It's been about a week now that I've been on this island, surviving on shrimp meat and spring water.
— I can't take this anymore… — I murmured, looking at what was left of the shrimp meat. — At least it hasn't rotted, but the meat is almost gone.
Since that day, I haven't found another shrimp. That forced me to explore the island again.
— Open panel.
[Name]: Rafael
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 1
[Skills]
[Armorer]: 1
[Weaponsmith]: 1
[Hunter]: 3
[Gatherer]: 4
[Cook]: 1
[Stabber]: 5
[Scythesman]: 4
[Spearman]: 3
[Survivor]: 2
— I've gained a bunch of skills that will just clutter my screen and be useless in the future... — I thought, looking at each one.
Since the original spear broke, I've used an improvised scythe made from the shrimp's claws. With it, I ended up killing a few insects. The knife, made from the blade on the shrimp's head, was the one I used the most, which must be why the [Stabber] skill is the highest. The other skills are self-explanatory: [Survivor] and [Hunter] came from being alone on the island; [Armorer] and [Weaponsmith] came from creating the scythe and an elbow guard with parts of the shrimp; [Gatherer] is from collecting and separating the shrimp parts; and, finally,[Cook].
— Well, if we consider that a skill is only 'reasonable' at level 50, I guess I'll never be good at any of them. — I sighed, before looking at my level. — Still Level 1… What's going on? Is it impossible to level up on this island, or are these insects really considered as small as normal insects?
In theory, I should be at least level 5, or even higher, after everything I've been through.
— I just want to level up soon to get stronger…
As you level up, basic skills are improved, and at a certain point, you can choose a path to follow.
— Well, putting that aside… what do I do with this?
In front of me is a greenish, fist-sized stone that I found inside the shrimp. The stone is why the meat hasn't rotted, as it contains magical power. It's used to create magical items and enhance spells, from what I remember.
— I don't have any magic, so I can't use this stone… Right?
Actually, if I remember the details of the story, some enemies merged with magical stones from legendary creatures and became incredibly powerful.
— But they lost their sanity and turned into half-monsters… What should I do? Having magic could help me survive…
I continued examining the stone for a while until a crazy idea came to mind. I grabbed a rock and broke off a small piece of the greenish stone, almost the size of a pill. I put it in my mouth and moved it with my tongue.
— It has no taste, but I don't feel any effect…
After a while of feeling nothing, I took some water and swallowed the stone.
— Gulp… Since when did I become so crazy? I need to get out of here soon!
After swallowing the stone, I sat there, watching the island, until I started to feel sick, and before I knew it, I was vomiting.
— Blargh! Haa… And here goes the last part of the shrimp.
I looked at the ground and saw the small stone, which was now gray and no longer the bright green it was before.
— It worked!? Open panel!
[Name]: Rafael
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 1
[Magical Power]: 0
[Skills]
[…]
— Magical power zero!? Did it work or not!? — I exclaimed, seeing that I now have, but at the same time don't have, magical power. — … Calm down, maybe the amount I received is tiny, which is why it's still zero…
I grabbed another piece of the stone, but as I was about to swallow it, I thought better of it and put it aside.
— I need to find food first, then I'll continue.
During the week I was on the island, I didn't find any more shrimp, but I did spot some birds.
— I spent a good amount of time making this trap, but I think I'll catch one this time!
I had never made a trap before, but remembering how rope traps worked in cartoons, I tried to create one. After several failures, I finally managed to make one where if someone steps on it, a rope will catch their foot and leave them hanging upside down.
— Now all that's left is the bait… I only have some shrimp remains, so that's what it will be. — I watched the trap, hidden. — If a giant insect shows up, I'll just kill it and try again.
With that in mind, I waited until something finally approached. To my surprise, the bird that appeared was much larger than normal. About 1.5 meters tall, with green feathers, a rounded beak, and sharp claws on its feet. A large parrot appeared in front of the trap.
— …That works, too.
After everything I've been through on this island, I no longer care about the size or type of the bird. As long as it gives me poultry meat, it's fine. I stayed hidden the whole time, just waiting for it to be caught, but what I didn't foresee was its weight.
Upon hearing the sounds of the bird trying to break free, I saw that one of its legs was caught in the rope, but it only managed to lift it a little, as if the parrot were just kicking in the air.
— As long as it's stuck, that's enough!
I grabbed my scythe, and taking advantage of the fact that it hadn't noticed me yet, I ran to cut its head. The moment I got close, a huge shadow covered me. I immediately retreated and hid behind a tree.
In front of the captured parrot, another giant parrot appeared. It stared at me and, with its beak, tried to help its companion escape.
— This parrot has a partner!?
The parrot emitted a piercing sound, almost like a war cry, and moved after freeing its companion, who fled without looking back. Luckily, there are a large number of trees around, preventing it from flying, or I would probably have already been caught.
— If that's the case… Let's go to plan B.
I started to run, with the parrot chasing me to a specific location. There, I stepped over a mound of dirt with a board on it and turned to watch the parrot. It came running toward me, pierced the mound with its claws, but neither fell into it nor was affected by what was underneath.
— …Darn claws! — I said as I started to run again.
The mound was the body of a caterpillar that I recently killed, with great sacrifice. Since I didn't know where its venom was, I decided to use it as a trap for other insects that might try to get close to my home.
— Using the scythe is too risky, and I don't have any more useful insect remains... You know what? Watch out the stone!
Seeing that I had nothing else, I decided to grab a fist-sized stone from the ground and throw it at the bird. A muffled sound, along with the parrot's cry, echoed through the woods.
— I hit a headshot! — I exclaimed, seeing the parrot stagger and slam hard against some trees. — Now I need to take advantage of it!
I grabbed the scythe and aimed at its wings to stop it from escaping, but the blade isn't very sharp, so I only managed to make a superficial cut. Also, feeling the pain in its wing, the parrot tried to peck me, but I managed to protect myself with my elbow, which is protected by the shrimp parts and I was just pushed backward.
— You're not getting away!
I attacked again, this time aiming at the leg closest to me. The scythe cut through the air and hit, making the parrot stumble and lose its balance. I took advantage of the opening and advanced with a precise blow, this time aiming at its neck to finish it off quickly.
I felt a slight pain in my leg; I probably twisted it a bit, but I finally saw the parrot's life drain away.
— Finally… — I sighed, watching the fallen creature. — This will sustain me for a long time.
After waiting for a while, I took the shrimp knife and, carefully, approached to cut off parts of the animal's meat, claws, and beak.
— I think about four trips should be enough…
I returned to the shack completely exhausted but with something I had been missing for a long time.
— Today I have meat!
[To be continued…]