I ran as fast as I could, my legs burning with exhaustion and my breaths coming out in ragged gasps.
To me, the forest seemed never-ending, like a maze of trees and shadows that could shallow me entirely.
I felt my speed dropping with every step, my body reaching its limit.
I needed to find someone—I couldn't defeat this thing alone.
"I have to... find someone," I panted. "Anybody here? Any hunters? Anybody? Answer me!"
Desperation clawed at me. In the heat of survival, my biggest weapon—my brain—was running on empty. I couldn't blame it, though. I'd been running for so long that rational thought had all but fled my mind. The only thing I could focus on was survival. I needed to survive.
For some reason, the monster kept letting me run, as if it knew I couldn't win or escape.
It was taking me lightly, no... Too lightly, toying with me.
But what could I do with it taking me lightly anyway?
I had no weapons or anything with me, and most importantly...
My mind was in a mess, incapable of formulating a rational plan to escape or kill it.
After running for what felt like few minutes, hope flickered on the horizon. I saw two figures in the distance. Summoning the last of my strength, I shouted, "Hey, you both! Help me! Help!"
The two figures turned towards me, their postures alert.
As I drew closer, I could make out their features.
One was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, with a lean build and an intense look on his face.
The other was an older man, probably in his thirties, exuding calm and confidence—likely a seasoned hunter.
And, I also noticed another thing—they were both dressed alike.
They were both wearing a well-fitted black suit that accentuated their distinct physique.
"Please," I gasped, "there's a Monkey Spider chasing me!"
The guy who looked about my age stared at me wide-eyed as I approached them.
His surprise turned into a huge smile that made me uneasy.
I wondered why he was grinning like that—it felt creepy, almost like he was sizing me up.
The older man noticed the younger one's surprised expression and turned to him with a questioning look.
"What's should I do?" the older man asked calmly, his voice firm and confident.
His manner showed he was experienced and prepared, quite different from the unsettling smile on the younger man's face.
"Savs him," the younger man answered calmly, his smile fading abruptly. His sudden change in attitude didn't ease my unease.
The older man didn't hesitate. He immediately sprang into action, moving swiftly and with precision. "Stay behind us," he commanded firmly, positioning himself protectively between me and the approaching danger.
Breathing heavily, I stumbled to a halt behind them, anxiously scanning the forest around us. The lively sounds of nature had faded away, leaving only an unsettling quiet interrupted by the rustling of leaves and the distant approach of the Monkey Spider, now audibly moving not just in the trees above but ominously on the forest floor.
Suddenly, the enormous spider emerged into view, its eight legs carrying it swiftly toward us. Its eyes gleamed with hunger as it focused on our group.
But then, something unexpected occurred—the expressions on both the younger man's and the older man's faces turned grave.
"Run!" the older man urgently commanded, his voice tinged with surprised.
Both of them immediately sprinted backward, putting distance between us and the approaching monster.
I stood there, momentarily frozen and bewildered by their sudden retreat.
Why were they running away?
Weren't they supposed to protect me?
Panic surged through me as I grasped the danger still looming.
With a sudden shock, I snapped out of my confusion and hurried after them, desperate to escape the looming danger.
"What's happening?" I shouted, my voice filled with confusion and fear. "Why are you running?"
Breathless and bewildered, I caught up to the older man. "Hey, why are you both running?" I demanded, frustration building inside me. "Hey, where the fuck are you looking? Hey answer me!"
He remained silent, refusing to answer.
Frustration boiled over as I pressed for a response. "Hey, say something! Stop keeping your mouth shut!"
After what felt like forever of being ignored, he finally turned to me, his expression serious and his voice urgent.
"Who told you to provoke one of the deadliest Gold-rank monsters?" he whispered sharply, his eyes narrowing with a mix of disbelief and concern. "Damn it. Because of you, we're both in serious trouble now."
When I heard those words, a sudden realization hit me.
Don't tell me their rank isn't Gold-rank. But wait, from the way he said it, there's another possibility: they might be Gold-rank, but they aren't confident enough to defeat it.
I understood this, especially when he called that monster the deadliest.
So, I decided to use my appraisal skill on them.
Just as I was about to say "Appraise," the younger guy, about my age, turned toward me and asked in a joyous tone, "Hey, what's your name?"
That's when I made the worst mistake I could have made.
What's he so happy about?
We're in a life-or-death situation and this guy...
I sighed.
Never mind, some people are just weird.
A perfect example would be the previous owner of this body, Michael.
I said, "Michael Frostburne."
