Chapter

part1 · 005-ep5

Episode 5: The First Monster

Run. That was all there was.

"Haah... haah...!"

Ren drove his legs forward desperately. Footsteps behind him.

—Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The sound of the wolf kicking off the stone floor closed in, faster and faster.

"Why...!"

There was no time to look back. He was terrified. He couldn't understand what was happening.

But if that wolf caught him, he would die. That much, he understood.

"Haah...!"

His legs tangled beneath him. He very nearly fell. He ran anyway.

Ahead, the passage split in two.

"Right...!"

Ren cut right.

Immediately after.

—Wham!

"Wah!"

The giant wolf slammed into the wall. Ren used that opening to run farther.

But.

"...!"

A growl from right behind him. The wolf hadn't stopped.

"It's too fast...!"

No speed an ordinary human could hope to outrun. And still Ren ran.

His lungs ached. His throat burned. His legs felt like lead. Even so, he couldn't stop.

If he stopped, it was over.

"Haah... haah...!"

Ahead, he could see a small gap. A crack in the rock, just big enough for one person.

"...There!"

Ren slid his body inside. The wolf came after him. But that huge body of its couldn't fit through.

—Bang!

The wolf crashed into the rock.

"...!"

Ren crawled desperately deeper. The wolf raked its claws against the rock again and again. He could hear them grinding away at the stone.

Ren curled up tight. He held his breath. His heart was pounding.

Thump.

"...I want to go home."

The words slipped out before he could stop them. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see Mizuki. He wanted to see Dad. He wanted to see Mom.

Tears threatened to well up. But this was no time for crying. The wolf was still close.

After a while. The footsteps faded into the distance.

"...Did it leave?"

Ren slowly raised his head. He listened hard. Nothing.

Timidly, he peeked out of the gap. The wolf was nowhere to be seen.

"...I made it."

Ren sank down where he was. All the strength drained out of his body.

"...That was terrifying."

His body was trembling. A fear unlike anything he had ever felt before.

And for the first time, Ren understood. In this place, there were things that could kill him.

What's more.

There might not be just one of them.

　　　　　◇

For a while after that, Ren moved carefully. Make as little noise as possible. Check his surroundings. Stop the moment something moved. And if he sensed even the slightest danger, run.

Even so.

The hunger wouldn't go away. His throat was parched, too.

"...Water."

Ren found a small stream of drips running down the rock wall. He held out his hand.

One drop.

Two drops.

He brought the water pooled in his palm to his mouth.

"..."

It was drinkable.

Ren reached out again and again. Only a tiny amount each time. Even so, right now, he was grateful for it.

He kept on walking after that.

And—

"...Something's there."

This time, it was a small sound. Something was crawling out from behind a rock.

"...?"

A semi-transparent body. Jiggling as it moved.

"...A slime?"

Ren tilted his head. He had only ever seen them in games and manga. But here one was, right in front of him. Existing, in reality.

"...Is this a monster too?"

The slime drew closer, slowly. It wasn't the same terror as the wolf. Even so, Ren stayed on guard.

"..."

He picked up a stone lying nearby. The slime hopped at him.

"Wah!"

Ren dodged sideways. The slime hit the ground.

—Splat.

"...It's attacking."

Ren gripped the stone again.

Running away wasn't enough anymore. If he was going to survive in this place. He was going to have to defeat something.

Ren raised the stone in a trembling hand.

"...I have to do this."

The slime hopped again. Ren moved too.

And then—

his first battle began.