{DAY 4}

My hand was out in front of me, reaching out for the roof of the shelter.

Water streaming down to my ears.

My breathing was much faster than it had ever been before.

Slowly, my hand descended to my face, rubbing my eyes.

Slowly, with a few breaths, I managed to go back to normal.

“First dream in years…” I sighed, “And it Had to be a nightmare?”

I couldn't even remember what it was about, which was probably the most fucked up part.

Wiping away the tears, I groaned. I stayed laying down for a bit before I was ready to leave.

Getting up, I exited the shelter and stretched out my weary body.

It seems I've been doing that a lot more recently, probably because sleeping on the floor is NOT good for your body.

My eyes squinted as I looked up at the morning sun rising just above the horizon. The sky was painted a beautiful shade of gold, pink and orange.

First time in a while that I've woken up this early…

“Well whatever, today's supposed to be an exciting day,” I wake over to the river, freshening up a bit by splashing water on my face, before slapping myself awake, “It's time for me to start exploring after all!”

Heading over to the big pot, my fingers caressed it to check the heat.

“It's done cooling down…” Taking a deep breath, I flipped it over before laying it onto the ground.

Making a few ropes, I wrapped it all around the pot, covering every inch of it.

“That’ll make it a bit more resistant to impacts…” The rope will act as a minor cushion to protect it from any small impacts that would otherwise chip or crack it.

Taking another rope, I began to wrap it around it in an X shape, leaving a bit of slack so I could put my arms around it.

After I was done, I wrapped some rope around my torso to secure it a bit more

“Backpack Acquired!” I hopped up and down a bit, the heft of the pot making me stumble backwards, but I caught myself swiftly.

It stuck to me pretty well, I made this pot a bit thicker than the rest in order to make it the slightest bit more durable.

“Though I'm probably gonna get rope burns if I wear it for too long…” Whatever, it's fine. Now it's time to begin exploring.

I didn't take anything with me apart from my clay bowl, after all I could always just forage for more food or make more rope.

I sighed to myself. I didn't really have much and this showed it.

I stared at the green eyeballs, before taking one of them with me in case of emergencies. I could always just use the explosion from it as a distraction of some kind…

There are a few directions I could head, like downstream or further upstream… I could head in the direction the wolf parasite came from…

It's a high risk high reward situation, if I go there I may find some more wolves, but I'll almost definitely find whatever the wolves were feeding on…

Or I could take the safer route and move out in the opposite direction… Right now I don't have the luxury to take risks, so that's where I'll head.

I began my trek, taking a few steps into the forest.

I felt my palms begin to sweat, and my heartbeat increase. Well that's natural, I'm heading straight into unknown territory.

But really… That dream must've fucked me up more than I initially thought…

Kind of funny though. I don't even know what happened...

My teeth ground against each other as I steeled my nerves and began my venture.

I was still scared though, so I used the only technique I knew… Singing.

“When the lights shut off~” I whispered the lyrics under my breath “And it's my turn to settle down~”

This song was chock full of memories.

“My main concern~” After all it was the first song he introduced me to, from the first album we both listened to, “Promise that you will sing about me~”

“Promise that you will sing about me~” The instrumental ran through the back of my mind, as the memories of me and David singing the lyrics together upstairs in our room instead of studying like we should've cursed through me like a raging river “I said when the lights shut off~”

“And it's my turn to settle down~” Even though I had just begun the song, I felt the fear exit my body just as quickly as it came.

Taking a breath, I stopped. My mind cleared and I looked behind me, the light coming in from the clearing near the river had long since gone.

My confidence had returned enough for me to continue silently, yet the instrumental still echoed through me.

My thoughts began to drift towards what exactly I should be looking for.

“Preferably I should head over toward a mountain of some kind. If I can find one even the slightest bit taller than the tree line, I should be able to find some magnets…” I said with a cautious step, avoiding some poison ivy laced across the floor, “Mountains are also a natural treasure chest of materials and metals, so I should gather as much as I can…”

I was moving at a steady pace, I don't know how far away the mountain was, or if I'm even moving in the correct direction, but I'll head back by mid-day if I don't find anything.

Now that I think about it, spawning near a river was a stupidly amazing spawn location. If I had found myself in the middle of the forest, I would've died of dehydration before my first level up.

“Once I get to a mountain, I can use the high vantage point to try and locate a large body of water, or if I'm lucky, a village…” I muse to myself.

My legs felt like lead, this pot was stupid heavy, and carrying it was just plain annoying.

“If I find water I could also try fishing to add some meat to my diet…” The thought of meat caused a bit of saliva storm in my mouth, which I gulped down quickly.

