In the dense forest, giant tree stumps rose everywhere. Among them were strange trunks covered in thick fur. No one could see the tops of these bizarre trees because their crowns were completely hidden by layers of tangled, heavy foliage.
The air was filled with chaotic chatter—shouting, confusion, panic. A group of bewildered people had been scattered across a section of the forest, frantically questioning why they were here. Some were screaming, some running aimlessly. But among them were a few who kept their composure, quietly trying to make sense of the situation.
Suddenly, amidst all the noise, a voice rang out loudly enough to draw everyone's attention. A young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six, stepped onto a large rock so he could be seen better. Thick glasses rested on his face, his build was slightly skinny, and his messy hair drooped as if trying to cover his eyes—he looked like a stereotypical nerd.
"Everyone, calm down! I'm sure all of you are just as confused as I am!!" he shouted, then continued:
"But screaming isn't going to solve anything. Instead, why don't we all calm down and try to figure out what exactly happened to us?"
Though his voice was loud, it still wasn't enough to reach everyone's heart. A few people began to quiet down, but most remained panicked, running in every direction. The young man kept speaking:
"I think all of us just experienced that strange black-out moment earlier. So I'm going to take a bold guess—we might have gone through something famous in movies… something called isekai!"
His words only stirred the crowd even more. Whispers and murmurs immediately spread.
Stranger 1: "Can we even believe that?"
Stranger 2: "Sounds impossible to me!"
Stranger 3: "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS WEEB TALKING ABOUT?!"
At that moment, Thành Dũng and Uncle Bách had also made their way over to listen. Uncle Bách, being older and unfamiliar with modern pop culture, became greatly unsettled—he almost believed it. Thành Dũng, however, stayed cautious. He didn't jump to conclusions; instead, he scanned the surroundings and kept an eye on Uncle Bách.
He wanted to determine a direction, to find a way back to his old home and search for his parents. But the forest was too dense—branches and leaves blocked out the sky entirely, making movement nearly impossible.
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly, catching everyone's attention:
"Everyone look at these furry trees! I tried touching them and comparing them to the other trunks. These things… they feel alive!"
The moment the voice rang out, a chill shot through Thành Dũng. All his senses screamed a warning. His eyes focused on the young man who had spoken earlier. Above the man's head, one of the furry trunks stirred—then dropped violently onto him.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Only then did the people nearby realize what was happening. Panic erupted. Screams filled the forest again as more furry tree-creatures began to move. From above, several of them started falling, slamming into more victims.
The scene was absolute chaos, and Thành Dũng witnessed all of it with his own eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen something so horrifying—and it was nothing like the movies.
He stood frozen, in shock, until a strong force yanked him backward—pulling his drifting soul back into his body. Uncle Bách shouted:
"Dimmemay!! Do you not care about your life, or are you tired of living?! MOVE!"
His grip was so powerful that it forced Dũng to snap out of his daze. Startled, Dũng shouted instinctively:
"I saw it… It's not a tree. It's a monster."
Before his eyes, the spot where the young man had been crushed was now crawling with movement. A spidery limb—like the jointed leg of a giant insect—had stabbed straight through another person. A grotesque mouth was repeatedly swallowing the bodies caught on its hooks.
"Forget it! Run first, talk later!" Uncle Bách yelled as he dragged him along.
Only now did Dũng truly look at Uncle Bách. His face was nothing like usual—red as a ripe gấc fruit, wrinkled with fear and fury. It was a mix of panic, determination, and raw survival instinct. That was the expression Dũng saw on him at that moment.