"Why is my number of kills still the same," I was puzzled by this fact while scrutinizing every detail of my status.
I rose to sit and crossed my leg on the ground while mulling.
"I think the recorded number of kills is only based on the death of players caused by me, and not the total number of dead monsters and criminals I caused." This was my assumption.
"Speaking of criminals, why did the corpses take long for them to disintegrate,"
"It doesn't make any sense. The goblins took mere seconds to turn into pixels, while the dead criminals took a longer period to disintegrate."
"Why is that?" I didn't know, but then an idea came to me.
'Oh!! Maybe it is done to provide other players enough time to claim the dropped materials of the deceased,'
Judging by the timing it took for the bodies to disintegrate, it seems the bodies remain intact for about half an hour before it vanish while that of monsters takes mere seconds right after their dropped items were taken.
'It hasn't even been an hour since I got here and yet, a lot has happened,'
'I can't remain here for too long. I have to get rid of the blood if I want to avoid attracting more goblins or maybe even something worse,'
With that thought in my mind, I forced myself back to my feet before looking at the other weapon in my inventory.
[Name: Slingshot.]
[Grade: Low]
[Quality: Low]
[Durability: 4%.]
[Requirements: Level 1.]
[Attribute requirements: STR (1) and AGI (1) PRE (1).]
[Effects: A long-range weapon capable of inflicting +1 damage to its target, but could cause a detrimental effect to a startled target.]
[Note: Get a better slingshot, or you won't last long in the woods.]
Reading the last part of the information about the slingshot, I decided to add that to my current objective.
Now, I wanted to get rid of the blood, find a weapon with higher durability and then find something to eat for tonight.
To get rid of the blood, I needed to find a stream where I could rinse the stain away.
If man-eating goblins were roaming around the woods, I'm certain there will be beasts with a higher level than the goblins.
I continued to roam around the woods.
I had no idea if there were any makeshift shelters I could settle in for the night.
There's no guarantee that all the players were scattered within the woods and that the game would begin and end in the woods as well.
"It would be nice if there were some sorts of map indicating the location of every player in the game,"
Of course, this could go either way.
It would certainly put me in danger, but at least I could know if others were hiding in places I couldn't see.
"That reminds me,"
Something came to mind and I glanced toward my status once again.
"I wonder what the bounty added to my status is all about,"
But that wasn't the weird part of the status.
I had killed three players already, which seemed to be what was recorded in my status and still, my bounty remained at zero.
Even if I would like to remain unnoticed throughout the game, it would be a lot better to know I was worth more than a gold coin.
This is because a gold coin is equivalent to a dollar, and now it seems I'm worth less than a dollar.
I sighed.
"Don't think about that. Remember the goal. 200,000,000 gold coins is the aim," I gently slapped both sides of my cheeks.
I can't afford to waste time on such thoughts. Seeing the smiles of my loved ones should be my utmost concern.
A couple of hours went by and I finally heard the sound of water flowing.
I hastened my pace to see a stream around thirty meters from where I stood.
I rushed towards it before dropping to my knees and cupping my hands to drink the clean water.
It felt like years since I last drank something as good as this.
To be honest, the water felt far more refreshing than any other I had drunk before now.
[Ding!! +1 has been added to your HP.]
Similar to when I first tasted the berries, a notification appeared once again informing me of my HP refilling once again.
Aside from the first notification, my HP didn't refill as I kept on drinking.
Then I concluded that only the first taste has an immediate effect on my HP.
"But the berries increased my HP twice. Then maybe it depends on the kind of food eaten?" I shrugged and then pondered no more on the topic.
I'll gradually take note of these things as I live daily for the next 99 days.
I cautiously scanned the area before removing my rag tunic, leaving behind only my briefs.
Not only that, but I cleaned the blood from my face and hands.
This was the second time I had cleaned the blood of someone else from my body.
My hands instinctively quivered in fear as I recalled the countless days I had been roughly treated by Derek.
"It's all in the past now. No one is going to hurt you," I reminded myself before turning towards my clothing on the floor.
I soaked them in the stream before washing them.
The point of all this is to abate the scent of blood in me so that I won't draw too much attention to myself.
The more chances I have of avoiding any beast or monsters in the future, the more chance I have of surviving until the very end.
Just right after, I was done with the washing, I heard the crowing of a rooster.
I turned to my left to see a brown rooster heading towards the stream to have a drink.
"Finally, my first meat,"
_______
The total number of players currently in the game: 79,095.
The number of deceased players: 67.
The total number of deceased players: 905.
___
Author's note: The three characters of the next chapter are a tribute to @Tims. @Ethedon and @kingit (Both from SH). Thanks for sticking with me throughout the tough times. I sincerely hope you enjoy the next chapter.