1 The Chosen One

In an unknown forest where everything was dark and murky, a man in his twenties lay unconscious near a river. His cyan dark hair, medium in length, draped across his face, half-submerged in the cool water. His sharp features and lean physique suggested he was in good shape, but his current state told a different story.

"Ughh. What the hell is going on? Why does my head hurt so much? Just kill me now," he groaned as he started to regain consciousness.

He rubbed his forehead, feeling the pounding pain from whatever had caused him to be unconscious in the first place. As he struggled to sit up, he noticed a chill that felt more uncomfortable than just the water's coolness. He glanced down and saw that he was completely naked.

"What the—am I naked? Did I get kidnapped?" he exclaimed, struggling to process his situation.

He took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings. Trees, trees, more trees, and a river. The forest seemed endless, stretching in every direction with no sign of civilization. He felt a spike of fear. Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw movement—a long, low shape sliding into the water. A reptile of around 3 metres long. Enough to make a grown man shit himself when faced with a predator in its natural habitat.

"A fucking alligator! Run, damn it!" he shouted, adrenaline flooding his system.

Despite his grogginess and confusion, his survival instincts took over. He scrambled to his feet and ran toward the nearest tree, his bare feet sinking into the mud. The alligator lunged toward him, snapping its jaws, but Ragnar was quick enough to climb the tree, pulling himself up with surprising agility. He found a solid branch and settled there, his heart racing as he watched the alligator prowl below.

As he waited for the predator to lose interest, he tried to piece together the events leading up to his current predicament.

"Okay, think. My name is Ragnar, I'm 24 years old, and I lived on the outskirts of Osborn. The last thing I remember is completing that mysterious puzzle from a street vendor that I bought. Right after finishing it, there was a blinding golden light. Did that puzzle have anything to do with my current situation?" He rubbed his temples, trying to force his memory to work.

But no matter how much he thought about it, nothing made sense. If he'd been kidnapped, surely he would've woken up at some point during the journey. Besides, the nearest forest from Osborn was in the neighboring country of Aztral, a four-day plane ride away. It was impossible for someone to move him that far without him regaining consciousness at least once.

As he sat on the branch, Ragnar started examining his body for any signs of injury or unusual marks. He patted his head, neck, chest, arms, and legs. That's when he noticed two significant changes.

First, his body was no longer scrawny and weak. His muscles were defined, strong, and capable of feats of strength he'd never imagined before. It was as if he'd trained for years in the military, and yet he had no memory of it. Earlier he took a glance at his face reflection in the water and sure enough, with muscle mass and healthy body, his face was definitely more handsome than before.

Second, there was a tattoo on the top of his hand. It was a diamond shape with a skull in the center, sinister and foreboding. Ragnar had never had a tattoo, and the presence of this one made him more anxious about his situation.

"But first things first, I need to find some clothes, or I might end up arrested," he muttered to himself, deciding to climb down from the tree once the alligator had moved away.

He wandered through the forest, searching for anything that might serve as temporary clothing. As he walked, he noticed the forest was eerily quiet, with no birdsong or animal calls, just the rustling of leaves and the distant sound of running water. It gave him the creeps, but he pressed on.

Eventually, he stumbled upon a strange plant with roses and large leaves. The roses were about 10 centimeters wide, vibrant red, with deep green leaves about a meter across. He reached out to touch the roses, thinking he could use the leaves to cover himself, but the plant suddenly came to life. Vines shot out from the ground, wrapping around his legs and pulling him down.

"Really? A fucking carnivorous plant? Shit!" Ragnar shouted, trying to pull free. He fought against the vines, but they held tight, dragging him toward the plant's gaping maw, which resembled a massive flower.

As he was pulled closer, he saw a large bone on the ground, likely from one of the plant's previous victims. He grabbed it quickly, holding it like a weapon, ready to strike when the opportunity came. The plant's jaws opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

Ragnar took his chance, driving the bone into the plant's core. The plant let out a high-pitched shriek, thrashing wildly, its vines lashing out in pain. It was a chaotic struggle, but eventually, the plant went limp, its leaves wilting and the roses losing their color.

"Gasp! Take that, you piece of shit!" Ragnar said, panting heavily. "Who told you to try and eat me? God damn it, where is everybody? And where the hell is this place?"

After catching his breath, he approached the dead plant cautiously. Its flowers had withered, but the large leaves were still intact and surprisingly flexible. He wrapped one around his body, feeling the smooth, silky texture against his skin. One leaf was enough to cover him, so he didn't take more.

As he adjusted the makeshift garment, the rest of the plant's body withered and disappeared, leaving no trace it was ever there. It was a strange sight, watching it vanish into thin air.

Just as he was about to leave, a message appeared in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

[Initialization of System...]

[Welcome to the world of Eidyr Host. You have been chosen to fulfill the goal of <The Banished One>.]

The system prompt hovered in his field of vision, following his gaze no matter where he turned. At that moment, Ragnar could only think of one thing.

"Fuck."