(…What did I leave behind?)

The darkness remains thick, barely distinguishable from a shapeless mass.

After a while, the morning sun appears.

As light dispels the darkness, the surrounding scenery gradually comes into focus.

"Ugh… No way…"

It was a crimson mass.

As large as a small hill, it was the grotesque remains of the giant ape that had terrified me so much.

Its arms, legs, and neck had been severed and piled haphazardly.

Not just the adult ape, but two baby apes as well had been slaughtered in the same manner.

"Was it him… who did this?"

After the darkness's master vanished, it took only about ten or twenty seconds until I heard the thudding sounds.

In that brief moment, it had accomplished all this.

An entity beyond all limits.

Even that great ape had been a being almost like a manifestation of violence. And yet, there was someone who could slaughter it so easily.

It disappeared at dawn, but nights will come again and again. And yet, I must walk through the night... Just thinking about the next night fills me with dread.

"Anyway, what should I do...?"

With the embodiment of darkness gone and the great ape dead, one could say the immediate crisis had passed.

Though the thought of that dark monster returning is terrifying, during the day at least, I seem safe.

But I've used up another barrier stone. There's still plenty of time left, but what should I do now?

If I remove the barrier now, I'll have to walk during the day.

Even if I wait until the barrier's effect ends, it will wear off at 2:30 PM, meaning I'll still have to walk eventually.

It's impossible to tell just how much the danger in the forest has diminished since the great ape disappeared.

"……In the end, I'll just have to walk and see for myself. But first, what should I do about this 'gift'?"

The Lord of Darkness certainly referred to it as a "gift."

What am I supposed to do with such a powerful corpse?

Worrying about it won't help. I decided to use a hint instead.

The last hint proved extremely useful. Considering what one crystal can grant, the information might be unusually valuable.

I opened the status board and checked the number of crystals.

"……? It's increased again."

The crystal count had risen from four to six.

Checking the log, it appears each was awarded for achieving '【100 Million Daily Viewers】' and '【Encounter with the Great Spirit】', one crystal each.

"Even if one hundred million people a day is plausible... meeting a great spirit?"

All I've encountered so far is that giant ape and a monster born from darkness.

So that dark monster must be the 'Great Spirit.'

"Darkness... a Great Spirit of Darkness..."

That makes sense now—everything that being said starts to align.

After all, I've used the dark spirit magic countless times.

Either way, it's fortunate that I obtained the crystal.

For now, it's just a clue.

crystal to hear a 'Clue for Survival'? YES · NO>

Touching YES, and the answer appeared instantly.

'Obtain the spoils'>

Spoils...?

Not something earned through battle, but still—bodies are bodies.

It seems something can be gained from that place.

For example, things like skin, bones, tusks, eyes, or internal organs—perhaps those could become medicine or raw materials. But with no bag to carry anything, I can't handle large items.

(Maybe I should try using Monster Identification...)

Monster Identification reveals information about the monster you encountered most recently, for one crystal.

crystal to perform "Monster Identification"? YES · NO>

Touching YES displayed the identification result for the giant ape.

I had hoped to obtain information about that shadow entity, but apparently even dead monsters count as "recently encountered."

Alternatively, perhaps the Great Spirit isn't classified as a monster.

'Homura Shōjō ( Shōjō ): Monster Form — A giant ape emitting flames from its entire body. Extremely strong, agile, and capable of breathing fire from its mouth. Those transformed into this Monster Form typically become the apex predator ( top predator ) in their habitat. Omnivorous with a vast territory, they exhibit a rare trait of continuing to raise their young even after transforming. The specimen in question is known as "Complete Monster Form" and "Elimination Predator." The chance of obtaining a Spirit Stone is 20% fire, 80% chaos, and 0% purity.

A remarkably detailed鉴定 result was obtained.

However, many terms remain unclear. What exactly does "Monster Form" mean...?

Regardless, it's clear this individual is exceptionally powerful.

(And the spirit stone… does that mean it's somewhere inside my body?)

That's about all the description there is for what might be obtained as loot.

Of course, fangs, bones, hair—there might be some money to be made if I could carry them out—but

"Heh heh. Haha, how absurd."

The sheer ridiculousness of thinking about cashing in on them after escaping the forest, in a life-or-death situation, made me laugh out loud naturally.

But maybe that's what it means to keep living.

Thinking ahead to the future. If you lose even that hope, you’d lose the will to move forward too.

"Go outside?"

I spent one point to prepare a new barrier stone, then dismantled the barrier.

If this ape is the top predator in this region, there shouldn’t be any dangerous creatures around.

That leaves six points remaining.

"Ugh."

The outside was filled with the thick, dense smell of blood.

I was anxious that this scent might attract other carnivores. I had to quickly secure the "loot."

Still, the ape was a giant, standing four meters tall. With no weapon and just my bare hands, I couldn't even dismember the corpse.

If I used a crystal, I might be able to obtain a small knife—

but as I was rearranging the lifeless body of a young ape still warm with life, something transparent, like a gem, peeked out from the neck wound.

"Is this it...?"

Even as I gagged, I reached in and pulled it out—what I found was a transparent stone, about the size of a tennis ball.

It resembled crystal, yet the idea of such a thing being inside a body felt strangely unnatural.

The other young monkey also had the same transparent stone inside it.

"Could it be that this is located throughout the entire body?"

I don't know, but there's no time. It's impossible to disassemble the monkey's body here, and I don't have any tools. More than that, it's psychologically impossible—I even feel like I should bury the corpse.

"The big ape... uh, it's still warm."

Putting my hand into the cut still retaining body heat was tough, but the clue was undeniable.

For survival, it's crucial to take this stone here.

It might not be the right time now, but there will surely come a moment when it will be invaluable.

"...Is this it? It's big."

Finally, after about 15 centimeters into the cut, I found the stone.

It was a gem larger than a fist, not transparent, nor red like body hair, but containing a dazzling array of colors trapped within.

"What was it again, something like this gem existed...?"

Probably an opal. It felt close to that.

Anyway, this was likely all I could acquire as loot right now.

Currently, 6 a.m.

I tore off the sleeve of my jacket, tied it shut, and stuffed three spirit stones inside.

It could serve as a makeshift weapon if swung around.

"Darkness Fog"

The great spirit of darkness was terrifying, but without spirit magic, passing through the forest was impossible.

I wrapped myself in darkness and began walking, leaving the corpses of the giant apes behind.

350 kilometers remaining.

It was the morning of the fourth day since arriving in this other world.

Remaining points: 6

Remaining Crystal Count: 4