After this initial period of investigation, I've realized that the danger here far exceeds my expectations. Compared to my hometown, this environment is practically hell.

In less than a month, I almost died several times, which forced me to re-examine this land.

Unknown territories always come with unknown risks; I have no idea how many unknown and deadly things lie ahead.

However, the familiar creatures I've encountered so far, such as the Sand Beast and the Black Ant, are not something I can easily handle alone. I was almost killed by one of my old acquaintances as soon as I arrived.

The newly discovered species are also remarkable: the Titanoboa that ambushed a wild boar weighing several hundred kilograms by the stream, and the Haast's Eagle, the aerial overlord that brushed past me as it preyed on a moa.

Each of these species is a top predator in the food chain. If they wanted to, they could easily ambush me and I would just be a piece of their food.

So I decided to stay in this land a little longer. The biodiversity here is even greater than I imagined. To rush through this treacherous rainforest is no different from gambling with your life on the lottery.

Although I do not possess the overwhelming strength of these savage beasts, humanity's ability to rule the world and become the master of all things has never relied on brute force, but rather on highly developed intelligence.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. I think if I have some time to understand the habits of most of the threatening animals in the area, I will definitely be able to find targeted ways to deal with them.

It's like when I first discovered tiger droppings, and then used my imagination to create a piece of armor with decent defensive capabilities, imitating the quills of a porcupine.

This armor saved me at least twice when I was exploring the eastern side of the lake. The first time was when I was surrounded by a pack of jackals, and I successfully escaped using this spiked armor.

The second time was when he encountered the mother tiger with cubs. He used the armor that made his body look bigger and successfully scared away a tiger by taking advantage of the animals' fear of the strong. He even stayed overnight at its house.

All of this is a benefit of my foresight. If I hadn't made any preparations and had rashly stepped into those mountains, the outcome would have been completely different.

Whether I encounter a pack of cunning and treacherous jackals skilled in teamwork, or a tiger with terrifying combat power capable of delivering a ton of force with a single slap, I am very likely to perish at their hands.

I was too careless this time. I was carrying three ranged weapons, which made me relax my guard, which was originally very vigilant.

I even thought that as long as I had a shotgun, I could take down any large beasts, and I no longer cared about the armor I lost in the swamp.

In this unknown land, arrogance is one's greatest enemy.

I was thinking, what if I hadn't lost that set of armor, or what if I had come to this rainforest later and encountered some extremely threatening animals?

If it had been remade in time, the encounter with those two sand monsters wouldn't have nearly resulted in his death from an infected wound.

It seems there's still a lot of preparation to be done. I'm walking through the rainforest like a walking fast food meal; any powerful creature could easily make me its prey.

…………

After Top and I gathered the supplies, I stayed home to recover from my injuries. I rarely went out for the next few days, at most catching some fish from the stream.

The guinea pigs provided Top and me with food for three days, and on the third day I took off the banana leaf wrapped around my arm.

I could see that the maggots used to clean the wound had doubled in size. I looked at the smooth wound inside the skin, and the flesh around the edges was pink.

Although it looked horrifying, the tissue inside did not continue to deteriorate, and the flesh at the deepest part began to show signs of healing.

Having experienced the encounter with the Sand Beast, I became more cautious again. My knee was completely healed, but my left hand wasn't fully recovered, so I stayed home to rest for a few more days.

Top's wounds have healed, and he's back to full health. The past few days at home have really made this active monkey restless.

I looked at my arm; the wound had healed, leaving a scar that looked like a winding earthworm. I tried moving my left hand, and it felt pretty good.

The herb Drynaria fortunei I found by the dead tree by the stream these past few days has been quite good; the dull ache in my bones has disappeared, and my body has returned to its original state.

It was time to get out and about. As usual, I shouldered my basket, packed my gear, and set off.

Top, who had been confined at home for a long time, was very excited after being released, jumping around on nearby branches.

As time passed, winter was long gone.

It's only around March, but the temperature in the rainforest is already starting to rise. Before, I could barely manage to walk through the jungle in a fur coat, but now it's unbearably hot.

The thought that my exposed skin would be coveted by most of the insects here temporarily suppressed my desire to take off my clothes and run around naked.

However, as temperatures rise, those annoying mosquitoes will only increase. I can't stay cooped up at home forever; I have to go out hunting to make a living eventually.

Dealing with these annoying insects has become a priority.

Today, while wandering in the jungle, Top dug up several taro plants, which filled his little basket to the brim.

Top probably didn't finish digging up all the taro, so it brought some back to me. I was quite surprised to see so many taro; I estimated that's about all I had dug up before.

Top tugged at my clothes in one direction, signaling me to come with it to dig up the remaining taro. Top knew that my basket could hold much more than it could hold itself.

Top ate taro starch dumplings once, and after seeing them once, he remembered that taro is a plant that is used to make food. It is true that foodies always have such amazing memories of food.

This time, Top found the taro not by the water, but in a wide-open, low-lying area. The soil there was extremely damp, the kind where you could wring water out of your feet if you stepped on it.

Seeing that the soil was so moist, I became curious and poked the ground with my spear, picking up a bit of soil.

This soil is very light; to be precise, it shouldn't be considered soil at all. This black, soil-like substance actually has a much higher fertility than soil.

The black substance is called peat moss, which is formed by the accumulation of ancient plant layers that, over a long period of time, settle, oxidize, and eventually completely decompose and carbonize into a black color.

This black soil is not only incredibly fertile and ideal for plant growth, but it can also be dried and used as coal for firewood.