The paved stone of the empire's capital gave way to overgrown grass and packed dirt as I stepped beyond the academy's outer gates, leaving behind civilization and all the protection it offered.
Ahead of me stretched the Tangled Wilds, a massive forest known for its chaotic mana saturation, unstable terrain, and the demonic beasts that thrived in it. Most students didn't dare step foot here and even then, only under direct supervision.
But I didn't have the luxury of waiting.
Somewhere past the corrupted trees and mana-mutated predators was the Forgotten Hall, an old ruin from the game, where the Crimson Fang Pendant waited. An artifact that could strengthen me and allow me to survive a little longer. In the game, it was just a minor early dungeon reward but for me now, it was my one lifeline.
Besides I doubted the protagonist would care if I took a random minor skill.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward into the brush, heart pounding against my ribs like a war drum.
"In the game, this place was just a loading screen and a short maze path," I muttered, using my dagger to push vines aside. "Now it's trying to kill me."
The forest air was dense with magic. Trees twisted unnaturally, bark gleaming with eerie blue veins. Every sound echoed strangely. I remembered the map layout from the game a single-player RPG with branching storylines and optional areas. This one? Meant for C-Rank awakened who had at least a few dungeon clears under their belt and some decent items.
I had neither.
A rustle in the bushes to my right made me freeze. I crouched low, gripping the dagger I purchased earlier, tighter.
A demonic rabbit, fur like iron wool and fangs far too long for its size emerged. Its red eyes glinted with bloodlust.
If I remembered right… these things were Level E threats, but traveled in pairs.
I didn't wait to find its sibling.
I grabbed a loose rock, threw it hard to the left, and bolted the opposite direction the second its head turned.
Branches whipped at my face as I sprinted deeper into the forest. My lungs burned, but adrenaline kept me going.
I didn't stop until the sounds of the rabbit faded. Then I dropped behind a fallen log and waited in silence.
Minutes passed. Then five more. Nothing.
My fingers trembled as I tried hard to remember the forest route from the game. No compass, no minimap, just the foggy recollection of a side quest most players skipped.
"There's a hollow tree near a forked stone. Follow the left path, then curve back east to avoid the corrupted glade…"
It was almost like remembering an old dream. But I forced myself to trust it.
The next two hours were a haze of careful steps, narrow escapes, and breathless hiding. I avoided a horned wolf pack by scaling a low cliff, waded through waist-deep swamp water to avoid a territorial forest ape, and once almost stepped on a nest of bone scorpions creatures that would normally grant the player a paralyze debuff but would certainly end up killing me with a single sting.
I was starting to understand something very important about this world.
The game was merciful. Reality was not.
Everything here moved faster. Hit harder. Smelled worse.
By the time I reached the first actual landmark the Gnarled Warden Tree, its trunk bent into an unnatural archway, I was soaked in sweat and dirt. But also alive.
I allowed myself a moment to lean against the bark, panting.
That's when I heard the growl.
Low. Guttural. Too deep for a rabbit. Too close for comfort.
A pair of glowing yellow eyes emerged from the brush followed by a hulking form wrapped in dark matted fur and twisted bone like armor plates. A Lurker.
D-Rank demonic beast. Wayyy above my pay grade.
I didn't have time to run. It lunged.
I barely dodged, rolling to the side, but its claws grazed my arm, ripping through the uniform and drawing blood. I scrambled back, heart in my throat.
I tried to stand but my legs wouldn't move locked in place for half a second too long. That half second almost got me killed.
I reached into my pouch and pulled out a small pouch of ash gray powder, something I'd bought hastily from a back alley merchant on the way to the gate, mixed with a basic flower. It was a simple recipe from the game used to distract demonic beasts common to the region I was venturing in. I could only pray its effects would work as well as they did in the game...
I tore the pouch open with my teeth and flung the contents into the air.
A sharp, bitter scent exploded between us, forming a shimmering cloud that stung the eyes and nose. The Lurker skidded to a stop, shaking its head violently, howling in irritation and confusion.
Now!
I sprinted again, this time not bothering with stealth. My lungs burned, and my vision blurred, but I knew what came next.
I was close.
Finally, after a mad dash through thorny underbrush, I saw it a crumbling stone arch, half buried in vines and moss, barely visible unless you knew where to look.
There it was, finally: The entrance to the Forgotten Hall.
The Forgotten Hall's entrance loomed before me like a relic from another age, swallowed by time and nature's relentless grip. A crumbling stone archway, half-buried beneath thick vines and moss, marked the gateway. The air hung heavy with dampness and the faint scent of decay, carrying a chill that seemed to seep into my bones. Beyond the arch, the yawning maw of the dungeon beckoned silent, ominous, and full of untold dangers.
I stumbled inside the entrance and collapsed to my knees just inside, finally out of the beast's range. The stone air was musty and cold, but comforting. Safe.
For now.
My arm throbbed. Blood ran down to my wrist. But I was alive. For now.
I glanced back at the forest, now dark with dusk, its shadows dancing with unseen threats.
"I should be dead," I whispered.
But I wasn't.
Not yet.
Next stop, the Pendant.
And if the in game event still played out like I remembered… at the end of the dungeon a C- rank mini boss was waiting.
But for now, I had made it through the first real trial and Lucian Valric, death flag collector and walking plot casualty, had survived the Tangled Wilds.
The real game was about to begin.