LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 17: Hidden Beneath
With the gentle breeze of the morning dew, along with the smell of nature as the trees dance around, soon enough, Quagmire is nearing where the river is. The very same river where he fought and got knocked down yesterday.
Thankfully, he was not bitten on this spot, as that would be very difficult as there are no places to take position and hide, and due to the fact that when he was here, it was still an early night. He felt that an hour or more had definitely passed when he reached the cave entrance.
He leaned over and glanced at the crystal-clear water and was shocked by what he saw. He was back to his younger self, but he did not know the precise age of what he was on. Confused, he suddenly remembered that there are cloning facilities, so he might be able to use it to determine his precise age. After all, nobody likes to forget or to not know how old they were; who knows, he might actually be over a hundred years old, but it looks like he is in his twenties.
If that were the case, old people would riot over the case. With that thought in mind, he chuckled. Such things are not possible, right? After all, there are a lot of technologies that were presented to him by the system that is under the name Adjutant. It certainly sounds militaristic; not only is artificial intelligence such a thing, but he was also baffled at the prospect of its existence. Like the ones in his original world, such things are just science fiction concepts.
Who would have thought that those things would be a reality? That could really exist in the world; many theories that were not yet proven are now proven, and their numerous applications in the world and society are boundless and never-ending.
With a single thought, he pushed those other things to the back of his mind and once again glanced at the water of the river, this time not to look at himself. It was crystal clear, but it would definitely be more apparent if he saw it while on the water, as the sky was almost making a perfect disguise at the top of the water. Nevertheless, he could make it out on what was at the bottom.
There were rocks indeed, and it could be several meters deep, as far as he goes into the middle. If he has to bathe himself, he must stay near the land and not venture far off; he could swim, yes. However, he is in an unknown world, so he does not know what is in water, the things that exist in this world, or if there are any ghouls in the water.
If it only weren't for the fact that he is filled with grime and the blood of ghouls, not only that its stench continues to assault his poor nose. Even if it was already dried, it was so bad. It smelled like marinated meat that was left for a century to decay into a complete horror called the ghoul.
Anyhow, with a firm mind, to remove the stench, he brought his hands upon himself and started to undress, starting from the tunic to his tee shirt, trousers, and before all of that, the support equipment, which includes the sacks, ammo pouch webbings and the bags and other miscellaneous stuff like the canteen and such, which were all battered and destroyed. After this, there are the gaiters, the boots, and the socks.
Now he was fully exposed, he glanced from right to left, and from the front to the back, he made sure that there were no ghouls within a few hundred meters. As he concurrently, he is naked, with his Excalibur too fully exposed.
With that in mind, he moved closer a mere inch from the water, and dipped his toes, trying to get a feel of the water's temperature. It was definitely cold, as it is early morning, but considering his status and what he went through earlier, it definitely will feel very refreshing.
Slowly but surely, he stepped on the river banks and slowly submerged himself. The water was cold but not in the freezing temperature. He felt refreshed as he brought his hands with a handful of water to wash away the grime and blood off of him.
The water started to get murky as the grime and blood were being washed. Fortunately, the river is a flowing body of water, so it gets washed further away as clean water once again sets around him.
Unfortunately, as he was washing away the grime and blood, a distinctive shadow, sensed the blood of the ghouls as it passed through it, delighted by its taste, it tracked where the blood was coming from, and after a few moments of moving about, it arrives at the front where there was a living being that was half submerged in the river.
Delighted by the prospect of a lunch, it extended its arms and pulled the animal down.
Quagmire was washing his body and face when suddenly something tugged on his foot, dragging him further into the depths. He felt fear and shock. However, he must not let it get to him. Concurrently, the body of water is clear, so it is much easier to see below.
Glancing below, he saw a pair of what seemed to be vines tugging down his foot; he resisted and grabbed into nearby roots. He tracked down where it came from and saw what seemed like a giant fish there.
Thankfully, that fish was near the shore and almost at the top of the river water; if it was much further below, it would be dangerous, and he would not be able to use what he was about to summon. With that, he summoned his pistol at his hand, while the other is grabbing at the roots, barely hanging on.
Aiming down the sights, he felt the increase in his focus as his Eagle's Eyes activated; he could feel it magnifying whenever he wanted to, even though he only had iron sights. With a clear mind, he pulled the trigger multiple times.
Only when it stopped tugging, he stopped firing. Along with a notification sound, at his vision periphery. Thankfully, if such things occur again, it will not block his vision. With that, he brought it out and was shocked but delighted. As he now confirmed something.
[Lower Rank Living Algae Slain, Granted 100 Gold Coins]
Now, he knew that he could earn money as long as he killed ghouls or creatures of this world, which means there was no limit. All the while he was dreaming of the prospect, the sound of a branch breaking resounded through his ears.
Right, he fired a gun, and that means there are ghouls coming towards him.