System: Build My Own Territory Chapter 3: Viper
Previously on System: Build My Own Territory...
Lynn's unexpected appearance obviously put it on high alert.
The viper coiled its body tightly, its central tail whipping around wildly while issuing a nonstop rustling hiss of warning.
Gripping the long spear with both hands, Lynn felt his heart pounding with anxiety.
A bite from that viper would mean instant death, no question about it.
Lynn pondered fleeing, yet he knew his speed couldn't match the snake's lightning-fast lunge!
All at once, the coiled viper reared up its front end, its head slicing through the air toward Lynn's left leg.
Lynn backed away two steps in a hurry, thrusting the long spear forward to intercept; he deflected the viper's strike.
[Hunting Experience +1]
The viper refused to back down; its bulky form arched and tensed before it lunged at Lynn again with head raised.
Lynn swiftly lifted the Stone Spear in defense.
The sheer speed and force made the Stone Spear tremble from the collision.
[Hunting Experience +1]
Still,
The crushing weight of mortal danger forced Lynn to lock eyes on the viper, holding his breath without thinking.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
The viper's tail kept vibrating rapidly, sending out a sinister rustling noise.
After those two assaults, it looked somewhat worn out yet stayed coiled, head aimed at Lynn, tongue flicking nonstop as it built up energy.
Lynn's right hand, clutching the long spear, grew slick with sweat; as the viper's head dipped lower, his resolve strengthened.
He stabbed forward with the Stone Spear without a second thought.
The sharp tip pierced the viper's head precisely and sank into the ground.
Its coiled form twisted violently around the Stone Spear right away.
Struggling to wrench free from the agony of the embedded spear.
Lynn let go of the Stone Spear and retreated a couple steps, eyes glued to the viper.
Seeing the danger fade bit by bit, Lynn's flushed features heaved with heavy breaths.
Up against death's shadow, Lynn had been gripped by fear and strain.
Once Lynn steadied himself, the viper showed no more life, its belly turned pale white.
[Viper]: Deceased, poisonous, snake meat...
Lynn stepped closer, yanked out the Stone Spear, and lifted the viper's corpse along with it.
Right before tossing the viper aside, he paused briefly.
In the end, he chose to hold onto it.
He drew the Stone Knife, severed the viper's head, and buried it in the spear-dug pit.
A quick heft showed the headless viper weighed roughly three pounds.
Afternoon had arrived; should the river yield no meal, this viper meant his shot at living another day.
Crossing more than ten meters of grassland, Lynn reached the shallow river edge, scanning the surroundings warily.
On the Karedi Empire's map, this stream bore the name Acadia River.
This river marked the divide between the Karedi Empire and the Elfini Empire.
Spanning at least thirty to forty meters wide, the river showed no signs of big beasts drinking there.
Reaching the bank, the water proved calmer than Lynn expected.
Crystal clear instead, with bass visible even in the shallows.
Lynn considered spearing fish with the Stone Spear, but the shallows still plunged deep.
His meter-long Stone Spear fell short of the bottom, so he abandoned the idea.
Lynn cupped river water and drank deeply.
Luckily, it tasted clean, far from sewer-like foulness.
Evidently, no settlements lay upstream to pollute it.
In this world, baths and toilets lagged far behind—even town folk dumped waste right on the roads!
After gulping down satisfying swallows, Lynn stripped and waded into the shallows to wash.
The water chilled him slightly, but Lynn's sturdy build handled it fine.
The prickly sweat and grime had long irritated his skin.
Thirty minutes passed before Lynn finished bathing.
He surveyed the area again, and as he moved to collect half-rotted logs from the shallows, his brows shot up.
Near the shallow's brink, an egg-shaped item snagged Lynn's attention.
Striding over, Lynn tugged the oval find from the weeds.
[Damaged Medium Pottery Pot]: Can cook food, boil water, etc.
Lynn's eyes sparkled at once; good thing it was a cooking pot, not some nightsoil jar.
The pot measured about thirty centimeters across and twenty-five tall; even chipped five or six centimeters at the top, it worked fine.
At the river, Lynn scrubbed it with grass and sand, filled it with water, and hauled it back to camp in both arms.
Lynn went back to the shallows, fetched two logs, and dragged them to the clearing.
Darkness crept over the sky.
Lynn had to kindle a fire fast for heat; the freezing night would claim him otherwise.
After a water break, Lynn set to sparking the fire.
Grasslands surrounded him, making tinder a breeze to find.
A few steps yielded a handful of reed fluff—ideal kindling.
Clap, clap, clap!
[Production Experience +1]
Lynn clutched a Flint piece in each hand, banging them together.
Each clash spat tiny sparks.
Yet the sparks hit the fluff without igniting; Flint strikes lacked enough heat.
Lynn persisted, smashing the Flints repeatedly...
Twilight deepened, night closing in.
Fire-starting tips with Flint bubbled up in Lynn's thoughts.
Flint's uneven edges... strike angles... heat scattering every which way...
Soon enough,
Lynn swapped the left-hand Flint for a fresh one and struck anew.
Pop!
Clap, clap!
A few hard strikes later, a fat spark hit the reed fluff.
Faint gray smoke rose.
Elated, Lynn dropped the Flints, cradled the fluff in his palms, and nurtured the glow.
He blew softly and steadily to feed it air.
The smoke thickened steadily; Lynn spotted fiery threads glowing in the fluff's heart.
A flicker of flame danced in Lynn's grasp.
He laid down the burning fluff, fed in gathered twigs that blazed up, and the fire swelled.
He positioned big logs close by to catch and sustain the burn...
Night blanketed everything, sky fully dark.
No sun meant total blackness all around.
Cold plunged in rapidly too.
Basking in the fire's cozy heat, Lynn nearly relaxed when distant howls pierced the air.
Awoooo~ Awoooo~ Awoooo~
Lynn jolted, whipping his head around.
In the far treeline, countless yellow-green animal eyes gleamed, fixed on him.
Wild Wolf!