The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the blood-red forest, yet Lin Feng couldn't tell if it was rising or setting. Time felt distorted in this strange realm. Even the wind carried a tension, an electric hum that vibrated in his bones.
He hadn't moved from the branch he'd climbed six hours earlier—not because he was afraid, but because he was calculating.
He had a system now.
He just didn't know how to use it.
[Time Remaining: 17 hours, 14 minutes]
[Mission 001: Survive the next 24 hours]
[Reward: Unlock Basic Status Panel + Skill Tree Access]
[Penalty: Death]
"Still got time," Lin Feng muttered to himself, glancing down at the pack of Crimson Hounds prowling beneath the tree.
One of them looked up and growled, its red eyes glowing like coals. It didn't pounce. Not yet. These beasts were patient. Smart. They knew their prey couldn't stay up there forever.
Lin Feng gritted his teeth. "They want me to come down. They're waiting for me to get weak."
He chuckled bitterly.
"I've been weak my whole damn life."
But this was different. His body wasn't the same. When he had scrambled up the tree earlier, he'd moved like a panther, quick and responsive—something he could never do before.
The Omniscript System had changed something fundamental.
Six hours ago, when he was still dazed from the lightning strike that pulled him out of his old world, he had thought he was hallucinating. The mechanical voice, the strange interface in his mind—it was like something out of a web novel.
But then the messages started to make sense. The threats became real. The Crimson Hounds weren't illusions. Their claws left real gouges. Their teeth tore real flesh.
He still bore the scratch marks on his leg from the first failed escape attempt. His blood had dripped onto the forest floor, and the pack had howled in unison as if it were a dinner bell.
That's when he realized: this wasn't a dream. This wasn't Earth.
And the system wasn't a game.
[Energy Level: 4/100]
[Health: 87%]
[Adaptation Protocol: Passive Active]
[Basic Combat Instinct: Unlocked Temporarily]
A low hum vibrated behind his eyes. Something in his body had started to click. He felt his senses sharpening. His ears caught distant rustling. His eyes picked out subtle details in the forest floor. His mind connected the patterns.
Even without training, his instincts were slowly being honed by the system's influence.
And then came the growl.
But it wasn't from below.
It came from behind.
Lin Feng turned his head slowly—every nerve on edge.
There, creeping along a branch just above him, was another beast. Smaller than the Crimson Hounds, sleeker, its black pelt blending into the shadow of the tree bark. It moved like a serpent, each pawstep silent.
A predator among predators.
[New Threat Detected: Obsidian Tree Panther – Rank E]
[Stealth Skill Active – Detection Difficulty: High]
It pounced.
Lin Feng didn't think. He let go of the branch.
WHUMP!
He landed hard in the leaves below, rolling instinctively as the tree panther missed by a hair. The impact stunned him for only a moment—but that was all the hounds needed.
They charged.
"Shit—!"
He bolted.
His legs pumped harder than ever before. He weaved between crimson trunks, leapt over fallen logs, ducked under hanging vines. The wind howled in his ears, and hot breath chased his heels.
[Adaptation Protocol Engaged – Speed Boost +6%]
[Basic Reflexes Calibrated – +3 to Evasion]
A hound lunged from the side.
Lin Feng spun mid-run, grabbed a broken tree branch off the ground, and jammed it into the beast's mouth. It yelped, crashing into a tree. Another lunged from behind. He ducked, letting it soar overhead and crash into its packmate.
But he knew he couldn't run forever.
They would catch him eventually.
Unless…
His eyes lit up.
There—an ancient stone pillar, half-buried in the earth, jutting out like the remains of a forgotten temple. Its surface was covered in glowing runes.
[System Beacon Detected]
[Safe Zone Protocol: 30 Seconds of Protection Upon Activation]
"I'll take it!"
He slid across the grass and slammed his palm on the rune.
BOOM!
A golden barrier burst out from the stone, pushing the beasts away in a shockwave.
[Safe Zone Activated – Duration: 30 Seconds]
The Crimson Hounds circled just beyond the barrier, snarling and pacing.
