Xino never expected his life to end on such a normal night.
The rain had been falling for hours, tapping softly against the window of his small bedroom. The sound was calming, almost hypnotic. Xino lay on his bed staring at the ceiling while holding his phone above his face, scrolling mindlessly through videos.
Outside, lightning flashed across the dark sky, briefly lighting up the room.
The clock on his wall read 11:47 PM.
"Man… tomorrow is going to be boring," Xino muttered.
School. Homework. Repeat.
Nothing exciting ever happened in his life.
He tossed his phone onto the bed beside him and stretched his arms.
Suddenly—
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the room went completely dark.
"Seriously?" Xino groaned. "Power outage again?"
He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The only light now came from the occasional lightning outside the window.
Xino stood up and walked over to it.
Rain poured down in heavy sheets, turning the street into a blurry mess of water and reflections. A distant car drove past slowly, its headlights cutting through the storm.
"Guess I should just go to sleep," he sighed.
But the moment he turned away from the window—
A strange blue glow appeared in front of him.
Floating.
Right in the middle of his room.
Xino froze.
"…What?"
A transparent screen hovered in the air, glowing softly like something out of a video game.
Words slowly appeared across it.
SYSTEM ACTIVATING
SEARCHING FOR HOST…
HOST FOUND: XINO
Xino blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Okay… either I'm dreaming or I finally lost my mind."
He waved his hand through the screen.
His hand passed through it like smoke.
"Okay… that's weird."
More text appeared.
SYSTEM TYPE: DANGER WARNING SYSTEM
FUNCTION: ALERT HOST WHEN IMMEDIATE LIFE-THREATENING DANGER IS DETECTED
NOTE: SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE NO OTHER INFORMATION
Xino stared at the screen.
"That's… the most useless system ever."
In the novels he read online, people got systems that gave them skills, stats, magic, leveling, and powers.
But him?
A system that just tells him when he's about to die.
"Great," he muttered sarcastically.
"Thanks for nothing."
The screen suddenly flashed red.
WARNING
IMMEDIATE DANGER DETECTED
TRUCK COLLISION IN 3 SECONDS
Xino frowned.
"Truck?"
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait—"
A blinding light exploded around him.
The loud sound of a truck horn blasted through the air.
Then—
CRASH.
Everything went black.
For a long time, there was nothing.
No sound.
No feeling.
Just darkness.
Then slowly…
Xino opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was the sky.
It was not the sky he knew.
Instead of dark blue or black, it glowed with a strange deep purple color.
"…Huh?"
The second thing he noticed was the ground.
Soft grass brushed against his arms.
Silver grass.
Actual silver-colored grass that shimmered in the light.
Xino slowly sat up.
"What… where am I?"
The world around him was completely unfamiliar.
He was standing in a large open field surrounded by enormous trees. The forest in the distance looked ancient, with trunks so wide that ten people probably couldn't wrap their arms around them.
Glowing insects floated through the air like tiny lanterns.
The air smelled fresh.
Cleaner than anything he had ever breathed before.
Then the blue screen appeared again.
TRANSMIGRATION COMPLETE
WORLD: UNKNOWN
HOST STATUS: STABLE
Xino stared at it.
"…Transmigration?"
He looked down at his body.
Still the same.
Same clothes.
Same hands.
"This has to be a joke."
He stood up slowly and looked around again.
"No buildings."
"No roads."
"No cars."
"Definitely not Earth."
The system displayed another message.
SYSTEM REMINDER
The Danger Warning System will only activate when the host is in immediate danger.
No additional functions available.
Xino sighed heavily.
"So basically you only show up when I'm about to die."
The system remained silent.
"Fantastic."
He ran a hand through his hair.
"Well… if this really is another world…"
He looked toward the giant forest.
"…then I should probably find people."
But the moment he took a step forward—
The system suddenly flashed red again.
WARNING
HOST WILL BE ATTACKED IN 6 SECONDS
Xino froze.
"…What?"
His heart immediately started racing.
"ATTACKED BY WHAT?!"
The grass behind him began rustling violently.
A deep growl echoed from the trees.
Slow.
Low.
Predatory.
Xino slowly turned around.
And then he saw it.
A wolf.
But not a normal wolf.
This creature was enormous—easily the size of a small horse. Its fur was black as night, and its eyes glowed with a terrifying red light.
Its fangs were longer than Xino's fingers.
The creature stared at him like he was dinner.
Xino's face turned pale.
"Oh… you've got to be kidding me."
The system flashed again.
WARNING
DEATH PROBABILITY: 97%
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!" Xino shouted.
The wolf lunged.
Xino's instincts exploded into action.
He jumped sideways just as the monster slammed into the ground where he had been standing seconds before.
Dirt and grass flew everywhere.
"Okay okay okay THINK!" he yelled.
The wolf turned slowly, its glowing eyes locked onto him again.
It growled.
This time louder.
Xino looked around desperately.
Then he spotted something.
A thick fallen tree branch.
Sharp at one end.
He ran toward it and grabbed it just as the wolf charged again.
His hands were shaking.
"I don't want to die here!"
The wolf leaped into the air.
Xino closed his eyes and thrust the branch forward with everything he had.
THUD.
A loud howl exploded through the field.
Xino opened his eyes.
The branch had stabbed into the wolf's shoulder.
Not deep enough to kill it—but enough to injure it badly.
The creature staggered backward, growling in pain.
For a moment it looked like it might attack again.
But then it turned and ran back into the forest.
Silence returned to the field.
Xino collapsed onto the ground breathing heavily.
His entire body was shaking.
"…I almost died."
The blue screen appeared again.
DANGER PASSED
"That's all you say?" Xino muttered weakly.
"No congratulations?"
"No reward?"
The screen disappeared.
Xino stared up at the sky.
Two moons had now risen above the horizon.
Two glowing moons.
"…Yeah," he sighed.
"I'm definitely not on Earth anymore."
He slowly stood up again.
The forest looked darker now.
More dangerous.
But somewhere inside him, a strange determination began to grow.
"If this world wants to kill me…"
He tightened his grip on the branch.
"…then I'll just have to survive."
But deep inside the forest…
Hidden between the ancient trees…
A pair of massive golden eyes had been watching the entire fight.
And whatever owned those eyes…
Was far more dangerous