Dear diary,

I don't have much to tell you, but I am in my... well, most probably 51st trial. I have failed many times to leave that horrible place and haven't found a way. I could only go past Raid 17, but I died due to unfavorable circumstances. I could feel my soul ripping, telling me to end this nightmare... but I don't know how to end this.

Lisha

"What are you writing~?" said Hana, looking at Lisha's paper.

She’s funny, sassy, and kind to the people she loves. She has curly, medium-length black hair and a strong sense of justice.

"It's nothing, believe me," Lisha says while ripping the paper into shreds.

"Okay... anyway, I am here to inform you that... Mei has invited us to dine together," Hana announces in a dramatic voice.

"What’s with the dramatic voice?" Lisha sighs. "Okay… I’ll grab my lunch bag. Hold on."

Lisha turns, snatching her bag off the hook. Mei, who appears rough on the outside but is responsible and kind underneath, is five benches away. She shouts loud enough for Lisha to hear.

"What’s with the mood swings? Normally you’d be the one to invite us," Mei says with a rough, worried tone. But the answer is not what she expects.

"Hm."

What’s wrong with her? Hana wonders.

I don’t know, she mouths back to Mei.

"You should all know we have ten minutes left before the bell—wait, why on Earth is he running? Isn't that our P.E. teacher?" says Ivy. She’s beautiful but suppresses her emotions.

They see the P.E. teacher gripping the doorframe, pointing toward the stairs.

"ALL STUDENTS EVACUATE! LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS! WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME!"

Some students try to understand what’s going on, but the atmosphere is too intense.

They reach the road just outside the school, which is filled with people. Fear grows in them as they look up. A massive, circle-shaped landmass floats in the sky. Some cry into phones, believing it's the last time they’ll speak to loved ones. The students just want to see their parents.

The incident spreads across the globe. Many wonder: is this the end of the world?

Police across Chennai evacuate half the city. By nightfall, the rest of the people—and animals—are also gone. Some sleep, others try to stay awake, but all fall unconscious eventually. By midnight, people start fainting. Students try waking them but get no response.

Lisha isn’t fazed. She simply stares up at the circle above.

Screams erupt as people look down and see their own bodies lying on the ground—though they’re clearly standing.

Mei, Hana, Ivy, and a few others notice Lisha’s calmness.

"Take this seriously!" Mei snaps.

Jina, a bright student, steps forward. "Calm down. We’ll figure this out."

She notices her twin sister Nina—brilliant and quiet—examining her body.

"It’s still breathing. Pulse and heartbeat are normal," Nina says.

"Why are we like this? The soul’s left the body. It’s like... something’s controlling it," says Arjun. He’s sharp, and half the girls have a crush on him.

"This doesn’t make sense... unless we’re in an anime or something. Sora, are we in a fantasy book? Or—"

"Geez, Rosette," Sora interrupts with an irritated tone. "Stop it with your delulu thoughts. At this rate, we might as well be isekai’d into Demon Slayer."

Suddenly, the ground shakes. A void opens beneath each person.

They fall, screaming and calling each other’s names. Some manage to grab hands mid-fall. They hit the bottom—it’s pitch black.

"It’s too damn DARK in here. Some lights would be nice."

A light appears in the center.

"Oh—I... since when did I have magic?"

As they gather, Lia appears. But Lisha and a few others are missing.

"The last I heard her, she fell over there!" says Ava, a confident Gen Alpha extrovert, pointing.

"Maybe we wait. A few still aren’t here," she suggests. The group agrees. Some fall asleep while others call out names.

Time passes. A dark figure approaches.

"Good thing you guys didn’t move! We kept running toward you but you just kept going!" says Nina.

"Ah, it’s our fault," Jina adds. "Now that we’re all gathered... you can sleep." She herself falls asleep.

Lisha, the only one awake, ponders their next move.

"To my right is our world. To the left is the world we’re heading to."

She walks east. The space around her lights up—revealing two solar systems.

"We have twenty hours left. That’s plenty."

She smirks and lies down to sleep. A system screen appears:

[20 hours left before trials begin.]

The players awaken. Murmurs fill the air. They look up at the solar system and a blue plane in the north.