“Maybe I should head back early and try exploring the other way…” It seemed like a good idea, after all I had been walking for a few hours now, judging from the location of the sun in the sky… though I had little vision of it due to the intense density of the canopy.

Though I did spot something…

I felt a smile grow on my face, as I began to run directly to my left. It wasn't long before I saw it.

A tall, bald faced mountain.

I heaved a bit, wiping the sweat from my brow before I began climbing.

Its surface wasn't exactly sheer, but it was still steep so it took me a good amount of time before I reached the top.

The view was immaculate. Simply superb, and if I squinted my eyes I could see the sun reflect against my river a few miles away.

In the distance, I saw a larger, taller mountain. It was fucking massive, the peak of it was reaching up above the clouds, a few smaller mountains surrounding it.

There was also a rather large lake in the direction of the wolves, which means… I've got all the materials for iron smithing in reach!

“It doesn't feel like I walked that far…” Mentally at least, physically my entire body was cussing me out for what I put it through.

Now that I’m here, I don’t have time to dilly dally.

What I'm looking for is Magnetite or Pyrrhotite.

Both can be found in igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as basalt, gabbro, and iron-rich sedimentary rocks.

“What I'm currently looking for are sedimentary rocks, a type of rock that covers 75% of Earth's exposed surface. Iron rich ones are more commonly found within mountain tops…” I spoke in between heaving breaths, “Like this one.”

Untying the rope around my body keeping my “Backpack” in place and leaving it on the ground beneath me, I began to search

Finding it however will be a monumental task… Which is why I’m going to be relying on the system.

Or more specifically, the Observe skill.

I haven't really used it, like at all, but from its description… It may quite possibly be the most powerful skill I have at the moment.

Combat wise? Not at all. It is, frankly, quite useless…

[Observation: Gives you a short description of anything you want by using your own knowledge]

The description may be vague, but there is one key part…

“Using your own knowledge…” I spoke aloud. My own knowledge, not the information I have.

You may be thinking, “What's the difference?”

Well it's quite minor, but the effect is crucial for me to do this.

My own knowledge means it uses knowledge within my head to identify the object, my information means that it uses the knowledge I had gleaned from the object to identify it.

The difference is minor, but if I'm right, this phrasing means…

I look to a nearby rock.

“Observe”

[Sandstone

A Rock found on the top of a bald mountain in the forest. Comprised of quartz, feldspar, lithic fragments, micas, olivine, pyroxene and corundum]

“FUCK YES!” I pump my fist in excitement, a smile beginning to grow on my face.

There isn't any Magnetite within its description… Which means I have to keep searching…

The only thing I could equate the search to was… Like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I used Observe on every rock I found, and yet not a single one of them was what I was looking for.

“Fuck…” The situation was quickly looking quite drab.

If I was doing this manually it would've taken a few trips to check all of these stones, but thankfully I was saved from the hassle with Observe.

I had a single stone, one about a bit bigger than the palm of my hand, in front of me. It was of black colour, the parts reflected in the sun having a grey with brownish tint to them. The stone was opaque and with metallic lustre…

“Observe” I mumbled the words absentmindedly.

[Magnetite

A small naturally magnetic material that can be found all over the world. Used by ancient civilisations to test the purity of gold as well as within compasses to provide navigation]

My eyes widen and a grin spreads across my face as I look over at the stone…

I placed the stone in the pot and picked it up.

Or I would've, if not for the fact that it was now three times its weight…

I checked inside, to see that I had completely filled it to the brim with different exposed minerals I had found laying within ore deposits…

One thing I’ve learned about this world is that it's chock full of resources. Stupidly so. I had expected this from the fact that fungi that only grow in the colder months, and fungi that only grow in the warmer months, are literally one tree apart.

I'm not sure why, whether it's just that the places near my spawn are forced to be like this in order to ensure player survival, or some other mechanism I do not understand, but I plan to take full advantage of it.

I put my arms through the backpack ropes and take a deep breath.

“Okay, come on, lift with your legs…”

One…

Two…

Three…!

On three, I used all the strength within my body to lift up the pot the best I could, managing to get it off the ground a few feet. Leaning forwards a bit I managed to slide it up my back slightly, and eventually, I was standing…

“Now how to get back down…?” I mean I could always just use my emergency ropes to rappel down… No It's not long enough…

I could just climb down myself…

“Hah… Well if I have to…” Taking my backpack off, I dump out the contents, putting a manageable amount of weight in before climbing down.

When I reach the bottom, I pour out the contents yet again, climbing up and scooping up more…

I continued the process till I had managed to get down with all my materials, which took about 2-ish hours.

My breaths were slow and heavy, and yet again, my entire body was screaming at me.

Doesn't matter though, I’m gonna be the one screaming if I don't manage to get back by sunset.

