Chapter 3: Trajectory

She played a simple game of chase.

Made the monster follow her all around, and when finally it grew too irritated, she climbed up the cherry blossoms tree.

Standing on one of the topmost branches, she made a face at the monster and said, "Here Kitty-Kitty. Is that all you got? Hah! Crybaby!" Of course, the taunt would be incomplete without showing that pink tongue of hers.

The monster looked up with a pissed off expression and threw the sword at her. Kanae grew pale. She hadn't expected it to throw the sword at her. At this moment, she couldn't tell where the sword would strike. Death hung over her head.

She could always jump down, but that would mean being in the same range as him. Either way, she had a 50% chance of dying. Her heart thudded hard against her chest, and sweat trickled down her neck.

In desperation, she called out, "System help!"

This time, time didn't stop but slowed down.

"System heeds to call of Player White. Recognizing emergency, Detecting High Adrenaline Secretion, Activating skill Trajectory." The cold mechanic voice declared.

'Trajectory?' Kanae thought, and to her surprise, her whole vision changed. She glanced back at the slowly incoming sword and could immediately see the trajectories of the sword. Time resumed to normal, and she quickly took a step to the side, knowing she would be safe there.

The sword hit the wall with a 'bang,' and a moment of silence carried on. Then, with a 'groan' the whole ceiling collapsed. Kanae, who had been right beneath the hole, took this chance to take shelter under the tree.

The monster looked confused and shifted its gaze up.

'Bam!'

It never even got the chance to realize it was going to die. A massive piece of the ceiling had hit its head, and more parts continued to pile on.

At most, it was a silent death. No shouts, no screams.

The poor monster, dumb enough to think of a way to get out of the dungeon, had destroyed it on his own, eventually killing himself.

As for Kanae, she skillfully dodged most of the ceiling pieces by taking shelter under the tree, whose branches didn't break even under the pressure.

Kanae bit her fingernail, whispering, "Tsk, that was no fun. At least scream and struggle a little. Give the killer some amusement."

Sighing, she got up and moved out of the shade of the tree. Bright sunlight hit her face, and she shuddered. "Stupid sunlight. Why couldn't it have been night time like before?"

"System announces, Player White just leveled up.

Rewards for defeating Dungeon Master, ten experience points(exp), and *Unknown*. You have two *Unknown* in your inventory currently.

Player White's current status-

Current level: Level 0.

Mana: 5

Health Quotient: 5

Intelligent Quotient: 7

Levels required to finish Mission 1: 40

Fertility percentage: 20%

Hormones: Normal

Mates: 0

Dungeon Masters defeated: 1

Skills: Trajectory(Level 1)."

Along with the voice, few slides popped up again in front of Kanae, and she sighed.

"This is going to be one long life."

Meanwhile, a pair of striking black eyes traced her every step, every movement. Curiosity, and shock were evident in them.

Her body shuddered as the hair on her neck stood up, and she looked back, hissing like a wild cat. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned back again, slightly confused. Her sixth sense had been tingling for no reason.

A person behind the bushes smiled, making their face light up and seem even more good looking than before. A faint scent of blood lingered around them, like that of iron.

"Perfect senses."

And then, there was nothing in that spot.

The person had left, along with their bloody scent, as if nothing had ever happened.

Kanae shook off the tingling feeling.

The cold, thin air hit Kanae's face, and she gasped. The wind slid inside her mouth, deliciously cooling and numbing her sore throat.

It's funny how cold can fix and damage a throat.

But then came the annoying sunlight, making warmth burst through the cold. Kanae looked up, irritated. She was mostly a shut-in and immensely detested sunlight. That was the reason why she only went to the beach at night. Her skin was very pale because of that very reason.

The sight Kanae saw was something out of her expectations. The sunlight only fell until the place she was standing on. Ahead, laid dark shadows coupled with a strong smell of blood. Between these two places stood a small log, with a ๑ carved on it. It acted just like a gate.

Curious, Kanae examined the log. The incised mark was a spiral, nothing extraordinary. She rubbed her thumb on it, and with a 'whoosh', her whole body lifted.

"System rolls out sub-mission 1-

Survive in the Blood Arena. Another reward will be given on completion. Tip: Rewards have to be used immediately after they're opened. In the case of *Unknown*, the period of their existence is two days." The familiar voice rang out again, and Kanae's eyes grew wide.

In the blink of an eye, she had landed on the other side. Her body jolted slightly, and she uttered, "Are you kidding me?"

The other side, even with sunlight, seemed better to her. Compared to the rough, vast, and unknown land in front of her, she preferred the safe side. But she wouldn't lie. The name caught her interest.

She turned around and approached the block. When she tried stepping through, something hit her, and she fell with an 'ouch'. It was an invisible barrier. She pouted and rubbed her sore bottom.

"This is going to be a pain in the butt. No pun intended." She stretched and started on her way. For survival, it was apparent she needed food, water, and shelter.

Especially when she was unaware of what kind of monsters lurked around. The monster earlier gave her no idea about how powerful the others would be. She needed more experience to compare and gather information.

"Well, let's start this game of survival, shall we?" A smile made her face light up. For a change, she was actually quite excited. Taking a few steps back, she broke into a sprint. With the help of the momentum, she hung on to a firm tree branch, twisted her whole body, and landed safely on it.

She let out a sigh of relief, her azure eyes taking in her surroundings. A few moments later, she stepped down, slight worry on her face. She couldn't see anything besides the black trees of the forest.