Chen Wen, over here.
After a rough circle around the outskirts of the forest, he made quite a few discoveries.
"I've got tinder, and some dry firewood too."
Chen Wen threw the dry coconut shells and fallen branches he had collected onto the ground.
These coconut shells were old and dry; smashing the outer shell with a stone until they're fibrous made excellent tinder material.
Besides that, he found a temporary water source.
Chen Wen discovered a large coconut grove to the west of the landing point.
There were many green coconuts up there, and the sweet coconut water inside could fully serve as a water source.
"The tide is receding in the morning; wait a bit for low tide, then I can gather some food on the beach."
Chen Wen sat on the ground, recovering his strength while contemplating his next moves.
"As they say, with food in the belly, there's no panic in the heart. Food is very important!"
"My primary task is to stockpile food, find a stable water source, prepare a signal fire, and be ready to ignite it anytime."
"First things first, let's eat something to fill the stomach and see if I can gain new entry."
While speaking, Chen Wen's gaze turned to the bananas.
What kind of entries could these bananas yield?
...
Pulling out a banana, Chen Wen peeled off the blackened skin.
Fortunately, the inside of this banana hadn't decayed.
Chen Wen took a bite, savoring the unique aroma of bananas as it spread in his mouth.
When you're hungry, anything tastes like a culinary delight!
As Chen Wen pondered, the system stirred into action.
[Loot the creation of nature—banana!]
[Looting in progress... Looting complete!]
[Please choose one from the following three entries]
[Cold-sensitivity (Blue): When temperature drops too low, response slows, and life weakens significantly]
[Note: Don't put me in the fridge! Didn't you know bananas get frostbitten?—Banana]
[Giant (Blue): Boost the limit of body growth]
[Note: Do you call me a tree? No no no, I'm just a big grass—Banana]
[Tenacious Life (Purple): You're less prone to death, with significantly enhanced recovery ability after an injury, though pay attention to nutritional consumption]
[Note: Huh? Bring me death? Try it, but stay clear of TR4!—Banana]
[Please decide within one minute or forfeit! Failure to choose will automatically result in selecting the first entry!]
Whoa, a purple entry!
Chen Wen gazed at the third entry [Tenacious Life], unable to help feeling awe.
This entry seemed tailor-made for survivalists.
Become hard to kill! Improve injury recovery capabilities!
It's all about the numbers!
The pure allure of stats!
A couple of sentences that outshine the essay of [Sun-lover].
Just like a sleek combo by Riven being overpowered by Galen's blunt numerical strength.
The system's attitude shifted slightly.
No hesitation, choosing [Tenacious Life].
When the purple glow shattered.
Chen Wen felt a brand new force surging within!
His weary body instantly became invigorated!
It's just that the feeling of hunger became more acute.
That might be the only side effect, perhaps?
Standing up after checking his body.
Chen Wen decided to seize the time while his body had recovered to start a fire.
Because he was going to go sea-gathering after a while.
Some marine life could be eaten raw, but there's always a risk of diarrhea.
In the wilderness, such risks must be avoided as much as possible.
Because the consequences of diarrhea in the wild could range from being weak for days to dying from dehydration!
...
Fire is the crucial engine that propelled humanity into the New Stone Age.
With fire, humans could cook food, disperse cold, and drive away wild beasts.
For survivalists, fire is an essential survival element.
Some survivalists have summarized.
To live comfortably in the wilderness, you must have a stable water source, a campfire, adequate food, and a safe shelter.
For Chen Wen, it was even more so.
Now his need for fire reached the highest level.
From subsequent food cooking, distilling seawater for fresh water, even creating dense smoke signals for rescue.
All required fire.
But starting a fire was a major hurdle Chen Wen had to overcome.
"I only know the Bow Drill method and Hand Drill method for fire starting, the Hand Drill method is out; it's too strenuous and heavily dependent on luck."
Chen Wen thought with a frown: "Can only use the Bow Drill method."
Actions speak louder than words.
Chen Wen picked up the shoes drying to the side and unfastened the laces.
Then he found a bent hardwood stick, tied the shoelaces on it to use as a bow.
Additionally, he found a straight dry stick to serve as a drill, known as a fire spindle.
Apart from the bow and drill, there needed to be a fire board.
During the gathering of materials, Chen Wen collected quite a few coconut shells.
Fortunately, it hadn't rained on the island during this period, so the coconut shells were quite dry.
Thus, Chen Wen planned to use the coconut shells as the fire board.
Then there was the crucial tinder.
Chen Wen ventured into the forest to find a stone, carefully selecting among the coconut shells.
He picked the one he believed to be the driest.
Using the stone, he constantly smashed it until the dry coconut shell turned into fibrous pieces.
"This thing, should serve as tinder, right?"
Chen Wen looked at the pile, somewhat unsure.
But at the moment, he could only try.
After collecting the tinder, Chen Wen proceeded to the final preparation step.
Drilling holes into the fire board, carving out grooves to funnel sparks, and sharpening the drill bow.
Aside from that, Chen Wen planned to build a fire pit using firewood and coconut shells.
Ignite a fire once the tinder catches fire.
Five minutes later, everything was set.
"Zhao, Zhao, you really should have gotten a decent Swiss Army knife."
Chen Wen said breathlessly.
After a brief complaint, Chen Wen began drilling wood to start a fire.
He took off his shirt, exposing his tanned and muscular upper body.
Then wrapped his shirt around his left hand, ensuring protection.
Next, he pressed a stone on his left palm and set the drilled spindle bow firmly on the fire board.
Afterward, he gripped the bow with his right hand and exerted force.
Grunt!
Chen Wen let out a muffled grunt, nearly losing his breath.
"Damn, why is this thing so hard to drill?"
Chen Wen couldn't help but exclaim.
But no matter how difficult, he had to take his time.
Constantly pulling the bow, causing the spindle to rotate.
After about five minutes of arduous drilling, his spindle finally smoothed out significantly from the friction.
And Chen Wen picked up speed.
Scrrr! Scrrr!
Accompanied by the spindle's friction, black sparks increased markedly in the groove.
As the black sparks accumulated.
More sparks trickled down along the V-shaped groove, landing onto Chen Wen's meticulously prepared tinder.
Seeing the piled sparks on the verge.
Chen Wen swiftly lifted the fire board, tipping the stored sparks entirely into the tinder.
Sealing the tinder, Chen Wen raised it in front of him, gently blowing.
Soon, wisps of smoke emanated from the tinder.
Chen Wen smelled the burning scent.
Could it be working!
Chen Wen suppressed the thrill in his heart, trembling hands, as he continued blowing.
The smoke intensified, even emitting yellow plumes.
Yet the fire Chen Wen desired hadn't emerged all along.
What's going on here?