As he finished cleaning himself off in the stream, he clambered onto the river bed and examined his remaining possessions. They were pitiful. He had his tattered clothing, hiking boots, socks, smashed phone, and loot from the beetle. Wishing he had brought something more practical, he brought the lot near the river.
He cleaned off the garments and only managed to salvage the t-shirt he had worn under his flannel, which was now in tatters, as well as his underwear and socks. The pants were a lost cause, and he put them on the pile of useless fabric. It’s crazy how back on earth he would’ve simply walked to the store and bought a new pair of trousers. But here he was lost, in this crazy “training world" or whatever the message called it. Sighing, he thought he would never feel a pair of Levis 501 original-fit jeans again. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn’t eaten since the bus ride over to the mountains. Standing and stretching, he looked around for some food.
He walked over to where one of the shrubs was and harvested some of the berries. He inspected them to determine if it was poisonous or even edible. The fruits were crystalline, with three hanging off a single branch, like a bunch of grapes. They possessed a teal color that looked like the color of the mushrooms covering the walls. Another prompt appeared in his vision.
Crystal Berry (Common) x1- a berry possessing a sweet and subtle flavor that provides mild sustenance and a slight boost to mana regeneration.
Forgetting he could do this, he was relieved that he had found at least a minor food source. He harvested as many as he could and brought them to the pile of fabric by the bank. Looking over what he had, he tried assembling some sling out of the fragments of his pants and flannel, to carry the berries and the rest of his possessions.
He realized he could not bind the pieces of fabric together, so he grabbed one of the fire beetle’s mandibles, stuck it in his underwear, and set out to find some vine to use as string. This underground world was beautiful, with the ambiance of the glow seemingly penetrating every pore of his being. As he was trekking between the trees he ate a handful of the berries. They were surprisingly light in flavor and had a slight pop-rock feeling in the back of the throat. Thinking about potential dishes one could make with this weird berry, he spotted something that caught his eye, hoping that he might have found what he was looking for.
A gnarled black vine stuck out of the ground and was looping around one of the pale trees' lower branches. Looking like it could solve his issue, Pierce grabbed his mandible and started to hack away at the vine wrapped along the tree, as he sawed away he noticed his hand was getting warmer as he was using the mandible.
The mandible then emitted a spark which leaped onto the vine he was cutting immediately. Confusion marked Pierce's face when all of a sudden a series of crackles and pops started emitting from the vine which then started chaining into tiny explosions. Seeing this Pierce immediately backed away as the entire vine exploded with a big wood chunk piercing his arm and smaller ones hitting minor spots along his body. He stumbled back as new blood started leaking out of him.
“What the hell was that?!” Pierce Yelled “What more is there in this stupid place? Can there at least be a McDonalds or something around here?”
Nothing but silence greeted his raving. So he sat back on the ground nursing his wounds considering his situation. He had come across gem trees, gem berries, glowing mushrooms, and now exploding sticks. He looked down at the mandible which he was holding. It was still hot in his hand and had a slight red glow around its edge. He imagined that if that beetle had been stronger, it would burn his hand.
He trekked back to the shore and grabbed some of the fabric he had sorted out earlier. He then proceeded to take out the long splinter dug into his arm. He slowly pulled it out until it finally came free, bringing fresh blood with it. He looked at the piece of wood that caused him so much pain, and a screen popped up.
Spark Root (Uncommon) x1-This root has explosive properties when exposed to a small amount of fire or fire-attuned mana. Can be used as a crafting material for professions and classes.
Ah okay so an exploding root, he supposed he knew the root of the problem now. He laughed out loud at his dumb joke and knew his mom would’ve appreciated it. His heart throbbed at the thought of her and brought home his situation. Then and there he decided to thrive. No matter the cost or situation he would adapt and overcome. He needed string first and foremost; it could act as a suture, help construct a shelter, and allow him to repair his clothing or anything else he needed. So he set out with the fire of determination in his belly, along with some more crystal berries.
Stolen story; please report.
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His salvation didn't come from the forest but rather from the river beside it, as he saw a collection of reeds. These reeds as he strode closer seemed to be quite hardy with sinuous stalks and leaves that seemed to shimmer in the light of the cave around him. He harvested one of them with the mandible and examined the qualities of the stalk. A message soon followed from one of the floating screens.
