Aaron looked at the newly upgraded map and was astonished to find it filled with yellow dots. Even beneath the camp, two yellow dots were visible. Only now did he realize why, back in the Dark Forest, he had spotted so few of them, the new map function could detect creatures underground.
He then noticed the map’s range had been extended. The Dark Forest was now clearly visible, glowing with red lights. Wolves and wild boars were scattered throughout, easily identifiable.
Looking more carefully, he spotted a village located just four kiloters to the south. A river flowed beside it.
"Maybe this is Brindle Hollow," he thought.
The place they had been searching for.
Even more surprising, the map now displayed the number of people inside each hut. What truly stunned him was the addition of emojis floating above their heads.
Most showed sleeping emojis, one had a hungry emoji, and a few displayed love emojis between two people, likely indicating mating.
Aaron blinked and quickly looked away, feeling awkward.
Then he checked Maria’s emoji. Her mood was shifting rapidly, from disgust, to panic, to embarrassnt.
Aaron frowned, confused.
"What did she just see?"
He decided to talk to her about it later. For now, he carefully tucked the coin pouch into his cloth purse, hidden securely inside his pants.
Then he paused and opened his stats panel.
To his surprise, he had 120 experience points available.
He thought to himself:
"I have enough experience points now. Should I increase my level or invest in skills?"
"I already know the benefits of upgrading skills... but I haven’t leveled up even once. Maybe it’s ti to explore what leveling up actually does."
Aaron Warwick (Lv. 2) (30/200 EXP)
HP: 30/30
MP: 20/20
STR: 3
DEX: 2
CON: 3
INT: 2
Skills:
- Lion Breathing Mastery (Lv.2) (101/200)
- Basic Sword Mastery (lv.2) (3/200)
- Basic Archer Mastery (lv.2) (8/200)
- Cooking (50/100)
Experience Points: 120
Aaron stared at his stats panel and froze. He still didn’t have enough experience points to level up.
“Just 50 points short,” he muttered.
His eyes drifted to the box of mice. He checked their status, sure enough, they weren’t strong enough to even display a level.
A wave of regret washed over him. At the sa ti, he felt a strong impulse to head out and hunt wild animals in the Dark Forest. The wolves and boars he’d seen on the map could easily give him the experience he needed.
But he shook his head.
It was already night. The forest would be even more dangerous in the dark.
“Not worth the risk,” he thought, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Aaron, are you asleep?"
Maria’s voice ca from outside the curtain.
Aaron hesitated briefly, then stepped out of the tent and found her standing there. A faint frown creased her forehead as she spoke in a low tone,
"Aaron... I’ll sleep next to you."
She imdiately grew embarrassed and added,
"Don’t misunderstand . It’s just... the wilderness out here, and the wolf howls really frighten ."
Aaron was stunned for a mont, but then he understood. He replied calmly,
"Okay, Miss Maria."
He glanced at her, her appearance was dusty and worn from travel. Being a clean freak himself, he felt no lustful thoughts. At least, not for now.
Maria, still embarrassed, followed him into the tent. The air inside slled faintly of mice, and the other tents weren’t much better.
Aaron picked up the box filled with mice and moved it to another tent. Then he carefully arranged the firewood and returned.
The bed was made from wild bushes, with a thin cloth spread over the top. He lay down quietly, and Maria, her head lowered, lay beside him.
Aaron was soon asleep, physically and ntally exhausted from the day’s events. On the other hand, Maria lay awake, panic stirring in her heart. She couldn’t help but worry, what if Aaron tried sothing during the night?
But then she heard him snoring beside her.
She was stunned, even dumbfounded.
"Am I not attractive enough? How co Aaron’s not interested in ?" she muttered to herself.
"Damn it!"
Despite her frustration, a wave of relief washed over her. The day had been terrifying, but eting Aaron had been the one good thing she could hold onto. With that thought, she finally drifted off to sleep.
---
Early the next morning.
Aaron opened his eyes, feeling a strange weight pressing down on him. He frowned and slowly looked up.
He was stunned.
Maria was lying on top of him.
At that exact mont, Maria’s eyes fluttered open, and she was even more stunned than he was.
She imdiately scread,
"Pervert!"
She raised her hand to slap him, but Aaron caught her wrist calmly and said,
"Miss Maria, please behave yourself. I haven’t done anything disrespectful to you."
He gently moved her aside and stood up, walking out of the tent without another word.
Maria, still flustered, checked her clothes. Everything was intact. Then she rembered her sleeping habits, and instantly turned red with embarrassnt.
Last night, Aaron had a good sleep. Early in the morning, he checked the map and searched for a nearby water source to relieve himself.
He found one.
Just five hundred ters from their location, there was a small puddle filled with water. A few other puddles were scattered nearby, likely remnants from rainfall a few days ago.
At least for now, his bathroom problem was solved. As for washing his hands, he could use ash, sothing he’d learned from survival tips.
Just then, Maria stepped out of her tent. She spoke in a low tone,
"Aaron, I’m sorry."
Aaron simply waved his hand and replied,
"Miss Maria, I’m going to relieve myself."
He didn’t say more, it was too embarrassing.
Maria, on the other hand, blushed heavily. She also felt the need to go.
"Can I follow you?" she asked.
Aaron nodded and said,
"Take so charcoal with you. You can use it to wash your hands."
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