TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

Tom focused on cutting the boar meat, all the while keeping a watchful eye on a gangly White dude with a twitchy gaze who seemed fixated on the pile of meat.

Hana and Bo had checked in a short while ago; they were heading to the other side of the hill to establish a [Lumber Zone] in the woods, and to test Hana's new [Simple Bone Hatchet].

Near the top of the hill, Kate kept a vigilant watch over the children and the surrounding woods. Tess and Amber were engaged in a fight with sticks, which Tom frowned at.

Chloe sat, hunched and alone, near one of the campfires. A group of kids her age was gathered around the flames, and she watched them from the periphery.

Tom wished Chloe would just go over and talk to them. However, he imagined she was probably twisting herself into knots at the thought of rejection.

Loo practiced various yoga poses nearby, and Tom could have sworn he just saw Finn eating a leaf.

The families still needed to meet up and discuss their newfound abilities from Level 3, but they hadn't had the time or privacy to do so.

Tom shook his hands to get rid of the bloody boar gunk. He stood, stretched his back, and groaned. He turned to Mike and Jill. "I need to move around for a bit, my back is hurting. Keep an eye on 'twitchy' over there." Tom nodded at the tall guy.

Tom went through a few back stretches as he walked. He decided to check on the status of the maple tree hunt.

Hana and several others were watching a patch of woodland with stunned expressions. Tom followed their eyeline and stopped in his tracks.

A group of people moved around inside a small section of the woods, but not in a normal way. They appeared to skip from one spot to another, almost as if Tom was blinking too slowly.

Bo was near a fallen tree, and then he was at the opposite end of the patch, throwing logs onto the pile. It was as if time was jumping forward in quick bursts.

Bo stepped out of the woods, and approached Tom at normal speed. "Can you believe this shit?"

"What exactly am I looking at?" Tom gestured toward the men and women blinking from one spot to another as they worked.

"It's my [City Planner] profession," Bo explained. "I was able to designate this area as a [Lumber Harvesting Zone], which creates a time dilation effect for [Lumberjacks]. Everyone in there is a [Lumberjack] and they're using their mana in the Zone, allowing them to take advantage of the time dilation. Right now, we only have the one axe . . . " Bo looked pointedly at Hana.

Hana seemed to snap out of her trance. "Yeah, I'm on it!" She walked away.

"Thanks, babe," Bo called after her. He turned back to Tom. "We only have the one axe, so they're taking turns as they get tired. I know it looks weird from the outside, but, to them, everything feels normal as they chop down trees and move around. My [Micromanager] specialization allows me to join them, though I'm not nearly as effective at chopping down trees. Mostly I'm just helping to move logs."

Tom shook his head. "That is both messed up and amazing. Look at how many logs are piling up! Is this enough to keep everyone warm tonight?"

"Should be, and maybe a steady supply of logs for new [Profession Booths] as they sink."

Tom turned to find Bridget standing behind him.

"Hey, guys. You have a minute?"

"Oh, uh, hey." Bo replied. "If this is about yelling at Blake, I really don't have the time—"

"It's not," Bridget said in a firm voice. "Right now, on the other side of the hill, there are dozens of people showing up. Most of them lived in the north side of Raintree. They said they were chased out by spiders with wolf heads."

"By what, now?" Tom said.

"Yeah . . . do you guys want to come talk to them?"

"Are there any monsters after them right now?" Bo asked.

Bridget shook her head.

"Then it's no for me," said Tom. "I was just getting ready to start cooking some food. Hopefully."

Bo let out a sigh. "Unless you specifically need me, I'll keep hauling wood. We're going to need even more firewood now. Grab Kate and Finn, in case anyone is injured. Any idea how many people are on our hill now?"

Bridget paused and considered Bo's question. "Somewhere between one hundred, and one hundred and fifty."

"Does your offer to help still stand?"

"Of course," Bridget responded with a smile.

