Before Ray's eyes, the place where he stood shifted rapidly, disorienting him. In an instant, he was somewhere unknownβa dense jungle, trees surrounding him. The abrupt transition nearly made him faint, but he forced himself to stay conscious.
As the shift completed, the air grew heavy for a moment, an unseen pressure locking his body in place. He struggled, unable to move for several seconds.
Then, a transparent popup window appeared in front of his eyes, glowing faintly.
> ERROR ERROR ERROR >
πππ πΆπ΄ππππ πππΈ πππΏπΈπ πΈπΆππ π·
> ERROR ERROR > RECALIBRATING >
πππ π΄π πΈ πππ π΄ ππ΄ππΌππΈ ππΉ ππ»πΌπ πππ πΏπ·
ππ πππ πΆπ΄π πππ πππΈ πππΏπΈπ πΈπΆππ π·.
πππ πΆπ΄π ππΌπΈπ ππππ πππ΄πππ ππΌππ·ππ ππ»πΈππΈππΈπ πππ ππΌππ».
πΉπΌπ ππ ππΌππ·ππ πππΈππΌππΊ π΄π π΄ ππΈππ.
"What is this? Where am I?" he muttered to himself as he read the strange green message flashing across his retina.
Ray Valehart
Level: 0
Race: Human
Job: None
Title: None
Strength: 12/12
Agility: 15/15
Health: 10/10
Stamina: 10/10
Mana: 135/0
Magic: 135/0
Ray stared in confusion. Then, his eyes widened in realization. The word magicβsomething he had only seen in anime and novelsβstood out on the screen.
His breathing quickened. Panic surged through him.
A rustling sound behind him made him spin around. Footsteps in the bushes. At first, he thought it was a humanβbut then it emerged.
A monstrous deer-like beast, covered in brown fur with glowing runes etched across its body. Its piercing gaze locked onto himβmurderous intent radiating from its form.
It approached.
Ray turned and ran.
He had always been fastβa star football playerβand now, survival depended on it. He sprinted faster than ever, darting between trees.
Ray's chest heaved, his body trembling.
He didn't wait to see if it survived. He turned and ran, deeper into the jungle.
The hunt wasn't over yet.
Finally, he hid behind one, holding his breath as the beast moved away.
When the danger passed, he grabbed a thick piece of wood, pulled the knife from his backpack, and fastened it to the topβcreating a makeshift spear for safety.
As he continued forward, another danger struckβa crow-like beast swooped down toward him.
Ray thrust the spear forward, driving it straight into the creature's face. With a single hit, the crow collapsed.
Then, a notification appeared.
> YOU HAVE KILLED LEVEL 1 SHADOW CROW.
Β A SCROLL HAS APPEARED NEAR THE SHADOW CROW.
Slowly, golden particles rose from the Shadow Crow's body, drifting toward Ray.
He could feel the energy increasing. A new message flashed before his eyes.
> YOU HAVE ABSORBED LEVEL 1 SHADOW CROW.Β
> YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 1.
>YOUR STATUS HAS INCREASED.
A surge ran through him, his body suddenly feeling weightless.
"Does this mean every time I kill a beast; I gain its power?" Ray wondered, a mixture of fear and awe creeping into his thoughts.