"But first… I need to survive if I want to enjoy this damn world, don't I?"
The voice—still clear—lingered in his mind. But the different sounds around him… Zen wasn't familiar with them yet. Everything here was strange, new, and disorienting.
The wind flowed steadily, bending the grass with its rhythm. Zen took a deep breath; the air was crisp, refreshing, unlike anything back on Earth. He lifted his gaze to the moon, letting its silver light wash over him.
One thought crashed into his mind. Wasn't there a status window?
System: Status
Name: Zen Lawkey
Strength: 10
Agility: 15
Stamina: 5
Mana: 50
Element: Shadow
Core Skill: Moonblade
Bloodline: (#&#^#^@&@&) Error
Element… Shadow? he wondered. Is that… magic? My magic?
And Core Skill… Moonblade? He frowned. I've never heard of it. Is it some kind of core ability? Something to do with swords, maybe?
And what the fuck was with this bloodline? Why wasn't it showing on the screen? Did I… not have one? Or was the system just unable to detect it?
I should… ask the system about it.
"Hey… ahm… System, could you explain my status?"
Silence. Nothing. Not a single sound.
Did I call it wrong?
"Hey… hello? Are you there?"
Even now, there wasn't a sound except for the distant cries of a few monsters. Zen was on high alert—but that didn't mean he was happy about his situation. He was in the middle of a damn forest, in the dead of night.
Thankfully, no beast had found this place… or maybe it was just Zen's luck.
Zen muttered to himself, frustrated. "Now what… for fuck's sake, this system isn't responding. And I don't even know how the hell I ended up in this forest."
"Now… what the fuck should I do?" Zen muttered, pacing in place. "Should I… search the forest? Fuck, what am I even looking for out here?"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Maybe… maybe I should just sleep here and move in the morning. Even if I try moving now… I wouldn't be able to see shit."
"But… how the fuck am I supposed to sleep in this forest?" Zen muttered, dropping to his knees. "Damn it… fucking shit… I feel cursed or something. Why the hell is this happening to me?"
Zen moved toward a large tree and sat beneath it, staring up at its branches. He hesitated, then tried to climb. Did he even know how to climb a tree? Nope. Not a chance.
Then, of course, it was obvious—he jumped and clung to the tree like glue. His hands and legs ached, but somehow he stayed stuck, awkward and stiff, like a sloth finally finding its perch.
He tried to push his body upward, but he wouldn't budge. Frustrated, he gave up and sagged against the trunk, settling into a miserable, uncomfortable seat.
There were too many questions buzzing in his mind, but none had answers—at least, not yet.
One thought struck him harder than the rest: Is this real?
Had he truly been reincarnated into a whole new world?
He kept his mind racing from one thought to another, but gradually, the questions and worries began to fade. The forest, the night, the unknown—they all blurred as his body relaxed. Slowly, inevitability sleep took over, and he drifted into sleep.
Morning arrived with a bright sun. The air was warm, a light fog lingering over the ground. The forest was quiet—only the sound of the wind could be heard, while the beasts had gone silent. Occasionally, the faint chirping of birds broke the stillness.
The first thing Zen felt was an intense light flashing into his eyes, as if someone was shining a torch directly at him.
He shifted slightly, trying to shield himself from the sunlight—but it still fell on his face.
"Fuck… cut off the light!" he groaned.
That was when Zen slowly opened his eyes and looked around.
Reality settled in once more.
He was dead.
"…Did I actually sleep?"
He couldn't quite place it—how had he even managed to sleep? And more importantly… why hadn't any beasts attacked him?
There were no signs of disturbance. Nothing. It was as if this place didn't even exist to others… like he was invisible.
Maybe… it's some kind of system perk?
He frowned.
No… I shouldn't think about that right now.
He had more pressing matters.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
There were too many things he couldn't understand at all. He had no relevant information about this place—no knowledge, no guidance… nothing useful to rely on.
"Did I not get all the memories… or did this guy just not know anything about this place?"
