Mamadou observed the landscape before him.

It was no longer the forest where he was supposed to be.

Buildings, asphalt roads, houses.

Mamadou began to walk, as if to confirm what was in front of him.

He recognized this layout, he recognized this avenue, he recognized this signboard. Everything here was familiar to him. There was no doubt about it; he was in his hometown.

If I turn right, I should come across that bar where my mother used to hang around in the evenings.

Indeed, the bar was there, open.

Mamadou pushed the door open and entered. There was nobody inside, no customers or manager to welcome him.

He sat at the counter for a long time, trying to understand what was happening. Then he couldn’t help but laugh hysterically.

So all of this was just a dream?

The fact that I had to live as a monkey?

The fact that I had to struggle every day to survive?

The fact that I had to drink sap to quench my thirst?

The fact that I had to eat raw meat to satisfy my hunger?

The fact that I was on the verge of dying at the hands of goblins?

Sitting at the counter, he poured himself a drink, but it had no taste.

His gaze was bitter. He swept the bottle and glass onto the floor, his face displaying a complex mixture of emotions. He did not have many good memories of his hometown, and even fewer of this bar.

He left, but it did not take him long to realize that something was wrong.

The city was quiet.

Too quiet.

Neither the sound of cars nor the sound of people going about their business could be heard.

So it really is a dream?

After all, the sky was gray, and this world was gray. Looking more carefully, the details were blurry. This place was a reconstruction of his memories. He therefore understood that it was now that he was dreaming.

A lucid dream? he wondered.

Or have I finally died for real this time? After all, this could be hell.

So Mamadou began wandering through this place.

"Hey, the monkey!"

"Look at this monkey! He can’t do something as simple as that!"

Mamadou heard children’s voices. Following the source of the voices, he arrived at a park.

There were three children there. The park was enormous, filled with various playground equipment. Mamadou approached quietly to understand what was happening.

In this place where there was nothing, why were there three children?

As he walked toward them, he stopped. It seemed that the children were not playing.

Instead, it looked like two boys were bullying another.

The first one, dressed in a school uniform, shoved the other.

"You’re just a monkey. What makes you think you have the right to be the first one on the swing?"

"Yeah, yeah, you’re supposed to go last," the other confirmed.

The boy being bullied got back to his feet.

"If you can play on the swing, there’s no reason why I can’t too."

"Whenever we play together, I’m always the last one. And when it’s finally my turn, everyone ends up leaving."

The other boy grew angry at that response. Mamadou sensed that something was about to happen and hurried forward to intervene. But the moment he tried to grab the arm of the boy who was about to attack the other—

"What are you doing?!"

His hand passed right through.

Ah, that’s right. It’s only a dream.

He could not stop the other boy from being slapped.

The boy fell once again. As he tried to struggle, the other grabbed him. The two of them piled onto him.

And began raining blows upon him.

All Mamadou could do was watch helplessly. The three boys could not see him, and vice versa.

Yet the scene seemed familiar.

The face of the boy being beaten became clear, as though the fog covering it had disappeared. Mamadou recognized the boy.

That’s me!

The other one holding him down was his childhood friend. Later, they would found GAIA Corps together—or rather, Mamadou had called upon his services. But he did not recognize the last one. His face remained blurred.

"Oh, I see the monkey still doesn’t know when to give up," the boy declared.

Mamadou felt a strange dissonance.

The boy looked toward him!?

He can see me?

"Good. It is by overcoming adversity that one evolves. The greater the obstacle you overcome, the more you adapt. Isn’t that the most basic principle of evolution?"

"Will you become strong enough to overcome the wall that I represent?"

"Or will you destroy the wall that serves as my cage?"

"After all, aren’t we friends?"

For a brief instant, Mamadou felt as though the boy was looking directly at him. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

But the System’s voice brought him back to reality.

Everything was disappearing.

The boys.

The park.

The city.

Everything.

Mamadou had the sensation of falling into a bottomless pit. He hated that feeling.

[Maximum experience threshold reached. Individual Ma has increased from Level 2 to Level 5.]

[All base statistics have increased.]

[Skill level-up bonus acquired.]

[Poison Resistance Level 1] has become [Poison Resistance Level 2].

[Pain Resistance Level 3] has become [Pain Resistance Level 4].

[Fatigue Resistance Level 1] has become [Fatigue Resistance Level 2].

[Fangs Level 1] has become [Fangs Level 2].

[Claws Level 1] has become [Claws Level 2].

[Evaluation Level 2] has become [Evaluation Level 3].

[Achievement threshold reached. 500 Skill Points acquired.]

Mamadou was flooded with notifications. He had even gained new skills, but he ignored the System messages.

He stood up, his body covered in mud.

How long had he slept under the rain?

He did not know.

The rain had stopped, but more importantly, he was not dead.

"I survived? I survived?"

He immediately began examining his body. His wounds had healed, but traces of the battle remained. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

After all, he was living through a waking nightmare.

On the ground, he saw the axe that had been embedded in his back. He picked it up.

He still could not believe he had survived.

Even though he had not had time to check his HP while fleeing, he knew it should have been critically low.

Did I survive with a single HP until I leveled up?