Archie was crouched behind a couple of trees, watching the goats.
Two of the four goats were drinking water, one was eating the snowy grass and the last was sleeping. The goats all looked identical; two long horns atop their heads, white fur, three feet and a half tall; a similar height to the boars.
How can I just fight the goats without the beefed-up reindeer, the roided-up squirrels, or the leopard joining in? Archie contemplated as he stared at the herd of goats.
The distance between the five different beast groups wasn’t small, nor was it large either: around fifty-ish meters between each of the groups.
On my right side, there are three roided-up squirrels and to the left, there are six rabbits. Archie analyzed. While the leopard and Caribou are too far away to join in.
“Fuck it,” Archie mumbled, unsheathing his dagger and cocking it back as he aimed the most vulnerable goat, the sleeping one, and launched it at its vulnerable neck. Praying that his enhanced dexterity would help his shitty aim.
The dagger flew through the air and into the neck of the goat, the sound of the dagger alerted the other goats of danger.
Hearing a ding, Archie charged at the three remaining goats, sword and shield drawn, his adrenaline starting to move from its lull.
The goat closest to him previously eating grass was now charging at him horns first.
Archie stopped running and held a guarding stance, bracing for the impact of the goat’s charge.
THUD!
The charge of the goat was weaker than that of the boars he previously fought, allowing Archie to push the goat off his shield and stab into the neck of the goat with his sword.
Pulling his sword from the neck of the goat, he heard another ding.
Looking at the two remaining goats, he saw that they were already charging at him, barely three meters away from him.
Eyes wide, Archie hastily put up a guarding stance, bracing for the impact of two goats.
The first goat’s impact caused Archie to slide backward a few inches, but the second goat made him lose his footing, and fall onto his back. His shield went flying from his left hand and landed a few feet away. Due to headbutting Archie's iron shield, the acceleration of the goat was halted, causing it to land atop Archie in a daze.
Winded, Archie grabbed the goat’s right horn with his left hand and stabbed his sword into its stomach, before dragging it upwards, spilling out the goat’s innards.
Another ding resounded in his head; Archie pushed the now dead goat off him. Sitting up in a crouch, he saw the last goat charging at him once more. The adrenaline rushing throughout his being spiked, filling Archie with excitement and anticipation. He quickly rolled out of the way of the goat’s charge, causing the goat to crash into a tree instead.
Archie sprang to his feet and dashed toward the winded goat, snow scattering with every step he took as he charged.
Archie’s sword pierced through the goat’s neck, and due to the momentum of his charge, the blade sank deep into the flesh. However, a fifth of the sword was now firmly lodged into the tree.
Hearing another ding, Archie leaned against the tree and exhaled deeply, feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through his body recede. A faint smile on his face, from the rush.
Looking around, trying to see where the rabbits and roided squirrels went after the fight with the goats. Archie saw the rabbits hopping away from where they previously sat and into the forest.
The marmots simply stared from afar and chewed on tree roots. One marmot in particular stared at Archie and chewed on a root while pissing on the ground.
Pulling his sword from both the goat and the tree, Archie chuckled to himself at the sight of the roided-up squirrel eating and pissing whilst staring at what he’d done.
Archie went around the goats to grab his shield and dagger, then headed towards the river, took a handful of water, and sipped it.
What started as a sip soon turned into gulps, as Archie realized how parched he had become.
After a few minutes of gulping down water, Archie stopped and said with a chuckle, “I didn’t think I was that thirsty." Now with the goats dead and no other group attacking him, he looked at his notifications.
