Chapter 5

  Gathering in the Middle of Forest

  Date: Unknown (Fourth day of Journey)

  With easy gait, Hyoren walked to his base.

  The cave waited there. Tucked into the cliffside beside the waterfall. The dual suns had begun their descent—but the day was still long. Plenty of light left for work.

  A rustling reached his ears. Horned rabbits in the distance. He prepared his spear. Adjusting his grip. Ready to strike if they noticed him.

  But the rabbits went away. Not detecting him. His careful steps had paid off. He lowered his spear. Continued walking.

  "There are other monsters too, but really..."

  He muttered it under his breath. Half-annoyed. Half-amused.

  "These horned rabbits truly infest this forest."

  The creatures were everywhere. Every clearing. Every patch of undergrowth. They seemed to multiply faster than he could kill them.

  He reached the base of the cliff and set down his load. Nine rabbits—including the one he'd killed before encountering the creeping vine. Their weight had grown heavier with each step. His shoulder ached where the carrying rope had dug in. A deep groove in his skin. Red and irritated.

  He stretched. Rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness. His muscles protested. Tired from the day's hunting. Tired from the unexpected fight with the pnt monster.

  He dropped the rabbit carcasses in a pile near the river. The water ran cold and fast over smooth stones. Good for cleaning. Good for bleeding out the meat.

  He stood over the pile. Hands on his hips.

  "Now what to do."

  He gnced at his pouch. Where the resin-sealed seed rested. Safe. Secure.

  "I got new resin and vine as materials. But I need to work on these rabbit corpses first."

  He looked at the water. Then back at the pile.

  "They'll be eaten by slimes if I don't work fast."

  He stared at the heap of grey fur and limp bodies. Nine carcasses. A good haul. But also a lot of work.

  ***

  The afternoon for Hyoren was spent in a continuous cycle of butchering and tanning.

  Nine rabbits. Nine hides stretched on frames. Nine butchered bodies reduced to manageable cuts of meat.

  He stood before the pile of meat. Hands on his hips. The heap was substantial—more than he could possibly eat in a single day.

  "All this meat, what to do with it?"

  He stared at the raw flesh.

  "At most I can only eat one or two rabbits' worth of meat. And I got nine of them now."

  With eyebrows furrowed and one hand on his chin, he stood in front of the pile. Without intervention, the meat would spoil within a day or two.

  "Let's preserve them as Dad taught me then. Smoke them."

  He nodded to himself.

  "I can use them as ration. And when I'm occupied with other things, I won't starve."

  There was no time to waste.

  He scanned the cliff face near his cave entrance. Searching. His eyes moved over the rock surface—looking for the right spot.

  A small natural depression in the rock. Shallow but sheltered. Perfect for what he needed.

  "This hole should work for smoking."

  He gathered few ft stones to create enclosure with the front left open for access. A fire pit at the back, fed with dry wood and waxy green branches, released thick white smoke

  He hung the strips of rabbit meat on forked sticks above the smoke.

  "That should be enough."

  He coughed. Waving smoke from his face.

  The smokehouse was crude. But functional.

  "Smoked meat. Secured."

  Thick smoke billowed around the hanging meat. Beginning the slow process of curing. It would take hours—maybe a full day—to smoke properly. But the process had started.

  Hyoren stepped back and wiped his hands on his pants.

  The dual suns had begun their descent. Painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. He looked at his work. The curing meat. The drying pelts stretched on their frames. The pile of leftover carcass he had gathered near the river.

  "Those carcasses. I will leave them there for slimes to process."

  He watched the pile of bones and offal.

  "After the slimes are done digesting the carcasses, they will leave perfect bones for me to use."

  The slimes would clean the bones perfectly. Better than he could do himself.

  "Okay..."

  He crossed his arms. Thinking aloud.

  "Mornings, I hunt. Or forage. Or explore. Afternoons are for processing. Tanning leather. Smoking meat. Repairing broken tools. Making new ones."

