Act: 24
Keeping the book in his hand and placing the lamp on the desk. After snooping for a bit, he ends up finding some good sources of light he could probably use for later and other miscellaneous stuff. The most useful item he found happened to be a roughed-up brown leather satchel, perfect for holding that strange book along with other small stuff he could fit in it.
"That seems to be everything here... I think it'll be best to sleep downstairs for now and keep my guard up, trusting anything anywhere, here to be considered safe. I'd regret it."
Picking up the lamp and gathering all the items he found and storing it. He walks over to the door before stopping, turning back, and grabbing the photograph, setting it at the bottom of his bag to keep it safe. For once in a long time, Shizu had a gentle lively smile on his face, seeing Shishou gave him a momentary feeling of joy.
"I hope he'll be happy to see this! I have too many questions for when I get back! So, I must live and get out alive."
Arriving back in the kitchen. Placing the lamp down on the table, wrapping the bag around the arm of the chair, and sitting on the old wooden thing that ever so slightly made a creaking noise from any shift of weight. He rested both arms on the dusty table, leaning his head down and closing his eyes.
*Yawn*
Muttering words out from his face being pressed down into his arms.
"I shouldn't be tired now, I... Just woke... Up... I guess five minutes should be ok..."
"..."
"...."
*Zzz*
"Agh! Hu hu."
Light shimmered through the old broken pieces of glass from the window, creating faint shadows from the tiny cobwebs. The light was ever so bright, it lit up the entire kitchen making the lamp pointless although the lamp had already met its end. Opening both eyes slowly, Shizu's vision had little tears welling up from his yawn before fully waking. Standing up off the chair and back to his feet, leaning both hands on the table letting out an exhausting sigh. The sore cramps he could feel but nowhere near as bad as before he did all the training.
"Damn, five minutes. I really slept the night away. Hey, I made progress though. Small recap: I ended up surviving a cave, being able to survive against more monsters and even, them who so happened to spare my life..."
Shizu paused for a moment, thinking about everything, again and again, coming to the final course of action.
"I should've died."
"This is what it's like, feels, to be weak- this is as far as a 2 Star will get you. All who aren't that strong are stuck like me and have no choice but to go through all this effort for what strength... Well, probably not this. But! That's enough complaining I have done now. I'm still standing, and I guess that's what matters..."
Removing his satchel from the chair and back onto his shoulder he thought about what else could be inside this cabin, maybe some clues or useful things that could help him later. Deciding to take a little more time he went on searching for more stuff in this place.
Countless scavenging led to finding a bathroom that had not been used in ages for obvious reasons which had no saving it, stepping inside he looks around to see nothing and stops to glance at the cracked mirror that was missing half of the glass. The reflection of himself seemed odd. Tilting his head left and right, up, and down a few things were off.
"When did I get so much stress facial hair? Sheesh, no one wanted to tell me I need to shave, and I never noticed this either, huh. Even my hair. My hair!"
Shizu's pale white, spiked-out hair had tarnished with small bits of dust which he brushed off. What truly caught his eye was on the right side of his head a few small yet faint strands of black hair protruded from his scalp. It was unnoticeable unless you took an in-depth stare at his head.
"Hm...? Is this what older people feel like when stress hits them hard? I doubt it though. I thought they get bags under their eyes and drink until they're content- at least that is what Ito Sensei does? Maybe it's something else. Who cares. Oh, I have small bags under my eyes, Ah!"
Shrugging his shoulder and paying no mind to it, after all, nothing in his life has been normal once he had stepped foot in this forest. Moving on to the next room which to his knowledge, had been the last one. It happened to have no value, your typical plain basic room. Nothing at all like the previous room, empty with only a bed and closet regardless Shizu still went on ahead and searched around.
'Ugh... Haven't you ever heard of privacy?'
"Haven't you ever heard of privacy!"
A mysterious squeaky voice shouted in sync with Shizu's thoughts, sounding as if it was said everywhere within the room.
'Wait... Didn't I just- that's what I said? But... I'm not a girl...?'
"Hold up. That's what I said... Who's there!"
"Hehe."
The same faint squeaky voice of that girl, unaware of where it was coming from. Shizu tensed up his body becoming much more aware of his surroundings looking back and forth in a circular motion, not a thing in sight to give him an idea on the location of the voice. Preparing himself he stood in a half-assed stance ready for any sneak attack.
"No need to be sooo serious now. I don't bite hehe, all the answers you need are inside the book. Why not sneak a peek hehe and when you do you can find me."
"Hold on a second! Do you think I'll fall for any more tricks! I've had enough!"
"Aww no no no, no tricks here. All you must do is locate me as I said. We'll be playing a fun game and all you need to do is read and come looking for me. Here's your first hint; It's in a place you knowww the one that made you pee your pants when you saw some shadows. Begin!"
A glimpse of a trailing light swirled around like small magical bubbles quickly flying out of the busted window and somewhere deep within the forest.
"Hey, I'll have you know that was not pee! I fell into a puddle causing my pants to, you know, get wet!"
"I will be waiting hehe if you care and I know you will."
Her faint voice became much harder to hear, making it difficult to be heard or recognized, it was so deep within the forest without your full attention anyone could miss it, oddly enough that had not been the case for Shizu his hearing had become much better than before, suspiciously better.
