Shattered Flats: The Architect Hunted by His Own System

Chapter 7 - The Outhouse

After finishing his meal and letting himself rest a while, Nathan stood in front of his tool collection, weighing his options.

The chainsaw and the electric handsaw were both dead, and there was nowhere out here to charge either one. He hadn't stumbled across any other useful gear yet, so it looked like he was going old-school.

He grabbed a sturdy camping hatchet and a long-handled splitting axe while he was at it, the extra leverage would save some energy.

"Hope this actually gets me somewhere."

His right hand, wrapped in the green wristguard, tightened around the axe handle. That familiar rush of strength surged through his arm again.

Back at the tree line, Nathan found a decent trunk and swung. The blade bit in, and he noticed the difference immediately. Way less resistance than before.

Thunk.

Wood chips flew.

Not as satisfying as the raw power of the chainsaw, but with the wristguard's Lumberjack's Proficiency kicking in, every swing landed with solid, efficient force. He was making real progress.

He kept at it until the light started fading and the wind began to pick up. Only then did he drag his haul back to camp.

Seven trees total.

Not exactly record-breaking, but for pure manual labor, not bad at all.

Nathan pulled the logs into the Core's radius and, out of habit, selected Recycle.

"Equipment Effect Triggered: Resource Yield Increased! Obtained: Common Wood x42"

"Wait, what?"

Nathan blinked at the number that popped up.

Seven trees. Forty-two units.

That meant each tree was worth six wood now. Before, it had been five.

"So the wristguard's efficiency bonus doesn't just help me cut faster, it also bumps the recycle yield by twenty percent?"

A bonus he hadn't even considered.

It meant that for the same amount of work, he was pulling in a fifth more than anyone else out here. In a world this stingy, that kind of edge was the difference between scraping by and actually getting ahead.

"Okay, yeah. This thing's a keeper."

Nathan grinned and patted the wristguard fondly. Forget legendary gear, this uncommon piece was already pulling its weight.

"If a basic item does this much," he muttered, "what would a full set do? Or something rarer?"

The thought alone was enough to keep him motivated.

Night rolled in fast, swallowing the flats whole.

The sky overhead wasn't completely dark, though. Faint hairline cracks of pale light drifted across it, the same color as the Core's glow, weaving slowly through clusters of stars like veins under skin. It was strangely beautiful, in a way that felt wrong to admit.

If it weren't for the heat that could still kill a person in hours after dark, this might have passed for prime camping scenery.

Nathan sat at his new wooden table, firelight flickering beside him and stretching his shadow long across the packed earth.

Dinner tonight was going to be a feast.

In front of him sat the still-steaming Beef Stew MRE. On the grill rack over the Core, a slab of raw meat he'd traded for yesterday sizzled and spat.

Sszzz.

Fat dripped onto the glowing stone, sending up little puffs of smoke that smelled like heaven.

Nathan carefully tore open the sauce packet from the MRE and squeezed a bit of the gravy over the roasting meat.

No salt. No seasoning. That little packet was all he had.

A few minutes later, the rich smell of cooked meat filled the small camp.

He took a bite. Crisp on the outside, tender inside, flavor blooming across his tongue.

"Not bad," he mumbled around the mouthful.

The meat was firm but not tough, probably some kind of desert herbivore. None of that flat, grain-fed taste he remembered from back home.

A spoonful of rice, a bite of roasted meat, washed down with half a canteen of water.

Nathan allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. If he posted about this meal in the global channel, he'd probably get roasted by everyone still choking down hardtack and lukewarm water.

Full and content, he checked his inventory.

After accounting for what he'd eaten and adding today's haul, he still had over ninety units of wood.

Enough for a little splurging.

"Alright. Outhouse. Non-negotiable. Done living like an animal."

Nathan walked back to the Core, pulled up the building menu, and selected the Outhouse he'd been eyeing all day.

"Confirm Construction? Cost: Wood x30, Stone x20, Iron Scrap x5"

"Confirm."

The resources vanished from his inventory. A soft white glow flickered at the edge of camp.

A few seconds later, a neat little wooden structure rose up out of the ground.

Smaller than his main shelter, but the craftsmanship was noticeably better. There was even a small frosted window set into one wall.

Nathan practically jogged over and pushed the door open.

"Whoa."

Even with some expectations, he was genuinely caught off guard.

The floor wasn't packed dirt, it was smooth gray stone tile, laid clean and even. In the corner sat what looked like a proper ceramic toilet. A little old-fashioned, sure, but honestly not far off from the real thing.

What really got him, though, was the other side of the room. A glass-walled shower stall. Inside, a simple steel showerhead. Next to it, a small sink with a mirror.

Nathan hurried over and twisted the faucet.

One second. Two seconds.

Nothing.

Not a single drop. Let alone hot water.

"System Notice: No Water Source Detected. Construct and connect a Camp Water Storage and Heating System first. Materials Required: Iron Scrap x5, Sealant (or Resin x10) Daily Operation Cost: Wood x1 per day (prevents tank freeze and provides hot water)"

The smile slid right off his face.

"You have got to be kidding me."

To be continued.