You enter the abandoned Tool Shop with your flashlight lighting the way, wary of your surroundings.

Using your flashlight, you scan the inside of the store. Some shelves were overturned and discarded equipment littered the place. Many racks were missing the tools they once held, with the leftovers carrying dusty tools that you can or can't recognize. That was expected, as many shops were ransacked in the chaos 22 years ago.

However, you did find something unnerving.

"It's empty." - You mutter.

[Yeah.] - Rosa agreed.

The shop was empty of life. Not even a bird, mouse, or squirrel inhabited this desolate place. Absolute quietness filled these empty halls. The only thing to prove that there were once people there were the black patches of old blood sticking to the floor. It was like a scene straight out of a horror game.

Without saying a word, you put your shotgun on your back and took out your pistol from your world, holding it in the harries technique with your flashlight, like in those cop B-movies.

Your heart pounded, and you were scared, A primal fear of the unknown.

"Do I continue or retreat?" - You ask loudly, although whether you asked Rosa or yourself, you didn't know.

[It's your call, Iver, but be ready to recall yourself in a heartbeat.] - Rosa said.

"... I'll check the place first. If I encounter something, I will recall myself and then gradually escape this place." - You decide.

[Your ability to escape and outwait others is cheating, you know.] - Rosa complained.

In these past few days, you studied your ability to an extent and discovered a bug-like utility of your superpower; You can mimic short-distance teleportation.

By teleporting yourself to an alternate reality, you can reselect where to position yourself in a radius of 1.5m of where you were before. In other words, you can teleport 1.5m each time.

However, that was also how you discovered a limit to your ability. The more you use it, the more it makes your head hurt. Doing it a few times a day is harmless, but abusing it dozens of times can make your head have a migraine that even NSAIDS can't solve. You didn't dare test it further, fearing permanent damage.

Still, through testing, you discovered you could safely travel around 40-50m before being incapacitated for the day. It was enough to escape this place if you mixed running with it. If that didn't work, you could outwait your opponent by staying in your world for a period. This move can even make the most patient hunter go insane and give up.

"See* Hah*, Ok, I'm going in." - You take a deep breath and say and start scanning the store for anything life-threatening, ready to escape in a heartbeat.

You started advancing into the shop, carefully avoiding the garbage on the floor and checking row after row of the store shelves until...

Clank* Clank* Clank*

"..." - You blankly stare at the small nail you accidentally kicked, your heart almost jumping out of your throat.

It wouldn't make such a loud noise usually, but in this silent hall, it echoed resoundingly. If anything was here, it unmistakably heard it.

Shaking your head, you continued pressing on, your heart and mind taut.

 

---

 

 

 

Clank* Clank* Clank*

The clanging metal echoed in an abandoned building, reaching a creature that slept in its depths.

It woke up. A stimulus interrupted its daylight slumber.

"Something has entered my abode."

That was the first primal thought the creature had.

The creature then used its superior senses to determine what the intruder was.

"Medium-sized, Bipedal, Clumsy, Weak, Nervous, Smells weird and unappetizing." - It judged.

In the nine winters after it evolved for the third time from its basic Husk form and gained long-term memories, it had never felt such a creature, so it was curious.

It silently crawled out of its nest made of skin, fur, and bones and quietly crept with trained steps through the darkness, reaching the upper floor from the basement, and then it saw it.

A strange creature barged into its territory, ignorantly wielding a source of light in its hands that compromised its location for all to see, and in the other a Corrupted One's shooty weapon, yet it felt no primal urge to tear it into pieces and devour it like those who came before it. It was like one of the Pure Ones, the tiny and harmless animals that sometimes visit its rarely disturbed den, the den that any of its weaker Kin, weaker Ascended, and wise Corrupted and Outsiders dare not intrude, for it killed and devoured them all without exception.

The creature resembled the Ascended, and yet, it didn't emit that same dominating aura they had through their psychic connection to it. It looked and dressed like one of the Corrupted Ones and held its tools, yet it didn't feel like one. After all, the annoying presence of a Corrupted One would drive its predatory instincts to kill and devour it, like it had multiple times. It also didn't feel like an Outsider since it was too weak and didn't trigger its territorial instincts. In other words, it was a Pure One.

