I wake up with a terrible pain in my stomach, and before I can even react, I vomit everything in front of me. Luckily, I slept on my side and didn't end up choking on the stones.
— Haa… Ha… How much time has passed? — I murmur, still lying down, looking outside.
The rain has stopped, but the soaked ground indicates that not much time must have passed since it stopped.
My body is stiff, and every movement brings a wave of pain that makes me just want to stay there, immobile, lying inside this cave. Still, my mind warns me: I need to go back, as there is less than a week left until rescue.
— …Open panel. — I whisper, staring at the dark cave ceiling.
[Name]: Rafael
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 4
[Magic Power]: 3
[Skills]
[...]
[Hunter]: 6
[Gatherer]: 9
[Determination]: 2
[Stabber]: 12
[Immunity]: 5
[Survivor]: 7
[Magic]
[Protective Membrane]: 2
[Remembrance]: 1
— So it really worked… — I think, staring at the [Immunity] level. — As I suspected, absorbing those stones strengthens my immune system.
I remember the moment I gained this skill. Even after spending a week with some germ in my body, it hadn't appeared. But when I started absorbing fragments of the magical stones, the skill finally showed up. Now, at level 5, it almost certainly protected me from the infections I would have acquired from sleeping wounded and soaked in the rain.
— This didn't exist in the novel… Maybe no one ever tried it. Or they just didn't see the point in doing it?
After all, swallowing a magical stone in pieces and then having to vomit them up, just to gain a single point of magical power, is not worth it. Furthermore, if someone tried to merge with the stone all at once, they would run the risk of losing their sanity and turning into a half-monster.
— Probably no one would have imagined that, in addition to increasing immunity, this could even grant new magic.
Analyzing the magic section, I still haven't unlocked the magic of this stone, but I'll probably get it after absorbing a good part of it.
— …Well, it's time to go… 3… 2… 1… AAAHHH!
I force myself to get up, and a horrible pain consumes me. It's as if every cell in my body screams in agony with every small movement.
— Now… Let's… go back…
Slowly, I walk out of the cave toward the spring. After everything that happened, it is likely that this is the last time I will go there, as I plan to stay in the shack until I'm rescued.
— Haa… Haa… It's just… a short walk…
Walking slowly, I see that there are no insects nearby, probably hidden because of the rain. This gives me a sense of security as I approach the spring.
— Come on… Drink some water… Haa…
I drink water until my thirst is gone, and then I walk back toward my shack.
— At least I left the bucket outside, so it must have filled up with rainwater… — I think, as I advance in a dragging manner, trying not to slip in the mud. — If I ration my consumption… it should last until the last day.
As I walk, I grab onto the trees along the way for support, and after a long time, I finally return.
— I've never missed… this place… so much…
I look to the corner and see that I still have a little bit of meat left to fry, but instead of thinking about eating, my eyes fix on the magical stone in my hand.
— I should be able to last… a few days without eating…
In front of me, there were two options: the first was to eat to help my recovery and, when the meat ran out, spend the days hungry until help arrived. The second was to save the meat and try to absorb this magical stone as quickly as possible to increase my [Immunity], eating the meat only when the process was finished.
— What ability… should I get?
With the possibility of still having some illness in my body and the curiosity about the ability, I end up choosing the option of going hungry first.
— I can take it… Just for a few days…
And that was how my last week on the island passed, suffering from hunger, pain, and thirst in the last few days, but I was finally saved from that place.
[Name]: Rafael
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 4
[Magic Power]: 5
[Skills]
[...]
[Cook]: 3
[Determination]: 7
[Stabber]: 13
[Immunity]: 8
[Survivor]: 9
[Tolerance]: 5
[Magic]
[Connection]: 1
[Protective Membrane]: 5
[Remembrance]: 2
— …What a crappy skill is this!?
[To be continued…]