I was unsure if I ever wanted to test this ability out, but the reassurance of reviving after I die made me a little less stressed.
After thinking about my skills and stats for a good five minutes, I decided how to use my points in the best way possible.
[Level 1 Stamina -> Level 4 Stamina (Total stamina 40)]
[Level 2 Agility -> Level 5 Agility (Total agility 50)]
[Level 2 Magic -> Level 4 Magic. {After amplifying Level 8} (Total magic 80)]
[Level 3 Strength -> Level 5 Strength. {After amplifying Level 7} (Total strength 70)]
[You have no unused skill points at the moment]
It puzzled me why there were no hit points or health stats. I wondered if we took real damage to our bodies and had to wait for it to heal naturally... It's slightly scary...
I finally exited my mind back to reality. Nothing had changed; the only difference was that I was now sitting on the grass, and my weapon had disappeared. Perhaps I fell, or perhaps my body naturally sat down while I was working on my skills. But it didn't seem like much time had passed in reality, as the sun was still in the same position as before I entered my mind. If I am correct, only a few minutes or less had passed. Time must flow differently inside our minds. It's only a theory of mine, but perhaps to run that kind of system inside of us, we use much more of our brain capacity than in the real world.
"How should I use my skills, I wonder. Umm… Maybe I should try calling it out in my mind."
I summoned my weapon again and posed to make a slashing motion.
"Kinetic Slash!"
Whoosh
A small breeze blew past me, but nothing came out of my weapon... Maybe I should try to do the same trick as when I summoned my weapon.
I posed myself in a slashing stance again and focused on moving my soul energy to the sharp edge of the scythe's blade. I called out the attack in my mind, and I felt my weapon vibrate.
Almost instantaneously, a black, crescent-moon-shaped attack shot out from the weapon. It traveled about 20 meters before dissipating into the air, leaving a massive slash mark on the ground before me.
My eyes shined. I couldn't believe I had just used magic! This was the best! My racing heart couldn't calm down, my body was shaking. The excitement I felt was out of this world. I believe everyone who enjoys fantasy stories or games would feel the same right now.
After I calmed down a bit, I tried the same with the Kinetic Shield. A layer of black energy wrapped around my weapon. I felt a mysterious connection with it, as if I could control its shape. I guided my soul to form it into an umbrella-like shape in front of me, which looked translucent. But when I stopped focusing my eyes on it, it turned pitch black, and I couldn't see through it.
"With this ability, I can shield myself well from long-range attacks. I need to figure out how to use it effectively in close combat too."
Next, I tried using Soul Harvest, but just as I guessed, nothing happened. I would have to try it after I killed my first beast.
The only ability left for me to try was the coolest-sounding one, Space Distortion. I focused my soul energy into my weapon, and in an instant, the space in front of me became slightly unstable. Wherever I pointed my weapon, the view in front of me became invisible. My first thought was to use this ability if I needed to be stealthy, so I tried using it on my body, but something unexpected happened.
My body was wrapped in black flames, and I felt myself becoming as light as a feather. I tried stepping forward, but I didn't expect my body to suddenly dash through the air like a ghost. I stepped back, and the same happened. On each try, I almost tripped and fell, but after five tries, I managed to get the hang of it. But in my excitement, I forgot about the most important detail—this skill uses quite a lot of mana. The black flames around me dispersed, and I felt my connection with the skill disappear.
I would need to be careful with this skill; if my mana didn't regenerate fast enough, I would likely end up dead before I could cast another skill again. But through all this testing, I figured out the most important detail: my mana and soul are linked together. Using too much mana didn't affect my soul energy because my weapon and clothes were still summoned.
A slight chill ran through my body as I thought about what would happen if mana and soul energy were the same. Would I end up naked in front of my enemies if I ran out of mana? I didn't want to think about it.
The forest was just in front of me. I should proceed after my mana is fully recovered.
Mana regeneration was too slow; I believed I would have to rely on physical attacks with the scythe more often than on skills. I hadn't tested how sharp the weapon was, but based on basic game mechanics, my strength stat should determine how powerful my strikes are.
After resting for a few minutes, I headed toward the forested area, leaving the grass fields behind me. The trees in this world were much thicker and taller than in the real world. I touched one with my hand, and it felt almost like iron—cold and strong. Even though the weather was warm, the trees were as cold as ice. For the first time in my life, I felt so insignificant in front of these giants.
Time to go in. I'm not sure what dangers are lurking inside, but I must overcome my fears if I want to be strong—strong enough to never face the humiliation they made me feel.
The fire blazed in my heart, and I headed inside the forest. What greeted me first was the sound of birds chirping in the distance. I supposed this world was at least a bit similar to the real one. The ground was covered in a thick layer of moss, and each step I took was accompanied by the sound of crunching leaves and snapping sticks.
I wandered for about 10 minutes before I finally spotted what I was looking for. About 5 meters away from me stood a creature around 3 meters tall. It had the head of a boar but the body of a rat—a truly disgusting combination.
I hid behind the nearest tree and calmed myself. This was going to be my first fight.
I couldn't rush; I needed to come up with a strategy. Let me see if that Inspect skill also works on monsters.
I focused my eyes on the boar-rat and used the Inspect skill. Almost instantly, I saw text floating above the creature.
[Level 2 Ratabo:]
[An agile and strong creature, usually found in deep forested areas.]
That was the end of the information I could get from this level of Inspect skill. But it gave me some important information. This creature, called Ratabo, is both agile and strong, meaning I must move carefully and try to sneak attack it before it notices me. That's my best chance of beating it. But I must move fast; if I waste my mana recklessly, it will be able to catch me easily.
I wished I could see its stats and skills. I feared that I might get knocked out instantly—that would be the end of me.
I snuck around the Ratabo as silently as possible.
That thing was digging into the ground with its nose and couldn't hear me well. Perfect chance!
I had only two seconds to stay in the Space Distortion skill, which would cost me 30 mana. I needed to save the rest for slash attacks and to defend myself with a shield. It took 75 seconds to fully recover my mana. If I dodged well, I could enter the immortal state for 10 seconds, where I could be reckless.
I was finally facing the back of the monster. Taking a deep breath, I quickly activated Distorted Space and charged at the monster's back.
Good, it doesn't notice me.
I summoned my scythe into my hands and swung it hard from the bottom to the top at the back of the monster, using my Kinetic Slash. A burst of powerful vibrations traveled through my weapon as the black crescent moon left the sharp edge of the blade and struck the Ratabo.
Scree!
The monster let out a painful screech and jumped a few meters away from me.
Without any hesitation, I swung my scythe again, but the monster was so fast that it turned around in time. Just as my Kinetic Slash was about to hit it again, this wild monster used its tusks to block my attack. Without giving me even a second to catch my breath, it dashed toward me with incredible speed.
I panicked… my first thought was to use Space Distortion. But my legs didn't move... Was I scared? Perhaps, but I quickly used my Kinetic Shield to at least block some of the damage.
I guess I was too naive to think I could fight this monster alone and head-on. The powerful Ratabo slammed into my shield and sent me flying into an iron-hard tree.