A Bug In Fate

The next two days passed in a blur of travel, training, and hunting.

Alden spent most of his time moving through the forest while comparing every landmark he found to the map. Whenever he stopped to rest, he practiced with his saber. Whenever he felt his mana recover, he cultivated. When he grew hungry, he hunted.

The routine wasn’t exciting, but it was productive.

His saber swings gradually became smoother. They were still far from elegant, and any real swordsman would probably have a heart attack if they saw his technique, but at least he no longer looked like someone randomly waving metal around.

That counted as progress.

As he continued moving east, Alden also noticed something interesting.

The monsters seemed weaker.

At first he thought it was simply because he had grown stronger, but after several encounters he became convinced that wasn’t the whole story. The creatures he met now were noticeably less threatening than the giant chameleon that had nearly turned him into lunch.

Maybe he had unknowingly wandered through a dangerous area earlier.

Or maybe the forest itself became less hostile closer to civilization.

Either way, he wasn’t complaining.

Late on the second day, Alden finally discovered something familiar.

A river.

Not far away, a large lake stretched across the landscape, its dark waters reflecting the glow of the twin moons overhead.

Excitement immediately surged through him.

Pulling out the map, he carefully compared every detail.

The shape of the lake.

The curve of the river.

The nearby hills.

Everything matched.

A grin spread across his face.

"Finally."

For the first time since finding the map, he knew exactly where he was.

More importantly, he knew where he needed to go.

The village wasn’t terribly far from here.

At least compared to the endless wandering he had been doing before.

After checking the map three more times just to make sure he wasn’t imagining things, Alden began following the river eastward.

He kept a healthy distance from the water.

Large bodies of water and giant monsters seemed like things that naturally belonged together.

"What if some giant leviathan suddenly jumps out and swallows me?"

The image immediately appeared in his head.

A monstrous fish emerging from the river before gulping him down like a snack.

Alden shuddered.

"Yeah, let’s not test that theory."

His survival instincts strongly agreed.

---

Several hours later, Alden found himself staring at three wolves.

Large black wolves.

Hungry black wolves.

The biggest one stood directly ahead while the other two slowly spread apart, cutting off his escape routes.

Alden sighed.

"I was having such a nice day too."

The wolves didn’t seem interested in conversation.

The one on the left attacked first.

Its body blurred across the forest floor, kicking up dirt and leaves as it lunged toward him. Alden stepped aside and swung his saber, managing to carve a shallow wound across its shoulder, but before he could follow up another wolf appeared from his blind spot.

Sharp claws flashed toward his ribs.

Alden twisted instinctively and felt the attack scrape against his clothing.

Too close.

Way too close.

The third wolf joined the assault before he could recover.

Unlike the monsters he had fought before, these creatures worked together. They weren’t taking turns like enemies in a video game. The moment one attack failed, another followed immediately after.

There was no pause.

No breathing room.

Only pressure.

Alden found himself constantly moving as dust rose around the battlefield. The wolves circled him like experienced hunters, searching for weaknesses while forcing him to split his attention in multiple directions.

The leader suddenly charged.

Alden raised his saber and slashed downward, forcing the beast back, but the instant his attack finished another wolf lunged from the side.

Its jaws snapped shut where his neck had been less than a second earlier.

Sweat trickled down Alden’s forehead.

The wolves weren’t stronger than the giant chameleon.

They were smarter.

That made them far more dangerous.

One mistake was all it would take.

The battle dragged on.

Minutes passed.

Small cuts appeared across Alden’s arms while blood stained patches of his clothing. The wolves weren’t faring much better. Several wounds covered their bodies, but none were severe enough to end the fight.

Alden’s breathing grew heavier.

His arms felt sore.

His mana reserves slowly diminished.

Then he noticed something.

The leader always attacked first.

Every time.

The other two instinctively followed its movements.

A pattern.

A weakness.

The next opportunity came moments later.

The leader charged again.

This time Alden didn’t retreat.

He stepped forward.

The wolf clearly wasn’t expecting that.

Their distance disappeared instantly.

Alden ignored the claws coming toward him and poured mana into his legs.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to slow.

Then his saber flashed.

A deep crimson line appeared across the wolf’s throat.

The beast staggered.

Blood sprayed across the ground.

A second later it collapsed.

Dead.

The remaining wolves hesitated.

Only for a moment.

But that moment was enough.

Alden immediately pressed his advantage.

Without their leader coordinating them, the pack lost much of its rhythm. The remaining two wolves became noticeably easier to predict, and within minutes the battle was over.

Silence slowly returned to the forest.

Alden stood there breathing heavily while blood dripped from the edge of his saber.

The fight had been exhausting.

But he had won.

A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

═══════════════════════

[ Strength Increased ]

[ Agility Increased ]

═══════════════════════

A tired smile appeared on his face.

The beating had at least been worthwhile.

---

After dragging one of the wolves away for later consumption, Alden eventually found a nearby pond and decided to clean himself.

Cold water washed away the blood, dirt, and sweat covering his body.

For several minutes he simply relaxed.

The battle had left him exhausted, and the cool water felt surprisingly refreshing.

That was when he noticed it.

A faint glow.

At first Alden thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

He blinked.

The light remained.

Curious, he climbed out of the pond and followed its direction.

A waterfall cascaded down a nearby cliff, creating a curtain of rushing water. Behind it, barely visible unless someone looked carefully, was a narrow opening.

And beyond that opening...

Light.

Real light.

Not moonlight.

Not firelight.

Something else.

Alden frowned.

Every survival instinct he possessed told him to be careful.

Unfortunately, curiosity was winning.

Grabbing his saber, he slowly approached the waterfall before slipping through the narrow gap hidden behind it.

The sound of rushing water quickly faded as he entered the cave.

Darkness surrounded him.

The tunnel stretched deeper underground, twisting through the stone like a giant serpent.

Alden proceeded cautiously.

A few minutes later he spotted movement near one of the walls.

Several small monsters were sleeping together.

The creatures resembled oversized rodents covered in gray fur. None of them seemed particularly threatening, but Alden wasn’t interested in taking chances.

Quietly approaching, he raised his saber.

The first monster died before it could wake up.

The second followed immediately after.

The remaining creatures managed to open their eyes, but by then it was already too late.

The entire fight ended in less than a minute.

Alden continued deeper into the cave.

The farther he walked, the brighter the glow became.

At the same time, he began noticing something else.

The mana.

It was everywhere.

The concentration was several times higher than outside.

Even breathing felt different.

Eventually the tunnel widened and opened into a massive underground chamber.

Alden stopped.

For several seconds, he simply stared.

The cavern stretched far beyond what should have been possible beneath the forest. Every wall, every corner, and even parts of the ceiling were covered in countless crystals glowing in shades of blue, silver, and violet.

Their light illuminated the entire chamber.

Reflections danced across the stone walls, transforming the cave into something resembling a star-filled sky.

It was beautiful.

Genuinely beautiful.

Since arriving in this world, darkness had become normal. The Evernight Forest was dark. The nights were dark. Even most caves were dark.

Yet this place seemed to shine with a life of its own.

Alden slowly stepped forward.

"Now, if only I had a camera. This place would solve all my lighting problems."

A laugh escaped him.

The sight before him felt unreal.

The crystals stretched as far as he could see.

Enough to fill a lake.

Enough to bath in.

Then a familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

Alden blinked.

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