The forest stretched on, quiet and unknowable.
Leon moved between the silver-leafed trees at a cautious pace, every step cushioned by soft moss and fallen petals that crunched quietly under his boots. He kept one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other ready to pull out a potion if things went sideways. His breath was steady, though his heart hadn't quite accepted that he was no longer just playing a game on his phone.
Minutes turned into an hour. He didn't find roads. Or signs. Or even ruins. Just more trees, more silver leaves, and the occasional flutter of something that might have been a bird.
"Okay," he muttered, ducking under a low branch that tried to smack him in the face. "No dragons, no goblins, not even a tutorial NPC offering me bread and exposition. Just trees. Lots and lots of trees."
Eventually, he slowed to a stop.
His stomach growled, loud enough that a squirrel on a nearby limb darted off like it owed him money.
Leon stopped and leaned against the bark of a wide tree, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Right. Food. That whole staying alive thing that everyone keeps talking about."
He pulled his phone out and checked the time instinctively, then remembered it didn't sync to Earth anymore. Still, the battery bar hadn't moved from full, which was nice.
"Okay. Hunt mode," he said, looking around at the forest like it was a puzzle to solve. "Let's think. What's realistic to catch with a sword, little mana, and no traps?"
He pictured his options:
"Boar. Big. Dangerous. Might skewer me on tusks. Plus, how do you even sneak up on something that size?"
"Deer. Fast. Too fast. Probably laugh at me while running away."
"Rabbit. Ideal. Small. Doable. Tastes like chicken if I cook it right."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Rabbits it is. Operation: Bunny Buffet begins now."
Just as he stepped forward, a sudden rustle passed through the underbrush.
Birds took off from the treetops in a burst of color and feathers, not one or two, but dozens. Something had spooked them badly. The forest suddenly felt too quiet, like it was holding its breath.
Leon froze.
"That's not normal," he whispered.
His instincts, heightened by Combat Intuition, tugged at him like a warning bell. Danger. Close. Real danger. He crouched low, slipping behind the thick base of a nearby tree, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He squinted in the direction of the disturbance. The trees ahead were shifting, something big was moving through them, and it wasn't being subtle about it.
Then—
A scream.
Not distant. Not faint. Close. Female. And absolutely terrified.
Leon's breath caught.
He hesitated for a split second, every survival instinct screaming at him to stay hidden.
"Don't be dumb," he whispered to himself. "Don't charge in. It could be a trap. A monster mimicking sounds. Or bait. Or worse..."
He clenched his fists, torn between self-preservation and something deeper.
Then, gritting his teeth, he whispered, "Inspect."
His vision shimmered faintly, and two glowing silhouettes lit up through the thicket like heat signatures.
---
[Target 1]
> Name: —
> Race: Flame-Mane Lion
> Rank: Intermediate
> Skills:
> Ember Prowl: Silent movement cloaked in flame
> Incinerating Roar: Emits a concussive, fire-infused shockwave
> Heat Haze Cloak: Generates a shimmering distortion around its body, deflecting ranged attacks
> Predator's Mark: Locks onto prey and increases pursuit speed and attack ferocity
---
Leon's eyes went wide.
The creature was massive, bigger than any lion had a right to be. Its mane wasn't fur. It was actual flame, flickering in deep oranges and reds, with embers that licked around its skull like a crown of fire. Its muscles flexed like coiled springs under fur lined with veins that glowed like molten lava.
"I am not ready for this," Leon whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "That thing could turn me into grilled newbie meat in five seconds flat."
But the other target...
---
[Target 2]
> Name: Isla
> Race: Demi-human (Fox)
> Job Class: Tailed One (Variant 'Locked')
> Rank: Novice
> Skills:
> Spirit Pulse: Emits a small burst of spiritual energy to repel attackers
> Tailwind Escape: Short dash boosted by inner mana
>Mana Sense (Genius)
---
Leon's breath caught for an entirely different reason.
The girl was standing, barely. She was dressed in what had once been noble silks, now torn and stained from her desperate flight through the forest. Her snowy white hair was long and tangled, fox ears twitching in panic atop her head. A single fluffy tail quivered behind her, its pristine white now dusted with leaves and dirt. She was breathing hard, cornered against a tree with nowhere left to run.
And the lion was approaching slowly, embers curling beneath its paws with each step.
"She's..." Leon swallowed hard. "She's beautiful. And completely outmatched."
His instincts screamed at him to stay hidden. This wasn't his fight. He was a newbie. A level one nobody who'd been in this world for all of two hours.
But something else pushed louder.
A voice in his head. Maybe Helios's. Maybe his own.
'This'll look great on your transmigrator resume.'
Leon rolled his eyes at himself. "Really? That's the reason I'm going to charge a fire-lion? Because I think it'll make a good first impression?!"
He reached for the hilt of his sword anyway.
The Flame-Mane Lion lowered itself into a crouch, preparing to pounce. Its eyes locked onto the fox girl, and Leon could see the predatory intelligence there. It was toying with her, enjoying the fear.
Isla, that was her name, according to the Inspect, pressed her back against the tree, her hands glowing faintly with what must have been mana. But Leon could see she was exhausted. Whatever she'd been running from, it had pushed her to her limit.
"Spirit Pulse," she whispered, and a small burst of energy shot from her palms.
The lion barely flinched. The attack bounced off its Heat Haze Cloak like a pebble hitting a windshield.
Leon's grip tightened on his sword.
His mouth was dry. His hands were shaking. Every logical part of his brain was screaming that this was suicide.
But he stepped from behind the tree anyway.
Not loudly. Not dramatically. But deliberately.
A single step.
One choice.
One decision that would either save a life or end his own.
"Hey!" he called out, his voice carrying across the clearing. "Pick on someone your own size!"
Both the lion and the girl turned toward him in surprise. The lion's flaming mane flared brighter, and Leon could feel the heat from twenty feet away.
"Actually," Leon muttered, hefting his sword, "you're way bigger than me. This was a terrible idea."
But he didn't back down.
The Flame-Mane Lion's eyes narrowed, and it let out a low growl that sounded like a bonfire crackling.
Leon raised his sword, the blade catching the filtered sunlight.
"Come on then," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Let's see what this DLC Overlord thing can really do."
The lion's muscles coiled.
Isla stared at him with wide, amber eyes.
And Leon prepared to fight his first real battle in Eldros.
Whether he'd survive it was another question entirely.