The night was calm, the air thick with the hum of crickets and the slow breathing of the jungle.
Evan slept soundly between two warm, snoring lumps—Leo drooling on his arm, Milo curled against his chest, and Silas a dark, motionless silhouette across the den.
Everything was peaceful.
Until a chime broke the silence.
A soft, mechanical hum echoed through Evan's half-dreaming mind.
Then—blink!—a faint blue panel flickered into existence above him.
[System Activated.]
[Congratulation Host.]
Evan's eyes flew open so fast he nearly headbutted the invisible words.
"...Huh?" he croaked, blinking blearily at the glowing letters floating in midair. "No. No, no, no. This—this is not happening. System.I must've eaten the wrong berry."
Leo mumbled something incoherent and rolled over, swatting his tail against Evan's stomach.
The blue light pulsed gently, completely ignoring the chaos it had caused.
> [Primary Host Detected: Intersex Human (Rare Type)]
[Survival Compatibility: 48%]
[Initializing Baseline Scan...]
Evan froze.
"...It's scanning me. The thing is scanning me!"
He flailed a hand at the light, whispering furiously, "Hey! No personal data collection! I didn't agree to any user terms!"
The panel blinked politely, as if unimpressed.
> [Starting Skills Detected:]
– Cooking (Basic)
– Observation (Beginner)
– Foraging Knowledge (Intermediate)
Evan gawked. "Cooking? Okay, fair. Observation? Sure. But how is 'Foraging' higher than everything else?!"
He squinted. "Oh right, because I was a disaster at dating and only bonded with grocery aisles."
The system, mercifully, went silent.
Evan exhaled shakily. His pulse finally began to calm.
"Okay, breathe. You've read a hundred transmigration novels. The protagonist always gets a system. This is normal. Totally normal."
He rubbed his face. "Except it's me. And I'm not exactly protagonist material. I can barely survive my own kitchen.I am a nerd."
Still, curiosity prickled. He whispered, "Uh… open menu?"
> [Beastman Survival System – v1.0]
[Objective: Survive. Adapt. Thrive.]
[Energy Source: Effort and Emotional Fulfillment.]
"Emotional fulfillment?" Evan muttered. "So… if I make people happy, I level up?"
He groaned softly. "Wow. I'm powered by love. I'm basically a Disney princess."
A smaller line appeared.
[New Feature Unlocked: Personal Missions.]
"Okay," Evan whispered. "Hit me."
[Mission: Forage Five Types of New Edibles.Time limit: 24 hours.]
[Reward: Map to Earth Salt Deposit + 10 Local Herbal Plant Information Entries.]
[Reward for the successful binding with the system. System will provide you with the route for finding the new edible plants only for mission 1]
He stared at it, mouth hanging open.
"At least thereit has morals"
"But wait Salt?" His voice cracked in disbelief. "Real. Actual. Salt?!"
He clutched his chest dramatically. "Dear gods of cooking, thank you. No more flavorless jungle stew! and roasted meat"
The cubs stirred beside him, one mumbling, "Mama… no more stew…"
Evan froze. "Shhh, go back to sleep, mini noodle."
The screen dimmed to a soft shimmer and finally faded from sight.
He lay back, heart still racing, the faint echo of the chime lingering in his mind.
"Alright," he whispered into the dark. "You've officially gone full protagonist. Try not to die before Chapter 10."
---
When morning came, the den smelled of roasted meat and fresh fruit.
Sunlight filtered through the vines, scattering golden dots across the floor.
Silas was already up, his tail coiled neatly behind him as he sharpened a bone knife. The cubs were still tangled together, snoring in harmony.
Evan blinked blearily, sitting up. "Okay, still alive. Still human. No blue screens of death. Good start."
The moment Silas turned, Evan snapped his mouth shut, pretending to yawn.
"Sleep well?" Silas asked, voice calm, deep, and always too serious for morning conversation.
Evan smiled weakly. "Yeah. Great. Totally not visited by floating words in the night or anything."
Silas just nodded, clearly used to Evan saying nonsense before breakfast.
Evan quietly eyed the entrance, brain already buzzing.
Alright. New plan: keep the system secret. If Silas finds out I'm talking to invisible menus, he'll probably think I'm cursed.
He cleared his throat. "So, uh… what are we doing today?"
"Hunting, winter season will be coming soon so we have to collect the food and supplies." Silas replied. "You'll stay near the den. The cubs will help gather."
"Gather?" Evan perked up. "Perfect! That's—uh—totally what I wanted to do!"
Silas gave him a long, skeptical look, but said nothing.
As the beastman left, the cubs ran up, waving baskets made of vines.
"Mama! We go fruit picking!" Leo chirped.
Evan smiled. "You two are my favorite assistants. Let's go find new snacks—uh, food!"
He paused for a beat, whispered, "System, activate tracking."
[Tracking: Forage Five Types of New Edibles – Progress 0/5.]
A small arrow blinked faintly in the air, pointing toward the jungle's dense side.
