Chapter 105: After Fight

"Fuck... I need something better than this," Kyle groaned.

The deep wounds along his ribs continued to bleed, staining his torn shirt dark red. His shoulder throbbed with every movement, and the bite marks on his forearm were swollen and raw. Although the healing potions had slowed the bleeding and eased some of the pain, his injuries were far too severe for Low-Grade Healing Potions to repair completely.

Kyle retrieved another potion from his System inventory and stared at it with growing frustration.

"Fuck! Why isn’t this shit healing me?"

He uncorked the bottle, but before he could drink it, a notification appeared.

[Warning!]

[The host has reached the effective healing limit of Low-Grade Healing Potions for the current injuries.]

[Consuming additional potions of the same grade will not significantly accelerate recovery.]

[Recommendation: Purchase a Medium-Grade Healing Potion or a superior alternative.]

Kyle froze.

"Then let me buy one!"

He immediately opened the marketplace and searched for Medium-Grade Healing Potions. His expression quickly soured when he saw the price.

"You’re fucking kidding me!"

The price was far beyond what he could afford with his remaining System Points. He checked his balance twice, hoping he had overlooked something, but the numbers remained unchanged.

He didn’t have enough money.

Kyle stared at the screen in disbelief. He had entered another world, nearly been killed by a wolf, and now couldn’t even afford the medicine necessary to treat his injuries properly.

"Wonderful. Just fucking wonderful."

[The System recommends avoiding further combat until the host has recovered.]

"Really? And how exactly am I supposed to do that when I’m stuck in the middle of a fucking forest?"

The System offered no immediate response.

Kyle looked down at the Low-Grade Healing Potion in his hand before drinking it anyway. The bitter liquid settled in his stomach, and a faint warmth spread through his body. The bleeding slowed somewhat, and the worst of the pain dulled, allowing him to move without immediately collapsing.

However, the improvement was limited. His ribs remained badly wounded, his shoulder was still damaged, and his forearm looked horrific beneath the blood-stained bandage he had improvised. The potion could stabilize him and encourage gradual healing, but it couldn’t repair extensive injuries in an instant or replace the blood he had lost.

Kyle checked his inventory.

He had arrived with fifteen Low-Grade Healing Potions. After using three, he had twelve left.

’Less than a day in this world, and I’ve already burned through three potions. If I keep this up, I’ll run out before I find civilization.’

He glanced at the marketplace again, briefly considering whether there was anything cheaper that might help. Unfortunately, his limited funds offered few appealing options. Buying a Medium-Grade Healing Potion was impossible without earning more System Points, and he had no intention of wasting what little money he had left on something that wouldn’t meaningfully improve his condition.

"Fuck! It hurts! You fucking mutt!"

His anger flared as he looked toward the dead Bloodfang Wolf. The beast had nearly torn him apart, and although Kyle had managed to kill it, his victory had left him barely able to stand.

The System had classified the creature as a Low-Level Beast. Before the fight, Kyle had assumed that his skills and equipment would give him a decent chance against something of that rank. Now he knew better.

Silk Touch had failed against the wolf’s powerful mental resistance, Water Prison hadn’t held it for long, and his Mana Missiles had struggled to inflict enough damage. He had survived only by exploiting brief openings and detonating a Mana Bomb at dangerously close range.

’If a low-level beast can do this to me, what the hell am I supposed to do against something stronger?’

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

He had skills, a System inventory, and access to a marketplace, but none of those things made him invincible. His equipment could break, his mana could run out, and his body could be ripped apart just as easily as anyone else’s.

Worse, his Amulet of Light was gone, leaving him without its defensive effect. He had eight Mana Bombs remaining, but his mana reserves were nearly depleted, and he couldn’t afford to waste more resources on another fight.

He needed to get out of the forest.

Before leaving, however, Kyle glanced at the wolf’s corpse and realized that abandoning a magical beast without checking its remains would be wasteful. If its body contained valuable materials, he might be able to sell them and earn enough money to purchase better medicine.

He dragged himself toward the corpse, wincing as his injured ribs protested every movement.

"At least you’re going to pay me back for this, bastard."

Using a small utility knife from his inventory, Kyle painstakingly removed some usable sections of the wolf’s pelt and collected several intact fangs and claws. The process was slow and unpleasant. His hands trembled, and the pressure of leaning over the corpse repeatedly reopened the wounds along his ribs, causing fresh blood to seep through his shirt.

He nearly abandoned the task twice, but the thought of his empty wallet kept him going.

Eventually, he located a small, hardened object inside the wolf’s body. It was roughly the size of a large marble, dark red, and threaded with faint crimson veins that seemed to hold a trace of magical energy.

