Togawa Sakiko crouched in the shadows of the cold, damp corner of the wall, her ears filled with those intermittent pleas.
Her mind was a chaotic mess as she tried to understand the scene that might be unfolding behind those sounds.
But she couldn’t understand it.
She was just an ordinary high school girl who attended an all-girls school where she had almost no contact with the opposite sex.
Matters of a more intimate nature between men and women were almost beyond her field of knowledge.
Her understanding was limited to the biological knowledge from her classroom, with no practical experience, and she couldn’t even form a clear image in her mind.
The pain and out-of-control emotion contained in this voice completely exceeded the boundaries of her meager cognition.
She could only guess in vain, unable to draw any definite conclusions.
A stronger gust of night wind swept past without warning, piercing her thin sailor suit, cold and bone-chilling.
Sakiko instantly shuddered, goosebumps immediately covering her arms and calves.
This sudden chill jolted her, and she snapped awake.
“W-What am I doing?!”
She roared at herself in her mind, her face instantly flushing hot, even though no one could see her in the darkness.
‘Like a pervert, crouching outside someone else’s wooden cabin and eavesdropping?
This is absolutely not something I, Togawa Sakiko, would ever do!’
‘It must be because I’m too scared and lonely, my mind is just unsettled by this eerie voice and the dark environment.’
Shame flooded her, and she immediately scrambled to her feet, desperate to flee this humiliating spot.
However, just as she straightened her numb legs and was about to fully stand up…
Inside the wooden cabin, that suppressed voice suddenly spiked, turning into a shout of extreme release:
“Iku, iku, iku, iku—!!!”
Immediately after, there was a long, drawn-out scream, as if all the strength in her body had been spent.
“Ah—!!!”
The sound pierced through the well-repaired wooden walls and fell directly into Sakiko’s ears.
Togawa Sakiko froze on the spot, her newly straightened body turning to stone.
That high-pitched shout and scream were like a bolt of lightning, clearing all the fog and chaos in her mind.
‘Inside…
inside, could they be…
doing, doing that kind of thing?!’
With a boom, Sakiko felt all the blood in her body rush to her head.
Her cheeks and ears burned with a terrifying heat, and her heart beat like a war drum.
She thought of Yu, the man who seemed relatively calm.
And she thought of Marin, the blonde girl with an excessively good figure, who only wore revealing clothes and seemed to have no hidden motives.
“The first day…
it’s only the first day!
How could they already…” Sakiko gritted her teeth, her jaw clenched tight.
She had assumed that even when thrown into such a primitive environment, the basic moral constraints and sense of shame from modern society would at least hold up for a few days, allowing everyone time to adapt and build a basic level of trust…
She never expected this!
That man was nothing but a beast!
A hentai!
And Marin too…
how could she…
was she coerced?
Her mind was a chaotic mess of shame and fury, making it impossible to stay here for even another second.
Sakiko didn’t even consider rushing in to save anyone.
It wasn’t that she was cold-hearted, but she knew all too well that she was just an ordinary girl with Strength 6 and Constitution 9.
Against an adult male with an obvious physical advantage, what outcome could she possibly achieve other than getting herself caught up in it too?
Self-preservation was already something she had to exert all her strength to achieve.
“Hentai!” she cursed through clenched teeth, no longer caring about hiding her tracks.
She turned and bolted, sprinting back to her own drafty wooden cabin as if something terrifying were chasing her.
Bang!
Sakiko slammed the useless wooden door shut and leaned against it, her chest rising and falling violently.
It took a long time for her burning embarrassment and anger to settle.
What replaced them was an even deeper chill and growing vigilance.
‘Could that man try something with me too?’
The thought made her shudder.
Sakiko hurried into the corner and tightly gripped her Logging Axe.
Only the cold wooden handle pressing against her palm gave her any sense of security.
“No…
I can’t just wait helplessly.”
She bit her lower lip as determination returned to her eyes.
‘I need to become stronger as quickly as possible.
I have to gain the power to protect myself!’
Sakiko looked outside.
Moonlight slipped through a gap in the clouds, providing the wilderness with barely enough light to see.
“Working at night…”
A bold idea occurred to her.
It would be dangerous, and her efficiency would probably be lower, but this was the only way she could think of to close the gap.
‘That man must be resting now.
This is my chance!’
Gripping her axe, Sakiko pushed the door open again and stepped outside.
The forest beneath the moonlight was filled with shifting shadows, making it far more sinister than during the day.
She forced herself to ignore the unsettling shapes and noises.
After finding a tree relatively close to her cabin, Sakiko raised the axe and swung with all her strength.
Thunk!
Thunk!
The monotonous chopping echoed through the silent night.
Every swing demanded more effort than it had during the day, and the pain in her arms accumulated rapidly.
Still, Sakiko clenched her teeth without making a sound and continued swinging the axe mechanically.
She had no idea how much time passed.
Just as her arms were becoming completely numb…
Creeeak—Crash!
The tree finally fell.
A faint light flashed, and several items appeared on the ground.
