With a steady hand, I reached out and touched the cups. Cool. No crack. Perfect. Yet beneath their surface, choice, consequence, and the taste of poison or power waited.

  For a moment, I hesitated. My thoughts spiraled, running loops around possibilities, fears, and expectations. Overthinking. Again.

  Then it hit me.

  Why was I thinking so much? Was this what they wanted? To trap me in my own mind?

  "Ah! What the heck! Thinking isn't my thing. My head hurts from all this pondering."

  The words burst from my mouth like a dam cracking under pressure. Without another second to hesitate, I lifted both cups and drank them at once.

  A foolish move? Maybe. But hesitation kills faster than poison.

  The moment the liquid touched my tongue, the world contorted. Colours twisted into ribbons of chaos, space folded in on itself, and then... darkness.

  When I opened my eyes, I was back in the same room. The same stone floor. The same flickering lantern light.

  But something felt off, as if the room had exhaled after holding its breath. I sat up slowly. My head pounded like war drums. A low groan escaped my lips.

  Was everything just a nightmare?

  I shifted, trying to steady myself, and bit down by accident.

  Sharp.

  A jolt shot through my jaw, but it stopped halfway, blunted, as if the pain had hit fog instead of flesh. I froze.

  "…Huh?"

  I pulled my tongue back. There was no sting. No burn. Just pressure, distant and wrong. Then came the taste. Metallic. Thin. Familiar.

  Blood.

  My stomach lurched. I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth, panic prickling my scalp. Still nothing. No pain at all. Only that cold, numb absence, and the copper tang spreading slowly across my tongue.

  "…That's gross," I muttered weakly.

  If this were a dream, it would have hurt. I would have yelped, cried, something. But this numbness... it lingered, heavy. Undeniable.

  My fingers trembled as I wiped my lips. They came away clean. The blood was mine, but I could barely feel it.

  So it wasn't a dream after all.

  I swallowed, throat tight. "Did I… pass?"

  "Congratulations. You have passed the first test."

  A familiar voice rang. Though I wished it didn't.

  I turned. Lady Nozomi stood in the doorway, her smile bright enough to blind the shadows.

  Relief surged through me. Then faded. Her next words hit harder than the poison.

  "However, there are 443 tests left. I hope you are ready."

  A silence followed. I stared at her. Was that a joke? No... Master did say there were 444 tests, and I'd only passed one.

  "443… tests…" I repeated numbly.

  Lady Nozomi offered a serene nod. "Don't worry. You'll make it. One step at a time."

  That glimmer of hope, soothing, warm, deceptively sweet, lasted exactly two seconds.

  Then she said, "But the chances of success are incredibly slim. Only 0.00000001%."

  I felt all the blood drain from my face.

  Lady Nozomi's smile didn't falter. "Unlike other Masters who have many pupils, Master has none. None has survived the tests. It's a rather somber reality, isn't it?"

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  My heart dropped. This wasn't just a test. It was a massacre wearing a ceremonial robe. And I...

  I swallowed nervously, the weight of the situation sinking in. Lady Nozomi's words echoed in my mind when she added, "Even if you manage to pass the tests, I wonder if you'll be able to endure the rigorous training."

  "E-Eh?!" My voice cracked. More noise than thought. There's more? And it's even worse than the tests?

  Lady Nozomi tilted her head, eyes gentle. "Let's not worry about the training just yet. The tests come first. Let's give it our best, shall we?"

  I couldn't even answer. My mind frayed at the edges.

  Before I knew it, my vision narrowed, the edges darkening as the floor rushed up to meet me.

  Lady Nozomi blinked, as if surprised, covering her mouth, but a faint smile lingered behind her eyes. "It seems the poison from the first test hasn't completely left her system. It's best to let her rest."

  She tucked me in with surprising tenderness and left, her steps whispering.

  When I woke again, sunlight filtered softly into the room. I fainted again. When I was in Eden, I never fainted once, yet I fainted twice here. Is my body slowly degrading after facing numerous life-threatening situations? This is bad.

  Lady Nozomi sat beside me, smiling as if nothing had happened. "How are you feeling today? Any improvement?"

  Too lazy to turn my head, I asked. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

  Lady Nozomi grinned. "Just splendid!"

  "As if!" My arms flung up, and the blanket flew. "My head's throbbing, my body feels like it's been thrown off a cliff, my tongue is numb, my throat is on fire, and I dreamt of a 0.00000001% survival rate! I've had better days!"

  I expected denial, comfort, maybe even rebuke. What I got was calm.

  "I understand your concerns," she said gently. "Firstly, what you experienced wasn't a nightmare. It was the truth. Secondly…"

  She lifted a tray of food.

  "…you must be extremely hungry."

  My stomach answered, and my hands acted before I could say anything.

  The food was warm, fragrant, almost divine. Bite by bite, my rage and fear dissolve. In less than ten minutes, I had wiped everything clean. No crumbs remained. Shame crept in to replace them.

