NOVEL NEXT Survival
"Okay, how do I level up then?" Let's hope Alex didn't make a system that wants me to grind on rats for seven days.
[Notice: completing quests, training, or new experiences will reward the user with Exp.]
[Once you gather enough of them you'll level up your character.]
[This will unlock higher stats, skills, and abilities, and offer new opportunities.]
[In this system, killing itself, or repeating mundane tasks won't strengthen you.]
Cool, I can get behind that. Grinding was always the most boring and annoying part of all the games I played.
And since this isn't a virtual reality but another world, I don't know how to feel about killing people either.
Animals? Fine. One has to eat. Sentient species? If it's self-defense, I can imagine it, but I'm not a psychopath to grind levels on living and breathing beings.
There is one last thing to do then.
"Start the tutorial." She mentioned it before but still didn't trigger it.
[Error: Cannot compute.]
What? Don't tell me it's bugged.
How long did she learn programming? For a year? I knew it was too impressive to be true.
[Notice: the purpose of the tutorial is to teach you the basics of survival. Your body should be capable of surviving already.]
Are we talking about breathing and not falling apart under sunlight? Or hunting, gathering, and fighting for my life? You can call them both survival, but it's not the same.
"She didn't make a tutorial, did she?" Most people skip them anyway, but after all these mentions she left me hanging.
[Notice: the purpose of the tutorial is to teach you the basics of survival. Your body should be capable of surviving already.]
"Okay, shut up. Then where can I get food? I'm starving." Since the [Inventory] is empty, I can't even start a fire, and it's getting dark already.
I bet spells could help me with these, but she said no magic. You know, after she tried and failed to make a homunculus for me. Sigh.
When was that anyway? How long have I been here? An hour? Half a day? Can it be because of the time dilation she mentioned? I can't tell how long it has been.
The only thing certain is the hunger.
[Notice: this forest doesn't have many edible plants for your species. But it's teeming with wildlife.]
"And how am I supposed to catch them? I don't have weapons, traps, or any knowledge about hunting. And can't, or shouldn't use magic either."
If she's going to mention the tutorial again, I'll scream.
She says nothing for a while. I can imagine that little circle running around in my head as it's loading something. Come on, System, don't let me down like your maker.
[Notice: following the river will lead you to a settlement where you can ask for food.]
"Are you for real?" Sure, this is common knowledge, and even sensible at that, but not exactly what I'd call 'survival'. And did it take her this long to come up with it?
That's an advanced master hunter skill for you.
How can I hold my laughter after she wanted me to avoid detection? Now the best advice is to find someone to feed me.
"Great. Well, at least I have water." It's crystal clear too. There are no fish in it or a speck of dust. It doesn't have a taste either, but it's cold and feels good.
Whether it's the AI that can't think straight or the Goddess who made it, I don't know. If I had to guess it's both.
Miss 'Evaporating you so you don't hit your head' the Thirteenth Bride. Oh God. I'd ask why I always fall for the dumbest chicks, but I had never fallen for anyone until now.
Is this even love, or the horni?
How can you fall in love with someone you know nothing about?
What kind of life did she have before? You know before crashing an entire civilization over here and escaping into my world?
Did people love her? Feed her? Worship her? Looking like that, and called Goddess of Luck, you can bet. I'd worship the shit out of her too, and I'm a girl.
Crap, even thinking about her, and being in this body makes me horny beyond reason. Yeah, I can imagine how every species would simp for her, and while I'm in this body, they should feed me too.
Except I'm not good at talking with strangers. Do people even speak the same language as I do? And would they pity me enough to give me food?
The System is eerie quiet. These questions must have been too generic, but she suggested finding someone to give me food.
Is this common sense in this world? Or is it because of Alexandra's beauty?
Damn, hot girls have it easy, at least in my mind. Yeah, it's not even a stupid suggestion. Let's find a settlement and ask for food.
With the Sentient Mask, or whatever her pebble turned into, they shouldn't recognize me. It's time to try that thing out too.
Would it make me less hot? Hide my identity? I can't stop coming up with more and more questions.
"Okay, fine, fuck it, let's go somewhere." I have a week until she returns, but it doesn't mean I should waste it. I better put this excellent body to the test.
The first thing to notice is that even though it's dark now, these eyes can still see everything. Some critters scurry around on the ground or climb on the pines.
Again, chasing them to eat something raw will not do me any good.
The real question is, up or down? Should I follow the river the way it flows or find the source?
"Every river flows into the sea, right? And seas have ports. Down it is."
And after the first step, the System's message chimes in again.
[Emergency Quest: Disable the Orc Scouts. 0/10]
"Are you fucking kidding?"