Wolves.
Her sworn enemies.
She recalled a distant past where a white wolf had disguised itself as her grandmother. It had long eaten her in that lonely bed, tricked the poor girl and nearly took her life as well.
All she ever did was bring fresh confectionary and bread through the woodlands until that fateful night.
Her memories of the encounter were vague and clouded with missing details. But she was certain that they were real and belonged to her.
Regardless, it fueled her vengeance against the White Wolf that had wronged her, and the creatures of tales and folklore that worked alongside it.
It was the basis of her existence when she was just a mindless monster; driven by this one goal and nothing more, and nothing less.
Seeing those wolves drove her mind into a sudden state of utter clarity.
Her eyes became sharper than the hunting blade in hand as she observed her prey feasting on the deer carcass from the shadows, shielding her eyes with her hair as she quickly realized that they emitted a subtle glow; enough to give her position away in the darkness.
She rested her back against the wall, watching them through the reflection of the 30cm blade. Not a single sound left her lips. The compression of her chest slowed to a complete stop as she considered her chances against the wolves.
As moronic as she was, combat was where she excelled, and she was not an idiot to understand that she was likely at a disadvantage against the wolves. ‘Status’ was an inherent ability of hers that allowed her to not only see her own stats –
LEVEL : 15
Adolescent Cave Wolf
ORIGIN : Animalia HP : 450
ATT : 100
MAG ATT : 0 AGI : 30
– But other creatures as well.
A pack of 3, adolescent wolves were her targets. Their grey fur blended with the rock as splashes of red from the deer coated their furry mantle.
Bigger numbers have to mean they’re stronger, right…?
She took this opportunity to finally consolidate what she knew of the stats.
Levels obviously meant how strong they were.
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Origin probably meant that why were, since ‘animalia’ was just a longer version of ‘animal’ in her mind.
HP referred to one’s health.
ATT was very likely how hard something could hit.
MAG ATT made no sense to her.
And AGI was probably how fast someone could move.
In terms of raw stats alone, she was incredibly weak in comparison.
15 times weaker…? Wolves are supposed to be 1,000 times weaker than me. Grr. Why are you making that poor dear look so tasty?
She practically drooled at the sight but was quickly consumed by her bloodlust again.
For now, she decided to wait in the dark until they’d fall asleep or waddle away to their dens. She had only just awakened from being a monster, and she refused to die and return to that eternal purgatory behind her eyelids.
So, she approached this slowly, breathing calmly as she thought back to her skills.
And just like that, she was greeted with a prompt that explained them in brief detail.
< PROFESSIONS >
< Reflection of your existence >
She jolted, shoving her hands into the transparent, aberration of words in a sudden panic. Not realizing that she was the only one who could see this, she shuffled quietly behind a dripping pillar, holding a finger to her lips as if trying to hush the prompt.
Is this thing trying to get me killed!? I don’t wanna die already! I’m a good person. And good people don’t die…! I think?
Glaring at the prompt, she shook her head like a wet dog and tried again.
< OFFENSIVE >
< Combat-based professions >
< HUNTRESS >
< Hunt the wild and unfriendly with arms in hand >
< (O) HUNTRESS’ SLASH >
< Follow the bloody trail and deliver a guaranteed Critical Strike when using bladed weaponry. Inflict Bleeding Condition >
< COST: 200 MP >
What the heck are these words anyway. I didn’t know I could read too. What’s a Critical Strike?
< Critical Strike >
< Attacks that connect with a vulnerable opponent or when conditions allow. Multiplies damage by 5x >
Huh… this thing can answer me? Do you know how I can beat the wolves right now?
The mysterious prompt didn’t respond.
Instead, she was shown the definitions of her other skills, for it would be up to her to decide how to deal with them. Seeing that she could quintuple her attack output suddenly made her eager to learn more about these mysterious powers. She had a few when she was a monster, but she either didn’t remember well or they vanished after awakening.
Her eyes lit up as she watched the words form before her very eyes, the pale letters twinkling along her crimson irises like stars.
Then, her eyes widened.
Did she find the holy grail of all powers?
Did she stumble upon something that would allow her to obliterate those wolves?
< Punch >
< The thrust of your fist >
No.
What she received instead was perhaps the most generic description of all.
The disappointment was immeasurable, and because of that, she suddenly stabbed the air with her blade.
However – she did not take into account just how tiny her body had become. She slipped along the watery ground, her boots surrendering their grip.
*SPLASH*
Her coat was drenched, and the running water spilled into her mouth, causing her to gag at its despicable flavor. But this was the least of her concerns.
Because suddenly, the wolves began snarling before they let loose of a terrible howl.
The hunter was now the hunted.