Chương 1: Glorious Return
Damn it! Run! Move those legs faster you lazy ass, faster!
The thought was the only one that echoed through my mind as I frantically ran, buck freaking naked, through a dense, dark forest. Behind me, three scary Wendigo-looking motherfuckers were chasing me, their emaciated heads dripping with saliva and revealing sharp fangs that were just begging to be plunged into my tasty-looking ass.
[What the fuck is going on?!]
I wanted to cry but had no time to do so.
My heart was on fire, roaring like an engine, feeling like it was trying to jump out of my chest. My lungs were burning and my breathing was rapid and shallow.
I just came back to life minutes ago, damn it! Leave me alone!
I could feel the beasts' warm breath on my back. Their back legs were long and thin, ending in split hooves that dug into the soil as they ran, and with a frail, bony-looking body and a torso, akin to that of a decaying wild animal, they looked like monsters coming straight out of a nightmare.
From the muscly front limbs extend sharp curved claws that stabbed into the earth and propelled them forward with each powerful jump. Worst of all, the scary-looking heads were adorned by massive antlers that cut and crushed any branches and shrubs that got in their way as they keep coming closer and closer.
Where did these monsters come from, and why were they attacking me?! Like hell would I know! I barely just came back to life and someone is already trying to end it? It's not fair, damn it!
My bare feet struck the black forest soil as I ran, the monsters right on my tail. I could feel their breath and the wind of their swipes on my neck as I dodged left and right, barely keeping my balance while desperately avoiding their sharp claws.
[Go away! Leave me alone already!] I shouted, my voice pleading. They didn't care.
I felt exhausted and helpless. Trees were everywhere. No matter which way I ran, it was always the same. Dense forest and cruel monsters.
In my desperation, I used magic. With but a thought and a flick of my hand, a stone spike was summoned from the ground, slamming into the chest of the scary, frail-looking creature.
The strike was powerful, the sound of impact reaching my ears as it happened. But, just a short second later, the beast was back, running towards me with an even greater hunger and glee.
[Oh, come on!] I shouted as I ran. So much for magic! I was expecting at least a few broken bones or a pierced chest, but it did absolutely nothing! Talk about a disappointment!
Somehow I still kept it together and tried something else. I put my hands together and called forth my magic, creating a fire between my palms.
A flaming sphere was formed as massive amounts of energy turned to flames and got compressed, expanded, and compressed again. Brighter and brighter it got as the energy inside it rose, all in a matter of seconds.
[Die!] I hurled the fireball back, striking the closest monster. The sound of the explosion was deafening and overwhelmed my ears, leaving a ringing sound in my mind. Behind me, the bright flames consumed everything, the trees, rocks, monsters…
I looked at the burning remains with tired eyes, wishing for it to be over. But alas…
[Motherfuckers! Just die already!]
The monsters exited the fire, the flames not affecting their bodies in the slightest. Except for a few burnt patches of fur from the initial explosion, they were completely fine. Fine and angry! Fuck!
With a roar that would surely be blood-chilling, if I could hear it, the beasts launched themselves forward at an absurd speed. They were way faster than before! Help!
One of the beasts collides with my chest and we both got surprised by the sudden impact. I was left tumbling on the ground, gasping for breath.
It seemed it wasn't expecting to catch me so easily which confused it, but that worked in my favor! I took a few precious seconds to quickly stand up and escape again.
I'm done! This is never going to work like this! I pulled on my energy reserves and twisted the space around me in an attempt to escape.
The gravity swapped for me and me alone and I started falling… horizontally to the ground and disappeared from the beast's view. Phew, luckily that worked. I exhaled deeply as the tension in my body diminished a little.
But my happiness was short-lasting. Soon the Wendigo lookalikes were back on my trail and madder than ever. They were closing on my position so fast, I was having difficulties believing my eyes! How can they run so fast?!
I know it's possible as the one responsible for my death did the same, but damn!
I could see in their eyes the bloodlust and hunger that is driving them forward. I knew perfectly well, that should I be struck again, they would rend me asunder.
My mind was desperately working, trying to find a way to survive, but I was completely naked and unarmed! What was I going to do? Slap them across the face? I'd lose a hand if I tried to do that!
