Alone in a forest, a black cloaked woman was smiling maliciously.

 

Though it could be just imagined, a slight black aura seemed to surround her.

 

But that smile seemed to fade quickly.

 

‘Yes, maybe I’d forgotten due to the system but regardless, I’m in the wild.’

 

A forest, the wilderness, the wild.

 

‘Even on earth I’d doubted whether I’d survive for a day, but in a world of magic and swords…”

 

The girl quickly marched forwards. Luckily, she was in attire to match the occasion.

 

‘Of course, I have no idea where I’m headed but.’

 

Except maybe some moss, nothing edible nor survival oriented seemed to be nearby. She headed north or what she thought was north using the moss on trees as an indicator. 

 

‘The side moss that grows thickest on trees should be a cardinal direction at least.’

 

Due to the sparse foliage, and a larger than average distance between trees, the forest was easy to navigate.

 

‘The only concern is that there’s no real place to hide.’

 

The open wilderness, although quiet, did have strange animals scattered about, though most scurried away rather quickly after noticing her.

 

Large bumbling porcupines. Bunnies with large teeth and small horns. Blue squirrels that seemed as though they could easily glide for eternity and some various birds.

 

‘It screams “beginner area” at least.’

 

‘Maybe it’s due to the ecology, but maybe the environment can only support small to medium sized creatures.’

 

She quickly glances through the woods.

 

‘But I’d rather not take chances.’

 

The forest, especially now, invited an eerie suspicion.

 

‘How did I not get attacked until now?’

 

She considered, especially in her previous information induced incapacitation, how she had not been attacked. Never was there an easier meal or prey than she had been.

 

Her initial transfixed state, having come into a new world, seemed to be the height of naivety.

 

‘Not that I’m much better now.’

 

She suddenly felt the urge to chew at her thumbnail. 

 

Back in her previous world, when she was a he, it was a bad habit he couldn’t get rid of.

 

He pushed it back with a cynical cackle.

 

‘Well, if I did get attacked it’s not like I could do much in my current state.’

 

Death. 

 

‘It would be a foregone conclusion either way.’

 

She of course continued to stride forward.

 

A cabin appeared on the horizon.

 

‘Maybe a shack would be a better term.’

 

Beyond all repair. It’s the first thought anyone would have when encountering it. 

 

The reason she was able to confidently approach it was for that reason.

 

‘It looks abandoned, and well…

 

Gripping the handle of her blade.

 

‘Even if there is a person, I’m much more confident against humans than against beasts.’

 

Humans tend to be manageable and are able to be reasoned with. Of course, confrontations aren’t impossible.

 

‘But anyone managing with that shack, fighting wouldn’t be impossible either.’

 

‘There’s also the fact that the sun is going down.’

 

The forest was dimming, and light would last for an hour at most.

 

‘There isn’t a choice to begin with. Either brave the night or get in the cabin.’

 

Approaching the cabin, the tense air surrounding her gradually subdued. It became increasingly clear how laughable an idea someone living there was.

 

‘There's as much moss as there is in the trees, no food stored and any signs that people lived here must have rotted a while ago.’

 

“Huuu…”

 

A sigh escaped, along with a little jump.

 

‘Haa… Even if my voice is unfamiliar, it’s still me, getting scared is too ridiculous…’

 

With that even the smallest amount of tension left was gone.

 

She sat against the wall of the dilapidated cabin.

 

‘Maybe there’s some other system features that are left to discover.’

 

Quite easily some windows popped up with the illuminating blue light.

 

‘Luckily, I found out how to open the windows with the previous incident. What "that" incident is, I’ve long forgotten.’

 

Opening windows is simply about desire, they pop up naturally as moving an arm. Screaming “system” and hoping it would open, is like screaming “arm” instead of just moving it.

 

This time all possible windows available popped up. The quest page, a status page which only includes class and element and finally a new system store.

 

‘Only ten points.’

