A quick recap of Anka's side of the events after she was awakened.
She tried to sleep again, but a call from the System destroyed that plan.
The Delta System, the senior System responsible for Earth's situation, had decided to launch a surprise event for the top humans on the billboard.
On Earth, the Apocalypse was still ongoing, but the survivors were fighting hard to rebuild human civilization. Three years had already passed, and those who remained were now full of experience, scars, and strength.
The System also displayed the top fifty humans on a billboard. The ranking took many factors into consideration: absurd levels of power, money, allies, intelligence, influence, and many other things.
Going back to Anka's situation, she was ranked fortieth on that billboard, which meant she was included in this event for the strongest humans.
It was a surprise call for her, and one that made the situation slightly dangerous.
The event transported all fifty humans to an inhabited planet and left them to survive on their own.
Everything was broadcast online for all humans on Earth and, probably, for some alien races from space that they didn't even know existed.
However, this was not a choice the humans could make. They were required to follow the System's orders.
And so, the top fifty humans all woke up on a planet without any intelligent creatures—a wild world without technology or civilization.
It was almost noon.
From the moment Anka woke up in this scenario coordinated by the Delta System, she had been running, trying to find other humans if possible or simply looking for a decent place to settle.
And now, after running for a while and somehow going deeper into a jungle, Csendez woke up inside the human girl's mind.
For a couple of minutes, until Anka reached a spring, Csendez couldn't properly see where the human girl was.
Anka stopped in front of the small source of water, dropped to one knee, and placed her hands into the water.
It was cold and remarkably clean, but she didn't try to drink it.
This is a jungle. Why is this human girl here? Last time she was on the siren planet, and now she's in a jungle. Is this some kind of survival game?
"Zero, can you analyze this water? Is it drinkable?"
[It is safe. You can drink it, Anka.]
But the girl didn't drink.
Instead, she took a bottle from her System inventory and filled it with water.
She had many empty bottles stored in her inventory, a habit formed during the Apocalypse. Every human kept useful objects like these inside their System because no one could predict the next scenario or the next catastrophe that might strike Earth.
After resting for a while, Anka began running again.
She moved between trees and across the ground with fast, confident movements, almost as if she had spent her entire life running through jungles.
Humans are amazing. How can she move like this? Elves are good at physical activities, and the Alicorn line is also impressive. Humans might actually belong to the same category...
Apart from the occasional observations forming in Csendez's mind, there was almost no sound.
Anka didn't speak, and nothing unusual happened around them. There was only the rapidly changing scenery of the jungle.
This time, this human girl is very quiet. Last time, she was chatting nonstop with her Damionus. Is she serious because of the environment, or did something happen to her?
Anyway, this jungle seems to be one of the Beast playgrounds. I can see one of their circle marks on that rock.
A Beast playground... This could be dangerous. If I remember correctly, they like to keep dangerous animals in these territories. Also...
Her chain of thoughts suddenly stopped when several figures appeared in front of the human girl.
They were humans.
But they were fighting each other.
"Che..."
Anka made a sound of annoyance and kept a safe distance.
Then she avoided the humans and went in another direction.
Someone shouted her name, but she only increased her speed.
After running for a long time, even Anka became exhausted.
She knew that being exhausted was dangerous in a strange place like this, so she slowed down and took her time to observe the surroundings for clues.
I want to help her. This place isn't meant for humans at all.
She probably wants to reunite with her allies or find a safe place to stay.
If it's anything like the last place, they will probably be here for some time. She needs a place to stay.
Then, in front of them, the jungle suddenly opened into a clearing.
It was rather strange.
The area was surrounded by trees and plants, yet this particular piece of land was unexpectedly open.
In the distance, a massive tree stood alone in the middle of the enormous field.
Anka didn't leave the jungle immediately.
That tree was too suspicious.
It could be dangerous, and she had no intention of being killed for no reason in an unfamiliar jungle.
So she began walking around the clearing, trying to avoid the tree while continuing forward.
Because of this movement, Csendez was able to observe the tree from several different angles.
That tree is a Domus.
If this human can get close enough and enter its safe area, she could find a place to hide and rest. That book described this kind of tree as one of the best places to find small creatures that can't defend themselves.
Outside, the sky suddenly became covered with clouds.
A storm was coming.
A big one.
Anka looked at the sky for a moment.
Then she looked at the tree in the distance.
Her eyes moved from the tree to the jungle and back again.
She seemed to be deciding where she had the greatest chance of surviving.
Then she started running toward the tree.
The System immediately spoke.
[Anka! This tree is dangerous. It is a tree with its own will and consciousness. It is extremely aggressive toward everything that moves. Even other plants cannot approach it! Stop!]
"If it's dangerous for everyone, then I'll be safe underneath it. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
[...]
[If you say so. Be careful, then.]
This is a good choice. After all, there are many creatures in the jungle that like water. Most of them are poisonous and difficult to find. These Beasts like hunting in difficult environments. A bunch of fools who only want the thrill of it.
As Anka approached, the real size of the tree was finally revealed.
From a human perspective, it was enormous.
It was almost as tall as a ten-story building.
An immense structure of wood that was not only tall but incredibly wild.
When Anka got close enough to move beneath its branches, the roots suddenly left the ground and began chasing her.
But her speed was too great.
She also moved as though she already knew where the roots would come from.
After some time avoiding them, Anka finally reached the trunk.
