Chapter 6 SURVIVAL QUEST

Morning came mercilessly, and I woke to something licking my face. My reflexes immediately kicked in, my eyes shot open, my body moving before my mind. I grabbed the Thorny Branch and stabbed forward.

SRAK!

The small, furry, gray creature screamed and was thrown. I sat up, breathing heavily, my adrenaline pumping. The creature landed a few meters away from me. It looked like a squirrel, when it decides life isn't exciting enough and adds more fangs.

A notification appears.

Stone Squirrel Lv.2

Status: dying

I looked at him, he was still moving slightly. I sighed.

"Morning too."

I ended his suffering, a second stab. Kill confirmed, roots eject automatically. Absorbed.

Notification:

EXP gained.

Strength +1

I was getting used to this too quickly, which was a little worrying. But there was no time for deep moral reflection. My stomach was throbbing again. Seriously? This body was now a calorie-burning machine. Maybe it was the stat growth or the stress, or both. I stood up and stretched; last night's injuries were much better. The increased vitality had definitely helped. Okay, I'll check the quest once more.

Quest:

Survive 7 days in the Forbidden Forest

Day 1/7

It was only the first day, and it was fantastic. I looked around; the morning mist was still thin, and the small river flowed calmly. This area was safe enough for a while, but I couldn't stay there for long. Predators usually follow water sources, and I wasn't interested in becoming their menu yet. I started walking along the river's current.

Today's goal is simple:

search for resources

level up

not dead

A reasonable goal. As I walked, I tried to deepen my understanding of Minor Mana Sense. I focused, closing my eyes for a moment. A faint sensation appeared, like a wave. Small amounts of energy spread throughout. There was a small bright spot of low-level monsters, and a larger one far to the north. Hmm, big. Potential trouble, avoid it. I chose the south, a bit safer.

The next few hours were spent hunting, and I was surprisingly talented, or rather, my class was a bit of a cheat. Low-level monsters were literally free experience. Gray Fang, Night Hare, Stone Squirrel. The occasional overly aggressive bird. All of them gave small stat boosts that, little by little, added up.

Notifications appear periodically.

Level 9 reached.

Agility +1

Dexterity +1

Level 10 reached.

Milestone reward unlocked.

I stopped.

"Oh?"

Auto open status.

LEVEL 10 REWARD

Skill unlocked:

Root Snare

Great, new skill. I'll read the info right away.

Root Snare

Conjures roots from the ground to restrain the target for a few seconds.

Duration depends on level and power difference, low mana usage.

I smiled broadly. Crowd control. Excellent, finally a more tactical use for the skill. Not bad, the Thorny Branch also seemed to have changed a bit again, the thorns longer, the stem darker. A small evolution, nice to see. As the afternoon approached, I found something interesting. Human footprints, I immediately crouched down. Focused, the tracks were still fresh. Not many, maybe one or two people. Interesting.

Classmates? Or locals? Or people who wanted to kill me in a different way? Unknown, I followed the trail slowly, stealth mode. A few minutes later, I heard a voice, human. Finally, I hid behind a bush. I spied two people, not classmates. Nice, they were wearing leather armor, short swords, and travel bags. They looked like adventurers or hunters. They were talking.

"The trail leads this way."

"There are really humans in the depths of the forest?"

"He said young people."

I narrowed my eyes, wait. Talking about me? Oh good, already famous. One of them sighed.

"If he's still alive, the reward is quite substantial."

Amazing, I leaned back slowly. Thinking about the situation, so word of my presence had spread. Whether from last night's survivors or something else. This meant I wasn't the only one hunting. Now I was the hunted, which was exhilarating. The two hunters began to move, heading towards me. Getting closer, I readied Thorny Branch. As one nearly passed my position, I activated a new skill.

Root Snare.

Roots came out of the ground, quickly. They entangled the first hunter's legs.

"What-?!"

He fell, his friend immediately panicked.

"Cursed!"

I emerged from the bushes, stabbing the first hunter in the shoulder before he could get up. The man screamed, and his friend attacked with his sword. He was neater than Kevin, more trained, but I held my nerve.

CLANG.

The impact was quite strong. Okay, not amateur. Interesting, he slashed quickly twice. I stepped back, dodging. Counterattacking, the Thorny Branch grazed his cheek, blood flowing. The man stepped back, his expression changed.

"Are you that target?"

I smiled a little.

"I'm so popular today."

He gritted his teeth.

"Surrender."

"No."

Negotiations over, he attacked again. But the first hunter was still bound by the roots. Bad position, I took advantage. Moving sideways, I stabbed the bound target's neck. Kill, quick. Clean enough, the Devour roots activated. Human energy was flowing in, not bad. The second hunter saw that and immediately made the smartest decision of the day, running away. Oh, cowardice. A highly underrated survival skill, I almost gave chase. But stopped, let it be. It would bring information and perhaps fear. Useful, I stared at the hunter's corpse.

A notification appears.

Human slain.

Strength +2

Vitality +1

EXP gained.

Level 11 reached.

I smiled faintly. Great, the first day was only halfway through and I was already:

farming monster

kill hunter

become a bounty target

Very productive, I peered deeper into the forest. If outsiders were starting to enter, this forest wouldn't be just a dumping ground. There was something here, something important enough to warrant entry. Intrigued, I twirled the Thorny Branch in my hand.

"Okay."

Then I have a new target, not just survival. I want to know the secrets of this place and, if necessary, take them all.

[END CHAPTER 6]