Chương 4: The Trial

'What? I've been Chosen!? Wait… Who's Nyx!? Am I Nyx!? This better not be some sick and twisted joke!'

The realization that he had been Chosen — and even given a name — was overwhelming. Excitement, confusion, disbelief, and even a bit of fear that it was another one of Doctor Rose's humiliation plays swirled within him.

As he was experiencing a multitude of complex emotions vying for dominance, the endless darkness began moving. Writhing and shifting, the darkness gave way to a blinding light.

Unable to withstand the light after staring at the darkness for so long, he… no, Nyx, was forced to close his eyes.

Nyx's heart pounded. The light felt different compared to the spark of light he had seen recently. And now that he had a moment to himself, he realized although the voices sounded eerily the same, the previous voice he had grown accustomed to in the darkness telling him to Awaken sounded more alive, this; however, felt robotic.

But he was given no more time to ponder what he now believed the voice to be, as The System spoke again:

<{Prepare for the Trial.}>

'Prepare… how?' Gritting his teeth, Nyx braced for the pain that was sure to singe his eyes. Then, he opened his eyes, and sure enough, he yelled out in pain and was forced to close them. But that split second offered him enough time to understand his surrounding environment had merely changed from pure darkness to a world of darkness and light, while he stood in the middle encompassed by both.

It was poetic… his name was Nyx, which meant night, and, here he was in the middle of darkness and light.

'No… What the hell am I thinking?' Nyx shook his head to remove the useless thought. 'I don't know anything about the Trial. Prepare for what? How am I supposed to prepare? What's more, even if I knew about the Trial, how do I prepare in this place? There's nothing here… Damn, it feels like I'm missing half the puzzle.'

'Fatten the pig before slaughtering it. Isn't that the saying? Nyx growled. 'How am I supposed to survive if I don't know what I'm facing? Doctor Rose always kept me in the dark.'

'I'm not asking for much. Information is free!'

As if replying to his thoughts, he heard The System's voice.

<{Nyx, this is YOUR Trial! There is no instruction or guidebook beyond what lies within. All Chosen must find their own path.}>

'Find my own path…' Nyx repeated dazedly.

Before today, he had always lived at the mercy of others. He was not even given instructions. What he possessed was taken without even uttering a single word.

So… how was he supposed to find a path when all he knew was pain and suffering?

Was that his path? To feel pain and suffer endlessly?

But Nyx didn't want that. He didn't want to feel pain or suffer.

<{Trial created! Good luck, Nyx!}>

***

Name: Nyx

Race: Tortoise

Mana: 0/5

Cultivation: —

Race Ability: —

Class: Essence Infuser

Class Abilities: [Body Refinement], [Life Bound Soul Cores]

Life Bound Soul Core(s): 1

Vital Essence: 5

Soul Essence: 0

Cultivation Technique: —

Soul Technique: —

***

Before Nyx could even process the System's words or the long list of words in his mind, he found himself drowning and choking. Salty seawater filled his mouth and rushed down his throat. His lungs screamed for air.

<<Seawater has been consumed.>>

Instinctively, Nyx screamed in panic and disgust, only to worsen his situation as another mouthful of saltwater filled his mouth.

'Damn it! I don't want to feel pain or suffer. I hate it!'

<<The Chosen doesn't want to feel pain or suffer.>>

Clamping his mouth shut, terror surged through Nyx as he forced himself to stop thrashing. He had barely begun his Trial, yet he found himself drowning, helpless, and alone.

'This… can't be it.'

Nyx didn't know why he had been Chosen or how the Trial worked, but he was certain about one thing — he wasn't ready to give up… not anymore. This was his only chance to turn his life around.

<<The Chosen wants to live.>>

Kicking his legs, Nyx tried to swim up, but without experience, it was useless. He only found himself sinking further into the ocean.

Instinctively, Nyx reached out to his throat. But as his fingers brushed against the skin of his throat, he recoiled in pain.

