The plan for our trip to the giant cave far into the forest was a go. However, because of how far it's situated, everyone has been preparing anything necessary to bring along and be ready with.

It has been a while since the incident with that still nameless creature. I can't find my creative juices, alright? We'll just stick to calling it a snake. It's appearance is mostly of that anyway. But it's more giant... and crawly... oh! I know, we can call it a Snader! Cuz it's weird legs look like a spiders... anyway! My point with this is that Jungkook had courageously made his trip back to where we last left that Snader. He returned bearing good news about it still laying there - very much dead. So we didn't have to fear it coming back for us after getting consciousness.

Back to our plan into the forest, there was however, one problem. We didn't have any appropriate bottle of sorts to carry drinking water along the way. Not to mention the high probability of encountering an Olfstin as we ventured deeper.

It's a dreadful feeling knowing that with my leg injury, I've lost my speed and that I'm much more helpless as one can be in a situation like that. The very thought of knowing I can possibly slow down everyone else makes me feel like I'm burdening everyone.

They're pure guys; I know they wouldn't move on or figure someway to deal with obstacles by leaving me. I haven't brought this up to any of them yet. I have a strong hunch it wouldn't end well but the topic should be discussed either way.

All of the boys are strong, don't get me wrong. I just hate the thought of them getting hurt. They're more than capable of dealing with an Olfstin when the situation arises, they'll all be equipped with a weapon. Swords to be specific.

As of today, we were trying to figure out a solution that could help us carry our drinking water with us. The only bottle we used to have was from the first puzzle we found inside the lake. Even that was shattered into pieces for reasons considered necessary.

"Can't we just resort to bringing the pot with us?" Jin inquired with a thoughtful look. I shrugged in response.

"We can, but it'll most likely slow us down. It doesn't have a lid to contain the water when being moved around, either. Plus, the weight would tire us out." Yoongi answered and I nodded, noting it down, "But if we can't find any other alternatives then that is what we'll have to stick to." I mumbled.

"What if we find some fruit.., make a hole from the top of it, empty the insides and clean it from any residues, then fill it with water?" Jimin suggested and I hummed, "We could try that." I nodded and wrote it down.

"We could store separate amounts of water in the empty seed packets." Hoseok mumbled. I puckered my lips in thought.

Tiny seed packets used for water holders as an alternative... how do we drink from that? They have a zip top that clicks in place but they're too small to store enough. Despite that, we have plenty of those empty packets to make do for a while I suppose.

"We need to be able to control our thirst and not run out of water by the end of the trip. We need to decide like a... routine. A routine where we all stop to drink water before proceeding." Jin mentioned, "We need to keep track of how much we consume as a group and avoid running out of water." He reasoned.

"True. We won't be able to restore it since the cave leads us farther away from the river." I agreed.

"What about my idea?" Hoseok chuckled lightly, "The packets are small, right? So we'd automatically want to save it for later in case. We have many empty packets just laying idly inside the pantry." He shrugged.

"Just a few hours before we start our venture, everyone should eat lots and drink more than usual so we don't begin quenching our stomachs from the start." Jimin mentioned and we all collectively nodded. "But guys, is my idea a no or a yes?? Say that much at least." Hoseok whined.

I chuckled softly, "I've written it down as something we can try, Hobi. Let's see how effective it is." I said and he nodded, finally settling with that while wearing a small grin; he's probably happy to contribute to the plan in some way.

Some of you might be wondering what the rest of the boys are doing, huh? Well, they're all out in the forest. JK, Tae and Joon are all out, hoping to find something along the path we'll be walking which will eventually lead us into the cave. They've taken a few things to keep inside the little cave I've used to save my arse on many occasions. It will be one of the few stops we'll be making to reach our destination.

"What do we do if an Olfstin shows up?" Yoongi piped in with a raised brow. "Diana can't move quickly and we have no clue how many hits will take it down. Every encounter so far has ended up with us running away." He pointed.

That's true... every encounter with that creature has ended up with me fleeing away. If anything, I've been quite cowardly; I haven't even landed a single attack nor even resorted to try and hit it at all. I was actually gullible enough to believe it would take us all as harmless beings and somehow coexist whilst we stayed here.

It worked once though... but not all Olfstin will be as easily persuaded as the one I managed to shoo away by the river.

Speaking of 'the one'...

I looked up from the book in my hands with a sudden thought, "Do you think there's more of those Snader creatures out there?" I wondered out loud, watching as everyone else turned quiet.

"Snader...?" Jin deadpanned while Hoseok held back a snort.

"What? Just answer the question! Like really," I stressed, ignoring the sneaky grin trying to display on my face. Yoongi simply rolled his eyes.

"Really, what if there's way more out there?" I asked, turning serious and bringing everyone else down from the light mood.

Yoongi clenched his jaw, "Fuck that." He fussed. I pursed my lips, "How many darts do we have left?" I asked. He heaved out a sigh, "ten." He mumbled, "We have two guns. Each hold eight darts for themselves. That's sixteen in total. We used five," He mentioned, "and you used one dart on that Olfstin once." He added, turning to me at the end and I nodded, recalling that moment where that beast went bonkers.

