It was 5:40 in the morning. The Drifter was crushed under the tree, and even if he was still alive, there was little chance he could escape. Meanwhile, dozens of roots were heading towards me.

I was kneeling on the ground, unable to stand. My face was covered in dirt and dust, sticking to my sweaty skin. My clothes were dirty and covered in soil.

I had only a few points of endurance left and my small chain for self-defense.

I couldn't see a way out, but I refused to give up. I was on the verge of earning a lot of points thanks to this Drifter.

"No way I'm letting you ruin it all!" I shouted, holding my small chain in my hand, raised like a snake ready to strike.

Suddenly, the screen displayed a message: "YOU HAVE KILLED A DRIFTER! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU EARN 490PP!" I read it with a smile, one eye half-closed due to the dust.

Even if I were to die there, I had defeated a Drifter.

From my level 4 perspective, it was quite an achievement.

"I use my PP to level up!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly, I saw the roots stop and begin to retreat.

Within seconds, they vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

I stood up, scanning my surroundings.

"They're gone? Why?" I wondered.

Perhaps they didn't attack a healthy player.

I didn't have the answer, but it interested me little. I felt vulnerable without my large chain, so I went to retrieve it.

I found a piece hidden under some leaves, grabbed it, and commanded it to come to me.

It took a while to free itself from the tree, but soon I saw it slide down towards me.

It was stained with blood. I moved it through the grass and against the leaves to clean it. Then I threw it against a branch and quickly climbed up a tree.

I didn't want to risk encountering another Drifter.

There wasn't much time left until sunrise.

I sat on my branch, keeping my gaze fixed on where the Drifter had died. A part of me was worried that he would rise again in one way or another.

After about thirty minutes, the sun finally rose.

The Moon had given way to the Sun.

I climbed down from my branch and approached the fallen tree to take a closer look.

I could only see the hand and part of the Drifter's arm sticking out of the tree.

His skin was pale, and his fingers were badly damaged.

Watching this scene made me shiver.

I felt no guilt, and perhaps it was even a good thing.

"If I became a Drifter, I would want someone to end my suffering," I thought.

I wondered if these thoughts were my true opinion or just a way to accept that I had killed what remained of a human being. It was hard to be certain, but it wasn't the time to dwell on that.

The day had begun, and I had leveled up and still had PP to use.

It was easily the best day since I arrived in Hell.

Now, I had to take care of the trapped Drifter, back in the dirt road. And find a base.

I had heard that the East was dangerous, but it was also where interesting things were happening.

I would stay in the current zone and level up until the East was no longer a threat.

Killing that Drifter had given me newfound confidence. I felt capable of conquering Hell.

I had nothing left to do in this forest, so I opened my map and walked towards the Blue Lake, where the trap was located.

I had given up on searching for the lost weapons of my captor. It was a waste of time; they had probably already been stolen.

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As I walked, I checked my profile to tally up my points.

I was at level 5, with 0/240 DP to advance to the next level and 404 PP remaining.

I had a level in reserve, which provided a sense of reassurance.

It gave me a chance to heal any injury.

I also had four new talent points to allocate.

My chain had become much more useful thanks to the invested points.

I wanted to continue investing in the power that made me special, but I couldn't neglect my physical body.

I had witnessed this during the fight against the Drifter; things would have been much easier if I had more strength or speed.

Better perception could have even allowed me to avoid the fight by spotting the menace in advance.

The EP consumption of my chain was also an issue. At full power, I could only use it for two or three minutes. If a fight lasted too long, I was done for.

"The wisest decision is to invest in my body to become less vulnerable," I thought.

However, as usual, I preferred to wait before using my points. Decisions made too hastily were never good.

After an hour, I was back near the hole where the Drifter was waiting.

As I walked through the forest, I heard a strange noise in the distance, resembling music.

It seemed impossible, but I waited for the sound to fade a bit, fearing it might be related to the presence of another player.

Then, I cautiously emerged from the shadow of the trees and approached the hole, holding a piece of my chain in my hand, ready to react if necessary.

