Chapter 2: "What good are copper coins if I can not use them..."
With the first kill,the second one came a second later,and in about a minute,there were no more cute squealing piglets. On the lair’s floor were ten bloody carcasses.
System Alert: You have leveled up.
System Alert: Level 2 (280/2500)
System Alert: Would you like to loot...
"Yes..."
System Alert: You have activated loot...
Loot
Target: Boar (Piglets)
Rank: Common
Level: 1
Gain:
Twelve pounds of meat
Two tendons
Half pound of animal fat
"Just meat..."
Leo was a little bit disappointed. He had expected more.
"What good are copper coins if I can not use them..."
Leo sighed,he now had thirty-four copper coins and nowhere to spend them.
"But the animal fat is a welcome..."
He would use the animal fat for cooking.
"Let’s see what this lair has to offer..."
Leo made his way dipper into the tree’s network of roots.
As he walked,he actively inspected everything that he came across.
System Alert: You have activated Inspect..
Inspect
Target: Mushroom
Rank: Common
Edible
"Good for stew..."
"Let’s pick these..."
"Such a beautiful flower..."
System Alert: You have activated Inspect..
Inspect
Target: Dream Touch
Rank: Common
Refined into a tranquilizer
"Damn...!"
Leo exclaimed as he carefully plucked a dozen of the flowers and carefully stored them in his inventory. He had already envisioned scenarios where having a tranquilizer at hand will be handy.
At one hidden section of the roots,Leo discovered a small pile of stones with a metallic lustre.
System Alert: You have activated Inspect..
Inspect
Target: Iron ore
Rank: Common
Smelt to forge weapons.
"And how am I to smelt these while I know nothing on smelting...?"
Leo shook his head as he stored the ten iron ores in his inventory.
"What’s this...?"
At the edge of the lair,Leo had discovered a levitating jade like object.
"Beautiful..."
He had whispered as he touched it.
System Alert: You have discovered a mysterious gem.
System Alert: The energy from the gem has resulted to the abnormal growth of the tree.
"So you are the reason..."
Leo said as he casted inspect on the gem.
System Alert: You have activated Inspect...
System Alert: Inspect has failed.
System Alert: Item rank is higher than ability’s rank.
"First fail..."
Leo plucked the gem from it position and closely inspected it before storing it in his inventory.
"Bet I will find all about you later on..."
He said as he turned to a dark section that he had yet to search.
"A chest..."
Leo was all smiles as he pulled the chest that had been entangled with the tree roots.
System Alert: You have discovered a common chest.
"Not a bad reward..."
Leo thought as he stored it away.
"Though a little bit dark,this place is not bad for shelter..."
Leo said to himself.
"System,I have found shelter..."
Leo loudly announced.
System Alert: Host has found shelter.
System Alert: You have completed quest-Shelter
Quest:Shelter (Completed)
Locate a place to stay.
Duration: Ten days
Reward:
Fifty Experience Points.
A small tent
Common chest
"What’s the need of a tent in here..."
Leo shook his head as he gathered a few twigs and stones.
"Fire equals light and roasted meat..."
Though he had no memories of anything prior to his waking,Leo still retained alot of knowledge and information necessary for survival.
Not wanting to set the whole abnormal tree on fire,he opted to light the fire at the center of the network of roots,where the ceiling was high.
After gathering enough twigs,dry leaves, small sticks and a dozen stones half his head size,Leo dug a small pit,a foot and a half wide,at the center of lair. He arranged the stones in a circle at the edge of the pit.
The twigs,dry leaves and tiny sticks went into the pit.
"Let see if this works..."
On both of Leo’s palms were a small stone,that he planned on using as flints.
"One..."
He counted as he struck the two small stones together.
"Two..."
Still,all he got were sparks and no fire.
"How hard can this be..."
"Three..."
At first,the sparks landed on the dry leaves,then followed a smoke,and lastly,a single wisp of fire ignited.
"Finally...!"
Leo was excited as he quickly but carefully blew on the fire while piling one dry leaf after another on the tiny wisp.
And a minute later,he had a small fire burning.
System Alert: You have started your first fire.
System Alert: You have received twenty experience points.
"More wood..."
With the fire started,he moved around the lair breaking off dried up roots. It took him several minutes to gather enough to keep the fire burning.
"So I receive experience points for small achievements..."
Leo deduced as he set up a tripod out of some wet branches over the fire.
He looked around for two huge stones,but only found one that he used as a makeshift table,and a fallen branch that he placed close to the fire,but not to close that it could accidentally catch fire.
This branch was big and sturdy enough to serve as his bench.
"Hot meal..."
Leo said as his mouth started to water.
He took out two pieces of meat from the inventory and a handful of berries that he had plucked on day one.
He had found these berries to be a little bit sour for his taste buds,but had still collected an inventory slot full off them.
System Alert: You have activated Inspect..
Inspect
Target: Purple Berries
Rank: Common
Edible but sour.
"This will add flavour to the meat..."
Leo retrieved the small water jar from the inventory and poured a little on the stone before tearing a piece from his worn out cotton shirt and scrubbing the stone surface clean.
He crushed the berries and smeared their juices on the two pieces of meat, giving the juices enough time to sip into the meat before hanging the neat over the fire to roast.
It took a minute for the aroma of roasting meat and the sizzling of the fat on the meat to feel the lair.
"Grrr...!"
Leo’s stomach rumbled,but he had to be patient and wait for the meat to cook.
"If I only had a pot,I could make myself a nice mushroom soup..."
Leo thoughts shifted to his inventory.
