[SYSTEM WINDOW – USER: James Whitlock]Level: 9
Coins: 528
New Skill Acquired: Deadly Aim (Lv.1)Thrown objects pierce targets on contact. Piercing effect scales with level.
Stat Increase:Strength +16 | Agility +10 | Endurance +6Inventory:– Ash-Boar Meat x48– Fury (Beast Fiber) x120– Beast Bones x480– Beast Core (Dull) x42– G-Class Spear (Durability: ??/??)
Another window blinked into view, shimmering with gold lettering.
[Item Crafting Available – Create new gear from beast materials?][Yes] / [No]
James squinted at the screen, then clicked Yes.
A new interface expanded across his vision.
RECIPE UNLOCKED: "Ash-Stalker's Carapace"Crafting Cost:– Fury x100– Bones x200– Beast Cores x10
Stealth +20% | Agility +12% | Defense +5%Bonus Effect: Intimidating Presence (minor)
[Craft?]
James glanced sideways at Nysilus, who was hovering upside down, sipping invisible wine with a smug smirk.
"You planned this, didn't you?""What can I say?" the fairy chirped. "I like my murder puppets dressed well."
James clicked Craft.
White light flared around him. Heat rippled up his skin as the materials dissolved and reformed — winding together in real time. Strips of dense fury layered like woven cloth. Plates of bone snapped into place over shoulders and ribs. A chestguard. Bracers. Shin wraps. Gloves. A belt stitched from sinew and metal. And finally —
A boar skull mask settled over his face with a dull thud, the tusks curled into a near-snarling grin.
The light faded.
James flexed his fingers in the gloves. The armor felt… primal. Light, but solid. Warm.
"You look like the final boss of a swamp dungeon," Nysilus said. "I'm so proud I could cry."
Another chime rang.
[Upgrade Available – Use remaining Beast Cores to improve gear? Warning: over-enhancement may cause destabilization.]Current Gear Level: 1Upgrade to Level 2? [Yes]Upgrade to Level 3? [Yes]
James hovered over the warning for a moment, then muttered, "Let's test your stupid system."
He dumped in 20 cores.
Light flared again — brighter this time. The armor pulsed, then shifted. Edges sharpened. Fabric layered tighter. The skull helm fused more cleanly over his face, warping slightly into a sleeker, more menacing shape.
[Armor Upgraded – Ash-Stalker's Carapace, Level 3]New Skill Acquired: "Sixth Sense" – Passive
Enhances auditory, visual, and olfactory perception.Can detect nearby danger. Effect grows with threat proximity.
James blinked. His eyes adjusted immediately. Shadows no longer hid. He could hear a spider skittering fifty feet away. He could smell the blood on his own hands.
He stood, testing his weight. Light on his feet. No more sluggish limbs. His confidence surged.
"If you want me to get strong," he said quietly, "I will. If you want me to hunt, I will. But don't forget your end of the deal."
Nysilus floated down, something unreadable behind his violet eyes. He smirked… but didn't speak. Just nodded once.
James looked to the forest, spear in hand. He turned, ready to go deeper.
And then — crrrkkk.
The shaft of the spear splintered in his grip.
Snap.
The weapon broke in half with a pitiful crunch.
James stared at it.
"You gotta be shitting me"
A high-pitched cackle exploded behind him.
"Ohhh my gods," Nysilus wheezed, clutching his sides mid-air. "You looked so confident a second ago! Mr. Brooding Warrior in a boar skull mask! And now?"He did a spin, mock-serious. "Now you're just a caveman with a fashion problem."
James, still holding the jagged handle, scowled and hurled it at the floating menace.
The stick passed through Nysilus like he was made of fog and spite — no impact, no resistance. Just gone.
James blinked. "...What are you?"
Nysilus grinned, flipping midair and floating upside down inches from James's face.
"I already told you. I'm your guide."He hovered backward with that same smug glint. "Now move. We've only got a few hours until dusk — and believe me, sweetheart, you do not want to be in these woods when the sun drops."
James narrowed his eyes. "Where to?"
The fairy pointed east again, deeper into the forest.
James sighed. "Of course."
[Activate Skill: Sprint]
The trees blurred past in shades of green and shadow. Roots shot up from the ground like traps. The wind screamed against his ears as his senses sharpened with each footfall.
Up ahead — a clearing.
He skidded to a stop just in time, boots kicking up dirt at the cliff's edge.
His heart thudded. "You asshole! You couldn't have warned me this was a cliff?!"
Nysilus floated beside him with the composure of someone on a luxury vacation.
"If you're dumb enough to sprint off a mountain, then you're not worth my time," he said, picking imaginary lint off his glowing shoulder. "Natural selection's been overdue for a win."
James glared.
What a prick, he thought.
But the insult barely landed — because when he looked out past the ledge, all the frustration drained out of him.
The sky bled violet and gold, streaked with wisps of burning orange cloud. Below, the valley unfurled like a storybook turned sideways — rivers like molten glass, forests glowing faintly with bioluminescent moss, and beasts circling lazily in the sky.
Wyverns wheeled through the clouds with lazy majesty. Dragons — distant but unmistakable — glided along glowing thermals, wings outstretched like sails stitched from night.
James stepped back, breath caught in his throat.
"...Holy shit."
Nysilus, for once, didn't speak immediately. He just floated there, the light catching in his pale hair, violet eyes unreadable.
Then:
"This is where you'll set up camp."
James blinked. "Here?"
"Here," the fairy repeated, voice lower. "You need rest. Fire. Food. Preparation. Come dawn, we pick up where we left off. And trust me—"His grin returned, sharp and cruel."Tomorrow won't be any easier."