The next day was hectic for Kyle and Tu'ka. Together with the gathered materials, they set out into the forest very early in the morning and headed straight for the selected locations. There, they spent most of the day digging one-meter-deep holes, where they buried the splintered wood Tu'ka had gathered before covering the traps with grass.
With that done, all he needed was bait. Since he wasn't sure what might stumble into the traps, he chose to use berries and blood, as both were light and could be supported by the thick grass cover.
The process might sound simple, but it was carried out by creatures the size of babies, using small hands and bones as shovels. Apart from the fact that he failed two times in total—meaning he had to build five traps in a single day just to gain 1% proficiency—by the time they were done, not only was the sun setting, but the durability of Kyle's bone club had dropped by four points.
Not only had he invested an insane amount of time and effort, he was also at risk of losing his only weapon. When that happened, was he supposed to fight with his bare hands?
They were dirty and exhausted. With no time left to hunt, they decided to pick berries and fruits on their way back. However, upon returning, Kyle was stunned to find his siblings gathered around Sl'k. Sl'k noticed Kyle approaching and gave him a knowing smirk, which proved that this kobold was very conscious and aware of his actions.
Kyle had deeply believed yesterday's events could be dismissed as a fluke. He had told himself that Sl'k might have simply stepped up to feed their hungry siblings with no strings attached. But seeing his behavior now, Kyle was certain that this kobold possessed a human-level awareness. If that was the case, he understood he needed to begin treating Sl'k like a real opponent, not a mindless creature whose love and loyalty could be bought with food.
Kyle also silently noted that Sl'k was strong enough to kill tiger bunnies alone. While it shouldn't have been surprising for someone of his physique to succeed through sheer strength, Kyle knew better than anyone that if Sl'k relied on strength alone, he would be skewered by a horn charge. There had to be some level of tactical thinking hidden inside that small brain of his.
"This is not a fight you can win, bud. I'm the chosen one. You just don't know it yet." Kyle snorted before walking away to bathe, after which he went straight to bed.
After the day's hard labor, his exhaustion showed in how deeply he slept. By morning, he woke up to a series of system messages.
{Sun-kissed horned armadillo caught in the spiked pit trap}
-1hp bleeding damage
-1hp bleeding damage
-1hp bleeding damage
-1hp bleeding damage…
{Sun-Kissed horned armadillo dead}
{+150 exp}
The messages had spammed from late at night until early morning, when the creature finally died from bleeding. Seeing this, Kyle couldn't help but shudder at the thought of suffering all night only to die at dawn.
'It must have been painful and gruesome,' he muttered inwardly before reminding himself that this was the wild.
It was survival of the fittest—kill or be killed. He couldn't afford sympathy for everything he encountered, or it would get him killed.
Without wasting time, Kyle took Tu'ka along to inspect the trap. To his surprise, the creature was a light-brown armadillo with a spiky orange shell. It must have been lured by the berries and fallen into the pit, landing belly-first onto the spikes. It had slowly sunk deeper, bleeding out in agony. Overnight, all its fluids had drained into the pit.
{Sun-Kissed horned armadillo} {Deceased}
Level 5
Rank: Normal
HP: 0/50
Blegh!
Kyle nearly threw up and was forced to cover his mouth while looking away from the disgusting sight. Sometimes he wondered why he enjoyed eating raw meat but couldn't stand seeing this. It felt like his human identity was clashing with his kobold instincts.
'Will I ever get used to this?' Kyle thought as he watched Tu'ka salivate over the corpse.
With effort, they pulled the body out of the pit, cleaned it, replaced the old wooden spikes with new ones, and covered the trap with fresh leaves, once again using berries and blood as bait. As a true RPG gamer, Kyle knew that the greatest strength a player could have was patience—the ability to repeat one effective method to grind experience.
It was slow, nerve-wracking, and painful, but it worked.
This was the difference between professionals and noobs.
With that mindset, Kyle began setting three new traps across the forest every day for the next three months. During that time, he focused solely on the spiked pit trap, turning the region into a minefield of death and raising its proficiency to ten percent through relentless effort.
Over those months, Kyle's traps turned the area into a blood-soaked zone. Within three months, he had slaughtered nearly every land-based creature that passed through. After losing so many of their kind, the remaining beasts naturally migrated to safer areas. At his peak, Kyle averaged at least two kills a day. On good days, he killed three to four beasts. On bad days, only one.
With such excess food, storage wasn't an issue. Kobolds were known for burying meat under cold earth. While this method was short-term, his siblings were gluttons, so meat rarely had time to rot. Still, Kyle knew this wouldn't last forever. A permanent solution would be needed eventually.
As for his rivalry with Sl'k, it ended in absolute victory. With traps scattered everywhere, Sl'k was smart enough to avoid wandering carelessly. One wrong step, and he would become another victim. His movement was restricted, and with that, his hunting ability declined. The rivalry died faster than it began.
On the bright side, Kyle gained an astronomical amount of experience from his traps alone—20,750 experience points, plus another 1,500 from feeding. The usual 50 daily experiences from eating meat vanished after the first month. Kyle had already suspected the system wouldn't stay generous forever, so the change didn't bother him.
Eventually, his siblings were forced to assist in trap maintenance. Kyle wasn't letting anyone freeload.
This triggered his second milestone.
{Major Milestone Achieved: First Brother}
{You have been officially recognized as the first brother amongst your siblings and, by virtue, their leader. They now listen to and follow your orders. Congratulations!}
{+5 Unused stat points, +5 talent points & +500 exp}
{Basic Civilization Starter Pack Added To Talent Store}
In the end, Kyle gained a staggering total of 22,750 experience points in just three months. The impact of his traps had gone far beyond his wildest expectations.