As the light dims, we find ourselves in a whole other world!
Wildlife, now mutated beyond easy recognition, scamper everywhere. Living and moving and eating and mating, it’s as if the Mana has supercharged the very way of the wild.
And now, we will need to adapt, but luckily for me, my new skill should help with that!
As my gaze tracks from one animal to the next, from one patch of brush to the leaves of another, fresh knowledge dredges itself from the recesses of my brain, so recently implanted with data on these exact things.
I watch a mutated squirrel freeze as it uses what I now know is an inborn skill to notice the predatory intention of a hawk the size of a golden retriever, perched on a tree limb just above.
I hear the piercing cry of another bird calling for a mate high overhead, the soft rustling of leaves shifting aside due to the clumsy attempt at stealth of a recently enlarged groundhog searching for forage.
Finally, my brain catalogues small weeds, tree species and strains and the usefulness and edibility of several different patches of wildflowers and berry bushes.
It sounds nearly overwhelming, as if all of that information freely gained would cloud and overflow out of my mind, but that simply is not the case at all.
Instead, it is as if I have finally come home after a long time away, as if my eyes have been covered for my entire life and only now can I see.
As I let out the tension of the last half hour or so and allow myself to relax into this new feeling of…contentment...?
No, that’s not quite it...
It’s more like the whole world has shrunk down to encompass just the glorious sight and sounds and simple existence of nature all around, the life and death of its many citizens the background music to the vivid and vibrant movie of my life.
I feel a nearly audible click, as if something has released itself from deep inside me, something I have never known or truly felt, merely been weighed down by unknowingly for all of my time alive.
Now…
Now it was free.
I was free.
And the world, the System world now, takes notice…
Congratulations! World First Achievement!
For being one of the first Players on your world to find the truly resonant Ideal of your very Soul, you have been granted a tier up of the ability most closely linked to that Ideal, earning yourself the title ‘Soul Searcher’! Further rewards may be granted as you progress further. Keep striving, Player!
Before I can process that bit of good news, two more notifications appear!
The first causing me to shiver slightly:
Be Aware! Your System takes notice of you! This can bring both rich rewards and terrible tribulations, be on your guard, Player.
…..Ok?
That is a little…concerning?
“Hello? System?” I say tentatively to the sky through a break in the trees above.
After several moments of silence where I feel the complete and total moron, nothing happens.
Shaking the whole oddness of the situation off for now, it’s time to check out the promised tier up!
Wilderness Survival(Apprentice)Lv. 10:[Passive] Grants knowledge needed to survive and further thrive in a wilderness environment. Includes beneficial information on creating shelter, tools, and other necessities as well as about edible plants and characteristics of both predator and prey animals. Apprentice Bonus:[Active] Once per day, grants the knowledge on the best shelter within 1 mile(range scales with growth). Every 10 levels will increase tier. (Apprentice:Journeyman:Adept:Unknown)
“Dang…” I mutter to myself, appreciating while still somewhat disbelieving my own good fortune.
Two fortuitous boons from the System in minutes, if I didn’t know any better, I would almost think I was the hero of a story!
Plop
A feeling that vanishes as swiftly as it appeared as the aforementioned hawk loses some of its body weight in the typical rear end fashion directly upon my head only for it to go oozing down the side.
With a sigh of relief and suffering, both for the simple normality of being pooped on by a bird and the sheer insanity that my life has so swiftly become, I wipe briskly at the mess as I begin a much more dexterous hike, assisted by my freshly tiered up skill, deeper into the forest that my Soul is now quite certain is….home.
My newfound appreciation and knowledge of our wild demesne reveals itself immediately as I edge us around the opening of a bear’s den and warn off Artemis from feasting on a berry bush that I can feel instinctively would cause massive organ shutdown, the pre-System poison massively mutated into the poisonous effect.
After another half hour of trekking, our good fortune ends with not a roar nor a whimper, but the silence of death itself.
“Ahh!” I shout in pain, my back arching as if on fire from the claws of an invisible attacker, “Quick, back to back!” I order my canine companion, moving her behind me and orienting her along the lines of said order. She is getting smarter, clearly but now isn’t the time to take a chance on her understanding.
As we both remain alert and I struggle to ignore the blood running down my spine and dripping onto the ground, I see the grass get disturbed a few feet away!
Still not able to make out our attacker, I hurriedly kick at the ground, causing a cloud of dirt to land on the translucent form of what is now revealed to be a mutated raccoon!
The System now deigns to reveal the information of said creature as I gain sight of it at last.
{Rogue Raccoon, Lv. 1}
Rightly, I assume that the raccoon, only enlarged to the size of a beagle, has somehow mutated more along the path of stealth than size, perhaps even somehow already acquiring a Skill or Spell this powerful by its own good fortune. My Skill knowledge informs me that this specimen is on the upper end of what I would expect to see this early after System arrival.
“Grrr…” Artemis growls out, letting me know that this racoon has an equally nearly invisible partner, one that would have taken me by surprise if not for my steadfast partner.
