Looking back, those first moments in the forest were a special kind of hell. I had started to wander the deep and treacherous forest, its ground a sucking sea of mud that clung to my shoes with every step, making it a struggle to even walk. A constant, thick fog clung to the gnarled trees, reducing the world to a ghostly, grey tableau that did nothing to help my sense of direction or my rising dread.
Yet, for the first time since arriving in this godforsaken world, there was life. Bugs were crawling all over the damp ground and scuttling up the rough bark of the trees. It was a small thing, but I felt a flicker of something—not quite happiness, but a grim satisfaction that at least there was something other than me and the endless grass.
I continued to trudge through the forest, my legs pumping through the mud with slow, steady, determined steps. Most people would have given up in my situation, collapsing into despair. Yet I didn't. After what I went through in that nightmare plain, this couldn't be that horrific. At least it wasn't endless.
As I continued to walk, the night began to set in.
It was far worse than the plains. Out there, you could at least see the horizon or the vast, uncaring night sky. But here, there was only the thick fog and trees so dense and close that even the fading daylight had barely helped. Now, in the true dark, I was blind.
But then, from behind me, came a quiet growl. Before I could even turn around, something bit straight into my neck, tearing a chunk out.
I immediately fell to the muddy ground, clutching my neck in absolute terror and a white-hot wave of pain. My fingers grew slick with warm blood. I tried to see what had bitten me, but I could only make out the shifting figure of an animal the size of a wolf through the fog and the tears of pain in my eyes.
Yet I couldn't care less about identifying it. I tried to scramble away from the beast, my boots slipping and sliding uselessly in the thick mud before, finally, the beast leaped onto me and killed me.
I blinked my eyes open, frantically clutching my neck in terror. I looked around the void, my body still thrumming with fear, sweating as if I had run a marathon.
Shit! Fuck!.. oh god.. i'm alive.. shit, haaa, haa..
My breaths were quick, my eyes still scanning the void, my hand still tightly clamped on my un-wounded neck. I tried to even my breathing, to compose myself, but it barely helped.
I had died tens of times by now. But that was starvation. Yes, the first few ones were terrifying, gruesome, and painful, but it was slow. I knew that I was going to die. This was far different. It was fast, but absolutely terrifying, sudden, and traumatic. At least when I died of starvation I didn't need to see a chunk of my neck in the mouth of a beast.
I composed myself, yet still terrified..
And then the System spoke once again.
Welcome back.. you finnaly expirence your first sudden death..
Are you ready to go back now?
The systems words where monotone, lazy like always.
What?! No! Going back there? Are you insane!
I yelled at the system franticaly.
The system only responded with it's same montone tone.
Whe've been trhought this.. if you don't want to i'm sending you back myself.. but becuse you somehow escapted that plain i'll let you think over everything before making you go.
Fine! Alright, i got it.. aleast this time i get to compose myself, shit! What the fuck was that?!
My voice is flat a little depressed and still shocked and terrified by the things that happened moments ago..
But then the system answered to my blabering.
It was a mud wolf, they life in forests or places that are densly covered with mud and their evolved to be able to glide eazily straight trhought it..
Oh. Thanks i guess, but i din't mean it like a question..
Whatever, be greatful i even told you that..
The system scoffed in anoyance.
Then I slowly started to think over everything that had happened, and after an hour or so, the System sent me back to when I appeared in the forest.
Fuck.. i'm back..
I looked around the same forest I was in; it was still daytime.
Fuck.. i'll be attacked by the wolf again. What if i die again..
I thought to myself, the dread already coiling in my stomach at the prospect of seeing that wolf again, of feeling that pain again.
i'm going to die again, i'm going to die and die till i kill it aren't i..
I clutched my head in a manic, afraid manner, my face pale at the thought of going through all of that, over and over again.
What if.. what if i go the oppisite way, that way i don't even need to meet the wolf in the first place?
My eyes were wide, full of terror, but I was still trying to find a way to leave this forest.
