《Forever》 Ch. 1 - Confusion The sun beat down on his skin like a thousand needles stabbing all at once. Hazel eyes slowly opened and blinked, trying to rid themselves of the bleariness of sleep. Spine cracked as it attempted to pull itself off of the earth, sore from sleeping without any support. As mind cleared and body stirred, Salim was certain he had no clue where he was. Panic set in first as Salim¡¯s blood felt like it had turned to ice, and his stomach dropped into his legs. With hands shaking ever so slightly, he began to look around, searching for anything familiar to ground himself. Unfortunately, familiarity was not to be, as massive redwood trees with smaller shrubbery below his feet were the only thing to be seen. Even the sky was crowded by the canopy above, making it hard to make out anything besides its bright blueness and a few clouds. Plopping down against the nearest tree trunk, Salim held his head as his vision began to spin. Why¡¯s and How¡¯s swam around his brain, blending with the feeling of dread that naturally comes with being abducted and dropped in the middle of some random forest. Sitting there, he eventually was able to clear his head, simply sitting in silence and listening to the buzzing, chirping, and general hubbub of the forest. It was calming, and while not reassuring in the slightest, let him focus on what he was going to do about the current situation. The last thing he could remember was laying down to sleep in his apartment then, bam, waking up in the middle of nowhere. A more unfortunate fact was that he was still dressed for bed, completely exposed to the elements except for some gym shorts. Thankfully, wherever he was didn¡¯t seem to be anywhere close to where he lived; it was the middle of January, and he could have succumbed to the elements before he even woke up. That being said, Salim took this to mean that he was somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. The air was muggy and hot, meaning mosquitoes were likely not far away, even if he hadn¡¯t been bitten yet. However, knowing what hemisphere of the Earth he was on didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t find civilization. Normally the thing to do when lost in the woods was to call out, but if he had been abducted, that probably wasn¡¯t a smart thing to do. Salim pulled himself away from the tree''s base and moved over to the center of the clearing, preparing to begin walking. This probably wasn''t the best choice of action since he had no way to orient himself, but he wasn¡¯t going to stay where he had been put. Observing the surrounding forest, Salim noted that it wouldn¡¯t be that hard to navigate through the woods, the giant redwood trees took up a lot of the available sunlight, and anything larger than shrubbery struggled to grow. Shuffling his feet in a random direction, Salim reached the edge of the clearing in only a few steps but was stopped by¡­ something. There, floating in front of his face, was a blue box.
Form still calibrating, please stay within the boundary.
For more information, think Help or press the hyperlink. Expected wait time for calibration is 10 minutes. Please stay awake during calibration for maximum effect. Bug reports are not enabled currently, so the user is unable to file for support in case of a bug. Have a good day.
Salim stumbled back, from shock or confusion, he wasn¡¯t sure. Gathering his bearings, Salim moved back over to the screen and read its contents. The information provided only sent him further into confusion, all of this made no sense. Except it did at the same time; ¡®help¡¯, ¡®calibration¡¯, and ¡®bug reports¡¯ all stuck out to him as terms used in a video game. Cautiously, Salim peered around the side of the box, vanishing from one of his eyes when looking at it dead on. Looking closer, he could not discern any sort of thickness to the box, it was simply a plane that displayed text on one side with no discernible volume at all. Putting his deduction away for a second, Salim pressed into the box. His finger went straight through with no resistance, like sticking a finger into fresh mud. But, when he pressed specifically on ¡®Help¡¯, the box suddenly became solid, feeling like he was pressing into metal.
Help Page No. 1
There are several keywords that can be thought to bring up menu interactions. The main keyword is Menu which is responsible for managing most system interactions. Skills is a direct way to open up the skills page which is the representation of how the world is manipulated. Log shows past interactions that are deemed significant. Next Page ->
The sudden influx of information made him pause, reading the text and falling into thought. ¡°I¡¯m in a video game?¡± He thought. ¡°At least that was what it looked like, why else would there be menus, skills, etc¡­¡± His mind trailed off, questioning everything that he had seen. That along with the bug report thing pointed this towards being some sort of hyper-advanced virtual reality, even though he had never heard of something this advanced being possible yet. It still didn¡¯t add up to him though, the sensations he was feeling were so real, his body still ached and burned from his dirt nap. But at the same time, why in the world would someone drag him out wherever he was and somehow configure these menus to dupe into¡­ into what? What would be the point of it? That was unless he was drugged and currently tripping incredibly hard, he had never done anything before so he wasn¡¯t sure what it would feel like. But, at the same time, he felt fairly safe in assuming that since he could think straight and everything else felt clear, nothing was in his system. Completely immersive virtual reality though, while some of the parts were publically known it just didn¡¯t seem like the full technology was completely there. The most rational idea he could come up with was that some company or group abducted him in the middle of the night and stuck him here, wherever here, was. He couldn¡¯t do anything and for all intents and purposes, he could pound sand in this whole situation. He had zero control, and he absolutely despised it. For now, though, he didn¡¯t have enough information to figure out his situation. All he could guess about what had happened was based on conjecture from a source he couldn¡¯t trust. While there was important stuff going on, he needed to get a grip on the blue boxes. Calling out for the menu in his head, another blue box popped straight in front of his eyes.
Name: Salim Douglas Race: Human
Level: 0 Class: N/A
Skills Logs Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Stats Titles
Help Settings
A few things stood out, notably that his race was considered human and that he was right in assuming that he was probably in a video game. Containing the frustration of tapping a foot and wringing his hands, he tried to click on any of the top four words, but to no effect. Not seeing anything else, Salim continued selecting settings. A long box starting from his head to his knees appeared, detailing simple options from box customization to notification settings. While the settings were interesting (he had played around with them a bit, changing the box''s color to purple), ultimately it didn''t give information he considered helpful. Pulling up the menu again, he indented his finger on the glowing box.
Skills
(None)
Not quite the explanation that he was hoping for, it showed that there was some sort of skill system in place, but nothing useful like how to get skills or what they did. He would have to refer back to the help menu after looking through all the screens. The logs'' menu was empty, simply having a blank screen waiting to be filled with ¡°significant interactions.¡± However, the stats page had more things, with less than stellar explanations.
Lvl. 0 Stats Free Points: 0
Might: 8 -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+
Resilience: 7 -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:0 N/A
Salim wasn¡¯t sure what to think about the stats. They didn¡¯t have any explanations tied to them, but he could guess based on their names. From what he could figure out [Might], [Finesse], and [Resilience] could probably be translated to stats in games he played like ¡®strength¡¯, ¡®dexterity¡¯, ¡®agility¡¯, and ¡®constitution¡¯. The other stats were a bit more of a mystery; [Acuity]¡¯s definition was clearness of thought and emotion, while [Resolve] could be similar to willpower or specific definitions of charisma. He had no clue what [Depth] could be, considering it was zero and was unselectable so he left it alone. The point distribution was also interesting to him; he was not at the height of his fitness and hadn¡¯t been since high school, as spending your days in an office didn¡¯t do too well for the body. His [Acuity] might be related to him being able to focus. He never really suffered like people with ADHD or other attention-based issues, so perhaps his [Acuity] was based on that. His [Resolve] was something he didn¡¯t agree with. He couldn¡¯t see himself as being particularly strong-willed, he often failed at diets or other self-control exercises his girlfriend made him follow. Even if he didn¡¯t think the stats lined up with him perfectly, he didn¡¯t know if they were meant to, so he decided he would figure this out by reading further into the help pages. Enthralled by the influx of new stimuli, Salim closed out of the stats before opening the final unchecked menu.
Titles Number of Titles: 2
The First You were the first to step upon the path of sapience.
Alone Whether by creation or genocide, your existence is unique.
What? Looking at the words on the screen, Salim watched as they swam before his eyes, taunting him with their audacious meaning. It couldn¡¯t be¡­ could it? His mind spun at the thought. Of course, this lined up with his theory about this all being a simulated virtual reality, but there¡¯s no way whoever put him here would just leave him alone. That would be a monumental waste of time and resources, would it not? They probably just put the flavor text in to see how he did under pressure or something. Or something. His thoughts mocked him. Salim felt his legs cease its tapping as they gave out, plopping him down onto the warm leaf-covered ground. In his head he was fighting for clarity, but in actuality the meaning of being truly alone was hitting him in the gut like a shot put. His family, his girlfriend, his friends, everyone he knew and loved was gone, and he had no idea how to get out. His breath tightened as he struggled to breathe, he had never experienced a panic attack before, but in all fairness this was a less-than-usual situation. Swimming in the dizziness, he fully laid down against the dirt and stared up at the sky, watching as bright yellow blended with blue in a scene that he had witness hundreds of times before, basking in the comfort of familiarity. The ground made for good emotional comfort, but the physical effects had much to be desired. Once his vision had returned to normal, Salim pushed himself off the ground in direct opposition to his screaming back. While he wasn¡¯t incapacitated by fear and panic, he felt sadness clamp onto his body, strangling him with a lethargy that he hadn¡¯t felt since before he began therapy years ago. Even so, he couldn¡¯t wallow in the dirt forever. Lazily moving his hand to the taunting purple box, he dismissed it with a wave. It was strange, it felt as though he had died, and he was mourning the ¡°living.¡± From everyone else''s perspective, he must have had run away, ditched them, or simply vanished, never giving them the closure they deserved. While he still held some hope of returning, the pit in his stomach said otherwise; he was a logical person, and being stolen in the dead of night was not a recipe for a safe return. Even if his hope was as useful as the dirt he was standing on, he wouldn¡¯t despair. He couldn¡¯t, if not for his family, then for his dignity. The sadness that cloaked his body suddenly steamed, boiling with indignation and confusion. He would get through this. He just needed to focus on the here and now. But his confusion was short-lived, cooling into apprehension as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something had changed. The forest had gone completely silent. Ch. 2 - Resignation The forest had gone completely silent. Salim looked around, eyeing the trees at the edge of the clearing with worry. The orange glow filtered through spiny leaves left patterns like diamonds covering the ground, scales of an invisible beast waiting to pounce. While Salim wasn¡¯t sure what type of creatures lived in the giant trees besides maybe birds and squirrels, but he was familiar with how forests operated. Gone was the squawking, buzzing, humming, even the rustling of the trees seemed quieter somehow. It was replaced with the weight of silence, pressing against his nerves. Slowly shifting his way to the base of a tree, wrapping his back to the redwood attempting to be as flush as possible, ignoring the feeling of bark stabbing into his back. Searching with his eyes and attempting to calm his breath, Salim stayed as still as possible. Something was there, a predator that brought a chilling silence to the lively forest. He saw it. Along the floor of the forest, he saw it, writhing and wriggling, with grotesque movements it crept along across roots and rocks. It looked like a gigantic centipede, about as long as he was tall, with sharp mandibles that could tear him limb from limb sitting right below its antenna. Unwillingly watching with bated breath, he couldn''t move a muscle as it began to stalk through the clearing, hunting for prey Salim prayed wasn''t him. While he never had a fear of bugs, this was horrifying, watching its hundred legs scurry across the ground, light shining off its dull red carapace. Agonizingly slow, the gigantic centipede approached him, not directly towards but getting uncomfortably close to the tree he was up against. Seven, five, two, it slowly moved closer. The monster was so close that he could hear the skittering of its legs across the ground, clicking like hundreds of grandfather clocks. He could only hold his breath for so long, Salim felt himself turning purple as his lungs screamed for air, his heart beating a million times faster than normal. Ghuuuh, a gasp of air. Both froze in the sunlit clearing. The centipede turned and charged at him in a fraction of a second, its body skittering faster than Salim thought possible. Flinging himself to the left, it smashed into the tree, bark and splinters raining down onto his back. Hitting the ground, Salim shielded his face from the chunks and half crawled, half dragged himself away from the clearing and further into the forest. Managing to scramble to his feet and looking around for anything to defend himself, he kept running further and further away from imminent death. He could hear the centipede following him, loudly skittering, having given up appearances of stalking its prey. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t possibly outrun the beast, Salim grabbed a rather long and sturdy stick from all the folliage scattered across the forest floor. While the clearing was free of decaying wood and mossy stones, the same could not be said for the rest of the forest. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, stick in hand, Salim watched the centipede raced towards him, all the while bracing the staff against the solid surface of a nearby tree. Holding the stick like a spear, Salim thrust it into the bug and buckled as it slammed into the wood, but holding due to bracing with the tree. A loud crunch and squenching noise echoed across the forest as the head caved in, along with the stick giving in with a loud crack as it splintered and broke. The makeshift blunt spear had slipped under its armored scales and punctured its exoskeleton under the force of its charge. Standing above the dead centipede, Salim froze again in shock, the pain in his shoulder and back slowly coming back as the adrenaline faded. He couldn''t explain what he was feeling, he never thought he would be fighting a giant centipede half naked in a forest, but here he was. It was terrifying, but at the same time exhilarating, although that might have been his adrenaline high. Suddenly, two boxes appeared in front of his face, causing him to do a small jump in surprise.
You successfully defeated a ''Centipede'' Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your first Level. Select Class in Menu.
Blankly staring at the boxes, Salim slowly read them with alarm bells going off in his head. There was no prefix attached to it saying (giant) or anything to point at its size being abnormal. He wasn''t going to think about it. Either way he had killed it with only a few bruises, so maybe his situation wasn''t as dire as it looked? Who am I kidding, I''m going to die out here. Not wanting dwell any longer about how screwed up his situation was, he opened the Menu and noted how Class, which had previously been unavailable, was now possible to be selected.
Classes Available
Wanderer Alone by trade, the Wanderer travels from place to place, never staying put and always searching for new experiences. Hunter Hunting is a necessary action for survival, the Hunter sets traps for their prey and stalks the ones who get away. Gatherer Edible berries, balms, and incense are all useful with the right knowledge, poisons more so.
Reading over the options, Salim realized, with all the strangeness and horror of the past couple of minutes, that he did need to eat. He wasn''t hungry at the moment, but it was only a matter of time before he needed to eat something. He glanced at the caved in skull that was slowly starting to smell but decided he wasn¡¯t that hungry. Yet. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The class options made him think, [Wanderer] might help him figure out where he was, considering it had a line about ''searching for new experiences.'' He only paused for a few seconds on [Hunter], while hunting would be a good way to feed himself, he didn¡¯t fancy eating bugs for the rest of his life, and he seriously doubted a wolf could outcompete a 5-foot centipede. [Gatherer] also stood out to him since knowing what to eat was incredibly valuable to him, all he could think about were stories of people dying due to misidentifying a mushroom. So he decided, those were his two choices, [Wanderer] or [Gatherer]. Thinking for a moment, he made his choice.
You have chosen the Wanderer Class. The whims of your will guide you
You have gained 3 new Skills. ¡®Wayfind¡¯ ¡®Forage¡¯ ¡®Safe Travel¡¯ You have gained 5 stat points.
Opening up his skills page, his eyes skimmed across the pannel, looking at the scant information he was given on the [Skills].
Skills
Wayfind (Class) Lvl. 1 Guides you to where you want to go.
Forage (Class) Lvl. 1 Improves your ability to find useful items in the wild.
Safe Travel (Class) Lvl. 1 Reduces your trace while you travel.
It seemed like a mixed bag of skills to him. [Forage] was the obvious winner in terms of usefulness, and would probably keep him alive long enough to figure out where he was. The other two skills had glaring weaknesses, but they were both seemingly contingent on him traveling. [Wayfind] needed a direction for it to work based on its description and in his current state, he doubted ''home'' would do anything. [Safe Travels] on the other hand needed him to be activly traveling, which he wasn''t sure how to quantify. None of his abilities called for magic words, mysterious motions, or anything of the sort, so maybe there was a silver lining, as grim as the situation felt. Moving onto his other notification, Salim pulled up his status page to begin messing with another system he didn¡¯t understand. Ultimately he decided to go with the safe option, upgrading [Might], [Finesse], and [Resilience] would be the best choices until he figured out what the other stats did. Feeling the aching bruises on his back, Salim decided to put three of the points into resilience and two into might, so that he could fight back a little more next time a killer bug comes at him. Confirming the options and glancing at his surroundings, Salim turned back to the menu before confirming the stat spread with a shaking hand.
Lvl. 1 Stats Confirm
Might: 8 (10) -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+
Resilience: 7 (10) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:0 N/A
Looking down at the menu, Salim began to feel a familiar burn growing throughout his body. It wasn¡¯t debilitating but it did hurt, feeling like the acid in his muscles was catching back up at the end of a workout. The burn was comforting in a way, it was something he had felt before. Dismissing the window with a swipe of his hand and looking down at his body, Salim watched as it shifted, flesh warping ever so slightly until some of the stomach fat he had was gone. He wasn¡¯t obese, but a bit of his office weight had been vanished in a matter of seconds. However, if this was some sort of virtual reality, why go through the graphic process of his body shifting? Why not change his body instantly if he was just interacting with the world through an avatar? Trying to avoid another panic attack, he focused his thoughts elsewhere and wasn''t going to think too hard about it. Shoving it to the back of his mind with a shake of the head, he moved on. Bringing his train of thought around he realized that finding water was his top priority. Glancing at his surroundings, he picked what he assumed to be east because of the setting sun behind him and began to trudge through the woods. Along the way, he picked up another stick, just in case. For now, the forest was alive again, humming and chirping as he walked beneath megalithic trees. In a normal situation, Salim would have been looking around in awe, the sight being completely new to him. But the threat of predators loomed over his shoulder, making him cautiously scan the environment, the beauty of nature skewing before his eyes. His eyes darted as he moved from trunk to thick trunk, circling the gigantic redwoods and moving on to the next. It was a slow process, and before he knew it, the sun behind him was hidden from view while the ground was bathed in disordered patches of orange light. Water had escaped him for the day, and he felt hunger setting in, not enough to miss the centipede he left behind but enough to make him think about it. Eventually, he began looking for a bush or knoll to hide before night came. Looking around, he couldn¡¯t see a reasonable place to rest, any foliage on the ground was too sparse or small to hide his bulky body. Then he felt a pull, a dull tugging sensation in the back of his mind willing him towards his left side. Following the feeling, Salim was led to a dying tree with a sizable hollow den at its trunk which looked like an abandoned nest. Pushing himself into the hollow, it was big enough for him to move around on his hands and knees. Shifting his weight until he was comfortable enough to rest in the dirt, Salim peered out at the surrounding forest through a small hole in the tree. It made him feel small, not in a bad way, but just enough for it to be poignant about his place in nature. He was in the most figurative sense screwed, not being big enough to be considered a threat by the predators meant that he would have to watch his back. Thinking that he would probably have to face off with other bugs or worse, Salim took the stick he had grabbed and snapped it jaggedly in half, using his foot as a fulcrum. Taking the biggest rock he could find, Salim attempted to sharpen the jagged point he already had using the flattest edge of the stone. After a couple of minutes without making much progress, and giving himself numerous splinters, he managed to make the tip a tad sharper before night finally swept across the forest. Through the darkness, he could make out a few trees illuminated by what he assumed was moonlight. Peering out of the hollow, Salim looked up staring at the sky above, a black canvas, with only stars littering the night sky peeking through leaves. The ground outside wasn¡¯t being lit by starlight, the trees themselves were glowing softly with faint light coming from leaves and bark. Watching the glowing trees until exhaustion snuck up on him, Salim found himself oddly at peace as he drifted to sleep in the dirt. Ch. 3 - Water The morning light pouring in from the entrance of the hollow woke him, burning into his eyelids. Groaning and trying to stretch, he froze when his hand knocked against the dead wood of the tree. Then he remembered; where he was, what had happened. He decided to push the panic of being in an unknown place out of his mind, he needed to get a grip. Looking through his menus, he decided to use the relative safely of the tree to try reading more of the help menu, hoping that he could use some of the information.
Help Page No. 2
The Stats page is used to show the user''s overall capabilities and can be enhanced through training, level-ups, or maxing skills. The Titles page accompanies the Logs page as it details unique identifiers that make the user unique. <- Previous Page Next Page ->
Not much, but it did show that he could increase his stats through other means, even if he didn¡¯t have the time to work out while stuck in the middle of the woods. It did catch his attention that skills would be ¡®finished¡¯ and that it would give a stat boost of its own, it was probably one of the easiest ways for him to gain stats instead of risking his life against monsters.
Help Page No. 3
Levels are the culmination of the user, the simple metric used to denote the level of power possessed. This is increased through impressive feats or actions about class. Classes are guidelines that help shape users toward their life goals and are provided based on past actions or circumstances. <- Previous Page
Only three pages, that was all he was given. Squinting his eyes at the floating box, he tried to tap where the next page button should be to no avail, he felt like he had gotten ripped off. More than a little pissed and covered in dirt, Salim pulled himself out of the hollow and onto the wet grass outside. Grabbing the stick he had painstakingly dug into a sharpened point the other night, he set off, continuing his plan of wandering until he found a hint of water. It was much harder today, his body growled as he stepped over a rock, sending hunger pangs throughout his body. He thought back to the strange feeling that had brought him to the hollow the previous night, it was too intense of a feeling to be his imagination. Thinking about the system boxes he could reasonably assume it was the skill titled [Wayfind], helping him find the resting place he was looking for. Pondering for a moment, Salim tried to draw on the feeling, searching for water and eventually, he began to feel the pull again. It wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as it was before, but it was better than blindly wandering around a gigantic forest, plus it doubled as meditation and let him focus on following the feeling instead of overthinking every shadow that lurked in his peripheral. Along the way and in between bouts of him losing his grip on the skill, Salim looked through the bushes and small trees that littered the forest floor. Not having much luck initially, he eventually stumbled upon a large vibrant bush that had small nuts covered in a hard shell. While he couldn¡¯t get them open with just his hands, taking a rock from the ground and bashing it until it cracked seemed to do the job. Inside was what looked like a brown bead that was a bit softer than the shell that covered it. Nibbling it to see if it was edible, his teeth sunk into it before he tasted a strong earthy flavor. It wasn¡¯t his favorite, but it seemed edible, and he didn¡¯t have anything else to eat, so he wouldn''t be picky for now. Noting that the tree with the nuts was fairly common in the forest, Salim felt his mood noticeably improve: starvation was now a lot less likely to do him in. That is, until winter a dark part of his mind thought, but that was so far off when he was trying to make it for a single week. Slowly making his way towards what he hoped was drinkable water, Salim took the time to try and clean himself with the still dewy leaves. It was a task set to fail from the start: sleeping in the dirt along with general sweat and lack of clothing left grime that just set into the skin. Giving up after what felt like half an hour of scrubbing, he was left with grime smeared across his chest that somehow felt worse than before. Soon the sun had risen above his head, but with the high tree canopy from the redwoods, he was thankfully spared from everything except a strong sweat. Thinking about the redwoods, Salim thought back to the previous night, how the trees glowed with faint light in a way that he could only describe as mystical. Staring at the tree yielded nothing; from the bark to the leaves, it all looked normal to a guy who didn¡¯t know a thing about ecology. Maybe the bark was edible? All he had to go off that theory was a few TV show survival videos, but the fact that the trees glowed might make them inedible. Taking a break from his wanderings, Salim peeled some bark off the nearest tree and stared at it. The bark stared back, revealing none of its secrets. Peeling a strip off the chunk of bark, he bit into it and didn¡¯t find it too appetizing. The taste of wet wood wasn¡¯t pleasant, but it seemed edible. With wood in his mouth, he stared at the tree, looking at the section of wood that he stripped. From underneath the ripped section, small dots began to appear. It was hard to tell with the sunlight bearing down, but as he covered his hand over the section, the dots were noticeably glowing green. That was it, the sap was what caused the tree to glow faintly. Salim felt slightly vindicated by the fact that his mind didn¡¯t play tricks on him, but the question remained, why was the sap glowing? Curiously, Salim touched the sap and felt a cool witness spread itself along his fingers. Looking at his fingers, he watched as lightly glowing sap evaporated, disappearing without a trace as soon as it left the tree. More intrigued, he kept messing with it, poking and prodding the sap but getting no more information out of it. Not willing to attempt ingesting the substance and not being able to bring it with him, he set back off, trekking his way through the forest. He guessed that whatever the sap was, it was flowing through all the redwoods; he could always mess with it later when he wasn¡¯t dying of dehydration. Getting back to finding water the heat was getting to him, sweating like a pig without any water intake was not good for his short-term health. Slowly, he stumbled along the uneven terrain, barely recognizing as the scenery moved around him. At this point, he was just moving forward with dogged determination and guided by his [Wayfind] skill. He continued pushing, his heart beating rapidly against his chest, feeling like it was almost bursting out. The pull was getting stronger, but his vision felt so blurred to the point where he was mainly just relying on feeling. The urge to drink was all-consuming, and somehow he found himself propped up against a tree, wiping the sweat from his stinging eyes. This wouldn¡¯t work, he needed something to drink if it was going to be this hot. It didn¡¯t feel like he was going to get heat stroke anytime soon, but between walking for most of the day and not having exercised in years, he was squeezing out what little remained. Pushing himself around, he turned and faced the tree, tearing as deep of a chunk off as he could. He continued to tear strips of bark off while in a dehydrated daze until he saw the faint glow of the liquid. While he was pretty desperate to get a drink, this still seemed like a rather poor idea, glowing things in nature normally meant ¡°Stay away! I''m poisonous!¡± But considering he was already dizzy and having a growing headache, he probably needed to drink something soon, and this was the only thing he could think about. Hoping that he wasn¡¯t being completely idiotic, he pressed his face against the tree in an awkward kiss, trying to suck up as much of the sap as possible. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The feeling of the glowing sap was faint, when it was on his fingers he barely felt it. Most of the liquid disappeared from his tongue and never reached the rest of his mouth; however, he was able to drink a small amount. Going down his throat, Salim shivered, he couldn¡¯t accurately describe the feeling, but it was almost like he was swallowing pure excitement. There wasn¡¯t a taste, but instead this feeling of exhilaration as the sap jumped down his throat into his stomach and gave him a shot of alertness, as if he was trying energy drinks for the first time. Surprised, he took a step back and looked at the tree, the liquid pooling around the scab in the bark. He didn¡¯t feel thirsty anymore, but the effects of dehydration were still there as he swayed in place. Intrigued, Salim moved to the tree again and drank some more. Eventually, Salim began to feel better, recouping his lost water with whatever was in the tree. Getting back to his hike, he realized that if he needed to drink, both the moss on the rocks underfoot and some of the shrubbery leaves had plenty of water if he sucked on them. He blamed dehydration, but not much could be done now; he hadn¡¯t keeled over yet, so he assumed it was fine. The glowing sap made him feel better than fine. In fact, he had to actively stop himself from bouncing from foot to foot with how much energy he had. Nothing else seemed to be off about him, for now he would just assume that whatever was in the tree acted as a stimulant; which was a tad alarming, but he would just need to find his water elsewhere. His [Wayfind] skill was pulling hard now, and cresting a small hill he eventually heard the sound of rushing water, which filled him with relief. The river was quite large, causing an opening in the forest where the sun could fully shine down onto the glistening running water, instead of being hidden in the shadows of the giant trees. Walking briskly to the river, Salim was suddenly stopped by a screen popping up in front of his face, causing him to trip, splaying his body out onto the hard ground. Swearing at the damned box, he looked at the contents and fell into contemplation.
Your wandering has led you to a river. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
That changed the game a bit, he was still thinking about the menu system under the thought of pure video game logic, but maybe it was more dynamic than that. The idea that he could gain levels through actions relating to his class made him relieved. He really didn¡¯t want to fight any more giant bugs. Thinking it was smart to upgrade his body before he got to the river, Salim hid himself in a larger patch of underbrush and pulled open his menu.
Lvl. 2 Stats Confirm
Might: 10(12) -/+
Finesse: 9(10) -/+
Resilience: 10(12) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:0 N/A
Tapping at the bottom of the screen, he still wasn¡¯t able to do anything with depth, and with no help from the menus it would remain a mystery. But that didn¡¯t truly matter to him right now, he was just wasting time while his body adapted to the increase in power. Swinging his arms and legs, he adjusted to the slight weight difference, having been put off balance since the first time he had gone through the process. Although subtle, his body did not like being changed on a whim, making him feel like he was going through puberty all over again. Eventually figuring out how to run and jump without tripping, he began stalking closer to the water. The river put everything at a slight decline as the land folded to meet the flowing water that had carved its way over hundreds of years. Trying his best to not fall flat on his face, Salim slowly descended the decline, using the large roots of the redwoods that jutted out of the ground as railings to hold himself. Stepping down onto a sandy shoal, Salim practically threw himself to the water and tensed his body as the water was colder than he expected. Either way, he had found water and bringing some to his mouth he breathed a sigh of relief, it was like a refreshing sanctuary. Bracing himself, he moved his body deeper into the water, not so deep as to get swept away by the river but enough to submerge his body and partially clean off the filth of the last day and a half. It brought him relief, a new breath of energy as the normal grit and grime wasn¡¯t irritating his skin. Getting distracted by cleaning himself, Salim didn¡¯t notice the sun waning behind the trees until he realized that he was in the last stretch of the evening and needed to find somewhere to hide quickly. Pulling himself out of the river dripping wet, he tried to search for a place to hide like the previous night, but nothing was setting off his [Wayfind] skill. That''s when he felt it, the forest began to subtly still again, and he could almost feel the eyes watching him. Not wanting to risk getting caught by another monstrosity, Salim ran for some bushes nearby, hiding in the brush to try and lose the predator. He wasn¡¯t sure if whatever was near him used a smell to hunt, he prayed it didn¡¯t. The air was tense, waiting for the fatal encounter between hunter and prey. Salim gripped the stick he had fashioned and kept his eyes wide, the trees had begun to glow visibly, greenlight trapped beneath the brown of the bark. He also realized that there was a glow emanating from somewhere around him, coating the smaller plants in its pale brown light. With horror, Salim realized that the light was coming from him, his veins glowed brown as he attempted to cover himself with leaves and other debris to stop himself from becoming a glowing free meal sign. Suddenly he stopped, laying dead still on the ground, to his left he heard soft panting, not being able to turn his head to look at the noise, he braced himself with his hands on the ground. The panting stopped, and Salim held his breath and readied himself to move. He began a silent countdown in his head, getting ready to move. The creature didn¡¯t give him time to plan his actions, lunging at him with a ferocious snap of its jaws it scraped his leg, causing Salim to cry out in pain. Not letting it continue to bite at him, he kicked out with his other foot, connecting with furry flesh and eliciting a whine before it seemingly backed up. Frantically looking around for something to save him, Salim looked towards the shoreline where there were plenty of trees, some curved. These would be perfect to climb up and get away from whatever attacked him. Limping towards a tree, Salim waved his stick, trying to hit the creature he still couldn¡¯t get a good look at. As he got closer to the tree he heard a howl, along with several others responding to it, which made Salim attempt to burst into a sprint if only to be stopped by his slashed leg. He heard multiple footsteps now, all converging on his location, snarling at him. One of the creatures passed close by a tree that he was near, and he regretted looking. These things sounded like dogs or wolves but were much larger, far more beefed up and more like a Great Dane on steroids. The glint of their teeth was enough to make his stomach roil, and from what he could guess there were around five of them. Not able to get to one of the more slanted trees, Salim simply tried to latch onto the nearest one, but it turned out to be a big mistake. The trunks of these trees were far wider than any tree he had ever seen, so it was more akin to rock climbing than ambling up an oak. With one limp leg he tried to climb up the side of the tree, he felt his fingers blister and then burst as his mad scramble up the redwood left splinters digging into his fingers. Still he attempted to climb, putting one leg in any crevice he could find to keep himself up, putting himself just barely out of range of the gigantic wolves. They screamed, barked, and jumped at him trying to claw their way up the tree, ripping the bark at the base, falling back. Salim was just trying to hold on, his fingers not used to supporting the majority of his body weight protested as he felt them grow warm, the blood making it harder and harder to get a grip. He groaned in pain as his fingers squelched against the wood, beginning to feel lightheaded. Looking down, his leg stood out against the glowing tree, blood dripping down from a nasty slash that he no longer could feel. Trying to climb as high as he could, eventually he just stayed put, with his foot resting on a particularly deep groove as the energy left his body. Trying to fight the exhaustion, Salim did his best to dig into the tree, licking up the glowing sap that had gotten him into the mess in the first place, but it couldn¡¯t replace the blood he lost. Feeling strung out, he simply clung to the tree for his life while his mind slipped away from him along with the blood leaving his leg. Eventually, he wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been in the tree, hallucinating that he had just climbed up a particularly large tree on an excursion to the park. Once he climbed down, he would be back with his loved ones. A particularly loud bark broke the visions, bringing him back to cruel reality and causing him to loosen his grip. Then he fell, just long enough to have clarity with what was happening. He never got the chance to open his mouth to scream as he impacted the rocky ground with a wet thud and his vision went dark. Ch. 4 - Dead He fell, colors fading away from his eyes. He tried in futility to lift a hand as he fell, his arm unresponsive like the rest of his body. Wind blew past him like a wind tunnel, he was yanked, body flung back up and out. Salim eyes shot open to an outstretched hand, his feet on solid ground. His body unharmed as he stood, feeling like he had never felt his shatter into a hundred pieces. Stark white suffocated him, disorienting in how evenly it encapsulated him; he couldn¡¯t tell if he was in a tiny box or a giant auditorium, with the uniformity of the maddeningly bright color. The only object he could find was a lone floating box, sitting behind him, as he spun around to try and find anything in the bleached void. Scrambling over with shock still on the mind, Salim tried to figure out what in the world was going on.
You have died. Cause of death: ¡°Blunt Force Trauma¡±
Total Score Level = 3 Points Class = 5 Points Stats = 10 Points Titles = 10 Points Total is 28 Points. Spend Points in Shop before Respawn.
Eyes blurring as a slight wetness filled them, he had to slow down his reading to make sense of the box. This has got to be some sick joke. He thought. This was solid enough confirmation of his theory that this was all some sort of simulation¡­.. But the pain he felt! With how up to date he stayed with new technology, he had never heard of a breakthrough on a device that could replicate the senses so accurately. The dirt that caked his body, the irony smell of blood, and the crisp air on his skin felt too real to be simulated. Pinching himself, Salim winced as the spot on his skin slowly turned red. He needed to think logically, figure out the inconsistencies and find a way out, but it was hard to focus after experiencing his own death, his hands still shaking like leaves in the wind. Salim rubbed his calf, he thought that he shouldn¡¯t be so bothered by what had happened, he was alive in some form so it was all okay. But that crunch, the lightheadedness from the blood loss, the falling sensation¡­ Not wanting to dwell any longer on the horrors of immortality, he read back over the menu to make sure he didn¡¯t miss any important details before pressing continue, trying and failing to empty his mind of any other thoughts
¡ü Points: 28 Point Store Confirm
? Increased Stats 5P Per Stat -/+
| Extra Point Per Level 100P -/+
| Basic Class Weight 50P -/+
¡ý Basic Skill 50P -/+
The list was extensive, scrolling through it Salim realized that he couldn¡¯t afford anything except for the additional stat points. He couldn¡¯t find any descriptive information from the menu, but he did find an option for advanced classes and skills with a hefty cost. How he would get the advanced versions without the menu he wasn¡¯t sure, but the knowledge was power. Buying the stat increase five times, he was brought to a familiar screen. While the total equaled out to fifty, he had five additional points to allocate before he leveled up. Contemplating his choices, he put his extra points into his physical abilities under the assumption that being able to run away from a wolf was a lot better than thinking about it. While he was tempted to make a ¡°dump stat¡± and just not increase one stat, this was his body that he was messing with, much better to take a balanced approach until he learned more. He was almost done making his selections when he noticed, [Depth] had selectable options next to it. While a tad strange, Salim didn¡¯t know what the effect was, so he threw a single point into it before finalizing his selection.
Lvl. 0 Stats Confirm
Might: 8(9) -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+ The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Resilience: 7(10) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:0(1) -/+
This time when he hit confirm, the usual soreness washed over his muscles, but at the same time he could feel something else changing as well; his skin began to itch like he had fallen on an ant hill, and they were trying to bite him to death. Trying to scratch at his skin didn¡¯t alleviate the feeling, but he kept at it, the itching was incessant; by the time it was over he had rubbed several parts of his arms painfully red. When the itching finally subsided, Salim tried to examine what was different about himself. Besides the spontaneous muscle growth, he was back to where he had started; a tad pudgy and a less hungry than moments before in the forest. Trying to get a feel for what [Depth] had done to him unfortunately was a dead end, as he couldn¡¯t feel any differences after the initial transformation. Looking back at the menu, Salim was offered a single choice.
Respawn
He didn¡¯t push it right away, still reeling from his death, he didn¡¯t want to head out. But, he knew he couldn''t stay forever, not for his sanity''s sake, the bright white of the room was wearing on his senses and he wasn¡¯t sure how much longer he could stay before he began feeling loopy. This wasn¡¯t exactly an afterlife, as far as he could tell he would get hungry and eventually be forced to hit the button, or starve to death in a completely white room. Taking a moment to center himself, he laid down on the ground -a solid white material that didn¡¯t have a discernible texture other than smooth and cold - finally able to spend time arranging his thoughts. Safe for now, he contemplated what was going on; he was placed in a forest with video game-esque floating boxes that he could call with his mind. After dying, he had wound up in a void and was given the option of respawning. He pulled up his main menu, noting that his level had been reset to zero and class was no longer available. ¡°What is going on?¡± Salim whispered into the void. While the easiest explanation for him to accept was that all this was somehow virtual reality, it had a few holes that he couldn¡¯t fully justify. Last week, Salim had read an article about some celebrity dying of brain cancer, something which could be potentially prevented if the technology existed to completely immerse himself in a virtual world. Maybe it was something more fantastical, like other dimensions, God, maybe he had died? He giggled to himself, knowing it was futile to try and guess why he had been into such a strange world. Not that it mattered, since all he would be doing for now would be finding a way to survive for longer than a day and a half. Feeling himself slowly losing it, Salim stood up and hit the button. It was like flicking a light switch, his vision went pitch black before light streamed into his eyes and forced them closed. Slowly adjusting to the brightness, Salim squinted as he tried to identify his surroundings. Around him were trees that he felt much more familiar with than the redwoods he had tried to climb. Not nearly as tall, they spread wide, limbs dipping low enough to mount from the ground, with flat spiny leaves blocking out the sun. They looked similar to oaks, but the bark was slightly off and the leaves were tinged with a brighter green, but were undeniably related to oak trees. The trees surrounded him, covering his vision in verdant green and oak brown. Setting to work, Salim found a branch in the tree that looked the most climbable, only pausing briefly after having flashbacks to his previous life, before slowly worked his way to the upper branches. Looking through the canopy, Salim saw that he was in a veritable forest, with green covering the land as far as he could see, except for a range of mountains on his right, far off in the distance. Not too sure which direction he should go, he felt orientated as he grabbed a newly dropped branch that had yet to be rotted through for self-defense and a good walking stick. His efforts of sharpening his previous stick hadn¡¯t panned out like he thought, so why go through all the effort of sharpening it when swinging it wildly would do the job of warding off most things. Thinking about his surroundings, he decided to head diagonally towards the mountains, with any luck there would be a river along the way. While he wasn¡¯t pleased to just be looking for a river again, it was the easiest way to get water; there was a reason most civilizations formed around them. Mulling over his previous journey, he realized that it was pretty stupid of him to not look for shelter sooner near the river, since that was where a lot of the wildlife was as well. In the meantime, he could test plants for how much water they had, or find berries with high water content, it wasn¡¯t the smartest thing to do but knowing that he was functionally immortal helped him make the decision. Stalking over to a tree, he had been meaning to test this since he came back, but had got lost in thought. Ripping off a piece of bark off the tree with his hands, Salim watched with expectation, but was disappointed when nothing happened. Maybe I need to cut deeper, Salim thought, picking up one of the sharper rocks that he could find. He tried his best to mark deep into the wood, pushing it deeper and deeper into the bark until glowing green fluid slowly leaked out of the gash. Feeling a small amount of euphoria for his deduction that had paid off, Salim touched the sap, seeing it dissolve similarly to the redwood, shrugging his shoulders he let it be and began hiking towards the mountains. As evening came down on the horizon, Salim realized that he needed to find some way to level up, his [Wayfind] skill was more useful than he gave it credit for since he was pretty sure that he had been walking in circles for at least an hour. He still needed to find a place to stay the night, so he began to make a makeshift shelter out of dry logs and overgrown grass. Looking at the tiny hut, Salim felt like he had done a good job for how quickly he set it up. Curling up inside, he made sure not to disturb the hut''s sides before beginning to mess with his menu. Looking through the different screens, he saw that the [Logs] had been completely wiped, with the only way he knew to get the log to trigger was through killing something or completing some nebulously defined task that impressed the system. So he had to kill something. The problem being that birds and other small critters were very adept at hiding, while the predators were a temporary health and permanent mental risk to him. He would figure something out eventually, hopefully, if he found a river he would be able to tenderize something with a stick while it was drinking. Getting to his titles, he saw that he had earned another, reading through the description he felt that it was deserved for what he had to go through to get it.
Titles Number of Titles: 3
The First You were the first to step upon the path of sapience.
Alone Whether by creation or genocide, your existence is unique.
Deathless Through medical marvel or mystical means, you have come back from the dead.
Musing over the menu, he reasoned that none of his titles were earned fairly, given based on pure circumstance, but he wouldn''t complain. At this point, he was just technically surviving, if counting the continued stream of consciousness was allowed. He needed to think long-term and get a plan together, since he didn¡¯t want to be jumping from place to place dying constantly; he wanted to live instead of surviving. That meant he needed levels and a class. Contemplating trying to kill a tree, Salim slowly fell asleep in his collection of sticks.
Dawn came too early for Salim¡¯s liking, causing him to push against the hut''s side a little too hard as he woke up. The structure promptly collapsed on top of him, making a stream of curses slip out from underneath fallen sticks and leaves. Pushing himself out of the debris, Salim set about sucking on moss wet with morning dew to try and get some semblance of hydration; the moss didn¡¯t taste good, but dehydration was worse. Picking up the most readily available weapon, a trusty stick - no, his trusty stick, Salim set off, occasionally picking up different berries and nuts that he found. Not quite willing to eat them until he was starving, he fashioned a pack with a few larger leaves lying in the grass and some from the branches he could reach, creating a makeshift bowl to store whatever edible objects he found. Collecting the nuts and berries made him think; he could probably lure an animal into a trap to try and gain a level. Seeing that it was still around midday, he thought that it would be best to wait until the evening to set something up, so he kept his head down and hiked. Occasionally he would set his bowl and stick aside, before climbing up a tree to make sure he wasn¡¯t getting too off track. The sun helped, but was equally unhelpful in kind, due to its burning rays. It was unpleasant work, made even worse by his empty stomach, but he managed by taking the climb slowly. As evening approached, Salim found himself a flat clearing where he could prepare his trap, digging out the ground to make a rough cylinder about the size of his fist. Laying some leaves precariously over the hole, he squished some of the berries he was unwilling to try his luck with and flicked the juice into the pit. With his impromptu trap set, Salim began his second attempt at temporary shelter, this time leaning sticks up against an old but sturdy looking tree near the clearing. Getting done with his preparations before nightfall fully blinded him, he sat and waited, unwilling to fall asleep so easily after the events of the previous day. But, at some point he couldn''t hold it any longer and dazed off from exhaustion, daydreaming about waking up in an office before eventually falling asleep. Ch. 5 - Energy Salim woke up the next morning to a pleasant surprise, he hadn''t been able to stay up all night, but could see that his trap had proven effective. Sitting inside the hole was a small toad that had fallen asleep because it couldn¡¯t jump high enough to get out of the pit. Salim stared into its beady eyes as it croaked loudly at him. Hopefully this counts, he thought, reading himself to strike. The frog croaked again as he stabbed into the pit and with a crunch received a system message.
You successfully trapped and killed a ¡®Toad¡¯ Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your first Level. Select Class in Menu.
He sighed with relief, thankful that he wouldn¡¯t have to kill a giant monster or do some other insane task. Wiping the muck off the bottom of the stick, Salim set it against a tree before pulling up his menus. Not seeing any changes in the class options, he selected [Wanderer] and considered his stat spread.
