Tyler’s heart hammered against his ribs, loud enough to drown out the wind in the trees. He stared at the alien creature, the basketball-sized blob of blue gelatin vibrating and squelching against the grass.

  He took a hesitant step back, his eyes darting to the red text floating above it.

  SLIME: LEVEL 3Level 3...

  The number glared at him.

  *I’m a Level 1.*

  The math hit him instantly. *Does that mean this thing is three times stronger than me?*

  Before he could finish the thought, a blue warning panel flashed into his vision, screaming in urgent text.

  WARNING: SLIME HAS ACTIVATED SKILL [BASH]

  The slime compressed itself, squeezing down like a loaded spring, and then launched.

  It flew through the air as if pushed by an invisible cannon, blurring into a blue streak aimed straight at Tyler’s head.

  Tyler reacted on pure instinct he threw his hands over his head and dropped into a crouch, curling his body violently to the side.

  The air hissed violently as the creature sailed inches above his head.

  A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as the slime slammed into the trunk of a massive tree behind him. The impact shook the ground under Tyler's feet.

  He scrambled to look behind him.

  The slime had embedded itself. The bark was spider-webbed with fractures, and the wood groaned under the stress of the blow.

  Tyler stared, his mouth hanging open.

  *What the hell?*

  A cold sweat broke out on his neck.

  *If that thing had hit me... if that hit my head...*

  The slime began to slide down the cracked bark, its gelatinous body reforming, getting ready to move again.

  Tyler didn't wait to see what it would do next.

  He pivoted on his heel, digging his sneakers into the dirt, and sprinted. He didn't look back. He just ran, weaving through the trees, his breath tearing at his throat.

  Behind him, the creature let out the familiar squeak, but it was growing faint.

  *Screw this,* he thought, his legs pumping harder. *I'm not fighting that thing!*

  "It nearly took my head off with one hit. I don't even have a weapon."

  While he was still running, a System panel materialized in the air, floating alongside him.

  CREATING PROGRESSION TACTICS...ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: COWARD'S ESCAPE.REWARD: +2 EXTRA POINTS.Tyler frowned. He felt the sting of the insult immediately—Coward—but the reward made him stop.

  Plus two extra points?

  He skidded to a halt, his sneakers digging into the dirt. He bent over, putting his hands on his knees, his breath heaving as he tried to catch the air he had lost.

  "Coward?" he wheezed. "Does it expect me to just face something I've never seen before? That thing's too fast. It nearly killed me."

  He glared at the System panel, but the text had already changed.

  THE USER HAS UNLOCKED AN ACHIEVEMENT.ACHIEVEMENTS WILL BE UNLOCKED THROUGHOUT THE USER'S JOURNEY, COMMENDING THEM FOR COMMENDABLE ACTIONS.ACHIEVEMENTS WILL BE TRIGGERED BY VARIOUS ACTIONS THE USER MAKES (E.G. DEFEATING MONSTERS OR SIMPLY PERFORMING SPECIFIC TASKS).THIS MECHANISM HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO ACCELERATE THE USER'S PATH, HELPING THEM REACH THE STATE THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT UPON ARRIVAL.Tyler read the message, and the meaning clicked.

  Oh, right.

  It made sense now. So that's what it meant back then when it said all my assets were sealed.

  He understood. The System was saying that this achievement mechanic was a way to gain stats faster. It was trying to boost him back to the state he should have been in before everything was reset to Level 1.

  He gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling inside him.

  "Are you kidding me?"

  He looked up at the blue screen. "I don't even want to be here. Take me back."

  The System panel disappeared.

  Silence followed. The forest was quiet. No new panel appeared.

  "Are you ignoring me?" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly. "I said take me back!"

  As he shouted, he heard a rustle in the leaves nearby. He spun around, expecting the slime, only to see a flock of weaver birds emerging from the canopy, flapping their wings as they flew away from his noise.

  He felt a brief flash of surprise. They looked familiar. Normal.

  "Where the hell am I?" he whispered.

  The System panel appeared once more.

