The night had stretched long and restless.
Ethan Reyes lay awake beneath the lean-in tent, the pale moonlight slipping through cracks in the canvas and casting slivers of silver across his face. Despite the warmth of the campfire's dying embers, a cold weight pressed against his chest. His mind refused to settle.
The two figures at the forest's edge haunted him—those dark silhouettes, their silent gaze unwavering as they watched from the shadows. Who were they? What did they want? Friend or foe?
He didn't know.
And yet, the knowledge that he was not alone in this strange wilderness clawed at his thoughts, refusing to let him forget.
Morning broke with a pale gray light. The forest was quiet, but Ethan knew better than to trust silence.
He swung his legs over the side of his crude sleeping area and sat up. His muscles ached from yesterday's labor, but his nerves remained taut, every sense alert.
The lean-in tent, though better than nothing, was still barely shelter. It would not keep him safe come the colder nights ahead.
His eyes flicked over the perimeter he'd built—the shallow trench, the spike wall made of crudely sharpened sticks, and the fire pit where ashes still cooled. The system had classified the camp as a Level 0 Shelter, a crude base that was hidden from enemy maps but lacking in strength and permanence.
This was just the beginning.
He ate a handful of tart berries while scanning the forest for resources. His fingers tingled from yesterday's work, blistered but determined.
His plan for today was clear: finish digging the hut's foundation. A proper base would protect him from the worst of the weather, keep the ground dry, and set the stage for more substantial upgrades.
Ethan grabbed his crude stone blade and the carved wooden handle he had fashioned the day before, his makeshift axe.
Each cut into the earth was slow and grueling. Rocks and roots tangled beneath the soil, but his resolve was stronger.
As he shoveled dirt aside and pressed damp clay into the hole's walls, he thought about the system's upgrade requirements.
Upgrade all crude structures to basic tier.
Spend 3 technology points.
Build a secondary structure from the tech tree.
The hut foundation was the first step.
Hours passed under the weak sun. Sweat dripped down his face as he worked, muscles burning. The forest around him seemed to hold its breath.
Then, suddenly, a flicker of motion caught his eye.
He froze mid-scoop.
Barely ten meters beyond the spike wall, standing motionless among the trees, was the dark-skinned man from the previous evening.
His eyes were wary but curious, and behind him, a woman appeared—a slender figure with a wary gaze and a deep wound bandaged across her thigh.
Neither moved toward the camp. Neither spoke.
For a moment, Ethan held his breath, unsure what to do.
"Who are you?" Ethan called softly, lowering his axe and stepping a few paces forward.
The man did not respond. Instead, he lifted a hand slowly, palm outward, a universal sign of peace.
Ethan mirrored the gesture, holding his hands open.
The tension between them hung heavy like a drawn bowstring.
Then, the woman stepped forward. She carried a small bundle, carefully wrapped in large leaves.
With deliberate care, she placed the bundle at Ethan's feet and retreated.
Ethan knelt and unfolded it.
Inside were dried herbs and roots—remedies, perhaps.
A gift? A peace offering?
He looked up, but the pair had already melted back into the trees.
As the minutes stretched, Ethan's mind raced.
They were survivors, like him. Injured and cautious.
But were they alone? Or scouts?
His system buzzed softly at the edge of his vision.
Unknown Species Detected
Threat Level: Unknown
Status: Observing
Recommendation: Proceed with caution
He swallowed and nodded to himself.
Ethan returned to his shelter.
The hut foundation was nearly complete—a shallow dug-out lined with clay and packed earth. It wasn't much, but it was progress.
He wiped his brow and pulled up the shelter menu.
Shelter Status: Level 0
Lean-in Tent (Crude)Defensive Spike Wall (Crude)Campfire (Basic)Pond (Rain-fed)
Upgrade Options:
Lean-in Tent → Basic Hut (Requires logs, vines, stone slabs)Defensive Spike Wall → Reinforced PalisadeCampfire → Fire Pit with WindbreakPond → Expanded Water Source (Requires shelter Level 1)
He ran his fingers over the system's upgrade requirements.
Materials were scarce.
Logs meant chopping down trees—a task impossible without a proper axe.
Stone slabs required careful mining and shaping.
Vines, though abundant, needed time to harvest.
Still, the system's reward—the permanent halving of material costs for one upgrade—gave him hope.
The Basic Hut was the obvious choice. Weatherproof walls and a sturdy roof would make the difference between surviving and thriving.
But before that, he needed tools.
The sun slipped low as Ethan gathered sticks and vines.
The system's tech tree beckoned.
He focused on unlocking the next step: a Crude Axe.
It would require a sharp stone blade, a wooden handle, and bindings made of vine or hide.
Hours passed as he chiseled a stone into a rough blade and stripped bark to shape a handle.
His fingers trembled with effort, but finally, the crude axe took form.
He tested the weight and balance.
It wasn't perfect, but it was enough.
With nightfall nearing, Ethan sat by the fire, the glowing embers reflecting in his tired eyes.
His thoughts kept drifting back to the watchers.
Who were they really? Why hadn't they approached closer?
And what would happen if they returned?
The shelter remained unseen on any map, hidden in its Level 0 state, but Ethan knew the system was watching him.
And now, others were watching him too.
He tightened his grip on his new axe and whispered into the darkening forest, "I'm ready."
The shadows did not answer.
But they waited.