  He fed the main fire in his cave.The warmth slowly enclosed the stone walls. Chasing away the chill of evening.

  He roasted a simple meal of rabbit meat over the fire. Eating in silence as the st light faded from the sky.

  When he finished, he y down on his bed of leaves. His body ached. His hands were raw from the day's work. Blisters forming on his palms. Cuts and scrapes from handling the rough materials.

  But his mind was calm.

  Tomorrow, he would do it again.

  ***

  Morning came softly.

  Hyoren woke to the familiar sounds of the cave. The distant roar of the waterfall. The gentle drip of moisture from the stone walls. The crackle of dying embers from his fire pit.

  He y there for a moment. Staring at the stone ceiling.

  "I'm starting to get sick of eating rabbit meat."

  He sat up. Rubbing sleep from his eyes.

  "Four days in a row..."

  The taste had become monotonous. Gamey. Slightly sweet. Always the same texture. It sustained him, yes. But his body craved something else. Variety.

  "Scurvy and other deficiencies are real threats."

  He stretched. Feeling his spine crack.

  "I need to forage the forest too. My diet can't consist solely of meat."

  He grabbed his newly finished leather pouch and his spear. The leather was still stiff. Smelling of smoke and animal fat. But it held its shape. Functional.

  "Time to get some forest produce."

  He paused at the cave entrance. Looking toward the river. The water sparkled in the early morning light.

  "And maybe... time to think about getting fish ter?"

  The red-scaled fish he had seen in the river. Fast. Elusive. But a potential source of protein that wasn't rabbit.

  He moved into the forest. Stepping quietly over the damp undergrowth. His eyes scanned the ground. The bushes. The lower branches of trees.

  A horned rabbit emerged from a bush ahead. Nibbling at something. Red eyes gleaming.

  He ignored it. Giving the creature a wide berth. Hunting wasn't the goal today.

  He walked deeper. Pushing through ferns. Ducking under low branches. The forest floor was soft beneath his feet.

  Then he saw them.

  A cluster of small trees. Different from the towering ironwood trees scattered throughout the forest. These were shorter. With thinner trunks and spreading branches. And hanging from those branches—fruits.

  Round. Apple-shaped. With an unusual blue hue. Dangling in clusters of three or four.

  "This tree is different from the ironwood trees."

  His spear lowered. He approached the tree slowly. Circling it. Examining the bark. The leaves. The fruit.

  "And the fruit... Is it edible? I should gather some."

  He climbed carefully. Testing each branch before putting his weight on it. The wood was sturdy. Stronger than it looked.

  He reached the lowest cluster and plucked one fruit free.

  It was cool in his palm. The blue skin was smooth—almost waxy—with faint speckles of lighter blue scattered across the surface. He climbed back down and turned the fruit over in his hands.

  The weight was right. The texture was right. No signs of rot or decay.

  "One bite. Just a small one."

  He brought it to his mouth and took a tentative bite.

  The skin broke easily. Juice ran down his chin—cool and sweet. The flesh inside was blue. Simir to the skin. But with a consistency that surprised him.

  "This is..."

  He chewed slowly. Processing the familiar taste and crunch.

  "The shape is like an apple, but the taste and consistency... more like watermelon?"

  Refreshing. Slightly acidic—with a sweetness that wasn't overpowering.

  He swallowed and waited.

  "Now the question is... poison or not?"

  He leaned his back against the tree trunk. Settling in to wait.

  His stomach felt fine. No immediate reactions. But he knew some poisons took time. He watched the forest. Listening to the sounds around him.

  Ten minutes passed.

  Then twenty.

  He checked his stomach. No cramping. No nausea. No dizziness. His vision was clear. His hands steady.

  Thirty minutes.

  The threshold for most common pnt poisons had passed. He felt fine. Better than fine. The fruit had been refreshing.

  "No poison."

