The wind, which had rarely blown before, grazed his bearded face roughly and passed by. The occasional cries of an unidentified bird grated on his nerves even more.
The massive trunks filling his view and the tough shrubs with gnarled branches intertwined between them continued to exude a gloomy atmosphere. Still, it was some comfort that they looked a bit more like “living trees” compared to a few days ago.
Jiwoon settled in a suitable spot and did some calculations.
“Another day is gone…”
Three days had passed already.
But Jiwoon still hadn’t escaped the forest.
For an adult male, walking 3–4 kilometers per hour was typical on flat terrain. In the mountains, one could manage 3 kilometers per hour with a quick pace. But that was assuming there was a trail.
This forest, however, had no trails.
Occasionally, there were faint traces of animals passing through, but those were far from paths humans could use.
Pushing through this pathless forest while avoiding muddy swamps, Jiwoon estimated his pace to be about 2 kilometers per hour. Assuming he walked eight hours a day with breaks, he figured he’d covered no more than 40 kilometers over three days.
Three and a half days for just 40 kilometers. It wasn’t much, but in another sense, it was “quite an achievement.”
In other words, the forest was so vast that even after walking “a whole 40 kilometers,” its end remained unfathomable. Without a compass, he might have assumed he was going in circles.
Click!
“Whew…”
The thick cigarette smoke scattered as chaotically as his thoughts. It momentarily caught the sunlight filtering through the narrow gaps between the leaves, then disappeared into the darkness.
“How much further do I have to go? Damn it!”
Despite conserving as much as he could, Jiwoon was down to his last bit of animal meat. After today, he’d have nothing left. For drinkable liquids, he had a single can of ionized water and a pack of soju, which he had refrained from touching until now.
Surviving three days on just two cans of coffee was practically a miracle.
Jiwoon wasn’t a heavy drinker of water. Since childhood, he’d been peculiar in that even during hot summers, he didn’t drink much water. It wasn’t a health issue—just his unique constitution.
Well, at least I have one thing that sets me apart.
Jiwoon, who considered himself mediocre in most things, could at least claim to possess the rare skill of “surviving on minimal water.” Not exactly a point of pride, but still.
Thanks to his constitution, he hadn’t felt excessive thirst despite subsisting on so little. He figured he could stretch his remaining liquids for a week if he rationed carefully.
“Drinks are the least of my worries; it’s the food that’s the problem.”
Thinking about food brought a fresh wave of despair. Smoking on an empty stomach left his belly aching. The hunger gnawed at him, but there was nothing to eat.
He stared at the little meat left and pondered briefly.
Should I just eat it?
The decision didn’t take long. The meat would spoil by tomorrow anyway. Better to eat it now than let it go to waste.
And Jiwoon still had one last cup noodle left, saved for the direst of times.
“Whew…”
Tending the campfire, Jiwoon sighed deeply. It felt like navigating an endless maze.
The one comfort was that the forest environment had begun to change.
The soil was firmer and softer compared to where he’d first regained consciousness. By midday, he no longer encountered the shallow swamps that had sucked at his knees every hour before.
Though the air still felt heavy and gloomy, the green of the forest seemed to grow a bit more vibrant. The breeze, once rare, now blew refreshingly cool.
These are good signs.
The lack of visible animals remained troubling, but with such noticeable changes, Jiwoon felt he might see some soon.
He clung to this optimistic thought. While undue optimism should be avoided in dire situations, hope was essential to keep going.
“Yaaawn…”
As these thoughts crossed his mind, fatigue hit him. Jiwoon stoked the fire, then layed down for a while before heading where he was guided to.
“Haha… Ahahaha! I’m alive! I’m alive!”
Laughing like a madman, Jiwoon jumped for joy.
After three and a half days of wandering the forest—over 50 kilometers—he’d finally found something.
It was a river.
Before his eyes, a river about 20 meters wide flowed steadily. Overwhelmed by relief, Jiwoon let out a whoop of joy as though he’d discovered treasure.
His discovery was nothing short of miraculous, aided by his sharpened senses of smell and hearing, honed over the past three days in the wild.
Through the suffocating scents of the forest, Jiwoon had caught a whiff of salty water. Pursuing it relentlessly, he pressed forward.
Soon after, his ears picked up an unfamiliar sound piercing the quiet forest.
Whooooosh!
As soon as he heard it, Jiwoon ran like a madman.
His combat uniform tore on vines, and he tripped over roots, but he didn’t care.
After what felt like forever, Jiwoon finally saw it—a river.
“Ahahaha! A river! Water! Ahahaha!”
Wading into the river, Jiwoon reveled in the cool sensation of the flowing water. Hunger didn’t matter anymore. He drank the clear river water greedily.
“Oh! Fish! Haha!”
In the transparent water, fairly large fish swam freely. Jiwoon tried to catch one with his bare hands, but they slipped away easily.
“Damn it! Right, a spear!”
Rushing back to the riverbank, Jiwoon grabbed a wooden spear and carefully waded back in. He spotted a few palm-sized fish swimming along the current and thrust the spear.
Thud!
Though the sound was satisfying, it missed its mark.
“Damn it…”
Thud! Thud!
He tried predicting the fish’s movements, aiming slightly off, but the result was the same.
Of course, no fish was foolish enough to get caught by an amateur.
“Damn it… This isn’t as easy as it looks.”
Abandoning the spear, Jiwoon lit a cigarette and thought of another plan. A less effort-intensive way to catch fish…
“That’s it!”
