Chapter 3: Eric Intentions

Adam realized that whatever creature was approaching, it would be far more dangerous than just a horned wolf.

As Eric ran in the opposite direction of the swaying trees, Adam instinctively followed behind. At least it was the most sensible direction to move away from whatever was coming.

Adam, wearing a white shirt now stained with brown spots, and a loosely tied tie, ran as fast as he could. Instinctively, he followed Eric from behind.

He knew that the game had clearly started while he was still unconscious, leaving him less aware of the best terrain to navigate. Eric, on the other hand, might be a player who already had an idea of the safest terrain. Adam had a strong reason to follow him.

From the direction of the swaying trees, echoing screams resounded, sending waves of fear that made Adam's hair stand on end. It was a desperate cry!

Not just one, but the screams continued, as if performing a haunting chorus.

As the sounds drew closer, Eric suddenly stopped. He glanced left and right before turning right, skillfully navigating obstacles like tree branches and thorny bushes.

Adam followed suit in silence.

At that moment, Adam took the same path but lost track of Eric.

"Where is he!?" Adam searched but found no trace. On the other hand, the screams grew closer, and the ground vibrations caused by the creature's footsteps became more intense.

Adam glanced at the swaying trees and saw a gigantic wild boar taller than the trees. Through the gaps in the trees, Adam saw several people at the mouth of the creature. Bloody, torn apart, two of them no longer moving, showing blank stares with the remaining horror on their faces. The other two continued to scream for help, in unimaginable pain.

At that moment, Adam quickly clicked his tongue while looking for a place to hide. However, a hand suddenly pulled him into the crevices of the raised tree roots, hiding him.

As Adam adjusted his gaze, he saw Eric signaling to remain silent.

In the crevices of the roots, they waited for the giant wild boar to move away.

"What is that?" Adam instinctively asked.

At that moment, Eric whispered, "System!"

"Do you know what it is?" He continued as if asking the System.

After a few seconds, Eric looked up at Adam and said, "That's one of the Beasts at the top of the food chain on this island, the Gigantic Boar."

After nearly ten minutes, the Gigantic Boar passed them and entered deeper into the forest.

"It seems safe now," Eric said after peeking out.

The ground vibrations had also disappeared.

Adam didn't wait as he made his way out.

As he surveyed the area, the third screen in front of him suddenly displayed a clock ticking in the top right corner of the screen. The ticking sound of each second created an eerie atmosphere.

In the top left corner of the first screen, the remaining card count changed to red and started blinking.

[Remaining Cards: 10/22]

On the middle screen, text also appeared.

[Remaining cards are 10. Increasing difficulty!]

"Did you see that?" Eric asked.

Adam nodded.

"That means the fewer cards left, the more dangerous the island will become," he emphasized the last word.

"My previous offer still stands, decide quickly,"

Adam pondered for a moment. "Alright," he replied.

Setting aside Eric's true intentions, Adam accepted the offer because he believed there was a small chance Eric was being honest.

"Good," Eric smiled.

He then took a military knife from his special pocket on his leg and handed it to Adam. "You need protection," he said.

...

Two hours later.

They walked further into the forest. However, there was no difference from their previous location. In fact, this place felt more deserted, with no Beasts at all.

"How long has the game been going on?" Adam was curious about this.

Eric glanced at him before answering, "I think it's been almost six hours."

Adam furrowed his brow. "Six hours? I woke up about two hours ago, that means I'm four hours behind everyone else," he muttered to himself.

Also considering that there were 10 cards left scattered.

After walking for a while, they began to hear the sound of flowing water.

"Do you hear that?" Eric raised his hand to signal silence.

Adam clearly heard the sound of flowing water and nodded in agreement.

After passing through thick bushes, clearing a path, they finally arrived at a river not far away, with a high waterfall nearby.

For some reason, Adam noticed Eric's expression became relieved and slightly strange.

"I'm curious, where's all your equipment?" Eric asked.

"Equipment?" Adam, who knew nothing about the existence of equipment, furrowed his brow.

Eric shook his head.

He then walked towards the waterfall, whispering, "System!"

Adam followed behind, noticing that Eric was whispering to something. Then he remembered that the System could communicate with players, and Adam didn't know how.

At that moment, Adam, who was about five meters behind Eric, whispered to himself, "System!"

As he suspected, the screen in the middle displayed text.

[System Ready]

"Give me clues about the whereabouts of the card." Adam didn't expect any significant clues. If there were any, it would be impossible for cards to still be left.

[Detecting the presence of a card nearby]

[Twenty meters from the player's position, there is a card]

Along with that text, a new screen appeared above the middle screen. It displayed a mini-map with a depiction of the terrain with a one-kilometer radius around them. However, most of it only showed clouds covering the actual terrain.

"So that's it. The parts displayed on this mini-map are only the areas I've explored." He muttered to himself, beginning to understand the mini-map feature.

"Besides, the System really provided clues about the whereabouts of the card?"

Adam realized that the only clue he could get was about the card closest to him. Indicating that clues would appear when the player was close to the card.

On the other hand, Eric began to climb the slippery rocks cautiously, seemingly intending to get closer to the waterfall.

Observing the clue provided by the System, Adam could guess that one of the cards was inside the waterfall. And that was Eric's actual destination.

"Why didn't he say anything about it?" Adam thought suspiciously.

"Does he think I already know about this, or is he deliberately hiding this fact?"

Following Eric from behind, Adam continued to piece together the puzzle about Eric's true intentions.

So far, Adam saw Eric behaving too normally, and every step he took seemed planned.

"He seems to already know which direction to take to reach this card. It's impossible for clues to work like this; that means he already knew beforehand that there was a card here."

"Then why didn't he take it and instead wandered back into the forest."

Recalling their first meeting, Adam saw a picture in his mind. It was when Eric complained angrily after killing the horned wolf.

"Shit! Where can I find materials for offerings!?" Those were Eric's words at the time.

Adam widened his eyes as if understanding everything.

"System!" He whispered.

[System Ready]

"What are the requirements to get the card?"

[Each card has different requirements]

After seeing that information, even though it was somewhat unclear, Adam was now sure about Eric's intentions.

"He's wasting time and energy to enter the forest again even after finding the location of the card; he offered cooperation with me, which has nothing; now he's back to this place without getting lost." Adam stopped walking, looking up to see Eric at the top of the rocks, carefully stepping onto the slippery rocks.

Adam smiled unconsciously.