‘Yawn’

…Why start with a yawn, you may ask? Well… it’s kind of boring to just walk around and… be bored… like, “I’ve mastered the art of stealth, waouhahahaha!” …Okay, not really, but… most things in this forest don’t react to you unless you get close or they catch your scent. 

So… I did the usual mudding and walking around looking for my sister. I found more feet, like, geez… are feet that gross…? 

Uhh, okay… I do have to agree with the monsters… human feet are gross—any feet, for that matter…. 

Still, I walk around and twirl around a plop of water since I thought it’d be good to do control training, and it doesn’t make me dizzy like the other chuni skill I possess…. 

But I must say, since I learned this rule, surviving has been easier. At least, that’s what I think. After all… I’m not getting chased around like bait anymore. And to be fair, I’ve somewhat gotten used to this lifestyle—despite only spending one night! 

Uwah…. Humans adapt very fast, don’t they? 

Hmm, like… isn’t it supposed to be more… exciting and action filled in these types of settings? Or am I just not the right character? 

Hmm…

Oh, well… I’m at least in one piece…! 

(Unlike some of my other classmates….)

….

Anyways, as I get to look around more freely, this forest is vibrant and beautiful, with lots of flowers, and the lighting is pretty damn good if I do say so! 

Mmm, well… I can appreciate it while I’m ‘alive’, I suppose…. 

Gosh, I’m starting to get depressed and drained…. 

But… finding Julia is my only motivation for not leaving the forest, and well… maybe I’m easier prey outside in the open… so… precaution, right? 

…If I find someone, should I save them? …I should, shouldn’t I? That’s what my moral says… but… I honestly can’t risk my own life, even if it’s someone I know. 

Julia is another story altogether since she’s my dear little sister that I have to watch over…. 

Damn, that kid used to be uncool and meek…. Lately, she’s been distancing herself from me and was getting popular. 

Who knows? Maybe some guy has an ulterior motive and is helping her? 

Well… there are nice guys out there. I just pray that they don’t fall low in desperation…. And…well… I highly doubt she’d be the one that would need help. 

After all, she’s grown and is competent. Despite me constantly thinking about her old clumsy self, I must admit that she’s probably doing better than I am…. 

‘Sigh’

I suppose having a peaceful state of mind isn’t so bad at times… though I start to lose some positivity….

But suddenly, “Kyaaa!” I heard a loud scream, and it was a high pitch which sounded like a girl’s. 

I used [Eye of Concept] to make a mental image of my surroundings and was able to tell the distance, what type of monster and most important of all. 

If I was going to make it! 

I saw a—goblin? 

Like… seriously? 

Now we're talking! 

Oh, by the way, it’s the monster that is the goblin, not the girl screaming for help. 

I ran as fast as I could, and as I arrived, I threw one of the rocks that I’d been carrying around. The goblin got hit as it turned around in a twitch—holy shit, those eyes are freaky!

No wonder she screamed when she saw it!  

Umm…. 

Oh yeah… the rock, so I threw a rock at it. Of course, it was to diverge its attention. With this—

“Kyaaaaa! Another monster!” 

…Is she referring to me since I’m covered in mud?

—Okay, never mind, there is this dino thing behind me!  

Look! Even the goblin fell on its back in fear as it fled. 

Me? Oh… 

I ran toward the girl and grabbed her hand, dragging her away. 

“Hey, idiot, why are you frozen in place!?” I yelled. 

But she didn’t reply as she seemed to be playing dead…. 

Hey, are you kidding me? Weren’t you alive and screaming a second ago? 

Well… no choice then! 

I flung her over and carried her in my arms since dragging her along would just slow me down anyways. Way to go, newly acquired agility and stamina for no effort whatsoever! 

And as the dino thingi was chasing us, I used [Eye of Concept] to make a mental image of my surroundings.

Basically, I have eyes behind my back now! 

And well…. I’m dizzy as hell, but… it can’t be helped since my life’s at risk.

As I ran, I’d pull water from nearby to slowly coat the dino and freeze the water. Of course, that didn’t stop it from chasing us, but after doing that for about half an hour, its movement began to slow down, and parts of its skin fell off. 

Ugh… gross. 

But… I’m about to faint! 

So… I kept going like that and… saw a river…. 

Welp… I dunno if this will work, but! 

Here we go, freeze! 

I jumped in the water and started to run on the thin layer of ice. The surface area should be enough to float for a second as I used it to propel the water from underneath, sending us both in the air and crossing the large river. 

And the dino? 

“Gosh! You’re persistent!” I cried.

I mean, I cried out loud, but my eyes were also teary at this point, you know!!!? 

It had tried to jump over the river but had fallen in, as it now tried to swim over—only to drown….

I mean… I’m not so tasty you’d drown over… I bet I’m not! Ahh… well… maybe? 

*wink, wink*

‘Sigh….’

“Hey… are you… alive…?” I asked the girl, who foamed from her mouth.

“.....” 

I checked if she was breathing or not, and well… she appeared to have died from shock, wetting herself on my clothes. 

“...Are you telling me I was carrying a corpse…?” 

No! Not yet! 

She’s maybe savable! 

…..

…

Or so I thought… I did CPR, trying to start her heart and make her breathe, but… she must’ve been dead the moment I started to carry her in my arms…. 

SHIT! 

I hit my fist on the ground as my hand went numb. 

I… I did my best! Yet….! WHY!?

….I stared at the dead girl. She seemed about my age, but… I don’t think she’s from my class… 

…sorry, I can’t grant you a proper burial. 

With that… I threw her into the water, ensuring that creatures wouldn’t gather where I was…. 

After that… the rest of the day wasn’t so eventful as I made a base up in a tree. I’ve searched on that side already, so I suppose this is the next step….