 

Of the few hundred options available, only a handful were in that range.

 

Most system items were materials, ranked from common to unique, and various books of knowledge that can be painfully scanned into the brain. Beginner necromancy and magic foundations, which came with the class already show they’re purchased. 

 

“Ugh…”

 

It was the only reaction available, even the basic booklets cost 1,000 points, advanced booklets cost 1,000,000.

 

‘The only thing worth buying is that.’

 

Rations. The cheapest option. 1pt. 

 

‘There’s that too.’

 

The black iron series, at a beginner's discount, cost ten each. 

 

‘A black iron sword, like the one I’m carrying, costs that much.’

 

The bow, spear, twin daggers, a shield and staff all cost the same.

 

Instead of considering what to buy, she simply chose rations.

 

‘If I limit myself to a ration a day, I can last at least ten days.’

 

‘Either finding water and food or more points, it’s the requirement for survival.’

 

After clicking confirm, some jerky, bread, water and some bottled soup popped up.

 

Hesitantly she unwrapped the course paper surrounding the bundled jerky.

 

‘There is a decent amount, but will it taste edible… From what I’ve heard about early dried meat…’

 

Chewy, like a dog toy and hard to swallow.

 

She readied her new waterskin in preparation and bit in and…

 

A melty, blissful face.

 

‘Strangely enough, it's delicious. I apologize for doubting system. Thank system.’

 

Putting her hands in prayer, she looked up in revelry to dedicate herself to her newfound religion.

 

After sipping water and snacking, she interrupted her meal and went out to prepare some dried twigs before it became too late.

 

“Flare.”

 

The most basic of basic fire spells. It simply directly induces heat equivalent to a spark straight ahead, not even requiring a single magic circle.

 

‘Luckily I know the basics.’

 

Just a spark was enough to start the flame.

 

She readily tossed the bottle into the small flame. If she remembered correctly, this bottling was used in the time after the French revolution, one of the early forms of food preservation that didn’t need truckloads of salt.

 

It only took a couple minutes for the flame to die.

 

In the meantime, she chewed up the bread, which was too soft to be considered preserved food, and ate it with the jerky.

 

‘Delicious.’

 

Never did she think of eating a proper meal after being set off in the middle of the forest, not after that absurd mission.

 

‘Luxury.’ 

 

It was good to the extent that any deep thoughts were long gone.

 

‘Yeah, at least it’ll be a good ten years with food like this.’

 

After the soup sufficiently cooled, she opened the cork.

 

‘Indeed, fit for a king.’

 

A ridiculous thought that appeared after taking a whiff of the concoction.

 

‘First a bite of bread and a swig of soup.’

 

In her mind she lamented that she couldn’t dip bread into the bottled soup and instead formed a genius plan. Biting the bread and using the soup to wash it down. It didn’t take long for this plan to come into fruition. 

 

“Indeed, fit for a king.”

 

Increasingly dumb thoughts like these occurred for the duration of the meal.

 

Pleasantly full, and with it being more than sufficiently dark out, she let her head rest against the wooden wall behind her.

 

‘Tomorrow…’

 

With a single thought she drifted off.

 

…

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

…

 

A bright morning with the sun full blast.

 

“...bright…”

 

A voice and an area that she had fully expected yet could equally have imagined having been a dream.

 

‘It was real.’

 

Of course, she’s not surprised, but waking up to a new day made it more real.

 

Stretching, she yawned.

 

“Rations…”

 

With a tired grumble she navigated through the store menu to the rations and purchased them with a point.

 

‘A healthy breakfast is a requirement to start the day.’

 

So, she thought.

 

‘And more so, hunger and exhaustion could be fatal. Or so I imagine.’

 

With that in mind, she guiltlessly used her points, 8 remaining.

 

“Yay… Rations…”

 

She said with as much enthusiasm as possible for her tired self and went on to eat roughly a third of them, hoping to store the rest in her satchel.

