Kyne did not return to the river.
After respawning on the bank, still feeling the echo of the crushing pressure in his newly restored bones, he stood up and observed the current for a few more seconds. The water followed its course as if nothing had happened, indifferent to the death it had caused moments before.
"Later." He murmured.
He turned and began walking parallel to the river, keeping it always within sight, but advancing through the forest. The terrain there was more treacherous than it appeared. The ground varied between firm stretches and soft areas covered by thick moss, which sank beneath his feet with a damp sound.
The vegetation also changed.
Plants with broad, glossy leaves grew in dense clusters. Some had bluish tones, others leaned toward dark red. There were vines hanging from the trees like motionless serpents, and flowers far too large to seem harmless.
Kyne walked attentively, but not exactly cautiously.
He wanted to learn.
That was when he passed beside a plant that seemed… wrong.
It resembled a closed flower, as large as a barrel, with thick, purplish petals covered in pulsing veins. At the center, there was a narrow opening, almost invisible, like a slit breathing slowly.
Kyne stopped.
"You weren't there before," he commented, tilting his head.
The plant reacted.
The petals opened all at once, far too fast to be natural. An acidic and sweet smell exploded into the air, making Kyne's eyes burn immediately. Before he could take a step back, something flexible and viscous wrapped around his leg.
Then the other.
In less than a second, he was pulled inside.
The opening closed behind him with a wet sound, completely muffling the light.
The interior was warm. Tight. Alive.
The walls pulsed around his body, contracting in rhythmic movements, like a gigantic stomach. A thick liquid began to drip from above, covering his skin.
The pain came soon after.
It was not immediate. First it was a mild burning, almost bearable. Then an aggressive tingling sensation. Then, the skin began to truly burn.
Kyne clenched his teeth.
The acid began to corrode his flesh.
The sensation was indescribable. It was not like fire. It was not like a cut. It was as if millions of hot needles were being slowly pushed into every centimeter of his body, dissolving it layer by layer.
His skin began to fall apart.
He felt the liquid seep into small fissures opened by the corrosion, deepening the pain. His muscles began to react, contracting involuntarily. His nerves screamed.
Kyne grunted low, then laughed.
"So… it was a carnivorous plant." He murmured, his voice faltering as the acid began to reach more sensitive areas.
He could try to fight. He could force the living walls to try to tear them apart. His body still had the strength for that.
But he did not.
Instead, he relaxed.
He let himself sink deeper into the creature's interior.
The acid reached deeper layers. His muscles began to dissolve, exposing nerves directly. The pain exploded, pure and overwhelming, making his vision fill with white spots even in complete darkness.
His bones began to be exposed.
The liquid corroded slowly, but without mercy. It was not a quick death. The plant digested with patience, as if it wanted to savor every piece.
Kyne screamed.
Not out of fear. Out of intensity.
His consciousness began to fail when the acid reached his internal organs. His heart began to burn inside his chest. His lungs filled with the corrosive liquid, causing a sensation of drowning mixed with internal combustion.
Finally, when his structure could no longer sustain itself, the pain ceased abruptly.
And death came.
…
[You have died by acidic digestion of Rank E- Carnivorous Plant.]
[You have received: Acid Resistance]
[Poison Resistance updated to Rank F+]
[You will respawn in 3… 2… 1…]
Kyne opened his eyes, lying a few meters ahead, reflexively vomiting despite there being nothing in his stomach.
He rolled onto his side, breathing deeply.
"That… was horrible. One of the worst deaths…" he said between breaths, a crooked smile slowly appearing.
"But extremely informative."
He stood up and cast one last glance at the plant. It was closed again, motionless, as if nothing had happened.
He moved on.
…
The rest of the day was… eventful.
Kyne died when a swarm of tiny, almost invisible insects emerged from the ground and entered through his mouth and nostrils while he was breathing distractedly. They devoured his lungs from the inside before he could react.
[Parasite Resistance updated to Rank F]
He died again when an apparently ordinary branch fell from a tree, piercing his shoulder and punching through his heart with absurd force.
[Impact Resistance updated to Rank E-]
At another moment, a greenish slime slid down from a rock and enveloped him, slowly dissolving his legs while holding him in place.
[Acid Resistance updated to Rank F]
Kyne wondered if he was unlucky today or, in fact, extremely lucky.
Each death came accompanied by pain. Some quick. Others far too long.
And each return left him a little more… adapted.
When the sky began to darken, Kyne decided to stop.
He returned to the riverbank, sat on a smooth rock, and watched the flow of the water as night fell. The fatigue was not physical, his body always returned perfect, but mental.
He slept right there, leaning against a tree, the sound of the river as a constant background.
…
The next day, he continued.
He walked for hours. The forest seemed endless. Trees, more trees, and still more trees. No sign of open fields. No road. No ruins.
Until the sound began.
At first, it was distant. A continuous, deep roar that made the ground vibrate slightly beneath his feet.
The farther he advanced, the louder it became.
The river began to accelerate. The current became aggressive, the water foaming against the rocks.
Then, the forest opened.
Kyne stopped.
Ahead of him, the river ended abruptly.
A colossal waterfall plunged down an absurd cliff, so deep that the bottom was not visible. The water fell like a white wall, disappearing into a constant mist that rose dozens of meters.
The wind was strong, pushed by the massive fall of water. It struck Kyne's face, making his hair whip violently.
He began to laugh.
A genuine laugh, loose, almost childlike.
The landscape was overwhelming.
As far as his eyes could see, there was only forest. No city. No plain. No sign of an end. Only green, purple, and silver to the horizon.
Kyne took a deep breath.
"Did I choose the wrong side to follow?" he murmured, thoughtful.
His eyes lowered to the abyss below the waterfall.
For a moment, the idea arose. Clear. Tempting.
To jump.
To feel the impact. The endless fall. The final crushing.
He stood there for long seconds, the wind howling around him, his body leaning forward.
Then, he sighed.
"No," he said to himself, taking a step back.
"Not yet."
There would be other chances in the future.
Kyne slowly turned, casting one last look at the waterfall before turning around. He began to follow the path back, now against the river's current.
Perhaps on the other side it would be the same, just forest. But perhaps not.
He decided that he preferred to test that before getting lost in an infinite forest.
And so, with the sound of the waterfall growing ever more distant, Kyne continued his journey, returning along the path from which he came.