“Hufff....Haaaa.”

“This is too hot……I should have brought some water…”

The sun hung high and upright in the sky. Zeke sweated profusely as he was walking in a desert without goal.

“Device…haa…are there….any…water source..nearby?”

Last night, although in a hurry, Zeke decided to take some rest after desperately searching for medical herbs to take care of his wounds, and the device made him medical gel.

One must prepare themselves to handle any kind of situations, and Zeke wanted to be ready before his voyage for Adria.

Right now, the wounds on his arm almost completely healed and the leg was getting better. He was quite surprised that the wounds healed up faster than usual.

Was it because of the gel? Zeke could not believe it at all. The wounds were serious. Simply applying gel wouldn’t make them heal up this fast.

But, as much as he wanted to find the answer, he had something far more important to do.

[Negative. Unfortunately.], the device replied.

“Fuuuuaak…”

“What the hell is this world?! There were lush green forests not far from here then it just got separated like it’s a layer of cake….”, Zeke grumbled as his pace slow down.

“Hey….can’t you…create some water? Or fruits?”, After walking for a while, Zeke asked the device breathlessly.

[I can create things if you have ingredients.], the device replied though it gave off a sassy feeling like it was shrugging.

“….”, Zeke wanted to throw some insults but he could only breath heavily because of the exhaustion.

Squish!

In that moment, a strange small black worm emerged from the sand below.

As if the heat changed a normal person into a madman, Zeke quickly plunged his katana into the worm making red blood splashed on the sand.

[Ew! You aren’t planning to eat its blood, are you?], somehow, the device exclaimed in disbelief as if it’s a real person.

“Of course not! ......Quick! Make some water….out of this..thing!”, Zeke pointed the device on his wrist to the worm.

[Extracting…..]

[You’re pretty cruel, you know it?], the worm slowly dispersed into small particles, in the blue light.

“Shut up! I’m dying here!”, Zeke collected all his strength and shouted. The heat had made him somewhat hot-headed and aggressive.

“Wait….don’t tell me the water just gonna come out of that device?! Shit! I should have at least held the worm first!”, Zeke thought. He forgot to think about a vessel to contain water. If water just appear out of the air, he might lose most of them to the ground.

[Done.], the device reported and to Zeke’s surprise, a small tube containing water inside appear on the worm’s position instead of just a small puddle of water.

“Ah! I thought you were gonna give me a literal puddle of water!”, After quickly opening the tube’s cork and drank the water greedily, Zeke was once again felt impressed of how smart the device was.

[I am mildly offended by that.]

Zeke did not reply. He thought it was a waste of energy he just replenished.

Instead, he suddenly realized something.

“Where was the worm come from?”

A creature with a lot of fluid inside its body in the middle of a desert?

He once read a biology book about the desert animals.

There are various kind of animals in a desert. From mammals to small insects and even reptiles.

He remembered that most desert animals replenish their water or moisture from their preys.

Aside from insects that could almost live without water, and camels that could store water and food in their bodies, mammals like cat, fennec, and reptiles like snake, or lizard, have adapted their body parts to dwell in deserts.

But a worm with a lot of blood in its body? And a black colour?

It is true that some desert animals possess black colored body, but most of them are either brownish or yellowish.

But worms are considered to be a vulnerable creature. Their bodies should at least have the same color of the surrounding area.

And a lot of blood means the worm lives in a moist area!

[What’s the matter? Getting heatstroke?], feeling that Zeke was motionless and verballess for a while, the device was a bit concerned.

“How far did you check for a water source?”, Zeke asked the device with eyes full of certainty and eyebrows that were frowned.

[well, uh,… 1-2 kilo from here?], the device stuttered for a little before answering.

“Have you checked underground?”, Zeke looked down as he said.

[……], the device did not reply.

….

…

“Hey! Are you still working? I’m dying here. I need water!”

Silence fell for a while. Zeke got impatient from the burning sun above his head and his fury rose again.

[Ye-yes, there seem to be a water source 5 k.m. underground. I only checked on the ground….], the device finally spoke up.

[But I also found something that seem dangerous. I do not recommend you to go down any further.], the device warned him with some worries in its voice.

“I knew it! ….. Adria also mentioned that there is a cave before. Shouldn’t have forgot that..”, Zeke recalled the moment of their phone call and shook his head once in embarrassment of his own self.

[Do not go down! It is dangerous!], the device sternly warned Zeke once again.

“I must save Adria!”, Zeke too, was solemn and determined in his goal.

“Now, find a way for me to get down!”, Zeke commanded the device with a harsh voice.

…

…

..

The device kept silent, not replying anything to Zeke at all.

“God damn it! Are you broken now?!”

“Hey! Hey! Gah!”

The heat plus the panic made a man aggressive.

He was one step closer to rescue Adria. If he could get underground, maybe he could find a way to Adria.

He was quite close to rescue her, but the device was jammed in this perfect moment!

Zeke shook his head once again, trying to control his emotion and keep calm.

Calmness always shows him a path.

He came with a conclusion that, maybe the heat was too much, it made the device malfunctioned.

“Come to think of it, the device said this katana has skill called ‘Dimension slash’.”

“I have never used it until now. Maybe this can help.”

“Dimension Slash!”

Zeke shouted the skill’s name like he was some anime character.

He slashed the katana down to the ground not far from where he stood.

Fwhoosh!

Large pale blue waves that resembled an air being slashed* formed after the trajectory of his katana.

Boom!

The waves moved slowly toward its target at first then it smashed the ground violently creating a large cut wound on the sand after Zeke sheathed his katana.

The wound was around 4-5 meters long and soon, it disappeared because the sand flowed back to its original position.

“Holy…..”

“I’ll cut it until I see the cave!”, Zeke unleashed his katana once again.

“Ha! Ha! Ya! Hub!”, Zeke collected all his remaining strength and slashed the ground several times creating many blue waves.

Kling!

Boooom!

Finally, Zeke sheathed his katana once again and all the waves ravaged its prey creating a large hole.

“This is…..soil?”, Inside the hole, Zeke saw darker sand to which he tried poking them with the sword.

“No…it’s very soft…and..”, After poking the darker spot a few times, the soft soil broke apart and fell down revealing a dark cave inside.

“Yes!”

Seeing what he was searching for a long time, Zeke jumped straight into the crack, and they crumbled apart so easily.

“It’s very moist. The water must be nearby!”, Zeke landed on the ground underneath the desert.

He felt the humidity in the air inside and began to search for a water source.

TheProphet

Finally back. Thank anyone who waiting for this. You know, after a long time, I have been thinking about how long or how should I write my stories properly, and I finally got an answer now. I don't need to write a long story like other skilled writer. I could just write what I want to show you guys and the world. It might be short, but I will do my best.
Thank you again for waiting, this story will now continue and I will write new chapter everyday. Thank you!

*Kinda like this