The Seventh Day.
After bouncing back from his fever and injuries in just a single day—much to Mary's disbelief—Ethan was now looking for a place to build a shelter. He did promise Mary that he would build one today, and no matter how much he may tease Mary, he still was gonna keep his promise.
So, once the morning sun lit the forest, he set out in search of the perfect place to call his base. More like Mary forced him to look for a shelter, but that is not the point. The point is that he actually listened and is keeping his promise.
Now, as Ethan is currently moving, Mary suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Some experienced hunter you turned out to be. How did you not know a good shelter is like, the first rule of survival? Heck, how did you even survive in your past life by living so recklessly?" Mary asked, her voice containing both teasing and wonder as she floated beside him.
"Well, I never really needed one before. I was always on the move. I never stayed anywhere long enough to need a proper shelter," Ethan replied with a shrug. "But yeah, lesson learned. Let's just hope I find a good spot before the day ends, or else I will have to stay like this. I cannot waste another day looking for a shelter."
And so hours went by. He moved through thick undergrowth, stepped over tangled roots, and crossed rocky clearings. He did find a few promising places along the way. A huge, wide-canopied tree, a well-hidden cave, and even a small cliffside nook that seemed ideal from a distance.
But each option had its flaw.
Some had no escape route in case things went wrong. Others had no clean water source nearby. A few were way too close to areas where beasts seemed to gather, making it hard to live there without constantly worrying about being attacked.
"This is turning out to be a massive pain in the ass," Ethan muttered as he climbed up a wide, flat rock, scanning the area for anything remotely useful.
"Tell me about it," Mary sighed, her arms hanging limp like she was just as tired. "And don't even get me started on the beasts. Seriously, why are they suddenly all over you? Did you step on some cursed flower or something?"
She had a point. It wasn't just the searching that made the day hard. Beasts had attacked him over and over again while he was scouting. While it is true that he was in Ravagers Den, a place known for its ferocity, even in his past life, he was never attacked so much in such a short amount of time. It was as if they were being drawn to him now.
The first attack came from above, just an hour after Ethan started searching for shelter.
Three D-rank Blightwing Rocs swooped down without warning. Their black wings cut through the sky like blades, and their sharp talons flashed in the light. They let out a terrifying roar as they descended, kicking up leaves and dirt all around Ethan.
The first Roc struck fast. It dove at him from the front, its talons ready to tear him apart. Ethan rolled to the side just in time. Without wasting a second, he jumped to his feet and swung Nightbane in a wide yet precise arc. The blade cut clean through the Roc's chest. Blood splashed into the air as it let out a screech before crashing to the ground.
The second Roc came at him from the right. It lunged with its beak aimed at his neck. Ethan raised his sword and blocked the attack with its sleek blade. He pushed forward and, with a quick spin, slashed across its wing. The Roc howled in pain; however, it still stood tall as it quickly flew up. It then nosedived straight towards Ethan. But he did not let it get too much shine as he activated his ability and wrapped his sword in flames. With a clash that shook the surroundings, Ethan sliced the bird in half, keeping only one remaining.
The third one circled above, waiting for an opening. Ethan didn't give it the chance. He raised his hand, and a stream of flame burst out, forcing the Roc to dodge mid-air. As it swerved to the side, Ethan used a tree as a stepping stool and jumped up. His sword, now wrapped in fire, tore through its skull. The Roc dropped from the sky like a stone, smoke trailing behind.
The next attacks came from the underbrush, just a few minutes after the fight with the birds.
Two Pyrefang Direwolves jumped out, their fangs glowing with flickers of flame. Their crimson eyes locked onto Ethan, filled with hunger and ferocity. Without warning, the first one lunged forward, flames bursting from its mouth as it aimed straight for his throat.
Ethan twisted to the side. The heat burned the edge of his hair, but he didn't stop. In one quick move, he stepped in close and slammed Nightbane deep into the wolf's side. The blade burned as it tore through the beast's ribs. With a hard twist, Ethan dragged the sword out, and the Pyrefang collapsed with a sharp yelp.
