Leon resolved to continue his path and reclaim his lost glory. He charged forward into the dark corridor, determined to exit the cave and face whatever awaited him outside.
Although Leon's physical condition was at its peak, his mental state was not; he was drowning in his thoughts. He didn't know why he was trapped inside the world of Wonderland, nor why he had lost the magic that was his everything as a player.
In those moments, Leon caught a glimpse of a faint glimmer of light flickering at the end of the dark passage.
Realizing he had finally reached the cave's exit, a faint smile played across his face.
A brilliant light momentarily blinded Leon, dispelling the darkness of the place. As soon as he stepped out of the cave, he was able to see the world with his own eyes. Mountains stood arrayed as far as the eye could see to the left and right, and the intense sunlight was blinding in its brilliance.
Leon was not accustomed to such sights. Although he was a player who logged into this world daily, he had never been able to feel the beauty of nature in such a way before.
It was a beautiful and incredibly real sensation—one Leon wouldn't have experienced even in his original world.
Meanwhile, Leon leaped from the top of the cliff toward the ground below.
The cave exit Leon had emerged from was situated on a sharp precipice, and below it were a series of massive rocks that looked like a giant staircase woven by nature.
As soon as Leon landed at the bottom of the cliff, he began looking left and right, meticulously scanning the area for any living creature.
The search ended in failure; there was no sign of any breathing being in this place. It was a mountain range so rugged that it seemed devoid of any form of life.
Or so Leon thought. While there were no breathing creatures in the area, those with breath were not the only danger.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently beneath Leon's feet. He panicked for a moment but managed to regain his composure.
Leon leaped away from where he had been standing moments before. In contrast, the ground he had stood upon began to reshape itself, taking on a strange form.
"Hah... what is happening to this cursed ground?" Leon marveled at the event. The earth seemed to be preparing for something to emerge from beneath it, but Leon remained ignorant of what that thing was—until now.
The tremor stopped abruptly, leaving behind a pile of rocks and dirt stacked in a pyramid shape before Leon's eyes.
At that moment, curiosity got the better of Leon, prompting him to approach the mound formed of earth and stone. He stopped near it and began to feel the rocks with his hands and examine the soil with his eyes, hoping to find an explanation for what had happened.
While Leon was still conducting his examination at the base of the mound, there was a strange movement at the top of the pyramid.
A small cluster of rocks tumbled from the top of the pyramid onto Leon's head, causing a minor but painful injury. "Ah... what is this? It's incredibly painful!"
After being subjected to such pain, Leon retreated, ignoring what had happened. Now, his idea of what had occurred was very clear; he imagined he was most likely inside the world of Wonderland, so there was nothing strange about this wondrous world, and he considered what happened to be one of its wonders.
As Leon was walking in the opposite direction of the pyramid mound, he noticed, using his advanced senses, that something strange was happening behind him.
Leon turned around hastily, his eyes wide open as if he were seeing some kind of nightmare.
"Damn it... this really isn't a good time for jokes." Leon's final words were enough to prove the magnitude of the trouble he had fallen into.
Immediately, Leon averted his gaze in the complete opposite direction and began running as fast as possible.
His appearance as he fled in this manner was pathetic; that someone who was once a King sitting on the throne of power would flee this way... but the recent events with the Night Wolf had taught Leon a harsh lesson: he was no longer that revered King. If he wished to return to being that King again, he had to preserve his life and his resolve.
"Damn you, you cursed Golem! Just you wait, I'll come back to rip out your heart as soon as possible! Don't think you've won the war just because you made me retreat this time!"
Despite mentioning it this way, there was no doubt that he was a fugitive. Leon had truly realized it: facing this massive Golem in his current state was nothing but a stupid idea for suicide.
When Leon had moved far enough away to feel safe, he stopped to catch his breath and re-evaluate his situation.
"Looking at what happened, I don't doubt that many Golems are sleeping under this ground. But this Golem... damn it, why is it so massive? It's truly insane!" Looking at the matter, it seemed Leon wished to leave this area as quickly as possible to avoid any potential risks.
As soon as Leon rearranged his roadmap, he headed West as fast as he could. Leon moved with high agility between the rocks and the rugged mountain paths.
After about an hour, Leon finally reached the end of the mountain range's western stretch, and green plains and fertile lands stretched out as far as his eyes could see.
"Ah... it's the plains indeed. How I love the plains... they're still better than these ugly mountains. At least a Golem won't pop up from under my feet."
Leon continued his advance West, venturing deeper into the plains, hoping to find a place to take shelter for the night.
After about another hour, Leon spotted a column of smoke. A look of total satisfaction crossed his face; he knew that this column of smoke would lead him to some humans.
As Leon headed toward the source of the smoke, the sun had already begun to set.
The sunset, which announced the end of this eventful day, was stunning. "Ah... how I love the sunset. It's truly beautiful."
After more than a minute, Leon reached the place where the smoke was rising... it was a humble cottage.
Leon approached the cottage slightly to see if anyone was there, but he couldn't hear any sound or even sense any presence inside, which made the matter a bit suspicious at first.
But Leon ignored it and headed toward the door, knocking and waiting for someone to open it. But there was no one to answer, despite Leon repeating his knocks several times.
At this moment, Leon was struck by confusion: should he break the door and enter, or go on his way? But to which path? Leon didn't even know where he was, nor where he was headed, so his soul leaned toward the first option more than the second.
But hesitation was clear on Leon; he didn't want to intrude on someone else's dwelling in this manner, but he was forced to do so, especially since he had been starving for a while.
"Fine... I have no other choice. I'm truly sorry."
Leon pushed the door of the cottage hard and opened it. The inside of the cottage was warm and beautiful; from the moment Leon's foot stepped inside, he felt a sense of comfort and tranquility. There was a pot boiling full of food, as well as a fireplace—most likely the one producing the thick smoke that had guided Leon to this cottage.
Leon sat on the chair opposite the fireplace, with a plate of food he had poured from the pot in his hand, and began to contemplate the fire in the hearth while enjoying his meal.
Leon remained in this state for a good while until he grew weary and succumbed to sleep. But strangely, he didn't lie down on the sofa or look for a bed; instead, he fell asleep while sitting on the chair facing the fire.
End of Chapter