Staring down the hulking monstrosity, with its blood-red eyes radiating from its bleach-white skull, its jagged white spikes protruding from its back, its burly form tensing with hatred, and the promise of violence emanating from its very being.
'Fuck an Ursa, ok, ok, what do I know about them. They're very slow, hit hard, can take a hit like a tank, and usually alone, but it's not uncommon to be in pairs. I can't outrun it because of my size or the lack thereof. The only way to take it down is to focus on targeted piercing attacks and fast movements,' I think as I lower my stance and force my breath to even out. Analyzing my surroundings, the river behind me is waist-deep and would slow me down more than it would the Grimm. The clearing between the river and the forest wouldn't give any advantage but wouldn't impede me either. The trees behind it would provide good cover, and the bushes could be used for camouflage in case I need to retreat but might leave me vulnerable to other Grimm,' I think as we stare each other down and decide to use the forest and take pop shots as I move from cover to cover.
Quickly I check my stats and see my Ki has recovered fully, good, forty-eight Ki, that's nine shots, my plan can only work if I make every shot count.
We rush towards each other simultaneously, and the Ursa rears up onto its rear legs to strike at me with its forward paws while bellowing out a roar. I quickly slide under the Grimm and run it to the forest. Then, quickly turning around, I create three Ki orbs and will them to shoot through the creature's neck. The three orbs shot forward and arced slightly to hit the Ursa directly in the side of the neck, creating a large gash and cutting deep into its neck.
[Ki Orb has leveled up]
[15 exp distributed to User]
The creature runs after me. Dipping through some bushes, then behind a tree, I line up three orbs above me as the hulking beast is rushing at me and will them to shoot down on its neck as it runs past, 'Please don't miss,' I think to myself and roll out of the way. I hear a pained roar as the creature barrels past and rakes my side with its claws.
[14 damage recieved]
A searing pain emanates from my side as a warm wetness seeps down my shirt. The Ursa seeing me out of the corner of its eye, turns around and leaps at me. I dodge to the right as pain shoots through my body from my new wound and let off three more Ki orbs at an angle, creating a third wound through its neck. After the three long cuts into this thing's neck, the creature stops in its tracks.
[Ki Orb has leveled up]
[15 exp distributed to User]
Staring at the creature, hoping it falls over dead, but instead of falling over, it turns toward me. "How dare you still be alive!" I scream out of frustration and pain. 'Looks like near decapitation doesn't work, or my attacks weren't powerful enough,' I think as I recalculate my plan. The Grimm, seeing my scream as a challenge, rushes forward and rears up to swing its left paw down at me, but I sidestep the swipe, and I leap on its shoulders, grab its head, and pull with all my might.
I could feel the neck give way slightly as I pulled at it, but the Ursa wasn't done yet. It lunges forward, slamming into a tree, trying to shake me off, trying desperately to get rid of this pest on its shoulders.
[8 damage recieved]
The pain in its neck is growing more and more. In its rage, it starts slamming into trees, trying to shake the creature off of it. It didn't understand. It stalked it perfectly, the delicious scent of emotion washing of it in waves. It was easy to find and looked small and weak. Its strength was unquestionable and its power great, so why had the small prey not only choose to fight but damage it so grievously. The pain was becoming unbearable now, and suddenly the Grimm felt a pop in its neck.
Finally, the damaged neck gave away, and I ripped its head off. The Ursa slams into the ground, flinging me forward and off the damn thing, skitting across the ground into a tree, Ursa head in hand.
[10 damage recieved]
[Ursa Grimm defeated 20 Exp distributed to User and pertinent skills & abilities]
[Ki Orb has leveled up]
[15 exp distributed to User]
After lying against the tree in pain for a while, I look at my skills and abilities. I noticed my strategy & tactics and Ki orb skills rose by thirty-eight exp, but my Ki Control, Genius Mind, and Predatory Instinct only rose by twenty-nine. Sighing, "Well, it did say it applies to skills and didn't mention abilities," I say when I notice something.
~Ki Orb Class F lvl 4 5/40 exp- Ki cost: 3 or more~
"Nice, the cost went down," I say, feeling exhausted from using so much Ki. I walk back to the river, holding my side as the Grimm dissipates behind me. The bleeding had stopped, even though the three cuts were deep and long. The highest cut being near the top of my chest, the lowest reaching my hip, all are going around my side to my back. 'I can't just cower in the cave, but I'm not strong enough to move without caution. I have to remember this lesson,' I think.
