Cade's stomach growled louder ringing on like a deep, angry rumble that echoed through the quiet woods. He tried to ignore it, but it gnawed at him, pulling his focus away from everything around him. His body was growing weaker with every step, and his thoughts kept running back to those slimes he fought earlier. Maybe… maybe they weren't so bad? He cringed at the thought. "No way. I'm not eating those weird blobs," he muttered to himself, but hunger was messing with his mind.
He pushed through the bushes, trying to be as quiet as possible. Each step felt like an effort, his body heavy, his mind clouded. His head was starting to spin, and it felt like his stomach was about to rebel. "I'm gonna lose it if I don't find something soon," he thought, trying to focus on the path ahead.
He paused. A noise. The rustle of leaves. He froze, as his heart pounded, eyes darting to the bush ahead. Was it another monster? He couldn't summon Fang again. Not today. He was already exhausted, and he couldn't risk using up his energy on something that wasn't worth it.
But then a small figure darted out of the bush, too quick for him to react in time. Cade blinked in surprise. It wasn't a monster. It was a squirrel.
The creature paused, looking up at him with its bright, beady eyes. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, out of nowhere, the system chimed in, startling Cade.
[New Creature Detected]
[Name]: Giantwood Squirrel
[Race]: Beast
[Attributes]:
• Speed: 85
• Agility: 30
• Strength: 18
Cade's eyes widened as the stats appeared in front of him. "Wait, what? I can see its stats now?" He couldn't help but stare at the numbers. It was a squirrel! He'd never seen anything like this before, but here it was, showing up with full stats.
The system continued, almost like it was giving Cade a lesson.
[Congratulations! You've unlocked a new feature. As a Dark Summoner, defeating your first creature allows you to access creature attributes.]
[Your first victory is recorded.]
Cade let out a nervous laugh. "Great. So I get to see stats for every creature I run into now. Just what I needed."
He turned his attention back to the squirrel, which had already started to dart around, its little feet moving too fast for him to keep up. Cade's stomach growled again. "If I could catch you, you'd be a perfect snack…"
He dropped to a crouch, making a move to catch the squirrel. But it was too quick, zipping through the bushes with ease. Cade swore under his breath, trying again. His hands swiped through the air, but every time he thought he was close, the squirrel darted away, fast as lightning.
"Come on!" Cade muttered in frustration. "Just slow down, will you?!"
But no matter how many times he tried, the squirrel was always one step ahead. Cade finally gave up, collapsing back against a tree, panting from the effort.
"Well, that's a bust," he muttered, his stomach growling louder than ever. "Guess I'm not meant to have squirrel for dinner."
He straightened up and scanned the area. "I'm not gonna summon Fang. I've got to do this on my own."
Cade trudged along the forest path, the ache in his stomach making every step feel like a chore. His mind wandered back to the squirrel he failed to catch. "You win this time, you fuzzy little demon," he muttered, his voice dripping with defeat.
Just then, a glimmer of hope appeared—a patch of trees with bright, colorful fruits hanging low from the branches. Cade's eyes widened. "Oh, thank the heavens!" He broke into a run, nearly tripping over his own feet. Hunger had turned him into a man on the edge of desperation.
He leaped at the nearest branch, grabbing hold of the fruit and yanking it free. Without hesitation, he took a huge bite. Juice dripped down his chin, but he didn't care. "Sweet mercy, this is so good," he mumbled with his mouth full, devouring one fruit after another.
The system chimed in as he finished his fourth fruit.
[System Update: Agility +2]
Cade froze mid-bite. "Wait, what? Eating gives me stats?" He glanced at the half-eaten fruit in his hand, then back at the system notification. "If I'd known that, I would've eaten twice as much!"
[The system only rewards bonuses once per consumable.]
"Figures," Cade grumbled, tossing the core aside. "Fine, let's see my full stats, then. Show me everything!"
[Access denied. Full attribute display is unlocked at Level 2.]
His eye twitched. "Are you kidding me? I'm out here starving and fighting for my life, and you're holding out on me? What do I even have you for?!"
[System functions are non-refundable.]
Cade let out a long groan, throwing his hands in the air. "Unbelievable." He sat under the fruit tree, wiping juice off his face. "Whatever. I'll figure it out later."
As he leaned back against the trunk, thinking of heading toward civilization, something strange caught his eye. A series of markings carved into a nearby tree. They were crude but distinct, like a deliberate pattern left behind by someone—or something.
"What the hell is this?" Cade stood and walked closer, running his fingers along the grooves. The markings stretched across several trees, forming a faint trail leading deeper into the forest.
Before he could think too hard about it, the system spoke again.
[Hunter Missions Unlocked. Mission: Investigate the Markings.]
[Note: This mission is unavoidable.]
"Unavoidable? What do you mean unavoidable?" Cade's voice rose in frustration. "What if I just ignore it? Pretend I didn't see it?"
[Ignoring the mission will result in penalties.]
"What kind of penalties?"
[You don't want to know.]
Cade sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Of course. The one time I want an option, you give me none. Fine, fine. I'll go. But if this gets me killed, I'm haunting whoever programmed you."
He followed the trail, grumbling under his breath about unfair systems and hunger pains. The deeper he went, the stranger the forest became. The markings grew more elaborate, twisting into symbols that looked weirdly on-purpose.
After some time, Cade came across something that made him freeze in his tracks. Lying on the ground, half-hidden by leaves, was a body.
"Is that—?" Cade's heart raced as he approached cautiously. It was a young man, his face pale and lifeless. His clothes were tattered, his armor scratched and dented. A short, curved dagger lay beside him, along with a small piece of parchment clutched in his hand.
The system identified him immediately.
[Player Corpse Detected: Name: Arthur Hallow. Level: 1. Class: Cleric. Rank: E.]
"Player? Wait, is this guy like me?" Cade muttered, staring at the body. The realization hit hard. If this was another player, it meant Cade wasn't the only one trapped in this game—or worse, maybe he was.
Kneeling down, he carefully pried the note from the man's hand. The paper was damp but legible. The message was cryptic, scrawled in shaky handwriting:
"If you find this, beware the dungeon. The door closes behind you. Escape is possible, but only for the strongest. Trust nothing. Good luck."
Cade stared at the note, his grip tightening. "The strongest? Trust nothing? What is that supposed to mean?"
His eyes flicked to the dagger on the ground. After a moment of hesitation, he picked it up. It was light and well-balanced, the blade glinting in the dim forest light. "Better than nothing," he muttered, slipping it into his belt.
Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears. It was distant, but unmistakable—some sort of weird chanting. Cade's head snapped toward the direction of the sound. It was coming from deeper in the forest, where the trail of markings seemed to end.
A chill ran down his spine. Clutching the dagger, he steeled himself and moved forward, his heart pounding as the chanting grew louder.
Ahead, hidden among the trees, loomed the entrance to a dungeon. It was dark, foreboding, and pulsing with an ominous energy. Cade stopped in his tracks, staring at the doorway carved into the hillside.
"Well," he muttered, his voice low. "Guess I'm not getting out of this one."