Seeing as the System was giving me so many options, I had to optimize my choices. Seeing as the System didn't explain the Filters, he'd asked so as to avoid picking something pointless.
As it seems, the Mana Usage skills were skills you could only use after ascending to the first Tier. While that being so, they're also the skills with the most potential. Conditional Mana Usage skills are skills that start at a low level and manipulate natural Mana through formations or System assistance. And finally, choosing the option of an Innate Skill will adjust the user's Physique through lots and lots of pain.
'System, what would be optimal to help me increase my survivability and success in a hunt?'
[Which Section of Skills would you like to devise this choice from?]
Well, seeing as the change of Physique for an Innate Skill would hurt and though the returns would be quick, they would have to scale with time, and the returns can't wait on Mana Usage skills, I'd have to choose Conditional Mana Usage.
'System, I would like to devise my choice from Conditional Mana Usage.'
[System has sifted through all of the Host's options, and through deductions, and 3 prominent Skills have been chosen.]
[System Skills:
Runic Trapping - Using Mana (or before Mana, the System to drain Mental Energy), you use this Skill to create formations that specify in immobilizing the Prey.
Formation Setting - Although much weaker than Runic Trapping, Formation Setting allows the individual to use items or Beast Components to both Attack AND Defend upon a designated target entering the immediate vicinity.
Minor Puppeteering - Lacking to the Normal Puppeteering Skill, this Skill allows you to use a perfectly maintained Corpse that was killed with a Nerve System in tact. Puppets are limited to One. Puppet feeds off of Host's Mana.]
Looking at the not very diverse options, especially Runic Trapping and Formation Setting, he was slightly disappointed, expecting more offensive measures, although he knew that wasn't realistic.
Looking at the third option, he clearly couldn't feed a puppet with his Mana, and
he didn't have or know the Materials needed for Formation Setting. After a little bit of looking into everything, he'd decided Runic Trapping.
After having the System choose Runic Trapping, he felt a loss of vision and instead of the System's usual pain inducement, my head felt very nice and warm, and almost to the extent of being fuzzy..
Contrary to my expectations, there were only 3 markings that 'appeared' within my mind, although it was nevertheless strange having knowledge that I never went and obtained, it clearly just happened.
Reviewing the three Runes that I've received, they're clearly defense and trap orientated as you'd expect.
The first Rune, Pressurize; depending on how efficiently the symbol is drawn, it will draw pressure from the atmosphere to restrict movements of any creature that crosses above it. Once the Symbol is destroyed it will last for 5 minutes before all pressure dissipates.
The second Rune, Ensnare; using the immediate environment, Ensnare affects the Mana in the atmosphere and manipulates it to encapture any creature only 2 levels higher than the Host at most.
The third Rune, Paralysis; using the formation of the rune, natural energy is extracted from nearby plants to re-arrange any released pollen into paralytic poison.
After observing his new skills for a decent amount of time, he'd decide to rest until he was comfortable moving around and making the necessary shapes in order to meet the requirements of the Runes.
Only waking up 2 days later without an ounce of fatigue, hunger, or thirst for what he'd assume was the 'Prided Deer' Meat and Blood, his Front Right Leg was significantly less injured, and the bone was no longer disjoined and broken even though it wasn't casted.
Deciding that he'd try Pressurize out in his Den just to make sure, he tried to emulate a shape similar to the Z in the Greek Alphabet. Turns out, tracing with claws is a lot harder than it seems. After the first try, he felt the air fluctuate. Out of his four claws, he couldn't single out one, so whenever he wrote his Symbol, there be an extra claw mark on the ground on each side.
The third try....
The fourth...
Seventh...
Twelfth..
After repeated failures, he felt fatigue wave into his mind, almost forgetting that writing Runes drains Mental Energy. Closing in on his Twentieth attempt, he started to feel as if some sort of pressure was encapsulating him preventing from moving at full efficiency. Although it wasn't incredibly strong, it had an intimidating presence and after a few tests, found out that it's hard to sense from just a few meters away unless you're on the lookout for it.
After taking a 2 hour nap, he'd decided it was about time he'd scout the routes outside and hopefully practice the Ensnare rune, seeing if it had a high or low visibility, or even more importantly, if he was physically capable of doing so without hurting himself at the moment,
But not without checking his full Status.
=====================================================
[System Status
Name: Hollow
Species: Grey Wolf
Tier: 0.1
Affinity: Neutral -??-
Points: 4
Psychical Proficiencies:
◊Claw Proficiency 1◊
◊Fang Proficiency 1◊
Elemental Proficiencies:
>Host is lacking in Elemental Proficiencies<
Aux Skill: Runic Trapping
System Evaluation: A Hunter who doesn't know how to Kill. Only learning how to be a predator after watching others is a road to death.]
=====================================================
A bit giddy with joy, I feel a tingle down my back and a sense of relaxation, or more accurately, reassurance, seeing that I've grown just a little bit stronger. Though, the System Evaluation not changing really says a lot. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's see if there's any immediate effects.
Off the bat, while checking everything, along with any physical capability, I realize that there's a very, very minor change in my familiarity with my body, as it no longer felt like I was unfamiliar with it.
Sliding in and out of my Den doing small exercises, like short sprints, prowling, or prancing around, I notice an increase in my speed of proficiency, although none of my ACTUAL Proficiencies went up. Although seemingly minimal, I could feel it when I jump or pounce that I've got added distance and there's no delay when I decide to move.
To check out the general situation, I've decided to wait until I go and get some water, as the sun is already up and the River should be free game as long as I don't have to fight anyone or anything. Heading in that Direction, and sniffing out any tracks on the trail so that I didn't trap something that could kill me in a second. Although I didn't thoroughly investigate, I can sense a few animals that weren't there when I last went out, and a feeling I had told me it was some sort of Rabbit and Boar. Sounds tasty.
Arriving at the clearing and going to my previous Area, far right of the Blood Wolves, I coincidentally get stuck in between to groups, being the Wolves and something I now love, the Wild Boars!
=====================================================
[System Observation]
[System Status
Name: Unnamed
Species: Wild Boar
Tier: 0.2
Affinity: Fire
Eval: Healthy]
=====================================================
About 8, nice, healthy little Boars scurried around a very large, Horned Boar, that I couldn't thoroughly inspect and from what I could tell these little Boars are quite rowdy. They'd likely be a nice target. Looking at the large Boar, whenever it snorted instead of oinking, there'd be smoldering spears of fire that lightly scorch the ground, with Black Fur and a smooth Transition between Black and Orange right above the Hooves, releasing sparks that could set things aflame at any time.
Now, time to satiate my curiosity for the first time since coming into this world, I HAVE to see my reflection in the water. Not knowing what I wholly look like is incredibly concerning. Gazing into the moving water, I get a shaky image with fluctuating lighting of my reflection. I notice a few discerning features.
My body, being about 1.7 meters long, I have light grey fur with a few accents of black, yet my face was quite different from the other Wolves in the area. On my face, the Grey turned to white under my eyes, similar to a Scar going across the eyes vertically but not moving above them. As I assumed and somewhat noticed while hunting, my fangs are serrated, yet unnoticeably so. My eyes were Hazel and Green depending on the lighting and what they were reflecting. Down my spine, instead of Grey fur, it faded from Black to Grey.
Done observing myself, I'm quite impressed. I think I look pretty cool, although I wouldn't mind looking Generic, I don't really remember what generic was.
'System, do all Grey Wolves look like this?'
[Host's distinct features are individual, as are every Grey Wolfs.]
Lying before the River and feeling the sunlight warm my Fur, I decide it's time to ask a few more questions.
'System, can you give me any information on Grey Wolves?'
[The Species 'Grey Wolf' is a Nomadic Wolf species and are in either constant roaming or claim territory, but normally refrain from doing so as they're marginally weaker then any other born Species.
Every Grey Wolf has unique Markings to help with identification and the Markings can change depending on where your Affinity Leans after use of a trait picked up after Generation upon Generation of evolution.
{Nomadic Bloodline: As the Grey Wolf species is innately weak, they had to find a way to Survive. Ancestors who fought their way to the top using overwhelming strength and whit have found a way to Strengthen their Species. But, only the Strong can survive.}
Host has found an Objective]
[System Objective:
Kill and Absorb the bloodline of One or Many species of the same Affinity.
Host can inquire System for the effects the Absorption a certain Affinity will have. During the time of this Objective, Host can inspect Minor Affinities on top of the usual Simple Affinities.]
After the leaving of the minority of the Prided Deer group, the River has settled down as it now consists of only the smaller groups and they aren't as cramped. Contemplating what it means to absorb the Affinity of something, the System went over a few of the simpler Minor Affinities.
The first one, being Blood. The Blood Wolves are directly related to his curiosity of the Blood Affinity, and it doesn't help that they're so damn strong. The Blood Affinity can be obtained by any creature as long as they've been through enough bloodshed and are of Neutral Affinity, like me. Though, it's not as simple as that. In order to obtain the Affinity, after all of that bloodshed, the creature must Evolve with bloodshed on the mind.
The second one is a bit different. Metal. At first, I thought that it'd be something like an off brand Earth, but it's not. The Metal Affinity allows a creature to build up resistance against most affinities, along with the ability to Body Temper upon receiving damage, becoming stronger with the pressure. A big side-effect of this is that unlike how even a little bit of water quenches my thirst, or a little bit of food can help me evolve, a creature of Metal needs to be constantly fed in order to temper the muscles and bones.
There were a few others, but only one I was really interested in. Wood. The Wood element allows you to manipulate the surrounding nature (like roots, small trees, bushes, weeds, grass) to attack the enemy, protect you, or absorb their Life Force. Vitality. Blood. All using it to weaken their foundation. The Wood element unlike many others, focuses in tempering the Host's body using the surrounding Vitality which can also noticeably lessen hunger and thirst.
Sounds good not starving of dying of dehydration.
Wobbling onto my feet after relaxing under the Sun for a while, I rush back to the Den and decide to smell around to see if i could find any more weaker Species. Towards the South take a path that leads Left, there's the species of Rabbits with; you'd never believe it! The Wood Element!
Trekking the path, I set up a Pressure Rune with low efficiency, only slightly resembling the shape seeing how it was on uneven ground. After that, I moved a decent distance away and when my line of sight was on the pressure rune, yet only when lying prone. My line of sight had trees upon trees and the path was lacking the usual grass, covered in mud and a few dunes, which he suspected held the Rabbits. Hoping he'd find a weak one that gets into his pressure trap, he practices Ensnare in the meantime.