Whoosh!
A streak of light suddenly appeared, slowly taking the shape of a beautiful girl—Shion.
The moment she glanced around, her expression shifted to one of wariness.
"A... forest?" She murmured softly.
She was surrounded by an incredibly dense forest. Towering trees, each standing ten to twenty meters tall, stretched endlessly in every direction.
Birds chirped from somewhere to the right, but even their calls carried an eerie undertone.
Overhead, the thick layer of leaves blocked most of the sunlight, allowing only a few scattered rays to pierce through.
Ding!
At that moment, a notification sound echoed from the front. Shion quickly turned her gaze in that direction and saw a system panel floating in the air.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she read the message.
"The administrator, Sylvia?" She whispered, lost in thought.
It was a message from the administrator Quinella had mentioned.
According to the information, the main mission would begin tomorrow—but before that, she had to complete a side quest.
As she processed this, another panel appeared beside her, displaying the mission details.
[Main Mission]: 23:58 (Countdown)
[Side Mission]: Collect ten seeds from the Rue Flowers.
Reward: Two level points
Penalty for Failure: None
"Rue Flowers? What kind of flower is that?" she wondered, surprised.
She tapped the Side Mission column, and instantly, a detailed explanation appeared before her.
[Rue Flower]: A flower that thrives in humid areas with direct sunlight. It commonly grows near streams.
[Uses]: The seeds can be processed into an herbal remedy that nourishes the body. It is said that as long as the person consuming it is still alive, their recovery is guaranteed.
'So that's how it works,' she murmured, rubbing her chin.
She hadn't expected a flower with such potent properties. If it had existed on Earth, she was certain that medical science would have made significant progress.
But she knew that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"Well then..." Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and a smile curved on her lips. "Let's go find that flower!"
...
"Ouch!"
On the other side of the forest, three teenagers fell from the sky and hit the ground hard.
They groaned in pain, wincing as they endured the impact.
"Damn... my back feels crushed," Daniel grumbled, his brow furrowed.
"Same here," Kael added, his face flushed. "I think my spine's broken. It feels horrible."
Johan didn't say a word, but the pained look on his face and his stiff movements made it clear he wasn't doing any better.
Five minutes passed. The pain gradually faded, and they finally managed to get back on their feet.
"Where are we?" Daniel asked, confused, as he rubbed his back.
He glanced around, seeing nothing but a dense wall of trees.
"I don't know… But it looks like we landed in a relatively safe place," Kael replied, though his tone was uncertain.
"Safe? How can you say that?" Johan shook his head, his expression turning serious. "We can't let our guard down. If we do, those strange monsters could kill us."
The other two nodded in agreement.
Ding!
Suddenly, a system notification sound chimed from ahead.
Instinctively, they turned their heads toward the source—and saw a system panel floating in front of each of them.
After a moment, they exchanged glances and nodded in silent understanding.
"What's your side mission?" Johan asked.
"I have to kill five goblins. The reward is five level points," Daniel replied.
"Mine is to find seven dragon scale fruits—reward: three skill points," Kael added.
"Good," Johan nodded with satisfaction. "I got the same mission as Kael, with the same reward. So, you're the only one with a different task, Daniel."
Daniel's expression faltered, a hint of doubt and worry crossing his face. He hadn't expected to be the only one with a different mission.
And his task involved killing goblins.
In fantasy games or novels, goblins were usually weak—easily defeated by the protagonist.
But this wasn't a game or a novel. This was real!
If he took a direct hit from a goblin's spear, he could actually die—and be eliminated from the trial.
Noticing Daniel's unease, Johan gave him a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder.
"I get it—you're worried. But you don't have to be," he said in a calm tone. "Didn't I say I'd protect you? Here's the plan: once Kael and I finish our mission, we'll help you take down those five goblins. Sound good?"
Kael nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no worries. We've got your back, bro."
Relieved, Daniel let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. A grin slowly returned to his face.
"Thanks, guys."
...
"So the passage on the right side of the cave turned out to be the habitat of Crystal Wolves, huh?"
From behind a three-meter-high boulder, Shin peeked out and observed four blue-gray wolves, each standing about one and a half meters tall.
They had dense fur, sharp fangs, and savage, intimidating eyes.
But what truly set them apart from normal wolves were the large, purple crystals embedded in their chests, stomachs, and the tops of their heads—forming armor that protected their vital areas.
What was even more surprising was that the wolves didn't eat meat like typical wild animals—they fed on crystals.
As strange as it sounded, it was real. Right now, Shin was watching with his own eyes as they hungrily consumed the scattered blue crystals on the ground.
"So, how am I supposed to fight them? With my bare hands?" he muttered to himself, clenching his right fist. "That's obviously not going to work, right?"
Ding!
Suddenly, a notification chime echoed from ahead. A panel materialized in mid-air, and when Shin tapped it, a mysterious letter appeared—along with a strange red box.
He opened the letter and began to read.
["I forgot you all don't have weapons. So, I've sent some to the Red Box. You're free to choose one!"]
As soon as he finished, the letter vanished. Shin then opened the red box.
In an instant, three beams of light shot upward, revealing images of a spear, a sword, and a bow.
"This..." He froze. "Do I get to choose one of them?"
His eyes scanned the three options carefully. For long-range combat, the bow had clear advantages—but unfortunately, it wasn't a viable choice for him.
Not only did he lack any archery skills, but taking down a Crystal Wolf with arrows alone seemed nearly impossible.
Their vital spots were covered in tough crystal armor—far too strong to be pierced by mere arrows.
Unless he was a world-class archer, the odds were stacked against him.
With that in mind, he eliminated the bow from consideration. His gaze shifted to the remaining options: a sword and a spear.
'Considering wolves are quick and agile, a sword might be better,' he murmured with growing confidence.
Without further hesitation, he tapped on the image of the sword. The other two weapon images vanished instantly.
A moment later, a brilliant white light flashed—and a black-colored sword materialized in the air.
Shin grabbed it and gave it a strong swing.
"So this is what it feels like to wield a sword, huh? This is seriously cool!"