"Ugh… blergh…"
Evan gagged and vomited as the disgusting stench of the two dead Golgrith corpses filled his nostrils.
"Cough, cough!"
Fuck, this is the most revolting experience I've ever had.
Growl~
Ah, my stomach's growling.
"..."
"Parallel Mind, find the nearest food source!"
A command flowed through Evan's brain, and a response came from within his mind.
[Beep.]
[Command denied.]
"Parallel Mind, find an alternative exit…"
[Command denied.]
"...This is a matter of life and death—"
[Assessing that the Main Consciousness is too dependent. Parallel Mind will be deactivated for 12 hours.]
[Shutting Down…]
Fuck, what the hell is this? I can even imagine them displaying a computer screen with the wind*ws logo shutting down.
"Ugh… So I have no choice but to wade through that disgusting mucus, huh."
I can still see some limestone rocks I could use to wipe off the mucus. But even if I step outside, this nauseating stench will still cling to my body.
"Better than dying from the stench."
Evan slowly descended into the pool of mucus, now sunken due to the previous chaos.
His legs were still slightly stiff from the effects of the mucus secreted by those two repulsive creatures.
"It seems the effect will wear off now that the monsters responsible for it are dead."
I have no idea what the logic behind that is. Is it magic? Possibly.
"But it's still disgusting."
Have you ever imagined a three-meter-long slug with root-like tentacles writhing around? And… that *thing* as long and thick as a tree trunk?
"Fuck, this is going to traumatize me for life."
Before long, he reached the "pool" of mucus left behind by the corpses of the two Golgrith species.
"Hmm…"
Evan walked toward one of the carcasses, crushed to death by a fallen stalactite. It was still warm when he touched it, and he could even see something resembling muscles twitching beneath the surface.
"What is that?"
A droplet of liquid seeped out from the monster's wound. He observed it—a slightly viscous fluid, emitting a faint blue glow. He tried to deduce its nature but couldn't reach a definite conclusion.
But if it involved the world of magic, there was one possible answer.
That the substance before him was "mana."
"But as far as I know, mana is supposed to be an invisible energy, like air dispersed throughout the world."
What about touching it?
Evan's curiosity peaked as the thought crossed his mind.
"Hehe~ it's not like I'll die just from touching it, right?"
He waited for a moment until the "blue blood" dripped within his reach. Then, he touched it.
Pok-
Pok-
"..."
Did my skin suddenly become hydrophobic? Why isn't that thing sticking to my fingers? Is this some kind of special property? Or something else?
"I don't know, I just want to get out of this foul-smelling cave as soon as possible!"
Without a second thought, he sprinted with all his might toward the place where he first woke up.
Meanwhile, the blue blood that Evan assumed to be mana began to undergo a strange transformation. Its once radiant blue hue gradually faded until it turned into a deep, pitch-black color.
The droplets of blood emitted a stench far worse than the mucus secreted by the Golgrith race. And the moment they touched the ground, the corrosive effect they produced was incredibly potent.
***
"If I look at it again, this cave is quite simple. Was this really their nest?"
Something felt off. The space was too small for creatures of their size. The cave's ceiling was only about four meters high, which would be an uncomfortable resting place for beings standing between two to three meters tall.
Evan quickly found the exit, the moonlight seemingly welcoming him after that revolting battle inside the cave.
"..."
Fuck—now that I think about it, why have so many things happened in less than half a day?
Look! Even the moon is still hanging high in the sky!
"Or is it that this world's rotation is slower than Earth's, making the days shorter and the nights longer?"
A wild theory! A wild theory!
He looked around, trying to analyze where he was.
There was nothing but dense forests, overgrown bushes, and thick roots. But what worried him the most was the deathly silence.
Gulp—
Shit, I saw this on NatGeo once. They said that if a forest, usually filled with the sounds of owls and insects, suddenly goes silent—it means there's a predator nearby!
Rustle—
Rustle—
Not far ahead, the thick bushes shifted slowly. Of course, this sight didn't escape Evan's notice.
W-what is that?!
Is this what they call "escaping the tiger's den only to become the wolf's prey"?
My luck is truly awful.
The atmosphere surrounding that sight was unbearably heavy, making Evan even more afraid.
"???"
But what he hadn't expected was…
"Eh? A cat?"
Oh no—
Wait, wait, wait, that thing…
"…"
The black cat tilted its head and meowed. And the "thing" it was carrying tilted along with it.
What exactly was the cat carrying?
"A human head."
"Miaow?"
The next moment, the cat, carrying a shattered and mangled human head, its state a result of various unknown causes. Simply left Evan standing there alone.
"… Insane…"
This world is truly insane!
Evan took a deep breath, feeling the cold night air bite into his skin. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the moon in the sky, trying to estimate how much time had passed.
Shhhhh—
In the distance, amidst the towering dead trees, a dark crimson mist began to creep like a poison spreading across the world. It moved slowly, as if breathing, writhing between the blackened trunks and cracked earth.
Evan furrowed his brows.
A fragment of knowledge surfaced in his mind. Crimson Fog.
A chill ran down his spine. He took a step back. His instincts screamed at him, urging him to run as far as possible. But it was too late, the icy wind carried the mist closer.
Psssst—
Evan's steps halted instantly.
From within the mist, vague silhouettes began to emerge. They had no faces, no definite shapes. Only distortions that made Evan nauseous and unsettled. But there was one thing he knew for certain.
They were looking for him.