Nick expected the gain to be sensationless, as he hadn’t felt anything special when his toughness had improved through conditioning. But that was not what happened. What happened was that two seconds after the display confirmed his choice, he felt something squirming in the pit of his stomach. A writhing warmth that blossomed into searing heat, spreading from his core out toward his extremities.

As the flowing flames moved throughout Nick’s body, his tissue and organs, muscles and bones, shifted slightly before snapping into a new configuration. It was the strangest experience of his life. Like molten worms were crawling through his veins, sculpting his body into a new, more efficient alignment.

Five minutes later, the heat gathered in his fingertips and then dispersed. Although his muscles still twitched, Nick was back in control of his body. He turned his awareness inward and realized that he felt… great. At the moment, he didn’t even miss his morning cup of coffee. Nick had more energy than he knew what to do with and his frame felt more solid than before. Like he had leapt between the before and after pictures from an exercise advertisement, without having to go through any of the work in the middle. Laughing in wonder at the strangeness of his new reality, he turned away from the screen, eager to find out what his upgraded body could do.

With his points spent, it was time to secure his next meal before he started losing the light. Nick walked north for about twenty minutes, heading over to where the lemur tribe was gathered along the rise leading from the beach up into the forest. There was no way that Nick was going in there after everything he had witnessed over the last thirty hours, even though he had not seen any tracks besides the lemurs’ along this sunny stretch of shoreline.

He was hoping that he could find something to eat while walking along the border separating the biomes. He had a hunch that this was where the berries that Bandit had gifted him had come from. While the fruits were sour, they had also been surprisingly nutritious.

Hefting a stick in one hand and a rock in the other, Nick carefully crept his way up the sandy rise, lowering his profile before reaching the top so that he wouldn’t reveal his position to anything waiting on the other side. After studying his surroundings, he hadn't spotted anything that made him want to turn back. He could see dozens of lemurs further in, busy scouring clusters of dense bushes with blue green leaves that were scattered throughout the area. Nick waved hello to Bandit when his new friend scampered past, receiving a chitter in greeting before the little lemur went about his business.

Along this edge of the woods, the trees were sparse, and the visibility was adequate. He decided to take a few steps beneath the canopy and see what the tribe was up to. It felt good striding out of the sunlight and into the shadows, and as he waited for his eyes to adjust, Nick took a long look around before committing to a plan of action.

He could hear the tribe calling to one another a few dozen yards further in, accompanied by the cries of gulls and chirping of insects. The woods looked more like paradise than a region more dangerous than the beach. But Nick had seen the lurk emerge from the trees as well as the doglike tracks near the stream, so he knew that the serenity was momentary at best and an illusion at worst.

Trusting the lemurs to alert him to emergent dangers, his first order of business was to examine the ground for any sign that predators resided nearby. But Nick did not discover any tracks or droppings that did not belong to the furry primates. He tried using his size up skill on the woods themselves, scanning the area while trying to determine if anything felt dangerous. But either the skill didn’t work without a specific target, or the coast was clear.

If Nick didn’t already know that he was exploring a hostile alien world, he would have been convinced that he was standing in a national park back home on Earth. The wind ruffled the treetops. The air was warm and clear. Bees and butterflies danced between the blossoms. All in all, it was a beautiful, peaceful scene.

The System must have chosen a planet analogous to my own for my tutorial, he mused while gazing at flora and fauna that was surprisingly similar to organisms from the world of his birth. Although subtle details, such as the red diamonds emblazoned on the bees’ abdomens, revealed the limitations of the illusion. I wonder how many planets like mine the System encompasses. While Nick was still nervous, the serene atmosphere boosted his confidence enough to step further beneath the canopy.

He followed the chitters of the tribe until he arrived in a clearing filled with more of the teal bushes. Scores of lemurs were picking through the branches, every so often pulling out one of the fat purple berries he had been hoping to find. He noticed that the tribe never left sight of the shoreline. Nick resolved to trust their judgment and not delve any deeper into this biome.

The lemurs had done a thorough job of harvesting the bushes’ exteriors, but due to the presence of dense, thorny vines within, they had left a handful of fruits unplucked. Nick eventually discovered a pair of berries lodged deep inside the brush, too surrounded by thorns for the lemurs to reach. Fortunately, his arms were longer. He wound up covered in scratches and was pricked several times, but at last, Nick came out with his prize in hand.

He found a few more berries along the way, but his instincts told him they were so unripe that eating them would upset his stomach. He would have to come back later if he wanted to claim them. By now, the shadows were beginning to grow long, and the tribe was preparing to leave the area, so Nick decided to follow them back to the beach.

Once he was out of the woods, Nick stopped to eat dinner. To his delight, these fruits were fully ripe and sweeter than he was expecting, although they were still sour enough to make his lips pucker. They tasted like lemons and cantaloupes, along with hints of spices he had no words to describe. The pair of plum-sized berries was not much of a meal, but combined with the last pieces of coconut digesting in his stomach, they should get him through the rest of the day.

