He exhaled slowly; eyes locked onto the blade as he directed the thread of Essence from his core down into his arm. It pulsed, the familiar warmth coursing through his veins, enhancing his muscles before he guided it outward, toward the weapon itself. He felt the energy reach the surface of his skin, then extend outward, touching the antler’s rough texture. For a brief moment, a flicker of blue light danced along the surface of where he was holding the weapon.
Then, it vanished. Kael clenched his jaw, frustration gnawing at him.
The only thing making him not want to stab something right now was that he at least had made progress in his body, enhancement training. He could now split the small tendril and enhance two limbs simultaneously. The effect was weaker than when he did with just one limb, but it was a step forward. He had also experimented with controlling a second tendril from his core, having still no luck. But he was able to make a tendril slightly bigger than the one he currently worked on move slightly, giving him hope he could replace and upgrade the size of the one he currently used, and resulting in him having greater essence flow from his core. The difference wasn't by much, but anything was better than nothing. If he couldn't have two, might as well get a better model than what he currently uses.
Even after this progress, no matter how hard he tried, Essence refused to properly infuse the antler blade, his will on the essence not being enough to get it to stick to the blade.
He inhaled deeply, steadying himself. “Alright, refocus,” he muttered. He had done more investigating after his hunt and killing of the two-level 1 Gloomkin, specifically on the wooden plank where he had lost control of the Essence ball days ago. Back then, when it had fallen, it caused the plank to glow faintly before the light dissipated. At the time, when he pressed his fingers against the wood, it had felt sturdier—like the reinforcement had actually worked. But now? The plank was no different from the others. The effect had worn off.
Just like the antler blade.
He glanced down at the weapon in his hands. The first time he picked it up, there had been traces of Essence clinging to it, likely residual essence from the Wildhorn buck the antler had belonged to. But after some time, that Essence had completely faded away. It seemed Essence-infused objects didn’t remain that way forever. At least, not without the source or with whatever crude method he had been using on the wood plank on the floor.
“So, it fades unless I figure out how to make it last longer,” he mused. “Damn it.”
After several more failed attempts, Kael exhaled sharply and set the antler blade aside. “Enough of that for now,” he muttered. “Time to move on.”
He shifted his focus to the other exercise he had been working on—shaping Essence externally. After his discovery that Essence Shaper wasn’t responsible for his body reinforcement, he had gone back to square one. The best result he had achieved was forming a small, unstable sphere of Essence above his palm. But that wasn’t enough. If he truly wanted to shape Essence into something useful, he needed more control.
Closing his eyes, Kael drew on his core again, pulling the essence outward and letting it pool above his open palm. The familiar blue light flickered to life, the tiny sphere appearing once more. He had spent hours trying to manipulate it further, and while progress was slow, there had been some success. He could now elongate the shape slightly, stretching it to one side or another, and he could even make it spin a little. But that was it.
With sweat on his forehead as he focused on spinning the Essence sphere faster, Kael's fingers trembling slightly from the exertion. He felt the energy resisting, wobbling erratically. Come on, just hold together a little more—
A sudden chime echoed through his mind.
Kael flinched, his concentration breaking instantly. The tiny sphere of Essence lost cohesion and dropped from his palm, hitting the wooden floor. Just like before, the plank glowed faintly for a moment before the light vanished. Then, pain shot through his core as the tendril of energy snapped back violently. He gritted his teeth, clutching his chest as the familiar sensation pulsed through his body.
“Goddamn it!” he cursed, rubbing his sternum as the pain faded. The backlash was always unpleasant, but this was the worst possible timing. What the hell did just happened?
Then, he saw the glowing System message hovering in front of him.
[System Message]
Congratulations, Survivors.
You have successfully endured the first week of integration.
Kael’s eyes widened as he quickly read on.
The process of adapting to the new world has been difficult, and many have fallen. The survival rates among the sapient species vary, but currently, humanity has suffered the greatest losses. Only 15% of the initial human population remains.
Kael swallowed hard. 15%? He knew the death toll had to be high, the current human society was too used to the invisible comforts in life, not aware of what truly it meant to lose it. But seeing an actual number was sobering. That meant 85% of humanity—millions if not billions of people—had already died. Whether it was from monsters, starvation, or other means, it didn’t matter. They were gone. Kael shuddered when he thought about their death. He had been teleported to a random place, who said the rest of humanity didn't suffer the same fate? What would happen when you suddenly found yourself in a desert full of monsters? Or at the bottom of the ocean? Thinking that way, Kael was surprised even that many were left. But the message wasn’t done.
