The snapping of branches sent a jolt through Kael's body, but he couldn't afford to look away from the wolves, his knuckles turned white around the shaft of his spear, his breath uneven, the wolves shifted nervously, their hackles raised, growling toward the unseen intruder.
Kael's mind raced. "Whatever's out there is dangerous enough to spook the pack. And if the wolves are scared… I should be terrified."
The Alpha turned its gaze back to Kael, its golden eyes filled with a renewed sense of urgency, the leader of the pack wasn't about to let its prey slip away, not when the threat of losing its dominance loomed so close, with a sharp bark, the Alpha ordered the pack to attack.
Kael tensed as one wolf lunged toward him, the sound of claws scraping against the ground reached his ears, but his eyes caught something strange—a flash of blue.
"New Quest"
Kill all the wolves
Reward: +0.5x
Kael's grip on his spear tightened as the notification burned itself into his vision, he couldn't afford to ignore it, the reward was tempting, almost too tempting, the system seemed to be pushing him toward danger, but Kael knew one thing—if he didn't fight, he wouldn't survive.
"Kill them all?!" he thought, panic bubbling in his chest, he glanced at the circling wolves, their growls growing louder, their bodies coiled like springs, ready to strike. "This isn't just about the reward. If I don't win, I'm dead again. I have no choice."
The wolf that had lunged at him was just inches away now, its teeth bared, Kael sidestepped at the last second, using his spear to jab at its exposed side, the crude weapon struck true, drawing a yelp of pain as the wolf staggered back, but it wasn't down yet.
+25 EXP
As Kael killed one of them hitting it on the left eye penetrating the brain, but he didn't have time to celebrate, the other wolves reacted instantly, their pack instincts driving them into coordinated action, two more wolves charged, their claws tearing into the dirt as they leaped toward him.
"Focus," Kael told himself, his mind racing, he thrust his spear toward the closest wolf, aiming for its chest, the weapon struck, but the wolf twisted mid-air, deflecting the blow, its momentum carried it into him, and Kael stumbled backward, barely keeping his balance.
The second wolf lunged for his exposed side, and Kael instinctively raised his arm to shield himself. Teeth sank into his forearm, pain lancing through his body as the wolf growled and shook its head, trying to tear into him.
HP: 3/6
Kael screamed, adrenaline surging through his veins, he swung the butt of his spear at the wolf clinging to his arm, smashing it against its skull, the wolf released him with a yelp, retreating for a moment, but Kael could see the rest of the pack circling closer, they weren't giving up.
HP: 1/6
Blood dripped from his arm, but Kael gritted his teeth, his eyes scanning the pack for an opening, the Alpha wolf, larger and more menacing than the rest, hung back, watching him with calculating eyes, it wasn't attacking yet—it was waiting, testing him, letting its pack wear him down.
Kael's breathing was ragged, his mind screaming at him to retreat, but the system's quest burned in his thoughts. "If I run, they'll just hunt me down. If I fight… I might stand a chance."
A sudden burst of energy flooded Kael's body, and he felt faster, stronger, the pain in his arm dulled as his focus sharpened, he didn't wait for the wolves to come to him—this time, he attacked first.
Kael lunged at the closest wolf, his spear aiming for its throat, the wolf tried to dodge, but Kael's enhanced speed was too much, the spear pierced its neck, and the wolf collapsed with a pained whimper.
+25 EXP
The remaining wolves hesitated, their growls faltering as they glanced at their fallen packmate, Kael didn't let up, he turned toward the next wolf and charged, his spear sweeping in a wide arc, the wolf dodged, but Kael followed up with a quick jab, catching it in the side, it yelped and retreated, blood staining its fur.
Kael's breathing was heavy, his muscles screaming in protest, but the fight wasn't over, the Alpha growled low, its ears flattening against its head as it stepped forward, the remaining wolves rallied behind it, their confidence returning under their leader's command.
Kael clenched his jaw. "Of course, the Alpha's not going to let this end easily."
The Alpha barked a sharp command, and the wolves spread out, flanking Kael from all sides, he spun, trying to keep them all in his sight, but the pack was moving too quickly, one wolf darted in, snapping at his leg before retreating, another lunged from behind, forcing Kael to whirl around and fend it off with his spear.
"They're wearing me down," Kael realized, frustration boiling in his chest, his movements were slowing, his stamina running out, and the wolves knew it.
Suddenly, the Alpha charged, its massive frame barreling toward Kael with terrifying speed, Kael braced himself, raising his spear, but at the last second, the Alpha swerved, dodging the weapon and slamming into him with its shoulder.
Kael hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him, his spear flew from his grasp, landing several feet away, the Alpha loomed over him, its jaws opening wide for the killing blow.
