Are... you... really going to swallow... me? Fine... as long as it’s... slimy inside, I don’t mind. #Kazu

I'm gently shifting my phone from one finger to another as I sit on the edge of a cliff, wondering how it is possible that this device turned into a bomb.

Could it be because it wanted to follow the trend… of being crazy?

Well, I suppose even inanimate things can go mad these days.

Sigh. The most insane thing is that I know I'm crazy too and that I'm fine with that thought.

Kazu, out.

◇

You know, I have an extra reason to avoid monster hunting in the dark that sounds quite dumb. That is, I don't want to die for the simple reason that I stumble over some rock; get impaled on a tree branch or fall off a cliff. There are countless ways to die here, but dying for a stupid reason is something that I must avoid at all costs. I don't want it to become a pattern. I want to die with some dignity at least.

The sun disappears behind the horizon, leaving a ghostly blue light over the mountain range. The peaks stand out against the darkening sky, but the forest below stays shrouded in shadows. The dim light helps me distinguish the silhouettes of the trees and the rocks, but it is not enough to make the forest easy to walk through. I have to watch out for any potential hazards, any monsters lurking nearby, and be ready for a fight.

The Giant towers over me, its face illuminated by the mountain light. It has a massive head with two beady eyes and a long nose. It looks like a muscular man with broad shoulders. But the most striking and unsettling feature is its mouth. It has four beaks, two vertical and two horizontal, each lined with fangs that protrude outwards. Its mouth can probably shred anything with its four jaws.

"KWAAAAAAHHHH!"

Ughhh! I curl up on the ground, gasping for air. How long has it been? I clamp my hands over my ears as the Beak Giant lets out a deafening screech. It sounds like a cross between a bird and a beast, and it reverberates through the forest. It churns my stomach, and I feel like needles are piercing my ears, and my skull is cracking open.

I struggle to stand up, rubbing my head. I look up at the mountain peak, but I don't see the Beak Giant anymore. Has it left? Is it unable to cross over the mountain range?

Or maybe it is afraid of me? Ho-ho-ho, in my dreams.

"Haaa… Safe for now, I suppose."

I exhale slowly and clutch my sling sack tighter. The magic stones inside throb with power, sending waves of warmth to my back. Some of them still have blood on them, keeping them active. I can't afford to lose these stones, not when they are so rare and valuable. If I had faced the giant, I would have risked everything. And who knows when I would find such a treasure again.

I've always wanted to fight one of those behemoths, but not like this. Not when I have to cut my way out of its stomach and emerge covered in guts. I prefer a cleaner fight. A fight where I can show my skills and wits.

I'm about to leave, but then the ground shakes under me.

BOOOOM!!!

A gust of wind knocks me down. The trees bend and sway as dust fills the air. A sharp pain pierces my side, as if someone stabbed me with a knife. I cough and try to get up.

What's going on? Too many surprises today.

The dust clears, and I see it. This can't be… another one?

A giant.

It looms over the forest, dwarfing the trees like a mountain. It looks identical to the one I saw across the mountain range. The same broad shoulders, the same massive head; its back facing me, so I'm not too sure. But how? How did it get here? How did it cross the mountains? Or is it a different one? Are there more of them?

I gape in disbelief as I realize that this might be the same Beak Giant that I saw towering on the other side of the mountain.

Gulp!

Damn it! I clutch my sling sack tightly, making sure it won't fall off as I think about running away.

How could I have been so foolish? I should have known that it could jump. But the mountain looked so high from where I stood. No, that's not right. An athlete can easily clear a below shoulder height barrier. And this giant is clearly more than an athlete. It has muscles that bulge onto its shoulders, and who knows what else it can do. From my perspective at the base of the mountain, I only saw its head and shoulders. Maybe the mountain is only waist high for it. I expected it to have some ways to cross the mountain, but jumping never crossed my mind.

"Oh, man, I'm doomed," I whisper as I feel a cold sweat on my forehead.

Wait. Hmmm… Didn't I already achieve my goal? I wanted to go where the giant passed through. That means behind it: the safest spot. No, this isn't safe - this is too close than planned. I need at least several kilometers between me and the giant's back to regard it as safe.

Should I climb the mountain as planned? Or should I go sideways first to gain some distance? Yeah, gain distance first then climb.

But if I measure its height, it seems very far from me. Wow, it jumped that far? Maybe I'm safe after all.

I set off for the mountain, enticed by the strange light of its summit. I relish its dim light, contrasting with the dark forest I leave behind. The slope is gentle, barely a challenge. I ascend with ease, like climbing a long staircase. I choose to trek the mountain, after all, it is much better to have something illuminating your path.

I marvel at myself, hiking a mountain in another world, fulfilling a dream I never pursue on Earth.

A surge of adventure and wonder fills me as I hike the mountain in another world. What secrets and mysteries await me beyond this peak, where such an odd light beckons?

A wave of accomplishment and pride washes over me as I hike the mountain in another world. I reflect on how far I have come and how much I have learned. I recall how brave and resourceful I am. I remember how I turn the odds and change certain doom situations into opportunities.

I smile as I hike the mountain in another world, one of the things listed on my bucket list. Maybe I can still finish them here.

◇

"Huff! Huff!," I pant as I climb the mountain, cursing the steep slope. 'Stairs my ass! I… I need to restart.' It's very exhausting to walk on this slope for hours. I glance back to see how far I have come, but I barely make any progress. 'Who am I kidding, it has only been five minutes since I started.'

Thud! Thud! I hear the rhythmic steps of the beak giant behind me.

I loosen the sling sack a bit and slash the side of my neck. With a brief blackout, I feel refreshed again.

I look at where the giant is to check its distance. Maybe it walked faster than me and left me behind.

"No… no way. Crap." The beak giant is not moving forward, backward - moonwalking? Of course not!!! It… it turned my direction…" It was already marching towards this way.

"Why are you coming back? Did you forget something? Just get it later when I'm gone!" I inwardly complain about this unfairness.

I hike the mountain faster this time. "Screw you, beak giant! Once I'm done experimenting with these magic stones, I'll come back and find you. I swear!"

Is it really after me? Am I that delicious? And how can you even see me? I'm just a speck of dust!

Huff! Restart. Huff! Restart. I keep climbing the mountain, but I'm not even halfway up and the terrain is getting rocky.

BUUUUUUGH!

I hear a deafening sound behind me and instinctively look back. "What the…" The beak giant slipped? No, that can't be. The giant is in mid-air, seconds away from hitting the ground.

THUDDD!

With a loud thud, it lies on the ground. How? What just happened? I'm bewildered by what I just saw. If I rule out the possibility that the giant is stupid enough to slip, the only thing I can think of is that it confronted something that is powerful enough to make it stumble.