Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[🎉!!!CONGRATULATIONS!!!🎉]

[New world, new adventure! The greatest journey awaits straight ahead!]

[Greetings, Chosen One!! Kyaa>///<]

“....?” 

What is this? 

Kim Rok Soo squinted his eyes, intending to dismiss the glowing screen off his face so he could focus back on his work. It didn't disappear as his wish, but it did drifting further from his face. 

Punch— 

It punched him off its presence. 

“... Fucker–” 

[System alert: Rude!ヽ(`д´；)/]

[Penalty due to disrespect to the system]

[HP -1]

[Current HP: 29]

[Survival Rate -2]

[Current Survival Rate: 55]

….

Silence, and Kim Rok Soo, who's all alone in the whole building, got no one he could ask to confirm if he's hallucinating from exhaustion. 

He was thrown quite far, the exhaustion now had a new companion; bruises. This minuscule pain kindly guided him to the severity of the bullshit he was in. 

A strange floating screen had appeared in the otherwise system-less world. The strangeness wasn't on the system itself, but the timing it had. 

“Why now?” 

Apocalypse had long since happened, humans had adjusted to live with their acquired abilities without any help from the system—they discovered their abilities themselves and filled in the missing information through various experiences—that what was currently happening was such an anticlimactic development. 

Kim Rok Soo was not even interested to dive deep into details. What's more important was why this occurred now. 

[System alert: ... Don't know(　；∀；)]

“What.” 

[System alert: ... Was new in this department! Ho,how would I know!]

Department? 

“Department?” 

What kind of fucked damnhead is this? 

He stood with effort, and grabbed the floating screen by the (imaginary) collar. 

“Listen, you shit-loaded little brat. This Chosen One over here needs you to communicate properly. C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-E.” 

He shook the (apparently) tangible screen back and forth while frowning hard. 

As if all-nighter was not enough. As if he's not overworked enough. As if the damn monsters he had to take care of weren't hard enough. 

“If you throw shit on someone's face, aim at it properly instead of barking and no bite.” 

Better be something worth his attention. 

[System alert: I can, I can communicate! Human Kim Rok Soo, you are appointed to be the Chosen Transmigeatof throughout the woelxs!]

A laugh of disbelief escaped him then. Considering the <typing> sign a few seconds before the newest notification, this system newbie just makes a mistake in spelling the word ‘transmigration’ and ‘worlds’. Which, oddly proved it is inexperienced, and granted a new headache for him to think of. 

Different from cliches he'd expected in such a setting, he didn't die suddenly, he didn't fall asleep, he hadn't read any novel, getting secretly ambushed, betrayed, or experienced a traffic accident on the way home. 

He simply sat on his desk, working overtime, and then the system appeared. 

“Does transmigrating through ‘various’ worlds have something to do with the reason you appear now, hmm?” 

His world was far from normal for too long, it's already changed genres from non-fiction to fantasy, there was nothing to be surprised about. Kim Rok Soo let go of the system, opting to gently get along with his future colleague. 

He just met, but the little brat had easily reduced his HP and Survival Rate… that he didn't know was that low. He didn't even know he had those until mere 6 minutes ago, for the love of God. In a situation where he can die from upsetting this floating screen, it warranted a certain countermeasures proceeding forward. 

The answer takes time, <typing> sign continuously appear and disappear. 

[System alert: Ah!(ﾟρﾟ; that… so it's possible to explain it so neatly like that… hehe?]

[Survival Rate +3 as a reward for the display of intelligence]

[Current Survival Rate: 58]

“What are you, five years old?”

This was too sloppy to pass as a system. 

Forget it. Ain't no way Kim Rok Soo could stay patient with this shit. 

[System alert: Gasp! That was my age… last millennia(?) me think!:D]

… Its age doesn't matter anyway. What can go wrong at this point, hahaha. 

Think positively, Kim Rok Soo, luck forbides needless doubts and suspicions in its favour. 

“Fine. So what now?” 

At least this would be a way to finally get rid of all the work he needs to do. 

“CAN'T YOU TELL ME SHIT, YOU FUCKER?!” 

[System alert: I forgot! ᕕ( ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ)ᕗ]

[!Warning!]

[Potential injury: Bones fracture]

[Survival Rate -20 due to potential danger]

[Survival Rate: 38]

[HP -10 will be deducted upon contact]

[Current HP: 29]

[Avoid crashing to the ground!]

“Who's fault is it that I'm falling—!” 

There was no use in screaming. 

Bang—! 

He's fallen. 

Hard, to the ground, with a grand crash.

And it was on someone's backyard too. 

‘... It hurts.’ 

He'd like to dig a hole and disappear somewhere. 

[You've acquired bone fractures!]

