Apart from a few insects, he hadn't noticed much animal activity either.
There had been no birds flying above the trees, nor had he encountered any larger creatures moving through the undergrowth.
'Strange.'
Nex sighed.
"For now, let's search for fruits or other edible plants."
Leslie nodded.
"That might be easier than hunting."
Faust looked around.
The forest covered a considerable area, and searching it with only three people would take time.
After considering their situation, he made a suggestion.
"Why don't we split up?"
Nex turned toward him.
"Split up?"
"Yes."
Faust gestured toward the trees.
"The area is quite large. We can cover more ground if we search separately."
Leslie immediately frowned.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Faust looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"We don't know what kind of monsters live here."
She glanced toward the forest.
"Something could attack us without warning."
Nex nodded slightly.
"That's possible."
Leslie continued.
"And there's also a chance we might run into Asura's group."
Her expression darkened.
"I really don't want to meet that man again."
Faust glanced toward Nex.
"Well, I think you'll be alright with him around."
Leslie looked at Nex.
He smiled.
"Don't worry. I won't let that bastard near you."
Faust nodded.
"Good."
He then looked at Nex more seriously.
"But remember something."
Nex raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"If they try to cause trouble for you, don't hesitate to kill them."
Both Nex and Leslie paused.
Leslie stared at him.
"Kill them?"
Faust nodded.
"Yes."
He looked toward the forest.
"We're no longer living in a world where you can assume someone will come to protect you."
He turned back toward Nex.
"That Asura fellow already made his intentions rather clear. And with the system rewarding people for killing other players, there's no telling what someone might attempt."
Nex's expression hardened.
"Yeah. I know."
Faust continued.
"If they merely argue with you, ignore them. But if they seriously threaten your lives, don't give them another chance to attack."
Leslie looked uncomfortable.
"I hope it won't come to that."
"So do I."
Faust shrugged.
"But hoping someone won't hurt you isn't enough to keep you alive."
Nex nodded.
"Don't worry. I'll protect Leslie."
"Good."
Faust looked toward the trees.
"Then I'll search this side of the forest. You two can stay together and cover the other direction."
Leslie hesitated.
"What about you?"
"Me?"
Faust smiled faintly.
"I can take care of myself."
Before she could argue further, he turned and began walking away.
"Let's meet back near the river after we're done."
Nex raised his hand.
"Alright. Don't get lost!"
Faust waved without looking back.
"I won't."
Leslie watched him disappear between the trees.
"Do you think he'll be alright?"
Nex shrugged.
"He seems pretty confident."
He looked toward the direction Faust had gone.
"Besides, if he really is the scientist you keep talking about, I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
Leslie nodded slowly.
"I hope so."
Faust continued walking deeper into the forest.
Once Nex and Leslie were out of sight, he slowed his pace and began examining the surrounding vegetation more carefully.
'There really aren't any animals around.'
He stopped beside a large tree.
Its bark was rough, and its leaves were similar to those found in ordinary forests on Earth.
Faust reached out and examined one of the leaves.
'Nothing unusual on the surface.'
He looked toward the neighboring trees.
Most of the plants appeared familiar.
Even the smaller bushes and grasses showed no obvious signs of mutation.
'Interesting.'
He had expected to encounter more unusual organisms after hearing Leslie's accounts of the changes occurring on Earth.
However, this forest looked remarkably normal.
'If this really is another planet, why is the vegetation so similar to Earth's?'
He considered the possibility that the environment had been deliberately constructed to resemble a terrestrial ecosystem.
Alternatively, the village and forest might simply be part of a controlled testing area.
'Considering that this is supposed to be a tutorial, that wouldn't be surprising.'
Faust glanced upward.
The countdown timer was still visible above the trees.
He had plenty of questions, but for now, he needed more information.
'Let's see what I can find.'
He continued deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, Nex and Leslie were searching through the undergrowth near the river.
Nex had already set several simple traps along the paths where he thought small animals might pass.
Leslie, meanwhile, was examining nearby plants and comparing them with the notes in her book.
"Anything?" Nex asked.
Leslie shook her head.
"Not yet. Most of these plants look familiar, but I don't want to risk collecting something without checking it first."
Nex nodded.
"Fair enough."
He pushed aside a cluster of bushes.
"Let's check the traps."
The two continued walking until they reached one of the locations Nex had marked earlier.
Suddenly, Leslie noticed something moving near the ground.
"Nex!"
He turned toward her.
"What?"
"Look!"
Leslie pointed toward one of the traps.
"We caught a rabbit!"
Nex immediately approached.
Sure enough, a rabbit was struggling inside the snare.
Its fur was brown, and apart from being slightly larger than an ordinary rabbit, it looked remarkably normal.
Nex crouched beside it.
"Huh."
Leslie smiled.
"Looks like we finally found something to eat."
"Yeah..."
Nex stared at the rabbit for a moment.
Then he frowned.
"Wait a second."
Leslie looked at him.
"What?"
"Didn't Faust say we might be on another planet?"
"Yes?"
Nex pointed toward the rabbit.
"Then why is there a rabbit here?"
