Chapter 4:
Chapter 4: Flee and Hide
The Legacy – The heirs of a lost world
And no, it’s not a reference to SNK!
Anyway... According to my estimates, there was only an 8% chance of being transferred directly to a city upon arriving in another world and so 92% of find in uninhabited regions considered particularly dangerous.
In these cases, the priority is to reach the nearest town, in order to find equipment and learn more about this world by collecting information, listening to the NPCs give you a brief explanation of how the rules of the game work.
All of this was outlined in the perfect Isekai survival guide that every self-respecting Otaku should know.
I couldn't access the status window, but I didn't need to to know that my luck stats were in the red. Below zero or even negative. Because nothing but trouble has happened since I woke up in this world, and the worst part of it all. It's just that I'm incapable of using magic. Magic, which is supposed to be the very basis of common sense in an isekai in general. It was as normal as breathing air and as instinctive as knowing how to walk.
So why couldn't I?
If there was one reason people dreamed of being isekai-ed, it was to practice magic. It was the dream of becoming a great wizard, being able to shoot fireballs from their hands.
That's the only reason worth going to another world... That and, incidentally, having a bunch of pretty girls chasing you. Just saying!
But as bad luck wouldn't let me go, of course, I landed in the only town in the area which was completely devastated, in ruins without a living soul. How am I supposed to find answers to my questions or even discover a way back into my world?
After taking stock of the situation, I looked up at the sky, head tilted back, hands on hips. Looking at the vast sky brought me a certain relaxation... except that here, the sky was darkened by thick black clouds that didn't let any rays of sunshine through. Which explained why it was cold and why a thin layer of frost covered the crumbling walls and concrete floor. Judging by the humidity in the air and the state of the place, this place hadn't seen the light of day for a very long time. The air quality was poor, almost toxic. Moreover, this city looked like a very ancient vestige belonging to a vanished civilization.
I walked cautiously through the ruins. Although I looked relaxed, the truth was that I was scared to death. The pain in my neck was still bothering me, it made me realize that my situation was not a dream and had nothing to do with a game. It was very real, and my life was more threatened than ever. I was well aware of the danger I was constantly exposed to. I had almost died three times in the space of a few minutes.
In this kind of situation, I had to reassess my priorities. Of course, returning home was imperative, but in the current situation, it was impossible. Before that, I had to think about one thing: surviving. Because as long as there is life, there is hope. The hope of one day returning home, safe and sound.
As I continued walking while observing the sky, I saw a gap in the cloud layer. As I concentrated, I made out what seemed to be the source of this darkness. The physical capabilities of my new body were truly astonishing. I could see clearly, despite the distance.
A creature was floating in the air. It was roughly the size and shape of a human, except for one detail. She had no arms, a long, disproportionate torso, and short legs without feet. Its head was flattened, and its body had patterns drawn on it. The same as the lake creature, the rock beast, and even the flying monster from earlier.
From his body a gas continually escaped, spreading through the air and covering the entire sky. This is the origin of these miasmas.
The creature remained stationary in the air several hundred meters above the ground and did not seem to have noticed my presence. Without further ado, I turned around and took another path to avoid it. It was best to stay away from this kind of monster. But it was seriously starting to piss me off that bad luck was sticking to me so much. I kept bumping into some nasty creature every step I took.
Taking a new road, I entered other paths that opened onto more and more narrow alleys and alleys. The city seemed immense and its structure resembled a maze, with buildings tightly packed together and some paths leading to dead ends. Why such a layout for a city? It was easy to get lost. That was my impression, at least. I guess it might be that someone who knows the area well would find their way around easily...
The architecture of this city was ancient with a medieval feel. There were some inscriptions that seemed familiar to me, but what I found most strange was its configuration, which resembled that of a labyrinth. Who would have thought of turning the entire city into a gambling attraction? It certainly wouldn't have helped tourism.
The exploration was likely to take me forever.
However, I wasn't going in blindly. The ruined buildings offered a clear view. And I already had a destination in mind, an easy-to-see landmark. Further ahead, a huge, dilapidated castle still stood. That's where I had to go first.
The further I advanced, the closer the castle got. I was about to complete my first objective.
"What's that?! A red fog!" I exclaimed, stopping my progress.
An obstacle stood before me. This time it wasn't a monster, but rather a strange phenomenon. A scarlet mist filled the entire alley. I hesitated to cross it. I didn't know what it was exactly, who knows if it wasn't toxic? It was risky to enter. For safety's sake, it was better to turn around and find another way.
So I took another direction, but when I turned around, I noticed with horror that the mist seemed closer to me, even though I had moved away.
Is my mind playing tricks on me or something, I thought.
I kept my distance, watching the mist behind me. Then, as I rounded a bend, I reassured myself. The mist was no longer behind me. It was just my imagination. For a moment, I thought the mist was following me.
With the fear and everything I'd been through so far, I was becoming paranoid. I was constantly on high alert. But I was imagining things.
At least, that's what I thought. Because when I looked up, I saw the scarlet mist right in front of me.
I stopped abruptly, panicked.