'What the…' Nyx paused as his eyes landed on his fingers. They were no longer soft, human appendages. Instead, they were replaced by sharp, black claws. On one of the claws, bright red blood marred its surface, soon washed by the seawater.

Despite not wanting to, the boundless curiosity that came with being a human urged him to look at his arm. And just as he had thought, but hoped would not be the case, his forearm had also transformed — dry, hard, ridged skin covered it.

Nyx did not have to continue looking at himself to know what he had become. And it was not as if the situation allowed him to continue investigating his body.

The Trial had somehow transformed his body into a tortoise…

Nyx sighed and looked up at the bright light peering into the ocean.

'How am I supposed to find my own path if you drop me deep within an ocean as a tortoise of all creatures? Do you want me to die?'

Nyx expected The System to give him a snarky reply — something along the lines of, 'as long as there's a will, there's a way'. ... As if willpower alone could allow a land-dwelling tortoise to swim. But to his astonishment, he heard:

<{The requirements for Evolution have been met!}>

Nyx furrowed his brows.

'What?'

<{Initializing… Please wait!}>

<{Evolution Path found.}>

***

<<Semi-Aquatic Stoneback Tortoise>>

Requirements:

- 5 Vital Essence

- Ingest seawater.

- Fear pain and suffering.

- Develop a desire to live.

Description:

A hardy, resilient species of Tortoise that has adapted to both land and aquatic environments.

Race Ability: [Water Manipulation]

Description:

Limited Affinity with Water.

***

For the first time since arriving in this world, Nyx looked at the series of System Notifications in his mind. With the limited time he had, he skipped straight to the bottom. The other System Notifications could wait.

He quickly read the information about the Evolution Path, and, finally, his eyes glowed with excitement.

'This is it… my chance…' Nyx felt like laughing out loud like a madman but quickly reined in his impulse. It could wait… At the moment, he needed to save himself. The water pressure was becoming increasingly more difficult to endure, not to mention, his oxygen supply was almost out.

Just then, like a knight in shining armor, The System's voice resounded in his mind.

<{Would you like to begin Evolution?}>

<{Yes/No}>

'Yes!' He responded without hesitation.

Immediately after, a strange warmth surged from his heart and pulsed out to his four limbs and head. Soon, an uncomfortable, but still manageable pain racked his body.

With the little vision, the light from the sun offered him deep in the ocean, Nyx watched as his body began to transform. His thick limbs shrank slightly, and his muscles compacted to form leaner, more streamlined limbs. Then, his fingers, hidden within his skin, extended out. Simultaneously, the base of his fingers from the midpoint down slowly fused — webbing made of skin stretched between them, making them more suited for swift, controlled movements beneath the water.

And then, although he could not twist his head back to see his bulky and ridged shell, he felt his shell shrink slightly, becoming smoother and streamlined.

Furthermore, unknown to Nyx, there were deeper, more microscopic changes taking place in his body — high concentrations of hemoglobin and red blood cells flooded his veins, and his myoglobin levels surged in his muscles — allowing him to vastly increase his oxygen-storage capacity.

Yet, even though Nyx could not see the change taking place, he felt the difference. His oxygen storage capacity had increased drastically — by how much, he was currently unsure.

However, his situation still had not changed. It was good that he could store more oxygen; therefore, he could stay within bodies of water for an extended period of time. But… without resurfacing, his new ability was useless.

As the transformation continued, the pressure pushing against his body lessened alongside the pain.

But what mattered was that the water — once foreign and suffocating — now felt like it was his ally. His new form allowed him to sense the flow of the water.

Flexing his limbs, Nyx tested the changes. With each movement, he felt more at ease.

'Alright, let's see what this new form can do.' Nyx muttered as a fierce grin threatened to spread across his face. There was a surge of excitement within him, an instinct he'd never felt before. Without thinking, he bent his limbs and kicked his flippers against the water with a force he believed he could never have achieved, propelling himself upward.

'Hahaha!'

Nyx marveled at the transformation.

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