Everything changed in an instant. One moment, I was standing in a hospital room, staring at my mother's lifeless body—the last person I'd ever loved. The next, thunder roared, explosions echoed, and everything went black. I wasn't just surrounded by darkness. It was as if I was falling through a void that wasn't a void. It was something more. All-encompassing, vast, and unending.
I fell—or maybe I flew—through this darkness for what felt like both a second and an eternity. Then, a tiny orb of light appeared in the distance. Before I could make sense of it, the light engulfed me, pushing back the oppressive nothingness. Loud, echoing words reverberated in my mind:
[Extinction event immanent, New world found. Emergency transmigration initiated!]
[Preliminary danger rating: Severe.]
And just like that, the darkness vanished. I landed awkwardly, my shoes sinking into mud, and found myself in some kind of jungle or maybe… a forest?
I spun around, taking in a clearing. Tall trees encircled me, their thick canopy casting shadows that grew darker the further I looked. The air smelled of damp earth and vegetation, pungent and alive. Above me, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, betraying no hint of the chaos I'd just experienced.
Wait—was that a trail?
I exhaled sharply, shoulders relaxing slightly. If this was a hiking trail, maybe it wasn't as dangerous as those ominous words suggested. People had to maintain this path, right? That meant I couldn't be too far from civilization.
But how did I get here?
The memory of that darkness, those words, and my mother's body filled my head, setting off a swirl of panic. I rubbed my temples, trying to calm my racing thoughts. What the hell was happening?
I sucked in deep breaths, grounding myself in the earthy forest scent. But unease still coiled in my chest. Something wasn't right. And then—I saw it.
Out of the corner of my eye, something—moved. I froze, slowly turning my head. Emerald-green eyes glinted from the underbrush, low to the ground. I froze. The creature stalked into the clearing, its muscles rippling beneath a sleek brindled coat. Not a dog. Definitely not a dog. A cat—but not the kind you pet. This thing was built to kill.
It growled, crouching low, and I instinctively stepped back, my mind scrambling for options. Stay calm. Animals can sense fear, right?
"Hey! Back off!" I shouted, waving my arms wildly. "You don't want to mess with me!"
For a moment, it hesitated, ears flicking back, but then its growl deepened, and it launched itself at me in a blur of teeth and claws. I barely sidestepped, adrenaline spiking as its claws ripped through the air where I'd just been standing. Pivoting, I swung my arm, my fist connecting with its ribs. Pain shot up my hand as if I'd punched a brick wall, but the impact staggered the cat. It landed awkwardly, snarling as it skidded through the mud.
"Not so tough, are you?" I spat, backing toward a tree for cover. My heart thundered in my chest, my body trembling from the sudden burst of violence. The cat shook itself, its emerald eyes locking onto me with murderous intent.
This time, I didn't wait. Grabbing a fallen branch, I lunged forward and swung it like a bat. The wood cracked against the cat's flank, forcing it back with a pained yowl, but it recovered faster than I could react.
With a guttural snarl, it surged forward. I stumbled, raising the branch to block its teeth, but its claws found my leg instead. Pain tore through me as its weight slammed into my chest, pinning me to the ground. Mud soaked into my clothes as the cat snarled above me, its teeth snapping dangerously close to my face.
"Get off me!" I roared, slamming my elbow into its side. It growled but didn't relent, its claws digging deeper. Desperation overtook me. I grabbed a fistful of its fur with one hand and jabbed my other thumb into its eye. The cat howled, retreating with a sharp jerk. I rolled away, clutching my bleeding leg as I scrambled to my feet. My breathing was ragged, and every part of me screamed to run, but the cat wasn't done.
It crouched again, preparing for another strike. My branch lay broken on the ground, and my body felt like it was seconds from giving out. But something clicked inside me—a burning resolve. "You're not taking me down," I growled through gritted teeth. I charged before it could, slamming my shoulder into its ribs and driving it backward into a tree.
The cat yowled in pain, momentarily dazed. I didn't give it time to recover. Grabbing the largest chunk of the broken branch, I swung down with everything I had.
One strike. Two strikes. Three. Each impact resonated with a sickening crunch, and the creature's growls faded into silence.
I staggered back, my legs shaking beneath me. Blood dripped from my torn pants, mingling with the mud beneath the lifeless body of the cat. My chest heaved as I fought to steady my breathing, adrenaline leaving my limbs weak and unsteady. The cat lay still, its head twisted at an unnatural angle. The branch slipped from my fingers, landing with a soft thud in the mud. My stomach churned as I stared at the mess I had made, bile rising in my throat.
And then, the voice returned. Calm. Cold. All-knowing.
[Mira]: [System Update.]
[My New World Analysis is Complete.]
Location Type: Mortal Cultivation Realm.
Danger level: Hazardous, (Maximum caution is recommended)
Universal Translator: Activated.
Skill Generation System: Converted.
Status Page: Unlocked.
What did all this mean? Oh, my transformation! I hadn't even tried to become a ghoul when the cat attacked, but last time, transforming also healed me. At least I can fix my leg. I focused and waited, but nothing happened. Then, I heard Mira's voice again.