  He stood up. Dusting off his pants.

  "Edible. And quite tasty too."

  He climbed the tree again. Harvested a small amount. Filling his leather pouch with the blue fruits. When the pouch was half-full, he descended and surveyed the area.

  "I should mark this pce. Come back regurly to harvest."

  He looked at the fruit in his hand. The shape. The color. The taste.

  "The shape and taste... melon plus apple..."

  He scratched his chin. Thinking.

  "Maybe I'll call this fruit Melopple."

  The word hung in the air.

  He stopped. The name echoing in his mind.

  "Melopple..."

  He shook his head.

  "Talk about worst naming sense. Hahaha..."

  A dry ugh escaped his throat. The first genuine amusement he had felt in days.

  "Melopple. God, that's terrible."

  But the name would stick. He knew it would. With his pouch half-full of the blue fruit—melopple—as he named it himself, he set off again. Deeper into the forest.

  ***

  As Hyoren walked through the forest, he scanned the area carefully for any forest produce. His eyes moved over the undergrowth. Searching for anything edible. Anything useful.

  He moved through the bushes with quiet steps. Avoiding dry leaves. Avoiding snapping twigs. The lessons of his father had become instinct.

  After a while, movement caught his eye.

  A horned rabbit hunched near a bush. Nibbling at something. He watched it for a moment. The creature was focused. Undisturbed. Plucking small red berries from the branches and stuffing them into its mouth.

  "Hmm..."

  He crouched behind a tree. Observing.

  "Horned rabbit eats those berries. Should be safe for consumption, right?"

  He watched the rabbit stuff another berry into its mouth.

  "Well, I still need to check first... but it's promising."

  He raised his spear. Approaching the rabbit. The creature was so busy nibbling the berries that it didn't even detect Hyoren until it was too te.

  He thrust his spear. Quick. Precise. The rabbit dropped. Dead before it hit the ground.

  He pulled his spear free and approached the bush. The berries were small. A deep crimson red. Clustered along thorny stems. He plucked one and turned it over in his fingers.

  Small. Round. The skin was smooth. The flesh felt firm.

  "Here goes."

  He popped it into his mouth and bit down.

  "Sour!"

  His face scrunched at the sharpness. His lips puckered. But as the initial tartness faded, something else emerged.

  "The aftertaste has some sweetness too."

  He rolled the fvor around in his mouth

  "It's like... Grape? No. I can't quite grasp the taste. Whatever."

  Same as with the melopple, he waited. Leaned against a tree. Checked his stomach. Felt for any signs of nausea or dizziness.

  Nothing.

  "Okay, this is also edible."

  He plucked a handful and added them to his pouch.

  "The taste is actually refreshing. I dub this..."

  A flicker of movement.

  His body reacted before his mind caught up. He ducked to the side. Something whizzed past his face—fast—missing him by inches.

  "What in the world?"

  He spun toward the bush.

  There, perched still in the branches, was a small creature. About the size of a squirrel. Larger than the ones he knew from home, but not nearly as monstrous as the horned rabbit. Its fur was brown. But a patch of moss grew along its spine—glowing with a faint blue light.

  "Another monster?"

  The squirrel twitched. Then it unched itself at him.

  Hyoren raised his spear. Thrusting the tip toward the creature. It twisted midair. Evading the bde by inches. Its cws raked across his cheek—a shallow sting—before it nded on a branch behind him.

  "Tch, it's so fast."

  He touched his cheek. His fingers came away with a smear of blood.

  "But weak. If I can predict its movement..."

  The squirrel crouched. Muscles tensing. It sprang again.

  This time, Hyoren was ready.

  He didn't thrust. He swung his spear.

  The butt of his spear caught the creature mid-leap. Smacking into its skull with a dull crack. It tumbled to the ground. Convulsing. Limbs twitching.

  He stepped forward and drove the spear tip through its neck.

  The twitching stopped.

