《Chronicler’s Tale》 Prologue Prologue On March 3rd 2018, a disembodied voice began to speak to everyone in the universe and explain how it was all about to change. The voice began, ¡°Attention dear people. I have terrible news for all of you and very little time to relay it. In just a short time, the universe as you have known it will change forever. This universe in which all of us currently live is not the sole universe in existence. We the gods of this universe have been working hard to ensure all of your safety, but we have been BETRAYED!¡± The voice seethed with unbridled anger as it practically hissed, ¡°A faction of gods from our nearest sister universe has been eyeing our universe for some time now. These sinister gods feed off of conflict and violence. Their goal was to merge our two universes together into one and use the inevitable chaos from the merger to push their strength to new heights.¡± And the voice roared, ¡±THEY SUCCEEDED DUE TO THE BETRAYAL OF SOME OF OUR OWN. THEY OPENED OUR DEFENSES SO THAT OUR TWO UNIVERSES COULD BECOME ONE.¡± Pausing for a moment to compose itself, the voice continued in a much colder tone, ¡°There is no way to stop the merger now, and the danger posed by this merger is immense. Unfortunately, the danger will be the worst for all of you. The universe that is merging with ours is one in which they have access to a number of different energies not found in our own. The primary energy is what all of you would recognize as mana. These energies make the average inhabitant of that universe, even something as small as a rodent, far more powerful than the average inhabitant of our own. When the merger begins momentarily, those energies will become accessible to everyone here as well. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. In order to ensure the survival of as many of you as possible, we have done what we can to accelerate your ability to use these new energies. We have created a System that will guide all of you and when certain milestones are reached it will strengthen your body or impart knowledge directly to your mind. The System has been designed to adjust itself to best match the societies of each world. Besides the system, we have placed a number of dungeons on each inhabited world to serve as both training and resource centers. The merger will on average double the size of each inhabited world. We have done our best to divert the new areas and especially the dangerous areas away from the most heavily populated regions. The universes will finish merging in just a couple of minutes, and when the merger is complete, the inhabitants of our one time sister universe will be momentarily disoriented due to the mana flooding into previously manaless environments. All of you must use this time to get to safety and prepare to survive the inevitable conflicts.¡± Hesitating the voice said, ¡°Not everyone from our sister universe, gods and mortals alike, wanted the merger to happen. They are victims in this tragedy as much as any of us are, and if we are to survive this disaster we will need each other. My people, these will be trying times, but no matter what may happen you must not give in to despair or hate. Hate and despair will only lead to the very tragedies that will empower our enemies. STAND STRONG! STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND HOLD TRUE TO YOUR IDEALS! Only then can hope for the future be born. ... and .... we¡¯re sorry and we hope ... we hope in time ... you will forgive all of us for our failure and for what is to come.¡± Chapter 1 Chapter 1 New World Day 1 On the day everything changed, I was riding my ATV through the tree lined paths of my family¡¯s land in rural Kentucky. My tall willowy frame hunched over the small red and black vehicle as I sped through the woods the cool wind whipping through my raven colored hair. The shaded trails and diverse wildlife never failed to calm my mind. I had come down to watch over the place while my parents went up to Cincinnati to visit my two sisters. Aside from the frequent and frustrating power outages that liked to strike the area, I loved to take care of my parent¡¯s place. The land stretched for over 200 acres and included multiple lakes, a lush green forest, and even a meadow filled with hundreds if not thousands of flowers the sight of which when in full bloom would just take your breath away. A new animal here or a blooming flower there, I always found something new, something interesting to take in. It was a wonderful sunny day, and I was half-way back to my parent¡¯s house when a wizened yet melodious voice began whispering into my ear while a wide screen filled with text simultaneously appeared in front of me. The sudden loss of sight caused me to swerve off the densely packed dirt of the trail into the forest¡¯s underbrush just barely missing a large oak tree in the process. I bit off a curse mid word as I began to take in exactly what was being whispered into my ears. The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere around me as if the woods themselves were whispering the truth of the world to me and no matter which direction I turned the screen stubbornly stayed in front of my eyes guaranteeing that I would at least see if not read the text of the speech. As I absorbed the import of the self proclaimed god¡¯s speech, I began to pale in fear whispering to myself over and over again, ¡°Son of a bitch. Son of a BITCH. SON OF A BITCH!¡± I didn¡¯t want to believe what was being said. It was insane. Absolutely bonkers. I mean who would believe a crazy story about magic, multiple universes, and evil gods. It was practically straight out of a bad fantasy novel. And yet. And yet where was the voice coming from. It was just me out here. I was all alone in this forest. Plus, there was that thrice damned screen right in front of my eyes that almost caused me to ram straight into a tree. It was practically smacking me over the head with the fact that it had to be true. At least partly true. I mean they do say that seeing is believing, and that damn screen stayed in my vision no matter what I did. It was there when I fluttered my eyes as if trying to blink it away like the floating lights that occasionally popped up in one¡¯s vision. It was even there after I gave myself a few mild smacks on the side of the head like my vision was a tv or computer screen that was on the fritz. By the time I finally convinced myself that something terrible truly was happening, I just barely had a chance to see that the text version of the speech was signed Pallas Athena before the first screen disappeared from in front of my eyes. It was replaced by a much smaller transparent screen in the corner of my right eye that was blinking over and over again with the same question. It read, ¡°Start System tutorial?¡± Yet before I could really process the question, I began to feel a deep rumble pouring into my body. One much stronger than the mild vibrations given off by the still puttering engine of the ATV I yet sat astride.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. That rumble made me shake and shiver, and as I looked around me I confirmed that it wasn¡¯t just me shaking in fear. The earth itself was quivering and breaking and shaking. The earth seemed to be shaking itself awake and as it did it caused the wind to begin to pick up. It howled through the the tree limbs like a terrible banshee newly born to the world screaming its hate for everything living and merged with the rumbling of the earth to shake me to my very core. But that horror was just the beginning. The sunlight that shown through the thin gaps of the great tree¡¯s emerald leaves began to diminish as deep steely gray thunderheads began to form in the sky blocking out every ray of the sun. Flashes of lightning rippled through the clouds and peals of thunder burst forth from the sky. The new sounds and sights merged with the old to form a vision and noise that threatened to drive me out of what little sanity I already had. And as everything built to a crescendo there was a massive whoosh and a feeling of falling similar to what one experiences when they drop down from a great hill on a roller coaster. I screamed in unconstrained terror as I seemed to fall through reality itself and everything around me was torn apart. Then right when I felt like I couldn¡¯t it endure anymore, I hit a bottom of some kind and involuntarily let out a grunt of pain. The sudden blow knocked the breath from my trembling chest. As it did, there was an audible and physical snap as the world came back into focus around me. I was back in the forest atop my ATV, the sky clear, wind quiet, and earth no longer quivering, but even then I couldn¡¯t be bothered with the still blinking screen in the corner of my right eye. There was something much much more pressing right in front of my face. A large, four-legged, and green furred animal with great triangular ears, gleaming fangs poking from its long muzzle, and steaming drool dribbling down its overlapping lips was now laying with its eyes closed just 20 feet in front of me. It¡¯s long front legs ending in dark stained claws were crossed in front of its body and its giant thickly furred tail twitched behind it while its great furry chest heaved rhythmically up and down confirming it still lived. The beast was twice the size of even a timber wolf! My mind began to slowly almost glacially awaken from its immense shock and order my body to move, to run, to back the damn ATV up, to get the hell out of there, and for the love of God, or gods now I guess, make as little noise as possible. I carefully shifted the ATV into reverse with trembling sweat covered hands and pressed on the gas but my still shaking body caused me to push far too hard on the accelerator causing the ATV to shoot backwards back onto the path like a bullet. A matching sound shot out of the exhaust echoing throughout all of the forest. A sound that made me wince in fright. A sound that caused the great beast in front of me to slowly open its eyes and glare at me with huge gold pupils filled with a desire to hunt, to kill, to *devour*. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 New World Day 1 Pinned by those ferocious eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but freeze in place like a deer in headlights. The moment dragged on for what seemed like an eternity before my mind finally kicked back into gear and pushed my body to slam onto the accelerator throwing the ATV down the hard dirt path like a bat out of hell. The beast howled in outrage and pulled itself to its feet as its prey tried to get away. However, the beast staggered and fell back to the ground its body not yet used to the new lower mana densities. Twice more it attempted to force itself to its feet but its seemingly boneless legs couldn¡¯t withstand its weight. With each failure, I managed to get further and further away when on the third try it finally succeeded in getting its legs back underneath of it. It howled in delight as it staggered off after me, its four barely coordinated legs pumping hard, intent on hunting me down. I knew that a monster like the one behind me would be almost impossible to lose. The coyotes the beast resembled had exceptional senses of smell, and I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to believe that this monstrous version wouldn¡¯t be just as capable if not more so. If I wanted to survive I knew I had to find something to defend myself with, and the closest place I could do that would be my parents¡¯ house where they kept a number of guns in a safe in the basement. First though, I had to make it to the house alive, and as I stared down what should have been a clear path in front of me I realized that was going to be even harder than I had originally thought. What was once an obstacle free dirt path suddenly cut off and disappeared into a ground covered in a thick layer of leaves that had not been there even an hour ago. Massive trees with enormous trunks far larger than any I had ever seen, aside from pictures of the great sequoias of California, now jutted from the ground blocking out all of the sunlight and casting a gloomy hue across the land. I could hear the giant beast¡¯s paws pounding upon on the ground behind me, and I glanced behind me to see that it was already far closer to me than I had thought possible. Its speed, even on those shaky legs, was unreal. There was no other choice for me to make. I gunned the ATV and darted right into the unknown hoping against hope that I would be able to weave my way through this new strange forest without running into a damn tree or even worse another beast like the one chasing me already. Minutes passed by, while the new trees flickered past me so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even see how they differed from the native trees I was used to viewing as I struggled to force the ATV to corner and weave in ways it was never meant to. I could hear the beast behind me howling in delight as it used its incredible speed to close in upon me. Imaging the beast¡¯s great white fangs and deadly claws near inches from my back, I began to snake around the trees at the last second hoping that the odd rhythm to the beast¡¯s paws hitting the ground meant that its coordination was still lacking enough that it would fail to corner properly and ram headfirst into a tree. I could feel the ATV lifting sideways into the air first left, then right, then left and left again as I whipped through the undergrowth. The last turn pulled the wheels so high into the air that I feared the ATV would flip completely before I managed to shift my weight to the side and force it to finally settled back down onto all four wheels, but despite the horror of the moment, I was rewarded with a grand thunk and ear-splitting howl of pain as the beast¡¯s legs failed it. Its legs had slammed into each other on the last turn tangling them together and causing it to run straight into the tree trunk just as I had hoped. The beast¡¯s misfortune bought me some much needed time to find my way back home. It wasn¡¯t long after the collision that I finally caught sight of the original path once more and realized I was almost at the turn that would take me by the Small Lake at the front of the property and up towards the house. All told, it had taken me almost three times as long to get back and that was even going at a far greater speed than normal. My luck in the new forest area wasn¡¯t bad as I hadn¡¯t encountered any new terror besides the one that I knew still pursued me on my breakneck journey throughout it. I could only hope that luck still held as I reached what I believed to be the home stretch and took that last turn onto the dam of the Small Lake. I was immediately disappointed, and my heart sank like a stone as I saw what lay ahead of me. The originally short and immaculate grass of the lake dam now ended in a field of wickedly sharp deep blue grass blades. The grass was heads taller than even my 6¡¯4¡¯ frame, and to make matters worse, the lake itself was now over four times its former size complete with a new azure tint to the water. I knew better than to hesitate. The wails of pain echoing behind me had ended, and that must mean the beast was back on my trail. Survival demanded that I go forward no matter the danger. The blades of grass waved gently in the wind beckoning me forth. Not knowing what may lay waiting for me in the grass or in the now stunningly foreign lake, I shifted the ATV into the highest gear possible, jammed the accelerator to the max, and aimed the vehicle towards the house that I could just barely see poking out through the trees that overlooked the lake.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. There was a slight hitch as the vehicle shifted gears and then I was off, speeding madly across the dam. Just moments after I passed by the edge of the lake, I heard the sounds of a massive splash and blast of water splattered my left side as out of the corner of my eye I saw something large and dark fly behind me. Multiple more splashes erupted along the edge of the lake drenching me with water as I sped by and with each giant splash there was a dark shape that whipped through the air to smash into the place where I had just been. I didn¡¯t dare to divert too much attention to what was going on along the lake shore, but the constant deluge of water from the eruptions pushed my terror to new heights. Whatever the hell those things were, they were moving with such speed that I was sure that I would have zero chance of surviving a direct hit from one of them. Perhaps though, they might slow down that damn beast that even now I could still hear pursuing me. One could only hope. The splashes continued to erupt from the lake¡¯s edge as I charged furiously into the tall grass. When my ATV plowed through them, the grass blades bounced and bent slashing across my face and clawing at my body as if they had a mind of their own, and shadowy shapes shot through the air behind me blowing gaping holes into the field. The blades of grass swarmed me relentlessly refusing to let me pass in peace. Fear threatened to overwhelm me as blood began to flow freely from dozens of small stinging cuts that criss crossed my face and hands. Blessedly, as quickly as it had begun it was over. I was through the field, off the dam, and shooting through a gap in the trees toward the house¡¯s driveway and garage. Suddenly, another wail of pain emerged behind me. This one was even sharper and louder than the one the beast let loose when it hit the tree. The wail helped me calm down ever so slightly and I let a small smile cross my lips as I imagined the trials the beast would have to endure to catch up to me. Maybe, just maybe, I would have a chance to survive this death race after all. I slammed on the brakes just in front of the garage, and the ATV lurched to a stop nearly throwing me off the front of the vehicle and into the stone wall next to the garage. I raced to the garage door, tore the cover straight off of the keypad, and entered the code faster than I had ever done before. Slowly, ever so slowly, the door began to raise into the air, and that is when I saw it. The beast was sprinting up the hill as best it could towards me. It had made it through treacherous forest and the gauntlet of lake monsters, but it had paid a dear price. Blood was dripping down from its lips and fangs, there was a dent in its forehead where blood flowed down to stain its snarling muzzle red, its back right leg was dragging listlessly along the ground, and its entire right side was slightly caved in. Staring down at the beast charging up the hill towards me, I detected something in its eyes that wasn¡¯t there at the beginning of this chase. Hatred. Pure hatred now boiled ominously in its eyes. From that look in its eyes, it was crystal clear that it blamed me for all that it had endured. That gaze promised an agonizing death if it caught me. Nearing the crest of the hill, the beast let loose a howl of fury and delight as it launched itself the last dozen yards straight through the air toward my stunned face. And it completely missed! My survival instincts had kicked into overdrive causing me to duck and roll under the still opening garage door. Instead of finally catching the vile prey that had caused it to endure such pain and humiliation, the beast slammed muzzle first into the stone retaining wall. The impact stunned the beast and caused the wound on its forehead to crack open and splurt blood all around. Desperate, I scrambled to my feet my left hand grasping for one of the farm tools that my parents always kept just inside the garage door. Thankfully, my hand closed around the handle of something useful. The handle of a large heavy steel pickaxe. Seeing the beast stunned before me, shaking and pawing at its head in pain, a little voice in my head screamed at me telling me, ¡°This is your Chance! Your ONLY chance! Kill it NOW! KILL IT before it has a chance to recover and tear you limb from limb!¡± Throwing caution to the wind and driven partly insane due to fear, I charged forward screaming madly and swung the pickaxe with all my strength at head of the beast. There was no form or skill to the blow. Just primal rage and terror. The beast¡¯s ears twitched as it heard my mad roar, and snarling at the offense, the beast turned its head towards just in time for me to bury the pickaxe right in the large crack in its skull. Staring into each other¡¯s eyes, the beast gave me an almost human look of disbelief before collapsing on the spot in a heap of twisted limbs like a puppet with its strings cut. Chapter 3 New World Day 1 Overcome by exhaustion, I staggered backwards into the garage and collapsed onto the ground. My baggy white t-shirt was soaked in sweat, and it wasn¡¯t until I heard a squish upon hitting the ground and felt how wet my jeans were that I realized I had wet myself sometime during the chase or fight. Shaking my head, I told myself there was no shame in such a reaction. A beast straight from children¡¯s nightmares had been chasing me through a crazy twisted world which just happened to be my new reality. As that realization sank deep into my bones, I finally turned my attention to the little transparent screen blinking faithfully in the corner of my right eye. My voice still hoarse from my wild screams I growled, ¡°Begin Tutorial.¡± Text began scrolling slowly down the screen in the corner of my eye while a familiar yet stiff, almost mechanical, voice whispered into my mind, ¡°Welcome to the System tutorial. This short tutorial will familiarize you with the System¡¯s abilities and functions. The System is designed to help strengthen the denizens of this universe as quickly as possible so that they might have a chance to survive their deadly new environment. However, due to the short time frame involved in its creation and the sheer number of users, there are a number of restrictions.¡± Continuing calmly the voice said, ¡°Due to the prevalence and popularity of the games found on this world, the System has molded itself into a similar form for the convenience of the users. At any time the user can think the word Status and a screen showing your level, titles, jobs, skills, and stats will appear. Let us begin your tutorial by going through the key points of the System one by one. First, the level of the user is determined by the amount of energy that the System is able to absorb due to the user¡¯s actions. The primary but not sole way for the System to absorb energy is through the death of another living being. When a being dies the energies contained within it begin to leak out and return to nature. The System is designed to absorb a portion of these energies. The energies that the System absorbs are then split into three parts. The first part goes to power the System, the second part is set aside for the user¡¯s personal level, and the third part is set aside for the user¡¯s Job level. Once a sufficient amount of energy is set aside, the level of the user and/or their job will increase. Each increase in the user¡¯s personal level will give the user bonus stat points that that can assign to any stat available to them. The number of bonus stat points awarded for each level is equal to the number of stats the user has awakened. Each increase in the user¡¯s Job will award some stat points and Job points that may be used to purchase Job exclusive skills. Due to the increasingly large amounts of energy needed to raise the user¡¯s stats or allow the user to learn certain skills, each level will take greater and greater amounts of energy to reach. The distance to the next level is shown by a percentage next to each level. The second key point is that all System titles, jobs, and skills are divided into ranks and rarities. There are seven normal ranks which are from lowest to highest: Basic, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic. Rarity is denoted by stars going from one to five. The higher the rank and greater the rarity of a title, job, or skill the greater the strength. Separate from the normal ranking system is the Unique rank which goes from one to ten stars in rarity. The strength of a Unique rank title, job, or skill varies wildly depending on the type of title, job, or skill, and the title, job, or skill will be transferred to the normal ranking system should it become one that is no longer unique.¡± The voice and text paused for a brief moment to let me absorb the given information before resuming, ¡°Titles are earned via actions undertaken by the user, and they will represent the achievements, both good and bad, of the user. Each title earned will grant the user points that can be used to buy skills from the System database. Skills bought in this fashion will be imprinted directly into the user¡¯s mind allowing the user to activate them almost immediately. The number of points awarded for a title is determined by the rank and rarity of the earned title. Basic rank titles earn the user one to five points varying due to the rarity of the title and each jump in rank doubles the points awarded. In order to prevent the user¡¯s untimely death, the skills available for purchase from the store database are limited to ones that the user can safely withstand learning. As you grow stronger and more capable, more and more skills will become available for purchase. Some titles that the user may earn represent great enough achievements that they may grant skills directly without the need for purchase via points. Such skills can often only be strengthened through an increase in the rank or rarity of the title that granted it in the first place.¡± Once more the voice paused briefly before resuming once again, ¡°Ideally, the System would allow the user to learn any skill and would strengthen the user as they learned it so that said skill would not endanger their life. However, there is simply not enough energy to go around for such a wide-ranging function. Hence, Jobs were created. The Job portion of the System is designed to provide the user with a limited ability to learn skills that they wouldn¡¯t normally be able to learn. Once a Job is taken, the user¡¯s body will be modified by the energies of the System so that they are able to learn a limited set of otherwise unreachable abilities. Some Jobs will immediately award certain skills once the Job is taken, and some may even awaken a dormant stat for the user. Additional job restricted skills may be purchased with Job points earned by leveling the Job. Each Job level will also award a certain amount of stat points to the Job¡¯s most used stats as well as a few bonus stat points. The number of stat points and bonus stat points awarded depends on the rank and rarity of the Job. Due to previously mentioned energy restrictions, Jobs will only become available once the user reaches level 10. User¡¯s can have more than one job. Additional Job slots open up after every 20 additional levels. Some titles may award additional job slots as well. Jobs available to the user are determined by the titles, skills, and stats of the user.¡± As I absentmindedly gazed up the gravel driveway at the line of trees in front of me, I belatedly realized how unbelievably stupid I was to just sit there in the open while the voice droned on in my mind. Before the voice could continue on I yelled into my mind, ¡°Pause!¡± Thankfully, the System tutorial responded as I had hoped, and the voice stopped immediately. My status screen now blinked with the question, ¡°Continue?¡± As quickly as I could, I staggered to my feet and pressed the button to close the garage door. Walking slowly and swaying slightly side to side, I opened the door to my right that led to my Dad¡¯s basement workshop. As I entered the workshop and flipped the lights on, I came to hear a loud humming noise emerge from its depths. Glancing around, I saw the workshop was just as it always had been. It was a long room in the shape of a fat L. It was well organized with a series of shelves on each side and a large wooden workbench straight ahead at the joint of the L. The workbench and shelves weren¡¯t anything fancy, just your basic metal and wood, but they contained a multitude of tools that would no doubt prove useful in the days ahead. However, it wasn¡¯t the tools I had my eye on right now. It was the large fat bodied gun safe that sat squarely to the right of the workbench. Yet something unexpected caught my eye as I worked my way towards the safe. The large gasoline generator that sat on the opposite side of the workbench was running quietly, emitting that loud hum that permeated the workshop. I stared in shock as I came to realize that the power must be out in the area, and promptly smacked the side of my head as my tired mind finally caught up and thought, ¡°Of course the frikken power is out. Who knows how much new land has been spliced into the world. There¡¯s no damn way the utilities could adapt to such a situation. The various utility lines were probably broken into pieces wherever new land appeared. This is the first time I¡¯m actually thankful for the damn intermittent power outages in this area. If my parents hadn¡¯t installed this generator to deal with them I¡¯d be dead by now.¡±Stolen story; please report. With that realization firmly in mind, I quietly thanked my parents for their forward thinking and turned my attention back to the gun safe. After all, dealing with any new beasts that might come to investigate the bloody corpse just outside the garage was my most pressing concern. The generator could run for awhile yet without my intervention. Arriving at the safe¡¯s door, I quickly punched in the code, twisted the handle, and threw the door open. Inside the safe, there were a bunch of ammo boxes, a holster, and a half dozen guns. However, only four of them would likely prove useful. One was a nine millimeter pistol, the second was a pump action shotgun, and the remaining two were .30-30 hunting rifles complete with scopes. The remaining two guns were an old twenty-two caliber rifle and a muzzleloader. I doubted either would be of any help in dealing with any of the deadly beasts I might encounter. I was a decent shot due to all of the time I spent here over the years, but I wasn¡¯t a good enough shot to make those two old guns useful. Taking the shotgun and the pistol along with a few boxes of ammo and the pistol holster, I walked down the right hand hallway to the door at the other end of the workshop. I passed by a dry sink, a washer, and a dryer on my right while on my left side there were more shelves and a refrigerator. At the end of the hallway there was a caramel brown wooden door which I opened the door into a nice sized bedroom complete with a small sitting area. Right in front of me sat a large king sized bed while to my right there was an entertainment center that sat snug against the wall. Just on the other side of the entertainment center there was a door to a bathroom and shower. Next to the bathroom there were steps that led up to the ground floor of the house. Opposite the entertainment center, I saw a floral print loveseat and ottoman. The last detail of note was another wooden door that led back out to the back of the garage. The room was adorned with paintings and quilts of animals and flowers befitting a home in the countryside. The decorations gave the room a kind cozy albeit rustic feeling. Laying the guns on the bed, I returned to the gun safe and grabbed the two rifles as well as a few more boxes of ammo before returning to the other room. Carefully closing the door behind me, I laid the two rifles on the bed next to the other weapons. Taking in the weapons that lay before me, I began to pick up and slowly inspect and load each of them before carefully placing them back onto the bed. Once finished, I took the pistol and shotgun and sat in the love seat before firmly thinking, ¡°Continue.¡± Promptly the voice resumed speaking, ¡°Skills are abilities that users can either learn on their own or purchase through the System. Skills are a representation of the knowledge and abilities that a user has gained both naturally and artificially throughout their lives. Skills go up in rank and potentially rarity as the user becomes more experienced and proficient with them. The distance to the next increase in rank is indicated by a level and percentage next to the skill name. The number of levels it takes to increase the rank of a skill varies from skill to skill. User¡¯s can ask the System to monitor the increase in experience for specific skills for them. By keeping an eye on exactly what actions cause a Skill¡¯s experience and level to increase, users may be able to find a way to further their proficiency in Skills for which they have no teacher or fundamental knowledge of. Skills are divided into three types. Passive skills that are always active in exchange for a permanent drain of some form of energy, active skills that must be triggered in some fashion to be used, and burst skills that are more powerful extensions of active skills but often come with a drawback of some kind. The most common drawbacks are a massive drain of energy or a great burden on the user that causes them to suffer a self-inflicted injury. The final System function revolves around your stats. Stats represent your body, mind, spirit, and soul¡¯s basic abilities. Most users will initially only have access to the most basic physical stats. As the users becomes stronger and adapt to this altered reality, they will have the chance to awaken formerly dormant stats. Some Jobs, as mentioned earlier, can forcibly awaken dormant stats. Stats can be increased naturally via training, but the higher the number of points a user possesses for a specific stat the harder it is to increase by training. Stat points and bonus stat points awarded by the System will always raise the stat value by 1 point no matter how high the current value. Dear Users, the System is designed to help you become as strong as possible as quickly as possible. If you are able to find a loophole or pattern of some kind that allows you to grow faster than you think you should be able to, then please feel free to exploit it as ruthlessly and for as long as you can. It is our hope, as the gods of this original universe, that the System will allow the majority of you to survive the calamity that has descended upon our home.¡± Glancing at my screen, I noticed that it was now flashing ¡°Tutorial Completed. Show Status?¡± Concentrating I thought, ¡°Open Status!¡±, and immediately a series of messages popped up on the screen followed by my long awaited status.
You have reached LVL 1! 3 bonus stat points awarded! Title awarded! Survivor (B) * Skill awarded! Basic Axe Mastery (B) *
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 10% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * 1
Stats: HP: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 80/100 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: N/A
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 1 0% *
Chapter 4 New World Day 1 Scrolling through my Status there were a few questions that plagued me. Primarily, I wondered exactly what my stats did. Right when the thought crossed my mind, a pop-up appeared with a quick explanation of my four current stats.
HP: The state of your current health. You will die once it reaches zero. Injuries to the head, heart, and other vital points will still result in nearly instant death. Endurance: The stat that primarily governs your physical stamina. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Strength: The stat that primarily governs your physical strength. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Speed: The stat that primarily governs your physical speed. It also slightly increases your physical stamina.
Touching my chin in wonder I thought, ¡°That was certainly freaky! I guess the System is constantly reading my mind.¡± I didn¡¯t feel very comfortable thinking about being constantly monitored and so, I did my best to move on and distract myself with other issues. There were some important decisions I would need to make. The first was what I was going to do with my bonus stat points. I could save them and use them later on in the future when it would be much harder to improve my stats via training, or I could use them as I received them. The former would likely provide me with the greatest benefit in the long run, but the later would likely make my immediate survival much easier. Before I could decide what the best path would be, I needed to decide my overarching plans for the future. The big picture plan was simple enough. I needed to get to Cincinnati and find out what happened to my family. They were good people. Strong people. But no one in the world was truly prepared for such a nightmare scenario. I needed to get to them, to see that they were alright with my own two eyes, but traveling to Cincinnati wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. In the best case scenario, I would need to travel 40 miles through hills and valleys that were likely infested with magical beasts by now. Quite a bit of strength would likely be required to safely make such a trip, and that was just the best case scenario. The worst case could see me having to travel two or three times the original distance through new and dangerous lands. I went back and forth and back and forth in my mind. My face twisting and contorting as I debated the best path forward. I wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good if I died, but hurrying too much could easily lead to a quick death as well. In the end, I decided to take a risk and hold the bonus stat points back for as long as I could. I felt that the initial adjustment period would be slow and fraught with danger. However if I could survive that period, I would then be able to swiftly and steadily improve myself. With my long term goals and status issues resolved for the moment, I turned to my immediate survival needs. My parent¡¯s house was a fairly new and well-maintained two story house complete with a full deck around the outside of the first floor. The inside of the first floor had a single bedroom, a single full bathroom, a modest sized kitchen, a set of stairs leading to the half-size second floor, and a great room with a massive arched ceiling. The great room was filled with large windows that gave an incredible view of the nearby forest and lake. I had spent many a day just staring out those windows watching the wildlife, but those windows were now an enormous liability. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for a human to break those windows and get into the house let alone a monster like the beast that had chased me. The upstairs were a liability as well. There was one daybed at the top of the steps, a second daybed down at the other side of the open air hallway, a bedroom behind each daybed, and a full bathroom sandwiched between and only accessible from said bedrooms. Each of the two bedrooms had a large window that creatures could potentially use to get into the house and eat me in my sleep. That meant that the basement would have to be my base for the moment, and I would need to fortify and supply it as best I could. The first thing I would need to gather would be water and food. I suspected that the water lines were broken just like the power lines, but I didn¡¯t want to waste any water by trying the tap. I would need to grab some clean buckets or large cups to catch any water that might still remain in the lines. I would be ok for the immediate future because I knew there were a lot of bottled waters in the downstairs refrigerator and at least a few more in the refrigerator in the kitchen upstairs. Food would be the next priority, but that was all upstairs. Taking a deep breath, I put the pistol in the holster on the bed and buckled the holster to my waist. Then I took the shotgun in my hands and headed over to the steps. Taking a deep breath, I began to slowly creep up the stairs. Each step brought me closer to the first floor and potential danger. I hadn¡¯t heard any windows breaking, but you couldn¡¯t be too careful. Halfway up the steps there was a loud creak that caused me to wince and freeze in place. I strained my ears listening for anything responding to the sound, but gratefully heard nothing. Reaching the top of the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest, I twisted the door knob and cracked the door open. Grasping the shotgun tightly in both hands, I slid the barrel gently into the crack and nudged the door open wide enough for me to slip through. My body began to lightly shake and shiver as I crouched down and stepped into the first floor kitchen as quietly as I can. In front of me was a white wooden breakfast bar jutting out from the wall. Trying my best not to let my sneakers squeak on the off-white linoleum floor, I duck walked over to the breakfast bar and put my back to the cabinets underneath it while jerking my head left and right searching for any dangers. The kitchen was dominated by two rows of deep brown wooden cabinets that ran from the breakfast bar to the left wall and then to the front wall. One row ran all along the ground and the second was right above the first at head height. They formed an overlapping double C shape. The only break in the pattern was for a stainless steel sink and an overlooking window. Opposite the sink, alongside the right wall, there were a handful of additional cabinets, an old refrigerator, and a lightly lit hallway. The white wooden door that led outside to the front porch lay between the end of the C pattern cabinets and the group of cabinets on the kitchen¡¯s right wall. Shifting my sight I stared down the hallway checking for any home intruders. The gray carpeted hallway had a door on the left that opened to the first floor bathroom and 4 wooden closet doors along the right side. It ended in a doorway that led to the only bedroom on the floor. The door to the bedroom was still firmly shut just as I had left it. The kitchen and hallway were both clear! Still shivering, I straightened up slightly and craned my neck backwards to check out the great room. The big room had the same gray carpeting and white walls as the rest of the house, but it had giant windows that lined most of the walls. The only exception was the stone fireplace in the center of the back wall. Above the fireplace there was a ribbed pattern of beautiful stained wood that reached all the way to the arched ceiling. Right in front of my hiding place on the right side of the enormous room, there was a large gorgeously stained wooden dinner table with matching chairs that gleamed in the sunlight shining through the windows. A blue and white couch and loveseat set sat in the center of the room facing a TV and cheap wooden entertainment center. The TV and entertainment center sat along the back wall of the house and were positioned slightly off-center due to the fireplace. Behind the couch, there was a large wooden antique desk sitting snugly against the stairway wall that was festooned with old knick knacks. On the left side of the room, a computer and computer desk sat to the left of the loveseat. A small antique wood table with a group of nice comfortable cushioned chairs lay behind it. To the left of the antique table there was a door that led out onto the deck that circled the first floor. Further to the left, there was a small closet and the steps that led up to the second floor. Except for the normal furniture, the room was empty, and nothing could be seen prowling on the deck. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Seeing that everything was still just as I left it, I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t even realized I was holding. Now that I knew it was safe, I straightened up fully and slung the shotgun on my shoulder from its strap. It was time to gather all of the supplies I could from the kitchen. I rummaged through all of the cabinets grabbing anything edible from spices to granola bars to a few bags of chips. Next, I starting picking up anything that might prove remotely useful such as silverware, cleaning chemicals, bowls, and cups. Moving on, I took all of the drinks from the refrigerator and emptied the freezer of all of its stored food. Everything was thrown haphazardly into plastic bags that I pulled from the kitchen closet. Once I had a group of bags full, I would transfer them to the downstairs workshop near the basement refrigerator. I wasn¡¯t sure how much time I would have to loot the house before another beast came calling. So, I was sprinting up and down the stairs and all over the kitchen while ignoring the creaks, groans, and squeaks as best I could. I winced inwardly each time an especially loud creak emitted from the steps, but time was of the essence. Pausing for a moment at the bottom of the steps to wipe the sweat from my eyes, I pondered on what else I would need to grab from the upstairs. All of the kitchen supplies had been moved to the basement. I had even emptied what water still remaining in the water pipes into some cups from upstairs. When I looked down at my still damp pants I knew the next thing I wanted to do was to grab all of the clothes from the top floor. Even if I they all didn¡¯t fit me, I still might be able to use the cloth for something. Racing back up the stairs with the shotgun still slung over my shoulder, I rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and ran into the great room. Sssssccccccrrrrrrrrreeeooooow! A terrifying sound greeted me as I entered the room causing me to jump in fright and nearly shit myself. Whipping my head up, I stumbled backwards smacking into the desk along the wall and fumbled for the shotgun. I had gotten careless! Standing there glaring through the window along the wall to my right, there was small light green figure. It was perhaps 4 feet tall and dressed in a dirty fur kilt and vest. Its face was scrunched with small beady eyes, a large thick nose, a gaping mouth filled with short needle fangs, and wide circular ears. The creature¡¯s dark black hair was matted and twisted into a messy mohawk. Its arms were abnormally long, stretching to almost three quarters the size of its entire body and ended four fingered hands crowned with sharpened pitch black nails. Only one word for the creature came to mind. Goblin! One of the goblin¡¯s hands was closed around the pickaxe that I had thoughtlessly left outside while the other, the other was holding some weird bloody stone, dripping with blood and gore, and pointing one finger straight at me. The goblin wasted no time in trying to get at me and jumped forward straight towards me. Smack! It smashed into the window only to be bounced backwards hard enough that it almost flipped over the deck¡¯s railing. Dazed, the goblin shook its head, narrowed its eyes in rage, and roared. The stupid creature seemed to blame me for its pain. Learning from its mistake, the goblin raised the pickaxe and brought it down hard against the window putting the pickaxe right through it. The window shattered into countless pieces, and the momentum of the blow from that long lanky arm caused the goblin to stumble forward and fall halfway over the window sill. Pieces of the shattered window flew across the room peppering me with small glass shards. Sharp burning pain from a series of new small cuts woke me from my stunned state. Raising the shotgun on my shoulder, I took aim at the goblin that was still struggling to stand up straight and pulled the trigger. A loud bang reverberated through the room and caused my ears to start ringing. The goblin staggered backwards as dozens of small bloody holes appeared across its chest and arms. Looking down, the goblin stared at the wounds for a moment in shock before it glared at me and rushed forward roaring in anger. The creature hopped the window sill effortlessly this time and landed in the center of the dinner table. It stood there there slightly hunched over, using its long arms to regain its balance. Before it could launch itself at me, I pumped the shotgun sending the empty shell flying into the air beside me and fired once more. The blast took the goblin in the chest and caused it to fall backwards spread eagle on the table. The pickaxe fell from its now limp hand onto a nearby chair with a loud clatter. It twitched a few times and took a handful of ragged breaths before it stopped moving altogether. I stood there frozen, unable to move until I saw a blurry movement in the corner of my right eye. Reflexes kicking in, I swung the shotgun to the right and pulled the trigger. The pellets flew through empty air and out the broken window. The odd stone the goblin had been holding continued rolling across the top of the table undisturbed by the swarm of pellets as silence reigned.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 15% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 5% Title Points: * 1
Stats: HP: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 80/100 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: N/A
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 1 0% *
Chapter 5 New World Day 1 Wobbling over to the table, I took a long hard look at the goblin that lay splayed across it. Red blood was pooling around and starting to drip off the table onto the gray carpet. Drip! Drip! Drip! It took a moment, but the realization that I had taken the life of another intelligent being began to set in. My skin paled, and my body began to shake uncontrollably while bile that started to rise up my throat threatened to choke me. The terrible stench emanating from the creature, a foul mix of blood, body odor, and goblin shit, was the final straw. Throwing the shotgun on the ground, I turned away from the awful vision before me, ran to the toilet, and promptly vomited my guts out over and over again. I don¡¯t know how long I lay there in the bathroom hugging the toilet with tears from my light brown eyes running down my cheeks to mix with the vomit pouring from my mouth as I tried to come to grips with the reality of what I had done. The big beast was one thing. It was just a wild animal, but the goblin! The goblin had intelligence! It used tools and its form was similar enough to a human that I couldn¡¯t escape from the reality of what I had done. I had killed it without even trying to talk or reason with it! Everyone had even been warned that not all of the creatures from the other universe were evil. A corner of my mind kept trying to remind me, to tell me that I had only done what I had to do. That if I hadn¡¯t killed it then it would have killed me or worse, but my conscience could not seem to get over what I had done no matter if it was justified or not. The entirety of my situation, not just death of the goblin, began to truly imprint itself on my mind causing my depression to spiral more and more out of control. The clouds that hung heavy over my mind were only blown away when a terrifyingly familiar sound rang in my ears. Ru-ru-ru-awooooooo! The sound of the type of beast that had chased me all through the forest was echoing through the house. It was still faint, but there was no telling if or when it might arrive. Pulling myself to my feet, I wiped the bile and tears from my face with a nearby towel and got to work fortifying for home. The first thing I did was head into the kitchen. I still needed to get the clothes from upstairs, but for now there was no time to waste. Unplugging the refrigerator, I began tipping it from side to side and gradually slid it across the kitchen floor until it sat heavily against the door leading to the basement. If anything wanted to get at me from upstairs, they would need to knock it out of the way before they could get through the door. I wasn¡¯t sure how much time it might buy me, but it was certainly better than nothing. Turning around, I jogged into the great room. I had to do something about the body of the damn goblin. Ignoring my feelings of guilt as best I could, I quickly approached the table only for a glint of light to strike the corner of my eye. My mind still not working the quickest, it took me a moment to track down the source of the glint. The odd stone the goblin had been holding was sitting there motionless on the edge of the table reflecting the light of the now setting sun. It had a rough surface with slight jagged edges in some places, but when I looked closely at its center I could see a faint white light burning within it. I wasn¡¯t sure what the stone represented, but I had a feeling it might be useful. So, I grabbed the stone and shoved it roughly into the right pocket of my jeans before turning my attention back to the body. Grabbing the goblin¡¯s legs, I dragged it over to the broken window, leaving a trail of blood behind it, and heaved it out onto the deck. Before I joined it on the deck, I moved back to the table to grab the shotgun from the ground, and the pickaxe from the nearby chair where the goblin dropped it. I pumped the shotgun once to reload it before I carefully stepped over the broken glass and window sill onto the deck. Immediately, I began to curse under my breath as I realized I had yet to learn my lesson. I should have checked if anything was around before I ran impulsively into the great room, and I certainly should have checked before I just jumped outside. Hoping it wasn¡¯t too late, I looked down both sides of the deck and scanned the nearby clusters of trees. Being early spring, I had a pretty clear view of the forest since the tree leaves were just budding and the various flowers, grasses, weeds, and bushes that formed the forest¡¯s undergrowth hadn¡¯t yet risen high enough to hide anything larger than a squirrel. Nothing alive entered my vision, but when I looked over the edge of the deck to where the great beast lay dead, I saw something odd. It hadn''t been chewed on or eaten at all, but its chest had been torn open by something. Remembering how bloody the goblin¡¯s hand had been, I glanced down at the bulge in my jeans. Did the stone come from the beast? Did the goblin gouge it from the beast¡¯s chest? If so what was so important about the stone that the goblin would take it but ignore the meat, fur, and bones? Or was the goblin planning to take some of that as well only to hear me moving in the house? I desperately hoped that the goblin was the one who had mutilated the corpse because otherwise some other dangerous entity was already in the area. With that cheerful thought bouncing around in my head, my breath began to quicken, and I crouched down next to the deck railing. I quickly gave my nearby surroundings another visual pat down. As I swung my head side to side looking for any threats, a laugh bubbled up my throat at the memory of where the phrase visual pat down originated. It was a funny show and even in these circumstances thinking about it caused my lips to curve upwards a bit. Shaking my head to eliminate the distracting thoughts, I brought my breath back under control and straightened back up. There still wasn¡¯t anything nearby, but I could hear the barking howls of more than one beast in the distance. I needed to move quickly in case the blood of the two corpses attracted them to the house. Putting the shotgun and pickaxe down and grunting from the exertion, I pulled the goblin''s body up onto the railing and then shoved it off. The corpse dropped into the driveway next to the beast with a thud and sent pieces of gravel bouncing into the air.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. With that done, I grabbed my weapons and ran down the deck to the front of the house. When I got to the edge of the house, I put my back to the house, squeezed the shotgun hard for good luck, and peered around the corner. I observed the screened in front porch and the small grassy field that stretched out in front of it. Nothing was out of order! Once I confirmed that everything was clear, I headed down to my left through a small cluster of nearby trees that split the gravel driveway into a V shape to where the corpses and ATV sat. Thinking quickly, I decided that I needed to set up some kind of barricade in case something battered its way into the garage and then the basement. Opening the garage door once more, I looked at what I had to work with. Aside from the ATV still in the driveway and the myriad of farm tools along the right wall, there was a second ATV sitting in the garage as well as a much larger version that the manufacturer called a Ranger. I hoped they would be enough. Afraid of making too much noise, I slung the shotgun over my shoulder and carefully leaned the pickaxe against the grey concrete wall of the garage before I went to the ATV in the driveway, shifted it into neutral, and slowly pushed it into the garage. I maneuvered it so that it was sitting sideways and backed it up to the door to the workshop. The door opened inwards so I could still get through it, but it would make it a little more difficult for anything without hands to get into the workshop. Finally, I put it in park and flipped the emergency brake on. With that one set, I ran to the other ATV, pushed it forward perpendicular to the original, and then yanked hard to the left on the back of it until the two formed one nice barricade across the garage. Next, I turned to the farm tools to see if there was anything that might be of immediate use, and I quickly spotted something better to have on hand than the bloody pickaxe. There was a big sharp splitting axe sitting against the wall which I quickly grabbed and put next to the door to the bedroom at the back of the garage. The Ranger was the last thing to move, and I had to be quick about it. Ru-ru-ru-awooooooo! Ru-ru-ru-awooooooo! The barks and howls were getting closer and closer. There was no doubt that they were heading in this direction. They were likely attracted by the loud gunfire and pungent smell of blood. Since they were already on their way here, I decided not to try and move the ranger by hand. It was a heavy bastard and I was running out of time. Hopping into it, I turned the key and started it up. Looking backwards, I shifted it in reverse, twisted the wheel, and backed the sucker up diagonally to form a second barricade just behind the first. It was quick and dirty, but the barricades were finished! I sprinted to the front of the garage, the shotgun bouncing uncomfortably on my shoulder, to close the door, but before I could get there movement caught my eye. Four beasts swaggered out from the edge of the tree line that hid the house from the view of the nearby road. Even after the goblin debacle, I still hadn¡¯t learned my lesson! I should have closed the god forsaken door once I had the first ATV inside instead of leaving it open like a damned fool, but now it was too late. The beasts looked tired, but they were here, they had seen me, and most importantly they looked hungry. *Ding*
Title awarded! Fool (B) *
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 15% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 5% Fool (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * 2
Stats: HP: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 80/100 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: N/A
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 1 0% *
Chapter 6 New World Day 1 While my mind was busy cursing my foolishness, my body thankfully knew what to do. I dove over the makeshift barricade behind me, the shotgun landing painfully under me as I hit the ground. Hurriedly, I rolled off of it and placed it on the barricade to steady it as I aimed at the approaching beasts. After the fight with the goblin, I hadn¡¯t taken the time to reload the shotgun. So, there were only two shells left, and I had to make them count. I didn¡¯t think that I could kill one with a single shot, but if I could delay two of them long enough to kill the other two with the pistol then I just might have a chance. The beasts themselves were prowling forward slowly convinced, correctly as it happens, that they had me cornered. They advanced slowly enough that I had time to wonder if I should have just tried to close the stupid garage door anyways. I noticed that all four of them were almost half the size of the previous beast, and they had a red tint to their green fur that the first one was lacking. Young ones? Or maybe the first was just an abnormality? Shaking my head slightly to get rid of the distracting thoughts swirling in my mind, I aimed at the fore most of the four beasts. Once I had it firmly in my sights, I let out a long low breath and pulled the trigger. Boom! The ringing in my ears returned once more, but aside from a slight wince, I paid no attention to it. All of my attention was focused on that first beast. It had been in mid step, its front right paw in the air, when the whirlwind of pellets struck it full on. The impact of the pellets knocked it to the ground. Some of the pellets had struck its leg and its softer more vulnerable paw, but most of the blast had taken it in the head and chest. Grinning, I noticed that while its thick fur prevented too much damage there was at least one pellet that had struck its left eye blinding it in that one eye. The wounds to its head and chest only let out small streams of blood, but blood absolutely poured from its paw and eye. I don¡¯t know if it was because of the loud noise or the smell of fresh blood entering the air, but the other three beasts changed gears and charged in recklessly. The three beasts charged forward nipping at each other along the way as they jockeyed for position. Now that they were closing the distance so quickly, I no longer had any time to take proper aim, but with all three of them practically filling my entire vision, I couldn¡¯t miss. Squeezing the trigger, a second boom echoed in the garage, and I saw the middle beast come to a screeching halt as the barrage slammed into its chest. The beast didn¡¯t fall like the first, but by the look of things it had the breath knocked from it. Stopping it for a short time was good enough for me. Dropping the shotgun to the ground with a clatter, I undid the flap on my hip holster and yanked the pistol out. The two uninjured beasts were dangerously close now. Close enough that I caught a whiff of their terrible breath that smelled of decaying meat. Close enough that a corner of my mind calmly noted that the red tint to the fur was actually blood stains. That same absurdly calm corner of my mind wondered why they were still so ravenous if they had killed something else recently enough that the blood on their fur had yet to dry. The one good thing about their close proximity is that I simply couldn¡¯t miss. Filing those thoughts away for now, I smoothly pointed the pistol at the beast on my left, fired three times, shifted to the right and fired three more times. I had no way to know which of the shots was fatal, but I could see the life fade from their eyes. The momentum of their charge carried them into the garage and straight into the barricade of ATVs. The vehicles rocked back tumbling onto their sides and knocked me on my ass in the process. Panicking, I struggled to stand, but the abrupt fall saved my life as a third beast sailed through the air right where I was once standing. The beast that had been hit by the second shotgun blast had recovered quicker than I thought it could, and it had been hidden from view by the two other beasts. It landed gracefully behind me just in front of the ranger and immediately pivoted back towards me. Leaning my head backwards, I shoved the pistol back towards the beast and wildly fired off five shots. The shots perforated the side of the beast mid-twist and it collapsed dead with a huff just behind me. One more beast remained, and as that thought flashed across my mind, a whooshing sound entered my ear. The last beast! It was about to pounce right onto my prone form! Desperately, I rolled to the side, but it was too late to avoid the strike completely. The beast landed to my left with a crack as its claws slashed into the cold concrete with the full force of its considerable bulk behind them. Its front left claws caught me in the side as I rolled away gouging out three great chunks of flesh. Lightning struck and my mind blanked as pain coursed through my body. The pistol clattered to the floor as the pain caused my hand to spasm and lose its grip. Despite the pain, my survival instincts kept me rolling to the side leaving blood stains in my wake. I rolled right into the wall, left side first, splattering the wall with my blood and causing a new burst of pain to rip through my body, but the frantic roll saved my life for a second time. The beast had pivoted on its left leg, whipping its backside to its right so that it could let loose a vertical strike at me with its right leg, and the beast¡¯s claws tore three long lines into the concrete right where I had just been. Metal twinkled and glinted in the light of the setting sun just in front of me as I tried to blink away the pain. It was the axe! Pulling my legs under me as best I could, I thrust myself forward trying to squeeze past the Ranger to the axe leaning against the wall just behind it. Enraged by its failure, the one eyed beast snarled at me, advanced a step forward and lashed out with its left leg in sideways swipe. The dirty black claws whistled through the air and tore deep into the calf of my right leg before I could get completely past the Ranger. I thought it couldn¡¯t possibly get any more painful, but I was wrong oh so wrong. The pain was overwhelming and unlike anything I had ever felt before. It threatened to shut my entire mind down, but I focused on one thing. On just one single thought. The axe! If I could just get to the axe maybe I could survive. Maybe I could turn things around. Holding that thought, I struggled through the gap between the Ranger and the wall towards the axe. The beast rushed forward snapping literally at my heels its saliva splattering over the back of my legs and its warm putrid breath washing over my body. With single-minded focus unlike any I had ever conjured up before, I shut out the pain in my side and leg and the crazed howls of the beast behind me all so that I could limp forward to the axe. My efforts were rewarded when my trembling hands finally closed around the handle of the axe. Raising the axe, I twisted to my right and blindly swung the axe in an almost 360 degree ark behind me. The axe sunk into something with a sick thunk and my arms shook heavily from the impact. The beast had been trying to force its way past the Ranger after me, and it let loose a manic pain-filled howl as the axe sunk itself right into its muzzle. Wrenching the axe free, I swung it down overhead towards the beast¡¯s head. The blow was ill-aimed and missed its skull yet it still left a long jagged cut below its left eye. Stunned by pain, the beast tried to pull its head back from the gap, but I was not about to give it any breathing room. Limping after it, I wildly swung the axe at it over and over again. Blood drops flew across the room, and cut after cut opened up on the beast¡¯s body. The beast desperately backpedalled attempting to escape from my onslaught, but I didn¡¯t give it a chance. I couldn¡¯t give it a chance. The moment I stopped moving, the moment I stopped swinging, was the moment I died. Each blow was harder to unleash than the last, my vision began to grow fuzzy, and my breath grew more and more ragged. However, I kept swinging over and over and over again until there was one final wet thunk as the axe sank deep into the beast¡¯s chest. The axe was stuck, and I didn¡¯t have the strength to pull the axe free anymore. With a growl of victory, the beast raised itself up on its back legs as if to maul me like a bear or lion might and tore the axe from my hands in process. Unblinking, I stared straight ahead at the beast. I refused to give it the satisfaction of flinching as I met my end, but the blow never came. The beast raised itself to its full height only to tumble to the side with a stunning crash. Staring in disbelief, I limped around the beast to the pistol, leaving a trail of blood in my wake, and emptied the clip into the beast¡¯s body for good measure. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. With the immediate threat gone, the pain returned in full force and threatened to overwhelm me once more. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled to keep the darkness encroaching my vision at bay. I had lost too much blood and didn¡¯t have much time. A new message was blinking on the screen, and I knew that as bad as my injuries were the System was likely to be my only hope of surviving. Shouting in my mind, I said, ¡°Status!¡± *Ding*
Title awarded! Pack Killer (B) * Title awarded! Beast Killer (B) * Skill awarded! Basic Gun Mastery (B) * Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Gun Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Gun Mastery (B) *leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 25% Fool (B) LVL 1 0% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * 4
Stats: HP: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 8/100 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: Bleeding x6
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 2 25% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 45% * *
Two things immediately caught my attention. The first was that I had only 8 HP left, and the second was that I had a status effect of Bleeding x6. If that effect was anything like the one in games, then it meant I would continue to lose HP until I died or managed to remove the effect somehow. Naturally that made sense since I only needed to glance at my side or leg to see the blood was still flowing freely from my wounds, and if I didn¡¯t find some way to stop the bleeding soon I would die! Tearing my mind away from that dark abyss of a thought, I whispered, ¡°Title Skill Purchase!¡± An immense list immediately appeared on the screen in front of me. There were hundreds if not thousands of skills that appeared. I simply didn¡¯t have time to sort through them all! Hoping that the System had a sort function I thought, ¡°Healing skills!¡± Praising the gods, I saw the list shrink to just four skills just as I had hoped it would.
Available Healing Skills: Basic HP Recovery (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic HP Recovery (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Regeneration (Active) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Regeneration (Passive) (B) Cost: 4 points
With my life literally draining from my body, I mentally screamed, ¡°Purchase Passive Regeneration!¡± The choice was almost instinctual and based solely on the fact that it was the most expensive and thus hopefully the strongest skill. Using what little strength I had left, I limped towards the button that would close the garage door. Along the way, fresh pain surged through my mind and body as the System implanted the knowledge of the Regeneration skill in my mind and enhanced my body so that the skill could take effect. Dragging my battered body forward, I slapped the button, flipped over to put my back to the wall, and slid down it to collapse onto the ground as darkness finally overtook me.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 25% Fool (B) LVL 1 0% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * 0
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 6/100 10/10 2 per min (-1) 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: Bleeding x6, Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 2 25% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 45% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% * * *
Chapter 7 New World Day 2 I don¡¯t know how long I was unconscious, but in time, the darkness that had come crashing down upon me gradually began to clear. My mind was groggy at first. Extraordinarily groggy. I was unable to quite remember what had happened, but vague memories of a series of fights floated elusively through my mind. Every time I tried to concentrate on one of the memories a searing pain ran through my mind allowing the darkness to encroach in on upon me once more. I¡¯m not sure how many times I repeated the cycle of grabbing at the vague memories and passing out from the pain, but eventually I was able to hold on and pull the pieces of my mind back together without passing out. As my senses came back to me, the first thing that returned was my sense of smell. A strong acrid smell of blood permeating the air. Panting with effort, I slowly opened my eyes only to be greeted by a darkness that was illuminated by just a few streaks of sunlight peeking through the garage door windows. Sometime while I was unconscious the generator must have run out of gas cutting the power to the house. Leaning forward, I looked down to my left side and then my calf. The skin that had been torn apart by the claws of the beast were gone. The wounds from the beast had all closed up leaving behind only some faint white lines, and even those seemed to fade before my eyes. Staying sitting, I twisted my torso and tensed my calf to see how they felt. There was a small stab of pain while moving and a low steady ache afterwards, but otherwise they seemed to be alright. I decided not to push things too far too quickly. Instead, I leaned back against the wall and thought over what had happened and all of the poor decisions I had made. I made a short mental list.
  1. I didn¡¯t take the time to properly explore the System. Yes, I had listened to the Tutorial, but I didn¡¯t bother to pull up the Title Skill list or even try to see what commands the System would accept. Everything worked out in the end, but I shouldn¡¯t have left things to chance.
  2. I was not nearly as careful as I should have been when I started gathering supplies from the ground floor. I should have been carefully and periodically checking my surroundings instead of letting myself become consumed by a need for speed.
  3. I should have worked on making my home as secure as possible first, and then I could have gathered the supplies more leisurely. Even if the goblin and beasts still attacked me I wouldn¡¯t have been as panicked setting things up.
  4. I should have reloaded the shotgun immediately after the fight with the goblin. A few extra shots with it might have made things much easier for me in the fight with the small pack.
  5. I should have closed the damn garage door. I can¡¯t afford to be so careless in the future. If I had closed the damn door, the beasts might have gone away without even bothering me.
Nodding to myself mentally, I committed the list of mistakes to memory. I was sure that I would make a multitude of additional mistakes, the world was too different too foreign now for me not to, but I could at least make sure I didn¡¯t repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Choosing to rectify my first mistake right away, I thought, ¡°Status!¡±
Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 25% Fool (B) LVL 1 0% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * 0
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 60/100 10/10 2 per min (-1) 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 2 25% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 45% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 4 10% * * *
Immediately, I saw that I now had mana points and mana regen. Since the only thing that had changed from my last Status check was that I had gained that regen skill, I had to assume that was what awakened those stats. When I concentrated on trying to find my mana inside my body, my vision disappeared and darkness appeared all around me once again. Frantic and fearing that I was passing out once again, I quickly stopped concentrating and tried to force myself to stay awake by pinching and twisting the skin of my thigh. Right away the darkness faded away and my surroundings appeared around me once again. Puzzled and in pain, I tried concentrating on finding my mana again, and the darkness appeared around me just like before. Not panicking this time, I looked around and found a blob of white light floating behind me in the middle of the darkness. Staring at the blog of light I thought, ¡°Could that be my mana? Is this some inner world, or is this an effect of the System? Hmmmm. Hmmm. Hmm. What happens if I try to move it?¡± Willing myself forward, I tried to touch the white blob only for my hand to pass right through the it. I couldn¡¯t physically interact with it, and for that matter why did I even have a hand here? If this was my mana then wasn¡¯t I inside my own body somewhere? Was this a mental or imaginary body? Smacking my forehead, I thought, ¡°If that really is the case then of course I can¡¯t physically interact with it. I have to will it to move with my mind.¡± Concentrating all of my will on that little blob of light, I tried to will it to change shape, but the damn blob wouldn¡¯t move at all. After that first failure, I tried something less complicated than changing shapes. I just tried to get it to move side to side. The blob trembled slightly this time but stayed where it was. Slowing down, I decided to go all the way to the absolute basics and see if I could force it to contract a little just like I would tense a muscle. Success! The blob contracted ever so slightly. Consoling myself, I thought, ¡°One step at a time. Just take it one step at a time.¡± Exiting the inner world, a shock ran through my mind as I realized I had seen that white light before. The stone I took from the goblin had a similar light burning within it. Did I have a stone like that in me now? I started pressing and pushing on my chest and stomach trying to find any new bulge in my body that could represent a similar stone or new organ, but my only success was making myself nauseous. Leaving the practice and experiments for later, I decided to move on to another issue. Namely my Skills. My regeneration skill had leveled up a few times in my sleep. Since it was a passive skill that always remained in effect, I guessed it would level up automatically as I got injured and it healed me. Musing to myself, I thought, ¡°Perhaps there would be a way to push it to greater heights if I could find some way to control it. Maybe I could gain the Active version of the skill if I worked on it, and if I could then get both going at the same time that would hopefully allow me to heal much more quickly and from even deadlier wounds.¡± Wanting to gain a greater understanding of my skills but not sure if it would work I thought, ¡°Skill Explanation?¡±
Basic Axe Mastery (B) * LVL 2 25% : This skill represents the user¡¯s skill with an axe. The rank of the skill will increase every ten levels. At higher ranks and greater rarities it becomes possible to use special skills and attacks with the axe by pairing various energies with the use of the axe. The various skills are too many to be listed. Basic Gun Mastery (B) * LVL 3 45% : This skill represents the user¡¯s skill with guns. The rank of the skill will increase every ten levels. At higher ranks and greater rarities it becomes possible to use special skills and attacks with guns by pairing various energies with the gun and bullets. The various skills are too many to be listed. Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * LVL 4 10% : This mana based skill automatically heals the user from any wound they might receive until the body returns to the most ideal condition. The rank of the skill will increase every ten levels. If a wound or wounds are too serious the regeneration may not be able to keep up with the damage and the user could die. At greater ranks and rarities it becomes possible for the regeneration to heal old wounds received before the skill was gained. In addition, it becomes possible for lost limbs and organs to regenerate. Greater rarity versions often offer quicker or greater regeneration in exchange for a drawback of some kind. For example, Troll Regen (B) **** will give far greater and quicker regeneration in exchange for causing the user to become weak to fire. Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * currently automatically takes 1 mana per minute from the user in order to function. This deduction can not currently be controlled by the user.
The explanations that I had hoped for appeared in front of me. I carefully read through them and took note of a few things. First that I could increase the rank once each skill hit level ten. Second that there were various additional skills that I could unlock after I increased the two masteries to a certain rank or rarity. Finally, I made sure to remember that a higher rarity didn¡¯t guarantee that the skill was better. If I had to accept a weakness in exchange for a rare skill it might not be worth it. I didn¡¯t know if all rarer skills were like the Troll Regen example, but it was something to definitely keep in mind. Determined to get all of the information out the System that I could, I thought, ¡°Title Explanation?¡±
Survivor (B) * LVL 1 25% : This title is awarded to any user that survives a dangerous encounter. The more dangerous encounters the user survives the higher the rank will become. Rarity is determined and increased by surviving rare dangers. The rank of the title will increase with every ten levels.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Fool (B) * LVL 1 0% : This title is awarded to any user that makes a number of foolish decisions in a short period of time. The more foolish decisions made by the user the higher the rank will become. Rarity is determined by the type of foolish decisions made. The rank of the title will increase with every ten levels. Pack Killer (B) * LVL 1 0% : This title is awarded to any user that successfully kills a pack of animals. The more packs killed by the user the higher the rank will become. Rarity is determined by size of the packs killed and how rare the animals are that make up the pack. The rank of the title will increase with every ten levels. Beast Killer (B) * LVL 1 0%: This title is awarded to any user that successfully kills a number of beasts in a short period of time. The more beasts killed by the user the higher the rank will become. Rarity is determined both by how many beasts are killed in a short period of time and by how rare the beasts are that the user kills. The rank of the title will increase with every ten levels.
