Arthur Wu had always thought of himself as an average guy. He wasn't particularly athletic, wasn't famous, didn't have any magical abilities—or at least, that's what he used to think. In fact, if anyone had told him that he'd end up reincarnated into a new world, facing down a giant boar and leveling up after barely dodging a deadly tusk, he would've laughed in their face. Hard.
But here he was, standing in a forest that looked like it belonged to a game developer's fever dream, holding a rock the size of his palm like it was his only hope of survival. And somehow, he was about to face off against a boar the size of a small house.
"Okay," Arthur muttered to himself, eyes narrowing as he stared down the charging boar. The thing's massive, tusked snout was coming right for him, the ground shaking with every thunderous step it took. It snorted, clearly ready to impale him on its tusks and turn him into a mere snack for its afternoon hunger.
Arthur, however, wasn't ready to be a snack just yet.
A deep breath filled his lungs. The cool, pine-scented air wrapped around him, but in this moment, it was the only thing that was calming him down. He was no longer panicking. In fact, he had come to a conclusion:
He was still going to die. But maybe—just maybe—he could get a couple of good punches in before that happened.
"Alright, Arthur. You've got this," he whispered, trying to convince himself more than anything. "You were just a regular guy. You were decent at games, right? You played RPGs all the time. How hard can this be?"
The boar seemed to find this internal pep talk hilarious, as it charged forward with a gleam in its eye that screamed 'I'm going to ruin your day.'
Arthur swallowed. "Wait. RPGs. Magic. Systems. Leveling up. This is an RPG! This isn't real life. This is a game! Okay, calm down. I have skills now. I have powers!"
Arthur's hands trembled as the glowing screen appeared once again, hovering before him like some kind of cosmic babysitter. It buzzed with a new notification.
SYSTEM UPDATE:
NEW SKILL UNLOCKED:
Stone Throw (Level 1): Throw a stone with remarkable force. May or may not damage the target depending on the target's size and your currently weak strength.
WARNING: Skill is highly unreliable at this level. May result in embarrassment.
"Stone Throw?" Arthur read aloud, glancing down at the rock in his hand. "Isn't that just... well, throwing a rock? How hard can that be?"
Arthur gritted his teeth. The boar was still charging, and now, the rock in his hand felt like a tiny pebble against the creature's bulk. But hey, it was something, right? Something was better than nothing.
"Alright, here goes nothing," Arthur muttered. With all his might, he hurled the rock at the boar, the action feeling strangely dramatic—like he was a hero in a movie, winding up to throw his last chance at defeating a legendary monster.
The rock flew through the air, sailing toward the boar's head.
Thwack.
It bounced off the boar's thick skull and fell to the ground with a pathetic thud.
Arthur's eyes widened. "Well... that was anti-climactic."
The boar, apparently offended by the pebble-sized assault, let out an angry squeal, shaking its large head and snorting at Arthur. Then, with renewed fury, it charged again.
Arthur's heart jumped in his chest. It was coming right at him. He had no time to think, no time to formulate a plan. His legs screamed at him to run, but something inside him refused to give in. If he kept running, he'd just be the punchline of his own death. The system had given him some skills. He was going to use them.
"Panic Attack!" he shouted, activating the only ability he had that was even remotely useful.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
Panic Attack (Level 1) activated.
Boost: +10% speed.
Warning: Only lasts for 3 seconds. Please don't get too excited.
Arthur's body surged forward in a burst of unnatural speed. It was like he was given a shot of adrenaline directly into his bloodstream. The trees blurred past him as he darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the boar's tusks that would have impaled him with ease.
He could feel the rush of the speed, his heart pounding in his chest. This was... something. The sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying. His legs were moving faster than he'd ever thought possible, but it wasn't enough. The boar had turned on a dime, its massive head swinging around with a precision that no creature of its size should have been capable of. It was like it was anticipating Arthur's every move.
Arthur skidded to a halt, his foot slipping slightly on the forest floor as he glanced back to see the boar in pursuit. He couldn't keep this up for long. His heart raced, his body already beginning to feel the strain.
The rock. He had another rock. Where was it?
He turned to scan the ground, looking for anything he could use. And there it was. Another stone, slightly bigger than the last. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
"Okay, I'm not dying today!" Arthur roared, scooping the rock up off the ground and hurling it forward.
This time, he aimed for the boar's eye. Maybe, just maybe, if he could hit the boar in the eye, it would be enough to slow it down.
The stone flew—aimed perfectly, faster this time, with more purpose behind it. It was like he could actually feel the trajectory in his bones.
The rock hit the boar directly in its left eye. There was a sickening squelch as it collided with the creature's soft tissue, making the beast screech in pain. For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. The boar stumbled backward, one of its tusks scraping against a tree as it reeled in agony. It let out a horrible, guttural cry, stumbling to the ground.
Arthur, panting and half-dazed, stared at the beast, his heart hammering in his chest. He had done it. He actually did it. He couldn't believe it.
He'd just defeated a giant boar with a rock.
But his triumph was short-lived.
SYSTEM UPDATE:
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have slain: Giant Forest Boar (Level 5).
XP Gained: 500.
Arthur felt a strange warmth flood through him, like he had just consumed a potion of victory. He could feel it—he was leveling up. He was actually getting stronger. Slowly, but surely. His heart thudded in his chest as the adrenaline began to wear off.
Then, almost like a switch had been flipped, Arthur looked down at the boar's crumpled form. His victory had been short-lived, but... somehow, he felt like it hadn't been enough. What was next? What was he supposed to do now?
He let out a sigh, dropping to his knees, sweat dripping down his forehead. He was alive. That was the most important part.
"Well... I guess this isn't so bad," Arthur said, looking at the boar. "I'm alive. I leveled up. And I killed a giant boar with a rock... somehow."
The system buzzed once again, and another message appeared.
SYSTEM:
New Quest Available:
"Continue Your Journey."
Objective: Survive and explore the world to gain experience. New quests will be unlocked as you level up.
Arthur stared at the quest for a moment, a frown tugging at his lips. Survive? Explore? What was he supposed to do now? He didn't have any weapons, no real idea of where he was, and, most importantly, no clue how to survive in this strange world.
But there was one thing that was for sure. He was going to have to figure it out. And somehow, Arthur had a feeling that the journey ahead wasn't going to be as easy as throwing a rock at a boar.