"Arjun! ARJUN! Get up, you have to see this!" shouts Varun.

"Can’t you see I’m sleeping? What’s with the fuss an—where ARE we?" Arjun bolts upright.

"Crazy, right? Where even are we?" Varun echoes.

"Mei, shouldn’t we feel cold by now?" Sora asks, touching her skin.

"Feels like a barrier’s keeping us alive," Nina replies, spreading her hands.

"Nina, how did you sleep?"

"Good."

"That’s it?" Sora is cut off as the panel speaks:

[2 hours left. Here are your blessings. Use this time to understand how it works. Say 'Status' to view your blessings.]

It reverts to a clock.

Shocked, they each try it.

"What do you think’s happening, Rosette?" asks Claire.

"A trial. Or maybe a practice zone. Normally we’d be dropped into a forest or something. I’ve never seen this in anime—maybe we meet a god or end up in our favorite manhwa or whatever," says Sora.

They start exploring, but one notices a second crowd approaching. They get tense—some hide, others freeze.

"What?! This didn’t happen before... then again, I never trust my past regressions. Everything keeps changing," Lisha thinks.

As the other group gets closer, it becomes clear: they’re trapped here too. And they’re following the same command.

The crowd was called the 2nd Player Group, shown above their heads. The one leading them noticed the 1st Player Group's tension.

"Ah! We're not here to harm anybody. We saw light and tried getting close to it. Sorry if we gave you all any tension."

Some were cautious, thinking they might be skinwalkers or something worse, but they sighed in relief once they realized they were just like them. Arjun broke the silence.

"It's alright. Let's introduce ourselves since we've all gathered here. My name is Arjun—"

They started to introduce themselves and grew closer—well, only a few. They talked and shared stories from both sides. Lisha and Ivy sat together while Mei and the others made new friends.

"I thought it would only be us... Didn't expect other country students to join us... They're the same age too," Lisha and Ivy thought from different perspectives.

Lisha was thinking about how to prepare for the upcoming trial and what type of blessings could be useful.

"Some of us have defensive skills. Maybe I can ask them about it."

Before she could finish her plan, the blue panel appeared again:

[Ari Systems are here to show your physical and mental status. Your blessings, given by the 4 constellations and 3 ultimate beings, can be found here.]

The 2PG did as the panel instructed, followed by the 1PG. They saw their blessings—some had ones from the 4 constellations, a few from the 3 ultimate beings, and others had combinations of both. Some couldn’t use theirs because they were passive; others had defensive or offensive blessings.

[You have ten minutes before the trial begins... PREPARE YOURSELVES.]

"See! I was right!"

"How on Earth are we supposed to train though?" said Rosette.

Both groups began testing their skills by sparring, with consent. It started with Arjun and Isuki, then a few other matchups. Even though they had ten minutes, it only took them one minute to figure out their powers and start fighting. Afterward, they were slightly bruised.

Mira and three more students healed them. Even healers gained experience points, just like those who fought.

[All players, get into position. You will fight your opponents.]

They got into position, activated their skills, and waited. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Tall walls of bushes rose up around them. Above them was the open sky; the players were scattered.

[Find the exit within 3 hours. If failed, you will lose your life.]

"Lose our life, huh? What a lie. I’ve failed before and I was still alive and well," thought Lisha.

"The others are scattered... Where and how are we going to find them!?" said Jina.

"Just use your first skill."

"How?"

"Just blast it in all directions, through the walls of the maze. This will help them reach us."

"That's a great idea, but what if the bushes close back? Or the others get hurt?"

"...That won’t happen if you keep blasting. And if they get hurt, that’s their problem."

"You're heartless!!"

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

Jina did as instructed. Soon they spotted classmates and regrouped—except for the Japanese players.

"Jina! Blast through the center!" said Lisha, standing next to Mei.

"But she’s at her limit!" shouted Mei and Ava.

"If she doesn’t, we might not be able to escape this maze!" said Lisha.

Jina tried her best and managed to open a path to the exit, which looked endless, but Lisha assured them there would be an exit there.

They parted ways, and Mei and Lisha headed to the center.

"I hope we reach there quickly. It should take just two strikes an—Mei!? Wha—let me go!" shouted Lisha.

