In a vast forest, the trees were so tall and thick that barely any light could reach the ground. The earth beneath was damp, as if it had rained not long ago.
There, lying motionless on the wet ground, was a tall humanoid figure.
After some time, he slowly woke up.
Bright daylight filtered weakly through the dense canopy above. The first thing he saw were enormous wet trees, thick grass, tangled bushes, and tiny glowing lights floating all around him.
But as he tried to focus, an intense pain shot through his eyes.
It felt unbearable.
He tried to scream like a madman, but no sound came out. He tried to close his eyes, yet he couldn't.
The pain continued for what felt like forever.
Then, suddenly, it stopped.
He realized something strange—he could now see extremely far away, and everything was unbelievably clear. His vision was sharper than it had ever been.
Confused, he looked down at his body.
In his hand was a massive sword.
His entire body was pitch black.
What…?
Then suddenly, memories flooded his mind.
His name was Shimada Yuu. He was a normal boy living in Japan. He dropped out of school and became an otaku, spending most of his time at home. Eventually, his parents kicked him out, calling him shameless. With nowhere else to go, he stayed at an internet café for about a week. He hadn't showered since being kicked out, and the only thing he survived on was instant ramen.
Then—
He noticed a puddle of water nearby.
Slowly, he walked toward it and looked at his reflection.
Staring back at him was not a human.
It was a tall, completely black humanoid figure with armored shoulders, blade-like protrusions along its body, and crown-like spikes on its head. Its eyes had no pupils—only glowing white. Long white hair flowed down its back.
His mind went blank.
What the hell is happening? Why does my body look like this?
He pinched himself as hard as he could, trying to scream in pain—but again, no sound came out.
Then he touched his face.
He froze.
There was no mouth.
No nose.
For a while, his thoughts were foggy, but slowly his mind began to clear. He examined his body carefully, searching for something familiar—but found nothing.
After calming down, he thought, For now, I should try to survive. Maybe build a shelter.
Back in his old world, he used to watch survival and travel videos. He knew a little about basic survival skills.
He looked at the sword in his hand.
It felt natural.
Familiar.
Like it belonged to him.
He focused on it—and suddenly, the sword dissolved into black particles and flowed into his arm.
His eyes widened.
The blade had not disappeared.
He could still feel it.
It was inside him.
When he willed it, the particles gathered again, forming the massive sword in his hand once more.
It was not something he was holding.
It was part of him.
Not attached like a hand or arm—
But something he could summon and detach freely.
To test it, he swung the blade at a nearby tree.
The moment it struck—
His entire body was filled with excruciating pain.
He couldn't scream.
It felt as if he had slammed his own flesh against the tree.
He staggered back.
So that's how it works…
If the sword was part of him, then damaging something with it felt like damaging himself.
He looked around the forest carefully.
It was too quiet.
There were no birds.
No insects.
No distant animal sounds.
Nothing.
Only silence.
Why are there no animals? he wondered. Is this forest empty… or is something wrong?
The silence made the air feel heavy.
Time passed.
The bright daylight gradually dimmed as the sun moved behind the thick canopy. Shadows stretched longer, and the forest slowly grew darker.
Eventually, night fell.
Moonlight filtered faintly through the gaps in the leaves, and the glowing white orbs became more visible in the darkness.
After resting for a while, he decided to sleep in a tree for safety.
He climbed one of the massive trees with surprising ease. His body felt lighter and stronger than before.
Reaching a sturdy branch high above the ground, he looked up at the sky.
It was clear and full of stars.
In his old world, the sky had always been polluted and dull. Barely anyone could see the stars clearly.
But here—
The sky was endless.
Then he noticed something far in the distance.
Very far.
Many small lights gathered together.
He narrowed his eyes.
With his enhanced vision, he could barely make out what looked like structures.
Is that a town…? Or maybe a kingdom?
It was too far to see clearly, but it was definitely not natural.
Soon, he began to feel hungry.
Then he paused.
He didn't have a mouth.
How am I supposed to eat?
For a moment, he almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
But the thought quickly became serious.
Am I going to die of starvation?
Then he looked at the small glowing white orbs floating around him.
He reached out and touched one.
It disappeared instantly.
At that exact moment, he felt something warm spread through his body.
It felt like he had just eaten something delicious.
He stared at his hand.
He touched another orb.
It vanished.
Again, the same feeling.
Energy.
Satisfaction.
He quickly absorbed several more.
One by one, they disappeared, and the hunger faded completely.
He leaned back against the tree trunk and looked at the distant lights again.
Tomorrow… I'll go there.
Then he looked up at the sky filled with countless stars.
Beautiful.
For the first time since waking up—
He felt slightly calm.