The vast lakeshore stretched out as far as the eye could see.
The surface of the lake was shrouded in thick mist; under the dark backdrop, the water emitted a faint, deep, and murky hue, like a bottomless abyss.
Just like the darkness in the forest, even on this open lakeshore, it still gave off an inexplicably heavy sense of oppression.
Mono naturally had no mind for whether the atmosphere on the lake was oppressive or not.
He had already prepared a "boat" for the crossing here.
"Quick, push the door into the water."
Mono shouted to Sam.
He had moved the wooden door he'd dismantled from the cabin to the riverbank.
And he was using it as a tool to cross the lake—a boat.
However, to prevent it from being washed away by waves, it had been placed quite far from the water's edge.
Of course, if he had known earlier that there were other existences in this forest even more dangerous than the Hunter, he might not have placed it so far away.
Or rather, if he had known, he wouldn't have eaten so leisurely just now.
Although the monster's appearance was unexpected, Mono never considered turning back to fight it.
Although his current strength had improved somewhat.
He still hadn't escaped the constraints of being one of the "Little people."
Compared to some massive "monsters," Little people were naturally at a disadvantage.
Unless his Innate Ability was fully activated, challenging those monsters would not be an easy task.
Secondly.
Mono wasn't sure what was chasing them.
Against the Hunter, he could still rely on his experience from playing the game to find a Musket and kill him.
But whether the monster behind them appeared in the game remained an unknown.
He wasn't sure if a Musket could kill it.
Nor was he sure if the two of them working together would even stand a chance.
Therefore, for the basic goal of survival, he had to temporarily avoid its sharp edge no matter what.
Sam worked with Mono to push the door toward the water.
Fortunately, the sand on the bank was soft, and Sixth Master's strength was indeed impressive, so the door was successfully pushed into the lake.
Using the momentum, Mono quickly jumped onto the door.
The lake water was deep and cold; Mono didn't dare fall in.
Sam jumped on as well.
"Quick, row."
Mono threw over the bamboo pole he had prepared.
Together, they steered the boat away from the shore.
Seeing that they were slowly moving away from the lakeshore, Mono's tense nerves finally began to relax.
Seeing this, Sam opened her mouth, wanting to ask something.
She wasn't quite sure why Mono had been so flustered while pulling her away just now.
However, just as she was about to speak, a faint and heavy sound of footsteps suddenly came from the shore in the distance.
Sam turned her head.
By now, the wooden door was more than ten meters away from the shore, and with the mist in between, she couldn't see clearly what was on the shore.
However, the massive dark shadow visible through the mist still made her body stiffen involuntarily.
"What... kind of monster is that?"
She stared blankly at the dark shadow in the mist, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Mono naturally heard the sound as well.
Watching the massive dark shadow in the mist gradually grow smaller, he felt both terror and relief.
This figure, even as a hazy shadow, exerted such a powerful pressure and deterrent force.
If they faced it directly, what would the consequences be?
"In the World of Nightmares, you really can't let your guard down for a moment..."
As Mono watched the shadow shrink, this thought couldn't help but rise again.
With just one slip-up, he really might be finished.
The reality here was based on the game, but it wasn't the game.
He had to take it seriously.
Mono reflected on what just happened; he had still been too careless.
If not for good luck, he might have lost his chance.
As the thought flashed by, Mono glanced slightly up at the dazed Sam, a trace of depth once again hiding in his eyes.
Any tiny existence could hide extreme danger behind it.
He couldn't relax just because he had killed the Hunter.
He had to remain reverent and vigilant.
This was the creed by which survivors lived in this world.
...
The wooden door rowed quietly forward on the lake.
The dim sky made the lake water appear as black as ink.
Surrounded by mist, their vision couldn't reach far, and they couldn't see what was ahead.
Everything was shrouded in the unknown.
Sixth Master sat at the other end of the "deck" and took out her music box again.
The tinkling music sounded from the bow again.
She listened quietly, as if the events from just now had been tossed to the back of her mind, her whole state falling back into an inexplicable, lonely silence.
Mono couldn't quite bear it.
The lake was already eerily quiet; with two living people so close together yet not saying a word, wouldn't that be even more depressing?
"Hey, how were you caught by the Hunter?"
Mono looked at her and asked.
He was somewhat curious about Sixth Master's previous experiences.
Sam slightly snapped out of her musical trance.
She didn't really want to talk.
So she just glanced at Mono and went back to dazing.
"I'm asking you a question, are you deaf? Give me some reaction, will you?"
Mono was instantly irritated by her behavior.
This attitude was inexplicably annoying.
"Hey, how long have you been here?"
"Have you encountered other monsters before?"
"Like the thing just now—if you have, can you tell me about it?"
"I'm not very familiar with this place."
"Are you not going to talk?"
"Well, do they or don't they?"
"Or are you so scared of them that you don't dare speak?"
"Don't worry, we're safe for now. Come on, tell me..."
"Are they even scarier than that hunter just now?"
"Green-faced with fangs, baring claws, disheveled, rotting all over, or just a pile of bones?"
"That would indeed be quite terrifying..."
"If that's the case, it's only natural you've ended up like this..."
"But..."
Seeing that Sixth Master remained silent, Mono chattered away with increasing enthusiasm.
Listening to the monologue by her ear, Six finally had no choice but to lift her head again.
Then, she muttered dully, "Mo... mo... no, shut... up..."