Luke's eyes opened lazily and all he could see were leaves, and he was reminded of where he was. He let out an infuriated grunt as he sat up and wondered how he went from sleeping on a comfy bed to sleeping on a branch.
At least he had gotten used to it, so he didn't slip up like last time when he almost fell after waking up.
"Ouch!" Luke let out a painful sigh as he stretched.
Always sleeping in an uncomfortable position always left his body sour each morning, but what he found more annoying was the stench of his breath.
It felt like an animal died in his mouth and its corpse had been rotting for weeks.
He was certain he could knock a beast out by whispering to its face.
Luke chuckled at his thoughts as he descended the tree and began his journey for the day.
After four hours of nonstop movement through the now relatively safe forest, Luke began hearing the sound of running water.
"A stream?!" Luke's eyes lit up in excitement as he increased his pace while remaining cautious.
After a few more minutes of walking, the sight of several animals that looked like Antelopes drinking from the stream came into view. After encountering numerous beasts in the past few days spent here in the jungle, he was able to tell the difference between predators and prey.
Luke slowly approached the beast silently as he pulled out his weapon. He controlled his breathing as he tried to get closer, however, his stomach let out an annoying sound which made him lose focus for a moment.
Pa!
Luke stepped on a twig, which broke and alerted the beasts. They quickly raised their heads while their ears tilted toward the sound.
'Fuck!' Luke screamed in his heart, knowing fully well that his cover had been blown, and he promptly jumped out of the bush.
The beasts let out terrified cries as they began running in different directions. Knowing he couldn't catch up to them, Luke decided to use his bone weapon as a spear.
He tried to aim at the numerous beasts running, but they were too fast, and they didn't run in a straight line, making it harder to aim at them.
Just when Luke was about to lose hope, he noticed one of them running down the stream, but it abruptly stopped and began running in the opposite direction.
He steadied himself and pulled his hand back, ready to throw his weapon at it as soon as the opportunity came. As soon as the beast entered his range, Luke tossed his weapon at it.
Swoosh!
The jagged antler sped forward without restraint and stabbed into the body of the beast. His enhanced strength made his throw deadlier and strong enough to knock the beast off its feet the moment it got hit.
Bam!
The beast fell to the ground and let out loud cries. It tried to scramble back to its feet but Luke was faster. He reached it before it could rise and kicked its face, causing it to fall again.
Bang.
Luke then stepped on its head to pin it down and reached for the jagged antler. He pulled it out effortlessly before stabbing the beast once more, but this time it was the neck.
He stood and listened to the cries of the animal in silence for a short while before the silence finally returned.
Luke placed his hand on the corpse and quickly gave his approval as soon as he felt the call.
[Soul core absorbed…]
[Counter: 27/1000]
Luke felt the hunger vanish and his body revitalized. His gaze shifted down to the direction where the animal came from.
He remembered watching the beast run downstream, but suddenly stopped and began running up again. This creature must have known that the chances of getting killed by him were high, but it chose to take the chance rather than encounter whatever was hiding downstream.
This alone was enough for Luke to realize that a dangerous beast must be hiding downstream.
Not even bothering to find out if he could kill it or even what it looked like, Luke moved in the opposite direction of the area.
As he arrived at the other side of the stream, he surveyed the area first and made sure it was safe before putting his weapon aside.
Using his hands, he scooped up some water from the stream and rinsed his mouth. While it wouldn't completely deal with his bad breath, it would reduce it considerably.
After this, Luke took off his hospital gown and walked into the stream to wash himself. He used his hands to scrub his hair, armpit, and nether regions before he stepped out.
For the first time in so long, he felt clean and refreshed. This alone was enough to put him in a good mood. If someone had told him a few days ago that basic things like bathing would be one of the greatest sources of joy in his life, he would have cursed the person down to the seventh generation.
Luke stood there and waited for his body to dry a bit before putting on his hospital gown. He took a final glance around the area before he picked up his weapon and continued his journey.
After passing the stream, he continued moving north for the rest of the day. During his journey, he was able to catch more animals by using his weapon as a spear, and although they were not huge like the bear or Anterlaur, they were enough to deal with his hunger for the rest of the day.
At night, Luke climbed a tree and rested there, and during the day he continued his journey. He used the same method to procure food, and each time he hunted for food, the better he got at it.
By the evening of that day, Luke had reached the edge of the forest, and a beaming smile crept on his face.
"Finally!" He exclaimed excitedly as he gazed at the beautiful grassy, hilly field ahead.
He managed to survive the dangerous forest in one piece!