For the past few days, the druid attempted to unlock the first rank of the Turtleboar skill. They were spent tracking and hunting them down. He also figured out several ways to cook them. However, the progression wasn’t going as fast as he initially thought. It went up at random times. At first, he assumed that it only registered whenever he fully digested a creature. Now, he’s starting to think that it’s based on an entirely different metric as it would sometimes go up as he was killing or butchering them.
During those days, he also mapped out and got familiar with his surroundings, though he never strayed too far from his camp. Because of all the bonfires that he’s been making, he hasn’t encountered any new creatures. The Turtleboars seemed to be the only creatures in the forest that didn’t mind the fire.
However, another Bearcat managed to wander in the druid’s area. Knowing about its “third eye”, as he liked to call the Bearcat’s extra sensory organ, he made quick work and defeated it without much problems.
This time, he managed to skin it properly without ruining its pelt. He cleaned it and let it dry over a fire for a whole day.
Without any skills in tailoring or making clothes, he only managed to create shorts made out of the animal hide. It looked more like a dark brown, furry diaper fastened by a bone shard. As long as it can protect his private parts from the elements and regain some dignity, he was happy with his furry diaper.
Besides the new clothes and the Turtleboar meat, there was another thing that he gained from all the killing that he’s been doing. Some numbers in his status screen went up, and this one was getting close to a hundred.
Name
Strength
1
Level
1
Vitality
1
Race
Human
Agility
1
Class
Druid - Metamorph
Dexterity
1
Health
100
Magic
1
Health Regen /s
0.01
Spirit
1
Mana
100
Points
0
Mana Regen /s
0.25
Next Level
94.60%
He wished the numbers on his skills panel looked like that. Despite spending the past few days hunting the Turtleboars, he barely got any progress from taking them down and eating them.
Skills
Rank
Cost
Desc
Metamorph
1 - 32%
n/a
Change your form
M.morph-Bearcat claws
1 - 20%
2.5/sec
Claws that can pierce common-grade metals
M.morph-Turtleboar ???
0 - 78.2%
n/a
“There’s got to be some kind of hidden mechanic to unlock this,” the druid complained out loud.
To him, it just felt like there was something wrong. It could be a number of things from his approach, methods, and mindset. Whichever it was, he’s going to do his own thing until he figures it out.
The area that he occupied only had a few packs of Turtleboars left. He made sure to set up traps and blockages to prevent them from leaving the area. These past few days, he really dedicated himself to learning about them so that he could kill them more efficiently.
***
It had been a while since the Messenger had something new to say to him. There was a tinge of guilt inside him when he first read what it said. He had just finished killing the last Turtleboar in the pack that he cornered.
Name
Strength
1
Level
2
Vitality
1
Race
Human
Agility
1
Class
Druid - Metamorph
Dexterity
1
Health
93/100
Magic
1
Health Regen /s
0.02
Spirit
1
Mana
25/100
Points
1
Mana Regen /s
0.25
Next Level
0.04%
From what he could remember of the attribute descriptions, all of them seemed useful in their own way. Spreading out his points in the future looked like the most logical decision for him. Surely it would open up to a variety of options, right? He asked himself.
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Disrupting his thoughts, another message was delivered to him. He couldn’t even have his internal monologues in peace.
“What the hell!?” He exclaimed as he was bombarded with messages.
Suddenly, bubbles came from the mud below his feet. He instantly jumped back and ran to the treeline. The druid got so scared that he nearly pissed in his new clothes.
A familiar beak and snout emerged from the mud, pushing aside the Turtleboar corpses that he had just slain. However, this one was thrice as large, with a nasty pair of glowing red eyes.
“Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed repeatedly as he tried to think of a way to survive.
He wasn’t going to last long enough in the fight with the measly amount of Mana he currently had. Desperate for a chance to survive, he racked his brain to think up a plan. The single point he earned popped up in his mind.
The status screen was still in his vision, but he could still see the large Turtleboar clearly through it, as if it wasn’t there in the first place. It started to move, shaking off the mud that covered its body. Once it was free from it, the beast would definitely waste no time to charge at him.
“Fuck, which attribute gave more Mana Regen?” he asked himself, hoping to remember faster.
The Turtleboar took a step forward. Through the vibration that he felt from the ground, he couldn’t imagine how heavy it actually weighed.
“Messenger!” he shouted. “Just put the damn point into whatever boosted my Mana Regen,” he begged.
Name
Strength
1
Level
2
Vitality
1
Race
Human
Agility
1
Class
Druid - Metamorph
Dexterity
1
Health
100
Magic
1
Health Regen /s
0.02
Spirit
2
Mana
100
Points
0
Mana Regen /s
0.5
Next Level
0.04%
At first, he couldn’t tell if anything on the Status Screen changed nor did he feel anything change within his body. Then, he noticed that his old bruises were just instantly gone. Both his Health and Mana were restored back to full capacity. Looking closer at the Status Screen, he saw some of the numbers on it change.
“That’s it!?” He shouted. “0.25, that’s all a single point was worth?”
Before he could complain a bit more to the Messenger, the massive Turtleboar let out a squeal so loud that it made him get down on one knee and cover his ears.
<-5>
He can’t stay there in the mud and let it kill him. So, he ran into the forest behind him. With the curse applied to him, he expected the huge thing to chase after him. And, it did just that.
“Come and get me you big bitch!” He taunted it, knowing full well that it could not understand a single word he just said.
As he ran past the trees, he used
He still had about thirty seconds left for his claws. The sound of falling trees and the squeals of the Turtleboar started to get quieter. His plan of reducing its speed worked. Now, he had the chance to actually observe it some more to think up an actual plan.
