The Final Desperation

As Genji walked along the dirt roads, he felt himself crossing a boundary before suddenly finding himself in a sparse forest. The country paths behind him had disappeared, replaced by oak trees housing chirpy birds and playful squirrels.

These trees and critters were not an illusion but real, concrete existences. Genji had been teleported the moment he crossed the border, entering the interiors of the new zone. This is very disorienting because one can easily lose their way within the maze of fairytales. After all, how can one find their bearings if they have no reference points in sight?

'It also doesn't help that I might be teleported directly into danger. What a hassle.'

Genji picked an arbitrary direction and continued walking. So far, there didn't seem to be any obvious dangers, save for a few unfamiliar species. There were, however, an unusual number of deer nearby, all staring at him as he passed. The sun also moved across the sky rather quickly, as if the day cycle was only 1 hour long.

This strange atmosphere irritated Genji and prompted him to shoot some deer. But right as [Curse Bearer] manifested, the gallery quickly scattered, leaving only two dead carcasses and a silent path forward. At this moment, Genji knew there was something off about the forest, but he couldn't stop it.

'Does it have something to do with night?' Genji speculated, glancing at the descending sun. 'If so, I'll find out soon. But why should I be passive about it?'

With his mind made up, Genji drew his saber, hopped on Bruce, and asked him to gallop forward. While Bruce steered them, Genji closed his eyes and extended his perception in search of any nearby deer. When he found one, he would pat Bruce to convey the direction, and they would charge over to cut the animal down.

They spent the next 30 minutes like this, greatly reducing the stag population. As the last glimmers of sunlight flickered between the waving leaves, Genji dismounted and prepared himself to confront the incoming dangers. Seconds later, a blanket of pure darkness covered the forest, and a cacophony of snapping bones eerily echoed around him.

Following that, glowing red eyes pierced through the crevices of trees, glaring hauntingly at him. Then the ripping of air sounded from his side, followed by rapidly approaching eyes. Genji twirled around and parried a claw that sought to gouge out his organs.

At that moment, Genji caught a glimpse of his attacker, a bipedal creature with wild antlers, a deer skull for a head, and darkish brown fur across the legs. To put it simply, the creature resembled a wendigo from modern fiction.

The creature struck out with its other claw, and Genji leaned aside to dodge. At the same time, the other wendigos charged at him, brandishing their attacks in air-shattering fashion. From what Genji could tell, they possessed immense strength, but their speeds weren't overwhelming. He had a chance to win.

Genji weaved between the attacks and bid his time to use Water Parry. Once that opening came, Genji burst forward in a series of strikes, rapidly accumulating strength. Bruce supported him by hindering the enemies and ensuring Genji wouldn't lose his combo.

After a few seconds, Genji transitioned into a forceful tornado, fighting on par with the wendigos. Then, shadow flames and cutting intent wrapped the blade, allowing Genji to cleave through a target's defense. As he beheaded his target, Genji felt the aura of the surrounding enemies slightly weaken in intensity.

Unsure if this was related, Genji pivoted his swing and added more strength to his slash. The saber cleaved through two wendigos without resistance, a result achieved by Bruce's timely assistance and the opponent's decreased speed. This confirmed Genji's suspicions, and he diverted some force for trickier strikes.

In a matter of seconds, Genji decimated the entire group and dashed for escape. An unprecedentedly powerful presence had locked onto him when he killed half the group, and he didn't want to stay around to confront it. Genji swerved through the trees, hopped over a fallen log, and pulled out his compass to guide the way.

Yet despite his best efforts, the looming threat zoomed toward him at alarming speeds. Due to the obstacles, Genji couldn't accelerate to top speeds and throw off his pursuer.

Forty seconds later, a dark blur zipped into view and lunged at Genji. Sensing this, Genji leaped upward and twisted his body around to slash the enemy. However, the blur brushed past his saber and stabbed at Genji's eyes. Yet right as the claw crossed his arms, the surroundings began blurring. Genji had crossed the boundary with that leap and was being teleported away.

