Chapter 1:

Everything changed in a single moment. One second I was heading home after hanging out with my high school friends one last time before heading off to college. The next the ground seemed to open up into complete darkness. I dropped my phone in a panic and then fell through.

Then I was in a void but at the same time… not. It was more than that. Something all-encompassing. Something beyond everything. Something never-ending.

I fell—flew?—through this darkness for what felt like just a moment but also an eternity. Then a small orb of light appeared in the distance. I turned—but didn’t turn—to look at it and suddenly it was on me. It encompassed me, pushed away the eternity around me.

Words filled my mind.

New user found. Inbetween deterioration reaching critical limits. Emergency emergence initiated.

Preliminary reality danger rating: Severe

Then, just like that, the darkness disappeared entirely and reality came back. I landed on my feet, almost falling over. My shoes squished in mud. And around me was… a forest?

I spun frantically, taking in my new surroundings. I was in a small clearing encircled by trees. A pungent aroma of wet soil and foliage assaulted my nose. But above it was sunny, without a cloud in the sky.

Beyond the trees, I could see that I was pretty deep in whatever forest this was. Things just got darker the farther I looked, and there was lots of underbrush. A creeping feeling started to build in my chest and—Wait, was that a trail?

Maybe. It looked like a cleared off trail ran through this clearing. So was I along a hiking trail?

I let out a breath at that, my shoulder slumping just a bit. That was good. That meant this place couldn’t be too dangerous, right? People passed by this place to keep it clear at the very least. I should be able to get home.

But then why did those words say it was dangerous…

Then again, why the hell did words appear in my mind earlier anyway? How did I even go from the suburbs to this forest? Did that darkness part even happen or was I just knocked out? If so, then how did I wake up on my feet?

Just what the fuck was happening?

I ran my hands through my hair as all these thoughts swirled in my head and my panic returned. I tried to not let it overcome me. I took some deep breaths trying to calm down. The damp earthy scent from the forest around me filled my nose. Yet my worry wouldn’t leave me.

I started looking around for signs of anything I might have missed. Of danger. Because I couldn’t just ignore those last words I’d heard—felt?—in the darkness. They felt important. But just why was it dangerous? And just how did I get here?

Anxiety continued to build in my chest despite my attempts at controlled breathing and—

Something moved in the corner of my eye. I froze. Then I slowly looked over and… Fuck. Yep, those were eyes. Yellow eyes staring at me from one of the large bushes. Given how high off the ground they were it was probably dog-sized. Maybe a bit smaller?

For a second I imagined it was just someone's pet. That some jogger or something would pop up, say hi, grab their dog, and help me figure out where I was.

I was not that lucky.

Slowly but steadily the owner of the eyes moved towards me. It was a big cat of some kind. Mountain lion? Leopard? I might have known the difference at one point but I couldn’t help but focus on the sharp claws and fangs. And the fact that it was heading towards me.

I took a step back before I realized it. Was that bad? Fuck I couldn’t remember. Should I try to scare it off? Or was that what you did for bears? What did you do for big cats then?

The cat continued to approach, its mouth opening to let out a growl and show off its fangs.

I grimaced, then bared my teeth and started shouting. I threw my arms up as well, trying to look big. “Argh! Fuck off you bitch! You’re fucking small so piss off! Don’t make me kick your—fuck!”

The damned thing leapt at me like a spring and I reacted before I could think. My knuckles somehow smashed into its mouth. Pain flared as it nicked the skin there, but I sent cat stumbling to the side.

“Yeah, fuck off!” I shouted, my heart thudding in my ears as I ignored the pain in my hand. I moved towards it to pretend to kick at it. Maybe it would get that it should find some easier prey. “Get loss you fucking little shit. Fuck off and—Gah!”

The cat snarled and leaped for me again. It caught me by my extended leg and I felt its claws dig through my jeans.

I cursed again and just started beating the thing on the head, hoping to stop it from biting into me. I slammed my fist again and again into its skull while trying to shake the damn cat off.

When it finally leapt away I regretted it immediately. Searing pain came from my shin as its claws tore free.

“Okay, that’s it!” I shouted, blinking away tears. Then I just yelled as I charged the stupid fucking cat that was already ready to pounce at me again. This time I didn’t pretend to kick it. I fucking punted that stupid thing with everything I had.

I felt the claws dig into my leg again for just a second. Then I sent it flying back and into a tree. It slammed into it and fell to the ground. I watched it for a long second. I was panting hard but I ignored that and focused on the cat.

Come on, you little bastard. Just back off already. I’m like four times your size!

After another moment the cat stirred. It shook its head quickly and turned to snarl at me. I shouted back, hoping to finally scared it off.

But of course, it still didn’t run. Instead, it charged at me. Really damn fast.

Shit!

