*AAARHHHH!
The gigantic hand squeezed me like a hydraulic press, a slow, unrelenting force wrapping around me. My ribs compressed, and my chest tightened.
*AAAAHH!
I felt the bones in my body crack and move against my own will.
My lungs struggled to expand fully, making each breath shallow and controlled. It can feel like a weight pressing down on your torso, forcing me to fight for air.
The more I fought, the more exhausting it became. My arms were bided, making me feel claustrophobic, almost like the sensation of being trapped in a tight space.
*AHHHHH!
I feel my pulse pounding in your head. The restriction of circulation caused a numbing and tingling sensation in my limbs, and a growing sense of fatigue set in.
*HHHHHH
I felt my vision narrow, and soon after that, my consciousness started to fade.
*Hhh-
-grittt-
- BOOOOOM!!!-
A gust of wind entered the cave, followed by a loud, sharp sound.
-GRIIIIITTTT-
The beast''s hand fell limp into the ground, releasing me.
*cough, cough, cough…
While I was still recovering, the giant hand started to move around like a fish that had just been thrown out of the water.
I crawled to the corner of the cave and watched in horror as the hand spasmed. violently.
*cough, cough, cough…
''That was horrible… I really don''t want to die… I''ll never give up or even think of giving up again.''
''In this place, giving up is not only death! But also everything before death.''
At this moment I truly understood the true meaning behind what the survival reality TV show I used to watch while bored on stream always said:
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Don''t let your morale get low; always think positively and cherish your small achievements. In the wild, your worst enemy is yourself.
*huff, huff, puff…
A few minutes later the commotion died down… But I was in a state of pure adrenaline mixed with a little bit of panic.
''I should get out of here… Staying in the cave is a death sentence.''
''The hand went limp when the gust of wind entered the cave… That''s probably because the owner of the hand died by the terror bird claws…''
''The terror bird must have heard of the commotion earlier, or maybe my struggle in the cave… In any case, the chance of the bird being outside is low since it already got its meal.''
''The problem is my scent and the remains of the beast left by the bird… if there are any.''
As I got up, I felt pain all over my body, but it was specifically worse on my right shoulder, where the beast hit earlier.
I tried to hold my scream of pain, but I failed.
''''AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHrrRGhgh''''.
The sound echoed through the cave.
''Great! I really need to move now!… DAMN IT!.''
Picking up the sword on the ground and using it as a support to get up, I resume my journey to the ancient god''s tomb.
''If I walk for the rest of the day, I may be at the tomb by tomorrow morning… The problem is, I''m not in a condition to climb a tree to sleep at night.''
''I also don''t have any more food or water… The only river nearby is further north.''
''Damn. Thinking about it, maybe it''s better to just go straight for the spear. After that, I should head for the river.''
After collecting my thoughts, I went out of the cave.
The scenery was unexpected. The rest of the arm, that is, up to the shoulder, was completely cleaved. There was blood, but not too much blood, just enough to know that something was bleeding on that spot.
There was also a good amount of trees and branches on the ground, so much in fact that the landscape of the area completely changed.
There were no signs of the beasts from before; it was all gone.
Looking around, I gathered some branches and improvised a crutch. Next, I dropped the sword.
''I think I probably made a huge mistake earlier by using the sword to cut the vegetation… This place, this forest, probably functions like a spider web; once agitated, the spider will come for its prey… and the sword makes a lot of commotion.''
''Sure, the sword can be good for deceiving the bird, but one of the birds already got its meal, and meeting the other one is unlikely since they hunt in different areas. From now on, I won''t need to worry about it for a while… at least a couple of hours.''
''And if everything turns to shit again, I can just start screaming. I know the bird probably won''t come, but the irrational beasts? I''m not so sure.''
''Yeah, everything is fine; everything is going to be alright.''
*deep breath
After finishing collecting my thoughts, I resumed my journey.
As I continued down the path, the sun beat down on my back, casting long shadows across the forest floor. The rustling of leaves and the distant calls of birds filled the air, creating a sense of peace and tranquility. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, letting the rhythmic motion of walking soothe my mind.
The events of the day replayed in my head, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. But I pushed those thoughts aside, determined to keep moving forward, and just like that, the time passed without me even noticing.
- A few hours later -
*huff, huff, huff …
''My body feels heavy; it''s just like carrying those dead bodies when I first got here... But… at the same time… I don''t feel any pain anymore.''
'' I also feel like I''m moving on autopilot. This sensation is amazing.''
As I continued down my path, I noticed the humidity of the area increasing.
''The fog is about to descend.''
''This can be good; maybe I can find a place to hide during the fog period.''
That''s what I thought, but unconsciously I just continued to walk.
As the humidity grew, a white mist started to descend, and alongside it, noises started to grow louder and louder throughout the forest.
- ~OohOoHoOo~ AaaaAaAa~-
''A dryad? That''s new… I''ve farmed here hundreds of times on stream, but I''ve never seen a dryad here.''
''That weird hand was also something new… What the hell is happening here?''
''… Well, this place has ents, so dryads appearing is not that far off since dryads and ents have a symbiotic relationship.''
''Dryads protect the ents from spirits and fairies, and in return, the ents protect the dryads from trolls and humans.''
''!''
''Wait! If she is singing, it means something happens to them, and they are calling the ents!''
As the mist got denser, the commotion grew. I could identify a few beasts from the noise alone, so I roughly knew what was transpiring.
-huu, hu, hu, hu-
-grrr-
-Toc,toc,toc-
-OoOo~ Ah~ Aaa~-
''A black razor showed up, huh? It won''t be interested in the ents, so probably the dryads? There are a few trolls either…''
- A couple of minutes later -
-Griiiitt-
''Heh, the bird came.''
Lost in my thoughts without me even noticing, the noise of the fight became more and more distant; my path became more and more rocky and uneven, the mist turned denser, and the sun was no more.
Despite all that, I walked, my thoughts drifting despite trying to keep a clear head; everything was all too surreal… Being hit by a truck, the strange character creation screen, the dead bodies scattered on the ground around me, the sense of smell, taste, pain… All of it blended together in a nightmare I couldn''t wake up from.