Ethan Fang thought the situation through carefully. A 60-day famine was terrifying, but it wasn't the only problem.
The real danger would come when the shelter's protection dropped in seven days—then wild beasts could damage the cabin. What would they do then?
Eating only meat wouldn't be enough: unbalanced nutrition, and with no seasonings, some food was barely edible.
"Senior, other seasonings are optional—but we must have salt!" Mia insisted."If we go long without salt we could get hyponatremia—early aging, fatigue, and at night we might as well be blind!"
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. We'll figure out salt later. For the next couple of days we need to gather food, then trade for resources. With ten billion people spread across the planet someone will know how to extract salt."
He opened the Chaos Star Survival Guide.[Upgrading your shelter can resist ferocious beasts. Upgrade quickly—many surprises await…]
Ethan pulled up the shelter interface:[Wooden Cabin: 0-star, currently unable to resist beast attacks. Under newbie protection.]
Upgrade requirement displayed:[0-star cabin → 1-star cabin: requires Wood × 100]
"More tree-cutting?" Ethan muttered.
A mechanical voice sounded from the system:[A new day begins. Basic stone tools have been issued. Survivors, do your best to stay alive!]
Under the bed they found two stone axes, both blunt, plus a stone pick and a stone shovel.
[Stone Axe: used to chop trees; yield of wood depends on tree size][Stone Pick: used to mine stone and similar resources][Shovel: used for digging earth]
Mia flipped through the guide.[When you drag a tree next to your cabin, the tree will automatically decompose into smaller pieces.][Upgrading your cabin increases its defensive capability, unlocks new functions, and expands its area.]
"Not bad—we don't have to chop each log by hand," Ethan said."Let's go check out the Resource Chests!"
Mia opened the map.[Current Location: Lost Grasslands (fertile prairie, but inhabited by unusual creatures…)]
Two markers showed in the unexplored black area—Resource Chest locations. The black meant unscouted territory, so no terrain details were shown.
"Let's go to the nearer one on the plains," Ethan suggested."Okay."
They looked around once more, then stepped out. Ethan tucked a shard of glass into his hand. The chest was about 1,000 meters away. As they ran, the map gradually revealed the terrain ahead.
"Senior… when will we have clothes?" Mia asked, embarrassed.
Inside the cabin the light had been dim, so Ethan hadn't seen her clearly. Now, under the bright sunlight, every inch of her was visible—of course he'd look. He averted his gaze and shrugged, awkwardly: "Not sure… honestly, it's already all out there… doesn't matter."
Mia's cheeks flushed—she knew she'd been seen. Ethan quickly added, more seriously, "Don't worry. Our priority is survival. I won't force anything on you. You're my teammate—the system paired us for a reason."
Mia felt a little grateful and even a touch of admiration. Alone she couldn't have handled the wolves; Ethan had both decency and capability.
Naked, they sprinted across the grassland carrying the small chest—a ridiculous, striking sight.
Suddenly Mia screamed. "Ahhh!"
Before she could finish, she slipped and fell into a hidden pit, hands clutching at the edge to stop herself.
Ethan lunged forward. "What the hell—how is there a hole here? Hold on, I'll pull you up!"
As she struggled, something cold wrapped around her ankle—a hand like ice, chilling her to the bone.
"Ahhh!" Mia shrieked.
The thing's strength pulled hard; she began to slide. Terror made her cry out: "Senior! Save me! Something grabbed my leg—it's dragging me in!"
Ethan didn't hesitate. He slid both arms under her armpits and wrapped his arms around her torso. He bit his lip and pulled, but the creature's strength was huge. Mia still slipped.
"Grab my arms tight!" he yelled.
Mia clutched his forearms. Ethan sat down, legs braced against the pit rim, leaned back and pulled with everything he had—but still she was slipping.
"Quick—dump the water, teammate! Pour it out!" he shouted.
Trembling, Mia accessed their interface and dumped out the remaining twenty-plus liters of water in one go. A roaring torrent cascaded into the pit.
The rush of water disrupted the creature's grip and turned Mia's skin slick. The icy claws slipped and lost purchase. Ethan finally hauled her out. As they scrambled back, two glowing green eyes retreated into the darkness below.
"What the hell was that?" Ethan panted.
A system entry popped up:[Servant-level Cave Dweller: dark, crawling humanoid creatures. Ancient servants of old. They fear sunlight and crave blood…]
Both of them were shaken, grateful they'd avoided being dragged in. Mia collapsed against Ethan and sobbed, clinging to him even while naked.
"Senior… that scared me to death. What was that thing?" she cried.
Ethan, holding her, felt his own fear. He couldn't imagine what would have happened had he fallen in—being eaten alive, bled out—horrible.
"All right, let's move on. I didn't expect the grasslands to be this dangerous—not only wolves, but Cave Dwellers too."
Mia finally noticed she'd been pressed awkwardly against Ethan; she disentangled, wiped her cheeks, and took his arm. "Let's stick together. It's safer."
"Agreed. The Cave Dwellers don't surface in daylight. If we avoid pits, we should be okay."
They slowed their pace and moved carefully. One lucky escape didn't guarantee another.