Practical Exam.

The sensation of weightlessness and something slick like slime sticking to my entire body was short lived because as soon as my heart went into panic due to the near-identical presence of the Pilgrimage inside the grey mist, my feet grounded back into reality, the sensation subsiding.

There was no exaggerated moving through a tunnel concept. Just one moment I was in front of the school gate, and then the next I was here. Albeit, while the process was near instantaneous, it did feel like I had walked for a whole day.

I could tell not by the soreness in my feet or stiffness of my muscles, but rather the fatigue that rammed into my body like a damned truck-kun.

Shaking my head, I looked to my left. Right now, I was standing at the entrance to a densely packed forest.

Right before where the boundary of the forest started, there was a board saying: [Aspirants enter here]

Well, if it says so…

I stepped into the forest, the dense canopy overhead muffling even the slightest sounds. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and decaying leaves. The trees were all twisted and gnarled, roots sprawling like veins in the soft, uneven ground.

A muted golden light filtered through the gaps in the foliage, casting long, languid shadows across the forest floor. It was peaceful here.

Unnervingly so.

Suddenly, in the dead calm of the forest, a voice boomed.

[Dear Aspirants, Welcome to the Tenebris Institute of Magic. While there has already been a written exam that qualified all of you to enrol in this prestigious school, due to the recent developments—which will be disclosed later—it has been decided that a practical exam will be held, gauging physical abilities beforehand. Rest assured; the area is supervised by professors who will overlook the safety of each student]

Well, well, well. Would you look at this! My holy presence has changed the rules of the school, HAH!

[The subject of your test would be to bring a body of The Glimmerfang. Since this is the most abundantly found fiend in the school's premises and the weakest, it has been established as a threshold for every student. This activity may be carried out in groups. Different students have been teleported by the Headmistress to different zones. With that, the explanation for the practical exam has ended. May the Goddess's veil be on you]

Alright. Let's analyse how fucked up are we.

Other than my Clarity and Fortune, I am pretty much on the lower end of the spectrum. And after playing a lot of games, I can say with all my chest that Level 2 is dog-water.

My 'Might' is F rank. Going by the conventional logic, it should be the lowest rank. And I am weapon-less as well. No cheat code daggers or Excalibur.

Yeah, I think it is safe to assume that I am cooked. Roasted and toasted like a brisket.

No! I survived that damned pilgrimage! I didn't bear all that pain just to die to the 'weakest' monsters lurking in these lands. I can do this! I will do this and then I'll mog Alphonse…huehue. Ehmm…let's not distract ourselves.

Searching deep into my memories, I tried to remember what on earth—or whatever this world was—is this Glimmerfang.

Sounds like a typical AI generated name though. 

After remembering enough, I finally found some intel on the creature.

It was a creature born from the shadows of the forest. A cat like appearance but not the attributes one would associate with typical beast like this—no claws, no sharp teeth, no growls or roars.

They preyed on those who were too reliant on their senses alone.

The hell does that mean…

Flicking my finger through the air, I brough the lattice interface to life.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

♔THE LATTICE INTERFACE ♔

Name: Loki.

Thread Rank: Level 2®

Alignment: Balance ▲

Fate Influence: Stirring®

♗Core Attributes♗

· Vigor (VIG): F

· Essence (ESS): D

· Might (MGT): F

· Finesse (FIN): C

· Clarity (CLR): S

· Fortune (FTN): A

THREAD RESOURCES

HP: 750/750 EP: 10/200 FP: 220/250

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

I took in everyone once again just to confirm. I could understand what HP was since it's a common factor in games indicating your health. However, the EP and FP were both completely elusive to me. What's more concerning is that I had already gotten a notification of my EP being critically low.

And while I had a much larger capacity for it, it was on 10. And it was not replenishing on itself.

Right underneath the thread resources there was a button that said 'expand.'

I clicked on it and a smaller window appeared.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Combat Flow

Momentum: NoneConvergence: Pending

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Once again, these were things I couldn't make full sense of. Momentum felt pretty straightforward, but Convergence doesn't ring any bell to me. Unless I just suddenly get a blindfold and start firing red balls of repulsive energy.

A dense congregation of clouds overhead stole the last bit of light as the entire place suddenly started to drench in an inky black darkness.

The forest swallowed sound. No birds, no wind, only the faint drip... drip... of unseen water. The earthy scent of wet leaves and decaying roots mixed with something sharp and metallic, faint but persistent—like rusted iron after the rain.

Bending down, I slowly gripped a small, jagged rock in my hand, the uneven surface biting into my palm. My heartbeat was too loud for comfort.

I should move.

Inside the darkness, the path ahead twisted into a web of twisted branches and looming trees, their gnarled trunks scarred with deep, unnatural grooves.

Symbols? No...

…more like claw marks.

Something watched me.

I felt it—a prickling sensation crawling up the back of my neck.

