The first thing Ari noticed was warmth—gentle, sticky warmth that clung to her skin like damp cloth.
The second was silence. No horns, no chatter, no rumble of buses outside the apartment window.
Only wind, cicadas, and the faint creak of trees.
Her lashes fluttered open to a sky too bright, too wide. Green leaves framed it, trembling under sunlight. For a long moment she just stared, waiting for the ceiling of her bedroom to come back.
It didn't.
She sat up fast—and winced. Her arms were scraped, her uniform shirt torn at the elbow. "E-eh…?"
Ari blinked, trying to piece together the memory. The school field trip, the bus, the flash of white—
then nothing.
Around her, the forest stretched endlessly. Vines hung thick from trees as tall as buildings, and the air smelled of wet earth and flowers she'd never seen before. The ground was uneven, covered in moss that squished under her shoes.
"Is… this a dream?" Her voice sounded tiny against the rustling woods.
No answer—just the faraway call of something that didn't sound like any bird she knew.
Her chest tightened. "Appa? …Eomma?"
Nothing. Only the hum of insects.
Panic bubbled up. She looked around for a road, a sign, anything—but there was only wilderness. She pulled out her phone, hands shaking. The screen blinked on… no signal. The time was frozen, battery at half, and every app refused to load. When she opened her camera, the screen glitched, then went black.
"Eotteokhae…" she whispered, heart pounding. "What do I do?"
She forced herself to breathe slowly like her teacher once said—inhale, hold, exhale. It barely helped.
That's when something clicked inside her head—a soft chime, like glass tapping glass.
[System Activated]
[Welcome, User: Ari]
[Status: Transferred. Location: Primitive Beast World]
Her breath hitched. The words weren't on her phone—they floated in front of her eyes, glowing faintly blue. When she blinked, they stayed.
"W-what…?" She waved her hands through the air, but the letters didn't move. It was like a hologram only she could see.
[Basic Survival Task Initialized]
[Task: Find drinkable water]
[Hint: Flowing sound. Avoid stagnant pools.]
Ari froze. "A system…? Like… a game?"
She'd seen enough dramas and webnovels to know what that word meant. But those were supposed to be stories. Not—whatever this was.
Her stomach growled in answer. Loudly.
"…Okay," she muttered, hugging herself. "If this is a dream, then I'll just… play along. Find water, right? Easy."
Except nothing looked easy. The trees were enormous, roots twisting like snakes. The light came in broken patches, and every shadow looked like it could move. Still, she pushed herself up, brushing leaves from her knees.
"Water," she said aloud, as if the word itself could summon it. "Water, water, water…"
She walked carefully, marking a tree with a broken branch every few meters like she'd seen in survival videos. Each step made her shoes damp. The moss squished unpleasantly; bugs scattered. Once, she heard a low growl from far away and froze until it faded.
Minutes—maybe hours—passed before she heard it: a faint trickle.
Her heart jumped. "That sound—!"
She followed it through the undergrowth, slipping once on a slope, and nearly cried when she saw a narrow stream glinting under the sun. Clear, cold, alive.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" She knelt and cupped her hands, hesitating. "It said flowing water's okay… right?"
She sniffed it first—no smell. Then tasted a drop. Cool, earthy, sweet. Relief flooded through her chest.
[Task Completed: Find drinkable water]
[Reward: +1 Survival Instinct]
The faint chime returned. A warmth spread behind her eyes, like a tiny spark lighting up. She blinked, startled. "It really works…"
For a few minutes she just sat there, letting the sound of the stream steady her breathing. Her reflection wobbled in the water—dirt-smudged cheeks, messy hair, wide brown eyes that looked one cry away from breaking.
"I can't cry now," she whispered. "If I cry, no one will come."
She splashed her face instead. The cold helped. Then she tore a piece from her sleeve, dipped it, and cleaned the scrape on her arm. It stung, but it felt good to do something.
After drinking her fill, she looked up. "Okay… next task?"
As if listening, the blue text flickered again.
[New Task: Secure food]
[Hint: Fruits grow near sunlight.]
"Food," Ari murmured, trying to sound brave. "Alright, system. Let's find food."
She stood and followed the stream until the trees thinned. Sunlight spilled through a gap where low bushes grew, dotted with small red berries. Her eyes widened. "Are these edible?"
