WebNovels

Chapter 6 - Chapter 6

 

Sunlight, warm and golden, filtered through the leaves, gently nudging Zen awake.

 

He blinked, groggy and stiff.

 

But a low sound cut through the peaceful morning – a deep, rumbling growl.

 

Then another.

 

And another.

 

"Who's making that noise now?" Zen muttered, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Slowly, carefully, he peered down from his high branch.

 

His blood turned cold.

 

Below, circling the base of the tree, was a pack of wolves. Five of them. Lean, muscular, with thick grey fur and sharp teeth bared in silent snarls.

 

Their yellow eyes were locked on him, hungry and focused.

 

"Great. Wolves," Zen groaned, his fingers tightening on the rough bark.

 

He felt a chill despite the sun's warmth. He scanned the pack, mind racing for any way out.

 

"Iris, any advice?" Zen whispered urgently, his voice tight with fear.

 

"Climb higher," Iris replied, her tone cool and practical. "Or jump from tree to tree. The trees here are close together. If you're quick, you can escape through the canopy."

 

"Looks like I'm a monkey today," Zen said, trying to sound brave with a weak joke. His heart hammered against his ribs.

 

He took a deep breath.

Empower!

He pushed mana into his legs and arms.

 

The familiar buzz of strength flowed through him. He focused on a thick branch in the nearest tree.

 

He leaped!

 

For a terrifying second, he was falling through empty air.

 

His hands slapped against the branch, fingers scrabbling for grip.

 

He hauled himself up, panting. Below, the wolves erupted into furious snarls and barks.

 

They lunged at the tree trunks, powerful jaws snapping shut on empty air.

 

Their claws scraped uselessly against the bark.

 

Zen didn't look back. He pushed off again, jumping towards the next tree. It was exhausting.

 

His muscles screamed. Every landing jarred his bones. Sweat stung his eyes.

 

But he kept going.

 

Jump.

 

Grab.

 

Pull.

 

Jump again.

 

He moved like a hunted animal through the green roof of the forest.

 

Behind him, the frustrated howls of the wolves grew fainter and fainter, swallowed by the trees.

 

Finally, he spotted a break in the canopy – sunlight glinting on water.

 

He aimed for a sturdy branch near the edge and dropped heavily to the ground.

 

He stumbled forward, collapsing onto his knees at the edge of a large, shimmering lake.

 

The water was clear and cool. He plunged his hands in, scooping up huge gulps. It tasted clean and wonderful, washing the dust and fear from his throat.

 

Relief washed over him, sweet and strong.

 

Then, a new sound froze him solid.

 

A low, wet grunt. The sound was close. Heavy. Angry.

 

The hairs on the back of Zen's neck prickled. Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head.

 

His eyes widened.

 

A massive boar stood just twenty paces away.

 

It was enormous, almost the size of a small car!

 

Its thick, bristly brown fur looked like armor.

 

Two curved, ivory tusks, sharp as knives, gleamed wickedly in the sunlight.

 

Its small, red eyes burned with pure aggression. It pawed the ground, kicking up dirt, and let out a sharp, ugly squeal that echoed across the water.

 

Before Zen could even think of running, a familiar *chime* sounded in his ears. A glowing window appeared, floating in the air:

 

[Quest Alert!]

Objective: Kill the Boar.

Reward: Ability Unlock -- Regeneration.

 

Zen stared at the words. "Seriously?" he groaned, disbelief warring with panic. "What did I do in my past life to deserve this?"

 

He shook his head. No time for complaining. He focused on the monstrous boar and activated Appraise.

 

[BOAR]

- Strength: 9

- Speed: 3

- Stamina: 5

- Defense: 10

 

"This thing's tougher than it looks," Zen muttered, slowly stepping back. His feet crunched on the gravelly shore.

 

The boar snorted, a cloud of steam puffing from its snout.

 

Then, with surprising speed for its bulk, it charged! The ground shook under its heavy hooves.

 

Zen threw himself sideways just as the boar thundered past. Its tusks gouged deep furrows in the earth right where he'd been standing. Dirt sprayed over him.

