Emotions alone wouldn’t ensure my survival.

Within ten paces from the village, I summoned my status sheet. The background light from the screen illuminated a slumbering Deadwood, still about an hour away from dawn.

Damien Njoku

Race: Dark Elf

Level: 10

Affinity: Fear

Class: Assassin

VP: 28/28

MP: 30/30

Attributes:

STR 7, PER 5, END 10, DEX 10

INT 5, WIL 9, V.F 2, MGK 3

Free Stat Points: 6

Traits:

[Born of Fear], [Against the Odds], [Migrant Soul]*

Skills:

[Map], [Identify], [Meditation] (New), [Knife-fighting] (New), [Stealth] (New)

Abilities:

[Scaredy-cat], [Fear Aura], [Dark Stalker] (New)

I ignored the other techniques I’d gained from specialization and honed in on the first:

[Meditation] [Common]

The premier skill of all rankers. Focus inward in an appropriate position to tune out all distractions.

For the duration of this skill, you regenerate health, stamina, VP, and MP. Avoid use in unsavory areas to prevent attempts on your life!

Note: Each hour of meditation restores an equal percentage of renewables. Use wisely!

Cost: None.

A self-heal technique, huh? Considering the relative rarity of potions, this was sure to come in handy.

The newer techniques had also started in the Common tier as opposed to the Lesser beginnings of my older moveset. Nana had taught that all techniques improved with progression . . . and true enough, a perusal of their descriptions reflected the change.

Lesser [Fear Aura] had now become Common [Fear Aura], which added nothing new, save for an increase in potency. [Scaredy-cat] now lasted twenty-five minutes—five more from its base form. And, [Identify] boasted a new range of twice the distance.

The biggest change by far was the Common [Map]. I’d happened upon its upgrade during my discussion with Nana, but the skill description provided a clearer picture. [Map] now possessed the ability to set markers on places I’d visited or knew intimately about.

Considering a study of Nana’s map had been enough to unlock Skeelie’s location, I could probably do the same for Avillac. I tested the theory, and the waypoint adjusted as expected.

On a whim, I mouthed, “Earth.”

Error: You haven’t visited this location.

Discover its position to mark it on the [Map].

“Figures,” I grumbled. “There’s no way the [System] would make it that easy.”

With that route closed off to me, I focused instead on my stat points. The only way to distribute them sensibly was . . . “One point to Willpower and five to Perception.”

Nicely done!

You have upgraded an attribute. [WIL] has changed from Lesser to Common.

Your base mental resistance has increased by 1.5x.

Your base mental proficiency has increased by 1.5x.

You have upgraded an attribute. [PER] has changed from Lesser to Common.

Awareness and reflexes have increased by 1.5x.

Once again, despite the numbers listed on the screen, I felt no different from usual. Some of the trees at the furthest edge of my vision became sharper in focus, but that could also be attributed to the rising daylight.

[Map] helped with the approximation of distances. So, considering my proximity to Harkonean, I could reach Skeelie on foot in five to six days.

Eight spirit orbs were all I had left in my inventory.

Brutal, huh?

Fortunately, the monsters of Dreadwood didn’t come out swinging from the get-go.

For the entirety of my first day through the forest, I suffered no ambushes, which was nice in its way but unnerved me more than I liked to admit.

A worn dirt path led me down fenced farmlands, built by the elves to cultivate their crops. Farmers nodded as they passed, carting goods back toward Harkonean. News of yesternight had traveled fast among the villagers, and although they acted convivial, many of them looked relieved at my departure.

That kinda hurt.

I spent the rest of the journey looking over my shoulder, half expecting Mavari to come running down the path. When that didn’t happen, I huddled beneath the roots of a large tree and watched the sun dip beneath the sky.

That evening marked my first night alone in the wild, filled with the noises of nature. Sleep came intermittently, if it ever did, punctuated by the maxing of all five Fear stacks.

Every creak and shuffle saw me reach for my dagger until, sick with paranoia, I attached it with twine to my hand. The hours passed at a snail's pace, worsened by the sheer darkness of Dreadwood. A factor that convinced me that city life, after all, beat living in forests.

