I gasped as I found myself on the ground and swiftly felt pain shoot through my stomach. Just what the hell was that monster?! It wasn't like anything that I fought.
No, it wasn't like any monster I faced. It was the same level as a Dark Dragon!
I gasped as I tried to stand up and regain my sword, but the humanoid abomination roared right in front of me, pushing me further away from the only weapon that could kill that thing.
Damn it! Why am I so weak?! I did everything I could to stop being weak and start protecting everyone in here! But why...? Why can't I stand up?!
I tried to stand up again, yet the pain was too much for me to bear to endure. I collapsed and found myself below the monster approaching me.
Why am I still weak?! Why couldn't I be able to kill my weak, pathetic self?! Am I still nothing? Am I nothing but a useless pawn in the end?! I can't...
"Don't tell me you're giving up yet, young apprentice?"
I gasped when I heard a familiar voice as a shadow covered the moonlight in front of me. I looked up and saw them standing with their sword in hand.
"I thought you said you want to take this chance to kill your weakness and move forward. But instead, you still wallowed over your perceived weakness," they said to me. "Just how much self-deprecation are you willing to take all because of a simple mistake?"
Yeah... Tell someone who seemed very strong against all monsters in this area. But as soon as I thought of this, I heard them chuckling in response.
"Wake up to your delusions, apprentice! What you're seeing isn't what you assumed to be the world of death! Only those who kept doubting themselves are the ones who deserved to die and only those who strike down their weakness will survive! If you truly want to become part of us, then stand up and show me your true potential!"
My true...potential...
"You still have the guts to fight, right?"
They're right... It's my decision to join the fight. It's my decision to kill my weakness. If I truly want to survive this world...
Then I'm willing to lose myself in the dance of my bloodlust!
----------------------------------------
I gasped as my eyes shot open. What happened? And since when did I fall asleep?
I looked around my surroundings after I yawned. I noticed dark trees surrounding the area I'm in, which I assumed to be a forest, several bushes and rocks scattered about, a purple sky, and a red half-moon...
Wait. A purple sky and a red half-moon?!
I quickly stood up when I made this realization. I checked up on myself and found some bruises and cuts around my face along with my torn suit. I saw a sword sitting right beside me covered in blood and nicks. And right in front of me...
Were pools of blood and piles of corpses of humanoid abominations I had ever seen in my life. My heart stopped when I also found a larger humanoid monster seemingly lying lifeless near my feet.
I remembered... I recalled the attempts of those shitty soldiers trying to turn us into demon bait. I recalled the demons ambushed us and killed everyone but me one by one. I recalled how one of my fellow otherworlders betrayed me and died afterward.
I recalled how I almost died from one of the demons.
After that, I recalled nothing else. Everything from that point was a blur to me, especially how I found myself in this strange forest. Not to mention the armor I stole earlier was somehow removed while I was blacked out.
I groaned in frustration. How did it come to this? What did I do to deserve this? Was this my punishment for asking too many questions to God? Regardless, it seemed like it would take a while for me to find a way out of this rathole and get back to civilization. Although, the real question was how am I supposed to get out of here in the first place. I'm nowhere close to the outpost and it seemed like I'm the only survivor here.
Knowing I couldn't just do nothing here, I walked around the area and see if there was something I could find to give me any clue on how am I going to find a nearby village or town here. There was no way I can find one if all I'm seeing was a purple sky, dark trees, and that sinister red moon. I tried blocking the light from the moon with my left hand. But I stopped when I noticed something that wasn't there before.
It was a ring with a silver band and purple gem shining on the middle finger of my left hand. And it was the very same one I found a few days ago.
What the hell? I never recalled wearing this ring in the first place. Then again, I never recalled getting into this forest in the first place. Now that I think about it, I couldn't remember what happened after that sudden ambush. Did I get amnesia from hitting my head while running away?
I took a deep breath. Thinking too much won't help me figure out the mystery of my current predicament. The first thing I should do was to remove the ring from my finger.
"TCH! That hurts..." I muttered as I felt pain while pulling this ring. "What the hell is this ring made of? A curse made of glue?!"
Snarking aside, it seemed that no matter what I do, it couldn't let go from my finger. I doubt using some slippery substance would help me with removing it. Just as I could continue, the glow suddenly grew intense, and before me was a holographic window that seemed reminiscent of any video game, just like what I saw back in God's domain. As soon as I did, I took a closer look at what it said.
