It was a bright morning.
Sunlight filtered softly through the dense canopy, casting golden beams that danced between the leaves. The forest was quiet, almost serene. A pair of squirrel-like creatures, with fluffy tails and zigzag striped fur, with four eyes chased each other playfully along the branches of a tall tree. Their tiny chirps echoed through the silence, innocent and carefree.
As they scurried down the trunk and darted toward another tree, a sharp whistle split the air.
Thwack.
One of them was struck mid-run—a jagged stone slammed into its side with brutal force, snapping its small body against the ground. The second creature skidded to a halt, stunned, its tiny eyes flicking as its fallen companion.
Before it could react, a hand emerged from the darkness rough, dirt-smeared, and trembling with silent rage. The hand gripped its neck from behind.
The creature thrashed for a moment.
Then came a sickening crunch.
Sebastian stood in the clearing, breathing heavily. His once-soft eyes were now cold, hollow. Blood from the creature dripped between his fingers.
He was shabby, his shirt were torn, his hand were scratched by thorns.
Just then, a glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes floating mid-air.
[System Activation Successful]
[First kill was successful]
[SYSTEM MENU]
Name: Sebastian
Title: The Reborn One
Race: Human
Class: Survivor (Unlocked)
Level: 1
XP: 14 / 100
Attributes:
Strength (STR): 7 (+1)
Agility: 6 (+1)
Vitality: 6
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 3
Dexterity: 5
Luck: 1
Skills:
Blood Instinct (New)
When delivering a fatal blow, gain a temporary burst of power.
+2 STR, +1 AGI for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Predator's Step
Silences your movements for 10 seconds.
Useful for stalking prey or escaping danger. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
Quest: Blood for Blood (Main)
Objective: Hunt down the four men responsible for the destruction of your family.
Progress: 0 / 4
Reward: Class Awakening (???), Unique Skill
Status: Active
He stared at the screen, unblinking.
"…A system?"
Sebastian blinked at the glowing panel, still flickering in the air.
"What the hell is this…?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Like… a game?"
He squinted at the glowing text.
> [Blood Instinct]…?
[Predator's Step]?
"What are these? Skills?"
He reached out instinctively. Another menu opened.
> [Quest: Blood for Blood] — Active.
"A quest…?" he whispered.
CRRRKKKHHH…
A loud rustling noise snapped his attention to the trees.
Sebastian dropped his gaze and crouched low behind a thick root. The rustling grew louder—he slowly moved forward, weaving through bushes. A few meters ahead, he saw it:
A massive, grotesque creature—a giant centipede, its body curling around the trunk of a tree. It was the size of the tree itself, with a glistening black shell and twitching mandibles that clicked rhythmically.
"What the hell is that thing…?"
As he watched, the system flickered to life again.
[Target Identified: Forest Plague Centipede – Level 4]
XP Gain on Kill: 250
Danger Level: High
Sebastian's breath caught.
I can level up if I kill it… Just like in a game…
Without a second thought, he pulled out the dragger he had taken from home which was given to his mother by his former teammate in her marriage; it was in a middle size, clenched it between his teeth, and began to climb the nearest tree—slow, deliberate movements, hiding behind the leaves. At the top, he activated it:
[Skill Activated: Predator's Step – 10 seconds]
His steps vanished into silence. No crackle of bark. No rustle of leaves.
He leapt from the branch and lunged toward the centipede's massive body. But as he landed, the skill faded—his foot scraped bark. The centipede's antennae twitched. Its head snapped toward him.
It shrieked and lunged.
He threw out his hand and shoved its mandibles to the side, barely dodging the gnashing fangs. Blood ran down his arm from the graze. Gritting his teeth, he yanked the knife from his mouth and began stabbing, over and over, dragging the blade down its side.
Dark green blood sprayed across the bark.
The centipede screeched, thrashing—part of its exoskeleton cracked, but it didn't die. Two heads emerged from its sides, thrashing violently.
Sebastian rolled aside. They struck where he stood a second before.
He dove underneath its slithering body, heart pounding, and shouted—"Blood Instinct!"
[Blood Instinct Activated]
A surge of power filled his limbs. He gritted his teeth, spun around, and drove the blade upward into one of the heads. It screamed and collapsed, twitching.
He sprinted away wounded, breathing hard and slid behind a tree. A plan. He needed a plan.
He grabbed a stone from the forest floor and hurled it into the bushes. The beast's remaining head snapped toward the sound.
Sebastian climbed the tree again faster this time.
The cooldown ticked down.
[Predator's Step Ready]
He activated the skill, leapt off the tree, and landed silently on the centipede's back.
[Blood Instinct Ready]
With everything he had, he plunged the knife into its neck—again, and again, until the body coiled, convulsed… and finally collapsed.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
> Target Eliminated
+259 XP Gained
Level Up!
Level 3 Achieved
+12 Stat Points Awarded
Sebastian dropped to one knee, covered in blood and shaking but breathing. Alive.
"…This system," he whispered. "If this is the rule of this world… then I'll become a monster to survive it".