Scavenging

Stepping out of the small thatched hut, Luis was immediately struck by the fierce heat of the sun hanging right in the middle of the sky. It was clearly noon, and the sunlight beat down relentlessly, turning the air into something hot and heavy that burned his skin just standing still.

His throat, already dry and rough from the harsh environment, felt even worse now, parched and scratchy as if filled with fine dust. The thirst that had been nagging at him earlier was now a sharp, constant pain, reminding him with every breath that his body was rapidly running out of fluids.

Dragging his weary legs across the cracked, lifeless ground, he made his way toward the center of his territory. There stood his only companion, the World Tree sapling. But as Luis drew closer, his heart sank.

The little tree looked nothing like the vibrant, lively being it had been just a short while ago. It was visibly exhausted. Its once bright green leaves had turned dull and limp, drooping sadly downward.

Its thin branches, which used to sway proudly and wave at him, now hung low and lifeless, swaying only when the hot wind pushed against them. Even its sturdy little trunk was slightly bent, as if carrying a heavy burden.

Luis could feel it clearly, the sapling wasn't just tired. It was suffering. Just like him, it was tormented by a desperate thirst.

"If you think about it, you are still fundamentally a plant, aren't you?" Luis murmured softly, crouching down beside it.

He reached out and gently touched a drooping leaf, feeling how dry and warm it was to the touch.

"No matter how legendary or special you are, you still follow the basic laws of nature. Plants need water to survive. They need nutrients from the soil to grow strong. But look at where we are standing.."

He gestured widely at the land surrounding them, a vast expanse of grey-brown dust, loose gravel, and deep cracks.

"There is no fresh water here. The ground is dead. It's nothing but powdered rock and dry dirt. There isn't a single drop of moisture or a speck of fertilizer in it. It's completely useless for growing anything."

A bitter feeling rose in his chest as he thought about the millions of other Human Lords scattered across this massive world.

"Some people were lucky enough to start near rivers, or green forests, or fertile plains. They probably already have water and food to spare. But me? I got the premium desolate wasteland package. Truly amazing luck I have here!"

He shook his head violently, forcing those useless thoughts away. Complaining about unfair luck or bad starting conditions wouldn't change reality. It wouldn't create water out of thin air, and it wouldn't turn dust into soil.

"There is no use crying over spilled milk, or dry dirt in this case!" Luis stood up abruptly, his eyes suddenly burning with fierce determination.

He looked down at the little sapling that looked ready to wither away at any moment.

"Listen to me, partner. We don't have a choice anymore. I know it's dangerous outside the wall. I know there are monsters and gods know what else roaming around out there. But think about it! If we stay inside this territory and just wait, what happens? We slowly dry up. We wither away. We die of thirst within another day or two, guaranteed."

He pointed firmly toward the rough wooden gate that marked the exit of his small domain.

"So we are going out. We are going to search every inch of land around here until we find water, or something to eat, or anything that can keep us alive. Either we find a way to survive out there, or we die trying. That is the only option we have left!"

As if it sensed the unyielding resolve burning in its master's heart, the World Tree seemed to perk up instantly. The drooping branches stiffened. The dull leaves rustled with sudden new energy.

It raised one of its thin branches, curled the tip into a fist shape, and raised it high into the air, shaking it vigorously, as if shouting (Yes! You're right! Let's go together!)

Seeing this funny yet incredibly heartwarming gesture, Luis couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. His heavy mood lightened considerably.

"Alright! That's the spirit! That's exactly what I want to see! Let's go then, partner!"

One was a desperate human lord with nothing but his wits and a sharp stone clutched tightly in his hand. The other was a tiny, thirsty mythical sapling that walked on roots. Side by side, this strange pair marched across the empty land toward the boundary of their small home.

Reaching the fence, Luis turned back to look at his territory one last time.

The wooden wall and the gate, it looked even worse up close. It wasn't built to defend, or to last, or to hold anything back.

It was made from rough, discarded wooden planks, uneven and thin, hammered together clumsily like a half-finished project. It looked so flimsy that Luis was terrified a strong gust of wind might blow it over, let alone a charging beast or an enemy invader.

Who knew if this thing could actually stop anything from coming inside? It was basically just a decoration that happened to mark the border.

Just as he was thinking about the sorry state of his defenses, a semi-transparent blue panel automatically popped up in his vision.

