THE JUNGLE IS TRYING TO KILL ME

Chapter 5:

For the past few days, Jayden had been surveying the forest, trying to make sense of the unforgiving environment he had been thrown into.

The good news? He was still alive.

The bad news? Everything wanted him dead.

Survival hadn't been easy. He had fought and barely managed to defeat a variety of monstrous beasts—armored boars, acid-spitting panthers, and even a two-headed saber-tooth tiger. Each victory came at a price, leaving him battered, bruised, and one wrong step away from death.

But at least the fights had given him enough SP to unlock some useful jutsu.

Or so he thought.

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu → Strong, but completely useless against a water type beast.

Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu → Effective—if he could find water. Otherwise, completely worthless.

Shadow Clone Jutsu → His biggest regret.

He had underestimated how much chakra the jutsu drained. Summoning even one clone left him nearly exhausted, making it a last-resort technique at best.

The system had been less than helpful.

[ Suggestion: Increase chakra reserves before attempting multi-shadow clone usage. ]

Jayden glared at the glowing text.

"Wow. Thanks, system. Great advice."

At first, the beasts he encountered were manageable.

But recently, their strength had increased drastically.

The system had provided a clear warning.

[ Beast levels rising. Exercise caution. ]

Jayden, naturally, ignored it.

Which was how he found himself facing the Wolf King

The moment he saw it, he knew this wasn't just another fight.

The creature stood taller than any wolf should, its black fur crackling with electricity, glowing red eyes locked onto him.

Jayden tensed. Something about this one felt different.

[ Warning: Beast classified as High O-Class. ]

Jayden's expression froze.

"...Wait. WHAT?"

"Oi, system, what the hell is an O-Class?"

[ O-Class beasts are classified as near-calamity level threats. ]

His stomach dropped.

"...AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME THIS EARLIER?!"

Before he could react, the wolf vanished.

A black lightning blur shot toward him—

Jayden barely dodged before its claws tore through a tree like it was made of paper.

This wasn't a fight he could win head-on.

His mind raced. He needed a plan—fast.

Jayden tried to counter with Fireball Jutsu.

The wolf ate the flames.

"...What."

[ Analysis: Wolf King possesses Fire Absorption. ]

Jayden's eye twitched.

"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE?

He tried Water Bullet Jutsu but there is no water.

So he did what any genius would do—

"ACTIVATE: SHADOW CLONE!"

A single clone poofed beside him, looking just as terrified as he was.

"Alright, bro, distract it while I run."

The clone turned to him, horrified. "The hell kind of plan is that?!"

Before he could argue, the Wolf King moved.

"Okay, BYE!"

He swapped places with a log using Substitution Jutsu, appearing safely behind a tree while the clone got mauled.

R.I.P. Clone #1.

The wolf turned to him.

"...Oh, come on."

He bolted to safety .

The jungle blurred past him as he sprinted, dodging roots, leaping over logs, and nearly falling into two hidden pits.

Then—

He saw a cliff.

A very high cliff.

His brain calculated the situation in an instant.

Fight and die, or fall and maybe die.

Jayden took a deep breath.

"...Welp."

And then—

He jumped.

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH—!!!"

Midair, he realized exactly where he was heading—

Straight toward a sharp rock in the middle of the river below.

His soul left his body.

At the last second—

POOF!

He swapped places with a random fish.

SPLASH!

Jayden reappeared midair, three feet above the river.

"…Oh."

Then he dropped straight into the water.

[ -3 HP | 37/100 HP Remaining ]

Coughing and drenched, he dragged himself onto the shore.

He collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

"...I hate this place."

RUMBLE.

Jayden's body went stiff. Slowly, he turned his head.

A massive gorilla, covered in steel-like fur, stood over him.

It lifted a boulder the size of a car—

And hurled it at his face.

Jayden rolled out of the way, the boulder crashing into the ground, leaving a crater.

The gorilla beat its chest, glaring at him like he owed it rent.

Jayden groaned as he stood up, his Sharingan spinning.

"Listen, big guy, should we really do this ."

The gorilla roared.

Jayden sighed.

"Yeah, figured."

Electricity crackled around his arm.

The gorilla charged.

Jayden dashed forward, Chidori humming in his palm.

He refused to die here.

No matter how strong the beasts became—

No matter how unfair this damn system was—

He would keep pushing forward.

No matter what.