It looked like Kane had reincarnated around noon. He confirmed that when it got dark around the time, he received the sixth notification had he had survived. Regardless, the kids started to one by one leave that area. Even though they were vicious little demons that killed hundreds of slimes, they meekly returned to their homes while making uncomfortable expressions.
"Yep, the night isn't safe for them…, but that doesn't mean it is safe for slime like me either. I don't think slimes can emit any odor, so I should be safe for the time being."
Considering that magic exists in that world, it wouldn't be weird if there was a creature that may find Kane even without him moving a single muscle. If such a creature around that region really existed, he would obediently accept his death. Kane wouldn't be able to face such a beast, after all. Although he managed to catch that boy by surprise, a cheap trick like that wouldn't work against a monster or animals. If it does exist, animals and monsters that he could face, they won't walk around during the night.
Those six hours had been long like no other, but Kane still forced himself to stay quiet for another four hours. Although he wanted to experiment with several things, he wouldn't put his life at risk to satisfy his curiosity.
"Skills have levels, so skills can level up and become more powerful… logically speaking, the use constant of those skills would make them level up, but I can't just practice Water Ball in this area, which I know nothing about."
Considering that the kids' Kane saw had wooden weapons and their clothes were also made of rustic leather, it was quite clear that he was in a very rural area. So, it shouldn't be hard to find some good spots to hide. However, since Kane's stomach was growling and he was also feeling thirsty… the place he had to look for had to be near a river.
(Congratulations! You survived for one hour. You received one reincarnation point.")
After confirming that he had ten reincarnation points, Kane sighed in relief mentally. Four hours had passed, and the moon in the sky was quite high. He didn't feel the presence of any humans, monsters, or animals so far. So, he was safe, at least for the time being. After a while, he finally left the safety of his hideout, only to barely see anything in all directions.
"Woah… this place is pitch dark… I can barely see anything."
Kane couldn't see any light in the distance, so if there was a village or town nearby, it was at least one hour away from there. The kids headed east, so Kane would head to the west… after he filled his belly.
"I can't peel fruits with my body, so I will have to eat them just like that…"
Eventually, Kane found some orange-like fruits. After aiming carefully, he fired Water Ball and hit the fruit… his attack destroyed it.
"I guess I have to aim a bit higher."
Although he failed, Kane discovered that his aim was quite good… in any case, he ate without hesitation the destroyed fruit. Although it looked like an orange, it tasted like a melon. It was precisely that kind of food that he needed… something that fills his belly and quenches his thirst. However, a single fruit only recovered ten percent of his hunger and thirst bar. So, Kane had to look for them for quite a while.
"Mmm… come to think of it, why the slimes stopped spawning when it got dark?"
Maybe it was some kind of rule of the system, but Kane could think that it was because it would be too easy for humans if they spawn somewhere where there are no enemies. That would prove how nasty the administrator of that system was… Although it made sense that no one would help humans for free, Kane still couldn't believe in the way they were being treated. Although that was bad for humans, it also meant that they could level up without wasting time... they just needed to think fast in order to deal with the humans and other monsters.
Kane shook those thoughts out of his head because he had to look after himself and worry about others later. Somehow, he managed to survive the first day, but he was alone in a strange new world. So, he couldn't be careless and had to stay focused.
Regardless, Kane made sure that his Water Balls wouldn't cause a lot of noise, but they were only powerful enough to fly upward for fifty meters. So, those magic projectiles couldn't cross large distances. After doing some tests, while filling his belly, he confirmed that the max range was around one hundred meters… Although that was good, Kane was worried because he had used that skill more than fifty times, and there were no signs of the skill leveling up.
"Maybe it can only level up during battles… if that is the case, I'm in a bind."
The system was more hardcore than Kane had imagined… whoever created the system wanted to see beings like Kane fighting for their lives constantly. To make matters worse, Kane couldn't hear the sound of anything nearby, and only the wind was making some noise. It would be nice if he could kill some owls and confirm if animals could give him experience, but it looked like things wouldn't be that convenient.
"Give me a break… What happened to practice makes perfect?"
Kane already expected things would be very difficult given that he didn't learn a Stealth skill after not moving for almost ten hours straight, but that was just depressing. In the end, perhaps he should have tried to save some slimes and form a group or something, but that would be a bit insane since he didn't have any skill that could easily damage his enemies.
It was a bit too late to think about it, though. Kane would have to make things work out while he tries to understand the system and survive alone. After firing Water Balls for one more hour, Kane finally gave up on the idea of leveling up that skill outside the battle and left the orchard. That being said, he hesitated a little after he saw the endless darkness in all directions. The moon and the stars were illuminating things a little bit, but that only added to make the atmosphere more ominous. In the end, Kane got rid of his fears and started to jump toward the West.