Chapter 2: Awakening

The morning sun cast its gentle rays through the dense canopy of trees, creating a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the forest floor. The air was cool and crisp, filled with the earthy scent of damp leaves and the distant chirping of birds. Amidst this serene setting, a young boy lay unconscious, sprawled on a bed of moss and fallen leaves.

Slowly, Alex began to stir. His body ached, and his mind was a swirl of confusion. As he opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at the tall trees that stretched towards the sky, their branches interwoven to form a natural roof above him. The light filtering through the leaves gave the forest an almost magical quality.

"Where am I?" Alex murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. He tried to sit up, wincing as he felt the soreness in his muscles. As he looked around, he realized he was in the middle of a dense forest, with no immediate signs of civilization.

The forest was alive with the sounds of nature. The rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze, the distant call of a bird, and the faint hum of insects created a symphony that was both soothing and unsettling. The ground beneath him was soft and damp, covered in a thick layer of moss and fallen leaves.

As Alex took in his surroundings, he noticed a small stream nearby. The clear, sparkling water flowed gently over smooth stones, and the sound of the babbling brook was calming. 

This was the beauty of nature which while did exist in his previous world but wasn't everywhere.

The feeling of fresh air colliding with his body made him feel at peace.

Walking towards the small stream of water, Alex decides to look in the crystal clear reflection of himself in the flowing water of the stream.

Touching his own face while looking at his reflection.

"Damn.. I look like Sung Jin Woo from Solo Leveling. Is it because of me getting the Shadow God's Abilities? Maybe."

He moves back from the stream and a look of determination appears in his eyes "First things first, let's make sure that it isn't a dream."

Saying so, he brings his hand towards his face and pinches his cheek hardly and the obvious thing happens, he screams like a bitch.

"_"

Alex's scream echoed briefly through the forest before the tranquil sounds of nature reclaimed their dominance. His heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as he came to terms with the reality of his situation. This was no dream, he had truly been transported to another world.

As he rubbed his cheek, still stinging from the pinch, he took a deep breath and surveyed his surroundings more carefully. The dense forest seemed to stretch endlessly, with no clear paths or landmarks in sight. The realization that he was completely alone in an unknown place began to sink in.

"Okay, Now that I have confirmed that this isn't a dream, then let's go to the crazy part."

A smile appears on his face as his entire body can be seen to be filled with excitement he shouts "System!!"

"_"

"_"

Silence was the only thing there.

The cheeks of Alex get flushed with redness and he speaks embarrassedly "Damn... I say this like a chunnibyo and nothing happens? Fortunately there wasn't anyone around or I would have looked more stupid than the young masters of those so called noble clans."

Suddenly, a blue screen appears 

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Status:

| Name: Alex |

| Age: 18 |

| Race: Human |

| Body: Human |

| Cultivation Level: None |

| Profound Energy: None|

 Inventory:

-Shadow God Card X1

-Book of Cultivation Card X1

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Seeing the status screen, Alex sighs in relief and said "Even though you are a latecomer but at least you arrived, I thought that I was scammed and not given any powers."

He began to check his status and understanding the attributes that the system took into consideration.

Seeing his battle powers he couldn't help but smile sarcastically knowing that currently he was nothing more than a mere ant in the eyes of even the weakest profound practitioner.

The world he is in is not very kind to the weak, heck it wasn't kind to them at all. Even the cultivators were not safe, they were seen as ants by the cultivators of the higher realm and this cycle continued on.

The cultivation world seemed more like an ant colony where different types of ants were released and the big ants prey on smaller ants and were in turn preyed upon by the stronger ones.

To be safe in this type of world, there were only three ways- 

First was to kill yourself the moment you realize how the world works.

Second was to never be born.

And lastly was to become the biggest ant there is and ever will be in the colony!!!

While Alex doesn't know about whether or not he will be able to become the biggest ant, he does know for sure that with the abilities he was granted, he would at least be able to become an ant big enough to live for much longer time than the rest of the ants.

At the very least he would reach the Divine Extinction Realm!.

Alex sighed, "Thinking about all this stuff makes me feel tired. But still I need to give it my all, I can't afford to laze around here like I did with my studies. I need to become strong, really really strong and as fast as possible."