After the storm finally passed, I took a long, satisfying breath of the fresh forest air. The rain was over, the sun was breaking through the clouds, and I was alive. Now, I just had to deal with the aftermath of my little nature adventure. My clothes, for one, were absolutely soaked. Waterlogged, mud-splattered, and clinging to me like a second skin in the most uncomfortable way possible.
"Alright, time to fix this mess," I muttered, peeling off my cloak and tunic. Each piece of fabric felt like it weighed a hundred pounds from the rainwater, and as I wrung them out, a small waterfall gushed from each garment. I was down to just my tunic and boxers, which weren't exactly in pristine condition either.
After a quick check to make sure no one (or nothing) was around, I figured, why not? I was alone in a forest, and if a guy can't strip down to his skivvies after a rainstorm, what's the point of being reincarnated in a fantasy world? Off came the tunic, leaving me standing there in nothing but my soaked boxers.
Now, you'd think I'd feel a little self-conscious, right? But nope. In fact, I couldn't help but admire myself a bit. My new body was lean, slightly muscular, and looked way more capable than the old, forty-something Taurus. I'd gone from tired office worker to someone who could probably land a modeling gig, if fantasy worlds had fashion magazines.
"Looking good, me," I said, flexing a little and grinning at the way my biceps subtly popped. "Way better than the old body. Sorry, old me."
But enough admiring myself. I needed to get my clothes cleaned up and dried out, and the lake I'd found earlier seemed like the best place to do it. I strolled over, unashamed in my boxers, figuring it wasn't like I had an audience or anything. I scrubbed off the mud, dirt, and rain from my clothes in the lake, then laid them out on a rock to dry. Finally, I gave myself a quick rinse, washing off the grime of the past day. The cold water was surprisingly refreshing, and I felt almost like a new man by the end of it.
I stretched out in the sun, letting myself air dry along with my clothes. My stomach growled, reminding me that I still hadn't found food, but I ignored it for the moment. At least for a little while, I could just enjoy the calm, and maybe figure out my next move.
Once I was relatively dry, I picked up the system screen again, pulling up the map to see if there were any new details I'd missed. Sure enough, more of the map had started to un-blur, revealing faint outlines of trees, paths, and…hold on.
Little red markers had appeared, scattered around the edges of the map. They were clustered here and there, and I could see a few of them moving, slowly but steadily, in my general direction.
"Oh, crap," I muttered, my heart sinking. Red markers had to mean something dangerous, right? This was a video game world, after all. Red usually meant "bad." Monsters. Predators. Maybe even those carnivorous squirrels I'd half-joked about earlier.
I squinted at the map, hoping the markers would start moving away, but no such luck. In fact, a few of them seemed to be moving closer.
"Alright, Taurus," I muttered, swallowing hard. "Time to get serious."
I looked around, desperately trying to find anything I could use as a weapon. I had zero combat experience, and my only skill, Eternis, was still a mystery. My mind raced, and my eyes landed on a nearby tree, its bark thick and rough.
I grabbed a piece and pulled, managing to rip off a surprisingly large slab of bark. It was about the size of a small shield, thick enough to give me some coverage. Not exactly a weapon, but maybe I could use it to fend off whatever was out there.
I swung the bark around a few times, testing its weight. "Alright, it's not much, but it's better than nothing. Come on, who wants a piece of—" I stopped, trying to remember that funny video I'd seen a long time ago. Something about the power of… "the power of God and anime," I muttered, grinning to myself. "Close enough."
I held the makeshift bark shield in front of me and took a deep breath, staring at the map and watching as the red markers inched closer. Each tiny movement made my stomach twist with nerves. I kept telling myself that maybe they'd turn around, maybe they'd move away. But they just kept getting closer.
I clutched the bark, sweat starting to bead on my forehead. "Alright, red dots, you want a piece of me? Well, come on, then!"
For what felt like an eternity, I stood there, heart pounding, watching the map as the red markers closed in. I could feel my mind spinning, alternating between bravado and pure terror. Part of me wanted to run, but where would I go? The forest was dense, and I didn't know if I could outrun whatever was coming my way.
Finally, the stress of it all got to me. In a fit of frustration, I swung my fist at a nearby tree, punching the rough bark as hard as I could. Pain shot through my knuckles, and I winced, shaking out my hand as I realized that was probably the dumbest move I'd made all day.
"Okay, that didn't help," I muttered, cradling my sore hand. But the pain snapped me out of my panic, bringing me back to my senses. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I'd faced a plane crash, a mountain, and a rainstorm. I could handle this. Probably.
I turned my gaze back to the forest, tightening my grip on my bark shield. Whatever was coming, I'd be ready. Or at least, I'd look ready, which was good enough.
The red markers continued to move closer, and I steeled myself, standing tall (in my boxers, no less) and facing the direction they were coming from.