I was precariously perched on the Hermit’s Gold tree, trying to reach the upper fruits, when a high pitched screech echoed through the valley. My mind instantly flashed images of the bear-mutant creature that attacked me at the cabin and I jumped down, drawing my shotgun in a single movement.
The birds had stopped singing and the forest fell into a deadly silence. Something deep inside my brain, I didn’t know if it was my ancient instinct or a work of the System, told me I was in danger. My eyes drifted through the woods, however, there was no creature in my line of sight.
Suddenly, the forest trembled as the sound of a hundred hooves pounding came to my ears. The sound became stronger by the second. The herd of whatever magical monster this world had birthed was coming in my direction. Not wanting to get trampled on, I ran downstream until I found a broad pine next to a sand bank and hid behind it. I pressed my back to the tree, looking southward, and waited for the stampede.
Less than a second later, the first creature passed like an arrow through the forest. A deer of pure white left an electric blue haze in its wake. I saw the magic particles inside the animal’s body and the faint afterimage it left behind. Whatever it was, it was using a skill to move faster.
As soon as the first white deer passed, dozens of others followed, screaming in fear. I squatted, trying to stay below the fern line without losing visual contact. Whatever was chasing the flock of deer was most likely faster than me. I just hoped the pursuer would be so focused on the prey that it didn’t notice me.
Right after the last deer leaped over a dead pine a few paces away from my hideout, the roar of a predator resonated inside my chest. They were close and there were many.
I squeezed the barrel of my shotgun as the pack of beasts followed the deer trail. They were wolf-like beasts with powerful front legs and a hunched backs. Their snouts were elongated, filled with foam covered serrated teeth, and their bloodshot eyes threw diabolical glances as they scanned the forest.
Black Wolf (corrupted). Lowly Magical Abomination. [Identify] Although the corruption has diminished their sense of smell, their ears are as keen as their non-corrupted counterparts. Weakness: Magic, Mana Drain, Shotgun.
It was good to see corrupted wildlife being weak to buckshot.
I stood silently in my hideout, trying to keep my nerves at bay until the last wolf from the corrupted pack got lost between the trees. Then I counted to one hundred before I decided to get up. My heart was still pounding inside my chest with the strength of a dwarf’s hammer. One thing was for sure, if I wanted to live I needed to get out of the woods ASAP.
Retracing my steps, I came back to the Hermit’s Gold tree to fill my food stock before leaving. I was deep in thought trying to gauge how much fruit I could carry without having to discard any equipment when the sound of shattering bone crashed my train of thought.
The eyes of an oversized mutant wolf munching on the carcass of one of its kind met me. Its bloodshot eyes were framed by a scar-ridden head and thick black blood dripped from the corner of its mouth. And it was looking directly at me.
Elder Black Wolf (corrupted). Magical Abomination. Man eater. Kin eater. [Identify] The more magic a corrupted animal consumes, the more dangerous it becomes. Weakness: Magic, Mana Drain, Shotgun.
I cursed my luck. Of all the corrupted wolves, of course I had to run into the baddest of the bunch.
Instinctively, I raised my shotgun and the wolf glanced at me with calculating eyes. It seemed to understand I was threatening him. Before I could react, the wolf let out a powerful howl. The mana particles sizzled around the beast and I found myself glued in place by some invisible force. Something had seized hold of my muscles and prevented me from moving.
“A skill?” I managed to mumble over the binding.
Whatever the wolf had done to me, I could barely breathe. My heart kept on pounding inside my chest but every other muscle of my body was prey to paralysis. The wolf crushed another bone and licked the marrow before walking towards me at a sluggish pace. It was smarter than it seemed.
Sweat beaded my forehead as I fought against the spell but no amount of physical strength could break it. I started to panic. This was a thousand times worse than my sleep paralysis demon.
I summoned my character sheet and searched for something that could help me.
Name: Robert Clarke, Human.
Class: Scholar Lv.1
Titles: Lonely Boy.
Passive: Lv.5 Swordsmanship, Mana Manipulation.
Skills: Identify.
Status: Paralyzed, Frightened, Lv.1 Vigor.
If there was something that could save me it was [Mana Manipulation]. I chastised myself for not experimenting with the skill beforehand. All I knew was that the skill could summon a flashy blue flame.