"Please tell me this is worth something."

[Item identified: Low-Level Bloodfang Wolf Core.]

[Classification: Magical Material.]

[Condition: Intact.]

[Potential applications include crafting and alchemy. Market value has not yet been determined.]

Kyle’s eyes brightened.

"Finally, some fucking good news."

He extracted the core, then stored it alongside the pelt, fangs, and claws in his System inventory.

[Bloodfang Wolf Core acquired.]

[Bloodfang Wolf Pelt acquired.]

[Bloodfang Wolf Fangs acquired.]

[Bloodfang Wolf Claws acquired.]

He had no idea how much the materials were worth, but he could investigate that once he reached civilization. For now, he had collected everything he could reasonably manage.

Unfortunately, the effort had cost him. His shirt was now soaked in blood, and his legs trembled so badly that standing upright required him to lean against a tree.

He took another Low-Grade Healing Potion from his inventory and drank it, hoping to keep the bleeding under control. The familiar warmth spread through his body, and the flow of blood from his wounds slowed once more.

But the injuries remained.

His shoulder was badly damaged, his forearm was swollen and discolored, and every breath tugged painfully at the deep claw wounds along his ribs. The potion was keeping him alive and helping his body recover gradually, but it couldn’t make him fit enough to fight or walk for hours without consequences.

"That’s it. I’m leaving this fucking place."

Kyle opened the System interface and checked the route information he had received earlier. The nearest known settlement was still several hours away, but the forest’s edge was closer than the settlement itself. Reaching open ground would at least give him better visibility and reduce the chance of another creature ambushing him from the undergrowth.

He adjusted his pack and began walking.

The journey was miserable.

He limped between the enormous trees, using his good hand to steady himself whenever the ground became uneven. Branches scraped against his clothes, and exposed roots repeatedly threatened to trip him. Every stumble sent pain through his body, while the constant movement aggravated his injuries and caused blood to seep through the makeshift bandages.

Several times, he had to stop and drink another healing potion when the bleeding worsened. Each dose provided temporary relief, but none could fully close the wounds or restore his lost strength. His remaining supply dwindled, and the realization made him increasingly anxious.

’I can’t keep doing this. I need proper treatment before these injuries get any worse.’

The forest seemed endless. The light faded beneath the colossal canopy, and the unnatural silence made every distant rustle sound suspicious. Kyle kept his headlamp ready, scanning the shadows whenever he thought he saw movement.

He refused to stop for long. If another Bloodfang Wolf appeared, he doubted he could survive a second encounter in his current condition.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, the trees began to thin.

A faint glow appeared ahead, and Kyle forced himself to move faster despite the pain. He stumbled through a patch of dense undergrowth, caught himself against a tree, and pushed forward until the towering trunks finally gave way to open ground.

He had made it out of the forest.

Kyle staggered several more steps before collapsing onto his knees in the grass.

For a while, he simply sat there, breathing heavily. His clothes were torn and soaked with blood, his hands were stained crimson, and his makeshift bandages had become damp and dark. The wounds along his ribs still hurt, and his injured arm hung limply at his side.

He looked back at the enormous forest.

"Fuck... I’m never going into a forest without proper equipment again."

He tried to laugh, but the movement aggravated his ribs, turning the sound into a pained groan.

The System interface appeared before him.

[Current Condition: Severely Injured.]

[Blood Loss: Significant.]

[Mana Reserves: Critically Low.]

[Recommendation: Seek medical treatment immediately.]

Kyle rubbed his face with his good hand.

"Yeah, I got that part."

He opened the marketplace one last time and checked the price of a Medium-Grade Healing Potion. His balance remained insufficient, and he closed the interface with a frustrated sigh.

He couldn’t afford the medicine he desperately needed. Until he earned more System Points, he would have to rely on his remaining Low-Grade Healing Potions to slow the bleeding and support his gradual recovery.

It wasn’t a good solution, but it was the only one available.

Kyle pushed himself upright and looked across the open terrain. He still needed to find civilization, obtain proper medical treatment, and figure out how to replenish his resources. His first day in this world had been an unmitigated disaster, and he had little confidence that the next would be any easier.

Nevertheless, he was alive.

He had killed the Bloodfang Wolf, collected its core and other materials, and escaped the forest before nightfall. It wasn’t much to show for an entire day, but it was better than becoming another corpse beneath those enormous trees.

Kyle tightened his grip on his pack’s strap and started walking again, leaving a faint trail of blood behind him.

"First, I find a settlement," he muttered. "Then I get some proper fucking medicine."

For the moment, that was the only plan he had.

And given how badly the day had gone, Kyle was perfectly willing to settle for simply surviving until tomorrow.