Chương 2: Survival

Mark didn't move as the screen hovered in front of him. The rabbit lay dead just a few feet away. It was small, with giant teeth—just wrong. It almost looked normal now that it was no longer moving. Which somehow made it worse. Mark swallowed and looked away. The floating blue box just hovered in front of him unchanged. [Razor Rabbit Level 1] Defeated +7 XP ◈ ◈ ◈ [Level Up Available] His eyes lingered on the last line. Level up. The words felt absurd, like something out of the games he used to play.

Except this wasn't a game. His arm still throbbed where the creature had bitten him, a sharp, pulsing reminder that everything about this was real. Mark lowered his gaze to the wound. The sleeve of his shirt was torn, darkened with blood. It wasn't pouring out, but it wasn't stopping either.

"That's not good," he muttered. He looked around again as if expecting someone. Anyone to appear and explain what he was supposed to do next. But no one came. It was just the trees around him, the wind blowing through them, and the silence, and it all felt wrong. Mark finally let out a slow breath and shifted carefully, pushing himself into an upright position. His eyes drifted back to the rabbit's body despite his own desire to look away.

"I'm not leaving that there," he said as he started toward the body, intending to drag it away. Halfway there he stopped. If he really had to survive in this place, throwing away potential food would be foolish. Even so, every instinct told him to get it out of his sight. He forced himself to keep walking until he stood over the small, lifeless form. Each step felt heavier than it should have. His nerves were still tight from the attack.

He stopped just short of touching it and stared down at the small, lifeless form. Up close the differences were clear. The teeth were wrong, too large and too sharp. Its claws were sharp and more pronounced.

"Yeah, you're definitely not normal." After a brief pause, he crouched down, and as his hand hovered uncertainly over the rabbit's body, the air shimmered again. [Loot Available] Razor Rabbit Corpse Convert to usable materials? ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark blinked.

"Of course there is a loot option." He stared at the message, his expression tightening as he tried to process it. Convert to usable materials. The words were so clinical. Detached. Like the system didn't care what the materials would be used for. His gaze dropped to the rabbit again. Then back to the screen.

"If I don't loot it, then what? Just leave it here?" That did not sound like a good option, so he let out a breath and tapped the air where the prompt hovered in front of him. For a brief moment nothing happened, and then the rabbit's body dissolved in front of his eyes. Not violently or dramatically; it simply broke apart into faint particles of light that lifted into the air and vanished, leaving nothing behind. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Mark froze, his hand still extended in the air.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that." Then another message appeared. [Conversion Complete] +1 Razor Meat +2 Torn Hide ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark stared at the list. Okay, meat and hide. Before he could think too hard about it, another screen slid into place. [Inventory Updated] Razor Meat x1 Torn Hide x2 ◈ ◈ ◈ He hesitated and then reached out again, focusing on the words. Then the screen shifted slightly, expanding to his touch.

"Okay, so I actually have things now." The absurdity of it almost made him laugh. But the pain in his arm dragged his focus back immediately. Right, he was bleeding. As if in response to the thought, a new notification appeared. [Crafting Available] Basic Recipes Unlocked: • Crude Bandage • Cooked Meat • Sharpened Stick ◈ ◈ ◈ Of course there is crafting. Mark let out a slow breath, with some of the tension in his shoulders easing away for the first time since he arrived.

Finally, something that was useful to him if it actually worked. He focused on the first option. [Crude Bandage] Materials Required: • Fiber x2 • Torn Hide x1 Effect: Stops bleeding Restores small HP over time ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark frowned slightly.

"Fiber, where do I get that?" He glanced around the clearing, scanning the ground more carefully this time. He spotted what he was looking for. Thin strands of plant material mixed in with the grass and low brush.

"That'll have to do." He moved carefully, tearing loose a handful of the fibrous plant strands. It took more effort than he expected, and his arm protested with each pull, but after a minute he had something that looked close enough. Almost immediately, another system message appeared. [Fiber Acquired x2] Mark let out a small, surprised breath.

"Well, that's convenient." He pulled the crafting screen back into focus and selected Crude Bandage. The message changed to "Materials Available," and for a moment he hesitated. Then he selected the button. The materials vanished from the inventory list.

A faint glow gathered around his hands, subtle but unmistakable, and then his fingers took hold of the fibers, and the hide seemed to pull itself together, tightening and twisting in his hands as if guided by something unseen until they bound into a rough strip of layered material. A second later, it was done. [Crafting Complete] Crude Bandage Created ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark stared at it.

"Wow, pretty cool." Carefully he wrapped the bandage around his injured forearm. He tightened it enough to stop the bleeding. [Bleeding Stopped] [Minor Regeneration Applied] Mark let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Okay," he said quietly while flexing his fingers slightly.

"Okay, that helps." For the first time since everything had changed, something had gone right. He wasn't safe, but he was no longer bleeding, and he had taken one step toward figuring out what was going on. He still knew he wasn't safe. He was still not sure why this was happening, but he wasn't helpless anymore. Mark glanced around the clearing again. His expression tightened. Not in panic but in focus.

"Alright," He murmured to himself.

"One step at a time." He looked back at the system prompt. He had crafting, loot, and resources. If he could be attacked like this by a rabbit, what else was out there? What was worse than a rabbit? Mark took one more long look at the trees around him. What was going to come after him next?