He didn't have time to think about that.
He reached the edge of the stream and jumped.
For a moment he was weightless, the world narrowing to the rush of water below and the roar of the boar behind him.
He hit the opposite bank badly, one foot slipping on wet stone. His ankle twisted pain through his leg, and he fell forward, hands scraping rock. He didn't have time to cry out.
Behind him, the boar tried to stop.
It failed.
Momentum and weight carried it forward, hooves skidding. It crashed into the stream with a deep splash, water exploding around its bulk. The current caught it, pushing it sideways, tusks gouging furrows in the stones as it tried to find purchase.
It bellowed, furious and startled, legs flailing.
Lio scrambled higher up the bank, breathing hard, ankle screaming.
The boar managed to drag itself to the other side after several long, wet seconds, but by then it was no longer directly under him. It shook itself, sending arcs of water flying, snorted angrily, and glared up the slope.
Lio held his breath, pressed against the rocks.
The boar stared for a long, tense moment.
Then, with a final snort, it turned and stomped away, crashing into the trees.
Lio did not move until the sounds of its passing had faded.
Only then did he let out the breath he'd been holding, sagging against the bank.
His status flickered at the corner of his vision.
[HP]: 13 / 20Minor sprain detected. Movement efficiency decreased.
Another line appeared beneath that.
You survived a direct threat with no combat response.[+1 Resolve]
He stared at the words.
"Resolve," he said slowly. "What is… Resolve?"
A tiny icon appeared next to the word. He focused on it.
[Resolve]: 1Resource unique to Hidden Class progression.Gained by enduring danger, pain, fear, and difficult decisions without adequate power.Usable to unlock or enhance Hidden Class functions upon unsealing.
His pulse, which had just started to calm, kicked up again for an entirely different reason.
He lay back for a moment on the cool rock, ankle throbbing, chest heaving, and stared up at the sliver of sky through the branches.
He was bleeding. He was alone. He had nearly been gored by a boar twice his size.
And the System had rewarded him.
"Of course it did," he muttered, a half-hysterical laugh bubbling up. "Of course that is how this works."
He pushed himself upright again, gritting his teeth as his ankle protested.
Seven days.
One boar had nearly killed him in less than five minutes.
He looked at the forest around him, the shadows between the trees, the brush that could hide any number of teeth and claws.
"Fine," he said to the air and the invisible System watching him. "You want me powerless? You want me to survive like this?"
He adjusted the grip of his useless little knife at his belt, scanning the terrain with new, sharper eyes.
"Then I will."
Far away, something howled.
Lio swallowed.
"Probably," he added quietly.
The trial timer ticked up another second.
[Time Elapsed: 00:07:42]
Only six days, twenty-three hours, fifty-two minutes, and some seconds to go.
He took a step into the trees, limping slightly, mind already racing ahead to traps, shelter, water, and ways to not die.
The world had called him a useless Carrier.
If he wanted that second line on his status to mean anything, he would have to prove it wrong.