It had been about two days since Sam made his first trade. Now, he was lounging around his campfire, enjoying the simple pleasure of roasting Kabbit meat on a stick. Over the past two days, he'd diligently processed most of his raw Kabbit meat into jerky. Bit by bit, the pile of raw meat shrank. With the ridiculous amount of jerky he’d stockpiled, he didn't need to worry about food for more than a month.

For water issue, Sam had obtained a small satchel and seven empty potion bottles through trades with other survivors. Each satchel could hold up to five potion bottles, allowing him to carry ten bottles of water, enough to sustain him on his journey. If he needed more, he could always refill them along the way.

In the last two days he didn't get anything interesting apart from the satchel and empty potion bottles, but he did get a few new daggers. His current arsenal included six daggers and one broadsword, which he considered quite decent.

For the first time since he arrived in this unknown world, Sam felt a bit of boredom today because he keeps doing the same thing over and over again, killing beast, cooking food, trading, rinse and repeat. He wanted to go explore the deeper area of the forest and find new exciting things such as new type of beast, but he stop himself everytime the thought pop into his mind, the reason why he's holding himself back is that he wanted to be thoroughly prepared, especially regarding his food and water supply. In a survival scenario, staying alive is obviously way more important than running to your death like an idiot. Sure he can level up and become way stronger than his current self by killing all the beasts he came across, but there's one thing stopping him to do so.

[Tutorial Panel]

Duration 27 days & 15:20:36

Tutorial Type: Survival

Completion Criteria: Survive the duration of the tutorial

Tutorial information: The Evernight World is filled with danger and opportunities for the fledgling. Beasts are roaming around hunting for prey. Kill the beasts to acquire Survival points (SP) while gaining strength. Be warned, excessive killing or destruction will alert the sleeping G'rath...

Survival points (SP): Killing a beasts will gives you SP but if you're in a group the SP will be split equally amongst the contributors.

Final rewards is based on SP and the Number of Survivors

Total survivors remaining: 428/500

SP Collected: 113

May the twilight blessing be with you survivor, good night and good luck.

The system mentioned that excessive killing or destruction will alert the sleeping G'rath. Now, he don't know what the fuck is a sleeping G'rath but Sam gut feeling is telling him to not alert whatever this creature is, even the system warned him about it, so he's taking no chances and playing it safe. There's no point in getting stronger if you end up getting one shot by a mysterious beast just because you disturbed it's sleep.

Tomorrow, he planned to venture deeper into the forest. His preparations were almost complete, and he had worked hard to get to this point. Looking at his status window, he felt a surge of pride. The reward of hard work was a sweet feeling, lifting his spirits and banishing his boredom.

Status

Name: Sam Carlson

Race: Human

Class: Warrior lvl 9

Profession: N/A

Health Points (HP): 290/290

Mana Points (MP): 520/520

Stats

Strength: 25

Agility: 25

Endurance: 29

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Intelligence: 25

Wisdom: 27

Sense: 29

Willpower: 28

Free points: 18

Titles

N/A

*Skill Upgraded* [Beast Butchering (Novice)]

-One of the most basic skill among countless Survival expert anywhere in the multiverse. This skill allows you to have an easier time harvesting any types of beast depending on your knowledge of the beast you're about to butcher. Passively gives a minor stamina regeneration effect when butchering any beast.

->

[Beast Butchering (Beginner)]

-One of the most basic skill among countless Survival expert anywhere in the multiverse. You have shown an improved proffiency in the art of harvesting beast, this skill now allow you to have an easier time understanding the anatomy of any beast in order to efficiently butcher it. The skill effectiveness depends on your comprehension. Passively gives a minor stamina regeneration effect when butchering any beast.

*New Skill* [Wilderness Cook (Novice)]

-One of the most basic skill among countless Survival expert anywhere in the multiverse. This skill allows you to make your food last longer and gives the food you cooked a bit more nutritious than usual. Adds a miniscule stamina and endurance bonus when cooking food.

