Chapter 6: Strangers in the Night

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Strangers in the Night

Two days and dozens of miles traveled. Victor was a little uncertain about his destination, since the gacha system had given him one reward he considered trash and another that was shrouded in mystery.

The first was a wooden stick, which he could probably use to hit someone over the head, while the second...

Holding a golden apple in his hand, Victor looked thoughtful.

"Its description is kind of confusing."

[Golden Apple.]

[Rarity: SSR]

[Description: When flesh gives way and breath fades, the fruit remembers what it was like to be whole.]

"I got lucky again, but I don’t understand any of this. I mean, it’s a golden apple, and if it has such a high Rarity, that means it’ll be just as good as my sense of smell."

However, that was the problem. No matter how much he wanted to know what the apple was for, consuming it would take away his chance to use it for something useful. If what he imagined was true, this apple could come in handy in a dangerous situation.

Tired, he put the apple into one of the backpack’s outer pockets and, using his walking stick for support, climbed up a somewhat steep hill.

’Well, there’ll be a chance to use the apple later, because right now I want to know more about this.’

He called the System and said:

"Hey, what’s that ’Prime’ next to my name?"

[Prime: In the case of a participant, it means that you are the one from whom all your other versions in the multiverse descend. In other words, you are the first "Victor" of all those who exist.]

"Mystical. I’d like to see a version of myself who actually has good luck, but the way I am now... Yeah. That’s impossible."

Continuing along the path toward the top of the hill, which looked more like a mountain, Victor caught a new scent nearby. He frowned as he sniffed the air, then turned his attention behind him.

’Oranges again.’

What was that thing that smelled like oranges? Based on what he had learned the night before, he assumed it was someone or something short with incredible speed.

’I can’t stay here.’

He continued toward the top. He wanted to climb this mountain to get a better view of the distance, since it was easier than trying to see everything from the top of a tree. When he reached the summit at sunset, he carefully observed the entire landscape.

"What the hell is this?"

Colors. It was an explosion of colors contrasting against one another beneath the shattered sky.

In the distance, there was an ominous layer of dark mist hiding the next area, while in the opposite direction stood tall, dense, snow-covered white peaks with faint bluish lights rising toward the sky.

On one side, mountains of glowing magma rose into the distance, their sky ablaze with blue and red flames. The opposite landscape looked... strange. It was as if some kind of neon-colored glitch was eating away at part of the forest, where the same landscape began.

The problem was that all of it was extremely far away and barely visible, but its colors were so striking that they made each area stand out for different reasons.

"Where should I go?" he wondered.

Everything looked dangerous in its own way. Besides, even in this forest, there were horrors he had to constantly run from, but it was also strange that he hadn’t encountered any other enemy or participant.

When night fell, Victor had already put out his campfire and was wrapped in his emergency blanket.

With the knife in one hand and the walking stick in the other, he decided to sleep on the ground tonight, since there was no point in climbing the trees up here if they weren’t as tall as the ones on the mountain’s lower slopes.

"Status," he said.

The System window appeared.

***

Status

[Name: Victor Sapphire (Prime)]

[Classification: Unavailable]

[Path: Gacha System Master]

***

Gacha

[Currency: 0]

[Summons: 0]

[Luck Value: 2/100]

***

’Nothing has changed since I got that skill, huh. What a tragedy,’ he thought with a sarcastic smile. ’At least the skills show up in the System. That’s something.’

***

Skills

[Fire Wolf’s Sense of Smell.]

***

’But it’s not enough. I need more.’

Something else: a weapon, another useful survival skill, even a pet! There were so many things he could imagine coming out of the gacha, but all he had gotten was a stick and a strange apple.

He looked at the night sky; stardust of different colors blurred across the dark firmament, where the cracks revealed those sinister amber eyes of different shapes and sizes, watching everything.

’I seriously need more than this, or it won’t be long before something kills me, whether it’s hunger or that monster.’

He closed his eyes, ready to sleep and also a little anxious about tomorrow’s gacha summon. Damn, it had been a long time since the last time he had worried about himself.

Somehow, it was comforting to be able to think only about himself and no one else.

He fell asleep as the minutes passed, exhaustion and thoughts carrying him away. The hours passed in the same way, but then that scent appeared again.

Victor suddenly woke up, gripping the handle of his knife, ready to defend himself, but he realized too late that the scent was moving incredibly fast. This time, it was accompanied by three other scents.

’Oranges, strawberries, and blood... They’re climbing the mountain.’

He had to get out of here immediately! He gathered his things and prepared to leave, but the orange scent suddenly appeared far too close, as if that creature had increased its speed in an instant.

Hearing the growing voices, he hid among the bushes and didn’t let go of his weapons for anything.

Suddenly, a small light appeared in the darkness. It was a torch held by an adult man who was accompanied by a small green creature; that was the one that smelled like oranges.

Watching them from the shadows, Victor frowned.

’Enemies.’