Another message blinked.
[Unknown plant detected]
[Scan in progress…]
[Result: Edible. Nutrient level: Low. Sweetness: Mild.]
"Whoa…" She plucked one cautiously and tasted it. Sweet, like diluted strawberries. "Mmm! Okay, I can live with this."
She gathered as many as she could into her torn sleeve, making a makeshift pouch. "Now I just need… um… a place to sleep?"
She looked around. The forest floor was uneven, crawling with roots. Sleeping on it sounded awful.
[Optional Task: Create shelter]
[Hint: Dry leaves. Branches. Elevated ground.]
"Eh? You can hear me?" she asked, blinking at the air.
No answer—but the new task stayed.
She sighed. "Fine, fine. Let's make a shelter, Miss System."
Her small voice echoed as she worked, dragging branches and piling leaves. Each time she dropped one, she muttered apologies under her breath. "Aigoo, it's heavier than it looks… Appa would scold me if he saw how messy I'm being…"
By the time the sky turned orange, she'd made something that kind of resembled a nest. She crawled inside, the leaves scratching her cheeks but blocking the wind. Her stomach gurgled again, but she ignored it.
Outside, the forest began to hum with night noises. She hugged her knees, whispering to the darkness. "Appa… Eomma… I'll wake up soon, right? Please…"
A breeze rustled her little shelter in reply.
Then came the familiar chime again.
[Task Completed: Create shelter]
[Reward: +1 Foraging Skill]
[Skill Unlocked: Basic Fire-Making (Lv.1)]
"Fire-making?" She perked up, blinking. "I can make fire?"
[Sub-task: Collect dry twigs and stones. Friction method enabled.]
She crawled out, excitement momentarily overriding fear. Twigs weren't hard to find; stones were everywhere. She arranged them like she'd seen in camping videos, rubbing sticks together until her hands hurt. Nothing. She tried again, muttering encouragement in Korean between gritted teeth.
"Come on, just a little spark… jebal…"
Minutes passed—then, at last, a wisp of smoke.
Her eyes lit up. "It's working!"
She leaned close, blowing softly until orange light flickered to life. The smallest flame—but real. Heat touched her fingertips.
[Task Completed: Make Fire]
[Reward: +1 Warmth Resistance]
Ari laughed weakly. "Ha… I did it. See, Appa? I can… I can do things."
She sat before her tiny fire until the stars appeared overhead—thousands of them, bright and sharp. Not a single airplane, not even a contrail. The sky here was too clear.
Her eyelids grew heavy. The fire crackled quietly, comforting in the dark.
"Tomorrow," she mumbled, curling up on the moss. "Tomorrow I'll… find people…"
Sleep took her before she finished the sentence.
When dawn came, the forest was wrapped in mist.
Ari woke shivering, her small shelter damp with dew. The fire had long died, leaving only a curl of gray ash.
Her breath puffed in the cold air. "So it wasn't a dream," she whispered. The same trees, the same air that smelled like wet leaves and something ancient.
She rubbed her eyes, pushing away tears before they could fall. "Appa always said crying makes you hungry faster," she muttered, trying to sound brave.
Her stomach grumbled in agreement.
[Daily Reminder: Hunger Level 74 %]
[Recommendation: Consume food within 3 hours]
"Okay, okay, I get it." She sat cross-legged, opening the sleeve-pouch of berries she'd collected yesterday. They were slightly squished but still sweet. She ate slowly, counting each one. "One… two… three…"
When she reached seven, she stopped, saving the rest. "For later. In case."
She stood and stretched, the hem of her torn uniform brushing her knees. Her shoes were damp; she took them off and wrung out her socks near the stream. "So… what now?"
The familiar blue glow flickered again.
[Task: Explore surroundings]
[Hint: Mapping function unlocked. Walk to expand area visibility.]
"Mapping?" Ari tilted her head. "Like a mini-map?"
A faint circle appeared in the corner of her vision—an outline of trees and a blinking dot where she stood. It was both eerie and comforting.
She picked up a sturdy branch to use as a walking stick and started following the stream, humming softly. "If I find people, they'll help me. Maybe there's a village…"
The forest felt different by daylight. Birds chattered overhead, tiny shapes darting between vines. Once, she spotted a squirrel-like creature with feathery ears watching her from a branch. Its eyes were too bright, almost intelligent.