However, at the same time, from its memories, those who had this form were either Corrupted or Ascended. Although it never saw an Outsider with such a form, it felt them several times when they interacted with The Master. However, in its nine years of existence, it had never seen or heard of a Pure One take such form.

"Interesting." - It thought, something its lesser brethren are incapable of.

Out of curiosity, it began observing the creature and its actions. It saw the stranger warily scanning its territory. It was as if it was confirming no one was at home.

"Foolish." - It mocked in its mind while narrowing its eyelids.

In its eyes, it was like a rabbit accidentally entering a snake's den, and then the rabbit started scanning if there was any snake inside. It was a near-suicidal act.

"Does it believe I wouldn't attack it because it is a Pure One?" - It thought to itself.

Other thrice-evolved might not care about the Pure Ones, just like the Husks don't care about the birds that shit on their head.

But it cared.

Sure, the Pure Ones are distasteful to even Husks, even more so after evolving three times, but does a housecat need a reason to attack a mouse? Does a human need a reason to hunt squirrels for sport? The answer was, of course, no.

It was smart. Smart enough to know how to raise cattle, culling all Kin who evolved twice as more satisfying food, leaving only Husks and once-evolved Kin outside as livestock. That way, it kept the Husk population under control and prevented a usurpation from any twice-evolved Kin evolving for the third time, two birds with one stone.

Unlike its lesser Kin, it also knew the concepts of playing and boredom. To pass its time of loneliness and solitude, it developed the tendency to practice its now almost-perfect stealth, playing as a hunter to stalk its prey, no matter how weak it is, and delivering a fatal blow.

It would then throw the unpalatable carcasses to the mindless Husks outside to feast on if they were hungry enough to stomach it. That was also why its home was devoid of life. It killed everything, only leaving things smaller than a finger.

"No matter, I will kill it soon, just like all the others." - It thought as it gently prowled, coming closer and closer to its new plaything.

However, its movements stopped halfway as it suddenly saw something unbelievable, almost magical. A large object, around the size of the plaything's arm, suddenly disappeared with a tiny flash as if erased from existence.

"What trickery is this?" - The creature thought, staring incredulously at the plaything who looked no different than before.

"Is my mind playing tricks on me?" - It wondered, deciding to back away and continue observing the fascinating creature.

Minutes passed by as it continued observing the creature. From time to time, it would pick an item and make it vanish, just like before.

However, after some time, the creature seemed satisfied and began returning to the exit. If nothing unexpected happened, this strange Pure One would leave its abode, never to be seen again.

"It's leaving... Kill it or not?" - It wavered.

After all, this toy did bring it no small amount of intrigue, a rarity in its long, boring life.

However, after a brief deliberation, it reached a prompt conclusion.

"Kill." - It thought coldly.

It was a creature of principle and killed all who dared intrude on its territory without permission.

It closed the gap with extraordinary agility, staying in the blind spot of the unaware Pure One. It didn't take long for it to be behind its back, prepared to strike with pitch-black claws able to cut stainless steel like butter. All it needed was one strike to the neck, and it will be all over; A clean death.

However, just as it was about to deliver the killing blow—

{ShadowClaw, Stop, don't kill him. Capture him alive.} - An order flooded its psyche.

"Master?!" - ShadowClaw widened its golden eyes in astonishment before decisively changing its actions.

Instead of cleaving off the toy's neck, ShadowClaw lightly poked the target's slightly exposed nape with its incomparably sharp black claw with inhuman precision, barely penetrating the skin, but that was enough. In less than one second, black veins started spreading on the otherwise light-brown skin.

The creature in front immediately froze and then unceremoniously collapsed on the ground, only its light breathing as proof of its life. The creature's light source fell from its hand and rolled on the ground, and its little shooty weapon clattered to the side. Something that looked like the special earpiece the Corrupted Ones use dropped from its right ear.

[Iver?! Iver! What happened?! IVER!] - An annoying voice sounded in the language of the corrupted ones.

"Annoying." - ShadowClaw thought, raising its claws and about to destroy the loud thing.

{Don't destroy it. Bring it along with his little tools.} - Its master's command sounded again in its mind.

