David sat on a log facing the fire and looked at the transparent blue screen in front of him.Name: David Wood
Age: 15
Status
Skills
Shop
Inventory
David gave a mental command, and the screen suddenly changed.
"Shop"
The screen changed to show a seemingly infinite list of items and their costs. He also noticed three separate panels above the list. They were marked, Bronze Rank, Silver Rank, Gold Rank consecutively. Both the Silver and Gold panels were gray and inaccessible, but he could still access the bronze panel.
David understood. He had to unlock the different ranks depending on his strength level. On the top left of the screen was a display of the value called bronze points, and he noticed he only had 10 points. He sighed, he would have to go hunting for more points, in order to get anything worthwhile, but for now, he would have to go with something on his level.
Once again issuing a mental command to the system, he made the list display weapons only. After scrolling for a while, David finally decided on his first weapon.
[Polished Lance]
Rank: 0
P. Atk: 5
M. Atk: 0
P. Def: 1
M. Def: 0
A lance polished thoroughly to give it increased attack power.
Price: 10 Bronze Points
David held the spear in his hands and weighed it. It was relatively light, and it was perfectly balanced. He swung it a few times to get used to the feel, and grinned, he just might have a chance to survive. Although he would have preferred to get some magic arts or something, he would rather gain a weapon first. He felt a sliver of excitement towards his future.
But his excitement soon faded, as he was exceedingly hungry. After his rest, he felt a little better, and he could now run without exerting too much effort. Soon David turned and sprinted off into the forest.
***
In the deep forests of the Andorian Highlands, a group of barbarians sat roasting meat over a roaring fire. A dozen tents littered the men"s surroundings and gave a sort of domineering pressure to whoever pa.s.sed by. Off to the side of the camp, tied to a ma.s.sive tree, an old man sagged against the ropes, his body weakened from the numerous beatings he had already received, and his white hair was matted with blood and dirt.
His eyes were closed, and he looked like he was sleeping, but if one were to see him, it would be obvious he was not, for no one could sleep in such an uncomfortable position. Every once in a while, one of the barbarians would pa.s.s by the man and spit in his face. The men would then laugh and give the man looks of disdain.
One of the men shouted at the old man, "Just give us what we want, and we can give you a quick death." The old man didn"t take the time to look up but instead ignored their words.
Another one of the men snorted, "Useless trash... His physical strength can"t even be compared to a child"s. We should just throw him into the mountains and let him get eaten by wild beasts!" The leader of the group replied with a glare towards the man, "We can"t before we get the information we need, or the boss will kill us."
After giving the old man a few more rounds of beatings, the men went back to the fire to feast.
***
David followed the trail the goblin left behind on his quest to find more goblins to kill. His physical strength was not enough to take on another goblin, but he figured if he could sneak attack it first, he may have a chance of taking it down. He would have preferred to hunt something smaller until he gained the suitable strength for hunting goblins, but he had yet to see anything smaller, so he had to risk hunting another goblin.
---
David waited, holding his breath as he tried to prevent himself from getting seen. A goblin slightly smaller than the one David killed, walked slowly up the small trail, oblivious to a man hiding in the shrubbery on the side of the small trail. When the goblin got close enough to strike, with a thought, the lance came from his inventory and into his hands. He lunged towards the goblin, the lance pointed to the goblin"s forehead.
The goblin realized what was happening, but a second too late, and the sharp point of the lance penetrated its head right between the eyebrows. The goblin froze all movements and fell to the ground.
When David pulled the spear from the goblins head, he noticed a small shiny crystal inside the goblin"s head. Using the lance head, David cut the crystal from the goblin. A yellow glow came from the crystal, and it gave off a feeling of warmth.
David placed the crystal into his inventory, in case it could be used for something in the future. He glanced at the dead goblin, before shaking his head. "No, I"m not that hungry."
Two hours later, David finally found a clean stream of water and quenched his thirst and relieving his swollen tongue. But his stomach was still grumbling with displeasure at his not having eaten yet. Deciding on returning to his small camp, he made his way along until he spotted a small rabbit eating in the undergrowth of the forest floor. After catching it with a bit of effort, he sped back to his camp to eat.
---
After eating his fill, David lazed back on the log and opened up the system. He had killed 5 goblins on his hunt for points, and it felt like a good hunt. He saw the display of 55 Bronze Points. Suddenly he heard the ring of the system and opened up the notification.
"Quest Complete"
[Quest: Find food and water]
Rewards: Lottery Function Activated, 100 Bronze Points.
Congratulations on permanently unlocking system!
Rewards: Chance to choose system name, cla.s.s card, the first level of mana cultivation for any cla.s.s, 1 lottery chance, 500 Bronze points, 1 magic skill manual "Arcane-fire Storm".
David blanked out, as a warm feeling flowed downwards from the top of his head, flowing throughout his body, strengthing his every nerve and muscle, and even cleaned his blood. David felt his whole body become lighter, and his 5 senses seemed a bit better, as he could see, hear, and smell things he couldn"t before in his surroundings.
With a single thought, the warmth flowing through his body would condense into a single sliver of mana that if focused right, could give his limbs explosive strength. After a long time, he gradually became accustomed to the changes in his body. He felt excitement build once again, and he comforted himself, "I finally have some ability to protect myself."