Chapter 3
"Nghhh..." I groan as I begin to wake up, squinting an eye open and flinching when the light from outside of the cave assaults my eyes. I close my eye again and roll over, facing away from the cave entrance, to try and get comfortable for some more sleep but find myself unable to, due to the hard surface of the ground. I sigh and push myself up into a seated position and am immediately greeted by a small cluster of screens. My eyes widen in surprise before I skim through the short notifications on the screens.
[Due to certain actions, the Intelligence stat has been awarded 10 points.]
[Due to certain actions, the Agility stat has been awarded 10 points.]
[You have slept on a hard floor, debuff [Aching] has been applied. Oh, and I guess you can have a bit of HP and SP back. Don't sleep on the floor you bum.]
[Player has not eaten or drunk anything in the past 12 hours, debuffs [Hungry] and [Thirsty] have been applied.]
The first couple of notifications get me somewhat excited due to the stat gains only for my stomach starting to growl with perfect timing as I read the [Hungry] debuff. And then I find myself silently shedding some tears at the reminder that I'm stuck in a dungeon filled with monsters that will be trying to eat, kill, or maim me. 'Lovely... no, no stop thinking about it. Stop it brain!' Shoving my unnecessary thoughts to the back of my mind, I let out a sad little sigh and decide I should probably take care of securing some food and finding a water source ASAP.
[Quest Unlocked!]
[Quest: On the Hunt I]
[Objectives: Find a water source, as well as some food. And don't die lol.
Rewards: A water source near your cave, amount of food determinant on your actions, and you're probably still alive, I guess.
Failure: The [Starving; Stage I] debuff will be applied, and you may or may not be dead.]
'Another Quest huh...' I push myself up onto my feet and begin stretching, groaning aloud from both the relief it brings and my aching body. I bend over to pick up my knife, admiring it once again as I stand to my full height once more. I make my way out of the cave and follow along the wall a few hundred meters down one side, but I find nothing and double back to do the same in the other direction. I was hoping for a stream or something but had no luck on this side either. Instead of heading back to the cave I head straight into the forest from there, checking the colorful plant life for berries as I make my way along. Not to mention keeping my eye out for monsters and staying at a slow pace to keep quiet.
There isn't anything on the berry front so far either and I find a frown etched on my face as I continue to slowly make my way through the forest. After I've covered a decent distance from the wall, I begin slowly curving my path back towards my cave, as I don't want to risk going too far away. 'Or at least where it should be if my memory and sense of direction serve me correctly. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm going about this the right way, I have barely any survival skills and am just following what I've seen in movies and other entertainment outlets.' I think somewhat amusedly to myself. I spend the next hour wandering through the forest with no luck until I hear a roar that sends a shiver down my spine.
"Oh, fuck me, not again..." I whisper to myself as I glance to my left and slightly behind me to see, 'Yup, another boar monster just like yesterday.' It isn't facing me yet though and I slowly crouch down and shuffle behind the closest tree as quietly as I can. It hasn't even turned slightly in my direction thankfully, and I take the chance to examine it a bit more properly than I had the chance to yesterday. For the most part it seems normal except for the giant spike like protrusions coming out of its back and the tusks so large they don't look like they should fit on it at all. 'I'm no expert on boars but I'm pretty sure those aren't normal, though I have no clue on whether its light-colored fur is or isn't.' I also attempt to use [Inspect] on it while I have the chance but that turns out to be a bust due to the distance.
Feeling that I've probably dawdled too long, I begin to back away and head in the rough direction of my cave, only for another, further away, roar to stop me in my tracks. Quickly moving back to the tree that I had just been hiding behind, I peek out around it just in time to see another boar charge straight into the first one I had observed. They clash head on, their tusks slicing into each other as they continue to push and ram into one other. I continue to watch from my hiding spot as the two boars continue using their tusks to make large gashes along their hides. The first boar has already taken on a multitude of gashes in the short time since they started fighting, but not without getting in a couple good hits of its own as seen by the new boars impaled eye on its tusk. They continue like that for another few minutes, both boars beginning to slow down as they accumulate more injuries until it reaches the point that Boar 1 is struggling to even stand, having fallen back and put some distance between it and Boar 2. All the while Boar 2 has its chest puffed out as it stomps in place, getting ready to charge towards its opponent.
