I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until I stuck my head back in the river (with watchful eyes), and drank deeply. I might’ve had too much because when I sat back my belly sloshed. But the hydration was pure bliss.

Who knew that going a day without water would be so easy?

Maybe it was my new body. Perhaps it was capable of surviving longer than an average human. But I wasn’t about to test the limits, that was for sure.

The bleeding stopped, luckily. The bite wasn’t too deep and it was more like the fish had been holding my leg than actively trying to harm it. I suppose it was a bit of a blessing that its method of hunting was so specific.

I limped away from the water, having seen enough horror movies to know that something could pop out at any time while my back was turned. Walking hurt, and I was exhausted, so I found an alcove in the rock wall around me to nestle myself within.

I’d learned my lesson though, and carefully examined the area before I felt secure within it. I curled up behind the small crevice, confident I’d be safe here, at least for a time.

Being smaller than all the other dinosaurs had some benefits at least.

I’ll wait here for my leg to heal. This will be a good opportunity to learn about natural regeneration, at least. Will it heal naturally or rapidly like in games?

My stomach growled, but I shushed it and began to ask the magical blue boxes questions while I waited on my bloody experiment’s results. No point in dwelling on the prospect of food right now, after all.

Okay magic boxes, I thought, tapping a claw to my chin, thankful that I still had at least that much mobility in my arm. Show me some information on… Well, why don’t we start from the top? Show me information about my level.

Level

This number represents the overall strength of an individual within its species. It does not, however, reflect the potential of that individual.

Potential, eh? I pondered for a moment. Perhaps that refers to the Skill and Instinct levels? I paused before trying something. Magic boxes, tell me about potential.

Nothing. I waited for a minute, but I hadn’t been expecting anything anyway, so I wasn’t particularly disappointed by the results (or lack thereof).

Alright. Next is Health, though it’s quite self-explanatory.

For those of you who might think I’m overly cautious, I had nothing better to do, and it’s always good to be thorough if you have the opportunity. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find something you didn’t expect.

Health

This number represents the healthiness of an individual.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Or, maybe you won’t. Moving on.

Stamina

This number represents the endurance of an individual for strenuous activity.

Aha! I’d be willing to bet you weren’t anticipating that small bit of detail that clarified quite a bit for me. Strenuous activity. That probably meant that Stamina wouldn’t decrease if I was doing something as simple as walking or perhaps even carrying something light.

I nodded. It functioned just as most games’ Stamina meters did. That was good to know.

Alright. Next is Bite.

[Bite]

With a single chomp of teeth to bite, many dinosaurs end the fight.

The hardest of jobs require the strongest of jaws.

[Bite] is a Skill that requires you to have a mouth.

Wowee. Thanks, magic boxes!

Sarcasm aside, there was actually some useful information there. “Requires you to have a mouth” was an interesting statement. One would naturally assume that to bite something, you would need a mouth.

However, if a game specifies that kind of information, that would lead me to believe that there’s a circumstance where you can not have a mouth.

My mind once again turned to that message about “evolution”. Despite the pain in my leg, I couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of evolving into some badass dinosaur and conquering a massive plot of territory.

Bucket list? Expanded. Show me Claw!

[Claw]

A thousand cuts is the way of the nimble, but a sharpened talon heralds Death’s sickle.

When oft failed by the strength of jaw, take solace in the speed of claw.

[Claw] is a Skill that requires you to have a talon.

Second verse same as the first…

“Requires you to have a talon.” There was definitely something to that, and I was certainly suspicious that details like that would be extremely important in the near future. I followed the pattern by reading up on the rest of the abilities.

[Flee]

When combat fails, the cowards turn tail.

Fear breeds understanding, and smart dinosaurs know when to flee.

[Flee] is a Skill that has no requirements.

[Stomp]

A downward thrust turns enemies to dust.

Increasing your legs’ capabilities is vital to survival.

[Stomp] is a Skill that requires you to have legs.

[Swim]

A useful technique to stay afloat when one doesn’t have a boat.

To fight in the water, a dinosaur needs to know how to swim.

[Swim] is a Skill that requires you to have one of various appendages.

Phew. So much information to absorb.

Some of these descriptions were super wordy, and dissecting them was difficult. I couldn’t tell what was simply a skill description and what might’ve been a cryptic hint toward the future.

In fact, it seemed as though that might have been intentional. At least, I would think it was if it was a game, and not a real world.

Who knows? Perhaps I found myself within a simulation after all, and I’d wake up inside a super-advanced virtual reality capsule one of these days. This was definitely too detailed to be a dream.

Okay, so… Instincts next, but I’ll do that after a nap. Today has been exhausting.

I read a study not long ago that said we interpret information better while we’re asleep, so I’d let my unconscious brain give me some inspiration for the morning. Until then, I needed to regenerate my stamina, and sleep was probably the best way to do it.