Chapter 2. On the Brink of Death

Chapter 2. On the Brink of Death

“No… this really is reality,” I whispered, staring at my bloodied palm. “I really did end up in another world…”

The thought burned worse than the pain. This wasn’t a dream. Everything happening—it was real.

Which meant… I was truly in mortal danger.

The rabbit was still standing on the far bank, eyes locked on me. Those red, pupil-less eyes looked like they were burning through me.

“Damn…” I exhaled. “I have to get out of here…”

I looked around. The only way was up or down the river. But where? Blood was running down my fingers, dripping onto the grass, leaving a trail behind me. If I stayed, I’d be found.

I needed a safe place. Fast.

And then I remembered. My one and only skill.

I froze, took a deep breath, and focused. One thought flashed through my mind: Training Room.

The world shuddered. Light flared before my eyes—and the next instant I was standing in the familiar stone chamber.

I immediately looked around, my heart pounding like mad. For a second I thought the rabbit might appear here too. But no. The room was empty.

“Yeah… it can’t get in here,” I breathed, trying to convince myself.

I sank to the stone floor and closed my eyes for a second, letting my body relax. But the pain in my hand snapped me back. The blood was still seeping, refusing to stop.

“Damn… I need to stop the bleeding,” I whispered.

I yanked off my T-shirt and tried to tear it into strips. I pulled with all my strength… but the fabric was too tough.

“Why now of all times?!” I cursed through clenched teeth.

I had to use it whole. Wrapping it with one hand was clumsy: my right hand was bleeding, and with my left I awkwardly wound the fabric around it. The knot came out crooked, but at least the cloth soaked up some blood.

“Alright…” I sighed heavily. “That should help a little…”

I stared at the floor.

“I need a hospital. I need a doctor.”

The thought hit harder than the pain.

If I really was in another world… where was I going to find a doctor?

“What am I supposed to do?..” I whispered, eyeing the crooked bandage. “If I leave it like this, the wound could get infected…”

The thought stabbed coldly through my mind.

Maybe I should get out of here? Try to find someone before it’s too late?

But I froze and clenched my fists.

“No. I don’t even know where I am. Are there even people here at all?”

The image rose before my eyes: a small canyon, cliffs, a river. Only two paths—upstream or downstream.

Downstream is probably easier. Water always leads to people… Maybe I’ll find someone there.

But my heart clenched.

“What if I run into those rabbits again?..” I ground my teeth. “No. I won’t risk it.”

I pressed my hands to my temples. Staying here wasn’t an option either. But leaving meant stepping into the unknown.

“Damn…” I slammed my fist on the stone floor. “What do I do? What options do I have?..”

“Yeah, I need to think slowly. With a cool head,” I told myself, trying to stop the shaking.

Well then… I ended up in another world. There’s a System. You can level up here. There are skills.

I froze.

“Wait… levels…”

I straightened sharply and raised my hand.

“Right… I need to check.”

A blue window flashed before my eyes:

[Status]

Name: Alisar

Level: 2 (400/3000)

Rank: 0

HP: 1078 / 1150 (+30)

MP: 1030 +30

Strength: 48 +1

Defense: 31 +1

Speed: 33 +1

Intelligence: 42 +1

Magic Power: 25 +1

Magic Defense: 36 +1

Free Attribute Points: 1 +1

Skills: —

Special Skills: Training Room (Rank 1)

I frowned at the numbers.

“From a single bite… from that little rabbit… I lost seventy-two health,” I whispered.

My chest tightened.

“Damn… I’m so weak.”

Only 72 HP… and the pain felt like my hand had been torn off.

“Enough stupid thoughts,” I exhaled, trying to pull myself together. “What do I know about leveling?..”

Plots from my favorite web novels surfaced in my mind. In some stories, wounds healed instantly after a level-up. In others—even if not fully—HP recovered and you felt better. Wounds closed faster.

“Which means I need to level up, fast,” I muttered.

I swept my gaze around the stone room.

It was almost like this was all set up on purpose… The ‘Training Room’ skill. Right here, where I am now. As if the System itself had given me a chance to survive.

I took a breath and looked at my bloodied hand.

“Damn… doing missions is going to be hard. Really hard…”

Light flared in front of me, and the same training vest appeared on the stone floor again.

“Damn… just what I needed,” I exhaled.

A slight tremor ran through me, but I forced myself to pick up the vest and pull it over my head. Barely managed it. My shoulders were pressed down at once, breathing grew heavier.

“Alright… no more whining,” I muttered. “Give me a mission.”

The instant I thought it, a new window flashed up:

[Mission No. 18]

Squats: 0 / 18

Push-ups: 0 / 8

I gave a crooked smile.

