At last, Shane still didn't choose to turn around and leave.
To avoid sleeping out in the wild full of demons, Shane decided to endure the smell.
Rather, with the smell being so strong here, it should cover his scent just fine and prevent any demons from finding him.
Shane continuously kept an eye on the responses from the "Enemy Detection" skill feedback in his mind, so he could be aware of if any demons came looking.
But as he kept watching...
Without any surprise, Shane's stomach started growling frantically, draining all his strength.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten anything all day..."
Though in the forest, Shane had gulped down a lot of water thanks to a small stream he found, he hadn't had anything besides water today.
"I'll starve to death at this rate..."
He needed to find something to eat.
But in a place , what could he possibly find to eat?
"Do I really have to go out hunting? Competing for survival with demons in the middle of the night?"
The thought made Shane feel uneasy.
The next second, Shane turned his head silently and looked to the side.
There lay the body of a Demon Dog.
Shane tightly stared at the Demon Dog's corpse, and after undergoing a series of complex internal changes, he sighed deeply.
"This second life's start is ridiculous!"
After saying that, Shane resignedly picked up the Holy Sword and went to the Demon Dog's side, cutting off chunks of its meat.
To fill his stomach, now was not the time for disdain.
"Anyway, the Holy Sword can resist negative states, I don't have to worry about poison."
Shane decided to bite the bullet.
Of course, eating raw was impossible. He could never eat demon meat raw in this life.
In order to cook the hard-won meat, Shane left the cave, collected some dry twigs from the nearby bushes, piled them up, and skewered the demon meat.
As for the fire, there was no need to worry about that.
Before dying, the Demon Dog unleashed a fierce blaze, igniting nearby weeds, and those weeds were still burning slowly now.
With local materials, Shane successfully lit a campfire, cooked the Demon Dog's meat, and put it in his mouth.
The bitter expression on Shane's face was like chewing wax.
But without salt, soy sauce, or any condiments, it seemed natural for the cooked meat to taste bad.
Moreover, chewing wax was better than eating dirt, and ultimately Shane stuffed his belly full.
Afterwards, Shane extinguished the campfire, buried the remains and the Demon Dog's carcass with sandy soil, and finally returned to the cave to find a comfortable spot to lie down.
Perhaps because it was the Demon Dog's lair, the temperature was quite warm, in fact a bit stifling, so Shane wouldn't freeze.
Shane placed the Holy Sword beside him, gazing at the night sky outside the cave.
Tonight seemed moonless, yet there were numerous stars adorning the night.
Watching the night sky, sparkling with many shining stars, Shane's tense mind finally relaxed somewhat after a whole day.
"This world is not entirely without its merits."
At least, this night view couldn't be seen in the previous life, could it?
Even if Shane completely forgot his previous life, with almost all memories lost except for common knowledge, he still remembered that in the big cities of his past life, stars were seldom seen.
"And I was just an ordinary person in the past life, really don't know why the Goddess summoned someone like me to be a Hero."
Could it be because he could activate cheats?
But weren't those cheats given by the Goddess?
Shane didn't understand.
"Come to think of it, I don't even know the Goddess's name."
Recalling the beautiful Goddess, who didn't seem to belong to this world both in reality and perception, Shane couldn't help but fall into contemplation.
Soon after, Shane inadvertently fell asleep.
The next day, Shane awoke from his dreams and left the cave, continuing to find the way out of the forest.
To avoid losing direction again, this time, Shane realized that if trouble is unavoidable, then no longer would he avoid demons by changing direction. He began actively heading toward some of the demons' locations.
Thanks to this, Shane encountered many demons.
He came across a Poisonous Boar capable of releasing lethal miasma.
He also encountered a Black Serpent that could transform the surrounding terrain into swamps.
There was also a demon herd, relentlessly charging and attacking.
These encounters brought Shane numerous crises, even with the Holy Sword in hand.
But amidst such dangers, Shane also acquired various skills as a blessing in disguise.
While being eroded by the Poisonous Boar's gas, Shane learned "Abnormal State Resistance."
When almost being smothered alive in the swamp, Shane learned "Undying."
During the demon herd's onslaught, Shane carelessly lost his Holy Sword, only to ultimately learn "Extreme Transformation."
"Abnormal State Resistance"
· Increases resistance to abnormal states.
· Enhances recovery capabilities and the effects of recovery-type abilities.
· Provides some resistance to instant-death attacks and abilities.
· When unable to maintain life signs, by consuming Magic Power, life signs can be forcibly continued.
"Extreme Transformation"
· Directly affects the life level.
· When used, enhances all abilities, with effects determined by the amount of Magic Power consumed and the skill's level.
Each of these skills was very useful.
Especially "Undying" and "Extreme Transformation." One allowed Shane to maintain life signs even when completely submerged in a swamp, ensuring survival even without breathing, serving as the ultimate lifesaving skill. The other was Shane's first active skill, enabling him to achieve superhuman feats, like jumping to the top of a tree ten meters high in one leap, truly astonishing.
It was this skill that made Shane feel a power he had never experienced before.
That power was Magic Power.
It seemingly was the force used to wield skills and Magic.
By consuming this power, Shane could use active skills like "Extreme Transformation" and "Undying," which required Magic Power consumption, truly a dreamy force.
And by utilizing Magic Power, Shane also gained the "Magic Guide" and "Magic Recovery" skills.
· Drastically enhances Magic Power.
· Drastically enhances the effects of Magic.
· Consumed Magic Power automatically recovers.
These two skills made Shane finally feel that he was indeed different.
Feeling Magic Power and using it made Shane realize he had truly entered a world of swords and Magic.
This caused Shane to finally feel a bit of anticipation.
"I wonder if I can use Magic?"
With this expectation, Shane encountered numerous demons, knocking down quite a few, thoroughly adapting to combat, and gradually settling into life in the forest.