"Where the hell did that bastard take this boy?"
Karl muttered under his breath, seethed with frustration, cursing the cliché of waking up in a weak body after transmigration.
Emerging from the alleyway, he sprinted toward a distant light source that caught his eye.
The place where the guy named Derek kidnapped the original owner turned out to be some kind of ruins.
The alleyway he thought to be in the middle of society is surprisingly the space in between two dilapidated buildings.
And now, despite running for what felt like an eternity, all he could see were towering trees encircling him, signaling that he had ventured deep into a forested expanse.
With the moon hiding behind the clouds, the dark night made Karl's situation scarier.
Even a toddler knows how dangerous it is to travel in a strange forest and that too at night without any light source to guide him.
The high possibility of hidden dangers waiting in the shadows made it even more unsettling.
Just a few minutes ago, he was wondering if the day could possibly get any worse. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side as things took a turn for the worse.
On top of that, he had this eerie sensation that something was watching him from a distance, although he couldn't be certain.
He muttered to himself, frustrated and angry,
"Did that bastard have some twisted, perverse plans for the boy? If he just wanted the necklace, he should have taken it and left. Why drag him all the way to those ruins? Ugh, I should've made him suffer more."
Deep down, he knew that was just wishful thinking.
Surviving Derek's attack was already a miracle in itself. But now, lost and without a sense of direction, he couldn't help but swear at the man.
The light source he had been following didn't seem any closer. In fact, it appeared to be moving farther away, adding to his sense of unease.
Karl came to a sudden stop, his lungs burning as he gasped for air. He took a moment to gather himself, his mind racing as he reevaluated his plan.
Initially, he had been optimistic, hoping to find a village or settlement to safety and download the memories of the previous owner. However, it became clear that this desire was futile.
As he scanned his surroundings, the enormity of the trees around, towered above, their giant-like forms making him feel insignificant, like a mere ant beneath their watchful gaze.
'Gulp!'
"This is exactly why I never leave my home. But now, even staying inside is not safe anymore. Screw my luck," Karl murmured, swallowing hard.
Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a particular tree that stood out amidst the towering giants.
It was shorter in height compared to the others, but its trunk was remarkably wide, with numerous branches cascading down like slender roots.
It reminded him of the banyan trees back on Earth, although much grander in scale.
He looked around once again. The eerie stillness of the forest unsettled him.
In the novels he had read, such forests were typically filled with life and dangers, yet here, there was a strange absence of both. Not that he was complaining, though.
But with no better options presenting themselves, Karl made a quite unsafe decision.
He chose to climb onto the banyan-like tree, seeking a temporary sanctuary to activate the memory download process which, according to the system, would take three whole minutes.
Being defenseless was a risky move, yes, but he preferred making some kind of effort rather than doing nothing because he might end up having a heart attack from the sheer terror of the unknown before an actual beast could kill him.
He dashed toward the tree and with agile movements, he started climbing using the root-like branches as handholds and footholds.
As he pulled himself upward, he transitioned to a broader branch, methodically scaling other branches until he reached a significant height.
Among the lofty perch, he sought refuge in a hidden nook veiled among the leaves.
Carefully adjusting the smaller branches around him for better concealment, he hoped his makeshift shelter would shield him from prying eyes, be it both humans or beasts.
While he was no expert in camouflage, he thought this level of concealment would suffice for now.
'System, start the downloading process about the details of the surrounding place and the previous owner's basic pieces of information. Alert me if the download will exceed more than 5 minutes,' he instructed, in his mind with urgency.
[Searching for data...]
[Data found]
[Calculating]
[Calculation complete]
[Downloading all requested details will take 7 minutes]
[Proceed with the download]
[Yes | No]
He pondered the implications of waiting seven minutes in this ominous forest. Being unconscious for that duration could be equal to signing a death sentence.
Yet, proceeding blindly without essential information posed its own risks. After a tense deliberation, he made his decision.
'Alright, proceed. Even if some predator discovers me and makes me its dinner, at the very least it'll be a painless death since I'll be unconscious,' he resigned, attempting to console himself with the decision he made.
