It took some effort, but he eventually managed to gut it and slice away chunks of meats. As he worked, thoughts of warm, sizzling boar meat filled his mind, He began to fantasize about the taste.
Just as he was busy in his own world the ground began to tremble beneath him.
He froze, knife in hand, a cold chill passed down his spine. He quickly spun around, weapon in his hand, heart pounding ready to engage in another battle.
He looked at the direction the sound was coming from, and in an instant, color drained from his face.
There, in the distance rapidly approaching his direction was a stampede of boars. Some were plump, others leaner and smaller than the one he had managed to kill earlier.
Yet all of them charged with full force towards him, with their eyes looking furious and wild.
Whether it was the dying cries of the boar he had killed or the scent of fresh blood, something had drawn them to him. He didn't know which, and he didn't care. What mattered was survival.
He wasn't delusional or cocky enough to believe that a crude horn and his system's timer could save him from thirty or more boars raging towards his way. Just one had nearly ended him.
A quick glance confirmed his fear at least thirty boars, possibly more, were storming toward his location.
Without hesitating, Tarkan grabbed a handful of the meat he'd already cut and the horn of the slain boar, and began running in the opposite direction with all the strength his body could muster.
If anyone had been there to witness the scene, they would have seen a surreal sight of a completely naked boy running in full speed through the forest with hordes of furious boars hot on his heels.
He ran, for several minutes without looking back, lungs burning and breathing heavily.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of him. Glancing behind, he saw the boars fading into the distance he was outrunning them.
It seemed they were more strength-focused than speed-oriented, and little by little, he was putting space between himself and the horde.
Relief washed over him, but he didn't stop.
After several more minutes of running, his eyes caught sight of something promising a cave, partially hidden behind trees and mossy rocks.
It was exactly what he needed. The sun had started to dim beyond the horizon, casting long shadows through the trees.
He needed shelter a place to rest, roast the meat without drawing any danger, and also recover some of the energy he'd spent escaping death.
Moving cautiously toward the cave, he remained on high alert. A cave like this could easily be the lair of a monster.
He approached the entrance slowly, slicing off a bit of meat and tossing it into the cave.
A means to check if any predator inside would smell it and reveal itself.
He listened carefully, repeating the process a few times, using meat and small rocks to lure out any lurking beast.
Minutes passed. With no sign of movement. Just the silent sound of what he was throwing as bait.
Seeing no signs of movement he eventually, steeled his nerves and stepped inside.
The cave was larger than he expected. It opened into a surprisingly spacious chamber, and at the middle of it was a clear pond that reflected the dim moonlight seeping in from cracks above.
The silence inside was calming, and no signs of monsters or creatures revealed themselves, he tested the pond by throwing a few stones and pieces of meat into the water.
With no movement nor reaction from the water.
Tarkan let out a deep sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was afraid of a fight but in his current state, he simply couldn't afford one.
He had little stamina left with no energy to burn, and his hunger gnawed at his stomach like a wild animal.
He moved to a corner of the cave and began gathering dry branches from the sparse wood just outside the entrance.
His hunger was too loud to ignore, it felt like his stomach was singing an entire album and Within minutes, he had a small fire going. He skewered the meat on a sharpened branch and set it above the flames.
Even without any seasoning, the smell of roasting boar quickly filled the cave.
As the sizzling meat cooked, he sat in silence, watching it carefully.
Every now and then, he would glance around, super-alert for any movement or sound.
This was the wilderness anything could appear at any time. But for now, he felt somewhat safe.
When the meat was finally cooked, he devoured it.
The warmth of the food spread through his stomach, soothing the ache of hunger that had been threatening to unalive him.
After eating his fill, he walked to the edge of the pond to get rid off the dried blood and grime from the earlier battle, stepping in The water was cold, but refreshing.
As he washed, his thoughts drifted to what his next course of action should be.
The boars were no longer a viable option for completing the trial, not in a group, at least.
It became clear now that the one he had killed earlier was a stray, likely separated from its group.
Even then, he'd only narrowly survived the encounter thanks to the overpowered system that had supported him in the fight. To face more of them at once would be suicide.
He would have to find a way to adapt. Tomorrow, he planned to scout the surrounding area, and plan for a more efficient path to completing the Trial.
Perhaps another kind of creature, or even an entirely different objective, would reveal itself if he explored further.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
> [Timer: 1:32:55 (Level 1)]
[Reverse: Reverse time without restriction as long as you have enough time]
[Eternal Monarch Physique (Partial)]
He blinked. His timer had increased by 30 seconds. At first, he was surprised then delighted.
Thinking back to when he was unconscious, he remembered that his timer had increased by 60 seconds at that time.
With this pattern, it meant that each full day granted him 30 seconds and Judging by the timer now, this meant this was his third day in the trial , which left him with four days before being ejected from the trial.
He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
That lingering worry in the back of his mind, the fear of suddenly being ejected from the realm without warning eased.
At least now, he had a sense of how much time he had left.
Emerging from the pond, still naked and with nothing to wear, he couldn't help but feel oddly light-hearted. He had food in his belly, water to drink, shelter overhead, and a clearer understanding of his situation.
He spent a few minutes setting up a rudimentary alert system using small branches and leaves.
So as If anything tried to sneak into the cave while he slept he'd be alerted, the system couldn't stop any attack or attack, but it might give him a few seconds of warning.
With everything set, Tarkan extinguished the fire, curled into a dry corner of the cave, and lay down. His eyelids were heavy.
All he needed was rest, for a mental and physical recovery. Tomorrow, the real challenge would begin.
Just as sleep was about to claim him, a snapping sound echoed from the cave entrance.
His eyes immediately flew open.
The makeshift trap he'd set had been triggered.
Which means something had crossed it position.
He sat up slowly, his heart pounding.
Just as fast.
Several pairs of glowing red eyes stared at him from the darkness.
His breath caught in his throat.
His heart was beating so loud, it was all he could hear.
"am.. so... fucked..."
....
...
.
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