Chapter 124: Chapter124-Suicide? Nah!

The Evening sunlight filtered through the dense jungle, occasionally hitting a person's face as they raced through the undergrowth. Yup... That person was me. "Huff... Huff..." My breath was heavy, and each step felt like a huge weight dragging me down, but I couldn't afford to stop... Why? Because that troll of a monster was right behind me, closing in. For what? Apparently, that injured Hellhound I came across was actually its prey... Yeah, so, it was the one responsible for all that shit. Just a few minutes ago, when I tried to hide from it. It started tearing down trees around me, trying to smoke me out because it knew whoever had taken its prey was nearby. I had no choice but to run, because if I'd stayed, I probably would've been crushed by one of those falling trees. So, I bolted, but not before it spotted me and started charging after me. But... It was too slow... It was at least half a kilometer behind me. I still don't understand how it managed to spot me from so far away. The birds' chirping grew louder, almost drowning out the sound of the rustling branches that shook with every step I took. But there was one thing I didn't know... "Fuck, How much longer do I have to keep running?" I shouted, my voice strained with exhaustion... I checked my watch to see the time: **Name:** Michael Frostburne **Total Rules Broken:** 1 **Current Rules Broken:** 0 **Time:** 5:30 p.m. "Huff..." I was already deep in the jungle, maybe close to entering a dangerous area that I definitely wanted to avoid. **ROAR** Then, suddenly, a deafening roar reverberated through the jungle, more intense than anything I'd ever heard. "Huff... That bastard." It was so powerful that it felt like the very earth was shaking beneath my feet. Suddenly... "What the...?" A shiver ran down my spine, and in that moment, my instincts told me to stop. It was a feeling I'd come to trust ever since I came back from the illusion worlda deep warning I knew I shouldn't ignore. Because if I did, I had no idea what might happen to me. There was a real chance I could die for ignoring my instincts. Without thinking, I came to an abrupt stop, my heart pounding in my chest. I stood frozen for about five seconds, every muscle tight, every sense on edge, waiting for... something. Suddenly, a loud noise shattered the silence behind me. Huh? I spun around, my eyes widening in disbelief as I saw a massive Menara tree, at least 25 feet tall, hurtling through the air directly toward me... "Shit!" The realization of whoor whathad thrown it hit me like a shockwave. Troll... There was no time to react. **BOOM** The enormous tree crashed into the ground just ten meters in front of me with a thunderous boom, shaking the earth beneath my feet. The force of the impact sent a powerful gust of wind rushing outward in all directions. Stay stro- I tried to brace myself, but the wind struck me with such force that I lost my balance. "Uhhhh!" I stumbled, my legs buckling, and within moments, I was on the ground, gasping for breath. For a brief moment, everything was still except for the pounding in my ears. "My eyes..." Dust from the exploding tree covered my face, blurring my vision and making it hard to focus as I tried to regain my balance. I quickly rubbed my eyes with both hands to remove the grit. After a few tense seconds, my sight began to clear, though my eyes were red and stinging from the rubbing. Despite the slight pain, I chose to ignore it. Why? Considering this was a good opportunity to escape from the troll, with the area covered in dust, I believed it would be harder for even the troll to see me... Pushing myself up from the ground, I took a deep breath and began running again. But... My luck seemed to be running out as things rapidly went from bad to worse. While I was running, a loud crash sounded, and something landed beside me... Hmm? I glanced over to see a Monkey Spider, its face twisted into a creepy grin even as it was falling. "Oh crap, run!" I muttered and I sped away, knowing the spider wouldn't take long to catch up... I briefly considered using my Dash skill but quickly changed my mind when when I saw some dead daffodils nearby. This indicated I was in a dangerous area, though I wasn't sure if I had just entered or had been there for a while... ** I continued running, but after a few more minutes, I had to stop... "Fuckkkkk!" I shouted in frustration... Why? The ground ahead ended in a cliff, leaving me with little time to figure out what to do next. **CRRRREEEEAAAK!