Scouting.

If Luke had a weapon when he fought the injured beast, he could have exploited its numerous weak points and dealt heavy blows by attacking his wounds. Luke was certain that he would have expended less energy and taken less damage in that fight.

The question now was how was he going to create one?

With what material?

After his few clashes with beasts, Luke had gauged his strength and knew he was far stronger than the average human. His punches should be strong enough to put heavy dents in steel, but even with this, he was still finding it hard to deal fatal blows quickly to beasts. 

With this in mind, Luke understood that the average crude weapon like wooden spears wouldn't work on these beasts. Looking around, Luke couldn't help but let out a sigh after confirming he was surrounded by trees. If it was in the past when the world was still normal and the beasts of the forest were mere animals, then crafting wooden weapons and using them in battle would have been perfect. 

However, things were different now, he was not going against deer and antelopes. He was in a place filled with demonic beats with thick furs capable of brushing off metal weapons. The Nexeria empire was only able to survive and thrive because they were harnessing the true potential of the new resources that came with the rifts.

With these resources, they were able to create high-tech weapons, coupled with their experiments, which Luke only found out about. Even during the attack on his village, the hunters who saved Luke from the demonic mutts used energy guns, and even that wasn't enough. If a backwater village like that has access to such weapons, one could only imagine the calibre of weapons in the hands of the military.

With this in mind, Luke concluded that attempting to use wooden weapons in this new world was no different from suicide. Right now, the only viable thing in the forest, Luke could think of, are the bones of the beasts. 

Since these beasts were not like the beasts of the past, it was only natural that their bones were of a higher quality, but the main problem with this plan was that he would be required to kill to find and kill a beast. However, how is he meant to find beasts during the daytime when they are all concealed and those that are not concealed just flee the moment they spot him?

Even if he chose to hunt at night when beasts are active, Luke was well aware that a skirmish with a beast could turn into a full scale free for all with dozens of beasts. The thought of these outcomes left Luke frustrated and confused about what to do.

"Do I really have to wait till night before feeding?" Luke said as his stomach made strange noises.

Putting aside the matter of hunting weapons, he still needed to eat. This meant he had no choice but to hunt at night, even if he didn't want to. 

Luke sighed at the thought of this, especially since he didn't fancy the idea of moving around in the bustling hours of the horrifying night, unfortunately, he was in no position to pick when to hunt.

'Beggars can't be choosers,' Luke couldn't help but shake his head.

"If I am to hunt tonight, at least I need to understand my surroundings," Luke said with a heavy sigh.

The reason that the 'event' of the previous night was 'straightforward' was because of the presence of the bodies in one location that acted as bait to draw out the strong creatures in the area, since they couldn't resist a hefty feast of flesh and soul. 

In this case, there was nothing to lure out the strong creatures from the shadows, so he needed to understand the dangers that lurked in this part of the forest and also mark out danger zones.

Luke's stomach let out a sound again, causing him to place his hands on his belly and sigh.

"Maybe I might be able to find fruits," Luke prayed as he decided to scout the area.

Normally, scouting an unknown location in such a forest was almost no different from walking around the slums and wearing a lot of expensive jewellery. It was basically begging to be robbed, but the only difference in this case was that his life was on the line.

As a scouter in a forest like this, you are bound to expose yourself before noticing a concealed beast. Should that happen, the chances of you surviving a surprise attack were slim.

The only reason he was scouting the area was because there were chances of him finding edible fruits, and meeting beasts, which meant he would have food in his belly and bones to craft a new weapon. 

Ironically, he also chose to scout for security purposes and while that may sound stupid since he was risking his life by doing this, it also meant he was gaining a better understanding of his surroundings which would definitely come in handy at night.

"This isn't any different from choosing to journey through the forest to the north…" Luke said but paused briefly to think. "Actually, this is better than that," He concluded.

Luke shook his head, realizing he felt better because of the 'less' crazy idea. However, upon noticing he was overthinking, Luke did well to keep the rampaging thoughts in check and focused on his scouting. 

Luke walked through the forest while looking in all directions at any slightest noise, especially since he was looking for food and a resting spot. He made sure to watch his steps and avoid drawing attention to himself, especially since he didn't want a beast falling pouncing on him from above.

Since he was able to hide atop a tree the previous night, Luke believed nothing was stopping the beasts from doing the same. Because of this, he always found himself looking above each time he walked under a tree.

In a dangerous place like this, death from above was possible.

....

AN: I have been sick for a few days now, and although I haven't fully recovered, I had to put out something.