“Let's take a look at what I’ve gathered so far,” I say as I wipe the dirt from my hands and scroll to my inventory screen.
[Basic Stone] X 20
[Basic Stone] X 20
[Basic Stone] X 5
[Basic Wood] X 20
[Basic Wood] X 2
[Palm Tree Leaves] x 15
“Not bad of me for stumbling in the dark, I need to start a fire or find some way to make a torch.”
New Quest: [Make a fire]
Do like the cavemen do and create a fire to escape the dark and the cold
Objective: Be as smart as a caveman and make a fire
Reward: +2 Stat of your choosing
“Oh screw you, it's on my list of things to do,” I say as I shake my hand at the popup menu. Well, I guess there is no time like the present I suppose. I gather up some of the local dead leaves and grass and put them in a somewhat neat pile. I then remove all the pieces of wood from my inventory to ensure I have wood to add to the fire if I’m ever so lucky to build one. I don’t have a lighter or anything that would be remotely helpful here so I will just have to make one by rubbing two sticks together as I’ve seen in movies. “Please God let it be as easy as it seems like it is in the movies,” I say with a sigh.
Selecting the thickest, flattest piece of wood from my inventory and seeking out the sharpest rock available, I meticulously carved a lengthwise channel down the center of the wood. With a determined grip, I took one of the sticks I had prepared earlier and commenced a repetitive, back-and-forth motion, applying consistent pressure along the softwood channel. The hours felt endless as I attempted to make a fire, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. Through gasps of exhaustion, I couldn't help but vent, "Hollywood makes this look like a cakewalk – damn them for lying to me."
Persisting in my effort, I continued the rhythmic motion, my stick against the soft wood, my heart filled with hope and prayer for any sign of progress. Then, as if my pleas had been answered, I sensed a subtle heat emanating from the softwood. A few more laborious, sweat-soaked moments, and I witnessed the first wisp of smoke. The dust began to darken, turn black, and finally, the embers glowed.
"Thank you, God," I uttered, unsure if it was tears or sweat streaming down my face at that moment. Carefully, I tipped the softwood over the ember, transferring the embers into my pile of tinder. A gentle breath ignited the embers, and I beheld the most breathtaking sight as they caught the tinder. Adding more tinder around the ember, I continued to blow until a flicker of flame began to emerge.
"Oh yeah look at that shit," I exclaimed with exhilaration, pointing at the small flame gradually expanding as I added more kindling. Gradually, I incorporated a couple of sticks and wood pieces, growing confident that the fire wouldn't immediately extinguish. Filled with excitement, I danced around the fire like a madman, chanting, "Burn, baby, burn – disco inferno! Burn, baby, burn”.
Quest Complete
Quest: [Make a fire]
You can stop dancing now you look like a crazy person
Would you like to receive your quest rewards:
Yes/No
“Abso freaking lootly I would, yes please give me those sweet sweet rewards,” I say while still dancing around.
Please select one stat to increase:
HP
MP
Stamina
ATK
DEF
INT
RES
HIT
SPD
Halting my celebratory dance, I paused to contemplate my critical decision regarding which stat to enhance. "I'm torn on what I should increase," I mused aloud. "On one hand, boosting either my HP or MP seems important, but on the other hand, my ATK currently stands at 8. It appears that every time I breach the 10-point threshold in a stat, I gain a new skill," I pondered, stroking my chin in thoughtful consideration.
Recalling my recent battle with the Ape, I continued, "Skills not only saved my life but also really helped out in defeating that stupid ape." Suddenly, snapping my fingers as a realization struck, I declared with determination, "I've made up my mind – I'm going to invest in strength."
Distributing Rewards:
+2ATK stat
New Skill Acquired:
[My Pain Is My Strength]
***My Pain Is My Strength***
MP Cost: 3
Skill Cooldown: 1hr
Ability Duration: 10min
Due to ATK stat exceeding +10 threshold
For every point that has been lost in HP, that number is added to your strength ATK stat.
“Nice, this will defiantly help especially if I have another near-death experience,” I say as I pick up a piece of wood “Knock on wood”. Now that I have the fire going, I should check on my inventory and see about crafting some new stuff.
Inventory:
[Ape hide]
[Ape Bone]
[Ape Meat]
[Basic Stone] X 20
[Basic Stone] X 20
[Basic Stone] X 4
[Basic Wood] X 10
[Palm Tree Leaves] x 5
“That’s a decent amount let's get started with making some bindings because most of the items I can craft need bindings”. As I accessed the crafting menu, I focused on the Misc category:
Crafting:
Misc:
Bindings:
5/4 Palm Tree Leaves
I clicked the bindings icon twice, and in a flash of light, two thin-looking strips of rope materialized in my hands.
"Sweet," I exclaimed, moving the two strips of rope into my inventory. "Next, I really need some shoes. I hate almost constantly stepping on sticks and stones, stabbing my feet all the time."
