C6 Chapter 5 – The First Battle
The campfire crackled softly.
Orange flames danced in front of Aiden's small shelter, pushing back the darkness.
Beyond the circle of light, the forest was silent.
Too silent.
Aiden held the wooden branch tightly with both hands.
His eyes never left the trees.
"I know you're there..."
The Fang Rabbit had disappeared earlier, but he didn't believe it had gone far.
The System had already warned him.
Some creatures become active only after sunset.
That meant staying alert was the only way to survive.
He slowly fed another branch into the fire.
The flames grew brighter.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Only the sound of burning wood and crashing waves filled the night.
Then...
Rustle...
A bush shook.
Aiden immediately stood up.
Another rustle came from a different direction.
His breathing became heavier.
"There are two?"
He slowly turned.
The first Fang Rabbit stepped out of the bushes.
Its red eyes reflected the firelight.
Its sharp front teeth looked even larger than before.
But this time...
A second Fang Rabbit appeared behind it.
Aiden's heart skipped a beat.
"So they hunt in pairs..."
The two monsters did not rush forward.
Instead, they circled around the edge of the firelight.
Watching.
Waiting.
Testing him.
"They're smarter than normal animals."
Aiden slowly stepped backward until his back almost touched the shelter.
He couldn't let them surround him.
The rabbits stopped moving.
One lowered its body.
It was preparing to jump.
Aiden tightened his grip on the branch.
"Come on..."
The rabbit suddenly leaped.
"So fast!"
Aiden barely reacted in time.
He swung the branch with all his strength.
Bang!
The branch hit the rabbit's side.
Instead of falling, the monster twisted in the air and landed on its feet.
It hissed angrily.
The second rabbit rushed in immediately.
Aiden jumped backward.
Its sharp teeth sliced through the sleeve of his shirt.
A thin line of blood appeared on his arm.
A burning pain spread through the wound.
Ding!
HP: 100 → 94
"So even one hit hurts this much..."
His breathing became uneven.
This wasn't a game where he could ignore damage.
If those teeth had reached his neck...
He didn't want to imagine the result.
The two rabbits attacked again.
This time, Aiden didn't swing wildly.
He remembered something from watching wildlife documentaries.
"Animals don't like fire..."
He quickly grabbed a burning branch from the campfire.
The flames lit up the night.
The rabbits immediately slowed down.
They didn't run away.
But they hesitated.
"It works."
A small smile appeared on Aiden's face.
He waved the burning branch from side to side.
The monsters kept their distance.
"You're afraid..."
"But not enough to leave."
His smile disappeared.
"They're hungry."
He needed a better plan.
The fire would not burn forever.
His eyes quickly searched the ground.
Stones.
Logs.
His unfinished pile of building materials.
Then...
An idea appeared.
Aiden slowly backed toward the stack of heavy logs he had collected earlier.
The rabbits followed him carefully.
One more step.
Another.
The first rabbit suddenly jumped again.
"Now!"
Aiden dropped the burning branch and pushed one of the heavy logs with all his strength.
The log rolled downhill.
Boom!
The Fang Rabbit landed directly in front of it.
It tried to dodge.
Too late.
The rolling log struck its side.
Crack!
The rabbit let out a painful cry before crashing into another log.
The second rabbit froze for a moment.
Aiden didn't waste the opportunity.
He picked up a fist-sized stone and threw it.
The stone hit the injured rabbit's head.
Before it could recover, he rushed forward with his wooden branch.
Bang!
One strike.
Bang!
Two strikes.
The rabbit struggled.
Three strikes.
It stopped moving.
Silence filled the night.
Aiden stood there, breathing heavily.
His arms were shaking.
His whole body ached.
Then...
Ding!
A soft blue screen appeared.
---
You have defeated your first monster!
Monster:
Fang Rabbit (Lv.2)
Rewards:
- EXP +20
- Survival Points +15
---
A warm feeling spread through Aiden's body.
Level Up!
Level 2 Reached
Rewards:
- HP fully restored.
- MP fully restored.
- Stamina restored.
- Free Stat Points +5
Aiden looked at the screen in surprise.
"So leveling up restores my condition..."
That could save his life one day.
Before he could think further, another message appeared.
---
Loot Obtained
- Fang Rabbit Meat ×2
- Fang Rabbit Fur ×1
- Monster Core (F Rank) ×1
Collection Book Updated
New Entries:
- Fang Rabbit
- Monster Core
---
Aiden carefully picked up the glowing crystal.
It was no larger than a marble.
Inside it, faint green light slowly swirled.
"A Monster Core..."
"The System said nothing about these."
He stored it in his System Inventory.
Then he picked up the rabbit meat and fur.
Nothing should be wasted.
As he turned around...
The second Fang Rabbit had disappeared.
"It ran away."
Aiden looked toward the dark forest.
"It knows this fight is over."
For now.
He returned to the campfire and sat down.
His hands were still trembling.
Not because of exhaustion.
Because he had just taken his first life.
On Earth, he had never hunted an animal.
Never fought for survival.
But this world was different.
If he hesitated...
He would die.
The flames burned quietly.
Aiden opened a small notebook he had found in his pocket after arriving.
Its first page was blank.
He picked up a piece of charcoal from the fire and wrote.
Survival Journal – Day 1
- Fire scares away some monsters.
- Fang Rabbits hunt in pairs.
- Don't fight with panic.
- Use the environment.
- Every resource has value.
- Survive today. Learn for tomorrow.
He closed the notebook.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world...
He wasn't just surviving.
He was learning.
Far above the endless sea...
A silent System message appeared where no player could see it.
[Hidden Condition Progress: 1%]
[The Sealed Talent has recognized the value of knowledge.]
The message vanished without a sound.
Aiden never knew it had appeared.
The only thing he saw...
Was the first light of dawn slowly rising beyond the endless ocean.