It was weird to consider that because of his seemingly magical Survivor trait, Nick now needed only three quarters of the food and water that he had before, but he was glad for every advantage he could get. Requiring two hours less sleep each night was even better, as it would give him more time each day to plot and plan.

He was curious about the diminished need for oxygen, so Nick tried holding his breath as he made his way back to the beach. It was impossible to be certain without prior benchmarks and a timer, but it took several seconds longer than he expected before the discomfort became too great. He wasn’t taking everything that the System told him at face value, but so far, everything seemed legit. It made him yearn to earn a towering pile of knowledge points, because Nick could not truly plan out the course of his advancement until he understood the rules of the game.

This meant that it was time for Nick to seek out more reward chests, as well as identify as many threats and resources as he could without getting in over his head. His first goal was to scout the perimeter of the island and see what he could discover along the beach. In addition to being home to what were presumably the weakest beasts on the island, the coast provided the best visibility. It would be impossible for Nick to get lost if he only had to follow the shoreline to make it back to where he had started.

With only a few hours left until he started losing the light, he decided to head north and get a better feel for the terrain along that side of the tribe’s territory. He had no intention of getting anywhere close to where the lurk had ambushed the lemurs, but Nick wanted to make sure that there weren’t any resources close to the obelisk he had missed earlier, when he had been distracted by his dire situation. With his destination decided, he started walking north, staying as far away from the tree line as possible.

After emerging from the trees and stepping into the sunlight, Nick waved a greeting to the tribe. He walked beside them as they ranged north while hunting for crabs hiding between rocks scattered by the surf. After a few embarrassing failures, he managed to capture a pair of the bird-sized crustaceans, just to see if he could. As he had no desire to eat uncooked shellfish or a way to light a fire, he tossed his crabs over to the lemurs to help ensure that their goodwill toward him endured.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

They chittered what sounded like thanks, and Nick was glad for their company. It made being stranded on the island just a little less lonely. Twenty minutes later, Nick decided that he had ventured as far north as he was willing for the time being. Although he found nothing else to eat, his efforts were not a total waste of time. In addition to fleshing out his mental map of the shoreline, he spotted a handful of unripe coconuts that he could harvest later unless the tribe beat him to it.

The sun hung low above the horizon, and Nick’s shadow stretched across the dunes. He was in the middle of working out a few contingency plans while watching the waves roll in, when his gaze ran across the neighboring island once again. He had forgotten about it after nearly losing his life twice in the same day, and seeing another landmass made Nick realize that he had not fully considered his options.

The quest said that I could either survive for thirty-one days or escape the island. I wonder what conditions must be met for an attempt to count as a successful escape. I probably need to make it somewhere that I can survive, like that island or a proper seafaring vessel. I doubt that letting the current carry me out into the ocean would work, and I can’t experiment when failure would result in certain death.

Recalling the ferocity of the lurk’s attack, it was tempting to think that there might be a way to complete the tutorial early. It would increase Nick’s odds of surviving, although it would likely cost him something as well. He rubbed his chin while considering whether reaching the far shore represented a genuine opportunity or was merely a distraction.

Since there appeared to be two viable paths he could walk, Nick decided that it was worth mulling his options over. He had plenty of time to sit down and think the matter through, as he was confident that he knew the beach well enough to make his way back to the obelisk using only the light of the stars to guide him.

The other island was too distant to swim to, but floating was another story. Supposing that I can find a boat or build a raft, could I really make it over there if my life depended on it? Nick ran his gaze across the island in question, a fuzzy green smudge along the skyline. I know nothing about the tides, currents, or wind here. I would risk getting dragged out to sea or smashed against a reef. Still, it’s only a few miles away and traveling in a straight line will get me to the far shore. If I can fashion a makeshift sail and carve an oar, then wait until the wind is blowing the right way, I think my odds are decent…

That was the precise moment when something pink leapt out of the water in a prismatic spray of droplets. The creature soared through the air in a graceful arc; the end of day sunlight glistening off its graceful curves. It’s a dolphin. Nick smiled at the unexpected flash of beauty as the dolphin dove and then breached again. Or at least the local equivalent. I wonder if it’s friendly. He knew that back on Earth, dolphins are a natural enemy of sharks and have been known to carry drowning sailors to the safety of the shore. Seeing a dolphin while thinking about sailing is a good omen. Maybe I should leave the lurk behind and get started on building a raft…

Nick’s thought died as swiftly as it had been born as a second, much larger emergence erupted beneath the airborne dolphin. A violent motion, as something massive tore itself free from the sea, rather than gliding out of the waves. Nick’s eyes widened in shock as a gigantic shark rose from the depths. Great jaws spread wide like a living avatar of savagery. The dolphin was helpless, unable to alter its trajectory mid-flight. It let out a terrified shriek as gravity carried it down toward the predator rising from below.

