THE GODDESS MISTAKE: FIVEFOLD DESTINY

THE FOREST BEGINNING

Ren spent several minutes staring at the place where the Forest Fang had disappeared.

Only a few glowing objects remained on the grass.

He crouched down and picked them up.

[Forest Fang Fang ×2]

[Forest Fang Hide ×1]

[Low-Grade Magic Core ×1]

Ren held the small blue crystal between his fingers.

"So monsters really drop items."

A new notification appeared.

[Would you like to absorb the Magic Core?]

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Absorb it?"

He remembered the goddess mentioning that his SSS-rank skill was unique.

There was only one way to find out.

"Yes."

The crystal dissolved into blue light and entered his body.

A warm sensation spread through him.

[Magic Core absorbed.]

[Mana +3]

[Skill acquired: Mana Detection.]

Ren stared at the message.

"Absolute Growth can learn skills from magic items?"

He quickly opened his status.

Name: Ren Takahashi

Age: 18

Race: Human

Level: 3

Strength: 17

Agility: 19

Vitality: 18

Intelligence: 21

Mana: 23

Skills: Mana Detection, Basic Combat

Unique Skill: Absolute Growth

Experience Gain: ×5

Ren smiled.

"This is getting better."

His stomach suddenly growled.

Ren placed a hand over it.

"Right. I'm hungry."

He looked around the enormous forest.

There were no buildings, roads, or people anywhere.

"Step one: survive. Step two: find food. Step three: find civilization."

He paused.

"And hopefully don't get eaten."

Ren followed a small stream through the forest. The water was clear enough to drink, and he quickly filled his stomach.

He was about to continue when he heard something behind him.

Rustle.

Ren turned slowly.

A small green creature stepped from behind a tree.

It was about the size of a young teenager and carried a wooden club.

Ren recognized it from the fantasy stories he had read.

"A goblin."

The goblin screamed and charged.

Ren jumped aside.

The club struck the ground where his head had been.

"That was close!"

The goblin swung again.

Ren blocked with his branch.

The force nearly knocked him backward.

The creature was stronger than it looked.

Ren focused.

He watched its shoulders, feet, breathing, and movements.

Suddenly, everything became clearer.

[Absolute Growth activated.]

[Combat pattern analyzed.]

Ren waited for the next attack.

The goblin raised its club.

Ren moved first.

He knocked the weapon aside, swept the goblin's legs, and sent it crashing onto the ground.

The goblin reached for a small knife.

Ren reacted immediately.

His branch struck its hand.

The knife fell.

A final strike ended the battle.

The goblin disappeared into particles of light.

[Goblin defeated.]

[Experience gained: 35.]

[×5 Experience Bonus applied.]

[175 EXP obtained.]

[Level Up!]

[Level 3 → Level 5]

Ren stared at the notification.

"Two levels from one goblin?"

He looked at his cracked branch.

"I definitely need a better weapon."

He searched the area and found the goblin's knife.

It was rusty, but usable.

The moment Ren picked it up, another notification appeared.

[Basic Knife Handling acquired.]

Ren laughed.

"This skill really is broken."

---

As evening approached, Ren decided to sleep in a tree.

He found a large branch near the trunk and carefully settled down.

The forest looked completely different at night.

Tiny lights floated between the trees like stars.

Ren leaned against the trunk and looked toward the sky.

For a moment, he thought about Japan.

His classroom.

His friends.

His family.

He wondered if anyone knew what had happened to him.

"Did they even get to say goodbye?"

A strange emptiness filled his chest.

Ren closed his eyes.

"Well... there's nothing I can do now."

Eventually, exhaustion took over.

He fell asleep.

Then he dreamed.

Ren stood beneath a black sky.

A silver moon hung above him.

A girl stood several meters away.

She had long silver hair and wore a white dress.

Ren recognized her immediately.

She was the mysterious girl from his previous dream.

"Who are you?" Ren asked.

The girl remained silent.

"Why do I keep seeing you?"

She finally looked at him.

Her eyes seemed strangely familiar.

"Because you already know me."

Ren frowned.

"No, I don't."

The girl smiled sadly.

"You will."

Suddenly, the silver moon turned black.

The ground cracked beneath Ren's feet.

A gigantic eye opened beneath the darkness.

Ren stepped backward.

"What is that?"

The girl's expression became serious.

"The door beneath the world."

"What does that mean?"

Before she could answer, a deep voice echoed across the sky.

"He has awakened."

Ren suddenly woke.

He was breathing heavily.

Morning sunlight streamed through the branches.

He looked around.

Nothing.

Only trees.

Ren rubbed his eyes.

"That dream again."

He couldn't understand it.

But one phrase remained in his mind.

The door beneath the world.

---

Ren spent the next several hours traveling deeper into the forest.

His battles became easier.

He fought small wolves, slimes, and a giant spider.

Each fight taught him something new.

After seeing a monster attack once, Ren could often predict its movements the next time.

His strange skill was turning experience into knowledge.

By afternoon, his status had changed dramatically.

Level: 12

Strength: 31

Agility: 35

Vitality: 32

Intelligence: 39

Mana: 47

Skills:

Mana Detection

Basic Combat

Basic Knife Handling

Enhanced Reflexes

Beginner Fire Magic

Ren stared at the screen.

"I've only been here for two days."

He smiled.

"If I keep growing like this, I'll become ridiculously strong."

Then he heard something.

Voices.

Human voices.

Ren immediately moved toward them.

He pushed through a wall of bushes and found a dirt road.

A wooden wagon stood nearby.

Three men were fighting several goblins.

One man was injured, while another desperately protected a young woman.

Ren didn't hesitate.

He ran forward.

"Hey!"

Everyone turned.

A goblin charged him.

Ren drew his knife.

The creature swung.

Ren ducked and struck.

The goblin disappeared.

He moved to the next one.

Then another.

Within moments, the remaining goblins were defeated.

Silence fell over the road.

The injured man stared at Ren.

"Who are you?"

"Ren."

The young woman looked at him cautiously.

"Are you an adventurer?"

Ren shook his head.

"Not yet."

The man laughed weakly.

"Then you just saved us without even being one."

He introduced himself as Marcus, a merchant traveling toward Elaria.

When Marcus learned that Ren was alone, he offered him a place on the wagon.

"You saved our lives. Let us repay you by taking you to the city."

Ren gladly accepted.

As the wagon began moving, Ren looked back at the forest.

For the first time since arriving in Asteria, he felt that his new life was truly beginning.

But deep within the trees, something watched him.

A small black creature stood in the shadows.

Its eyes glowed red.

"The Otherworlder has found the road."

Then it vanished.

Far away, beneath the ruins of an ancient temple, a sealed stone door began to c***k.

Blue light escaped through the opening.

Four ancient words were carved into the door:

THE HERO HAS RETURNED.

Ren knew nothing about the message.

He was too busy staring at the enormous city appearing beyond the hills.

Elaria.

The city of adventurers.

The place where he would finally learn about this strange world.

And perhaps the place where he would meet the people who would change his destiny.

Ren smiled.

"Let's see what this world has to offer."

The wagon rolled toward Elaria.

Behind him, the forest became silent.

Ahead of him, his adventure awaited.

And somewhere beyond the horizon, a silver-haired girl opened her eyes.

She whispered a single name.

"Ren

To be continued...