The notification still hovered in front of me, patient but insistent:

[Stat Allocation Required: Assign 5 Points.]

I exhaled slowly, swiping at the air to bring up the full stat screen. A new panel appeared, glowing faintly in the dim light of the forest.

- **Strength:** Physical power. Enhances melee attacks and carrying capacity.

- **Agility:** Increases reflexes, movement speed, and precision.

- **Endurance:** Boosts stamina, resistance, and overall durability.

- **Intelligence:** Expands mana pool and mental processing for complex skills.

- **Perception:** Heightens sensory awareness and reaction times.

The numbers weren’t impressive. Everything hovered at “10” except for Perception, which lagged behind at “8.” A line of text at the bottom read:

[Available Points: 5.]

I hovered my finger over the stats, unsure where to begin. The forest was silent except for the faint rustle of leaves, but I could feel Kiera’s gaze on me.

“What’s taking so long?” she asked, her voice sharp but not unkind.

“I’m trying to figure out what to do with these points,” I said, glancing at her.

Her expression didn’t soften. If anything, it grew sharper. “Don’t overthink it. Just pick what you need to survive.”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” I shot back. “What does it even feel like to… I don’t know, change your stats? Does it hurt?”

“No,” she said, though her tone carried a weight that made me hesitate.

I expected her to leave it at that, but after a moment, she sighed and leaned back against a nearby tree. Her eyes weren’t on me anymore—they were fixed on something distant, something I couldn’t see.

“When I first started,” she said, her voice quieter now, “I felt like I was cheating. You put points into Strength, and suddenly you can hit twice as hard. It doesn’t feel real. Your body adjusts so fast, it’s like you’re borrowing someone else’s abilities. And when you need to use them, they’re just… there.”

Her hand drifted to the hilt of her sword, fingers brushing the worn leather grip. “It’s useful, but it messes with you. Makes you feel… less like yourself.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Her words hung in the air, heavy and unspoken, and for the first time, I thought I saw something crack in Kiera’s stoic exterior.

“What about now?” I asked. “Do you still feel that way?”

Kiera’s lips twitched, almost a smirk. “Not anymore. Out here, it’s cheat or perish. I stopped caring about what’s real a long time ago.”

Her words settled in my chest like a stone, but I nodded anyway. “So what’s your build?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Balanced,” she said simply. “Strength, Agility, Endurance. Enough to fight and survive.”

“Not Intelligence?”

She snorted, the faintest hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. “What do I need that for? Throwing fireballs? No thanks.”

I turned back to my own stats, my finger hovering over Intelligence. It was tempting to dump all five points into it. Chronomancy sounded like a class that relied on brains over brawn, and I needed every edge I could get.

But Kiera’s words lingered in my mind: *Balanced. Enough to fight and survive.*

With a deep breath, I divided the points:

- **+2 Intelligence**

- **+2 Perception**

- **+1 Endurance**

The moment I confirmed the allocation, a wave of heat rushed through me. It wasn’t painful, but it was… strange. My senses sharpened, the world snapping into focus like someone had adjusted the lens on a camera.

The colors of the forest seemed richer, more vibrant. The rustling leaves sounded closer, more distinct, and I could feel the faint vibration of the earth beneath my foot.

“Well?” Kiera asked, her tone casual, but her eyes sharp as they studied me.

I nodded slowly, flexing my fingers. “It’s… sharper. Like I’m more aware of everything around me.”

“Perception,” she said with a knowing nod. “Good choice. Most people overlook it, but it’ll save your life when you least expect it.”

“And Intelligence?” I asked, glancing at her.

“Depends on how you use it,” she said. “You’re the magic type, right? Put it to good use, and it’ll keep you alive. Screw it up, and it won’t mean a damn thing.”

Her words were blunt, but there was no malice in them. Just cold, practical truth.

I closed the screen, but the feeling of the system lingered in the back of my mind. The stats weren’t just numbers—they were a part of me now, woven into my body and mind in a way I couldn’t fully understand.

“What do you think it all means?” I asked quietly.

Kiera frowned. “What does what mean?”

“This system,” I said, gesturing vaguely at the air. “The stats, the levels, the events—it’s like someone’s testing us. For what?”

Her expression darkened, and for a moment, she didn’t answer.

“Does it matter?” she said finally. “Questions like that don’t keep you alive. Focus on what you can control.”

I wanted to press her, but a faint rustling in the distance caught my attention. I turned toward the sound, my newly heightened senses picking up the subtle sway of branches, the faint crunch of leaves underfoot.

It was probably just an animal, but for a moment, I felt something else—a weight in the air, like an unseen presence watching me.

I shivered, brushing it off.

Kiera pushed off the tree and adjusted her gear. “We’ve wasted enough time. If we move now, we’ll reach town before dark.”

“Town?” I repeated, my steps faltering.

She gave me a sharp look. “Yeah. You didn’t think Aetherion was just dungeons and forests, did you?”

I blinked, stunned. The idea of a town—a place with people, shops, and civilization—felt so out of place here.