I quickly drew my trusty knife for the fight, hoping to emerge as the victor.
The wolf was fuming with anger, and I was sure a single bite would mean my death. So, I slowly approached it without making a sound, hoping to exploit its weaknesses.
With controlled breathing, I got closer to the wolf. Then, with a big leap, I aimed for its weak point. The wolf heard the sound and changed its direction. I noticed this and adjusted my trajectory to avoid its mouth.
All it took was a bite from the wolf and a stab at its weak point. We were entangled, our bodies locked together. Neither could achieve the goal of killing the other, which was even more frustrating.
My body was becoming exhausted, and I knew it was time to let go, so I looked up.
I was about to ask Sean for help by tossing his sword, but when I looked up, my hopes were crushed. He was too frightened to notice my cry for help.
"Oh, I am going to die," I thought, as my grip weakened from holding on too long.
As I was about to let go of the wolf, I decided to do so when it was throwing my body outward, hoping to gain some distance and try something else... but the position was off.
I pushed off the cliff while seeing the frightened look on Sean's face...
Crack-! I opened my eyes, finding myself gripping the cliff, not too far down in the hole. I looked up and saw the light emitted by crystals, which wasn't too far.
Thankfully, the wall was full of nubs and handholds, making it easy to climb, even with my tired hands.
As far as I could see, this ease continued to the very top, so I didn't find it hard to reach the room.
One by one, I placed my hands and feet into the holes and climbed higher, thinking about what I would do after reaching the top... until something happened that I could never have imagined.
[ You Died ]
A window appeared before me with nothing more than two words. This was the first time I saw that message, but that wasn't the confusing part.
"I died?" I muttered in confusion.
My body, though worn out and wounded, was moving; my mind, though slow, was ready; my breath, though heavy, was flowing; and my heart, though unsteady, was beating...
I wasn't dead, nor was I going to become so, so I couldn't understand it at all. I didn't know if I should panic or brush it off as another system error that wasn't uncommon for me.
[ Error! ]
[ Error! ]
[ Error! ]
Suddenly, countless error messages began appearing before me, and they weren't decreasing. They seemed unstoppable, and I still didn't know if I should or could do something... until something new showed up.
[ Unexpected Error Detected ]
[ Searching for a Solution ]
As soon as I saw the new messages, unbearable pain struck my head. The pain knew no bounds, making me forget about the confusion and let go of the cliff.
I began falling to my death without knowing why, which filled me with emotion. I didn't know what to do.
I couldn't die, leaving this world behind. My father, who died leaving mountains of debt; my mother, who was sleeping in the hospital for an unknown reason; and my sister, who had been lost for more than five years... no, I couldn't die.
I wanted us to sit at home with smiles on our faces, just like the good old days. I wanted to experience the joy of my father coming home from a long workday, my mother making food for her family with a loving smile, and my sister's annoying requests to play games... I couldn't accept this.
This moment... I remember it as clearly as yesterday. I was falling and dying, though I shouldn't have been. This world that had taken so much from me was going to take my life as well... but then, in the moment of my death, it gave me something it hadn't in my entire life... a chance.
[ ... ]
[ A Solution has been Found ]
[ Skill "Inventory" has been replaced with Skill "Dimensional Shift" ]
[ Skill "Dimensional Shift" Activated ]
[ Teleporting the User to the Designated Location ]
"Ugh, my head," I said after waking up.
My head was ringing with pain, but not as severely as before. My thoughts were so distracted by the messages that it took time to stabilize.
I placed my hand on the ground and felt wetness. Moving it around, I felt grass beneath it, which was strange.
I slowly opened my eyes and was surprised by what I saw. It was a scene straight out of fantasy: a pond surrounded by flowers and grass.
I looked around and saw trees everywhere; I was leaning against one myself.
Looking up, I saw a blue sky with clouds and a sun beaming its majestic light to the ground.
"Where am I? Am I dead?" I muttered to myself, looking at everything in awe.
Standing up, I saw my body's condition. I wore the same clothes as in the dungeon, with my hand bearing the exact wound from the crystal wolf.
I walked toward the pond to wash my face, hoping to wake from this dream... but encountered something else.
In the water's reflection, I saw my face. I was as handsome as I had always been, with a pair of dark eyes and jet black hair… though it was wounded.
Everything was confusing, and I had no way of finding the way out… and the next part wasn't any help at all.
[ System is updating after receiving new information ]
[ ... 1% ]
After receiving the new message, I was assured that I wasn't dead, based on the previous death message being an error... which shouldn't be very reassuring.
I still didn't know my exact location, which wasn't helping. Around my previous working area, there wasn't a single patch of grass as fresh as what I now saw, so I couldn't be near the dungeon.
Plus, the cave dungeon couldn't possibly have had a sky as clear as the one above, so I wasn't inside it either.
I went to the tree I'd been sleeping under and grabbed my backpack. Many items were lost in the fight, leaving only the mana stones and some emergency tools.
I cleaned my wounded arm with water from the pond. Then, I took out a bandage from my backpack and wrapped it around my arm. This wasn't proper wound care, but it was the best I could do in my situation.
I took out a hook and began climbing a tree with my remaining energy. From above, I looked around but trees blocked my vision. I spotted a high cliff and decided to head there for a better view.
I walked slowly toward the cliff.
The green environment grew more amusing with each step. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen green plants outside a dungeon, so I found it somewhat joyful.
After much slow walking, I reached the cliff top. Wind passed through my wounded body and pressed against my chest. When it subsided, I opened my eyes to a beautiful scenery I was sure couldn't exist in the world.
A plain of grassy hills and trees stretched everywhere. I saw snowy mountains in the background and the clear, cloudy sky... which made me shed a tear of awe.
Looking around, I noticed paths in the grass leading toward rising smoke. I couldn't see its source due to the hills, but I was sure I'd find something if I went that way.
I climbed down the cliff and started walking toward the smoke. With each step, I felt my heartbeat through my legs, indicating my exhaustion, but I needed to continue.
It was painful but not enough to destroy my hope, so I kept moving forward... until my vision blurred. My legs gave out, and consciousness faded.
I looked up and, through blurry vision, saw a man carrying a basket.
I desperately reached out my hand and slowly muttered, "Help me," before passing out.