[Time Remaining: 43:12]
I was walking, or rather, swaggering, through the forest.
With an SSS-Rank power coursing through my veins, I wasn't worried about monsters. In fact, I was hoping one would show up. "Come on, doesn't any giant monster want to try its luck? A small dragon? A ferocious squirrel?"
Nothing. It seemed the animals possessed the survival instinct I lacked when I boarded that plane.
The source of the smoke was drawing near. And as I pushed aside a massive tree branch with only my little finger—literally—the scene opened up before me.
"Wow..."
It wasn't a primitive village as I expected. It was... elegant.
Wooden houses seamlessly integrated into the trunks of giant trees, suspended bridges made of vines, and lanterns glowing with a soft, magical luminescence. But what caught my attention wasn't the architecture, but the inhabitants.
They were tall. Slender. Their skin was so flawless it would make supermodels back on Earth retire and open bakeries. And of course, those long, pointed ears that twitched slightly with every sound.
Elves.
"Great," I muttered to myself. "I've landed in the middle of a fantasy film, wearing a shirt that says 'I hate Mondays'."
Two of them approached me. They were carrying bows, raising them towards me, but as they got closer, they lowered them. Perhaps because my current aura screamed: "Don't mess with me, I am a walking nuclear bomb."
"Stranger," one of them said, his voice annoyingly soft and musical. "What brings you to the borders of 'Silvana'?"
I checked my phantom watch.
[Time Remaining: 30:05]
I had to hurry.
I flashed the smile of the perfect employee trying to convince a customer he wasn't angry. "Hello. I am... a traveler. I lost my way a little after a minor incident. A plane crash—I don't think you know what that is, but imagine a metallic cart falling from the sky."
The two elves exchanged glances. They hadn't understood anything, but they sensed the power surrounding me. Power commands respect, or fear. It didn't matter, both were useful to me now.
"I will take you to the Sage 'Elariun'," the first elf said. "He decides the matter of strangers."
We walked through the village. Eyes followed me. Elf children hid behind their mothers. Elf women stared with curiosity. In my normal state, I might have tripped over my own feet from nervousness, but now? I walked like I owned the place. The false confidence resulting from magical hormones is truly astonishing.
We reached a larger building situated in the hollow of a giant tree. Inside, an elderly man sat, with long silver hair, and eyes that held the wisdom of centuries, or perhaps just the exhaustion of dealing with tourists.
"We have a guest," Sage Elariun said calmly without lifting his head from a scroll he was reading. Then he looked at me. His eyes widened slightly. He was a mage, or something similar, and he surely sensed the terrifying level of energy I was carrying.
"Your energy... is volatile, young man," he said cautiously.
"Yes, bad day," I answered curtly. "I just need a place to stay for one night. And in the morning, I need directions to the nearest human city. I don't want trouble, and I don't want to bother you."
The Sage was silent for a moment, as if weighing the risks. Should he anger the being radiating enough energy to wipe out the forest, or give him a bed? The choice wasn't difficult.
"You may stay in the East Guest Hut," he said solemnly. "And the human city of 'Arcadia' is a two-day walk from here."
"Thank you, Sage."
One of the accompanying elves guided me towards a small, secluded hut.
As soon as I entered and closed the door, I collapsed onto the bed made of straw and fur.
I looked into the air.
[Time Remaining: 00:45]
"Oh..."
The final seconds were the hardest. I felt like the air was being sucked from my lungs. The superhuman power that had made me feel capable of shattering mountains began to fade like water down a drain.
[Duration Ended] [Abilities Deactivated] [Current Status: Human (Level 1)]
Suddenly, the hunger returned. The exhaustion returned. The feeling of the cold sting in the air returned. And worst of all, the fear returned.
A minute ago, I was the "Master of Elements." Now, I was just a "lost accountant in the woods."
I looked at my hand, which had been glowing just moments ago. Now it was just an ordinary hand, trembling slightly.
"Well," I whispered in the darkness of the hut, pulling my knees to my chest. "Two days' walk to a human city? As a normal human?"
I remembered the pain I felt when that monster tore me apart an hour ago. A shiver ran down my spine.
"I just hope I don't have to die again to get there."
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the fact that I was in a world full of monsters, and my only weapon—death—was something I desperately wished never to use.
Thirty minutes passed.
I spent those thirty minutes staring at the ceiling of the wooden hut, trying to convince my stomach to settle down. It was making sounds that rivaled the roar of the monster that had devoured me earlier.
"Please," I whispered to my belly. "We are in a strange area, try to maintain some dignity."
Suddenly, I heard a gentle knock on the door.
I froze. Had they changed their minds? Had the Sage decided that the "weird guest" posed too great a threat and sent an assassination squad?
I looked around for a weapon. All I found was a feather-stuffed pillow. Great.
The door opened slowly.
But instead of an execution squad armed with swords, a girl walked in.
And she wasn't just any girl.
Imagine the most beautiful girl you have ever seen, then Photoshop the image to increase the brightness and attractiveness by 500%, and add two adorable pointed ears. She was so beautiful it made you dizzy. Skin like moonlight, and wide, violet-colored eyes. If beauty could kill, I'd be back at the save point again.
She carried a wooden tray emanating the smell of... my God, the smell of life itself.
"Excuse me, sir..." she said in a soft voice, shyly bowing her head. "The Sage ordered me to bring you dinner."
She placed the tray on the small table. The food was strange. Glowing blue fruits? Meat that looked like chicken but was purple? And soup smelling of unfamiliar herbs.
She backed away, watching me with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
I looked at the food, then at her.
"Wait a minute..." I thought, and my accountant brain started working. "Why are they so nice? An hour ago, they were aiming bows at my face. Is this poisoned food? Is this how they get rid of threats? Poison in the soup?"
I stared intently at the purple piece of meat.
"Is it poisoned?" I asked her directly.
She blinked in shock. "W-what? No, sir! We do not harm guests!"
"That's exactly what someone who put poison in the food would say," I thought to myself.
I was about to refuse. I was going to stand up proudly and say, "No thank you, I'm not hungry, I subsist on absorbing cosmic energy."
But at that moment, my stomach made an incredibly loud and embarrassing noise, like a blocked drain being cleared.
The girl's face flushed with shyness. And my face flushed with humiliation.
"To hell with principles," I told myself. "If it's poisoned, I'll die and come back. If it's not, I'll be full."
Either way, the problem was solved.
I pounced on the food.
I forgot the spoon, and I forgot the beautiful girl watching me in terror. I ate the purple meat (it tasted like chicken seasoned with honey), devoured the glowing fruits (they exploded in my mouth like soft drinks), and drank the soup in one gulp.
I ate like an animal that hadn't seen food in a week, sauce dripping down my chin.
When I was done, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and looked at the girl who was pressing her back against the door, her eyes wide open.
"That was..." I let out a subtle burp, "delicious. Thank you."
She smiled nervously, snatched the tray with lightning speed, and bolted out as if escaping a goblin.
"Well," I sighed, lying back down, feeling a pleasant heaviness in my stomach. "At least I'll die full."
I closed my eyes, and for the first time since my arrival, I fell into a deep sleep.