Nick shuddered as the shark caught the dolphin by the belly, maw snapping shut in a spectacular geyser of gore. As the colossal shark completed its own arc above the waves, its full form was revealed to his eyes. It must be at least twenty feet long. Just before the great shark completed its dive, the thing in the sea struck.

From six points around the shark, titanic tentacles burst forth from the brine. Each of the electric purple appendages was as thick as the predatory fish, and at least twice as long. In less than the span of a heartbeat, each of the impossibly long limbs lashed out in unison. They wrapped tight around the shark’s torso, immobilizing what Nick had assumed was an apex hunter while binding its jaws, which still held the corpse of the dolphin.

That was when the head of the thing rose from the depths, revealing a face featuring a colossal yellow beak and far too many eyes. Its strike was so fast that its tentacles were reduced to a liquid blur before Nick’s disbelieving eyes. In a frenzy of motion, the thing unwrapped its limbs from the shark’s tail and took a bite, consuming over half of its body in a single chomp, like a hungry kid tearing into a fish stick.

After finishing the rest of the shark in a second bite, the thing turned to look straight at Nick. Its baleful gaze rooted him to the spot, frozen in terror, despite the distance and the solid stretch of shoreline standing between them. He blinked, and by the time that his eyes reopened, the thing in the sea was gone. Only bloody froth riding the waves remained. Nick closed his slack jaw with a click, his plans to sail the seas as dead as the dolphin and shark. Right… survival challenge it is.

Shaken by another encounter with an impossibly powerful predator, he no longer felt confident enough to traverse the coastline in the dark. As he had yet to discover a suitable shelter, Nick decided to jog back to the obelisk and use the last of the light to improve his ramshackle refuge. On his way, he picked up a stout branch that he could use as a walking stick, as well as a deterrent if he ran into any beasts.

Looking down at his crude weapon, Nick decided that he needed to find something that he could use as a cutting tool, as it would greatly expand the range of what he could craft using natural materials. A proper weapon would be even better. But given the game-like layout of the tutorial, Nick thought that he would come across one eventually, especially if he was able to get his hands on one of the higher value reward chests.

Once he was back, Nick walked over to the obelisk to check the display, only to discover that a pleasant surprise was waiting for him.

Congratulations. You have accumulated enough experience to reach level [2].

You have one free attribute point awaiting allocation at your discretion.

After a long moment of deliberation spent staring into the sunset, Nick decided to put this free point into toughness too. He needed to be able to shrug off a few hits without taking a critical injury in the process. But the main reason for the investment was that he had noticed how much longer he was able to run and hike after raising toughness the last time. Having another point would make a big difference in helping him to explore the island as efficiently as possible.

“I’ll take another point of toughness,” Nick said, then sat down to ride out the intense sensation of electric worms reconfiguring his tissue. While it still felt a bit creepy to have the System tinkering around with his insides, Nick knew that it was worth it. That these changes were making his organs and his bones, his skin and his flesh, more resistant to wear and tear, and increasing his overall endurance as well. When it was over, he decided that it was time to upgrade his sleeping arrangement.

He started gathering all the fallen fronds that he could find, as well as various pieces of driftwood. He arranged them in a half-circle around the back of the obelisk, where its broad base provided partial shelter from the perennial sea breeze. Nick then piled up several feet of sand to improve his windbreak, glad for the extra warmth provided by his new shirt and hat.

As the last sliver of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, he stepped back to consider his handiwork. Despite his best efforts, it was a crude and dilapidated shelter. A half measure not even worthy of calling a hovel, but still a marked improvement. Comfort aside, Nick would be able to sleep a bit warmer than he had last night.

Although he doubted that anywhere on the isle was safe, this location was more secure than anywhere else Nick had found. While it was further away from the spring than he liked, the area around the obelisk was higher than the rest of the beach, offering him a clear view along the approach to his shelter. Better yet, it was as far away from the komos and the lurk as he could get, and the lemur tribe roving the surrounding sands was the closest thing that he had to a security system.

As conditioning his body was imperative to his survival, Nick watched the sunset fade to black while stretching and engaging in light strengthening exercises, although he was careful not to aggravate his injuries. Going through a few sets of crunches, back lifts, squats, and sit-ups every day would help him to improve his strength, maybe even bolster his toughness and dexterity to a lesser extent.

After eating a dinner consisting of his final berry and drinking most of the water in his canteen, Nick pulled the blanket of fronds over himself. Contemplating his day while playing with the wand. Not that it did anything as far as he could tell. As the last bands of twilight vanished and the stars began to shine, he closed his eyes, intending to work out a few new plans in his mind before calling it a night. But he had underestimated how much the last two days had taken out of him.

Before long, Nick entered a deep and dreamless sleep.