The bright light slowly faded, leaving behind confusion in Takuya's head. When he fully opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was the cold air. Takuya looked around. Surrounding him were tall, dense, and unfamiliar trees—thick as electric poles and with green leaves, and thick grass. It looked like a typical forest.
The forest was quiet. Very quiet. No sound of cars, no human voices, only the rustling wind and strange insects Takuya had never seen before.
"A forest…?" Takuya muttered as he got up. His knees felt weak, but he forced himself to stand.
In front of his face, a transparent screen appeared again.
[Notification!]
[Name: Takuya Minami]
[Job: None]
[Level: 1]
[UNLIMITED GACHA – 1x Daily Draw]
Takuya rubbed his eyes. He looked again. "This is like a system from lit-RPG or Isekai stories. Did I…"
Takuya glanced around, and when he saw a rabbit with a horn on its head and a rainbow-eyed butterfly, he felt certain this really was another world. At first, he wanted to smile, but that smile instantly faded.
"No. This is not good at all," he said.
He really liked Isekai or lit-RPG stories, but living in such a world... Takuya never truly wanted that. Sure, he had fantasized about being transported to another world. But it was only an otaku's dream, not something he seriously wished for.
He didn't want it because magical worlds were terrifying. He could die at any moment—strong evil people, monsters, and cunning backstabbers were everywhere.
But when he imagined seeing a real-life petite elf girl, Takuya unconsciously smiled.
"I guess it's not that bad," he said.
He was about to laugh, but when he looked back at his system screen again, he suddenly realized—he wasn't summoned as a noble's son or as a Hero. He was just a normal boy who appeared in the middle of a strange forest.
And he had only one skill. Just one. And it wasn't even a combat skill.
"Are you serious? This is the only skill I get?" Takuya stared at the screen in disbelief. "No holy sword, no fire magic, no divine power? Not even a 'Lucky Draw' that guarantees good results? This must be a mistake."
Takuya looked up toward the sky. He wanted to scream and beg the gods to give him an overpowered skill, but he doubted a god brought him here—because in novels, the MC usually meets the god first. That is, if it was a god who summoned him.
But if not a god or a royal wizard… then who summoned him here? That thought made Takuya panic. He had a bad feeling about this.
He took a deep breath. "Okay. Calm down. This is just a dream. Maybe I fell asleep from stress, and this is just some weird hallucination."
He tried to deny everything that was happening. But when he pinched his own arm, the pain slapped him back to reality. Takuya swallowed hard, his breath slightly shaky. Still, once he regulated his breathing, he started to calm down.
Before he could process anything further, a sound came from the bushes. Fast movement. Multiple sources.
Takuya turned his head. His eyes widened.
"No way. This isn't what I think it is, right?" Takuya groaned.
Moments later, several figures burst from the bushes. Six small creatures with green skin, skinny bodies, and pointy ears leapt out. They held crude weapons, but even so, they were more dangerous than Takuya—a mere human with no skills, no class, and no special race.
Takuya could only shake his head as a group of goblins emerged and surrounded him. Their mouths hung open, revealing jagged yellow teeth. Three of them held wooden sticks, while the others had stones and rusty knives.
Takuya stepped back. "This doesn't make sense. On my first day, I have to fight ten goblins? Isn't that too fast?" he complained.
He didn't have any weapon to fight back. This was worse than he imagined. The goblins growled and immediately charged.
Takuya turned around and started running. But after just a few meters, his foot tripped on something. He fell hard. One goblin threw a stone that struck his shoulder. It hurt, but Takuya forced himself up.
"Argh!" he screamed. "Damn it!"
He stumbled and fell again. One of the goblins leapt and clawed his left arm. A gash opened and blood began to flow. The pain was real—piercing. Takuya was surrounded by ten goblins ready to kill him.
"Is this really how I die?!"
Suddenly, a screen appeared.
[Use Skill: UNLIMITED GACHA – DAILY DRAW]
[Y/N]
Without a second thought, Takuya shouted, "YES! HURRY!"
The screen glowed. The light was so bright that the goblins turned their heads away. They even jumped back, thinking it was one of Takuya's attacks.
The light faded and text appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You received: Apple]
[Effect: Satiation.]
Takuya blinked rapidly. He stared at the round apple in his hand. "You've gotta be kidding me."
He never imagined his gacha pull would be this bad. Meanwhile, the goblins were getting closer. Takuya stood up, but his face remained blank from confusion. The goblins were closing in.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this stupid apple?" Takuya groaned.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He raised his arm and aimed at one of the goblins. With all his strength, he threw the apple.
Ploop!
The apple hit a goblin on the head. All the goblins froze—but… nothing happened. Takuya clicked his tongue in frustration. He took a deep breath. Turned around. No other choice.
Suddenly, the goblins screamed in unison. Their voices sounded like choking horses, but filled with murderous intent. They all rushed toward Takuya.
"Time to run!"
Without thinking, Takuya dashed again. This time faster—his life truly hanging by a thread.
Some goblins threw rocks at him. One hit his calf, making him limp slightly, but adrenaline forced him to keep moving. He leapt over tree roots, crashed through thorny bushes, and nearly fell into a hole covered by leaves. But Takuya didn't stop.
"I don't want to die on my first day in Isekai! I haven't even seen a single elf girl yet! I'm not ready to die!"
His breath grew heavier. His body wasn't used to running this much, especially while injured. Behind him, the goblins' footsteps still echoed.
"I need a place… somewhere…"
His eyes locked onto a large tree up ahead. Not just large—it had low branches and a rough bark—perfect for climbing.
"Game God! Isekai Deity! Whoever is listening! If I survive this, I'll worship you!"
Takuya climbed. His hands trembled, his body drenched in sweat, but his will to live pushed him upward. He climbed higher, until he nearly ran out of breath.
He reached the highest branch. When he looked down, he saw the goblins trying to climb after him. Fortunately, none succeeded. They always slipped and fell. Takuya sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness!" he said.
Before realizing what he was gripping with his right hand wasn't a root or rope—but a snake. When Takuya looked to the side, his eyes widened.
"Damn it. This is really bad."