Kayra sat at the mouth of the cave, watching the sky with its two suns cast light upon the valley. Exactly three days had passed since his deadly confrontation with that massive bear.
Time had flowed for Kayra as if behind a veil of mist. The first two days had been spent half-conscious, delirious, due to the intense energy the Regeneration ability expended to close the tears in his body. But by the end of the third day, although the glass-shard-like stabbing pain hadn't completely vanished, the clotted wounds had sealed. The crack in his ribs, however, still hadn't fully healed.
Fortunately, he had smoked meat stored from before, so he hadn't faced a food shortage.
He reached for the dagger at his waist. The moment his fingers touched the cold metal, a shiver ran through his body. When he slowly drew the dagger from its sheath, the sound it made was no longer a thin metal scrape, but a heavy, threatening creak.
"This... is this still the same weapon?" Kayra murmured in disbelief.
The dagger was much larger than its former small size; it had now grown to about twice its original dimensions. Those blood-red veins on it weren't just decorations; they pulsed like real veins embedded in the weapon's texture, throbbing as if with a heartbeat.
[It is definitely the same weapon]
said the Bot, its voice clearer than ever in his mind.
[There is a surprising situation concerning the dagger. Even though three days have passed, the weapon is still not in a stable form. Its dimensions continue to grow, and its structure keeps changing.]
Kayra touched the enlarged dagger. "It's still growing? I was afraid it wouldn't fit in its sheath, but that expanded along with it."
[Probably because of that immense energy it absorbed from the bear]
the Bot continued.
[The wild mana and life essence that monster emitted was much more intense than I expected. The dagger didn't just trap that energy; it's using it like nourishment to rebuild its own existence. It's as if it's still feeding on the power left from that bear and continuing to evolve.]
Kayra raised the dagger and held it up to the light of the two suns. The ominous aura seeping from the weapon reached all the way to his hands. "Bot, it's like..." Kayra said, unable to hide the tremor in his voice. "It's like I'm holding not just a piece of metal in my hand, but a piece that's still breathing."
[You're not entirely wrong] said the Bot.
[The bear's savagery has been etched into the very spirit of this steel. As for how it fits back into the sheath; the weapon and the sheath are connected by a shared mana, moving as a single organism. But remember, this weapon now has a power capacity far exceeding your current level. Controlling it could be as exhausting as fighting the bear.]
Kayra slid the dagger back into its sheath. The sheath stretched, accepting the weapon's enlarged body as if it were a piece of skin. When he stood up, the scars on his chest tightened, but he could breathe.
"Three days are over," Kayra said, looking out at the valley.
As he stood up, he felt that sealed area on his back still slightly warm. Even under the light of the two suns in the sky, the shadow of that Ouroboros tattoo etched into his skin seemed to fall upon his soul. Fixing his gaze on the valley, he asked:
"Bot... That entity. Ouroboros, that thing... Do you know what it is? It marked me, and now I'm its property. What could it want from me?"
There was a brief silence in his mind. The Bot answered with a crackling sound, as if performing a deep scan.
[Kayra, to be honest, there isn't a single line of information in my current database about what this entity is.]
The Bot's voice continued in a trembling tone, as if mimicking fear:
[The only thing I could analyze is that during those few seconds I was in contact with its energy, all the logical frameworks in my system came to the point of collapse. That entity is a power far above us, capable of shaking the rules of this world, manipulating the system. It belongs to a dimension where our access is completely blocked. It is not just powerful; it is a force so transcendent and dangerous that it bends reality itself with its presence.]
Kayra swallowed, his hand instinctively going to his back, to that burning area. "Then why me? Why is it bothering with me, calling me a 'little ant'?"
The Bot replied with a deep and somber tone echoing in his mind:
[Kayra, to be honest, it's impossible to understand the motivations or plans of an entity at that level. For beings like us to try to predict what passes through its mind is like an ant questioning the reason for an approaching storm. It operates in a dimension we cannot fathom, with an entirely different logic.]
A brief crackle, like a virtual sigh, was heard.
