A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 3

Fortunately, there was a plant nearby that was effective for stopping bleeding. The problem was how to use it.

In the game, you just use it, but reality is different. With blood gushing from my arm, eating it would be pointless.

I had no idea whether I should crush it with a rock and apply it, or wrap it around like a bandage. But there was no time to hesitate.

I hastily crushed it with a nearby rock and smeared it thickly over the bleeding area. Whatever the case, I had to stop the bleeding.

Thankfully, crushing and applying it seemed to be the right answer, as the bleeding stopped not long after. I let out a sigh of relief.

‘At least it’s realistic to a fault, which is somewhat a relief.’

I was talking about the game, not the reality I was experiencing now. The reason I could immerse myself despite the terrible controls was the variety of abnormal statuses.

If you don’t stop the bleeding, your health gradually depletes until you die, and if you don’t sleep on time, sleep deprivation lowers your overall stats.

Drinking water and food supplies are especially crucial. If you don’t drink water for three days, you die no matter what.

In other words, if I can’t escape this hellish place, I absolutely have to find drinking water.

‘Parasites or whatever, I need to survive first.’

Finding drinking water in the wilderness is incredibly difficult. Even flowing stream water isn’t guaranteed to be safe.

Moreover, after the life-threatening battle just now, my throat was already parched. I was starting to feel hungry too.

‘At least I found a cave.’

Luckily, I found a cave just before nightfall. It’s less humid than outside and the temperature is moderate.

The downside is that the cave is littered with all kinds of bones. Still, they’re all old bones.

If there had been a half-eaten corpse left behind, I would’ve run away immediately. Risking my life just to sleep here would be foolish.

“Phew… Damn.”

I leaned against the cave wall and cursed. I still didn’t understand how things had ended up like this.

I never cursed the game like in some novel, nor did I download any DLC. I was just an ordinary, utterly average user.

It was a single-player game with few users, but there were definitely other players. Why send me instead of them?

There are veteran players far more skilled than me—practically fossilized experts. Yet they sent me.

‘At least tell me the criteria…’

I was beyond angry; I was dumbfounded. Out of all the countless people, why me?

Of course, it’s possible someone else was sent here too. But there’s no way to know for sure.

‘Anywhere would’ve been fine, but why here of all places…’

In other novels, they at least drop you in a city or village with some semblance of civilization. I got dropped into this godforsaken forest.

The moment I opened my eyes, I got hit by Porori’s Iron Mountain Strike, and after walking a bit, a wolf bit my arm.

Killing, something I thought I’d never do in my life, was just a bonus. It was for survival, but the sensation still lingers in my hands.

‘For now, I just have to survive somehow.’

This is reality. Not a dream, but a vivid, painful reality.

I’m not even sure if this is truly the game world. Porori exists, but it could just be a coincidence.

My ultimate goal is escape, but my primary goal is to survive as long as possible. For that, I need a plan.

[???]

• Strength: 13

• Agility: 12

• Stamina: 15

• Mana: 10

• Luck: 10

• Faith: 8

[Traits]

• Wild Instinct (???)

[Techniques]

-Currently, no techniques are possessed.

[Abilities]

-Currently, no abilities are possessed.

When I mentally summoned the status window, it appeared as I wished. I carefully examined my stats.

My stamina increased by 5 after getting hit by Porori, and my strength and agility slightly improved after defeating the hungry wolf.

My faith stat dropped, probably because I insulted a god. Not that I cared.

In Soul World, it’s relatively easy to raise stats early on, but it gets harder as you progress.

Above all, because of its realistic aspects, blindly hunting is inefficient.

‘What garbage stats.’

The most common knight profession is far better than this. I’m a veteran player in the game, not in real life.

Even my traits and techniques are pathetic. Other origins have at least 2–3 traits, but I have nothing.

At least I just gained “Wild Instinct,” but I don’t know if it’ll be useful.

Honestly, if I manage to escape from here, it’s a meaningless trait. Living in the wilderness forever is insane.

‘Still, it’s better than having nothing.’

Even Bear Grylls is specialized in survival, not wilderness living.

He eats bugs and keeps moving to survive, but even he waits for rescue.

But me? I know a decent amount, but only in the context of the game. Reality is different.

The reason I managed to take down the hungry wolf earlier was because I used my wits. There are far stronger creatures here than that wolf.

