Chapter 2
Tree Trunks

Nagu listened nervously for any sounds outside. The men chasing her seemed to have believed the golden-eyed man’s words and turned to pursue in two different directions without hesitation, completely missing her hidden behind the tree trunk.

After about half a minute, the only sounds Nagu could hear from her hiding spot under the tree trunk were the rustling noises made by animals or insects in the forest.

It was incredibly quiet.

Nagu lay under the tree roots with her eyes wide open for a few more minutes. After confirming there were no more sounds, she slowly crawled out. By then, not only were the pursuers gone, but even the man who had helped her was nowhere to be seen. She was alone in the lush greenery.

“…” What was going on? Although still confused, Nagu knew this was not the time to stand around in a daze. She immediately turned and continued running deeper into the forest.

If it weren’t for the savages trying to kill her, this forest would be magnificent. The tree trunks were covered with soft, fur-like green moss. Upon closer inspection, one could see vibrant mushrooms or large patches of plain flowers. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, and the air she breathed was so fresh it cleared her mind.
Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy above, casting light everywhere. The only colors in sight were gold and green.

If only she were here as a tourist. Her large backpack would be filled with food and water, and she would have a fully charged phone and a compass, and a reliable guide would be there to catch her if she slipped, explaining the forest’s knowledge and sights along the way. After a two-hour guided tour, they would leave the forest, get into a car, and head back to a hotel with a bathtub, take a hot bath, watch some TV, and enjoy a hot meal.

As Nagu waved away the giant plant leaves blocking her path, she daydreamed. Although she had indeed received help and temporarily escaped the most dangerous situation, what should she do next? Where should she go after escaping? Should she find a place that would accept her, or should she figure things out on her own, like Robinson Crusoe in the book, and build her own little village?

If she was lucky, she might even find a Friday to chat with and help her. Of course, it would be best if she could return to her own time and enjoy the conveniences of electricity and the internet.

Nagu stumbled through the forest, looking for a path. She hadn’t felt anything while frantically escaping earlier, but now that she was safer, her stomach started growling, and her mouth was dry.

The forest was full of fruits, with many clusters of berries hanging from vines, brown tuberous roots buried under the leaf litter, and small, creamy-yellow fruits growing on moss-covered surfaces. They looked cute and delicious, but Nagu didn’t dare to pick and eat them. After narrowly escaping death, she didn’t want to risk it all for a fruit. It was better not to do something so foolish. She felt there must be a stream or lake in the forest. She would find it, drink some water, and then continue on her way.

Nagu looked around to ensure she was walking in a straight line and not in circles.

However, Nagu inevitably got lost in the forest. She vaguely remembered some knowledge that if she found flowing river water in the forest, she should follow it to leave or find human habitation. But in this era, was finding human habitation a good thing?

Nagu stopped, feeling a surge of fear in her chest as she realized that even if she found people, she might be jumping into another fire. She didn’t know the status of women in this era, and besides, there seemed to be creatures called monsters here.

What would she do if she encountered such monsters, being someone who knew nothing?

Nagu recalled the time she was locked in a cage. The woman who talked to her mentioned monsters with a face full of despair, clearly having suffered a lot. Nagu could somewhat understand what kind of suffering it was. Even though she didn’t know what to do next, Nagu couldn’t stop moving. She could only keep her head down and continue deeper into the forest.

From now on, she could only rely on herself. But could she survive on her own? She couldn’t even find a water source, and even if she did, she wouldn’t know what to do next. She couldn’t just drink water every day.

“…Sigh.” Nagu stumbled over a tree root protruding from the ground. Just as she was about to continue wandering aimlessly, she saw the bushes ahead rustle. A large, bony hand parted the leaves blocking the path.

Behind the parted leaves appeared the golden-eyed man who had helped her escape. He wasn’t surprised to see Nagu; he just frowned and said, “Why are you standing here instead of running forward? The other women should have run far by now.”