At that moment, Genji managed to scan his attacker and briefly glimpse its information: Bambi, Prince of the Forest, a boss with stats slightly below the cloud giant in the previous zone! Yet Genji suspected this boss might be stronger if he hadn't killed so many deer beforehand and weakened it through the unexplainable connection between the herd.

"Phew," Genji let out a relieved sigh and thanked his luck. If he had gotten tangled with that boss, he would have needed to burn a lot of trump cards to escape. "So many dangers already," he muttered, examining his gains from the close encounter. All the wendigos he'd slain were elites, so he hadn't obtained any equipment, but they did provide 280 points in energy.

Genji observed his new surroundings and realized he was still in a forest. The difference was that the trees were farther apart, allowing the light from the full moon to faintly illuminate the ground. It was a dimly lit area but more natural than the pitch-black darkness of the morphing deer-wendigo monsters.

There was a small path beneath Genji's feet that led deeper inward. Genji tried to avoid this obvious trap, but an invisible force stopped him when he tried to go off-path. Left with no choice, Genji conjured a shield and slowly followed the path.

Everything was calm for a few minutes until he found a wooden cabin at the path's end. The soft glimmers of candlelight could be seen through the windows, along with a shadowy figure in the corner. As Genji approached, the silhouette looked up at him and approached the door. When the door opened, a bear man with matted fur and disheveled hair came into view.

"A guest this late into the night? What brings you here? Are you perhaps lost?" the person asked.

Unsure of how to answer, Genji said nothing and calmly observed the cabin interiors through the narrow gap in the doorway. From what he could see, it was a normal cabin with old furniture and peeling paint.

The bear man paid no heed to Genji's intrusive actions and stepped aside to reveal more. "Come inside. You must be tired after reaching this point. Rest by the fire and recover your energy."

Genji nodded and approached the door, but he didn't let down his guard. He was entering a stranger's house in a possible danger zone, so there was reason to be wary. However, the bear man did nothing unusual and returned to his studies.

"I would offer you something to drink, but you seem quite doubtful of me. Let's not waste the tea leaves, okay?"

"At least you're aware," Genji said, leaning back against a corner. He picked this spot because it was the closest to the exit and because all the furniture was covered in prickly hair strands, making them very uncomfortable to human skin. Genji closed his eyes to rest and had Bruce cover for him in sheath form.

His senses gradually retracted inward as exhaustion began catching up to him. His awareness of the outside world began fading, and his thoughts crawled to a slow. Little by little, his guard lowered, and Genji slipped closer to dreamland, eventually forgoing all caution. Now, all that remained was a desire for sleep and the comfort that came along with it.

But before he could fully embrace this state, a hair-raising crisis jolted him awake in time to see the bear man hovering over him with an axe. Genji hurriedly rolled aside, but his slow actions resulted in a deep cut down his shoulder. Genji kicked out with all his strength and knocked the bear man back.

Using this window, Genji grabbed his saber, manifested a dagger, and sprung to his feet. Genji quickly stabbed the dagger into his own thigh, using the pain to offset the encroaching drowsiness. Then Genji delivered a brutal hack at the bear man, knocking the axe aside and gouging out a small chunk of flesh.

A throaty growl sounded between the bear man's clenched teeth, expressing his surprise at the sudden change. He was not expecting Genji to wake up when he did.

Genji gave him no time to recover and lunged at him, slashing out a large crescent. The bear man struggled to parry this strike, but this only gave Genji a bigger opening. With a few relentless strikes, Genji burst through the cabin walls and finished his opposition.

As he landed outside, he realized what was wrong with the situation: he had fallen asleep. Given the circumstances, Genji should never have relaxed like he did, let alone when he was so wary of the dangers mere moments prior. The only explanation was that the cabin had induced this state when he stepped through its door.

Genji hadn't expected the trap to be the location itself rather than man-made. Fortunately, the bear man wasn't too powerful, and Genji managed to overpower him easily.

Genji let out a deep breath, pulled out the dagger in his leg, and patted his similarly sleeping companions. "Hey, wake up. It's not the time or place to be dreaming."

