The sound of dripping water relentlessly assaulted my ears and face. It was quite dark around me due to the prolonged stay in this damp and gloomy place. I was already on the edge.

Dizziness overwhelmed me, and my body gradually weakened. My energy was depleting, and I never imagined that this tunnel would be so long, unlike the game.

Just when my strength was nearly depleted, I finally spotted a bright light in the distance. It felt like a second wind was granted to me, urging me to move more energetically.

Soon, I reached the light, but it took a while for my eyes to adjust. I observed for a few seconds; it was an enormous underground space with an open area above where the light was streaming in.

After a brief observation, I resumed my movement. This time towards a staircase, as there was one present. Going down the stairs would lead me to the bottom of a small pond that connected with the water at the very bottom of this place.

Once I accomplished that, according to the game's memories, I could teleport quite far from the church headquarters, which was the only way to ensure my escape.

Where this teleportation would take me was a mystery. Even in the game, the mechanism randomized the destination in 99 out of 100 cases, with only one exception where a specific location could be teleported to.

That specific location was where I could find the Book of Eternity. Obtaining it was arguably more challenging than uniting the entire continent to destroy the demons. Not being able to obtain it was also one of the requirements for accessing the penultimate ending.

I couldn't obtain the book because it required too many items. Teleportation points like these could be found throughout the continent in the game. With some luck, they could be a means to level up quickly.

However, if luck wasn't on your side, it could also lead to an early end to the game. In some cases, there was a chance to encounter specific demons representing the seven deadly sins.

"However, this only applies if these teleporters are used too frequently. So right now, there's a small chance of encountering demons in my Volvo.

In the beginning, the teleportation happened randomly, but considering that the portal between the demon realm and this dimension hasn't occurred yet, it's still relatively safe.

Lost in thought, I suddenly stumbled upon a step. It started falling down, and before I could react, my body lost its balance, and I tumbled forward.

Intense pain struck various parts of my body several times before I finally managed to stop. Fortunately, I was already closer to the ground; otherwise, I could have died from all the impacts.

Clenching my teeth, I tried to suppress the pain and straighten myself up. But due to the blow directly to my back, it was very difficult to do so.

I had to continue walking hunched over.

Another 50 meters and I would reach a small pond where the teleporter lay at the bottom. Although there's another way to get out of here, like going straight up, the best solution is the teleporter.

The dizziness intensified as I finally reached the pond. Looking down, the water was transparent, and there were no living creatures inside. Upon closer inspection, I noticed some magical patterns on the bottom.

Based on my calculations, the depth should be almost 3 meters.

There are two activation requirements: first, a direct touch, and second, a blood sacrifice.

To open the portal, I would have to offer my own blood, as it was written when I used the teleporter in the game.

There were many versions, some permanently reducing health points, while others had temporary negative buffs.

All of this seemed necessary to experience in order to finally obtain the Book of Eternity."

After looking down for a while, I reached out and lightly touched the water. It was at an acceptable temperature. I turned my head to glance at the exit of the long tunnel and took a deep breath, gathering my determination. I jumped into the water.

Despite the increasing pain in my back from these movements, I endured it with desperation and started moving my arms to quickly swim towards the bottom.

I realized that the water at the bottom was much colder than on the surface. Dizziness was already very strong, intensified by the cold water. It became increasingly difficult to maintain consciousness.

The deeper I submerged, the more blurred everything appeared before my eyes. Finally, as everything started to darken in front of me, I was close to reaching the bottom.

I put my hand right into my mouth and fiercely bit the tip of my finger. With a bleeding hand held out in front of me, I began to lose consciousness.

At the last moment, I felt a cold touch, and then a clear sense of my body starting to separate into particles with a mysterious force.

…………………………….

Caw-caw-caw!

A loud cry struck my ear, causing me to quickly open my eyes and stand up abruptly. Sharp pain in my back halted my movements. And my gaze quickly began scanning the surrounding environment.

Decayed remnants of burned houses, gloomy clouds, and a somber atmosphere.