Kael's vision blurred as the Alpha's fangs closed in, he tried to move, to fight back, but his body wouldn't respond, the system's prompt blinked in his mind, cold and detached, as if mocking his failure.
"Not yet," Kael whispered, forcing a grim smile. "I'll give you a fight to remember."
With a sudden burst of defiance, Kael grabbed a nearby rock and swung it at the Alpha's head, the wolf snarled and recoiled, but the other wolves were already closing in, Kael knew he was out of time.
"Do you wish to rebirth? Y/N."
Or do you want to increase the multiplier first?
x: 0.1
"Sacrifices available: Skill Points, Achievements, Titles, Experience."
Kael stared at the blue screen, his body floating weightlessly in the vast white void, the system's cold, emotionless words echoed in his mind, the only sound in the oppressive silence.
"Sacrifices available: Skill Points, Achievements, Titles, Experience."
Kael's thoughts spiraled. "I really thought I could make it this time," he muttered, his chest tightening. His gaze lingered on the glowing screen. "Now it's not just about coming back—I need to see how much I have to give up to at least reach x1. If I can hit that, maybe I can keep my stats… or even increase them."
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. "Achievements. If the system counts those as sacrifices, then they must also be something I can regain, Skills take time to level up, and Titles… I don't even have any yet, but they sound rare, EXP is the safest, but it won't get me much on its own. Maybe…"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "I'll start with EXP, but I might have to part with some achievements too. If they're repeatable, that might be my best shot at boosting the multiplier without crippling myself long-term."
HP: 6/6 → 4/4
MP: 6/6
lvl:1 EXP: 50/100 → 0/100
Strength: 5.2
Vitality: 3 → 2
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 3 → 2
Luck: 0.8
Skills: Crafting lvl.1 (10%) → None
Titles: None
Achievment: 2 (edible +1 vit) (System unlocked+1 int) → None
x: 0.1 → 0.15 → 0.25 → 0.30 → 35
Kael rubbed his temples and let out a low growl of frustration. "Damn it, even after giving up everything, I still can't even reach x:0.5!"
The numbers on the screen taunted him, glowing faintly against the endless void, he had sacrificed everything—the achievements he had worked for, the experience he had fought to gain, even pieces of his stats lost along the achievement, and yet, here he was, barely scraping x:0.35.
Kael clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "At this rate, how am I supposed to survive long enough to climb out of this hole? If giving up everything isn't enough to boost the multiplier properly, then what else is there?"
"Sacrifice unavailable until next rebirth. Rebirth Initiated at x0.35."
Kael froze, staring at the words. His stomach churned as the void around him began to collapse, the faint light of the system faded, replaced by the cold, damp reality of the forest.
He was back.
Kael blinked, his body stiff and heavy as he stood in the same clearing, the fire was gone, the ashes scattered by the wind, his broken spear lay where he'd dropped it, now little more than a useless stick.
Checking his stats, Kael's scowl deepened as the changes hit him like a punch to the gut.
HP: 1.4/1.4
MP: 3.4/3.4
lvl:1 EXP: 0/100
Strength: 1.82
Vitality: 0.7
Agility: 1.05
Intelligence: 0.7 → 1.7
Luck: 0.28
Skills: None
Titles: None
Achievment: 1 (New) System unlocked +1 INT
x:0
Kael stared at his updated stats, his body trembling with a mix of exhaustion and frustration.
His fingers curled into fists, shaking. "This... this is pathetic." His voice was low, bitter, almost a whisper. "I feel like a twig that could snap if the wind blew too hard."
Kael tried moving his body, but even small motions made him painfully aware of how frail he was, every muscle felt like it was on the verge of giving out, his breath came in shallow, uneven gasps. "I barely have enough strength to hold this broken spear, let alone fight anything."
He collapsed onto the ground, the soft dirt cool against his burning face. "I thought I was supposed to grow stronger with this system," he muttered, his tone bitter. "Instead, I'm weaker than ever. My stats are a joke, my skills are gone, and I've got no titles to my name. How the hell am I supposed to survive like this?"
Kael sat up, his mind racing as he stared into the trees around him, his sharp instincts kicked in—the wolves might still be lurking somewhere. If he didn't start working on rebuilding himself, he'd die all over again and it could have ended in an endless cycle of eternal suffering.
His eyes darted to the glowing screen still floating in front of him, achievements, skills, titles, they were the keys to survival, he'd already lost most of what little progress he'd made, but he wasn't about to stay this weak forever.
"I need to figure this out," he said, his voice growing steadier as determination sparked in his chest.
Kael stood up, his legs trembling under his own weight, but he forced himself to stay upright.
