Chapter 4: Forest Return

Having left the interior of my inventory, I was once again greeted with the sight of the lush forest spreading out before me.

Looking down I clutched tighter to the small notebook still in my hand housing the entirety of the crafting recipes I'd already created.

Ok so for today I need to create some more knives, see if I can manage to create a stone bowl, or carve one out of wood, and at the same time chop down a tree or two to start filling up my inventory with materials.

Walking around the forest I continued gathering up long grass, various rocks, and a scattering of herbs.

After a few hours collecting filling up both my carried storage as well as place quite a fair amount into my inventory I returned to my makeshift workbench near the forests edge placing down my notebook at the head before piling up my materials next to me.

Ok first off let's make some more knives.

Fwwwssshhh

Upon my declaration of what I was going to create the notebook flipped open automatically to the page of the stone knife recipe.

Not exactly sure what was going on I carried on not paying attention to the book but after the creation of the third knife I noticed a change from the previous day.

Yesterday it would take 2-3 attempts at breaking the rocks against one another before a decent blade would be generated but today I was averaging almost 1 for 1 and the pieces remaining afterwards are certainly much larger and less like scrap.

After creating my knives I pulled out another rock but this time aimed to create a different style of blade, since my next attempt would be to create a bowl to which I could crush/mix the various herbs I'd found to make various poultices.

As i started to work away at the rocks the book in front of me flipped open to a blank page.

"Huh guess it knows I'm crafting something new for the first time"

If everything goes well today I'll wind up with quite a few new recipes today, and worst case I can always create more wicker baskets to store my materials in my inventory until I can find a way to use them, though the question of the limited space to which I can store things is worrying.

But I mean given it does have a listed Level in my status perhaps there's a way to increase the available space?

But well it's only day 2 running on super difficult mode so chances are great it'll take forever to figure out the conditions to level up the skill, given my own level increased yesterday only by crafting and collecting perhaps the skills experience is linked, though I guess I should always try experimenting with simple combat to see if that experience is greater than that gained through passive actions.

As my thoughts ruminated on the skills and systems of this game my hands continued to work away at the stones in front of me, having wasted quite a few stones I finally managed to create what I was going for, and what lay before me was a simple stone edged chisel with a wooden handle but most importantly was the fact that the notebook's blank page started to glow until neatly scripted text and step by step instructions were present on the page.

"Well now would be a good time to experiment, took me over an hour and twenty rocks to make just one, lets see if having the recipe makes it easier to create"

So I buckled down with the intent of creating a second chisel, but this one didn't even take more than five minutes before it was done being made, with only a single failed attempt at breaking the rock correctly.

Ok so that's something the having of a recipe makes this closer to a proper game environment a bit tedious for me to have to make it at least once through trial and error before I get the recipe itself but that does open a world of possibilities if theirs no limits on what I can create.

Since that was a success next up was the creation of a wooden bowl as I started the process of shaving away strips and pieces.

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The hours passed as the crafting proceeded, by the end of day two I managed to create two wooden bowls, a simple series of cups housing various concoctions born from mulched herbs mixed with fresh water to create pastes.

A handful more wicker baskets and bins to which I could store the herbs and reeds that remain within my Inventory, additionally I stored a simple collection of fallen leaves under the impression that I might be able to turn them into a food item like tea, if I can manage to create a simple drying rack.

Since my own limitation will also limit my access to food I'll need to find a method of food anywhere i can, since from what I can tell about the game so far it's necessary to eat at the very least of once a day, however even you only do the minimum then there will be a stat debuff due to a sort of hunger status condition.

As the thoughts continued to flow as to how I was going to handle the upcoming five days remaining until I could force logout from the game, and then dive fully into researching what will ultimately become essential knowledge as I play.

'Gobu Gobu'

Urk

As I was crossing the vast scarred wasteland back towards the city I came across the hunched over form of a pale green child but as it heard the sound of my surprised voice it reared it's head, revealing a grotesque smile as it's bloodshot eyes focused on me, it's small hand clutching a tiny metal knife that almost looked like a pocket knife.

Without hesitating the little creature shot up and began charging towards me.

Scared out of my mind, I started throw all the stone knives I had presently placed into my belt, as each one flew through the air towards the creature.

the first two flew right passed it's ugly little head, the third meanwhile imbedded into it's thigh, and the fourth into it's chest.

But even with these knives sticking out of it it's charge did not stop but merely slow down a little.

With little choice I reaching into my basket carrier and pulled out both my axes, sporting a dual axe wielding position.

Luckily enough I had experience with dual wielding from other VR games I've played before.

Though this would be the first time I would be performing the actions with axes, and even worse yet handmade stone ones whose durability I am total unconfident with.

Since my opponent may be in a berserk state it's thinking is likely not rational, but even still I stand at the advantage since I presently am not injured, possess two weapons with greater reach.

As it came within reach I threw out on horizontal swipe with my non-dominant hand, which was blocked by the creatures knife, but in that moment, my second axe performed a vertical drop onto the head of the creature.

With a glorious show of a fountain of blood the creature fell to the ground, a second later passed before the beast disappeared with polygonal bubbles taking their place.

Additionally the creatures knife, along with a small semi-transparent gem also remained on the ground together with the stone knives that had been imbedded in the creatures body.

Bending over I collected up my spoils, replacing the stone knives into my belt, my axes into the basket hanging from my rack.

The two new items I cautiously picked up fully expecting them to likewise disappear since I hadn't created them, but both remained as is.

The knife was really shoddy but in comparison to stone, having even a shoddy metal blade is better, but the gem itself I haven't much idea, at a best guess I'd call it a monster core, since it was dropped by a monster.

I suppose I can try and learn more about both my having someone in town look at them under the pretense of selling them only to decide not to in the end.

--- --- ---

With that marked the end of the first bout of combat I encountered in this world, I was extremely lucky since I only had to fight a single creature and managed to injure it before actually starting our combat.

The rest of my journey back to the city was uneventful, once again I passed through the gate being gawked at by the guards