Reborn With A Detector: The Path Way Back To My World

The world that I awakened to was nothing like the warm, light-filled expanse I had left behind.

Instead, I found myself lying on the cold, uneven ground. My fingers curled against dirt, grass, and faint traces of moisture.

I Slowly opened my eyes blinking against the dim glow of twilight that filtered through a dense canopy of leaves above me.

Where was I? Or rather, where the hell am I now?

The air was heavy with unfamiliar scents earth, moss, and something faintly metallic. As I sat up, a sharp sound pierced the stillness. the crack of a branch snapping underfoot.

I spun around, my heart pounding, only to realize something chilling, I wasn't alone.

Figures moved in the distance, obscured by the thick mist rolling through the forest.

Their shapes were vaguely humanoid, but their movements were unsettling, unnatural. They glided rather than walked, their joints bending at angles that made my stomach twist.

And then, a voice not the calm voice of the Detector System, but one far colder echoed in my mind.

"Alert: Hostile entities detected. Initiating survival protocol."

Before I could fully process what was happening, a translucent screen flickered into existence before me, floating in midair

SYSTEM STATUS:
Host World: "Eryndor"
Objective: Survive the first 24 hours to earn initial synchronization points.
Task: Avoid confrontation. Seek higher ground for safety.

"What... What is this?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

But the screen faded before I could expect an answer. The sound of movement grew louder, and I felt a deep instinct the Pathfinder Instinct, my granted boon tugging at my mind.

I turned and felt it, a subtle nudge in my thoughts, pointing me away from the figures and toward an incline in the terrain.

With no time to waste, I scrambled to my feet and ran. Each step was heavy and clumsy, my legs still adjusting to this new body one that felt similar to my old one but with an unfamiliar lightness.

Despite my fear, I noticed something remarkable. I wasn't tiring as quickly as I used to, my breaths coming steady and even as I climbed.

The creatures distorted calls echoed behind me, chilling me to the core. My heart raced, but the Pathfinder Instinct urged me onward.

Higher and higher, I climb until I reached a ridge overlooking the forest below.

For a brief moment, I felt safe. But then, the translucent screen reappeared, displaying a message that sent shivers down to my spine.

"Proximity alert: Hostile entities advancing. 15 meters and closing."

I turned my head sharply, and my breath caught. The figures were closer now, their glowing eyes piercing through the mist.

I could see their jagged, skeletal forms more clearly, each step bringing them closer to the ridge.

"Candidate,"

the cold voice of the system interrupted my thoughts.

"you are equipped with basic tools. Deploy immediately or risk termination."

Before I could panic further I felt a weight on my hip a small satchel I hadn't notice before.

I tore it open and found an assortment of crude items: a dagger, a coil of rope, and a flare-like object labeled signal device.