After his dream encounter with Lisea, Auren felt a significant change within himself. Though his heart was still filled with sorrow and loss, something new had emerged within him—a stronger determination. However, the harsh reality of the world soon challenged that resolve, and the Quests given by the system now began to turn darker and more challenging.
On the fifth night after that encounter, Auren awoke from his sleep, only to see the system screen appear before his eyes. This time, it wasn't a simple piece of information. The system seemed more terrifying and full of much graver threats.
[Quest Received]
Title: Inevitable Vengeance
Quest Description:
To prove your strength and ability, you must defeat the five strongest enemies in this world. They are not human, not ordinary creatures, but rulers of nature with power almost equivalent to gods. Only by defeating them can you continue this journey.
Rewards:
* Unimaginable experience
* Fate-altering power
* Access to higher dimensions
Threat:
If you fail or avoid this quest, the system will activate Punishment. Every day you will feel infinite pain, your body will be filled with unhealing wounds, and your soul will be punished with endless agony.
Auren stared at the screen with swollen eyes, a rapidly beating pulse, and a heart that felt like it would explode. This system was becoming increasingly incomprehensible. A quest that had previously seemed like an opportunity to gain power had now transformed into a terrifying demand. The five strongest enemies he had to face were entities more powerful than anyone he had ever encountered, and if he failed, the punishment was unimaginable pain.
However, he had no choice. The quest had already been accepted, and if he refused it, the punishment would begin immediately. Auren felt trapped in a game bigger and darker than he had ever imagined.
He decided to step forward, despite the fear that continued to shake him.
The Increasingly Challenging Days
With each passing day, Auren's quest became more difficult. Every enemy he faced was not an easy opponent. They were beings who controlled nature with powers beyond ordinary humans. Each battle provided new lessons, but also an increasingly great cost.
One of the enemies he faced was Fenrir, a giant wolf capable of controlling lightning energy and able to darken the sky with just a roar. Auren almost lost that battle, but he managed to use his newly learned water magic abilities to avoid a fatal attack and injure Fenrir.
Then there was Valkyria, a legendary warrior who controlled time and space, trapping Auren in a constantly repeating time loop, where he had to fight the same enemy repeatedly until he found a way to counter her. Every time he failed, he felt immense pain in his body, as if his entire being was being destroyed in a few seconds.
On a night filled with unease, Auren sat alone under the star-filled sky, feeling immense physical and mental exhaustion. But he knew that he couldn't stop, because the system was watching his every move. If he stopped or retreated, unimaginable pain would soon follow.
In moments like these, Lisea's voice, which he had heard in his dream, echoed in his ears again. Although he could no longer see her, that voice gave him immeasurable strength. Auren felt as if Lisea was truly by his side, giving him greater courage to face these increasingly insane quests.
On the 14th day of the quest, Auren had defeated four enemies. But, when he looked at the system screen for the last time, a new quest suddenly appeared, more terrifying than before.
[Quest Received]
Title: The Last Enemy — A Battle with Fate
Quest Description:
To complete this quest, you must face the Last Enemy, an entity more powerful than anything that has ever existed. This is not an ordinary battle. This is a battle with fate itself, where not only physical strength is tested, but your courage and will to live will be at stake.
Rewards:
* A new, stronger fate
* Mastery over the power of the ages
Threat:
Failure means your death will repeat every day, punished by time that constantly turns without end. Every soul you leave behind will be trapped in boundless dimensions.
Auren felt a shiver run down his spine as he read the description of that final quest. This was no longer just a physical battle, but a battle with his own destiny. If he failed, he would face endlessly repeating death and be trapped in never-ending time.
With despair beginning to envelop him, Auren stood in the emptiness and shouted at the dark sky.
> "I will finish this! I will face my destiny! Nothing will stand in my way anymore!"
>
Now, Auren stood on the brink of destiny's peak. The increasingly difficult and almost impossible quest had shaped him into a stronger, yet also darker, figure. In this journey, hope and despair wrestled together, while he knew one thing for sure: just one more step towards a destiny that would change everything.
Auren was no longer fighting just for himself. He was fighting to know the truth, to understand who he was, and to end the torment left by his fate.