As it stomps in place, I come to the realization that this could be my lucky chance for food, one boar on its last legs, the other injured and distracted. Tightening my grip on my knife and silently slipping out from behind my tree, I creep up behind the injured boar as quickly and quietly as I can. I glance towards the dying boar and find myself surprised to make eye contact with it for a moment as it lets out a loud snort, turning its gaze back to Boar 2 just as it begins to charge. It gives one last roar in response and charges straight into Boar 2, which drops as low as it can just before they make contact, causing the first boar to skewer itself on one of the spike protrusions. The surviving boar struggles to get up with the added dead weight of its opponent on its back during which I finally arrive, just as it seems to finally properly gain its footing. Before it even has the chance to notice me, I jump up onto its back, gripping the unencumbered spike on its back and pulling myself forward towards its head. I test my grip on the spike quickly and, finding it sufficient, I swing my knife down into its remaining eye and twisting.
It immediately lets out the loudest roar I've heard to date and begins thrashing wildly, nearly causing me to let go of my knife in surprise at how strong it is in an action as simple as shaking its head. Reaffirming my grip on both my knife and the spike protrusion, I straddle its back with my legs and bring my body as low against it as possible. The boar continues to thrash wildly for a few more moments before seeming to realize that it isn't getting me off. It simply stands still after that and I immediately take the chance to pull my knife out and bringing it down onto the top of its skull, getting embedded much more deeply than my previous stab. Though I obviously didn't brain it as the moment my knife enters its skull it lets out a pained squeal and charges straight towards a tree. My eyes widen before scrunching shut tightly as my grip tightens on both the knife in my right hand and the spike protrusion in my left, bracing for impact.
Turns out, these boars can go a lot faster than they had been displaying during their fight, as I find myself flipping ass over tea kettle upon impact, a distinct snap followed by intense pain coming from my left arm as it bends at an unnatural angle. I let out a scream as my eyes snap open from the surprise and pain, but my grip on my knife holds, dragging through the boar's skull as I go flying straight towards the tree. I quickly impact the tree, bouncing straight off and back towards the boars slumped form. I land directly on its tusks, causing pain to radiate across my back as the momentum carries me further, dragging the tusks through my back and leaving two long gashes, before finally coming to a stop by slamming face first into the dirt.
My harsh breathing is quickly interrupted as I loudly groan in suffering, letting out a small whimper into the ground a moment later as the excruciating pain radiates throughout my body. Only for my body to feel as good as new a few moments later when I get six [System] notifications in quick succession, the loud ding noises overlapping and causing my ears to ring. Regardless I lay there for at least another minute before letting out a put-upon sigh as I push myself up onto my knees and drag my gaze up to the floating white boxes. Except I find my line of sight stopping halfway, my eyes stuck on the form of the boar I had just fought, the entire top half its head split open and leaking down onto its immobile tongue.
I stare uncomprehendingly for a few seconds until it finally registers, and I swiftly turn around, heaving out stomach bile in a trail onto the ground as I spin. 'Oh god that was gross, disturbing, gruesome, and a whole bunch of adjectives my brain can't think of right now. So, note to self, try not to split their heads open, and if I do, please for the of god, don't stare at it.' A few minutes later, after I've stopped heaving and wiped my mouth of any spittle, I finally get back to what I had originally been doing, checking my notifications.
[616 XP Gained.]
[You have Levelled Up! All HP and SP has been restored!]
[You have Levelled Up! All HP and SP has been restored!]
[Due to certain actions, you have unlocked the passive skill [Brought a Knife to a Monster Fight]!]
[Due to certain actions, the Dexterity stat has been awarded 10 points.]
[You have received [Boar Meat x10] and [Medium Magic Stone x1] for slaying [Battle Boar Level 18]! Your rewards have been deposited into your [Inventory].]
Having skimmed over them and completed my temporary goal, I stand up while curiously dragging my free hand across my back, feeling the blood I had spilt, but not even an indented scar to mark the injuries I had just served. 'Not to mention my left arm unbreaking itself...' I belatedly note as I pull my bloodstained hand back in front of me and staring down at it.
