Chapter 6: First Set
King sat on the ground, sweat pouring from every pore, drenching his exhausted body as if he had bathed in a lake of effort and toil. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain, rebelling against him and protesting this violent exertion it had never known before. Even with the strength the system had granted him, his human body remained a prisoner of its old habits, suffering from the brutality of this savage world.
He looked at his status screen, then at his endurance meter. He discovered that his endurance had plummeted to zero, like a soul in its final throes, then slowly began to rise again, as slowly as dew drops gathering on leaves on a cold morning, until it finally filled up completely and returned to full capacity.
King sighed deeply, releasing a long breath carrying all his fatigue, then spoke in a hoarse, tired voice:
"I need to raise my endurance... At this rate, if I face more dangerous beasts, even fleeing will become impossible."
He glanced at his experience bar with a weary look, but didn't find the significant increase he had been hoping and longing for. He was surprised, and almost thought the system had miscalculated, or that the mechanism managing his gains had malfunctioned.
He waited until his endurance returned to its normal level, then slowly rose, brushing off all the dust that had clung to him like a heavy brown shawl. He headed towards the raptor carcasses lying on the ground, those lifeless masses that had been fierce predators moments before, and began examining them one by one. Suddenly, he exclaimed in a voice full of surprise:
"Oh... so that's the reason."
Then he added thoughtfully:
"They weren't that high in level... otherwise, I would have gained much more experience. These are just youngsters, cubs who don't yet know the harshness of life."
After reviewing the carcasses, King discovered they hadn't even exceeded level ten. His current level was enough to overcome them, and his fragile wooden spear, which was more like a sturdy stick than a deadly weapon, had even hurt their bodies. These raptors were like savage children who refused to listen to their mothers' advice, rushing headlong into adventures and trouble without realizing the magnitude of the dangers surrounding them. Their bodies were soft, not yet accustomed to the cruelty of battles, which allowed the spear to pierce and tear through them without mercy or hesitation.
King sighed again, deep in thought. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his features freezing with a hint of understanding and realization, followed by a wave of terror that made his blood run cold in his veins.
"So..." He swallowed hard, as if his saliva had turned into a dry lump in his throat, muttering in a low voice: "If these cubs were grazing here... doesn't that mean the parents are nearby?"
He had grasped the full truth, like a sudden lightning strike. After all, even if this world was inspired by Ark, that didn't mean everything would be exactly the same. Even the way animals coexist and interact with their environment might differ, perhaps closer to reality than imagined.
"Let's quickly hide these carcasses... then move the spoils to a farther place. No room for laxity now."
He took out his axe from his inventory, that stone weapon that had become an extension of his hand, and began cutting the meat like a barbarian, with quick, resolute movements, feeling his heart pounding like war drums.
[
Meat +2
Meat +1
Meat +3
Hide +2
Meat +1
Meat +2
Meat +4
Hide +3
...
]
After finishing his task, he opened his inventory and checked the resources he had gathered:
[Inventory]:
[Available Resources: Wood: 19, Fiber: 85, Stone: 23, Meat: 41, Hide: 50, Thatch: 40]
King smiled with satisfaction, wiping the sweat from his brow:
"Good... Now I can craft some clothes and adapt to this harsh environment."
He opened the Engrams tab, browsing through until he reached level three, where thatch clothing resides—those simple garments carrying within them the warmth of protection from the elements of this fickle world.
Level 3:
· Thatch Hat {Fiber: 10, Hide: 4}
· Thatch Shirt {Fiber: 40, Hide: 5}
· Thatch Gloves {Fiber: 20, Hide: 4}
· Thatch Pants {Fiber: 50, Hide: 8}
· Thatch Shoes {Fiber: 25, Hide: 6}
· Waterskin {Hide: 7, Thatch: 5, Fiber: 5}
Due to his shortage of Fiber, King made a wise decision: to relocate first, to be far from the reach of the raptor parents who might appear at any moment, and at the same time gather more Fiber to be able to craft the entire outfit. He finished hiding the raptor carcasses until they completely vanished from existence, as if they had never been.