Picking up the now full backpack/pot, I begin to stumble forwards.

By the time that I reached the river, I was damn near dragging my half dead body across towards camp.

“...Finally…home…” I stop myself.

Home? Is this really a home…?

I stared at my makeshift shelter, which was now beginning to fall apart from me rustling in my sleep…

“First order of business when gaining Iron tools, making a proper home.”

Once I gain Iron, I can make a proper axe, and I can make it reasonably sharp using a stone slab. Once I've got an axe, I can cut down trees and make a cabin…

I could also use leather to make pillows and sheets…

Ugh, I'm craving a proper bed so bad!

Putting down the pot, my stomach growls loudly and I sigh

I make a simple mushroom skewer, pouring out the contents of the pot to retrieve my clay bowl, filling it with river water before placing it above the fire.

I also decided to feed the fire a bit to strengthen it since it was close to burning out at the moment.

I stick the kebab into the ground, the mushroom part over the fire to cook as I fall back and lay on the ground, every single muscle in my body burning out with lactic acid.

“I’m so fucking thirsty…” I just need to wait for the water to finish…

The sun was close to setting, and it was as beautiful as the sunrise.

The lake didn't seem all that far, which means I can probably head there when I wake up, gain the final materials and start making iron the next day…

The vines should also finish retting by then thanks to Survivalism, which means I need to start on making clothes…

If I can make a big piece of fabric, that'll be best, since it would be very flexible. I could wrap it around my waist for some actual covering, use it as a blanket when I need to sleep or cut it up and use it as an emergency bandage and still have some left over to protect my dignity…

So much to do… Such little time…

First, I'll check up on the traps… Actually I'll just do that tomorrow…

I doubt I'll catch anything though…

It took a while but the food managed to finally cook, as well as the water purify.

I devoured the mushrooms like a caveman, fitting as much in my mouth as I could at a time…

“I'm craving meat…” I mumble to myself…

My mind wanders to the traps yet again…

“The chance IS slim, but maybe I did manage to catch something, like a deer…” I sighed, the water finally cooled down enough for me to drink up, “I know I said I was gonna do it tomorrow, but now's a good enough time as ever…”

Finishing my meal, I stood up and began to crack my back, limbering up.

Getting my torch, I light it and make my way into the forest.

My first trap? Nothing.

My second? The same.

All my traps had nothing.

As I was heading towards the final trap, I heard a growl… Yet the backs of my hair hadn't risen.

“Danger Detection did activate…?” Bringing up the torch and I saw something I didn't quite expect.

A large grey wolf, slightly emaciated with its grey fur thinning around its hind.

A single back leg made of wood and a right eye filled with green veins, the edges of the pupil slowly turning a similar shade.

This at least confirms my parasite theory.

“Wolves are omnivores here…?” I say, looking down to the mushrooms… there were small bite marks all over them.

Way smaller than a wolf’s…

Oh I get it! Some small critter was eating the mushrooms, not triggering the trap due to its size, however a wolf came over to try and get a free meal, only to be caught!

Whatever, this is good for me… Now what to do with him?

I could try knocking him out… Well the blood rushing to its skull will do that soon enough…

I don't want to leave it here though, what if some other animal decides to snatch my prey? Can't have that.

Taking my knife from my rope belt, I walk towards the back of the wolf. It could currently barely move since the parasite was sapping all its energy. With one swift motion, I push the knife into its throat from behind.

“Sorry I couldn't put you out of your misery in a faster way…” I close my eyes, sticking the torch in the ground and putting my palms together, “Paz a su alma… ”

I played there for a few minutes, waiting for the infected wolf’s whining to stop. After a while it went quiet, using my knife, I cut down the rope and began dragging it back to the fire. Not before reinstating the trap though.

“I guess I have to work overtime today…” This is an amazing opportunity, and I have to take advantage of it. First I should let the blood drain from it. Taking a rope, I tie it up to a branch, making a few more cuts along the arteries to quicken the process, “It's recommended to leave deers out overnight to fully remove all the blood and reduce the risk of spoilage…”

This isn't a deer though... It's about the same weight, maybe a little less so I'll just treat it as if it was a deer.

After that, I can skin it in the morning, set it up for tanning and venture off to the lake for some freshwater seashells…

That's tomorrow me’s work, today me needs to sleep…

I walk over to the river, washing off the blood on my hands before collapsing into the shelter, passing the fuck out.

Author's Note

I was worried this chapter would be too short, then I looked at the world count and realised I am big dumb

Also didn't proofread this chapter so sorry if there are mistakes 😭

Edit: Been a few minutes, proofread it. Why didn't I just do this at the beginning, that was easy as hell 😭