Chapter 1. Tutorial.
Fortunately, nothing happened overnight. Kang Ji-hyuk figured he was lucky. He occasionally heard faint beastly howls echoing from far away, but they were at a safe distance. A few unlucky bastards were probably already digesting in some monster's gut by now.
Lee Seong-han and Kim Se-hee filled their stomachs with water from the puddle again. They looked desperate enough to eat anything now. They'd burned through so much energy just walking nonstop, and with nothing but water for two days straight, it was no wonder they were utterly exhausted. Ji-hyuk felt a bit less hungry thanks to the orc leg meat he'd grilled yesterday, but he still needed to keep scavenging for anything edible. Fighting monsters took a ton of energy, after all. Worst case, he could always hunt down another orc or lizardman. Trolls were off-limits—their meat was poisonous.
After wandering for a while, they finally spotted a tree laden with banana-like fruits. Of course, there was no way to know if they were safe to eat. But starving any longer was riskier. Adventure time. In the end, Lee Seong-han peeled one and took a bite.
"Ugh, it's bitter as hell."
It tasted incredibly bitter, but he didn't drop dead, so that was something. Ji-hyuk tried it too. The three of them devoured the fruits like mad. Only then did Lee Seong-han and Kim Se-hee start looking a little alive again. With their hunger roughly sated, it was time to hunt for tokens.
Of course, for people who hadn't even seen monster shit, let alone killed one, suddenly taking down a beast was a tall order. Even the weakest ones here would be too much for two of them. Kim Se-hee was useless in a fight anyway, so she didn't count toward their combat strength. If she tried to "help" half-assed and got herself killed, they'd lose their night watch rotation—and that would be a headache for Ji-hyuk.
First things first: weapons. He picked up sturdy branches, sharpened the tips, and fashioned crude wooden spears. Each of them gripped one. Having something in hand seemed to spark Lee Seong-han's fighting spirit again—he started actively scouting for monsters. Ji-hyuk didn't mind. It was way better than passivity.
"...Huh?"
Soon, they spotted something unfamiliar not far off. Someone was lying on the ground. In broad daylight, motionless like that—it sure as hell didn't look normal. They instinctively knew the person was dead. Kim Se-hee's face went pale as a ghost. She'd seen an orc die, sure, but that didn't make corpses any less shocking.
Still, Ji-hyuk couldn't just walk past. There might be clues. They approached the body slowly.
"Urk—"
Kim Se-hee took one look at the gruesome sight and spun away, dry-heaving. Lee Seong-han couldn't hold it together either and averted his eyes. Ji-hyuk alone stepped up to inspect it.
The upper body was torn clean off, leaving only the lower half. Definitely chomped in one bite by a monster. Monsters... Judging by the remaining legs, the victim was human—from some other world, not Earth. Bloodstains were splattered elsewhere too. The rest of the group had either been killed or a couple barely escaped.
The footprints weren't small. From experience, the thing stood about 5 or 6 meters tall. Rookies like them wouldn't stand a chance. They were just cursed with shit luck.
Ji-hyuk let out a snort. Someone even unluckier than me, huh. He finished his inspection and stood.
Lee Seong-han and Kim Se-hee looked eager to bolt. "Let's go."
They scurried after him like they'd been waiting for the word. He followed the monster's tracks, marking trees with sharp rocks every so often to avoid getting lost. No guarantees, but better than nothing.
"Let's take a break."
Ji-hyuk considered Lee Seong-han and Kim Se-hee's condition. They collapsed against tree trunks, utterly spent. Lee Seong-han finally shut his yapping mouth—he was too exhausted to talk. Kim Se-hee looked half-dead. A few fruits wouldn't fully restore their stamina, after all.
Watching them, Ji-hyuk got why Earthlings struggled to survive. Bodies adapted to peaceful Earth weren't cut out for this harsh world. People who'd never swung a spear or sword killing powerful monsters? Laughable. Dragging useless Earthlings here was just the gods' sick joke.
Fucking asshole gods.
Ji-hyuk cursed inwardly, then stood. Time to move again after a decent rest.
As they pushed through the forest, they stumbled upon a goblin pack—twice their number. But goblins were weaker than humans, so the goblins backed off without attacking. Lee Seong-han seemed convinced his "impressive stance" had scared them, puffing up with confidence. Kim Se-hee looked less anxious too. Getting used to it, huh. Good news for Ji-hyuk—hauling around whiners was a chore.
