"This must've been someone's sleeping quarters," he murmured.

Then he frowned. He wondered why there was only one room with a bed in it. The other rooms were empty, but this one had a bed.

'This looks super fishy… but I don't have a choice anyway.'

What could he do? For now, he needed to focus on his next steps. The pager was useless. No information about the place. No leads. He didn't even know if this forest was safe… or if it had monsters.

He sat down slowly on the edge of the bed.

The mattress held.

Didn't collapse.

Didn't crumble.

Amon exhaled a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"At least I won't have to sleep on stone tonight."

Yeah. The poor boy decided to stay at this place for a few days. Despite looking suspicious, it was still better than the dark forest surrounding it.

He lay back for a moment, staring at the cracked ceiling above him. His body ached from everything that had happened. The fight, the portal, the climb, the constant tension.

For now, this was safe enough.

"I'll rest here," he decided quietly.

"Tomorrow… I'll figure out what to do next."

The room fell silent again, broken only by the distant wind and the slow, steady sound of his breathing.

Growl~

"Oh fuck!" His expression turned ugly. His eyes closed, his face frowning.

He was hungry. Because of all the tension, he hadn't felt anything. But the moment he lay down and tried to relax, to breathe calmly, his stomach started to growl.

Well, he hadn't fought hard before coming here.

There was a toll on his body and tiredness. But at the same time, hunger.

He rubbed his temples.

He was alone here… so he needed to work everything out by himself.

The biggest question that came to him was… food. Where the heck would he get it?

If that wasn't enough, he didn't even have water.

He shot up from his lying position.

His expression turned grave.

"Oh goddess… that's really important. I do have some water bottles in my ring, but they won't be enough…"

His hand ran through his messy black hair.

"Guess I need to get my ass up and work. Explore the surrounding area… see if I can find monsters and water."

His face soured at the thought of eating monsters.

It wasn't that he found it disgusting. But how would he cook it well here? He didn't have any seasoning, salt, or chilies.

He could only roast and eat.

Without wasting much time, he got up.

"Let's do some hunting then."

Amon strode outside.

At one end, there was a balcony.

He ran toward it to jump down.

But his steps ceased at the railing.

The reason was in front of him.

Gulp~

He gulped down his saliva.

In front of him… all he could see was the dark forest. A grey sky that was getting darker by the moment.

"Shitt… this fucking thing."

He was damn afraid. How could he not be?

Who knew what abominations were waiting for him inside the forest?

He put his palm on his beating heart, which was racing fast.

"All is well… all is well."

He tried to calm himself, telling himself everything was fine.

Now his eyes sharpened as he lunged from the railing.

Stomp!

Landing on the ground, he dashed toward the forest.

'Now or never.'

---

Amon entered the dark forest.

The moment he stepped beneath the canopy, the light dropped sharply.

Tall trees rose like silent giants, their twisted trunks stretching high into the grey sky, while shorter trees of different sizes crowded the ground below. There was no pattern to their growth everything felt chaotic, unnatural.

The leaves were black.

So was the bark.

Not just dark brown or burned. Black, as if the color had been drained from the world and replaced with shadow. Even the branches looked dead, yet somehow alive, swaying slowly with the wind.

A chill ran down Amon's spine.

His heart beat race faster.

"This place really wants to scare people," he muttered.

The air was thick and damp. Every step he took crushed dead leaves under his boots, producing a soft, unsettling crunch that echoed far too clearly in the silence.

There were no birds. No insects. Not even the sound of small animals moving.

Well normal animals in place like this was nearly impossible.

Only the wind.

And his breathing.

He tightened his grip and moved forward, eyes scanning every direction. His senses were stretched thin, alert to the smallest movement.

'I can't afford to get lost.'

Stopping beside a tree, Amon drew his weapon and carved a simple cross into the black bark.

Scrrk.

The sound felt loud in the stillness.

"Good," he said quietly. "One mark at a time."

He continued walking, carving the same cross on the bark of trees every few steps. Each mark was placed at eye level, clear enough to spot if he had to turn back.

The deeper he went, the more the forest seemed to close in around him. The trees stood closer together, their roots twisting across the ground like coiled snakes. Shadows clung to every corner of his vision, making it hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.

His heartbeat slowly quickened.

'Water first,' he thought. 'If I find water, monsters might be nearby too.'

He listened carefully, hoping to catch the faint sound of flowing water. Anything resembling a stream or dripping source. His eyes moved from the ground to the distance, searching for damp soil, moss, or even a slight clearing.

Nothing.

He walked further, leaving more crosses behind him.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

Sweat began to form on his back despite the cold air. His stomach growled again, reminding him how empty he was.

"Come on… just something," he muttered.

Amon paused, placing his hand on a tree trunk. The bark was rough and cold. Too cold.

His eyes narrowed.

For a brief moment, he thought he felt something… a faint vibration through the ground.

He slowly lifted his foot and froze.

The forest was still.

Too still.

His gaze shifted ahead, deeper into the darkness.

'Either I find food and water…' he thought grimly, 'or something finds me first.'

Steeling himself, Amon moved forward, disappearing further into the black forest.

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