 

‘Also.’

 

The waterskin, paper and bottle remained from the last meal.

 

‘I’ll store these just in case.’

 

Which just amounted to putting them on an empty, rickety shelf.

 

With all preparations done, she made way out immediately.

 

‘Just in case.’

 

With the clear moss pattern getting lost didn’t seem to be a problem for her, but with precaution she readied her sword.

 

‘Yep, that’s better.’

 

She had carved into the surrounding trees arrows pointing home. Taking maybe an hour to do so for the surrounding trees.

 

‘Then north as usual.’

 

She headed off into the mossy direction once more.

 

‘Thankfully the forest is easy to navigate.’

 

She stopped repeatedly along the way, making sure to mark trees.

 

‘Calming.’

 

That's what she thought of the forest that morning.

 

The breathtaking visuals were the same everywhere from every angle. Moreover,

 

‘The cute animals.’

 

They were sparse, but still helped accentuate the visuals. There was one problem.

 

‘Too cute.’

 

Yes, they were cute.

 

‘Far too cute to kill.’

 

Butchering one for meat, aside from likely not being a pleasant meal with her amateur skills, would likely be a slap to the conscience. 

 

‘I still have eight more days after all.’

 

Time was dwindling, but there was still plenty more time before a massacre needed to take place.

 

‘I was more comfortable with the idea of killing some dude…’

 

Cute bunnies with horns, rotund lazy porcupines. 

 

‘Even the bees are the fuzzy ones that I’ve specifically learned can’t sting.’

 

After roughly an hour bemusing the probable genocide of cute animals, the sound of running water became audible, and the air raised in moisture.

 

A light jog ensued.

 

And roughly 4 minutes later the sight of the stream appeared out of a clearing. 

 

She decided to leisurely make her way there. The light jog didn’t take up much energy, so she was in perfect condition.

 

‘This is going extremely well.’

 

It was to the extent that she didn’t even consider the possibility of such a statement setting off a “flag,” which she normally would have been worried about.

 

‘Yes, is this what easy mode feels like?’

 

‘An hour walk without a single messy encounter.’

 

Such thoughts passed her head many times during the pleasant walk.

 

‘Maybe I'll help myself to some jerky when I get there.’

 

She suddenly felt as though she did indeed set a flag, because something large and gray was increasingly visible from the clearing across from the river.

 

As she approached the river the blurry gray thing became more and more clear.

 

‘No way.’

 

Because as she approached the bank what it was, was extremely clear.

 

‘...’

 

Doubting one's senses, when something breaks common sense people would rather think they’re crazy.

 

The scale was impossible by conventional standards.

 

It was tiered castle walls, but its scale, even from a distance, looked as though it was at least as tall a skyscraper along the entirety of the complex.

 

The sight of it led to a series of complex emotions, ‘is that possible to compete with?’ A question that made her feel naive once more.

 

But a more complex emotion followed.

 

‘It’s… Dilapidated.’

 

A chill went down her spine.

 

Her amethyst irises and narrow pupils glance, now honed on analysis.

 

It was clear and present. A magnificent yet destroyed kingdom.

 

The impossibly massive stone wall, directly facing the riverbank, has a large gnash inside it, splitting it in two. 

 

A hole large enough that a small army could directly march its way inside.

 

‘Disgusting.’

 

A scale that shouldn’t exist in reality, the destroyed visage of it, as though it stood as a testament that nothing stood eternal.

 

To think about her quest in comparison.

 

‘It’s sickening.’

 

Dots littered the horizon leading to the great city.

 

One closer ‘dot’ revealed what lies ahead.

 

Infinitesimally small from her vantage point, but the clearest among them.

 

‘A skeleton. An undead.’

 

Wandering about in front of the city's long dead visage, spilling from it, hundreds of undead.

 

The shock quickly turned to a realization.

 

A smile broke out from a black hooded maiden.

 

‘My kingdom.’