Chapter - 5

 The Taste of Safety

“That's... so much food.” Evan stood completely stunned by the sight in front of him. Spread across the edge of the forest were fruits and plants of countless colors. Some were bright green, some yellow, some deep red, while others carried shades that Evan couldn't even properly name. He wasn't entirely sure whether all of them were actually fruits, but they looked close enough to what he had known as fruits in his old world, so that was the closest comparison his mind could make. He simply stood there, staring. The forest around him had changed as well. The trees were no longer as enormous or as densely packed as the ones deeper inside the wilderness. The vegetation had become shorter, the spaces between the trees wider, and the ground showed signs that something had passed through this area before. Perhaps people came here regularly. Perhaps this was already part of the outskirts of civilization. Evan couldn't tell. What he could tell was that he was extremely hungry. And standing directly in front of him was what appeared to be an absurd amount of food. “Damn.” His stomach growled at the sight. “If I hadn't eaten that weird gray poisonous fruit yesterday, I would've attacked all of this by now.” He stared at the colorful plants again. His hunger was telling him to stop thinking and start eating. His common sense was telling him that this was a terrible idea. After everything that had happened, Evan knew better than to trust something simply because it looked edible. Still, he wondered if the System could warn him. That strange thing had already warned him about the poison before. If something was dangerous, perhaps it would tell him again. At least, that was what Evan hoped. He cautiously approached one of the plants. It had a fruit that was a mixture of green and yellow, hanging beneath leaves that were a surprisingly light shade of red. Evan stared at it for a moment. “Why is everything in this world so colorful?” He looked around at the surrounding plants. “Can't leaves just be green like normal leaves?” He sighed. “Of course not. Apparently this place needed a rainbow growing out of the ground.” He reached out and picked the fruit. He turned it around in his hand, examining it carefully. “Well... let's see if eating you gets me killed.” Evan opened his mouth and brought the fruit closer. Then the familiar voice spoke. “You have inhaled a poisonous fragrance.” Evan froze. His eyes widened. He immediately threw the fruit away. “Holy moly!” The fruit landed somewhere in the vegetation. Evan took several steps backward. He stared at the fruit as though it had suddenly grown teeth. Then he looked at all the other colorful plants around him. A moment ago, they had looked like food. Now they looked like an entire army of beautifully decorated assassins. “No.” Evan pointed toward the forest. “No, no, no.” His expression twisted in disbelief. “Everything here is poison!” He turned around and started running. He didn't care where he was going anymore. He simply wanted to get away from the plants. “Curse this jungle!” He ran faster. “This isn't a forest!” His breathing became heavier. “It's poison!” He kept moving until his legs began to feel weak and his lungs burned. Eventually, he could no longer force himself forward. Evan slowed down, stumbled, and finally stopped. He bent over with his hands on his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath. After several moments, he dropped himself onto the ground. He wasn't going anywhere near another plant. Not today. Maybe not ever. Evan lay there for a while, staring up at the sky. “Just a little farther,” he muttered. “Once I get out of this place, I'm never coming back.” He closed his eyes for a moment. After resting for a while, Evan finally forced himself back onto his feet. Unfortunately, his hunger hadn't disappeared. If anything, it had become worse. He placed a hand against his stomach. “Damn...” He frowned. “How long had this body's original owner been starving?” The thought bothered him. His body felt as though it could collapse at any moment from hunger alone. “This body is going to die again if I don't find something to eat.” Evan began walking again, moving carefully through the forest while complaining silently to whatever higher power might be responsible for his current situation. “What else am I supposed to do?” He had no idea where he was going. No idea what was safe. No idea what was poisonous. And apparently, even breathing near certain plants could be dangerous. As he continued forward, another thought came to him. This world was full of strange things. Very strange things. But perhaps he had heard a story similar to this before. He remembered being a teenager in his first life. Of course, that had been decades ago now, but there were still