As the white light fades, I blink in shock at what I can see around me. I am standing in a small clearing, surrounded by what appears to be dense forest - although of a different sort to anything I have seen before. The environment is full of bright colours and in places resembles a rainforest, but the atmosphere and general structure seems to speak of something like a dense temperate forest. The clearing I am in is only a few metres wide, although it seems conveniently structured. The trees arch over the top, forming a very thick, nearly impenatrable-seeming roof layer, save a open circle at the peak, which allows light to stream in freely. A small stream runs along the edge to the left of me, trickling gently in the background of sights and sounds. Completing the structure, there is an opening on the side I am facing, which is presumably to let me either in or out.
In the distance there is a gentle cacophony of sounds, like you often hear a rainforest portrayed, with the gentle croaking of insects and animals, bird song, and other unidentifiable sounds. Altogether, it forms a peaceful synphony of noises, something that I have never had the pleasure to hear before in my life. Although it could probably affect sleeping, it is quiet enough to make that unlikely.
As I go to move around the small clearing, or even structure, I am once again bombarded by a familiar sight; a wave of tables.
Welcome to Terrae! You and many others of your race have managed to pass the trials set before you! Congratulations! Now, a whole new world of challenges and dangers await you. Good luck, as you'll need it!
Temporary Structure The structure you are in is a temporary structure. Like the dungeon you have been through in the past, this area does not truly exist in the real world, but is instead a twisted version of it. In here, you will be (mostly) safe until it breaks down, in exactly a week from now, to give you an introduction and tutorial period to Terrae. However, it is advised that you travel outside and build up your strength before it is gone, as afterwards you are on your own!
Restrictions Unlocked All restrictions placed upon access to your status on Earth have been lifted now that you are on Terrae. Stat boosts will take effect, and you will be able to place any attribute points you gained from levelling into your stats. Congratulations for surviving, and good luck.
Title - World Traveller
Like all other living Earthlings in your age category, you have travelled betwen worlds. Although this is normally a rare title to gain, this title has very little benefits to begin with anyway. This title will merely allow you to get a very small leg up on your path to catching up with the residents of this world.
+1 to all main stats per world visited (other than home world)
Worlds visited:
-Terrae
Title - Tenacious
For surviving against tall odds with strong determination, you have been granted this title. Although not uncommon for either your fellow world travellers, or the residents of Terrae to have, it strongly demonstrates what you are made of throughout, and not just on the ourside.
Willpower Stat Unlocked
+5 willpower
(willpower stat can only be gained through titles or experiences, not through stat points)
'Huh... Okay then, I won't refuse either the free titles, or the free protective shelter!' I think happily, as after all, who wouldn't want free protection against the dangers which lie outside this clearing? Nobody is the answer! 'Now, the windows mentioned that I will gain the stats given by titles now, however I can't feel any changes, is there some sort of limitation on them, I wonder?' I can't help but think to myself, and lo and behold, the great blue window gods do indeed provide!
Stat points will be applied while you are asleep, so that your body can adapt to the new changes, without a damaging period of a lack of control.
'Well, that, surprisingly, makes perfect sense!' As I would imagine, it seems as though gaining large amounts of strength, for example, could seriously throw out the body's normal natural balance, if it had no time to adapt. Some stats could theoretically be alright anyway, such as manual dexterity, as it would most likely just affect the precision with which I can move my muscles, rather than any difference in strength or intelligence, however it would probably still help to be able to adapt.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Deciding to hold off on stat point allocation for now (I have a lot being put in already, and I would like to be able to feel how it affects me, so I can be more informed when I put in stat points), I instead look around the structure, to see what there actually is. Inside, there are no other useful features, except from what seems to be a near-bottomless hole at one side. Which, surprisingly, I can't actually put a foot or hand down, at all. Having a waste disposal area, as well as a toilet, is always useful - after all, I don't want to contaminate a potentially contaminatable water source (I'm not testing if I can or not). However, the lack of anything else means that I must have to provide any food I need, as well as fire to cook it, or to gain warmth by. However, although there are no other practical features, I do find out that when I look out of the top of the structure, I can see a relatively small floating crystal, transluscent blue in colour, floating up above, which appears to be giving off the light for the area, in place of the sun. Perhaps the crystal has something to do with the dungeon-like dimension, which from my past understanding of fiction is most likely either an instance or a pocket dimension, or it is merely a light source for the place.
