Long story short. Some kind of event occurred. An alien invasion, magical object destroyed or activated. Maybe I was transferred to another universe. Whatever the case may be, I've been killed multiple times.
Although not much is noticeable at first. Eventually you get these gaps in your memory. For example, I don‘t remember when I turned sixteen or seventeen anymore.
But I am hundred percent sure that I am nineteen, as far as I can remember at least. Maybe eighty percent sure.
As strange as all these things are. It got even weirder. I've named the day that these things happened the launch date, because honestly, this feels like a game.
I get skills for doing repetitive random but specific actions and skill points which I can’t actively use. I get experience for killing random animals.
All that aside, the reason I am transcribing this, is because I found a function within the system that allows me to record my thoughts and general senses. Sounds very strange, doesn't it? But it is just the tip of the iceberg.
Now with the introduction over, Let’s move on.
I can forget my abilities. Even passive ones. They get some kind of reduction but stay hidden. Or so it says, I can’t remember if I forgot any ability.
Upside of course is that now I can describe how I unlocked them in the first place and repeat the actions and reclaim them.
Because it is so easy to transcribe everything I do. I try to keep it on all the time. It will increase useless information, but at the same time allow me to keep everything of importance, should I unexpectedly die again.
I’ll try to edit out some of the useless stuff, if I can be bothered. And if the script suddenly stops, assume I forgot how to record. Or just left it off. Or I’m dead. Though I’m not sure if I even can permanently die, maybe I will forget everything to the point of becoming an exceptionally smart monkey.
Huhu! Now with all that out the way, let’s try and familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. and by ourselves. I mean me and me and future me.
I got a sweet operation going on right now. Everything started working better after I stopped looking for and joining other groups of people. They just lead me to my death one way or the other.
Unintentionally, I'm sure, can’t really remember. But regardless, I am doing far better on my own. There are three rivers in the immediate surroundings. Each running into a lake that then drains into a large river. Probably leading to an ocean somewhere.
I am currently inside a giant tree, haven‘t measured it yet. Because honestly, why would I bother? You understand right? Ah, but the point is, I’m safe.
First when I found this tree, there was a giant slithering snake just sleeping in it, completely black. I managed to kill it with a not so sharp stick. So don‘t consider this as too much of a game. I mean what game has sleeping mobs that can be killed by stick? Rest in peace, snake. Death by stick.
This snake didn’t wake up when I first crawled up. It also didn’t wake up when I climbed on top of it, and not when I struck it with my pointed stick. At that point I hadn’t realized it was actually a giant creature. It’s breathing is very slow so only when I confirmed it was still alive that I began finding ways to kill it.
Granted I went above and beyond to make sure the pressure I applied along with the stick was enormous. But still, it felt like a low level character killing a boss. Now, here is where the game aspect comes back into play.
It actually dropped items. Well items? It was a lot of leather and what I assume, I hope was snake meat. At first I was very excited. But came down quickly when I realized I wasn't some kind of leather worker.
I managed to weave? Uhm, I strapped the leather around a concave bit of the tree, I’m calling it a hole, making it completely black and somewhat undetectable, I hope.
Always remember this place! The first and hopefully not the last place that I managed to get some sound sleep without the fear of dying. Though the fear of has already been turned into a giant nuisance rather than a despairing event.
Note, the creature didn't despawn like the corpses of the people I grouped up with in the past. Actually you should have known this already but I’m not sure what is worth mentioning at this point.
Alright so we got a treehouse, and one of the best parts about it, the system offers a way to create ways to get up and down. There are a lot of vines, incredibly sturdy and flexible vines, cascading from the trees.
First time I climbed this gift from the god’s tree, it took the better part of a day. Mostly because I’m not an expert climber but also because it is like a billion meters tall. I’m joking obviously but still, it's big.
No creature tries to get near the tree. Or so I assume, seeing as this tree is the only place without any creatures attacking everything in sight.
