Kei’s muscles ached as he stretched on the edge of the ravine. His lungs burned from the frantic chase, but the distant growls of the Lava Stalker—now buried under a temporary landslide—reminded him he couldn’t rest forever.
The glowing System notifications lingered in the corner of his vision:
<blockquote>
Zone Survival Progress: 5%
Skill Unlocked: [Basic Throwing]
+1 Dexterity
</blockquote>
Kei sighed, pushing himself up. “Alright, system. Let’s see what we’ve got.”
He opened his Status Screen again:
<blockquote>
Name: Kei
Level: 2
Health: 88/100
Stamina: 34/50
Stats:
<ul>
<li>
Strength: 4
</li>
<li>
Agility: 6
</li>
<li>
Intelligence: 6
</li>
<li>
Endurance: 5
</li>
<li>
Perception: 7
Skills:
</li>
<li>
[Basic Throwing]
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
"Still weak," Kei muttered. "But alive."
The Decision to Train
With no immediate threat bearing down on him, Kei made a decision. His narrow escape had made it clear: he wasn’t strong enough to survive without preparation. No skills, no real strength—he needed to build both if he had any hope of surviving the remaining 95% of the trial.
He spent the next few hours scavenging the ravine. He found a relatively safe clearing surrounded by jagged rock walls and began his training. The first order of business: physical conditioning.
Precision and Power
Kei picked up rocks of varying sizes, lining them up in neat rows. He remembered the usefulness of throwing in his fight against the Lava Stalker and decided to hone that skill first. A jagged outcrop of stone became his makeshift target.
He took a deep breath and launched the first rock. It hit the edge of the outcrop, sending small chips flying.
“Not bad,” he muttered. “But not good enough.”The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Kei continued throwing, adjusting his aim after each attempt. As his arm grew sore, he focused on technique—his grip, the arc of his arm, the release. Over time, his throws became more accurate, and the sound of rocks striking his target echoed consistently through the ravine.
A system notification eventually appeared:
<blockquote>
Skill Progression:
[Basic Throwing] Proficiency: +15%
</blockquote>
Discovering Resonance
Kei paused to catch his breath, wiping sweat from his brow. He absentmindedly rolled a stone between his fingers, feeling its weight and texture. As he sat in silence, the faint hum of the fractured sky above filled his ears.
He closed his eyes, listening. The hum wasn’t just a sound—it was a rhythm, a pulse that seemed to resonate with the air around him. Intrigued, Kei began tapping the rock lightly against the ground, matching the rhythm.
As he focused, a strange sensation washed over him. The vibrations from the rock traveled back through his hand, up his arm, and into his body. It was subtle at first, like a faint echo, but it grew stronger the more he concentrated.
A thought struck him: what if he could direct those vibrations? He tapped the rock harder, focusing on the sensation. The vibrations seemed to amplify, resonating through his arm and chest. Kei’s eyes snapped open as the world seemed to sharpen around him.
Another notification appeared:
<blockquote>
Skill Unlocked: [Resonance Detection]
Description: Utilize vibrations to perceive nearby movements and structures. Effective in low-visibility environments.
</blockquote>
Kei grinned. “Now we’re talking.”
Turning Resonance Inward
Kei’s curiosity flared. If he could use resonance to sense the world around him, could he use it on himself?
He placed the rock on the ground and sat cross-legged. Closing his eyes, he tapped his fingers rhythmically against his thigh, mimicking the earlier sensation. Slowly, he directed the vibrations inward.
At first, it felt chaotic, like a cacophony of noise inside his body. But as Kei focused, the vibrations began to align. He could feel the subtle movements of his muscles, the stretching of fibers, the tension in his ligaments. It was as if his body was a finely tuned instrument, and he was learning to play it.
“Whoa,” he whispered. “I can… see myself?”
The vibrations revealed intricate details—the contraction of muscle strands, the flow of energy through his limbs. Kei marveled at the complexity of it all. He realized that with enough practice, he could use this technique to identify weaknesses, improve his movements, and even detect injuries before they became serious.
A new notification appeared:
<blockquote>
Skill Progression:
[Resonance Detection] Proficiency: +10%
</blockquote>
A New Resolve
Kei spent the rest of the day alternating between physical training and experimenting with resonance. By evening, his body ached, and his mind buzzed with new possibilities. The trial had started as a terrifying ordeal, but now it felt like an opportunity.
As the fractured sky above shifted from pale orange to deep purple, Kei stood in the clearing, his hands clenched into fists. He wasn’t strong yet, but he was stronger than before.
“One step at a time,” he murmured, echoing his earlier words. “I’ll make it through this.”
Another notification appeared, its text glowing faintly in the twilight:
<blockquote>
Zone Survival Progress: 10%
Skill Progression: [Resonance Detection] Proficiency: 25%
</blockquote>
Kei smiled. For the first time, the idea of surviving the trial didn’t seem so impossible.