Looking around, Finn could only see darkness. It gave him the chills. 'So is this what the initiation looks like?'
Blinking, he scratched his head. "What am I-!"
A sudden weightlessness befell Finn. Instinctively, he shot out his hands to grab onto something for leverage, but of course, there was nothing there.
He quickly started plummeting, as the scenery changed around him. A moon and stars bloomed in the dark sky and clouds whisked past as he fell.
Finn then looked down, though he wished he didn't, a carpet of trees grew bigger and bigger. Shutting his eyes tightly, he cursed in his head.
'Is this how I'm going to die?'
Though, just as that thought manifested, he slowed down. Opening his eyes again, he watched as he was gently put down on the forest floor.
The dead leaves crunched under his weight when he finally landed. Finn gave a sigh of relief.
'I hope that never happens again.'
Shaking his head, he took in his surroundings. Tall trees covered him from every direction, blotting out the moon. It made the already dark night, even darker.
A shiver ran down his spine, he didn't like this one bit. Taking one last look around, he decided to walk in the direction he was facing.
Though, just as he took his first step, a blue screen popped up in front of him, almost scaring him to death.
Catching his breath, he quickly skimmed through the screen.
[ Main Objective]
Greetings, cadets! Welcome to the forest! Fight and survive through its harsh environments to complete this initiation. But beware, as unspeakable horrors are crawling within.
The forest king himself is one of them. He doesn't take kindly to unwelcomed guests, so avoid him at all costs.]
[Objectives:
-Survive for 30 days
-Dethrone the king (Optional)]
Closing the message from the system, Finn sighed for the hundredth time. 'A month is going to be a long time.'
'Ok, first things first, let's check my stats.'
Stats were a measurement of someone's strength shown by the system in a numbered format.
And the system was the reason heroes became possible in the first place. A hundred years ago gates had started opening, spilling monsters into the world.
The system came along with it and gave the heroes their powers, which helped them to hold back the monsters.
'So how do I do this?' Scratching his head, he looked around for a hidden icon or something. There was nothing.
'What about... status?'
Instantly, another blue screen popped into view. This one contained almost all his information.
[Finn Aeir]
[Human: L-T1]
[Origin ability: ????]
[Stamina: 90/90]
[Mana: 80/80]
[Stats:
-Strength: 10
-Agility: 11
-Endurance: 9
-Intelligence: 8 ]
'Uhm, what?'
What the hell was up with his origin ability? Why were there only question marks?
An origin ability is someone's unique power. For example, laser eyes or freeze breath. They came in all shapes and sizes.
Shooting a palm out, Finn groaned as he tried to conjure something. 'Come on! Anything!'
Alas, nothing happened. The only thing that happened was his arm hurting a little because of overextension.
'Great! Just my luck!'
After a while, he calmed himself down. 'Everything is fine Finn. Yeah, this is the worst that can happen. It only goes up from here!'
Yeah, some great heroes have non-combative origin abilities, and they still are super strong. They make great use of their mana to strengthen themselves.
Focusing, he tried his best to sense the mana inside of him. But, there was nothing.
'I'm probably doing it wrong.'
His hopes were crushed, as no matter what he tried he couldn't get access to his mana. This was the last straw, as he quickly fell to his knees. His skin was digging into the dirt.
'So I am basically useless?'
He was just a normal human stranded in a forest crawling with bloodthirsty monsters. He couldn't fend for himself even if he tried.
A sudden slap was heard in the silent forest. A hand was now imprinted on Finn's face.
'No, stop with those depressing thoughts.'
Gripping the dirt, thin stumbled upright. 'Let's begin once more.' He finally started in the direction he was facing.
'I'll make it work. I don't know how, but I will.'
But his luck would turn from bad to worse, as after only a few steps, Finn heard a twig snap.
He quickly looked at his surroundings, and what he found, made his heart stop. Only a few steps away from him, a green monstrosity stood.
A long segmented body, with 4 limbs holding it upright, and a third pair at the top of its abdomen, which ended in deadly scythes.
Its head twitched every now and then, as it looked at Finn. Its eyes looked almost lifeless. It was at least two times taller than Finn.
'I have to run! NOW!'
Finn quickly sprinted in the opposite direction. The giant mantis only turned his head slightly and followed eerily.
******
At an unknown location, a figure watched the happenings with narrowed eyes. A tail flicked behind him in irritation.
The group of cadets this time around looked promising; many of the others also took an interest in them.
He shook his head as he looked at a specific boy. 'I hate people who meddle where they're not supposed to.'
His tail flicked once again as he thought for a moment. 'To hell with it, let me help out a bit. See if I can undo what has happened.'
Smirking, he lazily shifted the toothpick in his mouth and rolled onto his back. Getting comfortable, he watched with curiosity at the initiation.
******
At another unknown location, a woman was watching with excitement. Her gaze was fixed on a certain blue-eyed girl.
The reason for the excitement, was because the girl was flourishing. She had already killed two monsters and was on the way to her next target. Though this one was a pack of horrors.
'Let's see how you deal with this.' She smiled and continued watching.