by Pegaz
After a moment’s respite, he picked himself up and got onto his hands and knees. He tentatively approached the edge of the boulder and peered down.
More rocks. Great. Except these ones were in an array of sizes and shapes, ranging from huge boulders to tiny pebbles. Looking closer, they were arranged in a way that could almost resemble a path, leading all the way down the side of the mountain and disappearing into the trees.
There was no way of telling how far they went, but John figured it was better than that two-hundred-foot drop.
While debating between climbing down and searching for another way, a mélange of countless howls and irritable squeaks broke his train of thought. A bit startled, John’s attention was driven toward the source of the eerie sounds: the cave.
As his eyes rested on the dark hole in the mountain, a bat the size of his arm erupted out of the cave, followed by another, and another! A whole swarm began to pour out from the side of the mountain. John had to act fast. He quickly climbed down the opposite side of the boulder to hide himself from view. Watching the swarm overhead, he stood as still as possible. He. Didn’t. Even. Breathe.
Minutes passed, and the majority of the bats were out of sight. Thinking the coast was clear, John released his breath in a heavy sigh. This, however, caught the attention of one last straggler bat as it flew overhead. With a shrill chirp, the creature dove right for him!
In a flurry of panic, John swatted the bat away with his arms—surprisingly meeting his target. The bat was thrown off-course, and it dove head-first into the boulder just inches away from John’s head. It toppled down onto the landing next to him as he grabbed the beast’s head and bashed it against the boulder. He hit it again and again, adrenaline coursing through his veins. It was only when the skull of the bat was cracked open that John slowed to a stop, releasing his bloody grasp and letting the corpse fall back onto the landing.
Without any question, it was dead.
Congratulations on your first beast kill with the system in place! We have given you the reward of 1 Skill Point to place in the category of your choice.
WARNING: If the point is placed into a skill that is currently being levelled, the time needed to complete the skill will increase to the next level.
The system’s notification rang out, and John took a moment to process the message. As an afterthought, he bent down to take a closer look at the bat.
The creature had no eyes, small ears, a snout, and large pointed teeth. Feeling a bit foolish for holding his breath earlier, John recalled that bats use sonar vision to hunt. At least, the bats back in his world did. These bats were much larger than the ones he was used to and had sharper teeth. Along with the fact that it attacked him directly, John concluded these were a much bigger threat than the bats back at home.
But why was it out in the middle of the day? John frowned, deep in thought. Aren’t bats supposed to be nocturnal?
A shiver went down his spine as the gravity of his situation sank in. The teeth on this creature had only come inches away from his neck. Not to mention, the massive swarm of these things that only just barely missed him. The bat that lay on the floor was smaller than most of the bats John saw earlier, which meant the sky currently held far worse creatures than this one.
Trying not to panic, John hurriedly started climbing down the mountainside. He shakily made his way over the boulders and rocks, searching for the quickest path to the bottom.
If I go too fast and trip, I could sprain an ankle—maybe even break it with the way my luck is going. With careful footing, John eased his descent a bit. It’s best to keep a steady pace, fast enough to get me out of danger but slow enough to keep my footing.
With this in mind, John continued downward. If anyone could observe the scene, they would have got a kick out of the sight of a young man jogging down the side of the mountain, chanting “Don’t slip, don’t slip,” as if it was some kind of mantra. Occasionally, he glanced upwards at the sky and switched his chant to, “No more bats, no more bats…” at almost regular intervals.
Upon reaching the canopy of the forest below, John pushed a few branches to the side and continued his climb down. He moved a few of the thicker branches out of the way to unblock his vision.
The trees in question were taller than houses, but the boulder path led all the way down. The rocks seemed to become flatter as they went down, which was good news for our weary rock-climber. In the distance, some shrubbery decorated the forest floor. John could also make out a couple of the bat creatures, feeding on a large rabbit-like animal. He estimated the rabbit to be about two feet tall and four feet wide.
Climbing back into the coverage of the trees, John decided it best to stay out of the bats’ way. Taking advantage of the resting period, he glanced up at the system in the corner of his vision.
Open.
Name: John
Age: 15
Idlers: 0/4
Skill Points: 1
HP: 10
Attack: N/A
Defence: N/A
Stamina: N/A
Misc List:
Idlers Speed - Idlers 4/99, -1 Second Per Idler - 0/9, Time - 22h 54m 15s
Maximum Idlers - Idlers 0/99, +1 Max Idlers - 3/2159
Maximum Workers - Idlers 0/99, +1 Idler Workers - 0/2061
Analyser Eye - Idlers 0/99, Basic - 0/1, Advanced - 0/1, Godly - 0/1
??? - Idlers 0/99, ??? - 0/1 (unlocks after Stomach Acid 1)
??? - Idlers 0/99, ??? - 0/1, ??? - 0/1 (unlocks after thinking Speed 50)
??? - Idlers 0/99, ??? - 0/1, ??? - 0/1 (unlocks after Senses 8)
He eyed the skill point that he just earned, remembering the warning that the system gave him. Increasing the wait time for his Idlers Speed skill wasn’t something he wanted to do, even if it was a tad accelerated. Mulling over the rest of the categories, John considered the Maximum Idlers skill, eyes darting over to that section of the display. The system registered his thoughts and the number changed from 3/2159 to 4/2159. At the top of the display, John saw its now read 1/5 Idlers. Satisfied with his decision, he placed the last Idlers into the Maximum Idlers category, and the skill adjusted.
