Night in the Forest
Two hours after Carous left the village, nothing significant had happened in his journey through the forest. He simply followed the footprints before him, paying little attention to anything else.
However, as he walked, he began to notice differences. He could tell the amount of moss he spotted, became less and less as he continued to walked. I don't know much about moss, but at least it gives me a clue about where I'm going, he thought.
Carous continued deeper into the forest. From time to time, he had to maneuver around thick bushes blocking his path, choosing to go around them rather than risk scratches. The forest was dense, untouched for years, with no signs of creatures or human interference. Occasionally, the chirping of insects would break the silence.
He moved carefully, making sure not to exhaust himself. The uneven ground, filled with bumps and roots, proved challenging for his low stamina.
But the biggest issue was the lack of light. Back in the village, patches of open sky allowed sunlight to pierce through the trees. Here, the deeper he went, the less light reached the ground. Since he could barely see where he was stepping, he had to be extremely cautious.
He could use his amber necklace as a flashlight if he wanted to, but instead, he held it above his head, using it as a lantern. After a while, he started adjusting to the darkness, the uneven terrain, and the vines hanging in his path. He could now move more freely without getting tangled.
Whenever he encountered bushes, he took a moment to inspect them for any edible berries. Every unfamiliar plant he saw, he tried to identify, then summoned the Black Book for its actual information.
"I'm glad this book actually gives me the information I need," Carous muttered. "When I opened it before, it was blank, but when I try to guess the name and details of something, the book reveals its true information on the first page—"
"Ughhh, gross. Not again." He sighed in disgust. "It must be noon by now."
There it was again. Last night, while he was sleeping, he had been rudely awakened by the cape's strange ability. As soon as the clock struck twelve, it automatically cleaned itself—and him—removing all traces of sweat, dirt, dust, urine, and even that. As if that wasn't bad enough, when he was woken up, the cape had also transformed into a thick, suffocating blanket, nearly smothering him in his sleep.
---
As the hours passed, Carous couldn't see the sky, but he could tell night had fallen. The tiny streaks of light filtering through the canopy were fading away. Aware of the approaching darkness, he stopped and searched for a flat area to set up camp.
After finding suitable ground, he gathered a large stick to sweep away leaves and debris, clearing a space for himself. Then, he searched for rocks to form a fire barrier. Once he had enough, he moved on to collecting dry branches for firewood.
With everything in place—a clear spot to rest, a safe area for a fire, and enough wood for the night—Carous summoned the book engraved within him. As the book appeared before him, he tore out a few pages to use as kindling.
Pressing the tip of his amber necklace to the torn pages, he applied pressure. Sparks flickered to life, catching on the paper. He twisted the necklace slightly, and a gust of wind blew from its tip, feeding the flames. As the fire spread up the paper and onto his fingers, he quickly tossed it onto the pile of wood. Within moments, the fire was burning steadily, casting warmth around him.
Watching the fire remain stable, Carous sighed in relief. He knew he had no survival experience—no real knowledge of how to camp in the wild—but seeing his small success reassured him. Maybe he could rely on himself more than he thought.
Thirst crept up on him. The jar of water he had taken from the village well was already empty. He absentmindedly placed the amber tip in his mouth, only to feel an unexpected chill spread across his tongue.
Without warning, water gushed from the amber, nearly choking him. He coughed and yanked it from his mouth, staring in disbelief.
"Water?" he murmured.
Realizing what had happened, he grabbed one of his empty jars and quickly filled it. Then, remembering how his tattoo, book, and fruit seemed to respond to his thoughts, he focused on stopping the water. Immediately, the flow ceased. When he willed it to return, the water began trickling out once more.
"Water crisis solved?" he asked himself, a smirk tugging at his lips.
This thing really is a survival kit. It's not just a portable flashlight—depending on how I use it, it can be a versatile weapon. Its ability to store water is amazing, but I need to be careful. I don't know how to refill it or how much it can hold.
The ability to start a spark like a lighter is the best. With that, I don't have to spend time trying to start a fire or carry tools for it. And most of all, its ability to act as a fan—it's weak, but strong enough to give me a refreshing breeze. Thanks to it, he wouldn't have to waste time searching for drinkable water or struggling to start a fire.
And then there was the cape—the strange, mysterious cape he had woken up wearing. It, too, had incredible abilities. During the night, it emitted a warm breeze, while in the daytime, it provided a cool one. He could even control which of the two he wanted.
Though some of its abilities seemed to be hidden for now, it still felt reassuring to have it. Right now, it had two forms: the cape and the blanket. If I can learn how to change it on my own, that'd be great, he told himself, encouraging himself to learn to control it.
---
As Carous' stomach rumbled with hunger, he summoned the black fruits into his palm and continued until they fell to the ground. Seeing the fallen fruits, he stopped, picked up one berry from the jar, and closed it tightly. This is my source of food for now, Carous thought. Due to the scarcity of food and his inability to find anything edible as he moved, this was all he had.
He was grateful that he could summon fruits from nothing without any exchange at all. With this, he wouldn't have to worry about starving. Even when the taste was bad and he wanted to throw it all up, he forced himself to eat, knowing he couldn't afford to get weaker. He had no one to lean on, no one to help him.
Ughhh, I can't! Its taste is too strong… but I need the energy to keep moving… Carous struggled to eat all the summoned fruit. As he continued to force himself to take it, the book appeared without him calling for it. He paused for a moment before swallowing.
"Haa… haaa… haaaaa!" He laughed as he stared at the book. "It appeared on its own again? So, I guess I need to study now!" Carous took a deep breath.
After cleaning himself up with water and wiping his face with the torn-off paper on the side, he grabbed the book and placed it on his thigh. "So then, what will the lesson be this time?" he asked as he flipped to the cover.
The nameless book from before now had a name: { Knowledge of the World }
---
(Stats Gems)
Stats gems are rare drops and rewards from dungeons, labyrinths, trials, and monsters. These gems have the ability to raise one's stats by a specific number of points depending on their color and shape.
{ Color types for each stat: }
( White: HP )
( Green: Agility )
( Red: Strength )
( Brown: Defense )
( Blue: Mana )
( Purple: Attack )
( Orange: Luck )
{ Shapes & their stat boosts: }
( Die : +2 points )
( Rectangle: +5 points )
( Pyramid : +8 points )
( Sphere : +10 points )
( Star: +15 points )
---
"Stats gems?" he questioned. "Gems, huh? Don't tell me those weird-shaped rocks are them!"
He panicked for a bit, grabbing his bag and looking at the rocks inside. But to his surprise, they weren't stats gems at all—just ordinary looking stones with weird look.
Carous stared at the trees above him in disappointment. After a moment, he grabbed a pen and copied the book's information onto a piece of paper. Once done, he placed the copy into the book, and as the pages touched, the writing shifted onto the book's pages.
That should do it, right? he asked before redoing it again. He summoned the book again, and this time, it appeared nameless once more. He stared at the nameless book and sighed in relief.
"Good!" Carous pronounced. With a awkward smile on his face, mostly with fear.
As he opened the book, two pages had something written on them.
"This morning, this book appeared on its own, and new information showed up on it. The name was also covered. Looks like I need to learn the written knowledge on it before I can unsummon it—not just learn it, but also rewrite the entire thing and place it back into the book so that I can relearn and read it again."