  Lady Nozomi giggled. "Wow! You finished everything. You certainly have a great appetite."

  I wiped my mouth, face burning. "Sorry… for shouting earlier."

  She patted my head like a forgiving older sister. "It's fine, young lady Llyne. We all get a little grumpy when we're hungry."

  She's so nice. If only my sister was like this, maybe we would have had a better relationship.

  While I was reminiscing about my sister, she added casually, "I wouldn’t be surprised, since you’ve been sleeping for a week without getting up."

  "…A week?"

  She nodded. "Mm-hm."

  Horror bloomed across my face. I was in a coma for a week? A week?! Then... then...

  I sniffed myself. Who cleaned me and changed my clothes?

  I turned to Lady Nozomi and sobbed. It can't be, can it? Oh, my purity.

  Lady Nozomi, not knowing what nonsense was sprouting in my brain, smiled with pride. "But don't worry about the test. Master already gave you permission to begin your second test whenever you're ready."

  I froze. "…I totally forgot about the test. Again."

  Clap.

  Lady Nozomi's sudden movement startled me. "But for now…"

  She guided me to lie back down. Her touch was featherlight, her voice softer than silk.

  "Rest a bit more. When you feel completely ready, I'll prepare the second test. There's no need to rush."

  Her words wrapped around me like a lullaby, but my thoughts refused to behave.

  Rest, she said. Easy for her to say.

  Four hundred and forty-three tests.

  The number wouldn't stay still. It stretched, multiplied, crawled. Every time I closed my eyes, it rearranged itself, forming walls, clocks, teeth. 4:43. 444. 443. They laughed at me, sharp and rhythmic, counting down in voices that weren’t voices.

  Stop it, I told myself.

  My body was exhausted, but my mind ran laps, replaying cups, poison, numbness, and Nozomi's smile. What if the next test was worse? What if I failed? What if failing didn't mean death, but something slower?

  Eventually, fatigue won. It dragged me under, whether I agreed or not.

  The dream came anyway.

  The numbers chased me, lined the walls, marched across the floor, stacked themselves into towering shapes that leaned down and whispered, too close, too many. No matter how fast I ran, another test appeared ahead of me, blocking the way. I tried to scream, but my mouth filled with ink.

  Then light.

  Too bright.

  I jolted awake with a sharp gasp, heart hammering, eyes burning. White flooded my vision, harsh and unforgiving. Panic flared. Where am I? What test is this?!

  I squeezed my eyes shut, groaning, and rolled onto my side, pressing my face into the futon. My pulse slowly eased. The light softened.

  Sunlight.

  Just sunlight, slipping through the paper windows.

  I lay there for a moment, breathing. Feeling the weight of my body. The texture of the fabric beneath my fingers. No restraints. No cups. No voices counting.

  I stretched cautiously. My muscles protested, sore and stiff, but solid. Real. That was a start.

  "…Okay," I murmured, voice rough but steady. "Still here."

  I flexed my fingers. "443 tests…" I whispered, glaring at the ceiling. "How long will it take…?"

  The number was heavy. The probability was worse. My hands trembled. My breath caught.

  "You're not supposed to make it." That was the unspoken truth.

  Slap!

  I smacked both cheeks. Hard. The sting bloomed across my skin, snapping me back.

  "I passed the first test," I said aloud.

  My voice wasn't confident. Not yet. But it was mine.

  “The worst is yet to come,” I whispered. “But I won’t break.”

  My fingers curled slowly into a fist.

  “Just you wait,” I said, quieter, staring at the ceiling. “I’m not done.”

  My words lingered in the room, carried by the quiet stillness of the House of Aum.

  Unbeknownst to me, in another room, Master Sylph and Lady Nozomi had heard it. Lady Nozomi laughed softly. "It seems young lady Llyne is doing alright."

  Master Sylph, silent as a still blade, closed her eyes.

  "Yes," she said quietly. "She is."

  Llyne’s line “I won’t break” is the seed of what’s to come.

  ?? November 2025 Writathon Winner

  ★★★★★

  LitRPG Progression Portal Fantasy Summoning

  DENIED BY SYSTEM - HE SUMMONS HIS OWN

  The System rejected him. The World took his wife. And now, his daughter...

  Sasaki Jin must master a forbidden power to ensure his child doesn't share her mother's fate. He will tear down the gods themselves to keep her safe.

  "A high-octane, addictive read that perfectly balances “dad energy” with cosmic power."

  — kurowinter88

  "If you’re a fan of Solo Leveling, then I think that you’ll enjoy this story, too."

  — SockySake

  Inspired by Solo Leveling & Pokemon...

  ? Competent MC: Street smart, ingenuity over luck.

  ? Unique Summons: Each with distinct personalities and powers.

  ? High Stakes: Death is a mistake away.

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