There was a large hole in the wood, and the roots no longer tried to chase her.
After resting for a moment, she entered the hole and dropped down onto the ground.
There was a cave inside.
A large one, filled with glowing crystals.
Hmm... The claw marks tell me that this is a cave used by some kind of feline. Maybe a black panther or a gray one. The white ones only live in the mountains, so a black one is more likely.
Black panthers also tend to live alone or in small family groups. This human girl should be able to defend herself easily in this situation.
[Anka, this cave seems to be occupied by another creature. Stay alert and prepare for a battle. Since a storm is coming, it will probably return home.]
"I know, Zero."
After that, the girl sat down on the ground and carefully examined the cave.
It was large.
There was a passage on the right wall, but it was completely dark because there were no crystals illuminating that part.
The hole through which Anka had entered was in the ceiling.
There was also an area where some hay had been placed, obviously forming a nest.
There were several bones as well, most likely belonging to birds.
The entire cave was surprisingly clean. Strange, but still acceptable.
While Anka waited for the cave's inhabitant to return, Csendez became lost in her own thoughts.
I've already been here for quite some time. I wonder how long this will continue.
If I stay here longer than a day, what will happen to my body? Could Damionus sense something? I never have him with me when I sleep...
I suppose I'll have trouble if I miss a class, but some students were missing yesterday and nobody seemed to care. Maybe it's not a big deal.
Even if this dream isn't as productive as the last one, I can finally see more of the outside world. Reading isn't nearly as interesting as actually seeing things.
Also, this human girl feels different from last time. Very different.
Something was approaching from the hole.
Anka stood up immediately and prepared herself.
A battle was probably about to happen, and a surprise attack was always a strong move.
Csendez focused on the entrance as well, excited to see an animal and experience a fight from this perspective.
A shadow appeared at the entrance.
Anka slowly approached, using the crystals as cover.
A spear appeared in her hands, glowing silver. Its light mixed perfectly with the glow of the crystals.
The next moment, an animal resembling a tiger from Earth emerged from the tunnel.
It was similar to some of the smaller Beast transformations Csendez had seen before.
Its body was roughly the size of a human's, although its four-legged posture made it appear smaller.
Its eyes glowed with an amber color, with a sharp line running from one corner to the other.
In its mouth was a bird almost as large as its head, still moving weakly.
Anka prepared to cleanly cut the creature's head off.
But she froze.
This animal has awakened a will.
Impressive. So it has evolved into a subrace of the Beast species.
But why did this human stop? She could have killed it already.
After losing the best moment to attack, Anka put her weapon back into her inventory.
Then she made a small noise to make the animal aware of her presence.
The large feline froze in fear for a moment.
Then it jumped backward, preparing to fight.
Anka raised one hand.
She placed the other against the ground and looked directly into the Beast's eyes. Her expression was calm and firm. It was a universal sign of submission.
She was telling it that she didn't want to fight.
Then she opened her mouth and spoke.
"Sorry for invading your territory, but I was tired, and it started raining outside. I need a place to rest and stay for a few days. Then I'll leave. Can you speak to me?"
The animal remained on guard.
It slowly moved backward, creating a safe distance between itself and Anka. Then it dropped the bird from its mouth. The bird fell to the ground, and the feline placed one of its front paws over it.
Only then did it speak.
"What Beast?"
"Excuse me?"
"What type of Beast are you?!"
"I am not a Beast. I am a human. This is my only possible form."
The feline stared at her in disbelief.
"I don't know what a 'human' is. Are you a subrace?"
"I don't know either."
"How can you not know this? Why are you here, then?"
Anka seemed uncomfortable answering, but she decided to tell the truth.
"The Delta System brought me and the other humans here and left us to survive alone for a period of time."
The feline's expression changed immediately.
I take back what I said. She is still the same. That was too honest and too much information. She will suffer one day because of this...
"System?! You mean Damionus?! That means... they are watching us right now! Are they?!"
The human girl didn't understand his reaction, but she nodded once.
"Yes. It is being broadcast online."
She didn't even finish speaking before the feline turned and ran into the tunnel.
Within moments, he was gone. Anka stood there in confusion. Then she asked her System.
"Zero, why was that animal so afraid?"
[I don't have this information. I have never had contact with an awakened subrace before, and this is not a subject that is openly discussed or widely circulated.]
Csendez, who had been watching silently, finally began thinking freely.
Hmm... so this System doesn't know this. That's rather strange. It knows about gods and legends, but not about something that seems like common knowledge?
Subraces must be a delicate subject for every race to approach, but it isn't exactly taboo.
This Beast's reaction was normal. If the Beasts discover that an animal in their hunting grounds has awakened a will, they will probably hunt it without hesitation. A fun game for them.
This tiger is a subrace in reality. It has a mind and a soul capable of becoming conscious. But Beast society doesn't recognize it as one.
Without an official family or recognized status, its life is still treated as that of an animal.
And that means it can be hunted. Not because it is dangerous... but simply because society still considers it prey.
That's tragic. But I suppose this is the law of the Beast race. They decide how their subraces are treated, and that isn't something another race can simply change.
After that episode, everything fell silent again. The girl sat down and tried to rest for a while. She had been running and constantly staying alert throughout the entire day.
Eventually, a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
So, when she closed her eyes to rest, Csendez felt that familiar sensation again.
She was being pulled back into her own body.
She would wake up in the next moment.