Chapter 33: Step 33 to Greatness: Hard Work With Results Is Always Rewarded
After talking to Mika about training others in using spears, Adrian hurriedly opened his inventory, planning to combine all the armors he could.
However, before he could do that, the notification he didn’t want to appear just yet appeared before him.
[Daily Settlement Has Arrived!]
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• Congratulations! You have successfully survived the third day in the wilderness.
[Survival points awarded: +10]
• You eliminated a hostile survivor in order to protect a member of your settlement.
[Survival points awarded: +15]
• You exterminated more than thirty Level 1 Slimes, reducing a nearby threat and securing valuable resources.
[Survival points awarded: +12]
• You acquired a Rare-grade Salt Mine. Your settlement now possesses a sustainable source of a strategic resource.
[Survival points awarded: +25]
• You acquired an Uncommon-grade Farmland, laying the foundation for long-term food production and self-sufficiency.
[Survival points awarded: +20]
• You constructed a defensive perimeter around your settlement.
[Survival points awarded: +15]
• You crafted multiple common-grade armor cards, improving the combat readiness of your settlement.
[Survival points awarded: +12]
• Your proficiency with the spear has surpassed the halfway mark.
[Survival points awarded: +10]
• An Uncommon-grade Wolf has joined your settlement.
[Survival points awarded: +15]
Overall Survival Rating: 134 Points
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"Oh, fuck!"
Adrian cursed after seeing the rating. He didn’t even have to check the rankings to know he had gotten flung out of the top hundred players.
Just a few more minutes and he would have gotten a much better score. As for why he was so keen on getting a high score, Sera had seen that the top fifty global players received treasure chests based on their ranking.
The top ten players even received legendary chests, which was the reason most of them remained in the top ten. The next ten received epic-grade chests and so on.
"Just because I joined the game late, I couldn’t get my hands on a chest..." Adrian sighed. "No point in thinking about it anymore, but I should get a watch somehow for proper time management."
With that, he checked the rewards, and they weren’t bountiful like before. However, that didn’t mean they were bad.
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Based on your performance, the following rewards have been automatically added to your inventory:
• [Structure Card] Watchtower x1 (+10)
• [Torn Page(s) of the Book: Agriculture in Primitive World] x1 (+10)
• [Resource Card] Random Herb Seed Pouch x1 (+10)
• [Enhancement Card] Basic Physique Enhancement x1 (+10)
[10x Reward Talent Activated.]
[All rewards multiplied by 10!]
Note: Two cards of the same type and quality may be combined to create a higher-quality card.
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Adrian read through the rewards list and realized something. Most of the time, the settlement rewards were related to something he did.
The last time he captured chickens and got pages of a beast taming book. This time, he built a farmland and got a page related to agriculture and also a bunch of seeds. It was a shame he didn’t get any farming tools, but it wasn’t like he was going to plant the seeds before Sera made the pots.
It couldn’t be a coincidence, which meant there was more to the settlement system than he assumed.
"So, if I capture some fish, would I get a pond?" he mumbled.
Although there wasn’t any area for him to put a pond within the fence, he could build it close by. If he did, it would solve the immediate need of irrigating the farm.
Other than farming related rewards, there were only two things. First, the watchtower, and the second was an enhancement card.
Since he hadn’t seen the latter before, he checked it out first.
The card had a white border and had an engraving of a person’s silhouette striking a pose like they were members of the Ginyu Force.
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Name: Basic Physique Enhancement.
Type: Common
Uses: 1
Description: Upon activation, the card is absorbed directly into the body of the user. After absorption, the card would permanently boost the stats of a user in the following range:
⬦ Strength +3~10
⬦ Endurance +3~10
⬦ Agility +3~10
⬦ Max Endurance +15~20
⬦ Max HP +20~55
⬦ Physical damage output +8~11%
⬦ Carrying capacity +6~10 kg
⬦ Stamina regen rate +10~15%
Note: Only two enhancement cards can be used per person per tier. Repeated use of enhancement cards would yield lower results.
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It was quite useful for Adrian, given that they were going to fight multiple enemies in the near future. However, he looked at himself and realized he liked his body as it was.
"I don’t want to get bulky to the point that I can’t even scratch my back..." he mumbled.
[This kid is weak.]
A rough, yet familiar voice echoed in his head. Undoubtedly, it belonged to the Brute ancestor.
Adrian did not pay any attention to him, though. The pain from his ’body enhancement’ was still fresh in his mind. If he used a card and activated the 10x blessing again, he would probably die from the rapid changes in his body.
Then again, the threat of a brutal fight was looming over his head. As such, having better stats would be useful.
"As they say, no pain, no gain."
With a sigh, Adrian closed his eyes and activated the card. Seconds passed, then minutes, but he didn’t feel a thing. After a few more seconds, he opened his left eye to see a flashing notification.
[Error. Cannot use the item: Basic Physique Enhancement card.]
[The user’s stats have already crossed the tier 1 mark.]
[Please complete the tier advancement quest to further upgrade your stats.]
"The fuck do you mean already crossed tier 1? What even is it in the first place?"
[Tier 1 reflects the stats of a human on Savage Earth.]
[The average stat of a primitive human is 30. The User has exceeded that limit and cannot use Enhancement Card to further boost their stats to maintain fairness.]
Adrian lost his cool as soon as he heard about ’fairness’. How was it fair that despite joining the world a day later, he was still being forced to rank in the same ranking as those who came before him?
Then he realized that he wasn’t in a position to complain. After all, he had multiple systems and ancestors to assist him. Which other player had all that?
"Let’s just go and sleep."
Suddenly, he felt too tired to do anything. The armor and the watchtowers could wait for tomorrow as he headed towards his room. Only to be surprised after opening the door.
Amika was sitting on the bed wearing a crown of aromatic wildflowers. Adrian could smell the fruity scent even before stepping inside.
"Male... you are back," she whispered, getting up.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, even though he knew why she was there.
Instead of replying with words, Amika reached down and untied the simple cord holding her pelt skirt. The skirt fell to the floor around her feet, leaving her completely bare apart from the grass top.
Adrian’s throat went dry as he stared at her. The sight of his beautiful mate offering herself made him forget all about his tiredness.
While he stared at her, she took his hand and gently pulled him toward the bed.
"You worked so hard today," she whispered, climbing onto the bed. "Please let go of all your tiredness in me."
"I could definitely use some of that," he murmured, grabbing her waist. "But, can we try something... different?"
