Standing outside the tent, after assessing his surroundings, Alex Knight realized he needed to tackle three immediate challenges to ensure his survival in the frigid climate.
The first was dealing with the cold. The cave's temperature was well below freezing, and his clothing wasn't suited for such conditions. Within moments of stepping outside, he began to shiver uncontrollably. His first priority was finding a way to build a fire for warmth.
The second challenge was securing food and water. These essentials were critical for survival. Without them, even with a fire, he wouldn't last more than a couple of days in this harsh environment.
Lastly, he needed better clothing. The cave was like an icehouse, and the outside was likely even colder. Without proper gear, he wouldn't be able to venture out of the cave, let alone survive the icy conditions.
Back in his dormitory days, Alex spent countless hours playing games and watching survival shows featuring Bear Grylls and Ed Stafford. He had some theoretical knowledge of surviving in cold environments, but now it was time to put that knowledge to the test.
Alex spent about 10 minutes thoroughly exploring the cave. The entire 80-square-meter camp was sparsely furnished. The central tent housed only the hunter's notes he found upon arrival and a beast hide sleeping bag.
Three meters to the left of the tent was what seemed to be the cooking and dining area, complete with an old stove and three stone stools. However, there were no firewood or charcoal pieces left to light a fire; the stove contained only remnants of white ash.
Behind the tent, near the rock wall, was an irregularly shaped pond roughly 10 square meters in size. In the dim light, Alex couldn't discern how deep the water was, but dark shadows moved beneath the surface.
Dipping a finger into the water, he was surprised to find it warm, likely fed by a geothermal spring. After tasting the water, he confirmed it was fresh, not salty or bitter. Luck was on his side, as he'd found a solution to both food and water needs.
Next, he turned his attention to a large wooden box near the cave's exit. Blue, over a meter wide, and about half a person's height, it resembled the supply boxes he'd encountered in games.
"Let's hope the previous hunter left something useful inside," Alex thought as he approached, eager to discover what it contained.
Inside the box, the first thing that caught his eye was a set of heavy black metal weapons.
A description appeared in the corner of his vision:
**[Hunter's Dagger] Weapon**
- **Quality:** Normal
- **Description:** Despite its name, this is a set of a one-handed sword and shield, equipment for hunters. The sword is forged from iron ore, and the shield is made of pure iron. The sword weighs 52 pounds, and the shield weighs 51 pounds.
- **PS:** Even beginner hunter equipment is challenging for an ordinary person to wield. Attempting to swing this weapon set without at least 8 points of strength is unwise.
After reading about the [Hunter's Dagger], Alex opened his attribute panel, courtesy of his Golden Finger.
**Name:** Alex Knight
**Age:** 20
**Identity:** Player
**Dimensional Backpack:** 1 cubic meter [hunter's notes, mobile phone]
**Equipment Slots:** 0 / 3
**General Talents:**
- **Civilization:** Constant Language Comprehension, Text Comprehension. Can understand the text and language of the current world.
- **Truth Eye:** Can perceive basic information about an object when gazing at it.
- **Learning:** Can quickly learn knowledge and master skills through pictures, text, videos, and self-practice.
**Body Attributes:**
- **Strength:** 5
- **Agility:** 5
- **Constitution:** 5
- **Spirit:** 5
**[Has reached the average level of a 20-year-old male]**
- **Strength:** Reflects muscle intensity, fascia toughness, and bone hardness.
- **Agility:** Determines nerve reflex speed, limb coordination, and flexibility.
- **Constitution:** Represents cell activity, organ function, virus immunity, and stamina recovery.
- **Spirit:** Indicates brain speed, memory, sensory acuity, and resistance to negative statuses.
**[Each point increase enhances physical fitness by 0.5 times the current base of that attribute.]**
**[World information collection complete, generating profession]**
47%
Alex's attributes were average, but they had been boosted by the Golden Finger. Otherwise, as a couch potato who spent most of his time gaming, reaching the average level of a 20-year-old male would have been impossible.
