(A/N: 'sub-race' will be changed into 'title' from now on, that's it. I already fixed the other chapters.)
After a split-second loss of consciousness, Alden opens his eyes.
Luckily this time, there is no slipping in and out of consciousness, and Alden simply regains full control of the body right away. Currently, he was lying down back-first in the middle of nowhere, suffering from minor fatigue and a headache after being teleported.
But the person in question didn't even notice, he was too busy being thrilled. The reason is simple.
"FOREST!" Alden shouted and quickly sat up with a huge grin. "JACKPOT!"
Indeed, the boy woke up in his favorite terrain.
Before entering, Idril had already warned him that it can not be determined beforehand which kind of trial he would take, so of course, the environment he will end up in is also a mystery. Based on the previous challengers' words, it could be literally anywhere, from a zen hot spring to the top of a freezing mountain. Thus, although Alden did hope for a grassland-type terrain, he didn't have much expectation.
But, here he is.
It was the middle of a dense forest, so dense that the woodland foliage almost covered the whole sky, letting only miniature rays of light through, turning the atmosphere rather mysterious. But other than that, there was nothing weird. No colorful mushrooms, strange-looking trees, or fairies anywhere. Unlike the magical site near the manor, this one is just a standard forest with lots of trees.
Still, it is no doubt a forest, and Alden is satisfied.
It is impossible for the young druid to not be cheery at the lush green surrounding as soon as he woke up. Even if Alden was blind, he would have recognized the familiar power surging up in his body and rejoiced.
Yet, his happiness was fleeting and short-lived.
Before Alden could even feel comfortable, all of a sudden, a wave of information was directly sent into his mind. It was knowledge about the trial, and just by receiving it, the ecstatic smile was wiped away like it was never there and Alden froze on the spot.
"... I shouldn't have felt happy, I jinxed it." He sighed.
The information load hasn't even been unpacked fully yet, but his dream of having a relaxing time vanished right after the trial's name was revealed.
Trial of Dominion.
***
The requirement is actually very straightforward– Just get out of the forest through the exit. There is no time limit, but there are a couple of problems.
First, about the environment. The forest Alden was currently in was not boundless, but it's by no mean a small territory. It was a circular domain of a wide 15 km in diameter, densely filled with trees, so it limit movement. The area where Alden first woke up was near the Southern edge, and according to the information he receives, the targeted teleportation gate is at the peak north border. In theory, Alden could just walk straight and finish the trial within a couple of hours, but then, there is the complicated second problem.
Even without any specific warnings, Alden won't be fooled. He is planning to travel very cautiously, moving at a minimum speed and maintaining maximum alertness, all the while taking regular breaks to preserve his top shape and stamina. This was not Alden being a weak pussy, it was more because he understand his current situation better than anyone else.
He was in a forest, a terrain that is often referred to as the 'cradle of life'. Hence, it's not surprising that there are plenty of animals and beasts currently sharing the same air with little Alden. With the fact that this is the trial of 'Dominion', even children could have guess that the locals here are not very friendly. Because this is not his backyard forest, nor is he being protected by dear Igorlas, so Alden's cautiousness is very justified.
Currently…
"I don't think this is the right way…" Alden mumbled, cold sweat starting to form on his forehead. He asks his guide in a low voice. "System, is this the correct direction?"
Unfortunately, this guide is not very reliable, nor considerate.
[Negative. According to the information, the target 'Exit' should be in the 10 o'clock direction from you.]
"... Why didn't you give me a warning."
[You didn't ask.]
"…" Alden was stunned, but he don't even know who to blame, so he ended up just feeling very sad. "... please give me a warning next time if I go off track, okay?"
[Understood.]
Alden sighed dejectedly at the system's nonchalant response. Even in this critical situation, his clueless self has managed to waste the past hour walking in the wrong direction. But he couldn't blame his partner.
The system is more like a smart computer in his head, simply receiving and following given orders. It's very useful, able to act as a personal database and analyze the situation, but by no means is an omnipotent tool. In the first place, creating a map of the whole forest is not possible with the current analysis function, it was only able to gain direction of the portal thanks to the information that they both received prior. Still, Alden considered it a cherished companion and look forward to future updates very much.
For now, he decided to take a break little bit ahead of schedule.
Alden quickly identifies the biggest tree nearby and climbs on it like a monkey, finding himself a sturdy branch to sit on. This was almost instinctual to him, which is a bit sad.
While he is resting, Alden quickly takes a glance at his status window.
===Status===
Name: Alden Dane Drukas
Status: Blessed by the Forest, Titania's Protection (11.9 hours remaining.)
Age: 6
Race: Conqueror/ Druid
Title: 1st Apostle of Adventure
Gift: Undetermined (Time remaining: 27 days)
Overall Rank: F > F+
Strength: 4.709 (+8) / 100
Dexterity: 4.61 (+8) / 100
Stamina: 5.15 (+8) / 100
Intelligence: 23.87 (+8) / 100
Mana affinity: -10 / 100 [Fix]
Luck: 90 / 100
Charm: 76.1 / 100
Active skill:
None.
Passive skill:
[Resistance - G]:
Acquired by suffering under a horrible curse since birth and survived!
- Effect: You gain minor resistance to all hostile external forces.
- Evolvable.
[Divine Revelation - S]:
As an apostle of the Heaven. You will heed your God's instructions, following their will. Whenever and wherever.
- Effect: It is now possible to communicate with the Lord you serve.
- Trigger randomly based on (Asta - God of Adventure) intention.
[Adventure Affinity - S]:
The universe wishes for you to go on exciting adventures! It will do its best to reward you.
- Effect: You are likely to encounter an adventure.
- Trigger randomly based on 'Luck' status.
Remark: Barely classified as a rank F newbie. Extreme caution is recommended while engaging in combat.
==========
It has only been an hour, so the forest buff is not fully gained yet, and Alden's average physical attributes are about 13 each. He did gain a bit more stat points from a week of constant battling with Liam, but that is minuscule. Still, Alden was kind of satisfied with his current strength.
'There is no doubt that I am not the top predator here,' Alden thought to himself while pulling up a list. 'but I am certainly not sitting at the bottom.'
It was a very lengthy and detailed catalog of 198 possible monster species that he could encounter in forest terrain, but the system has already nicely classified it into groups based on threat level and likelihood of meeting, so reading it was pretty useful nonetheless. Luckily, the list is mostly full of intermediate or low monsters.
According to the encyclopedia, Pridevion's monster has 9 different rankings.
These go from [Low], [Intermediate], [Advance], [Elite], [High], [Vice-Lord], [Lord], [King], then the big boss [Monarch]. It is technically comparable to the G to SS classification for the humans, but is more accurate since it's based on actual combat strength. For example, an F-class strength monster could sometime be classified as an Advance beast (E) in the book because of its actual battle prowess observed in reality. So Alden actually favors referring to this grading structure.
'I am sorry auntie.' He shakes his head, feeling tired looking at the long list. 'This might take a while…'
With his F rank strength, although he is relatively safe, engaging in combat with anything Elite rank or above is basically suicide. So Alden still intended to travel with light steps, avoid confronting the locals as much as possible, and that will slow him down considerably.
Sadly, it was just a matter of time before troubles caught up with Alden.
After about 15 minutes of barely even resting, a monster showed up.
Right after catching a glimpse of its silhouette, the still-on-alert Alden immediately shot up and climbed to an even higher position. Only then did he properly examine the opponent.
It was a single wolf-type monster. The most common and is often weak, but it was not very good news for someone who wishes to not get into a brawl at all.
'Damn, a wolf is too sensitive to smell.' Alden furiously thought, sniffling himself all over.
Because of its low ranking on the food chain, the wolf's senses are extremely enhanced compared to other predators, they were the ones who will most likely find a trace of Alden. They also often traveled in packs to hunt stronger prey, so if he was found out here and let it get away, it will likely be one versus many.
It was too risky, and Alden could only think of one solution.
'Let's strike first.' He tensed up, a little nervous for his first kill.
This was something Alden has already mentally prepared for, the moment he came here. In a fantasy world where the weak may literally get eaten, he has long steeled his resolve. Yet, actually doing the killing is another story.
But this is not the time to hesitate.
'System, can we view its stats?' Alden asked, a bit worried.
[Scaning….Success!]
Viewing other's status windows is always risky business, but it should be relatively safe to do so with insignificant beasts. Luckily, the system didn't disappoint, and the wolf's full stat is displayed in front of his eyes without any trouble.
===Status===
Race: Dire Wolf
Status: Hungry
Overall Rank: G
Strength: 18.529 / 100
Dexterity: 22.7 / 100
Stamina: 21.81 / 100
Intelligence: 15.42/ 100
Mana affinity: 18.4 / 100
Luck: 5.54 / 100
Instinct: 26.795 / 100
Active skills:
[Iron Claw - G]:
- Effect: +3 points to strength for one strike.
