Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 5: Hunt Wild Buffalo

The only real obstacle was the Hardwood Trunk. The White-grade Stone Axe couldn’t cut that type of tree. He would need iron tools for that.

He decided to gather all the other materials first. Once he found iron, he would deal with the Hardwood.

After finishing an apple and a handful of berries, he checked his backpack.

Relying on a single apple tree and scattered berries wouldn’t solve his long-term food problem.

His gaze slowly shifted downward.

The wild chicken was strolling casually near his feet.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

The chicken suddenly felt a chill and stiffened. Its feathers ruffled as it hurriedly retreated away from him. "Cluck-cluck-cluck!"

Vikram sighed.

"I need to find a proper source of food this afternoon. With this sword, hunting should be possible."

After eating half a piece of bread and drinking half a bottle of water, Vikram picked up the iron sword provided by the system and set out to hunt.

The Guardian Sprout followed behind him on its tiny legs.

After half an hour of fruitless searching near his Shelter, Vikram decided to venture farther.

With the midday sun at his back, that direction should be west. This time, he chose to head east.

More than an hour passed quietly before he finally found something.

An endless grassland stretched before him like a vast green carpet. A few solitary trees dotted the landscape.

But Vikram had no time to admire the scenery.

Near one of the distant trees, something was moving through the knee-high grass.

His attention locked onto the wriggling figure. As he approached cautiously, he saw it clearly. It was a wild buffalo.

Its head was lowered as it grazed, its massive black body contrasting against the green grass. A thick tuft of hair covered its forehead, and two long horns curved upward from its skull.

He brought up the system view and aimed it at the wild buffalo.

[Wild Buffalo (Green)]

Possesses strong defense due to years of rubbing its hide against tree bark. Its long horns can inflict penetrating damage.

"Well, well... my first hunt, and I run into a Green-grade buffalo."

Vikram crouched behind a nearby tree, tightening his grip on the iron sword.

The wild buffalo continued grazing, completely unaware of the danger approaching from behind.

Carefully, Vikram crept closer.

When he was within striking distance, he swung his sword.

However, this was no ordinary beast.

The instant Vikram moved, the buffalo reacted.

It kicked off the ground powerfully and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Turning its head, the massive animal glared at Vikram, its eyes burning with anger.

Although it had never seen a creature like him before, it understood one thing clearly.

This small creature had just attacked it.

And it would not forgive that.

Relying on its tough hide and sharp horns, the wild buffalo charged straight at Vikram.

The ground trembled beneath its hooves.

Vikram’s heart skipped a beat. The distance was too short. He wouldn’t be able to dodge in time.

Just as the buffalo lowered its head and prepared to gore him, a small figure leapt forward.

The Guardian Sprout.

With surprising speed, it positioned itself in front of Vikram. A translucent green shield formed in its tiny wooden arms.

The buffalo slammed into it.

A heavy thud echoed across the grassland.

The shield cracked instantly, and the Guardian Sprout was knocked backward, but the impact force had been slowed just enough.

"Now!" Vikram shouted instinctively.

The Guardian Sprout thrust its other vine-like arm into the soil. In an instant, thick green vines burst from the ground beneath the buffalo’s legs.

The vines coiled tightly around its hooves. The charging buffalo lost its balance.

Its massive body tilted forward. It stumbled and fell down.

The moment its chest hit the ground, Vikram lunged.

With both hands gripping the iron sword, he drove the blade downward with all his strength.

The sword pierced through the buffalo’s neck, sliding between muscle and bone.

A muffled roar escaped the beast before its body convulsed violently and then went still.

Silence returned to the grassland. Vikram stood there, breathing heavily.

The Guardian Sprout slowly got back up, its shield faint and flickering.

Vikram exhaled deeply.

"That... was close."

Without the Guardian Sprout buying him time, he would have been impaled.

He looked at the fallen buffalo.

The buffalo lay motionless, its massive body collapsed in the grass. Most of the sword had penetrated into its torso.

After calming himself, Vikram placed the wild buffalo into his backpack.

The system displayed its weight: 95 kilograms.

His eyes lit up.

Even if he stayed inside his treehouse for an entire week, this meat would be enough to sustain him through the first wave of natural disasters.

Closing the backpack interface, he prepared to return and continue gathering wood and stone.

Just then, a green-glowing box materialized at his feet.

"Did I get a drop?" Vikram asked, breathing slightly heavily.

[Congratulations, Host. You have defeated a Wild Buffalo. A Rare Treasure Chest has dropped. Do you wish to open it?]

"Nonsense. Of course I want to open it."

He rolled his eyes at the system’s formal tone.

At the same time, the Plant Life System issued another notification.

[Congratulations on defeating a Wild Buffalo with the assistance of your Guardian Sprout.]

[Reward: Plant Essence +5]

[Obtained: Spikevine Seed (Green)]

[Spikevine Seed (Green): A fast-growing vine capable of producing hardened spikes. Effective for restraining and injuring small to medium creatures.]

