Chapter 36: Chapter36-Hope or Despair

Scar turned his gaze back to me, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "Sorry, Michael, we have to finish our play here." He then looked at Steve. "Give me that sword." Steve drew a sword from a hilt placed on a nearby boulder and handed it to Scar. Scar positioned himself, raising the sword high above his head, its blade glinting menacingly in the dim light. "Michael," Scar asked, his voice dripping with malice, "any last wishes?" I shook my head, indicating that I didn't have any last wishes. Then, I closed my eyes and let the pain wash over me. So, I guess this is the end... I always knew he would kill me after all the torture. There's no way he'd let me live after seeing their faces. I sighed, releasing all the breath and pressure I had been holding in. Huh? Are these tears? Am I crying? Tears streamed from my closed eyes as I accepted my fate. It's to be expected; I failed to enjoy both of my lives and will die a virgin... I tried to distract myself from the oncoming death. Now that I think about it, if I had sex with Kiara that day, I would have at least enjoyed a moment of happiness... Ugh, my dumb waiting approach... I swear, if I get another chance at life, I won't hesitate. I'll make sure to fuck the girl who I would first meet, I will mark her damn juicy pussy with my semen... This time no waiting... Suddenly, white fumes started appearing from nowhere, swirling around the cave and quickly thickening until everything was obscured, leaving only smoke and sounds. Scar asked in a puzzled tone, "What's happening? What's with this smoke? Where is it coming from?" Steve shouted urgently, "Scar, we're not sure what's happening, but I sense something's wrong. Stay alert!" The thick smoke added to the tension. Scar, holding the sword tightly, looked at me with a chilling resolve look in his eyes. "Okay, I'll stay alert. But what should I do with this guy?" he asked, his voice clear despite the swirling mist. Steve's response was straight forward: "Kill him fast." As Scar raised the sword to strike, I braced myself, closing my eyes tightly. But seconds passed without the anticipated impact. Instead, I felt a strange sensation at my feeta touch, cold and unsettling. Opening my eyes cautiously, I peered down through the haze and saw Scar's face. His head was severed cleanly from his body, a fountain of blood gushing forth from the gaping wound. The sight was too much. I couldn't hold back the nausea that surged up from within me. Violently, I retched, vomiting uncontrollably onto Scar's lifeless head. The sound of my sickness echoed in the chamber, drawing Steve's attention."What happened?" Steve demanded, his voice tinged with concern. "Scared by that guy's dead body or what?" His words were drowned out by my continued vomiting, which only seemed to intensify. Steve moved closer, his worry deepening. "Scar, are you okay, man?" He reached out towards me, attempting to offer comfort or assistance amidst the chaos. But before he could react further, another sound sliced through the aira swift, deadly swish. A vertical invisible line appeared across Steve's body, splitting him cleanly from head to groin. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth forming a silent scream as his body separated into two halves. Blood sprayed across the cave, splattering my face and pooling darkly on the ground. In the aftermath, silence descended upon the cave once more, broken only by the drip of blood and the heaving of my breath. I stared numbly at the two corpses before me, my mind struggling to comprehend the swift and brutal turn of events. Who? Who killed them? A monster? But for a monster to kill a human so precisely is something unseen in the last 100 years of mankind's history. So, a human? But, what if it is a monster? I'm not sure... I shouted, "Hey, anybody here? Any monster?" But there was no answer, only silence in the cave. So, no answer? What do I think about this silence? Did it let me live and leave, or is it just waiting for me? Anyway, I'll stay quiet too... The cave stayed silent for half an hour, with only the stench of blood in the air. I broke the silence again and asked, "Hey, will you kill me or not?" That's a dumb thing to ask, but I need to know if anyone's here or if I'm alone. But, there was no reply from the other side... Will it kill me or not? It should have executed me by now. So, what's it doing? Did it leave me alone? But if so, I'm still doomed because even if it lets me live, I can't untie myself and leave, so I need someone's help... Huh? Suddenly, my eyes grew incredibly heavy, and a wave of drowsiness swept over me. What's happening to me now? Feeling sleepy all of a sudden... My mind craved rest and relief, the accumulated strain of the torture and shocking events overwhelming my senses. Or is it finally happening? I realized what was happeningmy body was shutting down, unable