"Thousands of years ago, mythological creatures lived and existed, but became extinct due to changes in the world's climate."
Riko, an Archeology student, explained at length everything in his brain in front of hundreds of his faculty friends who were focused on listening to his explanation. The bespectacled young man stood confidently on the seminar stage.
"Mythological creatures are real?! Are you crazy?!" Laughter suddenly boomed in the room.
Riko was nervous and embarrassed when they laughed at him. Not infrequently, Riko is considered stupid for proving that mythological creatures are real.
Professor William chuckled while taking the microphone from Riko's hand. He patted his student's shoulder to encourage him. "I know you like fictional stories that adhere to a fantasy world background. But, believe me, Riko... The creatures you talked about couldn't exist in the real world."
"But, Prof—"
"That's enough. Sit back..."
Again, Riko had to swallow disappointment.
"A-alright, Professor." Riko returned to his seat while looking down in embarrassment.
"Huuuuu!" Everyone in the room cheered mockingly.
Heart Riko's is hurt by all their ridicule and abuse towards him for the past two years. However, Riko can neither move nor take revenge. Because he does not have the power to fight his friends.
There are many of them while Riko is alone. That was the reason the young man never dared to fight back. As a result of the opinions going against logic, Riko is always shunned by people on campus, so he doesn't have any friends.
Riko walked towards the seat with his head down. Only some people agree with Riko's opinion.
After sitting on chairs, all seminar participants immediately threw thousands of paper balls at Riko.
"You idiot! Do you still intend to fool us, huh?!"
"Even a child knows that mythological creatures like you say aren't real. It's just the author's imagination!"
"You better go home and sleep! Your presence only makes everyone on campus uneasy!"
"Stop! Don't bully Riko! Do you all want to be expelled from campus?!"
The room was momentarily silent.
"Tomorrow, we will go to historical places. I hope you guys prepare yourselves!"
∆∆∆
The next day.
It has become routine for Riko to visit the old market selling old used books weekly. The market is in a remote village, far from the hustle and bustle of America.
Since childhood, Riko has been very fond of collecting old books. He considers these books a guide that will lead him to a world where mythological creatures live.
Riko firmly believes that this strange creature is not just a joke. As he experienced.
"Jorah. How are you?" Riko smiled kindly at a oldman with long white hair and a beard. He was hunchbacked, so he had to use a cane to walk.
"Finally! You're coming here again!" Jorah grinned widely.
"Did you discover anything new?"
"Of course. This time you will soon meet them. Wait a minute." Jorah approached the bookcase and then took a large folded piece of paper.
Riko furrowed while watching Jorah. "What's that?"
Jorah sat in a rickety chair and spread out a map made of animal skin.
Riko was shocked.
"I found this map in the forest you will visit later."
Riko was stunned. "How did you know I was going on tour?"
"You will always come here if you go to strange places."
Riko was stupefied.
"You want to buy it?" Jorah offered.
"Wait. Before I pay, I want to ask you one thing. Please answer honestly." Riko stared at Jorah intensely.
Jorah was silent for a moment.
"To be honest, I've actually wanted to ask, but I'm afraid you'll be offended."
"What's is that?"
Riko cleared his throat, trying to compose the right words, before saying, "How can you explore the forest alone? Even though you had a hard time walking."
Jorah chuckled. "Age is just a number. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove my opinion is right. My dream is only one. I want to see my friends lick their own spit. Just like you." Jorah smiled meaningfully.
Riko was shocked. "So all of your friends are still alive?"
Jorah shook his head with a chuckle a little bit. "Of course not. I am over 101 years old."
"So, why are you still vigorous? Isn't that a waste?"
"You are my reflection. I want you to fulfill my dream to prove to humans, namely your friends, that what you say is not nonsense. That's enough! I'm too lazy to argue with young people like you. Pay for my discovery at a high price, understand? Do not owe again."
Riko grinned widely. "I promise I won't ask anything that could offend you, but please… compensate for me. I beg you… because my money is gone."
"No! I also need to eat to survive!"
"Come on! You are the only person I consider family."
"Then where are your parents?"
Riko was silent, radiating a look of sadness in his green eyes. "My parents died long ago." Riko holds back the wound in his heart, so it doesn't tear again.
