A chill crept down Owen’s spine when he realized he had just stumbled upon the feeding time of a witherbear. The beast sliced apart a stag twice Owen’s height with claws as long and sharp as newly forged swords. Although its hind legs were stumpy in comparison to its massive torso, its full size was bigger than an oversized pickup truck. Heavy snorts of foul breath blew from the nostrils of its pointed snout. Despite being several meters away, it felt like the bursts of exhalation could knock him over if he got close. The grass below the beast looked brown and sickly, which probably happened when it attacked the stag. In the closed beta of Pathwalkers, the witherbear could release a toxic breath capable of weakening anything within a few meters, though he did not want to find out how accurate that was.

Until this moment, Owen had thought that even if he encountered a witherbear, it would not intimidate him as much since he had seen them in the streams of several Pathwalkers players. However, now that one was in front of him, easily crushing the bones and devouring the marrow of a stag which was probably far stronger than himself, beads of fearful sweat dripped from his forehead. Scared that it might notice him, he wrapped the mirage blanket tighter around himself and took a step back into the foliage. A stick cracked under his bare foot, causing him to wince. He had forgotten to pay attention to hazards on the ground.

Noticing the sound, the witherbear whipped its head around and stared straight at Owen with eyes dark as the night sky aside from small yellow-green irises. Three scars which obviously came from the claws of a bristlefur wolf crossed over the bridge of its nose. The formidable glint in its glare froze Owen in his tracks. A deep warning growl rumbled from the beast’s throat before it returned its attention to its meal.

A wave of relief swept over Owen. He didn’t know if the mirage blanket helped, or if he just wasn’t worth the beast’s time, but either way, he needed to scram before it chose him for dessert. With a newfound quickness in his step, he backed off from the clearing and sprinted away until he felt safe. Sweat dripped from every pore on his body for the first time in years and his breathing turned rough and ragged. Gnats splattered against his face as he ran, but he ignored them. It truly had been a long time since he exerted himself like this. He couldn’t help feeling surprised by his physique, but now wasn’t the time to be impressed.

Once he felt safe, Owen leaned against a tree in order to catch his breath. As his breath slowed to a reasonable pace, he used the mirage blanket to smear away the sweat and bugs coating his face.

I need to be more careful, Owen noted.

Gradually, his racing heart slowed to a manageable pace. He thought back to some of the qigong practices some of his regulars at the gym would utilize for calming themselves and attempted to copy some of the smooth movements they displayed in the past. After a minute of the strange yoga-like katas, he started to feel a strange pulse deep within his body. It was different than his heartbeat. Those customers of his had never mentioned such a thing, and he only wanted to calm his heart, so he immediately stopped.

With a sigh, he decided to forget about the awkward katas. Instead, he needed to move on. The physical exertion from fleeing only worsened his thirst. He really needed to find the river. As soon as he thought such, he started paying attention to a new sound among the din of forest noises. Although barely noticeable, he heard distant sounds of running water. Perhaps he was closer to it than he had thought.

Without further ado, he resumed his trek southward, all the while paying more attention to his surroundings than before even while batting insects away. He eventually moved the leaf full of berries to his left hand which still held the wakizashi since he feared crushing them in the midst of slaying countless gnats.

Now that he thought about it, he saw more wildlife like furrells and jarbits scurrying around the forest. At one point, he even saw a black snake with a single green stripe along its back snap its head out of a bush to snag a jarbit. Birds chirped in the trees above him once again. He couldn’t help wondering how he hadn’t noticed the lack of animals around the vicinity of the witherbear before. Learning the ways of the forest creatures would certainly help if he was to survive long here.

Following the sound of running water turned out to be easier than he anticipated. The dense foliage gradually thinned out with each step. Only a few minutes had passed by the time he started seeing mountaintops in the distance through the canopy, and only a few more before he realized the sound of water he had been hearing was turning into a roar.

