[Ayoki Whispering Hollows Cave
LVL 1. SAVE]
Ayoki saved his progress in the Whispering Hollows Cave, a sense of familiarity washed over him, reminiscent of the feeling one gets when playing a beloved game. With a nostalgic smile, he pushed the button, and the yellow star floating above him twinkled, confirming the save with a shimmering display of text.
"Now what to do next?" Ayoki pondered, his gaze drawn towards the deep, mysterious forest that stretched out before him. With each step, the tall grass brushed against his bare feet, eliciting a yelp of discomfort.
"Sheesh, I just realized, where are my shoes?" Ayoki exclaimed, feeling the burning pain in his feet from walking for hours since exiting the cave.
Undeterred by his lack of footwear, Ayoki pressed on through the dense forest, marveling at the towering trees that seemed to reach up into the very sky. The insects and creatures he encountered along the way appeared larger than life, adding to the surreal atmosphere of the forest.
"If I didn't have 'return by death,' I would've been dead in that cave," Ayoki mused, his thoughts drifting to the mysterious power that had saved him from certain doom. Questions nagged at him: Where did he get this power? Was it a result of falling into the well, or was it bestowed upon him by some unknown entity? And perhaps most importantly, was it permanent?
"Ugh," Ayoki sighed, raising his hands to gently slap his own face, a habit he had developed to snap himself out of overthinking. "Enough of that. As long as I'm alive," he resolved, "Ayoki is never the one who thinks too much."
As Ayoki hurried towards the source of the smoke, excitement and anticipation coursing through him at the prospect of encountering other beings in this fantastical world, a sudden realization dawned on him.
"Wait... I'm in a fantasy world. Wouldn't it be some goblins or orcs?" he muttered to himself, his mind drawing on years of gaming experience and fantasy lore. Despite his initial enthusiasm, Ayoki approached the smoke cautiously, keenly aware of the potential dangers lurking within.
Sure enough, as he drew closer, his suspicions were confirmed. A group of goblins, half the size of an adult, could be seen milling about amidst several makeshift tents, their crude weapons and rough demeanor marking them as creatures not to be underestimated.
"Yep, definitely correct," Ayoki muttered grimly, sigh.
Ayoki's stomach grumbled loudly, a painful reminder that he hadn't eaten since arriving in this strange world.
"Ugh, what am I supposed to do?" he muttered to himself, his mind racing for a solution to his gnawing hunger.
Before he could come up with a plan, the scent of a human caught the attention of the goblins, drawing them closer to Ayoki with menacing intent.
"Shit!" Ayoki cursed, his heart pounding with fear as he turned and fled from the approaching creatures. "You goblins! I'll never forgive you," he vowed bitterly, his frustration boiling over as he sought refuge from his relentless pursuers.
After what felt like an eternity of running, Ayoki finally found a moment of respite, his chest heaving with exertion as he huddled in a secluded spot and began to patch his white skin with dirt in a desperate attempt to mask his scent from the goblins.
Disgusted by the makeshift camouflage, he fought the urge to vomit as he lamented the lack of supernatural senses possessed by humans in this world. "Maybe I'll die of infection at this rate... Oh, what the hell, I'll just revive," he muttered resignedly, his resolve wavering in the face of his dire circumstances.
With newfound determination, Ayoki gathered several sticks and sharpened them into makeshift spears, his stomach growling with hunger as he ventured cautiously into the forest in search of sustenance.
Spotting a deer in the distance, he approached stealthily, his senses on high alert. But as he drew closer, he noticed something peculiar—the deer was green, unlike any he had ever seen on Earth.
Undeterred by the unusual sight, Ayoki readied his spear, his hunger driving him forward as he prepared to hunt his otherworldly prey.
Ayoki's heart pounded in his chest as he closed in on the deer, his spear poised for the kill. With a swift motion, he drove the weapon into the creature's back, only to recoil in horror as the deer's head suddenly snapped upright, its eyes locking onto his with an unsettling intelligence.
Before Ayoki could react, the deer's head retracted, revealing a set of large claws on its hands. Shock and fear gripped Ayoki as he realized he had stumbled upon a truly monstrous creature.
With a surge of adrenaline, Ayoki grabbed another spear and thrust it into the deer's body, but to his dismay, the creature merely screamed in fury and turned its attention towards him, its jaws snapping hungrily.
Panic coursed through Ayoki as he dodged the creature's frenzied attacks, his mind racing for a way to survive this deadly encounter. He knew he couldn't outrun the monster, and fighting it head-on seemed futile.
"Duck! What the hell are you?" Ayoki shouted in terror as he fell to the ground, the monster's jaws closing in on him. With a desperate lunge, he plunged his spear into the creature's head, hoping against hope that it would be enough to stop the relentless onslaught.
To his relief, the monster faltered, its movements growing sluggish as it succumbed to its wounds. With a final, gurgling shriek, it collapsed to the ground, lifeless and defeated.
Exhausted and shaken, Ayoki staggered to his feet, his hands trembling with adrenaline as he surveyed the scene before him. Though he had narrowly escaped death.
Ayoki surveyed his body, he couldn't help but marvel at the newfound strength coursing through his veins. Despite his slim physique remaining unchanged with low muscle or fat, he couldn't deny the tangible increase in power that he had experienced during his encounter with the monster.
Suddenly, an orb materialized and floated towards him, merging with his body in a radiant burst of light. Ayoki's mind raced with possibilities as he recalled the similar orb he had encountered after defeating the monster in the cave.
"So when I kill monsters, I get stronger?" he mused aloud, a sense of awe and realization dawning on him. "Is that my power? Like in the novels where the protagonist gains hidden abilities..." he trailed off with a nervous cough, a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.
Shaking off his momentary distraction, Ayoki stood up, his body still covered in the blood of the fallen monster. Despite the revulsion he felt at the thought of consuming the creature's flesh, he knew that survival in this harsh world might require him to make difficult choices.
"Ugh... Am I supposed to eat that thing? Hell no!" he declared with a grimace, resolving to find sustenance elsewhere as he continued.
Ayoki's stomach continued to protest with relentless grumbles, he knew he had no choice but to take desperate measures to satisfy his hunger. With a heavy heart and a gnawing sense of guilt, he resolved to steal food from the goblins' camp under the cover of night.
"Ugh, I'm gonna die here if I don't eat something soon," Ayoki muttered to himself, his steps heavy with the weight of his decision.
Under the veil of darkness, Ayoki made his way towards the goblin encampment, his heart pounding in his chest with each cautious step. His mind raced with thoughts of the potential consequences of his actions, but hunger gnawed at his resolve, driving him forward.
"Yep, that's my plan," Ayoki thought grimly, his plan lacking in strategy and fraught with risk. But in that moment, he couldn't bring himself to care about the consequences. All that mattered was survival, even if it meant risking his life to steal from those who posed a threat to him. With a deep breath, he steeled himself for what lay ahead, knowing that his actions could have dire repercussions.
To be continued.