Chapter 2: (Revised) (1/2)

Survival became the central pillar of Randidly’s behavior. He knew nothing about living in a jungle, but he understood video and tabletop games. Given the obvious method of growing more powerful through Skill Levels and PP, he laid out a bare bones schedule for himself.

Per that plan, Randidly began to jog, and was soon rewarded with a delightful notification.

Congratulations! You have learned the Skill Physical Fitness Level 1.

Will I just steadily accrue Skills by taking various actions? Randidly grinned. That means the speed at which I’ll gather PP will steadily increase. He paused to scoop up a palmful of water to drink and returned to the grind.

Randidly quickly stumbled upon a problem. His schedule called for him to happily grind up his Skills while staying in the Safe Room for as long as possible, increasing his capability Stat by Stat. He started out quite well, jumping up to Level 4 in Running and Level 2 in Physical Fitness. He’d also gotten a more hands-on understanding of his Stamina, which had a powerful effect on his ability to move effectively.

But he was getting hungry. He stopped his exercise, a light sweat coating his body from the constant exertion.

Randidly sat down next to the pool and drank a few more palmfuls of water. He looked at his frowning reflection. The hunger had taken up residence in his stomach and was here to stay. It’d only been three hours since his first arrival in this Safe Zone, but already circumstance was prying him away from sanctuary.

Gritting his teeth, Randidly pressed his eyes shut and faced the truth. He knew where to find food. While he was lackadaisically walking through the jungle earlier, he’d spotted strange fruits and berries.

But going out there…

The twisted, drool-flinging faces of the Howler Monkeys flashed in Randidly’s vision. Just as aggressively, his stomach rumbled. After much thought, Randidly put two more points for Levels into the Newbie Path, and added both of those free Stat points into Agi. His plan was to go in and get out as fast as possible.

Randidly experimentally hopped side to side while still inside the Safe Zone. He was pleased to find he felt a little quicker on his feet. With that extra bit of confidence, he approached the Safe Room door and opened it. The indoor rainforest swayed softly, almost invitingly, and Randidly shivered. He forced himself to creep out and tiptoe toward the tree line.

The forest rustled fitfully. As Randidly snuck through the open space toward the line of ferns, screeching calls wailed in the distance. Even more ominous, the immediate surroundings were completely silent and still. After staring at the ferns for some time, nothing changed. His stomach growled, prompting him to press on.

Several times, Randidly’s instincts slowed his pace. Now sweating profusely, Randidly took several more steps and eased himself into the leafy greenery.

Once he was within the ferns, it was easier to see what they concealed. He took several careful steps around the feathery stalks to press up against the few trees at the edge of the rainforest.

Randidly hesitated, his hand against the rough-barked tree trunk. With his current position, the ferns still screened him from any watchers. His eyes rested for a few seconds on the open space beneath the trees, similar to the places where Randidly had seen berry bushes, further down the tree line. The problem was that this portion was empty.

Nothing moved. Yet further out among the trees, the rustling continued, like the constant noise of waves lapping against the shore. The longer he remained here, the more nervous he was becoming. He wiped the sweat from his brow.

When he closed his eyes, the snarling faces of those monkeys chasing him returned. He blinked those images away and refocused on his current situation.

Randidly could continue to move in the fern area, trying his best to remain quiet or step out into the small clearing, and dash in the direction he previously noticed fruits. When he found them, he would gather as many as he could carry and high-tail it back to the Safe Zone.

Because he couldn’t quite remember how far away the berry bushes were, Randidly ultimately chose the conservative sneaking route. He slipped into a crouch and wove his way through the drooping ferns.

As he proceeded deeper amongst the shrubbery, Randidly learned Sneak Level 1. Although the first Level of a Skill didn’t give a Path Point, it still boosted his confidence that he might be able to pull this off. Every careful movement would sharpen his capability, ensuring he’d be improving constantly.