Resting his body and letting out a sigh he thought, pondering the situation, wondering if it was even worth the time to get the book out and read it. But thinking about it at some point in time he'd eventually decide to see what lies inside, after all, he was the one who removed the seal, maybe too soon and curiosity would prevail it's just a matter of whether is now the right time to dig deeper in whatever this could be. Nevertheless, going back into that hell of a cave- he knew better. Entering that cave would be suicide with the number of creatures lurking around. It was pure luck that he managed to stumble across it in the first place let alone get out.
Pacing around the room for a fraction of his time finally concludes. Ruffling through his satchel he dug around, then pulled out that old black book with a big latch in the center of it ensuring that it was shut. The edges happened to be pretty worn out along with the roughed-up pages seen on the outside.
"Ah, what the hell. Thinking about it this way, could it possibly get any worse."
Shizu grips onto it with both hands slowly removing the latch and opening it up to the first page. His eyes widened with fear and what possibly could be a form of shock. Sweat started to drip from his forehead and the tips of his fingers got moist from the sight he had witnessed. Frantically flipping through pages before he stopped.
"I... I- I can't believe it would get this worse I should have known I said it myself but..."
"I-"
"I... I"
"I CAN'T READ A DAMN THING!"
"This isn't no, fantasy RPG game I've played or Isekai: That voice expects way too much out of me, first reading this scribbled ancient pain and then going back! In the cave, I nearly died in! Yeah, you know."
He politely closes the book, having dust seep out from the pages. And taking a deep breath in and exhaling.
"This was a mistake, and I will just stick with the training I was given and forget that any of this ever happened and just move on, simple as that- she really expects me to read any of that like come on?"
- - - -
Minutes passed. To Shizu who now was franticly shouting.
"Agh! I should have never taken a second glance. I knew my place and stepped forward once again!"
Running through the woods desperately looking for the entrance while in the midst of having a few oddballs chasing after him. Running for some time, thanks to his luck he was able to find the same entrance to the cave. Wondering if it was good luck or luck for his demise. Stopping at the entrance he spins around and faces the creature charging at him. Right as the enraged boar jumps up a foot off the ground and straight at him, Shizu reacts much quicker than before delivering a fierce right hook to its face followed up with an uppercut to its jaw and with his left arm, the force was enough to embolize it in the air giving him enough time to grab it by the tusk, lifting it with no effort and throwing it to his right further away into the forest.
*Woosh*
Shizu was shocked.
'It wasn't heavy at all... I didn't even mean to throw it that far...?'
Shizu shouted out, putting both hands near his mouth.
"Sorry! I may have underestimated my strength and well... You... By a long shot!"
He turns back facing the cave entrance ready to find out what lies at the bottom and what that voice wants from him.
*Boom*
Shizu turns around without any hesitation to see a giant cloud of dust and rocks fly in the air from the tremendous impact of what he thought to be that raged boar and with that assumption he certainly was on the right track.
"Sorry..."
Turning back again, he bends down slightly entering the cave once more. Before all of this happened here were the events as to what got him in this mess in the first place.
Shizu took another look at the book, but this time he was able to read what was inside. Randomly some pages started to lose their text and even pages became blank, nothing like before pictures had also vanished. As he went to step out and think about why and what he saw. He noticed something in the distance, a pair of red eyes, more than in fact, and as they got closer, he saw it. A horde of angry boars- he fled, after killing a couple and managing to lose a few of them before only being chased by the last one which may have been the group's leader.
"Now that I'm mentally caught up and realizing why I'm here again; Oh, look a little hole in the wall, wow whatever was here sure had its whole day shoved in it… Heh."
Going deeper he stopped at the edge of the cliff where he was last time, now it's a real game of just how much deeper he must go before arriving at that place. The thing he remembered was those ominous shadows.
*Sigh*
'This again, well at least I'm ready and no more bears or rats attacking me.'
"Just you wait, you... Um, high pitch voiced... girl?! I'm on my way! Probably that wasn't a bright idea to yell in here...? I can hear my voice traveling all the way down into that abyss."
*zzt*
Shizu sensed something approaching from behind, turning around with confidence this time he was ready to face whatever was coming.
"I'm not like before I'm ready for you-"
*Smack!*
"Ah... Am I really falling off this ledge again...? You got to be kidding me! Another paw to the face! Hmm, it didn't even hurt. Like at all?"
Landing onto his feet right as he hit the ground and a little cloud misting away from his feet, he looked up at the monster bear, watching as it leaped from up top all the way to the bottom where Shizu had been standing. As the bear landed its body flopped and wiggled off balance falling backwards.
*RAWWGHH*
"Ugh... Hm, are you missing these?"
Before it fully landed Shizu had leaped up in the air ripping both of its legs clean off its body and landing back to the ground like it was nothing; his movements were swift, not even a speck of dust tread from beneath him, returning to the exact same position. Throwing both of its legs at its stomach, seeing the puddle of blood slowly spewing from its severed legs, casually walking away, and keeping his head forward, putting one hand up in the air waving bye as he moves on ahead.
"I can't deal with you right now maybe another time- I have a voice to save and duty calls. After all, I will become a top Ranker!"