Kaito's second day in the forest began with an urgent problem: he was starving.
His stomach had been growling all night, but now it felt like there was a black hole inside him, demanding to be filled. When was the last time he'd eaten? That sad vending machine sandwich yesterday—or was it two days ago now? Time felt strange here.
He crawled out of the cave, his muscles stiff and aching from sleeping on stone. His uniform was a disaster—torn, muddy, still slightly damp. His mother would have had a heart attack.
The thought of his mother made Kaito's chest tighten. Was she looking for him? Were the police involved? Did his family even know he was missing, or had time frozen back in the real world while he was stuck here?
"Focus," he told himself firmly. "Survival first. Existential crisis later."
He made his way back to the stream and splashed cold water on his face, then drank deeply. The water was clean and crisp, and it helped clear his head a bit.
Food. He needed food.
Kaito had approximately zero knowledge about wilderness survival. He knew photosynthesis and cellular respiration, could explain the Krebs cycle in his sleep, but identifying edible plants? No idea.
He wandered along the stream bank, examining bushes and plants. Some had berries—bright red ones that looked almost too perfect to be real. Kaito stared at them suspiciously.
"Red berries are usually poisonous," he muttered, remembering something from a nature documentary he'd half-watched once. "Or was that mushrooms? Or both?"
He moved on, leaving the suspicious berries alone. Better to starve slowly than poison himself quickly.
After an hour of searching, he found a bush with small purple berries that looked less threatening. They weren't glowing or dripping ominous liquid, which seemed like a good sign.
Kaito picked one berry and examined it carefully. Then, feeling ridiculous, he held it up to the system screen that appeared whenever he focused.
"Can you tell me if this is safe to eat?"
The screen flickered.
**[Analyzing...]**
**[Item: Mistberry]**
**[Edibility: Safe for human consumption]**
**[Effect: Restores minor stamina]**
"Oh thank god," Kaito breathed. He shoved a handful of berries into his mouth. They were tart and slightly bitter, not particularly delicious, but they were food. He picked as many as he could carry, stuffing them into his pockets.
With his immediate hunger somewhat addressed, Kaito turned his attention to his other problems. He needed better weapons, he needed to understand this Gene system better, and he needed to figure out what exactly this "Trial Ascension" was about.
He pulled up his stat screen again, studying it more carefully this time.
The Gene section was what interested him most. He'd absorbed one Fragmented Gene yesterday—Speed (F)—and it had increased two of his stats. The "F" presumably meant it was the lowest rank, like a grading system.
His Gene State was listed as "Soft" for the next six days. According to what the system had told him, this increased his absorption rate by 50%. Did that mean he could absorb more Genes? Or that he'd get better effects from them?
"I need more data," Kaito said aloud. He'd always thought better when he talked through problems. "One sample isn't enough to draw conclusions. I need to fight more creatures and see what patterns emerge."
The scientist in him was actually getting excited about this, despite the whole "might die horribly" aspect. This was a completely new system of biology—if it even counted as biology. Genes that could be extracted and absorbed, that could increase physical and mental capabilities beyond human norms. It was fascinating.
It was also terrifying.
Kaito spent the morning exploring the area around his cave, mapping it out in his head. The stream ran roughly east to west. To the north, the forest grew denser. To the south, it seemed to thin out a bit. He could see what looked like a clearing in the distance.
He decided to head north, into the denser forest. If creatures spawned based on environment—which seemed likely given the "Mistwood Wolf" name of yesterday's enemy—then the thicker forest might have more of them.
More creatures meant more Genes.
It also meant more danger, but Kaito was starting to understand something: in this world, weakness meant death. He couldn't afford to play it safe. He needed to get stronger, fast.
He picked up a thick branch on the way, testing its weight. It was better than the rock, at least. He practiced swinging it a few times, feeling foolish. He'd never been in a fight in his entire life. The closest he'd come was a heated argument with a classmate about lab protocol.
"Okay," he said, gripping the branch tighter. "Let's do this."
The forest north of the stream was darker, the canopy so thick that only scattered beams of sunlight made it through. Mist clung to everything, giving the place an eerie, otherworldly quality. Kaito moved carefully, trying to step quietly, listening for any signs of life.
He didn't have to wait long.
A rustling in the bushes ahead. Kaito froze, raising his branch. His heart hammered in his chest, but this time the fear was mixed with something else. Anticipation.
A creature emerged. Not a wolf this time—something smaller, maybe the size of a large dog. It looked like a fox, but its fur was the same misty gray as the forest, and its eyes glowed the same sickly yellow as the wolf's had.
