Shin was enlightened by the sun's rays and the smell of fresh air. Despite the numerous near-death experiences, he is gradually growing fond of this new world. It was a rough start, but it never really bothered him that much.

What he assumed as he was looking out the window a few moments ago, proved his instincts were correct: the cabin was indeed on top of a lush hill, and the forest was in the distance below. Shin wanted to go out after being unconscious for three days, but before he could, Wilfried had asked him a small favour before leaving. He said that "If you're going for a walk outside, please bring back some of the herbs I wrote down on this piece of paper." "You'll find it useful later on."

Shin had no choice but to accept his favour if it would be useful later. After all, it was the least he could do in return for all the help he received when he was rescued and nursed back to health. It was the least he could do for the time being, and who knows, maybe he'll learn something about herbs as well.

He respectfully grabbed the paper and began to slowly walk down the hill. Reading the note Wilfried had given him, Shin was intrigued at the contents of the paper "Clovart Azuli." He muttered. The herb looks like a blue and purplish flower that grows near river banks, similar to a river lily. Flipping the back of the note there was some sort of warning about picking the herb, it read "Clovart Azuli, favourite meal of the Gadicans."

"Gadicans?" He muttered. If his assumptions prove to be correct again, these Gadicans should be somehow close or related to a Pelican. Just by thinking about the similarities of the names, Shin found this task to be quite an easy one.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, where am I going to live here? I feel bad staying with Wilfried, he has already done so much for me and sooner or later my debt to him will be through the roof."

From all the novels he read about people being reincarnated or summoned to another world as heroes to save the world from evil, he wondered if this is his purpose. But looking back to what happened when he was attacked, it seems like he is just a normal person who was blessed with a restart in another world.

Even if Shin is not the hero that will save this world, he still has one goal in mind. Find a way back home to Hina.

Shin eventually found a solution that will hopefully benefit both parties while he considers how he will live his life here in the meantime. Given that he has no choice but to stay with Wilfried until he decides to leave, he will likely propose an idea that Wilfried will accept. He would do chores like picking herbs for Wilfried and cleaning up in exchange for living with him.

"Maybe if I do a good job for his favour, it will hopefully convince Wilfried that I am a reliable guy."

"This favour already sounds easy as pie, and the warning about the Gadicans, they shouldn't be a threat. . . Hopefully."

Looking around the forest, he never got a chance to see how beautiful it was; after all, the last attack knocked him unconscious soon after and with a hazy vision.

What makes the forest really beautiful in his eyes? It is the abundant amount of the colour blue that covers the place. From blue leaves to blue flowers, it was a really strange yet beautiful forest.

Moving deeper and deeper into the forest, Shin eventually hears water gushing out nearby, and as he looks for the source, he eventually stumbles upon a river. It was a small shallow river that appeared to be about 5 meters wide and with no sign of wildlife.

Shin pulled out the note again and read the instruction Wilfried left him, and according to the note, once he finds the river, he is supposed to travel upstream which would eventually lead him straight to the location of the clovart azulis.

The sun began to set down and slowly, his horizon started to be lit up by the glowing crystals as he went upstream. Shin let out a sigh of disappointment, walking and searching for this flower that never showed up.

For hours since he left, there has not been any sign of wildlife or any living thing in the forest. Only the sound of the water rushing downstream kept his patience at bay. He began to lose hope that this was all for nothing. His day wasted on a flower that cannot show itself and has no sign of reliability to show to Wilfried.

Just as he was about to scream in frustration, there was a rustling noise behind the tree on the other side of the river. Shin stopped to pay attention to what it might be. The rustling soon became louder and louder and eventually, a weird creature came out of the bushes to drink the water in the stream.

Never in a million years did Shin ever want to yell in happiness because of a little creature. Maybe his day was not wasted he thought, and by the looks of the creature, it appears to be harmless and only interested in the water.

The creature looked to be no more than a fox but with brown fur and a bigger size than a normal adult. He wondered if the creature is the Gadican but seeing as there was no flower nearby, it was probably another species he has no knowledge of.

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Shin did not want to bother the little guy and with the atmosphere beginning to be dark, he decided to go start heading back before he got caught in the dark with nothing to light his way. It was only a few steps toward home when the creature began to squeal and ran off into the woods.

His joyful look and excitement soon faded away and all he felt was anxiety and fear. "Please don't tell me that the little guy ran away scared for their life," he muttered. He Closely paid attention to his surroundings, and felt an eerie aura, as if something was watching him.

There will be no more dealing with the supernatural. He muttered, frustrated, and made a break for it, his adrenaline pumping through the roof. To him, getting lost was secondary to simply get away from the situation and figuring out what it was later. He ran as fast and as swiftly as the current of the river, watching and paying close attention to his surroundings to ensure that he did not miss a single moment that could have saved his life.

