A long time later, Hector's priority was to leave this desert, but things weren't that simple. He had traveled 2 kilometers—a considerable distance—yet all he could see was sand stretching endlessly to the horizon.
Fortunately, just as he was nearing exhaustion from thirst, he finally stumbled upon a small oasis.
This little paradise resembled the ones he had often seen portrayed in films. Of course, there was a tiny lake here, which could solve his urgent matter.
"Luckily, this isn't an illusion," he muttered after drinking deeply from the water. The feeling was very refreshing, and he stood up, beginning to observe his surroundings.
According to the movies he had watched, most oases were illusions caused by the light of the sun's light.
Yet, he quickly saw his error: the sun had already set. At this moment, it was impossible for this scene to be anything related to a mirage.
Hector slowly glanced at the surface of the lake, and in a short time, he became surprised.
"Wow… my face is rather handsome."
"Probably, I shouldn't doubt these eyes, although sometimes they confuse me between day and night," he said, admiring his reflection.
A perfect face with flawless white skin stared back at him. His blue eyes were stunning, like something straight out of an anime. Naturally, his short hair was blue as well.
Moreover, his frame was also pretty thin, but it didn't matter. He was very young—his physique would develop over time.
"Indeed, all humans in this world must be beautiful. Hypothetically, if I kept this look in my old world, I'd marry countless girls," Hector mused, a smug smile spreading across his lips as he constantly touched his face.
For a moment, he became so lost in admiration that he forgot where he was.
Suddenly, a massive force crashed into him.
Bang!
A sharp, terrible pain surged through his back, contorting his face into a grimace. It felt like something sharp had struck him.
By inertia, he lost his balance and toppled into the lake with a loud splash.
Pum!
"It hurts," Hector thought as he struggled to move his body from the water, which was beginning to swallow him. However, his efforts were futile.
His muscles became increasingly unresponsive, refusing to obey his commands.
"Fuck! This must be some kind of nerve poison. It's paralyzing me," he cursed inwardly, desperately trying to move his hand toward his pocket to retrieve the herb he had taken from the factory earlier. But his limbs remained completely motionless.
Diagnosing poisoning was an easy task for him. Basically, he was a doctor, but he wasn't God. After all, a human still has its limits.
He didn't expect the toxin to take effect so quickly. Surely, the beasts in this world weren't like the snakes in his own.
With each passing second, his movements became harder and more labored, the venom spreading through his system while the force of the water pulled him deeper.
Despite his struggle, every effort seemed useless—until finally, through sheer willpower, he managed to grasp the herb and shove it into his mouth.
Even so, his danger was far from over.
In the distance, a beast gradually came into view, its ominous silhouette sharpening with each passing moment.
It was rather small, nearly like a dog. Yet, its head resembled that of a horse, with a sharp, tiny horn sprouting from its forehead.
Now, it appeared partly like a monster or some kind of chimera.
"Monster? It has already attacked me."
Hector panicked and tried to grab his knife from the pack swiftly, getting into a fighting stance. Yet, there was one major issue.
"Quickly!" he cursed angrily, but his body still didn't respond. The herb's effect wasn't kicking in as fast as he'd hoped.
More precisely, in this urgent situation, everything felt as though it was unfolding in slow motion.
Or rather, it meant that the toxin inside him was to blame.
After a few seconds, he began to notice something unusual.
The creature was swimming toward him slowly, as if it considered him easy prey, not in a rush.
"It seems it hasn't yet realized that I'm recovering from the venom's effects," he thought, eyeing the attacker cautiously.
The creature was certainly confident in the toxin's strength. And that belief made sense—without the herb from the factory, his fate would have been sealed by either the beast or this lake.
However, not everything would unfold as the creature assumed. And this was a moment Hector had to grasp tightly.
"The perk of these eyes is truly amazing. That thing probably can't see me clearly," Hector thought, relaxing his body to let the antidote circulate through his veins more quickly.
Additionally, he needed to eliminate the beast in a single strike, as he had already been underwater for about 40 seconds—a pretty long time without air.
Fighting here would only hasten his demise.
So, he waited for the creature to get closer.
With every passing moment, Hector sharpened his focus, and the enemy's form became clearer.
It was horrifyingly ugly; its equine head seemed disproportionately large compared to its muscular frame, which resembled that of an adult pit bull.
Slowly, it opened its maw, revealing sharp teeth—just two meters away from Hector, ready to devour him.
"Stupid ugly dog. You'll regret eating me."
Hector locked eyes with the creature and didn't blink.
He tried to stay still, minimizing movement to avoid raising suspicion before the right moment came.
Finally, the beast was just a hand's distance from him.
"Right now!"
Hector didn't hesitate, thrusting the knife at its right eye. Not stopping, he twisted the blade in the opposite direction.
The creature reeled from the blow, groaning in unbearable agony. It tried to bite Hector's hand that held the weapon to break free, but its jaw refused to move.
Instinctively, when its main weapon failed, it began to thrash and retreat.
Of course, in a normal situation, Hector wouldn't let it escape so easily.
But he had stayed beneath the surface for quite some time and could no longer afford to linger. He had to let the ugly beast flee. Yet, it wasn't a big deal.
After all, everything had unfolded just as he anticipated.
He knew the creature's muscles were incredibly dense. Moreover, his knife was quite short, so piercing through that thick barrier was nearly impossible.
However, if he went for the eyes, the outcome would be different. He could inflict serious damage. But negatively, it might enrage the monster and trigger a reckless assault.
He couldn't kill it with a single stab from a shabby blade, so he opted for another tactic. Eventually, he aimed to sever the nerve center inside its skull. At that moment, the knife was lodged in its right eye, and he twisted it.
Although he had never performed surgery on a horse's cranium, he assumed it shared some similarities with human anatomy.
And he succeeded. The nerve that transmitted signals from the brain to the jaw was cut.
Its only weapon had become completely useless. Not just that—it would soon die. The spot he targeted was also a convergence point for many blood vessels. Before long, the brain would be deprived of oxygen.
Hector quickly swam toward the surface before his breath ran out. However, now he felt far more composed than when he'd first dived in.
A few seconds later, he gradually reached the surface of the lake.
In that favorable moment, he smiled faintly, finally allowing himself a moment of ease.
"Stupid dog, I'll definitely eat you!"