"Inventory? Huh...?" I mumble as I go over the notification that stood out the most to me once more. 'I don't remember that from the tutorial, though?' I think to myself before quickly recalling that it had been cut short and I have no idea how much had been left of it. I glance back to the boar corpses because I was curious how I got the meat without carving it off them only to see both bodies crumbling into dust right before my eyes. Quickly realizing the benefit of not having to drag their corpses back to the cave with me, a smile spreads across my lips, a little giggle escaping me while I try to open the [Inventory] through mental commands.
'[Inventory]!' I command but am left unrewarded with the screen I was hoping for nowhere in sight, and thus I move onto my next attempt. '[Open Inventory]?' ding! It pops open in front of me and I quickly use [Inspect] on it to get as much information as possible because this could turn out to be one of my most useful tools.
[Inventory] - [Current commands are as follows, [Open] and [Close] [Inventory], followed by [Store [Item] in [Slot #]] and [Remove [Item] from [Slot #]]. Multiples of the same item will be stacked in the same slot up to a maximum of 999. Only an idiot wouldn't abuse the shit out of this but considering it's you... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]
[Slots: 20] - [Can be increased... somehow. But you're an idiot so you might never figure it out lol.]
[Slot 1: Basic Underwear Set x1]
[Slot 2: Boar Meat x10]
[Slot 3: Medium Magic Stone x1]
[Slots 4-20: Empty]
[Inspect has Levelled Up!]
I can feel my eye twitching at both the insults and the fact that there had been clothing articles with me the entire time before I let out a frustrated sigh, mentally commanding '[Remove [Basic Underwear Set] from Slot 1].' Immediately a light blue pair of panties and bra pop out of thin air in front of me, floating for a few moments before they begin to fall as I reach out to catch them. I quickly pull on the panties but, before I can get to the bra, I hear another roar in the distance, reminding me of the fact that I'm out in the middle of the dungeon. Thus, I think it somewhat understandable that I find myself sprinting back towards my cave, clutching my new bra in one hand and my knife in the other. Just before I reach the edge of the forest I almost run straight into a medium sized '...pond? I don't know, it's a body of water okay?!' I grin a moment later when I realize I just found my water source, and so close to the edge of the forest at that! I take the chance to crouch down and cup my hands in the water before I bring them up to my mouth, repeating this process a few more times to quench my thirst. ding!
[Debuff [Thirsty] has been removed. Don't forget to keep on top of that in the future you thirsty bitch! :)]
Ignoring the [System] that's bullying me in favor of skipping my way around the pond and, humming a little tune all the while, reminding myself to come back and bathe later. When I reach the edge of the forest, looking along the wall both ways in search of my cave, I find it a few hundred meters to the right which is much closer than I was expecting, meaning that I was just short of discovering the pond when I first began this excursion. 'Agh! If only I had gone a bit further when I was looking earlier...'
I shake my head to clear my thoughts of 'if only', speeding up to a jog and make my way back to the cave in only a few minutes. The first thing I do upon arriving is, of course, putting my bra on, followed by the realization that I don't have anything to start a fire or cook the boar meat with. I click my tongue in annoyance before heading back out to the edge of the forest directly across from my cave and beginning to scour the forest floor for branches and twigs to dump in my [Inventory]. I spend about an hour doing that, keeping as close to the cave as possible, 'Because one monster encounter today is enough for me, thank you very much!', and after collecting what I believe to be a sufficient amount for now, I head back to the cave to begin my attempt at starting a fire.
[You have received [Tree Branch x35] and [Bundle of Twigs x100].]
I spend over 2 hours trying that 'rubbing two sticks together' thing before I finally get a little ember that I place in the fire pit, quickly dropping a couple stacks of twigs above it and blowing on it for the next 15 minutes or so to get the fire going. ding! Once it looks like it will keep burning without my assistance, I place a couple of the thickest branches I've collected in the fire to help it grow, pulling out a third to carve into a sharp point for cooking meat. ding! I stab it through a piece of boar meat from my [Inventory] once I have it sharpened enough and cook the meat over the fire for about half an hour. ding! It doesn't taste all that great, being burnt on the outer edges and undercooked in the middle, but at least I have food now. ding! ding! After I finish eating, I read through all the notifications I had ignored the past couple hours, not wanting to distract myself before I could finally eat to bother with reading every single one as soon as I got them.
