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Chapter 4: One Chance
It moved.
I almost didn't see it.
One moment it was standing there—
the next, it was right in front of me.
My body reacted too late.
Something slammed into me, hard enough to send me off my feet. I hit the ground, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.
I couldn't breathe.
My chest tightened, my vision blurring as I struggled to pull in even a single breath.
"…Get… up…"
The thought came slowly.
Distant.
But the sound of something heavy shifting snapped everything back.
It was already moving again.
I rolled.
Instinct. Nothing else.
The ground beside me shook as its attack landed where I had been a second ago.
Too close.
Way too close.
I forced myself up, stumbling back, my legs barely holding.
This wasn't like the others.
Not even close.
My grip tightened around the stone, even though my fingers felt weak.
"Move…"
I whispered it again.
Not to the creature.
To myself.
It came again.
Fast.
But this time—
I focused.
That strange clarity returned.
Perception.
Not slowing anything.
Just… showing me more.
A shift in its shoulder.
A slight tilt.
I moved before it reached me.
Barely.
Its strike missed, passing close enough that I felt the air move against my skin.
But I didn't attack.
I couldn't.
Not yet.
I stepped back again, breathing uneven, my chest still aching from the first hit.
Think.
You can't fight it like the others.
My eyes scanned it quickly.
Arms.
Torso.
Legs—
Nothing.
Too solid.
Too strong.
Then—
Its neck.
The back.
Just for a moment, when it moved—
There.
A small opening.
"…That's it."
It wasn't much.
But it was something.
The creature didn't give me time to think.
It lunged again.
This time, I didn't fully dodge.
I shifted just enough—
But it still hit.
The impact sent pain through my side, forcing a sharp breath out of me as I staggered back.
My grip almost slipped.
"…Stay up…"
Falling meant I wouldn't get back up.
I forced myself to move again, even as my body screamed at me to stop.
The creature slowed.
Watching.
Waiting.
Like it knew I was reaching my limit.
"…Yeah…"
I swallowed, my throat still dry, still burning.
"I know."
I was tired.
Too tired.
Every movement felt slower.
Heavier.
But the river was right there.
I could hear it.
Still flowing.
Still close.
If I gave up now—
I wouldn't even reach it.
That thought alone pushed me forward.
I adjusted my grip on the stone, even though it felt useless now.
"I just need… one chance…"
That's all.
Not strength.
Not power.
Just one moment.
The creature moved again.
This time—
I ran.
Not away.
Toward the river.
My legs protested immediately, each step unstable, uneven. I nearly tripped, but forced myself forward anyway.
Behind me—
It followed.
Fast.
Too fast.
I could feel it getting closer.
Closer—
Now.
I turned sharply.
Its attack came straight at me.
I didn't dodge completely.
I stepped in.
Used both hands—
And pushed.
Not to stop it.
Just to shift it.
Its momentum carried it forward—
Straight into the shallow edge of the river.
Water splashed violently.
For a split second—
It slipped.
That was it.
That was my chance.
I moved.
Ignoring everything else—pain, exhaustion, fear—I grabbed a broken piece of wood lying near the water and rushed forward.
My vision narrowed.
My breathing sharp.
Everything focused on one point—
The back of its neck.
Now.
I drove the wood forward.
It resisted.
Its body tensed, trying to regain balance.
For a second—
I thought it wouldn't work.
But I pushed harder.
"I'm not—"
My voice broke.
But my body didn't stop.
"—dying here!"
The wood forced in.
Not clean.
Not deep.
But enough.
The creature reacted violently.
Its body jerked, trying to shake me off. I lost my footing, falling to one knee, but I didn't let go.
I couldn't.
If I let go—
That was it.
My hands slipped.
My strength fading.
But I forced everything I had into that moment.
Just a little more.
Just—
The creature's movements slowed.
Then weakened.
Then—
Stopped.
I stayed there.
Frozen.
Still holding on.
Waiting for it to move again.
It didn't.
The only sound left was the river.
Flowing.
Calm.
Like nothing had happened.
My grip finally loosened.
The wood slipped from my hands.
I fell back into the shallow water, my body too tired to stay upright.
For a moment—
I just lay there.
Breathing.
Alive.
"…I… did it…"
My voice barely existed.
A faint sound echoed in my head.
[High-Level Beast Defeated]
[Experience Acquired]
My vision flickered.
[Level Up]
[Level 1 → Level 3]
I stared at nothing.
"…Level 3…"
It didn't feel real.
None of this did.
But the cold water around me—
That felt real.
Very real.
Slowly, I turned my head toward the river.
Water.
Right there.
I dragged myself forward, my arms weak, my movements slow.
Then—
I drank.
The moment the water touched my lips, everything else faded.
Cold.
Refreshing.
Real.
I drank again.
And again.
Not caring how it looked.
Not caring about anything else.
The burning in my throat eased, little by little.
My breathing steadied.
My thoughts cleared.
For the first time since this started—
I felt… human again.
I stayed there longer than I should have.
Because I needed it.
Because I almost didn't make it.
But—
A sound.
Faint.
Distant.
My body tensed immediately.
I lifted my head slowly.
The forest wasn't silent anymore.
Something was moving.
Not one.
More.
My grip tightened weakly against the ground.
"…Already…?"
No rest.
No time.
Just—
The next thing.
I pushed myself up again, my legs still unsteady.
But this time—
I was standing.
Still tired.
Still hurt.
But not as helpless.
I glanced once at the creature behind me.
Then back at the forest.
"…Fine."
My voice was quiet.
But steady.
"I'm still here."
And as long as I was—
I would keep going.