  Warmth spread through his chest. That familiar sensation.

  "Another one essence. Like rabbit and vines."

  He crouched beside the creature. Examining it. The moss on its back was still glowing blue. Different from the moss scattered on the forest floor.

  "This squirrel..."

  He turned the body over.

  "More annoying than the rabbit. Squirrel with moss growing on its back... Mossback Squirrel, then."

  He gnced at the berry bush.

  "And these berries. I would just call them Red Berries. I can't be bothered to find a good name for everything."

  He harvested a few more berries—keeping an eye on the surrounding branches—and added the squirrel carcass to his shoulder alongside the rabbit he'd killed earlier.

  With a few berries in his pouch, he slung the squirrel and rabbit carcasses over his shoulder.

  As he walked away, a sound reached his ears.

  Chirping. High-pitched. Coming from behind him.

  He turned.

  In the branches near the berry bush, more mossy backs gleamed in the dappled light. Three. Four. Maybe more. Perched on different branches. Watching him.

  "There's a few of them."

  He watched them for a moment. They didn't attack. Didn't chase. Just watched.

  "But they didn't chase me. It seems like... They're protecting the berries?"

  A dead tree trunk—well away from the bush—became his temporary chair. He sat down. Contempting.

  "Mossback Squirrels aren't a threat... unless I try to harvest the berries. They're territorial."

  He nodded slowly.

  "Well, I'll limit myself then. Harvest berries only if there's no sign of them. Focus more on the melopple for my staple fruit."

  He adjusted the weight on his shoulder and turned away from the squirrels' territory.

  There was more forest to explore.

  ***

  The wind rustled through the forest. Stirring Hyoren's long hair.

  He paused and looked up to dual suns in the sky.

  "The suns and weather… I don't know if seasons exist in this world, but from the way those two suns move..."

  He breathed in the cool breeze.

  "The cool air. Some of the trees changing color. This might be fall. I'm lucky it's not winter."

  The thought brought a small measure of relief.

  Hyoren moved deeper into the forest—but not too far. He kept the sound of the waterfall in the background.

  The terrain changed gradually. The ground grew softer. Damp. Moss carpeted the rocks and tree trunks in thicker patches.

  He was heading upstream. Following the river toward its source.

  He crouched near a fallen log and looked closer.

  "Mushrooms..."

  They grew in clusters here. Pushing up from the damp soil and rotting wood. Caps of various sizes and colors. Some small and delicate. Others thick and meaty.

  He tilted his head, studying the variety of shapes and colors.

  "A lot of them. Should I pick them? They're delicious and nutritious... if they're edible. And of course. I need to roast them first."

  He looked back at the clusters before him. Brown cap mushrooms grew on a dead log, their caps dull and unassuming. He picked one and examined it.

  "Brown cap. Growing on dead wood."

  He turned it over in his hand.

  "Seems edible."

  He set it in his pouch.

  Nearby, a red cap with white dots caught his eye.

  "Red cap with white dots. Definitely poisonous. Skip."

  As his eyes scanning the damp ground, he moved again. A grey mushroom grew in the shadow of a mossy stone. Pale, nondescript. Neither bright nor brown.

  "This is hard to identify."

  He crouched, studying it.

  "Well, I'll pick it and check it at the cave. Better to examine in good light."

  He added it to his pouch. Further along, a bright blue mushroom pushed through the leaf litter.

  "Blue… Skip."

  Another brown mushroom, this one growing from the soil rather than a log. He crouched and lifted the cap gently, examining the underside.

  "Simir to the first one, but growing on the ground."

  He peered at the gills.

  "The undercap is white instead of brown. Same variety? Or not? Well, I'll see."

  He finished foraging after a while. His pouch had grown heavier with forest produce.

  "Two brown cap mushrooms, and one grey cap. The rest screamed too much of poison. I skipped them."

  He adjusted his load—pouch full of fruit and mushrooms, a squirrel carcass and a horned rabbit slung over his shoulder.

