Chapter Three – The Man Whose Past is Known by the Shadows
- Day 15 -
Let me tell you something.. Luck.. It has finally smiled upon me, guys.. Yes.. and it seems the "rosy life" is inevitably coming.
On that day.. my royal luck was my ally, and I obtained the secret reward: the Exponential Growth Wallet.
This wallet allows me to designate any day I want as "Day One." On that specific day, the total income I earn throughout the entire day is recorded as the "Base" inside the wallet. For the next 10 days, the wallet exponentially doubles that base every single day. On the tenth day, I receive the new accumulated amount as a prize. Then, I must designate a new "Day One" all over again.
Day Six.. ugh, what a hellish day that was. I forced myself to work for 10 hours straight. I can still feel the ache to this moment. But it was worth it. Four trees were cut that day, and the Wallet Base was set at 500 dinars.
My profits these days have increased manically. In the first five days, I barely had 370 dinars. But now, at the end of the fifteenth day, I actually.. possess:
(256,000 Dinars)
What a massive sum.. I never imagined obtaining it in less than a year, and perhaps I never would have. But now, here it is before me, so simply.
Since that day.. the Shop has become truly crowded. It is filled with many tools and foods. Some of them wouldn't have even unlocked if I hadn't reached these high amounts in such a short time.
How so? Well, let me explain.
Some of these items are very rare. One of them is the (Unbreakable Axe). It was unlocked as a secret prize for reaching 100,000 dinars before the occurrence of the first Minor Disaster.
It is huge and intensely shiny, made of sharp titanium. Yet, when holding it, you can't feel any weight at all. Its other distinguishing feature: cutting a single tree with it takes only a few minutes—nothing more.
Hahaha.. when I remember that the first day took me two hours to cut one tree, and here I am after 15 days, cutting the same tree in twenty minutes.
I have invested a lot of money in the past few days to transform this grassland into an oasis suitable for living and comfort. Yes, a house hasn't appeared yet, but a large tent priced at 10,000 appeared, and I bought it immediately.
My need for water has been solved. The water pump finally appeared, and I've already invested in it.
True, no tools for cooling water or even a refrigerator have appeared, but the weather is still pleasant, and the water in the morning has a hint of coldness. At noon, it's at a normal drinkable temperature. Regardless.. I don't like drinking cold water anyway, which made things seem very easy.
The food menu, on the other hand, now includes more than 50 varieties. Food preservation tools have unlocked in abundance.
I now own five units of the Large Food Container (Type A) which stores 3 different types, and five units of the Large Food Container (Type B) which stores a single type but keeps the food fresh for an entire month.
The issues of washing and "answering nature's call" in the wild have been resolved.
The highest-level bathroom in Level 1 was priced at 30,000.. a very high price, but it's worth it. A large square room containing a shower and a medium-sized bathtub. Yes, they look wooden, resembling those found in Samurai houses. I can't say I wasn't impressed; on the contrary, with the water temperature I can control and the traditional aesthetic, the feeling of bathing gives a very beautiful atmosphere.
Changes also occurred within the System itself. Notifications for tools and food no longer pop up with every addition; instead, things proceed without alerts. I have to check manually every now and then. Unlike the Disaster Warning, which still arrives successively—and the quest to hunt the Screaming Bird, which seems completely incomprehensible.
On the tenth day.. the sound of a bird emerged from among the trees in the area outside my current range. On the same day, a new category appeared in the shop:
{ Character - Weapons }
{ Weapons - Single-Headed Boomerang: A short-range wooden weapon. You can wave it skillfully and hurl it to hit nearby targets, then it returns to you upon a mental suggestion. }
Well, it's a good weapon and has a somewhat magical character. Even if I throw it and it falls to the ground, I can give it a mental suggestion and it returns to me. However, that feature won't unlock until it reaches Level 5. Unfortunately, weapon evolution doesn't seem to depend on money, but on something called "Accumulation".. I don't really know what that is.
In summary.. my only weapon is still only at Level 1.
And yes, I actually thought about using it to hit the bird and finish the quest. But only the bird's voice appeared. I tried to be clever and launched the boomerang toward the trees, but it couldn't penetrate the invisible barrier. I really don't know how I can hunt a bird that is far from my private space while I am restricted.
I tried throwing food, water, and wood, but nothing crossed the barrier.. nothing crosses the barrier, and that despicable bird annoys me at all times.
The bigger problem started on the thirteenth day.. when the bird began screaming in the morning and continued until evening. The ultimate disaster is that, in addition to its annoying voice which causes me headaches.. its voice has the property of "Work Cancellation."
As long as it screams with its annoying voice, that time is considered similar to nighttime. Meaning, the tree-cutting activity I perform is not counted. On the eleventh and twelfth days, it screamed in the morning and afternoon. But now, it screams from sunrise until evening. Every time I pick up an axe, it screams.
The despicable bird watches me from afar and cuts off my livelihood..
I will make dinner out of you for Jaʿmoos.. you'll see.
"Hey, Jaʿmoos, come here.. let's eat something.."
"Jaʿmoooos..."
Where is he?..
It seems he is relieving himself behind the trees.. It's a good thing he doesn't do it inside the space, as I don't need a foul stench, and that bird at the same time...
