chapter 4 “Unknown Place”

The world twisted, bending unnaturally around Lu Yan, and for a moment, all he could hear was the echoing silence. His body, burning with adrenaline and the molten heat of the lava moments ago, felt as though it had been thrust into ice water. His breath came in sharp gasps, his vision blurring, until finally—

CRACK.

The sensation of solid ground beneath his feet hit him like a hammer. He staggered slightly, instinctively gripping the orb tighter as his boots dug into damp earth. The heavy, cloying scent of soil and moss rushed into his nose, mingling with the faint tang of rain in the air.

Lu Yan's body plunged into icy coldness. The impact stole the breath from his lungs, and for a moment, the world became a chaotic swirl of freezing water and deafening current. His senses screamed in protest, his limbs flailing as he was dragged beneath the surface.

He kicked wildly, his muscles burning as he fought against the pull of the river, until at last, his head broke through. Gasping for air, he felt the frigid water cascade down his face, each drop like shards of glass against his skin.

The river's roar thundered in his ears, its clarity almost cruel, as though it wanted him to feel every moment of his struggle. Yet even through the icy torrent, an inexplicable, electric awareness crept into him—a primal instinct forcing his eyes upward.

He looked up.

The air was alive—alive with the hum of energy, with whispers he couldn't place. It wasn't the eerie stillness of the dungeon; no, this was something older, something primal.

Before him stretched a forest like no other.

The forest… It was like straight from fairy tale depsite being in the abyass it's still something he had ever seen before.

Massive trees, their trunks impossibly wide and shimmering with veins of luminous gold, stretched skyward into an endless expanse of shifting colors. The canopy above wasn't

High above, strange birds circled the treetops, their wings blazing with an ethereal light that left glowing trails in the air. Their cries echoed like distant chimes, haunting yet melodic, as though the forest itself was singing through them. One of the birds dove sharply, a streak of light plunging into the undergrowth, only to vanish as quickly as it appeared.

Lu Yan exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned his surroundings.

"Am I… still in the Dungeon?" Lu Yan's voice trembled, barely audible over the pounding in his chest and the whisper of the forest. He clutched the orb tighter, its faint glow illuminating the streaks of water dripping from his Destroyed Armor. "Where… am I?"

"System, Open Status!" Lu Yan commanded with precision.

[Dungeon System - Status Overview]

ERROR! SYSTEM ANOMALY DETECTED!

Status Reset Imminent…

Lu Yan froze as an ominous red light flashed across his vision. The usual calm, mechanical tone of the system was distorted, breaking like shards of glass.

"Critical malfunction. Resetting parameters… Level adjusted to 1. All restrictions lifted. Hidden attributes unlocked."

His heart skipped a beat. What? Reset? He hadn't even triggered anything! Panic surged as the familiar blue screen began to crack and flicker, text dissolving and reforming in real time.

Status Update

Name: Lu Yan

Age: 18

Level: 1 (System Reset)

Class: Tree Summoner (Class Restricted: Further evolution pending…)

Titles: ERROR: Titles Reset… New Titles to be Revealed

Summoning Core:

• Heaven Tree: [Error… Searching…] Attributes and growth patterns locked, evolving.

• Verdant Viper: Poisonous serpent now in early stage—current abilities unknown.

(Note: Unlocks pending.)

Attributes (Recalibrating… Locked Data)

• Strength: 1 (Unlocking additional potential)

• Agility: 1 (Growth to be activated)

• Endurance: 1 (Regeneration speed: Low, Unlock Pending)

• Mana: 100 (Mana Overflow—System adaption required)

• Vitality: 10 (Statistical Limitations)

• Intelligence: 5 (Forthcoming Attributes Discovered in Progress)

• Luck: 0 (Luck Attributes Incomplete, to be unlocked with progress)

Active Skills:

• Phantom Step: (Lvl 1) Instant movement within 10 meters.

• Nether Burst: (Lvl 1) Basic void strike—low impact.

• Soul Entanglement: (Lvl 1) Can link to weak enemies only, power undetermined.

• Forest Domination: (Lvl 1) Summons low-tier plant creatures.

Passive Skills:

• Tree Bond: (Inactive) Stat bonuses based on growth

• Nature's Breath: (Inactive) Regeneration rates slowed

• Abyss Adaptation: (Inactive) Resilience disabled for Abyssal encounters.

