> ❖ Trait Selected: \[Soul Memory]
> — Partial Skill Recall Enabled
> — Cognitive Resistance Boosted
> — Survivor's Instinct (Passive) Unlocked
>
> Synchronizing… 43%...
Raiyan felt something click inside his chest.
Not a sound. Not a jolt.
More like the subtle shifting of gears, a quiet ignition in the core of his soul. Heat crawled under his skin, spreading through his limbs and spine like flickers of old flame.
Memories poured in—not vivid images, but reflexex. Movements. Instincts.
He stepped back, eyes narrowing.
Then he suddenly dropped low, spun, and brought his arm up in a blocking stance.
What the hell? He didn't even know what he was doing—but it felt natural. His body had moved before his brain caught up.
It wasn't magic. It wasn't cheat power.
It was survival.
He knew how to *dodge* now. How to *react*. How to keep his head low, eyes open, muscles coiled. And it hadn't come from Earth, not from his old life. These instincts belonged to someone who had fought to stay alive in worse places than this.
> Soul Memory Synced: 45%
The screen blinked out.
Raiyan stood still.
Breathing.
The air smelled faintly of iron and moss. Birds chirped somewhere overhead, but the calls were harsh, metallic—more like creatures mimicking birds than birds themselves. Everything about this place felt... *off*. Too bright, yet dark underneath. Too quiet, yet crawling with unseen motion.
> ❖ Alert:
> Multiple Lifeforms Approaching
> Distance: 80 meters
> Threat Level: Minor — \[Scavenger Gremlins]
> Objective: Survive First Contact
>
> Reward: Core Sync +5%, Item Drop Chance Enabled
Then a new sound emerged: rustling. Quick, jittery movements in the brush. Hissing.
Raiyan spun, backpedaling toward a thicker tree.
Something darted between the foliage. Low to the ground, fast and skittering.
Another shape leapt onto a nearby rock—small, no taller than a child, with limbs too long for its body and mottled gray-green skin. Beady red eyes glowed under a misshapen skull. Its claws twitched hungrily. It tilted its head like a rat sniffing rotten meat.
"Gremlins… great."
> ❖ Enemy Identified: Scavenger Gremlin
> Level: 3
> HP: 110
> Behavior: Pack Hunter
>
> Weak Points: Throat / Right Eye
A small ping highlighted the creature's eye and neck in faint red. The \[Predator's Instinct] trait would've been better for this—but thanks to Soul Memory, he could *still* see where to strike. Just a lot less obvious.
He tightened his grip on the dagger.
The \[Rustfang Dagger] had no special tricks—just a little speed boost and the sharpness of a desperate man holding it.
He waited.
More shadows skittered forward. Three. Four. Five.
Five gremlins now, flanking him in a crescent. They moved together like a pack of vultures that had finally spotted a fresh corpse. One hissed. Another clicked its claws together like a signal.
Then they charged.
Raiyan exhaled and moved.
He wasn't a swordsman. Not a hero. But his hands knew how to redirect force now. How to turn a lunge into an opening.
The first gremlin leapt at him.
Raiyan stepped aside—just a hair off-center—then drove the dagger forward and twisted.
The blade sank into its throat. A wet, crunching sound followed.
> [Scavenger Gremlin] defeated.
> Core Sync +2%
> Loot Dropped: None
The corpse dropped like a sack of bones.
But no time to breathe. Two more came from his sides. Raiyan ducked, letting one slash over his head, then rolled—pain flaring in his ribs from where he landed too hard—and kicked upward, knocking one off balance.
The second snapped its claws down, grazing his arm.
"Gah—!"
Blood splattered. Warm. Real.
But he stayed on his feet.
Instinct screamed.
He stabbed again—eye level this time—and felt the blade pierce soft tissue.
Another one down.
He didn't stop.
The third lunged—he grabbed its neck, felt claws tear through his hoodie, and *headbutted* it hard. It shrieked, stunned. A second later, his dagger ripped into its gut.
Dead.
> [Scavenger Gremlins x3] Defeated
> Core Sync: 53%
> System Level Unlocked: Lv. 1
>
> New Feature Available: Status Menu
Blood now stained the grass.
Three gremlins dead. Two remaining.
They paused, backing away slowly. One hissed again—but this time it sounded more like a warning to itself.
"They're thinking…" Raiyan whispered. "I'm not prey anymore."
And then—they ran.
Small feet scrambled through the bushes, tails dragging behind. The forest swallowed them.
Silence.
Just Raiyan's panting, and the system window still floating nearby.
He fell to his knees.
His hoodie was torn. His arm bled. His hands shook.
But he was alive.
Alive in a world that wanted him dead.
And for the first time since he'd opened his eyes here…
He smiled. "I am here.. alive."
> ❖ STATUS UNLOCKED
>
> Name: Raiyan Sol
> Level: 1
> Trait: Soul Memory
> Class: Unassigned
> Race: ???
> HP: 72/100
> Core Sync: 53%
> Skills:
> — Survivor's Instinct (Passive)
> — Basic Combat Reflex
>
> Inventory:
> — Rustfang Dagger
> — Torn Hoodie
> — 0 Credits
> Quest Updated:
> [Prologue I: Survive the Initiation] — COMPLETE
>
> Reward: 1 System Credit, Minor Stat Boost
>
> New Objective: Locate Nearest Core Beacon
> ❖ New System Feature Unlocked:
> Map Projection
A ripple spread outward from his location. A 3D map appeared briefly—showing a dense forest, rivers glowing with light, and at the far edge…
A tower. Broken. Covered in vines. Emitting faint blue pulses.
>Beacon Detected — Distance: 3.4 km
> Function: Core Stabilization / Class Awakening
"That's where I go next."
But just before the map vanished, a new ping appeared on the screen.
Not near the tower.
Near him.
> ❖ Detected: Core Anomaly Approaching
> Distance: 300 meters
> Threat Level: Unknown
>
> Recommendation: Hide or Prepare for Combat
The ground trembled.
Not lightly.
Like something heavy was walking. Trees shifted. Birds screamed and scattered. Whatever was coming—wasn't a gremlin.
Raiyan cursed, clutching his dagger again.
Still wounded. Still tired.
But something inside him lit up.
Not fear.
Readiness.