Morning hit like a slap.
Kaelen blinked at the sun stabbing through the leaves above him. His back hurt, his legs were stiff, and something had definitely crawled into his shirt while he slept.
"Day two in Monsterland," he mumbled. "Still not dead. Disappointing literally everyone."
His stomach growled again. Louder this time.
"Right. Food. Shelter. Fire. Dignity."
[New Quest: "Basic Shelter"]
Build a shelter that won't collapse if a squirrel sneezes.
Reward: 100 System Points + Minor Construction Skill.
"Finally," Kaelen muttered. "Something useful."
He stood up, stretched, and immediately stepped in something squishy. He didn't look. He just walked away and pretended it didn't happen.
After a short trek through the woods, he found a fallen tree. It was big, hollow, and half-covered in moss. Best part? No monsters inside—just bugs and the smell of damp sadness.
Kaelen placed a hand on the log.
"This is home now," he said dramatically. "Perfect for someone with zero self-respect."
Using a sharp rock and pure spite, he hacked down a few branches, dragged them over, and awkwardly leaned them against the trunk like a really bad tent. He shoved leaves inside to soften the floor, then tried to make a door out of vines.
It fell off instantly.
He stared at it.
"This is fine," he said.
[Shelter Completed: "Ugly Stick Hut"]
Durability: 7/100
Cozy Factor: 1/10
+100 System Points
+Skill Gained: Construction (Lv. 1)
"Ugly Stick Hut? Really?"
But hey, a win's a win. Kaelen sat back to admire his garbage hut, then turned to the next problem: food.
He wandered the stream again and spotted a cluster of weird red berries.
He squinted. "Are you edible?"
"Sure," said a voice behind him. "If you want to poop out your soul."
He turned. The squirrel was back, perched on a rock, nibbling something.
Kaelen pointed. "You again?!"
"You still here?" said the squirrel. "You smell worse today."
"I slept in a log."
"Ah. That explains the stink."
Kaelen ignored him, plucked a different kind of berry, and held it up. "How about these?"
"They're fine," said the squirrel. "Unless you eat twelve. Then you hallucinate and think you're a turnip."
Kaelen picked seven. "Good enough."
He sat near the stream, munching berries while the squirrel stared.
"What's your name?" Kaelen asked.
"I'm a squirrel."
"I'm Kaelen."
"Didn't ask."
Kaelen sighed. "You're lucky you're kind of cute."
"Same to you, baldy."
Kaelen instinctively ran a hand through his hair. It was messy but still there.
"Okay, rude."
A sudden system ping interrupted the sass-fest.
[Random Event: "Unwanted Visitor"]
A wild creature approaches your shelter. Defend it—or lose it.
Kaelen blinked. "Wait. WHAT?"
He bolted up and ran back through the trees. Sure enough, a stubby, goblin-like creature was sniffing around his sad little hut.
"Shoo!" Kaelen yelled.
The goblin turned. It had one tooth, zero pants, and a very sharp stick.
It growled, "Nice hut, loser. Mine now."
Kaelen grabbed a branch.
"I built that with tears and back pain!"
The goblin lunged. Kaelen screamed and swung wildly. After three embarrassing misses and a lucky hit to the groin, the goblin shrieked and ran off.
Kaelen panted, heart hammering.
[Quest Complete: Defend Your Shelter]
+200 System Points
+Item Drop: Goblin Stick (Crappy)
+Title Earned: "Screaming Defender"
Enemies take you slightly less seriously. You scream good.
Kaelen stared at the stick. "This… is my Excalibur now."
Back at camp, Kaelen added a few more sticks to reinforce the hut. It still looked like a hobo shack made by raccoons, but it was his.
He sat down, exhausted, and poked the ground with his new stick.
"Well," he said. "That was a day."
"You screamed like a baby," said the squirrel, reappearing in a tree.
"I won, didn't I?"
"Barely."
Kaelen lay down, arms behind his head, eyes on the twin moons rising again.
He had no idea what tomorrow would bring. But for the first time… it felt like he might just figure it out.
Even if everything talked trash along the way.