The Dark Forest

Noah Heidrich (Hu, 16)

Mana Core – Core of the Soul (Tier 1) (Primordial)

Class – None

-----------------------------------------------

Strength – 13

Agility – 17

Insight – 19

Conductivity – 26

Endurance – 9

Form – 16

-----------------------------------------------

Skills – Translation

Abilities – Soul Transfer

??? – None

??? – None

-----------------------------------------------

"The hell do you mean we're in a novel!"

"I swear it's true, how else would you explain the trials and the status window?"

"It's God's punishment for our sins!"

Eight closed his status panel, hearing his group causing a ruckus yet again. He had been transported to the second trial nearly an hour ago, giving him ample time to study his stats. It was interesting that rather than his own name, the body's former owner's name was displayed. It seemed Eight would never use his old name again.

As a former slave, he wasn't very knowledgeable about the inner workings of the system. Besides the obvious strength and dexterity, he ranged from having a slight idea to not having a clue about what the stats represented. The question marks also puzzled him, but he didn't let these thoughts occupy his mind. He would figure it out sooner or later.

The baseless argument continued. Eight listened intently despite the lack of any solidity, putting together a mental folder of the newly integrated world. Only in the second trial did people meet. he learned a lot about this world since arriving, thanks to the disunity of his group.

The new world, or Earth, as it was called by the natives, lacked any form of mana before the integration. Eight couldn't understand how they could run a stable society without mana, but listening further, it appeared that their governments used a concept called democracy. He nearly laughed at the idea. Humans? Equal? What a joke! He snickered, thinking they would soon receive a shocking wake-up call.

Besides the poor form of government, there was nothing special about the world. As the only sentient species, humans maintained a monopoly on the food chain. Eight could only sigh, lamenting the competitiveness of the system.

"Shut up! It doesn't matter if we're in a novel or a game or even the matrix. We need to calm down and think things through, as a group," a young woman interrupted the dispute, her powerful charisma silencing the debate.

"Oh? It looks like someone has some common sense," Eight thought to himself, scrutinizing the speaker. The woman stood like a pillar or an elephant's leg; her arms crossed as she glared at the arguing trio.

The two young men, as well as the religious old coot, stopped their bickering and turned to the woman. Seeing that she had their attention, the woman suggested, "Why don't we introduce ourselves? I'll go first."

The woman continued, only pausing to sweep her gaze around the group, "I am Eden Anne Lyones. I'm twenty-two and currently majoring in Biology. Nice to meet you. I hope we can all work together to pass these so-called trials."

Having said her part, she then asked the old man, "Could you introduce yourself, sir?"

Seeing the group's focus on him, the old man rubbed his white beard haughtily. He chuckled before replying, "I am Nick Wukong."

"The hell old man, that's all you gotta say for yourself? What kind of last name is Wukong anyway?" one of the young men laughed. The other nodded his head in agreement.

Nick's face turned red as black lines creased his forehead. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he exposed his bulging forearms.

Eight recognized the name 'Wukong,' because his compatriots had sometimes told him tales about the legendary Monkey King Sun Wukong, a Chinese mythological figure that had been adapted by the black slaves as a mascot.

"You want to fight, boy!? I was serving before your father had taken his first steps! You think you…" Hearing the trio begin bickering again, Eden shook her head hopelessly and backed away from them. Working together would be difficult. She walked over to where Eight was sitting and crouched down, her dark eyes level with his.

"What's your name?" she asked, a gentle smile spreading her lips. Eight then understood his youthful appearance created a sense of weakness, one he planned on fully taking advantage of.

He blushed, lowing his head as he stuttered, "I-I'm Noah Heidrich."

Fondness sprouted up in Eden's heart. Such a sweet kid!

"There's no reason to be shy," she reassured him. "I'm Eden, and I want to get through these trials. Are you willing to help me?"

Eight, or now Noah, shifted his shoulders uncomfortably before mumbling, "I will try my best."

"That's good enough for me, " Eden replied, quietly parting the curly bangs on Noah's forehead. He nodded bashfully and Eden stood, leaving to deal with the trio. Watching her stop the argument with ease, a sinister light flashed behind Noah's eyes.

He adjusted his glasses before re-opening the quest panel. The first trial didn't allow for people to view their quests, as that would ruin its adaptation and problem-solving element. The panel displayed a single line.

