The moon was up, and the air was cold.
When Cedar woke up, he found himself lying on the ground, surrounded by huge trees.
His head throbbed as jumbled memories flooded in.
He wasn't on Earth anymore.
That was his first thought.
He had transmigrated.
That was his second thought.
The original body owner was just a weakling.
He'd been with a group of so-called friends.
They had ventured into the forest, seeking to hunt beasts.
But when they encountered a Grade 2 Copper-Rank Wild Boar Beast, everything fell apart.
The moment the beast charged, they scattered.
The original owner was the slowest.
They didn't even look back.
He was left to face the beast alone.
The boar charged, and with a single ram, the original owner was dead.
His life ended there, in the forest.
Now, Cedar was left in this body.
"What an interesting world."
This was a world where beasts ruled the land, the skies and the seas.
Power was everything here.
Strength determined one's survival.
Cultivating beasts, taming them, and using them for battle was the norm.
The weak were trampled, and the strong dominated.
In this world, humans weren't the apex predators.
Cedar tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest.
It didn't take long for him to realize.
There were likely a few broken bones.
The boar's charge had done a number on this frail body.
"Stupid."
Cedar mocked the original owner.
The idiot hadn't even summoned his contracted beast.
Instead, he'd chosen to run like a headless chicken.
His so-called friends were no better.
Not one of them had stood their ground to fight.
Cedar sighed, focusing on the memories left behind.
The original owner did have a contracted beast.
If he wanted to survive, he needed to summon it now.
Cedar closed his eyes and concentrated.
He guided the flow of Qi through his body, just like the memories showed him.
The process felt clumsy, but it worked.
A faint warmth spread to the side of his neck.
Slowly, a tattoo-like mark surfaced on his skin.
It was shaped like a coiling vine, simple but distinct.
Then, with no flash or grandeur, a creature appeared before him.
It was a monkey.
Its fur was a deep crimson red, covering its body and ears.
Its hands and feet were covered in white fur.
Its face was wrapped in gray fur.
A sharp, red orange eye stared back at Cedar.
In the center of its forehead, a noticeable closed third eye rested.
The monkey stood about two feet tall.
This was his contracted beast, a Tri-Eyed Forest Monkey.
To Cedar, it resembled a Japanese Macaque, or what some called a Snow Monkey.
However, its crimson fur and the third eye on its forehead made it stand out from any ordinary monkey.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Cedar's mind.
"This is certainly an intriguing world, master."
Cedar froze.
That voice.
It was Cypher, his A.I. partner from Earth.
He could almost hear the smirk in Cypher's voice, like always.
"Cypher? Is that really you?" Cedar thought, still processing the situation.
"Indeed, master. It appears I have transmigrated with you."
"Though, I must admit, I did not expect to inhabit a monkey's body."
Cedar had been a pioneer scientist, a prodigy zoologist.
His work on animal behavior and genetic manipulation had earned him worldwide recognition.
Cypher had been his assistant, an advanced artificial intelligence designed to aid him in his groundbreaking research.
The last thing Cedar could remember was the explosion in his lab.
The fire, the chaos, the collapse of everything around him.
Then... darkness.
He had thought he died.
But now, here he was, in a completely different world, with Cypher still by his side.
"I must correct you, master."
"I am not a Tri-Eyed Forest Monkey, but rather a Saurian-Eyed Monkey."
Cedar blinked, curiosity written all over his face.
"Oh?"
"Allow me to elaborate, master."
"I was originally a normal Tri-Eyed Forest Monkey, identical to others of my kind, with three eyes and agile movements suited for the forest."
"However then, I consumed a flower known as Mirenpetal."
"Mirenpetal is a potent, poisonous flower with transformative properties."
"Even its pollen can kill most creatures"
"In a typical case, a Tri-Eyed Forest Monkey would have died from the poison."
"Its basically zero to none chance."
"But, against all odds, I survived."
"I mutated. Evolved. And became a Saurian-Eyed Monkey."
"Wait, you said you evolved..."
"Are you saying the Mirenpetal didn't just change your appearance, but also your genetic structure?"
"Indeed, master."
"The Mirenpetal's poison caused a radical transformation at the genetic level."
"It mutated my cells, altered my biology, and my original abilities were replaced with new ones."
"My DNA became something else entirely."
Cedar felt a mix of awe and disbelief.
As a zoologist, he had seen plenty of strange mutations, yet this one was unlike anything he had ever studied.
A flower that could change genetic structure?
"So, what are these new abilities?"
"Allow me to simplify it for you, master."
In an instant, a screen panel appeared in Cedar's mind.
[Saurian-Eyed Monkey]
Potential: S/???
Rank: Grade 1 Copper
Affinity: Nature, Mystery
[Abilities]
↳ Data Sight: Perceives and analyzes hidden data from all things. The depth of analysis is limited by rank.
↳ Object Assimilation: Consume objects to temporarily gain their properties. Stored Object: None. Slot Left: 2/2
↳ Perfect Mimicry: Achieve flawless replication of a beast's abilities and traits once specific conditions are met. The transformation lasts for a limited time. Stored Beast: None. Slot Left: 1/1
Cypher continued explaining.
"Initially, only Object Assimilation and Perfect Mimicry were present."
"However, after I took on the Saurian-Eyed Monkey form, it caused another mutation."
"This mutation resulted in the acquisition of Data Sight."
Cedar stared at the panel in silence.
A Tri-Eyed Forest Monkey was never supposed to possess abilities like this.
They were supposed to focus on speed, agility, and basic offense.
"What an amazing mutation."
He shook his head, pushing aside his thoughts.
The screen panel disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Leaning his back against a nearby tree, Cedar closed his eyes for a moment.
"Enough of this for now, Cypher. We're still in a dangerous situation, aren't we?"