> [You have one new message.]
One new message? That never happened to me before. If I recall, I could only access the menu-like system through a tablet outside God's domain, which those soldiers wouldn't let us have since in their words, "Expendables don't deserve items that were too expensive to break in the frontlines." Like that was a good excuse.
Still, this ring has some uses despite being suspicious. I decided to check its features out of curiosity.
"Hmmm... Open new mail," I commanded out loud. A few seconds later, nothing happened. "Open mail. PM? E-mail? Open email window!"
Even using those commands, nothing popped up from the ring. I took a deep breath again to avoid losing my composure. That was until I came up with a command.
"Read latest mail."
To my surprise, that command worked as another window opened with the following message right in front of me.
> [WELCOME, SEEKER!]
>
> [Congratulations on surviving the demon onslaught, seeker! And welcome to the [Demon Territory]!]
"Demon Territory"?! Wait, was it saying that I'm in the territory behind the Demon Border where demons lived?! Okay, this was turning for the worse for me! But why am I here at all?!
> [I'm sure you have many questions about your current situation, seeker. But fear not as you have everything to survive the world of [Demons]!
>
> Before I continue, I should explain more about the new features you have right now. I'm sure you have some questions, but I want to get this out of the way first.]
Yeah, like you want to answer everything I had right now.
> [As you might be aware right now, you are currently in the [Demon Territory], a world where demons thrive and humans die.
>
> And as much as I want to tell you why are you here, it would take the whole fun away if I do.]
Again, why am I not surprised? Then again, who even wrote this email?
> [What you have right now is a special ring granted to you. The [Anima Cecidit Ring].
>
> It will be your lifeline and the key to all of your questions. It contains everything you need to help you survive and learn everything you know about the territory and yourself.]
This ring...is my lifeline?
I'm completely confused about what they meant by it. Were they saying that I would die if I remove this ring or destroy it?
> [And before I forget, you can't remove, destroy, or throw away the ring. It's stuck there like glue and if you try cutting your finger to remove it, it will just pop up any of your remaining fingers or even inside your skin!
>
> But it doesn't matter what you do. Without the ring, you would have died by now. And you wouldn't able to finish your mission assigned by your ring.]
Of course, I couldn't remove it. Like it wanted me to remove it.
...Wait, what mission? Is it saying I have to do something in here to survive or get out of the [Demon Territory]?
> [Yep! Your mission, if you want to survive, is to discover who you are in this new world.
>
> Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
>
> If you don't finish it in time, you will die! If you die there, it will be worse than I can describe in words!
>
> I'm sure you're confused about what it means. But again, telling you won't be much of a challenge, right~?]
Like the hell you can tell me about everything!
> [As of right now, you have a lot of toys to play with the ring. However, take note that once you found the answer, you will start from zero.
>
> I can't say why, but you will understand once your journey to self-discovery ends.]
Self-discovery?! Stop telling me those nonsensical terms like my life is a video game!
> [One more thing before I forget and you start saying those obscene words.
>
> You're the one who accepted this mission without any hesitation.]
"I accepted it"? Without any hesitation?
But I don't remember...
> [You accepted it because you were seeking an important aspect you have been missing in your life.
>
> You desperately wanted to find it.
>
> You were willing to forget to gain something you needed.
>
> You don't care about the details afterward.
>
> The motive doesn't matter right now. All you know is that you can't afford failure.]
"I can't...afford any failure"?
Why... Why were those words made me nervous for some reason?
> [I wish you luck, Seeker.
>
> And I hope you can wake up soon on the road of enlightenment.]
And that's where the email ended. I didn't know what to say.
I'm still angry that it didn't answer everything. But the mention of me accepting this "so-called mission" made me wonder about my missing memories between the demon ambush and my current predicament in the Demon Territory. At this point, trying to question everything while idling around here won't give me any answers. If I wanted to survive, I might as well get a move on and avoid any demons along the way. So far, there were none by the time I woke up, so rather than checking my stats first, I should get out of here as fast as I could. The less time I waste, the better.
As I started walking through the woods, I'm hoping I could find somewhere to stay for a night, away from those demons. Sure, an opening that would let me lead out of the outpost or anywhere I could get to the Border and find some help would be nice. But with how serious it sounded from that email, I couldn't afford to leave here without risking my head and limb.
