I wanted to head toward the lake, but I suddenly stopped.
I couldn't take a single step forward.
There were monsters.
Strange creatures crawled near the edge of the water, resembling cockroaches… but they were not ordinary cockroaches. They were many times larger, their bodies flattened and divided into thick segments, their color a disgusting mix of dark black and sticky brown. They had many legs ending in sharp tips that dug into the ground with every movement, while their antennae moved erratically.
As for their eyes… small, multiple eyes, shining coldly, without any expression or life.
Just seeing them made my stomach churn. I felt nausea creeping up my throat, and I had to clench my teeth tightly so I wouldn't make a sound.
I swallowed my saliva with difficulty and looked toward the nearby lake.
The water was there… very close.
But those things were standing between me and it.
"How… how will I get the water?" I thought anxiously, my mind working at full speed despite the exhaustion.
"Can I get past them? Can I run quickly, drink, then come back before they notice me?"
I imagined the scene for just one second, then immediately shook my head.
"No… no, that's impossible."
My breathing was heavy, and my foot was still hurting. "I can't run at all, let alone run back and forth without them noticing me."
Retreat wasn't an option either. My throat was dry, and my body was desperately demanding water. I knew that if I moved away now, I would certainly die…
I pressed my hand against my forehead as I thought.
Then… an idea came to me.
"Didn't the system say my status is… Mage?"
I paused for a second and felt a weak spark of hope flicker inside me.
"Does that mean I can use magic? Shoot fire maybe? A fireball? Anything?"
I slowly raised my hand, my heart pounding.
"Fireball…" I whispered hesitantly.
Then in a lower voice, as if I were begging the world itself:
"Oh fire… come out."
I extended my hand further, focused, and waited.
One second…
Two seconds…
Nothing.
I slowly lowered my hand and felt frustration seep into me.
"How am I supposed to use magic then?" I muttered angrily.
"You useless junk…" I muttered, directing my words at the system, waiting for any response, any window, any sign.
But nothing happened.
I exhaled slowly and realized I was forced to think of another option.
Unfortunately, all paths led to one thing: confronting them.
I thought quickly, then an idea flashed in my mind.
"If I can't get past them… then I'll try to drive them away."
I looked around, then bent down and picked up two stones from the ground. They were rough and relatively heavy. I gripped them with all the strength I had left and targeted one of the nearby monsters.
I tensed my muscles, then smashed the stones together forcefully and hurled them forward with everything I had.
The stones flew at a speed I never expected.
In an instant, one of them hit a monster directly.
They slammed into its body with force, causing it to stagger backward several steps and emit a strange, hoarse sound before collapsing onto its side.
I froze in place for a fraction of a second.
"…What is this strength that I have?"
Shock struck me for a moment, but I didn't allow it to take over. I immediately turned and hid quickly among the trees, trying to suppress my breathing as much as possible.
Behind me, the monsters began to move in agitation.
The sounds of their legs scraping against the ground grew louder, and they began circling one another, their antennae twitching wildly…
I quickly grabbed more stones and threw them consecutively in the same direction. Almost at the same moment, the stones struck three of the monsters, causing them to fall to the ground writhing and making rough, disgusting noises. The remaining monsters began moving frantically, searching in every direction for the source of the sound, colliding with one another and producing irritating clicking sounds from their mouths and limbs.
I took advantage of their confusion and struck again.
This time, I grabbed five stones at once and threw them with all the strength I had left. I wasn't aiming at a specific monster—I just wanted to create more chaos—but luck seemed to be on my side…
The stones hit one monster directly.
Its body slammed violently into the ground, and one stone pierced its hard skin, causing thick, sticky green liquid with a suffocating stench to burst out. The monster let out a sharp scream that tore through the air…
The other monsters immediately gathered around it, moving with unexpected speed, as if trying to protect it…
They surrounded it with their bodies, then began retreating all at once, dragging it with them as they quickly moved away from the lake.
I stared at the scene with an expression of disbelief.
"…What the hell just happened in front of me a moment ago?"
I didn't expect them to retreat like that, and I never imagined my chaotic actions would succeed at all. My mind needed a moment to process what had happened, but I didn't allow myself to dwell on the shock for long.
I lifted my gaze forward, my heart pounding rapidly.
The water was there.
Finally, I could quench my thirst.
I felt a faint sense of joy, barely catching my breath—but that joy didn't last.
A sound.
My body froze.
A chill ran down my spine as I turned around quickly, my heart leaping in my chest.
Disgust.
One of the disgusting monsters was standing directly behind me.
It didn't give me a single chance to comprehend what was happening. It lunged at me suddenly with terrifying speed, opened its wide jaw, and sank its teeth into my body.
A scream nearly escaped my mouth, but I barely managed to suppress it. My body moved purely on survival instinct.
I grabbed the insect with both hands, trying to force it away with sheer strength, and shouted hoarsely:
"Get away from me!"
But it didn't move.
Its teeth dug in deeper, tearing into my flesh with savage rhythm, and with every movement, the pain multiplied. My head was buzzing, my thoughts colliding, but I forced myself to think quickly.
My eyes fell on a sharp branch near my foot.
Without hesitation, I reached for it, gripped it with all my strength, and plunged it straight into its head.
Its teeth continued burrowing into my body as if I hadn't stabbed it at all.
I screamed inside my head:
"Get away… get away… get away!"
I repeated the word in my mind over and over while continuing to stab its head with the branch, strike after strike, without any clear thought or order—just a desperate motion driven by fear and the instinct to survive.
It didn't stop immediately. Its body convulsed violently, and its teeth continued to burrow into my body, before the pressure of its jaws began to weaken gradually. I felt—
Its teeth finally detached from my body, and its body lost all tension, collapsing on top of me…
I remained frozen in place for several seconds, gasping with broken breaths, my body trembling from shock and exhaustion, while the heat of its disgusting sticky fluid mixed with my breath…