There were a few different things in the Title Explanation screen than the Skill Explanation screen that quickly popped out to me. The explanations not only told me explicitly why I received the titles, but they also told me exactly how to increase both the rarity and rank of the titles. Thinking to the future, I decided that I needed to start writing down all of the information that I was able to gather from the System and from the world around me. There was a saying that knowledge was power, and I thought that that saying was more true now than ever before. If someone knew how to learn certain skills and gain certain titles, they could use that knowledge to quickly gain more title points and spend those points much more effectively than doing everything blindly. Combined with that, knowing what beasts they could encounter, how dangerous said beasts were, and where they were most likely to meet such beasts would no doubt be a godsend. I knew that there were some notebooks in the stand next to the bed in the other room, but I held off from going to get them. Impulsiveness had nearly gotten me killed. There was a time and a place for quick decisions, and right now I had time to plan things out properly. Sitting there, I began to do just that. First was safety, then sustenance, next clean up and repositioning of the barricades, followed by gathering supplies, then training, and finally writing everything down before at least attempting to sleep. With my plans set, I stood up slowly and picked up the shotgun. I took it and the pistol to the bedroom where I inspected them for damage There were a few dings and dents, but they were fine otherwise. Once I was finished with the inspections I made sure to reload both of them. Next, I needed to get some food and water in me. I was absolutely starving. Heading into the workshop where I left the plastic bags of food. I grabbed some bread, lunch meat, and some bottled water from the refrigerator. Moving back to the bedroom, I sat in the loveseat and proceeded to devour everything I had grabbed. In the end, I drank 4 bottles of water and ate 3 ham sandwiches. The lunch meat would spoil in a few days without power so I didn¡¯t feel too bad about eating so much of it. With that taken care of, I needed to do something about the bodies in the garage. They would decay in time and the worsening smell wouldn¡¯t be good for my health. It might even attract more beasts before long. I would need to get rid of them, and I had an idea about how to do it without keeping a stack of bodies near the house. I could roll them onto a tarp from the workshop, drag them to the edge of the hill, and then roll them down towards the nearby lake. I hoped that whatever new creatures lived in the lake would appreciate the free meal and dispose of the bodies for me. Before I sent them on their way though, I would need to take anything from the bodies that I would want to keep. I wondered briefly if I should try taking the claws, fangs and fur, but I wasn¡¯t sure of how to remove them safely or turn them into tools and clothing. Maybe I would have time to experiment in the future once I was better situated, but for now I didn¡¯t think I should waste the time. There was however one thing I wanted to try and retrieve from the bodies. I was reasonably certain that the odd stone that still sat in my pocket had been removed by the goblin from the big beast, and I wanted to see if each of these smaller ones had one too. I wasn¡¯t completely sure what it was or what it did, but my instincts were telling me that they were important. After my experience working with my mana, I had a suspicion that they might be the organ that allowed the beasts to use mana. If I was right and that was mana trapped inside of it, then maybe I could extract or use the mana in some way. I thought for a moment about if it was best to open them up inside the garage or out on the driveway and decided that it would be too dangerous to do it outside. I would need to get the tarp under them before I cut them open to search for the stone, but the extra blood and organs shouldn¡¯t cause too much of an issue since the garage was already covered in blood. Getting to work, I grabbed a shiny blue tarp from the workshop along with the set of knives my Dad kept for processing deer. After laying the tarp on the ground in front of the first barricade of ATVs, I rolled one of the front two beasts onto the tarp and slowly made an incision on its chest. I gasped and gagged in disgust as the organs began to spill out. Nevertheless, I reached into the chest cavity and felt around. It took good bit of searching during which I touched things that really didn¡¯t want to ever touch again and nearly vomited probably a dozen times over, but I found it! It felt like there was something like a net around the stone along with a web of veins radiating out from the net. I closed my hand around it as best I could and gave it a few hard yanks. The mushy feeling of the net and squishy sounds that accompanied each pull were nauseating, but I managed to yank it out without vomiting. Pulling my hand out of the beast¡¯s chest, I took a look at my prize and found there was a network of blue gooey veins wrapped around the stone that I quickly pried off. This stone was maybe half the size of the original one that I had found, but it still glowed with that same inner fire. Pleased with my success, a slight smile emerged upon my face. Just three more to go! It took a bit of muscle and maneuvering along with a bit of puking thanks to the increasingly foul smell, but after about an hour, I had everything finished up. There were four new mana stones, the name I had picked for them, all of a similar size sitting on the workshop bench and the four beasts were lined up on the tarp right by the garage door. Now that the messy part was done, it was time to dispose of the bodies. I didn¡¯t want to repeat my past mistakes, and so, I cautiously peered out the garage door windows to see if I could see anything moving around. I saw some normal animals like squirrels and chipmunks but I didn¡¯t see anything dangerous. Even so, I still needed to be careful. Pulling the garage door up manually, I walked out slowly with my shotgun in hand and my head swiveling side to side. I closed the garage door behind me and slowly started to do a lap around the house to verify there was nothing around. However, when I reached the front of the house and looked south towards where the city of Falmouth sat, there was something that left me absolutely stunned. An enormous awe-inspiring mountain range was framed perfectly by the setting sun. It''s great gray and white peaks pierced deep into the sky. It was lit up by a shimmering pattern of gorgeous reds and oranges that emerged unhindered from the cloudless sky. The mountain range sat in a place where there had previously only been a large lake and some modestly large hills. Breathing out slowly, I forced myself to complete my sweep around the house and filed away that change in the environment for later. It wasn¡¯t like I could do anything about it right now. Now that I was satisfied that there was no immediate danger, I opened the garage door and pulled the tarp outside bodies and all. Once the tarp was clear of the garage, I closed the garage door and slowly dragged everything over to the edge of the hill just to the left of the garage door. Thankfully, the slick tarp slid over the driveway¡¯s gravel with ease allowing me to move all four bodies at once. It took some muscle and got me even messier than before, but I was able to roll each of the bodies over the hill down towards the lake. They didn¡¯t roll far, but it was far enough that I thought the lake beasts would come to take them eventually. Finished with that, I dragged the tarp over to the rock wall next to the garage door where the bigger beast and goblin laid. I intended to do the same thing to their bodies that I did to the beasts from the garage, but first I did a second quick sweep around the house. After confirming that the area was still clear, I proceeded to dispose of the remaining two bodies in the same manner stopping only to relieve myself near the side of the house. I thought about checking to see if the goblin¡¯s body had a mana stone as well, but I wasn¡¯t yet so adjusted to my new reality that I felt comfortable dissecting another intelligent creature. By the time I was finished with the bodies, the sun was setting, and I decided that it would be best to wait until morning to grab the clothes from the top floor of the house. Thankfully, I got back into the garage and locked it without a hitch this time. I had only been awake for a few hours at best, but I was already exhausted. I wanted to sleep, but I knew I couldn¡¯t afford to. There were a few things that I still had to attend to before I could attempt to sleep. First, I pushed the ATVs back into a nice barricade in front of the garage door. I had to flip them back onto their wheels, but they weren¡¯t too heavy of vehicles. Next, I decided to do a bit of training. I started by excitedly working on my mana. What wasn¡¯t to be excited about you ask? This was the first step to magic! MAGIC! Every little kids dream! It was a boring practice of forcing it to contract and then relax over and over and over again, but that didn¡¯t lessen my excitement. After an hour of heated yet mind numbing practice, I found that I had developed a pounding headache. Putting a hand to my head, I realized that it must take more out of me to practice manipulating mana than I originally realized. I was only forcing it to contract a little, but it still caused me to feel like I had physically smashed my head into a wall. It was likely because it isn¡¯t something that I was used to doing, and so, I hoped that the pain would lessen as I got used to the training. Ending the mana training there for today, I took up the axe and started to swing it. I did one hundred over hand swings with each hand individually, then one hundred sideways swings with each hand, followed by one hundred overhand swings with both hands, and finally one hundred sideways swings with both hands. By the time I was finished, my hands were covered in blood from popped blisters and I was absolutely drenched in sweat. I was deeply surprised that I was able to ignore the blisters that cropped up during my training. I had never been the best at dealing with pain. Even just a couple of days ago I never would have been able to complete that training program. Did I develop a resistance to pain already? Laughing a little to myself, I dismissed that thought and decided it was thanks to my new regeneration skill. That was one skill that kept on giving but I was disappointed when I saw that my stats hadn¡¯t increased at all. Midway through the workout, it occurred to me that I had gone far beyond my original limits. The constant regeneration allowed my body to recover and grow stronger quicker than I ever could have before, but even so, I was apparently still too optimistic on how quickly my stats would grow. Exhausted from my training, I headed back to the bedroom, put the axe next to the bed, peeled off my ruined clothes, wiped my body off with an old teal hand towel from the bathroom, and collapsed on the bed. A welcoming darkness quickly enveloped me, and my second day in the New World came to an end.
Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 25% Fool (B) LVL 1 10% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * 0
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 89/100 10/10 2 per min (-1) 6 5 7 3
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 3 55% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 45% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 4 60% * * *
Chapter 8 New World Day 3 I wasn¡¯t able to sleep for nearly as long as I had hoped to. I shook awake after just a few hours, awoken by the howls, screeches, and roars emanating from outside the house. The sounds seemed to be coming from the direction of the lake, and I suspected that my plan to dispose of the bodies might have worked a bit too well. Nothing seemed to be scratching at either the garage door or the door to the upstairs which hopefully meant that I was safe for the moment. That thought should have made me comfortable, but instead I began to grow more and more depressed. Part of the reason I had worked myself to the point of passing out from exhaustion was so that I wouldn¡¯t stay awake worrying about the future. Now though, now I couldn¡¯t help myself. I wanted to see my family and friends. I wanted to confirm with my own eyes that they were okay. That no crazy beast had devoured them like what almost happened to me. I had told myself these very things on the first day after I fought that first beast, but as I lay awake listening to the sounds of the night, the terrible fates that could potentially befall them kept crossing my mind one after another. Chanting to myself, I kept saying that my family would be alright. That they were strong both mentally and physically. Before all of this happened, I had been just another aimless college graduate looking for a job. I had played some sports and was decently athletic, but I had no ambition, no drive. My sisters and parents though, they had drive to spare. They knew exactly what they wanted and went for it with a gusto that I envied. The thought of them brought a warm smile to my face for a moment before the fear that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see them ever again caused my eyes to well up with unshed tears. They were certainly much stronger than I was, and if I could survive this hell then they must be just fine. They just had to be. Once those fears began to bit by bit worm themselves into my mind, I couldn¡¯t get them out again. Sighing, I sat up and decided to do something useful. Before I had fallen unconscious, I had forgotten that I had planned to write everything down that I had learned about the New World. So, I pulled out a few notebooks and a pen from the nightstand and decided to correct that oversight now. I intended to keep one notebook with a list of skills and titles, a second notebook with a journal of everything that had happened to me, and a third notebook with entries for all of the beasts that I had encountered. It took me a couple of hours to get everything written down, but I got it done. The only hitch was that I needed a name for the beasts that I had fought. Taking into account its resemblance to the Old World coyotes, I decided to name it a forest coyote. It wasn¡¯t the most inspired of names, but it was at least descriptive. As I wrote everything down, I had unconsciously divided the world into the Old World that had no magic and the New World which was full of it. It was a distinction that I hadn¡¯t meant to make, but once I did I liked it and resolved to keep it in mind whenever I updated my notes. The creation of my notes hadn¡¯t taken as long as I had hoped, and once finished, I began to hear the sound of the fighting outside again. My worries and fears began to rush back to the forefront of mind. Not wanting to go down to that rabbit hole again, I decided to do some training to keep my mind off of my worries. Turning my vision inwards, I began to practice forcing my mana to contract and relax once more. The concentration required allowed me to slowly banish my fears to a dark distant corner of mind. They weren¡¯t gone by any means but at least they weren¡¯t running out of control. I trained my mana until the headache from earlier returned in full force. At that point, I picked up the axe and began to swing it once again. There wasn¡¯t much room in the bedroom, but there was just enough for my to practice vertical slashes. It wasn¡¯t long before I was covered in sweat again. Drops of it were flicked across the room from my shoulders and arms each time I brought the axe swinging down. Pausing for a moment to wipe the sweat from my eyes, my ears twitched as I noticed something odd. It was quiet! The sounds were gone! I was hopeful that the lack of noise meant that all of the monsters were gone, but I would need to check to be sure. Pulling my bloody and torn clothes back on, I took the pistol, shotgun, and axe and quietly pulled open the door to the garage. The first thing I noticed was the dim beams of morning sunlight shining through the garage door windows. Morning had arrived! I crept forward as quietly as I could making sure to keep low so that nothing could see me through the windows. Once I was at the door, I craned my neck just enough to peer out the middle window. I didn¡¯t see anything at first glance. Encouraged but still cautious after the mistakes of the last couple of days, I slid over to the other two windows and checked the area through each of them. Satisfied that nothing was out there at the moment, I went into the workshop to grab some food and water and plan out the day. There were a couple of things that I needed to try and address today. The first thing was supplies. I wanted to get to my family and friends as fast as I could, but the events of the last two days had made it clear that getting to them was going to be easier said than done. It would take time to get strong enough to fight my way through all of the new creatures, and I didn¡¯t know how long the journey would be. It used to be only about 40 miles to Cincinnati, but I didn¡¯t know if that still held true in the New World. If the new tracks of land in the forest and the increased lake size hadn¡¯t alerted me to the greater size of the New World, then the new mountain range in the distance certainly hammered it home. The distance from here to Cincinnati might have doubled or tripled, and all of it would likely be hostile territory. All of that meant, that I might be stuck here not just for weeks but months. Even if I rationed it carefully, the food and water I had gathered from upstairs would run out in a couple of weeks at best. I would need a new source for each pretty quickly. I might be able to eat the meat of the beasts and drink the water from the lake if I could survive the fights necessary to gather it, but there were other dangers that lurked within such a plan though. I didn¡¯t know what types of parasites, diseases, or poisons might lay hidden in the new meat and altered water. I would need to look through the System skill list to see if there was anything that could help me with that issue, and I knew exactly where to start. Silently, I thought, ¡°Status! Title Skills! Resistance Skills!¡±
Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Strength increased by 1! Endurance increased by 1!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 25% Fool (B) LVL 1 10% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * 0
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 105/105 10/10 2 per min (-1) 7 6 7 3
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 45% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) 4 LVL 90% * * *
Available Resistance Skills: Basic Fire Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Fire Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Water Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Water Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Wind Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Wind Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Earth Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Earth Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Ice Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Ice Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 4 points Basic Lightning Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Lightning Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 4 points Basic Poison Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Poison Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Acid Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Acid Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 4 points Basic Parasite Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Parasite Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Disease Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Disease Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Fear Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Fear Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points Basic Pain Resistance (Active) (B) * Cost: 1 point Basic Pain Resistance (Passive) (B) * Cost: 2 points
The System truly was divine, pun intended. It brought up exactly what I wanted. Before I looked at the list of Resistance skills, I took note that my exertions over the past night had borne fruit. I had been a bit disappointed earlier that my stats hadn¡¯t increased, but it seems that I hadn¡¯t been too far from boosting them after all. Both my strength and endurance had increased by 1, and an unexpected side effect was that my HP had increased by 5. I suspected that it was due to the increase in endurance, but I would need to keep an eye on that in the future to be sure. Besides that, my axe master had increased by another level as well. Turning my attention back to the matter at hand, I glanced through the resistance skills. There were 20 currently available to me, and at the bottom of the list I saw three that I would need to secure as soon as possible. I intended to either purchase or train in all of them but disease, poison, and parasite would come first. That trifecta should allow me to begin to safely experiment with eating the new animals and drinking the lake water. Since I was looking for useful skills already, I thought I should check to see if there were any scouting or detection skills that I could purchase. A skill such as that could be a literal lifesaver. I searched under scouting, detection, perception, appraisal, awareness, and enhanced senses, but unfortunately, no matter what I tried to the System kept giving me the same message.
No currently available Skills in that Category!
The one good thing was that the System specified currently available skills. That must mean that there are such skills, but I either didn¡¯t have the right stats or high enough values in my current stats to learn them. Taking the failure in stride, I finished up my breakfast of lunch meat and water and stood up, ready to begin the day in earnest. Heading into the bedroom, I grabbed one of the two rifles and slung it on my left shoulder opposite the shotgun. I already had a plan in mind for the rest of the day. I would check on the bodies of the goblin and forest coyotes outside, finally get those clothes from upstairs, and then, then I would head out to check on my neighbors. My parents lived out in the middle of nowhere, but they still had a few neighbors. The fact that they hadn¡¯t come to check on me wasn¡¯t the best of signs. However, I held out hope that at least some of them had survived the last couple of days. It could be that they have been just as preoccupied dealing with the changes to the world as I have been, and If they still lived then we could come together to help one another survive. Holding that sort of happy thought firmly in mind, I strode out of the bedroom and into the garage with purpose, ready to confront a new day. Chapter 9 New World Day 3 The very first thing I did before heading outside was to check for anything waiting to jump out and eat me alive. I had checked not too long ago but better safe than sorry. After I was certain that everything was clear, I opened the door, rushed out, and then closed it quickly behind me. I was a bit worried by all of the fighting sounds that I had heard over the night. Well, more than a bit if I was being honest with myself. I crept over to the edge of the hill to have a look at where I had dumped the bodies. What I saw was what I had hoped for, the bodies were all gone. There was evidence everywhere that there had been quite a brawl over the bodies last night. I couldn¡¯t make out the exacts of what had happened, but even a blind man could see from the drag marks in the grass and mud that eventually something had dragged the bodies down the hill and into the lake. Now that that question was answered, I relieved myself in the same place as the day before alongside the back of the house and then made my way cautiously to the front of the house. I made sure that I had the shotgun in hand so that I was ready for anything that might be waiting for me. I didn¡¯t encounter any beasts or monsters, but I was surprised to see that there were birds out and about again. The sky had a few clouds floating around aimlessly up there, but it was clear enough and sunny enough that I could see the small shapes of the robins and swallows darting through the air. There weren¡¯t quite as many, but they were back. I suspected that it meant that the Old World animals were gradually adjusting to the New World. I wasn¡¯t sure how many species would survive in the end, but it was an encouraging sign that they were out and about already. I found it comforting to have some familiar sights and sounds returning, and I quickened my pace towards the front door. A few moments later, I stopped myself midstep. This was exactly what kept getting me into so much trouble. I assume that everything is fine and normal and then BAM! Something big and nasty with all kinds of crazy fangs jumps out and tries to eat me. I was determined that I wouldn¡¯t let that happen again. I turned my back to the door, and swept the yard in front of me with my gaze once more. Nothing but birds, squirrels, and insects. Satisfied that everything was safe for now, I headed inside. Once I got inside, I headed down the hallway to my left and made sure that nothing had taken up residence in the bathroom or bedroom. Then I cautiously made my way into the great room. The room naturally still had glass everywhere and there were blood stains around the kitchen table from the goblin. However, nothing else had changed since then. I carefully headed up the stairs to the top floor. There were pictures of my family hanging on the walls all along the open air hallway. A pang of longing shot through me, but it wasn¡¯t time to dwell on that. I opened the door to the first bedroom just a crack and then lightly kicked it open the rest of the way with my foot. The room was clear, and I repeated the process twice more checking both the bathroom and second bedroom in the same way. Now that I was satisfied that I was safe for the moment, I got to work collecting everything that I could use. I yanked all of the clothes, pillows, covers, towels, and medical supplies from the various closets and cabinets on the floor. When I went back downstairs, I would need to loot the downstairs bathroom as well. That was one room I had missed on my first go around. I had a constant regeneration going now, but that didn¡¯t mean the medicine couldn¡¯t still be useful. After everything was gathered upstairs, I stopped for a moment to think about how I would get it down stairs. The quickest way would be to throw it over the railing into the great room, but I decided against that as I was worried about the noise it would make. Instead I wrapped everything up in the big quilts from the four beds into four big bundles and carried them down the stairs one by one like a certain grinch who stole Christmas. I stopped after each one to check the windows both upstairs and downstairs. It took about an hour to get everything moved out from upstairs and to loot the ground floor bathroom and bedroom in the same manner. Since I had the time, I even grabbed the pots and pans from the kitchen this time as well. I didn¡¯t want to risk taking everything to the basement by going outside and around. Taking the other option, I moved the refrigerator away from the door and took everything down the stairs. I had a lot to take down, and not all of it would fit in the basement bedroom. Some of the new supplies, mainly the pots and pans, were stashed in the garage. Everything else was crammed into the bedroom for now. I would have to get everything organized at some point, but that could wait till night when I needed something to keep my mind from wandering. There was one thing I did do right away. I literally tore off my current clothes and changed into a new set of jeans, a gray T shirt, and a light blue jacket. It was pretty warm outside so I didn¡¯t really need the jacket, but I thought that it would at least keep the straps from the rifle and shotgun from rubbing my shoulders raw. There was one final touch. I put on a backpack filled with a couple bottles of water and some peanut crackers. Satisfied with my work so far, I slung the guns back onto my shoulders and grabbed my axe before I headed back upstairs to twist the refrigerator back in front of the door to the basement. It only took me two days, but I had finally finished looting the house. Now I needed to check on my neighbors. I left the house from the broken window instead of the front door. There simply was no good way to make sure that nothing was waiting to eat me when exiting the front door. I probably should have entered the house the same way actually, but it had slipped my mind. That was another thing that I would have to keep in mind for the future. It was a small mistake, but I felt that if you make enough small mistakes then a giant shit storm will inevitably descend on you in due time. I resolved to identify and limit them as much as possible. Taking things slowly, I headed back to the front of the house. Facing directly away from the house there was a nice wide grassy lawn dotted with a few small circles of flowers and bird feeders. Right past the lawn, the forest began to emerge and the ground dipped down into a small but surprising steep valley with a creek running through the very bottom of it. To the right of the house, there was a gravel path that went past a large metal barn and led down a hill to what my family had called the Big Lake. The hill used to be an orchard and a few fruit trees still used to live on it, but when the Big Lake was built it had been converted into a mini meadow of sorts with flowers and large swaths of warm season grasses. I didn¡¯t know how much of the terrain remained the same, but it would hopefully give me at least a bit of an idea about what to expect if I wanted to explore that area.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I wasn¡¯t heading in that direction though. I was heading to the left of the house. There was a gravel driveway right next to the house that led to the road through a small hole in the surrounding forest. The driveway split in two right before a thin tree line that extended out from the nearby forest like the jaws of a great beast that had swallowed the house and its surroundings whole. One path went to the garage while the other went to the front porch with a triangular patch of trees laying in between them. The tree line to the left of the house had been left in place on purpose by my parents to keep people from being able to see the house from the road. Some of the trees, specifically the white and scotch pine trees, had actually been planted by them personally. They really valued their privacy. Beyond that line of trees there should be a large field with a fenced in orchard, a fence around the property, and a gate to the road. I wasn¡¯t holding my breath about everything being the same though. I could still see the road and my car in the front field from the hole in the tree line, but I could tell at a glance that there were already some changes. The driveway still went through the tree line, but the tree line was much thicker than it used to be and there were types of trees mixed in that I knew didn¡¯t exist in the Old World. From the deck of the house, I could make out three new species just from the bark and leaves. Two of the three types were pretty tame. The bark on one was thicker and more craggy while the second had leaves that twisted and folded like ivy. Otherwise though they just looked like any old tree. The third tree though was incredibly different. I found that just staring at the third type for too long caused my eyes to begin to itch and burn. It had pitch black bark that circled and swirled in odd patterns that seemed to shift and change every time a beam of light struck it almost like the bark itself was made of shadows and feared the light. I was never ever going near those trees if I could help it, and there was something else about these shadow trees that bothered me. They stuck out like a sore thumb. I know I was preoccupied the last couple of days, but they weren¡¯t the type of thing that was easily missed. Just where had they come from. Was I really just that inattentive or was there some other reason I hadn¡¯t seen them? There were only three of that type that I saw and they were thankfully a good distance away from the driveway. I had to spend five minutes rubbing my eyes before I was able to relieve some of the irritation and open them again. There was no way those trees were normal, but they were still just trees. It wasn¡¯t like they could get up and chase me down. I just needed to keep them in mind and give them a wide berth. With that happy thought in mind, it was time to stop procrastinating. I put my axe in my backpack, unslung the rifle this time, and walked up the driveway towards the gate and the road as quietly as I could. Despite my best efforts, the gravel crunched loudly under my shoes with each step. The sound made me cringe every time it rang out, but I didn¡¯t want to take the chance of getting near those shadow trees by going through the grass and forest. I got to the tree line without incident and began to make my way through the gap when a lone cloud floated across the sky and blocked out the bright sun. Whoosh! Black shapes shot out of the forest from either side of me encircling me before I had nary a moment to react. I had just enough time to think about how screwed I was before they began to silently and unnervingly advance upon me in unison.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 1 25% Fool (B) LVL 1 10% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * 0
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 105/105 10/10 2 per min (-1) 7 6 7 3
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 45% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) 4 LVL 91% * * *
Chapter 10 New World Day 3 As the shadow creatures advanced towards me I noticed that they had forms that I could easily recognize. They were squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, and possums. The black inky forms made the otherwise innocuous animals incredibly creepy and their silence combined with the unnaturally coordinated movements made the small animals far more menacing than they should be. The rifle I had in hand was unlikely to be of much use against a horde of small animals. So, I did the only thing I could do. I ran! They might have blocked my path, but they were still just small albeit evil looking animals. I bulled my way through the horde and ignored the smaller animals that jumped and clawed at my legs. One of the shadow raccoons got smacked with the butt of the rifle when it latched onto my upper leg. Its skull deformed under the impact and it promptly lost its hold on my leg. Thankfully the animals didn¡¯t seem to be any stronger than their original forms and I was able to break through with only a few small scratches. However, after I sprinted into the open field past the trees I looked back to see them chasing me down. Even the raccoon I had struck down was back on its feet. Its head reforming as if it had never been struck at all. That was certainly an ominous development. If I couldn¡¯t kill them outright then even such small animals could overwhelm me given enough time. Just as I began to worry about how I would deal with them, the cloud that had been blocking the sun finished passing by, and the animals melted away into pools of shadows that darted into the woods and merged with the three shadowy trees dwelling there. Sighing, I knew that I needed to stop being so naive and foolish but it isn¡¯t easy to change in just a handful of days. This wasn¡¯t the Old World anymore, and I needed to remember now that even the trees could kill me if I gave them half a chance. Turning back towards the road, I made my way forward towards my neighbors¡¯ houses. The front field remained much as I had remembered except the fence that enclosed the orchard and the fence the circled the property had been torn through in multiple places. I walked past my still intact car sitting all alone in the front field and advanced towards the holes. I noticed that in one place it looked like something had slashed through the metal fence like butter, but in a second place it looked like something had run right into the fence and kept running until the metal finally gave in and tore apart. The nearby fence posts had almost been torn out of the ground by the strength of whatever had run into the fences. I moved through the gap in the fence and hopped over a small ditch onto the road so that I could make my way to the nearest neighbors house that sat just a little ways down the road to my left. I didn¡¯t have high hopes that anyone was still there. Once I had entered the front field they should have been able to easily see me, but no one had come outside to greet or help me. The house was a small one floor house with white siding and a small brick chimney sticking out of the black shingled roof. The white paint was peeling in numerous places allowing the gray wood underneath to peek out. The front steps creaked and shivered as I walked up to the front door. A gust of wind blew across my back and knocked the door ajar with an eerie whoosh. That wasn¡¯t a good sign. If there was someone still there the door should have been locked or at least firmly closed. I switched the rifle out for my shotgun and pushed the door all of the way open. A disgusting and unfortunately familiar smell poured into my nose as I stepped into the house. The first room was a small family room dotted with a pair of faux leather recliners and a small blue couch. The two recliners were on their sides with puffs of padding sticking out from long claw marks that had been torn into each of them. The couch was tipped over backwards and splattered with blood. Behind the couch there was a small hallway that lead to the back of the house, and there were two doors opposite one another that I suspected to lead to a pair of bedrooms. The blood stains from the couch continued into the hallway. The stains were dried so whatever had happened here I had arrived too late to change the outcome. I knew that whatever awaited me in that back room wasn¡¯t going to be pretty, but I had to know what had happened to this family. Firmly stepping forward, I followed the blood stains and went to the back of the house. The hallway led to a small kitchen decorated with floral wallpaper along the walls. It had rickety cabinets, an old rusted stove, and shiny steel sink to the left. A small wooden dining set occupied the right side of the kitchen, but my attention was focused on the grisly sight in the backyard. The back door had been torn apart and wood chips were strewn about the kitchen. The blood stains from the front of the house led out the destroyed door to a pile of flesh and chewed bones. The sight caused me to gag and vomit into the sink. It took me a few minutes to gather my courage and walk into the backyard. Unfortunately, there was no doubt in my mind that the disturbing sight in front of me was what remained of my neighbors. I saw that there were large paw prints sunk into the grass and mud all around the remains, and a thought struck me. The small pack of forest coyotes that had attacked me that first night had already been covered in blood when they attacked me. Were they the culprits? There was one thing that bothered me though, well more than one really but one in particular at least. If they were responsible for this attack and they already had a food source here why did they come and attack me? I turned around slowly and surveyed the backyard to see if I could find an answer, but there was nothing in particular that jumped out at me. The paw prints led into the forest a few hundred feet behind the house, but that was all I took notice of in regards to the attack. Besides the paw prints, I did see an old shovel leaning against the back of the house. The wooden handle was cracking and splintering and the blade had specks of rust on it, but it should still do. I hadn¡¯t really known the couple that lived here, but they deserved a better resting place than this. I dug two graves in the backyard, and separated the remains as best I could. Holding back the bile that kept building in the back of my throat, I carefully placed the remains in the graves and quietly shoveled the dirt back on top of them. After I finished burying them, I headed back inside and investigated the kitchen and bedrooms for anything that might be of use. I thought it was a cold and callous thing to do, but I hoped the couple would understand and forgive me for my disrespect. The house contained a few bottles of water that I stuffed into my backpack, but the big prize was the ammunition that I found in the night stand of one of the bedrooms. There were shotgun slugs instead of the bird shot I had been using up till now. I immediately took the shotgun off my shoulder and loaded it with the slugs. With that finished, I said a silent prayer for the deceased family and moved on. There were a few more houses and families along the ridge that I needed to check before the sun set. All of the houses in this area, my parents¡¯ included, sat on a ridge that dipped into forested valleys. Most of valleys had creeks running through the very bottom of them that flowed into the river a few miles down the road. Atop the ridge the land was mostly clear and used for grazing by cows and horses. The ridge contained a handful of artificially created ponds for the livestock to drink from, and one of those ponds sat next to the house I had just left. It took only a glance to tell that this pond, like the Small Lake below my parents house had greatly expanded in size. I made sure not to get too close to it since I was worried that the creatures that had exploded from the small lake would be present in this pond as well. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It took me only five minutes to get to the next house. There weren¡¯t any new stretches of land that had appeared, but I did see that all of the other cow ponds had expanded in size just like that first one. I spent all afternoon walking along the ridge and visited all 12 of my neighbor¡¯s houses. Each house I entered was a risk. I couldn¡¯t know what may be waiting for me inside each of them. However, I needed to verify what had happened to each family with my own two eyes, and though I was loath to admit it, I needed all of the supplies I could get my hands on. The condition of the houses, mostly one bedroom mobile homes, were almost identical to the first house including, to my great regret, the fate of their occupants. With each house I visited my brow grew heavier and my mood darkened. Horror and disgust gave way to a deep numbness that spread through both mind and body. After the first couple of stops, I found it very hard to hold out hope that any of them had survived. In the end, I was able to confirm that not one of my neighbors had survived the onslaught of the forest coyotes. Their paw prints could be found all around every house on the ridge. I made time at each of the houses to bury the bodies of my neighbors before I searched each house for anything useful. The goods I took from the houses were all the same. A bit of water and a large amount of ammunition. The corresponding guns were there as well, but I had no way to effectively carry them back to my lair at the moment. I was at my last stop just getting ready to bury the bodies when I heard them. The barking howl of the forest coyotes was a distinctive sound that had been burned into my mind. The sound came bouncing out from the forest to my right. I judged that they were quite a distance away still, but I already knew that they could close the distance incredibly quickly. I knew it was foolish, but I didn¡¯t intend to stop what I was doing. If I left my neighbors remains out to be used as the play things of those damn beasts I would regret it for the rest of my life, and I had enough worries and regrets plaguing me already. I had felt it the previous night when I woke up in the middle of the night. It was a familiar twinge. One I had tried to ignore and move past. Depression was threatening to pull me into its terrible embrace yet again. I knew from personal experience how it would go. It would start small. You would be fine during the day. The sunlight was refreshing, and there were things to do and people to talk to. But once night came and you lay there in your bed trying to sleep everything would come crashing down upon you. All of your worries, fears, regrets, and mistakes would swirl around and around in your mind making it impossible to sleep. So, you would do something, anything, to keep your mind occupied. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was reading, games or watching TV it was all done to escape the prison of your mind. Eventually, you would fall asleep due to sheer exhaustion. The next morning things would appear to be mostly better. However, due to the lack of sleep you would be just a little bit more irritable, a little bit angrier, and when night returned so too would your troubles. It was like you were lost and mired in a swamp. That extra edge to your personality would seem like a small thing, but it would make it that much easier to make more mistakes and build up more regrets. Each day you would fight your way out just a little bit, but every night you would sink down even deeper than the night before. This cycle would continue night after night until one day you would look up and find that you had sunk so low and so deep that you simply couldn¡¯t see the way out. That was a place that I had sworn I would never return to and the way to keep that promise was to live a life without regrets no matter how foolish that might make me. I would bury these last bodies and I would deal with whatever consequences that might arise no matter how dire.
Title awarded! Risk Taker (B) * Title awarded! Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) * Title awarded! Compassionate Fool ( C ) *
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 1 55% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 38% Fool (B) LVL 1 40% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Risk Taker (B) LVL 1 84% Repeated Risk Take ( C ) LVL 1 17% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * * * * 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 105/105 10/10 2 per min (-1) 7 6 7 3
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 3 49% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 4 92% * * *
Chapter 11 New World Day 3 As the system had kindly reminded me with that new title, it was foolish to continue, but I needed to complete this self-imposed duty. A cynical corner of my mind was telling me that yes this was the right thing to do except I was only doing it out of selfishness. I wasn¡¯t really doing it because it was the right thing to do but because I would regret not doing it later on. Did that mean I wasn¡¯t being a good person but rather a selfish person with just a bit of a conscience? That thought troubled me greatly, but the philosophical debate of intent versus deed would have to wait for now. I had graves to dig and likely a fight for my life afterwards to worry about. I began shoveling faster and faster ignoring my tightening muscles and growing exhaustion as best I could. I could hear the barking howls get closer and closer to me. There were two remaining graves to dig yet and four total to fill back in. Even with my regeneration skill helping me push past my physical limits, it still took me 15 minutes to dig the last two graves. I had previously covered the bodies of my neighbors in some blankets, and now I slid them in each grave as carefully yet quickly as I could. Shovelful after shovelful of dirt flew through the air as I filled the graves back up with incredible speed. Covering the graves back up proved far easier than digging them as it only took 10 minutes to finish everything up, but everything came to pass just as I had feared! It was too late to avoid a fight with the forest coyotes. I had been able to tune out their sounds as I strived to finish my task, but I had taken too long. I could see a group of five charge out of the woods just down the hill to my left. All five of them were of a relatively small size, and unlike the previous ones I had fought, their fur was mangy and matted. It didn¡¯t end there as their bodies were also extraordinarily thin and emaciated. Their ribs were so clear under their fur that I suspected I could play them like a xylophone, and I could see flies swarming all around them. Were they sick or diseased, or maybe they were just starving? Either way, I wasn¡¯t that curious to find out the reason behind their poor appearances. I had barely survived a fight with four forest coyotes on my own turf and now I would have to deal with five of them trapped out here in the open. Worse still, I could hear more of them deeper in the forest, and I feared that once the sound of the fighting, especially the gunfire, began to ring out that the rest of the pack would come running. Despite that fear, I knew that I had no choice but to use my guns in the coming fight. I had no chance of outrunning even as poor as specimens as these five stray curs. Their noses quivered sniffing the air for the scent of prey, and their ears twitched with each new sound that entered them. Within moments, their ears fell flat upon their heads, and all five looked up the hill right at me accompanied by a menacing growl. That handful of moments it took for them to find my location were all that I needed though. By the time they had looked up and growled at me, I had dropped the shovel and dove to the ground to grab the rifle in the grass next to me. Using the hard ground to steady myself and the rifle, I brought the middle forest coyote into my sights and squeezed the trigger. Bang! The first shot took the middle one right in the chest dropping it where it stood with a thunk. The loud noise of the shot caused the four to jump backwards out of fright, and they all cocked their heads sideways to stupidly stare at their fallen comrade. It was clear that they didn¡¯t understand what had just happened, and that gave me the time to lineup a second shot. Bang! A second loud shot rippled across the ridge and the right most forest coyote dropped to the ground just as suddenly as its comrade. The final three jumped back again still not quite grasping how they were dying. Bang! The left most forest coyote passed to the next world, and the last two finally understood what was happening. One fell dead with each bang and the sound originated from me. Howling madly, they charged straight up the ridgeline towards me. Their legs pumped hard and their claws dug deep into the ground with each step causing large chunks of dirt to be thrown up into the air behind them. They didn¡¯t divide to take me from two sides at once or attempt to circle behind me. Fury drove them into a suicidal frontal charge.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Bang! The fourth shot struck the left forest coyote¡¯s front right leg blasting it clean off. The loss of the leg sent it smashing into the ground snout first its momentum carrying it up the hill a few more yards more before it came to a dramatic stop where it dyed the grass red with the scarlet blood that poured out of the shattered remains of its lost leg. Before it reached the crown of the hill, the final beast gathered all of its legs together, its muscles bulged out unnaturally, and it launched itself into the air right at my still prone form. The beast¡¯s aim was true. Its claws ripped into the ground and its muzzle snapped up a mouthful of dirt as it struck right where I had been laying just moments before. I had abandoned the rifle and rolled to the side avoiding the desperate pounce with ease. Swiftly and smoothly I drew the pistol from my holster. The forest coyote shook its head side to side and spit the dirt from its mouth, but before it could find me again three shots rang out. Bang! Bang! Bang! The last of the forest coyotes fell to the ground with a whimper struck down by the bullets from my pistol. I glanced over the hill to check on the forest coyote that had lost its leg and found it struggling and failing to get to its feet. After all the terrible things these beasts had done, I had no real compassion for them, but I wasn¡¯t going to lower myself to their level and let it die a slow painful death. Two final shots rang out as I put the poor beast out of its misery. The ringing in my ears that occurred with each shot no longer lasted more than a couple of seconds ever since my body become capable of magically regenerating itself. As such, I could hear more and more barking howls erupting from deep in the woods. The rest of the pack was on its way! I jumped to my feet grabbed the rifle, shotgun, and backpack that all lay nearby and sprinted for the road. I wasn¡¯t optimistic that I could make it back to my place before the rest of the pack showed up, but I was damn sure going to give it a try.
You have reached level 2! 3 bonus stat points have been awarded! Basic Gun Mastery (B) * has leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 2 8% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 38% Fool (B) LVL 1 40% Pack Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Beast Killer (B) LVL 1 0% Risk Taker (B) LVL 1 84% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 1 17% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * * * * 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 105/105 10/10 2 per min (-1) 7 6 7 6
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 11% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 4 92% * * *
Chapter 12 New World Day 3 I ran down the blacktop road at an extreme speed despite the weight of the backpack and weapons. I heard a cacophony of howls and barks and a few low roars erupt behind me. Did the rest of the pack find their comrades bodies? My mind raced as I sought to come up with a plan for how to deal with the remainder of the pack. I didn¡¯t know exactly how many there were, but I thought I counted six different howls from the uproar just moments ago. I had one round left in the rifle, five in the shotgun, and 12 left in the pistol. I would love to reload the rifle and pistol, but I couldn¡¯t get to the ammo without stopping and taking off my backpack. I would have to remember to keep some spare ammo in my pockets in the future. I hoped that I had enough loaded to deal with at least six more of the beasts. If I could somehow get them to hold still like that first group then I would have a good chance, but I couldn¡¯t count on that. The clicking sound of claws on pavement echoed out from behind me. I was out of time! They were on their way and I didn¡¯t have a good plan to deal with them. I did have a bad plan though. The numbness that had plagued me every since my grisly discoveries began to recede like an ocean tide, and a crazy grin spread across my face. It was time to do something insanely reckless. Up ahead of me, I could see the last house before mine, and sitting right beside it there was a sunken area containing a cow pond. I veered right for the cow pond and stopped at the edge of the decline. I dropped to one knee, shrugged off the shotgun and backpack, and raised the rifle. There were seven forest coyotes on the road just a few hundred yards back. Leading the pack was a forest coyote that matched the size of the very first one I had fought and killed. An alpha maybe? Best to deal with that one first. I aimed for center mass and pulled the trigger. With a crack the shot rang out, but as soon as I put the alpha in my sights it must have sensed something was wrong because it frantically jumped sideways dodging the bullet and bowling over two other forest coyotes in the process. The forest coyote running right behind the alpha wasn¡¯t so lucky. That one knew something was wrong when its alpha dodged to the side, but it had no time to react before the bullet struck it in the head ending its life instantly. The dead forest coyote¡¯s mad rush sent it rolling forward in twisted ball of flailing limbs. One of its back legs clipped another one causing it to yip in pain and sending it into a tumble of its own. That good luck left just two forest coyotes in the initial rush. I dropped the empty rifle behind me and grabbed the shotgun while I drew myself up to my full height. The two forest coyotes were running side by side and closing in rapidly. The left one twisted its head and nipped at the other causing it to whine and charge straight at me while the other veered off to my left likely looking to circle around behind me. It wouldn''t matter. Not this time at least. I held the shotgun steady against my shoulder, and in one smooth motion I fired once, pivoted to the side, and fired again. The two forest coyotes crumbled to the ground with massive oozing holes in their chests. I was ecstatic with success but I didn¡¯t let it go to my head. Things were just getting started. The other four were all back on their feet. The alpha barked at them and motioned with its head causing them all to cautiously spread out in a half circle before they resumed their charge. Now came the crazy part. I stayed right where I was and waited for them at the edge of the decline. They were rushing towards me at an incredible speed. They were so close I could see the wind rippling through their green fur and the steam from their foul breath surging out of their mouth with each pant. I let them close to just a few dozen yards before I turned and ran down the hill towards the pond. The decline was steep and dotted with rocks, but I ran down it at a breakneck speed spreading my elbows out wide to balance myself as best I could. The forest coyotes followed me over the edge without any hesitation. I could practically feel their breath on the back of my neck, but all I had eyes for was the pond. I could see ripples emerge all along the shore of the pond. The crazy grin on my face grew wider and wider. I really hoped this worked because otherwise I was sooooooo screwed. Every step I took closer to the lake caused the ripples to grow more and more intense. Once I was a half dozen yards away from the edge of the lake I saw the ripples reach a frenzied pace. I didn¡¯t dare to wait any longer! I twisted parallel to the lake and slid along the ground feet first with my torso and head leaning backward as low to the ground as I could get them. Six brown blurs erupted from the lake accompanied by six great geysers of water that drenched everything and everyone along the shoreline. Three of the blurs passed right behind me, two in front of me, and the last went right over my chest. It was so close that part of the thing tore a long jagged cut in jacket. Loud crashes assaulted my ears from behind me and the entire hill reverberated from the impacts. At the end of my slide, I extended my arms out above my head with the shotgun in hand and rolled onto my belly so I could look backwards and view my handiwork. Two of the forest coyotes were down for the count with their chests caved in by the brown blurs. The remaining forest coyotes, including the alpha, had all dodged the initial strike but the non-alpha wasn¡¯t in good shape. I just barely glimpsed it slide down the hill in front of me into the lake before I flipped over. Its abrupt movements must have caused it to lose its balance and tumble down the hill. I had counted on these creatures that had attacked me along the dam of the Small Lake during that first desperate flight being here as well. They didn¡¯t let me down, and I finally got to see their true forms. They were massive three foot long brown crayfish. Their shells were smooth along their backs, claws, and tail. However, their short underbelly legs ended in vicious spikes. One of those spikes must have been what caught my jacket. The crayfish¡¯s trademark big thick tail was even more pronounced on this monstrous variation. It was longer, thicker and more muscular than any I had seen before. If they weren¡¯t so insanely dangerous I would probably be drooling over the chance to eat the tail of one of these suckers. I loved Cajun crayfish tails. That tail must be the source of their incredible speed. Normal crayfish used it to move backwards in the water at great speed to avoid predators. These must have adapted it to erupt out of the water and attack anything that made the mistake of coming too close to the shoreline. The two crayfish that had successfully killed their targets latched onto the dead beasts¡¯ legs and began dragging them to the water, and I could hear cries of pain coming from the one behind me that had slid into the lake. I didn¡¯t know exactly what was happening to it, but judging by the sounds it wasn¡¯t anything pleasant. My attention was all on the three creatures battling it out in front of me. The one crayfish that had aimed at me and the one that had aimed at the alpha were closing in on the alpha from both sides. They kept jabbing at the alpha with their open claws hoping to latch onto one of its legs, but the alpha was too agile for them to catch. The crayfish seemed to have an extremely deadly first attack, but their danger level after that appeared to be lower than that of the forest coyotes. Still, their combined attacks caused the alpha to forgot all about me until it was too late. After hopping backwards to avoid one claw swipe, the alpha darted forward to take a bite out of the arm of the crayfish that had attacked it. Its teeth tore furrows into the shell but were unable to penetrate all of the way before it had to jump to the side to avoid another claw strike. In the process, it turned its body parallel to me and gave me the perfect shot.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Bang! The shotgun slug blasted a hole right through the alpha¡¯s flank and into the side of the hill. The two crayfish immediately closed in and grabbed the dead beast¡¯s legs so that they could drag it into the pond. Their path would take them dangerously close to me, and I didn¡¯t want to take the chance that they would try and grab me along the way. I squeezed the trigger twice more in quick succession. The slow moving crayfish were easy targets, and their shell wasn¡¯t strong enough to take a shotgun shell at this close of a range. Elated over my victory, I started to get up to head home when a tremendous pressure closed around my right ankle and a ferocious jolt of pain shot up my right leg. I had forgotten to keep track of the two crayfish that were behind me! One of them now had my right ankle in its claw and was dragging me down to the lake! The shotgun was out of ammo, but I still had the pistol. Pushing through the pain, I dropped the shotgun and kicked at the creature¡¯s head both to distract it and to keep its other claw from latching onto my left leg while I tried to grab the pistol with my right hand. The creatures beady black eyes and long twitching antenna tracked my leg as I jabbed it at its face. Twice its claw just barely missed grabbing my left leg as I fumbled to get the pistol out of its holster. Drag! Drag! Drag! The crayfish kept pulling me closer and closer to the shoreline. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got the pistol out of its holster, pointed it wildly behind me, and let loose. The first two shots missed high and went harmlessly into the lake. The next three bounced off of the curves of its tough shell with a clang. On the sixth shot the bullet struck the crayfish head on and pierced the shell. The creature instinctively tightened its grip on my ankle for a moment causing a loud crack to echo off the walls of the lake valley before it let go of my ankle, and we both roared in pain! The crayfish twisted and spasmed all over the shoreline before curling up into a ball like a pill bug and laying perfectly still. I continued screaming my head off in pain as I desperately dragged my crippled ass up the incline towards the top of the hill. I could hear the rustling of multiple legs behind me. There was still one more crayfish not accounted for and that sound told me it was heading for me to finish the job its brethren had started. I pointed the pistol back behind me again and squeezed off the rest of the clip randomly as I dragged myself higher up on the hill with my other arm. The rustling legs stopped for just a few seconds before they continued in my direction, but that bit of extra time gave me a chance to reach the shotgun. It was out of slugs, but that didn¡¯t matter. I had another use for it. I grabbed the shotgun with my left hand, put its butt into the ground, and used it as a lever to force myself to my feet. Once on my feet, I shifted the pistol to my left hand, grabbed the shotgun with my right like a crutch, and hobbled my way the rest of the way up the hill. The rustling legs behind me stopped coming my way once I got to the top of the hill. Thank the gods those crayfish were slow as molasses on land. If they were even just a little bit quicker I wouldn¡¯t have survived that encounter. I paused at the top just long enough to sling the backpack and rifle onto my left shoulder before continuing across the road towards my house. I didn¡¯t even bother to look back and see what the last crayfish was doing. I only stopped when I reached the part of the gravel driveway that passed through the trees. I needed to make sure that there weren¡¯t any clouds getting ready to block the sun. I didn¡¯t have the strength left in me to fight anything else, especially weird shadow vermin spawned by some shadowy demon tree. Thankfully, my luck was good. There was no longer a cloud in the sky, and I was able to pass through and limp to the garage without a hitch. After I made my way into the garage and locked the garage door, I dropped everything on the ground in front of the ATV barricade and slumped to the ground exhausted. I just laid there trembling in an odd mixture of pain and euphoria. Pain from my wounds and euphoria that I had survived yet again.
You have reached level 3! 3 bonus stat points have been awarded! Survivor (B) * has leveled up! Survivor (B) * has leveled up! Fool (B) * has leveled up! Fool (B) * has leveled up! Fool (B) * has leveled up! Pack Killer (B) * has leveled up! Pack Killer (B) * has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * has leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * has leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * has leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 2% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 66% Fool (B) LVL 4 20% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 2 99% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 37% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Title Points: * * * * * * * 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 59/105 10/10 2 per min (-1) 7 6 7 9
Status Effects: Regen
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 51% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 5 12% * * *
Chapter 13 New World Day 3 The sun hadn¡¯t set yet by the time I made it back home relatively intact, but I didn¡¯t intend to go back outside the rest of the day and maybe not even tomorrow depending on how well my ankle healed. Speaking of my ankle, I needed to take some steps to make sure that my injuries didn¡¯t become infected. I left my weapons and backpack in the garage and dragged myself to the bathroom inside of the basement bedroom. It was pitch black outside of the garage since I no longer had electricity. I knew the way well enough that it wasn¡¯t a problem to get to the bathroom, but I would need some light to work on my wounds. I felt around blindly in the area I knew the cabinet below the sink should be and yanked it open. My parents had kept some candles and matches underneath the sink in case the stink ever got too bad. A few broken matches later I had three candles burning brightly enough that I could finally see what I was doing. No longer fumbling around blindly, I pulled some disinfectant and gauze wrap out of the medicine cabinet and went to work on my wounds. Hissing in pain, I carefully applied the disinfectant to my ankle. In addition to the broken ankle, the edges of the crayfish¡¯s claw had left some nasty puncture wounds in a ghastly ring around my ankle. The only good thing was that the bone had not punctured the skin, but even so the pain was tremendous. Looking to distract myself as I carefully cleaned my wounds, I toyed with the idea of using my new title points to buy the fear and pain resistance skills, but I discarded that idea in the end. The skills would no doubt lessen my fear and pain, but gaining those skills would likely be a mistake in the long run. Fear was one way that your unconscious mind alerted you to danger and it could heighten your senses putting them into overdrive in order to find and survive the source of the fear. Pain let you know when something was terribly wrong with your body. If you couldn¡¯t feel pain you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell when your body was on the brink of collapse. You needed to be able to push yourself past your normal limits, but as absurd as it sounded, even limit breaking has its limits. What I needed wasn¡¯t a resistance to fear and pain but rather a way to control them. If I could learn to control them I could harness their positive effects and warnings to better survive any dangerous situation I might encounter in the future. Just because I wasn¡¯t going to buy those two resistance skills didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t going to buy any resistance skills. I mentally commanded the System, ¡°Purchase Basic Disease Resistance (Passive) (B) * and Basic Parasite Resistance (Passive) (B) *. Open Status!¡± Before I could take a look at my Status, I felt an immense power press down upon me from all around me and then pour into my body. The power flooded into every crevice of my body and changed it at its very core. It wasn¡¯t painful yet it felt extremely invasive. It was certainly not something that would be easy to get used to. I wondered what it would have felt like if I had been conscious for more than a few seconds after I bought the regen skill. I didn¡¯t feel anything like that when I learnt skills on my own which had to mean that it was a side effect specific to the System. Something to ponder for the future, but for now, I needed to take a look at my Status.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 2% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 66% Fool (B) LVL 4 20% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 2 99% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 37% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Title Points: * * * * * * * 1
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 59/105 10/10 2 per min (-1.5) 7 6 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 51% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 5 12% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * *
My core level had gone up twice after the series of fights, and I had gained a few titles and a lot of skill and title levels. I was happy to see my abilities increasing, but I was extremely surprised to see that my gun mastery hadn¡¯t increased even further than it had. After all of the actual combat, I thought it would increase a few more ranks.The two resistance skills that I bought were skills I considered essential for survival, but I noticed that they did create an even greater drag on my mana regen. I wasn¡¯t sure if that would cause me problems in the future, but for now it was fine since I didn¡¯t have any active magic skills to use my mana on anyways.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. After I finished wrapping my ankle, I took the candles and limped into the workshop to grab some water and food. I had brought some with me on my excursion, but in the end I proved too busy and too depressed by the deaths of my neighbors to take a break and eat. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy just a dinner of lunch meat, chips, and water. I ate more than I probably should considering that I should be rationing them, but I was hurt, starving and tired both physically and mentally. Patting my stomach and burping loudly, I thought about my next move. I decided that that first thing to do was to update my notebooks. I wanted to keep my notes about the System and the New World as current as possible. Juggling the candles along with the food and water, I hobbled into the bedroom, changed my clothes, and grabbed my notebooks before I laid down on the bed. I then told the System, ¡°New Title and Skill Explanation!¡±
Risk Taker (B) * LVL 2 99% : This title is awarded to users who refuse to take the safe and easy path. The users are willing to take risks in order to reach their goals. Rarity is determined by the degree of risks that the user takes. The greater the risk the higher the rarity will become. The rank of the title will increase after every ten levels. Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) * LVL 1 37% : This title is awarded users who take repeated risks in a short period of time. The title requires users to already have the Risk Taker title. Rarity is determined by the degree of repeated risks that the user takes. The greater the risk the higher the rarity will become. The rank of the title will increase after every ten levels. Compassionate Fool ( C ) * LVL 1 78% : This title is awarded to users who manage to somehow be both a fool and compassionate at the same time. The title requires users to already have the Fool title. The rarity is determined by how compassionate and foolish the user can be at the same time. The rank of the title will increase after every ten levels. Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * LVL 1 0% : This skill grants users a basic resistance to all diseases. The resistance even applies to magical diseases. The rarity of the skill is determined by additional abilities that may be granted along with the initial resistance. For example, higher rarity versions may allow the user to eat the disease infecting them to become immune to it or transfer it to another person. The rank of the skill will increase after every ten levels. Currently, the skill automatically takes .25 mana per minute from the user in order to function. This deduction can not currently be controlled by the user. Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * LVL 1 0% : This skill grants users a basic resistance to all parasites. The resistance even applies to magical parasites. The rarity of the skill is determined by additional abilities that may be granted along with the initial resistance. For example, higher rarity versions may allow the user to control the parasites infecting them and send them to infect others. The rank of the skill will increase after every ten levels. Currently, the skill automatically takes .25 mana per minute from the user in order to function. This deduction can not currently be controlled by the user.
It took me a couple of hours to get all of my experiences, titles, and skills written down in my notebook, but I got it done. I decided to name the new monsters I had encountered the geyser crayfish after the eruption of water that appears every time they launch themselves out of the water and the shadow demon tree for the creatures the trees sent out to attack me. Like the forest coyote, they were primarily descriptive names instead of fancy abstract names, but that was alright. It was full on night by the time I was finished, but despite my exhaustion I knew I had work to do before I could sleep. My ankle kept me from practicing with my axe, but I could work on my mana. I turned my vision inwards and resumed the exciting yet monotonous practice of forcing it to contract and expand. I wasn¡¯t too sure how long I was able to continue the practice, but I could tell that it had to have been another couple of hours due to how low the candles had burned. I only stopped practicing when the usual splitting headache arrived. Unable to continue practicing my mana control but not yet ready to go to bed, I hobbled into the garage and grabbed my backpack and weapons. I spent a half hour cleaning and reloading the guns before placing them next to the door in the bedroom and then unloaded the ammo and water in the workshop. Since I felt the need to keep busy, I proceeded to organize my little home. I cleaned out two of the sets of metal shelves in the workshop by transferring the contents, mainly metal and wood scraps, to the back corner of the garage. I piled the boxes almost to the ceiling before returning to the workshop. I put all of the food that didn¡¯t need refrigeration, the cooking utensils, cups, plates, pots, and pans on one of the open sets of shelves. Then I transferred all of the clothes and blankets from the bedroom onto the other one. There wasn¡¯t quite enough room to accommodate everything, but I put the extra food items on top of the washer and the extra clothes on the dryer. The left over items were primarily ammo and medicine. The medicine I took into the bathroom and crammed into the cabinet under the sink. The ammo got moved into the gun safe in the workshop. By the time I was finished, the candles were burning dangerously low and my headache had disappeared. I left the candles burning while I practiced my mana once again until the now disgustingly familiar headache returned. With that finished, I undressed and carefully laid down on my bed. I wasn¡¯t happy with everything that I had seen today, but I was at least content with what I had accomplished. I finished gathering my supplies from the house, I knew what happened to my neighbors, I survived yet another series of fights, and I had organized my basement fortress. As I collapsed onto the bed and drifted off to sleep, I thought to myself, ¡°Jason, you can¡¯t control the world and you can¡¯t save everyone, but you damn well did what you could. Take the good with the bad, stand strong, hold your head high, and move on!¡±
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 2% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 66% Fool (B) LVL 4 20% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 2 99% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 37% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Title Points: * * * * * * * 1
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 71/105 10/10 2 per min (-1.5) 7 6 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 4 17% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 51% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 5 36% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * *
Chapter 14 New World Day 4 I woke up the next morning feeling like someone was using my head as an anvil. I had thought that it would go away by morning, but I guess the cumulative stress had gotten to me even more than I had realized. I rolled out of bed slowly and got dressed as best I could in the darkness of my bedroom. I walked into the garage slowly testing my ankle along the way. I bent it every which way, stomped on it, and even jumped a couple of times. There were a couple of twinges of pain, but it was basically healed. My regen skill must have worked hard overnight. Once I was satisfied with my ankle, I headed to the garage door windows and took a careful look outside. The sky was filled with large fluffy grey clouds. It seemed like the sky would open up and pour down rain at any time. More worrisome was that the shadow demon trees were nowhere to be seen. They had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Their disappearance caused me to feel very leery about going outside. What if they had moved to the side of the house just outside of view? Without sunlight to restrain those strange shadows, my chances of surviving an attack from them were quite low. I didn¡¯t want to take too large of a risk, but I really needed to use the restroom. I quietly slipped outside and did my business against the side of the house while keeping a careful watch for anything that might try to rip me to shreds. Thankfully, the shadow demon trees really seemed to have moved on, and I didn¡¯t run into any problems. I would need to do something about where I was going to the bathroom soon. The smell was really starting to build up, but I had too many other problems to deal with at the moment to worry too much about it. As I made my way back to the garage door, I came to a abrupt stop when I noticed a series of footprints in the mud. I was no tracker, but to my amateur eye it looked like three beings with small four-toed feet had walked side by side around the back side of the house. The prints were definitely not human, but what were they? Goblins? Or is there some other two legged creature around here? Following the footprints with my eyes, I saw that they had come from the direction of the grassy lawn in front of the house. I would need to keep any eye out for whatever had made them. I started turning my head back towards the garage when a glint of light from the front field caught my eye. The light was a reflection from my car¡¯s windshield. Hmmmm. Should I move my car down here and use it to block the garage? It could provide me with a bit of extra protection, but I was worried about what may be attracted by the engine noise if I started it up. Shaking my head, I kept the idea in the back of my mind but headed back into the garage. I needed to continue exploring the area before I could make a plan to return home. I wanted to see how thoroughly the area had really changed, and if I could get to the main road that would lead to Falmouth. If I could get to Falmouth I could then hopefully take the roads north to Cincinnati, but I didn¡¯t want to do anything today. Not when it looked like it would rain all day. Instead, I would take the time to train and grow stronger. Pushups, sit-ups, axe training, and mana training were the only things I would do today. I would push myself to my limits and then rely on my regen skill to break through them. I started my training with some simple strengthening exercises. I did sit-ups and pushups until my arms and belly throbbed with pain. I couldn''t remember the last time I had pushed my body this hard, but there was more to come. Next, I started swinging my axe in the back of the garage, but after a few hours I ran into a problem. My axe mastery level wasn¡¯t increasing at all. While I sat down for a short rest and drink, I mulled over the problem. The rain started pouring down outside as I sat there pondering the problem. The rhythmic fall of rain drops helped me clear my mind and concentrate on the problem at hand. It didn¡¯t take me too long to think of something that wasn¡¯t really a solution, but it might point me in the direction of a solution. The tutorial for the System had said that by watching to see what increased the experience for a skill, users could find hints to getting stronger. Since I wasn¡¯t getting experience just blindly swinging the axe around anymore, I would set the System to show my experience bar for whatever skill I was practicing to appear in the corner of my eye. Then I would practice various ways of using the skill until I saw the bar increase. Once I found something that would increase the experience bar, I could then practice that part of the skill until it stopped giving me experience after which I would return to experimenting until I found something new that worked. Nodding to myself, I stood back up and started experimenting with the axe. My hands were sore and looked ready to blister at any moment, but now wasn¡¯t the time to be weak. If I couldn¡¯t get through a single day of training then how would I ever make my way back to my family? Grimacing in pain, I held the axe firmly in hand and started back up. I began by swinging at odd angles instead of my normal downward and side to side swings. The odd angles increased the bar a little for awhile, but those increases quickly came to halt. Next, I tried changing where I was holding the axe at. I started to hold the axe handle at different places and varied the strength of my grip at each different placement. That change gave me a bevy of experience though it did lead to an unfortunate mishap. Blisters formed and popped all over my hands causing the handle to become slick with blood, and when I gripped the axe too lightly, I accidentally flung it across the garage. The loud clang of the axe smashing into the concrete wall caused me to cringe and duck down behind the overturned Ranger. My breath came hard and quick as I waited to see if anything outside was close enough to hear the noise over the deluge of rain. After waiting for a few minutes, nothing came to investigate the noise, and I walked over to the wall to pick up the blood stained axe. Perhaps that was enough experimenting with grip strength for today. Instead, I starting stepping forward, backward, and side to side while swinging the axe. I found the coordination between the step and swing to be awkward at first and fell on my ass multiple times while experimenting, but to my great delight, the experience bar was growing far more rapidly than ever before. Pushing the pain in my hands aside, I threw myself into the training. A dozen tumbles and four embarrassing leg cuts later I found myself in a rhythm where everything else in the world fell away. There were no stray thoughts. No worries. Just the training. Step, swing. Step, swing. Step, swing. Step, swing. Blood began to flow freely from my hands. Each swing sent droplets of blood flying across the room, but even the pain couldn¡¯t penetrate my mind at this point. I didn¡¯t stop until hours later when my body finally collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration. I staggered into the wall and was just barely able to use it to keep standing. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As my thoughts slowly returned to me, I found I was panting heavily and the acrid smell of sweat mixed with the odd tang of blood hit my nose. Sighing, I dragged myself into the workshop to grab some water and towels my muscles twitching and seizing all of the way. I had to drain 4 full bottles of water before my muscles finally stopped cramping up. After which, I mopped up the blood in the garage with a couple of towels. I didn¡¯t want to take the chance of fresh blood attracting any beasts to my hideout. Finished with that task, I took the towels into the workshop and threw them in the sink before taking a look at my remaining water supply. At this rate, my water supply wouldn¡¯t last me more than a week. I would need to test my resistance skills quicker than I had expected. For now, it was time to shift to training my mana. I walked over to an open wall in the garage and sat against it folding my legs underneath me and letting the coldness from the concrete wall sink into my back and relieve some of my aches and pains before I closed my eyes and once more turned inward to train my mana. The training was monotonous, but there was something absolutely thrilling about it. I mean it was MANA! If I could learn to really control it then I could use MAGIC! I don¡¯t care who you talk to. If they don¡¯t admit that being able to use magic was one of their childhood dreams then they are damn liars. I was determined to fulfill this dream and since it was likely to be the key to my survival that was a win win situation. Right? I kept training hard forcing the mana to contract and expand, and as usual the headache returned. Only this time, I pushed through it and kept training and training until it grew so intense that I nearly passed. It felt like a group of elephants were using my head as a drum set, but I couldn¡¯t help a dumb grin from spreading across my face. The System had sent me a message that I had been hoping to see ever since I realized I had gained mana.
Strength increased by 2! Endurance increased by 3! Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Skill awarded! Basic Mana Control (B) *
Basic Mana Control (B) * LVL 1 0%: A skill that every potential magic user must learn. It is the most essential and most basic magic skill. Higher ranks and higher rarity increases the amount of mana the user can control and how minutely the user can control the mana. The skill increases in rarity depending on how delicate of control the user is capable of exerting. The rank of the skill will increase after every ten levels.