However, luck was on his side at this time. The crystals in the forest began to glow brighter and brighter as the sunset. He had an idea while looking for the herb a few hours ago, hoping it would come in handy later. He conducted a mini-experiment with the crystals on the ground to avoid becoming lost in the forest. He noticed that when he grabbed one of the crystals, it left a dust-like particle that glowed faintly, almost like a glowing ink that can be applied to anything it comes into contact with. He began to draw an X on trees to mark the way back to the cabin, hoping that the ink-like crystal would last a long time and eventually guide him back.

spotted an X mark on a tree he put a while back and his eyes lit up with joy knowing that he would be able to make it out. Even though the uneasy gaze had not left him, he decided to keep on making his way to the cabin rather than stopping for a break.

"Finally!"

"This stupid forest can finally kiss my ass goodbye!"

Exhausted and out of breath, Shin decided to take a little break as he placed his hands down on his knees, attempting to catch his breath.

"What the hell was that aura?"

"Damn, what should I say to Wilfried now? He ask for a favour and I didn't even do it."

"Damn it all!"

Breathing heavily he made his way up the hill to the cabin complaining and smacking himself in the face, Shin did not like the feeling of letting people down and especially if the person was a great help to him. His idea of convincing Wilfried that he is someone who is reliable is now down the drain. A seemingly easy mission but he made no progress.

A cruel silence soon befalls as he reached the top of the hill, his tantrum soon turned to pure shock and silence. There at the top was the cabin slowly burning and crumbling into ashes, blood splattered all over the ground and the atmosphere thickening.

"Oh no, not again, this can't be happening again."

"Please tell me this is a dream... PLEASE!"

Standing there, completely shocked, Shin slowly closes his eyes hoping that if this was a dream, he would snap back to reality. He let out a sigh, gently lifting his head up as his body chilled up from the cold breeze behind him.

He let out one last please as he opens his eyes, hoping that everything would be back to normal. To his surprise, all he saw was darkness, no sign of light or any objects. It was as if he was floating in a dark void.

Looking around confused he yelled "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Ah yes, the supposed to be the prince of darkness, floating around scared, waiting to wake up from a nightmare he cannot face."

"Who are you?"

"I have no reason to tell you my name nor what am I."

"A pathetic boy hoping to have a grand adventure thinking life would be easy."

"Someone like you does not deserve the title of a god."

"God? What do you mean by that?"

"It matters not."

"There's no point wasting my time on a hopeless child."

"And until you begin to show hope, you will never escape from my curse."

"Despicable child."

"Wait! What did I do to piss you off that much?"

"Answer me!"

"Please!"

"Wooaaah!"

In the next moment, a light slowly filled the horizon. The darkness of the void soon vanished and his vision returned to him. The ray of the setting sun gazed upon his face as he lay on the ground utterly confused.

Lifting his body up he let out a sigh of relief. Everything was back to normal, the cabin was there in the distance, fully built and intact with no sign of destruction.

Shin began to make his way back to Wilfried but his mind still could not grasp the situation he was suddenly in. Why did the voice despise him so much he wondered.

"What the hell does it mean? I don't deserve the title of a god?"

"Since when am I a god? What is happening!?"

"Okay, okay, breathe and calm down. You still have some explaining to do with Wilfried."

"Speaking of Wilfried, why is he standing still near the firewood? I wonder if something happened to him."

"Wilfried! I'm back!"

"Wilfried?"

With no response coming from Wilfried, Shin began to worry once again. It then struck him that the voice mentioned something about a curse being put on him. His face began to show despair again and Shin never wanted to have a break for once terribly. It was already bad enough that he has to worry about a place to stay, and now, an unknown curse which suddenly appeared is now part of his worries too.

Finally back from his gathering task, Shin went to go check on Wilfried who was not answering his call for him. He felt nervous and anxious and thought about what if Wilfried already knows what happened in the forest and the clear sign of no response was his disappointment towards him.

Putting his hand on Wilfried's shoulder, Shin asked if everything was okay, but again there was no response. As he tried to lean forward to check on him, Wilfried slowly turned his head around towards Shin and what happens next left a scar on his mind. Shin's eyes widen in terror as he saw what happened to Wilfried's face.

The once old man he knew was suddenly stripped of his humanity. His old and genuine face suddenly became pale and rotten, chunks of flesh missing from his cheeks and his eyes gave off a stiff and lifeless gaze, showing only an eerie feeling. Everything about Wilfried's face was disturbingly unnatural, his skin began to peel, leaving heaps of flesh to fall to the ground, exposing his broken skull.

Everything was incompressible, and the only thing he can do was scream in terror. Shin fell to the ground crying in pain as he watched Wilfried's head slowly fall onto the ground. There was only one explanation that popped into his head during this time. Is this the unknown curse that was put onto him?