I jolt awake, clutching my head where a dull ache pulses under my fingers. As I sit up, still gathering my senses, Max's frantic voice pierces the haze: "Adam, wake up—we're under attack!" His words hit me, and I spring to my feet, nearly stumbling as cramps grip my legs from our questionable sleeping arrangements. I scan our small encampment, my eyes locking onto two massive wolves covered in grey and white fur with their piercing red eyes glinting with hunger.
Nearby, I spot a makeshift spear by the campfire and grab it tightly. Max is managing to hold them off with small, marble-sized fireballs from his hands, buying us time, but I see how the wolves are barely singed, closing in with every second. Given our low level, I know Max can't keep this up for long. Determined, I position myself with the spear in a two-handed thrust, ready to charge. The wolves notice my movement, pulling back, and eye me as a potential new meal. Without a second thought, I quickly position my self between Max and the wolves, glancing back at him. "I'll try to hold them off," I shout. "Get ready to blast them with something bigger if you can!"
Max nods, lowering his hands, determination flashing in his eyes. "I've got about half my mana left. I'll try something, just… don't die." I turn back to the wolves as one crouches, muscles coiling in preparation to lunge. Realizing that my meager skills won't cut it, I activate Blood Rush with abandon. Instantly, my heart pounds like a war drum, my grip on the spear tightens with a crack, and the corners of my vision tint a dangerous red.
The first wolf launches itself at my head. I duck instinctively, thrusting the spear where I think it'll land—but misjudge the wolf's momentum. My spear hits only air as the wolf soars over, landing behind me. Before I can react, a crushing weight clamps down on my left leg. Horror floods me as I glance down to see the second wolf, its teeth sinking into my leg, blood staining my pants. Panic grips me, but then I feel a second, heavier pressure on my left arm. Shifting my focus, I see the first wolf locked onto my arm, its jaws clenched with unyielding force.
With my arms and legs immobile, using a spear is basically impossible and so I drop it. Strangely, fear doesn't take hold—only anger, raw and unfiltered, fills my mind. I grab onto that fury, feeling it pulse through me like fire. My vision goes fully red, and heat courses through my body. With a primal scream, I lift my right leg into the air and bring it crashing to the ground, shaking the wolf off my leg. As the dust clears, the wolf on my arm also lets go and dashes back. Consumed by rage, I give it no thought; instead, I clench my fists and start pounding the downed wolf with unrelenting fury.
After a few brutal seconds, the rage begins to fade. Blood and broken teeth cover my hands as I lift them, and I'm finally able to think clearly again. I glance toward the other wolf, but before I can move, my legs give out, sending me to my knees. I try to stand, but my body refuses, a list of notifications flashing in my vision:
"50 Stamina consumed by Blood Rush,"
"10 Stamina consumed by Blood Rush,"
"10 Stamina consumed by Blood Rush,"
"Blood Rush leveled up to 4."
Opening my status page, I check to see my bars:
Stamina: 1/70
Health: 20/70
Mana: 60/60
My stamina is drained, and the aftermath has clearly taken its toll on my body. Blood streams from my wounds where the wolves latched on, the skin torn and muscles shredded, yet they hadn't bitten down to the bone. Odd… A wolf's bite should have broken my bones and I feel very little pain for the damage done. Maybe Blood Rush numbed the pain, sparing me the worst.
My gaze falls on the nearly-dead wolf in front of me, its skull shattered and blood seeping through the fur. Did I do that? But before I can think further, a low growl comes from behind. I turn, only to see the other wolf's fangs inches from my face. I shut my eyes, bracing for the end—but a fierce shout pierces the air.
"Not today, bastard!" Max's voice rings out as intense heat blazes past my head. Opening my eyes, I see the wolf lying lifeless a few feet away, its body charred and smoldering. In disbelief, I turn to find Max collapsed on the ground, unconscious, steam still rising from his hands.
As I start to make sense of what just happened, a notification flashes before my eyes:
"Grey Wolf Level 3 Slain, 50XP obtained."
Right, we did assume that's how this world works. I take another glance at my health, which sat at a dangerously low ten. Wait, why has my health dropped another ten points? I haven't even been attacked. I look over my injuries again and realize the issue. Ah, the blood loss. This isn't good.
Before panic has a chance to set in, my attention shifts to the dying wolf sprawled in a bloody mess beside me. For some reason, I feel an urge to reach out to the pool of blood beneath it. With my rising anxiety and this strange call to blood, I simply give in and crawl toward it. As soon as I'm close enough to dip my left hand into the cooling blood, a surge of warm energy flows into my fingers, wrapping around my entire body. Confused, I lie completely still, letting the strange energy course through me.