Astros drowsily opened his eyes and yawned loudly, asking for a few more minutes like a child being bothered by his parent in the morning. Bruce, however, grew alarmed by the sudden realization that he'd also fallen asleep. After all, he was supposed to be on guard duty and warn Genji if something came up. Following that, Bruce manifested with a sheepish look and tried to explain his fallacy.

"You don't need to blame yourself. We both fell for it. But at least we learned about location effects."

Bruce nodded heavily, and they walked back to the cabin. Genji brought his saber back and swung hard, further exacerbating the damaged walls. Bruce tilted his head, wondering what Genji was doing.

"I'm looking for loot," he explained. "I don't want to go back in there, but I still want to search the house. So let's destroy it to ensure it doesn't affect us again."

Bruce's eyes lit up at his reasoning and joined him in the destruction. This ruckus eventually woke Astros up and caused him to rub his eyes in doubt. 'Why are Dad and Brother taking their anger out on the walls? Don't they have better ways to vent?'

Once they dismantled the outer frame, they began peeling back the floorboards in search of any hidden compartments. To their surprise, they found several of these slots, each containing their own item type. The bear man was surprisingly organized for his messy appearance.

In one hole, they found a pile of damaged leather armor, too weathered to be useful. In another, they found a barrel of suspicious salted meat that resembled a human's.

But among these compartments, one finally rewarded their efforts with a pile of metal gear. Unlike their leather counterparts, these were in relatively good condition and could be taken. This amounted to 4 rare and 13 uncommon pieces of equipment.

[You have uncovered the story of "Cabin in the Woods"]

[Cabin in the Woods]

Summary: The bear man lures travelers into his home and kills them during unsuspecting moments. He plunders their items and turns his prey into food for the upcoming years.

Mission Progress: 1/3

Genji rested outside for a few more minutes before continuing on his way. There were no other dangers, so the journey was very smooth. When he crossed the boundary, he found himself in a large factory that echoed with metal clangs.

The air was cold and stung the nose. On his side, Genji found a rectangular hole for a window where snow gathered. Outside the factory, a hill of white could be seen, piled up from the surrounding roads.

Looking around, Genji saw countless children with hooked, triangular ears working at their stations. All of them had grim faces and bore countless bruises around their bodies. Many were shivering from the cold, while those who weren't had signs of frostbite.

Suddenly, the crackle of a whip sounded, followed by a painful cry and an angry berate. "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Can't you stupid elves do anything right?"

Following the direction of the voice, Genji found an obese old man dressed in a red fur suit with white trims. The old man cracked his whip again, inflicting bleeding wounds on his target and crippling him. Having somewhat vented his anger, the man turned around with large chest heaves and met Genji's gaze.

That was when Genji realized the man wasn't human, but rather demonic. The man had glaring red eyes, a wide mouth that revealed sharp, triangular teeth, and a white tentacle beard that wiggled uncontrollably.

 

[Santa, Christmas Ruin]

Health: 35,250/35,250

Energy: 460/460

Con: 61

Str: 58

Dex: 52

Int: 23

Spc: 23

Skills:

 - Mini-boss (passive): +20,000 hp

 - Oppressive Aura (passive): Instill fear into those weaker than you

 - Demonic Nature (passive): All attacks will cause lingering energy corrosion, lasting 5 seconds.

 - Whip Mastery (Grandmaster)

Note: No other skills can be read.

 

"What are you looking at? Get to work, you filthy gremlin!" Santa yelled at Genji. "Or do you want a taste of my whip as well?"

Genji determined he could take this fight and burst forward with a heavy slash. Santa yelped in surprise and attempted to repel him, but Genji used his higher speed to relentlessly attack. Injuries accumulated on the old man's body, chipping away at his strength. In a last-ditch attempt for survival, Santa grabbed a few nearby elves and threw them at Genji as he ran for escape.

Genji hacked through the living obstacles and dashed through the showers of blood in hot pursuit, occasionally shooting out streaks of cutting intent for disruption. Eventually, he caught up to the escaping demon and slashed to kill.

