《A Tale of New Horizons (WIP)》 PROLOGUE Sirens blared & lights flashed in a long, metal-walled corridor. On one side of the hallway, a metal door of similar material slid open, and two men strode through the hall with urgency. A short man, with short black hair and chestnut skin, walked next to a taller man with a similar complexion. The shorter man wore a simple, moss green shirt, and black pants tucked into a pair of black boots. He also wore a belt around his waist, lined with multiple pockets. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this a big deal? I mean, we just escaped these guys and now they¡¯re back¡± The taller man had a head full of shoulder-length, braid-like locked hair. He wore a gray shirt with black pants and boots, as well as a hooded cloak that fluttered through the air. He also wore a nearly identical belt around his waist. ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll be a threat to the captain.¡± he said casually. ¡°Plus, if it comes down to a fight, then we¡¯ll fight.¡± The shorter man gave him a sideways look, but said nothing. They went through another door, and ascended up some stairs. Pressing the button on a device on their belts, a nearly invisible bubble appeared around both men. The bubble expanded out a few inches, before stopping and contracting back, forming a nearly transparent layer floating a few inches away from their bodies. Once they reached the top of the stairs, they passed through another door, reaching the main deck of what looked like an old galley from Earth. The majority of the ship was made of some sort of metallic, ashen wood, and instead of normal cloth sails, there was only one sail that stretched over the entirety of the ship. It was made of a golden, cloth-like material that reflected the light of the sun. The ship was surrounded by darkness speckled with stars. Lamps with small orbs of floating light hung on posts all around the deck of the ship, keeping it illuminated, assisted by the light of the sun, which was caught by the and absorbed by the golden sail. On the upper deck, a man stood tall, facing the bow of the ship. He had a long mane of sapphire blue hair & wore a set of fancy, patterned robes that were reminiscent of traditional Japanese kimonos. The man stared out at a slowly growing dot in the distance. It looked similar to the ship they stood on; an all-black, galley-like ship, with patchwork sails of white and gold. The blue-haired man could see figures on the deck of the approaching ship, waving their weapons and cheering with a hot fervor for piracy in their eyes. ¡°Hello boys,¡± said the blue-haired man, without looking back at the two approaching men. ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve been found by those pirates once more.¡± He turned to face them, giving the taller one a smirk. ¡°Whatever could they want?¡± The two men approached and stood to either side of the blue-haired man. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Mr. Vect? Are we gonna fight them?¡± The blue-haired man, called Vect, smiled and looked at the shorter man. ¡°We will. But I have other plans for you two.¡± He placed his hands on the shoulder of each man. ¡°We¡¯ll be getting you two to Arlandria to complete your initiation.¡± Vect pulled out two coin-sized discs from his pocket and handed one to each man. ¡°These are transport tokens. They will allow the system to transport you to where you need to go.¡± The shorter man huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think getting these earlier would¡¯ve been helpful?¡± Vect smiled. ¡°You would have, but then you wouldn¡¯t have the head start in skill you have now.¡± Vect turned back to the approaching ship, which was much closer now. ¡°Now, you both should get ready for your trip. I shall greet our unwelcome guests.¡± The ship pulled up beside Vect¡¯s, barely missing a collision. The crew was made up of humanoid beings wearing strange, black leather outfits. They looked to be jeering and cheering, though no sound could be heard, even as they were no more than 10 feet away. Vect watched the ship come to a slow stop. The easygoing smile from before was no longer on his face, and he stared down the pirates with a serious look. He turned back to the two men, the coldness in his eyes giving both men a spine-tingling chill. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Virgil, Biggs, time to go. Crush the token and leave.¡± He gave a slight smirk. ¡°We will meet again, hopefully soon.¡± Virgil, exchanging a look and a shrug with the shorter man, Biggs, crushed the token held in his hand. A near-transparent window appeared in their vision. ¡°Transport token recognized. Scanning¡­.Scan complete Initiating travel to Arlandria..¡± Virgil and Biggs were suddenly encapsulated in a pillar of bright, white light wrapped around them. They felt their bodies become lighter as they slowly began to float into the air. Vect turned and gave them a casual smile and wave, before turning back around to face the pirates. He began to speak with the pirates, but nothing could be heard from inside the light that surrounded them. After floating for a few seconds, the two men shot into space like a bullet in its barrel. Virgil tried his best not to lose his lunch as he sped through the tube of light, but Biggs had less success. They flew through the void of space at unbelievable speeds, unable to make sense of anything they saw around them. All they could see was the bright white light that surrounded them, and after a couple moments, they started to slow down. As the light began to dissipate, the two came to a stop, floating down to a metal platform below them. Both men¡¯s eyes widened as they took in their new destination. They found themselves in a large expanse of grassy fields. The light of a large sun, similar but larger than what they were used to on Earth, shone down on them, causing them to squint as their eyes adjusted. Turquoise grass glimmered like jewels in the sun, and a large mountain range stretched to the sky in the distance. Virgil and Biggs stared in awe at the beauty of the landscape. ¡°Hey Virgil?¡± Biggs said. ¡°Yeah, Biggs?¡± replied Virgil. ¡°Are we in Kansas?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so, dude¡± Virgil said with a smile. They looked around and saw they stood not too far from a small shack made of some sort of dry wood with a thatched roof. The boys made their way to the small shack & as they got closer, they saw that the land surrounding the shack had no grass. A ring of flat, brown dirt encircled the house, and on the outside of that ring, they saw foreign symbols formed by small white pebbles, completely surrounding the house. ¡°I wonder what these are for. Hope they don¡¯t say ¡®Keep Out¡¯ in some alien language¡± said Biggs. Before they reached the small shack, they felt a rumbling vibration under their feet. Moments later, they heard the ground breaking apart, and could see something in the distance, quickly moving through the ground like a fish moving through water. The movement stopped, and something breached the dirt. What they saw made their blood run cold. A large, scaled shark-like head poked up from under the dirt, no more than 50 feet away. It had milky, white eyes and its mouth was propped open by its large, vicious looking teeth. It moved its head, looking around until its eyes found Virgl and Biggs. The two boys stared at the beast for what seemed like an everlasting moment, and the beast stared back, unmoving. ¡°W-we should get to the shack¡­¡± whispered Biggs. Virgil nodded, but as soon as they moved, the beast disappeared back into the ground. As soon as they lost sight of it, they turned and sprinted. They were no more than 30 feet away from the door, and they could feel the beast approaching quickly. Virgil reached the door first, and with his hand wrapped around the door handle, he turned to look for his friend. Biggs was a bit heftier than Virgil was, but he reached the door just in time. But before they opened it, Virgil continued watching the beast. The beast was about 20 feet away, but as it attempted to get closer, its movement suddenly stopped. Waves of shimmering light appeared, and like a rock thrown into water, the waves rippled in a sphere all around the shack. ¡°Is¡­is that like, a barrier or something?