Page 24: Searching in the forest II
(Third Person View narrative-when looking through the woods)
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Chapter 2: Regular Stonebark Expanse Survival
The deeper Oliver walked into the Stonebark Expanse, the more the forest began to feel like its own enclosed world—quiet, balanced, and alive with unseen currents of Vita.
This wasn't one of those legendary jungles packed with ancient beasts or untamable plant growth where every vine wanted to strangle you. No, this was a regular forest. The kind built for a beginner. Fair and unforgiving in equal measure. The Vita Density here—500,000 units—wasn't rare, but it was potent enough to keep things unpredictable.
And more importantly, it was survivable.
But only if you were ready to play the long game.
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Oliver found a small clearing surrounded by trees with low-hanging branches and a patch of moss flat enough to sit on. He dropped his bag beside him, stretched out his sore legs, and opened his travel notebook—one of the few things he'd packed that wasn't digital.
He flipped to a blank page, chewed the tip of his pencil, and began scribbling:
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Basic Survival Objectives – Day 1
🗸 Water – ✔
🗸 Shelter – Temporary shade only
☐ Food – ???
☐ Tools – Not yet gathered
☐ Defense – Zero
☐ Chest Finds – 0/3
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The truth was simple: out here, even in a low-threat zone, you didn't wait for things to come to you. You had to work. Hunt. Gather. Especially without proper gear.
He got up, brushed off the moss, and started his first real loop through the woods—eyes scanning for the most basic thing a beginner needed.
Stone.
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✧ Gathering Tools
Within thirty minutes, he'd found a cluster of scattered stones near a tree split by lightning. The rock type was dense and coarse—good enough for crude shaping. Oliver gathered them carefully into a small pile and used another flat stone as a hammer.
Stone dagger – barely sharp, more like a chipped flake, but enough to cut twine or slice mushrooms.
Stone axe – more of a weighted rock tied with thick grass cordage to a branch. Sloppy but functional.
Stone pickaxe – heavier and harder to swing, made from a split tree branch and tied with thin root strands. He'd need this to dig shallow holes or carve into softer rock.
Shovel – a flat stone bound to a thick branch, more like a scoop than a true tool, but it worked.
He placed them all in a lined circle near his temporary camp, proud of the little "arsenal" of primitive craftsmanship.
The sun shifted slightly, soft beams breaking through the treetops.
He still needed rope, bows, and most importantly… a string source.
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✧ The Hunt for Fiber
Oliver scouted further, eventually finding a fallen tree wrapped in creeping vines. They weren't ideal, but after some effort and careful slicing with his stone dagger, he stripped off lengths of fibrous strands—tough, dry, and perfect for making basic string.
He twisted it carefully, winding three thin vines into a rough bowstring. After a few failures and one snapping across his cheek, he finally had something that looked like it might hold tension.
Using a flexible branch, he carved a crude bow, and with thin sticks sharpened by grinding them against stone, he fashioned three arrows—no feathers, but balanced enough for close range.
Now he had a weapon. Not much of one. But it was something.
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✧ The Mystery of the Forest Chests
Midday came and went, the temperature remaining cool thanks to the forest's balanced Vita. Occasionally, the system would blink with quiet alerts:
"Passive Lifeform Nearby."
"Mild Vita Fluctuation Detected."
But so far, nothing hostile.
Oliver remembered a tip from a guide he once watched—Travelers sometimes reported that ancient forest chests appeared near high-Vita trees or deep-rooted plants, often buried slightly or hidden in hollow logs.
He began scanning the trunks more closely.
Then—there it was. Tucked beneath a slanted log, barely visible under ferns, was a worn wooden chest covered in moss.
Oliver dropped to his knees and cleared it off.
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[System Alert – Forest Cache Discovered]
[Forest Chest – 1/3 Found]
Contents:
→ Dried Herbs (x5)
→ Crude Flint Knife (Durability 14/30)
→ Traveler's Bandage
→ Map Fragment (Stonebark Expanse – SE Section)
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He let out a soft breath of relief. His first real find. The bandage alone was worth it, but the map fragment?
That was the game-changer.
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✧ Building Forward
As the sun began to tilt westward, Oliver worked fast.
With the tools he'd crafted and the resources he'd scavenged, he assembled a basic shelter using branches, stones, and woven vines—nothing permanent, but enough to protect against cold and light rain. He used the map fragment to plan tomorrow's search—likely toward the southeast, where water seemed to pool near a rock basin.
