Beasts were fleeing throughout the forest.

  [Warning! Danger!]

  [Warning! Danger!]

  [Warning!]

  [Run quickly to the south!]

  I heard it already, so stop distracting me!

  Sliding through the tall grass, he stopped. He slipped into a bush and stayed there. His calm heart slowed and his breath ceased. The approaching sound was a strange buzzing, like the rapid flapping of many wings. He couldn’t move or make a sound; it was too late to run, and even if it weren’t, there was nowhere to go.

  Leaves moved above his head with the passing of the creatures. They had dark, matte armor and their silver horns shone as they reflected the sun. They looked like beetles, but were so large it sounded strange to say aloud. However, after seeing bees shaking trees with a touch and a bear crushing a rock by resting a paw on it, his concept of “normal” had become confused. At this point, the beetles seemed small, perhaps even tolerable, though not pleasant.

  Are all the creatures in this place really so strange? Rushing with ferocity, the sound of a river reached him, prompting a slight smile. What will come next, a flying fish?

  [...]

  ...Is there really something like this in this place? What kind of world did you bring me to?

  [...Don’t go near the river and you’ll be fine.]

  River? Which river- Ah, never mind... I get it.

  Their eyes met as the huge creature rose from the clear whitish water. They both stopped, or perhaps time slowed, when the grotesque voice echoed through the forest with a bone-chilling roar —Stop running, you filthy rat!— but it didn’t last long. When the fish turned its oddly sharp, blade-like teeth, the man crawled beneath its long bluish body, its scales interspersed with tufts of greenish fur.

  Fur...? Gripping the edge of the riverbank, he saw the creature fly away, ignoring him. Don’t tell me this fish walks the path of the dragon?

  His ironic laughter faded as he noticed the system’s absence of reply.

  Seriously...?

  [Almost...]

  [...Still a long way to go, so keep running.]

  Yeah, sure, but running where? And why is that damned thing heading right toward me?!

  The gigantic trees around him reminded him of small buildings, and the fleeing monsters of herds of cars. The forest and skies were their streets and, as the weakest and slowest of all, the man was the pedestrian crossing at the wrong moment. A single mistake could kill him; he’d already faced death several times. His situation made him question his hasty decision, taken without enough information or any safety guarantees. Trusting a strange, transcendent panel continued to prove a terrible deal.

  Tell me, exactly where am I going—?!

  The sky darkened and, looking up, he saw a rock approaching that resembled a small mountain. He threw himself behind a boulder, curled up, pulling his knees in and protecting his head. Everything shook, including his mind. The crash was so deafening that covering his ears did nothing. Stone fragments flew everywhere, digging into trees and scarring the ground.

  Great...

  His senses were so disoriented that when he tried to stand, he fell.

  Forest of Demonic Beasts... this place feels more like hell.

  [That's why I told you that you shouldn’t be here right now, Noah.]

  Oh sure, and just who exactly brought me here?

  [...]

  Carefully, he moved through the debris as his senses gradually stabilized. So much dust surrounded him that he couldn’t see even an arm’s length ahead, and his blurred vision didn’t help at all. The one upside was that, maybe due to this strange body the system had given him, the dust didn’t bother him, no matter how thick it was. He grasped for support and, with slow steps, went around the mass that had fallen from the sky. Unable to see, he had to rely on his other, also dazed, senses to guide him. Continuing didn’t seem like a good idea, but he had no choice. To the north, the walking mountain causing all the quakes that made the forest tremble was rushing toward him.

  What did you say that creature was called again?

  [But... I never mentioned it...?]

  [Are you going mad already, Noah? In just a few minutes?]

  ...The name.

  [A little politeness wouldn’t kill you, you know?]

  [...Demonic Lion King. It's a legendary and very powerful beast.]

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  How powerful?

  Noah paused, hiding behind the rocks. In front of him, a monstrous shadow moved through the dust.

  [As you can see, powerful enough that most of the forest’s creatures keep away when it decides to move.]

  Most—?! Finding a clear area, he scanned the surroundings. It seemed there was nothing in the plains, but better to be certain. Darting back into the dust, he circled the open field until he reached the trees.

  So there are other creatures here as dangerous as it?

  [Some.]

  At the end of the dust and while he continued along his path, surrounded by trees where he could hide if necessary, Noah froze. His body grew heavy and the reason became clear when a howl echoed out.

  With fur white as snow and eyes blue as the moon, wolves that could swallow him whole with a single bite walked the hill ahead, not showing much distress. It was evident these creatures differed from all he’d met so far. The others either hadn’t noticed him or simply ignored him after failing their first attack; after all, getting away seemed most important to them right now. Otherwise, perhaps they weren’t confident they could stay alive. However, without any hurry, the wolves gathered on the hill one after the other. They had noticed him, Noah was sure. The weight of their gazes kept him motionless in a futile attempt to survive, like the last effort of already doomed prey. It wasn’t fear or lack of time that let him live, but their indifference to such a tiny and harmless creature.

