Extract from the -{ Tome of Light }- the divine scripture of the Church of Light.

"In the cosmic symphony, hear the resounding echo of my perfection. Compare me to the lesser lights that dare to shine, and know that I outshine them all, for I am the flawless embodiment of absolute truth and righteousness." (The Perfection of Light - 2:5)

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To fix the minor healing spring first he emptied the pool of water and clogged the crack in the cave wall from which the water came, using leaves and a bit of mud.

Next, he cleaned the pool to the best of his ability and layered it with a few inches of fresh mud. He shaped it so that the water would not leak and would be collected properly. Once he was done with this he lined the pool base with his remaining leaves and started on his next task. Asher brought a bunch of dry wood from his stockpile outside and started creating smaller sticks and wood shavings piling them inside the pool.

It took him a while to gather a substantial amount. He would occasionally check on the meat and rotate it. Once he had collected enough he took a log that was already on fire and placed it inside the pool full of wood chips and sticks lighting it up. The fire baked the mud and hardened it. Asher let it burn out on its own as he went out of the cave. It would soon become dark. He went to where he had spotted some hints of beasts previously and looked around the area.

As he kept walking suddenly he had a very bad feeling and stopped in his tracks ducking down and taking cover behind a bush. His eyes moved rapidly to look around for the source of the feeling. Seeing nothing, it clicked in his mind that it might be the passive effect of the skill ‘The heart of Chronos’ telling him to not go further or leave the area. Asher had full trust in the skills provided by the system and immediately left the area back towards the cave. As he moved along the feeling subsided.

‘Guess the skill can be used in this way as well.’

If the skill was able to detect dangerous situations ahead of time then it would become almost impossible to catch him off guard. However remembering the Hunter's words, Asher curbed his excitement and humbled himself.

‘Even if he finds out ahead of time, against a healthy Awakened beast he would still not stand a chance.’

He was even more aware of this now after he had scuffled with the EarthHide bear which he killed with much effort even though he had a huge advantage from the start.

Asher returned to the cave after collecting some more mud and broad leaves. The fire in the pool was dead by now, he cleared the remaining ashes and pieces of burning coal and burned leaf to reveal a solid base of baked mud.

He checked for any cracks and was glad there were not any big ones. Fixing them with more mud and laying down clean broad leaves on the base covering it all. Asher finally unclogged the source of the Healing spring. Water started flowing into the pool from the cave wall as soon as he did so collecting on top of the leaves. The waxy surface of the leaves held the water well. As for that which swept deeper it was held on by the baked mud underneath.

Asher filled his bottle with a bit of water to rinse the taste of the previous bloodied water out. He placed the bottle in the pool afterward to refill as he checked on the meat. Seeing that it was done he took it all off and carefully packed it in broad leaves and vine. All the juices of the meat had drained due to the heat from the fire by now so he was not worried about it going bad at least for a day or two. Besides it was the meat of an awakened beast so he had a hunch it would not go bad until then. Asher brought the hide he had left to dry in the sun back inside as he placed it on the ground, with the fur side downwards. He broke down the wooden meat rack he had created and lined it alongside the edges of the hide to keep it stretched as he gave it a frame. Next, he placed it on top of the fire to burn the leftover meat and fat that was attached to the skin underneath.

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If he had let it be the skin would have rotten soon due to it and he would have to discard the hide. Besides its smell was disgusting so he wanted to make it more hygienic for himself.

After it was burned he placed it on the ground and used his knife to clean the hide. By the time it was done, it was already nighttime. Asher unpacked one of the meat packs to use as dinner. His bottle was also filled to the brim and the cool water inside was refreshing. While the dinner was lacking a lot it was the best he could do for himself in his current situation. The cave and his environment were a lot more suitable due to his hard work during the day.

Finally, it was time for him to rest, however he had just one more task to do.

Asher picked out a relatively flatter piece of stone and used his knife to chop up the leaves of the thistle bush he had collected during the day. He placed it on the flat stone and used another to mash it. He added some mud made from dirt and healing water to the mashed-up leaves bit by bit as he continued to mix it all. When it would feel dry he would add some water from his bottle, Eventually, he created a paste of sorts which he collected on a broad leaf and repeated the procedure until all the leaves ran out.

Asher used his second charge of the observation skill.

[ Healing paste (uncommon): created from naturally found uncommon grade healing water and mixed with leaves of an uncommon grade spiritual plant called thistle berry bush this paste was made using mud as a base to hold them both. The paste contains properties of healing wounds and decreasing inflammation when applied. Since natural ingredients that were not counter-reactive were used, the properties of the healing water and the leaves were not lost nor enhanced when creating this paste.

Current Status: Paste is ready to be used, if left out for long it will dry up. To make it usable again add healing water. ]

It was just the thing he was trying to create so Asher was happy. He quickly washed the wounds on his left arm with healing water and then applied the paste to them. The process was painful but he gritted his teeth and accomplished it. Once done he wrapped broad leaves on his forearm and tied it with a bronze vine tightly. The cooling sensation of the paste and its healing properties kicked in immediately. The constant pain he felt from his arm was subsided by a lot.

Asher then continued to use the paste on all the wounds on his body that had not healed completely and would reopen due to movement. He also put some on his head wound after which he stored the rest. Done with it all he put out the fire in the cave lest it attracted beasts at night and went to a corner of the cave. Covering himself with the bear hide that was warm due to long exposure to fire he quickly fell asleep. He hoped he would recover soon from all his wounds as he had no idea when he might have to start fighting for his life once again.

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The next day was just as uneventful as the last one. Asher mostly just collected more wood berries and leaves. He surveyed the area where he had felt danger once more. Just like he expected beyond a certain point once again his gut kicked in and asked him to stop. He had a hunch that this might be the border of the bear’s territory and the start of some other being’s territory.

He was in no condition to fight anything so he returned to his cave and recovered his injuries.

His wounds were healing rapidly due to the paste and usage of healing water. Once night fell Asher changed the self-made natural bandage and healing paste on his wounds and went to sleep after dinner.

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It was now the third day since Asher had begun his solo adventure. There were still no signs of the hunter, nor was the survival of the fittest quest completed.

During these days of rest, Asher had already made up his mind he would not only survive in this wild forest but he would thrive. The first step of that was to heal and recover properly which was almost complete.

Today as Asher opened his bandage made of leaves he saw that the forearm was almost healed. His natural recovery added to the healing water and the paste accelerated his recovery both internally and externally. He could now properly use his arm without any pangs of pain. The flesh that was previously mangled also now looked almost healed. He truly was becoming inhumane.

As Asher ate his breakfast he accounted for the stuff he had. The meat storage would run out tomorrow even if he tried his best to skimp on the meals. He had also been eating some berries here and there making sure he never ate too much, lest he succumb to its poison. Unsurprisingly his poison resistance also increased.

[ Physical limits surpassed poison resistance increased. Vitality +1 ]