Upon reaching his destination, he discovered a small waterfall the height of five grown men cascading over the edge of a rocky outcrop. The clear spring water crashed against a large boulder as smooth as ice at the back of a pond. Rock walls of an ivory black color spread to either side of the waterfall with a gradual decline toward the forest floor. They glistened with moisture. Mist constantly hovered around the waterfall and reflected sunlight which made it glow like golden dust. A river of water, likely the river he had been searching for, snaked off from the small pond and into the forest toward the direction in which he had encountered the witherbear. This was an area he had never seen while watching Pathwalkers streams. Perhaps it had lain just outside the bounds of the closed beta. If so, no players would be here anyway.

The natural beauty of the area took Owen’s breath away. Picturesque scenery like this had always existed within a screen for him. He never imagined he would have the opportunity to see something like this up close. Too bad he didn’t have a camera.

Not wanting to spend too much time admiring the scenery, he investigated the rest of the area. Above the waterfall, he could see a steady incline rising into the mountains. He had reached the base of the mountains. While observing the mountainside, he suddenly noticed a darkened opening in the mountainside only a short climb to the left of the mountain stream which flowed into the waterfall. Most likely, it was some sort of cave and looked rather easy to reach if he could cross the river. The slope was gradual enough up to that point for a moderately easy walk.

Thinking that the cave might make for a suitable temporary shelter, Owen tightened his fists decisively and set course for it. Unfortunately, he needed to find a path across the river, which was wider than the length of a school bus and probably reached up to his chest at the deepest parts by the looks of it.

First, he knelt and scooped a few handfuls of water into his mouth while pondering on whether he should risk cutting his foot on the noticeable stones on the riverbed. Hurting his feet was probably the worst thing he could do based on the advice from that primitive living channel. Eventually, he came to a realization.

“I don’t even have clothes on…” He muttered. Yes. He was basically naked aside from the blanket and boxers. Even if they got wet, they both had those spotless enchantments to keep them clean, didn’t they? Just to be sure, he double checked the descriptions on them. He was right. That meant he wouldn’t have to worry about mildew even if they got wet. Then, his mind took a step further.

“Yeah. I can just take it all off since there’s no people here.”

So, he did just that. He stripped down into the nude, wrapped up his few belongings in the mirage blanket, lifted it onto his shoulder, and carefully stepped into the river. Instantly, his feet sank into the moist sand inches beneath the gurgling surface. A chill from the cool mountain spring water bit at his skin in a refreshing manner. It reminded him of the few times his grandpa had brought him to the swimming lake outside the city. Suddenly recalling his grandpa caused him to stop. He lowered his gaze and watched the water roll over his submerged feet.

I really wonder if I can go back… He wondered. Then, he raised his eyes toward the cave and mumbled to himself, “Now’s probably not the best time to worry about it.”

Temporarily setting aside his stray thoughts, he trudged into the river. He took great care to avoid any stones on the riverbed despite how few there were. Each step of his cut through the water, which quickly rose above his knees. However, once the river’s surface reached his upper thighs, he hesitated briefly. He glanced at his crotch since he knew what would happen in this chilly river. Numerous fish, including some similar to trout and even the khitefish he hoped to find, swam around his legs. An uncomfortable image of them nibbling on his dick flashed through his head. Clenching his teeth, he shook away the image, sucked in a deep breath of air, and strode forward. Instantly, the chilly water sent a shiver through his entire body, starting from between his legs. He shuddered briefly, but continued onward to the deepest area which lapped at his bare chest.

As he waded through the river which bubbled gently around him, Owen pressed his free hand against his abdomen and then his chest. Since arriving in this forest last night, he hadn’t paid much attention to his own body aside from his formerly injured shoulder feeling better. Now, with small waves lapping at his bare skin, he finally noticed. Every one of his muscles felt as hard as two years ago before he retired from being an MMA fighter. He thought back to the part of the ‘Hidden Quest’ description which mentioned something about his body being reverted to its prime physical condition or something like that. Back when he first read it, he hadn’t imagined that his entire body would be changed in such a way. It was as though his consciousness had been cast back in time or something. Maybe it was more like a magical healing or steroid, though. In order to know for sure, he might even need to finish that quest. Every minute he spent thinking about things, the more necessary the completion of the quest became.

