Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 44 Practicing
Reading the description, he can point out that this must be the cause of his injuries to speed up its healing.
"It increased by 1, so maybe it improved the speed of healing by 10%, I supposed," Jeff said, scratching his head since he doesn’t really feel anything when he levels up.
But he can see that his wound had already passed the initial healing, which a normal human takes about 3 days to finish. While he, it just only takes about 1 day, and it already began its second stage of healing.
Shaking his head, he decided to focus on his goal first. He then glanced at the girls and decided to go back. Carrying the bamboo containers filled with water.
When they arrived, Jeff first placed the bamboo containers on the ground. "Can you girls filter each of these waters? I need to go back to the bamboo forest since I need to gather some medicine for my arm," Jeff instructed the girls.
When he applied the medicine plants back in the river, that was his last one left. So, he needed to gather more.
"Do you want at least one of us to come along?" Charlotte asked, concerned about his injured arm.
Jeff shook his head, hearing her reply. "Don’t worry, I can do it alone," he responded.
The girls simply nodded, and Jeff proceeded to collect his weapons. He slung his bow over his shoulder, gripped the axe in his left hand, and in his right, he held the spear.
"Captain, why are you bringing a lot of weapons with you?" Layla asked, seeing him being prepared.
"Well, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Also, since I’m going to do some hunting on the way. We have run out of food now, so stacking up is necessary," Jeff replied after they finished the boar’s meat.
He had also cleaned the fur, removing as much fat, flesh, and debris as possible to prevent rotting. It had been a day already, so the next step was simply to heat and smoke it.
"Oh yeah, before I leave, just in case you don’t know. You just pour the river water into the top of the bamboo filter. So, the river water passes through each layer progressively cleaning it."
"Also, don’t drink it directly when you are done. You should first boil the filtered water to ensure it is safe to drink. Since boiling it will kill any remaining pathogens, making the water safe for consumption," Jeff explained.
Hearing his explanation the girls nodded their heads. "But Captain, we don’t know how to make fire yet," Layla said, which made Jeff remember what he said about teaching them.
"Teach you how to make a fire just slipped in my mind. But don’t worry, once I return, I’ll show each of you how to build a fire. I’ll make you a fire first to be used. Just make sure it doesn’t go out," Jeff said as he ignited the campfire.
[You just made a fire. You have gained 5 experience points.]
[60/100 exp. Remains to unlock a skill.]
"There, make sure to keep it lit by putting some branches," Jeff muttered to the group, which they heed his words. Since if it runs out, then they will have a hard time making one.
Jeff then stood up from the ground after making the fire. He then glanced at them as he held the opposite end of the axe.
"Before I leave, take the axe," said Jeff, handing it to Charlotte as she was nearer to him.
Looking at the handle of the axe Charlotte was a bit bewildered on why he was giving it to her, "Why are you passing it to me? aren’t you going to need it the most?" she said looking at his face not taking it.
"Well, you can say that I need it, but not really. You used the axe to protect yourself, if some mishaps happen while I’m gone," he replied.
"As for this," Jeff said, pulling the stone knife from where it was tucked against his shorts.
"This will do just fine for me," he added, meeting Charlotte’s gaze as he held the knife up.
Charlotte hesitated for a moment before taking the handle of the axe from him. Jeff nodded with a reassuring smile.
"I’ll be back later. Make sure to keep the fire going, alright?" he instructed, glancing over his shoulder as he turned away.
His figure gradually disappeared into the dense forest, swallowed by the trees.
When he was gone from the place, he then continued on his way towards the bamboo forest. Upon arriving, he went towards where he finds the Plantago plant, and yes, he spotted it.
After cutting the leaves, he secured the medicine that would suffice for two to three days. Jeff then positioned himself in the expansive grassy plain, encircled by bamboo trees.
Putting down the bow, arrows, and stone knife, he decided to practice the spear. He needs to at least learn the basics on how to execute some moves. Before engaging into fights.
Using the spear allows him to engage from a distance keeping him safe from harm, like those boars. Due to the fire axe, being short he had to fight it head on which the risk is high for him to get hurt.
Other wild animals are also included in that. With the spear’s reach, it can offer him more safety, which is useful for both offense and defense.
Also, a spear requires less energy to use compared to close-quarters combat as the long reach minimizes excessive movement.
