Joe's eyes were glued to Wolfin's glowing gaze. His body was numb and he couldn't move an inch. The only moving thing in his body was his heart, relentlessly pounding against his chest. [Passive Skill: Intimidation]

[-5 Attribute Points To Your Mental Strength Attribute. Current Mental Strength. (Total: 5]

[Avert Your Gaze From The (Level 5) Wolflin To Neutralize The Effect Of (Intimidation)]

Upon hearing Syr's words, Joe's eyes acted on command. He diverted his sight, choosing to focus on the Wolflin's broad furry chest instead.

Almost immediately he felt the difference, his shoulders lightened, his breathing stabilized. The paralysis that gripped him retreated and he regained control of his body.

[You Have Neutralized The Effect Of (Intimidation) Your Mental Strength Attribute Has Recovered. (Total: 10)]

Joe exhaled, “Thank you Syr.” He muttered unable to hide his relief. “N–Now can you help me…,?” he stattered, realizing he was still not out in the clear. That Wolfin as Syr called it, was going to kill him.

Syr's silence dampened his mood. He could hear the Wolfin's low growls. His heart started picking up steam once again. Tears tittered at the edge of his eyes, “I know I messed up ok.. I'm sorry for chasing you away…” His throat became dry and hard. The tears fell over the edge like a waterfall, drenching his cheeks in their salty embrace. “I'm sorry Syr! I'm sorry! Please help me!” His voice reverberated the entire space.

That seemed to be the trigger, following Joe's sudden outburst, the Wolfin galloped towards him. Each step it took resonated with the earth, forcing the trees to wiggle slightly

Joe's heart thumped against his chest. His eyes wide, was he going to die? No… almost instinctively he turned the opposite direction. Putting one foot infront of the other, he committed himself to a mad dash.

His arms flailed as he urged himself foward. His mouth wide open, his tears were gone. There was no time to cry. He needed to survive. His feet clattered hard against the earth, the occasional glance over his shoulder confirmed his worst nightmare. He wasn't going to outrun the Wolfin. In just a few seconds. He was going to die. But even then, he refused to resign himself.

[Attribute Window]

Personal Information:

• Name: Joe White

• Age: 19

• Class: Outsider (Unique)

• Level:4

Attributes:

• MP: 100/200

• Skill: 11 (+2 Class Boost Attribute Points)

• Strength: 10

• Speed: 10

• Defense: 8

• Mental Strength: 10

• Additional Rank Points: 0

Skills:

▪︎Rapid Leveling (Passive) (Unique)

•Outsider’s Enhancement

•Outsider’s Perspective (Passive) (Unique)

•Predator (Unique)

Inventory:

▪︎ The Black Blade

Gold Pieces:

• Amount: 0

A half baked smile formed as Joe saw one of Syr's notifications. The information presented to him was a lot. He had no way to discern what most of it meant—not in such little time. His eyes blazed through the text—only landing on the one thing he understood without a second thought. A Weapon. The Blsck Blade.

"The blade Syr! I'll take the blade.”

Responding to his words, a bright blue light smothered Joe's hands. The glow was gentle, not blinding to the eye and soft around the hands. Its existence however was short-lived. It vacated Joe's sight almost as quickly as it appeared. What lingered in its wake was exactly what Joe was hoping for.

Whipping around, the nineteen year old turned to face the Wolflin. Had he turned a few seconds later, he would probably be dead. The beast was close, really close. But In Joe's hand was a weapon, something he could use to halt the creature in its tracks. A thick, lengthy black sword rested firmly around his solid grip. It shimmered faintly in the darkness, its sharp edges a silent threat for anyone who dared to come close. This was it. This was The Black Blade.

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The furry behemoth halted almost instantly at the sight. It's feet slowly pushing back as its low growls persisted.

Joe took a step foward, the Wolfin took several steps backwards. “That's right just keep moving.” Joe fainted a swing and the beast threw itself back like a cat running from water. It landed a fair distance from Joe, caution and fear exemplified by its change In demeanor.

Joe's breaths returned to normality, his eyes never leaving the beast. “What now Syr? Do you want me to charge at that thing? I don't that will work, I'm no fierce fighter, that thing will kill me.” Joe had never held a sword before In his life. Joe was not new to holding weapons, he did hold a knife many times as a kid. But back then, his opponent while horrifying was still human. This time, he was facing something far more menacing than any human he'd face before. Including him.

[You're Lucky This Wolfin Is Still Young. At Level 5, He's Practically A Child. They May Attack A Person When They Can't Defend Themselves, But They Think Carefully When Their Foe Has A Weapon.]

Just a child? That collosal beast was still just a child? Joe gulped in response to that. It was outrageous.

[It's Not All Doom And Gloom. You Can Still Win. That Weapon In Your Hands Is Different From Your Weak Earth Swords. It's A Mana Tool.]

“A Mana what?”

[Mana Tool: The Black Blade]

Level: 4

Class: D

Description

A thick, sturdy sword forged from common steel, designed for young adventurers. The blade has the ability to absorb and store mana, enhancing its power during combat. However, its durability is limited, and it may break when confronted with superior-Level.

Skills

▪︎ Mana Slash

Unleash stored mana in the form of sharp, crescent-shaped mana arcs, capable of slicing through opponents at a distance.

