ã€ŠDeathly Dawnã€‹


 Chapter 1: A Graduation Party

    What does it feel like to be alone?

    A few claim to know, but most never really get it right.

    In this world, true loneliness is something that can¡¯t ever be achieved¡­ At least, that¡¯s what I believe.

    You might think you¡¯ve experienced it before, you might think you¡¯ve felt it before, but you¡¯re wrong. That lonely, hollow feeling that sometimes creeps up on you, it may feel like loneliness, but it¡¯s not. It¡¯s a momentary sensation, a temporary pain. Does it even qualify as pain? Probably not.

    If loneliness was something so petty and superficial, then it wouldn¡¯t be loneliness.

    It¡¯s not something that you can casually complain about during a quiet Sunday night. Just because you have nobody to hang out with during the holidays, that doesn¡¯t give you the right to suddenly declare yourself a loner. That¡¯s not how it works.

    Loneliness is something more¡­ intense. It¡¯s a heart wrenching, visceral pain that gnaws at your soul and stabs at your heart. It¡¯s something that you can¡¯t just shake off after talking to a few people. It sticks with you, like a stubborn ghost or a midsummer cough.

    Dark, brooding, stuffy, and repulsive. That¡¯s what loneliness is.

    At least, that¡¯s my interpretation of it anyway.

    As for me, I¡¯ve never experienced it either. After all, I¡¯m nothing special. The hollowness that I sometimes feel, the numbing chill in my heart, even if I want to call that true loneliness, it¡¯s not. Not really. That¡¯s not something for me to decide. It¡¯s not something that I want to decide.

    Still, if I say I¡¯m not lonely, then I¡¯m not lonely. It¡¯s that sort of concept.

    So, even if I feel like the loneliest man on earth, if I don¡¯t acknowledge that loneliness, then I¡¯m not really lonely.

    Simple, right?

    Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve lied or anything. From my perspective, I¡¯m not actually alone.

    Every day, there are people all around me. The guys in my classroom, the strangers that I pass by on the street, even my two estranged parents that live in the same house but sleep in different rooms, they are all people that I see on a day to day basis. I don¡¯t really interact with any of them, but they¡¯re still there nonetheless.

    It¡¯s why I think true loneliness can¡¯t ever be achieved here on Earth. There are simply too many people. No matter where you go, no matter what city you¡¯re in, there¡¯s always someone around.

    Even hermits that reside deep within the mountains are not exempt from this truth. They might live in isolation, but they¡¯re not lonely. Human relationships are easily replaceable. Even without it, you can still talk to the birds or sing to the trees. Those guys might not respond back, but that attempt at communication is enough. It¡¯s definitely more than enough.

    Still, I¡¯m not completely pig-headed nor am I immune to the negative emotions that plague mankind¡¯s collective consciousness.

    You¡¯re all alone. Stop denying it. Nobody likes you, nobody even knows you exist. There¡¯s no shame in admitting it.

    Being a loner, isn¡¯t it fine?

    Sometimes, those sorts of thoughts fill my head.

    To be honest, it¡¯s a big pain in the ass. In my eyes, they¡¯re nothing more than unwanted mood swings. I wish I could control them, I wish I could make them stop, but I can¡¯t. They have this magical way of crawling under my skin and ruining my entire day.

    What¡¯s more, there¡¯s no rhyme or reason to these thoughts. Sometimes, they come when I¡¯m at home and nobody else is around. Other times, they spontaneously show up while I¡¯m walking along a crowded street or standing in line at the cash register or something.

    I¡¯m hesitant to admit it, but they do bother me. It¡¯s not at the level of a mental breakdown, but sometimes, it feels dangerously close to one.

    Fortunately, I¡¯m strong. Well, stubborn would probably be a bit more accurate. I¡¯m too stubborn to admit it.

    In the first place, there¡¯s nothing for me to admit.

    I¡¯m not lonely.

    The constant hum of my PC, the occasional squeaking of the ceiling fan, even the slight sound of the house settling, even if I don¡¯t have anyone, I¡¯m not alone. I¡¯m never alone.

    So, whatever bullshit I¡¯m feeling, it¡¯s not loneliness. Even if it was some form of loneliness, it¡¯s not the soul-crushing ache of true loneliness. Instead, it¡¯s the half-backed loneliness that most other people mistake for true loneliness. No more, no less. This is the most I¡¯m willing to concede on this topic.

    In hindsight, it¡¯s pretty stupid.

    If you feel lonely, why not just make friends?

    Unfortunately, reality isn¡¯t so simple. Just because you make something sound easy, doesn¡¯t actually mean that it is easy. At least, not for me, it is.

    I¡¯m just that type of person.

    It gets pretty troublesome sometimes, but hey, I¡¯ve managed to live my life with this sort of personality for eighteen consecutive years, so it can¡¯t be that bad, right? At the very least, I¡¯m still alive. At the end of the day, isn¡¯t that what really matters?

    Of course, I¡¯m not a monk. I may not be lonely, but even I can¡¯t help but desire human interaction every now and then. In fact, it¡¯s partly why I¡¯m in this mess right now.

    A heavy sigh leaked out from my slightly parted lips as I stared up at the sky with squinted eyes.

    There was not a single cloud amidst the vast canvas of blue that existed above my head. Instead, a ball of blistering white light glared down from up above like God¡¯s all-seeing eye. The sun¡¯s vengeful wrath delivered with it waves of torrid heat.

    Today was a bright and sunny day. Most people would have called it perfect, but I hated it.

    It was not that I did not know how to appreciate the beauty of a clear sky, but rather, I was just too used to the comforts of my own bedroom. Cool, dark places were kind of my thing.

    Beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. A trace of red dyed my cheeks. My back felt damp and soggy. Did the sweat seep through my shirt? No, that was a stupid question. It most certainly did seep through my shirt.

    A slight worry bubbled up within my heart. Right now, I was wearing a plain grey T-shirt. There was nothing really impressive about it, but speaking from experience, sweat stains were awfully visible on these types of colored shirts.

    The last thing I wanted was to have a visible patch of sweat on my back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Was there a patch of sweat on my back?

    I really wanted to check, but at the same time, I was too scared to check.

    ¡°Why the hell am I here again?¡± Another sigh leaked out from my lips. It was probably the fifteenth one within the last five minutes.

    Fortunately, nobody was around to hear my quiet ramblings.

    Right now, I was sitting at a picnic table. Despite the fact that the table was large enough to accommodate at least sixteen people, there was nobody else here but me.

    Wasn¡¯t that a bit weird?

    Isn¡¯t this supposed to be a cookout? Aren¡¯t we supposed to intermingle with one another? Why was I the only one alone?

    Even if I complain, nothing will come of it.

    In the first place, I really had nobody to blame but myself. For someone like me, being antisocial was almost second nature. It reached a point where I was almost convinced that a witch had cast a curse on me back when I was a baby. Unfortunately, even after asking my father, my birth had a distinct lack of rickety old hags with broomsticks.

    Still, since it was my graduation, I had half-expected for something to change. Not at all to my surprise, the reality of the situation was disappointing. Even now, I was still alone.

    I wanted to laugh, but I lacked the energy to do so. Instead, a bitter frown stretched my lips. My eyes drifted off to the distance.

    The site we were currently on was nestled within a small clearing. A line of evergreen trees dotted my left peripheral. I think they might have been Birch, maybe Maple. I wasn¡¯t really sure. On my right was a river. The water¡¯s surface was clear, almost transparent. Finally, located a little bit further away from the trees, there was a small trail that led to the Visitor¡¯s center.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Overall, it was quite the scenic location. I can only give my props to the planning committee for actually finding such a place.

    The cookout took place by a shallow river bed.

    A layer of tiny pebbles dotted the ground around the campsite. They were slick with water and a bit painful to walk on. Fortunately, most everyone here elected to keep their shoes on, so it wasn¡¯t much of an issue.

    I had already procured my food quite a while ago. It mainly consisted of a hamburger and some grilled vegetables. The food was subpar at best. More than half of it was burned, but I really didn¡¯t find that surprising. With how often those self-proclaimed ¡®grill masters¡¯ left their post in order to play around, a burnt bell pepper every now and then was only to be expected.

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t really interested in the food. From the looks of things, the others probably didn¡¯t care either.

    Most of today¡¯s participants were gathered around the river bank.

    The smell of barbeque filled my nostrils, while the sound of laughter and cheerful shouting resonated through the humid air.

    A few students were currently playing a game of volleyball, an admittedly admirable feat, considering how uneven the terrain here was. Others chose instead to go for a swim. The river¡¯s cold water was certainly a good way to keep cool, especially considering the day¡¯s weather. Still, there were a sparse few who decided to embrace the heat, instead of running away from it. They crowded around the grill. Without a doubt, they were the noisiest of the bunch.

    All in all, it made for a picturesque scene. Just imagine, an entire class¡¯s worth of youthful graduates enjoying life without reservation. Even though the future ahead was uncertain, they would no doubt face it with stride.

    Then there was me. I was physically here, but I was definitely not a part of their happy little get-together.

    I habitually lowered my gaze and shook my head.

    ¡­ It¡¯s not that I was jealous, but rather, what the hell am I even doing?

    I just graduated high-school two days ago. Even though it wasn¡¯t mandatory, I even went out of my way to attend the graduation ceremony. I walked up to the stage, shook hands with the principal and received my diploma. As far as most people were concerned, that should have been the end of my high-school career. There was supposed to be nothing else after that.

    Right now, I should be at home, sitting in a cool bedroom with a computer monitor in front of my face or a game controller firmly in my hands. It really didn¡¯t make sense. There was nothing more enjoyable than lazing around and wasting my summer doing random shit, yet here I was.

    ¡°Stuck in this godforsaken place¡­¡±

    I breathed out another sigh.

    Ashlea National Park. It was the fifth largest National Park west of the Mississippi. It was roughly about an hour¡¯s drive from the city. I had to borrow my Father¡¯s old pickup in order to get to this place.

    Truth be told, the drive over wasn¡¯t really worth it. At least, not for me, it was.

    Now, I¡¯m not really much of a nature guy. I can understand those that do like this sort of thing, but I certainly wasn¡¯t one of them. For one, I don¡¯t particularly enjoy getting my skin nipped at by a bunch of bugs and insects.

    ¡°I really should have just stayed home¡­¡± As such a thought entered my head, my eyes subconsciously wandered over to a certain person.

    She was a girl with bright blonde hair and a loveable smile. Right now, this person was playing in the water. Her pale-pink bikini glistened under the sunlight. As expected of someone who ran for Track, the girl had an amazing figure.

    Wasn¡¯t it all because of her?

    Amanda Welly. Everyone knew who she was. Calling her popular was an understatement. She was practically the golden child of high school.

    Secretary of the Student Council, an active volunteer at the local soup kitchen, and a scholarship recipient with a full ride to MIT. Smart, athletic, and an overall good person. With her dimpled smile and vivid blue eyes, practically all the guys in school had a crush on her. As for me? Well, that¡¯s better left unsaid.

    She was the one who invited me.

    Of course, I¡¯m not delusional. I don¡¯t harbor any fanciful thoughts of getting together with her. A rose-colored school life filled with laughter and love wasn¡¯t something meant for me. In the first place, my mandatory time at school was already up!

    Her and I, we live in two completely different worlds.

    I ate all my lunches in the restroom and went directly home every time after school ended. I made sure to study extra hard for my exams, just so my grades wouldn¡¯t suffer too much whenever I skipped out on the class presentations. I purposely sped up whenever someone walked behind me. I stopped responding to texts and calls purely because I no longer receive any.

    I, compared to her, I¡¯m just some nobody.

    Amanda was like a scorching ball of fiery passion. She was someone who lived a bright high-school life and probably had an even brighter future ahead of her.

    All I had was a hobby that was going nowhere fast. I wanted to eventually make something out of that hobby, but the stuff I put out¡­ none of it showed any results.

    Our only connection was the fact that we had the same homeroom.

    For a person like me, even if she did invite me out of courtesy, why the hell did I still go?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I continued to watch her from a distance. After a while, I noticed that I was unknowingly staring, and not in that innocent lovestruck sort of way. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, I probably looked a lot like a crazy stalker. I gritted my teeth and decisively turned my head.

    A soft sigh leaked out from my lips. How many sighs did that make in total now?

    ¡°None of this shit matters!¡± I muttered to myself with a bitter expression on my face. ¡°Stop caring so much. After today, I won¡¯t ever see her again. For that matter, all these people too, I probably won¡¯t ever see them again for the rest of my life. After today, we¡¯ll be total strangers. Even before then, they already were total strangers!¡±

    Instead of focusing on all the stuff that causes my stress levels to spike, I decided to just enjoy this cookout in my own special way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat all the fucking food here! I¡¯ll keep going until my belly bloats up like a water balloon! Hehe, these idiots probably spent hundreds on all this shit. Too bad for them, it¡¯s all gonna go straight to my stomach!¡±

    With those words reverberating through my skull, I stuffed a roasted bell pepper into my mouth. It tasted like ashes and charcoal, but I persevered nonetheless.

