Player : Zane Black
Race : [G - HUMAN]
Level : 3
Health : 24/70
Stamina : 41/70
Mana : 32/50
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
ATTRIBUTES
Physical [2] :
[Strength] - 2 [base : 2] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Dexterity] - 5 [base : 2] [sub + achv : 3] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Constitution] - 2 [base : 2] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
Mind [0] :
[Intelligence] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Willpower] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Capacity] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Free Main Attribute points : 2]
[Free Sub Attribute points : 2]
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Classes :
[]
Skills :
[]
Achievements :
[Death’s door(2)]
Affinities :
[]
Talents :
[]
My shocked eyes stared at the status screen, noting more than just a few new things.
First, The wolf encounter netted me 2 solid levels. That alone was plentiful enough, but I gained another dexterity point too, which I could only assume comes from the upgraded achievement.
The next thing that shocked me was the fact that I lost mana. There was no instance in the previous fight where I felt like I was using magic, unless..
That magical attack. It drains mana.
I shudder to think about the risk I just took by fighting those wolves. One of those bolts took over 50% of my health in one strike.
The adrenaline wears off as I my eyelids grew weary, exhaustion creeping up from all the intense situations I went through. Half of me urged me to rest, but the rest wanted me to continue until I found somewhere that was definitely safe.
Looking downwards at the magic bolt’s point of impact, and to no one’s surprise, there was now a hole in the shirt I wore. The wound within was even worse, it appeared bubbly and tender, almost like I was burnt.
I hurried away from the scene, in case the corpses here attracted other sets of creatures to the display of carnage beneath me.
Closing the status screen, I opted to find somewhere safe before I level up.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
The stream of water led me to the least dense part of the forest so far. Now, the overgrown jungle was sparse enough to have a few patches of empty ground in-between. A few wolves appeared on my way here, but none of them showed any signs of aggression. They seemed to be keen on minding their own business.
One important thing I noticed was that the forest inhabitant’s level dropped the further I went from my starting point. The last few wolves I met hovered around levels 2 and 3, even dropping as low as 1 at times. I planned to kill them for some experience but ultimately decided against that since I was too drained for another intense fight.
My wound’s not getting better too.
With the lower leveled enemies around this zone, I relaxed my shoulders as my worry had eased for a tiny bit. It wasn’t long before I found an empty patch of land covered in bushes and roots and climbed to the tallest tree nearby.
Settling on a big branch as the sun sets, I yawned as I gazed at the sunset on the horizon. Tiny rays of the sun passed through the leaves, gently illuminating the forest that was around me. It was a strangely beautiful sight.
There are things here that I could appreciate too.
Content with my current spot, I rested my head against the branch and opened the status menu.
Player : Zane Black
Race : [G - HUMAN]
Level : 3
Health : 26/70
Stamina : 30/70
Mana : 32/50
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
ATTRIBUTES
Physical [2] :
[Strength] - 2 [base : 2] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Dexterity] - 5 [base : 2] [sub + achv : 3] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Constitution] - 2 [base : 2] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
Mind [0] :
[Intelligence] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Willpower] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Capacity] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Free Main Attribute points : 2]
[Free Sub Attribute points : 2]
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Classes :
[]
Skills :
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
[]
Achievements :
[Death’s door(2)]
Affinities :
[]
Talents :
[]
My hp has recovered a little, but my mana is still the same…
The slow rate of regeneration implied that potions were the primary way of regaining health, especially in times where you needed it the most. I gave up the idea of sleeping off the wounds as I scoured my backpack for the minor healing potion, consuming it.
Instantly, a huge swirl of comforting energy ran its course through my nervous system. My eyes widened, watching the magical process of my wound healing. The skin that was burned off regenerated, enveloping the burned area bit by bit from the edges, eventually healing completely.
While the healing process amused me, now it was time to figure out where to put the rest of my free points.
All the physical stats proved useful in all the encounters I faced today, so putting points in it was a no-brainer. The next 2 free sub-points, however, required a little more thought.
The three sub-attributes proved useful; Strength allowed my attacks to hurt more, Dexterity gave me the nimbleness and speed I craved, and constitution allowed me to take more hits and run further.
It was foolish to rely on my reflexes every time, so putting 1 point in constitution was a good idea. The next point was between strength and dexterity.
The fight with the wolves showed I could do good damage with the low strength that I had, so I have some leeway with having lower strength. Besides, increasing physical stats also adds 1 strength per level, so it wasn’t like I would be severely underpowered if I kept focusing my sub-attribute points on dexterity.
Speed was crucial. Faster reflexes, faster movements, more opportunities to attack, they were just some of the many advantages of being faster.
Closing my eyes, I finalized my decision.
A sharp thrill ran down my skin as the familiar sensation of electricity surged through me again. However, it came with an intensity that I was not expecting. I nearly groaned from the intense pleasure, but as quickly as it came, it dissipated almost instantly.
I checked my status again.
Player : Zane Black
Race : [G - HUMAN]
Level : 3
Health : 100/100
Stamina : 50/100
Mana : 32/50
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
ATTRIBUTES
Physical [4] :
[Strength] - 4 [base : 4] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Dexterity] - 8 [base : 4] [sub + achv : 4] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Constitution] - 5 [base : 4] [sub + achv : 1] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
Mind [0] :
[Intelligence] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Willpower] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Capacity] - 0 [base : 0] [sub + achv : 0] [equipment :0] [bonus 0% : 0]
[Free Main Attribute points : 0 ]
[Free Sub Attribute points : 0]
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Classes :
[]
Skills :
[]
Achievements :
[Death’s door(2)]
Affinities :
[]
Talents :
[]
There was an imperceptible feeling that I’ve grown stronger, but by how much? Honestly, I don’t know. But judging from the acrobatics I performed during the wolf encounter, each point provides a great boost in their respective attributes.
