The Traveler: Martial Druid

Chapter 7

"Happy birthday to me!"

Katsuo snuffed the makeshift candle on top of the big mango-like fruit he found.

Today was his birthday.

He was finally 17 years old.

It had been five months since he had been thrown off into this world.

He looked at himself. His hands were rough, covered in calluses. He was wearing clothes made off of fur from the animals he had hunted. His original clothes were in tatters and they had already been purposed into something else.

His hair was rough and covered in dry leaves. He hadn't been able to bathe in a long time. The air was cold due to the weather. He didn't know if this world followed the same season cycle but it had been snowing for the last two months so there was only a month left till spring.

His body was the one that went through the most transformation. He had lean but tough muscles, a characteristic of his lineage. His mother was the same. Even though she looked chubby, her strength was equal to his father's. If someone saw the current him, they wouldn't have believed he was the same person from five months ago. It was supposed to be a good thing. It was supposed to show that he had survived, that he had managed to adapt to this world but he was feeling bad for some reason.

He was emotional today. If he was back in his own world, he would have been ecstatic today. After all, it would mean that there was only a year left till he could get his heart surgery and live a 'normal' life.

Maybe he was sentimental today because he had missed his family.

Talking to trees was good and all but it just couldn't make up for talking to a real human. Since trees were different from humans they had a different way of thinking and it would show up during their conversations. Katsuo wasn't able to get used to that difference.

He wanted a real companion. Someone he could talk and confide in.

He tried to bridge that gap with religion, by praying to Aeternitas whenever he could but it just wasn't the same. It was only a one-sided conversation.

*Rustle*

Despite hearing the rustle from the nearby bushes Katsuo didn't move. He knew that it was grey blur inviting him to play but he was too down to play with it.

When his skill [Martial Arts: Seiryuu Style Karate] reached Elementary lv.4 he started being able to respond to its speed, that way he could at least protect the game he had hunted and eat meat.

Katsuo remembered the day he had deflected grey blur for the first time. He had cried tears of joy back then. 

However, that was also the day grey blur upped the ante. It stopped going after his food and started to ambush him randomly. It was harmless fun, it would just bop his head or smack his hand.

It was hard to admit it personally but it was sorta fun. 

Grey blur had coloured his dull days with these games. In fact, Katsuo started to see it as a friend but he would never say it. I mean, if someone heard him speak about an animal that harassed him every day since he arrived here they would take him to be some sort of weirdo or they might even question whether he had some special 'hobby'.

*Rustle* *Rustle*

"I am not gonna play today"

Katsuo said since the grey blur had no intention of leaving. Today he just wanted to sit in front of the fire and revel in his memories. 

*Rustle* *Rustle* *Rustle*

"Look, today is a special day. I don't have the mood to play with you and it won't lift my spirits so can you leave me alone? Please, just for today. I need to be alone"

Katsuo snuggled in his blanket and covered his head. He was like a turtle, safely hiding inside his shell. The blanket and fire warded off the cold and he started to feel drowsy in this embracing warmth.

If he didn't move around soon he would fall asleep like this but it was okay. Ever since he had arrived in this world he didn't get sick once. It probably had something to do with his [Heavenly Body] skill or it might have been a side effect from his attributes raising. So even if he slept naked he wouldn't get sick but the cold was too unbearable. That was the reason he had stopped taking baths in the river last month.

As he got sleepier Katsuo wished he could dream about his family. It was the only thing that could comfort him in this wilderness. But there wasn't much time left. He needed to survive for one more month.

One more month and he will be able to leave this jungle and finally join civilization again. 

But is that okay? 

He had been living in the wilderness for so long, will he be able to get used to having people around him again?

What if he ends up being a weirdo thanks to all the time he spent here?

*Plop*

Katsuo felt something drop on top of him and he instantly threw away his blanket to see who dared to invade his lair... only to see nothing.

He got angry thinking it must be that grey blur again but there was nothing he could do. He felt helpless against its speed. He swore to himself that one day he would catch and hang it upside down from a tree.

*Plop*

Once he settled inside his blanket to sleep again Katsuo felt the same weight on his head but he decided to ignore it for now.

This was Granny Scarlet's territory so no dangerous beast would make its way here. Otherwise, he would already be dead.

According to Granny, there were dangerous beasts in this world called demonic beasts. They were animals that were infected by demonic energy and developed a core. Thanks to it they could use all sorts of strange abilities but they mostly fell under the elemental category.

For example, Relsai the black panther he encountered in the past was a demonic beast. It had dominion over lightning so it could be called a lightning panther. And this jungle was full of beings like that.

Katsuo was lucky that he had only encountered Relsai back then before making his way to Granny Scarlet. Though he didn't know if that was lucky as just like Granny, Relsai was also one of the rulers of the jungle, that must be why there were no demonic beasts around. They were afraid of Granny Scarlet and Relsai so they were keeping their distance. That was why Katsuo didn't venture too far from Granny Scarlet's territory whenever he went outside to forage for food.

As Katsuo kept thinking about useless things he started to get drowsy again and before he knew it he was already asleep.

***

When he woke up the sun was just rising. Katsuo threw off his blanket and started to stretch his stiff muscles while yawning.

*Flicker*

As he looked at the campfire in front of him Katsuo was surprised. He didn't remember feeding the fire so how was it still burning? Maybe he fed it when he was sleeping hence why he didn't remember it?

It's just like taking a leak at night. You don't remember going to the toilet but your family or dormmates say they saw you last night.

He didn't know the scientific explanation behind this phenomenon but it must be something like that.

Anyway, it was the start of a new day and he needed to forage for breakfast, he also needed to start training again.

Maybe he should find some boulders to act as a weight. He wasn't sure if it would work but he saw people train like that in manga and anime, maybe it would work for him as well?

As Katsuo left his campsite while having a useless self-debate about the usage of boulders for training he didn't notice the azure-blue eyes peeking at him from inside his blanket.