Closing my eyes, I tapped into my inner mana reservoir and the mana answered my call. It was easier than expected, as if the system was guiding me through the process of molding the magic according to my desires. I felt a rush of knowledge, or awareness, getting over my brain. Then, I knew what to do.
I surrounded my trigger finger with mana.
The Elder Wolf didn’t seem to notice I was using a skill because it kept on walking towards me at a leisurely pace. I waited. My mouth was dry and my forehead was covered with sweat. I couldn’t do anything but pray for the wolf to stand in front of the barrel.
“Come on… just a step more,” I grunted.
One more step and the Elder Wolf would be standing just in front of the muzzle. But the creature stopped just a few centimeters short. The Elder Wolf broke its straight line and started circling around me. I followed it with my eyes until it went out of my visual range. I couldn’t move my neck but I could hear it behind me. Slow steps, one after another, until it almost completed the full circle.
“One more step, please, one more step,” I silently prayed.
The wolf completed the circle and reappeared in front of me, just in front of the barrel. Using the mana around my finger, I pulled the trigger. The hail of pellets struck the creature’s ribs, breaking the spell.
I fell to my knees, my muscles cramping and aching, but I ignored the pain and shot again before the wolf could pounce on me. The buckshot shredded flesh and bone, sending the wolf to the ground. My heart pounded like a hammer and adrenaline flowed through my veins at an alarming rate. I almost puked again but I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself together.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The realization I was alive because of pure luck sent a shiver down my spine.
If I wanted to survive, I had to master the skills the System had given me. For the time being, [Mana Manipulation] and [Swordsmanship] seemed to be my only insurance if I ran out of shells.
The Elder Black Wolf growled from the ground, startling me. It was still alive even if the wounds prevented it from getting up. Wasting another shell to kill the Elden Wolf was out of the question but I was curious about the progression system. Usually, killing monsters was the most common way of getting experience.
I wondered if it was the same for Scholars. There was too much I ignored.
I pulled the knife I got from Mr. Byrne’s cabin and glanced at the Elder Wolf. Suddenly, something clicked inside my brain as if my [Swordsmanship] reacted to the knife in my hand. Half a decade had passed since the last time I trained HEMA but somehow all my fencing experience was there, fresh and ready to be used.
Warily, I walked towards the Elder Wolf. One thing was shooting in the heat of the moment, another completely different was stabbing a living being, even if it was a corrupted monster. Steeling my resolve, I stabbed at the creature’s lungs but the point of the knife bounced over the hardened skin of the wolf. It was only logical to expect something like that considering the amount of lead the wolf could withstand.
The Elder Wolf growled at me and a white gleam of magic started covering its wounds with a sizzling sound. It was starting to regenerate. I had to kill it fast. Suddenly, I had an epiphany. If [Swordsmanship] wasn’t enough I might as well combine it with [Mana Manipulation].
I reached for the reservoir of mana inside me and poured it into the knife until a phantom blue blade covered its surface. I didn’t stop there. Greedily, I pumped more and more mana, hardening it until I had a meter long mana sword.
It might not work but at least it looked really cool.
“Here goes nothing,” I whispered, raising my mana sword.
What I didn’t expect was the ease with which the knife penetrated the skin. With a confident downward blow I severed the beast’s head like it was butter.
Elder Black Wolf (corrupted) slain.
I might be a fool, but I was a creative fool at least.
Just like it happened with the wolf-bear hybrid, a mist of blue mana emerged from the beast's body and surrounded me. It was brighter and more vibrant compared to the corrupted bear’s mana. I braced myself and closed my eyes.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
The System prompts appeared under my eyelids.
A wave of liquid euphoria rushed through my veins sending me to my knees. Suddenly, I felt stronger, faster, and even taller although the last one was probably just my imagination. For a moment I felt unstoppable but the overwhelming sensation receded as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind an overall feeling of well-being. Leveling up was a drug and I needed to find another corrupted beast to shoot down. I glanced around, searching for more Black Wolves but there were none in sight.
Before I could do anything hasty, I composed myself. I had only five shells left and they were my life insurance until I reached a town or found people willing to help me.
“Ok, Rob. Let’s use our head,” I muttered, trying to calm myself and put my thoughts in order. “We have to get the fuck out of here before the rest of the pack realizes the leader was turned into dog meat.”
Quickly, I stuffed a bunch of Hermit Gold fruit into my bag and sprinted away from the felled beast. Without a second thought, I jumped into the creek and waded the shallow water, hopefully away from the direction of the chase.