Alright. Now the pulleys. Getting up and down isn’t extremely quick but it is reliable. Especially when I need to carry things up and down.
It takes some effort. I pull on one end and a mechanism, which again, the system supplies. This mechanism lets me pull myself slowly, up and down.
Right. I've been living here for about three months now. Setting up all these things took about two months, I am satisfied with the status at the moment. I‘m able to hunt, gather experience and train skills.
Now onto some important stuff, my skills. Our skills I mean. Mhm. We got three skills, one is |Rapid hand movement| It looks like a slight of hand magic trick, and was my life saving skill early on.
We got that by, well. Anyway. Fantastic isn't it? Well what can I say? Even when life gets turned upside down. There is always time. If there isn't, we make it.
You can use this skill to throw pretty much anything at an incredible speed or kind of stab things really fast. But that's about it. And I have to be able to lift it of course.
The second skill is a passive, got that mid climbing this treasure of a tree. It is some kind of basic strength boost, alongside dexterity.
It has no name, oddly, just the text saying |increased strength and dexterity| and to be honest, that feels very lazy. But it makes sense.
Whatever. So if we end up forgetting that one, just climb the tree a few times for good measure, I've started to do some basic physical exercises, and it slowly improves the passive skill.
I am pretty sure that we could do various exercises to increase other stats, but I can‘t see what kind of stats we have. So it‘s all guess work. Oh and every time a skill improves it takes away skill points. Skill points are a bit tricky and all I got is speculation.
Third skill, also a passive. Not hundred percent sure how I got it, but I was working with the vines and the snake skin a lot during that period, and from its name and description.
It‘s called |gentle hands| and all it does is streamline my work on the leather and vines, as well as general spear making.
That's our main weapon by the way. Wooden spears, the wood from this tree cannot be underestimated. A few centimeters thick branch can hold up my weight.
Good. All that is out of the way. Let’s throw out some warnings, do not help people. Do not get close to people and for the love of god. Never wander too far from the tree of life.
That being said, I did find a skill book, of course I stashed in a newly created, hidden compartment, located on the inside of the tree ”house hole.” Just tap the insides until you find it, it will be under the floor. If you have something sharp, you can just stab the floor a few times, it will eventually pop out.
Now this skill book, it is nothing like you‘d see in a game. Well it‘s a lot like what you‘d see in a game. But! You can‘t just read and boom, get the skill. I've read it seven times now. And every time it gets translated a bit.
I estimate like twenty to thirty-ish times more until it gets fully translated. The translated part so far is just some odd movements with the hands.
I can’t find any indication as to what the skill is supposed to be, but the first part that got translated was literally “skill book”.
If I hadn't continued reading the gibberish, I would have thought it was useless. Of course the real reason I read it initially was the drain I felt when I did it. I can’t explain when I think about it, it was like intuition, I felt I knew I had to read it. Forget it.
Okay that’s about it for now. So. Uhm, bye? Not really turning it off or anything but I don’t have anything else to say. Okay.
Hey just a note. Letting you know I removed a few days of nothing. Time is getting irrelevant at this point but for good measure I’ll mention it has been thirteen days since I added anything to the log.
This really feels like I've just been talking to myself, but it‘s not like it is a huge burden on me. I've been extending my quote unquote bridges further out. To what I assume is south. Towards the lake. It‘s not hard, just time consuming.
I feel safer whilst above everything else. And these trees are way too large and I swear to god I've seen them move.
I might just be going insane, which wouldn't surprise me either, after watching people die over and over again.
I won‘t go into detail but some of it was gruesome, also, some people have done things that make you wonder if they were still human. Well different strokes and all that.
I got a view over the lake now. A lot of wildlife-esque monsters roam around there to and from the water reserves. They often fight.
The main part is that there are sometimes humans that come here and have started carving a tiny aqueduct.
I think they got some kind of settlement not too far away.
It‘s been mostly pale faced men and women. Sometimes even children. They often get killed by the various creatures in this forest.
