I’ve been living on this island for about a week now, surviving on shrimp and spring water. I’ve never missed rice as much as I do right now.
— I can’t take it anymore… — I mutter, looking at what’s left of the shrimp. — …At least it hasn’t rotted.
Seeing how much I have left, it’s easy to tell it’s almost gone. I’ll soon be starving if I don’t do something fast.
— I feel like I’m going crazy with these bugs… This is going to turn into a trauma.
I never noticed that I could sense the changes in my own mind as clearly as I do now. Too bad it’s only getting worse.
— I just wanted to find another shrimp… Haa…
I sigh as I lie down in the hammock, slowly calming myself.
— …Open panel.
═══════════════════════════════════
| [Name]: Rafael | | [Race]: Human |
| [Level]: 01 |
───────────────────────────────────
[Skills]
| [Armorer]: 02 | | [Weaponsmith]: 02 |
| [Hunter]: 04 | | [Gatherer]: 06 |
| [Builder]: 03 | | [Cook]: 03 |
| [Determination]: 04 | | [Stabber]: 08 |
| [Scythesman]: 04 | | [Toolmaker]: 01 |
| [Spearman]: 07 | | [Survivor]: 02 |
| [Tolerance]: 07 |
═══════════════════════════════════
For some reason, I’ve ended up with so many skills that I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever manage to max out even one of them.
— …There are so many skills that they’ll just clutter up my screen and be useless in the future — I think to myself as I look at each one.
It’s easy to understand why I got some of them, but others are a bit unexpected
— Tolerance… I guess this feeling of unease is serving some purpose.
I haven’t been feeling very well for a few days now. I don’t know if it’s because of the water, the shrimp meat, or simply because I haven’t been eating anything else besides that.
— I think surviving another week is my limit if this continues…
I’m surprisingly calm about this situation, probably because the lack of proper nutrition isn’t letting my brain function properly.
— Well, aside from tolerance, the others came naturally…
I stand up, feeling a slight dizziness, but if I stay still, I’ll surely die.
— Hahaha… What should I do?
Looking at my skills again, even though they’ve leveled up and there are several of them, it’s only after level 50 that they start to become useful. Before that, they’re more like decorations than anything else.
— And my level… Why isn’t it going up?
My level not going up is something strange, and I’m trying to figure out why.
— Is it impossible to level up on this island? Or are these bugs considered normal bugs?
I don’t remember if it’s possible to level up by killing bugs in the story, but it must take hundreds of them to make any difference.
— Or maybe… I need magic?
If that’s really necessary, then I’m doomed. Leveling up is crucial in this world, especially because of what happens at level 50.
Besides, the physical enhancements that come with leveling up would certainly help me a lot right now.
— I can’t go on like this… Let’s give it a shot.
In front of me are the two greenish stones, each about the size of a finger. They’re relatively small, and their color makes them look more like moss-covered rocks than anything magical.
As far as I remember, they’re used to create magical items and enhance spells, but that depends on the properties of each one.
— …No, they also have another function… To fuse with them to gain power.
Some villains in the history, who sought quick power, used magic stones to fuse with their bodies. This made them extremely powerful, but along with that went their minds and bodies. There were even those who became, practically, monsters.
— It’s risky, but I’ve got nothing left to lose anyway.
Of course, I’m not trying to go crazy or turn into a monster, but if I consider the reasons why that happened to those villains, maybe it’s possible to extract the magic safely.
— First, let’s break this stone into tiny pieces.
Since I don’t know the outcome of this test, I decided to use the safest stone, the shrimp one. The ant one still carries remnants of that plant, so I’d rather leave it for later.
After placing it on the ground and hitting it with another stone, it took me a while to break it into pieces small enough.
— …Here goes.
I put one of the pieces in my mouth and roll it around with my tongue for a moment. Since it’s the shrimp stone, it has a strange taste, but the biggest problem is the rough texture.
— I don’t feel anything, and there hasn’t been any change in it… — I think, after spitting the piece into my hand. — …Should I swallow it?
I grab the water bucket and take a sip to wash the stone down into my stomach. I almost choke.
— Coff! Coff! Haa… That was horrible.
After swallowing it, I go over to the hammock and lie down, swaying slowly. I’ve been feeling so tired these days that sometimes I just want to sleep all day.
I end up dozing off for a while, until a sudden wave of nausea forces me to sit up quickly.
— Blargh! Haa… There goes my lunch.
I look at the floor and, next to the vomit, I see a small gray stone.
— …Did it work!? Open panel!
═══════════════════════════════════
| [Name]: Rafael | | [Race]: Humano |
| [Level]: 01 | | [Magic Power]: 00 |
───────────────────────────────────
[Skills]
[…]
═══════════════════════════════════
— Zero magical power!? Did it work or not!? — I exclaim, seeing that now I have, but at the same time I don’t have, magic power. — …Calm down, maybe the amount I received is minuscule, so it still shows up as zero.
I examine my body closely, checking to make sure nothing has changed.
— Everything seems to be in place… Ufa.
Only then do I let out a sigh of relief.
— Okay, the experiment worked, but I’ll have to continue later…
I grab my scythe and the protective gear before turning toward the usual path I take when entering the island.
— Today I’ll get more food!
After the successful test, I feel motivated to keep going, but the lack of food is urgent, and I’ve just lost what I had for today.
Besides, I’ve been hearing birds around the island for a while now without being able to find them, so I had an idea.
