CHAPTER 2 — THE FIRST GATE
Cedric stepped through the portal.
The world shifted.
Cold air slapped his face. The smell of sulfur and blood filled his lungs.
He found himself in a cavern lit by blue fire, the walls cracked like they were breathing.
A notification chimed.
[ WELCOME TO: PRIMAL GATE — LV. 1 ]
[ OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE FOR 10 MINUTES ]
[ REWARD: SYSTEM INITIALIZATION ]
[ PENALTY: PERMANENT DEATH ]
Time Remaining: 10:00
Cedric swallowed.
"Survive…? From what—?"
GRRRAAAAAAGH.
Something crawled down the cavern wall—
a wolf made of stone and magma.
Its eyes glowed red, and its claws dripped lava.
[ ENEMY DETECTED: MAGMA WOLF — LV. 5 ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME ]
[ RECOMMENDED ACTION: RUN ]
Cedric knew running was useless.
But his body—new, reconstructed—felt strangely light.
The wolf leaped.
Cedric dodged instinctively.
His body reacted like it already knew combat.
A spark of blue light flowed through his veins.
Then the voice came.
"Strike."
It wasn't the system.
It was deeper. Older. Ancient.
Cedric obeyed.
His fist slammed into the wolf's jaw—
and the stone beast exploded into shards of molten rock.
He stared at his hand, stunned.
"What… was that?"
The system answered:
[ UNKNOWN ENERGY DETECTED IN HOST ]
[ CLASS DETECTED: GODSLAYER (SEALED) ]
The countdown continued.
9:12… 8:58…
More wolves emerged.
Cedric fought them barehanded.
Every blow was guided by an invisible instinct—
almost like someone was controlling the flow of battle for him.
By the time the timer hit zero, the cavern floor was filled with molten remains.
[ SURVIVAL COMPLETE ]
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZATION UNLOCKED ]
Light engulfed him.
End of chapter 2