On his way back to the clearing, Max picked up his pace. He didn’t want to be in the forest for longer than he had to. Not having to stop to check for tracks significantly increased his speed. On top of that he leveraged his improved memory to make confident choices, he wasn’t second-guessing himself at every odd-looking tree. It probably only took him around 30 minutes to get back compared to the 90 he spent finding the wolf.

He did however make a few quick stops to pick some more berries, but only if they were along the way. By the time he had reached the clearing, he estimated that altogether, he had two meals-worth of berries, three if he stretched it. It wasn’t a bad haul considering the relative safety of picking berries. They would also serve as a good way to stay hydrated. Max still needed to figure out a long-term water solution. For the time being, the berries, moss, and leaves would have to do.

‘But do I really want to eat berries for the rest of my time here?’

Max wasn’t sure how long he’ll be in this forest, but he didn’t look forward to eating berries every day.

Who knows, maybe Ma Erk, could help with hunting some smaller beasts.’

Looking down at the little wolf, Max wasn’t sure when it had fallen asleep. Focusing on his surroundings had taken up most of his attention.

“Wake up, we’re here.”

…

No answer.

Max repeated himself a bit louder the second time, but there was still no answer.

Frowning, Max took a closer look. The red patches on Ma Erk’s fur had gotten even bigger. Now, more than half of the wolf was covered in blood. Looking behind him, there was a trail of blood, he was suddenly reminded of the “badly injured” condition.

“Fuck”

Cursing at his oversight, Max checked to see if Ma Erk was still breathing. He was, but each breath was short and labored. Panic started to set in. He gently shook the little guy, as he did, some of the berries fell to the ground. But again, there was no answer.

Using Analyze on the wolf he got back:

Analyzing…

Unknown Wolf

Status: Alive, critically injured

Cultivation: ???

For someone that had spent so much in the hospital, Max was still oblivious to medical knowledge. He knew that he should have paid more attention to the nurses when they were showing him basic procedures. In his defense, it was a certainty that he was going to die, so why bother learning anything new. All he knew was that he had to put pressure on the wound, but at this point, he wasn’t sure where the wounds even were. After a few tense seconds, Max recalled the regenerative properties of the Midnight Dew.

Max sprinted across the clearing and up the rocky path. He was careful not to jostle the wolf too much, but at the same time, he knew that time was of the essence. Placing Ma Erk down at the top of the cliff, he dashed into the cave to where the Midnight Dew was. With the sun up, there was some limited visibility inside the cave. He threw an Analyze at the bowl to check its content.

Analyzing…

Item: Midnight Dew (x6)

The Midnight Dew is a natural treasure that only condenses in darkness. Its primary property is health, stamina, and chi regeneration. It can also aid in the cultivation of weak individuals.

Max carefully brought the bowl outside and placed it down next to the little wolf’s head. Carefully, using a leaf from nearby as a spoon he scooped two drops of dew and dropped it into Ma Erk’s slightly open mouth. That done, Max finally could let out a sigh. Using Analyze again, there didn’t seem to be an immediate change in the wolf’s status.

“It’s up to you now little man. I’ve done everything that I could.”

Two drops of Midnight Dew were likely more than enough. Each drop had given him a four-hour regenerative bonus and he was much larger than the wolf. With that logic, he suspected the effects should be more potent. Even if that wasn’t the case, two drops of dew equate to eight hours of Greater Enhance Regeneration. After the eight hours, Max would see if he needed to give the wolf some more.

“I better get a return on this investment, or else I might really just eat you.”

Max checked his character sheet and saw he had 11 hours left on his Greater Enhance Regeneration. He made a mental note that the wolf’s boost would end at his three-hour mark.

Max got up and went down the path. In his rush to save the little wolf, all the berries were dropped. As he started his descent, Max couldn’t shake the feeling that he had missed something. Finally, when he was already halfway down the path he realized that he had forgotten to put the bowl back into the cave. He smacked his forehead, thankfully he was only halfway down. It only took him a short few minutes to get back onto the cliff. As he was walking towards the bowl, he noticed that it was giving off a faint glow. To be more exact, the Midnight Dew was. Looking inside, the amount of dew had noticeably decreased from when he last saw it. Puzzled, an Analyze was used to confirm how many drops there were.