¡± Biggs said, panting heavily and hunched over. ¡°Seems like it. Probably keeps out all the monsters¡­at least I hope it does¡± said Virgil, trying to catch his breath. The area around the shack was now deathly silent. No movement was heard and no ground moved. It made the pair even more nervous. ¡°Well that¡¯s probably not good,¡± Biggs said. Virgil nodded, then turned to open the door. As he did, a transparent box entered his vision; a system message. SAFE ZONE ENTERED TIME REMAINING: 11:59:58 ¡°Did you get that message too?¡± asked Virgil. Biggs nodded. ¡°Well that¡¯s nice, at least we have some time to rest.¡± As they entered the shack, they saw that it was much more spacious than they first thought. It was a large room, about the size of a studio apartment back on Earth. There were two beds on either side of the room, separated by a wooden wall. At the foot of each bed was a small desk with a wooden, cushioned chair. There were flickering lamps on the walls that gave the room a decent amount of light. ¡°Well, it¡¯s no 5-star hotel but looks comfy enough.¡± said Biggs, as he went to lay on the right side bed. He let out a breath of satisfaction. ¡°Yep, definitely comfy¡±. Virgil chuckled as he went to his side and sat at his desk. He wasn¡¯t very tired yet, and he pulled out a leatherbound journal from a pocket inside his cloak. He examined the journal¡¯s back and front and saw nothing out of the ordinary. A pen was in a pocket on the inside, and it surprisingly looked like something he would find on Earth. A loud snore came from the other side of the wall, and Virgil looked around the corner to see Biggs passed out on his bed. Virgil smiled and returned to his desk, stretching a bit before he decided to begin writing. ¡°I guess now is as good a time as any.¡± CHAPTER 01 Virgil¡¯s eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up in his bed. His breathing was heavy and streaks of cold sweat trailed down his ochre skin. He had not thought of that night in years, and he could feel his body still shivering. He took some time to calm himself, taking deep breaths and rubbing his eyes. Sunlight illuminated his small bedroom through a single window near his bed. The room was very basic, not much in the way of decor except a simple full-sized bed and a small wooden desk that sat against one wall. After a few minutes of calming breaths, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and moved to the window at the end of his bed. He looked out on the place had called home for the last 4 years. Miles of open, grassy fields stretched out from the wooden picket fence that surrounded the backyard. A wide stone rectangle that once surrounded a lush garden now sadly enclosed nothing but a large patch of dirt. Two white lawn chairs sat idly facing the lush fields, and a twinge of pain rose in Virgil¡¯s chest at the sight. He took another breath and stifled his emotions, not wanting to shed any more tears. Virgil dressed himself in a plain white T-shirt and black jeans, and made his way to the kitchen. He checked the fridge and the cabinets for something to eat, but apparently he was due for a trip to the store in town. All he had left was half a quart of milk, which had probably expired, and a few slices of bread. He sighed. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time to go shopping.¡± Before leaving, he returned to his room to grab a worn, but intact, black backpack that he had for years. He kept a few survival essentials inside, in case of emergencies, but he hasn''t needed any of them for quite a while. Virgil walked out of the front door and towards the road that led into the nearest town. He stopped and looked back at his home. Sorrow memories came to him briefly before he shook away the feelings and continued on his way. As he walked down the driveway towards the road, the sound of a vehicle echoed from down the road, and his path was suddenly cut off by a large black SUV. The tinted passenger side window rolled down, and a man with brown, slicked-back hair and a cheshire cat smile faced Virgil. ¡°Good morning, young man. Sorry to bother you, but you wouldn¡¯t happen to know the woman who lives in this house, would you?¡± The man gestured at the house Virgil had just left. Virgil took a second to observe the stranger before responding. ¡°Depends on who¡¯s asking,¡± Virgil replied, keeping an impassive look on his face. The man¡¯s sketchy smile didn¡¯t falter. ¡°Apologies, allow me to introduce myself.¡± He removed the black sunglasses from his face, revealing narrow, ice blue eyes. ¡°My name is Mr. Wright. I represent a man who was formerly in contact with the owner of this¡­beautiful property. A woman by the name of Adelaide?¡± Virgil flinched at the mention of the name, but he tried not to let any emotion show. ¡°She¡­passed away a few days ago.¡± The man¡¯s smile dropped, and a look of annoyance flashed across his face, before quickly being replaced by a sympathetic smile. ¡°Oh, I am very sorry for your loss. I understand this may be a bad time, but has she ever mentioned anything about our company, Dimond Incorporated?¡± Virgil shook his head. ¡°Never heard of it. Can I go now?¡± The smile fell from Mr. Wright¡¯s face. After a few moments of awkward silence, the man replied, his warm tone quickly replaced by a cold, calculating voice. ¡°It was Virgil, right? He placed the sunglasses back on his face and looked away. ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch.¡± And with that, the shady man rolled back up his window, and the SUV pulled a u-turn and drove away, disappearing down the road. Virgil and Adelaide had met 4 years prior. After spending years on the road and mostly on his own, Virgil found himself in the town of Stillport. Adelaide met Virgil, homeless and hungry and digging through a dumpster. After treating him to a meal, Adelaide made him the offer of food and shelter in exchange for help around her home. Tired of being on his own, Virgil hesitantly accepted. They spent four years building trust and sharing laughs. He would assist her with cleaning around the house, gardening and maintaining the yard, and she would provide three meals a day and worked hard to make sure Virgil was taken care of. Things were going good, up until a few days ago. Adelaide was usually up at the crack of dawn, and Virgil normally awoke soon after. He assumed she just wanted some more sleep, so he continued with his usual day. He completed all his chores within the next few hours and even made an attempt at cooking breakfast. He went to check on Adelaide a few times , even trying to bring her breakfast in bed, but he was met with a locked door and barely audible grunts in response to any questions. When it was past noon, he was truly worried. In the 4 years of knowing her, she had never slept in this late, especially without checking in on Virgil. Instead of trying to break down her bedroom door, he circled around the house, and grabbed a ladder from the shed. He set the ladder up against the house, right under Adelaide''s bedroom window. He climbed up and peered through her window, expecting the worst, and his heart sunk. Virgil shook the memories away, taking some deep breaths and wiping away the incoming tears. ¡°No sense in dwelling on the past,¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°Like she always said, ¡®A man who swells on the past robs his future.