[Mira]:[To protect yourself in this dangerous world, it is recommended that you begin to collect skills from defeated foes as soon as possible.
Not to worry Jayson, I will mark the compatible sources of skills in your new system UI.]
I stared at the screen intensely. I understood the words displayed. At least I thought I did, since the concepts involved seemed eerily similar to the random issekai stories and Web Novels I've read online.
It just didn't make sense to me, because those were just stories, and this was real life. Stuff like this didn't happen for real or at the very least they weren't supposed to, right?
Am I dreaming then? Was all the shit that happened to me this whole day a hallucination? As if my body gave me the answer—a sharp pain came from my leg making me groan in pain. Dreams aren't supposed to hurt, right?
God Damn cat.
I grimaced and waved away the message, then I looked down at my injured leg I couldn't really tell how bad it was, past my ripped pants, as blood started to soak through the material. Aww', man, my mother bought me this track suit!
She bought it for me because I was an uber fan of Bruce Lee, and this outfit was like one of the ones he wore in his very last movie. Once I find a safe place, and get time to relax, I'll need to mend the tares and get the blood & mud stains out.
But despite my complaints, I found my attention drawn to the fucking cat that I just killed. A blue mist surrounded it, the same color as the screen I had waved away. I looked down at the dead beast. Does this mean what I think it does? And if it did, just what do I do now?
"Hmm', 'Loot'?
I said, staring at the mysterious glowing carcass. To my surprise that seemed to work as another system screen appeared. Was 'that' the magic word or was just focusing on it enough?
[Mira]: [You have defeated: Brindled Lynx]
[Available Skills to Reap:]
Nine Lives, (Passive), Advances Dexterity by 1 tier
Beastial Vitality,(Passive), Advances health by 1 tier.
The options were clear, but the decision wasn't. Beastial Vitality seemed like the safest bet for now. I couldn't afford to bleed out or risk getting gangrene.
I selected it, and the Lynx's body dissolved into Particles of blue light. A warmth coursed through me briefly, but the pain in my leg remained.
"Great," I muttered, tearing my T-shirt into makeshift bandages.
After clumsily tying off the wound, I glanced around the forest. I needed to move. Staying here was asking for trouble.
But first, I had to confirm one last thing. —Status. I said aloud. A screen popped up.
[Mira]: [System Update]
Status page: Name: Jayson Sylvestri
Cultivation: None
Strength: Core Tier
Health: Low Tier
Dexterity: Core Tier
Mental Fortitude: Core Tier
Chi: Core Tier
Acquired skill, Beastial Vitality, (Rank 1), Advances health by 1 tier
Skill Evolution: None.
"What happened to my levels and abilities I had before?" I asked.
[Mira]:[You've entered a new world, which has different rules. None of what you gained earlier applies here.]
Wonderful, I thought.
I took it all in, a surreal feeling as fantasy became reality for me. Still, I tried not to get distracted and focus on what to do next. The stats were interesting but not something to bother with now. Especially since they were probably what I'd assume was the average for a person. At least for a human back on Earth.
But this wasn't Earth if the System messages I got were to be believed. Not only that, but the System had labeled this world a Mortal Cultivation Realm. Interestingly my status had a place for cultivation. If this place was anything like the worlds I read in Manwah stories, then I had no idea just what the real average for a human was here.
I then moved on to the skills option. I noticed the rankings. That likely meant I could rank up skills, and make them stronger. I definitely don't want to do that while alone and without resources. Then there was... Skill Evolution. That sounded like a way to obviously "evolve" skills.
Yet another thing to look into later, since I need to get out of here as quickly as I can right now. However before I got moving, something else caught my eye. Another option? Curiously, I reached out and tapped the words to see if it did anything.
To my surprise it did and a new window popped up.
[Mira]: [Skill analysis]
Skill Evolution: The process of evolving a skill to create a new more powerful Skill. Not all skills can be evolved, but ones that can, can be evolved using a compatible cultivation path.
It was nice that the System gave me some helpful information. However it wasn't anything that could help me right now. I need to get out of here, but I had no idea where I was. The knowledge I had from books and anime couldn't be trusted if the system was telling the truth about the writing not being accurate. I suspect the cat creature that attacked me was probably one of the least dangerous beasts out here. There might be more dangerous beasts in this forest, so I need to be more cautious. Although I wouldn't mind gaining some extra skills. If only there was an easier source for that.
My thoughts trailed off as my gaze wandered to the tree-tops. There were a couple of sparrows near the top still chirping away. I looked at them, then glanced at the ground. It only took me a few moments to find some small stones I could use to knock one of them down.
I probably shouldn't., it would be too cruel, wouldn't it? And there was no guarantee that I could get anything out of something so small, right? But what if they counted as compatible sources of Skills?
Fuck it, I'm gonna try it and see if I get anything. I picked up one of the small stones, choosing a smooth one for better aerodynamics. I chucked the stone as hard as I could. The stone flew through the air as if I used a sling-shot.
'Smack!', I struck down one of the birds. It hurdled to the ground resulting in a small, thud.
ud.