I woke from a deep slumber in the middle of the night as small beads of water trickled down my face. It was a wet and humid night. After my battle with the orb monster, I had lost my consciousness from sheer exhaustion.

The recollection of the fight sent aches coursing through my entire body, making the cramping in my legs go even worse. I placed a hand on my knee and carefully stood up, cautious not to irritate my injuries any further. The night was so dark that I could have thought I had gone blind if it weren't for the faint light from the sparkling stars reflecting off the glistening wet leaves on the bushes in front of me. I looked up at the beautiful sky, stars glittered like sparkles on a blanket of dark night sky. It was a no moon night. Maybe this world has 2 moons, even though I saw none in the sky right now.

Moving my eyes from the sky, I looked around, searching for something to start a fire with. My fingers brushed against a nearby branch, feeling the dampness of the wood against the pads of my fingers. I sighed.

Wet wood is not going to catch fire easily.

I moved my head around slowly, scanning the area in front of me, squinting my eyes to avoid missing anything valuable. My steps were careful and deliberate, as I clung to whatever was nearby for support. I definitely didn’t want to encounter another monster while still recovering from the last battle.

Suddenly, the system screen popped up again.

Hidden Cave

Actions: Explore or Ignore

I carefully examined the area where the system pointed—a small cave hidden behind a tangle of branches, almost beckoning me, seducing me to explore every inch, nook, and cranny for anything that might help me survive this night.

Of course, I was going to explore it.

I quickened my pace and made my way toward the cave. As I stepped into the dimly lit interior of the cave. I noticed a few torches that were nearly extinguished. This was a sign—someone had been here not too long ago. Perhaps I wasn’t far from a village or city.

I began scanning the area for any leftover food to satisfy my hunger.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Maybe they ate something here and left something behind.

My eyes stopped on a ragged and torn bag laying on the cold floor. Lifting it up, I rummaged through its contents. Inside it was a squashed loaf of bread, probably crushed by whatever had torn the bag with its claws.

The bag was still usable, though. I could carry some things in it until I found something better in the village.

Stuffing the bread into my mouth, I continued searching the bag. There was a letter addressed to someone—a village whore, it seemed. An empty potion bottle. Two Elmarst Crowns. Strange. Why would someone leave these behind? There was also a dagger, now broken in half.

Useless.

I pocketed the crowns and froze for a moment as coins clinked in my pocket. As I pulled out a handful of the coins, confused by my own situation.

I know for sure, they weren’t there before.

A Handful of Elmarst Crowns. How did they—

Pushing the thought aside, I continued searching the cave. My eyes caught sight of something small and sparkling on the cold floor. I quickly picked it up. It was a blue gemstone, surprisingly cold, like ice and sparkled wildly like a diamond.

Water Mana Stone Acquired

+10 XP

+10 MP

+1 Luck

The system went crazy with its updates.

NEW STATUS UPDATE Name: Elio

Age: 24

Class: Elementalist Level 1

MP: 30

XP: 20/70

DEX: 12

LUCK: 17

Speed: 14

Strength: 7

Attack Power: 20/100

CHA: ?

SKILL: AGILE ATTACKS

Weapon: ?

Elmarst Crowns: 366

Reputation: 20

House: ?

What even is the use of these mana stones? I wondered. Maybe I could do something with fire since I had already acquired a Fire Mana Stone.

To test my theory,I held my hand in front of one of the torches, now nearly extinguished. “Move,” I muttered, like a stage magician performing his first trick. I waved my hand in front of the fluttering fire.

Nothing happened.

I must be missing something. Perhaps there’s a specific way to use this magic.

+2 XP

I continued searching the cave, but apart from the bag and the mana stone, there was nothing else left behind. Maybe someone had already looted the place. But why did they leave behind a mana stone? I know for sure that they must be rare.

For now, I was satisfied with my findings, I slung the bag over my right shoulder and took the torch before stepping out of the cave. I hadn’t noticed it before, but I was standing atop a cliff. The view was breathtaking. A river flowed from the south, winding through the landscape. To the east, a cluster of lights sparkled along the riverbank, signalling the presence of a settlement, maybe a village or a city that I was looking for. The west side was walled, with occasional lights dotting the perimeter. As my gaze moved north, the lights stretched into the distance until they blurred into a single, glowing line.

I think this is my destination.

Unbeknownst to me, I had missed the strange footprints that led deep into the daunting woods.