Darkness now swept the landscape as the night sky took over. The bright, yet unfamiliar constellation of stars shone on the dark night sky, a solemn reminder that I was no longer on the earth.
The level up increased my stamina, consequentially making me less exhausted. While I was no longer sleepy, I could still feel the occasional discomfort when I moved my legs.
“We’re safe here.”, A deep voice broke the quietness of the night. I jumped and steadied myself on the tree, the newfound dexterity making that an effortless task, as I scanned for the source of the voice.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to fight those wolves again.”, Another feminine voice replied.
“Let’s take a break here. We’ll take turns to watch for danger while the others sleep.”, The third voice, which sounded less deep than the first, whispered.
“Alright, Gather some firewood. I’ll light the campfire.”
Their conversation allowed me to locate them. A few 50-ish meters to my right stood 4 people of different heights and postures. I couldn’t make out their details because of the darkness, despite me straining my eyes to gather as much of their appearances as I could.
Should I approach them?
They settled the same clearing as I did, gathering a few branches and collecting them in a pile. One of them, a woman wearing what seemed to be a casual office blouse and a skirt, sat behind the pile, raising her arms.
What is she-
A spark of flame flared between her hands, a tiny ball of fire forming itself after a few seconds.
Magic?
The fireball gently flew towards the pile of wood, burning it after as it dissipated. Their campfire was now lit, its radiance revealed the faces of the members of the group.
“Magic’s awesome. We’re lucky to have you with us, Julie.” The biggest and brutish one of the group said, carrying a gigantic sword behind his back. Like the flame lady, he was also wearing typical office wear; The torn left arm of his shirt showed his large and veiny arms underneath.
“What about rations? Do you still have any? Julie, Amanda?” The other guy in the group said, unlike the brutish dude. His scrawny figure contrasted with the brute beside him, his arms looking like twigs compared to the other guy. He strapped an iron bow behind his back, constantly readjusting its position as he talked.
“Don’t worry about me. Karl.”, The other girl spoke. Unlike the other group members, sh e was only wearing a simple set of shirts and shorts. Her olive skin contrasted the brightness of the fire with her daggers hidden between her waist.
“Our teamwork is lacking. Richard, you need to focus more on protecting our back-line.”, the mage said, who I presumed to be Julie.
Richard’s the big dude, then. That leaves Karl as the archer, and Amanda the one with the daggers.
“I’m sorry. The wolves were hard to track. I lost focus when I wanted to swing at one of them.”, Richard confessed, sounding partially sincere.
“We agreed to let Julie and Karl deal the damage!”, Amanda snapped, her voice sounding irate. “All of us would’ve held at least 2 more potions if it wasn’t for your greed! Are you afraid that you won’t get your fair share of levels?”
Richard looked aside with a troubled expression, avoiding direct eye contact. However, his timid act basically announced that Amanda’s accusations were true.
“Stop, guys.”, Karl said, his hands in the air. “We’re making a lot of noise.”
Karl’s words eased the tension within the group. The threat of unknown assailants during the night warranted their caution.
“Just don’t do this shit again.”, Amanda scoffed and stood up. Her eyes were furrowed with pure fury. “I’ll take the point for tonight. You get some rest, Julie.”
Julie shook her head, exhausted to deal with the situation that arose within her own group. “Look, We’ll just head for the gate tomorrow.”, She stated.
The gate?
The group eventually slept while the olive-skinned woman elected herself to watch over everyone. I left the scene then, making careful movements between the trees and the terrain.
There were only 2 likely outcomes for this group. Either the group was going to disband, or someone was going to die.
However, their conversation brought an uncomfortable fact to life. Since the system was vague about how one should achieve a level up, it was likely that everyone had their own theories about attaining it.
At the end of the day, only the system could properly measure the merits of those who fought in a party.
Suddenly, the sentence from the administrator made so much sense. In this world, strength determines whether you live or die. If your experience points were shared, then there would be a cost to being in a group. I haven’t mentioned the jealousy people would feel if it didn’t compensate them for their efforts. The potential infighting was too high of a risk at this moment.
Plus, judging from what Amanda said, whoever dealt the most damage, or perhaps whoever dealt the killing blow would be given the most merit in a fight.
But that was simply a theory, an unproven idea.
There goes my plan to join up with a group.
The fading light of the campfire waned as I gradually built up the distance. The terrain between the trees, combined with the unfamiliar ground, almost caused me to fall a few times, but I recovered with my dexterous limbs.
Eventually, I found another empty spot, this time with no other survivors lurking about. My surroundings were solemn, and with no movements visible from my point of view, I climbed on top of the highest tree I could find and rested comfortably on the highest branch.
Their conversation about the gate was interesting. Frankly, I’d almost forgotten the goals of the Tutorial from the few near-death experiences.
With that, I opened the task menu :
[Task #1 : Find the 4 keys to open the gate leading to the exit, located in the safe zone (0/4). 90 days left.]
Is this a group effort? Or does everyone have to find 4 keys for themselves?
I rested my weary feet and used the silent moment to relax and unwind. The events of today were still fresh in my memory. The close call I had with the Stalker and my sheer recklessness during the fight with the wolves all were playing in my head almost perfectly, down to the tiniest detail.
My body twitched as I methodically dissected each individual attack and evasive maneuvers as my brain came up with a better move or solution to the problem they presented me with. I thought back to the few fights I had, where I obsessively thought about the losses that I gained due to my lack of experience.
Experiences of the fights from my past definitely helped my chances of survival. The decisiveness of my actions to run from the stalker down to the use of feints during my fight with the wolves was the deciding factor in the simple fact that I was still breathing now.
The fights stayed in my abstract images as I absentmindedly gazed at the colorful stars above.