Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 - No! Don't eat me!

"Grah grah!"

"Kraaaah!"

"Grah rek!"

I was going to die. I was going to die in some fantasy world, killed by goblins of all things—

Tak! Tak!

Just then, one of the goblins jabbed my pocket with its stick, hitting the bulge there. It reminded me - my phone.

The same phone that had shown me I was in Vargos - The First Kingdom, even if I couldn't zoom in for a better view.

'Right, what was that message?'

⟨Insufficient network. Try again.⟩

"Network…?"

I muttered.

Four red bars pulsed in the corner now—more than I'd seen before.

'How?!'

Now was not the time for that.

Right...

'If one bar could at least show me where I was, then maybe with four...'

With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone. Among the six glowing icons, caught my eye.

"GRAH SLREE!"

The sudden light from my phone made them jump back, letting out surprised screeches.

Click.

I pressed the icon. The runes pulsed as the app opened, and slowly, text appeared:

⟨Found Food!⟩

⟨Bright thing scary⟩

⟨Kill first, eat after?⟩

'Oh fuck! Don't eat me!'

Their yellow eyes darted between me and the glowing screen, clearly torn between fear and hunger. I needed to do something before hunger won out.

'Think, think!'

The brightness had scared them...

Maybe...

I turned my phone's screen toward them, cranking up the brightness to maximum. The goblins shrieked, stumbling back a few steps.

"GRAH SLREE!"

⟨Bright hurt! Bright hurt!⟩

But they didn't run.

'Shit!'

Instead, the largest one started making angry noises, waving its club.

"GRAH MEK KRAH!"

⟨Smash bright thing!⟩

Not the reaction I was hoping for.

They began closing in again, this time more cautiously. 

Badump... Badump…

My heart pounded. 

The translation was working perfectly—probably because of the four bars. Understanding them was helpful, but it wasn't enough to—

Wait.

If it could translate their words to me...

With shaking fingers, I pressed the voice input button. 

The runes pulsed, waiting.

"GO AWAY!"

I screamed into it.

The phone produced a series of harsh guttural sounds that made my throat hurt just hearing them.

The goblins froze.

"Grah...?"

⟨Human speak like goblin?⟩

They looked confused, which was better than hungry.

I pressed the button again.

"I TASTE BAD!"

More guttural sounds emerged from my phone. The goblins actually took a step back this time.

"GRAH KREE MEK!"

⟨Strange human! Strange human!⟩

The smallest one tugged at the leader's arm, making worried noises.

"Grah mek kree..."

⟨Maybe find different food...⟩

'Yes! Yes! Go away!!'

One more try.

"I AM POISON!"

The phone produced the most terrifying screech yet. That did it. The goblins backed away, then turned and fled into the underbrush, their frightened shrieks fading into the distance.

Phew....

I collapsed where I stood, my legs finally giving out. My heart was still pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

'Did that... really just happen?'

Did I really… just scare the goblins away? 

By myself? 

I couldn't believe it.

I looked at my phone screen, where the last translations still glowed:

⟨Run! Run!⟩

⟨Bad food! Magic food!⟩

⟨Find normal food instead!⟩

"Ha...HAHA!"

A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. I had just scared off three goblins by basically screaming "I'M A BAD SNACK" in their language.

The laugh died in my throat as I watched the signal bars drop one by one as the goblins fled. When the forest fell silent, the last bar vanished.

'The bars...'

I couldn't keep ignoring it anymore. The truth I'd been dancing around since morning was staring me in the face:

The signal bars only appeared when something was lurking nearby. Four bars with the goblin pack, none when they left. One bar last night with the prowling creature, zero when it disappeared.

'No!'

I corrected myself. 

'Not just nearby. When I was in danger.'

And the more threatening the situation, the more bars appeared.

The signal bars weren't showing network coverage at all. They were showing danger levels.

A part of me had known this - had been deliberately avoiding this realization because of what it meant. But now...

'But then...'

Something still didn't add up. If the bars only appeared with danger, how had shown me Vargos? What determined which apps worked and when?

One bar had given a basic map.

Four bars had given me perfect translation.

'Is it about the information level?'

Maybe more danger meant access to detailed information? That would explain the limited map zoom...

'I need to pay more attention to this.'

I wouldn't deliberately seek danger to test my theory, but understanding how these bars worked could be crucial for survival.

* * *

The sun was high when I returned to the clearing. My throat felt like sandpaper, but this time...

I checked my phone first.

No signal bars.

Good.

Still, I waited behind a thick tree, watching the clearing for ten minutes. The phone might warn of danger, but I wasn't about to trust my life to it completely.

Slurp… Gulp…

The water was cold and clean. It tasted better than any five-star restaurant's fancy water ever could. Though maybe that was just the relief of being alive talking.

Huaa...

After having my fill, I sat back against a rock and actually looked around properly. The clearing was beautiful in a wild, untamed way. 

Sunlight filtered through the canopy, creating patches of warmth on the ground. 

Under different circumstances, I might have appreciated it more.

But I couldn't stay here. The stream would attract other creatures—probably far worse than goblins. I needed somewhere safer, somewhere defensible.

I picked up a sharp stone and started walking, marking trees as I went. 

The last thing I needed was to get lost in this forest. Water was essential, so this clearing would have to be my center point. 

From here, I could slowly map out the surrounding area, figure out what was safe and what wasn't.

…

..

.

'This should work.'

About two hundred meters out, the forest changed. The trees here were ancient giants, their silvery bark stretching up into the canopy. They made me feel tiny, but also... safer. Something about their solid presence was reassuring.

I chose the sturdiest-looking one and started climbing, gathering large leaves on the way up. They'd help against the night's chill—learned that lesson the hard way.

From my perch, I finally had time to think.

I glanced at my phone—62% battery remaining.

'What the fuck!'

I was stunned.

This morning it had been at 71%. When did I lose 9%?

'...!'

Then it clicked.

The apps. They must have costs—real, battery-draining costs.

'That's why I was down 2% this morning.'

Using must have cost me battery.

And... The 9% was drained by .

'I see...'

It explained the inconsistencies too. 

costed less because it only partially worked, whereas with four bars, I could make full use of the .

'So it's not just about having high bars...'

The apps seemed to need both enough danger-bars AND enough battery to function. More bars meant more function, but also higher battery cost.

I glanced at my remaining 62%.

If I was right, I needed to be aot more careful about how I used these apps.

Gurgle...

Though right now, I had other concerns.

My stomach growled, reminding me that while I had solved my thirst, hunger was still an issue.