The forest stretched endlessly before me. Towering trees formed a dense canopy overhead, their thick branches blocking most of the sunlight. Only thin beams of golden light managed to slip through the leaves, illuminating patches of moss and fallen branches scattered across the ground. The air smelled of damp soil, rotting wood, and wild plants.
Dry leaves cracked softly beneath my small feet as I continued my slow journey deeper into the forest. I was still searching for a place that could serve as a shelter.
As I walked, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. Now that I think about it…
Isn’t this strange?
Ever since I woke up in this world, I haven’t encountered any wild animals.
This is a forest, right?
I’m not saying I want to meet a ferocious beast or anything. Absolutely not.
But still…
It feels odd.
Maybe I’m just lucky.
A faint, silent chuckle formed only in my mind.
The forest remained silent—too silent. No large animals and no threatening sounds. Only the distant chirping of insects and the occasional rustling of leaves caused by the wind.
Screee… chirp… chirp…
Then suddenly—
Ding.
"Congratulations."
My body flinched in surprise. The familiar notification voice echoed clearly inside my mind.
"You gain Telepathy."
…Huh?
Telepathy?
Confusion crept across my face.
How did I even get that skill?
I directed the question toward the voice assistant through my thoughts.
A brief pause followed before the calm mechanical voice responded.
You can gain a skill by developing it.
In your case, your constant internal monologues and mental conversations caused the development of this skill.
…Wait a second.
My eyes widened slightly.
So that means…
I can obtain skills without relying entirely on the skill tree… or the skill collector?
If that was true…
That was a huge discovery.
It meant that experimenting, practicing, and repeating certain actions could unlock abilities naturally.
Interesting.
A small grin appeared on my face. Still, there was no time to celebrate. I had a much more immediate problem.
Shelter.
So I continued walking.
The quiet forest surrounded me once again.
Then—
"Warning! Danger detected!"
My entire body stiffened.
What?
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Before I could react—
Rustle… rustle…
Something moved nearby.
Very slowly, I turned my head toward the sound.
And then I saw it.
Coiled beside a decaying rotten log was a massive snake.
Its body was thick—almost as wide as a large branch—and easily stretched over three meters long. Dark green scales covered its body, patterned with muddy brown markings that blended perfectly with the forest floor. Its yellow eyes glinted coldly in the dim light.
Ssssss…
Its forked tongue flicked out repeatedly, tasting the air. Just looking at it made the hairs on my neck stand up. Judging from its position beside the rotten log… This might be its territory, or worse its nest. My survival instincts immediately kicked in.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I took a small step backward.
Then another.
Careful…
No sudden movements.
No threatening gestures.
Once I had created a little distance, I stopped completely.
I stayed perfectly still.
If I didn’t move, I wouldn’t appear hostile.
At least… that was the theory.
My heart pounded loudly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
But I needed more information.
Appraisal.
A window of information appeared in my mind.
Name: Forest Serpent | Race: Animal | Level: 6 HP: 24 | Skills: Venom Bite, Camouflage
…Venom.
Yeah.
Nope.
Definitely not fighting that thing.
So I stuck to the classic survival strategy.
Stay still.
Freeze.
Don’t provoke it.
Several seconds passed.
The serpent flicked its tongue again.
Ssssss…
Then slowly…
Rustle… slide… rustle…
Its long body began slithering away into the thick undergrowth. The grass swayed gently as it disappeared deeper into the forest.
Only after it was completely gone did I finally relax.
A long breath escaped from my lungs.
That was way too close.
Once I confirmed the snake had left the area, I carefully avoided the rotten log. That spot was almost certainly its nest.
To stay safe—and quiet—I activated Levitate.
Whoosh…
My body lifted slightly above the ground. Floating just a few inches above the forest floor meant I wouldn’t make any footsteps.
No crunching leaves and no snapping twigs.
Perfect.
After putting enough distance between myself and the serpent’s territory, I continued forward once more.
Minutes passed.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Then several more.
Eventually, I tilted my head in confusion.
Have I even walked far at all?
Everything still looked almost identical.
Trees, bushes, moss, and fallen logs.
To be honest…
It feels like I’m still near the respawn point.
The altar.
The strange place where I first woke up.
Then again…
I glanced down at my tiny legs.
Well… my feet are ridiculously small.
That probably explained it.
My “long walk” might only be a short distance for an adult.
Still…
I continued onward.
Then—
As I passed behind a massive tree, something caught my attention.
Up ahead, near a thick fruit bush, a large animal was eating something.
Crunch… munch… crunch…
At first I only saw its bulky body and rough brown fur.
Then it lifted its head.
And I recognized it.
A boar.
Oh no.
My face stiffened.
This is bad.
Wild boars were known for being aggressive.
And unfortunately—
Its ears suddenly twitched.
The creature had already heard me.
Slowly, it turned toward my direction.
Snort!
"Hostile Detected!"
A puff of steam burst from its nostrils. The boar’s sharp tusks curved upward like deadly blades. Its muscular legs dug into the soil as it lowered its head.
It was preparing to charge.
Crap.
I quickly activated Appraisal.
