"Live…! I will get out of here alive…!" (Hikaru)
I mutter this as if chanting while walking forward and taking in each step.
The only thing that was supporting my breaking heart was the hope that Nanami was alive and has come to this world.
Nanami is alive.
Believing that was the only thing serving as my crutch to overcome this hellish situation.
I don't know if it was because I am walking at night as the hint told me, or because of the effect of the Dark Spirit Ability, or both; whichever was fine, but I have been walking for around 3 hours, and I haven't encountered any monsters as of now.
I have been advancing through the shortest distance straight to my destination. It is beginning to get inclined because of the mountains, and I am currently somehow managing to progress by climbing as if crawling.
It is true that the 3 Points map was highly efficient, but it is still a world map, so it doesn't show the detailed elevation of the location, and the only thing I can tell is that the current location is a forest, and that there's a mountain range to the south side.
If I take a detour to the north side, there's the chance that I can get to more leveled ground, but I ended up going straight.
Or more like, I have no experience in mountain climbing, so you could say I could only rely on the map and advance straight ahead.
I am trying not to use my Spirit Abilities too successively.
Of course, it is the ideal to continue using Dark Mist while I am walking, but the thing I have to avoid the most is suddenly fainting from running out of Spirit Energy.
I don't really know how the natural recovery of Spirit Energy works, but I've got no choice but to learn it through feeling, and after using my Abilities over and over, I am beginning to get a grasp on it.
Most likely because the Proficiency of Dark Mist has increased, the effective time has also increased. If I increase the Proficiency at this pace, I can see myself being able to use it consecutively.
"Haaah…Haah… This is rough… But I have to reduce the distance as much as possible…" (Hikaru)
This first experience of walking a mountain road coupled with this situation where I don't know when a monster could jump out was already leaving me exhausted.
In middle school, you could say I was in a sports club, but it wasn't as if I was that passionate, so I only have the stamina of your average 15 years old.
There's a clock function loaded in my Status Board, so I can tell the current time. This is pretty useful.
I don't know what the rotation or revolutions of this world are, but one day is 24 hours, and the daytime is almost the same as Earth.
There's no way to tell if things in that area are the consideration of God or a coincidence.
"5:00 a.m… It has already gotten a bit brighter…" (Hikaru)
Looks like it is almost time for sunrise.
If I use Dark Mist when it is bright, it would look like darkness coiling around which would make it unnatural. Even if it may not be that obvious since I am deep in a forest with many places where light doesn't reach.
"Even if I use a Barrier Stone in the daytime, it only works for 12 hours. I would like to persevere until 7pm when the sun is gone…" (Hikaru)
I don't think it will immediately turn dangerous as soon as it gets bright.
I squeeze out the last of my strength to run up the slope.
My field of view opened up a bit, and I arrived at a slightly clear hill.
And then, my heart stopped for a second when I saw the creature there.
"Kiki!"
Two small -yet the size of a mountain gorilla- red monkeys.
Deeper in, I can see a giant burning monkey lying upside down, sleeping.
The small monkeys that noticed me were making a ruckus, going kiikii.
The monkey that was sleeping deeper in lifted its upper body.
(S-Seriously…? I arrived at the nest of the giant monkey…?) (Hikaru)
A bed made from piled up twigs and grass.
The stacked up fruits, nuts, and animal bones in the surroundings.
I don't know if that giant monkey is male or female, or if it is the same as the one I met yesterday, but it is a nest.
(Can I run away…?) (Hikaru)
I hold the Barrier Stone in a way that I can break it at any moment, and chant Dark Mist.
But the sun has already begun rising.
In an open and plenty bright place, my Dark Mist is like a mosquito swarm that doesn't even serve as a smoke screen. It instead stirred up the curiosity of the monkeys.
(Damn it! What should I do…?! What can I do…?) (Hikaru)
I was half panicking here.
The Barrier Stone creates a barrier in that place. In other words, if I were to use a Barrier Stone inside a monster nest, I can't move from that place for 12 hours.
It would be one thing if the monsters were to leave at some point in those 12 hours, but I don't think the child monkeys will be leaving the nest.
This may be the fortune within the misfortune, but the giant monkey has an unexpectedly composed personality, even when the small monkeys were making a ruckus, it moved a bit, but it didn't get up.
But the small monkeys are showing signs of coming here.
They don't look as aggressive as the giant monkey, and if it is just their appearance alone, they even look cute, but we are talking about the children of that violent giant monkey. It is plenty possible for them to tear off my limbs innocently.
