Chapter 2
Ji-woo, who had been blankly looking up at the spot where the goddess had left, decided to accept the irreversible reality.
He knew that just staying still would only let time pass. If he couldn’t return to his previous peaceful life, it was better to give up quickly and make this life peaceful. Ji-woo’s patience was too short to waste emotions on hopeless matters.
The reason he disliked the reality of dimensional travel was that he couldn’t live a safe life, not that he rejected dimensional travel itself. Ji-woo was too much of a hardcore fantasy novel addict to not understand this phenomenon and act bewildered any longer.
Like some chuunibyou [middle school syndrome] patient who exists somewhere and shouts about black flame dragons rising, the world inside fantasy was closer to Ji-woo than actual society.
To put it with some exaggeration, rather than sympathizing with the unscientific coincidence in daily life that wearing white clothes means getting soup stains, it was easier for him to understand the fact that he had experienced possession or dimensional travel, which had become clichés in fantasy novels.
Could this be punishment for someone like me who only played around all this time? Maybe I should have lived more moderately.
This kind of sentiment was Ji-woo’s current state of mind after being dimensionally transported.
The leaves shimmering with sunlight were quite beautiful, as if comforting his belated reflection. Ji-woo looked around to refresh his mood and reviewed the words the goddess had spoken. More precisely, he found words the goddess would have said from a scene in the novel. Since he hadn’t listened when the goddess was earnestly explaining, finding sentences memorized in his head was a much better method.
“Is it this way?”
Ji-woo’s steps moving toward his purpose were unhesitating. He passed through trees where gentle sunlight spread brightly in winding paths and searched remote places that others wouldn’t look back at. Though he wandered the location for a long time, there were no clear results.
There was a clear destination, but the process of reaching it was far from satisfactory. Even though he had memorized all the settings and knew every scene, it was impossible to perfectly understand even the forest terrain visible right before his eyes.
Ji-woo realized that just because he knew the future through information from the novel didn’t mean his circumstances would be perfectly improved by the novel’s information and the future he possessed. Of course, it would be better than other Earth people summoned without knowing anything.
While passing through the forest, he occasionally encountered those summoned from Earth, and watching them made Ji-woo newly realize how well he was adapting.
Despite quite some time having passed since the goddess left, some still couldn’t accept reality and sat down crying or wandering, while others were leisurely enjoying the forest’s peacefulness.
However, whether they were cowards crying and unable to face reality, or fools who accepted reality but enjoyed leisure, they all looked the same to Ji-woo.
The empire’s evil practice of kidnapping Earth people under the reason of finding heroes to save the Natrene Empire from the Demon King occurred once a year.
Kidnapping, yes. Though the intention was grand, from the victim’s perspective, it was clearly kidnapping.
Random conscription without asking for consent, and the majority of those conscripted met their death. If this wasn’t kidnapping, what was it?
If it were simply the act of summoning from Earth to the empire, so many people wouldn’t have met their deaths.
The reason people summoned to the empire died was because of the place where Earth people were first summoned—the Forest of Trials.
This place disappeared from within the empire as if covered by a black shroud for ninety days out of the year, and that period was exactly when Earth people were summoned.
From the first day, Earth people were summoned for a week, Clear and beautiful scenery, warm sunlight, and cool breezes gave the summoned Earth people leisure time, but this was both leisure time and time for building complacency.
Sweet-fleshed fruits everywhere they passed, mushrooms that tasted like meat, crystal-clear valley water visible after just a few steps. Days were cool, and evenings mysteriously brought warm winds that became blankets for those taking their rest.
Goddess Anes warned them to prepare for survival during the seven days, but generally, Earth people didn’t know the forest’s other side and only enjoyed paradise-like days.
And exactly at midnight of the eighth day, the forest flipped like a lie.
Green grass blades dried up and piled on the ground, wrapping around ankles and hindering steps. All visible fruits and mushrooms gave off strange smells and contained deadly poison close to instant death if consumed.
The flowing valley changed to a dark, murky color that turned hands black if touched. The treacherous paths periodically changed terrain, making adaptation difficult. The disposition of disgusting monsters never seen before, piled up enough to encounter every hundred meters, was endlessly cruel.
The time to survive in the forest that had truly transformed into hell was eighty-three days. Including the initial seven days, they had to fill exactly ninety days to escape.
Though nearly a hundred thousand people were summoned at once, there was a reason only a few thousand survivors escaped the forest.
“Huh? You’re a person, right?”