Lin Feng collapsed to his knees inside the bubble, panting. Sweat dripped down his face.
"I'm still alive… Barely."
And then the system chimed again.
[Time Remaining: 16 hours, 2 minutes]
[Host has survived hostile encounter. Initiating Partial Reward.]
[BASIC STATUS PANEL UNLOCKED]
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
NAME: Lin Feng
AGE: 17
RACE: Human
REALM: Unawakened
BODY TYPE: Mortal Body (Low Tier)
ENERGY: 7/100
SKILLS: None
SYSTEM POINTS: 0
TITLES: None
"Still weak," Lin Feng muttered. "But I'm not nothing anymore."
The bubble flickered.
Ten seconds left.
The beasts knew it. Their growling intensified. The largest among them—nearly the size of a lion—stepped forward.
Its eyes locked onto his.
[New Enemy Identified: Crimson Alpha – Rank D]
"Rank D?!" Lin Feng's blood ran cold.
That thing could probably kill him with one bite.
[System Message: You are currently no match for the Crimson Alpha.]
[Suggestion: Escape or use terrain advantage.]
Lin Feng's eyes darted to the terrain. A steep ravine lay just twenty meters to his left. If he timed it right…
But the bubble dropped.
The Alpha charged.
Lin Feng didn't run. Not yet.
He waited.
The beast came at him like a storm.
Ten meters.
Five.
Two.
Lin Feng sidestepped at the last moment, angling his shoulder into the creature's momentum, just enough to tilt its path.
The beast roared, unable to stop.
It stumbled past him—and Lin Feng kicked its hind leg as hard as he could.
Right over the edge of the ravine.
[CRITICAL SUCCESS – Terrain Used Strategically]
[Enemy Eliminated: Crimson Alpha]
[Reward: First Kill Bonus Activated]
Wait—that counted?!
[Bonus Skill Unlocked – Qi Pulse Awakening]
[+50 Energy Points Awarded]
[Basic Qi Absorption Enabled]
[New Title Acquired: "Beginner Strategist"]
Lin Feng collapsed in the grass, laughing hysterically. "I didn't even punch it!"
Then another message arrived.
['Face-Slap Protocol' Triggered – Humiliation-based kill achieved.]
[Reward: +1 Random Skill Draw | +30 System Points]
"Face-slap protocol…?"
The system screen shimmered again.
[Congratulations, Host. You have delivered a humiliation-based death to a higher-ranked enemy.]
[This cultivator slap will echo across low-tier realms.]
Lin Feng blinked.
"Wait—people will know I did that?"
[System Broadcast: "Lin Feng has eliminated a Rank D Crimson Alpha using terrain tactics."]
[Nearby Entities have taken notice.]
Somewhere Else…
In a temple high above the clouds, a cloaked elder's eyes snapped open.
"A new player has entered the game," he whispered.
Beside him, a crystal orb pulsed with golden light, showing the image of a boy standing over a ravine, laughing like a maniac.
Back in the Forest
Lin Feng's breathing calmed.
He opened his hand. In it sat a glowing red orb—the Alpha's soul essence.
[Essence Absorption Optional. Do you wish to consume?]
[Warning: Risk of side effects due to current realm limitation.]
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
[SYSTEM INTEGRATION IN PROGRESS…]
Lin Feng screamed as power surged through his body. His bones cracked, muscles tightened, and a golden aura pulsed around him.
[Qi Pulse Pathways Opened – 3% Progress to Foundation Awakening Stage]
[Skill Tree Access Unlocked]
A glowing tree spread before his mind's eye, filled with locked skills, passive perks, and techniques waiting to be awakened.
And in the center…
A glowing node.
—HEAVEN'S SLAP—
Skill Type: Utility / Domination
Effect: Deliver a slap that damages both body and ego. More effective on arrogant enemies.
Cooldown: 1 hour.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Lin Feng stood in the forest, energy crackling around him, glowing runes circling his wrist like tattoos.
The hounds had fled.
The forest was quiet.
And Lin Feng was no longer prey.
He was becoming a predator.