** A loud noise echoed nearby. I looked back and saw the spider clinging to a tree not far away. The distance was about 15 meters, which wasn't much for the spider. I quickly checked its stats and saw it was at the same rank as me, which wasn't surprising. Carefully, I approached the edge of the cliff to see how high it was. "Hoo." I was stunned by what I saw below. There was a large lake, and the cliff itself wasn't very highabout the size of a 30 to 50-story building. Using my appraisal skill, I found out the pond was 80 meters wide and 15 meters deep. I glanced back at the spider, which was watching me closely but not moving. It seemed to sense what I was thinking. Should I really jump? The problem was, while I wanted to jump, there was a good chance the lake might be inhabited by sea monsters. I had no idea what kind, since I'd never faced sea monsters in this world before. I hoped it wasn't something like a giant anaconda or a Kraken. Or my Dash skill might not be very useful. Considering I was in a dangerous area, anything was possible. While I was still weighing my options, the ground began to shake more violently, and the troll was getting closer. "No way, I'm out of here!" I was cornered, with the spider and the troll closing in from either side... It's better to jump rather than wait up here. If there are any Rare rank monsters in the water, I can always use my Dash skill to escape if needed. "No time to think!" I said to myself. Taking a deep breath, I ran to the edge and jumped off the cliff. The air whipped past me as I fell toward the lake. The drop seemed endless, with adrenaline making everything feel like it was in slow motion. My heart raced as I neared the water. **SPLASH!** I hit the water hard, plunging deep beneath the surface. The icy, murky water shocked me, and I kicked vigorously to swim up. "Uff... Uff..." That was risky... For a moment, I worried that I might die from the impact with the water. When I finally surfaced, I gasped for air and scanned the water for any signs of danger. I surveyed my surroundings and noticed something strange moving just below the water's surface. Then, I glanced down, trying to see the bottom of the lake. Hmm? What is that? The darkness made it difficult to see clearly, but for a moment, I thought I saw somethinga shape, almost like... "Was that an eye? Nah, if it was, the monster would be the size of the entire island." Yet, my curiosity got the better of me, so... Just to be sure, I looked down again, but all I saw was darkness, no matter how hard I tried to see further. "Sigh... I'm getting way too paranoid." It's crazy how much a single thought can mess with your mind. Now I was seeing things that probably weren't even there. Anyway, let's leave before anything more dangerous happen... I started swimming steadily and quickly reached the outlet. I wasn't a great swimmer in my previous world, but in this one, I learned it as part of my training. I didn't practice often, but Allen always reminded me to be prepared for anything. Taking a deep breath, I dived down again, swimming close to the bottom of the lake. While swimming, I didn't notice any more movement in the water, but I was still mesmerized by the lake's beauty. The water was incredibly fresh. What was its name again? Oh, rightLake Karakos... I remember seeing the name when I used my appraisal skill earlier. I have to say, this water might even be purer than Lake Baikal in Russia, from my old world. It struck me that most lakes and rivers in this world are still fresh, untouched by humanity. It's true what they used to sayhumans really are nature's greatest threat. After covering a good distance, I decided to resurface for a quick breath before diving back down. *** After a few minutes of swimming, I finally reached the bottom, only to encounter another problem. Three spider monkeys were on the riverbank, their backs turned toward me. I had no clue what they were focused on, and I wasn't eager to find out. Suddenly, one of them began to turn around. I quickly dove deeper, pressing myself against the riverbed like a lizard. 'Don't look down. Don't look down.' If the spider monkeys noticed me, I'd have no choice but to surface. Why? Because these creatures aren't just experts at throwing acidthey can swim too. If they spotted me, I'd be in serious trouble. 'But why are they here, anyway?' I know this is a jungle, and monsters roam freely, but spider monkeys are different. They usually avoid rivers, even though they can swim, for some unknown reason. So seeing them here was a bit surprising... To say the least. I didn't know if the spider monkeys would be alerted if I moved underwater, but I wasn't taking any chances. I stood motionless like a statue. *** But after a few more minutes, I was running out of breath. I was on the edge. A gold-rank hunter usually can hold their breath underwater for about 8 to 12 minutes, and I was definitely pushing those limits. I was sure I had surpassed 12 minutes by now. Meanwhile, the spider monkeys, oblivious to my situation, continued to watch the surroundings. Thinking quickly, I drew both of my daggers. 'I'll have to use it to take them out!' My Dash skill seemed like my only option now, given how dangerous the situation was. At this rate, I might drown. I readied my daggers, and just as I was about to use my skill, something happened... That was...