Ryskar, deprived of one eye, stood a meter away from his lamb. The victim stared straight into mechanical eyes.
Ryskar saw familiar emotions in his eyes. It was fear and a premonition of his own death.
But despite his fear and dying state, the man no longer moved. He refused to perform the sentence with his own hands.
Was it pride? Ryskar did not know.
Ryskar did not know that even at that moment, a tiny hope remained in the man's heart.
It was not a hope for a miracle. Nor was it a belief in his own invulnerability...
It was naivety to the point of absurdity. Something that, in such a situation, should have been abandoned long ago.
And yet, even before the red face of death itself, the man retained his naive faith.
He hoped that his terribly cruel guess would turn out to be true.
He believed he was right.
He hoped that those he trusted would not let him down.
He believed that the souls locked in the trees really wanted to help him...
And this time, his faith did not fail him.
"...?!"
"...!"
Both of them. Ryskar and the man froze in shock. The ground thundered, many times greater than the shaking caused by the Ryskar's footsteps. A real earthquake.
The predator, having finally cornered its prey, turned its head, and then...
*CRAASHH!!!* A crash like speeding cars slamming together.
"...?!" The Lamb sat in a field of poppies and just watched with wide eyes.
A monstrous collision occurred a step away from him. A burst of sparks, the screech of metal, flying mechanical parts... Everything happened before his eyes in an instant.
The twisted Ryskar was hurled several meters into the air, and then gravity pulled him back to the ground. However, the beast was unable to repeat the trick that all cats possessed — landing on their paws.
The most monstrous predator he had ever known was now fluttering on the ground from a single blow.
After the flight finally ended, Ryskar did not get up.
"What the hell..." he whispered.
"..." Right in front of him stood another mechanical monster.
It did not emit angry cries, only breathing irritably. It resembled a mixture of a bison, a bull, and an elk the size of an elephant. Sharp mechanical horns adorned its head, from which hung torn pieces of Ryskar's body.
"No matter how terrifying you are — someone scarier always exists…"
Despite his inappropriate comments, the new predator did not look at the sacrificial prey right in front of him. It was as if he did not care about it at all.
What he definitely cared about was the beast that had invaded his territory.
"...!" The new predator snorted contemptuously.
This simple movement caused the surroundings to vibrate again.
The monstrous limbs began to move, miraculously not crushing the poor man's legs.
The one who called himself Mr. Nobody couldn't come to his senses. What was happening was so impressive that it seemed like a dream.
However, reality soon made itself known, because...
"RRRAAA!!!" Ryskar got up even after such a blow.
At that moment, the man realized one thing.
'It's time to get out of here!'
The impending battle between the predators promised to be so dangerous that no one in the vicinity would escape its consequences.
While the monsters behind him began to approach each other, he dug his fingers into the ground and hurled himself forward with everything he had.
Questions about the disagreement between creatures of the same mechanical species arose in his mind, but they quickly faded into the background.
'Almost there…!'
The mysterious and long-awaited Entrance, in his opinion, should already be somewhere nearby. And, hearing the terrifying roar and screech of monsters tearing each other apart behind him, he ran straight towards the exit from this Pit.
…
The monster that had suddenly appeared had a danger rating of 3.5 stars. Apparently, its habitat was the rocky and wooded area "Right at the Entrance." At least, walking along the imaginary map, he saw exactly these surroundings. Unfortunately, he could not read the name of this creature.
In his opinion, Ryskar — one-eyed and horribly wounded — had no chance.
And yet, he felt no satisfaction at all.
He didn't care about the fate of the cruel monster.
"Haah..." He made his way through the not-too-dense forest, which seemed quite ordinary.
He had no physical strength left, but he still forced his body to run. Perhaps it was what they called strength of spirit or, more simply…
Fortitude
A strange energy flowed through his body, and with each painful step, his eyes began to glow with light.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..." He breathed heavily, feeling his heart beating in an almost unfamiliar rhythm.
It was a mixture of joy, happiness, and ecstasy from his sudden survival. And also anticipation of what awaited him ahead.
It was hard to imagine that just recently, he was the one who had given up on life. The changes that had happened to him were impossible to put into words... But there was no need to.
Finally, his nose caught the scent of change.
'A sea breeze…?'
This realization almost made his already trembling heart leap out of his chest.
Despite the pain, fear, resentment, despair, and everything bad that had happened to him that day... He ran forward. He ran with the reckless joy of a child.
"...?!"
The forest disappeared from view, replaced by a beautiful view of the endless azure sea. The rising sun played on its surface with bright golden glints.
The only thing more wonderful than this view was the indescribable feeling that overwhelmed him.
Of course, there was one problem: he was now standing on a cliff, and the sea was a hundred meters below him...
But now all that seemed unimportant.
"Hahahaha!" He burst into stupid, helpless laughter, and tears appeared in his eyes.
For the first time since arriving in this world, a smile and laughter appeared on his face.
A silly smile.
A foolish smile…
Foolish, but genuinely happy.
"I survived! Hahaha!" He couldn't believe his own words.
It must be a miracle.
After a short period of laughter, he had to catch his breath.
A few dozen seconds later, he came to his senses again and, looking at the beautiful sea, couldn't help but make a happy comment.
"Ah... How wonderful it is to be ali..."
*Crack!* The first blow to his face broke his nose and pushed the bones into his skull.
*Crunch!* The second blow to the back of his head shook his brain and clouded his consciousness.
"You almost got away... But almost doesn't count, my little pig."
Lesson 4: It might be better to give up sooner.