[However, I can say this with certainty: It has a plan for you. The fact that it stopped short of simply destroying you and instead marked you, leaving you to the wild flow of this world, shows that it has actually placed you as a pawn on its own chessboard. This 'ownership' doesn't seem like a reward, but rather the beginning of a transcendent experiment or game it intends to conduct through you.]
Kayra felt the harsh valley wind on his skin as he tried to process the Bot's words. The joy of survival within him had given way to a dark uncertainty.
"So you're saying..." Kayra said, his voice dispersing in the wind. "Now I have to survive not only against nature, but also against its plans."
[That appears to be the case] said the Bot.
[There's nothing we can do about this mark for now. Your only option is to grow stronger in every possible way until you encounter it again. If you can't achieve that 'evolution' it's waiting for, when it's done with you, it will discard you like trash.]
Kayra clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.
He swallowed, transforming that feeling of helplessness knotting in his throat into anger. As he turned his gaze down the valley, towards the misty, rocky depths, he suddenly paused.
He squinted, focusing on that point. From among the sharp rocks and giant plants, a thin, grayish line was rising towards the sky.
"Bot... Look over there," Kayra said, his heart rate suddenly increasing. "Deep in the valley, at that remote spot... Smoke is rising."
A brief analysis process occurred in his mind. The Bot scanned that point in Kayra's field of vision within seconds. Its voice, as always, was rational.
[It appears to be a campfire. In this geography, such regular smoke could only be produced by a conscious being. Too symmetrical for a random natural occurrence.]
Kayra took another excited step towards the cave's threshold. "What does that mean? Is there a human there like me?"
[It's too early to confirm that, Kayra] said the Bot, mixing its voice with a degree of caution.
[It's certain that a being capable of making fire possesses intelligence; however, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a human or a friend. A being daring enough to light a fire in the depths of this valley could pose a threat as great as that bear. Still, you might be right to think you're not alone.]
Kayra touched the pulsing, evolving dagger at his waist. His curiosity had begun to slowly swallow the cautious fear within him.
"Friend or foe..." Kayra said with a determined voice. "If I'm sharing this valley with others, I have to see the face beneath that smoke. If I'm not alone, I need to know that, Bot."
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Kayra had just made a move to leave the cave when he hesitated at the Bot's warning.
[Wait a second, Kayra, you can't go like that]
said the Bot, its voice echoing in a more serious tone than usual.
[That Ouroboros mark on your back... We don't yet know what it is, what it means in this world, or how those who see it will react. This uncertainty could make you a direct target. The safest way is to completely hide it until we understand what we're facing.]
Kayra stopped and thought; the Bot was right. He didn't yet know how this mark would be received by other people. "You're right," he said. "No need to attract attention."
He reached for the coarse fiber piles left in the corner of the cave. Despite the ache in his ribs, he began wrapping the fibers in layers around his torso. Using the same bulky but sturdy plant tissues he had used to cover his wounds, he bound them tightly until the mark on his back was completely concealed. Over that, he put on his old, worn fiber tunic, securing everything.
[That's better now. Your mobility is reduced by 5%, but that's an acceptable risk for this stealth] said the Bot.
Kayra began to glide swiftly but silently down to the valley floor, towards the point where the smoke was rising. The experience from his fight with the bear had made his steps more balanced and caused him to disturb the ground less. Using the shadow of the rocks and the tall plants, he crept inch by inch towards the source of the smoke.
As he neared the source of the smoke, the Bot's analysis screens began to appear in Kayra's field of vision.
[Initiating analysis... Distance 100 meters. Processing thermal traces and silhouettes.]
The Bot's voice began to flow in his mind like a report:
[Three different targets detected. All are bipedal, in humanoid form. They are armed.]
Marked targets appeared before Kayra's eyes via the system interface:
[Target 1: Male, close-combat unit. Carries dual swords, movements appear quite agile.]
[Target 2: Male, heavy unit. Has a massive battle axe, body structure is quite large and sturdy.]
[Target 3: Male, ranged unit. Positioned a bit away from the fire, within the shadows. Holds a strung bow.]