"Annyeong…" she greeted softly. It blinked and vanished into the leaves.
Hours slipped by. The stream widened, curling around stones. When Ari stopped to rest, the System chimed again.
[Discovery: Edible herb]
[Item added: Wild mint × 3]
She sniffed the leaves—sharp and cool. "Mint tea," she murmured with a small smile. "Eomma liked mint tea…"
The memory stung. She quickly busied herself tying the herbs into a bundle using grass. "I'm fine. I'm fine."
But as the sun climbed higher, heat pressed down, heavy and sticky. Her throat grew dry again. When she bent to drink, a shadow rippled across the water.
She looked up—nothing there.
Still, every instinct screamed watch out.
"Aigoo… don't scare me like that," she whispered, gripping her stick tighter.
A low rumble echoed somewhere distant. Not thunder—something alive. She backed away from the stream, heart hammering, until the sound faded.
[Warning: Unknown predator detected]
[Recommendation: Remain hidden]
"Hidden? Where—" She spotted a hollow between two thick roots and crawled in. Dirt smeared her knees, but she stayed quiet, barely breathing.
Minutes passed. Then—silence again. No growls, only cicadas.
When she finally crawled out, her hands were trembling.
"Okay," she whispered shakily, "no more exploring alone. Maybe I'll just stay near my fire place, ne?"
She hurried back along the stream, following the marks she'd made on the trees. By the time she reached her small clearing, the sky was streaked with gold again. She collapsed beside the ashes, panting.
[Task Completed: Explore surroundings]
[Reward: +1 Endurance]
"Ha… yay me," she said between breaths. "Endurance, huh? Does that mean I can be stronger soon?"
[Status: Slight fatigue]
[Advice: Rest or light activity]
She laughed weakly. "Light activity… does talking to myself count?"
There was, of course, no answer.
That night she tried to make another fire. Her hands blistered from friction, but she managed a faint spark after many tries.
She fed it slowly, careful not to use damp twigs. When it finally caught, she smiled through the sweat on her brow.
"See, System? I'm learning."
[Skill Progress: Basic Fire-Making Lv.1 → Lv.2]
"Woohoo," she cheered softly, clapping once. The small fire crackled as if answering.
To chase loneliness away, she began talking to imaginary friends—her classmates, her cat, even the tiny mint bundle she'd tied earlier. "You're Minty now," she declared, holding it up. "Minty, meet Stickie, my walking stick. You two behave, okay?"
The absurdity made her giggle, then sigh. "I'm really going crazy…"
Still, it helped. Words filled the silence better than the night bugs did.
She roasted a few berries on a flat stone, pretending they were dinner. "Smells nice, right, Minty?" she whispered, tasting one. The skin burst sweet and tart. "Mmm. Not bad, huh?"
The System chimed.
[Experiment Logged: Cooked fruit discovered]
[Reward: Minor cooking experience +1]
"Cooking experience?" She blinked. "Wait, I can be a chef too?"
[New skill path unlocked: Primitive Cooking]
Her eyes widened. "Daebak…"
For the first time since waking up here, she laughed properly—a clear, ringing laugh that startled a nearby bird into flight. "If this is a dream, it's at least a funny one."
She hummed a tune from an old cartoon, voice small but steady. The flames painted her cheeks orange, making her look almost peaceful.
When the song ended, she whispered, "Goodnight, Minty. Goodnight, Appa… Eomma…"
The forest answered with crickets. She curled up, clutching the mint bundle like a doll.
Morning of the second day was gray and windy. The fire had gone out again, and the sky threatened rain.
Ari groaned, rubbing her stiff shoulders. "System, what's today's task?"
[Task: Reinforce shelter before rainfall]
[Hint: Use broad leaves or bark for waterproofing.]
"Ugh, chores already…" she grumbled, but got to work. She remembered how her uncle once built a tarp tent during a picnic; she copied what she could with giant fern leaves, layering them over her hut. The smell of crushed green filled the air.
By noon, thunder grumbled far away. She crawled inside just as the first drops fell.
Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.
The rhythm was strangely soothing.
