Kael knelt by the fire pit, watching with quiet satisfaction as the flames flickered to life. The warm glow spread across the clearing, faint embers crackling under the dried wood he had gathered.

He smiled, letting himself feel the small victory. Fire. Cooking. Warmth. The simple necessities of survival, ones he had taken for granted in his old life, were now something to be grateful for.

He fed a few more pieces of kindling into the pit, ensuring the fire didn’t die out too soon. The embers glowed beneath the charred wood, settling into a steady burn.

Now, he needed to clean up.

Rising to his feet, he kept his senses alert, his eyes flicking toward the tree line. The eerie silence still hung over the clearing, but the occasional rustle in the undergrowth or distant chirp reminded him that he wasn’t alone.

He made his way toward the river, crouching near the edge where the water ran clear over smooth stones. The warm liquid splashed his face, the sensation sending a jolt of alertness through him.

He washed his hands next, rubbing away the grime and sweat, watching as the dirt swirled away downstream. His reflection rippled in the water—tired eyes, unkempt hair, a face smeared with exhaustion.

He looked like hell.

After finishing up, he returned to the fire, where the flames had settled into steady embers. The heat was perfect for slow cooking. He pulled the wrapped meat from his jacket, unwrapping it carefully before placing each piece into the fire pit.

The scent of burning flesh immediately filled the air.

He watched for a moment, then turned his attention to another task.

The cloth strips he had used to wrap the raw meat needed cleaning. Kneeling near the water’s edge again, he rinsed them thoroughly, watching the murky streaks of blood fade away into the current.

Once done, he wrung them out, draping them across a low-hanging branch to dry slightly before he went back to the fire.

Now, he needed a flat stone, solid piece to cover the fire pit.

Not a river stone.

Kael frowned, scanning the area. People who didn’t know better might use stones from a river, thinking them ideal for campfire cooking. That was a mistake. River stones absorbed water, and if they got too hot, they could explode from the pressure.

The last thing he needed was a fire pit sending rock shrapnel into his face.

Instead, he looked for dry, exposed rock, something free of moisture and safe to use. After a few minutes of searching near a fallen tree, he found a flat sturdy stone large enough to do the job.

Perfect.

He returned to the fire, placing the rock over the meat. The flames licked the underside, heating it slowly. Once satisfied, he used loose dirt to seal the pit’s openings, trapping the heat inside. This method would allow the meat to cook evenly while minimizing smell and smoke, keeping it hidden.

It was a waiting game now.

Kael settled near the line of trees, making himself small behind a fallen log, his eyes sharp as he watched the surroundings.

Time passed.

In the silence, he saw movement. Not monsters.

Just animals.

A large, squirrel-like creature with oversized front teeth scurried near the riverbank, dipping its head to drink before darting away. Strange, oversized birds twice the size of any he had seen back on Earth pecked at the soft ground near the water.

No threats, or predators. For once, the world felt… nature quiet, if that made sense, it was without that foreboding aura, of utter silence.

The minutes stretched on as he waited. He checked the tree line, ensuring nothing had wandered too close. When the last of the harmless creatures had moved on, he finally approached the pit again.

His mind told him it should be done, or his stomach, whichever it was he wanted to see how it looked.

He carefully unsealed the meat, pushing the warm, but now manageable stone aside, revealing the cooked meat inside.

A wave of relief hit him. The pieces were slightly burnt, but fully cooked it was edible.

The scent of roasted flesh filled the air, making his stomach churn with hunger.

He grabbed his knife, already cleaned earlier, and began trimming the overcooked edges. Dirt and charred bits were cut away, leaving behind smaller, but safer portions of food. He worked quickly, not wanting to risk contamination, wrapping each clean piece in the now-washed cloth strips immediately after trimming.

With every new piece prepared, he wrapped it neatly before moving on to the next. Once finished, he had a respectable pile of preserved food granted, not much. But enough to sustain him for now. The discarded scraps, he tossed into the river, watching as the current carried them away.

Placing the stone back into the fire pit before carefully packing around the remaining embers with dirt, masking the fire pit as best he could. Keal stood.

