*Bleghhh*
*Cough* *Cough*
Daniel puked out thick blood, coughing from the rude awakening. His throat ached while his body struggled to cope with the bit of fatigue that was left.
He turned his body over while it protested in every way. Discomfort, soreness, stiffness, etc.
"Ugh," He groaned.
His shoulders & ribs were sore from sleeping on his belly while the rest of his body was recovering well. Minus the broken foot that was now only fractured, & the burning sensation from his chest.
'I've just realized I've never known how long I sleep when I pass out like this.' He was concerned. Passing out for even one night was a risky endeavor just based on what's happened the last few days.
'I'm recovering way too quickly for me to sleep only one night... It's either that or the government officials of Earth were poisoning us... haha.' He attempted to alleviate the depressive thoughts, with dark humor.
'Or I just need a clock ha-'
He looked down at his armor in shock! His neck popped from the suddenness.
It was spotless black, almost as if it were absorbing light. The rust, dust & scrapes from yesterday were gone.
The weapons were no longer rusty either. They recovered a shiny new appearance, the silver glint that came from the swords' edges was now captivating. The bow's silver string now really glowed a silver glow!
'What the fuck.. is happening‽..' He was totally & utterly confused.
If he didn't recognize the crumbled ruin that lay in front of him, he would've thought he went back in time!
He looked up at the sky, the two suns were hanging directly above him, and though the canopy of the trees obscured most of the sunlight, he could still see that pretty clearly.
As he lay there he heard the ambient sounds of the jungle. Birds singing, insects chirping, reptiles hissing. Around him, there were no beasts or animals, but after a good three meters, you'd be able to spot some critters roaming about their merry business.
He groaned as he sat up, looking at his shiny armor, he couldn't help but sigh.
'The armor looks great but I feel like shit,' The tiredness in his eyes was apparent.
He moved his ankle to roll it around, it was a bit stiff but other than that, it had recovered quite remarkably.
He lethargically stood up, like an old man. Stiff & morbidly groaning due to the effort.
Daniel stood there quietly for a second.
'I have to change how I think. It will kill me in this world if I don't.' He looked around taking in the sights of the jungle. Daniel was getting incredibly annoyed at his lack of a sense of danger.
'If I continue to live how civilization has nurtured me, I'll never get anywhere.' Daniel thought to himself, he realized he wasn't taking his situation seriously.
Growing up in a society numbs your sense of danger, instincts & fear.
'At least not here in the jungle.' Daniel thought about his journey west while contemplating his best course of action.
It would only bear fruit if any civilization lay due west. All his efforts would pay off then.
'I have to reach civilization, then I'll be able to start my life here in this world, the only trouble is in their development. What sort of world am I in?'
Every human civilization has had different paths of development, in both culture & government.
Daniel walked over to his bow, slowly picking it up & inspecting it.
'It looks like everything that I took from those ruins has recovered to a like-new appearance & function.'
'This world is getting more interesting... But on that note, it seems full of danger. What kind of technology could allow such marvelous results? Is it even technology?'
His thoughts fragmented back & forth.
Daniel looked around while the world seemed a bit more vivid as the breeze brushed past his hair.
'Alright.. let's go.'
...
Daniel had been walking for roughly eight hours, the jungle still just as thick.
'Ugh... Traveling is so inconvenient without technology.'
The jungle terrain was unpredictable & difficult to track. Roots, pits, bushes, loose soil, all of it added to the strain on his endurance.
He sat down at the roots of a large tree to rest for a small period.
'I have to find food & water soon. I'm starting to feel tired, thirsty & hungry..'
He spaced out for a moment.. 'I don't know if I can do this... Do I have what it takes to survive?..'
The doubts ran deep. He had lots of knowledge about random things he had picked up on while reading articles & books, but nothing as tangible as survival training.
'I have to try... if there's any hope of finding my way back home that is..'
As he looked around, a small rabbit-like creature roamed his immediate vicinity, roughly four, to four & a half meters away.
He slowly lifted his bow & awkwardly pulled the string, the effort leaving his hands shaking. The small pin that was carved from the body of the bow shook around the little creature's body.
'This.. is soo.. difficult' He thought with gritted teeth.
