Tomorrow morning, Rye snuck inside their woodpile and gathered flat pieces of bark. It's up in their alley. A storage room used to stock up firewood for cooking and winter. Well, that's all according to Mari. She's the main source of Rye's information in this new world.
The day wasn't that interesting. Rye had become stronger now, he could fetch water by himself without Mari's help. And he even helped his mother peel potatoes.
Mari, surprisingly, had friends. That's why she was always persistent on going to the forest. Apparently not just to fetch herbs, but to also sneak out and take walks in the village center.
Well, whatever. Rye picked up the flat bark pieces, and the bottle of ink he'd gotten from Eirin. These were all perfect materials to level up. Couldn't waste it.
"Mom, I'm heading out." Rye warned.
"Alright. Don't exhaust yourself."
Rye slammed the front door, then headed out into the forest where no one could see. Mari was supposedly foraging there. He would see if she leaves.
Rye set down five pieces of bark. The only semi-flat ones he could get in their attic, storage-room. At least it's something. And he could just draw on the ground if ihey ran out of space.
He picked one up and started drawing.
Rye dipped his finger, and drew a simple circle on the bark. Smooth. Flowy. No smudges or faded parts, only the clean thick lines of proper ink!
"Oooh! This is good!" Rye couldn't help but scream. The chickens cucked back in response, and made him narrow his eyes. Mom fed those fuckers already, they should be quiet.
'I can probably practice art now. And maybe, teach that kid how to draw. But I have a lot of learning to do myself.'
'Still – this is way better than charcoal!'
Rye put his hand on the drawing. And then, he pushed mana.
The circle glowed. Wayyy brighter than the first time he'd used charcoal. In an instant—
BOOM!
A wooden disk manifested, popping up from the bark. Smooth edges. Perfect shape. And a thick, black color of the same ink as an outline.
[MANIFESTATION SUCCESSFUL]
[LEVELED UP! 12 → 13]
Rye grinned. 'Hell yeah.'
He drew another shape. A triangle this time. Pushed mana.
[LEVELED UP! 13 → 14]
A square.
[LEVELED UP! 14 → 15]
The dopamine hit was real. Numbers going up, progress visible, power growing.
'This is way faster than charcoal. Ink makes a huge difference.'
He kept going. A star. A rectangle. A crude sword shape.
[LEVELED UP! 15 → 16]
[LEVELED UP! 16 → 17]
His mana was draining faster now, but he didn't care. The rush of leveling was too good.
He drew a spike—detailed, sharp-tipped.
Pushed mana.
The spike manifested. Solid. Clean. Way better than his previous attempts.
[LEVELED UP! 17 → 18]
[LEVELED UP! 18 → 19]
Rye sat back, breathing hard. His mana reserves were around 20% now. But he'd gained seven levels in ten minutes.
'This is insane. If I had more ink—'
He looked at the jar. About a quarter left.
'I need to be smart about this.'
Rye sighed. He felt dizzy again, but it was a lot lighter than back then. Maybe it's because he leveled up.
So does leveling up even more cancel it? Well, no use risking death. He should rest for now.
Rest?
Tomas' work is two hours ahead! Rye had completely forgotten. He shouldn't have drained his mana this early.
Rye scrambled to his feet, wobbling slightly. The world tilted for a second before stabilizing.
'Okay. Okay. I can do this. Just... walk to the square. Help Tomás. Don't pass out.'
He gathered the bark pieces and manifested objects, shoving them into his pockets and under his shirt. Evidence needed to be hidden. The ink jar went back into his pouch.
Then he started walking.
Every step felt heavier than it should. His legs were like jelly. His head buzzed with that familiar fog of mana exhaustion.
'Why do I keep doing this to myself?'
Because leveling up felt too good to stop. That's why.
Rye made it to the edge of the forest and paused, leaning against a tree. He needed a minute. Just one minute to catch his breath.
A growl cut through the quiet.
Rye's head snapped up.