For those who remain, whether through luck, skill, or sheer willpower, you have proven yourselves truly worthy of a place in the greater multiverse. As such, the second phase of integration shall now commence.
Kael’s hands curled into fists. There was more?
The next phase will aid survivors in rebuilding some semblance of society. The following features have now been unlocked:
- Quest System: Individuals will now be able to receive quests tailored to their current situation. These quests will provide rewards based on the needs and ambitions of the recipient.
- Party System: Survivors may now form official parties, allowing for shared experience gains and improved coordination when facing high-level threats.
Certain large-scale challenges will also appear, designed to push survivors to their limits and reward them accordingly.
Stolen story; please report.
Kael read over the information carefully, his mind racing. The quest system intrigued him the most. If he could get rewards that actually helped him, it could mean a serious advantage in his growth. The party system though? That was another matter entirely. He hadn’t even seen another person since arriving in this forest. He wasn’t sure how useful it would be for him.
Then, his heart started to beat faster as he read the final message.
Prepare yourselves.
In one month, the first of the territorial events shall be introduced, and monsters who have passed the initial threshold will start to appear.
Become stronger, or risk facing annihilation.
Kael stared at the words, his chest tightening. A threshold? What the hell did that mean? And what kind of monsters were coming? The creatures he had faced so far had already been dangerous enough. If these new ones were stronger, what was he supposed to do, wish them gone by giving the tooth fairy Gloomkin teeth??? Truly this day was beginning to test his patience.
He exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on his knees. One month. That was all he had.
His gaze drifted down to his hands, still faintly trembling from his failed experiment. His training wasn’t enough. He needed to grow stronger—faster.
With a grim determination settling over him, Kael dismissed the message and got to his feet. He needed fresh air—needed to clear his head. A part of him still reeled from the sheer scale of the death toll. 85% of humanity is gone. That meant people had lost family and friends, all wiped out in the span of a week. Kael wasn't a stranger to death on a large scale having been ordered and tasked to kill before. People he suspected might have not been fully the monsters they were depicted as, leading him to leaving the military for just that reason, not wishing to be part of that kind of War machine and fearing what it might do to his mind and soul. But this amount of death...it was unimaginable. Now standing under his tree house Kael took a deep breath of fresh air and tried to divert his mind as best as he could.
As grim as all of this was, right now he had other concerns. He needed to focus on that, he had seen what would happen if you let your mind wander in those thoughts, and it wasn't pretty.
The System’s message had only reinforced what he already knew—he had to grow stronger, fast. The only way to do that was through hunting and leveling. His daily training had helped refine his skills, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more real experience with using them—real battles.
Deciding to head out early, he grabbed the crude Gloomkin spear, along with the antler blade, and climbed down from his treehouse.
By now, he had become familiar with the layout of the Gloomkin-infested part of the forest. He moved through the underbrush with ease, keeping low as he scanned for prey. As he ventured further, he noticed something troubling.
More and more Gloomkin were carrying weapons. Days ago, they had appeared to have been nothing but wild, though semi-intelligent, dumb things. But now, as he observed from a safe distance, things were changing as they got stronger.
Their average level had increased as well. What was once a horde mostly of Level 1 weaklings, was now filled with Level 2 and 3 creatures at the minimum. And worst of all, more of them had crude weapons and shields.
Kael’s grip tightened on his weapon. Ahead, he spotted a duo of Gloomkin moving cautiously through the forest. They hadn’t noticed him yet, so he trailed behind them, keeping his movements slow and deliberate.
One of them suddenly chittered excitedly, waving its clawed hand to the other. A third Gloomkin emerged from the trees, leading them toward something on the ground—a carcass. A Level 2 Wildhorn Buck. Small, but fresh.
Kael’s eyes flicked over the Gloomkins as they examined the buck. One held a crude wooden shield and a short, thick spear with a sharpened stone tip. Another wielded what looked like an axe, its handle made from a sturdy branch and a jagged stone tied to the end with strips of sinew.
The third one—the one who had found the buck—had a thick club and wearing a rough pelt draped over its shoulders with small cuts. All three were Level 4.
Kael felt a pulse of excitement in his chest. This was a risk, but he had fought and killed a Level 4 Gloomkin before. With the right timing, he could take them out before they had a chance to react.
Slowly and carefully, he moved into a position behind them.
The moment the spear and axe wilding Gloomkins grabbed the buck’s legs to start dragging it away, Kael made his move. He enhanced his arm, pouring Essence into his muscles, feeling the familiar warmth course through his veins. Then, he raised the crude spear—his grip firm, his aim as good as he could make it. With a controlled breath, he threw the spear.