[Task Completed: Reinforce shelter]
[Reward: +1 Construction Awareness]
"Construction awareness? That's… fancy," she murmured. She watched rain drip down the leaf roof, eyes half-lidded. "I wonder if there are people out there. Maybe nice ones. Beast World… it said beast, right? So maybe… animals that talk?"
She laughed softly. "If a tiger says hello, I'm running."
Lightning flashed; thunder rolled after it. She flinched, hugging her knees. "Appa hates thunder too," she whispered, voice small. "He used to say it's just the sky's tummy growling."
Outside, the rain grew heavier. The sound filled every corner of the little shelter. Ari listened until drowsiness crept in.
Before sleep took her, the System chimed once more.
[Hidden Buff Activated: Calm Presence (Passive)]
[Effect: Slightly pacifies smaller beasts nearby]
Her lips curved faintly. "Calm presence, huh? Maybe now even the bugs will be nice…"
She drifted into dreams filled with mint tea and her parents' laughter.
When Ari woke, the air was thick and heavy, the smell of wet soil filling her tiny shelter. The rain had stopped, leaving beads of water glistening on every leaf. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her face bore the faint imprint of her mint bundle.
She blinked blearily. "Morning already?"
Her voice was hoarse, like she hadn't spoken in ages.
[Weather Report: Humid. Visibility – moderate. Chance of rain: 23%]
"Wow… it even knows the weather now?" she muttered. "You sure you're not spying on me, System?"
No reply, of course.
Stretching, Ari crawled out. Mist still hung low, curling around her ankles. The forest looked gentler after the storm, like a beast that had finally gone back to sleep.
Her stomach growled.
"Alright, alright. Food first."
She scanned the ground—small mushrooms sprouted near a rotting log, but they were orange and spotted. Suspicious. She crouched closer.
[Analysis: Toxic variant – Do NOT consume.]
"Yeah, no kidding." She stuck her tongue out at the mushroom and moved on.
After some foraging and washing her hands at the stream, she managed a humble meal: a handful of berries, a few mint leaves, and the leftover roasted ones from last night. It wasn't much, but her hunger bar went down a bit.
[Hunger Level: 38%]
"Better than zero," she mumbled.
She was rinsing her face when something caught her eye—a mark in the mud. Deep, wide, and clawed.
A paw print.
Ari froze. Her stick slipped into the water with a splash.
"That's… big," she whispered. "Way too big."
She crouched slowly, measuring it with her hand. Her palm fit easily inside it—three times over. Whatever made that print wasn't small.
Her heartbeat quickened.
[Analysis: Beast track detected. Species – Unknown. Estimated distance: 400 meters north-west.]
"Four hundred meters?" She glanced into the misty trees. "That's way too close!"
She backed away quickly, nearly tripping on a root. "Okay, okay—no panicking, Ari. Just stay quiet, stay calm—"
A low, distant roar rolled through the trees. The kind that shook the air in her lungs. She froze mid-step, eyes wide.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "System… friendly?"
[Threat Level: Moderate-High]
[Recommendation: Evade. Do not engage.]
"No worries—I wasn't planning on it!" she squeaked, snatching up her stick and running back to her shelter.
She crouched inside for a long time, listening to the forest breathe. The roar didn't come again, but she could still hear faint rustling—something large moving through wet foliage.
Her hands trembled. She pressed them together to keep them still. "Appa would've told me to stay still… Eomma would've yelled at him for saying it like it's easy."
Minutes stretched like hours. Eventually, the forest grew quiet again—unnaturally quiet.
Ari peeked through a gap in the leaves. Nothing. Just fog and ferns.
Still, she whispered, "I'm… still alive."
[Hidden Task Completed: Survive first threat encounter]
[Reward: +2 Courage]
"Courage, huh?" she murmured. "Yeah, I need that."
By midday, the fog lifted. The ground steamed faintly where the sun touched it. Ari decided to risk moving again, carefully marking trees with small scratches.
Her new goal: find higher ground. Somewhere safer.
The path wound upward between mossy rocks and roots thick as her arms. As she climbed, she began to talk softly to herself again.
"Minty, Stickie, we're going on an adventure," she said, voice wobbly but cheerful. "Mission: Don't die before dinner. Got it?"
She giggled when the echo bounced faintly off the rocks. "Good talk."
The higher she climbed, the more the forest opened up. Shafts of sunlight broke through the canopy, painting the air gold. It was… breathtaking.