    ****

    Well, despite what I said, things didn¡¯t exactly go the way I originally planned it¡­

    ¡°Hey, Holden! What are you doing out here all by yourself?¡± A bell-like voice suddenly called out to me.

    My shoulders subconsciously stiffened. I slowly turned my head, only to see someone walking towards me.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    It was a familiar face. Amanda¡¯s to be exact.

    Less than five minutes after I made that self-righteous decision and already, this person was here. I didn¡¯t even notice her leave the river. Did she overhear me? Maybe read my mind? Morse code? Just what the hell was going on?

    Amanda had a towel wrapped around her waist, but it did little to hide the rest of her body. Droplets of water clung to her skin, stubbornly refusing to let go. Her blonde hair was still a bit damp and scraggly, but I didn¡¯t mind the look. In fact, I think it made her look even better.

    She walked towards me with a graceful gait. There was somebody else alongside her, but right now, I could hardly care.

    I swallowed down a mouthful of saliva and forcibly removed my wandering eyes. For a moment, I did not know what to say.

    ¡°Holden?¡± Amanda tilted her head to the side and glanced up at me with upturned eyes. As she leaned her body closer, a faint floral scent invaded my nose. I¡¯ll admit it, in that instant, my heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°I, I just¡­ I ate a lot, so¡­ I, I wanted to digest the food first.¡± I frantically stammered out, lowering my head in the process.

    A split second later, and I inwardly cursed myself.

    Idiot! Stupid! Why did you lower your head?! Isn¡¯t this just a normal conversation? Where¡¯s your pride as a man?

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Amanda hesitated with her words. After a short pause, she let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re having fun. Anthony¡¯s the one that cooked all the food. He¡¯s pretty good, right?¡±

    He made this shitty slop? Is that bastard trying to poison me?

    Of course, I didn¡¯t actually say any of that. Instead, I gave a rigid nod. ¡°R-right. He¡¯s suuuuuuper good...¡±

    ¡°If you want more, then I can get you some.¡± She responded with a beaming smile on her face.

    ¡°N, no! That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m fine. I, I¡¯m good for now, so there¡¯s really no need.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± She reflexively glanced down at my half-empty plate. Her eyes were particularly drawn to the bell peppers. Aside from the first one that I ate, all of them were still intact. ¡°Do you not like peppers?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case, really!¡±

    She stared at me with a hint of amusement in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but¡­

    ¡°Amanda, come on!¡± Just then, someone called out to her.

    Amanda slightly craned her neck back and looked over towards the riverbed. She responded, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a sec!¡± She then turned back around to face me. An apologetic smile twisted her full lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to go. It was nice talking to you though.¡±

    I hurriedly nodded my head in response. A little bit of regret and a little bit of relief seeped into my heart.

    ¡°Well then, bye!¡± With that, the school¡¯s former most popular girl left with a skip in her step.

    After watching her go, I breathed out a long-abated sigh that I did not even know I was holding.

    Despite how brief the conversation had been, I still ended up floundering over myself. A few seconds after the incident and I was already reliving no small amounts of shame and embarrassment. I want to say that I could have done better with a bit more time and preparation, but honestly, that probably wouldn¡¯t have helped. It irritated me, but this was pretty much normal for me.

    In the first place, I wasn¡¯t one for social interaction. It was only natural for me to get flustered, especially with a hurdle as high as Amanda. Heck, even if you switch it out for somebody else, the results would have probably still been the same.

    Another sigh leaked out from my lips. I fiercely jabbed at a piece of bell pepper with my plastic fork. The pepper slipped, but after a second try, I finally caught it. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was my own little way of releasing stress. Just as I was about to do the unholy task of putting this pepper into my mouth, I suddenly noticed something within my peripheral. I immediately looked up.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What the hell?

    Someone was staring at me. What¡¯s more, they were ridiculously close.

    Should I¡­ should I say something?

    The person in question was none other than Amanda¡¯s friend. She was a girl with short brown hair and a sizeable bust. I had been so overwhelmed by Amanda¡¯s sheer presence, that it took me quite a while to even notice her friend standing next to her.

    And for some odd reason, she did not leave with Amanda. Instead, she was staring straight at me.

    Lily¡­ or was it Leonor? I don¡¯t really remember, just that, it was a name that started with an L. She was kind of like Amanda¡¯s lackey. Of course, most people would probably prefer the term ¡®best friend¡¯.

    How long has she been standing there? It felt like forever, but it was probably no more than fifteen seconds. Still, why the hell was she staring? The fact that she was silent throughout only made it creepier. Under the scrutiny of her gaze, even I felt a little bit uncomfortable. I couldn¡¯t help but squirm around in my seat.

    What does this girl want?

    Why is she staring at me?

    When will she stop?

    All these questions were sadly left unanswered. At the very least, this girl provided no answers. She was as silent as a mouse.

    Just as I was about to say something, the girl suddenly opened her mouth and spat out a single word.

    ¡°Gross.¡±

    With that, she let out an audible scoff, turned around, and walked back over to the river bed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As for me, I stood there in stunned silence. The crooked smile on my face appeared stiff and rigid. It even twitched a couple of times.

    What¡­ what just happened? Did she just call me gross? Why?

    It was only one word, but the power contained within that one word was enormous.

    Gross¡­ gross¡­ gross, gross, gross¡­

    Yeah, I can see it. I am pretty gross.

    I lowered my head and dropped my shoulders. I stared at the plate of half-finished food in front of me. It was almost like looking at a mirror. Gross.

    I grabbed another bell pepper and stuffed it into my mouth. Tasteless.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Five minutes later, I got up and left.

 Chapter 2: A Dog in the Forest

    A light breeze came from out of nowhere and blew past me. It inadvertently ruffled my hair, making it even messier than it already was.

    The early summer heat was scorching hot, but it did feel a tad bit cooler underneath the shade of the Sycamore trees. That¡¯s what they were, I finally remembered. Still, that did not stop my face from feeling just as hot as before. The scene from earlier kept replaying in the back of my mind. My body shivered, almost as if it was recoiling from the sheer memory of the incident.

    Truth be told, it wasn¡¯t like this was some sort of unique experience for me. On the contrary, conversing with the opposite gender always left me feeling restless and jittery. It was just the sort of typical outcome that you¡¯d expect from someone of my caliber. Still, for some reason, today¡¯s incident seemed just a little bit more¡­ special.

    Was it because of Amanda? No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case. She was one of the rare few that actually talked to me at school. Of course, those ¡®conversations¡¯ never went further than a one or two word greeting, but that¡¯s beside the point. Her gentle smile was certainly a sight for sore eyes but it wasn¡¯t as if it was my first time ever seeing it. In fact, it was that same smile that originally lured me into this mess in the first place.

    Then, was it because of Miss L and her harsh words? Probably, right? I mean, such blatant disdain was a first, even for me.

    It honestly caught me off guard.

    I subconsciously furrowed my brow. ¡°Did I do something to her?¡±

    No, I didn¡¯t. At least, I think I didn¡¯t. No matter how hard I thought about it, my mind drew a blank. As far as I could recall, I¡¯ve never actually interacted with that girl before.

    Then, that begs the question, what the hell was up with her?

    Randomly calling other people gross certainly wasn¡¯t normal behavior. What was her motive for all that?

    Maybe¡­ maybe that¡¯s how she¡¯s always felt about me? Did Miss L secretly despise me? Were my loner tendencies really that annoying? Or was it because of my face? Does she hate handsome faces like mine?

    The more I thought about it, the more certain I felt about the subject.

    Miss L secretly harbored a grudge. That grudge festered and grew all throughout high-school and now that graduation had come and gone, that girl wisely took this opportunity to express her ¡®true feelings¡¯ for me.

    That was it, right? It was like some sort of twisted, reverse confession.

    I breathed out a long sigh. Regardless of how accurate my assumptions were, just the thought of it alone was enough to take the wind off my sails.

    ¡°Well, it could always be worse.¡±

    After some reconsideration, things weren¡¯t as bad as they first seemed. Even though she left a bad impression, it¡¯s not like it was the end of the world. After all, the enemy of love was not hate, but rather, indifference. Likewise, it was relatively easy to transform disdain into affection. In fact, the whole process was kind of like flipping your hand.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what I read about online.

    Unfortunately, turning theory into practice was a bit difficult to do.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t even matter anymore.¡± I shook my head. In order to change a person¡¯s feelings, interaction was important. I ran away with my tail tucked between my legs. How was I supposed to interact with her when I don¡¯t even have the courage to talk back?

    I realized it quite well. This cowardice of mine was seriously detrimental. It would be great if I could magically fix it but unfortunately, just because I identified the problem, doesn¡¯t mean that I can immediately remedy it. Humans weren¡¯t such convenient creatures.

    Another bitter sigh leaked out from my lips. ¡°Coming here really was pointless.¡±

    This whole trip was a grade-A disaster. I got nothing out of it except for some burnt barbeque and a strange insult. If I could go back in time and change things, then I¡¯d make sure that the stupid me of the past declines Amanda¡¯s invitation.

    ¡°This is why it¡¯s always better to be alone. People are just unreliable¡­. No, wait, I¡¯m not alone¡­¡±

    As I quietly mumbled to myself, my gaze naturally fell to my feet.

    It was a well-trodden dirt trail that led all the way back to Ashlea¡¯s Visitor¡¯s Center. The path before me was laden with dead leaves and loose pebbles. The terrain was a bit uneven, but the alluring presence of the Sycamore trees more than made up for it.

    In short, it was a place suitable for hiking.

    As I walked deeper down the trail, I suddenly noticed something peculiar. On more than one occasion, I caught sight of dead animals scattered along the trail. They consisted mostly of small things, like birds or rodents. It was a rather gruesome scene that left me feeling even stranger.

    If I had to guess, then I¡¯d put my money on other wildlife. Something from the forest came out and killed these things. The claw marks were more than enough proof of that. The only thing I couldn¡¯t figure out was why the predator didn¡¯t take their spoils with them.

    Well, let¡¯s just hope it¡¯s not a bear or something¡­ although it would be pretty cool to see one¡­

    The trail continued on for a little bit longer. Judging by my earlier experience, it would take approximately ten more minutes in order to reach the Visitor¡¯s Center. It was a time frame that could neither be considered too long nor too short.

    As I ventured further and further away from the campsite, the noise gradually receded. Soon, silence took hold. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. It wasn¡¯t exactly pure silence. There was sound, yes, just not the type that I was used to.

    The chirping birds and crying cicadas acted as the main chorus, while the rustling leaves made for a fine enough accompaniment. Like a grand orchestra, they marched in tune to the beat of my footsteps. It was a distinct song that only mother nature could create. For a homebody like me, it certainly was a unique experience.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    My wandering eyes surveyed the surroundings with mild interest. As expected of a national park, my vision was completely flooded with green. Of course, there were spots of brown here and there, but it was all mostly just green. Even the tree trunks were a shade of dark olive, thanks in part to the moss that grew on top of them.

    No unnecessary noises and no unnecessary people. To my surprise, this place was strangely¡­ calming. For the first time, I could understand why so many people were captivated by the mundane activity known as hiking. Even I felt like a believer¡­. Then again, the mosquitos were a pretty big detriment, so maybe not.

    I wonder, is this what being alone feels like?

    It certainly didn¡¯t quite fit with my pre-established rules for loneliness, but even if it was just a little bit, being out here like this, it felt¡­ close.

    The walk back to the Visitor¡¯s Center would only take a few more minutes but, for some reason, I did not want to return so soon.

    After all, I drove an hour just to get here. Going home now would be a waste of all my time and effort. At the very least, I wanted to get my money¡¯s worth. Besides, I also needed some time in order to digest the food in my stomach.

    With such self-hypnotizing words, I veered off the path and entered ¡®uncharted territory¡¯.

    Maybe it was just my head playing tricks with me, but the noise seemed to grow even quieter. With each step forward, it felt as if a layer of my ¡®humanity¡¯ was slowly being stripped away from me. In its place was a raw and unfiltered form of nature.

    I¡¯ve heard plenty of stories about people getting lost out here, but that wasn¡¯t really much of a concern for me. In the first place, I did not plan to go too far into the forest. At most, I¡¯d walk around for five minutes then head back. I certainly wasn¡¯t planning to go out on a full-day excursion.

    Also, there was the matter of wildlife.

    Ashlea National Park was a pretty big place. It was situated right along the Marshall Mountain range, which acted as a sort of natural border between Oregon and California. Bears and mountain lions should naturally be something to expect, right?

    Seeing one would be nice, but getting attacked by one certainly wouldn¡¯t.

    Then again, this place was kind of close to human civilization. In fact, the interstate was probably less than twenty minutes away from this place. The chances of an actual sighting definitely weren¡¯t high.