Maybe now I could learn magic!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 2% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 66% Fool (B) LVL 4 50% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 42% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 89% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Title Points: * * * * * * * 1
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 90/120 10/10 2 per min (-1.5) 10 8 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 6 28% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 51% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 6 90% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 34% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * * *
Chapter 15 New World Day 4 My excitement over the potential ability to use magic allowed me to ignore my aching body and mind. So much so that I wasn¡¯t sure if my body was trembling from excitement or pain. Focusing on my mana, I started to try and move it around instead of just contracting and expanding. Seconds flowed by and sweat trickled down my forehead that was crinkled in concentration. My mana quivered and shook like a horse trying to buck off its rider until finally I felt something burst within me and a small tendril of mana slowly extended out from the main mass. The tendril¡¯s movements were slow and often came to a stuttering stop, but I could finally do more than simple contraction and expansion! Ecstatic over my success, I began experimenting relentlessly. I tried forming multiple tendrils and succeeded in forming two tendrils at once. Then I tried having the tendrils form shapes and patterns. The best I could do were simple things like squares, diamonds and circles. Each time I stopped controlling the tendrils, I found that instead of flowing back into my mana core they broke up into small glowing specks before slowly dissipating. Now I just needed to figure out exactly how to use my new found control over my mana to use magic. I tried checking the System to see if there were any magic skills that had become available now that I had the mana control skill, but nothing came up. It seemed that I had yet to reach the stat or level requirement to learn any skills through the System. That failure did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. If the System couldn¡¯t help me yet then I would just help myself. I had read thousands of stories with hundreds of different magic systems. I wasn¡¯t sure how exactly mana really worked, but I had an idea of where to start now that I had a bit of control. The first thing I was going to work on was using mana to enhance my body. If I could use mana to strengthen my body then I would be much better equipped to fight the various beasts I had encountered. The allure of throwing fireballs or lightning at my enemies was still there, but I wasn¡¯t so lost in joy that I would mess with that type of thing right away. My crazy grin impossibly grew even wider as I laughed and thought to myself, ¡°Maybe tomorrow!¡± For now though, I would turn my attention to body strengthening, and if or perhaps when I had that down I would turn my attention to wilder ideas. Focusing my mind, I forced a tendril of mana out and almost immediately had to stop. Yes, I could create tendrils of mana now, but how did those tendrils interact with my body? Furthermore, where exactly was this mana located within my body? There wasn¡¯t exactly an open space within the human body where a floating mass of energy could just hang out. Without any systematic training on the subject, I would just have to grope around in the darkness for an answer. Minutes turned into hours as I sat against that wall debating with myself on where my mana was truly located and how to properly use it. Idea after idea popped into my head only to be tossed aside as impractical, too difficult, or just plain insane. In the end, I just metaphorically threw my hands in the air and went with a theory that I personally liked. I would imagine that there was an identical spiritual body that overlapped with my physical body. My mana would then be floating in the center of my spiritual body in the form of a lake or spring where the stomach and liver would be in my physical body. From there, I intended to extend the tendrils of mana from my mana lake throughout all of my body until mana reached the skin of the spiritual body. My hope was that the areas which had mana flowing through them in my spiritual body would provide a corresponding boost to their physical body equivalents. I liked the theory, but I immediately ran into a problem. Every time I tried to hold the image of a spiritual body in my mind, I would feel a burst of pain like a firecracker going off in my skull, and the image would slip away from me. My best effort only allowed me to hold the image in my head for a count of five before the pain exploded and the image disappeared. Maybe I was going about this the wrong way. Holding the idea of something as complex as a human body was too tiring, but I wasn¡¯t ready to abandon the idea of a spiritual body. Instead of just imagining a spiritual body in my mind, maybe I had to actually create one with my mana. If I extended the tendrils of mana out from the mana lake and then traced the image of my body maybe I could create a true spiritual body. Would I have enough mana to trace my entire body though, and even if I did how long would the spiritual body exist? Would it just disappear like the tendrils did after I stopped focusing on them, or would it be a permanent creation? The only way to find out was to try it out and see what happens. It wasn¡¯t like a magical fairy was going to pop into the basement and teach me all of the secrets of magic. It only took a moment to realize that I couldn¡¯t just trace my body with the tendrils. Everything around the mana lake was darkness. There was no reference to trace. I would need to hold the image of an outline of the human body around the mana lake and then use my mana to trace the outline. I spent three hours attempting to do just that only for every attempt to end in failure. The lack of success was overshadowed by the incredible joy over the idea of using magic that continued to flood my body and mind. What was a day of failure compared to the inevitable ecstasy of using magic in the future? The failures now would just lay a more solid foundation for my future success. I was prepared to make another attempt when a massive growl echoed through the garage from my stomach. I would have to put my experiments on hold for now while I saw to my dietary needs. Opening my eyes for the first time in who knows how long, I expected to be blinded by the dim light of the sun peeking through the thick storm clouds and into the garage from the three small rectangular windows, but I was surprised to see that the sun had already gone down for the day. Or at least it had gone down far enough that it couldn¡¯t get through the clouds anymore. I guess I was training for even longer than I had realized. Getting up slowly, I hobbled into the workshop to grab some food. The pitch black darkness and my own seizing body made it so that I walked at the pace of an arthritic old man. Eventually, I managed to grab some granola bars and bottles of water that eased my hunger and thirst. Now that I was finished with dinner, I stumbled my way into the bathroom where I undressed and used half a bottle of water to wet a washcloth that I used along with some soap to wipe my body down. It was a bit extravagant considering my current circumstances, but I felt that I deserved it after my breakthrough with my mana. I used the remaining half bottle of water to wash a couple of Advil down to help ease my pounding headache and aching body before I walked back into my bedroom, put on some white shorts and a white undershirt, and laid down to rest on the love seat. I wanted to continue training, but first I needed to get my mind to ignore my current pains. Focusing on my breathing, I breathed in slowly through my nose and let out a long exhale through my mouth. Bit by bit, the distracting thoughts, aches, and pains fell away until the only thing left was peace. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Sssssccccccrrrrrrrrreeeooooow! Sssssccccccrrrrrrrrreeeooooow! My hard won serenity was broken by the frightening sounds of goblins, They had to be close for me to be able to hear them in the basement. Crack! Crack! Crack! Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink! That was the sound of glass breaking and falling on the floor upstairs. My breath started to come quicker and in great ragged gasps as fear threatened to overwhelm me. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Footsteps vibrated through the floor boards to reach my ears. Slowly, ever so slowly, I rolled off of the love seat and crawled to the guns next to the door. Carefully, I felt the stocks of the guns until I found the shotgun. Seizing my prize, I pulled the gun into my hands, put my back to the wall, and aimed it up the stairs. The sound of footsteps and the occasional screech continued to pour into my ears. Time seemed to freeze as I waited in terror for them to find my hiding place. For them to come pouring down the stairs ready to do terrible terrible things to me. I had fought a number of creatures so far, but it was hard to get rid of my fear when it had only been just a couple of days since the entire world changed around me. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I sat there waiting, shotgun pointing at the door at the top of the stairs when suddenly a high pitched scream ripped through the house and crashing noises followed by loud squeals rang out. Were they fighting amongst each other up there or had some other beast come charging in to attack them? Either way, I wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The sounds of fighting echoed through the house and grew louder and louder until an anguished cry pierced the tumult followed by an abrupt and eerie silence. Were they all dead? Did they kill each other? Were they waiting for me or something like me to come out of hiding to investigate? Had they finally left? These questions flashed through my head, but I had no way to find out without going outside and around the house to the front door or side windows. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to do that tonight. Especially not after everything I had just heard. I had no doubt that that final terrible cry would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. That was the sound of pain unspeakable unbelievable pain. I needed to know what had happened up there, but I was going to have to wait till morning to find out. Normally, I would try and get some sleep, but that was never going to happen now. I was too wired to train and too afraid to fall asleep. It was going to be a loooong night.
Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 2% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 66% Fool (B) LVL 4 50% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 42% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 89% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Title Points: * * * * * * * 1
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 95/120 10/10 2 per min (-1.5) 10 8 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 6 28% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 51% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 6 96% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 34% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 3 59% * * * * * *
Chapter 16 New World Day 5 That night was the longest night of my life. Every little creak and crack caused me to jump in fright and wonder if the monsters had finally found me. After what seemed like an eternity, I gathered the courage to venture into the garage to check if the sun had risen yet. I slowly cracked open the door to the garage and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw sunlight flooding into the garage from the windows. The long night had finally passed. There were a number of things I would have to do today. First, I needed to check on what had happened on the upper levels of the house and make sure that nothing had made its home up there. Then I was going to need to do something about the darkness in the basement. Something more than just burning a few candles, and I needed to find a way to keep track of time. When it came to keeping track of time, there was a pretty easy solution. My parents had kept a couple of battery powered alarm clocks in their bedroom. I hadn¡¯t grabbed them before since I had more important things on my mind, but now I saw the need for it. Hopefully whatever had broken into the house didn¡¯t break them during their rampage. As for the light in the basement, I had a few more candles, but they wouldn¡¯t last me too much longer. There was an answer to the problem, but it might be a bit of a risk. My dad had kept a couple of solar powered lanterns in the big barn to the right of the house. If I could get my hands on them, I could set them in the sun just outside the garage door each day to charge. Of course, grabbing them would mean going into the big barn. Normally that wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but the barn was in clear sight of the dam of the Small Lake. I was worried that something might come up after me from the lake, and that crazy grass growing on the dam would keep me from seeing any predators that might be watching my movements. After thinking it over for a bit, I convinced myself that I was overthinking things. I told myself it was just some residual fear left over from that first crazy chase. If it was really that dangerous to just be in view of the dam then something should have come up after me already. It wasn¡¯t like the house was that much further from the lake than the barn, and it was even easier to hide in the lake itself than the grass on the dam. Finished psyching myself up, I returned to the bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and put a button up long sleeved blue shirt on over top of my white undershirt. I then added the same jacket from previous excursion on top of that. I had a good supply of jeans and long sleeved shirts, but I would still need to be careful with them. I had ruined two full sets in just four days. At that rate I might run out of clothes almost as quickly as I would run out of food and water. I quickly shoved those thoughts out of my mind. I couldn¡¯t afford to be too conservative with my actions. The goddess had said that the stronger creatures would be sluggish and not move until the mana levels stabilized which meant that the creatures I was fighting now were the weakest of the weak. I had to take advantage of this lull to become as strong as possible, and get as close to Cincinnati as I could. Once I investigated the house and grabbed the lanterns, I planned to go past the neighbors houses to see if I could find the main road to Falmouth, but that was for later. For now, I strapped on the pistol, put on a backpack with the axe, a couple bottles of water and some granola bars in it, grabbed the shotgun and rifle, and quietly snuck out of the garage. My head turned from side to side as I held the shotgun tightly and checked the surroundings for anything out of place. The shadow demon trees were still gone, and I didn¡¯t see any goblins, forest coyotes, or geyser crayfish around. There wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky and the sun was beating down upon the treetops relentlessly. I wasn¡¯t sure if the creatures that had invaded the house last night were still there so I snuck as quietly as I could to the front of the house. Each step I took was both as light and deliberate as I could be. Heel to toe, heel to toe all while carefully avoiding twigs, leaves, and gravel. As I snuck around to the front of the house through the triangle of trees, I had to stop for a moment when I noticed something out of place in the dirt. There were more footprints like the ones from yesterday on the ground, but there was a different footprint with them. The foot was longer, wider, and the imprint at the front of the foot where the toenail in a human would be curved down and dug deep into the ground. Clawed feet maybe? The other footprints had a bit of an imprint at the end of each toe, but nothing like this one. What made this print? Was it the creature responsible for the fighting last night? My pulse began to speed up and my breath came in short quick bursts as the prospect of a potentially impending fight with this unknown creature hit me. I worked hard to pull my breathing back under my control switching out the short quick breaths for long calm inhalations. A burst of wind suddenly blew threw the trees. The branches rattled. The leaves rustled, and the shadows danced and trembled all around me. Panicking and fearing that the shadow demons had returned, I jumped backwards and backpedaled towards the garage. With each step backwards I swung the shotgun side to side and looked for the shadow creatures I thought were closing in upon me, but nothing was coming after me. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I realized that they were just normal shadows. Those stupid trees really spooked me. I was more proud than I would like to admit that I didn¡¯t shit myself when they attacked me the other day. Shaking my head and smiling a little I thought to myself, ¡°Best get this over with before I stop jumping and start shooting at my own shadow.¡± I resumed my quiet steady walk up to the front of the house and made it to the front porch without incident. The front porch was originally screened in with a few benches and chairs scattered about, but now the screen was torn in multiple places. Great gashes were torn into the light wire, and the furniture was all flipped and broken. Apparently, the creatures had rampaged outside in addition to their fighting inside. Moving past the front porch, I walked forward on the deck that lined the outside of the house to just before the set of large windows that overlooked the garage. At that point, I put my back to the house and held the shotgun tightly before I leaned over and snuck a glance inside to the family room. The once familiar and beloved family room was now even more of an enormous mess than it had been after that first goblin had attacked me. The couch, love seat, and chairs were all flipped on their sides. All of the other eye level windows had been broken and glass was everywhere inside. However, what drew my eye was that there was a body laying there in the center of the room. Blood pooled around the body sinking into and staining the carpet a deep crimson. Flies buzzed and weaved through the air above it, and the stink of death and decay wafted over to me. I could tell at a glance that it was a goblin like the one I had encountered just days before. It had the same green skin, matted mohawk, and crude leather clothing as the last one I had encountered. Judging by the state of the body, I now was reasonably sure that they had a mana stone within them as well. The goblin had cuts and dark green bruises all over its body, but the most disconcerting sight was the gaping wound in its chest. It looked like something had reached right into its chest and torn something right out of it. The open chest wound made it easy for me to see that what was torn out wasn¡¯t its heart which left me suspecting that it was the goblin¡¯s mana stone that had been torn out of it. I tore my gaze away from the corpse to check the rest of the room for any unwanted visitors, and I was just about to climb into the family room when I heard a series of thumps coming from the other side of the deck. Footsteps! At least two creatures were walking alongside the other side of the deck! Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Yanking my head back, I flattened myself against the side of the house as my heart began to pound in my chest. Time to take a stand! This was my house, and I wasn¡¯t going to allow a group of damn midget monsters from hell take it away from me! I leaned my head out just enough to take a look through the window and saw two goblins looking into the family room at the goblin corpse. The two each had deep black mohawks, stained leather vests and kilts, and almost humorously oversized clubs in their hands. If it wasn¡¯t for the nasty spiked teeth and pitch black claws the sight of them might almost make me laugh. They were both a little taller than both the corpse and the goblin from a few days ago. However, one of the two was about an inch taller than the other and seemed to be making a case for being in charge. It was motioning at the corpse with its hands before jabbing its companion in the chest with a little clawed finger as if telling it to get in there and grab the body. The shorter of the two didn¡¯t take kindly to that and its black mohawk swayed back slightly before it launched its head forward and head butted the taller goblin right in the chest! The taller goblin staggered backwards a few steps and screeched in rage. The shorter goblin sneered at it and came at it once more. This time it unleashed a surprisingly quick strike with the giant club in its left hand. These things were stronger than I had ever imagined! I didn¡¯t know if I could swing that stupid club that fast with two hands let alone one. The taller goblin backpedaled out of the way and the club swished by just in front of its short pointy nose and smashed into the house with an enormous thud. The screech of rage turned into a roar as the taller goblin grabbed its club with two hands and let loose a massive over handed swing at the other goblin! The shorter goblin dodged to the side and the entire deck rumbled as the giant club smashed into it. The wooden boards shattered under the force of the hit as a loud crack reached my ears. Now was my chance! I could get the drop on them while they were fighting each other. Ducking down, out of sight of the windows, I slowly crawled around to the back of the house. Once I turned one more corner, I would be face to face with two vicious magical creatures. Thawck! Thud! Crack! Crash! I could hear the deck breaking and splintering as the two goblins kept fighting one other. I closed my eyes briefly and summoned all of my courage. A hard determined look emerged as I slowly opened my eyes again. I quickly stood up to my full height, put the shotgun butt to my right shoulder, and whipped around the corner in a flash. As I turned the corner, I saw broken boards jutting up from the floor of the deck and railing posts splintered and bent out of shape. The shorter goblin had lost its club and had been knocked on its ass onto the deck. The taller goblin was looming over it menacingly with its club raising high over head. The shorter goblin was propping itself up slightly with its arms and had a beseeching look on its face when it caught sight of me turning the corner. It pointed at me with one short blackened claw and screeched a warning to its fellow goblin. The larger goblin had just enough time to turn its head to the side and catch sight of me in its peripheral vision before I raised my shotgun and pulled the trigger. BANG! The shotgun slug blasted right through the goblin putting a fist sized hole in its chest and sending a mist of blood into the air. The shogun kicked hard against my shoulder, but I held it steady and switched my aim towards the shorter goblin on the ground. The larger goblin collapsed onto the ground with a sickening thud, and the shorter goblin scrambled forward to grab the club that fell from its now slack hands. BANG! The second slug caught the remaining goblin mid lunge and sent it skidding backwards. It had just enough time to stare at the hole in its chest with a look of mild disbelief before it too collapsed onto the deck.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 12% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 76% Fool (B) LVL 4 50% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 54% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 42% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 89% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Title Points: * * * * * * * 1
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 120/120 10/10 2 per min (-1.5) 10 8 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 6 28% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 62% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 6 99% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 34% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 3 59% * * * * * *
Chapter 17 New World Day 5 Thanks to the infighting between the goblins I was able to kill both of them without a hitch, but now that they were dead I had some decisions to make. I now was pretty certain that they had magic stones in them. Should I dig around in their chests to try and find the magic stone, and what should I do with the bodies? I could throw them over the side of the deck to be dragged away by the creatures in the lake again, but there were some other thoughts swirling in my head. Darker thoughts that if put into action might cause other goblins and creatures to think twice before coming near my home. NO! NO! I wasn¡¯t going to go down that road. At least not with intelligent creatures. I could likely get the same effect by using some of the bodies of forest coyotes. For that matter, I didn¡¯t even try to communicate with the goblins again. It was like as soon as I saw them my body recognized them as a mortal enemy and my instincts took over. If I had kept my head, could I have made some sort of agreement with them given the chance? Honestly, I doubted it, but for the second time I didn¡¯t even try. A gloomy mood set in. One that matched the dark thoughts beckoning enticingly to me in my mind. A drop of water hit my hand followed by another and another. Looking to the sky I saw that it was still clear of clouds, and so, I touched my face and found my cheeks were sleek with tears. The slightest of smiles emerged upon my lips as I thought, ¡°If I can mourn for the deaths of these monsters then perhaps there is hope for me yet.¡± That thought cut through the gloom surrounding me like a knife. I lightly slapped my cheeks and said aloud, ¡°Time to get to work!¡± I decided that I still wasn¡¯t ready to start digging into the bodies of the goblins and certainly not ready to do anything else with them yet. Instead, I tossed them both along with the one from in the family room over the back of the deck towards the lake. The bodies rolled a few times down the hill bumping into a handful of small cedar trees along the way before they came to rest a dozen yards or so from the lake shore. Nothing came out of the lake for them right away, but I could see a few ripples spreading across the lake. Something knew they were there! I waited on the deck for a time watching the bodies and the lake, but nothing emerged to grab them. I didn¡¯t watch for too long as I had too much to do to keep watching the bodies all day. Careful to avoid the various jagged shards of glass that still stuck to the sides and bottom of the window frame, I climbed over the window sill and through the broken window into the house. After I successfully navigated through the open window, I quickly made my way up the gray carpeted steps to my parents¡¯ bedroom. The door was still firmly closed just as I had left it the other day, but I didn¡¯t want to take any chances. I twisted the handle and pushed just enough to open a slight gap before I firmly grasped my shotgun and knocked it the rest of the way open with the gun barrel. The door swung flew open and smacked into the wall causing a loud bang to reverberate throughout the house. I winced in regret. I hadn¡¯t meant to push it that hard. Hopefully the sound wouldn¡¯t attract any other creatures. Considering the gunshots and thuds of the bodies being thrown over the deck I didn¡¯t think it too likely, but I couldn¡¯t afford to keep being so careless. The bedroom was still in the same shape that I had left it. The white walls matched the cover less white bed and perfectly complemented the caramel brown colored nightstands and doors. I was happy to see that no goblin had desecrated the room overnight, and I could see my prizes sitting peacefully on the two night stands on either side of the bed. I grabbed the two of them and placed them carefully into my backpack before I backed out of the room and shut the door firmly once more. Task one complete! Next, I needed to go grab the lanterns from the big barn to the right of the house. Standing on the right side of the deck, I could just barely see the barn doors through the trunks of the trees. The distance from it to the house didn¡¯t used to be too much, but I could see that it was at least twice as far as it once was. How did that work exactly? The little lake was four times the size it once was. However, the house was the same distance away from it was before the world changed, and the barn was only twice the distance from the house. You would think that it should be four times like the lake, but I guess Old World logic shouldn¡¯t be applied to this New World. I caught myself right before I started to shake my head. I was doing that more and more ever since the world warped around me. Best not to get into too many bad habits. Instead of going straight to the barn, I made a short detour and put the two alarm clocks in the garage on top of the ATV barrier and reloaded my shotgun with two more slugs before I headed to the grassy lawn in front of the house. A gentle breeze wafted through the air causing the short emerald grass and tall brown warm season grasses to sway silently in the breeze. The open space atop this ridgeline allowed my mind to feel at ease. I could easily see that there was nothing around, but I would have to keep an eye on the tree lines to my left. The ridge dropped down gradually into a heavily forested valley with a creek running through the base, and I would be greatly surprised if there weren¡¯t some forest coyotes that now claimed that area as home. The area to my right dropped down much more gradually and was far more thinly forested. So much so that I could see through it almost as well as the open grassy area I was now striding upon. The screech of a hawk pierced the air causing me to jerk my head upwards to the sky. I could see a few brown and black blobs flying high in the sky throughout the area. They were too far away for me tell exactly what they were, but they did give me a timely reminder that there could easily be flying beasts ready to attack me. Another thing that I would have to keep in mind going forward. There should have been a mixed gravel and dirt path leading straight to the barn, but most of my path forward was a dark green almost blackish grass. My ability to identify plants was dismal, but I was almost 100% sure that it was a new type of grass. Despite the increased distance, it only took me a couple of minutes to make my way to the side of the big barn and onto a path of thinly spread gravel and hard packed dirt. Now I was on a familiar path! Heartened by the familiarity, I started to walk down a slight incline to the barn doors. If I kept going down the incline through a lightly forested area with just a bit of thorny underbrush I would reach the dam of the Small Lake, but I had no intention of going that far. I had already reached my target for the day. The barn was a large rectangular construct made out of tan sheet metal with dark brown outlines around the joints. There was an odd shaped addition hanging off of the back of it that was a later add-on. It housed my dad¡¯s new tractor that had been too big to fit in the original barn. I was just getting ready to slide the original barn¡¯s big tan door open when I noticed something odd in the mud nearby. There was a pattern in the mud leading up to the door. The mud was pressed down flat and smooth almost like when water rushed over a hill eroding everything around it, but water couldn¡¯t be the cause of this pattern. The pattern was going side to side in a three foot wide S pattern up to the doors of the barn where it disappeared into the barn. I was a fool, but I wasn¡¯t stupid. An S pattern. Smooth flat mud. A nice dark barn to hide in. I had a good idea about what was waiting for me in the barn, but judging from the size of the markings it would be the largest of its kind that I had ever heard of. It had to be a snake! An enormous snake of unknown powers and abilities was what I suspected was waiting for me in the barn. Snakes had always liked to make their homes in that barn. Why would a massive potentially magical snake be any different? I wanted those lanterns badly, but did I need them enough to risk a potential encounter with a giant snake? Probably not, but curiosity was getting the better of me. I had always loved snakes and reptiles, and there was a crazy urge welling up inside of me to see exactly what kind of new variations had been introduced to the world. Foolish! It was pure foolishness and yes crazy and a bit stupid, but I was doing it. I held the shotgun firmly with my right hand while I slowly and as quietly as possible slid the big door open just enough for me to walk through without any obstructions. The hinges and old metal door creaked and groaned, but the door slid open despite its complaints kicking a light dusting of dirt into the air along the way. A portal to the unknown was now open before me illuminated only by the handful of rays of sunlight that could sneak through the small opening and past the small swirling cloud of dust into the heart of the barn. Most of the interior was hidden by a deep inky darkness. My targets were in sight. They were on a long cracked wooden bench sitting snugly against the metal wall to my left. It would only take me three steps at worst to get to them, but what about the snake? Was it in the barn? If it was then the noise of the door opening would no doubt have alerted it to my presence in its domain. I stepped back from the door and took a long look at the inside of the barn searching for any movement or any shape out of place. The darkness kept me from seeing exactly what I was looking at, but I had been in the barn enough times to know if something was there that shouldn¡¯t be. I searched and searched, but didn¡¯t see any new or different blobs in the darkness. My luck wasn¡¯t too bad after all. It seemed the snake wasn¡¯t here at the moment. I wouldn¡¯t get to see a new type of snake, but I also wouldn¡¯t have to expose myself to mortal danger at least. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It was with mixed feelings that I was about to head into the barn to grab the two lanterns when a tiny rattle reached my ears and a thought struck me like lightning. I looked up at the rafters my mouth opening in growing horror. Laying there atop the rafters was a gigantic black snake. The snake must be at least 20 feet long and 3 feet wide. It had smooth black scales along its belly, but the scales on its side and back flipped up slightly when they came together at a sharp wicked looking point. It reminded me of how the stems of fallen leaves bent upwards in the fall. Portions of its long thick coils dangled from the rafters while its enormous triangular black head glared down at me from within the darkness of the rafters. Looking into its pitch black eyes was like looking into a swirling abyss that had no end. A man could lose himself in those eyes for all of time. This must be what it is like for a frog when confronted by a snake or a deer when it is hit by headlights. It was most assuredly not a pleasant experience. Fear threatened to overwhelm me, but there was another feeling that was working its way through my body. Excitement! I might be the first person from the Old World to see this creature and it was magnificent! The curved shiny scales and massive size were unlike any other snake I had ever seen. An even crazier urge than before swept through my body. I wanted to see what this snake could really do. Could it use magic? How fast was it? Was it venomous or was it a constrictor? Question after question popped into my head while the snake calmly continued to stare down at me from the rafters its long black forked tongue occasionally flickering in and out like lightning. Could I lead it to the lake and get it to fight something from there to find out its capabilities? No, no that would be suicide. I wasn¡¯t so caught up in the excitement to go that far, but grabbing the lanterns and seeing how it reacted. Now that I could do! A faint part of my mind registered the fact that I had gained two new titles when I came to that decision.
Title awarded! Curious Fool ( C ) * Title awarded! Stupid Fool ( C ) *
Why did the System keep calling me a fool? That same part of my mind could have sworn that something or someone let out a quiet ethereal laugh when that thought crossed my mind, but unless the snake was laughing at me that was impossible. Grinning insanely, I focused back entirely on the task at hand. I slung the shotgun on my shoulder so that I had a hand free for each lantern and set myself in a suitable starting posture for sprinting. I began to sway slightly back and forth and then on one final sway forward I exploded into a sprint right into the barn to the lanterns. I came to a screeching halt in front of the lanterns, roughly grabbed a lantern in each hand, and immediately began to pivot around ready to sprint back out of the barn. My actions must have caught the snake by surprise as its reaction was a step slower than I had expected, but after a moment it reared its head and neck up into the air and opened its mouth wide letting out a great hiss that caused the entire barn and everything in it myself included to shake and vibrate. Enormous white fangs unfolded from the roof of the snake¡¯s mouth and all of the scales on its side and back began to vibrate and rattle. That light rattle from when I was about to walk into the barn earlier must have been caused by the scales. A warning maybe not to intrude on its territory. As I pivoted around ready to run back out of the barn the rattling reached a crescendo and then the scales did something I never would have expected. They bent up away of the snakes body and pointed right towards me. Then the snake whipped its first coil towards me sending the sharp tips of the scales flying at me. Lunging forward towards the door, I just barely managed to evade the dozens of flying scales. They impacted the dusty floor with series of deafening thuds and kicked up a massive cloud of dust that blocked me from the sight of the snake. Sprinting through the opening I swept my left leg out behind me kicking the great door closed behind me. The screech of metal being struck and torn entered my ears as the metal door blocked a second wave of scales for me. I stared back in terrible awe at the scales that penetrated almost entirely through the door. Now that I got a chance to see them up close, I could see that the tips of the scales had dozens of little barbs on them that would make them a royal pain to remove if I got hit by one. I didn¡¯t take more than a slight glance at them before I sprinted up the slight incline and made a mad dash along the grassy ridge towards the house. I had the lanterns in hand and the guns were swinging wildly and sometimes painfully upon my shoulders and back. I took a series of quick glances backwards to see if the snake was following me, but the creature seemed content to have forced me out of its territory and didn¡¯t give chase. Even so, I didn¡¯t stop running into I had reached the relative safety of my basement hideout where I collapsed into an exhausted madly laughing heap.
Curious Fool ( C ) * LVL 1 0% : This title is awarded to users who manage to somehow be both a fool and curious at the same time. The title requires users to already have the Fool title. The rarity is determined by how curious and foolish the user can be at the same time. The rank of the title will increase after every ten levels. Stupid Fool ( C ) * LVL 1 0% : This title is awarded to users who manage to somehow be both a fool and stupid at the same time. The title requires users to already have the Fool title. The rarity is determined by how stupid and foolish the user can be at the same time. The rank of the title will increase after every ten levels.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 12% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 82% Fool (B) LVL 4 50% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 54% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 42% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 89% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * * * * * * 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 120/120 10/10 2 per min (-1.5) 10 8 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 6 28% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 62% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 6 99% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 34% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 3 59% * * * * * *
Chapter 18 New World Day 5 It was only a half hour later when my throat was sore and voice hoarse that my maniacal laughter finally subsided. The fit of laughter was set off by the thrill and joy of surviving such a stupid endeavor. It was no doubt the absolutely stupidest thing I have ever done in my life, and oddly enough I have never felt so alive before. I could easily see how thrill seekers became addicted to taking risks. There was an almost euphoric high that accompanied success. I don¡¯t think that I should go crazy and take such risks at every turn, but maybe I have been a bit too conservative in my life so far. I had taken the easy path that was laid out in front all of my life. As dangerous as this New World was it could be an opportunity for me to become something more than I had ever had a chance to be before. A smile broke across my face like a ray of sunshine and chased away the last few feelings of gloom that had fallen upon me after the clash with the goblins. Feeling happy for the first time in quite awhile, I made a short trip to the workshop, almost skipping along the way, to drink a couple bottles of water and devour a small meal of chips and peanut butter crackers. Two of the three tasks I had set for myself today had been completed. It was time to go and finish the third. I picked up my backpack and weapons once again and snuck out of the garage. I made my way up to the front of the house to the open lawn once again, but this time I headed left towards the front field and the road that lay beyond. I passed through the twin fang tree line into the open field to where my car was sitting safely on my right basking in the sun. I thought briefly about hopping in and driving as far as I could towards Falmouth, but after the morning¡¯s encounter with what I was called the black barbed python, I wasn¡¯t confident enough in its ability to run over or escape from the creatures that might come calling. Instead, I continued on foot down the road towards the state highway that would lead to city of Falmouth. I passed by my deceased neighbors¡¯ houses without incident careful to stay on the road so as to avoid the cow ponds that dotted the landscape. Since I had buried my neighbors, the smell that had accompanied their grisly fate had mostly dissipated except for the rare moment where the stench of decay reached up to crinkle my nose. Each time it happened the memory of their grisly fate flashed through my mind causing tears to well up in the corner of my eyes. I wouldn¡¯t let that fate fall on anyone else if I could help it. Forty-five minutes later I found myself at the end of the road both literally and metaphorically. The road originally cut through a dense patch of forest to intersect at a T junction with a state highway that would lead right to the city, but now the road was cut off cleanly and instead of blacktop there was a declining grass covered slope that led to a series of treeless hills and valleys. The forest and road that I was expecting were just barely visible at the very edge of my vision. I would have to pass through these hills if I wanted to reach my intended destination. Cautiously, I walked down the first hill heading directly towards the spot where the road picked back up. I didn¡¯t see any beasts around at the moment, but I had no way of knowing what may be lying in wait in the valleys below each of the other hills. After five minutes of hiking I made it to the top of the first new hill and got a glimpse of what lay beyond its crown. A group of twenty large bison were eating the greenish black grass in the valley below me. The bison were very different than the ones I had seen in the Old World. They were twice the size of a normal bison and were covered in a shaggy light blue fur that matched the color of the sky with a large hump square in the middle of their back. Their four stocky legs ended in dark navy blue hooves that set off sparks when they struck the ground and tiny bolts of lightning danced around their ankles. The bison possessed giant heads covered with that same light blue fur. On each side of their skull there was a giant horn that grew out. The horns grew straight out from the skull a full foot before they curved forward parallel to the bison¡¯s snout. The forward facing part of horn zigged and zagged forward like lightning bolts and strands of lightning flashed back and forth along their lengths. I did not want to mess with those bison. Just their size alone made each of them a terrible threat, and when you added in the number of them and their apparent lightning magic it was eminently clear that they were not to be trifled with. I would have to give them a wide berth if I wanted to get to where the road picked back up. I stood there and watched the bison eat the grass and meander around the valley for at least an hour. It was right when I was about to get back underway when something happened. Every one of the bison raised their heads up at once and let out a great bleet. Something had alarmed them, and if there was something around that could make those beasts afraid then it wasn¡¯t something I intended to tangle with. I began to slowly back up the hill towards the direction of my house when the entire herd charged up the other hill in the opposite direction of me. The sound of the hooves smashing into the ground reminded me of thunder and the hills and valleys began to rumble from the force of each step. At least that was what I thought was causing the rumbling! I was quickly disabused of that notion when something dark brown erupted out of the side of the hill swallowing one of the bison at the back of herd whole before plunging once more into the earth at the bottom of the valley. I caught only a fleeting glimpse of the creature responsible before it disappeared into the ground. That glimpse plus the fact that it ate an entire bison whole was enough to make it clear that I was not getting back to Falmouth this way. The creature responsible was a dark brown snake at least 8 feet wide and 30 feet long with a long straight head and smooth mud covered scales. It erupted from the hill and entered the dirt of the valley as if it could swim through the earth like water. I didn¡¯t waste any time getting the hell out of dodge. Those bison obviously had the right idea. I stopped backpedaling, turned around, and sprinted away towards my house at full speed not stopping or slowing the entire time. Half-way through the sprint home I realized that this was the second time in one day that I was fleeing for my life from a massive snake, and I couldn¡¯t help but start laughing maniacally once again. I managed to get back to my basement hideout without any further trouble. There was still some light out when I returned, but I had had enough excitement for the day already. I decided to train for a bit instead of exploring any further before eating and going to bed. However, the first thing I did before training was to use my title points to buy the third resistance skill I was eyeing the poison resistance skill. Just like last time I purchased a skill, the same overwhelming power appeared and flooded into my body. The process didn¡¯t take more than a minute or two, but I still found myself shivering after it was over. I really didn¡¯t like that feeling. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. After that, I started the training with push ups and sit ups followed by swinging my axe while stepping in each direction like the previous night¡¯s training. I continued this routine until the sun had dipped all the way down and darkness reigned. Once the garage was pitch black I grabbed the two solar lanterns and headed into the bedroom. I put one lantern on the nightstand next to the bed and the second on the stand next to the love seat. They illuminated the bedroom extremely well. Finished with that, I washed my sweat and filth away with a slightly damp washcloth before I put on some shirts and a clean T-shirt. I ate a the last of the lunch meat, some water, and some chips, and then sat cross legged on the love seat ready to practice my mana control. I had thought a bit throughout the day about my idea of a spiritual body, and I was happy with the idea. However, I realized that I needed a better way of delivering the mana to where I intended to start the outline. As it was, I was spending so much time and effort just getting the mana to the starting point of the spiritual body that I had no chance at all of actually creating it. I needed to create something akin to veins that connected to the equivalent of the skin for the spiritual body, and then I could pump the mana through the veins to the skin by contracting and expanding my mana lake. In this way, the mana lake would become something similar to a mana heart instead of a mana lake. I spent five hours working on trying to turn the tendrils into hollow veins connected to the mana lake. At this point the normal headache while painful no longer stopped my training. By the end of the training, I could reliably create a hollow vein, but I needed to find a way to make the vein permanent. When I stopped supplying mana to the veins, started to fade away. They lasted longer than the tendrils did, but they still fell apart after a time. Yawning, I got up from the love seat and turned off the two lanterns. I headed to the bed and decided that issue was a problem for another day.
Strength increased by 1! Endurance increased by 1! Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up!
Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * LVL 1 0% : This skill grants users a basic resistance to all poisons. The resistance even applies to magical poisons. The rarity of the skill is determined by additional abilities that may be granted along with the initial resistance. For example, higher rarity versions may allow the user to store the poisons or antidotes in their bodies to be used to harm or help others. The rank of the skill will increase after every ten levels. Currently, the skill automatically takes .25 mana per minute from the user in order to function. This deduction can not currently be controlled by the user.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 12% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 91% Fool (B) LVL 4 99% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 54% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 50% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 42% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 89% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * * * * * * 3
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 125/125 10/10 2 per min (-1.75) 11 9 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 10% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 62% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 7 34% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 34% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 5 22% * * * * * * *
Chapter 19 New World Day 6 I awoke bright and early the next day feeling surprisingly refreshed. The insanity of the previous day served as an excellent outlet for all of the worry and depressing feelings that had been building inside of me ever since the New World began. Thanks to the clocks I knew that it was still only 6:00 AM and the sun hadn¡¯t quite risen yet. Feeling a need to move move my body, I got up and changed into some jeans, a white long sleeved button up shirt, and my sole pair of tennis shoes. Once I was finished dressing, I began to bend, twist, and stretch to get all of the kinks and tightness out of my muscles. I let out a long satisfied breathe when I was finished. I wanted to get moving and do something! Anything at all really, but there were things that I needed to take care of first. The first thing I did was sit down and carefully record my adventures from the previous day including adding entries in my bestiary for the two snakes and the bison. The second snake received the name of earth swimmer thanks to the ease at which it moved through the earth, and I decided to call the bison thunder bison after the noise they made when they ran. I also had to add the new titles and skills to my records as well. By the time I had finished writing everything down it was already 7:30 AM. The sun was now up and so I grabbed the two lanterns, checked that the coast was clear outside the garage door, and headed outside. I placed the two lanterns in a sunny area on the rock wall near the garage door to recharge. Once I was satisfied with their positioning, I headed to the side of the house under the deck to do my morning business before I went back inside and sat on the loveseat ready to plan out the day ahead. Taking the original road to the state highway and then following that to Falmouth was obviously out after the events of yesterday. The herd of thunder bison and the earth swimmer made that a suicide mission. I could take a right at the front of the property and head towards Williamstown, but I honestly didn¡¯t know how to get there. I had always come to my parents¡¯ place via Falmouth. Since I couldn¡¯t go the normal way and didn¡¯t know how to take the Williamstown way, then I would need to find a new path. At the back of my parents¡¯ property there was a meadow that wasn¡¯t far from the state highway. If I could get to the meadow then I could cut through there and get to the road. Provided of course that the snake¡¯s territory didn¡¯t extend into the meadow. There were a couple of issues that I would have to tackle if I wanted to go that way though. First, the path to the meadow went through the forest, and I had no idea what kind of beasts and creatures might be waiting for me in there now. Second, I didn¡¯t know how far away the meadow was anymore. The weird and seemingly patternless changes to the size of the landscape made it impossible to judge how far away I was from the meadow. Before the changes, It would have only taken a half hour to get to the meadow, but now it was anyone¡¯s guess. I felt that the meadow was my best shot at avoiding the earth swimmer and getting to the highway, but I would need to get stronger and stockpile some extra food and water for a potentially long trek. First to the highway and then to Falmouth itself. My food and water were running a bit low already. I could last another week if I started rationing, but that was the best case scenario. It was time to test out the resistance skills that I had purchased from the System. Rubbing my chin in thought, I poured over my notes on the beasts that I had encountered so far and decided on the geyser crayfish as my first target. I would target the ones in the old cow pond across the street. Whenever I looked at the little lake, I got the feeling there were far more dangerous things waiting in its depths that I simply shouldn¡¯t mess with. When it came to the geyser crayfish themselves, it was just that initial strike I had to be wary of. Once they were on dry land they weren¡¯t nearly as dangerous as the other bests I had run into. The one that had broken my ankle only got the chance to do so because I was too busy dealing with forest coyotes to notice what it was doing. As a bonus, once I dealt with the geyser crayfish in the cow pond I could fill the empty plastic bottles and myriad of water bottles from the house with water from the pond. Of course once I successfully acquired my potential food there was still the matter of cooking it. There was an open air fire pit to the right of the house between it and the big barn, but cooking there might attract the black barbed python from the barn or some unknown nasty from the Small Lake just below the pit. It was a troubling issue, but I had a solution. I would move the stones that formed the pit up into the open lawn in front of the house. The additional distance away from the barn and lake, the short distance to my hideout, and the clear line of sight all around me should make it a lot safer to cook. Before all of that there was one other thing that I wanted to do first. Nodding to myself, I felt I had a good plan in mind for the day¡¯s activities. The first task was something that I had been putting off for almost a week now. I strapped on the pistol, put the axe, a large knife my dad used for processing deer, and a bunch of empty water bottles in the backpack, and put it along with the shotgun, rifle, and a second empty backpack on the ATV barricade. Then I grabbed a shovel leaning against the garage wall near the door and carefully ventured outside. It was time to dig a proper hole for using the restroom. I didn¡¯t want it to be too far from house, but it needed to be further than it currently was. The smell from the last few days¡¯ accumulations was really starting to get to me. I decided to put it in the middle of the triangular stand of trees a little to the right of the garage that the driveway split around to get to the house and the garage. I dug a deep hole in the middle of the area and then took some rocks from the rock wall by the garage to build up a seat around the hole. As a finishing touch, I took the toilet seat from the first floor bathroom and duck taped it to the makeshift seat. It wasn¡¯t pretty, but it would have to do for now. Satisfied with the resulting restroom, I returned to the garage and grabbed my backpack and guns. It was time to hunt some crayfish! While I was as quite cautious walking to the cow pond, it turned into a nice stroll. The sun was shining, there were only a few thin clouds in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew through the open fields. Without anyone to plant anything, the grass in the fields had grown to knee high already, and as they swayed in the wind it was like an ocean of grass was waving at me. The dense grass kept me from seeing any footprints in the dirt, but I could see from how various areas of grass were beaten down that there creatures that were traveling through the fields. I was given quite a fright when I reached the gate of my parent¡¯s property. A small herd of Old World deer jumped up from the grass and dashed over the edge of the ridgeline into the forest below. They would have been a much safer food source than the crayfish, but they ran off before I could take aim at them. Even though they got away, the sight of the deer caused a gentle smile to cross my face as I realized that there were more Old World creatures still left than I had believed. Smiling all the way, I opened the front gate and strolled across the black top road to the house and cow pond across the street. A faint whiff of decay tickled my nostrils, but I ignored it as I came to the edge of the hill that led down to the cow pond. I carefully laid the shotgun and my two backpacks against a small oak tree atop the hill whose branches and leaves were swaying and rattling in the wind. Then I began scouring the area for every big rock I could find and stacked them by the tree as well. Once my collection reached 30 large rocks and 50 small ones, I settled down on one knee next to them and pulled the rifle off my shoulder and into one hand. With my other hand, I grabbed one of the large rocks and tossed it over the edge of the hill. Unfortunately, my first toss was too hard and the rock rolled all the way into the water with a plop. My second and third tosses were both too light. They stopped not even half way down the hill and didn¡¯t alarm the crayfish in the slightest. The fourth toss was perfect! It landed half way down the hill with a powerful thud and then rolled further down the hill. Each turn of the roll was accompanied by a progressively quieter thump before coming to stop maybe a dozen yards from the water¡¯s edge. Every roll and each thump caused ripples to spread throughout the pond from the shoreline in front of the rock until with an enormous splash three brown blurs shot out of the pond and smashed into the side of the hill with a deafening crash. The rock was turned to dust by one of the three crayfish and the three of them looked around in confusion when no prey was immediately in sight. The three of them milling around aimlessly made perfect targets. Putting the butt of the rifle into my shoulder and steadying myself on my one raised knee, I sighted down hill at them and smoothly pulled the trigger three times. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Bang! Bang! Bang! The crayfish all fell to the ground dead with pieces of their now shattered shells raining down around them. They had been so close together that I only had to shift my aim slightly between each shot, and they were too slow on land to have any chance of dodging my bullets. I was tempted to go down and collect my prize, but I needed to make sure that there weren¡¯t any more on this side of the pond. I shifted my position slightly and tossed a couple dozen more rocks over the edge. After those throws, one more crayfish was tricked out of the water to its death. Satisfied that there weren¡¯t anymore of the geyser crayfish on my side of the pond, I slowly stepped down to the four corpses and dragged all four of them to the top of the hill. Then I took out the large knife and tried to cut off their tails. Unfortunately, the shells were too hard to cut even with that knife. I had to turn to my axe and really get a good swing in to remove the tails. It took a bit of time, but I cut off the tails of all four, gouged out the mana stone which turned out to be in the main body just in front of the tail, and put all four tails and the stones in the empty backpack. I had to really force it to get all four tails in the backpack, but I made it work. With that finished, it was time to fill up all of my water bottles. I took the other backpack with the axe and empty water bottles and carefully walked down to the edge of the water. I kept an eye on the water as I made my way down the hill, but no ripples emerged atop the pond the entire way. Carefully I pulled out a large clear hard plastic water bottle, unscrewed its blue top, and dipped it into the water filling it to the brim. A swirl of dirt and plants flooded in along with the water causing it to take on an unappetizing opaque brown color. I¡¯d have to strain it if possible before I drank any of it. I put that bottle aside and grabbed a second identical bottle to fill up, but when I put this bottle into the water a three foot whirlpool formed right in front of my hand. The sudden appearance of the whirlpool combined with its surprising strength almost pulled me straight into the pond. I struggled against the whirlpool and tried to pull my hand and water bottle out of the water. However, the whirlpool didn¡¯t want to let go of me, but with one final heave I yanked them out of the water. The force of the final pull combined with the sudden loss of an opposing force when my hand left the water caused me to fall backwards and slam into the side of the hill. My back was battered, bruised, and bloody after I crashed into the rocks that littered the hillside. Rocks that I, of course, had thrown there just minutes before. Karma really is a bitch. Standing back up and trying my best not rub my back, I screwed the cap on the water bottle in my hand and stared down at the water. I wanted to see if I could find what had caused that whirlpool. Eventually, I spied the shadow of a fish that was about a foot and a half long. It was a solid lime green, and it had a long chunky body with a massively oversized head and jaw with two eyes set on top of its head instead of the sides. I couldn¡¯t see inside of the fish¡¯s mouth, but I strongly suspected it was filled with rows of sharp teeth. I edged forward towards the shore just enough to snag the first water bottle I had left there and then immediately backed away. Two water bottles were full, but I had another dozen to go. I needed to give that fish and any others like it a distraction of some kind. A light went off in my head when I thought of the crayfish remains on the top of the hill. I still had quite a few rocks up there that might scare it away for awhile, but I wasn¡¯t sure how long it would stay away. Instead, I would give it something to eat that would hopefully keep it busy. I ran back up the hill and quickly cut the legs and claws off of the big crayfish with my axe, and carried them down the hill towards the shoreline. I put the bundle on the ground just in front of the water¡¯s edge. Slowly I took out an empty water bottle and unscrewed the top, then I tossed one of the crayfish legs into the pond about ten feet in front of me. Immediately, I saw the fish swim away to the source of the disturbance and to my great surprise a half dozen whirlpools formed around the crayfish leg and yanked it underwater. While the fish were distracted, I quickly filled one water bottle after another making sure to toss a new leg or claw in with each bottle filled. Once I had all of the bottles filled, I backed away from the water, checked that the caps were securely fastened on the water bottles, and tossed them in my backpack. Then I ran back up the hill to the small oak tree. I had my food and water, but now it was time to cook!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 52% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 3 99% Fool (B) LVL 4 99% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 50% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 90% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * * * * * * 3
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 119/125 10/10 2 per min (-1.75) 11 9 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 10% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 7 42% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 34% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 5 22% * * * * * * *
Chapter 20 New World Day 6 Prizes in hand, I walked back across the street to my house with a spring in my step. I stored the tails, water, the two lanterns from the rock wall and the rifle in the garage for now. I kept the shotgun with me for safety¡¯s sake and picked my way through the lightly forested area on the right side of the house to the fire pit that lay there. The fire pit was made from a group of concrete blocks set in an oval pattern. There were a pair of blackened steel grates that rested on the concrete blocks and covered the top of the fire pit. Gravel covered the ground around the fire pit, and the fire pit was surrounding by four old but lovingly maintained wooden benches and one wooden preparation table. I intended to take everything here, except for the gravel, and move it to the lawn in front of the house. The benches and table weren¡¯t hard to move, but the blocks proved to be quite a pain. They weren¡¯t that heavy individually. However, there were a lot of them, and carrying them to the front of the house while keeping any eye on my surroundings for any dangers drained me more than I expected. It took me at least an hour or two to move everything, and that was without taking any breaks. By the time I was finished, my arms and shoulders were aching something fierce. Despite the pain, I smiled in delight as I surveyed my completed fire pit. Now that I was finished setting up the fire pit, It was time to gather some wood and cook the crayfish tails. It wasn¡¯t hard to get the wood for the fire afterall there were trees and shrubs all around, and I had a lighter from the house that I could use to start the fire. The smell that would spread out into the afternoon air from the cooking food worried me though. I would have my shotgun on hand, but if the black barbed snake came for my food from the barn I wasn¡¯t sure it would be of any use. Still, I was taking enough chances as it is just eating them at all. I wasn¡¯t about to try and eat the tails raw. With that thought firmly in mind, I decided to take the chance and cook the tails. If worse came to worst and something did come to steal my food I would just run and hide in the basement hopefully with at least one tail in hand. Decision made, I went down to the garage and grabbed the four tails, the big knife from my backpack, and some cajun spices before I strolled back up to my new fire pit. Using the knife I peeled the shells off of the four tails and sprinkled the cajun spices all over the four tails. Finished with my preparations, I lit my pile of twigs on fire and when the blaze was really going I added a few logs that I grabbed from the old fire pit area onto the fire. Next I tossed the steel grates over the fire and plopped the tails onto the raging fire. Pretty soon there was a delicious scent floating in the air. Maybe these tails were going to be more delicious than I expected! I flipped the tails a couple of times and added a bit of spice on each flip. I was just about to take them off the fire and go into the basement to eat when I heard a disconcerting sound. Multiple disconcerting sounds actually. A light rattle came from the direction of the barn, an immense thump came from near the edge of the lake, and the cry of a giant bird spread through the sky. My body reacted before my mind could catch up. I grabbed one of the tails off of the fire ignoring the searing pain that shot up through my hand from the burning hot tail and kicked the rest of them away from the fire towards the barn. My pants leg naturally caught on fire, and I had to roll on the ground to put it out. Rolling away towards the house I caught sight of a giant yellow and green bird dive down from the sky to try and grab one of the tails in its talons only to have to unleash a powerful flap of its wings to stop its dive and avoid a barrage of barbed scales that flew through the air right above the tails. The black barbed python lay coiled together not 20 yards from the fire pit except for its long tail which it had just flicked forward to send the volley of scales at the unknown bird. The python didn¡¯t get a chance to grab the tails either though. It had to quickly slither to the side to dodge a gigantic yellow frog. The frog¡¯s enormous belly smashed into the ground with such force that it sank five feet into the ground. An ear popping ribbit reverberated through the air as the frog staked its claim on the tails. Three dangerous beasts all had come to try and steal my dinner! I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought the smell of the tails was delicious! I was extremely interested in seeing who the winner of the beastly royal rumble would be, but I didn¡¯t want to be the desert. So, I took my single tail and high tailed it to my basement hideout. Once inside, I turned on one of the lanterns to give myself some light while I settled in to wait out the fight. The sounds and vibrations of fighting continued for over ten minutes before finally subsiding. Breathing out a sigh of relief that the fighting seemed to be over, I turned my attention to my dinner. The smell was really causing me to drool. I was impressed with myself that I hadn¡¯t eaten it right after I got into the garage, and I was actually looking forward to eating it except of course for the flakes of melted skin that my hand had left on it. I flexed my hand multiple times trying to get some feeling back into it. I could see my regen skill in action fixing my hand up. Pieces of blistered skin fell away and new unblemished pieces replaced them before my eyes. Tearing my eyes away from the gruesome burns, I thought, ¡°Best to eat it while it¡¯s still hot!¡± I peeled off my skin fragments and chomped down on the white meaty tail. A delicious and slightly spicy taste spread through my mouth. This tail was the tastiest thing I had ever eaten! Was that crayfish just naturally filled with flavor or did all magic creature taste this good? The taste was so divine that I devoured the entire tail in under a minute. No wonder those beasts had all come to try and steal my food! If I had known it tasted this good I might have been tempted to fight it out with them. Of course now came the potentially dangerous part of waiting and seeing if there was anything harmful in the tail. While I waited, I started up my normal training routine. Pushups, sit-ups, axe training, and then working on the creation of my mana veins. I kept as busy as I could training while I monitored the System with one eye to see if my resistances went up or my Status changed. I could see their experience bars steadily increase as the night wore on, and considering all three went up multiple times it was a damn good thing I had bought them all! That tail must have been riddled with unseen dangers, or was there some special way to cook magical creatures? I spent quite a while pondering over the issue of the crayfish tail, but in the end I didn¡¯t have enough information yet to figure out if it was the tail itself that was the issue or my cooking methods. For now, I decided to work on the water that I had taken from the cow pond while I thought of how to cook food in the future without attracting terrifying beasts to my home. I took all of the water from the garage area and brought it into the workshop. Then I took out a nice clean bucket and a strainer. Finally, I began pouring the bottles of water through the strainer and into the bucket. Most of the pond scum and mud that had gotten mixed into the water was strained out, and the water in the bucket now had a much clearer complexion. It wasn¡¯t at the same level as commercially sold bottle water or even tap water, but it at least looked drinkable now. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Mindlessly, I continued pouring water through the strainer and into the bucket. Occasionally, I had to clean out the strainer, but mostly I was able to concentrate on my food problems. I was reasonably certain that it was the smell of the tails and the smoke from the fire that had attracted the beasts to my fire. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have any way to isolate the smoke or the smell. I could start up the generator and cook inside the house. However, that had its own set of problems. I didn¡¯t have much gas for the generator, and all of the windows were broken in the house already. So, the smell would still leak out into the surrounding area. It might not spread as far, but it would still get out there. To make matters worse, if one of those beasts still caught the scent they might destroy the house itself in their scramble to steal my food. Since I couldn¡¯t stop the spread of the smell and smoke, then I would have to come at the issue from a different direction. Perhaps if I cooked the food at different times of day I might find a time where those beasts were out hunting and had no time to come bother me, and if that didn¡¯t work then I would have to come up with a deterrent of some kind. Something that would make those beasts too afraid of me or my food to come attack me ever again. A poison of some sort most likely. I would have to keep an eye out for that type of thing. As that thought crossed my mind, I reached out for another bottle, but my fingers grasped only empty air. Looking over, I saw that I had finished straining all of the water from the pond. Time for a test run? Cautiously, I took a clean cup from one of the nearby shelves and dipped it into the bucket of water. The water rushed into the cup and filled it to the brim with a slightly opaque water. I slowly raised the cup to my lips and took a small sip. A slightly sweet taste permeated my taste buds as the water swished through my mouth and down my throat. Against all odds it tasted great! Quickly I drained the entire glass and smacked my lips in satisfaction. Exquisite! Did the new energies rampaging through the world cause everything to taste better? I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this delicious water tasted like crap to those who were born into a world where such energies always existed. Maybe only people like myself who were newly exposed to them could properly appreciate the exceptional taste. Or maybe I was just overthinking things. I would need to try some different water sources and eat some different beasts before I could really make a good guess about the source of the taste. Still, the taste of the water was good news. It was a bit difficult to acquire, but I now had a source of good food and water! Now I just needed to experiment a bit to see if there was a way to safely cook my food. Yawning, I put a hand up to cover my mouth and realized it was getting pretty late. Time to head to bed. I had done enough for today. I could continue my experiments and training in the morning!
Endurance increased by 1! Survivor (B) * leveled up! Fool (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 3 52% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 02% Fool (B) LVL 5 10% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 50% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 90% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Title Points: * * * * * * * * * 3
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 103/125 10/10 2 per min (-1.75) 12 9 7 9
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Basic Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 8 19% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 3 80% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 3 90% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 3 20% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 6 48% * * * * * * *
Chapter 21 New World Day 7 On the morning of the seventh day in the New World, I woke to the familiar sensation of a bladder ready to burst. I threw on some clothes and grabbed my shotgun before racing out into the garage. I stopped just long enough to check for any beasts hanging outside in the driveway. It was my first time using it, and aside from some discomfort over doing my business out in the open, it worked great. Feeling much better, I took my time on my way back to the garage and looked for any new tracks around the garage door and toilet. The sunlight was blinding, but the ground was still damp and squishy. It must have rained during the night while I was sleeping. The rain made the ground soft enough that I could make out a number of prints in the ground near the toilet. There were some footprints from what I was pretty sure were forest coyotes. It looked like they were going down the hill towards the lake. More disconcerting, I saw some new goblin footprints mixed with the footprints of the larger mysterious creature. The coyotes were one thing, but the goblins worried me. I didn¡¯t think the various beasts I had encountered so far would be smart enough to find me in my basement stronghold. However the goblins could be smart enough to find me there, and that larger footprint left me with a feeling of dread. I hoped it was just a larger than average goblin, but my instincts told me that I wasn¡¯t that lucky. Sighing, I quickened my pace and returned to the relative safety of the garage. Once I was back inside, I closed my eyes and worked to calm my nerves. What would come would come regardless of my fears and worries. I just had to make sure I was as ready as I could be to face whatever it was. It¡¯s not that easy to push your worries away. I needed some help centering myself so I decided to update my journals and begin my training for the day. I spent two hours recording everything I could remember about what I did the previous day and the two new beasts from last night. My body felt tight and cramped by the time I was finished. When I stood up, I took the time to stretch and loosen my muscles up. It was time to pick back up where I left off yesterday. I packed a backpack full of empty water bottles and my axe, picked up the rifle from the bedroom, and grabbed a box of extra ammo from the gun safe in the workshop. I did a quick once over of my supplies for the day¡¯s outing and then strode out of the garage towards the front field. I intended to head to the same cow pond today as the previous day to acquire some more water and crayfish tails. Since the three beasts came to steal my food late in the afternoon, I was going to try cooking it early in the day to see what happened. I thought they were more nocturnal animals and wouldn¡¯t appear earlier in the day, but only time would tell. I reached the modest cow pond with ease and set my backpack against that same little oak tree as the previous day. I still had a small stack of rocks from the previous day. I got into a stable shooting posture and threw a few down the hill towards the shore of the pond. Unfortunately, the soft ground absorbed the impact of the rocks much better than before. The waters of the lake remained calm. Nary a ripple appeared to mar the surface of the pond. As I considered the best way to entice the crayfish out of the pond, a realization came upon me. The current muddy conditions causing me a headache here were a missed opportunity back at the house. Both the storm from last night and the one from a few days ago represented chances to gather some drinking water with minimal effort on my part. If I had just left some buckets out to collect the rainwater, I would be able to acquire a bit of extra drinking water without any danger. I made a mental note to position a bunch of my buckets around the house to collect water from future storms. Cursing my own stupidity under my breath, I grabbed a couple more rocks, and instead of throwing them, I gave them a hard roll down the hill. It was harder to control their final destination, but they wouldn¡¯t sink into the ground at least. The first couple of rocks pushed this way rolled all the way into the pond without any movement from anything within the lake. Did I wipe out the entire population yesterday? I thought about shifting to a different cow pond, but I decided to try a different portion of the pond first. I dragged a half dozen rocks to the opposite side of the lake and started rolling them down the hill once more. The ground shook beneath me and mud exploded into the air as four geyser crayfish smashed into the side of the hill. Success! Four quick shots later, I sat atop the hill separating the tails and mana stones from the bodies and making a small pile of limbs to distract the whirlpool bass. This time things went much better as I filled all of the water bottles without being attacked by the bass. I would have to strain the water still, but that wasn¡¯t a difficult process. Delighted that things were going so well, I strode back across the road to my house. I stashed the water bottles in the garage and took a few buckets out from the workshop. I positioned one of them at each corner of the house to catch any future rain. Now it was time to see if an early cooking time made any difference. I took all four of the tails up to the fire pit along with the spices and a large towel and started preparing them just like the previous night. I rubbed the Cajun spices deep into the tails and started up the fire. It wasn¡¯t long before the enticing smell filled the air once more. This time I had the shotgun raised and ready while I scanned the ground and sky for any approaching threats. Just when I thought that my theory was correct, a long low ribbit rumbled through the air. I whipped my head around and stared down the slight hill to the lake below. I saw two large green orbs with black slits in the middle of them peeking out of the surface of the lake. The damn frog was coming! I started to aim at the frog when a barrage of black scales rained down upon it. The frog cried out in pain and anger before it sank back into the depths of the lake. Multiple scales were stuck deep in its leathery hide. The angle of the scales made it clear that the attack had come from high above the lake. When I looked up to search the treetops I saw the massive black form of the python spread across several trees. How long had that freaking thing been up there! I began to mutter random curse words under my breath as I decided to cut and run. The tails were almost finished, and I didn¡¯t want to hang around to see if the bird was going to make an appearance as well. I slung the shotgun on my shoulder, wrapped the towel around my right hand, and grabbed two of the tails. Following that, I kicked the others off the fire towards the barn and dashed towards the safety of the basement.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I wasn¡¯t the only one who had learned something from the last night. The python kept an eye on me even as it faced off with the frog. Before I could run away to the basement, a volley of scales slashed through the air all around me. I let out a scream of pain as one of the wickedly sharp scales buried itself in my left shoulder blade. The pain that radiated out from my shoulder throughout the rest of my body combined with the force of the impact to send me tumbling to the ground. I half-crawled half-rolled toward the front porch of the house in a desperate attempt to get out of the python¡¯s sight. A second volley of scales buried themselves into the soft ground behind me with a squish as I narrowly avoided the python¡¯s finishing blow. Not everything was aces though. I landed on my shoulder after the roll and jammed the scale even deeper into my shoulder. That caused me to almost faint from the agony that ripped through my body. My breath came in ragged gasps as I staggered to my feet, my left arm hanging limp at my side, and stumbled down to the garage door. A long hiss filled with malice tickled my ears. Just as I feared the python was pursuing me, a high-pitched screech tore through the air and another rumbling ribbit emerged from the lake. The second battle royale was set, and just like last night I wasn¡¯t going to stick around to see who won. I left a thick trail of blood behind me as I stumbled my way down the slight hill and into the garage. If I was thinking clearly I would have been worried about the trail leading some creature to my home, but the unbearable pain left me feeling like my mind was shrouded in fog. The only two things I could think of were getting to the garage and tearing that scale out of my shoulder. Thanks to the intervention of the bird and frog I had achieved one of those goals. Now it was time to confront the second and in some ways more daunting task. I slammed and locked the door behind me and threw the tails and shotgun onto the seat of one of the ATVs. I needed to sit down before I tried to pull out the scale. I limped over to the wall, leaned my left shoulder forward, and sat down against the cool concrete wall. It wasn¡¯t easy to keep the back of my left shoulder from smacking into the wall. Each time the scale tapped the wall I grunted in pain. After a few tries I managed to get somewhat comfortable. I inched back with my right hand to where the scale was imbedded in my shoulder blade. I started to hyperventilate as my body anticipated what was to come. I closed my right hand around the scale and felt it cut into the flesh of my palm. At any other time that would have given me pause, but the mind-numbing pain from my shoulder overrode every other sense I possessed. Determined to get it over with, I strengthened my grip on the scale and with a soul-searing scream yanked the scale out of my shoulder. As I brought the scale over my head and into my line of sight I saw in horror that not only was a giant chunk of flesh torn from my body along with the scale, but the small barbs along the edge of the scale were now embedded into my right hand. The pain was overwhelming, and I felt the darkness closing in around me. With the last of my strength, I put the scale flat on the ground and used my right foot to kick the scale off of my hand. Blood splattered across the garage and chunk of flesh from my hand joined the one from my back, but it was done. The scale was out of body, and none too soon. I saw the darkness, the enticing pain free darkness, closing in around me.