Lvl. 1 Stats Confirm
Might: 9 -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+
Resilience: 10(15) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:1 -/+
He decided to throw everything into [Resilience], for the simple reason that it was the most helpful overall, improving his stamina and general resilience to the elements. His [Might] had been fairly useless when fighting against the pack of wolf creatures, since he wasn¡¯t strong enough for it to make any meaningful difference. Instead, he would focus on toughening up, to at least avoid getting as blisters and sores on his feet. Confirming the allocation, Salim was immediately hit with a feeling that his skin was hardening, like his entire body was growing a callus in the timespan of a few seconds. Unlike when he upgraded [Might], the change wasn¡¯t painful, it just felt like his skin was becoming leathery, although not by much. Shaking off the feeling with a quick twist of the head, Salim attempted to harness [Wayfind], able to use the skill much faster now that he had experience. With a bit of mental prompting, he was off, heading towards the mountain at a quick pace. Now that he wasn¡¯t freaking out about waking up half-nude in a forest, Salim ran through his skills and their effects in his head. [Wayfind] was the most obvious, there was a mental tug that seemed to pull him in certain directions, although the feeling wasn¡¯t immediately obvious. It did seem to have some large limitations, as broad landscape features he could see or places in the immediate area seemed to be the only thing the skill would respond to. Trying to get the skill to take him back to the redwood forest didn¡¯t do anything, neither did trying to find a way home. It was wishful thinking, he knew it, but it didn¡¯t hurt to try, he was trying to feel out the skill as he kept getting smaller with what he wanted to find, from trees, to anthills, and eventually singular leaves. He had mixed result, but it did teach him that the smaller the object was, the closer he needed to be to it, and that he couldn¡¯t track living creatures. The other skills he received were a bit nebulous, and he didn¡¯t pick up that they were having an effect until he focused on his actions. [Forage] was a fifty-fifty on either improvements to his eyesight or a supernatural awareness for useful items such as nuts or berries. It didn¡¯t seem to have any overtly mystical effects, like increasing the amount of things he found, but if it did, then he would have more questions than answers. He wouldn¡¯t have even noticed the effects until he realized just how many berries he had found, the leaf bowl was getting full, so he had to stop himself from grabbing more. [Safe Travel] was similarly strange, it seemed to be training him to be sneakier while moving through the forest. Training that included stepping over sticks he wasn¡¯t paying attention to and shimmying through branches to avoid breaking them without thinking about it. The weirdness of his actions didn¡¯t register with him until he had noticed the effects of [Forage] and started paying more attention to what his body was doing. Unlike with [Forage] and [Wayfind], he could actually learn from the skill and feel the influence become stronger as he paid attention to it and followed along with what it wanted him to do. The skills were insidious if he thought about it, influencing his actions without his notice, and he would have been more concerned if the effects weren''t benign. The fact that they helped him survive played no small part in giving them leeway with how he perceived them. By the end of the day, he still hadn¡¯t reached the river, but was able to secure lodging by a rather large tree, whose thicker branches were weighed down with the rest of the branches resting on top. While setting up his hut, he had a small scare when a screen popped up in front of him.
You have wandered for an entire day. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
He could level up just by being on the move? Not that he was complaining, but that meant he wouldn¡¯t have to make impromptu traps and be at the mercy of whatever wandered in. It did not escape him that the level up used the same language as his class, maybe the class lets me level up in a way indicative of its description, he mused. Pulling up his stat menu, he decided to go for mental upgrades to see what benefit they provided, even if the stats might be better served in [Resilience]. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Lvl. 2 Stats Confirm
Might: 9 -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+
Resilience: 15 -/+
Acuity: 12(15) -/+
Resolve: 14(15) -/+
Depth:1(2) -/+
Looking at the spread, he nodded to himself, balanced was probably the way to go until he figured out the specifics of each stat. ¡°Hopefully this is better than last time¡± he muttered, thinking back to unlocking [Depth] the day before, before deciding that his curiosity was more compelling than temporary discomfort. Hitting confirmed, he doubled over as a headache punched him in the cerebrum, causing his arms to flail uselessly as he tried to get the pain under control. The itching feeling under his skin wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as it had previously, even feeling slightly cathartic, and as the headache faded, Salim tried to quantify what had changed. The stats were less obvious than their physical counterparts, whose effects could be tangibly tested instead of testing with an impromptu mental evaluation on himself. Spreading the stats out also made him unsure which of the two stats was causing what effect, which was an obvious issue in hindsight and one he would try and remember. Going back to his self evaluation, he could tell that his thoughts felt clearer, for lack of a better description, zipping around his head with higher bandwidth than before. He also had a strange feeling of importance, like he was simply more of a person and could use the feeling to better isolate the loneliness that had been creeping up on him, not removing it but keeping it away from the forefront of his mind. It was honestly incredible, to feel himself gain more control over his mind that he hadn¡¯t been able to fully deal with, even after working with a therapist for years. [Depth] was still a dead end though, he didn¡¯t have a clue what it had done, although the itching probably meant that it changed his body in some way. Maybe it improved his nervous system, which would improve him in some way. How? He didn¡¯t know anatomy, so the benefits seemed questionable to him. Unless the itching is psychosomatic, there''s no way to tell what it¡¯s doing, even if I could X-ray myself I wouldn¡¯t know what to look for, Salim thought. Maybe he would be able to figure it out once the stat got high enough, or maybe ten, since that seemed to be the general baseline all his stats originally hovered around. Not bothering with the stat anymore, he opened his skill menu to see if they had leveled up any from his day of use.
Skills
Wayfind (Class) Lvl. 2 Guides you to where you want to go.
Forage (Class) Lvl. 2 Improves your ability to find useful items in the wild.
Safe Travel (Class) Lvl. 3 Reduces your trace while you travel.
He was surprised at the speed of which the skills had leveled up, but it did engage the dopamine in his brain, seeing numbers go up never failed to excite him. Pausing before closing the menu and rereading the descriptions of the skills, Salim thought they were slightly misleading. Although, misleading descriptions and a lack of explanation seemed to be the modus operandi of the floating boxes. Taking the time to obscure his hut, Salim busied himself till nightfall, gathering brush and leaves to cover him while he slept, just for the benefit of feeling slightly more safe. Not feeling completely exhausted (likely due to his boosted [Resilience]) Salim decided to climb up the tree to watch the stars. Taking his time climbing in the dark, he eventually peeked out between the leaves at the brilliant sky above. Living in a light-polluted area for his entire life, Salim had never seen the full night sky outside of photos. It looked like he was living on the inside of a snow globe, with vibrant blues, oranges, and greens from exploding nebula painting the sky, the majesty he felt was beyond words. The only thing that was missing was the moon, although he wasn¡¯t sure if the planet was based off of earth or something else entirely. Salim felt at peace for just a few moments, completely beholden to the vastness of the cosmos. Eventually, exhaustion crept up on him and as he slid down from the tree and into the hut, he thought about the reality of his situation. He would most likely never get back home, and if he did, it wouldn¡¯t be any time soon. On the first day, he worried about no one finding him, but now he realized that the situation was far beyond what he could comprehend, even if the world was some sort of virtual prison. Dread gripped him as he fell asleep that night, his dreams filled with the sad faces of everyone he knew and loved as they grew old and died without him. Dawn came slowly, as soon as the early morning light touched his hair his eyes sprung open, and he jumped to work, scattering his hut to plan his next move. Something had gotten into his bowl last night, some of the nuts and berries looked rotten and had holes in them. He suspected ants, as the bowl itself had several holes in it as well, and grumbled while throwing away all the rotten food. Fashioning another makeshift bowl, he decided to bite the bullet and chew on the most edible-looking berry. As he sunk his teeth into the skin of the fruit, he recoiled at the bitterness. It wasn¡¯t pleasant to eat, but it would have to do for now until he figured out how to farm, if he ever got to it. Thinking about how to start the agricultural revolution all by himself, Salim followed [Wayfind]¡¯s instructions while trying to practice [Safe Travel] as much as he could. The path he blazed was slowly getting difficult to hike as the incline increased, and while Salim had gone on plenty of hikes before, doing so without a trail was agonizing. He had to take great care where he stepped due to a spiny plant that seemed to grow just about everywhere near the mountain, anytime he thought the patches ended, more would appear in font of him. While the thorn bushes didn¡¯t cut if he brushed past them, stepping on them was just asking for a painful injury. The lack of visible progress was slowly frustrating him, so huffing and puffing he took a seat on a downed tree, the thing looked like it had the entire bottom ripped out by the roots. Resting his legs, Salim sat on an incline, breathing deeply to try and catch his breath. With each breath, he felt slightly more invigorated, his stamina coming back far faster than it ever had before. While [Resilience] gives me more stamina, does it also improve how fast I can recover? Salim puzzled, If that''s the case then would it double when I hit twenty or is it linear in how it scales, this sorta reminds me of the tree sap¡­ His thoughts trailed off, as he stood up and walked over to a smaller tree that was still firmly planted in the ground. Taking the time to cut into the trunk with a small rock, Salim hesitated slightly as he went to take a sip, his mind flashing back to the wolves trying to tear him apart. But reasoning with himself, he dismissed his fears, since him getting caught had to do with it being dark, so he just needed to make sure he kept track of time. He was still a tad frustrated at himself not able to fully dismiss his illogical fear, as his hand shook slightly gripping the bark to take a sip. As the dribbling liquid entered his mouth, filling his stomach, Salim began to feel strange. Like before, he felt like he was pumped full of caffeine, but strangely the feeling subsided into a low tailwind of energy that continued to invigorate. Somehow, he felt like the energy was just sitting inside of him, slowly being used to fuel his recovery. The feeling gradually suffused over his entire body, with a slight itch that made him think of [Depth]. Mulling over the feeling, Salim realized that he could still feel some small part of it pushing into him, like it had been spread throughout the air. Salim was intrigued, but gave up after feeling embarrassment over his hand signs and magic words failed to do anything, returning to the hike as the sap finished erasing his exhaustion. Lost in thought over the strange find, his stamina slowly depleted as he pushed his body further up the mountain at the insistence of his skill. He was getting closer to water. Ch. 6 - Fire Camping out on a steep section of the mountain, Salim used the sheer rock wall as a part of his shelter to save time before sundown. Sleep for him was difficult, as he struggled to stay asleep for more than what felt like a few minutes at a time. The wind''s howling against the mountainside bothered him, the screaming wind sounding just close enough to people for it to be eerie. After hours of spotty sleep, the sun rose, the mountainside thankfully blocking heated rays from disturbing his morning. Dredging himself a small area to relieve himself, Salim knew that he was getting close, the skill was a loud clamoring, yelling that he was almost there. Feeling more motivated than the previous brutal climb, Salim cleaned himself up before pushing himself to complete the final stretch. After just a couple of hours he could feel his goal just beyond a sharp bend in the mountain, Salim slowed, carefully trailed alongside the rocks, making sure to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Peering over an outcropping, Salim found what he was looking for: the river streaming down from higher up the mountain, making a small waterfall as it pooled into a small inlet before continuing further down. Feeling his past life watching him, Salim slowly made his way over to the inlet, eyeing the surrounding trees and rocks for any signs of life. The sounds of the water moving along the river bed were soothing, but he still had reservations about open sources of water. Approaching the flowing water, Salim got the message that he was waiting for.
You have climbed a mountain to reach a stream. Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
Surprised at the double level-up but feeling more than satisfied, he decided to make his time by the water quick to avoid any creatures that might be around. Drinking from the stream, Salim retreated up a rocky part of the mountain, where it had a small outcrop, giving him a vantage point over the inlet. Salim decided that he would try and set up a more permanent structure here, having both water and small river fish to survive off of. Deciding to assign stats before working, Salim wanted to pump up his physical might.
Lvl. 4 Stats Confirm
Might: 9(15) -/+
Finesse: 9(10) -/+
Resilience: 15(16) -/+
Acuity: 15 -/+
Resolve: 15 -/+
Depth: 2(4) -/+
The next couple of minutes were spent cursing as he upgraded his stats all at once. Once the initial soreness wore off, he began to gather all the large debris he found around the inlet. Grumbling to himself for choosing a difficult-to-reach spot for his base, Salim eventually had enough to make a hut that he could crouch into instead of crawl. Feeling rather proud of himself, he began to plan out what he wanted to accomplish in the coming days. Now that he had a source of water that wasn¡¯t reliant on the weather, he needed to occupy his time with something other than kicking rocks along the inlet and feeling sad for himself. Even now he felt the need for social interaction he couldn¡¯t fill, and didn¡¯t want the feeling to get even worse, so he needed tasks to keep him focused and more importantly, sane. In the past, he had idly watched videos on wilderness survival and had a general idea of what he should do, but the specifics were lost on him. He wanted to eventually build a cabin for himself, but even the general idea of that seemed far off, he didn¡¯t even have tools to split wood. Although increasing my stats might allow me to cheat a little. Salim thought, Splitting wood with my bare hands would mean I don¡¯t need to use tools. While the idea of cutting down trees with his bare hands had some merit, he would need levels for that, which he didn¡¯t have a straightforward way to get other than risking his life or going on long hikes. So he would try the tool route for now, watching the sunset as he chipped rocks together to try and get one sharp. He had just gotten a stone jagged enough to act as an arrow or spearhead when night fell, stopping his efforts and resigning himself to a surprisingly fruitful sleep. The next morning, he slept in until the sunlight was warm across his face, he awoke, surprised that his sleep had lasted until midday. Thoughts of anxiety pushed him to get a move on, dragging him out of his hut and down the hill towards the inlet to try and find some vine or plant to act as a rope for the stone. Finding what he was looking for rather quickly, Salim had to attribute the find to [Forage] because he would never have noticed a dead but still sturdy vine sitting below a rock several feet away in the underbrush under normal circumstances. Bringing his spoils back to the campsite, Salim began trying to tie up the rock, quickly realizing that he should have made notches in the spear tip to tie the vine to. After several failed attempts, he was able to chisel out big enough indents in the sides of the rock to attempt to secure it. That brought another issue; he didn¡¯t know how to tie any knots beside shoelaces. The whole process took most of his day before he was able to secure the rock with enough tightness that he was semi-confident that he could spear a fish with it. Angrily, picking up the spear after massaging his fingers, Salim walked back down the river to try and catch something. He quickly learned that being angry was not a good strategy for catching fish with a spear, and while stronger and faster than ever before, the fish would run away at the slightest movement above the water. Strategy evolving, Salim began sitting still at the water''s edge, poised to thrust, hoping that, a fish would swim within striking range. Unfortunately, he had no luck that day and had to eat through his rapidly dwindling supply of nuts and berries before swearing vengeance on the fish and making his way back to his camp. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The next day was filled with more fruitless attempts at catching fish. Salim cursed, as a plump brown-scaled fish rapidly swam away from him after his initial lunge had struck the sandy bottom of the inlet. It was hard for him to judge the distance of the fish because of how the light refracted off the pool of water, or at least, that¡¯s what he told himself. Giving up in frustration, Salim went back to his hut and tried to figure out how to make fire. Grabbing a flat wooden board and a rather straight stick, he piled smaller sticks and leaves around it to hopefully light. He was attempting to light a fire with just two sticks and sheer determination, and with his newly gained strength. While he may not have a string to make a fire bow, he was far stronger than he had ever been, which he hoped would let him spin the wood fast enough to light something. Placing the stick between his palms and centering it on the makeshift kindling below, he began to spin, and spin, and spin. Turns out that starting a fire using friction took a long time and was as strenuous as it was boring. Several times, Salim stopped to see if anything was happening, but it seemed like he just delayed the process. While he was able to spin the wood much faster than with his upgraded stats, the wood heated slowly and his hands ached after just a couple of minutes of spinning. Just as he was about to call it quits, he saw smoke coming from the leaves as the wood became hot enough to burn them. Not stopping the friction, Salim did his best to try and move his pile of fire tinder closer to the black dent he was slowly burning into the log. It took a few minutes but eventually, a small flame was produced, and started to happily eat into the rest of his tinder. Careful not to accidentally blow it out, Salim used his body to block the breeze that was coming down the mountain and started to feed it larger sticks to grow the flames. Once the fire was large enough to sustain itself for more than a few minutes, Salim got a pop-up.
You have started a fire from scratch. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
It was perfect icing on the cake to accentuate his efforts. Staring into the red tongues streaking into the sky, Salim felt a sense of accomplishment at what he had managed to do. While he had help from his enhanced stats along with the heavy usage of his skills, he had been able to hike a mountain in nothing but gym shorts and start a fire from scratch alone, with no outside assistance. The lack of anyone to celebrate his achievements stung, but in spite of his loneliness, he let out a celebratory cry across the inlet just to let the fish know that they would be cooking over said fire soon. Evening came right as he was finished setting up the fire, preparing it for when he couldn¡¯t attend to it over the night. While the light and smoke it produced was a bit of a beacon, Salim figured that he was probably better off with it than without, since most creatures would be hesitant to approach with the surroundings lit up. Pulling up his stat menu before trying to fall asleep, Salim pumped most of his points into might.
Lvl. 5 Stats Confirm
Might: 15(19) -/+
Finesse: 10 -/+
Resilience: 16 -/+
Acuity: 15 -/+
Resolve: 15 -/+
Depth:4(5) -/+
While he liked even numbers as much as the next guy, he was still intrigued by what [Depth] did and wouldn¡¯t sacrifice his curiosity for the slight increase of a single stat. After making sure that the fire wouldn¡¯t catch on any trees overnight, Salim slipped back into his hut and fell asleep. The next day, whatever gods existed in the world made it clear that they hated him. It rained, drenching what little embers still remained of the fire and with it Salim¡¯s accomplishments. He realized a little late that he probably should have invested a bit more into [Resilience] so that he didn¡¯t catch a cold or hypothermia. Huddled under a tree as it provided more cover than the rundown hovel that he had shoddily built, Salim watched the rain thunder down around him. It seemed as though everything was against him as the rain turned into a raging storm, whipping him with its many hands while he shivered, pressed against the tree. He even attempted to drink some sap to avoid the biting wind, but to no avail; it only made him feel like he needed to move around, which was the last thing he wanted to do during the storm. Thunder boomed, echoing across the small inlet and causing all the trees to begin shaking, while Salim desperately tried to huddle under one. And then the trees kept shaking. Then the ground started shaking. Salim looked around in confusion and fear, he¡¯d never experienced anything like this while hiking, but he still wasn¡¯t going to come out from under the tree to investigate it. A loud crash startled him, echoing across the mountain before another crunching noise joined it, more and more sounds rang out turning into a cacophony of carnage. Realizing the noises too late, Salim ran for his life, sprinting down to the inlet and jumping off the side into the water when he saw what was coming. A landslide of rock, silt, and several trees was right behind him, destroying everything in its path, including his previous campsite. In the water, Salim almost got brained, as a small chunk of rock had been flung ahead of the pack and smacked into the water with a heavy thunk. Swimming rapidly, Salim¡¯s arms ached as he pushed himself to get to shore, hoping to avoid the brunt of the slide. The landslide flew by in an instant, not falling on top of him but pushing a large amount of earth into the inlet and covering him in a muddy heap as it filled the water. It was hard to breathe, let alone move. Getting himself to calm down was easier said than done, his body wanted to hyperventilate as the mud pulled him down, trapping him in place and forcing him to slowly fall under its surface. Intellectually he knew that flailing would do him no good, so he tried to keep his panic contained to his muscles, arms twitching as he tried to slowly push himself out. It barely worked, he struggled trying to get himself to the side of the inlet that, while only a few feet away, felt like miles of effort. Salim never had a fear of quicksand, but was beginning to see that the apprehension was reasonable. It was like a nightmare, trying to move forward, but something was stopping him, wanting to claim him in its murky depths. His muscles burning, skin chafing against the aggregate liquid, sending stinging pain throughout his body. Slowly, inch by inch, he pushed, until the edge of a rock was within reach, taunting him at his inability to grab onto it. With monumental effort, he slowly squirmed, bringing his arms above the surface and grabbing onto the rock, using it to anchor himself above the mud. Now he could hold himself up without the need to fight against the treacherous grasp of gravity, however he was still very stuck. Getting his arms free was very different from his entire body, and all he could do was try getting better leverage on the rock. Which was harder than it looked since his hands were slimy with the mud making it hard to get a grip, and trying to scrape the gunk off his hands only did so much. But even then he didn¡¯t give up, far stronger than he had ever been, and the mud wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop him. What was I thinking earlier? [Might] was a much better stat to invest in. The thoughts piled into his head while he pulled his neck, chest, and finally stomach out of the mud and onto the rock. From there, getting his legs out was easy, as they came out through the hole the rest of his body had made. Laying himself out on the rock, Salim stared at the sky, panting as the adrenaline finally wore off on his muddy but alive body.
You have survived a landslide. Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level! You have gained a Skill!
Right on time, the system came to congratulate him on the near-death experience, punctuating his exhaustion as he promptly passed out. Ch. 7 - Core Getting woken up to dull pain was unpleasant, although it seemed to be a new constant in his world. As his body laid motionlessly on the rock, his eyes closed before seemingly opening a second later, only to find that the rain had stopped, morning light streaming over the mountain. Groaning, Salim began twisting around, breaking the dried mud that had hardened on his body. Shifting his body to look over at the inlet, he let out a sigh, the landslide had completely covered the accessible river, filling his only water source. Looking at the ruined pool of water, Salim let out a chuckle at his misfortune. The laugh was raspy, low, and slightly painful from not talking for the past couple of days, but he laughed mirthlessly nonetheless. What matters is that I¡¯m alive, and just need to find another source of water, Salim thought. Unfortunately, asking [Wayfind] to point him in the direction was iffy. The skill was pointing further up the mountain where he assumed the rain water gathered, but didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to try and live even further up. While trying to reason out his next plan, Salim opened up his stats to prepare himself for the inevitable hike.
Lvl. 7 Stats Confirm
Might: 19(20) -/+
Finesse: 10(13) -/+
Resilience: 16(20) -/+
Acuity: 15 -/+
Resolve: 15 -/+
Depth: 5(7) -/+
With the soreness fading, Salim contemplated how much stronger he was. At first, he thought that the stats might be percentage based, but if so, all his stats would have been the same, and he definitely wasn¡¯t twice as strong. The stats seemed to scale linearly, meaning the more he leveled up, the more insignificant each stat became. But that was far in the future, almost every stat was important to him now, except maybe [Depth]. Thinking about his stats reminded him of his level-up message from the night before, having said something about a new skill. Hurriedly pulling up the menu, Salim studied the description of the new ability.
Skills
Wayfind (Class) Lvl. 2 Guides you to where you want to go.
Forage (Class) Lvl. 4 Improves your ability to find useful items in the wild.
Safe Travel (Class) Lvl. 3 Reduces your trace while you travel.
Reinforced Stamina (Class) Lvl. 1 As long as you are invigorated, you will never be tired.
The wording didn¡¯t describe much, but the word ¡®invigorated¡¯ clued him in enough to where he had a general idea on what to do. Getting a feeling for the skill was difficult, but [Wayfind] taught him how to hunt around for the unnatural feelings that the skill induced. Still lying on the rock, Salim eventually felt what he assumed to be the skill and pulled. Pulling deep, Salim felt like he was being guided through his body and brought to what he could describe as his core. The skill showed him how to coax energy from it, with a process that he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. Energy slowly started leaking out and flowed out, towards his limbs. Waking from his trance with a start, Salim realized that his limbs didn¡¯t feel like they were made out of lead, the exhaustion that had held him in its grip suddenly gone. Looking at his hands, they glowed slightly brown and confirmed his suspicions that this was somehow related to the trees. Pushing himself up, Salim marveled at his ability to move, able to jump up and down for a full minute without a hint of fatigue. Just as Salim was about to mess around with pushups, a feeling of hollowness grew rapidly in his chest, causing him to shudder. That was the only warning he had before whatever his skill was doing cut off abruptly, causing his exhaustion to slam back, causing him to crumple back into a pathetic heap on the ground. From his earthly position, Salim recognized that he had messed up out of excitement again, and admitted to himself that he probably should have paid more attention to what the skill was doing. On the other hand, his ego felt that it was a completely fair mistake, he had superpowers, who wouldn¡¯t get excited about them? All these skills are straight out of fantasy novels, magical sense of location, increased perception, endless stamina, I¡¯m like a superhero, he thought, a pained grin appearing on his face. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Salim felt for the skill again. There was a little movement, but his core felt hollow, the energy he felt before dispersed throughout his body. Crawling over to a tree at what felt like a glacial pace, Salim struggled to stab into the roots; his arms refusing to work properly against the root''s gnarled, tough bark. Eventually, he made some headway and glorious green sap spilled from the root straight into his awaiting mouth. Spitting out the dirt and bark that had also snuck by, Salim gulped, willing the green sap to flow through his body. Flow it did, as he observed his core with interest, the green energy began to push into it, slowly at first, but eventually picking up speed. He felt alive, and activating [Reinforced Stamina] made him realize that he could influence the output of sap energy, allowing him to move with relative discomfort, but more importantly, not eating through his entire supply. Salim tried his best to activate the skill while keeping the infusion of energy to a trickling speed, which was difficult to do since he needed to maintain a certain level of focus on it. Standing up was surprisingly challenging, as his muscles screamed in protest, he stumbled onto his feet. Ignoring their pleas, Salim checked his core to be sure it wasn¡¯t draining too fast. While his core couldn¡¯t hold a ton of energy relative to how much the skill took, he could optimistically hold out for the next hour, and if he could keep drinking the sap, potentially longer. None of that will matter if I don¡¯t start moving, He thought as he slowly ambled away from the inlet and down the mountain with caution. If he lost his footing, he would go tumbling down the side of the mountain, hopefully crashing in a very dead pile at the bottom. Salim shuddered, imagining a scenario where his body lay broken and slowly dying in the middle of the forest. Moving with the skill in reduced capacity was the worst feeling he had ever experienced even after dying, it felt like his muscles were given just enough strength to perform a half job in locomotion. But he didn¡¯t complain too much, as the alternative was laying on the ground and waiting for the elements to take him. And while he thought it might get the pain and suffering over with, he didn''t want to entertain those morbid thoughts, so with more grumbling he walked. Just keep moving, pushing, burning, and everything will be alright. Stomp, Crack, the only noises going through his head were his footsteps as he moved over branches and leaves going down a sharp decline on the mountain. Occasionally he would start feeling hollow, making him hobble over to a tree before drinking more sap to refresh himself. He couldn¡¯t muster the willpower to care if there were any side effects from abusing the stuff, but there was a small part of his mind that watched in concern. Night fell upon the mountainside unnoticed by Salim as he pushed [Reinforced Stamina] for a bit more juice as his mind was solely consumed with the task of maintaining his skill and hiking. Invisible to him, [Safe Travel] was acting, keeping him from making loud noises as he pushed through the oncoming terrain with impunity. His journey wasn¡¯t without danger, it was hard to see during the moonless night, with the glow of the trees being more distracting than helpful as he tripped over several rocks that jutted out from the ground. One particularly spiteful rock had sent him tumbling down the mountain until he fell into a bush, causing a large welt to begin forming on the shoulder that took the brunt of the fall. One thing that dawned on him while he was ambling over a rather scalable section of rock was how his body didn¡¯t complain about the lack of food and water. Granted, everything still hurt, but whatever the skill did to him was amazing for survivability, or it''s just turning those feelings off a dark part of his mind whispered. His paranoid side also grew a bit more anxious as the skills seemed a little too good to be true, but he wouldn¡¯t stop until he was in a relatively safe area. It just happened that he wasn¡¯t sure what a ¡°relatively safe area¡± was. [Wayfind] was still being less than helpful, any requests for water directed him back up the mountain and nothing nearby qualified as safe. Salim wasn¡¯t sure if it was his definition of what he considered safe that made the skill useless, but it didn¡¯t matter when he left helpless all the same. Even as the sun rose behind the mountain, Salim continued his march, only stopping to occasionally refill on what he had begun mentally referring to as ¡®tree coffee¡¯. His tongue had been rubbed raw by the small grains of bark in the trees, but all that mattered to him was getting away from landslides and freak thunderstorms. It was a little unfair to the mountain, but he didn¡¯t consider its feelings important. While the hike was long and tedious, Salim had to remind himself that it took him two days to climb up to the inlet, so the all-nighter he pulled meant he had to be arriving at the bottom fairly soon. And, like a prophecy, he arrived at ground level. It was hard to tell as the terrain didn¡¯t even out, but was able to confirm it, as he pushed a little more energy into his limbs to climb up a tree to survey his surroundings.
You scaled down a mountain within the timespan of a day. Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
Salim had a thought that maybe leveling up was a tad too easy. While climbing all the way down in a single day was impressive by normal standards, he felt like he cheated a tad with his skill. But then immediately crushed it as his body vehemently disagreed. Maybe when I get to higher levels it¡¯ll get harder, he mused. While this was awful, it seems broken if I¡¯m able to run all-nighters and become some lightning flinging god. Practically falling out of the tree, Salim wound up moving leaves and branches out of the way to find a dryish patch of ground to sleep on. Before he let go of his skill and lost the function of his body, Salim made sure to assign his stats.
Lvl. 9 Stats Confirm
Might: 20 -/+
Finesse: 13(15) -/+
Resilience: 20(25) -/+
Acuity: 15 -/+
Resolve: 15 -/+
Depth: 7(10) -/+
Salim braced himself before confirming, although it didn¡¯t help. The pain from the ten stat points hitting at once was enough to knock his concentration from his skill like a muscle spasm, and the pain returning all at once instantly knocked him out. Waking up was disorienting, as Salim blinked and it was suddenly noon. The mind fog slowly fading as he felt sunlight burning on his stomach, his body a patchwork of peeling skin and red splotches except for his incredibly dirty shorts. Adjusting his face under nearby shady leaves, he attempted to stand up, only to be denied by his ruined body. Bright hot pain flashed through his mind as he bit back a scream. His body felt like it had been dumped in lava after the events at the inlet and several hour-long hikes down the mountain. Maybe the improved stats helped him defy death, but they definitely weren''t kind about keeping him alive. He was tempted to use his skill to get him moving again, but something told him that would only make things worse, while he retained the function of his limbs while they were enhanced, they apparently weren''t immune to damage. That meant either the skill enhanced the abilities of his limbs or that it acted as some sort of booster for his bodies functions. Salim once again cursed at himself for never enjoying biology in high school, as all his theories were based on sci-fi mumbo jumbo and video games. Unfortunately, he liked computers, which meant almost all his life skills were useless until he managed to somehow invent the computer. Thoughts jumped around in his head, as he lay underneath a tree to avoid the midday sun. Salim switched tracks and thought about what he was going to do. He initially wanted to set up a house and find a way to live off the land, which seemed fine until Mother Nature came along and ruined it. That didn¡¯t mean the idea was bad, but his newest skill had changed his perspective. It was either magic or a superpower and no one could tell him otherwise, which meant he could possibly earn more skills to make his life even more convenient. He received [Reinforced Stamina] at level seven, so going by simple logic, he should receive another skill at fourteen or possibly seventeen. The idea was there. He needed to level up as much as possible. Ch. 8 - Upgrade He had a plan, a very broad one, but a plan that felt a little more directed in focus than just learning how to survive in the woods indefinitely. Now he just needed to wait for his body to regain its sapped strength, possibly before something big came and ate him. Bored out of his mind, he was stuck laying on the ground, he knew it wasn¡¯t a smart idea to use his skill to move, so instead he began to mess with it in other ways. He tried to flex the skill, turning it off and on rapidly, which didn¡¯t have much of an effect except for making him feel sporadically energetic. Then, getting tired of no meaningful results, he started running the skill for a few seconds, basking in the anesthesia it provided, before the skill ended and the pain returned. Surprisingly, he began to feel slightly better after the skill turned off, the pain dulling slightly. It seemed like whatever the energy was, it either worked to reduce the pain he was feeling or was actively fixing his bruised body. Using the knowledge he had acquired, Salim began flooding his body as much as he could to try and speed up the healing process, while making sure not to get too distracted from his surroundings. When he finally ran dry, Salim had a realization for what [Depth] did, at least partially. His core had slightly expanded since the last time he looked at it, allowing him to keep his skill up for several seconds longer than before. After his impromptu healing session, Salim found that he had regained a small amount of mobility, able to push himself up against the tree trunk he had laid next to and look around. Verdant greens and deep browns covered his vision, as nothing odd stuck out to him in the forest. Slowly gathering his strength, Salim shifted his body and began cutting into the tree with his nails, drinking the sap, while using [Reinforced Stamina] for as long as possible, before repeating the cycle. While his body healed at an accelerated rate, the constant use and dumping of energy was making him feel queasy, and even making him dry heave before he decided to take a break. The method wasn¡¯t perfect, and it certainly didn''t feel good, but Salim thought it was worth it, as after what felt like hours he was able to rise on shaky weak legs. Despite his reduced state, he felt big, the fact that he went from completely incapacitated to standing in just a few hours made him feel good, made him feel strong like he never had before.
Using your skill, you healed your broken body. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your tenth Level. Select Class in Menu.
Salim had been expecting the level-up after his feat of ingenuity, but the second box surprised him. Thunk. Salim slowly slid back down the tree as he made sure not to fall over, quickly opening the main menu and selecting the now highlighted class button.
Classes Available
Traveler (Upgraded) Not all who wander are lost, as you have become more experienced in your journey. Hunter (Swap) Hunting is a necessary action for survival, the Hunter sets traps for their prey and stalks the ones who get away. Gatherer (Swap) Edible berries, balms, and incense are all useful with the right knowledge, poisons more so.
The options presented to him made him think about the difference between an upgraded class and a swapped one. The descriptions didn¡¯t explain much more than their general identity, and Salim was already sure he was going to pick [Traveler] on account of [Wanderer] being so useful. But if he picked the other two, would he lose all his skills from the previous class, or would it give him more? He wasn¡¯t willing to figure it out when his survival depended on it, but maybe in the future he would figure it out.
You have chosen the Traveler Class. The experience of your will guides you
You have upgraded 4 Skills. ¡®Wayfind¡¯ -> ¡®Navigate¡¯ ¡®Forage¡¯ -> ¡®Keen Eye¡¯ ¡®Safe Travel¡¯ -> ¡®Safer Travel¡¯ ¡®Reinforced Stamina¡¯ -> ¡®Bolstered Stamina¡¯ You have gained 10 stat points.
Huh, that¡¯s convenient, he thought. All his skills were supposedly upgraded, and he had a total of ten points instead of the usual five. After reading through the box, Salim quickly transitioned to the skill menu to try and figure out what had changed.
Skills
Navigate (Class) Lvl. 1 Guides you to where you want to go while keeping track of where you came from.
Keen Eye (Class) Lvl. 1 A keen eye watches.
Safer Travel (Class) Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Lvl. 1 Hides your trace while you move.
Bolstered Stamina (Class) Lvl. 1 As long as you are determined to travel, you will never stop.
The changes seemed like a mixed bag to Salim, not completely sure if he understood what the upgrades had done. He couldn¡¯t remember all the descriptions of the skills, but the new [Navigate] and [Safer Travel] seemed to have not changed much from their old counterparts. Feeling for [Navigate] and asking it to find him a place to stay the night, Salim felt the pull, except it came with another feeling that seemed to grip his entire brain. In his head, he could almost perfectly picture his journey up and through the mountain, like he was looking at a three-dimensional scan of the surrounding land. He could also give a general estimate on how far he had walked, along with knowing roughly where he was in relation to where he had first appeared. All in all, he was impressed with the utility the skill now possessed, the retroactivity of the ability being specifically intriguing. Trying to find all the changes to his skills [Safer Travel] seemed to have become more general use, whether he was walking around or even just standing, he could feel the skill poking and prodding to make him avoid attention. Again, a very positive benefit that he was definitely going to get use out of. It began to get weird when he tried to use [Keen Eye] despite [Foraging] not being something he could use, his comprehension of the skills'' description was proven correct when the skill activated. Diving deeper into the feeling, Salim felt like he was being sucked into his eye, his core sending a pulse of energy up his spine as his vision sharpened like his eyes had increased in resolution. Quickly shutting the skill off, Salim again felt nauseous from the whiplash of his sight rapidly changing. Resting for a bit so that he wouldn¡¯t end up drying heaving again, he moved on to [Bolstered Stamina]. Messing around for several minutes, Salim couldn¡¯t figure out what changed, everything seemed to work the same even as he tried to push the skill to its maximum output. Not getting any results, he went back to messing with [Keen Eye] for a little while longer. Eventually, Salim stopped when he tripped over a root and smacked his head against a tree while being fixated on a droplet of water he could see on one of the tree¡¯s leaves. Ah, I almost forgot my stats, he thought. Trying to push his new powers out of his mind to avoid getting sidetracked in experimentation, Salim pulled up the menu. He quickly slotted the points into his physical stats, while making sure to keep some points for his [Depth], since it proved itself very useful.
Lvl. 10 Stats Confirm
Might: 20 (25) -/+
Finesse: 15 (18) -/+
Resilience: 25 -/+
Acuity: 15 -/+
Resolve: 15 -/+
Depth: 10 (12) -/+
The burn from the stat increases hurt, but it was far less than his first time applying ten points at once. Maybe I¡¯m getting used to the feeling? Or maybe it¡¯s just that my body is more resilient. Whatever, doesn''t matter, I need to level up. But where to go? Thoughts bounced around his head as he looked around. Scratching his head unconsciously while musing about direction, Salim eventually decided to walk directly away from the mountain with the use of [Navigate]. While the mountains were the only obvious distinguishing landmark he could see, the new skill let him cheat without having to climb a tree to orient himself. He trotted off, asking the skill to find something ¡®interesting¡¯ he was surprised when it actually worked. Salim wasn¡¯t sure what a skill would consider ¡®interesting¡¯, but it latched onto something. ¡°Who am I to deny its wanderlust?¡± his raspy voice sounded out with a sardonic grin stretched across his dirt covered face. So he walked. And walked. And slept under the moonless starry sky. And walked. For five days Salim trudged, shuffling from one foot to another, stopping only to gather food and water or to sleep. It was boring but contemplative work, moving through a forest alone gave Salim a lot of time to think about himself, although most of it was taken up by absent-minded humming. He also figured out why he hadn¡¯t seen many animals, it had bothered him since the forest was buzzing with audible life, tucked right out of his sight. They were all hiding incredibly well, at least better than his untrained eyes could pick up. He only noticed what looked like a squirrel after he had used [Keen Eyes] to look at a tree for nuts, only to notice it blending into a branch with its fur acting as a natural camouflage. After hat, he had taken to looking around for local wildlife whenever he had spare energy to do so, just to stem the boredom that he was feeling. Several times he had been approached by what looked like predators, once by a wolf-looking creature that he had avoided by hiding up in a tree, and several times by strange gigantic insects. Thankfully, they backed off whenever he stood his ground after his stealth failed him, although he wasn¡¯t sure why they were hesitant to approach him while that first insect had charged. Marveling at what the stats had done to his strength, he could easily throw large logs around, with it only taking a few kicks to start bending a small tree. His points in [Resilience] had also done him well, the welts that formed on his legs were now calluses, and while they looked ugly as sin, they didn¡¯t hurt whenever he brushed against a bush or tree. On the fifth day, Salim was growing more anxious, the feeling from [Navigate] wasn¡¯t growing any stronger, and while he conceptually knew that he wasn¡¯t walking in circles, it still felt like it. He also hadn¡¯t received a single level up from his journey, he had theorized that the difficulty of a single level was scaling with the points he received, but he didn¡¯t have proof. An increase in leveling difficulty sucked, but he still didn¡¯t have a full grasp on what caused him to level up. ¡°Maybe I need to risk my life to get another level up,¡± Salim chuckled to himself. He had begun talking to himself over the past couple days as a way to hear a voice, even if it was his own. It felt like he was getting wound tighter and tighter by his need for social interaction. It wasn¡¯t bad at first, just slight discomfort that he didn¡¯t have anyone to talk about all the crazy stuff he had experienced yet, but he had been living in the forest for over a week. He wasn¡¯t close to breaking down and going crazy by any means, but he could tell that his mood had considerably worsened. He could still hear his family and girlfriend in his mind giving words of reassurance, but it was honestly getting hard for him to remember what they looked like. His memory had never been good, and the life-threatening situations this body had been put through several times throughout the week felt like it burned through what memory he had left. Setting down another leaf bowl that he had put together, Salim stared down at his feet, the gross ugly things had seen better days and his legs that were slightly better off. He was so different from just a week ago, both mentally and physically. Clenching his hand into a fist, Salim watched as the muscles flexed with immense power, eyes wandering over the weird discoloration of his skin from patchwork sunburns. Feeling anxious about not getting anywhere, Salim decided to push through the night, using [Bolstered Stamina] to push through the exhaustion. It wasn¡¯t a smart thing to do, but it made him feel better that he was making progress, especially when he thought [Navigate] was getting a tiny bit more insistent. The slow march continued. Sleepless nights slowly became a bad habit that Salim didn¡¯t feel like changing. The skill let him delay exhaustion until it was released, and thankfully stopped any more from piling up, but he still felt the remaining sleepiness creep in whenever he let go for even half a second. A more unfortunate side effect of overnight hiking sessions was that he lost track of time as the days began to blend. His focus on keeping the skill up also leads to a certain amount of carelessness. After several nights of not seeing anything, he decided that speed was more important than staying quiet. However, a few hours later he was hiding out in a bush, rapidly reconsidering the approach. It had all happened quickly. Salim had gotten a bad feeling and had used [Keen Eye] to scan the surrounding trees before spotting several wolf-like creatures that he had seen several days prior, stalking behind him as they slowly crept up. Having a flashback to his previous life, Salim didn¡¯t plan on running, as he doubted he could get away from the large wolves. Standing up out of the bush, he turned to them with the large walking stick he had been using. Seeing that he had noticed them, the wolves stalked out of the treeline, slowly encircling him before beginning to move closer. I just hit them with the stick, and they¡¯ll run off, right? Ch. 9 - Horizon The wolves stepped closer to Salim, and he was finally able to make out some more features as their bodies were highlighted by the starlight above. Muscular legs and jaws revealed themselves, drooling and licking their lips. Their fur was much shorter, almost like a sphynx, their pace menacing, emanating a primal edge. He couldn¡¯t call them wolves due to the dramatically different look, brutally savage with rows of teeth like a shark, their slow stalking sending chills up his spine. Trying to back out of the encirclement they were making around him, Salim watched as they matched his pace and within seconds a wolf was facing his back. They didn¡¯t howl or bark at him, just low-pitched whining noises that reverberated around him. Waving his stick around like a bat, Salim was able to step forward and clip one of the creatures in the head with a hollow thud. The creature locked in place, its head rattled as Salim came in with another strike, impacting its skull with a satisfying crunch. It dropped instantly, but the other wolf creatures didn¡¯t sit by and watch, charging at him and with gnashing teeth and snarls. Salim felt a force bite down on his shoulder and knee as suddenly, a blender fur and teeth all around him ripping into his flesh. Salim screamed, trying to throw the wolves off of him unsuccessfully. He felt himself getting dragged to the ground, his stick clattering uselessly into the undergrowth. Not like this, not like this, not again. He repeated the mantra in his head, trying not to let the pain overwhelm him. Failing to move in any meaningful way as the wolves locked him in place, Salim reached out in desperation to [Bolstered Stamina]. Vision fading, he struggled to concentrate through the pain, but just as the pit in his stomach began to form, he found what he was looking for. The skill responded with ferocity, fading the pain just enough for him to grapple one of the wolves and slam it into the ground. It yelped as something snapped, lying on the ground paralyzed. Reaching around for the ankle-biter, his arm got caught in the mouth of another wolf, causing more blood to streak onto the ground. Getting a good grasp around the mouth clamped around his arm to stop it from shredding anything else, Salim gouged its face, stabbing a finger into its left eye and slamming his fist down onto its head. It let go and fell onto the now-muddied red ground as Salim¡¯s side got ripped into by another wolf. They just kept coming, and with his blurry vision he wasn¡¯t able to identify how many were left. Despite the bleak situation he wasn¡¯t feeling dizzy from the blood loss, either from his high [Resilience] or skill usage kept him alive, but blood still gushed from the many gouges across his body. Trying to step over a downed wolf, Salim tripped, falling on top of the wolf that was using his ankle as a messy chew toy. It took the opportunity to latch onto his stomach, biting down and only stopping once its teeth hit his rib cage with the chatter of bone hitting bone. His mind in a haze of pain as the wolf failed to bite through his ribs, Salim slammed the flank of the wolf. With a meaty thump, the wolf wining before falling silent as he stomped its head into the dirt. Scrambling away from the remaining wolves, they also backed off, eyeing him warily as Salim watched them begin dragging the other bodies out of sight. Seeing the remains of the pack busy, Salim scrambled away, using trees as cover, to get as far away from the wolves as possible. He knew that he needed to stop the bleeding before he ran out of juice, but never in his life had he treated wounds bigger than a small knife cut while cooking. Scrambling to find anything that would staunch the bleeding, Salim grabbed some large flat leaves from a nearby tree and shoved them into the wounds. Hiss, the burning sensation of shoving random foliage into the still raw wounds stung, but with the combination of adrenaline and his skill it was manageable. It was obvious that his impromptu natural triage wouldn¡¯t be enough to save his life, so Salim banked on his level-up. Maybe if I had enough [Resilience] then the wounds would heal or stop bleeding or¡­ Salim¡¯s mind began to trail as he began to feel dizzy. Trying to stop himself from falling over, Salim slapped himself with his less injured arm to try and concentrate. Eventually, while he was considering wrapping a vine around his arm to stop blood flow, the box finally showed up.
