It was just early morning in the town of Glafelden. The night sky, studded with sparkling stars, began to be showered with bright light from the eastern horizon. A glimmer of the sun's rays cut through the darkness of the night sky.
One by one, the lights in the building went out. Some of the townspeople had just woken up and were getting ready to get busy. Although some of them chose to stay asleep on a warm mattress until the sun appeared fully. People passed by on the streets and started their activities to awaken life in this town. But none of them thought that their activities today wouldn't run smoothly.
The suburbs usually traveled to the town center because it was the most their activities most located. There were many offices, government or private companies, where two thousand workers worked. Restaurants and shops were more crowded than on the town's outskirts because of their strategic location. There were also schools and academies where five thousand stu
Not long after Almira finished cooking, there was a loud knocking sound behind the front door. Its voice even startled Cedric, who was having breakfast. It suddenly scared the boy half to death. His face suddenly looked very pale."Excuse me!!" someone shouted from behind the door. His deep and loud voice could make anyone flinch. Almira exchanged glances with Cedric."M-Mom, who is that?" Cedric asked quietly."Don't worry, no problem! Let mama deal with this," answered Almira with a faint smile to dispel the fear on Cedric's face.The brown-skinned woman then got up from the dining table, walked towards the front door, and slowly opened the doorknob. Along with the creaking sound of a creaking wooden door, a tall and large figure appeared. His skin was dark, his eyes were sharp, and there was not a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth when he visited people's homes."Sorry, is there anything I can help you with?" asked Almira, lowering her
This was the third day since leaving Glafelden. I didn't know how far we'd come. What was clear was we were getting closer to the goal, namely Arnest City. By now, we had arrived at the mountainside after passing through the meadow. According to an old map I bought from a roadside merchant, Arnest City should be behind the Northern Latitude Mountains. In a world without advanced technology like GPS, maps and compass were the most important determining direction. The making of maps in this world was made with the ancient art of cartography. Usually, explorers drew places they had visited on paper. I was quite amazed when I saw a map of the Elvian region on sale. That means whoever made this map had come to Elvian territory. Either coming with permission or sneaking in like us, but we were on the right track thanks to him. "This map is quite accurate," said Dimas as he looked at the compass and matched it with the map laid on the ground. "If we pass the top of
It had been drizzling down the mountainside since the afternoon, soaking the leaves and tree trunks above my head. Luckily, Dimas and I were able to make a tent out of tarpaulin just before the rain started, so there was no need to be afraid that the water would wet my body.This emergency tent wasn't too big, only enough to accommodate three people and the belongings. Because of this narrow space, Dimas, Kak Shella, and I arranged for our bags to be placed in the middle of the tent so they wouldn't get wet. That was what made me make peace with the splash of rain that fell on the ground.A breezy wind tickled my nape, creating a chill that enveloped my body. Knowing our journey would climb up the mountain, I had prepared myself by bringing a jacket from Glafelden Town. Even though I'd put it on, it still couldn't resist the freezing cold. Naturally, this cheap jacket for twenty pieces of bronze was made of thin material. Maybe it was no different than normal clothes.
Instantly my mouth let out a small scream when I found Dimas' hot body. His body temperature was very high compared to normal body temperature. My hands felt like blistered just by sticking them on the skin. Such a contrast to the cold on this mountain.As my mouth kept calling out his name, my hands shook the man's body, hoping to wake him up. Nevertheless, Dimas remained in his sleep with heavy breaths. Repeatedly calling Dimas' name apparently made Shella wake up. The girl, who was half-conscious, seemed to digest the current situation."What's wrong with Dimas?" asked Shella with a confused face."I don't know, his body was so hot! Could you help me to check it out?"Hearing my brief condition, Shella switched to the 'reliable pharmacist' mode even though she had just woken up from her sleep. The girl approached Dimas and checked his temperature. As soon as her hand touched Dimas' forehead, she immediately lifted it up."Gosh! His body is so ho
My sense of hearing, which was more sensitive than humans, immediately felt excruciating pain. It was as if my eardrum had been pierced by a nail until it penetrated my head. My palms couldn't even hold back the loud sound that came in. Although the howl didn't last long, my energy was drained just to endure the deafening sound.My body almost fell to the ground if my brain didn't give me the command to stay alert. I cast my gaze forward. The bear monster had thick white fur similar to a polar bear, it was about three stories tall. The beast had two pairs of arms and two legs, with a fat, flabby body.I briefly remember the Biology lessons taught in my old world. This monster was similar to Tardigrada, a microscopic animal shaped like a bear. The shape of the head that only had a mouth without eyes was also very similar. I even felt that the monster standing in front of me was initially a Tardigrada who was enlarged with a Doraemon magnifying flashlight, then given a h
I looked down to confirm what I found, and sure enough, it was the Black Selenium Mushroom. The characteristics were precisely the same as those described by Shella before. This mushroom has dark black color and was shaped like a pouch. From what I remember, the sap of this mushroom was very dangerous when it came into contact with the skin. I better be careful not to hurt myself.I was silent for a moment, thinking about how to pick this thing without touching it. Too bad I didn't have leather gloves to protect my palms.In the darkness, my eyes were caught by the faint glint of the dagger hanging from my waist. That's right! I completely forgot I had this thing.I immediately pulled the dagger from the belt and tried to cut the mushroom's stem. Doing this in the dark without light aid would be difficult for humans. Luckily I had Haier-Elvian's ability.I have been grateful hundreds of times for being blessed with this ability! Although I also swor
"Are you sure?" asked Shella enthusiastically."Very sure," I answered confidently. "You probably can't. But my eyes could see that many people are walking on the branches and doing activities there.""They made the city on a tree?" now it was Dimas' turn to look very excited."You could see for yourself later."Hearing of a city being built on a tree made them both furious. It was a normal reaction for people from another world like us. Even when I first arrived in Ruvia City, I was just as enthusiastic as them. Looked around with sparkling eyes like a peasant. Looking back, my reaction was even worse."Let's go down immediately!" exclaimed Dimas, who immediately left me, followed by Shella behind him.Geez! They were like little kids impatiently waiting for a birthday present. I also followed the two behind, adjusting the two people's fast-moving footsteps.This small team descended the mountainside quite quickly. We arrived at the
I sat limply in front of the teenager Elvian, lying helplessly. The sign of life in his eyes faded away, his breath getting weaker. It was only a matter of time until he lost his life.But is this correct?Is killing someone the right thing to do at this time?At first, I just wanted to paralyze him. I never thought the arrow I let out would thrust into his chest. Oh, my god! I didn't want to see someone die in front of my eyes because of me. Imagining the grief that the Elvian family had to go through instantly made my chest hurt.I knew I couldn't be naive. In this journey, there must be a time for me to take the lives of others. But not so fast as this. I wasn't ready to bear the responsibility and guilt of killing people.Deep down, I wanted this teenage Elvian to stay alive. If only I could—."...-ggi. Anggi!!!" Suddenly Dimas' screams echoed in my ears. It was as if the voice had just emerged from the silence."Eh, wh-what