Noah gasped for breath as he stood over the dead scout. He looked in amusement as Krall was busy kicking the corpse. His tamed monster repeatedly hissed, and clicked his tongue as he danced on the spot. He couldn’t help but break out into a grin as he witnessed the scene. It seemed like Noah wasn't the only one that hated chasing after monsters.

If he hadn’t lured it with the help of Krall and cornered it within the valley, it most likely would have escaped into the dense jungle. The damn thing moved faster than anything he had ever seen before, not counting the other contestants from back on Earth that is.

With the kobold dead, he gazed at the skill description within his system.

You have gained Thrust.

| Thrust - level 1: Thrust your spear forward with increased momentum.

2nd Pathstone: [ Might ]

Skill: Thrust - level 1

Skill:

Skill:

Skill:

Skill:

An offensive skill. Nice one. Noah thought in relief. He was managing now, but if he hadn’t managed to gain an offensive skill soon, it would cause trouble.

He doubted the kobolds, or whatever else was within the jungle, would stay near his level. He was lucky he didn’t have a run in with anything stronger. Although it was a tutorial, it didn’t mean that it was a steady progression of difficulty. That would be too easy, damned System Admins. However, It was random. There were always a few that had the unlucky fate of spawning in against a level ten, or twenty monster next to them.

Noah grabbed hold of his spear and thought of the skill within his mind, then thrusted it forward.

Something burned within his body, it travelled from his insides, into his arms, then surged through his hand that gripped hold of his weapon. The spear snapped forward, faster and with an intensity that threatened to tear his arm from its socket. It pierced the air, and continued forward. With a jolt, Noah seethed in pain as the momentum stopped without a target.

Shit, alright, I’m not doing that again. I need a target for it. He thought as he rubbed his shoulder, and moved it slowly in a wide arc in a circle to stretch it.

Sweeping his vision across the tree line to make sure there wasn’t anything looking at him, and hoisted a dead kobold onto his shoulder.

“C’mon Krall,” Noah said. “Time to do some spring cleaning, well, summer cleaning, I guess.”

Noah squinted his eyes from the sun and left with Krall in tow.

Back at the valley, the corpses were still piled up and nothing seemed to have taken a fancy to them. Thankfully, because that would mean he would be next. Using the axe, he got to digging a hole with the help of Krall. He used his clawed hands to dig through the dirt.

Noah avoided the thought of burning them. Creating a billowing pillar of black smoke wasn’t exactly in his plans of survival. Instead, simply burying them underground would be the best. It would eliminate any smell that they left, and remove all trace of their existence. With the sun beating down on him, it only took an hour to finish digging a hole big enough for seven kobolds. That included taking a break now and then to constantly be on the lookout for any monsters that had a liking for his flesh.

Thankfully with the combination of his increased stats, help from Krall, and the fact that they were small sized made it easier than he expected. But, if he had one wish, it would be to remove the damned sweltering humidity. He could practically chomp on it; it was that thick. Sweat poured off of him like a river as he tugged at his shirt. With the hole completed and the evidence of his kills gone, it was time to find a place to call home.

Ain’t no rest for the wicked. Noah clicked his dry tongue and gathered all the weapons. He tied them all using the loincloths of the kobolds and handed them to Krall. He carried them through the valley, following behind his master.

It didn’t take very long for him to spot a darkened area on the valley walls. It was hidden within a crevice and sharp bushes attempted to hide the entrance. If one wasn’t looking closely, it would be easy to miss.

Large rocks created a path, in a fashion. With some difficulty, he managed to climb the rocks and pull himself up onto the ledge.

It was a cave. It didn’t go very far, a few metres at most. But it would do. The fact that one had to climb to get to it made defending it that much easier. It anything was suicidal enough to climb the rocks, they would be met with a pointed stick and an angry young man behind it.

Noah’s legs finally collapsed after the long day. Even with the added stats, his body was battered and bruised. His mouth was parched, but it was getting late now. The moment the sun vanished from the land meant that everything he didn’t want to encounter, would be out and roaming. A trip to the pond would most likely mean death.

Noah sat with his back against the cool cave walls, the dense rock provided a comfort that was almost spiritual. A sudden thought struck him as he rifled through his pockets. Noah pulled out a crushed packet of cigarettes. Hope gripped his heart, he opened it, only to discover that each one had been obliterated from the fighting before.

