Eventually, Kai arrived at a clearing in the forest. He didn't encounter many dangers on the way there due to the forest being as empty as always. If you didn't count him traversing through mud and battling branches that threatened to smack him every few seconds, then the trip was rather uneventful. By the time Kai decided to take a break, leaning against a tree, it was already getting dark.
Kai took a deep breath, appreciating the fresh air. He then settled to observe the night sky.
Three moons sat together, the middle one being the largest of them, and the rest being of the same size. Countless stars were dotting the sky, surrounding the colorful moons, while creating constellations that Kai was unable to identify. Yet again reminding him of the fact that he wasn't on Earth, and that he was on another planet or universe entirely.
The thought made him homesick. He missed his mom and dad, and his younger sister who would always bring joy to his dull and monotonous life.
He had stayed isolated from any other intelligent life for a few hours now, and couldn't help but feel lonely.
Turning back to the sky, Kai looked at the infinite darkness that caused him to feel small and nervous. It looked so calm…as if something was about to happen.
Unexpectedly, Kai's thoughts were interrupted as he heard sounds of howling.
“Wolves?”
At first, Kai didn't react, since all of the time that he had been in Lycoris, the only sounds he was used to hearing were his footsteps. Now that he heard the sounds of wolves, he couldn't help but feel slightly anxious at facing another living being. He got up from his rest and braced himself, trying to keep as silent as possible.
However, this didn't help him. After a few tense seconds, three wolves emerged from the forest, growling at Kai.
"Oh man...how do you expect me to survive this...any help system?" Kai looked up and asked the sky while the wolves got closer.
The system didn't offer any help, none the less it still answered Kai's calls.
[New Quest: Attacked by Wolves]
[Description: The situation you are in is quite unfortunate. You got surrounded by [Forest Wolves]. Will you be able to survive?]
[Rewards: 500 EXP]
[Accept/Decline]
"I wonder what happens if I decline...? No, I'd rather not risk it. What if I lose the 500 EXP for nothing? It should at least level me up one level? However, I don't know how leveling works in this world. I could need 10 or 1000 EXP to level up once. Who knows?" Kai considered himself.
He accepted the quest as he crouched down into a fighting stance.
At the same time, the three wolves spread out and began to circle Kai, as if sensing his will to fight them. A low growl escaped their throats, and their almost glowing yellow eyes were filled with madness and hunger as they looked at Kai.
Kai, meanwhile, took a deep breath while opening his stats as he got ready to finally test out his [Lightning Bolt].
All of a sudden, a wolf barked, then jumped forward, mercilessly aiming to slice Kai's throat. The wolf being extremely fast, managed to graze Kai before he could even react.
-4HP
[Emergency Healing In Progress]
“Gah!” Kai exclaimed. He jumped back to give himself some space, before he finally reached out his hand and shouted "Lightning Bolt!" while closing his eyes afraid of what would happen if it didn’t work.
BAM!
From his hand, a flash of blue erupted, sparkling with electricity. With great accuracy, it struck the wolf, completely frying its silver fur.
-2.9
-2
-2
[Opponents are stunned for 3 seconds]
After a moment of shock, Kai began moving while clutching his bleeding neck. He wouldn't waste this opportunity given to him. 3 seconds didn't seem like a lot, but in a battle, it was the decision for the winner and loser. Sprinting to the nearest pine as fast as he could, Kai yanked off an arm-sized branch. He then rushed back to the wolves, and with a hit that even Babe Ruth would have been proud of, he smacked the branch against the wolves' heads.
BAM
BAM
BAM
Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush or just his 2 points of strength, Kai didn’t stop hitting the wolves until the stick splintered in half, at the same time as he knocked out the last of the [Forest Wolves].
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[You have defeated [Forest Wolf]]
[You have defeated [Forest Wolf]]
[You have defeated [Forest Wolf]]
[You have completed [Attacked by Wolves]]
[You have gained 500 EXP]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have gained 5 Attribute Points]
[Lightning Bolt LVL1 -> LVL2]
A string of notifications popped up in front of Kai, completely obstructing the view of the three wolves who seemed to be so ferocious and ready to feast on him, now sprawled across the forest floor.
In total, Kai had managed to level up five times and his Lightning Bolt had also managed to level up once. He was also pretty sure the wolves had dropped loot for him.
As the system's messages dispersed into thin air, a tired and panting Kai began making his way over to the defeated wolves.
[+ Basic Appraisal LVL1]
[Description: Ability to see details of objects]
"Oh nice, a new skill!" Kai expressed joyously, pumping his fist in the air. He activated the skill and bent down.
[Forest Wolf LVL1]
[Wolf Pelt]
The same set of messages materialized above the wolves. Kai picked up the three wolf pelts and stuffed them into his pant's pocket. Perhaps, he could use them in the future - for trade or crafting? He then picked up a red orb that lay beside one of the wolves.
[Rare Treasure Orb]
"Fascinating..." Kai muttered to himself as he looked into the circulating haze in the palm-sized sphere.
