When Lucas tried to go near the wolf, it went limping opposite to him inside the deep forest. Lucas could only hope that it survives.
"So, you mean that in the 2nd phase, we can communicate with our families?!" Sara asked, her eyes sparkling.
Lucas just nodded, he too was excited yet a little scared too, in order to talk, his family had to be alive too. His father was a veteran when it came to fighting, he was in MMA when he was young while his mother was a simple professional businesswoman.
His sister had been given self-defense training by him but she didn't train by heart like Lucas, so he didn't know if it was even worth it.
He had to shake his head to stop thinking about the negatives of the situation.
And while he was in his own world thinking about random things, Sarah had started working on the Vixenox's corpse.
"I woke you up because of this. The smell of the blood is strong so eating it fast would be great." Lucas said and came near her.
Sarah nodded and kept processing it into something eatable, "This is one thing that I am good at, my brother and I go hunting a lot. He is the one who hunts but I cook the game at the camp." She said, her eyes looked distant and dazed.
"As there's currently no equipment available, we'll have to make do with what we have. Just a heads up, the food may lack some flavor and you may even find fur in your mouth," Sarah explained with a chuckle and reached into the skin of the Vixenox.
Meeting her made Lucas feel elated as he had never cooked before in his life. He didn't have to worry about food as the chefs were always at his beck and call, delivering delicious meals within thirty minutes.
Lucas went toward the bushes and took some more wood for the extinguishing bonfire.
"Sarah, we must hurry. We don't know what dangers may come our way following the bonfire," Lucas spoke with a sense of urgency. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Sarah quickly retrieved some chunks of flesh from the corpse, both big and small. Using the long sticks provided by Lucas, she erected them on the ground, tilting them slightly towards the fire for easy cooking.
Chunks of flesh went on each stick, a look of satisfaction on her face.
They sat near the bonfire opposite to each other and made small talk till the flesh looked to be cooked.
After cooling it down, Lucas took a small bite of the flesh but immediately felt nauseous.
Despite being fully cooked, the meat tasted extremely bland, giving them a glimpse of the true taste of Vixenox meat. They exchanged a glance, offering a reassuring smile before continuing to eat.
With no other option, they had to consume the meat, having gone without any sustenance since their arrival, their hunger made it slightly more bearable.
Sarah expressed her gratitude, " I'm full~ Although the taste wasn't great. At least we're not hungry anymore, and that's what matters. Thank you for hunting and sharing the food with me." Her head hung low as she spoke. Lucas let out a sigh as he observed her demeanor.
He already knew that Sarah was shy and not a ver confident person.
"Stop being so self-deprecating, Sarah. Food is a basic necessity that everyone should have access to. Don't thank me, and don't hesitate to share your own hunting endeavors with me someday," Lucas said with a smile while also speaking firmly.
Sarah's cheeks reddened slightly and she nodded.
"Okay, I will. Thanks for reminding me. I'll go put out the bonfire now."
Sarah couldn't help but think about her growing attraction towards Lucas. However, she quickly reminded herself of their dire situation and their age difference.
Despite this, every time she looked at him, a feeling of safety and security washed over her, making it hard for her to resist him. Coming from a peaceful civilisation, it was easier for her to follow someone else than to take the lead.
Lucas didn't say all that for nothing, yes he wanted to give her the food from the good of his heart yet deep down, there was this desire for the food to be finished. To feel desperate enough to go hunting and exploring in that deep forest full of danger. He knew he was thinking selfish with one person to protect alongside him now but the desire couldn't be helped.
He took the stick that was his temporary weapon and went inside the shelter with Sarah, it had become very dark when the night fell. Being in the shelter was not a good feeling in this dark.
Lucas took the rotten leaves that he collected before and placed them at the shelter's entry. A single step on it would make a good enough crunch sound to wake them up.
The vixenox's corpse was inside the ground among the soil in order to not attract the creatures toward them.
"Sarah, you've had enough rest. It's my turn to sleep for a few hours, and you'll need to keep watch inside the shelter, okay?" Lucas instructed Sarah. He didn't want her to be a burden, so delegating responsibilities was essential. Sarah simply nodded her head in agreement, and Lucas settled down on his shirt where Sarah had slept earlier.
By now, his habit of trusting someone innocently had not gone away.
'I will try to sleep but I don't think *yawn* I will be… able…"
His thinking stopped instantly after he laid down, all the mental exhaustion, and the sour muscles had taken an exhausting toll on him.
Sarah kept looking at him for a while, and once she confirmed that Lucas had slept.
Sarah approached Lucas and gazed at his handsome, peaceful sleeping face. The darkness outside the shelter was beginning to drive her insane, and every time she looked out into it, a shiver run down her spine.
Without even realizing it, she found herself holding onto Lucas's hand, drawing strength from his presence as she kept watch with less fear than before.
.
.
.
The first light of morning illuminated Lucas's face, and he slowly opened his eyes. His body felt refreshed as if all the exhaustion had been washed away, but his left shoulder was even sorer than before.
As he turned his head to the right, his eyes widened in surprise and his heart began to race. Just a few inches away from him was a beautiful face - Sarah was sleeping cozily beside him, using his arm as a pillow. The veins in his brain pulsed in a rhythmic beat as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.
[Congratulations for surviving the first night!]
