The Smiling Death-Chapter 302: Something New

Amon remained there for a long while, sitting beneath the tree. The cold breeze brushed against his torn black clothes, but for now, he felt safe enough.

Slowly, he began to tend to his wounds.

He tore a long strip from his already ripped clothing and dipped it in a bit of water. Carefully, he wiped the dried blood and dirt from his skin. Each touch sent a sharp sting through his body, making him grit his teeth.

"Tch..."

The blood had stopped leaking a long time ago, but the wounds were still ugly and painful. He tore another piece of cloth and wrapped it tightly around the deeper wounds, especially around his ribs and arm. It wasn’t proper treatment, but it was better than nothing.

After finishing, Amon leaned back against the tree and rested for a while. His breathing was calm now. His thoughts slowly drifted toward the future.

’What should I do next...?’ he thought.

Going back wasn’t an option. Staying in one place was dangerous. Reaching the coastline was still his goal, but with his current condition, rushing would only get him killed.

’I need to stay here. Rest until I am healed. Then restart my journey,’ he thought.

As time passed, a familiar feeling returned.

His stomach growled.

"...I’m hungry," he muttered. He rubbed his belly.

Only then did he remember. He still had monster meat stored in his storage ring.

’I should collect some leaves and branches.’

He really didn’t want to move. He wanted to remain in the same place and rest as much as possible without doing anything.

But he had no choice.

Amon pushed himself up and started gathering broken branches and dry leaves from around the area. After a bit of effort, he managed to pile them together and light a small fire.

Crackle... crackle...

The flames flickered softly.

He took out a piece of monster meat and placed it over the fire. The smell of roasting meat slowly spread through the air. It wasn’t delicious, but it was food. And right now, food meant survival.

Once it was cooked enough, Amon sat down and began eating.

Chew...

Chew...

He ate quietly, lost in thought.

Then he felt something was near him. He paused while eating his meat.

Something felt... off. Amon slowly lifted his head.

On a nearby tree branch, just a short distance away, sat a crow.

It was completely still, staring in his direction. Amon’s eyes widened.

"...A crow?"

Amon’s jaw dropped in surprise. It was a really shocking sight.

Amon rubbed his eyes a few times and looked again with narrowed eyes. The sight in front of him didn’t change.

There was a crow. A real crow.

"How’s that possible?" Amon questioned himself in disbelief.

He had been in this forest for nearly two months, and not even once had he seen any normal animal or bird here.

But now... he was seeing a bird.

The crow twisted its head, then spread its wings apart.

Flip.

It flapped them and slowly flew away from that spot.

Soon, it was out of sight, while Amon remained there, blinking his eyes. He was silent for a while.

The fire made a crackling sound.

"What? Am I seeing things or what?" Amon took one more bite of the roasted meat.

Munch.

Munch.

"Okay... that was not what I had expected. A crow in this area."

Amon sighed tiredly.

’It seems I need to explore this area. Where did I come this time? If there is a crow, does that mean there are also other animals here?’

Amon couldn’t be sure. But if there were animals here, that meant the number of monsters might be less.

Which was good news for him. Since animals being alive here meant there were no monsters killing them, or the monsters were fewer in number.

Amon finished eating the meat quickly.

"I need to go... I need to search this area. Amon the explorer is coming."

Amon tried to get up, only to groan in pain. "Gahh! Dammit!"

He sat back down.

"I guess I will rest here for tonight... and try to search tomorrow."

Amon leaned back against the tree again, letting out a slow breath.

"Hah..."

Pain pulsed through his body the moment he relaxed. His ribs throbbed, his arm ached, and even sitting still felt uncomfortable. Still, compared to what he had gone through, this was nothing.

He stared at the dying fire, watching the flames flicker and dance.

"A crow..." he muttered again, disbelief still lingering in his voice.

He still couldn’t believe his eyes. He continued to think about it.

"Did I cross into a different region without knowing?" he wondered quietly.

There might be a place, a region on this island, where normal animals could live without facing monsters.

That was the only explanation that made sense. Maybe the cave hadn’t just led him outside—it had led him far away. Very far.

Amon closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings.

The air here felt different. It was still heavy, still cold, but not as suffocating as before. The pressure that always lingered in monster-dense areas was weaker. Much weaker.

"...Interesting."

If normal animals could live here, then this place was likely safer. Or at least safer than where he had been before.

That realization eased his tense nerves a little.

"I really did get lucky this time," he murmured with a faint, tired smile.

After that, he carefully climbed onto a low tree branch and leaned his back against the trunk. He used his mana to reinforce his strained muscles. He still felt sharp pain, but he forced himself to climb.

Sleeping on the ground wasn’t an option, not with his condition.

The sky above was dull and grey, barely visible through the thick canopy.

"I won’t rush," he muttered. "I’ll survive... no matter what."

Slowly, Amon drifted into sleep, his battered body finally getting the rest it desperately needed.

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[A/N:Sorry Guys! I know there was nothing much in these two Chapters. Anyways, in next Chapter you would get to see something interesting. Also soon I am going to publish my new novel. I am working on it...so i kind of stretch these wo Chapters. Sorry again! Enjoy your day! :)]