Time passed—how long, Colin couldn't tell—until a biting chill and gnawing hunger dragged him back to consciousness.
His eyes opened to absolute darkness.
Only a few thin strands of moonlight slipped through cracks above, faintly sketching the outline of a cramped, damp enclosure. The air was heavy with the scent of wet earth and decaying leaves.
He shifted slightly—
—and pain tore through his arms and back.
A sharp gasp escaped him.
He wasn't dead.
He had lived.
The thought lingered, unreal. Slowly, he pushed himself upright, leaning against the rough inner wall of what he now realized was a hollow tree trunk. Its entrance was concealed by thick ferns—a natural refuge.
Lowering his gaze, he inspected his body.
The wound on his arm had stopped bleeding, but the surrounding flesh was pale—too pale. Blood loss. His back and scalp throbbed dully, each pulse a reminder of how close he had come to dying.
Worse still, his stomach twisted violently with hunger, and his throat burned as if filled with smoke.
Out here, in this wilderness, starvation, dehydration, or infection—any one of them could finish him.
Then—
That voice.
Cold. Mechanical.
System.
Colin stilled.
The killing system.
Forcing himself to calm down, he closed his eyes and focused. As expected, a pale blue, translucent panel surfaced in his mind.
Simple. Crude.
Like unfinished software.
At the top, a single line read:
[Host: Colin][Kill Points: 20]
Twenty?
He frowned.
He distinctly remembered spending ten points on Strength, then earning ten more from the second kill—and using another five to enhance stamina after healing. By all logic, he should have nothing left.
A faint line of text appeared at the bottom:
[Newbie Bonus: First multi-kill, Kill Point gains tripled.]
Then it faded.
Colin exhaled slowly.
So that was it.
A beginner's advantage.
A small, almost ironic smile touched his lips. At least this "system" wasn't entirely merciless.
His attention shifted downward—to the [Exchange List].
The options were few. Basic. Almost pitiful.
[Attribute Points]: 5 Kill Points (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Spirit)[Coarse Food]: 1 Kill Point[Clean Water]: 1 Kill Point[Basic Injury Treatment Knowledge]: 10 Kill Points
Attribute points tempted him.
He had already felt what raw Strength could do—how it could rip him back from the edge of death.
But right now…
Power wasn't his biggest problem.
Survival was.
Food. Water. Those were immediate. Cheap, too—almost suspiciously so.
But his gaze lingered on the final option.
Basic Injury Treatment Knowledge.
Ten points.
Expensive.
Equivalent to two full attribute boosts.
But logic cut through temptation with ruthless clarity.
Out here, without medicine, without antiseptics—an open wound like his would almost certainly become infected. And once infection set in… swelling, rot, fever—
Death.
No amount of strength would save him then.
"Living comes first," he muttered hoarsely.
"My body can't afford risks."
He made his decision.
"System—exchange one Coarse Food, one Clean Water, and Basic Injury Treatment Knowledge."
[Confirmed. 12 Kill Points consumed. Remaining: 8]
Weight appeared in his hands.
A dense, fist-sized chunk of black bread. A leather water skin, swollen with liquid.
And then—
Knowledge.
A flood.
It poured into his mind like a torrent breaking through a dam.
Debridement. Hemostasis. Herbal identification. Improvised bandaging. Resin sealing.
Images, methods, instincts—
All of it embedded as if he had always known.
He didn't hesitate.
Twisting open the water skin, he drank greedily. Cool liquid slid down his parched throat, bringing a near-overwhelming sense of relief. He drank until more than half was gone, breath shuddering as life seeped back into him.
Then he turned to the bread.
Hard. Dry. Like biting stone.
But to him, it was a feast.
He chewed slowly, forcing each mouthful down, feeling warmth spread through his limbs as energy returned.
Only after eating did he move.
Wounds first.
Survival demanded it.
Carefully, he stepped out of the hollow.
Night cloaked the forest in danger. Every rustle carried threat. Every shadow felt alive.
He didn't wander far.
Following the newly gained knowledge, he gathered broad leaves, flexible vines—materials crude, but usable.
Back inside, he steadied his breathing.
Then, gripping the dagger he had taken—
He began.
Cutting away dead flesh.
The blade scraped against damaged tissue, slicing off blackened edges.
Pain exploded.
His body trembled violently. Cold sweat drenched him.
But he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
This was the line between life and death.
When it was done, he used what little water remained to rinse the wound clean.
Then came the leaves.
The binding.
Layer by layer, he secured the makeshift dressing with vines, tying a knot unfamiliar yet instinctively precise.
Rough.
Primitive.
Effective.
By the end, he sagged against the tree wall, chest rising and falling in heavy breaths.
But something had changed.
The hunger was gone.
The thirst was gone.
The wound—no longer a death sentence.
For now—
He was safe.
A cold wind slipped through the hollow, brushing against his skin.
Clutching the dagger tightly, memories began to settle within him—Colin's past merging seamlessly with Lin Yue's knowledge.
"From tonight onward…" he whispered,
"I am Colin."
Not just the bullied werewolf boy.
Not just the fragile student from another world.
But something new.
A fusion.
A survivor forged in blood and instinct—armed with the knowledge of a modern mind and the brutality of a savage land.
His gaze drifted back to the panel.
[Kill Points: 8]
No frustration.
No hesitation.
Only calculation.
In this forest—
This was his true foundation.
His only capital.
And the beginning of everything.