A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 4

Humans are both resilient and fragile beings. While this may apply to any animal, there is no creature as contradictory as humans.

Their strength is weaker compared to other animals, yet their endurance surpasses that of most creatures.

Thanks to this endurance and their intelligence to use tools, they managed to rise to the top of the Food Chain.

But this is only true when humans form a “group”; as individuals, humans are weak.

There are hardly any wild animals that humans can overpower barehanded. If bitten by a dog, it’s over.

This makes hunting alone incredibly difficult, and even the advantage of low energy consumption is hard to utilize.

You need to eat something, anything, to store energy or do anything at all, don’t you?

Crunch!

“Ugh······!”

In that sense, I ate a bug. It was a pale white insect I found inside a rotting tree.

The moment I bit into it, an indescribable disgust filled my mouth. The earthy smell was almost fragrant in comparison.

Crunch- Crunch- Snap-

I forced myself to endure it as I moved my jaw. I could vividly feel my face contorting beyond recognition.

In Soul World, even if the combat system is trash, it boasts a high Degree of Freedom, so if there’s no food, you can eat bugs.

But you have to be careful, as some bugs are Poisonous Insects. Fortunately, as a Veteran Player, I know which ones are poisonous.

If I hadn’t ended up in this forest, this knowledge wouldn’t have been useful. In so many ways, this is f*cked up.

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

The taste was so foul it made me want to vomit. I barely managed to hold it down, forcing myself to endure.

Somehow, even the character gagged when eating raw food. What an unnecessary touch of realism.

It would probably be better if I could roast it over a fire. But with my left arm in this state, I have no choice.

At least until my arm heals, I’ll have to eat it raw. Not that I could eat an animal carcass, could I?

Of course, in the worst-case scenario, I’d have to eat it. I just hope I don’t end up sucking out the marrow like a caveman.

“Ugh······ Ugh······”

This time, a smell I couldn’t quite identify, perhaps fishy, filled my nose. Every breath through my nose made me want to gag.

The problem is that one bug isn’t enough. To last until my arm heals, I’ll need to eat several more.

How do I know this? Bear Grylls himself taught me. Thankfully, I watch documentaries often.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, I can’t eat berries. Most of the time, eating them just causes diarrhea.

“The ones that are edible usually grow up in the trees······ Sigh.”

The only silver lining is that there’s drinkable water nearby.

There’s a small stream flowing, and judging by the minnows swimming in it, the water should be safe to drink.

Humans can survive three weeks without food but only three days without water.

Drinking Water was an absolute necessity, so at least that was one less thing to worry about.

“The problem is that all sorts of animals will gather to drink from that water.”

Porori might even show up. I’ve heard that many Veteran Players came to the stream to deal with Porori.

If that happens, I plan to run without looking back. I’m at the bottom of the Food Chain, after all.

Taking down the Hungry Wolf was lucky, to say the least. If there hadn’t been branches and stones nearby, I’d have died on the spot.

“I need to hold out until my arm heals.”

My top priority is the recovery of my arm. Once it heals, my range of options will expand.

But even that isn’t guaranteed; my arm could rot from infection before then.

It would be nice if someone stumbled upon me, but on second thought, that might not be such a good thing.

If Porori inhabits this area, it means I’m deep in the wilderness. Entering here unarmed is almost certainly a death sentence.

In other words, my chances of escaping this place are slim. I might have to choose “living” over “surviving.”

“Nah. I’ll get out of here before that happens.”

I just need to adapt a little. Even Bear Grylls survives and escapes; he doesn’t adapt.

Eating bugs right now is just to meet the bare minimum conditions for survival. I heard they’re rich in Protein.

This is only the bare minimum. Unless I hunt or fish, eating my fill is impossible.

“If only my arm were in decent shape······”

I could’ve at least tried eating the Hungry Wolf I caught yesterday. Regretfully, I started walking as the taste in my mouth faded.

For now, I have no choice but to subsist on bugs. I estimate it’ll take at least a month for my arm to fully heal.

“Can I last a month?”

That’s assuming I find plants that aid recovery.

I was lucky to find a plant that stopped the hemorrhaging, but I have to consider the possibility that’s all it can do.

I have a sinking feeling that even surviving here, let alone escaping, will be grueling. This forest is a high-level area.

Honestly, I couldn’t see anything but a bleak future. I wished someone would just reach this place already.

Shiver-

“What······”

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. I flinched and turned around.

Hiss- Hiss-

A long-bodied creature with a forked tongue flicking out. Its flexibility was notable, and it could easily climb trees—a reptile.

A snake, disgusting to look at, was staring straight at me. Judging by its constant tongue flicking, it had locked onto me.

Even small snakes are creepy, but this one wasn’t small. How did it get so close to me without me noticing?

Hiss!

Before I could think further, the snake opened its jaws wide and lunged at me.

Its two sharp fangs gleamed, proving it was a viper.

“F*ck!!”

Startled, I instinctively moved my upper body. The snake’s head narrowly missed my cheek.

Having dodged its attack, it was now my turn. I grabbed its body before it could regain its posture.

