Kyle's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted back toward the cathedral, his legs burning with every step.
"I take my words back—I am not ready for this world!" he thought, panic surging through him.
Behind him, a monstrous figure loomed.
It was humanoid, but that's where the similarities ended.
Its body was covered in black, stony armor, and its glowing red eyes burned with a predatory hunger.
Long, razor-sharp claws extended from its hands, scraping against the ground as it chased him.
The sound of its heavy footsteps echoed like thunder, growing louder with every second.
Kyle ducked just as the monster swiped its claws at him. The air whistled as the claws narrowly missed his head.
"Why didn't I think of this earlier? Of course there are monsters here! This is a dark fantasy world, not a vacation spot!" he shouted to himself, his voice trembling with fear.
He dashed back into the cathedral, the same room where he had woken up just minutes ago.
His breath came in ragged gasps as he glanced over his shoulder.
His eyes widened in horror as he saw the monster's claws slicing through the air, inches from his face.
'No… I can't die here! Not like this!' Kyle's mind screamed. In that moment of desperation, something inside him clicked.
His lightning affinity—the power he had barely even begun to understand—surged to life.
Lightning crackled around him, coursing through his veins like a storm. Without thinking, he activated it.
"Whoosh!"
In a flash of light, Kyle vanished from the spot, reappearing several feet away. The monster's claws slashed through empty air, missing him completely.
Kyle didn't have time to celebrate. The monster let out a guttural roar and lunged again, its red eyes locked onto him.
"Oh, come on!" Kyle yelled, scrambling to his feet.
He sprinted deeper into the cathedral, but the monster was relentless.
It swung its massive claws at Kyle's back, the attack faster than he could react.
Kyle jumped, hoping to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough.
The claws grazed his back, tearing through his clothes and leaving a deep gash.
The force of the blow sent him flying through the air. He hit the ground hard, pain shooting through his body.
"Fuck!" Kyle hissed, clutching his wound.
Blood seeped through his fingers, but he forced himself to focus.
Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, Kyle raised his hand.
Lightning crackled around his fingertips, forming into a glowing spear of pure energy.
He aimed it at the monster, his eyes blazing with determination.
"Take this!" he shouted, ready to unleash the attack.
But just as he was about to release the thunder spear, the monster stopped.
Its glowing red eyes narrowed, and then, to Kyle's utter confusion, it turned around and walked away.
Its heavy footsteps echoed as it retreated into the shadows, leaving Kyle alone in the dimly lit cathedral.
Kyle stared at the monster's retreating figure, his chest heaving.
"What… just happened?" he muttered, half in disbelief, half in relief.
His body trembled from the adrenaline and pain, but he couldn't help feeling a strange sense of victory.
He had survived—barely.
Collapsing onto the cold stone floor, Kyle winced as the pain in his back flared up.
"Okay… note to self: this world is way more dangerous than I thought," he said, his voice shaky.
He glanced around the cathedral, his mind racing. 'Why did it leave? Maybe this place is off-limits for monsters? Some kind of holy ground or something?'
For now, he didn't care about the reasons. He was just glad to be alive.
"Prologue: survived. Barely," he muttered, letting out a weak laugh.
"But if that's what I'm up against, I've got a long way to go."
"That monster was Grade 3 Silver," Kyle muttered, his voice trembling as he leaned against the cold stonewall of the cathedral.
"How ridiculous…"
He had always wondered how the protagonists in novels could instantly tell a monster's rank just by looking at it. Now, he understood.
It wasn't some special skill or hidden knowledge—it was instinct.
The moment he laid eyes on that creature, his mind screamed at him: Silver rank. It's two whole ranks above you. Run.
"No wonder" Kyle said, wincing as he touched the gash on his back.
"A Grade 3 Silver monster… I'm just a Grade 1 Iron."
He let out a shaky laugh, though there was no humor in it.
"This world doesn't mess around, does it? One wrong move, and you're dead. No second chances, no respawns. Just… game over."
Kyle closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. The pain in his back was a constant reminder of how close he had come to dying.
"I got lucky this time," he whispered. "But luck won't save me forever. I need to get stronger. Fast."
He glanced down at his hands, still trembling from the adrenaline.
"If I'm going to survive in this world, I can't afford to be weak. Not when even the monsters are this terrifying," he muttered to himself.
With a deep breath, Kyle pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain shooting through his body.
"I need to start training and rank up my mana core.
If I want to get out of here, I have to defeat that thing," he said, his voice firm despite the fear still lingering in his chest.
He only had one month to escape this place—or else he'd miss the academy's entrance exam.
The thought sent a jolt of urgency through him.
"No time to waste," he whispered, clenching his fists. "I've got to get stronger, fast."
****