"Because of what?"
"They died from spider bites."
"Spider?" Jorah laughed, making Riko glance at him in annoyance.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Are your parents so poor they can't afford insecticide?"
"That's no ordinary wound! But the wound is big and deep! There can't be a spider that big in the world because I saw it that night. He was huge and terrible."
Jorah is silent. "Why are you so sure that this creature is the culprit?" He asked like he was interrogating.
Riko took a deep breath as he recalled the tragic events he had buried deep inside. Even though the incident had occurred dozens of years ago when he was five years old, the wound still lingers.
"At that time, I accidentally heard the hysterical screams of my father and mother at midnight. After I checked into the room, I saw someone coming through the window while crawling on the wall. After I checked, I saw two quite large and deep wounds. That is a strong reason for me to accuse that bastard of being the mastermind behind my parents' death."
"So you're just obsessed with revenge?"
"Exactly! I have vowed to avenge my heartache! Because of him, I live in a pool of suffering because I'm left alone!" Riko stared at Jorah, full of hatred. "And, one more thing... I want to get rid of the opinion of my college friends who think I'm stupid. Especially Edward."
Jorah was silent. His blue eyes were filled with disappointment and worry.
"He's so smart," Jorah muttered.
"What do you mean, Jorah?"
Jorah shook his head quickly. "Nothing. You better go fast. I want to close my stall because I'm heating water for a bath!"
"I'll take this, okay! Thank you!" Riko snatched the map and ran outside.
"Hey! Get back!" Jorah shouted in annoyance, but then he smiled mysteriously.
The day went by so fast, and evening came.Riko focused on reading the map at the study table. He studied each strange drawing on the old skin."Is this really the map? After a good look, this area was similar to the forest I would visit later. But is it possible that they live there?"Riko was a little worried. Sometimes he doubted the existence of this strange creature."Did I hallucinate then, so I saw the culprit like a spider man because he was sleepy?" Noe Riko's feelings are like a net being tossed about amid the ferocious onslaught of the sea.For Riko, the creature seems to exist and does not exist."Ck! What should I believe? My search for decades has never yielded results. I'm confused." Riko grabbed his hair in frustration.Hatred and despair battle and destroy Riko's feelings. His brain and heart are never in sync. Sometimes his brain told him to stop, but his heart forced him to keep looking."Tomorrow, I will have to check for myself. If I don't find anything, I'm force
"I want to ask you to return to investigate the mastermind behind the murder of my parents."Captain Calvin took a deep breath while massaging his forehead. He was very frustrated with the behavior of a young man who had lost his mind."Haven't I often said that your parents died because of a contract killer?""How can I believe you if you have never proved anything to me!" Riko protested, annoyed. "Even though I have clearly seen it with my own eyes, the spider demon had the heart to kill my father and mother!""You don't know anything, Riko. You better forget about this problem and live as a great young man who can make your parents proud." "Forget it?!""After all, this case was closed a long time ago. If traced back, there will definitely not be any traces of the culprit left." Riko growled angrily."I know you will never accept the tragic death of your parents. But if you continue to drag on harboring hatred, it will slowly destroy you more and more. So just let them be. Not al
Everyone will definitely say that Riko is crazy because he is desperate to prove the existence of mythological creatures with only an old map.Sometimes Riko also feels stupid for allowing himself to be toyed with by his own hallucinations. However, the death of his parents is enough to prove that the creature is real and exists.Before coming, Riko had already marked the places to be visited with a pen.Earlier, Riko had been fixated on the super small box symbol, so he had to see it with a magnifying glass.Riko doesn't know what the box is. But, it was enough to disturb his concentration. He had the urge to look for him but couldn't because he should save time on valuable things.Moreover, the main focus is to find traces of the creature's life.He walked according to inspired directions.The day goes by so fast. It didn't feel like Riko had been walking around the forest for more than three hours.Step by step, full of certainty, Riko walks through the forest according to the inst