I navigated to the armor category, eyeing a specific item:
Crafting:
Armor:
Ape Leather Shoes:
1/1 Ape Hide
2/1 Binding
"Come here, you sweet footwear," I muttered, clicking on the shoe icon. A pair of brown, almost orange shoes appeared in my hands. They rose up halfway to my shin, with a fold-over top made from leather, and the laces were located at the back.
"They almost look like pirate boots," I remarked as I slipped them onto my feet, tying the laces tightly to prevent them from coming loose. "But who cares? Shoes are shoes."
Ape Leather Shoes:
+2DEF, +2SPD, +1RES, 50/50 durability
Shoes obtained from the flesh of a Red-Eyed Torment Ape.
"Badass. I need to get the whole set now," I said, standing up and testing my new shoes by running around for a while. "Alright, now that I've got some actual footwear, it's time to find something to defend myself with."
I browsed the weapons category, considering my options:
Weapons:
Stone Knife:
44/1 Basic Rock
10/1 Basic Wood
1/1 Binding
Stone Axe:
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
44/2 Basic Rock
10/1 Basic Wood
1/1 Binding
Bone Axe:
44/2 Basic Rock
1/1 Ape Bone
1/1 Binding
Stone Spear:
44/1 Basic Rock
10/2 Basic Wood
1/1 Binding
"So many choices, hmmmm," I pondered, rubbing my face. "I guess I'll have to go with the Bone Axe." I clicked on the icon for the bone axe, and the crafting screen illuminated once more. In my hands appeared a hand axe weighing about 5 pounds, crafted from bone. The handle was made of solid pale bone, with a rock piece attached at the top using the familiar binding I had made earlier in the day. I cautiously ran my thumb along the rock's edge to test its sharpness and was surprised to find it sharp enough to cut my finger with just a little pressure.
Bone Axe:
+5 ATK, +3 Axe DMG, 80/80 Durability
1-Handed Axe made out of the bones of your falling enemies.
"That's a rather menacing item description," I remarked with a cringe. "Makes me sound like I'm some sort of serial killer."
"Still," I continued with a hint of pride, "I must say it does make me look like a badass. If there are any more apes out there, it won't be that easy to take me out." With newfound determination and my bone axe in hand, I decided it was time to gather more firewood. I surveyed the area, seeking out the driest-looking tree I could find. Once I spotted a suitable candidate, a tree that appeared ready to give way after a few good whacks, I positioned my axe next to it and gave the axe a few practice swings.
"HERE GOES NOTHING!" I shouted as I swung the bone axe at the tree. The axe became lodged in the tree and required some effort to dislodge, but when I did, I noticed that it had left about a 3-inch gash in the tree.
"Wow, just after one swing, this axe is badass," I exclaimed, hugging my newfound weapon. "I'll have this tree cut down in no time." With renewed enthusiasm, I continued to strike the tree, determined to bring it down. Soon, I received a system pop-up screen that reminds me that I have been neglecting a certain aspect of survival.
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
Class: Waste of Skin
Health: 9/10 STARVATION
MP: 9/10 DEHYDRATED
Stamina: 12/15*
**Starvation***
You will continue to lose health until hunger is relieved, health loss will increase the longer you go without eating. It’s sad that this has to be explained. You need to eat dumbass.
***Dehydrated***
You will continue to lose MP until thirst is quenched, MP loss will increase the longer you go without drinking. It’s sad that this also has to be explained. You need to drink something dumbass.
"God, you sound like a nagging mother," I grumbled, shaking my head. "This thing is right, though. It's just weird that I don't feel hungry or thirsty. Maybe it's the adrenaline or something, I don't know. But that shouldn't be the case; I should have calmed down by now." With that thought, I stashed my trusty bone axe back into my inventory and headed back to my makeshift camp.
"It's finally time to eat this steak," I said with anticipation as I retrieved the ape steak from my inventory. I grabbed a nearby stick, skewered the steak with it, and held it over the fire.
"Man, I miss my pots and pans. I mean, what I wouldn't give for my old cast iron skillet," I lamented, gazing at my steak cooking over the fire. The mouthwatering aroma of the cooked meat filled the air, and I couldn't help but salivate.
"Oh man, this is going to be so good; I can't wait until it's done," I muttered excitedly, licking my lips in anticipation of the delicious steak. However, fate had other plans for me, as the stick holding my precious steak suddenly snapped, and it fell sadly onto the burnt ashes on the ground.
"Oh no no no no no no," I exclaimed, frantically searching for another stick to salvage my meal. Grabbing the closest stick I could find, I carefully fished my steak out.
"Nooooooooooooo, it's got dirt and ash on it," I groaned as I blew on the steak. "This is gross, but I'm still gonna eat this." Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, I took a bite of my steak. As I had suspected when I first obtained it, it was tough, and I probably could have cooked it longer. But I didn't want to risk another stick breaking, so I chewed and gnawed at the steak until I had fully devoured it.
