Chapter 3: A Forest Without Soul Beasts
He came to a fork in the road.
No, it wasn't really a fork in the road. In this natural soul beast forest, devoid of human life, there were no man-made paths. Before him lay two navigable, though unpredictable, forest paths.
"Left or right?" Uchiha Uran frowned. Although he hadn't encountered a soul beast yet, he needed to race against time. It was midday, still relatively safe.
Once night fell, all sorts of terrifying carnivorous soul beasts would begin their hunt, and in his current state, he would be unable to resist. Taking the wrong path and unknowingly wandering into a soul beast's lair would be incredibly embarrassing.
"Left," he hesitated for a moment, then decided to slightly change course and continue to the left.
The muddy ground, the surrounding vines and tree roots, rotting leaves, and slippery rocks slowed his progress. The sun was growing increasingly scorching. If it weren't for the dense foliage, his delicate skin would probably begin to ache.
He'd grown accustomed to the unpleasant odor in the air. He hadn't expected the Great Star Dou Forest to contain such a wetland or swamp. He'd assumed it was all trees and woods. He doubted there would be any clean, flowing water here.
Even if there was, it would be a necessary culprit for the numerous spirit beasts. Tonight, at the latest, he'd begin his true wild life.
Water, food, and shelter. He hadn't yet fulfilled any of these three essentials for survival. Uchiha Uranium could only hope the journey would be easier. Food and water weren't a major concern; the space spirit guide contained enough food for at least ten days. The real challenge was finding a place to sleep.
He was genuinely afraid he'd fall asleep and wake up in a spirit beast's stomach the next day.
"Isn't the Great Star Dou Forest a spirit beast paradise? How come we haven't seen any spirit beasts in over two hours?"
After a moment, Uchiha Uranium found a relatively clean, slightly flat rock, climbed up, and sat down to rest. The confusion over the unexplained disappearance of the spirit beasts lingered in his mind.
This was definitely not normal. Compared to a forest, the density of soul beasts was definitely higher. Even if he was slow-witted, he wouldn't consider a forest devoid of soul beasts normal. There was definitely something wrong.
"Could it really be the territory of a high-level soul beast?" After much thought, Uchiha Uranium could only come to this conclusion. There was no other way. Based on his current observations, this was the only possible explanation, but it wasn't very likely. High-level soul beasts also need to eat. Now he couldn't even encounter a low-level herbivorous soul beast. Could this high-level soul beast be starving?
"What's wrong? Forget it, forget it. Let's not think about it for now. Let's eat something quickly and keep going." He had been wandering around this place for over two hours and hadn't eaten anything yet. He had assumed that food and water should be consumed when he was almost exhausted, but it seemed he had overestimated his endurance.
The meal consisted of a simple naan made from dried meat, nuts, flour, eggs, and seasonal vegetables.
It was large, about sixty centimeters wide, round in shape, thin at the edges, two to three centimeters, and thick in the middle, about six centimeters. It was a shelf-stable treat, and he'd found it in his kitchen at home.
It tasted delicious, but he had to chew it carefully. At his age, if he ate too fast, he'd accidentally nick his teeth. Besides, he had a small appetite, so a single piece of bread would probably last him two to three days.
After eating for about a quarter of an hour, Uchiha Uranium burped contentedly and took a few sips of water. With that, his rest period was over, and he had to continue on.
This place wasn't suitable for a night's rest; the ground was covered in mud and water, making it impossible to sleep unless he found himself in a tree.
He gathered his belongings, climbed down the boulder, and continued on his way. He pushed aside the obstructing plants, hacked through the brambles with his sharp machete, tore off the spiderwebs tangled in his clothes, and brushed off the slippery moss. Uchiha Uranium walked through the desolate jungle, attempting to carve a path.
The dense, overgrown jungle suddenly thinned out, revealing a clear blue sky.
The sound of flowing water gradually became clearer, and soon, a small river appeared within the young man's field of vision.
The river's banks were thickly overgrown with unknown aquatic plants. The water wasn't turbulent, but it was somewhat murky.
Dark green algae drifted on the surface, moving with the current. It was hard to tell the depth of this small river, but the river was quite wide, and without any means of support, it would be difficult for him to cross.
The young man knew from a glance that this river was not navigable. There were no trees growing along the banks, and he couldn't move rotten trunks to form a bridge. Furthermore, the dangers in the water were unknown.
He didn't dare venture into the river. The fact that this river was teeming with algae must be due to eutrophication. The algae covering the surface and the resulting proliferation would deplete the water's oxygen supply, making it impossible for ordinary fish to survive.
There had been no manual salvaging, and judging by the fact that the algae hadn't yet covered the entire river, there must be herbivorous spirit beasts feeding on the algae.
If there were herbivorous spirit beasts, there must be carnivorous ones.
This river was probably not drinkable either, as the water was filled with impurities and was murky. Uchiha Uran knew he didn't have any water filters, and the methods he knew wouldn't allow him to drink the water safely and without contamination.
However, this river was the only water source he had found. If he waited until his clean water ran out, he'd probably have to hold his nose and drink it, no matter how dirty it was.
"What should I do?"
Uchiha Uran looked at the murky river, then saw that there was no surrounding area that could be used to cross it. He was torn for a moment. Should he risk crossing the river, or turn back?
After a moment, Uchiha Uran decided he couldn't turn back, otherwise all his time would be wasted trying to find the way. He would follow the river's edge.
This area was home to spirit beasts that lived ten to one hundred years old. With his physical fitness and spirit skills, he was more than capable of withstanding most dangers.
Furthermore, water sources were essential for living creatures. If he encountered a spirit beast, he could follow the trail and find its nest, saving him the trouble of building shelters and establishing safe zones.
Having determined his route, Uchiha Uran began to move forward. He didn't walk directly along the river, but instead kept a distance to ensure a safe distance.
The surrounding trees, seemingly due to their proximity to the water source, were covered in moss and slippery. Even a young man climbing alone would have risked a fall if he wasn't careful, especially with the heavy pack he carried on his back.
Uchiha Uranium cautiously followed the riverbank.
The water gurgled gently, carrying duckweed and algae along with it. The banks were lush and dense with vegetation.
He walked for about two hours before it grew dark.
The river gradually widened, the water becoming clearer, and the ground began to firm up, no longer the usual sinking-in-half-an-inch-in-the-foot feeling. Not only did the river widen, but the trees along its banks also thinned out. The dense vegetation gave way to weeds and shrubs.
The tall trees retreated, letting in direct sunlight, and the humid air was suddenly dispelled by a cool breeze.
Uchiha Uranium looked back, taking in the path he had cleared behind him, the complex, twisting vines and roots, then the refreshing forest lake before him. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, he'd made it out.
As expected, his guess was correct. Since it was running water, it must have a source. If he found the source, it must be clean water. He had had enough of this muddy ground with pits everywhere he stepped on.
"I'm finally out. This is really strange. There aren't even any flying insects in this wetland rainforest environment. No, this place, this water source, how come there's not even a soul beast drinking water?"
Beast footprints were clearly visible around the forest lake, but the creepy thing was that there was nothing around. It didn't look like a soul beast paradise at all, more like a lifeless hell.
"Where the hell am I?"
(End of this chapter)