Infinite Evolution: Return of the Talentless Mage-Chapter 26 - 0. Winter Cold
He stared up at the sky, the clouds moving as the wind pulled. There were no other visible snowflakes. The sun was already high up in the sky, warming up the entire forest in its radiance.
’Guess that was just my imagination then.’ He sighed, turning back and walking back into the shed.
Behind him, another snowflake landed on the ground. He was now back at the same spot, ideas pouring into his head.
He sat close to his bag, staring at the two breakables he found, the mirror and the small cup. His mind, trying to think of a safe way to carry them without breaking either of them.
But no idea came to mind except one that seemed like it would work, only if he was careful enough. ’It has a high chance of success, only if I did it correctly.’
He brought out all the items in his bag, gathering them around him in a serial manner, from biggest to smallest. Then he pulled out the clothes he might not be using in a while, ones he was sure he wouldn’t use anytime soon and brought them closer to him.
’If I wrapped the two breakable items in a soft, cotton material during travel, their chances of breaking will reduce because the cotton materials will absorb the shockwaves!’
The idea was a great one, only if he didn’t encounter anything that would lead to him running, fighting, falling, or having to jump from a really high place.
If he didn’t do any of the above actions and just travelled in a usual manner then he was good to go, nothing was going to make them suddenly break inside his bag with this idea he thought of.
He quickly wrapped the two breakables in the cotton cloth after folding the cloth properly so it has an extra layer for safety purposes.
Then he placed them carefully inside the bag after placing all the other heavy items below it to avoid them suddenly crushing them from the gravitational pressure or weight.
After arranging all the necessary items inside his bag, he glanced at the shed again to make sure he wasn’t missing out anything before zipping the bag shut and placing it closer to the door of the shed.
He cleaned the shed, using the rag cloth he had no intention of using again to wipe the fish and ash stains off the floor and dusting everywhere he touched.
He cleaned thoroughly, even sweeping away the ash he placed on each corner of the room to reduce the fish smell so that he left no trace of his appearance in the shed, if he was ever to be tracked.
He took cleaning the shed very seriously, placing the bars back into their compartment, even though it didn’t fit naturally like it was built in but it still went in and looked fine.
After about an hour of cleaning and rearranging the shed, he was finally done but now he was sweating and needed a bath, though it made him warm.
’Do I really need a bath?!’ He asked himself, sniffing the armpits of his clothes and coming to a conclusion that he actually did.
He took his bag with him, sliding down the shed using the natural stair he created the other day. He didn’t struggle like when he first came here, rather it seemed easier than before.
Days of staying in the wild slowly paid off, though at this rate his percentage of survival will gradually reduce if he didn’t get to somewhere where he could survive the coming winter storm.
He arrived at the riverside, the warm sunlight reflecting against the cold waters, as it strolled down the waterfall to the river below.
He removed his clothes, after properly glancing between the bushes to make sure no one was looking or spying on him from afar then dipped one foot inside the water.
"Jsgjsjsj" his teeth gnashed as his skin came in contact with the cold river water. It was extremely cold, reminding him of the cold baths he took at the clan during summer because of the heat but now it was winter and no one was here to warm the water for him.
He took another dip, finally making his decision of going into the water fully, even though the cold water bit his skin and made it hard for him to stay in the water he still went in.
The moment he stepped into the water, he could feel his body slowly lose heat, and go numb. His hands could barely move after a while of staying in the water.
When he was done brushing his teeth with ash, he stepped out of the water. Using his hands to warm his body by moving it up his shoulders in a continuous motion to create friction and eventually, heat.
He gnashed his teeth together, shaking his body violently in an attempt to shake off the cold but it wouldn’t go away. Though the sun helped warm up his body, it wasn’t enough as the environment was rather cold than warm.
He wore his clothes faster than he could think of, picking up the coat and wearing on his cold body. Mist air escaped his lips whenever he opened them, signifying just how cold his body had become.
He didn’t waste much time, he dipped his hand into the pocket of his bag and brought out the map he took from his clan and wore his bag on his shoulder.
From that point, his journey had started and there was no turning back now. He had to travel as fast as he could to the next town, before the winter blizzard started or he would never hear the end of it.
’I think I will get there before it starts, I just need to follow the river until the next city. Shouldn’t be so hard until snow worsens, so leaving now is the best idea’ he took one step forward, his body still shaking from the cold.
"Lets see how far my body can carry me.."
