Chương 6: Time to Get Some Rest

Mark sat inside his crude shelter, his back resting against the rough support of a tree, and let out a slow breath. For the first time since everything changed, he had stopped moving, stopped reacting, and thought.

"I went to work this morning. Same as always." Then the world had broken. Now he was here in a forest that didn't make sense. There were creatures here that shouldn't exist. A system that judged whether he lived or died. Mark rubbed his face with one hand. His thoughts were turning over everything that had happened to him. He found water. Shelter, sort of. Not safe, but something.

"I've seen what's out there." The razor rabbit, the forest stalker. That alone was enough to know that he wasn't anywhere close to being prepared.

"I need a plan." His eyes drifted toward the edge of the clearing, where shadows had already begun to thicken.

"I need food, water, and shelter." The basics. But even those weren't simple anymore.

"I need a way to store water. I need a better shelter, and I need tools." The list kept growing. He needed to find a way to make weapons, some armor, and maybe some traps. Safer ways to fight. Hundreds of thoughts drifted through his mind. Each one branching into more problems, more possibilities. Eventually, exhaustion caught up to him. His eyes grew heavy. And slowly he drifted off. He was home, and the front door opened. Warm light spilled into the hallway, and his wife stood there smiling.

"You're late again. The food is on the table, and the kids are waiting," his wife said. The smell of dinner was amazing. He heard someone speaking but could not understand what was said. His wife laughed softly and turned around.

"Are you going to stand there all night? The food will get cold," she said as she walked toward the table. His kids were also walking toward the table. His daughter laughed at something his son said. Plates on the table. Dinner. Everything normal and safe. Mark stepped inside the house. He walked toward the table. But something was off. A sharp noise cut through everything. His eyes snapped open to darkness and cold air. The hard ground beneath him. For a moment, he didn't move. Then reality rushed back in.

"Right," he whispered.

"Just a dream." Then the sound came again. It was close. Mark's body tensed instantly. His eyes slowly adjusted to the low light. He scanned toward the sources of the sound. Then he saw movement, something small, something fast. At first, he could not tell what he was seeing. Then he realized it was his trap, and a Razor Rabbit was caught in it. Sort of. The crude fiber string had wrapped awkwardly around its leg. The bundle of dry leaves was shaking back and forth as it was trying to get free.

He realized it was that noise that woke him. The rabbit kept snapping at the fiber string wrapped around its leg. Jumping around in panic. Mark slowly reached for a rock.

"Okay," he whispered.

"This time, don't mess it up." He carefully stepped closer until the rabbit noticed him. Its head snapped toward him. He tried to pull away but was too slow. It then lunged. Fast, too fast. Mark squeaked, "I knew you would do that." And still he wasn't fast enough. He barely had time to react before it bit him. Its teeth sank into the same spot on his arm. Pain flared instantly.

"Not again!" Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Before he realized what he was doing, he brought the rock down hard. Once. Twice. The rabbit still didn't let go. It bit deeper. Mark gritted his teeth, panic flaring, but he didn't stop. He could not remember how many times he hit it, but eventually a system message appeared. [Razor Rabbit Level 1] +16 XP +1 XP (First Kill Bonus) The rabbit went limp.

Mark shoved it off his arm, breathing hard, clutching his arm.

"I am really getting tired of that," he muttered through clenched teeth. Before he could recover, another message appeared. [Skill Acquired] Trapping (Level 1) Allows: • Recognize suitable locations for simple traps. • Improve the effectiveness of simple trap placement. • Identify common flaws in trap construction. [New Craft Discovered: Primitive Snare Trap] Mark blinked.

"Snare trap?" The message shifted. [Primitive Snare Trap] Materials: • Fiber String (2) • Flexible Branch (1) Effect: • Captures small animals With the skill unlock, he realized that he now knew more about traps. He could see the mistakes he had made in making the original trap. A few adjustments here and tighter over there, and it would make a great snare trap. Knowledge settled into his mind that hadn't been there before. The system was responding, teaching, and rewarding him.

"So even when I mess it up, I learn something. Maybe if I actually do this on purpose." He let out a breath.

"I just might survive." Twice, he had a run-in with an animal, and it had ended with him taking a wound and being in pain. Same mistake, same injury.

"I am learning, but not fast enough. Next time, I don't get hit." He looked at the rabbit's resources, of course. He reached out and touched. it. [Loot Available] Razor Rabbit Corpse Convert to usable materials?

"Yes." [Conversion Complete] +1 Razor Meat +1 Torn Hide [Inventory Updated] Mark looked down at his arm, already throbbing.

"Good timing, I guess." He pulled out the materials, and with the skill he now had, he created another crude bandage, wrapping it tightly around his arm, and the bleeding slowed. He let out a breath again. Then he pushed himself up and reset his trap. This time, he knew how to adjust it properly as a snare. His hands moved with practiced familiarity. When he was done, it was not perfect, but better. He stepped back, scanning the clearing once more. Nothing was moving, no sounds, just the quiet of the forest.

Mark returned to his shelter and lowered himself to the ground. Exhaustion was setting into his bones. He looked at his traps differently now. Some made noise, some caught animals. Now what about something stronger? Would he need spikes, a pit, maybe? What kinds of creatures were out there, and what would it take to stop them? His eyes closed slowly. One last thought lingered before sleep finally took him. He needed a way to kill them without getting close.