Chapter 4: Gigantic tree
He had walked for hours before finally finding an entrance. The walk had not been uneventful. Along the way, he had met, killed, and absorbed a few more three-eyed wolves, growing stronger each time. Their attack pattern was already burned into his mind; he knew when they would lunge, when they would feint, when they would fire their beam. So killing them didn’t take nearly as much time as the first ones.
Now, he stood at the temple’s entrance, looking outside.
What lay before him was a forest. Gigantic trees stretched so far into the sky that, from where he stood, he couldn’t even see their tips. From the position of the sun, it seemed to be around noon—which was great for him, since it meant he still had time to find shelter before nightfall.
He took a step out, breathed in the fresh air and felt the breeze on his face.
He would’ve loved to feel the wind run through his hair, too, but the first thing he discovered about this new body was that he was bald. He might’ve been disappointed if it didn’t produce hair at all, but the fact that he had eyebrows gave him hope he could slowly rebuild his pride and joy... slowly.
He glanced back at the temple, mildly amazed by its size. It was far bigger than he had realized. The architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen. Honestly, it was a surprise he hadn’t gotten lost inside. He found it strange that the path from the bone room to the exit was just a single hallway, but he was glad that he had found the exit fast.
After resting for a few minutes, he took a deep breath and entered the forest.
It was lively. Birds chirped above. Insects buzzed. Somewhere far off, a beast let out a deep roar.
He walked in the direction he assumed was south, hoping to find some sign of human civilization. While he was confident he could survive for now, he didn’t know how long he could last in a forest like this while still this weak.
A few hours later, a familiar sensation began gnawing at him from within... hunger.
He had been pushing it aside, ignoring it as best he could since he woke up, but now it was becoming unbearable. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years. After growing stronger in his past life, his body no longer needed food. It survived on energy alone.