The place he was in was extremely dangerous. So far, the only creature Arthur had encountered was that worm—but that could change at any moment.
The shifting climate was the most difficult and unpredictable aspect of this place. After escaping the winds and the acidic rain, Arthur resumed walking across the plain.
Eventually, after nearly half an hour of nonstop walking, he spotted something on the horizon—a large lake, and at its center, a small island with several structures.
The first thing that crossed his mind was how similar it looked to the island he had been on before being swallowed by the serpent.
Well, the island itself was larger and surrounded by a lake rather than an endless ocean—but even so, it felt promising.
"That must be where I need to go."
But before he could get very far, the climate shifted once again. The temperature had started dropping a few minutes before he noticed the island.
At first, Arthur didn't think much of it. Then the change became far more intense. He began to shiver violently from the cold, and if it continued like this, he would freeze to death.
The first thing that came to mind was building a fire. Anyone would think of that in this situation.
Arthur snapped a few branches from a nearby tree and gathered some stones from the ground to set up a fire pit. The process itself was quick and simple.
The hardest part was starting the fire through friction. He had never done it before. He had watched survival shows, sure—but that didn't mean he was good at it.
It took him several minutes to get the fire going—and it wasn't skill, but luck. The flames slowly began to warm his body, making the cold bearable.
The only wind left was that same gentle breeze from earlier. Arthur silently prayed it would stay that way—otherwise, his fire would be extinguished.
Sitting near the campfire, Arthur once again looked toward the horizon, his eyes fixed on the island.
He was almost certain that was where he needed to go. At the same time, he knew it wouldn't be easy.
It took roughly fifteen minutes for the cold to fade. He extinguished the fire and moved on. This time, Arthur broke into a run, hoping to reach the island as quickly as possible.
He maintained a steady pace—not too fast, not too slow. It allowed him to keep running without exhausting himself.
The island drew closer and closer, and he could now see the structures more clearly. They were buildings made of solid stone.
There were several houses, and at the center of the village stood the main structure—a church-like building with a statue of a serpent at its entrance.
That kind of structure was truly strange. The only way to find out what lay inside was to go there—but how?
Arthur had no idea how he was supposed to cross the lake to reach the island.
Swimming was the last thing he wanted to do. If giant worms were lurking beneath the ground, what kind of horrors might be waiting at the bottom of that lake?
Only a madman would try to swim across.
Before reaching the lake, Arthur climbed a small hill. When he reached the top and looked down, he spotted something peculiar near the shoreline.
There was a small wooden cabin with a wooden dock beside it. Tied to the dock was a small wooden boat.
"What a coincidence—to have something like that here for me to use," he thought.
Arthur viewed everything in this place as part of a test. That made him suspicious of nearly everything. A boat conveniently waiting for him was especially suspicious.
He went down the hill and approached the area. Before inspecting the boat, he headed toward the wooden cabin.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Arthur called out.
There was no response.
He decided to open the door. The creak of old wood echoed through the area. The moment he stepped inside, the sound of the floorboards groaning caused a man to wake up.
The man was lying on a bed in the corner of the cabin. He had long hair, a thick beard, and several empty liquor bottles scattered around the bed.
"W-Who's there?" the man said as he sat up, grabbing an empty bottle to defend himself.
Arthur frowned. He hadn't expected to find another human in this place.
He had believed he was alone here to complete the serpent's test—but that clearly wasn't the case.
"Who are you?" Arthur asked, returning the question.
The man was clearly hungover. His mind was working a bit slower than usual.
"I'm the ferryman, obviously," the man said. "I'm the one who takes people to the island. And who are you?"
Arthur considered whether he should tell the truth or not.
He decided to do it.
"I was swallowed by a giant serpent and ended up here," he said.
The ferryman burst out laughing.
"You're crazier than I am, aren't you?"
The situation was strange. The ferryman truly seemed human—there was no sign of him being some kind of creature disguised as one.
Arthur also didn't know whether the serpent was capable of creating illusions or something similar. So how, exactly, had these people ended up in this place?
"How long have you lived here?" Arthur asked.
The ferryman seemed a bit reluctant to talk about his personal life—but he answered anyway.
"I've lived here my whole life, just like everyone else on the island. This place has been our home for a very long time," the ferryman said.
Arthur's curiosity about the island—and about the identity of these people—kept growing. He asked the ferryman for a ride to the island.
"I don't have anywhere to stay, and wandering around out here is dangerous… Could I go to the island and stay with you for a while?"
"Well, you're a stranger, and I'm not the one who makes the rules," the ferryman replied. "I can take you to the island, and then you can speak with our leader. How does that sound?"
"That would be great!" Arthur said.
The two of them headed to the small wooden boat and rowed toward the island together.