  USER HAS BEEN TRANSPORTED TO A FOREIGN REALM.SPECIFICATION: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.

  Tyler's eyes widened, taking in the scope of the sentence.

  "Another universe?"

  He stumbled back a step, the reality of it hitting him harder than the slime ever could.

  *That's insane,* Tyler thought, looking around. *It sent me to an alternate universe altogether.*

  He scanned the trees. They were unfamiliar, yet strikingly similar to the ones back in his world, back on Earth. Even the birds he saw just now, they looked exactly like weaver birds. But the System had specified that he was in an alternate universe.

  He put both hands on his head, brushing his hair backward, gripping the strands tight.

  "Take me back," he said, his voice lower this time.

  The System panel appeared before Tyler.

  THE USER CANNOT BE RETURNED TO THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN UNTIL SPECIFIC TASKS ARE COMPLETED."Specific tasks? What tasks?" Tyler snapped at the panel.

  The System panel disappeared and another appeared instantly.

  FURTHER INQUIRIES CANNOT BE REVEALED AT THE USER'S CURRENT RANK AND LEVEL.

  "What? But that's not fair. You're just using this against me to make me level up, aren't you?"

  A faint rustle came from the bushes around him.

  "Shit," he hissed.

  He immediately turned and continued running away from the sound.

  *Is it that slime?* he thought, his feet pounding against the grass. *Where the hell am I even going? Where am I running to? There's nothing but trees out here.*

  He ran until his lungs burned, then skidded to a stop, his chest heaving as he gasped for air once more.

  The System panel appeared again, persistent.

  DOES THE USER WISH TO ALLOCATE THEIR STATS?IF SO, THE USER SHOULD SAY 'STATUS' OR INQUIRE IT MENTALLY.THE USER CAN USE EXTRA STAT POINTS TO INCREASE WHICHEVER STATS THEY WISH.

  *Extra stat points?* Tyler thought, his chest heaving in heavy, ragged gasps. *Right. It gave me achievement points with two extra stats earlier. I almost forgot about that.*

  "Status," he muttered, staring at the system panel hovering in the air before him.

  SPECIES: HumanNAME: Tyler EvansRANK: G LVL: 1CLASS: CraftsmanHP: 30/30 MP: 30/30STR: 10 AGI: 5DEF: 7 STM: 11SKILLS: Weapon Craft-Lv1PASSIVE SKILLS: NoneExtra Points: 2

  The display shifted, showing his stats alongside a new entry. On the status panel, he saw the rewards listed: extra stats. *Yeah, so, these are the extra stats. Can I allocate these things to any stats?*

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Another panel appeared, manifesting directly over the first one. It read:Correct.

  Tyler’s brow furrowed, his gaze sharpening as he studied the text. *My strength stats and my stamina stats are the highest. Right now I'm on level 1. And I just ran into a level 3 earlier. I couldn't face that thing, so... Where should I allocate my stats?*

  He rested his finger on his chin, his eyes narrowing to thin slits. *Right now the lowest stat is agility. And since I've been restored all the way to level one... like the system said. I should probably allocate these things to agility. But what happens when I do? Will I actually become faster? Like in a game? And how do I allocate it? Do I just say 'allocate to agility'?*

  Immediately, the status panel updated. The digit for Agility ticked upward, settling at 7.

  *Oh,* he thought. *So that's how it works.*

  He lifted his leg slightly and touched his foot back to the ground, testing his weight. *I don't feel any faster though.* He looked at the glowing panel again. *My agility is on par with my Defence now..*

  Tyler’s eyes traced the text for the Weapon Craft skill on the glowing display. *I need a weapon,* he thought. *If I'm going to survive this place, I'm going to need to defend myself. I can't keep running forever. Since there are monsters here, there are bound to be others. There might be one I can't outrun.*

  He shifted his weight, his gaze fixed on the floating interface. "Hey, Ascension System, I mean, System," he muttered. "This Weapon Craft skill... how do I use it?"

  The interface rippled, the previous text dissolving to make way for new, sharp lettering.

