The bright firelight from the furnace's firebox cast flickering shadows on the cave's rock walls. Sitting in front of the furnace, Alex Knight calmed his racing heart. It was no use worrying about the distant future; he needed to focus on the immediate challenges of surviving in the extreme cold.
Settling into his chair, Alex closed his eyes, recalling the wilderness survival videos he'd watched. Pictures, text, videos—when he opened his eyes again, his learning talent had kicked in, and he felt like he'd learned something new.
From his backpack, Alex pulled out a 1.2-meter wooden block and, using his Hunting Knife, began carving it by the firelight. He had specifically saved this block while splitting the boxes; its thickness and length were ideal, having been cut horizontally from the supply box lid.
Alex aimed to craft a simple fish spear. Going into the water to catch fish was foolish. Humans became masters of the world through the creation and use of tools. Fishing with a spear was not only for food and survival but also to complete his Hunter profession's novice quest, and he wanted to test his Hunter talent's effectiveness.
With the Hunting Knife, which was razor-sharp, Alex carved quickly, his 7 points of agility and 6 points of strength allowing him to wield the knife with such speed that it left afterimages. He wasn't worried about cutting his fingers. Wood shavings fell like snowflakes, accumulating beneath him as the long wooden block gradually took the shape of a spear.
Once the stick was fully carved, Alex used the blade to smooth the rough edges and burrs. From the wood shavings, he chose larger pieces to carve two small strips, each about the thickness of a pencil and five centimeters long.
Holding the knife in his right hand and the end of the wooden stick in his left, he carefully made a cross-shaped incision 12 centimeters deep, inserting the small wooden strips in a crisscross pattern. This divided the stick into four pointed ends. He sharpened and polished the tips, then carefully gathered the wood shavings and added them to the firebox to burn, wasting nothing.
Alex got up and cut strands of long black animal hairs from the edge of a nearby tent, twisting them together to form a thin, one-meter-long rope. He used the rope to tightly wrap the two small wooden strips at the spear's incision, securing the points and preventing further splitting.
And so, a handmade four-pronged fish spear was complete.
---
**[Four-pronged Fish Spear] Item**
- **Quality:** Common
- **Description:** A wooden fish spear made by a hunter, perfectly sufficient for dealing with small fish.
- **PS:** It's a spear, not a badger.
---
Proudly, Alex picked up his newly made fish spear and walked to the pond. But as he bent down to look, he was dumbfounded.
The furnace's opening faced away from the pond, leaving the water surface dark and unclear. He could vaguely see shadows swimming underwater, but spearing fish in such conditions was impossible.
Alright, time to solve the light issue.
The furnace was immovable, built into the cave floor. Making torches or another bonfire for light wasn't an option—he didn't have enough firewood to spare.
His gaze landed on the clusters of glowing plants on the rock wall, recalling the description from his Truth Eye.
He picked a light moss the size of a ping-pong ball. Cool and damp, it felt soft like jelly. Shaking it by his ear, he heard a gurgling sound, as if liquid filled it.
This was far more interesting than untouchable game graphics.
**[Light Moss] Moss Plant · Item**
- **Quality:** Common
- **Description:** A glowing plant that grows in dark places, usable as projectile ammunition. When loaded into a projectile launcher and fired, it will illuminate the surroundings upon impact.
- **PS:** Hitting a Flying Dragon Species in the head can also make them see stars.
"Even without a launcher, throwing it should work," Alex mused. He aimed at the rock wall opposite the pond and hurled the light moss.
With a "poof," the soft light moss burst like a water balloon upon impact, its liquid spraying across the rock wall, illuminating the area with a soft, pale purple glow. Under this light, the small pond was now clearly visible.
Staring at the pond, Alex was momentarily lost in thought. The water was so clear it seemed empty, with the fish swimming as if in mid-air.
"All seem to swim in the air, without anything to rely on."
This line from an old poem, "A Record of Little Stone Pond," perfectly described the scene before him. Lacking literary talent, Alex could only mutter, "The water quality is damn good."
Enchanted by the pond for a moment, Alex raised his fish spear. The world might be vast, but food came first.
He aimed at a fish near the pond's edge, raised his spear, and thrust it down.
The spear pierced the surface, creating ripples that blurred the water and startled the fish, which swam faster. There was no resistance indicating a hit, and when Alex pulled the spear out, it was empty—not even a scale.
He knew the result the moment he threw the spear. Water refracts light, so the fish's true position was slightly lower than it appeared. Thankful he hadn't forgotten middle school physics, Alex adjusted his aim.
With the spear ready, Alex focused intently on the water. As a fish approached, he prepared to strike.
In his concentrated state, the fish's movements seemed slow. Its slender pink body, spiky dorsal fin, and shimmering scales were in clear view.
**[Pink Alien Fish] Aquatic Creature · Ingredient**
- **Quality:** Common
- **Description:** A fish that has survived since ancient times without changing its appearance, widely inhabiting the New World. It has strong vitality and can survive by filtering microorganisms from the water.
- **PS:** The meat is firm, best for braising.
With a powerful thrust, water splashed everywhere. When Alex retrieved the spear, a 20-centimeter fish was impaled on it. Despite being pierced by three prongs, its slender body twisted and struggled to escape.
"Its vitality is indeed quite strong."
Alex tried placing the fish in his backpack. It failed; the backpack couldn't store living organisms.
He moved the fish away from the pond, stepped on its body, pulled out the spear, and took out his Hunting Knife. Avoiding the sharp dorsal fin, he stabbed the fish's head, ending its life.
A clear white light emerged from his arm, following the dagger's path into the fish's head.
"Hunter's talent, Slaying? What a strange feeling."
Ding~~
A crisp notification sounded in his mind.
**[Quest completed, 10 experience points acquired, reward sent to backpack]**
Pulling out the knife, two tiny crystals, one red and one white, rolled from the opening in the fish's head. Together, they were smaller than a grain of rice. Without keen eyesight, they'd be easy to miss.
Pressing them with his fingertip, Alex picked up the crystals and brought them closer to see.
The red crystal was irregular, multifaceted, like the Philosopher's Stone from Western mythology. The white one was a tiny, transparent sphere, too small to discern its contents.
**[Small Crystal of the Swimming Fish] Bloodstone**
- **Quality:** Crude
- **Description:** Slightly restores stamina when consumed.
- **PS:** Why doesn't it increase strength? Because it's too small, of course.
**[Soul Liquid of Weak Swimming Fish] Soul Crystal**
- **Quality:** Crude
- **Description:** Pressing it to the brow slightly relieves mental fatigue.
- **PS:** Do I need to say more? o(*￣▽￣*)o
The amount of blood and soul from one fish was meager. Alex licked the red bloodstone and pressed the soul crystal to his forehead to test their effects.
A warm current flowed through his stomach, and a cool sensation touched his brain, but both faded within three seconds.
The quality was too poor; he barely felt anything.