The first thing Bellathria felt when consciousness returned was pain. Specifically, the kind that started somewhere behind her eyes and throbbed like a bad hangover.
She groaned and pressed her fingers to her temples.
Great. So the afterlife comes with migraines. Just what I always wanted.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.... and froze.
Instead of cold tiles or a hospital ceiling, she was staring up at a canopy of towering trees, their leaves glowing faintly under sunlight that filtered through like golden ribbons. Birds... or at least things pretending to be birds.... sang strange melodies somewhere in the distance. The air smelled… clean. Too clean. Like someone had applied a nature filter to reality.
"Where… am I?" she muttered, pushing herself into a sitting position.
[Host, welcome to Elika Beastworld! I am your System.]
[Because of your strong desire for offspring, I selected you as I passed by your world!]
Bellathria blinked. Once. Twice.
She looked around, half-expecting to find a prank camera crew.
"…Nope. Just trees," she muttered.
Then she pinched her cheek. Hard.
"…Ow. Not a dream."
And because life apparently loved comedic timing, a silvery lock of hair slipped over her shoulder. She stared at it.
"...That's not black."
The strands gleamed faintly, like moonlight spun into silk. She ran her fingers through it in disbelief.
Okay. New hair color, new forest, mysterious voice in my head. I didn't survive the fall… did I?
[Host, congratulations on your successful transmigration! You are now bound to the Birth System.]
'This must be a joke,' she thought dryly. 'Either that, or heaven outsourced reincarnation to some very questionable startups.'
"What kind of system are you, exactly?" she asked aloud.
[Host, I am a Birth System. I was created to ensure civilizations do not fall into extinction. With my help, conceiving a child is easy! The higher your cultivation, the purer and stronger the offspring you will conceive.]
Bellathria stared blankly into the air. Her rational brain processed the words one by one, then promptly short-circuited.
"…I'm sorry, you're what?"
[Birth System!] the voice chirped, far too cheerfully for someone announcing reproductive enslavement.
Bellathria took a deep breath. "Let me get this straight. You chose me… because I made one wish while staring at a burning rock in the sky. And now, my job is to.... what?.... single-handedly repopulate an entire civilization?"
[Not single-handedly! The beastmen will also participate.]
She slowly turned her head, expression flattening.
"…That was not the comforting clarification you think it was."
Internally, Bellathria was screaming. Outwardly, she maintained a level tone that usually made interns cry.
"I asked the heavens to compensate me for losing my twins.... not turn me into some interdimensional fertility goddess on speed dial."
[Host, please do not be alarmed. I never said you need to give birth to billions of children yourself. Your existence will act as the catalyst for the beastmen civilization's prosperity for the next billion years.]
She blinked. Then rubbed her temples again.
"Oh yes, because that's so much better. Instead of popping out billions, I just need to trigger a multi-millennial population boom. Completely reasonable."
[Indeed! I am glad Host understands.]
"…That was sarcasm," she deadpanned.
[I do not process sarcasm.]
"Of course you don't," she muttered under her breath.
She lay back on the grassy ground and stared up at the sky through the treetops.
This can't be happening. I'm not some baby-making machine. I have career experience, critical thinking skills, and two degrees, thank you very much. I file reports.... I don't repopulate planets.
She sat up again. Rationality kicked in. Panic wouldn't solve anything. She needed information.
"Fine. System. Where am I, and what's my first task?" she asked, voice steady.
[Host is currently in Starwood Forest.]
[First Task: Locate a tribe and become a tribe member.]
[Reward upon completion: 1000 Points.]
[You can use points to purchase items from the Shop. No time limit is required for this task. Take your time, Host~]
Bellathria stared into space.
"…Tribe. Shop. Points. You sound like a mobile game tutorial."
[I assure you, I am a fully functional divine system.]
"Sure," she said flatly. "And I'm the Virgin Mary of Beastworld."
[Who is Virgin Mary?]
"…Never mind."
She stood, brushing grass from her hospital gown.... except it wasn't a hospital gown anymore. At some point during transmigration, her clothes had shifted into a simple but sturdy tunic and trousers, suitable for travel. She glanced down at herself and gave a single nod.
"Well, at least I'm not running through a forest in a backless gown. Small mercies."
She took a slow look around. The forest stretched endlessly in every direction. Birds.... at least she hoped they were birds.... called out. Leaves rustled. Somewhere in the distance, something big moved, making the ground tremble slightly.
"…Right. So either I find this 'tribe,' or I become someone's midnight snack. Fantastic."
[Host, I suggest following the road. Starwood Forest has pathways frequently used by beastmen scouts.]
She squinted. "Road? There's a road in this prehistoric Disneyland?"
[Turn thirty degrees to your left.]
She did, and sure enough, through the trees was a narrow dirt path winding into the distance. She huffed a quiet laugh.
"Well, at least my imaginary GPS works."
[I am not imaginary.]
"Debatable," she muttered, starting down the path.
As she walked, the System remained chatty, dropping "useful tips" like a tutorial pop-up she couldn't close.
[Tip: Beastmen tribes value fertility highly. Host's role will naturally attract their attention.]
"Oh wonderful. Nothing says 'welcome to your new life' like becoming a walking uterus with legs."
[Host's fertility levels are currently rated at 'Celestial Grade.']
She stopped dead. "…Excuse me?"
[Celestial Grade fertility allows Host to conceive easily and produce highly talented offspring with minimal cultivation requirements.]
Bellathria's eye twitched. "You make it sound like I'm some legendary cow breed."
[No! Host is a unique and precious existence!]
"…That didn't help."
Still, as much as she wanted to curl up and refuse to play along, she knew better. She'd survived orphanages, corporate politics, and a cheating husband. She could survive this.
Panic was a luxury. Rational planning was her weapon.
Step one: Find a tribe.
Step two: Figure out this world's rules.
Step three: Decide if she was going to play along… or rewrite the damn rules herself.
She exhaled slowly, shoulders squaring.
"Alright, Beastworld. Let's see what you've got."
The forest loomed ahead, ancient and alive. Somewhere out there was a tribe, a new life, and.... if the System had its way... more chaos than she'd ever asked for.
Bellathria smirked faintly.
"Well, at least it's not boring."
And with that, she followed the winding road deeper into the unknown.