“I wish I was able to see how much stamina I have left,” he panted. He rested his hands on top of his knees, trying to catch his breath. “Guess it’s affected by one of the attributes in the Status Screen as well.”
Apart from its shell having properties that reflected strikes and blows, the mutant Turtleboar didn’t seem to have any other tricks. It really was just a bigger and stronger version of a regular one.
It smashed its tough head against a large tree that he had just cut out. The entire log fell on top of its shell. A faint green aura seeped out from the lines of the shell. Then, in an instant, at the same speed that it fell, the log bounced off the Turtleboar and launched into the sky. The log was going straight at him.
“Shit,” he hissed. He wasn’t quite done catching his breath.
He had to jump to the side to avoid getting flattened by the log. Luckily for him, he was able to stand back up before the mutant could get to him. It may be immune to strikes on its shell, but its short legs weren’t nimble enough to traverse through the piles of trees in front of it.
After observing how it protected itself from the falling trees several times, the druid noticed something, a faint glow at the moment of impact. He checked his disfigured hand with the
“I bet you have a limit to your Mana just like me!” He shouted at the creature.
The mutant squealed back at him and charged, hitting another tree and launching another log off his back. Now, his problem is how to outlast the mutant. If it also had a Mana pool, then it wasn’t too crazy to assume that it could also regenerate Mana like him. He needed to force the Turtleboar to run out before him.
Several of the trees he nicked were still up, however they were behind the Turtleboar. He’d have to get past the mutant or run around it to lure it back. And that would mean he would have to go through the forest and the fallen trees. It was an extremely dangerous plan. Though, it wasn’t like he could do anything else, and waiting around for a plan would just exhaust the rest of his Mana.
Slowing down, he went into a jog before steeling himself to turn and face the Turtleboar. He puffed up his chest and flexed, giving himself the resolve to take on the beast.
***
It took the druid nearly an hour. Throughout the entire fight, he carefully watched and managed his Mana while still using his skill to set up traps to hit the Turtleboar. All of his hard work paid off in the end when the final tree struck and cracked the Turtleboar’s shell without launching in the air. And, with the piles of logs surrounding and locking its short legs, it had nowhere to run.
Both of them were tired and desperate. The Turtleboar moved its head around, squirming, trying to free itself. Then, it let out a piercing squeal that made unknown animals fly out of trees from afar, not wanting to get involved with what made that sound.
The druid didn’t let the piercing cry stop him. He ran at the Turtleboar and climbed up its neck. It could retreat into its shell and gather up Mana before he could kill it. So, he didn’t waste anymore time and used
The mutant made an attempt, but the druid had already carved out a significant amount of flesh from its neck and reached the spine. Carving out the trees was good practice for him, as he did it in a few swipes. It was over for the mutated Turtleboar.
He didn’t stop striking the Turtleboar, continuing until he spent all of his Mana and decapitating the beast. His arms and the lower half of his body was drenched in warm blood.
After a few unsteady steps away from the corpse, his knees gave out and he fell on the ground. Neither happy nor sad, he stared at the sky with nothing on his mind. Then, a familiar box invaded his peace, blocking his view.
Both relieved and somewhat annoyed by the message, he pulled up his Status Screen to put a point into an attribute. Still tired, he racked his head to choose which one.
Name
Strength
2
Level
3
Vitality
1
Race
Human
Agility
1
Class
Druid - Metamorph
Dexterity
1
Health
100
Magic
1
Health Regen /s
0.03
Spirit
2
Mana
100
Points
0
Mana Regen /s
0.5
Next Level
0.35%
He ended up choosing strength. Throughout the entire fight and before it, he had purely relied on his skill. And, he didn’t really have an infinite pool of Mana, so the druid thought it was best for him to at least have another form of offense in case he ran out. From what he remembered, Strength was exactly how it sounded, it increased his strength. A weapon to use with the Strength would be nice too, he thought.
After placing the point, both his Health and Mana were full again. He only had 2 more Levels before he lost that feature. Sitting up from the ground, still covered in blood, grass, and bits of wood, another message popped up in his vision.
His eyes widened and a grin formed on his face. After all that trouble he finally got a new skill.
To celebrate, he grabbed a Turtleboar Steak from his Inventory and took a bite out of it. Then, he pulled up his Skills to learn more about the new skill.
Skills
Rank
Cost
Desc
Metamorph
1 - 32%
n/a
Change your form
M.morph-Bearcat claws
1 - 52%
2.5/sec
Claws that can pierce common-grade metals
M.morph-Turtleboar Shell
1 - 2.4%
2.5/sec
Damage that hits the shell will be reflected and blocked as long as the damage done is less than the user's Mana
After reading its description, he slapped his forehead with his greasy palm.
“I should’ve put another point in Magic or Spirit. Damn it!” he shouted with a mouthful of steak in his mouth.
As he was regretting the choice he made while he wasn’t in a clear state of mind, another message popped up. But because of the mini tantrum he was throwing, he wasn’t able to notice it immediately.
Before he could swallow the food in his mouth, he was moved to another location, a white empty room void of any other features. It was so fast that he felt like he didn’t even blink.
Then, he noticed something odd. He couldn’t recognize them at first. But his brain noted that they weren’t like the beasts he encountered in the forest. It was something his vessel had seen before in his past life.
“Well, that was disorienting,” one of them said in a deep voice.
“Ah,” was all the druid could say, still with a mouthful of food.
One of them screamed, it was almost as piercing as the Turtleboar he just killed.
“Relax, I don’t think it’s a monster or a trial,” another said, calming the other down.
“Ew, do you think he’s one of us?” A high-pitched voice asked.
“Why is he naked?”
“Is that a diaper?”
“The fuck is he eating?”
The creatures surrounding the druid were the same as him. They were Humans.