Yaichenba was yawning heavily, dark circles underlining his eyes.
"See? I kept watch perfectly. No monsters."
Nile stood up, stretching his aching back. The makeshift cloth bandages wrapped around his feet stung as he shifted his weight, but the rest had done its job; his muscles were no longer screaming.
Grumble...
A loud rumble echoed from Nile's midsection. Starvation was finally catching up to him. He hadn't eaten a proper meal since before he was dragged into this world, and the meager strips of beef jerky he and Yaichenba looted from the bandits' corpses were not enough to last any longer.
Nile looked at the sunrise, organising his thoughts.
'I only have three or four strips of jerky left, and my water bag is only half full. I can't ask Yaichenba for more—he doesn't have much himself. If I eat two strips in the morning and two in the afternoon, I should be able to make them last for now. Still, I need to find another source of food soon.'
'Wait, I can eat the apple for breakfast. That way, I can save the beef jerky for later—two strips for lunch and another two for dinner.'
'Breakfast time.'
Nile took the apple from his pocket and rubbed it against his clothes to clean its surface.
Crunch!
Nile took a huge bite out of the apple without thinking much about its description story.
'Yummy! This apple is quite tasty and juicy.'
Yaichenba, who was just about to reach into his own pouch for a piece of jerky, froze entirely. He stared at the half-eaten apple in Nile's hand.
"Wait... where did you get an apple?!" Yaichenba yelled, "Do you have another one with you?"
"I found it in the forest yesterday, and no, I don't have another one with me."
"I see." The young master said as he chewed his beef jerky and drank down some water from his water bag.
Nile hungrily devoured the apple until only the seeds were left. He threw the seeds away.
'Pity if I were at home, I would have planted this seed and tried to make it produce some apples.'
Ethereal Runic words appeared before Nile's eyes without him summoning them.
It read,
< Your Item has been destroyed. >
< You have consumed [ An apple ] >
'So the system can send something similar to a notification.' Nile noted internally.
Suddenly, a wave of profound, unparalleled euphoria washed over him. It was as if a gentle, soothing warmth had entered his body, instantly dissolving the lingering cold and fatigue in his bones.
The constant, background paranoia that had been clawing at Nile's mind since his arrival completely vanished. A deep, crystalline calm settled over his heart. The throbbing, stinging pain from the bloody blisters on his feet simply dissolved, replaced by a weightless, peaceful sensation. It felt like standing in a quiet garden after a storm, wrapped in an invisible, protective embrace.
Nile involuntarily closed his eyes, leaning his head back as a serene sigh escaped his lips. For the first time since transmigrating, his breathing was perfectly steady, free of dread.
Nile opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling refreshed.
'I feel... incredible.'
"Hey... Nile? Are you okay?" Yaichenba's voice broke the silence. He was staring at Nile with a look of pure bewilderment.
"I'm fine, maybe better than before."
Nile's answer only seemed to puzzle the young master further. "Uh, well... it's good that you're fine, I guess."
Nile took off his boot and unravelled his makeshift bandage. The cloth was heavily stained with dried blood from his earlier wounds. But to his absolute astonishment, the raw blisters and deep cuts were entirely gone. His skin was perfectly smooth.
'What the? Did the apple do this? Just eating a piece of fruit can heal injuries instantly?'
Nile's concept of reality was shattered yet again.
'Moreover, I don't feel tired or hungry. In fact, I feel so good and energetic. Is this the effect of the old, sick mother wanting to keep the unknown child healthy and strong for the rest of his life? If that is the case, then the description story might not be a simple dramatic story anymore but an actual story.'
The more he analyzed the story, the more questions arose in Nile's mind.
'Who was the sick, old mother? Who was the unknown child? Who was the evil-looking man? And most importantly... if the mother gave that apple to the unknown child, how did it end up under the roots of a tree in the middle of a forest for me to find?'
Sadly, Nile had no answer to these questions.
Shifting his focus, he mentally called upon the system. Instantly, the glowing runic words expanded before him.
It read,
False Name: Clyde
True Name: Nile
Age: 18
Chakra Core: Sealed
Attribute: [ Marked By ░░░░░░░░ ] [ Healthy Body ]
[ - ] Items: None
Nile skipped through to the last line.
'As I thought, the apple is not there. It's gone.'
Nile again searched for any words which would reflect the changes in him. Some words caught his attention. The words were not there before.
Attribute: [ Marked By ░░░░░░░░ ] [ Healthy Body ]
'Healthy body. What the.. So eating the apple gave him this attribute'
Nile read the next line without thinking too much
[ Attribute Description ]
[ Healthy Body ]: Born from the heartfelt blessing of the old, sick Mother, you have gained a healthy body. No worldly afflictions may ever harm you. Your life expectancy has been increased.
'The description is very vague. But based on what is written, I can conclude that my life expectancy is increased, assuming I die of old age. I am not sure how much it has increased. And lastly, no worldly afflictions can harm me. Is it like a cold or flu? Or does it also include cancer or the other things?'
'If it does, then it is so OP. Many rich people will be dying to buy even one apple of its kind just to live longer.'
"Nile, what are you daydreaming about? Let's go." Yaichenba interrupted his deep thought, jolting him awake "Aren't we going?"
"Huhh?" Nile blinked, the status screen dissolving.
"Yeah. Yeah, we are going."
Nile quickly put his boots back on and started walking towards their destination.