Not even an hour later, the effect of Vigor started to fade away and my cubicle worker physique took over.
You have obtained Exhaustion Lv.1. Temporary.
It was well late in the afternoon and there wasn’t any trace of civilization yet. The excitement of the day died down and my body was suddenly afflicted by at least twenty different kinds of pain. Leaving my heavy backpack to the side, I laid on the floor and closed my eyes for a moment.
Name: Robert Clarke, Human.
Class: Scholar Lv.5
Titles: Lonely Boy.
Passive: Lv.5 Swordsmanship, Mana Manipulation.
Skills: Identify.
Status: Exhaustion Lv.1 (Temporary).
I had gained four levels by killing the Elder Black Wolf but no skills or points to spend on stats whatsoever. I felt scammed by the System. What was the difference between a level one scholar and a level five then?
Leveling up felt great but after the sensation faded I was the same person as before. Supposedly, this was the moment where the broken skills and passives started piling one after the other, snowballing exponentially.
I sighed. This was a scam.
You have obtained Improved Stamina Lv.1. [Identify] Basic passive typically unlocked by people who workout a lot and whine very little.
The prompt startled me, as if the System had added extra spice to the notification.
“What the hell,” I said in disbelief. A shiver ran down my back, there was no chance of that flavor text not being aimed towards me. If the System wanted to mess with me, it was working.
“Can you hear me?” I asked the sky but I got no answer.
I shrugged my shoulders, there was nothing to lose by trying.
“A quest journal or a map with markers would be useful too!”
Again, no response. Maybe it was for the best because after all the gore of the fight against the corrupted wolf, I wasn’t psychologically ready to have a conversation with a transcendent being. I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on what I had in front of me. Four levels and no recognizable improvement.
“Maybe I have to use a special shrine or a magic stone to see my stats and allocate stat points,” I opened my character sheet and studied it for a while, there was not a lot to see but it was my only way to interact with the System.
Swordsmanship: Years of training have conditioned your body and mind to use swords as an extension of your body. [Identify] The subject’s skill will not diminish under the skill level regardless of the passing of time.
[Swordsmanship] wasn’t just some external skill delivered to me by the system. It was my own expertise gathered along the years in the HEMA club, now refreshed into my brain. [Swordsmanship] was some sort of paperweight that prevented my own experience from fading away due to neglect.
I stood up and drew my knife. The movements, the stances, the swings, parries and blocks, everything was there ready to be used. Diagonal right step, tajo, medio revés, fast recovery. I repeated the choreography two times more with different cuts. My form was as good as it was when I practiced regularly, with no awkwardness or stiffness.
With an hour of sun to spare, I put together a campfire and boiled water to make myself some tea with the edible herbs I had gathered earlier. The outcome was far from good but it was better than plain hot water. The lack of sugar couldn't bother me, I was exploring a magical world and I could do fucking magic tricks.
If I squinted my eyes a little, I even had a lightsaber.
As the sun fell, I fueled the fire and wrapped myself in the blanket. A wicked cold wind swayed the branches over my head and the nocturnal sounds won over the forest. The green pines had made me forget about the season. I hugged my shotgun and glanced at the flames.
As accurate as [Lonely Boy] was, I yearned for someone to keep me accompanied. For some reason, never in my life have I felt so alone. I was in a world where nobody knew my name or my face, the Farlands could kill me and nobody will ever know my fate.
“If you keep going south you will eventually meet at least one kind soul,” I told myself as I closed my eyes, but no matter how tired I was, it was impossible to fall asleep.
The night was long. Any single sound, as small as it was, was enough to put me on guard. I couldn’t sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, but at least no carnivorous creature found me. After what seemed an eternity, the dawn broke and I instantly resumed my journey. No reward appeared after surviving my first day in this new world.
Not after a long time of walking, I found myself at the edge of the forest. In front of me there was a rocky valley squeezed between two high mountains, with a few pines sparsely distributed along the rocks and densely packed thorny bushes. Down in the valley I saw the creek I was following yesterday. It was about a mile to my right. I followed it with my eyes until it converged with a small river that looked like a strand of silver against the vegetation. No sign of towns or cities yet.
Something suddenly caught my attention. A weak trail of smoke rising into the sky.
“Jackpot!” I grinned.
Where there was smoke there was fire and where there was fire there were people.