 

Adrenaline surged, sharp and cold. He needed a plan. Fast. He spotted a thick, sturdy oak tree nearby. He ran towards it, then turned, waving his arms wildly.

 

"Come on, big guy!" he yelled, his voice cracking slightly. "You want me? Try harder!"

 

The boar squealed, furious. It lowered its head and charged again, a brown avalanche of muscle and rage. Zen waited, heart pounding in his throat.

 

At the very last second, when the stink of the beast filled his nose, he threw himself sideways.

 

CRUNCH!

The boar slammed headfirst into the solid oak trunk. The impact was huge. Leaves rained down. The boar staggered back, shaking its massive head, dazed.

 

Zen didn't waste the moment. Empower flooded his whole body.

 

He snatched up a heavy, jagged rock the size of a football. He lunged and brought the rock crashing down onto the top of the boar's skull!

 

THUD!

 

The boar roared, a sound of pure pain and fury. It shook its head violently, but the blow hadn't been enough. Its red eyes found Zen, burning with hate. It charged again.

 

"How's that, big guy?" Zen gasped, already moving.

 

He repeated the tactic. Lure the boar towards a tree. Dodge at the last possible second. Slam the rock down on its head as it crashed.

 

Thud! Thud!

 

But the boar was relentless. Its thick skull was like rock. Blood matted its fur now, but its anger only grew. Its snorts were ragged bellows. Froth dripped from its mouth.

 

It tore at smaller trees with its tusks, splintering them like twigs.

 

Zen was tiring fast. Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes. His arms ached from swinging the heavy rock. His legs trembled from constant dodging.

 

He knew he couldn't keep this up. He ducked behind another tree just as a tusk slashed the air, tearing a huge chunk of bark away. Splinters stung his cheek.

 

"This isn't working!" Zen growled, hefting the rock. The boar charged again. This time, Zen dodged sideways earlier.

 

Using his momentum, he swung the rock with all his might into the boar's thick shoulder.

 

WHUMP!

The boar let out a guttural shriek of pain and skidded to a halt. It turned, its breath coming in hot, wet gasps. It pawed the ground again, preparing another charge.

 

But this time, it was smarter. It feinted left, then suddenly lunged right, catching Zen off guard.

 

"Sh*t!" Zen exclaimed.

 

The massive beast crashed into him like a falling boulder. The air exploded from his lungs. He was thrown backwards, hitting the ground hard. Stars danced in his vision.

 

He saw the boar's head lower, tusks aiming for his stomach! He rolled frantically. A tusk ripped through his pant leg, scraping his calf with fire. He scrambled backwards on his elbows.

 

The boar reared, ready to stomp. Desperation took over. With a yell, Zen threw himself forward, not away.

 

He scrambled onto the boar's broad, hairy back, wrapping his legs around its massive barrel chest and grabbing fistfuls of coarse fur.

 

The boar went berserk. It bucked wildly, spinning and kicking. It slammed its back into nearby trees with terrifying force.

 

WHAM! WHAM!

 

Each impact jarred Zen's whole body, sending bolts of agony through his bruised ribs. He clung on, gritting his teeth.

 

"Die already!" he screamed, the rock still clutched in one hand. He raised it and brought it down with every ounce of strength he had left.

 

CRACK!

 

Again!

 

CRUNCH!

 

Blood sprayed, hot and metallic-smelling, over Zen's face and arms. He struck again. And again.

 

The boar's movements became jerky, uncoordinated. It staggered. Its squeals turned weak and wet.

 

Zen lifted the rock one last time, pouring every shred of mana and willpower into his arm. He smashed it down onto the bloody ruin of the boar's skull.

 

SNAP!

 

A sickening, final crack echoed through the clearing.

 

The massive creature shuddered. Its legs buckled. With a last, gurgling grunt, it collapsed onto its side. Its body twitched once, then lay still.

 

Dark blood pooled beneath its shattered head, soaking into the dirt.