"YOU’RE TOO SLOW!" barked Mei.

"YOU SAID WE NEED TO GET THERE FAST, so let me do the running, you sloth!"

"She’s... so damn right. I am very slow. Not my fault my knee twists if I push past my running limit," thought Lisha.

She heard a rustle on her left and told Mei to head toward the right wall. She grabbed a branch poking out.

"THIS MIGHT HURT!!" Lisha shouted as she cut Mei’s hand.

"OUCH! WHAT THE HECK!?" screamed Mei, dropping her.

"IS THIS HOW YOU REPAY ME FOR HELPING YOU!?" Blood trickled from the cut.

Lisha explained, "This is the only way to unlock your skill. Since yours is 'Blood Hold,' it works with your blood or your enemy's."

"How do you even kno—"

"No time for questions. We’re about to fight."

The boss appeared—a Venus flytrap-type monster with a thick, stone-like stem.

"Use your first skill, Dancing Waves. Chop off the roots."

"..."

"You'll be fine. Trust me."

"That’s what you always say..."

Mei charged forward, powered up. She slashed one root, already tired, but pushed on. She cut three more, drained, but still managed to sever the last one.

"Alright, STOP!" shouted Lisha.

"What? Why!?"

"Because you finished your job."

"Wait, that’s it?"

"Yeah. Easiest way to kill a plant? Remove its life support."

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and a gust of wind pushed them back. Mei watched as the plant dried up, shriveling like a skeleton.

"What a grandma," said Lisha.

"Yeah, right? Anyway, now we leave," replied Mei.

"Do you even know where to go?"

"..." crickets

"No?"

"Stup—"

Meanwhile, the rest were fighting toward the exit. Nina, respected and strategic, coordinated with Arjun (leading the boys).

"What happened to Jina?" asked Nina.

"She made a path for Mei and Lisha to the center. Without her, we wouldn’t have found each other," said Ivy.

"Why’d Mei and Lisha go to the center?"

"Dunno. I’m not Lisha."

"So it was Lisha’s idea... maybe there's a final boss."

"Aww, I didn’t know Lisha was trying to protect us—"

"Or maybe she just wanted the level-up for herself, using Mei as backup," said Elara, Nina’s rival and third-best all-rounder.

"Pfft, as if. Or we would’ve seen them sooner—WHY IS MEI HERE ALONE—oh, Lisha’s behind her. Probably slow, as usual," said Hana.

The others were too busy fighting to notice. But soon, the exit opened, monsters disintegrated, and they ran. Nina carried Jina and paused to look back.

"How much time do we have left?"

[30 seconds.]

"MEI, YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS! HURRY!" screamed Sora.

Some called the countdown out loud. The wall behind them crumbled.

They had 10 seconds left. Mei and Lisha arrived with two seconds remaining.

"Why are you carrying Lisha!? You’re too tired for this!" said Ivy.

"She was way too slow," Mei huffed.

Lisha: ">:("

They sighed in relief after the exhausting battle, wondering if every trial would be like this. They shared stories of how they fought.

Two players exploring found the Japanese players still mid-trial.

"Eh? They’re still going?" said Varun.

"Maybe they just started," said Arjun.

"Should we help them?"

"Only if the system allows it. But we probably can’t interfere—it’s their trial."

"Yeah, true. Let’s just watch—no, call the others. They gotta see this."

Varun brought them over to watch the Japanese players fighting the same maze.

"How did you and Lisha kill the boss?" asked Sora.

"I dunno. She told me to cut the roots, and it just... died. Honestly, looked like a grandma in a coffin."

"...Anyway, next topic. How are you feeling?"

"Good, so far. Mira healed me—it wasn’t that bad."

"You’re really strong. I’ll admit that."

"Really?"

"Yeah—I envy you, bro."

They chatted while waiting. Soon the 2PG finished, all bruised. The 1PG sent Mira and Ezra to check on them.

The system announced:

[You can’t remain together. Groups larger than 50 will be separated.]

Understanding this, they had their final conversations and said goodbye.

"If we ever meet again... fight me! Let’s see who’s stronger!" said Arjun.

"Alright. We’ll see, we’ll see," said Isuki.

The player groups parted ways, taking what they could along the path.