¡¯¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He took a few more calming breaths before adjusting his backpack and continuing down the road towards Stillport. After 20 minutes of walking, Virgil was about a mile away from Stillport. He spent a good amount of his walking time admiring the calm nature around him. When he wasn''t working on the farm, he spent much of his time wandering the forests, taking in the serenity and calm of the surrounding nature and creatures. He spent a large amount of time surrounded by nature while growing up, and it felt almost like his second home. Though nothing could beat the comfort and safety of his current home. He was lost in thought when he felt a shiver travel through his body, and soon after, his ears began to ring. The ringing became louder and louder, and Virgil fell to the concrete in pain. He covered his ears and writhed with closed eyes as the sound became more and more intense, and after what seemed like a lifetime, the sound began to recede. Virgil took multiple deep breaths as he laid on the warm concrete. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± he mumbled to himself, wiping away sweat from his face. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was suddenly much darker outside. The sun was now blocked by thick, gray clouds, and the fields and trees filled with animals and insects were now completely silent - the only thing he heard was the wind blowing through the foliage. He sat up and scooted over to the grass so he wouldn¡¯t fall victim to an unsuspecting car. ¡°What the hell - when did it get so dark out?¡± he mumbled to himself, looking at his hands and checking his ears and nose to make sure he wasn¡¯t bleeding. He pulled a water bottle out of his backpack and took a long drink, suddenly feeling thirsty. He put his bottle away and stood to his feet, taking in his surroundings. Stillport was still barely visible in the distance, and Virgil briefly wondered if all that just happened was a sign to stay away from town today. Before he could make a decision, something really strange popped into view. A floating, nearly transparent white box appeared about 2 feet in front of him. He stumbled back a bit, nearly tripping over a rock, and the white box followed his sightline. After composing himself, he tried to touch the floating box, but his hand just passed through. A second later, text appeared in the center of the mysterious square. ¡°MANA LEVELS OF EARTH1213 HAVE REACHED ACCEPTABLE THRESHOLD FOR INITIATION. PLEASE WAIT¡­¡± Virgil stared at the floating screen, confused about what he had just read. ¡°Am I supposed to know what this means?¡± Moments later, the text on the screen was replaced by a new sentence. ¡°BEGINNING INITIATION. TERRAFORMING PROCEDURES INITIATED¡± The sky suddenly lit up. Lights swirled above the clouds, mixed colors of blue, green, and white. Virgil stared up in wonder as he watched the light show. The lights continued to swirl and mix for another few minutes before they began to die down. But as the last of the light began to dissipate, they instead began to coalesce into one point, becoming a point of bright white light above the clouds. Instead of beginning to dissipate once more, the white light began to expand, becoming a bright circle in the sky. A small voice, like a tickle in the back of Virgill¡¯s mind, yelled at him to book it back to his house. The hair on the back of his neck and his arms stood up, and Virgil¡¯s legs shook in fear, but he was unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful light show in the sky. The circle of light in the sky began to grow brighter, before an eerie sound began to echo, like some giant machine whirring to a start. In the next moment, a narrow pillar of white light shot down to the ground, making the ground around Virgil¡¯s feet tremble. The pillar of light then began to expand, growing wider and wider in the distance. The sight of the strange column of light gradually widening snapped Virgil out of his daze, and he began to run back towards his home. ¡°Shit shit shit shit shit!¡± he yelled, running like prey being hunted by predators. But it was useless. He could hear the deep whine of the ever growing light grow louder and louder as it crept up on him. Virgil peeked over his shoulder, and all he saw was white. Virgil felt a wave of pain shoot through his body, starting from the soles of his feet, and spreading up to the top of his head. It felt like his body was on fire. The sensation lasted minutes, though it felt like forever. After an unknown amount of time, the burning sensation faded, and Virgil felt a cooling, comforting sensation pass over him, like the heat was instantly swept away by a cool breeze. Moments later, or maybe hours - he couldn''t tell, Virgil blinked open his eyes, and he found himself very confused. As he turned his head to look around, the once beautiful hills of grass and wheat were replaced by impossibly tall trees that seemed to touch the sky, surrounding him in all directions. The concrete road under him was still there, but it was heavily damaged, and patches of grass grew through a multitude of cracks and gaps. Virgil sat up, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn¡¯t just imagining things. ¡°What the-¡­where am I?¡± He stood to his feet, not feeling any soreness or pain, and as he did, another white text box appeared in his vision, causing him to step back in surprise. ¡°EARTH1213 INITIATION COMPLETE. PLANETARY MANA LEVELS HAVE REACHED THE MINIMUM THRESHOLD. WARNING: THE INFLUX OF MANA INTO A ONCE BARREN WORLD MAY CAUSE THE RAPID EVOLUTION OF INDIGENOUS BEINGS. WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM¡± After reading and re-reading everything, the white text box disappeared, and was instantly replaced by a blue text box. ¡°SURVIVAL IS THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE UNIVERSE. POWER IS THE MAIN PILLAR OF SURVIVAL. YOUR PLANET AND ITS INHABITANTS HAS JOINED THE GREATER UNIVERSE. DANGER AND WONDERS ARE SCATTERED ABOUT YOUR NEW PLANET. FIGHT. GROW STRONG. FIND YOUR PATH TO POWER. SURVIVE. ¡°Uhhh...well that¡¯s¡­worrying¡± said Virgil, after reading, and re-reading the strange message. He had no idea what was happening, but the last line of the message made him worry. Before he could ponder any longer, another message popped up. QUEST: Trial of Initiation You have been given the chance to make your mark on the universe. Conquer this challenge, and begin your path of ascendancy. OBJECTIVE: Kill 10 monsters REWARD: Skill of choice ¡°What kind of RPG shit is this??¡± he exclaimed. But before he could complain any more, a bush behind him began to rustle, once again interrupting his complaining. He spun around, and took a few steps back. His heart began to race, and he began to break out in sweat. From the bush, a small figure jumped out. A small rabbit sat on its hind legs, staring up at Virgil with two bright blue eyes. Virgil let out a breath as he saw the small creature, and he let out a small chuckle. ¡°Ha, imagine getting scared by a rabbit,¡± he said. ¡° I wasn¡¯t even scared, you little sneak.¡± Virgil stepped up to the still rabbit, and went to pet the creature. As his hand reached forward, the small rabbit leaned forward and gave Virgil''s hands a small sniff. But before he could try to pet the creature, instead of it running away like most rabbits would, its mouth opened wide. Instead of the normal chompers of a normal rabbit, Virgil saw a line of sharp, vicious looking fangs in the mouth of the small creature. Before he could pull away, the rabbit sprang forward, mouth wide, and chomped down onto the side of Virgil¡¯s hand. He yelped, pulling back as the carnivorous creature latched on. ¡°Gah, that hurts you little shit!¡± he yelled, trying to shake the creature off, but it held on, waving through the air. Virgil tried to use his hand to pry the creature¡¯s mouth open, but couldn¡¯t fight against the rabbit¡¯s strong bite. He looked around, gritting his teeth with pain, until he saw a rock the size of his palm nearby. He quickly went to grab the rock with his free hand, and without hesitation, brought it down hard on the skull of the small beast. With a crack, he felt the head of the creature break, and its grip loosened as Virgil attempted to remove its bite. He managed to pry the creature¡¯s jaw open, and held the rabbit in one hand, before slamming it into the dirt. With an angry stomp, Virgil crushed the creature under his heel. He felt the rabbit¡¯s body crack, and it let out a small squeal before finally dying. Virgil¡¯s heart ached at the tiny, sad squeal the small creature let out, but the pain in his hand reminded him that the creature was no cute little rabbit, so he let the heartache pass. Gripping his wounded hand, Virgil pulled off his black backpack, and opened it. He pulled out an extra t-shirt he kept inside, and using his teeth, began to rip at the shirt, tearing it into strips. He took one strip and wrapped it tightly against the wound. As he did, another textbox popped into his vision. YOU HAVE DEFEATED: MUTATED RABBIT x1 50 ESSENCE GAINED RANK UP! YOU HAVE ACHIEVED: RANK 1: BRONZE STAR PLEASE SELECT A WEAPON: SWORD SPEAR KNIFE BOW CHAPTER 02 Virgil just stared at the new popup, unable to think. His mind was in a craze trying to think of what this all could mean, but after a minute of reading and re-reading, he took a deep breath, and pondered his choices. His mind briefly thought back to his days on the road. Virgil once met a man while wandering through a small forest. He came upon a river, and saw a scraggly, bearded man had set up a small camp next to the river. He had a tarp tied up to some surrounding trees, and the man stood in the water near the center of the river. The man stood completely still, holding a makeshift spear with one hand and had it angled as if he were preparing to chuck it. As Virgil got closer, the man thrust downwards at an angle with his weapon. He lifted the sharp stick out of the water, and on the end of the stick was a fish. He pulled the fish off the spear and threw it on a pile right before he noticed Virgil. With a smile, he waved Virgil over, and for the next few hours, they talked, and Virgil learned a bit about spearfishing before they parted ways. Virgil¡¯s mind snapped back to the present, and without a second thought, he selected ¡®Spear¡¯. The window disappeared, and with a flash of light, a basic wooden spear with a metal tip fell onto the ground. ¡°Huh. Well that¡¯s strange, but also cool.¡± Virgil picked up the spear with his uninjured hand, and weighed the weapon. It was perfect. The haft was smooth to the touch, and the tip of the head looked razor sharp. Ignoring the discomfort in his right hand, he practiced using the spear. Gripping the center of the spear in his right hand, and his left hand wrapped around the lower half of the spear, he held it to one side of his body, and crouched slightly. With one quick movement, he thrust forward, using his left hand to propel the spear. It struck out swiftly, and Virgil smiled. He practiced for a while, getting used to the new weapon, and as he finished, another textbox popped up. SPEAR PROFICIENCY RANKS UP TO RANK 1: BRONZE STAR ¡°Nice. So the more I use it, the more I rank up in skill¡­kinda strange but I¡¯m with it.¡± The rustling of bushes behind him put Virgil on high alert, and he brought up his spear as he stepped back. The sound of rustling got louder and louder, and Virgil¡¯s heart dropped. Another bunny, identical to the one he had just killed, hopped out of the bushes and looked around. The rustling of bushes continued, and Virgil had a bad feeling. Another bunny appeared moments after, and another one after that. Before he knew it, he was faced by around 12 mutant rabbits, all of them staring him down after they noticed the corpse of the dead rabbit. ¡°Oh shit.¡± Virgil turned and ran, hearing the small swarm of rabbits giving chase behind him. Dodging trees, and leaping over bushes, Virgil sprinted, doing his best to stay ahead of the rodents while trying not to stab himself with his spear.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. One of the rabbits caught up to Virgil, leaping through the air at impressive speeds and looking to chomp down on his upper arm. On the edge of his peripherals, Virgil saw the airborne rodent just in time. He leapt forward and spun around at the same time, thrusting with one hand with his spear. The rabbit, unable to dodge in the air, was impaled on the tip of the spear. ¡°Wow, that actually worked¡± thought Virgil, as he flicked the corpse from his spear and kept running. There were still a dozen rabbits giving chase, and he knew facing the group alone would get him killed. Ahead, he saw a sturdy looking branch, low enough for him to grab. He increased his speed, and nearly dropping his spear, he leapt for the branch. He barely managed to hang on long enough to get a better grip, and he pulled himself up into the tree. A couple of the rabbits leapt into the air, attempting to chomp down on his leg as he scrambled up the branch. One of them barely missed, but the other one managed to bite down on Virgil¡¯s thigh. With a yell and a curse, Virgil managed to bring himself to a sitting position on the branch, and with both arms, he stabbed down at the biting rabbit, spearing the creature through the skull. The beast went limp as it died, stuck to the end of Virgil¡¯s spear. He pulled it up and removed it from the tip with a squelch, placing it on a nearby branch. He looked back down at the rest of the swarm. The rest of the vicious rabbits were crowded at the base of the tree. They didn¡¯t attempt to climb or hop up to reach him. Some only stared up at him, while some kept their heads on a swivel, keeping an eye out for other dangers. Virgil let out a mirthless laugh, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. ¡°Mutated, carnivorous rabbits? This is ridiculous.¡± He reached into his backpack to pull out another white rag, and tied it tightly around the wound on his thigh. His vision blurred slightly as he sat back, and as the adrenaline began to leave his body, Virgil found himself utterly exhausted. ¡°I wonder if anyone else is having this much trouble¡± he mumbled as his eyes began to droop. When Virgil awoke, the pain from his multiple wounds shot through his body as he tried to move. He began taking deep breaths, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. It was later in the day, and it seemed to be later in the afternoon. He leaned over and looked down at the base of the tree. The mutant rabbits from earlier seemed to move on, bored after seeing their prey was unreachable. Virgil¡¯s stomach began to groan with more fervor, and he laid eyes on the dead rabbit body that sat on a branch nearby. ¡°I could cook it, but who knows what else that¡¯ll attract,¡± he thought. ¡°I¡¯d hate to see what the bears look like now¡­¡± Virgil took a better look at his surroundings. The tree he sat in looked somewhat normal at first glance, but as he took a better look, he saw that the tree had many differences that stood out to him. The numerous leaves were an unusual turquoise blue color that seemed to glitter in the dim light. Looking up, he saw that the trees in this area were much, much taller than any trees that had originally been near Stillport. The thick branches that stretched