Boost: +10 Skill Attribute Points.

Cost:-20 Mana Pool Points/ Attack At This Level.

Seals

Seals Unlocked: 0/5

Awakening: Locked

The numbers, skills descriptions. All of this was exactly like a video game. Joe didn't play much as a kid but he understood some things. Mana, skills and stats. His comprehension of these terms was basic, but not abysmal. Now the Attribute Window from earlier made a lot more sense. Everything here functioned similar to a video game. When he applied this mindset, not only did his fear diminish but everything became clearer.

“So I need to access my mana to unlock this bad boy's Skill. Sweet!” Joe's face lit up. He'd always wondered what it felt like being inside a video game. Now he was living that childhood dream. It felt surreal.

“In most games, you need skills to access your mana. I'm guessing this is when the skills I saw briefly on my Attribute Window come into play?” He questioned, half certain.

[That's Correct. But I Must Warn You. This Isn't A Game. Grisha Is Real.]

Syr's words did ruin his mood slightly. If this was real, then things like second lives probably didn't exist. The fact he didn't see Hp on his window earlier attested to this. This also made everything painfully obvious. This was not Earth. Not even close.

Joe didn't know how to feel about that, just yet. It wasn't important, for now anyway. He just needed to focus on surviving.

The Wolfin snarled. It threatened to take a step, only backing away at the last possible second. Joe knew it was getting agitated, it wouldn't be long before it threw caution to the wind. Just keeping it at bay for this long, was already a miracle.

“Ok Syr, let's do this quick. Show me which Skill will help me fight that thing.”

[That Would Be Outsider’s Enhancement]

[Skill: Outsider’s Enhancement. (Level 1)]

• Effect: Allows You To Channel Mana Through Your Body And Mana Tools, Enhancing Their Capabilities.

• Boosts: +4 Strength And Speed Attribute Points

• +8 Skill Attribute Points.

▪︎ ▪︎Mana Cost: -25 Mana Pool Points (Increases By +10 Mana Pool Points Each Level]

▪︎You Can Multiply The Boosts Of This Skill Up To (X3) By Multiplying The Mana Cost Based On How Much Of A Boost You Want. (E.g X2 Will Cost 50 Mana Pool Points At This Level. X3 Will Cost 75 Mana Pool Points At This Level. The Multiplication Cost Is Dependent On The Level Of The Skill.

“I think I get it.” Joe didn't stay on the screen too long. He spent just a few seconds and felt like he got the gist of it.

He reaffirmed his grip, his eyes flared with excitement. He unleashed a wide smirk. The moment of truth, had arrived.

“Let's do this.”

[Skill Activation: Outsider’s Enhancement]

A burning sensation bubbled around Joe's heart. His heart pounded, his muscles tightened. And then without warning, it exploded.

Bursting out of every fiber of his being, was a pitch black aura. It stirred around him like a wild tornado. Joe smirked with excitement. “This is awesome!” His voice roared throughout the Black Forest.

The aura finally settled down, it cloked his form like a second layer of skin. Joe couldn't describe what had happened to him, but all of a sudden—he was alive.

[-25 Mana Pool Points]

[Current Mana Pool: 75]

[Total Speed:10>14]

[Total Strength: 10>14]

[Total Skill:13>21]

The Wolfin seemed to be caught in two minds after Joe's display of power. It had two options. Retreat while it still had a chance. Or kill Joe before he become something too big for it to handle. The Wolfin had made its choice.

It galloped in an all or nothing suicide charge. A guttural howl clawed its way out of its throat. Following this was a bright light that emmited from its form. It dimmed and glowed faintly around its body serving a similar purpose to Joe's own aura. This did the trick because after this, the Wolfin's speed doubled. Only a trail of dust was left in its wake. [Skill Activation: Mana Beast Charge]

“I guess I'm not the only one with a skill.” Joe's smile grew larger. Instead of being frightened… Joe found himself exhilarated.

He crouched low, and with a powerful step—his body blasted forward. “Let's do this!” His black blade trailed by his side, firmly clutched by his right hand. A black line of mana escaped from the blade, drawing the surface in its inky darkness.

Joe's path intertwined with the Wolfin—the resulting collision was inevitable.

The distance between the two shortened with each passing second. Taking advantage of this reduced space was the Wolfin. It's form enlarged as it rose up like a grizzly bear. Its savage claws cloaked in its red aura shone brightly. Without a moment's notice, the Wolfin swung it's right hand horizontally. The claws approached Joe's kneck—ready to slice it open.

Responding accordingly, Joe's body crouched even lower. His head slipped underneath the claws as they whistled just above his head.

Taking advantage of this opening, Joe's right hand went through the motion. He performed a perfect horizontal swing of the blade. A dark crescent arc blasted forth. It tore through the Wolfin cleaving it perfectly in half. [Mana Tool Skill: Mana Slash]

[-20 Mana Pool Points]

[Total Skill: 21>31]

[Current Mana Pool:55]

Blood gushed out from the Beast. It's unrestrained roar reverberated the entire space. It didn't last long though, its pieces collapsed on the now blood soaked earth.

Silence blessed the forest once again, the battle reached its conclusion. Joe had won.