Staring up at the skyscraper like trees towering overhead I feel my mind racing as I try to comprehend my situation.
One: I died, twice. And now I am both of the two people who I was before and also neither. I have all of their memories, at least I think I do. I am a bit of a mess on the inside still, I just know that whoever I am, I am someone new. Strangely I don’t feel afraid of that fact, being what could be considered dead and alive at the same time. I just feel like myself, and I guess that is all that matters for now.
Two: My body is that of the 14 year old girl who was murdered by her parents, Lua Knight. The stab wound in my stomach is now gone and even my shirt has been mended, which is nice. Thanks cube god.
Three: My connection to the World Order System, or as everyone just calls it The System, is broken. Probably to do with whatever that cube god did to merge both of my minds into one and bring me back to life. This resulted in me now having a cute AI girl to follow me around and respond to my whims.
And finally four: I am stuck somewhere in The Sea of Trees, which is really bad considering how horrifically dangerous this massive forest is.
Turning towards my personal and adorable AI Alice I ask a rhetorical question.
“Am I in, like, serious danger right now?”
“Yah, obviously.” She rolls her eyes.
“Well fuck, any suggestions on staying alive?”
“I would start by looking at your status, your only hope is that you can figure out how to use your skills to not get eaten before you starve to death.”
“Why does it sound like you expect me to die no matter what?”
“Because I do. Now hurry up before something comes to bite your head off for an evening snack.”
“Right!”
Stopping myself from the constant pacing I had not even noticed I had been doing I focused on opening my status.
…
“Why is my status not opening??”
“Were you not paying attention? The system can’t read your mind, that is why I am here in the first place. Your only way to access the system is by speaking aloud. Alice snorts as she lifts her button like nose in the air.
“Ah, forgot about that. Ok um… Status?”
And with that a glowing panel appears in front of me. Though something about it looks off. I expected something sleek and refined but the screen before my eyes looks like it belongs on a vacuum tube tv from the 80s with orange text reading out my status as if it is a retro text adventure game.
[Status]
-El-L-i-u-a Kn---as Error-
Species: Human
Level: 1
Class: 1
Magic: Light, Golemancy
Skills:
[Lesser Identification]
[Lesser Clean]
[Lesser Repair]
[Light Beam] Lv-1
[Create Golem] Lv-1
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Huh.”
My eyes bore into the information, mainly my messed up name.
“Can I just set my name as ‘Lua Knight’ for now?”
“Yah, though you won’t be able to change it again later unless something major happens.”
“Ok, that is fine, probably best for my name to match my body.”
“Not sure what that means, but anyone stupid enough to enter The Sea of Trees at level 1 is probably crazy anyway.”
“I’m not- you know what, never mind, how do I use my skills? Just say them?”
“Yes, just shout their names at the top of your lungs and attract all the nearby monsters so you can make some friends.”
“Rude.”
Smiling at Alice and her slightly bitchy attitude I give it a shot.
“[Lesser Identification]”
[Tree - It’s a tree]
“Well, that is not very helpful.”
“Dumbass.”
Ignoring the disapproving glare at my waste of mana I decide to just go ahead and try another one of my skills.
“[Light Beam]”
And at that I feel a lot more of my mana move inside my body, flooding out towards my pointed finger and straight towards the tree I am pointing at.
Launching out from my finger is a beam as wide as my arm glowing a bright white. And a moment later it dissipates, doing absolutely nothing to the tree.
“Um, isn’t this supposed to be an attack skill? Why didn’t it do anything?”
“Well first of all, the trees in this forest are tougher than enchanted steel, and secondly it is a beam of light, the most you are going to do with it is blind someone for a second or give away your position to the monster currently heading your way.”
“That is really dumb- wait, what was that about a monster?”
Suddenly I hear a screech coming from my right and in the distance is a small green figure holding a wooden club and staring at me like I just kicked its favorite puppy.
“Shit! [Lesser Identification]!”
[Goblin - Lv : 9]
Scrambling I try to run away, but the thing is already chasing after me and the bastard is fast for its size.
“Huh, you must be quite lucky to only run into something so low level this deep in the forest.”
“Stop just watching and tell me how to survive this!”
“Sorry but that is not my job, I am just here to help you use the system. Good luck!”
“Fuck!”
Looking around for something, anything that I can use to fight back I notice a silver glint on the ground.
The dagger my mother used to kill me.
I leap out of the way as the goblin swings its club at my head and scramble for the knife.
A big thud rumbles the ground behind me as dirt sprays out everywhere.
Holy shit! If I got hit I would have been crushed instantly!
Finally wrapping my hand around the handle of the blade I flip over on my back, facing towards the goblin charging towards me out of the cloud of dust. It brings its club right down on my head again as I lay there. I immediately sit up and lean in to doge the strike but also jam my knife into its chest. Grinning, I know I won.
Clink
The knife chips off to the side, barely scratching the goblins skin.
“You have got to be kidding me?!”
The club strikes right behind me spraying a cloud of dirt into the air again, obscuring my vision. However the goblin knows where I am as I freeze up, dagger still clutched in my hands. As a reward for my attempt I get kicked in the stomach and end up flying backwards into the distance.
“Gahk-”
I can barely breathe as I cough out blood and bile from the strike. It hurts so much I want to cry. Actually I am certain I am already crying as my vision blurs.
Damn it. How am I supposed to kill something at level 9 when I am only level 1?! And most of all what kind of shitty knife can’t even kill a measly goblin?!
I can barely move, clutching my stomach with one hand as I try and push myself up with the other. But my hand slips and I end up sliding my hand into a root sticking out of the ground. And the root cuts deep into the side of my hand.
“FUCK!”
This day can’t get any worse. I died twice in a day and got brought back to life only to die immediately after. It is unfair, It is stupid. I bet that cube god is laughing at me right now.
No.
I won’t die.
Not again!
My mind races, and then it stops. I look down at my left hand, still bleeding from the deep hole into it. Maybe I am not so dead after all. My pushing on the root managed to knock it out of the ground slightly, It was apparently not a root but a single broken twig. I can work with this.
Looking up I see the goblin barreling towards me once again, I only have one shot at this.
I grab the stick and yank it as hard as I can, over and over to try and dislodge it from the ground. Sweat pouring down my back as the goblin gets closer and closer.
I won’t make it in time! The stupid stick is too stuck!
“[Light Beam]!”
I shout with my other hand aiming straight for the goblins eyes.
A flash of bright light shoots out and the goblin screams. I roll over to the side as it strikes down, missing me just barely.
Finally, I manage to yank the stick out of the ground as the goblin turns towards me, angrier than ever. And just as it is about to strike down again.
“[Light Beam]!”
I blind it again and ram the sharp end of the stick right into its face.
It screams out for a second and then stops. Dropping to the ground.
I did it, I won.
[Level 9 Goblin defeated!]
[Bonus Experience is awarded for defeating a creature 5 levels above you!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[Skill [Light Beam] has leveled up!]
“Nice.”
Looking over at the collapsed goblin and then down at my bleeding hand and heavily bruised stomach I do my best to struggle to my feet.
“Now what do I do?”