Blood Nemesis-Chapter 124: Liar

Root felt the weight; Oliver withdrew his hand. Immediately, he channeled mana to fortify himself, preventing him from losing balance under the unexpected burden.

Meanwhile, Oliver thanked the young shopkeeper and turned to walk towards their boat. As he walked, he again sensed an occasional gaze directed at him. Yet, before he could turn to investigate, it vanished as if it had never existed. This annoyance sparked a frown on Oliver’s forehead.

"What is it?" Root asked.

Oliver glanced around to ensure no one was nearby and whispered, "I feel like someone is following me."

Root tightened his grip on the plastic bag, hoisted it onto his back, and asked, "Are you sure? Is it just a feeling?"

Oliver looked at Root. "It’s not just a feeling; it is a feeling. You shouldn’t trivialize it," he said seriously.

He then scanned their surroundings before continuing, "Trusting your senses is the most crucial lesson you’ll learn when surviving in the wilderness. There are people, monsters, and mana beasts with all kinds of abilities. Most of the time, you won’t see them coming. You won’t get the chance to confirm if they’re attacking you. In those moments, you’ll have to rely on those vague extra senses to make a judgment. So, never trivialize ’the feelings’."

Oliver patiently explained as they walked back to the boat. Root nodded in understanding. Seeing this, Oliver smiled.

’At least he’s quick on the uptake.’

"Root, didn’t you feel the fear of death when you saw the dead Titan?"

"Yes."

"When you feel a similar sensation, simply believe that something dangerous is targeting you. Your only option then is to run away as quickly as you can or hide some where it can’t find you."

"Hm..." Root nodded.

Oliver used every opportunity to impart his knowledge to Root. Finally, after a bit more conversation, they returned to the boat. However, Oliver’s mind remained unsettled. His inherent paranoia led him to repeatedly recall the gaze he’d felt along the way.

’Was it a dangerous entity or just some random person?’

Concealing his thoughts, he entered the boat and placed the eel into a giant freezer onboard. It was already noon, so they decided to eat their packed sandwiches before continuing their journey.

—--

A few hours later, the boat carrying Oliver and Root soared over the vast lake. Small patches of land occasionally appeared in their view as they progressed.

Their destination was an island at the edge of the map they’d purchased—a medium-sized landmass spanning five or six square kilometers.

The island was named Crab Island due to the abundance of crabs nearby. Despite this, fishermen rarely visited because of the difficulty in reaching it, making it the ideal place for Root to spend his days and train. However, it wasn’t the only reason Oliver had chosen the island; as always, he had other plans.

"Root, how long until we reach the location?"

"We’re already there."

They gazed at the green line on the horizon. As they drew closer, the green line resolved into an island covered in all sorts of trees. Finally, Crab Island revealed its magnificence.

The island was larger than expected. Its edges were marshland blanketed in mangroves, while the inner area boasted towering trees and beautiful hills. They could see bird-type mana beasts circling the sky, searching for food.

"It looks beautiful," Root muttered.

"But it’s a deadly beauty," Oliver added from the side.

Although the island appeared as picturesque as a vacation spot, the danger it harbored was significant. Fishermen rarely visited this island due to the high-ranking mana beasts that could appear in the region, and navigating to this region of the lake was not easy because of the many dangerous areas they would have to pass through.

Oliver and Root had arrived quickly thanks to their advanced flying boat-car, capable of Mach 1 speeds—a luxury that fishermen didn’t possess. The fishermen would have to travel through the lake on normal boats, slowly navigating around dangerous areas, a difficult endeavor from their perspective.

"The best place to land is on the hilltop." Root pointed at the grass-covered hill, where trees were few and far between. Compared to the shallow waters and mangrove forest, it was indeed the optimal landing spot.

Oliver nodded. "Hm... I agree." Root immediately folded the map and placed it into his pocket.