Before he even realized it, he was standing on the opposite shore with everything below his shoulders sopping wet. Sighing, he walked a few meters away from the river’s edge and set his things on dry grass in order to reorganize them. When he opened the blanket, the leaf of berries, much to his dismay, had spilled everywhere. Shaking his head at the annoyance, he recovered as many as possible but left enough space to somewhat tie the leaf together with its long stem. Then, he half-heartedly dried himself with the blanket before tying it around his shoulders again and throwing his boxers back on. He also checked to make sure the wakizashi was dry before taking it in hand again. He couldn’t help thinking that a belt would have been incredibly helpful. Too bad he ended up here without notice.

With that, he began his trek up the slope. The first part of the slope turned out to be an easy climb. It wasn’t until he reached the area near the top of the waterfall that he needed to pay more attention to his steps. Slippery layered stone protruded from the ground in multiple places, forcing him to take great care with each step.

Part of him always rued how others would make fun of his large feet in the past, but now, he deeply appreciated the grip his large toes were giving him. His toes curled around the edges of rocks, giving him extra purchase he didn’t know he could utilize. Perhaps walking around barefoot could strengthen the callouses on the soles of his feet to the point that shoes wouldn’t feel like such a necessity. Well, poking the bottom of his heel on a sharp stone quickly changed his mind.

When he reached the top of the waterfall, he stood straight with hands on his hips and admired the surroundings. In contrast to the tight confines of the forest, a light breeze blew constantly up here. The mirage blanket danced gently behind him. His hair trembled in the brief gusts which occasionally brushed past every few seconds. Looking straight down, he could see all the way to the bottom of the pond even through the mist and ripples spreading out from the waterfall. The water was crystal clear. Only one large boulder poked out from the surface right beneath the waterfall. Other rocks remained below the surface between the boulder and the cliff he was standing on. He almost wanted to dive into the pond below. It looked even deeper than the river he had crossed which snaked off to his right. Diving would be a bad idea until he investigated it later, though.

Breathing in a deep breath of fresh air, he muttered, “So this is what I’ve been missing out on while wasting away behind my desk at the gym… Then again, there’s no Walmarts here.”

Owen pursed his lips and turned toward the cave with mirage blanket whipping around behind him. His current goal was investigating the cave as a means of shelter. Scenery was secondary. Admiring it would need to wait until his basic needs were met.

Since he was moving carefully up the slope, it took him a few minutes to reach the rocky outcrop where the cave entrance was. The mountain stream flowing into the waterfall rushed down the slope not far away, dousing any chance for quiet. Honestly, the amount of flat ground directly outside the cave surprised him. An entire house could fit up here with room to spare.

So far, the area seemed usable as a temporary shelter. There were sources of both food and water within walking distance. All that remained was to investigate within the cave. Since he could not see much of the inside thanks to the glare of the sunlight reflecting off the damp stone, he ambled into the darkness of the cave entrance which spanned almost three times the width of his wingspan. The only issue was that there was a strange stench similar to a mild form of sulfur tickling his nostrils. It was probably harmless, though.

Taking great care with each step so as not to cut the soles of his feet, he inched forward into the cave. His eyes gradually adjusted to the change in light. It felt like walking into a basement lit by a single escape window.

Suddenly, something cracked beneath his heel.

“Ow.”

His leg lifted in a knee-jerk reaction. Luckily, he didn’t cut his foot, but he raised a brow at what he had unknowingly stepped on. A small bone which looked like a rib from a small animal rested there, shattered by his weight. Clicking his tongue, he moved on, thinking nothing of it.

