When light finally returned, he was met with discomfort from lying on rough, uneven ground and was greeted by an unfamiliar sky and a mysterious red moon that hung within it, blending the world around him in a bright crimson glow.
"What the heck..!"
Upon closer examination of the strange moon, his body shivered uncontrollably, and he let out a loud yelp of surprise.
The moon hanging in the sky appeared bigger than the one he was used to seeing on Earth, even appearing as though it was closer to the land itself than it was to the sky above. Yet that was not what made him react in such a manner.
The moon had a face.
It had two unmistakable, piercing eyes and long lines running down from them that looked like tears of blood.
It also had a large mouth, which was currently curved into a creepy smile as it seemed to focus directly on Eren.
Although there was no nose or ears, it was unmistakably a face.
Eren crawled backward in fright without breaking contact with the red moon, as though doing so would cause it to attack.
He crawled further and further away from what seemed to be his spawn point until his back collided with something steady and hard.
The sudden contact frightened him even more, and he leapt to his feet, thinking some mysterious figure had appeared behind him.
Nonetheless, upon checking the object behind him, he discovered it was a tree, a normal one but enormous in size.
As he spotted the tree, he subconsciously scanned his surroundings and discovered he was surrounded by many more trees, and the ground was carpeted with thick grass, which explained the discomfort he had felt earlier.
Eren gulped anxiously and returned his attention to the red moon.
'Where the devil's kitchen am I?' he wondered to himself.
There was no response, except for a gust of wind that suddenly blew and made the leaves rustle, creating a strange cacophony of sound that contrasted sharply with the eerie stillness of the scenario around him.
His heartbeat began to pound violently, so much that he had to place his hand on his chest in a fruitless attempt to calm it down. But the longer he remained there, the more troubled his entire being became.
Just as he continued scanning the place from time to time, ensuring he did not break contact with the strange being in the sky for too long, the voice he had heard before he blacked out resurfaced.
[Welcome to your trial survival mission world, Survivor #11909]
[Since this is your trial survival mission, you will be given a one time opportunity to learn about the world from me instead of discovering it by yourself, which has almost always led to death for survivors before you.]
[Would you like me to brief you while you wait for your survivor buddies?]
[Also, details of your trial mission will appear after I am done satiating your curiosity. For now, you may speak to me as much as you like, and I will answer everything I am permitted to answer.]
Eren listened to everything it said but still found it difficult to understand, probably because he was still inwardly shaken.
"Where am I?" he asked.
[You are in an entirely different world from Earth, called the Bloodyscape.]
"Bloodyscape?" Eren muttered. This could explain at least a little about the strange red nature of the moon.
[Yes. Would you like to know about the Bloodyscape? I can share a small amount of details that could guarantee your survival.]
Eren paused for a while before finally giving the voice his response.
[Bloodyscape is a unique world, where red could mean danger or salvation. Strength, wisdom, courage, and most of all, luck, are very important to survive here.
You are currently in the heart of the Bleeding Forest. It is as large as the biggest forest you could imagine, so remove from your mind any thoughts of simply leaving.
The Bleeding Forest houses dangers beyond your imagination. The wild beasts you fear on Earth are nothing compared to some of the simplest insects here, and the wild beasts in this world cannot be killed by most of the weapons you humans pride yourselves on.
The place is also riddled with traps and safe zones. The traps mean your death, and the safe zones are versatile. They could serve as ordinary sanctuaries or, if your luck is good, provide you with certain skills and buffs to help you survive the Bleeding Forest terrain.
There is much more about this place, but this is all I am permitted to share.]
"Wait, did you just say there are beasts here that weapons on Earth cannot kill?"
[Indeed.]
Eren's face drained of color at that moment.
"How do you expect me, a normal human, to survive here then?"
[That is the beauty of it all.]
"What the heck does that mean?"
Eren felt rage boiling within him as he heard the playful tone of the voice in his head in such a serious situation.
"How is this even a trial mission? If my death is more certain than survival?" he asked, but the voice went unresponsive.
That silence only made Eren angrier.
"What about the red moon?"
[You mean the Bleeding Moon?]
"Yes."
[You have to find that out yourself. But don't worry, the survival mission hasn't begun yet, so you're basically safe for now. Your survival buddies are still on their way.]
Eren processed those words carefully.
The red moon was a mystery, but with its appearance alone, it only spelled danger.
And among all the things the voice had said so far, learning he would not be alone in this terrifying place was the only thing that offered even a small sense of relief.
Since he still had a little time in his favor, he decided to use it to learn as much as he could from the voice.
He asked about its origin, the mechanism of the survival missions, their purpose, why he was selected as one, and what would happen if he died in the survival world.
[When you die, your soul and body are corrupted and stored for doomsday. As for your other questions, you're not permitted to know the answers. Besides, there is a 99.9% chance you won't survive.]
Eren ignored the last remark.
"What do you mean by doomsday?"
[Whatever you're imagining right now, multiply it by a thousandfold and your result is what I am talking about.]
Once again, it skipped his question jokingly without giving a real response.
[Your survival buddies will be arriving in thirty seconds.]
It notified him while he was still thinking.
Eren used the last thirty seconds to ask more questions, focusing less on the origin and purpose of the survival mission and more on his own survival. He inquired about food he could eat, how to find a safe zone, and other important details that could keep him alive.
Some of his questions the voice responded to, and others it did not.
By the end of the thirty seconds, it became fully unresponsive. But just as it had predicted, several figures suddenly fell out of midair and landed in different areas around him.
They were his survival buddies.
[You have 10 minutes before the survival mission begins. Spend your time wisely to learn about your teammates]