The distance between the children monkeys and me is 20 meters.
It is a distance that can be said I have already 'encountered' them.
I ran in order to buy as much distance as possible.
I have been found already, so it is do or bust now.
At the same time I began running, the child monkeys got on their fours and began to run after me.
I ended up stimulating their animal instincts of chasing a running prey.
(Damn it! They are fast!) (Hikaru)
I may call them child monkeys, but they are big yet fast.
I barely even made any distance and was about to get caught in the blink of an eye, so just before that happened, I broke the Barrier Stone.
A half transparent dome appeared, and the child monkeys who lost sight of their prey were running around the open place while making kiikii noises.
Who knows what would have happened if they had caught me.
Most likely consumed as a doll with amusing reactions.
If God hadn't prepared a saving device like the Barrier Stone…I get shivers just thinking about it.
"…But I have finally been checkmated… Haha…" (Hikaru)
I opened the Status Board and looked at the item list.
There's one exchangeable item that is of conspicuous color.
・Give UP Pill – Required Points: All Points in possession.
I can use this before I get eaten alive by those monkeys.
Of course, it says 'give up', but I don't think at all that this is some lukewarm item that allows you to return to your original world.
In other words, this is poison for suicide. Moreover, a personal item that is only effective for the purchaser.
"I did get a bit of distance from the running, but…it isn't a distance I can get away from…" (Hikaru)
I am around 50 meters away from the still sleeping giant monkey, but would it let go a human that appears right in its vicinity?
No, it was sleeping pretty soundly, so maybe it is unexpectedly thickheaded?
But the child monkeys feel like the keen type that would find me quickly.
"Well…what happens happens." (Hikaru)
I am honestly already completely exhausted.
I was chosen to go to a parallel world without any preparations, and I have been walking inside a deep forest.
The sun is shining and there's soft grass growing here, so even when there's monsters in proximity, I want to sprawl on the ground and sleep in this rare bright place I am finally in.
"Let's eat something…" (Hikaru)
My dulled senses must have begun coming back because I am now inside the barrier, intense hunger and thirst was attacking me.
I am also dying to get some shut eye here, but I have to at least hydrate myself before sleeping.
I open the Status Board and use 1 Crystal each for the sandwich and the water.
The sandwich was packed in wrapping paper, and the water was inside a heavy ceramic bottle.
I ate that in a daze and drank my fill.
And then, my brain regained a bit of vitality.
"…Now that I think about it, I strangely have more Crystals now." (Hikaru)
30 Crystals can be exchanged for 1 Point, so they are important.
The last time I checked, I had obtained 2 Crystals from [Reaching 100,000,000 daily viewers] and [First encounter with a Monstrosity]. I used 1 for a hint, so I should only have 1 remaining.
But when I checked just now, I had 6 Crystals.
I confirm the log in the Status Board.
The oldest log was [Reached 100,000,000 daily viewers] and the next one is [First encounter with a Monstrosity]. I know about these 2 Crystals.
The next one is [Achieved first Spirit Ability] for 1 Crystal.
And then, [Reached total viewer count 500,000,000]. This one seems to have been special since it gave me 3 Crystals.
Total apparently means the total of unique accesses in a day.
5 hundred million…
It seems like today is being treated as the 2nd day, but 5 hundred million is a crazy number.
The number is so big that it just doesn't feel real, but does that mean around 10% of the population on Earth was watching me?
Even now, my real time viewer count is more than 4 hundred million, so…I really must be gathering attention.
…As the joke.
There's no way a sudden Chosen like me would have that many viewers otherwise.
On the 2nd day I got [Reached 100,000,000 daily viewers]. Looks like I get the daily one every day. That helps out.
With this, I have gotten 7 Crystals till now.
I used them for a hint, sandwich, and water for a total of 3. Got 4 remaining now.
It is far from 30 Crystals, but considering this is still the 2nd day, I am doing well…I think?
No, I am currently in a situation where I am draining my Points with Barrier Stones.
Can't really call this smooth sailing.
I set the timer and lie down for a bit in order to cool down my head.
I have been walking the whole night. If I don't sleep, I won't even be able to think up good ideas to get out of this.
"Then, I will set it so that the alarm rings after 4 hours… Alright." (Hikaru)
The Status Board also has a timer function on top of the clock.
This must be a helping mechanism for the modern people who have been living tied up by time.
"…Good night." (Hikaru)
I muttered this to nothing.
I don't know what kind of feelings the viewers have while they are watching me.
But they must be cheering for me who is fighting to survive in this forest.
…I am sure that's the case.