The wind blew gently across the forest, even though the sun stood right in the middle of the sky, burning with intense heat. Despite that, soft seasonal breezes flowed through the trees, keeping the surroundings calm.
Under a large tree, Ji-Hoon sat quietly. Not far from him, the body of a dead fox lay on the ground. The tree above him was massive, perfectly shaped, its leaves swaying with the wind. Some of them drifted down, landing softly on Ji-Hoon as he simply enjoyed the peaceful moment.
The sky was completely clear, with only a few light clouds floating by.
A faint, silent smile appeared on his face.
"What a nice day… I wish time could stop, and I could just sit here forever."
Grrr…
His stomach suddenly growled.
"…Yeah, I guess I have to do some work now. I can't just sit here forever."
He stood up and glanced at the dead fox.
"Am I supposed to eat that raw…?"
His expression twisted in discomfort.
"Are there no fruits here or something?"
Then an idea struck him.
"Maybe I should start a fire."
But the very next second, he looked around—there was nothing but greenery everywhere.
"…Great. Another problem."
Ji-Hoon scratched his head and sighed.
"I ran here so fast that I fell into holes a few times… my clothes are dirty, and so am I. I should clean up first."
He slowly walked toward a small river flowing nearby. Within a few steps, he reached the riverbank and crouched down.
As soon as he looked at his reflection—
He froze.
"…What the…?"
He quickly touched his face.
On his head were small antler-like horns—not too big, not too small. His ears were slightly different, similar to an elf from a fantasy novel. Near his cheeks were faint, scale-like patterns, almost like natural armor. His skin wasn't completely human either—it had a subtle, animal-like texture.
And his eyes…
Dark, yet shining like distant stars.
Shocked, Ji-Hoon stumbled backward and fell onto the ground. He started touching his horns, ears, and body, checking if they were real.
"…This isn't fake."
He swallowed hard.
"Holy sh—did I become some kind of dragon… or a deer hybrid?"
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.
"No. You are neither."
Ji-Hoon blinked.
"Then what am I? Just tell me already."
A glowing screen appeared in front of him.
Name: Jin Hong
Age: 16
Race: Star Human
Status: Mortal
Title: Chu Chang's Pervert Hero
Hidden Information:
Witch Slave
Hidden Spy in Star Heaven
Captain of Crowns
Stats:
Strength: 8
Qi: 1
Agility: 6
Speed: 7
Skills:
Heaven-to-Earth Information Transfer (Passive)
Auto-Distraction (Passive)
Crown Control
Ji-Hoon's face darkened as veins popped on his forehead.
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
"Master's full information is displayed here."
"…Who the hell is this Jin Hong? That's not me!"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"This must be someone else's profile…"
"Master should not insult himself."
Ji-Hoon froze.
Slowly, he turned back toward the river and looked at his reflection again—his horns, his ears…
Everything became clear.
"…I'm in someone else's body."
The moment he realized it—
A flood of memories crashed into his mind.
"AAAAAHHH!"
A loud scream echoed through the forest.
Moments later, Ji-Hoon was seen kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily, processing everything.
This world… was called Star Heaven. A divine world where people possessed supernatural powers.
And this body—
Jin Hong.
An orphan boy, adopted by an old man named Chen, who ran a herbal shop. Jin Hong studied at the village academy, learning martial arts and basic knowledge. In his free time, he came to this forest to gather herbs.
But yesterday…
He was bitten by a snake.
And died.
"…So that's when I reincarnated into his body."
Ji-Hoon let out a dry laugh.
"No wonder… my body suddenly became younger."
He stood up slowly.
"First, I need to find those herbs and get back to the village."
He paused.
"…A spy mission, huh? I don't even know how to do that."
Shaking his head, he muttered,
"Whatever. First, understand the situation… then act."
He remembered something.
"I was bitten near a valley… so the herb basket should still be there."
He glanced once more at the dead fox, clearly not interested in eating it.
Dusting off his clothes, he turned toward the direction where the river flowed and began walking.
The system spoke again.
"Good choice. Civilization lies in that direction."
Ji-Hoon ignored it.
"From the memories… this is just a small village. A few clans live there."
"The Jin Clan specializes in medicine and herbs. The Venom Clan handles security—they're strong. Then there's the Ming Clan and Chen Clan… the four major clans."
"The population is small since this place is near a deadly forest. Surviving here isn't easy."
He sighed.
"…Couldn't I have been reborn into a better clan?"
"I'm just an outsider living in the Jin Clan. I doubt anyone's even worried about me."
The system remained silent this time.
Ji-Hoon clenched his fist slightly.
"No matter what… I just need to survive. Complete the mission. That's it."
He kept walking along the river, moving into lower terrain.
"…How much further do I have to go? I'm already tired."
After a moment, he said,
"System, show me my missions."
A large screen appeared instantly.
Mission 1: Successfully reach the village
Reward: 3 Qi Stones
Ji-Hoon's eyes lit up.
"Not bad… three Qi Stones."
He smirked.
"If it's like other cultivation stories, I can use them to increase my strength… or buy things from the system shop."
"It seems the user has prior knowledge."
Ji-Hoon chuckled.
"Yeah… I've read a few novels."
Skipping high school for novels finally paid off, he thought.
"Then what is my purpose?"
"Hey, I only know a little," Ji-Hoon replied quickly.
Then he looked ahead with determination.
"First… I'll complete this mission."
"…Then I'll become stronger."