"Could you get a more accurate count of the people, including the people coming in now? Check where they're from, and see if anyone is from outside our subdivision? Oh, and find out their classes, as long as they're willing to share. Let me know if there are any other healers. Oh, and make sure everyone knows how to find their information sheets in the first place, you might have to teach them. Involve the kids if you need to. Take a few minutes to explain the profession stuff as well. Oh, and maybe you can find out if any of the new arrivals have seen a police officer, or a gun, or any technology recently . . . "

Bridget's eyes had glazed over.

"Oh, and one more thing . . . "

Bo listed several more things, while Bridget blinked slowly at him.

"That's all I can think of for now. Thanks, Bridget."

"All right," said Bridget, looking dazed. "I'll do my best." She turned to walked away.

"No, wait!"

Bridget turned around.

"Bridget, do you have this?" Bo said, peering into her eyes. "Not 'I'll do my best', but do you actually have this? This is important. I appreciate the help, but if you don't know if you can do it, then I'll do it."

Bridget stared back at him and nodded. "I got this," she said firmly. She turned and trudged away.

"One hundred and fifty people who need to be fed every day, and not just one meal," Tom said. "We are in deep trouble here." He paused, and did some mental calculations. "Luckily the boar was a big animal, so we probably have over five hundred pieces of meat. I'm counting on being able to infuse some mana into each chunk to hopefully make it a full meal per person. But we still need maple syrup. I was talking to an older guy with a beard about looking for maple trees earlier. Have you seen him around?" Tom indicated the wood and the [Lumber Zone].

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"Let me go see," Bo replied. "You could technically walk into the [Lumber Zone] if you wanted, but you'd still be moving slowly and getting in everyone's way. I'll be right back."

Bo entered the Zone and zipped around. He flashed into existence with the bearded man from earlier, dragging a small log behind them.

"Found this guy moving like molasses through the [Lumber Zone]." Bo laughed, and patted the older man's back.

"Sorry about that! I think this is the tree, though." He huffed as he dragged the log closer to Tom. "And it's dripping sap, or maybe syrup?"

Liquid oozed from the freshly cut section of the tree.

[Simple Cooking Ingredient]

[Maple Syrup]

Tom brightened. "Yes! That's it, great job! Thanks a lot. I'm Tom, by the way."

The man shook Tom's hand. "No problem. I'm Sam." He nodded at the log. "That still good for a meal?"

"Sure is. Come down and see me in a bit."

Hell yes! That's all the ingredients.

Tom hauled the maple log away. As he left, he overheard Bo ask Sam if he had any interest in becoming a [Lumberjack].

Tom returned to Mike, Jill, and the stash of boar meat. He laid the log down, and gathered rocks and sticks to make a small cookfire. He lit it using a flaming stick from one of the campfires. Despite the pain radiating up and down his spine, Tom smiled as he fantasized about feeding everyone, including himself. He sat by the fire and mentally recalled the recipe for [Simple Hearty Boar Kabobs].

The process seemed straightforward. He grabbed a glowing green stick and a piece of glowing green boar meat. He slid the meat onto the stick, and placed it over the fire.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a pot to collect the dripping syrup, so he moved the stump closer to the warm flames, hoping it would still work.

A strange movement made Tom look up. The people close to his cookfire moved in slow-motion. Mike and Jill were cutting the last cubes of boar meat; at their current speed, it would take minutes for the food to reach the pile. The time dilation effect obviously applied to [Cooks] too.

Tom focused on the meat as it sizzled and smoked over the crackling fire. The alluring aroma of grilled boar filled his nostrils, making his mouth water. He felt his mana slowly draining away.

Once the meat was cooked, it glowed a bright green, signaling that it was ready. He pulled it off the fire, wiped his finger along the syrup dripping from the maple log, then brushed it onto the meat. He 'willed' his mana into the Kabob.

This time, the green hue was dazzling. The recipe prompt glowed brighter as well, before declaring itself 'complete' and auto-closing.

Tom took a delicate bite. The meat was hot, tender, and juicy, with a smoky depth. The addition of maple syrup added a delightful sweetness.

I would cry if there weren't people around.

Tom saw a buff activate from the bite. A radiant but gentle heat started in his stomach and spread out through his body. It loosened his muscles, reached all the way into his fingers and toes, and seeped into his bone marrow.

It worked!

