Nick woke up every few hours to add more wood to the fire. Each time, he took a quick listen to his surroundings and then went right back to sleep, warm at night for the first time since arriving on the isle. He met the dawn without being hungry for the first time as well, although his stomach informed him that it would still appreciate breakfast sometime soon.

While he took in a magnificent sunrise over the flowing field of lava, Nick went to work planning out his day. He spotted some dark clouds strung out along the southern horizon, but with any luck they weren’t heading his way. He decided that he needed to head back to the spring right away, unless he found more coconuts on his journey south. After that, he should have half of the day free to further his objectives.

Although Nick wanted to return to the obelisk to check for any updates to his profile, making the trip to the western shore wouldn’t be an efficient use of his time until he was ready to make camp. Instead, he would head north from the spring, beginning his first foray into the forest, not counting the brief incursion he had made to climb the giant tree.

He intended to investigate and determine what manner of beasts inhabited the region, as well as forage for food and uncover any other resources that might prove useful. Of course, he would keep an eye out for more exploration reward chests, although Nick had a working theory that the crates on the beach were easier to find than those placed along the interior of the island. He had only spotted the cache secured at the top of the great tree through a stroke of luck. Once Nick had a better idea of what he was dealing with, he would come up with a concrete plan of action and decide how to go about exploring the rest of the island over the weeks ahead.

While it was tempting to stay holed up on the beach until the end of the tutorial, he knew that doing so would be a losing proposition in the long run. For one thing, the resources along the coast were gradually dwindling. The coconuts grew slowly and were already becoming scarce. Nick couldn’t count on finding any after a few more days of harvesting. The berries growing near the border of the beach had been scoured clean by the tribe as well, at least over on the western shore of the island.

In short, Nick needed to find another source of forageable food fast, until he devised a means of hunting the swordclaws or discovered a place to spearfish.

He held little hope that the situation on the island would remain stable for much longer. The phases mentioned in the quest’s description implied escalating challenges, and the first phase would end in another two days. The dynamics of the Searing Isle would change at that point, and Nick would have to scramble to adapt. Nick still had no idea what to expect, although as he gathered more data, he hoped to form a theory regarding the logic governing the tutorial, so that he could prepare adequately before the final phase began.

Regardless, he was certain that he would be forced deeper into the island sooner rather than later. This scenario was too much like a game for the System to leave so much prime real estate untouched.

At one point or another, Nick would have to enter the forest and the highlands beyond, and he intended to do so on his own terms. More than anything, he needed to avoid the predatory beasts roaming the isle. At least until he gained a few levels, acquired a proper weapon, and trained himself to basic competency in its use. He prayed that he wouldn’t run into anything as fearsome as the lurk. These incremental increases to Nick’s inventory and attributes meant nothing in the face of that living mountain of muscle and ill-will.

Before he broke camp, Nick shoved the most usable bits of claw into the pocket of his robe, his straight razor stored securely in his toolbelt. He spent a few minutes drawing a map of the island in the sand, in order to solidify his observations with a tangible representation. Finally, he reached into the firepit and filled several empty pouches with charcoal, in case he wanted to mask his scent again or found a reason to write or draw, adding a few small rocks for good measure.

His preparations complete, Nick began the long hike back around the shoreline. To his delight, he spotted another ripe coconut along the way. He decided to hold onto it without breaking it open, using the method he had worked out earlier to tie it onto his belt. The durable fruit would serve him best as an emergency source of food and water, assuming that he could find something else to eat later in the day. He needed to build up as big of a buffer between himself and starvation as he could.

While he walked, Nick began incorporating brief wind sprints into his daily routine, hoping to improve the capacity of his lungs, as well as the strength of his legs and heart. He wondered idly if the attribute increases he received due to conditioning applied themselves generally, or were slanted toward developing the specific muscles he used. If he did pushups for a decade until his strength hit ten, would he look relatively normal, or wind up with massive triceps out of scale to the rest of his body?

He laughed at the image conjured by his daydreams, then stopped fucking around, although Nick was glad for a momentary diversion to break the pace of his prolonged ordeal.

He had to circumvent several bands of roving swordclaws, who seemed more agitated than usual, less willing to suffer Nick’s presence in their domain. He wondered what had the beasts on edge, hoping that it wasn’t anything he needed to worry about, although he suspected that it was. There is a storm brewing along the horizon, he decided as he caught sight of another thick pack of clouds far to the south, tinged green like the ones he had seen from the treetop. Maybe it’s headed our way after all.

Nick was glad to have discovered the room at the top of the shipwreck. Unless the waves rose high enough to reclaim the remnants of the vessel, it would be a perfect place to ride out the deluge. If I get caught in the rain, I’ll just skip the obelisk until the weather system passes, eat my emergency coconut, and refill my canteen with rainwater. I’ll decide once I’m back in the area, based on the movement of the stormfront.