River Stalk (Common) x1- A fibrous plant stalk found on the edges of a river, this reed has a multitude of uses regarding crafting.
Grinning, Pierce harvested a bundle of the stalks and returned to his “base” where he set them down. He took the first one he had gotten and split it down the middle to see how sturdy it was and how well the strands of material could be manipulated. Stripping several strands from the middle of the stalk, Pierce tried to tie two of them together in a knot to make a longer piece of twine, and it kind’ve worked.
He then went to a nearby shrub and broke off a smaller branch. Using the mandible he sharpened it to a precise point. He gouged a hole at the back of the stick and then went about threading the makeshift needle and readied his makeshift operation. His wound looked pretty bad still, and he mentally prepared himself for the pain he was going to go through.
His dad’s voice spoke to him in his mind as he readied the needle. “Always do things with care, son. Patience is a virtue and will pay off more times than you can count.” He was telling younger Pierce while he was doing a precise bit of carving for a customer's table. Pierce was watching by the sidelines on his shop stool as he completed his task. “If you take your time it’s harder to fuck up” His dad smiled ruefully as he said it “And uh don’t tell your mom I said a bad word in front of you, she wouldn’t be pleased.”
Pierce was brought back to the present as his wound throbbed. That memory brought a lot of pain with it now, given his dad had died about a year ago. He had no idea what he would’ve thought of all this. He probably would’ve taken the best of it and kept going. Pierce wished he had that kind of positivity, but he would have to persevere in his own way. Gritting his teeth he pushed the needle through the skin on his arm and began to stitch up the wound as best as he could.
He almost passed out after he was done, the pain and concentration were almost too much, but he did it. He looked down at the stitches and was not pleased by how terrible they looked but decided it was the best he could do at the moment. A blinking icon took his attention and he opened it up.
New Skill Gained: Survivalist Doctor lv.1(Common) - Through your grit and determination, you have guaranteed your survival by using what you have around you. Be a proud forerunner because you have shown determination. Whatever means of medicine you apply now has 10% more effectiveness if the method you have used has been made by you.
Immediately, he felt the wound on his shoulder bind more tightly together; the lines of the stitching became cleaner, and the pain lessened by a degree. Pierce sighed as the pain subsided, then smiled as it seemed like his new life wasn’t wholly unfair. He got up and decided he wanted to explore more of his surroundings but to keep the dangerous plant life in mind.
But first, he wanted to make that bag. He grabbed the pile of cloth and spent a couple of hours trying to piece this bag all together. Finally, it seemed he had a weird patchy dark green and tartan messenger bag. All and all he was pleased with the result, wouldn’t go anywhere in any fashion competition, and he definitely couldn’t put more than a few things in it. But all the same, it worked. He got another blinking Icon in his vision and he opened it.
New Skill Gained: Amateur Stitcher lv.1(Common)- Your sewing skill has been noticed, and you have shown versatility in your approach to survival. Your crafts utilizing sewing as well as anything made by you are 10% sturdier.
The bag felt better made as Pierce looked it over. The stitches were smoother and cleaner, and the bag didn't feel like it would immediately fall apart. Maybe in another life, he would be a baller western seamstress. Stuffing his bag with what he thought he needed, that being berries, the mana crystals, both mandibles, his smashed phone, and the rest of the thread and needle. He left behind the additional River stalks and the explosive shards, given that if he needed more, he could find more, and he also did not want his bag to explode.
He set out hopefully finding some way to survive this crazy place, and to find his way back to his group. He pulled up the timer he had on his display.
59 days 12 hours and 11 minutes till transfer to tutorial
It’ll be a long time till he can get back to his group. He wondered if they thought he was dead, hopefully, his mom wouldn’t take it too hard. What would his students' reaction be? He was sure that they would relish the opportunity for no homework, but he hoped they would miss him. He thought he made the subject of history pretty interesting. Grace's reaction when she found out probably wouldn’t be much, saying,” Oh no, that's terrible, I feel so bad for his family.” and moving on. He thought of what Dean would say, he definitely would care more but who knows.
He would survive. He would show those who had looked down on him. He couldn’t wait to see their faces when the history teacher came back to town.