With the first ray of sunlight, I slowly opened my eyes.
My body still ached from training… but my heart? It was burning with excitement.
Suddenly, the forest shook with a terrifying sound—the howl of a wolf.
I froze in place.
"Wait… are there monsters here?!"
---
The First Encounter
A wolf! Damn, that's scary.
"I should ru—… I mean, I should attack it!"
While trying to track the source of the howl, I realized something strange—my body felt stronger than before.
I ran quickly through the forest and hid behind the trees, following the trail of some strange footprints… not human ones.
I tracked them and finally found the wolf.
But it wasn't a normal wolf.
It was the size of a bear.
Perched on top of a tree, I stared down at the beast.
'Why do I feel like I'm in Naruto right now?'
---
The Embarrassing Attack
I screamed at the top of my lungs and leapt with my fist raised:
"Hey, wolf! Taste my pain! Haaaah!"
The wolf only looked at me… as if it was looking at an idiot.
I froze, thinking:
> "Attacking like a shounen hero is way too embarrassing… if anyone saw me right now, I'd dig a hole and bury myself."
"Tch! Wasn't I supposed to defeat it with one punch?!"
"Those protagonists lied to me—there's no such thing as 'heroic momentum'!"
I dashed away at full speed in the opposite direction.
Glancing behind me… the wolf wasn't chasing.
"Maybe it thinks I don't have enough meat on my bones. Damn… if I were older, that predator would've eaten me alive."
---
The Resolve
But thinking about it… this wolf was far too big, far too abnormal.
Just as I thought—this world must be filled with supernatural powers.
I clenched my fists and shouted:
"Yoooosh! Back to training!"
---
A Year Later
Time passed quickly—an entire year of relentless training.
On the beach stood a towering young man, three meters tall, glaring at the world with disdain—
Cough, cough! …Just kidding.
In reality, I was standing at only 1.4 meters tall.
But after a year of hard work, and with the help of the Exchange System, I had grown much stronger.
---
Luke's Status
"System, open my status!"
Ding—
Name: Luke
Age: 9 years, 3 months
Skills:
Basic Punch Attack (Level 2)
Vertical Sword Slash (Level 1)
Horizontal Sword Slash (Level 1)
Basic Kick (Level 1)
Cooking (Level 3)
Items:
Sharp Sword
Normal Dagger
Permanent Water Filter (desalinates seawater)
100 kg of meat
Various food and medical supplies
---
Reflections
"Yaaah… I really did get stronger."
I discovered that the system upgrades skills not only through training or exchanging items… but maybe also by defeating enemies.
Level 1 and 2 only needed one point, but those points were incredibly rare, only gained through luck or valuable finds.
All the moves I had learned so far were just:
A basic kick.
A vertical sword slash from above.
A horizontal sword slash from the side.
---
Suspicions About This World
I often wondered:
> "Could this world be the one I think it is…? Maybe… One Piece?"
The signs were there: scattered islands, vast seas, and a strange seagull that didn't look normal at all.
Every day I sat on the beach, waiting for a ship to pass.
I didn't want to die alone on this island.
At the very least, I wanted to meet some humans… and confirm what world this really is.
---
Into the Forest Again
Every day I also tried to push deeper into the forest.
I fought the wolf more than once, but the difference in strength was overwhelming.
I always lost and had to run.
And yet… a strange feeling told me:
> "If I can defeat that wolf one day… the system will reward me with something big."
…
— End of Chapter —