And that's how I ended up here.
It's been two days since I was reincarnated into this world, and for now, I'm living in a small abandoned house I found deep within the Lunaverde Forest—a quiet, mist-kissed forest where silver leaves glow faintly at dusk, and the air always carries a soft scent of dew and wildflowers.
With the help of my system and the World Encyclopedia (thankfully unlocked for basic survival entries), I managed to patch up the place and make it livable. The system even guided me on how to reinforce the walls and keep out small monsters.
I've been gathering food nearby—mostly plants and fungi for now. That's when I discovered a cluster of mushrooms known as Silvershade Buttons.
They grow at the base of twilight birches, round and smooth with a pale violet hue and a faint shimmer like dew at dawn. According to the encyclopedia, they're fully edible, with no toxins or side effects.
Their taste is… surprisingly nice.
Soft and slightly buttery, with a subtle sweetness and a cool aftertaste that lingers on the tongue. Eating them warm, roasted over a small fire, is comforting—like a gentle soup in solid form.
They're probably my favorite thing here so far.
After eating, I did a bit of light exercise—just enough to stretch my body and keep myself moving. Push-ups, squats, and a few simple stances I remembered from gym class back on Earth. Nothing fancy… but it helps me feel a little more alive.
Right now, I'm mostly waiting.
The World Encyclopedia's advanced features—like skill explanations, creature details, and crafting guides—are still locked. It shows a timer every time I open it:
[Access Unlock: 1 day, 2 hours, 35 minutes]
I check it more often than I probably should.
Still, knowing it's coming helps. Once it's fully available, I'll be able to understand more about this world… and maybe find a real goal.
For now, I'll keep surviving, learning, and taking it one slow, quiet day at a time.
After that, I decided to venture out again into Lunaverde Forest.
This time, I planned to go a little deeper.
The air was cool and quiet, dappled sunlight slipping through layers of pale green leaves. The trees here swayed softly, as if whispering secrets I couldn't quite hear. Every step I took echoed gently over fallen petals and moss.
On the way, I spotted more Silvershade Buttons growing near the roots of a silverbark tree. I picked a few carefully and added them to my inventory—thankfully, the system made that easy. Just a light touch and a thought, and they vanished into a neat, labeled space inside the interface.
[Item added: Silvershade Button ×4]
I smiled a little. They'd make a nice meal later… or maybe a reward if I found something new today.
Eventually, I stopped by a quiet lake nestled between low hills and silver-leaved trees. The water was still—like glass—and shimmered faintly under the scattered sunlight.
I knelt beside it, cupping some in my hands to splash my face. Then I paused.
For the first time since I arrived in this world… I saw my reflection.
And it had changed.
My eyes—no longer the plain brown I remembered—were now crystalline, a swirl of colors that shifted softly like the stars in the void. Almost exactly like hers.
The goddess… Astridelle.
My hair, too, had become a pale, light crystalline blue, soft and glowing faintly like moonlight caught in ice.
[System Notification]
"This is the second extra gift granted by the Goddess. Physical adaptation has been applied. Divine Mark confirmed."
I touched my cheek lightly, unsure of how to feel.
I still looked like me… but also not. More otherworldly. More—
Beautiful?
I didn't really know. But it made my chest feel a little strange. Not bad… just full.
Maybe this was part of the new life I'd been given.
Just as I was about to stand, my body suddenly moved on its own.
I dropped low—without thinking.
A split second later, a loud crack echoed through the trees. I turned just in time to see a nearby tree sliced clean in half—clean and silent, like a blade of wind had passed through it.
My heart pounded. I stared, wide-eyed, as the upper half of the tree crashed to the forest floor.
Then the system popped up.
[System Notification]
"User Passive Skill Activated: Death Sense"
"Death Sense: An instinctive, precognitive survival trait. Grants the user heightened intuition in life-threatening situations. Reactions may activate automatically. This skill operates subconsciously and cannot be toggled off."
