Propagate: A survival litrpg

Day 2

<145 xp gained!>

I get the mental ping for the notifications right when I wake up, when I haven't even opened my eyes yet. Raw information enters my mind but I open up my eyes regardless to view the message.

< you have leveled up! LV2 -> Lv3 | +1 SkP +3 StP>

Class - Survivor | lv 3/25 20/300 xp *

I'd say it's about 9am judging by the position of the sun, which I just noticed is a bit more red than our sun. I sit up, and immediately feel the pain in my back. Apparently a thin layer of leaves and grass isn't very comfortable, who would've known?

I get up, and do my morning stretches, popping my back and legs. I then begin my new routine I came up with 15 minutes ago.

I run around, using my tracking skill to find bind leaves, sticks, and small stones. Now that the skill leveled up I can feel a slight difference, the perceptive nature of the skill slightly increases, I see a little more in a slightly larger area, the directions I receive to find stuff are a bit more strong and clear. It's still pretty minor, but a noticeable change in quality, like a 10% increase.

Once I have my supplies, I head back to the clearing and use [Primitive Crafting] To weave bindweed into a crude wicker basket. I get the bottom and an inch of the walls before I start sharpening the small stones out of boredom. About 25 stones later I get a ping.

<[Sharpening] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv2>

I still have the aero leaves from yesterday, so I start stripping the wood off the sticks I brought, and start binding the arrow heads to the shafts. Then I bind the aero leaves to the arrows, you get the process by now.

I make 20 of them before I turn back to the wicker basket, since I had run out of leaves. When I finish the basket, I'll go back for more.

About an hour later, the basket was done. I put my arrows in it, and slung my bow over my back.

Time to hunt, and while I'm at it, I think I'll gather too. There's A skill I've been eyeing, [poison detection] A cult classic. How could I not? What if the next rabbit has poison coursing through it or something? Since I need to survive, Detection skills like that will be essential. This is a jungle after all, one of the number one causes of deaths in jungles is bugs and snakes. But what do they use? Poison! Well, venom technically but you get it.

<[Poison Detection] Detects if poison is present in food stuffs and natural weapons>

<[Poison Detection] Purchased -1 skp>

<[Primitive Crafting] Experience threshold Reached. Lv2 -> Lv3>

<[Sharpening] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv2>

So, It looks like the status only updates after I'm done with whatever task. Or maybe it only updates when I use the status for something? Speaking of:

"Status!”

Class - Survivor | lv 3/25 20/300 xp *

Race - Other World Human m

Name - Maximilian

SkP- 1 Souls- 1 0 0

Skills -

Primitive Crafting | lv3/5

Archery | lv1/5

Tracking | lv2/5

Will | lv2/5

Dismantling | lv1/5

Sharpening | lv2/5

Poison Det | lv1/5

Stats-

StP - 6

Strength 15

Speed 10

Stamina 10

Dexterity 15

Intellect 25

Sense 10 ( Sight 2, Touch 2, Sound 2, Taste 2, Smell 2 )

Vitality 15

Charm 8 {locked}

Hmm, I'll put 5 stat points in speed and one into sense, for sight.

Strength 15

Speed 15

Stamina 10

Dexterity 15

Intellect 25

Sense 11 ( Sight 3, Touch 2, Sound 2, Taste 2, Smell 2 )

Vitality 15

Charm 8 {locked}

I only realize now that I've done it, but I just made myself 50% faster. My vision is also super good, but who cares?! I can run like the wind!

I begin sprinting through the forest, I feel light on my feet, the wind rushing past me, whiping my face, and washing away the sweat accumulated from the humid jungle. Life is good.

I stop and remember I still have terrible stamina and collapse into a heaving mass on the ground. Life is a pain.

An intense breathing session later, and I'm tracking my next prey. A 3 foot long lizard, small spikes poking out the middle of its every scale, A large horn reminiscent of a rhino between its eyes. It's chowing down on some fruit that fell from a tree.

The fruit itself was a bit smaller than my head, it was orange with white spots dotted across it in a distinct pattern. Visible lines ran down it like a peeled orange, showing where to slice it, three dots ran down every slice. It seemed reminiscent of a cantaloupe, as I could see a pool of juice from the smushed one the lizard was eating.