The drawback of using spears is that they are less effective in tight quarters or if the opponent closes the distance, as they can become unwieldy.
If the spear is thrown and missed, it may be lost or hard to retrieve, leaving the hunter which is him vulnerable.
However, mastering this skill can significantly increase his chances of securing food and enhancing their safety.
Jeff stood in the clearing, the afternoon sun casting a golden hue over the grassy plain.
The bamboo trees swayed gently in the wind, their rustling leaves the only sound accompanying him.
In his hands was the spear, which was crafted from a straight bamboo shaft tipped with a sharpened rocky point hardened by fire.
His grip was awkward as he held the spear, his hands fumbling to find a position that felt natural.
"Alright," Jeff muttered to himself, "how hard can this be?"
He tried to thrust the spear forward experimentally, the tip wobbling unsteadily in the air. The movement felt clumsy, as the weight of the spear unbalanced in his hands.
Jeff frowned, adjusting his grip and trying again. This time, he aimed at an imaginary target, which is the boar he had fought charging toward him.
He thrust harder, only to overextend and nearly stumble forward.
"Okay, maybe not like that," he muttered, steadying himself.
He decided to test the spear’s reach, standing in place and making short jabs. The length of the spear felt alien, requiring him to move his whole body rather than just his arms.
The first few attempts were laughably bad, with the tip missing its imaginary mark by a wide margin.
Jeff sighed, stepping back to assess, "Think, Jeff. It’s about control, not force," he said, remembering how he’d learned Wing Chun, a methodical process that emphasized precision over brute strength.
This time, he planted his feet firmly, mimicking the stances he’d used in martial arts. With his lead foot forward, he gripped the spear tightly near the middle and thrust again.
The movement felt more controlled, though still far from perfect.
[You just learned a massive breakthrough from the way of the spear. You have gained 50 experience points]
[50/100 exp. Remains to be unlocked]
A notification sounded which encouraged him even more. He wondered why he get 50 experience points from that.
But not bothering about it, he experimented further, swinging the spear in a wide arc as though warding off an attacking animal.
The bamboo shaft hissed through the air, but his lack of practice betrayed him; his balance wavered as he completed the swing, and the spear’s tip dipped too low.
"Balance, Jeff," he reminded himself, planting his feet again.
He practiced the swing repeatedly, making small adjustments with each attempt. Slowly, the movements became smoother, and he began to feel the weight of the spear working with him rather than against him.
[You just learned the way of the spear. You have gained 10 experience points]
[60/100 exp. Remains to be unlocked]
He paused to catch his breath, wiping sweat from his brow. His muscles ached from the motions, but he was starting to understand the basics.
"So, thrusting... sweeping... blocking, maybe?" he muttered, trying a defensive stance.
Jeff brought the spear upright, holding it diagonally across his body as though warding off an incoming attack.
He imagined the boar from before charging at him, with its tusks aimed at his legs. He jabbed quickly, then sidestepped and swung the spear in a low arc, aiming for an imaginary hind leg.
[You just learned the way of the spear. You have gained 10 experience points]
[70/100 exp. Remains to be unlocked]
His movements were crude, lacking the finesse of a trained warrior, but they were improving
. Each attempt brought him closer to a natural rhythm, his strikes more deliberate, his swings more controlled.
[You just learned the way of the spear. You have gained 10 experience points]
[80/100 exp. Remains to be unlocked]
Finally, Jeff stood in the clearing, the spear resting lightly in his hands. He wasn’t a master—not even close—but he had a foundation. He felt a sense of accomplishment as he nodded to himself.
"Alright," he said aloud, "I think I’m starting to get it. Slow and steady."
With that, he glanced at the progress bar, seeing that he was close to getting a skill. He continued since he knows that the remaining things he didn’t understand, the system would give it to him.
Continuing with his swings and thrusts with a repeated process, he was enhancing and improving with great speed.
For a normal man, it would take maybe weeks or months to have a basic understanding.
But every time he made a mistake, he could quickly adapt and try to right the wrong. Finally, the moment that he’d been waiting for arrived.
[You just learned the way of the spear. You have gained 10 experience points.]
[100/100 exp. Remains to be unlocked] 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
[Congratulations, you have learned a new skill and technique.]