Heading back into the forest, Jiwoon gathered tough vines. He planned to make a net.
With an abundance of tangled vines, he quickly collected enough to get started. Using his Swiss Army knife, Jiwoon worked diligently—twisting, tying, cutting, and weaving.
In about 20 minutes, he’d fashioned a small net big enough to catch a single fish.
Inside the net, he placed an empty coffee can that still had a few scraps of meat clinging to it, using it as bait. He also added two fist-sized stones for weight.
“Done. Let’s see how this works.”
Removing his combat boots and rolling up his pants, Jiwoon cautiously waded into the water. He spotted a few fish swimming nearby and gently lowered the vine net into the river.
“Burp!”
Jiwoon let out a long belch as fish bones piled up around him. The vine net he had crafted worked absurdly well, catching fish in no time. Snaring around ten fish took only moments.
After gorging himself on roasted fish until his belly felt ready to burst, Jiwoon lit a cigarette. Sleepiness crept over him—it was natural, considering he’d fasted for an entire day before feasting.
But Jiwoon shook his head vigorously, dispelling the drowsiness. Though he’d quenched his thirst and filled his stomach, he still had a long way to go.
“Guess I’ll wash up first.”
His appearance was a mess. Stripping off his combat uniform, Jiwoon pulled out soap and shampoo from his wash kit.
“This grime’s no joke.”
As he scrubbed his body with soap, dark streaks of filth spread in the once-clear river. Jiwoon didn’t mind, washing his hair and brushing his teeth with satisfaction.
“Phew… now that’s refreshing!”
Finally, after washing his undergarments, Jiwoon felt content. Once his combat boots were mostly dry, he prepared to set out again. He carefully tied his still-damp underwear to his bag and began walking along the riverbank.
Life originates from water. Ancient human civilizations were often born along rivers. Jiwoon figured this place wouldn’t be any different, so he followed the river downstream.
Pebble-covered stretches alternated with dense vegetation, and just as he’d get through the thick bushes, another narrow pebbled bank would appear. As the river gradually widened, Jiwoon held onto hope that he’d soon come across a small village.
“Huh?”
Pushing through a patch of tall grass, he emerged onto a spacious pebble field. The river narrowed here, making it possible to cross to the other side.
Quickly, Jiwoon moved toward the pebble field. The narrowing current was rough, but crossing seemed feasible.
“Alright.”
Putting his bag above his head, Jiwoon stepped into the water without hesitation. The current was far stronger than it looked from the outside, making it difficult to keep his balance. The shifting water threatened to topple him with every step, but Jiwoon pressed forward, cautiously regaining his center each time.
Then it happened.
Fwoosh!
“Huh?”
A sudden sound came from just two meters ahead of him, as something zipped into the water at high speed. Jiwoon couldn’t tell what it was, but one thing was clear—it had come from behind him.
His head whipped around.
“What…?”
In the forest beyond the pebble field, a small figure moved. It was too dark and distant for Jiwoon to see clearly, but one fact stood out: the figure walked on two legs.
“A person?”
Startled, Jiwoon forgot he was still in the river. Hastily, he tried to move, nearly losing his footing and falling into the water before regaining his balance.
With renewed hope glimmering in his eyes, Jiwoon turned back toward the figure and called out.
“Hey! Over here! It’s a person! Hello! Can you hear me?”
There was no response.
Jiwoon waded back toward the shore, shouting repeatedly.
“Is anyone there? Hello? Please, look this way!”
From deep within the forest, something emerged. Whatever it was, it walked on two legs as well.
A person—it’s a person!
Jiwoon’s emotions surged, tears of relief welling up in his eyes. He pushed through the water, yelling.
“Here! I’m here! Hey! Please, say something!”
But the “person” stood still, unmoving.
Then, more figures emerged from the forest—several of them.
Seeing the group, Jiwoon cried out in mixed relief, excitement, and desperation.
“Wait there! I’m coming! Please, talk to me! Say something!”
There was no way they hadn’t heard his shouts. Yet, they remained silent.
Soon, the group grew to about ten figures, all walking closer. Jiwoon, likewise, hurried toward them, splashing through the river—until he stopped dead in his tracks.
“What…?”
Jiwoon’s half-squinted eyes widened in shock, growing impossibly large in an instant.
What approached him had the shape of “people,” but they were anything but human.
Ragged clothing, crudely crafted clubs, and a few even carried what resembled makeshift spears. At first glance, they might have been mistaken for primitive tribesmen from remote African or Pacific islands around the early 20th century.
But what filled Jiwoon with dread was something else entirely.
Their grotesque proportions—short, stocky bodies no more than four feet tall. Sickly green skin that looked dirty and unnerving. Bald heads, short, thick limbs, and oversized faces twice as large as a human’s.
As a fantasy novelist, Jiwoon recognized these creatures better than anyone.
They were…
“Orcs?”
Orcs.
A staple of fantasy fiction since Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, where they first appeared. Ever since, they’ve been an indispensable part of fantasy literature.
Their origins are debated—some say their name comes from the “Oak” trees they were said to inhabit; others trace it to the barbarian hordes that ravaged medieval Europe. But nothing is certain.
Typically, orcs are depicted as less intelligent than humans and fearful of sunlight. Yet in some stories and games, they are portrayed as powerful creatures of darkness.
Most often, though, orcs are described as weaker and dumber than humans, cowardly and deceitful, moving in packs.
But no matter their intelligence, skin color, or societal structure, one truth about orcs remains constant:
Orcs are hostile towards humans.
(To be continued…)
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