As night began to fall, my chain penetrated the tree, burying itself over a yard deep into the six-yards-wide trunk.

I then placed the chain higher, diagonally about two yards apart, so that the two slots connected.

In the end, I removed the huge slice of wood that I had cut, and let it fall near the base of the trunk. Taking my time, I concealed the piece of wood by slightly burying it and then covering it with a pile of leaves.

Encountering a player in the middle of the night wasn't a concern, but I had learned to be wary of Drifters.

I wasn't entirely sure about their level of intelligence, so I preferred not to take any risks with them.

Now, I sat in the hole I had created in the tree.

To make it more comfortable for lying down, I placed a pile of leaves on the wooden floor.

The wood surrounding me was filled with splinters.

"I'll need to continue digging and then smooth everything out," I thought, my head mere inches away from a large splinter.

I spent the night in the tree.

.

The night seemed endless. I was unable to sleep much due to the fear of a Drifter climbing up to reach me.

Upon checking my profile, I noted that my EP hadn't increased significantly, because of my sleepless night.

It had become imperative for me to enhance my chain's perception to feel somewhat secure.

My plan was straightforward: first, smooth out the floor of my base to eliminate the splinters, and then gather enough points to level up without utilizing the PP I kept in reserve.

To smooth out the wood, I had thought about the ideal object to use overnight.

The day before, I had spotted a large pebble on the beach with a rough surface, and I planned to use it to rub against the wood.

Then, I would need to find a way to cut planks and attach them to the entrance of my hole to create a wall.

I had grand plans for this tree. However, I felt like I didn’t have enough time to do everything.

"If only I could find a way to earn points while building my base, that would be perfect," I thought. Passively gaining points seemed too good to be true, particularly considering the system's stinginess.

With the idea of passive point-gathering still on my mind, I headed towards the lake once again.

"The system of setting traps to strip and kill the Drifters that fall into them is quite interesting. I would feel more secure and earn points," I thought, recalling my captor's trap.

As if I weren't already busy enough, I had just given myself another task.

I was about to emerge from the forest, the blue lake before me, when I spotted a silhouette in the distance.

I hid behind a tree, hoping I hadn't been spotted.

I discreetly observed the situation unfolding on the other side of the lake.

A man was kneeling, splashing water on his face. I tried to analyze him using my screen, but nothing appeared. He was probably too far away.

I carefully observed him. He was clad in armor, and a sword lay beside him.

New players only appeared at the beginning of the month, and only a few days had passed since this month began.

It was impossible for a new player to be so well-equipped.

A veteran was bad news for me, but at the same time, the idea of stealing everything from him was incredibly tempting.

Stolen novel; please report.

"If only I could check his level!" I thought.

I didn't want to take the unnecessary risk of attacking another player without any information.

But my eyes couldn't tear away from his armor.

It was brown, appeared heavy and robust. The shoulder pads had tiny spikes, and the helmet he had placed nearby also had small spikes on it.

I fantasized about wrapping my chain around his neck, in the gap between his armor and his chest.

It hadn't been designed to prevent strangulation.

And then, it would be so simple to retrieve all that gear.

I could feel my heart pounding. All I had to do was wait for the night, and everything could be accomplished swiftly.

"No, no, no!" I thought, attempting to banish those thoughts.

It felt like they weren't my own, as if someone else had planted them in my mind.

In the end, I decided to wait behind my tree until the player left. "If there's a player here, it's an anomaly, or maybe I'm in an area where the system has little control?" I wondered.

I hadn't seen any roots or Drifters yet.

It was strange to almost regret not seeing those horrors.

I found players more unsettling, simply because I felt incapable of killing a human. And because I couldn't know the intentions of other players.

While the creatures of the system were straightforward: they wanted to kill me.

I looked once again towards the other shore to check if the intruder was still there.

But there was no one, he had left.

Not wanting to take any risks, I crouched and moved through the forest to the nearest tree to the stone I wanted.

Then I attached my small chain to the larger one and commanded it to go and grab the big pebble, and then pull it towards me.

Once it was in my hands, I headed back to my tree, still crouching until I was far enough from the lake to stand up.

Back at the top of the tree, I placed the pebble on the ground and began rubbing it against the wood.

In a short span, I managed to smooth everything out.

The next step was to round the corner of my hole to utilize the space better.

Indeed, the wedge shape of my base prevented me from using the space at the end. But for that, and for cutting planks and placing them, my chains would not be enough.

Everything I wanted to do from this point forward required tools.

I sat at the edge of my hole, with my calves against the trunk and my feet facing the void, looking around while contemplating.

"Weapons, armor, tools... How am I supposed to find this kind of equipment?" I wondered.

The obvious answer was to find a merchant, but I wondered if it was possible to obtain items in another way. Perhaps by leveling up or finding a hidden chest somewhere.

I asked my screen, but it showed nothing.

"Well, while waiting to find tools, I'll gather some branches to cover the hole. That will suffice for now," I thought.

My main goal was to have a safe place to sleep, and that was done.

So, my new priority was to level up, and for that, I needed to earn DP.

Descending from the tree, I gathered several leafy branches and arranged them to camouflage my base. I then headed to the lake to catch some fish - a new habit of mine.

But I was starting to grow weary of the taste of raw fish.

"Finding a way to make fire would be beneficial," I thought.

After catching another fish and eating it, I returned to my base at the end of the day to sleep.

The day had flown by. Working in the village was tedious, but working for myself was genuinely enjoyable.

.

The next morning, the first thing I did was go to the lake to freshen up. I was beginning to place more importance on my hygiene.

"Being in Hell is no excuse to stink," I reflected.

As I approached the lake, staying in the shadow of the trees, I noticed something in the distance.

Once again, on the other side of the lake, the same player was doing the same thing: drinking water and washing himself.

"It must be a sign!" I thought, as if noticing signs in Hell was a good thing.

But I didn't care; I found every possible justification to steal.

His gear, the more I looked at it, the more I fantasized about its value.

At that moment, I made up my mind. I had to take risks to level up and survive. It was a necessary evil.

I observed him get up and leave. I checked the time - it was 8 AM.

If it truly was his habit to come to the lakeside in the morning, it presented the perfect opportunity.

I needed to prepare a strategy to capitalize on this opportunity.

I waited for him to leave and then another fifteen minutes to ensure he was far enough away.

After that, I headed towards the other side of the lake.

Circling the lake, I realized more and more the size of this water reservoir.

I was afraid that my base was too close to where that other player roamed, but it was actually far enough away.

Once on the other side, I surveyed the surroundings to devise an attack plan.

There were trees a few dozen meters away, but that was too far to be useful.

There was the gravel beach, but I didn't see how that could assist me.

Unfortunately, it was a fairly barren place, devoid of elements that could aid me in surprising him. "Unless..." I thought, eyeing the water.

My best chance was right in front of my eyes: the lake. If I hid in the water, I could emerge like an aquatic creature with my chains.

"I immobilize him, suffocate him, he faints, and I steal everything," I summarized.

My plan seemed inadequate, but I had enough confidence in my adaptability to try it.

"No more being the prey," I decided. I was finally going to become the predator.