He responded cheerfully, "Hello, Michael. My name is Scar, Scar Collin, and this is my uncle Steve Collin."
When he introduced Steve, the older man looked at him with confusion but quickly shook it off.
"That's a good name," I said, trying to be polite.
Scar grinned. "Yes, yes, this name was given to me by one of my dearest friends."
What kind of name is that?
But I decided to leave it and focus on running.
"Uncle, let's go to that place!" Scar shouted at Steve.
Steve nodded, and we continued running.
Unfortunately, I was so exhausted that I didn't notice anything odd about Scar's spoken words.
We changed direction, following Scar and Steve through the dense forest.
The eerie silence was broken only by our footsteps and ragged breaths.
I focused on keeping up, trusting they knew where they were leading us.
After a few minutes of running, we reached a small clearing.
Steve and Scar stopped abruptly, causing me to nearly collide with them.
Steve and Scar both looked at me, their eyes serious and unyielding. After a few seconds of tense silence, Steve spoke in a calm tone.
"Michael, we have a secret escape route," he said. "If you want to come with us, you need to take an oath to keep it a secret. This is for your safety and ours."
I muttered, "Oh," as the weight of his words sank in.
In this world, there are two types of deadly oaths.
If broken, the person who took the oath would explode like a balloon immediately.
The first is the Body Oath, where you swear on your rank and body. If you break it, you explode.
This is known as the Body Oath.
The second is the Smartwatch Oath. In this world, smartwatches are also used to keep oaths.
There is an oath recorder in the smartwatch that tracks your promise, and if you break it, the consequences are the same.
Now, don't ask me why oaths are taken on smartwatches.
I don't know.
Only the government and the secret company that built them know.
Steve continued, "We need you to swear on your rank and body, a Body Oath. If you break it, you'll face the consequences."
I nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Okay, I'll take the oath."
Steve and Scar watched as I stood straight and began to swear the Body Oath. "I, Michael Frostburne, swear on my rank and body to keep the secret of the escape route. If I break this oath, I accept the consequences."
As soon as I finished, Steve and Scar visibly relaxed. "Good," Steve said. "Now let's move quickly."
We moved swiftly through the forest, with Scar leading the way.
After a few minutes, we reached a hidden entrance, cleverly concealed by thick foliage.
Steve pushed aside the leaves to reveal a narrow passage.
"Go in," Steve instructed. "This will lead us to safety."
I entered the passage, followed closely by Scar and Steve.
The tunnel was dark and cramped, but it felt like a lifeline.
As we moved through the narrow space, I couldn't help but reflect on the bizarre events that had brought me here.
Once we emerged on the other side, the forest opened up to a hidden cave.
We were safe, at least for now.
Steve turned to me, his face still serious but now with a hint of relief.
"Welcome to our hideout," he said. "You did well, Michael. You're safe here."
I nodded, taking a deep breath.
For the first time since the chase began, I felt a small glimmer of hope.
Scar looked at me with a creepy smile. "Michael, so... What do you think of our hideout?"
I walked around, checking out the cave. It was mostly empty, but one thing caught my eye—a chair in the middle of the cave, standing out in the empty space. I turned to Scar and asked, "Your hideout is good, but what's with that chair in the middle?"
He shrugged, still smiling. "Oh, ignore it. That's just a present from us to you."
Feeling suspicious, I asked, "What do you mean by 'present'?"
"You'll know soon enough," he replied.
I nodded and turned toward the chair. Suddenly, I realized I had forgotten to appraise them.
Turning back to Scar, I activated my appraisal skill.
A virtual screen with his information appeared in front of me.
The moment I saw it, I knew I had messed up badly.
"Hey, you, Scar—Argggggggh!!!!" I started to shout, but before I could finish, a hard object slammed into my head.
Pain exploded through my skull, radiating through my entire body.
'My head.'
It felt like my head was being crushed and my body was being ripped apart.
I began to feel dizzy, my vision blurring.
Everything around me became a confusing jumble of colors and shapes.
I tried to stay on my feet, but my legs gave out.
I fell to the ground with a heavy thud, my consciousness slipping away.
The world faded into darkness as I lost the battle to stay awake.
**Name:** Scar Collins
**Height:** (Your level is insufficient to discern!)
**Weight:** (Your level is insufficient to discern!)
**Age:** 21
**Personality:** (Your level is insufficient to discern!)
**Evaluation:** Platinum-Rank Hunter
They lied to me, or rather, I was dumb for not using my appraisal skill on them when we first met.
I can't blame myself though; my head was pretty messed up from all that running.
Anyway, the main thing now is that I messed up again.