Kael woke with a grimace, shifting uncomfortably on the wooden floor of the treehouse. His body ached, stiff from sleeping in such an awkward position. A dull throb pulsed through his shoulder where the wound lay hidden beneath the bandages. He let out a slow breath, blinking against the early morning light filtering through the cracks in the wooden walls.

He had slept like garbage.

With a groan, he rubbed at his face. It had been a long time since he had dreamed of his childhood, and even longer since he had thought about his family at all. He wasn’t the kind of person who liked dwelling on the past; it was easier to keep moving forward. But something about yesterday and last night’s exhaustion must have cracked that mental barrier wide open.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he turned his focus outward. The night had been surprisingly forgiving in terms of temperature. Even with his soaked clothes, he hadn’t frozen in his sleep, which was a small miracle. He had been worried he’d wake up shivering and sick, but aside from the general discomfort, he felt fine. Tired, sore, but not sick.

Lucky.

By now, his clothes had dried against him, somewhere in the early days warmth, leaving only a faint stiffness from the dried river water. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the grit clinging to his scalp. He needed to clean up, badly.

And he needed water.

His throat was dry, and his lips felt slightly chapped. Dehydration wasn’t something he could afford to ignore. His mind instantly went to the river clearing. That was the only place he had seen water so far.

Which meant he had to go back.

Kael exhaled through his nose, glancing around the small, cramped treehouse. He had decided last night that this place would serve as his shelter until he found something better. It was elevated, offering safety from ground-dwelling predators, and despite its shabby appearance, it had held up well enough.

Still, he wasn’t about to just step outside blindly.

He inched toward the door opening, staying low as he scanned the forest from his vantage point. His eyes darted across the dense underbrush, the massive trees standing like silent sentinels around him. The world had returned to its eerie quiet. No bird chirping, No rustling. Just stillness.

Nothing moved.

That was both good and disturbing, Keal didn't understand how quiet this forest was, usually some animals made noise.

Slowly, he climbed down, careful with each step. Once he reached the forest floor, he took a moment to roll his shoulder experimentally. The pain was still there, but less than it should have been.

He frowned, moving his muscles around. He still felt sore, but compared to last night, it was significantly better.

Is this because of the stats?

That thought lingered, but he shoved it aside. Water first.

Kael moved through the trees, keeping his steps controlled, careful. The forest was a maze, and he didn’t have a clear memory of where exactly he had come from last night. Between the darkness, panic, and running for his life, he had barely paid attention to his surroundings, or where he was going.

Still, he followed what he remembered looked like the right direction, occasionally stopping to reorient himself. The silence gnawed at him, but eventually, after what felt like forever, he heard running water, and soon after spotted the river ahead.

Kael slowed, crouching just within the tree line.

He took his time observing the clearing. The river flowed steadily, glistening under the morning light. He noticed several trees with thick roots extending into the water, their gnarled limbs creating natural perches above the surface.

More importantly, the clearing was empty.

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Kael watched for a few more minutes, listening, waiting. When nothing changed, he moved forward.

The moment he reached the riverbank, he dropped to his knees and cupped the water into his hands, drinking deeply.

The refreshing liquid rushed down his throat, and he let out an audible sigh. He drank greedily, almost desperately, like a man lost in the desert finally finding an oasis.

Normally, he would have been cautious. Watch animals drink from it first. Boil it. Do something to make sure it wasn’t contaminated.

But he had already swallowed some of it while swimming across the river. He hadn’t gotten sick, at least not yet.

And it wasn’t like he had the tools to purify it anyway.

Either the water was safe, or he’d find out later.

After drinking his fill, he exhaled and pulled the airtight plastic bag from his pocket. He had stored his emergency bandage in it, but now, he repurposed it. Dipping it into the water, he filled it up carefully, then sealed it tight before stuffing it back into his pocket. it was maybe good for 2 or 3 uses before he had to come back for more

“Hopefully, I won’t be taking any random late-night swims for the foreseeable future,” he muttered.

He placed the unused bandage into his pocket, though he was quickly running out of space. A grimace tugged at his lips. He needed a proper bag.

Keal imagined his hand reaching to the ground to his side, where his old hiking backpack usually would have been.

Damn. He would have killed to have it right now.

With that done, he turned his attention to his injured shoulder. After taking off the used bandage he took a look. The wound had stopped bleeding sometime in the night, and while it still looked bad, it wasn’t actively getting worse.

That’s faster than it should be, right?

He hesitated for a moment before deciding to check.

A familiar chime echoed in his skull.

[STATUS]

Name: Kael Aranthis

Level: 2 (0/50 EXP)

Rank: Mortal (Rank 1)

STATS:

* Strength: 14

* Agility: 16

* Endurance: 13

* Intelligence: 11

* Wisdom: 12

* Essence Control: 5

TITLES:

* First Blood (Common – +3% increased damage against beasts.)

SKILLS:

* Essence Shaper – Rank 1

Allows the user to shape, reinforce, and manifest Essence-based constructs. Current efficiency: 10%.

EQUIPMENT:

* Hunting Knife (Standard steel blade, well-used but reliable.)

* Wildhorn Antler Blade (A crude but sharp piece of antler, retains some Essence residue.)

* Clothing (Simple survival gear. No defensive properties.)

Kael’s brows furrowed as he scanned the information.

Level 2. His EXP, he imagined, was short for experience, he had played some rpg games when he still had a computer, before moving to the wilderness, as such understood some principals. It was empty.

The stats though… He hadn’t thought much about them before, there was simply no time too. Now, he was wondering what some of them actually did. Strength was obvious. Agility too. But what about Wisdom? Essence Control?

He would have to figure it out eventually.

Then, his eyes landed on First Blood.

“Increased damage against beasts?” he muttered under his breath. “What even counts as a beast? Are those monsters I saw beasts? What about that small child looking thing, is it a beast?”

If those monsters counted… that was useful, he would have to see how, and how much. But what about intelligent creatures?

Now with even more questions, Keal moved on to the Equipment tab. His knife and antler blade were listed, along with his clothes. But not his water bag or bandage.

Does it only list weapons and things that serve as protection?

A cool breeze brushed against his exposed shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts. He needed to finish up, before something came for water, and found him staring at what looked like empty space.

Kael knelt at the river’s edge and washed his wound, the cold water stinging slightly. Then, he took out the fresh bandage one more time, before putting it away again, he then proceeded to wrap it around his shoulder tightly.

He took one last glance at the flowing river, then stood up. Now for something to eat.