There was something wrong with my mattress.
That was my first thought before I even opened my eyes. It felt too hard, uneven, and... wet? I groaned softly, trying to wiggle into a comfortable position, but my waist hit something hard. A rock?
I opened my eyes.
Not my bedroom ceiling.
Just green. Deep, layered green covering my entire field of vision. Leaves. Branches. Sunlight piercing through the gaps, blinding me.
I blinked a few times, brain still half-asleep, trying to process this nonsense.
The smell of earth.
It was overwhelming. The scent of wet soil after rain, rotting leaves, moss. I could feel it against my cheek, cold and damp.
I jerked awake, sitting up way too fast, making my head spin.
"What the hell...?"
My voice sounded strange.
I looked left and right. A forest. A real forest. Massive trees with roots jutting out of the ground, thick bushes coming up to my waist.
Birds chirped in the distance, punctuated by the constant buzzing of insects.
My heart started pounding, hammering against my ribs. A cold dread crept from my stomach up to my throat.
Kidnapped?
The thought popped up instantly. I tried to remember what I did last night. Came home from college, bought Nasi Padang, played some games, then slept. That was it. Who would want to kidnap a regular college student like me? And dump me... where exactly?
I patted my pocket, looking for my phone.
My hand touched rough fabric.
I looked down.
Not my shorts. Not my favorite t-shirt.
I was wearing some kind of dull white tunic. The material was coarse and scratchy against my skin, like a burlap sack. The pants were long, faded brown, made from the same rough material. And on my feet... a pair of simple leather boots that looked well-worn.
My hands shook as I touched the fabric. These weren't my clothes. These didn't even look like clothes sold in any store this century.
"Damn..."
I tried to stand. My legs were wobbly, unstable on the slippery, muddy ground. I looked around again, searching for a path, a sign of life, anything that made sense.
Water.
I heard the sound of rushing water. A strong river current.
My throat felt parched. Instinct took over. I ran toward the sound, shoving aside branches blocking my path, my boots making *squelch-squelch* sounds in the muck.
The bushes opened up, and there was the river. Wide, with clear water rushing rapidly over smooth river stones.
I ran to the bank, falling to my knees on a cold rock. I cupped water in my hands, splashing my hot, dirty face. The water was freezing, shocking my skin.
As the ripples settled, I saw it.
The reflection in the water.
I froze. Water dripped from my chin, falling back into the river, disturbing the image again. I waited for the water to calm down.
The face was still there.
It wasn't my face.
A young boy stared back at me. Messy blond hair, big green eyes filled with fear. Skin pale as a Western European's, pointed ears. He was maybe twelve or thirteen years old.
I raised my hand, touching my cheek.
The boy in the water touched his cheek too.
I tugged at my cheek, pinching it hard until it hurt.
The boy in the water did the same, grimacing in pain.
I scrambled back, landing hard on my butt in the wet dirt. My breathing was ragged, short and fast.
"This... isn't funny," I whispered. That boy's voice again.
I yanked on my own hair. It felt different. The texture, the length. Everything was wrong.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"
I punched the ground beside me, splashing mud everywhere.
"Don't tell me I'm in another world? You've got to be kidding me!" I yelled at the silent forest. The birds stopped chirping for a second, then went right back to singing as if they didn't care about my existential crisis.
I like reading fantasy manga. I like watching anime where the protagonist gets hit by a truck and wakes up surrounded by beautiful girls.
But watching it and experiencing it are two very different things.
It's cold. It's dirty. It's terrifying.
I stared at my small, unfamiliar hands, fingernails caked with dirt.
"I want to go home..."
I ripped out a handful of grass next to me, pulling with such frustration that this small body teetered backward. Thud. My butt landed hard on the damp ground, making me wince.
"Shit," I cursed softly.
I took a deep breath. Sitting here, wallowing in self-pity while staring at a stranger's face in the water, wouldn't get me anywhere. The sun was already starting to dip toward the west. My time was limited. If I didn't find shelter before nightfall, I'd be an easy snack for whatever lived in this forest.
But where was I supposed to go?
I spun around, scanning my surroundings. The forest felt endless. Giant trees with mossy trunks towered above, their massive roots protruding from the earth like frozen giant snakes. Dense thickets blocked the view in every direction. If I just walked blindly, I could get even more lost, wandering into the heart of the forest where bigger predators were hiding.
I need to be careful, I thought, my brain working hard to analyze the situation. If this really is a fantasy world like in those isekai anime, then monsters aren't just fiction anymore. And this body...
I looked back at the reflection in the calm river water. The face of a young boy stared back. Grimy, dirty, with big green eyes that looked terrified. Even though I had washed it with cold water earlier, smudges of dirt still clung to my cheeks and forehead.
My hand came up, feeling the ears that felt so strange. The tips were pointed, extending upward.
"These are Elf ears, right?" I mumbled, fingers tracing the contours of the unfamiliar cartilage. "Has to be. I see this shape all the time in isekai or fantasy anime. Pale skin, green eyes, pointed ears... totally stereotypical."
If this hypothesis was correct, if I was now an Elf, then logic dictated I should be able to use magic. Isn't that the basic rule? Elves are synonymous with magic and nature.
Based on that, I tried to mimic hand movements I'd seen in anime. I concentrated my mind, trying to feel the flow of energy, *
mana, or whatever was inside my body. I thrust my palm forward, imagining a fireball, a gust of wind, or at least a tiny spark of light.
Silence.
Nothing happened. The forest breeze kept blowing softly, leaves rustling with a crackle as if mocking me.
"Damn," I hissed in disappointment. "Don't tell me this kid has zero magic talent? Or worse... don't tell me this isn't a world with magic?"
I let out a long sigh.
