He crouched under the thick shade of a tree. The forest wasn't quiet — insects hummed, and somewhere ahead a white Lali cried for help.
Three small, fluffy figures floated toward him — the systems.
"Shhh, keep quiet," he whispered.
Red's glow flared. "Why are you whispering? They can't hear us anyway. Only you can, because you're our host."
He frowned. "Wait… they can't hear me either?"
Yellow slowly pressed his tiny fluffy palm to his face in a cute, exaggerated way. "Everyone can hear you," he said patiently. "They just can't hear us."
He made a quick hand gesture, pointing upward, then began climbing the tree. The systems darted forward and slipped into his body.
He froze for a moment. "Wait—how did you just go inside me?"
Red's voice came from within, proud and impatient. "Because you're our host, and we're the systems. That's how it works."
Yellow's calm voice followed. "Boss, there's a hunter above us, in this tree."
Still climbing, he asked, "Is there any way we can help save the foal?"
Red replied sharply. "Think for yourself."
He sighed. "Fine… then at least tell me what abilities I have."
Yellow explained, "You can manipulate fire, water, and earth. But your mana is low right now, so be careful."
Red added, "For fire, you can only control hot things that aren't alive."
Blue's shy voice spoke next. "For water, you can control any liquid… except the ones inside living things, like blood."
Yellow continued, "And for earth, you can only move solid materials that are not alive — dead wood, stone, sand, broken branches… not living trees."
By the time he reached the branch near the archer, the man had already spotted him.
The archer drew his bow and fired.
Without thinking, his mana surged, freezing the arrow midair. It spun around and shot back toward the archer, tearing through his leg before vanishing into the dense forest beyond.
The man screamed, struggling to keep his balance on the branch.
He quickly climbed onto the branch behind the wounded archer and grabbed him by the throat. The man struggled, clutching at his arm.
Blue's shy voice echoed in his head. "Boss… there's another archer in that tree ahead."
Without hesitation, he shifted his position, pulling the injured archer in front of him as a shield.
An arrow whistled through the air a heartbeat later, striking the captive's shoulder instead of him.
He smirked but then asked, "Hey… why wasn't there any flashy lights or glowing effects when I used my mana? You know, like in animations and movies?"
Yellow's calm voice answered, "Because this is life, not an action movie."
Red snorted. "Flashy stuff happens when you use fire."
Blue stayed quiet, but he could feel him shrinking back shyly inside.
The injured archer groaned, his voice breaking. "Santhu! Help me!"
The shout drew the attention of the hunters on the ground. They turned and saw him holding one of their own.
A few of them froze in shock, others raised their weapons.
In the chaos, the white foal took its chance. With a loud cry, it leapt away from the hunters and dashed into the thick undergrowth.
All the hunters had their own Atmabhand, and their Lalis stayed close.
The leader's Lali had been hidden until now — a four-foot-tall baboon crouched in the branches above.
In its hands was a strange net, woven from dark, vine-like threads.
The moment the foal tried to run, the baboon leapt down with surprising speed.
It swung the net in a wide arc, and it landed perfectly over the foal, tangling its legs and neck.
The little Lali cried out, thrashing in fear.
He didn't know why, but seeing the terrified creature cornered by thugs ignited a protective fury he hadn't felt in either life. He glared at the leader. "Release the foal. You know the kingdom's laws — hunting Lali is forbidden."
The leader didn't even look at him. "Kill the boy and leave him in the forest," he ordered.
He tightened his grip on the injured archer's throat. "I'll kill him if you take another step."
The leader didn't flinch. "Do it."
Without hesitation, he slammed his elbow into the side of the archer's head. The man went limp instantly. He let him drop, his body crashing through branches before hitting the ground with a thud — bones snapping on impact.
A cold calm settled over him. He felt no remorse, no shock—only a chilling sense of efficiency. It was as if this ruthlessness was his true nature, unlocked at last.
The second archer fired, the arrow slicing past his cheek by a narrow margin.
He dropped down through the branches, landing near a cluster of sharp stones. He grabbed a few, channeling his mana into them, feeling their weight shift in his palm.
He hurled the stones with mana, faster than the archer's arrow. They slammed into the man's chest and arm, knocking him back with a cry of pain.
Without pausing, he flicked another stone toward the leader, who stood a little distance from the foal. The stone struck his shoulder, forcing him to step back.
He used the opening to rush toward the foal, but before he could reach it, the remaining hunters closed in. One caught him from behind, another struck his head, and everything went black.
I underestimated this new body, he thought just before losing consciousness.
When he woke, the first thing he saw was the bright red butt of the leader's baboon Lali. It was standing with its back to him — and it had four arms.
Was its butt redder than the baboons on Earth because it has more hands? he wondered groggily.
Blue burst out laughing inside his head.
From nearby, he heard the hunters talking. "We should ask the prince for some reward after killing this idiot," one said.
They know who I am? His mind snapped into focus.
Another voice replied, "Should we take something from him… an identity mark, just to be sure?"
He was inside a tent.
The leader's baboon stood in front of him, facing the two hunters.
The foal was nowhere in sight.
One hunter had a green gecko on his shoulder, and the other had a stick insect. Both were keeping their distance from the baboon.
On a small table nearby, he spotted a knife. He focused on it, trying to pull it toward himself using his ability, but it didn't move.
Ding!
Yellow said, "You haven't trained to use mana properly. But for your attempt to save the foal, you've been awarded 1 ability point. You can use it to increase your proficiency."
"Show me my status," he said.
Red replied, "Level: 1
Atmabhand: 0
Stamina: 4/10
Charisma: 7/10
Intelligence: 1+5/10
Strength: 4/10
Agility: 5/10
Abilities:
Water (Proficiency: 3/10)
Fire (Proficiency: 3/10)
Earth (Proficiency: 3/10)"
He asked, "What about the remaining stats?"
Red said, "For now, you don't need them."
The hunter's head snapped toward the sound of his voice.
Seeing him awake, one of them said, "Biji, go and tell the leader the idiot prince is awake."
Biji, one of the hunters, left the tent in a hurry.
He asked, "Why are you hunting Lali?"
The remaining hunter replied, "For gold. What else?"
He said, "But the Atmabhand can't happen by force. What use is the Lali then?"
The man sneered. "Idiot, who cares about their use? We just want the gold." He slammed his fist on the table. "And later, you'll become our gold too."
He sighed and said, "Systems, come out."
They floated out and began studying the surroundings.
The hunter asked, "Who were you talking to?"
Then he realized and said, "Oh, so you're the idiot prince."