You have reached level 4! 3 bonus stat points have been awarded! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Passive) (B) * has evolved into Minor Regen (Passive) ? *
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 5 86% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 3 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 2 99% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 1 76% Title Points: * * * * * * * * * 3
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 23/125 10/10 2 per min (-1.75) 12 9 7 12
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Bleeding x3
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 1 94% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 3 80% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 3 90% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 3 20% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 6 48% * * * * * * *
Chapter 22 New World Day 8 Every time my consciousness returned even a little a new wave of pain tore through me and caused me to fall unconscious once more. I lost count of how many times I passed out, but by the time I could hold myself conscious for more than a few seconds, it was deep into the night. There was no light coming from within the garage itself, but just enough moonlight shone through the garage windows to illuminate the front of the garage. However, I had a terrible time trying to make out my surroundings. My eyes had so much dust stuck to them that they were red and sore. It felt like a bee had stung me in each eye. Did I pass out with my eyes wide open? I found myself blinking my eyes over and over again to try and get the dust out so that my blurry vision could come into focus. It took some time and some bloody tears, but everything came back into focus. I glanced at the mess I had made of the garage and couldn¡¯t help but yell, ¡°Shit!¡± That wasn¡¯t my best idea by a long shot. I should have watched their actions more before deciding that they were nocturnal. It was just dumb luck that I got away the first time with just a few burns. I knew that my only choice was to rely on my remaining food stash until I figured out a way to keep those three from showing up while I cooked my food. My stomach started rumbling and growling in protest from the lack of food and water as I reprimanded myself. I forced myself to my feet so that I could fill my poor stomach with the two crayfish tails sitting on top of the ATV near me. I was rewarded with a giant burst of pain from my shoulder that nearly sent my tumbling back to the ground. I managed to stay on my feet by stumbling over to and leaning against the nearest ATV. I didn¡¯t feel any blood pouring out of the wound on my shoulder, and when I looked down at my right hand I saw two gruesome scabs. One ran along the center of my palm to my thumb while the other went across all four of my fingers. The hand was stiff and slow to react to my thoughts. With my left arm incapacitated due to the wound on my shoulder and my right hand messed up from removing the scale, I could only bite at the crayfish tails with my mouth while pinning them to the seat of the ATV with my face. If anyone saw me eating this way it would no doubt remind them of a no hands pie eating contest. Of course once you added all of the blood and gore to the picture it was closer to a pie eating contest from hell. Despite the difficulty eating, I devoured both of the tails in record time. The tails were just as delicious as before, but I wasn''t in the mood to appreciate their taste this time. My wounds ached something fierce, and I needed to find something to take my mind off of them. In my current state, I couldn¡¯t do any physical training or write in my journals which left my mana practice. I needed some water first though. I didn¡¯t want to move anymore than I already had, but my throat was dry and cracked from dehydration. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to get away from this blood soaked garage for awhile as well. The lumps of flesh that covered the shiny black scale were a particularly disturbing sight for me. I would need some light if I was going to go to one of the other rooms. I knew one of the lanterns was on the workshop bench. That would have to be my first stop. The moonlight that would spill into the hallway from the garage should be enough for me to find it and turn it on. I swayed back and forth as I walked over to the door to the workshop and twisted the doorknob with my right hand. The action sent a new surge of pain streaming up my arm and broke open both of the scabs on my hand. The pain buckled my legs and sent my body pitching forward into the door. As the door swung open, I gripped the door knob even harder like an idiot in an effort to use the door to keep my body upright. A second and far worse explosion of pain took my breath away and turned my legs and mind to jelly. I awoke for what seemed like the thousandth time that night to find myself sprawled flat on concrete in the initial hallway of the workshop. Along with the crippling pain from my shoulder and hand, I now had a large bump on my head that matched my new throbbing headache. I almost turned myself over onto my back out of instinct before my mind cleared just enough for me to remember why that would be a terrible idea. That was an even worse idea than the stunt I pulled with the door. Instead, I slowly crawled forward on my knees and right forearm until I reached the workbench. With an extreme effort I put my right forearm on top of the workbench and pulled myself to my feet. I leaned against the workbench to keep from falling again, but I managed to stand up once again. The memory of what happened with the door knob was still fresh in mind so I used my mouth to carefully turn the knob that functioned as the on switch for the lantern. A bright light lit up almost the entire workshop. Now that I could see what I was doing, I wobbled over to the buckets of water next to the refrigerator and kneeled in front of them. I didn¡¯t have the energy to open the refrigerator to get some bottled water out. I leaned my head into one of the buckets and slurped up as much water as I could. Once my thirst was satisfied, I crawled over to the door to the bedroom and carefully leaned against it. I pressed my right shoulder against it and hunched my left shoulder forward so that the wound on my back was left untouched. It was an uncomfortable position, but it was more dignified than just laying flat on the ground. I stayed like that for maybe a minute before I burst out yelling, ¡°Who am I kidding! This is hell! Who cares about dignity at this point! Besides who is going to see me anyways!¡± And yet despite the outburst I couldn¡¯t bring myself to lay on the ground. It would be too embarrassing. I guess I was stubborn that way. I never liked to embarrass myself in public and the lengths I went to ensured that I formed habits that carried over into my private life. It was an odd thing to be so stubborn about. Especially after all of the crazy things I had done over this past week. The world had gone to hell, but the fact that I held onto such a weird trait in such a situation sent a wave of comfort washing over me. The New World was filled with danger and death. When you studied and fought monsters day in and day out it would be all to easy to become a monster yourself. I thought it would be a gradual thing. Something unnoticed by the person in question. A bit more aggression here, a bit more violence there, and before you knew it you were indistinguishable from the very monsters you were trying to fight. The world had changed and was continuing to change all around me, but that didn¡¯t mean that I had to abandon who I was before all of this began. On the contrary, I needed to hold onto those traits with every bit strength and stubbornness that I could muster. I needed to adapt, to get stronger and smarter, but I didn¡¯t need to change the very core of who I was. Everyone changed over time in some ways, but there are some traits and ideals that if you let go of or changed then you would no longer be yourself anymore. Those were the things that I had to keep ahold of. Of course, it takes a certain self-awareness to know what kind of a person you are. A self-awareness that I found myself lacking. However, these terrible injuries had shone a bit of light on my inner self. Laughing aloud I yelled, ¡°Hahahahah! I really am a stubborn bastard aren¡¯t I. I can work with that. I can WORK WITH THAT! It¡¯s time to put that damn stubbornness to work¡± Quieting down, I calmed my mind and began to practice my mana control. My newfound insights made me determined to get the mana veins working, and I wasn¡¯t going to stop training until I did. I had been trying for a few nights now to create them, but I found that no matter how long I made them they collapsed after a short period of time. I had focused my efforts on the method of creating and extending the basic veins, but tonight it was time to work on a method to make the veins permanent. I started by experimenting with the thickness and elasticity of the veins. One by one I created veins of various sizes and elasticity. I tested the elasticity by pushing significant amounts of mana through the incomplete veins to see how much they would bulge before breaking. I only stopped the tests when my entire mana lake was empty. I found that changes to the size and elasticity affected the ease of making the veins, but the alterations didn¡¯t change the length of time that the veins existed. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. My exhausted mana made it impossible to continue my experiments, and yet I refused to abandon my training so soon. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn¡¯t stop training until I got the mana veins working, but how was I supposed to continue without any mana to experiment with? That was when a thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. The mana stones! Could I use them to replenish my mana and continue my training? I was certain that it was mana inside of them, but how was I supposed to use them? Shoving those thoughts aside for a moment, I gathered my legs under me and pushed myself to my feet. I was unsteady on my feet, but I made it to the garage where my backpacks were sitting on the ATVs. I slipped my right arm through the one that had the mana stones in it and carried it back into the workshop with me. Once back in the workshop, I flipped over the bag on the big workbench. An assortment of items popped out of the backpack, but I only had eyes for the mana stones. There were four of them gleaming from the light of the lantern and their own inner glow. I found myself staring at them with an unrelenting intensity. It was like I thought that if I stared at them long enough they would tell them how to use them. I tried to concentrate and command the mana to come out of them just as I commanded my own mana, but the mana within the stones didn¡¯t even twitch. Could I eat them? Not directly of course. They were too large to swallow and hard as rocks. They would break my teeth if I tried to chew them. However, what if I ground them up into a dust and mixed the dust into some water like a protein shake? Would the mana stay in the dust or would it escape into the atmosphere like the System said happened to all living beings when they died? Only one way to find out, and it isn¡¯t like I had an better ideas at the moment. How was I to crush them though? There was a nice hammer sitting on the pegs right in front of me, but I didn¡¯t have a good hand to grasp it with. Eventually I came to the conclusion that there was only one way forward, but I needed to get everything except the stones ready first. I walked over to the shelves by the refrigerator and filled up four cups of water using my teeth and face. My face and hair were soaked by the time I was finished, but I got it done. I placed each of them on the workbench near the mana stones. Next I grabbed a small cast iron pan in the crook of my right elbow, brought it to the workbench, and pushed each of the four mana stones into the pan. Now for the final step. Gritting my teeth, I reached out and grabbed the hammer with my right hand. Pain burned through my body, and beads of sweat streamed down my face. The pain threatened to overwhelm me just like when I opened the door with my right hand like an idiot, but I held on. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I could handle it so I moved quickly and began smashing the mana stones with the hammer. Each blow conjured up a new inferno of pain that raged through my body. Blood flowed down the hammer to mix with the shattered stones. Yet still I held on. Nothing was going to stop me tonight. NOTHING! It took twenty agonizing blows to turn the stones and all of the resulting shards into powder, but I still wasn¡¯t done. I dropped the blood stained hammer on the workbench and grabbed the pan. Holding the pan was worse than holding the hammer but better than hitting the stones with the hammer. My mind and will began to waver, but I was determined to finish the job. I raised the pan over the four cups and shook an equal portion of the dust and blood into each cup. In one swift motion I dropped the pan, picked up the first cup, and downed it in one gulp. DISGUSTING! It was the absolute worst tasting thing I had ever drank in my life, but it did the job. I felt mana surging through my entire body. A lot of mana. Too much mana. Way too much mana. So much mana that I felt like I was about to explode¡­. Oh shit, did I just kill myself?
Title awarded! Extremely Stubborn Fool ? ** Fool (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Stupid Fool ? * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 6 24% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 4 66% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 4 30% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ? LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ? LVL 2 88% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 1 92% Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** 7
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Bonus Points: 51/125 50/10 2 per min (-1.75) 12 9 7 12
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Bleeding x1
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 2 11% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 26% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 13% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 4 78% Basic Mana Control (B) LVL 9 52% * * * * * * *
Chapter 23 New World Day 8 As a flood of mana threatened to explode my body, I dropped down in front of the workbench and shifted my consciousness to my inner world where my mana dwelled. The sight that greeted me was astonishing. The usual lake of mana was swelling like a balloon. Bulges appeared in area after area, and the entire lake kept expanding in an effort to smooth everything out. If the lake could expand indefinitely then there wouldn¡¯t be any issue, but I saw and felt that there was a terrible problem. I saw cracks forming in the darkness along the edge of the lake. Each time a crack formed I felt a stab of pain. Before today¡¯s experiences the bursts of pain might have incapacitated me. Now I just ground my teeth and pushed through. The mana lake¡¯s expansion continued at a rapid pace, but every time it expanded more and more cracks appeared around it. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if the space broke completely, but I doubted that it would be anything good. I needed to get rid of this mana before I found out first hand what happened when someone¡¯s inner world broke. I didn¡¯t know how to cast any spells or use any magic yet. So, I did the only thing that I could. I started to create a mana vein! I made the vein as large and elastic as possible in order to use up the maximum amount of mana, and I extended it up as far as possible. I was so busy creating the vein and keeping myself from exploding that I didn¡¯t even pay attention to what part of the body the vein would represent. I just kept extending it up and up and up. Eventually I hit a limit where it wouldn¡¯t extend any further. When it reached that limit, I wanted to start a second vein, but I worried that I didn¡¯t have the time to start a new one so I bent the vein like a U and sent it back down towards my mana lake. More and more mana kept pouring into my mana lake. I wondered if it would ever stop coming. By the time the mana vein was three quarters of the way back to the mana lake, the waves of mana stopped pouring into my mana lake. When it did the lake stopped expanding, and the cracks stopped forming. I breathed out a sigh of immense relief before turning my attention back to my giant mana vein. I made the mana vein in a U shape out of desperation, but as I studied it I wondered if that wasn¡¯t the correct decision all along. The veins started to collapse once I stopped sending mana through them. If I connected the mana vein back to the mana lake would mana automatically flow through it and sustain it? Perhaps this near disaster would be a lucky break for me! Now that I didn¡¯t have to hurry, I took my time extending the mana vein all the way back to the mana lake. When I connected the mana vein with the mana lake, they both began to quiver and shake. I felt an intense pain spread up my spine and into my head. I was terrified that I had gone horribly horribly wrong, but as the pain pulsed through my spine and head, I noticed something interesting. Something that gave me a bit of hope that things would work out after all. The mana lake and mana vein shook at different intervals, but as time passed their shaking began to sync up until it came to the point that they shook together as one! Once everything was aligned, the shaking and the pulsing pain slowed and came to a complete stop. That was when unbidden window popped up in front of me.
Congratulations! You have successfully learned a 5 star skill! A corresponding title has been awarded! The title will increase in rank along with the rank of the skill. Keep up the hard work! Title awarded! Basic Mana Wielder (B) *****! Skill learned! Basic Mana Vein (Passive) (B) *****! Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Control (B) * has evolved into Minor Mana Control ? *!
The rarity of the skill surprised me. Creating mana veins must not be the normal way of learning magic. The extreme rarity implied that there was an easier way to use mana, but I wasn¡¯t disappointed. I received quite the bonus for taking the hard road. I turned my attention back to my completed vein, and I noticed that the position of the completed mana vein corresponded with my chest and head. That explained the pain I felt when the vein was completed! I really should have experimented with a less critical area of my body first. Best not to dwell on the potential issues that could have arisen. Everything worked out in the end after all. In order to create the spiritual body I had originally envisioned, I needed to create four more veins. One for each of my remaining limbs. Should I push through and finish the other four veins tonight? I knew that it would be a good idea to wait for those cracks in my inner world to heal before I continued, but on the other hand, I had three more glasses of mana filled water that might go to waste if I didn¡¯t. Decisions. Decisions. I decided to go for it. I felt I needed to seize the brilliance of the moment before it slipped away from me. I survived the burst of mana once. I knew I could do it again. With the decision made, I started creating the next vein before I could overthink things. I made a conscious decision this time to create a vein that would correspond to my right leg. Since I had created the first vein to be as large and as elastic as possible, I decided to make sure that each vein was of the same quality. I managed to get only half way down my right leg before my mana lake was bone dry once again. I grabbed a second glass, ignored the burst of pain from my hand, and gulped it down just like the first. It was still disgusting, but it was effective. My mana lake filled back up as mana flooded into it, and I wasted no time in continuing my second mana vein. I extended it all the way down till it reached the limit once more. Only this time I extended it out perpendicularly from the limit for a short distance to represent my foot before I made the U turn and started back to the equivalent of the heel area and then up the other side of the leg. I completed the second just a little bit after I finished absorbing the second glass of mana water. The mana lake and the mana vein began to shake just like when I completed the first mana vein, but this time there were two mana veins that began to shake and quiver alongside my mana lake. The pain from completing the second vein overshadowed even the pain I felt from completing the first. Pain shot through my leg, spine, and head. The only saving grace was that my spine and head didn¡¯t hurt as much this time. After a period of time, the mana veins and mana lake aligned and the shaking and pain abated. I suspected that as I completed each vein that the pain would be worse than the last. The pain was bad enough this time that I worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle much more, but I worried even more that if I hesitated here and now that I might never again build up the courage needed to complete all five of the mana veins. Now or never. Time to conquer my fears and push through the pain. If I made it through this tortuous night then I would be well positioned to survive this new world and reunite with my family. I seized on that happy thought and started working on the third mana vein. Three quarters of the way down the leg I took the third glass of mana water, and a horrifying thought struck me. Judging by how much mana I received from the second glass, my mana lake would still be overflowing with mana when I finished the third vein. In order to keep myself from exploding, I would need to start working on the fourth mana vein even as the third one went through its alignment. Could I concentrate hard enough to work on a mana vein even while I underwent such a painful process? Too late to worry now. I would have to if I wanted to survive. There was literally no turning back. I had already drank the glass and any hesitation might kill me even before I got to the truly critical moment. When the third vein was almost finished, I braced myself and completed it with one big push. Just as I expected, insane amounts of pain shot through both legs and my entire upper body. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I tried to ignore the pain and start the fourth vein, but each time I tried I couldn¡¯t concentrate enough to form the appropriate image necessary to create a mana vein. With each failure, I specter of death drew closer and closer. More and more cracks began to appear around my mana lake. The pain from the creation of each crack made it even harder to start the fourth mana vein. I envisioned the grim reaper standing behind me. Its scythe raised and ready to reap my soul. No. No! NO! I wasn¡¯t going to go out like this. Not after finding some real hope. I focused my mind on one thing and one thing only. I let everything else fall away. Only the mana vein remained in my mind. I had done such a thing only once before in my life. It was when I had fought that first pack of forest coyotes. At that time, I hadn¡¯t been in control. It was an unconscious survival instinct then. Now, now I was doing it consciously. I found that encroaching death had a way of focusing your mind. I used that incredible focus to pierce through the wall of pain and started the fourth mana vein before my mana lake could explode. I almost keeled over from a mixture of relief and exhaustion when the third mana vein finished its alignment and the pain receded. I kept telling myself there was only one big push left over and over again as I worked on the fourth mana vein. A corner of my mind whispered that there were actually two mana veins left to complete, but rest of my retorted and told that little corner to shut the hell up. The pain of completing the fifth mana vein wouldn¡¯t be anything compared to the pain from completing the fourth mana vein combined with the pain from mana lake fit to burst. I was halfway finished with the fourth mana vein when my mana lake dried up again. There was only the slightest of hesitations before I drank the last glass of mana water. I completed the fourth mana vein with one last big push, and reached a new plateau of pain. Each time I encountered some new unfathomable level of pain I thought that I had reached the absolute limit of my tolerance, but each time my mind proved me wrong. I was sure that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it if it all came at once, but since it was coming in stages, my limits grew and grew. I wasn¡¯t sure that was a good thing, but it might prove useful in the days to come. The wall of pain was thicker and stronger this time, but it was no match for the focus brought about by my desire to survive and see my family. Using that same laser focus, I broke through the wall of pain and started on the fifth and final mana vein. There was one silver lining to the whole affair. I was right about something. The pain from the completion of the last mana vein couldn¡¯t compare to what I felt at the time I completed the fourth mana vein. Finished with all five mana veins, I leaned back against the workbench and let myself drift into unconsciousness as a goofy smile spread across my face.
Basic Mana Wielder (B) ***** has evolved into Minor Mana Wielder ? *****! Skill learned! Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) *** Skill learned! Pain Control (B) *** Fool (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Stupid Fool ? * leveled up! Extremely Stubborn Fool ? ** leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up! Basic Mana Vein (Passive) (B) ***** has evolved into Minor Mana Vein (Passive) ( C ) *****! The Stat ¡°Spirit¡± has been unlocked! Spirit increased by 3!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 7 8% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 18% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 5 92% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Minor Mana Wielder ( C ) LVL N/A Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** ***** 17
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 38/125 24/38 5 per min (-2) 12 9 7 4 12
Status Effects: Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Bleeding x1, Spiritual Cracks x27
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 2 11% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 56% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 48% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 4% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 2 81% Minor Mana Vein (Passive) ? LVL 1 44% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * * * * ***** *** ***
Chapter 24 New World Day 9 For the first time in what felt like an eternity I awoke not because of fear, pain, or my bladder, but instead because of my growling stomach. The lantern that lit up the surrounding area flickered from lack of power. I hadn¡¯t had time to switch it off before I passed out the previous night. That combined with my rumbling stomach and stiff body meant that I had been out for quite awhile this time. Before I made any attempt to stand up, I glanced down at my right hand and saw that the two long cuts were much better now. They didn¡¯t look completely healed yet. I clenched my fist and wiggled my fingers without popping them back open so that was good. I attempted to move my left arm next. A slight stab of pain shot through my body, but it was well within the range that I could handle now. Good! I was on the way to a complete recovery! Now that I had checked out my injuries, I extended both legs flat on the ground and started to stretch my body. Fifteen minutes later I felt loose enough that I used the workbench behind me to pull myself to my feet. I needed to check out a lot of things before I could make a plan for the day. I picked up the lantern and walked down the hall towards the garage. The door to the garage remained ajar, and not a single speck of light shone in the garage. That answered the question of if it was night or day. I was about to close the door and grab a late dinner when I heard growls and screams from just outside the garage door. I knew I should close the door and walk away, but my curiosity got the better of me. I was confident that the growls were from forest coyotes and the screams from goblins. Was the creature that left those larger footprints out there? I had to know. I put down the lantern with care and walked to the entrance of the garage. When I got to the doorway, I crouched down and waddled over to the nearest garage door window. Then I raised myself up enough to take a peek out the window. Dark clouds obscured the moon and made it very difficult to see anything through the window, but I saw a few dozen dark shapes moving in the moonless night. A little over half of them were squat and on four legs. Those would be the forest coyotes. The remainder of them had a small slightly hunched shape reminiscent of the goblins I fought before. All except one. The last form was twice the size of the other dark shapes. It was just a couple of inches shorter than me. The darkness hid the detailed features, but it looked like it had a physique larger than yet similar to the smaller goblins. I wanted to get as much information as I could about this creature. I continued to watch the brawl between the two sides. I should have stopped pushing my luck and went back to the workshop. I watched as the creature stood at the back of the goblin horde and presided over the fight. A few times throughout the fight it would raise an arm and bark out a command to the goblins who scrambled to fulfill its commands. The forest coyotes had the edge in numbers at the beginning, but the goblin''s weapons and higher intelligence took their toll. The crunch of gravel and painful whines and screams echoed through the night. Blood no doubt stained the gravel, but the shadows of the night hid it from view. When the numbers of the pack dwindled to half, the largest one charged the creature. It darted through the ranks of goblins with astonishing speed and agility and launched itself at the creature. I thought the creature might be in danger, but the final result dropped my jaw in awe. When the forest coyote was about to slam into the creature, it snaked around the side of the lunging beast and slashed down with a long bladed weapon. The blow cut the forest coyote in two mid-lunge. The creature¡¯s movements turned its face in my direction. As if it sensed my stare, it raised up its head and stared back in my direction. The sudden movement caught me unawares and I dropped down out of sight. I hoped and prayed the darkness hid me from the creature¡¯s sight. I refused to stick around to see if it would come over and investigate the garage door. My time was better spent making preparations in case it did come for me. I held my breath, stole over to the middle ATV, and pulled the shotgun off of the seat. I felt safer now that I was armed, but not safe enough to stay in the garage. I stayed low and crept into the workshop hallway. I twisted the door knob and closed the door like a teenager sneaking back in after curfew. Not even a whisper escaped as I let go of the door knob. Perfect. Back in the hallway, I grabbed the lantern and ran to the bedroom door. I picked up some granola bars and a few bottles of water from the fridge before I ran into the bedroom. I sat on the loveseat in the middle of the room and checked over the shotgun in the flickering light of the lantern. Satisfied that the shotgun remained in working order, I cracked open the door to the garage and slipped in again. I used the seat of the Ranger to help me aim at the garage door and waited. I heard some faint barks and screeches still from outside, but the garage doors insulated me from much of the outside sound. Without warning, the noises disappeared. Here was the moment of truth. If the creature had seen me or my shape in the window then it might come to investigate. Minutes ticked by and sweat trickled down my brow. The sound of gravel crunching sent my mind into overdrive, but the sound grew fainter and fainter. They were walking away from the garage. Still, I didn¡¯t dare to let my guard down. I pointed the shotgun at the door to the garage for over an hour before I let out a long sigh of relief and put the shotgun down. I guess it didn¡¯t see me after all. Even so, what fearsome instincts to sense me watching it from all the way at the end of the driveway. That creature was someone to be wary of. Satisfied I was safe, I walked back into the bedroom. Time to take care of my physical needs. I wolfed down the granola bars and bottles of water followed by using one bottle and a dirty old bucket for less hygienic purposes. What? I wasn¡¯t going outside right now, and I couldn¡¯t hold it any longer. I stashed the bottle and bucket in the corner of the garage for disposal once morning arrived. My physical body was in too bad of a shape to do any physical training and my mind needed a rest after the frantic night. That left my journals. I recorded my experiences in my journals and looked at what skills I might be able to purchase from the System. I had quite a few points to spend now. I wanted two types in particular. One was a type of healing skill for the Spirit. There wasn¡¯t one before, but with my new stat I hoped one was available to purchase now. The cracks in my inner world were healing but at a snail¡¯s pace. I worried that it might take weeks to heal at this rate. The second skill I desired was some type of footwork. My inability to dodge the python¡¯s scale along with the smooth actions of the creature earlier tonight drove home how important footwork was to my survival. I had no idea how to train or learn footwork myself. Hence, I hoped the System had something for me. I commanded the System to list all of the new skills available to me, and an enormous list appeared in front of me. I wanted to record each skill in my journal, but there were far too many to write down at the moment. Time was precious after all. I ordered the System to narrow the skills down to healing skills and then to spiritual healing skills. The final list was much more manageable.
Available Spiritual Healing Skills: Basic Spirit Recovery (Active) (B) * Cost: 2 point Basic Spirit Recovery (Passive) (B) * Cost: 4 points Basic Spirit Regeneration (Active) (B) * Cost: 4 points Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * Cost: 8 points
One obvious choice sprang out from the small list. It was expensive, but its physical equivalent had saved my ass a multitude of times already. I didn¡¯t hesitate at all and purchased the skill Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) *. After purchasing the skill, I waited and sure enough power poured into my body from all around me. I was much more sensitive to mana after the experiences of the previous night, and the sheer amount flooding into my body was unreal. All of the mana from last night was just like a drop of water in the ocean compared to this. I was sure that there was more mana involved in the granting of this skill than the three resistance skills. Thinking it through it made sense. It took a lot more to purchase this skill than the resistance skills. I guessed that meant that the amount of energy required to grant a skill was determined at least in part by the cost of the skill. The process took five minutes this time, and like the previous two times it wasn¡¯t painful. Just very very discomforting. The most similar experience I could think of would be if you were awake during a surgery and could feel the surgeon mucking around in your body with no pain but you could feel the movements in your body. Uncomfortable to say the least. I needed to shake off that feeling. I turned my attention to my inner world and noticed that the cracks dotting the darkness were already healing at a quicker rate. I was sure that as the skill leveled up that the rate would continue to increase. The only thing that I worried about was the drain on my mana regen. The physical regen skill took one mana a minute to maintain, and a quick peek at my Status showed that the spiritual version consumed mana at the same rate. I was surprised that it didn¡¯t max out my current mana regeneration. Come to think of it, my mana regen didn¡¯t used to be that high. In fact, I should have been at a negative. Was that the effect of the spirit stat? Hmmm. Best to find out.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
HP: The state of your current health. You will die once it reaches zero. Injuries to the head, heart, and other vital points will still result in nearly instant death. Endurance: The stat that primarily governs your physical stamina. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Strength: The stat that primarily governs your physical strength. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Speed: The stat that primarily governs your physical speed. It also slightly increases your physical stamina. Spirit: The stat that primarily governs your mana regeneration. It also slightly increases your mana pool.
I was right! It increased my mana regen and the size of my mana lake. Increasing my mana regen was at the top of my to do list. Replenishing my mana via mana stones was dangerous, and they were in short supply. I might need to use a few of my bonus points for my Spirit stat, but there was something else that I needed to figure out first. I noticed that my mana pool had increased by a significant amount after last night as well, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was caused by awakening the Spirit stat or by one of the mana related skills I gained last night. I called up the skill descriptions in order to find out.
Minor Mana Vein (Passive) (C ) ***** LVL 1 44% : This skill represents permanent veins of mana that the user has created within their spiritual world. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. The skill is one of rarest mana skills. It allows users to circulate mana throughout their entire body with incredible speed and without losing any mana in the process. Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) *** LVL 1 0% : This skill represents the user¡¯s permanent mana lake within their spiritual world. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. It is a rare skill that not only increases the size of the user¡¯s mana pool depending on the rank of the skill, but also allows the user to temporarily surpass the normal limit of the their mana pool. Increases in rarity are not impossible, but will be very difficult to achieve. Higher rarities increase the amount the user can temporarily surpass their limits by as well as how long they can surpass their limits without consequences. The skill currently increases the user¡¯s mana pool by 20. Pain Control (B) *** LVL 1 0% : This skill represents the user¡¯s ability to control the pain that they feel. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. It is a rare skill that allows the user to control the physical and spiritual pain that they are currently feeling. The higher the rank the easier it is to control the pain and the more pain the user can control. Higher rarities allow the user to control additional types of pain. Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * LVL 1 55% : This mana based skill automatically heals the user from any spiritual wound they may receive until their spiritual world returns to its most ideal condition. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. If a wound or wounds are too serious the regeneration may not be able to keep up with the damage and the user could die. At higher ranks and rarities it becomes possible for the user to heal from more serious and greater amounts of wounds. Higher rarities offer a multitude of additional potential benefits, but they often come with a drawback of some kind. Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) * currently automatically takes 1 mana per a minute from the user in order to function. This deduction can not currently be controlled by the user.
After viewing the explanations for my four new skills, it became clear that the increase in the size of my mana lake was due to both the Spirit stat and the Flexible Mana Lake skill. 20 points were from the skill which means that 8 were from the Spirit stat. That meant the Spirit stat increases my mana pool by 2 and my mana regen by a currently unknown amount for each point. Once I had recorded the information about my new stat and skills in my journals, I turned my attention to my new titles.
Extremely Stubborn Fool ? ** LVL 2 97% : This title is awarded to any user who makes a number of extraordinarily stubborn and foolish decisions in a short period of time. The more foolish and stubborn decisions made by the user the higher the rank will become. Rarity is determined by how foolish and stubborn decisions truly are. The rank of the title will increase with every ten levels. Minor Mana Wielder ? ***** LVL N/A : This title is awarded to users who learn the 5 star skill Common Mana Vein (Passive) ? *****. The title represents the user¡¯s ability to wield mana with great speed and efficiency. The title grants users an increase in mana regen courtesy of the System. At its current rank the System grants an increase of 2 per a minute. The rank of the title will increase every time the rank of the associated skill increases.
Considering I had 4 points in Spirit and my mana regen increased by three full points, that meant that each point of Spirit increased my mana regen by .25. Not bad. Not bad at all. I scribbled down the new information about the Spirit stat and my new titles in my journal. I followed that up by writing down my experiences in creating and earning the various skills and titles before I turned my attention back to the System. There was just one more thing to do before I started training my mana again. I needed to find a good footwork skill!
Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 7 8% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 18% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 5 92% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ? LVL 1 0% Stupid Fool ? LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 2 97% Minor Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 64/125 24/38 5 per min (-2) 12 9 7 4 12
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Cracks x24
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 2 41% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 2 50% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 56% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 48% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 4% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 2 81% Minor Mana Vein (Passive) ? LVL 1 44% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * * * * * ***** *** ***
Chapter 25 New World Day 9 I believed that the System had a wide range of skills available to me now, and I wasn¡¯t sure of the best way to sort through them. I thought that I might as well see exactly what I was working with. I commanded the System to display all available footwork skills. I felt foolish to have been worried about my choices once the window popped up. There were just two skills available to me.
Available Footwork Skills: Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * Cost: 4 points Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * Cost: 4 points
I expected quite a few options, but I must not have met the requirements for anything but the most basic of footwork skills. I stared at the the two skills for awhile, but I couldn¡¯t make up my mind about which to pick. I leaned towards only purchasing the close combat footwork. Guns were my bread and butter at the moment, but I couldn¡¯t see them being effective against any of the more dangerous creatures I had encountered. If I found a way to enhance the gun or bullets with magic then they might continue being useful, but even then they still suffered from the need for ammo which would keep dwindling over time. I didn¡¯t want to rely on them only to have to stop using them in the not too distant future due to a depleted ammo supply. I almost purchased the close combat footwork skill when I realized that while guns might not be useful in the future I still planned to learn magic in the near future, and ranged magic attacks should benefit from the ranged combat footwork skill. I had enough points to purchase both, but would the points be better spent on a magic or resistance skill? I sat on the loveseat and pondered the question for over an hour in my mind before I decided that I would buy both skills. The only skill that might change the decision would be a scanning skill, but the System still reported that none were available. The resistance skills were something I would definitely purchase in the future, but I wanted build up my mana regen first before I purchased any more. On the other hand, magic skills were very tempting. However after my success in creating the mana veins, I felt that I had a good chance of learning the skills without spending any points on them. I decided that my best bet for the moment was to buy both footwork skills. After I purchased both skills, I felt an all too familiar power erupt around me. Only this time, my mind felt like it was smashed with a sledgehammer as all kinds of information pertinent to the use of the two skills was crammed into my head without any warning. The one good thing about the process was that the pain distracted me from the uncomfortable process of the System altering my body so that I could use the skills. I found myself gasping for breath as I tried to get the pounding ache in my skull under control. I guess this was what the explanation for the Pain Control skill meant. As long as I concentrated hard enough, I could control physical and spiritual pain but not mental pain. If I learnt to control mental pain then I suspected that the rarity of the skill would increase once more. That thought left me wondering what the fourth type of pain could be. The fourth type eluded me for the moment. Maybe after this ridiculous headache passed I could come up with a few guesses. I leaned forward and held my head in my hands as I worked to get my breathing under control. The pulsating pain that emanated from my left shoulder served as a nice but all too fleeting distraction. I spent fifteen minutes sitting on the loveseat holding my head rhymically breathing in and out before the headache reached a manageable level. It was a terrible experience, but I did received a glimpse at a path to upgrading one of my skills. Besides the small epiphany about the pain control skill, I thought there might be a way to use the process of purchasing a skill in a fight. The massive amount of mana that appeared might scare a creature off or at least cause it to hesitate. Something to experiment with in the future. It was four in the morning right now, and I flexed my muscles and fingers again and again. After resting for so long, my body was overflowing with energy. I needed an outlet for it all. The footwork skills gave me a perfect way to push my body without moving my arms much. The System had stuck knowledge of how to use them in my mind. However, it was one thing to know intellectually how to do something and quite another to perform it physically. I needed to build up some practical experience and some muscle memory. The fear from my sighting of the creature was fresh in my mind so I decided to use the hallways of the workshop for my training. I found myself dancing up and down the short hallways. The two skills had a lot in common. They both emphasized balance and making as few and as small of movements as possible. How they used those movements was very different though. The close combat footwork was all about closing with the enemy while dodging their ranged attacks followed by a much more complex set of steps for fighting in close combat. The ranged combat footwork was the opposite. It worked to maintain the distance between you and your enemy while using your environment to aid you in staying out of arm''s reach. I worked hard on those skills until my shoulder was an aching mess and the wound threatened to break back open. When I stopped, I found that my clothes were soaked with both sweat and blood now. I had even left streaks of sweat all along the hallway. After I entered the bedroom, I saw that I had trained for four hours. It was a decent amount of time, but I sweated much more doing that training than any other time so far. I understood that a systematic and knowledge based training regimen was better than my guess work, but the effectiveness still surprised me. The mental pain was more than worth it for this level of an increase. My shoulder ached quite a lot after the footwork training. Even so, I needed to get out of these clothes and wash my body down. I hadn¡¯t changed my clothes for over two days now. They were caked with blood and soaked with sweat. The burst of pain from my shoulder when I tried to raise my left arm above my head made it clear that I wasn¡¯t taking off my shirt in a normal manner. I cut it off with a knife from the workshop since it was ruined anyways. I took everything else off without any issues and wiped myself down with a damp towel combined with a bit of my modest supply of soap. Once I was freshened up, I put on a new set of clothes. I didn¡¯t intend on going outside until my shoulder and hand had healed. That meant I needed to whittle away the time training as much as possible. I decided to experiment a bit with my mana now that my physical body was exhausted. I entered my spiritual world and noticed that my spirit regen skill was hard at work. A dozen cracks remained around my mana lake, but that was nothing compared to before. I smiled and chuckled at how effective the skill had proven to be. With that worry out of the way, I decided to see if I could enhance my body with mana now. I had felt the connection between my mana veins and my physical body each time a vein was completed. I hoped to use that feeling to learn to enhance my body with my mana. I wondered about where I should start when a great idea came to mind. If I used my mana to enhance my eyes, would I be able to physically see the mana in the world? Wouldn¡¯t that be an incredible advantage to have when fighting magical beasts and creatures? If I could see what they were doing with their mana then it would be that much easier to fight them. Excited at the prospect of such a skill, I took control of a large amount of mana from my mana lake and shot it up the central mana vein to the spiritual equivalent of my head. After it reached that point, I forced it to stop there and not continue down the loop back to the mana lake. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing of course, but I had some ideas of how to proceed. I tried to push some of the mana into and then out through the other side of the wall of the mana vein. The first few attempts failed and proved quite painful. The thought crossed my mind that I might be pushing to hard at the wall of the mana vein. I tried to push the mana through the wall with less force this time. I rolled it up against the wall and made the mana bump into the wall like the waves of the ocean rolling into a cliff along the shoreline. It took a bit of time and experimentation, but the gentler method proved successful. A bit of mana merged with the wall and then left the wall with each little wave. The speed left something to be desired, but it was a start.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Now I could get to the main course! I envisioned the spiritual location of my eyes and moved two tendrils of mana to that spot. Then I conjured up the image of my physical body and overlapped that with my spiritual world. I made sure to place a special emphasis on my eyes. The first sixty-three attempts ended in failure. Sometimes the physical image wasn¡¯t strong enough. Other times the placement of the mana was off. Bits of odd knowledge about how my eyes worked distracted me a few times as well. That last issue was a big deal breaker. I found that the broader the image I held for my eyes the better. If I understood the science behind my eyes more then it might be useful, but the gaps in my knowledge made it impossible to hold too detailed of an image. Hour after hour passed by as I continued to experiment, and my mana lake began to dry up. I started to worry that I might need to resort to making some new cups of mana water when one attempt succeeded. For a split second my vision changed. One moment I saw a basement full of shadows, and the next countless swirls of energy appeared all around me. They were a kaleidoscope of impossible colors, and they formed all kinds of strange and bizarre patterns as they flowed through the air all around me. Almost as soon as it came, the sight began to leave me. I poured more mana into my eyes in a desperate attempt to maintain the vision. A crippling pain pierced my eyes and everything went dark. Only this time it wasn¡¯t the darkness I had come to associate with unconsciousness. No, this darkness was physical blindness. Something wet ran down my cheeks. I reached up with my right hand, touched one of the lines of liquid with a finger, and then licked it. The tang of blood was unmistakable.
Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * LVL 1 0% : This skill is one of the most basic footwork skills that concentrates on close combat. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. Higher rarity versions of the skill combine various energies and elements to create a myriad of variations for the skill. Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * LVL 1 0% :This skill is one of the most basic footwork skills that concentrates on ranged combat. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. Higher rarity versions of the skill combine various energies and elements to create a myriad of variations for the skill.
Endurance increased by 1! Speed increased by 2! Spirit increased by 1! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Curious Fool ? * leveled up! Curious Fool ? * leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Common Mana Control ? * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ? LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ? LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 2 97% Minor Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 81/125 5/40 5.25 per min (-2) 13 9 9 5 12
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Cracks x12, Blindness
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 2 92% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 4 76% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 72% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 85% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 17% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 3 43% Minor Mana Veins (Passive) ? LVL 1 44% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 83% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 26 New World Day 9 With my eyes damaged by my experiments, I was at a complete loss about what to do. I had to wait and hope that my regen skills would come through for me. In order to pass the time, I decided to try and sleep for as long as I could. My shoulder and hand needed time to heal anyways. What was one more thing added to the list. I stood up and walked to my right towards where my memory told me the bed resided until I bumped into the soft mattress, climbed into bed, and tried my best to sleep. It didn¡¯t come easily. I worried my eyes would never heal. I had survived one crucible only to dump myself into the abyss. Dozens of disturbing futures whirled through my mind. Each future proved to be more terrible than the last. I had never before wished so hard for something, anything, to knock me unconscious. I tossed and turned in bed as I tried to hide from my fear. My exhausted body overcame my fears after a time and sleep finally arrived. I woke up multiple times only to refuse to get up or even open my eyes. I feared that if I opened them that I would still just see darkness. Fear pushed me to lay there in bed each time until sleep overtook me once again. After the fifth time, I reached my limit. There was no way that I could get back to sleep again. My potential blindness frightened me, but since I couldn¡¯t sleep, I decided to check on my spiritual world. My breath caught in my chest and my emotions raged out of control when I saw my spiritual world. The sight that greeted me was not at all what I expected. It was much much worse. All of the cracks around my mana lake were healed, but there were now over two dozen cracks around my eyes. Not only that, these cracks were longer and wider than the previous cracks. I didn¡¯t want to dwell too long on what I had done to myself. I needed a distraction of some kind. I turned to the other mana veins and wondered what I should do to pass the time. When I experimented with my sight, I found that it wasn¡¯t easy to get mana out of the veins to enhance my body. There had to be a better way to go about things. A few different ideas came to mind, and there was one in particular that I zeroed in on, but I wasn¡¯t sure of the best way to implement it. Before I went off on any more wild experiments, I needed to try a few things out first. I had only sent a bit of mana through the one mana vein and hadn¡¯t even completed a full loop. There might be other effects if I started doing full loops. Due to all of the damage around my eyes, I refused to mess with the upper body mana vein. I sent a small amount of mana coursing through the four arm and leg mana veins instead. After a few dozen loops, I increased the amount of mana to a moderate amount, and 50 loops later I changed it to a fairly large amount. Waves of mana swished down the four mana veins hundreds of time. One thing that became apparent was that it was hard to control all four waves at once. There was no way I could split my concentration enough to create the kind of delicate waves required for the process I used on my eyes. Before I jumped to conclusions, I wanted to test one last thing. I poured the maximum amount of mana into each vein and began circulating it. I failed to see any change at first but when I increased the speed of the circulation, I started to feel some changes. They were small things at first. I felt the air running through the hairs of my arms. Then I felt that the fabric of jeans rubbing against my legs became coarser and coarser. The areas that the four mana veins passed through became more and more sensitive, and they felt like they were overflowing with strength. As that strength flood through my limbs, I noticed that the mana rushing through the mana veins had dropped by a fair amount. It seemed that it paid to be cautious once in awhile. I only needed to circulate my mana through the veins in order to boost the strength of my body. It took too long to get things going so it wasn¡¯t ideal, but it was a start. I had an idea that should help in that regard. I intended to create smaller non-looped mana veins that would spread out from each of the main mana veins. I envisioned something similar to a network of small capillaries like those in my physical body. The issue that worried me would be how to keep from losing too much mana down the new mana veins. If I circulated the mana fast enough, would the momentum of the mana wave reduce the loss of mana to an acceptable level? I wanted a portion to go down the mana capillary anyways so some loss wasn¡¯t just acceptable but necessary. If I lost too much mana down the capillaries then I might need to create valves or a membrane of some sort that would allow mana through only when sufficient pressure was placed against it. All of that was for the future though. The most recent experiments showed me that I still needed to create a bunch more mana veins. I felt only a tiny amount of the mana reach my extremities so they would each need their own mana veins. I planned to create 11 smaller mana veins. Once I completed those 11 mana veins, I could turn to making the mana capillaries followed by hopefully a spiritual body. That was my original goal after all. I lost a significant amount of mana thanks to me experiments, and I pondered over the description of the mana vein skill as I waited for my mana to recover. The System description said that I could circulate mana my mana with great speed without losing any in the process. Did that mean that what I had done wasn¡¯t considered just circulation but enhancement as well, or did it mean that there was a limit to the speed at which I could circulate my mana before I started to lose some in the process? I hoped for the former, but feared that it was the later. There wasn¡¯t anything I could really do about it, but if there really was a limit to how quickly I could circulate my mana then I might need to look to strengthen the walls of my mana veins in the future. Provided of course, that the mana capillaries worked out as I hoped they would. If they didn¡¯t work out as hoped then the loss of mana might prove to be a blessing in disguise. For now, I decided to focus on creating the mana veins for my toes. If I screwed something up losing a toe wouldn¡¯t be as bad as losing a finger¡­ The experience I accrued from creating the main mana veins proved to be a great help in creating the secondary mana veins in my toes. The length of the new mana veins needed to be shorter and the loop tighter in order to fit in the smaller space of my toes, but I managed to create one that satisfied my requirements after a few dozen tries. The pain from completing a secondary mana vein when compared to completing a main mana vein was like a fly biting you versus an elephant stomping on you. My failed attempts meant that I ran out of mana after I completed the toes of my right foot. With one foot completed and no mana, the only thing I could do was wait until my mana regenerated to work on my other foot. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Nightmares and vivid mental horrors haunted my mind as I waited. I needed another distraction before I lost it. I focused on my breathing and pushed everything else out of my mind. One long breath in through my nose. Followed by a long breath out of my mouth. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. As I focused all of my mind on my breath, the ghosts that haunted my mind faded away. Before I knew it, my mana was regenerated and I created the mana veins for my other foot. I worried that not confronting my fears would come back to bite me in the ass later, but how do you fight something intangible like fears nightmares? I distracted myself by clearing my mind and concentrating on my breathing three more times. I saved a certain area of the body for last. The most delicate one of all. There was a need to protect it and nothing else. I created it without any issue, and everything was fine right up until its completion. A scream tore itself from my chest as an explosion of pain went off in my body. As my consciousness faded away, I realized that there were some pains that you could never prepare yourself for.
Spirit increased by 1! Minor Mana Wielder ( C ) ***** evolved into Lesser Mana Wielder (UC) ***** Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ( C ) * leveled up! Minor Mana Vein (Passive) ( C ) ***** evolved into Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) *****
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Lesser Mana Wielder (UC) LVL N/A Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** ***** 29
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 101/125 5/42 7.50 per min (-2) 13 9 9 6 12
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Cracks x9, Blindness
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 4 11% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 7 5% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 72% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 85% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 17% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 4 26% Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 83% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 27 New World Day 10 Normally when I woke up from the more and more common bouts of unconsciousness, it was because my body was hungry, thirsty, or I needed to use the restroom. Every once in awhile it was because of noise from outside. This time though it was the exact opposite. It was quiet. Not a bird chirping, a goblin screeching, or a coyote howling. Just silence. At first I feared that I had somehow screwed up my hearing along with my vision, but when I slapped my thigh with my hand a loud smack reverberated through the room. Nothing wrong with my ears though I probably had a bruise for my regen skill to fix after my eyes. That thought distracted me from the eerie silence pervading the area. How were my eyes now? I hadn¡¯t tried to open them for at least a day¡¯s time if not longer. Fear wracked my body as I psyched myself up to open my eyes. On one hand, I wanted to know if my sight had a chance of being restored, but on the other hand, I was terrified of finding out that I was well and truly blind. If I really was blind then what would I do? There was no way that I could survive the New World without my eyesight. Death or worse was the unstoppable outcome of bearing such a crippling injury. If that was the case then might it not be better to just ¡­. SLAP! NO! I was not going to go down that road. Never down that road. Even if I was blind that didn¡¯t mean it was the end of the road. Magic and more existed in this universe now. I just needed to find a way to make up for the loss of my physical sight with something else. Spiritual sight? The Mind¡¯s Eye? Mana Vision? Three possible paths popped into my head right away. See? What was there to be so down about. If I was consigned to darkness then I would just break the darkness. Besides, it¡¯s not like it was confirmed that I was blind now. I felt much better now after working through those feelings. So much better that my ache from the slap faded away as if it never existed. I took a deep breath and cracked open my eyes. Shadows filled my vision, but tears fell from my eyes like they were waterfalls. I saw shapes in the shadows. I wasn¡¯t blind! My vision was still a mess and blurrier than it should be even accounting for the tears, but I saw the light, kind of. My body cracked and creaked as I stretched myself out. I made a point of being careful when I stretched my left arm. I moved it up and down and side to side. Then I started whirling it in a circle. I was cautious at first, but I quickly picked up steam. Before I knew it, I was going all out. Hahahhahahahahahhahahaha! Uncontrollable laughter leaked out from me, and a joy spread through my body setting it alight with happiness. I had been in a bad spot there for awhile. Between the python and my own recklessness, I nearly died a dozen times and very nearly succeeded in crippling myself. Now though, now I felt like an eagle flying through the sky without a care in the world. No, not an eagle. That¡¯s not enough to describe the unbridled joy I felt in this moment. Like a dragon soaring through the sky. The unchallenged lord of the azure sky. That was what I felt like. Minutes ticked by as I stood there in front of the love seat basking in the joy of the moment. It was a moment that I would remember forever. One that would sustain me in the abyss of the night when all the demons of my mind crawled out of the depths. But such moments were fleeting, and there were pressing concerns. The only noise this entire time was the two slaps. The thick wooden doors insulated the bedroom, but not to this degree. Something was up, and I needed to find out what was going on. I turned on the second still charged lantern to light up the bedroom before I went to the garage to check out what was going on. In the unnatural silence of the day, the creak of the door opening was like a bomb going off in the garage. My steps faltered as I worried over whether whatever was out there had heard me, but now wasn¡¯t the time for cowardice. Besides, I couldn¡¯t help but be curious about what was dangerous enough to intimidate the entire world into silence. Heh, maybe it was a real dragon. Blurs of light shot through the garage door windows and bounced off the massive pool of dried blood and the shiny red ATVs to give the garage an ominous red tint. One that even my messed up eyes saw. I crept forward and snuck past the Ranger and ATVs. I stayed along the wall, ducked down, and snuck below the center garage door window. I poked my head up just enough to get a good look outside. Huh, the gray and white gravel of the driveway and the trunks, branches, and leaves of the trees all seemed to be dyed a deep crimson. I ducked back down and with exquisite care rubbed my eyes to see if blood had contaminated my vision. No, no blood in my eyes. The red color staining the garage wasn¡¯t from the pools of blood or the ATVs. It was pouring in from the outside. I popped back up to take another look and through the haze of my broken vision I saw red tide broken only by some large clumps littering the forest floor. Some clumps were a pale green like the color itself had caught a cold or the flu. At first I thought they resembled giant clumps of moss, but as I stared at them, I felt they looked more and more familiar. Was that fur? Clumps of green fur scattered across the forest floor. Ah! There poking out from behind a clump of fur was a skeleton. The skeleton looked as if it had been bleached by the sun for weeks if not months. It was hard to see exactly what creature the skeleton belonged to with my damaged eyes. I thought it was a goblin skeleton judging by the size. Was I seeing the remains of the fight from that night? After examining the driveway and forest again, I started to pick out additional details that I missed at first glance. Other clumps littered the ground. These clumps were smaller and brown, but there were a respectable amount of gray clumps as well. I continued to stare out the window and began to see more skeletons all over the ground. There were chipmunk, squirrel, and robin skeletons dotting the crimson landscape. What the hell was going on out there? Even with my blurry vision I could tell that it was like a scene from hell out there. It''s no wonder that it was so quiet. Everything in the area was dead! The pressing question was what killed them and why? If it was strong enough to slaughter everything around I wouldn¡¯t think that it would want to mess around with creatures as small as chipmunks and squirrels. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Nothing had been spared its wrath. Nothing. What kind of creature would do that, and why was everything red? Was it all blood, was it some trick of the sun, or was there some other explanation? As I stared out the window, I noticed that my vision was getting blurrier by the moment. It took a moment before my mind kicked into gear and I saw that my breath had begun to steam up the window bit by bit. I needed to change windows to continue my investigation, but when I took a step towards the window to my left, my shin brushed against the handle used to raise the garage door. The impact caused the door to rumble and shake for the slightest of moments, but that was all it took. I froze in fear as I hoped that the small movement and noise didn¡¯t alert whatever monster lurked outside. My fears proved all too real. The crimson that dominated the new landscape outside rose up into the air and came crashing towards the garage door like a tidal wave of blood. Whatever that red crap was it was alive and it was coming for me!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 3% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Lesser Mana Wielder (UC) LVL N/A Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** ***** 29
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 117/125 42/42 7.50 per min (-2.75) 13 9 9 6 12
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Cracks x3, Blurred Vision
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 4 72% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 7 90% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 88% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 94% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 17% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 4 26% Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 83% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 28 New World Day 10 As the crimson tidal wave roared towards me, a powerful buzzing noise washed over me. It caused my ears to ache and my face to pale. I knew what was out there now. That entire red wave was composed of thousands and thousands of insects. The buzz of their wings now filled the air all around me. That distinctive noise was unmistakable. The swarm of insects was only moments away from reaching the door when I started to back away from it. I started with just a couple of halting steps backwards before I broke and ran for the bedroom door. How was I supposed to deal with a swarm of that size? If they were magical insects as I feared then it wasn¡¯t even guaranteed that I could kill them by smacking them with an axe let alone my hands. I thought that fire might work well against such a swarm, but I wasn¡¯t at the point where I could use any magic. I sprinted for the bedroom door and wondered if I had anything that I could substitute for fire magic. When I reached the door, I glanced over my shoulder to the garage door and cursed aloud, ¡°Shit!¡± The door kept most of them out, but some of them snuck through the cracks along the edges. I ripped open the door and slammed it shut behind. No need to be quiet now that they all know that I¡¯m here. Speed was of the essence at this point. I circulated my mana throughout my entire body as I raced into the bathroom and yanked open the cabinet doors under the sink. Hidden in the depths of the cabinet were a number of large beach towels covered in patterns of oranges and blues. I grabbed the towels and ran back to the door to the garage. The buzz of the swarm dimmed when I slammed the door, but it soon began to pick back up. They were getting closer. I was sure of it. I crammed one of the towels into the crack at the base of the door and turned to head for the steps. I climbed up the steps towards the first floor three at a time and jammed another towel into the crack along the floor there as well. It wasn¡¯t enough. Not by a long shot, but it was a start. I jumped down the steps even quicker than I had climbed them and ran to the door to the workshop. I heard the buzzing grow louder than ever. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and dashed down the hallway with such speed that my momentum almost sent me crashing into the metal shelves as I turned the corner towards the door to the garage. My mana was circulating at such a speed now that it began to leak out of the mana veins and strengthen my body. It pushed my physical body to new heights, but I didn¡¯t have the best control of my enhanced body yet. I whipped around that corner and noticed a few red dots floating in the hallway right in front of the door. Damn, some of them had slipped through into this room already. I hoped that they would all follow me to the bedroom instead of spreading out through the basement. I didn¡¯t know what these insects were capable, but I knew from the hellscape outside that they were dangerous. Without missing a step, I barreled down the hallway and slammed a towel into the crack along the floor. I turned without a pause and ran towards one of the metal shelves lining the hallway when my it felt like my right arm disappeared. I panicked and looked at my right arm to verify that it was still there. The arm was still there, but it was so numb that it was like a stage magician had whisked it away. I studied my arm and saw one little speck of red sitting on the middle of my right forearm. I watched in horror as the speck of red grew in size and my entire arm starting with the immediate area around the speck grew paler and paler. I knew the identity of the insect that made up the monstrous swarm outside. It was a swarm of magical mosquitos! The damn things sucked blood at a far faster rate, and they numbed the entire limb that they latched onto. At this rate a single mosquito could drain me dry in minutes and a swarm in seconds. I could still move my right arm if I thought hard about it, but it was slow to react. I forced it to wave around erratically in an attempt to throw the mosquito off, but it wasn¡¯t budging. No other choice then. I raised my left hand and smashed it down upon the mosquito on my right arm with a resounding smack. If it had been an ordinary mosquito it would have been dead a hundred times over after a hit like that, but this one was of a hardier nature. The mosquito had been crushed into my forearm at the very center of a deep red handprint, but within moments it was struggling back to its feet. I raised my left hand again and a series of smacks echoed through the workshop as I continued to run down the hallway. Five slaps with all my enhanced strength. That¡¯s how much effort it took to kill just one of those mosquitos, and there were a countless number of them out there. I needed to find a way to kill them quicker and in large groups. The idea of using fire magic had fluttered through my mind in the garage, and I had rejected it because I had no idea how to use it. Magic wasn¡¯t the only way to create fire though. I skidded to a stop in front of the middle set of metal shelves instead of turning the corner and heading for the bedroom. I needed to grab a couple of things from here. It took a bit of rummaging, but I managed to find the two things that I needed. A bottle of WD-40 and a full roll of duct tape. I grabbed them with my left hand and turned back towards the bedroom, but before I could start running for the bedroom door, the sensations from my left leg disappeared just like my right arm. I looked over my shoulder and saw two mosquitos on the back of my left leg. One right in the crook of my knee and one at the bottom of my calf. These frikken mosquitoes might really be the death of me at this rate. Their needle like mouths were so long and sharp that they could get me even through my jeans. I switched the can of WD-40 and duct tape to my right hand and swung back at the two mosquitoes with my left hand. I smacked the two bastards with all of the force I could muster even as I dragged my lame leg down the rest of the hallway to the bedroom door. These two mosquitoes only took four swats before they died, but I saw that even my left arm had grown pale now. I couldn''t take much more of this. Just three of them had sucked so much blood that I looked like an albino. As dire as the situation was, I had a plan. It wasn¡¯t the best of plans but it might work if the mosquitoes were as stupid as normal mosquitoes. I grabbed one of the buckets of water and a cup with my left hand, pulled open the door to the bedroom with my right, and slammed it shut behind me with such force that the entire wall shook. What the hell was that? I guess I need to be more careful when I boosted my strength with mana. More and more mana leaked into my body from the mana veins, and my strength increased at an incredible pace. If it was any other time I would be ecstatic, but I had more pressing matters to attend to. I stopped by the door just long enough to shove the fourth towel into the crack at the base and drop the bucket of water next to the door before I ran to the bathroom again. I snagged three more beach towels from under the sink, and one final item, a small red lighter. The kind of lighter where you pressed a button on the back of it before pulling a trigger to light the flame. Laughing wildly I thought, makeshift flamethrower here I come.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Of course, the flamethrower wasn¡¯t the whole plan. The whole plan was to block as many as I could with the towels, and then I would barbecue the ones that managed to make it in before I got everything blocked off. The water was to put out any fires and to quench my thirst after things settled down. I had no idea how long I would have to hole up in the bedroom before the bugs would go away. If they ever did¡­ That was a disheartening thought, but I had to think positively. I knew bugs didn¡¯t tend to have a very long life span. I just had to outlast them. I shoved the WD-40 and lighter in my pocket so that I had room to hold the towels and duct tape with one hand and arm. I raced from the bathroom to the door to the workshop, used my right hand and my teeth to tear off a few pieces of duct tape from the roll, and the taped a beach towel around the entire frame of the door. It took only moments to finish, and then I was off to the door to the garage to duplicate the process. I managed to get both of those doors covered before any could get into the bedroom, but when I looked up the stairwell towards the door to the first floor, I saw dozens of red specks floating in the air. I might need that bucket of water sooner than I thought.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 4 13% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 4 95% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81% Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Lesser Mana Wielder (UC) LVL N/A Title Points: * * * * * * * * * ** ***** 29
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 45/125 34/42 7.50 per min (-2.75) 13 9 9 6 12
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Cracks x3, Blurred Vision
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ? LVL 4 72% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 7 90% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 88% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 94% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 17% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 4 26% Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 83% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 29 New World Day 10 Until I took notice of the mosquitos, they had been buzzing through the air aimlessly in the stairway, but once I noticed them, they noticed me too. Everyone of the suckers hovered in the air for a moment before bolting down the stairs right at me. I threw the last towel onto my shoulder and put the roll of duct tape around my right wrist before I pulled out the lighter and the WD-40 from my pocket. I held one in each hand and made sure to keep them well in front of me for safety¡¯s sake. I aimed the can up the stairwell towards the small swarm of mosquitoes descending upon me, lit the lighter, and sprayed the WD-40 at the mosquitoes. As the flammable liquid passed through the small flame, a terrible stench resembling burning plastic filled the air as a burst of fire rushed up the stairwell and attempted to incinerate the mosquitoes. I had to hand it to those little buggers. They were tough bastards, but I sent four more blasts of fire up the stairwell just to be safe. There were small pockets of flames still burning along the walls and steps of the stairwell, but all of the mosquitoes were dead. The first batch at least. Even as I surveyed my handiwork, I saw through my hazy vision at least a dozen more slip through the cracks of the doorway. Those small fires would have to wait for later. I needed to get that door covered asap. Ignoring the flames inching up the walls and stairs, I charged up half the stairwell before I sent out another half dozen blasts of fire from my makeshift flamethrower. The gouts of fire made short work of the mosquitos, but another swarm slipped through the cracks before I could run up even a few more steps. The entire stairwell was practically on fire already, but there was no other choice. I couldn¡¯t deal with so many at once any other way, and it was only going to get worse. At this rate, I would never make it up the stairwell before the entire house went up in flames. I had tried to control how much fire I used to this point, but now I held down both buttons and sent a continuous blast of fire up the stairwell as I charged up the remaining steps to the door. The door to the first floor was covered in patches of flames by the time I reached it, and I had to use the towel on my shoulder to smother them. After the fires on the door were out, I wasted no time in ripping off multiple strips of duct tape from the roll on my right wrist and spreading the towel across the entire door way. Halfway through affixing the towel to the doorway, numbness began to radiate out through my entire back starting from my lower left back right above my left butt cheek. One of the little bastards must have survived the fire or slipped through the cracks unnoticed. My first instinct was to swat it off me, but before my instincts took over, I realized that if I did that then more would have a chance to slip through the cracks in the doorway at which point I was going to end up a sack of skin and bones like the forest coyotes out in the driveway and forest. Instead, I twisted my body to the right and slammed my back into the wall with all of my strength as I continued to seal off all entry to the basement with the towel and duct tape. Five slams later, I had left a human sized dent in the wall of the stairwell and a small red speck fell lifeless onto the top step. I stomped on the bastard for good measure as I finished up sealing the doorway. When I twisted my body to slam my back into the wall, I also gave myself a side view of the stairwell and the growing inferno I had started within it. The burning plastic smell of the burnt WD-40 mixed with the surprisingly nice smell of burning wooden steps into a bastardized stench that reminded me of sulfur and wracked my body with coughing fits. Shit, if I didn¡¯t hurry, I was going to burn myself alive if the smoke didn¡¯t get me first. The towels did a good job of keeping out the mosquitoes who were too stupid to use their needle like mouths to cut holes in the towels, but they also trapped almost all of the smoke in the basement with me. I stumbled down the stairwell relying on my still circulating mana and the railing along the wall to make up for my numb leg, back and arm and burst through flickering flames into the bedroom proper. My first stop was the bathroom where I grabbed another towel from under the sink. All of the beach towels had been used for the doors so the only one left was a larger than average hand towel. I seized the towel with my right hand and ran over to the door to the workshop where I had put the bucket and cup which I snatched with my left hand. I didn¡¯t trust my numb right hand with that heavy of a weight yet. Only a dozen seconds had passed since I had left the stairwell, but the fire had already spread even further. I put the bucket down at the base of the stairwell and dipped the towel into the bucket. Then I started to smother the nearest flames with it as I took the cup in my other hand and splashed other patches with cups of water. The cups of water had some effect on the smaller patches of fire, but they weren¡¯t having much effect on the larger more dangerous patches. I abandoned the cup and concentrated on smothering the fire with the hand towel. As I worked to smother the flames with the large hand towel, strands of fire escaped out either side and twirled around my arms and legs like vines made of fire. The strands set my shirt and pants ablaze and sent searing pulses of pain through my left arm and right leg. The numbness from those damn mosquitoes was good for something after all. The pain was within the acceptable range at the moment, but if my other two limbs were added in, it might even reach the level of pain I felt when I created my last two mana veins. My blazing clothes were less important than fire spreading through the stairwell, but the pain from the burns combined with the growing cloud of smoke made it hard to continue putting out the flames. In order to keep the pain somewhat under control, I started to alternate between smothering one flame in the stairwell and then whipping one patch of flaming clothing with the damp cloth. The quick whips didn¡¯t tend to put out the fires on my clothing entirely, but they kept them under control. I found my mind starting to drift and my vision grow increasingly blurry as I put out fire after fire. I don¡¯t know if it was the smoke, the pain, or the massive blood loss from the mosquitoes, but I started to see things hidden in the flames. In the places where the fire burnt it was like there were a green mist emerging from the planks of wood. The green mist rose up from the planks and mixed with streams of red that grew out of the depths of the flames. When the mist passed through the streams it emerged from the other side black, burnt, and lifeless. For some reason that my conscious mind didn¡¯t yet understand, that black mist caused my body to recoil and shiver in fear. There wasn¡¯t a lot of it, and after I started to see it, I made sure to avoid it at all costs. The green mist had the opposite effect on me. It gave me a warm cozy feeling that reminded me of home, of family and friends, and of better times. The firefighting evolved into an odd game of tag. I twisted and turned to avoid the black mist but tried to run through the green mist all while working to put out the fire. Each time I managed to walk through a cloud of green mist, there was a slight change in my body. The change was slight enough that I didn¡¯t notice it at first, but by the sixth cloud, I started to see the change. The constant circulation of my mana had filled my entire physical and spiritual body to the brim with mana. Now when I passed through these clouds of green mist, I felt my mana react to the mist and creep towards my eyes and the growing burns on my arms and legs. Was this my regeneration skills at work? I had never been able to feel let alone see those two skills working, but now with this strange sight, I saw the particles of green mist pass into my body and merge with my mana. Small portions of my mana then gathered around the worst of my injuries and began to heal them. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Damn! As interesting as all of this was, I needed to concentrate on the fire. The fact that my mind was this distracted in such circumstances didn¡¯t bode well for me. I had the distinct feeling that if I pulled up my Status at this moment that I would have only a sliver of HP left. Concentrate Jason! I almost had the fire put out. Just a bit more. Just a bit more. I began to say that same thing out loud over and over again like a Buddhist chant until finally, against all odds it was done. I was at the top of the steps and all of the fires were out. I had no time to celebrate my success though. I succeeded in putting out the fires, but there was nothing I could do about the smoke that wouldn¡¯t let in more mosquitoes. The smoke filled the stairway, and I was in the worst spot I could be in right now. A coughing fit tore through my body and broke my circulation of mana as smoke filled my lungs. The accumulated mana within my body dissipated at a rapid pace. Without the mana to support my beat up body, I didn¡¯t even have the strength to stand anymore. I collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut and tumbled down the entire length of the stairwell. The fall down the stairs left me with over a dozen bruises and a deep cut above my right eye, but it was a blessing despite the new wounds. I was out of the worst of the smoke, and I didn¡¯t break my neck in the fall. I couldn¡¯t really ask for more.