Stats:
Starvation
Congrats you are able to function like a normal person and you are no longer starving!!!
Ape Steak Consumed:
+5ATK for 60:00……59:59…..59:58
"Nice, now not only am I suffering from starvation, but I've also got the nice little surprise of the attack bonus," I exclaimed, bumping my fist in the air. "I wonder if that works for all food in this world or just food that I craft, or maybe it's due to it being monster meat. I guess I'll find out once I get some more food."
"I haven't found any river streams or anything like that, so I'll just have to suffer for a while until I can find something to drink," I sighed, tossing a few more pieces of wood onto the fire. Standing up, I returned to the tree I had been cutting earlier, retrieved my axe from my inventory, and continued striking the tree. With each swing, I could feel the power of the ape steak coursing through me. After a few more minutes of relentless effort, the tree succumbed to my assault and fell to the ground, producing a tremendous crashing sound and shaking the earth.
"Ummmm, Timber," I sheepishly muttered. "I sure hope nothing heard that." Walking up to the fallen tree, I admired my handiwork. "Just call me Paul Bunyan," I quipped with a shrug. "I wonder if I can add the entire tree to my inventory." Kneeling closer to the fallen tree, I opened my inventory and attempted to push my screen onto the tree. As soon as my inventory screen made contact with the tree, it disappeared.
***ITEM TOO LARGE FOR A SINGLE ITEM SLOT
******Dividing item into equal parts for easier storage***
[Basic wood] x 20 has been added to your inventory.
[Basic wood] x 20 has been added to your inventory.
[Basic wood] x 20 has been added to your inventory.
[Basic wood] x 6 has been added to your inventory.
[Palm Tree Leaves] x 20 has been added to your inventory.
[Palm Tree Leaves] x 20 has been added to your inventory.
[Palm Tree Leaves] x 3 has been added to your inventory.
[Tree sap] x 3 has been added to your inventory
"So convenient, now I can make a bunch of stuff," I remarked as I opened my crafting screen. I decided to start by crafting some bindings since most crafting items required them. After navigating to the bindings category, I clicked and held the binding icon until all my palm tree leaves were used up. I ended up with 22 pieces of bindings in my hands, which I promptly stashed in my inventory. Next, I decided to make another axe so I could have one in each hand and then perhaps a slingshot for long-range attacks.
Weapons:
Stone Axe:
44/2 Basic Stone
76/1 Basic Wood
23/1 Binding
Sling Shot:
76/1 Basic Wood
23/5 Binding
MISC:
Slingshot Ammo x10:
44/1 Basic Rock
I clicked on each weapon icon and crafted the slingshot ammo four times. The crafting menu glowed, and the items appeared in my hand.
Stone Axe:
+2 ATK, +1 Axe DMG, 30/30 Durability
1-Handed Crude axe made out of wood and stone.
Sling Shot:
+3 ATK, +5HIT, 60/60 Durability. 40 Ammo
Slingshot made out of wood and bindings stretched out to resemble rubber.
***ADDS 5% Critical hit rate to Bulls Eye Shot***
“Awesome, now I don’t feel so defenseless,” I say with a smile across my face “Now I should probably have some backup weapons just in case.
Weapons:
Stone Knife:
38/1 Basic Rock
74/1 Basic Wood
17/1 Binding
Stone Spear:
38/1 Basic Rock
74/2 Basic Wood
17/1 Binding
“Well last time that makeshift javelin I made did some real damage so the smart thing would fill up on spears those worst case I can throw them at an enemy like before. I click the spear icon 8 times and I click the knife 4 times. That should flush out my weapons for a while.
Stone Spear:
+4ATK, +3HIT, 30/30 Durability
Crude spear made out of wood and stone.
Stone Knife:
+2ATK, 15/15 Durability
Crude knife made out of wood and stone.
"Oh yeah, that's more like it," I exclaimed, rolling my shoulders back with newfound confidence.
"If there are any apes out there who want a piece of me, come and get it! I'm not scared of you anymore!" I yelled at the jungle. But it seemed like cosmic retribution was swift, as I suddenly felt the ground shake, followed by an eerie silence.
"What the heck was that?" I muttered, slowly backing away from the jungle.
"RRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!" Suddenly, two Red-Eyed Torment Apes came crashing through the jungle, followed by a black ape.
A new emergency quest appeared:
New Emergency Quest: [Survive the Ape Confrontation]
Now look what you did, you just had to run your big mouth. Whatever, just don't die
Objective: Survive
Red Eyed Torment Apes 0/2
Black Eyed Torment Ape 0/1
Reward: New skill and new crafting blueprint
Penalty: Death
Without hesitation, I retrieved both my stone axe and bone axe from my inventory, twirling them in my hands.
"Welcome to the Thunder Dome," I declared as I rushed toward the apes, prepared to face this unexpected challenge head-on.