  Hyoren turned and began the walk back to his cave.

  ***

  As the suns began their descent, Hyoren arrived at the waterfall.

  The usual sounds—water rushing. The rustle of leaves. Nothing out of pce. No sign of threats.

  Satisfied, he made his way to the spot where he'd left the rabbit carcasses yesterday. The pile of bones and offal he had discarded. Left for the slimes to process.

  The bones were picked clean.

  He stopped and stared at the pile.

  "Wow..."

  He crouched. Examining the remains.

  "Those nine carcasses I left yesterday... already fully bone."

  He picked up one of the bones. Turning it over in his hand.

  "Those slimes truly work fast. At least I don't need to worry about dead carcasses becoming a source of disease."

  He dropped the bone back onto the pile.The slimes acted as nature's cleanup crew.

  He dropped his leather pouch near the riverside. Then lowered the squirrel and rabbit carcasses from his shoulder. The weight lifted from his muscles. A relief after hours of walking.

  The day's haul spread out before him. Fruit. Mushrooms. Fresh meat.

  Time to work.

  He set to the rabbit first. His knife moved with ease now. After he was done, he left the meat and carcass in the shallow part of the river to rinse.

  Then he turned to the squirrel.

  The creature was smaller than the rabbit. More delicate. He made careful incisions. Separating hide from flesh. Working around the bones. Preserving as much meat as possible.

  "Is squirrel meat even edible?"

  He examined the cuts.

  "The meat looks lean. Simir to chicken."

  He continued working. Pulling the hide free. The fur was soft but small—not worth processing on its own. Too little material to be useful.

  He turned the hide over. The patch of moss-like growth still clung to the spine area. Glowing with a faint blue glow even in death.

  "The fur's not worth it. But this part..."

  He ran his finger along the mossy patch. The texture was strange. Soft. Almost like fur but with an underlying structure.

  "Still glowing. I should tan this part. Maybe create a makeshift mp for the cave."

  A spsh.

  He hadn't realized how far he'd waded into the river. The water reached nearly to his knees now. The rabbit meat floated nearby, half-submerged in the current.

  Another spsh—closer this time.

  Two shapes erupted from the water.

  Big. Red scaled. Serrated pike noses jutting from their faces like weapons.

  One of them lunged at the rabbit meat. Its jaws snapped shut, tearing away a chunk before diving back into the depths.

  The other jumped at Hyoren.

  He twisted, but not fast enough. The serrated pike grazed his leg—a line of fire across his calf. Shallow, but bleeding.

  "Damn!" he stumbled backward, water spshing around him.

  "These fish I always ignored are actually carnivores?"

  He scrambled for the riverbank, snatching his spear from where he'd pnted it. The fish thrashed in the shallow water, struggling to right itself.

  He thrust the spear down.

  The tip hit the scales and skidded—harder than expected. The fish writhed, trying to escape. He adjusted his angle and thrust again, putting his full weight behind it and aiming at the base of it head, where no hard scales protecting it.

  The spear punched through the skull. The fish convulsed once, then went still.

  Adrenaline surged through his veins. He grabbed the squirrel parts, the rabbit meat, his knife—anything he could reach—and retreated to the riverside.

  "Haah... haah… Hard to dodge those things in the river."

  He looked down at his leg. The wound was shallow, already clotting.

  "Lucky it only grazed me. Didn't actually pierce my abdomen."

  He scanned the water. Shadows moved beneath the surface—more red scaled fish.

  "I never noticed because I always dissect carcasses on the riverside, not actually in the water."

  He kept his eyes on the river.

  "But it seems these red fish... Red Pike… They eat meat. In this world, almost every animal is a monster, huh… and this fish seems to detect blood in the water. Simir to shark?"

  The adrenaline in his blood started to recede. His breathing slowed. And his heart beat back to normal rate.

  And then he felt it.

  Warmth in his chest. That familiar sensation—but stronger.

  "Wait… these fish... actually give two essence?"

  He blinked, trying to gauge the difference.

  "It feels bigger than rabbit, squirrel, and vines. I can't grasp exactly how much, but I think... around two times the usual?"

  The fish was dangerous. Fast. Armored. That pike nose could do real damage if it hit right.

  He'd have to be more careful near the river from now on.

  ***

  Hyoren sat on the riverbank, leg stinging, and forced himself to breathe.

  The water still churned where the red pike had attacked. Dark shapes moved beneath the surface, circling.

  Waiting.

  "I should avoid the deep parts of the river."

  He watched the shadows drift. He turned to his loot.

  The Red Pike y on the rocks, scales gleaming dull red in the fading light. He picked up his knife and started cutting.

  The serrated pike nose came free with some effort. He held it up, examining the edge.

  "This shape..."

  He ran his finger along the serrations.

  "Almost like a saw. I can use this to cut wood and branches from now on."

  He set it aside and moved to the scales. Tough, overpping ptes. He tried to pry one off, but it was small—too small to be useful for anything.

  "The scales are tough, but too small. No use after removal."

  The meat, though. Pink and firm, with a texture different from rabbit. He cut it into strips.

  "Should be edible. It'll enrich my diet."

  The suns had fallen further.

  "Now then…" he gathered the rabbit pelt and the mossback patch.

  "Before the suns set, I need to tan these."

  He worked quickly. Brain paste applied, hides stretched on frames. The mossback patch glowed faintly even as it dried, glowing blue light on the rocks around it.

  When the tanning was done, he turned to the pile of rabbit bones he'd accumuted.

  "These bones are too small and brittle to make anything. But..."

  He gathered them in his hands and rattled them together.

  "I'll tie them to my makeshift arm around the cave staircase. The sound they make will be better than the few branches I was using before."

  Then he found the horn.

  Thirty centimeters of curved bone. Sturdy. The tip almost dagger-like.

  He turned it over in his hands, testing its weight.

  "What should I do with this… Well, I'll keep it for now. Should be useful ter."

  The light was fading fast.

  He gathered his things and climbed the staircase to his cave. His legs ached from the day's work. The wound on his calf throbbed with each step.

  Inside the cave, he dropped onto the rug he'd made from stacked rabbit pelts. The soft fur pressed against his back.

  For a moment, he just y there.

  Then he forced himself up.

  “Fire… I need to create fire fast.”

  He gathered the dry woods he prepared, then used flints to create fire. Not long after, as he already used to the process, fire already danced on the cave entrance.

  The fish and squirrel meat went onto sharpened sticks over the fire. The smell filled the cave—richer, different from the gamey rabbit he'd grown used to.

  "I want to eat this before it spoils."

  He watched the meat browning.

  "Eating rabbit every day would drive me crazy."

  The squirrel meat was lean and slightly gamey. The fish was fky, with a hint of sweetness he hadn't expected. He supplemented both with melopple—juicy and refreshing—and a handful of red berries.

  For the first time in days, his meal had variety.

  Hyoren sat by the fire, chewing slowly, savoring the different fvors.

  “Ahh… this is bliss. I never know such simple addition of fruits, and new kind of meat actually made my meal become so… fulfilling.”

  His diet was improving. He not only sated his hunger, but also pleased his mind with improved meal. His knowledge of the forest also growing.

  ***

  After the meal, Hyoren's mind drifted to his other haul.

  The mushrooms.

  He pulled the leather pouch closer and retrieved the three types he'd gathered earlier. They sat on the ft stone beside him.

  "Brown cap, brown-white cap, and grey cap…" he arranged them in a row.

  "I hope at least two of them are edible. I've always loved mushrooms. And I want to keep enriching my diet."

  He picked a branch from his pile of firewood and sharpened the end with his knife. The three mushrooms went onto the stick and he held them over the fmes.