The Golden Finger also fixed many of his minor ailments. He no longer had back pain, his legs felt strong, his vision was corrected, and even his decayed molars were repaired. This Golden Finger, known as [Realms], was his greatest asset for surviving in the Hunter World.
As he pondered the profession the system would grant him, Alex lifted the sword and shield out of the box with both hands. The weapons were heavy, requiring both hands to lift.
The one-handed sword was more knife-like, resembling the large broadswords used by revolutionary fighters in historical battles. The grip was 30 centimeters long, allowing for a two-handed grip. The blade was a meter long, black with the dark luster of iron, 20 centimeters wide, and 1 centimeter thick. It was clear an ordinary person couldn't wield it with one hand.
Alex gripped the hilt with both hands and lifted the blade before him, shivering at the sight of the cold steel and its blood groove. It might not suffice against large dragon beasts, but against humans, it would be deadly.
He placed the sword and shield into his Dimensional Backpack, which had a one-cubic meter capacity, and continued rummaging through the box.
**[Spoiled Potion of Recovery] Potion**
- **Quality:** Normal
- **Description:** A long-expired potion. Drinking it slightly heals injuries.
- **PS:** Consuming expired items results in abdominal pain for half an hour.
**[Dried Rations] Food**
- **Quality:** Normal
- **Description:** Dehydrated, air-dried herbivore dragon meat. Eating it restores stamina.
- **PS:** As hard as a rock after three years.
**[Hunting Knife] Item**
- **Quality:** Fine
- **Description:** A sharp knife, excellent for skinning prey.
- **PS:** Not suitable for attacking large creatures.
**[Telescope] Item**
- **Quality:** Normal
- **Description:** 10x magnification for long-distance observation.
- **PS:** "I see you."
**[Damaged Paralysis Trap] Item**
- **Quality:** Normal
- **Description:** A trap that can temporarily paralyze large beasts. Its Thunderbug core is dead.
- **PS:** Reloading a Thunderbug can repair the trap.
Alex gathered six cola-can-sized recovery potions, two fist-sized pieces of dried meat, a sharp dagger, a pair of binoculars, and a disc-shaped Paralysis Trap from the supply box into his backpack. Disappointed not to find any firewood, he turned his attention to the empty box and said, "I had hoped to save some effort, but since you're so ungrateful, I can't let you remain."
"Look at the sword! No, look at the saber!"
Alex shouted, exhaling white mist. He pulled out the 52-pound iron saber from his backpack, gripped it with both hands, and lifted it halfway with straining arm muscles.
"Wow, this saber doesn't feel like just 50 pounds at all!"
Struggling to lift it 20 centimeters above the box, Alex realized the sword alone was challenging for someone of his physique.
"What kind of muscle monsters are hunters?" he mused, then swung the saber down at the empty box.
With a whoosh and a bang, the blade cleaved through the wooden box, sending splinters flying. A long crack appeared, and with two more swings, a V-shaped notch was formed. Alex's shoulder throbbed from the strain, but he now had a triangular wooden board weighing about 5 pounds.
Next, he needed to break the board into smaller pieces of firewood. After resting, he wedged the saber into the box's notch and used the board to knock against the blade, creating slender sticks of wood.
"How clever I am," Alex thought, gathering the firewood and heading to the stove.
Squatting before the stove, he began scraping the wood into shavings with the hunting knife, ignoring the icy stone stool.
With kindling ready, Alex retrieved his phone from his backpack, powered it on, and cleared its contents. He buried it in the wood shavings and prepared to bid farewell to the device that had accompanied him through university.
"Brother, help your big brother one last time! I will always remember your kindness," he said, decisively stabbing the saber through the phone's heart, the lithium battery.
The battery ruptured, releasing heat as it reacted with the air. White smoke rose, and the wood shavings ignited with a bang, illuminating the cave with hope.
Now that he had a fire source, the first problem was solved.