The Trial, Part 1

Damn it. My throat was burning. The sun was scorching. How much longer did I have to walk?

After sinking beneath the surface of the Lake, what unfolded before my eyes was a desert. A great desert so vast that its end was nowhere in sight.

By the way... There was no objective given for the Trial. No goal like defeating monsters or reaching a specific destination.

Come to think of it, I recalled the information about the Trial that I had heard from Gwen.

"The Trial supposedly targets a person's weakest point. Overcoming that is the key to passing."

My weakest point. If I could figure out what that was, I might be able to deduce the objective of this Trial.

I pulled up my status window and pondered where my greatest weakness lay.

"Hmm..." No clear answer came to mind. To point out my weakest area was pointless; from the very beginning, my entire status was a complete mess.

Stamina, strength, agility, magic—whatever it was, everything was weak. Even after raising my stamina, strength, and agility slightly through basic training, it was still in this pathetic state.

It wasn't just my stats; my skills and traits columns were also incredibly sparse. Of course, putting aside Absolute Obedience, which was hard to rank, Swordsmanship (B) was decent compared to my trashy stats, but that was it. It was nowhere near the level of the Heroes who usually challenged the Trial.

At this rate, I can't pinpoint exactly what my weakness is.

If I had to choose, it would probably be my stamina, which was numerically the lowest.

If stamina is indeed my weakness... I looked around the desert. The desert, with heat haze rising dynamically from the ground, stretched out endlessly.

"Should I start walking for now?"

Yes, no matter how endless it seemed, there had to be an end somewhere. Maybe there was even an oasis along the way. If this was a trial to overcome my physical limitations, the goal was highly likely to escape this desert on foot or find an oasis.

And so, I began to walk.

Damn it. And before long, that possibility was cemented in my mind. However, that did not mean I was close to completing the Trial. Quite the opposite, in fact.

My throat was burning. The sun was scorching. How much longer did I have to walk?

Sweat dripping from the tips of my hair fell onto the sand, leaving tiny, dark spots. Having briefly lowered my hood, I couldn't bear the blazing sun any longer and pulled it back over my head.

When I raised my head to look forward, the endless desert still stretched out before me.

Damn it... Forget an oasis, there wasn't even a patch of shade to rest in. It seemed completely intent on drying me up and killing me.

My throat was already parched, burning with a searing thirst.

Inventory. I reached into my inventory and pulled out a water bottle. I hadn't expected this exact situation, but I had brought it just in case I ever ended up stranded somewhere.

Since there was no one around, there was no reason to hide my use of the inventory. Consequently, I had already stored all the heavy luggage I had been carrying inside it.

I have to ration this. There was no telling how long I would have to walk through this godforsaken desert. If so, I had to drink the water I brought in tiny sips, only when it was absolutely critical.

I pressed the bottle to my lips. Instantly, incredibly cool, sweet water washed over my tongue and slid down my throat. Just a little more, just a little more, and I felt like I could fully quench the dryness in my mouth. I had to stop myself.

Stop.

My hand, which had been trying to tilt the bottle further, froze. Once the momentum was broken, putting the water bottle back into my inventory was easy. Though I felt a lingering regret, I resumed my trek across the desert.

The sun will set soon anyway. The sun had already dipped low on the horizon. Once night fell, I would be able to rest a little.

That thought was a grave mistake.

Chatter, chatter, chatter. The sound was coming from none other than my own head. My teeth were clattering as I shivered violently from the cold.

Now I'm going to freeze to death. The scorching heat of the day was long gone; the desert sand had already chilled to an icy temperature. Still, I was trying my best to get some sleep when I suddenly heard the rustling of sand.

I should be the only one here. Thinking it was just the wind, I closed my eyes again.

Rustle. It wasn't the wind.

I scrambled to my feet. The desert shrouded in darkness was so pitch-black that I could barely see an inch in front of me. Only the stars and the moon in the sky cast a faint, dim glow.

Amidst the deep shadows, I spotted something glinting. Behind two glowing points of light, a silhouette was revealed by the moonlight.

It was a wolf. Seeing how I was encountering wolves even here, we clearly shared some kind of ill-fated destiny.

Furthermore, it wasn't just one this time. True to their nature, they were moving in a pack of several.

This is dangerous. The wolves were merely observing me for now, not yet lunging. But I couldn't assume they would just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watch me forever.

I reached into my inventory and drew my sword. The wolves flinched slightly as the blade gleamed, reflecting the moonlight.

Come on, then. There were only five wolves at most. With my Swordsmanship (B), there was no way I would lose to five wolves. The problem was that the wolves behaved as if they knew this. They merely kept their distance and surrounded me, never attacking first.

What are they planning?

Now I understood their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intention. These meticulous hunters were trying to wear down their prey's stamina. Cruelly, the wolves would vanish as soon as the sun rose, only to reappear and encircle me the moment night fell.

Bastards. Thanks to them, I had been walking through the desert for days without proper rest. It wasn't like I could just ignore them and sleep. The moment I closed my eyes, they would pounce and tear me to shreds as if they had been waiting for that exact second.

Just how massive is this damn desert? The desert heat was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already brutal, and with sleep deprivation piled on top, my body was a complete wreck. Yet, despite walking all this way, I hadn't seen a single thing other than those wolves.

Did I take a wrong turn? Honestly, I couldn't even tell which direction I was walking in. I was trying my best to move in a straight line, so I was at least certain I hadn't doubled back.

If the purpose of the Trial is to test my stamina, then I suppose it's proceeding exactly as intended.

I pulled the water bottle from my inventory. The sloshing sound of the water inside was light and crisp. But that also meant there was barely any water left.

Damn it. Suppressing the urge to gulp down the water immediately, I raised my head and looked forward. I had just climbed over a sand dune. Yet, beyond that dune, the endless desert stretched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out once more.

No, I couldn't be sure if it was truly endless. I could see another sand dune far in the distance. Perhaps behind that dune lay an oasis, or maybe the end of the desert. But even that was far from certain.

Because that's exactly how I've crossed this desert so far. "There must be an end behind that dune." Holding onto that thought, I had crossed dozens of sand dunes. But every single time, all that greeted my eyes was the endless desert and yet another sand dune.

Is there really an end behind that sand dune? Now, I doubted it. With my remaining water and stamina, I could probably force myself to reach that next dune. But the journey would undoubtedly be agonizing. My experience walking all this way proved it. In fact, it might be even more horrific.

Damn it. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I collapsed right there onto the sandy ground. The sand was burning hot, baked thoroughly by the sun. But my legs had completely given out, and I had no desire to stand back up.

Rustle. A sudden sound. Looking around, I saw the wolves. Deciding that my stamina had finally bottomed out, they were closing the distance.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips. "Ha..." Even if I dragged this body to the next sand dune, what if that wasn't the end? Judging by everything that had happened so far, that seemed far more likely.

So what, I was supposed to surpass the limits of my stamina? That was nothing but cheap, idealistic nonsense. No matter how much grit one summoned, there was a physical limit to what a human body could do. Besides, I was already running out of water. Even if my stamina held out, I would die of thirst first.

If this really was a trial of stamina... wasn't this enough? I felt I had done more than enough.

It was at that moment.

Huh? The space in front of me began to warp. Was it dizziness? Or the heat haze? The dizzyingly distorted space snapped back into focus, and I realized my surroundings had completely changed.

And unexpectedly, the place was somewhere incredibly familiar to me. This is...? It was my room. Not Alan's room, but my cramped, messy room back on Earth.