Three days had passed since Min-jun arrived at the Ancient Library. He spent his mornings reading ancient texts and his afternoons exploring the beautiful gardens with his growing collection of animal friends. The library was peaceful and full of knowledge, but Min-jun was starting to feel restless.
"I can't stay here forever," he said to himself as he closed another book about the System's history. "I need to get out there and actually experience this world."
He packed his belongings and said goodbye to Aldric, who gave him a few rare books to take on his journey.
"These contain information about the more remote areas of Aetheria," the librarian explained. "If you're serious about uncovering the System's hidden features, you'll need to visit places where few people have ever been."
Min-jun thanked him and set off with his animal companions. He had decided to head west toward a region called the Whispering Woods, which according to the maps was largely unexplored.
As he walked along a forest path, Min-jun was idly scrolling through his System interface when something caught his eye. In the corner of his status window, there was a small button he had never noticed before. It was so tiny and faded that it was almost invisible.
The button simply said "Avatar."
"Avatar?" Min-jun said out loud, which caused three rabbits and a squirrel to look up at him curiously. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He pressed the button, and suddenly his entire System interface changed. Instead of his usual status screen, he was looking at what appeared to be a character creation menu, just like in a video game.
But this wasn't just any character creation menu. It was showing a perfect 3D model of himself, rotating slowly so he could see from every angle. Below the model were dozens of sliders and options for changing his appearance.
[AVATAR CUSTOMIZATION UNLOCKED]Note: You can modify your physical appearance at any time. Changes are permanent until modified again.Warning: Extreme changes may affect how NPCs react to you.
Min-jun stared at the interface in amazement. He could change how he looked? Completely?
In his old life back on Earth, Min-jun had always been insecure about his appearance. He was short, skinny, and had bad skin from eating too much junk food and not sleeping enough. He always envied the tall, handsome guys he saw in movies and games.
When Admin had given him his new body in this world, it was definitely an improvement over his original one. But it was still basically the same face and build, just healthier and cleaner.
Now he could change anything he wanted.
Min-jun looked around to make sure no one was watching, then started experimenting with the sliders. First, he made himself taller. In his original life, he had been only 165 centimeters tall. Now he could be 180, or even 185!
He settled on 183 centimeters - tall enough to feel confident, but not so tall that it would be weird.
Next, he worked on his facial features. He made his jawline more defined, his eyes a bit larger and more expressive, and his nose perfectly straight. He gave himself better cheekbones and a more symmetrical face overall.
For his hair, he chose a stylish cut that looked effortlessly cool - the kind of hairstyle he had always wanted but could never pull off before.
His body build he improved as well - broader shoulders, more defined muscles, better posture. Not overly muscular like a bodybuilder, but athletic and strong-looking.
When he was finished, Min-jun looked at his new appearance and felt his confidence soar. The person staring back at him from the 3D model looked like he could be a movie star or a professional model.
"Confirm changes?" the System asked.
Min-jun hesitated for just a moment. Was this cheating somehow? Was it wrong to change his appearance just because he didn't like how he originally looked?
But then he remembered that this was a fantasy world where anything was possible. If he could learn magic and tame monsters, why not look the way he always dreamed of looking?
"Confirm," he said.
Immediately, Min-jun felt a warm tingling sensation spread through his entire body. It didn't hurt, but it felt like every cell in his body was being gently rearranged. The feeling lasted about thirty seconds, and then it was over.
Min-jun looked down at himself and gasped. His clothes, which had fit perfectly before, were now a bit too short and tight. His hands looked different - more elegant with longer fingers. When he touched his face, the bone structure felt completely changed.
He quickly opened a water bottle and used the surface as a makeshift mirror. The reflection that looked back at him was exactly the handsome, confident-looking person he had designed.
"Whoa," he whispered. "I actually did it. I look completely different."
His animal companions seemed confused by the sudden change. The rabbits sniffed at him cautiously, trying to figure out if he was still the same person. The fox tilted its head and made a questioning yip sound.
"It's still me, guys," Min-jun assured them. "Just... improved."
After a few minutes, his animal friends accepted that he was the same person despite looking different, and they continued their journey through the forest.
Min-jun felt like he was walking on air. For the first time in his life - both lives - he felt truly confident about his appearance. He stood up straighter, walked with more purpose, and found himself smiling more.
As they traveled deeper into the Whispering Woods, the scenery began to change. The peaceful meadows and gentle hills gave way to darker, more mysterious forest. The trees here were ancient and massive, their branches forming a canopy so thick that very little sunlight reached the ground.
But even here, in this more ominous-looking environment, everything was still fundamentally peaceful. The shadows between the trees weren't hiding monsters - they were just shadows. The strange sounds echoing through the forest were just wind and wildlife, not the growls of dangerous beasts.
"I wonder if there are any monsters at all in this world," Min-jun mused as they walked. "Even the scary-looking places are completely safe."