You have reached level 5! 4 bonus stat points have been awarded! You have reached level 6! 4 bonus stat points have been awarded! You have reached level 7! 4 bonus stat points have been awarded! Survivor (B) * has leveled up! Survivor (B) * has leveled up! Survivor (B) * has leveled up! Pack Killer (B) * has evolved into Swarm Killer (B) ** Swarm Killer (B) ** has leveled up! Swarm Killer (B) ** has leveled up! Swarm Killer (B) ** has leveled up! Swarm Killer (B) ** has leveled up! Swarm Killer (B) ** has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * has leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 7 84% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 7 73% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 8 55% Beast Killer (B) LVL 8 48% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 3 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Uncommon Mana Wielder (UC) LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 30
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 7/125 19/42 7.50 per min (-2.75) 13 9 9 6 24
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Blurred Vision, Burns x30, Bruises x8, Bleeding x1
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 5 1% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 9 5% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 88% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 94% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 17% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 4 26% Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 1 67% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 83% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 30 New World Day 10 I laid there at the bottom of the steps powerless to do anything for over five hours before I gathered up enough strength to drag my body over to the bucket of water next to the steps. I had just enough strength to raise my head over the bucket before it left me and my head fell right into the bucket. I drank as much as I could, and the sweet water going down my burnt parched throat felt like heaven. That feeling lasted until I realized I didn¡¯t have the strength to raise my head back out of the bucket of water. At that point panic began to set in. Wouldn¡¯t that be a way to go? I survived a swarm of mosquitoes of unfathomable size followed by a fire in an enclosed space only to drown in a five gallon bucket filled with water. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to go out that way! I couldn¡¯t raise my head back up, but I struggled and wiggled my body and neck until I managed to tip the bucket over the side. As the water went rushing out of the bucket and soaked into my burnt black clothes, I gasped for breath, and started to laugh my head off. Isn¡¯t this just great? I had that realization about my stubbornness and refusal to leave myself in embarrassing situations, but now I was laying on my back at the bottom of the stairs in burnt clothes from a fire that I started gasping for air with a bucket on my head after I nearly drowned myself trying to get a drink of water. I wanted to just smack my forehead with the palm of my hand and hide in a corner out of shame. This was one part of my story that was going to be left out when I told people about how I survived out here. That was for damn sure. It took over ten minutes for this spell of laughter to get out of my system, and when it did a thought struck me. When I had first fallen to the bottom of the stairs, there was smoke filling the stairway and even along the ceiling of the bedroom, but now there wasn¡¯t any to be found. The smell lingered, but the smoke itself had disappeared. Where had it all gone? Vents! There were air conditioning vents in the room that must have filtered it out of the room, and if there were vents then that meant more of those mosquitoes could get into the room. That was an unpleasant thought, but the panic left as soon as it had arrived. It had been over five hours since the mosquitoes entered the house, and not one of them had come through the vents yet. I didn¡¯t know if they just didn¡¯t know how to navigate the vents or if the smoke from the fire suffocated the ones that entered the vents, but whatever the case I was safe for the moment. Even if I had the strength to move at the moment, I would hesitate to cover the air vent. I already restricted the air flow in the bedroom by blocking all three of the doors. I didn¡¯t want to take the chance of blocking it all by putting anything over the vents. Since I wasn¡¯t going to block the vents, then I at least needed to make myself less of a target and give myself a chance to see them coming. Right now all I could see was the sides of this damn bucket. I summoned all of the strength and willpower that I had left and started to wiggle my head in order to shake off the bucket. Success! The bucket was off of my head. Now I needed to get to a sitting position. I didn¡¯t have the strength to make a complete roll. So instead, I rolled just a little to each side and built up momentum until I rolled onto my stomach. Just two more rolls until I reached the wall and then one half roll to get my back to the wall. It took a lot of time and effort, but I managed to reach the wall with a soft bang that sent a wave of pain coursing through my body. Ouch. I guess I was starting to get some feeling back into my body if bumping into the wall caused me that much pain. Panting from both the growing pain and the expended effort, I inched my back up the wall until I was in a sitting position. I¡¯d done it! No more bucket and now I could see anything coming my way. Thanks to the clock on the nightstand by the bed, I noted three hours go by waiting to see if any mosquitoes came through the vents into the bedroom. I didn¡¯t dare to train my mana since I might miss the arrival of a mosquito if my attention was centered on my spiritual world. As a result, those three hours were absolute torture. More and more feeling returned to my body as the minutes passed by, and as feeling returned to my body so did the pain. It was easy to withstand at first. Nothing compared to the creation of mana veins or even what I felt while putting out the fire, but it didn¡¯t stay that way. As each minute ticked by the pain increased. Tick, wince, tick, wince and so on as time passed and the pain mounted. When I received the skill Pain Control, I had wondered to myself how often I would get a chance to train it. If the past day was any indication there was no need to worry. I would have plenty of chances to train it. Far too many chances I suspected. At the end of the three hours, my body was soaked not from the bucket of water but from the sweat my body excreted as it fought against the pain. Feeling returned to my entire body, and the slightest brush of air against my burns would send a wave of pain through my body. I couldn¡¯t go on like this. I needed to get these clothes off and treat the burns. I had stashed medical supplies in the bathroom including a few rolls of gauze. With the sheer amount of burns covering my body, I was certain that I was going to use it all. I slapped both cheeks to psych myself up and started to use the wall as a lever to force myself onto my feet. I left a streak of black on the wall as I slid up it and onto my feet. Step one finished. I was on my feet. Now for step two. I took one step forward and slammed my left hand against the other wall at the bottom of the stairwell to keep from falling flat on my face. The pain and exertion caused my face to contort and my breath to quicken as I fought to keep going. I felt that if I could see myself in the mirror at this moment that I would look like a demon that had crawled out from hell. When my breathing evened out, I pulled my entire body forward and leaned against the stairway wall. Then while still holding the wall with my left hand I took one step to my left. I wobbled left and right as I strained to support myself with my left arm. I felt that even a light breeze might be able to send me tumbling to the ground at this point. Then a thought struck me. Why bother to walk the rest of the way? Let¡¯s use gravity to my advantage. Nodding to myself, I let my body start to fall forward just far enough that my right arm could reach the doorway to the bathroom. At that point, my right arm snaked forward and latched onto the edge of the doorway. I used that handhold to hold myself up and hugged the wall. The cool wall felt marvelous against my burns, but the longer I procrastinated the worse things would get. The pain continued to increase bit by bit, and sweat poured from my body faster and faster. At this rate, I might die from dehydration there was so much sweat coming out of me. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I counted to three and then pushed off the wall, spun into the bathroom, and crumpled to the floor with my back against the bathroom wall. I had stacked the gauze and other supplies to the left of the cabinets between them and the toilet. Things had just barely worked out. I could reach them without moving so long as I leaned forward just a bit. It took a bit of work to get my clothes off and wrap the gauze around my burns, but it was nothing compared to the pain and effort it took to get to the bathroom in the first place. Once I finished bandaging myself, I looked up and could see my head and shoulders in the bathroom mirror. A giggle slipped out of my mouth as I saw myself and realized I looked like a mummy from a cheap horror flick. As I got used to the sensation of the gauze on my burns, the pain began to fade just a bit. Enough that I was able to drift off and get some well deserved rest.
Stupid Fool ( C ) leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (B) * leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 7 84% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 7 73% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 8 55% Beast Killer (B) LVL 8 48% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 4 81% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Uncommon Mana Wielder (UC) LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 30
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 7/125 19/42 7.50 per min (-2.75) 13 9 9 6 24
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Blurred Vision, Burns x30
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 5 1% Basic Spirit Regen (Passive) (B) LVL 9 5% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 7 32% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 7 49% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 90% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 4 26% Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 2 73% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 83% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 1 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 31 New World Day 11 My sleep proved to be long and deep after the ordeal with the mosquitoes. I should have been worried about them getting to me from the vents, but I had been so hurt and tired that the worries just fell away. It was 5:00 AM on the 11th day of the New World when I woke from my stupor. Not a single mosquito attacked me in my sleep, and when I opened my eyes, I was delighted to find that my vision was back to normal. On the other hand, my burns were still there, but even they felt much better than before. I felt well enough that I decided to start cleaning up the bedroom some. The bedroom was lit only by the light from the electronic clock. The lantern had run out of power sometime during my sleep, and the clock provided too little light to room. I had to light a bunch of candles to illuminate the room despite my current misgivings about fire. There were black streaks from the smoke across the ceiling, and the stairwell was just a massive mess. I took a few small hand towels that I didn¡¯t mind destroying and got to work wiping everything down. I used the bleach based shower cleaner from the bathroom shower to loosen the stains up before scrubbing them with the towels. By 7:00 AM I managed to clean up the streaks in the main bedroom to a respectable degree. The stairwell was still a stained wreck, but it was at least a sanitized wreck now. The strong smell of smoke that had still lingered in the room had now been replaced by the overpowering stench of bleach. The smell was so strong it was stinging my eyes and causing tears to well up in the corner of my eyes. I might have been a bit overzealous in my cleaning considering the current lack of ventilation. I didn¡¯t want to take a risk of mosquitoes coming into the bedroom so I was forced to just bear with it. I turned to recording my recent experiences in my journals in order to take my mind off of the smell. It had been a couple of days since I had had the chance to put pen to page, and there was a lot I was eager to write down. Writing things down helped me sort through things and organize my thoughts, and I had a lot to organize. In particular, I was thinking of the visions I saw before I hurt my eyes, and the strange mists and streams of light towards the end of my effort to put out the fires. I recorded everything I could remember about all of the colors, shapes, and patterns I saw in the vision experiment that messed up my eyes. I didn¡¯t know quite what any of it meant or represented, but I hoped it would be useful to someone in the future. I did have a theory about the mists and streams that I had saw in the stairwell, but it would take time to really prove anything. Provided of course that I didn¡¯t learn a skill somewhere along the way that would cause the System to spell things out for me. For now though, I was going with the theory that the red streams represented fire mana, the green mist was the lingering life mana from the wood that emerged as the fire burnt the wood, and the black mist that came about after the fire mana burnt the life mana was death mana which would explain why my body was so instinctively afraid of it. If I was correct in my theory, I wondered if the mana looked that way for everyone or if it changed its appearance based on the perceptions of the individual observing it. Shrugging to myself, I wrote down my observations and questions and decided to pursue that avenue of inquiry in the future when I met other people. It was 10 AM when I finished recording everything in my journal about both my experiences and my updated skills and titles. Now that I wasn¡¯t concentrating on my journals, my body began to protest and demand food and water. I had eaten and drank very little over the past few days due to a variety of circumstances. I was leery of removing the towels and letting in any blood mosquitoes, as I had named them, but I wasn¡¯t going to be able to go on too much longer without water. I decided that it would be a good idea to try and clear the workshop area of any mosquitoes so that I could at least reach my supply of food and water. I struggled to my feet and walked over to the bathroom where I had put down the lighter and WD-40. I hoped I wouldn¡¯t need to use it too much, but better to be safe than sorry. I kept the two of them in my left hand and put the roll of duct tape on my right wrist again before I limped over to the door to the workshop. I shifted some candles to near the door so that I would have enough light to see what I was doing in the workshop before I turned my attention to the door. I started out by removing one corner of the towel from the doorway and waiting to see if any blood mosquitoes came flying through. After waiting 10 minutes without an intruder, I peeled off the tape from the upper half of the door and waited another 10 minutes. Still no blood mosquitoes came through the cracks, and so, I proceeded to remove the entire towel and pull out the towel at the bottom of the door. I transferred the WD-40 to my right hand, took a moment to build up my courage before I opened the door, and stepped through to face the swarm I feared lay beyond. The sight that greeted me was not what I expected though. When no blood mosquitoes came through the cracks, I had hoped that they had moved on, but as it turned out that hope hadn¡¯t gone far enough. Scattered around the entire workshop were little red corpses of the swarm. They were all laying on the ground and shelves stiff as a board with their legs sticking up in the air. I was sure that they were dead, but I wasn¡¯t going to take any chances with them. The first thing I did was take a candle and head over to the door to the garage where I taped the towel I had removed from the bedroom door to that door. Then I proceeded to collect and stomp on every single one of the little bastards before dumping them all into plastic garbage bag. Now that I was assured of my safety from the swarm, I walked back to my food and water supply and drank 8 bottles of water and ate a half dozen packs of cheese crackers and double that in granola bars. A loud burp echoed through the concrete hallways after I finished with my modest feast. Ahhhh¡­ That really hit the spot. What to do now? My burns were still pretty painful, but the pain was within the range that I could handle. Putting in some work with my footwork skills would be a pretty good idea to pass the time. It was 1:00 PM by the time I took my sweat soaked mummified self back to the bathroom along with a bottle of water where I removed all of the gauze and wiped my entire body down with some soap and a wet towel. It was not a pleasant experience washing the burns, but it needed to be done. I didn¡¯t want to just assume that my resistance skills would prevent all possible infections. It would be just my luck to fall sick with some crazy new magic based disease. Once I finished washing, I put on a new pair of jeans and yet another white under shirt. I was getting to be damn thankful that we had kept so many spare pieces of clothing here at the house. I was going through them at a rapid pace. I had just a dozen more pairs of jeans and about twice that in shirts. I kept the scraps from my destroyed wardrobe in case I met someone in the future who could patch them or use pieces of them to make new clothes. As I surveyed my collection of clothes, I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to rummage through my deceased neighbor¡¯s houses for any clothes that might fit me or could be used for material for new clothing in the future. I wasn¡¯t happy about the thought of robbing the dead, but I hoped that they would understand and appreciate the dire circumstances that I found myself in. After I finished clothing myself and making plans to acquire new clothing in the immediate future, I decided it was time to work on my mana veins. Before I started the new work, I walked over to the bed and laid down in it for the first time in days. I suspected that this work was going to take quite a while, and I wanted to be in the position to fall asleep right away when I finished. I had finished both the main mana veins and the secondary mana veins in the past few days. Now I planned to work on what I was calling the mana capillaries that would more effectively deliver mana to my physical body. Before I started the training, I made sure to put out all of the candles. I didn¡¯t want to start another fire by accident while I was concentrating on my spiritual world. The first few hours proved frustrating as I had a hard time fine-tuning the size of the mana capillaries. Too small and not enough mana would flow through them as I circulated my mana, but too big and I found that I lost so much mana to them that it was hard to complete more than a few full circuits around my mana veins. It wasn¡¯t until around midnight that I finally managed to create a mana capillary that I was satisfied with. Once I had the size down, it was a simple albeit tedious matter to create the rest of the mana capillaries that I felt that I needed. I first created mana capillaries that stretched through all of my organs. Despite the near ruinous first vision experiment, I had yet to give up on creating a mana sight skill and took special care with the mana capillaries that I connected with the area corresponding to my eyes. After I connected mana capillaries with my eyes and all of my internal organs, I then turned my attention to creating them for the muscles through my chest, then my neck and head, followed by my arms and legs, and finished things up with my finger and toes. I was concerned at first that I wouldn¡¯t have the mana to continue my experiments, but my ability to regenerate mana had reached a high enough point to sustain my experiments without issue due to the smaller size of the capillaries. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I spent all night completing over a hundred mana capillaries before I finished everything up. Once I finished, I knew that I needed to test things out. I started my tests by circulating my mana slowly through my first two sets of mana veins. The mana capillaries quickly filled to the brim when I circulated my mana slowly and there were so many of them that two full circuits were all that I could manage. I only had to wait around six minutes for my mana lake to refill. At that point, I started the second test where I circulated the mana at a moderate speed. The mana didn¡¯t rush down the mana capillaries quite as much at this pace, but I still only managed four circuits before it all slipped into my body. Six minutes later, I started the third test where I circulated everything at a high speed. The high speed worked the best so far, and it reached six circuits before I ran out of mana again. For the final test, I sent my mana rushing through the mana veins at the maximum speed that I could manage. Eight circuits later my mana was exhausted and I was left to ponder over what was the best way to handle things. The higher the speed the longer my mana lasted, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much mana it would take to properly enhance my body. If it took a large amount of mana than it might be best to go at a slow or moderate speed to more quickly start up the mana enhancement, but if it didn¡¯t take a lot of mana then the highest speed would be the best choice. In the end, I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with a proper answer until I learned to control the enhancement of my body. After all, just passively filling your body up with mana couldn¡¯t really be considered a true enhancement. I found myself yawning from the all nighter I had pulled and decided that those experiments could wait until tomorrow afternoon.
Endurance increased by 1! Strength increased by 1! Speed increased by 2! Spirit increased by 2! Lesser Mana Wielder (UC) ***** evolved into Greater Mana Wielder ? ***** Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Spirit Regeneration (Passive) (B) * evolved into Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * Minor Spirit Regeneration (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Lesser Mana Vein (Passive) (UC) ***** evolved into Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ? ***** Basic Disease Resist (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (B) * leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 7 84% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 7 73% Fool (B) LVL 7 90% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 8 55% Beast Killer (B) LVL 8 48% Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 97% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 6 14% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 4 81% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 70
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 67/130 8/46 12 per min (-2.75) 14 10 11 8 24
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Minor Burns x30
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 7 34% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 2 40% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 76% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 73% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 7 97% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 5 56% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 3 61% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 44% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 59% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 32 New World Day 12 The afternoon of my 12th day in the New World was ushered in with a series of bangs. I bolted upright as I realized that something was banging against the garage door. Did something other than the blood mosquitoes figure out that I was hiding out down here? I needed to investigate what was going on. I pulled on some socks and shoes to go with the jeans and t-shirt that I had worn to bed and crept over to the door that led to the garage. I grabbed the shotgun leaning against the love seat along the way and then peeled off the tape holding the beach towel to the door frame. Once the towels were out of the way, I cracked open the door and slipped through into the garage where I hid behind the Ranger. Light was pouring through the garage door windows, and it lit up the entire length of the garage without the need for any candles or lanterns. Considering the length of the garage, I was a good distance away from the garage door windows, but I was happy for that large size. It not only gave me a place to train, but also gave a lot of hiding places and defensive space. My parents originally planned to make a large family room here instead of a garage when they had built the house. Family room? That thought struck a chord with me, but as I stared at the garage door windows from behind the Ranger, I couldn¡¯t quite figure out why. AH! That¡¯s why! The fireplace that is in the great room upstairs. There was supposed to be one down here as well, and the flume was built for it. It''s just that when they decided to make this area a garage they blocked it off. If I opened that area back up I could cook my food here in the safety of the garage, and the smell would go up and out the chimney. I knew that many beasts had incredible senses of smell, and I was sure that magic would only serve to strengthen that ability. However, I believe that the python and frog wouldn¡¯t be able to track the smell since it would be drifting down from the sky if they could get a whiff of the smell at all. As for the bird, I knew that birds hunted by sight and sound instead of smell. The bird would no doubt see the smoke, but if it didn¡¯t see any accompanying food, then it should leave me alone. It would be a considerable risk since if they did find me I would lose my only safe spot, but it was a far better solution than cooking outside had been. Besides, my supplies would only last for so long, and considering how high my resistances had leveled up by eating cooked crayfish tails, I feared that eating them raw would kill me. In the madness of the past few days, I hadn¡¯t had a chance to consider what I was going to do, but now I saw a excellent solution in front of me. Before I started to get things set up for my garage based kitchen though, I needed to figure out what was going on outside. The appearance of the solution to a problem that had been plaguing distracted me for a bit, but finding that solution wouldn¡¯t matter if I was about to be overwhelmed by beasts. I had watched the windows, but with my distracted mind ,I hadn¡¯t really seen what was happening. Now that I concentrated on the sight, I saw that it was around 10 large birds fighting each other. Every once in awhile one of them would either dodge in such a way that they would ram into the door, or another bird would smash them into the door. I saw dents formed from the impacts all over the door. I wasn¡¯t sure how much more the door could take. I needed to get rid of these birds, but there was something off about them. They were nowhere near the size of the bird that kept stealing my food. They were however still as large as a bald eagle, and I didn¡¯t recognize them at all. With all of the time I had spent here over the years, I was sure that I knew all of the Old World birds native to the area. That meant that they were New World species and were sure to be more dangerous than even their large size and sharp talons suggested. As I watched the fighting outside, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they were all fighting about until I happened to see a glint of red on the ground in front of me from the corner of my eye. That¡¯s right, the corpses from the blood mosquito swarm must be out there. They were of a small size, but there must be hundreds of thousands of corpses out there. That would be more than enough to fill the stomachs of even birds of that size. There seemed to be three species of birds fighting over the corpses out there. There was one long legged bird that was light pink and had a long sharp dagger shaped peak. The legs of the bird reminded me of a great blue heron or considering the color of the bird a flamingo. Unlike either of those two species, this bird could breathe fire. I got a look at its mouth one time right before it sent a gout of fire at another bird and there was an odd u-shaped groove along the top and bottom of its beak that extended out far enough that the bird couldn¡¯t tightly close its mouth. When its mouth was closed, the groves formed a perfect circle from which the bird spit fire. The second type of bird was pitch black with blood red eyes. It reminded me of a raven if a raven was three times its normal size. Aside from the increased size, the black bird had steel grey talons and a similar beak. From my observations, this bird relied on its strong and sharp talons and beak to catch and kill its prey. The last bird was a bit smaller than the other two birds, but it made up for it with its incredible speed and the ability to create small tornadoes with a beat of its wings. This last bird was an azure blue color with yellow talons and a green beak. I couldn¡¯t help but think that it was an odd color scheme for a bird. None of the three birds had any additional patterns on their plumage which I found strange as well. The more I watched the fighting, the more I saw a pattern within it. A pattern that made me think that there might be a symbiotic relationship between two of the three species. The smaller azure bird would send out those small tornadoes that would cause great clouds of blood mosquito corpses to fly into the air, and the pink bird would spit fire out that would cook the blood mosquitoes. The black colored bird didn¡¯t add anything to the mix though. It just seemed to be hungry. Now that I had a good idea of what was going on, I needed to get rid of the birds somehow. Their fighting was making a mess of my garage door. It was a minor miracle that they hadn¡¯t broken it already. Aside from the door, I needed them to leave so that I could work on opening up the blocked fireplace without attracting any unwanted visitors due to the sound. As I thought of the fireplace and my hopes of cooking a meal in peace, I thought of something. What was I going to cook? It was pretty late in the day and I didn¡¯t have any food stored that I could cook up. My thoughts were pushed back to the more immediate issue when another dent was added to the garage door by a wayward bird. A mischievous smile crossed my lips as I thought that perhaps I should have some bird for dinner tonight. If I was going to eat those annoying birds, I needed to change the ammo in the shotgun from the slugs to birdshot. I crept back into the bedroom and then went into the workshop to grab the birdshot from the gun safe. I hadn¡¯t thought that I would have a need for it anymore, but I was glad that the shells wouldn¡¯t go to waste. For good measure, I strapped on the pistol and slid my axe into the loop meant for a hammer on my jeans in case the birdshot didn¡¯t have the effect I hoped for. It was a little awkward to walk with that long shaft bumping into my leg, but I would make it work for the moment. The next issue was how was I going to get the garage door open without the birds attacking me as I opened it. As I pondered that issue, something yellow caught my eye from one of the bins on the metal shelves next to the workbench. It was some of the rope my dad kept handy for odd uses. A good idea struck me when I saw that rope. I grabbed the rope and took it along with the shotgun into the garage from the door in the workshop. I crouched down when I entered the garage to keep the birds from seeing me by accident. Then I took the rope and tied it to a metal piece on top of the garage door and unlocked the door before I threw the rope over the top of the ATV blockade. With that part done, I backed out of the garage and went back around through the workshop and bedroom into the back of the garage. I crouched down again and slipped by the Ranger to the ATVs and grabbed the rope sitting there. I put the shotgun on the seat of the middle ATV, unbuttoned the flap of the pistol holster, and took the axe out of the loop to lean it against the ATV. Now everything was ready. I started to circulate my mana slowly and did one full loop before I shifted to circulating it at my highest speed. At the current rate of circulation, my mana would run out in just a few minutes, but it should be enough for what I had planned. Once I felt the mana boost my body¡¯s strength, I pulled the rope tight with my left arm and yanked the garage door up with all of my strength. The door squeaked and rumbled as it shot into the air. I twined the rope around my left arm a couple of times to keep the tension on the rope tight enough that the door wouldn¡¯t go crashing back down to the ground. The noise startled but didn¡¯t frighten the three groups of birds. That was just fine. If they had been scared then my dinner would have flown away anyways. After the birds got over their surprise, they all seemed to think that a better prey had presented itself to them and started to fly my way. I held the shotgun stock at my hip with my right hand while my left worked the pump. I fired off all of the shots in quick succession and sprayed the entire open area in front of me with birdshot before the 10 of them had a chance to get close to me. The spray of pellets worked just as I hoped and all 10 of them plummeted to the ground with high-pitched screeches of pain and injured wings. I hadn¡¯t intended to kill any of them with the birdshot. I only wanted to use it to injure their wings to keep them from flying around and dive bombing me. This success didn¡¯t mean that the danger was over though, and just to drive that point home, I ducked down behind the ATV blockade to dodge four gouts of flame. Three small tornadoes peppered me with gravel and flipped over the other two ATVs that weren¡¯t held down by my weight and sent them skidding toward the Ranger whose mesh doors were now aflame from the gouts of fire. The scent of sulfur and burning plastic filled the air. The three black birds were in the worst shape since they relied on getting close to their prey to do damage, and I heard them screeching in anger as they hopped towards me on their little legs. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. After dodging that first volley of magic, I drew my pistol and popped back up. I aimed for the four fire breathing birds first and before they could react to me, I dropped them with two quick shots each. I dropped back down right away and put all of my weight on the ATV as three more small tornadoes stormed into the garage. Gravel pelted me again, and one hit the crown of my head hard enough that I felt blood trickle down my neck. I weathered the second storm with minor injuries, jumped back up, and fired three quick shots at the azure birds. I hit two of the birds in the chest, but the third shot only tore a furrow in the last bird¡¯s left wing. I put that bird down with my last round but not before it managed to let loose one last tornado. The birds had hopped close enough by this time that the tornado didn¡¯t launch any more gravel at me. What it did do was far worse though. It launched the three black birds into the air. The birds couldn¡¯t fly on their own due to their injured wings, but they were able to spread their wings and glide in the air over my head with the support of that tornado. When the first bird soared right above me, it tucked its wings and dive bombed me like a kamikaze jet. I abandoned the now empty pistol and rolled to my left. The dagger-like beak slashed a long cut down my right leg before it smashed beak first into the concrete floor. Its sharp beak pierced deep into the concrete foundation. Deep enough that for a moment it was stuck vertically like an arrow lodged in the ground. I stopped my roll so that I could push myself to my feet and use my right hand to scoop up the axe that had tumbled to the ground next to the ATV after that last tornado attack. I wanted to kill that first bird with the axe before it could work its beak lose from the concrete, but the second bird came soaring at me just a few seconds after the first. It followed a similar pattern and tucked its wings to dive at my exposed back. I let the rope still twisted around my left arm go and jumped backwards right as it tucked its wings for the dive. The garage door slammed down with an enormous bang when I let go of the rope. The jump saved me from its beak, but this bird was smarter than the first. It twisted mid-dive so that its talons faced my chest and thrust them at my chest. I backpedalled into the Ranger in an attempt to avoid the strike. However, my dodge was only partly successful. The talons failed to pierce my heart yet still gouged six bloody trenches in the center of my chest. Whew, that was close, but I wasn¡¯t out of the woods left. My dodge caused me to back into the burning mesh doors of the Ranger, and as I stumbled forward in an attempt to keep my shirt from catching fire, the last bird spread its wings out wide and came floating at my face talons first. It was too late for any conscious thought to save me, but my instincts and mana fueled body took over. My entire body went limp and I dropped bonelessly to the floor. The drop saved me from the bird and put the fire on my back out at the same time. The bird on the other hand wasn¡¯t so lucky. It went flying into the burning door of the Ranger with such force that the damaged door tore off of its hinges and collapsed around the bird like a burning net. Looking backwards, I heard the bird screeching in pain and saw it rolling around on the driver¡¯s seat struggling to escape from its fiery predicament. That was one bird that wasn¡¯t going to bother me for awhile now. I would deal with the other two first before coming to finish off that one. The second bird was on its feet, but was stumbling around dazed. It looked like it had hit its head on something. That trick with its talons must have messed up its landing. The first bird managed to pull its beak out of the concrete and hopped towards me though. Those blood red eyes filled with murderous intent as it came to finish me off. Before it could get close enough to stab me with its beak, I pushed against the ground as hard as I could with my left hand so that my upper body rose up, twisted my body to the left, and lashed out with the axe clutched in my right hand. A metallic clang echoed through the garage as the axe cut through the bird¡¯s left wing and buried itself in its chest. The bird fell dead to the floor without a chance to retaliate. I stared dumbfounded at the bird. I couldn¡¯t believe my own strength. Judging by the sound from when the axe hit the bird, the bird¡¯s feathers had a metallic element to them, but despite that strong defense, the axe went right through the wing and into its chest. My mana was still circulating through my mana veins and amplifying my body¡¯s physical abilities, but I was running out of mana. The metallic feathers gave the birds a strong defense. I needed to finish the other two off before I ran out of mana. I might not be able to harm them without mana to boost my strength. The third bird was still working itself loose from the burning door, but the second looked like it was coming to its senses. Before it could finish recovering, I rolled all the way to my feet, put my foot on the dead black bird, and yanked the axe out. There was a squelching sound and blood began to pool around the dead bird once I managed to work the axe loose. The second bird regained its senses by this time, but a bird without its wings wasn¡¯t a match for me. Not even one with metal feathers. I stalked forward and swung the axe over my head with both hands. Like lightning striking a tree, the second bird was split in two by the blow before it had any chance to react. Pivoting around to face the Ranger, I strode over and finished off the last poor bird. After experiencing the horror of fire for myself, I felt sorry for the damn thing despite the fact that it just tried to kill me. The deed was done and now it was time to collect my just rewards.
You have reached level 8! 4 bonus stat points have been awarded! Survivor (B) * leveled up! Fool (B) * leveled up! Swarm Killer (B) * leveled up! Beast Killer (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Gun Mastery (B) * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 48% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 8 20% Fool (B) LVL 8 96% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 6 68% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 7 15% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 4 81% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 70
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit: Bonus Points: 88/130 10/46 12 per min (-2.75) 14 10 11 8 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Bleeding x7
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 8 66% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 11% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 8 5% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 2 40% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 22% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 19% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 2% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 5 56% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 3 61% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 44% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 59% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * *
Chapter 33 New World Day 12 I dropped the axe to the ground once the final blow was struck and tore off my burnt, bloody, and ripped shirt. A large grin spread across my face as I used it to put out the fires that the pink birds had started. I had done it. All 10 birds were dead. It had proven to be much more dangerous than I had expected thanks to that last azure bird¡¯s tornado, but I survived. With minimal injuries too! After I put out the fires, I opened up the garage door and dragged the corpses of the other seven birds into the garage. I made a point to put the two lanterns in the sun to charge back up before closing and locking it. I didn¡¯t want anything to steal my food, and I didn¡¯t want to have to use candles again to light up the rooms at night. Now that I had all 10 birds inside, I grabbed two empty buckets from the workshop and drained all of the blood into the first one. I used the second one to hold all of the internal organs from the birds. The only internal organ of sorts that didn¡¯t go into the second bucket was the mana stone. The mana stones from the birds were smaller than the ones I took out of the forest coyotes and geyser crayfish, but the inner glow was brighter. I didn¡¯t want to mess with them at the moment so after I cleaned them I set them on the workbench in the workshop for future experiments. I had never prepared a bird for cooking from start to finish before, but I had watched my dad and uncle dress a turkey in the past. I plucked all of the feathers from the ten birds and cut off their heads with the axe. I put their heads in the bucket with the internal organs. Now that they were dressed as best I could manage, I proceeded to grab some bleach and the torn up remains of some of my shirts and cleaned up the garage including setting the barricades back up. I wiped the sweat from my brow and elected to get rid of the two disgusting buckets after I finished with cleaning the garage. I checked for any danger outside, then slipped out of the garage, and threw the blood and organs over the hill towards the lake before I dashed back inside and locked the garage door again. I saw that almost the entire ground outside was covered in the little red corpses of blood mosquitoes. There had been far more of them out there than I had ever suspected. Shaking my head, I realized how lucky I had been to survive the swarm. I had to think of a better way to handle any future swarms, but it was time to move on to the next step of my current endeavor. I needed to open up the fireplace in the garage. I picked up a sledgehammer from the side of the garage and walked over to the outside facing wall. It wasn¡¯t hard to see where the fireplace was originally supposed to be located. The concrete was darker there and just to be safe I knocked on the concrete to determine that it was hollow behind there. With the location determined, I circulated my mana and pumped up my body¡¯s strength to its highest point. I smashed the sledgehammer into the concrete wall with all of my strength. A loud crack rang out and echoed through the garage. I didn¡¯t want to drag the process out for longer than I had to due to the fear of something more dangerous finding me so I swung again and again with all of my might until I had cleared a large opening to use for cooking. The edges were crumbling and uneven, but beauty wasn¡¯t important at this point. Hmm, I had my fireplace, but it wasn¡¯t going to be easy to cook in it. I needed the grate from the fireplace out front and some of the blocks to hold it up above the fire. I checked out the surrounding area for anything dangerous before I stole out, grabbed the metal grate, and dragged in eight blocks from the outside fireplace. It took three trips to get everything inside, but I didn¡¯t run into any trouble. When I passed the corpses of some forest coyotes along the way, I was tempted to look for their mana stones, but I didn¡¯t want to get caught out here in the open without any weapons. One big brawl was enough for today. I set to work getting the fireplace setup once I had gathered everything I needed from outside and was back in the safety of the garage. The fireplace didn¡¯t have much depth. There was just enough room to fit two of the blocks side by side. I set two blocks on each side of the fireplace, and then I put the remaining four on top of those four. I finished things up by placing the metal grate on top of the blocks. Now I had something to put the food on and room underneath to start and stoke the fire. I should have grabbed some kindling when I went out to steal the blocks and grate, but it slipped my mind. I rummaged through the boxes and bins of the workshop instead of going back outside until I found a decent supply of cedar planks and scraps. My dad had made some circular cedar planks that were used as centerpieces at a few weddings. These must have been the leftovers from those projects. There was just enough for one good fire. I would have to move some of the firewood from by the original firepit into the garage tomorrow. I had everything that I needed for the moment though. I piled in the cedar scraps first and used the lighter from my makeshift flamethrower to start the fire before I tossed in a few of the planks to really get the fire going. My new fireplace was wide enough that I could fit four of the birds on the grate at one time. As the fire built up to an acceptable temperature, I went over to my supply of spices in the workshop to see if there was anything I could rub onto the birds, but nothing caught my eye. I put four pink birds on the metal grate to cook once the fire was roaring. While the birds were cooking, one small part of my mind was keeping an eye on them while the rest was deciding on what to do with all of the title points that I received thanks to my mana vein skill. I thought about purchasing a variety of spells and resistances along with some combat skills that I could use with my axe, but one thought kept popping in my head. How was I going to protect myself from the blood mosquitoes next time that they appeared? They had a short life span, but I feared that like many insects their eggs would hatch multiple times a year. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I would be stuck out here. I could very well still be here the next time they hatched. I needed more than just towels, duct tape, and a flamethrower next time that they hatched. As I pondered over a solution, a thought struck me, What about barrier magic of some kind? I was excited over the prospect of such magic. Such magic could protect me from more than the blood mosquitoes too. I asked the System to show all the available barrier skills right away. Three skills appeared, and there was one that stuck out like a sore thumb.
Available Barrier Skills: Basic Mana Barrier (Active) (B) * Cost: 10 point Basic Strong Mana Barrier (Active) (B) ** Cost: 20 points Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * Cost: 65 points
The first two skills seemed to be personal protection spells which would no doubt be useful, but they weren¡¯t what I was looking for. The last skill though, Basic Barrier Runes, looked to be what I wanted. The only issue was the extreme cost of the skill. If I bought the skill and it wasn¡¯t something I could make use of, then I wouldn¡¯t have enough points left to buy either of the other two skills. I sat there debating on the best path to take as the fire flickered and crackled from a mix of the burning cedar and the dripping juices of the four birds. A strong cedar smell mixed with hints of grilling chicken started to fill the room. There was something odd about the chicken smell. Something off that I just couldn¡¯t quite place, but my mind wasn¡¯t really into figuring out what was different at the moment. I was still sitting there watching the fire and tending the birds while I worried over the risk of buying the Barrier Runes skill when a powerful shriek bounced down through the fireplace and into the garage. The shriek was loud enough that the metal grate rattled and it pushed the fire down into the depths of the fireplace for a moment.Stolen novel; please report. That shriek was from the big bird that had come to steal my food the two times I cooked outside. I had named it a thunderwind hawk after the loud shriek it let out every time it appeared and the powerful winds it used to fight the python and the frog. There was a series of clattering sounds coming from the roof right after the shriek. I hoped that I heard the sounds thanks to the fireplace because otherwise if they were loud enough to reach me in the garage then the hawk might have torn through the roof of the house. I sat there with sweat pouring down my bare torso as I waited for the hawk to make a move. Ten minutes later, I hadn¡¯t heard any more noise from the hawk, and the four birds had turned a nice deep brown. I swiped them off of the grate without a care for the heat and started to devour them. I wanted to eat them as quickly as I could so that the smell would dissipate which should then cause the hawk to leave me alone. The birds were tender though a little dry and there was a coppery tang to them that I suspected came from eating all of those blood mosquitoes. The tang made me a little uncomfortable, but they were still good. Just not as good as the crayfish tails. After a few minutes and a handful of minor burns, there were just bones left from the four birds. A half hour later there was another clatter and shriek. I hoped that meant the hawk had flown away. Phew, that was close. After such a close call, I made up my mind. I was going to take the risk. I purchased the Basic Barrier Runes skill from the System. A torrent of knowledge poured into my mind after I purchased the skill. There was 20 times as much knowledge as the two footwork skills combined being forced into my brain, and there was an accompanying increase in the pain as well. I fell backwards flat on my back in the garage and just lay there twitching until the System finished pushing all of the skill information into my brain. The pain was excruciating, but when it was done, I smiled and let out a long hearty laugh. The skill was even better than I had dreamed it could be. It was perfect!
Basic Barrier Runes (B) * LVL 1 0% : This skill conveys to the user all of the knowledge necessary to use the seven basic barrier runes. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. Higher ranks allow the user to create a set of runes more quickly and carve them on more surfaces. Higher rarity versions of the skill contain more than the seven basic runes and allow the user to create barriers that are hidden from senses of others, barriers that draw on the natural mana in the air to power them, and/or barriers that use other energies to power them.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 48% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 8 20% Fool (B) LVL 8 96% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 6 68% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 7 15% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 4 81% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 96/130 46/46 12 per min (-2.75) 14 10 11 8 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Minor Burns x4
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 8 66% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 11% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 8 8% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 2 40% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 60% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 74% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 82% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 5 56% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 3 77% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 44% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 59% Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * * *
Chapter 34 New World Day 13 I put the three black birds on the metal grate to cook as I sorted out my newfound knowledge of barrier runes. I intended to cook all of the birds and store the remaining six in the refrigerator¡¯s freezer for tomorrow¡¯s dinner. The freezer wasn¡¯t working without power of course, but it remained cooler than any other place in the basement. Cool enough to keep the birds from spoiling for a day¡¯s time without a hitch. Once the birds were situated, I began to lay out the plans for how to use my new skill. I felt that the barrier runes and their usage had some similarities to computer circuits. There was a central rune that represented the creation of a barrier. Then there were surrounding runes that connected to the central rune to determine the size, intensity, duration, repulsion direction, and activation method for the barrier. There was an additional seventh rune that was used for linking together multiple central runes together to create larger or odd shaped barriers. The barrier could be powered either by my own mana or by putting mana stones in the activation rune. The runes were the answer to a number of issues that I had run into so far. I could carve the runes into the walls, ceiling and ground of the basement to create a comprehensive barrier to protect my entire hideout. Beyond that, I could create a set of mobile barrier tools to use when I needed to camp outside. That would be essential on my way to Cincinnati to meet up with my family. The knowledge that the System. provided to me gave me a warning that this type of barrier didn¡¯t hide its mana signature which meant that there was the chance that any activation of the barrier could attract some creature or beast that fed on mana or hunted by tracking mana. That fact meant that I couldn¡¯t just have the barrier activated 24/7. I didn¡¯t have enough mana stones to have it running all of the time anyways so that wasn¡¯t much of a problem. What made me ecstatic was that there was the implication that there were barriers that could hide their mana signature, and the fact that the System made mention of a higher rank barrier that could absorb the mana from the surrounding area to power itself. Those two upgrades were at the top of my mental purchase list as soon as I learned of their potential existence, but a cursory search of the System didn¡¯t turn up any skills that might allow me to acquire them at the moment. I would just need to keep them in mind while I experimented with the knowledge that I had already acquired. I was interested to see what would happen if I made changes to the seven runes that I learned from the System, but those experiments would have to wait until I could find a way to make sure that I was safe in case the altered runes failed in a spectacular fashion. I chose to concentrate on using the basic knowledge that the skill granted me in order to give myself a measure of true protection. My nose twitched thanks to a strong burning smell. The smell roused from my state of introspection. The three birds were charred black while I wasn¡¯t paying attention. I cut off all of the burnt parts for disposal after I removed the birds from the grate and then put the remaining edible parts on a plate in the freezer. I learnt my lesson after that failure and kept my full attention on the last three birds as I cooked them. The hawk didn¡¯t return to investigate my cooking during the process of cooking these last six birds to my great relief. I doused the fire just enough that it wasn¡¯t a roaring fire any longer and turned my full attention to the barrier runes once the cooked birds were all secure in the freezer. The barrier runes needed to be carved exactly in order to work properly. The depth of the carving would determine how much mana could run through the runes at one time, and the intent and image I had in my mind as I carved them could help the runes reach a greater strength and efficiency. As such, practice was important. I couldn¡¯t just up and carve a perfect barrier right away just because I had all of the theoretical knowledge. Knowing how to do something like say blacksmithing and actually being able to forge a sword were two very different things. I needed to practice until I could carve the runes without a single mistake before I started work on erecting the barrier for my hideout. I had the perfect practice material too thanks to my dad¡¯s woodworking. Aside from the cedar planks and scraps that I had used for the fire, there were a lot of pressure treated wood scraps that weren¡¯t suitable to be used for a cooking fire. They remained useful as practice material for my rune carving skills though. The experience of carving the runes on small items such as the wood scraps would serve me well when I created portable barriers in the future. I collected all of the scraps from the workshop and brought them into the back of the garage along with a nice sharp knife and a whetstone. I took the whetstone and worked on my faithful axe before I started practicing my rune carving. I had abused it over the last two weeks, and it needed to be sharpened. The blade had grown dull and there were nicks though no cracks along the blade. I did the best I could with it, but I knew that I would have to find another axe pretty soon at this rate. It was something I would have to keep an eye out for when I went to look for clothing in my neighbor¡¯s houses. I retrieved the two lanterns from outside and turned my full attention to carving runes into the scraps after I finished sharpening my axe. I carved all night under the light of the smouldering embers of my cook fire, all the next morning, and all afternoon without a single bit of rest. It wasn¡¯t until the sun was setting that I tore myself away from my practice. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by scraps of wood carved with misshapen runes of varying depths. I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be easy before I started, but it proved to be even harder than I expected. It was going to take much more than a single night and day of practice before I was ready to start creating an actual barrier.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Now that my attention was not laser-focused on carving runes, I felt my body protesting in a variety of painful ways. I was hungry, thirsty, and desperately needed to use the restroom. Once I satisfied all of my bodily needs, I was prepared to continue my practice, but when I picked up the knife and started carving again, I began to make all kinds of careless mistakes. I decided that I needed to rest before I continued training of any kind after the third time I cut myself by accident. I piled up all of the scraps to one side in a messy pile and then brought both of the lanterns into the bedroom to rest. I turned on one of them just long enough to get situated before I switched it off and fell sound asleep. It had been a busy but fulfilling day and that sense of fulfillment chased the nightmares away for one night at least.
Endurance increased by 1! Extremely Stubborn Fool leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 48% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 8 20% Fool (B) LVL 8 96% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 6 68% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 7 15% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 3 71% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 4 81% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 3 67% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 135/135 46/46 12 per min (-2.75) 15 10 11 8 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 8 66% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 11% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 8 41% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 2 40% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 78% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 83% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 96% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 5 56% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 3 77% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 44% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 59% Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) LVL 4 19% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * * *
Chapter 35 New World Day 14 When I woke up that next morning and after I checked for any dangerous critters, I used the proper facilities outside for my bodily functions. Following that up, I took the two lanterns out to bask in the dim light of a cloudy sky before making haste back to into the garage. There were a variety of things that were just wrong about the outside environment this morning. All of the blood mosquitoes were gone. They had disappeared like they had never existed at all. I would have doubted that they had ever existed if I hadn¡¯t seen them for myself. That wasn¡¯t even the most disturbing thing that I saw. The goblin tracks were back and the larger creature was with them. I wanted to believe that it was a coincidence that they kept showing up around this area, but I feared that there was more to it than that. I just didn¡¯t know what kept drawing them to the house. If it was me, then I would think that they would have smashed their way into the basement just like they had the upstairs. Something was going on here. I just couldn''t put my finger on where the problem lay just yet. I decided to update my journals on the previous day¡¯s events and lessons once I stopped worrying about the goblins and their leader. I made sure to notate everything I learned about barrier runes from the System and my own practice. I hoped that by writing down everything I could about the runes that someone else could use my notes to learn the skill without spending a crap ton of Title Points to purchase the skill. Such a thing, if it worked, could be of immense use. I was tempted to continue training the skill today as well, but there were a few things that I had to get done today before I could afford to lose myself in training again. Besides, there were other skills that I needed to work on acquiring. I needed to figure out a proper mana enhancement skill for one thing. The fact that the System hadn¡¯t yet informed me that I had learned such a skill meant that I was doing something wrong or missing a step somewhere. I had an idea about what I was missing, but I needed some time to work it out. Aside from that skill, I had to keep training my footwork and axe skills along with increasing my basic physical abilities as much as possible. There wouldn¡¯t be much point in not spending the bonus stat points if I didn¡¯t train to increase my stats as much as possible. That was all for later tonight though. I ate a small breakfast of chips and water. Not healthy in the slightest, but still satisfying. I packed a couple of granola bars and a pair of plastic water bottles in my backpack for a trip out to the other houses. I strapped on the pistol, took the shotgun, loaded with slugs instead of birdshot, and grabbed my axe. I didn¡¯t bring any extra ammo with me since I didn¡¯t have much of a supply left. I wanted to keep some of the ammo in reserve in case of an emergency, but I knew that the time where I would have to transition to a more primal combat style was rapidly approaching. The quarry that I sought today was clothes that might fit me and a replacement axe or two. I kept a keen eye on the nearby trees just in case the shadow trees had returned as I advanced up the driveway towards the front field, but they remained missing in action. I hoped those damn things never returned. I passed through the opening in the tree line and into the front field without any trouble, but I was startled by what I saw when I looked out over the front field. The tall grass grew even taller than before, but what startled me even more was that large sections of it had been trampled. More disconcerting, clumps of the grass near the areas trampled on shone a dull red. There had been a fight here, but I didn¡¯t catch a whiff of the tell-tale stench of decay. Did the fight continue elsewhere or did it not result in any deaths? I approached the scene of the fighting with caution to see if I could find any clues as to who had been fighting. The bent over grass made it impossible for me to use footprints to figure out the fight¡¯s participants, but a calm appraisal of the scene gave me a few hints. I found tufts of green fur along with some scraps of leather hidden among the trampled grasses. I concluded that there had been a fight between goblins and forest coyotes here. That was at least the second time those two groups had clashed. Were the goblins hunting the coyotes for food or vice versa? Well either way, as long as they were busy fighting each other then it would make things easier for me. I proceeded to the road through one of the holes in the fence and went to the first of the houses. I felt bad rummaging through their things, but I hoped they would understand considering the current state of the world. I was a bit afraid that the System wouldn¡¯t make such a distinction and give me a grave robber or looter title, but I hadn¡¯t received any such title for now at least. The first stop proved to be a bust. I was much too tall for any of the clothes and there was no axe that to be found. I suspected that there might be one in the nearby barn, but I didn¡¯t feel like taking the chance of the barn housing a python like my barn. I walked down the road to inspect the other houses instead. I noticed three more sites along the way where it looked like the goblins and forest coyotes had fought one another. They must really be going at it. If they were fighting this much then was one side about to crush the other or were they evenly matched? If they were evenly matched, did that mean that there was a forest coyote as strong as the leader of the goblins? I shuddered at the thought of such a dangerous forest coyote. Their numbers were bad enough. If you added in some crazy strong individuals, then they would become an even deadlier threat. I mulled over the possibility of a forest coyote that was a kind of alpha of alphas as I investigated most of the remaining houses. I found two axes that would serve as potential replacements for my current axe. I stashed them in the loops on either side of the backpack. There was one house that had clothing that would fit me. I succeeded in finding four additional pairs of jeans and a dozen shirts. My backpack was overflowing with so much clothing that I had to switch my original axe to the loop on my jeans. It made it a little awkward to walk, but it kept my hands free to hold onto the shotgun in case of trouble as I headed to the last two houses. The last two houses were only a few hills away from the area where I saw the thunder bison and the earth swimmer. I was a bit leery of going too near that area just in case the earth swimmer¡¯s territory had expanded, but I wanted to check the houses out anyways. The second to last house was a double wide mobile home with a faded white exterior. The front screen door had been torn off and lay in the yard just in front of the mobile home. I walked up to the front door and twisted the door handle enough to crack the door and then pushed it the rest of the way open with the shotgun barrel. Inside of the house the initial area was a small family room. There was a hallway to my left that had three doors two on one side and one on the other. The hallway ended in a kitchen area and a door to the side yard. I glanced around the family room to see if there was anything important before I headed down the hallway to inspect the three rooms. The family room looked like some small animals such as raccoons or possums had taken up residence in the area. I hoped that the other rooms weren¡¯t wrecked quite as thoroughly. The house wasn¡¯t this bad the last time I was in here almost two weeks ago. I looked through the three rooms which turned out to be two bedrooms and a bathroom, but there weren¡¯t any clothes that I could use. There were clean towels and blankets that I would like to bring back to my place, but I didn¡¯t want to overburden myself with such large items until I reached a point that I was confident in defending myself against the dangerous creatures that I knew lurked in the area. I moved on to the kitchen to see if I missed any food that I might be able to use and was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets when I heard the clack of claws on wood. Something was outside on the front porch! I could see down the hallway into the family room when it entered the house thanks to my current position. The dim sunlight reflected through the broken glass of the family room windows to cast the creature in a mix of shadows and light. It was the leader of the goblins, and it was my first true glimpse of him. He was yellowish green and at least a foot taller than the goblins yet still possessed their characteristic long arms. His facial features and hair were comparable to normal goblin¡¯s, but a pair of small white tusks grew out of the corners of his mouth. His armor and weapons were of a far higher quality than what the other goblins possessed. He had a shiny short sword in his left hand that had fresh blood sliding down the blade to drip onto the floor. His armor was a smooth matching black leather set that consisted of a chest plate, a pair of bracers, shin guards, and a leather kilt. There was something much more menacing about him than a normal goblin. Something that his larger physique and tusks couldn¡¯t account for. There was an aura of authority and confidence along with a spark of intelligence that I saw only a faint version of in the smaller goblins. After considering it for a few moments, I came to the conclusion that it wasn¡¯t the authority or confidence that made him so menacing, though they certainly helped. No, it was that spark of intelligence. His eyes reminded me of the eyes of the python from the barn despite the intelligence contained within them. It was as if everything in the world except himself was prey for him to hunt down and devour. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I found that gaze terrifying.I was trembling in fear even though it wasn¡¯t directed at me. I had been disappointed in myself when I attacked the first few goblins that I encountered without trying to speak to them peacefully. After getting a good look at their leader, I knew in my mind that it would be useless to try and reason with them. That creature was not someone who could be trusted. Even if he did appear to go along with any talks of peace, he would be the type to stab you in the back as soon as your back was turned. And yet while my head said one thing, my heart said another. My heart said that I had to make the attempt. That I shouldn¡¯t judge beings from another world solely by my world¡¯s standards. That if I didn¡¯t attempt to bridge the gap between species now then I may never be able to gather the courage to make the attempt. I followed my heart in the end. I started circulating my mana yet lowered my shotgun to point at the floor, gave the creature my friendliest smile, and said, ¡°Hello! I¡¯m not sure you can understand me, but I hope that we can establish friendly relations. We are both stuck in an unfamiliar world, and we are both being forced to face dangers that we should never have had to face. If we cooperate our chances of survival will shoot up.¡± He tilted his head and showed me a crooked smile as I lowered my weapon and gave him my pitch. He raised his arms out wide and walked slowly towards me, his blade still dripping blood onto the floor. Drip! Drip! Drip! He took five slow steps towards me before his smile changed to a cruel smirk. He dashed towards me with incredible speed and thrust his blade straight at my chest. I was too slow to avoid the thrust even with my mana already circulating. I twisted to the side just in time to keep the blade from striking my heart. It pierced deep into my side instead. I smashed the shotgun barrel into the creature¡¯s stomach and pulled the trigger as the blade drove itself into my innards. The force of the blast sent both of us reeling backwards. The creature lost its grip on its sword which remained stuck in my side and flailed at me with its right hand as it staggered backwards. Its claws tore off a chunk of my shirt from my left shoulder along with a layer of skin. I stumbled backwards into the center of the kitchen and stretched out my left hand to grab onto a kitchen counter. I used the counter to steady myself and keep from falling over. Blood poured out from my right side and flooded down my right leg to pool on the kitchen floor. Even the tiniest of movements sent a torrent of pain through my body. The creature wasn¡¯t in any better shape. The slug blasted apart the chest armor, and there was a deep hole in the center of its chest. The slug failed to pass all the way through its body. The creature¡¯s own skin and muscle was enough to stop the slug. The creature covered its stomach wound with its left hand to staunch the bleeding and gazed at me with eyes full of malevolent intent. White energy visible to the naked eye leaked from its body and the wound in its chest started to close with incredible speed. I let go of the kitchen counter and pumped the shotgun to load the next round. Bang! Pump! Bang! Pump! Bang! Three more shots tore new holes in the creature¡¯s body and sent it careening backwards into the family room. The white light leaking from its body strengthened for a moment before it began to rapidly dim. It must take a lot out of him to heal a wound that quickly. The creature gave me one last glare before it stumbled out of the house into the front yard. That bastard wasn¡¯t getting away that easily. I gritted my teeth, held the sword in my side steady with my right hand, and chased after the creature. The handle of the axe stuck in the loop of my jeans smacked against the side of my left leg with each hard fought step. I reached the door to the front yard just in time to see a goblin sitting astride a large forest coyote pull the creature up onto the forest coyote¡¯s back. Once the creature was up on the forest coyote¡¯s back, the goblin kicked the side of the forest coyote and it sprinted down the nearby hill into the forest. The creature curled its right hand into a fist and shook it at me as it escaped into the distance. There was an odd smile on its face even as its eyes promised retribution. The only thing I could think of as it escaped was the thought that the damn goblins hadn¡¯t been killing the forest coyotes. They had been taming them!
Survivor (B) * leveled up! Fool (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Compassionate Fool ( C ) * leveled up! Compassionate Fool ( C ) * leveled up! Compassionate Fool ( C ) * leveled up! Compassionate Fool ( C ) * leveled up! Curious Fool ( C ) * leveled up! Stupid Fool ( C ) * leveled up! Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) ** leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 48% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 9 76% Fool (B) LVL 9 80% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 8 31% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 7 15% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 4 92% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 5 57% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 4 70% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 42/135 20/46 12 per min (-2.75) 15 10 11 8 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Large Stab Wound, Bleeding x2, Internal Bleeding x4
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 8 66% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 8 41% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 2 40% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 78% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 83% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 96% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 5 84% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 3 77% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 44% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 59% Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) LVL 4 19% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** * * *
Chapter 36 New World Day 14 After the creature escaped, my first worry was that some of its subordinates would come to finish the job. I needed to get out of this place and back to my basement hideout pronto, and I wasn¡¯t going to be able to go that entire distance with a sword stuck in my side. Blood continued to pour down my right side and I left a clear trail of blood behind me as I staggered back down the hallway of the house to the bathroom. The parts of my clothes that weren¡¯t soaked with blood were soaked with sweat by the time I reached the bathroom. I yanked open the medicine cabinet doors, but I didn¡¯t find any medical wraps or gauze that I could use. Plan B then. I limped into the bedroom across the hall, dropped the shotgun to the ground, and tore the sheets off of the bed. My mana enhanced strength let me tear the sheets into wide strips despite my wounds, but I grimaced in pain every time I moved my right side. Once I had a number of strips ready, I took the axe from the loop on the left side of my jeans and used it to cut the lower half of my shirt off. I smacked my forehead with my left hand when I realized how stupid I had been. I should have used it for the sheets as well. The pain was affecting me even more than I had realized. I wanted to continue chastising myself, but now wasn¡¯t the time for distractions. I was already sweating and trembling like crazy. I needed to get this sword out of me and the bleeding stopped before I bled out so much that even my regeneration skill couldn''t save me. My mana ran out at this point, but I didn¡¯t need a lot of strength for what came next. Just a steady hand. I kneeled down on the bedroom floor, put both hands on the sword handle, closed my eyes, and concentrated on my breathing for a moment. One long breath in, one long breath out. My body stopped trembling for a moment at the end of the exhale. That was when my eyes popped open, and in one smooth motion, I pulled the sword straight out of body without the slightest deviation in any direction. I dropped the sword to the ground as soon as it was out of my body, and the trembling resumed as my concentration wavered. I nearly keeled over then and there due to a mixture of pain and relief. Now that the sword was out, the sharp edges couldn¡¯t cause any additional injuries due to the trembling, and the pain wracking my body diminished to more manageable levels. I reached for the strips I had made from the sheets and wound them tightly around my entire chest before too much blood could flood out of the now open wound. I wound four layers of sheets around my chest and put a knot in each of them to keep pressure on the wound and to keep them from slipping down. The sheets were so tight that it was a little hard to breathe, but that was a much better problem to have than bleeding out. I put the axe back through the loop in my jeans, wrapped the sword up in the remaining strips of cloth, and stuffed it in my backpack. The last thing I did before I stood up was sling the shotgun over my left shoulder. Time to get moving. I used up too much time already treating my wound. I could walk with a minimal amount of pain without the sword jostling around in my side. A smile came unbidden to my lips as that thought floated through my mind. Ha, minimal amount of pain eh? This level of pain would have been crippling to the me from the Old World. Just two weeks since the beginning of the New World, and I was amazed by the massive changes in my mentality. So far I felt that I had changed in positive ways, but I needed to keep an eye out for more negative changes. It would be all to easy to start down a dark path without realizing it. I had no one around to remind me of what was right and wrong and hold me accountable for my actions. I had to hold myself accountable and strive to hold true to my own ideals. My mind wandered more and more from the problem at hand. As I limped, staggered, and stumbled down the road towards my basement hideout, I couldn''t help but wonder what my ideals were. I could tell myself all I wanted to hold true to my ideals, but if I didn¡¯t even know what they were then what was the point? Two weeks ago I was your average college graduate. My greatest worry had been finding a path forward in life that wouldn¡¯t send me spiraling back into depression. Depression forced me to confront my inner demons. It made me start a search for something that I could do with my life that I would find meaningful. However, I had yet to find such a thing before the New World came about, and there was no event in my life until now that forced me to confront what I really stood for when everything was on the line. My mood became more and more gloomy as I realized that I had no idea what my ideals truly were. I knew I was stubborn, but that was just a personality trait, not an ideal. Dark thoughts welled up in my mind. Whispers that asked me if maybe it wasn¡¯t better to just let everything end? I didn¡¯t have anything that I truly stood for after all. Nothing that I would die for. Nothing that I would sacrifice my life for. A corner of my mind tried to scream that I had my family. That I would stand for them. That I would die for them, but those screams were drowned out by the incessant whispers. Why not just let it end? The world would be better off without a waste like me in it right? Even if I would give up everything to protect my family, I was too weak to protect them anyways. They would be better off without a weakling like me. The devilish whispers continued to grow in intensity, and as they did my legs grew heavier and my pace slowed. The pain that I thought I had conquered welled up from inside of me and drove me to my knees. There were two clatters as the butts of the shotgun and the axe hit the blacktop road. My breathing came in short stuttering gasps as I knelt there in the middle of the road. I pressed my hands against the wound in my side in a futile attempt to force the pain to subside. The pressure only made the pain grow ever worse, and as I contemplated finishing what the creature had started, the memory of our interactions and fighting played itself over and over in my mind like a skipping record. Why did I keep seeing those memories? What was my pain addled mind trying to tell me? That the whispers were right? That I was a failure? That I should have just let the creature kill me? As the memory started back over again in my mind, I watched as I spoke with the creature and gave it a chance to get close enough to attack. So stupid, why didn¡¯t I shoot it as soon as it entered my line of sight? If I shot it right away then I wouldn¡¯t be suffering like this right now. I would still have a chance to see my family again. I wouldn¡¯t have to die alone on a road in the middle of nowhere. Was I suicidal? That would explain why I had kept making the same mistakes over and over again and why I took the risk to investigate the barn and cook outside more than once. Were all of those decisions an attempt to kill myself without doing the deed myself, and why the frikken hell did I keep seeing this same damn memory again? A new whisper slipped into my mind as I watched that moment over and over again. The previous whispers had been in my voice, but this one was different. It was a voice that I had never heard before. It was powerful, sly, and seductive. It said, ¡°Weakness is not a sin. If you are weak then you just need to get stronger, and you have shown promise. A lot of promise. You just need a push in the right direction. Do you want pow¡­..¡± Ah! AH! AHHHHH! A revelation broke through and interrupted the odd voice before it could finish its pitch. I knew why I kept replaying those memories in my mind. My unconscious mind was trying to tell me that I had stood up for something. That I made a conscious choice to try and talk things out instead of just blasting away at everything I encountered. The dark thoughts and devilish whispers faded away and other memories started to return to me. Memories of my family and better, happier times. I already found an ideal to follow. It''s just that my own worries, pains, and failings kept me from seeing it until now. It was a bit simplistic and others would call it naive, but it worked for me. I would give the new creatures that I encountered a chance. A chance where we could prove to each other that there was more to us and this world than the savagery and chaos that now filled it to the brim. That was an ideal worth sticking to, and if the creatures that I encountered did not wish to rise above the chaos, then I would do what had to be done to protect myself and those I cared about. Lost in the revelatory tide was the memory of the voice and its temptations.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Strength returned to my body as I broke free from the spiral of depression that had set upon me. I forced myself to my feet with newfound determination and strode down the road to my home. Pain and exhaustion forced my body to slump and stagger along the way, but if someone could see my eyes, then they would see that they were clearer than they ever had been before. I felt that near death experiences shoved a mirror in your face and forced you to see the truth of matters for good or ill. I had been lost in darkness and indecision, searching for a path forward in the Old World, but now I had caught hold of something solid that could drive away the shadows and illuminate the path forward. That was the thought that drove me forward all the way to the house. I came across the scene of a large fight between goblins and forest coyotes as I made my way down the winding road. There were eight dead goblins and twice that many forest coyotes. It must not be easy to tame the forest coyotes, and this fight answered a number of questions for me such as why the creature had been alone and whose blood was dripping from the sword. I wanted to investigate the site of the fight, but my strength was fading. I had to keep going or else I might never make it back. I only had the strength to open the garage door halfway up by the time by the time I arrived. I crouched down and used my shoulders to keep the door open long enough to limp inside. I locked the door with an unsteady hand before I slipped off the backpack and shotgun and let them fall to the floor right inside the garage. Then I pulled the axe out from the loop on my jeans and dropped it next to everything else. Enough strength remained in my body to lurch over to the inner wall of the garage once I was freed from the extra weight of my backpack and weapons. I leaned hard against the wall and used it to make my way into the bedroom and then the bathroom. I grabbed the last two rolls of gauze from the cabinets and replaced the blood soaked sheets with it. I wanted to just lay there and fall asleep just like I did with the burns, but I one more stop remained. I walked on jelly like legs to the workshop where I drank an entire bucket of water. Now I could sleep!
