Natsuyu carefully sensed his own condition.
Contrary to what Kikyo Kushida had experienced, activating his crafting ability didn’t consume any physical stamina.
‘The Law of Conservation of Energy fails once again.’
‘Sir Isaac Newton’s coffin lid is about to fly off!’
‘It seems my cheat system is one tier higher than Kushida’s and the others’.
I can craft resources completely free of cost—no need to worry about “firepower shortage phobia” ever again!’
As long as the required raw materials were available, he could craft endlessly.
[Congratulations on unlocking the achievement “Is this…
a Crafting Table?!”!
Recite the incantation “I am a diligent little worker!” aloud to claim your rewards: Wooden Axe Blueprint, Wooden Pickaxe Blueprint, Simple Backpack Blueprint, Exp +10.]
[Basic Achievement Tree unlocked new node:]
[…Is this…
a Crafting Table?!
➔ Stone Age!
(Craft a Wooden Pickaxe) ➔ ?]
‘Wait, no Wooden Sword or Leather Armor set?’
Natsuyu was slightly annoyed.
His system seemed customized or nerfed.
If he were back in his previous life reading web novels in his dorm, he’d definitely leave a bad review complaining about the nerfed system.
However, Natsuyu’s eyes quickly locked onto [Simple Backpack Blueprint].
‘A BACKPACK?!’
‘With a backpack, I can unlock equipment inventory slots!’
‘As long as I can unlock inventory slots, level up, and stack attributes, I’ll take it!’
He recited the mantra immediately without hesitation.
Every second wasted was a disrespect to level-ups and inventory slots!
Natsuyu glanced at Yukino resting in the distance.
In a cheerful mood, he shouted out loud:
“I am a diligent little worker~ My crafting skills are super great~”
He even started humming it like a catchy nursery rhyme!
[Reward claimed: Wooden Axe Blueprint, Wooden Pickaxe Blueprint, Simple Backpack Blueprint, Exp +10!]
Knowledge flooded Natsuyu’s mind:
[Wooden Axe: 1 Log + 1 Twig.
Crafted at Crafting Table.
Rapidly chops down trees.]
[Wooden Pickaxe: 2 Logs + 1 Twig.
Crafted at Crafting Table.
Harvests stone and ores.]
[Simple Backpack: 4 Cut Grass + 4 Twigs.
Crafted at Crafting Table.
Provides 8 inventory slots with item stacking.
Items inside weigh 0.
Cannot hold living creatures.]
‘Wait…
something feels off.’
Natsuyu fell into deep thought.
‘An 8-slot backpack with item stacking and weightless storage…
‘My MC system’s lineage isn’t pure—it’s blended with Don’t Starve mechanics!’
Natsuyu looked up at the sky.
‘Shadow Monsters…
The Magnificent Portal…
Finding food before dark…’
‘Could this place actually BE the Don’t Starve World?!’
[Natsuyu Rurikawa — Level 2 (Exp: 5/20)]
[Free Attribute Points: 0.1]
Since he leveled up, he might as well allocate his point immediately.
As usual, Natsuyu dumped it straight into Physique.
A warm current surged through him, bringing an airy, euphoric sensation.
Every cell in his body strengthened, radiating joy.
‘This feels even more refreshing than getting drunk!’
After a moment, the pleasure of physical enhancement faded.
Natsuyu checked his status panel:
[Natsuyu Rurikawa — Level 2 (Exp: 5/20)]
[Physique: 1.1 (Athletic teenage build)]
[Soul: 1.3 (High mental fortitude)]
[Charisma: 1.3 (Hostile towards all living creatures)]
[(Note: The average attribute score for an adult human in peak condition is 1.0)]
[Ability: Resource Gathering, Item Creation (Click for details)]
‘1.1 Physique is equal to an athletic build?
If you look at it from that perspective, my 1.3 Soul and Charisma are insanely high!’
‘I really am a handsome guy with a strong heart.’