When I get to the river, I use the water to clean the dirt and blood off of me. My blood being mainly red with slivers of gold shifting through it makes me wonder about the changes to my body… other than shrinking in size. I look at myself in the reflection, and I look like a cute child version of the character I made, 'Hmm, maybe should have gone with a different eye color....Nah,' I think to myself as I rip up my shirt to bandage my side. Then I stand up and start running back, but it's more of a fast walk, working through the pain.
By the time I get back, I feel great. I remove the bandage, and all that's left is three old-looking scars. I'm stunned by my recovery time, being able to recover from a grievous wound in less than an hour. "Stronger than I thought, but the lesson still applies,' I say. Then, I get some messages from the system.
[Mission Complete]
[ 2 stat points and 15 exp distributed to User]
[User has trained his body using strengthening and endurance exercises, 1 stat point will be distributed to Strength and Constitution]
'Nice, so the daily training mission can count towards stats and get the reward for it,' I think as I climb up into my cave. "Open stat tab," I say. 'I recover Hp and Ki extremely fast, but what stats affect it?' Then, as I think it hits me, 'Crap, I never picked a scent for that healing ability. I'll do it in a second.'
Stats
[Level 2 Exp 5/10]
[HP: 58/58]
[Ki level: 27/48]
[Exp 60]
[Stat points: 2]
[Strength 17] +
[Can be increased through training]
[Dexterity 14] +
[Can be increased through training]
[Constitution 15] +
[Can be increased through training]
[Intelligence 14] +
[Can be increased through training]
[Wisdom 16] +
[Can be increased through training]
[Charisma 22] +
[Can only be increased through the system]
[Luck 22] +
[Can only be increased through the system]
'Hmm, my health rose with my constitution, but the correlation of those is obvious,' I think as I sit down and I pick up some fruit and eat it. Then, looking at my exp, I drop five to level myself.
[Level up]
[4 Stat point distributed]
[HP and Ki level increased by 20]
I drop the stat points in charisma and luck and say, "Shop tab open." The skills and abilities d and up were all grayed out.
[Search],
Skills
[S] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F]
Abilities
[S] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F]
'Skills F open," I say, wondering what was in there. Looking through, I see everything from cooking to sword fighting, lockpicking to singing, and some weird ones like interpretive dancing.
Looking in the E tab, it was just advanced versions of the same. They were all pretty cheap, the F costing ten exp each and the E costing twenty.
'Abilities F open," I say after looking through the skills. Surprisingly, it isn't the largest of the catalogs. In fact, there are only two abilities:
~Emotion sense Class F lvl 1 Exp 0/5~
User has unlocked the ability to sense emotion. The stronger the emotion, the easier it is to discern and track.
[Cost: 500 exp]
~Negative Hunger F lvl 1 Exp 0/5~
User has unlocked the ability to grow stronger off of negative emotions. The strength and duration of the emotion shall decide the amount of exp given.
[Cost: 500 exp]
Whistling, 'Well, those will be helpful, if not morally questionable. So the only freebies were the original ones in the E category.' I think, and I decide to get:
~Craftsmanship Class F lvl 1 Exp 0/5~
User has unlocked the knowledge of craftsmanship. Items made by the User will be stronger overall, equal to the class and level of this skill. Overall increase= 1%
~Survivalist Class F lvl 1 Exp 0/5~
User has unlocked the skill of surviving. The chance of User finding useful items to survival in any predicament will scale with the class and level of this skill. Current chance 3.4%
~Weapons Master Class E lvl 1 Exp 0/2,560~
User has unlocked the knowledge of weapon mastery. The class and level reflect the User's effectiveness in using anything as a weapon.
I expected the knowledge for the skills to flood into my head, but it didn't happen. So wondering why that is, I decide to test what the trigger for my skills is. I pick up a stick, and instantly, I understand how many hits I can get out of the stick before it breaks, where to hold it to maximized swing for damage, and how to throw it to sink the jagged end into whatever I throw it at. 'Ok, that's how it works, overall not bad purchases for twenty exp,' I think.
