Test Begin

Along with the cue was a roar, I wasn’t an animal expert but I knew that was a tiger roar... maybe.

I didn’t know what was going on but I was sure this related to that transparent status screen.

Normally, I would freak out if... I got teleported to somewhere else, beach, desert, another city, who knew.

But, since this place was forest, I somehow felt a little bit calm. Didn’t want to brag, but living on a mountain and hunting in a forest with my dad and gramp really paid off this time.

And I knew one thing after being a hunter.

Waiting still would only make you as an easy target, both rules were implemented to both of the hunter and his prey.

After taking a few deep breath, I decided this was another normal jungle and went scouting the surrounding area.

A small meadow among towering trees. The fern-like "grass" was beaten down in waves by the breezy wind as I strolled around the ground. The forest engulfed me in emerald gloom. The shadows were alive with the chittering sounds of unseen alien wildlife.

Ah? Did I say normal?

The streaks of light were staining the sky. 4-winged birds began singing - at first in ones or twos, but gradually swelling into a general, joyous chorus. Occasionally, while I was searching for a perfect branch, one could be seen flitting between the well-spaces trees, in search of food.

I moved through the foliage, hyper- alert -- looking around like a tourist in Hell. A blue monkey-like creature leaping from limb to limb overhead, flashing through the sunlight streaming down in shafts. A plant with swaying tendrils which reached toward me as I passed. This forest was more alive than the one on my village, with plants that reacted and moved like animals. I gulped as if every shadow conceals razor-fanged death.

”Right... Weapon.”

That was my first thought after walking around for about an hour. Somehow I couldn’t believe how slow I was in situations like this.

So I spent about an hour looking for something. I thought this would be easy at first. That was true. In this jungle, finding 1.7m branch free of knots, twists or limbs was an easy task. The problem was breaking it without any tool and finding one who would strong and flexible enough.

With a sigh, I tried to step on the 11th branch.

”Oh?”

Never once in my life I was this surprised, not only this branch was strong enough to hold my body weight, it also very flexible, enough to bounce back as soon as I stepped on it.

“This will do it.”

Actually, it would be more helpful if this branch was thick at its center, but hey, beggar couldn’t chose.

Using the vines that I bit off and collected while was searching for this branch, I started making the preparations for it.

My third hour was spent by biting off the vines, flexing the bow, and strung it away.

In the process I also created stone hammer by tying down round rock with thick branch.

Why not made a spear? Well, good luck carving the spearhead without any knife.

On the fourth hour, I managed to gather 12 branches good enough to become arrows... Maybe.

Normally, I only needed a straight branch. But once again, because of the lack of tools, it was necessary for me to search a straight branch with natural pointed head for the sake of saving times.

With feathers that I collected from the local bird, I put the fletching as the finishing.

I really went back to the primitive way huh.

Speaking of creating a bow, it was funny that every country had their own version of bows; Like Japanese bow, European hunting bow, Native American bow or African bow.

Even though none of this place was related to each other back then, yet they had their own version of ‘bow’

Maybe because deep inside a human knew they couldn’t fight at a close distance with beasts and they all created the same ranged tool.

No. Wait. I let my mind wandering around again. Okay deep breath, deep breath. ...Hey, if this was another planet how could I breathe normally?

...Right, concentrate first, think later.

Moving forward, I, unaware of the advancing doom, was still bracing forward when I suddenly heard a guttural snarl behind me.

I spun in time to see -- three tons of rippling tiger like creature launched over me, landing between me and the tree ahead.

The ground shook. The tiger emitted an earsplitting roar, enraged that I entered its territory. It twisted on itself, turning to face me, and bared its fangs with a lethal hiss.

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It was a black six-limbed tiger from Hell, with an armored head and massive distensible jaws. Seeing the amount of saliva dripping from its mouth, I bet this thing could eat a T-rex and had an elephant for desert.

Run. Definitely RUN!

I bolted as the six-limbed tiger leapt after me and rather than bit me off it somehow hit me with its giant paw, launched me between two large trunks.

”God... That hurt... Huh? It’s not hurt.”

Actually, just forgot about being hurt or any wound, my clothes didn’t even rip even though I was getting hit by its paw.

Shield is broken.

Oh? A notification? Now that I thought about this, from the top left of my vision, I could see an empty bar. I guessed this shield thingy was protecting my body? But since this was already broken that meant I didn’t have protection any more?

Wait... That was a good thing to know, but I had more major problem.

The beast was forcing itself to claw its way around to the side while I scrambled up, around, over a tangle of roots and

SK-RASH!!

”Holy!!”