between the trees would make getting around a bit safer. As he examined the trees for a possible way up, a glint of color in between the leaves caught his eye. Beams of light shone through the canopy above, causing something higher up to give off a barely noticeable red glow. Virgil¡¯s eyes shone with interest, and he slowly stood up on the branch he sat on. Pain shot through his leg and arm from his earlier wounds, but he was more than familiar with pain, so he took deep breaths and ignored it. He reached up to the next branch, and slowly lifted himself up. He ascended through the branches for what seemed like hours. He moved slowly to avoid losing his grip or balance, which made the endeavor feel like it took forever. He could feel pangs of hunger, and the pain from his wounds began to cause him to slow even more. As he clambered up to another branch, he got another look at the mysterious item in the branches. It seemed to be a strange fruit of some kind, nearly identical to an apple, but with some major differences. Virgil had a rush of energy as he got a good look at the hanging fruit. He was close to his goal, and the sight of something possibly edible made his mouth water. He resumed his climb, and soon found himself within arm¡¯s reach of the fruit. The apple-like fruit was the size of a watermelon, much larger than any apple Virgil had ever seen. The surface of the apple was a red-orange color, which was also unusual, but the strangest thing was that the fruit seemed to have hundreds of small gleaming scales that reflected light. Virgil looked up at the large fruit with wonder, and cradled both hands around the fruit as he went to pick the fruit. It was warm to the touch, and deceivingly light despite its size. The forest green stem of the fruit snapped as Virgil took the fruit carefully into his hands. He was tempted to take a bite right then and there, but eating a strange, unidentifiable fruit didn¡¯t strike him as a smart idea. Instead, he carefully removed his backpack from around his shoulders, and placed the fruit inside. He returned his bag to its place on his back, and lowered himself down to sit on the branch he stood on. CHAPTER 03 Virgil took deep breaths as he sat, feeling the strain on his muscles and the pain from his wounds. He looked down from where he sat, and saw that he was quite a ways up from where he started, at least two or three stories up from the ground. After catching his breath, he began lowering himself down to the lower branches. His exhaustion began catching up to him as he descended, nearly slipping and losing his grip a couple times, but he made it work, finally finding himself back on the branch he started from. He sat back on the thick branch, leaning against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. His arms were sore, and all the pain he had been ignoring began to come back with a vengeance, but he simply kept breathing. A memory from many years ago began coming back to him as he sat breathing. Back when he was still living with Adelaide, a year after he first began living with her. ¡°So¡­I know I may look like a simple woman living a simple life,¡± Adelaide said with a tough, slightly raspy voice. She sat at the wooden dining table in the kitchen, across from Virgil. A cup of black coffee was held in both of her hands, and she stared down into the cup with a serious, reminiscent face. ¡°But I came here to this backwater county to find some peace and quiet.¡± She looked up from her cup of coffee and stared at Virgil with a pair of blue eyes. The compassionate look that Virgil was used to disappeared, and the cold, heavy look of someone who had seen hell and survived was evident on her face. Virgil didn¡¯t reply, only swallowed hard as he met her stare. She sighed and sat back, her eyes relaxing some. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m afraid that my past may catch up to me soon, and since you live here now, you should know that things may get dangerous around here. You¡¯re more than welcome to stay, but I¡¯d understand if you¡¯d rather avoid any of my trouble.¡± Virgil looked down at the table, thinking before he spoke. After a minute, he sighed and shrugged. ¡°I got nowhere else to go, so if you don¡¯t mind, I think I¡¯ll stick around for a bit longer.¡± He gave her a small smirk. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m no stranger to trouble. We¡¯ll just deal with it as it comes.¡± Adelaide stared at Virgil for a minute before breaking out into laughter. The tense atmosphere lifted immediately as she did, and Virgil¡¯s smirk turned up into a small smile. ¡°Ha! You talk like you¡¯ve lived a full life already, but you¡¯re barely eighteen!¡± She laughed, wiping at her eyes a bit. ¡°Anyways, if you¡¯ll be staying, then I can teach you a few things about survival that I picked up over the years, though I know you probably know a good amount already.¡± Virgil¡¯s eyes snapped open, not even realizing he fell asleep. The orange glow of the setting sun let him know that he had slept for a couple hours, and soon it would be night. His stomach roared with hunger, and he knew that his best chance at surviving this mess was the large fruit in his bag. He was cautious about eating a foreign fruit, but after consideration, he told himself that if he didn¡¯t at least try to feed himself, he¡¯d die of hunger. He pulled his bag onto his lap, and dug through it, searching for something. After he found what he was looking for, he pulled it out. In his hand, he held a black switchblade. He had gotten it many years ago, when he was living the nomadic life, before he met Adelaide. It had come in handy many times, and he was thankful he kept it in his bag. He pulled out the large fruit from his bag, and laid it on his lap, pulling his bag back on. Pressing a button on the side of the handle, a four inch stainless steel blade popped out of the top. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he began carving the fruit into slices. Despite the faint scales of the fruit, it was easy enough to cut through. Juice spilled onto his lap as he cut, and a sweet smell began to fill the air, making Virgil lick his lips in anticipation. He cut half the fruit into smaller slices, and pulled out his last rag to wrap the remaining fruit up to store in his bag. After putting the rest away, Virgil was left with two slices. The inside of the fruit was not what Virgil expected. He actually didn¡¯t know what to expect. The inside of the fruit was mostly an off-white, like a normal apple, but what threw him off was the orange coloration on the outer edges that faded into the off-white color as it neared the edge of the slice. Virgil examined the fruit for a bit longer before his growling stomach brought him out of his daze. He took a breath, and with only a slight hesitation, he took a decently sized bite out of one slice. As the fruit hit his tongue, his taste buds felt like they were supercharged with flavor. The perfect taste of the sweet fruit caused him to scarf down the rest of the slice, and before he even realized, he had eaten both slices he laid out. ¡°That was¡­amazing¡­but..¡± Before he could say any more, a warm feeling spread through his body. The hair on his arms stood at attention and his eyes went wide as he was filled with energy. The warmth grew and grew in intensity, and in the next moment, Virgil could feel his head begin to swim. His vision began to blur as his body felt like it was being microwaved. Feeling like he was about to pass out, he fumbled with the belt that kept his pants up, pulling it out of the loops on his pants, and wrapping it around his thighs, as well as the branch he sat on. If he were to pass out here, falling onto the ground would be a death sentence. As he tightened his belt, he felt secure enough to finally let whatever was going to happen happen. He sat back and closed his eyes, feeling himself start to slip away. ¡°Haha, who would¡¯ve thought this would be how I die..