Nathan stepped out of his cavern and approached the blackwater lake. His fishing rod was in his remaining hand. He searched the skies.
“Hey, you big ugly bastard!” he shouted. “Where are you!?”
Nathan wouldn’t be caught off guard. Not like last time.
A distant screech caught his attention. Another sky attack—Nathan could work with that. He readied his fishing rod. It got closer, its form getting larger in the sky.
Nathan cracked his neck.
It roared again.
Nathan swung his fishing rod as hard as he could. The hook flew through the air and smashed into the Gliding Eel, knocking it to the side. It screamed and crashed into the ground.
Nathan dropped the fishing rod and pulled his harpoon out of his inventory. Before he could line up the shot, The Gliding Eel slithered back into the air and dived for Nathan’s surviving arm.
“Not this time!”
Nathan slashed with his harpoon and it hit the Gliding Eel’s jaw. The Gliding Eel rolled against the ground, shaking the earth from its weight.
Nathan pulled back his arm and threw the harpoon forward with everything he had. It shot out like a lightning bolt, water conjuring behind it.
The harpoon pierced the Eel’s stomach, pinning it to a rock. It screamed and convulsed against the soil. Nathan picked up his fishing rod.
A sickly sweet feeling rushed up his spine when he saw the Gliding Eel in pain.
“Die.”
He cast his fishing rod. The hook hit its jaw and a loud crack echoed out.
The Gliding Eel pulled and ripped the harpoon out of the rock. It sailed away from Nathan, into the sky. Over and over, it would approach, only to turn and spin away.
It’s scared.
Nathan grinned.
“Time for phase 2.”
He turned and ran back to the cavern. Behind him, he heard the Gliding Eel swooping toward him.
He rushed into the cave opening. A tripwire clicked underneath his feet. The Gliding Eel soared in behind him. Nathan ran past his camp and jumped into the water.
Nathan had wondered why it didn’t bother to follow him last time, when he was swept by the underwater currents to the lake.
His theory was that it couldn’t go into the clear water—some property of the water prevented it.
Hopefully I’m right!
The Gliding Eel swooped toward him, then at the last second—
It turned around.
Success.
Nathan waited patiently. Any second now…
A loud click echoed through the cavern.
A second later, a bomb exploded and the cave rumbled. Rocks fell from the ceiling. One slammed into the Gliding Eel. Nathan dived deeper into the water to avoid getting hit, expertly dodging between the falling rocks.
After several minutes, the cave-in stopped.
He pulled himself out of the water.
“Didn’t know I could hold my breath for that long,” he muttered. “Good to know.”
The cavern had been ripped to shreds from the bomb explosion. Uneven mounds and large boulders coated the once-flat surface. He approached the area where the Gliding Eel had been.
He paused. “Shouldn’t I have gotten a level up?”
There was no Gliding Eel.
He took another step.
Instinct screamed at him and he jumped out of the way. A moment later, the dirt shifted and large sharp jaws bit down where he’d just been.
It was the Gliding Eel. Beaten, damaged, but still alive. Blue blood poured from its skin. Somehow, the harpoon was still embedded in its side.
A twisted pleasure filled Nathan’s veins.
----------------------------------------
The cave had been sealed. There was nowhere to run.
He smiled.
Perfect. It won’t be able to get away.
Nathan swung his fishing rod like a mace, the hook flying through the air. The Gliding Eel ducked underneath the attack and dived for Nathan’s neck.
Nathan dropped the fishing rod and reversed his hand back toward the coming attack. His fist slammed into the monster’s head like a hammer. It was diverted from Nathan and crashed into the ground.
Its tail whipped out before Nathan could react, getting him in the stomach. He flew through the air before his back hit a boulder.
The air was forced out of him in one blow. He coughed, then staggered to his feet.
The Gliding Eel pulled back from the soil and into the air. It swooped directly down, like a meteor.
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I could dodge.
…
But where would be the fun in that?
Nathan scrambled up the side of the boulder and jumped into the air, meeting the Gliding Eel. He reached out his hand and managed to wrap it around the creature’s spine.
With a single flex of his muscles, he threw the gliding Eel into the ground as hard as he could. Scales ripped off, blood spilled.
Nathan threw the Gliding Eel into the ground again. He did it again, and again, and again. He eventually switched over to pummeling it with his fist when it stopped trying to escape.
Minutes passed. Maybe an hour.
The Gliding Eel’s corpse was like something out of a B-rated horror movie. Massive chunks of flesh were gone. Its eyes rolled along the ground. Its tongue had been ripped off.
Nathan stared at the scene. His blood cooled and his breathing slowed.
He blinked and looked at his bloodied hand.
…what did I just do?
His arms shook. His spine convulsed. A sick feeling worked its way up his stomach.
He threw up onto the ground.
I’m a monster.
Nathan had killed animals before and squashed bugs. During this apocalypse, he’d killed monsters…
But he’d never reveled in the violence before.
What the hell is wrong with me?
What if his sister had been there? What if she’d had to see him ripping some creature to shreds with a sick, sadistic grin on his face? She’d never look at him the same way again.
I’m not like that. It wasn’t me. It was someone else.
His breathing leveled out again. It wasn’t him. He hadn’t done that. It wasn’t him.
It was that voice. The voice had told him he was angry, and then he suddenly got angry.
He looked away from the carnage and faced toward the blue windows.
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[Global Circle Exit requirements cleared! The portal has been summoned. If you have fulfilled the personal requirements, you may now leave the Circle!]
