Capital City
A young man in casual clothes was walking toward a cafe. He looked to be in his early twenties.
His name was Aren Karl, a twenty-year-old fresh college graduate. People his age, newly graduated, were busy trying to find a good job with a decent salary or struggling to get into a good university for further studies.
But Aren did not care about those NPCs.
He did not rush to find a job or try to enter a prestigious university. In his eyes, youth was the best time of life. A time for love, passion, and enjoyment. Why waste it working hard for others?
You might wonder where he got the confidence to swim against the tide.
The answer was simple. He had money.
Aren Karl was an orphan. His parents had died in a car accident a few years ago when he was still in high school.
They were not wealthy, but their lifelong savings, along with compensation from the person responsible, left Aren with a large sum of money.
The person responsible for his parents' death go to jail and also had to pay compensation. That was justice.
"..."
With that money in hand, Aren was confident he could enjoy himself for a long time. If he already had money, why work hard for others?
That was why Aren, a fresh college graduate, remained unemployed without a care. He spent his days enjoying life, playing games, or hanging out with friends.
But fate had prepared something different for him.
On a sunny day, everything changed.
After playing games nonstop for eight hours, Aren walked toward a cafe to have breakfast.
He stopped at the roadside, waiting for the cars to pass so he could cross. That was when his eyes caught sight of a beautiful young woman on the other side of the road. She was taking photos as she walked, unaware that the signal had not changed.
When the young woman stepped onto the road, she finally sensed something was wrong. But it was already too late.
Beep. Beep.
A white car rushed toward her.
Her face turned pale.
In the next moment, a sudden force hit her, throwing her to the side. Someone had pushed her.
When she looked up and saw the person who saved her, horror filled her face.
The man lay on the ground, fresh blood spreading beneath him. His face was lifeless.
The man who died in that car accident while trying to save a stranger was Aren Karl.
...
Demon Forest
In the dense forest, the air was thick and heavy. Shadows stretched across the ground, twisting around gnarled roots and fallen branches.
The silence was broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant call of a bird.
The trees stood so close together that it was hard to see far ahead. Shafts of light struggled through the canopy, falling in pale, shaky lines on the moss-covered ground.
It was a place few dared to enter, and even fewer ever returned. This was the Demon Forest.
Somewhere inside the forest, a young man lay on the ground. A bird pecked at his nose, trying to eat, but it suddenly flew away in panic.
The man sat up abruptly, hands grabbing his head as he tried to process what had just happened.
A jolt of memory surfaced in his mind. A few seconds later, a sign appeared before him.
"I've been transmigrated to another world."
The truth hit him hard, but he accepted it. As an orphan who had grown up without parents, he had little attachment to his past life. Instead, he felt a spark of excitement for the new life waiting for him in this other world.
He looked around and saw nothing but endless trees. He realized he was deep inside a forest.
Without hesitation, he began walking in a random direction, hoping to find a road that would lead him out.
But after a few tens of minutes, he realized just how big the forest was. He had been walking for a long time and was starting to feel thirsty.
"This forest seems endless. I've been walking for so long, and all I can see are trees. I'm getting thirsty. I need to find water first."
He began searching for water to quench his thirst. Once he had enough to drink and some food, he could try to find a way out of the forest.
He pushed through the thick underbrush, careful not to trip over the tangled roots. The sunlight barely reached the forest floor, making it hard to see where he was going.
At that moment, he heard a rustling sound from behind. Aren turned around and saw a green-skinned humanoid monster, about four feet tall, walking toward him with a crude stick in its hand.
Its hungry eyes glinted, and a drop of saliva fell from its mouth.
"Goblin!!"
Aren realized exactly what kind of situation he was in. Without thinking, he turned and ran.
Aren didn't look back. He sprinted through the forest, dodging low branches and leaping over twisted roots. His heart pounded in his chest, and every muscle screamed as he ran.
Behind him, the goblin snarled, chasing with surprising speed. Its stick swung wildly, trying to strike him, but Aren dodged just in time.
He could hear its heavy breaths and the crack of branches under its feet. Panic surged through him, but he forced himself to stay focused. One wrong step, and he would be done.
Aren spotted a fallen tree ahead and took a sharp turn, hoping to slow the goblin down. He jumped over it, landing hard but keeping his balance. The goblin stumbled briefly over the obstacle, giving him a small lead.
"This thing is fast… I need to lose it."
Aren thought, scanning the forest for anything he could use.
After a few more steps, he noticed a change in the forest. The trees began to thin, and the ground leveled out.
Pushing forward, he broke through the last line of thick underbrush and found himself in an open area.
In the center, a small river ran calmly, about ten meters wide, its water sparkling in the sunlight.
The sudden openness made him pause, giving him a brief moment to catch his breath.
The goblin's shouts grew fainter behind him, but Aren didn't dare slow down completely. He scanned the river, looking for a way to use it to his advantage. Rocks jutted out of the water, forming a rough path across the current.
"This… maybe I can use this to escape."
He thought, eyes narrowing as he calculated his next move.
Carefully, he stepped toward the riverbank, ready to make his move. Every step felt tense, knowing the goblin could appear at any moment.
Aren took a deep breath and stepped onto the first rock jutting out of the river. The water rushed past, cold and fast, but the stone held firm. He leapt from one rock to the next, careful to keep his balance.
Behind him, the goblin emerged from the trees, eyes wild with hunger.
It snarled and charged toward the river, swinging its stick. Aren glanced back—he was close to the other bank, but one slip could mean disaster.
The goblin reached the water and tried to follow, but it slipped on the slick rocks, splashing into the current.
It struggled to stand, its green limbs flailing, and Aren took the chance to sprint the last few meters.
He landed on the far bank, breathing heavily, heart pounding. The river now flowed between him and the goblin, giving him a precious barrier.
For the first time since the chase began, Aren allowed himself a brief moment of relief.
***
If you enjoy reading 'Crafting System: Building a Safe Haven in the Demon Forest', please add it to your collection and give a Power Stone to motivate me!