Dawn was a slow, reluctant affair, the light seeping through the dense canopy like watered-down milk. Kael was stiff, every muscle protesting, but the shivering had lessened, thanks to the moss and the newly awakened 'Resilience' skill. The faint notification still hovered in his vision, a small beacon.
[System Notification: Passive skill 'Resilience' (Rank F) active. Effect: Slightly increased resistance to negative status effects when CON is critically low.]
It wasn't a miracle cure. The Exhausted status still clung to him like a shroud, his attributes pathetically low. But the edge of utter despair had dulled. He had survived the night. That was something.
The 24-hour duration of the debuff felt like an eternity stretching before him. He couldn't afford to just wait it out. He needed water, more food, and a better plan than just huddling in his damp, moss-lined hole.
With immense effort, he pushed himself up. His STR of 1 made every movement a Herculean task. He focused on small goals. First, water. He remembered the moss he'd used for insulation also yielded a few drops when squeezed. It was laborious, but safer than the murky puddle. He spent the better part of an hour collecting dew-laden moss and wringing it onto a large, concave leaf he'd found, gathering perhaps half a cup of clean water. It tasted like nectar.
[Dehydration status moderately improved.]
Next, food. The few hazelnuts from yesterday were long gone. He couldn't risk exploring too far with his AGI at a mere 2. He scanned the immediate vicinity of his shelter. His gaze, sharpened by necessity and perhaps a subtle effect of his heightened INT and WIS (even debuffed, they were still his best assets), caught on something he'd missed in his panic the day before: tiny holes in the bark of a nearby fallen tree, almost like miniature tunnels.
Insects. His stomach still recoiled, but the gnawing hunger was a more potent force. Using a sharp sliver of rock, he carefully pried away a section of the bark. Underneath, several plump, pale beetle larvae lay exposed.
"System, analyze larvae."
[System Analysis: Silvanus coleoptera Larvae (Tree Borer Larvae). Edibility: High (when cooked). Nutritional Value: Moderate (Protein, Fat). Caution: May carry minor parasites if consumed raw. Recommendation: Cook thoroughly.]
Cook? Another hurdle. He had no fire, and no apparent means to make one. But the "Resilience" skill seemed to be doing more than just dulling the worst of the debuff; it felt like it was also clearing his mind a fraction, allowing him to push past the immediate discomfort. He remembered tales from his old world of people eating insects raw in survival situations. The risk of parasites was there, but starvation was a certainty.
He picked up one of the larvae. It wiggled feebly. Closing his eyes, he popped it into his mouth and chewed quickly, trying not to think about it. The texture was… unpleasant. But it was sustenance. He ate three more.
[Small amount of edible (raw) food consumed. Hunger status slightly improved. Minor risk of parasitic infection acquired (Duration: 72 hours. Effect: Occasional nausea, minor CON drain if untreated).]
A new, unwelcome status. But the immediate hunger pangs lessened. He would deal with the parasites later, if he survived that long.
The day crawled by. Kael spent it in a state of low-level activity, driven by the system's constant reminders of his precarious state. He gathered more moss, reinforcing his shelter. He found a few more nuts, a welcome respite from the larvae. He even tried, with his feeble strength, to sharpen a sturdy stick into a rudimentary spear, more for a sense of security than any real expectation of fending off a threat.
His 'Resilience' skill, though only Rank F, seemed to make the 'Exhausted' status more bearable than he'd initially feared. The crushing fatigue was still there, but it didn't completely incapacitate his mind. He found himself observing his surroundings with a new intensity, noticing the patterns of animal tracks, the way the wind rustled different types of leaves, the subtle changes in light. It was as if his senses were being honed by the constant threat of danger.
As evening approached again, the forest began to grow darker. Kael huddled in his slightly improved shelter, the fear of another night less potent than before, replaced by a grim determination. He had a tiny stockpile of water, a few nuts, and the unpleasant but life-sustaining larvae. He would make it through the remaining hours of the debuff.
He was so focused on his own small sphere of survival that he almost missed it.
A twig snapped.
Not under his own clumsy feet. This was heavier, more deliberate.
Kael froze, his heart leaping into his throat. His head, still fuzzy from the debuff, tried to process the sound. It was close. Too close.
He peered through a small gap in his leafy wall.
Two glowing yellow eyes, set low to the ground, stared directly back at him from the deepening gloom, no more than ten feet away. They were unblinking, predatory. A low, guttural growl rumbled through the twilight, a sound that vibrated deep in Kael's bones and promised pain.