[The first Phase will now commence!]
[The barriers between all the lands have been removed]
[Objective- Survive for 10 days while defending against the hostile inhabitants of Amaeron and the outers.
Reward- The option to talk, trade, and alliance will be added to the system
Failure- Death]
Lucas read it all, his eyes glued on the notifications. He was still laying down with Sarah beside him.
'The first phase has begun... I can talk to my parent after surviving for 10 days.... but will they be able to do that?' Lucas became very determined at first but when he thought of how his parent would survive.
His heart began to race, and he felt a sensation of discomfort just below his chest. This was a familiar feeling - whenever he was gripped by panic, he would experience an unsettling itch in that same spot.
He got up forcefully from the ground making Sarah roll to the side. She opened her eyes with a cute groan and stretched her arms with a yawn.
"Hm?"
At last, she also saw the notifications in front of her, Lucas did not have time to look at her now.
'In order to talk with my family again, I have to survive first.' he thought and slapped his cheek one time. ' No more depressing thoughts...'
Sarah didn't react when Lucas slapped himself; she was lost in her own thoughts and didn't seem to notice.
But compared to Lucas, a relieved smile formed on her face with some tears.
"I will finally be able to talk with him..." She said while looking at the ceiling.
Lucas heard her, and a sense of determination and positivity bloomed in him.
"I can tell by your reaction that you've read these texts. It looks like our first objective is to survive for 10 days. Based on what I've read, it's not going to be easy." Lucas spoke to Sarah, who simply nodded in agreement.
HOWL!
A long howl came from the outside, Lucas looked at the entrance and saw the wolf again. It was wagging its tail and looking inside the shelter with calm eyes.
Lucas ventured outside for a closer look, his eyes drawn to the wolf's previously injured leg. To his surprise, the wolf was now walking normally on it, though there was still some dried blood visible. Despite the wolf's dirty appearance, Lucas decided to overlook it for the time being, not deeming it an urgent concern.
"You came here to get more food? Sorry, little one, we don't have any."
Lucas said and looked everywhere with vigilance. From what the texts said, it would become more dangerous than before.
The wolf made a small sound from his mouth. It went near a bush and soon the sound of rustling came from it.
Lucas looked at the situation with interest, yet he had also readied himself for some upcoming attack.
At last, the rustling stopped and the wolf was visible again, there was a small creature in its mouth as it neared him.
"A rabit?"
When there was only a gap of 4 meters between them, the wolf threw the bunny toward Lucas. It came flying and fell near his leg.
HOWL!
The wolf howled again and after making small eye contact, it went away.
Lucas looked at the bunny, there was a single bite mark on its gut, and aside from that. Its white fur was clean.
"Giving the favor back, huh... interesting creature." Lucas chuckled and went inside the shelter again with the game he got. Sarah was looking at the entrance with a smile, she saw the whole thing.
"Now we have the Vixenox's half corpse and this bunny for food. Let me see..." Lucas went toward the small dot on the wall. He clicked on it making a notification pop up.
—
Shelter
Rare- Level 1
2nd Upgrade requirement- 500 planks, 80 kg stone, 10 Life cores- common quality, 90 Plant fiber rope
Skills- Landlord (rare- level 1), military power (rare- level 1)
Members- 2
Description- A Small yet finely built shelter in the middle of a forest. Capable of protecting against blizzards, rainfall, and solar radiation.
—
Lucas furrowed his brow as he read through the description. He realized that the skills he possessed were mostly passive rather than focused on attacking. He had only one skill that was even remotely combat-oriented, but unfortunately, it was only effective within the limited confines of the shelter's boundaries.
He envied Sarah to have such a skill like a fireball, he knew she could only use it for a few minutes yet it was still able to attack.
"There's been a lot of time since we are here, we should explore a little around the shelter," Lucas said while giving Sarah a hand.
"But didn't it say that we are in danger for 10 days? Is it safe to go out there?"
"It is not safe here too, and I don't know why but it feels like if we don't level up fast, there will be danger. And I have seen how it feels after you increase your stats. We actually get stronger from it." Lucas said while observing his stats. He continued, "What level are you?"
Sarah looked in the system, her face formed a small pout. She looked at Lucas and muttered lightly, "Level 0".
"It's okay, I am only level 1 anyway. It is more of a reason to get stronger. We don't know what will happen but all we can do is try harder. Let's go adventure a little."
Sarah nodded in response, she still thought that it was not safe but Lucas was able to kill a feline creature all by himself, it was something to feel protected about.
Lucas went out of the shelter with Sarah in tow. They both jumped from the entrance to not make the pile of dried leaves crunch without reason.
"Alright then, which way shall we go?" Lucas asked, clapping his hands together in a playful manner. Sarah couldn't help but giggle at his antics.
"Let's head in the direction of the wolf!" she exclaimed, matching Lucas's dramatic tone with one of her own.
Lucas picked up a branch he had pulled from a nearby tree. Though it was crude, it had the general shape of a spear. He used the decorative stone from the shelter to smooth out the tip of the branch, using it as makeshift sandpaper.
Lucas set out towards the forest, eager for the adventure that awaited him there. Though he was aware of the dangers that lurked within, he felt emboldened by the presence of the fireball girl - he knew that they could handle whatever came their way.
Killing the Vixenox was a confidence boost for him.