In the cloudless morning sky, the wall of black to the east wasn’t endless, but it might as well have been. Gray mist covered the far, far edges of it where it ended. I stared in awe at its grandiose beauty.

It all felt crazy. Just yesterday I was on Earth, going about my life, but in an instant it all changed. I missed my comfortable apartment, my morning routine, my car and my friends at work. I felt lost, but couldn’t let that feeling define me.

Past the fields to the north, I stopped before entering the woods and nocked an arrow to my new bow. I needed to see what it could do. I pulled back and released. Instantly, a powerful energy enveloped the arrow as it flew. With a thunderous thwack it smashed into a tree. I walked up to examine the damage and was astonished. Splinters lay scattered around the poor tree with an apple sized chunk missing in the trunk.

“Wow, that sure leaves a mark, don’t it?” I told myself.

And just like that, rabbit and quail were taken off the menu. A hit like that would obliterate them. I took note of the easterly wind, and walked into the forest. I followed a path that was probably walked by other hunters from the village.

The forest was coming alive with fresh growth, the once bare branches of trees bore delicate, green leaves. Birds chirping merrily, squirrels scurried about. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of blossoming flowers, and whiffs of earthy soil. I felt warm under my new poncho, and the fresh air cleared my troubled mind.

Strangely, there was yet another scent in the air, that of oatmeal raisin cookies. Was someone baking in the woods? No, that’d be crazy. It had to be some kind of a plant, or fungus in this world with a striking resemblance.

Bow and arrow at the ready, I slowed my walk to look and listen with great care. However, this time I also sniffed the air like a wolf in search of prey, which seemed crazy. I never could do that before.

I never hunted boars, and wasn’t sure what signs I should be looking for. Maybe freshly disturbed ground where they had been digging? I didn’t know what their scat looked like, nor had I ever taken great interest in tracking prey that way before.

The path led over hilly land, and to a babbling brook. Animals needed to drink. So, I searched and found a cozy spot on high ground offering a superb vantage point overlooking the stream. I figured, I’d let the animals come to me instead.

I didn’t sit for too long, when movement caught my eye. In the distance, what I had thought was a mound of earth shuddered and moved. A head rose up at one end. I froze, staring at the size of the creature.

* [t2] Dire Bear [Green]

I had seen black and brown bears before, but this thing could eat a grizzly. This time, instead of gray, it showed green, and a t2 instead of t1. It had to be more powerful than the merman, but by how much? I always liked a challenge, but I wasn’t suicidal. I held the bow tight in my left hand, felt my fingers on the arrow.

Did it just come out of hibernation? It must be hungry. As if it read my mind, it turned its head in my direction, and I could swear our eyes met. For a brief moment neither of us moved, and then it roared, rose up and charged at me.

Fuck!

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There was no sense in running. You don’t run from a grizzly, and you sure as hell don’t run from this monster. I raised my bow, pulled and shot in one smooth motion. The arrow hit, but it only staggered the beast. This bought me enough time to conjure up a steel trap and drop it ahead of me. Then I threw a second. They sprung open, ready to grab. The bear came barreling down right through the traps.

I nocked another arrow just as the first trap activated. Anchored to the ground by a thick chain, the jaws lashed out as if alive, latching on to the front paw. The bear veered to the side, stepped into the second trap. Aiming for the head, I shot again. The impact hit with full force. Yet, somehow it didn’t kill it.

I had two, three seconds remaining. I stepped back and placed a third trap. The bear surged forward, tearing the chains out of the ground.

What the-

I didn’t know that could happen. The sharp teeth of the traps tore through its thick fur, ripped out chunks of flesh. The monster roared furiously. I wasn’t ready to die, again. The third trap latched at the neck, clamping shut around its head. I pulled another arrow out of the quiver with trembling fingers, nocked it against the bowstring.

The moment seemed to hang still in the air as I lined up the arrow to its head and released it. With a crunch of bone and a splatter of blood, the massive body slumped to the ground, and the forest fell silent.

Holy crap, that was too close.

Breathing fast and shallow, I wiped cold sweat from my face with shaky hands. My heart was thumping loud in my tight chest. I looked around to check if the bear had any buddies around. Seeing and hearing nothing, I focused on a new message that scrolled into my view.

* [Congratulations! You have gained levels 1, 2 and 3.]

* [15 Attribute points awarded.]

* [3 Skill point awarded]

* [3 Passive points awarded.]

* [Evolution Points gained: 2]

Gaining evolution points seemed to have unlocked a very long list of sixty or so evolution upgrades that I could choose from. Things like stronger bones, scales, ice breath, heat vision, spiked tail, hooves, bone plates, and enhanced mana veins. The cost ranged from ten to a hundred, depending on how good the upgrade was. Unfortunately, most upgrades sounded like they would make me look even more like a monster. That was the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. Yet another problem for future Kevin to deal with.

If all the points weren’t enough, a beam of light flashed right in front of the bear’s head. The light emanated upward from a black leather-bound book that seemed to have materialized out of thin air. I picked it up.

* [t1] Tome of Illusion

“Huh?” I muttered.

This was no ordinary book. The leather-bound tome exuded an aura of power. The cover bore intricate embossments depicting mystical symbols and arcane sigils. The leather, once rich and supple, now carried the patina of age.

Upon opening the tome, the parchment revealed itself in hues of sepia, each page seemingly holding the weight of centuries. The carefully inscribed text was written in a script that seemed to pulsate with hidden energy. The very air around it seemed to hum with a faint resonance. A window appeared in my vision.

* Would you like to learn [t1][Illusion]? [Yes / No]

More skills? Ahh, yes please.

Light enveloped the tome and my hands. My body tensed up as an icepick of pain stabbed my brain for one excruciating moment. Then the light vanished, and with it, the tome I was holding. The experience left me shaken up and bewildered by the sudden mental assault. I checked my updated status screen, and there it was next to my other two skills. I smiled despite the lingering pain still throbbing in my skull.

While scratching my head, wondering what I was going to do with the remains of this massive bear, I heard movement in the area. Bow and arrow ready, I turned to find out that someone had been stalking me.