*[Hoarfrost Goat Lv 6] has been slain – XP has been given. 6 Tutorial Points given*
*[Hoarfrost Goat Lv 7] has been slain – XP has been given. 7 Tutorial Points given*
*[Hoarfrost Goat Lv 9] has been slain – XP has been given. 9 Tutorial Points given*
*[Hoarfrost Goat Lv 8] has been slain – XP has been given. 8 Tutorial Points given*
*Your Class has reached Lv 8 – Points allocated, +1 Free Point*
*Your Race has reached Lv 6 – Points allocated, +1 Free Point*
Archie opened his status page and saw:
Archie Gracefield
Race: Human F-Grade Lv 6
Class: Warrior Lv 8
Profession: *Empty*
Health: 370/420
Mana: 130/130
Stamina: 110/150
Stats:
Vitality: 40(42)
Strength: 27(28)
Endurance: 15
Agility: 22
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 13
Willpower: 14
Perception: 13
Free Points: 14
Skills:
Basic One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Initiate)
Basic Light-Shield Mastery (Initiate)
Identify (Initiate)
Bloodline:
Adrenaline Junkie (Unique) [+5% to Strength and +5% to Willpower]
Titles Collected:
Bloodline Progenitor [+10 Vitality and +5% Vitality]
Tutorial Points:
86
“Hmm… I should put points into strength and endurance, three and five respectively. I could have handled two goat charges if I was a bit stronger and not have been as winded as I was,” Archie said as he placed the free points into their respective field.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Archie Gracefield
Race: Human F-Grade Lv 6
Class: Warrior Lv 8
Profession: *Empty*
Health: 370/420
Mana: 130/130
Stamina: 110/200
Stats:
Vitality: 40(42)
Strength: 30(31)
Endurance: 20
Agility: 22
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 13
Willpower: 14
Perception: 13
Free Points: 6
Skills:
Basic One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Initiate)
Basic Light-Shield Mastery (Initiate)
Identify (Initiate)
Bloodline:
Adrenaline Junkie (Unique) [+5% to Strength and +5% to Willpower]
Titles Collected:
Bloodline Progenitor [+10 Vitality and +5% Vitality]
Tutorial Points:
86
Dismissing his status page, Archie looked at the horizon and saw the sun still brightly hanging above him and decided to grind a little bit longer. Looking at the three roided squirrels, Archie decided to ambush them before retiring for the day.
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Archie stared at the marmots from behind another tree; the closest marmot was next to a tree clawing at its roots and the remaining marmots were drinking water from the river. The beefy marmots were large enough that Archie felt he could hit them with his dagger.
Taking a deep breath, Archie threw his dagger at the marmot. If it didn’t hit, hopefully, it would at least catch its attention, Archie thought as he charged toward it.
As the dagger flew through the air, it stabbed into the side of the marmot, it squealed in pain alerting its two packmates and gaining a smile from Archie.
Upon reaching the marmot, Archie spartan kicked its head, making it fall onto its side concussed. Then Archie swiftly stabbed downward into the downed marmot’s lower stomach and dragged his blade upwards, gutting it.
Hearing yet another ding today, Archie charged the two remaining marmots. Deciding to do something risky, Archie threw his shield at the closest marmot, causing it to become dazed as he continued his charge at the furthest marmot.
Angling his sword with the marmot charging him, fleshy neck met metal, the force of both Archie charging and the marmot rushing into the blade, caused the blade to smoothly sink into its thick hide and out its neck.
Hearing the ding from the system, Archie pulled out his sword and looked back at the still-dazed marmot.
Wanting to end the fight as soon as possible, Archie ran up to the marmot and stabbed it through its back. Not hearing another ding, Archie pulled the sword out of its back and into its neck.
A final ding resounded through Archie’s head, notifying him that all marmots died.
Ignoring the system notifications, Archie looked around trying to see where the leopard and caribou were, but upon looking for them, they were nowhere to be seen.
Feeling wary, Archie decided to end his hunt for today. After grabbing both his dagger and shield, Archie’s stomach started to growl. He then looked at the marmot he just killed, kneeled beside it, and cut out a large chunk of marmot meat.
Sheathing his sword and dagger, Archie carried the marmot meat with his right hand and made his way back to his cave.
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Entering his cave, Archie noticed the doe he had killed the day before was still there.
“Ah… Right, I forgot about the doe…” Archie mumbled. “Oh well, more meat for me then; the leg from last night wasn’t that bad if I do say so myself.”
Dropping the marmot meat next to the doe, Archie went to gather wood for his campfire.
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After his fifth trip back to his cave hauling sticks, Archie dumped the sticks in his arms into the large pile of sticks now taking up 1/3 of the cave’s space.
“Now that I have a bit more firewood, I need to find a way to block the entrance of the cave,” Archie said while looking at the forest in front of the cave.
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As Archie trekked through the forest, he noticed a glint of light shine under an overgrown tree root. A bit curious, Archie made his way towards the tree with the shiny root.
