1. New World

"Where the hell am I?!"

The shout, filled with sadness and despair, echoed through the forest. Startled, countless birds perched on nearby trees took flight, filling the air with frantic chirping. Yet, the source of the sound ignored their departure, too submerged in his own grief to notice.

The man was a young adult, around 20 years old, with short black hair and dark eyes—typical Asian features. His skin was fair, almost pale, likely because he rarely spent time outdoors.

His face was slightly above average, not strikingly handsome but pleasant enough to look at.

At this moment, he was crouched on the ground in the middle of a vast forest, overwhelmed by sorrow.

He slowly lifted his head, surveying his surroundings.

Tall trees stretched endlessly towards the horizon, their branches obscuring the sky. Occasionally, the distant roar of wild beasts echoed through the forest, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

'What the hell happened?'

The youth tried to calm his racing heart as he recalled the last thing he remembered: playing a gacha game on his computer.

The game had been all the rage because of its groundbreaking new gameplay mechanics. It was called Genshin Waves, and he always played it after work to unwind.

That day, luck had been on his side.

He had done a tenfold summon and had hit the jackpot, pulling all the newest characters at once.

Excited, he reached for his phone to share the news with his friends, but in his excitement, he accidentally knocked over the glass he’d placed on top of his computer.

That was the last thing he remembered.

'Did I get electrocuted? Don’t tell me I used up all my luck in one go and now I’m facing the consequences!'

Realizing this grim possibility, he punched the ground in frustration. Not only had he failed to show off his lucky pull, but he had, instead, sent an unintentional invitation to his own funeral.

'So, I’ve been isekai’d, huh? But seriously, couldn’t they have at least sent me to a human settlement? Or better yet, given me nobility and riches? God, are you messing with me?' he muttered to himself, sitting down in the dirt without a care for his surroundings.

As he pondered how to survive in this godforsaken forest, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"System installation complete. System activation initiated.

Greetings, host..."

If you were alone and suddenly heard a voice right next to your ear, what would you do? His reaction was only natural.

"Aaarrggghh! Who’s talking?!"

He shrieked like a startled child and jumped nearly three meters into the air. If it weren’t for the voice, he never would’ve known he had that kind of strength.

Frantically glancing around, he mimicked all the martial arts moves he’d seen in movies like Ip Man, Kung Fu Hustle, and Shaolin Soccer.

"Who’s there?! Come out! This big daddy has learned a hundred different martial arts and conquered a thousand battlefields!" he shouted, trying to sound menacing as he looked around.

Of course, it was all a bluff. But it was better than doing nothing and cowering in fear.

After all, even a bear might retreat if you shout loud enough... not that he planned on testing that theory.

Yet, there was no response. The forest remained eerily silent.

Unaware of how ridiculous he must have looked, the youth timidly glanced around again.

"S-say something..."

"..."

"Hey, you—the one calling yourself 'System'..."

He paused, stunned by his own realization before he could finish the sentence.

What? System? The legendary midas touch?

Am I dreaming again?

With this sudden thought, the youth managed to calm down, albeit skeptically. Scratching his head, he mumbled, "System?"

Once again, the cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

"At your service, host."

His heart skipped a beat in surprise.

This time, however, after mentally preparing himself, he managed to stay composed. After all, anyone familiar with novels could probably guess what was happening.

"System, where am I? What the heck happened? Why am I here? Is this the afterlife?" he asked, bombarding the system with questions like a rapid-fire machine gun.

He couldn't help it—this system was his only lifeline. There were no other humans in sight, and from the sounds he’d heard, there were probably fierce beasts lurking nearby.

"Beep! You are in the world of Elysium, currently located within the Veridara Great Forest."

Elysium? Veridara Great Forest?

Great. He’d never heard of either of those names before.

From this information, he came to a few conclusions:

First: He had indeed been transported, transmigrated, or reincarnated—something along those lines.

Second: Based on the names, he had likely been sent to a Western-styled fantasy world.

Third: If this was a world like Earth, that would be fine. But if this was a fantasy world filled with dragons and magic, his chances of survival just dropped significantly.


Shaking his head vigorously, as if trying to dispel these conclusions, the youth muttered to himself, "No way, no way. After all, I’m a transmigrator."

According to the standard template, he was destined to conquer lands from North to South, and from West to East. He would have god-like strength and a harem of friends with benefits.

He chuckled to himself.

Lost in his daydream, the youth grinned like an idiot, as if the tantrum he’d thrown moments ago had never happened.

Eventually, the thought of the system brought him back from his reverie. He cleared his throat and asked, "Can I go back?"

"Beep! That request is beyond the system's jurisdiction."

His smile faded, and his mouth twitched in frustration. But deep down, he knew the answer already—he had died.

Sighing, he asked again, "Then what is within your jurisdiction?"

The system didn’t respond verbally this time. Instead, a multi-colored panel appeared in front of him, like a holographic projection.

Bewildered, he scanned through the words displayed on the panel:

Status

Equipment

Abilities

Items

Summon


The more he read, the wider his eyes grew.