The roar never came closer.
Yet it never went away.
It lingered in the depths of the forest like a warning, reminding me that somewhere beyond those colossal trees lived creatures capable of crushing me without ever knowing my name.
I walked.
There was nothing else I could do.
Every direction looked identical.
The towering trunks rose into the heavens like ancient pillars supporting the world itself. Their roots twisted across the ground like sleeping dragons, forcing me to climb over them again and again.
At first, I tried remembering landmarks.
A crooked root.
A broken stone.
A fallen branch.
But before long, I realized how foolish that was.
Every tree looked thousands of years old.
Every root looked like a mountain.
Every shadow looked exactly the same.
It felt as though the forest itself wanted travelers to lose their way.
Or perhaps…
No one had ever been meant to leave.
⸻
Hours passed.
Or at least, they felt like hours.
The sunlight filtering through the canopy barely changed.
It was impossible to tell whether morning had become afternoon or if only a few minutes had gone by.
Time had become meaningless.
The only thing that changed…
Was me.
My throat burned.
Not the kind of thirst that made you want a drink.
The kind that made swallowing feel like dragging broken glass down your neck.
“I need…”
My voice cracked.
“…Water.”
I searched desperately.
Surely a forest this large had rivers.
Streams.
Anything.
But I found nothing.
No flowing water.
No fruit.
No animals small enough to catch.
Only silence.
My stomach twisted painfully.
It had already been empty long before I arrived in this world.
Back in the hostel, I could have simply walked downstairs to the cafeteria.
I used to complain every day.
“Why is the food always the same?”
“Why can’t they cook something better?”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Now…
I would’ve traded everything for a single plate of that bland hostel rice.
A bitter smile appeared on my face.
“…I never thought…”
“…I’d miss hostel food.”
⸻
My legs grew heavier with every step.
The excitement of entering another world had vanished.
This wasn’t an adventure.
It was survival.
And I was losing.
Soon, even lifting my feet became difficult.
My vision blurred.
Every breath scraped against my throat.
Still…
I forced myself to keep walking.
Because stopping meant admitting defeat.
Not to a monster.
Not to an enemy.
But to my own weakness.
How ironic.
On Earth, I had wasted countless days lying in bed, sleeping because I didn’t feel like getting up.
Now…
I wanted nothing more than the strength to take one more step.
Life truly enjoyed mocking people.
⸻
The forest remained merciless.
Not once did it offer hope.
Not once did it show kindness.
Then…
My foot caught on one of the giant roots.
My exhausted body couldn’t recover.
I fell.
Hard.
For several seconds, I simply lay there, staring blankly at the endless ceiling of leaves.
“…Get up.”
I whispered to myself.
Nothing happened.
“Come on…”
“…Move.”
My body refused.
It had finally reached its limit.
⸻
Something crawled across my hand.
Then another.
A sharp sting pierced my arm.
I slowly turned my head.
Ants.
Or at least…
They looked like ants.
Each one was as large as a rabbit, their glossy black bodies reflecting the dim light beneath the trees. Massive mandibles clicked together as they climbed over my clothes.
Nearby, another mosquito landed.
Its wings hummed loudly.
Its body was nearly the size of my palm.
Its needle-like mouth slowly pierced my skin.
Pain shot through my arm.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to push it away.
But I couldn’t even lift a finger.
“…So…”
“…This is how I die.”
No glorious battle.
No heroic sacrifice.
No legendary adventure.
Just…
A nameless boy dying alone in a forest that didn’t even know he existed.
A laugh escaped my lips.
Weak.
Broken.
Empty.
“…How fitting.”
⸻
The world slowly faded.
The buzzing insects became distant.
The pain disappeared.
Darkness spread across my vision.
Strangely…
I wasn’t afraid anymore.
Perhaps because this was the first time in years my mind had become completely quiet.
No jealousy.
No regrets.
No comparisons.
Only silence.
“Maybe…”
“This is enough.”
My eyelids closed.
⸻
Then…
Warmth.
A gentle warmth brushed against my face.
It wasn’t sunlight.
It was softer.
Almost…
Comforting.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Far away, between the impossible trees…
Something shimmered.
A tiny point of golden light.
It floated silently above the forest floor, glowing with a radiance unlike anything I had ever seen.
It wasn’t dazzling.
It didn’t hurt my eyes.
Instead…
It felt as though it was calling me.
Hope.
That was the only word I could think of.
The light grew brighter.
The surrounding forest seemed to fall silent before it.
Even the insects stopped moving.
The air itself became still.
“What…”
I whispered.
The light did not answer.
It simply waited.
My body, which had already surrendered to death, suddenly found the strength to move again.
Not much.
Just enough.
My trembling fingers dug into the soil.
I began to crawl.
One arm.
Then the other.
Every movement felt like tearing my muscles apart.
Blood stained the earth beneath me.
Still…
I crawled.
Toward that impossible light.
Toward the only thing in this endless forest that didn’t feel hostile.
I didn’t know what awaited me.
A miracle.
A trap.
Or death itself.
But as the golden radiance reflected in my fading eyes…
I made one final promise to myself.
“If I survive…”
“I’ll never waste my life again.”
The light flickered.
And somewhere within its golden glow…
A shape slowly emerged.
It looked…
Like a sword.
End of Chapter 3