I blinked, still crouched low.
So that's what that was?
I didn't even realize what I was doing. My body just knew something dangerous was coming… and moved.
Was that… me?
Or just the skill?
I stood up slowly, eyes scanning the quiet trees. Whoever—or whatever—did that… hadn't missed by accident.
And then—
A voice called out from behind a tree, smooth and edged with confidence.
"So it wasn't a fluke after all."
I turned quickly, still catching my breath.
From the shadows stepped a tall woman in sleek leather armor that hugged her athletic frame. Her golden-yellow hair was wild and radiant, falling past her shoulders in untamed waves. Two sharp, feline ears twitched on her head, and her amber eyes studied me like a predator sizing up its prey.
Her skin was marked with faint tiger-like stripes across her arms and waist.
She was… breathtaking. And definitely not human.
She tilted her head, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"What? Never seen one of us before?" she asked, amused. "We Tagressan aren't that rare. You're looking at me like I've got three tails or something."
Before I could respond, a warm breeze stirred beside me.
The World Encyclopedia—the magical book given by the goddess—floated out from my inventory space, glowing softly as its pages fluttered open on their own.
It hovered in front of me, then settled on a page glowing gold.
The ink shimmered as the text revealed itself:
---
Race: Tagressan
A proud and ancient race of tiger-women known for their regal beauty, feral strength, and fierce honor. Tribal queens of the deep jungles, they are raised by blood and combat. Naturally agile and instinctively territorial, they view strength as language and respect as law. Rarely encountered beyond their domains unless hunting, wandering, or testing the worth of outsiders.
---
I stared at the page, then back at her.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, curious.
"…You're a weird one, aren't you?" she muttered.
I wasn't sure if she meant my face… or the floating magical book glowing in front of me.
"Territorial…?" I thought, eyes flicking back to the glowing page of the World Encyclopedia still hovering beside me.
Just then, she slowly slid her blade back into its sheath across her back with a smooth, practiced motion.
My heart skipped again.
"Testing the worth of outsiders…" I remembered the line from the book—testing—
Wait.
My gaze snapped up to her.
Too late.
She was already running straight at me.
"Wah—! P-Please wait!" I yelped, stepping back as her feet barely touched the ground, her body low, fast, like a striking beast.
I twisted instinctively, barely dodging as she lunged, the wind from her movement brushing my cheek.
She landed in a crouch, then turned to me with a feral grin on her face.
"Stop acting like a baby!" she barked, laughing as she stood. "Show your worth, pretty boy!"
Her golden hair flicked behind her like fire in motion, and her amber eyes sparked with wild excitement.
"Wahaha!"
She charged again, not to kill—but to test me.
And I was very much not ready.
She jumped—high.
The sun caught the outline of her toned body as she flipped midair, then came crashing down with a sudden dropkick.
"Wha—!" I gasped, backstepping just in time as her heels smashed into the ground, cracking the earth.
But she didn't stop.
"You're really good at dodging, huh?" she grinned, immediately lunging low.
Her left hand shot out, trying to grab my ankle.
I yelped and jumped upward, narrowly avoiding her grip.
"But that's not gonna help you win!"
She spun mid-movement, her leg sweeping in a full arc.
Thwack!
Her heel struck hard against the side of my stomach.
"Ack—!"
I flew sideways, crashing into a thick bush with a rustle and a puff of leaves. Pain flared through my ribs, my breath knocked out in a quick gasp.
She stood tall, laughing again.
"C'mon, boy! You're light on your feet, but you gotta fight back sometime!"
I stood again, brushing leaves off my clothes and wincing at the dull ache in my ribs.
A sigh escaped my lips—long and soft.
The World Encyclopedia fluttered beside me again, its pages turning on their own, glowing with quiet light. As the leaves settled, glowing script formed before my eyes like a whisper of knowledge.
