Chapter 7: Survival and Strategy: The Battle for Silent Forest

I don’t understand.

Why is there a menu placed on the desk in the PC room?

And the menu has so many options.

Still feeling confused, I glanced at the menu and then quickly turned on the computer.

Even with my shallow knowledge, I could tell that the computer’s specs were pretty impressive.

Well, I remember that right before I disappeared, battle royale games were becoming popular,

and PC rooms were upgrading to high-spec setups.

It’s been five years, so it’s no surprise they’ve advanced even more.

The wide desktop displayed a variety of games lined up.

Among them, there were a few games I recognized,

but most of them were new releases that had recently gained popularity.

After briefly scanning, I quickly clicked on a familiar icon.

Of course, it had to be Eternal Battle.

I didn’t want to switch to another game right away.

Well, I might get bored of this later,

but that’s a story for another time.

Upon logging into Eternal Battle, the loading screen appeared,

and it transitioned to the main menu.

The character at the center of the screen closely resembled my real-life appearance.

Originally, Eternal Battle didn’t have set characters it was a customizable game.

But for some reason, from the moment I created my account, my appearance had been fixed this way.

Even when I created a secondary account, the result was the same.

I still had no idea why I ended up in the world of Eternal Battle.

I decided to just close my eyes and ignore such unreal situations.

I immediately queued for a match.

Again, it was a solo battle royale.

It was the mode I was most comfortable with and the one I excelled at.

Ranked and regular matches.

After a brief hesitation, I clicked on ranked.

It was about time I graduated from regular matches and started ranked.

I’d only started playing Eternal Battle again just last week after returning to reality.

I had been busy with deliveries during the day,

so I could only play for a short time late at night.

That meant I had only just reached the level required to start ranked matches.

Perfect timing. My home connection was too slow, and I couldn’t perform at my best.

Since I was already in the PC room, maybe I should take the placement test?

“Alright.”

After a light stretch, the match was ready.

As 66 players simultaneously entered the waiting room, the ping didn’t fluctuate at all.

So, this is what it’s like in a PC room in the peninsula. Impressive.

I looked around and slightly furrowed my brow.

The map for this match was Silent Forest the last battlefield I experienced before returning to reality.

I didn’t really like this one.

There were too many bugs and insects, which was disgusting.

The problem was that it was often necessary to use those insects as food because it was hard to find supplies.

Moreover, the events on this map were really annoying.

It might not seem like much when just explained,

but once you experience it firsthand, you’ll realize how troublesome it really is.

The weather is also blazingly hot.

Maybe this round, I’ll have to focus more on survival than on combat.

Considering various factors, I chose the location that seemed most suitable for survival.

It was a small creek valley split off from the large river to the far south.

As soon as I was moved there, I quickly opened my eyes and stood up.

The most important thing when starting any map is to find your main weapon.

Unlike last time, I didn’t have the luck of finding a weapon right away this time.

I had no choice but to move quickly and search.

“Oh.”

After walking for a while, I finally found a box containing a pistol and a hat.

A revolver and a cowboy hat.

Forget what I said earlier about bad luck.

This is really lucky.

I never expected to find a matching set of gear right from the start.

Without hesitation, I equipped them immediately.

The revolver is known for its high damage,

low stability, and slow rate of fire.

Silent Forest is also full of thick trees,

making it easy to hide, almost like a ruined ruin.

In other words, rather than an open battle,

ambushes and backstabbing are much more common here.

The revolver’s long reload time means I prefer short skirmishes over prolonged battles,

so it works well for me.

However, there was something more important right now.

As I said earlier, survival is key in this round.

This map has a food shortage, and with the hot weather,

my character will soon start feeling the heat, and hydration will rapidly decrease.

After grabbing the revolver, I headed toward the valley.

I filled the water pouch that was already equipped with some water.

Water is life.

Of course, drinking it as is would likely result in food poisoning, so I had to purify it first.

It’s not that complicated.

With a few leaves and some time, I could purify it easily.

I set up the purification system in a hidden spot and kept moving.

It would be a waste of time to just sit there waiting for the water to be purified.

During that time, I had to farm and hunt to improve my specs and aim for first place.

