Chapter 17: Still Alive

... I'm still alive.

I don't know how, but I'm still alive.

It's so sudden that even the sight of the lashing tentacles in front of me doesn't make me flail around in panic due to the shock of just what happened.

I fell five stories above, and I'm still alive!

How?

I don't know.

I just fell headfirst into the concrete, and instead of feeling the hard concrete, it feels like I just landed on some sort of cushion. I don't hear any sound of bones breaking, nor do I feel any pain racking my mind or something. I just fell, and then I'm here sitting in my bum while watching blankly on the tentacle that was lashing out on everything.

... R-right... I don't have time to be staring stupidly on this tentacle monster. I have to go back to my base!

I stood up, and then rushed towards the entrance of the condominium before stopping.

... Oh right, I can just jump back to my starting point!

My mind was so frazzled that I couldn't think straight. Even something as crucial as my ability to return back to my starting point in reality was forgotten.

Dammit! Get a grip, Yakumo!

I immediately jump back to the starting point, and then find my vision flickering into the wall of my base.

After I returned, I felt my knees go weak as all the shock from that sudden event was finally processed by my mind, and at the same time relief flooded my veins.

I... almost died...

No, I think I didn't?

I'm still trying to make sense of what just happened.

What actually happened?

______________________

The screeching noises from the outside were the only sounds that accompanied me from my thoughts before I finally calmed down enough to think things through.

Right, I fell. Somehow, I survived. Instead of pain, its only a sensation of something warm being drained within me. I knew that warmth. It's the mana within me that got drained when I hit the ground!

Does that mean my mana acts as a shield for me while I'm in the Faded World?

I have to test that later.

Next, I have to check what was happening outside.

"Faded World."

I whispered to myself as I willed myself to jump to the monochrome version of this world. After the brief sensation of being yanked forward, I arrived at the Faded World once more. A slight headache is forming in my head, so I have to do this as fast as possible. I still haven't recovered my mana yet.

I stood up and walked towards the balcony of my base. When I got there, the sight beyond made me speechless.

"Oh god..."

The outside looked as if a torrential storm had laid waste to the streets. No, it was more akin to disaster videos or those abandoned urban towns with broken walls and dilapidated buildings. The house facing the side of this building was thoroughly broken, and looking on the side, my body shuddered at the sight of a large gash on that side. It looked as if someone just gouged out a part of that condominium with a giant claw. The wall, the balcony, even the room itself was gone, and the interior of that side was bare for all to see. Debris and pieces of unknown flesh were scattered all around the streets and most on the slime-like body of that tentacle below. All of the debris from its body was slowly sinking within it while making bubbling sounds.

"... This is bad..."

I immediately walked back to my base and then jumped back to the real world while my heart beat hard in fear.

That is so scary!

So that monster can break buildings with its tentacles!?

How could someone fight that!?

Even if there was some lucky survivor out there who knew how to hunt the common zombies around here, that tentacle was so dangerous that I'm sure they would just die if they attempted to fight it. Those tentacles moved faster than I could process with my naked eyes. If not for my power, I would already be a red smear on the side of the road!

Why am I living so close to that kind of creature? I should leave right now!

There is no need to think so much about it. Staying here is going to be dangerous!

I have to leave!

____________________

With my mind made up, I quickly started making preparations to look for my next base. I have a few hours left before my mana recovered. That was more than enough time for me to prepare.

First, I took a bell and strings. They would be important for making an early warning system around my new base. Next was food. Other than canned tuna and beef cup ramen, I also got canned peaches from my scavenging on this floor. They were important, so I took them too. Next was my phone, and then the flashlight. The water bottle was also important. I took anything I felt like I needed until I'm all set up. I didn't forget my weapon, and then my bike too. Even the power lamp was important because I needed light, and I also took a sleeping bag and a blanket while I'm at it.

As I was doing that, I was alert to any noise occurring outside. No one has come and triggered my makeshift alarm yet, though I still felt nervous. It's not just the zombies I'm anxious about. There was also that tentacle, and I think I also heard a lot of wings flapping outside. It felt like even the monstrous birds has been disturbed by the sudden rampage of that tentacle.

I regret ever trying to attack that tentacle.

But it doesn't matter. Even if I don't attack it, soon it will reach my side. It is inevitable that I will be poking that monster even if I don't do it now.

I either have to fight it or leave, and I chose to leave!

No way am I fighting it!

Survival is my priority here. I shouldn't be trying to let my ego dictate my actions. This might be cowardly, but who cares? At least I survive!

I stared at the timer on my phone, feeling restless as I waited for the sense of fullness within my mana container. I needed at least three hours, as I have used up half of my mana from that brief stint alone. That three hours felt so long.

What else should I do? Did I forget anything? Impatience and fear made me look around. Constantly checking my backpack and even throwing some stuff back only to bring it back to my backpack again. I felt so confused. Am I even bringing the necessary stuff for my survival, or am I just creating burdens for myself?

As soon as I felt that sense of fullness within me, I immediately wore my backpack, wore my shoes, and then straightened my winter jacket before touching the handles of my bike while I faced the entrance of my base.

I took a deep breath and then exhaled. I repeated that once more before feeling a sense of calm within my beating heart.

"Okay, let's go."

With that, I pushed the bike towards the door as I mentally activated my ability.

Faded World.

The light of the room turned into black and white before I passed through the door of this room. Without stopping, I walked past the barricades I made, stepping on the stairs while pushing the bike without even carrying it in my arms.

I know the Faded World drains twice as much mana as the usual jump within an empty mirror world, but unlike just jumping into a mirror world, the Faded World would let me know whether the place I am standing on was safe or not. I could see what was happening in the real world, so even if my duration was halved by using this, it was the safest option for me if I wanted to immediately erect my new base.

I walked briskly while ignoring the obstacles in my surroundings. The railings of the stairs and even the walls of the building don't matter, as I moved without regard to how I handled my bike. The quicker I could leave this building, the better!

On the fourth floor, zombies littered the place. I ignored them as I continued moving down the set of stairs. As I descended the floors of this condominium, I could see a large crowd of these walking dead. If not for their slightly translucent appearance, which let me see passed through them, I might have gotten lost with how much they bundled themselves in these flights of stairs.

When I got to the first floor, I didn't bother looking for the entrance. I walked past the walls and then found myself already facing the streets.

That took less than five minutes. This was faster than doing this normally in an empty alternate world.

I looked behind me for a brief moment before shaking my head.

Tsk... As I expected, this place is just a temporary base. It cannot be a permanent sanctuary for me.

It's a shame, but just a glance at that tentacle monster made my body shudder in fear. I pushed my bike once more before jumping forward, riding the bike even with the burden behind me. Without looking back, I rode my bike forward, leaving this place while passing through obstacles as if they weren't there in my path.

I have to find a place that doesn't have that kind of tentacle monster!