Kyle's eyes snapped open to a ceiling of tangled branches and a sickening sense of vertigo. Cold, damp earth pressed against his bare back, and the rustle of leaves and the distant cry of a bird.
He sat up slowly, his fingers digging into the grass. "Where the hell am I?"
Memory slammed into him like a hammer. One moment, he'd been scrolling through an fantasy novel on his phone in his dorm room. The next, this. A forest stretching endlessly in every direction, sunlight filtering through trees. And he was naked. Absolutely, spectacularly naked.
Then suddenly, a flash of blue light appeared in front of him
[System Activation: Pending..]
[Primary Directive: Survive the Forest.]
[Reward: System Unlock.]
Kyle stared at the translucent screen hovering before his eyes.
"Is this a.. system?" He swiped at the text, his hand passed through it.
"Did I… fall into that damn novel?" He muttered as he tried to comprehend the situation.
"But I've only just started reading the novel... I haven't even finished the first chapter yet!"
"And what is this?" He refocused on the screen in front of him "Survive? What am I supposed to do, wrestle a bear?"
But the system offered no reply. Only the forest answered with the rustle of unseen things in the undergrowth.
---
He moved silently.. or tried to. His bare feet bruised by roots and rocks. Every snapped twig made his pulse spike. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, but he forced himself to study the plants.
`Yellow berries? Probably poison. Those jagged leaves? It will definitely cause an allergy.`
He stuck to the stream, drinking cautiously after watching a deer sip without collapsing.
"Okay, Kyle. You've read over hundred fantasy novels. Let's analyze the situation. Forest? Check. Naked? Check. Probably a tutorial monster nearby—"
A snort ripped through the silence.
Kyle froze. Twenty paces away, a boar the size of a compact car rooted at the base of an oak. uscle rippled beneath coarse black fur, and tusks curved like scythes.
The boar's head snapped up, beady eyes locking onto Kyle.
`Don't breathe. Don't move.`
Suddenly, The boar charged into Kyle, hooves tearing soil.
Kyle threw himself sideways, dodging the boar's charge, causing the boar to crash into a tree trunk. The tree shook violently as a result.
`Shit! If it hits me, I'll definitely die!`
He stands up, sprinting blindly. The beast's hooves pounded behind him, closing fast.
But in the next moment, Kyle stumbled and fell to the ground. He turned his head and saw the boar charging toward him.
`I'm going to die!`
Thwip.
An arrow sprouted in its shoulder. The boar squealed, stumbling. A second shaft pierced its eye, dropping it mid-stride with a thud.
Two figures emerged from the trees. The man was broad-shouldered, looks to be in his late twenties, his bow still raised.
Beside him stood a young woman—early twenties, arms taut with lean muscle, her chestnut hair tied like a ponytail.
Woman gaze flickered to Kyle's bare legs, then darted away as pink flooded her cheeks.
The man approached Kyle and reached out his hand to help him up. "Are you hurt?"
"No.. thank you." Kyle took the man's hand.
"What are you doing alone in the woods? And naked?" the man gave Kyle a cloth to cover himself with.
"I-I don't know... I don't remember anything. I woke up suddenly naked in this forest." Kyle let his hands tremble, half-feigned, half-real while tugged cloth on.
`They definitely won't believe that I'm from another world... It's better to pretend that I've lost my memory.`
Woman's brow furrowed. "You don't remember anything? How strange."
"How about coming to our village?" The man smile kindly. "You can stay there until you remember."
Kyle smiled. "Can I? Thank you."
The woman approached. "I'm Luna, and this is my brother Garrick," she said, pointing to the man beside her. "What's your name?"
"Kyle."
---
They moved quickly, shadows lengthening as the sun dipped. Kyle forced himself to match their pace, his muscles screaming.
Then, through a break in the trees, he saw smoke rising from chimneys. As he got closer, the wooden houses of the village came into view. He has arrived at the village.
Suddenly, the system screen appeared in front of him.
[Primary Directive Complete]
[System Unlocked]
New screen exploded across Kyle's vision:
[Choose your class from among 99 classes.]
Kyle blinked for a moment.
"Huh?"
The list of classes flooded Kyle's vision: [Paladin, Necromancer, Dragon Slayer...]
`Fuck!` Kyle thought, `There is so much!`
"Kyle?" Luna's voice shattered his focus. "You seem distracted. Is something wrong?"
Kyle swiped the system screen away. `I'd better take my time choosing.`
"I was wondering where we were going?" He smiled nervously.
"Mayor's house." Garrick jabbed a thumb toward a two-story wooden home at the village's edge. "He'll be able to help you."