In the forest, long after the sun had set, amidst the trees emerged the figure of a boy – he appeared out of thin air and immediately fell to the ground.

Ah – he murmured, rising to his feet, Ayren.

My entire body feels stiff; spending 24 hours in one position is simply unbearable – Ayren said.

I need to quickly get back to searching – Ayren said, swiftly choosing a direction and setting off.

In my current state, besides searching for spiritual materials, I have nothing else to occupy myself with. I can't even acquire any skills – Ayren lamented.

Unfortunately, I don't have any valuable materials or functions at my disposal right now – Ayren added.

During the 24 hours he spent in his world, besides sleeping, he also browsed through the menu of his status. The only interesting tab he could find was the shop; the rest were either locked or empty.

So, besides searching for spiritual materials, Ayren had nothing else to do. Moving quickly through the thickets, he tried to find something, but the further he went, the stranger the feeling grew.

I've already covered quite a distance, but I haven't encountered any animals, not even birds – Ayren remarked.

Although he didn't feel any danger, it was very strange. According to Ayren's feelings, this forest was very large, yet he didn't see any traces of animals.

[If you're very concerned about this, I can dispel your doubts. You haven't encountered any animals because when you entered this world, I chose a location overrun by an extremely powerful beast, and therefore no animals with self-preservation instincts dare to enter here.]

Ah, that's why – Ayren realized why he hadn't met anyone here.

But after a few seconds, he understood something else.

Oh no – Ayren changed his doubts to a sense of strong danger.

How strong should the beast have been that all animals were afraid to enter its territory? In that moment, Ayren decided to leave its territory, but he realized he had no idea where he was or which direction to go to leave the property of the unknown beast.

[I see your concern, but let me assure you, you were detected within the first few minutes as soon as you ended up here.]

How is that supposed to reassure me? – Ayren felt like his assistant was mocking him.

[Let me clarify this: you are so weak in this world that even the lowest creature in the food chain would be many times stronger than you, so if you posed any danger, you would have been neutralized within the first few minutes of detection.]

Ayren understood that he was not in danger for the time being, but at the same time, he felt somewhat belittled, even though it wasn't the intention, he still felt a bit embarrassed.

Ahem... well, if there's no danger for me, I'll continue my search – Ayren decided not to dwell on this topic.

Searching for any herbs or valuables, Ayren was already getting used to the atmosphere of the forest, but still feared encountering the owner of these territories, yet he was starting to feel a bit bored.

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Hey, assistant? – Ayren

[How can I help you?]

Do you have a name? – Ayren asked, continuing his search in parallel.

[I don't have a name.]

The assistant replied shortly.

Are you okay if I choose a name for you? It's just awkward for me to address you as "Assistant" - Ayren.

[If you want to, I don't mind.]

How about the name Eisen? – Ayren asked.

[You can call me whatever you like.]

Let's think about it some more. – Ayren was selecting and voicing names, but the one who should have been named didn't react at all.

Alright, let's settle on the name Ace – Ayren.

[Alright, you can call me Ace.] – the assistant quickly agreed.

Ayren noticed the swift response but realized that the assistant was already a bit annoyed that he was being bothered.

Okay, I'll address you as such. – Ayren.

Nearly half an hour had passed, and I still hadn't found anything. – Ayren noticed that he hadn't found anything valuable yet.

Quickly passing through the thickets, Ayren didn't hesitate to stop. Although he no longer felt the same urgency as before, he still didn't want to spend another 24 hours in a one-meter diameter sphere.

What's this? - Ayren stumbled upon a bush.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed small round berries blending in with the leaves of what appeared to be an ordinary bush. Had Ayren not noticed the peculiarities of the bush, he would have continued walking.

Wow, there are so many of them here - Ayren remarked, surveying the berry-laden bush.

There must be at least a few hundred of them, Ayren said with joy.

Without much thought, he began gathering the berries. Although they didn't seem very valuable, it was the only thing Ayren could obtain during his entire search.

Plucking the berries from the branches quickly due to his limited time, Ayren didn't even pay attention to the notifications from the system about gaining new experience for the "Herbalism" skill.

Phew, got them - Ayren sighed as he sat down on the ground.

Not bad, I managed to gather 187 berries - Ayren remarked as he checked his inventory.

While there's still time, maybe I'll find something else - Ayren said, getting up.

What's this? - Ayren questioned.

As soon as he got back on his feet, he felt dizzy. He could only lie down, and with each passing second, he felt worse and worse until he completely lost consciousness and noticed new messages from the system.

[Countdown to forced return: 3... 2... 1....]

After an indefinite period, he finally opened his eyes again, back in his cramped world.

Why did this happen? Ayren tried to recall what happened before he lost consciousness.

[Before gathering unknown plants, it's worth checking if they're poisonous.]

[You were lucky that you quickly returned to a place where you can't die in any way, rather than dying from poisoning.]

Ayren felt embarrassed again in front of Ace because of his thoughtless actions. Thank you for caring about me. - Ayren felt the concern in Ace's words.

[Of course, if you died, who knows when, I could find a new carrier.]

After these words, Ayren regretted his earlier words, but he didn't have the strength to say anything else. He just lay there, resting, waiting for the poison to completely dissipate from his body. Nearly 12 hours passed when he stopped feeling any symptoms of poisoning and could move normally again.

How long has it been since I last ate, I don't feel hungry. - Ayren noticed the unusual feeling of satiety among everything.

[During your time in this world, you don't need to eat. Considering the time spent outside, you haven't eaten for about 2 hours.]

Understandable what a wonderful world I have, saving me from death and hunger, but it's a pity it's so small. - Ayren pronounced with an indifferent voice.

Hmm, I should see if those berries cost anything. - Ayren thought aloud.

[Convert?]

[Name: Unknown

Type: Plant

Characteristics: Unknown

Price: 0,0026 spirit stone

After conversion, you will receive the equivalent of 0.5 from the spirit stone.]

[At the moment, you don't have enough materials for conversion for expansion.]

Not bad. - Ayren's mood lifted slightly after what he saw.

There's not much left. - Ayren said to himself.

In a few hours, I'll have another attempt to find something valuable. I need to plan my searches. - Ayren concluded.