My left arm was useless, so I had to grab it with my right hand, but that was enough.

Hiss!

As soon as I grabbed its body, it resumed its attack. It lunged at my right arm, jaws wide open.

If I lose the use of my right arm too, my chances of survival drop to 0%. In desperation, I let go of its body.

The moment I released it, the snake fell to the ground. It quickly slithered away into the thicket.

“··· ···”

The whole thing happened so fast that I was left dazed. If I hadn’t felt that chill, if I’d reacted even a moment later······

It’s not just the big beasts you have to watch out for here. Snakes, Poisonous Insects, and even plants with toxins are the real threats.

And in the worst-case scenario, I might have to eat those things. Just the thought made me feel nauseous, and I grimaced.

[Quick Reaction Speed! Agility has increased!]

“F*ck······”

I muttered a curse under my breath. As if things weren’t bad enough, they just got worse. Why did I have to end up here?

Why couldn’t I have been sent to a city? Why this forest, filled with nothing but danger?

If I ever meet the god responsible, I’ll curse them out with every insult I know. For the record, there is a god in this world.

If I ever return to the city, I’ll make sure to curse them out. I promised myself that again today.

[Faith has decreased.]

Screw off. You’re useless anyway.

What’s the point of Faith decreasing? What can you even do, you bastard?

“First, I need to get out of here. I will get out.”

I moved cautiously, staying as alert as possible.

If something felt off, I didn’t go that way. It felt like going there would cost me my life.

Since I’ve gained this ridiculous Ability, I might as well make full use of it.

“Just hold out for a month. Once my arm heals, I’ll escape.”

But that resolve would never come to fruition.

“Growl! Bark! Bark!”

“F*ck!”

Pouring all my energy into survival—

“Roar!!”

“F*ck!”

I ended up adapting perfectly to this forest, as if it were a lie.

“F*ck (this is so f*cked).”

Losing my language skills was just a bonus.

******

The untouched wilderness might be thought of as the very embodiment of survival of the fittest.

The weak disappear, and only the strong can reap the benefits of such an environment.

However, even this statement is incorrect. It is true that the strong prey on the weak.

Then what defines the strong? Is it those with superior physical strength? Or those with exceptional intelligence?

At least in a developed civilization, that would be the case. Excelling in either one would naturally make someone stand out.

But the wilderness has different conditions. Just as the environment itself is different, there is only one way to become strong in the wilderness.

Survive.

Crash!

“Grrr······”

Thud!

A massive black bear, as large as a house, collapsed, shaking the ground.

A stone axe was lodged squarely in the crown of the bear’s head, as if splitting firewood.

Squish-

As I retrieved the crude stone axe, a sticky sound echoed. The sensation traveled up my hand, fully registering.

It no longer feels unpleasant. I’m just glad to have secured enough food supplies to last for several days.

Skinning it might be a hassle, but it’s a sturdy one, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll just use its hide to cover the cave floor.

“Hmm. F*ck (this is nice).”

I dragged the bear along with one hand. It would leave traces, but I didn’t care.

This one had been a predator in the area recently, so the stronger the scent it left behind, the better it was for me.

Most predators wouldn’t dare approach, and there’d be no reason for them to come here. They’d just look elsewhere.

Hiss-

Then, suddenly, a sound reached my ears. I ignored it and kept dragging the bear.

If it’s just watching, there’s no need to bother with it. I’ve already secured plenty of food supplies.

Of course, in the wilderness, there are hardly any creatures that act rationally. Especially if they see me as a threat.

Ssshaa!

By now, I’m not just used to it—I’m sick of it. I quietly raised my arm.

In the past, I would’ve been scared and flinched. But that doesn’t happen anymore.

Snap!

I grabbed the head of a snake that had darted at me from a tree with pinpoint accuracy. I paused for a moment and stared at the snake.

The snake squirmed in my grasp, its fangs bared menacingly inside its wide-open mouth.

Crunch!

Ah. I should’ve grabbed it higher. I caught it carelessly, and its fangs ended up sinking into my skin.

However, there’s no way the snake could pierce my skin, and even if it did, I wouldn’t be poisoned.

After being poisoned so many times, most toxins no longer affect me. In the process, my skin also toughened.

Of course, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin, and because of this, herbs don’t work well on me either.

I thought immunity to all poisons, like in martial arts novels, would be a blessing, but it’s not. Maybe there’s something wrong with my body.

Crunch!

Well, at least I got a snack. I bit off the snake’s head and spat it onto the ground.

Perhaps due to its nature, even with its head torn off, the snake’s body kept writhing. It’s disgusting no matter how many times I see it.

Chew- Chew- Chew-

But right now, it’s my snack.

I chewed on the snake like it was jelly and continued on my way. With the bear caught, it’s a feast.

Honestly, I feel bad for the bear. It wandered into the wrong place and met its end.

But what can you do? It’s the bear’s fault for stepping in the wrong spot.

In the wilderness, the one who survives is the strong one.

This bear was ultimately nothing more than the weak.

“F*ck (I’m hungry).”

And today, I survived again.

A damn miserable life.