Talent Awakening: I Awakened With The Rewind System

By my twentieth reset, trapped in a cycle of unending agonizing frustration, and despair. I found myself...changing.

I was taller now, my gaunt frame hardening with each trial. Misty blue eyes once soft with fear now sharpened and unyielding. I had become a reflection of this cruel world: cold, relentless, and scarred.

This was my third attempt at this damned trial. Yet, no matter what I did, I couldn't get through.

I exhaled sharply.

A ragged breath escaping my lips as i steadied my breath.

"Huff- Huff."

My body was tense, coiled like a spring.

This time, it had to work.

Without another thought, I bolted forward.

A chilling wind clawed at me, and I ducked instinctively as a dark, icy spear hurtled past my head. It scraped my hair, embedding itself in the shadowed wall behind me with a defeaning creak.

Creak!

Hum!

I took in a gulp of saliva.

Gazing ahead of me.

The darkness stretched infinitely, suffocating and oppressive.

Yet, somehow, I could see in the darkness.

Every step felt like threading a needle.

Precise.

Deliberate.

My movement mirrored a warrior's, honed through relentless torment. I sidestepped another spear, its frozen edge slicing the air where I had been. The cold kisses my skin, a chilling reminder of what lay ahead.

The door loomed in the distance, ominous and beckoning. It radiated a strange allure, promising salvation while reeking of danger. But to get there, I had to get past this storm of icy spears.

I pressed on, shards of cobblestones erupting underfoot as I dodged spear after spear. Each projectile was a harbringer of death, slicing through the air with murderous intent.

One hit, and it would all be over.

My body screamed in protest as I dodged, muscles taunt and burning, but I couldn't stop.

I wouldn't stop.

The memory of that thing- that insidious creature drawn to blood- spurred me on. Its grotesque image haunted the walls of my mind: rows of gnashing teeth and eyes devoid of humanity.

And I definitely don't plan on encountering it again.

Then,

Two spears spiralled towards me, one from each side.

Panic surged through me, my heart pounding against my ribs like a war drum. For a moment, fear's icy grip seized me. But I shoved it down, forcing my mind to focus.

With a desperate burst of energy, I lunged forward, rolling across the cold cobblestones.

Pain exploded across my body as I slammed onto the ground, skidding to a stop eventually. I clenched my teeth against the pain, pushing myself upright.

The door was closer now.

Just a few more feet.

But dread crept in as i realized the cold truth:

This was the final stretch. One wrong move, one misstep, and it would all be over.

Death's embrace was a cruel, familiar one, and I had no desire to feel it again.

I steadied myself, forcing my trembling legs to move.

Memories of the creature flashed in my mind, vivid and grotesque. Its rancid breath. The sound of my bones snapping between its teeth. The unbearable pain as it consumed me whole.

I shuddered, bile rising in my throat, my chest heaving up and down continuously, but I kept moving.

I had no choice.

Tok-

A sudden rush of spears erupted from all sides, a hurricane of death.

Tok-

My heart raced,

Ba-dump!

Ba-dump!

I darted between them, my body twisting and turning with inhuman precision. Yet the onslaught grew more chaotic, more erratic.

Whoosh!!

Whisssh!!!

One spear grazed my cheek, cold and sharp.

My breath hitched, a silent scream trapped in my throat.

"Hnm-uk-ak."

Blood welled from the shallow cut, and terror gripped me.

Ba-dump!

It's coming.

The creature could already smell me.

But I couldn't stop.

Tok-

I dashed forward, shards of cobblestones flying as another spear struck the ground behind me. My mind worked frantically, calculating trajectories and timings.

The resets had honed me into something more,

Into something sharper.

Yet even that wasn't enough to guarantee my survival.

The spears came faster now, converging from all sides. Four of them closed in at once and my heart nearly stopped.

Time seemed to slow down as I realized a bitter truth: the resets never aligned perfectly. There was always something different- some subtle, cruel change meant to test me anew.

With a guttural scream,

Aaargh!!

I forced my body into action, pushing it beyond its limit. Muscles screamed in protest, and my lungs burned, but I didn't care.

Survival was all that mattered.

Tok-

With one final, desperate leap, I hurled myself towards the door. The icy spears whizzed past, mere inches from tearing me apart. Shards of cobblestones and frozen sparks rained around me as I tumbled forward.

I crashed into the door with a loud bone-jarring thud, my body crumpling against its cold surface. Pain radiated through me, every nerve set aflame.

I gasped for air,

"Huff- Huff."

My vision darkening.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my sight, a suffocating void threatening to consume me. Yet amidst the pain and exhaustion, a faint smile tugged at my lips.

I did it.

I didn't know what lay behind this trial, but for now, I allowed myself this small victory. Every success, no matter how fleeting, was worth... cherishing.

And as the darkness overtook me, my last thought was one of defiance.

No matter how many resets it took, I would endure.

I will survive.

And I will win.