...
When I opened my eyes, I started seeing the familiar sky again. Pale white, dark gray clouds, and snowflakes. The lightly falling snowflakes were gently touching my face and melting away.
I slowly tried to get up from the snow mound I was lying on. As I tried to understand what was happening, I noticed that the wolf that had attacked me was lying dead next to me. I touched my throat with one hand and began examining my wounds. There were no bite marks.
What about my foot? I immediately turned my eyes towards my feet. My severed foot was lying intact. Just a torn trouser leg and a missing boot... I saw with my own eyes that my foot had been severed, but how?
-- Regardless of the injury you receive, your body consumes mana to heal it. The mana consumption rate for minor wounds is 2.5 mana per second. For severe wounds, the mana consumption rate is 10 mana per second.
When I saw what was shining in front of my eyes, I couldn't hide my astonishment. It was normal to be afraid of something I had never seen before. When I tried to touch it, my hand passed through it, and the image began to ripple.
No matter the situation, will I be able to heal? I don't remember what happened to me, but all I know is that I was just about to die. I turned my head to the dead wolf lying on the ground. Its blood was blackened. As I approached the wolf with heavy steps, I noticed a shattered diamond necklace on the ground.
"No..." It must have been broken when the wolf attacked me. As I bent down to collect the pieces of the necklace, I heard the groans of other wolves remaining behind. They must have caught the scent of the dead wolf. I need to get away as soon as possible.
I took the necklace chain and started running. Despite being injured a moment ago, it felt as if there were no traces of wounds on my body. I felt no pain and continued running with large steps.
If I hadn't been tired, how could I have seen such a thing? I leaned my back against a tree trunk and slowly crouched down. As I tried to catch my breath, a different image appeared in front of me again.
-Statistics-
I didn't want to believe what I saw in the emerging image at first. I thought I might be hallucinating or dreaming, but when I saw my own name and surname in the image, I realized it wasn't just a joke.
What I saw was completely real. I don't know how I managed to get into this situation or what these things are for. I need to find out, but first, I have to get out of this forest.
I need to find the way back to the village. The trees I marked on the way here... but it seems I've moved quite far from there. The trees around me were larger than ordinary, massive with thick trunks covered in claw marks.
These marks must be from a bear. I hope I can leave before encountering one. All I can do is pray.
Even if I had a hunting knife, I wouldn't know how to use it properly. Despite knowing this, I still left the village to search for my mother. I have to find her without wasting any more time...
-- Reward: 1000 Xp / 5 Stat Points
A quest to find my mother, huh?
We all know it's impossible; it's been a month since my mother left the village. Searching for her tracks seems impossible. But I can't think of another idea. Wait a minute...
I lifted my head and began to examine the claw marks on the trunk of the tree more carefully.
The tracks were unevenly drawn, as if someone had deliberately made a scratch like that. If a bear had done it, the marks would have been more regular and sharp. The person who made these marks must have been trying not to lose their way, just like me.
Could these marks belong to my mother?
I spent time examining the trunks of all the trees along the way. Every few hundred meters, there was a new mark. Finally, when I reached the last tree, the forest ended.
When I lifted my head and looked around, I saw a different village from ours. It was bright, and the villagers were working—young men carrying firewood and young women shoveling snow. From every angle, it looked similar to our village.
'Guuurrghh...' My stomach rumbled from hunger. I cautiously descended the slope and walked along the village path towards the entrance.
As I entered, an elderly woman approached me and called out.
"Welcome, foreign child." The old woman, while rubbing her hunched back with one hand, took a step forward with her old cane and walked towards me.
"It's surprising to see a stranger around here. Are you a soldier? Or a wanderer? I thought there were no settlements nearby. You must have come a long way; are you hungry?" The old woman asked and answered everything herself without giving me a chance to speak.
Could my mother have passed through this village? I need to find out... The old woman and I entered a house. The inside of the house was warmer than my old house and seemed better and sturdier. A stove was burning. The faint orange light from the stove cast a soft glow over the room.
