Alex woke to the sound of something screaming.
Not human. Not animal. Something in between. A high-pitched shriek that echoed through the forest and made his teeth ache.
He jerked upright, instantly regretting it as every muscle protested. The cave was dark except for the faint golden glow from the egg still pressed against his chest.
How long was I out?
The screaming stopped as abruptly as it had started. Silence fell, somehow worse than the noise.
Alex's heart hammered as he strained to listen. Nothing. Just the wind through the trees and his own ragged breathing.
[STATUS UPDATE: HYPOTHERMIA (MILD) - 4 HOURS 23 MINUTES REMAINING]
Four hours. Better than six, but not by much.
The egg had kept him alive through the night, but it wasn't a permanent solution. He needed fire. Food. Water. The basics of survival he'd never had to think about on Earth.
First: assess the situation.
Alex checked his interface, exploring menus he'd been too panicked to examine properly last night.
[ALEX PROCTOR - LEVEL 1 SUMMONER]
[HP: 18/45]
[STAMINA: 15/30]
[EXPERIENCE: 10/100]
His health had ticked up slightly from rest. Not much, but every point mattered. Stamina had recovered more. Apparently sleep helped with that.
He'd gained experience from killing the venomwolf. Ten points toward his first level-up.
Ninety more to go. At ten points per kill, that's nine more monsters.
The math was simple and terrifying.
Alex navigated to another menu, this one showing the egg's status.
[PHOENIX EGG - DORMANT]
[BOND STRENGTH: 12%]
[ESSENCE STORED: 1/10]
[ESTIMATED HATCH TIME: UNKNOWN]
[CURRENT FUNCTION: EMERGENCY WARMTH]
Twelve percent bond strength. Whatever that meant. The egg had saved his life twice now, once from hypothermia, once by giving him the strength to kill the venomwolf.
We're in this together, Alex thought, stroking the warm shell. You keep me alive, I'll keep you safe.
The egg pulsed, as if in agreement.
Pale light was filtering into the cave. Dawn, or whatever passed for it in this world. Time to move.
Alex crawled to the cave entrance and peered out cautiously. The forest looked different in daylight, less menacing but no less alien. The massive trees stretched impossibly high, their silver-luminescent leaves catching the early light. Strange flowers grew in patches, their petals shifting through colours that hurt to look at directly.
No immediate threats visible. But that didn't mean they weren't there.
Alright. Priority one: water. Can't survive more than three days without it.
Alex's lips were cracked, his throat raw. He hadn't had anything to drink since... whenever. Before he died. Before this started.
He listened carefully. Running water. He could hear it, faintly, somewhere to his left. Maybe a quarter mile away.
Water means predators. Things gather at water sources. Need to be careful.
But he didn't have a choice. Dehydration would kill him as surely as hypothermia or monsters.
Alex emerged from the cave, clutching the egg against his chest with one arm. His other hand held the bloodied branch from last night. Not much of a weapon, but better than nothing.
The forest floor was covered in that glowing moss, soft under his boots. Alex moved as quietly as he could, which wasn't very quiet. Every snapped twig made him flinch.
I'm not cut out for this. I'm a gamer. I sit in chairs and click mice. I don't sneak through monster-infested forests.
But the alternative was dying, so he kept moving.
The sound of running water grew louder. Alex approached cautiously, using the massive tree trunks for cover. He could see it now through the undergrowth, a small stream, maybe ten feet across, with water so clear he could see the rocky bottom.
No creatures visible. No obvious threats.
Too easy. It's never this easy in games.
But his thirst overrode his caution. Alex hurried to the stream's edge, knelt, and cupped water in his free hand.
The first sip was heaven. Cold, clean, perfect. He drank greedily, alternating hands, trying to hold the egg steady against his chest.
[STATUS UPDATE: DEHYDRATION REMOVED]
[HP: 20/45]
[STAMINA: 18/30]
The water helped more than he'd expected. His health ticked up a couple points, his stamina increased. His head felt clearer.
Okay. Water secured. Next: food. Then fire. Then figure out where the hell I am and how to survive long-term.
A sound made him freeze.
Footsteps. Heavy. Getting closer.
Alex looked around frantically for cover. The stream bed had carved a small depression in the bank, barely deep enough to hide in if he pressed himself flat.