He doubted he had eaten enough to fully satisfy his hunger, or make the buff last long-term, but he was thrilled.

The time dilation was paused, and Amber was standing beside him. Tom restrained himself from eating more, and passed the Kabob to Amber.

"Try a small bite, then pass it to someone else." He gestured toward the gathering crowd. "And ask those people to form a line."

Tom prepared the next Kabob.

It didn't take long for the smell of cooking meat to attract more and more people. The pile of boar meat wasn't huge, but it seemed like there would be enough for everyone to eat and warm up.

Tom checked his food buff once more.

[Fully Satiated: Hearty Boar Kabob provides XS.02 boost to durability and XS.02 boost to warmth. Provider: Tom Damascus.]

Tom was pleased with the results. He stood and addressed the crowd. "Okay, here's how we're going to handle this boar. The meat will be shared, but we need to be organized. First, all the kids will be fed. That's all the children across the entire camp. No seconds, just one."

The tall twitcher who had been eyeing the meat earlier spoke up from the crowd. "Hey, a lot of us haven't eaten in days. I've seen these kids snacking this whole time!"

With a jolt, Tom realized this was the same guy who had been staring at their backpacks near the campfire.

Tom locked eyes with him. "Kids first."

The man stared back for a few moments, before looking away.

Tom addressed the wider gathering. "As someone with the [Cook] profession, I can infuse mana into the food. When you eat it, it'll keep you warm for eight hours, and one small cube of meat should fill you up like a full meal. There's enough for everyone, so don't—"

BAM.

A blazing log rammed into Tom's face.

His vision blurred and faded. The crowd's shouts and screams were barely audible. He swiped ash from his eyes, but his vision stayed cloudy.

A lanky shape swam into view.

Tom lunged.

He grabbed the tall man by the throat, and squeezed.

The burning log grazed Tom's arm as it fell from his attacker's grasp.

The man's eyes bulged. He gurgled, and tried to hit Tom's arms; it was like a child trying to fight an adult.

All Tom could see were his hands, and the man's swollen red face.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered his family's screams.

"Dad!"

"Tom! Stop!"

Tom let go.

The man fell back into the people behind him. A couple of them grabbed him and held him up.

"What's going on?" Bo pushed his way through the crowd and stood in front of Tom.

Many voices spoke and shouted over each other.

Tom turned to his assailant. "What's your name?"

He struggled to speak, then coughed out an answer. "Stan."

Tom addressed Bo and the rest of the crowd. "I believe there's been a misunderstanding. Stan was offering to haul the log piles to the top of the hill in trade for a Kabob. We just had a disagreement about when he would receive his food."

Tom turned back to Stan. "But we've come to an agreement that you'll eat after the log piles have been moved. Is that right?"

Stan stared at the ground. "Yeah, man. That's fine," he mumbled. " Look, I'm sorry. I'm just fucking hungry!"

Tom nodded to the people holding Stan, and they released him.

Stan gained his footing. Then he slunk away, headed toward the log piles.

"Are you okay?" Bo asked Tom.

"Yeah, it honestly didn't even hurt. I'm sure there are lots of factors at play, like my [Dense Resilience], but I'm guessing a big part of it is the difference between Level 3 and whatever level that guy is, probably Level 1. My [Pain Management] didn't even kick in."

Tom lowered his voice. "With how bad things could get, it's gonna be important to keep a level advantage. On the flip side, I don't know how to do that without risking our lives."

Bo nodded. "We can discuss this later. More importantly, do I get one of these Kabobs?"

"After the kids."

Bo patted Tom's back. "Make sure you save one. I'll get back to the logs, and double-check that your buddy Stan isn't causing any trouble."

As the commotion died down, two lines formed; one for kids and one for adults. The children's line moved quickly, with Tom taking about two minutes to cook each Kabob.

A young man of Indian descent came up to him.

"Excuse me. I hate to even say this, but do you know if there is anything for a vegetarian to eat? I know it's utterly ridiculous with everything going on. It's just that eating meat gets me really physically ill. I am starving and I need to eat, but if I get sick and those things show up . . . " His hands were shaking.