It leapt at me again and this time my reflexive punch missed. Thankfully, I still managed to get an arm between me and it. Its claws dug into the sleeves of my hoodie and snapped at my face. I lost my balance and slipped in the mud.

My back slammed into the muddy ground below. I jolted as the cold mud immediately seemed to sink through my hoodie. Some of it splashed up and landed on my face. All the while I felt its claws ripping and tearing at my hoodie as it tried to bite at my face again. It felt stupidly strong for its size.

But I wasn’t about to let this overgrown house cat kill me.

“Get off!” I shouted and used my free hand to grab at the thing's face. I shoved my thumb into one of its eyes, causing it to yowl furiously and pull back. Then with all the strength I could muster, I shoved the stupid cat off of me. I heard something tear, but hoped that it was just my hoodie as the beast went flying.

I scrambled to my feet, kicking up mud as I did, as the thing landed on its side. It snarled in rage as it got back up, its head twitching furiously and its eyes blinking. It must have been hurting a lot. Good. And I wasn’t done with it yet. Not after it clearly didn’t know when to stop.

I rushed the thing before it could recover and claw me again. Then I punted it again against another tree. As it went soaring through the air, I didn’t let up this time. Instead, I charged right after it and kicked it. Then I stomped down on its head.

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Then I fucking did it again. And again. And again.

“Fuck!” I shouted with everything I had as I felt bone crush underneath my shoe. A disgusting squelching sound followed, making me want to puke.

The cat's body flailed for another moment before it went slack. Bile rose in my throat but I swallowed it down as I just tried to breathe.

I stayed like that for what felt like a long moment. My foot in cat brain, my clothes covered in mud, and my chest heaving as I tried to calm down. Eventually, my breathing started to slow and the fucking claw wounds around my leg started to burn.

Still, I didn’t do anything else until what sounded like a digital beep rang in my ears. A blue screen followed it, appearing in front of me. I jolted back in surprise.

Quick World Analysis Complete.

Location Type: Immortal Cultivation Realm.

Danger level: Severe (Extreme caution is recommended)

Skill Generation System Adapted.

Multiversal Translator Activated.

Status Page Unlocked.

To protect yourself in a Severe danger level world, it is recommended that you begin to collect Skills from defeated foes as soon as possible.

Compatible sources of Skills will be marked by your System UI.

I stared at the screen uncomprehendingly. Like, I understood the words. I even somehow knew these were from the same source as the words I heard in my head when I’d been in the darkness. And I got the gist of what was written. At least I thought I did, since the concepts involved seemed eerily similar to the random stories and novels I’ve read online.

But still, it just didn’t make sense at all. Because those were stories. And this was real life. Stuff like this didn’t happen in real life. At the very least, they weren’t supposed to.

Was I dreaming then? Was all this a hallucination?

As if to answered me, a throb of pain came from my shin making me groan. Dreams weren’t supposed to hurt. Right?

Freakin cat.

I gritted my teeth and waved away the message. Then I looked down at my injured leg. I couldn’t really tell how bad it was past my ripped jeans, but blood had started to soak through the denim. I probably needed to do something about that.

But despite that need, I found my attention drawn to something else. The cat that I… that I killed. A blue aura surrounded it, the same color as the screen I’d dismissed.

I frowned down at it. Did that mean what I thought it did? And if it did, just how did I make use of it?

“Ugh… Loot?” I said, staring at the blue glowing caress.

To my surprise that seemed to work as another digital-looking blue box appeared. Was it the command or was just focusing on it enough? I’d have to test on the next one.

Defeated Enemy: Cloud-Spotted Leopard

Available Skills to Harvest:

* Cat-like Reflexes (Passive) (Rank E): Dexterity is increased by 50%.

* Primal Vitality (Passive) (Rank E): Increase your Vitality by 50%

* Ambush Predator (Passive) (Rank E): Decrease your presence by 50% when trying to remain hidden.

Again, I felt dumbfounded. Not because I didn’t understand any of it, but because it was just too familiar and alien at the same time. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that I was very likely transported to another world and now given a video game-like power.

Or a System as those stories like to call it. One revolving around harvesting rpg-like Skills.

I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or cry. Probably both.

I’d dreamed of stuff like this happening before. But now that it had… Fuck… What will my parents think when I don’t come back home? What will Lizzy think? We were supposed to have a going away party.

Fuck!

“This can’t be happening,” I groaned, rubbing at my eyes for a long moment. I just dwelled in my misery and my loss. Then I spun around in fright as I realized what I was doing.

I fully expected another leopard to appear in my moment of complete inattention and weakness. But there was nothing, even as my heart beat hard in my chest and my leg continued to burn. Fuck, right, need to take care of that.

Because despite how insane all this was, this was likely real. And that meant if I was careless, and didn’t try my best, I could end up dead.

I turned my attention back to the screen with that thought in mind. This was probably my best bet to protect myself. I just had to make a choice.