But a cautionary reminder followed from the system,
[Even in an unconscious state, the host will still experience pain if attacked. Although physical movements will be restricted during the process]
"…"
His face pulled a classic "Error 404 Not Found" expression, momentarily froze in a state of confusion.
'You just had to mention that, didn't you? But didn't you say I'd be unconscious?'
[Being unconscious doesn't nullify the sensation of pain] the system clarified.
'Damn it... Alright, go ahea --- Wait!' he suddenly screamed in his mind.
Only now, he remembered something crucial, the Ultimate appraisal skill.
'Why didn't I think of this sooner?'
The tension had clouded his mind, causing him to overlook the skill that could scan his surroundings for valuable information.
'Huh, I hope no beasts are hiding in the darkness. It would be really ironic if some kind of creature is right beside me... Dammit, Puh!! Puh!! don't jinx yourself, you idiot,' he spat and scolded himself silently.
'System, activate the Ultimate Appraisal,' he commanded.
Activating the Ultimate Appraisal skill, he focused first on the tree he was perched in,
[Object: Tree]
[No sign of life detected]
He shifted his gaze to the left, examining another tree, receiving the same result.
'System, can you appraise anything other than humans in detail?' he inquired, curious about the limitations of the skill.
Even when focusing on specific details like branches, leaves, stones or rocks the results remained the same, prompting him to ask for clarification.
[Host is advised to upgrade the skill to unlock additional features]
'Hmm, so it seems non-living objects can't be appraised in detail. Not sure about beasts, but based on the notification, the appraisal might work on any living beings,' he deduced.
Without hesitation, he started appraising everything around him, activating the skill repeatedly to detect signs of life.
After just a few more attempts, a sudden dizziness swept over him, threatening to plunge him into unconsciousness.
Panic slightly rising in, he asked the system.
'System, what is happening?'
[Host's mental energy has been depleted due to excessive use of the skill Ultimate Appraisal]
[Host is advised to recharge mental energy before continuing to use the skill]
'Damn. So there's a limitation for using the skill. I had a feeling it was too powerful to use freely. Okay, will the download process in this state affect me?' he asked, concerned about the consequences.
[There will be no negative effect on the Host. However, due to low mental energy, completion of the download process for the requested memories will take longer than previously calculated] the system responded.
'What!!? Can you calculate how much more?' he asked in his mind, bracing himself for the consequences of his actions.
[Calculating]
[Calculation completed]
[Completing the download process at the current condition will take 55 minutes] the system announced.
"Karl you stupid fu**k!!! Argh!... I messed up big time" In frustration Karl screamed loudly at his stupidity for the first time since he hid himself in the giant tree.
At this moment, because he was so focused on his foolish choice, he didn't notice that three amber-colored eyes snapped open above him, right at the moment he started screaming.
'I need to plan more carefully before making impulsive decisions. Okay, System, start the download process. I can't move around in this state, anyway. Let's hope everything goes smoothly,' he sighed, realizing the gravity of his mistake.
Little did he know, he had just made yet another tremendous foolish error.
[Proceed with downloading process]
[Yes | No]
'Yes,' he replied, resigned to his fate.
[Download activated]
[Download Completion: 1%]
With that, Karl's consciousness faded, and his body slumped back against the sturdy branch.
The silence enveloped the surroundings.
Until, a few moments later, there was a movement directly above Karl's head.
When Karl had activated his appraisal skill earlier, he had scanned the surroundings to his left and right for signs of life.
However, if he had glanced upward just once, the system would have appraised the being directly above him.
As he was lying peacefully unconscious, the clouds moved slightly out of their way from obstructing the moon as its ethereal light filtered through and cast a bright glow around him.
In this illuminating radiance, a creature emerged slowly from the higher branch, its figure bathed in silver luminescence, almost as if sculpted from shadows.
The creature, with rippling muscles and a shimmering obsidian coat of fur, fixed its dark golden eyes on Karl's serene face hidden under the foliage of leaves, hunger gleaming in its gaze.