Chapter 15: The Figure Appeared Out Of Nowhere!

The world around me was suffocatingly quiet, a deafening void of sound save for the faint rustling of dead leaves beneath my feet. The horizon bled orange and pink as the sun dipped behind distant hills, its fleeting warmth offering no solace to my cold, aching body.

I'd been walking all day, driven by nothing but sheer desperation and a stomach gnawing at itself. The herbs I'd scavenged were keeping me alive, but just barely. Their bitter aftertaste clung to my tongue like regret. My body was weak, my movements sluggish, and my thoughts darker with every passing second.

Each breath was a struggle. My legs felt like lead, my chest heavy. My stomach, long since resigned to its emptiness, grumbled weakly.

Then, of course, the system decided to chime in, as cheerful and unhelpful as always.

[Warning: Body is in a weakened state.]

[Performance decreased by 40%.]

"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered, my voice dry and raspy. I didn't need some glorified AI to remind me that I was on the verge of collapse. Still, the system never missed an opportunity to kick me when I was down.

I stared at the glowing text hovering in front of me, its stark blue light contrasting with the dimming world around me. My eyes burned, exhaustion weighing on them like anchors. "At this point," I croaked, "I might actually die out here."

The thought didn't scare me as much as it should. I even laughed a little—a bitter, hollow sound that barely reached my own ears. Would it be starvation that killed me? Or would it be the monsters lurking just out of sight, biding their time? They'd probably take one whiff of me and think, No thanks, I prefer my meals alive.

Hell, if one of them showed up now, I'd probably try to eat it. Desperate times, right? The thought of gnawing on a Revenant's rotting flesh made me shudder, though. Even I wasn't that far gone. Yet.

Just as the nausea from my own morbid humor set in, I saw it—a faint glimmer of light in the distance. My breath caught, and I squinted, barely able to trust my own eyes.

[Alert: Detecting village approximately one mile away.]

The system's confirmation sent a jolt of adrenaline through me. My heart raced, a painful thudding in my chest that almost made me dizzy. A village. Civilization. Food. Actual people.

"Looks like that Revenant wasn't lying," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. Glathanya, the Revenant I'd interrogated had mentioned this place. A haven for Runners like me, she said. People who'd escaped from the same broken world.

People. God, I hadn't seen another human in years. Not really. Not ones I could talk to, anyway. Maybe they'd understand. Maybe they'd help.

"Hell, maybe they have fried chicken," I said, letting my imagination run wild. My mouth watered at the thought of real food—something more substantial than bitter roots and questionable berries. Fried chicken... chicken Alfredo... even a stale sandwich would feel like heaven right now.

With a surge of energy born from desperation, I stumbled forward. But just as I took my first step, something shifted. A soft whoosh—barely audible—brushed past my ears. When I blinked, a male figure stood several meters ahead, materializing like a phantom.

He appeared out of nowhere. One second the path ahead was empty; the next, a tall figure stood there, as if the world itself had spat him out to block my way.

I stopped in my tracks, blinking hard. Was I hallucinating again? It wouldn't be the first time. But no—this wasn't like the flickering visions of my old world that haunted me on bad days. This was real.

The figure was tall, broad-shouldered, and clad in black. Pieces of armor glinted faintly in the twilight: a dark gray chest plate, shoulder guards, knee pads, and gauntlets. A hood obscured most of his face, but what caught my eye was the mask—a smooth, eerie thing painted in streaks of orange and red, with two empty holes where his eyes should have been.

A sword was slung across his back. He reached for it, the blade whispering as it slid free from its sheath. Black steel, polished and deadly.

"Who are you?" His voice was deep, raspy, and muffled by the mask. There was no warmth in it, only cold suspicion. "You're not allowed in this territory."

[Warning: Sensing hostility.]

"Hostility?" I muttered under my breath. "No kidding."

He wasn't a Revenant; I could tell that much. The system would've alerted me if he were. But who—or what—was he?

"I was sent here by the Revenant Glathanya," I began, keeping my voice steady despite the lump of dread forming in my throat. "She told me—"

I didn't even see an attack coming. My body moved on instinct, spear in hand, deflecting the strike with a loud clang. Sparks flew as his blade slid against mine, the force of it rattling my arms.

[Warning: Danger detected.]

[Combat Mode automatically activated.]

The figure tilted his head, eyes narrowing behind his mask. "So, you're strong enough to block that. Guess Glathanya's mutations aren't weaklings."

"Hold on," I said, taking a step back. My hands tightened on my spear as I tried to catch my breath. "Revenant?! What the hell are you talking about?"

He didn't listen. "Don't play dumb. Only those working for Glathanya would know her name. And I don't let Revenants walk away."

He lunged again, faster this time. His blade whistled through the air, and I barely managed to dodge. The tip sliced through a lock of my hair, the severed strands fluttering to the ground.

"Listen to me!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "I'm not with her! I'm just—"

"You're trespassing," he snarled, cutting me off. His sword glinted in the fading light as he raised it again. "And you're going to die for it."

I didn't want to fight him. I couldn't. Not if he was human.

"I'm not a Revenant!" I shouted, frustration bleeding into my voice.

He didn't care. He lunged again, his sword slashing through the air with deadly precision. The figure snarled, his attacks relentless. "Liar! You reek of her influence. I don't know what your plan is, but you won't take another step into our territory."

I grit my teeth, my body moving on autopilot as I blocked, dodged, and deflected his strikes. The fight was a blur of motion, each clash of weapons sending jolts of pain up my arms.

[Warning: Stamina levels critical.]

[Reminder: Your body's performance is decreased by 40%]

[Recommended strategy: Retreat]

The system's constant updates weren't helping. If anything, they made me angrier. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder, you useless piece of—"

The figure's blade arced toward my head. I ducked, the sharp edge slicing through the air where my neck had been a moment ago. My legs were burning, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. I couldn't keep this up.

"Listen to me!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "I'm not your enemy!"

"Save your lies," the figure hissed, his sword thrusting toward my chest.

I twisted, the blade grazing my side. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but I refused to retaliate. I couldn't. Not until I was sure he wasn't human.