"Is this… real?"
"Syl," Shun muttered.
A UI panel slid open in front of his face,
His profile.
He scanned it… from top to bottom.
Level: 2
"…You've gotta be shitting me."
His breath hitched. His chest felt tight for a second.
"All that crap… all those years…"
He laughed under his breath, rough and broken.
"I finally leveled up."
Shun wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Another UI slammed into his vision.
[Took you long enough, you piece of shit.]
Shun's half-formed tears dried instantly.
"…Hah."
His face twisted. Veins popped.
He let out a long groan, bending forward like some local thug.
"Haaa—fuck off…"
He straightened up and stared at the glowing text.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The screen flickered.
[?..?..?]
[You just graduated from the academy and you already forgot crucial information.]
[Stupid ass fuck.]
Shun clenched his jaw.
"Shut. The hell. Up."
A pause.
[Sigh.]
The thing behind the UI finally started explaining.
[I'm an Ent. More specifically, the Ent assigned to monitor you for the rest of your miserable life.]
"…Oww," Shun muttered, rubbing his temple.
The text kept coming.
[Every being that enters this world—or is unlucky enough to be born into it—gets one of us.]
[We're also responsible for judging which paths suit you and making suggestions. Skills…Growth…Survival… That kind of shit.]
"Ooh," Shun replied flatly.
The UI shifted.
[As for skills—yeah, you've got none.]
"…Huh?"
[Creatures who enter this world are given one Skill Coin by default. It's to help them adjust and keep things balanced. Natives already have racial skills from birth, so they don't need the handout.]
"W-wait—"
The UI cut him off.
[This bastard.]
[Did you even listen during your academy lectures?]
Shun scratched the back of his head and gave a dry laugh.
"Hehe… look, I was kinda busy not dying back then. Listening wasn't exactly my top priority."
The UI went quiet for a second.
[…Unbelievable.]
"…Then how come I don't have a skill?" Shun whispered, more to himself than the thing yelling at him.
The UI flickered once.
[Either way… the introduction period's almost over.]
[Once it ends, we can't communicate like this again.]
[So listen up.]
[I'll support you with everything I've got, you dumb shit. Get it together.]
Shun frowned. "That's it? That's your big explanation?"
No answer.
The UI faded.
Somewhere far away—at the World Tree.
An entire office floor was packed with Ents. Each had their own room. Screens everywhere.
One Ent leaned back in his chair, boots on the desk, eyes locked on a massive screen showing Shun.
"I'll support you with everything I've got, you dumb shit," he muttered, crossing his arms.
"Because if you die…" he clicked his tongue, annoyed, "…I die too."
The screen went dark.
"Tch. It ended too quickly."
He stood up, stretched, and cracked his back, and yawned. "Whatever… Coffee break."
The Ent shoved the door open and jogged down the glowing hall toward the cafeteria, already complaining about his shift.
Shun started packing his stuff, shoving things into the bag without much care.
The sword stayed on his waist. That thing wasn't going anywhere.
"…Alright," he muttered. "Now what."
He stood there, staring at the ruined land.
"…Where the hell do I go now."
His eyes shifted.
Something moved.
A shadow, far ahead... Barely visible.
Hiding behind broken debris and collapsed stone.
Shun froze.
"…Oh?"
His eyes lit up.
"Oiii," he said softly, already grinning.
He rushed forward without thinking.
The shadowy figure noticed him immediately.
"SHIT—"
It bolted.
"RUN FASTER… I'M GETTING CLOSER KEKEK!" Shun shouted, sprinting after it.
They turned a corner and—
THUD.
"Ow—WHAT THE FU—"
The shadowy figure bounced back and fell on his ass.
Dumdum stood there, chewing grass.
…chomp.
"…Neee?" Dumdum let out, completely unbothered.
Shun slowed to a stop, hands on his knees, laughing.
"Oiii, oiii, oiii…" Shun clicked his tongue, voice slipping straight back into thug mode.
"Look what we got heeere…"
The shadowy figure slowly turned around.
It was a man's body.
With a camera for a head.
"A cameraman?" Shun squinted.
He grabbed the guy by the shoulder before he could bolt again.
Then Shun frowned.
"Wait a sec… you're not the same guy from last time."
"…Eh?"
"That guy got fired."
"Pff." Shun snorted.
Shun leaned in, staring straight into the lens. His own face stared back—distorted, warped. Then he noticed movement.
"…One. Two. Three. Four—"
Behind his reflection, silhouettes moved.
Multiple shadows.
Watching.
Shun's grin crept wider. "Oho…"
The camera-man took a step back. The lens trembled.
"Readers?" Shun tilted his head.
The camera hesitated… then gave a tiny nod.
"Heh." Shun lifted a hand and waved straight at the lens. "Hii."
Then his smile dropped.
He raised his middle finger and shoved it right into the camera's view.
"Enjoy the show, fuckers."
The cameraman froze.