You successfully escaped a ¡®Wolf Pack¡¯ Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
The whole life-or-death situation wasn¡¯t even worth a double level-up to the system.
Lvl. 11 Stats Confirm
Might: 25 -/+
Finesse: 18 -/+
Resilience: 25(35) -/+
Acuity: 15 The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. -/+
Resolve: 15 -/+
Depth: 12 -/+
Throwing all his hope into [Resilience] was not much of a plan, but he didn¡¯t know what else to do except die and hope to do better in the next life. His skin cracked and hardened when he hit confirm, slowly working its way across the many teeth marks and gored skin across his body. Horrifyingly his plan had worked, the skin at the edges of the wounds worked its way across the pockmarked skin, closing around the leaves he had shoved into the wounds, leaving him looking like someone who tried to poorly disguise himself as a tree. It hurt, especially as his veins slowly ran dry of adrenaline, his heart exhausting the rest of his body. The wounds slowly became welts over the next couple of minutes, skin still red and slightly bulbous with the leaves underneath his skin, any pressure he put on the inflated area hurt, so he tried his best to avoid any contact with them. Eventually, he ran out of energy, and found himself planted on the ground with his head spinning, tears streaming from the pain of the welts on his back touching the course dirt. Not finding a way to make himself comfortable, Salim lay for a bit while the exhaustion caught up with him, pushing him down like a weighted blanket into unwilling dreams.
Waking up was a test of Salim¡¯s mental fortitude, as the slightest movement set his pain receptors into a spiral of stings and aches. Eventually fighting his way onto his feet, Salim looked at his injuries, looking just as inflated and red as before he passed out. Wanting to get out of the area before the wolves caught back up with him, Salim had to hike back to the area where he had been ambushed, since he had fled the wrong way in his panic. After giving a wide berth, he finally got around the ambush spot, although it was little consolation as the wolves still loomed in his mind. Still anxious and looking around for an attack at any moment, after a few hours of nothing, he was back to his regular hiking patterns. Taking the time to avoid each branch that might scrape past his arm or brush against his leg consumed a lot of mental effort and left little room for other things besides navigating with his skill. He was getting closer, although his speed was significantly reduced, he could just feel it. So maybe walking through a forest at night wasn¡¯t the best idea. Next time, I¡¯m not going to be so stupid that I- ¡°AHH.¡± Salim yelped as a small branch that was sturdier than it looked pushed into one of the sores on his arm. Wincing and lightly rubbing the afflicted skin, Salim decided to take a break, he wasn¡¯t in any shape to try his previous pace and worried that using [Bolstered Stamina] would just lead to him reopening his wounds if he barreled through the forest like before. Looking around for useful material, he eventually found a dry set of sticks along with a dry enough log. Wanting to occupy his time with something, Salim spent some time practicing his fire-making skills. It was easier the second time, simply because his points in resilience barely let him feel the rough wood on his calloused hands along with his measured expectations. Without the aid of his skill, Salim was able to heat up the wood over the course of an hour. Excited that he was able to get smoke from the log, he tried to shove leaves and moss closer to the blackened wood. Unfortunately they didn¡¯t seem to want to catch, and after several more minutes of coaxing, he was unable to get an actual fire started, going to bed annoyed. Salim¡¯s life continued painfully for the next few days, he didn¡¯t see any of the creatures he had deemed as ¡®Dire-Wolves¡¯ but was committed to staying hidden so that he never had the opportunity to meet back up with the beasts. The sores had slowly started fading away for the first couple of days while his skin slowly rejected the leaves, turning the spots a darker brownish color. The leaves that were exposed to air were almost all ripped off, now they were like weird skin tags, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from fidgeting with the nubs coming off his skin. At night, he would spend time staring up at the stars, wondering if anyone he knew was doing the same, thinking of him. The loneliness was getting worse, but not in the same homesick way he felt at first. Now it was more like a slow despair, making him feel empty, but he was strung so thin trying to survive that even in his quiet moments it didn¡¯t bother him too much. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly where the feeling changed, but something about the moonless sky felt familiar to him, despite the distinct lack of a moon that he had eventually confirmed. It was a small distraction, giving him something to fixate on, wondering if the planet had any tides or if the moon simply wasn¡¯t visible from the surface. However, his health slowly started taking a turn for the worse, as the sores he thought had gone away suddenly reappeared with a vengeance. Boils had postmarked his skin, making it painful for him to move and fogging his mind with pain. He knew that it was some type of disease or infection, but what could he do, invent medicine? If he didn¡¯t know how to patch his wounds, then cleaning and disinfecting the boils across his body was impossible. It was frustrating, but at the same time, being marked for death was freeing in a twisted way. He gave it fifty-fifty odds that he wouldn¡¯t stay dead permanently as long as he hadn¡¯t hallucinated the giant redwood forest, but with his sickened mind, the odds didn¡¯t seem so bad. It left him far more willing to use [Bolstered Stamina] as liberally as possible, and after a couple of days it was the only thing keeping him from a bedridden state. His new feeling of freedom didn¡¯t mean that he would run through the forest again, and while he could now feel that he was dying, it didn¡¯t mean he wanted to get mauled to death. So he walked for a few days, his skin slowly transforming from boils to lesions before spreading giant purple rashes all across his body. By the end of the week, he was sure that his body was a giant rash that only existed to torture him for whatever crime he had committed in the past to deserve this fate. Finally, after a week of travel, Salim felt himself finally reach the location as he scrambled, close eyed, along the forest floor. His original intention of finding something ¡®interesting¡¯ had left Salim¡¯s mind a few weeks back, but the goal had kept him moving, the thought of giving up had been a constant whisper for the past couple of agonizing days. It wasn¡¯t so much pain that he could barely function, it was just a constant aching that grated at the nerves and wore his determination down each time he bumped into a tree or stepped on a particularly thorny bush. Opening his eyes, Salim had to look past his swollen eyelids, slowly widening them to try and take in the sight before him. The forest was situated on higher ground, and he had reached the edge, below him was a cliff face that quickly became sheer rock as he went further down. Below was an expanse of grassy hills interspersed with floating shiny rocks. Floating. It was hard to tell what rocks were sitting on the ground or simply suspended diagonally in the air, but there were multiple rocks that were clearly disconnected from the ground even at the distance Salim was viewing from. The view was something out of a fantasy illustration, and even deathly sick, it filled him with awe and wonder before being swept away by aching pains.
You journeyed through a forest under extreme circumstances Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
The box popped into his vision for several seconds, Salim swiped to the right before laying himself out on the edge of the plateau. Feeling resigned, he glanced over the edge at the vista spread out before him and sighed. Letting go of [Bolstered Stamina], he slipped into fever-induced sleep. Ch. 10 - Back Again There was no falling this time. Salim simply closed his eyes and let the pain fade into dull aches around him as he drifted closer and closer to the light. No thoughts flowed through his head as existence faded, a void in his mind opening up the passage to a comforting abyss. Salim woke to the white void and complete silence, like he had awoken from a deep sleep and not death from painful infection. His body jerked awkwardly as he tried to move, limbs feeling weighted and painfully slow. Finally figuring out how to move his body, he pushed up off the ground and shakily stumbled over to the floating box.
You have died. Cause of death: ¡°Infection¡±
Total Score Level = 13 Points Class = 10 Points Stats = 20 Points Titles = 15 Points Total is 58 Points. Spend Points in Shop before Respawn.
Emotionally feeling like a brick wall, Salim looked at his options, eyes half glazed over as he perused. His fifty points let him go through a few of the items, except that all the options were organized with no rhyme or reason, thousand point items above several cheaper options. He ordered all the items from least to greatest in expense and considered his options, perusing everything he could feasibly buy.
¡ü Points: 58 Point Store Confirm
? Increased Stats 5P Per Stat -/+
| Basic Class Weight 50P -/+
| Basic Skill 50P -/+
¡ý Increased Level 50P Per Level -/+
Clicking on [Basic Class Weight] he was slightly disappointed to see that it didn¡¯t offer any explanation, but he could infer what it might do. Still, he decided that he wasn''t going to purchase anything he didn¡¯t fully understand, so he decided to invest into stats, seeing as they gave him the most effect early on. Shoving all his points into [Increased Stats] he came up with the equivalent of two full levels, plus a little extra. Slowly coming to his senses as he stared blankly at the screen in front of him, the past week of pain and suffering slowly caught up to him. Like he was coming out of a dream, his legs started to flag as the weight of his previous life pressed down on him like a vise. It hurts so much, he thought as he slid down to his knees, laying down on the ground. The ground was made up of a completely solid material that didn¡¯t seem to have any other definable quality than smooth. Still, slamming his hand into the ground elicited pain and reminded Salim that he was still alive. ¡°Why was I chosen? Who brought me here? Do I have a purpose, or am I just an experiment?¡± Salim yelled out into the void, the sound simply disappearing as no echo returned his question. This is just my own perpetual hell, I want to go home, Salim bemoaned in his head. Laying on the ground, unmoving, Salim screwed his eyes shut but was unable to sleep. There was something about the void that bore into his eyelids, and no matter how he twisted or turned, he couldn¡¯t escape its invisible pressure. He finally gave up and stared blankly at the floating screens for a while, purple feeling like a good alternative to the bright white that encompassed the rest of his vision. Words swam through his head as he tried to remember their voices, Nadalie¡¯s the loudest of them all. Loneliness curled viciously in his stomach, hollowing him out, slowly at first but with endless stamina. On an intellectual level, he knew that stewing in homesickness and despair wasn¡¯t healthy, but he couldn¡¯t not do it, he felt like he needed to do it, if just for a little longer. So he lay and stewed, the white void waiting, an endless expanse and tiny prison at the same time. It felt like he was suffocating, panic sitting on his chest like an anvil, his stomach close to giving in. Heart accelerating as he tried to stop himself from thinking about death, his family, Nadalie¡­ No. Cutting through the static of his brain, Salim pushed to regain control of his own body, breathing in and out, in and out. Taking control back from his lungs, Salim was able to start thinking a little logically, I am here and now, what happened can¡¯t be changed, but I am stronger than that. It felt like he was trying to pull himself together with words, but his mantra made the load feel a little lighter. Wiping tears and snot from his face that had appeared on his face, Salim flicked them out into the void as he slowly stood up. His legs were shaking, but he was able to mostly ignore it as he applied his stats to try and distract his mind.
Lvl. 0 Stats Confirm This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Might: 8 (10) -/+
Finesse: 9 (10) -/+
Resilience: 7 (10) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 0 (5) -/+
The burn was uncomfortable, especially shoving five points into [Depth] right away, but it helped keep his mind distracted, focused on the very real pain that was coursing through his body. Now that he knew what [Depth] did (to a degree), he could barely feel a core forming, etched by an invisible hand that pushed channels through his body that simply hadn¡¯t been there before. Once the itching had faded, Salim looked to see if there was anything new about the core that was different from when he discovered it initially. He pulled himself deep into a meditative stupor and looked around at his core, not seeing anything overtly different, just an empty core that was useless without energy. Deciding that nothing must be different, Salim decided to direct his thoughts towards the application of the energy. Maybe my ability to cast spells is linked to a skill? Or could it be more based on my actual capabilities or stats¡­ It was entertaining to muse over magic, especially when he had no clue how it worked, he would have to do a lot more tests, but it was a good time waster and distraction. He knew that he was delaying hitting the respawn button, only to finding himself somewhere completely different once again. But he knew that it wasn¡¯t something he could put off forever, the void being one of the reasons, with its piercing bright light that made him feel like he was slowly going insane. He knew he couldn¡¯t stay. But on the other hand, he would rest in assured safety for now, despite the void assaulting him with violent color theory. Trying to find something to keep him entertained, Salim went back to looking inward, staring at his empty core and trying to peer slightly outside of it into the rest of his body. He wasn¡¯t making any progress, but it was something he could occupy his time, as it let him ignore most of the light that was searing into his retinas. After a while of sitting and failing to discover the secrets of his body he folded, he was just getting too bored, and the void was starting to become an unavoidable distraction. His eyes felt like they were getting washed out, with a perpetual buzzing filling his ears. Feeling like he was going insane, Salim took a deep breath, before pressing the button on the screen in front of him.
Respawn
Closing his eyes preemptively, Salim saw darkness rapidly consume his vision through his eyelids like someone flipped a light switch. With one simple press, he was out of the void and placed somewhere in the world. He felt a light breeze brush against his skin as he opened his eyes and adjusted to the brightness. It was dark, probably night, and while it was still hard to see, the moonlight lit up the ankle tall grass that stretched into small patches of trees. Waving in the breeze, the grass looked hypnotic with pale light illuminating their stems. It was peaceful and empty, Salim could see for what looked like miles as the land stayed flat, only interspersed with tiny hills that could be only a few feet tall. Wait, Moonlight? Peering up at the sky, Salim looked at the moon¡­ or what he could only assume was a moon. Staring back at him was a pale silver orb, brightly shining and illuminating the grassland. However, right along the middle was what looked to be the outline of an eye, outlined with what looked like shadow. He felt confused, because he was sure that for the entire time he had been stumbling around, there was no moon. Do moons just appear, or am I on a completely different planet? Salim quickly pulled up his system to confirm it was still there, but otherwise had no way to know if he was on a different planet. The air still felt the same, the grass and trees looked similar, nothing seemed out of place except for the moon. The eye shadow thing was weird, maybe that''s just how the craters happened to form? But he had never been into astrophysics in school, so his knowledge was rather limited. Strangeness aside, it was a boon for him, making it easier to see at night, instead of the pitch black that made it impossible to see. The light coming from the moon was strange now that he thought about it, the best descriptor was that everything covered in moonlight seemed to almost shine, although it could have just been from how bright the moon was. Standing in the grass while taking in the breathtaking scenery, he felt a tingling sensation wriggled its way down his spine, causing him to shiver. The feeling didn¡¯t stop as it moved and twisted into his skin, feeling like a bad sunburn as it burrowed deeper into his skin. It pushed, feeling raw and acidic as it pushed through his veins, he doubled over in pain as it burned his face, only to fall over as it burned his neck. Slowly the burning stopped, Salim felt like his soul was filled to the brim and so bloated that a needle could pop it. It was a new kind of pain that he had never felt before, so he quickly looked inward at the core in question to figure out what was going on. Looking at the core that [Depth] had created, Salim watched as a quicksilver liquid slowly undulated inside, stretching the bounds of the sphere as it tried to escape. It felt different from the green sap of the trees, the burning sensation especially, and the sap had never tried to force its way into his core like the silvery fluid. The burning he felt worried him especially, as he wasn¡¯t entirely sure if death via weird magic orb would result in permanent damage even after his death. The best description he could come up with for the substance was liquid moonlight, as the energy was clearly related somehow. It had completely filled him, and he could feel the pressure of more moonlight trying to force its way in from his neck and back, squeezing him like a can. Picking himself off the ground, he stumbled towards a clump of trees, trying to get under some cover out of the now hostile gaze of the moon. Reaching the tree''s shade, Salim ducked underneath a branch and took a deep breath, calming his uneven panting; he needed to get used to being shoved back into his office worker physique. Mentally fiddling with his core, Salim looked with his mind''s eye; he didn¡¯t know whether this was his head''s representation of what the core looked like or if he actually had a sphere filled with liquid inside of him that he could actually see. All he knew, is that he wanted the painful moonlight out of his body. But without a skill, it was a little difficult to extricate the liquid, as it seemed to refuse any prodding to leave his body. Not ready to give up, Salim kept messing with his bloated core for what felt like the next couple of hours. The burning on his back had stopped since he had gotten under the small tree, so the pressure wasn¡¯t terrible, yet he had to experiment on ways to remove it. Focusing as much as possible, Salim tried to push the liquid moonlight out in the same way his energy sap skills worked, to little effect. The moonlight would slip from his grasp and pull back, either because he wasn¡¯t doing something right or just lacked the skill to keep hold. It was all assumptions and guesses along with stumbling around in the dark hoping to get something right, but even with the stress and pain of the new situation, Salim felt a small amount of enjoyment. Puzzles had always been a fun time sink and, to his perspective, experimenting with the moonlight felt like a mystery he was slowly uncovering. The mental prods and pokes made him realize that the liquid was strangely semi-solid, if it was compressed too hard then it wouldn¡¯t budge, but gently coaxing it would make it flow like a liquid. It was hard to wrap his mind around, since a lot of the process was mentally picturing his actions towards a substance that he couldn¡¯t truly see and receiving feedback in the form of stinging pain. After a long while of messing with the substance, Salim had to move around the base of the tree as the moon began to set, shining light where he had previously been sitting. The burning sensation of the moonlight had been a good reminder to hide away on the other side of the tree. As the moon began setting, the pressure on the liquid waned, more relaxed than it had during the majority of the night, finally allowing him enough control to attempt removal of the liquid. By the time the sun began rising in the morning, Salim felt like he was on the cusp of an epiphany. He had figured out a way to push the liquid into the rest of his body, similar to what his [Reinforced Stamina] had done, the issue was that it was very picky with the way he moved the moonlight. Seeing the light of dawn shining directly into his eyes, Salim prepared himself to channel a skill he didn¡¯t have. Pulling deep, Salim warped the liquid into tentacle-like shapes before siphoning it into where he felt his arm should be. So close¡­ Almost got it¡­ There! He pulled with a slight grunt as pain flared in his right arm. The acidic liquid flowed up, funneled through and out of his arm, causing it to glow a dull silver as the raw light flowed out of it. While he was recovering from turning his arm into the world''s most painful glow stick, two boxes sprang to life in front of him.
You channeled foreign energy through your body for the first time. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your first Level. Select Class in Menu.
That was interesting. Ch. 11 - Channeler Apparently, all he had to do was push the energy through his body and bam, he got a free level, or at least the initial one. There was a small bit of relief felt that he didn¡¯t have to trap and kill small animals for a quick initial level. Relief fading, Salim opened his menu and noticed that [Hunter] had been removed in place of a more esoteric class.
Classes Available
Wanderer Alone by trade, the Wanderer travels from place to place, never staying put and always searching for new experiences. Channeler Channeling energy through your body, you have the potential for great arcane power. Gatherer Edible berries, balms, and incense are all useful with the right knowledge, poisons more so.
While not as practical for survival, it offered magic, something that instantly made him want to pick the class. He was a big fan of sword and fantasy video games, and magic seemed like a great idea when stuck out in the wild. I¡¯ve figured out how to survive these past couple weeks, haven¡¯t I? I should be fine without navigate¡­ The class was tempting, and could potentially answer the questions he had about the more mystical aspects of the world he found himself in. Already the class had given him information by replacing [Hunter] and he assumed that his ¡®channeling¡¯ of energy led him to gain the class. From that point, he concluded that there would only be three options to choose from, and the selection of which was tied to his first level. Trapping the frog and killing the centipede both seemed to fit the idea of a [Hunter], and perhaps him being in the woods was enough to trigger [Wanderer] and [Gatherer]. The theory seemed to line up in his head, although he didn¡¯t feel like experimenting with weird classes since he still needed to survive. But it did make him wonder what class he would get if he survived another mudslide or did a two-day hike up a mountain? His head still theorizing, he decided to go with [Channeler], for the simple reason that he wanted magic.
You have chosen the Channeler Class. Where energy flows, purpose grows
You have gained 3 new Skills. ¡®Energy Manipulation¡¯ ¡®Energy Sight¡¯ ¡®Energy Toleration¡¯ You have gained 5 stat points.
Looking at the skill menu, Salim carefully began reading, trying to gleam more info from their unhelpful descriptions.
Skills
Energy Manipulation (Class) Lvl. 1 Allows a finer touch with contained energy.
Energy Sight (Class) Lvl. 1 Lets you see the unseen world.
Energy Toleration (Class) Lvl. 1 Tolerate the stress of the unseen world.
His skills were clearly meant to channel ¡®energy¡¯ with seemingly no guide on how to actually harness it. The descriptions of the skills also seemed a little suspect, with everything being labeled as energy and not another technical term. It was possible that the descriptions and names were completely incidental, but maybe it based all the descriptions and names off his own understanding and knowledge. It was a little concerning that the system was privy to what he called the tree sap in his mind, although it was able to improve his [Acuity] and [Resolve]. Perhaps in the future the system would make more sense and stop giving vague descriptions and unhelpful names, although that was when he had figured out the questions himself. Alright, let''s figure this out. [Energy Sight] should work like [Keen Eye], so let''s do this- Woah. As the skill pushed his energy towards his eyes, Salim felt the dregs of moonlight still inside slowly twisting their way up his throat into his eyes with lethargic haste. The burning sensation he felt using the energy before was still there, it just hurt way less, most likely from[Energy Toleration]. It still stung, feeling like acid reflux, as the energy boiling up from his stomach, but now the pain was easy to ignore. There was a small realization that he wasn¡¯t sure if channeling the painful energy into his eyes was a good idea, but he wasn¡¯t able to stop until the entire process was completed. Ethereal liquid pooled behind his eyes, building up pressure slowly at first, then more painfully. Closing his eyes to deal with the buildup, Salim tried to cut the skill off, but it wasn¡¯t a light switch he could just flick on and off. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Looking around, Salim blinked tears out of his eyes as the sheer vibrancy of the world unfolded before him. The grass glowed with a solid lime hue, waving in the morning breeze, almost making him forget for a moment that he was trying to get the burning energy out of his eyes. Slowly, grabbing hold of the strands of energy flowing upward, Salim pulled the liquid back down to his core as fast as he could, ignoring the headache that came from his actions. Finally, when the pressure behind his eyes faded, Salim looked around again, the grass going back to its normal dull shade of green, still waving in the morning breeze. Clearly the skill had worked, but he wasn¡¯t going to try it again with the moonlight: tree sap being better both as a painless and convenient alternative. Now he just needed to find a convenient way to get the dregs of quicksilver out of his body, he just needed to be able to withstand the pressure. My stats, I forgot! Salim almost smacked his forehead as his level up had been completely thrown to the wayside with his shiny new class stealing all his attention.
Lvl. 1 Stats Confirm
Might: 10 -/+
Finesse: 10 -/+
Resilience: 10 (15) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:5 -/+
Shoving all his points into [Resilience], Salim waited as the leathery, sandpaper feeling enveloped his body, toughening the skin and hopefully increasing his pain tolerance. Trying again, he once again slowly started filtering the caustic energy into his eyes, holding a tighter grip on the threads leaving his core, just in case. This time, while it still hurt, the pressure was manageable, and he was able to look around without crying. The lights were gorgeous, like the whole world had turned into a neon painting, as the leaves gleamed green and the tree a hearty brown. Even the morning sun emitted some sort of energy, transparent orange waves painting the surrounding air with a soft, almost invisible glow. There was so much to look at, but Salim couldn¡¯t keep it up forever as the pressure slowly built up to an intolerable level and the last remaining drops were about to run out. There still was a small pool of the liquid that never seemed to go away, although it was much smaller as it was drained by the use of [Energy Sight] and his attempt to get rid of it during the night before. As he cut the flow of energy to the skill, Salim looked around, observing his surroundings now that light streamed across the plains. He was now sure that he was in some sort of grassland, trees being sparse and grass extending to the horizon. Feeling dumb and regretting not picking [Wanderer] Salim set off to try and find some natural landmark to orient himself, going from tree gathering to large shrubbery as he stalked his way across the land. Navigating without a skill wasn¡¯t as bad since he wasn¡¯t lost in a forest, but he wasn¡¯t finding anything except grass, grass, a bush, and more grass. Having learned from his previous experience, Salim took frequent breaks underneath any cover that he could find, making sure not to overexert himself. Making steady progress, he thankfully wasn¡¯t in a state of complete dehydration by the time the sun made its goodbyes and Salim had positioned himself in the cover of some trees. Getting caught in the middle of nowhere with no cover as the moon beamed him was not on his bucket list. Although I don¡¯t really need a bucket list now, do I? I really need to figure out some sort of living situation soon, walking around for water is getting old, fast. Situated beneath the canopy, Salim began to idly moved the energy in his core, pushing it side to side as he waited for the moon to rise. He made sure not to fall asleep immediately because he wanted to use his [Energy Sight] on the moon just to sate his curiosity. Something was going on with it, and while he couldn¡¯t do anything about it, he at least wanted answers. Getting bored with just sitting and waiting, Salim tried to push the moonlight out of his arm, similar to how he got his first level. This time he didn¡¯t experience nearly as much discomfort as his skills protecting him, letting him fit the energy through his arm more naturally instead of brute forcing it. He still had to use force, but in a way that was less painful and forced just his palm to emit light instead of his entire arm. Alternating between flashing his hand in pseudo Morse code and taking a few breaks for his tingling arm to go back to feeling normal, Salim lost track of time as the moon rose. He slowly figured out how to manipulate the energy, being able to roughly move the liquid around his core. Eventually he might be able to twist and bend like his skills did, but it would take a lot of practice that he didn¡¯t have at the moment. Night came too quickly for Salim, beams of moonlight filtered through the canopy above, trying to reach down and touch his skin. While he had depleted most of the liquid moonlight in his core, he wasn¡¯t masochistic enough to go through the painful experience of having the stuff re-injected into him. That being said, he did want to check out what was going on with [Energy Sight]. Bracing himself, Salim empowered his skill, infusing it with his eyes as the light beamed down from above him, and looked. The beams looked solid, a far cry from the sun''s soft transparent waves that blanketed the ground. The light was almost harsh and gave off an eerie glow as Salim prepared to step into it and look at the moon. Stepping into the wall of light, he hissed, wincing as the light cascaded over him, the energy racing into his core as the hair rose across his arms. Almost blinded by the silver light, he stared up at¡­ The moon? Far above was a beacon of pure silver light. It was exhausting to stare at, but not painfully so. The giant silver orb was beautiful, panes of light arced down from the sky like tesseracts forced to take shape so he could perceive them. Suddenly, the light seemed to shudder, shifting in and out of reality soundlessly, an invisible world writhing in front of his eyes. Stumbling backwards as the light oppressed his eyes and mind, Salim tumbled over a root and ended up slamming into the ground. Wincing as he pushed himself up and moved away from the offender of his fall, Salim realized that the light had slowed, returning to its solid dormant state. Peering back up into the light, Salim took a final look at the moon before he planned to shut off his skill, as he was feeling pressured from the moonlight. He paused. What in the world? The moon stared back. Right in the center of the glowing orb was a gigantic silver eye that was currently looking directly at him, unblinkingly. Shocked, Salim froze, not knowing what to do as the energy once again began to warp around him. As the energy whipped into a frenzy, the eye began to slowly change, color staining its eye from silver, to blue, to some dark purple, the solid walls of light alternating in unison. Finally reacting to the otherworldly event, Salim dove for cover, awkwardly tumbling into the small grove of trees beside him. Closing his burning eyes, Salim made sure his skill was off, taking away the chaotic, horrific world and replacing it with a much more normal one. Gone were the shafts of solid moonlight, gone was the apocalyptic eyeball moon, all replaced with a normal, (slightly chilly) starry sky. He stared out at the vast ocean of darkness from underneath the trees, contemplating the insanity that had just taken place. Salim shuddered, so I¡¯m just afraid of the moon now? What the hell was that? There was no answer, but frankly he wasn¡¯t sure that he wanted one. It was straight out of cosmic horror, and while he wasn¡¯t feeling different, he wasn¡¯t shocked if he was becoming insane after witnessing whatever unholy abomination resided in the sky. His heart rate was still pounding, causing his chest to hurt as it desperately tried to escape anywhere but being ultimately trapped under the tree. After calming himself down just enough to feel like he wasn¡¯t suffocating, Salim had to reconsider his place in the universe. Laying on his back, head swimming with thoughts, a tear dripped from his eyes, all he could do was cry. Cried all his worries out to the world in a desperate shriek, not at the unfairness of what had happened, but the immensity of it. Eventually he couldn¡¯t cry out any more, and slipped into a restless sleep. Ch. 12 - Moon The morning after was rough. Salim didn¡¯t want to get up, he just didn¡¯t have the energy to move. All he wanted was to curl up in a warm bed and fall asleep until all his worries were drowned away by sleep. He knew that he had to get up, but it was still a monumental task as his limbs still weren¡¯t responding to his demands. Groaning loudly as he pushed himself up, he caught a beam of sunlight straight to his eye as a stray beam snuck past the canopy. Wincing as he squinted, he slowly came to, brushing off his exhaustion. Not wanting to waste time now that he was up, and the morning was still cool, Salim wiped the sleep from his eyes before realizing that he had several notifications waiting. Have they been here all night? He wondered before beginning to read.
You have witnessed the true form of the moon. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained the attention of the moon. Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
Salim felt ill reading the message, the giant eyeball flashed in his mind, peering down at him. He hoped that it could be some strange natural phenomenon, but the level ups only seemed to confirm the worst possible answer. The idea that the moon was both a living thing and that he had caught its attention made his stomach churn in worry as he began to pick at the loose strands of hair on his head. He needed to find a cave or thick forest to hide in, but currently he was completely exposed in one of the worst possible environment for concealment. Looking around out of worry, Salim could still only spot sparse trees and grass, lots of grass, which would be no help when hiding from celestial bodies. Pulling up his stat sheet, Salim pumped his [Resilience] along with his other physical stats to help with his immediate issue. He also had a small internal debate, thinking for a moment before deciding that [Depth] would be a worthwhile investment as well.
Lvl. 4 Stats Confirm
Might: 10 (13) -/+
Finesse: 10 (12) -/+
Resilience: 15 (20) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 5 (10) -/+
The pain was debilitating, three levels at once was almost too much to bear as he hunkered down, face scrunching as he did so. Feeling his muscles twist and harden under the skin, Salim had to take time to compose himself, trying not to yelp as his skin morphed. It was partially successful, as he was able to mostly contain himself, only letting out a small yelp, which he felt slightly proud of. Joints popped as Salim stood and stretched arms and legs, preparing for a journey across the grasslands. Trying to get a move on before the sun began scorching his skin, Salim passed the time while walking by, messing with his core. Doubling his [Depth] seemed to have roughly doubled the capacity, but it was hard to tell since all the magic meditation stuff was new to him. The increased size had an effect on his manipulation of moonlight in his core, now only half full he had more space to manipulate and twist the energy into the form he wanted. The strange thing was, his skills normally did their shaping outside the core, making the shapes even harder to observe, much less replicate. When Salim tried to do the same, it always ended with him dumping the moonlight into his body when he inevitably lost control. The whole process was painful and not at all worth it, but it did teach him to be more careful with his experiments going forward. Throughout the time he was messing with the moonlight, he kept an eye out for danger, only able to spot blurs as small animals sprinted through the grass to get away from him. He knew that more dangerous creatures were probably hiding in the grass, but nothing jumped out at him, and he wanted to keep it that way. Feeling around on the ground for any obvious incline that might direct him towards water, he was out of luck, the ground was incredibly flat which made him wonder if he was walking in one giant circle. Stopping midday under a small, wiry tree to rest from the sun, Salim looked through his skill list to burn time while he caught his breath.
Skills
Energy Manipulation (Class) Lvl. 8 Allows a finer touch with contained energy.
Energy Sight (Class) Lvl. 3 Lets you see the unseen world.
Energy Toleration (Class) Lvl. 4 Tolerate the stress of the unseen world.
He was happily surprised, his [Energy Manipulation] had gone up by quite a bit. Maybe the levels are a quantifier for my ability to use the skill? Salim wasn¡¯t sure what the metric was, or if they even did anything but seeing the numbers go up was entertaining. He was getting a lot better at moving his energy around, it no longer moved with the speed of molasses, but he still wasn¡¯t sure if that was him improving better or the skill level going up. It didn¡¯t bother him either way, since being able to do magic was cool enough, but it would have been nice to not have the ambiguity that the system seemed to be constantly shrouded in. Pushing himself up and starting to walk as the sun dipped, Salim slowly realized that there was something on the horizon. Shielding his eyes, he squinted, trying to make out the black splotch in the distance, but having no luck. Changing course, Salim made the decision to head towards whatever the distant object was, hoping to get a little further before nightfall. The hike was slow-going, and while the speck on the horizon was growing by millimeters, the sun was falling fast. Needing to find a place to stay the night, Salim had to make due with some thick underbrush that could cover his body. Putting himself into position, he tried his best not to move, so the thicket wouldn¡¯t irritate his skin as the rough leaves felt uncomfortable on his skin. Night quickly came and as he tried to fall asleep he could see the soft moonlight sweep over his hiding place, he had no idea if the moon could see him, but he sure wasn¡¯t willing to turn on [Energy Sight] to check. Worried, exhausted, and scared, Salim never realized he didn¡¯t realize he had fallen asleep until, all he remembered was blinking and then being immediately accosted by morning sunlight. Bewildered by the turn of events, he gently crawled out of the bush and looked around to see if anything was different with his surroundings. Finding nothing, he shrugged his shoulders, going about trying to hunt for bugs to eat while sucking on any wet leaves he could find. It was generally unpleasant, but the gross factor had dulled over the past week. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Or was it weeks? He was slowly losing track of time, it was hard for him to make a distinction on time when his days had been broken up by a void of sensory deprivation. Half the day was what it took for him to make out the object in the distance, the green luster informing him that a large group of trees stood proudly on the horizon, it was a forest! It spread out in front as he grew closer, the verdant green of trees welcomed him as he made it half way, with only part of a day''s journey to reach them. Having to stop for the night, Salim kept experimenting under the cover of foliage with the energy inside of him, making cubes, spheres, and any other sort of shape he could think of. His experiments had left him running low in the tank, only the dregs once more remaining after a particularly painful mess-up where he managed to dump half of what he had left through his left leg. The failure had brought him a revelation after he was done cursing and wringing out his arm to try and shake the pain away.
Energy Manipulation has reached Max Level Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
Apparently, [Energy Manipulation] maxed out at ten, which Salim couldn¡¯t tell if anything was different about the skill, but he was happy for the extra stat points. He could assume from this that maxing out his other skills would get him a similar amount of points, which meant being a completionist gave tangible benefits. Getting an entire level''s worth of points off of the skill was great, so he attempted to send the points to [Resilience].
Lvl. 4 Stats Confirm
Might: 15 N/A
Finesse: 15 N/A
Resilience: 20 N/A
Acuity: 12 [15] N/A
Resolve: 14 [16] N/A
Depth: 10 N/A
Apparently he wasn¡¯t allowed to assign the stat points, but he still had to confirm the change for some reason, most likely his own safety. It would suck if I had a stat increase in the middle of running for my life, he mused. He still hissed after hitting confirm, though, no meditation prepared him for the sudden jolt of increased consciousness. Salim wasn¡¯t sure he would ever get fully used to the stat increases, especially since he was bound to go through the initial process all over again. While his body seemed to get used to subsequent changes, the initial ones were extremely jarring. His mind on the other hand seemed to struggle each time he upgraded the mental stats, it felt like his thought processes were warped to be faster and more efficient. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing per se, but it made him feel like he was dissociating in the strangest way possible. Whatever, the stats change me if it lets me survive the next night in this hell. Salim wasn¡¯t sure whether he meant it or was just trying to calm himself. The rest of the journey was thankfully uneventful, but unfortunately he had misjudged the distance, with the forest being farther away than Salim had initially expected. He was relieved to find a tree to sleep under right before nightfall since it was becoming harder for him to fall asleep with the looming threat of the moon, but with the added cover from the moon he made it work. While suffering from slight insomnia wasn¡¯t too bad, most nights he was able to work himself to exhaustion, allowing him to fall asleep without realizing it. However, some nights he found himself staring out at the plains, feeling restless and more than a little helpless. Avoiding moonlight was harder than he expected, though, and sometimes he could feel the energy flowing into him as a beam glanced off his body, as he twisted in his sleep. Thankfully, nothing seemed to come from the accidental brushes with the moon, but something seemed to be up with the energy itself. He hadn¡¯t noticed it at first since he had no experience to speak of, but the oddities reared their head when he tried to collect some of the glowing sap from a tree he had rested under. The sap had flowed into his mouth, sitting there for a moment before slowly dissipating as it collided with the quicksilver in his core. Even when all the moonlight was mostly depleted, the sap would simply leak out even as Salim tried to grab a hold of it. There could have been an infinite number of reasons why it was occurring, but without a lot of experiments he didn¡¯t have a clue, so he hypothesized that the two energies did not mix and left it at that. Sucking on the grass and attempting to photosynthesize also provided no results. Both seemed to produce different colored energy, but no luck was had in collecting them, neither even reaching his core. He eventually concluded that they couldn¡¯t be directly absorbed, which was most likely the case for the sunlight, but didn''t discount that the moonlight could have changed something in his body. Salim wasn¡¯t leaning either way, although it was obvious moonlight had done something, even if it didn¡¯t have to do with collecting the different energies. What he knew, though, was that the changes couldn''t be ignored, his core was ached, even when seemingly empty of the moonlight, burning like it still had the silver substance running through it. His thoughts dwelled on the mysterious issues he was having as he continued his walk. Eventually, the crops of trees became more prevalent, increasing in frequency as he got closer to the forest. The trees had a thicker canopy than the skimpy grassland flora and afforded Salim more room to hide at night, which would hopefully help his insomnia. The idea of the moon seeing him while he was sleeping horrified him and was one of the main factor for why he was struggling to fall asleep. Reaching the edge of the forest was an even bigger relief, it was filled with audible life, birds chirping, bugs humming, and the leaves rustling in the wind. It was comforting when compared to the silence in the grasslands that was only broken by the wind blowing across the tall bushes. As Salim contemplated his unease in the grassland, he was startled by a box.
You have made a long journey to get to a forest while experimenting with the arcane. Combination Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level! You have gained a Skill!
¡°AHKK-!¡± Salim cried out as a wave of memories hit him like a freight train. Tears started to flow down his cheeks as he was thrown back to memories of his childhood, college, work, bits and pieces of his entire life and the emotions he had felt in every moment hit him all at once. What is going on? Frantically trying to find an answer through the mental clamor, Salim pushed open his skill window, as he could only conclude the sensation was related to the new skill.
Skills
Energy Manipulation (Class) Lvl. Max Allows a finer touch with contained energy.
Energy Sight (Class) Lvl. 4 Lets you see the unseen world.
Energy Toleration (Class) Lvl. 7 Tolerate the stress of the unseen world.
Channelers Mind (Class) Lvl. 1 Feel all knowledge related to channeling.
Panting as he looked at the window, Salim collected himself, breathing in a rhythmic pattern to calm himself, he started to feel more together, less strewn in the tide of emotions. Emotions had passed him like an ocean, and while the memories were still on the surface of his thoughts, they didn¡¯t overwhelm him like they had in the beginning. Trying to feel for the skill was difficult, similar to [Energy Toleration] it was more of a passive feature than an actual skill he could harness. The emotions he felt were echoes, going in and out of focus, difficult to hold onto. Trying to push the discordant emotions away, Salim pulled up his stat page to try and distracting himself with the pain from upgrading his stats.
Lvl. 7 Stats Confirm
Might: 15 -/+
Finesse: 15 -/+
Resilience: 20 (25) -/+
Acuity: 15 (20) -/+
Resolve: 16 (20) -/+
Depth:10 (11) -/+
The relief after the initial headache and burn of pumping himself up was immense, although he didn¡¯t cry out like he had when the skill was first given to him. Once he was done recovering, he noticed that the emotions were still there sitting in the corner of his mind, but could be regulated with improved ease as his new stats let him compartmentalize. Being able to disconnect his mind from the skill''s influence also had the side effect of letting him think about his current situation more logically. It immediately became apparent that he had been standing out in the open for an unknown amount of time as the sun slowly set, instilling the need to find shelter quickly. Dashing into the woods, Salim looked for a canopy dense enough to completely obscure himself, the pale moon rising from the east. Ch. 13 - Haunted Salim ran through the woods, making sure to dodge roots and fallen debris that littered his impromptu path, looking for an area to hide. Despite the size of the trees, their leaves left spots where light filtered through the canopy and reached the ground, leaving him exposed to the mercy of the moon. Fortunately, he was able to find an overgrown tree, whose branches extended to make a dome that choked the life out of all the underbrush beneath it. Crawling underneath and resting on a large root, Salim lay, making sure that he moonlight hadn¡¯t touched him and occasionally using [Energy Sight] to look for any stray beams that may have snuck their way through. Packing down some of the surrounding dirt, Salim tried to pack the ground in a way to make it softer, which didn¡¯t help all that much, except for being slightly warmer as cool night air began to blow. The leaves rustled in the night air as Salim stared at the thick canopy, wishing that he could be home in a comfortable bed. Slowly closing his eyes, he fell into a dreamless sleep. The next morning was uneventful as he began his routine: stand up, stretch, and begin walking through the lively forest. His days had devolved into a monotonous routine where he was becoming dangerously dehydrated and needed to find an actual source of water. It was boring work, and recently his thoughts had become quieter as he noticed his mind was slowly getting hazy. He wasn¡¯t sure if the constant hiking was having an effect on him, or he was just bored, but it was all he could fixate besides the homogenous scenery. His mind slowly began to empty, and he had to focus or risk forgetting the direction he came from. Almost like a fugue state, Salim continued his wanderings for the rest of the day. It was on the third day of his wanderings that something changed, Salim wanted to experiment with his skills but was unable to since his core had finally run empty. The thought of getting more energy from the moon sent shivers down his spine, and for some reason the tree sap seemed to still be uncooperative. While he was contemplating his current lack of energy, he was also being careful not to walk about in the open, although he was nowhere near as sneaky as he was with [Safe Travel]. So while he was bumbling around the forest, stepping on the occasional stick, a noise sounded that made him and everything else in the forest freeze up in trepidation. ¡°Creeeeeeak¡­¡± A tree groaned off in the distance, like a heavy weight had caused the tree to lean under the pressure. Still frozen in hesitation, Salim slowly began to walk in the opposite direction to the noise, while keeping his head trained in the direction of the noise. It was unnerving, the rest of the forest agreeing with its silence, and he definitely wasn¡¯t strong enough to deal with whatever predator was lurking nearby. After sneaking almost a mile away, Salim finally began to walk normally again, speeding up his pace to put even more distance between him and whatever was in the tree. As he moved deeper into the forest, the leaves began to fully blot out the sun, turning midday into a strange twilight. Salim didn¡¯t mind since it was much cooler in the shade but began to rethink as a stick snapped behind him. ¡°Crack!¡± Spinning around, all he could catch sight of was a flash of white disappearing behind a tree. What the hell was that? Salim began to sweat, backing up slowly, keeping his eyes on the direction of the flash. Once he broke line of sight with the tree, he turned and sprinted away as fast as he could. Now that he knew something was stalking him he threw precautions to the wind, he wasn¡¯t going to be able to hide from it, and he smelled bad enough that anything with a sense of nose could track him. Panting hard, he knew that while he had put space between him and the tree, the thing that was chasing him was a complete unknown. Unfortunately, while he was in better shape than ever, he also was subsisting off of morning dew and insects, so his stamina was struggling to keep him afloat after his dead sprint. Having to take a breather by a tree, Salim crouched and tried to use some breath control exercises he had seen online to help his heavy breathing. They didn¡¯t work, he felt like he was suffocating himself, trying to take smaller breaths. After standing and gasping to regain enough breath to keep moving, Salim pushed forward, deciding to speed walk instead of a full on run to conserve stamina. The rest of his evening was spent glancing worriedly behind him and jumping at the slightest noise. He never spotted the thing again, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that something was watching him, silently following him through the woods. Even setting up his sleeping arrangements was stressful, he found a tight thicket of trees and bushes that he had to squeeze to fit into. While he was stuck if something blocked the exit, the tightness and small size of his temporary dwelling gave him some comfort. Surprisingly, he also found comfort in [Channelers Mind], the skill let him call upon several good memories from his childhood to calm himself down, even if the reality of his situation was completely contrary. It was probably the only reason he hadn¡¯t had some sort of panic attack yet, even though he knew that death wasn¡¯t the end. But, even with the small comforts he was afforded, there was no way that he was getting a wink of sleep. His exhaustion grew as his body tensed and flinched at the slightest noise, even just a small whistle of the wind through leaves, sent his heart into an uncoordinated spasm. The small shafts of moonlight didn¡¯t help either, as he had chosen his haven based on its surrounding coverage, and not the canopy, forcing him to adjust several times to avoid touching the beams. The full moon was out that night and Salim could see it through his barely existent canopy, almost taunting him to use his skill to take a peak. Hissss. The moonlight slithered its way into his channels as he moved his body in the wrong direction, making its way to his core. Burning as it moved, the energy seemed different as the full moon made itself be known. It felt alive. Moving uncontrollably through his body, the energy made concentric patterns across his core, burning patterns into it as he tried not to double over in pain. Attempting to grasp the moonlight with [Energy Manipulation], Salim had partial success as it bucked and writhed in his grasp, causing a splitting headache and dots to appear along his vision. Giving up, Salim clutched his stomach as the pain got worse, like something was trying to burst out of his chest with violent glee. Rolling onto his back, he was stuck staring wide-eyed at the moon for several moments before he even realized what he was doing. A sort of compulsion was taking over as he couldn¡¯t find the strength within him to look away, the moon seeming to grow bigger before his very eyes. He was a prisoner in his own body, able to see what was happening, but was completely powerless in the face of what could only be a god. However, within the margins of being trapped he did have a choice, whether he wanted to try and brave the horrors, or to stay ignorant. He hated the thought of what he might see, but knew that living in ignorance was not an option. Reaching inside himself to try and grab the writhing moonlight, Salim was surprised when it followed his directions, although maybe it understood what he was going to do. As he got ready to channel the energy, he paused, contemplating if it would really be worth it. I need to do this. I just can¡¯t let it go, it could kill me at any moment, so why not? I¡¯m stuck here, no one''s going to help me, not my dad, not my mom, not Nadalie¡­ God this sucks. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Before channeling the moonlight towards his eye. He saw. The sky above was filled with indigo light, undulating across his vision like giant tentacles reaching out from the glowing light in the heavens. The moon stared directly at him, piercing him with its gaze, and overwhelming his senses. A heavy pressure wrapped around him now, holding tight as it refused to let him out of its grasp as its arms of purple light wrap enveloped his vision. The pressure wasn¡¯t in any way physical as the light pressed down on Salim¡¯s body, just a mental block that seemed to twist his vision as the headaches erupted behind his eyes. It felt like his soul was being weighed against his crimes, judged by God for the misdeeds he committed. Oppression unlike anything he had ever felt before encapsulated his body, chaining his free body to the ground, where he had to force himself to breath. Trying to stop his skill didn¡¯t work, it felt like someone else was piloting his body and forcing him to look. His channels burned and balked from the amount of pure moonlight being sent through. Pressure also built up behind his eyes, extending the duration of his skill to far longer than he had ever attempted before, making his eyeballs feel like they were close to popping out of his skull. The eye stared for what felt like hours as the moon slowly migrated across the sky, seemingly never breaking the line of sight even with the tree canopy. His eyes stung, bloodshot and teary as his ability to blink seemed to have been taken, forcing a demented staring contest. It was awful, and finally after what felt like forever, the moon fell out of view as the sun retook its place in the sky, putting an end to the horrible waking nightmare. Finally able to move, Salim took a deep, shaky breath before curling up against a soft fallen tree. Screw worrying about creatures from the forest, I¡¯d rather die than experience that again. Mind-addled from sleep deprivation and eyes still burning, Salim tried to look around to for a better hiding spot to sleep. Vision blurry, a text box popped to life in front of him, which he ignored, pushing it to the side. Finding a thicket that he could shove himself into, Salim passed out as soon as he managed to fit himself inside, and was mostly confident that he was obscured. Salim woke up sore and disoriented, darkness filled his vision except for a few patches of moonlight that broke through the trees a mere feet away. His body did not appreciate the collection of sharp twigs and leaves he had left himself on, so his first waking moments were filled with groans of displeasure. Joints popping, Salim eventually oriented himself, taking a few moments to make sure he was fully out of the moonlight, taking stock of what had happened. His memory was a solid blur of fear, panic, and horror. He intellectually understood what had happened, he had gotten caught out in the moonlight again, but any direct thoughts linked to the event came back blank or even started to hurt when he tried to remember. Some sort of mental block seemed to have formed around the memories, and Salim wasn¡¯t in the position to go through therapy. Pushing all the uncomfortable thoughts away, Salim brought up the boxes he had dismissed before he passed out from the mental duress he had been under.
