After Natsuyu allocated his free attribute point into Physique, he experienced a sensation straight out of a web novel—a warm current surged throughout his entire body, accompanied by a noticeable boost in physical strength.
It felt as if he had just soaked in a hot public bath in Northeast China during winter, put on crisp new cotton clothes for the New Year, and slept soundly on a premium Simmons mattress until waking up naturally.
His entire body felt light, warm, and bursting with energy, as though he could leap two meters high in a single bound.
A 0.1 stat increase was remarkably effective!
Natsuyu felt a sudden lightness in his limbs, as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders, filling him with both surprise and joy.
Thinking about it logically, a 0.1 boost represented a full ninth of his previous baseline stats—a substantial upgrade indeed.
He rechecked his character panel:
[Natsuyu Rurikawa — Level 1 (Exp: 0/15)]
[Physique: 1.0 (Very healthy teenager)]
[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]
‘Looks like leveling up and stacking stats is going to be my top priority.’
Natsuyu’s gaze swept over toward the glittering clock door.
He guessed that this mysterious portal was what had transported him across worlds.
However, whether touching it would take him back home or trigger some lethal danger remained completely unknown.
Deciding against touching a door that clearly possessed terrifying, supernatural power, Natsuyu turned his attention toward a four-meter-tall oak tree standing nearby and walked over.
‘This should work…’
Natsuyu raised one hand, formed a fist, and hesitantly tapped the oak tree’s trunk.
Bang.
The trunk vibrated slightly, making a dull thud, but nothing else happened.
Natsuyu’s eyes lit up.
He hadn’t used much force at all—certainly not enough to make a solid oak tree tremble.
The supernatural rule for harvesting resources was actually functioning!
Following standard Minecraft logic, Natsuyu continued punching the trunk.
‘Wait, what if the tree falls and crushes me?’
‘In the game, getting hit by a falling tree might only shave off a bit of health, but in real life, getting crushed by a tree means instant death or severe crippling!’
Thoughts racing, Natsuyu stayed alert, bending his knees slightly to prepare to dodge at a moment’s notice.
He kept swinging his fists, landing twenty consecutive strikes against the wood.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang!
Suddenly, the middle section of the trunk—the exact spot he had been hitting—spontaneously split into neat, rounded wooden logs, breaking off and tumbling to the ground.
The top portion of the oak tree instantly collapsed, dropping two more logs and a pair of acorns right out of thin air.
Natsuyu scrambled backward as the ground shook with a soft thud, then stepped closer to inspect the loot.
Where the tree once stood, only an oak stump remained.
On the ground lay three logs, each about one meter long and twenty-five centimeters in diameter, along with two fist-sized acorns.
As for the branches and leaves, they had vanished completely without a trace.
“It really is a rule-based cheat ability…”
Natsuyu let out a breath of amazement.
He gripped a log with both hands, flexed his muscles, and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
[Congratulations on unlocking the achievement “Getting Wood”!
Recite the incantation “To get rich, chop down a tree first!” aloud to claim your reward: Crafting Table Blueprint, Exp +10.]
[Unlocked new achievement from the Basic Achievement Tree:]
[Open Inventory ➔ Getting Wood ➔ Benchmarking / Crafting Table ➔ ?]
‘I know the answer to this one!’
Four wooden planks can be combined to craft a Workbench, which can then be used to craft axes, pickaxes, swords, and armor.
Natsuyu felt a surge of genuine excitement—a joy far exceeding the first time he had ever played Minecraft.
Because in real life, his actual physical attributes were increasing!
No matter how powerful you were inside a video game, it was all virtual.
But the strength gained after transmigrating was 100% real!
‘Time to recite the mantra!
Incantation time!’
Natsuyu couldn’t wait.
While he had felt awkward and self-conscious the first time around, reciting the mantra no longer felt embarrassing.
After all, saying the words granted him real abilities and experience points—he was actually starting to enjoy the sense of ritual!
Besides, Kikyo Kushida was still fast asleep.
As long as nobody witnessed it, it didn’t happen!
With that comforting thought, Natsuyu struck a posture and shouted proudly:
“To get rich, chop down a tree first!”
[Reward claimed: Crafting Table Creation, Exp +10!]
Instantly, a new crafting instinct welled up inside Natsuyu’s mind.
Just like the basic logic of 1 + 1 = 2, a single log could be split into four planks, which, when arranged together, formed a wooden Workbench.
It was the simplest fundamental rule.
[Natsuyu Rurikawa — Level 1 (Exp: 10/15)]
The experience requirement for the next level had increased, so he didn’t level up this time or gain additional attribute points.
However, the next achievement—”Benchmarking / Crafting Table”—only required him to construct a Workbench.
He would level up again very soon, unlocking the ability to craft proper gear and weapons.
Natsuyu stood there holding the log, staring at the wood with an intense, laser-focused gaze.
“Um…
what are you doing?”
A soft, confused female voice suddenly sounded from right behind him.
Natsuyu froze on the spot.
Like a malfunctioning mannequin, he turned his head slowly, inch by inch, until his eyes met Kikyo Kushida’s wide, watery, reddish-purple gaze.
‘When did she wake up?!’
‘How long has she been standing there watching?!’
‘She didn’t hear me shout that ridiculous spell, did she?!’
Putting himself in Kushida’s shoes, Natsuyu imagined seeing a guy carrying a heavy log on his shoulder while screaming, “To get rich, chop down a tree first!”—the sheer second-hand embarrassment was enough to make anyone want to crawl into a hole and die.
Tragically, the lunatic in question was himself.
Forcing a completely straight face as if nothing had happened, Natsuyu walked back toward the giant clock door, set the log down, and said smoothly:
“Oh, you’re awake.”
Kushida didn’t look at him like he was an idiot.
She appeared slightly groggy, as if she had literally just opened her eyes, which allowed Natsuyu to secretely exhale in relief.
“Excuse me…
could you tell me where we are?”
Kushida stood there, looking visibly nervous.
Her large eyes looked up at Natsuyu, her gaze filled with vulnerability, resembling a small, frightened animal seeking protection.
In reality, Kushida was screaming in her head:
‘Damn it!
Why the hell is this happening to me?!’
‘This guy looks kinda familiar.
He isn’t holding any weapons, so he probably wasn’t the one who kidnapped me.’
‘Whatever, I’ll figure out the details later.
For now, I just need to play cute and get this guy on my side…’
Seeing her timid expression, Natsuyu was almost certain she hadn’t witnessed his embarrassing performance.
Relieved, his tone softened:
“I don’t know where we are either.
Before I fell asleep, I heard a strange voice in my head, and then I woke up here just a few minutes before you did.
What about you?”
Remembering what happened, Kushida lightly touched her soft lips with a fingertip, speaking in an unconsciously adorable tone:
“Me too…
I was getting ready for bed at night when a creepy voice popped into my head.
It scared me so much.”
“It asked me: ‘Do you long for the meaning of life?
Do you want to be friends with everyone?’ Since my dream has always been to be friends with everyone, I said yes.
I never imagined I’d end up in a place like this…”
“Um, did you answer yes because you wanted to make friends too?
My name is Kikyo Kushida.
Let me be your friend!”
Kushida stepped closer, her soft, gorgeous face radiating warmth and zero threat.
She gently cupped Natsuyu’s hand with both of hers, lifting it toward her chest as her reddish-purple eyes sparkled up at him expectantly.
‘Damn…’
Natsuyu thought to himself:
‘None of the maid applicants trying to climb the ranks in the Rurikawa family possessed seduction skills anywhere near as deadly as Kikyo Kushida’s!’