"I have to see him." I have to see the bear I killed.

That was my not so good plan.

I came down from the tree and returned to where I stabbed him in the eye. My thought was to find the blood and follow its trail. I found the blood, but following it was another thing? Follow the blood trail was much harder than I expected. However, the dead animal was not too far away. Just a few meters.

When I emerged from the thickets, I found myself back in a small clearing. Where I showed up this morning. Of course, at that time I didn't notice in my shock that at the edge of the clearing on the slope there was an entrance to the cave. Probably beasts burrow. The bear probably wanted to return home, to safety after I stab him. However, he died before he got there. The Beast lay just four meters from the entrance to the cave.

Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to go to him right away. He could still be alive. Right? The system, Gaya, God, the one who created the blue boxes, told me I beat him. Not that I killed him. Hence the caution.

"Where's the damn stone when I need it?" I swore, quietly.

Now I would like to have the stone which I slept on. There wasn't any on the ground around me. Therefore, I silently returned to the forest and began searching for stones. It took me almost half an hour to gather enough in my arms. Back in the clearing, I poured stones on the ground in front of me and took one in my hand.

I was nervous, my heart was pounding, my hands were sweating, but I still threw a stone at the lying bear with all my might. I waited with great tension for what would happen. It seemed like an eternity before the stone hit the bear in the back.

Nothing happened.

The stone just bounced off and fell to the ground. No reaction from the animal. He was probably really dead. Just to be sure, I threw another at him. Nothing. Another and then another, until I had none on the ground in front of me.

No reaction came from probably death animal.

If anyone else saw it, they'd probably wonder why the girl was throwing stones at the corpse?! Caution was first in on my mind right now. I had a bad experience with this animal. That's why I went back to the forest and found a few meters long branch. I started poking him in all directions. I was sure that bear was dead only after he didn't respond even to the poking to his snout.

"Ufff." I was quite relieved.

Now what?

If this was a game, I should be able to loot it. It was worth a try, so I started trying different words and combinations. In the end, I resorted to saying it out loud, but none of it worked.

"It would be too easy I guess," I sighed.

But I didn't have the strength or the tools to skin the animal. I'm pretty sure you can't skin an animal with a toothbrush. So I had no choice but to leave this corpse to its fate.

"I wish I could take a selfie with him," I said. But my phone stayed on the dining table in the kitchen. What will I do without it? Not that I spend hours a day on it. I'm not so much a social person. I don't have many friends, but the few I have are really good friends. By what, I mean is that I don't spend hours on Facebook and other similar sites.

My phone was primarily used to read web novels and then to communicate. Of course, it also served me as a watch. Which I would really appreciate right now. What time is it, local time? Concentrate, Kirra. This is not the time to daydream.

Okay, so there was nothing but a bear body in the clearing. In my mind, it should be full of gnawed bones from bears catch, but it was surprisingly clean. But bears cave was full of them. It was not a big cave. The full size of the cave was visible from the clearing, and the corpse beside me seemed to be its only inhabitant.

I hope I'm right.

I came to the mouth of a cave, where the smell of rotting flesh hit me hard to the nose. I almost threw up. There were a lot of bones and rotting remains at the entrance, but I didn't see anything between them that would help me now. What was I really hoping to find here?

Concentrate girl.

I was very careful where I stepped. I didn't want to drive a bone or a fragment of it into my foot. I also looked around carefully. Bones, bones, and other bones. Even my new ability confirmed it to me.

[Dark wild boar rib]

[Vertebrate of the Wild Wolf]

[Goblin Shovel]

Ok. It was a little more specific than just bone, but they were bones. Still, I was sure that the goblins did not live on Earth. Another argument that this is a different world. I hope there's magic. Magic is cool.

[Human hand]

"What?" I looked at the blue sign.

I tried to identify everything I saw, but this surprised me. At first glance, the hand was not visible until I pushed a few bones away. There really was a human hand. Bitten of at the wrist. Rotting. My stomach couldn't take it anymore. I leaned forward quickly and vomited. Several times.

[Bitten toast]

[Undigested fried eggs]

[Stomach juices]

"Oh, stop," I muttered to my ability. I know this is my breakfast. Although it looked much more attractive in the morning than it is now. Plus, I had a really awful taste in my mouth now. My breakfast didn't taste like this in the morning. I guess the owner of this loft doesn't have a tap with running water? I really need to rinse my mouth. Maybe even brush my teeth. I have a toothbrush. The toothbrush that I don't want to use it that much.

I looked once more at the contents of my stomach. But my eyes fell on my right leg. My aim was not as good as I thought and my leg got a decent hit.

"Ewww." I ran outside, where I quickly cleaned my foot in the grass as best I could. Pajama pants too. To my surprise, it was easier to clean my vomit from my pants than from my bare foot. What to say, quality material.

With my foot cleansed, I returned to the cave. Looking at the rotting hand, I was still sick again, but my stomach was empty, its contents lying on the floor of the cave. So from what I saw, it was right hand and it had a ring on its middle finger.