The cleanliness of my place is all that matters. A dirty home is uninhabitable. Despite being lazy about almost everything in the past, I never spared any effort when it came to cleaning.
And of course.. it's good that Jaʿmoos relieves himself outside my area..
Outside my are—..
Jaʿmoos!! He's relieving himself behind the trees??..
In the exterior space???..
What an idiot I am.. the quest.. it's called:
{ Hunt the Screaming Bird with Jaʿmoos' help }
That's why! It's a quest with Jaʿmoos' help.. Jaʿmoos is the only one who can leave the space!
Hahaha... something so obvious, yet I didn't notice it.. damn me..
But how will Jaʿmoos help me? The bird is up in the tree; how will Jaʿmoos be able to catch it?
{ 3:00 }
"Come on, Jaʿmoos.. listen: go and catch that bird.. go.. good boy, go on.. launch.. keep going.."
(Howl.. Howl.. Howl)
Jaʿmoos' barking filled the forest. His voice was loud for the first time since his summoning.. but.. there was no sign of the bird..
After a while, Jaʿmoos returned empty-handed again.
Well, I figured it wouldn't really work. How could he catch it while it's up in the trees.. how will I catch it then?
But.. why didn't the bird scream? If it were an animal under my tree and I screamed, I would have cursed it in every way.. it seems that bird only cares about me.... only me!
The bird only cares about me. Hahahaha, once again, great ideas come like the wind without permission..
(Pressing the red circle on his wrist)
(Unbreakable Axe)
"Alright.. let's see.."
"Waaaaaaa.. Waaaaaaa.. Waaaaaaa"
The bird's voice echoed and filled the forest violently.
"Hahaha.. you fell into the trap, you bastard.. Gooo Jaʿmoooos! Go and catch it!"
Jaʿmoos' scream echoed again, and with it, the bird's voice echoed.. and for the first time, the sounds of flapping began to stir in the forest. Then, moments later, from among the tall trees.. a black bird emerged. It looked like a crow, but it had a long red tail similar to a swallow's tail, and its size exceeded Jaʿmoos' size.. then it descended and perched on one of the nearby trees.
Hahaha, finally.. Now it's Boomerang time.
I waved the boomerang violently and sent it slicing through the air toward the bird..
The boomerang hit its target accurately.. but..
A red shield of energy surrounded the bird and protected it from the blow.
"Jaʿmoos.. bring the boomerang. It seems the bird has a defense of some kind.. let's try again.."
{ 2:30 }
{ 3:00 }
{ 4:00 }
Damn it.. I've tried a hundred times and it hasn't worked. There must be another way. It's like video games that force you into one specific way to face a challenge. The world punishes you with fatigue, thirst, and hunger. You bathe to refresh and feel filthy when you don't. Yet.. the way things proceed seems like an electronic game system restricted by specific actions for progress. This is illogical.
{ 5:20 }
Since its presence in this area, the bird is still doing what it does. Every time I hold the axe, it starts screaming. I tried throwing the axe at it, but it didn't even reach the tree. It left the tree more than twice and came back again. Jaʿmoos' screaming is no longer effective. What's the solution?
In the Shop, there is no specific food for birds. I tried placing meat, and it didn't work.. and I tried placing water for it.. and it didn't work..
I have one last idea.. but if it fails.. I really don't know what to do..
{ 6:00 }
Work time is over.. maybe something will work..
{ Tools - Small Wooden Bowl }
{ Purchase }
Alright. First, we fill it with water. Then, we place it under you and wait..
{ 6:03 }
Suddenly..
The bird's wings flapped. Then it rose into the sky and began circling the tree. In an instant, its movement changed and it headed down toward the bowl. Then it approached and began drinking the water.
"Now.. Jaʿmoooos.. pounce on it.. GO!"
Jaʿmoos headed toward the bird, and in an instant, he was on top of it, grabbing it with his feet, but... the red shield glowed again and prevented him.
"Damn it..."
"What should I do? ... come on, come on, Jaʿmoos... he can't penetrate the shield at all... what should I do?"
"Yessssss... the Boomerang!"
I launched the boomerang toward it with deep-seated malice. The boomerang flew fast...
Clash!
The shield glowed!
The shield shattered successively!
{ Ding.. Ding.. Ding }
{ Simple Red Shield has been destroyed }
{ The Simple Red Shield cannot block two attacks at the same time }
"Yes... finally... hahaha... Go, Jaʿmoos, GOOOOOOOO!"
The bird suddenly stopped moving, then turned into something like red glass...
And in an instant, it shattered.. then disappeared.
{ Ding.. Ding.. Ding }
{ Secret Quest - Hunting the Screaming Bird with Jaʿmoos' help - Successfully Completed }
"Ooh... finally... that bastard exhausted me."
{ Ding.. Ding.. Ding }
{ Secret Reward Obtained }
{ Title Acquired - The Man Whose Past is Known by the Shadows }
"What is this!!!"
{ Ding.. Ding.. Ding }
{ Required Conditions Met }
{ Ding.. Ding.. Ding }
{ The First Disaster has been accelerated - The Disaster will occur at 09:00 }
"Are you kidding me? ..."