Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Moment of Peace

My vision went dark for a moment.

The short sword had stabbed me on the left side of my lower abdomen, but the part that actually pierced through the flesh was not very long. At the critical moment, the suddenly rising ice spears blocked most of the force from the Knight Leader, and the rapidly freezing frost mist made his body stiffen at the last second; otherwise, this stab would have gone right through me.

I held the wound with one hand while using the other to hold the hilt of the sword to prevent it from falling and causing further damage. Bright red blood slowly trickled down from the wound. I took deep breaths, fearing that any misstep might cause me to faint.

The knights who had come from behind were now close enough to see my face clearly.

It’s okay, I can escape. Just hold on a little longer, and it will be fine.

The Knight Leader lying on the ground had already been helped up. I clenched my teeth, and black smoke rose from beneath my feet, flying over ten meters away with a “whoosh.” The instant I exerted force, the large movement tore at the wound, and I almost fell, feeling suffocating pain in my lower abdomen.

My face turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on my forehead.

“Ah…” I couldn’t hold back the pain and cried out.

However, this time I managed to create some distance, but it wasn’t enough. With my current running speed, they would catch up soon.

Without looking back, I waved my hand, and large area ice spears shot up with a “crackling” sound, filling the air with frost mist and freezing the grass and trees around me.

Once formed, ice spears could only melt naturally. I hoped they would block the pursuers for a moment.

Enduring the pain, I walked quickly forward a few steps, and another burst of black smoke carried me far away. During this process, I continuously released frost mist behind me.

In the middle of the black smoke, my body seemed to be pulled by some force, moving very fast. To ensure a safe landing, I made large adjustments, which also caused more pain. After several leaps, my face was ashen, my teeth chattered, cold sweat dripped down my cheeks, and tears streamed down from the pain.

Keep going, do it again.

Blood dripped down my thigh onto the ground. I ignored everything and had no intention of covering my tracks.

I had entered the forest. Keep going deeper. I couldn’t afford to fall now; I must ensure they couldn’t find me.

But I really couldn’t jump anymore.

I limped deeper into the forest, each step pulling at the wound, making me stop to catch my breath when the pain became unbearable. After a period of intermittent progress, I looked back and saw that the grass and trees behind me were thick, and the knights were nowhere to be seen.

I should have finally shaken them off. Finally, I felt a sense of relief.

This jungle resembled a tropical rainforest, with ancient trees and strange trees towering menacingly. The wet ground was covered with fallen leaves and weeds. Every step I took was either on moss-covered rocks or soft, muddy sludge, making me very uncomfortable.

The air was humid and hot, with vines crisscrossing in front of me, making the path even more difficult.

Maybe I should rest.

It was nearing dusk, and it wouldn’t be long before nightfall. The complex terrain and the cover of darkness were undoubtedly beneficial for me.

I found a green rock to sit on and removed my cloak. I didn’t know what material it was made of, but it felt very delicate. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now I realized that this cloak wasn’t entirely white. There was a beautiful light golden flower pattern slightly above the center, surrounded by intricate patterns, though the colors were quite faint and hard to notice unless you looked closely.

The cloak of the bearded swordsman was too long, so I could tear off a piece to bandage the wound.

I immediately grabbed the hem and compared it to my calf, then tore it open.

I tore it open!

I tore it!

… What kind of cloak is this? It’s so sturdy.

After a moment of puzzlement, I used my right hand to form a sharp ice spear and stabbed and slashed at the cloak with great effort, finally cutting off the hem.

I’m so tired. This cloak is of such high quality. It seems that the textile industry here is quite advanced.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I twisted the torn cloth into a strip and bit it, taking a deep breath, and gripped the short sword with both hands.

Handle.

“Hu——”

He slowly exhaled, his gaze resolute…

He took another deep breath.

I took several deep breaths.

“……”

What should I do? I was too afraid to pull it out.

Whenever I watched TV, someone would always scream desperately not to pull it out! If you do, you’ll die! Then the injured person, who originally had nothing wrong with them, would indeed faint after pulling it out.

Could it be that once I pulled it out, the blood would spurt out like it does on TV, and then I would roll my eyes and never see the sun again?

I was somewhat afraid.

But not pulling it out wasn’t an option either.

As the sky was about to turn completely dark, after much hesitation, I finally decided to pull it out!

I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and forcefully pulled the sword handle, extracting the short sword.

“En——!!”

The intense pain made me groan, beads of sweat trickling down my forehead.

The wound, which had stopped bleeding, started flowing with fresh blood again, but not as dramatically as I had imagined. I quickly spat out the cloth I had been biting on and wrapped it tightly around my waist to stop the bleeding.

Knights of this era were relatively honest; their weapons didn’t have fatal designs like barbs or bloodletting grooves. The stab wasn’t deep, and it likely hadn’t affected any internal organs. So, as long as the bleeding was stopped, there wouldn’t be any serious issues, just pain.

After bandaging the wound, I put on my cloak again and lay down on the green rock to rest for a while. Only after feeling some recovery did I feel strong enough to continue on.

I struggled to stand up, glanced at my cloak that only reached my ankles, and nodded in satisfaction. Although the hem was torn into ragged pieces, making it look somewhat unattractive, it was the only thing I had to cover myself with at the moment, so I paid no more attention to it.

Breathing in the natural air, I felt the absence of enemies. The dark cloud of death that had hung over me dissipated, and my tense nerves finally relaxed. Only then did I realize how thirsty and hungry I was.

There were plenty of edible things in the forest. The immediate priority was finding water. Thinking of water, my mouth became increasingly dry.

So I mustered my strength, closed my eyes, and listened carefully. For a moment, the gentle rustle of leaves and the intermittent chirping of birds and insects filled the air like a symphony. The sound of flowing water was like a sweet accompaniment, faintly heard.

To the left!

Following the sound, I wove through countless intertwined vines. Soon, a clear stream came into view.

After gradually getting used to the powerful sensory abilities that made me uncomfortable, their full effect became evident. Without such keen senses, I probably wouldn’t have survived this far, let alone found water so easily.

I couldn’t wait to approach it. Two deer resting by the stream jumped in fright but didn’t go far, instead curiously inspecting this unexpected visitor.

The stream was crystal clear. I scooped up some water and drank, finding no strange taste, and then gulped down several more mouthfuls. The cool water slid down my throat, slightly sweet.

After quenching my thirst, I washed the mud off my feet and stood up, looking at a large tree nearby with green fruits. Using my agile body, I climbed up in a few jumps, picked a fruit, wiped it, and took a bite.

The taste of the fruit wasn’t particularly sweet, even a bit sour and astringent, but it didn’t affect my current calm mood.

The branches of the giant tree were thick and sturdy, extending outward in all directions. Leaning against one of the trunks, I slowly ate the fruit in my hand, humming an unknown tune.

Night had fallen, and moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, sprinkling the night sky with sparkling stars.

In this world, there were two moons, one large and one small, hanging in the sky, rendering the night serene and transparent.

Ah, I had come to another world.

This feeling was incredibly real.

The jungle at night was filled with a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. After the great battle, deep fatigue overwhelmed me. I tossed away the remaining fruit core and found a comfortable position to rest.

Then, I saw the distant flickering of torches.