    ¡°No, with my luck, won¡¯t I definitely get attacked by one?¡± A bitter frown twisted my lips.

    Now that we were on the topic, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, could I survive a bear attack?

    ¡­ Probably, right? I mean, I¡¯ve watched plenty of nature documentaries and survival shows. Bears might look big and scary, but they¡¯re usually pretty easy to fend off. Just hold your ground, puff out your chest, and scream like a man on drugs. Nine times out of ten, the bear will turn tail and run. If that doesn¡¯t work, then just aim for the snout.

    This was that, wasn¡¯t it? Unnecessary confidence from a layman with zero experience.

    As such thoughts floated to my mind, I continued walking.

    Naturally, I lost track of time.

    After a while, I abruptly stopped in place. A small frown twisted my lips. How long had it been since I first started this whole thing?

    I looked up and briefly surveyed my surroundings.

    Tree, tree, tree, a bush, tree, tree, and even more trees.

    Yup, it¡¯s confirmed. I was completely lost. Rather, I did not recognize anything within my immediate vicinity. The trees in this damn forest looked near identical. Even the bushes that occasionally popped up were the same.

    I quickly pulled out my phone and checked the current time. 1:45 PM. To my mild surprise, it¡¯s only been twenty minutes since I first veered off the path.

    ¡°No, rather than only, it¡¯s already been twenty minutes, huh?¡±

    I habitually scratched the back of my head. A mild trace of annoyance wedged itself into my heart. Twenty minutes wasn¡¯t a whole lot of time, but the fact that I got this distracted was somewhat inconvenient. By the time I get back to the trail, a full forty minutes would have passed. That¡¯s plenty of time for those guys to finish their little party. If that were to happen, won¡¯t I run into that girl again? Seeing her again would definitely be awkward, for both her and for me.

    It was the sort of problem that only a socially inept individual could conceive, much less worry about.

    With such thoughts in mind, I resolved to return as fast as possible. Fortunately, I only walked in a straight line, so making it back shouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    Just as I was about to turn around, my body suddenly froze.

    I saw something.

    It stood beside a large Sycamore tree. With its back slightly hunched over, it gave off a vaguely intimidating sensation. I think it may have been a quadruped, but it was somewhat difficult to tell from this distance. Rather, it would be seriously scary if that thing wasn¡¯t a quadruped.

    Looking closely, I could just barely make out the mangy fur that covered almost every inch of its body.

    After a couple seconds of silence passed, I breathed out a shaky sigh. My shoulders gradually relaxed.

    ¡°What the hell, it¡¯s just a dog.¡±

    The unknown creature was a big dog. Its fur was a bit unkempt, but its canine body structure was almost impossible to hide. At first, I originally thought that it might be a wolf but the ears were wrong. Wolves usually had triangular ears. This thing had slightly floppy, circular ears. Judging by its size, the thing was probably a Saint Bernard or maybe a Tibetan Mastiff.

    I tilted my head to the side as I carefully observed the mysterious dog. The thing did not show any signs of movements. Instead, it just kept staring at me. It was a bit creepy, but I chalked it up to my inherent dislike for large pets.

    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what was a dog doing out in the middle of the forest? Did someone lose it? Was it a feral dog?

    Considering how it did not show any fear towards me, it should probably be a lost dog. Maybe a family took their dog out for a walk one day, but accidentally loosened their grip on its leash or something. Judging by how unkept its fur looked, if that did happen, then it probably happened a few months back¡­ Although it was a bit weird how there was no collar around its neck.

    ¡°If I bring that thing back, will they give me a reward?¡± As such a thought flashed through my mind, I took another look at the creature. ¡°No, I probably shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    That thing looked seriously dangerous. Just its size alone was enough to intimidate. Only a madman would even think about approaching it. Besides, I don¡¯t even like dogs in the first place.

    I quickly decided to leave. The longer I stared at that thing, the more creeped out I got. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I took a tentative step backward.

    To my surprise, the dog immediately reacted. Its body tensed up. The muscles underneath its fur wriggled like writhing centipedes. It parted its jaws, revealing a set of razor-like canines. A low growl reverberated through the air.

    I subconsciously jumped back, my heart practically leaping from out of my throat.

    As the dog continued to glare at me with its beady yellow eyes, I suddenly felt it. Something was wrong.

    It took a slow step forward.

    What the hell?! Why is it so damn loud?

    We were more than a hundred feet away from each other. It was a considerable distance, but for some reason, the growl was unmistakably clear. It was almost as if the creature was standing right next to me.

    Why the hell is it so loud?

    It took another step forward.

    No, something¡¯s definitely wrong. This dog, this thing, it¡¯s not someone¡¯s lost dog.

    I understood that. Now, I understood that. It wasn¡¯t lost, it wasn¡¯t a pet, it was something else. It was wild, feral and dangerous.

    The creature continued its slow approach.

    My heart began pumping. Why was it coming closer? Why was it looking at me like that? Why the hell wasn¡¯t it stopping?!

    Instinctively, I wanted to run.

    I knew that you weren¡¯t supposed to run from wild animals. In fact, it was probably the last thing you wanted to do. Running would only encourage them to chase after you. I knew that, even though I knew that¡­ my back couldn¡¯t stop shivering. An instinctual, primal urge overwhelmed my rational mind.

    In that moment, I understood something; if I don¡¯t run now, I¡¯ll die.

    The fear overwhelmed my logic and instinct suddenly took control.

    Without hesitation, I turned around and broke off into a dead sprint.

 Chapter 3: An Afternoon Jog through the Park

    I sprinted as if my life depended on it.

    At almost the exact same time, a loud bark sounded out from behind me. No, that wasn¡¯t a bark. It was a roar.

    I did not even bother turning around. Even without looking, I could already tell. The disjointed growling, the sound of crunching leaves, it was chasing after me.

    What the hell was that thing? Why was it here? Did it eat humans?

    A thousand thoughts a minute flashed through my mind. Still, everything was drowned out by my innate desire to escape. As such, for a brief moment, I became a slave to my instincts. I ran through the forest with no intention of stopping. I ran without regard for where I was going. I ran as if I was trying to escape from my own shadow.

    I ran and ran and ran.

    Still, no matter how much I ran, I could not escape the creeping sensation of death. It breathed down my neck like a hungry specter.

    That dog monster thing, whatever it was, it was definitely faster than me. The gap between us slowly shrank. Sooner or later, it would eventually overtake me. Unfortunately, I was powerless to prevent this. I could do nothing but push those fears aside and continue running.

    After what felt like an eternity, I suddenly felt a cold tingle on the back of my neck. A gust of wind blew past my ear. My body instinctively moved. Without thinking, I immediately dropped to the floor.

    A brown blur rushed past my head.

    THUD!

    The dog monster landed directly in front of me. Its paws left an obvious imprint on the forest floor. I did not waste any time admiring the dirty brown sheen of its fur. In an act of quick thinking, I grabbed a handful of soil and threw it at the creature¡¯s face.

    The effects were immediate. It visibly recoiled as a short whine leaked out from its maw. The creature desperately shook its head back and forth.

    It struggled for a few seconds before it suddenly turned towards me. Despite the fact that its eyes were still closed shut, I did not dare approach it. Even in its current state, it still exuded out an aura of dread and despair.

    I quickly scrambled backward. At almost the exact same time, the creature extended its neck and tried to blindly nip at me. Fortunately, I had moved just in time. I barely avoided its red splattered jaws.

    I did not dare test my luck any further. Before the creature could fully recover, I hurriedly picked myself up and sprinted off in a random direction.

    Again, I ran.

    As I ran, the surroundings started to change. The trees within this part of the forest were more numerous, their branches fuller and more abundant. The bushes and thorns that occasionally popped up, now covered almost every inch of the forest floor. They acted like nature¡¯s very own spider web, restraining those reckless enough to come here.

    I desperately fought my way through this mess. The thorns stabbed at my skin, while the uneven terrain made it difficult to run across. I inwardly hoped that these new obstacles could somehow obstruct that thing from getting closer. Unfortunately, as I would quickly come to learn, they served as nothing more than a mild distraction.

    It was still there. It had already recovered and it was quickly gaining on me. No matter how much I ran, it all felt hopeless.

    Eventually, I started to slow down. It was inevitable. My legs burned, while a distinctly metallic taste colored my throat. It felt as if I was running across a vat of quicksand. My own heavy breathing echoed through my ears. It was loud but even louder were the rapidly approaching footsteps coming from behind me.

    How far away was it? How much time did I have left? I wanted to check, but I lacked the courage to do so.

    Just as I was thinking about changing directions, something suddenly happened.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Before anything else, I first felt it.

    A sharp and sudden pain exploded out from the right side of my shoulder. It was as if someone had just stabbed me with a scorching hot fireplace poker. The pain immediately took the wind out of my sails. I staggered forward like a red-faced drunkard.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Just as I was struggling to maintain my footing, an abrupt weight suddenly descended from above. It pushed me from behind. My legs buckled and my knees shook. The weight forcibly dragged me to the ground.

    I hit the forest floor with a deafening bang. A sharp hiss leaked out from my lips as I unconsciously writhed in pain.

    The fire-like pain, which originally started in my shoulder, quickly blossomed, expanding out towards every inch of my body. Bathed in its agonizing ache, I could do nothing but scream until my throat turned hoarse.

    At the same time, the sound of growling echoed from beside my ear. This time, it came accompanied by this horrid smell. The stench could best be described as a mixture of rotting meat and sour alcohol. The dog, this monster, it had bitten my shoulder. It gnawed and munched on it much in the same way a puppy chews on a chew toy.

    I did not know this then, but it had come dangerously close to my vitals.

    I tried to muster up the strength to free myself, but the creature was too heavy. No matter what I tried to do, it stubbornly refused to let go.

    ¡°Let go of me, let go of me, let go of me¡­¡± Incessant mumbling leaked out from my chapped lips. I tried calling out for help, but my voice grew weaker and weaker with each passing second. Soon, I was reduced to sputtering coughs and one-word cries.

    Every time it shook its head, I could feel my muscle fibers tearing. It was desperately trying to rip off a chunk of my flesh, but it went about doing it in the most painful way imaginable.

    My vision blurred. I could barely see anything through my tear-stricken eyes, yet, for some reason, I did not give up. At least, not yet. I desperately groped around in the dark, hoping, begging for something that might help me.

    Eventually, my scratched hands touched something hard and jagged.

    Without hesitation, I firmly grabbed onto it and swung.

    I tried to hit the dog in the head, but because of the angle of my arm, I accidentally clipped my own ear. It hurt. It hurt a lot, but now wasn¡¯t the time for that.

    I gritted my teeth and tried again. I slammed the rock down onto the creature¡¯s exposed skull. For a moment, its fur cushioned the blow before I felt something solid push back against me.

    BANG!

    I let out a sharp wince. The creature¡¯s teeth sank even deeper into my shoulder. Even during a time like this, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether or not I¡¯ll need a tetanus shot after all this is over.

    After a short pause, I swung the rock again. This time, the dog let out a yelp. Spurred by its pain, I did it again. The more it reacted, the faster my hand moved.

    I swung again.

    The rock¡¯s jagged edges dug into my skin.

    I swung again.

    Hot blood splattered everywhere.

    I swung again.

    Like a hammer striking a nail, each subsequent blow seemed to only further deepen the creature¡¯s teeth into my back. Still, I did not hesitate.

    I swung again and again and again and again.

    Eventually, the burning pressure stopped. The beast finally retreated.

    My body instinctively relaxed. My grip loosened as my wrist limply fell to the ground. The blood-stained rock rolled across the forest floor. At the same time, I gritted my teeth and forcibly stood back up.

    I briefly glanced over at the creature behind me. Its head was covered almost entirely in red. There was something pink and squishy leaking out from one of its ears. Still, its expression was what drew my attention the most. It was a mix between anger and pain.

    Instinctively, I could tell. It was the face of a beast fully intent on killing.

    Without hesitation, I immediately broke off into a desperate sprint.

    There was a dull pain on my right shoulder. My ankle also hurt. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline, but right now, none of these things even registered within my higher thought processes.

    I ran with all my heart. No, I ran even more than that.

    This time, I was not aimlessly wandering the forest. No, off in the distance, I could just barely make out a faint white light.

    There was a break in the tree line.

    I desperately ran towards it. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt as if everything would turn out okay as long as I can reach that tree line. Was it instinct or delusion? I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯d like to believe it was the former.

    If I can just reach that place, If I can just get there before it can get me, then everything will work out. Everything will surely work out.

    It was a delusional hope, but I pinned my everything on that hope.

    After all, what else could I do? I was not ready to die, not here. I did not want to die without achieving anything in life. I did not want to die without a single friend. I did not want to die while still being a virgin. I did not want to die while my dreams remained dreams.

    I did not want to die.

    I ran. I ran as if each and every step was worth at least ten years of my life. The blood freely spewed out from my shoulders. It created a visible trail behind me, but right now, I did not care.