[Survival Rate -3]

[Survival Rate: 35]

[HP -10]

[Current HP: 19]

[System alert: Emergency! Get help ASAP! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚]

There's never. 

Not once. 

Not even Choi Jung Soo's face. 

Had he felt the need to punch something this eager and excitedly. 

Kim Rok Soo sensed a smile creeping up his face, pulling both of his lips upwards. 

Muffled noises resounding from the house he briefly saw mid air, he had no way to know what the heck they're talking about. 

He's too pissed to care. 

Our dear system who's a newbie in its department… delivered an outstanding performance, going beyond expectation…! 

[(System hide to save its life from transmigrator's wrath)]

It can't even do basic explaining, let alone providing assistance, it's communication skills is shit and the poor attempt it makes to appear friendly is pure fucked-up. 

[....]

Just let him do his due work now, Kim Rok Soo was halfway done already, a few more hours and he's good to get home. 

Or maybe actually began the delayed explanation??? 

[... (◞ ‸ ◟ㆀ)]

No? 

Not even the language pack or transmigrator's privilege? 

[Current understanding of the Eastern Continent Language: 0.01%]

[System alert: You've got this! (>︿<｡)]

‘Where’s my transmigrator's privilege, you little shit.’ 

The screen, through his blurred vision, trembling and flickering uncontrollably. 

[System alert: … I'll ask quickly and be right back! (system dashing towards its respected senior’s quarters)]

He lost his smile, his patience, and his rationale. 

“... Sob, it hurts.” 

His life, how painful his life is. 

Chapter Text

Kim Rok Soo… was too familiar with fracture wounds. The deep, deep aches pulsed and bounced. Numbness came, and lethargy followed close. It wasn't much compared to almost having his limb severed, but admittedly still posed a great deal of fuck for him to endure. 

There was no blood. Fracture wounds aside, that height prolly guaranteed instant death on his doorstep. Concussion, perhaps, and many other things. To crash that hard and no blood spilled? 

There's none at all, though. Only fractures (at least that's what the notification had alerted him) and it was merely on his left ankle and one on his rib, what makes it look worse were the bruises he'd gotten from that brat's punch scattering atop of his skin. 

… It punched him on his abdomen, so why were the bruises fairly distributed across his body? 

‘Ah, my head.’ 

What's with this inaccuracy? It can't be, this doesn't look like how telenovelas would portray the aftermath of accidents to be. How every wound ended with a bandaged head in hospital and stab wounds gained a fractured hand and neck as a bonus. 

Inexperienced bastard. 

Or, bastards. 

Whoever was responsible for that newbie had failed to get its job right. And they're planning to shove him through various worlds in a similar manner? That notion left such distasteful bile on the back of his throat and slid down his esophagus in constant burn. 

That's that, but he had another thing to focus on. 

Murmur– murmur–

He ain't understanding shit. What can a Language Pack of 0.01% even do? He hadn't got his damn privilege yet, too—

Poke. Poke poke. 

“...” 

Peck. Poke. 

Peck…? 

Kim Rok Soo opened his eyes wide at the chain of rudeness. Blurred world cleared through gritted teeth. Poking and probing were already unacceptable, let alone pecking him. Yet, what he saw properly for the first time was even more incomprehensible and indescribable that he froze. 

Beaks… humongous beaks. With similarly humongous claws rested a few inches away from his head, idly shifts and bends. 

Hawks. There were five of them. He hadn't paid any attention, but now he can roughly guess they're at least three to four meters in length (height?). Their napes and caps were silver in colour, while the rest were tinted jet black. Red pupils looking down at him with curiosity and caution, dead in the eyes and a breath away from plucking his eyeball with their maxillary. The wingspan, just from the sheer size, was terrifying, especially for him who's form was sprawled about on the ground. So when one of them opens it wide, for whatever fuck of reasoning, easily encompassing well over nine meters in diameter, blocking the sunlight and all, with red eyes simultaneously drawing closer to his face, Kim Rok Soo (f)rightfully screams. 

“AAAAAHHHH—” 

Fuck. Too much shock to bear. 

[You've lost consciousness]

When he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar place and luxurious bedding with a butler kindly shook him awake. 

… Except it's not. 

Kim Rok Soo, Death blessed him with Their bullshits, was suspended in the air. 

Securely held between maxilla and mandible, limply hanging upside down. 

A few meters upfront was a nest, a typical bird nest, and an eyas (if that's the correct name) was looking at him in enthusiasm. This eyas was astronomically giant compared to his world's hawk's eyas. 

But that's not the problem. 

It's opening its beak wide, and the hawk holding him was creeping closer to it. 

He's about to get eaten. 

The emergence of newfound fear and panic gave fuel into his frayed mind. It's like accidentally stepping into cockroach and hear it popped—

“No no no no no… 엄마!!"

