With newfound resolve, Arthur begins forward, his gaze determined as he readies himself for the journey ahead. He knows that he can't stay in this forest forever, physically, and there's no turning back now. Survival, exploration, and understanding this strange world have become his paramount goals.
As he takes his first steps forward, the forest's eerie silence loses its cohesion, showing itself as no more than ignorance. Every rustling leaf and distant sound seems to carry secrets, urging him to unravel the mysteries that lie hidden within this enchanting yet foreboding realm. He was never this enamored with nature before, but this was….new.
The forest terrain is largely easy to traverse, only occasionally having to slow when traversing hazards or disheveled trees. Minutes into the journey however, just as he's about to take another step, a sudden rustling in the bushes nearby startles him. The blood in his veins momentarily runs cold. Fear creeps in like a shadow, and his heart begins to race. His senses go on high alert, and he tenses up, preparing for the unexpected.
Before he can react further, a massive boar bursts out of the underbrush, its eyes wild with fury. With a deafening snarl, and no time allocated for preparations from Arthur, the boar charges straight at him.
The world narrows down to this singular, heart-pounding moment, and Arthur's survival instincts kick in. He dives to the side, narrowly avoiding the charging beast as it rushes past him, its powerful hooves pounding the forest floor. Arthur lands hard on the floor gathering up some scrapes and dust.
As he hits the ground, adrenaline coursing through his veins, Arthur realizes that this world is not just a place of beauty and mystery; it's also a place of peril.
The massive boar, having missed its initial charge, whirls around with surprising agility for its size. It fixes its beady eyes on Arthur once more, snorting angrily, readying itself for another attack. Arthur's heart races, but there's a spark of determination in his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, he can win this fight.
As the boar gathers its strength, Arthur's mind races with thoughts of survival. He's surprised at how quickly he managed to dodge the boar's initial charge. Perhaps he can use that agility to his advantage. Arthur knows he was not this adept in his previous life. There's a glimmer of hope that he might emerge victorious, even in this perilous situation. Arthur has to admit to himself that this moment was not without excitement and a smile is even seen forming upon Arthur’s face.
The boar however appeared to have accepted the role of karmic justice and would not let this confidence go unhindered. Within moments, the boar strikes with brutal swiftness. Its tusks pierce Arthur's chest with a searing pain that surpasses anything he's ever felt before. The boar recoils off his chest and circles back to take another run at Arthur. The wind is knocked out of Arthur, and he crashes to the forest floor, gasping for air. The agony is overwhelming, and he clutches his chest, feeling the warm, sticky sensation of blood for this first time in his life.
As he struggles to sit up, his vision swimming from the pain, he notices something peculiar. Now, unburdened by thoughts of survival he truly takes in the image of the boar, steadily observing Arthur. Floating semi-transparently above the boar is a glowing panel, clearly displaying what appears to be a health bar. The sight is surreal, as if he's been transported into a video game.
“What is this? A HUD?” he wonders, his shock momentarily eclipsing the pain. Looking down at himself his own health serving as a source of dread. He watches as the health bar depletes, indicating the severity of his injury.
“I will not die here!”, “No answers, no life, no way!”. Whether he had to prove it to himself, the shadowy figure or the people of Earth; this opportunity, this life, would not be wasted.
With grim determination, he knows he can't let this world's rules dictate his fate. He grabs a sturdy branch from the forest floor, his knuckles white with tension, and readies himself for another clash with the boar. He won't let that health bar reach zero; perhaps death in this world was still permanent.
Arthur slowed his thoughts and slowly stood up. One hand on his chest and another on the branch. He slowly took three deep breaths, and on the last he placed the branch in both hands, holding it like a baseball bat. His eyes narrowed and the boar’s health bar became more opaque against the backdrop. Arthur would win this, or he would die.
The boar charges again, and Arthur strikes with all the strength he can muster. He dodges the boar's tusks with newfound agility, the branch striking the boar hard in the ribs. The boar’s health bar pulsed and decreased in size; a realization dawning upon him – this HUD isn't just for show; it's a part of this world's reality, for him at least. Arthur can’t help but chuckle to himself, this was just like a video game, and if it was a video game, Arthur would win. Wrapping his hands firmer around the branch, Arthur grits his teeth and grins as he readies himself. Arthur repeats the pattern of strike, dodge, and strike again, his actions syncing with the fluctuating health bar.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Gradually, the battle wears on. Arthur's muscles ache, and his chest burns with pain, but he can see the health bar of the boar slowly diminishing as well, providing hope. The boar, panting heavily, seems to realize that it's met its match. Arthur decides to take the offensive, he would take his anger out on this boar. Wrong time, wrong place. With one final, well-aimed blow, Arthur strikes the beast down.
