Chapter Two: A Pen Mightier Than Fate
The forest floor trembled with every quivering movement of the grotesque slime behind her.
"Shit! Shit! SHIT!" Selena cried, heart pounding as her sneakers pounded over moss and damp leaves. The translucent green blob slithered after her, leaving a trail of mucus in its wake, moving faster than it had any right to.
"Think, Selena! THINK! What was the slime's weakness again?!"
Her brain scrambled, flipping through memories of all the web novels and fantasy games she'd binged. She tripped over a root, caught herself, and kept running.
Then, it clicked. Salt. Slimes hated salt.
Her eyes widened. Did she have any?!
She fumbled with her pocket while still sprinting. Her fingers closed around a crinkly plastic wrapper.
"YES!"
Earlier that day—or was it yesterday now? Time was a blur—she had grabbed a small packet of spicy, salty dried mango snacks. It had been meant for late-night binge reading. Now, it might save her life.
The slime gurgled behind her, gaining ground.
She whipped around, tore open the pack, and flung the contents right at the incoming blob.
The effect was immediate.
A sizzling noise echoed through the forest as the salt made contact with its gelatinous form. The slime screamed—a horrific, wet shriek like boiling meat. It writhed, quivered, and jerked backward as steam hissed from its surface.
Selena didn't hesitate.
She spotted a fallen branch beside her foot. With both hands, she grasped the jagged end and charged, adrenaline overriding every ounce of fear.
"DIE!"
She drove the branch deep into the slime. The resistance was awful. She gagged at the warm squelch of its body, but kept going, pushing and twisting until she hit something solid inside—its core. With a final cry, she rammed the branch through it.
Crack.
The slime stilled.
Then collapsed into a harmless puddle of green goop.
Selena dropped the branch and fell to her knees, panting hard. Her hands trembled. Her jeans were soaked in mucus. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.
"Oh my god," she whispered, staring at the mess in front of her. "I just killed a monster."
She clutched her chest, tears spilling now. Not from fear, but from disbelief. And a flicker of something else...
Excitement.
"I survived," she whispered. Then, louder. "I freaking survived."
Ding!
A mechanical chime echoed through her mind.
> SYSTEM INITIALIZING...
Host: Selena Viller.
Monster Defeated: Level 1 Slime
Exp Gained: 10
System Quests Unlocked
Skill: [Word Manifestation] - UNLOCKED
Stats Unlocked
A glowing interface bloomed in front of her, like a semi-transparent screen made of light.
[STATUS]
Name: Selena Ward
Age: 18
Class: None
Title: None
Level: 1
Strength: 3 (Below Average)
Agility: 4 (Below Average)
Intelligence: 7 (Average)
Endurance: 2 (Weak)
Aura Affinity: Unknown
Mana Affinity: Low
> System Reward: Beginner Pack Words Obtained: 5 Skill Unlocked: Word Manifestation
Selena saw a small option on the bottom of the status window.
"Skill description," Selena said weakly.
A new screen popped up.
[Word Manifestation]
> Allows the user to manifest effects through narrative writing. Each completed System Quest rewards Words. Words can be spent to write mini-scenarios or commands, altering reality within the rules of this world. Restrictions: Cannot break the fundamental laws of the world. Cannot manifest god-level powers. Cannot revive the dead. Cannot rewrite someone else's free will.
Selena blinked.
"So... you're telling me I can write my own fate?"
Her fingers twitched with anticipation.
She remembered how often she'd dreamed of this. How she'd written hundreds of stories online, crafting tales of lost princesses and fallen gods.
Now her pen had become her weapon.
"Ha.. should I be happy or sad. I have been thrown in a life or death situation... but i can write my own fate." Selena laughed slightly irony.
"Well whatever for now i should atleast try .y best to survive."
She selected her [Beginner Pack]. It materialized in front of her with a flash of golden light: a small satchel containing a waterskin, 5 jerky, a cloak, flint and steel, a steel knife and a tiny glowing stone labeled [Safe Shelter Talisman - One Use Only].
"Perfect," she whispered.
Her stomach grumbled, and she tore into the jerky.
As she ate, the System displayed a new message:
> World Overview (Unlocked via System Integration)
Welcome to the continent of Auroria.
This world is ruled by five major Kingdoms:
Kingdom of Elandor (Magic & Knowledge)
Beastlands of Varkros (Shifter Clans)
The Glacial Court (Iceborn Nobility)
Dorne Empire (Aura Knight Dominance)
Crimson Wastes (Fallen Realm, lawless lands)
Known Powers:
Aura Energy: Life-force based combat power, often physical.
Mana: Magical energy tied to emotion and affinity.
Shifter Bloodlines: Rare ability to transform into beasts.
Selena stared at the screen, overwhelmed. This wasn't just some random forest. It was a full-blown fantasy world.
She bit her lip.
"Then this system... it's giving me a chance to become someone powerful. Someone who writes their own path."
She glanced at her remaining Words: 5.
Not much, but enough to survive the night.
She decided to save them, just in case things got worse.
With the cloak around her shoulders, she activated the shelter talisman. It flickered, then vanished. In its place appeared a glowing dome of faint blue light, nestled between trees.
Inside, it was warm. Dry. Safe.
She collapsed onto the soft moss inside and let out a long breath.
"Okay... one monster down. A thousand questions to go."
She pulled her knees to her chest and stared up through the translucent dome.
For now, she was alive.
Just as her eyelids began to droop, the hairs on the back of her neck rose.
A chill crept over her.
Something was watching her.
She shot upright.
Outside the dome, the forest had gone dead silent.
No wind. No crickets. No leaves.
Just stillness.
Then, from behind the trees, a massive shadow passed by—twice her height, with glowing golden eyes that sliced through the dark.
Her breath caught.
The shadow stopped.
Turned.
And looked directly at her.
She screamed.
---
To be continued...