Three wolves emerged from the underbrush—gray fur, yellow eyes, teeth bared. They moved in a loose triangle formation, circling him.
'Oh, you've got to be kidding me.'
His mana was at 20%. His body was exhausted. And he had three predators staring him down like he was dinner.
The lead wolf—bigger than the others—took a step forward. Testing.
Rye's hand went to the ink jar in his pouch. Quarter left. Maybe enough for one or two manifestations.
'Think. What can I make that'll work?'
Basic shapes wouldn't cut it. A disk? Useless. A spike? He'd have to aim it perfectly and he was too dizzy for that.
'I need something that covers more area. Something that doesn't rely on precision.'
The wolves crept closer. Ten feet away now.
Rye pulled out the last piece of bark and the ink jar. His hands shook as he dipped his finger.
'Trap. I need a trap.'
He drew quickly—not a single shape, but a line. A long, jagged line with sharp points jutting upward like teeth.
A bear trap design, flattened into 2D.
The lead wolf lunged.
Rye slammed the bark onto the ground and poured mana.
BOOM!
The drawing glowed bright orange. The ground beneath it split open and wooden spikes erupted in a line—five feet long, angled upward like a fence of teeth.
The wolf yelped and skidded to a stop, barely avoiding impalement. One of the spikes grazed its leg, drawing blood.
[MANIFESTATION SUCCESSFUL]
[LEVELED UP! 19 → 20]
The other two wolves hesitated, growling.
Rye's vision blurred. That took more mana than expected. He was down to maybe 10% now.
'One more. I can do one more.'
The wolves split up—one going left, one going right. Flanking him.
'Crap. I can't cover both sides.'
He grabbed another bark piece—his last one. Drew frantically.
This time: a web. Interconnected lines forming a net pattern.
The left wolf charged.
Rye threw the bark piece at the ground between them and activated it.
SNAP!
Wooden threads burst from the drawing, weaving into a net that shot upward and tangled around the wolf's legs. It crashed into the dirt, snarling and snapping.
[MANIFESTATION SUCCESSFUL]
[LEVELED UP! 20 → 21]
Rye stumbled. His mana hit 5%. The world spun.
The third wolf—the smart one—didn't attack. It just watched, waiting for him to collapse.
'I'm out of bark. Out of mana. Out of options.'
His hand found a rock on the ground. Desperate, he grabbed it.
'Can I draw on stone?'
No time to think. He dipped his finger in the last bit of ink and scrawled a crude spike shape on the rock's surface.
The wolf charged.
Rye slammed the rock down and pushed the last dregs of his mana into it.
The drawing flickered. Barely glowed.
Then—
CRACK.
A stone spike erupted from the ground. Smaller than the wooden ones. Weaker.
But sharp enough.
The wolf couldn't stop in time. It impaled itself on the spike with a horrible yelp.
[MANIFESTATION SUCCESSFUL]
[LEVELED UP! 21 → 22]
Rye collapsed.
His mana hit zero. The world went gray at the edges.
The two remaining wolves—one trapped in the net, one injured—backed away slowly. They weren't hungry enough to risk it.
They disappeared into the trees.
Rye lay there, gasping. His heart hammered in his chest. His hands were covered in ink and dirt and blood from the cut on his finger.
'I almost died. Again.'
But he'd survived.
Three wolves. Three manifestations. Three levels.
And he'd learned something important.
'Complex shapes work. Traps work. I can do more than just basic objects.'
He forced himself to sit up. His body screamed in protest.
'I need to get home. Before something worse shows up.'
Rye staggered to his feet, using the tree for support. The wolf corpse lay a few feet away, still impaled on the stone spike.
'Should I... take it? For proof?'
No. Too heavy. And he could barely walk.
He left it and stumbled toward the village.
Each step was agony. His legs threatened to give out. His vision kept blurring.
'Just make it home. Just make it home.'
He reached the edge of the forest and saw the village square in the distance.
'So close...'
His legs gave out.
Rye hit the ground hard, face-first in the dirt.