Tom felt for him. "I'm sorry, this is all I have right now. I might have an idea for you though. You could go to the [Profession Booth] down the hill over there, and once inside you could probably get some type of vegetarian cooking specialization, and possibly some type of recipe. I could use some help, and everyone would have access to another food source."

Tom held out his hand. "I'm Tom, by the way."

"I'm Tushar. Thank you, Tom. I've actually had a lot of practice cooking vegetarian meals. I'm going to head down and get in line."

"Sounds great. Thanks, Tushar. Come up and see me when you're finished."

Tom returned to the fire. His mana was holding up well, as it didn't take much energy to infuse a Kabob.

Soon, all the kids from their makeshift campsite were warm and fed. A few were still happily munching their Kabob meat, and some were even playing and laughing.

Tom took a few moments to make sure all the Damascus and Robinson children had eaten.

The adult line started moving.

As grilling Kabobs became a routine task, Tom's mind wandered to his [Gains] spell, and its ability to convert his mana and health into reserves within his body. His Iron Ingots had already disappeared from his pocket.

Tom mentally brought up his reserves screen.

[Absorbed Materials: Amounts Available]

Iron: 20%

Rubber: 0%

Carbon Fiber: 1%

Holy shit, I'm out of Rubber.

Tom's Rubber bones would no longer function. They had saved his life during the Troll's attack, and he felt vulnerable without them.

For now, he would use his [Gains] ability to make Iron as a test, but soon he would have to switch to making Rubber. With 20% Iron reserves, he might be able to generate gauntlets, bracers, and potentially start on the next piece of armor. However, that would still leave a lot of skin exposed in the next fight.

Tom stretched his aching back, and shifted into a more comfortable position. He activated his [Gains] spell, and a prompt appeared in front of him.

[Which absorbed resource would you like to begin creating?]

Tom focused his mind on Iron and activated the spell.

A surge of discomfort flooded through his body. There was intense pressure building under his skin, and the sudden drop in his mana and health made him queasy.

Tom's health and mana slowly depleted, until his reserves of Iron finally clicked up to 25 percent. Feeling sick and achy, he called over to Loo and Finn for assistance.

"What the heck did you do!" Finn said. He used [Floral Surge] to restore Tom's health.

Loo struck a pose, and used her [Mana Spring] to replenish Tom's mana. As he sat in the invisible mana flow, his queasiness gradually subsided.

Loo took advantage of the opportunity, and experimented with different poses to try and cast other spells. "I still haven't been able to conjure any of my Plankton."

After many attempts, Loo let out a shriek of excitement. Small blue specks of light appeared at her feet. They quickly multiplied in number, and swirled in unison, like a flock of microscopic birds.

They swarmed toward Tom. He jumped up and backed away, but Loo motioned for him to stay seated.

"Dad, they're safe. They're meant to give you a buff."

The [Blue Mana Plankton] expanded and spread throughout Loo's [Mana Spring], growing brighter with each moment. They surrounded Tom and Loo in a glowing blue mist, drawing the attention of onlookers.

A minute later, the entire area was lit up by a brilliant bloom of blue light.

The Plankton vanished in an instant.

Tom checked his mana bar; it was fully recharged, and he felt great! He grinned at Loo and Finn. "Thanks guys, you're awesome. Any chance you can stick around?"

With another click of his [Gains] ability, he started the process again. It wasn't long before he ticked up to 30% on Iron reserves.

Tom called out to Finn for another healing session. Finn raised his glowing green hands, but not without rolling his eyes.

Throughout the day and into the night, Tom continued this process while grilling Kabobs for the people on the hill. New people kept showing up for food, and Tom hadn't caught anyone sneaking seconds either.

Bridget had gone above and beyond, and had organized a rotating night watch. Distant Headless squeals were chilling reminders of their necessity.

Tom handed out the last Kabob of the night. He stomped out the fire and pulled up his reserves information. He had built up an Iron reserve of 75%, and he felt pretty darn good about that.

The exhausted population of Raintree had been close to breaking point. That night they had well-fed campfires, full bellies, and a rotating night watch. Even the distant pig squeals didn't dampen their spirits.