Chapter 75: Innate Ability [4]
[A/N: Day 2 (3/3)]
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Cael stood frozen, staring at the empty spot where the snake corpse had been moments ago.
After calming his mind, he thought about the first time he killed the snake.
Its body had disappeared from the forest floor just like now.
Not to mention, it came back to life even after being cut in two.
Cael felt a hint of conspiracy pressing against his thoughts.
’Just what was this snake?’
He sighed and turned away. He had more immediate problems.
His supplies were scattered somewhere in the dense, tall grass.
Potions, cards, his sword, his identity card, his mobile phone.
Everything he had brought from the city was lost.
He started searching, pushing aside the wet grass with his hands, scanning the muddy ground for any sign of his belongings.
But there was nothing.
No matter how hard he looked, no matter how wide he swept his gaze across the area, he could not find a single item.
It was as if the forest had swallowed everything whole.
Just like that, Cael lost all the supplies he had just purchased. His identity card and mobile phone were gone as well.
He looked down at his wrist. Luckily, his watch was still there. He had not stored it in his space pouch.
Cael sighed again.
The situation was growing worse by the hour.
Feeling hungry, Cael knew he was helpless.
There was nothing he could do but search for any creature to kill and eat. And so Cael decided to do it.
He started walking in the same direction the deer had gone.
The mark was still active, a faint pulse at the edge of his awareness, but he was in no rush.
He moved slowly, carefully, scanning the forest for any sign of life.
But to Cael’s disappointment, he found none.
Hours passed. The rain softened to a drizzle, then stopped entirely.
The clouds remained thick, blocking the sun, but the absence of falling water made the forest feel even quieter.
Cael followed the deer from the shadows, watching its movements.
All it did was drink water from a small stream and eat bushes. It did not meet any other creatures, and Cael did not encounter any either.
Cael was very annoyed. He had not come across a single fruit bearing tree, and the deer was the only living thing he had seen for hours.
He already thought of leaving the forest by swapping places with one of his clones.
He could return to the city, eat there, restock his supplies, and try again later.
Cael even doubted himself about his body.
Ever since he entered the forest, he was extremely hungry, almost unrealistically so.
He was a [Silver] ranker. He could easily stay unaffected even if he did not eat for three days straight.
But his current situation was quite weird.
The hunger was gnawing at him with an urgency that felt wrong, as if the forest itself was draining something from him.
Cael contemplated whether to just kill the deer. But he shook his head, discarding that thought.
He finally made up his mind.
"Swa--"
Just as he was about to swap places with the clone.
-Tric -Kroo.
His words paused midway as he saw a rabbit that seemed to be searching for something on the ground.
It was small and brown, its nose twitching as it sniffed the damp earth.
Cael’s eyes sharpened, and a smile formed on his lips.
Finally, something to eat.
Cael sensed the rabbit had wind mana flowing through its small body.
It was faint, barely noticeable, but unmistakable.
The rabbit had a wind elemental innate ability.
That explained why it had survived in this empty forest while so many other creatures had disappeared.
Cael did not hesitate.
He raised his hand and formed a small, concentrated wind blade.
The rabbit never saw it coming.
The blade cut cleanly through the animal’s neck, and it fell to the ground without a sound.
Cael walked over and picked up the rabbit.
It was small, but more than enough for two meals.
He took a last look at the deer in the distance. The mark was still on it, pulsing faintly at the edge of his awareness.
He would find it again later.
He focused on the cave he had found earlier and activated Teleportation.
The world twisted around him, and when his vision cleared, he was standing inside the cave entrance.
The damp walls greeted him, and the sound of dripping water echoed softly in the enclosed space.
Cael looked around for dry wood and any useful materials to make a fire.
He had Frostflame, but he could not cook a rabbit with Frostflame. Freezing the meat would not make it edible.
He needed actual fire.
The cave was bare, but near the entrance, he found a few dry branches that had been sheltered from the rain.
He gathered them along with some dead leaves and smaller twigs. It was not much, but it would be enough.
The sky outside slowly started to darken.
The thick clouds made the transition from gray to black almost seamless, and soon the cave was shrouded in deep shadow.
Cael worked quickly, arranging the wood in a small pile and using solid rocks to ignite a spark on the dry leaves.
The flames caught slowly at first, then grew steadier as the branches began to burn.
After nearly an hour of effort, the fire was finally stable.
Cael skinned the rabbit and removed all the internal organs, leaving only the meat.
He did not know how to cook properly. He did not know which parts should be eaten and which should be thrown away.
In his past life, he had never needed to prepare his own food. Convenience stores exists.
But he knew the basics. Meat could be roasted over a fire. That was enough.
He skewered the rabbit on a straight branch and held it over the flames.
As the meat cooked, Cael lost himself in his thoughts.
You might be wondering why Cael had not simply swapped places with one of his clones and eaten something in the city.
The answer was simple... Experience.
Even though his SSS rank skill Cloning was great and all, if he depended too much on his clones, he might neglect his own training.
Given his lazy nature, it was something he might actually do.
He could already see the pattern forming in his mind.
Send a clone to train. Send a clone to explore. Send a clone to fight. Stay in his room and do nothing.
That was a dangerous path.
The other reason for staying was simpler. He liked it.
Yes, he had always wanted to explore new places, whether in his past life or his present. It was something he had always wanted to do.
Sadly, he had never been able to do it in his past life.
There had been no money, no time, no opportunity. Just the same dull routine day after day until the day he died.
Now, the opportunity was right in front of him.
A mysterious forest. Strange creatures. A deer that glowed in the dark. A snake that would not stay dead.
How could he want to miss this?
Even if the forest contained mysteries and dangers, it did not matter. He had the confidence to escape if things went wrong.
The meat aroma reached Cael, pulling him from his thoughts.
Due to the rich mana in the meat, even without any seasoning, the smell was good.
The flesh had turned golden brown, and small droplets of fat sizzled as they dripped onto the flames.
Cael pulled the branch back and tore off a piece of meat with his fingers.
It was hot, almost too hot, but not enough to harm him.
He ate quickly, tearing off another piece, then another.
As he ate, he felt something strange. His rank progression had strangely progressed.
Very little, almost negligible, but progression nonetheless.
Cael paused, a piece of meat halfway to his mouth.
He looked down at the half-eaten rabbit in his hands.
"Hmm?"
The meat was not just food. It was something more.
Something about the mana in this forest, in this creature, was affecting his body in ways he did not fully understand.
Cael took another bite, chewing slowly, paying close attention to the sensation.
The warmth spread through his chest, and the faint pulse of progression continued, steady and small.
He had found more than just a meal.
"Is this for real?"
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[A/N: Sorry, guys, I was dragged into a trip which was not announced to me beforehand, it will be one week long. That said, I will upload 2 Chapters a day since I have prepared additional Chapters.]
[I am sorry for not uploading 5 Chapters as promised, but I will upload these 5 Chapters after 10 to 15 days, along with 7 pending bonus Chapters as well.]
[You can think of it as 12 Chapters mass release.]
[So, please understand my dilemma.]
Thank You.