The sun began to crest the horizon once more. A new day had arrived, yet Knight didn't seem particularly overjoyed.
He sat behind a tree not far from the abandoned village, binding his wounds. Beside him lay a rucksack filled with rations and weapons looted from the corpses of those he had killed. He wore the armor taken from the Commander; it fit him with startling precision. Two longswords hung at his side, and the Commander's greatsword, which would now serve as his primary weapon, rested nearby.
The wound on Knight's hand had yet to close, so he wrapped it in bandages to ward off infection; the gash on his shoulder received the same treatment.
'Better get out of here...' Knight stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked toward the horse that looked the healthiest. Truthfully, he had no idea how to ride a horse, but it was better than wandering on foot until the trial ended.
Indeed, this trial was far from over. His [Fragments] counter sat at 63 out of 1,000. He would likely have to kill scores more to reach the goal. However, slaying the Commander had yielded 50 fragments alone, suggesting that the stronger the enemy, the greater the reward.
Knight rode into the forest near the village. To his surprise, riding was far easier than he had anticipated. The rhythm of the warhorse's hooves thudded against the soft, damp earth of the dense woods. As he sat in the saddle, a strange sensation washed over him. His body felt as though it "remembered" how to balance, despite never having touched such a large animal in his life. Every time the horse leapt over a log or navigated uneven terrain, Knight's body swayed naturally with the movement, like a warrior trained for years.
'Is this a result of the Fragments...?' Knight wondered, stroking the horse's soft mane. The golden mist still circulating within him seemed to be fine-tuning his basic abilities to suit any situation.
The forest was dark and eerily silent. The dim sunlight filtering through the canopy did little to provide warmth. Knight tightened his grip on the hilt of the Commander's greatsword strapped to his back. Its weight was massive, too heavy for a normal person to swing yet to Knight, it felt strangely "stable."
It didn't take long for him to become fully accustomed to riding. The forest was thick with unfamiliar roots, and sunlight dappled the ground through the leaves. Various wild animals roamed about. It felt like a real ecosystem, just like the world outside.
'Can a box really be this realistic?' Knight thought, observing creatures great and small. 'Still, it's incredible. The air here is better than the real world. I could stay here forever if it weren't for those bastards waiting for me.' As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Knight finally stumbled upon a suitable spot to set up camp.
'What's that?' Something caught his eye.
A cave. Without hesitation, Knight steered his horse toward it.
Once inside, he sat down to rest. He let the horse graze on wild grass by instinct while he pulled dried meat from his bag, chewing hungrily and draining an entire waterskin in one go.
Inside the dim, chilly cave, the sound of Knight's chewing echoed softly into the stone hall. The last rays of sunlight fading at the cave's mouth turned a haunting shade of indigo. Knight leaned his back against the jagged cave wall. The warmth from the food began to spread through his exhausted body.
"Ah... that's better..." Knight sighed, full at last.
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his muscles twitch from being pushed beyond their limits. Yet, in the darkness, his [Eye of Judgment] seemed to function even better. He could see faint heat trails rising from his own body, a murky gold mist that looked more concentrated than it had that morning.
Knight wasted no time opening his status window again.
Knight [Fragments: 63/1,000]
Class: —
Title: —
Physical Status: Extreme Exhaustion, Minor Bleeding, Lacerations
Equipment: Heavy Armor, Bracers, Greaves, Armored Boots
Items: Commander's Greatsword, Knight's Sword x2, Rucksack (Supplies)
Skill: Eye of Judgment
Knight looked at his stats with pride. He had bled for this; it was his only way to survive this insane trial within the Golden Box.
"I heard it wasn't supposed to be this hard..." Knight sighed. He knew it would be difficult, but he hadn't expected to be hounded so relentlessly.
If he passed, what would he gain? With this level of difficulty, surely he'd be strong enough to join the Welder's scout units. No... he was getting ahead of himself. This was only the first box. Comparing himself to scouts who had cleared three boxes was just a pipe dream.
'Are those people monsters?' Knight looked out of the cave with weary eyes. 'And on top of that, they have to fight the monsters in those towers.' He shuddered, remembering the Level 6 Goliath that had nearly killed him, a beast that had slaughtered dozens of low-level Welders. Was it dead now? Or was it still rampaging through the city?
'I can't even imagine...' His consciousness began to fade as exhaustion took over, and he drifted off to sleep.
Knight's steady breathing mingled with the sound of water dripping onto the stone floor. Silence reigned. His battered body attempted to repair itself under the faint golden glow emanating from his skin. The energy from the [Fragments] began to swirl in small ripples around him, like a cocoon nurturing a new, stronger form.