So from my perspective, that settlement can‘t be anything good, I mean who sends weak people to their death to dig a ditch?
I assume someone strong has taken people in and forces them under their control by one or many means.
Maybe it‘s just paranoia though. Maybe they just figure, if they die, they respawn and no harm done. But from where I'm looking, they don‘t look happy about the situation.
A lot of crying, sobbing and of course the classic screaming in terror. Let’s not dwell on only the bad things.
I've become very self-sustaining and even if I say so myself, fairly strong. Also the book is in its last stage of translation. Which I'm very excited about.
If it wasn't taxing on the mind, I’d probably have done ages ago.
Right now I can see some shadows and noises coming from the left hand side of the lake.
As they come into my field of vision, I can see they are the usual frail looking humans that are scared out of their wits.
They got basic tools, a pickaxe, shovel and for some reason a saw along with a hammer. I’d kill for these. They even got nails.
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There are about eight of them. This time it‘s a bit different. There are two large built men with iron poles or something. Shitty spears from what I can see.
They look vigilant, combing through the area. Most likely there to protect the usually defenseless cannon fodder.
As soon as they get close to where the ditch ends, which is like ten-ish so meters away from the lake. They start working.
Nothing special happened so far. I’m going to make my way over to them, via my bridges.
They aren't exactly ideal for fast travel but are sturdy and almost indistinguishable from the other vines and leaves.
It’s worth mentioning that I got a new skill, another passive, I'm not sure why it‘s only passives.
But it‘s not like a normal passive, it just gets activated when I intend to sneak around. Something aching to hiding my presence.
Got it whilst I was diligently hunting things while sneaking around.
Oh my rapid hand movement leveled up as well. Beautifully while I reached the heavens.
I can hear them talk and grunting while working. The other people took shifts digging up the ditch, still not sure what the saw and hammer is for.
“Can‘t believe we have to come out here to protect these pieces of trash“.
A man with scars on his hands is speaking to another man in a low voice. Low enough so their workers wouldn't hear them.
Luckily I’m right above them.
The other man glances at him, then resumes his staring into the forest.
„The boss was getting impatient with all the deaths, takes too long to walk over here and he has to get „volunteers“ every time. Also he wants us to take care of that bastard”.
He’s smirking and looking at a young woman, who’s shuffling dirt from the ditch.
Laughing, the man with scars on his hands follows his comrade’s gaze.
“The boss is too evil, keeping all the good things to himself”.
The operation looks to be almost finished.
The last part of the ditch was shallow compared to the other end, which is probably what took them so long.
Finally I got a better view of the other man. Big ears and small eyes, how can a man be this ugly? He has a strange hue around his hands and eyes.
Most likely some skills. I'm not jealous, I don‘t need glowing things at all. Okay fine, why don‘t any of my skills glow?
When I looked closer I see mister scarred hands has something similar around his feet. Both are barely visible.
If my skill book didn't give me a similar feeling, I doubt I’d even notice.
The water finally starts flowing. It‘s a very small stream but probably more than enough. Not sure where it leads. Guess I’ll have to follow them back.
Oh, the two men glance at each other and nod. They start rushing towards the workers.
I can hear a small vibrating sound coming from the iron pole, he smashes it into the man that looks to be in his late thirties.
He flies into a nearby tree and is either dead or unconscious. I’ll keep watching them.
The other people start screaming and the girl falls to her knees and starts crying. The men continue to kill everyone aside from the girl.
After a few moments they finished killing the rest of the group. A giant smile plastered on their faces as they walk towards the girl.
“wouldn't it be a waste not to at least have a taste before we go back?”
The man too ugly to safely describe is the one talking. His eyes never leave the girl. She is still sobbing on what I assume now is a corpse. Maybe her father?
She looks up with a terrified expression, realizing what has occurred. She opens her mouth to speak but quickly closes it, looks around and starts sprinting into the forest.
I would feel shocked, except I've seen so much worse. I'd honestly be thankful to forget.