    Again, I could hear it. The low growling, the soft trotting footsteps, it was coming. The dog monster was coming. Every second that passed seemed to only make the footsteps louder and louder.

    It was closing in on me, but I was close too. The tree line, it was right in front of me.

    This was my last chance.

    No matter what, I was going to survive! I was going to live!

    Then, I broke through.

    As the bushes parted before me and the trees receded into the backdrop, I was met with a wide and open sky. It was as blue as the ocean with islands of white drifting across its cerulean surface.

    The sky. The very representation of salvation and freedom. I could only appreciate it for a split second before the spiting fire returned.

    At almost the exact same time, the creature had arrived. It lunged at me once more, latching onto the same spot from before.

    I reflexively screamed as I inadvertently staggered forward.

    Unfortunately, there was no way forward. To be more specific, the ground ended where I had previously stood.

    The tree line was located right alongside the edge of a cliff.

    For a moment, the feeling of weightlessness took hold. With a fluttering scream, I fell down the side of a cliff, dragging the creature down with me.

 Chapter 4: A New and Unexpected Change

    A groggy groan leaked out from my parched lips.

    As harsh light pierced my closed eyes and as my consciousness slowly returned, the first thing I noticed was the pain.

    It hurt. It hurt a lot.

    My right shoulder stung with a fiery heat, my back ached almost as if someone had just assaulted me with a brick, and my arms and legs felt as if they had been shredded to pieces. Everything hurt. It wasn¡¯t just your ordinary pain either. It was this raw, visceral agony that throbbed and pulsated with a beat far different to the one that I was used to.

    Sometimes, the pain would concentrate on a specific body part. One time, it would come from my shoulders, the next it would be in my legs, then my abdomen, forehead, stomach, and so on and so forth. The epicenter of pain constantly fluctuated, sending out shockwaves both small and large all over my body. They were like explosions on a minefield. With each subsequent blast, more would quickly follow.

    It was so painful that it left me almost completely immobilized.

    Fortunately, the human body was an impressive thing.  After a while, I gradually got used to the pain. Of course, that¡¯s not to say that I had completely gotten over it. After all, I did just fall off a cliff. That wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that you could normally just shrug off. Still, considering the fact that I was still alive, maybe it wasn¡¯t that tall of a cliff to begin with? Or maybe I just got lucky. It was probably a combination of both.

    Either way, I was still reeling from the fall. I was just now beginning to regain some movement in my limbs. It would probably take a little while longer for me to be able to fully move again.

    So, I waited.

    I waited for god knows how long. Eventually, my body started going numb. Usually, numbness was never a good sign, but for me, it was practically a blessing in disguise. For a moment, it let me forget about the pain.

    Now, even though I couldn¡¯t feel anything, I was able to move my body through pure muscle memory.

    I tried to lift myself up into a seating position. Unfortunately, when I tried to use one of my arms as leverage, I slipped on something warm and slippery. I fell back down but instead of the hard ground that I was originally expecting, I landed on something¡­ softer.

    It was somewhat squishy, a little bit warm, and covered entirely in hair. I looked down, only to realize that I was actually lying on top of the dog creature from before.

    I instinctively jumped back in fright. I rolled off the dog and fell to the ground. Without hesitation, I scrambled away from the creature in haste. It wasn¡¯t until I had significantly distance myself from the thing that I finally noticed something. It was already dead.

    At least, I think it was. After all, it didn¡¯t react to anything that I did, nor could I see any traces of movement. I could probably go up and check its pulse, but I wasn¡¯t nearly that courageous.

    Still, I was ninety percent confident that it was dead. It was definitely already dead.

    I collapsed back onto the ground as a wispy sigh leaked out from my throat.

    Looking closely, the corpse before me was a mangled mess. Its limbs were spread eagle, while bits and pieces of white and pink were scatted amidst the pool of blood that had gathered beneath its body. The impact from the fall had quite literally caused that thing to rupture from the inside out.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s how I survived, huh?¡± I muttered to myself as I wiped a thin layer of blood away from my cheek.

    From what I could tell, the creature had unknowingly cushioned my fall. Of course, there were probably other factors at play too, but that was the most significant aspect of my survival.

    A somewhat bitter frown twisted my lips.

    It¡¯s not like I disliked surviving, but rather, it sure was an odd twist of fate. I mean, if it wasn¡¯t for that damn thing, then I wouldn¡¯t have fallen off the cliff in the first place. Then again, if that creature hadn¡¯t latched onto me prior to the fall, then I would have most likely died by now.

    It was like unexpectedly finding something good within something almost entirely bad¡­ On the other hand, I can¡¯t really call my situation good. After all, I still ended up in this damn mess. Any good that might come out of this can¡¯t really be classified as good, especially when the end outcome was still something inherently bad.

    A better analogy would be finding a good surprise hidden beneath a bad outcome, only to discover that the good surprise was actually something bad all along.

    After a moment¡¯s pause, I shook my head. Thinking about all this was unnecessary. For now, I should just be happy that I¡¯m still alive.

    ¡°Still, how do I get out of here?¡±

    I picked myself up and slowly limped over to the nearest tree. Sparse rays of light peeked in from the canopies above. I looked up. Past the towering Sycamores and beyond the outspread branches, I could just barely make out the cliff-side. I estimated the distance to be roughly three hundred feet off the ground.

    It wasn¡¯t too tall, all things considered, but it was still very much a fatal height for someone to fall from. Judging by a few broken branches, the trees had helped mitigate my fall.

    In short, I really was just lucky.

    As I continued to stare up, I suddenly noticed something.

    There was this weird light in the corner of my vision. It took up only a small part of my eyesight, but it did distort my peripheral. If I squinted just right, I could even make out the vague shape of a square.

    My first instinct was to cite brain damage. After all, traumatic head injuries were not uncommon, especially for people who regularly fall off cliffs. Hallucinations were a very common symptom of that.

    Just then, the light rapidly expanded. Soon, almost ninety percent of my entire vision was overtaken by a pale white transparent square.

    I reflexively jumped back. Still, it was weird. No matter how far away I moved, the transparent square remained the same size. In other words, it was following me. Either that or it was all in my head.

    In front of me was a wall of text and numbers. The first line at the top of the square simply read:

    [Status Screen]

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± I subconsciously narrowed my eyes.

    Was I really hallucinating? This damn thing looked way too real to be a hallucination. Then again, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever hallucinated before, so I can¡¯t really say much about it.

    Still, this thing, it looked strangely like one of those menu screens that you¡¯d often see in a videogame. You know, the type that would pop up whenever you pressed the start button.

    ¡°The title is also pretty self-explanatory. ¡®Status screen¡¯, is it?¡±

    Fighting games and First-Person Shooters don¡¯t usually have those. Status Screens were generally limited to RPGs. Was it like that? Did the fall jumble my head so badly that I was now confusing fiction for reality?

    Despite the absurdity of the situation, a tiny light of curiosity still flickered within my heart.

    I inspected the rest of the transparent square.

    <blockquote>

    Status Screen

    Name: Holden Day

    Sex/Age: Male/ 18 years oldIf you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Race: Human

    Titles: N/A

    Class: Writer Lv 1

    Skills: Penmanship Lv 1, External Observation Lv 1

    HP: 16/100

    Mana: 100/100

    Strength: 6

    Dexterity: 9

    Constitution: 5

    Intelligence: 11

    Unused SP: 0

    Current Condition: Heavily injured. Beware of blood loss.

    </blockquote>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was a bit different from what I was normally used to. Usually, most status screens have a level indicator, something put in place to indicate a player¡¯s growth and progress. This one apparently didn¡¯t, although the classes did have their own individual levels.

    Speaking of which¡­

    ¡°A writer?¡± For a moment, my face contorted. A gravelly chuckle seeped out from my clenched teeth. ¡°Really? A writer? Is this some kind of sick joke?¡±

    The anger within my voice was almost palpable. Fortunately, there was nobody here to hear it, but even if there were, I probably wouldn¡¯t have cared. A fog of dark emotions clouded my mind.

    ¡°Writer¡­ writer¡­ why a writer?¡±

    It might seem unimportant to others, but to me, it held a far greater meaning than just some simple word.

    Being a writer was something that I once strived to accomplish. After all, in terms of compatibility, a lonely job like that was perfect for a loner like me.

    In short, it was a dream of mine. Calling it a career goal wouldn¡¯t be necessarily wrong, but frankly speaking, I never did have the courage to openly admit it. It¡¯s why I left most of my career exploration worksheets blank back in high-school.

    To me, it was a far, far away dream that felt impossible to achieve.

    Of course, I tried. I¡¯d like to think that I tried hard. After all, a dream stays a dream unless you actually do something about it. As such, I did something about it. I wrote. For three straight years, I wrote. Every day after school, during the weekends, and even in the midst of my summer vacations, I constantly wrote. I wrote through the rainy days and the sunny days. I wrote even when my tests were breathing down my neck. I wrote from the moment the sun peeked out from behind the clouds up until it descended beyond the horizon.

    I wrote every day for three years, yet¡­ I failed.

    My efforts did not translate into results.

    It¡¯s funny, actually.

    Failing to write was a hard concept for many to grasp, but it was not at all a rare feeling for those who¡¯ve actually experienced it. I failed. I failed to finish my manuscript. I failed to submit my work. I failed to make a good story.

    It was a simple as that.

    I was a failure. I¡¯ve been wallowing in my own self-pity for over three months now. It certainly wasn¡¯t something that I¡¯d like to openly admit, but it¡¯s the truth. At this point, what else could I do?

    I sank four years into this thing, my entire high-school life, yet nothing came of it. Should I continue? What if another four years pass and I still don¡¯t produce results? Do I keep going then? Do I keep trying, even while knowing full well that I¡¯m not good enough to succeed?

    That class¡­ why was it on here? Why was it given to someone who did not deserve it?

    I breathed out a heavy sigh. The sigh contained with it all the emotion and stress that had accumulated over the years. Unfortunately, a simple sigh was not enough to disperse everything.

    Just as I was busy wallowing, a new window suddenly appeared before my eyes.

    Warning!

    System activity has been detected.

    Commencing Personal User Interface early activation¡­ Personal UI already online.

    Otherworld System now commencing early activation.

    ¡­

    A stream of text constantly appeared one after another. It was like watching a new computer start up for the first time. The operating system hidden beneath the PC¡¯s hardware was slowly coming to life.

    For a moment, I thought back to the first time I turned on my laptop. Strangely enough, the emotions within both situations were somewhat similar.

    After a few seconds, a dull beep suddenly echoed through my head. At the same time, a new window popped up.

    Congratulations!

    You have slain a Lv 2 Mud Hound.

    Due to the special circumstance, no experience has been gained.

    You are the first inhabitant to kill an Otherworld Invader.

    A Momentous Achievement!

    ¡°Kill? Is it talking about that dog creature?¡± My eyes momentarily landed on the furry corpse a few dozen meters away from me. A shallow frown twisted my lips. ¡°Why did the system inform me so belatedly? Wasn¡¯t the dog¡ª err, the Mud Hound already dead before then? Shouldn¡¯t it have informed me after I fell off the cliff or after I regained consciousness?¡±

    As far as videogames go, achievements and the like usually come immediately after the monster¡¯s death. Ignoring all the other crap that these window panels were telling me, the fact that it came so late only served to arouse my suspicions.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s also another possibility¡­¡± My eyes narrowed as a certain thought suddenly sprang to mind.

    If we go off the basis that this new ¡®system¡¯ worked much in the same way that real videogames worked, then an achievement notification like this one would naturally appear almost immediately after said achievement was obtained. Then, that left only one explanation: the creature was not actually dead. Or rather, it had still been alive a few seconds ago.

    Instead, it had died just now, moments before the new window panels started popping up in front of me.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I subconsciously shuddered.

    It certainly was a possibility. After all, the corpse wasn¡¯t exactly cold the last time I had touched it. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not like I had the courage to go up there and check its vitals. Aside from my vague guesses, it was impossible to tell whether or not it had really died.

    For the first time, I was thankful for my cowardice. If I had naively gone up to its neck to check, then who knows what might have happened. Whether that thing was really incapacitated or if it was just bidding for time, the world will never know. Or at least, I won¡¯t.

    The realization somewhat shocked me, but curiosity was still a far stronger motivator. A few new panels appeared. I continued reading.

    Achievement has been recorded.

    Now Distributing Rewards bonus...

    A short pause later, another window panel appeared.

    Congratulations!

    You have earned the Trailblazer Title.

    I stopped to briefly read through the new window. Titles were often given in-game for achieving certain feats. This was probably something similar. I didn¡¯t worry too much about it. In fact, I was a little bit happy. After all, titles were a good thing. They were almost always beneficial to the player. The effects differed depending on the title and the game, but generally, they can help increase stats, boost fame/infamy, strengthen damage given to certain mobs, and even help improve relationships with NPCs. Really, they were useful little things.

