Nightmare Land Part 2

I felt butterflies in my stomach as a blinding light engulfed me.

I noticed the image in front of me constantly changing until it gradually became clearer.

I was already out of the gate when I took my next step. I felt as if I were being thrown out of a car traveling at 200 km/h.

I dropped to my knees for a moment, trying to control myself.

When I finally looked around, I discovered myself in the middle of a massive forest. The trees had grown all the way to the sky, completely blocking the view.

The vines on the ground looked like hundreds of snakes intertwined, creating a truly ancient scene.

"I'm in the Nightmare Lands..."

I supported my body and jumped up a tree, landing on a massive tree branch. I extracted my computer from the dimensional ring.

The stupidest thing I can do right now is wander aimlessly through the Nightmare Lands.

My goal is to reach the Chun Sect and learn the 10,000 Steps of Shadow technique.

It was a distinct sect located atop a black-colored mountain, unlike the surrounding mountains, so identifying it would be easy.

The main problem was locating it because the region I was in was so big.

If chance were on my side, I'd find it immediately. At worst, it could be several hundred kilometers away from where I am now.

Fortunately, I had my own method of cheating.

I turned on the computer and quickly went to the author's advice.

"On what should I rely?" "Random or direct?"

Random tip (10 achievement points): Random advice delivers ambiguous and unclear directions, but it does present the best course of action in a safe manner, even if it is difficult to comprehend.

Direct tip (30 achievement points): Direct advice gives simple directions that even a kid can grasp, but it frequently causes roadblocks along the path, so be wary hahahaha!

"Should I just go with the random?"

It's the less expensive option, and it supposedly leads to a safe path, though I doubt there's a truly safe way into the Nightmare Lands.

"Well, let's give it a try."

I selected the random tip, and it immediately lit up.

"No one knows whether the beginning is at night or during the day... Its splendor transcends all colors and eras... When you find dawn, head north, east, south, and west. Repeat, and when you think you've arrived, you'll find your way."

With a blank expression, I glanced at the bullshit in front of me.

"Am I supposed to understand this?" Where did the system get this gibberish from? I'm sure it's just playing with me; it makes no sense..."

"I abandoned the random advice right away because I realized I wouldn't understand anything, and I didn't have the opportunity to experiment in a place like this...

So I'm stuck with direct advice.

Straight advice (30 achievement points).

Current achievement points: 610.

Tell me about wasting achievement points.

"Straight advice: go east."

Simple and direct, with no poetic verses or idle talk.

This is the advice I can take... though I was a little worried about the obstacles that would be placed in my path....

I replaced the computer in the dimensions ring with one of the pistols I had prepared.

This will be my primary weapon on this trip. Walther P99 with a silencer. After all, the last thing I want to do is make noise in the Nightmare Lands and attract the various creatures that are hiding here...

I jumped from the bough I was sitting on, checked the location of the gate that had vanished some time before, and attempted to synchronize it with the switch in my hand, and it responded immediately.

"Excellent. With this, I won't have to worry about the way back..."

I took a deep breath and reaffirmed my determination...

"Well... where is the east again?"

I set my direction and began my journey into the Nightmare Land.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Ghost Steps"

As I hurried forward, the skill allowed my steps to be completely silent. The scenery changed all around me, but I never left the woods, only seeing trees and vines covering the ground.

After a half-hour run, I began to notice the first signs of change, causing me to gradually slow down.

The strong odor of blood filled the air, warning me that something bad was about to happen. I wasn't used to the smell of blood, but it was unusually strong.

I moved cautiously forward, unconcerned about making a sound due to the ghost's steps.

Finally, I discovered the source of the odor. The open area in front of me was devoid of trees.

The broad region in front of me was free of trees. A few hundred meters away, I noticed a big beast lying there, with more than half of its body devoured.

I spotted a number of strange things about my height, but from this distance, they seemed to be distant ants.

I used my second talent, "Hawk's eye," and peered in distaste at the sight.

The hideous monsters had enormous heads and gigantic bodies covered with scary tentacles and claws. Dozens of these monsters were ripping the fallen abomination beneath them apart.

The latter looked like a combination of a huge raven-headed eagle, It was likely one of the most formidable beings from the past, until something ultimately brought about its demise.

These parasites were now eating its remains.

Carefully slipping through the trees, I altered my path, lacking the courage and strength to confront those creatures.

Their claws appeared to be capable of severing me in two with a single blow. I took a wide detour to avoid them, managing to evade their attention for some time.

Continuing my sprint, I relied entirely on the ghost steps to maintain complete silence.

An unexpected event occurred just as I thought everything was going swimmingly

As I propelled my feet forward, I sensed something strange—it wasn't the solid ground I had been running on. But something completely different

I relied on my instincts and immediately threw my body to the side.