[Due to certain actions, you have unlocked the active skill [Fire Starter]!]
[Due to certain actions, you have unlocked the active skill [Carving]!]
[Due to certain actions, you have unlocked the active skill [Monster Chef]!]
[Due to certain actions, you have unlocked the passive skill [Trash Belly]!]
[Due to eating a meal, Debuff [Hungry] has been removed and 15HP has been restored.]
[Quest Complete!]
[Quest: On the Hunt I, has been completed.]
[Rewards Received: You already received them dumbass, the hell are you looking at me for?]
As I read through all my new notifications, I decide to check my status while I'm at it, humming to myself all the while, '[Status].' Before I begin reading, I settle into a more comfortable position as my exhaustion from the day finally catches up to me, leaning against the cave wall closest to my firepit.
[Status]
[Name: Sana Ljos Alf] [Level: 3] [XP: 326/400]
[Race: High Elf]
[Sex: Female]
[Age: 13]
[Titles]
[Exhibitionist]
[HP: 150] 7.6HP/min
[MP: 0] 0MP/min
[SP: 19] 4.85SP/min
[PATK: 8]
[MATK: 20]
[DEF: 19]
[RES: 20]
[Stats]
[Strength: 8]
[Vitality: 15]
[Endurance: 19]
[Dexterity: 13]
[Agility: 15]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Magic: 0]
[Luck: -12]
[Sub menus]
[Skills]
[Spells]
[Equipment]
'And finally, I'll go through my submenus before I sleep. [Skills], [Equipment].' Sleepily blinking my eyes, I wrap my cloak tightly around myself for warmth as I read through the new screens that pop up in front of me.
[Skills]
Passive: [?#%%*+'?!] [Truck-Kun's Blessing] [Brought a Knife to a Monster Fight] [Trash Belly]
Active: [Inspect] [Fire Starter] [Carving] [Monster Chef]
[Equipment]
[Weapon: Kopis of the Maiden]
[Head: Cloak of Blending]
[Neck: Odd Necklace]
[Torso: None]
[Arms: None]
[Accessory: None]
[Legs: None]
[Feet: None]
[Vanity Equipment]
[Basic Underwear Set]
I fall asleep wrapped tightly in my cloak and leaning against the wall of the cave before I even finish reading.
AN: The fire thing is totally unrealistic because I know nothing about it and Sana knows nothing about it. Basically, you can chalk it up to plot armor so she can eat lmao. Mathz below if anyone's interested (Let me know if this is something I should keep doing or just whatever lol cuz it'll save a decent amount of time if I don't have to ;p). Didn't [Inspect] everything at then because a) I'll be doing that early next chapter and b) Sana fell asleep lolol.
Stats for Boar #2 (Injured)
[Battle Boar Level 18]
[HP: 436/1030]
[SP: 5/60]
[PATK: 80]
[DEF: 60]
Aaand
Damage Sana dealt (After DEF)
Eye stab then twisting in -130.4HP (Due to continuous hit PATK multiplied by 1.4x)
Skull stab –76HP
Knife dragged through skull -272HP (DEF nullified and PATK doubled due to being internal damage)
(Total of 478.4 damage dealt. And yes, that knife be carrying lmao.)
Damage Sana received (After DEF). Boar never landed a direct hit and was deceased when she landed on tusks, thus damage scaled to her stats. She would have been one shot otherwise lmao
Broken Arm –10HP (30% of HP) and Debuff [Broken Limb; Left Arm]
Impacting tree –0HP (10% of HP)
Tusks –35HP (80% of HP) (Tusk damage reduced to 25% due to Boar being dead. PATK 20 x 2)
Impacting ground –1 (12% of HP)
Bleeding –4HP/min (8% of HP Ignores DEF, spent 30 seconds on the ground before Level up.)
[HP: 2/50] (Total left before level up and stat increases applied. Took a total of 140% of her HP in damage.)
