The system windows open up as the adrenaline fades. It seems like I was too focused for them to pop up earlier. I'm still not entirely sure how the system can tell when it should and shouldn't open the windows, but I push that thought aside.
[You have killed a Wolf, Level 3]
[You have killed a Wolf, Level 5]
[You have killed a Dire Wolf, Level 8]
[Level 4 > 5]
[Gained 2 Beast Cores (Common)]
[LEVEL CAP REACHED]
[CLASS QUEST UNLOCKED]
[RANKUP QUEST UNLOCKED]
Everyone takes a brief moment to look through their system notifications. No one seems too injured, so I decide not to use [Recover] on any of them. It would be better to see the effects of constitution. Hopefully it helps with healing. I open my stat window, looking through the changes.
Class: N/A
Race: Human
Rank: G (Bottom)
Potential Rank: G (Bottom)
Level: 5
Experience: 61/50
Strength: 10
Constitution: 9
Agility: 5
Mana: 8
Stat Points: 4
[Skills]
Recover: 4
My strength didn't increase, but I have 4 stat points now instead of the 3 I usually gain when I level up. Maybe it's because I reached the stat cap, so I'm not losing any stats? I put the four points into agility and use the two beast cores that I gained to get another point of constitution. The cores appear in front of me and quickly turn into a green mist. It forces its way into my body. The experience is much shorter this time but doubly discomforting. Feels like inhaling jelly. Fucking disgusting.
[Agility 5 > 9]
[Constitution 9 > 10]
My left forearm starts to ache in intense pain, the affects of adrenaline finally clearing out. I grit my teeth and hover my right hand over my forearm, activating [Recover]. The anticipation of the pain from recover alone sends a cold sweat down my body. I try my best not to scream as small tendrils of flesh writhe within my forearm, stitching it back together. The pain leaves my chest heaving afterwards, but my arm is fully healed.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
[Recover 4 > 5]
Nice. Skill up. Still have no fucking clue what that does. I don't have any other injuries. My stomach growls and my throat feels like sandpaper. I briefly look over the system notifications, inspecting the new quests I unlocked.
[RANK-UP QUEST (ETHEREAL DIFFICULTY) UNLOCKED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT IT?]
I quickly decline, deciding not to fuck with that quest for now. I open the other one immediately after.
[CLASS QUEST UNLOCKED. YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL DETERMINE YOUR CLASS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT IT?]
Huh. That's interesting. Maybe that means I can't die in the quest? That's unlikely, though. I probably have to complete it to get a class, not just try my hardest. I decline for now, but I think I'll try the class quest once I've recovered enough. The next goal on my agenda is to live. Still. Fuck.
We need water and food, which means we need to start a fire. Hopefully we can just use a stick and some grass to start a fire, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off. We also need to boil water, which means we need a bowl. Maybe I could just carve one? I'm not sure if I'm strong enough, though. I'll just have to try. A hand lands on my shoulder, startling me. I slap it away and jump back, scanning for danger. It's just Eric. I guess I zoned out. He quickly apologizes.
"Ah, sorry. I was calling your name."
I take a deep breath and calm down, letting my posture relax. With another breath to release some tension, I begin speaking.
"No. It's fine. I zoned out. We need to get water and food. We need something to hold the water while we boil it, though."
Amelia speaks up. Her voice is quiet and restrained. I think she's nervous.
"Uh, I know how to skin animals. We could use wolf hide to hold the water."
I quickly respond.
"Perfect."
James speaks up. He seems to be calm, speaking with a comforting tone and a relaxed posture.
"How did you learn how to skin animals? I didn't think it was something you'd be interested in."
Amelia glances toward the ground for a brief moment, her shoulders lowering as she seems to have a somber thought. She gently shakes her head before looking to James.
"My dad taught me."
Oh, fuck. I'm probably never going to see my family again. I fucking hate this place.
About four hours later, everyone is sitting in a small circle around a small campfire. We're all tired and a little bit sweaty, but at least our situation is looking a little better. We each have a small, crudely fashioned flask made of wolf hide. There are two small holes with string in them at the top that we use to close the flask. We used the hide of the Dire Wolf to boil the water, which took a lot longer than I was hoping for. We have some wolf meat skewered on a thick branch we found, waiting for it to cook. It took a very long time, but we all managed to prepare everything with enough knowledge. Our stats were very helpful, too. To be honest, it's kinda nice. We all get along well enough and the work has given us something to occupy our minds. I'm still processing everything, so I gladly welcomed the work. I'd probably just shut down without something to distract me.
The next morning, we wake up to a chill wind blowing through the forest. I bring a hand up to my left eye, briefly forgetting that it's gone. I feel depressed for a brief moment, but the rustling of my new friends around me brings me out of it. Our basic needs are satisfied, the results of our work giving me a residual content. We talked a bit about the system and all of the new stuff I saw yesterday and decided that I should do the class quest once I'm feeling ready. Oh, and their thoughts are also bold sometimes, though it happens to everyone else way more than it does to me. I've noticed that it's been happening a lot less recently, so that's strange. Apparently, it's happening more frequently for everyone else. We also shared our potentials, and mine is the lowest. Sophia, Amelia, Eric and James have a potential of A, B, B and C, respectively. We're not sure what potential is yet but I think it has something to do with rank-up difficulty, seeing as mine is Ethereal difficulty.
I get up and talk to everyone for a bit and prepare for the class quest. It takes about an hour, and my heart begins beating faster and faster the more prepared I am. I'm incredibly nervous and even more excited. I have the knife we got from the village, two flasks filled with boiled water, a large pouch with cooked wolf meat in it and a handful of rocks in my right pocket. With a few short goodbyes, I bring up the system window.
[CLASS QUEST. YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL DETERMINE YOUR CLASS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT IT?]
I nod my head. The space in front of me begins to rip. It doesn't make any sound. It looks the same as the last two portals, but I can't see the other side this time. The edges still make my brain feel like static when I look at them. My heart is pounding. I take some quick breaths and gather my confidence before stepping in, my knife in my right hand. I feel the sickening sensation of my body being stretched thin, stumbling into the new environment before me. I take a moment to gather myself and look around.
Ah, shit. I'm fucked.