WOODEN WALL – LEVEL 1
Status: Fragile, easily damaged
Materials needed to upgrade to Level 2:

3200 Logs of Wood

Upgrade now? [YES / NO]

Luis stared at the numbers, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He hurriedly swiped the window away, closing it as fast as he could. He couldn't bear to look at it for even one more second.

"3200 logs?! Thousands?!" He grit his teeth, his face twitching in frustration.

"I am technically a billionaire in gold coins! I have a mythical summoned creature! I am ranked among the top summoners in the whole world! Yet I am so poor and destitute that I cannot afford even a single piece of log, let alone five hundred! If this was one of those unscrupulous pay-to-win games, there better be a 'Top-up to get resources' button somewhere! I'd sell my soul just to get a bucket of water right now!"

Since complaining wouldn't produce wood out of nowhere, Luis ignored the pitiful state of his wall and pushed the gate open with a loud, protesting creak.

The moment they stepped past the wooden planks, the cold mechanical voice of the system rang out clearly in their minds.

WARNING! YOU ARE NOW OUTSIDE YOUR TERRITORY BOUNDARIES!
THE PROTECTIVE NEWBIE SHIELD IS INACTIVE IN THIS AREA! NO SAFETY GUARANTEED!
GOOD LUCK!

"Good Luck?! That's it?!" Luis shouted at the empty sky, his voice cracking slightly from dryness.

"No survival tips? No map? No warning about what exactly is out there? Just 'Good Luck'? Thanks a lot, system! You really know how to take care of your players!"

He stood there at the edge of the known world, the hot wind blowing hard against them, whipping his hair around and rustling the sapling's leaves violently.

The heat outside was noticeably worse than inside the boundary, heavier, thicker, and more oppressive. Luis tightened his grip on the sharp stone he had picked up as a weapon.

Beside him, the World Tree straightened its trunk as much as it could, looking around alertly, its branches swaying constantly, sensing the flow of energy and the environment.

They started walking.

They had been moving for nearly an hour, but looking ahead, they hadn't actually traveled very far. They were only about half a kilometer away from their starting point. Luis could still clearly see the silhouette of his sad little wooden wall and the simple buildings in the distance behind them.

Their pace was intentionally slow and cautious. Luis didn't dare rush blindly into the unknown. Every few steps, he would stop, scan the horizon, check behind rocks, and look up at the sky for signs of danger.

He knew perfectly well that in this kind of harsh world, recklessness meant instant death. He had to be careful with every single step he took.

Suddenly, Luis grabbed the sapling's branch and pulled it down hard, crouching low behind a large, dry boulder. He pointed shakily toward the right side.

"Shh! Don't move! Look there!"

Moving slowly across the flat plain was a massive creature. It looked somewhat like a bull, but it was twice the size of any bull Luis had ever seen in his life.

Its skin was a deep, terrifying shade of red, like hot iron or burning coal. Thick muscles bulged all over its body, rippling with raw power as it moved. And on its head, instead of two horns, it had three long, sharp, dagger-like horns curving upward and backward, gleaming menacingly in the sun. Every heavy step it took made the dry ground tremble slightly.

"Damn! That thing is huge," Luis whispered, his eyes glued to the monster.

"If I could kill it, just think about it! We would have mountains of meat! Enough food to last us for weeks! Maybe even leather and bones to make tools and armor!"

His eyes gleamed with greed for a split second, but then reality crashed down on him hard.

He looked again at those three sharp, deadly horns. He looked at the thick, rock-hard skin and the massive hooves that could crush a human skull like an eggshell.

Then he looked at his only partner, a thirsty sapling barely a meter tall. Then he looked at his weapon, a sharp rock he found on the ground.

"Yeah~ if I could kill it," Luis repeated bitterly. "The keyword is IF. If I try to fight that thing, the result won't be meat and glory. The result will be me being turned into mincemeat and trampled into the dirt. And this little guy here will probably get snapped like a dry twig."

They could only huddle behind the cover of the rock, holding their breath, waiting with pounding hearts until the massive Red Bull slowly walked past them, moving toward the far horizon and disappearing into the shimmering heat waves.

Only when it was completely gone did Luis let out a huge breath he had been holding, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

"Okay, definitely avoid anything that big and red. Got it."

They continued their difficult journey.

Although the land was classified as a barren wasteland, it wasn't completely empty. Here and there, spaced far apart, stood tall, lonely trees.

They were ugly to look at, twisted, gnarled, with rough dark bark and very few leaves. They looked half-dead, barely surviving in this harsh environment by clinging to whatever little resources they could find.