You have received the full attention of the moon. Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
Energy Toleration has reached Max Level Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
Energy Sight has reached Max Level Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
A mighty haul that he might have been excited if it hadn¡¯t come at the cost of feeling like he could never be safe again. Looking through his stats, Salim wasn¡¯t sure what to assign, the mental stats now seemed incredibly helpful, although he should probably be thinking more long term with his stat spread. Feeling indecisive, Salim decided to raise all his physical stats to be more in line with his mental and would decide if he wanted to specialize later.
Lvl. 9 Stats Confirm
Might: 15 (20) -/+
Finesse: 15 (20) -/+
Resilience: 25 [28] -/+
Acuity: 20 [22] -/+
Resolve: 20 [21] -/+
Depth: 11 [15] -/+
Feeling the pain of improvement wash over him, Salim sighed in relief. The physical sensation seemed to shock him out of the dissociation that he had been slowly losing himself to. Now grounded, Salim checked his menu again to see how much he had progressed in his newest skill.
Skills
Energy Manipulation (Class) Lvl. Max Allows a finer touch with contained energy.
Energy Sight (Class) Lvl. Max Lets you see the unseen world.
Energy Toleration (Class) Lvl. Max Tolerate the stress of the unseen world.
Channelers Mind (Class) Lvl. 3 Feel all knowledge related to channeling.
While it would be nice to try and level up [Channelers Mind] to [Max], Salim wasn¡¯t sure if it was possible. His level gain was at a slower rate than [Wanderer], they still came quick enough. He wasn¡¯t sure how to level the skill in the first place. Maybe playing memory games? He decided to revisit that idea at a later date when he wasn¡¯t stuck in the woods. But other than guesses, he had zero clue. Feeling lost and unsatisfied, Salim waited until morning before heading out to try and find something to eat. Ch. 14 - Hunted Salim¡¯s hunt for food lasted all but a few seconds, when he found out that a lot of the trees forest dropped hard shelled acorns that appeared edible. The only issue was that the nuts were hard to break open, although slamming the acorn between two handheld rocks to crack the shell just fine. Inside contained a small, soft kernel that tasted like an almost rotten almond, which Salim went to quickly gathered dozens of. Finding himself in an abundance of admittedly subpar food, Salim was able to breathe a sigh of relief, the bugs in the plains may have been edible, but were difficult to catch in large quantities. Trying to fashion himself a small bowl to hold his treasure, he spent several hours looking and still wasn¡¯t able to find any leaves that were big enough to hold together. While trying to come up with an alternative solution to his issue, Salim decided to build a fire to take a break from thinking. The purpose of said fire was twofold, it would most likely give him a convenient level up along with ten more stat points, and let him attempt to burn more wood into a bowl like shape. This time he was more prepared and actually experienced, so he made sure to gather the best sticks he could find. Finding an exceptionally straight stick along with a flat enough piece of wood, Salim began the process of creating heat using friction, with pinpoint focus. His increased stats let him spin the stick far faster and for far longer than any person he had seen on TV without hurting himself. Eventually, his hands began to ache, but not enough to make him stop before smoke started rising out of the log, his efforts burning a black gouge into the log. Quick as can be but while making an effort not to disturb the coals, Salim held moss and dried leaves up to the coals to use as tender, thankfully catching as plumes of smoke filled the air. As the fire crackled to life, he went to gather more wood and after coming back, fished some newly formed coals out and placed them onto the fire starter log. Using the still burning coals, Salim started to work away at its center, slowly hollowing the log for use as a make shift bowl. After a while, the fire no longer needed to be watched carefully, and the box he had been expecting finally showed up. It does prove that level up events aren¡¯t entirely tied to the class, any feat will cause a level up, but maybe class related ones are prioritized? I need more time to figure this out.
You have started a fire from scratch. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your tenth Level. Select Class in Menu.
Knowing that his options this time around would be radically different, Salim idly stoked the fire while he pulled up his [Menu].
Classes Available
Moonlight Channeler (Upgraded) Utilizing the power of burning moonlight, you have become more resilient to the caustic energy. Hedge-Mage (Upgraded) Learning the arcane, a worldly class for those wanting to understand the secrets of the world. Moon Chosen (Swap) You have been seen by the moon, wanted by the moon. Chosen by the moon.
Nothing was familiar, and somehow he had gotten two upgraded classes instead of just one. Looking at his options, he knew that he was never going to pick [Moon Chosen], it was just too ominous of a choice for him to even consider. But he would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t a little intrigued, especially since his memories of the previous night had yet to come back to him. [Moonlight Channeler] also seemed interesting but also slightly dangerous due to the mention of ¡®caustic¡¯ in the description, so he didn¡¯t delay any longer.
You have chosen the Hedge-Mage Class. The experience of your mind guides you
You have upgraded 4 Skills. ¡®Energy Manipulation¡¯ -> ¡®Arcane Shape¡¯ ¡®Energy Sight¡¯ -> ¡®Arcane Eyes¡¯ ¡®Energy Toleration¡¯ -> ¡®Reinforced Channels¡¯ ¡®Channelers Mind¡¯ -> ¡®Learned Mind¡¯ You have gained 10 points.
Pulling up the menu screen with practiced movements, Salim looked at his altered skills.
Skills
Arcane Shape (Class) Lvl. 1 Take shape the forces of the other world.
Arcane Eyes (Class) Lvl. 1 See true, the world beyond the veil. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Reinforced Channels (Class) Lvl. 1 The lifeblood of a mage.
Learned Mind (Class) Lvl. 1 A hungry mind is a healthy mind.
Trying to feel out the new skills, Salim realized that the moonlight inside of him was letting out slow pulses, trying to avoid being squeezed out of his core by his new skills. He could still grab the liquid as it was pushed out, but he decided that the removal was a good thing. The process was irritating, but not painful, as [Reinforced Channels] seemed to offer plenty of space for the quicksilver energy to extrude from his body. He glowed a pale light as the energy left him, slowly at first but then as a torrent, causing his skin to shine with a blinding light for a few moments. With a final flash, the light left him, relieving pressure that he hadn¡¯t fully recognized until it was already gone. Not wanting to dwell on what that meant, Salim took a look at his core before his eyes widened in awe. He could now visualize his core clearly, no longer was it just an orb that was occasionally filled by strange liquid, but now it was a delicate crystalline ball with strange geometric patterns covering it. He was filled with a sense of wonder, further amplified when he noticed a substance had been slowly filling the ball. The liquid glowed a deep solid blue, undulating as Salim poked it with his skill, noting how it was much easier to manipulate than the moonlight. Thinking of a name for the substance, Salim eventually settled on the tried and true classic of mana. It fit most of the stereotypes that he could think of. He was now a mage, it was blue, and his skills had ¡®arcane¡¯ labeled on them. Now, if only he had directions on how to cast spells with the stuff, [Learned Mind] seemed to have no obvious effect but thankfully didn¡¯t try to push emotions at him like with [Channelers Mind]. Moving the energy around didn¡¯t seem like the way to go either, and ejecting the energy from his body didn¡¯t even make his skill glow. Shrugging in defeat at his lack of progress, Salim went to assign his stats while still trying with hope to find a way to shoot fireballs from his hands.
Lvl. 10 Stats Confirm
Might: 20 -/+
Finesse: 20 -/+
Resilience: 28 -/+
Acuity: 22 (25) -/+
Resolve: 21 (23) -/+
Depth: 15 (20) -/+
Pins and needles shot through his body and into his mind as Salim felt a sense of satisfaction for pushing all his stats up to twenty. His body wasn¡¯t obviously ripped as a few bits of flab stuck around, but he felt powerful, easily hurling a log that he was certain he wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up before his upgrades. Calming his inner power fantasy child, Salim looked down at the smoldering ashes of his fire below him. Trying to will the fire back into existence with his mana and remodeled brain, Salim felt hopeful, projecting the image of fire into his mind as he pushed the energy out of his hands¡­ And nothing, he was missing a lot of pieces to the puzzle that would allow him to cast spells. Temporarily throwing in the towel, Salim got up from his squat above the fire and began to hunt for a good place to sleep. The foliage of the forest was thick in most places, but he felt rather exposed on the ground, his memories of being bitten by wolves still played out in his dreams. After a while, he stumbled upon a thicket of trees that offered some protection from his surroun-. A flash of white. Something streaked past his peripheral vision silently, causing Salim to try to turn and catch whatever it was, but found nothing in his surroundings. The trees swayed from side to side as a breeze blew through the canopy, never fully reaching the ground. The wind whistled, playing a haunting tune as the leaves shook to accompany it, Salim frantically swiveling his head as he realized his spot by the fire left him completely exposed. The foliage would help obscure him, but how much would that help when something was already watching him? As soon as he fell asleep, he would almost certainly die, ripped in half and torn to bits at whatever creature stalked him. But what could he do? Shivering, a gust of wind up above swooped down and blasted him with cold air. He would stand his ground, he had beaten the wolves last time they fought, so how hard could this be? Sure, he had died afterward, but surely this time he could do better. His heart beat faster, as his eyes frantically searched, body turning, making him feel dizzy as he slowed down. Hands shaking, he felt threatened by the forest, a giant green maw hanging over his head and poised to bite. Staying quiet, Salim threw himself to the ground and tried to make as little noise as possible. If he could just spot whatever it was before it was too late, then mayb- There. Behind one of the many trees a shape moved, he couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was from the awkward position on the ground, but he could clearly see its stark white appearance. The creature moved lithely, with grace unbefitting its towering stature, shuffling along two feet before dropping to four and vanishing from sight without a sound. It was eerie, the creature''s head was pure white, and appeared to be a skull, while the rest of its body had a brownish red color. It was difficult to make out any other feature on the creature because of how fast it moved, and Salim knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun it. Trying to listen for the creature was pointless as it made no discernible noise above the rustling of the leaves above, so he tried to keep his eyes peeled and looking towards the places it was most likely to be. The sound of the trees also made it easier for him to move about silently, allowing him to stand up and press his back against a large tree without making a noise. Keeping his eyes locked on the tree that the creature had disappeared behind, Salim slowly tried walking backwards as dread began to set its hooks into him. Hands shaking, he took a big step backwards and CRACK. The stick let out the loudest noise he had ever heard, even the wind couldn¡¯t hide the noise as Salim simply turned around and began a dead sprint for his life. Rationally, he knew that outrunning the creature was not an option, he saw the thing vanish in the blink of an eye. But the fear coursing through his mind didn¡¯t care for logic, and the only thing he could think about was getting away from the monster that was stalking him. At some point during his panicked sprint, he tripped and ended sprawled on the ground, not remembering the fall as his brain was still reeling from fear. Shooting up and shaking off the dust as fast as he could, Salim continued his wild sprint through the forest until he was completely lost, and his legs felt like jelly. Up until now, he had been keeping track of the directions he had journeyed and could form a serviceable mental map of the forest, but his abrupt trip had ruined his sense of direction. Trying and failing to calm himself down, Salim saw a break in the trees which left the grass lands he had left, several days prior, visible. Sunlight was almost completely extinguished, and the moon a rising concern, Salim felt trapped between the epitome of horrifying and terrifying. Panicked, he ran along the ecotone, not wanting to reenter the forest but also fearing exposure to the moon if he left. Looking behind him while he stopped for a quick breather showed a calm forest, trees standing perfectly still as the leaves frozen despite the fact that he could hear the wind blowing. The grassland to his left stood still, as if waiting for something to pounce. Wasn¡¯t there a breeze? Salim looked up. The noise of rustling leaves filled the air as Salim stared at unmoving branches as he confirmed that there was in fact no more breeze. The leaves in the tree were not moving. Nothing was moving. Salim felt like he needed to move as the noise continued, phantom leaves, taunting him with the futility of escape. He turned and paused in fear, seeing something slink from behind a tree was a monstrous, twisted creature. Its head looked like a deer skull, eyeholes a dark abyss. Its body which he thought was a reddish brown was postmarked twisted hide and flesh, still red with sores as its body was warped into a humanish shape. From its mouth sung the noise of rustling leaves, like a thousand insects all buzzing in unison. It had cornered him, blocking him between it and the grasslands behind, as it slowly crept closer, shuffling on its bottom two hooves as its unnaturally long gait brought it closer. Not wanting to wait around and see what the creature wanted, Salim didn¡¯t have to make a decision as he sprinted out into the grasslands. Looking behind him, Salim couldn¡¯t see the creature, but he didn¡¯t stop running. Running for his life, Salim tripped again, hurtling face first towards the ground; the brown dirt mixed with grass and weeds was the last thing he could see before his vision went black. Ch. 15 - Dream On Pain was something that Salim was beginning to feel deeply accustomed to, biting, tripping, breaking bones, all things he had never experienced before his abrupt abduction. Now, they seemed to blend in with his everyday life, trying to survive the consequences of being so under prepared. As much as he wished he had been more into outdoor living and survival shows, there was no way for him to know what was going to happen. He was on a precipice, flickering in and out of consciousness with flashes of hot pain coursing through his head as he briefly woke, before becoming returning to a comatose state. In and out he experienced an awful, excruciating process until his mind became numb, unable to register external stimuli. He began to dream.
Sitting at his desk, Salim could feel his mind wasting away as the hours passed, the droll office conversations as the seemingly endless list of inane things he had to work on ate away at his soul. All that he could think about was getting home to his girlfriend, who was most likely in the same situation as he was. I¡¯m not going to cook for the third night in a row, let''s just¡­ Let''s order takeout. Looking at the phone resting by the side of his keyboard, Salim idly scrolled through social media, looking at the newest bait headlines and media outrage he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about. He needed to escape, break the monotony of his daily life, but was stuck, unable to move on. Money was always the issue, he never made enough, and he always needed more. Promising himself a vacation only worked so many times before his brain started to catch on that there truly was no light at the end of the tunnel. Laughing at an inane comment of a coworker, Salim watched as the clock slowly clicked its way to five. Slowly, with ever grinding finality, the minute hand pointed up to the heavens and Salim breathed a sigh of relief. The drive home was more tedium, the numbness was so all consuming that the stop and go traffic failed to elicit any reaction other than a blank face. Salim only started feeling once he pulled into the crowded parking lot near his apartment complex and hiked up several flights of stairs. Slotting his key into the door, Salim felt the weight of the day slide off of him, like wiping mud off his shoes, his shoulders sagging as he stepped inside. The television was on in the cramped living room, coffee table and couch taking up most of the space, with Nadalie laying on the couch, eyes closed. The door creaked, as she cracked an eye and peered up at him. From the couch, Nadalie eyed him, ¡°How did your day go?¡± ¡°Same as always; you have any plans for dinner?¡± Salim responded with perfect rehearsal. ¡°Not really¡­¡± she shifted, pushing herself up and against a cushion, ¡°I had a really nasty customer, like I swear this lady was about to blow a blood vessel over the price of milk¡± Cocking an eyebrow as he passed, Salim moved to the bedroom, shuffling off his shoes and discarding his keys onto a dresser. ¡°Can relate, boss was being stupid as usual, wanted us to add all sorts of features within the day that would take months to develop.¡± Salim complained as he moved back into the living room and sat on the other side of the couch, putting Nadalie¡¯s feet onto his lap. Their conversation continued as Salim ordered takeout for two and an hour later they were situated with food on their laps watching a movie. Salim wasn¡¯t paying much attention, it was some romcom that he knew Nadalie liked, and was instead scrolling on his phone while exchanging quips. Eventually, after the movie had ended Salim watched the dishes and Nadalie prepared for bed, finishing up, Salim plopped down on the bed while he waited for her to finish up in the bathroom. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out, consciousness fading like the last evening lights outside their building.
Salim was falling, stuck in limbo between two minds, one of his past and one of his present. He was having difficulty telling them apart as memories kept flashing through his mind: birthdays, school, friends, his life flashing before his eyes. Except he couldn¡¯t die, not really, he would just return to the white void in the middle of nowhere and be forced to go through everything over and over again. Over and over and over and over¡­ His mind trailed as he repeated the words in his head like a mantra. Maybe I did die. He was intimately familiar with the idea of hell, and this didn¡¯t seem like it. This high concept personal torment; hunted down by animals and monsters during the night while being forced to survive in the wilderness? It didn¡¯t seem like any form of punishment that he was familiar with, especially since he was able to fight back. He thought about his old life, his normal life, and how it was a colossal waste of a lifetime, how much time he had wasted just sitting in his office, in his bed, on the couch all blurring together. He hadn¡¯t lived much of a life, and while it did make him feel slightly sad, it didn¡¯t bother him as much as it probably should have. Contentment was what Salim felt most of all, just being able to live with Nadalie, seeing his friends and family. His job was boring and inane, but it paid well enough, he couldn¡¯t complain all that much when he knew people with far less. His thoughts were now blending just as much as his memories, his mental state just barely holding onto coherent thoughts under the tide of static that seemed to fill his head with cotton. Whether he was alive or dead didn¡¯t seem to matter much to him, he just needed to let go and enjoy the time with his previous life, even if it was just a mess of memories. So, with little resistance, he let go of the shores of thought and drifted on the waves of reminiscence.
Eventually, he came to. Not in the middle of grassy plains or a dense forest, but instead the harsh white light of the void. Feeling hollow, Salim stood up, pressing on the smooth that didn¡¯t feel like anything except ¡®smooth¡¯, before looking at the screen a few feet away from him.
You have died. Cause of death: ¡°Brain Hemorrhage¡±
Total Score Level = 10 Points Class = 10 Points Stats = 22 Points Titles = 20 Points Total is 62 Points. Spend Points in Shop before Respawn.
Brain Hemorrhage? Salim wasn¡¯t sure what to think, the last thing he could remember was hitting the ground before his vision went black. Maybe the impact had shattered his skull, but it seemed unlikely with his [Resilience]. Struggling to remember anything after he was knocked out, all he could remember were bits of pain and a feeling of nostalgia. Giving up on remembering anything, he checked his titles to see what had changed.
Titles Number of Titles: 4
The First You were the first to step upon the path of sapience.
Alone You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Whether by creation or genocide, your existence is unique.
Deathless Through medical marvel or mystical means, you have come back from the dead.
Moon Touched The moon has marked you as one of its own.
Salim rapidly shut the menu as a sense of fear and foreboding overcame him. Nope, not dealing with that right now. Distracting himself, he pulled up the shop menu and began to hunt through options for info or anything he might have missed the first time through.
¡ü Points: 62 Point Store Confirm
? Increased Stats 5P Per Stat -/+
| Basic Class Weight 50P -/+
| Basic Skill 50P -/+
¡ý Increased Level 50P Per Level -/+
Perhaps foolishly, Salim felt like he had nothing to lose, trying something new would help him in the future, but he was still deciding between [Basic Class Weight] and [Basic Skill]. He eventually settled on getting a skill for a couple of reasons, he only knew a few classes and what they did, plus another skill would mean more stat points. He already knew what skill he was going to get, [Wayfind] was just too useful, so he went ahead and selected [Basic Skill] along with two additional stat points. Salim hit the menu button to confirm.
¡ü Skill Selection: 1 Confirm
? Wayfind Forage Safe Travel
| Reinforced Stamina Energy Manipulation Energy Sight
¡ý Energy Toleration Channelers Mind N/A
Before him were all the skills he had gotten from both [Wanderer] and [Channeler], all having skills he had seen before. Seeing as none of the skills from the upgraded classes were present, Salim selected [Wayfind] and felt the skill immediately begin to go haywire as he hit confirm. His head began to spin as the skill was unable to find anything, causing it to point in every direction, and no direction at the same time. He had to sit down while the skill calmed down, eventually subsiding enough that he was able to assign his stats without feeling like he had gotten off of a crazy rollercoaster.
Lvl. 0 Stats Confirm
Might: 8 -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+
Resilience: 7 -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 0 (2) -/+
Throwing two pitiful stat points into [Depth], Salim suffered as the first stat points almost overwhelmed him, the itching feeling being even more present now that he knew where to look. He had already forgotten how intense the first couple stat points felt, although thankfully it did seem like he was slowly getting used to the feeling, even after death. Closing the menu with a swipe from his hand, Salim stalked around the white void, trying to look for anything noteworthy. There has to be something, right? Some reason that I was brought here or some clue on why I keep coming back. But the longer he searched, the more he was certain that there was nothing, or at least nothing obvious to be found. The lack of any obvious walls meant that he could continue to walk for hours and not see any change in scenery. It was maddening, yet Salim couldn¡¯t help but think it was by design, an unnatural void that robbed his depth perception and made him to feel empty. The abyss also seemed to have different rules than normal, he couldn¡¯t hurt himself no matter how hard he punched the ground or bit his fingers, and full sprinting across the ground didn¡¯t seem to make him any more tired. Giving up, Salim tried a last ditch effort of jumping to see if there was a ceiling but, just as expected, caught nothing but air. Slowly losing his sanity the longer he stayed, Salim walked over to the [Respawn] button, which had been floating behind him the entire time he attempted to explore. It had been driving him insane how it made him feel like he was on one gigantic treadmill as it kept pace with him even as he sprinted.
Respawn
Bracing, Salim pressed the button and his vision flashed with light, making him close his eyes out of instinct. Slowly, he began to feel the wind in his face, a calm warm breeze that melded with the sounds of crashing waves. Salim opened his eyes, looking down from the top of a cliff at a rocky beach below. Water crashed against the rocks with extreme force, jetting mist up the side of the cliff to where he was standing. Taking a step back, Salim looked around at his surroundings, finding himself between a conifer forest and the cliff''s edge. The trees were fairly barren of leaves around the bottom, giving lots of room for other shrubbery to grow up around them, as he spotted small animals flitting through the bushes. Not being the scariest forest he had been in as of late, Salim set to work using [Wayfind] to try and find shelter. Stepping foot into the forest, Salim had to watch his step as a thorny plant stabbed into his soles several times. I can¡¯t wait to level up my [Resilience], he thought as a low-hanging branch scraped against his hand and made him wince. Despite the pain, he was feeling rather accomplished, as his trek through the woods was substantially easier than it had been in the past¡­ month? Time was getting hard for him to track, especially since the thought of days passing reminded him of the moon, Salim shuddered, I definitely needed to find shelter. Carefully watching his step, Salim eventually felt the skill pull him towards a berm that a tree had fallen on. Looking at the dried out husk, he checked to see how much room was available and was happy that it had enough room for him to squeeze in. So when evening quickly arrived, Salim squeezed himself between the two and jostled around to make the space as comfortable as it possibly could be. Night fell soon after, and unfortunately, Salim was unable to sleep, staring at the moonlight that shimmered only a few feet away from his hiding place as he thought about his future. Ch. 16 - The Thing Being awakened by the shivering cold of morning dew and chilly air was not a pleasant experience. Wincing as his body shook from the low temperatures, Salim tried to warm himself by moving around, pushing himself onto his feet, trying to shake the dampness that had covered his skin. After a while of unsuccessfully shaking, he turned to stare at the rising sun as its beams flew through the thin trees, blinding him. Wandering with the hopes of finding water, Salim began to idly begin to gather sticks, small stones, and whatever else he could carry along the way. Trying to find the driest sticks possible, he eventually amassed a pile big enough to light, along with several shriveled leaves that he had been lucky enough to find. Sitting down, Salim began to whittle away at a rotted piece of wood that had lying next to his sleeping spot and looked usable. About twenty minutes in, he gave up; he forgot how out of shape he was without the extra stats boosting his physique, as he could almost feel the blisters begin to grow on his hands. Putting the warm sticks down, Salim stared up at the sky. It was almost evening, and he had spent all the day trying to unsuccessfully light a fire. Sighing in frustration, Salim threw the stick he had attempted to light, hitting a small tree with bouncing along the ground after they failed to do anything. The tree! Right, why did I forget? Walking over to the small tree, Salim took out a jagged stone he had found during his wandering, before carving into the trunk and watching the glowing green sap spill into his mouth. It only took a few seconds for his reserves to become completely filled, having only two points in [Depth] meant his reserves were incredibly small compared to his previous life. After waiting for a few moments to see if he got a level, Salim began to mess with the energy. The substance was much more excitable than the moonlight; it would actively follow wherever he tried to push it, which was both less strenuous but also harder to control. After a certain point, Salim would lose control over the substance as it shot into his limbs and filled them with jitters. As soon as the energy fully left his core, Salim had the familiar box shoved in his face.
You channeled foreign energy through your body for the first time. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your first Level. Select Class in Menu.
This method seemed much faster compared to making fire from scratch, although he''d have to experiment a bit more if he wanted to level up through magic.
Classes Available
Wanderer Alone by trade, the Wanderer travels from place to place, never staying put and always searching for new experiences. Channeler Channeling energy through your body, you have the potential for great arcane power. Gatherer Edible berries, balms, and incense are all useful with the right knowledge, poisons more so.
Salim considered [Gatherer], simply on the basis of not having chosen it yet, but [Channeler] spoke to him, promising magic and a more obvious way to progress. [Wanderer] might have been in contention just because of how convenient the skills were, but he wasn¡¯t eager to see if he would lose out on a skill since he already had [Wayfind].
You have chosen the Channeler Class. Where energy flows, purpose grows
You have gained 3 new Skills. ¡®Energy Manipulation¡¯ ¡®Energy Sight¡¯ ¡®Energy Toleration¡¯ You have gained 5 stat points.
Feeling more in control with now that he regained his skills, Salim felt a wave of calm wash over him as his skills felt like him regaining access to a missing limb. In the meantime, he decided to dump his initial stats into [Resilience] for the added comfort. Sleeping in the dirt was killer on his back and feeling the exhaustion after hiking for hours were things he wanted to avoid, so he wasn¡¯t too conflicted on putting his stats anywhere else.
Lvl. 1 Stats Confirm
Might: 8 -/+
Finesse: 9 -/+
Resilience: 7 (13) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 2 Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. -/+
Salim stared in disappointment, it was easy to forget how quickly he advanced before he died. Wincing as his muscles and organs thickened, Salim began to walk back to his berm underneath the fallen tree. Standing next to the rotting wood, Salim wanted to test something before he squeezed his way back. With his reserves being close to nothing and still very empty, Salim tried to reach for the mana he had felt before his death. Pulling deeply on his empty core, he felt the slightest tug as a small droplet of mana was pulled from the very bottom. Not able to do much with it, he let the energy fall back to the bottom of his core. Salim waited expectantly but didn¡¯t receive a level up, maybe I didn¡¯t have enough mana? Or maybe I need to push it out? He wasn¡¯t sure, but wouldn¡¯t miss the miniscule amount of mana that he had managed to generate. Gripping it tightly, Salim activated his [Energy Sight] and fed the droplet to the skill. With a slight jolt to his eyes, the skill took hold, letting Salim see the hidden world for about half a second before the skill cut out painfully. Letting loose a grunt of discomfort and closing his now watery eyes to alleviate the stinging, Salim sat down, using the fallen tree as a backrest. Trying to wipe away the tears with the back of his hand, Salim only made the pain worse as small bits of dirt got into his eyes. Blinking vigorously, Salim felt rather inept as he bumbled around in pain. Trying to wish away the substrate in his eyes, he tried to find something to clean his hands with, to no avail. With pitch black now blanketing the forest, it was hard to pick out individual sticks, let alone something to clean his hands with. Night! He had gotten distracted again, thankfully, there didn¡¯t seem to be any wolves prowling around. The moon seemed rather dim as it rose up over the horizon, Salim scrambling to get inside his small hideout to avoid being touched by its pale beams. But even as the liquid moonlight reached his body, it couldn¡¯t seem to pierce him. Somehow, he was able to actively resist whatever the moon was trying by pushing the moonlight out as soon as it tried to breach his skin. He still decided to hide under the tree, even with his ability to resist the light, Salim didn¡¯t feel like tempting fate. He had no clue if resisting the moonlight had any adverse effects, but his ability to look at his core and body was lacking without the class upgrade. Why he hadn¡¯t been able to resist the moonlight in his last life he wasn¡¯t sure, although Salim assumed it might have to do with him absorbing it before he ever got the class. At the moment, he had no way of checking or finding out the answers to his questions, eventually drifting asleep to the sound of bugs and birds. The next couple of days were slightly better than the first, following his morning routine of getting up, find food, and beginning his walk towards water. [Wayfind] had finally started guiding him towards drinking water, although the tug was incredibly faint. The eternal journey towards water felt like a Sisyphean task, as he never seemed to get closer as the days passed. During the journey, Salim began to experiment more with the tree sap, finding that the energy provided a substantial boost to his physical stats when channeled through his body.
Harnessing energy, you have broken a tree Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
His wrist still stung from impacting the soft wood of the tree, but his sense of accomplishment didn¡¯t fade. He looked at the green wood of the split branch he was able to punch through and flexed his arms. The level up was encouraging, but if he was honest he had just been taking out his frustrations on the tree, with the level up being a happy accident.
You have journeyed at considerable pace for several days Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
It was good that he still got level ups for his exploration, although it did not fail his notice that the time period was significantly longer when compared to [Wanderer]. It had internal logic to it, that a class would level up faster with certain actions, but it was annoying that breaking a branch was worth a several day journey. The two level ups let him enhance his physical abilities to quicken his pace, although he didn¡¯t forget to slowly upgrade his [Depth].
Lvl. 3 Stats Confirm
Might: 8 (10) -/+
Finesse: 9 (10) -/+
Resilience: 13 (17) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 2 (5) -/+
His boosted stats bolstered his march as he hiked through the thin trees, pushing branches and bushes out of the way as he went. Days became increasingly monotonous as his mind fogged over, and while he did mess with the tree sap, there was only so much he could do with a [Depth] of five. Boredom was an ever consuming maw that hungered for more as he felt himself sink deeper, and deeper, and deepe- ¡°Salim.¡± A voice called out from behind a tree, sounding incredibly familiar. Turning as fast as he could towards the noise, Salim felt his heart accelerate as his mind caught up, realizing who the voice belonged to. ¡°Nadalie?¡± The words came unbidden from his mouth; despite it being early in the morning, he suddenly felt like everything had become dreamlike, his mental state unbalanced. Stepping from around the tree was Nadalie, except¡­ Something was wrong. She was wearing the clothes he had last seen her in, a baggy sweatshirt and some shorts, but her features were off, warped, as if someone had airbrushed over her face. Completely lacking any blemishes, her expression was wrong, like someone was trying to hold in a laugh, but the humor was completely devoid from her eyes. Salim took a step back in fear. ¡°Who are you?! Did you bring me here? Why did you do this to me? Why do you look like her?!¡± Questions rose from his throat as he screamed at the not Nadalie, voice cracking as he slowly yelled louder and louder. Trying to breathe, Salim stared at the creature as it opened its mouth in a mechanical fashion. ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.¡± laughter rang out from its mouth in a strangely rhythmic way as the rest of its body stood completely stock still. It was like a puppet replica of his girlfriend had been made and was being made to dance in front of his very eyes. Shocked into silence, all Salim could do was stare, the situation so bizarre and absurd that he felt concussed. ¡°Salim Jonathan Douglas, nice to meet you.¡± The words jumped from their tongue as the sentence was strung together in a staccato cadence. Paying full attention, he could tell that the voice wasn¡¯t completely correct either, sounding slightly hoarser than what he could remember. It almost sounded like Nadalie, but the cadence was obviously off, like the voice was being played through a translator app. They continued standing completely still, statuesque, probably waiting for him to respond, but he felt stifled, unable to speak a word. Most likely realizing that he wasn¡¯t going to respond, it slowly stalked towards him, stepping deliberately through branches and jutted out rocks. ¡°Sorry for the laugh, but I thought this initial meeting would go differently.¡± She said, not looking sorry in the slightest. Wanting to run away in confusion but also feeling the burning desire to figure out what was going on, Salim found his voice and responded. ¡°Who are you. Don¡¯t say that you''re Nadalie, I know you aren¡¯t.¡± He shifted his feet so that he could start booking it away from the fake Nadalie at a moment''s notice. ¡°I am an admirer, one that has looked from afar,¡± it admitted, face twisting into a pathetic attempt at a smile. It could have been an attempt to look genuine, but on his girlfriend''s face it looked plain wrong. ¡°So you abducted me then? Why? What purpose-¡± Salim was cut off by it speaking over him. ¡°I did not take you, perhaps that came out incorrect. No, I have been watching from up above.¡± Its eyes glowed with silver light as Salim took a step back. Images flashed in his mind, white, purple lights, the eye. He began to sweat as a feeling of unadulterated dread came over him. The moon? What about the moon? This isn¡¯t making any sense. Salim rubbed his head as he wiped sweat off his brow, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The creature''s eyes stopped glowing, ¡°Salim Douglas, this may not be easy for you to understand.¡± Straightening its body as it fully addressed him, ¡°I am the moon.¡± Salim stared at the being in awkward silence, it made as much sense as the past month of his life, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to the statement. The horrifying eye in the sky that burned his skin and possibly killed him, was personified as his girlfriend, standing right in front of him as all the memories rushed back into his head. His legs gave out as he tumbled to the ground in shock. Dazed and confused, Salim could only stare at the sky, the creature completely out of his mind, processed his memories. Head empty as he feebly tried recontextualizing everything he had experienced, to no avail. Like a drowning sailor, he felt like he was floundering in the depths of things he would never understand. ¡°Calm down, I will explain what I understand is going on after you finish the panic attack.¡± It spoke the words with mechanical precision, looking down at him from the side of his peripheral vision. It turned away and walked out of his vision as Salim hyperventilated for what felt like the millionth time on the forest floor. Ch. 17 - Art of the Deal ¡°So what now?¡± The question hung in the air, propped up by a feeling of resignation, as Salim stared at the creature on the rock. He tried to read its face but got nothing, no twitching, no eye movement, just a blank canvas that was staring back at him. Empty eyes stared back, with a strange doll like version of his girlfriend''s face, unblinking. ¡°We have much to discuss.¡± The words were spoken with emotionless efficiency as it intently stared at Salim. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that despite the lack of expression, the creature was choosing to leave its arms resting on its hips as it waited for him to respond. He stared blankly back as he tried to keep a hold of his emotions, ¡°I¡¯m still super confused about what you are talking about.¡± ¡°First.¡± It held up a finger, ¡°We are the only sentient beings on this planet.¡± It expressed some more emotion by raising an eyebrow as it once again waited for him to respond. Salim simply sat, not knowing how to take in or even trust what he had been told. ¡°What?¡± Salim said dumbfounded. Standing quickly, it stepped closer to him, ¡°Accept it.¡± Muted, was the only thing that Salim could feel from all the revelations being dropped on him. Some abhorrent creature was using his girlfriends'' appearance, and apparently wanted to tell him that he was basically completely alone. He knew that the information should have been a shock to him, but at this point he felt too far gone. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m good,¡± His warbling voice didn¡¯t inspire much confidence, but he continued on. ¡°So if you didn¡¯t bring me here, who did?¡± He felt himself gaining more strength as he continued to speak. ¡°That is currently unknown.¡± It glanced at him with piercing brown eyes, ¡°You were here before me.¡± Salim was startled, ¡°Wait, wait, how did you know that?¡± Taking a big step back as his face paled in realization, ¡°That night, in the field, you did something to me?!¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Her face refused to show emotion. ¡°So you know I come back, right? The system, all the skills, everything?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how much it knew, if it had simply stolen his memories or done something else. Although, he didn¡¯t fault himself for not knowing, since he didn¡¯t have much experience with eldritch abominations. ¡°Your memories are hazy, it took me many years, but I have seen most of your memories.¡± She put a foot on the rock she had been sitting on. ¡°Which is why this body was made to look like Nadalie, she is the one person you have a clear mental image of.¡± He supposed it made sense, but it still felt wrong, the fact that the body was made by it didn¡¯t slip past him either. ¡°Do you have access to the system then?¡± The question was more out of curiosity than anything, since his urge to talk with another person, human or not, was coming back in full force. Having been alone for so long and not being attacked outright by the creature, Salim was starting to warming up to it. ¡°I have a couple hypotheses on why your system is so foreign for you, to me, it is more like a limb that can grow and flex.¡± Its words intrigued Salim and as he waited for it to continued, ¡°Whether it is because of your supposed immortality, I do not know yet, although it does make you difficult to track down.¡± Salim couldn¡¯t help but feel better at that, knowing that the moon itself had a hard time tracking him down, even if it came with the stipulation of dying. ¡°What are you, then?¡± It was something he was burning to know, even if it had said that it hadn¡¯t abducted him, he wasn¡¯t completely sure. He was also reminded that it was a pretty rude and personal thing to ask, as the creature simply stood for a while staring at him. After several awkward seconds, it responded, ¡°I do not know what I am, I just remember waking up one day after gaining your memories.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how to respond or even process that information, so he simply moved on and asked a few other questions he had. ¡°Well, then how are you controlling this body? Is it like a puppet, or is your consciousness planted in the body?¡± It showed the closest thing to an emotion for the first time after he spoke. Slowly, an odd smile grew on its face as it stared directly at him, causing Salim discomfort as its face plunged right into the uncanny valley. ¡°I grew this body myself, it is not perfect, but I have been slowly improving its functions over several generations. Think of it like a self autonomous drone, and my other bodies function similarly since it is difficult to stay connected to the main body constantly.¡± That made Salim pause, ¡°Other bodies?¡± Pale white flashed through his mind as he thought about what the other bodies could be. ¡°I¡¯ve been experimenting with creating bodies, I am currently one of the most advanced creations. It is part of a plan that I wanted to discuss with you¡± It squinted at him. ¡°What could you possibly want to discuss with me? You¡¯ve just told me that you can create living bodies for yourself, wha¡­ what could I possibly discuss with you.¡± He was confused, especially since the only thing special was his circumstance, other than that he had nothing to offer. Maybe it wants to figure out how I cheat death, I would certainly want to know how. It somehow figured out living drones¡­ I¡¯ve got no clue what this thing can do. ¡°You have something I want, that''s why I want to make a deal. As the only native sentient being on this planet, you have something I need. I could take it by force, however that is unnecessary and make an enemy of someone who can¡¯t die seems unwise. I can¡¯t find a genuine way to get rid of you, so that is why we are talking.¡± The bluntness of the statement perturbed him, the small semblance of politeness thrown out the window. ¡°So, what do you want? I¡¯m not quite sure what I could possibly have that you would want or need.¡± Salim was wary, since it all but admitted that the only reason they were talking was because killing him didn¡¯t benefit its plans. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I need your body.¡± His hackles rose, but before he could say anything, she continued. ¡°Not immediately, we have all the time in the world, I just need your body when you die.¡± He didn¡¯t know what to think of that, ¡°Why? You already make a body, right? Why would you need mine?¡± Salim watched as it slowly shifted weight to its right foot, ¡°Would you be able to figure out how I keep coming back?¡± ¡°No, there is absolutely no way that I would be able to figure that out with just your body. I need your body to study your organs.¡± Salim blinked, not quite sure how to process the information. ¡°I came to, years after your death, these bodies are fueled by my will or what you could consider magic not biology.¡± ¡°Years?¡± Salim couldn¡¯t help but focus on that little snippet. ¡°You have been gone for several hundred years. It is hard for me to tell how long it has been since I received your memories, but I would assume it is a few hundred years.¡± The revelation made his legs feel weak, that a few hundred years had passed in the span of just a few seconds. ¡°I¡­ Wha- How?¡± ¡°I am not omnipotent, if I was, I would not need your body.¡± It spoke in emotionless cadence that Salim could swear was tinged with the slightest hint of sass. ¡°Yea, that makes sense. So you¡¯ve just been waiting for me to pop back in?¡± ¡°Correct, thankfully the waves of energy emanating from my body make it easy to detect creatures with mana, think of it like a sonar.¡± ¡°Gotcha, gotcha,¡± Salim gave a thumbs up to it¡¯s deadpanned face, as it looked down to stare at his thumb. ¡°So¡­ I just wander around, and when I die, you collect my corpse?¡± ¡°Correct, I am tasked with following you so that I can be nearby when you pass.¡± Her tone made it clear that it wasn¡¯t negotiable. Salim sighed and asked, ¡°What''s your name, then? I¡¯m not calling you Nadalie.¡± He said it quickly but saying her name still made him feel a twinge of loneliness. ¡°You can call me Fallon.¡± She gave a small head nod. Salim raised an eyebrow as a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu came over him. While Fallon¡¯s voice was mechanical in cadence, their actions had been more natural. Their movements seemed to match Nadalie¡¯s natural body language as he watched their body slowly sway side to side. ¡°Pleasure, look, I need to find shelter, so I¡¯m going to head out.¡± Salim faintly motioned to the evening sky above, as he began to look around for a shelter with [Wayfind]. Fallon nodded in agreement, ¡°Go find shelter, I will be here in the morning.¡± They turned away, looking at the evening sky, no longer staring at him as he shuffled away to find a place to hide. Just as he was about to leave the small clearing where he had talked with Fallon, a box jumped out in front of him.
You have brokered an agreement with a powerful being Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
While it was accurate to say that had happened, Salim wasn¡¯t sure if it was worth a level, but at the same time he also wasn¡¯t going to complain. He quickly found shelter under a rocky outcrop, and checking to make sure there weren''t any trace of animals, he relaxed. Realizing how tense he had been the entire time he had talked to Fallon, Salim yawned as he suddenly felt drowsy. He moved around to try and find a comfortable position before trying to make the firm dirt just a little softer. Thinking about the immediate future, he continued to add points to beef up his physical stats. His [Channeler] skills were slightly useful, he could level them up even with his small amount of [Depth]. Salim was feeling a small amount of regret for choosing [Channeler] this time around, but being a mage was just too cool to pass up, even if he had no clue where to start.