Shit. With a sigh, he threw down onto the cave’s floor. Well, it was a good opportunity to quit.

Krall looked at it in confusion and nudged closer to the item. If the master had it, then it must be something special. Is what he was probably thinking as he bent down and sniffed the bitter smell. He recoiled back and snorted.

“No Krall, it’s bad for you buddy.” Noah chuckled.

Krall sharply exhaled and nodded. He walked back to the cave’s entrance to protect it. Noah didn’t even need to give the order. It must be a natural instinct. Noah noted. Well, it was a damn good one to have.

Noah smiled. Now that he had some time to himself, he sunk into his thoughts. The time he had spent surviving and fighting, although short, was truly what he expected it to be. He was in a new world filled with adventure and power to gain, and although it was incredibly tough, the rewards more than made up for it. But he had to admit, fighting with his life on the line was truly exhausting. Not an inch of his body wasn't in pain, or tired. However, just a quick glance of his Stats managed to alleviate that feeling like a nice, cold shower. Some might think he was insane for willingly wanting to join the Otherworld, but where else could he obtain this much freedome? Sure he could die, but that was better than dying of old age, stuck in some dead-end job.

Craning his pained neck, he had plans, or else he wouldn't have risked volunteering himself into the Otherworld in the first place. Thanks to watching enough of the contestants with Peter, and Miles, he figured out what to do, and what not to do.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

First off was his class. He gazed at his status.

Weapon specialist - level 4

Boxing - level 2

Objectify - level 1

Pickpocketing - level 2

Intimidation - level 2

Sneaking - level 3

Animal Taming - level 3

Shield Proficiency - Level 1

Spear Proficiency - Level 1

Multiversal Polyglot

He hadn’t joined a gang for no reason. To learn a skill, one needs practical experience to gain it. His Sneaking, for instance.

Common skill - Sneaking: From your experience of illegally sneaking through others’ housing, you have learnt to muffle your steps slightly. Each point gained decreases footstep noise by 2.5%.

From the time he watched the gruesome first tutorial ten years ago, he had always thought about what he would do differently. What Pathstones would he try to gain? Along with Miles and Peter, he had formulated a Class build and he worked tirelessly to obtain the skills needed for it during the time he was meant to be in school. Hence why he had failed his last year of highschool three years on the trot.

Although he didn’t have the best start with a common dexterity pathstone, it was just a lower version of his secondary choice. In time, it would evolve higher. He just had to be patient.

With the Might and Dexterity Pathstones, he already had two parts of the puzzle. The last one needed was a rare Pathstone that took full advantage of his Animal Taming skill. It was a Wisdom Pathway called the Beast Tamer. If he couldn’t get it, then he would have to settle for a common Wisdom Pathstone and just evolve it over time. He wasn’t so naive to think that he would get so lucky, so he had to start from somewhere.

The plan was; Might to cover both stats, strength and constitution. It would be his main firepower.

Dexterity to provide the subterfuge to hide when met with a monster he couldn’t face, and ambush unsuspecting prey. It was a lot safer being undetected, rather than meeting force against an enemy he couldn’t defeat.

And the Wisdom and eventually Beast Tamer Pathstone to provide strength to the animals or monsters that he tames, like Krall. Obtaining the Worlds First title was an extravagant surprise. It most likely meant that from now on, he’d be the dominant tamer within the world–if he could keep up his pace–that was. His thought process for animal taming was easy. He needed something loyal that would never betray him, and would always stand beside his every action to fight by his side. Teamwork was always better than one person in a fight.

He gazed at Krall as he sat at the cave’s mouth with his club at the ready. He didn’t complain nor did he display a hint of malice from being tamed. To Krall, Noah was now his hunting buddy, and companion.

During Noah’s time within the gang, he had come to realise the importance of loyalty. Even his boss had others betray him now and then when met with the offer of a bag of cash. It was human nature. Greed. It brought out the worst in people. He had watched people get stabbed over gambling losses, or debt. But it had nothing to do with him. It was the whole purpose of his Class.

Soon, the night grew dark.

While he was still awake, he took a look at his System. He was hoping at least for another sponsor, and he should be close to having enough grace coins for the shop soon.