Analyzing…

Item: Midnight Dew (x2)

The Midnight Dew is a natural treasure that only condenses in darkness. Its primary property is health, stamina, and chi regeneration. It can also aid in the cultivation of weak individuals. The dew will evaporate in direct sunlight.

Seeing that he lost half of his dew and also reading the new line, he couldn’t help but let out a frustrated “Ah Shit”.

Max quickly but attentively bolted back into the cave. The glow that was originally emanating from the bowl quickly died down.

‘Phew. This day just keeps getting better. First I lost my hawk, then picked up a stray, next I had to use my Midnight Dew on the stray and now this.’

Just as he finished his thought, a “plop”, the sound of a liquid hitting the ground.

‘You got to be fucking kidding me.’

When he reached the floor of the hole, the ground had already soaked up most of the dew and there wasn’t much left to be done. Max could only let out another sigh of defeat. He left the bowl where it originally was.

‘It is what it is and I’ll just have to move on. No point in crying over spilled dew.’

…

Max went down the path to collect all the berries that were picked and brought them back to the entrance of the cave. While down there, he also took the chance to restock his reserve of moss, leaves, and dry wood. There was also blood leading up to the cave that Max covered as best he could with dirt and grass. After making this trip, he wasn’t planning on coming back down, he wanted to keep an eye on the little wolf.

Back on the cliff, Max had separated the berries into two groups that were roughly equal in size. The first group was clean, free of blood. The other group was the ones that were stained with Ma Erk’s blood. He wasn’t going to eat any of the berries from the second group and was planning on giving it to Ma Erk. After separating out the two groups, there were enough berries for one meal. He probably had also missed some in his search. Max decided not to venture back into the woods for more berries today. His rationale was that the berries would probably be better fresh anyways. Plus, once Ma Erk wakes up he could learn more about the forest. He didn’t need to take the unnecessary risk.

Checking the timer on his Greater Enhance Regeneration, two hours had passed since he gave Ma Erk the Midnight Dew.

Max had used Analyze on the little guy a few times now. Each time, its status would improve. It went from “critically injured” to “severely injured” to “injured” and now to “lightly injured”.

It looked like Ma Erk was out of the woods, so to speak. It just seemed to be sleeping it off.

‘It must not have slept all night fearing an attack from a predator or his old pack.’

As Max watched its breathing, he idly wondered what were the HP percentages for each level of severity for injuries and why he didn’t have that status when he was down to 3HP. On second thought, that would be useless to him. If he knew the exact HP he was at, why would he need descriptions like “critically injured”.

Judging from the position of the sun, there were still a few hours of daylight left. He was also getting hungry so he ate four of the five skewers he had left. He would save the last for the wolf. Max popped one of the berries into his mouth and started chewing. As soon as the taste of the berry registered in his brain, Max scrunched up his face and cringed. It was so sour. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes because of how sour it was.

‘Geeze, did I get bamboozled?’

When the initial taste passed and the aftertaste kicked in and it reminded him of tomatoes. Max picked up another berry, but this time it was a softer one.

‘Fuck ya, it does taste like tomatoes.’

Max hoped that there were also potatoes in this world. He might be able to make some french fries and ketchup with this.

Going back to his pile of berries, Max picked out the berries that were as solid as the first one he ate and tossed them into Ma Erk’s pile.

The remaining daylight was spent exercising. His day’s adventures had already netted him two points in his cultivation. Over the next four hours, Max ran through his workout regimen over and over. Unlike the previous night, this workout was out in the open, with fresh air and with an amazing view. By the end of it, he didn't feel as mentally drained as his last extraneous session. When the sun started its journey down the horizon, Max concluded his workout session and allowed himself to watch the sunset. It was also at this point that Ma Erk finally woke up.