Soon, the strips of clay in Leo's hand were almost gone. He stood up, stretched his back, and felt aches radiate through every muscle.
"My body always feels overworked—my legs and back ache, I'm exhausted… as if I've been hollowed out," he muttered.
"Is this supposed to be a survival stream or an infomercial for painkillers?"
"Streamer: Alright, alright, enough with the jokes."
Leo glanced at the chaotic comments and sighed. "Okay, everyone, that's enough—don't scare away new viewers thinking they're in the wrong stream. Jokes over. It's time to move on."
He walked seriously to a nearby clearing, scanning the ground. "Okay, everyone, we've reached the final step: firing the pottery. Outside the game, we'd use a kiln, but here we don't have one. We'll just dig a simple pit to concentrate the heat."
Finding a suitable spot, Leo carved a makeshift wooden trowel with his knife and began digging. "Pottery needs over 1,400°C to properly fire. That's impossible in open air, so we must use an earthen pit to trap the heat," he explained as he worked. Before long, the pit was complete.
Crawling out, he addressed the camera, rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving—my ribs feel like they might collapse. And it's about time to check our fish traps anyway. We'll let the pottery sit; it won't break easily. After all, food comes first." He staggered toward the stream.
"Look at him wobble—hope he finds something to eat!"
"Don't get your hopes up—Murphy's Law is real."
"Spammer, zip it! The streamer's risking his life here. If you can't encourage him, at least stop dragging him down."
Under the crowd's scolding, the troll slunk away.
After a short walk, Leo reached the stream and hurried to his traps. "Friends, this is make-or-break!" He shook the first cage free and felt the weight. His eyes lit up. Dumping out the contents, several small fish—about 8–10 cm long—and a handful of baby crabs rolled onto the bank.
"Wow, that's awesome!"
"Big haul! If the others are the same, our streamer's got a feast coming."
"He finally gets real food after suffering so much."
"Hurry—check the other traps!"
Under the viewers' urging, Leo collected all the traps. Perhaps unused to land bait, each held a little catch. He emptied and counted: 12 small crucian carp, a few tiny crabs, and a pile of shrimp.
Beaming, he told the panel, "Everyone, we're eating well tonight. I haven't had a proper meal in two days—I feel so weak I can barely stand. Let's hurry back and cook."
He paused mid-step. "Wait—better process the fish here so we don't lure predators back to camp." And with that, he cleaned and gutted the fish on a fallen log. Looking at the entrails, he had an idea: "I'll toss these guts into the traps as fresh bait. Tomorrow's meal is almost guaranteed."
"Such careful planning—respect!"
"Did you hear? Spread the word: the streamer thinks ahead."
"Got it—passed on: this guy's a survival genius."
The chat's tone briefly skated toward arrogant praise, but Leo caught it. "Alright, let's keep it down, everyone," he chided. The room gradually calmed.
With tasks done, Leo's legs felt like jelly. He hurried back to camp and built the fire up again. Impatient, he skewered fish on sharpened sticks, fashioned a makeshift grill, and slid the fish over the flames. He also set the remaining shrimp and crabs to boil in the leftover wooden bowl.
While waiting for his dinner, he chatted with viewers: "What am I? Just an ordinary college student. Why do I know all this? I learned it online in my spare time. Alright, the fish is ready—one quick reminder: when you haven't eaten for a long time, don't gulp your food. You could rupture your stomach and die. Enough talk—let's eat!"
Leo focused on his grilled fish in silence. He blew on the first one to cool it, then bit in. A look of pure bliss spread across his face as he devoured it. Soon the first fish was gone.
"Honestly, no seasoning, but this is the best grilled fish I've ever had—so flavorful."
"Wait, how did this survival stream turn into a mukbang?"
"Watching him eat while I've got instant noodles—my jealousy is real."
"Seafood's so expensive now; I haven't eaten fish in ages."
"Ugh, watching him feast hurts more than any hardship."
Leo ignored the banter, one fish after another disappearing into his mouth. Paired with the shrimp-and-crab broth, it was heavenly. After seven or eight fish, he finally paused, too full to continue. He lay back, sighed contentedly, and said, "Ah, this is amazing, everyone. I finally ate my fill—every hardship was worth it for this moment! A few fish remain; we'll save them for tomorrow."
He rose and got to work, quickly grilling the last fish. After preserving them, he moved on to his final task of the day.