"Good thing it's just a green snake, non-venomous."
Calvin reacted swiftly, driving a dagger into the snake's head.
The green snake died instantly.
Notably, no stats appeared above the snake.
Earlier, when Calvin encountered the Blue Wolf, he could at least see its stats.
This clearly indicated one thing.
The difference between ordinary animals and beasts.
Common animals like cows, sheep, and chickens, which are easily slaughtered, show no stats.
As long as you kill them, that's it.
But beasts like the Blue Wolf might display a status panel.
Of course, this was just Calvin's guess.
[Acquired Snake Skin ×1]
[Acquired Snake Meat ×5]
Calvin skinned and butchered the snake with his dagger, then stored everything in his inventory.
He continued forward.
Along the way, he spotted yellow-green berries and other inedible fruits.
Naturally, it wasn't because Calvin could identify them. He wasn't a survival expert.
The only reason he knew was thanks to the game system's prompts.
"Looks like this data-driven game world is actually designed to protect us."
Whether it was the green wolf biting his shoulder and only slightly lowering his HP,
or being warned about poisonous fruits.
Aside from the initial danger of falling off cubes and dying, everything else was quite player-friendly.
Just as Calvin had that thought.
An arrow suddenly pierced his abdomen.
[Player Calvin was hit by an arrow. -15 HP.]
Not only Calvin, Charlotte, who was chopping coconut trees on the beach, received the alert as well.
In fact, even earlier when Calvin was attacked by the green wolf, both of them received a warning.
But it had been too chaotic at the time, so they ignored it.
When the two were separated, there was both a platform guide and a location indicator for the other player.
The platform's marker was red while the companion's was blue, a very thoughtful design.
Charlotte's hands trembled.
The wooden axe dropped to the ground beside the uncollected wood she had gathered.
Fighting the urge to run to Calvin, she messaged him privately.
Private messages triggered a direct alert for the recipient, so they wouldn't miss it.
Charlotte: "Calvin, are you okay?! Why did you suddenly get shot?! Don't scare me!!!"
Charlotte was overwhelmed with worry.
Calvin: "Don't panic. I think there are savages here. I've still got 90 HP. I'm running in a different direction. Just wait for me."
His quick response calmed her down a bit.
But she was still extremely anxious...
...
Clutching the arrow in his gut, Calvin ran with all his might.
His legs moved rapidly, faster than ever before in his life.
He kept glancing back at the savage relentlessly chasing him.
The savage moved on all fours like a beast, agile and fast.
It carried a longbow on its back, held an arrow in hand, and its eyes were filled with murderous greed.
Its limbs were unnaturally long, giving it exceptional agility and increasing speed.
Every time Calvin looked back, he could feel the gap closing.
His stamina was dropping but he couldn't afford to stop.
[Archer Savage]
HP: 140
Attack: 22
Defense: 10
Speed: 12
Calvin was nearly in tears.
What the hell was this?!
The archer savage was just slightly faster than Calvin.
No. Aside from defense, it outmatched him in every stat.
And it had a bow and arrows!
Calvin could only rely on the forest's complex terrain to barely maintain some distance.
" bro, don't kill me! I was just passing through. I didn't know this was your territory!"
Calvin shouted desperately.
But the only reply was furious growling behind him.
Calvin knew. It was either fight to the death or wait to die.
But he wasn't ready to give up.
With 22 attack against Calvin's 12 defense, ten hits would kill him.
And his own attack power?
Only 12, or 17 with a dagger.
The savage's 10 defense meant it would take at least 20 hits to bring it down.
And that's not even considering hidden stats, like stamina!
Earlier, after fighting the blue wolf, Calvin passed out from exhaustion even after winning.
There was also attack speed to worry about.
He wasn't confident he had more stamina than the savage.
But if he didn't gamble everything now.
He might never have the chance.
Just as he made up his mind to fight.
The ground beneath him gave way, and he fell into a pit two to three meters deep.
From the savage's point of view, Calvin had suddenly vanished.
It paused in confusion, then began searching the area carefully.
[Player Calvin fell into a pit. -25 HP.]
"Shit…"
Calvin rubbed his dizzy head and sat up.
Looking up at the three-to-four-meter-high pit edge.
Charlotte: "Calvin, I'm coming to save you! Just wait! Don't be afraid. I'm on my way!!"
Reading her message, Calvin knew this overly worried girl must've panicked again after seeing he got hurt.
And now she was rushing straight toward him.
He sighed.
Her meat might be tastier than his, and she had more fat.
But other than feeding the savage, what else could she do by coming here?
Calvin: "I can handle it. Just stay on the beach and chop wood, got it? The savage is right nearby. You'll only make things worse! Get your ass back!"
He hoped this harsh message would anger Charlotte and make her retreat.
If someone had to die, better just one than both.
Besides, the thought of that grotesque savage capturing Charlotte made him furious.
Charlotte: "I don't care if there's a savage! I don't care if it's dangerous! Calvin, listen to me.
So what if we die? I won't leave you! Even if I'm useless trash!"
Her reply hit Calvin hard.
Using the blue pointer, he could tell she was getting closer.
She must be running with all her might, her short legs flying…
Charlotte: [I'll make my own decisions. Don't try to stop me.
I'd rather die with you than live on alone. I'm done hiding!]
Calvin was touched but now wasn't the time.
He racked his brain for any chance of survival.
If the savage wasn't a complete idiot, it would definitely find this small pit.
Then Calvin spotted it.
A silver treasure chest tucked into the corner of the pit.
[Unlocked Silver Chest]
Chest: May contain something useful… or not. All depends on luck.
Chest Tiers: Basic Chest, Wooden Chest, Black Iron Chest, Bronze Chest, Silver Chest, Gold Chest, Platinum Chest…
Calvin's eyes lit up.
Just when it seemed all paths were blocked, a new one opened up...
Without hesitation, he opened the silver chest.