Maximum Idlers - Idlers 1/99, +1 Max Idlers - 4/2159, Time - 40m 30s
Chapter 3
The Meet
Forty minutes passed, and John, who was still hiding in the thick bushes away from the bats and rabbits, delved back into his system. Another Idler generated, and he quickly placed it into the Maximum Idlers category. The new countdown appeared as 2h 1m 30s.
It tripled again… but with two Idlers here, the total time should be just over an hour.
John carefully moved a branch out of the way, peeking through to see if the bats were gone.
There were now two bats perched on top of the single rabbit. Because of the distance, he couldn’t quite make out was what going on, but he could only assume that the bats were feeding off of the creature’s blood. If they continued on like this, the rabbit was most likely going to die. Albeit a bit grim, John was looking forward to the fresh, bloodless meat that the bats would leave behind.
Despite never having set a fire in the wilderness before, John figured he could do it. He’d seen a few survival shows before, and the contestants on the shows always managed to figure it out. It’s just a matter of putting the knowledge into practice. How hard can it be?
Amidst his optimism, a thought struck him. How was he going to skin the animal? Without any knives or tools, it might be a challenge. Maybe it’s like chickens and pheasants, and I can just pluck the fur out like feathers. I’ll still need tools though, for removing the organs… Even though the blood will be drained, there’s still a lot I have to figure out before I can eat this thing!
Still muddling over the roadblocks between him and his feast, John’s attention was once more wrenched away by the sound of a ‘ding!’ from his system. Opening up the display, he found the indicators read that 3/7 Idlers were free, and that his Maximum Idlers was now Level 6.
Tool Tip - To view more information about a skill, look at the skill in question for 5 seconds.
The notification appeared just as John finished placing his Idlers into the Flesh Strength skill slot. He bit back a curse as he read the text.
“Why don’t you tell me these things BEFORE I fucking do something?!” He hissed under his breath. “What, do you think I need the learning experience or something, huh? Well? Can you hear me?”
John let his frustration sizzle as he sat in silence, the system obviously not responding to his anguish.
“I’m beginning to think I’ve got a defective system.” He rubbed his temples. “Or maybe, the AI is just trying to piss me off. Either way, I wish I could give it a good smack and set it right. That always worked with the old TVs, so why not an advanced AI System, right?”
With a resigned sigh, John redirected his attention to the display. The time needed to complete the Flesh Strength skill read as 4m 24s. John guessed the total time to be around 5 minutes, making up for the time he spent ranting at the system. Eyes resting on the Flesh Strength skill, he counted to five. Almost instantly, a line of text appeared beneath the skill.
Flesh Strength:
Regeneration: Heals the skin much faster than normal.
Bonus for maxing all skill levels: The skin and muscle just under the skin are tightened at a cellular level to become more robust, increasing Defence. The fat under the skin is skimmed off but not removed, you will feel lighter and able to run longer distances with the same stamina.
Level 10 = 10 points, Level 25 = 40 points, Level 50 = 75 points, level 100 = 150 points
Reading through the description, he could understand the actual skill. But, what about the points? What were those about? Was there a way to search the system for more information? Since the text mentioned the skin’s defence, maybe he could get more information from the Defence category. He laid his eyes on the text and counted to five.
Eureka!
Defence:
The ability to endure and survive attacks from anything. Effects: HP. Rating from H to SSS.
H = 100 Points, G = 200 points, F = 300 points, E = 400 points, D = 500 points, C = 600 points, B = 700 points, A = 800 points, S = 1,000 points, SS = 5,000 points, SSS = 10,000 points
After thoroughly reading the description, his eyes travelled to the Attack category.
Attack:
Tear the skin, rupture organs, smash bones and kill. Effects: Stamina. Rating from H to SSS.
H = 100 Points, G = 200 points, F = 300 points, E = 400 points, D = 500 points, C = 600 points, B = 700 points, A = 800 points, S = 1,000 points, SS = 5,000 points, SSS = 10,000 points
“So, you got lazy and decided to use the same system for both,” John snickered at the supposedly advanced system. “Just change a few words around and bam, same description.”
As if trying to protest, the system once more chimed with the familiar ‘ding!’ sound. John was beginning to like this sound.
Skimming back through the system’s list, he took note that his HP count now sat at 11HP, one point more than what he had before. The Flesh Strength skill now read Level 1/100, to his delight. The Idlers marker told him he had two free idlers remaining.
John went ahead and placed both of his free Idlers back into the Flesh Strength skill slot again, estimating a fifteen-minute wait time. After all, that’s how much the Maximum Idlers skill increased each level. Much to his chagrin, the countdown came up as twenty-five minutes—an increase of a full five times more per level.