Cat-like reflexes would help me avoid getting as badly hurt in the future and end a fight sooner. Ambush Predator would let me avoid fights altogether. But, I felt Primal Vitality was probably what I needed the most right now. Even if it would have been a lot better if I had higher stats instead of what I had now.

The reason for my choice was mainly because I had no idea where I was, and how far away I was from help. And Primal Vitality seemed like the only Skill that might help with my injury. I was really hoping it would prevent infection, or at least make the blood loss manageable.

Which… I should probably actually try and do something about, right? Maybe rip up my T-shirt and use it as a bandage?

Shit, I should have done that first, shouldn't I? Damn it. Okay, right after this.

I made my selection and tapped on Primal Vitality. The screen disappeared and the body of the leopard glowed for a moment it faded away into motes of blue light.

Then I felt… a rush of warmth through me. I shivered a bit at the weird sensation but it was gone almost as soon as it arrived. I looked down at my hands but I didn’t notice anything different at all. My leg still throbbed with pain as well.

I grimaced. I’d hoped for something more. But maybe it would be more apparent later. At the very least, I wanted to believe that it had given me more time.

I tried to keep that positive in mind as I knelt to take care of my leg. Though not before giving my surroundings one more look just in case.

Sometime later, I was down a T-shirt, my hands were all bloody, and I wasn’t sure if I’d done any good. But it was the best I could do, as I had literally zero first-aid training.

I sighed as I got back up, and gave my surroundings another long look. I noticed a couple of birds in the trees but that was it. Still safe. But it might not stay that way forever.

I should probably get moving soon. Staying here was not a good idea and I needed to find some help. But I had one more thing I needed to do before that. So, despite feeling a bit silly, I said out loud, “Status.”

Another blue screen appeared in my vision, both unfamiliar and familiar.

Status page:

Name: Michael Lin

Cultivation: None

Qi: 5/5

Stats:

Strength: 6

Vitality: 5 (+2.5) = 7.5

Dexterity: 5

Mind: 6

Skills (1/20 slots):

Primal Vitality (Rank E: 0%): Increase your vitality by 50%

Skill Consolidation. (0 Options available.)

I quickly took it all in, again feeling surreal as fiction became reality for me. Still, I tried to not let it get to me and focus on what was important.

The stats were interesting but not something to bother with now. Especially since given what they were, I’d assume 5 was average for a person. At least for a human back on Earth.

But this wasn’t Earth if the System messages I got were to be believed.

Not only that, but the System had labeled it as an Immortal Cultivation Realm. And my status had a place for my cultivation. If that meant this place was anything like the worlds I read in Xianxia stories, then I had no idea just what the real average for humans around here was like.

So I moved on to the Skills.

An important thing to note there was that I only had 20 slots. I might have to be careful about what I take in the future in case I don’t unlock more. Next was the percentage next to the ranking. That likely meant I could rank up Skills. Make them stronger. But given my Skill was just a passive Vitality buff, I was either already working on that, or it wasn’t something I’d want to do while alone and without resources.

Then finally there was the last thing. Skill Consolidation. That sounded like a way to combine Skills. Maybe as a way to try and make more room for Skills since there were only twenty slots. Another thing to look into later, but there really wasn’t anything I could do about it right now…

Well, maybe there was.

Curiously, I reached out and tapped the words to see if it did anything.

To my surprise it did and a new window popped up.

Skill consolidation:

The process of combining two or more Skills to create a single more versatile and possibly more powerful Skill.

Skills must be compatible to consolidate.

Warning: Consolidated Skills may become harder to wield or lose some features

Huh, that was… well it was informative and probably important for later. It was also nice that the System seemed to come with some helpful instructions. But once again it wasn’t anything that could help me right now.

And I should probably stop stalling and figure out what I was going to do next. Mainly where I should go.

I could make out the sun through the canopy above but it hadn't been long enough for me to see which way it was going. I also had no idea where I was. And if my fictional knowledge could be trusted—which I should probably be cautious of trusting too much—then that cat that attacked me was probably one of the least dangerous things out here.

There might be spirit beasts or something, which were essentially magical monsters…

Fuck, okay, really thinking about it now, I was starting to regret not taking Ambush Predator. I mean, I might end up bleeding out or getting sick sooner without Primal Vitality, or not have the endurance to get out of here, but damn it. I would have liked to be able to hide better if there were really monsters in this forest with me.

It was just too bad that there wasn’t ano—

Yeah, no I wasn’t even going to think about it. Still, I wouldn’t mind some more Skills. If only there was another easier source of that…

My thoughts trailed off as my gaze wandered up to the trees. There, a couple of birds were still chirping. Innocently. I looked at them, then looked at the ground. It only took me a few moments to find some very throwable-looking stones…

I probably shouldn’t. It would be animal cruelty. And there was no guarantee that I could get anything out of some small birds, right? But what if they counted as compatible sources of Skills?

Shit.