The jungle swallowed Ren the moment he stepped deeper inside.
Light thinned rapidly beneath the canopy, filtered into broken shards by massive leaves overhead. The air grew heavier—damp, earthy, thick with unseen life. Every step pressed mud softly beneath his bare feet, every sound amplified.
Ren slowed his breathing.
Don't rush.
He moved carefully, bow in hand, arrows secured at his waist. The knowledge from the book didn't make him fearless—it made him cautious.
A green interface popped up with four task
Task 1: survive the jungle for 15 hours
Punishment;15 minutes drowning
Reward:2 middle grade healing elixir
Task 2:kill a hobo goblin
Reward:4 points
Punishment: unknown
Task 3: subdue a cheetah
Reward:7 points
Punishment:15 minutes in the trial zone
Task 4:catch a wild rabbit
Time limit:4 hours
Reward:a free wheel spin
Punishment: freeze for 1 hour
Leaves rustled to his left.
Ren froze.
His body reacted before his mind caught up. He lowered his center of gravity, stepping back slowly, eyes scanning the shadows.
Nothing jumped out.
But the feeling remained.
I'm being watched.
A faint hiss answered his thought.
Ren's pupils shrank.
A snake.
It lay coiled on a low branch, thick-bodied and patterned in dull greens and browns. Its eyes were narrow, tongue flicking slowly as it assessed him.
Venomous.
Ren didn't panic.
He remembered something from his past life—snakes struck fast, but they committed fully. Miss once, and they were vulnerable.
Ren lifted the bow slowly.
The snake tensed.
Too fast.
The snake lunged.
Ren rolled to the side as fangs snapped where his head had been a second earlier. He came up on one knee, heart hammering, and loosed an arrow instinctively.
The arrow struck the snake's body—not fatal, but enough.
The snake writhed violently, thrashing through undergrowth, pulling the arrow loose and snapping it in half.
Ren grimaced.
"Too shallow."
The snake turned, wounded and furious, striking again.
Ren dropped the bow and drew his dagger.
This time, he didn't retreat.
He stepped in.
The snake's head darted forward.
Ren twisted his wrist and slammed the dagger down, pinning the head to the ground. He didn't hesitate—he drove the blade through the skull.
The body spasmed once… then went limp.
Ren stood there breathing heavily.
Then a soft chime echoed.
[First Jungle Combat Completed]
Target; venomous snake
Poison Resistance (level 1)
Ren wiped his blade on leaves.
"Good start," he muttered, though his hands still trembled slightly.
He collected the snake's body carefully—meat was meat—and moved on.
Hours passed.
Ren didn't rush.
He observed tracks. Broken branches. Scattered bones.
Then he smelled something foul.
Rot.
His instincts screamed before he saw it.
A hobo goblin crouched near a half-eaten carcass.
It was smaller than the goblins Ren remembered from fantasy stories—skin grey-green, posture hunched, eyes sunken with hunger. Its clothes were little more than rags, its weapon a crude club.
Still dangerous.
The goblin sniffed the air.
Then its head snapped toward Ren.
It shrieked.
Ren loosed an arrow.
The shot hit the goblin's shoulder, spinning it sideways—but it didn't fall. Instead, it charged, howling wildly.
Ren cursed.
They don't feel pain like humans.
He dropped the bow and sidestepped as the club swung past his head, wind whistling inches from his ear.
Ren slashed low, cutting into the goblin's thigh.
The creature screamed—but kept fighting.
Ren backed off, forcing distance, then retrieved another arrow and fired at point-blank range.
This time, he aimed for the throat.
The arrow punched through.
The goblin collapsed, choking, twitching, then stilled.
Ren stood there for a long moment.
Killing never became easy.
But it became necessary.
[Enemy killed: Hobo Goblin]
Reward granted
Strength +0.3
Ren exhaled.
His stomach growled.
He ate dried fish, drank water, and rested briefly against a tree.
Then he moved again.
The cheetah found him before he found it.
A blur of motion exploded from the brush.
Ren barely had time to react—he dove forward as claws raked the air behind him. The cheetah skidded past, spinning gracefully.
Fast.
Too fast.
Ren ran.
Not blindly—strategically.
He sprinted toward thicker trees, weaving between trunks, forcing the cheetah to slow, to turn.
The cheetah leapt.
Ren rolled, came up, and fired.
The arrow grazed the beast's flank.
It roared—not fear, but anger.
Ren didn't aim to kill.
He aimed to break momentum.
He baited another charge.
Then another arrow—this one lodged deep in the shoulder.
The cheetah staggered.
Ren closed the distance, leapt onto its back, and drove his dagger toward the neck—but stopped short.
The beast froze.
Ren pressed the blade just enough to draw blood.
"Enough," he whispered.
The cheetah growled weakly, then lowered itself.
Subdued.
[High-Risk Subdual Completed]
Target: Jungle Cheetah
Reward granted
+8 Points
Agility +0.5
Ren stepped back slowly.
His legs shook.
"That was… stupid," he muttered.
But he smiled faintly.
Then the system chimed again.
[Fourth Task Issued]
Objective: Capture a wild Rabbit
Conditions:
No weapons
No killing
Pure endurance
Duration: Until completion
Reward:
+10 Points
Stamina Increase
Punishment (Failure):
300 Push-Ups
Ren stared.
"…You're kidding."
A rabbit darted from the bushes.
Ren ran.
Four hours.
Four hours of mud, roots, thorns, sweat, and pain.
The rabbit was small—but relentless.
Ren slipped twice.
Fell once.
His lungs burned.
His legs screamed.
But he didn't stop.
If I stop, I lose.
Finally—finally—he tackled it.
They rolled in the dirt.
Ren clutched the rabbit gently, holding it still.
His vision blurred.
[Fourth Task Completed]
Reward Granted:
+10 Points
Stamina +1
Ren collapsed onto his back, laughing weakly.
"I hate this system…"
Task 1 :survive the jungle
Reward: magic craftsmanship skills unlocked
But his body felt stronger.
Sharper.
More alive.
As night approached, Ren turned back toward the cave.
Behind him, the jungle watched silently.
And somewhere deep within his bag, the book waited—for the next idea