Finishing up

After understanding the amount of work required to put in, Anselm decided to finish all chores today. Anselm had dug a hole in the cave. There, he created a fire for the sake of burning something. That something was green plants high in mineral content. Since they were not trees with hard trunks, Anselm found it quite easy to collect them. He broke all of them into pieces and threw them into the burning hole. 

While it was burning, Anselm got busy with digging a deeper and larger hole outside. He dug it as far away from the pond as possible. This is where he'll dump feces and other waste matter. He had dug this hole beside the mountain. He made sure to dig it with a slight tilt. This took a couple of hours with several small breaks in between. Once done, Anselm finally got to what he had been waiting for days. He finished nature's call and attended to his bowels. He cleaned up with some large leaves.

'This world is as bizarre as always. A kid with strength and grip that defies his physique. He can also kill a wolf and constrictor with his bare hands, but not needing to take a shit is where the rules of the world draw the line. I'm thankful that i didn't meet their giant sized versions.'

Anselm felt relieved and checked upon the burning plants. It was not completed yet. He went out for another foraging expedition. This time, he went out to collect tree bark. He stripped off a considerable amount from the surrounding trees. As is the usual, he collected more vines. He was a bit more careful this time, paying attention to those that looked suspiciously like a constrictor…. He also collected moss, ferns, flexible soft plants and large leaves. By now his load was quite heavy. Anselm could only carry half the items for one trip back home. 

When he got back for the 2nd one, he encountered a problem. Thanks to his ambiguous luck, Anselm met another wolf. This one rushed towards him blindly, opening his jaws wide, showing his gleaming deadly fangs and greedily lunged to indulge his fangs in some delectable human blood. 

But, this time Anselm stood straight on business. Summoning as much willpower as he could, he focused and prepared for the lunge. He stopped moving suddenly. His instincts took over. He suddenly sidestepped to the right and dodged. Stepping to the left, shifting his weight onto the left leg and twisting his torso, Anselm threw a punch that landed point-blank on the wolf's head behind his ears.The wolf fell on the ground with a loud crack. The poor thing tried to get up, but Anselm's blow had quite literally shaken his brain. Anselm quickly took the opportunity to sit on him and restrain his moment. He subsequently grabbed one of its forelegs and pulled back hard. SNAP! The wolf tried to howl in fury and pain but Anselm tightly gripped its jaws shut. The wolf tried moving around and shaking Anselm off its back. But the pain of the broken foreleg was unbearable. Anselm finally caught a hold of its head and twisted it as hard as he could. The wolf struggled, silently howling in fury and frustration. Anselm couldn't hold it anymore. "DIE- YOU- BASTARD-, YOU- STUPID- CANINE- FUCK-! STOP- FUCKINNmmmpphhh STRUGGLING-" 

SNAP

And just like that Anselm killed another wolf. He felt alive. The euphoria of the kill was coming back. Anselm got to his senses almost immediately. 'Oh no, this one looks healthy, He might be a part of the pack. I killed without him making a noise, but they probably heard my primal scream. Wolves have an amazing sense of smell and can track quite well. I need to get to a water source immediately and wash away the smell of him. 

Anselm quickly picked up the wolf, throwing him over the shoulder. He balanced the rest of the load on his hands and ran as quickly as he could. 'I really don't think a normal 6 year old can carry something almost double his weight. I gotta give it to One Piece genetics. Goddamn! Where the fuck is the stream?'

After running for 3 minutes, he spotted a stream and immediately dumping the grass, soft plants and ferns, he jumped into it. Submerging himself and the wolf, he made it a point to wash himself off. He didn't care if clothes got wet.

Suddenly he heard something chilly. He heard a howl. Then another. Then in multitudes. With goosebumps on his neck and backside, he sprang to the ground, lifting the wolf and the plants up again, he sprinted for his life. In a matter of 5 minutes, Anselm was back at his base with his clothes dripping wet. He was shivering. He got to his cave and plopped the heavy load down. He immediately removed his clothes and squeezed them dry. Placing them near the fire, he wore his spare pants and sat as close to the fire as he could. 

After warming up for a few minutes, he got back up. It was hard to believe it was Evening. Getting back to his work, he thought of the next thing on the list. He first checked upon the burning green plants. It was finished. There was nothing but fine black ashes in the hole. Since that's done, i'll go ahead and start cooking the python meat. After cutting up the constrictor, he began piercing the pieces with wooden sticks and left them near the fire to slow cook. He also put the water to boil in the pot. 

While dinner was being cooked, Anselm finally fixed the sling. He took some soft large green leaves and wet them. He then tied the leaves around the sling with some vines. Anselm filled his satchel with some heavy rocks and wore it. This time, the sling did not at all dig into his skin. With one of his goals done, he went to the next. This was what the bark was for.He laid out the bark in a cylindrical shape, overlapping them slightly to create a bottom and sides. There were a few gaps here and there. But inside the cylinder, large green leaves were layered, overlapped to cover any gaps in the bark and adding an extra layer of protection. Vines were wrapped around the cylinder in multiple places: once near the top, once near the bottom, and once around the middle, holding the bark and leaves tightly together. Two longer vines are tied to opposite sides of the top edge, forming simple but functional handles. And voila! The most complicated handcraft of today was done. 

