Meredith stared at Cormac, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
Meredith: “What do you mean? We both watched him disappear. What happened?”
Cormac stayed silent. He couldn’t explain—not now. His mind was still swirling with the storm inside him, the vivid memory of Cillian slipping away just out of reach. He tried to shake the thoughts away, but Meredith’s eyes were fixed on him, waiting for answers.
Meredith: “It’s fine. Take your time, but we can’t stay here. What if someone comes looking for that boy?”
Cormac nodded slowly, forcing himself to focus. She was right—this wasn’t the place to freeze up. They were still exposed. He looked up at her, trying to push through the fog of guilt and fear clouding his mind. But even as he met her gaze, the system notifications hovered in his vision, pulling his attention away.
System:
“Level Gained: +3 to all base stats.
15 Free points available.”
The numbers flickered in front of him. Three more levels. Fifteen points. It felt like a cruel joke, gaining strength after the boy’s death. But this world didn’t care about right or wrong—it only cared about survival.
Cormac exhaled sharply and made his decision. Eight points into Strength, seven into Constitution. He felt the surge almost immediately—muscles tightening, his body hardening against the weight of what was to come. He pushed the notification aside, clearing his view of the system. For the first time in minutes, he could see Meredith fully.
She seemed calm, but there was a coldness in her that hadn’t been there before. Was it because of what he had done? Or was it just the world pressing down on them both?
Cormac: “I’m sorry for startling you, again,” he muttered softly.
Meredith barely had time to respond. “Stop apologiz—” when a sharp thwip cut through the air. Before Cormac could react, an arrow buried itself deep into Meredith’s stomach.
Cormac: “Look out!” he shouted, realizing too late what had happened.
The forest erupted in chaos.
Cormac ducked instinctively, his heart hammering in his chest. He grabbed Meredith’s arm, but she winced in pain, her eyes wide with shock.
Meredith: “There’s so many,” she gasped, struggling to count as Cormac pulled her behind a nearby tree. “There’s more than fifteen.”
Her voice was strained as she tried to focus through the pain. Her breathing was shallow, each gasp coming out more labored than the last.
“Stay with me,” Cormac muttered, pushing himself harder.
Cormac didn’t waste time. He hauled her up onto his shoulder, noting how light she felt as if the injury had drained the strength from her body. His mind raced. Could she have been poisoned? He pushed the thought aside. First, they had to escape.
Arrows whizzed past, sticking into the thick bark of the trees. Cormac ran, leaping over fallen logs, debris, anything that blocked his path. The forest was growing darker, the ground slick and wet beneath his boots. Meredith groaned, her body limp across his shoulder, and when she spoke again, her voice was hoarse.
Meredith: “There... there’s five more there...”
Her words came out in broken gasps, and Cormac’s panic rose. What do I do? He scanned the surroundings, eyes darting back and forth. Up ahead, a larger projectile came flying toward him, smashing into the ground just feet away. The first group of enemies was gaining on them—fast.
Cormac placed Meredith down gently, her breath shallow. There wasn’t much blood, but the way she was fading didn’t sit right. Poison. It had to be.
His eyes fell on a weapon lying near them—four feet long with a pointed metal tip.
System:
“Spear – Common”
He grabbed the spear, turning his attention back to the fast-approaching enemies. Two groups, closing in, maybe fifty yards away. He let out a steadying breath, trying to calm himself. The thumping in his ears began to fade, and for the first time, he could hear their voices. They weren’t just mindless attackers—they were speaking.
“Capture the woman. Kill the man.”
One of the tribesmen’s shouts cut through the air. Cormac’s grip tightened on the spear, his hand trembling with the energy buzzing inside him—the storm he had tried so hard to control. But now wasn’t the time to hold back.
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Electricity sparked from his fingertips, traveling down the length of the spear. The weapon trembled in his hand as the crackling energy coursed through it. And then, with a sharp burst of power, the spear exploded.
System:
“Title Earned: Attuned Novice
Successfully attune a piece of gear in F Grade.
+5% to Wisdom.”
Cormac barely had time to register the notification before the spear reassembled itself in his hands, piece by piece. Tiny sparks flickered along its length as the weapon pulsed with new energy.
System:
“Spear – Unique
Bound
Lightning Attuned
+5 Dexterity
+3 Wisdom
+3 Strength
Effect: All lightning-based attacks +10% damage.”