His brain a little fried because of all the mental math, John sat blank-faced and stared at the display. A little light bulb went off in his head as he figured out his error. The Flesh Strength skill only had one hundred levels, as opposed to the two-thousand levels that the Maximum Idler skill had. It made sense that the skills with fewer levels would take more time.
He closed the system and peeked back through the bushes. The bats were gone, and the jumbo-sized rabbit corpse was abandoned like he expected. After a quick check to make sure the coast was clear, John climbed down the rocks and headed toward the rabbit. Glancing all around him for signs of nearby predators, he slowly made his way to the corpse.
No sign of any bats. John took in his surroundings a little better. The rabbit laid about thirty feet away, among some trees that towered above him, higher than any buildings he was familiar with. If he had to put a number to their heights, he would have guessed over a hundred feet at the bare minimum.
The branches of the trees spread out, reaching out to one another and entangling, like a miraculously woven piece of art. The entire sky was coated by a sea of leaves, with patches of sunlight streaming in through the gaps. He would have admired it longer, if not for the free meal that awaited him. Tearing his eyes away from the beauty of the forest, he redirected his attention onto his goal.
Ten feet away from the rabbit, he paused. The creature showed no signs of life. It was now just a carcass.
It’s darker down here. Something in the back of John’s mind stirred his sense of danger. He noted that the temperature was also cooler, and the atmosphere was heavy with anticipation. A shiver crept down his spine.
As one final test, John stretched a leg out and nudged the corpse of the rabbit. No movement. A sigh of relief escaped the man, and he reached down to move the carcass. As he did, however, he froze. Just beyond the tree in front of him, he could make out distant shouting. The voices got closer, and as they did, they grew louder. John could feel his heartbeat racing faster and faster as the sounds approached him.
Suddenly, his eyes could make out the source of the noise. A small group of three people who were being pursued by two bats. And they were headed right towards him!
There was no time to hide. In the midst of his panic, John surprised himself by relating his current situation to some light novels he enjoyed before his death.
“What a cliche beginning,” he mumbled under his breath. Adventurers run into trouble and meet the reincarnated protagonist. From there, it always bubbles down to one of four possible scenarios. He took a deep breath and went over the options in his head.
One- the reincarnated character gets dragged into the said party’s problem, fights, wins, and then befriends the party.
Two- the reincarnated character gets dragged into the said party’s problem, realises he’s no match for their enemy, runs with the party to safety thus befriending the party.
Three- the party IS the trouble, and they pick on the newbie. The newbie beats the shit out of said party, takes their stuff, and gets information about the surrounding area and nearest towns.
Four- the party deals with the trouble themselves and then takes notice of the newbie, striking up a conversation with them. They exchange information and, if they’re generous, they share some food and a place to sleep, sometimes even escorting the newbie back to town.
With a pause, John wondered which option it would be.
With his brain still mulling over all the possible scenarios, at some point the three adventurers ceased their running and turned to face the bats. Two of them fired crossbows at their foes, while the third charged directly at them. John’s attention snapped back to the group as both of the bolts hit the wings of the bats, causing them to tumble out of the air. There was a flash of steel as the third adventurer drew his blade and brought his long sword down onto the body of one of the bats.
The creature’s head ro
lled across the ground.
Still in motion, the man spun around in a half circle whilst raising his sword once more. He sidestepped to the right and lined himself up with the second bat’s body, which was still plummeting downward. With a fluid-like stroke, he swung his sword and cleanly beheaded the second bat.
With the immediate threat dealt with, the party relaxed their stances. The man with the sword wiped his weapon on the body of the bat to clean the blood off. He sheathed the blade and turned to address his party members, but his attention was drawn by something else. Just beyond his group members stood a young man alongside the corpse of a rabbit. The adventurer’s jaw dropped and his face twisted into a look of utter shock.
The other adventurers followed his gaze, drawing their weapons at the thought of a new threat. However, they too were shocked at what they saw. They lowered their weapons, expressions twisting to match their fellow adventurer’s.
John was roughly twenty feet away from the group. He was just close enough to make out their absolute shock. Confused, he looked around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. The rabbit’s body seemed fairly normal and non-frightening, definitely nothing to gawk at. Up above, there were tree branches and leaves, which were also very standard to find in a forest. They couldn’t be gawking at him… could they?
“Is my face really that good-looking or what?” John called out to the group.
At the sound of John’s voice, the adventurer with the sword came back to his senses. He shook his head a little then approached John with a steady and precise pace. The man’s posture was cold and authoritative, one hand placed pre-emptively over the hilt of his sword.
“Why the fuck are you naked?”
Now, it was John’s turn to be stunned.
He slowly lowered his head to look down at himself and found he was stark naked.
The whole time during his little adventure from the cliff to where he was now, from the life and death encounter with the bat to scaling down the side of the mountain as quickly as possible, he’d only really focused his gaze on his surroundings. Through the endlessly resurging panic, he never really stopped to think about his appearance. It was warm out, so it never occurred to him to even check.
