Scarcity

Kuma felt the shift in the environment immediately.

After the encounter with the Great Snapper, the Grand Lake and the river near his shelter had become eerily still. Fish no longer swam near the shallows, small prey scurried out of sight at the faintest sound, and the air carried an unshakable sense of emptiness. It was as if the entire ecosystem had recoiled from his actions, forcing him into a harsher struggle for survival.

With each passing day and his usual hunting grounds becoming barren, Kuma doubled down on foraging. Hours passed as he searched for anything edible. The underbrush was eerily quiet, as if the life that once thrived here had gone into hiding. Even the birds, which usually filled the trees with their calls, were now distant, their sounds barely carrying over the deadened forest. His patience was eventually rewarded when he stumbled upon a peculiar root—one that resembled a sweet potato, but larger and with a faint golden hue. It protruded slightly from the earth, hidden among a thicket of low-lying vegetation.

Using his Analyze skill, he identified it:

[Golden Root] – A nutritious tuber, rich in natural sugars and energy. Grows best near water sources. Cooking enhances its benefits.

A grin formed on his lips. Finally, something substantial to eat.

He carefully dug out as many as he could carry, the rich, damp soil clinging to his hands as he pulled them free. A faintly sweet aroma clung to them, subtle yet inviting, a stark contrast to the metallic scent of blood and sweat that had become his daily reality. But before he could return to his shelter, movement caught his eye. His traps, usually reliable for small game, had all been raided—completely empty. Worse, his stash of preserved meat was under attack by creatures he hadn't encountered before.

Hill Ants.

Each one was as large as a coin, their powerful mandibles slicing through flesh with ease. Even a single bite could be dangerous. Kuma wasted no time analyzing them:

[Hill Ant] – A colony-based insect with exceptional strength. Capable of delivering painful, venomous bites. Works in swarms.

His jaw clenched. These things weren't just scavenging—they were taking over.

Fueled by frustration, Kuma stomped toward them, killing as many as he could. The satisfying crunch of their bodies beneath his boots barely took the edge off his anger. But for every ant he crushed, two more emerged, their segmented bodies writhing as they scuttled over their fallen kin. The swarm was relentless, moving with an eerie, synchronized intelligence.

He tried wiping them out entirely, following their trail until he discovered the source of the infestation: a mound as tall as a hill, teeming with countless ants. The sheer scale of it made his stomach churn. He had faced many threats in this world, but this... this was different. This was an army.

Then he saw it—their natural predator.

A feral mole, as large as a dog, tearing through the ants with terrifying ferocity. It moved like a berserker, its sharp claws slicing through chitin with every strike. Each swipe sent bodies flying, their broken forms twitching as their legs curled inward. But despite its immense power, the ants kept coming. The air was thick with the scent of crushed exoskeletons and a faint, acrid chemical that burned at Kuma's nostrils—some kind of pheromone, he realized, signaling reinforcements.

Kuma watched as the battle raged on, the mole's fury refusing to wane. But as time passed, the truth became clear—it wasn't just fighting for survival. Some ants dragged lifeless baby feral moles toward the mound, their small, motionless bodies a grim offering to the colony.

"It might have been its family…"

The realization hit Kuma like a punch to the gut. This wasn't just a fight—it was vengeance.

The feral mole roared, a guttural, agonized sound that sent a shiver down Kuma's spine. It wasn't just killing—it was avenging, its every movement filled with a desperate, grief-fueled rage. But reality was cruel. No matter how many ants it killed, the swarm never ended. Wounds accumulated, bites swelled, and fatigue set in. Its strikes slowed, its once-mighty swings now sluggish, desperate.

In a final, desperate act, the feral mole tore apart the ants carrying its dead young, its claws glistening with dark ichor. With one last defiant snarl, it collapsed, buried beneath the endless tide of writhing bodies.

Kuma clenched his fists. If he stayed, he would share the same fate.

He turned away from the battlefield, making his decision. The Grand Lake had become too hostile. It was time to move south—to find a new home.

Preparing for the Journey

Kuma returned to his shelter as the sun began to set, exhaustion weighing on his shoulders. His battle with the Hill Ants and the sight of the fallen feral mole played on repeat in his mind, but he forced himself to focus. If he was going to travel south, he needed to be prepared.

He started with his gear.

Sorting through his supplies, he laid out everything he had scavenged and crafted over the past weeks: dried meat, makeshift rope, strips of cured pelt, and crude tools fashioned from stone and bone. But he needed something better. Something durable.

His gaze settled on a pile of bones he had collected from previous hunts. Among them were thick, sturdy pieces from the Thornback Boar and remnants from the bear he had defeated. With careful precision, he selected a long, dense femur and a sharp fragment of flintstone. He worked tirelessly, chipping away at the bone, shaping the blade, and binding the flint into the structure using twisted sinew and plant fibers.

[Bone-Flint Knife] Created.

A crude yet effective survival weapon crafted from bone and sharpened flint.

Durability: Moderate – can withstand multiple uses but will dull over time.

Sharpness: High – capable of cutting through hide, meat, and some softer woods.

Weight: Lightweight – easy to wield, allowing for fast strikes.

Special Traits: Flint edge provides better cutting efficiency compared to standard bone knives.

Weaknesses: Brittle against hard surfaces like stone or metal.

He ran his thumb along the edge—it was sharp enough to cut through hide with ease. A proper survival weapon.

Next, he turned his attention to his storage problem. Carrying enough supplies for a long journey was nearly impossible without a decent bag. His old pouches were too small. He needed something bigger—much bigger.

Using his Craft skill, he pieced together a backpack from a mix of bear, wolf, and squabbit pelts, reinforcing the seams with braided plant fibers. He shaped it to maximize storage while maintaining durability, even adding additional straps for better weight distribution. He tested its weight, adjusting the balance until it sat comfortably on his back. It was massive—nearly three times his size—but thanks to his Craft skill, the weight was distributed efficiently, allowing him to carry far more than he normally could.

[Makeshift Survival Pack] Created.

A large, hand-crafted backpack designed for extended travel and carrying heavy loads.

Capacity: Extremely high – capable of holding up to three times the usual load.

Materials: Reinforced with bear, wolf, and squabbit pelts, bound together with plant fibers.

Weight Distribution: Balanced – allows for easier carrying despite its size.

Durability: High – resistant to wear and tear but vulnerable to fire and extreme moisture.

Special Traits: Custom design optimized through Craft skill, maximizing storage efficiency.

With his weapons and storage settled, he gathered his food. The Golden Roots he had harvested would be his main energy source. He wrapped them carefully in leaf bundles to prevent spoilage. He also packed as much dried meat as he could, though supplies were running dangerously low.

Lastly, he fashioned extra traps from branches and vines, tucking them into his pack. Even if food was scarce now, he would find ways to sustain himself along the journey.

As night fell, Kuma took a deep breath, staring at the darkened sky. His shelter and The Grand Lake was behind him. The future was uncertain. But he was ready.

Tomorrow, his greatest adventure would begin.