Evening descended upon the forest, casting long shadows as Lucas emerged from the cave. He scanned the dense foliage for an exit, his senses heightened by the fading light. But as an hour passed with no success, frustration gnawed at him.
"It seems this cursed forest has no escape," he muttered, his voice laced with irritation.
With each step, he felt as though he were trapped in a never-ending loop, revisiting the same spots over and over again.
"I'll be stuck here forever at this rate," he grumbled, his footsteps echoing through the trees.
Seating himself against a nearby tree, Lucas reached for his water bottle, the cool liquid providing a brief respite. Taking a moment to collect himself, he pondered his predicament. The events of the past few days weighed heavily on his mind, the mysteries of his sudden transference swirling in his thoughts.
' First, I died in my world. Then I was transferred in this world which will be completed destroyed in future, and why did I am in the body of Lucas ?? These questions are still a mystery to me.'
"I will survive," he resolved, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he glanced at his status.
A wide smile appeared on his face. "I am truly lucky. Not only do I have unlimited potential because of the black red flower, but I also acquired a five-star sword art, and these skills are the cherry on top." Thinking about his newfound abilities, his mood lifted even further.
A surge of optimism washed over him as he considered his newfound abilities, a sense of determination fueling his resolve. With renewed purpose, he scanned his surroundings for way out of this Forest.
Spotting a towering tree in the distance, Lucas's eyes lit up.
"There it is," he exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement.
As he approached the massive trunk which over shadowed all its partner around, he unburdened himself of his backpack, laying it on the ground before him. With deliberate steps, he surveyed the tree, noting its sturdy branches and unoccupied hollows.
"This should suffice," he declared, determination firm in his voice.
"If I climb this tree, I'll gain a better view point."
With practiced agility, Lucas ascended the tree, each branch tested for stability before bearing his weight. At the summit, he surveyed his surroundings, mapping out his next move.
" Westward lies the river, to the south is the Tree of Life, and to the north, the forest's edge," he observed, his gaze sweeping the landscape.
Satisfied with his assessment, he descended from the tree, landing on the forest floor with a soft thud. Retrieving his backpack, he hoisted it onto his shoulders once more.
"North it is," he announced, setting off in that direction .
....
As he walked through the thick forest up north, everything was quiet. He thought about what to do next. After leaving the forest, he needed to go to Elden Academy.
"How should I talk to the main cast there? Will I survive among them? And how will I hide my bloodline and potential?" These thoughts weighed on his mind. He knew people would come after him when they found out about his potential. They would try to recruit him, using their authority and money. He'd be at their beck and call, like their dog. Rejecting their offer would bring him a worse fate. They'd likely try to kill him or force him to join them.
" I need stay as quiet as possible until I becomes stronger."
As I walked through the forest for about two hours. It felt tense.
Lucas nervously swallowed his saliva and slowly Continued the steps.
He held his breath and surveyed his surroundings, but he couldn't sense anything particular. However, it was truly forbidden to underestimate the dangers in a forest.
Among the low-ranked Monsters, there were quite a few that knew how to mask and hide their presence very well. No, maybe because they were so low ranked that they had no choice but to hide and wait to ambush their prey.
As he entered deeper into the forest. The foliage grew denser, casting eerie shadows that danced in the flickering light filtering through the canopy.
Lucas carefully stepped on the fallen leaves and continued forward, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that permeated the air.
-Roar!
Suddenly, a wolf's Roar shattered the silence, sending a jolt of adrenaline through Lucas. Without hesitation, he scrambled up a nearby tree, seeking refuge and a high point.
Looking around, all I see are trees in this forest. But I'm certain I heard a wolf's sound.
"I should be careful," I remind myself.
A seriously rotten odor of an animal carcass with flies buzzing around was coming from somewhere. For Lucas, who had been in this forest for the past few days, this was a rather familiar smell. "This smell... its wolf monster," he muttered to himself, recognizing the distinct scent. However, he still couldn't find its whereabouts at all.
I decide to wait for a few minutes and jumping from tree to tree before descending from the tree. As I cautiously move through the forest, I hear a desperate cry for help.