"Come, sit by the stove, and I'll prepare some food for you." She seemed to be a very kind person.
"Why are you helping me?" I couldn't help but ask. In such difficult conditions, feeding someone who is not from the village is like wasting the village's supplies. At least, that's what the old man Richard taught us.
"Helping those in need is kindness. I am helping you because you look like you're searching for someone..." This old woman doesn't seem like an ordinary person. My mother had told me stories about Seer Aunts, who could read people's thoughts and see the future.
They are called Seers. My mother said that all Seers were possessed by demons and were controlled by them. But from what I've seen, it doesn't seem to be the case here.
"How do you know that?"
"I didn't understand?"
"I'm asking how you know I'm searching for someone..." If she knows I'm looking for my mother, she might also know if my mother passed through here. So I need to choose my words carefully.
"Your face... It looks quite scared and anxious; this expression is only worn when you've lost something incredibly valuable. You've lost something of great value to you, haven't you?" The old woman finished pouring a hot drink into a cup and began smiling at me with narrowed eyes.
"Let's drink together. It seems we have much to discuss. You can ask me anything you want. I am the village leader." She extended the cup towards me. I slowly lifted my hand and gently accepted the offered cup. After taking the first sip, I began to speak.
"I'm searching for my mother... She hasn't returned to the village for about a month. The villagers think she and her companions might be dead. That's why I set out on this journey to prove them wrong. I need to find my mother and bring her back home safely." I poured out all the feelings inside me, each unspoken word falling from my lips one by one.
"I understand... I'm sorry you lost your mother, but you're not in a position to achieve this. You're weak, undetermined, and cowardly..." The old woman's words and tone grew harsher as she continued. As I took another sip from the cup, I saw the usual image again.
I couldn't contain my astonishment when I read the text in the image. The drink she gave me was a poison.
"Did you like it? Would you like another cup?" I need to avoid showing that I've realized it's poison. But my throat burns so much that I want to scream from the pain...
TAP... TAP... TAP...
The old woman, with heavy movements, got up from her cushion and began walking towards the front door. She slowly opened the door and let the person outside into the house. Before the old woman came back, I spat out the last sip in my mouth.
I took deep breaths. If it weren't for this, I might be dead by now... I need the poison's effects to wear off as soon as possible. Then I need to leave immediately.
"Tia, do you have a guest?" The person entering was a girl. She had long black hair with bangs. Her eyes were a reddish color. She wore a long black kimono adorned with cherry blossoms of the same color as her hair.
"Oh, yes. The young man has had a long journey. He's tired, so I prepared a few things for him. Won't you join us?" The old woman suddenly became gentle and regained her previously smiling expression.
What does this mean? Did the old woman not have any ill intentions toward me? According to what's written here, she shouldn't have.
The girl in the black kimono sat next to me and continued to stare into my eyes for a long time. I was trying to understand why she was looking at me with my peripheral vision when she started speaking directly before I could say anything.
"Why is your hair white? You're not old, in fact, it's whiter than Tia's... Why?" My hair is something genetically passed down from my family. I've been wondering about this for a long time. All the children in the village had hair of various colors like yellow, brown, and red. However, mine and my mother's hair was snow white. Whenever I asked my mother why, she would give me evasive answers.
"It's something inherited from my ancestors. My mother said it was a good thing because it made it easier to camouflage in the snow while hunting." Of course, I was lying. My mother had never said such a thing. In fact, she was very tight-lipped about our hair and never told us anything.
"Wow, that makes sense. Do you know how to hunt?" The girl in the kimono kept asking questions without stopping. I didn't want to answer any more. So, I asked for permission to leave; I needed to continue my journey.
The old woman had already heard what I said about my mother, but since she claimed she didn't know anything, I couldn't waste more time here. I needed to reach my mother as soon as possible.
I gathered my belongings, put my cloak back on, and started walking towards the village exit. At that moment, I received a new quest.
-- Hunt Any Living Creature: 0 / 5