[Wooden Plank ×2]
[Apple (Common) ×1]
“I did it!”
She bent down and collected the Wooden Planks and Apple.
“Thank goodness.
I finally have a little more…”
However, when she straightened and prepared to find another tree, she instinctively glanced behind her.
Only endless darkness waited there.
Beyond the moonlight, the forest resembled a crouching beast with its enormous jaws spread wide.
The night wind stirred the branches and leaves, producing soft rustling sounds as though something were moving within the darkness and watching her.
She was completely alone.
Sakiko stood beneath the cold moonlight, facing an unfamiliar and dangerous wilderness.
The faint satisfaction she had gained from felling the tree evaporated like morning dew beneath the sun.
An overwhelming sense of loneliness and grievance surged from the deepest part of her heart and swallowed her entirely.
‘Why?’
‘What am I even celebrating?’
‘I was thrown into this awful place without any reason or explanation.’
‘I have to live in a broken cabin, fear monsters, endure hunger and cold, and even guard myself against dangers that might come from other people…’
‘What did I do wrong to deserve any of this?’
Sakiko’s nose stung, and her eyes instantly turned red.
She bit her lower lip hard enough to nearly taste blood, barely preventing her tears from falling.
Her life in the original world had never been happy.
Every day, she worked part-time in customer service and lived in an old, cramped rental apartment that always carried a strange smell.
Whenever she returned home, she still had to face her father, who spent every day drinking.
But at least that world had familiar streets, convenience stores, and the school rooftop where she could temporarily escape.
Her income had been small but stable, and she had possessed a life where she could exist as an ordinary person.
Now she never knew where her next meal would come from.
Her sleeping place leaked wind from every direction, and she had no idea whether she would survive another day.
There was no one she could truly depend upon.
All she had were cold system notifications, a countdown, and unknown threats hidden within the darkness.
‘What did I do wrong?’
‘Is this divine punishment because I was weak?
Because I abandoned the band?
Because I was never good enough?’
Scalding tears finally broke through the defenses she had desperately maintained.
They silently rolled from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks, leaving cold, wet trails behind.
Sakiko raised her head and stared at the indifferent moon.
Her teeth clenched tightly before she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.
‘Even if this is divine punishment…
so what?’
She had already abandoned far too many things.
This time, she refused to give up again.
Sakiko abruptly grabbed the axe from the ground.
She stopped looking at the terrifying darkness behind her and no longer stared at the uncaring moon.
Her gaze fixed entirely on the next tree.
Pouring all her resentment, fear, loneliness, and unwillingness to surrender into her arms, Sakiko swung with every ounce of strength she possessed.
Thunk!
The sound of chopping echoed again, more decisive than before.
One strike followed another.
She stopped thinking and devoted herself entirely to the work.
The rough handle rubbed her palms raw.
The skin between her thumb and forefinger had likely split open, leaving a burning pain.
Her arms ached so badly that they no longer felt like her own.
Sakiko did not care.
She simply kept chopping.
Only when her Stamina was completely exhausted and she could barely hold the axe did she finally stop.
Dragging her battered body, Sakiko slowly carried the few Wooden Planks and Apple gained from her nighttime labor back to the cabin.
Thud!
She collapsed directly onto the cold floor, lacking even the strength to crawl toward the hay pile.
Sharp pain pulsed through both palms.
Yet beneath that almost self-destructive exhaustion, a faint sense of satisfaction gradually emerged.
She had done it.
Despite her fear and loneliness, she had gone outside, worked, and returned with something useful.
Sakiko lay on her back and stared at the scattered starlight entering through the holes in the broken roof.
Her chest heaved as she breathed the cold air, which carried the scents of wood and soil.
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
‘Punishment?
Bring it on.’
‘I’m not afraid anymore!’
…
While Sakiko was struggling through the night, inside Yu’s cabin…
Yu held the writhing body beneath him in a tight grip.
The bright red blood, a symbol of purity, was diluted by the white foam generated from the endless grinding, dripping down her butt crack onto the floor.
So good!
Yu felt a tingling numbness spreading through his entire body.
Marin had come several times, but he hadn’t paid any attention to it.
He only knew that he was about to reach peak.
“I’m coming…” The tingling sensation and the explosive anticipation of release radiating from Yu’s tailbone drove him even wilder.
His hands suddenly clamped down hard on Marin’s sweat-slicked waist, his fingers nearly digging into her soft skin, as the assault from his hips intensified abruptly.
Marin’s slender neck arched back, her mouth hanging open, her tongue lolling out uncontrollably.
Saliva spilled from the corner of her mouth, but she was too far gone to care.
All her senses, all her nerves, seemed to be concentrated on that single point, enduring one ferocious impact after another.
The force was so immense that she felt as if not only her lower abdomen but also her brain was being shattered.
Her toes, painted with pink nail polish, curled tightly, while her fingers unconsciously dug deep into Yu’s bulging back muscles.
Yu let out a low growl, pouring all his seed into her body.