The cavern he found himself in was much larger than he expected. Nearly three stories of space existed between the ground and ceiling, and double that between each wall to his right and left. He couldn’t even see into the deepest area of the cave. Perhaps it tunneled deep into the mountain, which was unfortunate. If this was a full cave system, then it wouldn’t make for a good shelter.

In order to find out if it ended at some point, he continued on. Despite the dwindling light from the cave entrance, he noticed that the cave started to close in to about half the space of earlier. Not far off, he heard the echo of a water droplet splashing in a pool of water. The water itself was nowhere in sight, though.

The further he walked, the stronger the stench became. If he was to use the cave as shelter, then he would need to do so away from the source of the smell, wherever that was. Somehow, the stench wrinkled his nose near the center of the cave but lessened further in. He wondered if there was some sort of stone or something generating the smell. There were some strangely shaped rocks off to his left which could be the source, but he decided to check it later.

Another twenty steps or so later, he discovered the pool he occasionally heard water droplets fall into. Rather, he discovered a precarious drop which extended at least two stories straight down into the barely visible pool. A few glowing blue orbs in the water allowed him to see it better. Since they moved around, they were probably fish. The hole above the pool was roughly circular and had a circumference of about three grown men at the widest point, much like the cave entrance. The cave wall wrapped around the crevice. The only way down was a sheer drop from the cliff he was standing on.

If this was the end of the cave, then he probably wouldn’t need to worry about any cave creatures aside from bats coming in from behind him. Looking back toward the entrance, it seemed this hole was slightly further than a hundred meter dash from there.

Aside from the strange stench, the cave seemed like a decent temporary shelter. There wasn’t much mold or mildew on the walls despite the humidity of the area, there were few loose stones to lose his footing on, and there were hardly any plants or insects to speak of. Nodding to himself, he decided to make this cave his base of operations until he could find something better.

Owen turned away from the crevice and ambled back toward the entrance. Again, the stench worsened closer to the middle of the cave. On the way in, he hadn’t thought much of it, but if it was something dangerous, he would need to give up on the place. With wary eyes, he observed the area again.

Contrary to when he was walking in, he noticed shadows from what he originally thought were strange rock formations due to the dim lighting. However, now that his eyes had somewhat adjusted to the lack of light, he realized what they actually were. They were piles of bones, wholly broken and misshapen to the point of not being able to identify what they might have been when alive. Tufts of fur and pieces of rotting meat still clung to some of them.

That explains the smell, Owen thought.

However, the presence of the bones delivered a question. Where did they come from? Perhaps this cave wasn’t the best place to set up camp.

I should leave.

Although regrettable, it seemed this cave already had an owner, and a dangerous one at that. There was no need to endanger himself here. With a frown on his face, he resumed his trek toward the cave entrance. However, he halted again almost immediately upon seeing movement near the exit. A large shadow stretched deep into the cave as a large beast lumbered inside. Although the sunlight behind it blocked out most of its features, Owen immediately knew it was a witherbear. The hulking upper frame of the beast and the long claws on its forepaws made it obvious. Almost on instinct, Owen wrapped the mirage blanket tightly around his body and slowly backed off.

The witherbear casually shuffled into the cave while nibbling on the bone of the prey it had just consumed. It was time for a well-earned nap after a successful hunt. However, an unfamiliar scent tickled its nose. Something had infiltrated its home. Angered, it crunched the large leg bone between jaws, shattering it instantly. Then, growling deeply, it searched the cave using all of its senses.

Owen, upon realizing that the witherbear had noticed his presence, skulked even deeper into the cave in the hopes that the beast would lose interest. The mirage blanket pulled through for him before. It could do so again. He continued backing up, all the while keeping in mind the crevice behind him. As long as he didn’t fall, he could surely escape.

While Owen retreated in to cave, the witherbear continued to sniff the ground, following the trail of the invader. It lumbered on until arriving at its sleep area among the bones of former prey. The invader didn’t seem to have disturbed its resting place. Satisfied with that fact, it followed the scent back to the center of the cave. It knew the invader was still near, but couldn’t find it. It needed to find it and kill it. This was its home. Nobody could invade its home.