After a few seconds, the warmth fades, except around my wounds, where the blood suddenly comes to life. Like a stream, it seeps into my injuries, drawn directly to the damaged areas. Slowly, I push myself into a sitting position and examine my wounds again. To my astonishment, they're already covered in solid scabs, as if they've been healing for weeks rather than minutes. What the hell is going on here? I glance around, half-expecting something to explain this, but all I see are two dead wolves and Max, still passed out nearby.
Suddenly, new notifications appear in my vision:
"Grey Wolf Level 3 Slain, 50XP obtained,"
"New Skill Learned: Bloody Bandage, Common,"
"You have leveled up,"
"3 Assignable stat points received."
I glance back at the now lifeless wolf—its body is limp and drained. So, that's what Bloody Bandage does; it uses the creature's blood to heal my wounds, killing it in the process. Interesting.
The area around me seems calm, and there's no sign of anything else lurking to attack us. I lean back onto the ground, relieved, and open up my status page to take stock:
Species: Human
Age: 24
Level: 2 (0/150 XP)
Health: 20/80
Mana: 20/60
Stamina: 2/80
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 8
Endurance: 8
Vitality: 8
Intelligence: 6
Wisdom: 5
Charisma: 4
"Titles:"
World walker, Epic
Skills:
Blood Rush Lv4, Common
Bloody Bandage Lv1, Common
Universal Language Comprehension Lv.Max, Rare
Personal Storage Lv.Max, Rare
Primary Class: None
Secondary Class: None
Available Stat Points: 3
It's strange—some of my stats have increased even though my assignable stat points remain untouched. Scratching my head, I let out a small laugh. Bloody Bandage may only be a common skill, but it feels invaluable right now. Satisfied, I stretch out, look around once more, and then let my head drop back, closing my eyes for a moment of rest.
In my mind, I reopen my status page, deciding to allocate the three stat points to Vitality, raising it to ten. My health bar now reads: "Health: 24/110." It seems that each point in Vitality raises health by ten—possibly also improving my body's natural healing rate. Well, I hope so, or I'll be spending a lot of time here.
As I'm thinking, my eyes focus on a small box icon at the top of my vision. Intrigued, I will it to open. The new panel resembles the previous ones but reads "Paths to Mastery" instead of "Status Page." Three opaque paths extend from the center, each marked by a diamond symbol at its starting point:
"Basic Spear Path I, 2 Path Points to unlock,"
"Berserker's Rage Path I, 5 Path Points to unlock,"
"Dark Blood Path I, 50 Path Points to unlock."
In the corner, I see my available Path Points—5. Confused and exhausted, I close the Paths to Mastery panel the same way I do with the status page, letting it fade from view. Rest finally pulls me under, and I close my eyes, allowing myself to drift off.
Slowly, I open my eyes to see a bright blue sky with a slight orange tint—a clear sign it's afternoon. Wait, did I pass out too? I quickly sit up and survey my surroundings. Yep, there are still two dead wolves, and Max lying unconscious on the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, I check my wounds and test my injured limbs. Surprisingly, not only is my mobility better, but the pain is barely a whisper compared to what it was before I blacked out.
I focus and pull up my status page to see my status bars:
Health: 40/110
Stamina: 80/80
Mana: 60/60
Not bad—I won't have to worry about dying anytime soon, even if a few more wolves show up. Actually, let's not jinx it. Deciding to check on Max, I push myself up with my arms, relieved to find my left leg can now support my weight without much pain. I slowly walk over to the spear and pick it up, using it like a cane as I hobble over to where Max is lying. Sitting beside him, I check his vitals and look for any injuries from the fight. Thankfully, he seems unharmed and is breathing normally. Despite my best efforts to wake him, he stays out cold.
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I stand up and drag Max's body toward the center of camp, near the fire pit. Leaving him to his beauty sleep, I start hauling the wolf corpses away. I don't know much about surviving in the forest, but I know predators are attracted to the smell of fresh blood. As I trek through the woods, my injured limbs move more smoothly, and by the time I'm back at camp, my health back up to fifty. I spot Max awake, looking around the camp.
As I get closer, he turns and says, "Damn it, Adam, I thought you were killed and dragged off by wolves or something."
Grinning slightly, I reply, "Actually, it's the opposite. I just came back from disposing of their corpses in the forest."
He nods and looks me over. "From what I saw earlier, you should be dead or, at the very least, too injured to walk. What's with the insane regeneration?"
