Exploring

A New Beginning

A sharp gasp escaped my lips as I jolted awake.

The first thing I noticed was the cold, damp air pressing against my skin. The scent of moisture and earth filled my lungs as my senses slowly adjusted to my surroundings. My body felt strangely light, but my mind was heavy with confusion.

I was in a massive underground cave.

Dim torches lined the walls, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows that danced along the uneven stone. A river, calm and steady, flowed through the center, dividing the cave into two distinct sections. On my side, there was something peculiar—lush green grass, scattered trees, and the faint chirping of insects. It looked like an underground oasis, completely unnatural for a place like this.

The other side, however, was nothing but cold, lifeless stone. No grass. No trees. Just an empty, ominous passage leading deeper into the unknown.

I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of everything.

"Where... am I?" I murmured to myself. My voice echoed slightly against the cave walls.

Then, a sudden DING!

I flinched. "What the heck? Am I hearing things?"

A floating dark screen materialized before me, its white text glowing softly in the dim cave. My eyes widened. It looked exactly like a game menu.

There were five sections:

StatsPet StatsSkillsQuestsShop

I stared at it in disbelief.

"Okay... now I'm seeing things too."

Cautiously, I reached out toward the screen, and the moment my fingers made contact—

DING!

A new window popped up.

Status Window

Name: ????

Race: Human

Class: Tamer (Level 1)

Experience: 0/100 EXP

HP: 10/10

Strength: 10

Mana: 0

Agility: 8

Stamina: 8

Vitality: 8

Free Attribute Points: 3

Attributes: None

My breath hitched.

This... this was a full-blown RPG system.

I read over my stats carefully, my eyes lingering on my class: Tamer. What did that mean? Did I have the ability to control monsters? And why was my mana at zero?

I exhaled, forcing myself to focus. Let's go through everything first.

Swiping my hand, I exited the Stats menu and tapped into Pet Stats.

Pet Stats

No pet detected.

A robotic female voice rang in my head:

["???? does not have a pet."]

I stiffened, glancing around.

"Who said that?" My heart pounded as I scanned the cave, but there was no one.

It had to be the system's voice.

Taking another deep breath, I moved on and checked my Skills.

Skills

Taming (Level 1): Allows the user to tame one creature equal to their level. The number of pets increases as the skill levels up.

"Interesting…" I muttered. So I could tame creatures. That meant if I found a monster, I might be able to make it my ally.

Next, I tapped Quests.

No quests available.

"Figures."

It seemed I had to meet people or trigger certain events before quests appeared. Finally, I checked the Shop tab.

Coins: 0

Items:

(?????)

(?????)

(?????)

(?????)

(?????)

(?????)

Shop items unlock at Level 15.

"Great. Useless for now." I sighed, closing the menu.

Now that I had gone through everything, it was time to focus on something way more pressing—figuring out where I was.

I turned my attention back to the cave. On my side of the river, the vibrant greenery made it feel like a hidden paradise. The other side was bleak and barren, but it had a passageway. If there was a way out, it had to be through there.

I took a step toward the river, kneeling by the water's edge. That's when I caught a glimpse of my reflection—

And my breath froze.

White hair.

Blood-red eyes.

I leaned in closer, my heart pounding. This... wasn't the face I remembered.

Before, my hair had been dark black, and my eyes were a deep shade of blue. But now—now I looked like a completely different person. My clothes were also in rough shape—a ripped black t-shirt and matching pants.

"What the hell happened to me?" I whispered.

I clenched my fists. There were too many questions and not enough answers. But I needed to focus on one thing at a time. First, I had to get across this river.

From what I could tell, the water wasn't moving too fast, and it seemed to be only about two feet deep. Since I was roughly 5'11", I could easily wade through it.

Rolling up my pants, I stepped into the cool water, crossing carefully to the other side. Once I reached the rocky terrain, I set my sights on the dark passageway ahead.

If this is a game-like world, then there are probably monsters…

I pressed forward.

Ten Minutes Later…

The pathway led to another open chamber, but this one was very different.

Small, blue creatures bounced around the room, their gelatinous bodies jiggling as they moved. Their translucent skin shimmered under the torchlight.

My eyes widened.

"Slimes?"

I counted at least thirty of them.

They looked exactly like the basic monsters you'd find in any RPG.

Wait a second… if I'm a Tamer… can I tame one of them?

Excitement surged through me as I clenched my fists. This was my chance to test my skill.

To Be Continued…