"Who are you?" the woman asked coldly. "Introduce yourself."
"…."
Ryu remained silent for a few moments. Then he let out a long sigh.
"Would you believe me if I said I suddenly found myself inside a lake?"
At that answer, the woman's eyes grew colder. Slowly, she pulled a dagger from her waist.
"I'll take that as refusing to answer."
Ryu tilted his head slightly, puzzled by her reaction.
"Hah? Are you serio—"
Before he could finish, the woman dashed toward him, her dagger aimed straight for his throat.
Ryu barely avoided it by twisting his body aside.
At the same moment, the man atop the tree released his arrow. The sharp whistle of it slicing through the air was the only warning Ryu had.
It was enough.
He barely dodged again. The arrow shot past his jaw—no more than a hair's breadth away—though it still grazed the skin along his right cheek.
Not wanting to risk further engagement, Ryu tightened his grip on the chain around his ankle, lifting it to block the woman's dagger as it aimed for his eye.
The woman immediately kicked him away.
Ryu crashed into the corpse of the anomaly behind him.
The younger man rushed forward, sword raised high.
Realizing what was coming, Ryu rolled onto his back, narrowly avoiding the downward strike. In the same motion, he grabbed a jagged bone from the corpse and hurled it into the swordsman's hand.
The bone pierced through the man's palm.
The swordsman screamed in agony, his grip on the sword gone.
Ignoring the cry, Ryu lunged for the man's neck—
But another arrow interrupted him, burying itself deep into his left shoulder.
Ryu hissed in pain. But there was no room to focus on it. One mistake here would cost him his life.
The woman charged again, her dagger aiming directly for his eye.
Ryu blocked with his arms, but she slashed ruthlessly, cutting into his forearms as blood splattered across the ground.
He hissed again.
Then he flicked his hand sharply, sending his own blood into her eyes.
Blinded, she faltered.
Ryu seized her by the hair and slammed her face into the nearby tree.
The impact knocked her unconscious instantly.
Her body collapsed into the mud.
But there was still no time to breathe.
Another arrow struck the tree beside Ryu's head, barely missing him again.
Left with no other choice, Ryu grabbed the unconscious woman by her hair and dragged her upright.
"Stop attacking me," he said, breathing heavily, frustration thick in his voice. "Or I'll twist her fucking head right here."
"…."
The archer froze as he saw his team leader held hostage.
"Ugh, you—!" the swordsman spat, clutching his ruined hand.
"How can you call yourself a man? Holding a woman hostage!" the archer shouted from the branch.
Ryu looked at him with pure disgust.
"Did you seriously just say that?"
He scoffed.
"Let me get this straight. You see me injured from head to toe, ask me a question, and when I answer honestly you try to kill me?"
Ryu's anger was boiling. For a moment, he truly considered snapping her neck on the spot.
"And to top it off, you're coming at me like I murdered your mothers or something!"
The archer stayed silent for several seconds before speaking again.
"…It wasn't my choice. I was just following my team leader."
"I don't give a flying fuck!" Ryu roared, his voice echoing through the forest.
The swordsman, still wincing in pain, spoke through clenched teeth.
"Just… let the team leader go. If this is a misunderstanding, then it's not too late to fix it."
"How the hell am I supposed to believe you when I have an arrow stuck in my fucking shoulder?!" Ryu shouted back.
The swordsman's frustration only deepened.
"…We'll take you to our village. We have food and water. You can get treated and recover there."
"Oh? A village?" Ryu's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Hmmm… I'll believe you for now. But you better throw that bow out of my sight first."
He pointed at the archer.
"In fact, get down from that damn tree entirely."
The archer sighed before carefully climbing down. Once on the ground, he tossed the bow aside.
"Happy?" he asked bitterly.
"…Barely."
Ryu released the woman.
Her body dropped heavily onto the mud.
The two men hurried over, lifting her by the shoulders.
"You two are so dramatic," Ryu muttered with a disappointed sigh. "I'm the one who actually needs help here."
He tightened the chain around his arm again.
"And when we reach the village, help me cut these chains off. My ankle feels like shit right now."
Gripping the chain, he began dragging the corpse of the anomaly again, following behind them while trying not to bleed out along the way.
***
***
"We're here…" the archer said, pushing aside a curtain of large leaves.
Beyond them, a village appeared—nestled between two mountains. A waterfall cascaded between the cliffs, mist drifting softly across the settlement.
The scene was beautiful. Peaceful. Completely different from the eerie lake Ryu had first awakened in.
Am I cursed? I should've just spawned here in the first place…
Shaking his head, Ryu pushed the thought aside and walked into the village.
Children ran through the paths playing. Villagers went about their chores—building, trading, carrying supplies.
It was lively.
Lively…
Ryu laughed quietly to himself, as if recalling memories long buried.
Suddenly—
Children screamed.
They scattered and ran away.
Villagers stared at him with fear.
Ryu frowned.
Is it because of the arrow in my shoulder…?
He shook his head.
No. That wouldn't cause this kind of reaction…
Turning around, he finally understood.
The corpse dragging behind him was grotesque. Its organs were exposed, its limbs shattered, bones driven through its own flesh from every direction.
Blood still seeped from the wounds.
Ryu sighed tiredly.
It's not like I can cut these chains off…
After several minutes of tense silence, an elderly man stepped forward through the crowd.
The top of his head was bald, leaving only long grey hair along the sides. His beard hung just as long, aged and heavy with time.
"Chief Wang! Please stay back!" several archers and swordsmen rushed to his side. "We'll handle this!"
"It's fine," the old man said calmly, waving them aside.
He stepped forward.
"Young man," he said gently, looking directly at Ryu. "Can you tell us what that thing chained to you is?"
His eyes held a quiet wisdom.
And somehow, Ryu knew the old man already understood the answer. He was only asking for the sake of the crowd.
"Well…" Ryu gestured lazily toward the arrow lodged in his shoulder.
"How about someone takes care of this first?"
He glanced around at the villagers staring at him.
"Seriously… are all humans stupid in this place or what?"
The chief stood silent for a moment.
Then he began to laugh.