All the summary and the warnings are done. What next? The screen doesn't move. It's just stuck there glowing all silvery.
'System next' I said in my head. It didn't budge.
And like every chinese system novel protagonist I did everything to go to the next message. Shout out loud. Waved my hand. Prayed to my unnaturally natural handsome face. Became a narcissist. Did a jojo pose.
The manga and novels lied to me. I've been tricked, back stabbed, hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray and flat out deceived.
Looks like I am stuck like this.
Now let's check my inventory, situation and the information I know.
Inventory.
A jeans pant. A shoe. A T-shirt. A underwear. No supplies in the raft.
That's it not even my phone. Not even my purse. Just plain clothes. Nothing more.
The raft I am in looks like 5 logs connected and tied with each other with makeshift rope and some clever woodwork. And that's it. Not even a makeshift sail.
Situation.
Transported in another world.
How do I know?
I opened my eyes to find myself in a raft in the middle of nowhere. No way in hell anyone of my friend is pranking me by leaving me in a raft. All of them are poor. And I should know if they moved nearly a 1000 km just to prank me. Yea, all of them are poor and too good hearted and honest to do that.
Then the nature. The winds felt and smelt natural, no man made pollution. No plastic or any kind of man made trash floating in the ocean. The water so clear that I think I could tell what fishes were swimming 50 meters deep. Not that I know any of their names.
My seasickness. Never knew I had seasickness might be because I never went in a boat in the ocean. My vomit attracted those scavengers fish, quite natural right?. Yea no, my vomit attracted a predator which I swear if found on Earth would strike a debate. A fish, one and a half meter long, with four legs, gills, deep blue on the top and blood red on the bottom, scales shining with the sun, with an unscientific and completely fucked up fishtail preying on those scavenger fishes.
And how do I know it so clearly? Cause I had to kick the goddamn dinosaur like fish of my raft while seasick. And I have done it 2 times already.
Pretty sure. They are following my vomit for a quick snack of scavenger fishes and possibly me for a easy dinner.
If the dinosaur fish didn't make me question where I was with the answer being another world or past age. The silvery words of the system sure did put light in perspective. Especially the words from summary while not stating another world in it, words like treacherous waters, trust no one, kraken, siren, freedom do strike a cord with Pirates. The word compass, uncharted extremes, says, no screams Pirates of the Caribbean.
So I am 80% sure. I am in another world.
Information.
I believe I am in an another world. Highly possible to be Pirates of the Caribbean if the system transported me to a Film world. But words like kraken, sirens, compass do the best to solidify the guess.
I am out of supplies not that I was given any or had any. I am running on empty stomach. Most of body liquid went away with the vomits.
I have stopped vomiting and feeling seasick in comparison to few hours ago. Right when I was thinking of my parent's advice. Strange but works in my favor.
The system has issued various of warnings, summary has given me a basic what to expect and mission has given me what to do. To summarize it would be I am in a novice playground and I should decide what I want to do but the by following the system rules and law. Being in a novice playground I can be forgiven for mistakes. But I have enough power to make choices that would affect me till the end. And if potential can be quantified and numberified how much I use my potential would depend on my choices here. Trust is the hardest thing to find here. And I might fight mythical creatures like kraken, sirens.
This is all that I have gathered for now.
And the only thing I wish is to not fight but survive long enough to see my parents.
For now, I have to focus on three things. Supplies, System, Survival.
Supplies. If I want food, I would have to fish. I can make a makeshift fishing net with my jeans if I tie the bottom end and use the vomit that is drying in the raft as bait. Could do wonders. But those dinosaur like fishes would just straight up tear my jeans leaving me nothing to wear.
So fishing is not a option for now. Not when I can see that bastard along with two of it's friend 50-60 meters behind me.
Other food sources? Can't catch the seagulls flying beside they carry a lot of diseases. So no food till I sort the dinosaur fish.
What about water? I can't directly drink the water it has too much salt. When I tried cleaning my mouth after the first vomit with the water contained too much making me vomit even more. Can I extract clean, drinkable water? No equipment nor do I have any solid idea of how to do it.
So supplies are out for now.
System.
I have read the summary and the warnings. The system isn't displaying anymore messages nor is it doing anything about the message already present. Have I not fully read the summary or the warnings? Or is there some other method to make the system display the next message?
There isn't even a time limit. Is it saying I can take all the time I have to just select a faction? Is the system that generous?
No, it isn't. The moment it gave a mission our relation became that of a subordinate and boss. And will a boss be generous to it's employee?
No.
So, the answer should be in the next system notification. But talking with common sense, isn't warning given at either the top or at the bottom of any message?
So it could be that the notification ended and I have to find everything myself.