I scavenged nearby while picking up revolver ammo.

Bang!

I hunted a rabbit and a roe deer, collecting leather, meat, and a pair of sneakers.

Not a terrible reward, but it wasn’t exactly a jackpot either.

I’d call it average.

At this point, I should be running into other players soon.

As they say, when you mention a tiger, it comes.

I heard rustling sounds to my left.

I immediately hid in the bushes and aimed the revolver.

Since I wasn’t fully leveled up, I couldn’t take them out with one shot,

but that was probably true for my opponent as well.

I slowly inhaled and held my breath.

My hand’s slight tremor faded, and I focused on aligning the aim, listening closely for any sound.

The opponent, unaware, walked into my line of sight.

I didn’t rush to shoot, but patiently waited for the target to enter my pre-set aim.

And then.

Bang!

“Headshot.”

A clean one-shot kill.

In this overly detailed game, the parts of the body not covered by armor have low defense.

That means that, if both players have the same defense, the gear that covers more of the body is better.

In that sense, the opponent’s military cap didn’t protect his face, leaving him vulnerable.

Ultimately, the powerful revolver bullet pierced his temple, resulting in an instant kill.

Not letting my guard down, I waited a moment to make sure no other enemies were nearby.

Once I was certain no one else was around,

I emerged from the bushes and approached the body.

I closed my eyes for a moment, offering a silent tribute to the fallen.

I knew it didn’t matter in the game,

but it had become a habit for me.

Searching through the opponent’s inventory, I found some decent loot.

The cowboy hat was part of the set,

so I didn’t need it since its durability had already decreased from the recent shot,

but the other equipment was good, and there was plenty of useful gear.

Especially the Royal Guard’s uniform, which has a very high grade, could be considered a jackpot.

If I had aimed for the heart instead of the head, I might not have killed him in one shot.

Feeling satisfied with the results, I returned to the water purification device.

Fortunately, no one had raided my spot. If that had happened, I would have noticed immediately.

I filled the water pouch with clean water and salted all the meat I had obtained.

Without a refrigerator, salting the meat is not an option, but a necessity.

Of course, salting also requires basic seasonings like salt, pepper, and soy sauce.

So, whenever I find seasonings during farming, I always make sure to grab them.

If my inventory is full, I’d even throw away secondary weapons to make space.

It seems most regular players prefer games that are easy to enjoy,

so they often focus more on combat than survival.

I understand that mindset to some extent.

But for me, maybe because this wasn’t just a game but reality,

I couldn’t help but prioritize survival even more than combat.

Especially when it comes to food and water,

I couldn’t understand scavengers who ignored these in favor of focusing solely on combat,

only to loot survival items from the bodies of the enemies they killed.

Think about it.

You’re about to starve to death and finally kill an enemy to loot their corpse,

but what if they’re also a scavenger? You’d be stuck in the same position, dying there.

There are too many variables in such a strategy,

making it too risky to attempt unless absolutely necessary.

The key is balance.

The proper balance between combat and survival.

It was the truth I arrived at after 100 battles, always yearning for victory.

Survival isn’t just about water and food.

Equally important are body temperature and sleep.

The one thing that manages both of these is the shelter.

Before completely moving out of the restricted area, it’s best to stick to the shelter you set up at the beginning, even if it’s not the ideal spot.

Of course, doing so reduces your activity range, which could slow your growth compared to others.

But that’s a simple problem that can be overcome with superior physical ability.

As the game entered its mid-to-late stages,

and my main weapon’s growth was progressing well,

Eventually, my shelter was set up outside the restricted zone.

The fog would roll in soon.

It was time to move.

Checking my watch, I saw that the number of survivors had dropped to around 20.

Though I didn’t see it firsthand, I’d wager that half of the casualties were due to survival issues, not combat.

That’s just how this game works.

That’s why it’s so divisive.

As I was considering where to set up a new shelter while looking at the map,

A strong sense of unease struck me,

and I immediately turned off my watch and scanned the surroundings.

“Sigh.”

I couldn’t help but exhale deeply.

Has it finally begun?

It’s event time.

This is the reason I hate Silent Forest.