When I looked at my previous place, my heart sank when I saw a huge claw standing there. If I had been a second late, it would have hacked me.

From under the grass rose a creature similar to the one I had seen before; its features I could make out from this distance: a head like that of a huge crab, three tentacles on each side.

He had four massive claws, but two of them were completely shattered, and he appeared injured.

"Maybe he couldn't join his comrades due to his injury, which led him to set up an ambush here?"

I heard a sharp squeaking sound coming from the crab in front of me, and in an instant, it lunged at me like a crazed creature sensing its prey.

Reacting swiftly, I drew my pistol that I had prepared and, relying on the hawk's eye, fired three bullets in rapid succession.

All three bullets pierced its body, yet the abomination showed no signs of stopping, persistently charging towards me.

He was so desperate to kill me that he didn't care to defend himself but only attacked because he quickly stabbed his claw at me.

Thanks to the hawk's eye, I was able to know the trajectory of his strike, which made me dodge it a hair's distance away.

I threw my body and did a somersault on the ground, trying to put some distance between me and the abomination.

I kept shooting even when I was moving, which made me miss him several times.

He was also waving his claws like a madman, making it difficult to dodge his blows.

A creature that doesn't care about defense and only attacks? What the hell is that?

I needed to hit it at its weak point. I didn't know what kind of creature this was, so I decided to target the common weak point: "the head."

To ensure a hit, I had to get close to it.

Taking advantage of the fact that he could only use two of his four claws, I managed to dodge his blows and then shoot straight between his eyes.

This seemed to work, as the abomination staggered and took several steps back.

At this point, I thought I had won, but soon I realized how naive I was.

The moment the abomination realized it was at a disadvantage, it went into a frenzy and started lunging like a madman in every direction.

I, too, was so close to him that I caught his insanity.

Using my hawk's eye, I observed the trajectories of his strikes, but there was no point in trying to dodge; his strikes were random and fast.

Immediately, I created distance, attempting to avoid him. I successfully dodged the first and second strikes.

I began utilizing muscles I didn't even know existed.

I dodged like a madman out of fear for my life, but life was tough.

In a moment of misstep, I received a swift claw blow.

I felt something piercing my left shoulder, and when I looked down, I saw a sword-sized claw that had punctured my shoulder and was making its way out of my back.

Immediately, a wave of blistering anguish washed over me—pain like I'd never felt before.

I noticed my hot blood streaming freely, which caused me to go insane as well.

I started firing like a lunatic, putting little holes all over the abomination's body.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, you motherfucker!"

I continued shooting, engaged in a desperate struggle for life, with my shouts blending with the screams of the monstrosity before me.

Unbeknownst to me, the crab had already died, its body ravaged by the damage inflicted on it. However, my injuries clouded my perception, and I continued to unleash a relentless barrage of gunfire.

As I noticed that I stood alone in the battle, I abruptly halted and swiftly attempted to free its claw from my shoulder.

But as soon as I managed to pull his claw back just a little bit, I felt an intense wave of pain, as if someone were cutting through my body.

My screams echoed through the area as I cursed, using all the insulting words I knew.

This pain was unbearable for someone like me who had lived their entire life in a peaceful world.

When I finally succeeded in removing his paw, I realized that the wound was deeper than I had anticipated, judging by the amount of blood that had oozed out.

I quickly retrieved a health potion and drank it without hesitation.

I wrapped the wound and leaned against the trunk of a tree, resting my body.

The potion I had consumed earlier caused the wound to heal rapidly, but it did little to ease the pain.

Gradually, I started to regain my senses and realized that I was in serious trouble.

"I need to move..."

I propped up my frail body and attempted to flee.

Whether it was my own screams or the cries of the creature I had slain moments ago, we created a loud commotion... a commotion that would attract further calamities towards me...

With each step, I stumbled, struggling to escape. Ironically, my worst fears materialized.

Numerous crab creatures emerged from the surrounding trees, approaching from both the front and the rear. Unlike the one I had previously vanquished, they showed no signs of injury.

"Fuck."

I pushed my body away and ran away, shooting randomly.

I found myself being chased by dozens of those ugly crab creatures.

My chances of confronting such a number were nonexistent. I was the one who had suffered so much to kill just one of them while it was wounded.

I ran and ran, clutching my injured shoulder.

I heard the gnashing of teeth behind me, but I didn't want to turn around to see the source of the sound, realizing how terrifying the scene behind me was.

Those creatures were so eager to swallow me that they collided with each other as they chased after me.

The number gradually increased while the distance between us shrank to the point where some blows narrowly missed my body.

