The wolves circled them slowly.
Red eyes glowed in the dark.
Saliva dripped from their jaws as they growled, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
Koizo's back hit the cliff edge.
One more step and he'd fall.
Beside him, the elf girl pulled an arrow from her quiver with shaking hands.
"There are too many," she whispered. "Even experienced adventurers avoid wolf packs."
Koizo swallowed.
"Any good ideas?"
She gave him a flat look.
"If I had one, we wouldn't be trapped."
The wolves moved closer.
A giant wolf stepped forward. Twice the size of the others. Scars covered its body.
A system window popped up.
Monster Identified: Dire Alpha WolfLevel: 8
Koizo almost screamed.
"Level 8?! I'm level 2!"
The wolf roared.
The pack lunged.
"RUN!" the elf shouted.
They jumped.
Cold air rushed past as they fell off the cliff.
Koizo braced for death again.
Instead, they crashed into a river below.
Water exploded around them.
Koizo sank, spinning underwater, armor dragging him down.
He kicked desperately and surfaced, coughing.
The elf girl floated nearby, holding onto a rock.
"Over here!" she shouted.
Koizo swam to her, barely managing to reach shallow water.
They crawled onto the riverbank, soaked and exhausted.
Above them, wolves howled in frustration from the cliff.
Koizo lay flat on his back, panting.
"Okay… I'm officially traumatized."
The elf stared at him, confused.
"Trauma?"
"Nothing. Forget it."
Silence settled between them as the night wind blew.
A system notification appeared.
Emergency Quest Complete!
Reward Obtained: Hidden Class Candidate UnlockedReward Obtained: Bonus EXP
Light flashed around Koizo.
Level Up!Level 3 reached.Stat points gained: 5
Koizo sat up instantly.
"Wait. Hidden class candidate?"
A new menu opened.
Hidden Class Candidate: Survivalist
Conditions met:• Survived fatal encounter• Won battle against stronger enemies• Demonstrated escape instinct
Hidden class will unlock after meeting additional conditions.
Koizo grinned.
"Okay, that sounds cool."
The elf stared at the floating menu.
"You… have blessings from a spirit?"
"Huh?"
She pointed.
"That glowing board."
Koizo blinked.
"You can see it?"
She shook her head.
"No. But your eyes keep moving like you're reading something."
"Oh."
He laughed awkwardly.
"Hard to explain."
She stood and brushed dirt from her armor.
"My name is Lyra."
Koizo blinked.
"Lyra?"
She nodded.
"Scout of the nearby village. I was tracking goblins when I saw you fighting."
Koizo stood too.
"I'm Koizo. Uh… traveler?"
"Traveler?" she repeated skeptically.
He quickly nodded.
"Yep. Traveling. Definitely not someone who fell from the sky."
She stared at him.
"…You fell from the sky, didn't you?"
Koizo looked away.
"…Maybe."
Lyra sighed.
"You're strange. But you helped reduce goblin numbers, so thank you."
Koizo scratched his head.
"No problem. They tried to kill me first."
Lyra walked toward the forest path.
"You can't stay here. Monsters hunt near rivers at night."
Koizo hurried after her.
"So where are we going?"
"My village. Riverwood."
"Is it safe?"
"For beginners like you? Yes."
"Hey!"
She smirked slightly.
Koizo opened his status menu while walking.
Name: KoizoLevel: 3
HP: 150/150MP: 60/60
Strength: 7Agility: 8Vitality: 7Magic: 5Luck: 6
Unassigned Stat Points: 10
"So I can just become stronger whenever I level up…"
He dumped points into Agility and Strength.
His body felt lighter instantly.
He nearly tripped.
"Whoa."
Lyra glanced back.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just… adjusting."
They walked through the dark forest carefully.
Night creatures cried in the distance.
Koizo's stomach growled.
"I just realized… I haven't eaten since dying."
Lyra blinked.
"…Since what?"
"Nothing."
After a while, lights appeared ahead.
Wooden walls surrounded a small village. Torches flickered near a guarded gate.
Two men in leather armor stood watch.
Lyra waved.
"Open the gate!"
The guards relaxed.
"Lyra? You're back late."
They noticed Koizo.
"Who's the kid?"
"Traveler," she answered.
"He helped fight goblins."
The guards looked impressed.
"At his age?"
Koizo puffed his chest slightly.
"Yep."
They opened the gate.
Inside, the village felt warm.
Small houses lined dirt roads. People talked around campfires. Children laughed while chasing each other.
Koizo felt something strange.
Comfort.
Like he actually belonged somewhere.
Lyra led him to a large building.
"Adventurers rest here. You can sleep tonight."
A muscular man behind the counter looked up.
"Lyra! Back already?"
She nodded.
"Goblins cleared. Also found a rookie."
The man studied Koizo.
"Name?"
"Koizo."
"You fight?"
"…Kind of."
The man laughed.
"Good enough. First night's free."
Koizo bowed slightly.
"Thanks."
Lyra turned to leave.
Koizo hesitated.
"Wait."
She looked back.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for helping earlier."
She shrugged.
"You jumped off a cliff with me. We're even."
Then she left.
Koizo went upstairs to a small room.
A bed.
A table.
A tiny window.
Simple.
But perfect.
He collapsed onto the mattress.
"This is actually happening…"
He opened his menu again.
Quests popped up.
New Quest Available
Visit the Adventurers Guild tomorrow.
Reward: Beginner Registration Bonus
Koizo smiled.
"Adventurer, huh?"
Just like the games.
But real.
Painful.
Dangerous.
And exciting.
His eyes slowly closed.
But far away in the forest, something moved.
A massive shadow crawled across the trees.
Glowing eyes opened.
A monster far stronger than wolves.
Watching the village.
And somehow…
Watching Koizo.