Jungle Survival Knowledge

"I've had enough! Do none of you mercenaries have any brains? Don't you know to listen to the expert? Before we set out, I told you I was the jungle survival expert on this expedition. All you had to do was listen to me. And what did you do? Every one of you attacked whatever you pleased. Do you even know what you were fighting? If you don't, then keep your heads down and stay out of trouble."

After they had run some distance, Mr. York finally managed to round up everyone who had gotten scattered.

Once they found a relatively flat spot to sit and rest, Mr. York tore into the three surviving members of the mercenary team.

Perkin had considered trying to calm him down, since they would need the mercenaries' protection for the rest of the journey. But after thinking about how dangerous things had just gotten, he shook his head and abandoned the idea, letting Mr. York have his say.

After nearly ten minutes of scolding, Mr. York pointed at the mercenary leader. "Keep your people in line. That includes you. Nobody does anything until I say so. Even if you notice something wrong, wait for me to speak before you deal with it. Understood?"

Watching the three surviving mercenaries nod obediently, Liu Zhi, for some reason, felt as if a teacher were reprimanding his students.

But Mr. York soon turned his gaze to Liu Zhi and said bluntly, "We don't have a boat anymore, so hand over your map. I need to see which way we're going."

The local guide came over then, along with Perkin and Lloyd.

Liu Zhi frowned, but eventually took out the map.

Before Liu Zhi could unfold it, Mr. York snatched it from his hands. After spreading it out, he waved the guide and Perkin over. "We're here. Next, we need to cross this stretch of jungle and reach this spot. From there, we can get to the landing point we planned on from the start. Hey, what's this symbol?"

Hearing Mr. York's blunt tone, Liu Zhi snatched the map back. "A danger marker. It means this part of the forest's extremely dangerous, and going straight through isn't recommended. If I were you, I'd follow the river."

"No, we don't have time for that. Mr. Perkin wants us at the landing point by noon tomorrow, so we can reach the designated location on schedule. Even if we didn't rest tonight, we still wouldn't make it by following the river. We have to cut straight through this jungle. I'll hold on to the map. Let's move."

Mr. York reached for the map, but Liu Zhi turned his hand and tucked it behind his back. At the same time, he pointed his Fine-Thorn Sword at Mr. York.

"We had an agreement."

Mr. York frowned, then drew his own weapon. It was a dagger, though Liu Zhi was sure he usually used it to forage in the jungle.

"Hand over the map. I don't have time to argue with you."

"Neither do I." Liu Zhi had already started shifting his stance, waiting for Mr. York to make a move.

Perkin saw what Liu Zhi was planning. Z-Secret Sword was a counterattacking technique, and they couldn't afford to be without their jungle survival expert. He raised his cane and stepped between them. "You saw the map just now. We know where we're going. Don't waste any more time here."

After Perkin said that, Mr. York couldn't insist any further. He glared at Liu Zhi, then began assigning positions.

"Lai, you take the lead. You're the scout, right? You follow Lai. Mr. Perkin, you and Lloyd come with me. The rest of you bring up the rear. Stay alert, and don't fall too far behind. If something happens too far back, I won't be able to save you."

Under Mr. York's direction, the local guide and the female knife-thrower went at the front, Mr. York, Perkin, and Lloyd walked in the middle, and Liu Zhi, the mercenary leader, and the mercenary swordsman brought up the rear.

But as they moved, the formation was actually quite chaotic. Mr. York would occasionally rush to the front to check whether the area was safe. The mercenary leader, having lost most of his weapons, didn't dare stray too far from the group. The three of them ended up walking right behind Perkin.

Perhaps the mercenaries had grown too cocky after spending so much time cooped up on the boat, but once they entered the jungle, Mr. York never stopped talking.

"Wait, don't attack. I know you saw the snake over there, but it isn't dangerous. We shouldn't attack it first..."

"Careful! Didn't you see how bright its colors are? That red frog is poisonous. Even a little contact with it could kill an adult instantly..."

"It's fine. It's just an ordinary spider, a little ugly, that's all..."

"Don't go over there. That grass is poisonous. Yes, the one with those leaves. We'll go around the other way..."

[ Ding! After receiving an expert's on-site instruction, you have learned Jungle Survival Knowledge. Current level: 1 ]

[ Jungle Survival Knowledge Level 1: You have gained a basic understanding of how to survive in the jungle, enough to keep yourself alive in a dangerous forest. ]

[ Description: The most important thing about living in a primeval forest isn't what you can do, but what you mustn't do. Only by knowing what's dangerous can you survive more easily. ]

Liu Zhi was walking when the sudden notification startled him. Then he realized something new seemed to have appeared in his mind. He seemed to have gained the ability to find his way and detect dangers in the forest.

The feeling was different from the soreness and swelling in his muscles when he learned Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship and Sailing Skill. This time, what he had suddenly acquired was a purely knowledge-based passive skill.

Learning it hadn't involved a sudden flood of information into his mind. Rather, he simply knew instinctively what to do, as if he had already lived in the jungle for some time.

The feeling surprised Liu Zhi, but he soon settled down and listened carefully to Mr. York's explanations up ahead.

At the same time, Liu Zhi quietly gathered useful things, such as medicinal herbs for treating injuries that Mr. York hadn't pointed out but that he had spotted thanks to Jungle Survival Knowledge.

Liu Zhi's actions caught the mercenary leader's attention. The man came closer and asked, "What did you just pick?"

"Some herbs."

Liu Zhi didn't like the mercenary leader at all. He still remembered the man throwing a hand axe at him on the boat. If the giant snake hadn't been chasing them so fiercely, Liu Zhi would have wanted to kill him right there.

Just as the mercenary leader was about to say something, Mr. York suddenly stopped. "Something's wrong. Everyone, be extra careful."

Liu Zhi followed Mr. York's gaze, and his expression turned grave. He saw a snake trail that an ordinary person would have had almost no chance of noticing. Judging by its size, whatever had made it was no smaller than the giant snake in the river.