Luis walked up to one of these trees, eyes lighting up instantly. Thanks to his All-Knowing Eyes ability, a small text box appeared automatically in his vision.

[WILDERNESS OAK]
Description: Hardy tree species adapted to harsh environments.
Usage: Good for harvesting Logs.
Material Grade: Level 1 (Common Crafting Material)

"Logs! Finally! Something useful!" Luis got excited.

If he could get logs, he could upgrade his wall! He could build a better house! He could make proper tools!

He gripped his stone tightly, raised it high, and slammed it against the trunk with all his strength.

CLANG!

A loud, painful sound rang out. Luis nearly dropped the stone, his hands stinging from the heavy impact. He looked at the tree, there was only a scratch on the thick, rough bark.

"Fine! One hit isn't enough!" Luis gritted his teeth and started pounding away furiously.

CLANG! CLANG! THUD! WHACK!

He hit it over and over again, sweat pouring down his face, his arms screaming in pain from the effort. He attacked the tree like a madman for a full ten minutes, until he was completely out of breath and his arms felt like they were falling off.

He stepped back, panting heavily, to check his progress.

The tree, looked exactly the same. There was a dent but that was it. The only thing that happened was that his "weapon", the sharp stone, had chipped away and turned into a rounded, useless pebble.

Luis stared at the smooth stone in his hand, then at the invincible tree, and finally at his aching arms. He learned a very good lesson that day:

A rock is a rock, and it was definitely not meant to be a lumberjack's axe. Trying to cut down a tree with a stone was just a stupid waste of precious energy.

Defeated, hungry, thirsty, and utterly exhausted, the two wanderers found a large flat rock and sat down heavily on it.

They looked absolutely miserable. Luis was covered in dust and sweat, his throat burning, his stomach cramping painfully with hunger.

The World Tree sapling was even worse; its leaves were practically touching the ground now, its branches completely lifeless, looking like it might dry up and blow away with the next gust of wind.

"Welp my little friend," Luis said hoarsely, looking at the sad plant beside him. He leaned his back against the rough stone, staring blankly at the endless grey-brown landscape stretching out before them.

"If only both of us could eat grass. Or chew on tree bark. Or swallow dirt. Then we'd be fine, right? We'd have unlimited food and resources right here under our feet."

He let out a long, heavy sigh, his voice filled with exhaustion and defeat.

"But sadly, humans can't eat dirt. And I don't think you can survive on dry dust either. If we don't find something to drink or eat soon, we aren't going to make it. We'll just starve to death out here in the middle of nowhere."

He looked at the small, weak sapling that he had summoned with such high hopes. It was supposed to be the source of life, the great World Tree of legends, a Deity class existence. Yet here it was, suffering alongside him, about to perish in a wasteland.

"I'm sorry," Luis whispered, his head hanging low.

"I summoned you from who knows where. I brought you into this world. And instead of a lush forest, rich soil, and abundant resources, I brought you to this hellhole. I made you suffer hunger and thirst right from the moment you were born. I'm a terrible master, aren't I?"

He closed his eyes, feeling utterly hopeless. He had gold coins that were useless. He had a special eye ability that only let him see things he couldn't use. He had a mythical creature that was dying of thirst. He had nothing.

Suddenly, he felt a soft, light touch on his shoulder.

Luis opened his eyes and turned his head.

The World Tree had dragged itself closer to him. It had lifted one of its drooping branches with great effort, extending it upward, and gently patted Luis on the back. It was a weak, slow pat, but the meaning behind it was crystal clear.

(Don't be sad. It's okay. We are together. We will be fine.)

Despite its own suffering, despite being exhausted and thirsty itself, the little tree was comforting its master. It rustled its dry leaves softly, making a gentle sound, as if whispering encouragement. It tilted its small crown, looking at Luis with those invisible eyes, radiating pure trust and affection.

Luis stared at the sapling. At that moment, all the frustration, the fear, and the despair vanished, replaced by a burning determination that was stronger than ever.

He grabbed the thin branch resting on his shoulder with both hands, holding it tight.

"You really are something else, you know that?" Luis said, his voice thick but full of new energy.

"You are right. I'm being pathetic. Just sitting here feeling sorry for myself won't solve anything. We haven't died yet. We haven't lost."

He stood up suddenly, pulling the sapling up with him. He looked around the wasteland with sharp, focused eyes.

"Come on! Rest time is over! We keep moving!"