Food was still a problem. He nibbled on dry herbs for now. Edible, bitter, but not poisonous. Better than nothing.
He marked a new page in his notebook:
(Secondary Narrative)
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Day 1 Summary – Stonebark Expanse
✔ Crude Tools Crafted
✔ First Chest Found (1/3)
✔ Water Located
✔ Basic Shelter Constructed
✘ No Solid Food
✘ Still No Sign from Bracelet
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As night began to settle over the forest, the Vita around him shimmered faintly. He could feel it in the soil, the trees, even the air he breathed. A quiet strength. A reminder that even in a "regular" place, life itself was waiting to be uncovered.
Oliver sat beside his tiny fire pit, eyes watching the stars slowly blink awake above the canopy.
He was tired. Hungry. His hands were blistered.
But he had survived.
And in a world ruled by Vita and will…
That meant everything.
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(Third-Person Narrative)
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Chapter 3: Day 2 – Real Survival
Morning in the Stonebark Expanse was cooler than Oliver expected. A soft mist curled around the bases of trees, and dew clung to the edges of leaves like tiny crystals. The Vita in the air shimmered faintly, more active in the early hours—as if the forest, too, was waking up.
Oliver stirred from his makeshift shelter, stiff and sore. His back ached from sleeping on uneven roots, and his legs burned from the work of yesterday. But none of that compared to the dull emptiness gnawing at his stomach.
Day 2.
The forest was peaceful. Too peaceful.
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✧ The Food Problem
He sat cross-legged in front of his backpack, rummaging through what little he had left.
Two granola bars.
He stared at them for a long moment, then sighed and unwrapped one, chewing slowly. Every bite felt like it should be saved, stretched, multiplied—but that wasn't how the body worked. Hunger demanded more than careful bites and slow chewing.
When the bar was gone, it was gone.
He checked his surroundings. No fruit-bearing plants. No berry bushes. No edible roots he could identify.
No animals.
Not even birdsongs.
The only things moving were insects—ants crawling up a log, a beetle tumbling through leaves, a centipede skittering out of the shadows. Nothing worth catching. Nothing normal to eat.
Real survival, he thought grimly. No tutorials, no campfires with songs, just quiet hunger.
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✧ Grass Rope and Worn Tools
His tools, crafted yesterday, were holding up—barely. The stone dagger had a chip in it from splitting bark, and his bow was beginning to bend too far under tension. The string, which he had tied with dried vines and grass fibers, was fraying badly. He'd had to retie it four times already that morning, each time with a little less confidence.
The pickaxe was the worst of the bunch—already splitting at the grip, the cord barely holding the head in place. Still, he carried it. He'd need it if he wanted to dig for anything deeper than loose roots.
He tried to focus his mind. One objective at a time.
Shelter: stable.
Water: located.
Food: critically low.
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✧ Systematic Guide – Insect Evolution Fun Fact
As he scavenged near a rotted stump for anything useful, his phone buzzed softly with an unexpected ping. He pulled it out, expecting another Vita scan.
Instead, a glowing pop-up from the Systematic Guide appeared, colorful and surprisingly cheery.
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📘 SYSTEMATIC GUIDE – TRAVELER TRIVIA
[Fun Fact #007 – Insect Evolution Mechanics]
Did you know?
Under special circumstances, even simple insects can evolve!
An Evolution Insect Orb, when used properly, can mutate basic species into battle-capable forms.
Example:
🪲 A common Hercules Beetle, once evolved using a Level-Grade Green Orb, can reach over 6 feet tall, form a hardened carapace, and generate crushing force strong enough to knock out a professional boxer with a single strike.
⚠️ Use with caution. Mutated insects may become hostile, territorial, or unstable without proper bonding.
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Oliver blinked at the screen.
"Seriously?" he muttered aloud, looking back toward a group of ants marching along a fallen log.
He shook his head. Not helpful now, but definitely a terrifying thought. Just what I need. Giant evolved bug with biceps.
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✧ The Forest Remains Silent
Hours passed with no change. The heat returned—dry and stifling. The sun filtered down in beams, but the air didn't move much. His shirt clung to his back again, and he had to keep wiping sweat from his brow as he tried crafting another rope to hold a damaged branch together.
Still no animals.
He began to wonder—was the forest too balanced?
