Even when memory of him falling into his hell repeatedly ran through his mind, he had foolishly failed to consider one thing.
Until he gazed upon it while sitting on his butt, immediately aiming to move away from it. When he gazed at those black stripes painted over their orange skin. When he caught sight of that long tail and those claws. Especially when he saw those fangs that were bared against his head, even if for a moment. And as it flew through the space that he no longer occupied, it finally clocked in his head.
He wasn't the only one who survived.
?: Graaaawr!
From the moment it passed Yohan and was now turned away from him, Yohan knew he had run. He had to get away from this new threat.
Yohan: *Gulp* You..
Yet his buttocks were still hugging the ground as if he didn't want to run away. Stock still he was.
?:Grrrrr...
Yohan: Y-Y-Y—
His words were dyed in fear. So much so that even this threat caught onto it as it turned around. And with that, this predator decided to lock its emerald eyes onto Yohan. They had finally met.
Yohan: You...
And in that moment when they looked at each other, he knew that those were the eyes of a hungry beast... the eyes of a hunter.
He was looking at a threat.
The predator was looking at lunch.
?: Rawwwwr!!!
That roar wasn't loud as the monster that tore his arm off, but that didn't dull it's fierceness, which forced him to tremble. After all, the roar of a tiger sent fear into any who were unlucky enough to cross it.
And as if to declare war...
Tiger: Raaa—
"—YOU JUST _HAD_ TO SURVIVE HUUUUH¿"
Louder than the Tigers roar, Yohans rage against this hell rose up once again.
And that's when he remembered.
That moment when he had been tossed off from his balance and pushed into this hell. Yet he never knew what had pushed him off. But now that he laid eyes on it, he knew it for sure. He could feel the strong desire to hunt him that he felt back when he was above.
Yes, this was the asshole that pushed him over.
And this asshole was here to kill him... again.
Tiger: Grrr...
The tiger hesitated slightly at the sound of his scream, but it wasted no time in charging towards him.
Yohan: Shit!
Having still not gotten up, he immediately responded by rolling to the side to avoid its charge. Now, it was much closer to him than ever. He could even see the far back of its mouth while he was laid on his back. The only reason he could see it was because—
Tiger: Graaaw–
–Thud!
The tiger was pushed to the side by the force that hit its head. From the head injury, it was stunned. For a moment only, yet Yohan grabbed onto that moment and immediately ran.
Yohan: Shit... (That was really close!!!)
After all, he would've lost his head if he had acted a moment later.
Having been scared so much, he even ignored the pain he put on himself from standing up and immediately began sprinting. And having been scared so much, he gripped the stone in his hand really tightly even though he no longer had a use for it.
RUN.
He had to push forward no matter what.
RUN
Once again, death was chasing after Yohan.
*****
Yohan: Hah... *cough*... Hah...
Yohan continued running without break. It's not like he could've taken one in the first place.
Tiger: Graawr!!
After all, that tiger wouldn't stay still forever. Sure, a hit from that rock would've knocked someone out, but this wasn't a human he was dealing with. He was being hunted by a beast.
So he had to keep running. He had to make sure he didn't slow down, and he had to make sure he never stopped.
Yohan: (Don't stop.)
He would curve past the trees, jump over fallen logs, duck below short trees, and duck below thick branches.
His momentum didn't slow down. And neither did the tigers.
This exact scene
This exact scenario
His exact movements
In a way, this was like that time before he fell down.
Yohan: (Don't stop)
He had to keep going, in that straight line, until he f—
Yohan: Tch!
Unexpectedly, a sharp pain jolted throughout his body. This pain was a mere flash, but to him, it was like hitting a wall. And hence... he stopped.
Yohan: (Dammit!)
He had totally ignored the pain he had put on himself when he initially began running, but it didn't change the fact that he was still injured. So this was unfortunately bound to happen
And because of the momentary halt, the distance between him and the tiger grew shorter. Now he was in for more trouble.
Tigers were ultimately faster than humans, so him outrunning the tiger all this time was merely impossible. But he was an adventurer, so it was not out of bounds. Nonetheless, that distance he kept between the two of them was still vital.
And he had to make sure he kept it.
Yohan: Hraahh!
As soon as he turned around to face the approaching tiger, he immediately swung his remaining arm and flicked his wrist, launching the stone that was in his hand.
And to where you might wonder?
Tiger: Rawww— Pfft...
Square in the eye!!!
Tiger:.. RAWRRRR!!!
Yet it still continued towards Yohan. It didn't stop its movements and managed to close in on Yohan.
SWOOSH.
That was the sound of it swinging its claw to cut down Yohan. However, those sharp claws were only able to cut down the air and missed Yohan by a whole meter.
Yohan: Harahhhhn!