Lvl. 4 Stats Confirm
Might: 10 (13) -/+
Finesse: 10 (11) -/+
Resilience: 17 (18) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth:5 (6) -/+
Groaning as the stats twisted his tired body, Salim tried his best to move all the miniscule stones and pebbles out of the way, to no avail. As he worked, the moon began to rise, shining beams of light outside his hiding place that acted like bars in a prison. He wasn¡¯t as worried now that he had met Fallon, but was still apprehensive to touch the beams, considering they hadn¡¯t explained the full effect of what the moonlight did. He wasn¡¯t too keen on Fallon or any of the things she had told him, even if there was no reason for them to lie to him, but it just didn¡¯t sit right with him. Not sure whether to feel relieved or worried that the moon was a little less mysterious, Salim still felt traumatized by what had happened in that field of grass. Deciding to just live in the moment and not worry about the bigger details, he struggled to fall asleep, but eventually was able to pass out after a few pushups to tire himself out. The morning came with aching muscles and a massive headache. The small rocks that he had desperately tried to clear the night before marked his skin with red imprint, and despite his higher [Resilience] he felt sore. Attempting to brush off the pebbles still sticking to his back, Salim headed back to the clearing to find Fallon. Walking up to the small boulder that they had sat on the previous day, Salim spotted them propped up against the tree, waiting for him. Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Salim walked towards them. ¡°Could I ask if you know where the closest river is?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Can I know why?¡± ¡°No.¡± Closing his eyes and looking up at the sky, Salim calmed himself down before using [Wayfind] to look for running water. Getting a pull from the west, Salim decided to ignore Fallon as he began to march. Behind him, he could hear their footsteps as they followed. He continued onward, thinking about the future as he navigated the forest under the skills'' guidance. Ch. 18 - Lessons in Patience ¡°How does magic work?¡± Salim asked, not really expecting a reply as he talked to himself. They had been walking for an hour before he tried to start up conversation, only to be stonewalled by their silence. So to pass the time, he had mainly been throwing out any questions he could think of to get them to respond. Fallon stayed quiet and for a while before surprisingly responding, ¡°It is instinctual, I harness my knowledge and will to effect the world. However, I am a bad frame of reference given that our experiences differ. The only source big enough for me to take in is the sun, which seems to have differing effects from the energy produced by the trees or myself.¡± It was more than he could hope for, and thinking about it, the differences between a giant ball in the sky and himself were a tad large. Thinking about their first explanation of how they see magic, Salim decided to try and shoot a fireball using his memories of every fireball he had ever seen. The result of his effort was a tingling sensation in his arm and Fallon staring intently at him in what he could only imagine was amusement. Shaking his head, Salim ignored them as his ears slowly reddened, pushing back a branch as he walked past, letting it swing back with a smack, that never came. Slightly confused, he still didn¡¯t turn around, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of¡­ something. He wasn¡¯t sure why he even cared about their opinion, maybe them looking so close to Nadalie was effecting him. Choosing to also ignore the growing concern about the effects of a moon monster impersonating his girlfriend, Salim continued onward, hiking over fallen trees and precarious boulders. Fallon never seemed to have any issue navigating the terrain that he stumbled over, any time he snuck a look he would see them traversing with unnatural grace. Their body would shift in unnatural ways, a slip would be correct by legs moving at incredible speeds, shifting with so much speed that it almost looked like their legs blurred. Clearly, Salim was outgunned and needed to level up fast if he wanted to feel safe in any capacity. While mana was always being produced in his core, with his low stats the amount of mana created was incredibly low, with only a couple drops being produced a day. He began using the tree sap as much as possible, keeping [Energy Sight] activated for as long as possible, while still attempting to cast fireballs from his hand. It only took around four days for [Energy Manipulation] and [Energy Sight] to max out with constant usage, finally hitting max when Salim was trying to fall asleep in the entrance of a damp cave. Fallon had assured it was mostly empty, but he wasn¡¯t going to fully believe them unless he could check for himself. He knew that the risk of the moonlight wasn¡¯t as great anymore, but he didn¡¯t want to take chances, especially since Fallon wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the moonlight¡¯s effect. They had explained to him that while they were an offshoot consciousness, they were only able to relay information when the moon was out, which Salim was slightly interested in seeing. The sky was completely dark when he decided to try and peer out of the cave at Fallon, watching them stand arms outstretched to the sky. As his companion''s ritual continued, Salim said nothing as magenta walls reached down to envelop Fallon. Turning away as Fallon was fully blocked from his sight, several boxes appeared in his vision.
You have worked hard to increase your skills. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
Energy Manipulation has reached Max Level. Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
Energy Sight has reached Max Level. Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
With a small smile, Salim pored his attention over his stats.
Lvl. 5 Stats Confirm
Might: 13 (18) -/+
Finesse: 11 -/+
Resilience: 18 -/+
Acuity: 12 [15] -/+
Resolve: 14 [17] -/+
Depth: 6 [10] -/+
He wasn¡¯t paying attention the first time, but all the stats from maxing out his skills got distributed along his mental stats, most likely increasing the stats that benefitted them the most. It made sense that if he maxed out any [Wanderer] skills, they would most likely give a physical bonus instead. The stat boosts also triggered his gamer instincts, he wanted to max out all four skills before he reached level ten. An extra five stats was nothing to scoff at, of which he had already gotten two sets, and he was making good progress on the third.
Skills
Energy Manipulation (Class) Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Lvl. Max Allows a finer touch with contained energy.
Energy Sight (Class) Lvl. Max Lets you see the unseen world.
Energy Toleration (Class) Lvl. 2 Tolerate the stress of the unseen world.
Wayfind (Innate) Lvl. 7 Guides you to where you want to go.
While [Wayfind] would most likely hit max around the time they reached their destination, Salim was having a few problems with [Energy Toleration]. The tree sap didn¡¯t hurt like the moonlight, and because of that, the skill leveled up at a snails pace. While Salim ultimately concluded that trying to absorb the moonlight was a bad idea, he did entertain the idea for a short period of time. He wasn¡¯t committed to gaining stats, to the point of consciously inflicting pain on himself, and even if he didn¡¯t max out that skill he had two others. While maxing out the skill could make him stronger, it wasn¡¯t a big deal, especially since he could always max out the skills in his next life. Next life¡­ What a strange way of thinking about death. It was hard to push the thoughts out of his head after walking for days, but he could tell that his perspective had changed, since he last thought about death. When had he stopped seeing death as the end? After his first death? The second? There was no discernible moment where it had happened. How much did it change him. If he looked his past self from two months ago in the face, would they even recognize each other? It wasn¡¯t scary, just disorienting, he didn¡¯t have a problem with changing, but the fact that it had happened, so quickly, threw him off balance. He was used to taking his time with things, planning things out, and sitting on ideas, not beating wolves to death with his bare hands. A stick snapped behind him, knocking him out of philosophical contemplation by the sudden noise. Glancing back, Salim just saw Fallon staring at him, a blank expression on their face as they navigated around a bush. ¡°Your legs bleeding.¡± She pointed down, small red lines and trail of blood making their way down his right leg as the stinging pain began to register. ¡°Oh, yea. I¡¯ll be fine, thanks.¡± Salim nodded and turned back to blazing the path forward. He knew that he was getting tired, he had felt the thorn scrape past but hadn¡¯t thought much of it until he looked down. Not having anything to bandage it with and not wanting to repeat the fiasco with the leaves, Salim decided to rely on his stats to clot the wound and fend off any infection. Thankfully, his stats seemed to have come through, as two more days went by before Salim finished maxing out [Wayfind] and got a level for his troubles.
You have been traveling on foot for a week. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Skill!
Wayfind has reached Max Level Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
Salim wasn¡¯t sure if he got the level because of the skill, or if he had just gotten the level through hiking like he had before. The level ups were strange, what decided if an action qualified for a level up, were there any ways to cheat it? He already knew several ways to gain levels, at least below level ten. His train of thought trailed off as he had the thought that [Channelers Mind] didn¡¯t hit him the same way it had the first time. Instead of taking the impact of a bunch of forgotten memories, it was more like they trailed back to his head, slithering back into place before solidifying. Considering that he could still remember the memories the skill had shoved back into his head the first time around, it was a nice benefit knowing he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer each time he regained the skill.
Lvl. 6 Stats Confirm
Might: 18 -/+
Finesse: 11(16) -/+
Resilience: 18 -/+
Acuity: 15 [18] -/+
Resolve: 17 [19] -/+
Depth: 10 -/+
Limbs stretched and bent as they gained new flexibility, the sensation like a long stretch after sitting in a car. Yawning, he turned to Fallon, ¡°I¡¯m going to rest here for the night, can¡¯t be much longer till we reach water.¡± They looked at him, an emotionless expression that Salim had gotten used to after the first couple of days. ¡°Alright.¡± Nodding their head, they sat down on a pile of leaves and leaned their back against a tree trunk. Salim¡¯s resting place was a rotting tree that was big enough to fit into, he was able to find it because of occasional checks that he did every couple of hours or so with his skill. Gathering some acorns to chew on, Salim fit himself snugly into a nook at the base of the tree and tried to fall asleep. Keyword being, ¡®tried.¡¯ Sleep seemed to run away from him, even after a day of roughing it through overgrown bushes, even his exhaustion seemed to fail in its job. So he sat, stuck tightly inside a tree, until the sun rose in the east and the moon fully disappeared behind the horizon. Fallon wasn¡¯t in his line of sight either, they typically found a clearing to reside in every night, and Salim assumed they had left for an area with an open sky. Thinking on his past conversations with Fallon, Salim felt more than a little conflicted. In the middle of the hike, Salim had turned and asked, ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with my body, I get that you want to study it, but you have all my memories. What¡¯s so special about it?¡± Fallon paused for a moment, eyes and expression unreadable. ¡°The most human emotion I can relate to is boredom. Your body holds the secrets to sentient life. I have an inherent capacity to create life, so I have decided to alleviate my boredom by creating life.¡± Salim thought that the idea was straight out of Frankenstein, but he could sort of see the reasoning. He had been on the planet for only a month, and it had already started to make him feel crazy, and he hadn¡¯t even realized how much it was effecting him until he was able to talk with Fallon. But on the other hand, how do I respond to someone talking about creating life with my corpse? ¡°Cool. Got any other plans?¡± Wincing at his attempt to sound casual, Salim tried to spot the cells of a nearby leaf. She smirked, ¡°Rule as a god, get statues made in my image.¡± Their sarcasm surprised Salim, generally they seemed stoic with their responses, he wasn¡¯t sure if this was proving him wrong, but he wasn¡¯t going to question it. While he wasn¡¯t sure they actually felt most emotions, they said they felt boredom, and that helped contextualize what their goals might be. Working near Fallon was still awkward, however, as he would begin doing a menial task only to see Fallon staring intently at him, watching his every move. The opposite was true too, sometimes they would ignore him, choosing instead to observe their surroundings even when he tried to talk to them. So for most of the hike, he typically let them speak up first, or otherwise he would ask leading questions in the hopes that they would respond with helpful information. It was frustrating, and eventually he gave up unless he really had something he genuinely needed to ask, so most of the journey had been done silently. Quiet hikes weren¡¯t a bad thing, he had even enjoyed them before he had been abducted, but not talking or listening to music made the trips an exercise in mental fortitude. It led to him not talking much with Fallon but ending the day feeling like his social battery had been completely drained and still being unable to fall asleep properly. He needed to figure out something, or just ignore it and try to complete the journey as fast as possible. All the thinking did was lead to him setting his own record-breaking pace in order to not think about the uncomfortable situation. I have all the time in the world, I¡¯m even immortal, but I¡¯m afraid of some awkward silence. He laughed at himself. In the present, the moon had finally passed the horizon as Salim woke from a single hour worth of sleep, vowing to try and talk his mind for the entire hike until Fallon finally responded. Stretching out his body as he exited the tree trunk, he looked around, not finding Fallon anywhere. Slightly concerned, Salim kept searching for them, calling out to catch their ear. As noon struck, Salim tried to figure out what was happening. Did she just ditch me? Ch. 19 - Fresh Fish Salim felt at a loss over the few days Fallon disappeared, continuing his journey through the forest while praying to anything that he didn¡¯t run into hostile wildlife. Even when zoned out, he was able to slowly make his way towards water with [Wayfind] which let him be more cautious with his actions. Moving slow, he was able to avoid notice of anything that might be too big for him to handle; never seeing anything, but he didn¡¯t want to risk a discovery by looking. Stopping occasionally for rest and sleep, Salim eventually found himself by a small stream, lazily cutting its way through the forest. In the clear water, fish swam above the smooth rocks at the bottom, darting back and forth as they looked for food. Frantically, he got down onto his hands and knees, lapping the water up into his mouth as crisp relief flushed through him. Watching the fish jet away, Salim spent a few minutes basking at the crystal clear water that flowed in around him. The spots of sun still beat down on his brow, but he had gotten used to the dried sweat that caked his skin, which he was now happily washing off in the stream. Looking around at the forest surrounding him, the canopy overhang filtered light through blooming leaves, tinting the surround area in a dim green glow.
You have traveled far to reach water. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
The boxes floated in front of his eyes, a reminder of the past levels he had gained on his journey to the stream, along with the accomplishment of actually finding water before he died. Considering what had happened shortly after finding water in the past, he was feeling a tad paranoid. Rising from the muddy shore, Salim took a moment to increase his stats, considering what starts to increase to offer him the most general improvement. He also felt like he might have been forgetting something, but brushed it off when nothing came to mind.
Lvl. 7 Stats Confirm
Might: 18 -/+
Finesse: 16 (20) -/+
Resilience: 18 -/+
Acuity: 15 -/+
Resolve: 17 -/+
Depth:10 (11) -/+
He had finally pushed himself back into super human territory with his last level, finishing his upgrades to [Finesse]. Salim let out a sigh of relief, followed by a grunt as him muscles finished their contractions, a small burn slowly enveloping his arms and legs. Flexing his hands, Salim began to walk along the stream to look for a place to set up camp. Contemplating the future, he searched for a clearing with a solid canopy, which only turned out to be a quick walk that took a few minutes. After clearing the area around the site, he dragged downed branches and decaying logs to make a makeshift barricade around where he planned to sleep. For the final touch, he covered everything in leaves, snapping branches from bushes and trees to act as rudimentary camouflage for his encampment. Looking at his work with a small twinge of satisfaction, Salim took a break from his preparations to sit underneath one of the nearby trees. Catching his breath, he watched the glow of twilight settle over the stream, the orange light reflecting off trees that grew on the waterline. Feeling bored, he slowly channeled energy to his eyes and looked at his surroundings, eyes glowing with exuberant energy. As he began to see beyond, the veil of magic, the trees lit up like glowing beacons of neon light, blinding him with how bright they glowed. Squinting to look past the brightness, Salim watched the river, the surface rippling with red flashes as multicolored lights flitted back and forth. Taking a moment to ponder the nature of the lights, Salim guessed that the tree''s vibrant glow was because of their health, with easy access to water and comfortable temperatures they lived well. Following his train of thought, the waves and flashes under the water might be fish, since he hadn¡¯t observed any living animals since he got the skill. Filing the need to check out other animals later, he grinned at his ability to easily spot the fish, it would make attempts to hunt them much easier. Collapsing under a nearby tree in exhaustion, Salim pushed the worries out of his mind and relaxed, just trying to take in the harmony of light flickering under the evening sky. It was a beautiful, calming him just enough to let the tension in his body slip away for just a moment, but in just a split second of that moment, his eyes flickered, and his vision went dark. Groaning in effort to push himself up, Salim stood, arms popped as he tried in futility to wipe the sleep from his eyes. Looking around, Salim squinted, completely blinded by the inky blackness he found himself in. Up above, the moon was noticeably missing from the star filled night sky, most likely going through a new moon phase. Salim wasn¡¯t sure if Fallon actually dealt with moon cycles, or if the moon had actually vanished, but was overall glad he didn¡¯t have to deal with the moon that night. Feeling relieved, he began to feel his way back to the makeshift camp site while trying to be as quiet as possible. As he moved, his eyes adjusted to the darkness, letting him peer through the darkness with the slight starlight above him. Navigating around trees and rocks, Salim only had an issue when he slammed his big toe against a small rocky protrusion that he hadn¡¯t noticed before. Cursing to himself as he vowed to be more careful, he reached the makeshift blockade. Stolen novel; please report. Pushing himself over the barricade, Salim made sure not to get scraped by any protruding sticks before laying out on the dirt and grass in the center of his makeshift fort. It was as soft as dirt and grass could be, but at least compared to his nights in the cave, it felt almost nice. But he couldn¡¯t fall asleep right away, his nap from earlier keeping him from drifting off to sleep. Alright, I need to establish a plan of what to do. I don¡¯t know any sort of outdoor crafts or skills, but at the very least I should be able to make a spear if I can get a sharp enough rock. Thoughts raced through his mind, he needed to acquire food, water, and what was roughly called shelter, he had two and food wasn¡¯t going to be too hard to find with all the fish. So he needed to try his hand at bushcraft. How hard could making a spear be? At the very least, he could start a fire, which solidly put him several years ahead of caveman capabilities. His stats, as well, let him cheat with sheer brute force and resistance to the elements, making his need for protective shelter a lot lower despite his longing for a soft bed. He hoped that in the future, his magic would let him cheat, although he would have to learn how to cast spells before that happened. Eventually, his eyes felt heavy enough and body exhausted enough for him to give into sleep, mind abuzz with the comforts of technology and magic. As soon as his eyelids closed he was out, unconscious until the first rays of sunlight beamed through the canopy and giving him a nasty sunburn on his arm, waking him up. His eyes shot open with a jolt as he moved his arm out of the sun''s way, rubbing the irritated skin as his eyes adjusted to the morning light. Getting up, Salim let out a yawn before starting work on plans he made the night before; gathering sticks for a fire while looking for a sturdy and long branch to use as a makeshift spear. Eventually finding one that he considered good enough, Salim went about shaving the tip into shape with the small sharp pebbles that he could find. He had originally tried to use some of the stones in the river, but they were all rounded and more suited for throwing than anything else. Over the next couple of hours he slaved away on the spear, slowly carving a point into one end, thin, but still sturdy. Splinters aside, he felt proud as he held the spear in front of him and admired his shoddy craftsmanship. The wood was twisted and slightly crooked but held up fairly well when he swung it around, testing its weight and stabbing the air a few times to get a good feel for his creation. Leaving the makeshift fort, Salim walked over to the stream while making sure to not get too close, but still creeping alongside the water with his spear held closely to his chest. Spying a cluster of fish wandering close to the bank, he took position, bracing himself behind his spear to stab into the water as fast as possible. One¡­ Two¡­ Whoosh. As the spear rapidly stabbed into the bottom of the river, Salim feeling the strike shake the wood in his hands. Quickly pulling the spear out of the water, he felt relieved that the tip hadn¡¯t broken from his miss and prepared to try again. Not one to be dismayed after a single failure, Salim decided to lay down onto the muddy bank of the river, taking full advantage of his ocular skill by scanning for any fish that may be close to the surface. With help from his skill and some patience, he was eventually able to skewer the tale of a fish as it almost got away, quickly capitalizing on the hit he attempted to grab the fish before it swam away. The fish was a thin thing, with brown scales the same shade as the rocks below it, and was struggling as Salim attempted to pull it out of the water without dislodging the spear. Finally dragging it up onto the shore with some careful pivoting and lots of caked mud for grip, Salim watched as it flapped around, looking for the river as it slowly suffocated. Thinking of what to do before it managed to wriggle free from his hands, he leveraged one of the river stones in his right hand, using his elbow to pin the fish. Salim slammed the rock down on its head savagely, a wet thunk sounding as the fishes movements slowed from the rock stunning it. He was surprised that the fish was still alive, seeing as he had put his full strength into hitting it, but brushed the oddity off as some result of the system increasing its toughness. Going in for a second and third attempt, Salim slammed into its scaled head with meaty thwacks. Eventually, he relented after the notification popped up in front of his face.
You successfully caught and killed a Brown Scaled Bass Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
Throwing all his stats into [Depth] to round it out, Salim tried to shake off the weird itches as he took the bludgeoned fish back to camp and tried to cook it. Starting the fire took time, and when smoke finally began rising from the wood pile, the sun was setting. Not wanting to waste a second, he impaled the fish on his spear before setting it above the fire so that he could roast it on the makeshift spittle.
You successfully started a fire from scratch Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
Not wanting to waste more time, Salim quickly spread his stats out to bring three of them to twenty, ignoring the strange feeling of his body changing that he had gotten accustomed to. As the fish cooked over the fire, Salim watched as the sun slowly vanished, its bottom edges vanishing behind the horizon. Thankfully, he had chosen his campsite for the dense canopy overhead and as a waxing moon peaked out from the east, only faint beams pierced the treetop. Using [Energy Sight] Salim made sure that moonlight wasn¡¯t accidentally touching him and shifted any items he was keeping away from the scant few spots the beams did touch. The light may have been weak as the moon''s crescent was just barely visible, but he still wasn¡¯t willing to risk contact again, not like how he had befo- Before Fallon appeared. Thinking as he slowly turned the impaled fish by hand, Salim thought back to what Fallon had said when they first met, how they had found him after he returned? He had glossed over it when they had said it, not thinking too much about it, but the concept that Fallon could locate him from a single beam of moonlight was frightening. Not in an obvious horror type of way, more in the nineteen eighty-four dystopian nightmare kind of way. He shivered; remembering how he died in his previous life, getting Fallon¡¯s attention and whatever had happened after. Trying to get the memories out of his head, he tried to see the positives. At least I¡¯m not alone, and they have told me a lot of useful stuff I would never find out on my own. Coping with his own loneliness, Salim decided he didn¡¯t really want to deal with their attention at the moment, decidedly staying away from any moonlight. Finally taking the fish off the fire, (which was starting to smell a tad burnt) Salim hefted the spear, which was now little more than dry kindling, and took a bite. It may have tasted fishy and overcooked, but it was his first time catching and cooking something that wasn¡¯t bug or small vermin. As accomplishment filled him, a box popped once again appeared, celebrating his personal achievement.
You successfully cooked a Brown Scaled Bass Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
You have gained your tenth Level. Select Class in Menu.
Ch. 20 - Choices Salim stood for a while, considering his options. Hedge-Mage was looking like the best choice since previously, he hadn¡¯t been able to run any tests with the skills. There was also the intriguing question of what would happen with [Wayfind].
Classes Available
Hedge-Mage (Upgraded) Learning the arcane, a worldly class for those wanting to understand the secrets of the world. Druid (Upgraded) Utilizing the power of nature itself, you become learned in the art of becoming one with the cycle. Nomad (Swap) Becoming experienced in the ways of wandering, it has become a way of life for you.
After a small one-sided debate, he decided to go with [Hedge-Mage], the reasoning being that he still wanted to be a mage. The fact that it made figuring out [Wayfind] easier was just icing on the cake. Making up his mind, Salim pushed on the box in front of him.
You have chosen the Hedge-Mage Class. The experience of your mind guides you
You have upgraded 5 Skills. ¡®Energy Manipulation¡¯ -> ¡®Arcane Shape¡¯ ¡®Energy Sight¡¯ -> ¡®Arcane Eyes¡¯ ¡®Energy Toleration¡¯ -> ¡®Reinforced Channels¡¯ ¡®Channelers Mind¡¯ -> ¡®Learned Mind¡¯ ¡®Wayfind¡¯ -> ¡®Arcane Navigation¡¯ You have gained 10 stat points.
Closing the window, Salim opened up the skill menu to check [Arcane Navigation] while thinking back to [Navigate]¡¯s description. Obviously the skill had changed and trying to feel it in the same way as [Wayfind] or even wasn¡¯t working anymore. Instead, he was feeling the breeze across his skin, despite the fact that the surrounding trees stayed absolutely still. Questions for the future. Putting the mystery aside for a moment, Salim read the description of the new skill.
Skills
Arcane Shape (Class) Lvl. 1 Take shape the forces of the other world.
Arcane Eyes (Class) Lvl. 1 See true, the world beyond the veil.
Reinforced Channels (Class) Lvl. 1 The lifeblood of a mage.
Learned Mind (Class) Lvl. 1 A hungry mind is a healthy mind.
Arcane Navigation (Innate) Lvl. 1 The mystic arts will guide you.
He might have made a mistake, trading a very useful skill for an unintuitive ability that he could no longer functioned the same way. What he did find interesting was that all the other skills seemed like straightforward upgrades. Maybe the skill had to match some requirement, which made it turn out so strange. He mused while he prepared to test out his other skills. Under the dark canopy of the forest, Salim tried out [Arcane Shape], manipulating the small amount of energy that had begun proliferating in his core, twisting it to try and do anything new with it. Turns out, casting spells is still too complicated, when am I going to catch a break? Salim thought sardonically as he empowered [Arcane Eyes] to pear out at the panes of magenta light that were painting the night sky. As he stared, he felt confused, the panes looked exactly like they had before with his [Energy Sight]. Spending a few more minutes as his energy slowly dwindled trying to figure out what changed to no avail. Taking a few more bites out of the most edible thing he had eaten in a while, he spent the rest of his time messing with the remaining mana he had. Occasionally taking a bite out of the fish, Salim cleaned the gunk out of his mouth with one of the many fish bones he had bitten into, laying his back against the ground to fall asleep. His night was dreamless, a connecting thread to almost every other night he had spent on the planet, which he guessed was due to a combination of fear, dread, and sleeping on the uncomfortable ground. His morning came quickly as he stretched his body to try and rid himself of the morning sourness and muscle aches that had been a constant staple over the past few months. Opening his eyes, he yawned before realizing that he hadn¡¯t assigned any of his stat points the previous night.
Lvl. 10 Stats Confirm
Might: 18 (20) If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -/+
Finesse: 20 (21) -/+
Resilience: 18 (20) -/+
Acuity: 18(20) -/+
Resolve: 19(20) -/+
Depth: 11 (20) -/+
The rush of stat points quickly fully woke him up as he fell back onto his sleeping spot as he was stoned from all fifteen of the points rushing into him. Said sleeping spot softened the blow to his body, but failed to stop the blow to his ego. With a grunt and some effort, Salim jumped back onto his feet, trying to brush the dirt off of him. As he finished dusting and looked around, he spotted a figure seated at the trunk of a tree a couple yards away from him. ¡°Hello.¡± Fallon spoke with unshakable apathy. They uncrossed their legs, pushing up against the trunk until they stood in front of Salim. Almost immediately, Salim knew something was different about their appearance, of course they still looked like Nadalie, but something had changed since he saw them last. As they approached him, the feeling of unease kept grew, as he tried to spot what could have possibly changed, until he realized. ¡°Tall¡­ You¡¯re taller than you were before.¡± Salim got out, realizing that they now stood head-to-head with him, while his girlfriend had definitely not, much to her chagrin. Blinking, he also realized that what he had thought were clothes must have been some sort of skin. Having no beginning or end to, the sleeves and instead subtly melded into their skin like they were painted on but with actual depth and texture. He looked away, regretting having seen that little detail that made Fallon look like a hauntingly accurate morph suit. ¡°That is correct. When I introduced myself, I tried to replicate your memories as much as possible so that you would not feel alarmed.¡± Their pitched remaining monotone. ¡°Fair enough, I guess- look how did you find me?¡± He was curious, especially since he was sure that his body hadn¡¯t accidentally brushed up against a beam of light the night before. Fallon looked unamused, ¡°I follow a path to the nearest source of water.¡± Salim had to hold back a quip about how they had refused to tell him where it was the before they had left. ¡°Yea¡­ Right, ignore that, how are you taller, why are you taller?¡± He watched them uncross their arms as their gaze bore into him, eyes impossible to read. ¡°Because¡­¡± they enunciated, drawing out the words with a surprising show of emotion. ¡°I have your memories, not your girlfriend¡¯s. It is disorienting to have different proportions when I am trying to navigate in this form.¡± Salim made a note that they hadn¡¯t explained how their proportions had changed. However, he knew that he wasn¡¯t getting anything more and the explanation was enough to satisfy Salim¡¯s curiosity, any more questions and Fallon was most likely just going to ignore him. Deciding to leave it at that, he got to work shaving up a new spear, this one slightly smaller and more compact to try and stop it from breaking when used over a fire. And while he could attempt to use his old spear, he wasn¡¯t inclined since it was brittle from being used as a spittle. Fallon leaned against a tree as Salim whittled, slowly creating a point at one end with dogged perseverance and a ton of sharp stone. Although it was slow-going, the speed was still faster than the first time he had attempted it, so Salim was pleased at his improvement rather than feeling bored. While hard at work, Salim continued messing with [Arcane Shape], bending the mana in his stomach into cubes, pyramids, and spheres trying to get any reaction out of it. Not seeing any results, Salim decided to go out on a limb. ¡°Hey, I know you said that the magic was instinctual, but you must have some tips, right? I doubt trying to create people comes naturally to you.¡± The question was met with silence, and after a few moments, Salim looked up to see if Fallon was still there. They were. Fallon stared at him with an intense, emotionless expression before responding. ¡°I will give you an explanation that might assist.¡± They held out their hand, palm up, from which purple light appeared in a stationary undulating wave above it. Salim set down his half made spear, slightly in awe of seeing true magic for the first time. Starting with their explanation, Fallon began to shape the light into a strange geometric shape Salim couldn¡¯t describe. ¡°I use my will and intent to shape the energy that my body produces into forms that have meaning to me, with the interpretation of my meaning being inflicted upon the world.¡± Looking away from him, they continued speaking, changing the shape as they went. ¡°Your memories caused me to gain sapience, which while imparting me with greater control over magic, meant I had to spend years training to perform such feats.¡± ¡°So you inherently knew how to cast spells, but gaining awareness stopped you from casting them?¡± Salim asked to try and clear up his confusion. ¡°Correct. Inherently, a more primal mind seems to be better at harnessing magic, although what they can do seems intrinsically tied to what they are.¡± ¡°What could you do, before, you know, had my memories?¡± ¡°...¡± Fallon pointedly did not respond. After a few seconds of waiting, Salim continued on, ¡°So, how do I cast? You said it just needed willpower and then poof? I tried that, it didn¡¯t work¡± ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t work if you haven¡¯t trained. For years, I have been looking for meaning in this world, tying concepts to symbol and meaning to constellation.¡± They twisted the hologram to show seven stars aligned in a pattern that Salim didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°With your memories of the other world, I have been able to understand more complicated concepts, which is why I am explaining this to you.¡± ¡°So you feel indebted?¡± Salim wondered if that was another emotion they could feel. ¡°No. I understand that I should feel indebted, and to curry favor with you, I will act as such.¡± ¡°Oh-Kay¡± Salim responded, not sure how to react to their bluntness. ¡°So how do I go about tying the meaning of¡­ let''s just say, shooting a fireball?¡± Fallon was surprisingly patient with answering his questions, ¡°You need to segment the ideas and then combine them, think of creating a ball, filling it with fire, and then projecting it outwards. The thought process you should use is hard to explain, you need a line of logic of which you filter your understanding of a concept into direct meaning.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s possible?¡± Salim asked idly, trying to grasp the concepts that felt like they where flying over his head. ¡°It is possible, it may, however, take you a while to accomplish. I have theorized how different thought processes make different concepts easier than others to understand, but theoretically as long as you understand something you should be able to effect it.¡± Fallon shifted the projection into a glowing ball of fire for emphasis. ¡°So I need to come up with a way to think about the world, that lets me ascribe meaning to it¡­¡± Salim racked his mind for any ideas on an answer. If this is going to let me cast spells, then I need to make the right decision, especially if this lets me grow even after I reset. Fallon put a hand to their chin in a very human expression, ¡°My method would not work, my mind is too different from your own, English words are also a bad idea since they inherently lack symbology.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s all up to me to come up with something?¡± Salim was slightly stumped, he had to create his own magic system from scratch, albeit with a little help. His mind kept spinning as he felt an idea come to him. ¡°Up to you. As keep in mind, while I have your memories, I am not you.¡± Emphasizing the end of their sentence. ¡°After all these years; I may have looked at your memories for inspiration, but what worked for me will not work for you.¡± Salim thought hard for a moment, starting his spear whittling again, having gotten half of the way to a point and wanting to finish before sundown. ¡°What if, I write a small book about falling asleep and use the meaning of the story as a spell that obviously makes people fall asleep. Would that work?¡± They paused, thinking on the idea before replying, ¡°Theoretically. As long as the meaning of the story to you was about falling asleep. Potentially the more artistic the medium, the more esoteric the spell could be, although more rigid simple mediums would be better at coming up with spells on the fly.¡± Thinking for a bit longer, they elaborated, ¡°It''s more complicated than that of course, since it all depends on perspective, a medieval peasant isn¡¯t going to be able to conceptualize propellant force like you are. More than likely, they see it more like a bow shooting an arrow than a bullet.¡± ¡°So I need some sort of visual component, that describes an action and has an implicit understanding. A book would function, but I would need to understand an entire story to work as a concept.¡± Fallon nodded for him to continue his thought process. ¡°So programming?¡± More silence from Fallon, ¡°Yes¡­ that could work. As long as you are able to ascribe a meaning to a mental image of code, it will work. But that all depends on your mental aptitude for it.¡± ¡°Let me put this into perspective, just so that I can make sure I have this correct. I need the implicit understanding that a mental program I have can create fire, shape it into a ball, and then throw it. Did I get that correct?¡± He felt like he was getting his head around the idea a bit more. ¡°Yes, although I can assure you that multiple steps make the spell take longer, which once you have practice with it the spell should begin to mean fireball to you instead of the individual actions.¡± Their mouth tweaked slightly into the ghost of a pleased smile. Whether the smile came from his understanding or that they were pleased that they had explained it so well, he wasn¡¯t really sure, however he still had a few questions. ¡°What about the skills I get from the system? I can use them with no understanding at all.¡± Salim paused, using [Arcane Eyes] to try and get a feel for what the skill. Half a second into the process and nothing was making sense, as he watched the shape defy normal physical conventions, bending in impossible directions that he couldn¡¯t hope to replicate. Stopping the skill as a headache developed, Salim focused on Fallon, who finally responded, ¡°I''m unsure. I have similar skills, and despite the hundreds of years I have lived, I still do not understand them.¡± Assuming that was the end of it as Fallon turned away, Salim got back to carving the spear, finishing the rough carve with a thick but jagged point. As he did, his thoughts drifted to how he could use code to cast spells, thinking up a mental image of how the pseudocode would look. He wasn¡¯t sure how much time it would take for him to cast a fireball but why care? He had a seemingly infinite amount of time to experiment and make mistakes. Ch. 21 - Big Fish While Salim might have had an infinite amount of time to practice magic, the monotony of trying to coerce his mental state into the mystical state of understanding required, was incredibly tedious. With the help of learning the hidden mechanics behind said ¡®magic¡¯ from Fallon, he spent the next day attempting to do anything with the meager amount of mana he had managed to pool. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was a way to speed up the generation process, if he had to guess it was tied to his stats, although he wasn¡¯t sure which. Fallon watched him, standing only a few feet away, as his face scrunched and clenched in concentration while failing to do anything besides glow pathetically. Not calling it quits even after hours of attempts, Salim continued to imagine a program for his spell, going deeper and more intricate than his previous attempts. He was attempting to create a simple push effect, since Fallon had told him that it would be one of the easiest. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to come to him naturally and by midday he hadn¡¯t accomplished anything other than drain his entire reserve of mana, and had working up an appetite. An appetite he couldn¡¯t quickly fix because he had been messing with magic instead of trying to catch food for the day. Surviving is such a pain. With a groan, Salim got to work, fetching his spear from its resting place on the ground next to him, and stalked towards the river. While it was only his third day of spear hunting, Salim felt as though he was improving rapidly, his strikes much more precise and quick even if they were assisted by stats. Stomach against the ground, Salim stalked his way over to the stream¡¯s edge, peering down with [Arcane Eyes], waiting for a fish to swim a little too close to the surface. Watching fish slowly meander past his hiding place, Salim waited, for the perfect moment to strike, arms tensed as he prepared himself. NOW! Thrusting into the water with, Salim clipped the fish in its flank, not quite piercing through its scales but enough to cause blood to flood cloud the water. Salim immediately realized that he might have made a mistake when he canceled [Arcane Eyes] and saw that the fish was much larger than what its glow might have suggested. The fish was a dull brown color, blending in well with the river bed and around five feet long, its body being incredibly bulky. Thrashing in pain, the fish jerked around, yanking the spear and pulling Salim into the water as his grip was tight around the shaft. Falling into the water, Salim had pain flash from his right side as the fish slammed him, attempting to bludgeon him to death with its bulk. His mind panicking as he tried to not drown, Salim tried to get onto his feet as the stream as the fish did everything in its power to keep him off balance. Managing to right himself, Salim looked around only for the fish to slam into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Gasping for breath, he watched the fish swim away after dislodging the spear from its body, a trail of blood lightly flowing behind it. Having lost the battle with the fish, he regretfully returned to shore, where Fallon waited, arms crossed. ¡°What?¡± Salim huffed, frustrated at his embarrassing failure and feeling vindictive that they had just watched his entire struggle. He didn¡¯t wait for a response, shaking off as he began searching for another branch that could be whittled into a spear. ¡°Try harder?¡± Fallon responded, sarcastically? It was hard to tell when they only spoke in monotone. He rolled his eyes and sighed, biting back a remark as he rubbed two new bruises on his chest, which were slowly turning a dark purple color. He was hoping that a twenty-five in [Resilience] would prevent any internal bruising or bleeding because he had no way of dealing with that besides keeling over. Finding a serviceable branch, Salim dragged it back to his campsite before setting it down and pulling out his sharpest stone to begin whittling. Ignoring the hole Fallon was burning into him, Salim used the river stones to slowly shape a spear from the branch. Having gotten used to the task, Salim found his mind drifting, not really paying attention to the simple point he was creating on the branch. Realizing that he was having a hard time paying attention to the spear, he decided to keep experimenting with his core so that the time wouldn¡¯t be wasted just aimlessly cutting away. With the meditative monotony of wood shaving, Salim dove deep into his core, each cut along the branch driving him further. Deeper and deeper he descended, using every point of his [Resolve] to focus on the core until finally, he was as far into a trance as he could go. It felt like a lucid dream, having control over his actions but not full awareness of himself, along with a fluttery feeling he couldn¡¯t fully describe. Trying to get back on track, Salim focused on what he wanted to accomplish: creating a spell that can push an object. Picking back up off his failed attempts, he got to work, creating functions with his hodgepodge of pseudocode that seemed just logical enough that they might work with enough infrastructure. One was supposed to draw mana, another to define the distance he wanted to push said object, and another that acted as the form of the spell. All of these things made sense to Salim with how magic could possibly work, but he wasn¡¯t sure if his internal logic had any sway, as all his ¡®spell¡¯ amounted to was a hodgepodge of different coding languages that looked functional. Did he have to be more granular? All the way back to flipping magical levers until he found something? His thoughts fighting for dominance before he was able to pull himself back together. No. He definitely didn''t need to get more granular, although it could only help if he wanted to do something specific, after all, Fallon supposedly accomplished magic through simply iconography and constellations, which was much simpler and free-form. Maybe the reason my spell keeps failing is that I¡¯m unsure if it¡¯ll work. Salim mused, it lined up with the idea of intent that Fallon kept emphasizing, maybe he just needed to be sure that his spell would work, as confusing as that was. It was all high concept stuff that gave him a headache, but also came with the territory of it being literally magic. Looking at his creation, Salim admired how different it was from Fallon¡¯s method, less of a shape and more of a flat screen with his program inscribed. Unlike with the system skills, he could form it inside his core without it dissipating the instant it was used. Trying to evenly fill the program with his mana, Salim was having trouble as it easily unbalanced, the full spell felt like it was pulling mana at different speeds and directions. Not discouraged, since he was pretty sure the program was failing due to user error, he tried a few more times before shaking himself awake. Finding himself sitting on the ground with the branch, Salim saw that the spear had suffered under his inattention, being shaved down by rough a quarter of what it once was with no spear tip in sight. Not feeling too disappointed since his experiment was slowly bearing fruit, Salim grabbed the unusable spear with his right hand and lifted it up, palm level with the sky. Forming the program in his core, Salim made sure to keep his focus on the stick in front of him, trying to mentally command his spell to target the branch. Breathing deeply, Salim evenly pushed a small amount of mana into the program with bated breath. The branch moved. Just enough that Salim knew that he didn¡¯t accidentally jostle his hand, the system agreed as it chose the moment to reward him for his efforts. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
You have cast your first self-made spell. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
¡°Hahaha-ha!¡± Salim exclaimed in exhilaration at his success. He quickly opened his stats page to increase his supposed spell casting stats.
Lvl. 11 Stats Confirm
Might: 20 -/+
Finesse: 21 -/+
Resilience: 20 -/+
Acuity: 20 (25) -/+
Resolve: 20 (25) -/+
Depth: 20 -/+
The headache was painful, but manageable, failing to kill his enthusiasm for the arcane he was so close to unlocking. Wanting to see how far he could take the spell, Salim reached deep within himself, using all the mana he could spare, stuffed the spell with as much as he could. Whoosh. The spear accelerated out of his hand and bounced off a nearby tree, startling Fallon, who twitched at the sudden noise. Salim pretended not to notice as he walked forward and picked up his shoddy handy-work, checking the wood to see if anything warped or changed. Noting no differences, from what he could tell, the impact was practically identical to him throwing the stick. While his magic probably could be beaten by him throwing the stick with his increased [Might], it was still progress, being able to telekinetically throw sticks had woken up his inner child. Slightly regretting all his mana on the spell, Salim decided to turn the branch into a stake since it wasn¡¯t long enough for him to use it as a spear, so he got back to shaving. As he whittled, this time, he made sure to keep an eye on his work while he spun ideas of alternate spells he could use. Thoughts of blasting wolves and bugs away with the flick of a finger filled his mind as he thought about focusing his stats more on magic than the general spread he had originally planned. If I learn more about magic, it¡¯ll help me when I die and come back, he reasoned to himself. But on the other hand, what if I get caught without any mana? His logic argued. So caught up in his own world, he let out a small yelp when a cold hand touched his back; whipping his head over to Fallon, their eyes dilated, standing way too close for comfort. Pushing himself backwards, Salim noticed that they were pointing at the evening sun that fast approached its destination in the west. Nodding in thanks, he moved over to a more covered area where he could rest for the night, brushing aside a few leaves that had fallen throughout the day. Sitting around and burning time before night arrived, Salim decided to check on his skill progress to see what had changed.
Skills
Arcane Shape (Class) Lvl. 2 Take shape the forces of the other world.
Arcane Eyes (Class) Lvl. 3 See true, the world beyond the veil.
Reinforced Channels (Class) Lvl. 1 The lifeblood of a mage.
Learned Mind (Class) Lvl. 2 A hungry mind is a healthy mind.
Arcane Navigation (Innate) Lvl. 1 The mystic arts will guide you.
The progress was slow-going, but he didn¡¯t mind, his progress with magic was directing most of his attention. However, he unfortunately had the feeling that his luck with magic would run out soon, as his push spell was as basic as they come. Although he wouldn¡¯t give up, especially when he had all the time in the world For the first time in a couple of days, Salim let himself think back to the offer he had made with Fallon: his body in exchange for¡­ letting them play god? He hadn¡¯t been thinking straight will all the information they had dropped on him, most likely intentionally. He looked over at the river where Fallon was standing, unmoving almost like a statue, staring at the starry sky. If Fallon is able to create life, actual genuine sentient life, then what does that mean? They did say I was all alone, and I can¡¯t think of a good reason for them to lie. Playing god feels so wrong, but, would it be so bad? What could I even do to stop them, I¡¯m nothing. Salim was fairly sure that she would be able to create something, his memories of being hunted down by the thing were still vividly fresh. It did concern him that the only thing he had seen them create was an eldritch abomination that stalked him in the middle of the night, but no one was perfect. He struggled to just survive catching fish. Helplessness filled his head as the night sky seemed to close in around him, leaving him trapped. He tried to calm down, breathing in and out, channeling [Arcane Eyes] to distract himself in the glowing energy flowing through the forest, the subtle brown hues offset by the glowing green of the leaves. After what felt like a long while, Salim felt his heart slowing down as his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, insects buzzing as the noise filled the blank space in his brain. Finally able to calm down, he tried to logically think through the problem. He can¡¯t do anything against Fallon, not that he had a reason other than nebulous revenge for what they did before they gained awareness. Deep Breath. While the idea of them messing with his body made him uncomfortable, he wouldn¡¯t be using it and all it would do is piss them off, if they even could get mad. If they did succeed in creating ¡®sentient life¡¯ then he wouldn¡¯t be alone, which would be potentially good. Headache increasing in intensity, Salim decided to deal with all the ethical questions of having sentient life sown from his corpse later and finally got to sleep. His eyes were heavy as his stomach growled from a day without food. Laying his back against the soft dirt, he could almost call it comforting as it just felt so real, visceral. Closing his eyes, the last thing he saw was the leaves of the canopy above, protecting him from burning moonlight above. Ch. 22 - Manifest Morning came with a cramped stomach and aching back. The pain of sleeping in the wild was becoming more familiar as days went by, which hit Salim with a feeling of longing. Compartmentalizing, Salim pushed his head off the ground, looked for Fallon and, failing to find her, began to hunt for food. Fishing was thankfully unproblematic and Salim was able to snag small, thin looking fish that glowed brightly under the effects of [Arcane Eyes]. Past the point of caring about the side effects of eating magical fish, Salim was able to cook and partly clean out the less edible parts before noon. While the fish wasn¡¯t tasty by any means, but the flavor didn¡¯t register on his tongue as he gulped down charred flesh. Fallon still hadn¡¯t showed up as the sun reached its peak in the sky, and it was making Salim antsy, paying close attention to the more shaded parts of the forest. Not being able to just sit still next to the fire, Salim decided to mess with magic to hopefully make progress and gain a level. His reserves had filled up overnight, and he was fully ready to attempt a pull spell, since it seemed like the inverse of what he had already done. Tossing a palm sized rock he had found in the river bed onto the grass, he began to try and get a feel for how he would implement pulling something with his code. Almost immediately he had issues; with pushing, it was a simple ejection of energy out of his hand and the item would go flying. However, to pull an object to him, he needed some way to project his energy out of his body and keep control of it. Symbolism and intent this was not, and since Fallon was MIA, he couldn¡¯t ask for help to get past the first hurdle. Annoyed at being abandoned, Salim tried a few more times to try and control the energy as it left his body before he decided to give up on that avenue. While he was a little disappointed that he ran into limitations already, it could simply come down to needing more research which while he had the time for, he had to spend part of the time working on his own survival. Effort and skill was required for an extended life expectancy, so he just went back to messing with his push spell to try and make it more effective. I¡¯m not giving up¡­ I¡¯m just saving it for another time, he told himself as the small stone he was holding shot out of his hand and splashed into the water with a plop. It was still novel to him, but he had to admit fairly useless, with his upgraded physical stats he could throw stones at speeds his magic just couldn¡¯t match. It wasn¡¯t a complete loss, as he was able to grasp some of the nuances of casting from his experiments that he was sure would help him out in time when he got a bit more instruction from Fallon. With casting, he could finally see the use of [Acuity] and [Resolve] outside the effects they had on his mental stat, letting him focus the spells effects into finer and finer points until he finally hit a wall where he struggled to output the spell in an area smaller than his fingertip. The inverse was true as well, eventually the spell seemed to lose cohesion after trying to cast with the entirety of his arm. Output and efficiency were also taken tested, as Salim managed to empty his reserves after experimenting with the spell for an hour or so. It didn¡¯t take long until he wound up by the riverside, staring at the dull red at the bottom of the stream. Getting bored by his own inactivity, Salim decided to explore the surrounding area, scouting for anything interesting or unusual. Walking back to his sleeping area, Salim climbed the unusually thick trees into the canopy for a view of the surroundings. Now up high, Salim looked around to spot anything unusual, scanning the treetops for any breaks in the foliage that might have obvious landmarks. Unfortunately, nothing stood out, especially since most of the trees stood at a similar height and stopped anything lower than the treetop and sky from being visible. Checking his reserves, Salim confirmed that he had just enough mana to maintain a few seconds of [Arcane Eyes] before sending the mana. Much more conscious of the flow of mana used by the skill, Salim still wasn¡¯t able to make heads or tails of the symbol that the system created. Still, he kept watch as the mana flowed to his eyes, surrounding the surface of his eyeballs before flowing inward through the pupils where the ability fully activated. The process was intriguing, but he was hesitant to imitate, the price of failure too daunting. Twitching as his reserves began to run dry, Salim scanned the skyline for anything that stood out among the glowing green of the treetops. As his eyes shifted from treetop to treetop, his eyes caught sight of a harsh amethyst light to the north, statically hanging in the air like panes of glass. He froze, his stomach dropping out as his mind flashed to the night in the field, his palms sweaty against the branch he balanced against. Guess I know where Fallon went. Climbing down the tree was significantly more difficult than going up, his shaking hands making his grip slip a couple of times against the smooth bark. Thankfully, he was able to reach the ground safely, jumping from a branch he was standing on once he decided it wasn¡¯t going to cause any issues. The shock from the jump had hurt, but he preferred it to an uncontrolled slip and fall, so he brushed it off. Once he had finished recovering, Salim had a quick internal debate. It would be better to know what Fallon is up to than have a repeat of our last life, the left side of his brain argued, monotone and logical in its argument. The right side just sent back images of flashing red lights. Sighing, Salim started trekking in the direction of the lights, the afternoon light shining down onto his back as he walked. Pausing the hike for a moment, he had a sudden thought. Pulling up his menu to remember the name of the ability that he had forgotten in his previous day of experimentation. The skill channeled through his core before shooting up to his brain and doing a similar thing to [Arcane Eyes] before flowing into the general area of where he assumed his frontal cortex would be. That was very concerning to Salim, and he definitely wasn''t going to try and replicate it anytime soon, especially since memories seemed to be the only thing that he was able to keep after death. While he was a bit concerned about the skill, it wasn¡¯t concerning enough for him to stop, with his thought processing being that none of his skills had ever caused him harm before. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. With the mana suffused into his brain, Salim finally felt the effects of [Arcane Navigation] pulling him towards the moonlight, memories of the acid taste causing his body to wince reflexively. The skill was a useful surprise, as it did nothing the first time he had tried to use it. Using his mental magic detector, Salim realized that he had been slowly drifting off course before using the skill, and quickly course corrected towards the caustic energy. The walk was short, with the only difficulty being a few bushes and thorny undergrowth that cut at his heels as he walked through. Soon he could see a clearing, the surrounding trees looking withered and burned, like the lightest breeze would collapse them. As he approached, he could feel the moonlight trying to push itself into his body, like a vicious sunburn, his face and chest felt uncomfortably warm. Stopping, and refusing to walk any further for fear of¡­ burning to death or some other horrid fate he couldn¡¯t imagine, Salim walked around the perimeter to try and get a better look into what the clearing held. However, as he slowly walked around the outside of the energy, taking great care to watch how close he was getting. Halfway, Salim realized that the area was much larger than he initially thought, stretching to the size of a small field. Trying to get a clear view of the area beyond the treeline, he kept walking, making sure to avoid touching the grass, which was a strange ashy gray color. After a couple of minutes walking around the perimeter, he found a break in the trees that let he see further in from a semi safe position. He was standing far enough back that while Fallon¡¯s energy prickled his skin, but it wasn¡¯t actively burning. Craning his neck while squinting his eyes, Salim tried to make out the shapes further in, which was difficult when the sunlight was blinding him. In the middle of the clearing was a strange tree, not sickly and burned like the others, it instead was a lustrous white, its branches spreading out with bright leaves atop them, deflecting sunlight in every direction. Positioned at the base of the trunk was Fallon, integrated into the bark as stingy vines wrapped around their body. The tree swayed along with the ashen grass to an unknown tune that he was deaf to, noticing that the dying trees of the surrounding forest stayed stoic and still. Unable to deduce anything, Salim decided to retreat and regain his mana as navigating had burned the rest of his reserves. While he knew that the moonlight most likely wouldn¡¯t kill him, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience, and he wasn¡¯t going to wait in pain as his reserves replenished. Killing time while he waited, Salim went through his skill menu to check on his progress and get a feel for how quickly the skills improved with his small trip to the tree.
Skills
Arcane Shape (Class) Lvl. 3 Take shape the forces of the other world.
Arcane Eyes (Class) Lvl. 4 See true, the world beyond the veil.
Reinforced Channels (Class) Lvl. 2 The lifeblood of a mage.
Learned Mind (Class) Lvl. 2 A hungry mind is a healthy mind.
Arcane Navigation (Innate) Lvl. 2 The mystic arts will guide you.
Much slower, was his unspoken answer. Whether that was because the skills were more complicated or because something was actively capping out the rate at which the skills grew, Salim wasn¡¯t sure. His [Channeler] skills grew much faster this life, probably because he had a better understanding of how the skills work. Although, a counterpoint was that he failed to max out [Energy Tolerance] like in his previous life, but that could be due to it needing constant use, like working out. Salim wasn¡¯t willing to start working out with his [Reinforced Channels] just yet, since the easiest way of doing so was walking into the magic exclusion zone that Fallon had created. Content with making donut shapes out of mana as it slowly filled back up, Salim waited as the sun slowly set. The orange tint that covered the forest was beautiful, but it did remind him that he needed some sort of cover before it disappeared. Wanting to see what was going on with Fallon, Salim decided to set up cover still in eyesight of the tree, the glow of the evening light off the white leaves cascading like a sunlit disco ball. While beautiful, it didn¡¯t make him want to get any closer as his hair was already standing up on its own, responding to the ambient moonlight pressing against his body. While his reserves had eventually filled up to the point where he could move closer, he didn¡¯t think that would be the smartest choice. Instead, he braced himself before activating [Arcane Eyes]. As the mana flowed into his eyes, he thought for a second that he went blind, pale light completely filling his vision. Closing his eyes, Salim could see the light through his eyelids, shining through the skin to torture him some more. Turning fully away, he was able to open them just enough to see the pale light emanating from behind him, a faint magenta color that was attempting to burn his eyes out. Slowly, he turned with his eyes squinting to try and look into the bright light, not the smartest thing he had ever done, but he assumed it wasn¡¯t as bad as looking into the sun. He pivoted, staring out into the light that had fully eclipsed the glowing colors of the surrounding forest, the invisible culprit that slowly burned away at the clearings trees. Squinting as best he could, Salim looked at the shining tree, the harsh silver light obscuring the base of the tree where Fallon was resting. As he focused his attention on the tree, he began to see a shape¡­ an eye. The same eye that he had seen on the night of his death, which immediately sent him into a cold sweat. He shut off the flow of mana to his eyes and, plunging him into darkness. The sudden absence of light blinded him, opening his eyes to see that he had fallen to the ground, barely registering the impact in his panicked state. Standing up to look at the tree this time without magic, Salim couldn¡¯t see anything, even with the miniscule amount of light that the moon provided, just dark shadows of trees rose towards the sky. Standing back up and making sure he had his balance, he headed out of cover, feeling the real moonlight bouncing off his skin as he didn¡¯t plan to stay exposed for long. Checking his energy reserve, Salim dragged his magic together one more time and looked towards the moon. And squinted as tendrils descended from the heavens. Ch. 23 - Creation Staring at the sky, Salim was frozen as he watched purple tendrils envelope the tree, wrapping tightly around the base and obscuring it. Not wanting to miss a second of whatever was happening, Salim stayed enraptured as the light covered the last few branches that stretched the farthest from the base. As the tree was enveloped, he slowly opened his eyes, the bright light fading as the tree was smothered by the moon. Not reacting, Salim stared vacantly at the tree as the tendrils slowly spread out, using the trunk as a focal point to move across the clearing. They were large, reaching his chest in height and round without any obvious definition than glowing a deep purple. While not too threatening on their own, the way they wriggled like worms as they moved along the ground, feeling around for anything they could get their tendrils on, made him deeply uncomfortable. A crack reverberated through the clearing, like wood splitting under pressure as the tendrils froze, some wrapped around the trees on the outskirts of the clearing. Slowly, uncurling, they left dried husks, even more drained of their earthy brown glow, leaving behind a twisted withering mass that used to be a tree. Another crack, followed by a squelch, broke the night''s silence as something writhed underneath the obscured light. Still unsure on what to do, Salim decided to play it safe and stay far away from whatever was making the noise, attempting to check his surroundings by turning his skill on and off, but found nothing, the ominous profile of the tree seemed to grow bigger as the noises continued. It sounded like someone trying to make air bubbles in mud, popping and gurgling as they died a horrific death via suffocation. The process continued far into the night, bouts of activity followed by short periods of silence as the tree was held under the watchful eye of the moon. Salim didn¡¯t interfere, didn¡¯t even think about it, especially since Fallon was doing it for one reason or another. Now he sat, both attempting to resist his exhaustion, while also unable to fall asleep from the paranoia and the horrific noises that filled the air. Trapped in consciousness, Salim stayed in a fugue state all night, stomach growling as he tried to keep the exhaustion at bay. It didn¡¯t work, since his hunger continued biting his insides, keeping his focus on the bottomless pit in his stomach. Trying to focus on his magic was a wash as well, the physical discomfort combined with the less than relaxing sounds meant that anytime he tried to form a shape or work on a new spell he would get distracted. After the fifth time his spell failed, he gave up on trying to do anything that required focus and waited for sunrise while watching the stars. Staring at the cosmos, it spread out into patterns he didn¡¯t recognize, although he didn¡¯t know any constellations on Earth either. Eventually, the sun peaked over the horizon and covered the trees in its bright, vibrant hues. The sounds of the tree had gone quiet for a while, which had disturbed Salim at first but eventually let him relax and almost fall asleep before the light disturbed him, shining through his eyelids. Groaning as he tried to pierce through the grogginess, Salim sat up and had to wait a few seconds as his brain remembered where he was. Standing up, he looked over to the clearing before feeling an immediate wave of regret. Where the white tree had previously stood, it now was an amalgamation of flesh, blood, and keratin which bled onto the surrounding grass. Hair, nails, eyes all strewn across the general shape of the tree with no rhyme or reason, the entire structure shivering under the morning sunlight. The smell caused Salim to bend over hacking, his body dry heaving against his will as he attempted to purge the sight from his memory. An iron tang filled the air as he propped himself up against a tree, his exhaustion exacerbating the reaction as he attempted to wrestle for control of his body to stop throwing up. Blood was pooled in heavy clumps around the base of the tree, a deep crimson that slowly absorbed into the soil as its branches waved, flinging droplets onto the surrounding grass.
You have witnessed an intense act of arcane might. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
It was little solace to his current pathetic state as he was finally able to stop the dry heaving, his body slowly getting used to the smell. The sickly feeling persistent, but he was able to concentrate on the message in front of him. Throwing open his stat page, Salim quickly assigned the points into stats he thought would help him not throw up whatever he was going to eat next, because just the memories of the ¡®tree¡¯ had him feeling queasy.
Lvl. 11 Stats Confirm
Might: 20 (25) -/+
Finesse: 21 -/+
Resilience: 20 (25) -/+
Acuity: 25 -/+
Resolve: 25 -/+
Depth: 20 -/+
The pain from his stats was a welcome one, distracting him from the nauseous smell wafting from the clearing, his skin solidified and muscles tightened as he slowly began to dissociate. When the sensations had lessened and slowly rescinded to the back of his mind, Salim was feeling better, he still felt like throwing up, but was able to keep himself from doing so with some effort. Lifting his head, he stared at the tree to see if he could spot Fallon at the base, but had no luck. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Walking slowly around the side of the clearing, Salim carefully watched the tree with [Arcane Eyes] alongside his normal vision for any signs of change. The tree''s energy was dimmer than the piercing light that had blinded him previously, as a muffled magenta light pulsated inside the flesh mass. The tree itself seemed to be twitching with each pulse of the light, a beating heartbeat that, for all he knew, was probably the case. Reaching the other side of the clearing without anything strange happening, Salim peaked through the brush to check again for Fallon. Not seeing anything, he backed away and considered walking back to the stream, stomach grumbling as a belch came from the clearing. Quickly moving back to peer into the clearing, he watched as the tree vomited blood onto the ground through multiple holes it had along its fleshy branches. As the blood fell onto the ground, the smell of iron grew more noxious, mixing with the dirt and turning it into a viscous mud. Transfixed by the horrific sight, Salim watched the tree spasm, speeding up as the morning light seemed to reach further down its trunk. It was like a morbid combination of watching paint dry and a car crash, as the amalgamation danced in pain as the sun rose unceasingly, inch by inch. After what felt like hours, the sun reached the bottom of the trunk, despite its obvious protests, it thrashed, whipping its branches, and made weird gurgling noises as it struggled in futility against the sun. With one final crack, the tree froze, completely still against the slight breeze that moved the wispy clouds overhead, before splitting vertically and collapsing to the ground with a loud smash. In the center of the mass of gore a figure stood, what looked like the twisted remains of a wolf, bone easily visible from its jaw and side, far larger than anything he had seen since getting abducted. Salim¡¯s back begin to sweat at the sight of the creature, familiar horror causing his hands shake. Without thought, he turned and ran, his heart accelerating as he smashed through the underbrush, his feet paying the consequences as the spurs dug into his feet. Stumbling from the pain, he recovered as adrenaline flooded his system, pushing him to run faster. After a few minutes, he stopped to catch his breath, having never ran that fast in his life before, he was wholly unprepared. Looking around with labored breaths, he didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, although that was a concern rather than a relief to him. Trying to calm his breath, Salim simply stood, listening for any noise that stood out in the forest. He had no idea what Fallon was doing creating that creature, but he wasn¡¯t going to stay around and find out, his eyes darting to the left as he heard something snap. Not finding what made the noise, he turned tail and started running again, less frantic as he tried to keep a steady pace but as fast as he could manage without feeling like he was actively dying. He tried to reference the sun, but with his panic it was hard to navigate even with slightly pointing towards the east. Lost and more exhausted than before, Salim kept running, only taking the occasional break to rest and attempt to dose up on tree sap to keep himself from passing out. Feeling clever when he first came up with the idea, he was beginning to think it was a mistake as the sap began mixing strangely with his mana, turning it slightly green as it diluted into his core after his fourth time drinking it. The tailwind the sap provided was helping less and less as time went on, as the color of mana in his core slowly changing into a sickly green. Along the way, he had been continuously expending his magic, trying to make room for all the sap flowing into his core while flinging branches out of his way as he sprinted through the bush. As his mana drained more and more while the sap slowly pooled at the sides of his core, make it more difficult to cast as the energy didn¡¯t want to obey. It was like an argument was happening inside his very soul, as the sap refused to do more than shoot out of his body in a mist of pale light. Hands streaming with pale green light, Salim¡¯s vision began to blur, he felt light-headed. Something felt off as he kept stumbling forward, aware enough to not run straight into a tree or rock, but not enough to avoid the branches that reached out and cut lines into his arms. He wasn¡¯t bleeding bad, but he could feel his arms heating up from the injuries, causing him to sweat even more. He didn¡¯t know how long he had been running; eventually the sun began to set, which took him a while to figure out as he was still thinking of it as east. Feeling the need to keep running, he kept his eyes straight and pumped his arms, his speed having slowed down to the pace of an aggressive speed walk. One more step, one more step and I¡¯ll be done, he repeated to himself, attempting to push through the pain with his mantra. It was working until his foot snagged on the increasingly uneven rocky ground, and he ended up face down although thankfully conscious, his dizziness catching up to his empty stomach in painful fashion.
Yeu Uaef Anrfhymed Vo Acc To Ppasihac Rndenloer. Ehdet Gno Bavn Eslgee. Yuo Have Daegee A Lnvil!
The message was illegible under Salim¡¯s eyes, but he knew what it meant. Trying his hardest to regain function of his body, he attempted to distribute points with the hope it would speed up his recovery.
Lvl. 12 Stats Confirm
Might: 25 (26) -/+
Finesse: 21 (23) -/+
Resilience: 25 (29) -/+
Acuity: 25 (27) -/+
Resolve: 25 (26) -/+
Depth: 20 -/+
His body burned as the sap was consumed at a visible rate, flowing through his body by the whims of some unknown force, it began to undergo changes in his severe condition. Feeling like he was made of paper, Salim watched his body rapidly molt as new, tougher skin began to emerge from underneath the dead skin that now littered his body. Only letting out a groan as the changes occurred, he felt better in some ways, his lungs taking in more air than ever as his head stopped spinning and turned into a small headache. As his senses slowly returned to normal, his breath was once again stolen. All around him were rocks, with only a few small trees sparsely populating the area, with the actual forest beginning a couple yards away. In the other direction, the ground dropped straight down, being the end of what appeared to be a cliff that extended as far as he could see in both directions. Below him was a giant lake that was surrounded by an idyllic looking forest with trees similar to the ones behind him. There were other plateaus, spread out across the skyline, with rivers and waterfalls falling off them, splashing down their rocks walls to reach the lake below. It all looked like a temperate Grand Canyon, shimmering under the evening light. Suddenly, a crunch sounded behind him, something scraping against gravel. Whipping around, Salim saw the wolf standing a few feet behind him, stock still, as the ground gradually darkened from clouds above. He froze, not moving an inch as he studied the creature, eyes drifting over the rotted pelt that stuck to its yellow chipped bones. Its skull was hollow, though the empty eye sockets seemed to convey a deep hunger with how deep they were. Salim shifted his weight, shifting the rocks near his feet and causing him to almost trip over his own feet. Quickly glancing down, he quickly regained his balance before darting his head back up. It was already lunging at him. Ch. 24 - Confrontation Salim was slammed into the ground, a heavy mass pressing down on his chest as burning pain erupted from his chest. The creature''s claws left gashes on his body, drawing blood as he screamed in agony. Like a blender, the wolf sliced and diced, even as he flailed around to try throwing it off him. Thanks to constitution, he wasn¡¯t instantly dead, and having a moment to act, caught one of the wolf¡¯s legs in his right hand. Pulling as hard as he could, the creature faltered slightly as its considerable bulk shifted slightly off of him. Trying to capitalize on the moment, Salim lifted his chest enough to throw a weak punch at its left leg limb. With a snap, the foot bent outward, brittle bones breaking as his fist made contact. He heard a strange wheezing sound as the creature attempted to maul his face, tilted to one side as Salim continued to punch its leg, the repeated strikes fully breaking the bone and causing the limb to crumble. The rotted wolf tipped sideways, falling over and onto the ground as it attempted to regain balance. Seeing his chance, Salim slipped away from the beast and tried to make as much distance as possible. Blood splattered onto the rock under his knees, covering it in viscous red, making him feel sick to his stomach that was close to falling out. Snapping out of his pain induced haze, he looked back up to find the wolf moving towards him, awkwardly attempting to use its broken leg, a heavy limp in its step. Looking around for anything that could help, Salim grabbed a rock and threw it as hard as he could. The rock soared, going wide and landing to the right of the wolf with a crack, not so much as eliciting a twitch. Thoughts muddy, he threw his body to the side as the creature leaped at him, his back getting scrapped as the monster managed to hook a claw on the skin of his shoulder. As his back wet with blood, Salim looked towards the cliff, a solid drop that wouldn¡¯t necessarily kill him but would certainly break his legs. Attempting to dash towards it, he was stopped as the wolf managed to catch him with its mouth, serrated teeth clamping around his ankle as he was pulled down onto the ground. Looking around for something to use as a weapon, he tried to bash its head with his fist, although the awkward angle of his foot made the punch thud into uselessly into its hide. The giant wolf tightened its grip as Salim felt the pressure build around his foot. In a panic, his escape attempt became frantic, even as he attempted to utilize the push spell to make his punches do anything. Tighter and tighter, the jaw of the wolf tighten like a vice, pain an all encompassing buzz around his foot. Crack. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t pass out from the pain, probably from the adrenaline flooding his body, but it didn¡¯t make the pain any less horrible. Still able to move, with labored breaths Salim slowly dragged the wolf over to the ledge, hoping, even praying, that his leg wouldn¡¯t come off. Luckily the wolf stayed locked on his foot, pulping it even further as his extremity was treated like a chew toy. Finally reaching the ledge, he managed to grab a rock about the size of his hand and braced himself. Looking at his leg sent a wave of nausea through him and made the pain feel far more real as he got ready to bash the creature. Squinting his eyes, Salim raised the rock, holding it in the air for just a moment before slamming it into the head of the creature, causing him to yelp as the creature''s teeth scrapped across his foot. The creature unclenched, trying to readjust as it had been unseated by the first impact. As it released its jaw, Salim reacted, shoving the rock into its mouth, knocking out a few teeth and keeping its jaw locked. Able to pull his foot out of its mouth with a minimal amount of flesh tearing, he grabbed its head with both of his hands, keeping it in place. Getting a firm grasp on both sides of the head and feeling the rotten texture of the creature''s fur, Salim pushed as hard as he could to knock it over the edge. Unable to stop its momentum with a broken leg, the creature¡¯s front half was over the edge in a second, with the back half following close behind. He watched as it hit the ledge below, bones crunching and the rotten flesh splitting open. It was a gruesome sight, but didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it as the blood loss started catching up with him.
You have bested an opponent in mortal combat. Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
Frantically, he threw open his menu to try and save himself from bleeding out. A sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over him, as he assigned the first ten points to see if it was enough to staunch the flow of blood. Groaning in pain as flesh quickly inched itself back together, he watched as the wounds slowly dried up, no longer bleeding out on the ground. His foot was another issue entirely, the process only fixed the immediate damage, and he had been left with a misshapen lump that was stained with his own viscera. Salim made sure to dump the other ten points into his [Resilience] but it didn¡¯t fix his warped ankle or twisted toes.
Lvl. 14 Stats Confirm
Might: 26 -/+
Finesse: 23 The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. -/+
Resilience: 29 (49) -/+
Acuity: 27 -/+
Resolve: 26 -/+
Depth: 20 -/+
It took him a while to move, as his joints seemed to be stiff and refused to budge, but as he got used to the difficulty he was able to roll onto his back to stare at the evening sky, its light fading as the moon rose. Noticing this, he tried to get to his feet¡­ foot. With difficulty, he managed, wincing as he put pressure on his ankle, hobbling over to the tree line. As he approached the trees, however, he stopped dead in his tracks as the last person he wanted to see stepped out of the long shadows. Fallon moved with grace, strides confident and what Salim could only interpret as malicious intent. Wanting to yell at them, he opened his mouth only to start hacking up his organs, his throat too dry to unleash the profanities he was feeling. As they got closer, Salim tried to ward them off, awkwardly throwing his arm in a wave to get them to leave him. Despite his warnings, they continued to approach, and he was able to get a good look at them without the shadows obscuring them. He could no longer tell that the clothes were fake, and while their face still didn¡¯t look like exactly like Nadalie¡¯s, it looked natural, no longer resting in the uncanny valley. But, despite the improvements, all it did was unsettle him more. ¡°Why?¡± he choked out, before his coughing fit cut him off. ¡°What are you referring to? If you mean the wolf, then I don¡¯t see how I¡¯m at fault. You saw what I was doing and still decided to stay,¡± they responded, deadpanned. Salim wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, his thoughts derailing as he tried to think of a comeback. ¡°Not your fault? In what world is it not your fault, that thing attacked me cough and now look at me!¡± He yelled, spit flying. ¡°You did decide to run, what did you expect?¡± ¡°Would it not have attacked me if I hadn¡¯t run?¡± Fallon paused at that, thinking. ¡°I would have been able to control it.¡± Salim gaped at the injustice, feeling wrong for the blame. ¡°Piss off.¡± He tried to push Fallon away, only to find himself falling backwards as he pushed against what felt like a solid wall. Barely feeling himself hit the ground, Salim was reminded once again that Fallon wasn''t human, despite how normal they looked. Feeling sobered, he pushed himself onto his feet before hobbling past them. Fallon watched him walk away, his every movement tracked as he made his way back into the woods and as far away from the cliff as possible. Refusing to turn around, Salim tried to find his way back, limping over harsh undergrowth as he went. His walk back started at a quick pace as he marched with righteous fury while ignoring the spiking pain from his foot. However, as he continued to walk, and realized he wasn''t sure if he was headed in the right direction, the fire inside began to fade. Eventually it cooled, his frustration still there, but doused with the realization that he had stalked off without directions. As the moon began to slowly peak its way through the trees, Salim felt the urgent need to look for shelter, finding a tree with a large enough trunk to stack branches against. Taking advantage of his stats, he quickly tried to grab any branches he could find close enough to the ground. After getting frustrated with his lack of mobility as he failed to reach a few branches due to his foot, he figured his crude lean too would be good enough. Plopping onto the ground as his emotional exhaustion caught up with him, eyes aching to be closed with the weight of emotions that had surged through him, all he wanted was to sleep. Letting out a loud sigh, he watched the moonlight slowly wash over his surroundings, bathing bushes and trees in harsh light. The glow seemed to have taken on a malicious aspect to it, his mind flashing to Fallon¡¯s blank, unfeeling face. He wasn¡¯t sure what to think or feel, impotent, horrified, indignant? His life was a total mess and completely out of his control, as he was at the mercy of the system, Fallon, or random wildlife that thought he looked like an easy meal. But still, he had to remind himself that he wasn¡¯t powerless, he had his immortality, but more important than that, he saw the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel. Dying hurts though. Did he have a reason to be angry at Fallon? Yes, but would it change anything? He knew that he felt righteous fury at a being that didn¡¯t understand or simply didn¡¯t care what it had done wrong. Annoyed that he had been inconvenienced for the time being, or horrified at the lack of humanity Fallon showed. But I can¡¯t see myself changing anything. His mind spun circles, trying to wrap his emotions into an easy to digest package, but as sleep gripped his mind, he hadn¡¯t gotten any further. Nightmares of tight rooms and dead end hallways filled his mind, causing him to toss and turn in the dirt. Salim felt awful as morning came, having woken up several times throughout the night. Feeling as emotional as a rock, his exhaustion overwrote anything he could have felt as Salim pulled himself out of the lean too and set about retracing his steps. Peering into the forest, Salim was able to catch a glimpse of moonlight mana with his skill, surprised that he could see it through the brown hue of the trees. While he still didn¡¯t want to confront Fallon, he was filled with a calm certainty and also didn¡¯t have any alternative. Using his skill to navigate, Salim was able to make his way towards the mana, checking occasionally for any other obvious mana signatures that he could use. Finding none, he continued the journey, slowly getting used to walking with a limp. Once he was halfway to the moonlight, he realized that it wasn¡¯t Fallon he was seeing, but most likely the flesh tree, as the mana shone brightly near the ground before spreading upwards towards the sky. Once he reached the clearing, Salim saw that whatever the tree had spread, the carcass decaying in the middle of bone white grass, creating an image of a field of teeth, waiting for unsuspecting prey. Not spotting Fallon, Salim quickly made his way around the perimeter, finding the bush he had initially spied the tree from and limping away as fast as he could. Using the bush as a starting point, he was able to make his way back to the river by noon, gaining levels in [Learned Mind] and [Arcane Navigation] as he made out the mana signature of the many fish which populated the river. As soon as he could spot the river with his own eyes, Salim galloped, wading into the waters to try and get the muck that had been caked onto his body. Fish quickly fled as a black stain pealed away from his body, pulled by the current downstream as fish swam away for the filth. Sighing with relief, Salim relaxed as pressure was finally taken off his ankle. When he opened his eyes, Fallon stood a few yards away, arm resting on a tree as they stared with an unreadable emotion. Salim felt a headache begin to form. Ch. 25 - Escape Salim briefly considered feinting obliviousness, although Fallon would probably approach him regardless. Deciding to take the initiative, Salim rose from the riverbank, ineffectively drying off with his hands, before marching towards the tree. His legs protested as he approached, and he hoped his rigid marching would hide most of his apprehension. Reaching the target, Salim slowed, attempting to plant his good foot into the ground as he stared into the face of his consternation. Fallon stared back with wide eyes and a blank face, their similarities to Nadalie distracting him as he tried to keep up his nonchalant mask. ¡°What do you want?¡± Salim quickly spat out, kicking himself for the slight stutter that affected his voice. ¡°I am leaving.¡± The words unbalanced him, throwing him off his game, as he didn¡¯t expect that. As Fallon realized he wasn¡¯t going to respond, they turned away, walking away from the river. Still confused, Salim called out to clarify his confusion. ¡°Why are you telling me? You didn¡¯t do that last time.¡± ¡°You seemed angry at me, and as I have stated, I do not wish for conflict between us.¡± They curtly turned, stopping for a moment to answer. ¡°A little late for that.¡± Salim bit out, only to try and follow up when Fallon continued walking away. ¡°Look, I¡­ This whole situation is complicated, I don¡¯t want to fight, I¡¯m not that mad, so please don¡¯t go.¡± Salim in fact, wanted Fallon to leave, but he still needed to figure out how magic worked, and he didn¡¯t feel like experimenting soling on his own . It felt slimy to lie to Fallon, but he wasn¡¯t too broken up about it, they had gotten his foot mauled after all. Fallon turned back to him, their face scrunched as they scrutinized him. ¡°Fine, I will not leave. Your antics have been entertaining so far.¡± Salim wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, and it wasn¡¯t spoken with any malice or arrogance, so he decided to ignore the remark. Instead, he backed off, and start hunting fish, hungry after starving for several days, only able to ignore most of the hunger pangs with his large amount of [Resilience]. Going back to his abandoned campsite, Salim saw that several animals had come and gone during his absence. Any fruits or nuts he left had been picked through, even the shoddy leaf bowls hadn¡¯t been spared. Several of the tracks in the dirt caught his eye, causing some alarm, as at least one large animal had gone through his living area. Deciding to find another suitable location in light of that discovery, Salim slowly walked down the side of the river, keeping an eye on the lake as Fallon followed a good distance behind him. He had been constantly sneaking a glance at them, not content with letting them go unnoticed as he had done previously. The more he watched, the more uncomfortable he became; Fallon never stopped staring at him, even as sped up his pace to a light jog, they never stopped. The few days that followed only caused more unease to build under the surface of Salim¡¯s calm facade, especially after he caught Fallon peering around a tree as he attempted to fall asleep. Nothing had happened, per se, but the constant stare unnerved him. He couldn¡¯t seem to give them the slip either, although trying during the night was a no got, the moonlight being a good deterrent to any escapades. The only thing consuming his attention, besides his constant cycle of hunger and Fallon¡¯s stares, was his experiments with the push spell. He was finally able to use the spell while multitasking, which he proved by skewering an unsuspecting fish while walking along the riverside. He was even able to test the maximum capacity of the spell, which turned out to be however much he could control at one given time. The testing and eventual fish murder had resulted in solid skill gain across the board, along with a much appreciated level up, which he used to bolster his reserve and try and get rid of the stiffness he had been feeling.
Lvl. 15 Stats Confirm
Might: 26 -/+
Finesse: 23 (28) -/+
Resilience: 49 -/+
Acuity: 27 -/+
Resolve: 26 -/+
Depth: 20 (25) -/+
Breathing a sigh of relief through the headache and aching joints, the stiffness in his knees was almost gone. The boost in stats was now like a tough exercise, the skin moving in an uncomfortable but natural way. He stood for a while before checking his skills, daydreaming about the power he could achieve solely through stats.
Skills
Arcane Shape (Class) Lvl. 6 Take shape the forces of the other world.
Arcane Eyes (Class) Lvl. 8 Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. See true, the world beyond the veil.
Reinforced Channels (Class) Lvl. 3 The lifeblood of a mage.
Learned Mind (Class) Lvl. 4 A hungry mind is a healthy mind.
Arcane Navigation (Innate) Lvl. 4 The mystic arts will guide you.
His skills had developed at a slow pace when compared to before level ten, [Arcane Eyes] being the fastest, as he constantly abused the skill for surveillance and survival. [Arcane Shape] wasn¡¯t far behind, as he constantly experimented with a plethora of ideas that had all turned out to be failures but had given him improved control. He was still working on his casting speed, but was pretty sure that any improvements in that regard would most likely finish leveling the skill up to ten. He had even found a neat way to utilize the push spell, generating force to reduce the pressure on his foot when he limped with it, basically allowing him to push off the ground with magic. It wasn¡¯t perfect, and put a rather sizable dent in his reserves, but it helped train his skills while improving his quality of life. There were several other ideas, from flying to armor, that might be possible, but he just didn¡¯t have the skill or experience to try them. Unfortunately, his lack of progress on spell development was a bit of a downer that Fallon couldn¡¯t seem to help with. When he had silenced his ego and ask for any help, all they could recommend him doing was to focus on what pulling meant to him. It was the same sort of nonsense advice that all the self-proclaimed self-help experts online told him to do when he was trying to fix his relationship. His past relationship was another topic he didn¡¯t want to touch with a ten-foot pole, and he had to try and find something quick to stop himself from spiraling. Suffice to say, his self-pitying had not helped his progress in any regard. To distract himself, he spent several hours of the day trying to get better with his makeshift spears, which seemed to confuse the always watchful Fallon. ¡°Is just swinging the stick around going to make you better at using it? It does not seem like an application in the real world.¡± She spoke as he spun the branch with one hand, something he had learned because he thought it was cool when he was a kid. They are not Nadalie, don¡¯t even think about Nadalie. If I just answer the question, they will go away. Just answer the question. ¡°I¡¯m training. Seeing as I have been dying or, nearly dying, I thought it might be a good idea to try and figure out how to fight back without the nearly dying every time.¡± He stumbled, and the spear clattered out of his hand, his foot making him wince in pain and grab his leg. ¡°Understandable.¡± An awkward silence filled the air as Fallon concluded the conversation without any follow up. Salim had come to realized that social pressure or embarrassment was something that Fallon definitely did not feel. He was almost sure that they weren''t intentionally doing it, at least, although it didn¡¯t make it any less uncomfortable, never knowing when was a good time to turn away. The routine continued, as he trained with a limp leg having zero clue if he was doing anything correctly, while continuing his attempts at creating a new spell. Eventually, he had to face the fact that his pull spell wouldn¡¯t be possible without a fundamental knowledge of mana, as he tried everything he could think of to extend mana around his body. So he switched to reinforcing his body with mana, trying to emulate [Reinforced Stamina] with a little bit more hope of success. Dangerous as it was to infuse his limbs, especially since he was unfamiliar with human biology, his lack of progress drove him to experiment on a whim. He knew the effort nurses and doctors went to for education, but without access to the internet trying to improve his ¡®arm¡¯ without understanding muscles groups didn¡¯t do much. Fallon had stated that technical knowledge wasn¡¯t a requirement, but it felt antithetical for him to visualize magic without trying to break it down in scientific detail. It all led to him practicing as much as he could with his push spell out of frustration, trying to make every small improvement count, as it was one of his sole advantage over the natural world. At least that''s what he thought until a fish he was hunting managed to blast him in the shoulder with a pressurized stream of water that had left it bruised for days. The realization that animals could harness magic too made him severely cautious going forward, his fights with the insect and wolves seeming much luckier in retrospect. He had also figured that Fallon was keeping the worst predators at bay, seeing as he hadn¡¯t seen hide nor hair of anything more dangerous than the magical fish. At first, he had been slightly appreciative of the incidental benefit of not having to fearing for his life, however as the days went on, he noticed that he wasn¡¯t gaining any levels. His routine of eat, sleep, hunt, repeat just wasn¡¯t doing anything for his level and his skills gain had slowed down as well despite his constant practice with mana. The cycle had made him comfortable, his high [Resilience] keeping him from starvation even if he didn¡¯t eat for a few days, letting him fall asleep outside without too much difficulty. It was also making him incredibly bored, which even began effecting the ever enigmatic Fallon, who had seemed tired of his lifestyle as they stopped watching his every movement and would disappear from time to time. He still wasn¡¯t comfortable talking to them, and their disappearances were just as concerning as the constant watch he had previously been under, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care. He was never an outdoorsy person and the lack of amenities was getting to him, the bugs biting his skin every night and lack of toilet paper slowly making him wonder how he ignored it all in the beginning. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be discounting how terrified I was. Woe is me. He prattled sarcastically to himself. All the boredom had led him to the cliff face he had thrown the giant zombie wolf off of, dangling his legs off the edge as he stared at the lake below. It was a gorgeous and stirred a sense of wanderlust within him, only to be put in its place by the logic of survival. Which was then superseded by his counterpoint of immortality. Eventually, he made a deal with himself to go explore in a few days after he was able to confidently use ¡®push¡¯ while running, jumping, or even fighting. His ankle had calloused up to the point that, while still painful, could be used with slightly less than full function, which motivated Salim even more, fueling his desire to wander into the wilderness. I can¡¯t live for who knows how long in the middle of the woods with a limp leg, that just sounds like self-inflicted torture. I¡¯m going to find a way to fix my leg, or I¡¯ll die trying! It did not escape him that he could most likely ask Fallon to do something about his foot, seeing as they seemed to take great interest in any injury he received, hovering closer to take a look at the effected area but never saying anything. But the idea of anything like the tree or even the moon tentacles attempting to fix his flesh sent shivers down his spine. Definitely not worth it. He concluded. So he stood at the smoothest incline down the plateau he could find, mentally pathing a way down as he began the descent. While Fallon had been off, who knows where, he had snuck away, making sure to keep a low profile as he traipsed through the woods. The last couple of days, he had focused on launching his rocks as he walk-jogged alongside the river, trying to hit fish with the small pebbles and improve his accuracy. Technically, he was able to hit anything he could see that was within twenty feet, in practice he wasn¡¯t completely accurate but was improving every day. By the time he felt ready enough to head out, he was hitting the smaller fish that swam in the river about one in five times if he was standing still. He thought it was fairly good, especially since the fish would start swimming away from the rocks before they even broke the surface of the water. His skills even seemed to agree, with [Mana Shape] and [Learned Mind] both gaining a level, letting him know that practicing still helped, improving his moral. Knocking his head with his palm to focus up, he made his way down the steep cliffside, using trees whose roots had fused with the rock to guide himself from outcropping to outcropping. It was exhilarating, knowing that if he slipped, it would be a very painful trip to the bottom. His hands gripped the stone, inching their way across tight gaps, thanking himself for increasing [Finesse] as he regained his balance in a particularly tricky section of decline for what felt like the seventh time. Making a couple risky jumps, Salim tried to get down the mountain with as much speed as he could without falling, since he didn¡¯t want to get stuck on the mountainside come night. His trip coincided with the new moon, to try and avoid Fallon¡¯s attention, but he wasn¡¯t sure how much it really helped. The moon was still there, invisible to the naked eye, and while the amount of mana sent towards the planet had decreased, he could spot faint wisps of the stuff drifting down with his [Arcane Eyes]. Thankfully, he was able to find a small cave in the side of a large outcropping, allowing him full coverage from any prying eyes. Stepping into the cave, his nose was assaulted with a deep musky smell that filled his nostrils with a pungent dampness. Feeling a few patches of wet stone with his feet, he decided that the stay would be one night only, so that he wouldn¡¯t catch trench foot or similarly nasty disease. Unfortunately, as he stepped further into the cave, he spied a large pair of eyes watching his advance. Well. This was a good life. Resignation coloring his thoughts, pulling his spear from the makeshift sling he had fashioned on his back. Ch. 26 - Rock Lobster The eyes loomed over him as he stared straight ahead, pointing his spear forward, not so much scared, as he braced himself for the pain to come. The dwindling light behind him only illuminated the rocky floor of the cave, gray stone wet with condensation, an orange glow still shining across. Neither moved, waiting for the other to make a move, as Salim tried to get control of his breath, as the creature stood stock still. Slowly, he walked backwards, taking careful steps as he tiptoed his way out, only stopping when he reached the entrance. The creature hadn¡¯t followed, causing him to lose track of it as evening ended, trapping him as the moon rose. Salim was thanking his luck that whatever the creature was hadn¡¯t attacked him, and considered his options. The outcropping he found himself on was not an easy to descend, with the only way forward being a difficult looking shelf of stone that he had to jump to. Not wanting to risk a fall in the middle of the night, Salim decided that staying in front of the entrance of the cave was the better option. Whether it was a monster wasn¡¯t relevant, it hadn¡¯t immediately attacked him, and while he wasn¡¯t keen on staying around it was a new moon, and with any luck they wouldn¡¯t be in a position to come all the way down the mountain if he was spotted. So on the stone he rested, spear laying to his side, back resting against the moss covered wall as he shimmied from side to side, attempting to get comfortable. Murky darkness began to set in as night fell, clouds covering the stars, and making it impossible to see anything other than the outcropping he was sitting on. As Salim stared into the natural abyss, he imagined how it could move, his eyes catching the darkness trailing in strange shapes, speaking a language he couldn¡¯t understand as wind buffeted the cliffside. Trying to ignore the crushing solitude, Salim began to make plans for something that was a long time coming, how to cast a fireball. Images of flames filled his mind, how ignition worked, the ball he would need to shape, the size of the explosion it would make. As he got more and more convoluted with his plans, he decided to take a step back to consider realistic options. Ignition first, he needed to first find a way to create fire, a skill that would be incredibly useful to master just on its own and would mean no more stick rubbing for him. The difficult part was trying to form the initial idea of a spark, he played with the idea of creating friction with his mana, but ultimately that was too complicated for any worthwhile results. Eventually, after a few minutes of testing, he settled on simply turning his mana into heated sparks, metaphorically burning energy for heat. It took him around an hour to flesh out his program for the spell, since he wanted to produce the spark from his hand, he needed to transform the mana before it fully left his body and he lost control. Preparing for the first test, Salim pointed his fingers at the ground, and began to channel the spell. Mana began to take form in the shape of his pattern as he concentrated, pulling, forming, guiding, until all at once the small amount of mana left his fingertips. Light! Sparks of light streamed out of his fingertips like firecrackers, his hand heating under the soft glow of the light. His eyes shined as the spell succeeded, an intoxicating euphoria that made him completely forget about the cold winds buffeting him against the stone of the cliff. He had succeeded after weeks of failure, and without Fallon providing comments that never seemed to really help. Unfortunately, he seemed to be stuck producing sparks, for whatever reason, he struggled to shape how the sparks came out, using his fingers to produce a wave of light was the best he could do. Another issue was that he was producing the effect while the sparks were just leaving his fingers, causing them to start feeling hot and raw. There has got to be a better way of doing this. Fallon doesn¡¯t produce things from inside their body, they just send out the tentacles to do it for them. How would I even do that? If I could just¡­ Mana flowed pointlessly out of his hand, dispersing into the air as he sighed and shook his head.
You have invented a new spell! Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
At least I¡¯m making some sort of progress. He decided to up his mental stats to hopefully get some sort of inspiration that might make his attempts more effective.
Lvl. 16 Stats Confirm
Might: 26 -/+
Finesse: 28 -/+
Resilience: 49 -/+
Acuity: 27 (30) -/+
Resolve: 26 (30) -/+
Depth: 25 (28) -/+
The headache from the level up was hard and fast, causing his eyes to swim in tears before his head cleared, and the pain was gone, his thoughts slightly faster than they had been before. The actual effect of each individual stat point was interesting to Salim, but had no way of testing, he didn¡¯t think about it too much. With his stats being so far above what he started, he was visibly stronger than when he started, although the lack of gym equipment was making it hard to judge. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Flexing his pudgy arms, he quickly did ten pushups, reveling in ease as he was still full of energy. Before his abduction, he struggled to do five in a row, sweating and huffing with each movement of his arms. Feeling satisfied with his increased strength, he went back to his attempts at forming a ball of the sparks, his attention getting sucked back into his project. As his core slowly emptied, he slowly came out of his creative stupor, deciding to stop, wanting to save mana just in case. He thought about the eyes he saw in the cave, a chill running down his spine. Scooting a few more feet away from the cave, he tried to get some shuteye, the lids of his eyes closing for what only felt like a few seconds before the sun was once again glaring down at him. With the heat on his forehead, Salim shielded his eyes as he stretched, arms outstretched as he basked in the warm glow of the sun. The sound of birds chirping filled the air as stone and gravel was crunched beneath him as he shifted in place while smiling. Genuinely, he was smiling for the first time since coming to this place, the feeling of progress in his head and freedom in his heart while he ignored his aching body. After a few minutes, he began to move in earnest, getting to his feet as he planned to continue his descent down the cliff. His options were limited, with sheer drops on one side, and a leap of faith on the other, he had to hype himself up, only wincing slightly when his lame foot touched the ground. Sufficiently fired up, he stepped back, over near the front of the cave, and counted down in his head. As the count hit two, he felt the hair on his arms stand up on end, something shifted in the air as he glanced around, his attempt to clear the gap delayed as he tried to figure out what was wrong. It didn¡¯t take long to notice what it was, the entrance to the cave, the two eyes, three, many eyes? Stared at him like a predator, the form of the creature somehow still camouflage even with the sun beaming from above, its eyes seeming to float in front of the cave. Squinting as he backed away, being mindful of the edge of the cliff, Salim squinted at where the creature probably was, trying to see the form of the creature through its disguise. He stood completely still, just waiting for something to happen, as he watched the small rocks near the side of the cave slowly move, repelled by an invisible force. Reaching the edge of the cliff, he focused on the small stones, as the eyes seemed to be slowly adapting to the disguise, all eight of the beady large eyes staring at him. As the next set of rocks were pushed out of the way, he thought he saw something, a flicker, some piece of the image not quite right as the rocks furthest away from him seemed to disappear. A solid stony texture moved in front of the stones as they disappeared from view. Salim felt an audible click in his head as he realized what was in front of him, finally recognizing what was taking place. SPIDER. With quick jerky movements, he took off with a sprint, tiny pebbles underfoot almost causing him to slip as a grating noise emanate from his foot against the ground. The gigantic spider seemed to act on queue, a deep hiss that mimicked the grinding of two giant boulders sounded as it pounced. Missing by a good couple feet as he moved, the bulk of the spider caused the outcropping they were standing on to shake, Salim losing his footing as he slipped off the edge. His stomach dropped as the feeling of weightlessness overtook him, his mind spinning as he tried to find some way to survive. Hands reached out to grab the edge of the cliff, finding purchase but struggling to keep his grip with sweaty palms and shaking arms. He had completely lost track of the spider, his focus on the edge of the cliff, and that even with his increased stats he was struggling to pull himself up. As he struggled to push himself past his shoulders, he had a burst of inspiration, possibly fueled by the daunting drop he was dangling over. As he channelled all the remaining mana in his core, his hand kept slipping, fingers attempting to dig into the rock wall with all the strength he could muster as the mana in his core was pushed to move faster. With a rippling roar from his channels, rippling power erupted as it was sent to his feet, trying to invert the push spell to trigger on his body. While he was struggling to make it follow his directions, the mana began to clot in his legs from his failed attempts, as it went off inside his body with more force than expected. Grunting in pain, he held onto the edge with all the strength the adrenaline pumping through his body allowed for, his body feet hinging upwards as his fingers bled. Arms twisted and contorted in ways they never had before as his body came back around, back slamming straight onto solid ground as his head dangled from the edge.
You subverted danger with a clever use of a spell! Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
He quickly dismissed the notification, painfully moving his arm back around his head and untangling the rest of his limbs. Scrambling onto his feet, he looked around, not spotting the eyes of the monster as he smashed his back into the cliff, safely away from the edge. Where are you¡­ dear God, what did I do to deserve this? Keeping his eyes peeled, he attempted to use [Arcane Eyes] to try and find the invisible giant death spider, only finding wisps of mana originating from the mouth of the cave. The wisps had an earthy brown color, slowly curling itself around the edges of the entrance, like claws ready to drag him into the darkness. How the hell am I still alive? I went inside, it could have eaten me then!
Lvl. 17 Stats Confirm
Might: 26 (32) -/+
Finesse: 28 (31) -/+
Resilience: 49 (50) -/+
Acuity: 30 -/+
Resolve: 30 -/+
Depth: 28 -/+
Quickly throwing his points into his physical stats, he muffled his groan as he felt the fat from his limbs burn slightly and get replaced with a small amount of muscle. Shaking out the cramps that sometimes came with the level ups, he prepared himself once more, his runway this time being much shorter since he wasn¡¯t going to stand in front of the cave again. Readying himself once again, he took a deep breath, feeling the cool mountain air fill his lungs. He sprinted, pumping his legs as fast as he could, trying to ignore the pain from his ankle, reaching the edge in milliseconds as he buckled his legs, pushing off as hard as he could, and sending him flying across the gap. The jump wasn¡¯t far, about as long as he was tall, but he wasn¡¯t about to fall to his death by half-assing it. For a full second, he was flying over the gap, making sure not to look down as he closed in on the other side. CRACK. Coming to a screeching halt, he clipped his bad foot on the edge, sending him tumbling once more unto the ground, safely on the other side. After several minutes of lying in pain, he pulled himself together and stood up. Brushing the debris from his body, he started exploring the new path, carefully scaling the decline while minding his injured leg, only sliding to the bottom once he saw it was safe. Thankfully, the slide didn¡¯t last long as it flattened out, leaving him on another outcropping, this one full of thin spindly trees. Taking time to appreciate what little shade the trees could provide, he sat for a while before, reluctantly beginning to move, as he made a slow but consistent journey down the plateau. Ch. 27 - Burnt Palms The rest of his jaunt down the mountain was thankfully uneventful, with only a few more close calls that could have sent him careening down the mountainside. After saving his life with the spell, he had the idea of how to potentially fly, if given enough mana, and his small experiments even had limit success. The spell was able to push him off the ground if projected out of his feet, so theoretically he should be able to produce enough lift, he would just need a gargantuan supply of mana. However, flight ignored the issue of the opposing forces against his body, each push strained his muscles, leaving bruises on the soles of his feet from the amount of force required to keep him in the air. Not to mention the extensive practice required, knowing when and where to push himself at all times to avoid planting his face into the ground. So while the idea was interesting, it was completely out of his reach, but it did get him thinking about other methods of flight that were a bit more achievable. Flying was never a dream of his, but he would be lying if he said that he didn¡¯t want to. He fantasized about being able to clear the entire plateau in minutes, instead of taking two entire days to climb down. Glaring at the surrounding plateaus, he felt insignificant, gigantic rock walls boxing him in on all sides. His glare melted into a small smile as a flock of strange multicolored birds flew overhead, no two having the same hue, singing with short chirps, part of the forests'' song. It was a small reprieve, especially since it had been absent up on the plateau, since Fallon seemed to scare off any wildlife other than the fish that he survived off of. Basking in the sounds of his surroundings, he couldn¡¯t seem to fully relax, constantly feeling an anxious pressure in his chest. The spider was still fresh in his memory as he pushed through the woods, watching his step for snakes and thorns. The valley¡¯s forests were much thicker compared to the plateau or any of the other place he had been; thick vines covered the forest floor and choked out everything underneath, while tree canopies blocked the sun. Despite all the flora and exotic birds, it didn¡¯t look like any rainforests he saw on TV, it was more temperate, but still teaming with life. He kept his head on a constant swivel, eyes flickering back and forth to try and watch every direction at once as he abused [Arcane Eyes]. I¡¯ve got a few hours before the sun sets, need to find a place to sleep. Keeping up his skill, Salim swept the forest, only spotting smaller critters, which quickly skittered away from him the moment he got too close. There was a brief moment where he had spotted a larger mana signature through the trees, but thankfully he was able to hide up a smaller tree and let it pass. Other than that, though, his trip was more of the usual, pushing through branches and trying to avoid rough terrain by stepping on the vines that littered the area. After only an hour, he began to hear the distinctive croaking of a frog, long ribbets that were echoed by its fellow amphibians. Excitedly moving towards the noise, Salim found the river he had been aiming for when he came down the plateau. It was deeper and faster than what he was used to, even spying some rapids further down the stream as slim rocks jutted out at odd angles. The trees down in the valley hung off the side of the river, making access more difficult, as erosion slowly cut away at the banks. Setting up shop in a grove of rather large old looking oaks, Salim began to work, ripping out the smaller bushes and plants in his soon-to-be home. Clearing vines was difficult work, made worse by the fact that he didn¡¯t have any tools, but after several hours he stood on a pile of torn vines, looking down at the clearing of soft dirt. In contrast to his efforts at bush clearing, his new spell worked rather well, after gathering more moss and twigs, a stream of sparks was able to get a cracking fire going in a matter of minutes. Salim sat, marveling at the task which would have taken half an hour to accomplish, along with plenty of sweat and tears, reduced to a two-minute chore. Magic was still interesting and new to him, as he sat on the ground, watching the flames crackle while ideas danced through in his head. As night fell, his stomach grumbled, complaining about the lack of food but was ignored as he was too exhausted to try fishing. Clearing the shelter to hide from Fallon seemed more important than a day of food to him, so he prioritized. Patting himself on the back, Salim laid close to the hot coals of the fire, warding off the crisp air that seemed to be slowly coming in as the days passed. Winter hadn¡¯t even been considered until one frosty morning, but its slowly creeping presence did raise a few interesting questions about Salim¡¯s own existence. What decided when and where he came back? He had died four times, that much was fresh in his mind. Yet every single time he was placed into a semi-temperate, warm environment where the only element he had to worry about was the sun. Was he being sent to the most optimal place for his survival? What conditions had to be met, or maybe it was somehow based around what he thought would be the best? These past few lives in forests had similar trees to what he knew on Earth¡­ His musing continued until he fell asleep, a hard day of work putting him to sleep like nothing else. The next morning, he got ready to fish in the river with his spear¡ª His spear! He left it up by the cave, god, how did he forget it? I could try and go back and grab it. He decided to write the spear off as a loss. That''s how he found himself grabbing another long but thin branch and began shaving away the tip once more, making a point with muscle memory. Slightly regretting not bringing any rocks down from the mountain with him, he was able to find smaller stones that he could use to slowly wear away at the wood. Getting into a groove, he was able to finish it ahead of his schedule and went to the river to hunt. It only took a minute for him to conclude that the river was another beast compared to what he was used to, stretching several yards across and with unknown depth, Salim could only watch the large swaths of mana move underneath the surface. Still, he needed to eat, and could see smaller pools of mana swimming around, tempting him as they stuck to the sides of the river. That was perfectly fine with him, and eventually he was able to snag a somewhat pathetic fish with silver scales that had a texture like slime. Still, for what could be considered a fresh start, even with the major advantages his stats offered, he was doing great. He still wanted to throw up the fish, but forced himself to keep it down as he tried to form a ball of sparks atop his palm. His current attempts had him shaping his hands like he was holding a ball, which in theory allowed for him to curve his sparks, although the attempt just ended with him spraying his other fingers with sparks, shaking his hands in discomfort from the sudden heat. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Structures continued to stump him, so he worked to break everything down conceptually, going through the process of a dot, which was what he was able to do until he ended up with a circle. Going with that logic, his next attempt was emitting the sparks in a perfect circle from his palm. Feeling slightly confident, he was able to hook up a program to draw the pattern on his hand, although the math required to make shapes wasn¡¯t something he had thought about in a while. Preparing himself, he stood along the riverside with his hand facing the water, just in case. Pushing his mana into the spell, he felt the program spin up, shaping the mana through his program, in a much smoother way after his training with the push spell. However, right before the spell was about to ¡°fire¡±, there was a hangup, as mana flowed out of his hand but didn¡¯t fully ignite into fire. Maybe it needs more mana because of the shape? Let¡¯s see. He began to recast the spell, and once, then twice. Nothing seemed to happen, as mana poured out into the river. Not giving up, he prepared to cast the spell less as a stream, like what he was doing with his sparks, instead closer to how he cast the push spell, with a sudden burst of mana. Right arm outstretched and palm open, he concentrated, mentally grabbing mana from his core and shoving it into the spell. Pressure built up as he clamped down on the mana, not letting it slip out and away from him, pulling it back while imagining a bow. Bracing his right hand with the left, Salim shifted slightly, trying to get rid of a cramp in his broken foot, before releasing the mana all at once. It shot out like a cannon, a rush of energy heating up his skin as it passed through his arm, right into his palm. Pain. Searing pain was what he felt as he was blinded by a bright flash of light while the mana exited, searing flame pushed through his palm. Salim couldn¡¯t help but let out a yell as he was momentarily stunned, before clutching his hand as it began to ache, deep and painful. Looking down at his palm, he could see bright red skin staring back at him, the shape being an almost impossibly perfect circle. He had¡­ succeeded, in a limited sense. Although the pain he was experiencing made him doubt if it was worth it, he knelt down and stuck his hand in the cold water. It made it hurt even more, but he knew that it might just get worse if he left it out in the open. As he knelt, trying to ignore the pain in his hand and praying that a large fish wouldn¡¯t come along and bite it off, Salim read the pop-ups he had gotten for the wayward attempt.
You have performed a feat of arcane ingenuity! Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
He didn¡¯t feel all too ingenious, with constant pangs of pain coming from his hand, he carefully navigated the menus with his left. Guess I¡¯m investing in [Resilience] again, I really need to stop shooting myself in the foot. He chuckled to himself as he braced for the inevitable sensation of his body turning stonelike.
Lvl. 17 Stats Confirm
Might: 26 (30) -/+
Finesse: 28 (33) -/+
Resilience: 49 (50) -/+
Acuity: 30 -/+
Resolve: 30 -/+
Depth: 28 -/+
On second thought, he wanted to try a theory he had. There was nothing that stated [Resilience] was what actually healed him after a level up, since both [Might] and [Finesse] causing different physical transformations to occur across his body. He was also just a little hesitant to keep leveling up [Resilience] every time he had an injury, his hands could only touch his thighs when he bent down nowadays. The thought of lacking the ability to escape creatures like the spider made him shiver, before he confirmed his selection. He changes as his body began to limber up, muscles reinforcing in tandem as his body shifted. He watched the skin on his hand slowly molt, flaking off at a consistent rate with the cramps, dead skin pushed out as fresh pink skin emerged underneath. It hurt, but it wasn¡¯t the constant pain of raw burns. He was thankful, but witnessing the full process also just made him confused as to what the stat increases were doing to him. Where was the new skin coming from? How was it made? Like a million other things, he was still confused and wasn¡¯t going to receive any helpful information unless, maybe, he asked Fallon. Which he wasn¡¯t entirely apposed to, but he wanted to¡­ Wanted something. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what he wanted at the moment, he just knew that he had wanted to get away from Fallon, they looked too similar to his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, he reminded himself. He knew that he had left without any real plan, his leg giving him another reason to get away. Maybe I should have just let the spider eat me, then I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this. He stewed in his thoughts for a while, contemplating goals. After a few minutes of half-baked ideas, he had come up with something that resembled a ¡®plan.¡¯ While he still didn¡¯t have anything long term for this life, or even longer term for his next one, he could at least establish short ones. After reaching level seventeen, he was only three away from what he assumed was the next class evolution. That meant he needed to keep experimenting with magic, and figure out a way not to burn his hand off anytime he wanted to cast something more intensive than sparks. So as the moon rose once again, he continued to planned, plot, and eventually pass out to the croaks of the endlessly repeating frogs. Ch. 28 - Hunters Folly The roar of the river was a comforting, reminiscent of a time when life wasn¡¯t as complicated, and wasn¡¯t struggling for subpar food. Once again, he lay on the side of the river, waiting for a fish to swim close as he brandished the spear. It was his first task of the day, since he was still hesitant to get back to practicing magic. Constantly fishing for his food was starting to get boring, the long periods of inactivity followed by a quick stab that led to a horrible fishy taste in his mouth. He was starting to get annoyed with it as a whole, letting out a quick shout of anger as the next fish that managed to slip away. Unfortunately, his magic wasn¡¯t helpful either, pushing his spear only allowed it to stab slightly faster and if he lost his grip then he would have to quickly reach for it before the stream swept it away. God, what I wouldn¡¯t do for some steak right now. Maybe I could hunt a deer or something, I¡¯ve heard that venison isn¡¯t that bad. The thought idly slipped into his head as he swore, a fish darting out of the way of his spear. Angrily he tried a second thrust but only caught water as it swam out of his reach, the fish seemed intelligent almost taunting him, although that could also be due to the rest of the river being out of his reach. His stomach growled as he failed to catch anything, placating the hunger pangs with the distraction of magic practice. His fingers lit up as he slowly worked through potential avenues of the spell''s shape, eventually giving up on the spark spell for the time being. It was like a frustrating feeling, like trying to build something without instructions or knowledge to rely on, blundering around in the dark until he succeeded. Swapping to push, he had much more success in ¡°shaping¡± it, since the spell lacked a physical form. Thinking back to the cliff, Salim attempted to recreate what happened, although with less power and the lack of a fatal drop. The effect was strange, he managed to move his body with magic, the spell pushing his feet in seemingly random directions as he kicked the ground involuntarily with his good foot. Wincing in pain as he brushed the dust off his legs, Salim tried to control the direction, attempting to direct the curl against the direction he wanted to send his leg. With time, his efforts manifested as a constant aching pain that pervaded his legs, causing him to temporarily give up, picking up his spear as evening signalled his first attempt at hunting. He knew it wasn¡¯t a safe decision, but he was determined, even though he knew his desire wasn¡¯t coming from the most logical place. He craved meat, as long as it wasn¡¯t fish, the constant taste was starting to wear on him, a gnawing hunger amplifying resolve. He steeled his resolve, the idea of delicious meat and a break from the routine motivating him as anticipation filled his head. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have anything that might attract a deer or something equivalent, however he reasoned that he might be able to just wait for one to pass by as he lay in a bush waiting. The glow of the evening light caused the usually dim forest to become a milky dark as he squinted, eyes adapting to the churning shadows. Salim cursed in his head as his feet slowly began to feel the pricks of pins and needles while he lay in a large bush, trying to quietly shake the feeling away. As the feeling sprang up from his leg to fight him, he noticed several patches of brown move between the trees, alerting him and pushing away his exhaustion as hooves stepped over leaves. His body froze, honed from his months hunting the fish as the creatures trotted closer, at first he thought that they were just normal deer but from further inspection they had a few differences. All of them had horns, even the fawns had small white pointed horns that stuck out of their head. Their muscles were incredibly thick, although deer on earth could have been similar, he wasn¡¯t too sure. The herd itself consisted of three larger deer, a smaller one, and two that were definitely still growing. Unconsciously licking his lips as he stared at the group, he watched as they trotted to the river, unaware of the strange creature that was hunting them. Salim thought for a moment, trying to see if he could single out any one of them, eventually having to settling on one of the larger deer that stood slightly off to the side of the herd. The smaller deer and the fawns were in the middle of the group, and he didn¡¯t want to test the protective instincts of the pack. Slowly he began to creep, army crawling, through the underbrush towards the deer, trying not to make a noise as he got within twenty yards, close enough for him to throw his spear with a degree of accuracy. He slowly adjusted his hand, making sure to stay still as the deer moved slightly, and prepared to throw. Pulling back his arm, he waited, holding his breath for just a moment, before letting loose the spear, boosted by just a small amount of mana, straight into the side of the deer, sinking a few inches into it¡¯s flank Two seconds were all it took for the deer to find him, and another three for it to be right next to him. The spear inhibited its movement, but as it leveled its horns at him, all thoughts fled his body and he threw himself to the ground, feeling the impact of two hooves slamming down on his back. Nothing felt broken, although the impacts shook his body, his stomach attempting to reject what little was inside of it as he tried to roll away, praying that the pack didn¡¯t follow. He reached out in a flailing motion, trying to grab onto its legs, as he heard huffed breath, the deer trying to kill him. Two more strikes had him seeing stars as a hoof slammed into his head, sending him scrambling as his vision tunneled. Frantically trying to gain control of the situation, he finally grappled one of its front legs, holding on for dear life as the deer backed up, attempting to throw him off. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. With a head empty of any thoughts, he began to punch, hand smashing into steel corded muscle as his fist limply bounced off. Frantically moving to try and get the upper hand, he was able to reach around its side to the spear, still impaled and jerking around as the wound slowly bled. Reaching for the spear, he felt his fingers wrap around the shaft, only pushing the spear a few more inches inside before hitting what felt like bone, causing the deer to buck harder. The rush was primal, his mind simply reacting to what was going on as the deer knocked him off its leg before sprinting away, a bloody trail for him to follow as he pulled the spear out as he fell. He ran after it, adrenaline pumping through his body as he pursued, at a slow, but constant pace since his foot made it difficult to quickly traverse the forest without tripping. The forest dimmed further, night falling as he continued to track the dear, the iron smell and wet texture making it easy to spot and follow. But as he spotted moonlight creeping through the canopy, he slowed, realizing how far he had run, the sound of the river impossible to hear over the droning noise of crickets. He was sure that he could trace his way back, the area still looked somewhat familiar, and he had the trail of blood to guide him, so following a little longer wouldn¡¯t hurt, right? His eyes had adapted to the dark, along with [Arcane Eyes] he could continue to stalk his prey regardless of the time of day.
Arcane Eyes has reached Max Level. Event has been Logged. You have gained ten stat points.
The box disrupted his pace, causing him to stumble over a root that jutted out, as was forced to reorient himself with the trail of blood. It was anticlimactic, he had been expecting a level up for a while, as the skill had been hanging at nine for the longest time while all the other skills caught up. Enraptured in his thoughts, he didn¡¯t notice the body the of the deer until he was standing feet away, the smell of blood alerting him to the corpse. Glancing around with caution, he didn¡¯t spot any of the other deer through the tight-knit trees, a concern that hadn¡¯t come to mind until he was thinking about how to transport it. The body was bigger than his, and the thick cords of muscle that made the majority of the body didn¡¯t help. Clearly it was unconscious or dead, unmoving as it lay on the ground, the tangy smell of iron and wet fur in the air. Being mindful of the sharp horns on its head, Salim walked around behind the beast, preparing to drape the neck over his shoulder and drag it, when the hair on his arms began to raise. The dull crickets and occasional bird cries had gone quiet as he went into high alert, flicking [Arcane Eyes] on, finding a blob of sickly yellow mana positioned to his left. Planting his feet onto the side of the deer, he yanked the spear out, only to find that it had splintered inside the creature, leaving him with a thin but sturdy stick. Pretending like he hadn¡¯t noticed anything, Salim moved back by the deer¡¯s head, holding the broken spear tight as he tried to figure out what to do. He thought about how strangely calm he was being, still afraid of whatever was stalking him, but he had dealt with too much, seen too much to be frozen in fear. He crouched down, keeping his head tilted down while his eyes trained on the glow, focusing on it, watching with bated breath. It didn¡¯t move from its position a few yards away, still obscured by trees and vine, but Salim was sure that it could see him just as well, waiting for its moment to strike. He reached down to check the weight of the deer, only managing to lift the neck without the use of both hands, its throat gurgling, reacting to its forced movement. The noise seemed to cry out into the pitch black of the canopy, and, whatever it was, seeming to respond as the glow shifted left to right. Thinking quickly, Salim moved to position the body in front of the creature, slowly backing towards the treeline, intermittently flicking his head to make sure nothing was sneaking up on him. Unfortunately, the creature began to circle, creeping counterclockwise to Salim¡¯s slowly retreating position, still out of his view, as it stuck to the thicker canopy that obscured vision. Still retreating, Salim looked around, using the rough trail he made following the deer to guide him back towards the river. The yellow mana seemed to speed up it¡¯s pace as he found the trail, moving to try and cut off his retreat while speeding towards him. Salim noticed what it was trying to do immediately, as he broke into a sprint in a bid to break its encirclement and escape. The moment he did, the creature reacted, yellow mana flashing as a strange pulse was let loose, causing him to pause for a second as his body failed to respond to his movements, the creature seizing the moment to dash forward. Fwoop. Sticks cracked and leaves ruffled as a body flew towards him, hellbent on taking his life if he didn¡¯t do anything. Through the darkness, a silhouette blurred as Salim felt a tube slam into his side, some fleshy material that seemed to hate him as it attempted to latch onto his face with as strange suction cup. He managed to throw it off of him, the tube writhing on the ground as he got away from it. Fwoop. Another tube was fired as he reached the edge of the yellow mana''s encirclement, impacting his right shoulder at the same time as the previous tube lunged at his legs, causing him to lose balance and tumble to the ground. Attempting to get onto his feet, Salim was able to kick the two flesh tubes away, noticing their smaller mana signature before looking for the main monster. It didn¡¯t take long as it had closed in while he was being harassed, viciously moving on its pseudopod towards him. Salim tried to move as the giant slammed into him, the shell on its back providing enough weight to make him go airborne, the wind knocked out of his chest causing him to gasp for air. As he flew, the creature launched another tube, adding insult to injury as his thoughts slurred from the impact before his body wrapped around a tree. As his consciousness faded, he felt like he was drowning, trying anything he could do to keep his head above water. His eyes closed, and with the last dregs of his strength, he pushed. Ch. 29 - Growth Everything hurt. His head spun, palms ached, and he was definitely bruised across his torso. Warmth drifted through him, like sitting next to a campfire during one of the few hiking trips he had as a kid. Detached, he simply felt the blood flowing through his veins as his heart beat slowly in his chest. The aching persisted, as began to wake up, the pain sharpening, focusing on the blackness of his eyelids. Yet as he tried to open them, he realized that something was wrong, the darkness stuck to his eyes. Panicking, he tried to move, only to realize that he couldn¡¯t feel anything, his arms and legs completely uncoperative. He was trapped, the only thing grounding him was the beating of his heat. The rhythmic thumping calmed him, and with the desperation of a drowning man, Salim centered himself. Panicking would do him no good and if he wanted to figure out what had happened. But even trying to pull up the menus was met with failure, darkness continuing to encapsulate his vision. Rooted to the spot, he strained to try and reach his core, hoping that magic might be a way out. Liking wiggling ears or flexing the stomach, he touched upon the weird impulse he had been using for months. The pull was stronger, potentially due to the lack of distractions or his desperation, moving inwards as the soft glow of his core slipped into his vision like a mirage. What- Thoughts squirmed their way through his mind as he looked around the core, which was glowing from his small reserve of mana, the light illuminating the branching pathways that led to the rest of his body. Instead of passages directed towards his head and limbs, he was met with shoots directly above and below. Twenty-four passages spread out above with five below, wide and thin, like gaping maws that only served to amplify his confusion. Resting for a moment, Salim collected his thoughts, attempting to explore the pathways with the small amount of mana he still had. As the mana bunched up and churned into his push spell, he gently moved the mana to the edge of his core. Taking aim, he focused on the hole straight below him, the most robust of all the passages. Whoosh The spell flew as Salim had directed, straight down with perfect accuracy. As the light broke off and was eventually lost, he slowly began to feel something in his body, the feeling pulling his attention back from his core. It was nothing like he had ever experienced before, even more so than the core the pathway that the spell took was so incredibly foreign. Down it went, along his body, pulling off to the side and out of his fingers. His fingers? That couldn¡¯t be right, he didn¡¯t have fingers on his feet, that would be ridiculous. He knew he was kidding himself, cold existential fear wrapping around him as he tried to make sense of what had happened to him. His fingers were now clear to him, with the spell guiding the way for him to discover the new appendages he didn¡¯t just find one finger, but all five. Despite his efforts, he couldn¡¯t move them much, just slight adjustments at a glacially slow pace as the movements sent a sensation shooting through his mind. Exhaustion, he felt tired and wrung out, and although he was feeling the horror from his realization of what had happened to him, he was simply too exhausted to care. He wanted to cry, yell, scream. But he had no way to make his pain known, mind slipping from consciousness, belligerently protesting in agony.
How long had it been? Salim woke with a start, jolted awake as yet another new sensation awoke in his body, strange and alien in its ways. Something was knocking, with swift rapt motion, against his mouths. Mouths. Plural. The shock was enough to completely disrupt his train of thought, his mana churning in discontent in his core. Knock, Knock. Who¡¯s there? He giggled manically to himself. The one knocking didn¡¯t find it so humorous. Three seconds were all he had before it forced its way in, a familiar caustic sensation burning his throat as silver liquid poured down his many throats. Nothing worked to stop it from smothering his core, slowly pushing its way inside as he failed to stop it, the pain overwhelming his ability to concentrate. Swirling around, the moon''s mana clogged his passageways, the viscous liquid forming chains around his core as it pressed against its surface. Pressure was building up in his head, like flying in a plane, it pressed down on his thoughts as the moon¡¯s presence continued to oppress him. As the silver mana slipped its way inside his core, a reaction occurred, his own mana evaporating with a loud hiss under the suffocating force of the moon. A hollow feeling filled him as he helplessly watched the last of his mana get scoured away. After a while, all that remained was a glowing silver core, floating in a wash of more silver mana. No matter what he did, nothing worked. Salim. The name shot through his mind, utterly alien in its sound and totally against the flow of his inner monologue. His thoughts froze, as caution wormed its way into his mind. Did he think that? You were hurt, I healed you. Definitely not him. ¡°Fallon?¡± The quicksilver mana undulated in affirmation. ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?¡± His thoughts screamed, he was restrained against his will, unable to see or move without great effort. Fallon had done something, said that they ¡®healed¡¯ him, which¡­ To an entity like Fallon, what was considered healthy. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Thoughts stirred in his head, waiting for any sort of reply to make itself be known, to vindicate him and allow him to espouse his righteous fury upon them. So he waited, stuck in his own head as the moonlit mana began to suffuse into his core, turning its surface a glimmering silver. His waiting continued, as the light began to compress, folding itself inside his core until it was bulging to its limit, completely contained within him. He knew that Fallon had left, realized it as soon as his gained control over the moonlit mana and pushed in towards his core to recoup the losses that it had caused. Had they truly abandoned him like this? Was he going to be stuck as a faceless thing, an abomination of a tree, forever? His anger gave way to the clutching hands of dread, pulling him down as he felt the reality of his situation. Alone. Completely and utterly alone. Not the loneliness that came from living out in the woods, but true isolation that physically locked him in his mind, only giving him the respite of his core to look at. He wallowed in his self-pity, the distress causing him to feel like his life was over, for what felt like several days. But at the end of it all, boredom won out over his distress. It was slow at first, the subtle movements as he slowly worked his way through the surrounding ground, the glacial speed allowing him time to think. He had lost, something. Spells didn¡¯t come out the way that they were supposed to, maybe his roots and leaves were too long, or something else was stopping him. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter, he was stuck as a tree and while he may have eyed his core and thought about the consequences of damaging it, he could never bring himself to act on it. The mana Fallon had forced into him had fully crystallized, solidifying inside his core as it formed what looked like a sieve. Salim hadn¡¯t figured out the purpose until the night after it had completed, where he felt the same moonlight pressure come down through his leaves. Instead of drowning the area around his core again, this time it slowly dripped, the moonlight being filtered by his unwitting creation as something different came out the other end. Instead of the green that he was used to eating from the trees, this mana was a harsh violet, pulling itself away from the bottom of his core. Watching with curiosity, the light fell to his roots, a calm sedate feeling filled him as the mana seemed to release itself from his roots. It felt right, like he was doing exactly what he was meant to do. Night after night, day by day, the mana dripped through him as he calmly watched his body process the mana. Each pulse of power as the mana released itself from his roots sent a wave of calm ecstasy through him, his leaves shaking on their own. He had a lot of time to think, to ponder his situation in great detail. Fallon didn¡¯t know any better, they didn¡¯t understand what the concept of freedom meant, if anything they are helping me! Lines of thoughts filled his head as the quicksilver mana dripped from above, the memory of an echo creating a calm environment. Who cares if he couldn¡¯t access his menu, he wouldn¡¯t be in this situation if it had actually helped him! Winter is here. The thought came unbidden from his mind as a shiver ran down his body, the memory of a biting cold playing out in his head. But he wasn¡¯t concerned, his roots had dug deep enough that he could still feel the warmth of the ground, sustaining him. Fallon did not disappoint him either, still gifting him copious amounts of mana to sustain him, to feed him further. So winter passed without an issue. Spring brought the joyous feeling of growth. Summer came and went with the annoyance of its sun''s heated mana, trying to break into his body to no avail. Fall went by in a blur, the season simply preparing him for winter. Around and around the cycle went, two, five, ten. It became hard to keep track after a while, as Salim¡¯s perspective ballooned outward, roots covering more and more land. He stole the space of his neighbors, slowly at first, but with a deliberate purpose that was impossible for the simple trees to replicate. His stealing became routine, as he undermined several at once, his constantly expanding trunk causing him to grow more roots. That in turn allowed him to expand faster, his branches shooting upwards, heavenward towards Fallon. He wasn¡¯t sure when the idea had come to him, perhaps in his exhausted dreamless sleeps, but he was going to reach them. For they who helped him so much, who protected him and made him so much more, he had to reach them so he could kneel before their majesty. So upward he went, growing wider and taller, year after year, inch after inch. It was a race against his own body, the natural instincts of a tree telling him something was wrong, only to be pushed aside by his core, its whispers guiding his growth. After an unknowable amount of time, Salim¡¯s expansion hit a snag, the plateaus, their stony walls were finally within his grasp and were stopping him. He was trapped, boxed in from all sides, his roots could burrow into the stone, but it was slow-going and would slow down his rate of expansion. But he had no choice, and besides, the plateaus would provide a great platform to support his bodies upward trajectory. So up he went, slowly drilling and pushing himself upwards with the help of the sheer walls, once a harrowing descent turned into a victorious return. Up and up he went, even as animals made homes within his flesh, he became the land, but did not care for any of it. His mind, after so many years, could only focus on one thing. But unfortunately, his desire was not to be. As his roots burst out the side of a plateau, he shook in agony as his dreams were ripped from his hand. The ocean sat below, he could taste it through his roots, the putrid sea stopping his growth towards his God. While he could still grow, he knew that the stable pillar he was trying to create would never come to fruition. Blocked on one side, he would be unbalanced, ultimately fated to never reach the heavens where his God resided. But he couldn¡¯t give up, not after so long, if he could get to space¡­ Yes, if I simply get to space I¡¯ll be safe, everything will be okay. I simply need to get to space. So the tree attempted to reach his God. Creak. But blind fervor can only get you so far. Creeeeak. Eventually, you have to face reality. Crack. And reality is a cruel thing. Snap.
You have died. Cause of death: ¡°Starvation¡±
Total Score Level = 17 Points Class = 10 Points Stats = 33 Points Titles = 25 Points Total is 85 Points. Spend Points in Shop before Respawn.
Ch. 30 - Building Up Salim blankly stared at the message floating above him, as he lay limply in an unfamiliar body. Everything that once felt so familiar to him now was alien, forcing him to twitch as he adjusted to the human form anew. Slowly, with creeping assurance, he began to move his body once more as a hand raised above a dull body, fingers splayed open. Nothing passed through his mind as he simply observed his hand, and how odd it looked silhouetted by the white void. Perhaps he was in a state of shock, both his mind and body snapped back into place with a precise guiding hand. His right foot moved this time, toes clenching and unfurling as he tested out his muscles, the feeling slowly beginning to become more natural. What¡­ Happened? Eventually his thoughts broke the silence, and the twitching of his muscles sped up. Seizing on the ground, Salim stretched in every direction, unfamiliar with the freedom he was being given. It feels good. After so long in a body which dulled the senses and only allowed the most extreme of conditions to slip through, his weak fleshy body was bliss. Letting out a loud breath, he jumped at the sound, before relaxing and letting out an intentional sigh of relief. His memory was hazy, spurts of blind emotional fervor mixed with long periods of exhaustion and rest. But he did have an idea about what happened. Fallon. He didn¡¯t have a proper word to describe the utter disgust and repulsion he felt for that name, what it had done to him. If he had been able to do anything when Fallon had spoken their last words to him, he would have shown them the meaning of suffering. The depravity of his mind that they were in no doubt aware of would have meant little in the face of all the new fresh hell he would have invented. They had taken him, twisted his body and mind beyond anything he could imagine before leaving him for who knows how many years. His fists clenched as his body pulled itself off the ground, joints popping loudly as he did so. He wobbled a bit, trying to keep his balance on feet he hadn¡¯t used in¡­.. years? Centuries? How long has it been? He could be angry, swear his immortal vengeance against the moon and devote the rest of his life to the destruction of the eldritch creature, no matter the cost. But would that be much of a life? He simply felt exhausted. While he hadn¡¯t completely given up the idea of vengeance, all of his anger run dry. No, he wouldn¡¯t let his resentment take over. It was clear that Fallon cared little for his emotions in the first place, much less the pathetic abilities he displayed. In the eyes of such a being, he was a gnat, buzzing around their face with persistence. Nothing he could possibly do would matter, there was only one way that he could win in the face of an impossible goal. To simply not play the game in the first place. I need to live for myself. He thought as he finally pulled his attention back to the menu that had been buzzing around his head for the past couple hours. Awkwardly waving his hand around, Salim began to slowly navigate his options as the rich blue of the screen seemed to ooze comfort.
¡ü Points: 85 Point Store Confirm
? Increased Stats 5P Per Stat -/+
| Basic Class Weight 50P -/+
| Basic Skill 50P -/+
¡ý Increased Level 50P Per Level -/+
He thought for a moment, considering his options as he scrolled through down the list of increasingly expensive items. Unlike last time, he didn¡¯t have a specific goal or idea for what he should do this time. So instead of going for a skill that might be useful, Salim poured all his points into his stats, just for a nice boost in his next life.
Lvl. 0 Stats Confirm
Might: 8 (13) -/+
Finesse: 9 (13) -/+
Resilience: 7 (15) -/+
Acuity: 12 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 0 -/+
However, there was one thing he wanted to test. He couldn¡¯t feel his core at the moment, no matter how hard he focused on it, he wasn¡¯t able to find the internal space that had guided him. If his [Depth] stayed at zero, would that mean he couldn¡¯t use mana? The idea appealed to him, the revolting silver mana that seemed to wash over his mind had a grip on him mere hours ago. If he never had mana, then perhaps Fallon would have never found him. They had mentioned that his mana acted as a sort of sonar. This is for the best. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Salim confirmed his decision with confidence, even as he fell onto his knees from the pain of his body changing, he never fell. And even as the mysterious strength filled him, he still couldn¡¯t feel the core in his chest. His breath came out in elated but deep breaths, as he pulled himself back up to his feet, he steeled himself for what was to come. But before he left the void, he paused with his finger hovering over the button. I wonder how much time has passed?
Respawn
The view was a kaleidoscope of colors as everything settled into place, his feet firmly set on earthy soil. Prepared for the transition this time, Salim didn¡¯t flinch, simply looking around at his surroundings. The ground beneath his feet was soft, and the feeling of his gym shorts being clean was even better as he began to survey the land. Purple and white, as far as the eye could see. The grass - no pine needles were ashy white, while the bark of the trees possessed a deep hue of purple. The natural world was so far from what Salim expected that it took several moments for him to simply take in the sight and adjust to the harsh colors. He was in a thin pine forest, the large space between the trees making it easy for him to navigate through what little undergrowth wasn¡¯t covered in the needles. The colors made him uneasy, even more so when he dug a little into one of the trees and silver sap began to slowly ooze out. Making sure not to get any on his hands, Salim watched as it dribbled down the side of the tree. Salim walked away from the tree, brushing his hands against his shorts to try and wipe some of the purple stains off his hand. Failing, as the color simply smeared across his fingers, Salim stayed cautious as he moved through the forest. While his stint as a tree had lasted for quite a while, there wasn¡¯t much for him to actually remember, he still was acutely aware of how dangerous the woods were. Stalking from tree to tree, his memories slowly began to uncover themselves from the fog that seemed to permeate his head. Finding a serviceable enough branch from under a rather tall tree, Salim moved with purpose to survey the area. Even though he didn¡¯t have a particular plan in mind, anything was better than sitting around, and he needed to move. Pushed by his unconscious into action, he glanced upwards at the sun, which was currently resting above his head. What would he be seeing if he still had [Arcane Eyes]? Was the orange energy wafting down onto the ground like it had before, or was it repelled by the harsh white of the pine trees. He shook the needles off his foot, the small pinpricks were annoying him as he stood on a root, listening to the disturbing silence that still permeated the forest. There was a reason he was being so cautious, even though being safe was smart in general, there seemed to be no noise other than the howl of wind snaking through the forest. It was as if no animal dared to make a noise in fear of something finding them, or maybe all the animals had left. Salim wasn¡¯t sure about the effect, Fallon¡¯s mana might have on a forest, but he didn¡¯t feel inclined to stick around and figure it out. Unfortunately, most of the trees were impossible for him to climb safely, with most of the branches only being near the top. While he might be able to pull himself up the tree, using the rough bark as handholds, he wasn¡¯t too inclined to relive his first death. A shiver ran down his spine as his mind replayed the sickening crunch that had come when he hit the ground. Rubbing his forehead, he decided to do the only thing he could think of and walk in as straight of a line as he could. He used the slight dip in the sun to guide him as he walked to the west, making sure not to exhaust himself too quickly. Walking through the silent forest, Salim couldn¡¯t help but feel an invisible pressure weighing down on him, the trees leaning ever so slightly in the wrong directions. Like they were watching his every move, just waiting for him to drop his guard. He wouldn¡¯t even be surprised, he had directly been effected by Fallon¡¯s mana, so who knew what these strange trees could do? The forest was endless, the pine needles looking like snow as they dug into his heels, the deep purple burning into his eyes and making it hard to concentrate. Right now, he was just waiting for his first level to hit so that he could try and get some sort of navigation skill. Probably should start thinking about shelter as well. Issue was, there was little if any debris on the ground. A few strange shrubs grew here and there, but on the whole there was nowhere to hide for the night. While it did cause some worry and forced him to pick up his pace, he wasn¡¯t sure if he needed to hide. Without a core, would Fallon be able to see him? Would the mana do anything to him? He wanted to know, but more importantly, he wanted to be free. Hiding every night from the pulsing eye of the moon was exhausting. Even though at first it was out of fright, he no longer felt the need to run away. While he could do nothing against Fallon, what was the point of being afraid? Something hardened in his mind as he thought about his own inadequacy, his weakness in the face of unperceivable power. And at that moment, he didn¡¯t feel anger, frustration, or gnawing desire for revenge. But instead he felt peaceful, like he managed to push the weight of his stress off of him for just a little while.