I realized that I wouldn't last much longer if things continued like this, and fighting was not an option.

I raced against time, striving to utilize every ounce of my mental capacity to find a solution to my present predicament, but regardless of my extensive contemplation and earnest efforts, I came to the realization that I would undoubtedly meet my demise in this place.

To compound matters, the fog obstructed my vision, making the situation even more dire.

"Wait... mist?"

When I regained my grasp on reality, I discerned that I had been traversing through the fog for quite some time.

The mist is incredibly dense, rendering everything invisible to my sight.

In that precise instant, a wave of despair washed over my heart.

Without delay, I ceased my running and sought refuge behind a tree.

I embraced my own body and shut my eyes with great force.

This mist could only signify one thing... I fervently hoped deep within my heart that it wasn't what I dreaded...

The mere fact that the crab creatures had not yet claimed my life served as confirmation of my apprehensions.

Unaware of when I had entered its domain... but now, I found myself within the territory of one of the most perilous monsters in all of the Nightmare Lands...

"The Mist Stalker"

I covered my head, huddling in my place, and persisted in keeping my eyes shut.

I huddled in my spot, covering my head, keeping my eyes closed.

"No matter what occurs or whatever I may hear... under no circumstances should I open my eyes..."

This was the sole means of escape.

Occasionally, I could discern the sounds of slashing in the vicinity.

I heard the shrieks of the creatures that were chasing after me.

Feeling as though I were amidst a war, I fought the strong urge to flee and stood frozen in my place, surrounded by darkness.

The sounds of battle gradually receded around me, giving way to an encompassing silence.

The tranquility endured for some time; it was only a few minutes, but it felt like hours.

I shut my eyes and prayed, hoping for the calamity to dissipate.

Just as I believed it was all over, a whisper reached my ear.

"Fry"

It was a girl's voice... sweet and refreshing

I felt a gentle touch on my chest, but it didn't bring me any comfort. Instead, it deepened my sinking heart.

"Fry"

This time it was a familiar voice... This was Ada's voice..

Something was whispering to me in my sister's voice while feeling my body.

"Look at me... Fry"

The voice kept whispering in my ear.

But I stubbornly kept my eyes closed until the very end.

"What's the matter? Don't you love me anymore? Fry?"

'Whose voice was that?'

I couldn't recognize the last voice, but its owner refused to leave me alone.

I felt a soft body embracing me from behind.

"Look at me... Fry."

'Damn it, get away from me, you filthy creature.'

I kept cursing internally, unsure of when I would escape this situation.

The voice fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Look at me, [****]..."

Huh? What did he just say?

I recoiled in my spot... the name he used to address me now...

I was the only one who knew that name... After all, it was the name I was called in my ancient world...

"Look at me, [****]... you don't love me anymore..."

My lips and my entire body trembled in unison, and how could they not? This was my mother's voice... my actual mother...

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to remain still... I was aware that all of this was nothing but an illusion... but it had gone too far.

"Open your eyes, son."

My father's voice...

"I've missed you, brother..."

My brother's voice...

I bit my lip with such intensity that blood spurted forth, coating my entire chin.

My family...

I became overwhelmed with such anticipation that I almost gave in and opened my eyes.

I felt that warm embrace that I missed so much... I wanted to reciprocate this warmth... I wanted it so much..

Yet, I knew... the moment I opened my eyes, it would all come to an end.

Amidst this battle of conflicting thoughts, that warmth and gentle touch vanished.

Instead, I now felt as though I leaned against something immense... something non-human.

"Open your eyes, you filthy!"

This time, it wasn't a gentle voice, but a horrifying voice that conjured the most hideous demon my imagination could conceive.

"Look at me, you motherfucker."

The horrifying voice persisted, whispering in my ear.

The psychological battle endured for an extended period. I couldn't ascertain how much time had elapsed, but I remained in that spot with my eyes tightly shut. I harnessed the pain to keep my senses intact, maintaining consciousness until the very end.

The entity beside me had vanished, and the voices had ceased for a while.

However, I remained steadfast in my position.

Hour after hour passed as I remained seated there...

When I finally sensed that it had concluded, I cautiously opened my eyes.

The abrupt shift from darkness to light made it challenging to perceive what lay before me, yet my vision swiftly adjusted to the scene surrounding me.

The fog had dissipated entirely.

In my vicinity, I beheld dozens, perhaps even hundreds of lifeless bodies strewn about...

The dismembered limbs of the crab creatures littered the area.

It appeared as though a war had transpired here... a one-sided war...

Suppressing the urge to vomit, I slumped down and sat there.

"What in the hell have I gotten myself into?"

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It's a tiring chapter, so please inform me of any errors you come across