(Page 13, Section 4)
While most shelters rely on deterrents like fire to repel threats, certain creatures may be attracted rather than frightened by flames. A balanced shelter design thus requires both detective and preventive systems—tripwire alarms or magic wards for early warnings, along with sturdy barriers to mount an initial defense.
If a breach occurs, corrective measures—like quick repairs—and compensating tactics—such as spare materials or a fallback shelter—can sustain safety until the threat subsides. Clear directive rules ensure effective task distribution for everyone involved, whether reinforcing walls, gathering supplies, or setting traps. Materials should suit the local environment to prevent weak points.
Regular upkeep wards off both deterioration and unwanted attention. Alternative deterrents—like loud noises or displayed trophies—can further bolster security. By coordinating all these elements, one can forge a truly resilient shelter capable of withstanding unpredictable dangers.
Source: Shelter Tactics – Adventurer Des
Excerpt 7 End
For Hassan, waking up in this world still felt strange no matter how many times he opened his eyes to the tent’s softly glowing plant and animal hides. Only one full day had passed since his reincarnation, yet it felt like a week’s worth of experiences.
His morning followed an increasingly familiar routine: a mild jump scare from the caregiver’s looming bovine face, a quick cleaning session under those massive hands, and finally the caregiver preparing his daily herbal paste for nourishment.
Today, however, had one important difference: Hassan was fully prepared to venture into the training space once again.
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System Training Space – Time remaining until reset: 16 hours, 58 minutes, 29 seconds – Current Mode: Tutorial
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Hassan inferred that he must have slept for about eight hours, assuming this world—or at least the system—followed a 24-hour cycle. From the looks of the timer, the training space likely resets daily, as he had guessed. If that were true, he could effectively double his peak training by staying inside for the full duration.
Of course, that only held if he could remain there without exiting. Otherwise, if he re-entered at night or got forced out by injuries or emergencies, his net gain would drop drastically. The question remained: Would it be noon or nighttime the next time he returned?
When the caregiver arrived with the food paste, Hassan felt a flicker of excitement—it was go time. He quickly scanned the tent to confirm what items he wanted to bring:
- Bed (if possible),
- Animal hides large enough to cover him,
- Food for sustenance,
- Possibly the entire tent or the magical plant, if he could manage it.
Before he could settle on a final list, the caregiver set the paste within reach, and Hassan mentally triggered the system to enter the training space.
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Countdown until transported to system space: 30, 29, 28…
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Hassan wasted no time. He started by selecting the bed, only to blink in confusion when the system displayed:
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Selected items: 1/10
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A ten-item limit? That was news to him—he’d never seen this restriction listed.
Shaking off his surprise, he rapidly added the food paste and three animal hides, bringing the count to five. Seeing he could still pick more, he attempted to select the entire tent, but the system spat back an error:
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Selection Failed: Objects must be under ten times the host’s mass. This item surpasses that threshold.
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Disappointed, Hassan next targeted the magical plant—and was surprised when it actually worked.
With seconds left, he grabbed two ropes, the large knife the caregiver used to chop herbs, and even tried the caregiver’s robes on a whim. The world twisted, and an instant later, he emerged beneath a bright midday sun.
The midday sun bathed the grass in bright light, instantly easing Hassan’s tension—no nighttime delroaches to worry about.
The system also reset him to his peak state, leaving him refreshed and clear-headed.
His selected items appeared in neat rows, including the magical plant quietly glowing near the ground. The bed had come with the food paste lying on it rather than inside a bowl—making Hassan groan at the realization that next time he should pick both the paste and the bowl.
Sadly, the system space offered no handy “inventory” feature. The bed was too big for him to carry, and he’d have to revise his plan. Ultimately, he concluded he could only manage a few hides and the food paste if he planned on traveling.
A curious thought slipped into his mind: Could he ever bring the caregiver in here? Right now, the mass difference was far too great, but if he grew stronger, it might become feasible. Yet that carried huge risks—would the caregiver remember the system afterward? If so, it might expose Hassan’s secret about a place where time paused and strength could be gained without aging. The potential for betrayal or worse made him dismiss the idea for now.
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Refocusing, Hassan noted the high sun overhead—apparently it was always noon whenever he entered. He also spotted the pillar of light again, this time near the forest rather than its previous spot. Perhaps its location was randomized each day.
This could be a boon for quick recovery if he got hurt or exhausted, but a glance at its distance suggested he wouldn’t reach it anytime soon without a long trek. Unfortunate, he thought, but good to know it’s there.
Turning his attention to the magical plant, its frosted-glass leaves shimmered softly by his feet. Intrigued, he tried to pick it up—only to have a wall of earth rise up, blocking his hand. It seemed the plant automatically defended itself, or perhaps it was still following the caregiver’s last command. Either way, Hassan decided not to push his luck.
Deciding it was time to head toward the forest, Hassan picked up a thick animal hide—much heavier than he’d expected—and shuffled over to the giant knife.
He intended to create a makeshift covering that would shield him from delroaches, cutting tiny holes just big enough for air but too small for pests to slip inside.
However, the knife itself was enormous—longer than his entire body—and far too heavy for him to lift. Luckily, it lay flat on the ground, allowing him to carefully press sections of the hide against its sharp edge. Even so, it proved awkward and time-consuming to slice neat openings while kneeling over the massive blade.
With the holes cut, he laid the food paste on top of the hide and briefly considered using a second hide as a ground cushion for sleeping. But trying to carry both hides at once was too cumbersome, slowing him down greatly. He abandoned the extra hide after only a short distance, resigning himself to a single piece of cover.