But will the system leave me here in the baking sun with no supplies when it was the one who took me to this world giving me missions?
I don't think so. So where is the silver lining?
Think. Think.
Summary last line. For in these waters, there be no compass that guides better than yer own gut. And yer gut, it be usually spot on
Last warning. Trust is reciprocal.
Summary is simply saying to trust my guts. Why? Because it's usually spot on. And what do my gut tell me?
I took a moment to think. I felt my heartbeat.
'Live with danger. Live in danger.'
I felt my heart quicken. I believe I found what my gut is saying.
For warning. Trust is reciprocal.
Asking for trust, aren't you? Or the problems I faced till now is because of not trusting you fully?
I said I will be trusting you for now and I will trust you just….. not fully. I never even trusted myself. Asking me to trust someone else fully. I don't think I even know what that means nor how to do it.
Looks like 'complete trust silver lining' is out of the topic. Only guts remains.
Funny how fast trust is gone. Not that it was ever given.
Guts.
'Live with danger.' huh.
Now let's think what are the stuff that are dangerous to me. My thinking, sun, ocean, seasickness, food, water, marine life, no human contact and many more.
My thinking. Live with danger. It's gonna take the life out of me and I will gladly do it.
Sun. Yea no shade while just drifting around the ocean with no supply. Screams dangerous to me.
Ocean. In the middle of ocean with nothing to survive on. Yeap! dangerous list.
Seasickness. Vomited everything I ate. Lack of liquid in my body. Dangerous.
Food. Could fish for food. But the dinosaur in the water won't let me.
Water. Can't drink the salty water now, can I?
Marine life. That dinosaur with his 2 friends smiling for dinner.
No human contacts. Being alone might mentally harm me. Harmful in the long run. Wounds may heal. Muscles may be gained but PTSD it remains for life.
So how should I live dangerously? Danger is everywhere and the only two things I see that screams danger you can handle are Food and Marine life.
So should I risk it for food? Drop my pants and make a net with my dried vomit as bait to eat knowing that the dinosaurs could tear it leaving me bare-bottomed in the baking sun? Nope, I need my dignity even if it's only for myself.
So it only leaves Marine life. I am gonna sooo love it or hate and curse it.
The dinosaurs look a-like fish don't look appetizing but hey when hungry you can eat anything. And what other options do I have anyway. They shouldn't be poisonous, right? In nature colorful things are the most lethal. But they match the blue on the top like most marine predators. The only problem I have is that they have red on their belly or at least the parts I have seen and remember.
I will roll the dice after killing one. I hope for a nat 20.
Now a interesting question. How do I make only one come on the raft and kill it? Judging by how they are keeping their distance from me shows they have some intelligence and instincts. The instincts and intelligence of a predator not a top one but still that of a predator.
Now, how does a predator that lives in group hunt a prey bigger than them? Together. I am like a buffalo being targeted by the herd of lion. While a buffalo can potentially kill a lion, it would succumb as a prey if many lioness jumps on it.
So now how to kill one dinosaur fish without dying by the hands of the other two? Think. Think. Do they have teeth. They ripped one scavenger fish to shred. So, Yes they have teeth. Sharp ones, I might add.
Note 1: Don't get bit.
Their legs. Can they run fast in the raft with their legs? Is their legs used as a weapon? I don't know.
Note 2: Mind their legs.
Their tail. Almost like a fish but elevated a bit higher than the legs presumably to not hurt the tail while they walk. Don't wanna get slapped by it. Who knows how strong a tail that can propel a meter and a half long fish can be.
Note 3: Don't be tail slapped.
Weakness. Weakness. What would be their weakness? What are aquatic animals weakness? Gills?
Gills. They have gills on the side of their heads. Four or five gill slits.
Note 4: In attack try to put your hand in the gill and attack any organ it has inside of it.
Scales. Yep, definitely one of its strength. I don't think I can deal any damage if I punch it hard on its body or anywhere inside it's gill.
Note 5: Don't aim for the scales.
Weight? What would the weight be of the fish? Since, I was able to kick it away from the raft. Around 40-60 kilos. How much am I? Last I checked and it was 2 years ago. I was 65 kg. People say I got fit not fat nor slim so around 60-70 kg in my guess.
Yea I am gonna run them hands on this dinosaur look a-like fish. I am gonna give it a real life demonstration of why there is weight class.
Note 6: Show the fishy bastard the true meaning of Weight class. Street fight style.
Now what attracted the dinosaurs to my lovely little raft. The bait? No, it was the fishes. The scavenger fish came in drove when I vomited continuously for few turns.
So the bait has to be fish. Or seeing that they didn't leave even after eating the fishes.
ME.