Skill learned! Fear Control (B) ***
Fear Control (B) *** LVL 1 0% : This skill represents the user¡¯s ability to control the fear that they feel. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. It is a rare skill that allows the user to actively control the fear that they are currently feeling. The higher the rank the easier it is to control the fear and the more fear the user can control. Higher rarities allow the user to help others to control their fear and/or use the fear to power other skills.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 48% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 9 76% Fool (B) LVL 9 80% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 8 31% Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 7 15% Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 4 92% Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 5 57% Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 4 70% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 5
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Spirit Bonus Points: 21/135 46/46 12 per min (-2.75) 15 10 11 8 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Large Stab Wound, Bleeding x2, Internal Bleeding x4
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 8 66% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Minor Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 8 64% MInor Spirit Regen (Passive) ( C ) LVL 2 40% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 8 99% Minor Mana Control ( C ) LVL 5 84% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 3 77% Fear Control (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 44% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 3 59% Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) LVL 4 19% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * *
Chapter 37 New World Day 15 I staggered back to the bathroom from the workshop and collapsed in the shower. I slept in the shower for half a day without stirring a single time. When I finally woke up, I found I was sitting in a small pool of dried blood. I chose to sleep in the shower because I feared that my wounds would open back up and ruin the bed if I tossed and turned while I slept. That idea proved to be correct considering all of the congealed blood around me. I pushed myself to my feet and tumbled forward out of the shower as a terrible pain shot through my right side. I grabbed the back of the nearby toilet to keep myself from falling all the way back to the ground. I leaned on the back of the toilet and used it to pull myself back to my feet. I used the sink and then the entertainment center in the bedroom to hold myself upright as I made my way to the workshop wincing in pain all the way. When I reached the workshop, I drank some water and ate all of my remaining granola bars and peanut butter crackers. I would have to switch to canned goods, a couple of bags of chips, and whatever I could hunt outside for food after today. I pulled myself outside and used the crude toilet I had made after I finished with my breakfast. I was nervous about going outside in such a weakened state, but aside from my physical needs, I wanted to see if there were any tracks outside. There weren¡¯t any signs of anything snooping around this side of the house for the first time in awhile. I used the trees and rock wall to hold myself upright as I walked back inside once I was satisfied that everything was okay for the moment. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to do much exploring in the immediate future with such a critical injury. That meant I would have to spend some time training inside again before I could resume my search for a path to Falmouth. There was one thing that I wanted to think over before I did anything else. There was something about the creature¡¯s smile as it fled on the back of that forest coyote that worried me. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about that final interaction that filled me with dread. Perhaps it would be better to make an attempt to get to the meadows sooner rather than later. I felt a bit like a coward running away from a fight, but it wasn¡¯t like I thought the creature would fight fair next time we met. I barely survived a one on one fight with it, and I doubted that I would be so lucky as to encounter the creature alone again in the future. I kept postponing the attempt to reach the meadows and then the road until I had grown stronger, but that nameless dread pushed me to make the attempt as soon as my body finished healing. Since I decided to make yet another foolish and reckless choice, I better use the time that I had as best I could. I started out by updating my journals and then on figuring out how to learn a true mana enhancement skill. I suspected that the reason why I hadn¡¯t learned the skill yet is that I didn¡¯t have a proper image in my head while the mana filled my body. If I could align the image with my body and my mana then I thought that I would be able to control how my body was enhanced by the mana. I sat down against the wall in the garage where my scraps of wood laid scattered on the ground and tried to put that thought into practice, but it proved to be far more difficult than I had expected. I spent hours of fruitless practice without making any noticeable progress. Frustrated by my failures, I turned to practicing my rune carving while I waited for my mana to regenerate. The carving calmed my mind and after an hour of straight carving, I started to alternate between carving and practicing mana enhancement. I only stopped when the sun set and the light began to dim. At that time, I picked up the scraps of wood that couldn¡¯t be used to practice my rune carving any longer and used them as kindling for a fire. I knew that it wasn¡¯t good to use pressure treated wood for a cooking fire, but I didn¡¯t have the strength to gather any wood today. If I was feeling better tomorrow, I would go grab some of the logs from the pile by the old fire pit. I used the pressure treated wood to make a fire for now and heated up two cans of soup for dinner. I took a lantern from the bedroom after dinner and continued my practice until a little after midnight. I laid down in my bed at that point and fell asleep. Whether it was the previous night or this night, there weren¡¯t anymore nightmares or depressing thoughts plaguing my sleep. Things were looking up in that direction. New World Day 16 I woke up the next morning, crept over to the old fire pit, and made three quick trips back and forth from there to the garage. The trips allowed me to bring over a half a dozen logs and three times that amount of branches for kindling. I could see the tracks of the python all around the old fire pit, but it didn¡¯t come out to bother me. Once I had the firewood, I set a lantern outside to charge, updated my journals, and resumed my training. Alternating between carving and practicing my mana enhancement worked well the previous day so I continued in that manner but still failed to make any breakthroughs. New World Day 17 I added in some training with my two footwork skills on the third day of my convalescence. I couldn''t yet hold the axe or the gun at the same time I practiced. I also had to be careful how much I twisted my upper body, but I had recovered enough strength to add it to my practice routine. I started by working on my footwork, then when I was physically exhausted I sat down and attempted to learn a true mana enhancement skill, and when my mana was exhausted, I shifted to carving runes. I alternated between rune carving and mana enhancement until my body recovered enough to train my footwork again at which point I started everything all over again. New World Day 18 I was able to hold my axe or one of the guns while I was working on my footwork by the third day. I made some progress on my rune carving yet continued to fail when it came to the mana enhancement skill. New World Day 19 The fourth day didn¡¯t add anything to my practice routine, but I noticed that the size of the wound had decreased to the point that an ugly yellowish brown scab covered it. New World Day 20 The fifth day proved to be a watershed moment for me. I had kept pushing and pushing and my persistence paid off. I succeeded in controlling how my mana enhanced my body, and the System registered it as a skill when I succeeded just as I suspected. It remained at the point where I had to enhance my entire body at the same time, but I envisioned a day in the future where I could supercharge the enhancement for a specific body part. That was my goal for the future at least. The difference between an active controlled enhancement and a passive enhancement via just filling my body with mana was enormous. My physical abilities increased by one and a half times using the passive method, but my abilities doubled when I controlled the enhancement. The key to the whole skill laid in the image I held in my mind as the mana sank into my body. It just took some time to both find the right image and learn how to hold it in my mind while still having enough leftover concentration to circulate my mana. The next step was to keep up the enhancement while practicing my footwork. I combined the footwork practice and mana enhancement practice at this point. Circulating the mana, activating the mana enhancement and dancing around while minding my footwork pushed my mind to its limits. The time I spent rune carving became the time where my mind was able to relax and recover from the intense pressure of my training. New World Day 21 The scab decreased in size by half by the sixth day, but despite my improved health and the successes of the previous day, I started to feel restless. The monotonous training was rewarding, but I needed something new to work on. Something to break up the day for me. I thought over what to do, and I decided to see if I could learn how to see mana. My failures in that direction had been pretty spectacular, but I had given it some thought over these past few days while I was resting. I thought that the reason I screwed up before was that I just pumped a bunch of mana into my eyes and hoped that it worked. Now I sent a much smaller amount of into my eyes and combined it with the image of a contact lens. I intended to use the mana to both enhance the strength of my eyes and form a lens over the front of my eyes that would tint the world in such a manner that I could see the mana that naturally flowed through the New World. The mana vision training proved quite difficult much like the mana enhancement training. The curve and thickness had to be custom tailored to the individual¡¯s eyes in order for eyeglasses to reach their full effectiveness. I was sure the image was correct, but I needed to work on finding the curve and thickness for the lens that would let me see mana. That was the idea at least. New World Day 22 My footwork, enhancement, and rune carving practice continued to improve, but I wasn¡¯t able to find the right form for my mana lens at first. My dedication to my training ended up working out in the end though. I succeeded not only in learning a rudimentary mana vision skill, but I gained the Agility stat. I couldn¡¯t use the mana vision skill at the same time as the mana enhancement skill, but it was more progress than I expected to make in such a short amount of time. Eight days of training resulted in my wound healing, two new skills, a new stat, an increase in the level of numerous skills, and a big increase in my stats. I didn¡¯t think for a second that I had grown strong enough to take on the python, frog, or hawk, but I thought I had a chance of escaping from them now which meant that I was ready to undertake the journey to reach the meadows. The fact that the creature, which I had come to call a hobgoblin, and its minions hadn¡¯t been snooping around this entire time I was cooped up training worried me, but I was now confident that I would be gone before whatever they were planning came to fruition.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * : This skill represents the user¡¯s ability to use mana to enhance their physical body¡¯s capabilities. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. Higher ranks allow the user to increase the abilities of specific body parts while higher rarities allow the user to combine various elements with the enhancement to create powerful increases in the user¡¯s capabilities. This skill is one of the most basic mana skills. This user took an unconventional and more difficult way to learn the skill than necessary. The skill takes 15 mana per a minute to remain active. Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * : This skill represents the user¡¯s ability to see mana. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. Higher ranks allow the user to use the skill more quickly and easily while increasing the distance that the user can see. Higher rarities allow the user to see what elements the mana is aligned with and could allow the user to see the mana inside an opponent¡¯s body. This skill is one of the most basic mana skills. This user took an unconventional and more difficult way to to learn the skill than necessary. The skill takes 4 mana per a minute to remain active.
HP: The state of your current health. You will die once it reaches zero. Injuries to the head, heart, and other vital points will still result in nearly instant death. Endurance: The stat that primarily governs your physical stamina. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Strength: The stat that primarily governs your physical strength. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Speed: The stat that primarily governs your physical speed. It also slightly increases your physical stamina. Agility: The stat that primarily governs your reaction time and flexibility. It also slightly increases your physical speed. Spirit: The stat that primarily governs your mana regeneration. It also slightly increases your mana pool.
Endurance increased by 4! Strength increased by 5! Speed increased by 6! The Stat ¡°Agility¡± has been unlocked! Agility has increased by 8! Spirit has increased by 10! Fool (B) * leveled up! Fool (B) * evolved into Fool ? *! Curious Fool ? * leveled up! Stupid Fool ? * leveled up! Stupid Fool ? * leveled up! Extremely Stubborn Fool ? ** leveled up! Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Regen (Passive) ? * evolved into Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) *! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Barrier Runes (Active) (B) * evolved into Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? * Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 48% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 9 76% Fool ? LVL 1 13% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 8 72% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 7 80% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 25% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 7% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 7
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 160/160 66/66 14.5 per min (-2.75) 19 15 17 9 10 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 94% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 3% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 5 68% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 11% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 9 45% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 20% Fear Control (B) LVL 1 0% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 91% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 88% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 1 7% Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) LVL 6 62% Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) LVL 4 71% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 38 New World Day 23 On the morning of the 23rd day of the New World, I dressed in a pair of jeans, a long sleeved white shirt and put a navy blue jacket on over top of that. Then I packed my best backpack with a couple of changes of clothes, several boxes of ammo, a half dozen bottles of water, my remaining bread, a bag of deer jerky that I found hidden in the back of the freezer, my journals, my remaining mana stones, and my axe. There was a special metal water bottle that I filled with mana water that I slid into a side pouch of the backpack so that I could reach it quickly in case of emergencies. I began to wish that I hadn¡¯t been so gung-ho on eating the peanut butter crackers and granola bars as I packed the meager amount of food. They would have been a perfect fit for a long trip. While I continued packing, I thought about how my training over the last eight days improved my abilities yet failed to help me break through in one area. I had intended to create a portable barrier out of some wire and metal posts that my dad bought to make a small fence to protect his tomato plants, but I wasn¡¯t able to get the runes to work on the metal. The metal was hard to carve and the pieces of metal were too thin for my low level of skill. The mixed wood and wire pieces that I did get it to work on weren¡¯t able to handle channeling the mana for more than a few minutes. I packed the best set that I had created as a few minutes was better than nothing. I surveyed the basement a few times to see if I was missing anything that I would need, and then wrote a modest length note explaining the various nearby dangers in case someone else stumbled on the house and sought refuge. I intended to take refuge at night time in the house of someone along the road and hoped that any survivors that might have lived there were just as conscientious. Once the note was finished, I belted on the pistol which now had the sheath of a large hunting knife slipped onto the belt of the holster, slung the rifle on my left shoulder, picked up the shotgun, and left the garage. It was a good day to start a journey. Sunny but not so hot that I would be sweating like crazy from the heat. A perfect spring day in other words. I strode to the front of the house and walked through the grass of the front yard until the old fire pit was below me. I channeled my mana and activated my mana vision at this point. Bright white streams and floating mists flickered into view as I gazed down and to my left to where the barn sat. One of the things that I found when I learned the mana vision skill was that you could see mana through walls so long as the wall in question wasn¡¯t filled with too much mana itself. I used this to my advantage to see if the python was lurking in the barn at this time. There were a few small mammals which I suspected were mice or rats including one that had a suspicious amount of mana leaking from it, but I didn¡¯t see the python anywhere in the barn. I turned my attention to giant blue grass swaying in the wind on the dam of the Little Lake now that I knew the python wasn¡¯t around. It was a lot trickier trying to make out if any predators were lurking in the grass. The grass itself possessed a small amount of mana that kept me from seeing right through it and the constant movement from the wind made it even more difficult to see if there was anything with a higher concentration of mana waiting to ambush any wayward travelers. I spent 10 minutes standing there on the grassy hill staring into the grass before I worked up enough courage and marched through the sparse forest and light undergrowth into the sea of grass. My mana vision skill drained less mana a minute than I regenerated so I kept the skill activated as I waded through the grass. I should have activated it before I even left the garage. It seems that no matter how hard I try I always seem to be more careless than I should be. I shrugged mentally and kept pushing through the grass until I heard a massive splash. As soon as I heard that splash, I sprinted forward and down onto the backside of the dam just enough that I couldn¡¯t see the water even if the grass wasn¡¯t there. A giant hole appeared in the grass leading to where I had been standing and the ground where the geyser crayfish landed was cracked and cratered. I could sporadically see the stronger mana of the crayfish through the grass as it scuttled down toward me. I kept a better track of its progress by watching the grass get stomped down than through my mana vision skill. The crayfish weren¡¯t much of threat after that first strike, and even at just a brisk walking pace, I managed to keep ahead of it. There were four of them that felt the vibrations caused by my passage and attempted to crash into me. These four ended up hitting the front incline of the dam with such a combined force that I was afraid the dam would break. I wasn¡¯t sure how much more the dam could take so I worked my way further down the backside of the dam towards the edge of the forest to prevent anymore of them from feeling me. I was a bit surprised to find that the crayfish pursuing me didn¡¯t trigger any additional strikes. I guess they could tell the difference in vibrations between one of them and something else? Either way, I made it across the dam and onto the trail without any real issue. I slowed my pace once in the forest as I didn¡¯t know what might have made this area its home. I knew that there had to be more than just forest coyotes and goblins living in this forest. I had encountered too many different types of new animals to believe that this area would be any different. Walking through the forest was off-putting in multiple ways. It was both familiar and alien at the same time. The rattle of the branches and rustle of the leaves combined with the chirps of the birds and buzzing of the insects felt like home. Even the faint stench of a skunk was welcoming, but then there would be a new sound or smell that would erupt from the depths of the forest and force everything else into silence. The Old World creatures knew instinctively that these sounds and smells were not normal and would cower in fear whenever something new emerged. I was left to wonder how long it would take for the creatures of the two universes to adapt to one another. If they ever did. I did my best to ignore my mixed feelings on the forest and crept along the trail. I found that walking with my mana vision always activated was more disconcerting than I expected. The natural flows of mana often obscured little non-magical details that I would have noticed otherwise. I almost tripped twice on rocks jutting out of the ground because a cloud of mana hid them from view. I wondered how things would look if I activated it on only one eye, but now wasn¡¯t the time to experiment with such things. The extra safety that the skill provided me was more important than the small details that I missed with it on. I would just have to be extra careful with where I stepped. Besides, the streams of mana that twirled around the bark of the trees and through the waving leaves to mix with the strands of sunlight that peaked through the canopy of the forest resulted in breathtaking and ever changing sight. It was like watching an intricate dance of light. If I wasn¡¯t in such a dangerous place I could have sat there for hours engrossed in the wonder of this New World, but I was in a place where danger could arrive at any time so I pulled my vision away from the beautiful sight to keep watch on my surroundings. I walked all the way to the point where the giant New World trees interrupted the path. I did my best to keep my attention on my surroundings while I walked through this area, but there were a few extra details that I noticed now that I was passing through at a much more sedate pace. The massive leaves that covered the forest floor around the trees were an odd shape. They had a extra long center point and two curved side points. The leaves reminded me of an elephant or mammoth¡¯s trunk and tusks. The fact that they covered the entire forest floor in this area meant that the ground was slippery, and any tracks that beasts might have made in the area were covered up. Even worse, most of the leaves were devoid of mana, but those that had recently fallen let out mana in the form of low lying banks of mist that made it difficult to see anything magical hiding in the ground. There weren¡¯t many of the newly fallen leaves since it was spring, but the few that fell from each tree were enough to cover great stretches of the ground with white fog. I wasn¡¯t sure if there would be anything dangerous hiding in the fog, but I avoided the patches for safety¡¯s sake. I managed to walk all the way to the point where I could see where the trail picked up again without going through any of the fog, but the last small stretch was completely covered in the fog. I thought about going around it, but the fog stretched up and down the hill as far as I could see. I didn¡¯t want to take the chance of going around only to find that the terrain had changed even more than I realized. I might easily get lost in that case. I dropped the mana vision for a moment to see if there were any non-mana based clues that would point to anything waiting in ambush, but all I saw were leaves and a few thin vines that resembled grape vines twined around a few trees to my left. Satisfied that there was nothing to worry about, I reactivated my mana vision and proceeded forward through the fog towards where the trail picked back up. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I was halfway through the fog when I heard a slight rustling noise. I stopped and looked around to see what might be causing the noise, but I didn¡¯t see anything. I shrugged and continued forward eager to get back on the trail. I took four more steps forward when something circled around my left ankle and yanked. I slipped backward and fell flat on my back as my left leg was pulled out from under me. I dropped the shotgun as I fell to the ground, but it wasn¡¯t all bad news. My impact caused the fog to disburse long enough for me to see what grabbed my left ankle. One of the grape vines was curled around my ankle and was pulling me towards the tree it was growing around. I saw additional vines descend from the lower branches as it pulled me closer. My guns wouldn¡¯t be of any use against such an enemy so I didn¡¯t even attempt to pick the shotgun back up. I switched my mana vision out for mana enhancement and drew the hunting knife from its sheath. I leaned forward and hacked down at the one vine wrapped around my ankle. It took a bit for the mana enhancement to really kick in so it took three strikes to sever the vine. There was a hiss of pain that emanated from somewhere in the branches of the tree when I cut through it. Freed from the vine¡¯s grip, I jumped to my feet and backpedaled away from the other vines. I dropped my head down like a turtle hiding in its shell to dodge a vine that came for my neck in the shape of a noose. My victory was short lived as two more vines untwisted from the tree branches in front of me and darted down to try again. I raised my left arm up in an attempt to block their advance. They stopped going for my neck, twisted themselves around my forearm, and yanked. While their choice of targets was unexpected, what they did once they wrapped themselves around my arm was within my expectations. I used the momentum of the pull to add a bit of extra strength to the slash of my knife. The extra momentum along with the fact that my mana enhancement was now going full throttle allowed me to cut right through the one vine. Another hiss of pain came from the branches above as the second vine continued to pull on my arm. The vine with the noose returned and struck like a viper at my neck. I dodged backward so that the noose slashed through the air right in front of my neck, but I felt a flash of pain as the vine around my left arm chose this moment to yank with all of its strength. My left arm was wrenched forwards at the same time as I jumped backwards. It felt like my left arm was being pulled out of its socket. My movement backward combined with the vine¡¯s own attempt to pull me forward caused the vine to be pulled taut. Taking advantage of the situation, I swung my knife and slashed through the vine. I stumbled backwards and nearly tripped over the shotgun on the ground once the force from the vine was gone. I ducked down to dodge the vine noose for a third time and used my lowered posture as a chance to grab the shotgun. I dashed forward to the trail after I grabbed the shotgun but before before the vine noose or any new vines could try and seize me again. The vines couldn¡¯t sneak up on me again now that I was on the trail, and they didn¡¯t try to pursue me. I tore the remnants of the vines I severed off of my left arm and leg while keeping an eye on the vines. I looked down at my limbs and saw that there were deep purple bruises where the vines had been twisted around me. That should teach me to just assume that plants aren¡¯t dangerous. I saw the vines, but I never believed that they would attack me in such a manner. I was a bit curious to see if I could find the main body of the vines that I heard hissing in pain. I stopped using mana enhancement and shifted back to mana vision. It took a few minutes to find it, but I found the main body nestled in the crook of a branch 15 feet off of the ground. So that¡¯s how it managed to hide itself from my sight! The creature blended its mana in with the mana of the tree to such a degree that when you looked at it with mana vision you only saw the mana of the tree. I was only able to find it because I followed the vines until I found where they originated from. The creature itself resembled a roll of barbed wire except its center wasn¡¯t an empty hole. The center was black and rubbery with a mouth at its center filled with sharp fangs. I couldn¡¯t see anything that resembled eyes, a nose, or ears. I suspected that it must hunt via vibration similar to the geyser crayfish. I was tempted to take a shot at it with the shotgun or rifle, but I wasn¡¯t sure what other creatures might be attracted by such a loud noise. I threw a rock at the sucker instead as a petty demonstration of my anger and then turned around to continue down the trail.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 50% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 9 82% Fool ? LVL 1 13% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 8 72% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 7 80% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 25% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 7% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 7
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 150/160 52/66 14.5 per min (-2.75) 19 15 17 9 10 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 94% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 8% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 5 68% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 11% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 9 45% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 24% Fear Control (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 91% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 88% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 1 7% Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) LVL 6 70% Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) LVL 4 94% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 39 New World Day 23 As I continued down the trail, I kept an eye out not just for any wayward beasts but also for any plants that I didn¡¯t recognize. I still felt that mana vision gave me a better chance of seeing danger before it saw me, but I had just received a painful lesson that there were creatures who had adapted to hide from such vision. A nifty trick that I would have to see if I could pick up in the near future. I worked my way down the trail till I hit the point where the trail went down into a valley. I stood there transfixed as I stared at the 25 foot wide creek that ran through the bottom of the valley. There was originally a medium sized creek that ran through the base of the valley that was one tenth the size of the one that now sat there. The new creek was still only a couple of feet deep and remained flowing at a sedate pace, but there were large yellow plants that resembled ferns except they had purple veins and nasty saw-toothed edges. These plants glowed like fire through my mana vision. They might just be plants with a significant amount of mana, but I wasn¡¯t going near them after the vine incident. The trees and undergrowth that were a bit further back from the yellow ferns were all Old World species. They possessed no mana, and I recognized many of them from my years spent here. I proceeded down the hill with caution as I was worried about both the ferns and anything that might be hiding in the slow moving water of the creek. The creek had a dark brown mud bottom and was filled with numerous large rocks that would make great hiding spots. There wouldn¡¯t be enough room for anything of great height to hide under the rocks in the water, but you didn¡¯t have to be tall to be deadly. I tossed a few sticks at the ferns first thing to see if they tried to defend themselves. The ferns swayed as the sticks bounced off of the large flexible leaves. I waited a few minutes to see if they tried to kill me for throwing something at them, but they didn¡¯t react in any odd way. Of course, that still didn¡¯t mean I was going near them. Even if they didn¡¯t actively try to kill me, those purple veins might mean that they were poisonous to the touch. The area where the trail passed through the creek was clear of them thankfully. I stared at the creek for even longer than I did the ferns, but the creek was difficult to see into. Mana flowed through creek in a similar manner to how it would look if you poured food dye into it. One moment I would be able to see everything and the next tendrils of mana would hide large portions of the creek from view. I stopped using mana vision to see if I could pick out anything with my normal vision, but nothing stood out for me. I learned my lesson from the vines. I knew there could be a creature that knew how to hide its mana living in the creek. I picked up a few more sticks and tossed them into the creek to see if I could trick anything into revealing itself. There were some flashes of silver and brown which I recognized as small Old World fish and crayfish, but there was nothing that possessed mana that went after the sticks. I was torn over whether it was really safe or not to cross. I knew that I had to cross the creek in order to get to the meadows and crossing here where those ferns hadn¡¯t taken over was better than anywhere else. There were enough large rocks in the creek that I could cross the creek by stepping from rock to rock until I reached the other side. I plotted a path that would allow me to avoid any rocks that looked slick or had moss on them and then started across. I saw a flash of mana from the corner of my right eye on the third rock. Prudence caused me to hop back to the previous rocks and then towards the shore. The practice I underwent for my footwork skills alongside the creation of the agility stat improved my balance, but in my panic, I missed the last jump and landed just short of the shoreline in a foot of water. I was close enough to the shore that I was still able to scramble out of the creek to the shore before whatever it was could catch me. My rare display of caution instead of recklessness saved me from a dangerous situation. The flash could have been just a normal stream of mana like the ones I had observed numerous times since I had come upon the creek, but this time the flash turned out to be from a four foot long solid black salamander that slithered out from beneath a rock to my right. The salamander reacted to the splashes when I missed the last jump and shot towards the source of the disturbance. It didn¡¯t leave the water to follow me up on the bank. The salamander opened its mouth to reveal rows of small needle-like teeth. I thought it was warning me about invading its territory until its chest shrank and a blast of water flew out from its mouth and smashed into my chest. The blow sent me reeling backwards, and I retreated halfway up the hill before the salamander could send a more deadly blast my way. I raised up my jacket and shirt to take a look at my chest once I was sure that it wasn¡¯t coming after me and saw that I now had a large bruise on my chest to match the bruise on my arm and ankle. Everywhere I turned there was some new creature causing problems for me. I should have been terrified of the danger, and I did feel a bit of fear. But I felt excitement more than fear. The creatures were new and different and beautiful when they weren¡¯t trying to kill me. If I knew that my family was safe, I would have liked to stay in the area to explore all the new additions to the wildlife. I sat on the hill recovering for a bit while I pondered over the best way to cross the creek without getting attacked by the salamander. I didn¡¯t have much time to think about the best solution before I started to hear barks and growls in the distance. The sounds of approaching forest coyotes worried me. Were there goblins riding those forest coyotes or was it just a pack hunting in the wood? I ran down the hill and hid behind a tree near but not too near the ferns to observe what was going on. It didn¡¯t take long before a pack of forest coyotes with goblins riding atop them appeared at the top of the hill. All of them were glowing with a light just as strong as the nearby ferns except for one. The hobgoblin¡¯s glow was twice as strong as anyone else¡¯s. How did they find me here? I peeked out from behind the tree to see if it was just a coincidence. I hoped it was, but I had the feeling that there was more behind it than that. The forest coyote that the hobgoblin rode started to sniff and paw at the ground. Is that what why they didn¡¯t come to find me these past eight days? They were teaching the forest coyotes how to track by scent on command? If that was true then how did they get my scent? I was puzzled for a moment before a light went off in my head. When the hobgoblin ran away after our encounter at my neighbor¡¯s house he had closed something in his fist before he shook it at me. I wrote it off as just the standard villainous action, but I should have paid more attention to it. He had clawed off a piece of my shirt with that hand. That scrap of cloth must be what he closed his fist around. Should I praise them for being intelligent enough to find such a sure way of tracking me down or scold them for being stupid enough not to just check every nearby house one by one? It''s not like there were many places around here that I could have been using as a hideout. It wouldn¡¯t have taken more than a couple of days to check every nearby house. Either way, they had found me now, and I needed to get across the creek before they came down the hill after me. I didn¡¯t have a good plan for getting across the creek, but I had a reckless and mean-spirited plan. If it didn¡¯t kill me it would screw over the goblins and forest coyotes that were going to try and follow me across. I crouched down behind the tree and pulled out a shotgun shell filled with birdshot. I took one of the slugs out of the shotgun and replaced it with the birdshot. I activated my mana enhancement skill, reminded myself to watch my balance, and made a mad dash across the creek. I purposely choose to take an extra long path across the creek as well. The hobgoblin and his horde noticed my movements once I made my move and charged down the hill towards me. The black salamander had retreated back under the rocks, but it slid out after I just two hops. I pointed the shotgun at it with my right hand and pulled the trigger. A significant portion of the birdshot missed the salamander, and what did hit him didn¡¯t cause any injuries. The salamander¡¯s skin flexed in where the birdshot hit and then as the skin flexed back out the birdshot popped out and rolled off of the salamander. I wasn¡¯t worried about that at all. I just wanted to distract it from shooting a blast of water at me and cause as much noise as I could. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The horde was almost down the hill when I shot the salamander. I increased my pace after the shot and made an extra effort to land on the rocks as hard as I could. The ripples of my passage combined with the birdshot caused five more salamanders to swim towards me. Blasts of water shot through the air behind me soaking my back with water, but before a second volley could be fired, the horde arrived and gave them a new target. I heard splashes and pain filled whines from forest coyotes combined with the shrieks of goblins. More splashes resounded behind me, and when I made it across the creek, I twisted my neck to see what was going on. The sight that greeted me made me laugh out loud. Two forest coyotes were rolling around riderless in the creek, and five goblins were trying to struggle to their feet after being knocked off of their forest coyotes. The only two goblins still on their mounts besides the hobgoblin were in the middle of the creek jabbing at salamanders with spears as their mounts reared up to avoid the bulldog-like bite of the salamanders. The hobgoblin sat on his mount on the shore screaming at his minions. Over a dozen more salamanders were attracted by the ruckus. I gave the hobgoblin a little wave along with a laugh and a smile as I ran up the trail to the top of the next hill. Once I reached the top of the hill, I could follow the path along the top of the hill all the way to the meadows. Of course before I could reach the top of the hill, I would need to pass through the area that my family called the Haunted Highway. In the Old World, the area had been filled with a bunch of tall dead cedar trees along with a few living ones situated around a small natural pond. The dead trees and rattling limbs created a haunting ambiance hence the name. Now that I was running up the hill towards that area, I wondered if this expedition was the best of ideas. If my current experiences in the New World were any indication, the Haunted Highway was going to be filled with dangerous creatures from my worst nightmares. The hobgoblin seemed to agree. When he saw which direction I was heading in, he returned the smile and wave before he and what remained of his horde trotted back up the hill.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 50% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 9 88% Fool ? LVL 1 16% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 8 85% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 7 88% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 25% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 37% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 7% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 7
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 123/160 41/66 14.5 per min (-2.75) 19 15 17 9 10 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 94% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 10% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 5 68% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 11% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 9 45% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 24% Fear Control (B) LVL 1 10% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 91% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 88% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 1 7% Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) LVL 6 73% Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) LVL 4 97% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 40 New World Day 23 After I saw the hobgoblin and his horde stop their pursuit, I stopped for a moment to reload the shotgun with a slug and think about if I really wanted to continue in this direction. The fact that the hobgoblin hadn¡¯t pursued me made me worried that he knew what was in this direction and believed that I wouldn¡¯t survive my encounter with it. I drank some water and nibbled on a bit of jerky while I thought about whether there was another path I could take or not. The only other path I could take would be to go towards Williamstown and then either cut through the woods to the state route that I knew or try and find a map that would guide me back to Cincinnati via Williamstown. I felt the either option was just asking for trouble because I already didn¡¯t know the way to Williamstown, and I suspected that the goblin¡¯s base was in that direction. I knew they couldn¡¯t take on the earth swimmer that made its territory to the west, and if there was something in this northern direction that scared the crap out of them, then that meant their base was either to the south which was just more countryside or to the east towards Williamstown. Once I finished my quick lunch break, I decided to at least scout out what the Haunted Highway looked like now. I trudged up the hill without any problems up until I reached the place where the Haunted Highway used to begin. The trail disappeared at that point and a forest unlike any I had ever seen appeared before me. The new forest was composed of a handful of trees that resembled Old World pine trees. The trunks were as thick as a large Old World pine tree except they grew much taller and their branches spread out far wider. Very little sunlight reached the forest floor as a result, and the entire area was cast in shadow. Adding to the gloom, the trunks, branches, and needles of the pine trees were shades of grey and black, and they had a metallic tint to them that reminded me of iron or steel. I thought that the different colors represented different species, but I could be wrong about that. Standing from outside the ominous forest, I could see only one tree that wasn¡¯t a pine tree. This tree was a deep dark purple. It looked for all the world like a jester¡¯s hat if the jester¡¯s hat was the size of a large tree and composed of thick vines twisted around and around one another. It might not even be a tree for that matter. It could just be a type of large vine that grew in clumps. I didn¡¯t intend to go near them either way. They added a bit of color to the dreary forest, but I found that suspicious in and of itself. I saw other issues beyond the thick shadows. There was more mana in this forest than any other place I had been to so far. It rose up like steam from the ground and plants to form streams of mana that flowed through the trees like streams of water. You would think that the sheer amount of mana would light up the forest like strings of lights on a Christmas tree, but the darkness of the forest affected even the mana. It caused the mana to take on a grayish tint. It reminded me of the black mana I saw during the struggle with the blood mosquitoes when my mana vision was running wild. On top of all of this, the forest was completely silent. There wasn¡¯t a single bird chirping or bug buzzing. I took a deep breath to see if there were any smells that might give me a hint at what made its lair within this forest, but all I could smell was the pleasant enticing smell of pine needles. This area of the forest was covered in shadow even now with the sun nearing its highest point. The longer I stood outside the area the more likely I would still be trapped in the forest when night fell, and this was not a place that I wanted to be caught dead in at night. I let a long breath back out, mustered all of my courage, and stepped into the forest. The crunch of the pine needles underfoot made me cringe with each step, and as I proceeded deeper into this area, I found myself craning my neck to keep an eye on the tree limbs overhead. There was zero undergrowth so I would be able to see anything charging at me along the ground. It was the tree branches that posed a threat. The long wide branches resembled giant fans and were perfect spots to use to ambush prey on the ground. I walked in a mostly straight line up the hill towards where I hoped the trail would reappear. The only detours I made were to avoid the strange jester trees. I gave them a wide berth. It wasn¡¯t until ten minutes into my hike through the gloom that I saw the first signs of life. The dark colors were broken up by a series of white silk strands hanging from a number of branches in front of me. The strands weren¡¯t woven into a web. Instead they resembled the long strands of silk that silkworms made in caves. I couldn¡¯t see what had made them with either my normal vision or my mana vision, but the fact that they didn¡¯t look like spider webs left me feeling relieved. That relief turned to heart pounding fear just a few minutes later when I came upon a pair of trees that sat eight feet apart. There lay something unmistakable between the two trees. The ruined remains of an enormous spider web. The web was broken and hanging in pieces, but it still glowed with a powerful mana. It was clear that it had once covered the entire area between the two trees. The most terrifying thing was that the largest strands of the web were thicker than my wrist. What kind of monstrous spider needed a web so large? I felt a panic attack coming on as I stared at the wrecked web. I started to hyperventilate and had to squat for a time with my head between my legs. This sight freaked me out even after all I had seen of the New World. I thought Old World spiders looked cool, but I had what I felt was a well-deserved fear of them. If I was afraid of a spiders that were at best as big as my palm, what was I going to do when confronted by a spider that could be just as big if not bigger than me? Would my guns even be able to scratch the carapace of such a creature? The thought of being wrapped up in a web by a spider and having my insides liquified by its venom caused bile to rise up my throat. I had to swallow again and again to force the bile back down and keep from throwing up my lunch all over the forest floor. I was tempted to turn around and head back the way I came right then and there, but I consoled myself with the fact that something had broken this spider¡¯s web. I should have been worried that there was something big and strong enough to break such a massive web, but I found the fact that the spiders might not be the top predator comforting. Besides, every direction I had gone in to try to get to Falmouth had some nasty creature guarding it. I had to break through in some place, and at least in this direction I could see what was coming for me. I made up my mind and overcame my fear for the moment at least. I straightened back up and continued into the depths of the forest. After encountering that first broken web, I began to see more and more such sights until there was one every few steps. The only good thing was that I didn¡¯t see a single spider along the way. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where all of them were hiding. Each step I took I became more and more restless. I started to feel like something was watching me. I kept stopping to search the area with both my normal vision and my mana vision, but I never was able to pinpoint what was causing me to feel so uneasy. A few minutes later something silver flashed by in the corner of my left eye. I stuck the butt of the shotgun in my shoulder and whipped my head around to see if I could locate what I had caught a glimpse of, but there was nothing there. I checked the forest floor and searched the branches above me and couldn¡¯t find any sign that there had been anything there. Was I just seeing things now? I shook my head to try and clear my mind before I marched deeper still into the forest. A second silver flash appeared in the corner of my right eye this time. I reacted just as before, but once again there was nothing there. Even the pine needles on the ground weren¡¯t disturbed in the slightest. I thought that the vibe of the forest was just starting to get to me when it happened a third time. Another flash of silver just in the corner of my eye. Everyone sees odd things out of the corner of their eye from time to time. You see only a piece of what was going on and your mind fills in the blanks resulting in you thinking that you saw a monster, a demon, or a ghost. However, three times in just under ten minutes? No, something was going on here. Something that had me worried. This last time I could have sworn I saw a silver hand touch a tree to my right. There was no physical or mana based evidence that anything had been there except it did seem a bit colder in the area. In fact now that I thought about it, the forest had been growing chillier the deeper I progressed. I had just attributed it to the trees blocking out the sunlight, but was there something more to it?Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I shook my head once again and continued on. A silver hand? Impossible. My mind must be playing tricks on me. The broken spider webs grew more and more numerous as I worked my way deeper into the forest, and I saw multiple more flashes. I could never get a clear view of what I kept seeing. The flashes were always out of the corner of my eye. What disturbed me more than anything was I seemed to see a body part with each flash now. A hand here, a foot there, and a bent elbow over there. The spider webs and the flashes freaked me out enough that I decided to turn back and see if I might be able to find a way past the earth swimmer. Maybe I could find something poisonous that I could trick it into eating? Yea, going back was the right thing to do. When I made up my mind and turned around to escape from the forest, I saw them. Floating behind me were six silver figures. They were humanoid in shape, but there was a haze about them that kept me from seeing their features clearly. And they seemed to flicker in and out of existence. The one common feature that I could see was terrible wounds. The wounds were of different sizes and placements, but each of them looked like they had met a terrible end. Ghosts. That was the only way I could describe them. This area had become a true Haunted Highway in the New World. The six of them formed a semi-circle around me and glided towards me. I stumbled backwards gaping at them in horror and backed into one of the grey metallic pine trees. The tree shook and let out a high pitched metallic sound as my backpack smacked into it. The worst thing wasn¡¯t the sound though. This tree had a broken spider web attached to it, and the shaking of the tree caused the spider web to shake. My eyes widened in ever growing fear as I saw the web shake, and a new sound entered my ears. Click, Click, Click. The ghosts paused their advance when they heard the noise. I followed the clicking sound and looked up towards the top of the tree. That was when I saw a sight that would live on forever in my nightmares. Hiding in the shadowy depths of the pine tree branches, there were eight red eyes in the shape of a V, and those red eyes were advancing down the tree towards me at a terrifying pace.
Fear Control (B) *** leveled up! Fear Control (B) *** leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 50% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor (B) LVL 9 88% Fool ? LVL 1 61% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 8 95% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 7 97% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 84% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 70% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 7
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 160/160 66/66 14.5 per min (-2.75) 19 15 17 9 10 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 94% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 17% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 5 79% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 11% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 9 62% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 24% Fear Control (B) LVL 3 43% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 91% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 88% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 1 7% Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) LVL 6 73% Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) LVL 5 80% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 41 New World Day 23 The only thought that ran through my mind as the spider charged down the tree was how screwed I was. I was surrounded by ghosts on the ground and a giant spider was descending from above me. My reckless actions had gotten me into a number of dangerous situations since the world changed, but they had also allowed me to achieve things such as the mana veins and mana lake skills that I never would have been able to achieve if I had played it safe. Since that recklessness had gotten me into this jam, then maybe it could get me out of it. I had no idea what the ghosts were capable of, but that didn¡¯t really matter anymore did it? If I stayed still I died anyways so why not toss the dice and see what happened? I shifted skills to mana enhancement, aimed for a gap between two of the ghosts, and made a mad dash for the gap in an attempt to bully my way through their encirclement. Without mana vision, the ghost¡¯s forms faded to the point that they were flickering wisps of silver with a vague humanoid outline. The two ghosts that were on either side of the gap raised their arms and swiped at me as I approached them. That attacks were fast and difficult to see but not so difficult that I couldn¡¯t see them coming. I knew that there was no way for me to avoid their blows and escape at the same time so I didn¡¯t even try to dodge them. I twisted my body just enough that the swipes wouldn¡¯t hit a critical area like my heart or head and charged through the gap. There was no physical impact or splatter of blood when the two strikes hit me. The ghosts¡¯ arms passed right through my right shoulder and left side as if the space was empty. Just because there wasn¡¯t any blood didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t do any damage. The parts of my body that the claws passed through felt an intense cold and there was a sharp pain followed by a disruption of my mana. The mana veins showed their true strength at this moment. I was able to send a surge of mana through my mana veins to the disrupted regions before the mana disruption could break my enhancement. The extra mana allowed me to patch the holes caused by the attacks and sustain my mana enhancement. The other four ghosts appeared right behind me and formed a new circle of entrapment that I would have been stuck in had I faltered as they had expected. I charged out of the encirclement with only the slightest hitch in my step and left the group of surprised ghosts behind me. The coldness from the attacks lingered for a bit before my mana washed it away, but there remained a painful throbbing where I had been struck. I didn¡¯t have the time to verify it, but I was sure that the attacks had injured my spiritual world instead of my physical body. I wasn¡¯t sure how much damage my spiritual world could take, but if I had to choose between facing the ghosts and facing that spider, I would choose the ghosts every time. Trees flew by me as I dodged around broken spider webs and slid under low hanging branches. My route took me a bit too close to a jester tree for the first time. That resulted in the ball of vines at the end of the branches, the one that resembled the bell of a jester hat, spitting a torrent of acid just behind me. The acid splattered my calves and burned through my jeans. It seems I was right to stay away from those trees. I had thought it was odd that there were no spider webs attached to any of them. The thought of spider webs reminded me that I could hear a scuttling noise behind me coming ever closer, and the ghosts kept flickering into existence near me. One moment there would be nothing around me and the next there would be six ghosts just in front of me. Each time they appeared there was a gap that was larger than the others. One that was the obvious but not too obvious choice for an escape, but I never went for that gap. I felt like they were trying to herd me in a specific direction so each time I just rushed for the gap that would keep me going in the straightest line towards the exit of the Haunted Highway. Each time I pushed through the gap I would receive receive at least two attacks from the ghosts. I contorted my body into all kinds of awkward positions in order to minimize the damage, and I poured mana into the areas damaged by each strike to keep my mana enhancement running. It was getting harder and harder to maintain the skill through the disruptions, but I didn¡¯t slow in the slightest. The clicking and scuttling noise that kept getting louder and louder worried me more than the accumulating injuries. As I sidestepped around one pine tree, I reached for the metal water bottle nestled in the side pocket of my backpack, the one that was full of mana water, and gulped down half the bottle. I knew it was dangerous, but it was better than running out of mana in this situation. My entire spiritual world began to shake and shudder as mana flooded into my near empty mana lake like a series of tidal waves. A grin stretched across my face. That ought to keep me going until I either escaped or died. I didn¡¯t have to worry about mana anymore, but things couldn¡¯t keep going on as they had been. The ghosts¡¯s attacks were becoming stronger and they became clearer and more solid every time they landed a blow. They weren¡¯t even the worst threat either. If it was just them, there was a chance that I could escape from the Haunted Highway. I had seen a clue about how to escape from them. They never appeared anywhere near one of the broken spider webs. I suspected that I could evade their pursuit by running through the holes in the broken spider webs. It was the spider that worried me. I hadn¡¯t seen anything but its eyes yet, but I could hear it closing in on me. The clicking had stopped and now there were thuds and the sound of cracking wood reverberating through the air behind me. In my imagination I saw the spider leaping from tree to tree with incredible speed and dexterity until it pounced on my back. That was an all too realistic ending to this chase. Realistic enough that I knew I had to do something more than just run away. I didn¡¯t think I could kill it, but maybe I could force it to back off. Its carapace was going to be difficult to penetrate which meant that I would have to hit its soft spots like its eyes or the inside of its mouth. The tricky part would be creating a long enough opening to aim for those spots. A grim smile broke across my face as a plan came to mind. I shifted my shotgun to just my right hand as I wove around a jester tree and pulled my backpack sideways so that I could pull out the barrier tool I had prepared. I kept running as I rummaged through the backpack and ducked a little too late to avoid a low hanging branch. The glancing blow gave me a nasty cut on my forehead, but I was able to pull out what I needed. The barrier runes were carved on a dozen wooden pieces connected by pieces of wire that I had embedded in the wood with my mana fueled strength. The wires allowed the mana to travel between each of the twelve pieces to form a circular barrier instead of just a barrier wall. I slid the backpack back to its proper position and looked for a good place to make my stand. I endured two more brushes with the ghosts before a proper place presented itself. I threw the barrier tool onto the ground in front of series of broken spider webs and skidded to halt inside of it. When I came to a halt inside the circle, I pivoted around to face the spider, raised the shotgun with both hands, and rested one foot on the edge of the largest wooden piece so that I could channel mana into the tool and activate the barrier as soon as I needed it. My turn to confront the spider allowed me to see the beast in all of its horror for the first time. The spider¡¯s carapace was steel gray with long stiff white hairs all over its abdomen. Its eight legs were thick and multi-jointed, and it had two fangs as long as swords that dripped blue venom. My imaginary vision of the spider jumping from tree to tree was pretty close to reality. It was digging its legs into the trunks of the the trees, lowering its stomach to the point that it brushed against the bark, and then springing from that tree to the branches of a nearby tree where it would scuttle to the trunk of that tree and repeat the process. The spider didn¡¯t quite know what to make of me turning around to confront it. The beast paused and cocked its head in a manner that reminded me of a dog. The pause gave the ghosts the chance to flicker into existence around me again, but they gave a wider berth than normal and conspicuously avoided the spider web behind me. The spider crouched down into its jumping posture after just a moment¡¯s hesitation. It had made up its mind. The ghosts started to glide towards me, but all my attention was on the spider. The moment I heard the crack of wood I poured the tidal waves of mana still roaring into my mana lake into the barrier tool and activated the barrier. The spider launched itself through the air in an attempt to pin me to the ground with its chest and inject its venom into me, but it bounced off of the barrier with a bang. I heard a sound like cracking ice and saw a myriad of cracks emanating out from the place the spider hit. The spider flipped in mid air to land on its feet not five feet from me. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I raised the shotgun and aimed for the beast¡¯s eyes before breathing out and pulling the trigger. The first slug just missed the middle left eye and ricocheted off of the carapace. The impact of the slug didn¡¯t even faze the spider. I pumped the shotgun and waited It lashed out with one of its front legs. The leg bounced off of the barrier, but more cracks spread throughout the barrier. The spider¡¯s movements stopped just for a moment after its attack. I seized that chance and fired a second slug. The shot struck its middle right eye and reduced it to a pulp. A high pitched shriek erupted from the spider¡¯s mouth and echoed through the forest. The injury didn¡¯t send it fleeing as I hoped though. It just pissed it off. The spider spread its two front legs out wide, reared up on its back legs, and lunged forward fangs first. It hugged the barrier with its front legs and sank its two fangs into the barrier. The fangs punched through the barrier and blue venom dripped to the ground at my feet. I could hear cracking noises all around me, but the rest of the barrier held. The spider attempted to rear back and strike the barrier with its fangs again, but it was too late. I pumped the shotgun and fired the third shot right into the spider¡¯s mouth. The spider staggered back and cried out even louder than before. Large drops of black blood dripped down from its mouth. It took one last look at me before it turned and disappeared into the depths of the forest. The second that the spider ran was the second that the ghosts pounced. They flickered into existence in a semi-circle around the barrier and struck it all at once. The barrier shattered like a pane of glass under their assault, but that didn¡¯t matter because I wasn¡¯t in it anymore. I turned and ducked under the broken spider web behind me the moment that I saw the spider turn and run away. The ghosts floated forward in pursuit, but they took a wide turn around the trees to avoid the spider web. They feared the webs, and I was going to use that to stay one step ahead of them. I ducked, dodged, and slid under every ruined spider web I could find until I reached the outskirts of the Haunted Highway. There weren¡¯t any more spider webs to hide behind at this point. It was all about speed now. I was going down hill and reached a speed where even the slightest misstep would send me careening down the hill in an uncontrollable roll. The end of the Haunted Highway was in sight, but I wasn¡¯t going to escape that easily. The ghosts saw their chance and appeared in front of me shoulder to shoulder in one solid line. I was going too fast to dodge around them so I did the only thing that came to mind. I dove forward face first and did a baseball slide right under their floating bodies and out of the Haunted Highway. Pain ripped through my body as my back slid through the feet and ankles of the ghosts. It felt like someone had dropped a slab of ice on my back, but I made it out of the Haunted Highway. My jacket and jeans were torn and bloody from the slide, and I scrambled to my feet with the help of a nearby tree. I turned to see if the ghosts were still pursuing me once I was back on my feet. They attempted to glide forward out of the Haunted Highway to finish the job, but their bodies began to grow dim and the extra definition that they had gained from attacking me started to fade away. They hissed in pain and shock and fled back into the shadows of the Haunted Highway before all their newfound strength could slip away from them.
Survivor (B) * leveled up! Survivor (B) * has evolved into Survivor ? * Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) *** leveled up! Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) *** leveled up! Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) *** leveled up! Fear Control (B) *** leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 50% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 1 12% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 9 37% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 8 41% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 92% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 63/160 108/66 14.5 per min (-2.75) 19 15 17 9 10 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Wound x14, Spiritual Pressure, Bleeding x2
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 94% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 31% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 6 50% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 11% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 9 83% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 4 64% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 71% Fear Control (B) LVL 4 89% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 91% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 9 74% Minor Barrier Runes (Active)? LVL 1 81% Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) LVL 8 21% Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) LVL 6 92% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 42 New World Day 23 I leaned there against a big oak tree just outside the Haunted Highway for a few minutes to catch my breath and savor the fact that I had escaped from that hellhole. I knew there was no way that I was getting through to Falmouth in that direction. I had walked for at least half an hour without encountering a single trace of the Old World trail. That made this area the largest increase in size that I knew of besides the new mountain range in the distance. I could try and get to the meadows by following along the creek, but it would be a winding path along a water source which would have a high likelihood of attracting all manner of creatures looking for a drink all while housing its own predators. Heh, I was willing to give it a try. It¡¯s not like it could be any more dangerous than the Haunted Highway had proven to be, but I wanted to check something out first. As I started down the hill towards the creek, I kept my mana enhancement going at full strength in order to keep burning off the excess mana from my overflowing mana lake. I noticed that my scraps and bruises from the baseball slide healed along the way. On the other hand, the spiritual wounds from the ghosts, especially the fresh wounds on my back, still ached, but the ache lessened with each minute. I took a quick glance at my spiritual world as I meandered down the hill and saw that the injuries the ghosts had given me were different from the spiritual injuries that I suffered in the past. The wounds from the ghosts were great gashes in my spiritual world that looked like someone took a knife and carved out a chunk of my spiritual world. As that comparison crossed my mind, I was reminded of how the ghosts became clearer and gained a stronger presence with each attack and wondered if that thought had hit the mark. The gouge wounds, as I now thought of them, were larger than the cracks that I created during my training, but they also lacked the jagged edges of the cracks. I wondered if the cleaner nature of the wounds would allow them to heal quicker than the cracks. I spent less than a minute taking in my injuries before I shifted my full attention back to the outside world. Just because I didn¡¯t encounter any danger going up the hill at this point didn¡¯t mean that some predator hadn¡¯t moved into the area while I was running for my life in the Haunted Highway. My wariness proved to be unwarranted, but it was a good habit to form for the future. I stopped at the creek and thought about if there was a better way across than just hopping across at full speed like I did before. I had tried tossing sticks into the creek before to trick the salamanders out from under the rocks, but that hadn¡¯t lured them out. I thought that maybe this time I would aim for the rocks in the creek instead of the water. The impact on the rocks might better resemble prey crossing the creek. I was prepared to try it out when I thought better of it. What did I gain from luring it out anyways? The only way I had to kill it would be a gun, and that loud of a noise could attract more of them than I could handle. The goblin horde attracted over a dozen of the salamanders when they were mucking about in the creek earlier. No, the best way across really was just leaping across as quickly as I could. I plotted the shortest course this time and jumped from rock to rock like a deer bounding through the forest. Two salamanders wiggled out from under nearby rocks, but I was on the other side of the creek by the time they crawled all the way out from under the rocks. I made sure to put some distance between me and the shoreline just in case before I stopped for a moment to check if my mana lake was still overcapacity. A quick peek told me that the giant gulp of mana water had run its course so I switched back to using mana vision. I needed to be able to see those nasty vines lurking in the giant trees atop the hill for this next part. I trudged up the hill and kept moving until I reached the area filled with the enormous New World trees. I stood there at the edge of this area staring at the trees until I found one that was taller than the rest, had no vines wrapped around its trunk or branches, and had branches from other trees around it low enough for me to climb. I strode over to my chosen tree while keeping a safe distance from any trees with vines and switched back to my mana enhancement. I would need the extra physical ability for what came next. I was going to do what I should have done before this entire fiasco of an expedition spiraled out of control. I laid my backpack, rifle, and shotgun against the base of the tree and jumped up to grab the nearest and lowest hanging branch. I pulled myself up onto the branch and began climbing upwards. I shifted to my chosen tree once I was high enough to reach its lowest branches. The sheer size of the tree and the thickness of the branches meant I wasn¡¯t worried about the branches breaking under my weight, but I worried about the vines and any New World creatures that might be roosting in the upper area of the tree. I stopped every few branches to survey the area for any danger with my mana vision before I pumped my body full of mana again and resumed climbing. The branches near the top of the tree had a few gashes in them from what I assumed to be the talons of some large bird, but none of them looked to be fresh. I climbed to the highest point branch and crouched down on it so that only my head was peeking out of the canopy of leaves. I surveyed the sky and looked at all of the nearby trees for any lurking predators before I grabbed a nearby branch to steady myself and stood all the way up. This hill was the highest hill in the immediate area, and this tree was the tallest that I could find. I had an unimpeded view of the entire region as a result. Looking to the west, I could see gentler hills covered by oceans of green and blue grass broken up by a few small stands of trees here and there. The hills rolled right into the Licking River which, as I expected, was at least twice the size it used to be. What concerned me was that when I looked to the northwest towards Falmouth and the new mountain range, I saw a thick line of gray and black trees extending all of the way to the river. I followed that line of trees to the north where the Haunted Highway lay and the site of what sat to the north took my breath away. There was an immense black and grey forest that covered at least six full sets of hills and valleys. The core of the forest had eight offshoots that extended out from it to the east and west. Looking at it from above, the forest of black and grey pine trees resembled a massive spider crawling across the hills. As I had seen first hand what lay in that forest, I had a hard time believing that shape was a coincidence. More disconcerting was that one of the legs of the forest cut off any chance of me traveling down the creek to the meadows and from there to the state route. My only remaining choice was to go east towards Williamstown until I went far enough to get around the Haunted Highway. I could then travel northeast towards the state route that connected Falmouth and Cincinnati. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I twisted my body around to look towards the south which was a continuation of the same terrain I saw in the west before I turned my attention to the east. I could make out a few grassy hills in the east, but most of the terrain was rolling hills covered in thick forests. I was relieved to see that there weren¡¯t any trees that resembled the ones that I encountered in the Haunted Highway. That was one less worry at least. As far as I was aware, it was just the potential goblin village that I had to worry about in that direction. I was sure there would be other creatures to keep an eye out for, but the goblins were my primary concern for any expedition in that direction. The region to the south was open enough that I was willing to bet that it was the territory of earth swimmers just like the west which meant the goblins almost had to be in the forests to the east. I would have to come up with a way to deal with them before I made any attempt to head in that direction. I took one last glance at the entire region, paying particular attention to what I now called the Haunted Spiderway, my pun loving grandpa would be proud, and the mountain range before I climbed down from the tree. I took out some ammo and reloaded the shotgun before I slipped the backpack and rifle back on and started the walk back to the house. It looked like I would be hiding out there for a while longer yet, and that meant that I needed to prepare a way to deal with the hobgoblin. It would only be a matter of time before he learned that I was back and had survived the Haunted Spiderway. I wasn¡¯t a match for him and his entire force out in the open, but if I waited for him to attack me at the house I might just have a chance. A plan began to form in my head and a cruel smile split my lips as I worked my way back home. Yes, if he was foolish enough to come looking to finish me off, I would turn the tables on him and make it the last thing he ever did.
Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 50% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 1 12% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 9 37% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 8 41% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 92% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 76/160 52/66 14.5 per min (-2.75) 19 15 17 9 10 28
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Spiritual Wound x12
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 94% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 61% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 31% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 7 7% Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 89% Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 95% Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 9 11% Minor Mana Control ? LVL 9 92% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 4 64% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 71% Fear Control (B) LVL 4 89% Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 8 91% Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) LVL 9 74% Minor Barrier Runes (Active)? LVL 1 81% Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) LVL 8 26% Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) LVL 7 49% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 43 New World Day 23 I crossed the backside of the dam of the Little Lake and returned back to the house well before the sun set in the sky. I had hurried back not because night was descending but because I didn¡¯t want to waste any time putting my plans into motion. I didn¡¯t know when the hobgoblin would find out that I was back so I needed to get everything set before he made a move against me. My plan started with removing the deck from around the house. The deck allowed anyone to enter the house from the broken windows on the sides and back of the house. Without the deck, the only ways into the house were the garage and the front of the house. I wasn¡¯t just going to destroy the deck either. I intended to dismantle it and use the wood for other projects. I alternated between training my mana enhancement, mana vision, and physical abilities while I worked on the deck. I would use my mana enhancement until my mana ran out. Then I would switch to experimenting with my mana vision and my purely physical strength while I waited for my mana to regenerate. The mana vision experiments revolved around adjusting the thickness and angle of the mana lenses I created in front of my pupil. I even tried creating multiple lenses in an attempt to reach the point where I could see more than just a white energy. As I trained myself, I put the boards that I managed to remove without breaking inside of the house for use boarding up the broken windows. The boards that broke as I removed them were stacked along the side of the house that they were removed from. I spent those last three hours before the sun disappeared behind the horizon removing the floor boards from the deck. Tomorrow I would remove the supports and adjust the big posts that held up the entire structure. I went over a few different aspects of my plan while I walked towards the garage door. One thought that I had but discarded for my plan was hunting enough geyser crayfish to reach level 10 and unlock a Job, but I wasn¡¯t sure if the benefits of a Job would outweigh the amount of ammo I would need to expend to reach level 10. I decided in the end that holding onto the ammo was a better choice than the unknown benefits that a Job might give me. I reached the garage after a little bit of walking, retreated within it, and cooked some canned goods on the fireplace for dinner. The day¡¯s events wore me out, but I didn¡¯t relax at this point. I trained my footwork skills while continuing to alternate between mana vision and mana enhancement until even my regen skills couldn¡¯t keep my body going anymore. It was only at this point that I unpacked my backpack and arranged my weapons. I laid out everything on the workshop bench, cleaned them, and stacked the remaining ammo next to each of the guns. I didn¡¯t have many shotgun slugs left, but I had a decent amount of pistol ammo and a large amount of rifle ammo. I set aside all of the extra pistol ammo and shotgun slugs for the coming fight along with a portion of the rifle ammo. The rest of the rifle ammo would be used for hunting geyser crayfish for my food for the next few days while I got everything set up. I dragged myself back to the garage after arranging the guns to continue my plans. I was going to carve barrier runes into the entire house. I planned to set up three separate barriers for now. One for the basement, one for the first floor including the front porch, and one for the second floor and roof. I intended to work on carving them every night. I carved runes into the basement until it was 2 AM. At that point, I stopped and spent another two hours recording my adventures in my journals before I finally went to sleep. I slept for just four hours so that I would be able to get some rest yet maximize my chances of finishing all of my preparations before I was attacked. New World Day 24 My first stop of the new day was the cow ponds along the road. I acquired five juicy tails for lunch and dinner, a dozen bottles of water, and the five mana stones corresponding to the five geyser crayfish I hunted down. I needed as many mana stones as I could acquire. The barriers I was working on needed them them as a power source. The need was great enough that I was tempted to try and hunt down some forest coyotes, but I decided that the risk of being seen by a goblin was too great. I would only go out to hunt in the morning and hurry back as a way to delay the day that they found me as much as possible. I stored everything in the basement and continued my training and work on the deck. I spent the rest of the morning removing all of the supports from the deck. I stopped for a short time that afternoon to strain the water and cook two of the crayfish tails for lunch. It was a satisfying lunch that gave me to the energy to go full steam into the second part of my preparations. I took my axe out with me and began trimming both ends of the boards into sharp points. It was only when night descended that I stopped working on the boards. The work had been exhausting but all of the boards were ready for the next stage. I rested for a bit while I cooked the remaining three crayfish tails for dinner, but that was the only rest that I allowed myself. I picked up my night training where I had left it and pushed myself to my limits once more. I was soaked with sweat and blood by the time my body gave out again. I was so tired this time that I worked on my journals first because my hands were shaking too much to carve runes. As I wrote down my experiences, I thought about one of the problems I encountered in my training. I wanted to be able to use both mana enhancement and mana vision at the same time, but holding the images of both skills in my mind at the same time was proving difficult. I could do it for short bursts when that was the only thing that I was concentrating on, but as soon as I added anything else to the mix, both skills would fall apart. I was tapping the pen on my chin in when a potential solution came to mind. The solution had always been there right in front of me if I had just calmed down and thought it through. The issue was that I was trying to hold two different images in my mind at the same time. So why didn¡¯t I just merge the images and hold one fused image? The single merged image would be more complicated than either of the individual images, but it would be easier to manage than two separate images at the same time. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at my stupidity for not thinking of this in the past. The calm repetitive nature of updating my journals must let my mind relax enough for the mists obscuring my path to vanish. Things were coming together just in time. The joy I felt at solving one problem gave me the energy to finish carving the basement barrier that night, and I installed a half dozen mana stones as power sources before I fell asleep. New World Day 25 The next morning I woke up feeling refreshed and had a skip in my step as I went to hunt for food and water for the day despite the reduced sleeping hours. The last couple of days had been sunny warm days with only a few light clouds in the sky, and today was no exception. The sunny day and the successful advancement of my plans left me in an excellent mood, but I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I gathered up the day¡¯s spoils. I didn¡¯t have an actual detection skill, but I was learning to trust my instincts on these types of issues. I raised my head and surveyed my surroundings, but I didn¡¯t see anything watching me. However, I noticed paw prints in the ground as I walked through the front field towards the house. What were the chances that it was a wild forest coyote? I assumed the worst and dashed back to the house. If there was a goblin rider then there was a good chance that the hobgoblin would soon know about me. I had hoped that I would have more time to get everything ready, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about it now. My good mood evaporated, and my mind grew restless and chaotic. I needed to get things finished up before I had visitors come a calling. I tossed everything I was carrying into the garage and rushed to finish up the work with the wood from the deck. All of the boards had been turned into sharp stakes which I proceeded to pound into the ground all around the sides and back of the house. I wiped the sweat from my forehead after the last one was hammered deep into the ground and ran to the first floor of the house. I shifted the refrigerator out of the way of the door to the basement and retrieved the knife I was using to carve the barrier runes from the basement. I worked on holding the combined image of the mana vision and mana enhancement skills as I worked through the afternoon and the early night to finish the last two barriers. I finished up everything that I could inside the house by that time, but I would have to do the runes for the roof the next morning. I wasn¡¯t going to risk going on the roof at night. That would be just my luck to be attacked by some crazy unknown beast because I took too many risks without thinking things through. I didn¡¯t train my physical body that night or stay up late. Instead, I stayed up to midnight working on getting the new merged image down pat for the coming confrontation. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Once midnight came around, I went to bed so that I would be in my best form for the next day. There were two more things that I wanted to do before I would attempt to fall asleep. I looked through the Skill catalogue, and I did see something that I could purchase with my current amount of Title Points that would be useful in my current situation. But I remembered a thought I had after I first bought a skill and decided to save them for now. What I did next was to open up the System menu and assign all of my bonus stat points. I held them back earlier so that I could get the most out of my training, but now was the time to go all out. I thought about the best use of the stat points and decided that the greatest increase to my strength laid in my mana enhancement skill and mana vision skills. They represented a comprehensive increase in my abilities, but I could only use them together for a short period of time. Which is why I dumped all of my stat points in my spirit stat. I calculated the drain on my mana from their dual usage and realized that I could activate them indefinitely if I used all of the stockpiled bonus stats. This was the first time that I ever assigned bonus stat points, but the experience of learning the System skills, especially the barrier runes skill, prepared me for the immense power that engulfed my body. The pain was intense, but it lasted for just a short moment. After the power vanished into the nether, I felt a massive surge in my spiritual world as a smirk graced my lips. Only the runes on the roof are left hobgoblin. You¡¯re going to regret not coming for me as soon as your minion told you about me. Heh. This house will be your burial ground.
Endurance increased by 2! Strength increased by 3! Speed increased by 1! Agility increased by 1! Spirit increased by 2! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * has evolved into Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? *! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * has evolved into Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? *! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up! Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) has evolved into Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? *! Minor Mana Control ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Control ? * has evolved into Lesser Mana Control (UC) * Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Close Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * has evolved into Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ( C ) *! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) (B) * has evolved into Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? *! Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Enhancement (Active) (B) * has evolved into Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? *! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Mana Vision (Active) (B) * has evolved into Minor Mana Vision ? *!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 93% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 1 12% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 9 37% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 8 41% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 92% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 170/170 126/126 22 per min (-2.75) 21 18 18 10 40 0
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 99% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 84% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 31% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 9 56% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 63% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 71% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 22% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 48% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 4 64% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 71% Fear Control (B) LVL 4 89% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 23% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 58% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 6% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 1 92% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 1 67% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 44 New World Day 26 I woke up early the next morning to finish the barrier runes on the roof of the house in preparation for the conflict that I believed to be coming sometime that day. When I opened the door from the basement to the first floor and looked out the windows of the great room, my jaw dropped down, and I let out a long sigh. Rain poured down from thick dark clouds and thunder shook the windows as lightning rippled through the sky. Of course it would storm on the day that I needed to work on the roof of the house. I rubbed my face with the palm of my hands for a moment before I let out another sigh and climbed the steps to the second floor. It needed to be done storm or no storm. I opened the window from my old bedroom on the second floor and crawled out onto the roof. I activated both my mana vision and mana enhancement skills as I worked on the runes for the first part of the roof that extended out over the front porch. My hands shook when I first drew out the metal knife I used to carve the runes. It would be a fitting end for these last few weeks if I was struck by lightning while sitting on the roof of the house. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and forced my hands to stop shaking. It was at that moment that I started to carve the runes. The finished barrier for this floor and the roof would be similar to a misshapen T. I had gotten enough practice in over the last few days that it took just two hours to complete the third and final barrier for the house. There were a few close calls with lightning that gave me quite a fright, but I persevered and dragged my drenched body back into the house in triumph. There were just a few quick things to organize and then I would be ready for anything the hobgoblin could throw at me. Wet foot prints marked my path down the stairs to the basement where I grabbed a hammer, a box of nails, six mana stones, a bottle of mana water, both of the rifles, the shotgun, and all of the remaining ammo for the weapons. I didn¡¯t bother to change my clothes since I needed to go back out into the rain to put some nails in the roof, but I did strap on the pistol and knife combo. I hopped back up the steps two at a time and laid out the weapons and ammo on my bed. The next step was installing the six mana stones in the wall of my room. There was an activation rune in both bedrooms and in two spots on the roof. The other two barriers for the first floor and the basement had similar arrangements to ensure that I didn¡¯t get stuck in a situation where I needed the barrier but couldn¡¯t reach an activation rune. All of the activation arrangements had two different activation runes. One rune would activate just that floor¡¯s barrier. The other would activate all three of the barriers to create one enormous barrier for the entire house. The storm raged away as I crawled back out onto the roof to hammer in a couple of nails on the upper part of the roof that covered the second floor bedrooms and the great room. I noticed it before when I was carving the runes, but there were multiple areas where there were large gashes and missing shingles. I suspected that damage was caused by the thunderwind hawk investigating my cooking. I only heard it a couple of times which worried me. There were enough gashes to make it clear that it had been on the roof far more than just a couple of times. That was another thing that I would have to keep an eye out for in the future. I hammered in the nails just enough that they wouldn¡¯t wobble or come loose. I intended to use them to hold the straps of the rifles and shotgun so that they wouldn¡¯t slide off of the roof when I wasn¡¯t using them. When I finished hammering the nails in, I hurried back inside and out of the storm. There was just one last thing to do. I ran down the stairs to the basement and retrieved my axe, some water, and the last bag of chips. I took everything back upstairs to my old bedroom. Everything was ready for the hobgoblin¡¯s arrival. Now I just needed to wait. I sat there looking out the window of my bedroom while I ate a light lunch and practiced activating my mana vision and mana enhancement skills as quickly as possible. It was a boring repetitive training. I felt that there were a number of other things that I could be doing but I couldn¡¯t afford to miss the arrival of the hobgoblin and his forces. I could see the entire front field, up the driveway to the road, and all the way to the big barn from my window. It would be difficult for my enemies to arrive without me seeing them from here. They could come from behind the house, but that would require them to take a path along the edge of the Little Lake which was dangerous for an individual let alone a large group. Even if they made it by the lake, they would need to either break the garage door, which I would hear right away, or come around to the front of the house where I would be able to see them. Either way, I would have plenty of time to activate the barriers, and if they were foolish enough to get that close, they would make easy targets. I would have preferred to be on the roof so that I could see all around me just in case, but I had already pushed my luck as far as I wanted to by being up there earlier with a metal knife and hammer. I sat there all morning and afternoon watching the rain fall to the ground in sheets and listening to the thunder and pitter patter of the rain. Every once in a while, I heard the cry of the thunderwind hawk over the rumbling thunder. The sound was always from a distance so I was never worried about it coming to make trouble for me as I waited for my enemy¡¯s arrival. I made some progress in how quickly I could activate my two skills, but as the hours passed by, the hobgoblin never showed his face. Was I too paranoid about the forest coyote tracks? It could have been a wild forest coyote after all. Or did the hobgoblin plan to make a night raid? It had been willing to hunt forest coyotes at night so it didn¡¯t share my fear of the night. My mana vision skill should allow me to use the mana leaking from their bodies to track and aim at them even at night. Hmm, maybe it was his plan to get me to stay up all night waiting for his arrival and attack in the morning when I was exhausted. It turned out that I was just overthinking things. The storm began to lose steam as the afternoon passed by until it dissipated entirely in the late afternoon a couple of hours before sunset. With the storm gone, I opened up the windows and doors in both bedrooms and took the mana water, guns, and ammo out onto the roof. I sat there watching and enjoying the orange and red hues of the sun¡¯s rays break through the clouds while I awaited my foe¡¯s arrival. It wasn¡¯t more than fifteen minutes after the storm ended that my ears twitched. It was faint, very faint, but I was sure that it was a howl. I wasn¡¯t going to have to stay up all night after all. I picked up one of the rifles and assumed a kneeling position near an activation rune for the barriers in the middle of the roof. Five minutes after that faint howl I saw them emerge from the edge of the forest past the grassy front lawn. They appeared like ghosts at the edge of the forest without the slightest bit of noise. There were fourteen goblin coyote riders arrayed around the hobgoblin for a total of 30 enemies when the coyotes were taken into account. The eerie lack of noise from the forest coyotes aside from that first faint howl showed how thoroughly they had trained the forest coyotes. I was sure they would stand and fight along with their masters. Out of fear if nothing else. Most of the goblins were armed with wooden clubs or crude stone axes, but the four largest of them had bows. That was new, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I could just take care of those four first. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The hobgoblin had lost his sword during our very first fight, and I hadn¡¯t seen what he had replaced it with at the creek. With him out in the open, I could see that his armor was the same as our first fight except there were black patches where the shotgun slugs had punched through the armor. The patch in the center of his armor was more ornate than the others. It was silver and formed a shape or rune of some kind, but the distance made it impossible to see all of the details. In place of his lost sword, which was sitting in the basement of the house, he had an axe with a metal head and a wooden handle that resembled a gnarled tree root. As I surveyed my enemy¡¯s numbers and equipment, so too were they examining my home. It took the hobgoblin no more than a few moments to spot me atop the roof of the house. It swept its vision across the ground floor and no doubt took notice of the missing deck and the new spikes in the ground before it looked up and saw me kneeling on the roof. I gave the hobgoblin the same cheeky smile and wave that I had given it after our encounter by the creek. It narrowed its eyes and frowned at me. I could tell that it was surprised to see me alive and well. The creature¡¯s surprise at my survival meant that that bastard really did know about what lived in that area of the forest. It had never expected to see me again after it saw me head towards the Haunted Spiderway. I had expected the hobgoblin and his horde to attack me right away when they saw me, but the horde just sat there waiting for the hobgoblin¡¯s orders while it stared up at me. The hobgoblin must have been wary about the fact that I had not only survived the Haunted Spiderway, but that I had anticipated their arrival and was waiting for them. On my side, I was worried that they would retreat and come after me sometime when I wasn¡¯t prepared for them. I would have to leave the house to acquire food and water eventually after all. We sat there locked in a staring contest as seconds ticked by until I showed the hobgoblin a vicious smile, gave him the finger, and yelled, ¡°Come on you cowardly snot-colored bastards!¡±. I knew that the hobgoblin wouldn¡¯t understand what I yelled or what the gesture meant, but it was smart enough to recognize an insult when it heard one and stupid enough to be provoked by it. The hobgoblin snarled in fury and stabbed his axe in my direction. The horde roared in response and charged at me as one like one giant snarling beast.
Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 8 93% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 1 12% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 9 37% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 8 41% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 92% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 170/170 126/126 22 per min (-2.75) 21 18 18 10 40 0
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 99% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 84% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 31% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 9 56% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 63% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 71% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 22% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 75% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 4 64% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 71% Fear Control (B) LVL 4 89% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 23% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 58% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 6% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 2 31% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 2 42% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 45 New World Day 26 Freed from their order of silence, the forest coyotes howled and the goblins shrieked as the majority of the horde charged for the house. I could see a faint white mana leaking from all of their bodies as they began their attack. All of them must have activated something similar to my mana enhancement technique. The hobgoblin and the four bow wielding goblins trailed behind the other 10, intent on staying at range and feeling the situation out. The bow wielders stopped about 100 feet from the house and each drew an arrow from the quiver on their backs. The hobgoblin was smart enough to hide behind the four of them. He was going to use them as meat shields while he kept an eye on how the battle was unfolding. It wasn¡¯t an unexpected move on his part. He had done the same thing that first night I saw him and again during our encounter by the creek. He would only move himself when he absolutely had to move. He wasn¡¯t going to make himself an easy target. The charging members of the horde were within 50 feet of the house at this point. I could see their faces were distorted into gruesome visages by their battle cries. I kept one eye on the incoming coyote riders, but the majority of my attention was on the four bow wielders. Before the four of them could nock their arrows, I zeroed in on the one that the hobgoblin was hiding behind through the scope on my rifle and fired. The bullet struck the goblin in the chest and the impact sent him spiraling off of his mount. The death of the goblin caused the mounts to paw the ground with quivering paws. I thought I could see a bit of sweat form on the brows of the remaining three bow wielders, but they didn¡¯t panic or dodge as I hoped. That great willpower or more like great fear meant the three remaining bow wielders finished nocking their arrows and loosed them in my direction. By the time the three arrows were speeding towards me, the 10 charging coyote riders were just a few feet away from the front porch of the house. Slobber and spit came from forest coyotes and goblins alike as they howled and screamed their throats hoarse. A foul stench reminiscent of raw sewage rolled over the house like a wave as they got closer and closer. The stench was enough to almost make me throw up then and there. Did these bastards ever bathe? I could see that a few of the forest coyotes were gathering their legs to jump onto the lower part of the roof while the rest seemed to be prepared to charge into the front porch. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were going to do on the front porch. They could abandon their mounts and climb through the windows, but splitting up like that seemed to be a foolish decision to me. Either way it wouldn¡¯t matter because as soon as the arrows were fired I activated the barriers around the entire house. A translucent white barrier sprang into being around the house ready to defend me from my enemies. The three arrows struck the barrier with a clang and bounced back to fall harmlessly to the ground. There were only slight nicks in the barrier to show that the arrows had been fired at all. The charging coyote riders beady little eyes widened in surprise and fear when they saw the barrier erupt around the house, and they all yanked on the fur at the base of the forest coyote¡¯s necks to try and stop their mounts before they slammed into the barrier. To my great delight, four of the coyotes didn¡¯t respond quick enough to their riders instructions. Three of the four of them smashed snout first into the ground floor area of the barrier. The last one¡¯s mount was one of the ones that had been preparing to jump onto the lower roof, and it launched itself into the upper floor barrier. I heard a second string of three impacts from the ground floor and smiled. The three goblins whose mounts struck the ground floor barrier must have lost their hold on their mounts and gotten thrown forward into the barrier themselves. The angle from the roof kept me from seeing how badly they were hurt by the impact, but I could hear their cries of pain. I did have a good view of what happened to the one who tried to jump onto the roof. The forest coyote was bounced backward by the barrier and its left side crashed into the ground with a crack. Judging from how the goblin¡¯s face was twisted in pain, I was sure the cracking sound was the rider¡¯s leg breaking as it was caught between the forest coyote and the ground. While the barrier was busy blocking my enemies, I brought a second bow wielding goblin into my sights. I would have preferred to aim at the hobgoblin, but the second the first bow wielder was slain he danced his mount behind another one of the bow wielders. He was going to keep using them as meat shields until none of them were left. My second shot struck the new target in the chest just like the first. Unlike the first he wasn¡¯t spun off of his mount. He slumped forward dead and his head knocked into the back of the forest coyote¡¯s head. The forest coyote¡¯s ears flattened themselves against the roof of its skull but otherwise didn¡¯t react to its rider¡¯s death. The hobgoblin showed a slight hint of panic as it was forced to dodge behind a third goblin to avoid my aim. I heard him bark an order of some kind, and I thought I saw him make some kind of motion at the two forest coyotes whose riders were dead. Right after his minions heard his order, I saw them spread out in front of the house and then advance forward out of my line of sight to strike the barrier with their clubs, axes, and claws. The barrier would hold for a while yet. It was just a matter of how many of them I could pick off before they broke through. The banging of clubs and clanging of axes filled the air only to be overpowered by the sound of my rifle as my third rifle shot cut down another bow wielding goblin. The now dead goblin and his remaining compatriot had fired another two arrows at me, but they too left only a couple of scratches on the upper floor barrier. I wanted that hobgoblin dead. So much so, that I ignored the goblins and forest coyotes attacking the ground floor barrier. I drew my sights on the hobgoblin¡¯s last protector, but when I squeezed the trigger, one of the nearby mounts dashed in front and took the bullet meant for the last bow wielder. That must have been the meaning of the hand motion that the hobgoblin had made. He was telling the two forest coyotes to protect them at all costs. I wasn¡¯t sure why they hadn¡¯t jumped in front of the last bullet as well. Maybe they both guessed wrong about who I was aiming at. That sacrifice allowed the bow wielder to fire two more arrows before my fifth and last round with this rifle took his life. I was amazed at how the four of the bow wielders just stood their on their mounts firing arrows at me. It took a lot of guts to stand there firing arrows as I cut them down one by one. It would have made more sense for their mounts to run and dodge as they fired arrows at me and whittled away at the barrier. I was puzzled by their actions until I thought about how the hobgoblin had been hiding behind them. Did he order them to stand still so that he could use them as shields? If he just wanted to stay out of danger why didn¡¯t he hide back at the edge of the forest? It was when I tossed the empty rifle onto the roof beside me and picked up the second fully loaded rifle beside me that I received an answer. The hobgoblin recognized his chance to close the distance and sent his mount dashing towards the house while I was still weaponless. I got a good look at the hatred evident on his face as he drew closer. He wanted to be the one to end me. The rest of the horde was just there to exhaust any traps I had prepared for him. The three remaining mounts from the bow wielding goblins charged alongside the hobgoblin and his mount. His charge was different from any of his minions. His mount weaved forward in a serpentine pattern to make it difficult to aim at him, and the riderless mounts jumped in front of him every few steps in an attempt to block any bullets I might fire at him. I had to try and anticipate both his turns and the jumping of the forest coyotes in order to hit him. My first shot missed him and the three forest coyotes. It tore into the ground a few feet to his right. He had zigged instead of zagged that time. I could see a smug grin flash across the hobgoblin¡¯s face after the bullet missed everyone. Grrr, that smug bastard.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. It was a high stakes guessing game now. Would he keep to the serpentine pattern or would he change the pattern again? Thanks to my mana-boosted speed, I had another two or three shots before he reached the front porch. I had to make them count. As I lined up the second shot, I believed that he would hold to the pattern this time. My instincts were correct, and the second bullet went right for his chest when one of the three forest coyotes jumped in front to take the bullet for him. Damn it! Was it dumb luck that the creature got the timing right? The forest coyote dropped to the ground dead, and the hobgoblin¡¯s mount jumped over it to continue towards the house. I thought that I saw a hint of worry on the hobgoblin¡¯s face after that second shot. He hadn¡¯t expected me to guess right. There was time for one last shot. My left hand was a blur as I worked the lever and loaded the next round all while I kept him in my sights. Was he going to hold to the pattern or change it up? Hold or change? Hold or change? Hold! I gave him a slight lead and squeezed the trigger a third time. The hobgoblin did as I expected and held to the serpentine pattern. Better than that, the last two forest coyotes failed to block the bullet, but the hobgoblin was a trickier bastard than I gave him credit for. He didn¡¯t make his mount change the pattern, but he shifted his grip on the forest coyote¡¯s fur and let his body slip off of the top of the forest coyote to hug its right flank. The sudden movement caused the round to miss his chest and instead tore a furrow through his left arm. A wince of pain flickered across his face before he let out a triumphant roar. He had dodged the bullet and made it to the front porch while I lost my chance to kill him before he could get close to me. Unseen by the hobgoblin, a grin spread across my face. Let him roar all he wanted. It wasn¡¯t like I expected to kill him from a distance. I saw how quickly he healed that injury from the shotgun slug during our first encounter. It would have been nice to force him to use some of his mana, but things were still within my expectations. I thinned his numbers a bit, and I eliminated all of his ranged minions. I grabbed the bottle of mana water next to me and chugged all of it. I wiped a few drops from my lip before I dropped it and grabbed the shotgun along with the last three loose slugs for it. I was going to make sure the barrier held longer than they ever expected, and they weren¡¯t going to like what I did with that extra time.
You have reached level 9! 5 bonus stat points have been awarded!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 9 7% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 1 12% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 9 37% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 8 41% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 92% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 170/170 164/126 22 per min (-2.75) 21 18 18 10 40 5
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 99% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 5 95% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 31% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 9 56% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 63% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 71% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 22% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 75% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 4 64% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 71% Fear Control (B) LVL 4 91% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 23% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 58% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 14% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 2 36% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 2 48% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 46 New World Day 26 I heard the goblins and forest coyotes banging away at the barrier as I ran down to the edge of the lower roof. The barrier for the ground floor was on the verge of breaking, but before the horde finish breaking the barrier, I put my foot on the activation rune at the edge of the lower roof and let all of the mana raging in my spirit world drain into the barriers. When the mana poured into the barrier runes, the dimming white light of the barrier flared up to its brightest point yet and the cracks and scratches disappeared. The goblins let out a collective roar as they realized that their efforts had been for naught. That roar of rage shifted to one of panic when I put the one round from the rifle and a shotgun slug into the two leftmost goblins who had been pounding on the barrier with their wooden clubs. The two dead goblins slid off of their mounts to drop to the ground with a thud, surprise evident on their faces. None of them had realized that I had run to the edge of the roof until that moment. I was already in motion before the bullet and slug had hit their targets. I needed to get rid of as many of them as I could before they had a chance to spread out. I flung the rifle and shotgun onto my shoulders and drew the pistol from my waist. I held it steady with both hands and emptied the entire clip into the mass of bodies attacking the barrier. Speed was more important than choosing specific targets. Whether it was a goblin or a forest coyote, I took aim at whatever came into my sights, squeezed off a round, and then shifted to a new target. I needed to use this chance to cut the size of the horde down to a more manageable number. The horde was so close and clustered together that I couldn¡¯t miss. Twelve bullets found their way into twelve different enemies. Four goblins and eight forest coyotes were struck by the pistol rounds. Of those twelve, three goblins sagged down dead on their mounts and five forest coyotes perished. The five forest coyotes collapsed to the ground and sent their riders tumbling to the ground. Their deaths meant that there were four goblins, eight forest coyotes, and one hobgoblin left. I holstered the pistol and unslung the rifle to use the last round in it, but the hobgoblin had reacted to my presence by now. It started in shock at its dead minions and then glanced up at me fury written on its face plain as day. It let out a tremendous howl of rage, and I watched in awe as the faint white mana around its body flared impossibly bright before it all poured into the axe it held with both hands. Three unknown runes that had been hidden until now lit up on the axehead as the hobgoblin¡¯s mana filled the axe. The runes glowed white for a moment before a mix of purple and blue overpowered the white. When the glow of the runes reached its apex, the hobgoblin smashed the axe down upon the barrier with all of its strength. There was a brilliant blue and purple explosion as lightning erupted from the blade of the axe when it struck the barrier. The lightning exploded into multiple strands that raced out in all directions from the point of impact and melted the barrier wherever they passed through. A deafening clap of thunder accompanied the flash of the lightning followed by the sound of glass breaking as the ground floor barrier shattered. I saw the hobgoblin sag backwards in exhaustion, but his mount jumped into the relative safety of the front porch before I could react to his sudden weakness. The other survivors of the horde attempted to follow suit and cram themselves into the front porch. But the porch was too small to hold them all so there were four forest coyotes that were left outside. I put my last rifle round through the chest of one of them, tossed the empty rifle behind me, and pulled the shotgun off of my shoulder. I heard a grunt from underneath the porch and the two forest coyotes ran towards opposite sides of the house. I tracked the one running to the left side of the house and squeezed the trigger before it could turn the corner. The shotgun slug tore a large hole through its chest and the momentum of its failed dash for safety sent it rolling into the gravel of the driveway. If the hobgoblin hadn¡¯t broken the ground floor barrier, I would have been stuck with my foot on the activation rune fueling the barrier, but now I was free to chase down the forest coyote. I ran to the right side of the house and saw it below the door that used to lead out onto the deck before I dismantled it. I saw it look at the wooden stakes around it before it looked back up at the door and broken windows. I hadn¡¯t had time to board up the windows yet. Was it going to try and jump into the house from there? If I wasn¡¯t in such a dire situation, I would have waited to see if it succeeded or failed and fell onto the spikes, but I was in a bad situation so I raised the shotgun and fired. The slug caught it in the right side of its body as it tensed its muscles and crouched down to gather its strength for the jump. The slug rocked its body to the left and sent the dead forest coyote rolling down the slight incline towards the Little Lake. As I was dealing with the three stranded forest coyotes, the rest of the horde was working hard under the porch. I heard the sound of claws against wood followed by a loud bang. One of the forest coyotes must have tried to claw down the door before one rammed it or a goblin attacked it with a club. Things were quiet for a moment before I heard glass shatter. The window that lead into the ground floor bedroom had been broken. I heard the sound of crunching glass followed by the thud of footsteps in the bedroom. I loaded the last three shotgun slugs into the shotgun while I raced over to grab the rifle from where I had tossed it a couple of minutes again. Then I ran to the upper roof where I stashed the extra ammo. I heard multiple footsteps in the kitchen now. At least two or three of the remaining goblins were inside the house. They were searching for a way to get up here, but it wouldn¡¯t be that easy for them. I knew it wouldn¡¯t take them long to find the steps to the second floor, but the upper barrier was still intact for the moment. I reloaded the pistol and then both of the rifles as I strained my ears to hear what was going on inside of the house. It was hard to hear their footsteps after they entered the carpeted great room. The carpet dampened the sound of their steps enough that I couldn¡¯t tell where they were at. I glanced at the front of the house to see if any of the others had left the front porch. None of them were in sight. I suspected meant that they were waiting until the goblins inside of the house had my attention before they made their move. It was the smart decision which led me to believe that the hobgoblin was still recovering under the front porch. I had just finished reloading the guns when I heard a creak from the stairwell. I left one of the two rifles hanging from a nail on the roof and brought the second and the shotgun with me to the lower roof. I designed the barrier for the second floor to start along the railing above the stairs. That meant that the stairs themselves and a thin strip of the landing at the top of the stairs wasn¡¯t covered by the barrier. I did this on purpose for a simple reason. The door to the first bedroom on the floor was right there on the landing, and the window in the bedroom lined up perfectly with the door. As soon as anything reached the landing, I would be able to fire at them through the window. I wanted to save the last few shotgun slugs so I raised the rifle instead and aimed it through the window. I could have gone inside to attack them, but I wanted to stay on the roof to keep an eye out for the rest of them. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A few moments passed before I heard some soft footsteps. Seconds later three goblins carrying stone axes stepped into view. When they reached the top of the stairs, they turned to attack the barrier which is when their eyes widened in fear. They saw me aiming at them through the window, and each of them reacted in a different way. The one to the left threw himself towards the daybed to the left of the door. The goblin to the right dove back down the stairs, and I heard a series of thumps mixed with cries of pain as he rolled down the stairs. The middle goblin attempted to follow his companion in jumping on the daybed, but he was out of luck. The rifle round punched through the leather armor covering his chest before he had a chance to dodge. He fell backwards and slumped dead against the wooden railing. I twisted my body to see if I could get a shot at the goblin that jumped on the bed when I saw natural stream of mana flowing through the sky change course to gather at the front of the house. I whipped around to face the front of the house and saw the hobgoblin sitting there astride his mount. That damn axe of his was raised up high above his head and the mana from the surrounding area was being drawn into the hobgoblin¡¯s body before being channeled into the axe. How in the hell was he doing that? Was it all the axe or was this something he was doing himself? That was something to puzzle out later. I needed to stop him from charging his attack. I tried to line up a shot to stop him, but I was too late. The runes on the axe blazed blue and purple and the hobgoblin¡¯s mount vaulted up into the air. It slammed head first into the barrier without the slightest care for its own health. I heard a cracking noise from its skull and it was bounced backwards by the barrier, but it was enough. The hobgoblin chopped down with the axe and slammed it into the second floor barrier before he was flung backwards off of its mount. The blow resulted in another blinding burst of lightning and clap of thunder, but all I heard was the sound of glass shattering as the barrier broke under the fury of the blow.
Basic Gun Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Gun Mastery (B) * leveled up! Flexible Mana Lake (B) *** leveled up! Flexible Mana Lake (B) *** leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 9 38% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 1 62% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Swarm Killer (B) LVL 9 31% Beast Killer (B) LVL 9 49% Risk Taker (B) LVL 9 59% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 8 72% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 97% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * ** * * * * * * ** ***** 9
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 170/170 100/126 22 per min (-2.75) 21 18 18 10 40 5
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist
Skills: Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 9 99% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 7 63% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 31% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 9 56% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 63% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 71% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 22% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 75% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control (B) LVL 4 71% Fear Control (B) LVL 4 91% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 23% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 1 58% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 14% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 2 36% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 2 48% * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Chapter 47 New World Day 26 Shit. That was the only thought that came to mind. The barrier was down. There were four goblins, five forest coyotes, and the hobgoblin left, and I no longer had a shield to hide behind. This was going to get messy. The forest coyotes and the two goblins under the porch moved before the hobgoblin even hit the ground. The hobgoblin coordinated everything. He sent the three goblins without mounts inside to distract me and destroyed the barrier while my attention was diverted. The minions outside were the force meant to overwhelm me. The forest coyotes spread out along the length of the front of the house, crouched down, and vaulted up onto the roof. The two coyote riders were in the middle of the formation with the two riderless coyotes on the flanks. They stalked forward intent on completing their orders. The coordinated assault caught me off guard, but I¡¯m not that easy to kill. I survived a whole slew of dangerous situations in the past month. I was no longer a normal or average person. That was true as far back as the first day of the New World. I survived the forest coyotes when all of my neighbors didn''t. That fact set me apart from the very beginning. I backpedalled up to the upper roof and snapped off one quick shot with the rifle. Three of the four forest coyotes on the roof were injured already, and the jump aggravated their wounds. The bullet struck the middle left coyote in the right shoulder. The wound wasn¡¯t in and of itself fatal, but it was the last straw. The earlier rifle round did enough damage that the wound to the shoulder finished it off. The forest coyote plopped to the ground and slid backwards off the edge of the roof. The goblin panicked and jumped off before the dead body finished its slide. He did a belly flop onto the shingles of the roof and lay there stunned. The goblin lost his grip on his stone axe as he slammed into the roof. The axe twirled through the air end over end and slammed into the muzzle of the forest coyote on the left. The forest coyote lucked out when the axe did one last twirl and hit blunt side first. I saw it blink and twitch its head backward for a moment due to the pain and the force of the blow,. A hint of blood leaked from its lips near where the axe smacked it. Its long tongue flicked out to lick up the blood. Incised by the blood, it surged forward and snapped at the goblin that had hurt it. That was the first time during this entire fight that I saw a forest coyote show any normal behavior. Was the hobgoblin¡¯s control loosening? Heh, that suits me just fine. The behavior of the angry forest coyote distracted the other two assailants long enough that I had time to drop the rifle and pull the shotgun off of my shoulder. I held the shotgun at my waist and shot the mount of the second goblin. Unlike the first forest coyote that slid off of the roof, this coyote was hit by a shotgun slug. The slug smashed through the forest coyote¡¯s chest and sent it rolling backward instead of sliding. This coyote rider tried to jump off like his compatriot, but he was too late. The coyote flipped over backwards and crushed the goblin between it and the roof. There was a loud crack and screech of pain before they rolled off the roof together. Blood streaked the roof along the path of the roll. The goblin was hurt. I knew that much, but I couldn¡¯t be sure if the blood streak was all from the forest coyote or not. The sound of the shotgun drew the attention of the last two forest coyotes back on me. They ran up opposite sides of the roof so that one of them could get into my blind spot. The forest coyote to my left pounced at my chest while the one to my right circled around behind me. I danced to my right and pumped the shotgun. The ejected shell flipped end over end through the air to land in between me and the forest coyote. The forest coyote crashed into the spot where I had just been standing. Shingles flew through the air, and its claws dug deep into the wood underneath. It twisted its upper body around to face me and lashed out with a quick slash of its claws, but I flowed backwards out of reach. A light wind washed over me as the claws passed through the air in front of me followed by a boom and a spray of blood as my counter attack turned its head to pulp. As the red mist floated through the air, I heard the slightest click of claws on the roof. I tucked and rolled forward without looking to see what was coming. The cracking of wood and a howl of anger echoed out behind me while an new empty bounced flew through the air. I came out of the roll on one knee and twirled back around to face my attacker. The second forest coyote was there right in front of me. I could feel the steam of its breath on my face and see the hunger in its eyes, and I saw the light leave its eyes as a shotgun slug punched through its chest. Its lifeless body collapsed and slid down the roof towards me, but I spun out of the way. The spin saved me from the charge of the dead body and let me see the belly-flopping goblin from earlier charging towards me. It must have recovered while I was busy dealing with its fellows. It had no weapon after the incident with its axe, but those clawed fingers looked plenty sharp enough to do some damage. The goblin was fast. I¡¯ll give him that. He charged at me like an angry bull and like a bullfighter I slipped to the side at the last moment. I planted my right foot and twisted around to face his back. The shotgun slug blew a hole through his back, but the damage was done. As he stormed past me, he lashed out with his claws. He failed to reach my flesh, but I didn¡¯t dodge quite far enough. His claws tore through the pistol holster and sent the pistol spinning off of the side of the house along with him. Well shit. That complicates things. All that hard work dancing around in the basement practicing my footwork skills had been worth it, but I got too confident. If I dodged just a bit wider, he would have missed me completely. But no, I thought I was some kind of bullfighter, and I paid the price for my overconfidence. One slug left in the shotgun and five enemies left. Not the best of odds. I sprinted towards the top of the roof where the second rifle and my axe lay. The sound of glass shattering reached my ears, and I saw two goblins stick their heads out of the window to my left. Shards of glass were stuck all over one goblin¡¯s face, and blood was pouring down its neck yet it had this satisfied smile on its face as if it had solved a legendary puzzle. How stupid was he? Why didn¡¯t he just wait to come out after the first one had finished climbing out of the roof? Well, I guess it''s good to die happy. The smarter goblin who hadn¡¯t smashed his head through a glass window saw me run past and jerked his head back into the house, but the second goblin¡¯s view was blocked. The goblin¡¯s head exploded as my last shotgun slug ripped through it from close range. The headless body dropped back into the bedroom spurting blood all the way. Almost had a two for one there, but I would take what I could get. I dropped the shotgun now that it was empty and continued my sprint up the roof. When I reached the top of the roof, I grabbed the second rifle with my left hand and seized the handle of the axe with my right, and pivoted around to survey the situation. All of my remaining enemies were arrayed before me. On my left there was the goblin that had just finished climbing out of the bedroom window. He was glaring at me, and he had a large wooden club that he kept smacking against his hand. Standing on the bottom right of the roof, there was a second goblin that was holding a stone axe in his left hand. His right arm was broken and twisted. The entire arm had taken on a sickening black color. This was the one that rolled off of the roof with his mount earlier then. Neither of the two had gun wounds though. I could have sworn that there was one that survived a rifle round earlier. Ah, was that why that one earlier was acting so stupid? Maybe he had lost too much blood. I pushed that thought aside before it could distract me for more than a moment. I could confirm my suspicions after I survived this final fight. The last forest coyote was standing on the bottom left of the roof. He had blood flowing down his muzzle from where he had smashed his head into the barrier so that the hobgoblin could destroy it with his lightning. Which brought me to my final enemy. The hobgoblin was standing straight in front of me. The silver patch in the center of his armor was broken and melted. A bit of self-inflicted damage I thought. Sweat poured down his face, and he slumped his shoulders forward slightly. Anyone could tell that he was exhausted. The thick white mana that was present around his body at the beginning of the fight was nowhere to be seen. It was so dim that it was almost imperceptible. Those two lightning attacks were incredible, but they took a lot out of him. I on the other hand was in perfect shape. Aside from a lack of ammo that is. The big boost in my mana regen meant that I could keep up my mana enhancement and mana vision skills all day if I had to. The hobgoblin and I glared at each other. There is no way that he expected to have lost so many members of his horde, but he surprised me as well. I hadn¡¯t expected the barriers to be broken. I thought the mana stones and bottle of mana water would sustain the barrier long enough for me to pick off the entire horde. It looked like it was going in that direction too until the hobgoblin used those two lightning attacks. We were both on our last legs now. There was time for one shot before my enemies closed in upon me. I would have to make it count. Despite all of my training on my footwork, I didn¡¯t like my chances up close and personal with the hobgoblin. Should I use that single shot on him? He was the highest value target, but exhausted or not, he was the most likely to dodge the bullet as well. The last forest coyote made my decision for me. The faint streams of mana emanating from its body gathered underneath its feet and exploded. The explosion of mana sent the forest coyote flying at me like a missle. My lack of experience cost me yet again. If I knew that something like that was possible, I wouldn''t have bothered debating on who to shot. One shot at any of them was better than no shots. The only saving grace was that it wasn¡¯t hard to dodge the flying headbunt of the forest coyote. I hopped backward and slid down the back of the roof. The forest coyote flew above me and thrust its legs down to claw at me as if passed through the air above me. The claws left shallow slashes on both of my shoulders. There was a slight flash of pain, but it was well within my pain threshold. They would have required stitches in the Old World, but with my regen skill, there was only a small blood flow for a handful of seconds before the slashes began to scab over. The forest coyote missed its main strike and landed at the edge of the roof. I let myself continue sliding backwards until I was just a couple of feet away from the forest coyote. The forest coyote swung its body around to face me, but before it could turn all of the way around, I slammed my left foot down and whipped my body around. I swung the rifle like a club with all of my strength and broke it against the forest coyote¡¯s jaw. Broken fangs flew through the air and the forest coyote spun off of the roof. The force of the blow spun it far enough that it flew over the stakes and rolled down the hill into the Little Lake. There were bubbles, splashes, and gurgles followed by silence and the emergence of a red tint to the water. I dropped the broken rifle and advanced back towards the top of the roof. I should have used the axe, but I used what was in the nearest hand for my attack. I heard the rapid clatter of claws on shingles. The sound of their approach caused me to hesitate. Was it better to meet them at the top of the roof or wait for them on the back end? The back end. I could see them coming that way. I stepped back to the middle of the rear roof, gripped the axe with both hands, and planted my feet to wait for the hobgoblin and the last two goblins. The footsteps slowed as they approached the peak of the roof. They must be afraid of me ambushing them like I was afraid of them ambushing me. The three of them stepped over the peak together to confront me. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The hobgoblin was flanked by his last two minions. The two goblins charged at me as soon as they caught sight of me waiting for them. The club wielding goblin charged straight at me and smashed it into the roof section that I had just vacated. Shards of wood shot into the air and peppered my upper body. One sizeable shard struck me in the cheek and caused me to blink. The second goblin dodged around the side of the first and used the opening to his advantage. He used his single arm like a whip to swing the axe at my chest. The long arms of the goblins gave them a deceptive reach and greater strength than their small size indicated. The extra caution I showed in dodging backwards allowed me to stay just out of reach of the club strike, but I misjudged the axe blow. I slid back and to the side in a failed attempt to dodge the axe blow. The blade of the axe left a deep slash across my stomach. A burst of pain flooded through my body, and I felt warm blood flowing down my pants leg. The bastard almost gutted me. A fraction of an inch was the difference between a deep slash and the need to keep my intestines from spilling out of my body. My dodge did keep both of the goblins between me and the hobgoblin though. I wanted to keep him out of arm''s length as long as possible. The axe blow was impressive, but it also overbalanced the goblin. His broken arm messed up his balance, and he stumbled forward a few steps past me. The club wielding goblin charged forward to cover for his companion and swung his club horizontally at me. I stepped towards him and countered the blow with a matching blow of my own. The club and axe bounced off one another. A numbing sensation spread through my arm as the force from the collision traveled up through the axe to my arm. The goblin took two steps back, but I pushed forward. My arms were too numb to attack again so I snapped my right leg forward and kicked him in the chest. The kick launched him off the side of the roof and out of the fight. I heard wood cracking and splintering instead of a thud. There was no doubt that he was out of the fight. The stakes got him. The hobgoblin chose that moment to make his move. He seized the moment that I was on one foot and lashed out with his axe. I couldn¡¯t dodge on just one foot so I attacked. The two axes smashed into one another and I was sent rolling backwards towards the edge of the roof. I almost rolled off of the roof, but I managed to jam my heels into the gutter to stop my roll. The numbness in my arms spread all the way up to my shoulders this time. As I pushed myself back to my feet, I noticed a large notch in my axe. A quick glance showed me that the hobgoblin''s remained flawless. My axe wouldn¡¯t last long if I kept parrying blade to blade. I was only half-way up to my feet when I saw the wounded goblin jumping towards me out of the corner of my left eye. He swung the axe overhead and whipped it down at my back. I threw myself to the side to try and dodge the blow. The slash dug into my left side, but I avoided the fatal blow. The axe sank through the shingles into the wood of the roof. Before the goblin could dislodge the axe, I reached forward with one hand to grab the goblin¡¯s hand holding the axe and yanked. The goblin tumbled off of the roof with a scream that was cut short by the stakes around the house. I rolled to my right as soon as I finished yanking on the goblin¡¯s arm. The hobgoblin¡¯s axe chopped through the space where I had just been laying. I used the momentum of the roll to pull myself back to my feet. I didn¡¯t even try the same trick on the hobgoblin. He was too quick and too strong to fall for that. He drew the axe out from the wood of the roof and stalked towards me. He was alone now, but I could tell he was confident in his victory. His smile was so wide and curled so far up his face that his two tusks nearly touched his eyes. I understood where his confidence was coming from. He had the better weapon and was uninjured. Tired and lacking mana but uninjured. I on the other hand was bleeding from two long and deep wounds. My regen skill was great, but it would take awhile for the blood to stop flowing. And until it did, I would continue to weaken. The hobgoblin strode towards me and launched a flurry of blows. I parried each one blade to blade thanks to my mana enhancement balancing out my injuries. Sparks flew from the blades and the shriek of metal on metal reverberated through the air. Notch after notch was gouged out of my axe. Shallow cuts appeared on my arms and legs. I couldn¡¯t go on like this. His arms were too long for me to counterattack effectively. His skill with an axe was beyond me. His combat experience greater than mine. I needed to do something unpredictable. Something crazy if I was to survive. There was only one thing that I was better than him at. Healing. I survived being mauled by a forest coyote, tearing a barbed scale from my shoulder, and being run through by this grinning bastard. I could heal better than him. I was going to let him land a blow and then use the chance to toss him off the roof. When I was thinking about how to increase the chances of surviving the blow a thought struck me like lightning. My hair stood on end and my mind raced. Was it possible? Yes! That was the way. Didn¡¯t I make a conscious decision before the fight for just such an occasion? I struggled to hold back a smile as I prepared for my last ditch effort. My axe was on its last legs and my foe knew it. He slashed sideways and I mirrored the strike. Mid swing I commanded the System, ¡°Purchase Basic Regeneration (Active)!¡± The overwhelming power of the System descended upon our fight and flooded into me. I had to shut off my mana vision to keep from being blinded by the System¡¯s strength. My mind throbbed as knowledge was crammed into it and my body was on fire as it was altered and improved. I was ready for it. I was used to it. The hobgoblin had no idea what was going on. I could see the panic and fear in his eyes. The speed and strength of his blow fell. My strike smashed his axe and arms to the side twisting his body to the side, and before he could recover and twist back around I buried my axe in his back and severed his spine. The hobgoblin¡¯s legs lost their strength, but as he fell to the ground in front of me, I saw there was life still in his eyes. The mana of the System departed, and I reactivated my mana vision. I could see the hobgoblin attempting to marshall some mana any mana to heal himself. I wrenched the axe out from his back and raised it over my head. He struggled to raise his arms to block the blow, but I struck like lightning and lopped off his head.
You have reached level 10! 5 bonus stat points have been awarded! Jobs have been unlocked! You have reached level 11! 5 bonus stat points have been awarded! Survivor ? * leveled up! Survivor ? * leveled up! Swarm Killer (B) ** evolved into Horde Killer (B) ***! Horde Killer (B) *** leveled up! Horde Killer (B) *** evolved into Horde Killer ? ***! Beast Killer (B) * leveled up! Beast Killer (B)* evolved into Beast Killer ? *! Risk Taker (B) * leveled up! Risk Taker (B) * evolved into Risk Taker ? *! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Basic Axe Mastery (B) * leveled up! Basic Axe Mastery (B) evolved into Beginner Axe Mastery ? *! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Fear Control (B) *** leveled up! Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? * leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: N/A LVL: 11 27% Job LVL: N/A 0% Job Points: N/A N/A N/A
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 3 13% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Horde Killer ? LVL 1 79% Beast Killer ? LVL 1 85% Risk Taker ? LVL 1 44% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 9 92% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 97% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * *** * * * * * * ** ***** 16
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Bonus Points: 42/170 126/126 22 per min (-2.75) 21 18 18 10 40 15
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Bleeding x16, Internal Bleeding x2
Skills: Beginner Axe Mastery ? LVL 1 76% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 7 63% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 91% Basic Regen (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 9 85% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 73% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 79% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 45% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 75% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control (B) LVL 6 18% Fear Control (B) LVL 5 63% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 3 8% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 2 96% Minor Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 14% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 4 61% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 3 87% * * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * *
Book 1 Epilogue 1 New World Day 26 I stood there over the dead body of the hobgoblin panting like a runner who had just finished a marathon. I was covered in blood from over a dozen cuts of varying depth and seriousness. My shoulders slumped and my legs bent and quivered as if I might collapse at any moment. But there was no collapse. I forced my legs to straighten and rolled my shoulders back. I raised my head to the sky and roared. It was a roar of challenge and threat to the world at large, and for that moment nothing dared to challenge me. Not the python in the barn, the frog in the lake, or the hawk in the sky. In that moment, I was the undisputed ruler. A dragon claiming his territory. I was elated and riding a high unlike any I had ever felt before. This was the high that people sought for all of their lives. A high that was like a wild mustang. If you held on through the kicking and bucking you could seize your dreams, but if you let go or were thrown off then it might just leave you broken and dying beneath its hooves. I stood there on the roof savoring that feeling until the sun began to set. I could have stood there all night like that, but there was work to be done. Success was fleeting and if I wanted to feel that sensation again, I would have to put in the work. I scoured the roof and gathered all of the weapons scattered about and tossed them in my parent¡¯s bedroom. I moved on from there to pry out the mana stones from the corpses on the roof and around the house. The rune axe that once belonged to the hobgoblin made that a much simpler affair. The axe was heavier than it appeared and there was a static shock each time I touched it, but that incredible edge that had given me such a headache let me carve out mana stones with ease. My interactions with the goblins and hobgoblin drove my squeamishness far enough away that I took the mana stones from them as well. The hobgoblin¡¯s was of a similar size to the mana stones I pulled from the goblins, but the inner glow was four times as strong. I threw all of those in my parent¡¯s bedroom as well before I moved on to disposing of the bodies. I dragged the two goblin corpses out of the second floor and rolled everything over the hill towards the Little Lake. I have to say that it was a disgusting affair prying the goblins off of the stakes. I did manage to find the wayward pistol while I was moving the corpses. It was muddy and nicked up, but it seemed to still be in working order. The only thing I kept from the corpses aside from the weapons and mana stones were a few slabs of meat from the forest coyotes. It wasn¡¯t the most appetizing meat, but I intended to make some steaks for a celebration dinner. The moon was beginning to peek out by the time I finished cleaning up everything outside. After I completed all of the outside chores, I closed all of the windows and doors and worked on the barriers. I did a few quick repairs to the first and second floor barriers. It took a little less than an hour to fix the damaged runes. I replaced the dull broken ones mana stones with the newly acquired mana ones and everything was back to working order. My last action before I settled down to cook some coyote steaks for dinner was to drag all of the weapons and remaining mana stones into the basement. Safely ensconced in the basement, I broke out some of my favorite spices for the night¡¯s dinner and sat down in front of the fire. My eyes were on the steaks sizzling away on the grate in the fire, but my mind focused on the System. I reached and passed by level 10 which allowed me to select a Job. There were four Jobs available to me with a brief summary for each Job.
4 Jobs are available! Promising Adventurer (B) **: The user has shown all of the traits necessary to become an excellent adventurer. To become an adventurer, you need not only strength, fearlessness, and caution but also a certain amount of recklessness. The key to being a great adventurer is knowing how balance the recklessness with the cautiousness. Those who possess this Job gain extra Job experience by exploring the world. Job Skills: Heavy Strike, Danger Sense Job Stats: Endurance, Strength, Speed Fool ? **: The user has shown all of the traits necessary to become a true fool. A fool is not only someone who does foolish things, but also someone who can fool others. Accomplished fools can even fool themselves into believing things that aren¡¯t true. Those who possess this Job gain extra Job experience by tricking others. Job Skills: Trick, Camouflage Job Stats: Endurance, Strength, Speed, Agility Aspiring Mana Warrior (UC) ***: The user has shown all of the traits necessary to walk the path of a mana warrior. Mana warriors manipulate mana as easily as breathing and mix that mana into every action and attack. As their skills grow, they become capable of astonishing feats of magic. Those who possess this Job gain extra Job experience by using mana while in combat. Job Skills: Mana Shield, Mana Strike, Weapon Enhancement Job Stats: Endurance, Strength, Speed, Agility, Spirit Amateur Chronicler (B) *****: The user has shown all of the traits necessary to walk the path of a Chronicler. Chroniclers are those who record the tales of the world around them including all of the creatures and people within that world. Chroniclers of the highest rank are known as walking libraries, and that vast knowledge gives them access to a myriad of different and powerful abilities. Depending on how they use their knowledge, they are feared and/or respected across the universe. Those who possess this Job gain extra Job experience by recording their knowledge and experiences in some form that allows them to be passed on to others. Job Skills: Flawless Memory, Quick Thinking Job Stats: Endurance, Spirit, Mind (Mind Stat unlocked for users who haven¡¯t yet unlocked it.)If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I examined the four jobs and didn¡¯t make a quick decision on which one I would choose. Each of them were interesting in their own way, and I made sure to write down everything about them in my journals. I couldn¡¯t be sure if the information for all of the Jobs would still be available once I picked one of them. A strong spicy aroma drifted through the garage as I thought over the best Job to take. I crossed off the Promising Adventurer and the Fool Jobs from the list first. I liked the idea of the Danger Sense and Camouflage skills, but the Aspiring Mana Warrior Job gave multiple skills that I needed and boosted more stats. The only thing that made me hesitate in picking the Aspiring Mana Warrior Job was the description for the Amateur Chronicler. That Job was of the highest rarity and the description was longer and more detailed than any of the other three. The second to last sentence stuck in my mind. Feared and/or respected across the universe. That was a heavy line. That line and the five star rarity implied to me that it was a Job of incredible power and potential. I couldn¡¯t decide between it and the Aspiring Mana Warrior Job. Should I choose immediate strength or long term potential? I was still debating which Job was the right choice even as I devoured the coyote steaks. They were delicious though not as good as the crayfish tails, but my mind was occupied by the war over which Job I should pick. After I ate, I retired to the bedroom and updated all of my journals. That habit was undoubtedly responsible for the Amateur Chronicler Job appearing for me. I had never thought about taking such a path in my life, but I found that I enjoyed it. I loved encountering and learning new things, and the actual writing relaxed and centered me. As those thoughts floated through my mind, I made my decision.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: Amateur Chronicler LVL:11 27% Job LVL: 1 0% Job Points: N/A ***** 0
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 3 13% Fool ? LVL 1 82% Horde Killer ? LVL 1 79% Beast Killer ? LVL 1 85% Risk Taker ? LVL 1 44% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 9 92% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 97% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * *** * * * * * * ** ***** 16
Stats: HP: MP: Mana Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Mind: Bonus Points: 42/170 126/126 22 per min (-2.75) 21 18 18 10 40 1 15
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Wounds x18
Skills: Beginner Axe Mastery ? LVL 1 76% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 7 63% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 91% Basic Regen (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? LVL 9 85% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 73% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 79% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 1 45% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 75% Greater Mana Vein (Passive) ? LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control (B) LVL 6 18% Fear Control (B) LVL 5 63% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 3 8% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 2 96% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 14% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 4 61% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 3 87% Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) Quick Thinking (Active) (B) * * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * * ***** *****
Book 1 Epilogue 2 New World Day 0 A large black figure stood facing an empty metal frame. There were pieces of obsidian scattered about around the empty frame. The area was silent except for the crunch of obsidian under the feet of the figure. The figure had hands that ended in short sharp claws. It tapped certain spots along the edge of the frame. Pitch black runes appeared wherever the claws touched. When 10 runes were lit all along the door frame, the figure stepped back and knelt down on one knee. Darkness filled the empty frame. Looking at the frame now, it was like looking into a dark hole or an abyss. A cacophony of voices broke the silence. It was like a dozen different people all speaking the same words at the same time. The voices said, ¡°The merge is now guaranteed, and it will begin momentarily. All of you will be weakened for the first few years after the merge. That time period is when you will face your greatest danger. Be aware that the others have arranged a way for a select few to gain great power in a short time. All for the purpose of hunting you down during your period of weakness. Do not underestimate these individuals. Beyond that there are no other warnings or instructions. Now go forth and play till your heart¡¯s content our children!¡± Thousands of voices responded as one, ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± New World Day 1 One second the black figure stood next to the metal frame and the next the world broke apart around him and rebuilt itself so that he stood in the middle of an ancient forest. The metal frame and obsidian was nowhere to be seen. Humming to itself, it stretched its long lithe frame. Sunlight shone off of the figure¡¯s smooth black skin and bounced in odd angles between its two twisted horns as it worked the numbness out of its arms and legs. If there was a human that saw the figure they would no doubt compare its skin and horns to that of an insect¡¯s smooth black shell. When the figure finished stretching, it yawned and revealed row after row of sharp needle like teeth. More rows than should have been possible to fit in a mouth of that size. The figure stopped yawning and shoved its arm forward straight in front of it. The arm disappeared up to its elbow in thin air. As the figure drew its arm backward, its forearm reappeared and a long black cloak came back with it. The figure pulled the cloak on and drew the hood over its head and horns. The only part of the figure visible beneath the cloak were its two red eyes shining in the center of the hood like a pair of bloody rubies. The figure disappeared from the floor of the forest and re-emerged at the top of the tallest tree. It stood there perched atop the tree for the entire day and night. The next morning the figure shifted to stare in a different direction for another full day and night. After four days and four nights, the figure jumped from the top of the tree and floated down to the forest floor. Any observer would have found it odd that its cloak refused to flutter in the wind as the figure floated to the ground. It was like the wind feared the figure and flowed around it instead of into it. New World Day 5 The cloaked figure leaned against a tree and sat on the ground. It stared at the branches of the trees that surrounded it and observed the wildlife. Several days passed before the figure moved again. New World Day 8 The figure shoved its arm forward in front of it once more and its forearm disappeared just as before. When it drew its arm back, there was the handle of a large wooden chest in its hand. The wood of the chest was a deep emerald green with the slight streaks of orange and red that stabbed through the heart of the wood. The wood was sanded and smooth and the angles flawless. The hinges and handle merged with the natural swirls of the wood so that one wouldn¡¯t even notice their existence unless they knew where to look for them. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The figure placed its thumb on a streak of red and orange on the front of the chest. A rune flashed white under its thumb and there was a click as the lid of the chest unlocked. The figure and lifted the lid open wide and raised up the multiple hinged shelves that lay within the chest. On the first few shelves, there were tools placed in outlines of the exact shape and size for each tool in question. The bottom few shelves were filled with an odd assortment of rocks, metal, crystals, wood, and bone. There were no outlines on these shelves, but each piece of material was wrapped in a soft black cloth. The figure surveyed the bottom few shelves before it picked up a piece that looked to be a mix of bone and crystal. Long thin fingers topped by sharp black claws rubbed and examined each side and facet of the crystal bone. The figure reached into the top shelf of the chest and removed a small carving knife with a tiny whisper thin blade. The figure held the knife up to the light and examined the blade before it began to carve the a rune into each and every facet of the crystal bone. When all of the runes were carved, the figure returned the carving knife to its proper place in the chest, lowered the shelves back into the chest, and closed the lid. The chest locked with a light click, and the figure picked up the chest by its handle and extended it forward into the air. The chest and the figure¡¯s forearm disappeared again and this time when the forearm reappeared the chest was not with it. The figure placed the rune carved crystal bone on a smooth rock in front of it and used one claw to slash open its palm. The figure placed its wounded hand over the bone, formed a fist, and squeezed so that the blood from the cut dripped down on to the bone. The blood dropped onto the bone and sank into the runes. When all of the runes were filled with blood, the figure opened its fist and the cut sealed itself up and disappeared in a split second. The figure chanted for hours over the blood soaked bone. The runes glowed brighter and brighter as time went by until it was like there was a red sun illuminating the forest. When light reached its brightest point, the figure clasped its hands together as if praying and slammed them down onto the bone. The bone shattered into thousands of little pieces that flew in all directions. A normal everyday robin emerged from the ground where each piece landed. The figure glanced at the thousands of robins and said, ¡°Go, be my eyes and ears in the world.¡± The flock of robins bowed their heads to acknowledge the command and flew in every direction to follow their orders. New World Day 14 The figure stood atop a tree and stared to the south. One of its robins had identified a promising individual. The young man had created an impressive skill without any of the education or knowledge that would normally be needed to learn such a skill. It was all done by theory, intuition, and willpower, but that young man had a flaw. There was a streak of darkness at the core of the young man¡¯s mind. A streak that could be exploited at the right moment. He would make an excellent lieutenant. The figure watched and waited until the young man was at his weakest, at his most vulnerable before he made his pitch, but the young man¡¯s mind proved to be more resilient than expected. The figure was not discouraged by the failure. Such things were a matter of course. Besides, it had located a few feral tribes, and there were other promising individuals to the north. Including one that had already shown interest in what he had to offer. New World Day 29 The figure abandoned its temporary home in the forest and headed southwest towards the next largest city in the area. Those individuals that its lord warned it about had arrived in the city to the north. The figure took its lord¡¯s warning to heart and left rather than face them despite the fact that the individuals didn¡¯t impress the figure in the slightest. It thought that if all of those recruited by its lord¡¯s enemies were like the four that had arrived then it would be a simple matter for it to execute its plans. Those four had done almost all of the work for it after all. All muscle and no brains. The figure smiled and revealed those impossible rows of teeth. Things were going well. Very well. Book 1 Epilogue 3 New World Day 22 Four figures lay bloody and exhausted on a smooth stone floor. Their chests heaved up and down while they tried to recover from the intense fight that they had just experienced. There were two men and two women. All four of them were blond and beautiful. One of the women had long pointed ears and a face that was just a bit too symmetrical, a bit too flawless to be human. The three humans were reviewing the string of System messages that they had just received while the the elf woman was viewing the a System screen for the first time ever. Access to the System had been granted as a reward for her achievements in the dungeon. The four of them were the first people to clear this dungeon and among the first to clear any dungeon in the world. They were granted power far beyond their peers, but in exchange there were mandatory quests that they had to undertake if they wanted to keep that power. New World Day 23 One day after they cleared the dungeon the four people received their first quest from the System. A devil¡¯s mana was detected in a region to the east. They were to go to that region, investigate for any trace of the devil, crush any plan hatched by it, and if possible slay it. Failure didn¡¯t mean an instant loss of power, but failing to attempt the quest guaranteed it. The four set off the very day they received the quest. Their people would be safe without them thanks to the blessings of the dungeon.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. New World Day 28 The four arrived in the region where the devil¡¯s mana had been detected. They traveled to the largest city in the region to look for clues. They found that things were far worse off in this area than in the area they came from. There wasn¡¯t a single dungeon in the entire region. Without a dungeon to provide for them, riots had broken out, and monsters had slaughtered entire cities. The remaining population had grouped together in two places. The major city and the suburbs across the river. The four split up into two groups and wiped out every monster in the immediate area. They hoped to flush the devil out of its hiding place by exterminating everything, but the devil never appeared. New World Day 29 The four individuals finished killing off all of the monsters in and around the two areas. They summoned the strongest people from the region and gave them weapons and tools that they acquired from the dungeon. The most important thing that they gave them were seeds for vegetables and fruits that could be grown year round and harvested multiple times a year. With those crops, the the cities could feed their large population without the need for excessive monster hunting. The four didn¡¯t find any trace of the devil, but they received a quest complete notification after saving the city. The sight of so many dead people weighed on them. They didn¡¯t have another quest yet, but they decided to travel to other large cities to clear out the monsters like they did here. They hoped to save as many people as they could. The people of the two cities threw an enormous banquet to send them off. None of the four understood the full implications of their actions. Book 2 Prologue New World Day 24 The sound of wood cracking and shattering resounded through the air followed by screams and cries for help. The distinctive smell of blood and death swept over the small city whose walls had been breached. A wave of blue vipers the size of large anacondas flooded through the holes in the city wall while a massive viper four times the size of any other held its navy blue body high in the air and watched over their advance. The viper queen towered over even the largest building in the city. It could have destroyed the wall with just its bulk alone if it had wished to. She had two long sharp horns above its jaundiced eyes that glowed with immense power. Blue mana swirled around and through the horns. It was this viper that destroyed the city walls. Its horns glowed so bright that the entire world was dyed blue followed by the viper queen breathing out a blast of concentrated water like a dragon¡¯s breath. The water tore enormous holes in the city walls before any of the defenders could react. Over a thousand people survived the initial chaos of the New World and banded together in this city. They thought that the worst was behind them, but they were wrong. The small viper that they hunted the previous day along the edge of the nearby lake turned out to be the progeny of the viper queen. The viper queen took offense and unleashed its entire brood on the city. If the inhabitants had known of the viper queen¡¯s existence they never would have attacked the lone viper they encountered. Regrets wouldn¡¯t help them now. When the brood first emerged, they thought they had a chance of holding the city right up until the viper queen¡¯s giant body emerged from the lake. The moment they saw that creature the city leaders knew they had no chance. The city was doomed. The only thing they could do was ask for volunteers to hold off the brood while everyone else escaped into the forest to the east. All of the city¡¯s warriors volunteered to hold off the brood. The survivors were a close knit group, but some of them would be needed to protect those fleeing into the forest. Those tasked with this job were the individuals who showed the most promise and potential. The city leaders believed that they would have the best chance of protecting the people who successfully escaped from the doomed city.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. As the last group of people fled the city into the forest, a group of warriors centered around a tall muscular red haired woman stood at the edge of the forest and watched the city fall to the viper queen and her brood. The group was clothed in makeshift leather armor and armed with crude bladed weapons forged from bone and stone. The woman had the only metal weapon. A large great sword was strapped to her back. The woman¡¯s face looked like it was chiseled from stone, and her hands were clenched into tight trembling fists. A few drops of blood leaked out and fell to the ground from between her balled fingers. A raven haired young man placed a hand on her shoulder and motioned towards the depths of the forest. He and the others couldn¡¯t bear to watch the carnage any longer, but the woman was determined to etch this scene into her mind. She never wanted to forget the people who sacrificed themselves for her or the monsters responsible for making that sacrifice necessary. Sighing, she tore her eyes away from the ruined city and looked at those around her. The raven haired man said, ¡°That thrice damned viper queen is responsible for this. We can¡¯t do shit against her now, but I won¡¯t forget what she and her lot have done. I¡¯ll be back for revenge one day. I swear it!¡± The rest of the group all nodded their heads and signaled their agreement except for the woman. She shook her head and said, ¡°Look to the living and not the dead. Williamstown is gone and with it our shelter and almost all of our supplies. Revenge can wait until our people, the people that our friends gave their lives to protect, are safe and sound.¡± The warriors all looked down, shame written on their faces. They hadn¡¯t been able to stand witnessing the fate of their friends, and they had let revenge distract them from the duty that they had been charged with. None of them would meet her eyes as she looked at each of them. An uncomfortable silence grew between them until she sighed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. There is nothing else to see here, and we have to catch up to the others before they get too far away. It''s up to us to protect them now.¡± The woman turned and marched into the forest. The rest of the group followed behind her with a grim look in their eyes and a determined set to their jaws. They would never allow this tragedy to repeat itself. They would stake their lives on it. Book 2 Chapter 1 New World Day 27 I expected to spend a few days healing from my fight with the hobgoblin and his horde, but something unexpected came up. I was sick. For the first time since I gained my resistance and regen skills, some disease laid me low. Pain wracked my body, and I burned with a fever that would astound any Old World doctor. Literal bolts of electricity flickered around my physical wounds and into my spiritual world. Considering the nature of my symptoms, I blamed the hobgoblin¡¯s rune axe for my sickness. I made the mistake of picking up a metal soup can and wound up twitching on the ground when a bolt flowed through the metal and back into me. That meant no metal and no liquids either. I didn¡¯t know how long the disease would last, but I hoped it wouldn¡¯t be any more than a day or two. Any longer than that and I would be in trouble. The doors that led from the garage to the workshop and then to the bedroom were open which allowed me to walk all through the basement, but I couldn¡¯t muster the energy needed to get up. All the energy I possessed was expended during my ill fated soup adventure. Instead, I laid there on the concrete and stared at the ceiling. The concrete grounded me, kept me from destroying anything, and its cool touch eased my fever, but laying there flat on the ground did embarrass me. Another situation that was going to be left out of any future memoirs. I thought about experimenting with my mana, but one glance at my spiritual world showed arcs of lightning melting holes all throughout it. That sight cured me of any desire to touch my mana while I waited for the disease to run its course. I lacked the energy to move my physical body and my mana was off-limits as well which left me with only one thing to do. I called up the System menu and began to scroll through all of the skills available to purchase. I wouldn¡¯t be able to write the information down in my journal until I felt better, but the Flawless Memory skill from my Job meant I wouldn¡¯t forget anything until I could. That skill meant that my journals were now a way to help me organize my thoughts and level up my Job instead of a way to ensure that I didn¡¯t forget anything. The Mind stat and the awakening of Psi energy unlocked a wide array of useful skills for me from the System. Three in particular caught my eye. All three were rune skills that I knew would be damn useful. The issue was that they all were expensive. I could purchase one of the three, but the other two were as expensive as the Barrier Runes skill. The one within reach was the Basic Alarm Runes (Passive) (B) * skill. It cost 14 title points, and the description said that it would send a silent mental alarm to the one who carved it when anything came close to the rune. The sensitivity of the alarm was set by the secondary runes from the set. I marked that skill as my first pick of what to purchase and continued to browse the list of available skills. To my great disappointment, no sensory, dimensional, or elemental magic skills became available. I thought that since the Danger Sense skill appeared as a Job skill for the Promising Adventurer Job that it might be available, but no such luck. I checked out the Trick and Camouflage skills as well, but it was the same story. While those three weren¡¯t available, I did see that the Heavy Blow skill was available. It was 10 title points to purchase. Hmmm. I was interested, very interested. I expended almost all of my ammo during the battle with the hobgoblin. The dwindling ammo supply meant I would have to rely on my axe and magic in order to survive from here on out and all of my skills so far were defensive or enhancement skills. There wasn¡¯t a single attack skill among them. For that reason alone, I felt a strong desire to purchase the skill, but I didn¡¯t want to hurry any purchase so I ended up putting a mental mark next to it and continued browsing the list. Maybe there was a better attack skill available. I spent hours exploring the skill list. There seemed to be a skill available for every action that you could think of including writing, reading, and language skills. The language skill list was of particular interest. It was longer than any other list I could get the System to create, and just staring at some of the language names brought a headache on. I had always wanted to learn another language, and thanks to the System I could learn one with ease. Besides the language skills, I did find one other skill of interest. A second attacking skill named Cleaving Blow. The Heavy Blow description said that the user drew upon energy, it didn¡¯t say what type of energy, to increase the weight and speed of an attack. The Cleaving Blow skill needed a bladed weapon, and it focused energy on the blade to increase the sharpness and strength of a blow. They both required 10 title points, but there was a curious pop-up when I selected both of them at the same time. The System told me that I would have to spend 30 title points to purchase both of them. Considering the System was designed to help and protect us, I knew there was a secret hidden behind those two skills. I thought about it for a minute before it hit me. The skills weren¡¯t mutually exclusive. There must be a synergy between the two skills that required additional energy to impart to whomever purchased both skills. Hmm, that meant there could be all kinds of additional possibilities for skills. If buying some skills pushed up the cost of other skills then were there skills that dropped down the cost of other skills? Could that be why the alarm runes were so cheap compared to the barrier runes? After what felt like days perusing the skill list, I felt I had the energy to move a bit. The fever, pain, and lightning tendrils were all still there, but they felt weaker than before. I dragged myself into the bedroom and grabbed my notebooks, a few plastic pens, and staggered into the garage. I went to my customary spot marked by the deep red blood stains and sat down against the wall. I had a lot to record and some more time to spend before I overcame the disease. Best get to work.
Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) *****: This skill allows the user to remember everything that they sense. The rank will increase with every ten levels. The higher the rank the quicker the user can recall knowledge and memories. Some knowledge may not be able to be recalled until higher ranks are reached. Attempts to force recall of such knowledge could damage the user¡¯s mind. This skill drains 1 Psi per a minute to function. Quick Thinking (Active) (B) *****: This skill allows the user¡¯s mind to work faster while it is active. The rank will increase with every ten levels. The higher the rank the faster the user¡¯s thought processes become. This skill drains 20 Psi a minute to function. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Psi: Psi is the nickname for the energy created and used by the mind. It is a flexible energy whose strength depends in large part on the user¡¯s mental strength, life experiences, and the breadth of their imagination.
HP: The state of your current health. You will die once it reaches zero. Injuries to the head, heart, and other vital points will still result in nearly instant death. Endurance: The stat that primarily governs your physical stamina. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Strength: The stat that primarily governs your physical strength. It also slightly increases your physical defense. Speed: The stat that primarily governs your physical speed. It also slightly increases your physical stamina. Agility: The stat that primarily governs your reaction time and flexibility. It also slightly increases your physical speed. Spirit: The stat that primarily governs your mana regeneration. It also slightly increases your mana pool. Mind: The stat that primarily governs your psi regeneration. It also slightly increases your psi energy pool.
Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) * leveled up! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Spirit Regen (Passive) ? evolved into Lesser Spirit Regen (UC) * Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? leveled up! Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? leveled up! Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? leveled up! Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: Amateur Chronicler LVL:11 27% Job LVL: 1 87% Job Points: N/A ***** 0
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 3 13% Fool ? LVL 1 93% Horde Killer ? LVL 1 79% Beast Killer ? LVL 1 85% Risk Taker ? LVL 1 44% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 9 92% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 97% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * *** * * * * * * ** ***** 16
Stats: HP: MP: Psi: Mana Regen: Psi Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Mind: Bonus Points: 100/170 126/126 22/22 22 per min (-2.75) 1.25 per min (-1) 21 18 18 10 40 1 15
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Lightning Blight
Skills: Beginner Axe Mastery ? LVL 1 76% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 7 63% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 2 12% Basic Regen (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Lesser Spirit Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 23% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 3 84% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 2 16% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 2 3% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 1 75% Greater Mana Veins (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 0% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control (B) LVL 6 67% Fear Control (B) LVL 5 63% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 3 8% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 2 96% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 14% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 4 61% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 3 87% Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) LVL 1 56% Quick Thinking (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% * * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * * ***** *****
Book 2 Chapter 2 New World Day 29 Two days. That¡¯s how long I had to wait for my body to overcome the disease that the System called Lightning Blight. What time I didn¡¯t spend exploring the System, I spent thinking about what I would need to do to get home. My foray into the Haunted Spiderway showed me how naive I had been to think that my mana vision would let me spot an ambush. The forest coyotes, goblins, and I all leaked mana when viewed through my mana vision. It came out of our bodies like tendrils of fire rising into the air. The ambush predators all had a way to keep their mana from leaking out of their body. That was the ability that allowed the various creatures to hide from and ambush me, and that was what I wanted to learn. If I could learn that skill then I could keep the fighting to a minimum. Beyond learning that skill, I needed to learn some attacking skills and a more active defensive skill. Until I achieved all of these goals, I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I started out my first day disease free by purchasing the Alarm Runes skill. The skill gave me more confidence in the safety of my home and in protecting any camp sites I may create in the future. The last two title points were going to be held in reserve. The purchase of the skill was accompanied by the usual fanfare, and I did get confirmation on one question much earlier than I had expected. The other two rune skills that I was interested in were now cheaper to purchase. It was only by a few points, but every little bit helped. I didn¡¯t go and practice the runes right away though. I drank some water to rehydrate myself and ventured out to the cow ponds to replenish my supplies. I used the last six rifle rounds to acquire six geyser crayfish for lunch and dinner and filled up a number of water bottles. I worried that the crayfish would be exterminated due to my hunting, but there seemed to be more of them than ever. It made me curious about the speed of their reproductive cycle, but I filed that question away for another time when I had more leisure to explore such topics. I returned to the house, stored the crayfish tails in the refrigerator, put the mana stones on the workbench, and strained the water right away. I left the basement after I finished with those chores and walked the perimeter of the front field and around the edge of the forest. I wanted to keep track of the various creatures that came and went around my home. I looked for the any markings that I didn¡¯t recognize and kept an eye out for signs of the more dangerous beasts that I had encountered so far. I gave the big barn a wide berth for that very reason. The smooth S shaped patterns of flattened mud entered and exited the big barn from multiple places. The python was still around. That was for sure. My investigation led me past the big barn to the top of what we used to call the orchard hill. There used to be some fruit trees on the hill hence the name, but over time those trees were shifted to the front field. By the time the New World came about, the hill was filled with warm season grasses and flowers. After the New World, it was five times the size and the blue claw grass from the dam of the Little Lake rose so high on this hill that I couldn¡¯t see a single trace of the Big Lake that I knew lay at the bottom of the hill. What worried me is that I saw prints in the ground that I didn¡¯t recognize. From the spacing of the prints, I could tell that it was a creature that walked on two legs. The feet had two toes that ended in large claws that dug an inch into the ground. There was what looked like the third stub of a toe on the inside of each foot, but there was no claw mark to accompany it. I had no idea what type of creature would leave such an odd footprint. I breathed in deeply through my nose to see if there was a unique scent accompanying the footprints, but the only scent I picked up was the pleasant smell of flowers. No help there. I decided to give the grasses of the orchard hill that same protective distance that I gave the big barn until I figured out what creature left those footprints. Those claws meant that whatever it was it had the potential to be dangerous. I returned to the house at this point and did some work inside. I boarded up all of the broken windows with the boards from the deck that I had set aside and covered up cuts in the roof with some shingles I found in the basement. As I worked on these simple tasks, I activated the Quick Thinking skill whenever I could, and I experimented with my Mana Vision and Mana Enhancement skills. I continued altering the curve and thickness of the lens of my Mana Vision, and I started to work on trying to strengthen the enhancement of specific body parts. After the fiasco with my eyes, I knew to start with a small extra enhancement. When I finished with the boards and the shingles, I headed down to the basement and cooked up three crayfish tails for lunch. Now that I was full, I picked up my rune axe and climbed up to the roof. I practiced my footwork and axe skills on the uneven ground of the roof with the mountains looming in the distance until the sky darkened and my stomach growled like an angry beast. I knew there was a limit to how far my skills could grow without someone to practice with, but I would do all I could. My Axe Mastery was affected by that limit more than any other skill. Parrying and blocking was critical to fights with close combat weapons, and I couldn¡¯t practice them without an opponent. I was confident that the reason my Axe Mastery evolved after the fight with the hobgoblin was because I was parrying and blocking for the first time. All I could do was put in all the time and effort I could spare. Listening to my stomach, I climbed back through and closed the windows to the roof before I returned to the basement to cook dinner. I burped in satisfaction after eating the last three crayfish tails and sat in my normal spot. It was time to work on my basic mana skills. I had two ideas about how to stop leaking mana from my body. One was altering the image I used when activating my two enhancement skills. I attempted to include an emphasis on containing the mana within my body, but adding a third element to the image proved difficult. Every time I tried, the image collapsed and my enhancement and vision skills stopped working. I succeeded once when I used the Quick Thinking skill at the same time, but it wouldn¡¯t be much use if I could only hold the image for three seconds every hour and a half. No, I had to keep practicing until I could do it without using the Quick Thinking skill as a crutch. The second idea involved a project that I had started all the way back when I first started practicing mana. It was time to attempt to create a spiritual body. I began my attempt at my toes as they were the body part I was most willing to live without in case something went wrong. I focused on an image identical to my personal silhouette and extended mana out from the mana veins to create an outline of my toes. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My body trembled and was soon covered in sweat, and my head felt like I had been slamming it against a wall. My mana lake was empty by the time I finished outlining my little toe. The most frustrating thing was that the toe collapsed and disappeared within minutes of me stopping to take a break. The temptation to use mana water to fuel a complete outline was there, but that would wait until I was sure my body and mind could persevere through the entire process. I needed more strength both physical and mental before that would be possible which meant more training. I waited until my mana lake was full and then started the process over again. I repeated that training over and over again until I felt like I was going to break and then I kept training anyways. I didn¡¯t stop until a System warning popped up in the corner of my right eye. One of the System functions I learned about during my convalescence was the fact that I could set the System to alert me to any unwanted status effects. This warning told me that I now had the Mild Mental Break and Physical Deterioration status effects now. I stopped the training at that point and dragged my sweaty body to the bathroom where I wiped my body down before hopping into bed to sleep for the night. As I drifted off to sleep, I realized that I hadn¡¯t practiced my new rune skill today. I mumbled to myself that I would do double the next day before I slipped into unconsciousness.
Lesser Mana Control (UC) * leveled up! Pain Control (B) * leveled up! Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? leveled up! Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? leveled up! Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: Amateur Chronicler LVL:11 39% Job LVL: 1 87% Job Points: N/A ***** 0
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 3 13% Fool ? LVL 1 93% Horde Killer ? LVL 1 79% Beast Killer ? LVL 1 85% Risk Taker ? LVL 1 92% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 9 99% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 97% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 22% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * *** * * * * * * ** ***** 16
Stats: HP: MP: Psi: Mana Regen: Psi Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Mind: Bonus Points: 100/170 126/126 22/22 22 per min (-2.75) 1.25 per min (-1) 21 18 18 10 40 1 15
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Mild Mental Break, Physical Deterioration
Skills: Beginner Axe Mastery ? LVL 1 99% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 7 83% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 2 51% Basic Regen (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Lesser Spirit Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 72% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 3 84% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 2 16% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 2 3% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 2 86% Greater Mana Veins (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 75% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control (B) LVL 7 24% Fear Control (B) LVL 5 63% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 4 62% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 3 41% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 4 14% Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 5 39% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 4 62% Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) LVL 1 82% Quick Thinking (Active) (B) LVL 1 76% * * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * * * ***** *****
Book 2 Chapter 3 New World Day 30 I began the new day by taking care of what I considered my daily chores. I used the pistol to kill some geyser crayfish for lunch and dinner. I gathered water from the same cow pond, and I examined the borders of what I considered my territory. The old unknown footprints atop the orchard hill remained there, but I didn¡¯t see any new ones. New smooth trails by the big barn indicated the python was still around. No sign of the frog or hawk though. The only new addition to my morning routine was that I picked up some logs from near the old fire pit for my rune practice and the fire. I used up the last logs from my stash the previous night. I returned to the house after finishing my daily chores and recorded the previous day¡¯s events in my journals. Just like the alarm runes, I forgot to work on them before I went to bed. You would think that a flawless memory meant that I couldn¡¯t forget anything, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Everything I saw and experienced remained in my memory, but I had to think of a specific time, image, or event to recall a memory. It didn¡¯t function as an alarm clock or automated reminder system. The day¡¯s physical training started when I completed my work on the journals. Grumbling to myself about my shoddy memory, I picked up my rune axe and climbed up on to the roof. I danced across the uneven rooftop while swinging, slashing, and chopping away with the rune axe. I activated the Quick Thinking skill and experimented with my Mana Vision while I flowed from one part of the roof to another. When my body grew too exhausted to go on, I activated my Mana Enhancement skill. The boost from the mana allowed me to continue on past the point that even my regen skills would allow. When noon rolled around, clouds began to gather in the sky. A storm was brewing and I didn¡¯t want be on the roof when the lightning started. I cut my training on the roof short and retreated to the basement. I cooked lunch and whittled some of the new alarm runes into a few logs while I waited for the crayfish tails to cook. There were five runes to the set. The first rune connected the alarm to the master of the alarm, the second detected any energy used in the area, the third recorded changes in nearby energy levels, the fourth determined the threshold for the alarm to go off, and the fifth emitted a light as a silent alarm. I learned the last four runes after just a few tries. All of my practice with the barrier runes made it easy to carve them, but the first rune from the set was different. It was the first rune I had encountered that didn¡¯t rely on physical circuits to work. It created a mental link with its designated master. The mental link was the reason why the rune set couldn¡¯t be purchased until I unlocked the mind stat. No matter what I tried I couldn¡¯t get it to work. The information I received from the System about that rune didn¡¯t say there was a need to do anything special when carving it. Hmm, could that mean that it wasn¡¯t the rune itself that was the issue? Maybe I carved the rune correctly but my mental abilities were too weak to connect to the rune. The smell of burning crayfish roused me from my thoughts. I pulled the burning crayfish off of the fire before they were burnt to ash, but the extra time over the fire charred the bottom of the crayfish tails. I tried to eat even the charred portions, but the taste made me gag. The charred areas were as disgusting as the rest was delicious. I cut the charred portions off of the second two tails. I refused to try and choke down any more of that crap. It tasted worse than the mana water. I didn¡¯t think that was even possible. That incredible taste helped me forget my failure with the alarm rune long enough that it no longer weighed upon my mind. I resolved to attempt to get it to work at a later time. For now, I continued working on the precision of my carving. Maybe if I improved in that area it would make it easier to create that mental link. The pitter patter of rain drops broke my concentration as I began to resume my practice. Flashes of lightning and peels of thunder followed not long after. The screech of the thunderwind hawk reached my ears as well. Good thing I came inside when I did. Since I was stuck inside, I wondered how I should order my training. Daylight no longer dictated the order anymore after all. Pain decided the issue. I would be incapable of undertaking any training after my work on creating a spiritual body. I alternated between dancing around the garage and hallways practicing my footwork and axe skills and doing push ups and sit ups, and all the while I tinkered with my Mana Vision skill. The results from the tinkering over the last couple of weeks started to show up today. I found that creating multiple facets within the lens gave me slight glimpses of color within the mana, but there were a few unwelcome side effects. The facets caused my eyes to resemble those of an insect and strained my eyes. I could deal with that if I got more than just a glimpse of color, but that was the best I could do at first. I reduced the number of facets and altered the thickness and curve until I saw more than just a glimpse of color. The final result made my eyes resemble a gem instead of a bug. The look should be second to the effectiveness, but relief spread through my body anyways. The storm outside proved to be a perfect way to test my upgraded skill. I theorized that the storm contained wind, water, and lightning mana within it. When I stared at it with my new gem lenses, I didn¡¯t see any colors in the storm at first, but the mana leaking from the plants on the ground had a tint of emerald green to it. I could see the same green tint to the mana leaking from my body as well. That tint was what convinced me that I was on to something, but the mana in the storm remained all white. I refused to take the failure to heart. I adjusted the size, thickness, and angle of the facets. All of my other training fell to the away as I threw my full concentration into this experiment. Hours passed until I caught a flash of lime green. I held the parameters of the main facet steady and adjusted the the smaller facets until I saw a tint of lime green in the sky. It matched up with the wind screaming through the trees. Emerald green for life and lime green for wind. That thought floated through my mind. I couldn¡¯t see both at the same time yet, but progress was still progress. I didn¡¯t stop there either. I threw away the setting that allowed me to see wind mana and searched for a way to see lightning or water mana. The storm raged throughout the day and into the night. I had settings that allowed me to see purple lightning mana and blue water mana by the time it finished passing through the area. I failed to find a way to see more than one color at a time though. My stomach rumbled and reminded me that I hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet. I attempted and failed to find a setting for fire mana as I sat in front of the fire cooking three crayfish tails. I stopped the attempt after I gobbled down the crayfish tails. I decided that I had spent enough time focusing on my Mana Vision. I switched back to my footwork and axe training mixed with mana enhancement. The only mana vision training I continued with was switching between the four settings that I had learned so far. I sat in my spot and tortured myself by working on creating a spiritual body when I was too tired to continue with any physical training. I stopped that training only when I received the warning from the System about the same two status effects. This time I remembered to spend an hour carving runes and another hour writing in my journal before I cleaned up and went to bed. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Endurance increased by 1! Strength increased by 1! Speed increased by 1! Agility increased by 2! Mind increased by 3! Beginner Axe Mastery ? * leveled up! Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? * leveled up! Lesser Mana Control (UC) * leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? * leveled up! Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) ***** leveled up! Quick Thinking (Active) (B) ***** leveled up!
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: Amateur Chronicler LVL:11 51% Job LVL: 1 99% Job Points: N/A ***** 0
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 3 13% Fool ? LVL 1 93% Horde Killer ? LVL 1 79% Beast Killer ? LVL 1 85% Risk Taker ? LVL 1 92% Repeated Risk Taker ? LVL 9 99% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 5 97% Stupid Fool ? LVL 7 96% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 5 85% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * *** * * * * * * ** ***** 16
Stats: HP: MP: Psi: Mana Regen: Psi Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Mind: Bonus Points: 146/175 126/126 28/28 22 per min (-2.75) 2 per min (-1) 22 19 19 12 40 4 15
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Mild Mental Break, Physical Deterioration
Skills: Beginner Axe Mastery ? LVL 2 13% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 7 83% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 2 74% Basic Regen (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Lesser Spirit Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 1 94% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 3 89% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 2 54% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 3 72% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 3 92% Greater Mana Veins (Passive) ( R ) LVL 1 75% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control (B) LVL 8 46% Fear Control (B) LVL 5 63% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 5 41% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 4 64% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 5 38% Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) LVL 4 77% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 6 15% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 7 92% Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) LVL 2 8% Quick Thinking (Active) (B) LVL 2 59% * * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * * * ***** *****
Book 2 Chapter 4 New World Day 31 The third day of my new daily routine brought about changes. I walked the fence line of the front field and found something disconcerting. Clawed footprints from multiple individuals. The damn goblins were back. I tracked the footprints back to where they exited the forest. I had suspected that they lived to the west, and these footprints strengthened that suspicion. They led from the west into the front field and onto the roads. Were they foraging, hunting, or taming more forest coyotes? Maybe all of the above. There was no water pooled in the tracks which meant they happened either this morning or late last night after the storm passed. I turned away from the footprints and continued my circuit around my territory. First my chores then the goblins. I failed to run into them while acquiring my lunch and dinner. That meant their destination was likely the forest. They would keep for the moment. I wasn¡¯t going to chase them into the forest without more information than I had at this time. I strode along the forest edge and failed to find anything else out of place in my territory. I turned my back on the grasses of the orchard hill and took a handful of steps back towards the house when my ears twitched. The slightest rustle of grass had reached my ears, but there wasn¡¯t any wind today. Something made that noise. The odd footprints from the previous day popped into my mind. My hands grew moist and sweaty, and my knuckles grew white as I clenched the handle of the rune axe. There a second rustle. Just as quiet as the first. It was still there. Whatever it was. Strength erupted from my body as I kicked my Mana Enhancement into high gear. Fear gripped me. I worried that if I walked away that the entity would strike at my back, but if I turned to investigate, it might see it as a challenge and attack. A third rustle slid through the air. Hesitation was worse than a poor choice. I pivoted around and swung the rune axe in front of me. The whirlwind blow bit nothing but air. The creature didn¡¯t attack, but it did reveal itself. There was a small green mouse. The green fur was so dark that it was almost black, and there was a clump of grass growing from its back. The grass looked similar to the dark grass that arrived with the New World, but to my mana vision it was like a roaring fire. Interesting. A steel gray blur burst from the grass. There was a flash of claws and just a moment to react. I thrust the axe out with both hands and caught the assailant¡¯s claws on the haft of the axe, but it still drove me to the ground. Mud and water sank into my shirt and sent a chill up my spine as my back crashed into the drenched grass. I wove my head left and right as a maw filled with four inch long fangs struck towards my face again and again. The attacker¡¯s claws circled around the haft of the axe. It reared its head back and I caught a glimpse of short arms and dagger like claws. I seized the moment it shifted its weight back to push with all of my strength. I threw it backwards off of me and rolled to my feet. The ground rumbled as the creature slammed into the ground. It pumped its legs and shifted its body side to side in an attempt to copy me and roll to its feet. I swept forward and chopped down with the axe towards the creature. The shriek of metal striking metal tore through the air drowning out the creature¡¯s shrieks. The axe and my arms bounced back up in the air while the force of the blow slammed the creature flat against the ground. Mud splashed out from beneath the creature and stained my jeans brown. I slashed down again with the axe each time my arms were forced up into the air. The creature¡¯s arms and legs flailed out in an attempt to claw me away, but I danced around to its back and continued my assault until the axe sank deep into its chest. Blood swelled up around the axe head and streamed down its chest staining its steel gray scales crimson. Mana began to leak out along with the blood. It was the first time I saw even the slightest hint of mana from it. The creature¡¯s struggles slowed then stopped. Its body lay still atop the blood stained grass as a mist of mana hung around its body.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I backed away from the body and struggled to catch my breath. With the danger passed, I had the time to examine the creature. It was a velociraptor if a raptor had metal for skin. The signature claw of a raptor was curved in such a way that it didn¡¯t always touch the ground. That was the reason for the lack of a third claw mark in its footprints. I wrenched the axe out of its body and reached through the wound to tear the mana stone out of its chest. I worried that the axe might have chipped or dulled thanks to the durability of its skin, but it turned out there was no need for worry. It¡¯s edge remained razor sharp. In that case there was something else I wanted to do. I hacked away with the axe until I had cut the legs off of the raptor. I found it much easier to cut through its skin this time. Its defense must have fallen after its death. Did that mean that it was using magic to harden its body? I¡¯d have to look through the System for a similar skill. A skill like that would fix one of my glaring weaknesses. Enough of that though. I had a use for these legs. I took off my shirt and used it like a rope to tie the legs together and slung them over my shoulder before I sprinted for the house. I feared the noise and blood would attract the python. I ran to the front of the house and yanked open the door but closed it softly behind me. I dropped the legs on the kitchen floor and crept into the great room. The lower windows had all been broken and boarded up, but the window in the door that used to lead out onto the deck was still there. I put my nose to the glass and searched for any sign of the python. I couldn¡¯t see its form, but I noticed that the trunks of a a few trees were shaking. When I craned my neck to look up at the tree tops, I saw the flick of a sleek black tail disappear into the thick crown of a tree near the big barn. Looks like I was stuck in the house for the rest of today. The goblin hunt would have to wait till tomorrow. I returned to the kitchen to pick up the raptor legs and headed downstairs where I dropped them off in the garage. The legs left a small pool of blood upstairs that I hopped back upstairs to clean up real quick. I had enough blood stains spread throughout the house already. I didn¡¯t want any more if I could help it. The raptor¡¯s ambush and the appearance of the python cut my day outside short. I was stuck inside for the second day, but that might not be a bad thing. The storm had cooled the area off so that it felt like fall instead of spring. My pants were drenched and caked with mud after wrestling with the raptor on the damp ground and taking off my shirt to carry the raptor legs didn¡¯t help matters. I was shivering like crazy. I threw a few logs into the fireplace and started a fire to warm myself up. As I waited for the fire to take off, I dumped the raptor legs upside down in a pair of buckets to catch the blood and pried off my clothes. I set them to the side near the fire, pulled on a dry set of clothes, sat in front of the fire, and held my hands out to the flames. I closed my eyes and relaxed. There was nothing quite like warming yourself up next to a roaring fire. The fact that near death encounters like the fight with the raptor didn¡¯t concern me anymore bothered me more than I would like to admit. I needed something to distract me before I started worrying myself to death. I opened my eyes and stared into the fire. Mana lenses formed on my eyes as I resumed my experiments and pushed my concerns to the back of my mind.
Amateur Chronicler Job reached level 2! The level up increases Endurance, Spirit, and Mind by 1, awards 6 bonus stat points, and 5 Job points.
Book 2 Chapter 5 New World Day 31 The fire crackled and raged on in front of me warming and lighting up the garage. The light broke upon the facets of my eyes and cast the garage in a rainbow of colors. The search for a facet that would allow me to see fire mana progressed slowly but surely. I retrieved some additional kindling and logs for rune practice and fuel for the fire and worked on the basics for both sets of runes while I searched for the right settings for the facet. I was itching to try carving the lightning runes from the rune axe, but I managed to hold myself back. The memory of the hobgoblin shattering the barriers with just two strikes was fresh in my mind. A mistake carving runes of that level of power could end me in an instant. Unless I had resistance to lightning magic. Hmm. I resisted the impulse to buy the Lightning Resistance skill from the System. I reminded myself that those points were needed for other skills, but I filed away that idea for the future. It was a good idea. I just had more pressing needs at the moment. Hours later I found myself blinded by a torrent of red tinted mana pouring out from the fire. I closed my eyes in order to shut out the blinding light, but the pain coursing through my eyes failed to dim my delight. Success! That made five settings for my Mana Vision skill. Earth mana was the next target since it should be everywhere. It might be hard to separate it from life mana though. Not like I had any other choice anyways. I thought about ice, but I lacked the ability to produce any right now. Enough of that for now. I stood up, cracked my neck, and shook the tightness out of my limbs. Time to move, to dance, to do anything but sit and think and worry. I was overflowing with energy. I snagged the rune axe off of the ground and started training my physical training. When I first started training the two footwork skills, I saw them as a something similar to a dance. There was a rhythm to them at their core, but after the fight with the hobgoblin, I caught a glimpse of something else. The hobgoblin¡¯s movements were smooth and followed the path of least resistance like flowing water while my movements were rough and jerky. They got things done, but I spent too much time and energy executing them. I envisioned the hobgoblin¡¯s steps and strikes and attempted to integrate them into my training. Blood and sweat mingled together and streamed down the axe handle. As the handle slashed through the air, the droplets flew across the room and splattered the walls red. To think replicating his movements was this difficult. The blisters on my hands closed up and disappeared in seconds only for new ones to break out with the next swing. I didn¡¯t stop or rest for more than a few seconds. A ravenous hunger forced me to abandon my training around dinner time. I stoked the fire, tossed in a few more logs, and went over to the raptor legs. I used the rune axe to split the skin down the length of each leg and carved the meat off of the bone and skin. I stashed the bone, skins, and claws at the back of the garage and tossed a few pieces of the meat on the fire. I wanted to see if I could use the skin and claws for armor and weapons. The bones I kept for carving practice. When I finished eating dinner, my jaw ached from chewing, and I found myself picking pieces of sinew from my teeth. I was glad that I only took the two legs. Eating that meat multiple days in a row would break my jaw. That was the first meal made from a magical creature that wasn¡¯t delicious. I thought it would be nice to diversify my meals somewhat, but I regretted that decision now. There was something to be said for sticking to your routine. A scream and a tremor strong enough to shake the entire house interrupted my internal grousing. I snatched my axe and ran up the stairs to the first floor. When I reached the first floor, I crouched down and snuck over to the front door. I couldn''t see the cause from that window so I sprinted over to the side door and looked for the cause of the commotion from there. I saw a small group of four goblins trying to fend off the python and the frog. There were chunks of meat and bone in a crater near the frog that were all that was left of the screamer. The frog dragged its blood soaked belly along the ground as it chased after the nearest two goblins. The goblins showed more bravery than intelligence. They charged the frog and hacked away at it with their stone axes, but the weapons only scratched the frog¡¯s leathery hide and enraged the frog. It pushed a long thick pink tongue out of its mouth, raised its head up, and whipped the tongue down at the goblins. The tongue shattered the goblins¡¯ bones and smashed them into the ground. The goblins spasmed a couple of times and then stopped moving altogether. Stolen story; please report. The other two goblins were either more intelligent or more cowardly than their companions. They ran rather than face the frog or the python. The frog was busy dealing with their compatriots, but they couldn¡¯t escape the python. It launched a volley of scales towards the goblins and a few of them embedded themselves in the goblins¡¯ backs. I winced in sympathy. I knew first hand how much pain those scales caused. The injuries didn¡¯t kill the goblins, but they slowed them long enough for the python to catch up. It slithered up to the the two goblins, flared out those barbed scales, coiled its body around the two of them, and twisted. Nothing I had seen in the New World so far was as gruesome as the end result of that action. I felt my dinner burning its way up my throat and forced it back down with a gulp. Those poor bastards. If I had caught them at least it would have been relatively painless. To make matters worse, those images were forever burned into my memory thanks to the Flawless Memory skill. I watched as the two beasts gulped down their respective kills, glared at each other, and then retreated to their respective homes. The question of why those two creatures were so active today disturbed me almost as much as the memory of what they had done. After I thought it over more, I found that it wasn¡¯t their level of activity that bothered me. It was the fact that they didn¡¯t fight each other over the corpses. They had fought tooth and nail over a couple of crayfish tails, but they didn¡¯t even try to steal the other¡¯s food today. Something was up. Once I was sure they were gone, I climbed up to the second floor and surveyed the area through the great room¡¯s intact upper windows. I wanted to know if there was a hint anywhere about the reason for their actions. I stared through the windows and switched between my normal sight, Mana Vision, and all of my elemental settings. When I looked at the lake with my life element Mana Vision, I found what I was looking for. The lake was always full of life and mana, but now the edges of the lake overflowed with life mana. There was twenty times more life mana there than in the entire surrounding area put together. I couldn¡¯t tell what was causing the build up of mana, but I was willing to bet that whatever it was was responsible for the truce between the python and the frog. I focused mana in my eyes and enhanced my vision to my current limits. The shoreline came into greater focus and clarity. It was like I had put a pair of binoculars up to my eyes, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. I smacked my forehead at that thought. Binoculars! Why didn¡¯t I think of them before? I ran down stairs and rummaged through the first floor closets. It took me a few minutes, but I found a pair of quality binoculars. I knew my parents had some here, but I forgot about them. They liked to use them for bird watching and spotting wildlife. I took the binoculars to the second floor and combined them with my enhanced vision to examine the lake¡¯s shoreline. The resulting combination allowed me to see what was releasing all of that life mana. Eggs. Countless tiny eggs lined the shoreline. Was it the blood mosquitoes again or was some fresh hell about to descent upon the area? The python and frog feared the eggs enough that they had a truce and were stocking up on food. I was going to take the hint and do the same.
Endurance increased by 1! Strength increased by 1! Speed increased by 1! Agility increased by 2! Mind increased by 1! Fool ? * leveled up! Beginner Axe Mastery ? * leveled up! Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? * leveled up! Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? *leveled up! Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? * leveled up! Lesser Mana Control (UC) * leveled up! Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? * leveled up! Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? * leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? leveled up! Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? leveled up!
Book 2 Chapter 6 New World Day 32 I spent the rest of the day and night training to restrain the mana leaking from my body and working on developing the strength necessary to create a spiritual body. I made progress in both areas, but I was much closer to realizing my goal on hiding my mana versus creating a spiritual body. When I ended my training for the night, I followed the nightly ritual of updating my journals and wiping myself down before I headed to bed. The next morning I roused myself from bed earlier than normal and geared up for an extra long supply run. Part of my preparations was to add an extra layer to my clothes for this trip. The sun was out, but I noticed a bit of frost on the ground outside. I brought an extra backpack and all of the water bottles that I possessed. The weight of the additions didn¡¯t bother me, but the awkward positioning threw off my balance. Nevertheless, I took the risk and set off determined to gather enough food and water to last several days in case I was stuck inside for awhile again. Before I went to the ponds, I walked over to the old fire pit and transferred over enough wood for a couple of weeks. I headed towards the road once I finished with that task. I ran into an issue right as I entered the front field. I saw three forest coyotes wandering through the grass of the front field. When the crunch of gravel under my feet reached their ears, they turned, barked a challenge, and charged. I returned the favor and charged them back. My lack of fear puzzled them. They skidded to a halt and took several steps backward uncertain of what to make of me while I continued my rush towards the lead coyote. It recovered from its confusion and fear in time to slash out with its right paw, but I slid around the strike to its left side and chopped down with my axe. The blow severed its spine, but my movements caused the two backpacks to continue swaying to the left. Their momentum made me stumble a few steps to the left along with them. I managed to keep my grip on the axe, but the unintended movements left me open to attack by the the last two coyotes. The remaining two coyotes lunged forward and attempted to snap at me with their powerful jaws. In the moment before they could reach me I drew the pistol from its holster and fired off four shots. The two bodies bowled me over and drenched me with what I hoped was only blood. I hadn¡¯t wanted to use any of my dwindling ammo, but I didn¡¯t have much of a choice there. My saving grace was the fact that I always kept my enhancement and vision skills activated throughout all of my chores. That boost to my physical attributes gave me the precious few seconds I needed to defend myself. I pulled the knife out of its sheath on my belt, cut out the mana stones, and carved a number of steaks out of the three coyotes. I ran them back to the refrigerator in the basement before I headed to the nearest pond. I caught a glimpse of three other small coyote packs along the way, but they retreated rather than face me. I kept my head on a swivel as I prepared to hunt a few crayfish. When I arrived at the closest pond, the first thing that stood out was that its shoreline was as full of life mana as the Little Lake. Maybe I could figure out what was going to hatch from those eggs. Four rocks, six bullets, and three crayfish later I walked down the incline to the shoreline. I twisted around to check for any enemies before I examined the eggs. The larva rigging within the eggs were not anything I recognized, but they possessed a distinctive blood red color. I knew enough about insects to realize that what they resembled as larvae didn¡¯t need to look like their adult forms, but I felt chances were good that they were blood mosquito larvae. At least I hoped so. I knew how to handle those little bastards. I decided to plan on the fact that they were blood mosquito larva and ran back up the hill to grab all of my water bottles. The whirlpool bass were so busy darting around eating the eggs that I didn¡¯t need to provide a distraction this time. I worried that the suction caused by the water entering the bottles would pull in some eggs, but I needn¡¯t have worried. The eggs were stuck firmly enough to the bed of the lake that I managed to fill all of my water bottles without drawing any in, and I verified that was the case with my mana vision just to be safe. At the top of the incline, I chopped off more than just the tails from the crayfish. I cut off their claws as well and stuffed everything in the other backpack. Crab claws were a delicacy, and I could kick myself for not trying the crayfish claws earlier. As I prepared to make a quick trip back to the house, I heard the sounds of fighting from just up the road. It sounded like some birds and coyotes were fighting over something. The conflict interested me enough that I snuck up the road and crouched down in the ditch alongside the road to watch what was going on.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The corpse of some great beast laid in the middle of the road not one hundred feet from me. The bones of the massive rib cage rose out of the torn hide and enough flies buzzed around the corpse that I could see them from my hiding place. The corpse had only a slight smell to it at the moment which combined with the relatively intact corpse led me to believe that it died in the last day or so. The faded blue fur and horns indicated that it was the corpse of a thunder bison. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what had killed it. Maybe the earth swimmer took a chunk out of it before it escaped from it. A half dozen forest coyotes stood defending the rotting corpse from a flock of four steel ravens. I guess the birds wanted to be close by for the feast after the blood mosquitoes life cycle came to an end. The big birds banked through the air and darted down at the forest coyotes to peck at them with their sharp beaks. When one raven dove at the head of a forest coyote, another dove at the same coyote¡¯s back in an attempt to dig its talons into the coyote¡¯s spines. The coordination between the ravens was exquisite, but the coyotes held their own. They jumped into the air and swatted the ravens out of the sky with their paws and tore them off the backs of their comrades with their fangs. The ravens still held the edge though thanks to their armored bodies. I waited and watched until both sides were on their last legs before I made my move. I left the backpacks behind and crept along the ditch until I was hidden just behind the fighting. One of the ravens was killed by the forest coyotes, but three of the coyotes were killed in return. I saw my opening when a coyote sprung into the air, caught two of the ravens under its paws, and pinned them to the ground underneath it. Their metallic feathers protected them enough that the blow only stunned them, and they struggled free from the coyote¡¯s grasp before it could do any real damage. Forcing them to the ground was all I needed though. I rushed out of the ditch onto the road and slashed at the two ravens flapping their wings on the ground. The rune axe¡¯s keen edge slashed through the feathers like it was nothing. The strike tore through their chests and they fell still without any chance of retaliation. My experience parrying the axe when it was in the hobgoblin¡¯s possession led me to believe that it would cut right through them, but I was still satisfied to see that I was correct. The forest coyote that knocked them out of the air in the first place turned on me and snapped at me with its jaws. I rolled to the side, came up on one knee, and chopped through the coyote¡¯s front right leg. The loss of support sent the coyote tumbling to the ground, and I finished him off with one quick slice to the neck. The fact that I dispatched three of the combatants in just moments made the remaining raven and coyotes wary. The coyotes glared and barked at me, but backed away and fled to the edge of the forest. Likewise the raven cawed at me, but flew away to perch on the top of a nearby tree. Neither group traveled far, but they gave me first dibs. My first task was to inspect the thunder bison¡¯s corpse. The mana stone was missing, but the horns were still there. I chipped away at their base until I cut them loose and stuffed them in the pockets of my jeans. I chose to cut out the mana stones from the four coyotes and three ravens next. I bundled them along with the bodies of the three ravens in a makeshift basket I fashioned out of my outer shirt. Everything else I left for the scavengers. I could tell that the raven and coyotes were getting anxious for their turn so I hurried back to my backpacks, slung them over my shoulders, and jogged towards home. Along the way, I stuffed the mana stones and birds into the backpacks and put my top shirt back on. I still had a clip of pistol ammo, and I gathered more food than I had hoped to acquire. Things turned out better than I expected.
Survivor ? * leveled up! Horde Killer ? *** leveled up! Beast Killer ? * leveled up! Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * leveled up! Repeated Risk Taker ? * evolved into Repeated Risk Taker (UC) * Curious Fool ? * leveled up! Stupid Fool ? ** leveled up! Basic Gun Mastery (B) * leveled up!
Book 2 Chapter 7 New World Day 33 I jogged along the road to my house and ignored all of the beasts that I saw along the way just as they ignored me. I spotted forest coyotes, all three types of birds that I fought after the mosquito incident, and even two smaller pythons on the way back to the house. I thought that they left me alone because they were busy hunting easier prey, but I was wrong. I caught a glimpse of a giant shadow approaching me from the right and dove to my right into the roadside ditch. The true reason none of them attacked me was that no one dared to attack the thunderwind hawk¡¯s prey. The hawk¡¯s immense form flashed through the air where I had just been running. Its talons tore foot long grooves through the blacktop as it skimmed along the road. It screamed in anger, beat its wings, and lifted itself high into the air with a burst of strength and a blast of wind mana. It banked in the air and came back around for another dive. I pushed myself to my feet and bolted for the cover of the forest as soon as I hit the bottom of the ditch. The overstuffed backpacks leaned in different directions and threatened to send me tumbling to the ground again. The Quick Thinking skill activated with a thought, and the world slowed down around me for a half a second. I knew how to save myself. I snapped out of the skill, thrust my axe out, and hooked the bottom of the axe head around the trunk of a small pine tree that stood alongside the ditch. I clenched the axe handle and wrenched myself forward. The entire pine tree bent towards me, and the trunk emitted numerous cracking noises. It couldn¡¯t handle my full weight being placed on it and appeared ready to snap in two, The image of the tree breaking and me falling backwards into the ditch spread eagled and easy prey for the hawk flashed through my mind, but despite the ominous noises coming from the tree trunk it didn¡¯t break. I regained my balance and dashed for the tree line. Multiple small pine trees dotted the area in front of the forest. They provided only a small amount of cover, but it was better than nothing. I wove around each of them in an attempt to force the hawk to cut its dive short, but it didn¡¯t care about such small trees. I heard the flap of its wings above me, and the next moment a wave of wind rolled over the landscape and hammered me and trees into the ground. One moment I was running for the safety of the forest and the next I was smashed face first into the grass. The instant I regained control of my body I rolled to my left and tried to the dodge the inevitable follow up attack, but I only managed a half roll thanks to the cumbersome backpacks. The hawk dove down and pounced upon my prone form. It¡¯s talons closed around my right arm, and it dragged me forward along the ground. Grass and dirt scraped my face raw and I felt my body begin to lift into the air. As the hawk pulled me into the air, I heard a pop from my right shoulder, and I screamed in pain. The hawk¡¯s strength and my own body weight dislocated my shoulder. It felt like my entire arm might be torn off at any moment. Thanks to the pain and the dislocated shoulder I lost my hold on the axe in my right hand. The scrapes themselves combined with the blood pouring from them forced me to squint and reduced my vision to a narrow blurry band. I sensed more than saw the axe falling in front of me and snagged it with my left hand. I continued to roar in pain, and racked my mind over what to do. I kicked my legs out and began to sway in the hawk¡¯s grip like a child on a swing. Once I gained enough altitude I twisted to my right and slashed the axe into the hawk¡¯s ankle. The pain was excruciating, but the blade bit deep into the flesh and lodged itself in the bone. The hawk¡¯s screams joined my own, and it released its grip on my arm. I held onto the axe handle with every bit of strength that I could muster. I didn¡¯t want to fall from such a height, but my weight yanked the axe out of the hawk¡¯s ankle. I fell fifteen feet from the sky straight onto my back. The backpacks broke my fall ever so slightly. Their contents dug into my back, my breath was smashed out of me, and I heard cracks coming from ribs. The fresh pain from my chest confirmed for me that the fall broke at least a couple of ribs. I groaned in pain as I rolled onto my stomach and leveraged the axe head to push myself to my feet. I activated my active Regen skill for the first time since I purchased it in order to heal my eyes. My blurry vision returned into focus as my mana drained away. Thick drops of blood fell from the sky in a circular pattern around me. Enormous quantities of mana drifted out of the blood to form a thick mist of mana around me. Up in the air, the hawk screamed in fury. The air began to crackle around me. The gem like lenses sitting atop my eyes spun as I shifted the facets to focus on lightning mana. The mist of mana around me and the streams of mana flowing around the hawk¡¯s body shifted from white to deep purple. Every bit of mana in the area except my own was lightning mana. The mana rose up into the sky and fused with the tide of mana forming around the hawk¡¯s body. The gathering strike put the hobgoblin''s to shame. I leaned on the axe and dragged myself forward towards the forest. Each movement sent a new burst of pain through my body, but to stay still was to die. The circle of blood drops continued to center itself on me despite my movements. I raised my eyes to the sky when the build up of lightning mana reached a crescendo. The hawk let out a deafening cry and flexed its entire body skyward. The lightning mana coalesced in front of the hawk into a thick purple bolt of lightning that flashed down toward me. I didn¡¯t see anyway to escape from the attack, but I continued moving forward anyways step by agonizing step. Small forks of lightning branched out from the main bolt and reduced the nearby trees into cinders while the core bolt came for me. As the bolt of lightning fell upon me, I lashed out with the rune axe in one last act of defiance. When the axe blade and the bolt of lightning collided, something unexpected happened. The lightning poured into the axe head and the runes etched into each side blazed into being. What lighting wasn¡¯t absorbed by the rune axe split around me and burnt the ground black. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. A few stray bolts slipped around the axe and burnt erratic lines into my chest and legs, but I survived the strike. I don¡¯t know who was more surprised, me or the hawk. I held the cause of the minor miracle aloft in front of my face. An inferno of power roared within the runes of the axe head. The runes flickered and appeared to bend out of shape only to snap back into place. That was new and unexpected, but I knew what it meant. There was too much power in the axe head for the runes to contain. It needed to be released. A grin split my lips and a chuckle escaped from my mouth. I stared up at the wide eyed hawk and roared, ¡°Let me return the favor!¡± I activated the Quick Thinking skill s I yelled at the hawk, and the world slowed down around me once more. I focused on the image of what I wanted the lighting mana to do with every bit of strength and energy I could muster. Once I had the image fixed in my mind, I gave a light swing upwards in the direction of the hawk. A light swing was all that I could manage, but it was enough. A burst of light flooded the area and a bolt of lightning erupted from the rune axe. The bolt flashed into the sky and slammed into the chest of the hawk. A corner of mind remained coherent enough to worry that the hawk might be immune to lighting, but that worry proved to be unfounded. A cry of agony spilt into the air. The bolt burnt its feathers black, and the smell of charred meat filled the air. A part of me wanted to bask in the success of the blow, but I shuffled into the forest instead. I didn¡¯t think for a second that the hawk was dead. I bet those injuries weren¡¯t even that serious, but they distracted it enough to let me slip into the forest. My right arm lay limp and useless at my side, and I had a serious limp thanks to the burns and broken ribs. I used the axe as a cane to keep dragging myself forward. The hawk trailed me through the forest and dropped bolt after bolt of lightning from the sky, but the tree tops protected me from its wrath. I kept moving. Never staying in one place for more than a few seconds. The trees drew the lightning strikes away from me, but there was only so much damage they could take. Thick branches and the occasional tree trunk fell behind me. Victims of the hawk¡¯s rampage. Fires burned behind me, but the forest was still damp enough from the recent storm that the fires failed to spread very far. I worried that the hawk would take out its fury on the house as well if I retreated into it so I stayed in the forest and circled around the house towards the big barn. The trees thinned along the incline above the Little Lake, but there were still enough to block the flashes of lightning. When I reached the side of the big barn, I lingered for longer than was safe before continuing forward. The hesitation allowed the hawk to unleash a few extra bolts of lighting on the area. Attracted by the metal, multiple bolts struck the big barn and shocked everything and anything within it. An enraged hiss confirmed that my gamble had paid off. A grinding noise of metal scraping against another hard object pierced the air. The sound of wood cracking mixed together with hisses and sharp high pitched cries filled the air behind me. In the python¡¯s view, the hawk launched an unprovoked attack on its home. That was enough to break whatever fragile truce they had reached these past few days. Burning branches fell around me and added a few more wounds to my growing collection as I staggered out of the area, across the trail leading to the dam of the Little Lake, and into the forest that led down the orchard hill to the Big Lake. I gambled that the fight between the two of them would force the other nearby beasts flee the area. I exited the forest at the top of the orchard hill and crossed the open hilltop and headed for the forest on the other side of the hill¡¯s downward slope. The hawk caught sight of me crossing the hill and let out a screech of anger, but it was too busy fending off the python to chase me. I disappeared from its sight into this new portion of the forest and cut up towards the front field. No beasts emerged to contest my passing, and I reached the area where the forest jutted up to the gravel driveway without any further issue. I hobbled down the driveway, the crunch of the gravel drowned out by the sounds of the battle raging between the python and the hawk, and slipped into the basement unnoticed by either combatant.
Survivor ? * leveled up! Stupid Fool ? * leveled up! Extremely Stubborn Fool ? ** leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** leveled up! Pain Control (B) *** evolved into Pain Control ? ***! Fear Control (B) *** leveled up! Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) ***** leveled up! Quick Thinking (Active) (B) ***** leveled up!
Book 2 Chapter 8 New World Day 33 After I reached the safety of the garage, I forced myself to take the singed backpacks into the workshop and unload them. The surviving food went into the refrigerator and freezer. Neither worked, but they were still the coldest places in the house. I strained the water right away as well. One handed straining with broken ribs was not an enjoyable experience. I dragged my battered body back to the garage once I finished taking care of those chores. I leaned my head against the garage wall and took inventory of my injuries. Dislocated shoulder, four broken ribs, a baker''s dozen burns, and a face so bloody and cut up that it would give even adults nightmares. I knew the burns, scrapes, and ribs would heal on their own thanks to my regen skill, but I worried about the dislocated shoulder. I feared that I had to pop it back in myself before the regeneration would kick in for it. I tapped my head against the wall again and again and then in one quick motion I grabbed my shoulder with my good hand and shoved it back into place. A flare of pain swept through my body, but only a grunt escaped from my lips. Pain was fast becoming an old friend. I turned around, put my back to the wall, and let myself slide down to the ground. I tried out my active Regen skill for the second time since I purchased it. The fact that I possessed it kept slipping from my mind. I was used to relying on the passive regen. The various burns healed and faded away by the time my mana drained away. I just needed to let my passive skills do their work now. I drifted off to sleep a few minutes after my ass hit the ground. A bright beam of sunlight found just the right angle necessary to blind me. The unwelcome light forced me awake around twilight. My eyes and face no longer ached as much as before, but one shift to the side told me that my broken ribs were still there. I forced myself to my feet despite the pain and staggered into the workshop. I pulled some coyote meat out of the refrigerator and took it to the garage for dinner. I started up the fire and sat carving runes as I waited for it to grow hot enough for cooking. I activated my Quick Thinking skill and called up memories and images from the depths of my mind at the same time as I practiced my carving. It made the carving more difficult, but it let me practice multiple skills at the same time. Besides, it might prove useful to be able to carve runes while distracted. I continued the practice long after dinner was finished and night fell. I added in image training for restraining my mana and messed with my vision skill as well. The various skills pulled my mind in four or five directions at once, and I started making mistake after mistake. I found myself smiling despite the mistakes. The extra difficulty made it much more enjoyable practicing my rune carving. I might make more progress in any one skill by concentrating on it alone, but this way I made a little progress on a half dozen skills. Some thoughts floated through my mind about the runes and how best to connect them together. I wanted an automated way to trigger the barrier rune. If I connected the threshold rune from the alarm rune set to the activation rune from the barrier rune set would that allow the barrier to activate as soon as the threshold was reached? Would the normal power supply from the mana stones kick in thanks to the small stream the threshold rune could send? If it didn¡¯t activate the normal power supply then could I change it so that all of the power for the barrier was supplied from the alarm rune? I worried that the alarm runes couldn¡¯t handle that level of power which brought back to mind what happened earlier today. The mixed training ended and my train of thought was diverted when I recalled the image of the lightning runes and how they reacted to the massive amount of power they absorbed. The power contained had bent and almost shattered them, but it was like there was a thin barrier that flexed and forced the energy to stay within the runes. Is that what I was doing wrong with my restraint training? The image I envisioned was one where the mana stayed just beneath the skin and didn¡¯t leak out of the body. What if I added a thin barrier of mana underneath my skin to block the mana from escaping? Would that lower the mental strength needed to hold the compound image in my mind? The idea was similar to my spiritual body, but for this scenario, I intended to create a temporary barrier instead of a permanent spiritual body. I needed to combine four images instead of three, but I could borrow from the image of the lens used for my mana vision as a way to reduce the number of extra details used in the image. I stopped practicing every other type of training and focused solely on this new image. Hours drifted by and I felt warm trickles of liquid sliding down by face and neck. My mind felt like it was being drawn and quartered, but I persevered until everything clicked into place just like how the overloaded lightning runes clicked back into place. Multiple System windows popped up in the corner of my eye and verified for me that I had succeeded in my endeavor. A small smile emerged and my chest heaved as a few quiet chuckles escaped my lips. I frikken did it! I pushed myself to my feet with my left hand and started to test the new skill out then and there. The difference between using the Mana Restraint skill and not using it was enormous. The skill forced the mana to remain inside of my body which then increased the power available for both my enhancement and vision skills. The synergy between the three was astonishing. The three skills drained more mana than I could gather in a minute, but the extra strength granted to the two skills was worth it. I did need to push my mana regen higher than before so that I could use all three at once without draining my mana lake dry. My Spirit stat was high enough that it wasn¡¯t likely to grow via training more which left either a skill upgrade, skill creation, or bonus points. A Mana Vein upgrade would work, but I wasn¡¯t sure of the direction needed to improve them at this point, and I needed my title points for other skills. That left only one path. I pumped 15 of my bonus points into my Spirit stat and solved the issue right away. I practiced the skill numerous times while the success was still fresh in my mind. I stopped once I felt that I had it down pat. I had a nagging feeling that I missed something during the creation of the skill. It took a little while, but it came to me. It was easier to create the barrier needed for the skill in the area around my toes. The exact area where I practiced creating my spiritual body. A theory creeped into my mind about why that was the case. I had noticed that I could create more toes as time passed. I attributed it to an increase in my personal abilities, but what if that wasn¡¯t the entire reason? When you erased words from a pad of paper, the impression of the words remained behind. The more you wrote in the same place the deeper the impression and the easier it became to trace the words. What if it worked the same way for the creation of a spiritual body? The more I practised creating a specific part of the spiritual body the easier it would become to create it? I relaxed against the wall and decided to test the theory out. I shifted to working on my fingers. My pinky finger to be specific. I created the outline, let it fade, and then created it again I repeated the process 50 times. After the 50th time, I activated my new mana restraint skill, and I paid special attention to my pinky finger. It was faint, but it was as I suspected. The pinky finger barrier was easier to create. A path emerged that gave me hope of creating a spiritual body far sooner than I had expected. I spent the rest of the night working on different parts of my body. The last thing I did before I went to bed was my normal routine with my journals. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Title awarded! Magic Practitioner (B) *** Skill Created! Mana Restraint (B) *** Mind increased by 1! Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) * leveled up! Basic Regen (Active) (B) * leveled up! Lesser Spirit Regen (Passive) (UC) * leveled up! Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) * leveled up! Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) ***** leveled up!
Title Explanation: Practitioner (B) *** LVL 1 0%: A title awarded to any user who reaches a certain level of expertise in manipulating one of the energies of the universe. The rank of the title will increase with every ten levels. Rarity is determined by the level of expertise the user has in each energy available to them. The more energies and the greater the expertise the higher the rarity. Skill Explanation: Mana Restraint (B) *** LVL 1 0%: A skill that restrains the user¡¯s mana and prevents it from leaving the user¡¯s body. The rank of the skill will increase with every ten levels. Higher ranks increase the effectiveness of the restraint. Higher rarities allow the user to restrain the mana of other beings. Due to the fact that this skill raises the density of mana within the user¡¯s body, it synergizes with any skill that requires dense amounts of mana and boosts said skill¡¯s effectiveness and/or efficiency.
Name: Jason Silver Job Name: Amateur Chronicler LVL:11 96% Job LVL: 2 78% Job Points: N/A ***** 5
Titles: Survivor ? LVL 5 43% Fool ? LVL 2 31% Horde Killer ? LVL 2 12% Beast Killer ? LVL 2 48% Risk Taker ? LVL 2 23% Repeated Risk Taker (UC) LVL 1 6% Compassionate Fool ? LVL 5 26% Curious Fool ? LVL 6 40% Stupid Fool ? LVL 9 12% Extremely Stubborn Fool ? LVL 6 83% Practitioner (B) LVL 1 0% Greater Mana Wielder ? LVL N/A Title Points: * * *** * * * * * * ** *** ***** 23
Stats: HP: MP: Psi: Mana Regen: Psi Regen: Endurance: Strength: Speed: Agility: Spirit: Mind: Bonus Points: 72/185 158/158 34/34 26 per min (-2.75) 2.75 per min (-1) 24 20 20 14 56 7 6
Status Effects: Regen, Spirit Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Broken Ribs x4, Scrapes x17, Slight Mental Break, Physical Deterioration
Skills: Beginner Axe Mastery ? LVL 3 81% Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 8 11% Lesser Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 3 13% Basic Regen (Active) (B) LVL 2 82% Lesser Spirit Regen (Passive) (UC) LVL 2 3% Minor Disease Resist (Passive) ? LVL 4 29% Minor Parasite Resist (Passive) ? LVL 3 37% Minor Poison Resist (Passive) ? LVL 4 22% Lesser Mana Control (UC) LVL 4 64% Greater Mana Veins (Passive) ? LVL 1 75% Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 6 91% Pain Control ? LVL 1 2% Fear Control (B) LVL 6 83% Beginner Close Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 7 42% Beginner Ranged Combat Footwork (Active) ? LVL 4 64% Beginner Barrier Runes (Active) ? LVL 7 91% Basic Alarm Runes (Active) (B) LVL 8 72% Minor Mana Enhancement (Active) ? LVL 7 91% Minor Mana Vision (Active) ? LVL 9 76% Mana Restraint (Active) (B) LVL 1 0% Flawless Memory (Passive) (B) LVL 4 42% Quick Thinking (Active) (B) LVL 3 92% * * * * * * * * * ***** *** *** *** * * * * * * *** ***** *****