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The eerie star cast its ominous light upon the hellish land.
The harrowing trees blocked most of the light, barely illuminating Isaac's path, and the dense fog shrouded the forest, making visibility a challenge.
Isaac continued his journey with a greater resolve and an even stronger will to live after waking up miraculously healed.
His sword was always at the ready, prepared to strike at any threat that might lurk in the shadows. His eyes scanned his surroundings constantly, alert for any sign of danger.
"Almost there," he muttered to himself. He was just a dozen meters away from the foot of the mountain.
Talking to himself had become a habit—a means to stave off the crushing solitude and keep his sanity intact.
In this treacherous and harrowing land, his own voice was his only company.
In the oppressive silence of the forest, there were no birds singing, no insects buzzing—no signs of life at all.
It felt like a desolate realm of the dead. His sword was his only companion, a rusty katana that offered some semblance of security in this world of horrors.
After another minute of careful walking, he reached the foot of the mountain.
"I finally made it out of the mountain, but the forest should go on until my second break," he noted, estimating the forest to stretch for several more kilometers.
He knew that stepping out of the forest into the open would make it easier to spot threats but would also leave him more exposed.
"Hopefully, I won't encounter any more monsters," he said, though he knew this was wishful thinking.
Isaac walked for half an hour, the silence only broken by the sound of his own footsteps. Then, a distant noise caught his attention.
(Thump.)
He tensed, almost striking in the direction of the sound, but stopped himself. The ground shook slightly.
"What was that?" he whispered, his heart racing.
(Thump.)
The sound came again, closer this time.
Isaac's eyes widened in fear. Something enormous was approaching. He decided to move to the right, hoping to avoid whatever was coming.
(Thump.)
The ground shook more violently. Isaac quickened his pace, trying to get out of the creature's path without expending too much energy.
(Thump.)
The noise and shaking grew stronger. He kept moving, his mind racing.
'Please, let it pass,' he prayed silently, his body tense and on edge.
(Thump.)
The ground shook violently. Isaac ducked behind a twisted tree and peeked out cautiously.
He gasped. A colossal creature, around 30 meters tall, lumbered through the forest.
Its head, resembling a distorted human face with a massive eye, gazed upwards, seemingly entranced by the eerie star above. Its body was twisted and contorted, with a gaping, inky black hole in its chest, and its legs were like giant tree stumps.
Isaac's heart nearly stopped. The monstrous creature's presence was overwhelming.
It moved slowly, but its sheer size and brutish form made it a formidable threat. If it noticed him, he stood no chance.
(Thump.)
(Thump.)
(Thump.)
The ground trembled with each step of the titan. Isaac held his breath, praying it wouldn't notice him. After what felt like an eternity, the creature passed by without incident.
"Sigh, it didn't notice me," he whispered in relief.
Once the creature was out of sight, Isaac resumed his journey, now more vigilant than ever.
"If I travel a few kilometers more, I should be able to reach my first break point," he calculated.
The tension in his body didn't ease as he walked; every sound, every shadow heightened his paranoia.
His stomach grumbled, and he decided to take his first break. Finding a tree, he sat down heavily.
"Ughhh, my feet and legs hurt," he grumbled.
He took out his lunch box and thermos, eating one of the small, bite-sized pieces of his sandwich.
It was a meager meal, but it had to suffice.
As he chewed slowly, savoring the fleeting moment of reprieve, he spotted some inky black berries on a nearby bush.
They looked edible, but he wasn't sure if they were poisonous and he certainly didn't want to try his luck.
'I guess I never learned about these things,' he thought.
He remembered fragments of his past—playing chess endlessly, understanding concepts like math and literature, but nothing practical for survival.
'I must have really liked chess,' he mused, a faint smile crossing his face.
'I wonder what kind of life I lived before I ended up here.' His thoughts drifted to his past.
Did he have a family searching for him? Did he live comfortably before this nightmare began?
"Sigh~ How did I end up here in this place," he voiced aloud, a hint of sadness in his tone.
He looked up at the ethereal, colossal star. It shone like a haunting beacon in the black sky.
"Hssss, haaaa," he exhaled deeply, trying to center himself.
He stood up, determined to continue.
"Well, I have to survive this first," he said, setting off once more on his perilous journey.
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