Chapter 8: Searching for Shelter (3)

Finally, found it.

"…Hahh."

I collapsed onto the ground in front of the gushing hot spring, letting out a long breath.

Even with superhuman stamina—

Today had been exhausting.

[ You have discovered one of Mount Noah's underground water sources! ]

[ By an incredible stroke of luck, your Luck stat has increased. ]

[ 7 → 8 ]

'Not bad.'

Maybe it was because it was still early in the game, or because I was outside the Ark, but my stat growth wasn't bad at all.

The Luck stat didn't seem very impactful at low levels—

But once it passed a certain threshold, it could completely change the game.

And higher was always better.

'Still, this is just the beginning.'

All I had done was find a location for my shelter.

Actually, building a proper base here would take a ridiculous amount of time.

But first—

'Let's deal with this.'

I turned my gaze to the spring I had just unearthed.

If I left it as it was, the constant outpour of water would either drain the source or flood the area.

Neither was ideal.

So, what was the solution?

I had to expand and shape the spring so that the water pressure would naturally balance out.

In other words—

I was about to build a hot spring.

Shovel in hand, I got to work.

Luckily, my Level 3 body armor had solid waterproofing, so I didn't have to strip down and risk getting ambushed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Even though the volcanic soil had been softened by the hot spring, the field shovel I had received from Imosha was a cut above the rest.

The earth crumbled away like pudding with every dig.

I worked quickly and efficiently, shaping the depth and width of the spring.

After some time—

'This should be good.'

I stomped down the dirt, creating a structured basin for the water.

The result?

A 5x5 meter pool with a depth of about 1.5 meters.

Not too deep—

But wide enough to be useful.

As I finished shaping it, the gushing water settled, stopping at a consistent level of about one meter high.

[ You have created a makeshift hot spring. ]

[ Dexterity has increased. ]

[ 10 → 11 ]

──────────────

[ Makeshift Hot Spring ] [★(1-Star)]

—A temporary hot spring created in Mount Noah.

—Provides excellent fatigue recovery and wound healing properties.

──────────────

It was crude, but—

'It'll do for now.'

I could upgrade and refine it later.

'Let's see…'

I dipped my hand into the steaming water.

The temperature was perfect.

Warm—

But not scalding.

'Now, the real question…'

Was this water drinkable?

Depending on geology, hot springs could be safe to drink—

Or completely toxic.

In The Defense, Mount Noah's hot springs were generally safe—

But I had no idea if that was true here.

'Even if it doesn't count as a status effect, I could still get an upset stomach.'

I needed to run tests to make sure it was safe before relying on it as my primary water source.

If it wasn't—

'I'll have to find a purification method.'

I still had a few high-grade purification straws attached to my canteen,

But if I lost or broke them, I'd be in deep shit.

I wasn't about to gamble my survival on a few plastic tubes.

'Not a problem for today, though.'

I still had water in my canteen,

And more importantly—

I hadn't even built my shelter yet.

I wanted my shelter close to the makeshift hot spring—

But there wasn't a suitable spot right next to it.

'Let's see…'

I scanned my surroundings—

And found it.

A small cave nestled against a rocky cliff.

It was well-hidden, even by Noah's standards,

And strategically advantageous for defense against potential beasts or monsters.

'Perfect.'

I climbed up the steep cliff and entered the narrow cave.

'A bit small… but that's fixable.'

I grabbed my field shovel and started digging.

Clang! Clang!

The moment the shovel struck the rock,

A sharp vibration ran up my arms.

'Yeah… this is gonna take a while.'

But difficult wasn't the same as impossible.

I kept digging.

After some time, I paused.

'At this rate, I won't finish today…'

Then an idea hit me.

I pulled out my Ark-15 auto-conversion rifle.

[ Silencer Mode Activated. ]

I loaded a magazine of armor-piercing rounds.

If shovels weren't enough—

I'd blast my way through.

──────────────

[ Model-15 Armor-Piercing Rounds ] [★★★(3-Star)]

[ Current Supply: 20 ]

—Manufactured by Ark.

—Capable of piercing steel.

──────────────

'Let's see how this goes.'

I had infinite ammo anyway.

Might as well experiment.

BANG!

The bullet ripped through the air and struck the rock wall.

CRACK! RUMBLE!

Chunks of rock crumbled away.

'Success.'

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I carefully targeted key structural points,

Blasting through solid rock with precision fire.

What once seemed impossible turned into a manageable excavation job.

All that was left—

Was clearing away the debris.

Less than 30 minutes later—

The cave was spacious enough to fit a 5-person military tent.

Cough! Cough!

I stepped outside to avoid the cloud of dust.

I wasn't about to die of lung disease after all that effort.

"…Phew."

After ten minutes, the dust settled.

I went back in—

And set up my CC-Series Military Tent.

[ CC-Series Tent Installed. ]

──────────────

[ CC-Series Military Tent ] [★★(2-Star)]

—Manufactured by Ark.

—Spacious enough for 10 people.

—Provides Level 2 defensive protection.

──────────────

A Level 2 defense meant—

It could hold off weaker creatures until I woke up.

'And in this cave… nothing too big can fit inside.'

By Noah's brutal standards,

This was a pretty damn safe shelter.

Finally…

I laid down my sleeping bag inside the tent.

"…Hahh."

Even for a 10-person tent, it felt spacious.

And my body…

Was aching all over.

I was beyond exhausted.

Something in the back of my mind whispered—

That there was more I needed to do.

But screw that.

'I don't care anymore.'

Sleep claimed me.

I don't know how much time had passed when—

[It… hurts…]

A voice.

Familiar, yet foreign.

[Hehe…]

More whispers.

[Look at me… Look at me…]

I couldn't wake up.

But I felt it.

Something was there.

Watching me.

It was going to be a long night.

***

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