    As for the title itself, I was thoroughly lost. If it had been something like a Vampire Hunter title gained after killing a bunch of vampires, then I could somewhat deduce the effects of the title. Unfortunately, Trailblazer was a bit too vague.

    I only ruminated over this topic briefly before I turned my attention back to the transparent squares. There was still a bunch of information that I had previously skipped over.

    Achievement Reward: Skill evolution.

    Please choose a skill to undergo forced evolution. Caution, only one skill can be chosen.

    ¡°First, it was titles, now skills?¡± I raised my brow. The more I delved into this weird little semi-delusion of mine, the more and more it felt like something lifted straight from a videogame.

    I turned my attention over to my Status Screen. Fortunately, a single thought was all I needed in order to switch between window panels.

    Pushing aside my abysmal stats, I focused my attention back over to the skills tab.

    ¡°Penmanship and External Observation?¡± As I read those words, my expression visible sank.

    They were both level one skills, which was probably normal, but¡­ what the hell were these skills?

    Penmanship? What sort of crap was that? Even outside of this whole game-like situation, good penmanship was a slowly dying talent. The advent of computers had made it all but obsolete. At the very least, schools no longer required their students to teach cursive.

    As long as you could write down letters and form words, what was the need of penmanship?

    On the other hand, you¡¯d think that sort of thing would be important for a writer, but that was far from true. Take me for example. I do all my writing exclusively on a laptop. In fact, doing it all by hand would serve more as a detriment, rather than a benefit.

    What was the point in penmanship, especially as a skill?

    I shook my head.

    And then there was External Observation. Again, what the hell? Since it was a skill paired up with Penmanship, then it was also probably related to my Writer class.

    Judging by the name, was it based on the fact that writers tend to observe their surroundings in search of inspiration? It was somewhat of a stereotype, but I do have to admit guilt in occasionally observing strangers for my own enjoyment.

    Still, there was something wrong with the way this thing worded the skill. Why did it have to sound so¡­ so voyeuristic?

    ¡°Neither one of these two are any good.¡± I breathed out a despondent sigh.

    If my thought process was correct, then these two skills should be derived from that damn class of mine. As expected, Writer really was a trash class. In an unknown situation like this, I would have much rather preferred something like swordsman or mage. How the hell do you expect me to play along with your little game when you give me such a terrible start?

    Unfortunately, there was no point crying over the things that I could not change. Instead, I thought about the issue at hand.

    The reward bonus only allowed for the evolution of one skill. After thinking about it for a while, I eventually decided to go with External Observation. Penmanship felt like a dead end. More specifically, I did not know in what direction it would evolve in, nor was I very optimistic about that direction.

    With External Observation, I was a little bit more hopeful about the outcome.

    So, I picked External Observation.

    A beat later, the screen in front of me suddenly changed.

    Choice Confirmed.

    Now configuring skill¡­ skill structure undergoing evolution¡­

    Fifteen long seconds passed before a dull beep echoed through my head.

    Evolution complete!

    Now granting rewards bonus¡­

    [External Observation] has evolved into [Eyes of the Observer]

    For a moment, I marveled at the new skill. Unfortunately, my awe did not last long.

    Without warning, a severe migraine suddenly struck me. I subconsciously let out a cold hiss. I dropped to the floor as a wave of nausea swept me off my feet. My head felt as if it was being crushed by a hydraulic press.

    I only lasted three seconds before my vision turned black and I passed out.

 Chapter 5: A Busted System

    There was a quiet ringing in my head. It did not hurt, but it wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling either.

    I slowly opened my eyes. It felt as if I had just awoken from a ten-thousand-year long slumber. The first thing I noticed was the blurry ceiling of green above me. Narrow rays of light fell from above and illuminated my surroundings with a dim haze. The dust that aimlessly drifted in front of my eyes resembled scattered sprinkles of starlight.

    I subconsciously furrowed my brow. This wasn¡¯t the ceiling that I was normally used to. My bedroom was plain and unassuming. It had beige-colored walls and a white ceiling.

    After a few seconds, my taut face gradually relaxed. Worrying about all this was too annoying, so I stopped. My vision was still a bit fuzzy and my head was still a bit muddled, so that might be why I was seeing all these weird things. Either way, my body felt uncomfortably lethargic, more so than usual.

    ¡°How long was I asleep for?¡± I quietly whispered to myself. My voice sounded hoarse, almost like a croaking frog. It felt like forever since the last time I spoke.

    By reflex, I absentmindedly pulled out my smartphone from my pants pocket. I lifted it up and brought it close to my face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I squinted hard, but no matter how hard I squinted the screen remained blank. I even clicked the buttons and touched the screen, but still nothing. It took me a second to realize that my phone was turned off. Rather, it refused to turn on.

    A giant crack ran down from the top of the screen all the way to the bottom. My phone was broken.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I stared at it for a moment before my hand limply fell to the side. I breathed out a weary sigh.

    My phone was thoroughly broken, which spelled bad news for me. What¡¯s more, summer just started! It couldn¡¯t have happened at a worse time than now. I mean, it¡¯s not like I get a whole lot of calls or texts, but there was more to a smartphone than just communicating with people.

    For example, there was this mobile game that I was currently hooked on. It was the sort of game where you spend real money to collect various characters. This game, in particular, had a feature where they give away special deals and free rolls during certain days or holidays. If the situation continued as is, then I¡¯d miss out on all the summer giveaways!

    Should I grovel in front of my parents and ask for a new phone? If they find out that I broke it, then they¡¯d definitely kill me¡­

    Such worries plagued my muddled head.

    Eventually, time passed. As I was wallowing in my own self-pity, I suddenly noticed a throbbing ache near my lower back.

    ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with this bed? It¡¯s no different from the floor!¡± I bitter feeling rose from deep within my chest.

    I just woke up and already, my irritation was reaching a tipping point.

    ¡°In the first place, whose room is this? My bed¡¯s not nearly this¡ª¡±

    Then, I remembered. Images dyed in red flooded my mind. Suddenly, the ache that I felt no longer mattered.

    I immediately shot to my feet. I had risen so fast that I felt a little bit lightheaded. Still, I gritted through the discomfort. With a panicked expression smeared across my face, I frantically scanned the area.

    I wasn¡¯t in my bedroom. In fact, I wasn¡¯t in anybody¡¯s bedroom.

    All around me were towering sycamore trees. The ground beneath my feet felt soft and malleable. A wide variety of plants and bushes littered the surroundings. I was in the middle of a dense forest. More memories rushed back to my head.

    The dog-like monster, the life-threatening fall, that weird game system hallucination, these little bits of broken memories came rushing back like some sort of twisted jigsaw puzzle. The fog in my head rapidly dissipated. I remembered everything.

    How could I have forgotten?

    I tried to calm my beating heart as I carefully thought about my situation. After inspecting the nearby surroundings, I noted that nothing had really changed. There were no monsters around and the sun was still up high in the air. It did not look like much time had passed. If there was any change, then it would be the corpse beside me. Underneath the summer sun, it was starting to smell. I quickly backed away from it.

    Only after I confirmed all this did I start to relax.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing wrong with my surroundings, I can check ¡®that¡¯ next.¡±

    I tried to bring up my status screen.

    As expected, a single thought later and a half-transparent square appeared before my eyes. I scrutinized the screen.

    ¡°Can I take this as evidence that I¡¯m not really hallucinating?¡± I muttered to myself with scrunched up eyebrows.

    Well, it was still a bit too early to decide that. After all, this screen wasn¡¯t real in the sense that it was not a part of the material world. I could neither touch it nor physically interact with it. In short, it really was all in my head. Even though I was fully aware of this, I still lacked the necessary mental fortitude to snap myself out of this ¡®delusion¡¯.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I despondently shook my head. For now, I pushed the issue to the back of my mind and refocused my attention on my status screen.

    <blockquote>

    Status Screen

    Name: Holden Day

    Sex/Age: Male/ 18 years old

    Race: Human

    Titles: Trailblazer

    Class: Writer Lv 1

    Skills: Penmanship Lv 1, Eyes of the Observer

    HP: 100/100

    Mana: 100/100

    Strength: 6

    Dexterity: 9

    Constitution: 5

    Intelligence: 11

    Unused SP: 0

    Current Condition: Healthy.

    </blockquote>

    My status screen really did change. The most obvious one was the change in my skill. [External Observation] transformed into [Eyes of the Observer]. I don¡¯t really know what changed, but considering the fact that it was a reward, then it should probably be something good, right?

    Aside from that, something else was different too. It took me a second to recognize what that new change was.

    ¡°Ah, my HP is full¡­¡± I widened my eyes in surprise. Now that I mention it, I wasn¡¯t in pain anymore. Aside from that slight muscle ache I got from sleeping on the ground, my body was in tip-top condition. Even the system confirmed this.

    ¡°What happened to me?¡± I immediately inspected my body. After a few seconds, I quickly confirmed what I had already known. Even though my clothes and skin were still caked in dried blood, all of my injuries were gone.

    ¡°Did I somehow heal myself? Is this another effect of this new system? Self-healing on par with what you see in videogames?¡±

    Although it seemed like the most likely scenario right now, I still felt a bit hesitant.

    In some games, players had this passive ability to slowly regenerate their HP as time passed. This was most commonly seen in online MMORPGs. This self-regeneration function was sometimes mitigated. For example, players might only be allowed to passively heal when they were outside of combat or in some sort of safe zone. Still, it was an incredible ability that would break all sorts of rules if it were to ever appear in real life.

    Of course, not all videogames were like this. Despite the similarities between the two genres, regular RPGs worked differently from MMORPGs. In a regular RPG, the player usually doesn¡¯t have a self-healing function. This was especially the case for turn-based games, where the player needed to actively heal himself to prevent a game over.

    I did not know what rules this weird system was playing by. As of now, it seemed to be a mix of different styles of gameplay.

    Just as I was pondering over this issue, a new screen suddenly popped up.

    You have (1) new message.

    Do you wish to open it?

    Y/N

    ¡°What the hell?¡± I subconsciously furrowed my brow. It even has this sort of function?

    I hesitated for a moment before I accepted the new message. Immediately, another screen appeared before my eyes.

    <blockquote>

    It¡¯s an after-service healing~!

    Are you surprised?

    </blockquote>

    Those were the first words to pop up on screen. My expression immediately fell. It was just so¡­ unexpectedly bubbly, far different from the mechanical coldness of the system from before. Whether it was through a computer monitor or in person, I was not good at dealing with this sort of personality.

    ¡°Did an actual person send this to me?¡± I continued reading.

    <blockquote>

    You¡¯re not very strong, but since you somehow survived, I thought I¡¯d give you a little help! After such a lucky event, it would be a shame if you were to just up and die from blood loss. Where would be the fun in that?

    Keep going a little more, you¡¯re not out of the woods just yet (lol)

    Sincerely,

    -GG

    P.S.

    If you get the chance, pray to me, okay? ???

    </blockquote>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What the hell was this?

    To be honest, I did not know how to react. There was a lot to unpack from this message.

    First of all, the messenger signed off as GG. I do not know what those initials stand for, but considering the fact that they asked me to pray to them, I was somewhat inclined to believe that the message had been from some sort of God. But therein lay the problem. What kind of God talks like a stereotypical teenage girl?

    It seriously didn¡¯t make any sense!

    Also, the fact that they knew what had happened to me was a sign that I was constantly being monitored. This was a greatly discomforting realization that would make anybody¡¯s skin crawl.

    I tried to respond to the message, but there was no such feature anywhere on the system. Apparently, this exchange was destined to remain completely one-sided.

    ¡°Either way, am I supposed to thank them for saving me?¡± I could not quite decide. After all, even I felt a bit reluctant to thank the people responsible for causing this mess in the first place.

    Afterwards, since GG didn¡¯t send anything else aside from that initial message, I decided to properly investigate my new skills.

    [Penmanship] and [Eyes of the Observer].

    I picked Penmanship first. After scrutinizing the skill for a few seconds, a new panel popped up.

    Penmanship ¨C Lv 1

    A writer¡¯s most important weapon is their writing.

    After reading that very brief introduction, I reflexively let out a groan. I expected to read something like a description or an instruction manual on how to use this skill. Instead, I got this overly vague nonsense. This system was absolutely defective.

    I thought for a moment, before I pulled out a ballpoint pen from my back pocket. Surprisingly, it was still intact, albeit slightly bent.

    Since the skill was titled penmanship, I naturally planned to do some writing. I uncapped the pen and quickly wrote something down on the back of my hand.

    ¡®GG is a piece of shit¡­¡¯

    Such were the words that I wrote down. For a moment, I was inwardly worried that lightning might fall from the heavens and strike me down. Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened. This led me to conclude two possibilities: either the Gods of the system were not all powerful or GG was a plain old masochist.

    After some thought, I decided to correct my initial writing.

