Chapter 3: Survival (2)

Luckily, I found a plant nearby that was effective against bleeding. The real question was how do I use it.

In games, you just apply or consume it, but this wasn't a game. This was real life. My arm was bleeding, and eating it wouldn't do a damn thing.

Should I crush it with a stone? Wrap it around the wound like a bandage? No time to overthink.

I grabbed a rock and roughly ground the plant into a paste before pressing it onto the wound. Whatever works, I just needed to stop the bleeding.

Fortunately, it seemed to be the right move. The bleeding slowed, then stopped completely. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

'At least this world is realistic.'

I wasn't talking about the reality I was experiencing, I meant the game itself. One of the reasons I got sucked into it was how brutally detailed its status effects were.

If you didn't stop the bleeding, your stamina would keep draining until you died. If you didn't sleep, your stats would drop from exhaustion.

Water and food were even more critical go three days without drinking, and you'd die, no exceptions.

If I couldn't find a way out of this hellhole, my next priority had to be securing water.

Finding drinking water in the wild was no joke. Even a flowing stream wasn't always safe.

To make things worse, my throat was parched from my near-death struggle. Hunger was setting in too.

'At least I found that cave.'

Right before nightfall, I stumbled upon a cave. It was drier than outside, and the temperature was just right.

The only downside? The place was littered with old bones.

If any fresh corpses were lying around, I'd have bailed instantly. No way I was risking my life just for a place to sleep.

"f*ck."

I exhaled sharply, leaning against the cave wall. How the hell did things end up like this?

I'd never been the type to rage at a game like some protagonist in a novel. Never bought any weird DLCs either. Just an average player, no different from anyone else.

It was a single-player game, not many players, but still, there were others.

So why me?

Plenty of worse players out there, some rotten enough to deserve a fate like this more than me.

'What's the selection process for this sh*t?'

I wasn't even angry anymore, just dumbfounded.

Maybe I wasn't the only one sent here, but there was no way to know.

'Everything else aside, why here of all places?'

In other novels, people get dropped into cities, villages, places with at least some kind of civilization.

Me? I wake up in a damn forest, get hit in the gut the moment I open my eyes, and barely walk a few steps before a wolf takes a bite out of me.

And now I've got the experience of taking a life even though it was just a beast. Something I never thought I'd have to do after my service.

'I have to survive somehow.'

This wasn't a game. This was real. Pain here wasn't just a status effect it was vivid, raw.

First priority is to survive.

Ultimate goal to escape.

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[???]

Strength: 13

Agility: 12

Stamina: 15

Mana: 10

Luck: 10

Faith: 8

[Traits]

Wild Instinct (???)

[Skills]

None.

[Abilities]

None.

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The status window appeared the moment I thought about it. I scanned my stats carefully.

Thanks to getting my ass kicked by Porori that damn squirrel, my stamina had increased by 5. Taking down that starving wolf had also boosted my strength and agility a little.

As for my faith stat, that took a hit after I cursed at God. Not that I cared.

In Soul World, stats were easy to increase at first, but it got harder later on. Grinding mindlessly wasn't an option, the game was too realistic for that.

'Trash stats.'

Even a basic knight class had better numbers than this. But I wasn't a knight.

My skills and traits were just as pathetic. Most people are birthed with at least two or three.

Sure, I had Wild Instinct, but who knew if that was even useful?

If I somehow made it out of this forest, it'd be completely useless, but no way in hell was I living out my days in the wild like some beast.

Even Bear Grylls wasn't about the wild, he was about survival.

He scavenged, ate bugs, did whatever it took all while trying to get back to civlization.

Me? I knew some survival knowledge, but only from games. Reality was a different beast entirely.

That wolf just now? I only won because I played smart. There were plenty of things here that could kill me with ease.

'This situation is beyond f*cked.'

"Ha Ha Hahh"

I let out a hollow laugh. The bleak reality was already sinking in.

But I couldn't afford to break down now. I had to survive. I had to find civilization.

If this forest was anywhere near the academy, my chances of survival would skyrocket. Someone would come eventually.

Screw the story, I just needed to live. And for that, I needed a plan.

'Should I wait until my arm heals?'

Hunting was out of the question with my left arm like this. Not that I was confident in my hunting skills in the first place.

I wasn't some expert and I didn't even have a proper weapon.

The only small comfort was the bones scattered around the cave.

I didn't know what kind of creatures used to live here, but at least some of the bones could work as makeshift clubs.

'Caveman vibes.'

I picked up a decent-sized bone and swung it experimentally. The thought of turning into an actual caveman felt ridiculous, but what choice did I have?

A human only shows their true potential when they wield a tool. Especially in a place like this.

'Ha…'

A wave of exhaustion hit me. The more I thought about it, the more absurd everything felt.

Would I have to eat raw meat? Scavenge like an animal?

Just the thought made my stomach turn.

As I absentmindedly fiddled with the bone, a realization struck me.

'How the hell am I supposed to make fire?'

If I was going to use this cave as my base, fire was essential. But with my arm like this, starting one would be a nightmare.

Moving aimlessly wasn't an option. I needed to secure a safe spot and expand my range from there.

I kept reminding myself, I wasn't some survival expert, just an average guy but I'll definitely make it out of here

'For now, I just need to hold out until my arm heals.'

To make things worse, I was left-handed. Even earlier, crushing those plants with my right hand had been a struggle.

No clue how long recovery would take, but I was looking at a few days at least.

Hopefully, nothing decides to ambush me before then.

'I should just sleep first.'

My body and mind were both drained. The near-death encounter had taken everything out of me.

I grabbed a bone to use as a pillow, hard as hell but better than nothing and laid down.

'When I wake up… please, let it be in my room.'

I muttered a silent prayer and shut my eyes.

Almost instantly, my senses sharpened, my hearing, my sense of smell… was this the effect of Wild Instinct?

Sleeping like this would be a challenge. Still, I forced my eyes shut.

Morning came in an instant.

I didn't even realize I'd slept.

The forest outside was glowing under the rising sun, birds chirping, insects buzzing.

I stepped outside, stretching.

And then

BRRRRRROWL

"Oh."

Hunger hit me like a truck.