"Help.....Help...Help! Somebody Help me!"
I freeze. There must be person nearby.
I hid myself completely behind the trunk nervously sweating.
Suddenly, a girl appears, running towards me. She's badly injured, blood dripping from her legs. behind her is a pack of wolfs G+ monsters
"She's injured," I realize.
From the way she looks, she doesn't seem much older than 15 or 16, maybe the same age as me. she has slivery hue hair
"Maybe she's also headed to Elden Academy and took this forest route, attracting these wolves," I speculate.
"Help....Help...Help....Help me" again the desperate cry echoed loudly in forest
seconds passed in tense silence until again desperate cry for help pierced the air. Lucas's heart raced as he considered his options, sweat beading on his brow.
What should i do ?
I had no idea but need to see my options
option one : Leave her and go on my way
option two : risk my own safety and save her or we both die
As the wolves closed in on the girl, Lucas grappled with his conscience. Should he intervene and risk his own safety, or turn a blind eye to her plight?
"Her legs will give out ," he observed, noting the blood staining the young woman's legs as she stumbled through the underbrush.
With a sinking feeling, Lucas realized she was likely a fellow academy hopeful, risking the perilous journey through the forest.
"This world..." he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration at the callousness of their situation.
This isn't anything new around here. Elden Academy sits just beyond this forest, and every year hopeful candidates try to trek through it to reach the academy early. But, you see, this forest isn't just any forest; it's crawling with Mana beasts.
You'd think the Union government and the kingdoms would put their foot down, right? Declare it off-limits. But nah, they give out warnings like it's some kind of game. 'You wanna challenge yourself? Sure, go ahead,' they say, like it's no big deal.
But failing this test? That's like signing your own death certificate
Yeah, it's messed up. These kids barely hit 15, and they end up dead. They could at least try to stop them, right? Instead, they turn a blind eye and let them meet their demise. Total jerks, if you ask me.
here I am, faced with a dilemma. Do I save her or do I bail?
"I mean, sure, I could sneak away quietly. The wolves behind her wouldn't even notice. Easy escape. But that girl? She's die if I split. What's the right move here?"
I'm no hero. I'm not cut out to take on a pack of [G+] class wolves. and there leader lookes like early [F-]
I should just go. She didn't see me anyway.
Maybe it's just her fate to bite the dust in this forest. Who am I to judge? It's just a story of fictional novel.
"If a character dies, it's on the author, not me. Its None of my business."
with that thought, I step out of hiding and head north, towards my own escape route.
....
"Huff… Huff…"
Why is this happening to me? I should never have come here.
"What in the world?" I thought when I entered this damn forest.
"Help! Somebody, help me!"
The train stopped on the outer border of the city because there was news of a dungeon breakout in the forest. Union forces were sent to clear it, so all the trains had to halt until further notice.
But I, who was headed to Elden Academy, would be late if I stayed there. Many others agreed to form a group and venture into the forest together, hoping to speed up the journey.
But things went south fast. Hours in, we were ambushed by pack of [G+] rank wolves from all sides when we decided to rest. We tried to defend ourselves, but we were Quickly outnumbered.
I activated my emergency signal to send a call for help.
I shouted for help, hoping the Union officers who could be on daily rounds can be around would hear and come to my rescue. They had to be somewhere in this forest,
But as I ran, something caught my eye—a person, or rather, their aura.
"He will help me," I thought, but as I went to call out, they hid behind a tree.
Why wouldn't he help me? Could he not see or hear me?
But Who was I Thinking? No one would risk their life for me.
I've learned this lesson the hard way over the past 15 years of my life. only one thing is craved in my heart permanently.
"I shouldn't drag others down with me"
Maybe if I distract these wolves, that person can escape. At least my death won't be meaningless. I can save someone even it means my death which will happen even if I do this or not.
So lets do something good.
So I ran in the opposite direction. with full speed, after a while exhaustion overtook me my breath became heavy and difficult to breath.