Kayra tightened his grip on his dagger's hilt. His heart pounded against his ribcage. "Humans, Bot? Are they really human?"
[Their anatomical structures conform to humanoid standards, Kayra, but the mana vibrations they emit are quite regular and disciplined. Be careful; this group doesn't seem like just anyone who happened to end up here. They appear to be a professional team.]
Kayra, pressing himself tightly between the rocks, began observing the strangers beneath the smoke. The mass of herbs and fibers on him merged with the valley's natural texture, turning him into an almost invisible shadow. He even slowed his breathing, just watching.
Just then, the Bot's voice echoed again in his mind at a low frequency.
[Wait, Kayra... I'm picking up another signature. Interesting that it escaped the previous scan.]
A fourth marker appeared before Kayra's eyes. A silhouette appeared, sitting slightly behind the others, on the other side of the campfire.
[Target 4: Female, humanoid form. Unlike the others, no weapon detected on her. However, she has a bag that appears quite large and heavy. Her energy signature is balanced but seems defenseless.]
Kayra carefully extended his head from the bushes to try and see the fourth person. Behind the giant with the axe and the man with the swords, a young girl was fiddling with the bag on her back.
The axe-wielder and the dual-swordsman went over to the girl.
"Can you pick up their voices, Bot?" Kayra whispered.
[Sound waves are being filtered. Accounting for distance and wind direction, I am relaying their conversation.]
Kayra pricked up his ears. The massive man with the axe, leaning his weapon against the ground, spoke in a raspy voice:
"Still no trace, Liora? That mana fluctuation in this valley isn't normal. That creature was supposed to be around here."
The girl with the bag shook her head as she placed a strange, crystalline device back into her bag. Her voice was thin but firm:
"The device is getting interference. It's as if... as if the valley suddenly emptied. We could pick up that massive predator's mana from miles away, but for three days, not a single vibration. It couldn't be dead, could it?"
The man with the dual swords paced restlessly around the campfire before stopping. "If it's dead, that's worse for us. If that bear is dead, there are very few things in this region that could kill it... And believe me, we don't want to encounter that thing."
Kayra was surprised by what he heard. "Three days and the bear," he said. He understood that the thing they had been tracking for days was the bear he himself had killed.
He held his breath and continued listening. The giant with the axe spoke as he threw a large log onto the fire:
"If we can't find that monster's blood or mutated tissue, time will run out for the villagers. Liora, how long does the miasma effect last?"
The girl with the bag, Liora, answered with a sorrowful voice: "Five days at most. The condition of those poisoned when the bear attacked our settlement is critical. To prepare that antidote, I need samples from that bear. But it's as if the valley has swallowed that monster... I can't find any trace."
The man with the dual swords scanned the surroundings, his hand going to his sword's hilt. "Even if the bear is dead, the thought of who or what killed it gives me chills. If such a power is around here, we'd just be easy prey."
Kayra touched the dagger at his waist and the spot where the mark was on his back. These people were just trying to survive, a group risking their lives for their village. For the first time after weeks of solitude and battling monsters, the human urge within him prevailed.
"I can't tell if they're friend or foe without confronting them, Bot," Kayra whispered. "They need help, and the bear is with me... I mean, I know where the bear's remains are."
[A risky move, Kayra] warned the Bot.
[However, they might be your only source of information about civilization in this world. If you're going to reveal yourself, keep your hand ready on that dagger at all times.]
Kayra slowly shook himself off and stood up. Despite the ache in his ribs, he tried to stand straight. With empty hands and open palms, he stepped out from the bushes with heavy steps.
"I killed what you're looking for," Kayra said.
The three men around the campsite sprang into action with lightning speed. The archer, within seconds, drew his bow and aimed an arrow directly at Kayra's throat. The giant with the axe roared and lunged forward, while the dual-swordsman moved in front of Liora, taking a defensive stance.
"Don't move!" thundered the axe-wielder. "Who are you? A human... or some herb monster created by miasma?"
Kayra stood still. His eyes were on the archer's tense fingers.
