A feline-like creature skulked out of the brush, slow and methodical, its eyes locked on Stephen. Its fur was black with an iridescent sheen, and its yellow eyes seemed to glow, flickering in the sunlight that streamed through the dense tree cover.

Stephen backpedaled—well, stumbled backward is a more accurate description. He had never been the most nimble of people. Weighing 250 pounds and standing at a staggering six foot five, nimbleness was definitely not his strong suit. Catching his footing, he looked up only to see the large cat airborne, barreling down on him with claws outstretched and mouth open, ready to bite. He barely had time to roll out of the way. Catching himself, he gripped his axes tighter. This was a dream; he couldn't die in his own dream, right? So why did his heart feel like it was ready to burst from his chest in fear? He gulped, sweat dripping down his brow. He stood up and readied himself in what could only be described as a warrior's pose, something he'd seen countless times in movies. If it worked for them, it would work for him in his dream.

The cat-like creature circled back around, growling. As it passed through shadows, Stephen noticed something strange—the cat seemed to vanish every time it entered a shaded area, all except for its glowing eyes. A chill ran down his spine. This creature was like something straight out of one of his role-playing games. A smirk appeared on his face, but it quickly faded as the ferocious feline lunged from the shadows, tackling him to the ground.

Claws dug into the unprotected flesh of Stephen's arms, and blood trickled, then gushed from the wounds. Stephen let out a blood-curdling scream. The pain was intense—too intense for a dream. You can't be hurt in dreams, right? Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong. Panic set in as he began to punch the large cat, his hand having slipped up the haft of his axe to behind the beard of the axe head, using it as bladed knuckles. He punched again and again, using the other axe to keep the cat's fanged mouth away from his neck.

Passive Skill Active - Adrenaline

A screen popped up but was quickly dismissed as Stephen fought for his life beneath the large, muscular cat. He began to hear the sound of cracking with every blow he landed. He continued to punch the cat's ribs, and blood and other ichor erupted from the feline. Its grip weakened, and soon, without thinking, Stephen found himself standing, punching down at the cat with all his might, swinging his axe repeatedly. His arms ached, blood oozed from the gashes left by the frantic feline, and Stephen's heart seemed to be accelerating rapidly, beating uncontrollably in his chest.

Skill Activated - Brutal Strike Skill Activated - Brutal Strike Skill Activated - Brutal Strike Unable to activate Skill - Brutal Strike, not enough MP Unable to activate Skill - Brutal Strike, not enough MP Unable to activate Skill - Brutal Strike, not enough MP

The messages kept repeating with every blow, until finally, the black-furred cat slumped motionless to the ground. Dark red blood pooled beneath it, mixing with the leaves. The thick liquid dripped from Stephen's axes as he stood, panting and staring down at the now-dead creature.

Passive Skill Activated - Overcome

As he caught his breath, the pain in his limbs seemed to fade, his heart rate slowed, and his breathing returned to normal. He looked at his arms—the gashes were still present, but they had stopped actively bleeding.

You defeated a Shadow Lion. Would you like to loot it?

The message had been displayed for a while, but Stephen had been too preoccupied to notice. Having his arms ripped to shreds, only to have them heal on their own, was a lot to take in. His vision shifted back to the 'Shadow Lion' lying dead at his feet, its fur caked with blood that seeped into the ground. Loot the corpse? He raised an eyebrow at the message. As quickly as he thought about it, the Shadow Lion vanished in a cloud of black and red particles, almost like embers of fire. In its place was a neatly folded pelt, some teeth, and a pile of meat.

"What the fuck?!"

Stephen knelt down to examine the items.

Shadow Lion Pelt - Material

A new popup provided details about the item.

Shadow Lion Pelt: Can be used in crafting various armor and cloaks.

Stephen rubbed his temples and touched the pelt, which was then absorbed into his hand. He then examined the teeth.

Predator Teeth - Material/Loot: Can be sold to various vendors or used in crafting arms and armor.

That could be useful, he thought, absorbing those into his hand as well. He assumed this was how to deposit items into his inventory. Finally, his gaze shifted to the meat.

Predator Steaks - Crafting: Can be used in various cooking recipes.

At home, he was the grill master, always barbecuing or smoking various meats. Home... This was the first time he'd thought about it since the fight. He took damage, he felt pain, he felt the hot breath of the Shadow Lion and the weight of it on his chest. This was no dream. Panic set in. If this was no dream, then that meant... He looked up quickly.

"Abigail! Luke!"

He began shouting as loud as he could, running toward the stream, leaping over logs and rocks, breaking branches as he barreled through the foliage.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"ABIGAIL! LUKE!"

He continued to yell, his lungs feeling like they were about to burst. He broke into a clearing, the trees giving way to a babbling brook and a serene meadow. At least it was serene until Stephen entered it, yelling as loud as he could. He collapsed on his knees next to the water, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Abigail... where are you..."

A knot formed in his stomach. If he was separated from her, could that mean Luke was separated as well? He curled up into a ball, as much as his large frame would allow, tucking his head into his knees and bawling his eyes out.

Hours passed in the quiet meadow until Stephen slowly lifted his head. A menu had been up that he hadn't noticed, well after he realized this was all real.

Activate Skill Glitch - Yes or No

He couldn't be bothered with this stupid menu at a time like this, but now it seemed to anger him just having it float around in his vision.