fragments of things he had once heard and read. Stories about people being transported into another world. Stories where the main character received some kind of special ability or magical status window that showed their skills and statistics. Then, somehow, that character would become incredibly powerful. Evan frowned. “Wait.” He scratched his head. “Is that supposed to be me?” He continued walking. “Do people who get transported to another world normally receive some kind of System?” He thought about the mysterious screen. His status. His Life Force. His Class. His Soul Rank. “Maybe that's why I have one.” He sighed. “Do I just use this thing and eventually become the strongest person in the world?” Evan almost laughed. “That sounds way too convenient.” Then he stopped. Someone was standing farther ahead. A person. Evan immediately ducked behind the nearest tree. He carefully peeked around the trunk. It was an old man. The man wore a long green coat that reached down toward his legs. His hair was almost completely white, and his body was slightly bent forward as he walked. His movements were slow and deliberate. Evan couldn't accurately guess his age, but there was no mistaking that the man was old. The old man was gathering things from the forest. He picked fruits. He broke off plants. He collected various herbs and placed everything into a large basket he had brought with him. Evan watched him closely. The sight made him suspicious. If that old man was freely picking these plants and carrying them away, perhaps they were safe to eat. Or at least some of them were. Evan's stomach growled again. He glanced down at it. “Maybe I should just follow him.” He remained hidden and watched. Eventually, the old man finished gathering what he needed and walked out of the forest. Evan waited until he was completely gone. Then he noticed something. The direction the old man had taken led toward the settlement Evan had seen from the hill. The city. Or village. Whatever it was. The exit was right there. Evan looked toward the path. “So that's the way out.” He slowly stepped from behind the tree. For a moment, he simply stood there. Then his attention returned to the plants the old man had been gathering. Evan approached cautiously. He found a small plant with a pale yellow color. It was relatively short, at least compared with the enormous vegetation deeper inside the forest. It had several leaves and a thick stem that reached roughly to Evan's waist. He crouched beside it. “This one.” He carefully broke off a piece. First, he smelled it. He waited. Nothing happened. No warning. No System notification. Evan smelled it again. Still nothing. He waited a little longer. Nothing. He frowned. “Okay.” He brought the plant toward his mouth. “Let's try this.” He took a small bite. The taste was strange. It was slightly sweet, but there was also a bitter flavor underneath it. The texture was somewhat sticky as well. Evan held the piece inside his mouth and waited. He expected the System to speak at any moment. Maybe it would tell him that he had consumed some kind of deadly yellow poison. Maybe it would give the plant some ridiculous name. Maybe it would tell him that he had approximately three seconds left to live. But nothing happened. Nothing. Evan waited a little longer. Still nothing. He blinked. “Really?” He swallowed. Nothing happened. His eyes slowly widened. “It isn't poison.” That realization was almost beautiful. Evan looked at the plant. Then at his stomach. Then back at the plant. And suddenly, he started eating. He didn't care about the taste anymore. He didn't care whether it was sweet or bitter. It wasn't poison. That was enough. He tore off several leaves and ate them. Then another piece of the stem. Then another. Within moments, he had eaten five or six leaves along with part of the stem. Evan chewed quickly, almost desperately. For the first time since waking in this world, he had found something that he could actually eat without expecting death to immediately follow. He was so focused on eating that he didn't notice someone approaching behind him. Then an elderly voice suddenly spoke. “What are you doing?” Evan's entire body went rigid. The hairs on his skin stood up. He slowly turned around. The old man was standing there. The same old man Evan had watched leaving the forest only moments earlier. Evan stared at him. The old man stared back. