The first thing he felt was cold.
Not the gentle kind of cold that nips at your fingers on a winter morning, but the kind that slaps you awake like a bucket of ice water. His eyes snapped open, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. The sky above him was too blue, too wide, too… unreal. It stretched endlessly, painted with streaks of lavender clouds that shimmered faintly, as if dusted with glitter.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
This wasn't his bedroom.
This wasn't his world.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest. "Okay… okay, Soren… don't panic. You're just… dreaming. A very vivid, very weird dream."
He sat up slowly, wincing as grass brushed against his palms. The blades were soft, glowing faintly with a bluish tint. He stared at them, then at the towering trees around him — their trunks spiraled upward like twisted marble, their leaves glowing like tiny lanterns.
Definitely not Earth.
His breath hitched. "Oh no. Oh no no no—this is transmigration, isn't it? Why? I didn't even finish my assignment!"
His voice echoed through the clearing, swallowed by the strange forest.
He hugged his knees to his chest, trying to steady his breathing. He wasn't brave. He wasn't bold. He wasn't the type of protagonist who woke up in another world and immediately said, "Ah yes, my destiny begins."
He was the type who panicked when the Wi‑Fi went out.
A rustle came from the bushes behind him.
Soren froze.
Another rustle. Then a tiny sneeze.
He turned slowly, every muscle in his body trembling. "Please don't be a monster. Please don't be a monster. Please—"
A small, fluffy head popped out of the bushes.
A fox.
A tiny fox.
Its fur was snow‑white, its ears too big for its head, and its eyes were round and golden, shimmering like molten honey. It tilted its head at him, then let out a soft chirp — not a bark, not a growl, but a chirp, like a confused bird.
Soren stared.
The fox stared back.
"…hi?" he whispered.
The fox blinked once, then trotted toward him with the confidence of a creature that had never known fear. It sniffed his shoe, sneezed again, then climbed onto his lap as if claiming him.
Soren's soul left his body.
"W‑wait—! I'm not— I don't— I can't take care of myself, how am I supposed to take care of you?!"
The fox ignored him completely and curled into a ball, tail wrapping around its tiny body.
Soren's panic was interrupted by a sudden ding.
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of him.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
Soren's breath caught. "Oh no. Oh no, it's happening. I knew it. I knew it. I'm in a fantasy world with a system. I'm going to die."
The screen flickered.
[BEAST‑TAMING, SUMMONING, AND CRAFTING SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[WELCOME, HOST.]
Soren flinched. "H‑hi?"
[HOST IDENTIFIED: SOREN VALE]
[STATUS: WEAK. CONFUSED. ANXIOUS.]
He gaped. "You didn't have to say it like that!"
[ACCURACY IS IMPORTANT.]
He groaned.
The fox lifted its head, looked at the screen, then at Soren, then chirped again as if laughing at him.
"Don't you start," Soren muttered.
Another screen appeared.
[STARTER BEAST ACQUIRED]
Name: ???
Species: Tiny Fox
Rank: F‑
Combat Ability: None
Special Traits: Cute
Danger Level: 0
Notes: This creature is harmless. Probably.
"Probably?!" Soren squeaked.
The fox yawned.
Another screen popped up.
[NEW QUEST: DON'T DIE]
Objective: Survive for 24 hours.
Reward: Basic Beast‑Tamer Skill.
Penalty: Death.
Soren slapped a hand over his face. "Why is that even a quest?! Isn't that just… life?!"
[LIFE IS A SERIES OF QUESTS.]
"Not helpful!"
The fox climbed up his chest and licked his chin.
Soren froze. "A‑are you trying to comfort me?"
The fox chirped.
His heart melted a little. "Okay… maybe this isn't the worst thing ever."
A distant roar shook the forest.
Soren's soul un‑melted instantly. "Nope. Worst thing ever. Definitely worst."
The fox's fur puffed up like a startled cotton ball.
Soren swallowed hard. "System… what was that?"
[A BEAST.]
"Helpful."
[YOU ARE IN THE OUTER RING OF THE STARFALL FOREST.]
[BEASTS RANGE FROM F‑ TO A‑RANK.]
Soren's voice cracked. "A‑rank?! Why am I here?! I'm a student! I can't fight! I can barely run!"
[HOST IS ENCOURAGED TO IMPROVE.]
"Encouraged?! I'm encouraged to not die!"