I quickly started to track through the forest in the opposite direction from where I went last time. On my way, I found some thick, strong sticks and grabbed one of them, clutching it like a lifeline for a bit of safety.
As the sun set and the night intensified, I grew even more nervous and twitchy. Every sound, anything that I heard, my head immediately turned toward it, even while I was barely able to see anything in front of me. My steps were quick and frantic, my body stiff with anticipation.
But then I heard that same growl, and as the wolf leaped up to bite me, I moved back before thrusting the stick in my hand with all my force at the beast, the point aiming right next to my head.
The wolf squealed out in pain as it tumbled to the ground, yet it got back up in an instant, its feet moving through the mud like it was water.
And in an instant, it bit into my leg.
I groaned out in pain before enduring it and, without a second thought, I thrust the stick down onto the wolf, making it squeal once more.
The wolf backed away for a few feet, my stick's tip pierced into its back.
Yet it only started to growl louder before leaping up and aiming for my hand.
I tried to dodge, but thanks to the mud and my injured leg, I couldn't, and the wolf bit straight through my arm. I fell down in agony as I brought my arm up.. there was only half of it left, blood gushing out like a fountain.
And in front of me, the wolf had my arm in its mouth.
The wolf dropped my arm in the mud and continued to growl, slowly moving closer to me.
I looked around; there was nothing to use, I didn't even have an extra arm.. was I really going to die again?
And then the wolf dashed at me, but I kicked it in the jaw, making it squeal back. I quickly stood up, not yet ready to give up.
Fuck! I'm going to rip you appart from limb to limb!
The wolf only growled back as it charged at me, but I kicked it in the stomach.
The wolf rolled back in the mud but got up even angrier; it had no plan on letting me go alive.
Then it charged at me once more, but as I tried to kick it away, it weaved my kick and leaped up, biting me in the ribs.
I fell to the ground, clutching the left side of my ribs, but the wolf didn't let me get back up as it dashed at me and bit my neck.
And slowly but surely, I died once more..
I blinked awake in the void again, clutching my ribs, my neck, my left leg, my arms. I was alive..
Ha, ha, ha..
My breathing was quick, my eyes full of fear, just like last time..
Fuck i died again.. Godamit!
I yelled out, my voice full of anger and defeat.
Then the system speaks out.
You died again.. aleast you injured it a little this time..
It's voice is monotone, uninprested.
What do you expect me to do?! I'm fighting in it's terrain without a wepon!
I yell out anoyed by the system.
Yeah, yeah whataver.. are you ready to go back?
No! I'm never ready to go back!
The system only answers lazily.
I know.. so bye, bye..
Then I blinked, and I was once more in the forest..
Ugh.. that shitty system did it again.
I started to trek through the forest once more, going in another direction this time.
The time went by slowly. I found more things to use as weapons—sticks, only ever sticks.
The sun set once more, and night came.
After an hour or so, the same growl appeared. This time I was faster; I turned around before it could even leap and kicked it back.
...
The fight went on the same, but this time I injured it a lot more..
I appeared in the void again. The System once again said some uninterested words before sending me back.
The day went on as I trekked through the forest.
The sun set; night came like always.
And the same growl appeared behind me. As it leaped up to bite me, I dodged and thrust the stick into its side.
It squealed away in pain before standing up once more.
As it dashed at me, I tried to kick it away, but it weaved and bit my left leg, taking a chunk out.
Fuck!
I winced in pain but handled it better than most of the other times.
It spat the chunk out of its mouth and dashed to me.
I weaved its bite, but it immediately leaped up and ripped a chunk of flesh out of my ribs.
But I immediately thrust the stick into its neck.
It squealed in pain, falling down and rolling in the mud.
But I didn't let it stand up before thrusting down at it countless times, till its body wasn't moving at all.
I released the bloody stick, watching the wolf's lifeless body lay there.
Haha.. haha! I did it! I killed it i finnaly did it!
I grinned to myself, the fear and terror I had before now replaced by exhaustion and a giddy, disbelieving happiness..
