Tom lay inert in a pool of blood, his own bright red mixing with the [Elfinclaw’s] purple. His eyes were shut as he fought through the pain for a long fifteen minutes, simply unable to focus on anything except not screaming his lungs out and drawing more attention to himself.
Thankfully, [Earth’s Vitality]’s healing kept him conscious and alert, even if that meant suffering through the pain. Time passed and as the pain began to ebb, his thoughts inadvertently shifted to the gruesome battle he’d just survived.
Even now, Tom didn’t think there was anything particularly wrong about his approach— he had the experience of killing an [Elfinclaw] before, he had intentionally enraged it beyond rationality and that was ultimately what won him the fight.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this….uncertainity, this risk… would be a constant accompaniment in this new world. No matter how much Tom planned, no matter how many times he calculated the probabilities, it mattered little if he fumbled his cards up or like he’d experienced first hand just now, his enemy simply exceeded his expectations.
That pacified the guilt rising in his chest, ending the cycle of blaming himself for factors beyond his control before it could begin.
Along with it, went any satisfaction or triumph that he felt at his victory over the female [Elfinclaw]. He wouldn’t pretend to care for honor or other archaic notions of a ‘fair’ fight, but he felt no pleasure at winning in such a manner.
If he had to stoop so low, then defeat wasn’t an outcome he was willing to accept.
Finally, the pain ebbed completely. Tom opened his eyes, greeted by the sight of two small full moons gleaming in the sky, one a pearlescent green, like polished jade and the other a pure, if meek, silver. The light they gave out was surprisingly meagre, the forest’s characteristic tall trees blocking almost all the light they gave out. Only here, in a small clearing, could he appreciate the beauty of the two celestial bodies gazing down upon him from afar.
Soul Power: 2/31 [35]
Tom let out a light groan in protest, once again realizing how close he’d come to running out of Soul Power.
“Fuck, whatever,” Tom murmered under his breath, slowly getting back up to a seated position. He edged his gaze to his right leg, somewhat apprehensive as to what he’d find; half expecting to still see the bloodied claw marks that had brutally mangled his leg earlier.
The claw marks… were still there, except in the form of rather visible scars. It seemed that this time around, even [Earth’s Vitality] considered his wound to be too deep to heal perfectly.
The next test came when Tom attempted to get back onto his feet. Careful not to apply weight directly on his formerly injured leg, he used his hands to support his ascent while his good leg pulled the majority of his weight. Slowly, Tom placed his other leg onto the ground.
A tingling, almost burning sensation began to pulsate around the scarred area, but otherwise there was no immediate pain. One step after the other, he walked and the sensation dissipated with every subsequent step, until it was gone entirely.
Was that his regenerated nerves clicking into place?
Possibly.
Giving his surroundings a cursory glance, Tom finally let out an exhale in relief. His clothes were in complete tatters, his hair matted in a mix of purple and red blood and his [Deck Cards] scattered all over the floor.
But he was alive.
Battered, bruised and scarred…. but alive.
His gaze shifted towards the slew of notifications that were waiting for him. After Tom’s [Deck Cards] had all hit level three, he’d prioritized experience back to his two most important cards, the ones that kept him alive time after time, namely, [The Flame] and [Earth’s Vitality].
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The experience from slaying the [Elfinclaw] alone was enough to ratchet both the cards to level 4, which Tom had expected, given the experience gain from the last one, but was also grateful for.
[You have received a Level 1 [The Lunar] card. Would you like to [Feed] this [Common] ranked card to your Soul Card or add it to your [Deck Cards]?
“Add it to my [Deck Cards], please,” Tom replied, simply not having the spare strength to snark or even snap at the blasted [Divine System].
[Name: Thomas Lowe.
Age: 18
Soul Card: The Fool [Level 1]
Statistics:
Physical: 6
Mental: 9
Proprioception: 5
Soul Power: 2/30 [35]
Deck Cards:
1.The Flame [Common]: Level 4
Ability:
Ember Level 4 [745/3000]: Release a small, concentrated burst of hot flames that drain 1 SP for every fourty five seconds of continuous use. [Level 4 reward- Range has been increased by 1 meter. Ember lasts for five additional seconds for every 1 SP spent].