“Squats… fine. But push-ups…”

My eyes fell to my bloodied hand.

“I’ll have to endure it,” I whispered.

I took a deep breath, sank to the stone floor, and began.

--

[Mission No. 20 Complete]

Squats: 20 / 20

Push-ups: 10 / 10

“Well… finally!..” I exhaled.

At once, that familiar feeling appeared. Warmth spreading through my body, a light electric tingle racing along my muscles. Breathing steadied a bit.

But with the relief came a new realization.

After the eighteenth mission…

Back then I had 1078 HP. When I finished—I had 1073. Five points of health gone just from training with this damned wound.

It was the same now. By the time I leveled, I had 1052 HP left. Now, after the level-up bonus, it was 1082. Even more than at the start.

“But if I stop…” I let out a heavy breath. “I might just die from this little wound.”

I clenched my teeth.

It doesn’t make sense. People don’t die from a simple wound on the hand. You can survive even with a torn-off limb if you stop the bleeding. You just need to stop the bleeding.

I looked down. Dark stains of blood were spreading on the stone floor. Too much.

“It’s still not stopping…” I whispered.

The thought seared my mind: What if there was poison in that bite? Or an infection?..

“No, think logically…” I breathed out. “I’m straining my hand during these workouts. That’s why the blood won’t stop.”

The thought was clear: maybe I should rest a little?

I sat on the stone floor and let myself lean back against the wall.

“Yeah… I’ll rest a bit…”

But the relief didn’t come. The pain still drilled into my palm. It had been easier during the training—I was at least distracted. Maybe it even hurt more then, but it was somehow easier to endure.

Now it felt like something was writhing in the wound. As if the rabbit’s teeth were still sunk into my flesh.

I sat like that for about ten minutes, gritting my teeth. Then I opened my status.

HP: 1080 / 1180

“Damn…” I swore. “Minus two. Even sitting still…”

HP was going down almost as fast as during the workouts.

What if I stay here and wait for the bleeding to stop on its own?..

But the thought that my HP might just drop to zero burned me worse than the pain.

“No…” I clenched my fists. “I’d better keep going. While I still have strength.”

I stood, took a deep breath, and stared into the air in front of me.

“Come on, System. Next mission.”

A new window flashed up:

[Mission No. 21]

Squats: 0 / 21

Push-ups: 0 / 11

On-the-spot Jumps: 0 / 1

I blinked.

“Oh… a new exercise?” I said, surprised. “Jumps in place…”

That was unexpected. Until now, missions had only given me squats and push-ups. And now the System decided to add something new.

I bared my teeth and straightened.

“Alright… whatever. As long as I’m alive, I have to keep going.”

Blood was still seeping through the bandage, my hand burned, but I couldn’t stop.

I drew a deep breath and braced for another round of exercises.

--

“It’s hard… what’s happening to me?..” I whisper, barely staying on my feet.

I’ve leveled up several times already. Yes, it gets easier right after… but overall I feel worse. Every movement is tougher than the last.

Maybe I should rest a little? Just a little…

I raise my eyes to the system window.

Eight squats left. Just eight—and I’ll finish the thirtieth mission. I’ll get another level.

“Just eight…” I breathe out. “But right now even that seems impossible…”

I exhale heavily.

“Alright… I’ll rest a little. Just a little. Then I’ll continue…”

I sink onto the cold stone floor and lie on my back. I close my eyes, inhale deeply. I feel so exhausted I want to let go of this crushing weight for just a moment.

--

“What?.. Did I black out?..” I whisper with difficulty. “I fell asleep in this state?..”

I try to get up, but slump back down at once—my head spins, my body feels like it’s filled with lead. Heat scorches my skin.

“Just what I needed…”

Why is my body so limp?

I jerk open the system window.

“No… below eight hundred HP…”

While I was unconscious, my health dropped by more than two hundred.

“So… I’m worse off than I thought…” I exhale. “There was poison in the bite… or some kind of infection. But an infection shouldn’t act this fast…”

I shake my head.

“Enough thinking! I don’t want to die!”

I grit my teeth and lift my gaze.

“Eight squats left. If I do them—I’ll get a level. And it’ll get easier. I have to keep going!”

With effort, I force myself to my feet.

“One… two…”

The world swims before my eyes, but I keep going.

“…seven…”

I drop down for the seventh time and get ready to rise.

“Eighth… if I stand, that’ll be the eighth…”

I gulp air, my muscles burning.

“Come on… stand!..”

I strain every muscle, squeezing out the last of my strength. The world darkens at the edges.

And I manage to stand.

