Chapter 1: The Average Guy and the Perfect Forest
The transition from death to life was surprisingly smooth. One moment, Kael was staring at the grill of a truck; the next, he was staring at a canopy of emerald-green leaves.
He blinked, sitting up slowly. The air here was different—richer, heavier. It smelled of deep earth and ancient pine.
"I'm alive," Kael whispered, checking his hands. They were the same hands that had made thousands of coffees at the cafe. "And I'm... me."
Ding!
A blue translucent screen floated into his vision.
[System Initialization Complete.]
[Welcome, Host. You have awakened THE CREATOR SYSTEM.]
[Current Mana: 100/100]
[Recovery Rate: 10 Mana/min]
Kael read the description of his power. Creation. The ability to make the imaginary real. He grinned. He had read enough novels to know he should probably panic, or check for enemies, or look for a town.
But then he looked around.
It was quiet. Beautifully quiet. Sunlight filtered through the massive trees in beams of gold. There were no cars honking. No manager yelling at him to clean the espresso machine. No couples flaunting their relationships in his face.
"It's perfect," Kael exhaled, a sense of peace washing over him. "I'm finally alone."
He stood up and dusted off his trousers. If this was his new life, he wasn't going to waste it trying to become a Demon King or a Hero. He just wanted a house. A small, wooden house with a porch where he could read books and drink tea.
"Okay, System," Kael said, rolling up his sleeves. "I'm not going to ask you to build me a mansion. That feels... cheating. I want to build it myself. But I need tools."
He closed his eyes and visualized a Woodcutter's Axe. Not a normal one, but one from a game he played—ergonomic grip, perfectly balanced, with a blade that never dulled.
'Create.'
[Consuming 10 Mana.]
[Item Created: Durable Steel Axe.]
A heavy, satisfying weight materialized in his grip. Kael swung it experimentally. Whoosh. It cut through the air with a clean whistle.
"Nice. Now, I need a clearing."
He walked for about ten minutes until he found a spot near a crystal-clear stream. The water sparkled like diamonds. The ground was flat and covered in soft grass.
"This is it," he declared.
He approached a tree that was about the thickness of his waist. A normal human would take hours to chop this down. Kael raised his new axe.
Thwack!
The blade sank deep into the wood like it was butter.
"Oh, creating high-quality tools really makes a difference," Kael noted, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. He didn't realize that the tree he was cutting was Ironwood, a material so hard that normal iron axes would shatter upon impact. He just thought he was having a good day.
Crack. Boom.
The tree fell with a thunderous crash that shook the ground.
Somewhere in the distance, a flock of birds took flight, screeching. Kael ignored them. He was in the zone.
He spent the next few hours working. Chop, strip the branches, saw the logs.
He created a Hand Saw (5 Mana) and a Hammer (5 Mana) and a box of Iron Nails (2 Mana).
By the time the sun began to dip, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, Kael was exhausted but incredibly happy. He hadn't built the house yet—that would take weeks—but he had cleared the land and stacked a neat pile of lumber.
"Man, I'm hungry," his stomach growled.
He looked at the forest. "I should probably find something to eat. Maybe some fruit? Or a rabbit?"
As if on cue, a bush rustled behind him.
Kael turned around. Emerging from the ferns was a rabbit.
But it wasn't a cute bunny. It was the size of a medium dog, with red eyes and a singular, sharp horn protruding from its forehead. It hissed, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
[System Analysis: Horned Rabbit.]
Kael blinked. "Whoa. Even the rabbits here are ugly."
The rabbit lunged, flying through the air like a dart, aiming its horn right at Kael's chest.
Kael didn't have combat training. He panicked. He simply swung the Durable Steel Axe he was still holding, treating the rabbit like a rogue tree branch.
Bonk.
The flat side of the axe hit the rabbit mid-air. There was a sickening crunch, and the rabbit was sent flying into a nearby rock. It didn't move again.
[Target Neutralized.]
[Experience Gained +50.]
Kael walked over and poked it. "Dead? Just one hit? I guess even with horns, a rabbit is just a rabbit."
He picked up the creature by its ears. It was heavy.
"Well," Kael smiled, walking back to his pile of lumber near the stream. "I guess I'm having meat tonight. Now... System, can you create a Camping Stove and a Chef's Knife?"
The forest darkened. Deep in the shadows, glowing yellow eyes watched the man who had just casually one-shotted a Level 10 Dire Rabbit with a woodchopping axe. The predator in the shadows decided, very wisely, to turn around and leave.
Kael hummed a tune from his favorite anime, completely unaware, as he began to skin his dinner.