Inigo was still on the spot when he appeared in this world. Usually, a character of an isekai main character would be reincarnated in a village or a house or something that is the civilization. But his case was different, though not unique.
This one is harder as he would have to wander around and find a village where he could gain information about this new world. And wandering, though awesome it may sounds, is a scary venture when he doesn't know what's lurking around these place.
Sure—he is armed with a pistol, but the Glock 19 doesn't have the kind of firepower that could take down something like a dragon or an ogre or whatever fantasy monster this place might throw at him. He had 90 rounds and a decent vest, sure, but if some kind of wolf the size of a cow came barreling out of the trees, that Kevlar wasn't going to do much.
"Alright," he muttered, tightening the strap on the medical kit slung across his back. "Let's do this the old-fashioned way. Step one: find people. Step two: gain information about this word. Step three: survive."
He glanced around the clearing again. Tall trees circled the area—pine and oak, from the looks of it. Grass up to his knees. No beaten path. No road. No map.
Yeah. The system didn't give him a map. There was a tab for inventory, shop, token balance, and combat logs—but no minimap, no GPS, no magical radar.
"Guess I really gotta go Skyrim mode," he grunted, then picked a direction—toward the rising sun. "East. Always a good start. At least I think that's east."
He moved cautiously through the underbrush, Glock held low but ready, finger off the trigger. He kept his breathing steady and his steps quiet, just like he'd practiced in hundreds of virtual matches. The biggest difference now was that there were no teammates to ping the enemy and no respawn timer if he messed up.
The forest grew denser the farther he walked. Birds chirped overhead. A few squirrels scattered up the trees at the sound of his boots. So far, so good. He kept moving in a straight line, leaving small scratches on bark with his knife so he could tell if he doubled back.
After thirty minutes, his stomach grumbled.
"MREs," he muttered, tapping open the shop tab and checking the [Foods & Supplies] section. "Ten tokens each… ugh. Not worth it. Gotta find real food or a village."
He kept walking.
Another thirty minutes passed.
Still nothing.
No sounds of people. No smell of smoke or food. Just trees. Trees. More trees.
Then—
Snap.
A branch cracked behind him.
Inigo stopped immediately. His entire body went still. He crouched slightly, drawing his Glock and scanning his surroundings.
"System," he whispered. "Any enemy detection perks?"
Nothing.
The interface remained silent.
"Right. No aim assist either."
He pivoted slowly, scanning the treeline.
Another snap. Closer this time.
Then rustling leaves.
Then—growling.
Low. Guttural. Deep.
From between the brush, a pair of glowing yellow eyes locked onto him.
"Wolf," Inigo muttered. "No. Bigger."
It stepped into the light—thick gray fur, paws the size of his head, a scar running across its snout. A dire wolf? Whatever it was, it looked pissed.
[Hostile Detected]
"Yeah I detected that too," Inigo muttered and continued. "Is this going to be my first encounter?"
His hands shook. He may be a hardcore FPS gamer, but he hadn't actually shot a gun in real life.
Mouse clicks weren't the same as trigger pulls. Crosshairs weren't the same as aiming down real iron sights. And dying in a match didn't mean dying.
But now?
It was real.
The wolf snarled again, its yellow eyes gleaming with hunger or malice—or both.
The dire wolf lowered its head. Its thick muscles coiled like springs.
"Wait for it…" he whispered. "Wait…"
Then the beast lunged.
Bang!
His first shot went wide, punching into a tree trunk.
"Shit!"
He adjusted mid-recoil and fired again. Bang! Bang! One round struck the wolf in the chest, the other grazed its neck.
The creature barely slowed down.
"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"
He sidestepped, diving to the left, rolling over damp grass and twigs as the beast barreled past him, snapping at air. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like a war drum. Dirt smeared his sleeves as he scrambled to his knees.
The wolf spun with terrifying speed, already recovering, blood foaming at its mouth now.
"Come on, come on, come on—!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots—center mass. The wolf staggered, growling, but didn't fall. Inigo backed up, Glock still aimed.
"I swear you are way too tanky for a dog!"
The beast lunged again. He sidestepped once more—barely dodging the snapping jaws—and jammed the barrel of his Glock right under its jaw.
Bang!
The wolf's body jerked.
Then it collapsed, limp.
Silence fell across the woods.
Inigo remained still, Glock shaking in his grip. Smoke curled from the barrel. The wolf's body twitched once, then stopped.
[Target Eliminated – 10 Tokens Gained]
[New Token Balance: 80 Tokens]
A wave of adrenaline dumped out of him all at once. His knees nearly buckled.
He had killed something.
Not in a game. Not a headshot trophy. This was real.
The smell of blood hit him next. Strong. Metallic. Warm.
He holstered the Glock and took several deep breaths to calm himself.
Then the HUD blinked again.
[Exchange Available – Salvage Dire Wolf?]
Options popped up.
Dire Wolf Pelt: +6 Tokens
Untreated Beast Meat: +2 Tokens
Wolf Fang x2: +1 Token
Total Salvage Value: 9 Tokens
He accepted without hesitation. The body shimmered into motes of light and vanished. Tokens jingled into his count.
[New Token Balance: 89 Tokens]
He looked down at himself. His vest had bite marks, but no damage. The Glock still had more than half a mag. That was only one creature, but he could already tell how fast things could go sideways.
He was no longer shaking. Not because he wasn't afraid—but because that fear had just saved his life.
And it hit him.
This wasn't a game anymore.
Here, if you didn't shoot first—you died.
"Alright," he muttered. "No time to cry about it. I need a place to sleep. Water. Food."
With that—he resumed walking.