Little did Wren know that her problems and the world's problems were currently very different.
The moment Wren had awakened beneath the forest canopy; the world had felt her.
Not her body.
Not her location.
Her existence.
For a single impossible moment, Wren's presence had brushed against reality and spread across the world like a ripple through still water. Then it vanished, retreating into the depths of the unknown forest before anyone could follow it.
Yet that single moment had been enough.
Across continents, heavens, oceans, and forgotten lands, ancient beings had looked up.
Something had revealed itself.
In the highest reaches of heaven, atop a mountain drifting above endless clouds, an enormous dragon slowly opened one eye. Storms immediately gathered around its body. Wind screamed around scales larger than cities. Yet the dragon's attention was focused entirely on the distant horizon and the impossible existence it had sensed.
A Primordial.
The dragon knew it instantly.
Every ancient being would.
Yet that knowledge brought no comfort.
The Primordials that still existed were known. The dead Primordials were remembered. The missing Primordials were recorded in histories older than nations.
This presence matched none of them.
For several minutes the dragon remained silent, feeling the fading traces of the aura. It felt old. Ancient. Fundamental. Like the presence of a mountain that had existed since the world's creation.
Yet simultaneously unfamiliar and wrong. Very wrong.
That should have been impossible.
Eventually the dragon spoke.
"Impossible."
The word rolled across the heavens like thunder.
Why now?
What reason could possibly justify a hidden Primordial revealing itself after countless ages of silence?
Why choose this moment?
The dragon's expression darkened.
Because there was only one explanation.
Something had changed.
And if a Primordial was moving, then whatever had changed was unlikely to remain small.
A second dragon appeared nearby accompanied by a burst of heavenly fire. The smaller dragon immediately bowed.
"My Lord?"
"Send word."
The younger dragon stiffened.
"To whom?"
"The Dragon Clans."
The response came instantly.
The younger dragon's eyes widened. The Dragon Clans had not coordinated on a matter in centuries. The elder dragon's gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"And the Phoenix Clans."
The younger dragon's face immediately paled.
"My Lord... do you believe a disaster approaches?"
The ancient dragon remained silent for several moments before answering.
"I believe something ancient has revealed itself."
The storm surrounding the mountain intensified.
"And I dislike not knowing why."
Elsewhere, an immortal cultivator shattered his meditation chamber after abruptly opening his eyes.
The breakthrough he had spent three hundred years pursuing collapsed instantly.
He didn't care.
His hands trembled.
He recognized the aura immediately.
A Primordial.
Without question.
Yet he knew of no Primordial matching that presence.
None.
Not even the oldest records contained anything similar.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
Deep beneath the ocean, something enormous shifted in its sleep.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Ancient gods opened their eyes within forgotten sanctuaries.
Heavenly beasts abandoned centuries-long slumber.
Messengers departed.
Divinations began.
Forbidden archives opened.
Across the world, records that had not been consulted for millennia suddenly became important.
The same question spread through the highest circles of power.
Which Primordial had revealed itself and why?
No answers came.
The surviving Primordials themselves offered none. The oldest beings in existence compared impressions, memories, and records.
Nothing matched.
No clan recognized the aura.
No ancient power claimed it.
No Primordial acknowledged it.
And that frightened everyone.
Because if even the remaining Primordials couldn't identify what had appeared...
Then what exactly had announced itself to the world?
Meanwhile, the terrifying existence responsible for all of this was sitting beside a lake trying very hard not to look at several corpses.
She remained entirely unaware that gods, dragons, immortals, and monsters had just begun searching for her.
Wren continued staring at the blood on her hands.
Eventually a familiar crimson notification appeared.
[Quest Completed.]
[Beginner Package Available.]
The Beginner Package felt absurdly unimportant compared to the bodies scattered throughout the clearing. A deer. Several smaller animals. Evidence of an entire night she barely remembered.
Still.
Free loot was free loot.
"...Open the beginner package please."
[Opening Beginner Package!]
Three rewards appeared before her.
A folded set of dark clothing.
A crimson ticket.
And a glowing notification.
[100 System Points Awarded.]
For several seconds Wren simply stared.
Then pointed.
"Clothes."
The System remained silent.
"Those are clothes."
Still silent.
"Those are actual, real, wearable clothes!"
The excitement hit her all at once.
Every other concern immediately vanished. The corpses? Secondary. The mysterious ticket? Can wait. The existential crisis? Surprisingly flexible. Clothes were currently the most important thing in existence. She had spent multiple days wandering through a magical forest completely naked. She had run from monsters naked. Fought for survival naked. Had several emotional breakdowns naked. Civilization had spent thousands of years perfecting clothing for a reason.
"System."
[Yes?]
"I take back at least three of the mean things I've thought about you."
[Only three?]
"Don't push it."
Without another word, she grabbed the folded bundle and nearly ran toward the lake.
Only after reaching the water did she slow down and begin cleaning herself properly. Blood covered her hands, arms, legs, and hair. Every time she thought she'd washed enough away she discovered another stain somewhere else. The process took much longer than expected.
At some point, while pushing wet hair away from her face, her eyes drifted toward the surface of the lake.