I start following behind her. The pathways help, luckily she is running along it. Going deeper into the forest. A bit coincidental.
The men who were originally laughing, put up a serious expression and start rushing after the damsel, captain ugly is far faster.
Probably his skill doing most of the work. It doesn't look like she‘ll be able to run too far.
After a quick chase that lasted about four minutes, the girl finally falls down.
Laughing like a true villain, commander-and-chief ugly, stands over her with a malicious smile.
“Nowhere left to run princess.”
Scarhand is trying to sound menacing but his frantic panting is ruining his demeanor.
“Bitch, I was going to be gentle, now I'm going to come at you like a truck. Soon you’ll be begging us to kill you.”
Ohohoho, that was scary. I know I said don’t help people. But those were guidelines, not rules. Whatever, I don’t need to explain myself, to myself.
I bring up one of my spears and throw it with decent precision, piercing right through senior ugly. Blood and brain matter is scattering onto the tree.
The spear didn't even leave his head, he just got nailed to the tree behind the girl.
With a shocked expression scar hands looks up before a different spear hits him in the chest, nailing him to the ground.
I've got to say so myself, rapid hand movement, once upgraded, is pretty strong, this is also partially due to my wooden spears, they are very light but exceedingly resilient.
“Hey, girl“.
I’m trying to grab her attention, she‘s just lying there tears in her eyes, no life in them. I don‘t think she even noticed the two dead men. Is she in shock?
“Hey, hey! Can you hear me? This is your conscious speaking.”
The girl finally wakes up from her daze, looking around trying to locate where I am. Sadly my new stealth skill and elevated position, keep me well out of sight.
“Yes?”
Oh, she can speak after all! A miracle, back from the dead and everything.
Although I said to stay away from people, it still gets very boring being alone, which is one of the reasons for the unreasonable amount of vine bridges across the forest.
“„I am the operating system in your virtual game, there has been a bug in the system which doesn't allow people to log out. I've come to help you log out, if you so wish.”
I might have a horrible sense of humor, this is the best entertainment I've had for months now.
“Please let me log out!”
She is repeatedly yelling, log me out.
I feel bad now, I didn't think she‘d buy that.
“Uhm, sorry that was a bad joke.”
I really am trash.
“I'm hiding up here. I killed the two men you can go back from where you came now.“
Ahhh, she starts crying again.
This isn't good. I swore to not get involved with people anymore. There shouldn’t be a problem with picking up one pet, right?
“Okay, okay. I'm sorry, look. I‘ll help you out. Want something to eat? “
She stopped crying for a moment, nodding. Still trying to find out where I am.
“Alright, I’m going to throw down a rope, well a vine“.
She watches the dark green vine land on the ground and looks looking up.
I wave at her. I‘m still five or six meters up the tree. Squinting her eyes, I see a small spark in her eyes when she sees me.
When she finally managed to get up, into the kingdom of green. She just stares at me.
“I got some food back in the motherland, follow me“.
She is not saying anything and just follows me, staring at me like I’m some kind of circus act. Rude.
Finally we arrive at my humble abode, I gesture her to sit down. I grab one of the animals I hunted in the last few days, already skinned mind you. Gotta keep polishing those skills.
I've got a lot of animal skins now, they’re all either strung up or lying on the relatively spacious floor of the tree that I've managed to slowly even out.
Incredibly strong wood. But still pliable.
She sat down on the only chair I have at the moment, which is fine, I just waddle over to the place where I cook things, and it’s a bowl sitting on a stone.
I put some dry grass and wood under it and lit up with my rapid hand movement. I‘m telling you, that skill is universal.
A few minutes later of intense silence I handed her the whole pot and a homemade wooden spoon.
“You don‘t talk a lot do you? Where did you all come from? “
She is eating like a true champion, it‘s just water, some random plants I've gathered and meat from a flying creature.
