Several weeks had passed since the appearance of the Apexoraptor. Bayu no longer slept with nothing but bare soil and tree roots beneath him. Around his shelter, small changes had begun to transform the area into a simple dwelling. Wooden branches had been arranged into a low fence, Ginkora fibers were used as rope, sharpened stones had been attached to the ends of wooden shafts to create spears, and several simple traps had been set along the path leading to the river. None of these things were based on Bayu’s previous survival experience. Instead, they were created with the assistance of the analysis device, which continuously provided designs and instructions whenever he discovered suitable materials. Bayu stood in front of a simple wooden table made from a fallen tree trunk. Several stones, pieces of bone, plant fibers, and wooden branches were arranged across its surface. "All right. The next priorities are hunting tools, defensive equipment, and then food storage. Don't make anything too complicated. We still don't have the facilities to work with metal." He touched the screen of the Temporal Displacement Unit. "Analyze the available materials and provide the design with the lowest difficulty level." The device responded immediately. SURVIVAL CRAFTING MODE AVAILABLE MATERIALS DETECTED WOOD STONE BONE PLANT FIBER RECOMMENDED TOOLS STONE AXE STONE SPEAR HUNTING KNIFE WOODEN TRAP FISHING SPEAR BASIC BOW — DEVELOPMENT INCOMPLETE Bayu read through the list and nodded. "Let's start with the axe." The device displayed a three-dimensional diagram. STONE AXE REQUIRED MATERIAL: 1× HARD STONE 1× WOODEN HANDLE 3× GINKORA FIBER ASSEMBLY DIFFICULTY: LOW Bayu picked up a stone selected by the device based on its mineral density. He then used another stone to break and shape its edge. His first attempt failed. The stone was too thin and shattered when he struck it. The second attempt produced a better shape. The third finally succeeded. Bayu attached the stone to a wooden handle and secured it with several strands of tightly twisted Ginkora fiber. He lifted the axe. "Still a long way from a modern axe." Bayu swung it at a small tree trunk. THUD! The bark peeled away. He swung again. THUD! Wooden splinters flew through the air. Bayu smiled. "But at least it works." From that day onward, Bayu's activities became an almost nonstop routine. The mornings were spent gathering water and searching for food. The afternoons were devoted to making tools and expanding his shelter. In the evenings, he hunted fish and gathered fruit. At night, he checked his biological data and planned his next tasks. Two types of food remained the main staples of his diet. Fish. And plants with high adaptive properties. Ravenberries became one of his regular foods because they helped his body recover after strenuous work. Ginkora provided the energy and minerals he needed for prolonged activity, while Karkadus was only consumed after proper processing to help increase his body's resistance to toxic compounds. Several weeks later, Bayu also began discovering other types of fruit. One of them was green with yellowish stripes running across its surface. BIOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION DESIGNATION: VELOCIFRUIT EDIBILITY: SAFE ADAPTIVE VALUE: HIGH PRIMARY EFFECT: NEURAL RESPONSE SECONDARY EFFECT: MUSCLE COORDINATION Bayu consumed a small amount. There was no dramatic change. However, after several days, he began to notice that his movements had become faster and more coordinated. Another fruit he discovered had a hard, bark-like brown shell. IRONBARK FRUIT. Its high mineral content helped promote muscle tissue development. Then there was Thornmelon, which provided energy and increased physical endurance. Bloodleaf Berry helped improve oxygen utilization. Meanwhile, Mistpear served as an excellent source of water and electrolytes after Bayu performed strenuous work. Bayu did not consume large amounts of any of them. He learned little by little. Scan. Test. Record. Then combine them with other foods. After several weeks, his body began showing changes that could no longer be dismissed as coincidence. One morning, Bayu opened his physiological status. ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION STATUS PHYSICAL ADAPTATION: 28.7% NEURAL ADAPTATION: 21.4% METABOLIC ADAPTATION: 31.2% ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE: 18.6% PREDATORY ADAPTATION: 16.3% OVERALL ADAPTATION: 70% Bayu fell silent. "Seventy percent?" He read the data again. Although the number had not yet reached its maximum threshold, the changes in his body were already impossible to ignore. His physical strength had far surpassed that of an ordinary human. His agility had increased. His reflexes had become faster. His body could endure fatigue, heat, minor injuries, and environmental conditions that would have made survival extremely difficult for an ordinary person. Yet when the device compared him to the