Rocky sat cross-legged beside the python''s lifeless body, his breath steadying as he calmed his racing heart.


    The oppressive silence of the forest seemed to ease, giving him a momentary reprieve as he recalled principal Liam''s lectures on how to craft a make-shift weapon.


    With his damaged swords resting beside him and the python''s massive fangs in his hands, he knew he had no time to waste as he began to mentally map out the steps to fashion makeshift weapons and armor.


    "Principal Liam always emphasized the importance of securing the de tightly to the handle" Rocky murmured to himself, remembering the old man''s patchy bearded face and stern voice. "In the wild, survival depends on your ability to adapt and use what''s avable…." He mumbled in a tone that mimicked Liam''s as he finalized his n to make a new sword.


    First, he needed a handle for his new weapon.


    To procure the wood for the handle, his eyes scanned the surroundings,nding on a sturdy branch not too far away.


    Getting up, Rocky approached the branch, his chipped swords still in hand as using the still sharp parts of his des, he began to chop at the branch, working meticulously to fashion it into a handle.


    Each strike of his was clean and deliberate, aiming to preserve the integrity of the wood as although he was working as a craftsman, his swordsmanship skills shone through in moments like these as he was able to turn the branch into two identical blocks of wood that could be shaped into handles.


    *Chop* *Chop*


    Sweat trickled down his brow as he continued to shape the branch.


    He knew that it needed to be sturdy enough to withstand the force ofbat yet light enough for swift maneuvers as after what felt like an eternity, Rocky finally shaped the block of wood into a rough handle that fitfortably in his grip.


    Next, he turned his attention to the python''s fangs. The long, razor-sharp teeth were naturally designed to pierce and crush, making them perfect candidates for makeshift des. Carefully, Rocky aligned one of the fangs with the handle, positioning it so that it would be secure and effective.


    To bind the fang to the handle, he needed something strong and flexible and to solve this need, his gaze fell upon the python''s body once more.


    The beast''s skin was tough and durable, perfect for crafting binding material as using his chipped swords, Rocky began to cut strips from the python''s hide, working diligently to create long, thin pieces that he could use.


    *Slice* *Slice*


    With the strips of hide in hand, Rocky started the binding process. He wrapped the hide tightly around the base of the fang and the handle, ensuring a secure and firm grip. He used as much force as he could muster, making sure that the fang wouldn''t budge duringbat.


    Finally, hammering a small wooden pin into the base of the handle to make it expand, Rocky managed to secure the de tightly against the handle as he managed to prevent it from wobbling even the slightest bit.


    "Tight and secure," he muttered, recalling Principal Liam''s advice where he said "A loose weapon is a useless weapon."


    After several minutes of intense focus, Rocky finally had a makeshift sword and while it was crude and far from perfect, it felt solid in his hands.


    *Shua*


    *Shua*


    Testing its weight and bnce, he swung it a few times and created a few sword shes and projections using it.


    Satisfied with the result, Rocky put it over his shoulder as he sheathed both of his chipped swords back into the scabbard, not discarding them in-case he needed to use it in emergencies.


    Next, Rocky turned his focus towards making make-shift Armor as after his fight with the python he realized that he needed protection as well.


    Rocky knew that the python''s scales, which had proven nearly imprable, could serve as makeshift armor as he examined the python''s body, selecting the toughest and most flexible scales for his use.


    Using his new fang des, he carefully pried the scales from the beast''s body, collecting and sorting them by size.


    *Crack* *Crack*


    He gathered the scales, arranging them in a pattern that would cover his vital organs as using more strips of python hide, Rocky began to bind the scales together, creating small patches of protective gear.


    He fashioned these patches into makeshift armor, securing them over his chest, shoulders, and thighs as he felt like a little kid trying to perform DIY projects all over again.


    The process was tedious and required constant adjustment to ensure mobility while providing protection, however, with a mixture of knowledge andmon sense, Rocky was able to create passable protective gear with what little talent and resources he had.


    As he worked, he couldn''t help but think of Principal Liam. ''He''d probablyugh at how crude this looks,'' Rocky thought with a wry smile. ''But he''d also remind me that survival isn''t about looking good; it''s about staying alive.''


    After several minutes ofbor, Rocky finally stood up, now equipped with a makeshift sword and improvised armor as he looked like aplete jungle warrior rather than a civilized human.


    Nheless, Rocky did not care about his looks, especially when the weight of the scales felt reassuring on his chest, and the fang de in his hand gave him a renewed sense of confidence.


    "Alright," he said to himself, taking a deep breath. "Time to move forward."


    With his new gear, Rocky felt better prepared to face the challenges ahead as he continued down the hardest trail.


    *************


    Rocky moved cautiously through the dense forest, every sense on high alert.


    After what happened with the python, Rocky no longer trusted only his vision and tried to maximize the sensory data from all his senses, however, no matter how carefully he looked around, he couldn''t detect the next enemy.


    The forest grew darker and more oppressive as he advanced, the canopy overhead blocking out much of the sunlight, as the deeper Rocky walked down the trail, the more anxious he became as his vision limited significantly, pushing his paranoia to an all time high as his heart pounded hard in his chest.


    Unbeknownst to him, once again while he could not detect the enemy, the enemy had already detected him, as within this dark patch of the forest, he was not alone–


    Hidden among the trees, a figure watched his every move, as instead of a beast, his opponent this time was a sentient nature spirit.


    The druid, cloaked in the natural colors of the forest, blended seamlessly with the surroundings. His eyes, sharp and calcting, followed Rocky''s movements with interest as he subtly changed the terrain in front of Rocky without him bing suspicious, as he led Rocky into the most viny and thorny area of the forest.


    Once he had led Rocky to the area where he felt the mostfortable fighting, the druid raised his hand, and the forest responded to his will.


    Suddenly, Rocky felt a strange shift in the atmosphere. The trees seemed to loom closer, their branches reaching out like twisted arms. The underbrush rustled unnaturally, and vines slithered across the ground with a life of their own.


    ''Huh?'' Rocky thought, feeling surprised at this sudden shift as his grip on his fang des tightened, his instincts screaming that something was wrong.


    *Snap*


    A vine shot out from the ground, wrapping around Rocky''s ankle and pulling him off bnce. He shed at it with his sword, freeing himself, but more vines surged forward, trying to ensnare him.


    *sh*


    *sh*


    Rocky struggled to free himself, realizing that the forest itself had be his enemy.


    "What the—" he muttered, his eyes darting around for the source of this unnatural attack as at that moment from the shadows, the druid emerged, his presencemanding and serene.


    He was tall and lean, with long, flowing hair adorned with leaves and twigs. His eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, and his hands moved gracefully as he chanted in an ancientnguage.


    The druid''s voice carried through the forest, a melodic and haunting sound. With each word, the trees and nts responded to hismand. Branches twisted and turned, forming barriers and traps around Rocky, while the ground beneath him seemed toe alive with crawling roots.


    ''Fucking hell…. A druid of all things?'' Rocky murmured, cursing his luck as he recalled how these nature spirits were notoriously hard to fight against.


    To defeat one, he needed to find the tree that their life was bound with and chop that tree down. As fighting the moving druid itself was utterly useless.


    [ Fire Wall ]


    Using a fire wall, Rocky created momentary separation between himself and the hundreds of vines moving in his direction, as the mes instantly forced the druid to back away, as thest thing it wanted was to start a forest fire.


    ''A tier4 druid, his source tree should be within a mile radius…. But how to find it?'' Rocky wondered as he tried to think of a creative solution to beat this enemy.