Soon, the giant boat avoided the flying birds, which were the size of fully grown goats or cows, and landed on the hill. The grass beneath waved as its four small tires settled. Though small compared to the boat’s size, the tires held firmly to the ground once the brakes engaged.

Root and Oliver then exited the boat through the rear door. Root inhaled the fresh air and exhaled.

"Ha... It smells nice."

A sly smile spread across Oliver’s face. "Wait till you reach the bottom. The marsh isn’t as pleasant as you think. And for the next week, you’re going to survive on nothing but the food and water you find on this island. Good luck." Oliver’s smile widened.

Root clutched the backpack Oliver had given him. "Hm?! And you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Oliver replied, "I’m not the one here to train."

"What does that mean? I thought you would be teaching me personally? No. You said you would teach me personally when you asked my father for permission!" Root looked perplexed.

Oliver nodded. "I lied."

"Wha!"

Thump

Before Root could finish his sentence, a hand chopped the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious. Oliver smiled wickedly and grabbed the limp body. Then he turned to look at the boat once more and disappeared into the forest below the hill.

—-

An hour or so later, as day was about to turn into night, Root woke up in the middle of the forest.

"Hm..." He groaned, pushing his face off the ground.

The dried leaves and mud clinging to his face flaked as he sat up to look around. freewebnoveℓ.com

"What happened?"

His mind sifted through his memories. Moments ago, he had been standing with Oliver, looking out from the boat at the vast lake and the forest ahead. But suddenly, everything went black, and he awoke in an unfamiliar forest, covered in dirt and mud.

The forest floor, giant trees, large vines, and occasional splotches of ferns and moss—everything was unfamiliar.

’Where am I?’

Fear swallowed Root as he felt his hand go limp. His eyes quickly darted around, trying to comprehend the situation.

’Where?’

He quietly stood up. Although he didn’t remember exactly what had happened, he knew he was on Second Earth—a dangerous place filled with monsters and mana beasts. So, he had to be extra careful.

He cautiously stood up and looked around. Nearby, his backpack lay sprawled on the ground, most of its contents spilled out. A few centimeters away, he saw a shiny alloy sword. When he saw that, the situation began to click. Root connected the dots and realized what had happened.

’I’ll be damned... The f*cker threw me into the forest alone.’

In a daze, he realized he had been cast into the forest to survive by himself. The realization unlocked the last memory of Oliver in his mind: ’I lied,’ accompanied by that sly smile and the hand that had smacked him on the back of his neck.

The vivid memory ignited a fuse in his heart. He felt a sense of anger and disappointment wash over him. As a fresh addition to the complexities of society, he couldn’t immediately process the feeling of being cheated. Although his intelligence told him he should have expected something like this, his feelings ran wild, urging him to seek revenge on the damned Oliver.

Nonetheless, he quickly calmed himself and moved to pick up the backpack. Oliver had initially packed the bag, but Root had later added some of his own items. However, none of Root’s items were in it anymore; the rest were scattered on the ground.

’A tent. An LED flashlight. A lighter. A bottle of water. A chocolate bar. A spoon.’

’A spoon?’

’Why the hell did he leave a spoon but not the blanket?’ Root complained silently, but still picked it up and securely placed it in the backpack. Then he shifted to the side and picked up the alloy sword. Among the objects he had, it was the most important.

’At least he was kind enough to leave me a sword.’

Root silently affirmed this, then stood up, gazing at the surrounding forest. Immediately, he decided on his next course of action.

’Oliver wants me to survive for a week. I need to secure food and water. Find a good shelter. Avoid mana beasts, or hunt the ones I can. Live until I can whoop the ass of the liar.’ Root’s fist tightened.

Meanwhile, hidden in a tree far away, Oliver watched everything through binoculars and smiled. He showed no remorse for tricking Root. In fact, he found it funny and giggled.

’Going prepared into the jungle carrying a blanket, enough food, and water cannot be called a survival challenge, right?’ he thought and climbed down. He was going to follow Root from a safe distance, without helping him through the challenges he would face on this journey.