to hold on any longer. I looked ahead, the edges of my vision blurring. The thick smoke still lingered in the air, now seeming to wrap around me in a hazy, almost comforting embrace. My breathing grew shallow, and sweat started pouring off me rapidly. "Looks like... this is it," I muttered weakly, feeling a strange sense of acceptance wash over me. The pain, the fear, the regretall of it was fading, replaced by an odd sense of peace. My eyes fluttered shut, and I let out a final, shuddering sigh. The darkness closed in rapidly, and I could no longer fight it. In those final moments, images of the people I cared about flashed through my mindAllen, Lia, Ethan, my parents, and her. The promise I made and my determination to hold on all felt so distant now. My body gave out, and I slumped in the chair as my consciousness slipped away completely. The last thing I felt was the broken, empty, abandoned feelings and unfulfilled wishes within me, along with the echoes of the life I had lived. And then, there was nothing but darkness. *** My eyes fluttered open... I saw a white ceiling and smelled the sharp scent of disinfectants. I felt the hard mattress against my back. I immediately realized where I was. 'A hospital?' Ever since I succumbed to the darkness in the cave, I thought I had wasted my second chance at life. But instead of dying, here I am in a hospital... I touched my face to check if I was really Michael. For a moment, I thought I had transmigrated again, but when I felt the moisture and softness of my handsome face, I realized I hadn't. "I... survived?" I didn't die. It was true. I sat up and placed my hand on my chest, feeling the steady beat of my heart. It was still working fine. The steady beep of machines echoed around me as I sat up, bewildered by my survival. Before I could gather my thoughts, the door swung open with a gentle creak, admitting a young nurse. Her soft features held a mix of relief and surprise as her eyes locked onto mine. "Oh, you're awake already!" she said, her voice calming the tension in the room. She moved closer, her eyes examining me with a mix of professionalism and concern. "Please stay still, sir. I must inform the doctor," she added urgently, then hurried out of the room. I wanted to ask her questions, to figure out how I ended up here, but she vanished before I could speak. Alone again, I looked at my hands in disbelief. My fingers were intact, nails completely whole. It was the opposite of what I had expected after everything I'd been through. "Thank goodness I don't have to go without nails anymore," I whispered to myself, feeling a rush of relief. But now, there were so many questions swirling in my mind... Who brought me here? Who killed Scar and Steve? Why didn't they kill me? How did I end up in this hospital? No, wait, who brought me here? Hunters? Highly likely. I think some hunters might have entered the cave, confused by the smoke, and found me. That seems plausible, but it could also be wrong since I was unconscious. Anyway, forget it... Then, I remembered the reward I was supposed to receive from the system if I survived the quest. I called up my system, and a virtual window appeared with several messages. (Ding, Congratulations, host! Quest: [Hope or Despair] has been completed!) (Objective complete: survive 1/1.) (Ding, Congratulations, host! You've successfully gained the knowledge of the entrance to the lost continent, now added to the Info section!) (Ding, Congratulations, host! You've successfully unlocked the third quest of the Chain Quest!) Hmm, so many messages... I stared at the floating virtual window, focusing on the first message that caught my attention: "Congratulations, host! Quest: [Hope or Despair] has been completed!" Those words repeated in my mind. Hope or despair? It struck me that my second task wasn't just about surviving Scar's tortureit was about holding onto hope even when things seemed bleak. The quest's name itself hinted at the challenge: to endure through the darkest moments and believe I could make it through. Now that I think so, my first quest was also like this... What was it's name? Huhhh? I remembered... It was "Change the Destiny," I understood its goal was to alter someone's fatelike Ethan's, who was destined to die. It appeared the system was testing me, pushing me to defy fate and overcome challenges. But what did the system really want? What was its ultimate goal in guiding me through these tasks? These questions weighed on my mind as I pondered the mysteries behind these quests. I let out a sigh, a mix of relief and confusion washing over me. Surviving meant I had passed another test, but I couldn't shake off the weight of these quests and the discovery I mede. Pushing these thoughts aside, I looked down at the other rewards listed.. 'Let's check out the information about the lost continent first. After that, I'll look into the details of the third quest.'