Feng Ye went down to the lakeside and knelt by the water. He cupped his hands and scooped some water for a quick sip.
The taste was incredibly pure, unlike the tap water he was used to drinking in his old world. He splashed water on his face and a cool feeling washed over him.
He looked at the water's surface and took a look at his reflection. His eyes were a shade of brown, and his skin had taken on a healthy glow. There were some slight improvements in his complexion and facial features.
His complexion was clearer and seemed slightly taller. The acne scars on his face had disappeared. His clothes had changed as well. He no longer was wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants. He had a simple linen tunic and pants and a pair of cloth shoes.
Feng Ye tugged at the fabric. It was rough but functional.
"I guess this is one of the measures the system took during my entry here. "
"At least the lake is fresh water so I can stay here for now."
Feng Ye checked his inventory. A translucent screen flickered into view.
He has 10 loaves of bread and a full water skin containing 2L of water. Food and water were covered for now. But he had no weapons and no source of protein. His so-called "shelter" was nothing more than a ruined thatched cottage.
The night was fast approaching.
"I have to change my mindset. Adapt or die."
Feng Ye knew that a modern city dweller had zero natural survival instincts compared to someone born into a primitive or hash world where strength was king.
But he didn't have the luxury to hesitate. If he failed, he wouldn't just starve, he would get to taste the so-called 'forced execution'.
Feng Ye returned to the broken cottage and scanned his environment as he walked. The bamboo forest seemed to spread in all directions. The air felt very clean and fresh.
He walked towards the forest and he noticed that his senses were much sharper than before. He could hear the rustle of leaves nearby. His reflexes felt quicker and his vision sharper. He seemed to have undergone some sort of physical transformation.
Time to test his abilities.
Feng Ye crouched and sprang forward. His jump was noticeably higher than what should have been possible for a normal human. He picked up a fallen branch and gave it a few swings. His movements were faster and more precise.
He even felt an odd awareness of living things nearby as if he could sense their presence even without seeing them.
Feng Ye started gathering bamboo, breaking the stalks apart with minimal effort as he explored the area. He was surrounded by bamboo and it was a plentiful resource. With his strength, he can break bamboo pieces more easily and with less exhaustion. While he continued to gather bamboo, he became lost in thought. He reincarnated after dying following one of the most common transmigrator tropes. What is the World Administrator and why was he chosen? He only had questions. The only thing he knew for sure was that he had to survive.
"If I want to see my sister again… I have no choice."
"Feng Yue, I'll be back." Feng Ye muttered to himself. He thought about his younger sister back at home. Hopefully, she can support herself. "Good thing I left a will."
As he gathered more bamboo, he felt a sense of accomplishment. At least he had some survival knowledge. He'll stay in the thatched cottage for the night and make some weapons with the bamboo he collected. The bamboo was an excellent base for staff and clubs as it had nice durability and strength. This new world is unknown and he needed to ensure to not get raided at night. The system mentioned monster cores, so there were larger predators out there.
The sun had already set and the moon dimly lit up the sky while it cast long shadows through the trees.
Feng Ye returned to the thatched cottage. He placed the newly acquired bamboo down on the wooden floor, Feng Ye looked around the cottage. His goal is to scavenge any useful resources from any of the broken furniture. In one of the corners, there was a dusty wooden chest hidden underneath a collapsed drawer.
"Was this place really looted?"
Feng Ye moved toward the chest and cleared away debris. He brushed off the thick cobwebs and tried to lift the lid.
Locked.
Tch.
He grabbed a large stone from outside and smashed it against the lock.
CRACK.
A deep fracture-split through the metal.
"The increase in strength is pretty significant." He thought. He struck again two more times and the lock broke apart.
With hope for plot armor and the luck usually given to protagonists, he opened the wooden chest quickly.
His excitement immediately was gone.
"...Still no golden finger."
He sighed, shaking his head. No overpowered weapons, no hidden treasures.
Still, it wasn't a total loss. He discovered a variety of items. A rusty dagger, a few children's books, two more linen tunics, another pair of pants, and a very yellowed map. This was a decent harvest. The map might be an incredible find. Feng Ye placed all the items in his inventory and continued to explore and move any furniture that might be hiding other resources.
Luck was on Feng Ye's side this evening. After he broke furniture that he suspected contained resources, Feng Ye was able to harvest a few more items.
He found a bag of four grey-colored stones that was cool to the touch. They radiated a faint, unnatural chill. He also found a black wool cloak and a leather belt. He placed all the stones in his inventory and wore the cloak.
"This will do for now. The stones are suspicious. Let's see what they are."
Feng Ye pulled up his inventory screen to inspect the new items.
Inventory contents:
10x loaves of bread
1x water skin (2L)
1x rusty dagger (+3 attack)
3x children book
2x linen tunic
1x linen pants
1x map
4x low-ranked monster cores (grey)
1x leather belt
--
Feng Ye nods. His suspicions were correct. These are the so-called monster cores. Probably the higher the tier, the more energy they contain. The world he has come to is not a peaceful one. He will have to meet with monsters soon.
Feng Ye pulls up the objective list once again.
The text is as follows:
--
Welcome [Candidate 15864457].
Reincarnation and Transmission Success.
Enters World: World 2580233
Difficulty: Lower Order World Level 3.
Main Objective: Trial by Fire Initiation Task.
Survive and become the last otherworlder standing. Eliminate all other otherworlders.
Side Objective: Obtain 20 monster cores. (Current Progress: 4/20)
Side Objective 2: Obtain world fragment. (Current Progress: 0/1)
--
Feng Ye confirmed that the monster cores count was updated. As long as he acquired them, the side objective would be completed.
"In web novels, these are usually for powering up…"
Protagonists could use these cores to level up and upgrade attributes. He took one out, turning it over in his palm.
"Hm. What would be the approach to deal with this? Would I eat it? Or is it something I'll use as a material to upgrade a weapon through crafting? Is it even edible? Maybe it can be a source of power for magic. Perhaps, it's a currency in this world." Feng Ye came up with quite a few hypotheses.
He asked the system. "Can I absorb this at all? Can the system absorb this directly?"
The ice-cold mechanical voice resounded.
"[Jurisdiction insufficient.]"
"[Please make efforts to promote to contractor as soon as possible.]"
"Wow, thanks."
"Should I eat it? What if I get food poisoning and pass away here directly."
His stomach twisted slightly. Not worth it. He placed the core back into his inventory.
"It's better to be safe than sorry at this point and not take that risk."
Feng Ye took out the leather belt and rusty dagger from the system inventory. "These will come in handy."
Before resting, Feng Ye blocked the entrance with broken furniture, preventing easy access for wild creatures or… anything else. He used the bamboo to craft a sturdy bo staff with one side sharpened with his dagger.
--
Inventory contents:
10x loaves of bread
1x water skin
3x children book
2x linen tunic
1x linen pant
1x map
4x low-ranked monster cores (grey)
4x bamboo staff (+2 attack)
24x bamboo stalks
--
"It will be a long day tomorrow. I need to get some rest." Feng Ye found some soft materials from the broken furniture around him and made a makeshift bed.
"Time to hit the hay and recover. Step by step and it should be okay. I'll also need to sleep lightly in case of intruders." Feng Ye muttered aloud.
A good decision that he made was that he didn't start a fire. It would have attracted unwanted visitors. The temperature in the cottage was cool but not enough to require heating. The cloak was warm enough to get through the night.
He moved his makeshift bed to the corner out of sight of any windows or the entrance, Feng Ye ensured that he could be the first to spot intruders.
Feng Ye grasped a bamboo staff as he slowly dozed off.