Once the toilet was finished, I headed back to my hollow and went to sleep.
Sleeping during the day when I could have been productive felt wrong, but sleep is sleep. By my internal clock, I figured I’d slept for about three hours, yet the sun was still high in the sky.
Time for a status check.
Shelter, water, fire, food, and a toilet—everything was in order for the time being. However, looking toward tomorrow and the days beyond, the real issue was food. My current provisions consisted solely of the meat from that rabbit-like creature I’d luckily stumbled upon. Even considering that I didn't experience hunger while wielding the Universal Farming Tool—which meant I could cut down on the number of meals I ate—I estimated I only had about five days' worth of food. I wanted to find a new source before then.
But before that... I had to consider the night.
Naturally, it was better to sleep through the night, but the forest was terrifying. That Fanged Rabbit had been huge and aggressive. If a mere rabbit was like that, wouldn't something like a bear be incredibly dangerous? I’d managed to start a fire, but I’d heard rumors that wild animals being afraid of fire was just a superstition. Some supposedly got curious and approached it instead.
For the time being, I needed a door to block the entrance to the sleeping quarters I'd carved into the tree trunk. I cut down a tree of the right size with the Universal Farming Tool and fashioned a makeshift handle to finish it off. It was a bit heavy, but it needed to be sturdy to be of any use.
When I pulled the door shut, the interior became pitch black, which presented its own set of problems. Lighting a fire inside would either lead to me burning to death or suffocating from a lack of oxygen. I’d have to figure that out later.
Next up was a fence. I constructed one to surround my tree, the well, and the toilet. Calling it a fence was a bit of a stretch since I didn't have any nails; it wasn't anything fancy like you'd see on a ranch. I just used the Universal Farming Tool to fell the straightest, largest trees I could find, stripped the branches, and lined up the resulting logs. These were logs of a size that couldn't be moved without the tool, and even lying on their sides, they stood about a meter high. They should serve as a decent enough deterrent for any beasts.
This log perimeter gave me a satisfying sense of claiming my own territory, so I got carried away and decided to enclose a massive area. Maybe a hundred meters by a hundred meters? I might have overdone it. Regardless, by the time the log fence was complete, the sun was setting, so I turned in for the night.
I closed the door. As expected, it was pitch black. I couldn't get any work done like this, but I figured that was fine.
... ...... ............................
Ventilation!
Oh no, oh no!
Because it was so dark, I lost my bearings and panicked for a moment, unable to find the door. I managed to get it open, carved several air holes into the wood, and finally settled down to sleep. Phew.
The next morning, I set to work digging a moat along the outside of the log fence. The logs alone hadn't been enough to put my mind at ease, and I’d woken up several times during the night. For the sake of a good night's sleep, I was going to give this moat my all.
It was about a meter and a half wide and two meters deep—at least by my estimation. While I’d left a gap in the log fence to serve as an entrance, I made sure the moat completely encircled the perimeter. Then, I fashioned a bridge out of planks. These planks were also so heavy they were immovable without the Universal Farming Tool, but since I was the only one here, that wasn't an issue.
It turned out quite well. I felt much more secure now. It should be fine... or at least, I wanted to believe it would be.
Now that I’d secured the safety of my base, food was the next priority, but the moat had taken up a significant amount of time. The sun was already beginning to sink. It was probably best not to push my luck by heading out now.
I thought about calling it a day, but it wasn't like I had any entertainment. Besides, if I wasn't using the Universal Farming Tool, my physical stamina would start to drain. So, I decided to spend the time until sundown using the tool's hoe form to turn the patch I’d tilled into a proper field. After all, farming was what I really wanted to do.
I gripped the hoe in the cleared space outside the moat. Was there a standard size for a field? Even if there was, I had no way to measure it. I roughly marked out a fifty-meter square and began forming ridges inside it.
Doing the whole thing with just a hoe was actually quite fun. A proper field took shape right before my eyes. To ensure I didn't trample the work, I slightly raised the soil around the perimeter. It was looking good.
...And then, I realized it. It finally hit me.
I didn't have any seeds or seedlings.
Tilling a field was utterly pointless!
I spent the rest of the night tilling. I worked right through until morning. The moonlight was bright enough that the darkness didn't bother me. I swung the hoe single-mindedly, finishing the entire field.
Carrots go here, potatoes over there. Cabbage goes that way, and I wonder what I should put over there...
It was pure escapism. While I was using the Universal Farming Tool, I didn't get thirsty, I didn't get hungry, and I didn't even feel sleepy. As long as I kept working, I was a perpetual motion machine. By the time morning arrived, my log fence and moat were now further encircled by a massive expanse of tilled fields.
Hahaha.
I wondered if there were any plants in the forest that I could actually cultivate. Left with no other choice, I began tilling the forest floor as I moved. Traveling while using the tool was convenient, but as long as I was doing this, would I ever actually find a plant to grow? After all, whether it was grass or trees, the moment the tool’s hoe touched them, they turned into fertilizer. I wasn't skilled enough to swing the tool while carefully inspecting my surroundings. That was how I’d accidentally hunted that Fanged Rabbit before.
Heh. I did it again.
Another rabbit. Is it a local rabbit custom to leap out in front of people? And with naked hostility, at that. Just like last time, the hoe caught it in the neck; the head turned into fertilizer, but the body remained intact. I would gratefully accept the meal.
I tilled the forest until near sunset. I didn't encounter any plants that looked like they could be transplanted, but I did obtain three more rabbit bodies. I’d actually encountered four of them, but one's neck remained while the rest of the body turned into fertilizer. This reconfirmed what I’d suspected: the part of the hoe closest to the handle was the part that triggered the fertilizer effect. I offered a short prayer and turned the remaining head into fertilizer as well.
The rabbit bodies were about the size of a medium dog and a hassle to carry, but just like the timber, they became light once I hooked them with the Universal Farming Tool. I was truly grateful for this tool.
Feeling thankful for my many blessings, I enjoyed a meal of rabbit and committed myself to a solid night’s rest.