The Forbidden Forest was a place where even experienced adventurers feared to step.
But Aiden Valen had no choice.
He stood alone beneath the enormous trees, his clothes still the same ones he wore before being summoned.
No weapon.
No supplies.
No map.
No knowledge of this world.
Only a strange ability called Nothingness.
Aiden looked around the endless forest.
The silence felt unnatural.
On Earth, silence meant peace.
Here…
Silence meant something was watching.
He had learned that lesson quickly.
Aiden slowly moved forward, carefully watching his surroundings.
Every step could reveal a hidden danger.
Every shadow could hide a monster.
“This place…”
He muttered.
“…is trying to kill me.”
He was not wrong.
A few hours after being abandoned, he had already discovered countless strange creatures.
Some were small.
Some were terrifying.
And all of them were stronger than him.
He had survived only because he avoided direct encounters.
But that would not last forever.
The forest was not going to let him leave easily.
A sudden sound came from behind him.
Crack.
A branch broke.
Aiden immediately turned.
Nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
He slowly stepped backward.
Then—
A massive shadow rushed from between the trees.
Aiden barely reacted.
A giant wolf-like creature slammed into him.
The force sent him rolling across the ground.
Pain spread through his body.
He looked up.
The monster stood over him.
It was enormous.
Its body was covered in black fur, and its glowing red eyes stared at him like prey.
Aiden tried to move.
Too slow.
The monster swung its claw.
He raised his arm to protect himself.
Slash!
Sharp claws cut across his hand.
Blood dripped onto the ground.
Aiden gritted his teeth.
“Ah…”
Pain shot through his entire arm.
He had fought nothing like this before.
On Earth, his biggest problems were ordinary life struggles.
Finding work.
Paying bills.
Surviving each day.
But this…
This was real survival.
The monster growled and attacked again.
Aiden rolled away desperately.
The creature was too fast.
Too strong.
He couldn’t fight it.
Not like this.
He tried to run.
But the monster chased him.
The forest became a blur around him.
Branches hit his face.
Roots nearly made him fall.
The monster was playing with him.
It knew he was weak.
Aiden’s breathing became heavier.
“If this continues…”
“I’ll die.”
The monster suddenly disappeared from his sight.
Aiden froze.
Where did it go?
Then—
A powerful impact struck his back.
He crashed into the ground.
Before he could recover, the monster opened its jaws.
Aiden’s eyes widened.
“No…”
The creature bit down on his left hand.
Pain exploded through his body.
“AAAAAH!”
His scream echoed through the forest.
The monster refused to let go.
Its fangs pierced deeper.
Blood flowed between its teeth.
Aiden desperately tried to pull away.
Nothing worked.
His strength was meaningless.
His body was weak.
The kingdom was right about one thing.
At that moment…
He truly was powerless.
The monster raised its head, preparing to tear his arm apart.
Aiden’s vision blurred.
He was going to die.
Not by a Demon Lord.
Not in a great battle.
But alone in a forest where nobody even knew his name.
Anger filled his heart.
He did not want to die.
He refused.
His right hand moved desperately.
Searching for anything.
Anything that could save him.
His fingers touched the monster’s head.
At that moment—
Everything stopped.
The wind.
The sound.
Even time itself seemed to freeze.
A strange black energy appeared around Aiden’s hand.
The monster suddenly became still.
Its red eyes widened.
As if it finally understood something.
Aiden felt something awaken inside him.
Something ancient.
Something that had been sleeping since before he arrived in this world.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
**[Emergency condition detected.]**
**[Host survival instinct activated.]**
**[Nothingness ability awakened.]**
Aiden stared in shock.
“What…”
The black energy spread from his hand.
The monster began disappearing.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Not dying.
Being erased.
The creature’s body turned into countless black particles.
Its claws vanished.
Its fangs disappeared.
Until nothing remained.
Aiden fell backward.
His injured hand trembled.
The forest became silent once again.
He stared at the empty space in front of him.
“I…”
“I killed it?”
Another message appeared.
**[Target erased.]**
**[Energy absorbed.]**
**[Information obtained.]**
**Ability: Nothingness**
**Level: 1**
**Current Understanding: Limited**
Aiden remained silent.
The ability he received was not useless.
It was not empty.
It was something far more dangerous.
But he also understood something.
He was not strong enough.
One monster nearly killed him.
If he wanted to survive…
He needed to learn.
And so began Aiden Valen’s first month inside the Forbidden Forest.
The first week was hell.
He learned how to find water.
How to recognize dangerous plants.
How to hide from stronger monsters.
How to fight without relying only on Nothingness.
The second week, he discovered more about his ability.
Nothingness could erase living creatures.
But it required contact.
The stronger the target…
The more difficult it became.
The third week, Aiden started hunting weaker monsters.
His body became stronger.
His movements became faster.
His instincts sharpened.
The fourth week…
The monsters of the forest began recognizing him.
Not as prey.
But as a threat.
Aiden stood on a cliff overlooking the endless forest.
His wounds had healed.
His eyes had changed.
The helpless young man who entered the forest a month ago was gone.
He looked at his hand.
The hand that awakened Nothingness.
“The kingdom thought they threw away a useless hero.”
A small smile appeared.
“They were wrong.”
Deep inside the Forbidden Forest…
Something powerful opened its eyes.
A new presence had appeared.
A presence that did not belong there.
A presence called…
Nothingness.