"Yes, fuck whatever!" he shouted.

The menu vanished, then reappeared in an instant.

Glitch Skill - Critical Success! You have gained the following skill:

* Shadow Stalk - Level 1

* Dexterity +2

Stephen couldn't be bothered with this result—he had to do something. He was separated from his wife, his son, his home—everything he once knew was gone, replaced by this. This 'game,' at least it felt like a game. He slowly picked himself up and wiped his eyes. His heart hurt—not from injury, at least not physical. What the hell happened? He wondered. He looked around; the sun was setting, the sky painted in hues of pink and orange. Slowly, he began to move downstream. He reasoned that if he lived, maybe others had as well, and if others had, surely his wife and son could be alive too.

Hours passed as he moved along the stream. He encountered some strange creatures that looked like frogs with furry backs and tusks, but nothing as ferocious as the Shadow Lion. Killing them garnered something called 'Frogling Pelts,' Tusks, and Predator Meat. It was getting dark, and soon he would be unable to see unless he had a torch. Finding a nice spot with its back to a wall, he set up a makeshift camp and a fire. It seemed to come naturally to him, even though he had never done it before. Maybe it was the job? As he cooked the Predator Meat, he sat with his back against the rocks and opened his menu. Maybe there was more to this than he thought, and if he was to survive and find his wife and son, he needed to know everything he could about this 'game.'

He popped open his Status Screen.

Player: Stephen Jacobs

Health Points (HP): 100

Magic Points (MP): 15

Character Level: 3

Job(s):

* Barbarian (Level 1)

* Glitched (Level 2)

Attributes:

* Strength: 32

* Dexterity: 26

* Endurance: 38

* Intelligence: 44

* Wisdom: 34

* Luck: 17

Skills:

* Melee Proficiency (Level 1)

* Brutal Strike (Level 1)

* Glitch (Level 2)

* Overcome (Level 1)

* Adrenaline (Level 1)

* Shadow Stalk (Level 1)

Titles:

* Glitched

Stephen focused on the skills, starting at the top with Melee Proficiency.

Skill Name: Melee Proficiency

* Ability: User applies 1% Strength attribute to attacks.

* Level Up: Each level increases the percentage of Strength applied by 0.5%.

So it makes me more effective at hitting things? he thought to himself. I mean, I have no actual weapon training besides what I've seen in movies and video games. So this is how I was able to fight that damn thing. His eyes moved down to the next skill on the list.

Skill Name: Brutal Strike

* Ability: User's damage is multiplied by 2% at the cost of 5 MP per swing.

* Level Up: Each level increases damage multiplication by 0.5%.

Interesting. So that's why I downed that Shadow Lion so quickly. He remembered seeing the messages appear as he swung at the cat but didn't know exactly what they did. He moved on to the next skill, Glitch. He had already looked at this one—it allowed him to absorb skills and attributes from defeated foes. It didn't seem to require a target and had no range limit; as long as he killed something, the menu would appear. Interesting, he thought. He had experimented on the Froglings, trying to use the skill, but it failed every time. He expected that somewhat, as the skill is tied to his Luck attribute, and it seemed a little overpowered. I mean, he could gain monster skills? He had no way of knowing if that was rare, but seeing as there was a Beast Tamer class, he assumed that meant humans normally couldn't use monster skills. He snorted a laugh to himself. Beast Tamer—if Abigail were here, he knew full well that would be her class. She always wanted her little pet creatures in whatever game they were playing, and if it wasn't an option, she would scour the internet for a solution to make it so. The thought was a double-edged sword. It warmed his heart to think of his wife and the time they shared, but it also caused him to ache for her loss. He continued his research into these skills.

Skill Name: Overcome

* Ability: User rapidly recovers HP when not engaged for 30 seconds. Recovery rate is 2% of HP lost per second.

* Level Up: Each level increases recovery rate by 1% per second and decreases the time required to be out of combat by 1 second.

So that's how I recovered so quickly. And if I'm reading this correctly, I have to be out of combat for it to trigger. Makes sense, but with a constant reduction in time, it could get to the point where I'm recovering in between fights.

Skill Name: Adrenaline

* Ability: Passive skill; reduces incoming damage by 12%.

* Level Up: Increases damage reduction by 1% per level.

Definitely a workhorse of an ability. I mean, it makes sense. Barbarians are supposed to be in combat pretty much all the time—pedal to the metal style fighting. That would typically be fine for Stephen if this were a game, but it's not; it's real. If he wasn't careful, it could cost him more than a new sheet of paper and the time it takes to roll dice. He looked at his arm and rubbed it. Even though it healed, there was a phantom pain from the gashes he received—something he'd rather forget sooner rather than later. He glanced down at the final skill—the one and only skill he managed to acquire from the Shadow Lion, Shadow Stalk.

Skill Name: Shadow Stalk

* Type: Monster Ability

* Ability: User becomes invisible in shadowed areas.

* Level Up: Each level increases Dexterity by +1.

So that's how that cat managed to vanish during the fight. He looked at the skill again, his gaze focused on the line that seemed to be in every description. Level Up—what does that mean? Do I have to use the skill to level it up? Do I get points? How soon will it level? Before he could contemplate further, a new screen flashed before him.

Congratulations! Quest Complete: Get your bearings. You have familiarized yourself with the Menu! Reward: 500 Exp!