[Mission No. 30 Complete]

Squats: 30 / 30

Push-ups: 20 / 20

On-the-spot Jumps: 10 / 10

Reward: 10,000 EXP

Right after that, the familiar warmth spreads through my body, and a light electric tingle runs through my muscles. I’m gasping, but at the same time I feel it getting a little easier.

“Yeah… I did it…” I whisper.

But the relief doesn’t last long. My body is still weak, my hand burns, my breathing stutters. I feel awful.

And then a new system notification flashes before my eyes:

[Condition Met]

New Special Skill acquired: Alchemy.

“What?.. A new skill?..” I blinked, not believing my eyes. “Alchemy?”

I give a crooked smile.

“Yeah, of course—alchemy… You can use it to make health potions. But what good is that to me right now?”

I lift my eyes to the ceiling.

“To brew potions, you need ingredients. And in this state I can barely stand. Where am I supposed to find them? I don’t even know what to look for…”

I clenched my teeth and muttered:

“It would’ve been better if the System gave me a skill that could heal me right now…”

My voice echoed around the stone room. No answer came.

“Alright, enough talking,” I exhale. “The System probably won’t hear me anyway. I should at least see what this ‘Alchemy’ skill is.”

I focus on the “Alchemy” line in my status. A new window bursts open before my eyes with detailed info.

[Special Skill: Alchemy]

Allows you to create potions directly by spending mana.

Alchemy (Rank 1):

Health Potion (Rank 1) — Cost: 1000 MP. Restores 1000 HP.

Mana Potion (Rank 1) — Cost: 1000 MP. Restores 500 MP.

Experience Potion (Rank 1) — Cost: 1,000,000 MP. Grants 1000 EXP.

“And what does that mean?..” I mutter, reading the description closely. “To create a rank-one health potion… what ingredients do I need?”

I frowned.

“Only a thousand mana?.. Just mana?..”

…

“I’ve got exactly a thousand mana…”

I take a deep breath.

“Okay… how do I use the skill? How do I create the potion?”

I focus, holding a single intent in my mind: health potion.

At first nothing happened. But then a short spark of light flashed in front of me.

I blinked.

“Was that my imagination?..”

No. In its place, a vial appeared, filled with a thick red liquid.

“Yes… a health potion. That’s how it’s supposed to be…”

The vial hung right in front of my face, within arm’s reach. I stretched out my hand to grab it. But at the very moment when only a few centimeters remained between my fingers and the glass, the vial slipped down.

“No!..” burst from me.

I lunged forward, lost my balance, and crashed onto the stone floor.

“No, no, no… not this…” I growled.

If it shattered, I wouldn’t be able to make another potion anytime soon.

Holding my breath, I slowly unclenched my fingers.

“Haa…” a sigh of relief escaped my lips. “It’s intact… not even a crack…”

I carefully sat up, clutching the vial with both hands. For several seconds I stared at the crimson liquid swirling inside. Then I gently opened the cap and downed it in one motion.

The moment I drank it and the thick liquid slid down my throat, pleasant warmth rushed through my body. It moved faster and faster, like streams of light, and I felt it blazing especially bright as a wave of heat rose to my shoulder and poured into my injured hand. As if something were driving out the pain and weakness from within.

I quickly unwound the T-shirt bandage and stared at the wound.

The sight was awful: the skin looked worse than when I’d first tried to stop the blood. But right before my eyes, the wound began to close. The edges drew together, dark bloodstains vanished, and the skin smoothed.

Within a few seconds, there wasn’t a trace of the wound.

There were still patches of dried blood on my skin, of course, but the place where the terrifying bite had been now looked completely different. Smooth skin, as if that awful wound hadn’t existed a moment ago.

I drew a deep breath; relief escaped on its own.

“Yeah… that’s better…”

No—more than better. I felt almost fine. Strength was returning, the fever was fading, and a lightness was filling my body.

“Alright… I should check…” I muttered and opened the status window.

[Status]

Name: Alessar

Level: 11 (6160 / 19000)

Rank: 1

HP: 1450 / 1150 +300

MP: 360 / 1060 +300

Strength: 49 +10

Defense: 32 +10

Speed: 34 +10

Intelligence: 43 +10

Magic Power: 26 +10

Magic Defense: 37 +10

Free Attribute Points: 2 +10

Skills: —

Special Skills:

Training Room (Rank 2)

Alchemy (Rank 1)

“Yeah… my HP is completely full, one hundred percent. I’m not in danger anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I was this happy.”

I lay on my back, put my hands behind my head, and stared at the ceiling.

