Chương 14: System Upgrade

Mark slowly walked back to camp. He had a lot on his mind. He needed to improve. He sat down in his chair to think and made a mental list of items he could improve. Better traps, upgrade the camp, explore more of the area, and control what was his. Whatever left those tracks, he needed to build bigger, better, and stronger traps. He decided to improve his traps first. He would need more tools and better wood. He was depending on broken limbs and low-quality materials; he needed an axe.

Mark located a flat rock, not too thin and not too thick. He finally found one that he liked, which might work. Pulling out another rock, he started to chip the edge. He went slowly; he was not trying for razor sharp. He was looking for durability. Once it was finished, he started looking for a good handle. It needed to be sturdy but not too thick. Taking out some fiber cord, he lashed the rock securely to his handle. He made sure it was tight with no wobble. He then received a system message.

[New Craft Discovered: Stone Axe] This was not just a tool; it changed what he could build. With his axe in hand, he walked into the forest. He gathered wood as he checked his traps. He found a small dead tree that he would have ignored before. But now with the axe he could split it into lengths and split them to make better firewood. As he gathered new materials, he thought of the uses. He could improve his camp and make more tools now. Then, while checking another trap, he found something new.

[Brush Hen Level 1] He gained 10 XP and other items. He was getting pretty good at this. As he continued, he found another trap and had a level 2 squirrel. Just as he killed it, he got another system message. [Level Up] Character: Mark Level: 3 XP: 5 / 150 +5 Stat Points ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark then stopped, and then he remembered he had forgotten to spend his stat points the last time he leveled. He opened the system window again to verify.

They were still there; he had forgotten to use last level's stat points, and he now had 10 he needed to use. That would have helped a lot. Mark looked over his stat points, thinking over what he needed. After thinking about it, he added four to perception, then added three to intelligence. On the last three, he was not sure what he wanted. Finally, he quickly added two to vitality, as health was always a good thing, and added the last to agility.

[Stat Allocation] Strength: 6 Agility: 7 (+1) Vitality: 12 (+2) Intelligence: 12 (+3) Perception: 16 (+4) Points Remaining: 0 ◈ ◈ ◈ While looking over his stats, he received another system message. [System Notice] Targets significantly below your level will yield reduced experience. ◈ ◈ ◈ Then another system message appeared. [Skill Increased] Trapping (Level 2) New Capabilities: • Improve trap concealment. • Increase trap reliability.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. • Recognize better locations for trap placement. ◈ ◈ ◈ [Skill Increased] Primitive Crafting (Level 2) New Capabilities: • Improve the durability of basic equipment. • Better shape natural materials for construction. • Reduce material waste while crafting. ◈ ◈ ◈ [Skill Increased] Rapid Assessment (Level 2) New Capabilities: • Identify structural weaknesses more quickly. • Better recognize useful natural resources.

• Prioritize improvements more effectively. ◈ ◈ ◈ [Locked Feature: Territory Control] That was a lot more than he had thought he would get. He should have added his stats earlier; it would have made things much easier. He then focused on the last message, and then it expanded, giving more details. [Feature Locked] Territory Control Requirements: • Establish a stable camp. • Maintain an active trap network.

Status: Locked ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark finally reached down and looted the squirrel, getting meat, hide, and tail like before. He looked at the trap, and he could see more than he could before. The trap could be improved. The sticks in it could be replaced with stronger pieces of wood, which would mean fewer failures. He could see weak points in the design. Improvement was needed. The trap worked, but it was not really in the best spot. He could fix that and make it work better.

"Wow, with these new skills I can see more." He needed to redesign his whole trap system. Better placement and new designs would take time. As he walked back to camp, he noticed more. That branch would be used to make better and stronger arrows. Then he found the perfect rock. It could be used, and he could make a shovel with it. As he walked back, his eyes were opened to possibilities. As he was walking, his eyes were drawn to a patch of vegetation. What was that? He had seen it before but never really noticed it.

But now he could see it was some type of root vegetable. The root was showing just above the ground. How had he missed that before? He dug some of them up, and they looked something like a carrot. Just not the right color. But he could tell it was edible. He then came across a trap with a level 1 field mouse. He collected it, but he did not get any XP. Then he remembered the message. Level 1 was trivial; now he would get no XP. But he did loot the meat and hide. When he returned to camp, he sat down on his chair.

He could feel that it was not quite right. Even the chair could be made better. Looking over at his lean-to, he decided that would be the next improvement. He first started by clearing everything away. Pulling out the rock he had set aside for a shovel, he pulled it out and looked it over. He could taper the end to a point. Not sharp but enough that it would bite into the earth. He took his axe out and found just the right piece of wood to construct the handle.

As he started to trim the handle, he found it easier than before to craft. The skill upgrade was making a huge difference. His hands instinctively knew what to do. Pulling out some fiber cord, he bound the handle to the shovel head. It felt right in his hands. Then he received a new system message. [New Craft Discovered: Stone Shovel] Crafting was starting to feel natural. Shovel in hand, he walked over to where his shelter had been. The ground was uneven.

He could fix that; he started moving dirt around and leveled it out. This time he made the spot bigger. He needed more room. Pulling out some wood, he started to cut it and form it. He wanted this shelter to last. Using long branches, he built the frame. Tying it tightly with fiber cord, he wanted it to be stronger this time. He made some stakes and pounded them deep in the ground. Using his cord, he bound the frame to the stakes. His new structure looked like a five-sided hut missing one wall, which was the door.

He started making the walls and roof with interlocked flexible branches, filling the gaps with leaves and grass woven into them. When the walls were finished and the roof was on, he looked it over. But something was still missing. Going to his fire pit, he pulled it apart. Moving closer to his new shelter, he built the pit again. Using the shovel to dig it down a little to hold the coals. Stacking the stones up, he constructed the ring to help funnel the heat. Then he took his sleeping mat into the new hut.

Placing it on the floor, he realized that it was not yet right. Quickly building a stand so it was off the ground, he again placed his mat. This would be easier to get up and down from his bed rather than the ground. Moving back outside, he admired what he had made. Mark pressed against one of the walls. It did not shift. He then pressed harder, and it stood solid. That was much better. He then received a new system message.

[New Craft Discovered: Secured Lean-To] Looking toward the setting sun, it was time to test this out. Lying down on his bed, he brought back up his status. [Locked Feature: Territory Control] Mark frowned. What did that mean? Outside, something moved in the distance. He didn't go to look, not this time.