Eric ran through the crumbled buildings, stopping a few times to make sure he did not run into the wolves. On his way he saw many dead bodies and didn't meet a single living person. He didn't have the luxury to check if they died from the earthquake or the monster bear. He also found a first aid kit, and after checking its contents, he took it and continued on, not bothering to change the dirty bandages on his wounds.

After sprinting for a few minutes and picking up some supplies along the way, he finally left the area, but stopped when he noticed something abnormal. A dense line of trees entered his vision. Tall and broad trunks with thick, deeply intertwined roots. Numerous undergrowth and fallen leaves covered the muddy ground.

Why am I in a forest? Wasn't I in a city? Where are all the buildings, the streets, the people?!

The sight of the forest made him feel strange. The nearest forest was ten miles away from his apartment, yet here he was. He was confused and puzzled, how could he have crossed ten miles without realizing it? Not just him and the people, but the buildings as well. Was the earthquake so strong that it changed the terrain?

Did I fall underground?...No!

He looked up at the sky. The sun was high and the air was warm, with no sign of dark clouds. He closed his eyes as a gentle and warm wind blew past him, savoring the sensation.

It's a little strange that the weather is so warm, considering it's the winter season.

It had been snowing for a week, so he found it a bit odd that the weather would suddenly change.

Where the hell am I?

It was a pity that he hadn't found a phone, otherwise he would have been able to locate himself and maybe find out what had happened.

At first, he thought about climbing a tree to see if he could find his location or something to use as a landmark, but he quickly abandoned the idea when he saw the towering height of the tree. A hundred feet was his rough estimate, which shocked him.

I'm not in the Amazon forest, am I? I certainly hope not!

He didn't know which way to go, hesitating for fear of making a mistake and venturing further into the forest instead of finding his way out. In the end, he gave up and chose a random direction where the trees weren't so dense and didn't block the path.

****

The forest didn't seem to change at all, even after half an hour of walking. For a moment, he almost forgot that he was in a dangerous area, but the roars and howls he heard from time to time brought him back to his new reality. The roars came from different directions, so every time he heard them, he stopped and held his breath, not daring to make any kind of sound or movement that might attract those beasts to him.

As he walked, his body suddenly swayed, his leg gave way, and he fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but his body seemed paralyzed and it refused to move, so he gave up and just stayed lying down.

After a while, feeling sufficiently rested, he dragged his body across the ground until he reached a tree and leaned his back against it. His face was soaked with sweat from the pain. A deep breath escaped through his clenched teeth as he endured the stinging pain of his broken rib, but he had other matters that needed his attention.

He set the things he had gotten during his escape on the ground, some clothes, a bottle of water, and a box of medical supplies. He opened the box, grabbed all the things he needed, and placed them next to him in preparation for his treatment. Next, he took off his shirt and pants. Fortunately, the blood was still wet and hadn't clotted and stuck to his clothes. The pain from his broken rib overshadowed the pain from ripping the clothes from his wounds.

The horn rabbit's teeth had torn chunks of flesh from his arms, and blood covered him to his shoulders. The worst injury was to his leg, where the metal bar had left a gaping hole. He could see the bone.

Familiar with the process and the pain that accompanied it, Eric grabbed a water bottle and a gauze pad. He poured the water over the wound on his leg and used the swab to clean up the blood and dirt.

After making sure the wound was thoroughly clean, Eric put a small piece of clothing in his mouth, bit into it, and poured alcohol solution into the gaping hole. He didn't know what was wrong with the horned rabbit, but he was sure it wasn't healthy. He hoped it hadn't infected him with some dangerous disease.

With a pale face, he taped the wound with surgical tape and wrapped some bandages around his leg a few times. Without pausing, he performed the same procedure on his arms.

After tending to his wounds, he dressed in clean clothes and leaned against the tree, but didn't close his eyes. He was in unknown territory, sleeping here would be a fatal mistake that could endanger his life. The memories of that monster bear still haunted him, and he was afraid it would track him down.

While resting, he caught a glimpse of something bright in his peripheral vision. Curious, he got up and went to see what it was. The object was mostly covered in leaves, and he could only see glimpses of metal reflecting the sunlight, not the full shape. Kneeling, he removed the leaves and was finally able to see what it was.

An old, rusty dagger lay there. The blade was broken and the handle was made of wood. He picked it up and wiped away the mud that covered it. Noticing a dark, dried substance on the blade that hadn't been removed, he wiped it off with his index finger and brought it up to his nose.

Blood?! The smell and appearance were the same as old blood.

As he played with the dagger, a rustling sound from a nearby bush interrupted his thoughts. He got up and moved towards the bush, taking the broken dagger with him. He didn't want to take any chances if something dangerous was hiding in the bush.

The bush was about a meter high and its thick leaves blocked his view, so he parted the foliage to get a better look at whatever was making the noise.

A frown creased his face as a pungent scent hit his nostrils, a scent he was all too familiar with. He parted the leaves even faster than before.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Huh, that?!

Eric took a step back as he stared at the body of the man lying there. He was wearing a strange leather jacket that looked like armor.

"I didn't expect to see this."

The pungent stench he had smelled earlier indicated decaying bodies, and he recognized the foul odor all too well as he was accustomed to the smell of decaying corpses, but he had initially assumed it was some kind of dead animal. What he hadn't expected was that the source of the stench was a human being.

"Has he been attacked by a vicious animal?"