"...As you wish, Master." - ShadowClaw begrudgingly replied in its mind, stopping its deadly hand once more.

It then stared at the paralyzed creature on the ground again and thought.

"Lucky Toy."

 

---

 

 

"Cold... So... Cold..."

You feel you are in a fetal position, paralyzed while floating inside a dark, murky space.

It is dark... and cold.

So, so dark, and so, so cold.

It was akin to the ocean's dark depths, where no light reaches.

Your hazy mind could not remember why you were even here and how you even got here.

You didn't want to think, either. Thinking is painful.

At some point, your body felt something warm wrap around it, expelling some of the coldness.

At the same time, something soft, warm, and sweet touched your lips. Out of instinct, you began to suck on it. Sweet nectar slowly filled your mouth, and you greedily gulped it, filling your gullet and stomach with warmth.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the darkness and cold faded.

The unbearable cold started turning more bearable, and the pitch-black surroundings slowly gained slightly brighter yet still dark colors.

Slowly, your mind gained a hint of clarity.

"Where... Am I...?"

However, that hint of clarity also drained your energy, causing you to have a headache, unable to think anymore. All you could do was continue drinking that sweet and warm nectar while wrapped in the comfortable warmness.

At some point, the nectar stopped, and you fell into a deep sleep again.

After some time, the soft nectar reached your mouth again, and you drank it before being withdrawn again.

This cycle continued until—

 

---

 

 

Chirp* Chirp* Chirp*

The sounds of chirping birds and the morning light woke your foggy mind.

"Mmm..." - You groan, feeling hazy and warm.

You slowly open your cloudy eyes. The first thing you see is a plastic-like white roof, looking futuristic yet old as if it has aged for decades. Above you, you could see a veiled window, softly shining springtime light into the room.

"I'm in the other world." - Was your first thought.

You try to recall why you were here, but your mind seems bereft of an answer.

You could only remember that you went inside the abandoned tool shop, picked some items that interested you, and when you were about to exit the shop, your vision went dark.

After that, the only thing you can recall was cold and dark, followed by a soft warmness and sweetness.

"Why did I collapse like that... and more importantly, why am I here? Judging from the softness on my back, the pillow on the back of my head, and the blanket on me, I seem to be in a bed and naked. How did I get here? Rather, who brought me here?" - You ask yourself unanswerable questions.

"Wait... If I am here... Where is Rosa?!" - You widen your eyes in panic.

Rosa is your only helper and ticket to wealth. Even if she acts like a bitch sometimes, she is your support and closest confidant in this other world. Without her, things will be difficult, and you would likely lose the spirit to continue exploring.

Both knowingly and unknowingly, you developed a reliance on her.

"Stay Calm, Gulliver. Stay Calm. First, get out of bed..." - You think to yourself and try to move your right hand to take off the blanket.

Unexpectedly, when you tried to move it, you felt a strong resistance against your hand, held tightly by something soft and warm. It was like your hand was held by two soft hands and between a pair of soft orbs attached to a warm body.

It was a somewhat familiar sensation, as you had felt it a few times before when your ex was still not a cheating bitch.

Badump* Badump* Badump*

"N-No way... It couldn't be..." - You widen your eyes as Rosa's words replayed in your mind.

[I doubt they will do anything harmful to you. At most, they will only snu-snu you. Aren't you lucky, Iver?] - Rosa's joke played in your mind.

Back then, you only thought of it as some fucked-up hentai fantasy. Now, however...

"I-I'm hallucinating, right? Yeah, yeah... I'm just hallucinating. All this time without a girlfriend got to my head. Rosa was right. I need a girlfriend." - You thought, your mind tricking itself into relaxing.

"When I turn my head to the right, I will only see a blank space, just like always." - You took a deep breath and slowly turned your head to your right.

What greeted your hazel eyes was a pair of beautiful yet inhuman golden eyes staring fixedly at you in curiosity.

Adorned with those eyes was the greenish-grey face of a captivating young woman around 18-19 years old that was a few notches more attractive than your ex.

She had silky greenish-blond hair in a buzz cut with patterns on the side and narrow greenish-blond eyebrows. Her skin was smooth and fair, and she had black tattoo patterns over her left eye and a scar under her full yellowish lips, and her ears had bone earrings, adding a wild charm to her sculpted face.