"There can't be another one..." jimin frowned, "It's too strong. It moves so fast.., and- and it can zap you! We can't handle more than one at a time." He reasoned and everyone nodded collectively.

I involuntarily shuddered at the mention of that Snader. So big, so sharp, so fast and so merciless.

"We're back!!"

Taehyung's voice resounded from outside the cabin we were in. We all wrapped up our discussion there for the moment and everyone got up to see the other 3 males.

"Here, let me help." Jin said as I propped my crutch against the ground and let my legs hang over the bed I sat on. With a smile, I thanked him as he helped me up before I followed him out.

"You're all late," Yoongi chimed as he slid down the ladder with a quirked brow.

"You guys won't believe what we found out about that monster!" Jungkook stated with wide eyes. I furrowed my brows at that and leaned over the fence beside the ladder leading towards the ground and listened in.

"You know that green goo-like net? It was made from that thing!" He revealed. "What?" Jimin scoffed. Namjoon nodded, "The end of its tail is pointy, but not sharp. When we took a closer look, the green thread was hanging around it." He explained.

I chuffed in disbelief. As if all of its qualities weren't enough, it's smart, too! What the hell? It knows how to set a trap humans can make. The thin rope that had wrapped around my leg was triggered when kook stepped on something.

That means...

"So not only will we have to keep an eye out for Olfstins, we also have to be aware of where we put our foot." I stated with a tone holding my annoyance. The boys by the campfire looked up to where I stood and sighed dejectedly.

"Now we know that it feasts on Olfstins." Hoseok frowned. Namjoon shook his head, "Does it, though? The Olfstin's venom is what can get it killed." He pointed out.

Taehyung huffed, "So it's a killing machine? Is that it?" He frowned. "I guess it is." Jimin sighed.

"How many traps could it possibly set? It can't be that they're all laid in our path towards the cave." Hoseok added and I shook my head, "I have a feeling that the game will make sure it is that way. Somehow as a way to discourage us to continue on that path." I shrugged.

"Then can we not take another route to avoid it?" Jin asked from beside me. I frowned, "That'll prolonge our trip, though. We're going to take a straight path leading directly towards the cave. If we alter our path, it'll stretch longer." I explained and he nodded in understanding, "That's true.." he mumbled.

"The sooner we take our leave, the better." Jungkook said, "I've had enough of steaks and mash potatoes. I want pizza." He whined indignantly.

Jin scoffed from beside me, "You ungrateful brat, Yoongi and I work a good time making all that food so you don't starve, don't start complaining now." He pointed accusingly. Jungkook pouted his way, "I bet you're tired of having that, too." He retorted, grinning amusedly as Jin spluttered, "Of course I do, but you don't see me complaining, do you?" He rolled his eyes.

"How's the cave coming up?" I diverted the topic, directing my question to the silent two; Taehyung and Namjoon who perked up at my questioned. That process has been taking some additional trips. The reason being mostly because the cave is situated so, very far from here.

When I've gone there, it was in a desperate haste driven by adrenaline that I made it within half a day's time simply running till my legs couldn't take it. So on their case, they had left the day before and carried some bedding materials to place there. They had spent a night there before coming back here, which was supposed to be around the afternoon but it's already getting dark. I suppose they already have an explanation by making an impromptu visit to that dead Snader.

Joon 'ah'ed, "Those glowing rocks... crystals or whatever, they work like a charm. Lit up the interior well. I'm still surprised you found out about that cave." He smiled and Taehyung nodded along before gasping as if he realised something.

"Oh! The- The paper! We found a tiny paper!" He announced, earning everyone's attention. I straightened on my spot with curiosity gleaming in my eyes, "A paper?" I repeated and he nodded.

Jungkook seemed to recall it too as he exclaimed in realisation before scrambling to off-load his bright pink backpack and rummaging through the things inside. Sure enough, he held out a neatly folded paper before he unveiled it.

"Right; it was stuck in a tight little corner at the very back of the cave." He explained. "It says 'Freedom awaits when you're off. Don't listen to the rectangle light.', and it's all in bold letters. It emphasised 'rectangle light' in capital letters." He listed out.

"...rectangle light?" Yoongi deadpanned, clearly exasperated. I sighed, dragging my palm over my face, feeling quite irritated.

"So 'Don't listen to the rectangle light'...and then we also have, 'The reality lies inside the light hidden within.' Just which one are we supposed to follow?" I asked with my irritation leaking through my gritted teeth and my tone.

I snapped my head towards Jin when he placed a hand on my shoulder in consolation, "Calm down, sweetheart. Nowhere has that note mentioned that it's related to the other two we've found." He pointed.

I sighed, "Right." I nodded dejectedly.

"I might have a clue about what it has to say." Namjoon piped in with a tentative smile. I turned back to him with an expectant look, waiting for him to speak.

