As I climbed to the top of the enormous tree that would serve as my base, I realized that not only did I have a commanding view of the Lake, but also of a mountain, up North, that I had never noticed before.

It was large, but from below, it was completely hidden by the tall trees of the forest.

This location was truly perfect.

Using my chain, I descended to a sufficiently thick part of the trunk.

I was about 5 yards from the top and 30 to 40 yards above the ground.

From there, I could no longer see the Lake, but at least I was hidden.

I sat on a large branch and placed my hand on the wood. I had a clear image in my mind; I wanted to dig a hole large enough for me to lie down in, just like the one I had seen in a tree in the village of Hermine. This tree was smaller than the ones in the village, but it would be enough.

However, to dig a hole in such sturdy wood, I needed tools.

"The last time I had to cut wood, I used my chain like a saw. It worked well," I thought.

I took out my small chain and drew an oval shape in the wood to mark the area I wanted to dig. Then, I descended from the tree.

Once on the ground, I felt my arms burning.

Climbing up and down the tree with only my body strength had its limits.

I decided to conduct an experiment before going to find sharp stones.

I grabbed my chain with both hands, still attached to the branch from which I had just descended. Then, I commanded it to lift me up to the branch.

I felt the immense effort it demanded from my chain, as if it were my muscles working.

My body lifted slightly, and I was surprised. My chain was able to lift my weight.

However, that was its limit; the speed at which I ascended was laughable.

Glancing at my profile, I saw my EP diminishing. It was the limit of my chain's strength, and it came at a cost.

I decided to let go and let myself fall onto the leafy forest floor.

I needed to invest points in strengthening my chain and further reduce its energy consumption.

I was tempted to level up immediately.

"No!" I said aloud.

Impatience was a flaw that could get me killed, just as much as recklessness.

I had to keep my PP in reserve for emergencies.

I retrieved my chain and headed towards the gravel beach, hoping to find stones large and sharp enough to use on my chain.

Once at the edge of the lake, I looked out at the expanse of water.

I was on the opposite side from where I had arrived after jumping from the cliff on the first day.

Since I had resurrected, I had managed to regain all my memories.

Strangely, I felt as if the person who had been captured, and then worked as a slave was someone else.

It was as if those memories had been transferred to a new body.

I let these thoughts wander in my mind, then I lowered my head and began to search the gravel.

I quickly found some stones that were a good size and shape.

"I won't place stones on every link like last time," I thought.

I calculated that about ten stones would be more than enough.

I placed the stones I already had.

I was much faster than the first time I had done this. Probably because the links of the larger chain were much wider, it allowed me to hit them with a big rock to drive them in without fear of breaking them.

In just a few minutes, I had found all the necessary stones and positioned them on the chain.

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I pulled on it to observe my work. It seemed perfect.

I even thought it could be useful in combat.

"If my chain entwines around someone with these stones, it could lacerate their body," I thought.

The problem was that these stones made the movement of the chain more difficult.

I would constantly need to exert more effort to ensure that the stones faced outward when the chain moved.

Moreover, it would be more challenging to use it for anything other than combat.

Despite that, I put this idea aside. There were all sorts of situations where it could prove useful.

I drank water from the lake, then I placed the chain over my shoulder, making sure the part with the stones was on top, and headed back into the forest.

As I was walking, I realized I was hungry.

It was a strange feeling. I hadn't had the chance to feel very hungry since I came back to life.

I was either too stressed to notice, or I leveled up and the hunger went away.

"And even... Since I'm in Hell, I've always been fed by someone else. I've never had to find my own food!" I thought.

This thought hit me like a lightning bolt.

I felt like a child who never got to live on their own.

"I need to find food before going back up to my tree," I thought, looking around.

I didn't think I could find Secret Fruit or even black Turcos, but I was sure I could find the wild grass I used to eat in the village.

I searched the ground with my foot, but all I saw were leaves and sometimes bugs.

I didn't want to eat bugs. I wasn't that desperate.