  The fire popped and crackled. Slowly, the mushrooms began to brown and a rich smell filled the cave.

  "From the smell, these look delicious."

  He watched the smoke curl upward. No unusual colors. No strange fumes.

  "There's no poisonous smoke appearing. But the verdict… I will never know until I actually eat it."

  He studied the three mushrooms, deciding where to start.

  His eyes nded on the safest-looking one first.

  "Fully brown cap. Grown on dead tree trunks."

  He pulled it from the stick and turned it over in his fingers.

  "Here we go..."

  He nibbled a small piece.

  The fvor spread across his tongue—earthy, savory, with a hint of smokiness from the fire.

  "Whoa…" He chewed slowly.

  "This is... delicious. Almost like shiitake. The taste is right. But will it poison me or not... time will tell."

  Five minutes. His stomach felt fine.

  Fifteen minutes. No nausea. No dizziness.

  Thirty minutes. Nothing.

  "Okay… Brown Cap. Edible and delicious. I should gather more next time."

  Two more to go.

  He picked up the second mushroom. Simir in appearance—brown cap, same general shape.

  "Brown cap, but white undercap," he examined the gills beneath.

  "Very simir to the first one. But this grew on soil instead of logs. Without careful observation, these two are almost identical."

  He tore off a small piece and popped it into his mouth.

  The texture was simir. The taste...

  "Hmm. This one... tastes bnd. Bleh."

  Hyoren swallowed.

  A few minutes passed.

  Then his stomach clenched.

  Nausea rolled through him without warning. He quickly went outside, retching, and vomited onto the ground.

  "Damn..." he spat, wiping his mouth.

  "This is actually poisonous."

  With water from river, he rinse his mouth, washing away the bitter taste.

  "Deceptive too. Simir to the edible one. When I gather mushrooms, I need to be careful. Only pick the ones that grow on logs, not from the ground. And check the undercap, if it white, not brown. Throw it away."

  His stomach churned for a while longer. He sipped water slowly, waiting for the nausea to fade.

  Eventually, it settled. He went back to his cave.

  One more left.

  The grey cap sat in his palm as he assess it.

  "This one is the ambiguous one. Not bright colored, but not dull either. Grey cap... almost like stone."

  He stared at it for a long moment.

  Then, with a resigned heart, he nibbled the edge.

  The texture was different—almost crispy. The fvor was mild but pleasant. It also has a faint nuttiness.

  "Hmm..." his eyebrows rose.

  "This is actually delicious and crunchy! The brown one is like shiitake. This one is like shimeji. Now time to wait if this is poisonous or not."

  He waited.

  Fifteen minutes. Nothing.

  Twenty minutes. Still fine.

  Thirty minutes. No stomach churning. No weird sensations.

  "Ohh… This seems edible? I don't feel anything wrong. Good. I've got two kinds of mushroom now."

  He sat back, pleased with himself. Two edible mushrooms. A new food source. His diet was expanding—

  "You did great, son."

  His eyes blinked few times.

  "Dad?" he looked around the cave.

  "Why are you suddenly congratuting me? And why are there three of you now?"

  Three figures stood at the edge of the firelight. All of them his father. All of them smiling.

  He tried to stand. His legs buckled beneath him.

  "Ehh... what happened?"

  His hand try to catching against the cave wall as he stumbled.

  "Why am I suddenly in Akihabara? Where did the cave go?"

  The stone walls shimmered. For a moment, they looked like neon signs. Bright colors. Crowded streets. Maid cafes and anime posters.

  His father's voice echoed from somewhere far away.

  Swarming vision assaulting him. The floor rose up to meet him.

  He facepnted into the rabbit-pelt rug.

  And started snoring.

  A deep and drugged sleep—nothing like the disciplined soldier's rest he'd trained for. All his caution, all his vigince, are gone.

  The fire crackled on his cave entrance, casting dancing shadows across his unconscious form.