Chapter 4

Humans are strong yet fragile beings. Like any animal, there’s no other creature as contradictory as humans.

While our physical strength is weak compared to other animals, our endurance surpasses that of many.

Thanks to that endurance and our intelligence that allows us to use tools, we’ve reached the top of the food chain.

But that’s only the case when we’re in ‘groups’; as individuals, humans are weak.

First off, there are almost no wild animals that can win in a bare-handed fight. If a dog attacks, it’s pretty much game over.

So hunting alone is incredibly tough, making it hard to utilize the advantage of low calorie consumption.

You need to eat something to store energy, or do something, right?

Crunch!

“Ugh…”

In that spirit, I ate a bug. A white grub I found inside a rotten log.

The moment I bit into it, I was hit by an indescribable disgust flooding my mouth. The smell of dirt started to feel fragrant in comparison.

Squelch- squelch- chomp-

I did my best to hold on and chewed. My face felt like it contorted into a twisted mess.

Even if the combat methods in the Soul World are garbage, at least you can eat bugs if there’s no food.

But some bugs are poisonous, so you have to be careful. Luckily, being an established player means I know which ones are poisonous.

If I hadn’t fallen into this forest, this knowledge wouldn’t have been useful. It really sucks in various ways.

Nom! Nom! Nom!

The taste is so vile it makes me feel sick. I forced myself to swallow, barely making it.

It seems like characters get nauseous from eating raw stuff too. What a pointless realism.

It’d be better if I could grill it over a fire. But with my left arm in this condition, I have no choice.

At least I have to eat it raw until my arm heals. I can’t just munch on animal corpses, can I?

Of course, if worst comes to worst, I’ll have to eat something. I hope I don’t end up in a situation where I’m sucking marrow like a caveman.

“Ugh… ugh…”

This time, an awful smell invaded my nostrils. Every breath through my nose felt like I might gag.

The problem is, one bug isn’t enough. I need several more to last until my arm heals.

How do I know this? My buddy Bear Grylls taught me. Watching documentaries regularly paid off.

Oh, just in case, you can’t eat fruits. Most of the time, you’ll just end up with diarrhea if you do.

‘At least the edible stuff grows on the trees… sigh.’

On the bright side, I’m fortunate there’s drinkable water nearby.

There was a small stream flowing, and seeing minnows swimming means the water is safe to drink.

Humans die if they don’t eat food for three weeks, and they die if they don’t drink water for three days.

Water was absolutely necessary, so I felt relieved for a moment.

‘But the problem is, loads of animals come to drink that water.’

Porori might even come by. I know many established players searched the creek to take down Porori.

If that happens, I plan to run without looking back. I’m just a human at the bottom of the food chain.

Taking down a hungry wolf was pretty lucky. If there had been no branches or stones nearby, I’d have been dead on the spot.

‘I have to hold out until my arm heals.’

Priority number one is the recovery of my arm. Only once that’s restored can I expand my range.

But that’s uncertain too; my arm could get infected and start rotting before that.

It’d be nice if someone happened to find me, but thinking again, that might not be welcoming.

If Porori is around, it means I’m deep into the woods. Entering here unprepared will most likely lead to disaster.

Meaning, my chances of escaping this place are drastically low. I may have to focus on ‘living’ rather than just surviving.

‘Eh. I can probably get out before that.’

I just need to adapt a little. Bear Grylls manages to survive and escape; he doesn’t just adapt.

Eating bugs now is just a minimal requirement to stay alive. I’ve heard they’re rich in protein.

That’s just the bare minimum though. It’s impossible to eat until I’m full unless I hunt or fish.

‘If only my arm was at least functioning…’

Eating the starving wolf I caught yesterday would be great. As the taste in my mouth began to fade, I started moving again.

For now, all I can do is survive on bugs. It’s estimated my arm will take at least a month to heal.

‘Can I hold out for a month?’

That month is assuming I find good plants that aid in recovery.

Even if I accidentally find something that stops bleeding, it could be the end of my luck.

I feel a sinking sensation that even surviving would be tough, let alone escaping. After all, this forest leads to high-level areas.

Honestly, all I can see ahead is a bleak future. I really wish someone would reach this place.

Chill—

“What…”

Suddenly, I felt a chill at the back of my neck. I flinched and turned around.

Hiss— Sss—

A slender creature with a forked tongue and a long body stands out. It’s limber enough to climb trees with ease.

A snake, slimy just by looking at it, is staring directly at me. With its tongue flicking, it seems to have locked onto its target.

Even a small snake gives me the creeps, and this one isn’t small at all. How did it sneak up behind me?

Swoosh!

That thought lasted briefly as the snake opened its mouth wide and lunged at me.

Proving it was venomous, its two sharp fangs glinted as they shot toward me.

“Shit!!”

Startled, I instinctively jerked my upper body away. The snake’s head narrowly missed my cheek.

If I dodged its attack, now it was my turn. Before the snake could regain its composure, I grabbed its body.

With my left arm in tatters, I had no choice but to use my right hand, but that was enough.

Slash!

The moment I grabbed its body, it lunged for my now exposed right arm, mouth wide open.

If I ended up losing my right arm too, my chances of survival would drop to zero. In a panic, I released the snake’s body.

As soon as I let go, the snake dropped to the ground and quickly slithered away into the underbrush.

“··· ···”

Everything happened so fast that my mind felt blank. If I hadn’t felt that chill, or if I’d been even a moment slower…

Here, it’s not just the big beasts you have to watch out for. Venomous snakes, bugs, and plants pose the most danger.

And in the worst case, I might even have to eat those kinds of things. Just thinking about it makes me grimace.

[Quick reaction speed! Agility increases!]

“Fuck…”

I muttered under my breath. It’s already horrible, and now it’s gotten worse. Why did I fall into this place?

Why not at least send me to the city? Why drop me into this forest filled with dangers?

If there truly is a god, I want to hurl every curse at them. Just so you know, there are gods in this world.

If I make it back to the city, I swear I’ll let loose. I promised myself again today.

[Faith declines.]

Get lost. You useless prick.

What’s the point of faith declining? What can you do, you bastard?

‘First, I need to get out of here. I will definitely get out.’

I moved cautiously, keeping an eye on my surroundings.

If something felt off, I wouldn’t even go there. It felt like my life would be at risk if I did.

Since I’ve gained this pointless ability, I’m planning to make the most of it.

‘Just hold on for one month. I’ll escape once my arm is healed.’

But that resolve was never realized.

“Growl! Bark! Bark!”

“Shit!”

Focusing all my energy on survival, I—

“Uwoooorrr!!”

“WTF!”

Miraculously, I fully adapted to this forest.

“Shit (this sucks).”

Losing my language skills is just icing on the cake.