He turned and ran with all his might, through the dense forest. Branches whipped his face, tree roots seemed to try to trip him. Adrenaline flooded his system, dulling the pain and sharpening his senses.
The sound of his own breathing was deafening, competing with the heavy rustling of the creature chasing him from behind.
He didn't dare to look back. He knew the wolf was getting closer. He could hear it, he could feel it.
"System! Inventory! Open inventory!" he shouted desperately. There was no response. He had nothing.
No beginner's sword, no healing potion, not even a rock to throw. He was just an ordinary man in plain clothes being chased by a nightmare monster.
A protruding root finally managed to catch his foot. Ars fell hard, his face hitting the wet ground. A sharp pain exploded in his ankle. He tried to get up, but his leg was sprained. He could only crawl backward in panic as a large shadow covered him.
There, standing above him, was the Gloomfang Wolf. Its glowing red eyes stared at him with savage triumph. Drool dripped from its snout onto Ars's cheek. Its breath smelled like rotten meat and death.
Was this the end? To die even before his adventure began? Killed by a monster that should have been easy prey for an experienced player? A sad irony.
In total despair, his mind flashed to the only thing he had left. His last resort.
His active ability. [Arcana Shift].
A total gamble. A roll of the dice against fate. The effect could be anything.
Maybe it would give him a protective shield. Maybe it would heal his leg. Maybe it would give him a burst of power that could destroy the wolf.
Or maybe... it would just spawn a rubber duck. With The Fool, all possibilities were open.
The wolf opened its jaws wide, ready to crush his throat. Time seemed to slow down.
"ARCANA SHIFT! ACTIVATE!"
Ars shouted with the last of his breath, his voice cracking with pure terror.
There was no blinding light. No glowing cards appeared in the air. All he felt was a strange click inside his mind, as if a switch he never knew existed had just been pressed.
A strange warm sensation flowed briefly into his palm, and suddenly there was a slight weight there.
Ars's eyes glanced down. In his trembling hand was a banana.
Yes, a banana.
Not the legendary golden banana. Not an explosive banana. Just a perfectly ripe, ordinary banana, with bright yellow skin and a few brown spots.
Silence enveloped the small forest.
Ars stared at the banana in his hand.
Gloomfang Wolf, who had been on guard, stared at the banana. His head tilted slightly to the side, an expression of total confusion etched on his ferocious face. His growl turned into a confused whine.
"A banana?" whispered Ars, his voice trembling between hysterical laughter and desperate tears.
"Of all the possibilities in the universe... YOU GAVE ME A BANANA?! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS? OFFER IT AS A SNACK?!"
Apparently, the wolf wasn't interested in potassium. Its surprise had passed, and its hunger returned with full force. With a deafening roar, it lunged, its fangs aimed directly at Ars's face.
There was no time to think. There was no room for further despair. Driven by the purest and most foolish survival instinct, Ars did the only thing he could do.
He threw the banana with all his might at the wolf.
And as he threw, in a clumsy, panicked movement, his healthy foot stepped on wet, slippery moss.
Sliiiip!
His body was thrown backwards, his head hitting the ground with a sickening *thud*. Stars danced before his eyes.
The banana missed its target. It flew over the wolf's head as it lunged and landed with a barely audible *plop* on the ground, right where the wolf was about to land.
And then, something strange happened.
As the wolf landed its front paws, the banana peel beneath it seemed to... melt. Not melt like ice, but transform into an invisible layer of slime that spread at incredible speed, covering an area of several square meters with a surface more slippery than oiled ice.
Gloomfang Wolf's front legs lost all traction. All four legs slipped in different directions at once. The momentum from its powerful leap was now its enemy.
With a startled howl that sounded anything but majestic, the giant monster slid uncontrollably across the magical "banana minefield."
Ars, who was still half dizzy on the ground, could only watch the surreal scene with wide eyes.
The wolf spun in the air like a drunken ice dancer, before finally sliding straight towards the large tree where Ars had been cornered earlier.
CRACK!!!
The sound of the collision was terrifying, a combination of cracking wood and breaking bones. The wolf's head slammed into the tree trunk with full force.
Its large body slumped limply to the ground, motionless. A little smoke billowed from the large bump on its head, like in a cartoon.
The world fell silent again, leaving only the sound of Ars's labored breathing.
He stared at the unconscious wolf. Then at the banana peel, which was now slowly evaporating into particles of light. Then back at the wolf.
He had survived.
He had defeated Gloomfang Wolf.
With a banana.
Laughter began to bubble up inside him. Wild, crazy, and full of relief. He laughed until his stomach hurt, tears streaming down his cheeks.
He lay on the dirty forest floor, beside the monster that had just tried to kill him, and laughed at the cosmic absurdity of his situation. The Fool. A fitting name indeed.
After his laughter subsided, replaced by a cold, piercing awareness, he checked his system panel again. Under [Arcana Shift], a new message appeared: [Cooling Time: 5 Hours, 59 Minutes, 48 Seconds].
It was real. This strange power was real. And he was trapped here. Alone, wounded, with a power that was a cosmic joke machine.