Salintus stood up and glared at Valenius. "Now it is time for me to join my people and let the forest decide your fate," Salintus said, holding Valenius's sword.

Valenius shouted back, "If you're leaving it up to fate, then why are you taking the sword? There's no way I will survive tied to a tree without a weapon!"

Salintus glanced at the sword, then threw it towards Valenius. "Good luck," he said, turning away without looking back.

Valenius struggled to loosen the ropes, his arms aching and bleeding. His strength was fading away. It was no use; he couldn't escape. Salintus must have known there was no hope for Valenius to get out alive.

Desperate, Valenius looked at the sword and tried to reach it with his feet, but it was just out of reach.

Valenius let out a big sigh, zoning out as he stared into the darkness. The sound of wind above him sounded like wings flapping in the sky. Suddenly, he heard something heavy landing and rushing through the trees, heading towards him.

Panic set in as the noise grew louder and closer, but Valenius was so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyes open. He eventually closed them, resigning himself to his fate.

Just then, Valenius glimpsed a violet flame arrow. The next thing he saw was the ethereal fire of a violet that melted the ropes that bound him. He wasted no time, grabbing his sword as soon as he was free. In the shadows, he saw a massive dragon, much larger than the dragon-like beast he had encountered before.

Without hesitation, Valenius ran for his life, hoping to escape and praying the dragon-like creature wouldn't find him.

To his horror, Valenius saw the creature approaching with increasing speed. Panicking, he ran faster, but the creature was much quicker. Eventually, he reached the edge of a cliff and stopped just in time, staring down at the long drop that ended in an ocean. Valenius turned and readied his sword, facing the direction of the noise.

Through the darkness, yellow eyes appeared, and from the trees emerged an enormous dragon. The creature dwarfed Valenius, its immense size towering over him. As the dragon roared, lifting its head and radiating embers, Valenius glanced back at the cliff.

With one last look at the dragon, he took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff, hoping fate was on his side.

As Valenius plunged into the ocean, the impact nearly knocked him unconscious. However, his struggle to breathe kept him alert. Using the last bit of strength he had, he quickly emerged from the water and looked up at the top of the cliff. There, he saw the dragon searching for him.

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Valenius began swimming towards the shore, moving in the opposite direction from where the dragon was. When he finally reached the shore, he collapsed to the ground and fell asleep from exhaustion.

When Valenius woke up, it was daylight. He looked around and found himself on a shore of soft sand. The ocean stretched out before him, its waters a clearer blue than he had ever seen in his world. It was stunningly beautiful. The sunlight reflected off the water, making him squint and raise a hand to shield his eyes.

He glanced back at the forest, pressing a button on his gauntlet. With very limited equipment and all his supplies gone, he tightly gripped his sword. Valenius was hungry, parched, and feeling weak from swallowing too much seawater. He knew he needed to find a safe place quickly.

Opening his map, he searched for the Vals safe place if it was near. To his relief, Valenius discovered that the safe place was just a few minutes away. He turned to look in that direction but couldn't see much through the shadows and shades of the trees. As he walked towards the indicated spot, he saw what appeared to be a rocky formation on a hill, with no visible entrance.

Approaching the location marked on his map, Valenius stood before the sealed rock, which was supposed to be the entrance to Vals' safe place. He hesitantly touched the rock, searching for any hidden mechanism. As soon as he made contact, he felt a vibration.

His body shook, and he stepped back. The ground beneath his feet vibrated intensely, and then, to his astonishment, the solid rock disappeared, revealing an open cave. Valenius was certain he hadn't done anything to trigger the opening of the cave, but his gauntlet also briefly lit up. Valenius cautiously proceeded into the cave.

Inside, the cave resembled a safe room Valenius had encountered before, complete with a bed and a desk. However, this time, there were two wooden chests. Rushing over to them, Valenius activated his gauntlet, and as he touched the chest, he heard the lock click open.

Opening the lid, he found numerous empty parchment pieces, various pantry items, including food, water, wood, wool, cotton, animal hides, and stone flint. He scratched his head at the bizarre contents of the chest.

Moving to the second chest, he found it contained basic tools, including knives, a bow, wire, and other essential equipment.

Breathless and exhausted, Valenius slumped against his chest, letting out a deep sigh. He quickly fetched some water and then settled beside the chest, laying on the ground. Determined, he stood up to gather fire-making equipment and soon had a fire crackling.

As he heated up some food, he reflected on why Val had insisted on using these supplies only when absolutely necessary. There seemed to be nothing extravagant about the essentials provided. However, he also pondered the abundance of empty paper without a single word written on it. Perhaps Val intended to leave notes for someone else but ultimately decided against it.

With so many unanswered questions swirling in his mind, Valenius stared into the flames of the fire, lost in thought.

Once he inspected his equipment, Valenius prepared his bow by stringing it. He then gathered the dagger and used the material he had found, tying it around his waist and over his shoulder to fashion a makeshift bag. This bag would hold his weapons, ensuring they were easily accessible.

With the bag secured, Valenius loaded it with all the food, water, and other materials he had gathered, knowing they could prove essential on his journey. With determination, he used the gauntlet to find a nearby town, but to his dismay, there was no town nearby for miles. The nearest town was actually in an area Val had marked for Valenius to visit. To Valenius' relief, he wasn't in a dangerous red zone location.

With the direction clear, Valenius set off towards the town marked by Val, hoping to find answers and supplies along the way.

As Valenius walked deeper into the forest, he heard a woman's scream. Hastening towards the sound, he saw two women. One lay unconscious, struggling to breathe, with brown hair and clothes made of basic cotton. The other woman, drenched in perspiration and dressed similarly to the first woman, was taking care of her, casting an angry glare at Valenius as he neared.

"What do you want?" she demanded in a harsh, toxic voice, holding a wooden spear.

"I'm here to help," Valenius replied, stepping forward. "Please, let me assist. It's not safe for you here."

The woman eyed Valenius gauntlet suspiciously, then walked over to the unconscious woman, still glaring. "I don't want your kind around us. Leave us alone," she snapped, not taking her eyes off him.

Ignoring her hostility, Valenius knelt beside the unconscious woman, examining her closely. "Please," he pleaded, "let me help her. I found a nearby village. We can take her there. We should be able to help her.”

The woman remained silent, her distrust evident in her gaze.