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Chapter 1 - Summoning or Reincarnation?

  Initiating Resurrection Sequence - ERROR

  Retrying…

  Retrying…

  Retrying…

  Analyzing error…

  Identified Root Cause. Key Source missing. Searching for alternatives

  Three Matches Found. Top Source Selected

  Integrating selected Source into System - Complete

  Initiating Resurrection Sequence - SUCCESS

  WELCOME

  I woke up flailing my arms, attempting to push away the glaring brightness in my face. Alia knows better than to open the curtains wide on the weekend. Disgruntled, I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting to the bright sunlight. Shaking off the drowsiness, I looked around blearily and could only see tall trees and dense canopy of vegetation all around.

  I drew a blank as to where I was or how I ended up here. My ears were ringing with a low key buzz that seemed to be coming from everywhere. I tried to focus on that and jerked backward as a large semi-transparent screen popped in front. I briefly glanced over the text

  Name: Rokthar Dreseus

  Title: None

  Class: None

  Level 0

  Age: 17

  Race: Human

  Gender: Male

  Stats:

  Strength: 5

  Dexterity: 7

  Constitution: 6

  Wisdom: 5

  Perception: 5

  Will: 5

  General Skills:

  Active Skills:

  Passive Skills:

  Huh. Was I smoking anything before going to bed to be dreaming so vividly?

  With a thought, the screen disappeared and once again, I took in the surroundings. I seem to be in the middle of a forest but something felt off. I stood up leaning on a nearby tree and really looked at it. Then it struck me; I don’t recognize any of these trees. I was not an outdoorsy guy and had never gone camping but I did visit a few state parks and watched enough nature documentaries to realize that nothing seems familiar. This wasn’t a forest on Earth.

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  The tree I was leaning on was so tall that its top was out of sight and its trunk was about 30 feet wide. The ground was covered with dense vegetation and blossomed flowers I had never seen the likes of. They covered the ground in a pattern of colors so beautiful that I find it hard to pull my gaze away from. I closed my eyes and breathed in the cool air that felt like wisps of joy. This might be the prettiest place I ever dreamed of.

  With a deep sigh, I opened my eyes and looked down at my body. Yep, just as I thought, this ain’t my body. I consider myself tall at 6’1 but my body now was at least seven feet tall. While previously I was in decent shape, I have always had a bit of belly that sticks out with a bit of fluff in my sides. Now, I look like one of those low-fat diet posters with lean muscle wound taut in my biceps and abs fully on display. That brings up the next question…why am I naked?

  I suppose to become truly part of nature, being naked is the way to go. I snorted and looked around to see if there were any clothes lying nearby. No such luck. Well, not like that matters in a dream so I started walking. The first steps felt a bit wobbly but I adjusted to the new perspective soon enough. The terrain was pretty uneven and giant roots spread across with blooming plants covering the rest with only a few patches left unmolested. Surprisingly, it's only a minor discomfort walking with bare feet and it soon faded into the background. I still kept an eye out for any thorns or such in my path.

  What if this wasn’t a dream? With every step I take, with every sound I hear, with every sight I see, with every shrub grazing my legs, every sensation hammered the unpleasant truth into my mind until I came to a halt. This is real.

  But how? Why? What about my family? Where am I really then? No, it doesn't matter, not right now. What matters is what should I do? Survive. My priority should be water, food and a safe place to sleep. While it’s pleasantly warm now, I don’t know how chilly it might get by night. I don’t even know which direction the closest town is.

  The forest around me was dense enough that I couldn’t see anything beyond a couple feet. I looked around just in case there were bears or other animals nearby but didn’t find trace of any. Yet I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was being watched. It has been there for a while, and considering that nothing jumped me yet, it’s probably not one of the worst scenarios popping in my mind. Never had I ever been in a forest alone by myself and it’s already making me paranoid.

  Maybe the system screen has more information. With a thought, the screen reappeared displaying the character sheet. My name is Rokthar? Seems I am younger now, going from mid-twenties to being 17yrs old. Surprisingly tall for such a young age. I suppose, the stats are not a bad starting point although I can’t tell for sure.

  “Man, there’s nothing here that helps me right now. Aren’t you supposed to start with a tutorial or at least spawn me in a safe place?” I yelled at the sky. “Tutorial! Guide! Inventory!” Nothing happened. “Quest!”

  No Active Quests Found

  Updating…

  Active Quests:

  


      
  • Survivor(Hard): Survive encounter with the Horned Serpent agitated by your wails.


  •   


  Reward: Rare Accessory

  “What the…” I fell silent as it dawned on me. I turned around and gaped at the biggest snake monster I have ever seen crawling silently across the forest ground. Its scales glistened menacingly in the sunlight as it weaved through the trees. My body froze in fear as the monster coiled its body and raised its head 15 feet above ground. With my utmost resolve, I was barely able to move my gaze from its coiled body to its head held high. A single spiraled horn protruded from its head, shimmering like polished ivory and I could feel it brimming with power. A window materialized above its head

  [Horned Serpent - Lvl ??]

  General Skill Identify acquired

  Upgrade: Identify Lvl0 -> Lvl5

  Upgrade: Will +1

  I internally shooed the notifications away but my body still refused to move even an inch as the serpent’s large bulbous eyes fixed on me. I felt every muscle tense, the intensity of its gaze holding me in a spellbound state. It opened its mouth wide enough to swallow a car whole and I couldn’t help but lament on my cursed fate.

  This world isn’t a dream come true; it’s my nightmare made flesh.

  Why couldn’t I be summoned as a Hero or born a Prince? Heck, at this point, I’d even be grateful to be reincarnated as an ant, if it meant escaping this certain death. I am sorry Alia, Mom and Dad. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye or even figure out what happened to me in the first place. All this trouble to present myself as a tasty snack to my worst nightmare

  The serpent whipped its head down in an instant with its jaws wide open, revealing the dark living tunnel of its body insides. I refused to close my eyes, staring defiantly at the abyss about to swallow me whole. The moment seemed to last forever till it struck me that the snake was holding still. I felt as if broken from a spell and crumpled onto the ground. The serpent was still transfixed with its mouth wide open around me and I hurriedly crept back till the forest came back into view. As I finally began to make sense of my surroundings, the view in front of me sent a chill down my spine.

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