I‘ll be honest, it‘s a bird but I could never name it. Who the hell knows bird names anyway? It tastes good, that's all we need to know. Remarkably easy to catch as well.
She eventually looks up, not at me however.
“There is a small village of around two hundred survivors. It‘s controlled by a man, Kaleki. A lot of the people have nowhere else to go.”
I don’t know why but she suddenly paused. took another tiny sip from the bowl.
“A few people cleared out a small village, there were very few monsters in that area.”
After this she continued eating. I nodded, as if I was deep in thought.
It was probably like I thought. Some tyrant with strength above the rest, living as he pleased.
“Do you have any friends or people in that group?“
I have to ask, I am sure as hell not helping more people. Praying she won‘t ask me to help them.
It’s easy to say I don’t want to involve myself with people. But to actually do so is difficult.
“No.“
Well that was clear cut and straight to the point.
“The only one I knew was my father, they killed him earlier and then came after me.”
She stopped for a moment then looked up.
“My dad was one of the people that cleared that village, but there were some fighting over who would be in charge, and how to lead the people.“
After another spoonful she continued.
“The biggest faction, the strongest faction I mean, was sending people to dig a ditch for a water supply and they forced anyone that couldn't say no.
I volunteered instead of a young girl, and my dad followed me. Which is why they sent guards with us this time.
Thinking about it now, it seems they just wanted to get rid of my dad.“
Hmm this girl was a lot more level minded than I thought, earlier she gave an impression of a defenseless princess. The shock of her father’s death might have helped her in that regard.
“I see. Well he‘ll respawn, not sure where. But he‘ll re-spawn.”
I‘ve seen people that have died too often or too horrifically that they are more like the living dead than anything else.
Only knowing their name and nothing else. Not even how to speak. Which is my main reason to not die.
After a bit of hesitation I tell her she can stay here until she finds somewhere else to go.
Afterwards I go back to my skill book, there are only two pages left. I can still make no sense of the jumbled up letters in any way at all.
I get a faint headache every time I read it. But who can give up on a skill? Huhuhu this gonna be good!
Finally finishing the book, nothing happened. What in the name of my heavenly forbidden tree of everlasting bounty is this fucking bullshit! This can‘t be real.
The only thing that happened was that the movements got imprinted into mind. I lost like one fourth of my skill points as well, but got no skill! Injustice! This game is bugged, hundred percent, bugged.
Ahhh, okay. After calming down a bit, I figure I may as well follow the hand movements. Sitting down cross legged and closing my eyes, like the book instructs, I start moving my hands in a smooth manner.
Gentle hands must be helping me. I did it a few times but nothing happened, I faintly felt like something was building up but got too tired.
The girl went to sleep as soon as she finished eating. Snuggled comfortably under a few leather scraps. I‘ll continue with the book later.
Things might get a bit more interesting with the new arrival on the planet tree. Or most likely, not. Heading to sleep.
Alright, it‘s been a few four days now, this woman is like a wall. She just barely responds to anything I ask and aside from that there comes nothing out of her.
So, not much has changed, she did get cleaned up though. Got to say, it might be the complete lack of women around but she is exceedingly beautiful. Like a dead fish, but pretty.
The spank bank has grown, the deserted area around the river isn‘t as deserted as she thought it was, heheh. What? Don't judge me, you‘d do the same thing. You are me!
Look. I saved her right? What she doesn't know, doesn't hurt her. Ugh. You‘re laying the guilt pretty heavily.
Whatever! Let’s continue this monotonous hand exercise, I get a feeling something has been building up and about to complete!
I just came out of the continuous exercise, slipped out of the trance and I can feel a sort of vibration. No glow, but a new skill! Another passive, this one is very impressive though.
You touched upon the nature of the world while in deep meditation. After meditating in isolation, away from worldly things.
You can now absorb a minuscule, infinitesimal, very, very, very small amount of nature‘s energy.
This energy will align you further with plants and trees.
Only because of your excessive love of trees and flora of a forest region, have you deviated from the lesser form of energy and gone into specialization.