  EVERY SKILL THE USER ATTAINS CAN BE GIVEN A TUTORIAL.WOULD THE USER LIKE TO LAUNCH THE TUTORIAL FOR THE SKILL: WEAPON CRAFT?

  "Tutorial," Tyler whispered, staring at the word. It felt familiar. He could almost hear Mike's voice from months ago, grumbling because Tyler couldn't grasp game mechanics from a simple explanation. Mike had eventually gone into the settings himself to force a tutorial to launch so Tyler could actually understand what they were playing.

  A faint, tired smile pulled at the corners of Tyler’s mouth. *Right. This is the thing that actually teaches me the mechanics of the skill.*

  "Launch tutorial," Tyler said.

  The primary panel vanished. In its place, a smaller window manifested, featuring a circular bar with a single point of light rotating steadily around its edge.

  *It's processing my request,* he thought. He glanced away from the light, scanning the dense growth of the forest. He stayed low, his ears straining for the sound of shifting brush or a snapped twig. He remained conscious of the shadows, wary of anything that might emerge without warning.

  The loading display flickered and was replaced by a sudden flash of text:

  AT WEAPON CRAFT LEVEL 1, THE USER CAN ONLY CREATE BASIC WEAPONS USING THE CURRENT SKILL ABILITY.Tyler read the text, resting his hands on his waist. *Basic weaponry. I wonder what it means by that.*

  The words on the system panel shifted, dissolving into shimmering particles before new lines materialized.

  **THE USER CAN FIND FOUR BRANCHES OF WOOD AROUND THE AREA THAT ARE TWO METERS TALL AND 2-4 INCHES THICK.**

  *Oh, so those are the things I need to make a weapon.* "What should I do next?" he asked.

  The display updated for the next step. **FOR THE NEXT STEP, THE USER SHOULD PUT THE REQUIRED INGREDIENTS IN THE INVENTORY AND CRAFT THE WEAPON. TO ACTIVATE THE SKILL, THE USER CAN INQUIRE MENTALLY TO ACTIVATE IT OR SIMPLY SAY OUT LOUD, CRAFT [WEAPON NAME]. THE PROVIDED INGREDIENTS ARE FOR CRAFTING: WOODEN SPEAR.**

  *Wait, so I have an inventory?* Tyler thought. A secondary panel manifested, displaying a grid of four empty square slots.

  "Only four?" he muttered. *So if I put things inside the inventory, they'll probably stay there just like in a game...*

  He turned away from the light of the panels, his gaze scanning the surrounding trees for the specific branches the system had described. *Most of these branches look either too thick or too small and short. Why do the ingredients need to be so specific?* He moved through the brush, his steps cautious as he searched.

  His eyes eventually landed on a tall tree with a variety of growth. "There! If I can snap a few of them off... I can craft the weapon."

  As he took a single step toward the tree, his body locked. A low, guttural vibration rumbled from the bushes behind him. His eyes widened, his breath hitching as he slowly rotated his head.

  Standing several meters away was a wolf with fur the color of deep crimson. Its eyes a matching red, fixed intensely on him. It pulled its lips back, exposing rows of sharp teeth as a low snarl escaped its throat. A system panel manifested directly over its head:

  LEVEL 15 CRIMSON WOLF

  "Another monster," Tyler said, his body trembling as he stared at the creature.

  The number hovering above its head, Level 15, sent a jolt of cold realization through him. He was still struggling to grasp the system’s logic, but the sheer distance between Level 1 and Level 15 was undeniable. He knew this thing was far stronger and undoubtedly faster than he was.

  The Crimson Wolf launched itself, paws churning the dirt as it bolted toward him. Tyler’s breath hitched, and he immediately turned and ran.

  *Shit, shit, shit,* he thought, his heart thundering in his chest. *If the thing catches me, it's going to kill me. I'm going to die.*

  He glanced back and saw the wolf closing the gap with terrifying speed, as if he were barely moving at all. *I can't outrun it,* he realized. *My agility is too low.*

  An idea clicked. He spotted the tree he was heading towards earlier and pivoted his path, aiming straight for it. He pushed every ounce of power and strength into his legs, and as he reached the base, he leaped forward. His fingers caught a lower, sturdy branch. He immediately hauled himself upward, his muscles straining.