local predators, the results still prevented Bayu from becoming overconfident. PHYSICAL CAPABILITY COMPARISON BAYU — ADAPTIVE HUMAN STRENGTH: HIGH AGILITY: HIGH REACTION SPEED: HIGH STAMINA: HIGH REGENERATION: MODERATE TOXIN RESISTANCE: MODERATE BODY DURABILITY: HIGH DIRECT COMBAT AGAINST LARGE THEROPODS: NOT RECOMMENDED Bayu let out a sigh. "Still not enough." He understood what the system meant. His body might already be stronger than that of an ordinary human, but the world around him was filled with creatures weighing several tons, possessing much larger bones, claws capable of tearing a human apart, and jaws powerful enough to crush bones. Even with his adaptive abilities, Bayu was still not the apex predator. That was why he never attempted to hunt dinosaurs directly. Instead, he hunted something far safer. Fish. Every few days, Bayu improved the traps along the river. He built small barriers from branches to guide the fish toward a specific area, then used a wooden spear to catch those that became trapped. He even began keeping several smaller fish in an artificial pond. At first, there were only a few. Then their numbers increased. Bayu even constructed a small channel connecting the pond to the water source. Everything was still primitive. But for the first time, he had a food source that did not depend entirely on luck. And the effect it had on his mind was beginning to show. After eating fish regularly, Bayu found it increasingly easy to recognize patterns. He began estimating the best time to catch fish based on the current of the river. He could remember the locations of fruits he had discovered before. He began memorizing predator routes. He even started drawing a simple map of the area surrounding his shelter. It wasn't because his memory had suddenly become perfect. His brain was simply becoming much more efficient at processing information. One day, Bayu stood in front of a gigantic tree. Its trunk was nearly as wide as two adults standing side by side. He raised his stone axe. "If I can bring this tree down, I'll have enough wood to expand my shelter." He began chopping. THUD! One swing. Then another. And another. On the first day, Bayu managed to create only a crack several dozen centimeters deep into the trunk. His arms felt heavy despite his greatly enhanced physical strength. On the second day, the crack grew deeper. Bayu continued working even as sweat covered his body and his breathing grew heavy. He ate Ravenberries, fish, and several pieces of Thornmelon to help his recovery before returning to work. The third day arrived. Bayu raised his axe. He swung with all his strength. THUD! A large crack appeared. He swung again. THUD! The massive trunk trembled. Bayu took a deep breath. Then he swung the axe one final time. KRAAAK! The sound of breaking wood echoed throughout the forest. The giant tree slowly began to tilt. Bayu stepped back. Several seconds later— BRUUUUM! The tree crashed to the ground. Bayu stood silently beside the enormous trunk. Three days. That was how long it had taken him to cut down a tree that an ordinary human could never have felled with a stone axe in such a short amount of time. He looked at both of his hands. There were no serious injuries. Only a few minor scratches. Bayu smiled. "If this keeps up..." He looked at the wood he had just obtained. "...I really can build something." However, just as Bayu was about to start cutting the trunk into smaller pieces, the Temporal Displacement Unit emitted a warning sound. LONG-RANGE BIOLOGICAL SCAN MULTIPLE LARGE LIFE FORMS DETECTED Bayu immediately stopped. A map appeared on the screen. Several red dots were moving around his territory. One of the dots was significantly larger than the others. Bayu zoomed in. SPECIES: UNKNOWN THEROPOD ESTIMATED MASS: 1,200–1,600 KG DISTANCE: 2.3 KM He stared at the data. It wasn't the Apexoraptor. But it was still a predator. Bayu then looked in another direction. Two additional red dots appeared. Then three. They were moving toward the river. Toward the location of his fish pond. Bayu's smile disappeared. For the past few weeks, he had been too focused on building a life. Planting. Gathering. Fishing. Improving his body. But he had almost forgotten one important fact. The more food he gathered, the greater the chance that predators would also be attracted to his territory. Bayu immediately grabbed his spear. The device sounded again. HUNTER MODE CURRENT PROGRESS: 70% NEXT ADAPTATION THRESHOLD: 75% Bayu stared at the number. Then he looked toward the forest. Heavy footsteps began to echo from the distance. DUM. Bayu tightened his grip around the spear. This time, he wasn't simply defending himself. He was defending his first reliable source of food. And if those predators discovered the fish pond he had just built... then Bayu's entire plan to build a life in this prehistoric world might end before it had truly begun.

Chapter 7 — The Beginning of Adaptation