"Hah... It really is Ark."
He sighed, panting, then started running quickly, covering distances with wide strides, moving away from that cursed place as much as possible.
...
A quarter of an hour after King left, a series of rapid, intense footsteps descended upon the area, as if the earth trembled under their weight. They were a large group of bipedal animals, possessing short but much deadlier and more painful claws than any ordinary weapon. These creatures consisted of seven raptors, but they were completely different from those King had encountered before. They were larger, more ferocious, and their eyes gleamed with the glow of killing and revenge.
At the head of the group stood a distinctive raptor, exuding the aura of a merciless killer. Its face was carved with countless scars, each scar telling a story of a fierce battle, a testament to the countless violent confrontations it had fought and emerged victorious from.
It stood over the spot that had held the carcasses of its young before King hid them and erased them from this world. Nothing remained of those bodies except small patches of clotted blood, like a sad memory of what once was.
The alpha raptor lowered its head until its nose touched those bloody patches, examining them with passion and grief. It wasn't long before its eyes transformed from pain to cruelty, then to intense anger that almost set its surroundings ablaze. It looked behind it at the rest of the group, who were watching its movements in solemn silence, then roared at the top of its voice, signaling that these were the bodies of their children, those cubs who had gone out to play and never returned.
"GRAAAAA!"
The rest of the individuals answered with a sad voice full of suppressed anger:
"GRAAAAA!"
After that, the alpha raptor began turning left and right, sniffing the air, analyzing directions, until it finally decided on the path to take. It was determined to kill everyone it encountered on its way, no matter who it was, for the blood of its young would only be avenged by the blood of the perpetrator.
...
Meanwhile, King had managed to get a relatively safe distance away from the killing zone that witnessed the massacre of the young raptors. During his movement, he gathered everything he needed in terms of resources until he had enough to craft the entire outfit he desired.
He raised his finger and confidently pressed on everything he wanted to craft:
[Ting]... [Ting]... [Ting]...
Then the familiar metallic clanking sound echoed for a few moments, as if a skilled blacksmith was working behind a veil of invisibility, until the clothes appeared complete in King's inventory, as usual.
King gasped with joy as he took out the thatch hat from his inventory, holding it as if it were a rare gem. He turned it over in his hands and felt its fibers carefully, as if it were a precious treasure rather than just a piece of primitive clothing. He felt the difference, felt the distinction this hat carried compared to others. It was simple in design, but rich in a primitive, authentic character, as if it belonged to a completely different era than the world he came from.
He smiled broadly as he placed it on his head, making sure it fit him perfectly.
"Hah... Not bad at all."
Then he took out the rest of the pieces one by one: the shirt, gloves, pants, and shoes. He didn't hesitate to put them all on quickly and enthusiastically, like a child wearing new gifts.
After a few minutes, he stood there wearing the complete thatch outfit, looking like a primitive hunter who had just emerged from an ancient cave. Despite his primitive appearance, he felt a strange comfort coursing through his body, as if a light shield had covered him. The wind no longer touched his skin directly as before, and the small cuts and scratches left by plants and stones became less irritating and painful.
He quickly opened his status screen to see the effects:
[Defense: +10]
[Heat Resistance: +5]
[Cold Resistance: +5]
His eyebrows rose in genuine surprise, and his eyes widened.
"Oh... so clothing gives actual effects too."
He shook his head in admiration, pondering the numbers that appeared before him. It wasn't that surprising, after all, this is Ark, a world governed by its own logic, where everything has meaning and weight.
After that, he took out the new waterskin. It was made of thick, durable hide, tightly bound with strong plant fibers. He squeezed it slightly to check its quality and durability, then hung it on his waist with satisfaction, swaying with each movement he made.
He looked at his inventory again, and at what he had left of resources.
[Inventory]:
[Available Resources: Wood: 19, Stone: 23, Meat: 41, Hide: 16, Thatch: 40]
"Alright, let's fill this waterskin, then continue our mission."
...