Main Plant Abilities:

1. Shape of Eternity: Transform into basic forms—temporary shields or minor defense.

2. Seed of Life: Summon ability in early-stage, growth hindered.

3. Chrono Bloom: Temporal ability offline.

Summons:

• Heaven Tree: Undeveloped, limited growth. Mana consumption slow.

• Verdant Viper: Basic form, low threat level.

• Titanwood Guardian: Inactive—Power sealed for recalibration.

Title Bonuses:

• Abyss Destroyer: (No Effect – Further unlocking required.)

• King of Plants: (Inactive: Growth under limitation.)

"System, close status." Lu Yan commanded with unwavering authority, but his voice echoed unnervingly into the stillness around him. The interface flickered and vanished—only to be replaced by something far more troubling.

A cold, heavy weight settled in his chest as he stared at the ominous error messages flashing in front of him. Level 1. All unlocked.

His jaw clenched, and his grip on the orb tightened, as though holding onto the strange reality he now found himself in. The numbers seemed… wrong. Impossible. His pulse quickened, the beating of his heart at odds with the eerie calm settling into his limbs. What the hell?

A fleeting moment of panic threatened to take hold, but it was quickly smothered by an insatiable curiosity that surged through him. He scanned the interface again, looking for answers, but all he found were questions. "Level 1? ALL unlocked? Is this some kind of joke?"

The air grew still, heavy with something he couldn't quite place. The world felt different—sharper. His senses tingled, on edge, as if the very atmosphere was holding its breath, waiting for him to act. The sense of danger? Unmistakable. But there was something else, too—a strange, almost inviting thrill.

He took a step forward, his voice barely above a murmur. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED, ALL MY HARD WORK ARE GONE TO SH**?" His words were laced with a mixture of confusion and growing excitement.

He wasn't sure if it was the glitch in the System maintence, or if it was something deeper, He took a deep breath to calm down, his chest rising and falling slowly as he fought to stable his thoughts.

The orb in his hand flickered weakly, casting a faint glow in the gloom of the forest. Its light flickered like a candle caught in the wind, sputtering out only to reignite in the next breath. Lu Yan's grip tightened around the orb, frustration boiling to the surface. He needed to rest. He needed to regain his bearings, to think. His body ached from the cold shock of the river, and his mind was a whirlpool of confusion and questions.

The tall, golden-veined trees around him seemed to whisper in the wind, their massive trunks stretching high above him. A peculiar, ancient silence enveloped the area. For a brief moment, he felt as though he wasn't just in a forest—he was becoming a part of it, connected to the earth beneath his feet, to the air, to the very pulse of life that thrummed through the space around him.

He needed shelter, and there, just ahead, stood an enormous tree. Its bark shimmered like liquid gold, and its leaves sparkled with a faint, ethereal glow, as if the tree itself were alive with magic. It was the perfect place to stop, to gather his thoughts, and to figure out what was happening to him.

With a deep breath, Lu Yan approached the tree, his fingers brushing against the cool, golden bark as he walked around to the base of the trunk. He could feel the energy of the tree seep into his palm, a warm hum that reverberated in his chest. It felt oddly comforting, almost like an invitation.

Without further thought, he leaned against the tree, sinking to the ground with a sigh. The orb in his hand, still glowing faintly, pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

"I just need a moment," he muttered, resting his head against the rough surface of the tree. His eyes fluttered closed, the exhaustion of the past events pressing heavily on him.

But as he sat there, something strange began to happen. The orb in his hand flickered brighter, then dimmed again, as though it were sensing something. The air around him seemed to thicken, the golden light of the forest deepening, and then—

DING.

A sudden chime echoed in his mind, piercing through his exhaustion and pulling his attention sharply to the orb. His heart skipped a beat as a familiar interface, broken and glitchy as it was, flared up before him.

[System Update: Class Evolution Detected!]

New Class: God of the Forest

Class Upgrade Unlocked.

Lu Yan blinked in disbelief. He read the words again, but they didn't change.

The interface flickered again, revealing more information:

God of the Forest

Class Bonus: Mastery over nature, dominion over plant life, heightened connection to the forest and its creatures. Powers to evolve with time and growth. New abilities unlocked: Forest Manifestation, Nature's Wrath, and Verdant Sovereignty.

"God of the Forest?" he whispered, eyes wide. His breath hitched in his throat as the orb in his hand pulsed with raw energy. For a moment, he felt an overwhelming surge of power rushing through him, The golden orb in his hand grew warmer, its glow pulsating brighter as the words settled into his mind. "So this is it… I've become something more. A God, huh?" His eyes shot open, scanning the forest around him, now more vibrant and alive than ever. The trees, the leaves, even the air—it all felt connected to him.

