I had one mission: find food. I'd conquered the mountain, figured out the basics of the system, and even discovered my new, annoyingly handsome face. But now, with my stomach growling loud enough to scare off wildlife, I realized that none of that mattered if I didn't get some sustenance. And soon.
So, I did what any sensible person would do. I walked into the forest, figuring I'd come across something edible. A berry bush, maybe. Or some wild fruit. Or heck, even a tree with low-hanging branches that might be hiding some kind of nuts. But as I walked further in, scanning the trees, bushes, and undergrowth, I realized something unsettling.
There was absolutely nothing to eat.
Not a single berry, not a single fruit, not even a squirrel scampering by that I could try to chase down out of sheer desperation. Just trees and more trees, stretching endlessly in every direction.
"Are you kidding me?" I muttered, hands on my hips as I looked around. "You'd think, with a forest this wild, there'd be at least one piece of fruit. I mean, what do the animals eat around here? Air?"
I let out a few choice swear words, cursing the trees, the bushes, and the entire ecosystem. This was supposed to be a fantasy world, right? Weren't fantasy forests supposed to be filled with magical fruits and edible mushrooms? Where was my enchanted apple or glowing berry bush?
"Useless forest," I grumbled, kicking a rock as I trudged forward. "What good are you if you can't even provide a single snack?"
But I wasn't about to give up. I'd come this far, and I wasn't going to let a lack of options stop me. I spotted a tree with a particularly tall, sturdy trunk and thought, "Maybe if I climb it, I can get a better view. Maybe there's a fruit tree nearby or something."
So, I went for it. I grabbed hold of the trunk, wrapped my legs around, and began the not-so-graceful process of hauling myself up. Climbing a tree turned out to be harder than it looked, especially when I was still figuring out the limits of my new body. I clawed and scraped my way up, inch by painful inch, until I finally reached a sturdy branch.
I took a deep breath, balanced myself, and looked around. And what did I see?
Nothing. No fruit, no animals, no miraculous bounty waiting to be discovered. Just more trees, stretching endlessly in every direction, each one just as useless as the last.
I couldn't help it. I let out a loud string of curses, shaking my fist at the forest as if it had personally betrayed me. "You're a forest! Isn't providing food part of your job description?"
The trees, predictably, remained silent.
With a sigh, I climbed back down, my stomach growling in protest. This was not how I'd envisioned my glorious second life. In all the fantasies I'd had about being reincarnated in a new world, not once did I picture myself starving in the middle of nowhere.
As I continued my search, I decided to try out the system's map feature. Maybe it would at least help me keep track of where I'd been, in case I needed to retrace my steps. I opened the map, squinting as the familiar screen appeared in front of me.
Sure enough, there was a little marker showing my current location, and behind it, a jagged white blob that was clearly the outline of the mountain I'd just climbed down. The map seemed to fill in details for areas I'd already explored, which was surprisingly helpful. I could see the path I'd taken, the twists and turns through the forest, and the outline of the snowy peaks far behind me.
"Well, look at you," I muttered to the screen. "Actually doing something useful for once. Maybe you're not totally useless."
The map, of course, didn't respond, but I like to think it knew I was begrudgingly impressed. Still, I couldn't resist throwing in one last complaint.
"Now if only you could give me a 'Find Food' button or something," I grumbled, half-heartedly thanking the system for at least providing a map. But, seriously, would it have killed it to throw in a little help finding something edible?
I continued walking, checking the map every now and then to make sure I wasn't wandering in circles. But as the hours dragged on, my body started to protest. My legs felt like lead, my feet were sore, and my stomach's growling had reached a point where it sounded like I was trying to summon a demon.
I cursed under my breath, both at myself for wandering so far, and at this stupid world for being so unreasonably hostile to basic survival. "All I want is a sandwich. Is that so much to ask?"
Eventually, I spotted a large tree that looked weirdly inviting, its thick trunk and sprawling roots forming a sort of natural bench. Figuring I could take a break, I trudged over to it and slumped down, leaning back against the rough bark.
I closed my eyes, taking a few deep breaths and trying to ignore the gnawing hunger in my gut. For a moment, I almost managed to relax. Almost.
Then, something wet dripped onto my forehead.
I opened my eyes, frowning as I touched the spot where the mysterious droplet had landed. I looked up, half-expecting to see a leaky tree branch or maybe a bird. But the sky above was clouding over, dark gray clouds gathering like some cosmic joke.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I muttered. Another drop hit me, then another, and before I knew it, a steady drizzle had started.
Of course. Of course it would start raining. Because what better way to cap off a miserable day than by getting soaked to the bone?
"Fantastic!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "First you drop me in a forest with no food, and now you're trying to drown me? What kind of twisted world is this?"
As the rain picked up, I scrambled to find shelter, but the trees offered little protection. Within minutes, my clothes were soaked, clinging to me in the most uncomfortable way possible. Water dripped down my face, my hair plastered to my forehead, and I let out a long, drawn-out curse, glaring up at the sky as if it could hear me.
"Is this some kind of test? Are you trying to break me?" I shouted, half-expecting some god to appear and give me an explanation. But, as always, the universe remained silent.
I stood there, drenched, frustrated, and hungry, the rain pouring down like it was mocking me. This was not the heroic journey I'd imagined. This was… this was just misery.
I slumped down against the tree again, defeated, watching as the rain continued to pour. "Fine," I muttered, accepting my fate. "Go ahead. Soak me. Starve me. Whatever. I'll just… sit here."
For a long time, I sat there in silence, letting the rain wash over me. Maybe I'd find food eventually. Maybe I wouldn't. At this point, I was too tired to care. All I could do was wait and hope that my luck (as dismal as it was) would turn around.
But something told me that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.