Vikram felt a small surge of satisfaction.

Five more Plant Essence wasn’t much, but it was a start.

And the new seed meant stronger defensive options.

He shifted his attention back to the glowing chest at his feet.

As it opened, the green light gradually faded, revealing its contents.

Instant Noodles ×2 (Green)

Mineral Water ×2 (White)

Regional Map ×1 (After use, it reveals the terrain within a 10-kilometer radius centered on the Shelter.)

"A map?"

His eyes brightened.

"Even if it’s only a 10-kilometer radius, this will be incredibly useful in the early stages."

With food, meat, a Treehouse, and basic defenses, he was mostly prepared for the first wave of natural disasters.

But one issue remained.

"Water..."

He frowned slightly.

A stable water source was still the biggest problem.

Without it, even the strongest shelter wouldn’t matter.

Without hesitation, Vikram used the Regional Map.

Sure enough, having a map was far more efficient than blindly searching for resources.

Vikram hadn’t rested much these past two days. He had been running around constantly, gathering materials while keeping an eye out for a reliable water source. Since there were many plants near the hill where his shelter was located, he had assumed there must be water somewhere nearby.

Initially, he suspected the plants were drawing water from underground reserves. Who would have thought that a small stream flowed quietly just behind the hill?

"Now even the water problem is solved," Vikram said, clearly relieved.

After marking the location mentally, he stored today’s harvest — buffalo meat, wood, and gathered materials — into his backpack and returned the way he had come.

Back at the Shelter, he tossed a piece of bread toward the wild chicken for lunch.

The chicken, which had previously been wary of him, immediately forgot its fear at the sight of food. It lowered its head and pecked eagerly at the bread, occasionally glancing around before continuing to eat.

Vikram turned and saw the Guardian Sprout standing quietly beside the Treehouse, its small leafy head slightly drooping from the earlier battle.

He walked over and gently patted it.

"Good job today," he said softly.

The Guardian Sprout swayed slightly, its tiny vine-arms wiggling as if responding to his touch. A faint green glow flickered briefly around its body before fading.

Satisfied, Vikram nodded.

"Stay nearby."

The Guardian Sprout obediently followed him as he opened the Survival Platform.

Using two stones and two pieces of wood, he crafted a simple campfire through the system interface.

Next, he crafted a crude stone bowl from collected stone.

Taking two smaller stones, he knelt down and began striking and rubbing them together, trying to generate sparks like a primitive man.

It took several attempts. Sweat formed on his forehead.

But eventually, a spark caught onto dry grass, and a small flame began to grow.

Carefully, he transferred it to the prepared firewood, and the campfire slowly came to life.

With everything ready, Vikram placed the long-awaited instant noodles into the stone bowl, poured in half a bottle of water, and set it over the fire.

Soon, steam began to rise. The aroma spread into the air.

While the noodles were cooking, Vikram decided to plant the Spikevine Seed.

He walked outside and chose a spot beside the Treehouse, near the only open entrance between the hills.

Kneeling down, he pressed the seed into the soil.

The Plant Life System interface immediately appeared.

[Spikevine Seed (Green) Planted Successfully]

Growth Time: 6 Hours

Daily Plant Essence Generation: +3

Special Trait: Produces hardened spikes capable of injuring small to medium creatures.

Vikram narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Three per day..."

He quickly began calculating in his head.

Even if he planted ten more vines, that would only be thirty Plant Essence per day.

To accumulate 200 Plant Essence for the Primal Evolution potion, he would still need many days.

"Looks like expansion is the only way."

Without wasting time, he opened the crafting interface and began synthesizing the Leaf Resin Coating using the materials he had gathered.

After confirmation, the crafted resin floated from his hands, dissolving into a translucent green liquid that spread across the Treehouse’s bark.

Within seconds, a faint protective sheen covered the outer surface.

Vikram stared in amazement.

"So it applies automatically..."

A sudden smell reached his nose.

"My noodles!"

He rushed back inside, quickly lifting the stone bowl off the fire. The heat burned his fingers, and he instinctively pressed them against his earlobes to cool them.

Using the crude chopsticks he had made earlier, he lifted a bundle of noodles, blew on them, and placed them into his mouth.

Then he took a sip of the warm broth.

The savory flavor spread instantly across his tongue.

In this harsh wasteland, where survival itself was exhausting, a single bowl of hot instant noodles felt like luxury.

He finished everything — even the last drop of soup.

"What a treat," he muttered contentedly.

Vikram couldn’t help but chuckle at himself.

Here he was — someone with a survival system — feeling overjoyed by a simple bowl of instant noodles.

But it didn’t matter.

With the Plant Life System, he believed he would eventually build the comfortable wasteland life it had promised.

Shaking off those thoughts, he looked out the window.

The sky was already beginning to darken.