He scrambled into it, clutching the egg, trying to make himself as small as possible.
The footsteps grew louder. Then stopped.
Alex held his breath, not daring to look.
A voice. Deep, gravelly, definitely not human.
"Smell blood. Old blood. And... something else." A pause. "Phoenix scent?"
Another voice, this one feminine but equally inhuman. "You sure? Phoenix haven't been in Wyrmwood for decades."
"I know what I smell. Faint, but it's there."
Oh no. Oh no no no. They can smell the egg.
Alex pressed himself flatter against the cold earth. The egg's warmth was a liability now. It might as well be a beacon.
"Could be old nesting site," the feminine voice suggested. "We're near the old territories."
"Maybe. Still, worth checking. Phoenix essence sells for a fortune."
They're hunters. Probably tamers. And they want to steal the egg.
The footsteps moved closer. Alex could see them now through a gap in the vegetation. Two figures. One was massive, easily seven feet tall, with scales covering exposed skin and a tail swishing behind him. The other was smaller, more human-shaped, but with fur and pointed ears.
Beast-kin. Like from the fragmented memories of the previous body's owner.
"Nothing here," the scaled one grunted. "Must be farther upstream."
"Or you're imagining things because you're desperate," the furred one said. "Come on. We're wasting time."
The footsteps receded.
Alex waited, counting to a hundred before he dared move. When he finally emerged from his hiding spot, his whole body was shaking.
That was too close. Way too close.
But he'd learned something important: The egg was valuable. Valuable enough that hunters would track its scent. Which meant he couldn't just wander around carrying it openly.
Need to mask the scent somehow. Or hide it better. Or...
Actually, he had no idea how to solve that problem. Add it to the growing list.
Alex drank a bit more water, then followed the stream upstream, moving carefully. He needed to put distance between himself and those hunters.
As he walked, he noticed something. The fragmented memories from the previous body's owner were becoming clearer. Names. Places. Concepts.
Wyrmwood Forest. Dangerous. Full of mutated beasts. Guild outposts are to the south. Brighthold is the closest. Three days' travel if you know the way and don't get eaten.
Three days. Could he survive three days in this forest? With no food, inadequate shelter, and every creature apparently wanting to either eat him or steal his egg?
Probably not. Which means I need a better plan.
The stream led to a small waterfall, maybe twenty feet high. Behind it, Alex could see a darker shadow. Another cave, larger than his previous shelter.
Better defensible position. Higher ground. Water source nearby.
He approached cautiously, checking for tracks or signs of occupation. Nothing obvious.
The cave behind the waterfall was perfect. Deep enough to shelter in, narrow entrance that could be easily defended, and the sound of falling water would mask any noise he made inside.
Alex settled in the back of the cave, finally allowing himself to relax slightly. The egg pulsed against his chest, its warmth seeping into his bones.
"We need you to hatch," Alex whispered to the egg. "I can't do this alone. Nine more essence. Nine more fights."
But how do I find them without getting killed first?
As if in answer, a notification appeared:
[TUTORIAL QUEST AVAILABLE]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE 24 HOURS IN THE WYRMWOOD]
[REWARD: BASIC SURVIVAL KNOWLEDGE, MINOR HEALING]
[ACCEPT? YES/NO]
A quest. The system is giving me a quest.
Alex almost laughed. Even here, even in this nightmare, everything came back to game logic.
"Yes," he said.
[QUEST ACCEPTED: SURVIVE 24 HOURS]
[TIME REMAINING: 23 HOURS 47 MINUTES]
[TIP: HYPOTHERMIA REMAINS YOUR PRIMARY THREAT. FIND FIRE OR WARMTH.]
Fire. Right. How am I supposed to start a fire?
Alex had never started a fire without matches in his life. He'd seen it done in survival shows, rubbing sticks together or using flint, but watching and doing were very different things.
Maybe there's something in this body's memories. The previous owner lived here. He must have known basic survival.
Alex closed his eyes and tried to access those fragmented memories. It was like searching through a fog. Most details were gone, but some things remained. Muscle memory. Instincts. And yes, basic knowledge.
Flint and steel. The previous owner had them. In one of the belt pouches.
