I had no memory of what I had done, but the experience I gained must have been deeply engraved in my soul. Essential knowledge filled my mind, but it went beyond basic facts.
Combat skills were ingrained in my muscles, along with various fighting techniques, even though I couldn't recall where or how I learned them. I was lost in this strange world, but far from helpless.
Pulling my focus back to the present, I concentrated on my surroundings. I slowed my pace as I approached the area where I had first awoken and scanned the trees, but saw no initial sign of Cindy.
Then I spotted flattened, torn moss forming a faint trail leading deeper into the woods. I broke into a cautious jog, far more alert now. We were well past the territory Renna had explored, and even she had seemed unconcerned about this area.
I still had no idea what kind of "monsters" existed here, since neither Renna nor Elder Lily had offered specific details. For now, I decided to treat anything non-human as a threat—unless it started talking to me, in which case I'd reassess.
"Raaaawr!"
The sound of battle echoed through the trees ahead. Moments later, I spotted Cindy's back. She was facing a massive, green-scaled lizard—a creature that looked like pure nightmare fuel. It stood on four thick legs, boasting a massive frilled sail running along its back from its head down to its tail.
"Are you okay?" I called out, but Cindy didn't turn or speak.
I rushed to her side. Her face was locked in absolute terror, frozen in an unnatural, rigid stance. Whatever this beast was, it had paralyzed her. Knowing nothing about its abilities, I wasn't going to engage it recklessly. My priority was saving this idiot. I could always come back and kill the beast later, even if my instincts urged me to fight it now.
I scooped Cindy up, threw her over my shoulder, and bolted. Behind us, the fifteen-foot lizard let out another roar, its clawed feet tearing into the dirt.
I ran non-stop until we reached the mossy clearing where I had woken up. Setting Cindy down gently, I noticed she was still completely unresponsive, her face frozen in that same terrified expression.
I leaned down and shook her shoulder, but got no reaction. Running out of patience, I decided to try a sharper wake-up call and slapped her across the cheek.
"Ouch!" Cindy snapped out of her trance, clutching her face.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
"You just slapped me! How do you think I am?!" she yelled, rubbing her cheek.
I rolled my eyes. "Do you not remember freezing up? You were seconds away from being lizard food!"
Cindy's eyes widened. "Did you kill it?!"
I let out a laugh. "Right, killed a fifteen-foot monster with my bare hands without knowing what it was or how it paralyzed you! Of course not, dummy. I focused on getting you out safely. We can go back and hunt that bastard down together once we have proper weapons."
Cindy looked at me with a bewildered expression. "What's a 'bastard'? And how are you so strong? I can't be light to carry."
"You weren't bad," I shrugged. "Sorry about hauling you over my shoulder, but it was an emergency. What was that thing anyway?"
Cindy let out a heavy sigh. "I guess you're not going to reveal your secret. That was a lesser Terror Lizard. Normally, you can drive them off by yelling, but I made direct eye contact with it. If you have fear in your heart, its gaze paralyzes you so it can eat you alive."
I nodded. "Good to know. As for my strength, I honestly can't tell you how I got it because I don't remember. But you can train with me every day. Once I start working out, my muscle memory will kick back in, and you can follow along. Now... let's talk about what happened back in the village."
Cindy immediately looked down, avoiding my eyes. "What is there to talk about? You're the strongest now, so you can do whatever you want with me," she muttered quietly.
I sighed. "You women are way too trusting of a strange man like me, but I guess you don't know any better. I don't care about who's 'the strongest.' I want to know why you tried to hit Renna or anyone else. What does strength mean to you?"
I reached out, gently cupping Cindy's chin to pull her gaze back to mine.
"It means you get to tell people what to do!" Cindy insisted defiantly. "I was going to knock her out of the way and take you to Elder Lily myself!"
I shook my head. "Wrong. That's not what strength is. If you're the strongest in the village, people should be able to rely on you for protection. Using your power against the people you're supposed to protect completely misses the point. What you're talking about is control, not real strength."
Cindy frowned, her guard slipping slightly. "Why should I protect people who just talk behind my back?"
"Did they always talk behind your back?" I asked softly. "Or did that only start after your partner left, when you decided to take your frustration out on everyone else?"
Cindy tried to look away, but I held her gaze gently.
"They all hate me now!" she blurted out, tears welling in her eyes. "What am I supposed to do?"
I smiled, easing my grip on her chin.