Survival (2)

Fortunately, a plant effective for stopping bleeding was growing nearby. The problem was how to use it. In the game, you just clicked and it worked, but this was reality.

Blood was pouring from my arm nonstop. Eating it wouldn't do shit. Should I crush it with a rock and smear it on? Or wrap it like a bandage? No fucking clue.

But I didn't have time to agonize. I grabbed a nearby rock, mashed it roughly, and slathered it over the bleeding spot. Whatever—just had to stop the blood.

Luckily, crushing and applying was the right call. The bleeding stopped soon after. I let out a sigh of relief.

Maybe it's a good thing it's so brutally realistic.

I wasn't talking about my current hell—no, the game itself. That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shitty control scheme still pulled you in because of the debuffs. Fail to staunch bleeding, and HP drained until death. Skip sleep, and all stats tanked from exhaustion.

Food and water were the real killers. Three days without water, and you dropped dead no matter what. So if I couldn't escape this nightmare soon, finding water was priority one.

Parasites be damned—I gotta live first.

Water in the wild was a bitch to source safely. Even stream water could fuck you up. And after that near-death scrap, my throat was already parched. Stomach rumbling too.

Lucky I found this cave.

Right before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dark, too. Less humid than outside, decent temp. Drawback: bones scattered everywhere.

But they were all old, weathered ones. If there'd been fresh corpses or leftovers from some predator's meal, I'd have bolted. Risking my neck for one night's sleep? Nah, idiot move.

"Hah... shit."

I leaned against the cave wall and spat a curse. Still no idea how I'd ended up like this. Never ragged on the game like some novel protagonist. No DLC cheats either. Just your average player.

Single-player with a tiny userbase, sure, but others existed. Why not send one of them? There were hardcore vets way saltier than me—fossilized oil, even.

But no, they picked me.

At least give me the damn criteria...

Anger turned to absurdity. Out of everyone, why me? Sure, maybe others got dropped here too. But no way to know.

Everything fine ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠except dumping me in this shithole...

Other stories at least started you in a town or village with civilization. Me? Straight into this godforsaken forest.

Woke up, got decked by Porori, strolled a bit, arm chomped by a wolf. Bonus: killing for the first time—something I'd never imagined doing.

Did it to survive, but the sensation lingered in my hands.

First, survive somehow.

This was real. Pain hit vivid, no dream haze. Hell, was it even the game world? Porori could be coincidence.

Escape as ultimate goal. Survival as step one. That meant planning.

Calling up my status mentally brought it up clean. I scrutinized the numbers.

Porori's hit bumped Vitality by 5. Killing the starving wolf nudged Strength and Agility a bit. Faith dipped—probably from cursing gods. Whatever.

Soul World made early stat gains easy, but it slowed hard later. Realistic mechanics made blind grinding inefficient too.

Trash stats, for real.

A basic knight build crushed this. I was a game vet, not some survival god.

Traits and skills? Pathetic. Others spawned with 2-3; I had zilch. Wild Instinct was fresh, but who'd use it long-term? Lifetime in the wild? Insane.

Better than nothing, though.

Bear Grylls specialized in survival, not pure wilderness. Dude ate bugs and hustled, still waiting for rescue.

Me? Game knowledge, sure—but theory vs. practice. Dropping that wolf took pure grit. And this place crawled with far worse.

Dark as hell.

A hollow laugh escaped at the grim reality. Mood already tanking.

But quitting early? No way. Survive, find civilization. If this was academy-adjacent forest, odds improved—someone might show.

Story could wait. Survival first. Full prep needed.

Wait till I'm healed?

Left arm wrecked—no hunting yet. Hell, could I even?

No survival pro here, no weapons either. Bones scattered inside were small mercy. No clue what beast lived here, but some made decent clubs.

Tanguri-style.

Bones worked as bludgeons. I picked a hefty one, swung it. Felt primal—weird vibe, but humans need tools. Especially out here.

Hah...

Sudden reality crash hit hard. Why me suffering? Might end up eating monster shit. Gagged just thinking.

Swinging the bone idly, a key fact hit.

How do I make fire?

Cave as base? Fire essential. Arm fucked it up, though.

Conventional wisdom: secure base first, expand radius. Again—not an expert, just normie gamer.

Shit got thornier; head spun. Pure sigh fuel.

Hold out till arm heals.

Worse: left-handed. Mashing plants right-handed sucked. Days minimum to recover. Pray no ambushes meantime.

...Sleep first.

Sudden chaos drained body and mind. Near-death ate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my energy. Bleeding too.

Grabbed a bone-pillow, laid head down. Hard as fuck, but beats dirt.

Wake up in my studio apt.

Prayed hard, eyes drifting shut. Wild senses sharpened smell and hearing instantly. Sleep? Doubtful.

Still, forced it, surrendering to drowsiness.

-Awooooo!

-Zzzip! Zzzzip!

-Kyaaang! Kyang!

Wolf howls. Cricket chirps. Unknown cries.

Cave outside mixed into a cacophony drilling my ears. Annoying, but not waking.

Smells same. Cave dampness? Adapted. New odors? Trouble brewing.

But safe enough for shut-eye.

-Tweet! Chirp!

Time passed. Now sparrow-like peeps. Peaceful vibe.

Sparrows dawn with sun, right? Not nocturnal.

"...Huh?"

Curious, cracked eyes. What the—?

Cave mouth dark when I slept; now light poured in, illuminating inside sharp.

Befuddled, peered out. Realized late: night fled, dawn broke.

...Just closed my eyes?

Sounds, smells—all real. Eyes shut, night passed. Body refreshed fully. Arm throbbed less than yesterday.

Not vigil; actual sleep. Weird phrasing, best I got.

"What."

Flustered, gripped bone in right hand, stepped out.

Forest bathed in morning sun through trees. Birds flitted chirping; crickets hushed vs. night.

Gawked awhile, scratched head.

Ghost story shit.

Bigger issue hit, though.

Grrrgle—

"Ah."

Stomach growled. Hungry as hell.