  The Crimson Wolf’s teeth snapped together, missing his legs by an inch. Carried by its own momentum, the wolf’s side slammed into the trunk with a heavy thud. It let out a small, painful howl.

  The tree shuddered from the impact, but Tyler didn't stop. He scrambled higher until he was safely out of reach, his breathing heavy and jagged. Sweat dripped down the side of his head, his heart still hammering against his ribs.

  "That was close," he rasped.

  He looked down from a thick, sturdy branch. Below, the wolf shook its head, appearing dazed by the collision. As it regained its balance, it growled again, its crimson eyes fixed directly on Tyler. It barked once and planted its front paws against the bark, stretching up as if it could reach him. Then, it barked a second time.

  Seeing this, Tyler climbed several branches higher, his hands gripping the rough, uneven wood. *I almost died just now,* he thought, his chest still tight. *Thank goodness, that thing Doesn't how to climb trees. If it did, I'd be a goner.*

  The system panel appeared before him again, the text steady in the afternoon light: TUTORIAL STILL IN PROGRESS.

  "Right, the tutorial," Tyler muttered. He shifted his position, looking around the canopy for the specific branches he had seen earlier. He stepped carefully onto a neighboring limb, moving deeper into the tree’s structure. Below, the wolf let out another sharp bark.

  Tyler made sure to plant his feet on a sturdy, thick branch, testing its strength before putting his full weight on it. *If I fall down, I stand no chance against that thing.*

  He reached out and grasped one of the required branches. It felt solid and heavy in his hand. He pulled with a sharp tug until the wood gave way. He held it up, eyeing the length. "Should be about the size," he said. "It said two meters, but how do I get this in the inventory?"

  He paused, a memory of how these systems usually worked surfacing in his mind. As he focused on the thought of storage, the branch in his hand shimmered with a faint blue light. It dissolved into particles and disappeared.

  Tyler gasped, his eyes wide. *Oh, so that's how it happens.*

  From below, the low vibration of the wolf’s growl reached him again. Tyler shook his head, forcing his attention back to the task. *No, I have to focus. I have to break more branches.*

  He moved through the foliage, locating and snapping three more branches that appeared to meet the requirements for thickness and length. One by one, he moved them into his inventory.

  The inventory panel materialized before his eyes. Four square subspace slots were now filled. In each one was a blue icon depicting a simple stick with a smaller branch protruding from its side. Underneath each icon, the word BRANCH was written in clear text.

  *I just have to mentally think about it and the branches disappear into the inventory,* Tyler thought, a sense of relief settling over him. *Most of these things work that way with the system. That’s great. It means I don't have to talk or shout out anything for it to be done. I don't want to draw any more attention to myself.*

  Tyler focused his mind, projecting a single command: *Craft wooden spear.*

  A new interface manifested before him, pulsing with a soft light.

  CRAFT WOODEN SPEAR?

  [YES] / [NO]

  Tyler selected YES with a thought. The confirmation window vanished, replaced by a circular loading bar. A small dot of light raced around the perimeter, trailing a bright line that filled the circle with rapid, steady progress until the shape was complete.

  The loading screen dissolved. A new notification appeared:

  CRAFT SUCCESSFUL. WOODEN SPEAR CAN BE FOUND IN THE INVENTORY.

  "Oh," Tyler breathed, his voice barely a whisper in the afternoon air. The panel flickered and updated once more:

  CONGRATULATIONS. THE USER HAS FINISHED THE SKILL TUTORIAL.REWARD: ONE EXTRA STAT POINT.

  Tyler stared at the text, his eyebrows rising. *Was that an achievement? No, if it was an achievement, it would have specified it. It just rewarded me for finishing a tutorial.*

  He opened his status panel. Without hesitation, he mentally directed the new point toward his Agility, watching the number tick upward.

  He then shifted to his inventory. The four branches were gone. In the first slot sat a single icon: a straight, sharp line.