As if the universe had heard him and decided to prove him wrong, a loud crashing sound came from the bushes ahead of them.
Min-jun's animal companions immediately hid behind trees and rocks. Even the brave fox looked nervous.
"Finally!" Min-jun said, feeling excited rather than afraid. "Some actual action!"
He drew his sword - a simple iron blade he had bought from the village blacksmith - and prepared for battle.
A creature emerged from the bushes, and Min-jun had to blink several times to make sure he was seeing correctly.
It was a slime. A big, green, wobbling slime just like the ones from the video game. But instead of looking menacing, this slime had big, cute eyes and what appeared to be a friendly smile.
The slime bounced toward Min-jun, making happy gurgling sounds.
"Um," Min-jun said, lowering his sword. "Are you trying to attack me?"
The slime bounced up and down enthusiastically, then gently bumped into Min-jun's leg like a cat wanting attention.
"You're not dangerous at all, are you?" Min-jun said. "You're just... friendly."
[MONSTER ENCOUNTERED: Friendly Forest Slime]Level: 3Disposition: PlayfulCombat Status: Non-hostile
Min-jun sighed. Even the monsters in this world were cute and harmless.
But then he had an idea. He opened his Monster Taming skill interface and tried to tame the slime. Maybe if he could collect enough creatures, he could train them to be stronger and more useful.
[MONSTER TAMING SUCCESSFUL]Friendly Forest Slime has joined your party!Slime Level: 3 → 5 (Taming bonus)
The slime's eyes got even bigger and more sparkly. It bounced around Min-jun in circles, clearly delighted to be part of his group.
"Well, you're not exactly a fearsome dragon," Min-jun said, "but you're kind of adorable."
As they continued through the forest, Min-jun encountered several more creatures. There was a family of what the System called "Cuddle Bears" - large, fluffy bears that wanted nothing more than to give warm hugs. There were "Singing Birds" that performed beautiful concerts when they spotted travelers. There were even some "Helpful Pixies" that offered to carry his backpack and show him the safest paths through the forest.
Min-jun tamed several of them, and his party grew larger and more diverse. By the end of the day, he was traveling with an entourage that looked like something from a children's fairy tale - rabbits, squirrels, a fox, library cats, a bouncing slime, three teddy bear-sized Cuddle Bears, a flock of colorful birds, and six tiny pixies that glowed with soft rainbow light.
[LEVEL UP!]Level 8 → Level 12Monster Taming Level: 15 → 25New Skill: Pack Leader - Your tamed creatures gain bonus statsNew Skill: Animal Communication - You can understand what animals are thinking
"This is the strangest adventure party in the history of fantasy worlds," Min-jun laughed as they set up camp for the night.
Using his new Animal Communication skill, Min-jun discovered that his creatures had simple but sweet personalities. The rabbits were mainly concerned with finding the tastiest grass. The slime was excited about everything and loved bouncing on different types of ground. The Cuddle Bears spent most of their time thinking about how to make everyone feel happy and safe.
The pixies, surprisingly, were the most intelligent of his companions. They could actually hold conversations and seemed to know a lot about the forest and its history.
"Master Min-jun," said the lead pixie, a tiny girl with silver wings, "we have heard rumors about you from the other forest creatures."
"What kind of rumors?" Min-jun asked.
"They say you are not from this world originally," the pixie said. "They say you have a special connection to the Great System that governs all things."
Min-jun was surprised. How could the forest creatures know about his origins?
"Animals are more sensitive to these things than humans realize," another pixie explained. "We can sense that you are different. Your energy feels... foreign, but not dangerous. Like you come from a place where the rules work differently."
"Is that a problem?" Min-jun asked.
"Oh no!" the first pixie assured him. "We think it's wonderful! It means you might be able to discover things that others cannot. The forest spirits are very curious about what you will accomplish."
That night, as Min-jun lay in his bedroll surrounded by his unusual collection of companions, he reflected on how much his life had changed. Just a few days ago, he had been a lonely gamer living in a tiny apartment, eating instant ramen and avoiding human contact.
Now he was a tall, handsome adventurer in a magical world, leading a group of fantastical creatures on a quest to uncover the mysteries of reality itself.
He touched his face, still amazed by how different he looked and felt. The avatar customization had given him more than just a new appearance - it had given him a new sense of confidence and self-worth.
"Tomorrow we'll explore deeper into the forest," he announced to his companions. "Maybe we'll find some real challenges, or at least some clues about those hidden System features."
The slime bounced happily. The Cuddle Bears purred contentedly. The pixies chimed like tiny bells. Even the rabbits thumped their feet in what seemed like approval.
Min-jun smiled and closed his eyes. This might not be the dangerous, action-packed adventure he had originally expected, but it was turning into something even better - a journey of self-discovery in a world where anything was possible and everyone was genuinely kind.
Even if the "monsters" just wanted to be friends.