The forest was no longer peaceful.
What had first appeared as a dreamlike sanctuary slowly revealed its true nature as Ren walked deeper between the towering glowing trees. The soft blue lights drifting in the air now felt less like beauty and more like watchful eyes.
Every sound mattered.
Every movement carried danger.
Leaves crunched beneath his boots. Somewhere above, branches shifted as unseen creatures leapt from tree to tree. A distant roar echoed across the vast woodland like a warning meant for intruders.
Ren tightened his grip on the rifle.
"This world doesn't give second chances for free," he murmured.
He had walked for nearly an hour, guided only by instinct. The system panel occasionally flickered at the edge of his vision, showing faint signals of nearby lifeforms — most of them labeled with threat levels he did not yet understand.
His senses felt sharper than ever before.
He could smell damp soil. Hear wind brushing against bark. Even the faint rhythm of his own heartbeat sounded louder in the quiet wilderness.
Then he felt it.
Danger.
His body reacted before his thoughts could form. He stepped sideways just as something massive crashed through the bushes where he had been standing.
A monster emerged.
It resembled a wolf, but its body was grotesquely enlarged, its muscles twisting unnaturally beneath dark green fur. Jagged bone spikes protruded from its spine, and thick saliva dripped from its open jaws onto the ground with a soft hiss.
Its eyes glowed with hunger.
Ren's breath slowed.
"So… this is my first opponent."
Fear rose inside him — real and undeniable. Even with a young body and a divine weapon, he was still inexperienced. One mistake could mean death again.
But this time, he was not helpless.
The beast lunged.
Time seemed to stretch.
His mind grew strangely calm as he raised the rifle. Invisible calculations filled his awareness — distance, speed, angle. It felt as if the weapon itself was guiding him toward survival.
His finger pulled the trigger.
Thunder shattered the forest.
A burst of radiant light exploded from the rifle's barrel, slamming into the monster's shoulder. The impact threw the creature sideways into a tree with bone-cracking force.
Ren staggered slightly from the recoil but kept his footing.
"…Incredible."
He had expected power.
He had not expected dominance.
The monster howled, struggling to rise despite its shattered limb. Rage burned in its glowing eyes as it forced its broken body forward again.
It refused to die.
Ren understood that feeling.
He sidestepped at the last moment and fired a second shot. The bullet pierced straight through the beast's skull. Blood and fragments of bone scattered across the glowing grass as the massive body collapsed only a few steps away from him.
Silence followed.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Ren stared at the fallen creature.
This was the first life he had taken.
A strange mixture of relief and unease settled in his chest. Killing had come too easily. Too naturally. As if this new existence had already decided what role he would play in this world.
Then the corpse began to glow.
Faint particles rose from the monster's body and drifted toward him like mist drawn into a storm. They sank into his skin, filling him with a subtle warmth that spread through his limbs.
The system voice returned.
—FIRST HUNT COMPLETE.
—EXPERIENCE GAINED.
—STAT GROWTH INITIATED.
Ren closed his eyes briefly.
Strength.
Not overwhelming — not yet — but real. Tangible. Earned through survival.
When he opened them again, his gaze was steadier.
"I can live here," he said softly.
"And if I can live… I can become stronger."
Wind moved through the forest once more.
This time, it carried new sounds.
More monsters were coming.
He lifted the rifle and began to walk toward the darkness.