Trafficked: Reborn Heir's Revenge-Chapter 26: The Return to Nightmare

Chapter 26 – The Return to Nightmare

> [Night Trial: Phase One (Part 2) – Initiated]

Duration: 72 Hours (Nightmare Time) / 8 Hours (Real Time)

The blood-red alert pulsed before Oliver's barely opened eyes.

><"Welcome back, Meat Shield. Your previous performance was... disappointing. Lucky for you, redemption smells like fear.">

Oliver's eyes flew wide open.

Above him—frozen mid-strike—was a massive scorpion, its sharp, serrated leg poised an inch from his skull. The creature's face, if it could be called that, remained a grotesque horror—red, segmented armor slick with ichor, mandibles clicking in eerie rhythm, and eight soulless, glimmering black eyes boring into him.

It was exactly where he'd left off. The nightmare hadn't restarted—it had resumed.

> <"You were about to become meat on a stick. Delicious.">

Before he could scream, a countdown appeared before his eyes.

10... 9... 8...

Oliver's heart slammed against his ribs. Think! Think! His brain spun, adrenaline overriding reason, but offering no plans. His eyes darted left and right. The uneven sand and dust, the towering hills and around the area, Scorpions all ready for their own oppotunity to nimble at his flesh. The accursed poisonous Blue Carcass Plant—all useless.

3... 2...

"Shit—" Oliver tumbled to the side with everything he had.

1.

The scorpion's leg slammed down with a loud CRACK, impaling the stone where his head had been.

A horrible screech ripped through the air—shrill, metallic, and brimming with fury. It clawed at his eardrums like glass shards.

He rolled to his feet just in time to see its barbed tail whip toward him. His lips parted in horror.

"Am I seriously going to die again?!"

But then—luck.

Another scorpion dived into the fray, its mandibles gnashing. In its wild charge, it collided with the first. obviously in an attempt to get a bite at Oliver first.

And then—shluck!

The first scorpion's tail rammed straight through the second's eye socket, piercing clean through to the back of its armored skull.

The second creature collapsed instantly, twitching violently as red-black blood sprayed like a geyser.

> [Ding!]

[Enemy Killed: Bellied Desert Bloody Scorpion]

[Credit assigned: Survivor Bonus]

> <"Kill Confirmed. Try not to die before the next one. Please">

Oliver didn't have time to feel relief.

He dove under the falling carcass of the dead scorpion, crawling like a worm, gritting his teeth through the pain of his injuries. But he was too slow.

A sharp leg scraped across his back.

"GAAAH!"

Hot blood burst from the wound, painting the sand. The pain was searing. He bit his tongue hard to stop himself from screaming again.

With one last desperate push, he dragged himself under the fallen scorpion and curled into a ball, chest heaving, his blood mixing with the ichor around him.

Everything reeked—of death, of metal, of the dry heat baking the sand around him.

Outside, the other scorpions screeched and skittered, tearing at each other like beasts in a feeding frenzy. They had turned on each other because of the blood.

Oliver stayed still. Heart racing. Mind blank.

His body trembled beneath the weight of death above him.

What if they found him? What if they dragged him out? What if—

But nothing came. Instead, his Blood Absorption skill absorbed the drops of blood that fell on him.

Time passed. Or maybe it didn't. In the nightmare, time twisted like a snake.

All Oliver knew was the heat... the sound of tearing flesh... the thunderous clacking of mandibles... and the silence of his own fear.

He should have felt proud. But all he could do was endure.

---

> [Night Trial Phase One ENDED.]

> [Congratulations! You have survived.]

> [Stat Gains Assigned:]

[+20 Strength]

[+20 Aether]

[+20 Perception]

[+18 Speed]

> [Confirmed Kills: 4 Bellied Desert Bloody Scorpions]

[Trait Evaluation Update: 4/100]

> Speed: C

Strength: D

Aether: C

Perception: C>

><"Impressive. You're officially a cockroach. But stronger. Heehee.">

Oliver didn't even smile. Not really.

But somewhere beneath the blood and grime, a tiny flicker of satisfaction bloomed. How couldn't it? He had not lifted a finger, but he had some how managed to kill 4 of these monsters.

Apparently, the Nightmare Sigil did not care how he did it.

If they could all kill each other, Oliver would be grateful to the stars. But at last, they did not. Then again, these creatures were relentless. Those that died were being fed on.

Of course it meant that the one he was hiding underneath was of the same fate, but he could tell from the way they ate that he still had some time.

Even more surprising, the long scar on his back, which hurt like hell did not bleed out. When he touched it, he could feel his flesh within, but it just did not bleed out.

It was as if his blood, having a will of its own refused to flow out of his body.

Then again, he could even tell that healing was slowly taken place.

Even though most of what had happened was a mistake, Oliver was still happy.

Another night, he had survived.

---

He awoke with a start, his back aching, his body drenched in sweat.

And immediately—chaos.

The clanging of metal. Shouting. Hooting. Cheers.

He blinked hard. He was back in the cage. The real world.

Another fight?

He groaned, about to roll his eyes at these slaves always seeking entertainment in their bleak world—until he saw her.

Velma.

A man was on top of her, hands wrapped around her throat, slamming her against the cage floor.

Her legs kicked violently.

Her face was beaten, swollen from fresh bruises—and the older ones. The ones he had given her the night before.

Oliver's breath caught.

No... no no no.

Velma was strong, but not now. Not like this. Oliver knew that the beaten he had given her the day prior had resulted to one of her eyes becoming shut.

No doubt, her opponent had taken advantage of it.

And the other slaves—those in the cages, those nearby—they just stared. Spectators to a free show in hell.

Only one moved—the broken man. The one Seraphina had shattered. The one Oliver had shared his bread with a night before.

He leapt on the attacker's back, screaming.

But with a heavy shrug, the man hurled him across the cage. The broken man slammed into the bars with a sickening thud and slumped down, unmoving.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

Cheers erupted.

Laughter.

The fight was entertainment.

The man returned to choking Velma.

She clawed at his arms, but the strength was gone. Her lips trembled. Her face turned red. Then purple.

She was dying.

Oliver knew Velma. She might be a hot head sometimes, but she was definitely no trouble maker.

Meaning that trouble had come to find her.

Even worse, because of what he did yesterday, she was hurt and dying.

It was his fault.