Chapter 7 — The Hunter Jaden continued deeper into the forest. The further he walked, the quieter it became. The sounds of birds and insects slowly disappeared until there was almost nothing left except the sound of his own footsteps. He kept one hand on his sword and the other near the small accessory hanging around his neck. The Goblin's Eye was ugly. Jaden still wasn't sure why the System had decided to give him something that looked like an actual eyeball, but he couldn't deny that it was useful. Every now and then, something in the corner of his vision would move, and when he focused on it, he could notice things that he probably would have missed before. A small bird hiding between the leaves. A rabbit running through the bushes. Tiny insects crawling across the bark. His perception had definitely improved. But there was something else. Jaden stopped walking. He stared at the ground. There were footprints. Not goblin footprints. These were much larger. Jaden crouched. Four toes. Deep marks. Whatever had made them was heavy. Very heavy. He looked ahead. The footprints continued through the forest. Jaden hesitated before opening Comprehension. He focused on them. What made these? For a moment, nothing happened. Then the familiar blue window appeared. [TRACK ANALYSIS] [UNKNOWN CREATURE] Analysis: Incomplete. Reason: Insufficient information. Jaden's expression changed. “What?” He stared at the message. Comprehension had worked on the goblins. It had worked on their footprints. It had even given him information about their weaknesses. But now— Nothing. Jaden looked at the tracks again. “Insufficient information…” He didn't like that. Not one bit. He stood up and looked around. The forest suddenly felt much larger. Something had passed through here. Something that his ability couldn't properly identify. Jaden took one step backward. Then another. “Nope.” He turned around. Whatever made those tracks could stay far away from him. He continued in the opposite direction. For the next hour, Jaden avoided anything that looked remotely suspicious. He didn't care if it meant taking a longer route. The objective wasn't to become the strongest person on the floor. It was to reach the exit. And preferably without dying. Although death wasn't disabled anymore. That thought still made him uncomfortable. During the tutorial, he had known that he couldn't die. Now, every injury mattered. Every mistake mattered. Jaden eventually reached a small clearing. Something caught his attention. A broken tree. The trunk had been snapped in half. Jaden approached it cautiously. The break was too high. Too clean. He looked at the ground. There were more tracks. Then he noticed something else. Dark stains on the grass. Jaden swallowed. He didn't need Comprehension to understand what had happened. Something had been killed here. Jaden slowly stepped backward. Then he heard it. A distant roar. His entire body froze. The sound echoed through the forest. Jaden didn't wait to find out what made it. He ran. Branches whipped against his face as he sprinted between the trees. His breathing became heavier, but he didn't stop. Every few seconds, he glanced behind him. Nothing. No monster. No movement. Still, he kept running. Eventually, the trees became less dense. Jaden slowed down. Ahead of him stood a ruined stone structure. It looked like a small watchtower. Part of the roof had collapsed, but the walls were still standing. Jaden stared at it. “A building…” He approached carefully. There was an open doorway. Inside, he found a small room covered in dust. A broken wooden table sat against one wall. There were old pieces of equipment scattered across the floor. Jaden immediately noticed something strange. This wasn't made by the System. At least, it didn't look like it. It looked old. Really old. Jaden stepped inside. Maybe someone had lived here. He searched the room and found a small leather book underneath the broken table. The cover was damaged. Jaden picked it up. “A journal?” He opened it. Most of the pages were ruined. Only a few were readable. The writing wasn't in a language Jaden recognized. Yet somehow, when he looked at it, he understood. Comprehension. The ability wasn't showing him a blue window this time. It was simply making the words understandable. Jaden's eyes widened. “So that's another thing you can do…” He began reading. The journal appeared to belong to someone who had entered the Beginner's Forest before. The writer described the forest as relatively safe during the day. At night, however, things changed. Certain monsters became more aggressive. Some creatures only appeared after sunset. And the deeper areas of the forest became considerably more dangerous. Jaden looked outside. The sunlight was already beginning to fade. “Oh, you've got to be kidding me.” He looked at the journal again. One sentence caught his attention. Do not travel after dark. Jaden immediately closed the book. “Yeah. I agree with whoever wrote that.” He decided to stay in the watchtower. At least until morning. He sat against the wall and ate some of the food he had brought from the tutorial. For the first time since entering Floor 1, he felt relatively safe. Then he heard something. Footsteps. Jaden stopped chewing. Another step. Someone was walking outside. Jaden slowly reached for his sword. The footsteps came closer. He held his breath. A shadow appeared across the doorway. Someone entered. Jaden immediately stood. The stranger froze. They stared at each other. The person was wearing old, worn-out clothing and carrying a short sword. Their equipment looked nothing like the weapons the System had given Jaden. They looked exhausted. But more importantly— They looked human. Jaden tightened his grip. “Who are you?” The stranger didn't answer. Their eyes moved toward Jaden's sword. Then toward the Goblin's Eye around his neck. Finally, they looked directly at him. “You're not from my group.” Jaden's expression changed. “My group?” The stranger raised their weapon slightly. Jaden raised his sword. Neither attacked. For several seconds, they simply stood there. Jaden's mind raced. Everyone from his class had entered Floor 1 alone. The Host had specifically said so. No parties. No groups. No companions. So who was this person? “You're a Player,” Jaden said. The stranger's expression became slightly more serious. “You are too.” “How long have you been here?” The stranger didn't answer. Jaden took a careful step forward. “Are there other players?” A brief silence followed. Then the stranger lowered their weapon. “Of course there are.” Jaden's eyes widened. “Other players?” The stranger looked at him as if the question were obvious. “You really don't know anything, do you?” Jaden didn't like the way they said it. “What do you mean?” The stranger walked past him and placed their weapon against the wall. “This tower isn't just for your class.” Jaden's stomach tightened. “What?” “There are Players everywhere.” The stranger sat down. “Different worlds. Different groups. Different floors.” Jaden stared. He had assumed Avoria had chosen his class. Twenty-seven students. One teacher. One hundred floors. He had thought they were the only ones. Apparently, he had been wrong. “Then why haven't we seen anyone else?” “Because Floor 1 is solo.” The stranger looked toward the doorway. “One Player enters. One Player leaves.” Jaden frowned. “Then how did you get here?” “I entered.” “That doesn't answer my question.” “It does.” Jaden stared at them. The stranger sighed. “You're thinking too much about the rules.” “I'm trying to understand them.” The stranger looked at him. “That's dangerous.” Jaden frowned. “What?” “Trying to understand Avoria.” For some reason, that sentence made Jaden uncomfortable. The stranger stood. They walked toward the doorway. Jaden followed with his eyes. “Wait.” The stranger stopped. “You said something earlier.” “What?” “You said I was going the wrong way.” The stranger looked back. Jaden pointed toward the forest. “I'm trying to find the exit.” “I know.” “So where is it?” The stranger stared at him for several seconds. Then they smiled faintly. “If you're still trying to reach the exit…” They pointed deeper into the forest. “...you're going the wrong way.” Jaden's expression froze. The stranger walked away. Jaden remained standing in the ruined tower. He looked at the forest. Then at the journal. Then back toward the direction the stranger had gone. For the first time, Jaden wondered whether the objective displayed by the System was really as simple as it looked. [OBJECTIVE: REACH THE FLOOR EXIT.] He stared at the words. “What am I missing?”