"As someone who traveled to another world, I should get some compensation, right? A *
cheat? Or something?"
I stood up, spreading my arms wide toward the silent forest.
"Skill, appear!" I shouted.
My voice echoed for a moment, then vanished, swallowed by the dense trees. Only the rushing river answered me.
"Magic, appear!"
Still silence.
"Status, appear!"
I shouted them one by one, trying every keyword I could find in my memory from games and anime. But the result was zilch. No status window floating, no notification sound in my head.
Panic started to creep up, cold and gripping.
"This is the last one," I whispered, voice trembling.
"If this doesn't work... I'm really going to die a stupid death in the middle of this forest."
I closed my eyes, focusing all my hope on a single word.
"System."
DING!
My eyes snapped open.
In front of me, hovering in thin air, a transparent blue holographic screen appeared. The light was soft, not blinding, but bright enough to illuminate my dirty face.
My heart leaped with joy. My eyes sparkled looking at the screen as if it were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"Hahaha! I knew it!" I exclaimed, a small laugh escaping my lips. The fear and despair that had been choking me slowly faded, replaced by a warm wave of relief. "A world traveler like me should get a cheat. Let's see what this is."
I leaned my face closer to the screen, reading the text displayed there.
[Inter-World Online Shopping System]
My smile froze. I was stunned, staring at the text blankly.
"Online Shopping System?"
Disappointment hit me like a bucket of ice water.
"Dammit, this isn't the system I wanted!" I complained in frustration, messing up my coarse blond hair.
"Where's the system that gives me infinite magic power? Where's the Time Stop power? Where's the super physical strength to destroy mountains with one punch?!"
I let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping. "But... at least it's better than nothing."
I started scrolling through the system's features with my finger. Even though it didn't offer direct combat power, after studying it further, this system turned out to be far more useful than I expected.
Basically, this system allowed me to buy any item from Earth. And when I say anything, I mean literally anything. Not limited to food or cooking spices like in those cooking-in-another-world anime. I could buy firearms, vehicles, medicine, even heavy military vehicles like tanks or jet fighters—of course, provided I had enough money.
The currency used by this system was Points. There were a few ways to get them. First, I could sell items I possessed in this world to the system, and it would value them based on market price or rarity. Second, popularity. The more famous I became in this world, the more passive points I'd earn every month. Third, making historical impacts. Creating major events that changed the direction of this world would give me points in massive amounts. And finally, I could exchange this world's local currency directly for points.
I glanced at the top right corner of the screen.
[Balance: 1,000 Points]
"A thousand points," I muttered. "At least with this starting capital, I won't starve to death tonight."
My first priority was clear: survival. I was hungry, and I needed a tool to protect myself. This kid's body was weak; I could feel it. Just running a little bit had left me gasping for air. If I ran into a wolf or a bear, I was toast.
I tapped the category icon and selected "Weapons."
The screen changed, displaying a long list of sub-categories: Edged Weapons, Blunt Weapons, Light Firearms, Heavy Firearms, Explosives... the choices were nearly limitless.
I skipped the heavy weapons category. I was just a Business Management student who liked gaming and eating. I didn't know how to operate a bazooka or drive a tank. Buying a weapon I couldn't use would just be a waste of precious points.
My choice fell on something simple and practical. A knife.
I tapped the knife icon. Hundreds of models appeared. I chose the most basic and cheap one.
[Carbon Steel Hunting Knife]
Description: Simple but sharp. Suitable for self-defense, cutting meat, or processing wood. Rust-resistant and easy to sharpen.
Price: 10 Points.
"Ten points. Cheap," I thought.
Next, I needed something deadlier. Something that could give me an absolute advantage in a world likely still using swords and arrows.
I closed my eyes, thinking of the weapon's name, and the search bar on the screen automatically filled in.
Glock 17 + Silencer.
Search results appeared instantly. A sleek matte black pistol with a sound suppressor attached to the barrel.
[Glock 17 Gen 5 with Suppressor]
Description: A semi-automatic 9mm caliber pistol, reliable and popular worldwide. Lightweight, large magazine capacity (17 rounds), and easy to maintain. Equipped with a suppressor for silent operations.
Price: 100 Points.
Ammo Box (50 rounds): 50 Points.
I smiled with satisfaction. "Good. With this, at least I have a chance."
This kid's body might be weak, but a Glock 17 is light enough, and the recoil is manageable, especially if I use both hands. One bullet costs one point. Expensive, but worth it for my life.
I added the pistol, one box of ammo, and the knife to the virtual shopping cart.
My stomach growled loudly, reminding me of priority number two. Food.
I switched to the food category. My eyes scanned various luxury dishes—Wagyu steak, sushi, pizza—but I held back. I had to be thrifty. These 1,000 points had to last as long as possible until I found a way to earn income.
I chose something practical and familiar.
[Instant Cup Noodles - Chicken Onion Flavor - 2 Cup Pack]
Price: 6 Points.
And naturally, I needed fire.
[Standard Gas Lighter]
Price: 2 Points.
Total purchase: 168 Points. Remaining balance: 832 Points.
I took a deep breath, then pressed the [PAY] button.
WHIRRR...
A low humming sound filled the air. In front of me, faint blue light particles began to gather, swirling and solidifying. The light slowly formed a brown cardboard box that landed gently on the grass.
I stared at the box in amazement.
With hands trembling from enthusiasm, I tore the tape off the box. The smell of new cardboard and plastic wafted out. Inside, lying neatly, were all the items I ordered: the shiny knife, the black pistol that felt cold and heavy when I held it, the box of bullets, two cups of instant noodles, and a red gas lighter.
I picked up the pistol, feeling its weight in my small hands.
"Alright," I whispered to the silent forest.
"Let's survive."