Chapitre 27: End of the 2nd Day
Even though Aoni had confirmed the existence of two more fruits, there was a slight hitch in moving forward with gathering them, and that came in the form of Glacia having ZERO idea where they were.
He had tried everything he could to try to get her to understand what Aoni meant by 'let's find them.' Still, even after following her out of the cave on what he could only call a false flag, the result was them standing outside in the storm for 15 minutes while she looked all around in confusion before finally turning to look at her Lord with disappointment in her eyes.
But all wasn't lost because as he stood out in the snow, Aoni felt FAR better than he had during the previous ventures outside, which wasn't much of a surprise considering he was now sporting an F- Pain Resistance and Defense, in tandem with Cold Resistance.
Please don't get it messed up. The Lad still found it far too cold outside to be comfortable. Still, with his body's resilience being way higher, Aoni could now withstand the harsh wind and bitter cold for a significantly longer period.
If he had to estimate, Aoni believed, he could more than likely last about an hour before having to worry about getting frostbite.
Another thing he noticed was how much stronger he felt; lying around and not moving much masked just how large his growth was, but now that Aoni was up and about, he could tell just how far he'd come.
For him, who had previously been a slightly malnourished and gangly fellow with a bit of a potbelly, it was a MASSIVE step in the right direction; overall, Aoni looked and felt way healthier and was finally filling out the frame he'd been genetically gifted.
Like a diamond in the rough, he went from a gangly, borderline homeless-looking fellow to a strapping young lad, but given the state of his skin and clothing, it truly wasn't easy to tell.
So, since Aoni was able to handle the cold better, he figured it was time to get some of this crud off his skin.
Stripping down, the Lad spent about five minutes rolling around in the snow naked until he felt free and clear, and well…chilled to the bone, Aoni rushed back into the cave where it was nice and warm before sitting in front of the fire to warm back up.
Glacia, on the other hand, was quite a sight because she treated the whole thing like a giant game, even swiping her Lord's pants at one point and running around him in a circle.
Regardless, once Aoni's body was clean and warmed up, he was able to examine himself closer and was quite shocked by the results.
He was by no means muscular or even sporting an athletic build or anything like that, but Aoni had definitely upgraded from scrawny to…average…or so he believed.
There was a slight definition in his biceps, and he could see budding abs starting to poke through what used to be belly fat, so Aoni could only assume he'd replaced about 15-20 pounds of fat with pure, lean muscle.
All of it was the product of Energia, so while he needed nourishment to maintain this state, the initial foundation was due to the mystical source of power.
Well…that and whatever hell his body was put through, thanks to his Attribute.
Still, One thing Aoni noticed was that his nudity seemed to have ZERO effect on Glacia, and while he had been a bit self-conscious at first, it didn't seem to matter anymore; thus, since his clothing was filthy and his body was both cleaned and warmed up, the Lad went ahead and began using the vines and some pliable branches to weave a basket.
What for you might ask? Well…to hold water, of course. It wasn't like he could stay outside and clean his clothing, unlike his skin, which had his core body temp to melt the snow long enough for him to rub off the gunk; the same couldn't be said about Aoni's cotton clothing, which would retain the moisture before freezing solid in a couple of minutes thanks to how cold it was outside.
That said, he chose young branches that were filled with moisture and bendable, and in about an hour, Aoni had a decent-sized basket, yet another product of his survival classes in school.
Of course, his newly increased stats helped out, and once finished, Aoni sent Glacia out to fill it to the brim with snow, yet another challenging task that he was able to overcome eventually.
From there, it was simply a matter of holding the basket close enough to the fire to melt the snow but not damage the container, and 30 minutes later…voila, he had a basket full of chilled water.
By the time his stomach and the little gluttons were growling for dinner, Aoni had already made a small drying rack, cleaned his clothes, and hung them up so the fire could evaporate the moisture from them.
Having skipped lunch, he was able to make a decent-sized meal for the two of them out of the Dinner and Lunch MREs for Day 2, and soon enough, Aoni was tucked in under the emergency blanket, with Glacia lying on top of him while already snoring away.
Although he may not have gotten much done in the grand scheme, the Lad understood that he had done quite a bit for his short-term growth. As such, when it came time to check his TD for the final time of the night, Aoni had earned a substantial amount of Progress points, with his total being 38.33.
The sight alone was more than enough to bring a smile to his lips as Aoni closed both his TD and his eyes and began drifting off into the sweet embrace of sleep.
However, as he was resting safely and warmly above the mountain, things further down could not be any more different.
Some distance away, through the howling winds, cries of rage and snarls of defiance echoed through the night as a large-scale battle erupted.
The reason was that the two remaining spikey fruits that Glacia had found, something else, was now fighting with their lives on the line to claim them as their own, and it would no doubt be a night filled with death and bloodshed.
One which neither Aoni nor Glacia would come to find out till later.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone