The beast's body twitched once, then stilled. A sharp stink of blood and ozone filled the air.
James stood over it, his spear still buried deep in its skull, chest heaving.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then—
He staggered back, dropped to one knee, and let out a long, shaky breath. His hands trembled. His whole body shook with adrenaline, pain, and the cold rush of disbelief.
"Jesus… I actually killed it," he muttered, half-laughing, half-gasping. "I'm still alive."
Nysilus floated down behind him, eyebrows raised. "Barely."
James let his head fall back, staring up through the swaying treetops and fractured sunlight. "I thought I was dead three different times."
"You probably were," the fairy said helpfully. "Time's weird when you're unconscious. Or stupid."
James didn't even have the energy to glare.
Then—
Chime.
A faint golden shimmer blinked in front of him as the System Window reappeared.
[LEVEL UP!]
User: James Whitlock
Current Level: 5
Stat Points Allocated Automatically.
Strength +2Agility +2Endurance +1Mana Control +1
[New Skill Acquired: "Unyielding Strength" – Passive / Active]
New Items Acquired:
– Ash-Boar Fur x1
-Ash-Boar Bones 3
– Ash-Boar Meat x2
– Beast Core (Dull) x1
Beast Defeated: "Mother of the Den"
"...Mother?" James muttered.
The moment the word left his lips, the wind changed. The forest groaned.
Crack. Rustle. Crunch.
The woods around him came alive — not with birds or wind, but hoofbeats. Dozens. Maybe more.
The ground shivered.
"Oh no," James breathed.
From every direction, shadows surged between trees — squat, hulking shapes with tusks and glowing eyes. Boars. A herd.
Dozens of them.
The thunder of their arrival was deafening.
"Use Sprint!" Nysilus yelled from somewhere above.
James didn't hesitate — he bolted up the nearest tree, clutching at bark, his body screaming from exhaustion. He reached a thick branch and clung to it, panting.
The boars circled beneath him like wolves. They sniffed the air, snorted, then—
WHAM!
The first slammed into the trunk. Then another. And another.
The tree shook.
"They're gonna knock me down!" James shouted. "Do something!"
Nysilus floated lazily into view, lounging on an invisible cloud.
"I can't interfere, remember? Besides…" He grinned. "This is more entertaining."
James cursed and scanned the forest. The trees weren't far apart — not too far. He could maybe jump—
"Heal first," Nysilus added, bored. "Try using Fast Recovery."
James blinked. "That's a passive skill."
"Check your system again, genius. It leveled up. You can trigger a pulse effect now. One-time burst. You're welcome."
James summoned the System Window, flipping to the Skills tab. Sure enough, Fast Recovery (Lv.2) had a new effect:
Pulse Heal – Instantly restores minor wounds. 60-second cooldown.
He activated it.
His body surged — wounds knitting, bruises fading just enough to move. Pain dulled into something distant.
James's eyes flicked to another tab: Shop.
He still had his coins. He'd earned more from the last kill. Most of the items were greyed out — weapons with price tags in the thousands, potions that shimmered like stardust.
But two things were available:
Smoke Bomb x1 – 250 CoinsThrowing Knives x5 – 400 Coins
"Perfect," he whispered. He bought both.
Crack.
The tree beneath him buckled. Boars slammed into the trunk, over and over. Bark exploded. The roots groaned.
"Shit—"
The tree toppled.
James jumped late. His foot caught a branch and twisted. He tumbled through the air and landed hard on three of the beasts.
Crunch.
[Critical Hit x3 – Enemies Defeated][LEVEL UP! — Level 6]
Pain flashed white behind his eyes, but he was already moving. He rolled, flipped the spear into both hands—
A growl behind him.
He turned— too slow.
A boar smashed into him, ribs cracking. His vision whited out. Another beast lunged for his throat
PSSHHHH!
Smoke exploded in all directions.
He sprinted, vanishing into the woods.
The boars panicked, wheeling in circles.
Silence.
Then—
Shhk.
A knife flew from the shadows and embedded itself into a boar's eye.
Then another.
And another.
The herd screamed and scattered as blades flew from all sides like a ghost with infinite hands. They fell, one by one, confusion turning into blood and twitching limbs.
Finally, the last few boars stood trembling, eyes wide.
And James stepped out of the shadows.
His shirtless body was caked in blood and dirt, but his eyes burned with focus. The G-class spear still pulsed faintly in his hand.
But it was what radiated off him that made the trees seem to shudder.
[New Skill Acquired: "Unyielding Strength" – Passive / Active]
Doubles physical attack and movement speed for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 120 seconds.
Skill can be used in conjunction with "Sprint."
James flexed his fingers. The air trembled around him.
"You gained a skill from the Mother," Nysilus said, voice oddly quiet now. "Not bad."
James didn't answer.
He was already moving.
With a burst of desperate speed, he lunged into the fray — not with grace, but with fury. The spear was clumsy. His form was rough. But it didn't matter.
He wasn't a soldier. Wasn't a hunter. Not yet.
He was just a man who refused to die again.
And for now, that was enough.