Kael groaned as he rolled off the bed and nearly landed face-first on the cold stone floor. His entire body ached, from his arms to his legs, and even muscles he didn't remember using were stiff and sore.
"Damn it all," he muttered, rubbing at his shoulders. "Do all first quests feel like being chewed on by a troll and spat out?"
'But again, I might've abused the adrenaline rush and feral sprint so many times.'
The room in Jorrvaskr was dim, with a few streaks of light filtering in through the shutters. Outside, he could hear the clang of steel—Companions already training.
These bastards can't define rest.
Kael, however, felt like staying in bed for a week.
He blinked a few times, and then the faint shimmer of blue lines appeared before his eyes. The familiar system screen.
—
Quest Completed: First Hunt.
Reward; 50 XP.
Loot: Iron Sword (Common), 3 Healing Potions (Minor).
Reputation: +5 with Companions.
He hesitated, then willed the menu to stay open.
Current Level: 2
Experience: 52/100
Skill Points (SP): 2
Stat Points: 5
"Two points?" He frowned. "That's all I get for almost losing my guts to a bandit's axe? What kind of scam is this?"
Still, it was progress.
He sat back down on the bed, staring at the faint blue overlay. His heartbeat quickened.
"Alright," he muttered. "Show me what you can really do."
First he selected the Stat Point and then the tab expanded.
[1 Stat Point = 2 points of STR/DEF/AGI]
That's... interesting. Now, since I already have a skill that gives me a boost in speed, the logical reasoning here would be to put more stats in my other stats.
+3StatPoint to DEF = +6 DEF
+2StatPoint to STR = +4 STR
STR: 34
DEF: 28
AGI: 26
Immediately he could feel his core heat up as if some external energy was coursing through it. It felt weird and at the same time, oddly satisfying.
Then he opened the new tab he unlocked during the battle.
Skill Tree
Werewolf Abilities
General Combat
Utility Skills (Locked)
—
Kael's eyes were immediately drawn to the "Werewolf Abilities." He tapped mentally, and a small list unfolded.
Skills:
Feral Sprint (Lvl. 1) – Gains a short movement speed boost.
Next Upgrade: Lvl. 2 (Increases duration, reduces stamina cost). Cost: 1 SP.
—
Tempting as it was to dump both points into Feral Sprint, Kael forced himself to think. Charging blindly down one path was how fools died.
"Let's see the other trees."
The General Combat branch was more straightforward—basic warrior techniques.
Sword Mastery (Lvl. 1) – Passive increase in sword damage.
Shield Proficiency (Lvl. 0) – Passive increase in blocking.
Bow Handling (Lvl. 0) – Passive increase in accuracy.
And then there was the one that made him pause.
Utility Skills (Unlocked with SP)
He frowned. The word "utility" didn't sound like much, but he knew better than to dismiss it. Curiosity burned in his chest. He hovered over it.
Unlock first Utility Skill? Cost: 1 SP.
It felt like gambling your last cash at a lottery. He'd never been lucky with those. Just moved from being broke to being poor. Sighs.
Still, he tapped it without hesitation. Who didn't like the thrill of the unknown?!
The screen flickered.
Utility Skill Unlocked: Inspect (Lvl. 1): Allows the user to view basic details of items, enemies, and allies. Accuracy increases with level.
Kael blinked. Then he started laughing.
"Inspect. I literally unlocked… the ability to squint harder. Marvelous."
Still, as he let the sarcasm fade, he realized the potential. Being able to know what enemies were capable of? Or even if a weapon was cursed or enchanted? That could save his life.
He shifted the other point into Feral Sprint, leveling it up to Lvl. 2.
A small notification appeared:
Feral Sprint (Lvl. 2) – Move faster for 5 seconds. Stamina cost reduced by 10%.
"Not bad," Kael muttered. "That might actually keep me alive long enough to unlock other skills."
The hunger in his stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts. He hadn't eaten since last night. With a sigh, he pushed himself up and stretched. "Alright. Food first. Then training."
* * * *
The main hall of Jorrvaskr was buzzing with activity. Kael grabbed a plate of bread and roasted venison, and sat down at one of the long tables. Aela was across the hall, speaking with Skjor in low tones, while Vilkas and Farkas argued about something near the fire.
Kael tore into his food, but his mind wasn't on the meal. Instead, he tried out his new Inspect skill.
He squinted at the hunk of meat.
Roasted Venison – Common Food
>Restores minor stamina.
His eyes widened slightly. "It actually works."
Curious, he turned his gaze on Vilkas.
Vilkas – Companion
Level: ???
Skills: Sword Mastery (High), Leadership (Moderate).
Status: Healthy. Annoyed.
Kael nearly choked on his bread. "Annoyed? That's one way to put it."
Vilkas must have noticed him staring, because the man's sharp gaze flicked over. "What are you looking at, whelp?"
Kael coughed into his hand. "Just… admiring the braids in your hair. Very… intimidating."
Vilkas grunted, unimpressed, and turned back to his brother.
Kael exhaled slowly. "Okay. Maybe don't use Inspect on people while they're looking."
He glanced toward Aela.
Aela the Huntress – Companion
Level: ???
Skills: Archery (High), Stealth (Moderate), Beast Mastery (???).
Status: Calm. Curious.
Kael swallowed hard. "Right. Noted." He closed the screen before anyone else caught him squinting like a fool.