Ahhh, I'm sleepy.
My drowsiness is getting pretty bad now.
Who knew sleeping outdoors without even a makeshift shelter would hit this hard.
I thought I could tough it out a bit longer, but I'd better figure out a proper way to get some real sleep, or I'm in trouble.
That said, if it were that easy to get a good night's rest, I wouldn't have forced myself into exploration while chronically sleep-deprived in the first place.
At this point, I don't think the Earth Dragon will chase me in here, but strong enemies are crawling all over the place instead.
A makeshift shelter could get broken through.
But building a full-on base? Absolutely not.
I don't want to put down roots here.
I want to escape this place as fast as possible.
For that, I can't afford to build something that takes forever to construct.
So a makeshift shelter it is, but whether that's enough to keep me safe from the Monsters around here is anyone's guess.
And round and round we go.
I wracked my sleep-addled brain for ideas.
Couldn't a makeshift shelter work if I played it right?
Like, instead of just throwing one together anywhere, maybe hide it somewhere hard to spot?
Well, the rocks around here are pretty rugged, but I haven't seen any spots that would let me hide all that well.
Wait, though?
Do I even need to hide?
The whole point is just making sure other Monsters can't get to me, right?
If that's the case, there's a perfect spot.
I headed there right away.
That spot being the ceiling — way up at the top after climbing the wall.
Whoa.
That's tall.
That's scary.
Can I actually sleep peacefully up there?
But as far as I've seen, none of the Monsters around here can climb walls or fly.
Well, the snail bugs are a different story.
I haven't seen any bees since leaving that wide-open space either, so if I build a makeshift shelter wedged between the ceiling and the wall, I should be safe sleeping inside. At least, that's what I figured.
So, time to build my nest.
Wow, this is seriously high.
About a hundred meters off the ground — how many floors is that in a high-rise?
Falling from here means instant death.
Well, I've got a lifeline so I shouldn't actually fall, but still, working out in the open like this is nerve-wracking.
Fear Resistance, do your job!
《Proficiency has reached a certain level. Skill "Fear Resistance LV5" has become "Fear Resistance LV6"》 Sorry about that.
I spoke too soon.
Don't throw in a perfectly-timed dig like that.
Ahh, that scared me.
Anyway, the outer frame is done.
I just stuck adhesive silk in a net pattern between the wall and the ceiling. Nothing fancy.
Inside this frame, I'm planning to make a sleeping spot like a hammock.
Hmm.
But from the outside, this thing is completely exposed, right?
If I take a ranged attack like the Earth Dragon's breath, I'm done for.
I should probably hide it a bit.
Can I do something with the rocks scattered around?
I head back down to ground level.
Look at the rocks.
Hmm.
Too big as is.
Can I process them somehow?
Maybe cut them with Slashing Thread?
I tie thread around a rock and activate Slashing Thread.
I pull.
Hmm, it cuts a little, but it's not enough.
What if I saw back and forth like a saw?
Oh, it's working — slowly, but it's working.
《Proficiency has reached a certain level. Skill "Slashing Thread LV3" has become "Slashing Thread LV4"》 The skill level-up mid-work boosted my efficiency.
Alright, one thin-cut rock, done.
I'll affix these to the surface of my nest for camouflage.
I secure the thread firmly to the rock.
Then I carry the thread all the way back up to the nest a hundred meters above.
Good, all I have to do now is haul this rock up.
Hmph!
Oh, it's heavy!
Ughhhhh.
Come on, put your back into it.
There!
《Proficiency has reached a certain level. Skill "Strength LV2" has become "Strength LV3"》 My Strength skill leveled up mid-haul.
It did, but it's still heavy.
This is burning through both Burst and Endurance like crazy!
This is brutal!
《Proficiency has reached a certain level. Skill "Burst LV1" acquired》 《Proficiency has reached a certain level. Skill "Endurance LV1" acquired》 I apparently gained some new Skills.
But I don't have the luxury of checking them right now!
Come on... pull!
Haaah... haaah.
Haah.
I finally managed to haul the rock up.
Whoa, looking at my stats, my stamina has dropped below even the Overeating stock.
Yeah, no wonder this feels awful.
Wait a minute?
Something's off — I was trying to think of a quick way to get some solid sleep, so why am I doing manual labor instead?
Hmm?
Best not to think too hard about it.
Yep.
My efforts paid off. The rocks I stuck to the nest are nicely concealing me from view.
Now I just need to set up my bed real quick.
Done!
Ahh, paradise, paradise.
Yeah, there's nothing like sleeping in silk.
This is it. Without this, I can never sleep peacefully.
Oh, before I crash, I should check what my new Skills do.
"Burst: SP (Burst) receives a bonus equal to Skill Level"
"Endurance: SP (Endurance) receives a bonus equal to Skill Level"
Ah, so they're the SP versions of Strength and Durability.
My SP for each was 40, and now they're up to 41.
Stamina is crucial, so this is a nice perk.
Alright, Skills checked, exhausted from the hard labor — time to sleep!
I'll probably get to sleep deeply for the first time in ages, so I'm going to indulge in as much lazy rest as I want.
So then, goodnight.