Awakening from both the nightmare and the dreamlike, dusty, sun-filled room, I gasp for breath, patting all over my chest furiously.

“What is going on?! Guys?! Mike?” I sigh, realizing I’m all alone. Alone in the forest next to the flame where we slept. It's almost morning, and the sun's rays are beginning to rise. The piles of leaves we stacked for sleeping are mostly intact, maybe a bit scattered. The leftovers from cleaning and carving my stick are still there, strewn on the ground. The bowl of eternal flame remains unchanged, burning as strong as ever.

"Did I die or not? Was this all a dream?" I ask myself. There's only one way to find out.

Quickly pulling off my dirty sneaker and sock, I see a perfectly healed wound where my pinky toe should be.

“Oh god.” I sigh.

“It really happened after all… It wasn’t an NDE.” I lean back and stare up at the trees as I did yesterday morning. My fast-beating heart begins to calm.

“This is the new reality. I must accept it.” I breathe in deeply while lying there, staring at the canopies gently swaying in the wind.

Feeling more alive than ever, I'm acutely aware of every cell in my body. When was the last time I caught myself enjoying breathing?

Strange. To feel truly alive, I had to die first.

“What now?” I lie there, trying to comprehend my thoughts.

Apparently, I can’t die for good. No one else has ever had such a chance. I must embrace it. Setting clear goals will get me back on track.

First things first, I need to find Mike and Astrid... And that cat, was it a hallucination or not? No, it must’ve been real. They would have appeared here too if they had died. Or am I the only one capable of this? I need to find out. Motivated by the need for answers, I start to walk confidently towards the grassy meadow where we fought the nutrias.

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“Hush!” I quickly slap my cheeks.

“Stop it, damn it!” My mood swings like crazy. The horrifying moments of my death flash before my eyes, and I can feel some phantom pain.

Terror and motivation swap places rapidly. I have an idea.

“Items”

Pastry, 2 pcs / Tiny satchel of coins (12) / Beverage, 2 pcs / Carved halves of wooden stick / Tiny folding knife / Discharged smartphone / A bunch of keys with a weathered keychain

“I didn't lose anything?” I ask myself in surprise, closing the window and balancing a pastry and a beverage bottle in one hand.

I temporarily bite into the hardened whole-grain bread and use both hands to pull out the cork from the bottle. It's pretty hard to do carefully, to avoid breaking it.

The cork makes a satisfying pop, and the smell of alcohol hits my nose. This one is definitely stronger than the other bottle.

Welp. No one can stop me now.

I chug almost half of the rich beverage while softening the bread in my mouth. This small, present moment is very enjoyable.

“Skills”

The window appears in the blink of an eye.

Markus Hale foreigner level 4 Strength 7 no skill Agility 3 no skill Willpower 4 no skill Endurance 3 no skill

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Nothing changed here, no other penalty except the part of my body...”

I must be super cautious from now on.

“So, the meadow, possible nutrias again?”

“Then the asshole knight, creaky shack, and finally the ruin.”

I sigh. The thought of revisiting my deathbed in the upcoming hour sends shivers down my spine.

I jog through the forest carefully, taking huge comical steps to keep my sneakers as dry as possible. The morning dew has already fallen, and every single blade of grass is covered in water droplets. I hate my choice of wearing breathable running shoes. Not only are they super slippery, but they also soak up every bit of moisture.

As the sun illuminates the grassy meadow, I consider all the possibilities that could await me. First, I need to ensure I haven't traveled back in time. I'm not sure where the nutria bodies were, but I'll know when I see them.

Could they have resurrected or turned into more powerful versions?

I think of a different approach; since my baton was cut in half, I can dual wield it. The knight's claymore made a perfect cut, leaving me with two even sharper spikes than I had carved.

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There it is. I stop for a moment and shield my eyes from the strong rising sun with my hand. “There.” Definitely, one should be there. The grass we trampled is almost fully upright, but the traces are still visible.

I hop over the grass to avoid getting wet, but it's not very effective. My toes already feel the cold water.

“Great!” The fat, furry rat lies lifeless on the ground with a dried blood spot on its side.

“I wonder if we ever end up dissecting these and collecting meat.”

Even the thought of cutting open the furry beast makes me uncomfortable. But on the other hand, that dry bread would go well with a slice of steak. I look over the carcass, noticing its muscular back legs.

“So, time travel is ruled out.” I check an imaginary to-do list in my head.

One more spot to check to be a hundred percent sure, and I can head back to the path between the fields. A much worse threat awaits me there to avoid.

I hop over the tall grass while looking for the next spot where the grass was trampled.

“Fuck!”

I mutter, quickly lowering my voice. Stopping immediately and freezing, I gaze at the nutria.

This one definitely wasn't there before. Its paws are curled underneath, and I lean forward slightly, noticing it's breathing.

“Whoa.” I whisper, feeling regret over what I'm about to do.

What should I do? Ambushing a sleeping beast feels cowardly. But logic tells me to avoid conflict and potential harm.

Now or never! I raise my two broken sticks to eye level and decide which is the sharpest for the first and hopefully last strike.

“Yep. The one on my right.”

Now, where to strike? The eye could be tricky as it might slip or shift. The ear seems to be the most viable option. Imagining the beast's internal structure, I aim for the ear canal, hoping to reach the brain.

*Guilty inhale*

*Tschchk*

*Wild screeching*

The beast wakes fully, screeching in agony and confusion. A steadily depleting health bar appears over its head.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! This is too noisy. It could attract a whole army of them or worse.”

I quickly swap hands and pin the beast in the ear with my left stick, using my dominant hand to stab it over the fat body. It continues to screech wildly.

“Fucking hell! Just shut up!”

*Smack* *Squelch*

“Damn it!” With my last blow, I'm crouching, holding both of my sticks buried in the beast, watching the health bar deplete. Once it hits zero, it disappears.

“Phew.”

I could swear these stabs were easier to perform than before. Maybe because the beast's muscles were relaxed in sleep or because my strength increased? I argue with myself.

“Stats.”

Checking my stats, I do a brief calculation. I should gain another level after two more kills of these. But I’m unsure if this still works when doing it the cowardly way.

Continue forward towards my goal or do a little side hustle? My gut tells me to take advantage of these sleeping rats. If I don’t gain a level, my reward will be knowledge.

Not knowing how to spot more of them, I repeat the same pattern. Now, ignoring my soaked sneakers, I slowly lurk through the grass towards the next known dead nutria.

Bingo! I whisper.

*Stab.*

This time, I don’t hesitate and stab both sticks deeply into the ear canal and behind the neck. The beast stays quiet, and I watch the health bar drain to zero in mere seconds.

I exhale deeply, a relieved smile appearing on my face for the first time in a long time.

“Third time's the charm.”

*Twinkling in the distance catches my eye.*

“Ah shit!”