I plop down beside the campfire and explain, "Well, to sum it up, I got a new healing skill, which is the only reason I'm still here."
Max shoots up, glaring at me. "What skill, and how?"
Slowly, I recount what happened after he passed out. He nods, absorbing every detail, walking in slow circles around the campfire.
"Alright," Max says, "so we both got XP for each wolf, even though we only each took down one. This means the system recognized us as being on the same team and shared the XP accordingly."
Nodding, I reply, "Yeah, that's what I figured too. By the way, did you allocate your stat points, and have you looked at the new Path page?"
Max stops pacing and looks at me blankly. "Hold on a second." A few moments pass as he stares off into the distance. Finally, he says, "I put my points into intelligence, so now I have ninety mana to work with."
I give him a thumbs up and ask, "And the Path screen? What do you see?"
Max scratches his chin. "Well, I don't have the same options you do. I only have one:
"Basic Fire Magic Path I, 2 Path Points to unlock."
Also, I only have four Path Points."
Thinking it over, I reply, "That's odd. We really need to find someone who can explain this world to us—and soon."
Max nods, staring off again, probably checking his stats. I think about my own Paths. I have three options, but only two are accessible right now. I could save up for the Dark Blood Path with fifty Path Points, but I have no idea how these points are earned. Replaying the battle in my head, I consider what I need most. Blood Rush was invaluable, but my seamanship was terrible—I barely even used the thing effectively. If I'm going to survive, I need to get better at combat, unless we find guns…if they even exist here.
The Berserker's Rage Path does temp me, but I decide against it. With my mind made up, I will my Path Points to unlock Basic Seamanship Path I. Suddenly, knowledge floods my mind, as if I've been practicing spear techniques my entire life. I clutch my head as muscle memory and techniques overwhelm me. Though the pain is intense, my new instincts tell me I'm nowhere close to true mastery.
As the discomfort fades, I reopen the Path page. Where it was once gray, it now glows with white light, and the screen expands, revealing more of the path. A new symbol appears behind the starting point, labeled:
"Checkpoint I, 3 Path Points to unlock."
Interesting. I still can't see how long the path is or what future checkpoints cost, but with only three Path Points left, I decide to take a risk and activate it.
If the last wave of knowledge was like a migraine, this feels like a baseball bat to the skull. After a minute, I finally let go of my head and read the new notification:
"New skill learned: Basic Spear Mastery, Common."
What the—? I didn't realize skills could be unlocked like this. I just hope it was worth the points. Excited, I stand up, gripping the spear, and try out a basic combat stance now ingrained in my memories. My hands instinctively position themselves for the best grip, and my body shifts into perfect balance. A few practice thrusts and horizontal swings reveal incredible power, but the moves still feel slightly unnatural—except for the horizontal and diagonal swipes, which come more easily. Lowering the spear, I consider whether I made the right choice. Skills are better than no skills, I suppose. If we had time, I'd explore more options, but for now, this will have to do.
I turn to find Max standing nearby, creating a stream of fire in one hand and a ball of flame the size of a tennis ball in the other, grinning maniacally.
"Looks like you've gone all in on that fire path," I say.
Max stops, turns back, and nods. "Yeah, not all of us are born lucky enough to get three whole Paths."
"Maybe if you pass out less, you might get as good as I am."
After a bit of banter, we sit down and discuss what we've unlocked. Max's fire path gave him better control over flames, and his second checkpoint, which cost two points, unlocked a new skill: Fire Stream, Common. "Looks like this is as strong as we're gonna get for now," he says, and I nod, already planning some new stances to practice.
After about an hour of testing our new abilities, I take a breath and ask Max, "So, what do you think we should do? Try to find a new clearing before nightfall, or stay here?" Max clenches his fist with determination and says, "We stay here. If they come back, I'll burn them all down." Laughing, I reply, "Yeah, yeah, just don't burn yourself too." Max scowls a bit and says, "Also, we have time before night falls. Let's go hunt a wolf or two; they won't see it coming."
It sounds insane to go out into the forest to hunt wolves of all things, but something about my spear skill and my blood skills stirs a craving for battle. It's still a reckless idea, but I nod to Max and start sharpening my wooden spear with a stone. Jabbing it into the ground, I deem it ready, though my instincts tell me this stick barely qualifies as a spear. But it'll have to do. With my mind and weapon sharpened, I call to Max, and we set off into the forest.