‘This is truly depressing.’

The bleak reality made me chuckle bitterly. I was already feeling down.

But I couldn’t let myself give up so soon. I had to survive and find traces of civilization somehow.

If this forest is really near the academy, my chances of survival increase. Someone might come looking for me.

Forget the story; survival comes first. For that, I need to be fully prepared.

‘Should I wait until I’m fully recovered?’

My left arm is in such bad shape that I can’t hunt right now. Not that I’m even sure I can hunt in the first place.

I’m not a survival expert like Bear Grylls, and I don’t have any proper weapons.

At least the bones scattered in the cave are a small comfort.

I don’t know what kind of animal or monster lived here, but there are a few bones that could serve as blunt weapons.

‘Feels like a Tanguri.’

The bones themselves are sturdy enough to be used as blunt weapons. I picked out a decent bone and swung it around.

It felt surreal, like I’d become a caveman, but what choice did I have?

Humans only show their true potential when they wield tools, especially in the wilderness.

‘Ha…’

A wave of crushing reality hit me. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why I had to suffer like this.

I might even have to eat the feces of animals or monsters. Just imagining it made me nauseous.

As I absentmindedly fiddled with the heavy bone, an important thought suddenly struck me.

‘How do I start a fire?’

Since I’ve decided to use the cave as my base, fire is essential. But with my arm in this condition, it’s going to be tough.

It’s generally better to establish a secure base and expand your range of activity from there, rather than wandering aimlessly.

I keep emphasizing this, but unlike some people, I’m not a survival expert. I’m just an utterly ordinary person.

The increasingly difficult situation was making my head spin. It was truly a sigh-inducing predicament.

‘Let’s just endure until my arm heals.’

To make matters worse, I’m left-handed. Even earlier, crushing the plant with my right hand was a struggle.

I don’t know when my arm will fully heal, but it’ll probably take at least a few days.

I just hope no one ambushes me before I recover.

‘…I need to get some sleep first.’

The sudden turn of events had left me physically and mentally exhausted.

I had used up too much energy during the life-threatening crisis earlier. Not to mention, I had been bleeding.

I picked out a bone that could serve as a pillow and rested my head on it. It was hard, but better than nothing.

‘Please let it be my apartment when I open my eyes.’

Praying desperately, I slowly closed my eyes.

Maybe it was because of my Wild Instinct, but as soon as I closed my eyes, my senses of smell and hearing seemed to sharpen.

I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to sleep like this. Still, I tried to keep my eyes closed and let sleep take over.

-Awooooo!

-Chirrrp! Chirrrrp!

-Hissss! Hissss!

The howls of wolves. The chirping of insects. Unidentifiable sounds.

From outside the cave, all sorts of sounds mixed together and pierced my ears. It was distracting, but not enough to wake me up.

The same went for the smell. I had already completely adapted to the cave’s characteristic damp odor.

If another smell were to mix in, it would mean something had gone wrong. I could sleep soundly, reassured.

-Chirp! Chirp!

As time passed, this time I heard a sound similar to that of sparrows. Just hearing it felt peaceful.

Come to think of it, don’t sparrows usually wake up in the morning? Nocturnal birds wouldn’t make such sounds.

“······Huh?”

Curious, I slowly opened my eyes, and what on earth was this?

The outside of the cave, which had been dark before I closed my eyes, was now letting in light. Thanks to that, the interior of the cave had become clear.

I stared outside the cave in confusion before belatedly realizing it.

The dark night had passed, and morning had arrived.

‘······I only closed my eyes?’

I heard sounds and smelled scents. All I did was close my eyes, and morning had come.

The funny thing was that my body felt completely refreshed. My left arm still throbbed, but the pain was less than it had been yesterday.

I didn’t stay awake through the night with open eyes; I spent the night with closed ones.

It sounds a bit strange, but with my limited vocabulary, this is the best I can express it.

“What the.”

Flustered, I grabbed a bone in my right hand and stepped outside the cave. A forest bathed in morning sunlight stretched out between the trees.

In the forest, birds chirped and flapped their wings, and the sound of insects was much fainter than it had been at night.

I looked around the forest for a while, scratching my head. It was baffling.

But a bigger problem had arisen than that.

Grrrrr-

“Ah.”

I was hungry.