Stepping through the gate, a scene of startling familiarity struck me. This was the Place of Refuge - or as everyone here called it, the Weird World.
Just as Qing Yashu - the enigmatic girl who had first explained the survival rules to me - had described, this place was an exact mirror of our old world. Bustling streets were filled with people, and long rows of lush green trees swayed in the breeze. The sound of children's laughter echoed along the roadside, accompanied by the vibrant pulse of music drifting from every corner.
However, the moment I looked up, that illusion of peace instantly shattered.
Instead of the sun, a colossal eye reigned supreme in the heights, radiating a haunting, shimmering light. It felt like a supreme, cosmic entity, cold and detached, monitoring every single move of every living soul below. A sharp chill ran down my spine.
I glanced at the crowds walking by with total indifference, thinking to myself: Can they actually see that eye? Or have they simply grown too used to being watched?
Suddenly, a wave of profound loneliness hit me. I wondered if my teammates from the previous trial were lost somewhere within this bizarre, sprawling city.
Too many questions, but time waits for no one.
The system interface in my mind showed that I had five months left before the second mission began. Initially, I had planned to reward myself with four or five days of rest to recover from the trauma of the Hell Gate. But homesickness quickly extinguished that luxury. Fifteen missions in total. If I took the full five months for each one, it would take me six and a half years to see my family again.
Six years... what would happen to my frail, ailing mother by then? Could her weak body even last that long?
At that thought, my heart burned with a fierce sense of urgency. I couldn't afford to waste a single day. I needed to pick up the pace, conquer the trials, and get out of here.
But first, I had to settle an immediate, much more grounding problem: finding a place to stay. Looking at myself - Completely penniless in a strange world - I let out a long, weary sigh.
Perhaps the first step to surviving this demonic realm wasn't fighting monsters, but finding a job. And if I could find a way to cross paths with Qing Yashu again, it would kill two birds with one stone. I needed a roof over my head, but more importantly, I needed to figure out if that girl was a trustworthy ally, or a dangerous wild card pulling the strings from the shadows. Keeping my eyes on her was the safest bet.