Name: Forest Boar | Race: Animal | Level: 5 | HP: 20 | Skills: Charge, Tough Hide
My brain worked rapidly. Boars attack using powerful thrusting charges and once they commit to that attack—They can’t stop halfway.
Luckily…
There was a large tree directly behind me.
Perfect.
A risky idea quickly formed in my mind.
Alright…
Let’s try something crazy.
The boar suddenly kicked the ground.
THUD!
Then it charged.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The ground trembled as the massive animal rushed toward me with terrifying speed.
I quickly positioned myself so the tree stood directly behind my back.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer—
The boar lowered its head.
THRUST!
Right at the last possible moment—
Levitate!
Whoosh!
My body lifted upward into the air.
The boar shot past the spot where I had been standing.
Then—
CRASH!!
The creature slammed headfirst into the tree. The impact echoed through the forest. Leaves rained down from the branches.
Yes!
I didn’t waste the opportunity.
Still floating in midair, I raised my hand and focused my mana.
Stone Bullet.
Crack!
A compressed stone projectile shot forward.
THUD!
It struck the boar’s head directly.
The animal collapsed instantly.
Thump.
Silence returned to the forest.
I slowly descended back to the ground.
Did I win?
I waited.
But no notification appeared.
No experience gained.
…Huh?
Then realization struck.
Oh.
Maybe animals don’t give EXP.
Before I could process that further—
"Warning! Danger! Danger!!"
My blood instantly ran cold.
What?!
Another one?!
My head snapped left and right as I searched for the threat.
Where?!
This is bad…
But what I didn’t know—
Hidden within a nearby bush…
A tiger had been silently watching everything.
The predator had originally been stalking the boar.
Its massive orange body remained perfectly concealed among the tall grass. Black stripes broke up its shape like shadows between the leaves. It's Golden eyes watched patiently, observing and waiting.
Now…
There was a new target.
Me.
Completely unaware of the lurking predator, I slowly backed away from the bush while gathering mana in my hand.
Stone Bullet…
Energy condensed slowly.
But before the spell could fully form—
RUSTLE—!!
Something exploded out of the bushes.
In less than a second—
A massive weight slammed into me.
—!
CHOMP!
A pair of powerful jaws clamped down on my thigh. A scream of pain tore through my throat. Blinding pain shot through my body.
My Levitate instantly canceled.
My vision spun violently.
In sheer panic, I activated another skill.
Low Regeneration!
A faint green glow enveloped my body.
But the tiger had already leaped away.
THUD!
It landed powerfully on the forest floor.
Still carrying me in its jaws.
My vision blurred.
My consciousness began fading rapidly.
The last thing I felt…
Was the terrifying sensation of being dragged deeper into the dark forest.
Rustle… drag… rustle…
Then everything went black.
Thump…
Thum…
…
Silence.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
Nothing.
…
…
Time passed.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Or perhaps hours.
I couldn’t tell.
Somewhere within that endless darkness, a faint sensation slowly returned.
Warmth.
Soft.
Flickering.
My eyelids twitched.
A faint warmth brushed against my face, followed by the quiet crackling of wood.
Crackle… crack… pop…
The sound slowly pulled me out of darkness.
My mind felt heavy, as if I had been asleep for an eternity. My body, however, felt strangely light—almost numb.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was a wooden ceiling.
Not the open sky. Not the forest canopy.
A ceiling.
“…?”
My vision was still blurry, but I could tell that I was inside a small house made of old wood. The air smelled faintly of dried herbs and smoke. Somewhere nearby, a fire burned gently.
Crackle… crack…
I blinked several times, trying to focus.
Where… am I?
I attempted to move my body.
Nothing hurt, but everything felt… distant. Like my senses were slowly returning after being completely shut off.
Then suddenly—
Memories flashed through my mind.
The altar.
The goblins.
The battle.
The pain.
And then—
Darkness.
“…I died.”
The realization echoed quietly in my thoughts.
I remembered it clearly.
My body had completely stopped moving. My HP had dropped to zero. I had felt my consciousness fade like a candle being blown out.
There was no doubt about it.
I had died.
Yet… I was here.
Alive.
Before I could think further—
“Ah… you’re finally awake.”
The voice came from the side of the room.
My eyes shifted.
Sitting beside a small wooden table was an old man.
His hair was completely white, long enough to reach his shoulders, while his beard flowed neatly down to his chest. His face was lined with age, but his eyes were sharp—far sharper than any ordinary old man.
He wore a long dark cloak layered over light armor, and various small tools and scrolls hung from his belt.
He wasn’t just some villager. That much was obvious. He looked at me quietly for a moment. Then he leaned back slightly in his chair.
“Good. Your soul has stabilized.”
My brain froze.
Soul… stabilized?
I tried to speak.
“Ba—”
“…Ah.”
Right.
I’m still a baby.
The old man sighed faintly.
“Yes… that will be a problem.”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Then he looked straight at me again.
“…Let’s try something else.”
A strange sensation suddenly spread through my head.
Like a soft pressure against my mind.
And then—
Can you hear me?
My eyes widened.
The voice… was inside my head.
Telepathy.
I responded instinctively.
Yes… I can hear you.