I knock an arrow and let it fly, aiming for its head. I miss, and it thunks into a tree 3 yards away. It stops chewing for a moment. I worry that I just messed it up, until it goes back to eating without a care in the world.

What a dumbass.

I let loose another arrow, this time it pierces its body about 2 inches left of its spine, on its flank below the neck. Lower than I wanted but at least it's a hit. It screeches and writhes in pain until it dislodges the arrow, and it starts surveying the area for the attacker.

Like last time, I'm standing next to a thick tree, anticipating something like this would happen.

I flip around and put my back on the tree, I load up an arrow, turn back around, and let it fly. I miss, and it thunks into the soft earth. I go back to the tree, and do the same thing. I miss again, this time the arrow slams into the foliage just in front of the spike lizard, which is now facing me.

<[Archery] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv2>

I'm not frustrated, my time in disney world taught me patience. I knock one more arrow. If this one misses, I'll run away. I pull back the bow and stare into its beady eyes, it's now 15 feet away from me, and rapidly approaching. Its mouth agape ready to rip me apart. I breathe, and stare at its pointed teeth. I shoot.

The arrow gets lodged in its mouth and dark red blood pools from its pierced tongue. Hatred burned in its eyes, And I watch it bleed out for quite awhile, I had retreated a few trees back as I watched, I didn't feel all that bad.

< lv5 Thicket lizard Slain 311 XP acquired>

< you have leveled up! LV3 -> Lv4 | +1 SkP +3 StP>

“Wait, why didn't I get the animals lv when I killed the rabbit before?”

“So I guess it's like the mathematical x. When it doesn't show a number it automatically represents one, interesting..” I mused out loud.

“Put three points to sense, one sight, one smell, one hearing.”

Sense 14 ( Sight 4, Touch 2, Sound 3, Taste 2, Smell 3 )

I remember from a book I read that humans' sense of hearing sucks, as compared to dogs or cats. Now that they were both 50% better, I could see it. Not quite as overwhelming as you might expect, I got used to the change and instantly wished I had done it sooner, I just felt.. Greater. Though as you can imagine, the forest did smell pretty bad, I had gone nose blind, but now the smell of death and decay was quite noticeable.

I went to inspect the corpse, and I was disappointed. Apparently, Neither my [dismantling] or [primitive crafting] could use this thing, not because it was bad material, but because it was too good. I then whorl around to the cantaloupe things, I mean, at least I can eat these right? I subconsciously reach out to my newest skill, hoping desperately that it doesn't activ-

Ping

God damn it.

---

I returned home, not completely empty handed, as I had gotten basket and arrow materials as I was heading back, but still mildly disappointed. I did take some of those fruits home, even if I can't eat them, having a source of poison on hand is bound to be handy. But now It's time to power level my crafting and sharpening skills.

I sharpen small rocks, I sharpen big rocks, I sanded down a rock the size of my torso out of sheer boredom. Sharpen, sharpen, rock, rock, rock…. I'm going insane. Got some good skill levels though!

<[Sharpening] Experience threshold Reached. Lv2 -> Lv4>

[Focus] huh? I don't need a description, I think we all know what this does. Rather than providing me with some kind of knowledge, it more so sharpens my ability to focus.. It helps me focus better, I don't know what else you want me to say! It's good though, that's all you need to know!

I stop for a second. “I have got to stop talking to myself, I sound insane!” I say outloud to nobody. God I guess? I'm sure there's some kind of divinity in this world, despite me being a bit agnostic in the last one, after all, something brought me here.

In deep thought as I was, I didn't even notice when the sky turned orange, interlaced with pink and baby blue. I check the rabbit meat, sitting out on the leaves still. Poison detection came up dry, so I assumed It was okay to eat. Although I'm pretty sure rot doesn't count as poison..

I threw failed arrow shafts and stripped bark onto the fire that I made larger and re-aligned with some of the sharpened stones I made on a whim, sticking the head into the ground. They were more like spear heads than arrow heads, good for traps, I should get a trapping skill.

I used more dry leaves as basic kindling, and the fire source had a campfire going in a few minutes. I then roasted and cut up the other leg of the rabbit. I made a grill out of sturdy branches, five of them separated by an inch atop the two large stones bordering the enlarged fire.