  On his knees, Noah lost control of his breath and felt his heartbeat quicken for the second time since entering the forest. The first was from the thrill of realizing he really was setting foot in new lands.

  Of these other creatures... He took a deep breath, regaining control. Is one of them a wolf?

  [Yes.]

  [But it wasn’t among the ones you just saw.]

  [Its gaze would kill you.]

  I see...

  Leaning on the tree beside him, he stood. He resumed his run along a path that grew ever steeper despite the persistent questions in his mind. All the frightened creatures were heading west, but never south or east. Why? Noah couldn’t understand. His mind sought the reason with every step, knowing the beasts themselves were the answer.

  Dangerous creatures... He turned as he reached the top of the small hill at the end of the path. He had stopped encountering many monsters after a while, and then they all vanished. But he thought it only luck, or that most had already fled. However, looking over the trees to the horizon, the truth was somewhat different from his earlier impression. Varied beasts roamed ahead, moving away from a figure his eyes could now see more clearly.

  — Don’t you want to see your useless cubs? I’ll tell you, even after being burned, they tasted awful!

  Not a mountain, what rose in the distance was a majestic creature. If its mere steps weren't so terrifying as to shake the enormous forest, Noah might have called it beautiful. Its body was so strange that he wondered if it could be touched, even as its steps left craters behind. Its mane, unlike the rest, seemed not to have fur but was made of flames, huge and bright red. Of its paws, the only things not engulfed in fire were the claws. Its tail was similar, except that the flames around it were golden in color.

  Noah swallowed hard.

  System... among these "dangerous creatures"... are any near me right now...?

  [...]

  ...In this cave...? He turned, staring at the dark and eerily menacing hole.

  [...Throw a stone inside it.]

  Do you think I’m an idiot?! Who the hell would do something so foolish?!

  Taking more careful, silent steps, Noah turned back to the area around the cave. It was dangerous, but being there already made it seem the fastest and "safest" way to leave the forest. Even though he hadn’t spent long with it, the system’s voice sounded more hesitant than usual. Odd, it made him think the system disagreed with its own suggestion.

  [You need to do this, Noah... It’s an opportunity.]

  Alright, now try saying that with a bit more confidence and maybe I’ll believe you.

  [...]

  [I told you my main role is to assist you in the pursuit of power, and pointing out great opportunities is part of that.]

  How exactly does provoking a creature so terrifying that no monster even thinks about getting near it become an opportunity? Do I get stronger every time I die, is that it? If so, give me a rope or a knife and I’ll handle it myself.

  [...That’s not it...]

  [You just need to make them fight each other.]

  I’m supposed to...? Noah looked at the gigantic lion in the distance, its paws as huge as the surrounding trees. Seriously, do you even hear what you’re saying? Are you sure you’re not defective? Who’d be stupid enough to start a fight to the death over something so dumb?

  [...Throw the stone, Noah. Or...]

  Or...? Come on, finish it, I want to hear the rest.

  [...You’ll have to go back to your old life.]

  Ah, so that’s how it is... Is this the freedom you spoke about?

  Clenching his fists, he considered.

  [I... These are the rules.]

  [...Possible great opportunities cannot be ignored.]

  Possible?

  [...Forget that part.]

  Aiming at the ground, Noah crouched. The stone in his hand felt heavy and awkward.

  [...]

  [If you’re thinking of just going back, know that this feature may be disabled in the future.]

  Oh, really? But it’s not going to be simple, I imagine.

  [I can’t say more about it...]

  So I have to figure it out on my own? What a senseless rule...

  Hiding behind one of the many trees, he watched the dark entrance.

  If this doesn’t work, and I die here... will I go back?

  [...]

  ...No, right?

  He stopped breathing for an instant, then inhaled, throwing the stone harder than expected. He wasn’t this strong before, but this was not his old body, so it didn’t matter. For someone who crossed that vast forest in minutes without signs of fatigue, it seemed logical, if still strange. He crouched behind the trunk, shrinking to hide as much as possible.

  His heart pounded, tense. However, as time passed, he calmed down again.

  Nothing happened.

  ...I tried, and it didn’t work. So this stupid rule can’t do anything to me, right?

  [...Stay crouched, Noah.]

  What-?!

  The hill shook, and kept shaking. The impacts continued, one after another.

  From below?!

  [It’s coming.]

  With part of his body outside the tree’s cover, Noah saw the cave’s roof blown skyward with a single strike. A stone fell ahead, but his eyes didn’t follow it. Emerging from the freshly created hole was something far more mesmerizing and terrifying.

  Right before him, a gigantic being rose up, whose mere presence made Noah lose all hope of surviving. The reason why the beasts kept away from this place was more than clear.

  A... dragon...?