With dusk approaching fast, it was time to leave.

Kael secured the wrapped meat in his jacket and made his way back toward the treehouse. The journey felt faster this time, his awareness sharper, his movements quicker. He had memorized the way, and his senses felt in tune with the forest’s rhythm.

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Before he knew it, he was back in his shelter, seated inside the cramped treehouse.

The first thing he did was unwrap the meat, carefully placing each piece on the laid-out cloth strips on the floor. The sight of them made his mouth water.

The hare meat looked simple, plain, dry from being overcooked. The outer layer had taken on a slightly tougher texture from the long cook time, while the inside, though firm, still carried a faint, savory aroma.

It wasn’t perfect.

But poor men couldn’t be choosers.

Kael tore off a piece, biting down.

The taste was… divine.

Not because the meat was special far from it. But because it was his first real meal in nearly two days. The sensation of actual food filling his stomach, of warmth spreading through his body, was enough to make him savor every bite.

He chewed slowly, letting the flavors settle. Bit gamey. A bit tough. But good.

By the time he had eaten half, he stopped himself.

He had no idea when he would eat again, so stretching his food supply was essential.

Setting the rest aside for later, he leaned back against the wooden wall, feeling the tension in his body at ease.

His mind, however, remained restless.

His thoughts drifted back to what could barely be called fight with the Gloomkin. Specifically, to the feeling in his arms and legs when he attacked. The sensation had been… different. Not normal strength, Something else. Like an extra force was pushing him forward...

The same way he had felt when running from the Wildhorn buck.

Kael frowned. That time, when he was sprinting, dodging through the trees, it had been even more intense. He had tried to mimic that feeling again afterward, but had failed miserably.

Now, with shelter, water, and at least some food secured, he had the chance to figure it out.

Keal flexed his fingers slightly, remembering the faint traces of energy that flowed in his body. Could he do it again this time more reliably, and perhaps control it? one way to find out.

By just thinking about it Keal opened his Status, letting the familiar glowing text appear before him.

[Status]

Name: Kael Aranthis

Level: 2

EXP: 20/50

Rank: Mortal

Stats:

Strength: 10

Agility: 12

Endurance: 8

Intelligence: 7

Wisdom: 8

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, now having lost its essence residue.)

* Clothing

(Simple survival gear. No defensive properties.)

Kael’s eyes locked onto the Essence Control stat.

It had jumped from 1 to 5 after his first level-up.

That was a lot.

His Strength, Agility, and Endurance had only gone up by two points each. While Intelligence and wisdom went up by 3. What made this stat so different? Why did it increase so much faster? After all, if he understood the meaning of the stats right then, the stat that should have increased due to something he had done, should have been agility or endurance. one for movement stuff, and another for stamina, and well-enduring things. All the running and fatigue he had endured, should have helped.

Kael shifted his posture slightly. If he wanted to understand the Essence Control stat, he needed to try using Essence. But how? He had only managed to give himself extreme cramps last time.

His mind flicked to the description of his only skill Essence Shaper.

“Allows the user to shape, reinforce, and manifest Essence-based constructs.”

That made sense. If his Essence Control stat influenced how well he could do those things, then perhaps this skill would help him manifest them. But how did that correlate to his body being enhanced? Unless he was considered an Essence-based construct. That would mean this was a skill to shape and reinforce organic things, perhaps even bodies. To him that didn't sound like something fun to work with.

He focused on his hand, willing something anything to happen. A minute passed, Then two.

Nothing.

Kael scowled.

Okay. Let’s try something else.

Instead of just wanting it to happen, he tried to recall the exact feeling he had experienced during the fight. The sensation was still vivid in his mind.

He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.

His memory drifted back to the moment before his antler blade sank into the Gloomkin’s back.

That first attack.

The rush of power in his arms, the slight weight shift, the way energy had moved as if reinforcing the parts of this body he was about to use next.

For the briefest moment, he felt it again.

A faint tingling in his muscles.

It was there.

Then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Kael’s eyes snapped open.

His breath came slightly quicker now.

