Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Natural

However, after around 30 minutes of ambling, I realized this was not the case. I wasn't about to give up because there was still a possibility of getting a system. The reason for continuing to think so was due to certain types of systems in webnovels where you have to do something specific to activate them, like having a near-death experience or killing your first creature.

On a side note, trekking through a desert is not fun. Don't let the cloud filter fool you into thinking it would be any cooler; it was still blistering. I felt an uncomfortable sensation from the leather armor I wore rubbing against my sweaty skin. Unfortunately, I can't just pull the armor off because the arrow is keeping it in place, and the leather is too tough to tear open even with my new body's strength. I would need some kind of knife or something else that was sharp enough to cut through the material.

Though the chestplate was locked in place, the same wasn't true for the leggings I had on. I took the pants off and carried them in my arm at the risk of looking like some kind of drugged-out male stripper, but I left the boots on because I didn't want to burn my feet on the scalding sand. Luckily, I had on some kind of loincloth, so I wasn't completely naked. At least the rubbing sensation was less prominent from the chest armor, since it was mostly the movement of my legs causing the feeling to be unbearable. While searching around for anything of interest, I tried pulling at the pants a bit, still amused by the durability the leather has shown. Well, I keep calling it "leather," but it looked more similar to crocodile hide, only yellow in color. I don't remember what exactly the patterns of crocodiles and alligators looked like, but whatever material these were made from had more of an octagonal pattern, almost like a natural chain-link armor.

I'm not sure if the yellow color is due to coloring or natural, but due to the faded look, I assumed it was natural and had just been sunbleached to some extent.

I guess this is just how thoughts trail when you have absolutely nothing to do. There isn't anything else to describe at the moment. When I looked down at the chestplate, I noticed a similarity to the pants in how a thinner, more flexible piece of leather wrapped tightly around certain joints; for example, the chestplate had one that ended at my arm, just below the shoulder. It was almost like a socket that was intended for another armor piece to be fitted over, probably a bracer of some kind. It was an interesting look into the ingenuity of more archaic beings, doing the best with what they have. I could appreciate this small glimpse of the greater world, and it just made me more eager to escape this damned desert.

I have no idea how long I've been walking, but I can feel my legs aching and my throat on fire. Every breath feels like inhaling a thick cloud of smoke. I feel like it would be best to stop and take a break, but I'm afraid if I stop to sit down for a moment, I'll pass out and never wake up.

Why am I in the middle of nowhere?

I couldn't help but ask this question over and over like a broken record because it just didn't make any goddamn sense! There were no monsters to test my mettle, and there were no villagers to raise my reputation with. Where was the journey? Where was the motherfucking plot?! It was missing; it's as if this isn't even a story; as if I've been inserted as a mob (unimportant) character into someone else's.

But no... that didn't make any sense either, because those mob MCs always get a cheat of some kind or know the story in some way. Furthermore, they do not end up in the middle of FUCKING nowhere!

Calm down.

My temple aches, and I'm not sure if it's from my raging thoughts or the dehydration. If anything, it means I shouldn't be so emotional; the rise in body temperature caused by my anger will only serve to accelerate the chances of a heatstroke. The first thing I need to do is find some shelter. The blazing sun began to fade into the horizon, taking with it the red pigmentation of the desert. So I guess it isn't actually red; it was just colored by light filtered through the weird clouds. As the darkness creeps into the landscape, I sigh in relief as the sweltering heat is replaced with a warm breeze. I certainly wish it was a cold breeze, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.

Although the situation was more bearable, it didn't dissipate my fatigue; in fact, the minor drop in temperature and waxing gloom only served to exaggerate my weariness. My legs were also about to buckle, so I prayed to the heavens for some protection.

Surprisingly, not long after this, I saw something in the distance and raspily laughed to myself. "Of course heaven wouldn't forsake its child of destiny," I mumbled aloud to nobody in particular. It was as if my plot armor was finally coming to fruition, as my prayers were answered through the cave I can see from afar.

Obviously, it would have been too harsh for the hero to be forced to sleep outside in this eerie desert. Ignoring the pain in my joints, I almost skipped to the cave in glee, anticipating the peaceful night's rest I was about to experience after the tribulations I'd endured.

