Chapter Six: Preparing for the Adventure

When the last skeleton finally fell, Jia Zhengjin, utterly drained of stamina, sat down by the campfire, gasping for breath. The searing heat made sweat pour from his body, yet the relief of escaping that peril brought him immense comfort, and his wildly beating heart could finally slow its frantic pace.

The skeletons’ white bones were now charred black in the fire. It was hard to believe that only moments ago, these creatures had been animated and leaping about. Defeating more than a dozen skeletons had allowed Jia Zhengjin to reach level two, with experience to spare. He had earned a skill point, which he could now use to unlock an ability in his skill menu.

There was no question about it! To develop quickly in these early days, he needed to craft metal tools or weapons as soon as possible to face the unknown creatures of this strange world, and to unlock the Technology Tower for more advanced inventions and build the essential facilities for survival. Whether in a game or in reality, the ability to “Locate Ore Veins” was the top priority!

He spent his skill point to unlock “Locate Ore Veins” on the virtual interface, and immediately felt as though new knowledge had been etched into his mind.

Standing up, he gazed into the distance and activated his newly acquired ability. Instantly, the dark world before his eyes was transformed, and within the gloom appeared many strange points of light—red and green blinking together, densely scattered like a city’s twinkling lights.

Jia Zhengjin knew these glowing points marked the locations of mineral deposits. Red signified iron ore, green copper ore, white silver, yellow gold, and there were many other minerals, each with its own distinct color.

The forest beyond this stretch of sea was rich with iron and copper—resources he would consume the most at this stage. The discovery delighted him; with only a stone pickaxe, he could start gathering these ores! Once he entered the Iron Age, dealing with skeletons would become much easier.

But the forest was a complete mystery. In this world, there were orc tribes as well as undead creatures like skeletons. Who knew what other dangers lurked in the dense woods? Perhaps even more powerful undead, terrifying monsters, or man-eating plants?

Anything was possible! At the very least, he needed to equip himself before venturing in.

Besides, when the skeletons had appeared, he had been so frightened he hadn’t even put on any clothes, and was still stark naked!

His first priority was to craft a set of clothing that would keep him warm and offer at least a little protection.

The most basic clothes were a fiber shirt, fiber pants, fiber gloves, fiber shoes, and a fiber cap—all made from plant fibers. If he had to make them by hand, it might take a month or two to finish even one piece. But using the crafting function, all he needed was a little patience for the progress bar to fill, and the clothes would appear!

Plant fiber clothing was not especially comfortable, but it kept out the cold. And at least, once he was dressed, he would no longer have to run around naked! Jia Zhengjin had no intention of being a streaker, even on this deserted land.

“These clothes are really lame! I’d better gather resources quickly and make something more comfortable to wear!” he muttered to himself, turning in place to inspect his new outfit with clear dissatisfaction.

The red moonlight gradually faded, and a blue sun began to creep up into the sky. Strangely, though the sun was blue, its rays didn’t turn the world blue. This puzzled Jia Zhengjin deeply.

He had spent the night sitting beside the campfire, not daring to stray far, fearing that more skeletons or undead, or even more dangerous nocturnal creatures, might lurk nearby. Fortunately, nothing else had happened, and he had survived his first night in this foreign realm in peace.

The firewood had burned almost completely, yielding over a hundred pieces of coal. It seemed he would never lack for torches or fuel—the method for making coal was almost too easy!

With daylight restored, Jia Zhengjin finally felt at ease. He ate a few coconuts to replenish his hunger and hydration, then began inspecting the scorched skeletons.

Truthfully, he hadn’t dared touch them at night, fearing they might come back to life, but with the sun up, his courage returned.

[Message] You obtained bone meal!
[Message] You obtained bones!
[Message] You obtained bone meal...

From over a dozen skeletons, the only loot was bone meal and bones. Bone meal was an alchemical ingredient, essential for many potions; bones could be crafted into bone knives, useful for harvesting meat and hides from animal carcasses. But since Jia Zhengjin already had a dagger, he discarded these dead men’s bones.

Those human skeletons were utterly destitute, possessing nothing but bone meal and bones. Only the lion orc skeleton yielded a worthwhile prize.

[Howl Skill Book] — The orc tribe’s intimidation skill, inherited from their ancestors. Channeling power into a howl to intimidate enemies, lowering their attack power, and with a chance to frighten away weaker foes!

Though it was an orc skill, skill books could be used by anyone. Once used, Jia Zhengjin would immediately learn Howl.

“What luck! A skill book—a treasure so rare—actually dropped!” Delighted by a skill that could enhance his survival, Jia Zhengjin wasted no time in using it, and soon felt a surge of new knowledge flooding into his mind.

“Awooo!” He recalled the instructions for Howl, then opened his mouth and unleashed a thunderous, beast-like roar.

In the nearby forest, a flock of unknown birds, startled by the howl, burst into the sky and flapped away in panic.

“Haha! Now that’s more like it!” Jia Zhengjin was overjoyed and let out several more howls into the air, stopping only when his stamina was nearly spent and he had to sit down to rest.

Using skills also consumed stamina. With only 100 stamina points, even gathering resources drained him quickly, and fighting would wear him out even faster! Fortunately, this was only a temporary hardship—in the future, he could increase his stamina through defeating monsters, crafting advanced gear, acquiring protective equipment, brewing restorative potions, or learning special skills.

All beginnings were hard; things would be much easier later on!

On his second day in this new world, Jia Zhengjin decided to leave the beach and begin exploring the mineral-rich primeval forest. Before setting out, he collected a large number of stones from the shore, chopped down a few coconut trees for wood, and gathered even more plant fibers. He crafted a stone axe for faster woodcutting, a stone pickaxe for mining, a stone shovel for digging, and turned the rest into stone spears for combat.

Stone spears could be used both for melee and throwing. Since crafting them was slow, making them on the spot during a fight would surely spell disaster. But if he prepared a large supply in advance, his fighting strength would be greatly improved for the journey ahead!