This is it. My first fight. I can't afford to die here.
With all my might, I faced the pack of wolves. There were seven of them in total. Seven hungry beasts, their eyes glowing with malice, teeth bared as if I were the special on tonight's menu.
Using my twig, I smashed the wolf that charged at me alone.
With all my might, I smashed the wolf's head.
But...
All of my confidence and pride shattered when the twig broke into two.
"Pardon my rudeness, but it seems that my new owner is stupid," Interface-san remarked, her usual mechanical tone now laced with judgment.
"You underestimate me too much, Interface-san... you didn't even ask if I had some sort of Plan B," I said, trying to maintain a smug face. Confidence is key, right?
"Oh, I'm curious to hear it," she replied, the sarcasm practically dripping from her words.
The best plan for this kind of situation... one even Einstein or Socrates would probably choose.
"Let's run!!!"
With all my might, I started running, clinging to the hope of saving my life from the wolves that clearly wanted to make me their meal. The sound of paws hitting the ground echoed behind me, growing louder and closer.
"I knew it. Use your rage skill so you can run faster," Interface-san advised, her tone as calm as ever despite the life-and-death situation.
"But how?!"
"Just say the skill! D-rank or lower doesn't require incantation!"
The once reserved and artificial intelligence-like floating screen was now showing signs of irritation toward me. If I wasn't running for my life, I might have been offended.
The wolves chasing me almost bit my back!
Without hesitation, I activated my skill.
"Rage!"
A sudden burst of energy started running through my veins, allowing my movements to grow bigger. My fatigue decreased, and my stamina and senses increased dramatically. It was like drinking five energy drinks at once, minus the jitters.
So this is the feeling of using skills.
"Don't space out! You're just running at the same pace as them! Use your damn brain to outrun them, will you?!" Interface-san's words were sharper than any claws behind me.
The wolves weren't giving up. To shake them off, I decided to jump from tree to tree. The branches cracked under my weight, but I kept moving, hoping they'd lose interest. Unfortunately, they didn't.
"Interface-san, how long does the rage skill last?"
"Normally, skills consume mana. By conducting some calculations based on your mana count and rage skill's mana cost... the rage skill will last for 30 seconds until you hit the critical mana threshold."
"Damn it! Why didn't I reincarnate as an overpowered character like those isekai anime protagonists?"
"And if my mana drains?"
Interface-san replied gracefully, "You will die."
This floating bot was clearly teasing me.
I could feel it—the weakness creeping into my limbs. Could it be... that my mana was already low?
I stopped running, abandoning my hope to live. In any case, I'd still die, right? What's the point of running?
The wolves' distance grew closer and closer until one of them approached close enough for its sharp claws to hit me.
But before they could attack, I heard giant footsteps.
Strangely enough, the wolves started to run away.
"Huh? What's happening?" I asked, confused but slightly relieved.
"Shun, those footsteps. It could be a strong entity."
"Yeah, those footsteps. That's clearly a giant," I responded, fear engulfing my body.
At this moment, the footsteps grew louder and louder, as if trying to approach me deliberately.
"You have two choices: Run away or take the risk and look for that entity so you can pull for its skills."
Since I came here, all I'd done was run. But this time, it would be different.
"If I'm going to die anyway, I'll do my best and cling to my life as much as I can. I'll take the risk and fight that monster with all I've got."
"Hm? As expected of the one I chose. You never fail to amuse me."
She chose me? What did she mean by that?
"Focus now, Shun. Deepen your senses and spot your enemy."
I calmed my mind, focusing my entire existence on the gamble I'd just made. Every rustle of leaves, every rhythm of those colossal footsteps became the only sounds I paid attention to.
The trees in front of me began falling one by one, revealing a massive hand pushing them aside like mere twigs.
As it came closer, its figure formed in my eyes.
A colossal entity whose height was as big as a two-story building, boasting a green, muscular body, and holding a giant wooden bat stained with traces of blood. On top of that, it had horns that resembled a devil's.
Interface-san quickly analyzed the entity as I stepped back to gain some distance.
"Analysis complete. Entity name: Elite Orc. Rank: D
Skills: Roaring Beast (D), Night Vision (E), Unique Passive: Physical Ability Boost (D)."
There were so many skills I didn't know, and I didn't have the time to listen to Interface-san's explanation.
So I picked the most intriguing skill I heard.
Hiding behind a tree, I whispered, "I'll pull for Unique Passive: Physical Ability Boost!"
"Understood. Commencing pull. Unique passive skill: Physical Ability Boost achieved in 27 pulls.
Other items: Night Vision (E), Stone x3 (F), Twig (F), Giant Wooden Bat (E)."
Like the twig I pulled earlier, the items materialized out of thin air.
The giant bat of the orc appeared too, but strangely enough, even though it fell on my body, it didn't hurt.
I picked it up and tried swinging it.
What the heck? I can carry this thing?
No time to think. The explanation would come later—after I defeated this orc.
I charged at the orc with all my might, gripping the bat tightly.
"Be careful, Shun. Don't activate any more skills!"
The orc saw me approaching and swung its bat downwards, attempting to squish me into pieces. Countering it, I blocked using the replica bat I had just pulled.
The impact shook my entire body, but the recoil made the orc lose its composure.
I took the opportunity to strike, landing a solid blow to its side.
But the orc roared, a sound so loud and piercing that it made me immobilized, my hands trembling and my knees buckling.
As the sound subsided, I opened my eyes to see the orc preparing to smash me into bits.
This is bad... I can't evade it!
STATS SUMMARY
Shun Kirisaki
Pull counts remaining: 63
Skill: Unique Passive: Physical ability boost. (E) ~ Night vision (E) ~