[Year 2 | Day 415 – Day 500]
[Day 415]
Met Aldrick again today.
He didn't ask me where I'd been. Not a single question. Just nodded and kept to his corner of the cave like I hadn't vanished for weeks.
I didn't press either.
That snake, the tiger, the lightning wolf—they're still on my mind.
Looking back, I beat the tiger mostly by luck. It was strong, sure, but the weakest among the three. The snake though… That bastard's different. Cunning. A killer through and through. Its regeneration is no joke. To take it down, I'll either need brute strength or wear it out with traps. No reckless heroics this time. I've got time. I can prepare.
But the lightning wolf...
Even from 500 meters away, hidden and watching through the binoculars, the sheer bloodlust made my skin crawl. It's not just strong. It's… intelligent. Sentient. Maybe more than sentient.
It didn't act like a beast. It acted like a god.
Lightning danced around its body, arcing between trees, turning the ground to ash just by walking. That thing is beyond me. Physically. Mentally. Power-wise.
I don't stand a chance. Not now. Maybe never.
It makes the snake look like a garden worm.
[Day 435]
I've started prepping for the snake hunt.
Set up a few spike pits—primitive, but maybe effective. Dug deep, sharpened sticks, tried covering them up with leaves and dirt. Getting out of the pit myself was a problem. Barely climbed back up.
Still, it's something.
I'll try to lure it into one and then go for the eye.
[Day 450]
An unexpected development—I can now control my blood flow.
At first, I thought I was imagining things. But no. With enough focus, I can slow it, direct it, tighten it in certain limbs.
Might help with bleeding. Might help with strengthening. Something tells me this is just the beginning.
[Day 460]
Now I can regulate my body temperature too. That's new.
I also tried relocating the Lumen Core slightly—shifting it within my chest.
It worked. It's small, but it moved. That confirms it's integrated into my body, not fixed like an organ.
I tried to "feed" it blood to increase its power.
Failed.
Nothing happened, except I felt like an idiot and wasted a good portion of the day.
Still… blood, Lumen, internal control. The pieces are there. I just haven't put them together yet.
[Day 490]
Aldrick was gone when I woke up. All my things were untouched. Rings still here.
Then he came back.
I almost asked where he went. Almost.
But I didn't.
Just nodded. Picked up my spear. Started refining its shaft.
There's something off about him. Can't say what. Paranoia maybe. Or instinct.
But what does he do when I go out hunting?
I'll keep my mouth shut for now. Just keep getting stronger. Prepare for the worst. That's all I can do.
[Day 500]
Tried drawing in Lumen again through the core. Focused. Breathed.
Failed. Again. Almost fainted this time.
As I lay there catching my breath, I opened the transmigration panel in my mind.
Typed out two words: "Still alive."
Then closed it.
No one replied. Not that I expected anyone to.
Later that day, while practicing trap-making deeper in the woods, I spotted something.
Familiar faces.
One of them—he was with the monocle guy. The one I killed.
His face was unforgettable. Boxy. Looked like a Minecraft dirt block. Dumb expression too.
I didn't approach. Slipped into the underbrush. Observed.
But the paranoia hit hard. Did the black ring have a tracker? Did they know it was me?
Did they come here because of that?
Too many damn questions.
I decided to strike first.
Caught him alone. Knocked him out cold and dragged him deeper into the forest. Tied him up to a tree, poured water on his face to wake him up.
Then I stood behind the tree, out of sight.
I didn't want him recognizing me. Just in case.
Started asking questions.
Turns out… the guy was lost.
Great. I'd overthought it. Paranoia again. Still, I didn't tell him anything about the monocle man.
I poked around. Carefully, slowly, pulling bits of info from him.
Some of it was shocking.
Apparently, the shelter to the south? It's a scam.
Called it.
They lured people in with promises of safety and community, then worked them like animals. Slaves under the guise of "rebuilding society."
And worse… they're out of bullets.
Out of metal.
According to dirt-face, this world has no iron, no gold, no silver. Nothing.
That's why they're scavenging like lunatics—going deeper into the forest despite the beasts. They're desperate.
He's high-ranking too. Higher than the monocle guy, apparently. Makes me wonder what kind of loot he's carrying.
I'll check later. For now, I kept listening.
Then he said something that made my heart stop:
"This land… it's strange. No metals. Terrifying beasts. Trees we've never seen before. It just goes on forever. The forest never ends. All who go deeper vanish. There are no native humans. Or at least… none we've found."
I froze.
"No natives?" I asked, voice low.
He nodded.
Just what the hell is this place?
First, people are being dragged from different worlds.
Then, beasts smarter than humans. Sentient. Deadly.
Now a forest that never ends?
And no natural humans?
Everything about this place is wrong.
It feels more and more like a giant maze. Or worse… a cage.
A living world designed not for survival, but for struggle.
I don't know what kind of force is behind this. But it's watching. It's shaping.
And it wants us to keep killing. Keep suffering.
I let cube-head ramble until he got tired. Then knocked him out again.
I'll decide what to do with him later.
Right now…
I need to plan.