Not long after, a monstrous roar shook the forest. All three heads snapped toward the sound. Tension etched Lee Seong-han and Kim Se-hee's faces. Ji-hyuk bolted straight for it.
"Ah—." The two hesitated, wondering if they should stop him. But he was already ahead. They hurried after.
The roar was followed by a scream ripping through the air. Their faces went sheet-white. This seemed bad.
"Sh-shouldn't we, um, wait till it's over...?"
"If we don't go now, we'll be too late. You think those guys are gonna let the monster sit there?"
Ji-hyuk shot back curtly. They'd tracked this beast half the day—after that investment, letting someone else snag it pissed him off. Sure, monsters might come hunting them at night, but fighting in pitch black was best avoided. With two deadweights who were even more useless after dark, better to hunt in daylight and grab the token easy.
He picked up the pace. His sharpened senses picked up multiple approaching presences. He spread out his tiny mana pool. At least four heading for the monster. Fuck... tough competition? Still only day three, and it was already cutthroat. No backing down, though. Worst case, snatch a token and run.
One, two, three, four... five. The last one approached stealthily from the trees. Definitely a fairy. Ji-hyuk might've missed it if he weren't so attuned.
They finally spotted the monster—already locked in a fierce brawl. With an orc pack.
"Ah...!"
Kim Se-hee froze in terror at the beast's horrifying form. Lee Seong-han was just as scared. Ji-hyuk ignored them, focusing solely on the fight: three orcs, one troll, one fairy. The orcs were doing the direct hunting; troll and fairy waited for an opening. They wouldn't love these human interlopers either.
Ji-hyuk eyed one orc in particular. ...Knew it. B-rank hero, Giranoshi. Fishing for sloppy seconds just got harder. The troll poised to charge was trouble too. A wooden stick versus the king of regeneration? No thanks. And a fairy on top. Heavy hitters for day three.
Time to bail. Smart call, even if disappointing. His untrained, rundown body couldn't clear them all. Better to hunt easier prey in the time it'd take.
He turned to retreat. Kim Se-hee, who'd been stomping anxiously, relaxed seeing him return safely. If he'd gotten himself killed, she was done for too. Can't exactly trust anchorman alone in this hellhole.
"We back off this time. Too many rivals."
"Yeah, sounds good."
They chimed in helpfully despite being useless. The three withdrew. The roars faded. Tension drained, leaving exhaustion. Another break.
Maybe head back today. Real survival game starts tonight... Better to return to the puddle, prep for night attacks.
"We're heading back. No luck with monsters today."
"Okay."
No arguments—they'd follow whatever he said. Dynamic had fully shifted. On the way, they foraged. Ji-hyuk said worst case, dig for grubs under trees.
"Ugh—." Kim Se-hee grimaced in disgust.
"Grilled, they're decent."
She didn't outright refuse anymore. Starvation taught harsh lessons.
They returned empty-handed to the puddle. But goblins had claimed it—the same pack from before.
The goblins menaced with weird metallic shrieks. They knew water mattered too. But the three couldn't yield it. Lee Seong-han burned with fury. ...Goblins look small and easy.
Ji-hyuk charged. He skewered a standing goblin's head clean through.
"—!!"
One down, but they didn't flee. They counterattacked. These fuckers...? Orcs would've bolted, but they held against humans. Laughable. Ji-hyuk slaughtered mercilessly. After three fell, the rest fled.
Lee Seong-han fought hard this time but took a deep gash across his chest from a goblin spear. Not fatal, but skin peeled back, blood streaming.
"Wh-what do we do—."
Kim Se-hee, who'd done nothing, freaked out. But she knew social graces—tore her clothes, soaked cloth in water, and cleaned his wound. Nothing else she could do.
"It's... nothing. I'm fine."
Lee Seong-han mustered some manhood. His shriveled pride perked up like a dick in cold water warming up. Ji-hyuk didn't rain on it.
"Good work, Seong-han."
"Nah, you did the heavy lifting, Ji-hyuk."
Even some camaraderie now. Kim Se-hee asked if Ji-hyuk was hurt. He gestured he was fine. They dumped the goblin corpses far off and returned to the puddle. Dusk fell fast. Night came.
Cloudless moonlit sky let silver light pierce the leaves. Visibility okay. Not bad. Not ba—
Ji-hyuk lay down, eyes closed.
Wooaaaaah—.
Beastly howls echoed across the forest. ...Tonight won't be peaceful.