Chapter 4

As another palm tree fell, Jeff nodded in satisfaction. He still needed to cut down about two or more trees to get the skill since his experience points were at 46.

He still needed about 54 points to unlock the skill. Walking a few steps, he arrived at another palm tree.

With a swing of his trusty axe, the palm tree shook, causing an indentation on the part where he hit the bark.

With just a few more tries, like about 15 swings, the tree could not handle it anymore and fell.

[You just cut a tree. You have gained 5 experience points & 2 points.]

[76/100 exp. Remains to unlock a skill]

Jeff was very excited. With one more palm tree to go, he could finally unlock a skill. So he went to the nearest palm tree, where he began hacking at it like crazy.

Even though his muscles were sore and his palm had turned purple, he didn't stop. With the 16th swing, the palm tree shook, as it slowly bent and fell to the sandy beach.

[You just cut a tree. You have gained 5 experience points & 2 points.]

[100/100 exp. Remains to unlock a skill]

[Congratulations for collecting the required amount for unlocking a skill]

[Skills: Woodcutter [1]: At this level, the host can chop trees but with low efficiency and speed. Effect: Damage to chopping any trees is increased by 10%.]

Suddenly, a small amount of information began to seep into his mind. The system provided him with a small knowledge base about the proper form and techniques for cutting trees more efficiently.

It was as if a new layer of understanding had been unlocked, giving him insights on how to angle his axe, the best spots to strike, and how to minimize his effort while maximizing the impact of each chop.

"Wow, this cheat is really out of this world. I can't imagine if I have this cheat back in the city," Jeff mumbled, filled with astonishment.

"Let's test out the effect of this skill," he spoke, as he walked another few steps.

Arriving at the tall palm tree, Jeff adjusted his stance and gripped the axe strongly. Using the acquired knowledge from the system, he angled the axe just right and struck the tree with precision.

The blade sank deep into the wood, with the impact far more effective than before. With each swing, he noticed how much easier it had become to cut through the palm tree, thanks to the system's guidance.

He also felt that his sore and tired hands seemed to have gained vitality, though the soreness was still there. As the tree fell, he saw that the effect was really great.

"From the earlier swings, it took me exactly 14-16 swings to chop a palm tree. Now, with this skill, it took exactly 11-12 swings. Talk about small improvements," Jeff uttered in small breath.

Even though 2-4 swings lower wasn't a huge improvement, when he used the axe with a good stance and the right angle, he didn't get tired easily, so it was still a great progress.

"What should I do next? Should I build a shelter? Or just a campfire? But I still need water and food," he pondered on what to do. After making up his mind, he decided to go with the most important one.

He thought that getting some water and food was more important than shelter, so he walked to the fallen palm trees and took those coconuts to be used as containers for water.

He then went to the sandy area where the drift of the ocean couldn't reach that spot. He put the coconuts there, about eight of them with the size of a basketball.

But now the problem was food! How was he going to catch food? With his speed, he could capture a fish in the shoreline, but he wasn't confident.

"It's better to try than starve to death," he said to himself, since who was he going to talk to about it?

So, he went to the shoreline where his feet were slowly drenched by the seawater. He didn't go any deeper since if he did, he would become a snack for the sharks.

So, he only walked to the line where the water reached his knees.

Finally, he spotted a big fish, just a few steps away from him. He slowly sneaked up on its back and with great speed, he caught it.

But because of the slippery scales, it slipped off his hands, making him stunned.

The fish then hurriedly swam away, afraid it would be caught again. Jeff stood still and was surprised that his hands were actually this fast.

He didn't know the true potential of Wing Chun. Even in the movie 'Ip Man', Donnie Yen could throw 8-10 punches per second.

This rapid punching technique, often referred to as "chain punching" or "straight blasts," and was designed to overwhelm an opponent with a flurry of strikes.

His hands could become a machine gun, since he had mastered this skill when he was young.

Imagine using this on a girl! It could make them reach new heights. And of course, he didn't think about this possibility. If he did, he could become a walking time bomb.

Wherever he went, even an experienced enemy at that would close their legs just by seeing him.

With this newfound confidence, he decided to go catch another fish. After spotting a black spot in his vision, just a few steps away from him that resembled a fish, he shot his hand out at the speed of lightning.

Catching it on his palm, the fish struggled, but knowing this, he gripped it tightly, making the fish's struggle futile.

Jeff then walked ashore since the fish he caught was big, over 22 cm tall—clearly enough for the afternoon.

Looking up, he could see that the sun was striking the horizon at an angle of about 45 degrees, indicating it was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Do you want to know why I know? Of course, Google! What else? But for him, he knew that it was about to strike 5 o'clock since the position of the sun was about to set.

He then proceeded to his next action, he needed to at least build a fire to scare away any potential danger.

It would also help him with the cold weather and, of course, to cook his fish. The fish could only look at the human who caught it, filled with resentment, accepting its fate as it closed its eyes.

As tears fell to its eye-sockets, sliding on its cheeks, actually it's just seawater, hahaha!

If he remembered correctly, during camping, his teacher instructed all of them on how to make a fire. Like using a bow drill, flint and steel, a battery, steel wool, and a magnifying glass.

But he didn't have any of those. After digging deeper into his memories, he found a good one that used nature's resources.

Which was a fire plow, a technique were rubbing a stick against a groove in a piece of wood to create friction and heat.