2. Water Propulsion [Common]: Level 3
Ability:
Torrent Level 3 [45/1500]: Release a linear, compressed torrent of water that drains 1 SP for every fired shot. Level 3 reward- Range increased by 4 meters.]
3. Earth’s Vitality [Common]: Level 4
Ability:
Heal Level 4 [655/3000]: Absorb the Earth’s vitality to cast a protective halo around you that continuously heals minor wounds and staunches bleeding. Drains 1SP/minute. Requires continuous contact with an earthen surface. [Level 4 reward- Increases rate of blood clotting and muscle regeneration by +30%]
4.The Shadow [Common]: Level 3
Ability:
Shadow Cloak Level 3 [45/1500]: Coalesces shadows around the wielder that muffles footsteps and reduces visibility, especially effective in low-light environments. Once inside the Shadow Cloak, allows the wielder to see perfectly in the darkness. Each Shadow Cloak costs 1SP to form and lasts for 1 hour and 10 minutes. [Level 3 reward- Duration increased by +10 minutes.]
5. The Lunar [Common]: Level 1
Ability:
Moon Aura: Borrow the moon’s radiance to cast a movement halo around you that boosts your speed by 10%. Drains 1 SP/minute. Requires the presence of the auspicious moon, Alelai. ]
Tom held the silver [The Lunar] card in his hand, admiring the intricate depiction of the silver full moon painted upon its face down side for a few seconds. He pocketed the card, appreciating another powerful, if subjective, addition to his [Deck Cards].
He didn’t understand the lunar cycle of this new world, so he had no idea if the auspicious moon, Alelai would rear it’s head the next day, or if it would simply disappear for a month. Even then, [The Lunar’s] ability was enough to make his inner self jump in joy, for he finally had his first movement/escape ability.
Not to mention how useful it could be for close quarters combat.
Down to a meagre 2 SP, Tom didn’t want to stay in the open any longer than necessary, so he hurriedly looted the corpse.
[A Common Elfinclaw Sword has been deposited in your inventory].
[Elfinclaw Beast Meat x2 has been deposited in your inventory.]
[Elfinclaw Bone Marrow Extract x1 has been deposited in your inventory.]
“Fuck yeah,” Tom whispered under his breath, at sighting the word ‘sword’ scrawled upon the blue screen.
Tom willed his [Inventory] to manifest, digging his hand inside a void tear to withdraw a sleek one-handed blade.
The blade fit snugly into his right hand, it’s hilt wrapped with a light smattering of sinew to give him a decent grip. The white bone that comprised the flat of the blade was sharpened on both sides, it’s length stretching for what would amount to three-fourth of his long, lanky arms. It’s construction was more than a little morbid, but Tom had gotten used to it by this point, thankful that it had come with a crossguard. That reduced the likelihood of him cutting his hand on the blade instead of his enemy.
[Elfinclaw Sword, Common.
Requirements: Physical 6, Proprioception 5
Description: Crafted from the remains of a Level 3 Elfinclaw, this well-crafted bone sword specializes at slashing attacks and is resistant to dulling or chipping easily.]
The blade’s requirements were the very limits of Tom’s current Physical and Proprioception stats, making him thankful that he could use it at all. He picked up his shield back from the ground, feeling remarkably safe with the complete combo.
Before leaving, Tom began to skin the beast’s carcass, not only taking its hide this time, but also the sinew he could recover. It was gristly work, but Tom had first hand experienced how even the most insignificant of things could transform into an indelible advantage in the wilderness. The horn, unfortunately, was gone— seemingly in the construction of his new sword.
He tossed the extracted remains into his inventory, before retracing his steps back to the original ambush site, retrieving his [Ankra Bone Dagger] in the process.
Soon, Tom stood before the small mountain-like structure, his blade and shield at the ready. Almost certain that it was empty, hope began to rise in his heart.
Finally, finally, it was time to cook some blasted food.