Congratulations! Your「COLD RESISTENCE」skill has increased to Level 54

As night descends, the winds worsen. The moon has reached its peak, and it looms over you like a taunting deity.

No longer are you in an urban environment, as you have left the bounds of the city and entered the forest hours ago. The trees offer no protection against the elements, and the dirt trail ahead seems to go on forever.

You fight through the biting cold, using your shoddy wooden staff to stabilize your footing and lever yourself up. But your knees are weak, and your fingers are numb. It is only a matter of time before your legs give out.

Your friend strings along, not as affected by the weather as you are. An animal's coat is built to withstand harsh conditions after all. Its whiskers droop as it glances over at your shivering body.

Congratulations! Your「COLD RESISTENCE」skill has increased to Level 55

The neverending barrage of textboxes that remind you of your freezing condition doesn't help things. Rather, it drives you up the wall.

And at the top of your lungs, you yell at the notifications, "Shut up!"

Unfortunately, that uses up what little energy you have left, and you drop like a sack of potatoes, unable to move. You are not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Your friend scampers over to your side and desperately endeavors to lift you off the ground with its snout. Unresponsive to its efforts, you continue to lay there for a good minute.

Congratulations! Your「WALKING」skill has increased to Level 39

That is until it cries for you to get up.

Its loud whines churn your stomach, and you cannot bear to picture your friend alone. Using your staff as a cane, you push yourself up with all your strength and stagger to your feet.

"Sorry... I wake up..." you assure the animal. Its tail happily wags at your recovery and it sprints ahead, as though to take the lead.

You plod on, guided by your friend's barks. It takes every fiber of your being not to pass out.

And finally, after a grueling trek, you espy an orange light in the distance amidst the trees.

Congratulations! Your「OBSERVING」skill has increased to Level 42

You and your friend look at one another, before dashing toward this sign of warmth. With your spirit rekindled, you force your way through the branches and foliage and reach a relieving scene.

A riverside camp, complete with a bedroll and fire. You toss aside your staff and journal and sit by the flames. The heat rejuvenates you in an instant.

Your friend sniffs around the campsite, intrigued by the plethora of items scattered about. Given your exhaustion though, and on account of your near-death experience, you ignore these things and opt to go to bed.

You flump down onto the bedroll and gaze up at the night sky. It reminds you of the void. And the many stars above are reminiscent of the floating orb. You think to yourself if that is where you originated from.

Then, you lose consciousness and the familiar black void consumes your vision.

End of Day 1

Current Objective: Learn what it means to live.

The sun shined down on you, triumphantly marking the start of a brand new day.

Your eyelids flicker open, and you find it difficult to breathe. Looking down, you realize your friend has curled up and fallen asleep on your stomach. You refrain from getting up, allowing it to slumber for just a moment more.

Your ears pick up the gentle stream of flowing water. It is tranquil—a full 180 from the unforgiving gales you had to endure yesterday.

"Oh..!" you notice your friend staring you square in the face. It yawns and hops off.

You stand up and stretch. The clear morning sky envelops you in a blanket of warmth, and you are quite content in the nude. However, when you reminisce about last night's weather, you come to remember just how deadly it can be when it gets dark.

The campfire that has kept you alive through the night has also died out. So there's no abusing this serendipitous refuge.

You rethink your stance of going full-on naturist and cast around the grounds for some proper clothes. And as if to answer your prayers, you find a stack sitting by the foot of your bed.

Immediately though, you are drenched from behind.

Congratulations! Your「WATER RESISTENCE」skill has increased to Level 1

Your friend has cheekily decided to splash you with water from the river. Irritated, you retaliate by jumping into the river and chasing after him. As it is a knee-high river, you don't level up your swimming skill. Nor do you level up your walking skill due to how slow you're moving.

Honestly, it ends up being a waste of time.

The animal continues to playfully pelt you with water. And wading against the current, you are tuckered out after about an hour.

When you return to the bank, you catch your reflection in the crystal clear river water. You are as clean as a hound's tooth. The traces of dirt and berries on you and your cloak were washed away by the stream.

You turn to your friend, wondering if this is what it intended.

In any case, you leave your cloak on a nearby rock to dry and sit on the bedroll. You peruse through your journal, eager to find out your growth as a person.

Unlocked Skills Progress Reading 10/100 Speaking 25/100 Listening 49/100 Observing 42/100 Smelling 6/100 Walking 39/100 Running 7/100 Blunt Resistance 2/100 Cold Resistance 55/100 Water Resistance 1/100 Foraging 6/100 Taming 3/100 Crafting 1/100

The numbers representing your progress appear to change color once it surpasses a certain threshold. You are pretty curious as to how the page actually updates itself. So you close your eyes and focus your hearing on distant noises to farm your listening skill.

You absorb the sounds of nature, from the river beside you to the birds singing in the trees.

Congratulations! Your「LISTENING」skill has increased to Level 50

And the sight is something to behold. The numbers magically transition into an orange tint. It is as if this book is tied to you. You recall the mean textbox from your life in the void being the same.

You do not know what this means though.

Interrupting your rumination is your friend, who has brought you a roll of paper. It was careful not to crush the parchment with its sharp fangs.

You pick it up and unroll it, finding a long note that reads as follows:

To Whom It May Concern,

If you are reading this letter, then I have already passed on. The wilds have claimed me, and I have been freed from this mortal coil. Do not go looking for me, for it is my will that I perish here.

I welcome you to take the items from my camp though. You will find a better use for them than I. Before you leave though, I do have a request, if you're willing to fulfill a dead man's wish.

I'd like you to report my death to a woman by the name of Abigail Bertram, in the village of Estherglade south of here. Just ask the townsfolk and they'll point you in her direction.

You can't miss her—her beautiful locks of blonde hair are like a golden whirlpool that'll suck you in.

If you can carry out my request, I'd be eternally grateful...

Unfortunately, you don't fully understand what it reads. Nonetheless, you figure it's important, so you wrap it up again for later.

Congratulations! Your「READING」skill has increased to Level 11

It's been a couple of hours though, and you've completely dried off. You scoot over and inspect the set of clothes. It includes a coarse linen tunic, a pair of breeches, a black belt and socks to boot!

And boots too.

You feel as though this isn't the first time you've worn clothes, as you spontaneously begin to wear them. They are a bit baggy though, and they loosely hang off your body. Instinctively, you tuck in the tunic and use the belt to fasten your pants in place.

Putting on your boots, you twirl around and present yourself to your friend.

It isn't particularly impressed, but as it is an animal, you can't exactly hold that against it.

You search for more items in the area and come across two helpful pieces of equipment. A leather bag and a sheathed dagger. You equip both to the sides of your belt and nod to yourself, satisfied.

You don't know why, but at this instant, you feel like a badass.

Not that your friend recognizes that. It is puzzled as to why you'd clutter yourself with foreign objects. But such is the life of an animal, ignorant but free.

You grab your ragged cloak, and don it, for it is a keepsake from your time in the city. A time that has long since passed. And you stow your journal and the rolled-up letter in the bag, freeing your hands for once.

You pick up your makeshift staff off the ground and venture off, with your faithful companion by your side.

Together you head deeper into the woods, hoping you can find some fruit to partake of.

As you tread these faint roads, you wonder if you will ever find a place you can settle in. One that is neither temporary like the campsite, nor haunting like the abandoned skyscrapers in the city.

A place you can call home.