The second one shouted and leapt into the air, claws stretched out to pin him. Ethan didn't wait. He activated Blaze. Fire exploded around his right arm, dancing along his blade. As the wolf dropped down from above, Ethan met it with a burning slash. The blade cut through fur and muscle, flames tearing into its chest.
He barely had a second to catch his breath before the ground trembled again.
Two Aqua Prowler Wolves burst out from the stream nearby, water revolving around their sleek, fast-moving bodies. They moved like blue flashes, darting left and right.
Ethan was now a bit troubled. These weren't like the Direwolves. His fire wouldn't work on them. Even if he let out his strongest flames, it would not do much damage. So he only had his sword left to do any actual damage. However, he did not have much time to think about anything else.
One of them opened its mouth and shot a blast of pressurized water. Ethan luckily jumped aside just in time. The blast smashed into a tree behind him, creating a hole through it.
The second wolf came low, aiming for the back of his knees. Ethan jumped up and spun in the air. As he came down, he swung Nightbane with all his strength. The sword sank into the wolf's back. It let out a wet, gurgling cry before going still. But his body was now almost out of energy, and he still had one more enemy left.
The first one circled him carefully, its eyes tracking his every step. Ethan had to use his brain this time. He pretended to stumble, acting as if he let his guard down just a little. The wolf took the bait and jumped with full strength.
Ethan dropped low and thrust his sword straight upward. The blade went straight through its throat. The beast choked, then fell limp.
He wiped the sweat and blood from his face. Every muscle in his body hurt, but he stayed standing.
Somehow, he had made it through. It was mostly because the beasts of the outer area didn't know how to attack together. They rarely stayed in packs, and even when they did, they weren't smart enough to coordinate an attack.
Ethan let out a long breath of relief, because he knew that if he was fighting beasts from the inner area, even ones with the same strength, he would've lost miserably. The ones that moved in packs in the inner area knew how to attack together, and they were good at it too.
But it was strange, almost ironic. When he wanted to find beasts to hunt, they were nowhere. But now, when all he wanted was to find a place to rest, they just kept coming, as if drawn to him like moths to fire.
A few hours later.
Ethan finally had some time to breathe. There were no more sudden beast attacks—at least for now. That didn't mean the forest was quiet. Along the way, he still came across several F-rank and E-rank beasts, lurking in the shadows and watching him from a distance. But none of them dared to attack.
Their instincts screamed at them to stay away. Even without a fight, they sensed Ethan's strength. Even if Ethan was not the strongest, picking a battle with him would be nothing but a death sentence to low-ranking beasts like them. Ethan didn't bother chasing them either.
Sure, he could've hunted them for some easy system points, but he didn't want to waste time. Right now, shelter came first. Besides, these were the weakest of the weak. The points he'd earn wouldn't even be worth the effort.
Even though he wanted to avoid foraging, Ethan still ended up collecting herbs along the way. His supplies were getting low, and he needed ingredients for potions and explosives. So, whenever he spotted something useful, he didn't hesitate to pick it up.
Today, luck seemed to be on his side when it came to foraging. The forest offered more than usual. Among the finds, twenty stalks of Flamecrest Petal stood out the most. While not exactly rare, these plants were known to boost fire-based abilities and increase stamina—perfect for someone like him.
With his custom recipe, he could enhance the effects even further and sell them. That's right, sell, not use. Even though it could greatly increase his ability for a short amount of time, the first ability he wants to steal will do that and more. So it was only logical for him to sell it.
After nearly two hours of walking and searching, Ethan finally spotted it—a massive tree with a thick trunk and wide, sturdy branches. It had a little cave-like place inside it. The area around it was solid, with a clear line of sight.
As he inspected it more closely, he discovered it had three possible escape routes, a must for any safe hideout. Even better, there was a small pond nearby. It was close enough for easy access but far enough not to attract too many wild beasts to the base.