 

[Quest Complete!]

Reward Unlocked: Ability -- Regeneration.

 

A new notification appeared:

 

[ABILITY UNLOCKED]

Regeneration

Rank: Basic

- Helps heal injuries or wounds. Each second of use costs 2 mana.

 

Zen collapsed beside the fallen giant, gasping like a fish out of water. His whole body trembled violently. Sweat, blood, and dirt covered him. "I can't believe... I actually did it," he panted, his voice raw.

 

Then he remembered. Absorb! He placed his bloody hand on the boar's still-warm flank. A faint, cool light glowed briefly around his hand.

 

Absorbed:

0.5 Defense

0.4 Strength

0.1 Stamina

 

A subtle warmth spread through him. He felt... slightly tougher. Stronger. More solid. Then, frustration hit.

"Wait..." he groaned, slumping back. "I forgot to absorb the goblins yesterday!" He shook his head. Too late now.

 

He pulled up his status window, noting the changes:

 

[PLAYER]

- Name: Zen Nullis

- Title: None

- Core: Basic

- Strength: 7.4

- Speed: 6

- Stamina: 10.1

- Defense: 7.5

- Mana: 10

 

[SKILLS]

- Empower

- Mana Harvest

- Appraise

- Regeneration

 

He felt utterly drained. Every muscle screamed. He crawled closer to the lake, away from the boar's carcass. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and activated Mana Harvest.

 

A calm, cool sensation washed over him, like dipping into a gentle stream. He felt the faint trickle of energy returning, soothing the worst of his mental fatigue. But his body still ached terribly.

 

He focused. He kept Mana Harvest going, pulling energy from the air. At the same time, he activated the new skill, Regeneration. A warm, tingling glow spread from his chest outward.

 

He felt it concentrate on his scraped cheek, his bruised ribs, the shallow gash on his calf. It was like warm sunlight focused on his wounds.

 

He watched, fascinated, as the angry red scrape on his cheek slowly faded to pink, then smoothed over. The deep ache in his side lessened. It cost mana – he could feel the drain – but it worked.

 

"Two skills working together," he muttered, a faint, tired smile touching his lips. "Not bad." A wave of relief washed over him. He could heal. He could recover.

 

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, painting the sky in oranges and purples, Zen finally leaned back against a tree trunk.

 

Exhaustion pulled at him, but a small spark of confidence flickered. He had survived wolves and a monster boar. He was stronger. He could heal.

 

He wiped sweat and dried blood from his brow. "Iris," he said, breaking the quiet. "How am I even getting stronger? What's the deal with this... core?"

 

Iris's voice was calm. "The core is what connects you to the mana in this world. Think of it like a phone accessing data. It allows you to gather mana from your surroundings. That mana fuels your abilities and makes your body stronger."

 

Zen blinked, trying to picture it. "So, without the core... no powers? No getting stronger?"

 

"Precisely," Iris affirmed. "The stronger your core becomes, the more mana you can gather and use. Every fight, every tough experience... it helps your core grow."

 

Zen looked down at his hands. They were scratched and dirty, but they felt stronger than yesterday. "So, this is what separates me from the goblins... even that boar," he muttered. "This core..." A question popped into his head. "Wait... then how did I even get this core in the first place?"

 

There was a brief pause. "Your core formed while you were falling from the sky," Iris answered. "The intense pain... the terrible stress your body went through... it forced the core to appear. It was like your will to survive... made the world listen. Made it give you this chance."

 

"That's nice," Zen said softly, the words heavy with the memory of that terrifying fall. He let himself slide down the tree trunk until he was lying flat on his back on the cool grass.

The warmth of the setting sun felt good on his battered skin.

 

"You better move after you're done resting," Iris advised. "This place will draw other creatures."

 

Zen knew she was right. But for now, he just lay there.

 

The light of the setting sun bathed him in its warmth.

 

He closed his eyes, listening to the gentle lap of the lake water, feeling the deep ache of his healing muscles, and clinging to the hard-won peace of the moment.

More Chapters