You have come to a realization. Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level!
That''s concerning. Can it read my thoughts?
You have gained your first Level. Select Class in Menu.
Whatever, it¡¯s getting dark. Let¡¯s see what we got.
Classes Available
Wanderer Alone by trade, the Wanderer travels from place to place, never staying put and always searching for new experiences. Trailblazer Along the path you walk with assurance. To find the path is your goal, and to walk it is your dream. Monk Strive for the power of the mind, the heart, and the body. Bring peace to all those who are restless.
Interesting¡­ Salim paused with his finger hovering over [Wanderer]. The choice was logical, he knew what the class would give him, or likewise [Trailblazer] seemed pretty straightforward in that regard as well. But he didn¡¯t feel like it. Even with his survival hanging in the balance, boredom seemed to weigh him down even more. He didn¡¯t feel like choosing the guaranteed option, what was the point if he was just going to pick the same thing every time? He might regret it later, perhaps sooner than later, but who cares? He could just come back and try again. Boredom made him nervous, he needed to keep it fresh, keep experiencing new things each time he came back. Anything he could do to stave off the boredom. He didn¡¯t realize how much his arm was shaking when he hit the button.
You have chosen the Monk Class. The mind wanders, the body grows restless
You have gained 3 new Skills. ¡®Meditation¡¯ ¡®Open Mind¡¯ ¡®Discussion¡¯ You have gained 5 stat points.
In the dim light of the forest, Salim studied the new skills he had received from the class. They were, interesting, to say the least, but how effective could they be? [Open Mind] was the most obvious, and seemed to have an immediate effect. Eyes roamed and squinted in the darkness as he looked over the thin needles lining the ground, a thin root delicately snaking through the earth for more sustenance. It wasn¡¯t making him smarter, just amplifying what he was already seeing, adding wonderment to the simplest of details. It did what it said on the tin, definitely opened his mind, although the practical use was dubious. The other two had obvious uses, but altogether seemed like normal actions. Maybe they are amplified in some way? [Discussion] most of all intrigued him, a definitive social skill, although with his lack of company he couldn¡¯t see himself getting much use out of it.
Lvl. 1 Stats Confirm
Might: 13 (15) -/+
Finesse: 13 (15) -/+
Resilience: 15 -/+
Acuity: 12 (13) -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 0 -/+
Grunting at the twinge in his muscles, Salim noticed the thin light of the moon begin to peer over the trees, beaming down and touching his forehead. Flinching at the realization, he quickly realized that the light wasn¡¯t doing anything, simply shining onto his forehead. He paused, holding his hand up in the air, watching the light filter through his fingers without a single twinge of pain filling his body. Relief filled him as nothing happened, no flooding of mana as he desperately tried to stay afloat. Everything was just, normal. Until the trees starting to move. Ch. 31 - Rock Wall All it took was a single creak from behind to send Salim¡¯s heart into a frenzy as he whipped around. His eyes narrowed as he tried to pick out what had made the noise, but the color of the trees looked strangely blurry in the darkness. The light from the moon seemed to bounce off them in strange ways, a scattering of shapes that were roughly contrasted by the white grass. What made that noise? He kept looking for whatever creature had caused the trees to creak under its weight. Crouching low, he moved next to a tree, making sure to protect his back while his eyes roamed, looking for the threat. The longer he stared between the trees, the more they seemed to warp in front of his eyes, as if obscuring whatever creature was hunting him. Pressing his hand against the tree without looking to steady himself, his hand sunk further than he expected, causing him to almost topple over. Jerking his head, Salim was almost too late in pulling his hand away from the trunk before it was swallowed. A cavity was positioned right where he almost put his hand, something that he definitely could have missed but felt a little too coincidental. Salim stared at the bark of the tree, the weird blurry texture seeming to make his gaze unfocused as he tried to make a plan. Maybe the trees were alive, maybe there was a monster, and he was overthinking, the main issue was that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. Unless he took the time to scrape the ground for pine needles and made a makeshift cover with them, he wasn¡¯t likely to find anything nearby he could use for protection. Even the branch, he found earlier, wasn¡¯t likely to do much since the wood was softer and pliable. His options consisted of variations of stay or run, and he wasn¡¯t a big fan of either. Might as well get a move on, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m waiting for anyone to come and rescue me. He thought as another wooden creaking noise sounded somewhere to his left out in the forest, pausing for a few seconds, he resumed walking after nothing followed the noise. It¡¯s further away than last time, maybe I¡¯m in the clear? That thought only lasted another couple minutes of travel, as a loud noise sounding only a few feet away from behind a tree, causing him to freeze in place. One of the new skills, [Meditation] actually helped calm him down at that moment, his concentration on quieting his breath seemed to trigger the skill as his heart rate slowly lowered. Something wrapped around his foot while he was trying to regain control of his breath, causing him to try to jerk his foot away. But nothing budged, looking down he saw the root of a tree had managed to wrap itself around his foot and was slowly moving further around. Eyes widening, he grabbed the root with his hands, ripping at the bark that was attempting to cling to his flesh. The tree wasn¡¯t trying to disguise itself anymore as more roots began to tunnel towards him, attempting to capitalize on his distraction. Pulling the root off him was a struggle, the tree was able to somehow harden itself, his fingers only able to pry a centimeter small gap. As he yanked his leg, the bark scrapped into his foot, like small little knifes they cut into his flesh, leaving thin gash marks. Wincing from the pain, he continued to struggle, inch by inch as he felt the ground slightly tremble beneath him, the sound of split ground rumbling in his ears. Struggling as he grasped the bark, sweat now covering his palm, sand making him lose his grip, wasting him precious time. Am I really going to die so soon? He asked himself, not willing to give up as another root finally broke ground, attempting to grab him. Pulling as far as his leg would allow, he swatted away the approaching root, the dull pang of pain ringing from his hand as his reward. Attempting to come up with a plan, Salim began to spin his body as much as he could, in an attempted to twist the root off of his leg. Awkwardly shifting his weight as he tried to rotate his leg as far as possible, he felt like he might break his ankle. The pressure was building, his foot twisting ninety-degrees angle from his ankle, what would last, his leg? Or the root? More roots began to tunnel their way towards him, the grove of trees seeming to turn against him in the cruel glow of the moonlight. He was stuck, close to the base of his captor, surrounded on all sides by a pit of wooden constrictors. Just a few more seconds of pulling and then maybe he could¡­ Crack. Relief flooded him as the root seemed to pop, not splinter normally but pop in a small explosion of splinters and familiar violet liquid. It seemed to spew from the base of the root, large chunks that had clotted up now flowed freely onto the grass. The other roots seemed to pause for a moment, pausing at the visceral gore he had caused. Taking advantage of the roots lack of movement, Salim sprinted forward, kicking off the ground with as much force as he could manage. Soaring by the nearest root as it turned to watch him fly by, he stumbled as he hit the ground but managed to keep himself upright. Not pausing for a second, even after breaking the encirclement, Salim took off, sprinting away from the roots. He knew that sprinting forever was impossible, so as soon as the last root vanished from his sight, he slowed down to a brisk walk. His breath was heavy, a reminder that he was back to being a normal human, as he made sure not to tire himself out. The stomach that annoyed him after every reset was back, and even though his stat growth at the beginning of his current life helped, he wasn¡¯t back to perfect shape. Thankfully, coming back from the dead seemed to top off his sleep, as exhaustion was barely an issue as he continued walking through the night. While he still heard a few noises from the trees, none seemed confident enough to attack him as long as he kept moving. Now he knew why no animals made noise in the forest, he wasn¡¯t even sure if there were any. Pausing for a brief moment, Salim swept his hand across boxes and distributed the stat points to his [Resilience] to keep up his momentum. The most important thing was to get out of the forest, if he collapsed or fell asleep before then, well he probably would be waking back up in the void. There always seemed to be some sort of catch whenever he came back. Or maybe surviving in the wild is just difficult.
You have escaped certain death with wits and strength Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
Lvl. 3 Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Stats Confirm
Might: 15 (17) -/+
Finesse: 15 (18) -/+
Resilience: 15 (20) -/+
Acuity: 13 -/+
Resolve: 14 -/+
Depth: 0 -/+
The only thing that came out of his mouth was a grunt as his skin reshaped itself for what felt like the hundredth time. There was an oddly comforting pain to it, a certain surety that he was stronger than before. Was he compensating for how naked and powerless he had been feeling for the last couple of hours? Maybe, but who could say? He shrugged to himself. Either way, he knew that he wanted to try maxing out his skills this time, insane circumstances notwithstanding. He needed all the points he could get, and without having the point sink that was [Depth] he was a bit more freed up in what he could do. The lack of magic sucked, but it did seem to have some benefits if the moonlight wasn¡¯t doubling him over in pain. Crack. The noise brought him back to his senses, and he quickly got a move on, using the moon as a reference to keep moving in the same direction he had during the day. The lack of noise in the forest was still eerie, it reminded him of that first night meeting Fallon or at least the moon, what felt like a strange mix of months and years ago. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine a large white figure peaking at him from behind a tree, its voice the echos of wind blowing through the trees. Shivering at the thought, Salim pulled up his skills to finally read their descriptions and see if any had managed to level up in the brief time he had used them.
Skills
Meditation (Class) Lvl. 2 Calm against the disruptive chaos.
Open Mind (Class) Lvl. 5 Think true, see the world as it is.
Discussion (Class) Lvl. 1 Convince others of your view.
Making sure to take a wide berth around any nearby trees, he was surprised to see the amount of levels [Open Mind] had. Why was it leveling that quickly? Maybe it was taking into account his previous life? It¡¯s proved that it can read my mind, it¡¯s not that strange for it to take into account everything I¡¯ve already experienced. He reasoned, after everything that¡¯s happened, I guess I have an open mind, whatever that means. But how am I going to level [Discussion]? Do I need to talk to another person, or can I quantify one of these trees as an ¡°other¡± even if they can¡¯t communicate with me? He pondered as he walked, considering the possibility of teaching the trees how to speak as the moon slowly moved across the sky. Salim stared upwards, craning his neck to spot the round object through the branches and thin leaves of the trees. It seemed to loom over the forest, it¡¯s harsh glow slightly sinister after all that he had been through, yet more familiar than ever. The celestial object seemed to agree, it¡¯s light turning softer as it began to lower itself below the horizon and out of view. It almost marked the first day in the forest, and he wasn¡¯t liking his odds, the forest still seemed endless and his body was finally starting to feel the effects of exhaustion. Still, it was do or die in the most anticlimactic sense, and the trees certainly had more patience than he did. He could deal with a small amount of exhaustion until he found his way out.
¡°Maybe I messed up.¡± Salim¡¯s horse voice echoed through the forest, seemingly the only noise besides the occasional crackle from a tree. Two days later and he was feeling the effects of exhaustion in full force, his body wanting to simply lean over and face dive into the comfortable white grass. He had taken to talking with himself in an attempt to gain a level in [Discussion] but so far it hadn¡¯t happened. The only reason that he was able to keep going in his current state was both his experience with awful situations and his avid use of his [Meditation] skill. It allowed him to get just enough rest to stay on his feet, without him completely passing out. ¡°You guys wouldn¡¯t mind if I just took a quick nap here, right? I¡¯ll be gone in just a few hours, I promise.¡± He begged the trees, knowing that they would in fact mind very much. All he needed to do was move the slightest amount, and they wouldn¡¯t do a thing to him, however if he stopped for too long then roots would begin to creep towards him. They would even attack during the day, meaning that he hadn¡¯t stopped hobbling forward for almost three days. Each level up he would get from his show of endurance was simply put towards his [Resilience]. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like whatever keeps bringing me back has a sick sense of humor.¡± He mumbled under his breath. ¡°Cause at first it was the wolves, or was it a bug? Whatever, then that landslide, Fallon, and who knows what else. What did I do? Seriously, it¡¯s like I¡¯m being punished for existing.¡± He rambled on, his diatribe allowing him to keep pushing forward through the forest, barely able to keep himself straight as he walked towards the setting sun. One foot in front of the other. ¡°Oh, I completely forgot about that time with the wolves, not the first time, but the second. Can you believe that? Running into a pack of wolves multiple times in a row? I must be the most unlucky bastard ever.¡± One foot, then another. ¡°The spider. How could I forgot about the spider, that thing was huuuge. Nearly killed me too, but I survived by dangling off a cliff. I am so cool.¡± Had he passed a tree in a while? ¡°And Fallon, how could sh- it do that to me? What did I do to deserve that? What is wrong with you?¡± He drunkenly waved his hand in the air in a poor attempted at shaking his fist. Was that light? ¡°I¡¯m just going to die, again and again, until I can barely be called a person. I can¡¯t live like that. I don¡¯t deserve to live like that! I deserv-¡± Thunk. He looked down at his leg, the pain dulled by his exhaustion. Under the moonlight, it seemed like he had run into some sort of long rock. But that means! He whipped his head around to realize that he was no longer surrounded by trees, and instead inside a small clearing divided by¡­ By a stone wall? Before him was a small dividing wall of stones stacked on top of each other, creating a flat divide into what looked like a pasture. A mix of emotions filled Salim as he stared at the clear sign of sapient life. The emotions were too much; relief, joy, and hope filled him as his body plummeted to the ground in exhaustion. So he lay, passed out on the ground, feeling better than ever. Ch. 32 - Village People Sensations surrounded Salim, flashes of pain, sickening crunches, it all seemed to blend together as he floated in a void of feeling. He could not act, nor could he think, all that was left for him to do was experience. Death was a foreign concept to him now, not in the way of a child¡¯s lack of understanding, but a wide ravine that he might never cross. As nothingness began to bleed into light, Salim opened his eyes, squinting at the light which projected across the edges of a shadow that was leaning over him. The long rectangles of a goat¡¯s pupils stared down at him. His eyes opened wide at the sight as he shot forward, his forehead colliding with the goat. ¡°Ow, what was that for? That really hurt!¡± The voice sounded like a child''s, and as Salim¡¯s eyes finished adjusting, he saw a young boy rubbing his forehead in pain. Atop his head was a pair of horse ears, which flitted across grassy green hair as the boy seemed to hold back tears. Salim¡¯s hands shook as he took in the boy, even with the oddities of his appearance, there was a genuine person standing in front of him! Not a facsimile or some messed up undead abomination but a genuine person. I¡¯m not going to be alone. ¡°Hello?! Did you hear me?!¡± A loud voice rang in his ear. The boy, having stood up on the stone wall to talk into his ear and was now looking at him impatiently. ¡°What?¡± His voice came out cracked and painful, like a bolder scraping against a cliff. ¡°I said, Did. You. Hear. Me?!¡± The boy pointed at him, pushing his index and middle finger towards him with each enunciated word. ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, I heard you. Where am I?¡± Salim felt strange, asking a child important questions, but the burning desire to know more about people was overwhelming. I really am desperate. ¡°I am Brook! And we are in the field, why are you asking me that?¡± With a confused look on his face, the boy must have thought Salim was crazy. Salim thought for a moment longer, considering the situation he was in, stumbling out of the forest and finding himself at the edge of a field. Whoever this kid''s parents were hadn¡¯t warned him enough about strangers, judging by the inquisitive look in the boy''s eyes. Or maybe the kid didn¡¯t understand the dangers associated with it. ¡°I got lost, I was trying to find my way home and ended up wandering into the forest.¡± Salim pointed his thumb in the direction of the white and purple trees, trying to suppress a shudder. He didn¡¯t really want to lie to a kid, but he was likely going to tell his parents, who would be much more suspicious. ¡°You got lost in the forest?! Did you see a monster, was it as tall as a tree, how did you survive the killer bees?¡± The boy barraged him with questions. ¡°Killer bees? I didn¡¯t see any, no monsters either.¡± He couldn¡¯t imagine much surviving in that forest for too long. ¡°Really? Aw.¡± He seemed disappointed at the answer. ¡°My parents told me what was in the forest, and that I should never go past the edge of the field.¡± He stood precariously on the stone wall. ¡°Well¡­¡± Salim felt incredibly awkward. ¡°Your parents are right to it-¡± A small rock cracked him in the face, not fast enough to cut or break anything but leaving him stunned for a second. ¡°Get away from my brother!¡± A voice yelled, the owner standing a few yards away holding another rock in his hand. It was an older boy, a teenager judging by his voice, although he still looked incredibly young in Salim¡¯s eyes. The teen chucked another rock, but it flew wide, landing softly in the grass behind Salim. ¡°Look, I wasn¡¯t trying anything, I promise. I just got lost and was asking for directions.¡± Pointing his hands at Brook, Salim took the moment to observe the teen. While his hair was similarly grassy green hair, yet no ears adorned it. Instead, his skin seemed to have a strange wooden appearance, like his skin was interlaced bark, head to toe. The teen looked at him warily, hopping over the wall to place himself between Salim and Brook, another stone primed in his palm. When did he pick more up? ¡°Oak, he''s telling the truth! He was resting on this side of the wall when I found him!¡± Brook''s high-pitched voice broke the tense silence, Oak taking a moment to look back at his brother. Salim couldn¡¯t help but think their parents were a bit cruel with naming conventions. He watched as the boys huddled up, Brook hunching down on the wall to get closer to Oak¡¯s ear. After a few moments of hushed whispers, they broke apart with serious looks on their faces. ¡°If my brother is telling the truth, we can help you out.¡± Oak spoke with a serious look that didn¡¯t fit his face. ¡°You have to walk in front of us so that we can watch you.¡± Brook nodded in agreement. While there were several flaws in that plan, Salim didn¡¯t feel the need to point anything out. With a simple nod, they scooted over the wall, Salim in tow as he took a few seconds longer to clear the rocky barrier. The stones were well-worn, a layer of moss keeping them wet even with the sun beading down up above. The boys took him through their field, not overly large, but a good acre or two of land which had several sheep like animals roaming around. He was hesitant to call them sheep since their wool looked strangely glossy from far away, sunlight reflecting off of their backs. The wall that he had jumped over seemed to extend a good distance, not covering the entire perimeter but instead acting as a deterrent, so that errant sheep wouldn¡¯t wander into the woods. Whispering in front of him, Brook and Oak looked like two conspirators, walking side by side and taking the occasional glance back at him while they moved further through the field. Not minding their silent conversation, Salim kept looking around, taking in the sight of civilization. The stone walls slowly curved in before ending abruptly halfway through the field, Salim couldn¡¯t see any mountains on the horizon, so he could imagine that the stones might be in short supply. Having a moment to himself, Salim decided to finally address the notification that had covered his face while he was trying to push himself through the forest for several days straight. Pulling the menus back into focus, he contemplated whether he should wait to upgrade his stats.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. You have shown an incredible will to continue living Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level!
He felt like the levels were well-earned, although he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had been cheated out of a few extra levels. Had he chosen [Wanderer] or [Trailblazer], maybe he could already be at level seven. Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll get there regardless. It¡¯ll just take time.
Meditation has reached Max Level. Event has been Logged. You have gained five stat points.
This notification was both a surprise, and not at the same time. He had been in a trance for most of his journey through the woods, even when talking to himself. The fact that it counted as [Meditation] was unexpected but incredibly welcome. He would never say no to more stat points.
Skills
Meditation (Class) Lvl. Max Calm against the disruptive chaos.
Open Mind (Class) Lvl. 6 Think true, see the world as it is.
Discussion (Class) Lvl. 2 Convince others of your view.
His eyebrows raised slightly as he read his skill window. Wow, [Meditation] really did shoot past [Open Mind]. [Discussion] gained a level too, was it because I was talking to myself or to the kids? If it was because of the kids, did the system know that I was going to meet people, or would it just be a useless skill sitting in my list? He could feel a headache forming as he contemplated the system being omnipotent to some degree, and what reason it could even have for helping him. It had always been cold, like a video game, never giving him any information except for what he could determine himself. Did someone give him the system then? What a nightmare. Throwing his ideas to the side, Salim pulled up his stats and making the decision to assign his points right away.
Lvl. 5 Stats Confirm
Might: 17 (20) -/+
Finesse: 18 (20) -/+
Resilience: 20 -/+
Acuity: 13 [15] (18) -/+
Resolve: 14 [17] (19) -/+
Depth: 0 N/A
The balanced approach still seemed like the best, at least until he had a proper goal and exact idea on how each stat worked. Attempting to stay as quite as possible, Salim didn¡¯t let out a sound as his body shifted uncomfortably but familiarly. Pushing through the pain, he was able to keep in step ahead of the boys without alerting them to slight movement of his flesh. They came upon a dirt path, the ground worn where people had walked hundreds of times before, guiding the small group through a small crop of trees and revealing the village. It wasn¡¯t anything grand, not like Salim was expecting it, the clothes of the two kids put the level of technology fairly low, although he wasn¡¯t sure where exactly it was at. Wooden walls stood tall, twice the size of Salim and encircled the houses of the village. Several fields stretched out from the walls, the green tips of newly sown crops attempting to peak their way out of the ground. Still walking towards the village, Salim saw a few people standing atop walls, tending to the crops, and wheeling small wagons filled with stuff inside the walls. The boys sped up and overtook him, Salim taking longer strides just to keep pace, even with his exhausted body screaming complaints. In just a few minutes, the boys had jogged down the road and ended up in front of the walls, where everyone had turned to stare at Salim. As if just being an outsider was enough, his nearly nude appearance didn¡¯t help keep attention away as the boys ran up to a surly looking man at the entrance of the village. Oak whispered something in the man''s ear as he nodded, seeming to glare harder at Salim, who was already feeling incredibly uncomfortable from all the stares. A group hadn¡¯t formed around him, but Salim could tell that people were keeping an eye on him, wondering who he was and what he was doing there. Finally, the man stepped forward. ¡°Oak tells me that you claimed to get lost in the forest, and that you did not see any monsters. Is that correct?¡± His voice was gravely, and he stood a good couple inches taller than Salim, his arms looking like they had enough strength to snap his bones. Salim couldn¡¯t help but focus on his mouth, as sharp canines seemed to protrude out, giving the man a vicious appearance. ¡°Ye- cough -yes, I got lost in the woods¡­¡± He thought about his alibi, ¡°I was hunting for food and my prey had wandered into the forest. I tried to chase after it, but I just ended up getting lost.¡± Trying to act as sincere as possible, Salim didn¡¯t attempt to smile or anything, he just projected all the exhaustion that he was currently feeling. ¡°...¡± The man stared at Salim for a moment, possibly weighing options in his head before he opened his mouth. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you to the head, he¡¯ll know what to do.¡± ¡°Thank you, I feel like I¡¯m about to fall over.¡± Relief flooded through Salim¡¯s veins. The man waved it off, ¡°Come with me, you boys get back to your parents, I¡¯m sure they are pleased at how you two decided to skip out on chores and wandered out to the fields.¡± Oak turned to leave with an eye roll, but Brook didn¡¯t follow, he looked up to the wolf teethed man. ¡°But I want to stay with the funny man!¡± ¡°No. Go back to your parents, I am sure they want to see you. Delaying is only going to make punishment worse.¡± Brook¡¯s attempt to appeal to the main failed, as he gave the two kids a look, Brook decided to finally scamper off with his brother into the village. The man turned back to Salim, shaking his head before motioning him to follow. ¡°Come, stay close to me as we walk through the village.¡± Ch. 33 - Starlight Walking through the village, Salim couldn¡¯t help but stare in wonder at the buildings, mud brick walls with what looked like thatched roofs. Men and women passed in and out of the buildings, several with eye-catching features worked tirelessly carrying wood, baskets, and all sorts of tools. Animal ears, scales, and green hair color seemed like common traits as Salim had to force his eyes upwards so that they wouldn¡¯t catch him staring. He was simply curious on how they had done¡­ everything really. Being stuck in the woods for several weeks made him incredibly aware of how difficult everything was without technology. His mouth watered as he watched smoke curl out of a chimney, imagining laying next to a fire with actual food. Stumbling over an errant stone on the ground, Salim was brought back to reality, picking up pace so that the fang toothed man wouldn¡¯t leave him behind. The man''s broad back made it easy for him to follow, people making way with small smiles before noticing Salim following closely behind. Their stares made him feel awkward but not uncomfortable, there was no malice behind the looks, only curiosity. It only took a few minutes of walking before they ended up in what could only be the middle of the village, where a large pit had been dug. Flattening into what seemed like a strange amphitheater, a small raised area in the center and the man atop it caught Salim''s eye. The man''s stark gray hair caught his eye, pressed evenly against the ground in a bow as the wolf-toothed man motioned silently for Salim to stop. ¡°Oh Great God, we beg for your enlightenment on this poor church of worshipers, we pray for you to continue to bless us day after day. We stand under your great light, as radiance from your heavens shines down upon us. We are unworthy, and you give to us all the same.¡± His words came out as wails, loud proclamations as his head stayed rooted to the ground. Salim felt an uncomfortable familiarity with those words, his childhood spent sitting behind pews and listening to the dronings of a pulpit. This was¡­ too familiar, right? Zoning out as the praying man continued his hymns, Salim thought through his interactions with Brook and Oak, how he had woken up and just accepted everything that was going on. These people were speaking English! Sure their phrasing sounded a little off but he could understand him. And only now was he questioning it? His palms sweat as a mixture of emotions flew through him, the realization of what Fallon succeeding truly meant. Looking up at the prostrating man, who was now silent and still, Salim couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was looking into a warped mirror. Fallon hadn¡¯t just used his body to create these people, his mind had been at their disposal as well. A hand roughly shook his shoulder as he was pulled from his existential musings, the wolf toothed man stood beside him as the ceremony seemed to have ended. The praying man was closer than Salim had realized as he extended his arms to hug Wolf Toothed. An aged face stared at Salim, eyes a stark purple that stood out like stars, almost glowing with their intensity. ¡°And who is this?¡± He motioned to Salim, with a questioning look towards Wolf Toothed. ¡°A wanderer, said he got lost in the woods, Stream¡¯s kids found him.¡± He started with a gravely voice. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± The old man seemed to want for the man to elaborate but was met with awkward silence. Pivoting after a few seconds, the gray haired man waved Wolf Toothed away with a dismissive hand before fully addressing Salim. ¡°Good to meet you, I am Starlight [Cheif-Priest] of Little Brook.¡± He addressed, his title seeming to have a certain meaning and weight to it. Clearly named after his most defining feature, his eyes pierced into Salim, face calm but firm. His arm outstretched in what looked like an attempt at a handshake. Reaching out, Salim jumped slightly as the man''s hand slipped past his and gripped his arm, firmly holding him in locked embrace. The old man¡¯s arm was solid, like attempting to grip concrete, his muscles rock solid as he was pierced by starlight eyes. For several moments, they stood grasping each other, as Salim tried not to show his discomfort at being overpowered by a man that looked twice his age. ¡°Good to meet you too. I am¡­ Salim, [Monk] of nowhere.¡± He tried to appear unflustered but Starlight¡¯s eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement at his effort. Finally, the old man let him go and Salim breathed a small sigh of relief; the old man was strong, much stronger than he was. ¡°Glad to meet you Salim. Although I will admit, I have never heard of a [Monk] before. Not even God has spoken of such a thing, what sort of calling is it?¡± Starlight asked, motioning Salim to sit down on one of the carved blocks of the amphitheater as they talked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Salim struggled to come up with an answer. ¡°To [bring peace to all those who are restless].¡± The answer came unbidden from his mind, the very same description of the class. The old man looked contemplative at the answer, and took a while to respond. ¡°An intriguing calling, what sort of life does one live to receive such a noble goal?¡± ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Salim felt like he was missing some sort of key component to the conversation, some information he wasn¡¯t privy to. A cocked eyebrow was what he received, ¡°Where are you from? Why did you decide to walk through that forest to get anywhere?¡± Salim felt torn on what to tell the man, to attempt to make up something and hope he didn¡¯t get caught? Or to tell the truth and be labeled as crazy or a liar? He quickly made his choice. ¡°I am from far away, and have traveled a long time to get here. My home is¡­ among those of similar calling. We live in the mountains and discuss philosophy with each other. I was forced to flee through the forest after a¡­ pack of wolves chased me. I ran for three days straight before making it to the borders of your fields.¡± He was hesitant to explain any more about his ¡®home,¡¯ complicating his lie further would only make it harder to remember.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. More waiting as silence overtook them, Starlight judging his answer with an uncomfortably slow weight. Salim waited, trying to predict what he would be asked about next: his ¡®compatriots¡¯, the mountains they called home, maybe the name of his group? Why didn¡¯t I just tell the truth? He wasn¡¯t sure why he lied, just a pocket of suspicion that guided him instead of divulging the similarly unbelievable truth. Too many unanswered questions along with being unsure if he could convince them that he wasn¡¯t crazy. But he also had to admit that it wasn¡¯t entirely logical, he just¡­ lied sometimes when it was convenient. Finally, Starlight spoke again, ¡°That is certainly quite the tail, did you pass through any villages on your way from the mountains?¡± That''s an obvious trap. To come clean or deepen the lie? ¡°I did not, it was an exercise in self sufficiency and restraint. Although, now that period is over and I wish to join your village while I prepare for my next journey.¡± An obvious bold faced lie, although Starlight didn¡¯t give any hints on if he believed the excuse or not. ¡°While I have never heard of a [Monk], your calling seems noble and I will allow you to stay in the village. However, you must stay with an elder during your stay here.¡± The old man''s voice was final in his decision and Salim didn¡¯t feel like arguing anyway. Nodding his head in agreement, Salim stood up with the old man as he was motioned to stay seated as Starlight stood up. The sun had finally vanished behind the horizon, however the moon was yet to appear, hiding just behind the walls of the village. Squinting to see more than the old man in front of him, Salim realized that they were now surrounded by several figures clothed in large fur skinned robes. They marched towards the stage of the amphitheater in silence, in perfect unison, practiced footsteps one after another. Starlight left his spot by Salim as he joined the robed figures, taking position in the middle of the troupe as they stopped on the stage, seven individuals clustered in a triangle pattern. Voices. The sound of voices disturbed the reverent silence as Salim jumped and looked around for the source of the noise. Turning his head to look behind he noticed what looked like most of the village filtering into the area, walking down the steps of the amphitheater to sit down. From small children that screamed and shrieked, to their exhausted parents or grandparents, the whole town seemed to be gathering for whatever was going on. In the darkness, Salim peered around, trying to see the faces of those who had sat near him yet feeling too awkward to speak. No one addressed him either, and everyone seemed to have their own spots that they claimed, filing off into small groups that laughed and chattered. But he stewed in his loneliness for only a few minutes before everyone seemed to quiet down, breaking him from his self pitying contemplations. Even the children seemed to have stopped their whining and complaining as the figures on the stage seemed to stand higher, moonlight filtering directly onto their hair and foreheads. It was an ethereal glow, haunting in Salim¡¯s opinion although it took on a more reverent air for the people of the village. A song began from the man standing in the middle, Starlight, his eyes glowing under the luminescence of the moon. It was symphonic, lacking any real words that Salim could recognize as the six others on the stage followed the song with harmony. The music was beautiful, and Salim couldn¡¯t help but be entranced, as he closed his eyes to focus solely on the beautiful sound. The rest of the village followed, deep base voices combining with flickering soprano in a song that everyone knew implicitly. On the stage the seven seemed to break off, singing a refrain that used the rest of the village to keep pace, as moonlight flowed further down their bodies. Their skin glowed as the moonlight flowed across it, slowly shining brighter as the moon began its ascent. Salim listened to the song become frantic, building in energy as the moon blanketed the stage in light, and all at once- the song ceased. Silence fell over the village once more, although this was a more contemplative mood than before, he could see even the children tipping their heads towards the stage in what looked like prayer. Again, he was struck with a feeling of deja vu, even though the circumstances were very far apart from each other. One thing he couldn¡¯t help but notice though, was the lack of pain that Starlight and the six other people seemed to be in. Did they lack mana like he did? Or was it something else? Millions of possibilities and millions of questions. As the moonlight slowly covered the rest of the village, nothing seemed to happen during the quiet prayer of the village. Salim¡¯s palms sweat as the light finally crept over his body, only relaxing after he confirmed that nothing strange was happening. Did any of the villagers have access to magic? Maybe- ¡°GOD HAS BLESSED US.¡± The words sprang from Starlight were loud, penetrating sounds that seemed to impact his very core. ¡°GOD HAS BLESSED US.¡± Resounded a chorus of voices, the townsfolk responding in kind. ¡°THE CRADLE THAT GIVES THE GIFT OF LIFE.¡± ¡°WE OWE THE FIRST A DEBT FOR LIFE.¡± ¡°KNOWLEDGE FROM THE HEAVENS BESEECHED.¡± ¡°TO BRING US TO THE HOLY PLACE.¡± ¡°THE TREE THAT HOLDS THIS WORLD UP HIGH.¡± ¡°AND GIVES US BOUNTY DESPITE ITS MIGHT.¡± The verses continued on and on, a chanting that began to grow into a dull buzzing in his head as he tried to listen. Starlight was doing something, his voice was impressing upon a feeling of reverence, of piety. Salim could feel it, the fire, the spark in the air that was urging him to join in despite not knowing any of the words. His headache continued to build as the preaching continued, the echoing of voices bouncing around his head like a gunshot. Shaking his head to clear the noises he looked back at the stage to see, light for lack of better words gathering around Starlight. Genuine light whose glow reflected off the faces of the many villagers, the children watching with rapt fascination. Light enshrouded Starlight''s body, wrapping around him like the trunk of a tree, slowly growing over him as everyone held their breath at the sight. The tree grew upwards towards the moon which had settled directly above, looming over everything in its enormity. Was it that close before? He couldn¡¯t remember. The tree, like the moon, was only partially full, branches had fully extended out, covering the amphitheater in a crescent pattern that mirrored the moon. Luminescent leaves grew across the branches, sending rays of light across the faces of all the villagers. It was a truly beautiful sight. And it made Salim sick to his stomach. Ch. 34 - Restful Stay Light flittered across the faces of the villagers as Salim stared at his feat, his shadow staring back with the same conflicted expression. That tree was, obviously, a direct sign that they worshiped Fallon, who had undoubtedly succeeded in creating life. Did they count as his children? But despite Salim¡¯s musings, the ceremony continued, more hymns rose into the air that venerated the being that peered at them from the sky. The branches of Starlight¡¯s tree stretch further and further out, a large dome slowly forming over the entire amphitheater. And while the tree was made of transparent light, Salim felt as if he could reach out and touch it, feel the bone against his hand. Salim looked away from the branches when the hymns stopped, silence filling the air and knocking Salim out of his trance. A young man was standing at the edge of the platform in the center of the theater, the robed individuals standing behind, silhouetted by Starlight and the tree. The man stood, his arms outstretched to the tree, head flung back as he looked straight up. ¡°I HAVE COME OF AGE TO BE BLESSED WITH A CALLING.¡± ¡°Another finds their calling.¡± The responding chorus was subdued, echoing with a deep reverence in their voices. ¡°AS MY FATHER AND MOTHER BEFORE ME I AM A [FARMER].¡± The name held a weight that Salim had felt before, the ¡®calling¡¯ they had mentioned before most likely being their [Class]. ¡°Till and toil for survival and family. To grow that which fills you and your family with fulfillment.¡± Was that a [Class] description? Salim wasn¡¯t sure but it had a similar phrasing that mirrored that of his classes. But why is he leveling up so late? He has to be at least twenty, if they have been able to gain levels since birth then maybe this is his second or third class? Does that mean they are all way stronger than me? Salim thought about the two kids that had found him, could they have overpowered him? They didn¡¯t look that tough, no visible muscles that might indicate [Might] and Oak did hit him with a rock. If they had increased [Might] then it would have done quite a bit more than annoy him. So why is he receiving his [Class] now? It was impossible to discern simply by watching the ritual. He just made a note to ask Starlight or whoever was going to deal with him when the ceremony was over. As Salim turned back into his surroundings, the ritual seemed as though it was finishing up. The tree began to dim as the moon moved from its peak in the sky, the tree that surrounded the amphitheater gradually fading away into the darkness like it was never there. At the same time, the villagers began to slowly hum. The tune was soft, with a hint of wistfulness or maybe wanderlust that rose and fell along with the robed figures on the stage. They danced all together, in a slow rhythmic pattern as Starlight joined them as they moved off the stage. They began to slowly walk up the stairs of the amphitheater, villagers slowly following behind them in the same solemn walk.
You have witnessed the fruit of your suffering Major Event has been Logged. You have gained a Level! You have gained a Level! You have gained a Skill!
Bright light flashed in front of his eyes as he flinched, before taking in his gains from ¡®the fruit of his suffering.¡¯ Don¡¯t understand why it needs to be so grim.
Skills
Meditation (Class) Lvl. Max Calm against the disruptive chaos.
Open Mind (Class) Lvl. 9 Think true, see the world as it is.
Discussion (Class) Lvl. 4 Convince others of your view.
Manipulate (Class) Lvl. 1 Move yourself and others.
The skill was as vague as all the rest, and Salim especially wondered what moving really meant. Would it help his hand eye coordination? Was it a social skill? Not feeling any different he decided to deal with the new skill later and focus on leveling up.
Lvl. 7 Stats Confirm
Might: 20 (22) -/+
Finesse: 20 (23) -/+
Resilience: 20 (22) -/+Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Acuity: 18 (20) -/+
Resolve: 19 (20) -/+
Depth: 0 -/+
Oddly, when he confirmed his selection and felt his body change around him it wasn¡¯t wholly unpleasant. Instead of painful pushing and aching it felt more like he was stretching, his arms and legs shifting as his body changed. What changed? A figure stood in front of Salim, silently peering at him with glowing eyes, his gray hair barely visible in the moonlight. Noticing how close he was, Salim pushed the menus away, and straightened his back. ¡°I hope you enjoyed the ceremony, it is not often when we have an outsider witness a member of our village come of age.¡± Starlight spoke, his breath a bit more rugged than before. ¡°Of course, it was wonderful.¡± Cheap words flowed easily as Salim hid his feelings from the old man. ¡°Come with me, we have a place for you to stay.¡± Starlight departed, walking slowly as he began to move in an unfamiliar direction. Salim followed, trying to pick out the right words to ask so that he wouldn¡¯t compromise his already suspicious cover. ¡°The ceremony was amazing, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. I just have a few questions to ask, if you are willing of course.¡± Walking in tandem, Salim tried to start up a conversation. ¡°Of course, although you are meaning to say that you do not worship the Mother?¡± The old man studied Salim, who felt like he had messed up again. ¡°I¡­ Where I am from, the concept of the mother is more abstract, like a natural phenomenon like a storm that we venerate!¡± Salim strung together a belief from whatever he could come up with. Starlight looked disturbed at the idea, his eyes narrowing at the strange man who had been brought into the village. ¡°Not that I mean any offense! My people are made up of all manner of individuals, and we bear no singular belief. I pass no judgement onto you and I venerate the mother as well just in my own way.¡± Backtracking was always the way to go. The old man said nothing as they walked in awkward silence. Wanting answers, Salim continued. ¡°Your ceremony, for the boy, is a subject of much¡­ debate where I come from. Most of our members have already found their calling by the time they join us so we argue on the cause of the calling.¡± ¡°We dare not speculate the objectives of the Mother.¡± The answer caused a wave of annoyance to well up within Salim, but he quickly pushed it aside and continued on. ¡°That is fair, and I should not have questioned a man such as yourself. I am simply curious about many things, about the world and my place in it. If I am not at risk of offending you, could you tell me about any nearby villages or cities I may go to?¡± At this point he was fishing for any information he could get. Again, Starlight held silent as he watched Salim¡¯s face under the moonlight. ¡°To the west and south you will find the villages of Tree Birth and Long Walk. We do trade with them every second cycle of the Mother. They are a few days walk from here, since the forest blocks the most direct path, and from where you came from.¡± Salim couldn¡¯t help but feel like the last part was a dig at his lie. Stopping in front of one of the larger buildings in the village, Starlight pointed at the doorway where a man emerged from the darkness. ¡°This is where you will stay, they will make sure that you are safe.¡± Staring at the unknown muscle bound man standing in the doorway, Salim could only imagine that they were there to watch him instead of ¡®keeping him safe.¡¯ Still he said nothing as Starlight and the man said hushed words to each other most likely about keeping an eye on him. Honestly Salim couldn¡¯t blame Starlight or any of the villagers for being suspicious, especially with his half baked lies and weirdly leading questions. Finally, they pulled away from each other, with Starlight waving his hand as he walked away into the night. The unknown man moved closer to Salim, before opening his mouth to greet him. ¡°Nice to meet you! I heard from our chief that where lost? We have an extra spot for you to rest while you get back on your feet so come on in. The name is Fire.¡± A boisterous voice filled the air, eliciting groans from further inside the building. Still, the man seemed to care little from the complaints coming from within. ¡°Yea, Salim. Hey.¡± His brain froze for a second trying to form words. ¡°Alright, come right this way. Yes, watch out for the divot in the floor. We¡¯ve got a spot right over there just for you.¡± Salim strained his eyes as Fire pointed over to a dark corner in the room. Walking over revealed a bedding that seemed to be made out of thin pelts and straw, which honestly looked like the most glorious contraption Salim had seen in months. But right as Salim was about to lay down on the bed, Fire grabbed his arm, stopping him as the other man''s arm barely moved an inch. Both seemed slightly surprised at Salim¡¯s weakness. ¡°Hey, get to bed we can talk in the morning about what we are going to do with you and all that.¡± The words were spoken incredibly casually, accompanied by several groans around the room at the volume of his voice but the phrasing just seemed slightly ominous. ¡°Yea.¡± It was all that Salim could whisper, as Fire broke his grip on his arm, pins and needles rushing across it. He quickly laid down with slight worry and apprehension in his heart, what were they going to do to him? Why had he lied to Starlight? What was he even going to do no- Bliss. Pure bliss enveloped him as he lay down on the combination of pelt and straw, the bed had a small amount of give to it that felt absolutely heavenly. It obviously wasn¡¯t anything when compared to his apartment, (which felt like memories of years long past) but it was everything when compared to his experience on this plant. Even with the musk of body odder and ammonia filling the building, all of the discomfort was easily disregarded with a comfortable place to rest his head. The outdoors had nothing on civilization that was for sure. Someone turned over in the dark, the rustling straw distracting him. It was unfortunate that he was probably stuck in the building until the morning, but there were worse places for him to be. To distract himself, he perused through his menus until his eyes got heavy.
Titles Number of Titles: 5
The First You were the first to step upon the path of sapience.
Alone? Whether by creation or genocide, your existence is unique.
Deathless Through medical marvel or mystical means, you have come back from the dead.
Moon Touched The moon has marked you as one of its own.
Centenarian You bear the scars of a hundred years passed.
The newly added title was moderately interesting but didn¡¯t really add anything. He wasn¡¯t even sure of their purpose, what value did they give especially to him. The question mark that had been added to [Alone?] didn¡¯t get past him either, he truly was the only human on the planet. For what felt like hours, Salim lay in bed, enjoying the comfort but unable to fall completely asleep as the people around him moved occasionally. The boredom was really getting to him as he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on falling asleep. Numerous plans for the future filled his mind as he tried to predict what would happen in the morning. Maybe they would kick him out, accept him, sacrifice him (although the last option was a little far fetched). But what did he truly want to do, at least in this life. He knew that he wanted nothing to do with Fallon and thus staying in the village seemed like a poor choice due to their religious practices. The fact that other villages existed and actually traded with one another was a good sign, maybe there did exist cities far away, where the land was a little less overtly hostile. Setting up shop right next to a murderous forest didn¡¯t strike Salim as a particularly good idea. Maybe the village was made of outcasts, although he wasn¡¯t sure how much he could actually get out of Starlight, the man seemed completely suspicious of him now. The true technological level of the planet was still a mystery to him, clearly they had the ability to forge tools, since the wood houses of the village seemed to be cut to a standard shape. But how long had it been since Fallon created this true sapient life? He supposed it didn¡¯t really matter as long as he could enjoy the fruits of said technology like the wonderful bed. The moon danced in front of his eyes, taunting him with an ill-fitting mischievous gaze. Roads stretched out in front of him, leading to nowhere. Soon he shifted in bed, just like everyone else. End I regretfully inform you all that the story is having to end for now. I¡¯m rewriting the story because I genuinely think the story has something to tell however the LitRPG aspect was a bit too much for me to handle with my current schedule. I also made the mistake of writing the story without any outlines and eventually it just became a chore to write. Hopefully when I start publishing the story again some of you will read it and give me some feedback. It¡¯ll retain the parts with Fallon and the magic system but I think I¡¯ll be doing without the System which may kill some of the progression vibes that many of you love. Hopefully though I¡¯ll be able to supplement it with more fantasy adventure and (hopefully) more meaningful character moments. Sorry about stopping but it was something of a lack of direction that ultimately stopped and burned me out. Hopefully the second try is more successful. If any of you read this give me feedback on whether you think the chapters should be longer or not.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.