I opened my eyes… very slowly, but I couldn't see anything.
Darkness surrounded me.
"Where am I…"
Then that feeling returned—
the same sensation I know so well. It felt like I was in the same dream. Suddenly, a faint blue light appeared before me.
A transparent screen.
[System]
Level 1
Player Name: Siraj
Notification: New Mission
Then the screen changed.
Main Mission:
Reach the Tree of Heaven
Destroy the Devil's Heart
Other words appeared below it:
In case of refusal or failure
Your heart will stop
A countdown began slowly:
5…
4…
3…
2…
Reward:
Return to your body in the real world
I felt terror, and thoughts raced through my head.
Am I dead…? Where am I then? Well… it doesn't matter.
Only two words appeared at the bottom:
Accept / Reject
I accepted the offer without hesitation, and in the blink of an eye, I woke up with a sudden gasp in the middle of a desolate forest.
My body is trembling and my mind is scattered; I'm trying to comprehend how that click transported me from my world to this unknown place.
.
My gaze is fixed on the sky above me. A strange sky… clear, with huge objects flying overhead… resembling dragons in groups.
I slowly moved my eyes around.
Thick green grass stretches in every direction.
And I'm lying in the heart of a silent forest.
Then sounds began to come from afar.
Animals… but their sounds are strange, unlike anything I know.
Where am I?
I paused for a few seconds, my breath ragged, my mind trying to piece together what remained of my memories.
Then everything came back all at once.
The fall… the darkness… the blue screen… and the forest.
And that sinister monster
"So… it wasn't a dream."
My breath came in panicked gasps as the image of the monster gnawed at my memory. It can't be… my family is in danger!
That monster… it's going to kill them. I have to move now.
I slowly raised my head.
I took a step forward, pushing aside the branches with my hands as I made my way through the trees.
"Is anyone here?" Then I raised my voice even more:
"Is anyone here?!" But no one answered.
Only the soft sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. I clenched my fists and kept walking. The branches were scratching my hands and face, but I didn't stop.
Suddenly, I stopped. A faint sound of crying. I turned my head quickly.
"What's that…?"
A girl's voice. Crying quietly, but clearly. I approached slowly, pushing aside the branches with even greater caution, trying not to make a sound. Each step felt heavier than the last. Then I saw her.
A girl sitting near a large tree trunk, her face lowered, her shoulders shaking with every sob.
But…
Something about her wasn't normal. She raised her gaze slightly. And at that moment… my eyes widened.
Two small horns protruded from her head.
I felt a chill run through my body.
A transparent screen appeared before me once again.
[System] Target Information
Name: Unknown
Type: Demoness
Class: E
Skills: None
Abilities: Unregistered
Hidden Skills: 0
I froze in place.
"A demoness…?"
I looked at her again.
She was still crying, but now I began to notice something else…
The fear on her face wasn't ordinary. It wasn't just the fear of a weak person…
It was the fear of a lost, hunted person.
I grabbed the tree trunk and stood in front of her.
"Who are you?"
Her body suddenly trembled, and she quickly took a step back. Her eyes were wide. She tried to speak, but the words came out in fits and starts.
"I… I…"
She didn't finish her sentence. She lowered her head slightly.
She whispered in a low voice that he was coming.
I looked at her again.
She hadn't stopped trembling, and sweat was pouring down her face.
She kept repeating that he was coming.
I asked her, "Who is coming?"
But she didn't answer me; she just repeated, "He's coming… he's coming."
"Okay…" I said calmly. "What's your name?"
She slowly raised her head.
"Zoe…"
I paused at the name, then nodded.
"I'm Siraj. Don't be afraid."
I could sense her fear.
Her gaze shifted slightly, but her trembling eased a little.
"I'll take you to your family, don't worry."
She didn't answer right away.
She just looked around, as if she still didn't trust the place or what was happening, then said,
"We have to get out of this forest right now before he gets here."
Thoughts were racing through my head: Who was coming? And what was she afraid of? Then I sighed and said:
"Where are we now?"
I looked up at the forest around us.
The trees were dense, and strange sounds echoed between the trunks. Everything here suggested that this place wasn't normal.
"Let's get out of the forest first."
I pointed ahead calmly. Come on, Zoe. We started walking together.
Branches wrapped around us, and the slightest sound would make Zoe pause for a moment before continuing.
I caught a suffocating, foul odor suddenly filling the air.
I stopped, scanning the trees with my eyes for the source.
I moved slowly through the shadows; with every step, the smell grew stronger.
Until it was revealed before me…
A rotting, lifeless corpse, partially torn apart, with worms writhing ceaselessly over it, and among them strange, slimy insects with sharp jaws gnawing at the remains of flesh.
I froze in place.
I felt something slam into my chest all at once, so I recoiled quickly, as if the air had vanished from around me.
I fell backward, gasping, a strange pain in my stomach refusing to subside, until a series of retchings erupted.
At the edge of the clearing, Zoe stood silently, waiting for me.
I struggled to my feet, controlling my trembling breaths, while her face watched me pale and silent.
I walked past her, avoiding her eyes.
I said in a low voice:
"Let's go…"
I could see that fear was still there, but it no longer completely controlled her. As we moved forward, the forest began to change gradually; the trees became less dense.
I couldn't forget her, but I tried to hold it together. I knew Zoe was emotionally shattered and distraught, and that my own emotions would only make things worse, so I suppressed my reaction as much as possible. Still, the look of disgust didn't completely disappear from my face.
Then… it began. Light was seeping through the branches. "Everything here is strange…" I muttered to myself. "Even the trees aren't normal." After a while, we reached the top of a high hill.
I stopped, and then the town appeared before us. Scattered houses… their shapes were unfamiliar. Some were very large, and some were disproportionately small. There was no clear pattern to the layout; everything looked as if it had been placed there haphazardly.
Zoe looked at the scene in silence. "Do you know this town?" I asked her. She shook her head quickly.
"No…"
Then a faint notification appeared before my eyes:
> [System]
Location: World of Demons
Region: Fishermen's Town
New Notifications [System]
New Daily Quest:
Destroy a demonic energy source
Absorb 5 units of demonic energy
Run 10 km
Player Stats System (Siraj):
Level: 1
Class: E
Strength: 25
Stamina: 5
Magic Power:
Agility: 30
Skills and Abilities: 0
Note:
Failure to complete the mission will result in a penalty
Siraj stared silently at the system screen. "What… this system is assigning me missions that must be completed, or else I'll be punished?"
He clenched his fist slightly, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"Don't mess with me…"
"Alright… I'll take care of it later." I slowly raised my eyes toward the town.
"Hunters… so
I looked back at the road ahead of us. "Alright…" I said calmly.
The game has begun…