Chapter 4: Supernatural Powers

Survival Island was a place that tested every inch of our resolve, transforming day by day, as we did. In the beginning, the island felt like a sprawling prison—an endless, unforgiving landscape of dense forests, jagged cliffs, and murky swamps, all teeming with creatures that looked like they came straight out of some ancient nightmare. Every hour was a scramble for survival, hiding from prowling monsters and dodging other contestants who seemed just as dangerous as the beasts.

But as the days passed, something started to shift. Each fight, each kill, seemed to crack something open within us, unlocking new, strange abilities through the System’s interface. At first, it was subtle—a burst of speed here, an extra jolt of strength there. But soon, the island was filled with people displaying outright supernatural powers, each gift as unique as the person wielding it.

I remember seeing a man who could control shadows, weaving darkness into solid forms to shield himself from the creatures that stalked him. Another contestant, a girl no older than sixteen, had somehow mastered fire, her hands sparking with flames that she could hurl like missiles at any predator brave enough to cross her path. The island felt like it was changing with us, responding to the intensity of these powers with more challenges, tougher enemies that required more than just survival skills.

There were those with gifts of telekinesis who could lift trees with a flick of their wrist or healers who could mend wounds with a simple touch—those who could be allies or rivals, depending on the day and the situation. Every new power created a strange hierarchy, and with each level gained, our humanity seemed to slip just a little further from reach.

It was as if the island had transformed from a test of endurance to a twisted game of power. Those who were weak grew desperate, latching onto the strong, and those who were strong grew wary of everyone around them, knowing that trust could mean a dagger in the back. The System had woven itself into the core of who we were, feeding on our will to survive, to grow stronger, and to win.

The place that had once felt like a deadly wilderness was now a battlefield, painted in layers of supernatural ability, fear, and blood. And in the midst of it all, we no longer recognized the difference between survival and slaughter.

I’d been cautious, careful not to rush into the allure of power too quickly. I’d spread my stats evenly, not willing to gamble too much on any single aspect. My system interface now looked like this:

Name: Greg A. More

Class: Conjurer

Gift: Moe Touch

Level: 5

Stats (1)—

Willpower: 20

Mentality: 20

Freedom: 15

Skills: Moe-Charge, Moe-Heart

The skills I’d unlocked had strange descriptions, each one more cryptic than the last.

I focused on Moe-Charge, reading its description carefully:

Moe-Charge: Imbues mundane objects with your feelings, thoughts, and emotions. There is a saying: when you value something enough, it will gain a soul. With enough charge, you could summon a Moe-Champion.

The explanation was vague at best. “Gain a soul?” I muttered. What kind of soul? A personality? A consciousness? It left me with more questions than answers.

I moved on to the next skill:

Moe-Heart: Allows you to heal your Moe-Champion from damage and can also heal your allies or yourself from damage.

I felt a little more relieved at that one. Healing was something I could at least understand, even if the application was unclear.

All in all, the skills seemed useful enough, but there was no guide on how to use them, no one to show me what I could actually do with them. This “System” was pushing me into territory I barely understood, forcing me to make choices with vague rewards and costly risks.

I sighed, taking a deep breath as I crouched on the thick branch of a tall tree. Below me, a T-rex lumbered past, its massive footsteps thudding against the earth. The creatures in this forest seemed to grow more numerous by the day, each one deadlier than the last. It was the seventeenth day since this nightmare began, and my lips were cracked and dry—I hadn’t found clean water in too long.

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I plucked a leaf from a nearby branch, held it between my fingers, and focused, channeling Moe-Charge into it. I watched, waiting, but nothing happened. Just a leaf, unchanged. It seemed I still didn’t have enough charge, or maybe I wasn’t doing something right. Frustrated but undeterred, I moved forward, leaping from one tree branch to another. Living like this had forced me to adapt on the fly, picking up skills I’d never thought I’d need.

At least the stat points I’d invested in Willpower seemed to pay off; it wasn’t just physical strength. Willpower let me push harder, exerting more force with each jump and grip. The system’s interface was game-like, but the impact of the stats was subtle, almost hard to define. I didn’t feel like some overpowered character. I just felt... capable.

