Kael pivoted as the Twilight Buck charged again, its hooves reverberating against the mossy undergrowth. Its thick dark brown hide rippled with tension, and twin antlers streaked with gray-glowing veins lowered, aiming to gore Kael straight through.
He dodged to the side, the tip of an antler grazing the air just past his chest. Another buck barreled forward from the opposite side, a coordinated pincer movement. Kael shifted fluidly, grabbing the antlers of the first beast at the base, just as it tried to real back and as the second closed in. With a grunt and a twist of his torso, Kael redirected the beast''s head, positioning it just right. All the while it fought Kael, buckling about.
The second buck had no time to adjust. Its glowing antler punched into its companion’s side with a sickening crunch, the momentum continuing to push on the injured buck along with Kael. The now heavily injured buck cried out, buckling even harder to get free. Kael wasted no time. He freed one arm positioning the other to hold on to the beast''s antlers, armpit around it neek. Then he summoned his Essence knife, now nearly 45 centimeters long, even more refined, and deadly. With a smooth motion, he forced the beast''s head back with all his strength, then Kael slit the wounded creature’s throat. Blood sprayed as the buck staggered, Kael then pushed it from him at the same time it collapsed to the ground, the beast landing on its side.
[ Experience Gained! ]
Kael didn''t look at the prompt for long. The second buck had quickly managed to pull its antlers free from its friend''s side, right after it attacked and was now glaring at him the best it could do. For a moment, it didn’t move. Its chest rose and fell in heavy, rhythmic breaths, and its semi-intelligent eyes glinted with something that wasn’t entirely bestial. Then it charged.
Kael leaped to the side, feeling the displaced air from the beast''s dash sweep past him. But instead of staying still, he sprinted forward, trailing just behind the creature. The buck, somehow sensing danger, stopped and kicked backward with its rear legs.
Kael abruptly came to a stop, just out of the attack''s reach. He then darted to the right, avoiding another wild kick, and slashed the Essence knife across the beast''s flank. The knife''s long blade carved deep, blood gushing from the wound. The buck tried to wheel around, its antlers swinging defensively.
Kael raised his knife and deflected the swing, the blade chipping when it collided with the antlers. Using the creature''s momentary imbalance and the swiftness of the knife, he drove the chipped knife into the creature’s eye. It let out a panicked screech, staggering. He then released the knife while still inside the beast, summoned another, and finished it with another swift slash across its throat.
[ Experience Gained! ]
Kael let out a slow breath, dismissing the embedded knife, and watching it disappear as he flexed his fingers. Around the dead bucks, blood now heavily stained the forest floor. Kael crouched beside the fresh kills and began precisely cutting chunks of meat, his new knife still humming with Essence. As he removed thick cuts of meat from both bucks, he stored each piece in the ring, watching the meat vanish into the spatial void. He worked quickly but not hurriedly. The preservation property of the ring meant he didn’t need to worry about immediate spoilage or contamination, but that didn''t mean he wanted other beasts or predators to come while he still worked.
After a few minutes, both carcasses were stripped of their useful meat. He wiped the Essence knife with a dry piece of hide from one of the slain bucks, then rose, knife still in hand. He then turned to leave the area, eyes scanning for his next target as he walked. The forest around him was quiet, but feintly you could see the hidden ecosystem. A breeze filtered through the leaves, stirring the canopy high, high above. Then, a familiar chime echoed.
[System Message]
As of now, monsters that have reached or surpassed the first threshold have begun to emerge. With their arrival, territories can now be claimed. A claim can only be initiated by those who have reached that stage of development.
From the moment a territory claim begins, there is a seven-day period to challenge and slay the Claimer. Should the challenger succeed, the territory claim will be transferred over. However, failure to eliminate the Claimer within the allotted time will finalize the claim.
Now, you must decide if you will rise to rule…Or be subjects of those who do.
Kael stopped walking. He blinked, the notifications shimmering before his eyes. He had expected something like this. Had even anticipated it. But the amount of information and its implications still hit harder than expected. Nine days had passed since he discovered what he now called the Heart of the Forest, the massive glowing crystal and its magical pond that was the source of the rivers. He’d spent the time sharpening his constructs, gathering resources, and picking off stronger and stronger beasts along with plant monsters. From his own calculations, a month was due to pass any day. The System had just confirmed it.
Stolen story; please report.
But what really startled him was the proximity of the follow-up notifications.
[ Territory Claimed! ]
[ You are within a newly claimed territory. Contest the claim? Y/N]
He narrowed his eyes. “Already?” he muttered. The surrounding part of the forest had been its usual quiet. Kael had even scouted the area before he engaged the bucks. If something was strong enough to claim a territory, it had to be more than level 15 given that he was clearly wrong in his guess that level 10 or 15 was the threshold. And if it had been nearby, it hadn’t made itself known. Not even a trace. Kael rubbed his chin as he scanned the trees around him, senses alert.
“How big is this territory?” he murmured. That was the pressing question. He had explored a good amount of terrain mostly in the eastern part, close to his home, and some parts close to the heart of the forest, northward. Could a creature strong enough to be capable of claiming land really be that hidden? Not even to leave any trace of its presence. Or did that just hint at how large the territory that was just claimed was...
Kael focused on the notifications again, except the one asking if he would contest the claim, finding he could dismiss it and make it show up again, without answering, allowing him to decide whenever he wanted. He started by rereading everything again, slowly this time. The details were clear. Monsters that passed the first threshold, whatever that was as he had no idea anymore, had appeared and could clearly from the last notification claim territory. Kael did not think anything else other than beasts and monsters were in this forest except for him. And he would go with that assumption until he found proof to the contrary.
The other important thing was that anyone in the territory had one week to kill the one who tried to claim the area, and if you failed to either kill, in this case, the monster or die in the process. The territory would belong to it.
Kael realized that the time limit didn''t really matter when it came to eliminating the one who claimed the territory. That was if it was just about eliminating an imminent threat. But it also meant that any other monster or creature could claim it again if they reached the so-called threshold.
That last part lingered in Kael’s mind like a sour note. Unless the territory was claimed by someone, it would just be a cycle. Not to mention what it meant to own a territory. “What does ‘claim a territory’ mean?” he wondered aloud. Would the system help the one who owned the territory, would it offer terrain knowledge? Pinpoint anyone in the territory? Any of those were bad news. Especially if the monster or whoever claimed the territory learned where he was, and god forbid if the cave he lived in was included in the territory.
Kael glanced back in the direction of the waterfall and off to the side where his hidden cave was. “Shit.”He had spent time concealing and fortifying his home better, but if the creature''s staked claim is also near or around that area, then he might already be compromised.
He looked north. The forest thickened that way. That had been where the most magical plant life grew. Could the monster have come from there? Or had it always been lurking, dormant? Maybe it was an underground plant monster, that was passively growing stronger thanks to the crystal.
Kael considered his options. He could leave the forest. Head toward the open grasslands and beyond, even reach the mountains. But that came with risks. If the System allowed one monster to claim territory, it would allow more. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t stumble into another monster’s domain out there.
Kael felt a sense of dejavu. This situation reminded him of his two choices when he was first hunted by the Gloomkin. He clenched his fists. He was much stronger than then, and he didn''t have to fight for basic necessities now. Kael would first look for it, and see for himself how strong the thing that had claimed the territory was. It would also allow him to see how far this territory was stretched, and if it did indeed reach his home.
In the end, if he decided to fight it and actually managed to kill the monster within the next seven days. He could claim the area or if he failed to do it in time, at least make sure it didn’t gain control, and buy himself some more time before another tried the same. Finally, if the creature was too strong, Kael ending up finding he could not kill it, he could always reluctantly leave the forest.
He summoned his status window to check his progress.
[Status]
Name: Kael Aranthis
Level: 18
EXP: 27 / 100%
Rank: Mortal
Stats:
<ul>
<li>Strength: 42</li>
<li>Agility: 44</li>
<li>Endurance: 40</li>
<li>Intelligence: 55</li>
<li>Wisdom: 56</li>
<li>Essence Control: 69</li>
</ul>
Titles:
<ul>
<li>First Blood – Common (+3% increased damage against beasts. Awarded for delivering your first kill after System integration.)</li>
</ul>
Skills:
<ul>
<li>Essence Shaper – Rank 1 (Allows the user to shape, reinforce, and manifest Essence-based constructs. Current efficiency: 10%.)</li>
<li>Body Reinforcement – Rank 1 (Allows the user to Temporarily enhance and reinforce their body using essence. Depending on the amount of essence used.)</li>
<li> </li>
</ul>
Equipment:
<ul>
<li>Inventory Ring - Uncommon (Inventory ring rewarded by the system. Accessible only to the user: Kael Aranthis.)</li>
</ul>
Looking at his status he could see the fruits of his labor and the benefit the last two levels brought him since his adventure north. His stats were much higher. His Essence control had improved significantly, along with the size of his Essence pole, and core growth. His control and mastery of his ability to swap between enhancement, and shaping was nearly seamless now. Not to mention his new growing ability to shape and at the same time enhance himself, something he had been tirelessly working on these past few days, which still needed work. Kael had enough food stored to last him for months, he had weapons and shelter. If there was ever a time to act from a safe position, it was now.
But first, reconnaissance.
Kael set off again, moving low, carefully, and quickly through the scrub. Every few steps, he paused to listen for a snapped twig. Feel for a tremor in the moss and ground. A shift in the sound of the bird''s wings, given that they didn''t make any other noise. Anything could be a sign. These things had become second nature to him now, Kael doing it without even noticing he was. He followed the same path he had taken here, but this time, a bit off, so as to avoid making a trail over time. He moved through dense ferns, ducked under hanging vines, walked on roots, and skirted patches of flowers that now all looked suspect to him.
According to The System Stronger and smarter creatures had appeared. Making everything more dangerous. And if the System said something had claimed this area, then somewhere, the creature responsible was waiting. Watching. Kael crouched behind a root cluster and exhaled slowly.
He had about a week. Less than Seven days to find whatever had issued the claim and figure out what he would do once he did.