And without hesitation, he countered with a kick square to the tigers side. With all his strength and torque put behind it, he managed to knock it into a tree.
Yohan: Gah! Kh!
That same pain from before jolted through his body once more. He was pushing himself too much. But that didn't mean he could take his eyes off the tiger.
Yohan:... Huh¿
Even Yohan didn't expect it.
And the tiger probably didn't either.
Yohan: I guess I did a number on him...
Even when adrenaline was literally coursing through his veins, he still managed to speak so calmly. This wasn't the time for that. Unless his threat wasn't so imminent.
Well, from the appearance of the tiger, it's apparent anyone would think that.
Yohan only expected to hold it back a bit so he could create some distance between him and the tiger. He expected the tiger to get back up eventually. However, that was completely wrong. The tiger didn't show any sign of getting up. And what's more was that he saw blood tricking from it, specifically from its eyes.
Yohan: No wonder I'm alive.
The rock he threw must've been the cause for that injury.
Come to think of it, there's no way that rock should've landed. It would've completely missed unless he had a lot of accuracy.
But then again, he was an adventurer, so possessing such was natural. Though it really does beg the question of what sort of adventures he went through to be so skilled.
Now that he looked back on that moment, it made even less sense for that tiger to miss. Unless that tiger couldn't see him properly. How lucky of him. And how quick of him to immediately take that chance for a counter.
It was out of his expectations, but this change was better than what he expected.
Yohan: Let's go!
And right then, he continued his journey for a while. Though, he couldn't stop himself from looking back.
Yohan: (Honestly, it's a relief not seeing that tiger chasing me anymore)
To be happy or whatever, could he really do that? Was this the time to celebrate? Maybe it was. Maybe it was time to hit a backflip and start skipping along his merry way.
Yohan: Kah!!! Tch!
Unfortunately, that pain got in the way of it. As excited as he was to have knocked that tiger out, he still had more problems to deal with. He could feel it as he ran away from the scene. He could sense it even through his pain. Through his movements, he realized it.
Yohan: (Dammit, I need to pick up the pace if I wanna get away from here... tch).
So what if his injuries were slowing him down? Sure, he only had one thing left to do at the moment, but it would all be pointless if he couldn't reach it in time.
Yohan: (Don't stop...)
That was right. He had to keep going.
Yohan: (Don't stop...)
He had no choice but to keep going. Even if he kept stepping on glass shards while barefoot. He couldn't stop.
Yohan: (Don't stop...)
Even if he were to hit a wall.
Yohan: Kah!!!... *cough*... Don't STOP...
Even when the pain jolting through his body grew stronger, he gritted his teeth and kept his eyes closed as he kept going.
He wouldn't stop. He didn't plan on stopping.
Yohan: Don't STOOOOOOO—
THUD
And right after, he was knocked off his balance and fell on his back once more.
Yohan: *cough cough cough cough*... The hell?
Now, keep in mind that his eyes were closed when he ran into whatever it was. So maybe he actually ran into a wall, or there was a person who pushed him down. But were there any humans other than him in this hell? Possibly not.
So the look of suprise on his face when he came to look at... a tree branch was very much valid.
Yohan: ...
He just stared at the tree branch. His eyes were focused on its... weirdness. The thickness of the branch. The jagged surface of the leaves. And its strange yellow color.
Yohan: (Did I expect it to be normal?) *cough*...
Then he started laughing. Not outrageously. Rather, nervously. Quietly as if he didn't want to wake anything up.
"... This is hell..."
He couldn't deny the peculiarity of these plants. He couldn't deny the peculiarity of the animals around. No, they weren't animals. They were monsters.
Everything around him was strange. Too strange to believe, in fact. But he had to accept it. After all, he was in hell. A whole other world from what he knew a few hours again.
Yohan: cough* Hehe... this got depressing real fast...
And back on his feet, he went, treating his thoughts like a triviality.
Honestly, he was surprisingly calm. No sane man could keep their composure in such a situation, especially after he lost his arm. Even a sliver of fear would've been normal. Though, it does beg the question of how horrifying his past adventures had to have been in order to be this way.
Anyway, he proceeded to pull himself up by grabbing onto the tree branch that knocked him down. Despite how thick it was, it seemed perfectly capable of bending. These plants were weird, though he wasn't in a position to complain.
Since he had gone past that branch, he wasn't likely to be hit by it again. Though, he was quite curious about the strangeness behind these trees.
He continued to run his hand along the branch, getting a feel for it, and even touched the leaves. They pricked him, but it was nothing major.
Yohan: (These trees are nothing like I've ever seen. I honestly wonder how they—
As his gaze inclined upwards at the marvel of this tree, he immediately saw something.
Something that wasn't there.
Something that shouldn't have been there.
And so he took a huge step back. And he let—
Yohan: GOOOOOO AWAYYYYY!