We walk around our camp in an expanding spiral, scouting for wolves to secure our perimeter for the night. About an hour later, with the last few rays of sunlight slipping through the trees, we spot two gray wolves just a few meters ahead. They look just as menacing as the ones that attacked us earlier, but this time, there's no fear. Max whispers, "I'll prep two big fireballs from the back." Nodding, I ready my spear, activate Blood Rush at full power—draining my stamina to thirty instantly—and charge in, blazing with red fury.
The moment the wolves see me, it's too late. I take a wide stance and sweep at both with a horizontal slash, my spear fully extended. Blood arcs into the air as the wolves are knocked aside, tumbling to the left. Repositioning myself, I let my stamina drop to twenty and cancel Blood Rush, shifting to a defensive stance. The wolves stagger up, their left-side legs mangled from my strike, but they still manage to coil up, preparing to attack me at any cost. Unfortunately for them, two massive fireballs roar past me, one from each side, crashing into the wolves with an intense heat that reassures me this fight is over. Sure enough, both wolves lie charred and lifeless on the ground. Notifications flash:
"2 Gray Wolves, Level 3, Slain. 100 XP obtained."
Breathing steadily, I kneel down, using the spear as support, and look back to see Max, thankfully still on his feet with steam rising from his outstretched hands. "How much mana?" I ask. Max glances at me and says, "Managed to save about thirty. Almost thought I'd held back too much, but your slash really weakened them. Good job." Smiling, I look at him and ask, "Round two?" He grins and nods. "Yeah, let's head back, rest for an hour, and go again." We make our way back to camp, refuel on some fruit, and set off for another hunt.
As we move stealthily through the woods, we spot three more wolves like before. Odd. The only predators we've encountered so far are these gray wolves. Turning to Max, I say, "You think we're in the gray wolves' territory?" Max scratches his chin and replies, "Maybe. If so, there might be an alpha leading the pack." He grins. "And we're gonna find it and rule this side of the forest." Shaking my head, I gesture toward three wolves a few meters ahead. "At this rate, the alpha won't have a pack to lead." Max just grins and moves ahead. I try to stop him, but he says, "I want to see how much damage my fireballs can do. If I miss, you can rush in."
I'm concerned, but I get it—both of us need this experience. I circle around, positioning myself to deliver any final blows. Once I'm ready, I watch as Max summons three small fireballs. Gradually, they swell to the size of basketballs, their color deepening from yellow-orange to a rich orange with streaks of crimson. He nods at me, then sends the fireballs hurtling toward each wolf. They don't have time to dodge. The fireballs connect, but the wolves still stand, though visibly weakened.
I trigger Blood Rush at full power and burst from the bushes. Holding the spear with both hands at its base, I aim for a diagonal slash, hoping to hit all three wolves in one strike. Their senses dulled from the burns and smoke, the slash lands, spraying scorched fur and blood in an arc as the wolves' bodies tumble into nearby trees. A second later, notifications pop up:
"3 Gray Wolves, Level 3, Slain. 150 XP obtained,"
Then, two new messages appear:
"You have leveled up,"
"3 Assignable stat points received."
I sheath my spear, hearing Max pant, "That was tough. I'll need to work on that more." I give him a thumbs-up, clean my spear with dried leaves, and pull up my status page to view the updates.
Species: Human
Age: 24
Level: 3 (100/200 XP)
Health: 20/120
Mana: 60/70
Stamina: 20/90
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 8
Endurance: 9
Vitality: 12
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 5
Charisma: 4
Titles:
World walker, Epic
Skills:
Blood Rush Lv4, Common
Basic Spear Mastery Lv1, Common
Bloody Bandage Lv1, Common
Universal Language Comprehension Lv.Max, Rare
Personal Storage Lv.Max, Rare
Primary Class: None
Secondary Class: None
Available Stat Points: 3
That's odd—some of my stats have increased automatically again. I call Max over to discuss our gains. As we walk back to camp, Max suddenly snaps his fingers, saying, "I got it! Our vitality, intelligence, and endurance go up by one point every time we level up."
"You might be right, though I can't quite remember what our starting stats were," I reply.
We reach the edge of camp, and I make my way to the campfire, refueling it with some fresh sticks I'd gathered earlier. I settle onto the old tree trunk we've been using as a bench, deciding to save the three unspent stat points for a rainy day. Fixing my eyes on the crackling fire, I take a moment to finally relax. I rip away the blood-stained scraps of my left sleeve and right pant leg; it's cold without them, but it's better than smelling like a zombie. Tossing the cloth into the fire, I watch as the flames consume it, letting my gaze drift to the sky as dusk deepens around us.
A troubling thought enters my mind: if we have to go all out just to handle a few level three wolves, what are our chances of surviving the rest of this deadly forest?