Hours passed since the incident. Since then, he had walked aimlessly, his former goal no longer clear. The reality he once clung to had faded, washed away by the river that carried him to an unfamiliar region. The last memory of the place where he had arrived—the location of the ship—was slipping from his mind with each passing moment.
He set himself a single goal: survival.
He had lost all his equipment, including the food and weapons in his pack. All that remained was a small knife hidden in his armor.
Clutching his helmet in one hand, he walked cautiously, his senses heightened, ready for battle at any moment.
His new destination was the mountain before him.
He moved through the dense forest carefully, avoiding unnecessary risks. At every sound, he would stop, hide, or retreat. On several occasions, he encountered creatures along his path but avoided any interaction, whether they appeared harmless or hostile. He couldn't afford to take chances, not when he had lost most of his gear.
Over time, his appearance began to change. His black hair turned a translucent blue, and his skin took on a faint bluish hue. These changes went unnoticed, as he was too consumed by exhaustion, hunger, and the effects of the planet's gravity, which were taking a heavy toll on his body. Maintaining his original form had become increasingly difficult. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared. Preserving energy for survival was now his only priority.
The muddy ground beneath his feet gradually gave way to hard, rocky terrain, and the dense forest began to thin. Eventually, he emerged into a vast expanse of stone surrounding the mountain. The terrain was dotted with sharp, protruding rocks that could be seen from a distance.
"Oh… here we go," he whispered to himself, taking his first step out of the forest.
The trees, which had served as both a shield and a trap, were now behind him. He knew that out in the open, he could be seen by predators waiting for a moment of weakness.
As he walked across the field, a strange feeling crept over him, as though he were being watched. Yet, there was nothing around him but rocks. Shaking off the thought, he quickened his pace toward the mountain, determined to ignore the unease.
Upon reaching the mountain, he realized it wasn't an ordinary one. When he placed his hand on its surface, the sensation was eerily familiar—the same as the metallic body of the statue that had led him here.
The entire mountain was made of Davasil metal.
A towering giant, at least 400 meters high, composed entirely of this rare material. This was far larger than the largest known deposit of Davasil in the galaxy.
"This… must be the real objective of the mission," he whispered, running his hand over the cold metallic surface of the mountain.
"They must have used me to test whether the radiation levels had dropped enough for living beings to survive here."
He continued searching for a place to use as a temporary shelter, but it was already too late.
A sudden, heavy blow to the back of his head sent him collapsing to the ground. Darkness enveloped him as blood trickled slowly from his head.
A group of creatures emerged, lifted his unconscious body, and carried him away to an unknown destination.