Chapter 4: Tasks
After a arduous journey, King returned to the foot of the slope and decided this place would be his first refuge and his home.
But what he truly feared was nothing less than an attack by the ferocious monsters. He knew full well that he currently possessed no means to confront them.
He first needed to raise his level, then build a fortified home with walls and barriers to protect him from the night's darkness and chill. But all of this required a higher level… and King didn't know how to reach it.
Suddenly, however, he remembered something important:
"Ark"granted every survivor a set of tasks to complete, allowing them to level up quickly and safely.
He opened his mouth and asked:
"System,are there any tasks?"
[Ding!]
Whoosh!
[Tasks]:
1-Kill 10 Dodos: 1000 EXP;
2-Tame 1 Dodo: 150 EXP;
3-Kill 4 Compys: 420 EXP;
4-Craft a Bed: 200 EXP;
5-Craft Wooden Foundations: 100 EXP;
6-Craft Wooden Walls: 100 EXP;
7-Craft 1 Arrow: 50 EXP;
8-Craft 1 Bow: 300 EXP;
9-Craft Tranquilizer Arrows: 30 EXP;
10-Craft a Spear and Kill 3 Dilophosaurs: 1750 EXP...
He raised a skeptical eyebrow and said:
"If something like this existed,why wasn't it shown from the beginning?"
[...]
He received no answer.
He sighed in frustration but then relented,beginning to ponder which task would be best to accomplish in his current situation. He found none safer than the first and second; they weren't stingy either, as the reward was enough to level him up at least twice.
"Alright, I'll take the first two tasks now."
Having said that, he looked down at little Wan in his lap. She was staring at him suspiciously, having seen him talking to himself like a madman.
He smiled softly, patted her head, then set her down. He raised his gaze towards the blue sky, focusing on the sun.
"I've been here for hours, yet I haven't noticed any movement of the sun… It's as if time in this place doesn't flow normally."
He averted his eyes, moistened by the bright light, and said in a loud voice:
"System,I want to see the time."
[Ding!]
[Season: Summer
Day: May 20
Year: 600 Million Years Ago
Era: Prehistoric
Time: 12:45]
"Good… but what do you mean by 12:45?"
He furrowed his brow and said:
"I'm sure I wandered around for more than six hours…so how can the time still be around twelve? That's really strange."
His attention fixated on the time display.
"Let's test this ourselves."
A minute passed… two minutes… five minutes.
[Time: 12:46]
"Dammit… What in the hell is this?"
He couldn't believe it, so he tried again.
A minute passed… two minutes… five minutes.
[Time: 12:47]
"...!"
He rubbed his eyes until they were red, then pinched himself.
"Ouch!"
It wasn't a dream. Beyond being in this impossible world, the idea that time here was five times slower than the real world… was something beyond imagination.
He smiled with relief and said:
"This is fantastic!I can rest easy now… Night will take a long time to fall. This gives me a chance to work without worries."
He turned to little Wan and said:
"Shall we have a meal before setting off?"
"Keeeek!" she replied with a sweet and enthusiastic chirp.
...
A few minutes later.
King sat leaning against a massive rock, patting his slightly bulging stomach. Beside him, little Wan lay on her back, her small belly swollen like a balloon.
He laughed and said:
"We've almost finished all the leftover meat."
Burp!
"And now… it's time for business."
He stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and opened his inventory to check his possessions.
[Wood: 49, Fiber: 195, Stone: 29, Meat: 11, Hide: 37, Thatch: 110]
He had consumed some resources for basic needs, but he wasn't concerned about the slight decrease. His current plan involved reducing them to the bare minimum, literally.
He opened the "Engram" list and selected: Bolas and the Wooden Spear, along with some protective clothing.
His current attire was just a useless summer outfit.
The requirements were simple:
[Bolas] {Stone: 3, Thatch: 6, Fiber: 10}
[Wooden Spear]{Wood: 15, Thatch: 8, Fiber: 20, Stone: 2}
He had enough to craft several of each, so he decided:
"Craft two wooden spears and nine bolas."
Knock! Knock! Knock!
[Ding!]
Knock! Knock! Knock!
[Ding!]
…
And so the process continued, alternating between knocking sounds and completion announcements, until the crafting was finished.
[Wood: 19, Fiber: 85, Stone: 23, Meat: 11, Hide: 37, Thatch: 40]
Then he turned his gaze to the list of cloth clothing and its requirements:
[Cloth Hat] {Fiber: 10, Hide: 4}
[Cloth Shirt]{Fiber: 40, Hide: 5}
[Cloth Gloves]{Fiber: 20, Hide: 4}
[Cloth Pants]{Fiber: 50, Hide: 8}
[Cloth Boots]{Fiber: 25, Hide: 6}
He shook his head and said:
"I'm just a little short…Hmmm."
He smiled faintly and muttered:
"No matter…Let's finish the tasks first and think about this later."
With a touch, he opened his inventory and selected the spear.
Whoosh!
The weapon appeared in his hand.
Little Wan shuddered and cautiously backed away, staring at him as if he were a monster.
King smiled gently and said:
"Don't worry…Stay here, I'll handle this."
"Keeeek!" she replied in a soft chirp.
He exhaled, whispering to himself:
"No need to be nervous…I just did this a little while ago."
He raised his eyes to the task screen:
[ Kill 10 Dodos: 1000 EXP (Progress: 6/10) ]
[ Tame 1 Dodo: 150 EXP (Progress: 0/1) ]
He had already completed six of them during his previous journey.
He smiled lightly and said:
"Alright…Let's avoid the Spino area and that huge crocodile."
And he set off with steady steps.
...
Time passed with a heavy slowness. King scoured the terrain with his eyes, searching for a safe shelter… or for Dodos to complete his task.
But unfortunately, he found none.
What he encountered repeatedly was only one thing:
The Dilophosaurus,the acid-spitting dinosaur.
He would see them from a distance and cautiously avoid them, aware that any mistake would be fatal.
And suddenly—
"Hmmm?"
A sharp screeching sound from the other side pierced the silence.
King crept forward with careful steps, every muscle in his body tense.
What he saw made his body freeze.
"Gaaaak!"
"Keeeek!"
A pack of Raptors was encircling five poor Dodos.
They circled them like wolves,attacking them one after another with cruel mockery.
But what planted terror in King's heart wasn't just the scene itself…
It was the lethal speed, the bloodthirsty instincts embodied in every movement, and the frightening aura emanating from them.
He felt a cold chill creep down his spine and realized the horrifying truth:
At any moment… their gaze might turn towards him.
And then—
He would become the next prey.