Ryan, now up the tree, made himself as comfortable as someone could be, trapped in a foreign world, 15 meters up a prickly, damp tree.
The faint moonlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting eerie shadows that danced across the tangled undergrowth.
Ryan's stomach growled, breaking the beautiful scene and reminding him of his pressing need for food. However, he knew all too well that it was far too dark to search for food safely.
"Maybe I should try learning magic to defend myself. I could start with the medita-"
'Crack'
Immediately, Ryan stopped talking to himself. His heart skipped a beat as he heard faint, rustling sounds emanating from the darkness below.
Curiosity got the better of him, and with bated breath, he peered into the shadows, his pulse quickening with anticipation of the unknown.
Ryan's eyes scoured the ground below until they landed upon a large figure.
He could see its outline—a creature moving on four legs with a body similar in shape to a buffalo, but much larger. Its horns glistened in the moonlight.
Ryan shrank closer to his tree, hugging himself to stay hidden.
He could hear it keep moving around, sniffing for prey.
A sudden screech echoed throughout the forest, but the screech didn't come from the creature below. Another monster came out of the distance; it seemed like a large fox but with longer legs and a seemingly endless tail.
The fox monster dashed towards the large buffalo with a vicious aura surrounding it.
Suddenly, only a few meters away from reaching the large buffalo, it halted.
Ryan cringed as he heard the snap of a whip. The fox monster's tail had felled multiple trees and badly injured the other monster.
Near instantaneously, the buffalo monster responded by opening its gaping mouth toward the fox. A faint light could be seen, followed by the fox collapsing, its neck nearly severed with its head hanging on by a sliver.
The buffalo monster triumphantly approached its meal.
"Crunch, Crunch, Crack."
The snapping of bones and munching filled Ryan's ears. His face turned colourless, and his hands began to shake.
The smell of iron polluted the air.
For what seemed like an eternity, Ryan fought against the urge to vomit, fearing he might unleash his stomach's meager contents onto the beast below. He held his breath, willing himself to remain composed as the creature leisurely departed, its gruesome feast complete.
Where the hell has that crazy idiot sent me to? And what happened to that fox creature? Ryan screamed, internally, of course.
For hours, Ryan stayed completely still, even though the large buffalo was long gone.
Only when the sun hung in the sky, did Ryan carefully climb down from his hiding spot up the tree.
Ryan cautiously approached the fallen fox-like creature, his curiosity mingling with fear.
The morning light illuminated the fox's remains causing him to notice intricate patterns etched onto the remaining fur, faintly glowing in the morning light. It would have been a breathtaking sight, if not for the chest of the monster being ripped open, emptied, with dried blood painting its fur.
Ryan's nose wrinkled from the rotten smell. Causing him to turn away from the source of the smell. His eyes landed on a large, dart-shaped rock stuck inside a tree.
So that's what the buffalo-monster used…
I stand no chance in a fight against that…
I have to learn magic fast.
Before Ryan could begin learning and replicating the monsters' magic, he needed to familiarise himself with the area. Climbing up to the top of his tree, he scanned the surroundings for signs of civilisation or anything out of the ordinary. However, all he saw was an endless expanse of greenery stretching for miles—trees upon trees with no hint of human presence.
Ryan, now back on the uncomfortable perch in the tree, thought back to the scene he had witnessed last night. It served as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows, and he knew that he needed to be prepared to defend himself against such threats.
Drawing upon the faint memories of his brief encounter with Jake, Ryan closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.
Inhale. Exhale.
He tried to clear his mind of distractions, allowing himself to become attuned to the environment that surrounded him.
I need to calm my mind and try to sense the mana around me; only then can I begin absorbing mana.
Ryan, who had now entered a calm state, began searching for mana. He imagined a blue energy floating around him, similar to the mana from games he played when he was younger.
For what felt like a few minutes, Ryan sat still and tried to mentally search for mana, to no avail.
The elusive mana would have to wait for later, as Ryan's hunger only grew.
Ryan slowly opened his eyes, only to realise that the sun was already nearly directly above him, meaning he had wasted hours on his meaningless search for mana.
I need to find food before sunset, I could try eating that fox thing, but it has been left out for half a day now and that's icky.
If I don't find some kind of fruit ASAP, I'll have to resort to convincing these trees to start bearing fruit on command. Maybe I'll try my luck with a persuasive speech—"Any volunteers for a motivational talk?"