Seil, who was at the center of the event, saw the entire world light up before his eyes.
The light was so pure it penetrated every corner of his soul, forcing him to close his eyes involuntarily.
He had no idea how long he remained in that state, but when he opened his eyes again… he was stunned.
The room he knew was gone.
There was no longer a window through which dawn's light crept in,
no worn wooden desk on which he had spent countless nights reading and writing,
nor the old bookshelf he had filled over the years... everything had vanished,
as if it had never been part of his reality.
Now, he found himself in the middle of an unknown mountain forest.
Gigantic trees towered like dark pillars into the sky,
and sunlight barely filtered through their leaves, brushing his face with gentle fingers.
He heard the distant murmur of water, the buzz of insects, and birdsong.
It felt as though only minutes had passed since dawn.
A cold breeze passed over his bare body, making him shiver violently,
snapping him back to reality.
Only then did he fully grasp the situation.
He was completely naked.
"Damn it! They could've at least sent my clothes with me!"
he muttered quietly, glancing around before adding sarcastically,
"Naked… in the middle of nowhere… is there anything worse than this?"
Questions began pouring into his mind like a flood.
"I'm not a Chosen… so why was I summoned?
I'm supposed to hear the bell fifteen times before transitioning.
So why? Why did I even hear the bell?"
But his thoughts didn't last long—
a distant howl echoed through the forest, jolting his body in surprise,
and all his senses heightened to their limit.
"Damn it…" he muttered, shaking his head sharply.
"Questions won't help now. Think, Seil... think about how to survive."
He moved quickly and quietly away from the direction of the howl.
When he passed a muddy pool, he didn't hesitate—he crouched,
grabbed some mud with his hands, and covered his body with it,
focusing on the scent-releasing areas.
"This should be enough to mask the smell temporarily..."
he murmured, breathing heavily.
Even though he had never studied in the Chosen academies—
institutions that trained students for transition to the First Horizon,
equipping them with tools and survival skills—
Seil had an impressive knowledge of survival techniques.
He was addicted to reading, and his home library
was filled with books on survival, analysis, and adventure.
"Thank you, Nameless One…" he whispered with a faint smile.
"The Nameless One" was the mysterious author
of the series "A Thousand Tricks Not to End Up in a Monster's Stomach."
His style was unique. He wasn't just a writer—
he seemed to have lived through everything he described.
His techniques were practical and realistic,
among them the trick of masking scent with mud.
After hiding his scent, Seil deliberately changed his path,
avoiding the direction the howl had come from.
Passing by a shrub with wide leaves,
he grabbed a few and used them to cover his private parts,
then looked at himself with a sarcastic expression.
"That'll do… I don't want to be chased like some pervert
when I reach a shelter."
He sighed, then thought:
"So… my first goal: find shelter.
It's the only way to survive."
The shelters in the Horizon were safe zones under human control, functioning like small towns where Horizon travelers could move between them and the Origin World.
He continued walking until he spotted a tree with a low canopy a few meters away. It seemed like a good hiding spot and a place where he could organize his thoughts.
Lightly, he climbed it and settled on a thick branch. His body, despite his thin appearance, was surprisingly strong. When he finally felt safe, he closed his eyes for a few seconds, relaxing.
Suddenly, he remembered something that made him open his eyes eagerly.
"When you transfer to the Horizon, the traits feature unlocks..."
According to what Nameless had said, all he had to do was focus on it.
He simply thought: "Traits."
Immediately, a translucent sky-blue interface appeared before him:
---
"Name: None"
"Essence: None"
Strength: 0.9
Constitution: 0.9
Agility: 1.1
Focus: 1.8
"Skills: None"
---
"So, Nameless was right… The Horizon doesn't recognize your name until it gives you one."
Then he stared a little at the stats. Something caught his attention.
"Why is Focus the highest? Does it relate to my mental abilities?"
He wasn't arrogant, but he didn't believe his intelligence and mental skills were any less than his peers'.