The next morning didn’t proceed any better. Nana’s warnings about the dangers of the forest began with an abrupt dead-end in the path. With nowhere left to go except through wild country, I sat beneath a tree to chart my next course . . .

. . . Only to crash into the dirt as a large shape hurtled onto my back.

The surprise attack dazed me but failed to suppress my wits. I recovered fast enough to bludgeon my attacker and throw them over my shoulder.

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They skidded on all fours. Dark eyes glared at me from behind a hairless face framed with grey fur that terminated in a tail.

Oh, crap.

Dread Monkey LVL 8.

The monkey screeched and leaped for my head. Common Dexterity kicked in at that moment, allowing me to intercept and slam it to the ground. The creature resisted—all claws and fists and teeth. But, The Blackreach Dagger shone like a star and carved a wide smile across its throat.

One point to Damien.

Movement above me signaled the presence of a second enemy: another Dread Monkey who had watched the fight from a perch in the branches. It clasped its hands over its mouth, and then it fled across the treetops.

“Yeah, run away, you bastard,” I called after it.

I looted the dead monkey for a monster core and a rotten item called a monkey tail. The latter repulsed me but stayed in my inventory until I could ascertain its worth.

The next two hours saw me trek through wild underbrush. Nothing jumped out at me in that time, enough to get me to lower my guard.

That proved a careless mistake.

The warnings resumed with a tide of riotous screeching. A rancor emerged from the forest behind me, gaining in intensity with every passing second. I didn’t need a notification window to perceive the imminence of peril, but just in case I missed it:

Hey! It seems you are afraid!

+1 has been added to all stats.

I broke into a run. Sounds of pursuit followed on my heels, unfazed by my flight. A dark mass swarmed across the treetops. It triggered a second stack of [Scaredy-cat], and . . .

Goddammit! I had abilities for this!

[Dark Stalker]!

Error: This ability can’t be used in bright lighting.

Find a shady spot and reactivate.

No, no, no!

The error message had barely dissipated when the first monkey plunged down from the tree. Its wrathful snarl identified it as the escapee from earlier, who had now returned with friends.

Fright ruined my chance to seize the initiative, allowing the monkey to strike before I could grab my dagger. Its pine-shaped teeth bounced off my thigh, forcing a yowl out of my mouth.

More monkeys crashed onto our position in a flurry of teeth and claws. Their strikes promised dismemberment but fell short due to the protection of HP. The brutal exchange left me reeling regardless. My health meter wouldn’t hold out at this rate. The Blackreach Dagger sang once again, drawing a line across the lead monkey’s eyes.

Breathe.

Ten apes rose to fill the gap left by the blinded monkey, seeking to rip chunks out of my skin. I braced my knife in defense and let out a technique alongside my breath.

[Fear Aura].

A tangible mist, dark and malevolent, rolled out of my skin. It suffused the monkeys, drowning the forest in its taint. A plethora of notifications buzzed in the periphery of vision, at about the same time that the entire horde—over thirty of them—shied away from the darkness. The Blackreach Dagger trembled in my hand.

Breathe!

Monster entrails exploded around me like so much confetti. I weaved between the horde, allowing instinct to guide my hand. Monkeys fell over themselves in a bid to escape. But, I didn’t relent. I butchered them for all they were worth.

My ears stopped ringing five minutes into the battle. The landscape had turned unrecognizable in that time, dyed in the brilliance of blood.

I stood alone in a sea of death and carnage, spasms running down my fingers. But, by god, it felt good.

It felt good.

Despite the extent of butchery, my level didn’t so much as budge. Lesser-ranked monsters could threaten me in their numbers, it seemed, but offered scant little in terms of grinding.

The battle also provided useful insight into the [Knife-fighting] skill. The old me would have struggled to deal with the monkeys, untrained as I was. The Assassin me, however? It was like watching a 90s kung-fu warrior perform kata on steroids.

Fighting styles were probably not meant to be used on autopilot . . . if my half-depleted HP was anything to go by. The maneuver had served in a pinch, but the absence of conscious effort meant I took more hits than I should have.

I marked that part of my skillset for later improvement. Sheer instinct had saved me this time, but I would eventually run into a fighter who couldn't be cowed by tactlessness.

I needed to keep improving. Especially when the alternative meant an afterlife spent running from Flame Guardians.

