Arthur stood at the edge of the forest just before sunset, his backpack slung over one shoulder, his hoodie half-zipped, and his heartbeat doing its own freestyle routine. The trees loomed like tall, silent judges ready to sentence him. The sky glowed orange, then pink, then that dull purple that always whispers, "If u turn back now, no one will blame u."
Too bad the system always blamed him.
He tightened the straps on his bag and stepped onto the dirt path. Each step felt heavier, like the forest was testing him—asking if he really wanted to be here.
"Exams in four days… points on the line… this is worth it," he muttered.
Arthur rolled his eyes so hard he almost sprained them.
The deeper he went, the quieter everything became. Even the bugs seemed intimidated. The forest smelled like damp wood and something cold. The light faded fast, shadows stretching across the ground like thin fingers reaching for his ankles.
He picked a clearing not too far from the main path—because he wasn't an idiot—and set his backpack down. He laid out the sleeping bag, the small flashlight, the energy bars, and the notebook he'd brought to "study," though realistically he was going to spend the entire night being paranoid about every leaf that moved.
As soon as he sat down, the system pinged.
"Why would fainting be cheating?"
He almost threw the flashlight.
Night fell fully. The forest wasn't black—it was worse. It was textured darkness. Shapes hid inside other shapes. Things could be moving or still; he couldn't tell.
Every snap of a twig made his shoulders jolt.
Every gust of wind felt like something brushing past him.
He pulled the hoodie tighter and sat on the sleeping bag with his knees up, trying to distract himself with studying. He opened the notebook.
And instantly, a loud CRACK came from the bushes on his right.
The notebook shut itself.
"Nope. Studying can wait."
"That doesn't help!"
Silence fell again. Arthur reached for the flashlight, then froze because the beam looked way too bright in the dark—like a spotlight screaming, "COME EAT ME."
He turned it off again.
Then on.
Then off.
Then on.
"Bro just pick a mode," he whispered to himself.
He covered his face with both hands, half laughing, half dying inside. "I should've become a normal student… why am I in a forest at night… flirting with Miyu was easier than this—"
He lay down for a moment, staring up through the misshapen canopy. Stars peeked between the branches, soft and distant. Strangely, the sky calmed him—not much, but enough that his breathing leveled out.
He whispered, "Okay… maybe this isn't so bad…"
Then something hooted.
He sat up instantly.
"Nope. No calming. I take it back."
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT!?"
Arthur put his head in his hands. "System… I'm gonna uninstall you."
He groaned as the forest whispered again—leaves rustling like soft voices. Not threatening. Just alive.
Minutes turned into hours.
He tried to study again but kept glancing around every ten seconds like a scared meerkat. At some point he started talking to himself just to feel less alone.
"This is fine… survival mode… humans lived like this for thousands of years…"
"STOP HELPING."
He ate a granola bar to distract himself. It tasted like sadness.
Halfway through the night, he took out his phone—no signal, obviously—and sighed. The silence pressed hard around him, but something in him shifted. In all the fear and noise and system jokes… there was a weird peace. A small, strange bravery.
He whispered, "I'm… not the kid I used to be."
"Shut up…"
Arthur looked down, a soft smile tugging at him. Maybe the isolation wasn't punishment. Maybe it was a mirror.
Hours later—maybe three, maybe ten—he felt sleep pulling him under. Fear tried to keep him awake, but exhaustion won piece by piece. The trees swayed softly in the night wind, almost like they rocked him to sleep.
He dozed off.
Then a loud rustle snapped him awake.
He bolted upright.
Something was moving behind him—slow steps. Grass shifting. The sound of something breathing.
"OH HELL NO—"
"Sixty!?"
They stared at each other for a long moment.
Arthur whispered, "…Hi."
The deer turned and walked away like it was done with his existence.
He threw a twig at the empty air. "STOP TALKING."
But he laughed. A real laugh.
And weirdly, the fear cracked. Just a little.
The rest of the night passed in a blurry mix of half-sleep and nervous breathing. The darkness got colder, but Arthur didn't run. Didn't leave. Didn't give in.
He made it.
When the first thin line of sunrise crawled across the sky, painting the leaves with pale gold, the system chimed.
Bonus: You Didn't Cry. Barely.>
"System… please… shut up."
But Arthur was smiling as he packed his things.
His fingers were cold.
His eyes were tired.
His body felt like he slept on a rock because he literally did.
But he was proud.
Really, truly proud.
As he stepped back out onto the main road, sunlight warming his face, he whispered:
"I'm… actually getting stronger."
The system hummed.
Arthur blinked. "…Need it for what?"
"Dude—"
He'd survived the forest.
Now he was ready for anything.
…probably.