Anselm felt a deep sense of satisfaction within himself. The poop bucket actually looked stable as hell. Now for the test. Making sure to cross examine the area outside for wolves, Anselm made his way to the pond and filled the bucket up with water. To his utter joy, the bucket held well. There was no leaks whatsoever. Giving himself a pat on the back, he went back to his cave. He placed the bucket in the corner in a newly dug out hole. In the future, he'd poop here and dump it outside in the waste hole, when it was safe. Or at least, that's what he'd thought.

'Not many come here. I'm completely hidden. This cave is quite airy. I eat only meat and fruits. This might lead to disgusting protein farts or foul poop. I should really not poop here. I'm sleeping and eating in this cave. From what i observed, this body takes a dump every 2 or 3 days. Damn, i really didn't think this through. I don't think it's necessary for me waste this bucket on shit.'

After the inner debate, Anselm decided to ditch the poop bucket idea snd do his nature's call in the hole outside away from the water source. The bucket was kept alongside his other supplies in the cave. Anselm decided to finish his most awaited task of the day... Making his bed. Anselm was really excited for this part. He chose a really nice flat part of the cave with no stones or sharp objects. He made sure the location of the bed in proximity to the fire was near enough to warm his bed but not enough to set it on fire. 

He layered the soft green plants, ferns, moss and the large leaves on the area to create a comfortable sleeping surface. These plants will provide cushioning and insulation from the ground. Finally for the bed test. Anselm slowly laid down. 'This has to be the most comfortable thing i've experienced. Since the meat is still cooking, I'll think about the other tasks. I need to do something with the snake brain. There's also a new wolf carcass in town. There's the snake skin. And the stretched wolf fur. What to do..'

After half an hour of pondering, Anselm remembered something. 'Animal brains contain emulsifiers and natural oils. The oils penetrate the animal hide and help preserve it. These oils also soften the hide and make it more pliable. That's what i've been missing. I just needed natural fat or oils this entire time. No wonder the wolf fur was all stiff.'

Finally getting at the answer, Anselm took the bot of boiling water and mashed the brain to create a slurry. He then subsequently took the wolf fur and snake skin and submerged them both inside the pot. He let it rest. He had planned to drink the water from the pot, but now that the bucket was free, he got himself a new cup to drink from. 

The next thing he did was skinning the new carcass. He wanted to create a warm fur to lay down. Since this wolf was younger and larger, the fur obtained had larger area. He carefully scraped the flesh and meat of the fleshy side of the hide, taking care not to damage it. Making sure not to waste precious materials this time, Anselm made sure to cut strips of fat, the heart and brain aside from the edible muscle tissue. He'll tan the fur for later. 

Anselm then slow cooked the heart by piercing it with a stick and cooking it like a marshmallow. Half an hour later, Anselm finally got his dinner ready. Water from the pond, roasted wolf heart and slow cooked constrictor meat. With an added touch. Anselm took a pinch of plant ashes and spread it over a part of the meat. Anselm took a bite from a different part of the meat. 'It's a bit chewy, but it tastes like chicken. It's mediocre.' He then took a bite of the meat seasoned by the plant ashes. 'Woahh! This substitute salt really made the difference. It's been so long since i tasted something so savory and salty. I love this'. He then covered the roasted heart and meat in the ashes and indulged in the seasoned meat. 'I'd wonder if i'll obtain the strength of the wolf if i eat it's heart. It's very one piecesque to be able to obtain strength like that.

Anselm looked at the pile of plant ashes. The amount was more than enough to last him for a month. This was wonderful news to Anselm. He then enjoyed the berries and fruits he'd picked earlier today. They were by no means delicious, but they satisfied his sweet tooth cravings. After dinner, Anselm checked upon his snake skin and wolf fur. He was right. They had become soft and pliable. 'Finally, everything's going right for once' He then stretched them out. 

Anselm had to create a new additional frame for the snake. He then, proceeded to craft other things. He crafted a new frame to stretch the new wolf fur after tanning. He created a small container like a chest made from bark, leaves and vines. 'If i ever had a system to help me, I'd probably be gaining levels in digging and crafting.' He stored the wolf meat in the said container. He emptied out the copper pot and filled it with water to boil once more. 

He then decided to go for a night time swim. He had already washed himself today. But he continued to toil for countless hours. Before he went to sleep in his new bed exhausted, he preferred to sleep in it with a clean body. He stripped and went for a swim in the pond. The moonlight hitting his wet hair and glistening skin made for a sight. He pondered over the sheer amount of tasks done today. 'Tomorrow onwards, I'm going to train. It's going to be brutal. I might have to start seeking out fights with the animals in the forest. I'm almost excited for this.'

Anselm got out and went back to the cave. After warming himself and wearing a new set of pants, he mashed the wolf brain and strips of fats in the boiling water. It formed a thicker slurry than last time with the snake brain. He then submerged the new wolf fur. It's meant to sit overnight. And with that all tasks were practically over. Anselm heaved a sigh of relief. 'Finally, I got everything done.'

And with a blissful expression on his face, Anselm slept happily in his warm cozy bed the entire night.