Book Restoration System: Savior Of The Forsaken Legends [BL]

Auri woke up to the beam of sunlight flittering through the leaves and hitting his face. It was morning—his second one in this world. The events before his transmigration felt like a distant dream as his new reality unfolded in front of him in varying shades of green.

Pushing himself up, the sight of the squirrel-like animal rummaging through his satchel greeted him. Upon sensing his stare, the creature scurried away, leaving the wild berries he gathered yesterday on the ground.

'Little thief!'

Auri turned to the log Darius was occupying last night, but the blond man was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found a folded piece of parchment on the ground laying next to him, weighed down by a small piece of rock.

'Wait by the waterfall. I'll be back before noon.'

"He must have gone to the ruined temple at the summit while I was asleep," Auri mumbled, folding the paper close with a click of his tongue. "He really just couldn't take my words for it."

With nothing else to do, Auri folded the blanket Darius lent him and made his way down to where he first saw the enigmatic swordsman.

The earthy scent of moss soaked the mountain air, making every breath felt like he's becoming one with nature. The morning dew clung to his skin as he passed through the damp forest path, and as he got closer, the relentless sound of water crashing down on boulders grew louder.

Auri didn't get the chance to soak in the water yesterday since Darius occupied the area first. He had also stayed hidden since he didn't want to catch the man's attention so carelessly, but all that was useless since Darius was aware of his presence all along. In the end, it just made him feel dumb for trying to hide, though there was no need for that anymore since they had gotten acquainted.

Removing his cloak, Auri placed it on a small boulder along with Darius' blanket and made his way to the edge of the lake. The water was clear and serene blue, its surface spread out like a liquid mirror reflecting the morning sky, disturbed only by the rushing water from the waterfall.

Auri crouched down to scoop a handful of water and washed his face. But after a couple of splashes, something in his reflection caught his attention, and his jaw dropped at the late discovery.

"H-How?" Auri ran his wet fingers through his now silver-colored hair. "Did I just get a hair makeover when I transmigrated?"

Auri studied his reflection more. It didn't give him as much detail as what an actual mirror could provide, but it was enough to let him know what had changed in his appearance. Thankfully, aside from the color of his hair, his facial structure still almost looked the same.

"I guess whoever sent me here thought it's not necessary to change my face." Auri checked his appearance one last time before he shrugged. "Well, it's not like I need a new one. I'm already handsome, anyway."

The rustling of leaves caught his ears, and as if nature wanted to disagree with his statement, a massive wild boar emerged through the bushes and charged towards him with terrifying speed.

"Holy shit—"

Instinct kicked in.

Auri dove into the lake before the boar's head could hit him. He paddled away from the edge and swam to the deeper part of the lake. But to his surprise, the wild boar continued to give chase as it plunged itself into the water and swam after him.

"A swimming wild pig? You've got to be kidding me!"

Auri tried to swim faster, but his lack of exercise and low stamina put him at a disadvantage. The beast caught up to him and pounced on his back, dragging him underwater.

Air bubbled out of his mouth as pain seared through his thigh. He let out a guttural cry, but the water drowned out any sound that tore from his throat. The sudden impact knocking the oxygen out of his lungs, making it harder to breathe.

Auri tried to fight back, clawing at the boar's mouth to pry it open, but the boar refused to budge. It kept its jaw locked around his thigh. Blood seeped out of his pants, the pain barely keeping him conscious. But despite his fading awareness, he saw the images clearly.

A spear. People running. A metallic hunting trap. More people. A huge wild boar being dragged away. Two little boars shivering behind the bushes.

The floating parchment appeared.

[You just used the Sub-Skill: Memory Tracing to gain insights into the memories of a living organism. Sub-Skill Branch: Life Memoirs is added to your active skills. Uploading updates to your Beginner's Manual. Please refer to the manual for more details about the Sub-Skill Branch: Life Memoirs.]

'I'm about to die, you stupid system.'

[All conditions have been met! Activating Archivist's Trace second Sub-Skill...]

Whatever information that followed became a blurred mess, his vision slowly darkening. But before his consciousness faded, he saw a person's silhouette swimming towards him. The heavy weight pressing down on him disappeared suddenly, freeing his thigh from the piercing pain.

Then, a pair of lips was on his, pushing air into his deprived lungs.

There was a moment of darkness, and then he was coughing violently, spewing water on the ground. Auri heaved, taking in as much air as he could. It hadn't been that long since he suffocated with smoke, and now he almost got drowned by a fucking wild pig. What was wrong with his damn luck lately?

"You are a fool," Darius said from above him. "You shouldn't have run into the water when you saw that thing rushing towards you."

"How the fuck would I know that damn pig could swim?"

"That's a water swine. Naturally, it could swim."

"Well, you didn't mention that in your note." Auri collapse on the ground, wincing at the pain in his thigh. "Fuck, it hurts."

Darius' hand hovered above his injured thigh, but his fingers curled in hesitation and withdrew from touching him.

"I don't think I'll be to walk with you to that village you mentioned yesterday," Auri said, closing his eyes. "It looks like I'll be staying longer on this mountain because of this."

"No, we are leaving this mountain now. We need to get your wound treated immediately."

"I'll just slow you down."

"You won't."

Suddenly, Darius slipped a hand under Auri's knees and used the other to support his back before lifting him up in the air. He glanced down at him, silencing his protest with hardened determination.

"We will reach Ruhad Fortress in less than half a day."