I stood there dumb struck in the middle of the forest as the words kept reverberating in my mind [system updating, system updating, system updating….]
'Holy shit, this is really happening…'
What do i do now? What about my family? What will they think happened to me? It's been a year since I moved to the Sahara desert for that shitty job, and now…
'Did i die? But this feels and looks like my old body so i can't be dead…'
Questions that had no answer kept swarming my tired mind, as i dropped to the forest floor, overwhelmed by a panic attack and feeling the rush of adrenaline from fighting the beast subside to leave me gasping in pain and uncertainty.
Thankfully I am relieved from my reverie by the same monotone voice that dropped me into it in the first place.
[update complete]
[host parameters calculated]
[legacy title detected]
[experienced gained]
[you have leveled up]
Seeing hope of making sense of what is happening i attentively listen to all the notifications, but after a while nothing more is said.
Frustrated I try to call the system for some answers 'system' I tentatively say then getting no answer. I more assertively call on the strange system but again nothing happens.
'Damn it all to hell! You and you system mother£$%&!' ugh why would i expect something so easy…
Having gained nothing from my outburst I quickly calm myself down and think more clearly. 'I need to clean my wounds before they get infected in this strange place, god only knows what kind of germs they have here, a simple flu could kill me if i'm not careful, but i have no hot water let alone a disinfectant.
I quickly ripp whatever part of my white robe managed to remain clean as I used it to clean and bandage my wounds as best I could.
'Now I need to get out of here before the smell of blood and intestines invites unwanted company.' I think, looking at the mess on the ground. That definitely doesn't look appetizing anymore.
'Where do i go from here though?' i think about the trail i followed previously, and think that i might as well see what i can get for my trouble.
It might have felt like a long chase in the moment but the beast was extremely fast and I didn't manage to get far from the spot where I found it. So i quickly make my way over.
To my surprise I find a little stream running through a depression in the bedrock, and I follow it uphill, choosing to leave the area before doing anything else.
After twenty minutes of walking I hit a dead end where the water seems to be seeping through the rocks on the side of a hill.
Comforted by the idea of having my back to something solid, I take a rest and choose to risk drinking the unfiltered water since I have no other choice.
My thirst finally sated, i clean my wounds and bandage them again, wincing at the swelling and knowing from experience that I might be in for a serious infection if i don't get medical attention soon.
'So that's it huh, i might as well have died from a rabid dog in africa, what's the point of bringing me here if i was gonna die a pointless death!', again I find myself internally raging at whatever god or devil decided it was a cool idea to literally drop my ass in the middle of nowhere.
Tired, I pick myself up to look for a proper place to rest, I make my way sideways along the hill, looking for a place to rest and surely I find a small cave like alcove between a couple of huge rocks.
I gingerly make my way inside relieved to find it empty with no sign of animal shedding, I'd hate to intrude on another beast's territory again.
Sitting down to rest I am momentarily overwhelmed with both the mental and physical fatigue so I let my mind aimlessly wander on everything I've been through since I came here.
Does this world have game-like mechanics or is it just me? If it was just me the deer beast wouldn't have a level as well, would it ?
So does this mean that there are other game-like features to this world as well? The only way to know….
I half jokingly half desperately call out 'Status'
And lo and behold, it actually works!
An illusory panel forms in front of me with complicated lines and symbols written on it, and even a holographic illustration of my body. It seems I indeed kept the same body i was born with, 180 cm, white, slim build, with dark eyes and curly auburn hair, handsome face with full lips and a roman nose. 'Ugh, could have at least let me choose a different nose….' but remembering the voice's advice about holding on to my essence, perhaps it's for the best. sigh...
Now for the fun stuff, i knowingly smile as i scan the information on the panel
[Name| Aratol Quil]
[Species| Homosapien sapien]
[Age| 25]
[Level| 2]
[Titles| %$£Y^&'s disciple-locked]
[Attributes| Health 100 Stamina 45 Mana 200 Strength 8 Endurance 9 Vitality 10
Agility 6 Dexterity 15 Intelligence 20 Wisdom 20]
[Skills| Ancient healing arts-Basic]
[Free attribute points| 02]
--
Dumbfounded, I stare blankly at the panel, seeing my entire being surmised in a few lines suddenly drives home the pathetic state of my existence.
