Eating and enjoying all the food, belching from the delicious dinner—his first real meal in this world—he simply stood and stretched, then sat back down by the fire.
"Ahh, alright... one, two... well, time to figure out what you are."
Sitting cross-legged, he stared into the flickering flames and addressed the system directly.
"What are you? What am I doing in this world? Why am I in this child's body? What is your goal?... Your purpose?"
Shanz fired off question after question, then waited for an answer. But after several minutes, there was no sound from the system—only silence surrounding him in the quiet woods.
He frowned, leaning forward. "Come on... you were chatty enough before. Giving me tips about checking time, showing me maps..." He paused, thinking back to how the system had responded earlier. "Maybe you only answer specific things? Or maybe..."
The fire crackled softly as he continued to wait, the dancing flames casting shadows across his young face. The silence stretched on, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the lingering taste of surprisingly decent goblin meat.
"Or maybe you're not the chatty type when it comes to the big questions," he muttered, poking at the fire with a stick.
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
-
[SYSTEM]
Achievement Unlocked → [Primitive Appetite]
Description: You have adapted to consuming raw and unusual foods.
[TRAIT ACQUIRED]
Name: Primitive Appetite
Effect: Immunity to nausea and vomiting from eating raw or strange foods.
Bonus: Enhanced digestion of unconventional meals.
-
"Hmm, a trait? I'm not overpowered yet, but… this is about what I expected." He tapped the display thoughtfully, eyes narrowing as he mulled over how many stats seemed to flow directly from the system. A flicker of suspicion crossed his face.
As he scanned the glowing text, something unusual caught his eye. His grin stretched wider, a chuckle slipping out.
But he never revealed what he saw.
He let out a long sigh as his gaze lowered. A faint shimmer lingered in the air before the display finally dissolved into nothingness.
As the glow faded, his mind wandered. This whole system… it's like something out of my memories.
He recalled the games he once played, the books stacked high on his desk, and the countless hours lost in manga, novels, manhwa, and manhua. The patterns were there—the quests, the skills, the stats—it all looked familiar, almost recycled, yet alive in a way that made his chest tighten with unease.
His eyes opened wide and he breathed heavily, panting as thoughts raced through his mind. This system wasn't like the others he remembered from games—it was much different. It felt... empty, hollow.
Seems like this is it, huh? I can see through the system now by remembering all those memories, he muttered to himself.
The system wasn't some grand intelligence with its own agenda—it was just there, mechanically responding to his actions and accomplishments.
No deeper purpose, no hidden motives.
Just a tool that reacted to what he did.
He inhaled and exhaled once more before settling down to sleep in the cold night. It had been a smart idea to start the fire—it would keep his body warm through his sleep.
He lay down on the forest floor, using his arm as a makeshift pillow, and closed his eyes. The crackling flames and the day's exhaustion pulled him into a deep slumber.
The system is alive in the sense that it functions, but it's essentially empty—just following his achievements without any greater consciousness or purpose behind it.
Morning arrived, painting the forest in soft gold. Birds chirped and sang, flitting from branch to branch, while a gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead.
The cool air carried the earthy scent of damp soil and moss, mingling with the faint smoke lingering from last night's fire. Shanz had made it through the night without trouble, the warmth from the fire still lingering on his skin.
He blinked against the sun's bright rays filtering through the canopy, sitting up slowly. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms wide, letting a deep yawn escape.
"Hmm… I love this kind of peace," he murmured, letting his gaze wander across the quiet forest. The leaves swayed gently in the breeze, birds trilled overhead, and the faint scent of earth and pine drifted through the air.
"No shouting neighbors… no cars, no honking engines, no people talking or walking… no early cooking smells. Just… a normal day."
He inhaled deeply, letting the serenity settle into his chest. The soft rustle of the trees and the warm glow of sunlight on the forest floor all seemed to whisper a promise of calm—at least for now.
Thinking in peace he remembers that anew day of journey awaits him, he check the time raising his arm.
A soft chimed pops up
-
[SYSTEM]
Time Log Updated
World Time: 7:36:-- AM
Cycle: Morning
-
Checking the time, his eyes wandered as he scanned his surroundings—the corpse, goblin pieces scattered about, and the cold ashes where his fire had been. "Hmm, since the soldier does have armor... I gotta take it. "He approached the skeletal remains, studying the various pieces.
The breastplate was too large to wear, but it could work as a makeshift shield or even a cooking surface. The leather straps and buckles could be invaluable for crafting. "This chainmail... if I cut it up, I could make a bag or pouch," he muttered, examining the metal links.
The gauntlets were oversized, but the leather palms could be useful material. Even the helmet, while too big for his head, could serve as a water container or cooking pot.
Shanz began systematically dismantling the armor, thinking practically about each piece. Leather for binding, metal for tools, straps for carrying equipment.
