Xiaoping stared down the monstrous statue. Not just a test, but The Trial of the Fallen God, whispered about in hushed tones even among the academy's elite. This isn't some training dummy; this is a literal chunk of ancient power, eyes glowing with an eerie, faint purple light. Just standing here, Xiaoping could feel the crushing weight of its ancient magic.
"This is it, Xiaoping," Headmaster Lin's voice echoed, grim and serious. "This thing isn't 'alive,' but it's loaded with a fragment of an old deity's might. It'll hit with everything it had back then. Beat it, and your storm power goes to max level. Fail... and you're done for."
Xiaoping felt that familiar mix of dread and hype. This was a whole different beast. He pumped his lightning, the air around him sparking like crazy, ready for the fight. He went in hard, a pure lightning bolt, aiming for a direct hit to end it fast.
But the statue was too fast. Its giant stone fist, glowing purple, smashed down. Xiaoping barely threw up a desperate lightning shield. The impact was brutal. His shield shattered like glass, and he was sent flying, smashing into the wall. Pain exploded through his body.
He pushed himself up, every muscle screaming. The statue just stood there, those glowing eyes mocking him. "It's too strong," he choked out, spitting blood. He'd never felt so utterly outmatched. He kept trying, pushing more power, moving faster, throwing every trick he knew. But each hit barely scratched the statue, while its counters were pure devastation, non-stop.
Then came the finisher. The statue let out a roar that vibrated through the chamber, then brought both hands down in a world-ending clap. Xiaoping was caught right in the middle. Everything went white, then black. His lightning flickered, then just... vanished. He felt his mind fading, his body completely broken.
System Boot-Up
Darkness. Complete, chilling darkness. Xiaoping felt himself drifting, like a broken program in a void. A strange cold, then a distant warmth, like invisible hands piecing him back together. He heard whispers—not voices, but raw data, code compiling, a system initializing.
His eyes snapped open. He wasn't in the academy chamber anymore. The air was damp and cold, smelling of ancient dirt and stone. He was sprawled on a rough, uneven floor inside a dimly lit cave. Weird, glowing crystals pulsed on the walls, casting soft, ghostly light.
He pushed himself up. His body hurt, yeah, but it wasn't broken like before. The exhaustion from the fight was gone, replaced by a weird hum under his skin. He looked around, totally lost. How did he even get here? What is this place?
Then, right in front of him, floating in the air like a holographic display, a translucent blue screen flickered to life. He couldn't touch it, but it was solid, filled with alien symbols and glowing text.
[NOTIFICATION: PLAYER DETECTED]
[SYSTEM INITIATING PROTOCOLS...]
[WELCOME, AWAKENED.]
[QUEST: SURVIVAL PROTOCOL - ESCAPE THE CAVE]
* REWARD: Basic Skill Pack, Stat Point (1)
* FAILURE: Death
Xiaoping just stared, his mind racing. A screen? Player? Quest? What the heck?! His lightning, which had been dead, now buzzed, ready to blast, but the screen had his full, undivided attention. This was way beyond anything Headmaster Lin had ever taught. He'd died fighting that statue, but it seemed like that was just the tutorial for something way bigger, way more dangerous.