Salim blankly stared at the message floating above him, as he lay limply in an unfamiliar body. Everything that once felt so familiar to him now was alien, forcing him to twitch as he adjusted to the human form anew. Slowly, with creeping assurance, he began to move his body once more as a hand raised above a dull body, fingers splayed open.
Nothing passed through his mind as he simply observed his hand, and how odd it looked silhouetted by the white void. Perhaps he was in a state of shock, both his mind and body snapped back into place with a precise guiding hand. His right foot moved this time, toes clenching and unfurling as he tested out his muscles, the feeling slowly beginning to become more natural.
What… Happened? Eventually his thoughts broke the silence, and the twitching of his muscles sped up. Seizing on the ground, Salim stretched in every direction, unfamiliar with the freedom he was being given.
It feels good.
After so long in a body which dulled the senses and only allowed the most extreme of conditions to slip through, his weak fleshy body was bliss. Letting out a loud breath, he jumped at the sound, before relaxing and letting out an intentional sigh of relief. His memory was hazy, spurts of blind emotional fervor mixed with long periods of exhaustion and rest.
But he did have an idea about what happened.
Fallon. He didn’t have a proper word to describe the utter disgust and repulsion he felt for that name, what it had done to him. If he had been able to do anything when Fallon had spoken their last words to him, he would have shown them the meaning of suffering. The depravity of his mind that they were in no doubt aware of would have meant little in the face of all the new fresh hell he would have invented.
They had taken him, twisted his body and mind beyond anything he could imagine before leaving him for who knows how many years. His fists clenched as his body pulled itself off the ground, joints popping loudly as he did so. He wobbled a bit, trying to keep his balance on feet he hadn’t used in….. years?
Centuries?
How long has it been?
He could be angry, swear his immortal vengeance against the moon and devote the rest of his life to the destruction of the eldritch creature, no matter the cost. But would that be much of a life? He simply felt exhausted. While he hadn’t completely given up the idea of vengeance, all of his anger run dry.
No, he wouldn’t let his resentment take over. It was clear that Fallon cared little for his emotions in the first place, much less the pathetic abilities he displayed. In the eyes of such a being, he was a gnat, buzzing around their face with persistence. Nothing he could possibly do would matter, there was only one way that he could win in the face of an impossible goal.
To simply not play the game in the first place.
I need to live for myself. He thought as he finally pulled his attention back to the menu that had been buzzing around his head for the past couple hours. Awkwardly waving his hand around, Salim began to slowly navigate his options as the rich blue of the screen seemed to ooze comfort.
↑
Points: 85
Point Store
Confirm
⏺
Increased Stats
5P Per Stat
-/+
|
Basic Class Weight
50P
-/+
|
Basic Skill
50P
-/+
↓
Increased Level
50P Per Level
-/+
He thought for a moment, considering his options as he scrolled through down the list of increasingly expensive items. Unlike last time, he didn’t have a specific goal or idea for what he should do this time. So instead of going for a skill that might be useful, Salim poured all his points into his stats, just for a nice boost in his next life.
Lvl. 0
Stats
Confirm
Might: 8 (13)
-/+
Finesse: 9 (13)
-/+
Resilience: 7 (15)
-/+
Acuity: 12
-/+
Resolve: 14
-/+
Depth: 0
-/+
However, there was one thing he wanted to test. He couldn’t feel his core at the moment, no matter how hard he focused on it, he wasn’t able to find the internal space that had guided him. If his [Depth] stayed at zero, would that mean he couldn’t use mana?
The idea appealed to him, the revolting silver mana that seemed to wash over his mind had a grip on him mere hours ago. If he never had mana, then perhaps Fallon would have never found him. They had mentioned that his mana acted as a sort of sonar.
This is for the best.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Salim confirmed his decision with confidence, even as he fell onto his knees from the pain of his body changing, he never fell. And even as the mysterious strength filled him, he still couldn’t feel the core in his chest. His breath came out in elated but deep breaths, as he pulled himself back up to his feet, he steeled himself for what was to come.
But before he left the void, he paused with his finger hovering over the button.
I wonder how much time has passed?
Respawn
----------------------------------------
The view was a kaleidoscope of colors as everything settled into place, his feet firmly set on earthy soil. Prepared for the transition this time, Salim didn’t flinch, simply looking around at his surroundings. The ground beneath his feet was soft, and the feeling of his gym shorts being clean was even better as he began to survey the land.
Purple and white, as far as the eye could see. The grass - no pine needles were ashy white, while the bark of the trees possessed a deep hue of purple. The natural world was so far from what Salim expected that it took several moments for him to simply take in the sight and adjust to the harsh colors.
He was in a thin pine forest, the large space between the trees making it easy for him to navigate through what little undergrowth wasn’t covered in the needles. The colors made him uneasy, even more so when he dug a little into one of the trees and silver sap began to slowly ooze out. Making sure not to get any on his hands, Salim watched as it dribbled down the side of the tree.
Salim walked away from the tree, brushing his hands against his shorts to try and wipe some of the purple stains off his hand. Failing, as the color simply smeared across his fingers, Salim stayed cautious as he moved through the forest. While his stint as a tree had lasted for quite a while, there wasn’t much for him to actually remember, he still was acutely aware of how dangerous the woods were.
Stalking from tree to tree, his memories slowly began to uncover themselves from the fog that seemed to permeate his head. Finding a serviceable enough branch from under a rather tall tree, Salim moved with purpose to survey the area. Even though he didn’t have a particular plan in mind, anything was better than sitting around, and he needed to move.