    ¡®GG is a masochistic piece of shit¡­¡¯

    I nodded in satisfaction. As I wrote, I also felt this weird surge of energy. No, that wasn¡¯t quite the proper way to describe it. The feeling was more like something leaving my body and moving towards my hand.

    After I finished, the feeling quickly disappeared. I looked back down on my writing. It was a bit hard to tell, but the penmanship seemed a bit¡­ smoother? I scrutinized it some more and quickly confirmed that it really did look better than my regular handwriting, but¡­ was that it?

    Was my skill only capable of improving my handwriting? What sort of bullshit was that?

    Naturally, I felt disappointed. What¡¯s more, after re-examining my status screen, I quickly discovered that my mana had gone down from 100 to 90. Not only was it a bad skill, it even consumed mana. The demerits of this skill were quickly coming to light.

    I breathed out a heavy sigh.

    Harping on this issue any longer would only make me more depressed, so I quickly moved on.

    Now, for something a bit more¡­ hopeful. I checked the next skill.

    ¡°Eyes of the Observer¡­ I wonder, what can you do?¡±

    While harboring a bit of expectation, I carefully read the status panel before me.

 Chapter 6: Eyes of the Observer

    Eyes of the Observer

    ¡ª-

    When I first pulled up the skill, I was immediately met with a blank screen.

    After experiencing the atrocity that was [Penmanship], I did not think it could possibly get any worse. Unfortunately, the world works in mysterious ways. In this case, expectations were meant to be broken. Aside from the skill¡¯s name, the system did not disclose any additional information.

    I furrowed my brow. No matter how you look at it, wasn¡¯t this damn thing defective? Rather than a fully operational godly system whose influence reached even the farthest corners of the world, this thing was more like a dying studio¡¯s sloppy and unfinished game.

    Terrible gameplay and a shitty plot. If possible, I¡¯d rate the overall experience a 2/10. It was definitely not something I would play again.

    ¡­Still, was it really an error? Despite my outward reaction, I wasn¡¯t quite so sure. There was always the possibility that the skill section was left purposely blank

    After some thought, I couldn¡¯t help but let out an exasperated groan. Even if it was on purpose, only a shitty game developer would implement such an inane feature into their game. It definitely wasn¡¯t the sort of game that I¡¯d willingly sink my time into.

    Unfortunately, I was but a mere player. I could do nothing but sit there and smile as the devs force-fed me their sloppy mess.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use crying about it.¡± I consoled myself. ¡°I might as well try to understand what this thing does.¡±

    [Eyes of the Observer]

    It sounded both domineering and a little unassuming.

    Unlike with [Penmanship], it neither had an introduction nor levels. I interpreted this to mean that this skill of mine was special and that it was probably the type that could not be leveled up.

    If it was supposed to be special, then surely, its effects were at least somewhat decent, right?

    ¡°Still, how am I supposed to activate it? Will it consume mana like the last one, or are its effects more passive?¡± Such questions bubbled up within my head. I sank into a deep silence. After a while, I lifted my head and tentatively concluded, ¡°Since observation is a really big part of the skill¡¯s name, I should probably start there.¡± It was a bit flimsy of a rationale, but I didn¡¯t have much of a choice. After all, at this point, the skill¡¯s name was my only real clue.

    ¡°But, how do I go about doing that? ¡®Eyes of the Observer¡¯ is a bit vague. Should I start randomly glaring at things? How about carefully scrutinizing anything that walks? Or maybe I should just stare absentmindedly at the sky? Really, what the hell am I supposed to do?¡±

    I hesitated for quite some time. Eventually, my piercing gaze landed on a nearby tree. I intently ¡®observed¡¯ it. At first, I was worried that nothing would happen, but after what felt like forever, a new window screen suddenly popped up before me.

    Sycamore tree

    67 years old.

    Dimensions: 112.34 feet in height and 6.54 feet in diameter.

    Native to North America.

    Weaknesses: fire, Sycamore leaf beetle.

    I widened my eyes in surprise.

    The new pop-up showcased information relating to the tree. Most of it was general knowledge stuff, but it still surprised me. For example, the dimensions listed were rather specific. Unfortunately, I did not have a way to verify the measurements. If this whole thing really was just some overly complex hallucination, then there was a big possibility that my brain was just making all these numbers up.

    Even if the numbers weren¡¯t real, that still left me with the weaknesses. While it was pretty obvious that fire was a tree¡¯s greatest foe, the part about the sycamore leaf beetle did surprise me. Prior to today, I had never heard of such an insect before. Was it actually real or was it just something else that my brain made up?

    Just as I was pondering over this, I suddenly noticed something move across the surface of the tree. I narrowed my eyes and instinctively approached. It was an ugly looking brown insect with wart-like protrusions growing all over its body. It vaguely resembled a beetle.

    As I looked at it, a new window screen appeared before my eyes.

    Sycamore leaf beetle

    47 days old.

    Female, currently in full maturation.

    3.58 mm in height.

    Native to North America.

    The sycamore leaf beetle is a creature with parasitic tendencies. It is largely sedentary and will remain with the same host plant for all of its natural life.

    Again, the new pop-up showcased information relating to the particular target. As it turns out, this ugly looking bug was actually a sycamore leaf beetle, one of the only two weaknesses of the sycamore tree.

    As I read and reread the screen, I noticed an odd discrepancy. The information presented on here was a bit different from the information presented in the other window panel. Comparatively, the beetle had a more detailed description, but it lacked the little section on weaknesses that the tree possessed.

    Why were they different? Was this difference important? Were the discrepancies due to me or the skill itself?

    I breathed out a faint sigh. As expected, this new skill of mine was not at all straightforward. At the very least though, I was finally able to grasp the general gist of the skill¡¯s usage and utility.

    From what I can gather, [Eyes of the Observer] was a skill that allowed me to gain insight into a target¡¯s specs and attributes. It was sort of similar to my own status screen. Unfortunately, it did not show any stats. Hopefully, that will change the moment my eyes land on an actual animal.

    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t a beetle already an animal?¡± I suddenly recalled something as a faint frown wrinkled my lips. ¡°Is it different? Maybe the beetle¡¯s too weak for the skill to properly register? Is that why there¡¯s a discrepancy in the information? The difference between a plant and an insect?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    My line of thinking was probably correct, but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t quite confirm any of my theories. At least, not until I actually run into something other than a tree or a beetle. Preferably an animal or hopefully a human.

    When I went ahead and checked my status screen, I soon discovered that my mana had gone down again, this time, it had been reduced to 85. That means that both instances of skill activation consumed a total of 5 mana.

    I thought for a moment before I turned towards the corpse.

    Corpse of a Mound Hound

    The dead corpse of an otherworld monster.

    It exudes faint traces of mana.

    Time of death: less than two hours ago.

    Quality of corpse: Poor.

    With the activation of my skill, a new pop-up appeared. I quickly read through it without much surprise before I turned back towards my status panel.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As expected, my mana went down again. This time, it had been reduced to 83, consuming 2 mana points. From this, I could tell that the mana consumption of my skill was relevant to my target. I don¡¯t exactly know how much mana it took to identify both the sycamore tree and the leaf beetle, but if it was only two like with the corpse, then my total amount of mana would still be at 84. This detail would probably be important later down the line, so I made sure to memorize it.

    Speaking of things yet to come, I completely forgot to do this beforehand but skills and classes were not the only things I had received today.

    I glanced up at the title column.

    Trailblazer

    You are humanity¡¯s shining beacon and the world¡¯s foremost frontline vanguard! Venture forth into the unknown and carve a path for the rest to follow.

    Effects:

    Level up rewards bonus

    Achievement acquisition reward bonus

    The Trailblazer title was one of my rewards for killing the Mud Hound.

    ¡°A reward bonus?¡± I furrowed my brow. As expected from this defective system, even the damn effects were overly vague.

    I let out a soft sigh.

    It was unfortunate, but it looks like I won¡¯t be able to witness the details to this skill, at least until I can properly level up again or produce another noteworthy achievement. The latter seemed almost impossible to do, but leveling up should be rather simple, right?

    As such thought floated through my mind, I suddenly caught sight of something through the corner of my eye. I immediately tensed up. The sound of rustling leaves echoed through the forest.

    Now, rustling wasn¡¯t actually anything unusual. After all, the forest was active and teeming with life. Birds frolicked up above the canopies, while rodents of all sorts scurried along the ground. The bushes also moved quite frequently. In the few minutes since I regained consciousness, I¡¯ve noticed quite a few rabbits and raccoons wandering the area.

    The fact that this place was off the beaten path only further strengthened this claim. It was only natural for a place without humans to be filled with so much life.

    Still, this time felt different. The rustling was loud, almost as if it was purposely trying to attract attention. I heard the snapping of branches and the sound of something heavy press down against the soft soil. When I turned my head to look at the source of the noise, I was immediately met with a massive figure skulking behind a nearby bush.

    My eyes widened in shock. A bulky, almost blubbery body covered in black fur. Coupled with its elongated snout and stubby ears, I instantly recognized this new intruder. What¡¯s more, my skill recognized it too.

    <blockquote>

    American Black Bear ¨C Lv 1

    A beast native to the North American region of Earth. Although it is omnivorous, it does not shy away from hunting.

    HP: 800/800

    Mana: 20/20

    Strength: 39

    Dexterity: 7

    Constitution: 31

    Intelligence: 4

    Available Skills: Charge Lv 1, Arboreal Combat Lv 1

    </blockquote>

    While the window panel affirmed my predictions, it did little to ease the growing fear in my heart.

    The black bear in front of me currently had all of its information laid bare before my eyes. Unlike with my previous targets, its stats were there too. I wasn¡¯t really all that surprised by that. What did surprise me were the values of its stats. Despite the fact that it was also at level 1 like me, its stats were off the charts. Specifically, its strength and constitution were more than four times greater than mine.

    Was this the natural difference between species? It was a bit disheartening, but at the very least, it did not have a class, although with stats like that, did it even matter?

    It was not very tall, but it more than made up for it in bulk. The beast was nearly twice my size. It silently eyed me for a few seconds before it turned its attention over to the corpse. Judging by the drool dripping from its jaws, the bear was probably attracted to its scent and eventually followed it all the way here.

    I silently cursed myself for not noticing sooner but in my defense, its soft paws really helped to hide the sound of its footsteps.

    The bear paid me little attention as it stepped into the clearing and approached the corpse. Without hesitation, it immediately began to dig in. Its mouth stained with blood. For all intents and purposes, it looked completely concentrated on the task at hand, but I knew better.

    I caught it occasionally throwing a wary glance my way. It did not attack, but it was cautious of my presence. I knew that the longer I stayed here, the more dangerous the situation might get. At any moment, it might just throw caution to the wind and finish me off.

    I wanted to run, but I couldn¡¯t. My legs were frozen stiff. It was different from my initial meeting with the mud hound. Back then, instinct had carried me forward. This time, it wasn¡¯t just instinct that flooded my psyche. It was mainly fear, but that fear came prepackaged in knowledge.

    I knew how strong a bear was. I knew that it was omnivorous. I knew that it had a knack for rummaging through people¡¯s campsites. I knew how aggressive they could be and I knew how running would only make things worse.

    My knowledge hampered my instinct. In fact, it turned that knowledge into fear.

    Just as I was inwardly struggling with myself, something even more shocking occurred.

    WOOSH!

    Something fell from the sky. It was green and blurry, like watching a moving car race down the highway. It didn¡¯t really fall, but it was the best way for me to describe it.

    It landed directly on top of a certain stubby-eared beast.

    The beard did not even have time to react. A flash of white seared my eyes, Half a second later, I heard the chilling sounds of slicing flesh. A thin line of red appeared around the bear¡¯s neck. The red intensified, just as everything from the neck up slowly slid forward.

    With a sickening squelch, the decapitated head fell to the ground. The mighty beast with almost 40 strength points had died, just like that.

    As I stood there, transfixed by the gruesome scene, my original fear slowly dissipated. In its place was that familiar feeling of instinct.

    To my surprise, the monster responsible for all of this was actually a giant praying mantis.

    It stood nearly twice as tall as an average human. It had a relatively thin frame, but that did little to affect my ugly countenance. The scythes at the end of its arms were razor-sharp and were just as thin as cicada wings. A thin layer of red stained one of its scythes.

    Most of its body was colored a dirty green. I barely noticed the pair of transparent wings mounted on its back.

    <blockquote>

    Whittle Mantis ¨C Lv 15

    An otherworld monster. A solitary predator best known for its speed. It is native to the ruined world of Arcadia.

    HP: 3000/3000

    Mana: 300/300

    Strength: 35

    Dexterity: 86

    Constitution: 30

    Intelligence: 6

    Available Skills: Scuttle Flight Lv 4, Danger Perception Lv 3, Slash Lv 6

    </blockquote>

    A level fifteen otherworld monster. Its stats were even greater than the black bear¡¯s. Fighting it did not even cross my mind. I couldn¡¯t even compare myself to this sort of dangerous monster.

