Chương 4: Chapter 3: The Beginning

"Holy shit," Thalion muttered, taking in his surroundings. The air was thick and humid, carrying a distinct earthy scent. Before him stretched a vast jungle, teeming with life and bathed in an otherworldly glow. Towering trees with impossibly wide trunks dominated the landscape, their roots forming a tangled network that pulsed with life. The dense canopy filtered sunlight into soft emerald beams, casting an ethereal glow on the forest floor.

But it wasn't just the sheer size of the trees that captivated him, the vibrant, bioluminescent plants were mesmerizing. They shifted between deep blues, radiant purples, and ethereal greens, some reacting to his presence by curling away or glowing brighter. The jungle was alive with sound: distant roars, the rustling of unseen creatures, and a subtle hum that seemed to emanate from the environment itself.

There was a rhythm to it all, a pulse that made him feel both insignificant and profoundly connected to this alien world. Thalion took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the beauty and scale of his surroundings. This was a world untouched by human hands, a place of perfect harmony. Yet he knew it held dangers and secrets beyond his imagination. Until now he was in full control of his life. The situation reminded him of the orphanage where he had grown up since his parents just left him on the streets as a newborn.

He didn't even know who his parents were. In the orphanage, most children were criminals. Many weren't even evil but just wanted to be recognized or accepted. It could be quite hard from time to time when you have no family. Thalion never had such issues. He didn't care if other people recognized him or if he had a lot of money. He was alive to do what he loved, which in his case was swimming in the ocean every day. That was the only reason he had chosen to become a marine biologist.

Thalion learned fast how life worked and was respected or feared by most kids in the orphanage for two reasons. First, he always planned ahead and was at least two steps ahead of the others, and second, when things looked bad, he had no problem with risking everything to achieve his goal. Well, in the orphanage, the worst was a standoff where he and his opponent had a knife in his hand or fistfights. When he had grown up, he did box from time to time to get a little adrenaline kick.

Thalion liked to be in situations where every single decision mattered. That's why he enjoyed going for a surf when the wind was too strong and the waves were high. For most it was not worth the risk, but for him it was the exact opposite, and he enjoyed it much more than when the ocean was calm and the waves were fully predictable. If he didn't get killed right at the start, this new life could be fun, and immortality was definitely a goal he wanted to pursue with everything he had.

This system had given him something he had lacked his whole life but never noticed. A dream. As he slowly turned, he noticed others nearby. Two muscular men in heavy armor, a woman in a brown cloak with a bow slung over her shoulder, and a man in a white cloak holding a staff topped with a white crystal, likely a mage or healer. The last was another muscular man wearing light chainmail, probably a warrior, maybe even a light warrior. Thalion quickly stored his mask in his inventory, revealing his face.

A wave of suspicion washed over him. What if they were from one of the other planets? The thought was chilling. A tense silence fell over the group as they assessed each other. Finally, the man in light armor broke the ice.

"Hello, I'm Mike. Are you from Earth too?" His voice was cautious, his gaze hard. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Everyone exhaled in unison.

"Yes," they all replied, the tension easing slightly, though a sense of unease remained.

"Thank God," Mike said, clearly relieved.

"I was worried. What class did you pick? I went with Warrior." A round of introductions followed. James and Lukas were the two Heavy Warriors, Emily was an Archer, and David had taken on the role of Healer.

"Do you think we'll be able to find our families?" Emily asked quietly, her voice tinged with worry.

"No idea," Mike responded with a frown.

"They might not even be in the same tutorial. I just checked the quest screen and there are only 200, 000 survivors listed, so there must be multiple tutorials. What's more important is coming up with a strategy to level up quickly. We need to reach the higher stages fast. Each stage has tougher beasts, and in the last week of the tutorial, everyone gets teleported to the final stage. If we don't progress fast enough, we'll just get slaughtered."

He finished with a detemined expression probably although not a fan of getting killed early.

"Yeah," Emily said, her voice cold before softening.

"I just hope my kids are with their father."

"We need to hit level 5 and evolve to G-grade to teleport to Stage 2," Mike added after reading the tutorial quests.

"Jesus Christ," James muttered, eyes wide.

"Did you see those final tutorial quests?

'Emperor of Countless Souls': Make every survivor submit to your rule, reward—ten million credits. And 'Decimation of the Thousand': Kill over 5, 000 survivors, reward seven million credits."

"That's insane," Mike said, his brow creasing with concern.

"We really need to get moving. Fifteen survivors have already died. In battle, I'll handle close combat. I've got a speed boost skill and one that powers up my next strike."

"I don't have any combat skills yet," Emily admitted looking down.

"I've got one that lets me craft arrows. Right now, I have 50 common arrows. The other is 'Archer's Sight,' which zooms in on targets. And of course, 'Identify,' which everyone has." Thalion raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, when did you select those skills?" He was about to ask more when James interrupted.

"I've got a strike-enhancing skill too, plus one that boosts my strength and toughness with a shield."

"Great minds think alike," Lukas grinned, clapping James on the shoulder.

"Looks like we picked the same skills."

"As a healer," David chimed in, "I've got 'Heal' for minor injuries and a buff that boosts strength and agility." He turned to Thalion with confused look.

"What about you, mage? No staff?"

"Uh, I didn't have time to pick my skills yet," Thalion admitted, slightly embarrassed for not having checked his options immediately after arriving here.

"And I didn't get a staff." He quickly opened his skill menu, scanning through his options: Fireball, Spark, Mana Barrier, Water Pulse, Ice Shard, and more. After some thought, he chose fireball and Mana Barrier. Fire could be useful for lighting up the night or dealing damage over time, and the barrier would help protect his team. He didn't see much point in choosing a second attack spell just yet. While Thalion selected his skills, David remarked, "Isn't that a disadvantage?

My staff gives me 5 intelligence and 2 wisdom."

"Yeah, that sucks for me," Thalion shrugged there was no reason to talk more about that subject. He never had the chance to choose a weapon after all.

"Anyway, my spells are Fireball and Mana Barrier."

"Perfect," Mike said, sounding more confident.

"Looks like we've got a well-balanced party."

"Does anyone know how we earn credits?" Thalion asked, glancing around the group. The voice never told him but maybe some of the others had asked that question.

"Yes," David replied.

"The system voice said we can earn credits by killing beasts, other survivors, or completing quests."

"Good," Thalion responded, a predatory glint in his eyes.

"Let's find something to fight." Everyone nodded in agreement. They all knew that they couldn't waste any more time. In this new reality, levels were everything, and so they started their travel through the jungle to find their first beast.

"Let James and me take the lead." Lukas added while speeding up.

"We can handle any surprises." With that, they followed the two Heavy Warriors deeper into the jungle, the adventure truly beginning.