitting down, I began twiddling his thumbs, growing impatient and unedged due to the threat of the Wendigo over him.

‘C’mon Leon. We don’t have much time.”

***

Leon found himself standing inside a white landscape surrounded by fog.

‘What the-?’

His surroundings were pure radiance, the perfect image of perfection. Leon couldn’t tell if he was floating or standing, as he couldn’t feel the ground.

“Hello, Leon. I’m glad we could finally meet.”

At the sound of the voice in front of him, Leon peered closer into the fog.

A dark shadowy figure appeared, his outline just vaguely visible. “Do you like this place?”

Leon stepped back, wary. “Who are you?”

The entity shrugged. “I am who I am. But that is one of the few questions I cannot answer.”

Leon shook his head. “Then… what is this place?”

The figure. “This place does not have a name. It’s all happening inside your head, after all.”

“Are you the one who put me through the trials?”

At the question, the figure chuckled. “I’m afraid I have better things to do than torture a mortal.”

Leon shot back, “Then why am I here?”

The mysterious figure shrugged again. “Can’t tell you that either.”

“Then what can you tell me?”

“...”

The figure stepped out, exposing his true face. But Leon could not see what it looked like. It was just too bright, too holy.

“There are reasons why you were chosen, Leon. I would just like to clear up some things for you.”

“Chosen for what? Are you some kind of God?”

The figure shook his head. “I’m just a pitiful servant. But never mind that. I have exactly three things to say to you. After that, you may ask some questions.”

“What are the three things?”

The figure leaned in closer. “First thing is, you’ve been gone for a long time, Leon. Your world has changed very much. Second thing, you must unlock all of your Skill Tree. You will get the chance to do so much sooner. Third of all, something horrible will happen soon. You can’t prevent it, so don’t sacrifice yourself.”

“Wait! What’ll happen?”

The figure sighed. “If I could tell you that, I would already have, wouldn’t I?”

Leon pondered a second. ‘I need to use my questions wisely.’

“How is my sister? Is she still alive?”

For the first time, the figure’s body posture changed. Was it just Leon, or did its shoulders fall in despair?

“She… is alive.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Leon continued his questions. “Can you give me help to complete my trial?”

The figure sighed, “You already will have help. Just remember, you must use the Prima Materia at the critical moment. That is the only way that you’ll be able to survive that time.”

The mysterious person rose. “Well! Time for me to go now. Your friend is calling for you. Also, try not to use [Dice] too much. It’ll kill you eventually.”

The figure walked back into the fog, tendrils of air drifting as he disappeared.

Then Leon woke up.

***

Opening his eyes, Leon spotted Elvis, who was staring at him with concern.

Elvis spoke first. “I thought you said it was a Skill that improved your strength. But why was someone else controlling your body?”

‘I can’t tell him about my vision.’

Leon tilted his head. “What’re you talking about?”

“You know what I mean, th-”

Leon clapped his hand over Elvis’s mouth. “Shh… I feel something looking at us.”

Indeed, glancing at a small puddle on the ground, Leon could make out the shape of a twisted beast, peering out from behind the door.

Elvis paled. “It’s the Wendigo.”

The boy jumped up, pulling Leon up as well. “No time to sneak around! We need those weapons!”

They both scrambled into the opposite door that connected the two classrooms. Jumping into the Animal studies class, they both halted to a stop.

Huge, thick purple vines ran through the room, twisting around chairs and tables, the pores releasing a strange gas.

Leon spoke first, voice squeaking a bit. Why are there plants in Animal studies?”

Elvis shook his head. “These qualify as animals. C’mon and ignore them. They may smell, but it won’t do you harm.”

Indeed, the smell was revolting. A sharp smell of rotten vinegar, vegetables, and human waste crowded the room. It also didn’t help that the humidity was high enough for vapor to appear on the glass cages.

Trying hard not to gag, they began hurriedly looking through the cabinets. “Where are they?!”

Elvis looked around, panicked. “Look for a silver dagger! It’s been enchanted to kill Wendigos with one kill.”

Hurrying to push open closets, Leon asked, “Why so serious about Wendigos? If it stalks the prey, just make sure the prey is safe by posting a multitude of guards.”

Elvis shook his head. “Back in the old days, Wendigos were much more common. It was common knowledge for a shaman to carry a hidden dagger. This is from the old days.” His face suddenly brightened. “I found it!”

Rushing over, Leon looked at the knife. It was intricately crafted, beautiful golden runes making up the metal, and the silver glinting in the pale light.

However, the two boy’s moment of praise ended, as a huge explosion ripped open the room. Staggering back from the shock, they looked in horror at the monstrosity walking towards them. It was huge, much taller than even the Oni. Its twisted antlers gave even more of a sense of power, but its horrific face supplied one with a sense of fear as well.

It shrieked, this time sounding much different than last time, this one the voice of a girl.

‘It must have killed someone else.’

“What do we do with the dagger?!”

Elvis shuddered, sweat beading down his forehead. “I-I don- I do-”

Leon twisted him around, grabbing his shoulders. “Focus!”

Shaking his head, Elvis breathed out a gasp. “Well… if we cut into its heart, the fire runes on the dagger should melt it, as the heart is just a block of ice. It won’t kill it, but it’ll be stunned for some time.”

“I’m the best at close combat out of us. Give me the dagger.”

But as Elvis did so, Leon had an idea. “Can’t I just blast some flames at it?”

“Won’t work.”

Sighing in disappointment, Leon grabbed the dagger, just as the Wendigo leaped at him.

It was so fast that Leon couldn’t even see it, much less dodge it.

‘So this is why it’s considered so powerful.’

“Hurry up!”

Elvis grimaced, sweat pouring down his face. A Mana circle surrounded the Wendigo, chains clasping onto its wrists.

“The teacher put this trap here just in case. I’m running out of Mana though!”

Nodding, Leon leaped towards the monster, stabbing the dagger deep into its heart. Immediately, the metal froze over, the metallic shards clattering to the ground. However, the runes activated a split-second before, dousing the heart in flames.

Elvis broke the circle, grabbing Leon and leaping out of the room. “It should be stunned for a minute!”

They both ducked out of the hallway, running down a different one. Here, they could hear the distinct sound of screams in the distance.

“Follow the screams!”

As Elvis shouted, Leon looked at him incredulously. “You want us to walk into more danger?”

“You wanna rather get eaten by that Wendigo?”

As they ran, Leon suddenly heard something. A voice that seemed very familiar.

He turned to Elvis. “Or we could just meet up with Lily.”