He muttered to himself… then suddenly stopped, staring straight ahead.
A transparent window appeared before his eyes.
It displayed:
Name: Ji Hoon
Rank: —
Strength, Agility, Speed, Qi…
And his Title: 'A'
But everything looked… weak. Far weaker than expected.
Ji Hoon sighed, then gave a small smile.
"At least… I'm not completely useless."
Moments later, his expression turned serious as he scanned his surroundings carefully.
"System… according to the first mission, I need to gather food and water and survive here for a few days. After that, I have to find my teammates… wherever they are."
He paused.
"And that strange girl… what is she even doing?"
Her image flashed in his mind—the masked girl standing behind him in the Sky Mansion, silently watching.
Ji Hoon grabbed the crown on his head and chuckled.
"Haha… I don't know what that mask girl was thinking, making me the head of a team."
Flashback – Sky Mansion
The masked girl stepped forward.
"You all have been summoned from Earth… to this Immortal World."
"You must complete a mission. Succeed… and you will be sent back to Earth with wealth, power—anything you desire."
As she raised her hand, a strange light shot into everyone's minds.
In an instant, countless memories flooded in—
Knowledge about this world, the system, powers… and their mission.
Then she pointed at Ji Hoon.
"You… you will be the leader of Team One."
She pointed at an older man next.
"You will be the vice leader."
"Forget your real names. From now on, you will address each other only by your titles."
"All necessary information has been given. Follow our orders carefully…"
"Otherwise—your bodies will vanish from this world in seconds."
And just like that… they were sent through a portal.
Present
"And now… I'm here."
Ji Hoon looked around.
This place felt like a fantasy world—different, yet strangely beautiful.
After living in that rotten city… this felt like stepping into ancient times.
The air was fresh. Clean. Silent.
Almost too silent.
"Heaven-like… huh? 'Star Heaven Outer Abyss'… sounds interesting."
He picked up a small wooden stick and began walking, a calm smile on his face.
After a while…
He heard birds.
And smelled something unpleasant.
Bird droppings.
But mixed with it…
A strong, metallic scent.
Blood.
His face turned pale as he slowed down.
"This place… feels dangerous."
He gripped the wooden stick like a sword and moved forward cautiously.
Dense trees and bushes surrounded him. The ground was rocky but fertile, filled with wild plants.
Then—
He froze.
Bushes were torn apart.
The ground… soaked in blood.
The smell hit his nose hard. He covered it with both hands, his legs slightly trembling.
Yet his face remained cold. Emotionless.
He stepped forward.
And saw them.
Dead wolves.
Dozens of them.
Fresh blood still spread across the ground.
"What the hell happened here…? A fight? But with what?"
Then his gaze shifted upward… toward a stronger smell.
He slowly pushed aside the bushes.
And his body went stiff.
Foxes.
Hundreds of dead foxes.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Where the hell am I… some kind of animal kingdom?"
Sweat rolled down his face.
But then…
A devilish smile appeared.
"…Well, doesn't matter."
"At least I won't starve."
He looked at the foxes… then the wolves…
And turned away.
A different smell came from ahead—not blood this time.
Bird droppings. Strong.
He moved forward quickly, covering his nose.
"Did I just walk into a bird nest or something? Why does it smell so bad?!"
The wind pressure increased.
The smell worsened.
Still, he kept going.
Until—
His eyes widened.
"HOLY SHIT…"
"This place is… beautiful."
Even while holding his nose tightly, he stared ahead in awe.
"I wish I had a phone… I'd take thousands of pictures."
It looked like he was standing on a mountain—high, yet strangely flat.
Ahead was a breathtaking valley, surrounded by mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes.
The morning sun had just risen.
"My god… I actually got to see something like this…"
But then—
"That smell… is it coming from the valley?"
He checked himself.
"No… it's not me."
Slowly, he moved closer to the edge.
"I guess… I have to see."
He lay down and peeked over.
Below was a vast, endless forest.
A perfect world of nature.
He leaned further—
And suddenly—
WHOOSH!
Thousands of birds took flight.
Ji Hoon jumped back instantly and started running.
"I hope they're not coming to peck me to death!"
Sweating, he kept running.
"Damn it… I shouldn't have gone there!"
Behind him, the sky filled with white-feathered birds, their long, sharp beaks glinting.
"Don't come for my head, you crazy things!"
After running a good distance, he finally slowed down.
"Hah… I survived."
He caught his breath.
Then walked back toward the area with the dead wolves and foxes.
Quickly, he grabbed one of the bodies and carried it.
After moving farther away, he stopped again.
Most of the birds had already left.
"Hah… safe."
After a while, he reached near a river.
But he stopped.
"If I go near the river, some wild predator might find me…"
He looked toward a tree.
"…Better stay here for now."