As I dig into my dry meal, I begin to think about my earlier encounter with the thicket lizard. My misses while fighting it could have cost me my life, and actually, turns out my arrows aren't very lethal. They already suck, made sloppily by an amature with stone, wood, and leaves. Used by some highschooler who has never used nor made a bow. It was pure dumb luck I killed both the rabbit and the lizard.

Frankly, I have no talent for crafting. My hands are shaky and hurt after only a few minuets of work. I'm generally slow and inaccurate, so ill be addressing those issues with this skill I've been eyeing.

<[Deft] increase base dexterity score, higher ranks improve your hands and fingers.>

Apparently it starts out as a basic stat increase, but when it ‘ranks up’ it will actually make my hands and fingers better. Though I don't know what ‘rank up’ actually means. After that, A skill to resonate with [Archery].

<[Aim] corrects ability to hit targets with projectiles, assured hit and range will increase with level, higher ranks allow for trick shots. >

Alright let's see what my status looks like now.

Class - Survivor | lv 4/25 31/400 xp *

Race - Other World Human m

Name - Maximilian

SkP- 0 Souls- 2 0 0

Skills -

Primitive Crafting | lv3/5

Archery | lv2/5

Tracking | lv2/5

Will | lv2/5

Dismantling | lv1/5

Sharpening | lv4/5

Poison Det | lv1/5

Focus | lv1/5

Aim | lv1/5

Deft | lv1/5

Stats-

StP - 0

Strength 15

Speed 15

Stamina 10

Dexterity 20 (+5)

Intellect 25

Sense 14 ( Sight 4, Touch 2, Sound 3, Taste 2, Smell 3 )

Vitality 15

Charm 8 {locked}

Eating by the fire as I am, I finish up my Meal and begin to check a part of my status I haven't before. I was afraid of the implication, but I shall stall no longer!

Open [[modification]] menu.

Total reinforcements- 0 | Total Modifications- 0 | Souls- 2 0 0

Body systems-

Muscular- Skeletal- respiratory- reproductive-

nervous- immune- Circulatory- Integumentary- Digestive-

Organs-

Brain- heart- lungs- liver-

Kidney- Stomach- Intestines-

Pharynx- larynx- arteries- muscles-

gallbladder- lymph nodes- spleen-

bone marrow- veins- pancreas- Urinary Bladder-

Body Parts-

Head- forehead- eyes- ears-

cheek- nose- mouth- neck- shoulder-

thorax- chest- arm- elbow- umbilicus-

abdomen- hand- fingers- thumb-

Thigh- Knee- Calf- Feet- Toes-

Once again, this will take awhile to sort through. It looks like I can either [reinforce] or [modify], I try to open the [modify] menu but it won't let me, and when I try to [reinforce], no options come up, only a yes or no screen.

So what does [reinforcement] even do?

<[reinforcement] increases the body's ability by 25% up to 4 times, then, it must be modified for future reinforcement. Requires small souls.>

..and what does [modify] do?

<[Modify] grants the chosen body parts a new ability, or enhances/shifts its old ones. You have one starting modification for each body part. Requires multiple medium souls.>

Okay so [reinforcement] is busted, while [modify] is pretty dubious, though I have no clue where to get medium souls. if the lizard didn't give me any, that means soul size isn't determined by the size of the animal, which makes this harder. Even if I had medium souls, I doubt I'll be using it anytime soon anyways.

I have 2 small souls, and it takes 1 small soul for a reinforcement, so i'll put one soul in each body system, since they encompass the most body parts. The question is, which ones? I'll definitely go for the nervous system first, a better brain and better reaction times could be a god send in my current predicament.

I'll also do the immune system, who knows what kind of diseases are in this world? Plus, I don't fully trust my [Poison detection] skill, I'm pretty sure it can't detect high level poisons, and stuff like rot and disease. And while one level of [reinforcement] won't do much, it's definitely a great start, 25% is crazy.

Agony rocks my body. Have you ever felt pain in your bones? Like it's inside of you but doesn't affect all of you? Well the pain is kinda like that, I can feel it in what i can only assume is my veins. Extreme pain in multiple places across my body.

An unknown amount of time passes, though the moon seems to be going down now. The brain dulls and I get an anvil splitting headache, I think it's reinforcing the brain now, which is great… the suffering continues.