"Ugh... How much longer do we have to keep searching for a way out? I'm exhausted," Claire muttered, breathless.
She and Raven had been making their way through the mysterious forest for over half an hour. Every muscle in her body ached.
Raven turned to her. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
Claire gave a weak nod and looked for a place to sit. She found a spot near a tree, sat down, and leaned her tired back against the trunk.
Raven just smiled and shook his head.
'Her stamina is really weak,' he whispered.
However, he felt that it made sense. Claire did look like a young lady from a wealthy family.
He didn't understand how a woman like her could be cast out onto the earth. It made no sense at all.
Still, Raven realized that asking her would only make Claire wary of him.
After all, the two of them didn't know each other very well.
"Wait here for a minute. Let me find some water first. There should be a spring nearby," Raven said as he walked ahead.
Claire was startled and wanted to stop him, but she held back. If she did, she would only appear weak and useless in Raven's eyes.
She didn't want that. Of course, it wasn't because she loved him or anything like that. It was just that she had no one else here but Raven.
At least, the man seemed kind and showed no ill intentions toward her.
If Raven knew what she was thinking, he would surely burst out laughing. After all, only he knew how evil and cunning he truly was.
Saving Claire and bringing her to his side was also part of his plan to conquer her.
Unfortunately, Claire was unaware of this. If she knew, she would definitely refuse to cooperate with him.
Meanwhile, Raven went to look for a spring near where they were.
Although he was not a geologist or a naturalist, he had read several journals about forests. They mentioned that rivers or springs tended to be located on lower ground.
Coincidentally, the south side where he and Claire were was slightly lower, so the spring should be there.
Sure enough, Raven saw a spring in the distance. It looked like a small river, and the water was very clear.
Without hesitation, Raven quickened his pace, then hastily crouched down and washed his dull-looking face.
"Phew! It feels like being reborn," he muttered with a broad smile.
He cupped his hands and gulped the water. It was incredibly refreshing. He did this three times before he was completely satisfied.
Then, he looked for a big leaf, shaped it into a small bowl, and filled it with water.
The water was for Claire, who was waiting for him. Once he was done, Raven got up and walked back to where he had been.
But then something surprising happened. The ground beneath his feet shook, as if a giant figure were walking closer.
Raven was clearly shocked and panicked.
"Is that a monster? If so, I have to leave immediately!"
The monsters' attack was still fresh in his mind. If he hadn't moved quickly, he might have died in that hall.
His gaze swept to the right and left before he spotted a rock about two meters high.
There was a hole about one and a half meters high in the rock. Without hesitation, he ran toward it and took shelter inside.
A few minutes later, a monster appeared near the spring.
The monster was gorilla-shaped and ten meters tall. Its body was enormous and terrifying, causing Raven's heart to pound.
"What kind of monster is that?" he wondered silently.
He then activated his appraisal skill and read the monster's status panel.
[STATUS]
Name: Gorvath
Kind: Titan Gorilla
Age: 100+
Level: 30
Abilities: Dark Vision (D), Underwater Breathing (D), Strong Physique (A), …
Description: Titan Gorillas are a species of monsters that live in forests and mountains. They are among the most dangerous monsters. At the peak of their power, they can reach level 70 and become extremely dangerous, even to other creatures. Do not try to get close to them if you do not want to die a painful death.
After seeing it, Raven was stunned.
"Gorvath? A level thirty monster?"
He swallowed hard in fear. He was only level three thanks to a reward from the system.
In front of that monster, he was nothing. The monster's level was ten times higher than his!
The gorilla monster gulped down water from the spring voraciously.
Fortunately, the spring had an abundant supply of water, so it didn't run dry even after the monster drank from it.
After five minutes, the monster stood up and walked away to the north.
Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it didn't come to his side. Otherwise, he might have died even before starting his adventure.
Once he made sure the area was safe, he hurried back to where Claire was.
***
"Raven is taking a long time. Could he have left me?" Claire wondered with a mix of doubt and fear.
Actually, if that really happened, she wouldn't be too surprised.
She realized that she was a burden to Raven. So it would be no surprise if he left her.
As she sank into despair, she heard footsteps nearby.
Claire was taken aback and quickly turned her head. There stood Raven, holding a leaf that had been woven into a bowl.
"Raven!" Claire's eyes lit up as she hurriedly ran toward him.
Raven noticed something strange about the woman. There were traces of tears at the corners of her eyes, as if she had just been crying.
A guess crossed his mind, but he didn't bother to think about it further. It could backfire on him.
"Here's some water. Drink it," he said softly as he handed her the leaf.
Claire nodded gratefully and accepted it. As she sipped it, her dry throat immediately felt refreshed.
"[Ding! 10 affection points successfully obtained!]"
Raven glanced at the love tank above Claire's head and noticed the number had changed from 10 to 20.
The result made him feel immensely satisfied. Little by little, this woman would fall into his hands and become his.
"By the way, I encountered a terrifying monster earlier. It was over ten meters tall and looked like a gorilla," Raven explained seriously. "So let's leave this place immediately before that monster comes here."
His words startled Claire. With a pale face, she nodded and replied frantically, "Let's go!"