The storm had blown only a little closer three hours later, when Nick caught sight of the wreckage in the distance. As he was growing thirsty and had no guarantee that the rain would arrive anytime soon, he decided to head for the spring as planned, then revise his itinerary based on the progression of the clouds.

He made surprisingly good time, because Nick didn’t spot a single swordclaw or komo between the shipwreck and the spring. On his way around the bay, he stopped to ponder the doorway leading to the dungeon, planning to head inside a few days before the tutorial entered its final phase. Hopefully a few levels above the recommended minimum.

The grove surrounding the spring was free of beasts as well. Nick drank his fill and topped off his canteen, enjoying what had been his most relaxing day on the island to date. He was debating whether he should wash off the grime he had rubbed into his clothing the night before, when a vibrant vermillion butterfly landed on his forearm.

Nick had just enough time to feel a faint pulse of danger issued by his size up skill, before the elegant little shit stung him. It hurt like hell, but didn’t seem to be too venomous, although he would definitely keep an eye out for strange insects going forward. It was a timely reminder that while the beasts were the most pressing threat on the island, regular animals could be dangerous too.

In case his assailant was still fluttering somewhere nearby, Nick darted over to the opposite side of the grove before dunking his arm beneath the brisk spring water, waiting until the throbbing pain subsided before heading deeper into the woods. Due to the distraction of being stung, Nick only now noticed the electric tension that had risen to fill the air. The series of gigantic talon marks pressed into the mud. The silence that had descended as the animals living in the woodlands went to ground. A steaming pile of bone-studded shit topping off near the level of his knees.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Despite Nick’s fervent prayers to the contrary, it seemed that the lurk did not confine itself to the northern shore of the island. To the shaggy apex predator, every biome on the isle was part of its domain. Grounds to hunt at its leisure. While the massive beast didn’t range this far south often, it had decided to make the trip today. The lurk gazed down at Nick from behind the concealment of the branches. It tensed its powerful legs, took aim, and then struck in a blinding flash.

Although his instincts had been screaming to get his attention for the last few seconds, Nick had just processed the fact that something was terribly wrong when the foliage erupted in a blizzard of shorn leaf and vine. Accompanied by the crackle of shattered branches, the lurk emerged from the tree line with a savage growl.

To his abject horror, the hulking brute took aim and pounced, furry body streaking straight for where Nick stood. He looked up, taking in the sight of ivory talons and teeth flashing in the sunlight. Sunlight that was extinguished a heartbeat later as a solid wall of green clouds passed in front of the sun, the boom of thunder echoing in the distance.

He would have died then and there, had fear not caused Nick to stumble in the mud. He turned to run and fell flat on his back, just as the lurk soared through the space that his chest had occupied half a heartbeat prior. The impact of the multi-ton predator slamming into the earth reverberated through Nick’s bones, as a tsunami of adrenaline flooded every crevice of his body.

He scrambled back onto his feet, anticipating a fatal strike, just in time to watch the lurk slide across the mud before toppling into the spring with a enormous splash. He prayed that with its heavy body and short arms, the creature would be unable to swim. But his hopes were dashed three seconds later, when the beast’s head resurfaced, unleashing a deafening roar of rage.

The lurk did have a hard time navigating the terrain along the edge of the spring, slipping in the muck bordering the shore as it fought to regain its footing. Nick knew this obstacle would only delay the agile beast for a matter of seconds. That he had mere heartbeats to make his escape before the colossal predator caught up with him. It can swim, but it’s not good at it. Nick’s brain latched onto any detail that might boost his odds of living through this colossal blunder, which at the moment sat just a hair above zero.

If he survived, this would be an invaluable lesson. In addition to allowing a trivial injury to distract him, Nick realized with cold clarity that he had grown overconfident after learning how to avoid the lesser beasts on the island. Now Nick’s hubris might cost him his life.

He ran south along the stream. Knowing that despite pushing his body to the limit, the lurk would catch him within another minute at most. While his life was still in imminent danger, Nick had bought himself enough time to come up with a desperate plan. Rather than chancing the mud a second time, the lurk had decided to circle around to avoid the streambed.

He could feel the impact of its footfalls, although he could not see the beast while it was moving through the forest. Although he would have a hard time maintaining his lead long enough to get there, Nick knew that his only chance was to dive into the depths of the bay to the east. Hopefully the sheer walls and the powerful waves breaking against them would discourage the lurk from jumping in after him.

Nick needed to come up with a way to widen his lead before he was caught from behind. He was tempted to run into the ocean, but he knew it would never work. While he doubted that the lurk would be willing to dive into the tumultuous waters of the bay, anywhere else along the shoreline was too shallow. The colossal creature would catch up and pluck him from the sea, well before the floor grew deep enough for Nick to dive below the reach of its jaws. Although he could see the dynamics of his dilemma with stark clarity, after his original burst of inspiration, he was drawing a blank as to how he might outwit the apex predator.