Then she stopped.
Her reflection stared back.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Wren got a proper look at herself.
The lake reflected the twin moons overhead like polished silver, making every detail painfully clear. Pale skin seemed to glow beneath the moonlight. Not sickly pale. Beautiful pale. Smooth and flawless in a way that felt almost unreal. Deep crimson eyes stared back from beneath long black lashes, standing out vividly against her complexion.
Her hair was even more ridiculous.
What had once been ordinary dark hair now spilled far past her shoulders in waves of midnight-black silk. In places it almost looked like liquid shadow.
Wren stared.
Then leaned closer.
The reflection did the same.
"...This is me now."
The woman in the water remained way wayyyy too attractive.
Her features looked sharp without seeming harsh. Soft without losing definition. Everything appeared impossibly balanced.
Like someone had taken her old appearance and spent several days adjusting sliders.
Occatus absolutely knew what she'd done. There was no way she didn't.
Wren touched her cheek. The reflection copied her. Still her. Somehow.
Just... upgraded.
A lot.
Heat immediately flooded her face.
"Oh come on."
Unfortunately, the rest of her wasn't helping.
Her body wasn't simply healthy.
It was athletic.
Strong.
Balanced but curvy in all the places that mattered.
The kind of body she'd never possessed in her previous life regardless of how many fitness plans she'd started and then immediately abandoned.
Wren quickly looked away.
Then looked back.
Then immediately regretted looking back.
"...Okay."
Another glance.
"...Maybe one more second."
Several deeply embarrassing seconds later, common sense finally returned.
She was standing naked beside a lake.
Covered in blood.
In a magical forest.
Admiring herself.
This was not productive.
"Right. Priorities."
With determination worthy of a far better cause, Wren finished washing the remaining blood from her skin and hair before climbing back onto shore.
Then she attacked the clothes.
Dark trousers.
Long sleeved black tunic.
Durable leather boots.
A comfortable black fur lined traveler's cloak.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing legendary.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Wren got dressed with the speed and desperation of someone who had spent far too long without the option.
The moment she finished, she nearly melted.
"Oh thank god."
The fabric felt comfortable.
Warm.
Normal.
She tugged at her sleeves.
Adjusted the cloak. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Looked at the boots.
Then looked at them again.
She might have gotten a little emotional.
"These are the greatest treasure I've received since arriving here."
[Host Satisfaction Detected.]
"More than satisfied."
Wren spread her arms dramatically.
"I'm wearing pants."
The System remained silent.
Which Wren took as quiet understanding of joy she felt for finally being able to wear pants again.
For the first time since arriving in this world, she felt almost like a person again instead of some half-feral cryptid roaming the forest.
The feeling lasted approximately ten seconds before her attention drifted toward the remaining rewards.
The crimson ticket floated patiently before her.
[System Upgrade Ticket.]
Wren frowned.
"Upgrade?"
[Correct!]
"What does it do?"
[First Upgrade Allows Full Soul Binding.]
[Current Synchronization: partial.]
[Synchronization after upgrade: Complete soul bound.]
That explained absolutely nothing.
"Okay but what exactly does that mean? Aren't you my skill that's already bound to me?"
The System paused.
Wren rubbed her forehead.
"Why wasn't it fully synchronized from the start?"
A long pause followed.
[Average newly reincarnated individual survival rate: extremely poor.]
Wren blinked.
[Catastrophically poor.]
[Embarrassingly poor.]
[Most hosts die.]
"...Really?"
[Yes.]
That was depressing.
The System appeared unconcerned.
[Constructing a fully synchronized soul-bound system for hosts who immediately perish is considered inefficient resource allocation.]
[Congratulations.]
[You survived.]
Wren opened her mouth.
"...Wow."
The System continued.
[You survived low odds primarily through unprecedented levels of hunger-fueled violence.]
Wren closed her mouth.
"Hunger-fuled violence.."
[I found it encouraging.]
"It wasn't."
[Disagreement noted.]
Wren sighed.
Deeply.
"What exactly changes after the upgrade?"
The System paused longer this time.
[Unknown.]
"W-what? How can you not know what's going to happen after your own upgrade?"
[Current functionality incomplete.]
[Full functionality unavailable until complete soul synchronization.]
[I also wish to know.]
That was somehow more concerning than any other answer she had received today.
"So you have no clue whats actually going to happen?"
[Correct!]
"Wonderful."
Several minutes later, Wren finally activated the ticket.
"Here goes I guess."
The crimson paper dissolved into light.
A new notification appeared.
[Full Soul Synchronization Initiated.]
[Estimated Completion Time: 7 Days]
7 Days?!
Wren immediately disliked that.
"Why the hell does a simple update take 7 days?!"
"You'll be gone for seven days?"
[Correct! Sorry Host!]
For some reason that bothered her.
More than she expected.
The System seemed to notice.
One final quest appeared.
[Quest Generated]
[Objective: Survive Seven Days]
[Reward: 100 System Points]
[Failure: Death]
"...." Wren stared as a final message appeared.
[Good luck, Wren.]
[Please avoid dying.]