    At that point, the shock had snapped me out of reverie. Without hesitation, I instantly sprinted forward.

    I knew deep down in my heart that running away from a predator was almost always a bad idea, but like before, my instincts won out. As such, I ran. I desperately ran for my life.

    Fortunately, it did not chase after me. It was more interested in the freshly killed bear beneath its feet. This was another stroke of luck for me. I did not dare question it.

    I ran away as the sound of crunching bones echoed through my ears.

    Even after that, I still did not stop running. Driven by an instinctive fear and a desperate urge to survive, I ran as far and as fast as my legs could carry.

    After who knows how long, I approached my limit. My legs felt like lead, while the metallic taste of blood slightly colored my tongue. A beat later, I collapsed mid-sprint.

    I hit the ground with a soft thud. My beating heart echoed loudly through my ears as clumps of soil stuck to my sweat-stained skin.

    All sorts of thoughts raced through my mind.

    ¡°I¡­ what the hell was that?¡± I mumbled to myself.

    That thing, what was it? After surviving such an encounter, I was starting to believe that all of this was not just some stupid hallucination in my head. The fear felt real. The sounds that it made, the smell that the bear¡¯s corpse produced, the slight gust of wind that the mantis¡¯s arrival ushered forth, all of it was too real.

    But¡­ if this wasn¡¯t a hallucination, did that mean that all of this was real? The mantis, the corpses, the system, was all of it real?

    A croaky chuckle leaked out from my throat.

    Just what the hell is happening?! Am I in another world? Did I slip through a dimensional crack or something?

    After a short pause, I quickly dismissed that thought. After all, the trees within this forest were still the same ones that were in the park. The bear too, it was also from North America, even the system said so. I was still on Earth, but¡­ it was no longer the Earth that I knew.

    Just then, as if on cue, the ground suddenly started trembling. In that moment, my growing theory was quickly confirmed.

    I looked up at the distant sky. The world was undergoing a massive and permanent change.

 Chapter 7: The Dawn that Preceded the Start of an Era

    The sky suddenly changed. Something swallowed it up. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. It just looked like something swallowed the sky.

    It wasn¡¯t anything physical, but rather, it was all visual. The color purple devoured the sky. It was a deep and vibrant purple unique throughout the entire world. In fact, I was certain that no such purple existed anywhere else within this universe.

    From my perspective, it appeared as if the entire sky had changed color, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if only a small part of it was affected. In truth, it was a bit difficult to tell. The vantage point from within this valley was narrow. It was almost like being stuck in the bottom of a well.

    The purple did not start in some faraway distant point in the sky. Instead, it seemed to have originated from somewhere much closer. How close exactly, I couldn¡¯t tell, but it sprouted from all directions. The color continued to spread before eventually enclosing in on itself directly above my head. At that point, the sky above me was completely purple. It had been devoured.

    The deep purple sky resembled the night, except without any of the stars. It persisted for only a few short seconds before the purple gradually gave way. From a deep purple, it transformed into a hot pink, and then into a soft hazy orange. It was like watching the rising dawn.

    Eventually, the sky returned to the azure hue that I was familiar with. Unfortunately, things were not completely back to normal. For one, the sun was gone. The light was still there, but that familiar burning ball of fire was nowhere to be seen.

    Just as I was marveling at the sudden change, a series of pop-ups suddenly appeared before my eyes.

    Otherworld System detected.

    Mass Personal UI detected.

    Finalizing Preparations...

    A sharp beep echoed through my skull.

    Trans-Dimensional coordinates identified.

    Establishing Root World¡­ [Earth] UI activated.

    Divine Pantheon System activated.

    Ancient [Earth] System activated.

    Evolution System activated.

    Myriad Class System activated.

    Gathering Ark System activated.

    Connection with the Akashic Records has been established.

    ¡­

    Final Scan activating...

    Current Loop: 9

    Current Trial: 9245387979797313424679

    Current iteration of current world [Earth]: 98

    ¡­

    System Diagnostics complete.

    [Ideal World] Program now online.

    Another beep, this time, much louder than before. The subsequent panel was somewhat familiar.

    You have (1) new message.

    Sender unique ID confirmed.

    [Creator] privileges now in effect.

    Bypassing Mass Personal UI privacy settings¡­

    Unlike last time, there was no prompt for me to open it. Instead, it forcibly opened on its own. A half-second later, a completely new screen, this one considerably more transparent than before, occupied my vision.

    <blockquote>

    Welcome, Newcomer.

    From now on, your world will change and it will only continue to change. There is no way to stop it. The only thing you can do now is adapt and survive. Those that can¡¯t will perish. If this world is deemed unworthy, then it too shall perish.

    Pray to a God, worship a Demon, or rely on your own strength. It matters not what you do. There are many paths, but all paths lead to the same destination.

    Sincerely,

    -CC

    </blockquote>

    It was another weird message. This time, it did not seem to be addressed only to me. Maybe it was something like a mass email? Who was the intended recipient, you might ask? Most likely, the whole world.

    The message was also signed off by a mister/missus [CC]. It was probably a similar existence to the [GG] from before. These Gods or whatever they were, they had weird names. Were they all like this or was I just unlucky? Who knows but right now, I¡¯m leaning towards the latter.

    Just when I thought we were done with all this, another transparent pop-up suddenly appeared before my eyes.

    Warning!

    You have entered a Dungeon!

    ¡­

    ¡°A dungeon?¡± My countenance suddenly soured. For some reason, an unpleasant feeling leaked out from my heart. Whatever this new thing was, I was certain that it did not bode well for me.

    Congratulations!

    You are among the first to enter a Dungeon within the new world!

    A Momentous Achievement!

    I widened my eyes in surprise. It was another achievement. After the first one, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d encounter another so quickly. Were achievements usually this easy to get or was I so lucky? For how long could this luck last?You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Achievement has been recorded.

    Now distributing rewards bonus¡­

    ERROR!

    Suddenly, an ear-shattering beep reverberated through my skull. I subconsciously winced in pain as my legs gave out and I fell to my knees. The noise was far greater than last time. It resembled an amplified police siren. By the time the sound receded, the back of my head was throbbing.

    ERROR!

    A large number of individuals have concurrently discovered a Dungeon at the same time as you.

    The number of individuals has exceeded the limitable threshold.

    Rewards cannot be distributed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I stared at the new pop-up with narrowed eyes. From the very start, I had no clue that such an achievement even existed, nor did I expect to actually get a reward from literally just being inside this valley. Looking at the error screen in front of me, my heart was filled with mix feelings.

    Just when I first learned of its existence, I was now being informed that I wasn¡¯t actually going to get it. Since I didn¡¯t expect it in the first place, I shouldn¡¯t be all too bumped about this outcome. That was how it was supposed to be, but¡­ unfortunately, humans were weird. When they see something just barely out of their reach, they can¡¯t help but want it even more.

    I was like that right now.

    But before I could properly grieve over it, something unexpected happened. Another window panel appeared before me.

    ¡­

    [Trailblazer] title detected¡­ Now correcting rewards bonus¡­

    ¡­

    Congratulations!

    You are the first individual to discover a new dungeon!

    You have earned the title, Era¡¯s First Dungeon Diver.

    ¡°Ah, I suddenly got another title¡­¡± For a moment, I stared blankly at the sight before me. At the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

    I felt like a cheater. According to the system, a lot of people were in the same situation as me. Somewhere out there, a dungeon spawned. Several dungeons probably. What¡¯s more, they spawned in places already populated by people. In the blink of an eye, the whole world had changed. No doubt that danger would soon accompany those misfortunate souls.

    Just because of my [Trailblazer] title, I happened to acquire another achievement, while everyone else got nothing. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the system was giving me unfair treatment.

    Of course, this was all just hypothesis right now, but I had a feeling that I was far closer to the truth than what I¡¯d like to admit.

    As I was about to check out my new title, another semi-transparent screen popped up in front of me.

    Caution!

    You have entered [Arcadia¡¯s Lost Hearth].

    A remnant of a broken world. Within the depths of this dungeon hides Arcadia¡¯s lost inheritance, but with every treasure comes adversity. Be wary of Arcadia¡¯s disaster.

    ¡°How ominous¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but mutter to myself.  As expected, the dungeon¡¯s description was left purposely vague. Unfortunately, the wording that they used was not very comforting.

    At the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what happened to Ashlea?

    The dungeon took up residence firmly within the former national park. If so, then did Ashlea just not exist anymore? Did the dungeon superimpose itself into this valley? Or maybe, did the two separate locations merge into one entity?

    I furrowed my brow. Unfortunately, my speculations remained purely speculations. I pushed the matter to the back of my mind. There was a far more pressing concern at stake here: the dungeon¡¯s danger level.

    A dungeon¡­ that sort of thing sounded dangerous, right? No, it should be dangerous. After all, it was a dungeon. Unfortunately, I did not know how dangerous this place was. It couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, I had no point of reference, nor did the system give me any sort of indication as to its current level.

    Just then, I thought of something.

    ¡°Can my skill work on this thing?¡±

    Eyes of the observer. It was a pretty decent skill with an emphasis on information collection. Even though it worked on physical objects, I did not know if the same applied to this transparent screen.

    Well, there was only one way to find out.

    I quickly activated the skill.

    At first, there was nothing, but after a few seconds, I suddenly felt something change. A unique sensation unlike any other suddenly washed over me. It was as if something was forcibly sucking out my insides. It did not hurt, but it did not feel very pleasant either.

    I hurriedly checked my status screen. To my surprise, my mana had been depleted! This time, it had been reduced to 13. Within the span of less than three seconds, I lost a total of 70 mana points!

    At the same time, a new screen popped up in front of me.

    Arcadia¡¯s Lost Hearth

    Formerly California¡¯s Ashlea National Park.

    Arcadia¡¯s Lost Hearth is a remnant of the broken world ¡°Arcadia¡± from loop #1, trial #34648593. It was ultimately destroyed by a Swarm-type calamity. Remnants of the Calamity reside within the dungeon.

    Projected Dungeon Level: S.

    Projected Dungeon-type: high-density, low-elite.

    Due to the current low mana state of the host world, current dungeon level has been reduced.

    Current Level: D

    Current Dungeon-type: low-density, extremely low-elite.

    Projected time until full Dungeon recovery: 90 days.

    Warning!

    High-density dungeons possess a tendency to undergo Dungeon Outbreak.

    Projected time until first Dungeon Outbreak: 90 days.

    The information provided was for more substantial than all my previous uses of the skill. What¡¯s more, the stuff on here seemed somewhat useful. They even gave me a backstory on the dungeon.

    As it turns out, Arcadia¡¯s Lost Hearth was once a part of a world called Arcadia. It was a bit interesting, but unfortunately, most of the backstory was useless to me.

    Like with the earlier panels, it talked about a trial and a loop. I did not know what those numbers meant. Earth apparently also had a trial and a loop number. I managed to remember the loop number, but memorizing the trial number was impossible for me to do.

    Still, the information regarding what destroyed Arcadia seemed important. A swarm-type calamity was what they called it.

    ¡°Swarm-type? Could it be related to insects?¡± Considering the Whittle Mantis that I ran into earlier, it certainly made sense.

    Aside from that, there was also information regarding the dungeon¡¯s level. If this classification system was the same one that I was familiar with, then S represented the highest grade. No, that might not be right. There could be more levels above S-class, such as SS or SSS. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t confirm any of that right now.

    Either way, one could imagine how dangerous it would be for a newbie to fall into an S-class dungeon. Fortunately for me, the current level had been decreased to D. As for why such a thing happened, maybe it was because this whole mess was just starting out. Earth still hasn¡¯t had enough time to acclimatize to the sudden changes. Whatever the reason, it could only be a good thing for the weak me.

    Unfortunately though, the Dungeon would not remain purely in D-class. As the days pass, the dungeon will only grow more dangerous. It was sort of like a countdown. If I stayed in here for longer than 90 days, then at that time, I¡¯ll definitely find myself stuck within a bonafide S-class dungeon.

    In other words, the earlier I find a way out, the better. Still, finding a way out was easier said than done.

    There was also something else that concerned me.

    Dungeon Outbreak.

    ¡°What the hell is a dungeon outbreak?¡± I could begin to make some guessed based on its name, but it wasn¡¯t very good for me to rely purely on baseless hypothesis. I silently pondered for a few seconds, before an idea suddenly struck.

    ¡°[Eyes of the Observer] works even with these transparent window panels. Can I take that a step further? Is it possible to narrow down the search parameters?¡±

    Since I still had some mana left over, it was at least worth a try.

    With some slight trepidation, I turned to the window panel and glared at the words ¡®Dungeon Outbreak¡¯.

    To my pleasant surprise, it worked. A new screen popped up before me. In the end, I was left with only three mana. My body felt extremely sluggish, almost as if I had just woken up from a thirty-year slumber.

    Still, I was happy. My understanding towards this cryptic skill had once more increased.