Finally, after a few more leaps, I spotted it—a lake glistening through the trees. I licked my dry lips at the sight of it, but I didn’t move in too quickly. Memories came flooding back of the giant crocodile that lurked near here. Some of the others from my group had been killed here, dragged under the water’s surface in an instant. I had to be smart.

I spotted a group of small, green creatures from a distance—scrambling around, clumsily collecting water. They looked almost exactly like goblins from a video game: short, gangly, and not the sharpest creatures around. They were darting to the water’s edge, grabbing a sip or two, then scurrying back with jerky, frantic movements. I almost laughed. “Goblins” seemed like a fitting name for them.

Watching them making these near-suicidal runs gave me a small measure of confidence that the area might be clear of bigger threats—for now, at least. I slipped down from the tree and rolled as I hit the ground, moving low and fast toward the lake’s edge under the cover of the shrubs. I still had that leaf I’d charged earlier, gripping it like a makeshift talisman, though it hadn’t done much so far.

Carefully, I edged closer to the water. I crouched down and brought my lips directly to the surface, taking small, quiet sips, careful not to make a ripple. The cool water was a relief against my dry lips and parched throat, and I drank slowly, hoping to go unnoticed by whatever lay hidden in the lake’s depths.

I froze as a sudden, spine-tingling fear crawled up my spine. Something wasn’t right. My instincts screamed at me to move. Without thinking, I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a massive green tail that smashed into the spot where I had been standing just moments before. My heart hammered in my chest as I scrambled to my feet.

Shit! It was a T-rex, bigger and more terrifying than I could have imagined. I had no time to think, no time to plan—I just ran, my legs moving faster than they ever had before, fueled by pure panic. I couldn’t die here. Not like this.

In my rush, I accidentally dropped the leaf I had been holding. I glanced back, expecting to see it flutter to the ground, but instead, something incredible happened. The leaf shimmered, glowing for a brief moment, and then it transformed. I stumbled to a stop, eyes widening in disbelief.

A figure stood before me—a female humanoid, with long, leafy green hair cascading down her back. Her skin was fair, almost glowing in the sunlight, and her eyes gleamed emerald, sharp and intense. She wore little more than strategically placed leaves, her form nearly perfect, like something out of a dream. She looked like a supermodel straight out of a fantasy, but more real than anything I’d ever seen.

The T-rex roared in the distance, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the strange, beautiful being before me. Was this… was this what my gift had summoned?

I stared at my summoned creature, trying to process everything that had just happened. A system interface flickered into view, corresponding to her data. It was like a mirror, reflecting a creature I barely understood but was now bound to.

Name: Leaf

Level: 5

Health: 100%

Psyche: 100%

Duration: 2 minutes

Skills: Leaf Storm, Leaf Slash

Leaf, as she was named, stood tall with an ethereal presence. The moment she materialized, the air around her seemed to shimmer. Her body was made of living foliage, her hair flowing with the colors of fresh leaves, and her emerald eyes glowing with a strange energy. She looked at me, and without a word, she began to pulse with a soft wind, almost as if she was communicating with the environment around us.

“Protect! Master! Leaf Storm!” she called out in a voice that echoed in the wind.

I didn’t have to ask what she meant. As soon as the command was issued, the air around us grew thick with swirling leaves, sharp and whirling like a storm. The ground beneath my feet trembled as if nature itself had come alive, and for a moment, I felt both awe and fear. I had summoned a force of nature—literally.

The sheer power of the Leaf Storm was overwhelming. The leaves shot out like blades, cutting through the air with deadly precision, their edges sharp enough to slice through the dense jungle foliage with ease. My heart raced as I watched the chaos unfold. The T-rex from before, which had been slowly approaching, now stopped in its tracks, its eyes wide in confusion and fear as the storm of leaves surrounded it.

I gripped the ground beneath me, unsure of what to do next. The storm raged on for a few moments, but I could see the timer on the interface—only two minutes. Then she would vanish.

I couldn’t let this time go to waste.

“Leaf, slaughter that overgrown lizard!”