---
[World Encyclopedia – Note: Tagressan Weakness]
"Despite their fearsome strength and feral pride, the Tagressan possess a deeply rooted ancestral vulnerability—Grooming Instinct.
When their hair, fur, or ears are stroked, a primal comfort response is triggered. This causes involuntary purring, weakening of the knees, and mental fog. The warrior's focus dulls, and their body becomes momentarily relaxed, open.
Use of this knowledge should be considered both clever… and dangerous."
---
I stared blankly at the page.
"Grooming…?"
Before I could process it, she came again—fast, low, feral.
I stumbled sideways, panic flaring, and raised my hands more to shield than strike—only to accidentally run my fingers right through her golden hair.
Soft.
Warm.
My hand slid over the crown of her head as I twisted to dodge her.
Then she froze mid-motion.
A sharp twitch of her feline ears.
A low, surprised sound from her throat—not a growl, but…
A purr?
Her legs shook. Her breath hitched.
She blinked at me with wide, hazy eyes.
"…Ngh—w-what did you…just…" she muttered, her fierce tone melting into confusion.
She staggered back, flustered, cheeks slightly red.
I blinked.
"Uh… I… I was just trying not to get kicked again…" I said.
[World Encyclopedia – Annotation:]
"Weakness confirmed. Well done, User."
She shook her head quickly, trying to recover from the sudden daze.
"I don't know what you just did…" she growled, her golden eyes narrowing. "But that's not gonna work twice!"
Her stance shifted.
Her feet coiled like springs, muscles tensing beneath her leather armor.
Then—boom.
She dashed forward, fast enough to crack the ground beneath her, blurring toward me like a golden streak.
But again—Death Sense surged through me like instinct.
I twisted sharply, evading just in time, and slipped around behind her.
She spun, surprised. "What the h—"
Too late.
My hand was already moving—stroking gently through her hair.
Smooth. Calm. Right between the ears.
"Nngh…!"
She gasped.
Her body jerked, then buckled.
Her knees dipped, and a soft, helpless cat-like sound escaped her lips—half-purr, half-whimper.
She stood wobbling, face flushed deeply now, her fierce energy melting into stunned embarrassment.
Her voice trembled.
"Y-You… d-did it again…!"
She froze for a second under my hand, purring faintly—but then suddenly her body twitched.
"G-Get out! Out out out out!!"
She started wiggling frantically, flustered beyond control, trying to shake me off as if her pride were unraveling in real time.
I held on for dear life.
"W-Wait! I-I'm not doing anything weird! I swear!" I clung to her back, legs barely grounded, bouncing as she swayed like a wild cat trying to shake water off.
"World Encyclopedia—help!!" I shouted.
The book floated near, glowing with a strange, sudden heroic aura. A golden light shined from between its pages. Music swelled like a fantasy knight had just drawn his sacred sword.
I blinked.
"…Really?"
The pages fluttered, then stopped. One paragraph pulsed in luminous script.
---
[World Encyclopedia – Entry: Tagressan Trait – Tail Grab Reflex]
"The Tagressan tail is extremely sensitive. Grabbing it triggers an immediate, full-body reflex: an involuntary yelp, full-muscle tension, and loss of motor control. It is considered highly indecent—akin to a deeply personal touch—and is both embarrassing and instinctually paralyzing for the Tagressan. Use with great caution… or none at all."
---
I slowly turned my head—her tail, sleek and swaying, was right there.
She was too busy flailing and mumbling curses to notice.
"…I'm so sorry for this," I whispered.
I reached out—and gently grabbed her tail.
"HYAA—!?"
Her whole body jolted.
Her muscles locked.
She stood on her toes, shivering.
Her cheeks turned bright red. Her arms stopped moving mid-swing.
A long, trembling silence filled the clearing.
Then—
"…Y-You touched my tail…" she whispered, trembling, voice cracking like glass. "Y-You pervy… s-sneaky… innocent-looking…"