Night fell quietly.
The forest, which had been screaming with danger during the day, now sank into an eerie calm.
Only the sound of insects and distant howls remained.
"48… 49… ugh… 50…"
My arms finally gave out.
I collapsed onto the ground, my chest slamming against the dirt.
"Hah… hah…"
My breathing was ragged, my vision blurry.
My entire body trembled uncontrollably.
[Congratulations, Master. You have successfully completed 50 push-ups. Your stats have increased.]
"…Phew…"
I let out a long breath.
Finally.
I could rest.
I sat there silently, staring at the dark sky between the trees.
"Hah… this is exhausting."
Everything here was exhausting.
Living.
Breathing.
Surviving.
I turned my head toward the river near the waterfall.
After resting for a moment, I stood up and walked toward it.
I cupped some water with my hands and drank.
Cold.
Refreshing.
But it reminded me—
Surviving in this world was insanely hard.
Especially in this demonic forest.
"I really wish I could become strong instantly… like those system novels I used to read."
I clicked my tongue.
"Hey, System."
[Yes, Master?]
"Can't you just make me strong instantly? Then I wouldn't have to suffer like this. This is exhausting, you know?"
The system replied immediately.
[Sorry, Master. Many administrators enjoy watching you suffer.]
"…What?"
I froze.
"They… enjoy it?"
Who the hell were these administrators?
Were they the ones who made the system?
Or—
Were they the ones who sent me to this insane world?
Too many questions flooded my mind.
"Who are these administrators?"
[Sorry, Master. If I reveal that information, a catastrophe will occur. The Fourth Wall would be destroyed.]
"…Fourth wall?"
What?
I didn't understand a single thing it just said.
But judging by its tone, asking further wasn't a good idea.
I sighed.
"…Fine."
[Master, didn't you plan to deliver one intact Bigfoot to the mountain-dwelling monster once you reached 50 push-ups?]
"…Ah."
Right.
I almost forgot.
For some reason, I had a strong intuition about doing this.
A feeling deep in my gut.
If I didn't—
Something bad would happen.
"I hope that monster won't attack me…"
A short while later.
I was dragging the dead Bigfoot toward the mountain.
"Ugh… this thing is heavy. No wonder the system made me reach 50 push-ups. My bones would've snapped otherwise."
Sweat poured down my face.
My muscles screamed in protest.
But I didn't stop.
With stubborn determination, I kept dragging the massive corpse upward.
Step by step.
Until—
I reached the top.
There was a cave carved into the mountain.
Dark.
So dark I couldn't see anything inside.
The only thing visible was the exit behind me.
But—
I felt something.
A presence.
Heavy breathing.
Each breath sent vibrations through the cave walls.
My instincts screamed danger.
As I stepped forward—
I felt my foot press on something.
Click.
Suddenly—
FLAMES ignited.
The entire cave lit up.
Fire.
Bright.
Blinding.
Two enormous red eyes with predatory pupils stared at me.
The entire cavern was illuminated.
And what I saw made my blood run cold.
A dragon-serpent.
A massive snake-like dragon with sharp, elegant patterns along its scales.
Two visible arms protruded from its body.
The dragon-serpent let out a deafening roar.
—ROAAAAAR!!
The entire cave shook violently.
I covered my ears.
The sound was so loud my ears rang.
Blood trickled from my nose.
I collapsed to my knees.
Around the dragon-serpent's body, flames danced like living entities.
…I disturbed its sleep.
When the roaring finally stopped—
It looked at me.
Its gaze was sharp.
Dry.
Cold.
My entire body trembled violently.
Without thinking—
I bowed.
Prostrated myself.
"I-I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to disturb your sleep… I only came to offer you food!"
My voice shook uncontrollably.
"P-Please look behind me… that Bigfoot. I hunted it myself. I already have too much food, so I wanted to share this with you…"
The dragon-serpent stared silently.
Then—
A voice echoed through the cave.
Elegant.
Calm.
Female.
"How kind of you, human. Are you seeking a reward from me?"
…I froze.
It spoke.
And—
A woman's voice?
"U-uh… no. I'm not seeking any reward. I only wish that you won't bear hostility toward me…"
"Hmmm… I see."
Fear gripped my heart.
Every instinct told me to leave.
"N-Then… please allow me to leave. Once again, I apologize for disturbing your rest…"
I slowly turned around.
Step by step.
Never daring to look into its eyes again.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
I exited the cave as quietly as possible.
*Inside the cave*
The dragon-serpent looked at the Bigfoot's corpse.
With a single motion—
It swallowed it whole.
After finishing its meal—
Its body began to glow.
A soft pink light enveloped it.
Its massive form shrank.
Scales faded.
Fire dimmed.
Moments later—
A human figure stood there.
A beautiful woman.
Sharp eyes.
Long navy-blue hair flowed down her back.
"He did all this just so I wouldn't target him…"
She smiled faintly.
"…What an interesting human~"
*Back to Woo Jin*
Descending the mountain was much easier than climbing it.
"Hah… if only climbing were this easy too."
After a while—
I reached the bottom safely.
[Master, three giant wolves are approaching your location.]
"…What?! Three giant wolves?!"
The seven-meter-tall ones?!
"Oh shit…"
I couldn't fight them.
Not now.
I had to hide.
I scanned my surroundings desperately.
Nothing.
No trees thick enough.
No caves nearby.
"No way… there's nowhere to hide?!"
My gaze landed on the waterfall.
"…Aha!"
Behind the waterfall.
I could hide behind it.
I ran.
Moments later—
The giant wolves arrived.
They sniffed around.
Growled.
But found nothing except the river and the waterfall.
They approached the water to drink.
Meanwhile—
I was behind the waterfall.
And I froze.
Behind it—
There was a massive cave.
Filled with glowing crystals.
"Woah… this is beautiful…"
The cave wasn't dark at all.
The crystals illuminated everything.
I walked deeper inside.
Then—
I saw it.
A thread.
Resting atop a stone.
"…A thread? Why is there a thread here?"
[Master! You are extremely lucky! That is a legendary thread. It is said that it cannot be cut even by the sharpest sword in the world.]
"…Okay."
"I understand, but what am I supposed to do with a thread? It's not a weapon."
[…]
[Master… are you actually stupid, or just poorly educated?]
"…What did you say?!"
This damn system.
[Threads like that were once used by a martial artist in this world. He slaughtered hundreds with a single attack using threads.]
"…H-huh."
That sounded… insane.
Cool.
But insane.
"…I'm not good at using something like that…"
Still—
I had no choice.
I reached out—
And grasped the thread.
The moment I touched it—
A sharp pain shot through my fingers.
But—
The thread didn't cut me.
It wrapped gently around my hand.
[Legendary Item Recognized.]
[Owner: Woo Jin.]
[Compatibility: Low.]
[Skill Unlocked: Thread Perception (Passive)]
My vision changed.
Suddenly—
The world was filled with faint glowing lines.
Movement.
Airflow.
Tension.
"…What the hell…"
[Master, you can now perceive flow and killing intent through the thread.]
"…So I still can't use it properly."
[Correct.]
"…Figures."
But—
Even this—
Was a step forward.
I clenched my fist.
In this world—
Survival wasn't given.
It was taken.
Thread by thread.
Blood by blood.
And no matter how much this system mocked me—
I would live.
No matter what.