I had asked the screen to show me the nearest water source and shelter, but nothing happened.

Either the system was limited, or it didn't want to help me more than necessary.

So, I decided to descend into the valley, bypassing the cliff I was on.

As I walked, I kept asking the screen as many questions as possible, testing all the possibilities.

I didn't learn much more, just that I had a total of 40 health points and the same amount of endurance points.

Endurance represented my ability to perform actions. It drained when I exerted effort and replenished when I slept or ate.

Health points decreased if I got injured or if my endurance stayed at zero for too long. Everything felt like a video game.

"By the way, how do I know what a video game is?" I wondered.

Was it a memory from when I was alive? Or did this screen preload information into my mind? I had no idea. But my endurance bar showed 15/40, and it matched what I felt.

Fatigue started creeping in.

I urgently needed to find a place to rest.

There was an unsettling feeling, as if everything was too good to be true.

And the idea that I was in Hell kept haunting my thoughts. The screen only displayed the essential information.

"If it's crucial for me to know that I'm in Hell and I must level up, then I better start playing by the game's rules," I thought. That's when I made reaching level 2 my top priority.

"I'll surely unlock something that will help me!" I thought.

So, I began climbing back up the cliff, running.

The only way I knew to gain experience was by exploring new areas.

From the cliff, I had a panoramic view of the surroundings, hoping to stumble upon at least two discoveries worth 35 points each.

Climbing back up the slope I had previously descended proved to be a challenging and arduous task. Exhausted, I paused, leaning against a sturdy tree trunk. Out of curiosity, I summoned the screen.

My gaze fixed upon my endurance bar. I was gasping for breath, yet the bar had only dropped by one point.

"My muscle fatigue isn't tied to the endurance bar," I concluded.

No other statistics had changed. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment that neither my run nor my reflections and observations had elevated any of my stats.

Once I caught my breath, I continued my journey, this time walking.

.

Time passed, and the sun was lowering on the horizon. I didn't have much time left before nightfall.

"Will I gain points if I don't see anything?" I wondered.

These questions amused me.

In fact, all the rules of the game were amusing.

The idea of leveling up and the excitement of discovery.

I felt like I had never had so much fun.

I imagined myself as a mage, wielding a staff.

A mage? Strangely, I knew what that was.

But that didn't matter. I had finally returned to where it all began.

The clearing was still as spacious and calm as ever.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Maybe this is actually the best place to spend the night," I thought.

But first, I had to level up and find water.

Some food wouldn't hurt either.

I started walking in the opposite direction of my original path.

I took out the screen and looked at the map while walking, forcing me to move slowly as the screen obstructed my view of what lay ahead.

"Can you be more practical?" I asked. And then, the massive map that was in front of me shrunk and moved to the right side of my field of vision.

"So, this screen is capable of making my life easier after all," I thought. I followed the small trail marked on the map

.

After fifteen monotonous minutes, a blinking signal on the screen caught my attention to the right. I had just earned 10 XP for walking my first 10 Miles.

"Ah! I can earn points by walking. It's practical but too slow to be efficient," I thought.

I was glad, but 10 points didn't make much of a difference. I still needed to make two discoveries to reach the next level.

My stats hadn't changed. I continued walking.

I was tired, hungry, and thirsty. And I was starting to get really annoyed.

Nightfall was approaching, and I hadn't accomplished anything or found any answers.

I hadn't encountered anyone.

"Are there other people? Am I the only one here?" I wondered, with a bewildered look.

Inattentively, I tripped over a large root on the path, stumbling and falling heavily to the ground.

I felt my palms and knees burn, probably from big scrapes.

I was about to get up when I felt something pulling my left foot and lifting me up.

I was suspended in the air, arms outstretched. My mind went blank, and my brain gave up trying to understand the situation.

I lowered my head to look at my feet and saw that the roots I tripped over had wrapped around my ankle.

I turned my head towards the tree, about two yards away, and was horrified to see a huge open mouth splitting the trunk, waiting for me.

Panic-stricken, I thrashed my limbs around like a disjointed puppet.

I moved violently.

I screamed, without even realizing it.

If my bladder had been full, I would have emptied it completely at that moment.

I struggled so hard that I felt something snap.

Suddenly, I fell to the ground. "I must have managed to break a branch!" I thought.

Sweat covered my face as I leaned on my hands and wasted no time in fleeing.

By leaning on my left foot, I saw my body fall again. I barely caught myself with my other foot.

And I started hopping and running, not taking the time to figure out what was preventing me from running.

I looked ahead, but I glanced at my left ankle from time to time.

I felt nauseated seeing my left foot trailing, turned completely in the opposite direction.

What had snapped wasn't a branch, but my ankle.

It had probably broken. That's what allowed me to free myself from those roots.

The strangest thing was that I didn't feel any pain, just discomfort.

Was it the adrenaline? Maybe, but I didn't have time to study my own nervous system.

The roots were slow, but they were definitely chasing me.

I continued hopping as fast as possible, groaning as the pain started to intensify in my ankle.

I had my answer; it was indeed the adrenaline.

Fatigue and stress were making me delirious. Or perhaps it was the reality itself that made me see roots coming towards me from every tree I passed.

I had no desire to find out; I just kept moving forward.

The screen was still there, on my right side, displaying my profile.

I couldn't see the numbers, but I could see the green color of my health bar, reduced but the most concerning was the orange color representing my endurance bar.

I could barely see it.

I desperately needed to find a hiding place.

I pushed myself as fast as I could.

I couldn't feel my right foot anymore, and my left foot hurt so much that I wished I could tear it off.

If I slowed down, the roots would catch up to me, but if I continued like this, I would eventually collapse or even die from exhaustion.

It was almost like a miracle when I saw light at the end of this tunnel of menacing trees.

"Just a few more yards," I told myself, pushing with all my strength.

Finally, I emerged from the shadow of the forest into the light.

This light revealed a new discovery, but it was a bitter one.

Right in front of my feet was a sheer drop-off.

I was standing on a cliff overlooking a sea or a vast lake.

On one side, there were only trees in the distance, their roots starting to extend towards me. Just behind me, more roots were approaching. And ahead of me, the void opened its arms.

I couldn't even stand on both feet.

I took one last look at my screen. "Health points: 12/40 Endurance: 2/40"

I couldn't see how it would be possible to swim to the shore with so little energy.

If the fall didn't kill me, drowning would.

The only thing going through my mind was a macabre debate. Which death seemed less painful? Suddenly, my right foot, which I hadn't been able to feel for a while, gave way.

I saw myself falling from the cliff in slow motion.

"The roots had almost reached my body; in any case, I was dead one way or another," I thought.

.

The fall seemed endless, painfully endless.

.

I would have preferred a quicker death to spare me from thinking.

.

Suddenly, my body violently hit the water, and I lost consciousness instantly.

.

“SWAN DIVE! +60XP CONGRATULATIONS! YOU LEVELED UP!”