The growls came from everywhere.
Left. Right. Above.
Eyes gleamed in the trees — low to the ground, just like before, but more of them. Dozens? No — three, at least. Maybe more. He couldn't tell.
"Okay. Think."
He pressed his back to the tree trunk, dagger clenched in one hand, salve bottle in the other. The first Gnarlhound had nearly killed him — and now three more were closing in.
> [Auto-Quest: Survive the Night – In Progress]
Reward: Lootbox (???)
"Unknown reward. That's either very good... or very bad."
The underbrush cracked.
Then, without warning, one of the hounds lunged from the left.
"Quickstep!" he shouted.
The skill flared in his mind — a jolt of energy shot through his legs — and he vanished from the spot, reappearing several feet to the side in a blink. Leaves scattered where he'd been.
The hound slammed headfirst into the tree behind him with a dull crack, yelping in pain.
"Yes!"
> [Quickstep – Cooldown: 10 seconds]
No time to gloat. Another hound charged from behind — teeth bared, eyes wild.
He ducked and rolled, slashing upward with his dagger. The blade met flesh.
> [Hit registered.]
[Improvised Evasion proficiency increased: 3/10]
Blood sprayed. The hound stumbled, then turned — faster this time.
They're learning, he thought. Fast.
The third beast moved more cautiously, circling wide. Trying to flank.
"I can't fight three. Not without a plan."
He ran.
His small, nine-year-old body darted between tree roots and ferns, lungs burning, cuts stinging. The forest blurred past. Behind him, claws scraped bark. Growls echoed.
But with every step, something inside him sharpened. Like a dormant instinct waking up.
> [Skill: Basic Foraging – Passive Bonus Activated]
[Nearby edible plant detected.]
He ignored it.
Surviving now. Eating later.
He needed height. A place the hounds couldn't easily reach. He scanned the trees — one had a broken trunk leaning diagonally, like a ramp.
Perfect.
He sprinted up the incline just as Quickstep came off cooldown — and used it again. The burst of speed launched him higher, up onto a thick branch ten feet above ground.
The hounds barked below, circling.
But they didn't climb.
He sat there, chest heaving, watching them snarl in frustration.
> [Temporary safety achieved.]
> [Timer: 6 minutes remaining.]
Six minutes? He frowned. How long is this night?
He glanced up.
Through gaps in the canopy, the sky shimmered with twin moons — one pale blue, the other red like blood. Stars burned brighter than on Earth. It was beautiful.
And utterly alien.
He looked down at the beasts still pacing beneath him.
So, this is the world I've been dumped into. Magic. Monsters. A game-like system that wants performance over survival.
And I'm nine.
His grip tightened on the dagger.
He'd been average on Earth. An office drone. The kind of man who calculated mortgage payments more often than he saw the sun. But here? He was someone the world had handpicked. He didn't know why — but he wasn't going to waste it.
> [5 minutes remaining.]
He sat still. Breathing through the pain. Watching the hounds as they tried, and failed, to climb the trunk.
Then—
One of them howled.
A long, guttural sound that echoed into the distance.
The others joined in.
"No, no, no… don't tell me they're calling for backup—"
> [Warning: Reinforcements detected.]
> [Threat level increasing.]
A deeper growl responded from far off.
Something bigger.
The ground trembled faintly.
"Oh, come on—"
> [Auto-Quest Updated: Survive the Alpha.]
> [Reward increased.]
> [Lootbox Rank: Rare+]
Rare+. That was the best rank he'd seen so far. Better than Common or Uncommon.
But worth dying for?
Not yet.
He stood on the branch, mind racing.
One option: jump down, run, and risk being torn apart.
Second option: stay here and wait to be cornered.
Third option…
He looked around. Something caught his eye: a glimmer.
Just below, on another branch — mushrooms. Faintly glowing blue, almost like veins of bioluminescent light.
Foraging skill tingled.
> [Edible. Effect: Minor Paralysis if consumed raw. Burned: creates smoke.]
A trap.
He grinned.
He pulled his tunic sleeve off, wrapped a few mushrooms in it, and climbed to the next branch. Found a sharp stone. Smashed two together.
Sparks flew.
He dropped the flaming bundle down toward the hounds, who backed off instinctively.
The tunic caught. Smoke erupted. Thick, choking.
The beasts howled in confusion — eyes watering, noses twitching.
He didn't wait. He Jumped.
He hit the ground running, stabbing one confused hound in the side as he passed.
> [Enemy wounded.]
> [Lootbox dropped.]
> [Do you want to collect it now?]
"NO!"
He kept running.
Behind him, more howls. The ground shook.
Trees parted — and the Alpha emerged.
It was massive. Black-furred. Horned. A creature that looked part wolf, part bear, part nightmare. Its eyes locked on him — and it charged.
He dove sideways. The Alpha smashed through a tree where he'd just stood. Splinters exploded.
> [Quickstep – Ready]
He activated it again — blinked behind a rock — and hurled his dagger straight into the creature's eye.
It hit.
The beast shrieked. Blood poured from the socket.
But it wasn't dead.
He turned to run—
—But the Alpha swung its paw.
It hit him full in the chest.
He flew backward. Hit a tree. Everything blurred.
Bones cracked.
Pain screamed through his body.
> [Critical hit taken.]
> [HP: 6/40]
> [Emergency Protocol Activated.]
> [Skill Fusion Triggered.]
Wait. What?
> [You have acquired: Skill – Pain Resistance (LVL 1)]
[You have acquired: Trait – Enduring Spark (Rare)]
You survive when others fall. You persist when others break.
> [Do you wish to use your last Healing Salve?]
Yes.
> [HP restored: +20]
He gasped. Strength surged back.
Then the world shifted.
The Alpha reared up again, ready to finish him off.
But something else appeared — light cracking through the treetops.
> [Dawn detected.]
> [Auto-Quest: COMPLETE.]
> [Reward: Delivered.]
Time froze.
A golden chest, ornate and shimmering, dropped from thin air in front of him. It pulsed with energy.
> [Lootbox Rank: Rare+]
> [Open? Y/N]
He pressed Y.
---
> [You have received:]
Skill: Shadow Cloak (LVL 1)
Blend into shadows. Gain 30% movement speed in darkness. Duration: 10 sec.
Passive: Adaptive Body
Physical stats grow 10% faster with use.
Item: Stone of Recall (1x)
Teleport to last safe location. Single use.
---
The Alpha lunged.
He grabbed the Stone of Recall and crushed it.
Light swallowed him.
The forest, the beast, the smoke — all vanished.
And when he opened his eyes—
He stood at the top of a hill, overlooking the endless sea of trees.
Alone.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
> [Level Up!]
> [Current Level: 2]
[EXP to next level: 40/150]
> [Skill Proficiency Summary:]
Improvised Evasion: 4/10
Quickstep: LVL 1
Pain Resistance: LVL 1
Shadow Cloak: LVL 1
Basic Foraging: 2/10
Passive Gained: Adaptive Body
Trait Gained: Enduring Spark
He fell to his knees and laughed, half in shock, half in victory.
"Alright, system," he muttered, "Let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes."