A warmth spread across Kael’s face, rousing him from unconsciousness. His eyelids fluttered open, just for him to be immediately assaulted by the brightness of the sun overhead. He let out a groggy groan, raising an arm to shield his eyes from the light. His body felt rejuvenated, the aches and exhaustion from the night before now significantly dulled.


    Kael blinked several times, trying to clear the spots in his vision, his mind clearing as he sat up. He then rested his arms on his knees while he took a slow, deep breath. He had survived the night.


    The realization sank in as he flexed his fingers, feeling the renewed strength in his limbs. If it wasn''t for the healing potion from his quest reward, that would not have been the case. He had been on the verge of death, his body torn apart and bleeding out into the dirt, yet now, there was no trace except for a lingering soreness where his wounds had been. Even then, it was barely an inconvenience.


    His eyes darted around, scanning the landscape as he fully woke up. The vast plains stretch out endlessly opposite the forest. The morning light bathed the land in a golden glow, the tall grass swaying gently in the breeze. Everything felt… fresh. The crisp, clean air filled his lungs with every breath, unlike anything he had ever experienced back on Earth.


    Kael let his gaze drift toward the horizon, taking in his surroundings properly now that there was good lighting, compared to the light from the moons.


    Ahead of him, the dense wall of enormous trees loomed in the distance, marking the boundary of the forest. A thin wisp of white smoke rose from the remains of the Gloomkin village he had burned to the ground. Looking at the smoke, Kael had a revelation on how dumb that might have been, given that he had no idea how easily flammable some of the vegetation was. After all, he was in a world of magic, where anything was possible.


    Kael chagrined thinking about how he risked almost starting a forest fire, in his eager quest to kill some monsters. Avoiding thinking more about his now poorly thought-out and executed plan. Kael let his eyes follow the treeline, noting how it stretched far to the right and left, seemingly endless. The forest was vast, far larger than he had originally thought.


    Turning his head in the opposite direction, Kael surveyed the open plains behind him. The terrain was mostly flat, but here and there, small rises and dips in the land formed gentle hills. And in the far, far distance, Kael saw towering shapes. Mountains.


    They were distant, their peaks barely visible through the slight haze of morning light. Kael exhaled, his gaze lingering on the distant range.


    A world ten times larger than before… I shouldn’t be surprised. The sheer scale of everything was breathtaking. This land was untouched, raw in its beauty, and equally filled with dangers he had only begun to understand.


    A gust of wind swept past him, carrying with it the smallest scent of charred wood and a hint of something more foul. The reminder pulled him back to reality. Shaking off his moment of reflection, Kael turned his attention to the Inventory ring still sitting snugly on his right hand.


    He had almost forgotten about it, given how well it fitted his finger. Kael raised his hand, inspecting the simple band of dark silver. It was smooth, unadorned, and lacked any visible markings or engravings. It didn’t look particularly special, yet the System had rewarded it, along with the potion, for killing an entire encampment worth of monsters.


    “How does this thing work?” he muttered. Curious, he slid the ring off his finger, holding it between his fingers as he turned it over. There were no buttons, no hidden mechanisms, nothing that hinted at how to activate or use it. After another few minutes of fidgeting with it, he sighed. Kael had always enjoyed puzzles, but from what he could see and feel, this wasn’t some complex mechanism to cleverly twist or shake. All signs pointed to it being a magical item. A System-created magical item.


    He straightened his back and thought for a moment. If this was tied to the System, then there was a chance Essence was the key. It was the only thing that made sense. With that in mind, Kael focused, forming a small Essence sphere in his left palm. Carefully, he pressed the orb against the ring. Nothing happened.


    The ring didn’t react, didn’t glow, it just sat there. Unmoving. Kael exhaled, dismissing the sphere before rubbing his temple. Okay, what about reinforcement?


    He had experience reinforcing objects with Essence before. Maybe the ring functioned the same way? Kael let his Essence flow freely from his right hand, hoping that the ring would slowly absorb the free, will-less Essence the same way other objects did. Again, nothing.


    Kael could feel frustration bubbling up. As a final attempt, he tried actively willing his Essence into the ring, much like he did with his Essence-shaped constructs. He had never been able to force Essence into non-construct objects before, so he had not much hope in this working. And to his surprise, it did work.


    The moment he pushed his Essence into the ring, in the back of his mind, Kael became aware of a space, a void of sorts. It wasn’t a physical location, but he could sense it, like an empty room lingering just at the edge of his perception.


    Kael’s eyes widened. “...So that’s how it works.”


    Getting an idea, and wanting to test this newfound awareness, he reached down and plucked a single blade of grass from the ground. Holding it in his right hand, he willed a tiny fraction of Essence into the ring again. This time focusing on moving the grass into the empty space he felt, as he did so.


    The blade of grass vanished. Kael’s lips parted slightly in amazement. He could feel it in the ring, just… sitting there. Like an object stored in a pocket. He then infused Essence again and imagined pulling it back out, and just as before, the grass reappeared in his hand, unchanged.


    A slow grin spread across his face. He could feel a rough estimation of the space inside the ring, which was twenty-two square meters, a not-so-small amount of space if he were to say so. Kael couldn''t stop being amazed by it, or imagine how useful this incredible tool would be. That''s when his stomach decided to grumble loudly, breaking his focus.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kael blinked, then chuckled. He quickly stood, stretching out his limbs and rolling his shoulders. His body felt light, refreshed, and ready. He guessed he would need that. Glancing toward the distant forest, Kael exhaled. He had a long trek ahead of him. He needed to wash off the dry blood, dirt, and everything else that had gotten on him, as well as find food as soon as possible. With that in mind, he started walking.


    As Kael moved closer to the treeline, he turned his path toward the rising smoke in the distance. The remains of the Gloomkin village still smoldering in places, a few thin columns of white smoke drifting into the sky. When he arrived at the charred ruins, he quickly noticed something. The bodies were gone.


    Or rather, what was left of them had been picked clean. Kael scanned the area, noting that where corpses once lay, only bones and scraps remained. The Gloomkin who had fallen into the fires had been dragged away, their bodies reduced to scattered remains. He crouched down, brushing his fingers against the dirt. There were multiple sets of tracks coming in different sizes and shapes on the ground. Some paw-like, others reptilian. It appeared the predators of the forest had feasted well last night. Kael grimaced. If he had remained in the area, he had no doubt he would have faced the same fate as these remains.


    Shaking off the thought, he turned toward the center of the encampment, making his way toward the clearing where the Chieftain’s hut and the platform once stood.


    Arriving, Kael sifted through the collapsed remains of the hut as best he could, kicking aside ash and burned wood, searching for his knife. But as he dug through the debris, a sigh left his lips.


    His knife was gone. Either buried too deeply under the burnt remains or ruined. Kael didn''t think the metal part would melt in the fire, but either way it was gone.


    Kael stood, brushing the ash from his hands. Damn it. He had grown used to the knife. It had been an essential tool for skinning beasts and animals, as well as cutting up the meat into sizes. This would make things harder, at least for a while, until he could make a proper knife with his Essence.


    <hr>


    With one last glance at the ruined village, Kael turned away from the ruins and headed north along the treeline, keeping a careful eye on the forest. He wasn’t in any hurry to step back into the dense woods, not yet. He didn’t know what was still lurking from the previous night’s feast, so it was best to remain cautious.


    After about a couple of minutes of walking, Kael finally reached the edge of the forest. The shade of the towering trees swallowed some of the sunlight, casting deep shadows over the ground. He stopped just before entering, scanning the underbrush for any movement.


    The forest was just as quiet as usual, but not in a way that suggested safety. He knew better than to think that. Kael took a moment, then stepped forward, re-entering the woods. As he moved through the trees, Kael kept his footsteps light and deliberate, careful not to step on twigs or loose foliage that could give away his presence.


    Every few steps, he paused, listening. The deeper he went, the denser the vegetation became, the towering trees stretching so high their canopies blocked most of the daylight. The atmosphere was warm and damp, the scent of earth and moss thick in the air.