Vita flowed well, yes, but maybe that very balance meant predator and prey existed in strict cycles. Maybe the forest simply didn't need more creatures. Or maybe they were watching him, hidden in thickets or high branches, too cautious to approach the odd newcomer making grass rope and chewing bark like a lost student.
Oliver's bracelet remained quiet. Not even a pulse of light.
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✧ A Faint Sign
Late in the afternoon, while digging near a root system using his dull shovel, Oliver found something odd—a buried scrap of rusted metal, half-swallowed by soil.
He brushed it clean.
A marking.
A faint symbol etched into the surface—a circle with a spiral inside. Not natural. Not random.
"Another Traveler?" he whispered. "Or... someone else?"
His heart thumped. If there were signs of past Travelers here, then there had to be supplies, maybe even shelter deeper in.
He stood up, checking his tools one more time.
No food. No backup.
But he had curiosity.
And for now, that was enough to keep moving.
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Chapter – The Abandoned Cabin and the Druid's Orb
The forest was growing thicker.
Vines tugged at Oliver's boots as he pushed forward, weaving between tall trunks and thick underbrush. His makeshift rope, tied from layered grass, scratched against his side, and he carried his stone dagger in one hand, while the other held a bow—primitive, but strung tight. He had only a few arrows, fashioned from sharpened sticks and hardened in fire. It wasn't much, but it made him feel slightly more in control of his path.
Somewhere ahead, half-covered in ivy and moss, stood a cabin.
Old. Tilted. Swallowed by time.
Its wooden beams had grayed and cracked. Vines strangled the pillars, and a piece of the roof had caved in, letting beams of sunlight cut through the dark inside. A crooked sign above the entrance hung loosely on one nail. The wood was too faded to read—the letters worn away by wind and seasons.
Oliver didn't approach immediately.
He crouched in the bushes, bow drawn slightly, and eyes sharp. His breath was quiet, but his heart beat faster. He'd heard enough stories. Cabins in the woods always meant something.
Then, as if on cue, his phone gave a soft chime.
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📘 Systematic Guide – Cautionary Alert
Potential Help! Or Potential Downfall!
⚠️ Structures such as cabins on a first journey are typically:
– Abandoned by previous Travelers
– Remnants of early urbanization or survival efforts
– Often used as waypoints or supply caches
While many seem empty, there is always something hidden.
Approach with caution. Reward or ruin depends on timing and choices.
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Oliver let out a slow breath, reading that last line again.
"Reward or ruin."
Story of his life.
Still crouched, he crept toward the doorway, each step silent. The bow aimed, stone arrow notched. A creak from the porch. Dust danced in the air as he stepped inside.
The scent was musty. Damp wood, aged leather, and forest moss. No movement. No sound except a distant birdcall.
The interior was small—one room. A broken table. Two empty shelves. A shattered lantern. But there—half-tucked beneath an old coat near the far wall—was a backpack.
Oliver lowered the bow, moving carefully, dagger drawn now. He dragged the pack out and unzipped it.
Inside, buried between torn cloth and old rope, was an orb.
It pulsed faintly with soft green light.
A leaf-shaped symbol slowly rotated within the orb, encased in translucent glass. It gave off a low hum, almost like the distant sound of wind blowing through a canopy.
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📘 Systematic Guide – Item Identified
Class Orb – Druid Type 🌿
This orb is connected to the class: Druid
– Affinity: Nature, Flora manipulation, Earth-based healing, Animal empathy
– Ownership: Currently Bound
– Status: Orb is not compatible with Traveler Oliver
– Note: Orb is spiritually aligned with an existing Druid-class holder.
📍Tracker Detected:
The original Druid bearer is still active.
Location: Far Northeast.
Potential Quest: Deliver the orb to the rightful Druid to form a bond as their companion or be granted initial blessings or guidance.
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Oliver's brows furrowed.
So the orb wasn't for him. It was... someone else's. Someone far away.
But the System didn't say return outright. It said: deliver to form a bond. Guidance, blessings... maybe even direction.
In a world where he'd been walking aimlessly for two days, direction was worth more than food.
He held the orb up to the light. Its glow reflected in his eyes.
"Whoever you are," he muttered to the trees, "I guess I'm coming to find you."
A purpose. A goal.
And maybe, finally, a real step on the path of being a Traveler.
He pocketed the orb, tied the backpack shut, and turned back toward the forest, unaware of the faint green shimmer that now traced the ground where he walked.
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