Marcus was no cook, never in his life had he cooked anything. The most he can do is roast and boil, but at this moment these seemingly easy things were an almost impossible task for him. Not to even mention how he was going to cut this corpse, it has hard scales on its body. He felt that his nails wouldn't even put a scratch even if he used all his might. Marcus started brainstorming other ideas. Why not use his system? it's the first thing that came to his mind. However, when he focused his gaze on the corpse and tried to control it. Nothing happened.
Marcus had somewhat anticipated this. His system was called the architect system, not the telekinesis system. Marcus' gaze shifted over to some small rocks he focused on, they started levitating in air as if held by an invisible hand.
"Interesting so I can control rocks but not the corpse. Is it because of the material composition?" Marcus murmured to himself. 'So I have to use caveman tactics' thinking that Marcus decided to sharpen the stones.
On his first try he would clash the two stones to produce an edge. Marcus opted to use his powers instead of hands aware of his physical limitations. Well far from what he had planned, the collision between the two stones turned into fragments. Marcus did not know whether to laugh or cry after all even simple rocks can become bullets if he used his powers properly or on the other hand he has to figure something out on how to shape the rocks.
Contemplating his options, Marcus wondered if he could manipulate the rocks directly with his powers. The notion sparked a glimmer of hope in the midst of his frustration. If successful, it would offer a more efficient method and significantly expand his capabilities.
Fortune seemed to favor him as he envisioned the form of a knife in his mind's eye. To his amazement, the stone began to levitate, chipping away and shaping itself into a crude edge. With meticulous precision, the lower half molded into a circular handle, completing the makeshift tool.
With the makeshift knife in hand, Marcus cautiously approached the corpse, intent on removing its scales with successive stabs. To his astonishment, however, the scales proved far tougher than anticipated. Despite the creature's injuries sustained from their earlier altercation—deep lacerations marring its abdomen and a neck hanging at an awkward angle—the scales remained resilient. It was a sobering realization for Marcus, highlighting the formidable nature of his newfound surroundings and the challenges that lay ahead.
Marcus understood rather than butchering like he had previously thought he would have to scoop out the meat through the lacerations like ice cream. What was he even thinking of comparing this abomination to ice cream? Maybe he was losing his marbles because of hunger or pain from his leg injury.
Marcus crafted a bowl from a coconut sized rock. Marcus had severed thin slices of fresh between the bones and scales. He didn't even dare to touch the organs,who knows whether they are poisonous.
The stench was too much to bear for him. After all, doing this activity had already soiled his clothes with putrid lizard blood.
Marcus promptly decided to take a bath and wash his clothes in water. After the smell was already making him nauseous. He might also use this time to rinse the meat properly.
*Baam*
Marcus, while he was undressing suddenly heard a loud explosion. He flinched and ran for a distance. Carefully checking his surroundings he determined that there was nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief Marcus made a bold decision to uncover what caused the explosion. After all these would attract attention and Marcus didn't want to venture too deep into the cavern.
Reaching the scene of the incident Marcus discovered that there were fragments of crystals lying on the cavern floor. This flabbergasted Marcus. Exploding crystals? In his previous world humanity took centuries to make explosives and here it was a gift from nature. Marcus pondered the implications of this, explosives had transformed human society and shaped the modern era, but rather than pondering about profound knowledge this had a much more serious utility.
Marcus' biggest problem was cooking. He needed fire but what would fire mean in a dim cavern, it would produce bright light and smoke which would be the most attractive thing beckoning others attention. Marcus never believed he could take on the monstrosities of the labyrinth unprepared. Reluctantly, Marcus resigned himself to the prospect of consuming the meat raw, a grim reminder of the harsh realities of survival in this unforgiving realm. However, just as despair threatened to overwhelm him, a glimmer of hope emerged. A better alternative presented itself, offering a ray of light in the darkness of his predicament.
After tidying up, Marcus turned his attention to the crystals scattered around him.
Observing closely, he noted their peculiar properties—their temperature steadily increasing until they reached a critical point, resulting in an explosive release of energy. While Marcus remained uncertain about the full capabilities of his newfound abilities, he recognized the potential to manipulate rocks and crystals through experimentation.Marcus made a makeshift stove by piling the rock together and started boiling the meat. Boiled meat would be at least better than raw since it would kill the germs.
After an extensive cooking process, Marcus finally summoned the courage to take a bite, only to instantly regret it. The taste was reminiscent of rotten fish and spoiled chicken, causing Marcus to endure the unpleasant flavor and resist the urge to spit it out.
As Marcus struggled to chew, his thoughts drifted back to memories from his previous life.
"No, I can't eat this. It's disgusting," he had protested.
"Please, Marcus, don't be like this. You have to eat it. It's all we have. You won't survive if you don't eat," came the pleading response.
The memory weighed heavily on Marcus as he struggled to swallow each mouthful. The taste was foul, the texture revolting, but he knew he had no choice. Survival in this unforgiving world demanded sacrifices, even if it meant enduring the unbearable.
And yet, despite the clarity of the conversation, Marcus couldn't recall any context behind it, only the desperation in the voices echoing in his mind.Then something surprising happened breaking him from the stupor.
Wide eyed he exclaimed "HOW COULD THIS BE!!!!!"