    Kael kept his senses sharp, scanning for any signs of predators or leftover scavengers that might still be lingering and could smell him. Finding nothing so far.


    But then, a flicker of movement caught his attention. Kael froze, his hand instinctively clenching. His eyes tracked the movement, spotting a small, twitching shape nestled between the roots of a tree. His grip relaxed slightly. It wasn’t a predator. It was just a hare, one that had presented itself as a decent meal.


    Kael took a careful step forward, lowering his stance. The animal was partially concealed, its fur blending well with the dappled forest floor. But it hadn’t noticed him yet.


    Kael slowly maneuvered around, positioning himself downwind so his scent wouldn’t reach it. He stepped lightly, his breathing controlled, every movement precise. The hare shifted, its small nose twitching as it cautiously poked its head out from its hiding spot. Now.


    Kael lunged forward, his Essence-enhanced left hand snapped out, fingers closing around the animal’s back before it could get away.


    The hare thrashed violently, its small claws scraping against his arm in a desperate attempt to escape. But Kael’s grip was firm. With a sharp, efficient motion, he snapped its neck. The struggle ceased instantly, and the hare went limp in his grasp.


    Having a question and an idea, he adjusted his grip, holding the fresh kill in his right hand with the ring. Then he infused the ring with Essence and focused on moving the fresh kill into the inventory space. Kael watched as the dead hare disappeared, and felt it appear in the ring. Well, that answers that question.


    Now, Kael wanted to see if the same applied to living things, but that would have to wait. Satisfied with his finding and no longer having to carry the hare physically, he turned toward the east, with both his hands free.


    Kael continued through the forest, carefully navigating. His journey was long, but he had learned the layout of this part of the woods well enough. What also helped was that he recognized certain landmarks that helped him navigate better. All the while, he never stopped to stay alert for any potential threats, but the forest continued to remain silent.


    After sometime of steady movement, he heard the all-too-familiar sound of running water. Kael picked up his pace, checking if the coast was clear, he then stepped into the clearing where the river ran through the forest.


    The current glistened under the sunlight, the crystal-clear water flowing over smooth stones. Not wasting time, he stepped toward the water’s edge, rolling his shoulders before crouching down. Then he reached into the water, scooping it into his palms and splashing it over his face. The sensation was heavenly.


    He scrubbed at the dried blood on his hands and face, feeling the grime wash away. Looking closer, his reflection rippled in the water, his features sharp and unkempt. His dark hair was tangled, his face splattered with both his own blood and that of the Gloomkin. His eyes, though, remained steady. Focused. Kael stared at himself for a moment longer before shaking his head. He still had a long way to go. What followed was another long trek, as his hunger kept growing. But he pressed on.


    Following the river upstream, Kael moved with a renewed purpose. He needed to reach the waterfall. He needed to wash properly off the blood and filth clinging to his skin, he wouldn''t feel safe otherwise. And, most of all, he needed to eat.


    Kael finally arrived at his destination, the sound of falling water greeting him first as he stepped into the clearing of the waterfall. The sunlight streamed down, illuminating the mist that rose where the water crashed into the pool below. The air was fresh, the scent of wet stone and earth strong.


    He had made it back. Kael felt an odd sense of relief wash over at that. Standing, he started to strip off his tattered bloodstained clothes and stepped into the water fully. The warmness of the water felt incredible against his skin.


    He submerged himself under the waterfall, letting the water cleanse away the last traces of filth, as he scrubbed all over with one of the cloth strips he had left. Then, after a period of aggressive cleaning, Kael emerged from the waterfall. Even without soap, he felt much cleaner than he had in the past couple of hours.


    Kael made his way to his dirty clothing, doing the same rudimentary cleaning for them as well. Before he then, left the water, twisting what was left of his clothing so it would dry faster, and retrieved the hare he had caught from his ring. Kael''s stomach growled in protest, desperately reminding him of his nutritional needs. It was finally his turn to feast.