    <blockquote>

    Dungeon Outbreak: A phenomenon that occurs when the maximum monster capacity within a dungeon has been exceeded. It occurs most frequently within high-density dungeons. During a dungeon outbreak, a large portion of the dungeon¡¯s monster population will be forcibly expelled into the surrounding areas.

    </blockquote>

    As expected, dungeon outbreaks were bad news. I subconsciously narrowed my eyes. Ashlea National Park was quite close to a populated city. If a large number of monsters were to suddenly appear here, then the city and its inhabitants¡­

    I bitterly shook my head. Even though it was certainly something unpleasant, I did not have the leeway to care at the moment. After all, I still needed to find a solution to my current predicament. Before I can concern myself with the fate of the rest of the world, I first needed to deal with my own issues.

    First off, the sole fact that I was inside a dungeon unnerved me. Usually, there were various special circumstances involved with entering and leaving a dungeon. I was almost certain that escaping this place was not as simple as merely climbing my way back to the top of the cliff.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I breathed out a sigh.

    Before I forget, I decided to check out my newly acquired title.

    Era¡¯s First Dungeon Diver

    Braving danger and the unknown, you hold within you the spirit of an adventurer! Go forth and unravel this world¡¯s secrets.

    Effect(s):

    Improve rate of skill acquisition.

    Improve rate of growth while in a dungeon.

    Title can be further evolved.

 Chapter 8: The Dawn that Preceded the Start of an Era 2

    Era¡¯s First Dungeon Diver

    Braving danger and the unknown, you hold within you the spirit of an adventurer! Go forth and unravel this world¡¯s secrets.

    Effect(s):

    Improve rate of skill acquisition.

    Improve rate of experience acquisition while in a dungeon.

    Title can be further evolved.

    I reflexively narrowed my eyes as I read over the window panel.

    It had two effects in total. My attention focused in on the first one.

    ¡°This¡­ it should be a good thing, right?¡± I murmured half-heartedly to myself. On paper, it seemed useful. In a videogame, increasing your pool of skills was definitely beneficial. It not only allowed for a wider berth of player mobility, but it also opened up previously closed story/progression possibilities.

    Still, having a lot of skills also had its own fair share of drawbacks. For one, more skills meant that the player¡¯s attention would inevitably get divided. Compared to a specialist with only one skill, a man with ten skills would find himself lagging, especially during crucial situations.

    As for the second effect, it was equally as self-explanatory, if not slightly vaguer. At the very least, it fit the theme of the title.

    Still¡­

    Honestly, for a title with as grandiose a name as [Era¡¯s First Dungeon Diver], the effects were just a little lackluster.

    I breathed out a sigh.

    Maybe I was just being too greedy. I can¡¯t really expect anything good from this type of shitty system.

    Well, either way, for the me whose only other skill was [Penmanship], this new title was definitely something I surely needed.

    With my new title out of the way, there was really nothing else for me to do. I had already checked up on all the relative information that this system had to offer. Unfortunately, despite scouring the whole interface, I did not manage to find a tutorial. Those Earth-wide pop-ups also stopped appearing. For now, it seemed like the gods above had finished giving out all the information that they wanted to give out.

    What¡¯s more, I also couldn¡¯t use [Eyes of the Observer] to further investigate the situation. After all, I was currently running low on mana. I felt that it was probably unwise to deplete the whole thing in its entirety. Who knows what sort of backlash might result from such reckless actions?

    For now, I left all the foolhardy experimentation for when I reach a more safe and secure location.

    ¡°Speaking of which, what do I do now?¡±

    My gaze briefly surveilled the surroundings.

    The forest was empty, but not in an eerie way. Even though it was quiet, I could still hear the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. The wind was still blowing and the animals were still here. For all intents and purposes, this forest was still just a forest.

    Unfortunately, I knew the truth. This valley was not the same as it was before. It had transformed into a bonafide dungeon. Arcadia¡¯s Lost Hearth. Although it was only a D rank dungeon right now, it would only be a matter of time before it turns into an S rank hellhole.

    Right now, I needed a game plan. A place like this, dungeons were bound to contain all sorts of monsters. The last thing I wanted was to run into that mantis from earlier. Regardless of what the future has in store for me, blindly staying here was dangerous and quite possibly life-threatening.

    The gears in my head started churning. All the survival shows that I ever watched flashed through my mind.

    For now, I decided to take inventory of my current equipment.

    After rummaging around in my pockets for a while, I fished out four items. A bent ballpoint pen, car keys, a wallet, and my broken smartphone.

    Basically, I was screwed.

    No matter how positively I tried to view things, I simply could not see how this random assortment of items could possibly be of help to me. At most, the smartphone might be a little useful. I knew that these things had something inside them that could be used to start a fire. I think it was lithium or magnesium, the stuff inside the batteries.

    Unfortunately, the fall had inadvertently flatted my phone into a pancake. As it was now, it seemed nearly impossible to pry it open.

    I shook my head. After some consideration, I put away my items and stood back up. Since they might be potentially useful, I decided to keep them, at least for now.

    After I finished sorting everything out, I decided to continue moving. I did not want to stay stationary for too long, especially in a place this dangerous.

    I picked a random direction and began walking.

    Truth be told, I did not know where the exit was. Heck, I wasn¡¯t even sure if this ¡®dungeon¡¯ even had an exit! Still, I kept walking.

    Usually, it was possible to use the sun in order to identify the cardinal directions. After all, the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t as simple as that, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Unfortunately, there was no sun within this valley.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Well, I didn¡¯t stress over it too much. My only goal was to escape this dungeon. Despite the danger of the task ahead of me, I still decided to give it a shot. Fortunately, I was inside an enclosed valley. As long as I pick a direction and stick to it, I should be able to find my way to the edge of the valley and hopefully, the exit.

    Of course, this plan of mine was predicated on the possibility that the dungeon was only limited to the valley. Hopefully, it did not extend all the way to the rest of the park. Even though that risk already put a hole in my plans, that wasn¡¯t even the worst of it all.

    There was also the possibility that the dungeon superimposition process somehow altered the valley¡¯s geography. If that actually happened, then all my prior knowledge and planning would go flying right out the window.

    I shook my head.

    Worrying about such details would do me no good. After all, I really didn¡¯t have a lot of options right now. Even if I did not want to do it, I still needed to do something. With that sort of mindset, I pushed aside my concerns and kept walking.

    ****

    I don¡¯t know how much time had passed.

    It¡¯s not like I had a watch on me or anything. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, I don¡¯t know, just that, I kept on walking throughout it all.

    Time passed in a blink of an eye. Considering the chaos of today, I expected it to feel longer, but strangely enough, it was a lot quicker than I originally anticipated. At some point, the light had begun to dip. Even though there was no visible sun anywhere in sight, the sky still changed color. It had taken on a murky, orange luster.

    If the world was still normal, then I would have reasonably guessed that it was already afternoon. Maybe somewhere between three or four.

    Of course, the reality of the situation was different. It was difficult to properly distinguish. Most importantly, it felt as if time barely moved at all.

    I kept my guard up throughout my journey. Fortunately, I did not stumble into anything.

    No, I lied. I did see a few rabbits and the occasional sparrow, but that was it. Fortunately, I had yet to encounter actual monsters.

    I tried to catch the rabbits. I figured that I¡¯d need them for later. After all, I was eventually going to get hungry. It was better to prepare for it now, then have to deal with it later. Maintaining my strength was important.

    To my misfortune, I failed to catch a single one. The rabbits were simply too fast for me to catch. Although I didn¡¯t use my skill on them, they probably had a higher dexterity than I did. What¡¯s more, rabbits were small and naturally nimble. While on the forest floor, they were as slippery as an eel.

    I despondently shook my head.

    My stomach let out a low growl.  I could feel the hunger rearing its head. Although it was still bearable, it wouldn¡¯t stay that way for long. What I wouldn¡¯t kill for a hamburger or a bucket full of fried chicken.

    While thinking about food, I couldn¡¯t help but recall the party from before. Even though it tasted like shit, I was starting to miss the barbeque from earlier.

    ¡°Speaking of which, how are those guys doing?¡± I silently wondered to myself.

    I didn¡¯t really talk to them all that much, but regardless, they were still my former classmates. Were they also affected by this whole thing?

    No, that was a stupid question. Obviously, they were. I mean, this entire mess was something far larger than what one individual could handle. The entire world was probably affected.

    It was a bold claim to make, but for some reason, I did not think I was wrong.

    Like me, those guys were probably still inside the park. I don¡¯t exactly know if the part of the park that they were staying at was a part of the dungeon, but that hardly mattered. Whether it was inside or outside, it was still dangerous. After all, the mud hounds were still out there. Back then, I had encountered one quite close to the Park¡¯s visitor¡¯s center.

    Even though I didn¡¯t really interact with any of them, it would still be a shame if those guys were to just die like that. After all, despite how asocial I was, at the end of the day, we were still classmates. Even that rude girl from earlier, I¡¯d probably be a little sad if I were to see her die right in front of me.

    ¡°Amanda, would she survive?¡± I thought back to the girl that had originally persuaded me to come here. Amanda, even though she was a bit athletic, in front of those crazy monsters, her strength was all but inconsequential.

    But, if all she cared about was surviving, then she doesn¡¯t actually need to rely purely on herself.  Considering how popular of a person Amanda is, tons of guys would probably volunteer to protect her, right?

    Then again, the opposite could happen.

    I¡¯ve read plenty of apocalypse-survival style stories. In almost every story, the unsavory side of mankind makes an appearance. A girl as beautiful as her was bound to attract trouble.

    Then, there were my parents.

    Truth be told, I was part of a dysfunctional family. My father, my mother, and I lived in the same house but we barely spoke to one another. We were more like roommates than an actual family. Sometimes, I wondered why they didn¡¯t just break up.

    I don¡¯t really know what started this silent cold war, but there¡¯s been no signs of it stopping anytime soon. What¡¯s more, because of their feud, I somehow got thrown into the mix. As a result, my relationship with both of them deteriorated beyond recognition.

    Still, I loved them.

    Maybe because I¡¯ve been desperately looking for any sort of silver lining, but I hope that this incident can bring us closer together as a family.

    I suddenly paused. After a short second, a bitter chuckle leaked out from my lips. ¡°If mortal danger isn¡¯t enough of an incentive, then maybe my death will do?¡±

    Such a self-deprecating thought invaded my mind. I tried to sweep it aside, but it was difficult. I couldn¡¯t help it. After all, my prospects of surviving were slim to none.

    Stuck within the middle of a dangerous dungeon, what could I possibly do with my meager skills and even worse class?

    I really didn¡¯t want to think all these self-defeating thoughts, but unfortunately, they invaded my mind regardless of what I wanted. The truth of this matter, the reality of this situation, it all suddenly came crashing down on me.

    I, I was probably going to die here.

    No matter how much I tried to deny it, the thought hovered over my head like a gloomy fog.

    The sky was already starting to set and I was getting hungry. More monsters were bound to come out at night. If I don¡¯t die now, then I¡¯ll definitely die come nighttime.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Pathetic. Utterly pathetic.

    It¡¯s unfortunate, but¡­ like with my life, my death will probably be one mired in loneliness.

    Yes, that¡¯s right. I could finally admit it now. I was lonely. I¡¯ve been lonely for the longest time.

    Even now, on the eve of my death, I still wanted to talk to someone. I wanted to hold someone¡¯s hand. I wanted them to tell me that I had nothing to worry about and that everything would be okay.

    I was a needy coward, but in truth, I simply did not want to be alone anymore, especially not in the face of death¡¯s cold embrace.

    Unfortunately, no matter how hard I wished for something, nothing would change.

    I didn¡¯t have it. My hands were still empty. The warmth that I wanted was nowhere to be seen. I couldn¡¯t even call my parents to say goodbye one last time.

    I had nothing.

    I was alone.

    I hated it.

    I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. I hated everything about it.

    Something hot flowed down my cheeks. It blurred my vision, but I did not stop walking. A quiet sobbing echoed throughout the forest. The noise complimented the ambient sound of crunching footsteps.

    I should probably stop. Unnecessary noise would only attract danger, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t stop.

    At some point, the sky¡¯s orange luster gave way to a hot pink haze. It took even less for it to change into a deep purple blur. As the non-existent sun slowly set, a myriad of colors came and went. The sky was like a glorious kaleidoscope of beautiful colors.

    After a while, darkness descended.

    I was a bit lucky. After wandering the forest for a while, I eventually found a hollowed-out tree trunk. The space inside was small and I had to chase off a rabbit for it, but I quickly crawled into the hollow.

    Once inside, I then barricaded the entrance with some bushes and old leaves that I randomly picked up in the forest. Unfortunately, I knew that this barricade would not last long. At most, it could provide cover, but that was the extent to its usefulness.

    I quickly settled into the cramped hole in no time. With my legs pressed against my chest and my head resting on a small bump on the trunk, I tightly closed my eyes.

    On that night, I quietly cried myself to sleep.