In a survival situation, everything had potential value if you looked at it the right way. "Sorry, but I need this stuff more than you do,"
he said to the skeleton as he worked, treating the remains with quiet respect while salvaging what he could.
A chimed sound pops up.
-
[SYSTEM]
Achievement Unlocked : [Salvaging For Uses]
Effect: Inventory capacity increased > 15 slots
Reward: Intelligence +3
[ATTRIBUTE UPDATE]
Intelligence: 1 > 4
-
A faint shimmer lingered in the air before the display slowly faded from sight.
His eyes widened and he grinned, getting a good reaction from the system's reward.
"What a coincidence that it would like to help me, isn't it? Well, I gotta stuff them into my inventory now. Open inventory!"
-
[INVENTORY ADDING BOX] (0 / 15 slots)
-
Shanz stared at the empty inventory slots, then looked at the pile of armor pieces he'd gathered. "Fifteen slots... that should be enough for the important stuff."
He started picking up items systematically - first the chainmail pieces that could be repurposed into bags, then the leather straps and buckles, followed by the smaller metal components that might serve as tools. The breastplate would take up a slot but could serve multiple functions.
"Let's see... chainmail scraps, leather straps, buckles, breastplate..." he muttered as he selected each item, watching them disappear into his inventory with small flashes of light. "This is actually pretty convenient. No more carrying everything by hand."
As each piece vanished into the magical storage, he felt a sense of satisfaction. The dead knight's equipment would live on, helping him survive in this dangerous world. It felt like a fitting tribute to whoever the warrior had been.
Once again he stretched his arms out start jumping 3 times. Exercising getting ready for the adventure.
"Alright all done, let's go" He bows to the corpse then ready to get out of the woods, as he walks past to the corpse that now his adventure starts.
A chimed sound pops up
-
[SYSTEM]
[INTELLIGENCE PASSIVE ACQUIRED]
Passive Skill: Goblin Language
Effect: You are now able to understand and communicate in the Goblin tongue.
-
"...What?" He gasped at the thought, staring at the display. It didn't sound like a big deal to him at first.
"Well, it does have some use... talking it out with those dumb goblins since communication is the key...
"His voice carried doubt as he considered the implications.
The skill had appeared without him doing anything specific to earn it—just from eating the goblin meat, presumably.
It felt almost too convenient, like the system was giving him tools he didn't fully understand yet."Communication with goblins..." he muttered, turning back to continue his journey.
"That could be useful... or dangerous. What if they're not as dumb as I think they are?"
He shook his head and kept walking, dismissing the notification but filing the information away.
The skill would either prove valuable or irrelevant, but for now, he had more immediate concerns—like finding civilization and figuring out how to survive in this world long-term.
The forest continued to thin around him as he moved forward, each step taking him closer to whatever lay beyond the Woods of Veylith.
His journey carried him deeper through the woods. Leaves brushed against his shoulders as he walked, branches creaked in the breeze, and sunlight trickled through the canopy in shifting patches. At one point, he crouched beside a river, cupping cool water into his hands and drinking until his throat no longer burned with thirst.
The forest around him was alive with birdsong. Clouds drifted lazily overhead while the trees swayed gently, their shadows dancing across the ground.
Hours passed before he finally pushed through the last stretch of trees. "Ahhh, finally!" he groaned, panting from the long trek.
Dropping onto the ground, he sat cross-legged and inhaled deeply, exhaling in sharp gasps as his chest rose and fell.
His eyes roamed the clearing, scanning the environment—until something beside him caught his attention.
Half-buried in the dirt was a broken arrow, its shaft snapped clean in two. He picked it up, turning it in his hand, confusion flickering across his face. "…Why's there a broken arrow out here?"
Standing again, he scanned the area more carefully. Beautiful flowers dotted the landscape, vibrant and unique, but scattered among them were wilted, dead ones that didn't belong.
His frown deepened. Something about this place felt… wrong.
He turned, and his eyes widened.
Breath caught in his throat as his grip tightened instinctively on the broken arrow.
In the distance lay farmland.
"A farmland? No… wait. That's not fog…" His voice lowered, uneasy. "That looks like smoke. And the color—it's way too gray."
The haze twisted unnaturally, carrying the bitter look of ash and fire. As his gaze traveled further, his stomach dropped—fences splintered and fallen, buildings collapsed and broken.
"Dammit… I can't just ignore this. I've got to see what's going on."
He wasted no time. His feet pounded the dirt as he sprinted toward the farmland, each step faster than the last. Vaulting the shattered fence, he landed hard in the mud.
The wet earth splashed up around him, caking his boots.
He froze, scanning the wreckage. Crops were ruined, fields torn apart as if ripped from the soil by desperate hands. Roots jutted out wildly, messily scattered across the ground.