- Cost: 5 stamina.
- Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Passive skills:
[Wolf's Instinct - E]:
- Effect: All senses are sharpened by 15%. +2 points to agility when pursuing a prey.
- Evolvable.
Remark: A normal dire wolf. Currently in an agitated state because of hunger.
==========
"..."
Alden's face paled after seeing its stats, utterly horrified. The reason is obvious, it was because this supposedly Low monster could no doubt wipe the floor with him in its sleep.
'H-how is this real?' He asked in a panic. 'Why are the stats so high!? Am I hallucinating?'
[Negative, this is the stat of target 'Dire Wolf'.]
The system's emotionless reply makes Alden even more confused and frightened.
'HOWW!' He almost screams out loud, barely suppressing it with the last bit of his sanity. 'How is this classified as a low monster? Is it a mini-boss variant or something? Why is it so strong!?'
Despite the remark stating this is a normal beast, Alden refused to believe it. It was a natural reaction.
Based on his expectation, he, currently an F+ rank nearing the E rank, should have no trouble dealing with any Low or Intermediate monster. Even after accepting the fact that he has to engage in combat, Alden was more worried about his own reaction while taking a life rather than how to actually kill it.
Yet, reality spat in his face.
With his meager 13 strength, Alden couldn't dream of fighting one on one with that thing, and with his 13 agility, he could even escape either. So Alden naturally thought he was missing something, or at least want an escape from reality.
[Negative, this is a normal 'Dire Wolf'.]
The system casually denied his hope. Alden turned furious.
'For god's f*cking sake, how is this possible?' He cursed inwardly. 'How is my physique that bad!? I look pretty good and tall for my age though?'
This was a fact. At only 6 years old, the young Alden is already 130cm tall. He was about a head taller than normal kids at his age and his body is very lean from daily practice. Although not too arrogant thinking that he could rival the likes of anime protagonists, Alden at least thought that with his physique alone, he could have dealt with monsters that even normal villagers have no trouble fending off.
But apparently, that was also too high of a goal.
'Why!?' He demanded an explanation. 'The only thing I lack is mana, how could 3 years of practice resulted in nothing like this?'
[It is exactly because you lack mana that it is like this, Alden.]
The system is still very calm, or rather, lacks any understanding at all.
[According to analysis, mana is not only used when utilizing magic. A body that has a high compatibility to mana seems to be multiple times stronger than those without, it acts as a passive body strengthening factor. But since everyone can use mana, this fact is not highlighted.]
The cold unexpected truth immediately shut Alden up. His mouth gaped wide open at the sudden horrible information.
Yet, the system was not done.
[The F-rank is the result of your Luck' and 'Charm' attribute being abnormally higher compare to the other stats. If considering only your physique, you are likely at a G- or H+ rank.]
It was the last straw, shattering Alden's any remaining pride or hope.
As far as he knew, the H rank almost didn't exist. It was supposed to be a myth.
The reason why the grading for monsters started at the G rank is because nothing that breathes is actually weak enough to fall into group H classification. This is something only acquired by death, or when someone first came into the world as a newborn infant. So being compared to one is a complete insult.
Alden was speechless.
He silently sat down from where he was standing and his mind turns blank, not even bothering to analyze or stay on guard anymore. He looks down at the now nearby wolf sniffing furiously, seemingly to have finally caught a glimpse of his scent. But Alden felt no fear.
People can't die in the tower, and besides, he has already died once, so death doesn't really frighten him as much anymore.
He was just very sad and annoyed by how powerless he actually is without his family's protection. The last 3 years, spending his time practicing martial arts, absorbing the world's knowledge, and trying his best to make up for the curse seems utterly wasted now in his eyes.
In front of the will of the universe, his efforts amount to nothing, and Alden is very frustrated.
'I will likely lose a limb…' Alden thought, his eyes turning cold. 'It has only been a little more than an hour…'
He was already very sick of being powerless and always receiving pity, but there is no other option. This was the consequence of his action, so he couldn't even complain and can only be disappointed in himself.
'Maybe I should just jump down and get this over with…'
But just as Alden thought of finally giving up, an emotionless voice unexpectedly rang in his mind.
[Negative. You should shoot the target, 'Dire Wolf'. The current success rate is 100%.]
The system intervened, spouting nonsense.