Chapter 1

Wilderness is extremely dangerous because it has no safety measures at all.

It’s so cruel and harsh that even saying it’s just dangerous doesn’t do it justice.

Beasts that can pop out at any time, bugs lurking everywhere, and plants that can threaten your life just by brushing against them.

Weak humans have no choice but to band together to survive in the wilderness.

By surviving in the wilderness, they gain knowledge and wisdom, and based on that, they established the strong barrier known as ‘Civilization’.

Inside civilization, humans become relatively safer. From this point on, conflicts arise more between humans than with the wilderness.

They condemn each other as barbarians just because of cultural and linguistic differences, act rudely, and eventually it escalates into fights.

Despite these conflicts, civilization is still civilization. It is a clear fact that it is much safer than wilderness.

But could this actually be a poison? Or is it because they chose conversation over abandoning their wilderness instinct?

– Ironically, there are too many in civilization who are worse than beasts.

After falling into the wilderness and struggling to survive, and then returning to civilization, I felt like…

There are those committing such severe atrocities that make me question if they are even human.

There are folks who do worse than demons out there without a doubt.

What should we even call them?

Human trash? Waste? Or maybe scumbags?

Whatever we call them, this is what I will say.

“You. You’re worse than a beast.”

To those who are worse than beasts.

“I’ll hit you.”

The blade is the remedy. I’ve learned that the hard way.

In general, such behavior would lead to social repercussions, but I’m alright.

Without any connections, background, or relationships, I can shoulder all the blame myself.

I’m just a ‘wild person’ who lived in the wilderness and then came into the fence of civilization.

And one last thing.

“Do you want to eat this? It’s delicious.”

“Yeah.”

“You should say thank you at times like this.”

“Thank you.”

Those who give me tasty food are truly good people.

******

Whether it’s possession, reincarnation, or a past life, there’s an unwritten rule in novels.

That is, it always starts in civilization. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the countryside or a city.

In any case, you are born into human hands, interact with other humans, and grow to become a part of society.

Typically, reincarnation follows this route, while possession or past life are different. Regardless, starting in civilization is the common denominator.

I’m bringing this up because of the scenery currently before my eyes.

‘What the hell.’

That’s the perfect phrase to sum up my current feelings.

I have no clue how this situation came to be. It was an utterly normal day.

I was working part-time, came back to my apartment, stayed in touch with my parents, and went to bed while playing games, nothing out of the ordinary.

But when I opened my eyes, a landscape filled with green greeted me.

“What the hell.”

What on earth is happening?

I looked around, seeing nothing but thick trees. More trees over there. And some trees over here tangled in vines. The other ones are covered in moss.

No matter how I look at it, this is ridiculous. I’d rather be dropped in a city; why the hell did they drop me in this horrible forest?

Thinking I might be dreaming, I pinched my cheek, but only vivid pain followed. So this is reality.

“What the hell?”

But it doesn’t end there.

The dense greenery and the many trees surround me, but that’s not all I see.

A semi-transparent hologram floats in front of me like a status screen from some game.

[???]

• Strength: 10

• Agility: 10

• Stamina: 10

• Magic Power: 10

• Luck: 10

• Faith: 10

[Traits Held]

– Currently holding no traits.

[Skills Held]

– Currently holding no skills.

[Abilities Held]

– Currently holding no abilities.

It’s a truly shabby and simple status screen.

I stared blankly at that status screen for a while. This hologram feels like something straight out of a game.

There’s really nothing. It’s obvious to anyone that these stats are incredibly weak.

What the heck am I supposed to do with this? I have no clue.

“…Where are my clothes?”

In trying to grasp the situation, I didn’t even pay attention to my outfit. The problem is, not knowing might’ve been better.

I’m not completely naked, but I’m covered only by a rag barely hiding the important bits.

What is this? Not even a Tarzan outfit, what on earth is going on? At least give me some decent clothes.

Luckily, it’s warm in this forest; if it were a cold area, I’d be dead from freezing by now.

‘But, was my skin always this white?’

As I looked around, I could roughly check my body. First of all, my skin looks pale like a white person.

