2. Facing the wild

The eastern border of Baraddurn was filled with dreadful creatures, poisonous saplings and ogres with less intelligence.

"Still, it didn't take them even two minutes to realize I was missing," I muttered as I heard their rushing sounds getting closer from inside.

Forcing myself to stand up, I kept my breathing steady and pushed harder to run faster.

But this time, I ran towards them to prove the saying, "Sometimes the riskiest zone is the safest zone."

Cold air bit into my lungs because of my sprint. I didn't get the opportunity to feel fear, although my heart was jumping inside of my chest. I passed over them, making some of them lose their balance, and some didn't even notice me. I felt my legs flying over stones and leaves as the ground was shaking because of their tumble.

I turned my body and entered the forest. The trees were more suitable to cover me. I steadily peeked through the limb of one of the Aurepavers and saw them spreading around. I let out a long sigh as I collapsed on the ground and felt my body starting to ache. I pushed myself to stand up since that couldn't be the safest spot. Most of the parts of these places were poisonous but I wasn't aware of which certain places for the reason that there wasn't much described about the eastern side in the novel.

My body shivered, and my stomach growled. I glanced around to see the noiseless damp forest filled with bushes and Aurepavers. The soil pricked in my barefoot as I struggled to walk forward. That small weak body with thin wrists and ankles was definitely not mine.

"Transmigration?" I mumbled.

"Is that even possible nowadays? Or am I mistaken?"

As I moved forward, my eyes fell on a bunch of two feet long mushrooms. Their pale orange heads looked familiar.

"Psathyrella!! Here?" I gasped as I recalled them from the original novel. They were mostly seen near the core of Baraddurn. These mushrooms could provide water though it makes a human body feel nauseous later by the time, but I wasn't in a state to care for the side effects.

Using the bone, I gradually split one of the mushrooms, and the centre was soft similar to a coconut sprout. Every squeeze drained the water out, making them flow by my hands as I sipped to get my throat wet from the cold water. Too much consumption might lead me to death. So despite my unquenchable thirst, I had to control myself from drinking more.

The stillness of the forest broke when I heard a rustling sound further away from me. My throat clenched as I grabbed onto the stone, slowly moving forward to see an Eagle-like bird tangled by a strong net.

Feeling relieved, I went closer to it, "Hush! It's okay....It's okay! I'll let you out of here." Its golden feature with a bit of brown dots and its size reminded me of 'Griffin'-the mythical beast mentioned in the novel. Instantly after being freed from the trap, it gave its body a shake and flapped its huge golden wings. Its sharp, bright green eyes glared at me as I stared at them in awe as if it was a human.

"Why aren't you leaving? Go! Fly away, shooh!" I shook my head, pointing it to go away. A jolt went down my spine when I saw it standing up with its legs that were similar to lions.

"A Griffin?! Nah, Griffins aren't this small."

It glared at me with its eyes narrowed, as if it was judging me.

I glanced around and noticed the mushrooms, "Uhh...You want some water?"

His green eyes steadily shifted towards the mushrooms and returned to me again as though it understood what I was saying.

After hesitating for a moment, it poked its thick beak inside the mushroom I offered and consumed the water.

Right after drinking, it spread its wide golden wings into the sky and I felt a huge chunk of wind rushing over me as it flapped its wings, revealing its lion-like tale to fly away. Its dazzling golden feathers blazed in the faint light of the forest.

I kept staring at those green eyes that were glaring at me while vanishing into the clouds as I mumbled, "You can't be the Griffin, can you?"

A sudden realization vibrated me.

"Traps, huh? That means there must be some of them around here. It's dangerous to stay here more." I stood up and glanced around. It was still silent. My waist felt heavy from the stones and mushrooms.

"I need to get to the border as soon as possible," I said as I kept strolling forward while recalling the novel. The main story took place in the western Baraddurn, the central zone. The chief of the ogre- in other words, their king and other higher-up members were also there. The only difference between humans & them is their appearance and emotions. They also have their own clan and language, unlike the lowly ogres from this side. The disaster occurred when their king tamed the Griffin, and sent it to hunt down every human. Every character died except for Johan. There was one certain character that was personally my favourite-Dae hyun Joon. He was a very genius character with lots of information. But he died in episode 6 because of his ally's betrayal.

"There's still a lot of time. I need to stop their death." I muttered as I bent down, feeling nauseous.

"Ahh! The side effects kicking in." Leaning against a tree, I tried to make myself feel better.

"This won't do! I need to get to the border quickly." I threw away the mushrooms from my waist and felt a little light, "I...need to save that person!"

In order to save others and myself, I needed that person and the Griffin. If I can tame the Griffin somehow, our survival will be guaranteed.

My eyes felt heavier as I let them close for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and my throat thickened as I choked in horror to see a vicious face glaring at me right in front of my face. The creature opened its mouth, revealing several rows of large pincers of teeth, and a chill crept over me like cold fingers over my body. My breathing stopped as I felt sweat cling to the back of my neck, dampening my hair.