Ebony soft hair rustled against green wild grass. His dark eyes above sakura-colored cheeks opened and took in his surroundings. In his eyes, it was as if all sins melted away. In the forest of greenery and flowering blossoms, he looked like a fairy free from earthly corruption and human darkness. The confusion glazed his eyes and made him look more ethereal.
The boy's mind was in a fog as if he was unable to think clearly. His stomach growled. He lay on the grass with no energy for a long time before finally moving. He felt as if he should have woken from his dream already. Since he hadn't, he had to solve what was in front of him.
He turned over and began pushing his fingers into the dark soil. He dug into the ground to look for roots to eat. Even after digging until he was out of breath, he found nothing. The boy felt faint and his vision was blurred. The pain in his stomach felt as if it was eating itself. He opened his mouth to chew on the grass by the side of his head. A cushion-sized area of grass was eaten before he stopped. Half an hour later he climbed out of the ditch he was in. He leaned against a tree and began digging again, eating pieces of bark from time to time.
A few hours later the boy was covered in dirt. He had puked much of what he'd eaten, but he felt much better. He walked along the ditch. He used it as a landmark to follow so he wouldn't get lost. The ditch was also wet, which meant there was more life in and near it. He hoped to find something he could eat soon.
Instead of finding food, the boy stumbled upon something frighteningly familiar. It was a lion etched on a metal circle half the size of his body. It was leaning against a fallen tree. The area below the flat metal plate was big enough for a small body like his own to squeeze under.
The boy had been here before in another dream. In that dream, he woke up under the metal plate and walked down the ditch. He had fainted in that dream. It all seemed to be connected. In that dream, he fainted and there was a fog in his head. In this dream he woke with a fog in his head from starvation, then he wandered back to the waking place of the first dream. It felt as if it were a continuation of the first dream.
Was this not a new place he'd woken up in? He thought he may have died again and ended up here. The last time he was here--in a dream--he woke up in his bed. Was this still a dream? His hunger felt so real. He could still smell his putrid breath and feel his hands shaking. The sore feet and legs from walking, the injured and stinging fingers from digging, the cuts on his lips and mouth from the grass, and even the occasional breeze through his hair.
He bent down to look at the metal plate. There was a sleeping bag and pillow underneath. It looked like a resting area. He ignored this as his attention was drawn to the bottle of water at the side. He chugged it down until he choked on it. He paused to cough and continued drinking. In all honesty, it felt like his throat was being scratched as it went down and his stomach felt bloated. It seems humans fear starvation for good reason. No wonder they partake in no less than three meals a day.
A few minutes later he began racking his brains. The water had settled somewhat and comforted his body. He lay on top of the sleeping bag under the metal lion. Beneath the lion, he could see leather straps. The metal lion plate was a huge shield.
He didn't know how it got here or where these things came from. He just wanted to leave this place.
[Hunger levels restored to minimal required levels. Booting up.]
[Hint: Collect 5 cm Golden Teak Poelem and 1 handful Marsh A-yo Moss to create a basic healing salve to go to the next area.]
"Si-System?" He choked on his words, "You are here? What is this place?"
[Training Area Two. An imitation land for users to obtain assistance.]
Does leaving him to starve in an unknown world count as helping him?
[Open Inventory for access to stored food.]
"Inventory?"
A grid of clipart pictures opened up in front of him. It was the same type of semi-transparent window that the words appeared in. Would the pictures become real when he thought about it? After a brief moment of shock, he quickly scanned the pictures for anything edible looking. The grid scrolled through pages and pages. There was too much to see and decipher. In his muddled state, he couldn't recognize anything edible.
[Egg drop soup, Rice porridge, or chicken noodle soup is suggested for the current state.]
"Does it even have this?" He didn't expect this storage picture grid to have something so complex. He had been looking for a ration-type or supplement-like food.
The page scrolled on its own and a few sequential grids lit up. They were all bowls. Looking at them carefully, the details showed a spoon and soup as well. He held out his hands and imagined one in his hands. His hands suddenly became heavy and tipped. Some of the soup poured out onto the sleeping bag. He didn't mind. He quickly scooped some into his mouth.
After half a bowl he forced himself to stop. His stomach was still uncomfortable, but this time it was because it was in an awkward state. He was both full and empty. It would take him a few days to readjust his eating habits. In the meantime, it wasn't good to overeat. On top of the water from earlier, he was worried he would get sick again. The boy set the bowl aside.
He turned to the pictures. While the food was digesting, he decided to familiarize himself with the pictures. That way, it will be easier to identify things in the future.
For a while, he just dazedly stared at the screen. His brain hadn't yet completely recovered from the fog. Once the food got into him, it slowly kicked his mind into drive. After about half an hour, he switched from staring at blobs to observing pictures. By the time he'd somewhat gotten used to the style, he could observe and think about it without forcing his brain to work until it spewed gas like before. The pictures were cartoonish and simplified. Valnr had rarely come across such things and spent some time adjusting to it. Now he casually laid on the sleeping bag as he scolded through. One hand was holding his head as the other rubbed his stomach. The system had suggested he change out the sleeping bag a while ago.
"What is this? A knife?" He asked. These pages were filled with weapons. As everything was sorted, it looked like rows and rows of double-edged knives.
[This is a Sutra Ice Enchanted Longsword.]
He sighed, "These pictures will take some getting used to." He closed the inventory and stretched. He still felt like puking, and his body was weak and uncomfortable.
"Do I have to pay or trade something when I use this warehouse?" He had been wondering about this for a while.
[No, this belongs to the Host.]
His mind settled. It must have been gathered like those books. He was the child of a rich family, after all.
"If I go to sleep, will I return?"
[Yes.]
"How long will my hunger levels or whatever last me?"
[Half a day until the system goes into sleep mode.]
He asked the system for a large bowl, a water bottle, and a change of clothes from the inventory. He didn't bother going through it himself again. Luckily, the system complied. It seemed the system was not only useful for information but also for other things. It was also very nice to him. He liked it a lot.
He used the bowl and water to clean up. He finished half the soup he'd left unfinished. After cleaning up and changing clothes, he slipped into the sleeping bag. The ground was uneven and the sun hadn't set yet, so it took a long time for him to fall asleep.