I remember having a decent color typical of an Asian, but now it looks as if someone dusted me with powder.

It feels a bit off, but that’s not the point. I tore my gaze away from my skin and glanced again at the rag.

‘…But, haven’t I seen this somewhere?’

Before falling asleep, I had played a game known for its high degree of freedom.

Especially, it was famous for its limitless freedom in ‘growth.’

Depending on which stat you chose to develop, and which skill to hone, the way of growth changed.

Moreover, the game had ‘birth’ as a factor. You would choose a specific role first.

Let’s say you picked a Knight. You could level them up traditionally, but if you focused on Faith, you could switch paths to Paladin.

There were countless ways to grow, and beginners usually chose a Knight with decent stats.

‘But those veteran players choose nothing and develop at their own pace…’

I never thought I’d become one of them. I’ve enjoyed leveling all kinds of characters.

Thinking back, I remember creating a character right before sleeping. Could it be that I’ve become that character?

But there’s a bigger problem. In the game, you wouldn’t just be thrown in the middle of the wilderness like this.

Even in tatters, the basic principle is to enter the Academy.

That route doesn’t change no matter what career you choose.

At least it shouldn’t be like this for me.

“Damn.”

The more I think about it, the shittier it gets. I felt the humidity of the forest press against my bare skin as I moved.

First, I need to figure out where I am before going outside or whatever.

Academy or whatever, I need to survive first. If I’m not careful, I might encounter a beast on my way.

“Growl…”

“… …”

Crap. It feels like I’ve already got a problem.

Not even taking a few steps before a fierce sound pierced my ears.

I slowly turned my head, the sound creaking like it hadn’t had oil in ages.

“Grunt…”

“Is that… a Squirrel?”

Why the heck is there a Squirrel? Against that fierce sound, it looked unmistakably like a Squirrel.

And it was kind of cute. Like a kitten hissing.

But that thought didn’t last. If this is indeed the game I knew…

That squirrel would likely be from a high-level forest, and I would’ve run away upon seeing it.

“YEAH!”

The Squirrel let out a roar that didn’t match its appearance and lunged at me.

BAM!

The Squirrel’s body slam hit me right in the chest. Well, more like it clipped my shoulder.

The little Squirrel’s martial art knocked me right in the gut.

“Ugh?!”

With a noise like a bomb going off, my body was sent flying as if I’d been hit by a truck.

The impact was so strong I flew far and rolled a few times before finally coming to a stop.

But given that this was a forest filled with trees, I was secondarily slammed into another tree.

The pain coursing through my body was intense, but my vision was starting to fade to black.

‘That thing surely…’

Just before my consciousness slipped away, I caught a glimpse of the Squirrel slowly approaching me.

Only after taking that surprising blow did I recognize the true nature of that Squirrel. At the same time, I realized where I was.

The entrance may have only had weak monsters, but the deeper you go, the exponentially increasing difficulty.

‘Damn…’

Isn’t this a bit too much? Sure, it’s near the main stage, the Academy, but why drop me in this place?

No matter how much I grumbled inside, my consciousness sank deeper.

I desperately wished that when I opened my eyes again, I’d find myself back in my apartment.

“Ugh…”

That didn’t happen. Despite taking a solid hit to the gut, I somehow managed to open my eyes.

As soon as I opened them, I was hit with waves of pain throughout my body. Here’s the real kicker.

“This damn… for real…”

That cursed Squirrel had marked my face with its poop before making its escape. A mark of conquest.

From a user’s point of view, that’s nothing more than a form of teabagging. That’s why that Squirrel is notorious.

At least one good thing is that the monster who wrecked me was just that Squirrel. It gives you one chance, after all.

As long as you manage to survive, that is. Thankfully, I only fainted; I lived.

If it had been a beast like a wolf, I wouldn’t have been standing here.

Though it feels like maybe that would’ve been better off.

[You survived a fatal blow! Stamina increases!]

Damn. Thanks a lot.

I chuckled weakly as I read the message before me.

“Ugh.”

The pain felt like it’d kill me, so I couldn’t even laugh properly.

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