It felt like I had been running for hours and my legs were beginning to ache so I had to slow down to catch my breath, daring to look behind me, my heart in my throat as I wondered where the panther had gone.
So long as it wasn't after me anymore, it could go wherever it wanted to go.
When I looked forward again, I realized that I was out of the forest, I was staring at creatures… normal creatures.
There were normal creatures here?
I frowned at the sight, slumping down to my knees and wincing as I clutched my bleeding chest.
Damn it. That hurt like hell. I thought there would be other contestants. If the next thing that came to me was a beast, I would lose my mind in this place. I needed some form of human connection if I was going to stay alive.
Looking back at the herd of beasts that walked about the grassland, I realized that people must be here too.
The system was silent. It hadn't given any annoying messages concerning the panther anymore, I had successfully evaded the panther so why didn't it give me any notification.
I silently wondered if I could ask if something but it was futile, no matter how I tried. I couldn't tell it anything, it could tell me stuff but not the other way around.
Damn it.
Looking back at the herd of creatures, I stared at them for a while. Wild boars, it seemed and I suddenly wished that I had something on me to kill one because I was starving already.
What were we supposed to eat here anyways?
I clenched my fists and stood up, ignoring the sharp pain in my side. I wasn't going to get anywhere by sitting around.
But as I moved toward the herd of creatures, a figure caught my attention.
It was a person—another contestant, it seemed.
The figure was standing by a large tree near the edge of the clearing, just within my line of sight. The person was tall, wearing tattered clothing, a sword strapped to their side. Their face was obscured by a hood, but there was no mistaking the alertness in their stance.
A sword? Where did the person get it from?
I stopped in my tracks, unsure of what to do. I didn't know if this was a trap or if the person was just as lost as I was. But I was glad either way to have met someone else here.
I took a deep breath, preparing myself to speak to the person. Maybe I could tag along with the man.
It was a man, right? The posture seemed very confident like the person was used to this place.
"You're a contestant too, huh?" I asked, my voice hoarse, but loud enough for them to hear. I wasn't sure how they would react, but I had no choice but to address them.
The figure didn't respond at first but the person's head whipped around to stare at me, clearly not noticing me there before. They just stood there, unmoving, as though weighing their options. Then, slowly, they lowered their hood, revealing their face and my breath hitched.
Not a man.
It was a woman—mid-twenties, with short, dark hair and sharp features. Her eyes were cold, calculating, as if she'd seen too much of this world to care about anything anymore.
The games had just started so how could she be so confident. It was like she came here prepared. Did she know she would be picked? Or worse…did she apply?
"Yeah," she finally said, her voice low but clear as she watched me warily. "I'm a contestant. But I'm not here to make friends."
I didn't flinch at her words. I had no time to make friends either. She seemed well Informed about stuff though, at least I could get some info about her.
I glanced around, trying to see if I could find someone else hopefully but no one. We were the only ones here for now. "I don't want trouble,"* I said, raising my blood stained hands slightly. "I'm just trying to survive."
She looked at me for a moment, and then, to my surprise, she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "You're not the first to end up here, and you won't be the last. Just keep your head down and don't get in my way."
Well, that was a bit harsh but considering how this place was, I wasn't surprised that she didn't want anyone in her way. Hoarding people around one's self here would probably only lead to more troubles.
"I'm Li Xian," I said, offering my name as a form of peace. "You're the first person I met here so I may as well introduce myself properly. What's your name?"
I had never seen her in the faction before and I wondered what sector she was in. Her dark eyes narrowed even more and she rested her hand on the hilt of the blade.
After a moment of hesitation, she sighed. "Liu Xueying" She muttered.
I gave her a small nod, my hand still pressed to my chest and her eyes strayed to it. "You're bleeding" She pointed out.
Wow… I didn't know. I didn't voice out my sarcasm though, she didn't seem like the type that would take it as humor.
"Yeah"
She glanced at me, her expression unreadable. "There's a creature around here. A Linglong Phoenix if the tales are correct, not too far from the gateway of the real world to this place. It's not far."* Her voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it that made me take her seriously. "It can heal wounds, if you can bond with it."
I frowned. *"A Phoenix? You expect me to just... bond with this creature?"
With everything I had seen here, a phoenix was likely to kill me the moment it set its eyes on me.
She didn't seem to care about my skepticism. "It's not a Phoenix like you think. It's small, and it heals. But it's not going to just come to you because you want it. It requires patience, and it's picky about who it bonds with."
"How far?" I asked, feeling desperate.
"I don't know. It's a small bird… it's not aggressive but don't piss it off. The other beasts will attack you if you threaten the bird. They value that little thing" She explained, already moving further into the grasslands.
"Wait!" I called out, making her stop. "How do you know all these?" I just had to ask.
Surely, I couldn't be the only one who didn't have any information, right?
She raised her hood again to cover her head before replying. "Not everyone is here by their free will but some are well prepared for this… you on the other hand…" She craned her head back and shook her head. "You're just another unlucky soul"
Then she was gone.