Riko put it on a large rock instead of a table. "Wow! Very beautiful!" Riko's eyes twinkled in amazement, so he didn't blink when he looked at the beauty of the strangely carved old box.Riko examined the box to find where the keyhole was to open it. The mysterious box looks like a box in ancient times."What exactly is in this box? If it contains treasure, it should definitely be a keyhole to open it."Riko cleaned the box with his jacket to get rid of the dirt still stuck to it to find a hole."Shit! My map! Where is the map? It must have been lost when I was carried away by the avalanche earlier."Riko rushes to find the old map at the last place he fell.After finding it, Riko rushes back to the old box and examines all the symbols that can still be read to determine whether the box is related to mythological creatures."Tsk! Why does the ink have to disappear?! How do I read it!"After trying to read the writing, Riko suddenly exclaimed, "I have an idea!" he spontaneously snapped
A city is more appropriate to be called a village because it is not touched by modern culture and still relies on ancient defensive walls as a stronghold. But now is not the time of war.Riko has no choice but to enter the area and ask for help. He hoped someone would help him.Honestly, he was afraid. However, he was far more scared of dying from starvation.Finally, Riko arrived at the entrance gate of the city. Before entering, he gathered courage and steeled his resolve. Because he doesn't know what will happen next.Riko sneaks in. He was amazed to see the structure of the houses that looked strange in various sizes, big, medium, and even small like the dwarf house.Riko thought the city was a tourist spot with an ancient theme. However, after not finding any tourists, he was pretty doubtful.'Why is it so quiet? Has this city been abandoned just like that?'As Riko digs deeper, he is surprised to find more oddities and discrepancies. There were various giant fruits and strange a
Riko slowly opened his eyes and moaned softly. His head throbbed painfully. He frowned to look around but couldn't see clearly because his eyes were nearsighted. "W-where am I?" Riko muttered softly. "Who are you?!"Riko flinched in surprise when the loud scream pierced his ears. That voice is already familiar. He looked around to find the owner of the vote. A second later, he realized he was being shackled with his arms hanging down."What is this?!" Riko tried to free his hands but to no avail."Don't expect you can to escape from my prison!" A man wearing a crown of snakes suddenly stood in front of Riko with a fiery red gaze. Riko was stunned. "Aren't you...!"Draco frowned with a cold face. "Who exactly are you? Are you Morwen's accomplice?"Shit! Why can't my mouth ever cooperate?! Riko cursed his foolishness for suddenly talking with a devil."Quickly answer me. If you don't want to …!" Draco drew his snake-handled sword from its scabbard. "I kill you!""N-no! I'm not Morwen
"Don't kill me!"The blade broke Riko's shackles in one fell swoop.Riko slowly opened his eyes as the chain fell from his hands."Come with me," he ordered, then flew towards the air vent."Wait! How can I fly?!" Riko shouted angrily.The man snorted in annoyance. He came back down, gripped Riko's shoulders with his eagle-like feed, then returned to the gate."Hey! It hurts! Get off me!" Riko rebelled."Be quiet if you don't die," he said firmly.Riko immediately looked down. The creature was right. Now, he was at a height. If he fell, his body would definitely be crushed.The bird demon takes Riko away from the castle and manages to trick the guards."Actually, where are you taking me?" asked Riko in the middle of the road.The creature was just silent."Hey! Answer me!" Riko protested angrily. He couldn't just believe in stealth. For all strange beings are equally evil."If you don't answer, I will kill you!" Riko denounced and lost his mind.He only glanced at Riko briefly, then
All the students who were passing by immediately gathered around to watch Riko and Edward fight. They were shocked by Riko's bravery in fighting the wealthy young man.Edward clenched his fists tightly. He hated Riko's insolent attitude toward him. Riko not only dared to fight him but also insulted him. "You must die, Bastard!" Edward punched Riko, but the bespectacled youth swiftly caught his hand and twisted it back."Argh! Let me go!" Edward rebelled."Okay!" Riko kicked Edward's buttocks so hard that he hit the wall so hard that he was able to destroy the wall.Edward fainted from the violent impact that crushed his bones.Hysterical screams filled the college building. All the students who witnessed the incident immediately ran.Riko was stunned.'What am I doing?'∆∆∆"Are you crazy?! You almost killed Edward!" A middle-aged man scolds Riko."I just kicked him lightly, so there's no way he'd die. He must've just pretended to faint to amplify my punishment." Riko defended himsel