Before long he went deeper into the forest. She moved between trees and bushes avoiding the traps she had set up in the past. After a few minutes she found a small, dimly lit house in the middle of the vegetation.
Alexander saw his humble shelter while he was hidden in the bushes. As he was about to leave, he heard the brush shake behind him. He turned to check and at that moment he saw out of the corner of his eye a figure emerge from the bushes opposite.
With his injured body it was difficult for him to make exaggerated movements, however, he didn't have to do it either because he knew who it was. Alexander was pushed to the ground in an instant.
A black figure pinned him down with a rusty knife in his hands.
"Get off me, Joseph!" Alexander growled angrily as he felt pain from his wounds.
"Hey?" A childish and immature voice sounded behind him.
The figure stepped back and bowed quickly. "M-Master Alexander? "I'm sorry, I couldn't see your face in the darkness!"
Alexander slowly got up from the ground. "It doesn't matter. Also, I told you not to call me teacher, I'm only six years older than you."
"Yes, I'm sorry…Master Alexander" Joseph apologized, and his last words were spoken in a low voice.
Alexander shook his head as he quickly forgot about this topic. Once he was standing, he asked, "Did something happen while he was away?"
"Hey, some humans wandering in the forest were close to finding our shelter, so I had to use some tricks to scare them away." Joseph explained in detail.
Alexander walked past him as he nodded his head. "Well done."
Joseph smiled happily at his compliment as he followed behind him. As soon as they entered, they were greeted with excited barking by a small dog-like creature named Blackie.
Alexander petted him before sitting on the floor.
"Bring me herbs and some water."
Joseph nodded as he headed to a corner of the shelter. He returned with a small bowl of water and a handful of herbs. Meanwhile, Alexander lit small bonfires set up throughout the shelter. The cold became more bearable.
Alexander heated the bowl with water while he ground the herbs with a stone on a wooden plank. After that he immersed them in the hot water. He waited a few minutes in silence. Joseph meanwhile took charge of keeping watch with Blackie resting on his lap.
He was curious about his teacher's injuries and his late arrival, but he decided not to ask. His teacher had ordered him never to go into the forest just as he would never visit the city again. To this day he followed his orders.
Alexander removed the herb from the bowl and smeared it on his open wounds as he drank the bitter water.
After finishing his treatment, he called Joseph and Blackie to eat. He picked up three fruits from the storehouse of his shelter. The little dinner lasted a few minutes. Although hungry, they endured the hunger.
Alexander approached the entrance to the shelter and blocked it with a large wooden plank. Afterwards the group went to sleep near the bonfire in the center. Each one slept on thin layers of rags on the floor and on top of them, thick dirty sheets.
Joseph and Blackie fell asleep immediately as they waited for Alexander all day and were exhausted. Alexander was awake for a few minutes before falling asleep. Once he fell asleep, a chain of messages was heard in his head.
[System installed successfully.]
[Checking the host's condition: seriously injured.]
[Higher grade regeneration activated.]
[Insufficient energy.]
[Lesser grade regeneration activated.]
As soon as this last message was heard, the mana in the surroundings moved towards Alexander's body of its own volition. He felt his body brimming with energy before it itself underwent crucial changes.
The blood vessels were restored in a matter of seconds. The blue-black bruises were recovering slightly.
After a while, this mysterious process stopped.
His wounds had not been completely healed. Wounds could still be seen on his skin and his body was still thin, but compared to before, he was in better condition.
[Minor grade regeneration completed.]
***
The sun slowly rose from the mountain range declaring a new day. Temperatures were on the floor, but they were more acceptable than yesterday. Alexander slowly opened his eyes.
A pleasant and compliant feeling was all over his body accompanied by a little pain.
Alexander got up from the ground and looked at himself in a broken mirror in the corner of the shelter. His physical appearance remained the same; black hair and eyes, thin body and tanned skin, however, his wounds were less painful than yesterday.
He continued to observe himself carefully until a message materialized on his retina.
[User: Alexander Carey]
[Race: Human]
[Level 1]
[HP: 7/10]
[Strength: 7]
[Stamina: 8]
[Agility: 12]
[Senses: 14]
Alexander was not scared by this and instead reviewed the content of the message. "A videogame?"
The first thing that came to mind was a video game. Although he also wondered how it was possible for him to have such a thing in his hands. He had never had anything like this before.
Alexander checked on him for a while before ignoring him.
The message disappeared from his retina. As a simple man, he decided not to investigate such an event. If he was harmless there was no need to look further. He faithfully believed that he would know the answer as time went by.
Instead, he approached a window blocked by a wooden board and saw the sky. "It's early."
Alexander looked from him to the duo who were sleeping peacefully on the floor and woke them up.
"Hey? "What is it, Master Alexander?" Joseph woke up with drool dripping from his mouth. It was the same with Blackie.
"It's time to have breakfast." Alexander did not look at them while he took out the last of the fruits from the same box from last night.
After the duo was awake, the three of them sat down to have breakfast. Joseph decided to ask as he chewed on an apple-like fruit. "Will you go get more food, Master Alexander?"
"Yeah. And I have told you a thousand times not to talk while you chew."
Alexander responded with a frown. Small pieces of apple had landed on his face.
Joseph nodded sheepishly as he continued eating.