Sweat, tears, and other indistinguishable fluids flowed between their tightly joined bodies.
Yu lay on top of Marin, panting.
He wrapped his arm around her smooth back, stroking it absentmindedly.
Before this, survival had been his only instinct.
But now, looking at her peaceful face, Yu wanted her to live—not just survive, but live a better life.
He gently withdrew his arm and carefully moved Marin’s head onto the pile of dry straw, then covered her with his relatively intact coat.
Yu stood up and stretched his stiff body.
The cabin had been fully repaired and was temporarily safe.
However, more than six days remained before the Beast Tide.
Yu could not afford to stop progressing.
He needed to use every available moment to build a stronger foundation for both of them.
Yu approached the Starter Core at the center of the cabin, and its dark-blue screen automatically illuminated.
He first checked the Storage.
More than twenty Wooden Planks remained, along with several miscellaneous materials.
Repairing the cabin had consumed most of his supply, but he might still be able to make something useful.
Yu’s gaze settled on the [Crafting] tab.
Sure enough, repairing the cabin had illuminated several options that had previously been grayed out.
One was particularly noticeable.
[Simple Workbench]
[Required Materials: Wooden Plank ×4]
[Use: A basic crafting platform.]
[Unlocks the creation of more advanced tools and items.]
[Slightly increases crafting efficiency and success rate.]
“A workbench…
Looks like this is where the tech tree begins.”
Without hesitation, Yu selected [Craft].
Four Wooden Planks disappeared from Storage.
A three-dimensional outline formed from translucent blue light on the open floor before him.
It resembled a rectangular workbench with a thick surface and supporting legs beneath it.
The projection seemed connected to Yu’s thoughts.
As his gaze moved and his intentions changed, it smoothly shifted and rotated within the cabin’s limited space.
After briefly planning the layout, Yu positioned it against the complete eastern wall.
It would not obstruct movement and would remain convenient to use.
Once the position was fixed, he raised the Crude Wooden Hammer and swung at the pale-blue projection.
With the first strike, the outline became slightly more solid, as though invisible materials were filling it.
Yu continued hammering.
Each strike made the workbench clearer and more substantial.
After a dozen blows, the translucent projection disappeared entirely.
A solid [Simple Workbench] now stood in its place.
Yu ran his hand across its thick surface before checking the Starter Core’s [Crafting] page again.
As expected, the entire list had changed.
Numerous icons that had previously been gray were now available.
[Wooden Bowl]
[Wooden Spoon]
[Flint Hand Axe]
[Flint Shovel]
[Flint Knife]
[…]
They were all basic items, but the list covered many essential crafting needs.
Aside from requiring the appropriate materials, each item displayed a new notification.
[Must be crafted beside a Simple Workbench.]
“Now this is starting to look respectable.”
Yu’s spirits rose.
He first used some of the remaining Wooden Planks to craft several Wooden Bowls and Wooden Spoons.
Standing before the Simple Workbench, Yu somehow understood the necessary crafting methods.
Once they were complete, he placed them in the corner beside the plastic water bottles.
They finally possessed a few basic household utensils.
Next, Yu began processing the raw materials gathered earlier.
He removed three portions of Resin and five Tough Vines from Storage.
With the Simple Workbench’s assistance, he soaked the Vines until they softened, then manually braided and twisted them together.
This process was far more realistic and exhausting than creating objects by striking a projection with the hammer.
It required genuine manual work.
Some items also required minimum Dexterity and Intelligence values.
The Rope he was currently crafting required Dexterity above five.
Crafting efficiency was also connected to both Dexterity and Intelligence.
Fortunately, Yu could switch to a high-Dexterity build whenever necessary, so his progress remained reasonably fast.
Eventually, he produced several uneven lengths of Rope.
[Crude Vine Rope]
Their toughness was acceptable, but the surfaces were covered in coarse burrs and would wear down easily.
Yu then retrieved the Stinging Nettles gathered earlier and began processing their tough stem fibers.
He secured each stem against the workbench’s edge and carefully scraped away the rough outer layer and irritating hairs, exposing the flexible fibers within.
After repeatedly rubbing and twisting them, the loose pale-green fibers gradually formed several relatively even cords.
[Nettle-Fiber Rope]
Yu pulled hard on one completed section.
It was far stronger than the Rope made from Vines.
Its surface was also smoother and far more durable.
“As expected, proper materials make a huge difference.”
Yu compared the two types of Rope.
He also tried twisting the Bark collected while logging.
However, Bark fibers were shorter and more brittle.
The resulting Rope required more effort to make, possessed far less strength than the Nettle-Fiber Rope, and snapped easily under pressure.
“Looks like Stinging Nettle will be our main material for Rope from now on.”
Yu reached his conclusion.
Stinging Nettles grew throughout the Grassland and could apparently be harvested repeatedly, making them a more convenient and sustainable resource than Bark.
He organized the completed lengths of Nettle-Fiber Rope and placed them in the corner.
With these Ropes, many tools could now be crafted or upgraded.
Even setting a Simple Trap had become possible.