"What the hell is this thing?! She's actually following me!"
The scarlet mist rushed at me like a swarm of bees. I scrambled and fled in the opposite direction, but it finally reached my left hand. A lacerating pain shot through my arm. If I got swallowed up at this speed, It was not just one arm but the whole body that was going to be engulfed by the mist.
Instinctively, I spread my left wing and flapped it with all my might. The flapping generated a powerful current of air that dispersed and carried the scarlet mist far away.
The immediate threat was over… but my left arm was in an alarming state.
My arm was red, swollen, and the veins were popping. Under my skin, small bumps were moving, causing excruciating pain. I felt something crawling inside my arm. They were very small, as small as insects.
“Parasites…!” I realized with horror. “If I don’t do something, they’ll invade my whole body…”
The scarlet mist was composed of an amalgam of parasitic organisms that remained suspended in the air and attacked any body they came across.
They had already taken my left hand and forearm. Then, in a senseless gesture, I dug my nails into my own flesh and lacerated it until it bled. Blood flowed quickly as I tore the skin off. With tears in my eyes and gritted teeth, I scraped my skin and tore off chunks of flesh, trying to pull out the parasites. The pain was unbearable, but I had no other choice. I started again, and this time it was the subcutaneous muscles that I tore while enduring the pain.
After a while, the internal biting sensations and pain subsided. My arm, however, was nothing more than a bloody mess. The parasites were already gnawing at the shreds of flesh that had fallen to the ground.
“Filthy vermin… My arm is torn to shreds because of them…” I moaned, panting as I held my arm.
My left arm was numb, the nerves severely damaged. But I could still move.
So, despite the pain, I continued on my way.
***
I carried all the pain with me and continued walking. I quickly reached a new turning point.
Suddenly, I sensed imminent danger. Reflexively, I turned my head to the side almost mechanically... just in time to see a creature appear from my right. I dodged his attack and kept my distance.
“Another one?! Damn, I’ll never get to the castle if I have to run into one on every street corner…”
This time the monster was about four feet tall, with four pointed legs. Its elongated head had two overlapping mouths, The upper and lower jaws were separated by an intermediate compartment which housed rows of teeth on its two double-sided surfaces. I looked into the beast's eyes to predict its next moves but its eyes were completely black, devoid of any light. Looking at them was like looking into nothingness. Patterns similar to those of other monsters I had seen before were drawn on the body of this creature.
I had narrowly escaped the parasites, my arm was still bleeding and I found myself face to face with this monster again.
The monster charged, swinging its long tail horizontally. I jumped back, but my outfit was cut across my stomach. The monster's tail danced in the air and, seeing it more closely, the tip ended in a hard, sharp, crescent-shaped epidermal blade, which it used like a whip to cut its prey.
“Damn…! I didn’t expect the queue!”
One second late, and I would have been disemboweled.
I hadn't taken his tail into account, which would have been fatal if I had reacted a second too late. I would have been disemboweled and at worst I would have ended up sliced in two.
The creature with the crescent moon tail lunged again and struck, causing its tail to slam down in a vertical line.
This time, I was ready. I pivoted slightly to the side, enough to avoid the descending blade and catch its tail. Squeezing his tail in my hands, I pulled it over my shoulder with all my might. Combining the self-defense lessons with the strength of this new body, I threw the monster to the ground.
Its back smashed to the ground, cracking the stone. The creature's body lay lifeless on the ground.
I may have been incapable of my magical services, but the physical faculties of this body made up for the lack of power.
“Haa… that should be enough…” I panted, thinking I had defeated him.
My victory was short-lived, as the creature, still alive, began to move. Lying on his back, his legs fluttered uselessly in the air like an upside-down cockroach.
“Fufufu…”
Seeing this spectacle, I let out a mocking laugh that I quickly regretted when the creature got back on its feet with a simple start.
"Ah, shit!"
As my jaw opened wide, the creature charged at me.
I quickly distanced myself as she chased me. I ran as fast as I could despite my injuries.
The creature was on my heels at the same speed, ready to slice me off with its tail. So, I tried a risky plan.
The monster was getting closer and closer and had finally managed to catch up with me. But that was all part of my plan.
At the last moment, I suddenly threw myself aside. The creature, launched at full speed, shot straight ahead like an arrow and crashed into a building with a dull thud. She found herself embedded in the wall and when she pulled herself out, it gave way, and the entire building collapsed on top of her, burying her under the rubble.
"I'll never do anything like that again..." I whispered about my plan.
The plan came to me the moment I noticed this large building towering above the others. I decided to run with all my remaining strength to go as far as possible and encourage the monster to do the same. After that, timing was important. I had to get out of the way the instant I was within a meter of the building. With the speed I was going, a second too late and I would have hit the wall head on. I would have known instead of the creature. And a second too soon, the monster could have avoided eating the wall and the plan would have failed.
The timing was the deciding factor. It was a very simple but very risky tactic.
"Urgh...!"
I held my injured left arm, which was throbbing after the frantic run. As I headed toward my position, the sound of frenzied footsteps was heard in the distance, which didn't bode well.