“Be careful.” I whisper down to her in the lull before the storm, my concern for her fleeting in the face of my own approaching conflict but as deep as the depths of my love for her.
With a yip of mad hunger egging on its own partner, the Mana beast on my side leaps at me with claws outstretched and teeth bared!
I swing my hatchet at it in midair but my aim is off, only striking a forepaw and placing me out of position, dangerously so, at that! But the strike manages to knock its jump off course as well, earning me a millisecond to correct myself before it swipes at me in a more measured attack that I only just deflect with the haft of the hatchet, the now System treated wood standing up quite admirably to Mana-sharpened claws.
A quick glance back shows Artemis and the other translucent racoon circling each other, both bearing slight wounds that drop bits of blood onto the forest floor around us, adding bright crimson in stark contrast to the dark greens and browns of the wild.
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My straying attention leaves me open to a follow up swipe and I hiss audibly as it slices open my left arm!
Refocusing, I juke left and cause the racoon to jump to that side with eager claws outstretched, only for it to find me now swiping in from the right and landing a hit upon its remaining forepaw, slicing flesh and crushing bone, rendering it unusable.
Sensing the weakness of the now crippled Beast, I spin the other way as the blade slips free of flesh and gracefully bring it back around into the side of its skull, penetrating only shallowly.
But a wound such as that, in the heat of combat, is a death sentence all the same.
A lesson soon learned by the stunned Rogue Racoon as my next strike fractures its weakened skull and pulps into its grey matter.
Congratulations! You have killed a {Rogue Racoon, Lv.1} for 80 XP!
You have leveled up!
“Rahhhhh!” I roar out spontaneously in primal victory, quickly turning to help Artemis finish off her opponent only to find it in its death throes with her jaws around its neck, its lifeblood painting her bright, white haired underside crimson.
As she releases it and makes her way to her feet, revealing her wounds to only be slight cuts already in the process of closing, a welcome notification comes in:
Congratulations! You have killed a {Rogue Racoon, Lv.1} for 80 XP!
Indicating that, human or dog, we somehow share XP in our battles. Or at least we both earn the same from a fight:
I am, of course, eager to see my gains on my PAID, if only to take my attention from my wounds but first:
Loot!
Wilderness Survival indicates that the pelts of such creatures could be easily fashioned into a cloak that would provide Common tier camouflage at the least, Uncommon if I somehow did an exceptional job. Though, I held out little hope of that outcome, my abysmal Knitting Needle Mastery compatibility showing the relative level of my skill in the clothing arts.
Using my hatchet by gripping around the head instead of the handle, I slowly flay the two ‘coons, the grisly job going much quicker than I would have thought, thanks to my Skill.
Soon, I tie together the two halves into a mostly formless shape more reminiscent of a poncho than a cloak but which earns the System’s recognition, if barely:
Barely There Scavenger’s Cloak(C): A mediocre attempt at clothing creation, perfect for your dumpster diving marsupial, but it will still provide basic camouflage for humans too, I guess. But hey, it’s a start! Keep striving, Player!
‘Hmm, a little harsh but still encouraging, this certainly is an interesting System.’ I muse to myself, used to far snarkier and mercenary Systems from most of the LitRPG books I have read.
But now... the moment we have all been waiting for!
Drumroll, please….
Da-daa-duh-dum!
Congratulations! You have reached level 2 and have 1 free Attribute point and 1 free Spell point available!
Quickly, I open my PAID, noticing the +1 to all Attributes from the Natural Born Killer title as I do, before using my free point on Dexterity to have it close the gap with the rest of my stats except for Soul, of course.
PAID
Player: Nova
Age: 27
Race: Human
Class: Unlock at Lv. 5
Level: 2
80/200 XP to level
Attributes (Human range between 1 and 5):
Strength 4
Dexterity 3
Constitution 4
Intelligence 6
Soul 3
Mana: 18
HP: 14/20 (Wounds: Arm, Back)
Skills: Wilderness Survival(App.)
Unlock next free Skill point at Lv.3
Spells: 1 free Spell point available!
Unlock next free Spell point at Lv.4
Items: Icy Soul Hatchet(U)
Titles: Natural Born Killer, Soul Searcher
With a quick glance to check on Artemis, finding her liberally cleaning her bloody fur, I delve into the available Spells list, eager to get my magic on!
Spells List (Recommended by Compatibility %)
Squeaky Clean (99%)
Power Strike (98%)
Natural Reinforcement (97%)
Rapid Growth (95%)
Forest Fade (94%)
Naturally, I ignore the first choice, likely generated due to my unfortunate choice of pre-System wage slavery and stop at Forest Fade. The list contains thousands of further options but the compatibility drops rapidly and while I do not yet know the penalties for choosing a low compatibility Spell or Skill, I certainly have no wish to test it and definitely not this early!
First up for perusal, Power Strike!
Power Strike(B): [Active] Imbue the weapon of your choice with an extra edge of hardened Mana. Costs moderate to high Mana per strike depending upon channeled amount, will reduce each tier. Every 10 levels in Spell will increase tier and potentially unlock additional aspects.
