Igniting the Flame of Survival      

Making fire was fundamental to being a ranger.

It was such a long time ago. Rain was still a child then, back when summer camp was still a thing. He didn't remember much of it, but he had refreshed his memory by reading books.

Thinking back, he had read a lot of books since arriving in this place. Not just camping books, but the usual ones on how to start a fire, build a shelter, and find water.

Rain should really extract those books so he could read them here during his free time.

Rain then started to gather the materials to make the fire.

Taming the first flame was a defining moment in history. Fire was behind much of what they did in civilization. Suddenly, the darkness of night became manageable. Tribes gathered around it, food could be prepared, and materials previously inaccessible were now within reach.

Thus, mankind learned to harness fire's transformative powers, awakening an innate desire to master nature's most potent forces.

Rain's ancestors were the first to tame fire; failing to make fire himself would be a dishonor to their legacy.

"Let's see . . . the first step is to make a bow with this flexible rod and rope," Rain muttered to himself, focusing intently on the task at hand.

He selected a sturdy rod in his inventory and began to tie the rope around it. "Place the bark chips between the wooden plank and the stick to increase friction and produce flames," he continued, recalling the steps from his books.

"Then, sharpen the end of this wood with my sword," he said, pulling out his sword and carefully whittling the end of the stick to a fine point. "And stand it upright in a hole carved in the plank." He carved a small depression into the plank of wood, just large enough to hold the sharpened stick in place. "Wrap the bowstring around the stick and move the bow back and forth."

Rain began to move the bow, and to his amazement, the stick started to rotate smoothly. His smile widened with each turn of the bow. "Oh, it's working!" he exclaimed.

He hastened the rotation, the movement becoming more fluid and rapid until smoke began to rise from the bark chips.

"Yes!" Rain shouted in triumph. He immediately blew on the chips, coaxing the tiny sparks of fire into a small flame that began to burn steadily.

"I did it!" Rain cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "Now to place this on the bonfire to start cooking those meat . . ."

His excitement was short-lived as he looked around and realized, "Oh, shit! I didn't make one!"

In his eagerness to create fire, he had completely forgotten to prepare a proper bonfire setup.

Not letting his spirits dampen, Rain remained optimistic. He quickly pulled out all the bark and wood from his inventory, frantically tossing them together into a triangular formation. He then carefully placed the flame underneath, watching with bated breath as the fire began to catch and burn the wood.

"Whew. This should do it," Rain muttered to himself, feeling a wave of relief wash over him as the flames grew stronger.

The warmth from the fire wasn't welcome under this heat but he needed to cook the raw meat, so he didn't have much choice here.

"Now all I have to do is gather more dead trees around to make sure we have enough wood for later. For now, I just want to cook this meat and sate my hunger."

With the fire blazing, Rain took a moment to appreciate his achievement. The crackling of the fire and the dancing flames brought a sense of accomplishment.

Just as he was about to start cooking, a sudden notification appeared before him, startling him.

[Obtain 1000 EP!]

Rain's eyes widened in surprise at the huge EP reward.

"Huh? Just for making a fire, I got 1000 EP!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Though he had to take extra steps in this harsh and unforgiving land, at least it was giving twice the amount of EP. That fact brought a sense of consolation to Rain's efforts.

Right now, though, the 1000 EP was useless to him as there was no troop to evolve.

Rain wondered if he could trade them for Soul Elixirs. He had to try that out when he got back to Earth.

What he needed right now were Soul Elixirs so he could extract more items from Earth to here and vice versa.

Rain then reached into his inventory again, this time pulling out some meat. Skewering it on a makeshift spit, he held it over the flames, the sizzling sound and savory aroma promising a satisfying meal.

The meat was nearly done, its juices dripping and creating small bursts of steam as they hit the fire.

Rain's stomach growled in anticipation. He knew he needed to gather more wood to keep the fire going, but for now, the immediate task of cooking his meal took precedence.

As the meat finished cooking, Rain took a bite, savoring the flavor. It was the best meal he had had in days, a reward for his hard work and perseverance.

The fire crackled warmly beside him as Rain enjoyed the meat, trying not to think about the fact that he was eating lizard meat. He didn't forget to leave some behind for the others, though.

ClaAnNg!

Rain halted when he heard commotion outside. He scrambled to his feet and looked out, finding Chi fighting two Raklings.

They must have been lured by the smell of the fire and burning meat.

"Chi!" Rain shouted, rushing to help her, but she chirped at him to stay back.

Rain skidded to a stop. "A-are you sure?"

Chi didn't reply, her steel claws extended from her fingers and feet. The two Raklings circled around her, snapping their wide mouths full of jagged teeth.

Rain wanted to faint at the sight of them. Seeing them in person, they were far more fearsome than in pictures on a screen.

Rain tightened his grip on his sword. If Chi was at a disadvantage, he would help her. He had those Raptor sacs as makeshift bombs to fend off the Raklings if needed.