Trial 2 – Escape the Dark Forest

Looking around, Noah felt the name was quite accurate. Twisting oaks spiraled all above him in a web of branches. The sky was bright, lighting the forest, yet shadows danced across his face with the slightest breeze. He stood up, causing the log beneath him to shift.

Noah rubbed his chin while dissecting the meaning of the quest. Escape meant there would be danger, and seeing as he was in a forest, Noah guessed that danger would present itself in the form of beasts. He frowned, his glabella creasing as thoughts swirled in his mind.

He wasn't worried about his own safety; rather, he was pondering how to maximize his own score. Although he didn't have a time for reference, he believed his result in the previous trial was quite good. Noah wanted to continue that performance. He knew that all his scores, decisions, and actions would improve his class choices at the end of the tutorial.

The leaves rustled above Noah, bringing him out of his thoughts. Seeing that the other members of his group were discussing together, he walked over to them, standing beside Eden and Nick.

"…so we all have received the same quest? Or does anyone have a lead on what we should do?" Eden asked. The rest of the group shook their heads.

"Then why don't we split up and look for clues? Since this system, as Kyle calls it…" she looked to one of the young men, "…hasn't provided us with any leads, there should be something nearby that gives us a direction. We all appeared in this area after finishing the first trial, after all. Having us wander around aimlessly would be pointless."

Hearing Eden's reasoning, the group nodded, Noah included. Although he wished to act on his own, as that would improve his score greatly, it was impossible to for the moment. His body appeared much younger than its age of sixteen, his height just reaching Eden's shoulder.

If Noah had his old body's strength, he would have left immediately. But this new body inhibited him, its weak physique would halt any attempts of fighting powerful beasts. Further, the process of Soul Transfer had left it exhausted. Surviving alone would be very difficult.

Noah chuckled inwardly. He had gained a body with a good magical talent but lost his former robust strength. Quite ironic, but he didn't have any regrets. If he had a chance to redo the past, he would have done the same. There was no comparing the two.

"Then let's meet up here in an hour," Kyle said. Eden agreed and the group split up.

Eden patted Noah's shoulder and suggested, "Why don't you come with me, Noah? Kyle and Shaun are going together, and Mister Nick wants to search alone. You'll be safe with me."

"Mhm," Noah nodded his head. He would have preferred to go with Nick as the old man appeared adept at combat, but Nick had already left. It was unfortunate, as Noah doubted Eden could fight, as much as he evidently enjoyed her youthful presence. The system's ruthlessness could never be underestimated.

Fifty minutes later.

Dry leaves crunched beneath the duo's feet as they searched the forest. Noah wiped his forehead; the shade and cool breeze were not enough to prevent him from sweating.

"Hmm? This is…" his eyebrows furrowed before relaxing. "So this is the danger of the forest. This will make things simple." At his feet lay numerous sets of wolf tracks. With prints roughly the size of his hands, Noah was confident that even Nick wouldn't stand a chance against wolves of this monstrous size.

He squinted, a rough plan forming in his mind.

"Miss Eden, there are some animal footprints over here," Noah called out deferentially. The young lady hurried over and seeing the paw's size, she inhaled a deep breath of air.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his head tilted to the side. Eden broke out of her revere and laughed nervously, "It's nothing, I'm just happy that you found a lead. We've been searching for close to an hour now and it's about time we head back."

Saying so, she took a final glance at the tracks and grabbed Noah's hand, nearly dragging him away as she left the area.

Eden and Noah soon returned to the camp. Nick was already there, whistling nonchalantly as he stared off into space. Hearing Eden's steps, he lifted his head and noticing her grave expression, stood up and asked what happened.

"I need to talk with Mister Nick about something, be a darling and wait here for a few minutes, alright, Noah?" Eden said, a strained smile plastered to her face. Noah nodded his head, thinking her acting was subpar.

Eden sighed in relief and walked off with Nick, their heads bowed in discussion. Noah sat down on a log, supporting his elbows with his knees. Eden and Nick continued their discussion in the distance.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Noah slipped away unnoticed. Because he broke out into a swift jog, it didn't take long for him to return to the location of the wolf tracks. He stooped down and ran his hand over them. Feeling the depth and texture of the imprints, Noah made many assumptions.

