Chapter 101: Screech

"Argh, fuck, man! How much longer do I have to walk? My legs are starting to hurt!"

Kyle whined as he continued trudging in the direction the System had indicated. His legs felt increasingly heavy with every step, and the endless procession of colossal trees was beginning to get on his nerves.

Unfortunately, complaining wasn’t going to get him anywhere.

’Fuck my life.’

By now, nearly three hours had passed since he’d started walking. The sun had shifted considerably from its original position, its rays gradually weakening as it descended toward the horizon. The forest was slowly losing its golden glow, and the shadows cast by the enormous trees were growing longer.

Nevertheless, Kyle continued forward.

He hadn’t encountered anything particularly dangerous so far. Apart from the occasional fly or insect buzzing past his face, there was hardly any sign of life. He hadn’t seen a single animal, and the forest remained eerily quiet.

Yet, despite the apparent lack of danger, he couldn’t shake the ominous feeling creeping up his spine. Something about this place was just wrong that was he felt no matter how much he tried to shake off that feeling.

"The fuck is up with this forest? Not a single animal here... Not even a sound. At the very least, there should be some birds!"

His voice echoed faintly between the towering trees before disappearing into the silence.

Kyle frowned.

Back on Earth, even the quietest forests had their own sounds. Birds chirping, insects buzzing, leaves rustling, and the occasional squirrel scurrying through the undergrowth. There was always something to remind him that life existed around him.

Here, however, it was as if the entire forest had been abandoned.

And now that evening was approaching, he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of it.

He had no idea what kind of creatures inhabited this world. For all he knew, something capable of swallowing him whole might come crawling out of the darkness once night fell.

Meeting some actual humans would be nice, too.

At least then, he could ask someone what the hell was wrong with this place.

...

*Chew.*

Kyle bit into a fruit he’d plucked from a nearby tree, its sweet juice immediately spreading across his tongue.

*Chew. Chew.*

"Damn, that’s tasty as fuck!"

For the first time in hours, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

Thanks to the knowledge transfer provided by the System, he could recognize a handful of edible plants and fruits. Naturally, he hadn’t hesitated to take advantage of that knowledge when hunger finally caught up with him.

The fruit in his hand resembled a mango, although its skin was smooth and edible, much like an apple’s. Its flesh had a texture similar to that of an orange, but its taste was considerably sweeter, with barely any of the citrusy tang.

According to the information implanted in his mind, it was called a Tambian.

He’d also picked several smaller fruits resembling cherries. Those were known as Chian, and they tasted remarkably similar to plums.

Kyle happily stuffed one fruit after another into his mouth, caring little about the juice running down his chin.

"Fuck, these are amazing!"

For a few precious minutes, the delicious fruits managed to distract him from his miserable circumstances.

Of course, that didn’t mean his situation had magically improved.

He was still stranded in the middle of an enormous forest on an unfamiliar world, with civilization supposedly several hours away.

Still, at least he wasn’t starving.

The fruits provided plenty of carbohydrates and natural sugars to replenish some of the energy he’d burned during his long walk. Their high water content was another welcome bonus, sparing him the need to dip into the supplies he’d brought along.

’Thank God I didn’t spawn in some barren wasteland.’

He could only imagine how miserable that would have been.

After finishing his little snack, Kyle wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and continued walking.

Unfortunately, his brief moment of happiness didn’t last. The sun was sinking faster than he’d expected.

Although its rays had already weakened considerably, the colossal trees blocked much of the remaining light. What had once been a forest illuminated by scattered beams of sunlight was rapidly becoming a maze of shadows.

The patches of light between the trees grew smaller and dimmer until they were barely distinguishable from the surrounding darkness.

Kyle looked around.

"Fuck! This place was already bad, and now it’s getting dark? I can barely see what’s in front of me! What the hell?"

He squinted into the gloom, trying to make out the terrain ahead.

It was no use.

The dense canopy and enormous trunks blocked almost everything, leaving only a few faint streaks of twilight filtering through the branches. Even the familiar shapes of the trees seemed increasingly sinister as darkness swallowed their surroundings.

And that ominous feeling?

It was getting worse.

"Shit, shit, shit..."

Kyle quickened his pace.

He’d initially planned to reach civilization before evening, but it seemed the System had considerably underestimated how much he would hate walking through this damn forest.

Or perhaps it had simply neglected to mention how exhausting the journey would be.

Either way, he wasn’t particularly interested in finding out what happened after dark.

...

"Fuck... I can’t see anything!"

Kyle stopped, staring at the darkness ahead.

He could barely distinguish the path beneath his feet, let alone identify potential obstacles farther away. Continuing like this would be a great way to trip over a root, break his ankle, and spend the night becoming something else’s dinner.

"Alright, fuck it. Let’s buy a torch or something."

Opening the System interface, he navigated to the marketplace.

He hadn’t bothered purchasing any lighting equipment before his journey because he’d assumed he would reach civilization well before sunset. After all, the System had told him that the nearest settlement was roughly six hours away.

He hadn’t expected the forest to be this damn big.

Fortunately, the marketplace stocked more than just combat equipment and magical items. There were plenty of ordinary utilities available, too.

A few moments later, a notification appeared before him.

[You have bought Basic Headlamp.]

"Finally!"

The headlamp had cost him a mere ten System Points. It came with an adjustable strap, making it easy to secure around his head.

Kyle equipped it immediately and switched it on.

A brilliant white beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the ground several meters ahead of him.

"Oh, thank fuck!"

He could finally see where he was going.

The relief was almost embarrassing.

Without wasting another second, Kyle increased his pace. His brisk walk soon turned into a jog as he hurried through the forest, desperate to put as much distance as possible between himself and the approaching night.

He didn’t care if he got a little tired.

He didn’t care if his legs started aching again.

He just wanted to find civilization before something decided to make a meal out of him.

...

*Crack.*

A sharp noise interrupted the rhythmic pounding of Kyle’s footsteps.

He stopped.

"...What was that?"

He turned his head toward the source of the sound, shining his headlamp between the trees.

Nothing.

Kyle stared into the darkness for several seconds before finally relaxing.

’Probably just a branch breaking under my feet.’

After all, he’d been running through the forest. It was perfectly reasonable for him to have stepped on a dry twig or two.

With that thought, he resumed moving.

He wasn’t about to waste time investigating every little noise. The sooner he escaped this place, the better.

Then-

*SCREEEEEEH!*

A piercing shriek tore through the forest.