¡± he mumbled to himself, before he passed out. An unknown amount of time later, bright light strained Virgil¡¯s eyes as he awoke. The sounds of lively insects and the rustling of wind through the trees filled the air around him. As his eyes adjusted, he immediately noticed some differences. But before he could ponder on them, a screen floated in front of him, exactly like the one he had seen before. YOU HAVE CONSUMED A WORLD FRUIT. YOUR BODY HAS BEEN ENHANCED +10 TO ALL STATS Before he could process what he had read, the window disappeared, and was replaced by another with more text. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW RANK TWO STAR HUMAN +5 TO ALL STATS YOU NOW HAVE ACCESS TO SYSTEM STATISTICS. Virgil finished reading the window, and was left with even more questions. Stats? Ranks? And what the hell was the system? He re-read the window, trying to process the meaning, and when he decided he was done, the window dismissed itself, disappearing from view. He sat there, staring into space, lost in thought and processing everything he had just seen. After a minute lost in thought, he just shrugged, and rose to his feet. Immediately, he noticed that his body felt much lighter and his head felt clearer than ever. His body felt stronger and more limber than usual. The pain that plagued him earlier completely disappeared, and as he unraveled the bloody rags from around the wounds, he saw that the bite marks completely vanished. He ran his fingers over the spots where the wounds had been, but nothing but smooth, unblemished skin could be felt. ¡°Amazing¡­ ¡° he mumbled, in wonder at the sudden changes in his body. ¡°There¡¯s no way that fruit was just some common thing.¡± He pulled his backpack on more tightly. After limbering up a bit, he jumped back up to reach the branch he sat on before. But to his surprise, instead of leaping up to grab the branch, his body flew upwards, as if unaffected by gravity. He landed on top of the branch, nearly losing his balance at the unexpected movement. He managed to catch himself before toppling forward, and straightened up. A wide grin broke out on Virgil¡¯s face. ¡°This is unreal!¡± He walked toward the trunk of the tree and picked up his spear he left leaned against it. He backed up a few steps and looked up. Locking in on his destination, he bent his knees, and sprang up, flying up through the air between the branches. He grabbed the next branch with one hand, and used his momentum to swing himself forward to the next branch. He kept on this way for a while, flying through the forest with the speed and skill of a trained acrobat. He lost track of time as he leapt from branch to branch, and as he finally started to feel his stamina running low, he made his last few jumps to the top branches of a tree. He was at least 70 feet off of the ground at this point, and as his feet touched down on the final branch, his heart was racing a mile a minute. He took some time to catch his breath, standing and enjoying the cool breeze that flowed through the trees. ¡°I think I might really like this new world.¡± he said, smiling ear to ear. CHAPTER 04 759 days, 10 hours & 35 minutes. When he began his prison sentence, Carter DeVola had expected to live out the next 20 years of his life behind the walls of the specialized prison he found himself in. A place that was home to some of the worst criminal offenders from all over the United States. Much of Carter¡¯s last 2 years was spent in his cell, where he slept and consistently worked out. He had brief recreation time in the form of a 10 minute walk around a fenced off yard. It was his favorite time of the day, despite the multiple armed guards keeping a vigilant watch. At least he got fresh air and sunshine. As he completed another 10 minute stroll around the yard, one of the guards approached him with cuffs ready. ¡°Alright, DeVola, time¡¯s up for today,¡± said the gruff, authoritative voice of Officer Thorton. He was one of the few officers that DeVola actually respected. He was an older man of principle who took pride in doing his job and doing it well. Most other guards treated the prisoners with disdain and abused the power over the prisoners. Not Thorton though. Since Day one, Thorton had treated Carter like an old friend, laughing and joking around when there weren''t any other guards around. The kindness had surprised Carter at first, not expecting such behavior from someone who knew what Carter had done. But over time, he had come to appreciate the man''s kindheartedness. Carter gave the man a small smile as he took his time approaching. He wanted to enjoy as much sun as he could before returning to his cell. Before he reached Thorton, a floating white square appeared a few feet in front of him. He stopped walking as the box appeared, looking at it with surprise and curiosity. Text appeared in the empty floating square moments later: ¡°MANA LEVELS OF EARTH1213 HAVE REACHED ACCEPTABLE THRESHOLD FOR INITIATION. PLEASE WAIT¡­¡± Carter read and re-read the text that appeared, not fully understanding what it meant. He looked around at the guards, but they looked as confused as he felt. He also noticed that the floating text box followed his eyeline, staying the same distance away from his face as he looked about. ¡°Interesting¡­I wonder if everyone received this?¡± he thought, but chose to keep the question to himself. The text was suddenly replaced by another sentence, and Carter tensed up after reading it: ¡°BEGINNING INITIATION. TERRAFORMING PROCEDURES COMMENCING¡± Suddenly, the sky turned gray, despite the beautiful weather moments earlier. Thick clouds covered the sun, and the distant sound of rumbling thunder echoed. A swirling vortex of colors filled the sky above the clouds, as if a rainbow tornado was about to form. All eyes were now staring up in awe at the strange light show in the sky. Carter stood and stared up with a smile, admiring the lights. ¡°Beautiful¡± he whispered, before his head began to throb with pain as an intense ringing sound overwhelmed his mind. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth, fighting against his urge to fall to the ground and succumb to the pain. But he managed to barely stay on his feet until he finally felt the pain begin to fade. Breathing heavily, he looked around and saw that the guards on watch were now all either on their knees or curled up on the ground in pain. He briefly considered taking advantage of the temporary incapacitation of the guards, even thinking about how he could take each down individually. ¡°I could easily disarm Thorton & the other guards, but the ones on the wall could regain themselves and take me out¡­no, it''s not the right time for that¡­¡± The guards regained themselves moments later. They looked around at each other, searching for an explanation of what just happened. Thorton was the first to speak up. ¡°I don''t know what the hell is happening, but let''s get back inside. Now.¡± The guards in the yard rushed towards Carter, most likely to get him back in cuffs and rushed to his cell. Carter paid them no mind. He kept his eyes on the sky.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He watched as the lights in the sky began to combine into a bright white ball in the sky. The guards hadn''t noticed as they moved toward him, cuffs in hand. He watched as the light intensified and the circle of light began to expand. A strange sound boomed, stealing the attention of the guards. Carter and the guards watched as a pillar of light shot towards the ground with intensity. ¡°Fuck! What the fuck!¡± yelled one of the guards, abandoning the group and escaping inside. ¡°Carter! Inside NOW!¡± yelled Thorton, grabbing the man¡¯s arm and attempting to pull him indoors. Carter didn''t move, only turning his head towards the older officer and giving him a wide smile. Carter had spent the majority of his time in jail focused on improving his fitness. Much of the time in his cell was spent improving his body through various exercises. Over the last 2 years of his incarceration, he had kept up his workout routine every day, growing more and more in bulk until he was almost unrecognizable from his past self. So as Carter watched the light quickly approach the yard, Thorton attempted once again to pull him away. Carter clenched his fist tightly & spun around, striking Thorton hard across the face. The older officer dropped like a brick to the grass, and all Carter could do is smile. ¡°If this is the end, I prefer to face it head on.¡± He spread his arms wide as he embraced his fate. The bright light swept over him, and he felt a buzz throughout his body as he lost consciousness. When Carter finally awoke, he stared up at a blue sky with faint streaks of purple. ¡°Hmm. Guess I''m not dead after all,¡± he said with a smile. He sat up on his hands and looked around. He found himself in the middle of a cracked and deserted street, surrounded by large, desecrated buildings. Before Carter could react to the unexpected change in his surroundings, a new floating text box appeared in front of him. ¡°EARTH1213 INITIATION COMPLETE. PLANETARY MANA LEVELS HAVE REACHED THE MINIMUM THRESHOLD. WARNING: THE INFLUX OF MANA INTO A ONCE BARREN WORLD MAY CAUSE THE RAPID EVOLUTION OF INDIGENOUS BEINGS. WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM¡± Carter had to pinch himself to check if this was all some sort of dream, but the pain he felt confirmed that he was indeed conscious. He looked around once more at the ruined city around him. He was curious as to how long he was unconscious for, because last time he checked, there were no cities this desolate anywhere in the United States. And on top of that, how did he even end up here? The popup disappeared, only to be replaced by another popup moments later. ¡°SURVIVAL IS THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE UNIVERSE. POWER IS THE MAIN PILLAR OF SURVIVAL. YOUR PLANET AND ITS INHABITANTS HAVE JOINED THE GREATER UNIVERSE. DANGER AND WONDERS ARE SCATTERED ABOUT YOUR NEW PLANET. FIGHT. GROW STRONG. FIND YOUR PATH TO POWER. SURVIVE. Carter read the text a few times, and his heart began to beat more and more rapidly. A smile broke out on his face as he slowly realized that the world he once knew may be no more. He stood to his feet, and brushed dirt off of his tan prison jumpsuit. He took a deep breath, and in his newfound excitement, he began to laugh. As far as he could tell, he was free. The world had changed into one of survival and power, two things that Carter found most important, and he couldn''t be more delighted. He heard movement from behind him. He turned and saw one of the guards from the jail laying on the concrete a few feet behind him, beginning to awaken. A wicked smile, and a malevolent urge overcame Carter, and he walked over to the guard until he stood over the man. The guard looked up at Carter groggily. His brain was still foggy but it began to clear and his eyes finally focused. They widened as the guard realized who he was facing, but before he could make any move, he felt an unnaturally strong grip around his throat. Carter wrapped both hands around the neck of the guard, and squeezed hard. He had no personal grudge against the man. He didn''t even know the guard''s name. What he did want was to fight. To prove his superiority. To trample over those who stood against him. To make the most of this new world, and stand at the top of the food chain. All these thoughts shot through his mind as he watched life slowly drain from the guard¡¯s eyes. The man had attempted to fight back, punching upwards at Carter''s face, clawing and scratching in an attempt to break free. But it was a trivial act. Carter continued to squeeze until the man¡¯s arms fell lifelessly to the ground. Carter kept squeezing for a few moments longer, just to make sure his quarry was truly taken down. Before he could revel in his first kill in years, another floating popup appeared in front of him. YOU HAVE KILLED 1 HUMAN, RANK 0. 150 ESSENCE GAINED RANK UP! YOU HAVE REACHED RANK 1: BRONZE STAR PLEASE SELECT A WEAPON: SWORD STAFF SPEAR BOW Carter flexed his hands to release the built-up tension as he read the latest message. ¡°This¡­is a lot like a video game. You gain experience through kills and gain ranks it seems.¡± Normally, Carter¡¯s first choice for fighting was to simply use his fists. But using a sword to cut down his foes enticed him greatly. He thought about it a bit longer before making a choice. He tried using his hand to press his selection, but it simply went through the popup. Instead, he tried to focus his thoughts on the selection he wanted. In response, the window disappeared, and with a flash of light, a silver metal sword landed on the ground. Carter smiled and laughed heartily. ¡°Ha! Amazing!¡± He picked the blade off the ground and examined it. It seemed to be a pretty basic sword. The blade was sharp and seemed to be made of iron, as well as the pommel and guard. The grip seemed to be made of some sort of black leather. Carter swung it around a bit and found it felt like a perfect fit. The weight was perfect and sat comfortably in his hand. Once again, a smile spread across Carter¡¯s face. ¡°I think I''m going to like this new world.¡± CHAPTER 5 A rabbit leapt forward, mouth agape and prepared to bite down on its prey. Another pair hopped close to the ground, aiming at the legs. Virgil stepped back and with an overhead strike, used the shaft of the spear to slam the beast into the ground. As he retreated backwards, he spun his weapon in both hands before stabbing down at the second monster, impaling it as it attempted to take a bite out of his shin. As the sun began to rise that morning, he awoke and decided that in order to survive, he had to be more knowledgeable about handling his new weapon. He had done some basic exercises, like pushups, sit-ups and running in place, and also spent a large amount of time practicing thrusting, swiping and moving nimbly with his new weapon Once he felt confident enough in his handling, as well as getting used to his enhanced body, Virgil decided to try and complete the mission that the system gave him earlier. He had come upon a pair of the rabid rabbits, and took the pair down without much difficulty. The rabbits were quick little bastards, but Virgil realized that he was just as quick, and it seemed his reflexes had improved as well. As he used some leaves to clean off his spear, he remembered something that he read on an earlier pop-up. Something about gaining access to ¡®system statistics¡¯? He still wasn''t sure what exactly this ¡®System¡¯ was, but he assumed that whatever it was caused these massive changes to Earth, so it must be unbelievably powerful. As the words ¡®system statistics¡¯ passed through his mind, a new window popped up. Name: Virgil Race: Human [Earth-1213] Rank: Two-Star Personal Stats: BODY: 24 MIND: 22 SPIRIT: 25 AFFINITY: NONE ¡°Huh. Well that''s interesting. I wonder how this ¡®system¡¯ came up with these numbers. Also, interesting that it can work just by thought. How about¡­quests?