I needed a plan.
If I wanted to get to the city, I could either go left, get below the cliff, walk around 5 kilometers in the forest, towards the structure, manoeuvering around the lake.
Alternatively, I could go right, walk along the edge of the cliff where the trees were more sparse, get past a river, and then hope there is a way to get down from the top of the cliff.
If there was a way to get down, the right option would be faster and safer, but that was a big "if". I didn't see any stairs or other contraptions hugging the cliff wall, although it could be because it was too far away to recognize.
On the other hand, the first option would take longer and come with the risk of getting me lost.
Although I was in no hurry in both cases as I knew I'd be able to get some water before death from thirst came knocking, either from the lake or the river. Furthermore, even if I went with the first option, I judged I could make it to the city before nightfall.
The more I thought about it, the better the first option seemed. Even If there was no way to get past the lake, it didn't look impossibly large, so I could probably swim across it.
The second option was too uncertain. For all I knew, if I picked it: I might have to turn back and take the first option anyways after finding no way down other than chucking myself over 300 meters into the lake. I'd lived long enough to know that was a bad idea.
Making up my mind, I began trekking along the left cliff edge. I frequently scared away the same red birds from earlier. As they reminded me of phoenixes, they would henceforth be called Phoenix Birds.
Every once in a while, there were larger Phoenix Birds, as big as Sea Eagles back home on Earth. I was relieved they weren't hostile, as even two of the larger ones could have likely messed me up quite bad.
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In just 30 minutes, I descended into the green sea of leaves below the cliff. The forest floor on top of the ridge was a lot brighter than here below it. The swaying leaves made the few shafts of sunlight shimmer in the darkness.
"How ominous," I voiced out loud and continued walking towards the city. I occasionally made sure of my orientation by utilizing the angle of the light shafts.
Some irritating mosquito-like insects were flying around everywhere, trying to suck me dry, but luckily they were pretty easy to slap dead. I didn't see any of these suckers up on the ridge, so they must not like the sun or wind that much.
I saw a few odd mushrooms lazing about in the shade. A few of them even looked normal, but I suppose there was only a limited amount of shapes and colors mushrooms could come in.
The eerie atmosphere was forcing me to stay on high alert, which turned out to be a blessing as while I was scanning my surroundings, I caught a strange shape in the corner of my eye.
Immediately, I snapped my head toward the figure. About six meters away, I caught a pair of large pointy ears and piercing golden eyes staring right back at me from behind a boulder.
My heart rate soared as I realized I had just narrowly evaded an ambush. A few steps forward and my back would have been entirely at the thing's mercy. I somehow doubt the beast would have been forgiving.
After recognizing that it had been seen, the thing ever so slowly began creeping closer and closer. As it inched out from behind the rock, its feline form was revealed to me.
The animal was around mid-thigh high, and its form resembled a cat. It had no fur but was covered in dark brown scales with black spots. Its head was elongated with feline ears on top. The creature's paws were webbed with two-centimeter claws at the tips.
Yet the most terrifying part was how it made absolutely no sound as it snuck. If I wasn't looking at it, I'd have no idea it was even there.
There was simply no way I could outrun the creature. The curved claws and feline form made me assume it could climb, if not well, then at least better than I could. It had attempted to ambush me and, even now, wasn't rushing at me. I gambled on it trying to scare me into turning my back on it, as it might not be fully confident in its frontal assault.
"Hey now, I see you. Don't come any closer," I warned in a deep voice, trying to look as large as possible.
The beast stopped mid-stride, never ceasing the calculating stare. I really wished I wouldn't have to fight this thing. I had died once already.
"Good, that's right, you don't want to fight me. I'm over twice as tall as you, and I see you. Just turn away. Go get an easier meal," I continued coaxing in a low voice while making plans for the possible attack.
'Okay, you've got this. If it attacks: offer up your hand, turn to get on its back, avoid the claws, and dig its eyes out. If that doesn't work, try bashing its head in with a stone or choking it out... Like a walk in a park, really... Not hard at all. I can do this,' I attempted to keep calm while still talking slowly and deeply to discourage the creature.
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The beast looked at me as if judging whether I'd be worth the possible injury. Then, after a few tense seconds of stillness, it took a few steps back and started strolling away, occasionally pausing to see if I had followed or turned my back on it.
Cold sweat poured down my neck, and my hands shook unpleasantly. The only sound I could hear was the rapid beating of my heart and the occasional windy shuffle of leaves above me. "That was close... Way too close..."
While keeping an eye on the beast, I took a look around to see if any other possible dangers were lurking nearby. I couldn't see any.
Once it was thoroughly out of sight, I changed my course a healthy amount and began hiking. Hopefully, we wouldn't be going in the same direction.
"What the hell was that anyway?" I sighed, letting my shoulders relax a little.