Crouching, he grabbed a fistful of mud mixed with shredded roots, letting it slip between his fingers. His eyes narrowed.
"Mud? These were crops… but they've been torn out—stolen. The roots are a mess… Hm. What the hell happened here?"
He walked on, not bothering to cover his nose despite the stench clinging thick in the air. His grip tightened around the katana, one arm raised, the other drawn back in a firm stance. Each step was measured, steady, though his senses sharpened with every passing second.
Then it came—the sharp, metallic scent of blood. His nostrils flared, his pace slowing.
"Blood? Why is there a bloo—" He stuttered, the words catching in his throat. His eyes widened slightly, though his breathing steadied, calm and deliberate.
"I've watched plenty of horror and gore movies before… I'm not afraid. I've smelled stronger than this." He muttered, as if reassuring himself, pressing on through the ruined farmland.
The path opened wider, and his heart dropped when he saw it. Beyond the farmland, hidden by the morning fog and smoke, stood a small town—or what was left of it.
He froze in place. His body hesitated, the sight locking him where he stood. His eyes quivered, fear creeping in at the edges, but he forced his jaw to tighten, his stance to hold. He refused to let the dread win.
"What the fuck…? Why is there so much blood—"
The words barely left his lips before his gaze swept further. Pools of crimson painted the dirt roads, splashing against shattered walls and broken carts.
And then he saw them.
Bodies. Piled on top of one another, limbs bent at unnatural angles. Some were missing entirely, severed arms and legs scattered across the ground like discarded tools. Heads rolled away from their bodies, eyes still frozen in terror.
The once-quiet town was now nothing but a graveyard drenched in blood.
"This is straight out of a horror movie… more like one of those final misfortune films." His voice was low, grim, as he stepped carefully through the ruined town. His eyes swept the destruction. "This is just too cruel."
Collapsed buildings leaned against one another like broken bones. Others had been reduced to piles of rubble, dust still clinging faintly to the air. Yet Shanz pressed on, his grip on the katana firm as his boots echoed against the blood-stained ground.
Up ahead, a cracked stone fountain rose in the middle of the square. Its presence marked the heart of the town, the central square. He narrowed his eyes, muttering under his breath.
"Hmm… looks like the whole place was utterly destroyed. Maybe a raid? Or an occupation? But then… why leave it like this?" His gaze lingered on the fountain. "That must be the central square. I should check—"
The words froze in his throat.
His body stiffened, eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. Around the fountain stood a grotesque mountain of corpses, stacked carelessly one over another.
Most of the bodies were women, their forms twisted in death but limbs left intact. In contrast, the men's bodies were far more brutalized—heads torn away, skulls scattered across the stone like broken pottery.
The fountain itself had become a vessel of horror. What should have been clear water now ran red, a pool of blood overflowing at its base, seeping into the cracked stone.
Shanz froze, body stiff in his stance, eyes locked on the gruesome sight before him. His throat tightened, but the words slipped out anyway.
"Damn… what the hell is really going on here? I just got summoned four days ago, and I'm already running into something like this? Give me a break…"
His gaze lingered on the stacked corpses, unease twisting into something stranger. A nervous chuckle escaped him.
"Well… not gonna lie, those were some beautiful tits… I've always been a fan."
The humor was crude, out of place, but it was the only shield he had against the horror in front of him.
Scanning the carnage around him, Shanz kept talking to himself, desperate to drown out the fear clawing at his chest.
"I mean, seriously… I died a virgin. My only pleasure to use was with my own damn hands, masturbating 2x a day. Never even had a proper kiss… gawd damn it, that's just sad."
His laugh came out shaky, echoing unnaturally in the empty, blood-soaked square. Every word was less about jokes and more about survival—anything to keep his mind from snapping at the horror in front of him.
Shanz scoured the ruins, searching desperately for anything useful. Nothing—no potions, no gear, no scraps worth keeping. Only rubble and blood.
"Is there really nothing here? Weapons, equipment… even a potion? C'mon…"
His eyes caught a glint on the bloodstained cobblestone. A scabbard, cracked and splattered with dried crimson. He bent down and lifted it, wiping the filth away with his sleeve.
"Well, would you look at that…" he muttered with a faint grin, sliding his katana into the sheath. "Not lookin' so bad now, huh?"
But before he could even savor the find, the earth shuddered beneath his feet. A thunderous boom echoed across the ruined town, followed by another… and another. Shanz's instincts flared, and he darted behind the remains of a shattered barrel, holding his breath.
Then he saw it.
A massive, grotesque foot—green, veined, and bigger than his entire body—slammed down onto the cobblestone with a quake that rattled his bones. The shadow it cast loomed over the square, blotting out the sun.
Shanz's eyes widened in shock. His grip tightened on his katana.
"What… the actual… hell…"