However, after looking around, there is nothing else for me to do. Instead of just being lazy and waiting around, or sleeping for the stats, I decide to take a quick glance around outside. Walking up the the entrance-like area, I take a glance around the edges of the arch, seeing if it actually seems natural, and I also look into the arch itself, to see if I can see anything out of it. Instead of seeing forest, however, I can merely see an inky blackness, as though there was an endless tunnel with no light in front of me. Taking a teep breath, I walk through.
After a moment of a feeling like walking through tar, I step out the other side. This time, I step into a clearing, from a natural-seeming atch, apparently linked to the temporary structure. The new clearing is about the same size as the one within the natural-esque structure, which could lend credence to the idea that the place with the structure is in fact an instance.
This time, however, the trees appear nowhere near as impenetrable, instead appearing as a more normal dense forest. I can still hear the peaceful noises of animals in the distance, and for a minute or so I just sit down in the grass and bask in the beauty of this new world. However, I am startled out of my thoughts by an angry hiss. My eyes snap opn, to see an angry bunny-like thing glaring at me from the other side of the clearing. However, this one has red eyes, is quite a bit larger, and even appears to have long and sharp teeth and claws.
Sensing that this will likely be a close combat fight, I summon the rat king's daggers from my inventory, which I still need to identify, and then identify the bunny;
Savage Bunny - Level 12 - 45/45hp
Although most bunnies in the forests of Terrae are just normal bunnies, like the ones from your world, some are driven insane by the kill-or-be-killed-to-level-up environment of Terrae, and become savage and brutal in their quests to become the most powerful bunnies!
Although this bunny is relatively weak for it's kind, it is still an irritating opponent for most untrained people your age on Terrae, and perhaps a few very low levelled adventurers.
Quickly skimming through the information, my eyes widen at the first line. At level 12, this would be a much harder fight than even the Rat King, if it was not for it's low health. From it's build, as well as apparent stats, it must be a speed-based killer, and not a brute strength boss like the Rat King.
Focusing back on the beast itself, I go into what could almost be consiered hyperfucus, waiting for some form of movement or twitch on it's part to broadcast it's movements. As I do this, the muscles throughout it's body ripple as they tense, before it leaps at me. Jumping to the side, I narrowly avoid the attack through my observations, spinning to continue watching. Again, it leaps at me, and this time I fall to the side, holding out the knife in my left hand as I fall. As it flies past, I clip one leg, drawing some blood, and drawing a yelp from the animal as it lands.
Clearly deciding that that strategy was nor working, it charges me, using it's speed to move out of the way of me throwing kicks at it's agile body as it claws at my legs. It tears apart the lower portion of my trousers, cutting long wounds into my flesh. Letting out a loud hiss, I drop down to my knees, so that I have some more reach with my knives, and also so that I can protect my legs better. I narrowly miss the beast with my knees, which is a shame as that would've led to an easy kill on it, after it had lost it's advantage of movement.
I see the animal running around to my front again, obviously more confident now that I had left the more maneuverable position I had earlier. However, now I can reach the animal with my knives. I slash backwards and around with my right hand knife, stabbing it through it's jaw, which was open ready to chomp down on my leg. With the critical hit, and it's low health, the animal drops dead.
Swiping the loot quickly, without checking what it is, and carrying the body with me, I stagger back into the realm of safety. Dropping the body by the entrance, I stagger on my lacerated legs towards a softer-looking patch of grass at one side of the structure, and collapse down on it, falling asleep almost instantly...