While taking some time deciding what I want to smell like, which is weird enough as it is, I determine the leaves have soaked sufficiently and pull them off the rocks. I rip them into thin strips and begin to turn them into a rope. Taking three pieces and holding them between my thumb and index finger, I twist the strip furthest to the right a little, then fold it over the other two tightly and repeat the procedure. Before I near the end of the strips, I overlay new strips while some are left of the old ones, so it remains structurally strong, and I can increase the length of the rope. I get a hundred meters of yarn before I run out. "I'll need to collect more if I'm to make actual rope," I say, knowing I'll have to repeat this process with the yarn to get the final product.
Thinking for a moment, "Sunflowers, I always liked sunflowers," I say to the system, having spent the rest of the day twisting yarn and think of flowers.
[Acknowledged Nature's Healing Presence now active]
I feel a wave of calm wash over me as the smell of sunflowers hits my nose, not enough to overpower my senses with either, but enough to where I know it's there. 'Well, this is a pleasant feeling,' I think as I tie off the yarn.
[Craftmanship has leveled up]
[15 exp distributed to User]
As the sun sets, I coil up the yarn and set it off to the side. After setting up a campfire, I turn to the fire pit and get a fire going by striking a stone against my medals rack to create sparks. Soon I had a fire going with enough wood to last me until dawn. So with the brunt of the outside threats unable to get to me and no way to continue fortifying until tomorrow, I laid down next to the fire. Stopping and thinking before going to bed, I fire ten Ki orbs into the random rock around the cave, netting me twenty exp for the Ki orb technique. I finally let exhaustion take me and into dreams of home.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stats
[Level 3 Exp 0/20]
[HP: 78/78]
[Ki level: 15/68]
[Exp: 50]
[Stat points: 0]
[Can be increased through training]
[Strength 17]
[Can be increased through training]
[Dexterity 14]
[Can be increased through training]
[Constitution 15]
[Can be increased through training]
[Intelligence 14]
[Can be increased through training]
[Wisdom 16]
[Can be increased through training]
[Charisma 25]
[Can only be increased through the system]
[Luck 25]
[Can only be increased through the system]
Skills
~Craftsmanship Class F lvl 2 Exp 9/10~
Items made by the User will be stronger overall, equal to the class and level of this skill. Overall increase= 2%
~Survivalist Class F lvl 1 Exp 0/5~
The chance of User finding useful items to survive any predicament. Current chance 3.4%
~Weapons Master Class E lvl 1 Exp 0/2,560~
User has unlocked the knowledge of weapon mastery. The class and level reflect the User's effectiveness in using anything as a weapon.
~Leadership class E lvl 3 Exp 0/10,240~
With this skill, others will be willing to follow your guidance and have a greater chance of influencing those of higher grade/level.
~Strategy & Tactics Class F lvl 8 Exp 38/640~
User will be able to put together strategies and utilize tactics more quickly and effectively.
~Persuasion/Manipulation Class F lvl 3 Exp 0/20~
User will have greater chances to persuade/manipulate others.
~Videography Class E lvl 4 0/20,480~
User will have an increased chance to create superior video, audio, and familiarize with camera equipment more easily.
~Discipline Class E lvl 2 Exp 38/5,120~
User will be more resistant to mentally and emotionally inhibiting effects such as rage, fatigue, and pain.
~Marksman Class E lvl 1 Exp 0/2,560~
NOTICE: User's effective range can't exceed the effective range of the weapon used. Current effective range: 457.2 meters
~Ki Techniques Class Var. lvl Var.~
Ki Orb Class F lvl 4 25/40 exp- Ki cost: 3 or more
Abilities
~Genius Mind Class E lvl 1 Exp 49/2,560~
The User's mental ability learns, understands, and retains knowledge at 2x the rate of an ordinary person, any exp gained through training for skills will have this multiplier applied.
~Ki control Class E lvl 1 Exp 49/2,560~
The User has unlocked the ability to gather, manipulate, and strengthen the essence of life itself within and around the User. Techniques using this ability will be shown on the skills page
~Godling System Class S lvl Max~
The User has interfaced with the Godling System. User has access to all system functions that the user's level rates.
~Nature's Healing Presence Class D lvl 1 Exp 0/1,310,720~
Effective range and strength: 1 meter/s by 1% per min, scent: Sunflower
~Predatory Instinct Class F lvl 3 Exp 14/20~
The User's natural predatory instincts are strong; therefore, the User will naturally know how to stalk, track, and hunt prey and weaker predators and instinctively have a moderate inclination for sense of direction, the strength of the target, and hunting tactics.