Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

Seojun looked up and noticed the timer on the screen. It showed

TIME'S UP

.

Suddenly, a loud horn sounded across the field, and everyone turned their heads in confusion. A screen appeared above them, showing Mr. Gideon and Mr. Thomas, both clapping their hands with smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations!" Mr. Gideon's voice rang out. "You've all arrived on time!"

The contestants stood still for a moment, letting the announcement sink in. Mr. Gideon continued, his tone calming.

"Now, we'll give you a full day of rest. You can do whatever you like today. But don't get too comfortable! The last test will happen tomorrow, so make sure you're ready."

The tension in the air lifted as people began to move around, some stretching, others chatting with relief. Seojun felt his muscles relax a bit, realizing how exhausted he was from the challenges earlier. A whole day to rest sounded perfect.

Andrew, always full of energy, clapped his hands together. "A whole day of rest! Yes! But we gotta do something fun, right? Maybe explore, or—"

Lila cut him off with an annoyed look.

"It's

rest

day, Andrew. Not

fun

day. You can't just run around all day."

Andrew smiled, unfazed. "I'll rest, but I still want to do something! Anyone wanna join me?"

Seojun just shook his head and started walking away from the group. "Ah! Nevermind!"

Lila sighed and rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

Seojun wandered away from the others, not in the mood for any excitement. He just wanted some quiet time to relax

The horn blared again, signaling the end of the announcement, and the screen turned off. Slowly, the contestants started to move off, each deciding how to spend their rest day.

Seojun found a quiet spot under a tree and decided to rest. He sat down and leaned against the trunk, closing his eyes for a moment. As he looked around, he noticed they were in a wide, open grassland.

There were only a few trees scattered here and there, and the bright sunlight made everything seem warm and calm. In the distance, he could see a river gently flowing by.

He also spotted something that made him raise an eyebrow—there was a toilet nearby, like the kind you'd see at a campsite.

As he took in the scene, Seojun heard some people whispering nearby, sounding confused.

"I thought they'd provide us with rooms to sleep in. Are we supposed to sleep out here?" one voice said.

"Maybe they're hiding the rooms, and it's a game of 'finders, keepers'?" another voice guessed,

"Let's look around!" someone else suggested.

"I hope there's food too," another voice muttered, their tone anxious.

Seojun sighed and leaned back against the tree. It seemed like a lot of people were just as confused as he was. They were probably expecting more comfort, or at least something to make the night easier.

Closing his eyes again, he felt Sui bounce onto his lap. The little slime settled down, curling up against him, and Seojun let out a small breath of relief. It was peaceful for a moment, and he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

But not for long.

A few hours later, Seojun felt someone shaking him. His eyes fluttered open, and he saw Andrew standing over him, looking worried.

"What?" Seojun asked, still a little groggy.

"We got a problem, Seojun," Andrew said urgently, his voice filled with concern.

Seojun blinked and slowly stood up, following Andrew's gaze. He could hear the murmurs around them—people talking about how hungry they were and how cold it was getting now that the sun had set.

It was true. Now that it was night, the temperature was dropping fast, and Seojun could feel the chill in the air. He noticed a few people huddling around their fire-elemental familiars, using the flames to cook food or warm themselves.

"I don't think we can just rest like this," Andrew muttered, shivering. "It's so cold. Those with fire-elemental familiars are so lucky."

Seojun looked around. Some people were trying to cook food using their familiars' flames, while others were simply using the heat to stay warm. But for everyone else, it looked like the night was going to be a struggle. There was no food or shelter, and no one seemed to know what they were supposed to do.

"We tried looking around, but we found nothing," Andrew continued. "What are they expecting us to do?"

Seojun glanced around at the other contestants, many of them now panicking or complaining. The chill was making everything worse, and the lack of food was only adding to the anxiety.

Sui, still in Andrew's arms, made a soft noise. "Kyuu! Kyuu!" It seemed like the little slime was feeling the cold too.

Seojun stood still as the cold night air swept through the grassland. He wasn't bothered by the cold at all.

A few days ago, he had gained cold resistance, so he felt completely fine. He looked around at the other contestants, some of them shivering, trying to warm themselves with their familiars.

Andrew, still feeling the cold, hugged himself and sighed. "I'm tired but i can't sleep because of this coldness!" he complained, looking up at the sky.

Seojun wasn't affected by the cold, but he did feel for his friend. As he looked around, his system spoke to him:

[They have provided host! Enough for all of you.]

Seojun raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Where is it? Wait, I smell it." he asked quietly.

Then he saw something strange. Near a huge tree, there was a strange spot where the ground looked different. He walked closer to the tree.

[It's in there, host.]

Seojun touched the tree, and just as he did, the tree began to groan and crack.

Suddenly, the tree started falling with a loud

bang

. Andrew yelped and jumped back, falling on the ground as the tree crashed down.

"What the—?" Andrew said, rubbing his back as he got up.

The tree didn't explode, but it broke open to reveal something inside.

"A sheet!" someone shouted, amazed.

"Look, food!" another person called out.

Inside the tree was a bunch of supplies—sheets, cushions, and food. Everyone gathered around, excited.

"Looks like everything we need is here," Seojun said.

Andrew grabbed some fruit and bread. "Finally, food!" he said with a grin.

The others were just as happy, grabbing what they could. Seojun, feeling relieved, sat down.

"Looks like we can sleep here," Andrew said, lying down on one of the sheets. "I'm so tired."

Seojun glanced around. "Rest up. Tomorrow will be tough," he said quietly.

Everyone settled in for the night, the cold no longer a problem. They had food, blankets, and enough to get through the night. The worry from earlier was gone, and everyone finally started to relax.

Seojun closed his eyes, ready to rest again. '

Don't disturb my sleep this time.'