My eyes automatically hone in on the Ancient healing arts Skill and i feel a timid spirit of hope light up inside me.
'This must be due to my being a Doctor, but why is it Basic….. Is that all my seven years of hard work in med school are worth?' I stare again in a mixture of anger and helplessness. My momentary outburst of happiness long forgotten.
'At least it's something…. Now how do i use this?'
I try to focus on my wound and mumble 'Ancient healing arts' at the same time but nothing happens. So i stand there confused and looking stupid.
I spend the better part of an hour mumbling and making gestures like a lunatic until I'm mentally drained and I drop down on my ass out of sheer frustration.
With nothing to do I go back to my status panel and think.
' my physique seems to be quite lacking compared to my intelligence and wisdom. Considering the presence of the healing skill, this perfectly reflects my life history and old habits.'
I've always been rather scrawny for my age so I guess that average value for a normal person in each category would be 10.
I guess if we go by the game terminology I'm familiar with, I should be a cleric or a healer class. Except uuh… i hate churches…. But I don't see any mention of a class. Strange, but then again this is not a game.
I focus on the two free attribute points, 'what should i do with this?'
Going by game mechanics I should focus on my main attributes-INT and WS- keeping a clear ratio between them and the rest of my attributes but i doubt i will be able to survive for long as healer in this forest, not to mention my physical attributes are currently weaker than your average human and with no means of attack.
I finally decide to add a point to Endurance and Strength each. Having just experienced a dead end with the system I dread the thought of that happening again. But the worst doesn't happen and i get a notification after mumbling 'Use free attributes'
[Free attribute points detected| 02]
[Select attributes]
I see a panel with the previous attributes I'm familiar with and I proceed as planned.
I don't receive any feedback but going back to my Status panel I clearly see the results, I might also feel a little less sore but it might be an illusion.
With a slight measure of relief i go back to fiddling with the healing skill, this time i try to manually activate it through my skills tab.
For a moment nothing happened and I'm filled with disappointment but just as I'm about to give up home a description of the skill pops up and I almost cry. On one hand because I feel like my twenty points in intelligence are apparently just for show, and two because of the relief when reading the skill description.
[Basic healing arts| a rudimentary healing skill that requires extensive knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the target, due to that, the requirement on energy manipulation is lenient. Cost 50 mana/minute]
Feeling happy and excited that the skill is not a dud, I finally see a ray of hope.
'I obviously understand the anatomy of a human body so what i was missing must be the energy manipulation.' I'm again surprised at how complicated everything is, after receiving the system notification, I almost half expected to sail through this as if i'm in a game but the truth appears to be harder to swallow.
Coming from a monotheistic culture, I don't have any particular ideas about how to go about manipulating energy, which i'm assuming is mana. The only people who were interested in this kind of topic back home were those that were labeled as witches or heretics. So I momentarily found myself at a dead end again.
Trying to squeeze my mind for any ideas, I finally settle on meditation. It's either that or yoga and I'd rather leave that as a last resort. I suppose old habits are hard to break.
So I sit down in the middle of the alcove in a rather awkward position, my flexibility obviously quite lacking, and I try to focus on my breathing.
Hours go by with no results but i'm determined to see this through before nightfall. I'm hit with wave after wave of frustration and fatigue but i persist, trying my best to remember the little i know about the principles of meditation, i relax my body part by part, starting at my toes and working my way up systematically until i finally relax my facial expression and take a deep breath, i imagine the air moving through my body, oxygen hugging every cell and taking away the stress i accumulated all day, and i exhale.
I keep at it until i feel detached from the results of what i'm doing, letting my mind freely roam, not holding on to any fleeting thought or impulse. I feel strangely refreshed with every breath so I keep taking in the pure forest air.
Feeling the rejuvenating energy i try to mumble 'Ancient healing arts' and i suddenly feel an intense soothing energy sweep up through my whole body, the dull aches and pains from the day disappearing gradually, the happiness almost breaks me out of my trance like state but i calm myself down and try to keep the energy circulating as long as possible.
Sadly it only lasts for a few minutes, and by then i'm hit with a terrible headache. I try to take a look at my wound but as I open my eyes I am met with cold stone as my head hits the ground and I lose consciousness.