When your eyes glanced downwards in nervousness, you saw that she was naked under the thin blanket and held your bare arm tightly between her D-Cup breasts with pale-yellow areolas and nipples.

When your gaze returned to her eyes, she seemed unbothered at her apparent nudity and that she was hugging a stranger of the opposite gender in the nude. She only kept staring at you silently, without saying a peep or a word.

"..."

"..."

You both kept staring at each other in a strange deadlock. Finally, you couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence.

"E-Erm... Hi?" - You say awkwardly.

The woman did not respond, maintaining her mute silence.

"I... Er... Hello? Can you understand me?" - You ask awkwardly.

The woman kept her silence, not responding.

"... I... will get up, now..." - You say hesitantly.

Still, the woman did not respond, only blinking her soft eyelashes twice.

Without saying anything else, you slowly try to lift your left arm.

Creak* Crack* Crack*

Your joints creaked and cracked painfully as if they didn't move for days, and your muscles felt abnormally weak and fossilized.

Something like this never happened to you. It was as if you were bedridden for over a week or two without moving.

"W-Whats going on?! Why is my arm like this? How long have I been asleep?!" - You became anxious.

You tried exerting more force with your hand and gradually lifted the thin blanket with great difficulty, revealing your and the woman's naked bodies.

The woman had an athletic build, with some muscle and abs showing. She also had a healthy amount of fat concentrated in all the right places; her breasts, hips, and buttocks. Her hairless legs were also long and shapely, and she was about as tall as you, around 6ft tall. Her white fingernails appeared trimmed, a small and tempting greenish-blond pubic hair, and she had a weird yet alluring tattoo on her belly, along with a few scars here and there that did not diminish her charm.

She is an out-and-out beautiful, tempting, healthy, out-of-your-league exotic woman, hugging your arm intimately, staring at you with curiosity, and fully exposed to your eyes.

Despite your nervousness, your body was honest, reaching a full mast in seconds.

Finally, the woman's curious gaze shifted, staring intently at your erection, a hint of a yellowish blush on her greenish-grey cheeks.

"W-Whats with this situation?!"

You close your eyes in embarrassment, taking a deep breath to calm down. Despite being confident in your size and shape, being stared at like in this situation was embarrassing.

After calming down a bit, you finally take off the blanket and try to move your legs. They felt heavy, and your joints creaked and cracked painfully.

Slowly, you tried to get out of bed with great effort, but just as you were about to succeed, you felt a strong resistance against your right arm.

Looking to your right, you see the woman kept hugging your arm, refusing to let go.

"Er... Miss, can you please let go of my hand?" - You ask with utmost politeness.

As much as you enjoyed being hugged by a beauty like her, a dangerous beauty at that, you had to get up.

This time, the woman finally responded... with a shake of her head— A universal sign of NO.

"Oh... Good. She at least understands what I am saying..." - You sigh inwardly with some relief.

It would be a hassle if she didn't understand you at all.

"Erm... Miss? Why aren't you letting go of my arm, then?" - You ask in a soft and calming tone, afraid of angering this dangerous beauty that could probably kill you barehanded.

Although you could theoretically teleport back home to escape danger, that was a last resort. Judging from the situation, if you use it now, you could say goodbye to your superpower and the other world because you won't be able to use it safely anymore.

After you asked this question, the woman finally spoke in broken English, as if she didn't practice speaking before.

"You, Very, Sick. Weak. Need, Rest. Stay." - She said with a determined gaze.

"I'm sick?!" - You widen your eyes, startled.

"Yes. Sick. Rest." - The woman nodded firmly, insisting that you rest beside her.

You sighed, too tired and weak to argue with her, and did as she wished, obediently laying beside her. The woman then let go of your arm and covered you with the blanket before hugging your arm again.

"Comfortable?" - She asked politely.

"Y-Yes, thank you..." - You answer warily.

After a few moments of silence, you ask, "How long have I been here?"

From your current state, you deduced that you didn't move for some time now, at least a few days, if not over a week.

"Eleven. Moons." - The woman said.

In other words, eleven days.

"...Omg."