Rye woke up and saw himself not in his room.
His back ached, his limbs seemingly crushed by a fall's impact. He couldn't move at all. The walls all around were surrounded by rocks. A… cave?
Rye lay back-first, so he was looking upwards the cavern. At the end of it—shone a bright white light. That was right. He could've fallen down here.
"Now how to get out...?" He coughed and tried to stand up.
His back snapped immediately.
"Aghh!" Rye fell on his knees. The wet ground hit him once again, face-first now, and he rolled in order to breathe. Blood seeped all around.
'What the hell is this…? It hurts.'
All he remembered was yesterday at the festival.
The festival. Right.
He'd won. First place. Ten thousand crowns. Eirin had been so happy she'd nearly tackled him off the platform.
Then the feast. Dad raising a toast. Mari actually smiling. Mom's adobo disappearing in minutes.
And then…
This morning. Dad talking about a mentor. Someone who could teach him properly and lead both Mari and him to become adventurers. Apparently an old comrade from dad's party.
They'd gone to the forest. Dad was showing him where Mari usually foraged. The herbs. The paths. Basic survival stuff.
Then, men appeared.
Three of them. The scarred one from the festival. Chain Pathway. Gravity Pathway. And an archer.
They wanted him. Specifically him. Rye didn't know why, but he could guess it was because he showed off his powers.
Was that too much of a hint as a system-user?
Dad fought. Mari fought. Mom fought.
Rye remembered the Gravity user's pressure crushing him down. Mom's vines wrapping around the enemy's legs. Mari's blades flashing through the air.
And then—
The roar.
Somewhere close, a growl of a bear sounded within the forest. The mana must've attracted it.
A gigantic Bear.
Twelve feet tall. Covered in stone armor. Dad got thrown into a tree. Mom ran to him.
Rye panicked. Drew a trap on bark. Slammed it down.
The ground gave way beneath him.
He fell.
And fell.
And fell.
Hit water. Underground river. The current pulled him away.
Then... nothing.
Rye's breathing was ragged. Every inhale sent sharp pain through his ribs.
***
'Okay. Assess. What's broken?'
He tried moving his fingers. They worked.
Toes? Those too.
Arms? Painful but functional.
Legs? Same.
Back? Absolutely fucked.
'Probably cracked something. Maybe a rib. Maybe my spine. Great. Just great. My body is all wet too, it's so cold…'
He looked around, blinking away the tears from the pain.
The cavern was massive. Easily fifty feet across. The ceiling was at least thirty feet up—way too high to climb, especially with his back like this.
Water dripped from somewhere. The sound echoed.
'How deep underground am I?'
The light from above was faint. Daylight, probably. Which meant the opening wasn't sealed. But it was way too high. He probably rolled off since he fell from water. There was no way he could've survived a fall in that hole upwards.
'I'm trapped.'
Rye took a breath.
'But is that really such a big deal?'
I mean, sure, food was a risk and he needed to survive – but now that Rye was away from his family, he didn't need to act like someone he was not. It was a relief of some sort. Like reclaiming his body from earthly days.
Rye felt connection with those people, yes, but clearly not enough to get attached.
He was thankful for everyone in that village.
Now was the time to restart.
Siigh… Hopefully they're still okay up there, they might be happier without him around. That was a relief.
'Now, I need to find the exit.'
'And maybe get revenge on those mercenaries.'
That was the only way forward, even if Rye didn't hold a grudge.
What an absolute turn of events.
Rye could've preferred keeping a bottle of ink.