The cacophony of pursuit was growing closer by the heartbeat, as the lurk snapped branches off the trees in passing. The rhythmic pounding of its feet slamming into the earth, growing closer and then closer still. Although he continued to sprint with everything he had, Nick already knew that it wouldn’t be enough. Before he made it halfway to the bay, the creature would catch him, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. Not that he wasn’t going to try his best regardless. Nick didn’t have time to look over his shoulder, every scrap of focus intent on picking out his path.

As he burst out of the brush and began running along the shore, the sound of the hunt cut off abruptly. A visceral tide of relief flooded through every cell of Nick's body. In defiance of the odds, the lurk had abandoned the chase mere moments before its climax. Maybe I lucked out and it came across a juicier meal.

Ten seconds later, the rising flame of his hope was extinguished like a snuffed candle. Because that was when Nick looked up. Where an army of angry green clouds was marching across the sky, conquering the heavens from horizon to horizon. Fey bolts of purple lightning danced throughout the nebulous host, and he could feel the pressure dropping deep within his bones. During his brief venture into the spring, the storm had changed course, and was now looming directly overhead.

Nick had just decided to head back to the shipwreck, then process his close brush with death, when the wind shifted, blowing in hot and moist like the breath of a titanic beast. The scorching air stung his skin, and looking up at the sky, Nick understood that the searing breeze heralded worse to come. The main body of clouds was fast approaching. Their texture and color were wrong, making the phenomenon unlike any storm on Earth. Layers of emerald and cerulean banded around their dark bellies, swollen with the promise of rain.

The few animals that he could spot along the shore were scrambling madly for cover. Even the predators were ignoring potential prey in their all-consuming flight. Something is terribly wrong. This must be a significantly greater threat than a regular storm. I need to make it back to the ship and take shelter before the stormfront breaks over the island.

That was the moment when the rain began to fall. A fat raindrop struck Nick’s elbow, and pain exploded across the surface of his skin, because the water was scalding hot. In the heart of that terrible moment, he came to understand the origin of the Searing Isle’s name. It wasn’t the volcano after all. Internalizing this fell revelation, he understood that he didn’t have time to make it back to the spring or over to the shipwreck. He had mere seconds to find shelter, or he was going to be boiled alive when the full fury of the storm descended upon him.

Nick pulled his bathrobe tight around his body to protect his skin, knowing that this feeble shield would only endure for the handful of seconds it took for the superheated liquid to saturate the cloth. He would have already been blinded if not for his hat. The cover of the canopy would do nothing to protect him from the superheated air generated by the storm. The only thing Nick could do was continue running and dive into the bay after all, gambling that the deep water would be sufficient to insulate him from the searstorm’s wrath.

He sprinted across the dunes, now engaged in a race for his life against a very different opponent, the unbridled ferocity of nature herself. The scalding rain intensified with every step he took, searing Nick’s arms and back, although his sunhat kept it from blistering his face. Wisps of steam rose from the sand like ethereal serpents. Soon, they would grow too thick to see the path ahead.

The temperature was climbing by the footfall, and he knew that instead of inflicting superficial injuries, within a few minutes at most, the sweltering downpour would raise his body temperature enough that he would pass out, sealing his fate. But Nick just had to hold on for a few final seconds. Long enough to dive into the chill water of the bay, then find a spot beneath the rocky ledge where he wouldn’t be cooked by the rain or drowned by the surging currents.

Moving so fast that the world was reduced to a liquid blur of color and motion, Nick streaked across the final stretch of beach and set foot onto the sand bordering the bay. His body was coated in a sheen of boiling water, creating a living latticework of agony all along his skin. A few more steps would see him to the water’s edge.

Just as Nick was about to dive into the bay, he saw a komo perform the same leap that he intended to take. The instant that the reptile plunged below the surface, a set of massive jaws rose from the murky depths, as a gigantic shark devoured the unlucky reptile in a single bite. All along the bay, scores of the bulky lizards, who must have had the same idea as Nick, were being consumed in a gore-studded feeding frenzy. His mind recoiled on spotting dozens of black fins cutting their way through the froth-capped waves.

The sharks must be native to this planet and tough enough to withstand the heat. They knew the storm was coming and that it would drive prey into the water. The bay is just as much of a deathtrap as getting caught out in the storm.

In the heart of that black moment, Nick knew that he only had one chance of living through the day. The dungeon, it’s just around the bend. I can make it in time. He put everything that he had left into sprinting down the interior of the bay, skidding to a stop in front of the steel wall and inlaid door. His hands were covered in blisters and each breath pulled searing air into his lungs. With no time left to ponder the implications of his decision, he flung the portal open and leapt inside.

Half a heartbeat later, Nick found himself standing below the surface of another planet.