By the time Nick woke up, the storm had spent its fury. The tumultuous thunder and lightning had relented and ceased pummeling the isle, and the temperature had dropped from sweltering to something more manageable. Although a warm drizzle was still falling, the steamy mist had long since sublimated, and he judged that the storm would pass the island completely within another hour or two tops.
As he was covered in mud, blood, and a rank sheen of sweat, Nick decided to take advantage of the opportunity to take his first hot shower since his new life had begun a little over two weeks ago.
He stepped outside, passing through the cavern’s entrance with sword in hand. Nick was surprised to find that something had already come and carried away the bones. Likely a swordclaw, judging from the width of the trail it left behind, although the ground was still too wet to form proper tracks. After climbing the hill to ensure that no beasts were lingering in the vicinity, he walked back over to the mouth of the cave and then stripped down to his skin. When he did, he noticed that his wand had gained a charge from defeating the alpha. He sighed in contentment, savoring the luxury of hot water running down his naked body.
As a thick layer of grime dissolved, revealing healthy tan flesh beneath, Nick took an inventory of his injuries, marveling at the realization that, while it had been close, he had lived and his enemies were no more—although he needed to keep an eye out for the final cruncher until he was certain it was dead.
He ran his fingertips across a patchwork of bruises, purple and black from his recent battle, layered on top of faded green and yellow from those acquired during prior ordeals. His chest and arms were covered in scrapes and scratches, and a band around his stomach was tender where his belt had been twisted tight between the alpha’s jaws.
Remarkably, none of Nick’s cuts were more than skin deep. His bones were unbroken, and his organs remained intact. All in all, it was a small price to pay for the gamble he had undertaken. That investment into Toughness is really paying off.
Standing naked upon the surface of an alien world, Nick shook his head at the wonder and absurdity of it all, then went to retrieve his gear and clothing so that he could clean them off as well. His canteen had a few minor dents but seemed to be holding up well. His jacket, boots, and gloves were unmarked and still in pristine condition.
After washing off a layer of mud, his backpack seemed to be in good shape too. Nick had noticed that the bag was incredibly resilient, even without any modifications to enhance its Toughness. He was unsure if the durability was due to the materials the pack was fashioned from or a byproduct of the dimensional storage space inside.
His other garments were in considerably worse condition. His shirt had a hole in the middle, where a leech had dissolved the material to feed from Nick’s arteries, but was otherwise intact. However, his original clothing—his blue jeans and his trusty bathrobe—were on their last legs. Both articles were shredded and worn thin, covered in countless stains.
At least the deterioration of his robe had begun to slow after placing it below his jacket to serve as a bit of padding, but his jeans were well into the process of falling apart. Nick hoped that they would hold on until the end of the tutorial, as he had no desire to face down beasts and other deadly threats with his bits and bobs dangling free, although it was pleasantly liberating at the moment.
He wrung the grime out of his clothes as best he could, then set them on a flat, clean rock, where they would dry quickly when the sun returned. Then he started cleaning his weapons and the rest of his gear, drinking a few mouthfuls of rainwater as he went. The stormwater tasted of minerals, leaving a tangy aftertaste. When he was done, Nick reached into his pack and took out his crab claw straight-razor and shaved, then cut his nails with his tiny scissors.
While his hands were busy with menial tasks, his mind was free to wander. His victory over the pack represented a major milestone in his progress through the tutorial. He had two weeks left until the final phase began. With the threat of the bonecrunchers put to rest and a shelter to ride out the searstorms acquired, Nick could finally devote some serious time to training and physical conditioning while he prepared for whatever awaited him during the last two days of this trial.
He had a lot that he needed to do now that the southern forest was safe to survey in earnest, but Nick’s first goal was simple compared to the rest of the list—finish exploring the den. In part to make sure that there weren’t any hidden tunnels or other unpleasant surprises in his new home, but mostly because he was hoping to secure a reward for all his hard work—although the cave itself is a significant prize by any reckoning.
He pulled on his wet jeans and boots, leaving the rest of his clothing to dry as the last drops of rain struck the earth. Nick turned his gaze to the heavens as the sun emerged from behind the clouds, bathing the island in early evening light, then he walked back into the den.
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Although it was lighter inside than when the storm had been raging overhead, half of the den was cast in impenetrable shadow. He would have lit a small fire, but his flint was still damp after washing off the mud it had acquired when his belt broke during the fight. Nick held a wooden spear in one hand, tracing the contour of the walls to make sure that he didn’t miss any openings as he continued, heading deeper into the cave.