Evan grinned. "Alright, Blue GPS Fairy, lead the way."
---
"Foraging Chaos"
The jungle was vibrant and alive. Shafts of sunlight pierced through giant leaves, insects hummed like distant machinery, and the smell of damp soil mixed with ripe fruit.
Leo darted ahead, tail flicking. "Mama, I found red fruit!"
Evan squinted. "Red fruit? Wait—no, not those! Remember yesterday? Red means death!"
Milo already had one in his mouth.
Evan lunged. "Spit it out! Spit—no chewing—oh my god!"
After a dramatic rescue mission involving water splashing and panicked scolding, the berry went flying into the bushes.
Milo pouted. "But it looked tasty."
Evan wiped his forehead. "That's how villains in nature documentaries die, sweetheart."
The system chimed.
[Observation Skill +1: Quick Poison Identification.]
"Oh, great," Evan muttered. "I almost lost a child, but at least I got a skill point."
Still, things improved. He found a cluster of broad-leafed herbs with faint purple stems.
The system pulsed faintly.
[Edible Plant Identified: Jungle Spinach (Rich in Iron).]
[Progress: 1/5.]
Evan grinned, stuffing the leaves into their basket. "Ha! Take that, apocalypse!"
Leo peered over his shoulder. "Mama talks to the air again."
Evan coughed. "Uh… motivational self-talk. Builds morale."
By noon, they'd found more:
A tuber that looked suspiciously like sweet potato.
A citrus-like fruit that made Milo's face implode from sourness.
A soft fungus that smelled earthy but pleasant.
> [Progress: 4/5.]
"Almost there," Evan muttered. "One more and we unlock the sacred seasoning."
As if on cue, the system highlighted a vine hanging from a tree, covered in small green pods.
> [Wild Bean Detected – High Protein Source.]
[Progress: 5/5 Completed.]
Evan threw his arms up triumphantly. "Yes! Quest complete!"
"If all the quests are like this.Then I am on.Alas...."
The cubs cheered without knowing why.
Then came the final chime.
> [Mission Completed.]
[Reward Unlocked: Earth Salt Location Revealed.]
[Additional Reward: 10 Local Herbal Plants Information Updated.]
A faint map shimmered before his eyes—an image of a nearby rocky hill with a hidden cave symbol glowing faintly.
"Salt mine," Evan whispered reverently. "My people shall season their food once more."
Leo tilted his head. "Mama's saying weird things again."
Milo nodded sagely. "That means he's happy."
Evan grinned. "Exactly right, my brilliant little noodles."
---
By sunset, they returned home, triumphant and dirt-smeared.
Evan was humming an off-key tune as he chopped the wild bean pods near the firepit.
Silas returned not long after, a fresh catch slung over his shoulder.
The cubs immediately attacked him with hugs and tales of the day.
"Mama found green leaves! And weird plants! And almost died!" Milo announced proudly.
Silas's eyes flicked to Evan. "Almost died?"
Evan laughed nervously. "Exaggeration! Nobody died. Maybe a few brain cells."
Silas's tail twitched faintly, amused despite himself. "You are strange."
"Thank you," Evan said solemnly. "I work hard at it."
They cooked together—Silas roasting meat while Evan stirred a bubbling pot of stew. The air filled with a rich, savory scent.
When he added the jungle spinach and wild beans, even Silas looked surprised.
"This smells… different."
Evan smiled. "It's called flavor. You'll love it."
Dinner that night was laughter and warmth. The cubs ate so fast that Evan barely had time to blink before their bowls were empty.
Silas, quiet as ever, set his bowl down last. "It's good," he said simply.
Evan blinked. "That's it? Just 'good'? That's, like, a five-star review coming from you!"
---
After the cubs finally fell asleep, the den grew still again.
The fire crackled low, shadows dancing across the walls.
Evan sat quietly, staring at his hands.
Five new edibles. Herbal data. Salt. I actually did it.
He opened the system with a thought.
> [Mission Progress: Completed.]
[Herbal Data Added:]
1. Soothing Fern – for minor burns
2. Cloudleaf – treats fever
3. Bitterroot – numbs pain
4. Sunvine – improves vitality
5. Ghost Herb – mild poison neutralizer
(and more…)
Evan felt awe curl through his chest. "You're kidding. It's giving me a whole survival guidebook."
Then his eyes landed on one last note at the bottom of the interface:
> [Energy Increase: Family Bond +1.]
He blinked. "Wait—family bond? Did the system just rate my parenting skills?"
But instead of annoyance, a small, warm laugh escaped him.
He looked toward Leo and Milo, their tails curled tightly as they slept in a heap of blankets.
Silas was leaning near the den's entrance, half-asleep but alert, his scales faintly gleaming in the firelight.
Family bond, Evan thought softly. Yeah… I guess that's right.
He reached down, tucking the blanket tighter around the cubs. "You know what, System? You might just be the best glitch I ever got."
----