Nestled in the valley far below was a small settlement, its thatched roofs and stone buildings bathed in the soft orange glow of twilight. Smoke lazily drifted from chimneys, and he could make out tiny figures moving about. Civilization. Safety. It was so close… and yet, so far.
But between him and the village was a sheer drop that must have been at least fifty feet, plunging down into thick foliage below. There was no easy way down from here. He cursed under his breath.
Ethan's pulse pounded in his ears as he looked over the edge of the cliff. Fifty feet was way too far to jump without turning himself into a broken mess. The village, so close yet unreachable, mocked him from below. His gaze flicked between the steep drop and the forest behind him, where the snarling wolf was surely regaining its strength. Time was running out fast.
And then he heard it. A loud howl. A howl that was dangerously close to him.
Ethan no longer hesitated. With one last glance at the treeline behind him, he took a deep breath and made up his mind. He had no other choice. Either he tried the descent, or the wolf would catch up and finish the job.
He ran toward the edge, lowering himself carefully until his feet found purchase on the first set of roots. The vines groaned under his weight, but they held—barely.
Behind him, the wolf's snarl echoed through the trees. He didn't have much time.
Slowly, painstakingly, Ethan began his descent. Every step was a gamble, his hands shaking as he grabbed onto vines and crevices, praying they wouldn't snap under the strain. His heart thudded in his chest, but he forced himself to stay focused. One wrong move and he'd fall, but the wolf closing in behind him left him no room for hesitation.
Halfway down, Ethan risked a glance upward. The wolf had reached the edge of the cliff, its yellow eyes locked onto him. For a moment, it hesitated, pawing at the ground as if calculating its options. Then, with a snarl of frustration, it turned around.
For a brief, fleeting second, he thought he might be safe—that maybe the beast had given up on him. But then the realization hit him: the wolf wasn't retreating. Maybe it was circling back, searching for a better way down?
A cold sweat broke out on Ethan's forehead. He needed to move faster.
His fingers dug into the rocky surface as he descended with renewed urgency, the roots and vines beneath him creaking under his weight.
Time felt like it was slipping away, the moments stretching unbearably long as each foothold and handhold became a life-or-death decision. 25 feet down. He still had half-way to go.
However, all of a sudden the rock he had grabbed onto shook and then cracked under his weight.
Ethan's heart lurched as the rock gave way, sending a cascade of pebbles tumbling down the cliffside. His grip slipped, and for a terrifying moment, he was free-falling. Instinctively, he flung out his hand, desperately reaching for anything to break his fall. Unfortunately, there was nothing.
Crash.
Ethan's body slammed into the rocky surface below, pain exploding through his limbs as he tumbled down the remaining distance. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, his breath knocked from his lungs. The world around him spun, a blur of green, gray, and pain. For a moment, everything went dark.
Gasping for air, Ethan groaned and rolled onto his side, blinking against the dizziness. His whole body ached, sharp pain flaring in his ribs and legs. His vision swam, and his head throbbed. But somehow, miraculously, he was alive.
Alive and broken in many different places.
Ethan lay sprawled on the ground unable to move his body even an inch.
His limbs felt like dead weight, his chest burning with every ragged breath. He tried to move his fingers, but even that small effort sent waves of pain shooting up his arm.
His body was battered, his ribs probably cracked, if not worse. His vision blurred in and out of focus as he lay there, staring up at the sky above, wondering if this was the end.
And then he saw it.
The notification.
[Ding! Quest Complete!]
[Ding! You have gained experience points]
[Ding! Level up!]
[Lvl 2> Lvl 3]
[Ding! You have gained five stat points]
[Ding! Your summoning capacity has been upgraded]
Ethan blinked, disbelief washing over him as the familiar glowing notifications floated in front of his eyes. Quest complete? Level up? A weak laugh bubbled up from his throat, but it was cut short by the stabbing pain in his ribs.
The next second a wave of warmth enveloped his body and everything that was broken began to heal.