Alex checked the pouches on his belt. Most were empty or torn, but one near the back still had a flap. He opened it and found a small piece of flint and a steel striker.
Thank god. Or thank whoever I stole this body from.
Starting a fire was still difficult. It took him twenty minutes of striking and failing before he got sparks to catch on some dry moss. Another ten minutes of careful nurturing before he had actual flames.
But when the fire was finally crackling, filling the cave with warmth and light, Alex felt like he'd conquered the world.
[STATUS UPDATE: HYPERTHERMIA REMOVED]
[HP: 23/45]
[STAMINA: 22/30]
The immediate threat of freezing was gone. His health and stamina continued to tick upward slowly.
Okay. Fire secured. Water secured. Now: food.
That was going to be harder. Alex had no idea what was safe to eat in this forest. The previous owner's memories didn't help. Apparently he'd relied on guild rations and rarely foraged.
Trial and error, then. Great.
He ventured out of the cave, staying close to the stream, looking for anything that might be edible. Berries. Roots. Something.
He found mushrooms growing on a fallen log. Some were glowing faintly, probably poisonous. Others looked normal, but normal didn't mean safe.
I could die just from eating the wrong plant. This is ridiculous.
A rustle in the undergrowth made him freeze.
Something was moving. Something small, from the sound of it.
Alex gripped his branch and waited.
A creature emerged from the bushes. It looked like a rabbit, but larger, with crystalline formations growing from its back. It was nibbling on some of the mushrooms Alex had been examining.
If it eats them, they're probably safe. Right?
The rabbit-thing didn't seem aggressive. It just munched happily, completely unaware of Alex's presence.
Should I kill it? It's food. Protein. But it's also... kind of cute.
His stomach decided for him. It growled loudly enough to startle the rabbit-creature. The thing looked up, spotted Alex, and bolted.
Alex reacted on instinct, threw his branch at the fleeing creature. The wood connected with the rabbit's hindquarters. It stumbled, and Alex was on it before his brain could protest.
His hands closed around its neck. It thrashed, those crystal formations cutting his palms, but Alex held on. Squeezed.
The creature went limp.
[CRYSTAL HARE DEFEATED]
[ESSENCE DETECTED: MINOR BEAST CORE]
[ABSORB? YES/NO]
Alex stared at the small corpse in his hands. Its fur was soft. Its eyes were still open, glassy now.
He'd just killed something cute and harmless for food.
This is what it takes to survive, he thought. This is what I have to become.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Absorb."
Silver light seeped from the hare's body, forming a small sphere that drifted into the egg.
[ESSENCE ABSORBED: MINOR BEAST CORE]
[ESSENCE COUNT: 1.5/10]
[NOTE: MINOR CORES PROVIDE REDUCED ESSENCE]
One and a half out of ten. So I need to kill bigger things. Stronger things.
Alex carried the hare's body back to the cave. He had fire. He had water. Now he had food.
The process of preparing the hare was messy and unpleasant. Alex had never cleaned a kill before. He made mistakes, wasted meat, got blood everywhere. But eventually he had chunks of meat roasting on sticks over his fire.
The smell was incredible. His mouth watered.
When the meat was cooked, or at least not actively raw anymore, Alex ate. It was gamey, a bit tough, but it was protein and his body desperately needed it.
[STAMINA: 30/30 - FULLY RECOVERED]
[HP: 28/45]
Better. Much better.
Alex sat in his cave, warm, fed, and hydrated for the first time since arriving in this world. The egg rested in his lap, pulsing gently.
Okay. I can do this. One day at a time. One hour at a time if necessary.
[QUEST UPDATE: SURVIVE 24 HOURS]
[TIME REMAINING: 19 HOURS 12 MINUTES]
Nineteen hours. Then he'd get whatever reward the system offered.
And then what? Keep surviving? Find that guild outpost? Figure out how to get stronger?
All valid questions. But for now, Alex was content to sit by his fire, hold the egg, and not die.
It was a low bar, but it was his bar.
Outside, the Wyrmwood Forest continued its deadly rhythm. Predators hunted. Prey fled. And somewhere in the distance, that same inhuman scream echoed through the trees.
But inside the cave, Alex Proctor, former pro gamer, current transmigrator, was alive.
And that was enough for now.