She stopped on a ledge overlooking the valley below. "Whoa…"
Mist drifted over treetops like silver rivers. In the distance, mountains loomed—sharp and blue-gray.
And there, far across the forest, she saw smoke. Thin and pale, rising straight into the sky.
Her breath caught. "Smoke. That means—people."
[Optional Task: Investigate possible settlement – 3.2 km east.]
[Warning: Terrain may contain hostile life forms.]
"Three kilometers?" she muttered. "That's… far. But if there are people…"
Her mind whirled—hope and fear mixing in her chest. She looked back at her tiny shelter, barely visible below. "I can't stay here forever," she whispered. "If I want to go home… maybe they'll know how."
Decision made, she tightened her shoes and started down the slope.
It didn't take long before she regretted it. The forest floor was slippery with wet moss, and twice she fell, earning new scrapes on her knees.
"System," she groaned, "how much farther?"
[Distance remaining: 2.6 km]
"Ugh…"
Still, she trudged on. Birds scattered at her approach. Once, she thought she saw a shadow move between the trees—but when she turned, there was nothing. Only a single feather floating down.
She caught it instinctively. It shimmered faintly in the light—silver-blue, like moonlight woven into silk.
"Pretty…" she murmured, stroking it between her fingers. "Maybe from that big thing earlier?"
[Item Acquired: Unknown Beast Feather]
[Rarity: Uncommon]
[Use: ???]
"Uncommon? So it's like a collectible?"
No answer, but the feather pulsed softly in her hand, as if alive. She tucked it behind her ear for luck. "Okay, mystery feather. Keep me safe."
The forest seemed calmer after that. Even the wind softened.
By the time the sun started to dip, Ari was exhausted. Her feet hurt, and her stick had snapped in half somewhere along the way. She stopped by a cluster of tall ferns to rest.
The System chimed softly.
[Status: Fatigued. Hydration low.]
[Advice: Rest recommended.]
"Yeah, yeah… I know…" she sighed, sitting against a tree trunk. Her eyelids drooped. "Just… five minutes…"
But before she could drift off, something rustled nearby.
Soft, deliberate steps.
Ari froze, breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she looked up. Between the trees, a shape moved—two glowing eyes, golden like sunset.
She couldn't move. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
The figure stepped closer—tall, cloaked in shadows, and definitely not human. But there was something graceful about the way it walked, something… intelligent.
Ari's hand trembled around the broken stick. "System," she whispered, "friend… or—"
The being stopped at the edge of the clearing. The wind carried its scent—wild, metallic, faintly floral. It tilted its head, watching her.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then, to her utter shock, the figure spoke—voice low and smooth.
"You… are not from here."
Ari's mouth fell open. "Y-you can talk?"
Golden eyes narrowed slightly. "You shouldn't be here, human."
Her pulse spiked. "I—I didn't mean to! I just—woke up here! I swear I'm not dangerous!"
He (it sounded like a he) said nothing, only studying her in silence. The air grew heavier with tension. Ari wanted to cry but forced herself to stay still.
Finally, the figure sighed. "Pathetic," he murmured. "You wouldn't last a day without that strange light helping you."
Ari blinked. "You… can see the System?"
The figure's expression—if that was his face under the hood—shifted. "System… so that's what you call it."
He turned, cloak whispering against leaves. "If you wish to live, don't follow the smoke."
"Wait!" she blurted, stepping forward. "Who are you?!"
He didn't answer. With a single leap, impossibly fast, he vanished into the shadows.
Ari stood frozen, staring at the space he'd left behind. Only the faint smell of rain and wildflowers lingered.
Then her System flickered again.
[New Entity Logged: ??? (Race – Unknown)]
[Relationship Status: Neutral – Observing]
Her knees wobbled. She sank to the ground, whispering, "I… just met someone. A real person. Or… something."
For the first time since arriving, she didn't feel completely alone—though she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
She sat there until nightfall, clutching her feather and looking toward the distant column of smoke.
"'Don't follow the smoke,' huh…" she whispered, glancing at the dark forest where the stranger had disappeared. "Then what should I follow?"
The System pulsed faintly in her vision, as if listening.
Ari smiled weakly. "Guess we'll find out."
The forest wind rustled through the leaves—soft, almost like a reply.