The boar collapses to the forest floor, its health bar empty, and it lies motionless, defeated but not vanishing. The real, tangible creature, now lifeless in the midst of the forest.
James takes a moment to catch his breath, his chest still throbbing from the boar's attack. As he steadies himself, his attention is drawn once again to the glowing health bar hovering in his vision. It's on roughly 60%, he estimates. If this pain represents just 40% of his health, he knows he needs to be cautious to avoid taking further damage.
With a curious and cautious gaze, he focuses on the health bar, willing it to come more into focus. As he concentrates, it sharpens, revealing a clear and detailed representation of his well-being. Arthur steadies his gaze and attempts the same methodology on the lifeless boar. The health bar, now empty, still hangs over the boar, growing in opaqueness. Arthur rises, cautiously, to his feet and lumbers forward. As he approaches the creature and taps on its physical form, a translucent panel opens up, revealing information about the creature. Arthur is started backwards as the large screen opens in front of the boar between them, the panel is semi-transparent and pale blue is colour with black text.
Ookra Forest Boar
Level: 1 HP: 0
Loot
Meat x 2
Hide x 1
James is astounded by this discovery. It's as though he's interfacing with the very essence of this world, accessing information about the creatures and potentially even the objects around him. The boar's panel reads downward with each piece of information on its own line, neatly organized for his convenience.
Intrigued by the loot mentioned in the panel, he clicks on it, his curiosity piqued. As he does, the lifeless boar before him undergoes a miraculous transformation. It dissolves into shimmering particles, and in its place, a small bag of meat and a neatly rolled section of hide materialize. The panel closes vertically, folding itself into the matter of this reality.
James can hardly contain his excitement and astonishment. He's stumbled upon a unique and mysterious aspect of this world's reality, something akin to a video game interface come to life. Almost giddy the pain in Arthurs body seems to be fading away and he stands and clenches his fists excitedly.
The realization of what he's discovered sinks in, and he can't help but feel a newfound sense of hope. The possibilities suddenly seem endless.
Arthur suddenly falls silent in contemplation. If the boar had an inventory and stats, perhaps he did as well. He decides to tap on himself, his fingers instinctively landing on his chest. Almost involuntarily, he mutters, "Status."
To his astonishment, a pale blue translucent panel materializes right in front of him, roughly one meter tall and half as wide; displaying a wealth of information.
Name: [Blank]
Level: 1
Health: [a red bar hovers displaying roughly 60%]
Mana: [a blue bar stands full]
Stats:
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 13
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 11
Abilities:
Status
Identify
Skills:
Blessings of Earth
James's eyes widen as he takes in the information. His name is strangely absent, leaving a blank space. His level is displayed as 1, which seems reasonable enough; but it's the array of stats that truly captures his attention. They seem akin to something out of a role-playing game, reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons.
With a sense of intrigue, he begins to examine his stats in more detail, however, what truly piques his curiosity are the abilities listed on the panel:
Abilities:
Status
Identify
With a sense of curiosity, he clicks on "Status," and the panel reads:
Level 1: Status - Grants the user insight into their personal stats and inventory.
Arthur is truly beginning to understand that this world is governed by its own set of rules and internal systems. Next, he clicks on "Identify," and the panel reveals:
Level 1: Identify - List a target's properties. The chance to gain additional insight increases with the skill’s level.
Arthur can use this skill to gain information about the creatures and objects around him, much like he did with the boar.
He turns his attention to "Blessings of Earth" and clicks on it. A red message appears, cryptically stating, "Identify skill too low."
Arthue furrows his brow, puzzled by this message. It's clear that there's much more to this world and his newfound abilities than he currently understands. Arthur couldn’t deny however, pain aside, this could be a lot of fun. With a determined look in his eyes, he's ready to unravel these mysteries one step at a time.
Arthur sits down on a grassy mound as he delves further into the HUD, he discovers separate tabs for "Skills," "Abilities," and "Inventory." Preparing himself for the endevours ahead Arthur submits himself to exploration.
When he decides to close the panel, a prompt appears, requesting him to insert his name. He hesitates for a moment, contemplating the implications of revealing his identity in this unknown world. With caution in mind, he decides to leave the name blank for now, believing it's best to meet the locals first and gather information before potentially exposing himself to suspicion.
With a final click, he closes the panel and stands up, ready to venture further into this intriguing and mysterious world.