**[Mistwood Fox (F)]**
The notification appeared automatically in the corner of his vision. The fox watched him, its head tilted, intelligent eyes assessing.
"Nice fox," Kaito said, slowly circling to keep his distance. "We don't have to do this. You could just walk away."
The fox lunged.
It was faster than the wolf, much faster. Kaito barely managed to swing his branch in time. The wood connected with the fox's side and knocked it off-course, but the creature landed nimbly and immediately darted in again.
Kaito backpedaled, swinging wildly. The fox was too quick, too agile. It ducked under his swings, tried to circle behind him. If he'd had his old Speed stat of 5, he would have been dead already. But with his increased Speed of 6, he could just barely keep up, could track the creature's movements.
'Think!' he screamed at himself. 'It's faster than you. Stronger than you. What advantage do you have?'
Intelligence. Strategy.
The fox lunged again and Kaito did something that probably should have gotten him killed—he didn't dodge. Instead, he jabbed the branch forward like a spear, timing it so the fox's own momentum would impale it.
The fox twisted mid-air with impossible agility, avoiding the worst of it, but the branch still caught it across the face. It yelped and fell back, shaking its head.
Kaito pressed his advantage, swinging down hard. The branch connected with the fox's back with a meaty thump. The creature collapsed.
He raised the branch to strike again, but the fox was already dissolving into light, leaving behind another crystal. This one was smaller and had a grayish tint.
**[Combat Complete]**
**[Enemy Defeated: Mistwood Fox (F)]**
**[Gene Detected]**
**[Fragmented Gene: Dexterity (F)]**
**[Attempt Assimilation?]**
"Yes," Kaito said immediately.
The warmth flooded through him again, that strange sensation of his body being rewritten at the cellular level. When it faded, he felt more coordinated, like his body would respond more precisely to what his mind told it to do.
**[Assimilation Successful]**
**[+1 Dexterity]**
**[Updated Physical Stats: Dexterity: 8]**
Kaito examined his hands. They looked the same, but when he made a fist and released it, the movement felt smoother, more controlled. He picked up a small stone and tried juggling it between his hands—something he'd never been able to do before. The stone moved in a clean arc, and he caught it perfectly.
"This is incredible," he breathed.
Over the next several hours, Kaito hunted systematically. He found two more foxes and another wolf. Each fight was easier than the last, not because the creatures were weaker, but because he was learning.
He learned that the wolves were strong but slow to turn. If you got behind them, you had a few seconds to strike.
He learned that the foxes were fragile but quick. You had to predict their movements rather than react to them.
He learned that his own body's capabilities were increasing with each Gene absorbed.
By afternoon, his stats looked significantly different:
**[Physical: 7]**
- Strength: 5
- Constitution: 5
- Dexterity: 9
- Speed: 8
**[Mental: 7]**
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 6
- Charisma: 3
**[Will: 6]**
He'd also gained another title:
**[Title Unlocked: Determined Hunter]**
**[Effect: +1 Will, +10% damage to creatures of equal or lower level]**
But something was bothering him. All the Genes he'd absorbed were Fragmented and F-rank. The system screen showed categories for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Legendary Genes, but he hadn't seen a single one.
Were they rarer? Did higher-rank creatures drop them? And what about the other options he'd been offered—the weapon and the City Stele. Had he made the wrong choice?
Kaito sat down by the stream to rest, eating more mistberries and thinking. His Gene State would only be Soft for five more days. After that, it would return to Rigid, and presumably his absorption rate would drop significantly.
That meant these next five days were critical. He needed to absorb as many Genes as possible while he had the advantage.
But there was something else nagging at him. The system had said this was a "Trial Ascension." A trial implied a test, a challenge with specific parameters. What was the real objective here? Just to survive for seven days, or was there something more?
As if responding to his thoughts, the system screen appeared.
**[Tutorial Tip Unlocked]**
**[The Trial Ascension serves multiple purposes:]**
**[1. Assess individual capabilities]**
**[2. Initiate baseline Gene absorption]**
**[3. Establish territory foundations]**
**[4. Survive until Integration]**
**[Good luck, Kaito Hayashi]**
"Integration?" Kaito frowned. "What does that mean?"
The screen didn't respond. It simply faded away.
Kaito looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to dip toward the horizon again. He'd survived two days. Five more to go.
But he had a sinking feeling that surviving was only the beginning of whatever this really was.
Something was coming. Something called "Integration."
And Kaito had absolutely no idea what it meant.