Alypos paced back and forth in the dimly lit cottage, the flickering fire casting shadows on the walls. His gaze shifted to the woman lying unconscious on the bed. His grip tightened on his spear, the weight of decision hanging heavy in the air. She had collapsed at his doorstep, a stranger in the wilderness, vulnerable yet dangerous. A lifetime ago, he might have considered helping her without hesitation, but that lifetime had ended brutally.
Now, every decision was calculated, every action deliberate.
There were two options: kill her or keep her alive. Killing her would remove any potential threat, and sever any connection to humanity's treacherous nature. After all, she could be a scout or a trap, bait sent to lure him into a larger game. He had learned from experience that humans were far more dangerous than any beast. Their cunning and deceit had left deep scars on his soul.
But keeping her alive offered another possibility—information. He was in the dark, unsure where he was or what lay beyond the boundaries of the Black Dawn Forest. She might know something, anything, that could give him an edge. Information was a weapon as sharp as his spear.
His eyes narrowed. He made his decision.
He crouched beside her, noticing the bruises and cuts covering her feet and legs. Painful injuries, but not life-threatening. He didn't feel anything, no flicker of sympathy or pity. There was only the cold calculation that came from years of torment. He'd been broken once, remade into something sharper, harder. Emotions had no place here. He had long learned that feelings like compassion were dangerous. They dulled the mind and made you weak.
His movements were methodical as he applied the herbal paste he'd crafted earlier from the local flora. The Garlia paste (F) had healing properties, nothing miraculous but enough to speed recovery. His knowledge of natural remedies came not from kindness, but from necessity. Being experimented on in his past life had taught him the value of such things, no matter how twisted those lessons had been.
Once her wounds were tended to, he bound her wrists with rope, securing her to the bed. He wasn't about to take any chances. She was alive for now, but that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous.
Alypos sat down in a nearby chair, his spear resting against his shoulder, the tip glinting in the firelight. He whispered, "Status."
The translucent screen appeared before him:
{Current name: Alypos Ilias (????th reincarnation)}
{Age: 12}
{Rank: G-/F+}
{Affinities: Water (100%), Life (100%), Death (70%), Ice (100%), Lightning (85%), Pain (100%), Soul (80%)}
{Aspect: Evolution, ???, ???}
{Race: Human (Max: E-)}
{Strength: 2.5/10 (G)}
{Agility: 1.8 -> 2.1/10 (G)}
{Constitution: 1 -> 1.7/10 (G-)}
{Dexterity: 1.3 -> 1.5/10 (G-)}
{Mana: 2 -> 2.5/10 (G)}
{Luck: 0.1/10 (G-)}
{Skills: Water Manipulation Stage 1 (D+), Healing Palm (F), Basic Spearmanship (5)}
He stared at his stats, frowning slightly. His strength had increased after absorbing the cores from the creatures he had slain—a wild boar and the snake from earlier. Both cores had contributed to his agility and dexterity, pushing his abilities beyond the baseline. But something was missing. He had mastered the basics and honed his spearmanship to a fine point, yet no matter how much he fought, his growth had stagnated.
He clicked on the skill, Basic Spearmanship (5). It was the highest level for a basic skill, and now he understood the barrier that held him back.
"I've mastered the fundamentals," he murmured, "but now I need to break away from the basics."
Alypos leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the spear. It wasn't enough to simply refine his technique anymore. He needed to evolve it, create something unique to him. In his past life, he had seen warriors with mastery over multiple forms of combat, blending them into their own lethal styles. But he had never truly had the chance to experiment before. Now, he had the freedom to do so.
Strategy #1: Use fluidity. He already had an affinity for water, and his control over its movements could be extended to his combat. He could enhance his strikes, making them flow like water, unpredictable, and hard to block.
Strategy #2: Leverage his elemental affinities. Water could freeze into ice, and ice could add sharpness to his thrusts. If he could integrate his magic into his spearwork, he could create a seamless combination of physical and elemental attacks.
But the most important realization hit him next. It wasn't just about brute force or elemental enhancement. He needed to incorporate adaptability. Be like water—shifting, flowing, never rigid. The spear could become more than just an extension of his body; it could become an extension of his very will.
"I'll have to experiment," he mused. "Start small… basic movements, combined with elemental infusion. Then build on that."
Alypos's eyes gleamed with determination. He had his plan.
A soft groan from the bed broke the silence. The woman stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. Panic flickered across her face as she realized she was tied up. She tried to sit up, but her movements were slow, sluggish from the injuries and exhaustion.
Before she could say anything, Alypos stood, his spear already leveled at her throat. The tip rested lightly against her skin, drawing a thin line of blood. He didn't flinch.
"Who are you?" His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge of danger.
The woman froze, her wide eyes darting from the spear to his face shocking her. "I… I'm Marina," she stammered, her voice hoarse. "I was captured… by mercenaries."
He didn't lower the spear. "Mercenaries? And what were they doing in the Black Dawn Forest?"
Her eyes flickered with confusion. "You… you don't know?" She paused, hesitating. "We were captured after the war. Our kingdom lost a war, and the mercenaries… they took us. They were going to sell us."
Alypos narrowed his eyes but didn't interrupt.
"There were fifty of us, all children from noble families. They wanted to ransom us or sell us into slavery. But while the mercenaries fought an expedition sent to rescue us… something went wrong."
"Wrong how?"
"The Earth Dragon." Her voice trembled at the mention of the creature. "The fighting woke it up. It… it killed almost everyone. Only a few of us escaped."
Alypos's grip on the spear tightened. He had heard rumors of creatures like that in his past life from James, but to think one could destroy an entire mercenary force… He still kept his expression neutral, his voice cold.
"And how many survived?"
"Only ten of us. But we… we didn't last long. The monsters in the forest picked us off, one by one. I… I was the last one alive."
Her voice cracked, but Alypos remained unmoved. He could see the fear in her eyes, the exhaustion, the desperation. But there was something else—a layer of truth hiding beneath a veil of lies. She wasn't telling him everything. He had learned long ago to recognize when someone was holding back, whether through fear or calculation.
"And why did you come to my cottage?" he asked, his tone sharp.
"I was running… running for my life," she whispered, her eyes downcast. "I didn't know where I was going. I just… ended up here."
Alypos finally lowered the spear, but his suspicion lingered. She might be telling the truth about the mercenaries and the dragon, but there was something she wasn't saying. He could feel it.
"I don't trust you," he said bluntly.
Marina looked up, startled. "I—"
"Trust is earned," he interrupted. "And you haven't earned it."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and tense. Marina bit her lip, clearly trying to figure out her next move.
"I need information," Alypos said, his voice steady. "You're the only person I've come across since I woke up in this forest. Tell me everything you know—about the kingdoms, the mercenaries, the dragon. Everything."
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I'll tell you what I can. But… what about you?"
Alypos raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"
"Who are you?" Marina asked softly, her eyes searching his. "Why is a child like you out here, all alone?"
For a moment, Alypos considered lying. He could give her any story, one that wouldn't raise suspicion. But something inside him rebelled against the idea. it was because he didn't like to lie. Or maybe it was simply a desire for clarity—for both of them.
"I'm Alypos Ilias"