You defeated a - Level 6 Kobold.

| You defeated a - Level 4 Kobold.

| …

You have levelled up!

| Noah level 3 -> Noah level 4

Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.

| Krall level 4 -> Krall level 5

Srussea Corp. has sponsored you!

| Grace Coins added!

I should have enough Grace Coins to buy something now. Noah had a look at the total amount of coins he had received.

Grace Coins: 253

Still a few Coins off a piece of armour, I need to hurry and get more of them. Noah thought.

The first item he saw was a common hemp backpack. He needed something to carry any extra health potions that he was to gain, or equipment. He would also need it for when he hunted. The thought of gathering the fresh meat in kobold loin clothes didn’t sit well with him.

Then there was armour. A simple bronze cuirass cost three-hundred and fifty coins and each upgrade was an incredible step up in price. Iron was five-hundred coins, it was quite a lot for the current him.

Noah thought about the priority of armour. He would first protect his chest, head, then arms. He knew there were also a lot of vital veins and arteries in the thigh area, so that was also a high priority. He had enough for arm-guards right now. But, with the shield, and with the help of Krall, he could forgo an armour piece. For now though, he needed something more vital to his survival.

He peered down the list until he reached the utility section.

Common: Water Purification Tablets x 10: Water Purification Tablets safely and effectively destroys the bacteria commonly found in contaminated water. Each tablet can purify one litre of water.

| 150 Grace Coins.

Uncommon: Max Strength Purification Tablets x 25: Water Purification Tablets safely and effectively destroys the bacteria commonly found in contaminated water. Each tablet can purify ten litres of water.

| 500 Grace Coins.

Noah couldn’t afford to keep drinking stagnated water. Even with the increase of Constitution, he was walking a very thin line of succumbing to illnesses. He drank the water to survive, but now he needed to be smarter.

The Common ones will do. Noah thought.

Are you sure you wish to purchase - Common: Water Purification Tablets x 10? Y/N

“Yes,” Noah said.

At his words, a small spark of light struck the cave then a packet of tablets fell to the floor. Noah pocketed the tablets tightly within his pocket.

From watching the other contestants in Ubos, he had watched a lot of their mistakes. One of them was saving their Grace Coins for the more expensive armours and weapons, and neglecting against the wild.

Equipment was no good if they were dead.

His eyes grew heavy, and his head bobbed up and down. It was ready to sleep. He had moved non-stop, and fought excruciating battles ever since he arrived.

It was time to get some much needed sleep and restore what he could of his weary body.

----------------------------------------

Noah and Krall stalked through the forest towards the water hole. His mouth was dry and the sickly feeling of dehydration tugged at his mind.

It took them a couple hours to arrive back at the pond. Noah gazed over at the other side of the shimmering water.

An enormous humanoid lizard was crouched by the pond, scooping the water by the handfuls. Its scales were three-parts red, orange, and black. They glistened under the radiating sun. Its nose was tipped with a hardened bone. Muscles rippled underneath, and covered its massive legs like bundled steel-wire. Its feet consisted of three large claws, and one at the back.

It had a few similarities to a kobold, but the sheer size difference told him otherwise. It looked up. Fluorescent vertical orange eyes peered over at Noah. It stomped its foot on the ground, creating a thud and leapt into the clear waters.

Krall snarled and dashed in front of Noah in order to protect him.

Noah was also quick to react. He took a step back, raised his shield, and pointed his spear to the front.

The enormous humanoid-lizard breached the water.

Noah thought he would be safe, he was at least a few metres away from the water, but the lizard leapt straight for Noah from the depths of the pool. It covered the distance in a second and swatted Krall away with its enormous hand.

The moment the lizardman attacked, Noah activated [Thrust]. His spear tore through the air and cracked against the lizardman’s hardened scales. It roared in pain and despite Noah’s spear being lodged into its shoulder it slammed Noah to the ground.

Noah unhesitantly tightened his grasp around the shank at his waist and slammed it into the beast's ribs. An intense hardness thudded within his hands, only the tip of the dagger managed to pierce the thick scales.

Noah gazed into its beastly eyes. They budded with intelligence. It spoke.

“Why did you stab me with your pointed stick, human!” The lizard shouted in a strange dialect. “I was saving you from the corrupted scum!

It sounded forced, like it was just repeating words from a book. Noah gazed at the draconic face with his mouth agape.