The electricity hummed through the spear like it was a part of him now. Perfect timing. He turned back to the advancing tribesmen, now only thirty feet away. The air around him buzzed with static as the lightning jumped from the spear to his hand, crackling with power.
Without hesitation, Cormac hurled the spear forward.
It shot out, piercing through a rock just short of the charging enemies. For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then, the rock began to tremble, the spear glowing bright as lightning erupted from it in a violent radius.
The burst hit every one of the fifteen tribesmen, throwing them off their feet. The sound of the shockwave filled the air, and the forest was briefly illuminated with the pale blue of the lightning’s glow.
System:
“Foes defeated. Progress: 10/10.”
“Bonus Objective Available: Eliminate foe 10 levels higher than you.”
Cormac didn’t pause to watch the aftermath. In the confusion, he ran at the second group of tribesmen. Their faces showed terror as Cormac launched himself into the air. He put his hands together, lightning shooting out all around. He slammed the ground in front of them, releasing the charged energy in all directions. They all went down, but Cormac heard a grunt behind him. One of the tribesmen from the first group was growing, his body expanding with a twisted burst of power.
The tribesman was now a solid foot taller than Cormac, towering well over seven feet. His muscles bulged as if to tear his skin apart, and his presence felt oppressive. The name hovering above his head now read:
System:
“Human – Elite Tribesman – Level ???”
Cormac looked over to check on Meredith, but her body was gone. His heart lurched as he spotted two tribesmen running, one with her limp form slung over his shoulder. Ignoring the Elite, Cormac took off, using Tempest Step to put distance between himself and the hulking man while also heading to intercept the others.
The free-handed tribesman stopped to grab the spear Cormac had thrown. He pulled and pulled, but the spear wouldn’t come free. Cormac reached him, landing a charged kick to the tribesman’s chest, sending him flying back. More energy, no, kill energy poured into Cormac as he yanked the spear from the ground.
The Elite Tribesman was on him in an instant, hurling his huge fist right at Cormac’s face. Cormac ducked the punch and slammed his fist into the Elite’s rib cage, releasing lightning in all directions. But the attack barely made the Elite flinch. He threw an elbow down on Cormac’s head, the impact sending a flash of white across Cormac’s vision. Cormac rolled away, managing to get into a kneeling position, but he felt his rage building.
He looked back at the tribesman carrying Meredith away. This Elite is going to keep chasing me, but I can’t let the other get away with her. He called on Tempest Step again, thrusting the spear at the Elite’s leg, slicing it open. The Elite dropped to a knee, writhing in pain.
But then, the man grabbed Cormac, locking him in a bear hug and squeezing with all his might. Cormac felt like his head was going to pop, his ribcage threatening to shatter. He forced himself to focus, feeling the electricity surging through every vein. He began to hum, blue lightning jumping around his body.
With a roar, Cormac released all his energy in a violent explosion. The force blasted the Elite off him, sending the man sprawling. Cormac looked back, seeing the Elite panting and unmoving, his body slowly shrinking down. Out of whatever that was...
Before the Elite could rise again, Cormac thrust the spear through his chest. Kill energy poured into him once more. He turned his attention in the direction of the tribesman running with Meredith, but the runner was already out of sight.
Cormac’s body ached, but he recalled the surge of strength he’d felt earlier when assigning his points. He pulled up the system notifications and read through them quickly.
System:
“Bonus Objective Complete. XP granted.”
“Choose Reward: Sword, Bow, Wand, Axe, Cestus.”
Cormac immediately selected the Axe. Ever since he was a kid, he’d had a fixation with hatchets, collecting them throughout his childhood. He could see the system granting him new levels as the XP poured in.
System:
“XP granted +50% for defeating a foe 10 levels higher.
Level 19 gained. Stat points allocated +30 Free points.
Title Upgrade Complete: Warchief upgraded to Tier 2. +12% to all stats.
Title Upgrade Quest locked—Does not meet requirements.”
Cormac assigned all 30 points, splitting them evenly: 10 into Constitution, 10 into Strength, and 10 into Dexterity.
His body still ached, but as the power settled into him, he knew one thing for sure: he was getting stronger. And he’d need every bit of that strength to save Meredith.