๐๐ถ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ล
We continue to walk north in hopes of reaching the sun and moon tree. I look at the sky and there was still no snow dropping as if there was some sort of barrier in this godless land.
The two elves in our group helped us traverse the lush forest while they were chatting leaving me and Alice together. We talked to each other because I didn't know how or should and Alice had low charisma in her character board.
After a half day's worth of walking, we began to set up camp. Astoria created fire using her flint and steel, Alice tied the horses to a tree and let them feed off the grass and nearby bush while I and Freya grabbed branches for a makeshift shelter.
I lend her Jin's sword and she lends me her staff for me to walk easier. While she was cutting them down, I try to take one branch at a time a put them near the camp.
We made two simple shelters shaped like a triangle. It seemed that Freya found a river so currently they were washing their bodies while also washing some of their clothes.
I took off my armor and watched the campfire burn while reflecting on myself. My thoughts became clouded with my failures and my mood dampened.
I try to not think about killing myself but every failure causes me to think back if living is really worth it. I ask myself if I should still keep fighting desperately until my body finally fails me.
"I'll probably never be able to settle down if I'm still thinking this way, argh, why can't I just change," I asked myself in a silent voice.
The laughing of the three women made me jealous; their smiles were something I can't naturally do even now and when I try to do it, not only is it obviously fake but looked weird, being able to feel emotions, in general, was something foreign to me at this point.
I scratch my head messing up my hair and it covers my eyes then I stab the fire with a small stick and just silently watched the fire.
After they washed their bodies and returned, they hung their clothes in a nearby branch and currently wearing simple clothes. Seeing that I grabbed my extra clothes and towel from the bag and headed to the river to wash.
I silently took off the harness that was connected to my white long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans then I washed them as best as I could before finally washing my own body.
I checked up on my missing left arm. When I grab what was left of my left arm, there was a hard lump there. For only a brief moment I felt somewhat sad about losing my arm but I lose such emotion for some reason.
Already accepting my disability, I continue to wash my body then after, I returned to the camp wearing my simple clothes and I also hung my clothing on a branch of a tree.
As the sun goes down, I took the first watch for the night and let them rest but after an hour or so they come out of their shelters and sat around the campfire.
It seems Astoria told them about my world since the three looked at me and asked about my world once again; We opened the last bottle of wine before I talk. Like always, I used my words carefully to make sure that they don't ask about my home.
I also try to tell them about foreign cultures but kept vague since I didn't have much information about them. After that, they asked if I want to go back there and this time, I kept my composure, and thanks to my passive, [Sly Tongue], I managed to keep it vague that they accepted it as an answer without telling them what I truly feel.
The time of my watch was up so I went to sleep and left to discuss things about my world. I got comfortable on the grey-colored grass and soon fall into a dreaming state where I imagine the same peaceful cherry blossom forest and rested in my dreams as well putting both my mind and body in a truly peaceful state.
*****
When I woke up, I saw Astoria sleeping peacefully in front of me, her clothes were almost falling out which gave her a sexy allure so I keep left the shelter immediately.
I try to flex my muscle to try and calm my thing down. Since it was very early since I was the only one awake, I decided to strengthen my body with a simple exercise. I try developing my arms and torso first with simple pushups and crunches but I had a hard time with the pushups because I had only one arm, barely even making one pushup.
After that, I exercised my lower body by running laps around the camp with my bag and sidestepping for my footwork and agility.
I drank the last of my water inside my waterskin so I headed to the river and filled the two of them up. Since it was river water, I needed a way to sterilize them but I had no pot however an idea came to me, I grabbed tiny rocks in the river and washed them as best as I could.
I lit the fire up and heated them up and while that was happening I grabbed a small wooden bowl from my bag and poured my water on it.
This was one of the miscellaneous items that I bought for this situation. Using a makeshift shift chopstick, I put the boiling hot rocks in the bowl and it soon sterilized it of any bacteria then I pour the water onto my waterskin.
A notification popped up on my activity log:
แดแดแดษชแด ษชแดส สแดษข โ
โขโขโข
[NEW]: [๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ] ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐.๐ญ has been unlocked.
A new passive was unlocked in response to me doing this however it was weird seeing this happen when I knew how to do this and yet, I still haven't acquired this skill.
I didn't dwell on it though when they soon start to wake up. Without minding them, I continue to sterilize the last of the water but before I could start pouring, Freya questions what I was doing.
"What are you with that?"
"I'm trying to clean the water of bacteria."
"Bacteria?"
She looks at me with a confused face and I as well become confused; This world wasn't the medieval world since Kliyer had the technology that was closer to my world so I thought that things like bacteria would be discovered by now but I still explained thinking that it was called different here.
"It's an organism that cannot be seen with a naked eye and can cause sickness when you make contact with it for long periods or if there are many of them"
"...do you mean corrupted mana?"
"Wha-" 'Ohhh, this world must have had magic before they had technology so they probably related anything to magic and mana whenever they discover something they couldn't explain.'
After finishing my monologue, I explained to her how it was in my world and she became somewhat infatuated when I mention my world. It took some time but I managed to explain everything so I continued my water purification after that.
We immediately got ready and continued our journey. The horses recovered enough that they could walk normally so Alice started riding one of them and gave the other to me.
I wanted to ride the horse as well but I had no idea how to plus the horse was also currently obedient and calm so I didn't want to ruin it since I didn't know how to calm it down and I also didn't want to bother Alice.
I tied the horse's reins to my arm and finally, we started walking north again. As always both Astoria and Freya took the front and scouted ahead for us while I and Alice stayed behind them.
*****
As we were walking a notification goes through my activity log, when I open it, a mandatory update became an option.
In the rectangular text box, there was a yellow question mark on the corner so using my finger, I tap the question mark and read it:
"New update brings new features from your truly, the god of entertainment, Megu. I bring the following to this update:
โข New feature: Viewing other individuals' stats - View an individual's status at a glance which will depend on your [WISDOM] stat.
โข Separated the character board into their separate menu. Skill, Passive skills, and magic will have their menu while stats, debuffs, buffs, blessings, and curses will be combined into one menu.
The character board will show your silhouette which will show what you are wearing and wielding at the moment. This will also give tell your damages in your body based on your [WISDOM] stat.
โข Improved UI ( User Interface )
โข New feature: Map - Create a map of the world you're in based on your [WISDOM] stat. The map will be created as long as you are there and see the scenery.
โข New feature: Inventory - If you are wearing a bag or some sort of container, a new menu will pop up which will tell you what you have in there. Note: This will only tell you what you have and you must take out each item manually to get them out of your inventory.
โข Optimized all existing menus.
You can update your character menu by clicking [Yes] on your activity log.
Note: It will cause intense headaches but will eventually make you sleep so update when you are in a safe place.
- Sincerely, Megu"
I look at my party and we nod to each other. We head back to our camp and at the same time update our character menu.
Before that, I wondered what was happening back in my world but that was only for a moment since I was trying to forget about everything about the earth. I braced myself and clicked the yes then an intense headache that almost made me vomit occurs causing me to fall.
Suddenly my body demanded me to sleep and I easily gave in. I get comfortable on the grey grass and eventually fall asleep.