"This might be for when we get back to our world," he began, "I had another little peak into the real world while I slept a while ago..." he muttered, "Someone mentioned that all the players involved with this game have their screens switched on and present at the game menu. Apparently everyone's screens have some caption written... Uhh, I can't recall what it said but we might have to switch our screens off." He explained, "Freedom might just mean that we can get out of this world- or well.. everyone else in their worlds can escape the game if we switch off our screens and the game." He shrugged.

As everyone took in this factor, it began to make sense in some way in their own minds.

For me, it did as well; Every game comes to an end when the screen shuts off. Of course, we'd be out of there if only our screens were off. Whatever it has said within the screen, it's making everyone believe that switching the game off would do us bad.

It's a risky choice to consider since our literal souls are inside; If our soul is gone, we're basically dead people.

We can't have that with the amount of people stuck in this kind of world. They're all probably finding someway out in their own game-world and possibly turning the game off might leave them stuck there for good, and any possible escape they've found would be to no avail.

"Oh, jiminy crickets, not again!" I groaned, feeling a new set of dizzy spells wrecking my mind and body as I staggered, involuntarily bringing Jin a mini panic attack.

"jiminy crickets... really?" I hear someone grumble to themselves in the background.

"Oh no, love, are you feeling dizzy again?" He worried and I nodded, cringing as the world began to spin. All the curses to vertigo Istg

Every single one of these (since my very first) have been the same: intense and long. They all suck equally as much as the last and they don't seem to get old. Each one brings me a mild headache and makes me lose my sense of balance, not to mention the multiplying show of everything I set eyes on.

"Hurry, let's get you back on a bed." Jin mumbled fretfully. Soon, his suggestion was followed by a set of footsteps and another set of arms wrapped around my frame to secure my balance as my knees buckled.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I heaved out with a weak thumbs up, trying to convince myself as well, as it grew in intensity and made me woozy.

Soon after my pathetic attempt at reassuring the boys gathered around me, I felt my foot lift off the floor before I was carried back inside my cabin.

Sheets were felt behind my back as I was laid back down on my bed. I shut my eyes closed as the feelings of being spun around constantly began to make me nauseous. It wasn't enough to trigger me a lot, but it made me sick to the gut from the feeling.

"I brought water," Hoseok's voice piped in, followed by Jin's sound of acknowledgement before I was propped into sitting up with the headboard supporting my back.

I swallowed thickly as my stomach felt ready to empty itself but I held strong and after a while, I heaved out a tired breath as the dizziness subsided. I opened my eyes slowly, squinting slightly as the ceasing was gradual.

I need water.

I swallowed again, throat going dry and my mouth going slack as I reached for the cup of water in Jin's hand. I relished in the feeling of being hydrated as Jin handed the cup over to me and help me drink it. I chucked it down like a person gone days without water.

"This'll be another factor to consider along the way. I don't want you having to go through this on the way, love." Jin sighed and I grimaced, agreeing as I completely overlooked the possibility of going through this thing while being in the middle of the forest.

I let out an audible sigh, "At this point, I'm just beginning to think the trip is only going to be unnerving because of me - A severely sprained leg packeted with unexplainable reasons for my dizzy spells? That's bound to cause some trouble." I pointed out in melancholy.

By the foot of my bed, Jimin shook his head in rebuff. I pursed my lips unconvinced as he spoke against my claim, saying that they would figure out solutions soon enough.

I huffed, "Angel, we're not going to push back our only way out of this world just because of me." I frowned and he shook his head again, mouth opening to counter me but I continued, "We can't do anything with that, alright? My dizziness probably has something to do with my physical body in the real world." I reasoned.

"Is there no way we can send some sort of signal back?" He huffed.

I scoffed out a laugh, "We could carve in a message into our skin. Maybe that'll do the trick," I joked. It's sort of plausible, too.

"Hell no." Jin flicked at my forehead and I complained, "You didn't have to do that!" I whined, rubbing at the area he flicked with a scowl.

"Though... I never said it had to be on my skin," I continued with a wiggle from my brows and Hoseok tutted, "No one's carving a message on anyone skin, Diana. Period." He chortled. "I was joking." I giggled before grinning cheekily, earning curious looks in return.

"Or was I?"

"Girl-"

_____________________________

Yeeeeeee

This Author has come up with yet another shabby name for a made-up snake creature!!! Please welcome with open arms... ✨Mr. Snader!!!✨👌🕊️

Just to make it clear, it's another combination of what u can easily guess to be... 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 a snake and spider 💀☝️

Aside from that revelation, this is another update on a Friday! My weekends this month are filled with entrance examinations so it's prosbably going to stick to this day until I can move it back for Saturdays...

Although I don't mind hearing when YOU guys would like me to update! If there's a specific day you wish an update was made, do make a comment and let me know ☺️👍✨ I'll decide to shift my weekly updates accordingly if there's anyone who wishes to anticipate a day of the week hehe🥰💕

This is getting too long... byeee!! See you next week 😘❤️💕

~ Ada