He didn't know what he was supposed to do, so he decided to gently squeeze it. The sphere broke with ease and the smoke, now unrestrained, began to escape from the [Rare Treasure Orb], moving out into the air around him, and in Kai's hands, there lay a hammer.
[Twisted Lightning Battlehammer - Replica (Rare)]
[Description: A replica of the hammer forged by dwarves as a gift to one of the Lightning God's offspring. The original hammer is hidden in one of the securest vaults on the planet.]
[Effects:
[+20 Lightning Damage ]
[+30 STR]
[12% Critical Chance]
"Great! Even though it's a replica, a weapon is a weapon! My strength will skyrocket now! Not only will my sheer Strength stat increase, my lightning damage will as well"
Kai had a moment of celebration as he picked up the hefty hammer in his hands. It was about the size of his arm, with a long handle, and a giant slab of stone on the top. The stone was a dull grey and had delicate engravings that shone with a bluish-white light.
If Kai didn't have the additional strength increase, it being 32 right now, then Kai was very certain that he wouldn't be able to lift his new weapon. It was still rather heavy, but Kai could pick it up, balancing it on his shoulder with not too much of a hustle.
-1HP
[Your Energy is Critically Low. Emergency Healing + Mana regen have been paused. Consume Food to get energy]
Another notification popped up in front of Kai who put on a worried expression as his face paled from suddenly feeling so weak. He opened his stats to see what was happening.
————
Name: Kai
Species: Human
Titles: None
Class: Mage
Subclass: None
Level: 5
Tier/Grade: F
Attribute points: 15
STATS
HP: 2/7
STR: 2 (+30)
INT: 9
MANA: 0.4/5.5
WIZ: 6
STAMINA: 1/1.5
AGI: 1
Energy: 3
Locked Stats:
CHARM: ???
LUCK: ???
Race: ???
Coins: None
Equipment: Twisted Lightning Battlehammer, Wolf Pelt (x3)
Skills: Mana Manipulation (LVL1), Lightning Bolt (LVL2), Basic Appraisal (LVL1)
REMARKS: “You are taking baby steps to become stronger! Good Job”
————
In battle, Kai was was hurt by one of the wolves, explaining the fact that his health wasn't at its peak. His Stamina and Energy were also low, indicating that he couldn't get back the missing stat points. The system told him to eat to get back those points and Kai didn't want to find out what would happen if he didn't...
"The wolves..." Kai thought as he turned back to the wolf's bodies.
However, the thought of eating them raw disgusted him so he decided to make a temporary fire, for cooking and for staying warm. It was still nighttime, so Kai didn't want to keep moving until it was morning.
Settling on the course of action, Kai began gathering fallen wood. It wasn't hard since there were so many pines.
After a while, Kai noticed that his Energy decreased even further, going from 3 to 2. Kai put his hammer down and quickly began rubbing two of the driest sticks he found roughly until they began to become warm.
"Come on...come on" Kai muttered as he felt his hands grow tired.
A flicker of light came out, kindling Kai's hopes. Then there, a fire!
Kai, not wasting any time, rushed to spread the fire to the small pile of sticks he found, creating a miniature bonfire. He then sharpened another stick, using it as a knife to separate parts of the wolves into two sections: edible and not. Pocking one piece of meat to one stick, Kai moved it over the fire.
[Wolf Meat]
[Wolf Bones]
While frying his dinner, Kai used his newly gained skill [Appraisal] to look at what was remaining of the wolves. He did it a couple of times, until eventually, he received an upgrade.
[Basic Appraisal -> Simple Appraisal]
Now, getting [Simple Appraisal], the system told Kai more information. So instead of just getting the name of objects, Kai could see a few more details.
[Wolf Meat]
[+4 Energy]
[Wolf Bones]
[Durability: 6/8]
Very soon after, an appetizing smell began to fill Kai's nose.
"Hopefully, no other animal will come..." Kai murmured nervously as he looked at the smoke that rose into the now brightening sky.
The meat soon began to get slightly burned, so Kai moved it away from the fire. Moving over, and sitting beside his hammer, he took a small bite.
"Mhmm. Delicious!" Kai exclaimed, his worries evaporating.
The meat tasted amazing! It wasn't too burnt and since it was Kai's first time cooking, it was a great success.
[Energy is Full]
[Stamina is Full]
[Healing + Mana Regen in Progress]
[+ Basic Cooking]
[Description: Ability to make basic dishes]
[+1HP]
[+1 STAMINA]
Kai didn't bother looking at his notifications, being too busy licking his fingers and finishing up the meat.
He still had a small pile left but decided that he would save it for later. In case he would have to stop again.
Using a wolf pelt, Kai made a temporary bag where he stored the wolf meat, the remaining [Wolf Pelt] and the [Wolf Bones].
Without noticing, it was already morning. The sun was rising slowly, indicating a new day. It was time to move again. Time to explore the new world!