I spent an hour listening to my footsteps as I patiently look around for a way out.
I kept walking. Walking. Walking. I'm hoping to find something that would give me a safe haven for the night.
But after another hour, I found nothing.
I'm now exhausted. I'm covered in sweat. I had nothing but this dumb ring and my briefcase, which I'm surprised it survive despite everything I had been through. At this rate, I'm going to be hungry and thirsty if I keep walking. Yeah, I should have to find food and water before I could find a safe haven. My bad.
But there was no time to lament my stupidity. Still, there were no signs of deer, rabbits, or anything I could hunt, and a river that should be drinkable for humans. That email wanted me to survive, yet there was nothing for me to eat and drink. Terrific. Like it would get any worse...
RAAAAAWWWWRRR!!!
And why did I even jinx that?!
As soon as I turned around, I gasped to see not a red humanoid demon from before, but a black panther that has red glowing eyes, red sharp spines sticking out of its back, and claws that seemed ready to scratch out my guts.
This was really bad. I'm physically weakened, the sword could break at any moment from the dents on the blade, and I'm not mentally ready to face a creature that seemed impossible for a human to defeat. What was worse was that it already laid its eyes on me and was ready itself to pounce over me. There was no way I get out of this mess!
Of course, I had no choice but to take out my sword. I might be powerless, but I'm not a coward.
"Hey, you poor excuse of a cat!" I called out to the demon panther. "You want me as food? Then you have to get through my blade first!"
This was very stupid, but again, I won't run away without a fight. It gave me no option to run and I'm not gonna risk being a chicken.
I will fight and I will not let this monstrosity win!
"GRAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I rushed to the demon panther. When I got too close to it, I swung my sword with all of the strength I had while aiming it at the panther's neck. "Take this, you son of a b-"
But before I could finish, my sword's blade made contact with its neck...
And it was suddenly stuck through its fur and skin.
I tried to push the sword further through it, but something seemed to make it stuck. Like I'm trying to cut through concrete or metal. Regardless, it didn't seem to let me cut through its neck completely. And now, the panther was eyeing me with its red eyes. I quickly tried to pull away the sword away, but it was completely stuck and worse, it opened its mouth with sharp fangs and was about to bite one of my arms down. It had a sword stuck in its neck and yet, it wasn't bleeding and was running around normally. I had no choice but to back away and ran a few feet away before I lose an arm.
The good news was that all my arms were still here with me. Bad news: I lost the only weapon that would have helped me survive this death trap.
Well, that was stupid. I was hoping I could weaken it in a fight. Yet it ended up in a one-sided fight no thanks to that sword not being strong enough to decapitate the panther's head. Or rather, was the panther's skin too tough for the sword to penetrate? If so, was this the real reason behind the strength differences between the monsters in this world and the demons they feared?
But I had no time to lament or theorize about it. The panther was about to lunge at me and I need to act quickly. At this point, the only option left was to run and I need to run until I find something to fight against. I grabbed a few rocks from the ground, hoping to use them as distractions. I tossed as many as I could in the opposite direction from the panther just as it could notice my presence. I wish I could use them to injure it, but I'm not stupid to provoke it with some measly rocks. The plan seemed to work as the panther turned its head in the direction where I tossed the rocks and I started to run while I pocketed the remaining stones in my pockets.
If these were what demons looked like in a fight, then I can see why those soldiers were trying hard to prepare themselves and why they were trying to turn us into meat shields in the first place. While it didn't change the fact those soldiers were cruel and perverts, I could understand the severity when battling against these monstrosities. For now, I need to get away from the panthers as far as possible and...
RAAAAWWWRRRR!!!
I quickly stopped running as something jumped in front of me. It was a demon panther, but without the sword stuck in its neck. Don't tell me it has friends?!
RAWWWRRR!!!
I gasped as I turned around and saw the very same panther I faced with the sword behind me. I tried to make one step, but both panthers started to move around me, entrapping me in one single area with their eyes focused only on me. What's with this strange forest?! No matter what I do, no matter how much I tried to survive, this damn territory or something would do anything to ruin my chances of survival?!
That email said my ring was my lifeline. But so far, the ring didn't do anything but glow and supposedly showed me an email and stats. I know it seemed cursed, but do I have any complaints about it right now?! I aimed it at one of the rings to see if it could do anything. I waited for a reaction. But after a minute, nothing happened.