Chapter 3

They went as far as they could, gathering fruit along the path

What kind of rule is that, anyway? Not more than fifty?’ said Milo, the group's occasional goofball."

"For real, it should be ten or twenty," said Ezra, who is pure.

"Uh-anyway, imagine the guards looking at us, would probably feel like they are seeing an entire country coming towards, lol."

"True... we wouldn't want attention since we don't know how the ruler acts. It's best if we DON'T find a village and live in an abandoned house... something like that."

They started a conversation on how to survive without drawing attention. This sparked interest among the players and was taken as a plan. Some were against it, as they didn't know what was lurking in the forest and thought it best to stumble on a village.

"I think it's best if we find a village, right?" said Varun.

"Hmm, we can keep a low profile if we do find one..." said Arjun.

"What is with keeping a low profile anyway—we want safety, you idiot," thought half of the students.

"I am feeling a murderous intention behind me... probably the ones against this..." thought Nina and Mira.

They found a nice spot to settle and take rest. Those who knew about survival skills created a small tent which could hold up to four people each. A few left to scout the area for fruits and any edible food.

"Varun, I think these are edible," said Milo.

"They... are not edible—definitely not edible

"It looks like 2nd restroom (*author*translation- 💩)tbh"

"Don't you feel like someone is watching us?" Asked Ezra with discomfort.

"No... I mean if your not well I can take you back, do you want to go back or-" asked Milo

"No, I will stay untill your all done"

" If you say so- ay! I told to protect our food look the raccoon looking thing stole it!!!" Shouted Varun.

The sky slowly turned dark and everyone ran to the centre of their camp placed what they had brought. They cooked to the best of their abilities—but failed and ate what they have made and slept.

"Is everyone a sleep?..." Said Lisha

"Yup, they are... Gotta get outta here before it becomes dawn"

She wanders far, but not enough to get lost and grabs something on her way, she looks at her status and see her blessings as she had 2 Blessings.

"I'm still not familiar with this Enchanter skill...it's a part of the holy magic here."

With a sudden rage she remembers a WOMEN.

"That trash of God- Ebonis, goddess of destruction...that truly fits you and your doings of the past'.., just wait untill I find you. I will make sure your creations go against you or at the least I will kill them"

As she remembers her previous regressions, the horrible pain still haunts her, but snapping out of it, tells her self the she can save them in this regression... hopefully. She looks at her second blessing, which was there in her 32nd regression till to this regression.

It was the 'the black clove' it has the abilities of her previous kills- as she used it only a few times. It was an odd thing for Lisha as it didn't say it would reverse time... As in her 32nd life, Hana was the one to reverse time and sent her back in time which killed her in the process, which became her 33rd life.

"This reversing time might be useful, but doesn't Hana already have it?- is it more powerful than Hana's time reversal?. I will think of this later, right now i have to level up in my Enchantment Blessing"

Lisha thought on how to level up quicker, she gets an idea for leveling up and runs quite far and grabs something on her way towards a land filled with herbs and slime.

"I didnt expect herbs to be here, i guess i will take them on my way back...well that's not the matter right now, the slimes are"

She grabs a white flower from her pocket named Loak spider, which is similar to blue spider lilly. She comes near and shoves it in the slime.

"I was lucky enough to spot them on my way here, I could use this to tame slimes"

Slimes are tamed through these types of flower, well not only these, other flowers can be used but rarer the flower, stronger bond and their strength will increase. They can be used as experimental subjects...their for the good or for the worst.

[You have tamed an slime,

devotion is 82%,

strength is 20% increase (level of the slime- 15 to 18)]

"Uh..well, good enough I guess"

Lisha looks at the slime wondering how many has it killed to get to level 15. She stands looking at the slime and tries her enchantment magic on it.

[Can't caste the spell, cause you haven't named the slime]

"Right...a name, how can I forget.. can't I just try to level up without disturbance?"

"Alright, what name to give you...fish??...no it defies the creature, then zyli...yea, it's better (though a weird spelling...but it's good enough. I don't have any more name ideas...It reminds of someone)."

[ The slime has accepted the name. You can caste the spell]

"Finally... Its abouta be daytime because of this"

The system reminded her: [You still have 5 hours left before daytime.]

