The red eyes didn't blink.
They hovered just above the grass, unblinking and patient, as if whatever was watching me already knew the outcome. My heart hammered so loudly I was sure it could hear it too.
Move. MOVE.
My legs obeyed a second too late.
The creature burst from the tall grass with a shrill screech. It looked like a wolf—if a wolf had six legs, exposed ribs like bone armor, and a mouth that split far too wide. Saliva hissed as it hit the ground.
I ran.
The world tilted as my unfamiliar body struggled to keep balance. Aren's legs were shorter, weaker than mine had been in my past life, but adrenaline forced them forward. Grass whipped against my skin as the beast gained ground.
"Why—why is my first day like this?!"
A sharp pain tore through my side as I tripped, rolling down a small slope. The beast leapt, claws missing my head by inches as it crashed past me.
The blue screen exploded into view again.
---
[Emergency Condition Detected]
Threat Level: Lurking Beast — Grade F]
Tutorial Option Available
Accept? (Y/N)
---
"Yes! YES!" I shouted.
The moment I accepted, the world slowed.
The beast moved like it was underwater. My thoughts sharpened, crystal clear.
---
[Tutorial: Instinct Awakening]
Focus inward. Feel the core. Command it.
---
I clenched my fists and closed my eyes.
Inside me, that warmth stirred again—no, it answered. It surged outward, flowing into my limbs like liquid fire. Symbols burned across my vision, unfamiliar yet somehow understandable.
I opened my eyes.
The world snapped back to full speed.
I moved without thinking.
As the beast lunged again, my body twisted aside and my hand struck its neck—not with strength, but precision. The warmth exploded outward in a single pulse.
The creature's head hit the ground before its body realized it was dead.
Silence fell.
I stood there, shaking, staring at the corpse as it dissolved into motes of black light.
---
[Enemy Defeated]
Experience Gained
Level Up!
Current Level: 1 → 2
---
I collapsed onto my knees, gasping.
"I… I killed it."
There was no joy in it. Only shock. And fear.
This world wasn't forgiving. It wouldn't give second chances just because I'd already died once.
The screen shifted again.
---
[Skill Acquired]
❖ Instinct Step (Passive)
Description: When facing lethal danger, the body may act before conscious thought.
---
A passive skill. On my first fight.
I swallowed hard.
"Just who—or what—did I reincarnate as?"
As if answering my question, a new memory surfaced. Aren, bruised and bleeding, being told by a village elder:
"You have no magic. You'll never be more than a burden."
My hands trembled.
"No," I whispered. "They were wrong."
A distant bell rang—low and resonant. The sound carried across the fields, pulling at something deep in Aren's memories.
The village. I'm close.
I forced myself to stand and follow the sound, every sense on high alert. Smoke curled into the sky ahead, thin and gray.
Relief flooded me—until I smelled blood.
The village gates were open.
Too open.
---
[Quest Updated]
Main Quest: Rebirth of the Anomaly
Objective: Return to Valen Village
Status: In Progress
---
My chest tightened.
Whatever awaited me beyond those gates…
I knew one thing for certain.
My second life would not be peaceful.