Chapter 10, Survival on a Deserted Island (4)

"Experiences have shaped us into who we are today?" Zhang Heng murmured, recalling the words spoken by the bartender earlier, feeling as if he had faintly grasped something.

What should I do? Zhang Heng asked

Fire successfully ignited, new skill acquired - Wilderness Survival Lv0, game points +3, personal character panel activated, personal status can be viewed ... ...

This game seems to be more difficult than he had imagined

Number of rounds played: 0

Zhang Heng asked Ed, "Ed, did you hear anything just now?"

Well done, now we can avoid the danger of infection! Ed said happily

Zhang Heng is speechless; setting aside the harsh criticism below, why does he only have two skills?

Therefore, this time he decided to take a slight risk and ventured a little deeper into the primeval forest beyond the beach after bringing breakfast back to Ed

Current game score: 3

Player ID: 07958

Oh my, I really wish I could have a cup of hot coffee, fried eggs, sausages, and toasted bread right now," remarked the former Army captain. "But given our current situation, we can't ask for too much, can we? It's a pity that the calories provided by coconuts are too few; a green coconut can only provide about 200 calories, and even without exercise, we need to consume 2000 calories a day. Additionally, we need to expand our menu to obtain a richer source of nutrition. Well, since we are by the sea, I think we can make use of this.

"Perhaps it is because I encountered worse situations than now while trekking through the Amazon. Considering the difficulties I endured back then, there is even less reason to give up now," Ed said

"Zhang, it is impossible for you to transform from a novice to an expert in just one day," Ed reassured. "The beginning of anything is always the most difficult."

However, the weather can be unpredictable. At dusk, the island was hit by strong winds, and soon dark clouds gathered overhead. Zhang Heng did not have time to tidy up, and the wood he had stripped and laid out on the rock wall to dry was soaked by the torrential rain

Skills Mastered: Piano Level 1, Language Proficiency Level 1 (Proficient in two languages at a conversational level)

Good morning, Zhang Heng said

However, the final result repeatedly ended in failure. In order to create friction with the fire drill, a large patch of skin was rubbed off his hand, causing him to grimace in pain. At the same time, due to the lack of time to go out in search of food, he and Ed could only go hungry after consuming the few coconuts they had previously stored.

This also means that he has wasted his entire day

He spent the entire morning busy with the task of starting a fire

The latter appeared somewhat bewildered, asking, "Should I be hearing something?" Then, his expression became serious, and he inquired with concern, "Zhang, you aren't experiencing hallucinations due to dehydration, are you?"

Evaluation: This player is unremarkable, with nothing commendable to speak of, nor any particular strengths, and is expected to be unable to sustain beyond the first three rounds of the game

Zhang Heng had never imagined that one day he would feel so excited to see fire. Just as he was about to say something, a third person's voice suddenly reached his ears

Alright, he also saw a line of small text below the skill bar - Lv0 skills will not be displayed

... ...

Gender: Male

Zhang Heng also suspected whether he had been sunstruck, as before his eyes appeared something resembling an attribute card.

Zhang Heng listened attentively, yet when it came to actually doing it, he found that the matter was not as simple as he had imagined

Edton began to explain patiently, "The most important thing about starting a fire is to find the right wood. Fast-growing softwoods are the best. The drill and the base can be taken from the same tree. Scrape off the bark and dry it in a sunny place..."

Zhang Heng lay in a large character shape in the cave, staring blankly at the ceiling, "Ed, I don't think your motivational quotes will be of any use at this moment."

The wood is still not suitable; my hands are almost worn out, yet I cannot produce a spark through friction. I need to try other types of wood.

He broke off a branch and brought it back to the seaside, following the same method as yesterday. In the afternoon, he finally managed to extract some smoking wood shavings from it. Zhang Heng, applying the knowledge imparted by Ed, placed these wood shavings on the tinder made from candle fruit leaves, and carefully blew on them, causing the shavings to glow and igniting the tinder beneath.

Then just give up, Ed said calmly

The two spent the night of the following day with empty stomachs

What is even more frustrating is that despite expending tremendous effort, there are no gains to show for it

Do not rush, living in the city has made your digestive system quite fragile. Even if I tell you how to source food from the sea, without a way to heat it, a single crab could cause you to suffer from diarrhea to the point of dehydration. Therefore, we need fire, and the water source you found earlier also needs to be heated before it can be consumed. Boiling it for three minutes will essentially kill most bacteria. So let me first teach you how to start a fire.

"The reasoning is indeed correct, but failure still leaves one feeling quite unpleasant," Zhang Heng said helplessly as he tossed aside the broken fire drill.

Zhang Heng opened his eyes in the cave and found that Ed had already sat up, "Good morning, Zhang."

Age: 19

Hmm?

"Failure is also a valuable experience. Tens of thousands of years ago, our ancestors continuously evolved from failure." Ed, as always, was considerate, "You are a smart student, Zhang. Don't rush; you still have time to learn and grow. Now tell me, what have you learned from this failure?"

The sun rises above the horizon, heralding the arrival of a new day

Name: Zhang Heng

The final results are promising. He not only found a type of tree suitable for making fire, but also discovered animals suspected to be wild chickens. Unfortunately, those little creatures are very agile; before Zhang Heng could get close, they flapped their wings and disappeared without a trace. At least for now, Zhang Heng has no way to deal with them.

The next morning, before dawn, Zhang Heng got up, primarily due to hunger. He first ran over to the coconut trees and picked a few coconuts to satisfy his hunger. The coconuts growing in the lower area nearby had almost all been picked by him, and the remaining ones were growing higher up, which were difficult to knock down with stones. Zhang Heng knew that he had little time left for himself; he needed to quickly get the fire going, otherwise, he would be unable to proceed with the subsequent tasks.

... ...

With his amateur level 9 piano performance skills, he only managed to achieve a pitiful level 1? The game's definition of skills seems rather harsh, doesn't it? In the wild, even among a hundred people, there might not be one who can start a fire with their bare hands, and yet that barely qualifies as level 0.

This voice sounds somewhat familiar. Zhang Heng thought carefully and realized that it was indeed the same voice that had been ringing in his ears while he was unconscious.

However, this is only limited to before the rain stops; one must vent their negative emotions in order to better engage in work afterwards

After a moment, the two individuals on the island finally obtained the long-awaited flame

Are you always this positive and optimistic, Ed

It seems that this rain will not stop until before dark, so let's go to bed early; there is still a lot of work to be done tomorrow. After Ed finished speaking, he was the first to lie down.