Chapter 10 – The pond
A squealing cries of pain could be heard in a small part of the forest, the cries came from a bunny that was struggling on the ground for its life. Who is this evil vicious person that would torture this innocent creature you ask? But of course it was me.
“Plan B succeeded! Now that the poison inside its system, I should steal its health and heal my wounds.” Yep I poisoned the innocent bunny, don’t get me wrong it was me or it. The battle of the survival of the strongest as they say.
Plan B was really simple all what I did is getting few berries from my body and milking the snakes poison into them. After coming to an open area and placing the trap, I spread a little webs of berries here and there to attract potential preys.
After that all what I needed to do is wait for the prey to eat the trap, there was a small chance that the other monsters could smell the poison, but the chance was low and as seen that scenario never happened.
“I should start before it dies.” I came closer to the bunny, it tried to stand up on its feet and escape. I placed both of my hands on it and placed some weight. I didn’t want to let it escape, after that I said with creepy voice, “Thank you for the meal, *Lifesteal*.” But for my surprise nothing happened, just in case I checked my status to be sure.
-Ontopary bush Lv4-
Experience: 38/40
Rarity: Common
Health: 1/6
Mana: 10/16
Stamina: 4/4
“Thats weird… maybe it’s because of that stupid sentence from the skill explanation.” I tried to recall from my memory what was it. “Right if I am not wrong it was ,the correct way to steal health from the opponent is different from user to user.”
“Don’t tell me I need to be socked in its blood…” I looked at the bunny with an expression of pity.
“Well I have enough mana to make myself spiky again for few times.” I released mana from my body and concentrated on my wood element control.
All the branches on my body started to wiggle, and become more solid forming the shapes of spikes, the little bunny could feel the change in my body and started to squeak even stronger. It didn’t bothered me at all “Sorry little fellow.”
My spikes pierced its flesh and blood could be seen gushing from its wounds as it made a painful cry. “*Lifesteal*.” I used my skill again, but weirdly nothing happened. I checked my status with frustration but it was the same as before, except the three mana that disappeared too a thin air.
“Is this a jock? How the hell do I suppose to steal its life…” I was just standing there with no clue in mind. “I need to do something or the bunny will soon die, inspect *bunny*.”
-Horned White Bun Lv4-
Health: 8/15
Mana: 4/4
Stamina: 10/10
Status: Poisoned(Strong)
I didn’t have to think for long as an idea popped into my head, “No way, don’t tell me it wants me to do that….” I said as the expression on my imaginary face got even darker. “I am sorry.” I said as my roots freed from their shapes and flew towards the wounded bunny.
The roots entered the bunny wounds, as scary cries of pain could be heard from the poor little bunny. I tried my best to not think about it and used my skill again, “*Lifesteal*.” Something hot could be felt gushing through my roots, it felt as drinking hot soup in a cold weather and slowly warming me from the inside.
I stood there for a moment to let this beautiful feeling to soak in, then I checked my status to look at my mana pool. “There some mistakes that I won’t repeat.” I said as I examined my mana. “Looks like one use of the skill uses three mana points, the price is not small but I need the health.”
I used the lifesteal skill again, this time the cries of the bunny could be heard getting weaker and weaker. I use the lifesteal skill once more and the cries of the bunny stopped completely. “I guess it’s dead.“
*Experience reached the desired quantity “Ontopary bush” leveled up to Lv5*
“Yep.” I pulled my roots from the bunny and backed off a little, in my mind I still saw the bunny with pity, but sometimes there stuff that needed to be done whatever you want it or not. After giving my respect and thanks to the bunny I checked my status.
-Ontopary bush Lv5-
Experience: 11/45
Rarity: Common
Health: 5/7
Mana: 2/17
Stamina: 4/4
Race: Berry bush.
Status: Unique-Intelligent, Poisoned(mild)
Skills:
*Magic Perception Lv3(Active)* *Self Awareness Lv1* *Calm Mind Lv4* *Inspect Lv3* *Rage Lv1* *Killing Intent Lv2* *Pain Resistance Lv1* *Mana Manipulating Lv1* *Wood Element Control Lv3* *Dig Lv2* *Stealth Lv2* *Detection Lv2* *Lifesteal Lv1*
Titles:
*Clutz Lv1*
“Good now I don’t need to to be a caveman for the rest of my life.” After looking through my status, the feeling of fear that followed me from the golden tree started to disappear. I looked at the dead bunny corpse again for a second, thinking if there any use for it, but then I just turned to the direction of the cave and left.
There were no use for the bunny carcass, I couldn’t eat it and the smell of blood would only attract predators, my way to the cave wouldn’t be so safe, because of those reasons I chose to leave it there as it is.
The sun wasn’t that high anymore, after just few more hours the night would fall and all kinds of scary creatures would wake up. I hurried to the cave entrance, with a weird feeling coming from my body. “I feel funny…” not thinking about it much I checked my status again.