I tried to build a simple trap to see if I could catch them, but it was much harder than I expected. I’d never made one before, but remembering how rope traps worked in cartoons, I tried to set one up.
After several failed attempts, I finally managed to create one where, if something steps on the bait, a string ties its foot and leaves the prey hanging upside down.
— Now for the bait… I only have shrimp scraps, so that’s what I’ll use.
After positioning it, I hide behind some trees and watch. If any giant insects show up and get caught, I can use them as bait for the next attempt.
— My only concern now is… When is something going to show up?
So I stand there, waiting. I know full well that if I sit down, I’ll end up falling asleep.
I might even end up falling asleep while standing if I keep this up.
— Haa… Not even the ants have come. I wonder if that plant really took over their nest?
As I recall the infected ant, I hear the flapping of wings.
I remain motionless, breathing as slowly as possible.
I don’t know exactly what came to the trap, but it’s definitely a bird. After a few seconds of silence, the bird’s screech echoes, leaving me stunned for a brief moment.
Its screech was much louder than any bird I’ve ever heard in my entire life.
— Just what… That bird is huge.
To my surprise, what had landed in the trap was about 1.5 meters tall, with green feathers, a rounded beak, and sharp claws. A giant parrot appeared in front of the trap.
— How long will its meat last… — I think, as my stomach growls.
After everything I’ve been through on this island, I don’t care about the size or type of bird anymore. As long as it gives me meat, that’s fine.
But I’m quickly brought back to reality, because I didn’t expect such a large bird to get caught in the trap.
Because of its weight, the parrot isn’t upside down; it’s just stuck with one leg pointing upward while trying to balance on the other.
— I need to be quick!
I grab the scythe and, taking advantage of the fact that it hasn’t noticed me yet, I run toward it.
The moment I get close, a huge shadow looms over me. I instinctively step back and hide behind a tree.
In front of the captured parrot, another one appears. It looks in my direction and, with its beak, tries to help its companion escape.
— Damn, it has a partner…
The parrot lets out a shrill sound, almost like a battle cry, and moves on after freeing its companion, who fled without looking back.
— If that’s the case… Let’s move on to plan B.
I start running away with the parrot chasing me. Luckily, the density of the trees prevents it from flying, or I would’ve already been caught.
I head to a specific spot, step over a mound of dirt using a plank, and turn to watch. The parrot comes charging, steps on the mound with its claws, and crosses it without any trouble.
— … Those claws are unfair! — I say, running away again.
The mound was the body of a stinging caterpillar I’d recently killed, used as a poison trap for insects approaching the cabin. Since I don’t know exactly where its venom is, I didn’t dare mess with its body too much and just buried it whole.
— Using the scythe is too risky, and I don’t have any other useful insect remains left… Ah! — As I think, I don’t notice that I’m running too fast.
The flip-flop, whose sole had been worn out and peeling for days, finally bursts. I lose my balance and fall face-first onto the ground. I feel immediate pain in my hands and knees as they scrape against the earth.
— Damn flip-flop!
I turn around, crouching, and see the parrot almost upon me. Without thinking, I grab whatever is closest and throw it with all my strength.
— Get lost, chicken!
I only realize what I threw when I hear the parrot’s scream.
The shrimp knife had fallen with me, and that was exactly what I threw.
Since we were so close, the blade struck its face, cutting straight across one of its eyes.
— …
I stand still for a second before finally realizing what happened.
The parrot staggers, stumbles, and slams its shoulder into a tree. Its scream echoes through the woods, disturbing everything around us.
— My chance!
Ignoring the pain in my knees and hands, I grab the scythe and stand up, aiming at its wings to stop it from flying away.
The blade isn’t very sharp, so I can only make a superficial cut, but the impact is enough to damage its wing to the point where it can no longer fly.
Feeling the pain in its wing, the parrot tries to peck me, but I manage to protect myself with my elbow, which is shielded by the shrimp parts. I’m pushed backward and bump into a tree, but I stay on my feet
Seeing that it no longer has the upper hand, the parrot tries to flee, but unable to fly, its only option is to run awkwardly.
— Haa… Today you’re mine… — I murmur, my voice cold.
I attack again, aiming for the nearest leg. The scythe cuts through the air and hits, causing the parrot to stumble and lose its balance. I take advantage of the opening and advance with a precise strike, this time aiming for the neck to finish it off quickly.
I feel a pain in my ankle, I probably twisted it when I fell, but I don’t stop, and finally I see the parrot’s life drain away as I pierce its neck and nearly sever its head.
— Finally… — I sigh, looking at the fallen creature. — This will sustain me for quite a while.
I pick up the knife from the ground, wipe the blade on the grass, and begin to separate the usable parts: meat, claws, and beak.
— Four trips should be enough…
I return to the cabin completely exhausted, with a broken flip-flop, a sore knee, scraped hands, and a sprained ankle.
— Today I have meat!
[To be continued…]
[???]:
— His mind must already be so exhausted that he’s attacking the parrot out of hatred… It would be good for him to spend some time at the church recovering.
[+++]:
— How long are you going to stay around here?
[???]:
— I just got here and you’re already kicking me out?
[+++]:
— That’s because you just barged into my house… And haven’t you been here for about 10 years already!?
[???]:
— Barged in? I’m doing you a favor by calculating the future of your world!
[+++]:
— And did I ask you to do that!? As long as the world is fine, I don’t care how it progresses!
[???]:
— That kind of thinking… Now I understand why your followers don’t like to work.
[+++]:
— …