He didn't want to be in shock; he wanted to function like a robot in the moment. But... it was impossible.
Where was he supposed to run when he had no idea where he was?
The area around him looked like a giant forest, the kind you'd expect to see in a fantasy painting, with plants that seemed to have been pumped full of steroids. The trees towered impossibly high, their trunks thicker than houses, and leaves shimmered with iridescent colors. There were no signs of civilization—no roads, no vehicles, not even people.
He ran.
When he wished for things to stop being normal, this wasn't what he meant. He didn't want the world to reset! And yet, even the Knowledge Card referred to the event as a relic.
Hell, it wasn't just a reset. It was like the world had been ripped apart and pieced together with another one entirely.
This had to be the second step of the system initialization: reconstruction.
But how had it happened? Was it random? And more importantly, were there going to be other monsters like that twisted thing in the hospital?
The strange hospital monster wasn't chasing him anymore. It seemed to take its role as the guardian of the relic very seriously.
Andrew kept running. After a while, he started noticing more of the bizarre world around him. He saw orange deer with glowing red antlers grazing peacefully in the distance. Overhead, massive birds—doves the size of cars—soared through the sky with a strange grace.
I'm in a whole damn different world.
Oddly, none of the creatures were attacking him. They either ignored him completely or went about their business.
Andrew climbed one of the towering trees to get a better view of the area. The bark was rough but climbable, and the branches, though thick, were high off the ground. When he finally reached the top, he could see for miles.
About 15 miles away, a shimmering barrier stretched across the horizon like a glowing dome. It surrounded the area, separating it from whatever lay beyond. The dungeons were still present, but nowhere near as abundant as before. Now, he actually had to look for them—before, they'd been scattered everywhere, like a plague of portals vomiting out monsters.
Maybe the purpose of all those dungeons was to flood the world with as many monsters as possible...
Theories buzzed in his head, but answers were nowhere to be found. His frustration grew as he scanned the horizon.
From his vantage point, he also noticed camps of people scattered throughout the landscape. Buildings, overtaken by vines and moss, dotted the forest. There were fewer structures than before, and they were mostly remnants of a lost civilization. No apartments, no houses, no office buildings—only ruins consumed by nature.
"Andrew?"
The voice startled him. Looking down, he saw a woman standing at the base of the tree. She had straight black hair, Asian features, and a tired expression. Her attire was unusual: a mix of yellow and white robes styled to resemble a nun's clothing. She carried a staff that looked far more advanced than anything medieval.
He frowned. "Do I know you?"
"No, but I know you," she said, her voice steady but worn. "Your friend Dalton brought you to the hospital. I was one of the doctors who attended to you."
"Oh... thank you. Where is Dalton now?"
She shook her head. "No clue. When everything went to hell, people either got killed or ran for safety."
Andrew nodded slowly. He didn't bother asking about Paris, Henry, or the others. If she didn't know about Dalton, she definitely wouldn't know about them.
"I have a lot of questions," he said, "but I'm guessing you didn't stop me just to chat."
"Can't I just say hi to a fellow survivor?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I guess. But with how exhausted you look, I doubt that's the only reason."
She let out a soft sigh and sat down on a mossy stone nearby. "Fair enough. I was passing by and saw you. That's most of it. But I also think we can help each other."
Andrew tilted his head. "Help each other how?"
"I'm a supporter. I struggle to hurt others. You're a warrior—you can hurt others easily. But your body is frail. You can just as easily be hurt."
"I can avoid getting seriously hurt," he replied confidently.
She gave him a sharp look. "And when you do get hurt? Look at the back of your head—it hasn't even healed yet, and you've been resting for three weeks. One small accident could kill you. Or worse, cripple you for life."
She made a good point. The injury on the back of his head still throbbed occasionally. He found her knowledge of it suspicious at first but remembered she'd been one of the doctors who treated him.
"Fine," he said. "I'll hear you out."
She smiled faintly.
[Do you accept the party request from Lequi Agartha?]
Before he accepted, he asked, "Why me? There are other people out there. You've had three weeks to find someone to team up with."
"I did," she admitted. "Everyone's in camps. But I didn't like what went on in the two camps I joined, so I left."
"Lawless stuff?"
"Yes. Almost everything you can think of. That's why I avoided them. I'd rather risk it alone than partner with those people." She hesitated, then added, "I don't mean to offend, but if you turn out to be... problematic, it's easier to escape from one person than from dozens."
Andrew nodded. "Makes sense. I'd be cautious too."
He accepted the party request.
"What now?" he asked.
"Hopefully, kill something to eat," she said. "I haven't eaten anything but plants in three days."
***
Together, they watched a blue deer grazing in the distance. Lequi pointed out that those without glowing horns were weaker, around level 5.
Andrew's stomach churned at the thought of hunting. He wasn't even sure he could fight a deer, glowing or not.
"Do you have a knife or dagger?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. Can't you craft one?"
"What?"
"Focus on crafting something related to a warrior," she said.
"Am I supposed to just... think 'warrior' really hard?"
"Pretty much."
To his surprise, it worked. A Knowledge Card popped up, detailing the process of crafting. Following the instructions, he created a crude spear from a log she provided. It was bent and uneven, but it would have to do.
Lequi cringed at the result. "Looks... functional?"
"First attempt," Andrew muttered, rolling his eyes.