Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1272: Awakeners In The Land Of Origin [1]

Bok did not know exactly when it had happened.

Was it three days ago? Or four? He could no longer tell.

All he knew was that when he woke up, he was no longer in his room.

Bok’s thoughts returned to the moment he first "awakened."

Instead of the familiar wooden ceiling above his bed, he had opened his eyes to an endless canopy of leaves. Sunlight slipped through the branches in scattered beams, while insects buzzed somewhere within the surrounding undergrowth.

The ground beneath him was cold and slightly damp.

For several long seconds, Bok simply lay there.

His mind felt sluggish, and his body was strangely heavy. There was also an unfamiliar ache in his shoulders, arms, and lower back, as though he had spent the previous day doing hard physical labour.

Yet beneath that soreness was something else, a faint sense that his limbs responded a little too easily, as if lifting himself would take less effort than it should. It wasn’t a large difference. He could have dismissed it as his imagination. But it was there.

When he finally sat up, dried leaves fell from his chest.

His confusion only deepened when he looked down.

He was wearing farmer’s clothes.

The loose brown shirt was made from rough fabric, with patches around the elbows and several dark stains across the front. His trousers were not much better. They were worn, slightly oversized, and held around his waist by a narrow strip of leather.

A cold feeling crawled down his spine.

Had he been kidnapped? The possibility caused him to jump to his feet and look around frantically.

"Hello?"

His voice traveled through the forest, but no one answered.

"Is anyone there?"

Only the rustling leaves responded.

Bok searched himself for injuries. Aside from the aches across his body, he found none. His clothes were intact, and there were no ropes, chains, or signs that someone had restrained him. But that did little to reassure him.

If he had been kidnapped, why had they abandoned him inside a forest? Unless they had not abandoned him. Perhaps they were watching from somewhere nearby.

The thought made his breathing quicken. He turned in a slow circle, examining every tree and bush. Each shadow suddenly looked like a person waiting to emerge. Every sound caused his heart to leap as another possibility entered his mind.

Was it that someone had discovered what he had done?

Bok’s face lost what little colour it had left. He dropped to his knees at once.

"I’m sorry!"

His voice startled several birds from a nearby tree.

They flew into the air as Bok pressed his palms together and looked toward the sky.

"I swear I’ll never do it again!"

Three days earlier, he and several of his friends had sneaked out at night to spy on the prettiest widow in the village.

Everyone knew the village chief visited her occasionally. No one said it openly, especially since the village chief already had a wife, but his visits were hardly a secret.

That night, Bok’s friends claimed the two of them would meet beside the river.

They had hidden behind some bushes and waited.

Unfortunately, what they witnessed was considerably more than a simple meeting.

At the time, Bok had found the entire thing exciting.

Now, abandoned in a forest with no idea how he arrived there, he could only assume that some higher power was punishing him.

"I didn’t suggest it!" he shouted. "It was Fern! He said we should follow them!"

That was true.

It had been Fern’s idea.

However, Bok had agreed almost at once.

He had even brought food so they would not become hungry while waiting.

"I only watched for a little while!"

That was less true.

He had watched until the end.

Bok remained on his knees for some time, confessing everything he could remember. He apologized to the widow, the village chief, the village chief’s wife, and any unknown god who might have taken offence.

Nothing happened.

No divine voice responded, nor did any bolt of lightning descend from the sky.

After several minutes, his breathing gradually settled.

Bok rose cautiously and brushed the dirt from his knees. His fear had not disappeared, but it had reduced enough for him to observe his surroundings properly.

The forest was thick, but it was not especially dark. The trees were spread far enough apart for sunlight to reach the ground, and there was little vegetation blocking the path ahead.

A narrow trail ran between the trees.

Bok stared at it. Something about it seemed familiar.

He turned toward a large tree on his left. Its trunk divided into two thick sections several meters above the ground, and one of its roots rose from the earth like the back of a sleeping animal.

He had seen it before.

Bok slowly approached the tree and placed his hand against its bark.

His gaze shifted toward the path again. The more he looked around, the more familiar the forest became.

It was located just outside the village.

People came here to collect firewood, forage for edible plants, and hunt small animals. The area was relatively safe as long as they remained near the outskirts.

Going deeper was dangerous, since there were goblins inside the forest.

The creatures were small, weak, and cowardly. In a one-on-one fight, even an ordinary farmer could kill one with a hoe or pitchfork.

The problem was that goblins rarely fought alone.

They gathered in groups, set crude traps, and attacked from several directions. When villagers discovered more than a few of them nearby, they usually gathered money and sent a request to the Adventurers’ Guild.

Trying to eliminate a group without trained help could end with the entire village being attacked in retaliation.

Bok swallowed and looked toward the path leading out of the forest.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the village was less than half an hour away.

He wondered if he should return, but what if whoever had placed him here was still nearby?

Unfortunately, he could only choose this or venture deeper into the forest.