Although I said it was time to set traps, I still had no clear idea what to do. But since it was around noon and my stomach was screaming with hunger, I took a short break.
As much as I thought of an efficient way to catch more rabbits, all that came to my mind were things that required the use of tools that I had no way of getting. So after much indecision, I decided to go with the basics.
I simply dug ten holes from the depth of my arm about thirty centimeters in diameter. Although I initially started digging with a piece of twig, due to the difficulty, I ended up using the sword. I hope it didn't lose its edge because of this.
After the holes were made, I covered them with thin sticks and leaves. To attract the rabbits, I used a few pieces from my stash of bread. As I have a lot of them, I don't think it will be missed if I use some of them.
All ten holes were in different places, so my chance of catching prey in each hole would be greater. Since I had to wait to see the result, I used this time to prepare a place for me to sleep.
I don't know anything about this place and I don't know what's around it, that said, I wanted to avoid sleeping on the ground.
After spending some time looking for a suitable place that was not too far from the traps, I found a place with three trees in a triangular formation. As a fan of survival programs, I had full confidence in my knowledge, so I already knew what I needed to do.
The first step would be to cut long branches that could support my weight. After that, it was time to gather vines to attach the branches to the trees. Just to be a little more secure, I would use the sword to make some creases in the trees to hold the branches better.
With the main skeleton ready, it would be time to tie more branches to make the ballast, and then add a bunch of dried leaves to make it more comfortable.
With this plan in mind, I immediately executed it.
***
Even though it seemed like it would be something quick and easy during the planning, it was a lengthy process that took me at least three to four hours. Unfortunately, since I don't have a watch, I am not sure, but the sun will not take more than two hours to set. It would be great if the system had come with a time-stamping function.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I gazed admiringly at the triangular bed I have built. I can't say it's pretty or anything like that, but it sure looks usable.
Since everything is ready, all that remains is to test it.
Walking over to the makeshift bed that was about a meter high, I put my hands on the side, climbed up, and then lay down. And well, how can I put it, it's not comfortable at all.
Trying to find a good position, I started rolling from side to side.
*Creak creak*
Ignoring the creaking sounds the bed was making, I continued to move around trying to find a comfortable position.
*Break*
"Ouch!" I screamed as I fell.
Taken by surprise by the snap of the branch, before I could react, I found myself on the ground covered with the leaves I had used to try to soften my bed of twigs.
Trying to figure out what happened, I looked at the crumbling structure of what was a bed a few seconds ago. Apparently, during my incessant search for a good sleeping position, one of the three main branches had broken off and brought me to the ground with the rest of the bed.
People say that you should use your mistakes to gain experience, and how can I put it, I completely agree. With what happened now, I found out that having the knowledge about something and having the skills needed for it are totally different things.
"Well, it was better that it broke now than in the middle of the night," I muttered as I tried to minimize my unhappiness.
Although sad that my last hours of work were wasted, I still need a place to sleep. Unfortunately, what was left of the bed was not usable, the branches had completely disconnected as they broke through the vines.
Since it is almost nightfall, it is impossible for me to rebuild in time, which meant that tonight my bed would be the floor.
Even if I am very frustrated, there is no use crying over spilled milk.
Getting to my feet, I wiped the leafy debris from my body.
"It's time to go check the traps," I muttered to myself. "I just hope the traps did better."
***
As if to counterbalance the bad luck from earlier, the first nine traps I reached had a rabbit, and when I reached the tenth, the result was the same as the others.
"It was a 10/10!" I said.
Making a brief thank you and mentally apologizing to the poor rabbit, I stabbed him with my sword.
After that, I waited for a while until a warning appeared.
---
Magic essence collected.
Where do you want to invest?
---
As always, it is not instantaneous.
It seems that the system needs some time to collect the xp. But leaving that little detail of nothing aside, I started investing the collected essence in the magic attribute.
Increasing my stamina might also be a good thing, but since I already have enough at the moment, I decided to focus on magic and strength.
Opening the system interface, my experience bar had already reached the 36.5% mark, which means that the 10 rabbits gave me 25.5% xp.
Although it is not as fast as I initially wanted, it is still satisfying to look at.
Sticking my hand in the hole, I touched the rabbit and put it away in the inventory. I don't know what it looks like or how it works inside the inventory, but according to the little information about the system inside my head, no matter how much time passes, the things inside will never rot.
It is really something very convenient.
As it was already getting dark, I quickly reset the trap and went to prepare a place to sleep. Well, even if I say so, all I did was take the branches from my failed attempt to make a bed and prop them up on the trunk of a tree to make a roof and sleep underneath.
Although I had thought about gathering wood to make a fire, I gave up on the idea. Even though the full moon could barely be seen due to the vast amount of trees, the night was not so dark.
Unfortunately, on that night, I once again learned from my mistake. Only a few hours later, I became certain that not making a fire was one of the worst choices I ever made.
Even though it was initially going to seem like a quiet night, it turned out to be one of the worst nights of my life. The cold was so unbearable that I had to wear several clothes on top of each other and use the rest as a blanket.
To make matters worse, besides the insects being very loud, they were not the only ones. There were also some sounds that seemed to come from monkeys, because of which I couldn't shut my eyes until it was almost dawn.
***
Even for a lucid dream, the last day was too exhausting and difficult to be considered as such. With that said, it meant that what was happening was real, which made me happy and a little worried.
However, the worry only lasted until I went to check the traps. It was a 10/10 again!
Unfortunately, one of the traps had caught a fat rat that, despite being almost the same size as the rabbits, gave much less xp. Still, the overall amount was 22.3%, which got me to 58.8 almost reaching the 60s.
To my delight, I have found that instead of me interspersing the essence collected from the rabbits between strength and magic, I can simply divide it between the two in whatever proportion I wish.
Eager for more essence, I quickly set the traps again and went to breakfast. Although this bread tastes good, it is not good for my body to keep eating it at every meal.
But putting that aside for now, I decided to explore the place. Using the sun as a guide, I headed first to the southwest. Although I had covered a considerable distance, I found nothing but more forest as far as my eyes could see.
Occasionally I saw a few rabbits, small rodents, foxes, and small monkeys, but no large animals. As I was about to turn back, I came upon an extremely wide river flowing down to the southwest and on the other side of it, to no surprise, was more forest.
To tell you the truth, the moment I saw the river, I wanted to dive into it, but even if I wanted to, I didn't want to risk it. I am in a fantasy world, surely there must be some kind of strange animal around that inhabits the rivers.
With no further way to go, I went back to look at the traps again. Probably not even two hours had passed, but when I was going to the first trap, the leaves covering the hole were no longer there.
Looks like I have one more victim.
"I guess that bread is more attractive than I thought. Thanks to it I will reach level 2 faster than I thought~"
I hummed happily as I approached the trap, but to my surprise, this time I had caught unexpected prey.