While analyzing his data, he heard a rustle in the bushes below the tree. He held his breath immediately and crouched behind the thick trunk.
A strange mouse emerged from the bushes—large and golden-colored. It looked like a fat ball, about the size of a small dog.
As he stared at it, the interface reappeared:
---
"Name: Golden Earth Mouse"
Strength: 2
Constitution: 2.6
Agility: 1.3
Focus: 1.5
"Skills: Violent Charge"
---
"Damn… Even the mouse here is stronger than me?"
But his surprise didn't end there. The bushes kept moving, and other mice similar to the first came out:
"Name: Golden Earth Mouse"
Strength: 2.1
Constitution: 2.7
Agility: 1.3
Focus: 1.6
"Skills: Violent Charge"
"Name: Golden Earth Mouse"
Strength: 1.9
Constitution: 2.3
Agility: 1.3
Focus: 1.2
"Skills: Violent Charge"
"Name: Golden Earth Mouse"
Strength: 2.8
Constitution: 2.7
Agility: 1.0
Focus: 1.3
"Skills: Violent Charge"
One after another. There were nine in total, all with golden fur and relatively bulky builds, each with the skill "Violent Charge."
Sil swallowed hard.
Suddenly, a howl echoed… but this time it was close.
The mice froze, then tried to escape, but a gray claw pounced on one and struck hard. The poor mouse flew and hit the tree trunk where Sil was hiding.
Sil almost screamed from shock but held himself together.
A terrifying creature appeared.
It was a wolf of normal size but with beautiful silver fur.
While Sil stared down at it, a sky-blue interface appeared before him:
---
"Name: Silver Wolf"
Strength: 4
Constitution: 3.5
Agility: 4.3
Focus: 3.5
"Skills: Acceleration"
---
His surprise didn't end there. The nearby bushes moved, and three more silver wolves appeared, blocking the mice's exit.
"Four medium-level monsters…" Sil whispered, blood freezing in his veins.
According to what he read, when a trait exceeds level 4, the monster is classified as "medium." And now he was facing four of them.
The wolves launched at an astonishing speed, their bodies swaying like dancing shadows. One bit a mouse by the neck, another ripped the back of another. But the mice were not helpless.
Three mice merged and attacked a wolf from behind. One used the skill "Violent Charge" and jumped with incredible speed, launching its head like a rocket toward the wolf's side.
The sound of breaking bones echoed, and the wolf fell, groaning.
Sil, who was watching, felt his blood freeze.
If this attack had hit him, he would have turned into a bloody mess with no body to bury.
The battle continued, and only four mice remained, stubbornly resisting the silver wolves' assault.
As the battle neared its end,
The ground trembled when a terrifying roar erupted from the top of the mountain.
It was a massive sound, unlike any roar Sil had ever heard before.
Sil's face paled, and he could only curse,
"Damn, where was I sent?"
"Isn't it supposed to be only creatures from the first Horizon?"
When newcomers are transferred, they gather in the first Horizon, where the trait limit is 10, meaning no monsters have traits above that.
But upon hearing this roar, his soul shook, and his heart nearly stopped.
His hands trembled, and his face went pale.
"Damn…" he muttered, his voice barely audible.
"Where… the hell… was I sent?"
The first Horizon should not contain monsters with traits above 10; that's what he learned from all sources. But what he just heard… it was impossible for it to come from a creature with traits below 10.
The sound was terrifying; just hearing it made his heart stop for a few moments.
While Sil's heart was in his throat, a change happened on the battlefield below him.
The mice paused for a moment, even nature fell silent.
The three wolves raised their heads and responded directly to the howl, leaving the battlefield and heading toward the source of the call.
As for the injured wolf, it remained writhing on the ground, unable to move.
Four surviving mice, exhausted from fighting, withdrew from the scene, crawling through the grass.
Sil, who was at the peak of psychological chaos, watched the empty field… and his eyes gleamed.
"Maybe…" he whispered, a small smile forming on his muddy face.
"Maybe… it's not that bad after all."