[The Awakening]
Pain shot through Andrew's skull like a splitting migraine.
His body convulsed, his vision blurred, and for a moment, he thought he was dying again.
Then, the voice echoed in his mind. Cold, emotionless.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[WELCOME, ANDREW PAUL.]
[SYNCHRONIZING WITH HOST.]
[ACCESSING BATTLE DATA…]
[UNLOCKING SYSTEM FUNCTIONS…]
A wave of information flooded into him—impossible knowledge that wasn't his, yet now felt like it always had been. His heartbeat quickened as numbers, symbols, and unreadable glyphs flashed behind his closed eyelids.
Then, as quickly as it came, the sensation vanished.
Silence.
Andrew collapsed onto one knee, panting. His fingers dug into the damp earth as he steadied himself. His body still felt like his, but… different. More.
His mind cleared. And suddenly, something new appeared in his vision.
A floating screen.
[STATUS WINDOW LOADED.]
Andrew's breath hitched as words materialized before his eyes, glowing faintly in the twilight air.
[STATUS]
Name: Andrew Paul
Race: Human? (Pending)
Level: 1
Attributes:
Strength: 18Agility: 20Endurance: 15Intelligence: 14Perception: 19
Skills:
Adaptive Combat (Passive) – Your body learns and refines combat techniques in real-time.Survivor's Instinct (Passive) – Heightened awareness of life-threatening situations.??? (Locked)
System Functions Unlocked:
[Status Window][Combat Analysis][???] (Locked)
Andrew stared, his brain struggling to process the absurdity of what he was seeing.
He had seen things like this before—in games. But this wasn't a game. This was real.
"This… is insane." His voice was barely above a whisper.
He reached out instinctively, his fingers swiping through the screen. To his shock, it reacted. The text shifted, responding to his movements.
His pulse pounded. He had stats. He had skills.
And he had no idea what any of it meant.
But one thing was clear—he wasn't normal anymore.
[A New Instinct]
The wind stirred through the trees, carrying the scent of damp soil and something else—blood.
Andrew turned toward the massive corpse of the beast he had just killed. The thing's body was still, its glowing red eyes now lifeless.
The memory of the fight was fresh in his mind. The way he moved, the power behind his strikes. It wasn't just adrenaline—his body had responded with a level of precision he had never known.
He clenched his fist. Even now, he felt stronger.
The system. The status window. It was all real.
And that meant…
A cold realization settled over him.
This world wasn't Earth.
And if monsters like that existed here, then surviving wasn't going to be as simple as just avoiding danger. He needed to get stronger. Fast.
His eyes drifted to the beast's corpse. A thought struck him—if this was like a game, then…
He crouched beside the body, hesitating. Then, almost instinctively, he reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the beast's fur—
[LOOT OBTAINED.]
1x Obsidian Wolf Fang1x Beast Hide (Damaged)5x Essence Fragments
Andrew nearly fell back in shock as small shards of light emerged from the beast's body, floating toward him before melting into his skin.
A strange warmth spread through his chest.
[+2 EXP GAINED]
His breath caught.
This wasn't just similar to a game.
It was one.
[A Dangerous World]
Andrew exhaled slowly, trying to steady his thoughts.
He couldn't afford to lose his mind over this—not when survival depended on how quickly he adapted.
He needed answers.
Looking around, he saw no signs of civilization. Just an endless stretch of trees and rocky terrain.
But his instincts—his Survivor's Instinct—told him something was watching.
His muscles tensed. He turned his head slightly, pretending not to notice.
Then, in a single explosive movement, he spun—
And threw the beast's fang like a dagger.
A sickening thud.
A creature screeched in pain from the shadows.
Andrew's eyes locked onto it—a humanoid figure, crouched in the darkness between the trees. Its skin was ashen gray, its eyes hollow and sunken. A long, jagged knife was clutched in its gnarled fingers.
A scavenger.
Not human. Not quite a monster. Something between.
The creature snarled, wrenching the fang from its shoulder. But Andrew was already moving.
In an instant, he closed the distance.
His fist shot forward, aiming for the creature's throat. It barely dodged, its blade flashing toward his ribs.
Andrew twisted. The knife grazed his tunic but didn't pierce his skin. His body reacted instinctively.
Adaptive Combat.
His next strike was faster. Stronger.
His knee slammed into the creature's gut. It wheezed, stumbling back.
Andrew didn't hesitate. He grabbed the knife from its grip and, in a single, fluid motion—drove it into its chest.
A choked gasp. Then silence.
[ENEMY DEFEATED.]
[+10 EXP GAINED.]
The creature's body twitched, then slumped.
Andrew stood over it, panting.
His fingers trembled—not from fear, but from something else.
His mind was eerily calm. His movements had been precise, calculated. He had never fought like this before.
But here, in this world…
Killing had felt natural.
And that terrified him.
[A Step Forward]
The body vanished into motes of light, leaving behind a few items. Another knife, some tattered cloth, and more essence fragments.
Andrew clenched his fist. He could already feel it—the slightest increase in his strength.
Killing made him stronger.
He exhaled slowly. This world had thrown him into the deep end, and if he wanted to survive, he couldn't hesitate.
He had to evolve.
[SYSTEM ALERT: LEVEL UP.]
[YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 2.]
A surge of warmth coursed through him. His muscles tightened, his mind sharpened.
And then, something new appeared in his vision.
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED.]
[SHADOW STEP – Rank 1]
Allows the user to momentarily blend into the shadows, increasing speed and evasion for 2 seconds. Cooldown: 10 seconds.]
Andrew's pulse quickened.
This world wasn't just about surviving.
It was about becoming something greater.
And he was just getting started.
[A New Threat]
A distant horn suddenly echoed through the forest.
Low. Haunting.
Andrew's head snapped up.
The ground trembled. Leaves rustled.
Then—footsteps. Dozens. No, hundreds.
Something big was coming.
And he wasn't sure if he was ready.