Shesmu and his team entered the portal when all light died out. They stood within all-engulfing darkness, with no stars and no moon to guide their way.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, fidgeting in worry.

Ryuji was the total opposite. He looked at the darkness surrounding them in awe. "Woah, what's this place? Is this where we will have our second trial."

Shesmu, on the other hand, was calm. He already knew what the trial would be about, and as such couldn't help but worry about his teammates. Will they be able to handle it?

A blue screen appeared in front of everyone's eyes, stopping Shesmu's train of thought.

[Second Floor]

[In loneliness you shall stand.

With the power of your heart, you shall fight.

Your wisdom, your cunning shall guide your path.]

Ryuji's body glowed with a thousand colors, surprising both him and Sakura.

"Ryuji!"

Sakura jumped to take hold of him, but he was long gone before she could do so. In the end, she only grasped at air. Her worry consumed her, and she looked in shock at Shesmu, trying to find answers. However, before the latter could say anything, he was already teleported. She too, in turn, disappeared from the total darkness.

Shesmu appeared within the middle of a jungle. He didn't even have the time to worry about Sakura, as his vision was blinking with a red hue. He looked at the top left of his view and found that his HP was reduced to 1.

[Those who hold the sword live their life at the brink of death. Lifeforce, in the end, is but another form of energy. Use the life of your enemy is your own sustenance, and thrive!]

So this time it's a lifesteal test. But really, 1 HP? Did they have to be so extreme?

"Roar!"

Shesmu's thoughts were stopped midway by the roar of a tiger. It pounced from behind the trees at Shesmu.

The latter Dashed out of its way and appeared above it. He charged his sword with Ki and swung at its back. The moment his sword pierced the beast's back, Shesmu utilized his Ki to invade the creature's body and pulled at its energy.

A green thread made its way from the tiger's blood into Shesmu's sword, and then into his being. He could feel the energy going through his ki paths and into his heart. Shesmu's Hp bar slowly regenerated, from 1 HP to 20.

Like I thought, this way of doing it really isn't that effective.

However, Shesmu didn't stop. He dodged and slashed the beast time and time again. With each hit, he would recover a bit of his HP, until the creature had finally fallen.

Congratulations, you have discovered a new skill!

Lifesteal

Lifesteal(passive)

Level: 1

With each hit, recover a tiny amount of HP through stealing your victim's life force.

Shesmu checked his stats to see how much HP he had recovered.

Shesmu

HP: 141/1600

Ki: 2980/3000

If I have to rely on lifesteal to get back all of my HP, I'll be here all day. Deciding that playing by the rule wasn't his best option, Shesmu opened his inventory to use his leftover HP potions. However, the moment he made the command to open it, he received a notification.

[Error! Inventory cannot be opened in this instance!]

"Tch," Shesmu clicked his tongue. "I guess that leaves me with only one option."

He closed his eyes and focused on the Ki core within his stomach and chest. Ki traveled through the ki paths and into his heart, joining in with his remaining lifeforce.

Slowly but surely, Shesmu's HP recovered while his Ki reserves dwindled. It took three-quarters of his Ki to fill up his HP bar to the max. Once it did, he received a notification.

Congratulations, you have discovered a new skill!

Lifeforce Conversion

Lifeforce Conversion

Level: Max

Due to the compatibility of Ki with the laws of life and death, it is possible for those who mastered this skill to change their Ki into lifeforce, effectively healing them from any injury.

Shesmu closed the notification before looking around. The trees, shrubs, and grass stretched in all directions. He scratched his head before wondering out loud.

"Now, I wonder what I'm supposed to do."

Ryan was no longer with him, but that didn't surprise Shesmu. He knew that this was a very individual test, so him being alone was natural. What worried him was what kind of test did the system assign to Ryan. Did it automatically let him pass? Or did it give him an exam he was doomed to fail?

Either way, Shesmu couldn't do anything about it. The only thing he could do was pray that fortune was on their side and that Ryan skipped the trial.

Shesmu focused back on his current situation and tried to recall his past life's test. It's been so long that his memories of such a time were blurry at best. However, he could still remember that he used his minimap a lot in that test.

As such, Shesmu opened his minimap. He could see a golden dot five kilometers away from his location. To reach that destination, he had to cross a river, a valley, and finally reach the ruin in which the golden dot resided.

Just as Shesmu was about to make his way towards his destination, a mighty roar shook the forest. Sound of humps and thumps reached ever so closer towards Shesmu.

Without waiting for the perpetrator to show up, Shesmu ran with all of his might in the opposite direction. Soon enough, the beast showed itself. It was a gigantic gorilla that towered over the trees. A quick inspect told Shesmu everything he needed to know about it.

Golden Gorilla (Clan Chieftain)

Level: 72

HP: 250,000/250,000

Not only was its HP more than double that of the Red Wolf King, but its level was also much higher. If this beast were to even scratch Shesmu, he would die ten times over.

What the heck is going on here?!! Is the system broken? Why is it making me face a level 72 this early?!!

Shesmu's complaints had no ears to land on. He could only curse his luck and run as fast as his legs could push him. He soon found the entrance to a cave. Knowing that the beast couldn't possibly fit within it, Shesmu entered it.

By the time he took a few steps inside the cave, there was no more light to guide his way. However, Shesmu didn't care by then. He just sat on the ground and caught his breath.

By the time he was done resting, he looked around him. Darkness surrounded him from all directions. He covered his hand in Ki before flaring it like a flame. The green light illuminated the surrounding.

Shesmu's eyes took a while to adjust to the new light, but once it did, he was horrified. Thousands of small little beady red eyes looked at him—and they were hungry.