That time I got reincarnated into Attack on Titan with a level up system

3. It's exactly like a game.

NOTIFICATION
You have failed to complete the daily quest.

NOTIFICATION
You will be teleported to the penalty zone.

I jolted awake, feeling the roughness of sand beneath my fingers. Disoriented, I looked around, my heart pounding as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The vast expanse of dunes stretched endlessly in every direction, the sun hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows.

"Where the hell am I?" I muttered, struggling to grasp the situation. It looked like I was in the middle of a desert, but that didn't make any sense.

A familiar blue screen flickered into view, confirming my suspicion.

NOTIFICATION
You are now in the penalty zone.

Objective: Survive

Time left
3:59:55

Good luck!

"Good luck, huh?" I scoffed, glancing around at the barren landscape. There was nothing here but sand. Was I really supposed to just stand here and wait for four hours? The realization that the blue screen wasn't a figment of my imagination sent a chill down my spine.

"Guess I better do the daily quest next time," I mumbled, already dreading the monotony of the next few hours.

But boredom was the least of my concerns. Just as I started to resign myself to the situation, the ground beneath me rumbled. I barely had time to react before something massive burst out of the sand, sending grains flying in every direction. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of a creature towering above me, its many legs writhing.

Poison-Fanged Giant Centipede

The name appeared above the creature in that same eerie blue screen. I didn't need to read it twice to understand the danger.

Panic shot through me as my body finally responded, and I sprinted away, my feet barely touching the sand as I fled.

"TITANS ARE WAY WORSE! TITANS ARE WAY WORSE!" The words tumbled out in a terrified chant, my mind racing as fast as my legs.

I could hear the centipede crashing behind me, its movements terrifyingly fast.

I darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a strike that could have easily been the end of me. My breath came in ragged gasps as I tried to keep ahead of the creature.

"OKAY, TITANS ARE NOT THE WORST! THE CENTIPEDES ARE THE WORST! THEY'RE FAST AS HELL!" I screamed into the wind, the reality of my situation crashing down on me.

The sand shifted again, and more centipedes emerged, their numbers multiplying as they closed in on me from all directions.

My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins as I pushed myself to keep running. Survival was all that mattered now.

"MY LIFE IS AWESOME!" I yelled, the words a strange mix of sarcasm and terror. The timer continued to tick down mercilessly:

Time left
3:56:03

I wasn't sure if I could survive for that long, but I wasn't ready to give up just yet.

~ • ~ • ~

Hours of running had drained my stamina. Each step grew heavier, and my breaths came in desperate gasps.

The scorching desert sand seemed to burn through my shoes with every stride. Despite the fatigue, I pushed myself onward, refusing to become a centipede's meal.