Upon reaching the tree and crouching, Archie pushed the dirt away from the root, revealing an iron-studded chest with a padlock.
Identifying the chest, Archie read:
Sealed Oak Chest:
A sealed chest, created for the 72nd cycle’s tutorial, containing an item.
“Finally, a treasure chest!” Archie cheered.
Grabbing the lock between his hands, Archie snapped it open. Grin widening, Archie opened the small chest to reveal a small wooden axe.
Identifying the axe:
Steelwood Hatchet (Uncommon):
A small hatchet made of steel and forged by an unknown F-Grade blacksmith. When in a forest the sharpness of the hatchet increases. Effects: Self-repair, Soul-Bound, Woodland Sharpness. Status: Perfect. Requirements: Lv 5+ & Humanoid Race.
“Oh! Just what I needed!” Archie exclaimed while picking the hatchet out of the chest. Just as he pulled the hatchet from the chest, the chest vanished. Archie blinked a few times, staring at the empty spot where it had been, his mouth slightly agape. “Huh?”
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Crouched on the floor, Archie tied the third and final vine-like branch connecting five eight-foot logs together. Giving a firm kick, Archie took notice of minor wiggling, but nothing else. With that complete he lifted his makeshift door, placed it in front of the cave’s entrance and took a step back. At the very least, if it falls, I’ll wake up before anything jumps on me, Archie smiled. Dusting off his hands from the remnants of sap he gained while hauling the logs.
Grabbing the doe and marmot meat, Archie pushed his new door aside and started a new campfire fifty meters away from the entrance of his cave, intent on cooking food away from where he slept.
After starting the fire and placing both the doe and marmot meat onto the fire, Archie decided to open the system notifications that he had previously ignored.
*[Stout Marmot Lv 11] has been slain – XP has been given. 6 Tutorial Points given*
*[Stout Marmot Lv 10] has been slain – XP has been given. 6 Tutorial Points given*
*[Stout Marmot Lv 12] has been slain – XP has been given. 6 Tutorial Points given*
*Your Class has reached Lv 9 – Points allocated, +1 Free Point*
*Your Class has reached Lv 10 – Points allocated, +1 Free Point*
*Your Race has reached Lv 7 – Points allocated, +1 Free Point*
Skill Upgrade: [Basic One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Initiate → Common)]
Basic One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Common):
One of a Warrior’s closest Allies, for it shall slay your foes. Due to showing proficiency with One-Handed Weapons, One-Handed Weapons become more familiar to use.
Skill Upgrade: [Basic Light-Shield Mastery (Initiate → Common)
Basic Light-Shield Mastery (Common):
One of a Warrior’s closest Allies, for it shall protect you from those who wish you harm. Due to showing proficiency with Light-Shields, Light-Shields become more familiar to use.
*Warrior Class Skills Available. Choose one of the options*
[Warrior’s Charge (Common)]: A Warrior might not be able to fight an enemy from up close, thus requiring a way to get closer. Allows a Warrior to Charge forward in a straight line closing the gap between them and their enemy.
[Ambush Strike (Common)]: A hidden blade striking from the shadows is often a better way to face a stronger foe or thin out enemies. Allowing the user to stay hidden from perceived enemies and enhancing your next attack.
Looking at the two options, Archie debated between the two skills, both offering very different ways of combat. Perhaps it even revealed the two paths he could take as a fighter: a direct or a stealthy one.
Warrior’s Charge would propel him to fight more aggressively, allowing him to close the gaps between his enemies. Ambush Strike would make him want to attack enemies one by one, taking them out while sneaking in the shadows.
Considering his bloodline, Adrenaline Junkie, fighting from the shadows would provide adrenaline, but not as much compared to frontal attacks.
Fighting like an assassin would eventually have me control my emotions, but I’m not sure if that would be possible with my bloodline. While I can just let loose when charging in the frontlines.
Biting into the marmot meat that looked a bit too well done, Archie slowly chewed and selected Warrior’s Charge.
As he gazed at the slowly rising moon, Archie’s thoughts drifted to two things: how his family was coping with the integration and how he could get his hands on a robot model kit—any kit, even a simple one—as long as his only source of entertainment wasn’t watching the wind blow leaves.