  *Now, to get things out of the inventory, I assume I have to do the same thing, right? I just have to mentally get it out of there. I just have to wish it would be in my hand.*

  He extended his arm, palm up. His skin began to glow with a faint, pulsing blue light. A horizontal sliver of pure, intense radiance manifested just above his hand, hovering with a sharp brightness that made him squint. The glow reached a peak before fading, leaving a solid weight resting in his grip.

  Tyler looked at the weapon, amazed. It felt substantial in his palm. The wood was smooth and slightly cool to the touch, its surface glistening where the afternoon sun filtered through the leaves. He examined the arrowhead, the tip was large and sharply pointed. Intricate triangle-patterned lines were etched into each side of the head. Near the point, the wood felt rough and textured, with another similar grip spot near the base.

  His eyes narrowed as he studied the craftsmanship. *It actually crafted it. How is this even possible? Those branches... did it mulch them all together to create this? That doesn't make any sense.*

  He gripped the spear, noticing the rough patches aligned perfectly with where he would hold the weapon. As he balanced it, a small, discreet panel materialized beside the spearhead:

  ATK: 10

  *ATK? That must be attack. Wait, so that is even measured in numbers as well?*

  Another panel surfaced to provide context:

  THE WEAPON WAS AUTO-GENERATED BY THE SYSTEM FOR THIS TUTORIAL. HOWEVER, USERS MAY DESIGN THEIR OWN WEAPONS BY SUBMITTING A DRAWING VIA THE INVENTORY.

  AUTO-DESIGN MAY RESULT IN AESTHETICS THAT DO NOT MATCH USER PREFERENCES.

  "Oh," Tyler said, glancing at the system panel. *It's a brilliant option, but I barely know how to draw.*

  A sharp, demanding bark from below cut through his thoughts. He shifted his focus back to the Crimson Wolf, his grip tightening on the smooth wood of the spear. *Right. I have a weapon now. That means I can defend myself. But this dog... it's so persistent. Why won't it just leave?*

  He looked down the length of the weapon, estimating it to be about two and a half meters long. As he studied the spear, the wolf pulled its paws away from the trunk. It began to move in a slow, calculated circle around the base of the tree, its eyes never leaving him.

  *What is it doing?* Tyler thought, his gaze following the red blur through the leaves. *Is it trying to see what angle it can reach me from? I'm too high up. Should I just attack it? Maybe if I throw the spear...*

  He shook his head, a small frown deepening on his face. *No. I'm not even good at aiming. If I miss, I'll lose the only weapon I have. What do I do? I can't stand in this tree for that long. My legs are getting sore.*

  A dull ache began to throb in his calves, and he shifted his weight cautiously on the branch. Below, the wolf finished its circuit and returned to its original position. To Tyler’s disbelief, the creature lowered its hindquarters and sat down, its crimson eyes staring directly up at him.

  *Seriously? It's sitting now. What the hell is wrong with this thing? Why won't it just leave? I thought it would leave once it realized I was out of reach, but it's just waiting for me now.*

  Tyler stayed still, leaning his shoulder against the main trunk for support. *I'll just wait. It'll probably go away. It'll just grow tired and bored. That's right. I just need to be patient.*

  He waited, and he waited. The orange light of the sun began to stretch in long, slanting lines across the forest floor, casting deep silhouettes against the earth. Tyler shifted his position only slightly, moving with agonizing slowness to ensure he didn't lose his balance or put too much stress on the wood beneath him. The space between the branches felt increasingly claustrophobic, the leaves and twigs pressing in on him.

  He looked for more branches that might fit the criteria for his Weapon Craft skill, thinking he might need a backup. As he checked his inventory, he saw the four slots were empty again since he was currently holding the spear. *If I could get four more branches, I could craft another one,* he thought. But as his eyes scanned the nearby limbs, he realized none of them met the specific requirements for length or thickness.

