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5. Relationships Are ‌‌‌Bound to Change When I came to my senses, ‌‌‌I found myself still lying in the exact spot where I had collapsed. Every ‌‌‌inch of my body screamed in agony as though I'd been beaten senseless. Yet I gritted my teeth and forced ‌‌‌myself ‌‌upright. Contrary to my fears, my ribs didn't appear to be broken. More fortunately still, Kaiden seemed not to have discovered me unconscious. Only then did I realize I was clutching something tightly in my hand. When I uncurled my fingers, Kaiden's pendant gleamed into view. 'Could he have been chasing me because ‌‌of this?' Now a ‌‌‌sharp, stinging pain radiated from my soles and heels. I slipped the pendant into my dress pocket and carefully removed my flat shoes. Blood ‌‌‌stained them. Another blister ‌‌‌had burst. I tore a strip from my dress ‌‌with determined force. After discarding the bloodied fabric, I wrapped fresh cloth around my feet. With no opportunity to disinfect the wounds, this makeshift binding was the ‌‌best protection I could manage. Once I'd finished treating them, I slipped my flat shoes back on. Then I tilted my head skyward ‌‌to gauge the time. The sky held a pale violet ‌‌hue. "Kaiden was chasing me around midafternoon, so... is it evening now?" I had no sense of how long I'd been unconscious. If night was falling rather than ‌‌‌dawn breaking, moving ‌‌‌‌now would be dangerous. The monsters would soon be stirring. "Enoch is alone in the Cave with his injuries..." That thought made me shake my head. For now, I needed to prioritize my own survival before worrying about Enoch. I carefully surveyed my surroundings and searched for a place to hide. Given that I'd apparently lain here for quite some time yet remained unharmed, I was fortunate—there were no monsters nearby. Still uneasy, I moved cautiously and found a hiding spot beneath ‌‌a large boulder. As I squeezed my body under the rock, something hard caught against my feet. "...What is this?" I crawled back out from under the boulder and bent down to peer inside. A white box-like object lay within. I reached in and struggled to pull the object free. The rectangular box's lid bore a red cross—the Red Cross emblem. Such an unfamiliar object had no place in this Jungle. I stared at it blankly for a moment. "Wait. A Red Cross emblem? Could this possibly be...?" Because my memories had merged with Margaret's, ‌‌‌‌‌I'd ‌‌‌been flooded with recollections of the Langrid Empire and had been slow to recognize ‌‌a first aid kit. When I opened the box and discovered it ‌‌‌brimming with medical supplies, I nearly shouted in triumph. "I'm ‌‌‌‌saved." It appeared to be identical to the first aid ‌‌‌kit Yuanna had found in the novel. After calming myself somewhat, ‌‌‌‌I carefully examined the contents. ‌As expected, everything was labeled in Korean. This was precisely why the characters in the story couldn't utilize half the supplies in the kit. Awoooo! My ‌joy was short-lived. A wolf's howl echoed in the distance, and I frantically clutched the first aid kit to my chest and scrambled back under the boulder. My legs cramped, but I ‌‌couldn't risk venturing outside. I clamped my mouth ‌‌shut and remained motionless beneath the rock for what felt like an eternity. Countless thoughts raced through my mind. The terror that gripped me was incomparable ‌‌‌to anything I'd felt when with ‌‌Enoch. Crackle. Then, from somewhere nearby, came the sound of footsteps crushing grass. I froze as though doused in ice water. My heart felt as though it might stop entirely. I remained absolutely still, ‌holding my breath. Thump. Thump. The footsteps I heard from mere paces away moved leisurely ‌‌‌‌across the soft ‌‌‌earth. Then, abruptly, they stopped. And then, footsteps again—heavy and deliberate. Then another pause, standing tall. It was the gait of something searching for prey. Could it be Kaiden? As the sound drew closer, my heart pounded so violently it became painful. Fear consumed me entirely. Terrified I might scream, I clamped both hands over my mouth. A footstep. A pair of legs came into view through my narrow vantage point and stopped. The legs visible through the rock crevice were covered entirely in black fur. What appeared to be a beast's legs were grotesquely thick—each one ‌easily twice the girth of an adult man's. A soft scraping sound. The foot that had been facing sideways dragged across the dirt and slowly rotated. Moving counterclockwise, it suddenly froze mid-turn. The foot's direction now pointed directly at me. I thought ‌‌my heart had stopped. Without thinking, I held my breath. The unidentified beast slowly lowered itself onto one knee and ‌‌‌‌sat down. Then, fluffy fingers emerged through the rock crevice. Its massive body began descending slowly to follow. 'No, this can't be happening.' I couldn't even close my eyes—they remained wide open, trembling uncontrollably. What if I died here? I was consumed by that thought when— A deafening crash! Suddenly, a tremendous explosion of sound reverberated through ‌‌the entire Forest. The beast's descending motion halted abruptly. Its upper body twisted around. After staring in some direction for a long moment, the creature suddenly moved. The hand that had reached into the rock crevice withdrew, and it rose to its feet. Then— Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. It bounded away with thunderous ‌‌‌‌footfalls. I remained frozen in place, trembling, until the beast had completely vanished ‌‌and all sound had ceased. Fortunately, when I regained consciousness, it was morning rather than evening. The surroundings were ‌‌gradually brightening. Only after the sun had fully risen could I crawl out from beneath the rock. "...What on earth was that thing?" It didn't ‌resemble any ordinary wild animal. That left only monsters—but I'd never encountered a monster ‌‌‌of that form, even ‌‌‌‌in novels. The monsters in the novel "More Important Than ‌‌‌Survival" were all ‌‌‌modeled after creatures that existed on Earth, so there were no monsters that looked so utterly alien. I vaguely recalled reading descriptions of them continuously transforming and evolving their bodies, ‌‌but I couldn't be certain. "Now that I think about it, those wolf-type monsters I encountered last time were definitely changing their bodies bit by bit too." My memories of the novel's contents were growing increasingly hazy. My head throbbed. The shock from moments ago wouldn't fade easily. Could I truly survive on ‌this Island until the end? I picked up the first aid ‌‌kit and crouched in front of the rock, surveying my surroundings. Morning sunlight streamed down, yet I hesitated—afraid a monster ‌‌‌‌‌might still be lurking nearby. It ‌‌‌‌wasn't until the sun blazed ‌‌‌‌directly overhead that ‌I could ‌‌‌finally move with any caution. Not knowing where I was, could I even find the cave where Enoch waited ‌‌‌for me? For the first time, I found myself desperately missing ‌‌Enoch. It seemed my heart would only find peace once I saw him.

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org

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