A little nervous, knowing that he was being observed by the Oracle, he crafted two rings, two bracelets, a talisman in a necklace and two earrings. All of them were level 5 and gave a slight improvement in the stats, having focused on strength and agility. He would have liked to craft mana and energy ones, but apparently that was only possible in the game.
He also tried to add spells, but couldn't because of their low level, as with the rest of the equipment.
Then, he tried different combinations, coming to the conclusion that it was similar to the game. Between rings, bracelets and earrings, he could only use two pairs of them, the third seemed to interfere and had no effect. Partly it was a relief, because he didn't feel like wearing earrings.
Eldi tried to wear two rings in one hand, tie the talisman or a pendant to a foot, or other ways to wear them. He wanted to know if he could equip more and increase his bonuses, but none of the experiments worked. In the end he wore an amulet, two rings and two bracelets.
He stared at the earrings that, although of low level, seemed singularly beautiful. Perhaps because they were green, the color of Melia's eyes.
"Is there any way of giving these earrings to Melia? Even if you don't tell her from whom they are. Even if you don't tell me if you've done it".
The Oracle stared at them for a few seconds and then shook his head, which was to be expected. Eldi sighed and kept them, hoping to one day give them to her personally.
Then, he checked what he needed to make level 10 equipment, since he intended to do it every 5 levels, as he did in the game. He also went over the plants that were more interesting to collect to make potions. And he even considered making a bed or chairs more comfortable than those that were there, but only when there would be more than enough materials. The most important thing was survival.
After lunch and while deciding to start crafting level 10 equipment as soon as he could, he turned around and went to the green portal. He looked back, meeting the Oracle's gaze that simply was watching him. He took a deep breath and entered the circle.
It was a wide cave, with a green circle at one end and an exit at the other, an exit that brought light inside. He went to the circle, returned to the village before the eyes of the Oracle, and came back to the cave again, once it was verified that the gate worked in both directions.
He consulted the map and, although there were many darkened parts, he could see that the beginner's village was several days away and there was no nearest settlement, at least none on the map. Then he went to the entrance of the cave to see the outside.
He discovered a half-forested zone, similar to his memories. A deer of a somewhat greenish color ate not far from there, a level 6 emerald deer, which possessed a camouflage ability and high agility. It should be easy, or at least not dangerous, but Eldi couldn't decide to attack it.
It was a living being which hadn't done any harm to him, and he didn't need its flesh to survive. He could level up killing it, but it didn't feel enough justification, that was no longer a game. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he should take each opportunity, but he didn't feel enough conviction.
He left the cave and the deer fled. Apparently it hadn't noticed him while he was inside. He checked that he could enter and leave without problems, and decided to explore the place with care. The level of the deer made him believe that it was a less dangerous place than the surroundings of the Sacred Spring, but he was very aware of the Oracle's warning. He wondered if he could learn Goldmi's detection ability, it would be very useful, but for now he would explore the surroundings.
He moved towards some marshes that could be seen from there. The open area seemed more secure than the forest. He had more confidence in escaping to the safety of the cave using walls and dodging in open country, than to face an ambush in a forest denser than the one he had crossed on the way to the village.
He found the water slightly salty, and beautiful the spectacle of the many plants that grew in it, among which you could see large animals in the distance, impossible to distinguish from there. Those who were closer had fled at the approach of an unusual two-legged being, a high human.
Engrossed by the landscape and unable to distinguish between the natural movement of water and the one that was not, he didn't perceive the being that approached by the deepest waters, or of what slipped between the closest plants.
It was too late when something wrapped around his leg and his skin burned. It was a tentacle, whose owner abandoned stealth when it had caught the prey that was trying to drag to the water, a prey that should be paralyzed by the poison.
But the tentacle that secreted the paralyzing poison hadn't come into direct contact with the skin, but with the reinforced trousers. So, only a little of that poison, that takes effect with contact, had leaked in.
Eldi felt his leg numb, but before worrying about it, he pulled out the axe and attacked the tentacle, adding fire. The second Double Edge cut it off, detaching it from him. Immediately, he took out an antivenom potion, with which he countered the paralysis at the cost of a bitter taste, and looked at the giant squid that was surfacing. It was a marsh squid, level 6 and able to inoculate paralyzing poison. It seemed that, like in the game, they could only have one skill or spell every 10 levels.
The squid didn't seem to want to flee and Eldi decided to confront it, confident in the dodging skill to get away from the water, and very aware of its tentacles. The antidote was unavailable for five minutes, but he could use the regeneration potions. Maybe they would be wasted, but he couldn't judge the outcome of the battle with confidence, and the extra regeneration of mana and energy could help. After all, he couldn't be stingy while risking his life. He wasn't in the game anymore