The old man’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Oh?”
Interesting.
“You responded immediately.”
His expression became more serious as he studied me.
“As I thought… you truly are unusual.”
Silence filled the room for a moment.
I gathered my thoughts and asked the question that had been bothering me since I woke up.
Where… am I?
The old man leaned forward slightly.
“This is my home. A small cabin located deep within the outer forest territory of the Kingdom of Valtheris.”
Kingdom?
So this really is another world.
But more importantly—
You… saved me?
The old man didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the fire for a moment.
Crackle…
Then he sighed quietly.
“…Yes.”
“You were already dead when I found you.”
My mind went blank.
Dead.
So I really did die.
He continued.
“I detected you several hours earlier.”
“Using one of my observation skills.”
He pointed to his eye.
“The skill is called Far Sight. Think of it as a… magical telescope.”
He leaned back again.
“I was surveying the forest from a distant hill. It’s part of my job.”
Job?
“I noticed something strange.”
“A baby.”
“Alone.”
“In the middle of a monster-infested forest.”
He looked at me again.
“That alone was already suspicious.”
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
“So I watched.”
Watched?
He nodded slowly.
“I saw everything.”
My heart skipped.
Everything?
“You crawling through the grass.”
“You discovering your strange abilities.”
“And…”
“You fighting those goblins.”
Silence filled the room.
My mind struggled to process it.
You… watched the whole time?
“Yes.”
Then he added calmly,
“I did not interfere intentionally.”
Why?!
A flicker of guilt crossed his face.
“…Because I needed to understand what you were.”
His gaze became sharp again.
“No ordinary baby could do what you did.”
“No normal human infant could fight monsters.”
“So I observed.”
“Carefully.”
“…Like an investigator.”
He folded his arms.
“I serve the kingdom as a tactical scout and investigator. My role is to analyze unusual threats before they become disasters.”
Threats…
So I looked like a potential threat.
“That is correct.”
He continued.
“However…”
His voice softened slightly.
“When your life finally faded… I realized something.”
He looked directly at me.
“You weren’t a threat.”
“You were a child desperately trying to survive.”
The fire crackled again.
Crack… pop…
“So I intervened.”
My heart tightened.
How…?
The old man explained that the moment he saw the tiger attack, he rushed toward me using Wind Step, crossing the forest in seconds. When he arrived, the beast was already holding my small body in its jaws. Without hesitation, he cast Wind Blade, slicing through the tiger’s jaw and forcing it to release me. As I fell to the ground, the enraged tiger turned toward him, but he finished the fight instantly with Piercing Wind, a compressed spear of air that pierced straight through the monster’s skull. The tiger collapsed dead, and the forest fell silent. He immediately checked on me and carried me back to his house, but by the time he arrived, my heart had already stopped.
The old man closed his eyes briefly.
“I used a spell that should never be used lightly.”
“A forbidden spell.”
My body felt cold.
Forbidden?
“Yes.”
“Revive.”
My eyes widened.
Revive…?!
He nodded slowly.
“It is an ancient white magic spell capable of restoring life to the dead.”
“But it comes with a price.”
He raised his hand slowly.
“My price was this.”
“My body is now cursed.”
His voice remained calm, but I could sense the weight behind his words.
“Curse: I can never use healing magic again.”
“Not on others.”
“Not on myself.”
“And no healing magic or potions will ever work on me again.”
Silence.
My mind froze.
He… sacrificed that… just to save me?
Why…?
The old man gave a small smile.
“Because after watching you fight for your life… I decided that your story should not end there.”
My chest tightened.
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.
Then he asked quietly,
“So tell me.”
“Who are you?”
I hesitated.
That question…
I had asked myself the same thing many times.
“I…”
My thoughts slowed.
“I don’t have a name.”
The old man raised an eyebrow.
“No name?”
“I lost my memories when I came here.”
“I only remember fragments of my past life.”
“…But not my name.”
He stared at me for several seconds.
Then he chuckled softly.
“Well… that makes things simple.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“If you do not have a name…”
“…then I will give you one.”
My eyes widened slightly.
“A name?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
He looked at me carefully, as if measuring something invisible.
Then he spoke.
“From this moment onward…”
“Your name will be Adriel.”
Adriel.
The name echoed quietly in my mind.
Adriel…
It felt… strangely right.
“…I like it.”
The old man smiled.
“Good.”
Then his expression turned curious again.
“Now then, Adriel.”
“Tell me your story.”
“How did a child from another world end up fighting goblins in this forest?”
So I told him.
Everything.
About my old world.
About waking up in the forest.
About discovering my status window.
My skills.
My fight with the goblins.
My voice echoed inside our shared telepathic space as the story unfolded piece by piece.
The old man listened without interrupting.
And when I finally finished—
Silence filled the cabin.
Crackle…
The fire burned quietly between us.
The old man slowly leaned back in his chair.
“…I see.”
His eyes looked deeper than before.
“A reincarnated soul from another world…”
He exhaled slowly.
“…This world may have gained something truly extraordinary.”
Then he looked at me again.
And for the first time—
There was a faint smile on his face.
“Well then, Adriel.”
“Welcome to this world.”
