Chapter 7: Penalty
The hospital room was quiet, save for the soft beeping of the heart monitor and the faint hum of fluorescent lights. Xavier lay in bed, lost in a dreamless sleep, his breathing steady. But then, piercing through the silence, a deafening BEEP-BEEP-BEEP sounded, jarring and insistent.
Xavier stirred, but the noise didn't stop. Instead, it grew louder, more urgent. His eyes flew open as a bright red screen materialized above him, the text glaringly clear.
[WARNING]
[Daily Quest Incomplete. Penalty Zone Initiated.]
"What?" he muttered groggily, squinting at the screen. But before he could make sense of it, the entire room began to shake violently, as if the hospital were being torn apart.
The heart monitor tipped over with a crash, and the IV stand clattered to the ground. Xavier clung to the bed rails, his pulse skyrocketing.
The screen changed again, displaying a new message.
[Transporting Player to the Penalty Zone…]
The bed beneath him vanished, and with it, the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Xavier's stomach lurched as he was plunged into a dark, endless void. The sensation was gut-wrenching, as though he were falling through an infinite abyss. His scream echoed into the nothingness, swallowed by the void.
Then, with a bone-jarring THUD, he hit the ground.
...
Xavier groaned, pain radiating through his back and limbs. The fall had knocked the wind out of him. He pushed himself up with trembling arms, feeling cold, slimy mud beneath his palms. His hospital gown was soaked and stained with the foul-smelling muck.
Blinking rapidly, he tried to make sense of his surroundings. It was dark, but faintly illuminated by a blood-red sky above. Thick, swirling mist hung low over the ground, obscuring everything beyond a few feet. The air was suffocating, heavy with the stench of rot and decay.
A familiar chime sounded, drawing his gaze upward. The system interface hovered before him.
[Penality Zone Activated]
[Objective: Survive For 5 Hours].
[Details: The Penalty Zone is a space designed to enforce discipline upon failure to complete daily quests. Survive the environment and its inhabitants for the specified time.]
[Failure Consequences: Death.]
[Time Remaining: 04:59:47]
Xavier's blood ran cold. "Death?!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the desolate expanse. "This has to be some kind of sick joke!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled. A low, guttural rumble reverberated through the air, sending ripples across the muddy terrain. Xavier froze, his eyes darting around for the source of the sound.
From the mist, a colossal shadow began to emerge. Then another. And another.
Towering figures stepped into view, their forms massive and intimidating. Their bodies appeared to be hewn from jagged stone, with veins of swirling green glowing vines running through their cracks, pulsing like a heartbeat. Each movement they made sent small tremors through the ground.
Their faces were featureless except for two glowing red slits where their eyes should be, burning with malice. Above each of their heads floated terrifying red text, written in jagged, otherworldly script:
[RAGING GOLEM]
Xavier's mouth went dry. His legs felt like lead as his mind raced.
The first golem let out an earth-shaking roar, a guttural sound that sent a chill down Xavier's spine. The others followed suit, their deafening cries filling the air.
Xavier scrambled to his feet, slipping in the mud as panic consumed him. His heart pounded in his chest like a war drum. "No, no, no, no! This can't be real!"
...
The golems began to move, their massive feet sinking into the mud with each step. Despite their size, they were fast, closing the distance between them and Xavier with alarming speed.
"Run!" he screamed at himself, forcing his legs to move.
He sprinted as fast as he could, mud splashing up his legs as he bolted. The sound of the golems' footsteps was thunderous, each impact reverberating through the ground.
"THIS HAS TO BE A NIGHTMARE!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
But the searing pain in his lungs, the icy mud on his skin, and the deafening roars of the golems reminded him that this was no dream.
A system notification flashed in the corner of his vision as he ran:
[ Passive Skill Activated: Survivor's Instinct]
[Effect: Enhanced perception and reaction time during life-threatening situations.]
Xavier felt a strange clarity wash over him, his senses sharpening. He could hear the faint crunch of stone shifting as one of the golems reached out to grab him. Instinctively, he ducked, narrowly avoiding a massive hand that would have crushed him like an insect.
The impact of the missed grab sent a shockwave through the ground, knocking him off balance. He tumbled into the mud but scrambled back to his feet, adrenaline fueling his every move.
...
The timer in the corner of his vision ticked down with agonizing slowness.
[Time Remaining: 04:43:15]
"How am I supposed to survive for five hours?" Xavier gasped, his legs burning as he kept running.
The golems didn't tire, their relentless pursuit pushing him to the brink. Every step felt heavier, every breath more labored.
But Xavier refused to stop. If he stopped, he knew he wouldn't get back up. And if he didn't get back up, he wouldn't survive.
"This isn't the end," he muttered through gritted teeth, his resolve hardening even as tears streamed down his face. "This isn't how I die!"
The golems roared behind him, and the chase continued, the penalty zone offering no mercy.