He had been walking for hours, or maybe days—he couldn't tell. Time seemed irrelevant here, in this twisted dimension. The trees, massive and ancient, towered over him, their golden veins pulsating with eerie light. He could feel the power of the forest weaving into his own being, but that wasn't what concerned him now.

What concerned him was the fact that every living creature he encountered seemed to possess strength beyond his comprehension.

First, a massive bird had circled overhead. Its feathers gleamed silver, its eyes burning with a primal fury. When it dove, the air itself screamed in protest. Lu Yan had barely managed to avoid its talons, narrowly escaping the blow that would've torn him to shreds.

"What the hell kind of big bird is that? I'll just call it Fried Chicken Overlord…" Lu Yan muttered, wiping sweat from his brow as he retreated into the shadows. His senses were on high alert, the adrenaline from the encounter still surging through his veins.

The bird circled, its monstrous wings flapping as it scanned the area for signs of movement. Lu Yan didn't want to engage. Not now. He was still learning the extent of his abilities, still trying to grasp the meaning behind his strange new class—God of the Forest.

But as he stood there, breathing in the dense air, the world began to change again.

A rustle in the bushes. The faint sound of something moving quickly toward him. Before he could react, a low growl rumbled from the underbrush. Lu Yan's muscles tensed, and he spun on his heels, raising his hand instinctively.

The ground trembled as a creature emerged—a massive, grotesque (level 1 wolf), its fur matted and glowing with an otherworldly green hue. Its eyes were wild, frenzied, and it bore its teeth in a menacing snarl. The beast's fur seemed to shimmer with strange energy, like it was woven from the very essence of this place.

Lu Yan's heartbeat quickened. He had faced creatures before. Strong ones. But this? This was different. The wolf's presence carried an air of undeniable danger, and the air itself seemed to grow thicker, heavier, as if the world itself was pressing in on him. His instincts screamed at him to run, to avoid this fight, but he wasn't in a position to run. Not anymore.

The wolf lunged, and Lu Yan barely had time to react. His hand shot out, summoning the power of the forest. Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the wolf's legs in a desperate attempt to restrain it. The beast howled in rage, its strength far greater than he had anticipated.

"Damn it," he muttered through gritted teeth, his fingers trembling. The forest energy surged through his palm, but it wasn't enough. The wolf's strength was overwhelming. It tore through the vines like they were paper, slashing at the air with claws that could rip stone apart.

Lu Yan cursed under his breath. He had no time to doubt himself. The orb in his hand pulsed, its glow growing brighter. He felt a surge of strength coursing through his body, the very forest responding to his summons. It was time to end this.

With a sudden, focused motion, he raised his other hand toward the sky. The forest trembled again, and a deep, rumbling roar echoed through the trees.

Forest Domination.

A colossal tree rose from the ground beneath the wolf, its branches twisting upward in a violent frenzy. The wolf's eyes widened as it tried to leap backward, but it was too late. The tree's massive roots lashed out, entwining the wolf in their deadly embrace.

"Got you," Lu Yan hissed, the adrenaline coursing through him as he focused every ounce of energy into his command. The tree's roots tightened around the beast, pinning it to the earth. The wolf struggled, but it was no use. Its strength was nothing compared to the will of the forest.

With a final, crushing motion, the tree's roots tightened further, snapping the wolf's body in a sickening crunch. The creature let out a final, blood-curdling scream before it fell limp.

[Enemy Defeated: Wolf]

+250 XP

Level: 1 (250/300 Progression)

For a moment, the only sound in the air was Lu Yan's ragged breathing. He stood there, chest heaving, his body still buzzing with the intensity of the fight. His hand gripped the orb tightly, the glow pulsating wildly in his palm.

The forest around him fell eerily silent.

It was done. But the victory left him with more questions than answers.

What kind of world was this? He had just killed a creature that should've been leagues beyond his strength. The beast's body, now crumpled beneath the roots of the ancient tree, dissolved into the earth, leaving nothing behind but a faint trace of energy that quickly vanished.

Lu Yan took a deep breath, his mind racing. The System was not making sense. Everything about this place was wrong. The creatures, the atmosphere, the very essence of this world—it was beyond anything he had ever encountered. And yet… he couldn't help but feel that he was only scratching the surface.

"I need to get stronger ," Lu Yan muttered to himself, his gaze hardening. "This Dungeon doesn't care about me. It's eat or be eaten here."

The luxury of thinking—something Lu Yan had little time for now.