Pushed by his unconscious into action, he glanced upwards at the sun, which was currently resting above his head. What would he be seeing if he still had [Arcane Eyes]? Was the orange energy wafting down onto the ground like it had before, or was it repelled by the harsh white of the pine trees.
He shook the needles off his foot, the small pinpricks were annoying him as he stood on a root, listening to the disturbing silence that still permeated the forest. There was a reason he was being so cautious, even though being safe was smart in general, there seemed to be no noise other than the howl of wind snaking through the forest. It was as if no animal dared to make a noise in fear of something finding them, or maybe all the animals had left.
Salim wasn’t sure about the effect, Fallon’s mana might have on a forest, but he didn’t feel inclined to stick around and figure it out. Unfortunately, most of the trees were impossible for him to climb safely, with most of the branches only being near the top. While he might be able to pull himself up the tree, using the rough bark as handholds, he wasn’t too inclined to relive his first death.
A shiver ran down his spine as his mind replayed the sickening crunch that had come when he hit the ground. Rubbing his forehead, he decided to do the only thing he could think of and walk in as straight of a line as he could. He used the slight dip in the sun to guide him as he walked to the west, making sure not to exhaust himself too quickly.
Walking through the silent forest, Salim couldn’t help but feel an invisible pressure weighing down on him, the trees leaning ever so slightly in the wrong directions. Like they were watching his every move, just waiting for him to drop his guard. He wouldn’t even be surprised, he had directly been effected by Fallon’s mana, so who knew what these strange trees could do?
The forest was endless, the pine needles looking like snow as they dug into his heels, the deep purple burning into his eyes and making it hard to concentrate. Right now, he was just waiting for his first level to hit so that he could try and get some sort of navigation skill.
Probably should start thinking about shelter as well.
Issue was, there was little if any debris on the ground. A few strange shrubs grew here and there, but on the whole there was nowhere to hide for the night. While it did cause some worry and forced him to pick up his pace, he wasn’t sure if he needed to hide.
Without a core, would Fallon be able to see him? Would the mana do anything to him? He wanted to know, but more importantly, he wanted to be free.
Hiding every night from the pulsing eye of the moon was exhausting. Even though at first it was out of fright, he no longer felt the need to run away. While he could do nothing against Fallon, what was the point of being afraid?
Something hardened in his mind as he thought about his own inadequacy, his weakness in the face of unperceivable power. And at that moment, he didn’t feel anger, frustration, or gnawing desire for revenge. But instead he felt peaceful, like he managed to push the weight of his stress off of him for just a little while.
You have come to a realization.
Event has been Logged.
You have gained a Level!
That's concerning. Can it read my thoughts?
You have gained your first Level.
Select Class in Menu.
Whatever, it’s getting dark. Let’s see what we got.
Classes Available
Wanderer
Alone by trade, the Wanderer travels from place to place, never staying put and always searching for new experiences.
Trailblazer
Along the path you walk with assurance. To find the path is your goal, and to walk it is your dream.
Monk
Strive for the power of the mind, the heart, and the body. Bring peace to all those who are restless.
Interesting… Salim paused with his finger hovering over [Wanderer]. The choice was logical, he knew what the class would give him, or likewise [Trailblazer] seemed pretty straightforward in that regard as well.
But he didn’t feel like it. Even with his survival hanging in the balance, boredom seemed to weigh him down even more. He didn’t feel like choosing the guaranteed option, what was the point if he was just going to pick the same thing every time?
He might regret it later, perhaps sooner than later, but who cares? He could just come back and try again. Boredom made him nervous, he needed to keep it fresh, keep experiencing new things each time he came back.
Anything he could do to stave off the boredom. He didn’t realize how much his arm was shaking when he hit the button.
You have chosen the Monk Class.
The mind wanders, the body grows restless
You have gained 3 new Skills.
‘Meditation’
‘Open Mind’
‘Discussion’
You have gained 5 stat points.
In the dim light of the forest, Salim studied the new skills he had received from the class. They were, interesting, to say the least, but how effective could they be? [Open Mind] was the most obvious, and seemed to have an immediate effect.
Eyes roamed and squinted in the darkness as he looked over the thin needles lining the ground, a thin root delicately snaking through the earth for more sustenance. It wasn’t making him smarter, just amplifying what he was already seeing, adding wonderment to the simplest of details. It did what it said on the tin, definitely opened his mind, although the practical use was dubious.
The other two had obvious uses, but altogether seemed like normal actions. Maybe they are amplified in some way? [Discussion] most of all intrigued him, a definitive social skill, although with his lack of company he couldn’t see himself getting much use out of it.
Lvl. 1
Stats
Confirm
Might: 13 (15)
-/+
Finesse: 13 (15)
-/+
Resilience: 15
-/+
Acuity: 12 (13)
-/+
Resolve: 14
-/+
Depth: 0
-/+
Grunting at the twinge in his muscles, Salim noticed the thin light of the moon begin to peer over the trees, beaming down and touching his forehead. Flinching at the realization, he quickly realized that the light wasn’t doing anything, simply shining onto his forehead. He paused, holding his hand up in the air, watching the light filter through his fingers without a single twinge of pain filling his body.
Relief filled him as nothing happened, no flooding of mana as he desperately tried to stay afloat. Everything was just, normal.
Until the trees starting to move.