The heat of the scorching sun that lay at the center of the blue sky could barely be felt beneath the oak-sized trees and the canopy they provided, as they released enriched air which blew through the entire forest ground, sneaking its way past their massive trunks.
The birds chirped, unbothered by the scorching sun as they hid beneath the canopy and went about their daily business, flying around the entire forest and everything within it. Patches of light pierced through the loose branches of the canopy, serving as a source of light in the seemingly dense woods, as some creatures also took advantage of it to bask themselves in the after warmth.
Amidst this harmonious environment lay a man who bore white hair and a fair complexion, lying unconscious on the forest ground. Both the birds and mammals seemingly ignored him as they continued about their tasks, trying to make the best out of the afternoon.
As a lot of time had passed since he appeared, lying in his unconscious state, he finally showed signs of waking as his fingers twitched.
"Ahhh, why do I feel so dizzy?" he muttered, raising his hand to his head and gently rubbing it as he opened his eyes.
Being met by the sight of the forest, a puzzled expression appeared on his face as he stared, not sparing time to even blink, as his face conveyed the millions of questions in his mind.
"Where am I?" he muttered, finally shifting his gaze to the other corners of the forest as he stood up.
"Seriously, why am I in a forest?" he spoke out loud, instantly pulling his hand from his head to his neck as his eyes widened in surprise.
"What's happening?" he spoke out once more, the shocked expression on his face transforming into one that depicted pure disbelief.
"My voice is different. Why is that so?" he pondered, lost in thought as he stood there.
A translucent screen appeared in front of him with the text boldly engraved on it in a single writing.
"What's this... This isn't English... So why can I understand it? I don't remember learning a language like this," he muttered, his gaze fixed on it. At that point, he was like a baby who had been born in another world; everything seemed alien, confusing him to his limits.
"This is because translation is a common skill given to visitors like yourself," a feminine voice rang in his ear.
"Hm?" A panicked sigh escaped his lips as he shifted his gaze to his right and then to his left, trying to find the source of the voice. To fuel his anxiety, there was no one there.
"What's happening?" he asked himself, as an uneasy feeling washed over his body.
"Was I imagining things... No, it felt too real to be just a thought," he muttered, sweat trickling down his face as he stood, raising his guard to the max.
The forest turned silent as even the sound of the whistling wind toned down.
"Haha, you're getting all worked up for no reason," the feminine voice sounded in his ear again.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" he exclaimed, shifting his gaze to cover his line of sight as his body seemingly froze.
"I'm Lia, and don't bother looking around. I'm in your mind," the feminine voice sounded amused this time.
"In my head?" he muttered, his tense nerves calming as he decided to be rational and play along.
"Okay, Lia, right... Sorry, I know you have a lot of questions right now, but sorry, I can't answer anything about you," Lia interrupted before Mark could storm her with a hurricane of questions.
"Okay, then at least, may I know something about you?" he said.
"Seriously..." Lia paused, a hint of amazement in her tone.
"Okay, I'm Lia, an archangel of the former Wind God..." The one-sided monologue lasted for hours as Lia explained all that she could recall to Mark.
"So, in summary, you're the right hand of a god, and your master was betrayed by the other gods and was killed. Then, you don't remember, but you met me, and now your consciousness is stuck in my body, but your body is still alive somewhere in a place called the Wind Continent."
"Yes, you're right," Lia replied, her tone tinted with shame.
"Why? What's wrong?" Mark inquired.
"Nothing, it's just you're like none I've seen before. Even after all this, you're still calm, and you managed to summarize my whole life story in such few words," she replied with a soft tone.
"Hmmm, well, I can't lose my cool over something like this. I'll just have to find answers as time goes on," he said, finally standing as he decided to sit somewhere along Lia's lecture.
The sun that was at its peak when he awoke was now at the far horizon, signaling that night was near.
"Wow, your story took so long," he muttered, continuously shifting his gaze, seemingly admiring the new state of the forest.
"This world sounds really exciting. I don't know why, but I feel this rush of adrenaline in my body. It's familiar, but I can't seem to place it. Systems and levels, even though I only heard about them from Lia. Nonetheless, I feel like leveling up so that I can stand a chance against the monsters of this world," he thought, bearing a firm and serious look.
In that instant, something close to his primal instincts kicked in as his heart began racing.
The once-thriving forest was now as quiet as a graveyard, as all the birds and mammals were out of sight.
"Lia, do you know where we are?" he asked with a serious tone, as if sensing something.
"No? Why?" she replied with a curious tone, asking for a reason for his sudden seriousness.
He remained silent, not stopping his analysis as the sun completely vanished from the horizon, bringing night.
In an instant, the entire forest changed. The winds began to howl, bearing chills as they blew, and the song of the birds and mammals going about their business became a melody compared to the sounds of the night.
The cold air began to feel ominous, as bloodlust filled the entire atmosphere. Growls and howls of dangerous monsters waking from their slumber lurked at every corner.
Mark stood there, not even flinching.
"Seriously, who is this guy? It was as if he expected this, and look at how calm he is. Was he a high-ranking general in his world or something?" Lia thought.
Mark instantly shifted his gaze to the right as sounds of heavy footsteps resonated behind a tree close to them, growls emanating from the source.
"Ha, let me see how much I can grow in this world, but first, let me see how strong I am,"