"Identifying," a monotone voice rang out inside my head. Shocked by the sudden interruption, I halted and glanced around frantically. No one was anywhere near me. As I was frozen in place, unsure of what to do, soon a blue text panel appeared before my eyes.
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Lurker - Level 3
A carnivorous amphibious reptile specialized in ambushes and sneaking.
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Startled yet again, I jumped back, yet the box followed my head's movements perfectly, always staying centered.
"Hello?" I inquired, confused, yet no response came.
Soon, I tried again: "Uh, who and where are you?"
"I am the Guide. I was created to help you acclimate to the system. You are not permitted to know my location. I am speaking to you by artificially stimulating your brain to perceive my voice as if I was talking right next to your ear, or both ears, to be exact," the Guide enunciated, completely monotone.
"Ah, I see," I replied, and the Guide remained silent. The answer eased my worries a little, although the concept of it directly messing with my brain was off-putting. It seemed to be something created by the goddess before she sent me here. Anything deity-related, I might as well not worry about, as I knew I could do nothing about it. I doubted the Guide was harmful since if the goddess wanted to hurt me, she had way more straightforward methods to do so.
"So... this blue box. What is it? The result of the identification?" I speculated, stretching to touch the blue window, only for my hand to pass through.
"The text in front of you is one of my many functions. Its purpose is to provide you with information about your immediate surroundings. The screen you see does not exist and was created by artificially sending your brain signals to perceive it floating a meter from your face," Guide replied.
"Oh, that's quite handy, actually," I admitted. I would have to be a complete moron to not realize I wasn't on Earth, so knowledge was a valuable commodity. "Though, I wish you wouldn't mess with my brain. It's rather disturbing," I grumbled offhandedly while glancing around for the Lurker.
"If you wish to do so, you can turn me off or change how you receive information from me in the customization settings. Current customization settings are." The voice cut out, and the blue screen in front of me changed to a new one.
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Customization settings
Gender: Male Female None
Inquiries: Sound Sight Direct Auto
Identify: Sound Sight Direct
Stats: Sound Sight Direct
Notifications: Sound Sight Off Auto
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"Um, thank you? Though there is no need to change anything, " I commented, reading the blue box. I had never been that good with modern technology, so I had no confidence in not breaking something.
"I've gathered what the rest mean, but what does that 'Stats' part refer to? Also, what does the Direct setting do?"
"The Stats command tells you your current status, stats, and skills. You can bring up the Stats menu by thinking about the word Stats. If you select the direct setting, I will not send your brain signals to make you perceive things but will directly alter your brain to know the requested information. This is the most efficient way but may sometimes lead to slight... difficulties," the Guide explained.
'Note to self: Never use the Direct setting.'
Curious about the last ability, I tried thinking of the word Stats, and lo and behold, the blue panel changed once again, this time displaying a long block of text.
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Stored notifications
Perception +1
New skill: Mental Fortitude
New skill: Intimidate
Level up: Intimidate (Lv. 1 > Lv. 2)
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Status
Human - Level 1
Name: Derek Carter
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Stats
HP 100/100 - SP 78/100 - MP 99/100
Vitality: 10
Strength: 10
Endurance: 10
Agility: 10
Perception: 11
Mind: 10
Free stat points: 0
Skills
Passive:
Linguist - MAX
Mental fortitude - Lv. 1 (new)
Active:
Intimidate - Lv. 2 (new)
Guide - Lv. 1
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The original blue window displayed the stats as expected, but it was accompanied by another window showing notifications I assume I received during the ambush.
It was good to know my view wouldn't suddenly be blocked by a giant blue window mid-fight.
Now that I thought about it, this all reminded me of something...
'Yes, of course! This is similar to one of those games my great-granddaughter Emily showed me! She is such a sweet kid. One day she brought one of those portable gaming devices to the hospital and taught me how to play,' I reminisced, yet quickly got back on topic. Now wasn't a good time to get lost on memory lane. I need to focus on the present.
The stats, at least outwardly, seemed rather self-explanatory. I bet strength showed how strong I was, agility, how fast I was, etc.
Apparently, you could get more stats and even brand-new skills if you did challenging actions like noticing the Lurker or managing to intimidate it away.
The maxed-out linguist skill must have been from the deity, as I never was that good with languages back on Earth. I hadn't thought of it, but it would be miraculous if the people here could speak English.
It was strange how much the goddess had prepared me for this new world. With how disappointed she seemed, I wouldn't have been surprised if she had sent me to a literal hell.
Another intriguing matter was that the Guide skill didn't say MAX. That presumably meant it could be leveled up in the future, though I had no idea how.
With a thought, I closed the window and continued walking toward the city. I needed to get to safety before nightfall. A more in-depth analysis of the status panel had to wait.
I might have noticed the Lurker in broad daylight, but I was pretty damn sure I wouldn't see it coming at night.