Chương 9: First Catch

Mark looked up at the sky.

"I wonder what time it is. Maybe mid-afternoon. Getting close to evening." Looking around camp, he saw the shelter he had made, the fire ring. He did not have much more than that. He needed to work on that soon, but for now, it was time to check his traps. He walked in the direction of the river. At the first trap, he had caught another mouse. [Field Mouse Level 1] +6 XP +1 XP (Title Bonus) Mark looted 1 tiny piece of meat and 2 scraps of hide listed as low quality.

He then reset his trap and continued towards the stream. His next trap was different. It looked disturbed. His trap had been broken, but nothing had been caught. After rebuilding the trap, he looked around for signs of what had happened. He could see some tracks that were different from the mouse's. Drag marks were leading away. He hesitated. Should he follow this and see where it goes? Mark finally decided he needed to figure it out and followed the drag marks behind the next tree.

After following the trail for a bit, he found something he did not expect. It was a small bush, its leaves dotted with small dark berries.

"What do we have here?" Mark looked at the small bush and noticed that some of the berries looked to have bites out of them. He also found others on the ground smashed. Taking his time to look around, he found nothing. He bent down and picked up one of the berries and rolled it around in his hand. He mashed the berry between his fingers and then smelled the juice on his fingers.

"Smells good." He looked around one more time and, finding nothing, picked another berry.

"Food, maybe?" Was it safe or poisonous? He brought the berry to his mouth and took the smallest of bites that he could. He did not swallow, just waited. Nothing, after a few seconds, he swallowed. He waited a few more seconds before another system message appeared. [Consumed: Wild Berry] Effect Minor Healing (Very Low) Status: Safe Mark let out a small breath. This would help a lot. Now he had meat and berries. Not the best meal plan, but it was a good start.

Mark started picking handfuls of berries and added them to his inventory. Not all of them; he needed to make sure he did not kill off the plants, and the animals needed them too. But enough to last a few days. He walked back to his trap and verified it was set correctly. He then resumed the trip to the stream. Checking his last trap along the way, he could see no changes. Mark approached the stream, looking for any signs of change there. Nothing was visible, so he approached his fish trap.

From the shore, he could not see anything, so he slowly stepped into the water to examine it more closely. There was nothing. Just as he started to turn, he froze.

"No way." Looking back into his trap, he saw it again. There was a fish in the trap.

"I built something, and it worked." He reached down and pulled out the fish. The fish thrashed and slipped from his hands. Fortunately, it landed back in the trap.

"Fine, we do this the hard way." He pulled out his spear and stabbed at the fish.

"Of course." He missed the fish. Then one more quick thrust. [Small River Fish Level 1] +4 XP This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. +1 XP (Title Bonus) Mark received 1 raw fish and 1 fish bone. Satisfied, he checked over the trap to make sure it was still in good shape. Then he climbed out of the stream and looked around again. Satisfied that all was in order, he returned to his camp. He sat down next to the fire pit.

He laid out his sticks and fire-starting materials. After everything was in order, he pulled out the two sticks he used before to start the fire and started rotating the sticks between his hands. This time, he was able to get it started right away. The skill made it much easier the second time. He added more wood to the fire and watched it burn. Looking up to the sky, he saw that the sun was going to set soon. He did not have a lot of time left in the day.

Mark pulled out a long flat rock he had pulled out of the river and set it on the side of the fire to heat. He then pulled out his last razor meat and put it on his roasting stick. This time, he did not put the stick in too far and let it cook slowly, rotating it evenly. Looking at the rock, he decided it was warm enough and put his raw fish on it. He watched the rabbit meat sizzle without burning this time. He pulled it back to him and looked it over.

"Much better. Not burnt this time and actually cooked through." He then noticed a new system message. [Item Created: Cooked Razor Meat] Mark focused on the name, and the message changed. Effect: +20 Hunger +10 Stamina +Minor Health Regen Mark smiled and stowed the cooked razor meat. The fish was sizzling nicely, so he flipped it over with a stick. Pulling out the tiny meat, he put both pieces onto his cooking stick.

"I can't believe I'm actually considering eating a mouse." Watching his fish, he flipped it over as needed. Holding his stick over the fire, he worked on the tiny meat cooking. Mark checked his fish, and he decided it was done and pulled it out. He got another system message. [Item Created: Cooked Fish] [Skill Increased] Cooking (Level 2) New Capabilities: • Prepare meals more consistently. • Better manage cooking temperatures. • Reduce overcooking and undercooking. He focused on the fish.

[Cooked Fish] +12 Hunger +15 Stamina +Minor Health Regen Mark just then realized he was still cooking his mouse. Pulling it back, he looked it over carefully. He laughed despite himself. The tiny piece of meat had cooked much faster than the fish, and he had completely forgotten about it. [Item Created: Poorly Cooked Tiny Meat] Mark let out a sigh.

"I upgraded my cooking skill and still burned my food." He looked at the poorly cooked mouse and put it into his storage. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the sun had now set. He reached over and added a little more wood to the fire. Mark pulled out the food he had prepared and put it on a flat rock. Fish and razor meat. Looking at them for a minute, he then pulled out the berries and put them with the others. Mark took a bite of the fish first.

"Oh, that is good." Mark continued eating, then he tried some berries, and then the razor meat. Looking around, he found his water pouch. He did not have much left, but enough for tonight. He sat watching his fire burn, reflecting on his day. Finally, he decided it was time to go to sleep. Sitting down in his shelter, he looked toward the fire that was still burning. It made him feel safer. It helped with the cold. Not completely safe, but safer than before. He then received a system message.

[Item Created: Improved Shelter] Rest Efficiency: Moderate Warmth: Provided Light Source: Active Mark looked back towards the fire and smiled.

"Food is handled, water is handled, but I still have no way to fight from a distance."