Leslie blinked.
"Well..."
She looked down at the animal.
The rabbit continued struggling, showing no obvious signs of unusual abilities.
"Maybe there's something we're missing."
Nex rubbed his chin.
"Or maybe Faust was wrong."
Leslie immediately looked at him.
"Wrong?"
"Yeah."
Nex shrugged.
"He's still human, you know."
Leslie frowned.
"I know that."
"Do you?"
Nex glanced at her.
"Because sometimes you talk about him like he knows everything."
Leslie crossed her arms.
"That's not true."
Nex raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Really!"
He chuckled.
"Alright, alright."
Nex returned his attention to the rabbit.
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't trust everything he says simply because he's famous."
He glanced toward Leslie.
"You don't really know him."
Leslie fell silent.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Actually..."
Nex looked at her.
"Hmm?"
"I did meet him once."
Nex paused.
"What?"
Leslie looked down at her book.
"A long time ago."
Nex stared at her.
"Wait. You actually met Faust McHollen before?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Nex scratched his head.
"Wasn't that at some public event?"
"It was."
"Then that doesn't really count as knowing him, does it?"
Leslie sighed.
"I never said we were close."
Nex shrugged.
"Fair enough."
He looked at her again.
"But why didn't you tell him?"
Leslie hesitated.
"What do you mean?"
"You had the chance earlier."
Nex gestured toward the direction Faust had gone.
"You recognized him, showed him that photograph, and even talked about his past. Why didn't you mention that you'd met him before?"
Leslie lowered her gaze.
"Well..."
Nex waited.
She looked embarrassed.
"It was a long time ago."
"So?"
"And it was only a brief meeting."
Nex frowned.
"Again, so what?"
Leslie sighed.
"I didn't want to bring it up and have him tell me he doesn't remember."
Nex stared at her.
Then he laughed.
"Hahaha!"
Leslie immediately glared at him.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing!"
Nex waved his hand.
He tried to stop laughing, but another chuckle escaped him.
"So that's what you're worried about?"
Leslie looked away.
"It's embarrassing, okay?"
Nex shook his head.
"But isn't he supposed to have an eidetic memory?"
Leslie looked back at him.
"What?"
"You know. That thing you kept telling me about."
Nex tapped his temple.
"Being able to remember almost everything he's seen."
Leslie nodded.
"Yes, he does."
"Then shouldn't he remember meeting you?"
She hesitated.
"Maybe."
Nex raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe?"
"Well, he probably met thousands of people at those events."
Leslie looked down at her book.
"And even if he remembers, that doesn't mean the meeting was important to him."
Nex considered her words.
"So you're afraid he might not remember you?"
Leslie nodded reluctantly.
"Yes."
Nex chuckled.
"And you're also afraid he might remember, but not think it was anything special?"
Her cheeks reddened.
"Nex!"
"What?"
"Stop it!"
He laughed.
"Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore."
Leslie turned away with an annoyed expression.
However, after a moment, she spoke again.
"I just don't want to make things awkward."
Nex nodded.
"Then don't mention it."
She looked at him.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
He shrugged.
"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
Leslie's expression softened.
"Thanks."
Nex smiled.
"Still, there's something I want you to remember."
"What?"
"Don't let your guard down around him."
Leslie frowned slightly.
"Faust?"
"Yeah."
Nex looked toward the forest.
"I know you admire him, and he seems like a decent person so far."
He paused.
"But we only met him today."
Leslie listened quietly.
Nex continued.
"And after everything we've been through, I'd rather be careful than regret trusting someone too quickly."
Leslie looked down at her notebook.
For a moment, she didn't respond.
Then she nodded.
"You're right."
Nex glanced at her.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Leslie smiled slightly.
"I'm not going to trust someone blindly just because I admire their work."
She looked toward the direction Faust had gone.
"But I still think he's a good person."
Nex shrugged.
"Maybe he is."
He returned his attention to the rabbit.
"Anyway, let's worry about that later."
He secured the animal before standing up.
"We still have traps to check."
Leslie nodded.
"Right."
Nex placed the rabbit into his storage space, and the two continued following the path between the trees.
Along the way, Leslie occasionally stopped to examine unusual plants, while Nex watched the surroundings for signs of movement.
The forest remained strangely quiet.
Apart from the rabbit they had caught, they hadn't encountered any other animals.
Nex glanced toward the trees.
'That's strange.'
He had expected to hear birds or see small creatures moving through the bushes.
Instead, the forest seemed almost empty.
Leslie noticed his expression.
"What's wrong?"
Nex shook his head.
"Nothing. Just feels a little too quiet."
She looked around.
"Now that you mention it..."
They continued walking.
After several minutes, Nex suddenly stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
There was something ahead.
He quickly reached out and grabbed Leslie's arm, pulling her behind a nearby tree.
Leslie nearly stumbled.
"Nex?"
"Shh."
He raised one finger to his lips.
She immediately fell silent.
Nex tightened his grip on his spear and leaned slightly forward, peering through the bushes.
Then he moved closer to Leslie and whispered.
"Leslie, look over there."