While approaching the opening, I could hear howling sounds and a strange clicking noise far off behind me. I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and felt even more thankful for the cave, which would double as a well-timed hiding spot. I strutted into the mouth of the cave but stopped when I noticed a figure already inside.

I got lower to the ground and hid behind a convenient pile of rocks near the entrance of the cave and tried to get a better look at the figure. It had sickly green skin and sharp pointed ears; it looked like a person suffering from dwarfism and anorexia at the same time. The bones of the creature's ribcage were jutting out, with just a thin layer of skin covering them.

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I recognized this creature almost immediately. Although not exactly the same as the image in my mind, I could still tell that this was in fact a goblin. Depicted as one of the weakest and vilest of creatures in most works of fantasy, they certainly didn't have a good reputation. Many works also frequently asserted that these goblins were prone to animalistic acts of violence as well as having a fondness for non-consensual sexual acts with human females. Of course, that part could be made up, but it was a fact that these creatures were evil.

I found it odd that it was sitting still, facing the opposite wall, so I couldn't tell what it was doing or what its face looked like. I glanced around the cave to make sure this wasn't some kind of tribe and mentally sighed in relief when it seemed like this was the only creature here.

I couldn't help but notice a surge of desire to test my warrior might against the weak creature, but I then decided against it and chose a more cunning option. I picked up a rock from the pile and sneaked towards the oblivious creature. I was surprised when it continued to not notice, or perhaps even ignore, my presence even when I stood right behind it. I lifted the rock up with my eyes closed and smashed it down against the creature's head with a sickening crack.

My eyes open a bit, and as I watch the body slump down, I realize these goblins are even more pathetic than they are portrayed in the media. I felt next to no sympathy; I only wanted to maybe activate a leveling system with my first kill, but was unfortunately left with nothing but green stains on my clothes. To make matters worse, the blood seemed to have some kind of acidic property and burned through the weaker parts of my leather armor.

I scoffed, "What a waste of time."

The little bastard didn't even drop anything.

I grabbed a sharper rock and began smashing it against the corpse's chest and head to see if it had a "monster core," but it seems that even that trope was missing from this world. I stand back up and glance down at the disfigured corpse, wondering if I should feel some kind of disgust.

Of course not; I'm the hero.

This goblin is just a monster, and it won't be the last life I take on the path to saving this world. What I did was no different than field dressing an animal I just hunted; it's completely natural. I glanced down at the sizzling liquid and wished I had a bottle or any other container; I'm sure this stuff could come in handy. Oh well, there's no point in crying over spilt gilk. I dragged the disgusting amalgam of flesh and bones outside of the cave, careful not to get any blood on my skin. After dropping it a few meters away from the cave, I strutted back in, with the only thought being finding a decent spot to rest. Speaking of the cave, it was nothing special. There weren't any strange carvings, and it was made of the same yellowish stone I had grown used to in the desert. The only oddities were the smoothness of the walls and how the opening was at an upward angle.

When I survived the inside—sans goblin—I noticed that it wasn't very big. But I did find another opening at the far end of the cave. I stood next to the second opening and noticed how it was going down at an extremely steep angle. It seemed like if someone were to try and climb down it, they would only find themselves sliding down into the seemingly bottomless pit with nothing to grab onto in order to stop the descent.

I figured the cave was so smooth due to having been worn away by water at one point. Back on Earth, I recall how some areas were completely submerged before the water dissipated after millions of years. It was possible that this desert could have been a seafloor at one point in time.

I pondered this while searching around for something to toss down the hole, curious about how deep it actually went. After a bit of searching, I found a small rock that fit my practical desires and tossed it down the slope. I watched as it skipped before being swallowed by darkness. The only evidence of its continued existence were the "click" and "clack" sounds it made as it smacked against the cave floor, which became increasingly spaced out until the sounds vanished entirely. This tells me that either it had reached the bottom or it was no longer rolling down a slope and fell into another hole.

Either way, I decided to look more into the oddity in the morning; for now, I was completely beat. I found a corner of the floor with a bump that could emulate a pillow—albeit it was much less comfortable than one—and lay down. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes as my eyelids grew heavier until I finally drifted off.

With that, my first day in this strange new world came to an end.

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