A group of humans who spotted the moving Ji-woo first caught him. They weren’t the type to just cry, as they had adapted to this situation with sweet fruit juice on their lips and looked at Ji-woo with pleasant expressions.
“Wow, nice to meet you.”
As if they knew what would happen in this forest from now on. They were too oblivious and nonchalant.
“Do you happen to not have a group?”
Ji-woo watched without showing his feelings as they said ‘Travel with us’ with innocent smiles.
Did they even listen to the goddess’s warning?
How cruel and merciless the forest covered in darkness would be, yet they were consuming fruits as they gathered them like that.
This was a place where it was difficult to escape the shadow of death. To survive within the less than one percent survival rate, even desperate preparation wouldn’t be enough.
“No, I’m fine. I’m more comfortable alone.”
“Ah, I see.”
Nodding at the firm refusal was the majority’s reaction, but a few hesitated, their expressions tinged with regret. Some even reached out to gently hold Ji-woo’s ankle.
“Thank you for the offer. Instead, let me give you one piece of advice.”
“Yes?”
“It would be good to prepare for survival. When you fell here, that being called a goddess said so. That darkness is coming.”
The group that had been tense at the meaningful words relaxed their faces and chuckled.
“Ah, I thought it was something else. It’s fine. With all this food scattered around anyway, we could easily last a hundred days or even a year, right?”
The group gathered behind also agreed with their representative’s words. Ji-woo decided not to care anymore about the group that didn’t take his advice to heart at all and gave a slight bow.
I don’t need to worry about this anymore.
Even if they prepared for darkness, it would be hard to guarantee they would survive. Ji-woo didn’t need to meddle and help their future. The Forest of Trials was that kind of place.
Ji-woo had turned halfway around, but soon realized the qualifications for the profession he was currently aiming for and inevitably turned his steps back.
“It will be dangerous. Monsters might appear and there might be no food.”
At his serious face and assured tone again, the Earth people group now responded with snorts. Even those who had initially welcomed him warmly, attracted by Ji-woo’s appealing appearance, didn’t look kindly upon him as he spun negative, bothersome, and annoying stories.
“How can you be so sure? You were also suddenly summoned here. You’re in the same position as us, so how can you be certain that dangerous things will happen?”
Ji-woo, who closed his mouth at the displeased tone, couldn’t explain his circumstances and only offered a weak answer.
“That’s why the goddess said so. To prepare for darkness. That means it will become dangerous…”
“No, what does that have to do with darkness and danger? Doesn’t it just mean night is coming? I actually like it better. I prefer night over day.”
The Earth people group was now even sneering, and Ji-woo couldn’t find more words. Though he wanted to ignore such idiots and turn his back long ago, a condition that lingered unpleasantly came to mind, so he forced himself to stay and continue the argument with them.
“I understand. Then how about preparing just in case? There’s nothing bad about being prepared.”
It was an extremely rational and logical approach, but people who had already taken a dislike to Ji-woo wanted to deny everything he said and shook their heads saying no.
Finally, the group told Ji-woo to go his own way and dragged him far away. Though he might have felt wronged by the cold treatment in return for advice given with good intentions, Ji-woo was relieved and smiled only after being driven away.
It wasn’t even like I turned my back on them myself, but this should still be judged as turning away, right?
The Forest of Trials. It was also called by other names: the Forest of Death, and the Forest of Opportunity.
During the test period, the forest contained numerous items, skills, and profession unlock locations that could lay the foundation for growth in the empire. This Forest of Trials was the only place where items that could only be obtained in dungeons were infinitely available.
And Ji-woo had vast information about the abilities and items that could be obtained in the forest.
Of course, Ji-woo, who neither aimed for the protagonist’s position nor wanted to get involved in troublesome matters, planned not to even look at items or skills that appeared only once for the protagonist who would appear someday.
Ji-woo’s immediate top priority was survival, but after that, it was a peaceful life. If he monopolized all sorts of opportunities, Ji-woo’s survival rate could increase, but the Natrene Empire’s peace couldn’t be guaranteed.
Ji-woo’s purpose wasn’t to become the empire’s greatest warrior or play hero by mixing with the protagonist’s group to bring peace to the empire.
If he recklessly stole all the hidden pieces the protagonist should find just for his own safety, the protagonist’s future of having to kill the Demon King might be shaken.
What Ji-woo wanted was just a life like a pebble in a corner of a room. That was Ji-woo’s greatest wish, hope, and grand dream.