But in his blurred dreams, Knight saw no meadows or chases. He saw the blood-stained face of the Old Boss, the eyes of the boy in the cage he had imagined into existence, and finally, the massive silhouette of the Goliath raising its fist to blot out the sun.
'Not yet... I can't die yet...' his subconscious screamed.
The next morning, the pale gold light of the rising sun reached into the cave, waking Knight from his turbulent dreams. He bolted upright, hand instinctively grasping the greatsword, only to find silence and the sound of birds from the forest outside.
He sat still for a long time, taking deep breaths of the cold morning air. The pain that had felt like a thousand needles was now a dull, heavy ache in his joints. The wounds on his hand and shoulder had begun to scab over into a dark brown, the edges coated in a faint golden film.
"Survived another day..." Knight murmured, his voice raspy.
He took his time getting ready. He used a clean cloth from the rucksack to wipe blood and grime from his face. Catching his reflection in a small puddle on the cave floor, he noticed that his once gaunt, sickly slum-boy face was starting to show signs of strength. His eyes looked sharper, possessing a spark that even he found surprising.
After washing up, Knight inspected his gear. He polished the Commander's greatsword until the steel reflected the sunlight. He gave it a few test swings in the cramped cave; it was still heavy, but his movements were noticeably more stable and precise than the day before.
"These fragments... they aren't just healing me. They're remaking me, aren't they?" He rubbed the golden runes that had faded almost into his skin.
He realized the trial was preparing his body for something. The fragments weren't just "experience points" like in the game advertisements he'd seen, they were memories. That was why he could suddenly ride a horse and swing a sword with such skill. The golden runes were memories attempting to integrate with his physical form.
'If that's true, does it mean I can get skills by killing enemies?' Knight tried to recall the blue flames the Commander had used. He focused, imagining the golden aura in his body flowing into the greatsword.
The aura condensed, glowing brighter and brighter, but before it could ignite into flames, it flickered and dissipated.
"Didn't work...?" Knight felt a twinge of disappointment, but he had his answer. He didn't gain skills directly, but he might be able to learn them through the "memories" passed through the fragments.
"Hmph! At least the reward matches the difficulty," Knight smirked excitedly. "If I have to fight a whole army anyway, this makes it even better!"
Knight walked over to the warhorse. It looked refreshed after its rest. He patted its mane in thanks before loading his gear.
"Wait, no. I need to be more prepared..." Knight paused, realizing he shouldn't just rush out to find the Red Cross Army immediately.
"Actually... I saw those people doing this." Knight wasn't in a hurry anymore, now that he knew how much the fragments were changing him.
He decided to meditate for a moment, mimicking the Welders he had seen in the city. He tried to communicate with the power inside him. He found that when he stayed still and focused, the [Eye of Judgment] didn't flare up needlessly; instead, it became a warm current of energy circulating in his eyes, ready to erupt at a single thought.
"Did it actually work? I was just trying it out." Knight opened his eyes and realized his vision had improved significantly, almost on par with when the Eye was active, minus the 0.5-second future sight.
"So this 'stupid' meditation actually does something. What if I want to see further into the future?" He tried several methods, staring harder, keeping his eyes open longer, forcing the golden aura into his pupils.
Nothing happened.
"No luck... whatever." Knight abandoned the idea of extending his future sight for now. He pulled the map from his bag and spread it on the cave floor.
"Let's see... the wheat field is here, the village is there, and this cave should be around here..." He traced the map with his finger. "So I'm almost in the heart of the forest. The Red Cross guys are likely at the abandoned village; it's the most logical place to camp."
The village was the center of the map. The wheat fields were south, his cave was east. If he moved north, he'd reach the center of the forest. It was a good strategic point if he had enough time, he could set traps.
"But being in the center is too dangerous. If they burn the woods, I'll have nowhere to run." Knight frowned, the stress creeping back.
"But if I stay here, I'm just waiting to die. I have to move today." Knight picked up a few small stones and crushed them together to vent his nerves. He looked at his horse and noticed it was staring toward the center of the forest.
"... Animal instinct?" Knight packed the map away.
'Maybe my first instinct was the right one.' Seeing the horse looking that way made him trust his own gut feeling about heading to the heart of the forest.
'... Fine. To the center of the forest it is. I'll figure out the rest when I get there.' Knight vaulted onto the horse's back, snapped the reins, and galloped toward the heart of the woods.