He had felt something inside of him react.

And that meant… it was possible to trigger it on purpose.

Kael flexed his fingers, staring intently at his palm.

If it was possible, then he needed to find out how to move it and take control.

He took another slow breath, focusing on the Essence Shaper skill this time.

The System had given it to him for a reason.

If it was a skill, then maybe it worked like one.

He focused again this time, not on his muscles, but deeper, maybe the energy didn't come from his body but somewhere else. Someplace deeper, like his soul.

Keal kept looking inside himself, searching, trying to feel something. still nothing. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Kael grit his teeth. There had to be something. What was he missing?

He flexed his fingers again, narrowing his focus to the center of his chest, ignoring all else.

Keal clenched his eyes even harder. He thought about how it had felt to attack. The desire to move fast, and effectively. The way he focused all his being on that one move. The way the energy had flowed into his body like a tine river gathering in his limbs right before he moved.

He focused on that sensation. Slowly, carefully, he pushed into it.

At first, nothing happened.

Then he could see it his mind's eye, something in the center of his being, shimmering like a crystal blue ball, that looked like it contained a star inside it, shear potent pure energy like he had never seen before. The ball was roughly the size of his fist, with tine tendrils sticking out of it going different places in his body, connecting it to all of him. Keal tried to will one of the larger tendrils going to these different places to move, but they wouldn't even bulge, as if something already had control over them. they kept wiggling in this strange relatively empty space. There was nothing except for him and the energy-ting,

He then tried doing the same with the smallest tendril he could, finding it moveable but requiring him to focus all he had just to direct it. He willed it to go to his hand, imagining the energy flowing out of this space, out of his chest then along his arm, where it would finally be settling in his hand.

Keal opened his eyes. There was a slight blue shimmer in the air around his hand. Barely visible, like the heat rising from asphalt on a summer day.

Kael’s eyes widened.

The shimmering aura around his hand was so faint he could barely see it, but it was there.

His heart pounded in his chest.

But then the energy fizzled out.

Kael cursed under his breath, as pain shot through his being, his breathing uneven. He had touched it, but he couldn’t hold onto it. The small laps in concentration resulted in it being dragged back like a loosened bow, sending pain throughout his body. If he felt this much pain just from a strand the size of a hair, then it was a good thing he couldn't drag the other bigger ones, he didn't even want to think about the pein he would be in,

It also gave him an idea of what might have happened when he tried to infuse energy into his body last time. He must have by instinct having just experienced and still feeling the residue of Essence, as it was in the process of leaving him, commanded the energy still in his body to just rush into his legs without control over what he wanted. Resulting in what happened.

He let out a slow breath, calming his nerves.

His fingers curled and uncurled, his mind replaying that exact moment he entered that space. It was the core of his being, he knew that instinctively, a pole of power, ready to be drawn upon. The center of all these new changes. It made more sense why it would be called Essence; it was the intrinsic nature of power. It was something in his being, his soul, it needed to be drawn out and fought with until it was guided to follow your will.

Kael took another deep breath, clearing his mind.

This time, he didn’t push for the energy to appear. He willed it to, commanded it. Imprinting what he wanted with an iron will, straining and pushing on his limits, to make his will be done.

He sat still, his awareness shifting inward, a battle not seen.

Seconds passed.

Then—

There it was.

That faint, buzzing sensation, like static running just beneath his skin.

It spread out his chest, through his arms, curling into his hands.

Kael held his breath.

The air around his hand shimmered again.

Stronger this time. Easier, than the first time, confirming to him practice would make the process easier over time.

It wasn’t fully just visible light, but something deeper, something his body recognized even if his eyes couldn’t fully see it.

He tried moving his fingers.

The shimmer shifted with them.

He was actually controlling it.

The realization sent a thrill through him.

This wasn’t just some game-like system.

This was power.

Real power.

And he had only just begun to scratch the surface.

Kael exhaled slowly, letting the energy settle before it could slip away again.

He had made progress.

He couldn’t fully control it yet, but he had made progress.

And now that he had a taste of what Essence entailed—

He wanted more.