Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

Chapter 17 - 17 The Beast Awakens

The video was quickly answered, and through the video, Xu Xin could clearly see that all the furniture behind Li Wenxi had been replaced with new ones, identical to his furniture.

”You really made this furniture too!” Before he could speak, the pretty girl across had already spoken first, looking at the furniture behind him and saying, ”Did you even make an advanced grill?”

”How can you tell?” Xu Xin was a bit puzzled. Could it be that she also has some special ability?

”It looks more advanced than my grill, doesnʼt it!” Li Wenxi pointed to the grill behind her, which did indeed look much more rudimentary than his.

”Why didnʼt you make an advanced one?”

”I forgot and just made it on the go.” Li Wenxi answered indifferently, then said, ”Oh right, I went out again at night and brought back a heap of ores, at least there wonʼt be a shortage of stone ores for now. Itʼs just so boring; the newcomer protection period should end quickly. I canʼt do anything but mine, and Iʼm not allowed to go too far from the treehouse. I even got a warning when I went far.”

”Warned you?” Xu Xin was taken aback and quickly asked, ”Warned you about what?”

”It said not to go too far from the treehouse or bad things would happen. The voice didnʼt say what would happen, but the tone was quite stern.”

”How far did you go?”

”How would I know, I walked for a long time, took almost two hours round trip.”

A one-way trip would be about an hour. At a normal walking speed, thatʼs about four or five kilometers per hour, but in the woods, itʼs not that fast. Three kilometers is already quite far.

So, their activity range is limited to the area around the treehouse, and they canʼt go too far?

Xu Xin had also gone quite far, but at most only about two kilometers, and not further, because his ability could see beyond two kilometers, which was no longer a resource area, and there were no high-level resources.

Xu Xin thought of those who planted their treehouses at the spawn point and pitied them. Thereʼs really nothing around the spawn point, and restricting the activity range further reduces the resources they can acquire.

”You better be careful tomorrow,” Xu Xin recalled the Black Bear Cave he had encountered and reminded, ”Are you mining in a cave? There might be fierce beasts living in caves, and theyʼll be back once the newbie protection period ends tomorrow.”

”Thatʼs exactly why I went down and mined a bunch more.” Li Wenxi raised the ores in her hands. Even through the screen, Xu Xin could see the blue glow emanating from the ores. ”Iʼve already crafted basically everything I can, and Iʼve stored a whole layer of stones. Even if I do nothing, just selling these stones would keep me going for a while.”

Seeing her say this, Xu Xin felt relieved. After all, this pretty girl was currently his only source of blue ore. Though he also found a cave, it had a black bear. Who knows when he could deal with that black bear.

The two exchanged some information before ending the video, apparently looking like partners now.

Xu Xin moved his chair to the bedside. The night jungle gained a slight chill compared to the day, and while the dense banyan leaves couldnʼt block his view, they did block the wind. The dense banyan canopy swayed with the wind, creating a rustling sound.

Listening to the natural sound of the wind, sleepiness overwhelmed Xu Xin, and his consciousness began to blur.

[Congratulations to all survivors on passing the newbie protection phase and owning your own treehouse. From now on, the world will no longer protect the survivors. Please strive to survive.]

[The first phase begins, unlocking the function: Weapon and Armor Crafting]

[On this pitch-dark and terrifying night, the beasts that were suppressed for three whole days have begun to stir. Strive to survive, survivors, as only by surviving the beast tideʼs rampage tonight can you truly be reborn!]

The sudden voice in his ear instantly woke Xu Xin up. The mechanical words caused his heart to tighten.

The beasts are stirring? Survive tonight?

Indeed, just after the novice protection stage ended, the cruel challenge arrived.

He quickly looked out the window, and a two-meter wingspan owl suddenly swooped past the edge of the canopy, letting out a hoarse and shrill screech that almost made Xu Xin scream.

”How is this owl so large? Itʼs even bigger than the largest owls on Earth!” Xu Xin thought to himself, startled.

The jungle was no longer quiet, with various birdsong and beast roars echoing one after another. It was like giant beasts, starved for days, finally being released into a coliseum, venting their rage and bloodthirsty desires.

A wolf howl came from afar, causing Xu Xin to swallow his saliva. Fortunately, his treehouse was high enough, even at the lowest level, it was ten meters above the ground. Plus, the thick banyan canopy obscured his windows, making it so no one outside could see in. His small treehouse was hidden in all directions, basically posing no danger.

Relaxing with this thought, just as he was about to check the reactions of others on the screen, a tremendous water sound came from the direction of the lake, as if something was emerging from the lake.

He quickly looked toward the lake, and the scene made his eyes widen.

A gigantic anaconda head rose from the center of the lake, its headʼs pattern resembling the cracks of rocks, its pitch-black eyes like an abyss. Its scales shimmered pale under the moonlight, the entire body of the anaconda having a diameter of up to two meters, with just the head above the water being six or seven meters long. The gigantic form was like a dragonʼs body.

The immense pressure caused the beasts by the lake to quickly flee back into the jungle.

The giant anacondaʼs gaze shifted from the lakeside, seeming to gaze in the direction of Xu Xinʼs treehouse. A crimson forked tongue flickered from its tightly closed mouth, seemingly eyeing a delicious meal.

Xu Xinʼs pupils shrank as he withdrew into the treehouse, consuming a large red berry. Gaining night vision, he cautiously peeked out the window again.

The scene in the forest was beyond chaotic, with the most dangerous nocturnal birds of prey circling overhead, occasional wolf howls from within the forest, and a terrifying giant beast in the lake. Countless beasts locked up by the world for three days were frenziedly fighting each other, like a brutal and bloody battlefield.

This night, it probably wouldnʼt be as easy as Xu Xin imagined.

He suddenly recalled the unlocked weapon and armor crafting from the earlier prompt and rushed to the screen, opening basic material crafting, finding several new crafting blueprints.

[Wooden Stick (White): A simple, blunt tool. Though it doesnʼt seem very useful, with enough strength, it can be your best partner. Durability 200. Requires Wood (White) *10]

[Wooden Hammer (White): A simple, blunt tool. Though it looks heavy, the wooden hammerhead isnʼt as heavy as it seems, making it easy for an average person to wield, albeit less powerful. Durability 200. Requires Wood (White) *10]

[Boning Knife (White): A basic small knife, good for initially processing animal carcasses to obtain basic materials. Requires Stone (White) *5]