Survive!

Aamir blinked, standing in middle of nowhere looking around in confusion. unfamiliar environment. Endless grasslands stretched out before him, broken only by scattered trees. Some areas were barren, replaced by sands that shifted like a desert.

The sky was a dull gray, the air thick with an unnatural stillness. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong. His senses screamed at him—he was being watched.

A glowing screen appeared before his eyes.

[Task: Survive.]

"Survive? From what?" Aamir muttered, his voice sharp with confusion. He glanced around, trying to understand the situation. As if in response, a dark shape began to appear on the horizon. A heavy shadow formed, growing larger, creeping across the ground like a living thing.

Suddenly, a beast emerged from the shadow, its body shrouded in a crimson-red aura. The creature was nearly ten feet long, its sharp teeth gleaming and claws dripping with malice. Despite being on the Grandmaster level, Aamir could feel the deadly presence of this creature, as if it could tear him apart in an instant.

He gritted his teeth. "I can beat this thing… why did the system say 'survive'?" He clenched his fists, narrowing his gaze. "Let's see how strong you really are."

The beast lunged at him with terrifying speed, its claws slashing through the air toward him. With a swift motion, Aamir dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the attack. "You'll need more than this to kill me," Aamir taunted, his voice unwavering as he closed the distance.

In an instant, he punched the beast with a single, forceful blow. The impact was so intense that the creature's skull shattered with a sickening crack. The beast crumpled, dead before it hit the ground.

A small red orb of light floated up from the fallen beast, circling around Aamir before it entered his head, merging with him in an instant. The system's screen flashed:

[Congratulations, Host. You have killed a Shadow Crawler.]

Before Aamir could digest the information, the ground beneath him rippled. More shadows began to shift, and one by one, beasts emerged from them—far more numerous and far more dangerous than the last. Their dark forms writhed in the air, their glowing eyes filled with hunger.

Aamir's heart raced. "This is insane…"

Without warning, the beasts launched at him with blinding speed. He moved as fast as he could, his instincts and training allowing him to dodge most of their attacks. But these creatures weren't going to give him any breaks.

One of them lunged from behind, its razor-sharp claws slashing through the air with deadly precision. Aamir jumped aside, barely evading the attack—but still, he felt the sting as the claws scraped across his back. His body didn't bleed, but the pain was unbearable, as though his flesh had been torn apart.

Aamir stumbled forward, trying to regain his footing. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing more and more beasts rising from the shadows, their deadly forms growing stronger with each passing moment. He was outnumbered—and overwhelmed.

He had killed some of them, but they kept coming, their relentless assault pushing him further into desperation. Some were so strong that his attacks couldn't even scratch them, let alone take them down. He kept dodging, weaving between the beasts, doing everything he could just to stay alive.

His breath came in ragged gasps, and his muscles screamed in protest. Why won't they stop? Aamir thought frantically. He was running, dodging, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't going to make it. How much longer can I last?

The beast closest to him charged, its massive body hurtling toward him. Aamir barely managed to sidestep in time, but its claws caught the edge of his arm. The pain was excruciating—his body felt as though it was being shredded from the inside.

Aamir's heart raced. He had to think fast. This isn't about fighting. He was barely surviving—he just needed to keep moving.

Then, the voice boomed in his head again.

[Penalty Time: Over.]

Before Aamir could even react, everything around him faded. The grasslands, the beasts, the pain—all of it vanished in an instant. His body felt like it was being pulled through space.

Aamir gasped as his feet touched solid ground. The familiar rocky landscape returned, and he found himself back in the training area. His breath was heavy, his muscles ached, but he was alive. The system's screen flashed before him again:

[You have completed the penalty phase.]

Aamir let out a long breath, trying to process everything. The beasts, the pain, the sheer struggle—this wasn't just some training simulation.

Then, another screen appeared.

[Congratulations, Host. You have survived your penalty task. You will be rewarded.]

"A reward? Well, that's reassuring after all that trouble you put me through," Aamir muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder.

Three mystery cards appeared before him, each marked with a glowing question mark.

[Please choose one.]

Aamir frowned. "Wait, just one? Why not all three?"

A familiar voice echoed in his head—Luman, the system's AI guide.

[Because it's a penalty reward. You only get to choose one. The reward could be an item, a skill, or even a new ability.]

Aamir sighed. "Tch, stingy. After everything I went through, you'd think I'd get all three." He crossed his arms, a disappointed look on his face.

Still, he reached out and tapped one of the cards. It flipped over, revealing a glowing symbol.

The system screen flashed:

[Congratulations! You have obtained a new ability: Permanent Copy.]

Aamir's eyes widened. "Wait… what? Copy?"

The system explained:

[Permanent Copy: You can copy any beast's ability that you kill or have killed in the past.]

Aamir blinked in shock. "What the hell?! Are you saying I can steal monster abilities now?!"

Luman chuckled. [Exactly. Higher-class beasts have unique abilities, and with this skill, you can permanently acquire them by defeating them.]

Aamir's shock turned into excitement. "Damn… that's insane! That means if I fight strong enough creatures, I could—"

Then another notification appeared.

[Congratulations, Host. You will be rewarded with a special reward: Full Recovery.]

"Full recovery?" Aamir asked. As soon as he spoke, his body began to glow. His injuries healed, his pain and fatigue vanished—he felt completely restored, as if he had never been injured at all.

"Well, that's awesome," Aamir said with a grin.

Then, another notification popped up.

[Status Updated.]

Aamir opened his status screen, eager to check his progress. But as he read it, his excitement vanished.

[Level: 4]

Aamir's jaw dropped. "What the hell?! Still level four?! Why is it so low?!"

Luman sighed dramatically. [Well, whose fault is that?] he said with mock sarcasm. [Your strength and your level don't match. Because you activated the system so late, your level is far behind. Right now, your actual strength is at level 20, but your system level is only 4. That means your growth is stuck.]

Aamir groaned. "So you're telling me my strength won't increase until I reach level 20?!"

[Exactly. You need to catch up by leveling up. Until then, your power won't grow any stronger. But once you hit level 20, your strength will start increasing again along with your level.]

Aamir ran a hand through his hair, frustrated but determined. "So basically, I need to go beast hunting until I fix this?"

Luman chuckled. [You got it. So, what's the plan, Host?]

Aamir clenched his fists, his lips curling into a grin. "The plan? I'm about to level up so fast, even you won't believe it."

He turned his gaze toward the distant horizon. If killing beasts was the key to unlocking his full potential, then he knew exactly what to do.

Time to hunt.