"Come on, you damn ring!" I shouted as I trusted my hand with the ring, trying to activate it or something. "You're supposed to be my lifeline, right?! Then do something and save me!"
I kept pleading and shaking my hand to make the damn ring work. But no matter what I do, it didn't respond. It didn't glow. I did everything, even gesturing and making those hand signs! Nothing!
The demon panthers were getting closer and closer with their mouths watered and their eyes still on me. I'm running out of ideas. Is this where I die? Screw this "mission". How can I even fulfill it when I can only do nothing but die here?! I'm only human, so what do you expect me to do, email?!
I'm gonna die. I'm so gonna die.
Well, this is it. I...
How stupid can you get?
Huh?
Don't you even know how to cast a spell?
A...spell?
Yes, magic! You know what it is, right? Then start casting a spell already?!
How delusional can you get, voice? The so-called God didn't give me any Job Class to use any skill like the others and...
Who cares about God and his blessings?! You can already know how to use a spell?! Have you even recalled one spell you already know?!
Stop saying nonsense! I told you I can't...
> [You can now access the [Talent] feature.]
Huh? Another window from my ring? Wait, what did it mean by...
BZZZZ
ARGH! What the hell?! I suddenly felt a shot of pain invading my head right now. It was too much for me to bear and yet...
Something was filling in my head. Like words and knowledge I've never seen before entering my mind. Languages I didn't understand. Symbols that were foreign to me.
And when the pain was gone, I gasped in exhaustion. It was too much. But I...
I understand what they meant. I knew the language and knowledge of this world. Including the ins and out's of [Demon Territory]. What the hell is this? Why did I suddenly remember all of this? Was this because of this ring? Was it because of that voice? I couldn't stop this adrenaline from flowing within my head, but it felt so good. I never felt this power quite like it. It's so amazing! It's exhilarating! It's...
GRRRRR...
It's enough to defeat those poor excuses of the panthers. I grinned as I looked at the panthers glaring at me. Why am I scared of them in the first place? I don't give a damn for scaring me in the first place. I raised my hand and aimed it at the one who got my sword before I uttered those two words.
"[Fire Ball]."
I can see the flames gathered in the palm of my hand. Once it formed into a ball, I let it fly to the panther and burn that son of the b*tch down. I can hear it crying in pain, but like I care. I rushed to it next and grab the sword's handle while raising my hand to its face. "[Shadow Burn]."
I let the black aura release from my palm. When it made contact with the panther's face, it roared in pain as I watched it twitch its eyes closed while burn marks appear on its face. This gave me the chance to yank the sword out of its neck and used it to stab at the top of its head. However, it was still hard enough to resist the blade, so I had to improvise. Or rather, rely on this trick.
"You wretched abomination who doesn't deserve to be our kin. Burn into the ashes from the fires of the sun and may you rot in hell for all of your wretched sins!" I chanted at the top of my lung as I pushed the sword further into its skull. "[Wrathful Inferno]!"
The fire began to envelop both my hands and the sword. I can feel the burns stinging my skin, but I don't care. All I cared about was this asshole burn as I watched it burn not from the flames from my [Fire Ball], but the flames that came from hell itself. I kept pushing and pushing until I stabbed through its skull as it roared before its death. When I removed the blade, the demon panther dropped to the ground and its carcass was now turning into ashes from the fire.
I couldn't believe it. I beat one of them. I killed it. With nothing but my sword. I started to chuckle. Then after a few seconds, my chuckle turned into a laugh. And then, a maddening cackle that would have echoed throughout the forest.
I deserved it. I won. The soldiers didn't do one damn thing to deal with these demons with their meat shields! But me? I beat them all on my own! Not even a Hero can do what I did!
Hahahahahaha...
Hahahahahahaha!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Serves it right for trying to bite one of my limbs!
GRRRRR...
I quickly stopped laughing when I heard one more growl behind me. Oh yeah, there was one more pest I need to deal with. I grinned as I placed the sword on my shoulder. I turned to the panther as I chuckled again.
"You want to play, too, huh?" I asked the demon panther who was now backing away from me. Yeah, start running, asshole. Because I'm not gonna let you. "Then let's play a game of tag. And guess what?"
I grinned as I cast another [Fire Ball] in my hands.
"I'm "it"."
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