After a brief moment of self-admiration, Natsuyu looked at the oak trees and the wild grass on the ground.
Logs came from punching trees; Cut Grass was everywhere on the ground.
What about Twigs?
In Don’t Starve, Twigs came from Saplings, but Natsuyu hadn’t found any Sapling bushes yet.
Wait—Natsuyu looked up at the lush green oak branches with yellowed tips.
‘Aren’t these branches literally twigs?!’
Natsuyu grinned:
“Great, time to get to work!”
He tugged hard on the wild grass.
With his upgraded 1.1 Physique, he yanked it out effortlessly without a sweat.
The green grass instantly turned into a bundle of golden [Cut Grass * 10].
“Resources obtained: Cut Grass x 10.”
He climbed up the oak tree, flexing his arms to snap off a thick branch.
With the strength of a trained athlete, even a branch as thick as a baby’s arm snapped easily.
The branch instantly condensed into a neat [Twig * 1].
“Resources obtained: Twig x 1.”
After harvesting a pile of Twigs and Cut Grass, it was time to punch trees!
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang…
Natsuyu worked like a manic grinding machine, losing all sense of time, completely immersed in the satisfying dopamine loop of harvesting resources.
Thud, thud, thud. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Natsuyu turned his head while still punching, saw Yukino walking over, and went right back to tree-punching.
Yukino watched wide-eyed as Natsuyu punched wood with gusto.
She saw the logs and branches scattered on the ground, then watched the 4-meter oak tree instantly collapse into 3 logs.
The logic-defying scene left Yukino completely speechless, her brain briefly stalling out.
Finishing his satisfying work, Natsuyu dodged a falling log, turned around, and asked:
“Done exploring the sector?”
“Yes.”
Yukino didn’t pry into Natsuyu’s weird abilities, getting straight to the point:
“We need to investigate further out.
Do you need help carrying this wood?
With this much timber, we can’t carry it all ourselves.”
“No need, take a rest first.”
Natsuyu noticed the flushed blush on Yukino’s beautiful face from exercise, with faint steam rising from her skin—she looked like a freshly washed, ripe peach, truly a sight to behold.
“I’ll handle the logistics here.
You recover your stamina first.
In a few minutes, we’ll head further out to explore together.”
“Alright.”
Yukino didn’t push herself.
Running a full lap around the sector perimeter in such a short time was quite exhausting.
She found a rock to sit on, watching Natsuyu move materials over to the square wooden Workbench.
‘Is he starting to craft wooden tools now?’
‘Can a wooden block really create weapons?’
Curiosity filled Yukino’s large eyes.
She watched Natsuyu place Twigs and Logs onto the Crafting Table.
The wood spun and shaped itself automatically, splinters flying, as a [Wooden Pickaxe] half the height of a person made its grand entrance!
“Oh?”
Yukino let out a small squeak of surprise.
‘This makes zero scientific sense!’
(Then again, she remembered she could turn into a cat, so non-scientific stuff seemed acceptable now…)
Natsuyu looked back.
Yukino quickly pretended to brush her hair, acting as if the person who just squeaked wasn’t her.
The moment Natsuyu turned away, Yukino stopped playing with her hair and watched intently again.
She watched Natsuyu craft another [Wooden Pickaxe] and two [Wooden Axes].
Then, using Cut Grass and Twigs, he crafted a shoulder satchel clearly made of woven cloth—completely defying the raw materials!
This time, Yukino didn’t squeak like an amateur.
She was an esper who had seen big things now; she wouldn’t be easily startled by a little trick!
Then…
Yukino watched Natsuyu shove a one-meter-long log into a 40-centimeter-tall backpack.
The log went all the way inside, disappearing completely into the bag!
Her thin, cherry lips parted in shock:
“OH?!”
Natsuyu turned around instantly.
Because she was too shocked, Yukino didn’t have time to pretend to play with her hair, catching Natsuyu’s eyes dead-on!