As the sun rose over the horizon, a small noise could be heard coming from a tree.

‘Let’s get the day started! I’m full of energy and my wounds are feeling better.’ He thought as he awoke and started planning his day.

He decided to stick with what he had previously planned and go out to find the other acorn stockpiles that the woodpecker must have hidden.

To prepare, he started by stretching his body and then ran in circles to warm up. Finishing up his extreme morning exercises, he felt ready to go out and face the world.

‘Ok, I’m ready! Let the first official day of grinding, begin!’ With that excited thought he dashed out of the nook.’

He began investigating every inch of the tree, starting from the bottom, he slowly climbed back up from new areas. Every few hours he would return to the nook, eat a few acorns and rest.

By sundown he had already learned some interesting things and found another acorn nook. Thinking it was not the best idea to keep searching during the night, he went to the new nook to sort, count, and eat the newly discovered acorns. While sorting, he couldn’t help but think about what he had learned.

Like the fact that he had encountered other animals, and they didn’t attack him. The system didn’t even show information on them, and they just kind of ignored him or ran away. He was thinking that, maybe, an animal had to evolve into a stronger monster before it was recognized by the system. If that was true, at least he didn’t have to worry about being attacked by all animals.

Another important piece of information he learned, was that he should never try traveling south of his tree. He learned this when, in the middle of the day, a horrifying howl shook everything around him and had him rushing back into his little nook, terrified. That howl had come from the south, effectively making that a forbidden zone.

After, once again, getting rid of his goosebumps, he finished sorting the acorns. This time there was ninety-three tasty ones, and he didn’t hesitate to eat them all. After he finished, he had some normal acorns as a snack, and got ready to sleep. The day had been exhausting and he was going to repeat it tomorrow. He found a nice corner, rolled himself into a ball, and slept.

As he began the second day of the grind, he noticed that his back was almost fully healed. He was sure that no normal animal could heal this quickly, so he figured it must be a trait monsters possessed.

Having checked most of the trunk, today he focused on the large branches of the tree. He strolled and leapt though the branches making sure he missed nothing, resting every few hours.

During midday, while he was resting, his skills once again came off cooldown. Unconsciously, he reactivated them, only for the system to shove a screen in his face.

Skill Level Up!

Haste+ Lv.2

When in use, will boost your agility by 20% of your Speed Stat for 10 Minutes

Cooldown Time: 55 Minutes

‘Sweet! It really did level up, I was right! And… holy crap! It rose by 10% with just one level up! If this keeps up it might reach 100% by level ten! Is iron skin the same? I’ve only used haste one more time then iron skin so I should find out in an hour.’

He continued searching while waiting for iron skins cooldown to end. When it did, he quickly activated it and sure enough another screen appeared.

Skill Level Up!

Iron Skin+ Lv.2

When in use, will strengthen your body by 20% of your Defense Stat for 10 Minutes

Cooldown Time: 55 Minutes

‘Fuck ya! They’re the same!’

While basking in the joy of his sudden power boost, his luck seemed to continue. He felt a small pulling sensation coming from under him and found a small hole by his feet. He investigated it and noticed that it was another acorn stockpile. His joy grew but he also noticed that it was going to be harder to sort the acorns out here in the open.

He began expanding the hole to reach in and grab the acorns. His plan was to take all the acorns out and eat the tasty ones, while he threw the normal ones off the side. He was only half-way done when the sun had set, but he stopped anyways and went back to his nook.

He was excited on his way back because he finally had enough points to buy the life elixir. He’d found twenty-three tasty acorns in the branch, so far. Add that to his previous amount and he had enough to exchange for another second package.

As soon as he was back in the safety of his nook, he exchanged his points and quickly bought the life elixir.

Life Elixir

An elixir that revives and fully heals someone upon physical death, one time

Must drink elixir no later then five minutes after being bought

Elixir last only a year, after that it evaporates from drinkers’ body

‘What the hell! It has an expiration date!’ As he cursed, a small acorn sized pill miraculously appeared in front of him.

It was a beautiful creamy white pill that gave off a light glow, he was admiring it until he remembered he was on a clock. He quickly put it in his mouth and bit down, popping it. He felt a liquid travel down his throat and then a warm sensation spread all throughout his body, making him feel safe and comfy.

‘Feels so good… fuck it, who cares if it only lasts a year. Know that I have an extra life, I don’t have to be afraid of traveling to all sorts of dangerous new areas! If I do that, I’ll find all the points I could ever want, and it won't matter if I wasted the first-time special deal.’

With his confidence back, he decided to go back out there and finish sorting the acorns he had found. He didn't even mind that it was nighttime, he felt like a brand-new porcupine. He quickly finished and found twenty-seven more tasty acorns, before returning to his nook and falling asleep.

Now with a worry-free attitude, he spent the next four days looking for more acorn stockpiles. He found four more stockpiles, collecting a total of two hundred and twelve more acorns.

At the end of the fourth day the tingling sensation he always felt when he was on this tree disappeared and he realized that he must have found all the acorns.

With all the acorns found, the grind was over and it was finally time to pick out his rewards.

‘Ok, so I have 256 points. I’ll exchange 200 for 22 pristine points, bringing my total up to 30. Now, what should I buy? Let's ignore the system add-ons for now and focus on the elixirs. I really should raise my speed and defense stat so let's buy those elixirs, and now what do I do with my last 10 points? You know what, you can never be too safe so… lifesaver elixir I chose you! Perfect, now I feel even safer.’

After buying the three elixirs, a brown and green pill appeared in front of him, while on his paw a leaf tattoo appeared.

Speed Elixir

Permanently Raises Speed Stat by 1

Defense Elixir

Permanently Raises Defense Stat by 1

Lifesaver Elixir

Fully heals target of any physical wounds after use

Can be activated at any time

24-hour Cooldown

While admiring the leaf design on his hand, he ate the other two elixirs.

Speed +1

Defense +1

He felt as his body became easier to control while also feeling it get much tougher. It was intoxicating, and he had no longer had any regrets about spending all his points.

‘Alright I did everything I could here, I think tomorrows finally the day for me to start my second grand adventure! I should get a good night's rest; I have a big day tomorrow.’

With that thought, he laid down in the nest and tired to sleep, but there was one last thing keeping him up.

‘Got it! The name of my next adventure is…’

‘Traveling the Endless Wildlands, the Second Great Adventure of Mr. Pine!’

With that decided, he could finally relax and fall into a peaceful sleep.

Name

Porky (Dan the Ex-Man) Pine

Level

1

Race

Adorable Quick Toed Porcupine (F)

Titles

Vegetarian, Little Critter, 777

Points

56

PR Points

0

Power

0

Speed

3.1

Defense

2

Soul

1

Skills

Active: Haste+ Lv.3, Iron Skin+ Lv.3, Charm Lv.1

Passive: Adorable Shield Max, Healthy Digestion Max, Fortunate Misfortune Max