C22 Chapter 21 – Preparing for the Trial
The night passed without another attack.
Even so...
Aiden barely slept.
Every small sound outside his hut made him open his eyes.
The image of those golden eyes remained in his mind.
"They weren't hunting..."
"They were watching."
That thought worried him more than anything else.
A hungry beast attacked.
A patient beast waited.
As dawn broke, Aiden stepped outside.
The cool air was filled with the scent of wet grass.
He immediately checked the camp.
The spike traps remained untouched.
The storage box was safe.
The furnace still stood strong.
Finally, he walked to the wheat field.
The crops had grown taller again.
The green stalks now reached almost to his waist.
Another two or three days...
His first harvest would be ready.
Aiden watered the field carefully.
No matter how dangerous the island became...
He couldn't neglect his food.
---
After breakfast, he opened the System.
A new message flashed before him.
Daily Mission
- Repair or improve one structure.
- Gather 20 pieces of wood.
- Maintain your farmland.
Reward:
- Survival Points ×20
- Builder EXP
Aiden smiled.
"For once..."
"A peaceful mission."
Still, he knew peace never lasted long.
---
His first task was improving the camp's defenses.
The spike traps alone wouldn't stop a large predator.
Walking around the camp, he searched for weak points.
The western side had thick bushes.
The northern side had many rocks.
The eastern side connected directly to the forest.
"If I were the predator..."
"I would attack from the east."
He decided to build a simple wooden fence.
Not a wall.
Just enough to slow anything charging into the camp.
Using straight logs, sharpened stakes, and thick plant fiber ropes, Aiden spent the entire morning working.
Unlike his first shelter, his movements were much smoother.
Every cut was cleaner.
Every joint fit better.
Practice had made him faster.
By noon...
A waist-high wooden barrier surrounded the eastern side of the camp.
It wasn't impressive.
But it created a narrow entrance that could be defended.
The System responded.
Structure Completed
Simple Defensive Fence
Rank: F
Durability: 220/220
Builder Profession EXP +25
Builder Progress:
5/5 Structures Completed
Golden light surrounded Aiden.
A warm feeling spread through his body.
---
Profession Advanced
Builder
Level: Beginner Lv.3
New Passive Skill Unlocked:
Efficient Planning
Effect:
- Building time reduced by 8%.
- Material waste slightly reduced.
Aiden nodded happily.
"So professions really become stronger."
That meant every hour spent building would help him in the future.
---
During the afternoon, Aiden returned to the rocky hill.
His supply of iron was running low.
This time, mining felt easier.
The Stone Pickaxe struck the rock with confidence.
Clang!
Clang!
Pieces of stone fell away.
Soon, several chunks of Iron Ore rolled onto the ground.
Then...
The pickaxe struck something different.
Ting!
The sound was much clearer than ordinary stone.
Aiden carefully removed the surrounding rock.
Hidden inside the cliff was a thin blue crystal vein.
The crystal glowed faintly beneath the sunlight.
The System appeared immediately.
---
New Resource Discovered
Mana Crystal Ore
Rank: Rare
Description:
A rare ore formed where natural mana gathers for hundreds of years.
Current Uses:
- Advanced Equipment
- Magic Devices
- Unknown
Collection Book Updated.
---
Aiden carefully collected only two small pieces.
The remaining vein stayed inside the rock.
"I'll leave it."
Mining too much without understanding the resource could be dangerous.
---
As he prepared to leave...
The Forest Hopper suddenly appeared.
Instead of acting cheerful, it looked frightened.
"Chi! Chi! Chi!"
It jumped in circles before running toward the camp.
Aiden immediately followed.
Halfway back...
He noticed why.
Fresh footprints.
Large.
Deep.
They crossed directly over his own footprints from earlier that morning.
"The predator..."
"It followed me."
His expression became serious.
The beast wasn't wandering anymore.
It was tracking him.
---
He hurried back to camp before sunset.
Everything looked normal.
But Aiden no longer trusted appearances.
He climbed onto the roof of his hut and watched the forest until darkness covered the island.
Nothing appeared.
The silence continued.
After dinner, he opened his Survival Journal.
---
Survival Journal – Day 17
- Strong defenses buy valuable time.
- Professions improve through constant practice.
- Rare resources should be collected carefully.
- Never assume a predator has left.
- If something is tracking me... I must learn to track it as well.
---
He closed the journal.
The moon slowly rose into the night sky.
Hours passed.
Then...
A distant howl echoed across the island.
Awooooo...
It wasn't the roar he had heard before.
It was lower.
Longer.
Almost like a signal.
A second howl answered from somewhere far across the sea.
Then a third.
Aiden's eyes widened.
"...There are more."
His island didn't have just one dangerous creature.
Somehow...
Across the endless ocean...
Other islands held predators as well.
And for the first time since arriving in this world...
Aiden realized he wasn't only racing against other players.
He was racing against a world that was slowly waking up.