"How silly of me, I thought about everything but food when choosing a location," I thought.

This forest didn't seem to have anything other than trees.

"Maybe I should try eating bark," I muttered.

But what I really wanted was to eat meat or fish.

"Fish," I muttered. "In the Lake, there must be fish!" I said out loud.

I started looking on the ground again, this time for bugs to use as bait.

I found a few and kept them in my closed hand, then I ran to the lake, excited to try something new.

Once again in front of the blue mass, I grabbed an insect from my hand and looked at my chain.

I had to keep the insect alive to attract the fish, but my chain was too thick to catch something so small and keep it alive.

"Unless... I use my small chain," I thought.

I detached the chain I had around my neck and gently grabbed the insect with it, holding it tight enough to prevent it from escaping but not too tight to kill it.

Then, I wrapped my small chain near the end of the larger one, where I had placed the sharp stones.

The only doubt I had was whether I would be able to control the small chain if it wasn't in direct contact with my skin.

But as soon as I let go of the small chain while keeping my hand on the larger one, I saw that I still had control.

It was an interesting discovery, although I didn't know if it would be useful for anything other than fishing.

I then threw my chain as far as possible.

"I will be able to feel if there is resistance at the end of the chain, probably thanks to my chain perception point," I thought.

I sat on the gravel and had my hand holding my makeshift fishing rod.

The chain seemed to sink, very slowly. I wasn't sure if I could catch anything with sinking bait. But still, I waited.

"Now that I think about it, investing points in my chain perception can be really useful," I thought.

The idea of using my chain like a spider web to warn me if someone came close while I was sleeping seemed like the best solution for sleeping in such a dangerous world.

Suddenly, I felt something at the end of my chain.

Right away, I told it to grab whatever bit the hook. Then, I pulled it towards me.

I saw the links come out of the water one by one, and then something moved.

A big blue fish was struggling, its scales pierced by the sharp stones.

My chain had done an excellent job.

I brought the fish closer to me and examined it closely.

It was the size of my forearm, and it looked nice and fatty. My mouth watered.

My chain wrapped around the creature, and the stones tore through its flesh to finish it off.

It stopped moving, and blood dripped onto the gravel.

I grabbed the creature with my hands and looked at my screen, which showed information. "MEDIUM BLUE LAKE FISH! +30 EP! DELICIOUS WHEN COOKED OVER A WOODEN FIRE!" It was the first time I saw the system giving me cooking advice.

But it was also the first time I analyzed something I could eat.

The problem was that I didn't know how to make a fire.

Was that message’s purpose to make fun of me ?

In the end, I decided to grab the biggest sharp stone I found nearby and started to gut the fish to eat it raw.

It took me a good hour to finish everything. My belly was full.

I let out a burp that tasted a bit like the sea.

I saw the sun starting to go down, its orange reflection on the blue water of the lake.

I was enjoying my time in Hell.

But I had better things to do.

"No time to stay here," I thought as I got up. I had a tree to cut.

I walked to it and climbed, feeling the strength return to my arms. I checked my profile: 47/50 EP. Eating the fish had restored almost all of my energy.

"It's the perfect strategy to be able to work longer," I thought.

Once in front of the oval I had drawn at the top of the tree, I placed my chain around it. The sharp stones were positioned against the white line that delineated the area I had to dig. Then, I moved my chain from left to right.

The back and forth made a metallic sound, and then the stones pierced the wood, and I began to smell the resin.

I kept an eye on my profile and another on my chain.

"The EP consumption is lower than I thought. I'll be able to do a good portion of the work today," I thought, seeing the chain gradually sink into the tree.

I visualized myself hidden in this thick trunk.

"Leaves placed to camouflage my small base and maybe even wooden planks on the ground to allow me to place furniture or something similar," I allowed myself to dream.

But I knew this base was only the beginning.

The next step would be more difficult: I had to find a strategy to level up quickly. And obtaining debt points was not going to be easy.