But it all came crashing down as I winced in pain. I was still bleeding from my ribs, from my leg.
And not long later, I passed out from blood loss.
I then woke up in the void once more.
Huh? Fuck!!
I groaned out in defeat and exhaustion.
You defeated the wolf but died from blood loss. Traggic
And for your first win you shall be rewarded by protocol..
Then in front of me, a status window flickered open.
STATUS
Level:1(10/100)
Title:The Mercury's Mark
ATTRIBUTES
Strength:8+ 0.7
Endurance:6+ 0.8
Agility:5+ 1.1
Luck:36
Mana:1
Magic:0
Reward for eliminating 'Mud Wolf':
+10 Experience Points
+0.7 Strength
+0.8 Endurance
+1.1 Agility
I stared at the System, my eyes glimmering with a fragile happiness.
Haha.. so i actually have a status window.. thank god.. haha
My voice was quiet, happy..
Yeah, well that's the least i could do i guess..
Your stats increase every time you perform a action consistently.
If you thurst the stick for a while your stats will increase from 0.004 - 0.09 but if your fighting and defeat your enemy your stats will increase from 0.5+
Alright are you ready to go back?
The system asks as if it din't just tell me something amazing.
What?! For real so i could just nonstop thrust the stick and gain insane stats?
I grinned happily, exited as hell by this new revelesion..
Yes.. but you have to be insane to do that.. for your stats to increase even by one point it will take aleast 3 - 5 days you'll go insane and your going to be killed by those wolfs constantly i think you don't understand.. alright let me make it more clear..
If you thrust the stick once, you gain 0.0000029 points.. your an idiot if you want to gain points by just thrusting your stick..
But do whatever you want to not like i care if you lose your mind..
Then I blinked my eyes open and appeared once more in the forest.
Time went by. I continued to fight the wolf but still got critically injured and died of blood loss or infection.. I was already on the 10th attempt, yet every single time I died after.
I trekked through the forest, and while I did, I'd started to thrust my stick in the air while walking to increase my stats a little, at least..
And then I got a ding in my head, and a window popped up..
Congratselasions.. you have done 20 thousan thrusts and gained the skill "thrust"
Your thrusts will now do 2x more damadge.
I stared at the screen before grinning.
I knew doing this wasn't useless.
But then my voice became a little annoyed as I yelled out my disdain for the shitty System.
but why did that shitty system not tell me anything!
I could gain skills by repeating actions! That would been great to know when i got the stus window!
I continued to trek the forest, my legs getting used to walking through mud now.
As the sun set and night came, I heard the same growl once more, but this time I instantly reacted, turning around and thrusting straight at the wolf.
But the wolf weaved my thrust quikly.
I wana try out my new skill~
I grinned, the fear that I had in the first deaths completely gone..
The wolf tried biting me, but I easily dodged and thrust into it.
My thrust leaving a gaping hole in the wolfs body
But I got cocky, and the wolf was able to claw my back.
Yet i endured and I imieidetly countered, the stick pierced the wolfs head, making it fall to the ground lifeless.
The system congradulates me for defeating the wolf.
Congrats! You have defeated a mud wolf!
You have gained 10 xp, you have leveled up to level 2!
You have gained the title "wolf hunter"
Hunt aleast 10 wolfs. A 20% boost when fighting wolf type beasts.
Your stats have drasticaly increased your body will heal and make you stronger!
STATUS
Level:2(0/200)
Title:The Mercury's Mark, wolf hunter
ATTRIBUTES
Strength:8.7+ 2.8 + 0.06 + 3 = 14.56
Endurance:6.8+ 3.2 + 3 = 13.0
Agility:6.1+ 4.4 + 0.2 + 2 = 12.7
Luck:36+ 1 = 37
Mana:1
Magic:0
Skills: "thrust", "death reborn", "pain tolerance", starvasion tolarance", mud walking"
Haha.. this is great!..
I looked around the dense, foggy forest. I wasn't terrified anymore I was excited.. the power getting a little too much to my head.