“So what do I do now?.. No… enough. I’ll rest a bit first. Rest definitely won’t hurt.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

My throat was parched.

“No… I won’t be able to rest like this. I’m thirsty.”

I opened my eyes and sat up, the dryness in my mouth only growing worse.

“Go out and drink some water?..” I muttered. “What if that rabbit is still out there?”

Here inside the Training Room, at least ten hours had passed… maybe even fifteen. And damn, how had I gone so long without water? My throat was so dry that every breath hurt.

Alright. In the outside world, with the 120× time acceleration, only five or six minutes had passed. The rabbit could’ve left by now. And even if not… I’m too thirsty to stay here. If I wait inside for the rabbit to leave, I’ll only grow weaker without water. And if I go out in that state and it’s still there—I won’t have a chance.

So it’s better to risk it now. While I still have strength. Besides, I’m stronger now than when it bit me. Not by much, maybe—but still.

“This time I’ll be more careful,” I muttered. “I won’t let it get close.”

Suddenly I remembered my free attribute points.

“Right… where do I put them?”

Strength? Defense? Speed?

I weighed the options one by one:

“Speed… would help me run. But I’ve got the Training Room—I can always escape here. Defense? Those measly +12 probably won’t save me from a bite. That leaves… strength.”

I made my choice.

“Yeah. All into Strength.”

[Strength: 59 +12]

The moment I thought about leaving, my body lurched—and the next instant I was back on the riverbank.

I immediately swept my gaze over the area. First thing, I looked to where I’d last seen the rabbit. Nothing. I checked around—no one. Even when I turned behind me, I didn’t spot the slightest movement.

Only dark patches of blood on the grass right at my feet. My blood.

“Looks like… no rabbit,” I muttered and carefully stepped toward the river.

Kneeling, I washed the blood from my hands first. Only after that—constantly glancing around—I cupped water in my hands and brought it to my lips.

The first swallow scorched my throat—I coughed, barely keeping my balance.

“Careful…” I whispered once I caught my breath.

The second swallow went down easier. Then another. And another. I drank greedily, unable to stop, and only now realized how badly the thirst had been torturing me. I had never drunk so much water at once in my life.

At last I pulled away from the river and caught my breath.

“Yeah… finally…” I exhaled. “The thirst is gone.”

I let out a tired breath and relaxed. I glanced around once more.

“Maybe I should look for some fruit?.. Something to eat…” I muttered, feeling my stomach clench with hunger.

And then—a rustle behind me.

I spun around.

From the bushes—out of nowhere—a white blur shot into the air. Red eyes blazing with fury. A gaping mouth full of sharp teeth. That damned rabbit!

It was flying straight at me. Two meters… one meter…

“Damn!” I barked, and before I could even think, I threw up my hands. Instinctively I clenched a fist and punched into it with all my strength.

My fist slammed into the rabbit mid-air.

I felt my knuckles hit something hard. A muffled crack rang, and the rabbit flew backward, tumbling through the air.

But even as it flew, its body began to glow. I froze, watching the light flare brighter—and a moment later, the monster vanished as if it had never existed.

In the exact spot where it disappeared, a small glowing stone appeared and dropped straight down onto the grass.

I stood there, stunned.

“What… was that?..”

A blue system window flashed before my eyes:

[Terrifying Rabbit (Lv. 1) defeated. Gained 5 EXP.]

“I won?” I whispered, still not believing my own eyes. “I actually… won?..”

Was this really the rabbit I’d suffered so much because of? It had pushed me to the brink of death. And yet… now beating it had been so easy.

I stood there, staring in shock at the place where the creature had disappeared, unable to believe what had just happened.

“Serves you right!” I shouted. “Because of that thing I suffered so much… And beating it turned out to be so easy!”

I smiled, savoring the victory. But in that very moment, a rustle came from the bushes about thirty meters away.

Something white stepped out of the leaves. Another rabbit. White, exactly like the one I’d just beaten.

It stopped and stared straight at me. My heart twitched—first a little… no, a lot. But I’d just handled one like it.

“Well then… come here,” I said aloud. “Want to bite me? Go on, try. I’ll show you what it means to try to kill me.”

But the rabbit didn’t move. It just stood and stared.

And then, from the same bush, another stepped out. And another.

From the left, the right, behind me… new white rabbits crawled out of the shrubs. Two. Three. Four. Five. Ten. Fifteen. Thirty.

I backed away, step by step, without taking my eyes off them.

They stared at me in silence… until one of them leapt forward.

And then—the rest. The entire pack lunged toward me at once.

“Damn!” I breathed, spinning around. My legs carried me away on their own, panicked, with the drumming of dozens of pounding paws at my back.