[Ring of holding - legendary quality]

Legendary quality again? Maybe it wasn't as rare quality of items as it was in my mind. This was another world. It was possible, that legendary quality is actually common trash here.

Anyway. That ring is something every adventurer needs. It was a great find I rejoiced. Of course, I didn't throw myself on the ring right away. First, I didn't want to touch that hand. It was disgusting. Second, I wanted to explore the whole cave first. Maybe find the rest of the man. More precisely his equipment.

"Well, I really need shoes" my legs suffered a lot.

Unfortunately, no other amazing discovery took place. The lair where the bear slept was relatively clean, unlike the cave entrance, but did not hide any surprises. So I had no choice but to return to that hand. But the problem was how to take the ring off the hand without having to touch it.

I wouldn't touch that thing with my bare hands. It was impossible for me.

Plan B came next. I pressed the rotting hand with a stick, I know there are a lot of bones around, but I didn't want to touch them either, I tried to pull the ring off with my other hand. But there was a problem, the hand was swollen and so the ring didn't want to come off. That's why I used more force and as it didn't work than even more and….

"Oops ... blerr ..." I vomited again. At least my body wanted, only the contents of my stomach were next to me already.

I managed to remove the ring from the hand, only part of the finger went with a ring. After my stomach calmed down again. I poke off a torn finger from the ring with a stick and with the ring on the stick I run out on to the fresh air.

There I sat on the grass and with the ring in front of me. It was strangely clean, but to be sure I cleaned it with the grass thoroughly. It looked quite ordinary. Gold, possibly brass, without other engravings or set gems. Maybe if I threw the ring in a fire, ancient writing would show up, but where can I get a fire here? Anyway, [Identify] clearly told me that this was [Ring of holding - rare quality] which meant it was something like my inventory.

Well, this belonged to the dead man. Rest in peace.

This ring should be working like a backpack. It created a magic space for storing things. Something that would be very useful to me. Maybe right now it contained something to help me survive here.

This is how these rings and backpacks worked in games. According to the name, it could have been such a ring. On the other hand, quite often these things were locked with anti-theft magic and required specific conditions for opening. I just hope that's not the case.

"All right, let's go" I smiled and carefully put the ring on my right hand.

It was a strange feeling. I didn't wear rings and no one has put one on my finger yet, so this was a new experience for me. I don't know if the poor person in the cave was a woman, but the ring fitted like a glove.

"What now?" Let my energy flow through it? Mana? Aura? I don't have one! Wait my Status said I have mana. But I have no idea how to use it. That's so frustrating.

No solution came to my mind. So for now it will be just a ring from a dead person on my finger.

Shouldn't I be able to use magic? Some ability?

I was sure my profession was to blame. Toothbrush Fight, what kind of class is that and why is there no description of it? Why is there no description of anything? Seriously. Wait, what is this? Do I have one empty slot for active and passive ability? Ok? I knew I missed a lot.

Why the hell couldn't I be summoned to the castle? Now I would be sitting somewhere in a magic class and a professor of magic would explain some basics and common sense to me. Calm down Kirra. I clicked on the passive ability window and opportunities appeared in front of me. Precisely two options.

[Like a tooth]

[Bane of decay]

"Damn, no description again," I swore. I'm sorry mom, but I can't be a decent girl today. So I have two options and I can only choose one. All I have are names. Great!

Ok, I'll try to focus more. [Like a tooth] hmm. Will my body gain the qualities of a tooth? Properties similar to it? Will my skin by white like a tooth? I don't know.

[Hard to kill], let's see. I has a cool name. My guess is, that it will help me with a decay. Tooth decay? Heal my teeth or my whole body?

Well, it was more than I expected at first glance. But what to choose. Have the ability to heal, or the ability to prevent injuries in the first place? My miraculous healing after the bear's attack also bothered me. How did it happen? One possibility was that gaining levels completely restored my HP, just like in games. But I didn't want to believe it.

The second possibility is that random Samaritan passersby healed me, but left me there. Even less likely. The last option that came to my mind was my toothbrush or pajamas. Obviously they were no longer ordinary objects like on Earth. Out of nowhere, the toothbrush appeared in my hand after I think about it. Pajamas, again, weren't even scratched after a bear attack. It wouldn't be weird if one of those things had healing effects.

But all [Identify] said was name and quality.

So back to my problem. Regeneration or a stiffer body? I couldn't be sure how much damage this regeneration could heal. It would be better to prevent this damage. What if I lose my hand, which I definitely don't plan to do. Can this ability regrow it back? On the other hand, if I choose a stiffer body, how much more resilient it will be. Will my skin stop the beast's fangs?

It was a difficult decision. If I was at least sure I could change that decision later, I probably wouldn't hesitate that much. But my instinct told me I didn't need much regeneration right now. That's why I chose [Like a Tooth].

"Ugh," I wiped the sweat from my forehead. This decision making was much easier in the games.

I tried to click on the passive ability icon again, but nothing happened and this confirmed to me that the decision is permanent. So now active skills. This time my hand was no longer shaking when I clicked on the icon.