"Finally," Ethan muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Mary gave him a thumbs-up from his shoulder, clearly impressed. "Took you long enough. But yeah, this one's solid."
Now all he had to do was turn this spot into a livable shelter before the sun dipped below the trees.
Time to get to work.
Ethan spent the whole afternoon and evening building a proper shelter. He cut down some strong trees and used the wood along with ropes to build something solid and secure. Sure, he didn't have a ton of experience building shelters by himself, but he had seen enough people do it in his past life. He even helped out a few times. That was enough to get him started.
As he worked, Mary suddenly spoke up. "You're really going to use wood and rope to build your shelter?"
Ethan gave her a look. "Did you want me to use concrete or something?"
"No, obviously not," Mary replied, rolling her eyes. "I want you to use something better."
She then pulled out a bag from seemingly nowhere. "This is a bag of shew-lin, a special component from the planet Hipka. It's super durable and perfect for building stuff like houses."
Ethan blinked. "Ok, first of all, I am sure that you just made up those names. And secondly, Not interested," he said flatly, and kept working.
But Mary wasn't done yet. "Okay, okay. Listen. I'll throw in three bags of shew-lin, plus some steel and bricks. Think about it. Way better than wood and rope, right?"
Ethan didn't even pause this time. He just kept on building, completely ignoring her.
Mary gritted her teeth. She started throwing out more and more ridiculous offers, trying to sweeten the deal. But Ethan stayed quiet, focused on his shelter like she wasn't even there.
Finally, desperate, she made one last offer. "Fine! You win! I will give you one final offer. Take it or leave it!" She said, finally grabbing Ethan's attention. "Forget the materials. I'll build you a house myself. Something safe. Something comfortable. Like... luxury-level stuff. You just have to buy this packet deal from the store. Deal?"
She stuck her hand out, smiling like she'd finally won. Ethan, though, just looked at her like she was the world's most annoying bug that just would not leave him alone.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!" she asked in an accusing voice.
"Because you're acting like some desperate salesman," he said. "Why are you working so hard to get me to buy something?"
Mary didn't respond right away. She stared at the ground, hands clenching the edge of her robe. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft.
"Because I'm scared."
"Scared that I won't have a safe place to stay?" he asked, raising a brow. Sure, their relationship had gotten better. They could even call each other friends now. But it still didn't make sense for her to be scared. If she thought the shelter wasn't good enough, she'd just complain like always and tell him to make a better one.
"Not exactly," she said, finally lifting her face. Her eyes were filled with tears, and it looked like the waterworks could start any second.
"Then why the hell are you crying?" Ethan asked, completely baffled. He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Because I don't know what the hell you're going to buy!!" Mary screamed, her voice echoing through the forest.
Ethan, already confused, now looked even more lost. "What?"
"Remember how I made that bet about giving you an item for free?" Mary began, almost whispering now. "I wasn't supposed to do that. There are rules—like, serious rules—against that kind of thing."
"Then why did you do it? Just to skip out on studying? Did you really think there would be no consequences?" Ethan questioned, finally understanding what was going on.
"Well, yes. I thought there would be no problem," she muttered. " Because even if you somehow did win against me, with how reckless you were acting, I figured you'd just pick something random that sounded cool. I could afford that. No big deal."
"So… you're worried I'm taking too long to pick, and whatever I choose might be too expensive for you to replace, thus getting caught?" Ethan said, piecing it together.
"Yes!" she cried. "So could you please just help a partner out and choose something cheap?"
She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, clearly hoping to guilt-trip him into it. It somewhat worked before, so she was hoping it would work again.
Ethan, however, just gave a devilish smirk and went right back to building his shelter.
"Ethan? Hello? Why are you not saying anything? Ethan!!!"
And just like that, the day had come to an end with Ethan completing the base and Mary trying to sell him something, anything.