"I'm not a monster," he said, his voice calm but tired. "That bear is down the valley, near the big pit. If you need the creature's remains for the antidote, I can take you there."
Liora looked at Kayra in astonishment over the swordsman's shoulder. "That bear... you killed it? All by yourself?"
There was sharp suspicion and disdain in the girl's voice rather than admiration. She frowned and looked Kayra up and down. To dispel the suspicion of this headstrong girl who seemed to think she knew everything, Kayra slowly took a step forward.
"Then let me prove it," he said in a calm voice.
He slowly brought his hands to his chest and roughly pulled apart the coarse plant fibers wrapped around him. Beneath the fibers, thick, pinkish scar tissue, not yet fully closed, running the length of his chest, was revealed. The depth and width of the claw marks could belong to none other than that massive bear.
Liora hesitated for a moment, her eyes fixed on the scars, but immediately afterwards she grimaced and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ha! That's just a claw mark," she said mockingly. "That bear is a true disaster. If you had actually come into contact with it that closely, by now your veins would have dried up from the miasma, and your soul would be about to leave your body. I don't see any sign of miasma poisoning, which means you're lying! You can't fool anyone; it's impossible to survive being hit by those claws!"
With Liora's exclamation of "You're lying!", the archer suddenly tensed. The man, who had been merely on alert moments ago, now drew his bow to its full extent and aimed the arrow directly between Kayra's eyes.
"The young lady is right," the archer boomed. "We've never seen anyone survive miasma like that. Either it wasn't that bear, or you're a monster in human form!"
The Bot's voice suddenly echoed in his head.
[Kayra, Liora might be technically correct. I knew how miasma mutates animals and creatures, but its effects on the human metabolism weren't in my database. From this group's reaction, we understand that; humans are completely vulnerable to miasma and get poisoned quickly upon contact. But you seem to be an exception; you appear to have immunity.]
The Bot paused briefly, quickly scanning Kayra's body metrics.
Kayra responded to the arrow aimed directly between his eyes and Liora's judgmental gaze with unwavering composure. The Bot's recent analysis in his mind had provided him with that necessary, unsettling confidence.
"I'm immune," Kayra said, his voice echoing in the depths of the valley. "I'm immune to miasma. I don't know why or how, but that poison flows in my veins without killing me."
Liora was momentarily stunned by what she heard; her lips parted in surprise, but immediately afterwards she reverted to her defensive and harsh demeanor. "Immunity? Don't be ridiculous! Not a single living species has been recorded in this world with biological immunity to miasma. You're either a lying machine or you're really something else that just looks human."
The archer still hadn't loosened his bow. "If you have immunity, that means you're an even greater threat, kid. Everything that lives intertwined with miasma eventually turns into a monster."
Kayra slowly moved his hand towards the hilt of the dagger at his waist, but didn't draw it. "If I were a monster, instead of having this conversation right now, I would have already been at your throats. You said your time is running out. People in your village are dying. I'm showing you the way, and you're wasting time questioning me."
The giant with the axe intervened, placing his heavy hand on the archer's bow and gently pushing it down. "Enough. The energy around this man doesn't seem tainted by miasma. If he knows the bear's location, it's worth the risk."
Liora stomped her feet in anger, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Fine! But you'll be under my supervision. At the slightest sign of 'monsterization,' I'll personally diagnose you and give the order for your execution, understand me?"
Kayra simply gave a slight nod of his head in response to the girl's fierce attitude. "Lead the way then," he didn't say; instead, he turned his back and began to lead them towards the pit where the bear was.
As they walked, the Bot whispered again:
[Kayra, watch your step. Although your body can biologically filter miasma, your physical wounds haven't fully healed yet. The cracks in your ribs could resurface at any moment during this paced walk. Also, this group's professionalism isn't to be underestimated; the archer is still adjusting his steps to your rhythm, meaning his eyes are still on you.]
With the Bot's warning, Kayra slowed down slightly and regulated his breathing. The sound of armor from behind and Liora's occasional muttering mixed with the valley's hum. After about ten minutes of a tense, silent climb, they reached the edge of the pit where that massive battle had taken place.