As he's chilling by the fire, roasting Kabbit meat, Sam noticed something odd. The forest was unusually quiet. Too quiet. The usual sounds of beastly roars, and even the hoots of owls were absent. Only the breeze of rustling from the trees around him and the occasional crackling of his campfire broke the silence.

Feeling uneasy, Sam got up and started to patrol the area around his camp. His instincts were on high alert. Two kilometers away from his camp, he hadn't found anything amiss, but the eerie silence persisted. Gripping his sword tightly, he heightened his vigilance, blending into the surroundings for cover.

Moving stealthily through the forest, he noticed an odd silhouette. It looked like a group of people, but their movements were too coordinated, too silent.

'I don't have a good feeling about this. What's their purpose coming here like a bunch of thieves?' Sam thought.

Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of a vow being drawn reached his ears.

*Creaakk*

Sam's danger sense screamed at him. He instinctively dove behind a tree.

*Swoosh!*

*Thunk!*

An arrow sliced through the air, embedding itself in the tree trunk just inches away from where Sam had stood. His mind raced as he heard the thundering footsteps closing in. He couldn't make out their exact numbers, but from the earlier silhouettes, he estimated there were about five of them, one confirmed archer and four others whose roles remained unknown. Unwilling to engage in a fight in the dark, Sam began strategic retreat, searching for a moonlit clearing.

Knowing the terrain like the back of his hand, it didn't take him long to find the spot he sought.

He then swiftly took cover behind another tree and shouted into the night, hoping to avoid a confrontation. "WHO ARE YOU GUYS?! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? LET'S TALK FIRST, I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT!"

Seconds passed in tense silence before the group's response came, not in words, but in another arrow aimed at his heart.

Sam rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the arrow. He sprang to his feet, scanning for the archer, but before he could locate him, a swordsman charged from the shadows, blade descending in a deadly arc. Sam unsheathed his sword in one swift motion, meeting the attack with an upward strike.

*CLANG!

The swords clashed with a resounding metallic ring. The force of Sam's counterattack pushed the assailant back, almost disarming him. Seeing an opening, Sam prepared to lunge, but a sudden explosion forced him to leap backward.

*Boom!*

A fireball erupted before him, filling the air with acrid smoke. Shocked by the devastation, Sam barely had time to register the next attack as the warrior burst through the smoke, sword poised for another strike. Sam parried, but the distinct twang of a bowstring warned him of another arrow.

'Damn it! What the fuck is up with these guys!?'

Sam retreated, weaving between trees as arrows whizzed past, each one narrowly missing its mark. Determined to turn the tables, he formulated a plan.

'Alright if y'all so hell bent on trying to kill me, I will drag one of you down to hell with me if it's the last thing I do!' Sam said in his mind, filled with rage and determination.

He ran, dodging arrows, and changing direction frequently. His mind raced, assessing the threats: the warrior on his heels, the unseen mage, the persistent archer, and the two missing foes. Deciding to target the archer first, he deduced the shooter wasn't far based on the sound of the bowstring.

"Come on fucker, I don't believe you have infinite arrows." Sam muttered to himself, still actively dodging the incoming arrows.

A few moments later, the archer ceased firing. Sam's lips curled into a feral grin as he spun and sprinted toward where he believed the archer was hiding. The archer, realizing he’d been spotted, tried to flee, but Sam anticipated this. He hurled a dagger with deadly precision.

The blade found its mark, burying itself deep in the archer's thigh. The man stumbled, desperately trying to escape, but Sam was already upon him.

"Aww.. seems like your free trial of fun time is over yeah? Haha don't worry, you can have fun again in your next life!"

Without hesitation, Sam beheaded the archer with one swift stroke. The body crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around it. Sam stood over the fallen foe, panting and scanning the forest for the next threat. The battle was far from over, but with each enemy he felled, his determination grew stronger.

*You have slain [Human / Archer - lvl 10 - bonus experience earned for killing or an enemy above your level. 253 SP earned*

'One down four more to go. This is gonna be a long and exhausting night.."