With sweet relief, he let the arrow soar.
*thwip*
*whoosh*
The arrow flew half a meter to the right before snapping on the rock & startling the creature into running for its dear life.
'Well.. that's great.' He grew immensely frustrated with himself.
'Why would I attempt something that I've never practiced & expect to be good at it... Am I okay?' Daniel asked himself a rhetorical question to spite himself.
*Sigh*
He walked over to the broken arrow, looking as if he just lost a baby.
'I only have forty-nine arrows left. I have to practice. Maybe Trees would be a good option?.. Let's try with the trees.'
He walked up to a relatively large tree, and using his hidden blade he carved out a circle & a bullseye.
He walked five meters & drew a line, & after that every five meters, he would make a line. His goal is to hit the bullseye from fifty meters away.
After making the lines he walked back to the first line & held out his bow. He grabbed an arrow using his pointer & middle finger on the little feathers at the very end of the arrow.
He knocked it & rested the arrow on his hand, near where a line was conveniently placed as a guide.
Using the pin, the only one, by the way, he aimed at the target.
He breathed in & held his breath as he looked at the target, his attitude being extremely serious. Suddenly his body tingled, not from the strain or fatigue, but his mind entered a state of tranquility he had never experienced before.
His sight could see a bit more detail now, the colors a little more vibrant, the outlines of shapes more obvious.
*Exhale*
*whoosh*
The arrow flew through the air, but to Daniel, it was a bit slow. He could see how the arrow rotated on an axle, something that is known as the Archer's Paradox.
*Ptck*
The arrow landed seven centimeters from the bullseye.
After letting the arrow fly, Daniel came out of that state.
'What was that‽' He looked around as his chaotic mind came back, while his vision returned to normalcy.
'That feeling is so intoxicating... I mean. I've always loved sniping in my games, but the real thing? So satisfying! It's like the feeling of riding a roller coaster!' His heart pumped in excitement over this discovery.
That state of mind left him no room for stray thought, it silenced him completely. Only leaving the thought of shooting a bow into a target echoing throughout his mind.
'How come that didn't happen before?.' He contemplated.
He picked up his bow, knocked an arrow & pulled the string as far back as he could. He inhaled.
The state of mind returned, but Daniel didn't give it any thought, he aimed.
*Thwip*
The arrow flew!
*Ptck*
The arrow hit the target! This time three centimeters from the bullseye.
Daniel stood there shocked.
'The only difference between my first time using the bow & the second was my attitude.'
He stood there frowning a bit.
'Let's keep practicing then, but first, let me see if the arrows sustained any damage.'
He walked over to the tree & pulled the two arrows out. No nicks, folded edges, or chips were there, the arrows were just as sharp & as functional as before.
'Cool.'
Daniel unslung the quiver from his back, & he froze.!
'Ayo... Am I tripping??'
The quiver was full of arrows...
Daniel looked at the full quiver, & his left hand which had the two arrows.
'This.. is freaking me out. First, the restoration of the weapons and armor, & now this quiver which seems to have an infinite amount of arrows?'
Daniel sat down on the spot, killing a few ants in the process.
After a few moments passed to process the craziness of it all he stood up, no longer in shock.
Honestly, his mental fortitude is admirable.
Seeing something like instant restoration or self-replenishing arrows would be the equivalent of seeing paranormal activity, a huge psychological shock in some sense to most people.
'Alright, I won't be wasteful then, I'll just keep using the two arrows.'
Daniel walked over to the first line, took his stance & lined up the shot, at this point he was hyperfocused. He completely forgot his hunger, thirst & fatigue.
*Thwip*
*Ptck*
This time the arrow landed within the bullseye, but not yet dead center.
Daniel was surprised.
'Under that state of mind, it's so much easier to correct & learn from my mistakes. I wonder if I could replicate that under different circumstances. Like fighting or practicing with the swords!'
The possibilities were endless.
Daniel's blood was boiling, if he could harness that marvelous state of mind, his life would be so much easier.
'I'll take advantage of this momentary peace & practice this.'
Daniel lost himself to the excitement of his discovery.
Our mind is naturally chaotic and unpredictable in the flux of thought, being able to quiet the mind into focusing on just one or two things is an astounding ability.