Chapter 3: First Breaths of Fresh Air

When I wake up, I check my status right away again.

<UNCOMMON IMP>
Level: 52
HP: 240/240
MP: 38/38
Traits: Mana Affinity

It looks like I haven't gained any levels while sleeping. Well, that's sort of what I expected. I lean up off my crystal pile, and grab a few pieces of jerky to snack on as I make my way out of my tunnel to check the cavern for any threats.

After finding none, I decide I should finish checking the tunnels and caves that I failed to check before, save for the ones that I can't fit in.

After a few hours of doing this, I start to feel slightly hungry, and I make my way back to my cave, having checked all the tunnels. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I don't find anything particularly useful in the cavern. The only things that I find are remains of some other unfortunate imps who were killed in their tunnels. By the looks of the wounds on them, it was imp on imp combat though.

While snacking on some more jerky, I pull up my status.

<UNCOMMON IMP>
Level: 66
HP: 275/275
MP: 42/42
Traits: Mana Affinity

Decent progress, but it is very obviously slower than what it was when I was a common imp. I'm starting to wonder if evolving rather than taking a prestige was actually the right choice. Don't get me wrong, permanent boons are great, but if I'm stuck in a weaker body, what good is a boon if I die?

Well, I suppose I should wait until I peek at the entrance of the cave before I make any more thoughts like that. After all, if I think I can properly hide out in this cave, then prestige is clearly the right choice, as the more permanent boons I get now while it's relatively easy to level up, the more they'll pay off later.

For now though, I suppose I should take stock of how much food I have left, so I can gauge how fast I need to leave the cave.

---

Gauging on how much I currently eat, I probably have about 15 days of food. Then again, a day might not be a day. Being in a cave means that unless I go towards the entrance, I actually have no clue how many hours I've been up. For now, I'll consider it 5 days, but it's really 5 sleep cycles.

Considering that, I suppose I should continue working on things, and checking my level until I'm close to maxing out, so I can check outside while I'm strong.

The real question is, what should I work on now? It's not like there is much to do at this point. I've got a bit of food, I don't need water, and I don't have any immediate goals. I suppose I could pick out a new cave to clear gems out of, so that I'll have more places to work with in the future. Considering how I got slightly larger last time I prestiged, I suppose that maybe moving to the largest sub cave would be a wise idea.

Ok, so that's what I'll set out to do. I'll figure out which sub-cave is the largest, and I'll clear the entry of crystals, then move my stuff into it.

---

Phew... Half-way done with clearing that entrance, and I'm tired. I suppose I should check my level before I go to sleep again.

<UNCOMMON IMP>
Level: 78
HP: 305/305
MP: 46/46
Traits: Mana Affinity

I'm stronger now than I was when I maxed level as the common imp. Tomorrow when I wake up, I'll maybe peek around the way out of the cave and see if anything is immediately dangerous. The last thing I'd want to happen is that I prestige before I look around.

---

So now it's the big day. I'm a little nervous to actually go outside. What if the goblins are just waiting out there... I suppose I should take it really slowly then, for all I know, the goblins aren't even the worst thing out there either.

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I slowly make my way towards the bend in the cave where I saw the goblins leave, being sure to cling to the shadows and sneak around as best I can. Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, the cave actually gets darker after a little while, as there aren't any crystals in the wall further out, which makes moving a little harder, as I have to be careful where I step in the dark.

After a few minutes though, I see it getting a little brighter, and can tell that the air feels a little fresher than it used to. Finally, I spot it. The way out. I almost rush towards it, then I remember, I need to be careful. I don't want to suddenly get spotted.

As I take my first steps out into the world, I realize that it's actually darker than I thought it was. My eyes must have gotten used to the cave light, so it seemed like it was day time, but actually, it's a little dark out. I blink a few times to adjust, and then take in the view.

The first thing I notice is that I'm surrounded by trees, and I'm on a slope. It's by no means a dense forest though. Considering the slope, and conifer like trees, I'd guess some kind of alpine climate. Unfortunately, getting vision farther out than my immediate surroundings doesn't seem possible in this lighting.

I look up to see if I can see anything, but what I spot absolutely shocks me. Overhead is a massive dark circle in the sky, with the sky filled with twilight colors.

As I stare at the circle for a while and can make out some features on the surface of it. I can at least tell there is a mishmash of two different tones on the surface, but making out anything more than that doesn't seem possible.

For now, I suppose, I should focus on gathering wood, and potentially looking for food out here.

I go around the nearby trees, being careful not to make too much noise, as to not attract attention to myself, just in case. I make a small bundle of wood near the entrance to the cave system, small enough that I can easily carry it, and decide to see if I can find anything else worth bringing back.

First, although the trees look somewhat like conifers, there are some differences. First, the branches are thicker than most conifers, although they still have the central spire shape. Given that, I decide to try to break a branch off, in case they have some form of edible sap.

I find a slightly smaller new branch, and give it a tug, expecting it to bend or possibly tear. Instead what I'm greeted with is an incredibly tough and stiff branch. Almost as hard as metal. No matter how hard I try to bend or break it, even this small branch isn't yielding.

Confused, I pick up a twig on the ground under the tree, and attempt to snap it...

It snaps easier than wood on earth.

Alright. Well, I'm gonna throw it out as a guess, but given the other 'magic' I've seen, I guess it's not too farfetched to guess that plants may have evolved a way to use some form of magic as well.

If this is the way things are gonna be, sap is off the table. What else could I look for?

I don't know what my natural thermal detection range is. I feel comfortable, like the temperature is in the low 80's, but for all I know, this body feels comfortable at 40 °F, or 150 °F. I have no way of knowing, but given the plant life seems to be growing, and there seems to be grass, it can't be too out of the plant life's growing season.

Then what's next? I suppose it's to try to pull up various plants, to see if any of them have edible root systems. Thankfully, I remember a thing or two about testing for poisons. You take some of the plant and first rub it on your skin, then wait and check for irritation, then use your lips, then the inside of your mouth, then finally, eat a small amount, and then after waiting for each of those, and finally 3 days at the end after you eat the plant, if you don't get any reaction, it should be edible.

So, with that in mind, it's time to search the nearby area for plants I could eat.

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