I walk through the dark forest towards the nearby hill, accompanied by the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind and the buzzing of various insects. I was tense at first, head constantly swiveling around looking for danger, but I relaxed a little as the walk continued, just enjoying the peacefulness that comes with walking through nature, something I can't recall ever having done before. The orphanage I stayed at during my earliest memories had the kids stay inside most of the time, so the most I did then was play in the yard with the other kids every once in a while, and I definitely never had the chance for a midnight stroll once I was sold off to the traffickers.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the experience, the breeze against my skin, the smell of the plant life, all of it comes together to help me forget my worries for a while. Even the aching coming from my injured tail has lessened, the stump now a tiny bit longer in length. Nevertheless, I make sure to not get too relaxed, I'm still in unknown territory after all, and it wouldn't hurt to be on guard.

So I continue on my way as before, occasionally stopping to climb a tree to make sure I'm heading in the right direction and not getting lost, and as the minutes pass peacefully, nothing bothering to make their presence known, I receive a couple of notifications along the way. Since I'm not really in danger, they come whenever they can, just like when I was practicing in the church or the storage room. The first to appear is one informing me that [From The Brink] Leveled up, most likely because of my tail slowly regrowing this whole time. This gives me the morbid idea of cutting off fingers or other parts of my body to continuously upgrade the Skill, but the thought of it feels wrong to me, so I put it on the backburner for emergency situations only where I desperately need Skill levels for whatever reason. Besides, it's already leveled up three times since I've gotten it, and it will most likely do so much more by the time my tail finishes healing since it is still only about half the length it used to be.

The next notification I received occurred after about twenty to thirty minutes of walking, as I was nearing the base of the hill, and it was about the acquiring of a new Skill for my subspecies, which was much more exciting news in my opinion.

[Due To Repeated Actions, You Have Learned The Passive {Temiskyr Imp} Skill [Nightvision] Level 1!]

[Nightvision]:

Improves the user’s ability to see in areas with low lighting.

While the effect isn't very flashy, it proves to be somewhat useful immediately, as the moment I gain the Skill, my surroundings become slightly easier for me to discern without having to focus my sight to spot more details. Since it’s passively enhancing my sight, it should also just level up over time as I spend my time traversing in the night. Though, if my theory that more difficult accomplishments and trying new applications increase levels much more than repetition is correct, then it'll probably take a while for it to level up, which is a minor downside in the grand scheme of things since it still improves the visibility around me even at this low level.

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After a dozen or so minutes of walking through the trees, I start to hear something that takes me an embarrassingly long time, that I will not disclose, to realize is the sound of rushing water in the direction I am heading. Having not drank anything since arriving in Dharta, I quicken my pace a bit, and after a couple more minutes, I breach through to a clearing in the forest where I spot a section of the river that is running through Littlecreek, the water glistening from the light coming down from the night sky above that it's reflecting. On the other side of the river, I can see an open grassy area that comes to be a welcome change from the monotony of the forest I just exited. Surprisingly, sitting on the edge of the clearing near to the river is an old log cabin covered in some overgrowth.

Thank God I found shelter, or should it be Goddess? I've apparently got one looking out for me after all.

While I'm a little worried about the fact that the cabin is by the same river that the Rusalka resides in, I got a message after a minute or so of running saying that I left the Domain of Rusalka’s Creek, so hopefully she doesn't venture all the way out here. On that logic, I decide it's worth the risk, especially since I was thinking that I would have to sleep outside all this time and only hoped for some decent shelter. After approaching the river, I stoop down and cup a handful of water into my mouth, and am instantly refreshed by the cool liquid going down my throat. While down there, I notice that this portion of the river isn't too deep, and would only go up to my knees if I crossed it, and is also moving at a slow enough pace that I'm not really worried about being swept up in the current.

Having shelter only a few yards away, I roll up my wool trousers to above my knees, and start trudging through the river whilst trying my hardest not to slip. The water feels ice cold on my legs, but thankfully the river is only a few yards wide at this spot, so I get across it fast enough that I don't get too cold. Once I reach the grassy clearing, I immediately head towards the cabin and head towards the only way in which I can see, the door on the front side of the building. Opening it with ease, I thank the former residents of Littlecreek for apparently not locking almost anything, and enter the slightly dusty room.

Once inside, I notice that the door does have a latch on the inside to prevent the door from opening, but since it's only accessible from the inside, I guess it makes sense the building without any occupants wouldn't be locked. I put the latch in place since I'm the one occupying it now, and then look and see what I have to work with, and once again thank Goddess for my good luck. The room is sparse overall, having an empty desk and chair to one side, with a rack on the wall occupied by a couple of pickaxes, but none of that is more important than the bed in the back right corner. I quickly dart over to it, setting my axe on top of the desk to the left, and collapse onto it. A couple of straws press into me from the mattress, but I couldn't care less, I've slept on worse before. I turn onto my back and look up to the ceiling, now noticing a small glassless window on the wall opposite the door that is letting the sliver of moonlight in that lets me see in this dim interior.

While lacking a blanket or pillow, the bed is still plenty of comfort for me after the event-filled day I just had. Soon exhaustion washes over me as I stare up at the ceiling above me, and before I know it, my eyelids drop down as I descend into a peaceful slumber.