Arthur watched the entire scene unfold as a chill ran down his spine and sweat covered his back. He felt an urge to vomit, but instinctively, he swallowed it down.
He was sure now, he was no longer on earth!
A colossal crustacean hauled itself from the river, its dark red chitin hosting algae and river slime like that of an ancient ruin that had been submerged in water ages ago.
A sense of dread and fear washed over his tired body as he breathed deeply, no longer daring to look at the creature.
The group of deer looked like puppies in comparison to its size and oppression, all alone.
"What are these creatures? Why are they all so big?" Arthur whispered, his voice barely reaching his own ears. Out of fear and hopelessness, his grip around the tree branches tightened.
The alpha deer screamed again, but this time it was gentler and lacked its previous vigor and command.
The crustacean's black eyes, popping up from its massive armored head, shifted toward the deer, and finally, after staring at it for some time, it made a strange sound from its mandibles.
Skrrrch~
A loud clicking sound echoed throughout the forest but was soon devoured by a heavy thud.
The crab's pincer rose again, and this time it threw the deer's severed body onto the ground and started devouring it, tearing apart and grinding its bones and flesh alike with its sharp mandibles.
'Poor fella,' Arthur sighed.
The crab finished its meal, though some pieces of meat and bone were still left on the ground.
'Wait… why did the remaining herd not run from the crab? And why isn't the crab attacking the remaining deer?'
The group of hundreds of deer was still standing in front of the river, watching their own kind being eaten by a monster. Yet aside from a few shaking and taking hesitant steps back, no one dared to run away.
The red crab was enjoying its prey. It acted as if the deer didn't exist, and not long after, it finished eating all parts of the deer.
'Why—?'
Arthur pondered, clearly aware that the crab could easily hunt a few more deer if it wanted.
The crab turned around under the gaze of hundreds and disappeared into the foamy river, no longer lurking in the water like a stalker.
…
The forest stood in heavy silence, broken only by the sound of the river and the footsteps of the alpha deer.
The alpha walked forward and stood silently near the bloodied ground, its head slightly lowered as tears rolled down from its almond-shaped eyes, falling directly onto the leftover remains of the old deer.
At that moment, it looked utterly human. Its eyes were filled with shame, regret, and sorrow.
'They are intelligent!' Arthur's voice shook, his thoughts feeling illogical, yet he was certain of it.
'So they traded one deer's life in return for water.'
He laughed bitterly, finding that even on Earth, some bastards used to sacrifice the weak—just like the old deer.
The crab and the alpha… they were both intelligent.
After standing still for some time, the alpha moved and walked into the river, its giant muscular legs resisting the powerful current.
Following the alpha, the herd moved as they started drinking quietly from the river. After drinking for some time, the alpha screamed once again, pointing its leg toward the forest.
They turned back and ran in the same direction they had come from earlier.
The alpha walked at the rear, making sure no one got lost from the herd, as surviving alone in the forest was impossible.
Arthur watched as the herd completely disappeared from his sight, leaving him alone in the forest, clinging to a branch.
'I'm glad nothing happened after the crab left… where did it go?' he pondered.
He shifted his back as it was hurting like hell. After working on a chair his whole life, he had gained nothing but back pain.
His doctor had told him to keep changing postures every five to ten minutes, but here he was, sitting in fear for almost an hour.
He leaned against the trunk for support, cursing his managers who used to dump their work on him.
'If not for them, I wouldn't have died—those bastards… I better not find them in this world or…!' He sighed and discarded his dark thoughts, knowing that dwelling on them would only sour his mood.
He had to think about surviving in this world, but no matter how much he thought, it felt impossible.
'How am I going to survive against those giant creatures when they already showed up on my first day in this world?'
'What if there are even more dangerous and hidden monsters?' Arthur shook his head. Even if there were more beasts and monsters in the forest, he had to survive.
He had just died today, and it was not a pleasant feeling at all.
"I have to survive!"
Growl~
His stomach felt empty, making strange noises, his throat burning as Arthur licked his dried lips, trying to keep them moist.
"I really don't want to go near that river." His body shivered at the thought of the crab.
What if it appeared again and killed him?
He didn't dare imagine escaping from that monster.
He was no match for it. Even a group of elephant-sized deer couldn't do anything to it.
After thinking for almost an hour, he finally decided to climb down and at least drink some water. He was dying of thirst, his throat burning like fire.
He tightened his grip on the rough bark and began climbing down. For him, climbing up a tree was the easiest part, but descending was the real challenge—it was never his favorite.
His hands slipped over the damp moss clinging to the bark, and his feet searched uncertainly for footing.
'I am never climbing a tree again.'
'I hate this… that's why I hate climbing trees,' Arthur cursed, panting as he looked down, realizing he was nowhere near the ground.