The sunset was approaching. Larrios arrived at his camp, feeling ecstatic about the new item he had made by himself. While crafting the wooden sword, he felt like he was in a trance. Slowly refining it and turning it into a real weapon, every move he made felt hypnotic. He wasn't thinking about anything—no feelings of concern crossed his mind. The world around him disappeared; in fact, everything except for himself, the stone, and the sword no longer existed in his thoughts. It was just him and his goal. It felt so peaceful, even though the process was demanding, as Larrios had no knowledge of crafting, let alone crafting a weapon.

"Wooden Sword? Damage 2-5, and it has a durability of 10. That means it can break if I overuse it. No matter—with this, I feel more powerful."

As Larrios thought about the sword, he started recalling the pop-up windows he had been seeing ever since he woke up, displaying different information such as skills and stats.

"Since this weapon has so much information attached to it, I need to learn more about myself. Does the damage it shows affect my strength, like the skill I received earlier?"

With just a thought, Larrios opened his character window:

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Character Name: Larrios Astarte

Gender: Male

Age: 18 Years

Title: = None =

Class: = None =

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Stats:

Strength → 6

Intelligence → 8 (+1)

Stamina → 6

Dexterity → 10 (+2)

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As Larrios read his information, he noticed something new—he now had the woman's name attached to his own.

"So I wasn't crazy. The dream was real. Or as real as seeing windows pop up in front of me. Larrios Astarte… it fits me!"

Continuing down the window, he found out how old he was, but the other two descriptions caught his attention.

"Title and Class marked as = None =. So I need to earn them, like I did with skills and items. This is interesting. I want to be a warrior who can take on hordes of wolves and eagles!"

As Larrios imagined this, a mischievous smile spread across his face.

"If I save some kind of princess from a crazed animal, I'll get a title like Count or King! I'll be rich, and there will be plenty of potatoes and birds! Hee hee hee."

Lost in thoughts of fame and fortune, Larrios noticed some changes in his stats since the last time he checked. Both Dexterity and Intelligence had modifiers.

"It seems that the levels I've gained have interesting effects on my stats."

Pondering how the stats were affected, he remembered the various prompts he had received over the past few days with information about new skills and items.

"Ahem, let's have a look at those skills."

The character window faded from Larrios's mind, and a new one appeared:

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Inventory:

Rags → "I'm sure no one will miss them."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Wooden Sword → "A simple yet sturdy wooden sword, crafted by Larrios. Though it lacks the sharpness of steel, its lightweight design makes it easy to wield."

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As he looked at his current items, while proud of his sword, he couldn't ignore the fact that the sword and the rags he was wearing were his only possessions. Reality hit him hard, and his dreams of fame and fortune vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

Trying to forget about his poverty, he remembered that in a way, he was rich. With a sudden flash in his eyes, he thought of the skill window:

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Skills:

Gathering → Level 1

Crafting → Level 1

Survival → Level 1

Cooking → Level 1

Hunting → Level 2

+2 Dexterity

Farming → Level 2

Patience → Level 1

Skill Description: "By farming your first plant, you now understand that it takes patience and nurturing to bring forth life in this world."

+1 Intelligence

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The skill window was different from the previous two, as it described the effort and hard work Larrios had put in over the last few days.

"So the modifiers to my stats are due to the 'Hunting' and 'Farming' skills, which are both level 2. 'Farming' even granted me a subsequent skill that gives me a nice bonus in intelligence. So that's why I've been feeling smarter! Hee hee hee!"

Once again, Larrios was giddy with excitement, but what he observed was true. He had indeed gathered all the skills listed in the window, and his hard work had paid off nicely.

"Hmm, if I follow the pattern of the bigger skills, I think if I level up the smaller skills, I'll get even more bonuses. I need to become stronger..."

Larrios dismissed the window screen and began thinking again about the eagle fight. It was true that he had made decent progress in his skill growth, but that didn't guarantee he'd win a fight against a wolf. And even if it did, who's to say the wolf wouldn't cheat like the bad eagle? No one ever said you only need physical strength to win a fight. In most cases, it's the one with more cunning who takes the trophy.

A few moments later, Larrios started his usual pebble-gathering routine, aiming at birds while thinking about everything he had learned in the past few days. Despite all the unusual things happening to him, the world he was currently living in seemed devoid of any other humans. Deep in thought, he managed to kill three birds using his pebble technique, quickly gathering them and bringing them back to the camp. While it wasn't much, Larrios felt that he had improved his hunting skill, and the progress was starting to show. There hadn't been a moment recently when he had nothing to eat. With all the hunting he had done, the sun finally set, and night began to fall.

He lit the campfire but soon felt thirsty. Leaving the camp, he approached the river to drink some water. By chance, he glanced back toward the camp and noticed a large figure looming near the fire. Crouching low beneath the bushes, he watched as the figure leapt into the air and grabbed the birds with its mouth. It was the gray wolf again! Larrios was stunned for a few moments, but when the wolf snatched the birds he had gathered, he instinctively started running toward the camp. Within seconds, he was face to face with the gray wolf. Larrios was furious, but fear still gripped him. His survival instincts kicked in, and he began searching for the wooden sword. While keeping his eyes on the wolf, he slowly bent down and picked up the sword lying nearby. Once he stood in a semi-fighting stance, he said:

"Here you go, stupid dog. You don't scare me. You're stealing my food. Don't worry, I'll make sure to domesticate you in a minute."

As he tried to boost his morale, the gray wolf stared at him, fixating on the sword. Instinctively, the wolf knew that if it got hit, it would be injured. The wolf opened its mouth, letting the birds fall to the ground, and fixed its gaze on Larrios, readying itself for a fight.

"Here I gooo!!!"

Larrios yelled as he raised the wooden sword to his left shoulder and charged toward the wolf. As he got close, he swung the sword horizontally toward the wolf's head, but he wasn't fast enough. With a swift movement, the wolf dodged to the left, and Larrios's sword struck the ground. He was stunned and frightened, but the wolf didn't wait. It quickly bit Larrios's left leg!

"Aaagh, dammit!!"

The wolf didn't stop there. As soon as Larrios was on the ground, it began growling and biting his leg repeatedly, knowing that a prey unable to move would be easier to kill. Larrios screamed as the wolf's teeth sank deeper into his flesh. Blood poured from his wounds, and he couldn't defend himself. In a last-ditch effort, he curled into a fetal position, trying to protect his neck and head while the wolf continued biting wherever it could.

"I can't do this anymore… I'm going to die here… just like the eagle."

For a moment, Larrios lost consciousness, drifting in and out of reality. The pain faded, and all he could see was the scene of the eagle's descent, replaying in his mind. As the eagle plummeted toward the ground, Larrios thought he was about to meet the same fate. But just as the eagle in his mind hit the ground, he realized the wolf wasn't attacking him anymore. Slowly, he opened his eyes. In front of him, the wolf stood with its back turned. Larrios could see the three birds he had caught clutched in the wolf's mouth. Somehow sensing Larrios watching, the wolf turned its head back toward him. Its gray fur gleamed in the moonlight. For a few seconds, they made eye contact, staring at each other in silence, before the wolf turned away and began walking off with its prey.

"You're not even running… that's how confident you are that you could take me on… I don't even deserve a quick death… damn it…"

As the wolf left the camp, Larrios fainted, his eyes still open, staring at the spot where the wolf had been moments earlier.

The night was beautiful, with a small cloud drifting near the edge of the moon. It looked like a small tear falling onto the earth...