I reviewed the latest ability in my arsenal.

Phantom Blink Shot (E): The blink shot of Phantom Whisper enables the wielder to instantly teleport to where it lands

I nocked an arrow and as I drew the bowstring back, I activated the [Phantom Blink Shot]. I felt a noticeable mental drain and the arrow glowed with a blue tinge surrounding it. I chose a spot on the ground about a couple hundred feet away that is in clear view and released it.

I braced my knees anticipating a warp or whiplash of some kind. The arrow landed and nothing happened. I looked on with a puzzled look as the arrow dissipated within a few moments after landing.

Did I not fire it right or is there something I was supposed to do after it landed?

I nocked another and this time, aimed at a spot only a few feet away. As the arrow landed, I sensed a brief moment of chillness as the shadows around me came alive. In an instant, a shroud of darkness enveloped me and the surroundings became a swirling vortex of shadow and light. Whispers, soft and ethereal surrounded me, sounding as if carrying the echo of lost souls.

Then, in a blink, I was thrust forward, emerging from the shadows at the spot the arrow landed. The sudden pull back into reality felt slightly disorienting, but not as much as I expected it to - probably due to my enhanced perception.

That felt exhilarating! I could sense that I can use the ability again. I shot another arrow, slightly farther than before, about a hundred feet this time. I felt the same sensation pull me in and voila, teleportation! I can’t help but feel excited like a kid experiencing ice cream for the first time.

I refrained from overdoing it as I am still pretty exhausted and drained out. The fruits helped a bit with the physical exhaustion but I am still recovering mana at a slow pace, so every remaining bit is crucial.

There are still a lot of trials and experiments I want to test out with the ability but that’ll have to wait. First, time to settle in for the night.

While I am still famished, I knew I wouldn’t be gorging on all of my kills tonight. Regardless, I gathered all the prowler beasts and made way closer towards the river. I found a clearing without any overhead branches that seemed like a good spot for a campfire.

I laid the beasts on a nearby tree branch - all except the pack leader. I took out an arrow and noticed that it looked improved as well - made of similar ash-like wood like the bow with slight patterns along the shaft. The metal tip of the arrow felt sharp and polished and I used it to skin the beast and it went to work smoothly. The process still was slow and tedious but finally I was able to extract clean chunks of meat.

I gathered dried leaves and twigs - enough to form a small pile of kindling. My camping skills are limited to snippets of information I watched on TV or conversations with office buddies, so I racked my brains to think through all I know. I gathered some larger sticks and broke off some lean branches with my bare hands. Now, the tricky part - I picked up all the stones nearby and crouched, all set to light a fire.

As it turns out, my worry was misplaced; with my current strength, creating sparks by striking stones together is surprisingly easy. As the kindling caught on fire, I dropped more and more sticks and then larger logs till there was a merry fire blazing and crackling.

The sky had grown dark by then, so I propped two logs upright and placed an arrow with skewered chunks of meat above the fire. Armed with my bow and an arrow nocked and ready, I stood vigilant, keeping watch.

I let it roast, turning it occasionally till it was done. I extinguished the fire by kicking in the mud, then grabbed my cooked dinner and settled onto a different tree’s branch, facing the other tree where I had laid the remains of the other beasts. I saw a new notification pop up

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

General Skill Cooking acquired

Upgrade: Cooking Lvl0 -> Lvl1

I tore through the roasted meat, which was surprisingly delicious despite no seasoning. I could sense my still recovering mana surge faster as I devoured the entire meal within minutes. Finally content, I decided to skip the trip to get water and climbed to a much wider branch above and settled in for the night.

As I closed my eyes, I felt the weariness and fatigue of the extremely eventful day pulled me towards deep slumber just as I sensed the [Cover Of Grixivyne] camouflaging me. I couldn’t help but wonder that maybe I would wake up in my own bed the next time I opened my eyes again.

I jolted awake as I heard the loud snapping of bark breaking like thunder crackling, my camouflage deactivating instantly. My [Phantom Shroud] ability is still active, cloaking me in dark mist. In a slow motion, I lifted myself up and cautiously peeked through the gaps in the tree cover.

The dawn light is just starting to creep in and the commotion rose near the tree standing within my view - a hulking figure, towering at around 10 feet tall, with a broad, muscular build covered in mottled green and brown skin. Its skin appeared to be rough and textured, similar to that of a tree bark. Its hands ended in thick claw-like fingers which were currently busy gripping the tree’s branch with the Feral Prowler bodies on and in a single heave, snapped the thick branch like a twig.

[Forest Troll - Lvl 26]

The Forest Troll is primarily a solitary creature and aggressively territorial

Core Qualities: Enhanced Strength, Regeneration

Upgrade: Identify Lvl10 -> Lvl11

Identify seems to have improved after it reached Level 10.

I watched in silence as the troll took a bite of the prowler. It doesn’t even have sharp teeth, just crushed the beast’s body with its flat and wide molars. I activated the [Eye of Dronawk] and carefully observed its weak spots as it finished the first beast of the three course meal. Eyes, throat, joints and the back of the neck - nothing surprising

Upgrade: Identify Lvl11 -> Lvl12

I have a decision to make and not a lot of time to debate either. The troll is huge and definitely strong - while it is probably slow, it isn’t an ideal target for me as I doubt I could take it with a single surprise critical-point hit.

It would probably leave after its meal or maybe, just like it tracked the hidden beasts’ bodies, it could possibly track myself or my night’s dinner scent back to this tree. I checked my [Hunter’s Sigil RIng] which hasn’t recharged yet from the Feral Prowler kill yesterday.

I am feeling fully recharged and I do have a decent advantage with the twenty feet high vantage point I am perched in. This is the best chance I could get. I assigned all my Additional Stat Points into Strength

Upgrade: Strength +5

Summoning my bow, I stood on the tree branch and took a deep breath as I nocked the arrow in. I pulled my right arm as far back as I can, the bowstring taut enough that it could slice with my gaze focused on the Forest Troll, its back of the neck which laid bare and exposed.

I debated for an instant on whether to go for a [Silent Arrow] first, but it felt too good a chance to pass out on the alternative. So, I started channeling the [Charged Shot of Phantom Whisper], the power flowing in much faster than ever before.

While I initially thought of releasing after two seconds, I changed my mind halfway through. The arrow started to hum, faintly after one second, a low note after two and started buzzing after three seconds, my nocked fingers bruised as my chest threatened to collapse from holding off the power eager to fly through. The troll noticed the disturbance and turned its body slowly.

Time slowed for a fraction of second - the arrowhead vibrating with orange sparks streaking, the troll raising its head up towards my perch as I sensed the whispers, urging to destroy and annihilate anything that dared stand in our path, utterly obli..

My right fingers erupted with blood as the bowstring snapped back, propelling the arrow with brutal force. I barely registered the arrow shooting forward, only the orange streaking trail it left from the bow to the Troll’s head.

I nocked another arrow as I gazed at the damage the Charged Shot caused - the Troll’s upper left part of its head utterly destroyed. Yet its right eye burned with vengeance as it lumbered toward the tree where I was perched.