First Technique • 2

Ugh-! My entire body was in pain, screaming for help. I was lying on the ground with little to no idea about my location. I mustered everything I had in order to sit, which didn't help with the pain.

I had passed out due to running for a long time and the damage I received from the Ents. The warmth brought by the blood on my head and legs was the only nice thing about my situation.

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[ Skill "Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟" Cannot be Activated under the Negative Status Effect "Bleeding I" ]

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Sadly, using [Dimensional Shift] was out of the question due to my bleeding while running away, which was the worst-case scenario for me.

From the backpack that I agitatedly brought with me, I took out a first aid bandage to cover my head and other damaged places to stop the bleeding. Then I took out my last emergency ration to eat due to hunger. As I was eating the food, I knew it would be the last easy meal I could get my hands on.

"Where am I now?" I muttered to myself.

It was dark, and the fog made it a lot harder to see ahead. I wasn't sure where I was, or how I could return to my original position… and worst of all, I was exhausted.

The exhaustion and pain didn't give me a lot of options to choose from, so I started by climbing a tree and slowly closing my eyes, hoping for a better tomorrow.

Crank-! I woke up to an unsavory sound, and the pain which I had gotten used to. It was still early, so the sky was dimmer than it should be in the daytime.

The blood that had covered my body yesterday was dried up and created a disgusting smell, worthy of being the worst.

Thud-! From down the tree, a small Tree Ent who seemed to notice me was trying to climb up with a lot of noise… of course, no progress seemed to be made by it.

I jumped down the tree and sliced through the Ent with the momentum carried by the fall, with ease.

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Slash-! [ Skill "Focused Unsheathing ⌜4⌟" Activated ]

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"What should I do?" I muttered in utter exhaustion, which had not been refilled after a nap.

I was in a bad situation, with my wounds in need of emergency treatment, and my hunger worsened by the intense blood loss. I needed to get out of the forest as quickly as I could. I didn't have a lot of choice; either go down the mountain to find a path… or go up to locate one.

Going down would be a lot more problematic, since I could stumble upon terrain that would be much worse than where I was and ultimately get lost due to not knowing my location… so I needed to go up.

In my bag, I had brought the items required for climbing and emergency situations, but I was in no position to fight strong monsters or know the correct direction.

… but of course, "it's better than dying."

I began to climb to the top of the foggy mountain, with little experience other than climbing videos and some personal practice.

The sloppy first aid I had done to my wounds, the increasingly difficult-to-navigate terrain, and the indistinguishable path due to fog… these did not make it any easier for my lack of proficiency.

It was hard to execute, but I trusted my gut and moved on, with my senses sharp and alert to everything that could cause me harm.

As time passed, monster appearances became more frequent, and the fog became denser… though on the contrary, I got used to the torments, and they became easier to bear.

Through pure coincidence, as the sky began to darken, a cave at a very steep cliff found its way through the foggy blur into my vision. With a praying heart, I mustered every last bit of stamina, and with the tools I had at hand, began to climb the cliff.

Climbing the cliff without the equipment I had would surely be impossible, and I knew that, since I could sense the rough texture of the stones as I was pulling myself upward.

After reaching the cave doorstep, I lay down and muttered with frustration, "Ugh-! Damn, my back hurts."

Since it had become dark, I sat up and grabbed an emergency torch from my backpack and lit it. The cave's entrance seemed much grander than it had looked from afar, which wasn't a strange thing to come across.

I entered the cave, hoping not to find any wild animals living inside, so I could use it for the night… until, "Hm, strange."

The natural texture of the cave's wall slowly shifted into a uniform formation, unlike any ordinary cave I had been in. The uneven ground under my leg flattened as it became easier to walk on.

I moved my torch around to see the surroundings. The walls were slowly getting covered by inscriptions of unknown origin. Due to the old age of the carvings, it was impossible to make sense of it all, yet I continued deeper.

The shapes on the walls became more recognizable, as they showcased various monsters and humans hunting them… and in the middle of them all, a Dragon.

After a while of walking, I stumbled upon an entrance to a hall, which I entered while on guard, and with the torch in front of me… but I didn't need to be. On the ceiling, there were many yellow-colored crystals, brightening the surroundings and revealing what was inside the hall.

Drawings, all sharing a single story of battle and bloodshed, could be noticed by simple observation. A battle, connecting not only humans but even monsters, dragons, and… "is that an elf?"

Groom, Crack-! As soon as I made a noise, the entrance I used to come inside shut with a tremble. In agitation, I placed down the torch and looked around the room, while putting my hand on my sword's handle.

Crumble-! A strange noise came from within a corner of the hall, making me uncomfortable. I could feel I was not going to meet a friendly being, so I drew my sword from its sheath.

Crawling slowly, the entity revealed its body to the crystals' light. A moving thorny vine, creeping out and slowly covering the corners of the circular hall.

Thanks to my knowledge of many types of monsters, I knew what I was dealing with was of no concern… well, normally that is.

Enthorns were lower E-rank monsters with a bushy body and thorny vines as a means to fight, which shouldn't be a big deal for a veteran with enough speed to dodge their slow attacks… but that wasn't the case.

My gut, which had saved me almost too surprisingly, was telling me something was strange.

Although it was the first time I saw an Enthorn, I knew their vines couldn't stretch any farther than a person's size—but the monster ahead of me was wrapping a hall clearly bigger than a person.

And the strangest thing of all—"where is its body?"