The first night in the woods for a couple who grew up in the city passed very slowly. They spent the whole night without closing their eyes. In their memory, this night remained as the longest in their lives.
Fear did not allow them to take turns keeping watch, and even if they could, they would not be able to rest or sleep properly. The silence of the night, which came with the setting of the sun, made them very nervous and scared.
They didn't dare build a fire. In this world, they couldn't follow the established rules of their world, it was unknown whether their campfire would attract uninvited guests or not. The deeper the night fell, the colder it became, and the couple began to freeze.
There was a winter set of clothes in the beginner adventurer's kit, and thanks to that, they were able to find something to cover themselves with. Time passed very slowly, and when they noticed the first rays of the rising sun in this world, they were already sitting back-to-back, huddled together. Neither of them noticed how close they had become during that first and long night in another world.
Only then could they breathe out a sigh of relief, and their tension eased a little.
While they were waiting for morning, they didn't just sit there. They communicated through a mental link with each other, retelling about themselves, but in more detail. From time to time, they asked questions to the System, which answered them, and some questions were not answered.
Idan and Arabel still didn't fully understand how the System worked. Sometimes she was generous with answers, and sometimes she was silent, unable to help even the simplest questions.
With the first rays of the sun, the air began to gradually warm up, and the first signs of the forest awakening appeared. Birds could be heard starting their morning concert everywhere, and the noise of the forest became more polyphonic.
Idan and Arabel were incredibly grateful to the System for the reward of beginner adventurer's kit. In these last hours of his life, he became their salvation. At night, they managed to get hungry and were able to satisfy their hunger by finding a small set of smoked meat, which was included in the adventurer's set.
When the sky brightened, the couple dismantled the tent, put it in storage and asked the System in which direction they should move. Having received no answer, they randomly chose a direction and set off towards the unknown.
With each step, moving away from the clearing and deeper into the forest, the couple slowed down their pace. The fear of the unknown possessed them, and they moved through the unknown forest with extreme caution.
At first glance, everything seemed familiar, just like in their home world. However, upon closer inspection, one could see many differences in the trees and other plants. Even the small animals they met looked unusual and strange.
The fear that some terrible monster might jump out at any minute made them very nervous and did not allow them to relax. Arabel kept an arm's length away from Idan, almost touching him.
At any other time, Idan would have welcomed such an adventure. What guy wouldn't dream of walking alone with a beautiful girl? But at that moment, he was scared himself and couldn't enjoy the moment, despite the fact that his beautiful companion was next to him.
As soon as they set off, Arabel donned her Ghost Mask to hide her appearance. This mask looked like an ordinary wooden mask with two eye slits.
As soon as she put on the mask, it seemed to merge with her face and become like a second skin. Arabel's beautiful face turned into a plain and unattractive one. Even her long red hair was shortened to her shoulders, and its color turned black, like Idan's.
Idan was amazed at how quickly and dramatically Arabel had changed. He was clearly aware that if they were in a crowd or any other place where there were many people, no one would pay attention to her. The mask not only hid her appearance, but also absorbed the aura of her presence.
Idan was amazed that he couldn't sense her with his Soul Force. This discovery was a real revelation for both of them. Idan asked Arabel to always wear it in places where there are other people because she looked too attractive. Even without seeing the locals, he could tell that without this mask, she would stand out among them and this could lead to potential problems.
Arabel was glad to hear his praise and concern for her safety. She promised that she would always wear a mask, except when they were alone. She also told Idan that maybe he would stand out among the locals too. In her opinion, he looked pretty good, although not as attractive as the stars and young people from the upper society of their world, who from birth take care of their appearance and use all available means to look perfect.
As the System said, as their level increases, their attractiveness will grow, and they will become even more beautiful. And she was convinced that he would turn into an attractive young man. Even now, she liked his appearance, and she didn't have any negative feelings for him.
The couple slowly moved deeper into the forest, not realizing where they were going. Soon they met their first local resident, a rabbit. But it was an unusual rabbit, not at all like its relatives in their world.
If ordinary rabbits in their world were about 20-30 centimeters long, then this "alien" rabbit reached about a meter. But the most amazing thing about it were the long and sharp claws dripping with blood.
When Idan and Arabel saw him, the rabbit was enjoying a meal, devouring a small unknown creature. He had already eaten half of its body, and it was difficult for Idan and Arabel to imagine what this poor animal looked like.
Noticing the presence of the couple, the rabbit stopped abruptly and turned his gaze on them. When their eyes met, Idan and Arabel got goosebumps. They saw joy and anticipation in the rabbit's eyes.
They could tell that at that moment, the rabbit was looking at them like prey.