Stepping outside the gate and into the plains made Nox take a deep breath, gone was the smell of metal, leather and sweaty bodies. He had his equipment and a goal. With that he set off into the wild. Following the road to the north at a leisurely pace. He wasn’t rushing this small journey, after all if his guess was correct he could basically unlock any class as long as he did something related to it. If he did, the system should help him out by creating a class for him.
While he walked down the road the lush plains slowly started to dwindle, the tall grass getting shorter, the blades of grass took on a more brown hue. It also got colder rather quickly. The snowy mountains loomed in the distance. Nox thought about his plan again while he walked.
His plan was to kill a strong beast, maybe a wolf or boar. Even a bear could be possible depending how much he wants to risk. If he understood correctly, killing something of higher level gave EXP but also increased his proficiency with skills OR helped him to earn new ones.
He reached the edge of a forest, thick pines surrounding him while he grabbed the rifle and loaded a bullet, closing the chamber and nodding to himself. Before he ventured deeper into the forest he tried to infuse the rifle with mana, both hands firmly grabbing the gun as he imagined pushing the energy away from him and towards the rifle.
He sat there kneeling in the dry grass, cold wind pulling at his starter clothes. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he felt something, holding onto that feeling he leaned into it, a pulse off…something leaving his body and entering the gun. He tried it again and again, every time the process became faster and easier. Finally he felt a switch flip in his head and understood the concept behind mana movement, it was just the beginning but at least he could use the rifle now. Slowly standing up and lifting the gun, resting against his shoulder and taking aim at a tree in the distance. His breathing slowed, his eyes focused on the target when he gently pressed the trigger.
He only saw something leaving the barrel at a lighting speed, the next moment a piece of tree way ripped away, bark flying everywhere. With wide eyes he looked down at the rifle and back at the tree. Dammit Brookr, what kind of weapon did you build?!, Nox thought and was surprised that the weapon had a minimal knockback and wasn’t far off the target.
With more respect towards his weapon he walked through the forest, his eyes scanning the area while straining his ears to pick up sound. It was irritatingly quiet, only his own footsteps and the sound of swaying branches could be heard. He felt something coil up his leg towards his shoulder. He nearly jumped as the snake touched him but kept himself under control.
“So Ruby, wanna tell me about affinities while you’re here or aren’t you allowed?”, whispered Nox to the snake that took her place on his shoulder.
“I can talk about it now that the dwarf revealed them, so affinities. It’s a rather simple concept, different people are good at different things, the same applies to mana but that’s only one part. The more important part is a person's personality, their goals and emotions. Strong emotions tend to pull a person towards a specific affinity. Unique affinities are rare and hybrid affinities can be natural or artificial, as an example your chosen deity can influence your affinity a bit making it into a hybrid. The dwarf told you about the process of finding it, usually for travelers it reveals itself at Level 10 when they get their class. I hope that was helpful.”, the snake stayed silent while Nox crouched down to inspect paw prints. He had a target
Around half an hour later Nox peeked from behind a tree, in the distance a cave was visible, the entrance covered in shadows. He tracked the bear for the last thirty minutes and finally found its cave. Making sure to keep enough distance between him and the monster he moved slowly backwards and looked for a better vantage point. Walking in a half circle around the entrance he found a good spot. A large boulder covered in moss and other plants was nearly in direct line of sight.
Climbing on the boulder was rather challenging, the slick moss making him lose his grip a few times already but he finally managed it. He unbuckled his belt and put it in front of him, laying down on his belly he used the dimensional pouch as a cushion for his rifle, after all steady aim way key. Grabbing 10 bullets he puts them next to the bag and loads another in the chamber. While he stalked the beast he constantly trained infusing mana into the weapons, Nox must say it worked pretty well so far.
Prepared and in position he waited there in ambush. While he waited he found out some things, first stealth and stealth attack worked while laying down and with the rifle. Before he didn’t have time to really feel it but with stealth activated his weapon also gained some kind of energy. At least the rifle felt heavier and stronger in his hands or a much more plausible explanation, Nox was nervous.
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But he didn’t have much time to think about being nervous, when the sun slowly started to approach the horizon he noticed movement at the entrance. What he didn’t expect was the size of the bear, even if he saw the paw prints on the way here. The bear was the size of a van. Ropes of muscles moving under his dark brown fur, his mouth large enough to bite him swallow him in one piece, the beast was sniffing the ground, like it was inspecting his territory.
Nox focused on the bear, his big eyes that would give him a straight shot for the brain, the chest where the heart would be protected by his ribcage. He didn’t have much time before the bear wandered off to go hunting. He injected mana into his rifle, feeling the energy activate the crystals and runes. Closing his eyes to slow his breathing, when he felt calm enough he opened them and it felt like he could see clearer, like everything was put into focus.
Resting his finger on the trigger he aimed the rifle, the bear lifted its head again, looking straight at him. Breathing out he pulled the trigger back, nearly silent the metal bullet shot from the barrel, spinning rapidly from the enchantment while it traveled towards the bear. It struck the bear, penetrating his left eye.
A smile slowly appeared on his face, he made it. He killed a fucking cave bear with one bullet, he couldn’t wait….
A roar echoed through the forest, shaking the branches of nearby trees. The bear was still alive and it was pissed. Nox quickly grabbed another bullet and rammed it into the chamber, closing it and infused his mana again. But even with his quick movement it was too late. It spotted him and started to sprint towards his position. Cold sweat ran down his neck but he still kept the position and aimed, shooting a second time. But only hitting the shoulder this time.
As grabbed his stuff and jumped from the boulder, escape was the only thing on his mind right now. Nox put his belt back on while running, he fumbled with the buckle for a moment but managed it. Grabbing the rifle from his shoulder he inserted a round and charged it with mana. Turning around he shot at the bear again, this time his luck was better. Hitting the beast in the neck, even hitting a major blood vessel. Still this wasn’t a fight anymore. He had enough time for another shot but it needed to count. Loading the rifle again he pumped mana into like crazy, he felt a headache approach quickly but kept running.
The ground shook under him, the bear was fast on his heels and he didn’t have much time. Should I just keep running or go for the shot? In the end he could just respawn even if his equipment might be lost. Still it was better to go down fighting, than like a coward. He wanted to leave that part of him behind. Turning around he got into position, rifle pressed against his shoulder, eyes focused on the target, his finger on the trigger.
Bleeding heavily from its neck wound, the left eye was nothing more than dripping liquid and his right leg limping a bit from the wound in its shoulder. But even then the bear was a real monster. It charged like a berserker with no indication it would slow down. Nox aimed his rifle straight at his other eye. He needed this shot to count.
It was only a rock throw away, Nox fingers tighten around his rifle, his lips pressed into a thin line:
Two jumps and it would be in reach with his massive paws.
One jump and his mouth would taste his flesh.
Nox smiled and pulled the trigger, he infused the rifle with mana the whole time and it knocked him to the ground, the bullet didn’t hit the remaining eye but instead pierced straight through the thick skull, ripping it’s brain apart.
He sat up as quickly as he could only to see the van sized bear jump towards him, Nox rolled back on his feet and jumped to the side. The bear’s claws missed him by an inch as it sailed forward. Then there was silence, blissful silence but now the young adventurer wouldn’t risk anything. Pushing himself off the ground he loaded another bullet and walked cautiously over to the bear, planting the barrel on his skull and fired another shot. Followed by two more before he was sure the beast was dead.
I really hope that was worth it, he thought and opened his notification, the icon hovered in his peripheral for a while now. “Fucking hell, I really did it!”