The man was missing a part of his body. His right side was gone, looking like it had been gnawed on by an animal. Eric frowned at the sight of the body's intestines hanging off to the side and some on the bloody ground.

What could have attacked him? A lion... a tiger... or that monster bear! Judging by the color of his skin, it had been a while since he'd died.

Eric sighed, and just as he was about to turn away, a faint rustle caught his attention. He followed the sound until a shocking sight met his eyes. His eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him.

W-What the hell?!

He spotted a creature that resembled a squirrel, but was slightly larger than the typical one. But it wasn't its size that startled him, it was the gruesome sight of the squirrel greedily gnawing at the dead man's leg. He watched as the creature opened its mouth, revealing a set of sharp teeth that tore into a piece of flesh. Its jaws made the sound of clanging metal as they moved.

After careful observation, a sound echoed in his mind and a tiny message appeared on the top of the squirrel in his field of vision. Eric focused his attention on the unexpected message:

[Squirrel, Level 1] (corrupted)

Distracted by the sudden message, he failed to notice that the squirrel was staring at him. Eric suddenly felt a burning pain in his face and grabbed the creature. Using both hands, he ripped the creature away, a groan escaping his lips as it tore a chunk out of his flesh. Clutching the squirrel tightly, he slammed it to the ground before picking up the dagger that had fallen to the ground when the creature attacked him and stabbing it.

Eric didn't stop until the squirrel's screams had subsided, and even then he stabbed it a few more times just to make sure it was completely dead. He let go of the lifeless squirrel and dropped to the ground.

Immediately after the squirrel died, a new pop-up window appeared.

[You have killed [Squirrel, Level 1]. (corrupted)]

Eric took a deep breath, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He winced as he wiped the blood from his injured cheek.

What the hell is wrong with that squirrel?

Eric frowned as he examined the squirrel's lifeless body. He noticed that the blood oozing from its body was an unnatural shade of black, the same as the rabbit's.

Was it sick, too?

According to the window that appeared, it was described as a normal squirrel, but its size was bigger than any squirrel he had ever heard of. He knew he shouldn't blindly trust the words on a strange video game screen, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice; there were no other sources of information to exploit.

Let's treat what it says as a second opinion until I find someone who can explain... Whatever this is.

The message mentioned that the squirrel was 'corrupted', but offered no further explanation.

What exactly does that mean?

He continued to stare at the lifeless creature, hoping for more insight, but his vision remained blank. The message disappeared after the squirrel died.

Does it only work on living things?

He didn't know what condition was required for it to work, so he could only guess. He didn't dwell on it too much, since the window didn't give him much information other than the creature's name and condition.

He shifted his attention back to what the screen was saying about its condition. He was more concerned with the corrupted part. The term "corrupted" raised countless questions in his mind.

It's not going to infect me, is it?

Wait! A sudden thought flashed through his mind. How many other creatures in this forest could have the same disease as that squirrel?

He looked at the bush where the body of the half-eaten man lay.

Had he been killed and eaten by a sick animal?

Eric's eyes seemed distant as he considered the implications of this information. Who knew how many animals there were in this forest, and how many of them carried the same disease? If a single harmless squirrel could become so dangerous, he could only imagine what an already predatory animal would become if infected.

They won't be called animals anymore, they'll be called monsters!

He shook his head and sighed.

"There's no point in thinking about that now," he muttered. "I still have no idea where I am. Who knows, maybe this kind of squirrel is considered normal around here."

Even though Eric tried to be optimistic, he still raised his level of alertness to the maximum.

What am I supposed to do with you now? He thought as he looked at the corpse.

Eric dragged the man's body out of the bushes. Some of the corpse's intestines fell to the ground as he pulled, making his stomach churn, but he resisted the urge to vomit. Even though he had seen his fair share of dead bodies and torn limbs, the sight before him was still disgusting, and he could never get used to it.

"Let's see who you are now, Mr..." Eric searched the body for something that might help him find out where he was.

A phone or ID would be helpful.

He checked the pockets first, but found nothing. He ran his hand over the body, but still didn't find anything.

Doesn't this guy have any ID on him?

He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't find anything useful to identify his location.

"Wait... Maybe he dropped it somewhere."

He went back to the bush, pushed the leaves around, and carefully scanned the area. There! He noticed a small piece of chain under some leaves. Reaching out, he picked it up and walked out of the bush.

The chain was not long and had an object attached to the end. The object was covered in mud, making it difficult for him to identify it, so he wiped it off and took a good look. It was a small rectangular metal tag.

"This... It looks like a military dog tag." Surprised, Eric looked back at the body.

Is this guy a soldier too? He wondered why this man was here. The clothes he was wearing didn't match any known military clothing. Maybe he belonged to a special unit? But from which country?

Eric shook his head and looked back at the necklace. "Just because he has one doesn't prove that he is a soldier. Anyone can buy one nowadays."

But...what kind of language is this?

There were a few lines written in a strange language he didn't understand, followed by a serial number. 124601, the number was the only thing he understood.

As he focused on the writing, the text on the metal plate began to change. The words seemed to come to life, moving like a little snake. It changed from strange to alien, before it changed from alien to something familiar - something readable.

It became a text written in English.

W-What the hell?! Why did the text suddenly change?! Startled, Eric read the text with wide eyes.

The dark ink wrote the following:

Name: John Graham

- Rank: 1

- Department: The Hunter Division

Branch: The Patrol

- Status: Debtor of the temple