I didn't expect to encounter an enemy here, but considering the music I had heard earlier, I preferred to be cautious.

As I brought my head closer to the hole, I glanced inside, and to my surprise, the Drifter had disappeared.

"Damn," I muttered. I couldn't imagine someone deciding to attack a trapped Drifter.

The only other possibility was that he had managed to escape.

It seemed that all my luck had been used up in the fight I had just been through during the night.

But I couldn't complain; I had already earned a lot of points.

"Well, time to find myself a base now," I said, looking at my map.

Staying on the path, in the open, was an unnecessary risk, so I returned to the forest.

I found a tree with sturdy branches and climbed as high as possible.

Based on my experience, being up high was the best strategy to avoid trouble.

I made sure to position myself on leafy branches that easily concealed me.

As I examined my map, I didn't see anything that helped me choose a location.

The forest was dangerous, but strangely enough, it was where the slave merchant had set up his camp. The place where I spawned was relatively peaceful but too exposed.

The lake provided a water source, but it was also risky to encounter other players with the same idea.

It was at that moment that I remembered what Guil had said: 'Those who flee the system find the players.'

Obviously, I couldn't find a perfect spot where I would be completely safe. I had to make a choice: be protected from players or be protected from the system.

I leaned more toward being shielded from other players.

I felt I had a better chance against Drifters and roots than against players. The latter seemed too unpredictable. And I could kill a Drifter, but I felt incapable of killing another human being.

Taking all this into account, the best idea was to remain hidden in the forest, high up, and create a base in a tree while ensuring I wasn't easily visible from below.

I didn't yet see exactly how to do it, but the concept was enticing.

Before descending to start scouting for the best location, I decided to allocate my talent points.

"For construction, my strength and the strength of my chain are the best attributes. But in terms of survival, it would be better to invest in my speed or perception," I pondered.

I had four points, but it made no sense to distribute one point to each attribute since the difference would be negligible.

"No, I know what to do," I thought.

Immediately, I allocated all four talent points to perception.

Developing this stat would help me survive and also assist in finding the best location for my base. Moreover, it could even aid me in combat.

As soon as I allocated the points, I felt a dizzying sensation and pressed my stomach against the branch to avoid falling.

I closed my eyes as the strange feeling overwhelmed me and made me nauseous.

I waited for the nausea to subside before opening my eyes.

Everything seemed closer, and my vision had greatly improved.

The flying leaves, the movement of the branches around me, even the small creatures wandering on the ground—all appeared more detailed.

"So, this is how others see?" I thought.

There was something else I was eager to try. It was seeing information about the things around me, so I asked the screen to display information about the tree I was on.

The screen showed: 'SPIKY LEAF TREE! INTEGRITY: 45/45!' I was impressed, even though it was limited information.

Trees had Health Points too.

I asked the screen to display information about leaves, insects, stones—anything I could find.

Everything was scrutinized.

When an object was useless, I only saw its HP. When it had an effect or value, it was displayed, like when I analyzed a small violet insect. The screen indicated that eating it could heal poison.

Now, I was eager to use my perception on a Drifter or another player. But most importantly, I needed to use my eyes to find a tree to start my base.

"Ideally, I would find a tree with a thick trunk and plenty of HP," I thought as I began descending from my branch.

"It should offer good visibility and easy escape routes in case of trouble," I continued, muttering to myself.

The idea of being above the cliff overlooking the lake was interesting, but the trees there were too low and thin to accommodate a structure.

Nevertheless, I decided to search for a tree that was close to the lake.

It provided excellent visibility while allowing access to water. But I didn't plan to get too close to it to avoid encountering other players.

After about thirty minutes, I caught sight of the lake. I moved through the forest, searching for the thickest tree possible.

And not too long after, I found it.

It was located a few miles from the lake, with a thick trunk that didn't attract too much attention.

It was surrounded by several other trees, allowing for an easy escape. Its height provided a perfect view of the lake and the nearby cliff.

Now, it was time to get serious and build my base up there.