  He let out a soft sigh, his eyes meeting the crimson gaze of the wolf below once more. The sun was now dipping toward the horizon, staining the sky in bruised purples and deep oranges. His heart began to hammer against his ribs. *Shit, it's going to get dark while I'm stuck in this tree.*

  His legs were starting to feel numb, a cold, prickling sensation spreading through his calves as if his blood flow had been cut off. They trembled slightly with the effort of staying upright. *It hurts,* he thought. *This thing... it really is a monster. I don't know a lot about wolves, but I swear no wolf behaves like this. No matter how long I wait, it isn't leaving.*

  Suddenly, the wolf shifted. It looked away from him, its gaze facing forward toward the brush. Tyler’s eyes widened. *This might be my chance, if I can distract it....*

  He reached for a small twig near his hand. He gripped it and applied pressure until the dry wood gave way with a faint crack. The wolf didn't seem to hear. Tyler drew his arm back and threw the twig as hard as he could. It sailed through the dimming light and landed with a muffled impact on the ground several meters away.

  The wolf didn't even turn its head toward the sound. It simply shifted its gaze back up to Tyler. Its left ear dropped slightly, a gesture that almost looked like confusion.

  *Damn it, it’s looking again. Did I just draw more attention to myself?* he thought, a sense of dread pooling in his stomach. *If this goes on, I'm just going to have to take a risk and throw this spear. I’m so tired.* Even the arm he used to steady himself against the tree was beginning to go numb.

  Then, the Crimson Wolf moved again. It lowered its body, laying down flat against the dirt. It crossed its front paws and rested its snout on top of them, settling into a resting position. It was no longer facing him.

  *Is it... is it sleeping?* Tyler stared down, his mind racing. Part of him thought the idea of the creature sleeping while its prey was right above it was stupid, even dangerous. But he couldn't deny the opportunity. *I can’t let this chance go, no matter what happens. I have to do it now,* he told himself, a sudden spark of determination hardening his resolve.

  *I have to attack. But will 10 ATK be enough?*

  As he prepared to throw, a system panel materialized abruptly in his line of sight. Tyler jerked his head back, startled by the sudden flash of text.

  STRIKING WEAK POINTS OR APPLYING EXCESSIVE FORCE MAY INCREASE DAMAGE OUTPUT, RESULTING IN A CRITICAL HIT.

  "What the hell! The thing scared me," Tyler thought, his heart skipping a beat as the panel manifested out of nowhere. He scanned the text, his eyes darting across the lines. *A critical hit. Huh. So this thing is saying I can deal more damage than the weapon allows by hitting a weak point or... using an excessive amount of force.*

  He looked down at the resting predator, his gaze fixing on the side of its head. *I can do more damage and increase the weapon's attack, ensuring that I kill it. The only way to do that is to also make sure I hit it.*

  He released his grip on the supporting branch and took hold of the spear with both hands, his knuckles turning white against the wood. He took a deep, steadying breath. *I'm going to increase the damage output with the weight of my body. Here I go. I'm going to jump.*

  "Now," he whispered.

  He threw himself from the branch. The wood beneath him flexed and vibrated as his weight left it, the movement causing a sharp groan from the tree. The Crimson Wolf’s head snapped up, its eyes finding his just as he reached it. Tyler gritted his teeth, centering all his weight and momentum behind the spear’s point.

  The tip struck true, driving deep into the wolf's eye. The impact jarred through Tyler’s arms and down into his legs as he hit the ground. A sharp ache flared in his joints from the fall, but he kept his feet, using his momentum to drive the weapon further. The wolf let out a sharp, strangled cry of pain.

  *Come on... Just die already!,* Tyler thought. He shoved the weapon even harder, driving it deeper into the creature's skull with a final, desperate surge of strength. The wolf’s body gave one violent twist before it went completely slack.

  Dark blood pooled outward, staining the grass and the soles of his shoes a deep, wet crimson. Tyler stood over the carcass, his chest heaving in heavy, ragged gasps. He had spent every bit of his remaining energy on the strike, and his hands trembled where they still gripped the spear.

  "I killed it..." he panted.

  He forced himself to stand up straight. As he did, the system interface materialized in front of him, the light cutting through the deepening twilight.

  LEVEL UP!LEVEL UP!LEVEL UP!