Viktor's boots pressed against the damp forest floor, his steps steady despite the weight of exhaustion clinging to his limbs. The scent of wet earth and pine filled the air, mingling with the faint, metallic tang of blood that still clung to his skin.
Slung over his shoulder, his tattered leather apron had been repurposed into a makeshift bag, its sturdy fabric tied at the ends to hold whatever meager supplies he had gathered—goblin knives, a handful of berries, piglet tusks, and a strip of dried meat looted from one of the creatures' filthy pouches.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
Beside him, a massive, hollowed-out tree stood like a silent sentinel in the gloom. Its gnarled bark was split open, revealing a dark cavity within—large enough for a man to crawl inside and vanish from sight. A shelter. A hiding place.
Maybe even a grave, depending on how the night unfolded.
But he didn't stop. He couldn't afford to.
His body screamed for rest, The wounds from the goblin fight still stung, but they weren't fatal. Even the deep cut on his back—carved by the last goblin's knife—had closed when he leveled up.
His body was far from recovered, but the dull throb of pain was manageable.
Yes, he had leveled up—twice at that. The rush of power had been brief but noticeable—the aching fatigue pushed back ever so slightly, his muscles no longer on the verge of collapse. His Spirit, Constitution, and Strength had all increased, the changes subtle yet undeniably present.
Honestly, he was relieved to have gained two levels. After ten grueling hours—facing wolves and goblins alike—he had been on the verge of blacking out. The goblin fight had been brief but brutal.
A second too slow, a wrong step—one mistake was all it would take. And when that happened, it wouldn't matter how many goblins he had killed. The forest would swallow him whole, and he would simply become another forgotten corpse among the roots.
He took a slow breath, wincing at the tight pull of muscles that had been pushed far past their limits.
His stats had increased, restoring some stamina and clarity, but the exhaustion still gnawed at him, relentless. His body was screaming for rest, but his mind remained wary, unwilling to let its guard down completely.
He cast a wary glance at the darkened treetops above. The night had settled in fully now, bringing with it the unseen dangers that lurked within the forest's depths. Wolves, goblins—things he hadn't yet encountered but knew existed.
He had no illusions of safety.
With a grunt, he knelt down near the hollowed tree, inspecting its interior. The space was tight but dry, protected from the wind and mostly concealed by the thick undergrowth surrounding it. It would do for now.
He reached into his makeshift bag and pulled out the stolen strip of dried meat, tearing into it with slow, methodical bites.
It was tough, gamey, and carried a faint, rancid aftertaste—but food was food. He chewed through it in silence, his mind racing even as his body threatened to shut down.
'Status,' he thought, chewing methodically as the familiar texts flickered into his vision.
...
[You have successfully defeated the Goblin (Lv.4)]
[You have successfully defeated the Goblin (Lv.3)]
[You have successfully defeated the Goblin (Lv.5)]
[You have successfully defeated the Goblin (Lv.4)]
[Your race level rises by 2]
[Racial Level Up Bonus: +2 Spirit, +2 Constitution]
[Level Up Bonus: 4+ Undistributed Stats Obtained]
[Innate Skill Effects: 2+ Constitution, 2+ Strength]
[You have successfully defeated the (Young) Wild Boar Piglet (Lv.3)]
...
[Status] : —
Name : Viktor
Race : [Human — Lv.3]
Innate : [ Branded By Fire and Steel ]
Innate Rank : [ 1st Stage ]
...
[Attribute(s)] : —
Health 116/140 → 156/180 +
Stamina 11/70 → 31/90 +
Mana 13/40 → 23/50 +
Strength: 12 → 14 +
Agility: 9
Constitution: 14 → 18 +
Spirit : 8 → 10 +
Undistributed stats : 0 → 4+
...
Innate Skill(s) : —
[Man of Tempered Steel (A)]
Acquired Skill(s) : —
[Boost (F)]
Infused Skill(s) : —
[Wolf Repulsion (E)]
...
Looking at his status, Viktor could feel the improvements in his body—stronger, more resilient, his stamina no longer on the brink of collapse. His Constitution had increased the most, leaving him feeling sturdier, more enduring. Yet, amidst these gains, one glaring issue remained.
His Agility.
It hadn't increased. Not even by a single point.
It was barely noticeable, but with his years of blacksmithing experience, he could tell—his movements felt just a bit… heavier. Not sluggish, but off. A disconnect. His body had grown tougher, able to withstand more action, but his speed hadn't caught up. It was like wearing a suit of armor he hadn't fully adjusted to.
Blacksmithing required precise control over his hands, a steady balance between strength and dexterity. That was how he noticed it.
A slight worry crept into his mind. If his Constitution kept rising while his Agility lagged behind… what would happen? Would he become an immovable wall, too slow to dodge, forced to endure every attack head-on? A tank?