" Here goes nothing (nobody asked)"

[-_-]

A star symbol appears below them both, and the system pops up after few minutes indicating the success of enchantment.

[You have successfully completed the enchant of your slime.

Increased- 5%(+0.041) in the level]

".... You sure you didn't do the calculation wrong?."

[Nope. Not my fault your weak in the start and not strong :D]

"..."

"Well my work is done now I got to head back to the group before they wake up-i am too tired for this..."

"Now your my shield little one, you have to protect me while I am defenseless or in need of protection alright?"

The slime blinked—or at least, she imagined it did. No real reaction. “She trudges back toward the camp only to find no one in sight.

"Where...did everyone go- oh!, I know the crown prince comes at this moment...."

[2 mins later]

"Any minute now...Flip it, I’m going toward them., wait won't they kill me..hm, I can pretend to be lost then say I have lost my friends. Now... which way do I go..."

[No. 1- that won't work... And No. 2- try distracting them and-]

She goes on her way towards the camp.

[Okay.. >:( ]

"I need the help of the Empire Ephorid -But they always exploit us... Not just this empire but the whole world of this world- I gotta tell them to shut up"

Lisha gestures them to be silent and not to make a sound .

"What did she say?"thought Milo

"*Psst,Lisha save us women and how are you not caught by them anyway? Huh?*" Said Arjun in a whisper

"*I will okay!?, I need to distract them. And get the keys- wait no need, where is Nina?*"

"*Here*" said Nina

"*Okay now use your blessing -*"

"*I already did-it is not working*"

"*They're coming this way!*" said Mira.

A guard comes towards them, he is the one having the keys. Lisha immediately hides behind the tree.

"You will have a meeting with the Crown Prince soon, but before that- empty yourself from any weapons, if you don't odey the orders you shall be executed" he said

"*Are we really gonna escalate this?*" Said Arjun

"*Wanna start a fight?-*" asked Elara

"*Hell yea! Just open the door that's it*"

"* What do you mean?- ! Its open!?*" Said Varun

"*How did you do it!?*" Asked Elara

"* Blessings duh*"

"This works as well i guess, now the system will take care of the rest" thought Lisha

"THEY'RE RUNNING OUT, GO GET THEM BACK!" screamed on of the guards

1st player group runs away as fast a they could but the Soldiers were catching on.

The system chimed again, louder this time: [This won’t do either... I’ll take you all somewhere else.]”

The 1st player group have been teleported to an whole different area

"What the- inform this to the prince immediately!" Shouted the general

" Yes sir!"

They have informed the incident to the Prince.

" They escaped... By being teleported?... BY a blue panel??" Asked the Prince in utter confusion.

"I get that they disappeared, but... Because of a blue panel?- I guess they an unknown organisation?"

"It must be Your Highness, in the two nations red and purple are the only colours of a panel we know" said the butler

"They must have been hired my the southern empire"

"But they were around your age Your Highness... Two or three were a bit shorter then the rest"

"Okay...let me summarise this. They are my age, they might be hired to get information from us...BUT, the panel was blue..."

" Yes Your Highness"

"I shall inform this to my father"

**********************************

"Wha—? Where are we?” asked Claire.

"We must have escaped from them, but got teleported somewhere else instead?" Questioned Felix.

"Wait!, There is a village there near by. Maybe we can stay there" pointed out Jina

Noticing the village they walk towards it, and asks the near by villager's for shelter. They call the landlord, luckily he was a good person and told them there is no place in the village but there is an abandoned mansion near the river and have them the direction.

They have set off to find the mansion and live on there for the time being but Lisha insisted that they stay in that place until they go back home. Sooner they have reached the area of the river and few blocks off they found the mansion.

"Are we really gonna live here?...what I'd there are ghosts!?-i mean like we have seen the monsters in the trail so.." said Jina

"Yea, totally safe spot...just so you all know I am not cleaning the place-" said Varun, but got death glare from Elara

"Your saying women only do cleaning!? Huh!"

"No no no, I am allergic to dust!!"

"Oh..do you have a mask or something?"

" Yea I do. I'm gonna put it on"

Few have already entered the place and other just roaming around and waiting for the signal, if it's safe or not.