Antibody

Alfie's mouth felt dry and coarse; uttering just a single sentence caused him great discomfort.

Many questions scrambled his mind, but one thought triumphed over them all. Water… I need water.

Observing his surroundings, the forest's towering trees made looking for a stream of any kind impossible.

Frowning, Alfie aimed to use his sense of hearing, hoping to pick up the sound of running water.

Hearing only the rustle of leaves and distant chirping, he grew more agitated. Alfie's thirst heightened when he realized that an easy solution was not in sight.

In response to this growing anxiety, he tensed his body. He made his hands into fists and gripped the wet soil underneath his feet.

Feeling the moist soil, a disgusting thought entered Alfie's mind. Crouching down, he grabbed a handful of soil and squeezed what little murky water he could into his mouth.

The taste was absolutely horrid, causing him to almost gag, but the partial soothing of his throat made it all the more worth it.

Finding his thirst temporarily subsided, his thoughts became rational once more.

Wiping the dirt that sullied his face, his mind worked to process his current situation.

He was an environmental science student, one that was set to graduate in the following years.

However before the start of his third year, Lady luck must have held a grudge, since he contracted a mysterious disease never seen before.

From there, he went from lying in a hospital bed to drifting in an endless abyss for an eternity.

His purgatory only ended when he ended up falling into this place and hearing that voice.

The words it spoke were baffling, but he was quick to accept it.

He had been drifting across an endless void and was currently in the middle of a forest in another world; it would've been weirder for him to not accept it.

One thing that the voice told him did interest him; however, he gained access to a system?

He heard it speak of features such as a status screen, shop, and quests before spazzing out in the end. It sounded like a game if nothing else.

Then there was the ending, his mind which had been broken was partially fixed.

Thinking back, he could vividly remember his time in the void, but there seemed to be something actively blocking its traumatic effect.

There were other things on Alfie's mind, but ever since the beginning of his pondering, there was one thing he wanted to do.

"Status Screen"

A blue panel that could only be seen by Alfie appeared out of thin air. It read:

Name: Alfie.

Current world: Gaia (Elder).

Original Skill: Transmigration (Triggered upon death).

Attributes: [Living Husk], [Restless Soul], [Soul Entity].

Remark: Your rise is inevitable

His eyes widened in both awe and apprehension.

Alfie had been right; it was just like a game. Extending his arm, he moved to touch the blue panel.

When suddenly a voice came from within the forest. "I come in peace, I didn't mean any harm by sneaking up upon you," said a huntress dressed in brown rags.

Alfie's finger, which he was extending to touch the blue panel, had miraculously pointed at a mysterious bronze toned woman behind a tree.

Combined with the noticeable widening of his brown eyes just before, the huntress had jumped to the conclusion that she had been found.

Examining Alfie, the huntress took a few mental notes before signaling something with her hands. Not so far off in the distance, a crowd of people entered within Alfie's view.

He saw men and women of all ages being led by an older gentleman dressed in brown rags. His lengthy gray beard signified his age and supposed wisdom.

He looked like an old wizard, minus the magic staff and robes.

The huntress turned, walked towards the old man, and whispered a few sentences into his ear.

He nodded his head in approval and began approaching the wary Alfie.

"Young man, I am sure you are confused, tired, and lost. I can provide some much-needed answers and relief.

As Lucia has already told you, we mean no harm.

I am Solon, the elder of this budding tribe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Alfie took a moment before responding. "Where am I? What is this place?"

Solon looked confused for a moment before answering. "You're currently in the concealed forest. We found you while on our way towards our promised land."

The answer was quite vague and didn't really answer much of Alfie's questions.

Alfie worried that asking too many questions might be suspicious, but he was in vital need of information.

"Is there a city nearby or any sort of settlement?" asked Alfie.

Solon raised his eyebrow in confusion once again. "Currently no, I doubt that any other priests have created a settlement, much less grown it to the size of a city."

His answer confused Alfie even more; there were no settlements, no cities, no nothing?

From the implication, it sounded like there were no settlements that existed in the slightest.

And was finding random clueless people in the forest normal? It seemed like they were quite used to the occurrence.

"I see… You said other priests, does that mean you're a priest as well?" Alfie asked.

"That would be correct," Solon answered with conviction.

"Who do you worship?" Alfie asked.

Looking towards the sky, Solon placed his hand on his chest before replying.

"We worship the god of forethought, fire, benevolence, and wisdom. The great Prometheus."