He felt his way across the rough earth, probing folds and crannies that he could barely see. He moved slowly and methodically, making a thorough job of it. Nick was certain that there would be a chest or other reward somewhere in here, based on the logic of where he had found the others. The alpha’s corpse had nothing on it, and no chest had appeared in the aftermath of their battle.
Sure enough, in the deepest part of the enclosure, his eyes ran across the profile of what appeared to be a cast iron toolbox. An object strikingly out of place in a natural environment like this. For a moment, Nick stood frozen in fear, caught in the memory of being infected with the Crimson Blight and nearly losing his life as a result. A bolt of terror shot down his spine like a jolt of electricity. Fighting down the urge to run, he forced himself to stand there and master his fear.
Calm down, Nick. Breathe. Relax. Think. It would violate the nature of a tutorial to boobytrap the rewards given to a contestant for overcoming a challenge. You knew the fog door room was sketchy from the start. That chest wasn’t actually trapped anyway. You got hit with the blight over by the exit to the room. Besides, most types of traps would be impossible to set in this natural, underground space, and any that could would have been triggered by the proximity of the pack.
Worst-case scenario, it’s rigged to blow when opened. But it should be totally safe to take the box out of here and examine it under the light. His decision made, Nick reached out and decisively grabbed the handle, although he was unable to stop himself from shaking when his fingers touched the cold iron plating.
As he walked toward the sunlight, he realized that the box was surprisingly light. There isn’t enough weight for a bomb or complex mechanism. I guess it could be poisoned, but do I really think the System would set me up like that? Why make everything a contest if it was just going to kill me outright?
Thinking the matter through, Nick realized that all the System chests had appeared without warning, were immaculately clean despite their grungy environments, and had disintegrated or melted away the moment he retrieved the items inside. Except for the one in the dungeon. But on the island, they behaved exactly the way that reward chests should and were clearly generated by the System.
Although it dredged up some scary memories, there was no reason to be afraid of the box he held in his hands. So, while Nick would reserve his paranoia for any ordinary, non-System related storage containers that crossed his path, he resolved not to agonize every time he opened an Exploration Reward Chest.
With the issue laid to rest, he flipped up the fastenings and cracked open the toolbox. What appeared to be a pile of emerald fabric sat inside, neat and folded as if it had just come back from the cleaners. As he had hoped, another informative scrap of paper sat on top.
Nick smiled as he read the first few lines. More KP, always helpful. Then he moved on to the item’s description.
Congratulations! You have discovered an Exploration Reward Chest (Iron).
Three tutorial knowledge points have been awarded.
Contents: 1 voucher for a random, relevant, high-cost knowledge point entry unlock.
Cloak of Thermal Regulation (Uncommon).
While it provides no defensive value, this cloak will help the wearer retain or eliminate body heat as needed. Insulation/thermal conductivity will occur at a modest rate.
Modification: Self-maintenance.
This item will clean and repair itself over time as long as its core remains intact.
A voucher; that’s new. I wonder what information it will unlock. While he pondered how to spend his new knowledge points, Nick took out the cloak and held it up under the sunlight. The silky fabric was a rich shade of green that would blend in well with the woodlands, although it would make him stick out like a sore thumb when standing on the beach. Not that there was much of a beach left at this point, just the strip of sandbar over by the obelisk. The cloak was short enough not to get dragged through the undergrowth, and it hung tight around his body when he draped it over his bare shoulders.
The silky fabric was remarkably light, although Nick felt a little embarrassed to be wearing a cloak outside of Halloween, even though he was alone. It was comfortable and didn’t hinder his movement in any way. Although it was a trivial concern, the color clashed with Nick’s innate sense of style, but at least he didn’t have to wear it in public. The material was elastic and incredibly smooth, to the point that he had a hard time trapping the edge between his fingers. That was one thing less to worry about, as the cloak wouldn’t snag on foliage or be easy to grab ahold of in battle.
Of course, such concerns were secondary to the true value of the item—the property and modification it bore. Sure enough, even though the cloak was as light as a daydream and open in the front, the moment it settled around his shoulders, Nick began to feel warmer. The chill breeze that had returned with the searstorm’s passing now felt pleasantly brisk against his skin. The added insulation should help him sleep more comfortably, as he had only plant matter to use for bedding and nothing beyond his clothing to serve as covering.
Nodding in satisfaction at the latest addition to his inventory, Nick moved on to securing his shelter before calling it a night. Ready to face the new adventures that would come with the rising sun.