The fox hopped off his lap and tugged at his sleeve with its tiny teeth.
Soren blinked. "You… want me to follow you?"
The fox chirped and tugged harder.
Soren hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. You're the only one here who isn't trying to kill me. Lead the way."
The fox darted into the bushes, and Soren stumbled after it, branches slapping his face, roots tripping his feet, and panic pounding in his chest.
They emerged into a small clearing with a fallen log and a cluster of glowing mushrooms.
The fox pawed at the mushrooms.
Soren frowned. "You want me to… pick them?"
[NEW CRAFTING MATERIAL DISCOVERED: STARSHROOM]
Grade: F
Use: Basic crafting, beast food, low‑tier potions
Warning: Mildly poisonous if eaten raw.
Soren jerked his hand back. "You were going to let me eat that?!"
The fox chirped innocently.
Soren sighed and gathered the mushrooms carefully.
Another screen appeared.
[NEW CRAFTING RECIPE UNLOCKED]
Starshroom Snack (F‑Rank)
Effect: Slightly increases beast affinity.
Side Effect: Tastes terrible.
Soren stared at the recipe. "So… I'm supposed to cook for the fox?"
[BEAST AFFINITY IS IMPORTANT.]
The fox wagged its tail.
Soren exhaled shakily. "Okay. Okay, I can do this. I can cook. Sort of. Maybe."
He knelt beside the fallen log, gathered some dry leaves, and tried to start a fire by rubbing sticks together.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
He tried a third time.
Smoke. Then a spark. Then—
The spark landed on his sleeve.
"AH—NO NO NO—"
He flailed wildly, smacking his arm until the tiny flame died.
The fox rolled on the ground laughing.
Soren glared. "You're supposed to be my emotional support animal!"
The fox chirped smugly.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: BASIC CRAFTING (F‑Rank)]
Effect: Allows creation of simple items.
Note: Success rate: 12%.
Soren stared at the number. "Twelve percent?! That's not a skill, that's an insult!"
[HOST IS ENCOURAGED TO IMPROVE.]
He groaned. "You keep saying that!"
Still, he followed the recipe, mixing chopped starshrooms with crushed leaves and a bit of water from a nearby stream. The result looked like grey mud.
He grimaced. "This looks like something scraped off a shoe."
The fox sniffed it, then took a tentative bite.
Its eyes widened.
Its fur glowed faintly.
A soft chime echoed.
[BEAST AFFINITY +1]
[TINY FOX: SATISFIED]
Soren blinked. "Wait… it worked?"
The fox leaped into his arms, nuzzling his chest.
Warmth bloomed in his heart.
Maybe… maybe he could survive this.
A branch snapped behind him.
Soren froze.
The fox's fur bristled.
A shadow loomed at the edge of the clearing — tall, hulking, and growling.
Soren's voice trembled. "System… what is that?"
[AN F‑RANK FOREST WARG.]
"F‑rank? That's the same rank as the fox!"
[CORRECTION: THE FOX IS F‑MINUS.]
Soren screamed internally.
The warg stepped forward, saliva dripping from its jaws.
The fox growled — a tiny, squeaky growl that was more adorable than threatening.
Soren swallowed hard. "System… any advice?"
[RUN.]
Soren grabbed the fox and bolted.
Branches whipped his face, roots caught his feet, and his lungs burned, but he didn't stop. The warg crashed through the forest behind him, snarling.
He stumbled into another clearing — and skidded to a halt.
A massive stone archway stood before him, glowing with runes.
A sign hung crookedly above it:
"STARFALL ACADEMY — OUTER TRAINING GROUNDS."
Soren gasped. "A‑an academy?! I‑I made it?!"
The warg burst into the clearing.
The runes flared.
A barrier snapped into place.
The warg slammed into it and bounced off with a yelp.
Soren collapsed to his knees, trembling.
The fox licked his cheek.
A final screen appeared.
[QUEST COMPLETE: DON'T DIE]
Reward: Basic Beast‑Tamer Skill
Skill Unlocked: Beast Bond (F‑Rank)
Effect: Strengthens connection with first beast.
Bonus: Tiny Fox gains +1 evolution potential.
Soren stared at the screen, then at the fox.
He exhaled shakily.
"…I'm alive."
The fox chirped proudly.
Soren managed a weak smile. "Okay… maybe we can do this."
The academy gates creaked open.
And his new life began.