Eventually, as it approached the scary water hole, it noticed something strange. There was something there. It didn’t know what it was, but it looked like the strange thing it had seen while eating its meal. The intruder looked like smoke from the fires the bald monkeys always started whenever they tried to attack things in the forest, but there was no fire, only dark smoke. It had to be the intruder. Inborn anger rose within the beast toward the strange thing which had invaded its territory. Its continuous growling quickly rose in volume.

Owen stared straight at the beast, not daring to blink. The witherbear was looking right at him with primal anger visible in its eyes. Now that he could see it better, he noticed three scars on the beast’s nose. It was the same witherbear he had encountered earlier. Much to his surprise, the beast focused in on him. It opened its mouth and, without warning, roared loud enough to shake the cave. A few pebbles fell from the ceiling. Owen wanted to cover his ears but refrained from doing so and remained alert. For some reason, the beast was paying more attention to him than last time. Sweat started collecting on his palms and forehead. Doubt crept into his mind. He started to think putting so much stock in the effect of the mirage blanket a questionable decision.

As soon as the roar ended, the witherbear cautiously approached him. Honestly, he had expected it to rush in and attack like witherbears always did to players in the closed beta, but now it was displaying signs of rudimentary intelligence. Perhaps it didn’t know what he was or how weak he was. Unfortunately, he had backed himself into a corner due to his fear. There was only about ten meters between himself and the hole and there wasn’t much space to maneuver past the witherbear since it was approaching from the middle of the cave. He was stuck right between a rock and a hard place. His mind whirled as he tried to think of a good solution to the problem.

The two stood at a standoff for a few seconds until the witherbear finally made the first move. It exhaled a pungent breath of yellowish green air. Wary of the gas, Owen widened his eyes and pulled the mirage blanket over his mouth in the hopes that he wouldn’t breathe it in. Once again, the two stared at each other for a few moments. Owen hoped to think of a solution in these few seconds of respite, but the witherbear quickly lost its patience and roared again. As soon as it saw that its breath wasn’t weakening the intruder, it lunged forward and swung its claws.

Surprised by the agile lunge which closed the nearly ten meter distance in an instant, Owen barely had time to dive backward into a roll. The wind of the passing claws brushed against his bare legs, sending chills up his spine. A vision of his legs being chopped off flashed through his mind as he landed and stood to face the beast again. The witherbear still seemed relatively cautious since it didn’t lunge in immediately after the attack. Since he couldn’t think of a way to escape, Owen clenched the sheath of his wakizashi. Despite being an unfamiliar weapon, it was his only chance of success. While holding the sheath and leaf full of berries in one hand, he unsheathed the short sword in one swift movement.

As soon as the witherbear saw the blade, something flashed through its eyes, and it roared again. To Owen’s surprise, the beast lost any sense of trepidation and lunged straight at him. He barely saw the clawed forearm swiping up at him. In a last second reaction, he turned the wakizashi into a defensive stance. The claws clanged against the blade, generating sparks. Owen grunted at the enormous strength behind the beast’s attack and could only jump back with the force. The long claws dug into his chest as his body lifted into the air since he couldn’t withstand the blow at all. He grunted at the searing pain. This wasn’t a pain he had ever experienced in the ring. It all happened in an instant, yet felt like a full minute.

Next thing he knew, he was launched into the air. His body spun until he could see straight down into the pool. He flew only inches from the frighteningly sharp stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling. As soon as his ascent slowed, he noticed he was quickly approaching the far wall above the pool and braced himself. He slammed against the wall with a sickening thud which knocked the breath out of him. He bounced off the wall and tumbled through the air. The sound of the witherbear roaring triumphantly echoed in his ears as he fought to retain consciousness.

I will live! He exclaimed in his mind as though swearing revenge toward the beast as he hurtled deep into the darkness.