"Ha, just what I wanted—a walking fortress," Viktor sighed, tiredly.
The obvious solution was to allocate his Undistributed Stats into Agility, but that could wait. For now, the imbalance wasn't affecting him much. Besides, his acquired skill, [Boost], had proven useful.
Speaking of which…
After killing the last goblin and putting the poor piglet to rest, a new notification had appeared.
...
Acquired Skill : [Boost] RANK (F) – Increase agility by 5 points and reflexes by 3% for 5 Mana per minute, enhancing movement and reaction speed.
Rank [E] Prerequisites: – Defeat 10 opponents with superior Agility while using the skill. Progress: (4/10)
...
Apparently, Acquired Skills could be upgraded after fulfilling certain conditions—a welcome surprise. And those green midgets had been proven to be faster than him.
He now had another way to increase his power, increasing his survival, as he guessed skills was hard to gain.
As for the young boar piglet, he'd considered harvesting its hide and meat, but the scent of blood would only draw unwanted attention. He wasn't in any condition for a third fight—not with exhaustion weighing down his limbs and death still a very real possibility.
Instead, he used his trusted chisel to carve out its tusks. It proved more difficult than expected, even with the boar already dead, but after some effort, he managed.
He planned to use the tusks later, combining them with the crude goblin knives or other materials to fashion a basic weapon—either a Tusk Knife or a Spear.
Yawning, Viktor, mentally and physically drained, moved to gather some bushes to close the entrance to the Hallowed Tree. He needed to secure the area before finally getting some rest.
The exhaustion in his limbs was undeniable, but the thought of rest kept him moving. Though the hallowed tree provided him shelter, he didn't want to risk being caught off guard.
He gathered nearby bushes and brambles, pushing them up against the entrance to block it as best he could. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do for now.
Once he was satisfied with the makeshift barrier, Viktor glanced around the interior of the hallowed tree.
The space felt secure for now. The thick, ancient wood enveloped him, offering both protection and a strange sense of calm, but he wasn't naïve enough to think it would keep everything out.
With a tired sigh, Viktor leaned against one of the inner tree trunks, his body sore and fatigued.
His mind still buzzed with the day's events—the wolves, the goblins, the boar, the new skill—everything had unfolded so quickly. Yet, fatigue gradually overtook him. His eyes grew heavy, and as he settled onto the soft, moss-covered ground inside the tree, he pulled his knees to his chest for warmth.
And with a final breath, he succumbed to sleep
...
Elsewhere, hidden deep within an twilight forest…
The air was thick with silence, heavy with an unseen presence. Towering trees with bark as dark as slate loomed in every direction, their sprawling canopies weaving together like the threads of an unbroken shroud.
The leaves, shadow-kissed and ghostly, seemed to melt into the eternal dusk, blurring the line between foliage and night itself.
No sunlight touched this place.
What little illumination existed came from bioluminescent flora—soft, pulsing glows of deep violet and cold cerulean, casting flickering reflections upon the gnarled roots that twisted like serpents along the forest floor.
The air shimmered faintly, distortions rippling through the space between trunks, illusions shifting like whispers on the wind.
This was no ordinary woodland.
Yet, flickering in long strides, a cloaked figure moved effortlessly through the forest, each step like a shadow—one moment present, the next appearing several paces ahead.
The illusions warped and shimmered around them, but they passed through it all with unnerving ease, as if the very fabric of the forest bent to their will.
The cloak blended with the shadows, merging seamlessly with the night as the figure moved through the enchanted haze, undisturbed by the forest's twisted nature.
After a while, the figure came to an abrupt halt, standing in front of a tree.
It appeared no different from the others—dark, foreboding, its bark slick and smooth with the strange, otherworldly glow of the forest.
It was an ordinary tree among countless others in this ethereal place. Yet, the stillness in the air carried an unseen weight, as if the forest itself was watching.
Then, without warning, the silence was shattered.
A voice, deep and resonant, rippled through the air, coming from every direction. It felt as if it reached directly into the figure's very soul. "Identify yourself."
The figure stood still, their form blending further into the shadows. The air around them seemed to pulse with darkness, the magic of the forest crackling ever so faintly.
Without a second thought, they reached up to their hood, fingers brushing the dark blue fabric.
With a swift motion, the figure pushed the hood back, revealing—
...….
UPCOMING NEXT - CHAPTER 8 - Whispers Under the Moonlight.
...….
GLOSSARY -:-
[1] Rank Prerequisites — Refer to specific conditions that must be met before a skill can upgrade to the next tier. These conditions may vary depending on the nature of the skill and the individual's experiences. They are most commonly found in low and common-rank skills, requiring the user to fulfill certain tasks—such as repeated usage, defeating specific enemies, or achieving mastery—before the skill evolves.