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Evan's mind immediately returned to one thought. Survive. Every creature he had encountered in this world so far had possessed the potential to kill him. The monster from the previous night could have crushed him without even trying. The plants could apparently poison him. Even the air around certain fruits could apparently be dangerous. And now there was a stranger standing directly behind him. Evan's hand moved toward his makeshift weapon. He had dropped it beside him while eating the plant. He was just about to reach for it when the old man spoke again. “Look, when you eat temtic raw, you aren't supposed to eat it like that.” Evan stopped. The old man pointed toward the plant. “The leaves are useless. You have to heat the stem first. Just lightly. Once it's warmed, the temtic cream inside becomes edible.” He shook his head. “If you eat it like that, the taste is terrible.” Evan blinked. He looked down at the plant in his hand. Then back at the old man. The old man studied him for a moment. “You...” His expression changed slightly. “Who are you?” The old man looked Evan up and down. His eyes moved across Evan's torn clothes, his thin body, his pale face, and his exhausted appearance. The old man slowly shook his head, as if he had already reached some conclusion. “Did you get lost in this forest?” Evan remained silent. The old man continued. “You're still just a child, aren't you?” He glanced toward the forest behind Evan. “Perhaps you wandered in here while trying to prove yourself.” His tone wasn't threatening. If anything, it carried a strange sense of concern. “But it doesn't matter now. You're safe.” The old man looked at the half-eaten temtic. “And judging by the way you're eating that plant, you're probably starving.” He smiled faintly. “Come with me, child. I'll give you something proper to eat.” Evan didn't understand what was happening. The entire situation felt almost too normal. Nobody was screaming. Nobody was trying to attack him. Nobody had transformed into a twelve-foot monster covered in eyes. The old man simply wanted to feed him. Evan was still suspicious, but at least there was no immediate sign that his life was in danger. He swallowed the remaining piece of temtic. “I'm hungry,” Evan admitted. He hesitated before continuing. “I've been lost in this forest for several days. Please... help me.” The old man's expression softened. “Don't worry, child. You're alright now.” He gestured toward the path. “Come. I'll give you something that will fill your stomach.” Evan followed. They didn't have to travel very far. Just beyond the edge of the forest stood a small house. From outside, it didn't look particularly impressive. It was modest, quiet, and surrounded by a few patches of vegetation. The old man opened the door and stepped inside. Evan followed him. The moment he entered, he realized the house was much larger on the inside than it appeared from outside. It was clean. Far cleaner than Evan's own broken house. Almost everything inside seemed to be made from wood. The walls, shelves, furniture, and various household objects all carried the warm brown tones of old timber. In one corner stood what appeared to be a bed made from stone. Not far from it, on the left side of the room, was a small stove made from clay. Evan stared at it. Something about the entire place felt strangely familiar. It reminded him of the old descriptions of people from ancient times in the history books of his previous world. He looked around. “Wait...” A strange thought entered his mind. “Did I somehow get thrown into the past?” Before Evan could think about it any further, the old man spoke. “Come, child. Sit down. I'll make something for you.” The old man placed his basket down and began taking out everything he had collected from the forest. There were several fruits. Various plants. Different herbs. Evan watched them carefully. His stomach wanted all of them. His brain was still suspicious of every single one. Please don't let any of those be poisonous. The old man picked up a bucket that had been placed nearby. He poured water into a container and began washing everything he had collected. As he worked, he spoke casually. “Come inside, child. Sit on the bed.” Evan looked toward the stone bed. The old man continued washing the vegetables and plants. “And before you come in, leave that stick you're carrying beside the door.” Evan's eyes moved toward his makeshift weapon. “You won't need it here.” Evan hesitated. His fingers tightened around the weapon. Every instinct in him told him not to let go of it. But the old man had done nothing threatening so far. And the man had just offered him food. After a moment, Evan placed the weapon beside the door. Then he walked over and sat on the bed. He remained quiet. His eyes stayed fixed on the old man as the elderly man continued preparing the ingredients. Evan watched every movement. He didn't know what was about to happen. He didn't know whether he could trust this strange world. But for the first time since arriving here, he wasn't alone in the wilderness. The old man moved toward the small clay stove. Then he did something. And Evan's eyes widened in complete disbelief.