The forest echoed with the steady thud of my axe as I felled another tree.
Kacha!~
The final blow split the tree, and it crashed to the ground, startling nearby birds into flight.
"That's probably enough wood..."
I muttered, setting down my stone axe and wiping the sweat from my brow. I took a moment to catch my breath.
Five days had passed since I arrived on this island, and for the last three days, I'd spent most of them gathering whatever I could find—thick branches, stones, and anything else I could get my hands on.
With the resources I had collected, I made a stone axe, the one I was currently using to chop trees.
At first, I hesitated, worried that I might attract bears or other large animals with the noise. However, after three days of foraging without encountering any, I decided to test my luck.
This was the third tree I'd felled, and there were still no signs of large animals, but I remained cautious, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
I hadn't started regaining my fear prior to getting on this island, but just because I lost fear doesn't mean I've become stupid. There's no way I could handle facing off against a large predator without any sort of combat experience.
Resting for a few more minutes, I decided it was enough and began to haul the tree back to my cave base.
The tree was fairly small; I only cut down trees that I thought I could haul back, albeit with great effort.
There was no way I could cut down big trees with the current axe I had; it would break if I tried.
Chopping until the center of the log, I grabbed the crude rope I made using palm tree leaves and tied it to the cut opening. This made it easier for me to haul back the logs.
The area where I chose to chop down trees was near my base, so the travel time to get back didn't take long.
In front of me were the two logs I had previously chopped down. I placed the third log with them.
My plan is to use the wood to make the inside of my cave nicer—some wooden planks for floors and maybe a few cabinets to store my stuff.
The problem is, I didn't know how to do any of that. I could try experimenting, but I didn't want to waste the logs; it was tiring getting them.
"Should I get more?"
I verbalized my thoughts. With the plans I had in mind, I would need significantly more wood than what I currently have.
I decided then to go back and chop more trees.
Picking up my axe, a thought crossed my mind. Similar to the lack of fear, my stamina and strength had also seen an upgrade.
I was not this physically gifted before arriving on this island. But now, after chopping down three trees, albeit small, I was still overflowing with energy.
After that sort of activity, the old me would have been done for the day.
"This is getting interesting"
I said, excited, as I rushed back to the area I was cutting from with my axe in hand.
∆∆∆
"What's going on, I'm still not tired..."
I said, shock evident on my face. Looking at the dozen tree logs in front of me.
It had been three hours, and I had been chopping and hauling back trees nonstop, yet I still felt full of energy.
The previous upgrade of my stamina could somewhat be accepted as me suddenly getting stronger and healthier, but doing three hours of heavy activity and not even feeling a little bit tired was not human. In fact, I felt myself getting stronger.
Sure, some physically gifted people and those who trained for such activities might be able to do nonstop work for three hours straight. But they would surely feel tired, even if some could still go on to do more.
Yet, right now, I didn't even feel a single bit tired. It was as if I hadn't done any sort of strenuous activity.
"Am I even human right now?"
I said to myself, somewhat jokingly but half-serious. Then It had come to my attention that since arriving on this island, I hadn't seen my face.
Moving past the dozen tree logs, I approached the sea. Getting into the water, I looked down.
Although it was hard due to the constant waves, I could make out my appearance.
I still looked like me, albeit more muscular, but definitely me. No change—
"Wait..."
I ducked closer, looking more intently at my reflected face, and felt surprised.
"Why are my eyes purple?"