¡± A new window appeared with only one short, but familiar paragraph. Conquer this challenge, and begin your path of ascendancy. OBJECTIVE: Kill 10 monsters REWARD: Skill of choice Kills: 6/10 He carefully made his way back towards where he had first met the little murderous monsters. Virgil was a bit more confident in his ability to handle the beats, but was still a bit nervous. It would be his first official challenge in this new world. Even with the enhancements from the World Fruit he had consumed, he didn''t really have any experience in hunting, especially not with a spear. After nearly an hour of walking through the dense forest, he came upon a small pack of the mutated rabbits. They seemed to be feasting on the carcass of a large, furry animal. They used their small, dagger-like teeth to tear bits of flesh off of the dead animal. Virgil¡¯s mind couldn''t help but run wild with the thought of him becoming their next meal, but he quickly shook away the intrusive thoughts. ¡°No point in overthinking now. I¡¯m already here & gotta see this through if I¡¯m gonna survive.¡± Virgil didn''t fully understand exactly what was happening on Earth. Whether it was some sort of invasion or large scale experiment, and whether it was localized or worldwide, he had no idea.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. What he needed was more information, and being stuck in this giant forest all alone wouldn¡¯t help, so getting stronger and finding other people seemed like his best bet. He positioned himself behind a large bush, staying hidden as he watched the rabbits. He only counted 5 targets, and was about to move to attack before he saw something strange. The ground behind the group of creatures began to come apart, and two large paws emerged. What came next caused Virgil''s eyes to widen in a mix of amazement and a bit of fear. The ears are what he saw first. Large rabbit ears, about the size of one of the normal mutant rabbits, rose from the ground. They were soon followed by the large head of an unnaturally oversized beast. Its face was not too dissimilar to the other smaller beasts, except for its teeth. A pair of dangerous looking teeth stuck out from its closed mouth, curving upwards and looked to be about 4 inches long. The creature used its strong arms to push itself out of the ground, and Virgil got a good look at its entirety. ¡°What in the ever-loving hell is that¡­¡± he whispered to himself. His grip tightened on his spear and he held his breath as he watched an abomination of evolution appear. The creature seemed to be the love-child of a bunny and a small bear. Its head mostly resembled the other rabbits, apart from the protruding teeth and the blood red eyes. Its body was covered in white, dirt-covered fur, and looked pretty muscular. The beast stood on its hind legs, and sniffed at the air. It seemed to be a couple feet shorter than Virgil, but was still nearly double the size of the smaller rabbits. Virgil gulped nervously as he observed the new creature. Doubts surfaced to his mind as he considered his chances of survival. He had no experience in hunting large creatures such as this one, and one misstep could end his life. He shook away his doubts and fears and took a breath. He had to flex his hands to stop them from shaking. ¡°If I can''t succeed here, then I won''t stand a chance when things get truly dangerous,¡± he thought to himself. And with that affirming thought, he began to think of a strategy to eliminate the herd. ¡°Taking them down individually would be the best way to clear out the group, but separating them will probably be a challenge,¡± he thought, as he slowly circled around the group at a distance to get a better view of the group. As the herd continued to feast on their food, Virgil considered the best plan of attack. He knew a straight up fight would be way too risky, and trying to separate the group would probably be difficult. But before he could think of any valid strategy, the large bunny bear - or Bunbear, as he decided to call it - turned its head in Virgil¡¯s direction, raising its snout into the air and inhaling. A new popup appeared suddenly, and Virgil quickly scanned the text. UNIQUE QUEST: Kill the Bunbear Matriarch: 0/1 Reward: Unique title Upgrade shard Unique ability Virgil quickly read the window and willed it away with a thought. ¡°Well, that''s good motivation, I guess.¡± He slowly backed away as he realized the beast probably picked up on his lack of a proper shower. The Bunbear sat up from its feasting position and slowly made its way in his direction, lumbering on all fours and continuing to sniff at the air. He did his best to stay hidden behind the large bushes, but as the beast got closer and closer, a reckless idea popped into Virgil¡¯s head. The Bunbear was only a few feet away from Virgil now. It slowly walked towards him on all fours, continuing to follow Virgil¡¯s trail. When it was around 2 feet away from Virgil¡¯s hiding spot, Virgil decided to gamble on a last minute strategy - a surprise attack. He moved forward, spear held tight, and the pointy end aimed at the head of the beast. Due to Virgil¡¯s enhanced speed from the world fruit, the beast didn¡¯t get the chance to react. Virgil thrust his weapon forward in one hand, and the tip of his spear shot forward, striking the beast in its left eye. The blade sunk deep, burying itself halfway before the beast flinched backwards and roared in pain. Blood began to pour out from the wound as Virgil pulled his spear back, dyeing the beast¡¯s white fur a shade of pink. Virgil took a few quick leaps back as he watched the beast paw at its now missing eye. His heart was racing a mile a minute, but despite the danger, he couldn¡¯t keep the smile from his face. The Matriarch¡¯s head rose, and it''s one good eye stared daggers at Virgil. It cocked it''s head back towards the sky and it let out a roar that echoed throughout the forest. The loud roar caused Virgil''s vision to waver slightly, causing him to wobble a bit. The Bunbear took advantage of the moment, and barreled forward, closing the distance and swiping a claw at Virgil. Virgil¡¯s eyes never left the beast as he rolled to the side. He followed up with another thrust of his spear, landing a deep cut on the beast''s chest. The Bunbear let out a grunt as it landed, and continued its charge as Virgil did his best to keep a good distance. Behind the now standing Bunbear, the smaller creatures continued their feast, luckily not paying any mind to the ensuing battle. As Virgil continued to retreat, he felt his foot snag on something as he began to fall backwards. The Bunbear quickly reacted to his fumble, and with surprising agility, the Bunbear leapt sprang forward barreling through the air as it dove towards Virgil with claws outstretched. ¡°Holy f-¡± he gasped, as he tried to move to the side to avoid the blow. But he was just a second too slow. , narrowly avoiding the initial dive by the large creature. But the beast quickly followed up its attack with a swipe of its large claws, leaving a trio of gashes on Virgil''s chest. The fresh wounds burned, causing Virgil to grit his teeth, but he refused to falter. His mind spun as he tried to come up with some way to survive this and complete his quest. He suddenly had a crazy idea. One of those ¡°high risk, high reward¡± gambles. He leapt backwards, putting a couple feet between him and the Bunbear. The Bunbear growled as it slowly lumbered towards him. Virgil backed up until he felt the trunk of a tree on his back. Taking a few deep breaths, he bent a bit lower and dug the butt of his spear into the dirt at the base of the tree. ¡°Here we go,¡± he muttered, as the Bunbear crouched low, and shot towards him, leaping forward with its claws outstretched and jaws wide. Virgil kept his spear steady, and at the last moment, let his spear go and rolled to the side. The Bunbear, unable to stop its forward momentum, could only watch as the spear entered through its open mouth, and pierced through the other side, impaling it through the head completely.