Kael's legs wobbled as he stood, but he clenched his jaw and steadied himself, gripping his makeshift spear tightly, he had no intention of staying weak and vulnerable, if survival meant grinding out every achievement, building every skill, and scraping together a living from the dirt, so be it.
His first priority was clear: food and water.
Kael scanned the forest floor for anything remotely edible, memories of his first attempt at survival came to mind—blindly eating whatever he could find and paying for it with his life, this time, he moved more cautiously, every leaf, berry, and mushroom he encountered was inspected closely, though he couldn't shake the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
After an hour of searching, Kael found a cluster of small, yellow berries hanging from a bush, he hesitated, studying them.
"Am I really willing to risk it?" he muttered, his body screamed for food, but his mind reminded him of the system's potential. "No. Test first. I won't make the same mistakes."
Using the sharp edge of his newly created spear, Kael cut open one of the berries. The juice smelled faintly sweet, but he didn't trust it, instead, he smeared some of the pulp on the inside of his wrist and waited, watching for any signs of irritation or discomfort.
New skill unlocked
Crafting lvl.1 (5%)
When nothing happened after several minutes, he decided to try a tiny bite, the flavor was tart but palatable, he waited again, tense, as the minutes ticked by, finally, when he felt no ill effects, he allowed himself a handful of the berries, chewing slowly.
Achievement Unlocked:
Edible
Successfully consume a safe food source.
+1 VIT
Kael froze as the glowing notification appeared before his eyes, a faint warmth spread through his body as his vitality stat ticked up slightly. he smiled grimly. "One step closer."
Rejuvenated by the small boost, Kael continued his search, he eventually stumbled upon a small stream, its water crystal clear as it bubbled over smooth stones, he cupped his hands and drank deeply, the cool liquid soothing his parched throat.
"This place isn't completely unforgiving," he murmured, sitting by the water to rest for a moment.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Kael knew he couldn't afford to remain exposed in the open, the wolves might return, or worse, something else might find him, he scanned the area for a safe place to sleep.
His gaze settled on a tall tree with sturdy branches, it was an idea born of desperation, but it could work. "If I can get off the ground, I'll be safer," he muttered.
Kael began collecting materials, thick sticks, vines, and pieces of bark, his goal was simple—a basic wooden platform high enough to keep him out of reach of predators, the process was slow, his body weak and his hands clumsy, but he worked tirelessly, tying the pieces together with makeshift knots.
By nightfall, Kael had created a crude, uneven platform about five feet above the ground, it wasn't much, just a simple square of wood lashed together with vines, but it was enough to support his weight.
Crafting lvl.1 (20%)
Kael climbed onto the platform, testing its stability, it creaked under his weight but held firm, for the first time since awakening in the forest, he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction.
"It's not much," he said, lying back and staring up at the stars through the canopy. "But it's mine."
The next morning, Kael set out with renewed determination, he needed to improve his makeshift shelter, gather more food, and perhaps even start stockpiling resources.
He scavenged the forest floor for stronger materials—sturdy branches, larger leaves for covering, and anything else that could make his treetop platform more livable, each task brought its own challenges, but Kael tackled them methodically.
He crafted a rudimentary stone axe by tying a sharp rock to a sturdy stick with vines, with this tool, he was able to cut larger branches and strip bark more efficiently.
Crafting lvl.1 (25%)
Over the course of the day, Kael expanded his platform, turning it into a more stable base. He added a crude railing to prevent himself from rolling off in his sleep and reinforced the structure with thicker branches.
As he worked, his thoughts turned to the system, achievements seemed to be a reliable way to grow stronger, and he needed to figure out how to unlock more.
Kael fashioned a small roof from overlapping leaves to shield himself from the elements. It wasn't perfect, but it offered some protection, as night fell again, he climbed onto his platform, feeling a small sense of pride.
Achievement Unlocked:
Shelter Builder
Construct a livable shelter.
+1 INT +1 STR +1 VIT
The boost to agility was subtle but noticeable, Kael felt lighter, more balanced as he moved across the platform. "It's not much," he said, staring into the dark forest below. "But I'm getting there. One step at a time."
As the days went on, Kael continued to hone his survival skills, he learned to identify more edible plants.
Skill Unlocked: Identify lvl.1 (5%)
It helps to identify objects, living beings and ???
Fashioned basic tools, and even began experimenting with traps to catch small game, with each success, the system rewarded him, his stats growing little by little.
Kael knew he had a long way to go, but for the first time since awakening in the forest, he felt hope, survival wasn't just possible—it was achievable, and with the system at his side, he would claw his way back to strength, no matter how many rebirths it took.