Resuming his training regimen, Hassan now included exercises from the Basic Soul Manual, focusing on sensory awareness. Sight came easiest, but he began practicing touch as well, paying attention to the texture of dirt beneath his hooves, the gentle sway of grass, and subtle shifts in the air. To his surprise, every sensation felt far richer than it ever had on Earth.
Soul training felt almost restful—like a meditative interlude amid the more strenuous physical and mental drills. The exercise intrigued him more than he had anticipated, yet he knew from the manuals that prioritizing physique and mind first, then weaving in soul exercises during rest periods, would yield the greatest long-term gains.
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Seven hours later, dusk settled across the plains, and Hassan began scouting a spot to build his shelter.
On the way toward the forest, he accidentally stepped on two delroaches, provoking sharp bites in retaliation—yet it happened far less often now, thanks to his growing ability to spot and avoid them.
Midway through his trek, he paused to eat and hydrate—relying on the waterisus herb in the paste to stave off thirst. Compared to his previous journey, he felt better energy for both traveling and training, free from the constant dryness that had slowed him down last time.
When night finally settled, delroaches began swarming in greater numbers. Hassan cleared a small patch of grass, lay down, and covered himself with the hide—hoping nothing would slip inside.
Minutes ticked by in tense silence, but to his relief, the delroaches never penetrated his makeshift barrier. The situation was nerve-racking, but far less harrowing than before.
After several more minutes with no bugs forcing their way in, Hassan relaxed enough to consider sleep. The hard earth made it difficult, but at least he wasn’t hungry. Perhaps more mental and soul exercises would exhaust him enough to fall asleep quickly.
An hour later, Hassan felt his eyelids heavy and decided to check the time before sleeping.
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System Training Space time remaining: 15 hours 41 minutes 2 seconds
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Content with his progress, Hassan let himself drift off to sleep.
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Hassan awoke with stiff muscles from sleeping on uneven ground, and his fur itched with dirt and stray bits of grass. Yet no delroach had slipped inside overnight—a huge relief. He strained to listen for any buzzing but heard only morning hush, a sign that dawn had truly come.
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System Training Space time remaining: 7 hours 35 minutes 57 seconds
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Over eight hours had gone by—a hopeful sign. He peeked outside, relieved to see daylight filtering across the grass. Surviving the night here was easier than he’d imagined.
Invigorated by success, Hassan resumed his journey toward the forest, although thirst nagged at him. A quick glance revealed dew on the grass, which he eagerly collected and squeezed into his mouth. No more worrying about thirst for now…
After slightly refreshing himself, Hassan abandoned the heavy hide—he no longer needed it in the daytime—and then tried a new method for gathering water. By plucking clumps of dew-drenched grass and pressing them together, he extracted small bursts of moisture with a faintly sweet taste. Once fully hydrated, he prepared a batch of grass paste, ate just enough to feel energized, then continued on his way.
He marveled at how quickly his aches vanished—Zamongarai’s Physique truly excelled at healing and endurance, making each recovery less taxing as it advanced in rank.
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Six hours of steady walking brought him to the pillar of light, still short of the forest edge. Naturally, he stepped into the beam to recover. He also wanted to see if training before recovery would boost his attributes more effectively—a theory he hoped to confirm by checking the system panel afterward.
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Name: None
Race: Zamongarai
Age: 15 days
Tier: 0
Attributes:
Physique: 0.13 → 0.16
Mind: 10.52 → 10.54
Soul: 9.81 → 9.83
Talents:
Human Intelligence (Rank 3: 15% → 16%) – Expand
Human Soul (Rank 2: 93% → 94%) – Expand
Zamongarai’s Physique (Rank 0: 13% → 18%) – Expand
Zamongarai’s Sense (Rank 1: 93% → 94%) – Expand
Zamongarai’s Soul (Rank 0: 32% → 34%) – Expand
Vessel Control (Rank Unknown) – Expand
Skills: Physique Manual (Basic: 1% → 2%), Mind Manual (Basic: 2% → 4%), Soul Manual (Basic: 0% → 1%)
System Training Space – Time remaining until reset: 16 hours, 56 minutes, 19 seconds – Current Mode: Tutorial
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So far, Hassan felt proud of his progress. Though soul hadn’t jumped as high as it did right after reading manuals, every increment counted. Stepping into the light beam filled him with warmth and calm, prompting him to recheck his attributes:
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Attributes:
Physique: 0.16 → 0.17
Mind: 10.54
Soul: 9.83
Talents:
Zamongarai’s Physique (Rank 0: 18% → 19%) – Expand
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Indeed, physique and its related talent rose slightly, while the other stats stayed put—a modest but encouraging improvement. This confirmed his idea: intense training followed by the recovery beam could yield efficient gains.
With recovery complete, Hassan refocused on his true objective: reaching the forest. By his estimate, he had about an hour left if he wanted to explore before the system reset, so he pressed forward at a brisker pace, temporarily sidelining extra training drills.
After forty minutes of hurried walking, he finally stood at the boundary between the tall-grass plain and the looming forest. Whether the trees were truly massive or he was simply tiny, the towering trunks dwarfed him, triggering a humbling sense of awe.
Many stood in vivid colors—red, orange, purple, gold, silver—and their leaves varied in shape and size. Moss and vines draped across their surfaces, revealing an ecosystem brimming with life.
The sounds of birds and small mammals echoed beneath the canopy, sparking hope that delroaches might be absent here. Eagerly, Hassan stepped onto the forest floor—only to have his excitement shattered in an instant.
A large, crow-like owl swooped down with a shrill cry, talons angled to snatch him up.
Hassan rolled desperately to the side, barely avoiding the razor-sharp claws. He tried to flee, but the bird simply landed and closed in at a pace faster than his awkward trot. In a heartbeat, its hooked beak lunged for his throat—and everything went black.