The night felt endless as Yuuto sat against the base of a twisted, ancient tree, his back aching from the hard ground. His heart had finally stopped racing, but the memory of the battle still echoed in his mind. The wolf-creature—its snarls, the flash of its green eyes, the sickening rush of adrenaline—everything felt raw and unreal.
He glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. A dense forest surrounded him, the trees gnarled and ancient, with their roots weaving in and out of the ground like the tendrils of some monstrous creature. Strange bioluminescent plants glowed faintly, casting a dim light across the clearing. Far above, the night sky swirled with vibrant colors—purples, blues, and oranges, a surreal painting of a world beyond Earth.
This place... Yuuto thought, still struggling to grasp his situation. I've been thrown into another world. It was a concept he'd only ever encountered in fantasy novels or video games. But here, it was his reality.
His eyes drifted to the floating interface still hovering in front of him. The Ascendant System—the mysterious guide that had saved his life, granted him power, and provided him with that spell, Mana Bolt. Without it, he'd have been torn to pieces by that wolf-creature.
What is this System, anyway? he wondered. It had appeared as soon as he woke up in this world, acting almost like a tutorial in a video game. But this was no game.
Taking a deep breath, Yuuto focused on the translucent screen in front of him, hoping to learn more. The screen shimmered and shifted as his thoughts triggered its functions.
[Yuuto Kurohata: Level 1]
Health: 100/100
Mana: 20/50
Abilities: Basic Spell - Mana Bolt
His mana was still low after using the spell twice. He mentally clicked on his name, hoping for more details, and the System responded.
[Name: Yuuto Kurohata]
Level: 1
Class: None
Title: None
Health: 100/100
Mana: 20/50
Strength: 10
Agility: 9
Intelligence: 14
Magic: 12
Abilities Unlocked:
Mana Bolt: A basic spell that conjures a bolt of pure mana to attack a target. Deals minor magic damage. Mana cost: 15.
Yuuto sighed. Level 1. That sounds about right, he thought bitterly. He was weak, completely out of his depth. In this strange world, he was as helpless as a child—no strength, no skills, no allies. But, at least he had the System. That was something.
But the words "class" and "title" stood out to him. The System mentioned both but left them empty. Was it possible for him to gain a class, like in an RPG? Could he earn titles? And what did those even do?
"Show me available classes," Yuuto said aloud, testing if the System would respond to voice commands. To his surprise, the screen shifted, revealing a new menu.
[Available Classes: None. Class selection becomes available after reaching Level 5.]
"Of course," Yuuto muttered with a sigh. He wasn't even strong enough to choose a class yet. Everything was locked behind levels and power he didn't have.
But he wasn't going to stay weak forever.
Pushing himself off the ground, Yuuto stood and stretched, the tension from the earlier fight slowly fading. He was lucky to have survived the wolf-creature. The System had saved him, sure, but it was up to him to figure out how to survive going forward. He couldn't rely on luck forever.
He took a cautious step forward, his mind racing with thoughts of what to do next. First priority: figure out how to stay alive. The quest the System gave him, Survive the Day, had only just begun. If one wolf-like creature was out here, there were bound to be others—or worse.
Suddenly, the System chimed again.
[New Quest Unlocked: Find Shelter]
Objective: Locate a safe place to rest before nightfall. Time remaining: 3 hours.
Reward: 10 EXP, Basic Skill: Sprint
Failure: Increased chance of enemy encounters.
Yuuto grimaced. Three hours until nightfall? The sky still looked fairly bright, but he could already see the faint dimming of the strange glowing plants. That probably meant he didn't have much time.
He scanned his surroundings, realizing just how exposed he was in the middle of this clearing. If the creatures here were anything like the one he'd fought earlier, he would be defenseless against another attack in his current state. He needed to find shelter—and fast.
"Where am I supposed to find shelter in a place like this?" Yuuto muttered. The forest stretched on in every direction, and there were no signs of civilization anywhere. But, if there was one thing he'd learned from survival shows and games, it was that moving was better than staying still.
He started walking toward the denser part of the forest, his eyes peeled for anything that looked like it could offer protection. His body still ached from his earlier fight, but he forced himself to keep moving, knowing full well that failure wasn't an option.
As he walked, his mind wandered back to the System. It was almost like some kind of supernatural guide, feeding him information, offering quests, and unlocking abilities as he went along. But its origins were a complete mystery. Where had it come from? And why had it chosen him?
There was no use speculating. The only thing he could do now was focus on surviving.
[Time remaining until nightfall: 2 hours, 45 minutes.]
Yuuto cursed under his breath. The forest was thick and difficult to navigate, with twisted roots and sharp, thorny plants blocking his path. The further he went, the darker it seemed to get, and the more uneasy he felt. Every rustle in the bushes made his heart race. His thoughts drifted back to the wolf-creature, and he gripped a nearby branch for support, remembering how close he had come to death.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. In the distance, through the trees, there was a faint glow—different from the natural bioluminescence of the plants. It was faint, but there was no mistaking it: the soft flicker of firelight.
Yuuto's heart leapt. Could it be a camp? Or someone else? He hurried toward the light, pushing through the dense foliage with renewed energy. The closer he got, the more the glow intensified, revealing a small clearing ahead.
Finally, Yuuto burst through the trees and stumbled into the clearing. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.
It wasn't a campfire. It was a massive stone structure—ruins, ancient and overgrown with vines, with strange symbols etched into the stone. The flickering light came from the center of the ruins, where a broken-down tower stood. Flames danced around the stones, contained within a protective barrier of some kind.
This... this is shelter! Yuuto realized. It wasn't perfect, but the stone walls and the magic barrier meant he'd be safe for the night. He stepped closer, feeling a strange sense of both awe and caution as he examined the ruins.
The System chimed again.
[Quest Complete: Find Shelter]
Reward: 10 EXP, Basic Skill: Sprint unlocked.
The sense of relief that washed over him was overwhelming. I survived another challenge. He felt the familiar warmth of energy as the System rewarded him with a new skill, and he immediately checked his status screen.