“How could I miss that, I am poisoned.” It wasn’t that unexpected, I knew that there were a small chance that I could get poisoned from life stealing directly from the bunny blood. But I was sure it would not happen, I was wrong. “Inspect *mild*.”
*Mild* – Weakest state of an status barely noticeable.
“Thank god at least its mild, there shouldn’t be much danger from it.” If the poison was worse it would bothered me, but it was nothing special, so I just ignored it and returned to the cave.
As I returned to my cave, I didn’t bothered to train on my skills or do anything else, I just wanted to go to rest. And at this moment it was the perfect opportunity for me to start checking something out.
I came close to a wall and embedded myself to the floor, but I didn’t used the dig skill, because I could faint after using it and it would be really troublesome, if I won’t be able to root myself to the ground before falling asleep.
After rooting myself to the ground, I took out my hand and pressed it against the wall and used the the dig skill. A weak light was emitted from my hand and a small rock fell to the ground from the wall. Slowly I started to lost my consciousness, and everything around me started to get darker and darker as my mind went blank.
*Skill learned “Poison Resistance”*
I woke up feeling refreshed and new, checking the state of my body I could feel a spark of joy, because at last my body almost returned to its original form. I still had little less leaves that supposed to be, but it didn’t bothered me that much.
All my fruits returned as well, now that most of my body was covered with leaves the number of berries grew and was more than last time. After examining my body I checked my self awareness status as usually.
-Ontopary bush Lv5-
Experience: 11/45
Rarity: Common
Health: 5/7
Mana: 17/17
Stamina: 4/4
Status: Unique-Intelligent
I slowly explored my status and said with a thinking tone, “Looks like the poison effect disappeared. Sadly my mana didn’t increased, maybe I was wrong?” I failed to increase my mana pool. But I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure, how sometimes the mana pool increase, so I chose to try more few times too lose consensus with mana lose.
“Oh I got a new skill, man this is great I am getting skills while sleeping… Now that I think about it I never inspected pain resistance skill, because it’s was pretty obvious what it does, but still just to be sure, inspect *Poison Resistance*, *Pain Resistance*.”
*Poison Resistance Lv1* – The effects of poison are decreased on the user’s body.
*Pain Resistance Lv1* – The user body tolerance to pain increased.
“The poison resistance is nothing unexpected, but the pain resistance is little weird, it does not decrease my pain, but make my body care less about it?… That’s strange.” But that didn’t really bothered me, the effect would be the same anyway.
After waking up I used the dig skill to get me out of the ground, now that I was almost healed I wanted to explore the area around the cave. To be safe I took one dead snake with me, even I could already smell the disgusting rotting smell of a corpse coming from it.
“If I am not wrong there should be a small pond around the area, I think I can get enough water from the ground, but monsters gather near ponds and it will be nice to heal my wounds completely.”
If I could find a weak monster group and lure one monster away from it, restoring all my health won’t be a dream. “Or if there no monsters around it I could take a bath, haha.” I joked to myself.
I exited the cave and started to look around for a pond. In the forest there were lots of ponds located here and there, but most of them were surrounded by groups of monsters for obvious reasons, so I was trying to find one with really weak group.
After walking for twenty minutes or so I found a pond, luckily or not the pond that I found was not guarded at all, just in case I used my detection skill to be sure. I couldn’t feel any auras around the pond so I sighted with relief and approached it.
I embed myself not that far away from the pond and waited for monsters to appear, after close to half an hour I got impatient because not even one monster approached the pond. Thinking about my last jock seriously, I diged myself out of the ground and started to go to direction of the pond.
“For now at least I take a bath, later I will wait here some more and see if any monsters will come.” I said my plan out loud inside my mind. I left the snake’s body near the pond and jumped inside. “Stay here, don’t run away I still have few plans for you.” I said jokingly before moving deeper into the pond, as you can see I was euphoric at that time.
The fresh cold water in the morning was so refreshing that I almost moaned from pleasure. It was the first time I took a “proper” bath in this world. I relaxed inside the pond for few minutes then a ripple could be seen forming not that far away from me.
I was startled and didn’t moved for a while, as I looked at the source of the ripple. A few moments passed and I could see a log slowly drifting out of the water to my direction, the pond was not deep but at the same time it was kinda dirty so I couldn’t see inside it.
However I was sure one hundred present, that the log was alive. “Stupid detection skill surely that’s not a log, that’s a crocodile!” I exclaimed with fear and didn’t want to discover if I was correct, so I started to move out from the pond with maximum speed.
The ‘Log’ started to rush as well. I didn’t bothered to look at it and continued to sprint like a madman. I ran out of the pond and passed the dead snake, my view has locked on the snake’s body for a moment, as I saw a huge long jaw emerging from the water and flying with speed at my direction.
Fun fact: The number of fatalities from logs(the one that can’t move) is in the thousands in america only.
One Of Many - Web Novel 