The weapon whistled through the air, striking true. The axe-wielding Gloomkin let out a shrill screech as the spear embedded itself into its bare back, sending it sprawling forward onto the ground. The other two jumped away in shock. The one left holding the buck released it and both spun around facing the direction the spear came from. Kael had already started running towards them the moment he threw the spear.
[ Experience Gained: +35 EXP ]
The shield-bearer let out a shriek and lunged at him, spear raised.
Kael sidestepped the first thrust, feeling the sharp stone tip graze his side. He swung his antler blade down at the creature’s arm. The Gloomkin raised its shield just in time to block—but Kael didn’t stop. He pressed forward, shoving all his weight and the strength from his stats into the strike, pushing the monster backward.
It stumbled, nearly falling on top of its injured companion.
Before Kael could press the advantage, pain flared in his right arm. The third Gloomkin had struck, hitting him with its club on his forearm. Making it so his grip on the antler blade almost faltered.
Anger flared in his chest from the pain. He punched forward with his left hand, enhancing it while doing so and slamming his fist into the creature’s snarling face. The hit connected hard, breaking its sharp nose. The Gloomkin let out a guttural wail, stumbling back and clutching its face as blood poured from its nostrils.
Kael turned his attention back to the spear-wielding Gloomkin. It tried to recover, lunging forward for another attack, but its movements were clumsy. It was aggressive, but it clearly had no real understanding of how to use a spear properly.
Kael sidestepped again treating the thing like a bull, then countered.
His enhanced muscles snapped forward, driving his antler blade straight into the creature’s eye. The Gloomkin let out a sickening shriek, dropping its shield as it convulsed violently. Kael twisted the blade before ripping it free, and the monster collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
[ Experience Gained: +35 EXP ]
One left.
He turned to finish the injured Gloomkin, the one still bleeding from its broken nose—but it was already scrambling away. The damn thing was running.
“Shit,” Kael cursed, watching it disappear into the trees. It had already started high-pitched screaming the moment it fled. For a second, he considered chasing it down. But he shook his head. Not worth it. If more were nearby, he didn’t want to be caught in a bad position.
Instead, he turned back toward the Wildhorn Buck. His arm throbbed from where the Gloomkin had hit him. With a grimace, he lifted the small buck onto his shoulders. Even though it wasn’t large, it still had some weight to it. The pain in his forearm flared, but he ignored it. “Good thing my stats have increased. A hit like that would’ve been a lot worse before the System. Now? It’ll just probably leave a bruise.” Kael had taken notice of how his body tolerated more with each level up and how his hunger came less often and less intensely. He guessed that must have had something to do with the endurance stat.
Not wasting time, he turned and ran.
He didn’t stop until he had put a significant distance between himself and the fight. Only once he was sure no Gloomkin were following, he slowed down. His breath coming in heavy but controlled gasps.
A wide grin spread across his face. Even with the pain in his arm, he couldn’t help but smile. Feeling confident, he opened his status screen.
[Status]
Name: Kael Aranthis
Level: 4
EXP: 70/100
Rank: Mortal
Stats:
- Strength: 14
- Agility: 16
- Endurance: 12
- Intelligence: 13
- Wisdom: 14
- Essence Control: 13
After glancing at his EXP bar, he noted how little he had gained from the past two days. He had killed two Level 2 Gloomkin on the first day and found a Level 3 Stonehide boar. That fight has been much easier than he had imagined—stab, dodge, repeat. It hadn’t even been close to a struggle, the thing was dangerous if you weren't paying attention, otherwise, it was simply a tough food source.
But now? He had picked a fight with Three Level 4 Gloomskins, and won. Kael knew he was reckless to do so, hell he knew there was a chance one would escape, which had. But he had one month, and if he wanted any hope of surviving here when the more dangerous monsters showed up, he needed to take risks, even if they might come back to bite him or endanger him. He suspected anything that had passed this so called initial threshold to be higher than level 10 or maybe even 15.
Kael adjusted the weight of the buck on his shoulders, rolling his bruised arm. With a grin, he muttered to himself, “I think it’s time to go home and eat.” Right before another system message showed up.
[ New Quest - The enemy of the Gloomkin ]
The Gloomkin village and its chieftain know that something has been actively hunting them and stealing their food. Now having a survivor to describe this predator, they have started the hunt for it.
Objective - Survive the hunt of the hoard until they either give up, or you are far away enough from their part of the forest to be safe.
Bonus objective - Kill all the Gloomkin in the village before they kill you, higher rewards are based on the amount killed and slaying of the chieftain. Up to a personalized reward.