Chương 20: Putting Things in Place

Mark was excited when he woke up. He now had some control of the zone. It was his now. He brought back up the map UI and read it over again. He focused on the notes at the end. [Territory Map] Notes: Control reveals terrain and resources. Unmapped regions may contain threats. Infrastructure improves control stability. Mark looked around his camp. It was a mess. When he received the encumbered notice, he stopped just filling his inventory.

He still gathered things but just piled them all around the camp when he returned. His infrastructure right now was his camp. He would need to improve it. He grabbed his chair and sat down to think. He started by reviewing all the system messages he had received yesterday. Right. He still needed to assign his stat points and choose his new skill. He should do that now before it gets forgotten like he did before. He first opened up and selected the skill option.

[Skill Selection] Choose One Resource Surveying (Level 1) Allows: • Better identify useful natural resources. • Recognize higher-quality gathering locations. • Reduce overlooked materials while exploring. Structural Planning (Level 1) Allows: • Better evaluate simple structures before construction. • Identify weak points in primitive designs. • Improve the stability of basic shelters and work areas. Tracking (Level 1) Allows: • Recognize common animal tracks and trails.

• Better estimate the direction of recent movement. • Distinguish signs left by different creatures. Okay, he had three choices and could only choose one. Resource Surveying, Structural Planning, and Tracking. All would be useful, and he, of course, wanted them all. But he had to choose one, which would be the most helpful at this time. All of them aligned with things he was doing. And all would give quality-of-life improvements. But which to choose?

Resource Surveying would help him locate the materials needed to build new things; structural planning would help him build better things, and tracking would find the things he wanted. At this point, Resource Surveying would be the most helpful, because he was constantly making new things, and that would help him find them better. So he picked that option. [Skill Acquired] Resource Surveying (Level 1) Allows: • Better identify useful natural resources. • Recognize higher-quality gathering locations.

• Reduce overlooked materials while exploring. Next came his stat points. He was not forgetting those again. [Stat Allocation] Strength: 6 [+] Agility: 7 [+] Vitality: 12 [+] Intelligence: 12 [+] This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Perception: 16 [+] Increasing attributes improves physical capability, efficiency, and system interactions. This choice was easier; Perception and Intelligence still fit the way he approached problems.

But how to split five points between the two of them? He finally decided to add three to perception and two to intelligence. [Stat Allocation] Strength: 6 Agility: 7 Vitality: 12 Intelligence: 14 (+2) Perception: 19 (+3) Mark then again looked over his camp; he needed to improve its infrastructure to advance his control, and his current site was a mess. Then he received a new system message. [Notice] Camp Stability: Low Efficiency: Reduced Unstructured environments limit resource preservation and task efficiency.

Mark stared at the message. Okay, he got the hint. He was a slob, and the system did not like it. He looked at his pile of firewood. Less of a pile and more of a mess. The wood was on the ground gathering moisture. He should keep that off the ground. He picked a good spot near the fire. Not too close to catch fire but close enough to be handy. He cleared the spot using his shovel to level out the ground. He then found two tree limbs and laid them on the ground as a base.

His current firewood lengths were all different. Looking back at the remnants of last night's fire, there was a particularly long piece, half-burnt, hanging out the side. If he were going to organize, he should do it right. So Mark pulled out his axe and cut the wood he had down to an appropriate size to fit his fire. He then stacked them on his new wood rack. When complete, he looked for the next project. He found bits of fiber strings, cords, and rope all over the ground.

Most left where he built something and just dropped the leftovers. Mark found a forked branch and pounded it into the ground. He then picked up each of them and, separating them into small, neat stacks, put them on. This would now make them easier to find. Next, he looked at all the random materials he had gathered. He had bones, hides, feathers, and the list went on and on. More than he could keep track of. They lay scattered in small piles all around the camp. They needed a home. He needed a place to store them.

In his old life he would have gotten a box from his garage. But in his new life, he had to craft his own. Mark found some wood and cut it into slats with his axe. He pulled some cord from his new storage rack and placed the slats on the ground in the shape of a square, and then he lashed each corner, making sure they were secure. He took two more slats and put them from one corner to another. He lashed them together to strengthen the square side of his box.

When he had the four sides and the bottom he created, he put them together, lashing them securely to make sure they held solid. Taking long strands of fiber to cover the side, he weaved them one at a time over and under to make a mesh to hold his items safely in the box. When completed, he received a system message. [New Craft Discovered: Crude Wood and Fiber Box] Mark picked up his box and started gathering the crafting items and adding them to the box.

He was surprised how much he had when it was all in one place. Mark looked for a good spot to put his box. He didn't even have a proper place to craft yet. It was an oversight that he could fix. He had been making things wherever he needed them. Everything now needed a spot of its own. Looking around, Mark found the perfect spot. Using the shovel again, he leveled out the ground like before. To form his crafting bench, he dragged a wide piece of wood over, placing two stones on the ground to use as its base.

He set the wood across them, forming a rough table. He put his hand out to test it, and of course it shifted. He adjusted it until it sat solid. He then placed his craft material box next to the table. The meat was the last item on his list to find its place. It bothered him the most. It wasn't much, but it wouldn't stay that way. He moved it closer to the fire. Not cooking it, just keeping it warm and dry. Soon he would need to figure out how to smoke it so it would last longer. But this was better than nothing.

Then he received a system message. [Condition Improved] Camp Stability: Increased Efficiency: Improved Mark stepped back, looking over his camp. It wasn't impressive. It was still rough and still temporary. But it made sense now. Things had their place, and nothing was being wasted. It was organized now. Controlled. His gaze drifted toward the trees. There was always more to do. But this was a start. Mark stood there a moment longer just looking and listening. The forest was quiet but not silent.

It was alive and familiar, then something else faint and distant, a sharp, hollow sound. It was too clean; wrong. Not branches snapping, not movement, not anything he had heard before. Mark frowned slightly. What was that? He waited. Nothing came again. The forest had returned to normal. But it didn't feel the same. Not quiet, Mark looked back at his camp and then towards the trees. This was his, at least most of it. His eyes narrowed slightly. Something out there knew it.