The Forgotten Hero's Rise

Ren walked for hours, pushing deeper into the wilderness. The towering trees of the dense forest stretched endlessly around him, their gnarled branches twisting like ancient fingers. The farther he traveled, the more he felt the weight of his isolation.

He had no allies. No direction. No purpose.

Yet, something inside him refused to stop.

The bundle of food the innkeeper had given him was small, but it was enough to keep him moving. He took a bite of the dry biscuit, washing it down with water as he continued forward. He had spent the last few days running from Eldoria, from the guards, from the life that had abandoned him. But he knew he couldn't keep running forever.

I need to figure out what to do next.

Ren sighed and leaned against a tree, rubbing his temples. The world he had been summoned to was nothing like the stories he had read back home. The heroes were nothing more than self-righteous fools, and the kingdom had discarded him like trash.

If this world didn't want him… then he had no reason to follow its rules.

A sudden rustling in the bushes snapped him out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he reached for the small dagger he had taken from the ruins outside Eldoria.

Something was watching him.

Slowly, he crouched, scanning the shadows between the trees. The forest was eerily silent. No birds chirping. No wind rustling the leaves. Just an unnatural stillness that sent a chill down his spine.

Then, without warning.

SNAP!

A monstrous creature burst through the undergrowth, its crimson eyes locked onto him.

Ren barely had time to react before it lunged. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast's jagged claws. As he scrambled to his feet, he finally got a clear look at his attacker.

It was a Darkfang Wolf a massive, fur-covered predator with black matted fur and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

And it was hungry.

Ren's grip tightened on his dagger. His mind raced. He had no armor, no real weapon, and no battle experience aside from the training he received before being abandoned.

But he refused to die here.

The wolf snarled and lunged again. Ren dodged, but the beast was faster than he expected. A sharp claw raked across his side, tearing through his tunic. Pain flared, but he gritted his teeth and fought through it.

He had two options run or fight.

Running would only delay the inevitable. He had to end this now.

The wolf circled him, its red eyes glowing in the darkness. Ren took a slow breath, his mind sharpening. He needed to focus. To predict its movements.

Then, as the beast lunged for his throat, he moved.

Time seemed to slow.

Ren twisted his body, sidestepping the attack. With a burst of instinct, he drove his dagger into the wolf's exposed neck.

The blade pierced flesh.

The wolf let out a choked howl, blood spraying across the forest floor. It staggered back, gurgling, before collapsing into the dirt. Its body twitched once then stilled.

Ren stood there, panting, his hands trembling. The dagger was slick with blood.

He had won.

But as he stared at the lifeless corpse, he felt no triumph only exhaustion.

He wiped his blade clean and turned away. This was only the beginning.

If he wanted to survive in this world, he had to become stronger.

Stronger than the wolves.

Stronger than the heroes.

Stronger than the kingdom that abandoned him.

He was no chosen warrior. No legendary savior.

But he would carve his own path.

Even if he had to tear down this world to do it.

Ren wiped the blood from his dagger onto his torn tunic, his breathing still ragged. The Darkfang Wolf lay motionless at his feet, its crimson eyes now lifeless. He should have felt something relief, victory, maybe even guilt. But all he felt was emptiness.

The fight had ended in seconds, yet his heart still pounded as if he were facing down death itself. His side ached where the wolf's claw had raked him, but the wound wasn't deep. He could still move. Still survive.

He knelt and examined the corpse. The beast's fur was thick and coarse, its muscles lean and strong. Even with his quick thinking, he had barely won. If there had been two of them, or if he had hesitated for even a moment he would have died.

That thought gnawed at him.

He needed to become stronger.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the system screen he had barely used since being abandoned. If the other heroes had access to skills and abilities, then he did too right?

"Status."

A translucent blue panel appeared before him.

[Name: Ren Kurogane]

Level: 2

Class: ???

Strength: 10

Agility: 12

Endurance: 9

Mana: 5

Skills: None

Ren scowled. Level 2? That must have been from killing the wolf. But his stats were pathetically low, and worse he still had no class or skills.

Unlike the other summoned heroes, who had been granted legendary weapons and abilities from the start, he had been cast aside. No divine blessing. No chosen power.

But that didn't mean he was helpless.

If I can level up by killing monsters… then I just have to keep fighting.

His grip tightened on his dagger. If the kingdom wouldn't give him strength, then he would take it himself.

Ren glanced at the wolf's corpse, then hesitated.

Should I harvest anything?

Back in his world, he had read plenty of fantasy stories where adventurers took materials from slain monsters fangs, pelts, even bones. But he had no experience with that. Would he even know what was valuable?

With a sigh, he reached for the beast's sharpest fang and pried it loose. It came free with a sickening snap.

Better than nothing.

As he stood, a sudden rustling in the trees made him freeze.

Something was watching him.

He turned sharply, eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. His body tensed. More wolves? Another monster?

Then.

A soft voice broke the silence.

"Are you… alone out here?"

Ren's eyes widened.

A girl stood at the edge of the clearing.

She looked to be around his age, with silver-white hair cascading down her back and piercing violet eyes that glowed faintly in the dim light. She was dressed in a tattered cloak, her clothes dirty and worn.

And yet, there was something unnatural about her.

Ren didn't lower his dagger. "Who are you?"

The girl tilted her head, studying him. "You're different… Not from here, are you?"

His grip tightened. "What do you want?"

She took a slow step forward. "To help you."

Ren didn't trust her. But something in her gaze told him one thing.

She knew more about this world than he did.

And right now, knowledge was just as important as strength.