"Only through blood can we ascend...

...our blood and that of our adversaries."

I woke up to the rays of the morning sun and the sound of the forest.

And pain a terrible, excruciating pain that coursed through my entire body. I felt as if I had been in a fight with a heavyweight boxing champion.

At least two rounds, maybe even three. Not enough to kill me, but certainly enough to make me reconsider my life choices.

As quickly as the pain came, it faded into a dull numbness and then just a memory. I took it as a sign to move cautiously and lift the veil of stupor that, I hoped, had only temporarily dulled my senses.

Where am I? What am I doing here? What happened? The usual questions, but they felt particularly urgent since I didn’t recognize my surroundings. I was in a forest bathed in morning sunlight, surrounded by...

...bodies, scattered lifeless bodies. Only now did I notice the smell of blood and death, not the peaceful and kind but the sudden, brutal kind that comes without warning, and against your will.

With difficulty, I stood up and looked around.

Dead bodies, yes. Looted broken carts, yes. Scattered weapons of defenders, yes...

Wait, weapons? Carts? And most importantly, bodies? A wave of disorientation returned, but only briefly. I couldn’t afford to lose time, especially with the dreadful feeling creeping over me. I focused and uttered the terrifying word in my mind:

"STATUS."

And just like the relentless blade of an executioner’s axe hovering above my neck, a horrifying description appeared in my mind.

NAME: ERYK

RACE: HUMAN

RANK: NONE

BODY: (LESSER)

MIND: (LESSER)

SPIRIT: (LESSER)

SKILLS:

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

No, no, no... please, no.

As someone well acquainted with high culture, I naturally knew of stories about transmigration or being isekai-ed, but there’s a world of difference between watching or reading about these stories and experiencing them firsthand.

Damn.

If everything I know about my current situation is to be believed and that knowledge is highly suspect, since the reality around me is neither an anime nor a book, and I am not the protagonist here but more like a lamb led to slaughter house, then I understood that I couldn’t sit idle and ponder.

I need to act. And act I did.

Every journey begins with a single step; in my case, it started with searching the corpses and scavenging the remains. I need a weapon, supplies, and ideally a map to at least know which direction to go. Leaving this place was an absolute nessesity, as clear as the warm rays of sunlight on this "wonderful" summer morning.

This many corpses was sure to attract scavengers, and given the nature of my new reality, it was entirely possible that these would be mutated or corrupted beasts, I had no desire to encounter. Especially since, according to the system or whatever else I could call this window that existed only in my mind. I had no abilities.

That didn’t bode well for my immediate future.

But enough of that. It was time to loot.

After a fairly thorough but quick search of the area, I had acquired a bag filled with dried provisions—because, of course, a warm meal was out of the question, three water flasks, and a bedroll for sleeping.

Not a bad haul, if not for two unpleasant facts.

First, the lack of a map left me no clue about where I was or which direction to go.

Second, and here the relatively good news ended, the bodies of my former traveling companions suggested a short but fierce and brutal fight.

But not with animals or monsters, but with humans, or at least a group wielding weapons and showing a ruthless efficiency, with the intent of leaving no witnesses.

I was disturbed by who or what had been the target of this attack and who had ordered such actions, but for now, I needed to forget about that and focus on survival.

Speaking of survival, I finally equipped myself with a proper weapon. The choice was vast: daggers, knives, short and long swords, axes, and even a war hammer.

However, without adequate training, I needed a weapon that was simple to use and effective. This narrowed my options to a two-handed axe or a war hammer. Each offered ease of use and guaranteed results with a well-placed strike.

I chose the axe.

And, of course, at that exact moment, I heard a faint rustling behind me.

A shiver ran down my spine, and for a moment, I froze like a marble statue. But I suppressed the primal fear, turning slowly, carefully, and deliberately toward the forest, ensuring my back was protected by the nearest cart.

My eyes met the silhouette of a predator emerging from the trees.

I had stayed here for far too long, and now only one word escaped my lips.

"FUCK."