Map abilities?
Xu Xin had a thought, and a map appeared in his mind. Some areas were illuminated, but most places were still dark.
Upon closer inspection, the illuminated areas were places he had been before, from the starting point, following a curve to the riverside, walking along the river, and finally reaching the lake area which was lit up.
The map showed all the places he had been; it was very clear, displaying the Black Bear Cave, the lake, and the location of his treehouse. The entire resource area emitted a faint, hazy green light.
Meanwhile, the map showed unevenly distributed red dots moving around, both in illuminated and dark areas.
"Are these red dots wild animals outside?" Xu Xin looked at the five red dots near his treehouse. One slightly larger red dot was surrounded by four smaller red dots. He looked outside and, sure enough, a black bear was surrounded by four wolves.
He then looked at the center of the lake, where a red dot, like the sun, emitted dazzling light, surrounded by countless small red dots. This must be the giant serpent.
Xu Xin looked up at the serpent, and the sight made his pupils contract.
The serpent was still gazing in the direction of Xu Xin's treehouse, flicking its tongue, its pitch-black eyes seemingly meeting Xu Xin's gaze, with cold moonlight flashing within, sending chills down his spine.
He wondered if the giant serpent had really spotted him, meaning he might not survive at all!
Before he could finish lamenting, Xu Xin saw the serpent emerging from the water start to move.
The massive serpent's body rose from the water, creating a waterfall-like curtain that washed away the bloodstains on the shore. Having eaten red berries, Xu Xin could clearly see countless fish flying into the air and falling back into the water.
The giant serpent opened its mouth towards Xu Xin's direction, flicking its tongue, hissing, with its abyss-like crimson mouth seeming capable of swallowing the entire treehouse in one bite.
Just as Xu Xin held his breath and his heart nearly leapt from his chest, the serpent suddenly turned its head and dove into the water, creating an arch on the surface like a rapidly spinning giant wheel. Finally, its tail appeared and then vanished into the water, leaving only ripples on the surface.
In Xu Xin's mind, the map showed the radiant red dot fading away and disappearing, leaving the small red dots in the lake center moving erratically.
"Invisible when submerged? That can't be right, the other small red dots are still there! Does the lake bottom connect to other places, and the giant serpent has gone elsewhere now?"
Upon first seeing this lake, Xu Xin thought the center looked very deep. Now it seems likely it's connecting to another location, otherwise, how could such a massive creature remain hidden and survive in a lake the size of a reservoir?
No matter what, at least the giant serpent is no longer eyeing his treehouse, allowing Xu Xin to relax slightly.
"The ability acquired this time is really strong, marking enemy positions on the map like x-ray vision!"
Xu Xin realized that not only could he see red dots on the illuminated parts of the map, but also on the unexplored dark parts. This is a very strong ability, ensuring he won't be ambushed by wild animals while exploring new areas.
Returning his focus, the red dots next to his treehouse had reduced by one.
Xu Xin's eyes lit up as he thought of something, and immediately looked downward.
At that moment, a wolf had been slain by the bear's paw, while the other three wolves, despite being severely wounded, continued to growl quietly around the bear. The hungry black bear, having killed a wolf, was also in a disheveled state, covered in claw marks with even one eye being scratched blind, becoming a literal blind bear.
The standoff lasted for nearly five minutes, perhaps because both parties realized they couldn't gain anything advantageous from each other, only mutual destruction. After one wolf howled, the remaining three wolves slowly retreated and then turned and ran away.
Xu Xin checked the map, and probably due to the combat between the bear and wolves, his treehouse was now only surrounded by the injured bear, exposing its back to him while enjoying this hard-won meal.
Xu Xin admitted he felt tempted.
This black bear was likely the one residing in the Black Bear Cave. Bears are solitary animals; only a mother bear with cubs would live together, and even then, the cubs would leave to live independently once they grew up. Thus, a cave usually only holds one adult black bear.
If this black bear indeed came from the Black Bear Cave, killing it here would eliminate a hidden threat.
He gripped the stone spear firmly, ready to take a gamble.
The bear was right beneath the canopy, meaning Xu Xin could use the treehouse ability to descend from above and directly stab the bear.
No time for hesitation.
Xu Xin held the stone spear tightly. To maintain his best mental state, he ate a blue quality orange that invigorated the spirit. Instantly, his mental fatigue vanished, as did any lingering drowsiness.
Xu Xin took a deep breath and reached his left hand towards the round plaque symbolizing the door, gripping the stone spear tightly.
Passing through the pulsating door, his waist wrapped with banyan roots, Xu Xin descended with spear tip aimed at the bear's brain below, silently counting down.
Three, two, one!
With Xu Xin's maneuver, he felt the banyan roots around his waist loosen, and he plummeted towards the bear at nearly free-fall speed.
The sensation of weightlessness reminded Xu Xin of the thrill of bungee jumping in the original world, but he had no time to savor such experiences, instead fixing his gaze on the bear below, gripping the spear tightly.
Unaware of Xu Xin's rapid descent, the bear was enjoying the wolf meat when "thud" accompanied a scream and whimper from the bear. The stone spear pierced the bear's brain, and bear blood splattered. The bear showed no resistance and collapsed immediately.
Xu Xin's first hunt was a success.
Hunting a black bear!
The stone spear passed through the bear's brain and into the wolf's corpse, instantly killing the bear, while Xu Xin tightened the banyan roots just before hitting the ground, preventing any injury other than a nauseating tightness.
Breathing heavily, Xu Xin's eyes showed an unwilling yet somewhat excited gleam.
Growing up in the city, it was the first time he had personally killed anything larger than mosquitoes, naturally bringing discomfort, yet the thrilling action had his adrenaline soaring, filling him with unparalleled excitement.
"Sorry, Black Bear, I really need the materials from your body." Xu Xin wiped the blood off his face, murmuring quietly as he controlled the banyan roots to move the bear's body and the half-eaten wolf carcass to the first floor.
He certainly didn't want to bring these bloodied items to the third floor where he slept.
The first floor was filled with his chopped wood, but there was enough space for the two animal carcasses. After all, it's a full 100 square meters, not easy to fill.
The black bear was heavy, over 200 kilograms. Although it couldn't compare to its larger relatives, polar bears and brown bears, it was definitely overweight among black bears. However, animal sizes in this world can't follow original world standards; maybe 200 kilograms for a black bear isn't much in this world.
Looking at the wolf beside it revealed even more. This gray wolf's weight was nearly 100 kilograms, still one of the smaller ones among the four. In the original world, the largest canine, the North American gray wolf, only had an average male weight of about 70 kilograms. This gray wolf was noticeably larger than those in the original world.
"Seems beasts in this world are more dangerous than those in the original world. Perhaps that's why the voice repeatedly warned not to abandon the small treehouse. Without its protection, survival in this dangerous environment would be impossible for most." Xu Xin muttered to himself.
First, he went to the synthesis station to make a boning knife. The original boning knife (white) required five stone pieces (white); based on experience, Xu Xin used four stone pieces (green) and one stone piece (blue), successfully crafting a boning knife (blue).
[Boning Knife (Blue): A refined small knife capable of quickly dissecting beast carcasses, with a chance to obtain blue-grade or lower materials. Durability 1000]
Quality tools make tasks easier, indeed sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping wood.