"A pack of five or six, mostly female, three have an injury that impedes their movement," he thought while improving his plan. Following them, the tracks led into what Noah believed the deepest part of the forest. The foliage grew denser and along with his cautious nature, his movement slowed.

Noah carefully crept along the trail of the prints. Vigilantly surveying his surroundings, he reduced his breathing and heartbeat to the limit of this body. Although his new physique was quite fit and limber, it couldn't match his old body's physical capabilities. Holding his breath for five minutes left him gasping for air.

It was only after an hour that Noah discovered a cave. Its entrance was dark and as if it were draped in a black veil, the inside was completely hidden. However, based on the bloodstains and broken sticks scattered around the entrance, Noah guessed that the injuries the pack sustained were not minor.

Edging around the area, he spotted more wolf tracks sporadically exiting into the trees. "A rival pack."

Noah smiled, his plan evolving to a point that he believed to be flawless. He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up further than it already was. Noticing the shadow's length increasing, he trekked back to the make-shift camp.

"Where did you go, Noah! We were looking all over for you," Eden stressed, running up to him and grabbing his cheeks, looking for any injury.

Noah sniffed, his eyes slightly red. "I-I had to use the bathroom, and I got lost," he cried, wrapping his arms around Eden's waist tenderly. Hearing his explanation, her expression eased up, and she relaxed, letting him lean across her.

"You have to be more careful in the future, okay? We don't know what these trials entail! It would've been horrible if you hadn't found your way back..." Eden sighed, patting Noah's back.

"Where are Mister Nick, Kyle, and Shaun?"

"That's right!" Eden exclaimed in response to Noah's query. He couldn't help but reassess her. "Kyle and Shaun discovered a small, wooden cottage about ten minutes from here. In it were a bunch of tools and supplies."

"Is there food as well? I'm hungry," Noah asked, rubbing his stomach.

Eden smiled and replied teasingly, "Why don't we go and find out."

And so they did. As Noah walked, the trees and shrubbery grew sparser, increasing his understanding of the trial.

It didn't take long for the pair to arrive at a humble, wooden cabin. A repeating thud echoed about as Nick split wood using a large axe. A light scent of blood lingered in the air, and seeing the skinned corpse of a large wolf, Noah came to an understanding.

"How is Shaun doing? Has his injury stabilized" Eden whispered to Nick, worried.

"I couldn't tell you, Eden. From what Kyle's told me, it has, but you'll have to ask him yourself."

"So it's like that," Noah thought to himself. He had a full understanding of the trial by now; his eyes gleamed but a nervous expression appeared on his face.

"Did something happen to Shaun?"

It was Nick who quickly answered, interrupting Eden. "He was injured by this wolf not too long ago. After finding this cabin full of tools," he raised the axe in his hand and pointed it at the wolf corpse, "this monstrous beast jumped outta nowhere and clawed him right on the stomach. God, it was bad. Blood pouring everywhere and-"

Nick's words caught in his throat; their exit barred by Eden's dark glare. He coughed into his empty fist before resuming.

"So anyway, as I was saying, he's injured pretty badly. Luckily, there were bandages and disinfectants in the cabin so Shaun'll probably be fine."

Noah nodded his head in understanding. Of course the resources had a guard, there was no such thing as a free lunch even in the tutorial.

"That's good," Eden said, "I'll go check up on him though, just to be sure." She turned to Noah. "Can you help set up camp for the night? I'm sure Mister Nick has some work for you to do."

"That I do," Nick laughed.

And thus, four hours of labor flew by.

The cabin was dark. Noah listened as his exhausted group slept peacefully, inhaling and exhaling rhythmically. He slowly sat up, careful as to not wake anyone. Standing, Noah exited the room step by step, opening the front door noiselessly.

"What do you mean you can't give me a chicken!" Startled, Noah's knees went limp, bringing him down into a crouching position in under an instant. Just outside the cabin, Nick sat slumped against the wall, sleeping.

"Some guard," Noah chuckled to himself, having not expected such a spontaneous outburst from the old man.

The clouds had cleared, revealing the uneven tree line and singular, silver moon. A calmness had possessed the forest and like the silence preluding a storm, cradled an ominous air.

Tilting his head up, Noah viewed the reflective orb hanging in the starless sky. A subtle sigh escaped his lips. It truly was a good night for clearing the second trial.