[Congratulations, you’ve cleared the Circle Exit personal requirements! Leave as soon as possible!]
He didn’t see any portal. It was probably outside.
He looked at his stat sheet. 32 available points—he’d have to decide how to distribute those soon.
The words of Finny echoed in his ears.
He still had to make an offering to the sea.
The Gliding Eel caught his attention.
He grabbed what was left of the warm corpse. His face scrunched up from the smell. He ignored it and tossed the body into the water.
For a few seconds, it sank into the depth before it abruptly started to glow. Bits of it flaked off as white shining bits. They dissolved in the liquid with a flash.
A cool, salty breeze brushed against Nathan.
But we’re underground. How is there a breeze…?
A box appeared.
[Class-up quest Complete! Bronze Classes available for selection!]
[Tidecaller]
[Wayfinder]
[Seabound Hunter]
[Ocean Warden]
Nathan blinked. Those looked… way cooler than a fisherman. He clicked on the descriptions.
[Tidecaller]
As a Tidecaller, the waters shall heed your voice. You gain the power to stir small waves to repel your foes. Call forth creatures of the shallows to aid you, and watch as the sea itself bends to your will. Use your rod to channel these gifts, for the sea recognizes you as one of its herald.
Huh. So… a water mage with a specialization in waves and tides? Not only that, but he’d be able to summon “creatures of the shallows.” Fish? Interesting. He looked at the next one.
[Wayfinder]
Wayfinder, seeker of paths unseen. The currents guide you now, gifting you with an enhanced sense of direction and intuition. You can summon a gentle stream to carry you faster across land or water and reveal hidden items or paths when near the sea. And the bounty of the sea shall be in your hands.
The utility class—the one that would allow him to get more loot. The one that would let him stick to his fishing ways.
At the start, he might’ve considered choosing this option. Back when we wanted to avoid combat.
But he knew, deep down, that such an option was untenable. He’d have to fight, and he’d keep fighting till he reached the bottom circle.
[Seabound Hunter]
You have honed your skill against the denizens of the deep. Now, mark your prey with the sea’s blessing, revealing their weaknesses and granting you increased precision and strength when facing them. You will find greater rewards in your hunts and knowledge of their kind.
Nathan shook his head. Too specialized. Besides that… he’d rather not fight more sea monsters.
[Ocean Warden]
As an Ocean Warden, the sea grants you its protective embrace. You gain the power to summon barriers of swirling water to shield yourself or allies, absorbing attacks and deflecting lesser threats in addition to lesser offensive options. You shall also be granted affinity with small sea creatures and have their aid.
Your defenses will prove that the ocean is more than a force of destruction.
A protector.
Nathan paused.
All the descriptions were vague, but the right option was probably the first class. The ability to manipulate water offensively was exactly the kind of power he could’ve used at the start of all this.
But…
He didn’t want to become what he was becoming. He didn’t want to turn into some freak who tore monsters limb from limb for fun.
Becoming a protector instead sounded like a pretty good deal. If he had to fight, he wanted to fight for the right reasons. Before he could doubt his decision, he clicked the class.
He felt a wave of power wash over him. The smell of the sea flooded his nose. His body felt lighter and… something washed over the inside of his body.
He breathed out, and the sensation was gone.
“Okay, that was pretty cool,” he said.
Time to get out of here.
He’d seen enough of this ‘Tutorial’ to last a lifetime.
Luckily, the cave-in hadn’t come too close to the entrance. On his way out, he sniffed the air. Fresh fruit. He looked over at his garden. Flowers were blossoming.
“It’s a shame I can’t take this whole thing with me,” he said.
The ground shook. A budding flower grew out of the dirt in front of him. Around him, the rest of the plants suddenly shriveled up and died.
The budding flower opened, revealing a glowing, iridescent seed.
Nathan’s jaw dropped.
Okay, what the hell?
The rainbow effect vaguely reminded Nathan of a rare holo card from a trading card game. Nathan used Basic Inspect.
[Mysterious Seed]
Yeah, I have no clue. Plant it and see what happens, I guess. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into some kind of plant monster, HAHA!
“You’re not funny, System.”
Nathan slowly reached out his hand and took the seed from the flower. The flower instantly turned brown and withered just like the rest of the plants. Nathan turned the seed over in his fingers. After a moment of indecision, he placed it inside his inventory.
“It’ll probably come in handy later,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get a flowerpot or something.”
He walked toward the Blackwater lake. In front of it, a shimmering white portal caught his attention. White flames licked the edges of the portal. Beyond it, Nathan couldn’t see anything.
He steeled himself and walked through.
[Circle 0 cleared!]
[Distriubting rewards…]
[Soulbound town attached!]
[Approaching Circle 1…]
Nathan fell out of the sky and crashed onto the ground.
“Ow,” he muttered.
He pushed himself up. Nathan was in a lush green field. He’d landed in a pile of grass.
“Oh, thank god,” he said. “I’m finally somewhere normal.”
He heard a scream and tilted his head. He reached into his inventory and grabbed his harpoon.
Another person!
Nathan’s heart slammed in his chest. After two weeks of no one to talk to except a fish (and that was for, like, ten minutes), he was finally going to speak with another person.
He got closer and closer. Something was stomping the ground, shaking it.
He burst through a bush. A guy with a blue mullet was screaming at the top of his lungs while a T-Rex chased him from behind.
Nathan’s face fell.
I THOUGHT I WAS FINALLY SOMEWHERE NORMAL!