I am now quite away from him. now he should be able escape
I smiled, realizing I did something good, i did'nt became a burden
slowly i stopped running and looked behind me
As she turns back and saw her predators a pack of wolfs one alpha and four of its followers
She found a giant Alpha wolf with gray coat fur standing in middle of the pack
'its a [ F-] rank'
beside it are two wolf on both side with red fur.
'[G] rank'
the size of wolfs where 1.5 m but there alpha is about 2m
looking at the wolfs she was terrified before them she is looking like a child .
The alpha wolf came forward making its feature more clear
he had a human arm in its mouth and held a amusing look on its face
the girl was struck with terror unable to move from her place
The alpha wolf as if knowing her state mind sneered at her and spat the bloody hand on the ground and with a bloody smirk, he showed his bloody fangs as if is was showing her fate.
even after killing so many people it still looks hungry.
"I'm ready for it now," she whispered, facing the group of five wolves ready to tear her apart.
taking matters seriously, The alpha nor his sides attacked but just stared at her expression without a single move
As if waiting for her to make a first move.
And she made her move , which made wolf step back prepare for attack but it never came
She got on her knees and Slowly closed her eyes.
as she close her eyes she saw wolfs ,They grinned maliciously, relishing her fear.
she controlled her fear.
' It's okay. Let them enjoy it, pls make this over quickly'
As she closed her eyes, bracing for what felt like the end, the ground beneath them shook violently, throwing her off balance. She hit the ground hard, feeling the taste of soil and shock reverberate through her bones.
The alpha wolf and its minions, caught off guard by the sudden upheaval, stumbled and struggled to find their footing, their snarls drowned out by the chaos.
Opening my eyes, I saw confusion on the wolves' faces as they struggled to maintain balance.
Dust flew every where making the vision blur.
Amidst the swirling dust and debris, a figure descended from the Sky.
As the Figure descended upon the confused alpha wolf, And With a swift motion, the figure struck, his longsword piercing the alpha wolf's heart with a force that seemed to render alpha wolf unable to move to defend it self.
"Reduce all creations to ashes," he commanded, his voice was chilling clarity.
Flames erupted from the blade, engulfing the Alpha in a blazing inferno that consumed alpha flesh and bones all together.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the heat washed over the area , the air crackling with fires fury. And then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over.
A gasp escaped the my lips as I witnessed the boy's power
The alpha wolf, once a fearsome predator, now lay smoldering amidst the ashes of its former glory. Its once-proud form reduced to naught but charred remnants, scattered every where on ground.
However! the joy of victory was temporary
As one minion of alpha wolf jumped on the figure
The wolf bared its fangs and closed the distance between them in instant wolf leapt on air and aimed for figures throat
the figure lowered his self to duck the attack.
the wolf who was in fast speed could not control its movement landed face first on ground after failing to stop it self in time.
but the figure did not have time to admire the scene. three more monsters were still running toward his front at the movement.
the figure took his sword in its hand and made a horizontal slash at the wolf who was in ground trying to regain its footing.
WHOOSH!!
Accompanied by Bone-chilling wind partying sound
SIZZLE!!!
It just took one sword swing to bring the wolf to its death by cutting its body in half,which made ground blooded by its gutts which came out
Now all the remaining three wolfs lowered there tails and started falling back after seeing the death of there leader and comrade.
I held my breath, anticipating more the clashes.
But the figure again raised its long sword and pointed it at wolfs who where now taking faltering steps back
It was as if he was asking them to fight or fall back
the wolfs understood the figures actions quickly run away inside forest
A gasp escaped the my lips as I witnessed the figures power
'What happened?'
Step
'How did he defeat them so easily?'
Step
'They all were[ G+] and Alpha was early[ F- ]rank monsters'
Step
I wondered as the figure approached, I could see his features more clearly he has red eyes like rubes and golden hair, he came closer and closer , i could notice at it was a boy of my age
Step
' How is he so strong? is he a noble than what is he doing in this forest'
Step
As i was busy in my thinking a voice broke me out of it
it not a cold voice as earlyer, but a warm voice
"Are you okay?" he asked, extending a hand with a small, encouraging smile.
I took it, asking, "Who are you?"