That was the first thing I saw; there was no one around, no animals except for a few crows circling above my head.

The rest was a vast space of charred houses. Rising to my feet, holding onto my back, I heard a hissing sound and instinctively crouched down.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the crow circling above my head had just attacked me.

Quickly squatting down and grabbing a few pebbles, I stood up and started throwing them at the crow.

But even after that, they circled above the lady and kept shouting.

Looking around, my eyes caught sight of a partially surviving house. Without hesitation, I started walking towards it, simultaneously throwing stones at the crows.

Soon, I entered the house. It, too, had been burned, but somehow held together. There were no doors, and the windows were empty. Fortunately, half of the roof was still there.

Entering inside, I leaned against the wall and started resting. My whole body ached, and dizziness persisted.

Furthermore, I realized one thing: I had stumbled upon the remnants of a war between the races of this world.

This piece of land had suffered, and now it lay abandoned, leaving behind a lot of ashes. As I learned from the game, the war had ended five years before the beginning of the storyline.

Now, this place stood between two kingdoms. Between Misthaven and Auroria, one kingdom belongs to the people of mist magic and the other being the kingdom of humans.

The reasons for the war are unknown to me, only that the humans had something special stolen from them, which triggered the war.

But at the moment, I didn't need to think about that because I was hungry, wet, and my body was burning intensely.

If I didn't take action, I could die before doing anything.

As I pondered, the crow that had previously attacked suddenly flew through the window of the house and aggressively flew towards me.

Alerting myself, I raised my hands for protection. Its sharp talons pierced my hands, intensifying the pain.

But gritting my teeth, I swiftly caught the crow by its head. Without hesitation, I turned around and slammed its head against the wall.

The wall collapsed right away, accompanied by the sound of cracking, and the remaining part of the house began to crumble.

It seemed to be hanging on by a thread. Due to the force of the impact, I leaned forward and also fell through the wall. Behind me, there were several thuds, followed by the complete collapse of the house.

During this time, the crow was still wriggling in my hands. As I regained consciousness of my surroundings, I grabbed the crow by the head and pulled fiercely.

Falling onto my back, I looked up at the sky. The other crows flew away due to the noise, leaving only the dead one beside me.

After resting for a while, I struggled to get up and began searching for a way to start a fire. If I fail, I will surely die.

Holding the crow's corpse in my hands, I went to explore the remains of the houses. After wandering for some time, I could see a partially destroyed stone house in the distance, unlike the others.

Approaching closer, I cautiously entered and momentarily froze, gazing at a skeleton in the corner. It seemed to have been here for a long time.

Calming my heart, I slowly started searching for tools around. Luckily, I found some cooking utensils. I dusted them off and found a secluded spot to settle down. My strength was waning, but I took out a small box that resembled a lighter. With a gentle flick, fire appeared without any fuel, as it operated on magic.

Several hours passed, and finally, there was something to eat. At the same time, night gradually fell. I found water not far from the village, near a river. Cooking became easier after that.

After consuming the tasteless food, I finally felt warmth. Simultaneously, drowsiness overcame me, but before that, I set up a simple trap for an alert system.

If anyone enters, I can quickly wake up. The trap was placed right by the door of the damaged building.

This exhausting and challenging day finally came to an end.

...

The sound of the crow startled me, causing me to shudder and jolt. Gradually, my racing heart began to calm down when I confirmed that everything was fine.

Glancing outside, I noticed live crows near the remains of a cooked crow.

It seems breakfast is served; I just need to figure out how to catch them.

After finishing dinner in two hours, I gathered some items from the house before leaving. I didn't know exactly where I was, but one thing was certain. As I climbed a small hill, I could clearly see a chain of mountains in the distance. Those were the mountains near one of the major cities of the human kingdom.

The first thing I need to do is head there, and then I can think about where to go.

It would be great if I had a means to display my status, like in a game.

An idea popped into my head. I pondered it, shook my head, and tried to forget about it. But as I took a step forward, a familiar window appeared before my eyes.