Another World Story

Day Seven: Back to Square One

Although John had read hundreds of books before and one could say that his cognitive memory is quite high, remembering every bit of piece that he had read was still something he couldn't do.

Add to that, the fact that he, John, was not the type of person to physically act. John was practically a person that is useless in his current situation.

John hadn't even read any 101 ways of how to survive in the wild, much more read anything about surviving in another world!

This was completely outside his repertoire of skills!

If he knew he would be in this kind of situation, he would have read more novel stories about transmigrating into another world!

He would have read less of those summoned in another world as a hero trope!

Alas!

He was already in an unfamiliar world and the worst thing was, he might not be able to return...

When that thought came to his mind, John was silent for a moment as he raised his head to look at the azure blue sky, just like the one back in his world, and then at the three suns that told otherwise.

"...would I be able to return?" John asked himself. Unsure of the answer.

Then he shook his head as he shifted his gaze away from the sky, "I might not even be able to survive in this forest. I can't think about such things for now. At the very least, I should return to my goal," he silently thought as determination flashed in his eyes.

Only with a goal can one strive to live!

John nodded to himself as he pulled the wolf carcass out of the shallow water and dragged it near a boulder about half his height and put the wolf carcass on top of it. He then looked around, looking for something that he could use to butcher the wolf. At the very least, he needed a sharp object, sharp enough to cut the wolf's skin and meat.

John spends about half an hour looking around the area while keeping an eye on the wolf's carcass in case some scavenger-like animals will pounce on it and take his loot. And when that happened, he could only cry about his misfortune. John looked around for some more time and when he was about to lose his hope, in the corner of his eye, he caught something protruding from the bushes near a giant tree. John's eyes lit up as he cautiously approached the bush while holding a brand-new stick he had found earlier.

Using the long stick, John poked the bush sideways as he immediately backed off a few steps, afraid that something would popout of the bush and bite him.

Fortunately, John's precaution was for naught as he saw the inside of the bush and found it empty except for the white protruding thing.

"... It seemed to be an antler?" John said. And using the long stick one more, he adjusted it and pulled it up to take a better look.

"Indeed. It's an antler," John confirmed. He then examined it closer.

It was ivory white with traces of red stains that seemingly smelled of iron. The antler was about half a meter in height, and was 4 inches in diameter at the bottom. Its tip was covered in a red stain that was perhaps the blood of another animal.

John weighed it in his hands. "Perhaps about two kilos?" He thought.

"The sharp end could be used as a spear but, I need something to cut... hmm. Perhaps I could sharpen the edges?"

John pondered for a few seconds before realizing that he had nothing to use to sharpen it either. He was now in a dilemma.

John looked up at the sky once more, which was covered by the forest foliage. Before spotting the three suns high above the sky.

According to the things he had learned before, John decided that it was currently noon. And he it would only be a few hours before the sky darkens. Sigh. He hasn't made any progress has his current goals... John then decided to go back to the wolf's carcass and was thankful that no beast took an interest in it while he was away before sitting down near the boulder. He had to think of how he could butcher the wolf's carcass, otherwise it would be a huge waste of his time, effort, and sweat!

John then looked at the antlers once more. He carefully examined it for a few minutes before an idea struck him.

"...argh! I'm a such an i***t! Yes! That could work!"

With that flash of inspiration, John jumped from his seated position and looked at the boulder that was half his height, then at the antlers. And without further ado, John inspected the boulder, looking for a smooth part of it before finding one behind it. It was near the wolf's carcass that was now dripping with blood.

John pushes the wolf's carcass away slightly, before going to the shallow river and drenching the antler wet and returning to the boulder.

With the smooth surface of the boulder, John faced the edge of the antler on it, and using his long black sleeves that came out of nowhere as a holder for the tip of the antler. John began to rub the edge of the antler on the boulder. At first, he was slow, making sure that he would not be poked by the tip of the antler, then as he got used to it, he became faster and faster, switching the edges as he began to polish it to the shape of a knife.

John wasn't the most athletic person there is, so no sooner than a few minutes, John began to pant, his breathing haggard. In spite of that, John didn't stop to rest. His gaze became more determined as he slowly saw the edges of the antler taking the shape of a knife. His actions continued without stopping for about two hours straight, without his knowing it, and when it finally took shape. John couldn't help but smile, his face was covered in sweat. His exposed back was like that of a fall, drenched, even his pants got drenched due to his sweat. But John didn't mind any of it. Now, he could only see the "dagger" in his hand.

".... Finally!" He said, his voice hoarse from dehydration. And as soon as he said that, John fell flat to the ground. Although the "dagger" he had made wasn't that sharp and had no hilt for him to hold on to. It was enough. With this he could start butchering the hell out of the wolf's carcass. At the very least, he could get some meat.

"Hahaha! My first creation!"

John laughed. It was the first time he had created something like this. The exhilaration he was feeling was something he could not explain. It was a mixture of joy, excitement, pride, and even sadness.

The feelings of joy, excitement and even pride can be understood easily. But the feeling of sadness... John felt that through his 18 years of being alive, only now had he felt that he had done something significant. Only now, had he felt that he was doing something. And that thought... saddened him.

Some people might argue that he was only rubbing an antler on a boulder for two hours. There was nothing to be proud of. John could agree with their perspective, he could understand where they were coming from. Perhaps they could do it as well. Maybe even better than him. But... for him. Someone who had not done anything at all throughout his 18 years of life. Someone who had immersed himself in the world of stories and books. Someone who could only look up to people who were doing their best to achieve something in their lives. To John, doing this simple thing was a monumental achievement for him. At least now, John was sure that he was starting something.

John closed his eyes as he immersed himself on those thoughts. Before opening them again.

"It's just the beginning. I've long dreamed of becoming one of those protagonists from certain stories. And now," John looked at the azure sky. "In this another world... I'll return back to square one, and here, I'll carve my own story!"