This will allow you to adapt to almost any natural environment and furthermore, slowly increase every aspect of your physical and mental self.
And holy shit. The description, best so far without a doubt. I can now feel the breath of the all-knowing tree. There is sentience in the tree.
And it is beaming with pride. I can feel the strong sensation from the cosmic tree.
The girl is out hunting, I've shown her the ropes. Taught her how to gain the stealth skill. She is still working on it, but she‘s been hunting.
I told her how to get the rapid hand movement, but she just looked at me with disgust.
Probably shouldn't have been one of the first things I told her about abilities, it would have been better to keep that to myself. I, in all my glory and wisdom, reflect upon my actions.
With a nod I sit back down and continue meditating the mantra of the ever loving tree, which is what I just now, named it.
Anything else? Hmm. Hunting has been the same, I haven't leveled anything in a while. Lost ninety percent of my skill points left after achieving my new skill. Only got two, now.
I think it‘s time to hunt something more dangerous than critters for food. I'm fairly strong, but who’s to say there isn't a terrifying person out there, growing in strength spouting his own personal demagogue.
Not that I’d fight him for any righteous reason. I simply will not allow anyone to tread upon my fantasy kingdom, the land of the true royalty of trees.
I need to expand my territory. Oh right. Got to ask the girl what she plans to do from now on. She‘s been awfully quiet since I parted with my wisdom of the great loving mother that is my tree.
Alright, just edited bits and pieces out. It‘s been two weeks since the chick joined the tree gang. She‘s got her stealth up, she created a whip kind of weapon out of spiky tree branches and vines.
I‘m impressed. I still recommend the spear to her. But she says it doesn’t work for her.
However, it dawns on me now, I still don‘t know her name. Actually I haven‘t even introduced myself aside from my official title, the great son of the tree.
Doesn't matter. There are no names in my goddess’s kingdom. I've managed to level up my “nature affinity“ in case I forgot to mention its name.
Also rapid hand movement has been leveled up as well. It glows a bit now when used.
I've done some methodical theory-crafting and come to the conclusion that skills level up faster when they are not activated rather than just being repeated over and over again.
So Rapid hand movement level up faster if I just mimic the actions and do not actively use it. But this is just a theory.
Which kind of sucks but what are you going to do? Can’t say I’m entirely sure how things even level or progress.
I've gotten ridiculously light on my feet. I can jump a few meters between tree branches or just kind of glide along vines that have been tethered down.
At first I thought I was just becoming this much stronger. But after seeing that I easily stand on the thinnest tree branches or vines, I figured I got lighter somehow.
My expansion has increased at an exponential rate, I managed to reach the south exit of the forest.
I have a decent view over the natives that live in that village nearby. It seems we humans have devolved into a hunter gatherer society.
Who knows? A few years and we'll talk about ancient technology like electricity. Doubt it, but that would be a shitty conversation.
The settlement looks nothing like I expected it to be. It‘s fairly lively and they have massive sized walls around a stocky perimeter.
I can see the water flow from the ditch into a waterway made of wood. There must have been a fair bit of trees cut down to build it, and the wall.
But that‘s not a crime. As long as they stay on their turf, it‘s all good.
Ah, but like I said, the village looks pretty good, none of those desperate starving people from the past. Their people must be good hunters or their fairly large farm is doing some great work.
The earlier sacrifices seem to have been worth it. There looks to be a bit more than two hundred people now.
Probably more players. I wonder if NPC‘s spawn near where a lot of people gather. Actually this whole world system is strange as hell.
All my skills got an update in description. Even hints in the direction of how they were earned.
I wonder if there is any way to get some information from the system, or possibly some god damn quests and or an incentive to strive towards! A goal! Or something.
God dammit, I haven‘t found any other skill books. But then again I've only been killing small stuff. I avoid all the dangerous looking things.
By the way. Those Glowing things taste surprisingly good. Remember that.