While excited about the idea of a magically sharp blade on my hatchet, it seems a little…derivative, I suppose?
In stories like this, the character usually picks an option like this and makes it a staple of his early development but for me, I do not see it doing much good yet. My hatchet already is a tier above any of the Beasts I have seen, meaning causing damage should not be an issue for a while. Therefore, on to the next in the list!
Natural Reinforcement(B): [Active] Utilize the surroundings of nature to empower your body. By selecting and casting the spell upon a targeted object or phenomenon of the natural world, your body will be strengthened in a fashion alike to the selected object. Costs low Mana to cast but will require continuous spending to remain active. Every 10 levels in Spell will increase tier and potentially unlock additional aspects.
Now, this one is much more my style!
If I am reading the description correctly, I should be able to use the Spell to take on the properties of stone or earth, trees and their branches, the water rushing through a river or lying placid in a pond!
Already leaning towards this one, I nonetheless check on Forest Fade, intrigued despite myself and disregarding the growth Spell right away, aware that forcing something to grow in that rapid of a fashion likely would come with…unfortunate side effects.
Forest Fade(B): [Active] Casting this spell will shroud the caster in a visual haze that will blend into the shadowy gloom of the forest floor. Costs moderate Mana to activate and low Mana every minute to keep [Active], will reduce with tier. Every 10 levels in Spell will increase tier and increase level of concealment.
“Damn, the synergy with that one and my new cloak would be kind of awesome…” I murmur, feeling torn.
But I know what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to be: one of action! If I go down the path of the sneaky Rogue now, I will likely never leave it. I would remain in the shadows, remain passive.
So, I resolve to attack this fresh world with a vigor lacking in the old and therefore, I choose Natural Reinforcement!
A somewhat less painful flood of knowledge than my Skill choice immediately etches itself into my mind, the information streaming by at greater than the speed of thought. Finally, a tingling sensation begins, running up from the tips of my appendages and into the center of my chest, the feeling caused by channels meant to direct the Mana flow for this particular Spell.
The tingling ebbs and I find I feel more or less the same, truthfully.
At least, until I cast the spell for the very first time upon a boulder leaning against a nearby tree…
I feel the first Mana mote combust as I spend it, leaving me with a slightly hollow feeling before my skin erupts in an itching sensation, a thin shell of stone forming around my arms, legs and chest!
The stone forms primitive armor, thicker around the chest and joints, with makeshift fingerless gloves forming around my hands, hardened pads placed strategically at the knuckles.
As I take in my newly augmented form, only one thought finds itself jumping up and down in my head for attention, eager as I am to see the many options my new Spell can offer:
“Let’s hunt!” I nearly growl, overwhelmed by a newfound feeling of power and eager to test my limits!
My enthusiasm lasts through the following seconds, right up until the moment the last of my Mana is used up completely, my transformation fades, and I slump to the ground in exhaustion, fresh Mana channels burning with exertion.
“Ughhhh….” I groan weakly, a veritable haze filling my mind for a moment until my Mana begins to tick back up, “Hmm, I guess this is one way to discover I regenerate roughly one Mana point every minute meaning that I should be full within 20 minutes at the most.” I say as my strength returns, trying to stay positive even in the face of my error.
A concerned Artemis sniffs at me as I make my way back to my feet, my balance taking a moment to steady as I do.
“Alright, let`s try this again!” I announce, beginning to prowl slowly through the underbrush, keeping my dog several feet back to allow my cloak to give us even a few seconds of surprise with which to attack when we encounter more Beasts.
As we continue our measured pace through the towering behemoths that the trees are even now growing into, fueled by Mana, no doubt, and being as mindful of my wounds as I can be, I experiment more and more with my spell.
Casting it on one of said behemoths, identified as a [Mana Redwood, Lv.9], the skin along my appendages and chest grows bark armor while gloves capped by claws formed from sharpened branches cover my hands.
Most other forms of greenery lead to the same result, until I reach a small patch of what appears to be some Mana-formed variants of blue and purple wildflowers, helpfully identified by the Apex System as [Aster Aid, Lv.3].
When I cast Natural Reinforcement this time, no armor forms, I don’t feel any changes really, until I notice the cut from the racoon visibly closing on my arm, the one on my back soon following!
An excited check of my health shows the following:
HP:20
I’ve found a way to heal myself!
I immediately gather a solid clump of the flowers, assuming them to be alchemical ingredients for potential healing draughts while hoping to use them as a portable healer myself for any further injuries that are likely to occur.
More welcome news follows, my Skill and Spell both notifying me of some level ups!
Your Skill Wilderness Survival is now Lv. 12!
Your Spell: Natural Reinforcement is now Lv. 3!
I find myself quite happy to see so many gains so soon, as I was seriously dreading grinding the early levels out, especially my apprentice tier Wilderness Survival, if they were going to take a while, eager as anyone would be for further growth.