Chapter 1
“Fuck.”
That was the first word I said after dying.
Not a scream. Not disbelief. Just a very tired, very sincere curse.
I was standing in the middle of a forest.
Alive.
Which was strange, because I was fairly certain I had died.
Very thoroughly, too.
Not only that, I couldn’t move more than a kilometer away from where I was standing.
I found this out after walking for several minutes, feeling hopeful, only to be stopped by absolutely nothing.
I reached out.
My hand hit air.
Solid air.
“…Wow.”
So this was my afterlife.
Not heaven. Not hell.
A restricted-access forest map.
As if that wasn’t enough, my death itself was a masterpiece of nonsense.
“Seriously… how the hell did a truck fly into the fourth floor?”
I had been inside a building.
On the fourth floor.
And yet a truck had arrived.
Through the wall.
At full speed.
“Is that even physically possible?”
Looking back now, with my heart no longer beating and my spine presumably no longer intact, I could admit it.
It was kind of funny.
“Heh… heh… kekeke.”
I laughed quietly, because if I didn’t, I might start screaming instead.
After all, I had spent my entire life buried under debt. Courtesy of my useless father.
Running from collectors. Changing addresses. Living like prey.
So dying like that?
Honestly?
I’d call it efficient.
At least now, no one could chase me for money.
Silver linings were important.
Still, one problem remained.
“How do I leave this place?”
I was alone in a forest, boxed in by an invisible wall, with no explanation, no instructions, and no body disposal receipt.
In situations like this…
Wasn’t I supposed to call out to something?
“…System?”
The moment I said the word, something responded.
A translucent blue window flickered into existence in front of me.
“…Oh.”
That was fast.
Suspiciously fast.
The letters hovered neatly in the air, polite and emotionless, as if they had been waiting for me this entire time.
How convenient.
I reached out, curiosity winning over caution.
My finger passed through the screen.
So far, so normal.
Then I looked down.
“…Where’s my hand?”
Correction.
Where was my body?
Below the floating window, there was nothing. No arms. No legs. No torso.
Just empty space.
“…System?”
No response.
I tried touching my chest.
I felt nothing.
I tried screaming.
Nothing came out.
“…Am I dead again?”
That was when panic finally kicked in.
“System! Help!”
The world snapped.
My body returned all at once, like it had been forcefully reloaded, and the blue window vanished without a trace.
I staggered, clutching my chest.
“…Don’t do that.”
I took several deep breaths, checking everything one piece at a time.
Hands, present.
Feet, present.
Soul. Questionable, but functional.
“So… when the system appears, my body disappears.”
I stared at the empty air where the window had been.
What kind of design choice was that?
Was this some kind of menu-only spectator mode?
Like pausing a game?
…That didn’t feel safe.
Still.
“System.”
The blue window reappeared instantly.
And just like before, my body vanished.
“…Yep.”
Confirmed.
I was floating.
Which I only realized after looking down and seeing the forest floor slowly drifting away.
“Oh.”
So this was full spectator mode.
Unlike a game, however, time didn’t stop.
The wind continued to rustle through the leaves.
Crickets chirped in the distance.
The night sky remained clear.
Until I noticed the moon.
“…Why is it red?”
Not slightly red.
Not kind of red.
It was blood-red.
The kind of red that came with consequences.
“WROAAAAAAR!”
A distorted roar tore through the forest, vibrating the air itself.
The ground trembled.
Birds scattered.
“…I haven’t even checked my status yet.”
Oddly enough, I wasn’t panicking.
Probably because I had no body.
Hard to die when you don’t exist.
…Probably.
Still, just to be safe,
Whooong.
“…I can fly.”
Of course I could.
If I was already a floating menu, gravity was more of a suggestion.
The system window drifted beside me, loyal and silent.
Dudung.
A heavy impact echoed from below.
The trembling stopped.
From the shadows emerged something massive.
Nearly three meters tall.
Thick black fur.
A muscular frame.
Two jagged horns curved forward from its skull, its breath fogging the night air.
“…Bicorn?”
The name surfaced naturally, like an entry from a forgotten bestiary.
Despite my voice, the creature didn’t react.
Good.
Either it couldn’t hear me…
Or the menu really did make me untouchable.
“Let’s observe.”
I hovered closer, keeping my distance like a responsible drone operator.
Its eyes were bloodshot.
Fixed entirely on the crimson moon above.
“…Blood Moon.”
So that was it.
The roar earlier made sense now.
Ting!
A notification chimed behind me.
The system had finally decided to speak.
[Do you wish to purify this creature? Y/N]
“…That sounds expensive.”
Experience points?
Lifespan?
My soul?
[During your first trial, when population is at its lowest, the number of creatures you may commune with is 0/3.]
“Oh.”
Free trial.
Nice.
“I wish to purify this creature.”
[Do you wish to purify this creature? Y/N]
“…Yes.”
The bicorn froze.
A faint glow spread from its chest, slowly engulfing its entire body.
The darkness peeled away, layer by layer.
When the light faded,
Golden mane.
Pure white hide.
A single, smooth horn.
“…Unicorn.”
So it really was corrupted.
Which meant..
“…This one shouldn’t stab me, right?”
I remembered something vaguely concerning about unicorns.
Targeting non-virgins.
Thankfully, I was very much..
“System.”
The moment I said it, the menu appeared.
And my body disappeared.
Midair.
“…Ah.”
The realization came too late.
I fell.
Swiish!
I crashed face-first into the dirt, limbs spread out like a failed ritual circle.
“Ow.”
Pain registered immediately.
“…So the system doesn’t pause gravity.”
Good to know.
The unicorn jumped back, startled.
I lifted my head slowly.
“…Yeah, I felt that.”
The creature stared at me warily, eyes sharp and assessing.
Up close, it was terrifying.
Three meters tall wasn’t just “big.”
It was I could die in one step big.
As it lowered its head toward me, my brain helpfully imagined its horn going straight through my skull.
I sucked in a breath.
“SYS—”
The unicorn gently pressed its forehead against mine.
“…Oh.”
It was warm.
Gentle.
Friendly.
I blinked.
Right.
The system said something earlier.
Commune.
Up to three creatures.
“…So this counts.”
I sat there in the dirt, staring at my first companion.
My first catch.
“…Pokémon.”
I stood up slowly.
“Well.”
I brushed myself off.
“Gotta catch ’em all.”
I had no idea what awaited me next.
But apparently,
This was my destiny.
