NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Alone
Jin Yucheon woke up quite early. By this time servants would've already lined up before him and tending his needs but strangely enough there was no one.
Her mother, who would also be on his side and fawning over him, was absent.
Something was wrong, he thought. And so he jumped down from his bed and walked around the corridor of the manor and saw no servant.
Strange.
He looked at the yard and there was no gardener tending to the plants.
He headed to the kitchen and saw no chef cooking. He was all alone.
"Fuck." He slowly pieced the information around. A slow and horrific conclusion dawning upon him.
'I'm being subjected to the classic 'prove you're worthy' test.' He has a vast amount of information about classic murim cliché so what's happening was starting to make sense.
He was fully aware of his brother's lack of talent and he was aware that his exhibition of talent made his father want to test him to see if he got another dud.
"This damn cliché." I cursed. But I can't really complain since I wished to be here.
So I'm just gonna go with it. Now what do I do.
Normally a 1 year old child left unsupervised like me would die from either starvation or stupidity. But I'm no mere child.
I'm an adult, a functioning member of society back in my first life. I can survive a month.
You know what, I'll even exceed his expectations. First I checked the kitchen and granary to see if there was any food left behind and to my expectation there was nothing.
So I'm guessing that he wants me to find a way to survive on my own, without anything at all.
My first goal is to find food.
*******
Jin Yucheon took a deep breath, his small hands clenched into fists. Despite his child-like frame, his mind was far sharper and more mature than anyone could guess.
"No food, no servants, no help. Fine," he muttered to himself, stepping out into the empty courtyard. The early morning sun illuminated the expanse of the manor grounds. It was silent, save for the rustling of leaves in the breeze.
"Step one: figure out how to get food. Can't think on an empty stomach," he muttered, recalling survival tips he had read and watched in his past life. His body might be small, but the principles of survival remained the same.
The forest surrounding the manor was vast and teeming with life. Jin Yucheon remembered seeing small animals—rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional bird—scurry around the area during his walks. He decided to start small.
Using what he could find, he began constructing basic traps. With his tiny hands, he collected sturdy branches, vines, and rocks.
It took hours to bend and tie the materials into simple snares and deadfalls, often undoing and redoing them when they didn't hold together.
By evening, he had set up a few traps near the trees where he had noticed animal trails.
"This should work… I hope," he said, stepping back to observe his handiwork. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, but he knew patience was key.
The next morning, he returned to his traps and found a small rabbit caught in one of his snares. Relief flooded him.
"First meal secured," he said, a small smile forming.
---
'Time to learn how to hunt!'
Over the next few days, Jin Yucheon refined his skills. He experimented with different trap designs, studying which ones worked best.
He realized he couldn't rely on traps alone, so he began practicing simple hunting techniques.
Using a sharpened stick he had crafted, he practiced stalking and throwing it with precision. The first attempts were clumsy—his small body lacked strength and coordination. But persistence was his ally.
By the end of the week, he managed to spear a squirrel. It wasn't much, but it was progress.
---
One afternoon, while exploring the outskirts of the forest, he stumbled upon a stream. The water sparkled under the sunlight, and small fish darted just below the surface.
"Protein," he muttered, his stomach growling at the thought.
Using his sharpened stick as a makeshift spear, he stood still by the stream, watching the fish's movements.
Timing was everything. The first few attempts were failures, but after hours of persistence, he managed to spear his first fish.
"Gotcha," he said, pulling it out of the water. He couldn't suppress a grin of triumph.
Fishing became a reliable source of food for him, and he found himself improving each day, developing patience and precision.
---
Hunting and fishing provided meat, but he needed more. Remembering the basic principles of foraging, he began exploring the forest for edible plants, berries, and mushrooms.
Caution guided him as he avoided anything unfamiliar or suspicious. He tested small portions of the food before eating them, observing for any adverse reactions.
By now, his knowledge of the forest had expanded. He knew which areas were best for trapping, which spots in the stream teemed with fish, and where to find edible plants.
---
His next goal was to increase his range and efficiency. Using his small knife—a tool left in his room, likely on purpose—he began carving a flexible branch into the shape of a bow.
The process was grueling, as he lacked the proper tools, but he persevered. He used vines for the bowstring and sharpened small sticks to create crude arrows.
The first time he strung the bow, it snapped, sending the string whipping into his hand.
"Damn it!" he hissed, nursing the sting. But he refused to give up.
After several days of trial and error, he finally crafted a functional bow.
Standing in the courtyard, he tested it, firing an arrow at a nearby tree. It didn't hit the mark, but it flew straight.
"Not bad for a one-year-old," he said with a wry smile.
---
Days turned into weeks, and Jin Yucheon's initial struggles gave way to competence. His traps became more efficient, his hunting more precise, and his foraging sharper. He had turned the forest into his training ground, honing both his survival skills and his resourcefulness.
By the end of the month, Jin Beak returned to the manor to find his youngest son standing tall in the courtyard, a small rabbit slung over his shoulder, a handmade bow in his hand, and a fire pit smoldering nearby.
******
For more chapter go here!
https://patreon.com/August_Writing?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
If you can't find it just type August_Writing and it will just pop out ;)