Loud chatter reached my ears. Two surviving monkeys gibbered from a spot high up in the branches and gestured down at me. I couldn’t reach them, not without an archery skill of some sort, but I couldn't risk a second gathering of their troop.

[Stealth] on.

I vanished from sight. Or, at least, I hoped I did as far as the monkeys were concerned. They shrieked in outrage at my disappearance, even though it involved me acting like a mouse and crawling through the underbrush.

I traveled in that manner for a good distance before dropping the technique. At 2 VP/min, [Stealth] burned through my Vital Power at a steady pace, but it ultimately got the monkeys off my back, even though I expended all 28 of my VP in the process.

A large rock caught my attention, sequestered amidst a clump of shrubs. It offered a good spot for [Meditation] and a chance to regain my bearings. [Meditation] couldn’t be activated without a relevant pose, so I settled into a poor imitation of sukhasana from a TV program back on Earth.

The [System] approved.

You have activated [Meditation]! Over the course of one hour, your renewables will refill by twenty percent.

Continue? Y/N?

The forest lurched.

I toppled backward into the rock which now sported a gaping maw, complete with jagged rows of teeth. A quick roll sideways ensured I avoided certain death, even though I lost a few strands of hair in the process.

The rock monster didn’t like that. It snapped after me, earning empty air for its troubles. Then, it spun on the spot and pulled four pudgy limbs that looked like arms out of the ground.

Rock Lurker LVL 7, [Identify] helpfully supplied.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

The Rock Lurker moved with the noise of an avalanche, pulling loose soil out of the dirt. It bared monstrous teeth—the only feature in its craggy face—and shrieked into the air. A flat, fleshy tongue slipped out of its mouth, spraying drool onto the ground . . .

Why was a monster like this even a thing?!

I swiped my dagger in time to intercept its charge. The Blackreach Dagger bounced off its exterior, not my brightest idea, but the recoil from the blow threw me aside, allowing me to evade successfully.

The monster tucked all four of its limbs into its body and settled for a roll. It crashed through the shrubs in a wide arc and hurtled back around for a second go.

My mana flared.

Error: Rock Lurker has resisted [Fear Aura].

Oh, come on!

I sprang out of the way, evading its passage by a scant few inches.

The monster skidded to a stop with a roar. Four short limbs worked overtime to arrest its momentum. It barreled again for me, and . . . hold on, why was I laughing? Why was this so fun?

Because you have come to enjoy the thrill, I answered myself. You find yourself once more at the doors of death and have learned to relish the challenge.

I most certainly had not!

I darted headlong for the monster and sprang aside in an acrobatic display at the very last second. The Blackreach Dagger again did no damage to its hide. But, how else was I supposed to hurt this rock?

One of the monster’s stubby limbs emerged as it bowled past, closing around my foot. I got a half second to swear aloud before it flung me sideways into a tree.

Time slowed as the Rock Lurker advanced. My health meter flashed in warning, signaling the extent of the damage. Pain flared in my legs, hindering my ability to move.

Gotta think fast.

I poured [Fear Aura] into my dagger and formed a blade of shadows. Then, I swung backward and above me into the tree. It toppled into the Rock Lurker’s path, halting its momentum. But, only for a few precious seconds, seeing as the monster stopped spinning long enough to tear into the trunk.

That was all the chance I needed.

I stabbed through the gap in the monster’s teeth, into the fleshy tongue that lay beneath.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

I stabbed as deep as the lengthened blade could go. A health bar appeared over the Rock Lurker at the first instance of damage, and it dropped further until it came to a stop. Green blood spilled out of the monster’s mouth, thick like moss and just as wet.

The Rock Lurker's tongue was probably considered a vital organ. I hadn't expected it to bleed as much.

You have slain Rock Lurker. Loot the monster to claim your rewards.

Hell fucking yeah.

I brushed sweaty hair out of my face and basked in the afterglow of victory. Looting the monster provided a Lesser monster core and a rhythmic, throbbing rock called a Boulder Heart. I shoved both into my inventory and dusted off my cloak.

Dreadwood would kill me if I didn’t find a safe place to meditate. Hopefully, far away from rock formations.

As if my journey wasn't hard enough already.