After finishing gathering his things, Naoto began searching for prey. He moved slowly and quietly among the bushes, cautiously. After walking for some time, he started to hear sounds above the bushes and saw small monkeys playing and eating fruit.
The fruit looked delicious, so he thought about getting some. He approached the trees to pick the fruit, but one of the monkeys noticed him and started screaming. All the monkeys turned their attention to the screamer and headed toward him. Their eyes fell on Naoto.
Naoto realized he wouldn't be able to deal with the monkeys. He quickly put his spear back into his inventory and began running for his life. However, the monkeys were very fast and caught up with him in moments.
The monkeys started throwing stones at Naoto, striking him from all sides. Naoto tried to defend himself as best as he could, but their number was too great, and he could not overpower them.
He ran until he reached a cliff, trapped in a life-or-death situation with only two choices: jump or be beaten to death by the monkeys.
Naoto jumped with some hesitation. During his fall, he hit several branches and sustained various injuries. He stretched his hands toward the base of the cliff, trying to slow his fall. His nails cracked, and his hands were wounded, but he kept holding on and slid down toward the ground.
When he landed, his injuries were worse than he expected. He felt terrible pain and had difficulty breathing. He couldn't move due to severe physical injuries.
Still, Naoto knew he couldn't stay there. He had to find a way to survive. Looking around, he found a nearby cave. Summoning all his remaining strength, he slowly crawled toward the shelter.
With great effort, Naoto reached the cave. He entered and lay on the ground, his exhaustion and pain growing.
But he was determined to survive and return.
He decided to stay in the cave until regaining strength and healing as much as possible. He knew he had to maintain his health and avoid further risks.
Days and nights passed, and Naoto slowly recovered some strength. His health improved, and the pain lessened. However, he had consumed most of his food and had only a little left—not enough to sustain him. So he decided it was time to leave and search for something to hunt.
As he explored the area, he heard the sound of nearby water. He headed toward it and found a magical waterfall, unnamed yet indescribably beautiful. Water cascaded massively from the top, its droplets dancing with softness and grace. Sunlight caught the drops, painting a rainbow of colors, and its sound was full of life and enchantment.
Beside the river, a herd of wild deer appeared. But Naoto noticed one different from the others.
Its color was green like the trees, allowing it to blend in. It was larger, with large antlers sprouting some leaves.
Naoto used his Eye of Awareness to focus on the unusual deer's status.
Name: Forest Plant Deer
Level: 9
Strength: 15
Agility: 17
Endurance: 18
"Task, its stats are higher than mine."
Naoto felt a bit discouraged but decided to try.
He summoned his spear and cautiously approached the deer to ensure he could hit it. He tried to stay calm and careful not to startle it.
Naoto slowly approached and got ready to attack. He took a suitable distance and threw his spear toward the deer, but the deer was very fast and easily dodged the spear.
The deer fled, sensing danger, and Naoto quickly chased it.
A fierce chase began between Naoto and the deer. The deer used its speed and agility to escape, but Naoto pursued with all his strength. He ran and jumped over obstacles and shrubs, trying to catch up.
After a long chase, Naoto got close enough to strike. He threw his spear with force, hitting the deer hard. The deer fell to the ground and became immobile.
Naoto approached the injured deer and stabbed it. As a last survival attempt, the deer stabbed Naoto's left arm with its sharp antler.
Naoto felt intense pain, and his arm began turning blue.
The Host has been poisoned by a special venom; normal antivenoms will not work. The system recommends survival.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Naoto thought quickly about stopping the poison, but he had no medical knowledge, and conventional ways wouldn't work. He needed to think fast, but his mind ran out of solutions. At this point, he had lost feeling and the ability to move his arm.
Finally, feeling the poison spreading through his body, he decided:
"Since my arm is useless, I don't need it."
He put a stick in his mouth to ease the pain from the injury. He took out his spear with his right hand.
Determined to stop the poison from spreading, he prepared himself for the pain, took a deep breath, and fiercely struck his arm with the spear, cutting it off in one blow.
Tears fell; the pain became unbearable, and blood poured heavily. But Naoto was determined to survive and return.
After cutting off his arm, Naoto fainted and started losing consciousness. He fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.
After some time, Naoto gradually regained consciousness. He noticed the bleeding had stopped and the pain was less intense than before, though he could not move much due to blood loss.
He tore part of his clothes and used them to bandage the stump.
Feeling very weak, Naoto slowly stood and walked toward the deer's body until he fell down beside it, losing balance.
"Is... deer meat... poisonous?" he asked the system, struggling to breathe.
Only the antler is poisonous, Host. I apologize this is your test, and I can only offer minimal advice.
Naoto crawled toward the deer and began eating its raw meat.
Unable to move much due to blood loss, he slowly took a piece of meat with his lifeless left hand.
Hunger, exhaustion, and weakness crossed his face. The surrounding silence was only pierced by his heavy breathing as he ate.
After finishing, he rose with great difficulty and limped toward the waterfall, following the path he had come from.
Each step hurt, making him feel feeble, but he did not stop.
Naoto moved cautiously, struggling to keep his balance due to his lost left arm. His balance was unstable, relying more heavily on his right arm for movement.
Naoto looked exhausted and weary, showing signs of dehydration. Sweat dripped from his forehead like golden drops of sunlight as he wiped it away with his remaining hand.
When Naoto reached the waterfall, he stopped for a few moments, feeling the refreshing mist from the falls. He sensed the humid breeze touch his skin, soothing his thoughts and easing his fatigue.
Naoto collapsed onto the sandy ground near the waterfall. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and dipped his head into the water to drink.
Feeling the cold water run over his face, quenching his thirst, he felt refreshed as life gradually returned to his weary limbs, enjoying the gentle touch of the water.
He relaxed for a while to regain strength and soon fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.