Suddenly, Genji's heart jumped with trepidation, prompting him to immediately back off. Genji warily looked around for the source, but the apprehension faded as quickly as it came.

Although confused by this, Genji decided to finish Santa first. With a mighty push, Genji surged forward and slashed again, only to be interrupted by the same feeling. In a fit of startlement, Genji twisted his saber and severed the arm instead.

Oddly enough, the feeling disappeared again. Wanting to test his theory, Genji slashed again at the neck and diverted it at the last moment. It was safe this time. This confirmed the true danger would only activate after Santa's death and that Santa had no control over it. As for what, only time would tell.

Genji debated between escaping the zone right now or going the greedy route. However, Genji wasn't willing to give up so easily and began throwing some test swings. This allowed Genji to realize the danger originated from the surroundings rather than Santa himself. This meant he would be safe as long as he killed Santa away from the factory.

'Perfect,' Genji thought, dismembering his opponent. Then he had Bruce grab the stubby man by the neck and dashed for escape. As he jumped through a window, a snowstorm kicked up, as if the zone itself was protesting against his methods. Regardless, Genji kept running and ignored the weather resistance.

Santa tried to struggle against this treatment, but another slash from Genji curbed the defiance. Like this, they reached the boundary of the zone. It was evident this was the border because the snowland abruptly ended here, creating a veil that blocked the scene beyond. Santa's struggles resurfaced at this sight as fear and desperation overtook him. Whatever the boundary was, he was very adamant about avoiding it.

Genji paid Santa no mind and dashed through the border, creating ripples like entering a liquid portal. When the last part of Santa disappeared from this zone, a shudder swept through the zone. Following that, the elves' eyes turned bright red and their bodies began distorting.

In mere seconds, they'd taken on a form more hideous than Santa, with swollen bellies and barbed hair strands. They roared with vicious frenzy and began madly attacking everything in sight. The factory collapsed after a few minutes and the snowland followed a few hours later. Everything had been destroyed beyond reconciliation.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the boundary, Santa began screaming in agony, his body melting as if dipped in acid. It was as if he was undergoing the most painful torture imaginable. Santa dissolved into a puddle around the same time the elves finished their transformation, leaving only a rare shortsword behind.

'What the?' Genji inwardly exclaimed. 'Can the monsters not enter another zone or is he a special case? Either way, I should keep this in mind.'

Genji stored away the item and examined his surroundings, the outskirts of a city. It was high noon and there didn't appear to be any obvious dangers like in the other zones. Merchants roamed the streets and citizens went about their day. If Genji didn't know what world this was, he could easily mistake this for any other city.

However, he'd paid the price for one mistake and wasn't about to make another. As he walked through the streets, he kept his senses tuned to the max, scanning every passing person for a clue. This state was mentally exhausting to maintain, but he persevered with thick resolve.

Along the way, Genji found a man bragging about eating five dozen eggs every morning and three women verbally abusing a girl in rags with words like, "Keep your head down, Cinderella. No one wants to see your ugly face," "Stop dozing off. You still have a lot of chores at home," and "You better not drop that! It's worth more than your entire life."

Genji also heard some wild tales from the people, including a girl who fell into a coma after pricking her finger with a needle, a princess with lush golden hair trapped in an isolated tower, a fairy that only accepts human teeth as payment, and a wooden puppet that magically came to life one day.

Yet the most practical one was about the kingdom's queen who wanted to hire a specialist for her castle. Genji decided to check out this job offering since this zone felt relatively normal compared to the previous ones. At least there hadn't been any hidden dangers since he arrived. Genji walked through a narrow alleyway and transformed into a more suitable appearance before heading toward the distant castle on the hills.

Meanwhile, in the castle's basement, a woman in dark attire entered a room forbidden to all others. She carried a small candle, came upon a full-length oval mirror, and asked, "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Tell me who is the fairest of them all."

"She is," the mirror answered, displaying an image of Cinderella. Then a face appeared on the mirror and blew out the candle flame, sending the room into darkness once more.