Mom, his dead mother who's watching him from heaven, and whomever is there to watch him, please help! 

In that moment, the world slowed down, his mind accelerated along with the sound of much awaited notification. 

Ding! 

[Unexpected Scenario Occurred]

[Danger Detected]

[Operating Default Procedure]

[During Default Procedure, Transmigrator may access Emergency Feature]

[!Caution! Unprecedented side effects may occur upon activation]

[System Operator absent]

[Automatically proceeding]

[Loading….]

‘It's… a help, right?’ 

It should be, right…? 

Kim Rok Soo flails about, an unbearable itch spreading from his toe to the top of his head. It was enough to overcome the pain from having his bones broken. 

He knew what's to come. 

He has plenty of experience to tell. The peak of dropped bombing! 

This… transformation trope…! 

He's too busy cursing and flailing to notice the hawk that had stopped moving was slowly regaining its vigor.

Soon, another notification appears, halting his thought process and his incessant whining altogether. 

Ding! 

[Activation Completed]

What followed was perplexing. 

[Emergency Feature Activated]

[Communication Accessible (temporary)]

[HP: 100 (temporary)]

[System Operator absent, launching temporary sub mission]

[Mission (sub) (temporary) 

• Survive
• Be a good eyas and befriend eyas <Sui Khan>

Deadline: System Operator's Return

Failure: Death of Starvation]

‘.....’ 

… He shouldn't curse right now. 

Now that instead of being eaten, the newly transformed him was placed right next to the giant eyas–Sui Khan–he shouldn't curse in front of a kid. 

Yayy, amazing~ peace, love, affection and everything in between! Hahaha! Justice, hahahaha! 

“... So, wassup?” 

“....”

Good news was that his HP now 100, meaning all his wounds are gone for the better, of course temporary. The conditions… are not bad (for now), knowing his luck it certainly won't last long before shit hits the fan. Deadline, he won't know, there's no clue when that newbie brat will be back. Failure… Why specify the cause of death? Starvation, of all things… dammit. 

The only appreciable thing was communication access. It was a real headache not to understand a single thing.  

So, not bothering with whatever appearance he currently has, like a good eyas that he is, he offered a handshake. 

Wait, he no longer had a hand to shake, so wingshake. 

It was too pitiful to even be called wing. Unlike him, Sui Khan was almost ready to be a juvenile hawk, his feathers were nice and neat. Meanwhile, from the sneaky glances he took on his body (begrudgingly), he's merely a messy clump of feathers half the size of this kid. 

He didn't expect to get humbled on his first day, however. 

“First,” Sui Khan began, doubtful yet accepted the odd wingshake nonetheless, “No need to frets.” 

“... Eh?” 

“You almost fell just now, kid.” 

“Yes…?” 

Kid–?? Him? Not him? 

“How did you go outside….”

He was left agape. Kim Rok Soo refused to believe this kid just called him kid with a sympathetic expression! 

This Sui bitch even has the nerve to laugh and pat him like he's an actual child in tantrums.  

“Mother will come soon, hm? Hang in there for a little bit.” 

“.. Mm.” 

What the heck, his mother almost served him to be his meal just now. He also excitedly opened his beak wide! 

When did that hawk even gone, leaving the two of them all alone? 

And what's with his eyes looking like they're siblings with a big age gap… no fucking way. 

The side effect was actually a damn butterfly's fault? Butterfly effect? 

To safely transform him into the same species and avoid death, a rough backstory was to be stitched and pieced together in succession. Depending on how far the system's intervention reaches, that means now Kim Rok Soo has quite literally become a part of this world. 

Temporary. 

He'd come so close to death for the second time in a row to achieve this temporary solution. 

Since the real mission would be more challenging than behaving like a good kid and being a companion, of course this was a welcome result. 

It is welcomed. 

That's the whole point. 

Ain't no way it was this easy? 

Kim Rok Soo is the Chosen One. The system itself called him as such. It can punish and subject him to do something morally dangerous if it wishes, holding the tightrope he's standing upon and severing the connection with a click. 

… He's on the receiving end. 

The system granted to him was a newbie, a novice, and naïve by nature. 

Kim Rok Soo was dispensable. A toy to be played and cast aside. 

‘I'm having a bad feeling about this.’ 

There's an instinctive ominousness in this ordeal, yet to be known and therefore dangerous. 

His HP was 100 when it never even passed 50 from the get-go? 

It feels like something. Something he won't do, won't wish to do even at gun point– 

“Oh, she's home. Quick, go have your meal.” 

Beat him. 

‘I knew it was too good to be true…!!’ 

Was everything in this world mutated and evolved?! 

Another character, namely a giant worm, wiggling and squirming about, had spawned before him. 

Now he knows why the failure had to be a death out of starvation.