And even if I had weapons, I'm simply not physically strong enough to hurt them! I know, I have tried! I'm way better with magic than I am with my fists!
[Damn it, damn it!] I was frustrated and angry, spending even more energy traveling faster. My magic-reinforced body was smashing through tree branches that got in my way as maneuverability became just too difficult at these higher speeds.
An outside observer might ask, "Well, why don't you just fly into the sky? Seems safe up there."
Do you think I didn't try?! It was the first thing I did, damn it! And the wounds on my back are there to prove it!
The sky might seem empty, but it's not! Even though I can't see it, I'm telling you there is something there! The moment I left the safety of the forest that something tried to slice my back into bloody ribbons! Luckily my body was reinforced, but that only stopped me from being instantly cut in two!
Just thinking of the pain and fear I felt at that time makes me want to curl into a ball and forget about the cruel world. I didn't even get a moment of respite after my unexpected resurrection, and I was immediately plunged into another life-and-death struggle. Life can be so fucked up sometimes!
Not even a year ago I was still in school doing… meh, alright. I had a nice, safe, boring future ahead of me, but I just had to mess around with that damn magic book…
When I accidentally teleported myself to this world I was so happy, ecstatic even! Free to use magic and do whatever I wanted? Yes, please! Life was good, for a while.
But to think my decisions would lead me to my early death not even a year later! Good thing I managed to get my hands on that Phoenix Necklace, huh? At least I got another chance at life. But so what? Another chance? Bah! How about another ten, please?! I am going to die again! Help!
… Yeah right, as if I would be acting so pathetically! Me, Gerald the powerful?! I'm not giving up just because some ugly monsters are on my ass. I've been looking around with my Magic Eyes all this while, a way to see the unseen, searching for something I could use to get rid of them. The land has been going downhill for a while now so I should be able to reach it soon.
If the memory serves me correctly, I have seen from the sky something that looked to be a river, or a canyon, somewhere around here…
Ah! Indeed, I could hear it! The faint sounds of roiling water coming from over there! I went towards the source and soon the forest gave way to a deep chasm, a straight drop from a cliff of stone, leading down into a rapidly-flowing river that was about 20-30 meters wide.
I spent no time admiring the forces of nature below me as I flew over it in a straight line and quickly descend onto the forest floor on the other side. The Wendigo chasing behind me quickly stopped at the cliff, unwilling to chase. One of them, however, the aggressive one at the front, unwilling to give up its meal, jumped with all its might high in the air, barring its teeth towards me.
For a moment it seemed like it was going to make it. The damn beast really knew how to jump! That was surely over 5 meters vertical, and at least 20 long, however, it fell short in the end. The hungry Wendigo-looking freak made a loud splash as it hit the river and immediately disappeared underneath the waves.
I lost no time celebrating its most likely demise, but instead flew deeper into the forest, determined to get away from these bloody monsters!
***
Ten minutes later, and who knows how many kilometers away, I finally landed on a tree branch, sweating and gasping for air like a dog. The Wendigos were nowhere to be seen, and hopefully, it remains that way. I don't want to see them ever again!
Buck naked I sat down with my back leaning against the thick tree trunk and closed my eyes. Finally, I can rest.
After calming down, I tried to enter a meditative state to replenish the Mana I have almost completely exhausted during my escape. Even though I was hundreds of times more capable than an average human, I felt the last encounter was pushing my limits.
Not as much as the fight before that though. That one was way worse since I kind of… lost my life, you know?
Luckily I was recovering quickly, so I figured about another thirty minutes or so and should be in my tip-top shape again. The shallow wounds and scratches I sustained during the escape weren't even worth mentioning. In a few days at most, there would be only a few scars left, something I was more than familiar with.
But, as I was amid deep concentration, a low growl, and cracking of dry leaves woke me up.
Seconds later I was already back on the run, dodging claw strikes and aggressive bites from a shadowy panther-like creature that was trying to have a taste of my plump behind.
[Oh, give me a break! Why me?!] As I made my way across the forest floor, I couldn't help but shout at the cruel gods in the sky having a laugh at my expense. [What have I done to deserve this?!]
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