Danger

Sitting on a hard bed and anxiously peering through a small window, Felix couldn't help but feel fear for his life. Although there were no significant problems during the day, all the excitement usually began at night. That's why he took steps to protect himself and blocked the door with a cupboard.

Outside the window, the howling of wolves and the chirping of crickets could be heard. The whistling wind came from all four sides, and Felix felt the strong cold that came with the darkness, which he couldn't escape even by wrapping himself in a thin woolen blanket. The blanket caused itching on his skin and discomfort.

"It's cold..." Felix curled up into a fetal position and hugged his own body, trying to warm himself. Despite being shocked, scared, and feeling desperate, he didn't lose his wits and calmly thought about what he could do.

"Reincarnation... that word is somewhat unfamiliar to me," Felix thought, explaining it by his belief in an afterlife in Heaven or Hell. But he couldn't expect that he would just change his identity and be reborn in another world. During his walks, he found a stream of astonishing purity, and after drinking from this source, he saw his reflection.

There were changes, and they were quite remarkable. Felix had become a young man again at the age of 24. He had short black hair and sparkling blue eyes, and his height was around 5'9, which, compared to his previous life, was considered short.

However, in exchange, he gained a pretty appearance that, while average, was still considered normal and could attract the attention of the female gender.

"But... what does '24/25 current' mean in that message? Judging by my appearance and logic, then..." mumbled Felix, exhaling steam and squinting his eyes. He concluded, "I have one year left, don't I?"

His breath caught, and a feeling of sadness filled his heart as the harsh truth hit him. If there's a God in this world, that God really loves trolling. However, trying to hold onto the thread of his thoughts, Felix remembered something.

[Current Reincarnation: 1]

"Does this mean I have more than one chance?" he wondered, feeling a surge of joy. His emotions were like a rollercoaster, where regret and hope climbed to the peak and then fell down. Despite the array of emotions and the sense of relief when he realized the fact, "This isn't my last life," Felix still felt discomfort.

From a young age, he had to go through significant hardships, and life circumstances forced him to mature prematurely. Considering the problems and emotional outbursts he experienced during his teenage years, which caused a lot of misunderstandings and troubles, Felix learned to control himself to the extent that his thoughts didn't turn into a mess.

"It's scary, really," he thought, hearing another howl of wolves. With the wind's whistle, it felt as if Felix had ended up in a haunted house. "I need to somehow survive this night and figure out what to do next."

Although he had set up some simple traps in the form of cans he found in the woods, it was still unsettling considering he suddenly found himself in a forest where there was no one else. Just him and nature.

An hour passed. The moon was shining brightly in the starry sky, and the cold had intensified. The howling of wolves ceased, but rustling was still present. And even though Felix understood that it could be the wind, his brain perceived this auditory information as the approach of an enemy. With the darkness effect, it was playing heavily on his nerves.

Thump-thump...

The knocking sound came again as if the devil himself was knocking on his door, and behind the devil was an army of reapers sharpening their scythes, ready to cut off his head at any moment and savor the victim's screams.

"Damn," Felix was on edge. He didn't know if this knocking was caused by random animals that suddenly bumped into the door in the darkness, or predators eager to feast on a human.

The signal from the cans, which was supposed to warn him of danger, served more as a scare tactic for wild animals. From the sudden clanging, they might get scared, but that only applied to the timid ones. But what if it's a wolf out there?

A soft whisper was heard, as if the devil was whispering with his subordinates, discussing how they would kill Felix. For some unknown reason, Felix shifted his gaze toward the window and froze.

In the window, there was a dark, unknown creature. Its red eyes glowed in the darkness, and it was clear that it was looking at Felix with a predatory gaze. The sounds of growling only intensified the tension.

"F**k!" Felix cursed softly and looked around. The only piece of furniture, apart from the bed, was serving as an additional barrier on the door.

Finding no other choice, Felix rushed to the bed, lifting it, albeit with difficulty.

"Yaaah!" His muscles roared with pain, yet the feeling of fear drowned the pain, allowing him to move the bed further until he completely covered the window.

With a thud, Felix landed on the floor on his buttocks and wearily closed his eyes, feeling fear and unease. It seemed to him that in his previous life, he had offended someone, but even his attempts to remember the face of the person he had offended were in vain.

"Who did I upset? They sent me to a dangerous world with no bonuses," he complained, trying to hide his nervousness and drown out the loud sounds of his heartbeat that echoed in his ears. "Why am I so unlucky...?!"

Felix sprang from his spot when he heard the sound of something scratching, and with horror, he saw barely visible holes in the walls through which the moonlight was filtering. Naturally, he was terrified, but in this small space, there was nowhere for him to escape.

The creature didn't stop scratching the walls, and soon, a hole the size of a golf ball formed, through which a tiny snout poked. The nostrils of the unknown creature twitched as it tried to catch the scent of Felix, but that seemed to be quite a challenging task given the smells of decay and dampness in the hut.

"Fr-r..." the unknown creature growled softly and withdrew its snout, but judging by the footsteps, it was still nearby.

Felix found a corner where he wouldn't be visible even if the door suddenly opened and hid there, clutching his knees. A board lay next to him, and he was in a state of readiness, although he wasn't confident in his abilities.

"Damn, to hell with it all! If I'm going to die, I'll at least gouge that bastard's eye out," he whispered, gritting his teeth and resolutely staring at the door. "I have more than one life, right? So there's nothing to think about. It'll hurt, but it's better this way than spending the rest of my life being a helpless idiot."

Felix's journey to adulthood was full of surprises and difficulties. He wasn't physically or mentally strong, but life forced him to move forward and push himself through trials, slowly balancing life and death.

"In my childhood, they teased and made fun of me because of my weakness and soft character. They called me a coward..." In the moment between life and death, Felix felt all his memories pass before his eyes. "I'm not a coward! I'll be able to come out of this situation as a winner!"

His determination was a factor that made him believe in himself and move forward. Throughout his life, no one supported Felix, not even his parents. On his journey, he realized that the only one who could be a reliable support was himself.

At the same time, the sounds of footsteps suddenly faded away, as if the unknown enemy had left. This couldn't help but delight Felix, but such joy was futile.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the cupboard helplessly swayed together with the pounding on the door, causing Felix to widen his eyes and fear for his life. But recalling the determination he had gained and the confidence that this wasn't the end... he grabbed the board and stood up, preparing for a battle that was likely to be a losing one for him in any case.

Boom! Boom...

The crashing continued until the cupboard suddenly landed on the floor with a loud noise that definitely could have attracted the attention of predators fifty meters away. Glancing at the door, Felix saw scratches resembling claws and several holes made by those same claws.

Through the holes, he saw red eyes moving around the room, exploring the surroundings and leaving an impression of a predator observing its prey. However, at the moment when the red eyes suddenly glowed and illuminated even his room with their light, a scream rang out, distinctly different from the roars of beasts.

"Powers of the earth, grant me great strength and give me the power to overcome my enemy. Embrace of the Earth!"

To be continued...