Claws slashed the air behind me, exploding the bark off a trunk as I willed myself forward in a frenzy.

With rippling muscle the beast was airborne again, blacking out the sun but

”SUGAR HONEY ICE TEA!!!”

With a shout, I dove under a massive root system, and

CRASH!

Kindling rains around me as the beast teared into the root-trunks above me. Claws slashed down next to me as I rolled and crawled.

Glistening jaws smashed and snapped against the barrier trunks, sending chunks of wood flying. It was spittle sprays across me, jaws inches away as.

”ASdf!!”

I blurted out some unknown word as I rolled onto my back, nocking an arrow and fired it forward... But it only reflected back when it made contact with its skin.

Once again, I nocked an arrow but this time I targetted the inside of its mouth.

”Hah! How bout that!?” I shouted as I watched my arrow getting stuck on the beast’s mouth.

The beast screeched an ungodly wail of pain and rage and ripped the entire trunk away... seemed like I’d just provoked it.

I scrambled to escape but glistening jaws lunged downward, snapped shout and the creature ripped me out of the tree, shaking me like a junkyard dog with a rabbit, only It had me by the backpack, so I removed it and flew free as the beast ripping the backpack with its teeth. Giving me a moment to sprint away, but with a hideous bellow the beast crashed after me, splintering the trees.

”Guh! How persistent!!”

I ran in a blur, dodging between trunks as a glistening black tornado shredded the forest behind me and I saw a water ahead.

Behind me was tiger’s mouth, in front of me maybe a crocodile’s mouth.

But MAYBE was 100% better in this situation.

”KYA!!”

I doved with all my might while shrieking like a girl. Behind me, the beast jaws snapped shut inches behind me as I flew out into open space.

”U-Waaa, unclefu-!”

Clenching my bow, I posed as a superhero prepared to do their landing and I splashed down into a strong moving river.

Curled into a ball while knowing what it felt like to be a dirty laundry in a washing machine, I managed to raise my head back to the surface.

”You’re kidding me, right!?”

The beast, persistent as it didn’t want to lose its toy, leapt down after me, pursuing from rock to rock, its claws swiping like grizzly fishing for salmon.

And here I thought that cat supposedly hated water.

I swimmed around and started ducked under as...

FWHOOSH!

Black claws slalshed past my face amid turbulent bubbles.

How could I avoid that? Was I a good swimmer? No. Then how could I swim this fast?

I opened my eyes and saw another waterfall ahead. I was swept over the falls rather than swimming, with the beast swiping at me from a rock, just touching my hair and I once again fell down the throat of the thundering cataract.

”FU-”

My clothes got drenched, tangled up and becoming heavier than my body.

”-Ck!”

I gargles as I was trying to remove my blazer and my shoes, throwing the stone hammer aside, my head finally able to burst through the surface, and gasped for breath.

I was carried along by the current, but managed to grab a limb on a fallen tree. Weakly pulled myself up, and just lie there gasping on the trunk.

Above me, on the cliff, the beast bellowed a roar which echoed across the jungle.

”Fuh... That’s what I’m talking about bitch!” I shouted as the beast turning its back against me.

Though... I, wet and bruised, crouched under a screen of giant leaves.

Without any rest, I manically checked my bow... magically, it didn’t break and I didn’t even let it go even after the whole ordeal. That was good, I couldn’t afford 2 or 3 hours gathering the tools and creating another now.

But...

I couldn’t help but curled a grin. Of course, I was afraid and shaking like an idiot, maybe even peed a little. But the adrenaline... The thrill of the hunt and being the hunted really got on my nerves.

Back on earth, there was no way that kind of beast existed, heck even if it existed... Wait, concentrate first, think later.

After shaking my body like a wet dog, I walked through the forest like it was a minefield, carrying my bos white-knuckled. I was freaked, excited and hyper-alert

The trees in this area were a hundred meters high, blocking out the sky. A few pencil beams of sunlight filtered down into the emerald gloom.

I didn’t know how many hours I’d been walking, gathering branches while avoiding any beasts, but the sky hadn’t turned dark at all.

Well, that was good actually. Considering my phone was broke after that whole diving sport.

”Hm?”

I saw a shape moving with liquid grace in the shadows behind me.

I caught only glimpses; a glint of eyes, a slinking black movement. Then silence.

Am I being stalked again?

It was true some animals had the tendency to hunt for sport, that black tiger might be one of those types of animal.

But from the sound of the ruslting leaves, this one seemed lighter than the black tiger, so might be something small?

Nocking an arrow, I pulled the string and swiftly spun around.

“D-d-don’t Sh-Sh-shoot.”

It was a human?