Smack!
A troublesome mosquito met its end on the gray arm of a woman.
"Damn mosquito! Didn't I use mosquito repellent?" the woman grumbled.
Her face was buried beneath messy gray hair that completely blocked her vision. She brushed it aside carelessly, but when her red eyes opened, they saw nothing but darkness.
"Am I still wearing an eye mask?"
She reached up to check her face, but there was nothing covering her eyes. Instead, she nearly poked herself in the eye.
Her head turned left and right, searching for light. After a while, her eyes slowly adapted to the dim surroundings.
All around her were dark trees. The moon hanging in the sky provided little illumination.
"Eh?! Where am I?!"
Her shout echoed through the forest.
She quickly covered her mouth in reflex and looked around nervously, afraid that a ghost or wild animal might suddenly appear in front of her.
"Wasn't I on my way to sign the contract for my front store? Why am I in a forest?"
The moment the thought crossed her mind, her eyes and mouth widened like someone having a heart attack.
"I had an accident on the way… Shani Everlyn, you're dead!"
Her body slumped to the ground.
The memory resurfaced in her mind. Just when she was about to finally own her own building, a truck had come rushing from the side and slammed her car straight into a huge tree.
"Why did I have to die now? I haven't even enjoyed the results of my hard work yet!"
Tears streamed down her face as she pounded her head.
"I saved money, worked like a corporate slave, took part-time jobs until I fainted several times, and restrained myself from spending… all so I could finally enjoy life as a landlady!"
Shani cried uncontrollably. She wasn't just sad. She was furious at such a cruel fate.
She didn't notice that the hand wiping her tears had turned brownish. Nor did she notice the long, dirty nails clinging to her fingers.
Only when another mosquito bit her calf did her crying suddenly stop.
Smack!
Another victim.
"Ah! Why are there still so many mosquitoes in the afterlife?!"
Shani glanced around.
The surroundings were still the same. Silent. Dark. But now she could feel the wind brushing against her skin, unpleasant smells lingering in the air, and faint rustling sounds in the distance.
"Why are my senses still working perfectly? Am I not in the afterlife? Or… is the afterlife like this?"
Shani was talking to herself when a voice suddenly appeared.
"You are not dead. Welcome to Challenge 100: Beast World Edition! Host, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Beastman System that will guide you through the challenge in this world."
Shani's head snapped left and right, searching for the source of the voice.
Her pupils trembled.
"It's not a ghost, right? I'm really scared of ghosts."
"No, Host. I am the Beastman System. There are no ghosts here. We are no longer on the Earth you know."
Shani let out a sigh of relief.
But a second later, her body stiffened.
She remembered the novels she used to read back in high school.
Rebirth. Systems. Transmigration. Special powers.
Those were common themes in the stories she devoured back then.
"Am I dreaming? Or am I in a coma after the accident?"
Shani's eyes sparkled as if she had finally figured everything out.
"Yeah. I used to dream about escaping reality back in school. Maybe my brain finally gave up and decided to let me dream whatever I want."
"Hehehe…"
Her silly laughter echoed through the silent forest.
She wasn't afraid anymore. To her, this was just a dream.
"Host, this is not a dream—"
"Yeah, yeah. Of course it isn't," Shani interrupted with another foolish laugh.
If the System had a head, it would probably be shaking it right now.
"Host, you can return to your world—"
"I know. If I complete your missions, I'll return to my world." Shani waved her hand dismissively. "Just give me the mission already. Since I'm in a coma anyway, I might as well enjoy this dream."
The System seemed to give up trying to convince its host.
"Very well, Host. However, I must inform you that in your world, you died in that accident. If you succeed, you will be able to live again in your original world."
Shani didn't interrupt, but she clearly didn't look convinced.
The System continued.
"Your mission is to bind with 10 male beastmen with a minimum rating of A+, and bear children with them."
Shani narrowed her eyes.
Some of those words sounded… strange.
"Ten male beastmen? Bear children?"
Her voice turned dangerously quiet.
But the System knew that was only the calm before the storm.
Sure enough, the next second her voice exploded through the forest.
"Beastmen?! The furry kind?! Werewolves?! Tiger-men?! Lion-men?! What kind of world did I enter?!"
The sound of wings flapping suddenly came from the dark trees. Tiny creatures chirped nervously in the silent forest.
Shani panicked and hugged herself.
She could already tell this dream wasn't exactly a normal one.
But then a smile slowly spread across her face.
A smile so eerie that even the squirrels silently watching from the trees shivered in fear and hurried back into their nests.
"Is this the frustration of a single woman exploding? Hehe."
That foolish expression returned to her face.
The System quickly interrupted her wild imagination.
"Host, as a welcome gift, here is your newbie reward. Congratulations! You have obtained an SSS-Grade Womb and the book Element Cultivation 101."
Shani suddenly felt warmth spreading through her stomach.
Something seemed to twist and compress inside her abdomen, as if it were being reshaped. Yet she felt no pain at all. Instead, her stomach felt strangely light and warm.
At the same time, a book titled Element Cultivation 101 appeared in her hands.
Her hands automatically opened it.
The next moment, the book suddenly dissolved into a stream of light and was sucked straight into her head.
Shani collapsed to the ground as a violent headache struck her.
Clutching her head, she could only bow forward. Her body trembled violently, and she couldn't even speak.
Several minutes later, Shani was still lying on the ground. Sweat covered her forehead despite the cold night air.
"Element Cultivation is a method of using elements to strengthen the body, attack enemies, defend oneself, and assist in daily life."
Shani quickly covered her mouth.
She had just recited the information from the book without even reading it.
"Wow… so all the information from that book is already in my brain? That headache was totally worth it."
She nodded in satisfaction.
Along with the cultivation knowledge that entered her mind, she also discovered another set of memories.
They clearly weren't hers.
And yet… they didn't feel unfamiliar. It was as if those memories had always belonged to this body.
Her hand touched her rough hair.
She looked at her dirty hands and feet, then touched her face.
"This… isn't my body!"
…