Jun passed the knife to Junnix. "Let's go."
The trio began to move toward the north, hoping to find something there—even a set of tracks would suffice for them.
While walking, Jun said, "Let's go to the river first, to rehydrate and find something there, since that's where we first arrived."
"Is that dangerous to drink on the river, or worse, a fantasy world river?" Xin asked. In his hand was a dozen different types of plants as he analyzed them.
"Too late, we already drank from it when we were carried by the waves." Jun looked at Xin. "Moreover, we ate an unfamiliar meat yesterday. If that were going to affect us, we would already be afflicted by now—or worse, already dead."
"Yeah, maybe because of fantasy logic. You know, perhaps we were an exception." Junnix added, looking down at the ground for any traces. "Let's catch some fish, or anything else alive. I'm kinda hungry right now."
Jun approved of what Junnix said, "Yeah, last night sucked. No rice, no bread, no pasta, no veggies… and the worst part? No water to drink, I almost choked last night."
"Blame yourself for that; you were speaking while your mouth was full," Xin spoke without looking at them, and his gaze was glued to the plants that he was holding.
"What can I do? That tiger's meat was so tender that it reminded me of the first time I tasted wagyu beef." Jun retorted.
After an hour of long walks, the trio finally arrived at the river where they first appeared.
Junnix jumped, clutching a sharpened wooden spear, hoping to find a fish or some kind of animal to fill their stomachs.
"There, I saw a silhouette," Junnix said telepathically.
After hearing this, both Jun and Xin concentrated on Junnix's thoughts to access what he saw. They saw a shadow—small at first, but as the seconds passed, it became larger and larger.
Jun realized the shadow was closing in on Junnix's position. "RUN!!!" He screamed telepathically, startling Junnix. Without hesitation, he swam rapidly without looking back.
After hearing Jun's panicked scream, Xin also noticed this. They stopped what they were doing and ran to where they anticipated him would emerge from the river. After noticing bubbles appearing on the surface, they both knew who it could be. They both reached out their hands, ready to catch Junnix and drag him onto the shore.
The bubbles on the surface of the river became frenetic as Junnix slowly drew closer and closer to the surface. He already knew that Jun and Xin were waiting for him at the bank. He pushed himself to swim faster.
After several seconds, Junnix finally emerged, his hands thrust upward, expecting Jun and Xin to grab him and drag him out of the river.
After seeing his hands emerge, Jun and Xin wasted no time and grabbed his arms, forcefully dragging him. Using all their strength, they successfully took Junnix out of the water.
However, before they could rejoice, a giant shadow also broke the surface. This serpent-like monster was so massive that, as it rose, it blotted out the sun.
The trio scattered in different directions, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the behemoth.
"BOOM!" The monster's body slammed into the ground with a loud thundering sound that echoed in all directions. A cloud of dust and debris of all sizes erupted around it. Being the closest, the trio was flung meters away.
Getting up, they looked toward the spot where the monster had slammed its body, using their forearms to shield their eyes from the fog of dust hovering in the air.
The three of them faltered at the sheer size of the monster looming in front of them. Despite their hazy vision, they didn't look away from the shadow, afraid that it might attack when they least expected it.
Junnix screamed at Jun telepathically. "What the hell was that!?" Gripping the knife in his hand, he started to prepare for the worst.
"How should I know?" Jun yelled back telepathically in response to Junnix's question.
Seconds passed, walking away out of the vicinity of the monster, and the fog made out dust started to thin out, and fear crept deeper into their hearts. They took small steps, one at a time. Terrified that even the slightest sound of their footsteps would be heard.
But they realized Luck was not on their side as red lights started to appear on the serpent's body. As the fog thinned, the shape of these lights revealed itself; they looked like eyes scattered all over its body. Debris fell from its scales as its massive form slowly rose from the ground.
"Hiss"
They heard it hiss as its tongue flicked out, tasting the air. The three held their breath, afraid that it might smell them.
But it was useless; a red light, brighter than the rest, shone where the head was. The monster's head tilted, looking directly toward Xin's position.
Thankfully, the three didn't move recklessly. The serpent-like behemoth remained still as well; it only stared at Xin with its bright red eyes, with a black vertical pupil in the middle.
But this didn't mean they could relax; instead, it deepened their panic as they anticipated a sudden attack at any moment.
Seconds passed, and only the sound of the flicker of the serpent's tongue could be heard. Then suddenly, a voice could be heard directly in their minds.
"So it has already begun, huh? Even though you're not here anymore, you still play jokes on me. So annoying," the serpent muttered to itself. Its voice carried a strange blend of emotions.
At first, all they could hear were whispers. The creature seemed to be talking to itself. The three were confused, but they didn't lower their guards.
And then the serpent's gaze shifted toward Jun, "What is your name?" It asked telepathically.
"Wh-why did you ask? What do you want?" Jun responded, cold sweat dripping down all over his body. "J-just you know, I am not delicious. My body contains harmful substances… A-And bones are bigger than the average person's. You won't get a lot of meat off me."
"How chatty are we?" Its head moved toward Jun, and the three panicked. But as Junnix prepared to attack, Jun yelled at him telepathically. "JUNNIX, STOP!!! D-don't attack." Junnix had no choice but to stop, but he still gripped the knife, ready to attack at any moment.
The serpent merely glanced at Junnix before it looked again at Jun. "Again, I'll ask you one more time: What is your name?" When the serpent's tone became heavy, Jun almost stumbled.
"J-Jun s-sir," Jun responded, stuttering.
"Good. You see, Jun… I don't have much time left. So I need your help. Don't worry—I'll reward you generously. Are you in?" The serpent said, locking its gaze at Jun's eyes.
Jun scratches the back of his head, forcing a crooked smile. "Do I have any choice…? Do I?"