How To Get Strong(4)

I stood up and walked to where the pile of weapons would drop.

I started thinking while I was walking.

The one who made the traps must have had a reason to put them there, right?

Because the number of traps was way too large. I really get the feeling that a treasure must be there.

But if it were possible to leave from the west side of the forest and walk over to the south side, wouldn't that be too easy?

Like, what would the point of traps even be if you just took a little longer route?

Ripple! 

The angel appeared with the pressure, and it has just become a habit to fight against it.

After the angel left, I grabbed a sword and dagger again.

I sprinted towards the west side of the forest, as I wanted to exit the forest as fast as possible.

After 30 minutes, I think I am around halfway through the forest.

The reason I am faster now is because, compared to before, there are no traps slowing me down.

There were some goblins here and there, but I killed them if they were in my way.

I could see another goblin around 100–200 meters in front of me, but I didn't stop running.

Unsheating my sword, I quickly approached.

100 meters. 

70 meters. 

40 meters. 

10 meters. 

Slash! 

I cut his head off as I quickly continued out of the forest.

After 40 minutes, the end of the forest was finally visible.

I exited and went into one of the strawhouses. I needed to rest a little, and at the same time I could get some food and water.

I took the water bottle from the box and started drinking.

After the water bottle, I took the energy bar and ate it.

I took another energy bar and left it in my pocket in case I needed it in the future.

"Now it's time to see what's on the south side of the forest". 

I went out of the straw house and jogged towards the south side.

The trees were not straight towards the south; they curved a little.

It seems like the forest was shaped like a circle.

The straw houses also surrounded the forest, no matter how long I jogged.

After jogging for a long time, I still couldn't see any sign that I was on the south side.

I stopped after jogging for a little more. I looked around, and there was no indication at all that I was approaching the south side.

The west side of the forest had a big mountain that was visible after you exited, and if you continued, another forest would appear.

But here, there was no such thing at all.

Does the south side really not have anything special at all?

I was getting kind of disappointed, but then I thought of another possibility.

What if you are not supposed to exit the south side of the forest at all?

What if, after going a certain distance, something different appeared?

Then there was no need for me to have regressed; I could have just continued.

Well, no point crying over spilled milk. I entered the forest from where I was standing.

After walking for 15 minutes, I still haven't seen any traps or goblins.

I was starting to doubt if I had even entered the south side of the forest.

Click! 

The sound that I was waiting for finally appeared. But saying I was waiting for it would be an overstatement, as I wasn't ready at all.

My foot was caught by the rope, and my body was upside down.

It was the same kind of trap that I got hit by in the first regression.

If there was one improvement, it would be that I didn't let go of my sword this time.

I took my sword and started cutting the rope. I cut it off with ease, but I wasn't ready for the sudden drop.

Thud! 

I landed on my back on the ground, and I couldn't breathe for a few seconds.

I slowly stood up and looked for my sword, which I dropped when I fell.

It was a few meters away, so I went and picked it up.

"Well, at least I know it's the south side now". 

I was extra careful this time and looked everywhere the traps could have been.

There weren't that many at the start, but the more I continued, the more traps would appear.

It started with a trap around every 300–500 meters, and now about every 100 meters there is a trap.

I felt like I was getting closer to the mystery.

Click. 

A faint sound of a click was followed by a feeling of slight pain on my left leg.

I looked down on my left leg to see an arrow lodged in my thigh.

"What? how?". 

At that moment, my eyes caught a barely discernible wire.

My left leg was pushing it slightly forward. That's when I knew what activated the trap.

This all happened in a moment, and I had no time to react.

[Status: Poisoned]

But it was already too late.

"There is no way the poison is that strong, right?". 

[Skill activation]

- Perfect Clear[X]

[Returning to the moment you first entered this floor] 

"Wait, not yet; I am still conscious." I said it with a panicked voice.

But I couldn't stop my skill as it forcefully activated on its own.

My eyes slowly went dark.

*****

I stood up as fast as possible.

"F*ck, does poison also activate my skill?". I said it in anger.

"Where the hell am I?"

The same middle-aged man said it again.

"Hell," I said with a dispirited voice while staring at him.

"What do you mean? Is this one of those prank shows you youngsters make on YouTube?

I ignored him and went to the usual spot.

What do I do with poison arrows? If I get hit once, that's game over.

It was the barely visible wire that activated the trap, so should I just cut it beforehand?

That seemed reasonable enough; if I swung my sword and cut the wire, the arrow wouldn't be able to hit me.

Last time, my leg made contact with the wire, which was around ankle height, and the arrow hit my thigh.

So if I swung the sword and cut the wire, it wouldn't make a difference if it activated or not.

I would not be within the range of the arrow either way.

Ripple! 

The angel appeared under pressure and dropped the weapons after its speech.

I picked up a sword. Do I keep trying to go through the traps, or do I follow my plan?

That's when I decided that I would keep trying to get through the traps.

I was dying to know why there were so many traps. It has to be something good, at least, as you would need to be able to overcome all the traps.

The other things could wait; it's not like I have a deadline anyway.

I can decide for myself how I want to spend my time clearing this floor.

With that in focus, I took my sword and went to the south side of the forest.

I think around 30 minutes have passed, and I am further in than I was before.

The reason is that I am much more familiar with the traps.

The distance between the traps has also lessened. It seems like there is a trap every 80 meters or so.

Click! 

I dashed away from the rope that would usually grab my foot.

"Haha, not this time". I laughed while I was dashing away.

That's when I saw something quickly approaching from both the right and left sides with my peripheral vision.

Bang! 

[Skill activation]

Perfect Clear [X]

[Returning to the moment you first entered this floor]

*****

"Are you kidding me?! There were two traps at the same time". 

I stood up, repeated all the previous things, and went to the south side of the forest.

I quickly reached the point I was at before, but this time I dodged the two traps.

I realized that it was the swinging log trap that killed me. I must have died instantly, which was a blessing.

The distance between traps decreased again, and the number of traps at the same time was at least 2.

That's when I got the thought 'Why don't I climb the trees?'

I tried to climb the trees, thinking it was safer than on the ground.

As soon as my hand touched the tree, i felt something tingling in my hands,

[Status: Poisoned] 

"What??? The trees is poisoned?!" I yelled in frustration.

[Skill activation]

- Perfect Clear[X]

[Returning to the moment you first entered this floor]