After understanding how the system worked, Arthur began testing everything he could get his hands on — trying to see if it would react to anything at all.
The axe in his hand.
The chest armor.
He even cut his finger, thinking maybe his blood would work.
But the system remained silent.
He also tried chopping nearby small trees, but there was still no response.
However, he noticed something strange.
Monsters.
Zombies and slimes wandered nearby… but they did not approach this place.
As if there was a boundary around the tree they could not cross.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
— Why here…
He ran his hand along the bark.
Old. Rough.
But he noticed nothing unusual, except that the outside was rough while the inside felt strangely soft, almost like gold.
After a day of useless attempts, he let out a heavy sigh.
— Maybe… it's because of the star…
He looked up at the sky through the tangled branches.
— Or its rarity…
A pause.
— I should leave this forest… go to a village… or a city… if there even is one here…
He gave a faint, emotionless smirk.
— Do people even exist here?..
The thought lingered unpleasantly.
But he pushed it away.
He decided to climb higher to scout the surroundings.
But there were no hills or cliffs nearby.
Only trees.
Huge ones.
He chose his own tree, since the largest nearby tree was this one.
— Fine…
The branches were about five meters high.
Too high for an ordinary human.
If I fall… it's over.
He began carving steps into the trunk.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
By evening, he still hadn't reached the branches.
His arms ached.
His shoulders burned.
Hunger grew stronger.
Not just unpleasant — but oppressive.
He sat at the roots of the tree.
— Damn… not even an apple tree here…
He exhaled.
— If I understood even a bit of biology…
The thought broke off.
"You know nothing," he thought.
Night came suddenly.
The forest plunged into darkness.
And then he saw them.
Zombies. Slimes.
And other creatures — humanoid, but with wolf-like faces and covered in fur.
— What the hell are those…
He said it calmly.
But his fingers tightened slightly around the axe.
The monsters wandered nearby… but did not approach the tree.
As if they were avoiding it.
As if there was something here they did not want to disturb.
Deep within the roots of the tree was a hollow space.
Dark.
Silent.
And safe.
From it came a faint, old scent — a lingering trace of power that had not yet disappeared.
It repelled weaker creatures.
Arthur did not know this.
He simply fell asleep inside the hollow space between the roots that he had discovered on his first night here.
In the morning, hunger became almost unbearable.
— I need to eat…
He began hunting.
Slowly creeping toward a rabbit.
He almost succeeded.
But a slime suddenly burst from the ground.
Instinct acted before thought.
A strike of the axe.
The slime was split in half.
Arthur froze.
— …
Then he looked at his hands.
— I didn't even think… I could do that…
After the slime, there was some gel left.
Sticky.
Semi-transparent.
— What is this…
He felt strangely drawn to the substance, as if it was almost tempting him.
But his mind overpowered his hunger, and he put it into his pocket, not daring to try it.
The rabbit was eventually caught.
He set a trap, waited, and secured food.
But another problem appeared — fire.
Fortunately, he remembered that some stones can create sparks.
On his way back, he picked up a couple of stones.
The first time he struck them together, nothing happened.
But the second attempt worked perfectly.
A spark landed on his trousers.
And the fabric ignited instantly.
— FUCK—
He tore off his pants and threw them away.
His heart was racing.
— I almost burned alive…
He looked at the fire.
Then at the gel.
— Is this because of it?..
Thinking about it, he cooked the rabbit.
The smell of meat spread through the forest.
Warm.
Alive.
Too noticeable.
Deep inside the hollow of the roots, among the tangled branches…
something was watching.
She did not come out fully.
Only part of her snout remained in the darkness.
Her eyes reflected the firelight.
She was looking down at the human.
He was weak.
Alone.
But not like the others.
He had killed the slime without hesitation.
And most importantly — he was not afraid of this place.
The smell of meat hit harder.
Her stomach tightened.
Hunger was strong.
Too strong after a long time without food.
Her claw twitched.
She almost stepped forward.
But stopped.
Memories returned sharply.
Screams.
Blood.
Huge dragons falling one after another.
Humans dying.
And something else.
Something that moved too fast.
Something that left no one behind.
Her pupils narrowed.
She retreated back into the shadows.
Not leaving.
Not attacking.
Only watching.
Arthur did not see any of this.
He simply ate.
And after the meal, he immediately entered his shelter and fell asleep after a long day.
But in the darkness of the hollow, the creature did not sleep.
She kept watching.