“Uh, I… don’t know the direction.” Because the man was standing in a bright spot, Nagu could finally see more than just his golden eyes. His skin was slightly fairer than the men from the previous tribe, and he didn’t look like those savages, feeling like a different race, and he was also very tall. The man’s black hair was casually tied at the back of his head, with a few peacock green pendants hanging by his ears. He was wrapped in light-colored animal skins, and several sharp bone weapons hung from the belt around his waist.

“Keep walking in this direction, and you’ll see a river,” the man pointed in a direction. “Follow the river to find a waterfall, then go down the ladder by the waterfall to the lake. Find the cave under the lake and pass through it to leave Azuran’s territory.”

After saying this, the man turned to leave but was stopped by Nagu. He turned to look at the dirty girl, “Instead of chatting with me, you should hurry up and run.”

“It’s not chatting, it’s just…” Nagu felt nervous under the man’s golden gaze. He was very tall, and looking down at her felt like being watched by something dangerous. “Thank you for helping me earlier.”

The man glanced at Nagu but didn’t respond and turned to leave again.

“If you’re not busy, can I ask you something else?” Seeing the man about to leave, Nagu panicked. “Do you know me?”

It was possible because Nagu had no memory of this body, so the man and ‘Nagu’ might have known each other.

“I don’t know you.” The man bluntly denied Nagu’s guess. He really didn’t know her and had helped her by accident. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll assume you want to die.”

Nagu wisely started to back away, “I’m leaving, of course, I’m leaving…”

But before leaving, she looked at the man again, “If possible, can you tell me your name? My name is Nagu.”

“Hamoyin.” After leaving his name, the man turned and walked deeper into the forest without saying another word to Nagu.

Nagu smacked her lips. If she survived and got out of this forest, she would find something to use as ink and tattoo Hamoyin’s name on her back to show her gratitude.

But after walking nonstop in the direction Hamoyin pointed for an hour, Nagu suddenly remembered something urgent. She had forgotten to ask Hamoin which fruits in the forest were edible!

“I’m an idiot…” Nagu weakly sat on a protruding tree root to rest. She thought maybe chewing on some moss and swallowing it wouldn’t poison her, but when she grabbed a handful, she found it mixed with countless tiny brown fungi.

She decided to continue searching for the river. She couldn’t waste time being hungry; she had to leave the forest before dark. Nagu put down the moss and stood up from the tree root.

For the rest of the afternoon, Nagu moved in the direction Hamoyin had pointed. Finally, before her legs gave out, she saw the river flowing through the forest. The clear water gurgled forward, and some animals were drinking from it not far away.

Nagu waited for the strange animals to finish drinking and leave before cautiously approaching the river. She looked into the water and easily saw the calm riverbed below, with no strange insects floating in it.

Excitedly, she scooped up some water with her hands and brought it to her mouth. After two handfuls, she found it too troublesome and knelt by the riverbank, lowering her head to the water’s surface and drinking like an animal.

“Mm…” After drinking enough water, Nagu felt a bit better and had more strength in her legs. She shakily got up from the riverbank and planned to start the second step: ‘Follow the river to find the waterfall.’

This step went much smoother. She hadn’t walked long before hearing the roaring sound of water falling from a height. The invigorating sound quickened her pace. As long as she found the cave under the waterfall, she could leave Azuran’s territory!

But this hopeful thought was completely extinguished when Nagu saw the waterfall.

Nagu stood helplessly at the edge of the waterfall, looking down. The height was about twenty stories. The height wasn’t what made her feel helpless, though. It was the ‘ladder by the waterfall’ Hamoyin mentioned, which was a series of very shallow grooves carved into the cliffside, just enough to fit the front of a foot.

For someone like Hamoyin, climbing down such a cliff would be easy with so many footholds and handholds. But for Nagu, she was confident she would fall to her death within five seconds.

What should she do?

Nagu stood at the cliff’s edge, listening to the roaring waterfall, and began to think. Whether it was to fall to death, or to be bitten to death by an animal at night in the woods, or to be found and brought back to the stone platform to be cut to death?