He let out a quiet breath.
"I swear… there's no end to my questions."
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
"I feel like I've been thrown into the Stone Age."
With nothing in his hands… a new journey had begun.
"Maybe… I should call the system."
He paused, frowning.
"But that stupid AI doesn't even respond… still, it's not like I have any better option than asking this useless thing."
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Hey… hello there… umm, System?"
Silence lingered for a moment before he continued, a bit more impatient this time.
"What should I do now? Any information? Maybe a starter town or something useful I can use?"
He hesitated, then added, almost hopefully—
"And what about my allowance in this world? Don't I get some kind of starter package or something?"
Ding.
A mechanical chime echoed softly.
[There is a town to your east. It isn't far from here. If you have no idea what to do, you should head to the Silvery Academy—where the powerful gather.]
Another chime followed.
[Starter allowance granted.]
"Oh… umm, thanks for the info… buddy."
He waited for a reply.
Nothing came.
Zen nodded to himself awkwardly. "Okay… okay."
"Then my path is decided, right? First, I'll head to the town… then the academy."
He paused, thinking back to the memories he had received.
"The memories do have some information about the academy… but I need to be sixteen to join. So… I've got two years to prepare."
He exhaled slowly.
"Not too long… but not too short either."
The Silvery Academy was one of a kind—situated at the center of the continent. And it wasn't just any ordinary academy…
All species attended it.
"I'm kind of excited to attend the academy…"
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"I want to see all those different species. Who knows what they look like… I'm actually looking forward to it."
He paused, thinking.
"But if I'm right… then I'm in human territory right now. You can see other species here too, but… most of them will be humans."
A mix of emotions stirred within him.
"I'm kinda nervous… and excited at the same time."
He looked ahead, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
"Who knows where this path will lead me…"
A brief pause.
"…but I hope it leads to a peaceful life."
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
"…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
His expression stiffened.
"…Did I just jinx it?"
He swallowed.
"There's no way… right?"
…Right?
He took his first step forward and began heading toward the town.
After a few steps, he paused.
Then slowly… he turned around and walked back to where he had been standing.
"…Wait."
He frowned.
"Where the hell is east?"
"Fuck… I don't even know directions."
He scratched his head, thinking hard.
"Wait… the sun rises in the west, right?"
He pointed forward confidently.
"Then that means… behind me is east?"
Nodding to himself, he turned and started walking in that direction.
A few steps in, doubt crept back in.
"…This is east… right?"
He stopped again.
"Hey… wait… the sun rises in the west… right?"
A pause.
"Fuck—why am I so confused right now?"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Calm down… calm down, dude. Think."
"I think… I took the right path."
He kept walking.
The forest was quiet—too quiet. An eerie silence hung in the air as he moved carefully, trying not to make a sound.
His eyes scanned the ground and landed on a large stick lying nearby. He quickly picked it up.
Good… if anything jumps me, I'll just stab it right in the face, he thought, trying to sound confident.
But his heart was beating like a drum.
He was scared shitless.
Then—
A sound came from behind him.
Zen didn't think.
He ran.
No hesitation. No looking back.
He bolted in a random direction, fear taking complete control. The stick slipped from his hand and fell as he sprinted forward like his life depended on it.
He didn't stop. He didn't dare turn around.
It felt like someone had just ripped his heart out and placed it in front of him.
He was sure he was dead for sure.
So he just ran.
After nearly five minutes of sprinting, Zen finally slowed down, panting heavily.
"Huff… huff… fuck… let me catch my breath…"
His chest burned, legs trembling as he tried to steady himself.
And yet… somehow, he had found the town.
Maybe it was pure luck. God only knew how he had managed to stumble upon it.
The town was massive, its walls stretching across the area. Yet, in every sense, it was unlike any town he had ever seen on Earth. Everything about it fascinated him.
So… this is where my journey begins, he thought, a mix of excitement and nervousness stirring in his chest.