Anticipating a possible threat, I hid behind some ruins and discreetly looked for the cause of all the commotion.
The rumbling footsteps approached and a few seconds later, a whole pack of these monsters came rushing out, about twenty of them, running like wild horses before my wide eyes.
This pack consisted of about twenty creatures with crescent tails like the one I had shot.
I stayed there until they disappeared. My body was shaking with fear. Fear was beginning to build.
In fact, I was already scared to death from my first encounter with the lake creature. I did my best not to think about it too much and distract my mind so that fear wouldn't paralyze me. Because I thought that fear would paralyze me in difficult times and prevent me from thinking clearly in the worst situations, But I was wrong. Fear was not my enemy, but rather the driving force of my survival. Every time I was overcome by fear, my body would tremble, but it would move on its own without me giving it the order. Mon instinct de survie s'éveillait sous le coup de la peur et prenait le dessus. Prenant l’initiative de fuir.
Faced with the danger posed by these monsters, I had only two options: run away or hide. Under the influence of fear, I instinctively chose the option that was best suited to the situation.
I came out of my hiding place after the storm had passed. My body was still shaking. The tremors continued for a while and eventually subsided. I continued on my way, approaching the castle.
Without a city map, it was difficult to get to the right place. I had to go through several paths, take several alleys, retrace my steps several times. I marked the places I had already seen to make a mental plan.
If only I could fly with my wings, I thought.
I was pressed for time and after several hours of searching for the right route, I was at my wit's end. But I had finally gotten closer to the castle, it was located behind a block further. However, a last-minute unforeseen event arose in my path.
"There's no doubt about it, it's another one of those creatures," I whispered, hiding as I watched the creature guarding the place.
It was floating a few inches above the ground. It had a rough spherical shape, and its texture and color resembled raw meat. A ball of flesh on which faces were roughly sculpted like modeling clay. On one side, there was a tearful face expressing deep sadness mixed with a sense of despair with its eyes sunk into the flesh. On the other, an angry face, one could feel all his rage thanks to the well-defined wrinkles, his big mouth open as if to scream and the frown of his raw eyes. Of course, the same patterns as the others were drawn on this one too.
I had thought about it before, but it was strange how often these creatures appeared. I had this damned feeling that this world was totally infected with it. Otherwise, it would be impossible to come across so many of them in such a short time.
I watched the creature's movements for a while. She came and went regularly, acting like a sentry guarding the place. She was blocking the path to the castle. I could try to get around her by looking for another way, but it would take too long. I'd already had trouble finding this path, and there was no guarantee I wouldn't encounter another monster along the way. No choice was without risks. No matter what choice I made, there was always a risk involved, so I might as well take the least risky one. It was fine as long as I got past the sentinel creature, I had analyzed its way of doing things and it could work.
I picked up a pebble and threw it as far as I could. The sound of the stone hitting the wall caught the attention of the sentinel creature, which moved away from the path. I took advantage of its distraction to slip away discreetly.
Out of curiosity, I turned my head to see the sentinel creature pulverize the stone with a shockwave coming out of the mouth of the tearful face.
A crater formed where the stone had been a moment ago.
The creature spun around and changed its face. The angry face emitted a light that concentrated in its mouth. He fired a heat beam at the already empty crater. The ground and rock literally melted into a molten state.
I didn't stay any longer to see more and fled in silence.
Finally I arrived at the castle and it was bigger than it seemed from a distance. It had a different architecture from the city. The city was made of stone and concrete. It looked like it dated back to the Middle Ages. In contrast, this castle was clearly made of solid metal and glass. The large, massive metal gates seemed to slide open automatically. A command interface was installed but it had not worked for a long time.
I was lucky, however, as the doors weren't closed. There was a very wide passage between them, and I was able to squeeze through.
It was dark inside the castle, the metal walls had taken a beating and cables hung from the twenty-meter high ceiling, circuits running along the walls.
I could tell that this civilization had technology. As I moved forward, I noticed electronic components and also that the internal faces of the walls had electronic boards with integrated circuits and everything. From the inside, it was more of a science fiction building than a medieval castle.
I walked forward, and at the end of a corridor, I saw a light. It was coming from a room. As I entered, I was speechless.
A mountain of gold coins rose to the ceiling. There were not only gold coins but also crowns, armor, solid gold items, and precious stones. Treasures and riches of dreams. This was probably the treasure room.
"If Haruna saw this, she'd faint..." I breathed, mouth agape.
This colossal fortune would make even the multi-billionaires of my world pale in comparison. With such a treasure, one could live one's entire life in luxury without having to work. In all honesty, if the situation were more propitious, I would have without hesitation taken the plunge, diving into that pool of gold coins. However, my situation was far from being so happy to allow me to do this kind of thing.
"Well... I'll take a few coins anyway. You never know, they might come in handy."
I grabbed a handful of coins but dropped them immediately when I felt something coming.
I looked up to the top of the golden mountain and met three pairs of eyes, six eyes shining in the dark. And in the darkness, a faint white glow appeared, sharp teeth and fangs in the shape of an evil smile.
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