[Toothbrush Smite]

[World of Magic Brush]

At least those names spoke for themselves. Simply a choice between magic and brute force. The choice was clear, of course, magic. Magic is cool. Of course, I did not confirm my choice immediately. I'm not stupid, but going the way of brute force wasn't exactly for me. I couldn't imagine throwing myself at the enemy or that I will cut my way through hordes of enemies with the sword or toothbrush in my case. No, it certainly wasn't for me. On the contrary, standing in the back rows and using magic, I could do that.

Of course, I may be wrong, and this is actually a very peaceful world, and my encounter with Mr. Bear was just an unfortunate interplay of coincidences with a tragic end. If so, I am very sorry. On the other hand, there was a human hand in that cave.

Anyway, I chose [World of Magic Brush]. That was the path I wanted to take. For now. Before I find my way back home. Hopefully, it will be soon.

As with my passive ability, even now that I have confirmed [World of Magic Brush] as my active ability, I have not felt any change in my body. Of course, both abilities were at level 1. Which probably played a big role. [World of Magic Brush] was an active ability, so nothing should be sucked in until I activate it.

How do I activate it?

I tried to think of my new ability, but nothing happened. I tried again and again. The only thing I avoided was awkward poses and shouting the name of my ability out loud. That would be very embarrassing, but what more can I try. I couldn't think of anything anymore.

"World of Magic Brush" I whispered. Embarrassingly. I felt blood rush to my face.

"Wow," I called. That wasn't the only thing I felt. Energy began to flow through my body. New energy. I've never felt anything like this in my life. I felt stronger. My fatigue was gone. My senses seemed sharper. Is this mana? I tried to remember the feeling quickly. I was hoping that later I wouldn't have to say the name of the ability out loud.

I looked around. The world seemed much sharper than before. More colorful, more vivid and ... and my hands were interwoven with white veins? What? My feet too. I glanced quickly under my shirt and my chest was exactly the same. White veins covered my whole body. I say veins, but that's not entirely accurate. It was more of a pattern, straight lines. Running from one point to another, like lightning. They were white, yes, but they glowed faintly and pulsed.

It was actually a quite beautiful sight.

That is until the world went black and I passed out.

***

When I woke up, I had a terrible headache. My head was throbbing with pain. Fortunately, nothing else hurt. I did not fall to the ground from a great height when I fainted. I was sitting on the ground. Plus, according to the shadows of trees on the ground, I wasn't out for too long. Probably just a few minutes.

I immediately opened my status.

Health: 84/84

Stamina: 65/65

Mana: 1/87

"I thought so," I sighed. My new skill has exhausted my mana. This happened in the novels often. Mana exhaustion. That's why I passed out, and now I have a headache. I definitely have to learn to master this skill properly. Especially turn it off in time. If I saw my HP, SP and MP bars in front of me, it would be much easier, but that's probably not how it worked here.

But other attempts had to wait until my mana was full. Which will be a how long? Few minutes, or a few hours? I don't know, it is just another problem on my list of unknows.

However, I have another issue. I was thirsty and my stomach was also starting to growl. No wonder there, it was empty. That's why I got up from the ground and was determined to find water and food. The bear had to go somewhere to drink. This forest had to have some berries in it.

Which way to go? I determined east and west according to the movement of the suns. North and east were also clear. In my opinion, I had the best chance of finding a stream if I went along the foot of the mountains. So to the east or northwest. The big lake that I saw earlier, was on the east. So east it was.

There was nothing I could take with me. Nothing to leave here with a heavy heart. It's just that this was where I appeared in this world. Goodbye, bear. Rest in peace.

I walked very slowly and carefully. After all, I was barefoot. Even if I wanted to go faster, I couldn't. The forest here was very similar to that on Earth. It was a mixed forest. The leaves of the trees were green here and there were bushes too. But no blueberries. Yet.

I was walking for over an hour, according to my internal clock. So I had to take that figure with a great reserve. But in my opinion, I walked a decent distance. But more importantly, what I heard was the sound of a roaring stream. There was water somewhere in the woods in front of me.

I was really thirsty already, but I forced myself not to hurry. Be careful. That was my mantra. I had no idea what might be in front of me beside the water source. It took me a few more minutes. I climbed a small ridge and there was a small stream in the valley in front of me. It rippled among the trees and rocks and disappeared into the distance in the woods. I approached it carefully. Quite often when the protagonist was not alert in those moments, he was unexpectedly attacked by the monsters. Or something else.

But I did not see or hear anything in the area, so I cautiously went down into the valley to the source of the water. Whether it was drinkable was questionable, but the availability of water analysis here was unknown to me. However, I had more confidence in the purity of the local water than that on earth.

My throat was already parched, so I knelt on the bank and took a handful of water. I got intoxicated with full sips of this delightful liquid. The water was really great and icy. No wonder, it probably flowed from those mountain tops. It came from melting snow and ice.

"Eh," I paused as I looked up to check on my surroundings.

I couldn't believe what I saw in front of me on the other side of the stream.