"What kind of title is that?"
Alden stared at the floating screen for several seconds, rereading the description again and again. The more he read, the less sense it made. A flaw within the tapestry of fate? A variable absent from prophecy? Those sounded less like a title description and more like something an old sage would say before disappearing into a cave for a thousand years.
Focusing on the title once more, he opened its details.
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Title: A Bug
Rank: Unique
Description:
An existence that should not exist.
A flaw within the tapestry of fate.
A variable absent from prophecy.
Neither chosen nor rejected.
Neither destined nor forgotten.
The laws of the world fail to fully recognize this existence.
Divination becomes unreliable.
Fate cannot accurately predict your future.
Those who attempt to perceive your destiny may receive contradictory results.
Effects:
• Increased resistance to divination.
• Increased resistance to prophecy.
• Fate-based abilities are less effective.
• Growth potential cannot be measured.
• Luck cannot be accurately evaluated.
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After reading everything for the fifth time, Alden finally rubbed his temples and sighed.
"So basically, I'm special."
It was the only conclusion he could come up with. Whatever fate, prophecy, and divination meant in this world, they sounded important, and according to the title, none of them worked properly on him.
Honestly, that sounded pretty cool.
Satisfied with his interpretation, Alden closed the screen and finally paid attention to the world around him. Excitement was good and all, but if he got eaten by a monster in the next five minutes, none of this would matter.
The forest was even stranger than he remembered. Towering trees stretched far into the dark sky, their trunks wider than houses and their branches thick enough to support entire roads. The two moons above cast faint red and blue light through the canopy, creating an atmosphere that felt both beautiful and unsettling.
Alden took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Panicking wouldn't solve anything.
He was alive.
He had a system.
And most importantly, he hadn't died a second time yet.
That counted as progress.
His eyes wandered around until they landed on a fallen branch nearby. It wasn't particularly impressive, but it was long, sturdy, and better than walking around empty-handed. Picking it up, he gave it a few experimental swings.
The result looked more like a child pretending to be a swordsman than an actual fighter.
Still, holding the branch made him feel safer.
Sometimes confidence was half the battle.
With his newly acquired legendary weapon, Alden began wandering through the forest.
At first nothing happened. Only the sounds of insects, distant birds, and rustling leaves accompanied him. As time passed, however, his excitement gradually faded and was replaced by hunger.
The fight for survival had officially begun.
Just as he was wondering whether grass counted as emergency food, movement caught his attention.
A small creature emerged from behind a bush.
It stood roughly knee-high and resembled a squirrel, except its body was covered in dark scales and two sharp horns protruded from its forehead. A long tail swayed behind it as it sniffed the ground, seemingly unaware of Alden's presence.
Alden's eyes lit up.
Food.
Actual food.
Trying not to scare it away, he carefully approached.
One step.
Then another.
Then another.
The creature suddenly froze.
Its head snapped toward him.
Its crimson eyes locked onto his.
For a brief moment neither moved.
Then the monster exploded forward.
"What the—?!"
Alden's body reacted before his brain could catch up. Instinctively, he swung the branch like a sword, aiming directly at the charging creature.
The branch connected.
Unfortunately, Alden had never learned swordsmanship in his life.
The impact nearly tore the weapon from his hands, and the force of the collision pushed him backward several steps. At the same time, a loud crack echoed through the forest as the branch split apart down the middle.
The monster rolled across the ground before quickly regaining its footing.
Alden stared at the broken weapon.
The monster stared back.
Both seemed equally offended.
"...Okay."
Only now did Alden realize his mistake.
Back on Earth, small animals usually ran away from humans.
Here, small animals apparently chose violence.
He had been unconsciously judging this world using Earth's standards.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Throwing aside the broken branch, Alden clenched his fists.
If weapons weren't an option, then fists would have to do.
The monster lowered its body before charging again. This time Alden was prepared. He stepped aside and threw a punch, only to immediately regret it.
The impact sent pain through his knuckles.
The creature was much stronger than it looked.
In fact, despite his D-rank strength, the monster seemed to hold a slight advantage.
"You're way too strong for your size!"
The monster responded by trying to bite him.
The fight quickly descended into chaos.
Neither side possessed any combat skills. The monster relied on speed and aggression while Alden relied on instinct, luck, and a surprising willingness to punch things repeatedly.
Several times he nearly got bitten. Several times he narrowly avoided sharp claws. His clothes gained a few tears, and his arms collected several scratches.
Eventually, however, Alden noticed a pattern.
Every time the creature attacked, it committed completely to the charge. If he could dodge once at the right moment...
The opportunity finally came.
The horned creature lunged forward at full speed.
Alden waited.
And waited.
Then stepped aside at the last possible moment.
The monster missed completely and crashed headfirst into a nearby tree root.
Before it could recover, Alden tackled it from behind and pinned it to the ground.
The creature struggled fiercely, but after several desperate punches, its movements gradually weakened before stopping entirely.
Silence returned to the forest.
Alden remained sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.
"...I won."
For a few seconds he simply lay there, staring at the sky.
Then his stomach growled.
"...And dinner won too."
An hour later, after recovering some strength, Alden grabbed the creature by its tail and began dragging it through the forest. Leaving blood and meat out in the open sounded like a fantastic way to attract predators, so he needed somewhere safe before cooking it.
Fortunately, luck seemed to be on his side for once.
Near the base of one of the enormous trees, he discovered a hollow opening within the trunk. The inside was surprisingly spacious, almost resembling a small cave.
"This'll do."
While making his way toward the hollow trunk, he also spotted several blue mushrooms growing nearby. They looked strange, but after everything he'd seen today, strange barely registered anymore.
Besides, mushrooms were food.
Probably.
Without thinking too much about it, he picked a handful and carried them inside.
Starting a fire turned out to be far more difficult than every survival video on Earth had made it seem. By the time smoke finally appeared, Alden's arms felt ready to fall off.
Still, persistence paid off.
Soon a small fire crackled within the hollow trunk, filling the space with warmth.
Using sharpened sticks, he roasted pieces of monster meat over the flames until they were properly cooked. The smell wasn't particularly appetizing, but hunger was an excellent seasoning.
Taking a cautious bite, Alden chewed slowly.
The taste wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible either. More importantly, he hadn't immediately collapsed after eating it.
That was good enough.
After finishing most of the meat, his attention shifted toward the mushrooms he had gathered earlier.
Picking one up, he shrugged.
"Well, if I die, at least it'll be from something other than a snake this time."
He took a bite.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Then a familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
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[ Minor Poison Resistance Acquired ]
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Alden slowly lowered the mushroom.
"...That's concerning."