I couldn’t stop staring at my titles.
Forerunner was straight-up broken—a permanent 5% XP boost? In any game I’ve ever played, you had to pay for that.
But Man or a Mouse? That one gave me mixed feelings.
I was the only person out of billions to skip the tutorial? How?! There had to be someone else as excited as I was to just get started.
Then I reread the description—
"And remove the system mouthpiece failsafe."
Oh.
That was probably the unique part. Other people must’ve skipped the tutorial, but I was the only idiot to skip it so thoroughly that the system removed its built-in safety net.
And I only got the title if I survived the first trial? How is that fair?! Was this thing trying to teach me a lesson?
Alright. Enough freaking out about the titles. I started thinking through my stats.
I had 1 point in everything. Was that normal? If so, did that mean the difference between the weakest and strongest humans wasn’t even worth a stat point?
More importantly—how do stats actually affect me?
If I increase Strength, does my bench max go up 15 pounds?
If I increase Intelligence, does my brain process information faster?
I had so many questions. And then, as I was deep in thought—
Snap.
My head shot up. Twigs don’t snap themselves.
I froze, scanning the treeline. Nothing. But my gut told me something was off.
Slowly, I started backing toward the clearing.
I glanced over my shoulder. The clearing was ten steps away. But my gut told me not to turn around. I kept moving.
And then—a flicker of movement on the forest floor. A tail.
And just like that, I saw it.
Crouched 30 feet away, low to the ground, stalking forward. A mountain lion. And it did not look friendly.
DAMN IT.
I knew the odds of being eaten by a mountain lion weren’t zero. I KNEW IT.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Okay. Stay calm. I ran through everything I knew about mountain lion encounters.
…It didn’t take long. I knew nothing. I kept backing away, pretending I hadn’t seen it.
I mean, come on—of course I saw you, dumbass. You’re right there.
And then—it pounced.
I didn’t even think. I turned and ran like hell. No plan. Just sprint to the clearing.
As I ran, my brain screamed, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO EAT ME BEFORE I EVEN LEVEL UP?!
Then something shifted inside me.
I was pissed. Why was I running? As if I could outrun this thing.
I burst into the clearing and spun around, knees bent, arms out. The best defensive stance I could think of.
It slammed into me full force. I went flying. As I tumbled backward, I had a single, crystal-clear thought:
It’s smaller than I expected. Probably 100 pounds, max.
So what? Still big enough to kill me.
I hit the ground hard, the lion’s claws digging into my thighs. Its front paws scrabbled for grip, trying to pull itself up to my throat.
Slow motion. Its teeth snapped inches from my face. Its hind claws ripped into my legs.
I shoved its head back as hard as I could—
And then I fell. But the world around me… shifted.
It felt like falling through fabric, like stepping into a haunted house tunnel.
And then—
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
You have entered your tutorial trial.
Wave 1 of 5 has begun.
----------------------------------------
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
One second, I was fighting a mountain lion. The next, I was in a level 5 wave dungeon.
At level one. With no gear.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
Completing dungeons without preparation is highly discouraged.
NO SHIT.
A problem for later.
For now? I was still falling—with a mountain lion clinging to my chest.
Instinct took over. I yanked it in closer, using my momentum to throw it over my shoulder.
It hit the ground hard.
I scrambled to my feet—ready for the next attack.
But…
The lion didn’t get up. Blood pooled beneath it. And then I remembered.
Wave 1 of 5 had begun.
I should probably put my healing spells to the test. I had two: Weak Heal and Weak Regeneration.
Since I was actively bleeding, Weak Heal seemed like the better choice.
The moment I thought about casting it—I just knew how.
Weird.
Honestly, it was like peeing—you don’t really think about it, you just let it happen. (Gross analogy, but accurate.)
I released the spell.
Warm energy flushed through me, and I watched in awe as my wounds stitched themselves back together. My MP dropped.
I pulled up my status screen.
* HP: 12 → 17
* Bleeding: Gone
* MP: 20 → 10
Okay. 10 MP for 5 HP? Not great.
Since I still wasn’t fully healed, I cast Regeneration instead—cheaper, longer-lasting.
* HP: +1 per tick
* MP: 5 left.
Alright. No more heals left. Got it.