Book Restoration System: Savior Of The Forsaken Legends [BL]

[Warning: Your Chronicle Essence has been depleted. A moment of rest is advised.]

Auri perched himself under the shade of a tree when a cold wave of hollowness settled into his core. His knees trembled, not just from fatigue, but from the feeling that he had been drained of something vital after using [Realm Chronicles] multiple times.

[Passive Skill: Archivist's Breath is in effect. Estimated time before Chronicle Essence is fully replenished: 3 hours.]

As it turned out, he couldn't use [Realm Chronicles] infinitely. Using the skill continuously would consume a huge amount of his energy reserves, which was called Chronicle Essence. It was a type of energy that functioned similar to mana, but its nature was fundamentally different. The Chronicle Essence were remnants of history that still lingered in the air. He could perceive them through [Archivist's Trace] and he could also absorb them through [Archivist's Breath].

The [Archivist's Breath] was a passive skill that would help him replenish his Chronicle Essence even when asleep. He didn't need to do anything. The energy would accumulate in his core on its own.

Auri rested the back of his head against the tree trunk, almost ready to doze off. Although he had already made considerable progress after unlocking [Realm Chronicles], he still had a long way to go. Waiting three hours for his energy to fully replenish was too long. If he wanted to find a temporary shelter to spend the night, he needed to reach the foot of the mountain before sundown.

His stomach growled, forcing him to hunch forward and look around. He hadn't seen any fruit-bearing trees that looked edible during his descent. Most of the trees he found had cotton-like crops, which wouldn't really fill his stomach and alleviate his hunger. He had to find a source of fresh water, too.

Auri sighed in hopelessness. Did he say he might be able to reach the foot of the mountain alive? Well, he's taking that back. He's going to die of hunger and thirst before he could even find any sign of thriving human civilization. If it's not that, then he might just get eaten alive by a beast somewhere in the forest.

His thoughts started spiraling down the path of self-depreciation, but before he could even sink deeper, a small squeak caught his ears.

Glancing around, Auri spotted squirrel-like animal sneaking around the bushes with a small plump-looking fruit in its tiny paws. The little creature looked at him, munched into its food, before scurrying away.

Auri stood and trailed the animal, ignoring the slight buckle of his knees. If there were animals around, naturally, they had sources of food and water nearby.

The little creature scampered from one bush to another, as if it had become aware of a predator trailing it behind. Unfortunately, it was too fast for him to run after. It didn't take long for the creature to find a hiding place in the forest.

Well, he wasn't really expecting much.

Pausing mid-step, Auri's ears perked to a distant sound of a rushing water and sent his heart reeling with hope. The sound had blended with the rustling of leaves and chirping of birds perched on tree branches, but there was no mistaking it.

There was a waterfall nearby.

Auri swallowed, his parched throat bobbing up and down at the sound of rushing water. He hastened his steps, determined to find its source. After bypassing countless of trees, he found the waterfall, nestled behind a cluster of hanging vines and thick leaves.

Not only that, he also found shrubs with wild berries growing near the lake. The varying shades of red and purple were welcoming delight, and the faint scent of ripened berries was enough to make his mouth water.

"Finally, food and water," Auri breathed in relief, bringing both hands together in a small prayer.

With the little Chronicle Essence he had gathered while he rested, he cast [Realm Chronicles] to gather information about the place. Memories of the land rushed through him. He saw a glimpse of a man picking berries from the shrubs and taking a bite on the fleshy fruit.

That was enough to tell him the berries weren't poisonous. It was safe to eat them.

Auri didn't waste time. He started plucking a handful of forest berries and popped all of them into his mouth in one go.

An undignified moan escaped him as the mixture of sweet and tartness exploded in his tongue. His cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, and juice dribbled down the corner of his lips, but he didn't care. What mattered right now was to give stomach relief from hunger.

Reaching for the small satchel attached to his belt, Auri unwrapped its opening and started filling it with the plump fruit. He didn't know long his journey would be, so he needed to gather as much resources as he could.

Thankfully, his repository had a chapter titled 'Materials' so he may be able to store more inside it. Though he didn't know if wild berries could be considered as materials for book restoration, but he could try.

Auri was about to stuff another handful of berries to his satchel when a sudden splash disrupted the rhythmic thrum of the nearby waterfall. The noise almost sounded like someone jumped in.

Licking the juices tricking down his fingers, Auri cautiously approached the side of the lake. He peeked past the thicket for a better look, and what he saw locked his middle finger inside his mouth.

In the middle of the lake, a well-built man with golden hair emerged out of the water after taking a deep dive. He shuffled towards the shallow part of the lake, the muscles on his broad back flexing as he slicked his wet hair upwards with his fingers. His bare skin glistened under the sun, and Auri caught himself staring. 

When the man almost tilted his head in his direction, Auri nearly choked on the finger still stuck in his mouth. He shuffled away immediately, his face burning with embarrassment.

Why did he stare like that? He should have turned around the moment he realized someone was skinny-dipping in the lake.

Auri pressed both palms to his heated cheeks. "Calm yourself, Auri. This isn't your first time seeing a naked man."