Chapter 2: The Price of Survival

After barely managing to outsmart the fox, for hours, I lay in the thorny undergrowth, listening to the faraway hum of the forest. Every rustling of the leaves, the song of any bird, can give you cold shivers running down your backbone. Your heart racing, body tense, numb, I could hardly believe it: I was alive. Yet, the relief of having lived through my first encounter did not stay. These trees unbowed, and I knew that fox would return or worse; something even more dangerous could find me.

I couldn't always be frail.

Suddenly, the screen flickered to life as though to say:

Use the environment; take from it and learn to live in harmony with it.

Unlocked quest: Learn the survivability basics.

Objective: Survive the next 24 hours, by finding food, building a shelter, and fending off predators.

Reward: 100 experience points, survival instinct unlocked.

My first real quest had begun. In fewer words, it was like the system was trying to say, 'To live, one must be feral'. Hilarious, really, in a manner of speaking-reincarnated as a rabbit, armed with some sort of system, it was the premise of a rather fun video game. Of course, this was no game, and in this world, death meant one thing:.

I had to keep my wits about me, or I'd end up as someone else's dinner.

I got up slowly and felt the strength in my legs. My little body somehow felt an influx of poise, as if the system was rewarding me for swiftness after my getaway from that fox. A small "+" in the corner of the screen flickered; I focused on it, and a new window had opened in front of me.

[Stat Increase Available: Agility +1]

Meaning I could earn experience points, too, and thereby improve my stats in the process- nice to know. There was a pop confirming an increase in agility, and I suddenly felt lighter on my feet. Not much, but every little helps. Now, it was actually time to attend to the quest at hand, which was finding food, shelter, and surviving the next 24 hours.

I breathed in deeply, letting the new instincts awaken inside me. Far ahead, some sweet fragrance danced around my senses-sweet berries? Cautionously, I wove my way into the underbrush, low and watchful for the dangers to reveal themselves. After a number of minutes making my way through the forest, I came upon a small cluster of wild berries nestled beside a fallen tree. They looked safe enough, and with the gnawing of hunger in my stomach, I made a cautious nibble.

Eating, a new window opened before me:

Skill Earned: Foraging - Level 1.

{You have had the basic training in searching and identifying wild edible plants.}

"Foraging," I told myself as I munched the berries. It wasn't exactly an attack skill, but at least it was something. I would not go hungry. I filed away the location of this bush for future food if I should need it.

Pleased with my decision, I set out to find a good place to build some sort of shelter. As the sun lowered, the shadows behind the trees stretched further into the forest, turning more ominous. There was little I could do-my size won me a place in the category of prey for many predators that night. The best thing to do seemed to be to hide and sit out the night in wait.

Finally, I came across a hollowed log lying half-buried in the dirt, smothered in moss. It was small enough that most of the bigger animals would not be able to get into it, while I was small enough to fit into it. Not great, but it would have to do for now.

After having gotten settled, I opened the system screen again, to see how:

[Quest Progress: Food gathered, shelter created]

The remaining goal is to evade the predator for 24 hours.

Huddled deep into the corner of the hollowed log, I listened to the forest noises farther away. In silent darkness, the system's clock flipped up: I had to last until dawn. Easy said. I didn't know what type of monsters are walking these woods at night, and I certainly wasn't going to go looking for them.

Hours must have slipped away, because I drifted into a light doze, until a low growl cut the silence and shocked me awake. My heart was racing, leaping into my throat. I peered cautiously out from the log and caught movement-a pair of glowing yellow eyes amidst the shadows, watching me.

A wolf.

It sniffed the air, getting closer to my shelter. Immediately, my mind ran riot with fear. Of course, there was no way to outrun a wolf, and if that animal had found me, it would have been all over. I just needed to stay inside. I pressed my body down as low as possible, holding my breath tight.

System Alert: Predator found. Attempt to flee or conceal yourself to survive.

Amen to that. I remained perfectly still, yet the wolf circled the log, his snout no more than a few inches away from my position. He growled again-snuffling at the ground-but after a few tense moments lost interest and wandered off, out of sight into the woods.

I exhaled slowly, my heart drumming in my chest. The soft tinkle chimed softly in my brain:

Quest Progress: Predator evaded

The rest of the night was uneventful; it did little for sleep. Every creak of the forest made me jump, but I survived the night. It wasn't until the first morning light brushed the treetops that the system beeped once more:

[Quest Complete!]

Reward: 100 experience points.

Unlocked Skill: Survival Instinct (Level 1)

[Level Up!]

Go to the next level: 150/200 XP.

Stat Gain: STR +1 AGI +1.

I swelled with energy as I leveled up, and I could feel that my body was a little bit stronger and quicker than before. Survival instinct was another new addition now. I opened the description to find out about its purpose:

[Survival Instinct - Level 1]

(Improved awareness of predators and dangerous situations.

Moderate increase to agility when in a position of immediate danger.)

That sure came in handy. It wasn't much now, but the edge it gave me when the chips were down-and I knew I was likely to face plenty more of them-was beyond value. Coming out of the hollow log into the forest was no longer intimidating; I had lived through my first day and night, and I could feel, astonishingly, the stirring of new life in me. Yet instinctively, I knew this was only a beginning, and making it in the world had to be kept at, changed with each new day. This system was my ticket out, and I was going to manipulate it to full effect.

[New Quest Unlocked: Kill the First Predator Goal]

Kill the given low-level predator for experience at close combat.

Reward: 200 experience, unlock combat skill.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. Time to stop running, time to fight.