My breathing quickened, and I forced it steady, my steps light on the spongy ground.

A flicker.

A faint shimmer danced between two crooked trees ahead—like moonlight on restless water. It vanished before I could be sure it was ever there. My grip on the rock tightened.

Keep moving, I reminded myself the lessons I had learned from horror movies. The one who stays to look back dies.

Roots snaked across the ground, forcing me to weave around them. Every step felt like an invitation to... something. My skin tingled, the hairs on my arms prickling. Is he marinating me...or stalking me?

Another shimmer—closer this time.

Suddenly, I froze, and turned, back pressed against a massive trunk. My fingers brushed its bark, rough and scarred—no, wait…sliced.

I felt it through the tips of my fingers.

Claws.

The silence stretched, pressing against my ears like I was drowning underwater. I strained to hear anything—but there was only... nothing.

And then—snap.

A dry twig cracked behind me.

I spun, rock raised, ready to break the cranium of whatever fang bullshit it was but all I found was nothing. Just shifting shadows cast by the sickly, pale light seeping through the canopy.

But the air had changed, charged with static and... palpable hunger.

Something wet dripped onto my shoulder.

Slowly, I raised my eyes.

Perched in the twisted branches above was it.

A feline frame of shifting shadows, light pulsing across its skin like trapped stars. Its face was a hollow void, formless except for two dim, reflective eyes that locked onto mine—empty, patient, starving.

My chest constricted. My body screamed run, but my legs were stone.

The thing tilted its head, light shimmering across its liquid-like form.

I blinked.

It moved.

Blinding speed—just a blur of dark and light hurtling toward me. Instinct roared. I dove to the side, hitting the ground hard as claws tore through the air where my throat had been.

Move. Don't stop.

I staggered up, gasping, rock still clenched in my fist. My eyes darted around, heart hammering like a war drum.

The shadows shifted again—circling. There was no sound, no rustling—just the ever-present sense of something closing in.

A flash of shimmering light shone behind me.

I spun and swung wildly. The rock connected and the sound akin to putting your hand inside a slushie rose before muting down to a lull.

The beast was sent skidding back—but only for a second. Its body twisted unnaturally mid-air, liquid shadows rippling as it landed soundlessly on its feet.

No growl. No snarl. Just... stillness. It watched me with an odd intelligence in its starry eyes.

My breath came in shallow gasps. Pain flared in my side—a deep, burning slash I hadn't even felt in the chaos. Blood soaked my shirt, warmth draining fast.

I touched the wound underneath my shirt. It was deep. Deep enough to fit half of my pinky finger inside it.

The thing advanced slowly, as if savouring the pained look on my face. While the pilgrimage was hells more painful than this, bodily pain somehow stripped away my endurance for pain.

Which fucker said soul attacks hurt more!?

My shaking legs backed up—until my heel caught a root. I tumbled back, hard, gasping as pain shot through my ribs.

And then, it pounced.

I threw the rock again in blind desperation. It twisted mid-leap, avoiding the projectile effortlessly—but the momentary distraction was enough.

Scrambling to my feet, I ran.

Branches whipped at my face, thorns slowly chipping at my flesh. Roots clawed at my ankles. The wet ground sucked at my feet with every desperate step I took. I could hear nothing—but I felt it.

A phantom presence just out of reach.

Ahead, a cluster of thick roots twisted into a hollow beneath a tree. Without thinking, I dove in, pressing myself into the cramped space, forcing my breath to slow despite the searing pain in my side.

And then, everything went into a lull. Silence.

Seconds dragged into eternity. No movement, no shimmer, just the cold, crushing stillness.

Did he lose me…?

And then, as if my karma was coming back at me, I heard it—soft steps.

I bit down on my sleeve, holding back a whimper as something shifted in the shadows just beyond my hiding spot. The faintest shimmer of light traced across the ground... pausing... searching.

The hollow-eyed monster lingered, head tilting again with that same calculating patience.

Breath held; I counted the seconds—one... two...

It didn't leave.

The faint shimmer of light traced the ground just outside my hiding spot, lingering longer than before. It drifted slowly, pausing... searching, again.

My chest tightened. Every instinct screamed to run, but my legs wouldn't obey. I bit down on my dirty sleeve once again to muffle the shaky breaths as sweat dripped into my stinging wound.

A low, almost imperceptible hum filled the air—curiosity? Recognition?

No... awareness.

The shimmer froze.

Its hollow eyes snapped toward the twisted roots concealing me.

I felt its gaze burrow through the tangled wood, stripping away the shadows like brittle paper. My fingers dug into the cold earth.

It knew.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. I am so dead. Oh God, I am so dead.

Fuck.

No.

Fuck. Shit.

I just got reborn. I can't die…FUCK!

The Glimmerfang took a single, deliberate step forward—silent, measured... inevitable.

And then...

Everything went still.