His eyes flicked toward his status screen, hoping for inspiration.
[Status Screen]
[Name]: Kei Yuichi
[Title]: He Who Denies Fate, Hidden Title (Yet to be accepted)
[Class]: Locked
[Force Alignment]: Breeze
[Level]: 0
[HP]: 15/15
[Aether]: 30/30
Attributes:
- Strength: 8
- Dexterity: 3
- Agility: 9
- Constitution: 4
- Intelligence: 10
- Will: 10
- Charisma: 10
[Remaining Stat Points]: 0 + 3 (rewarded for gaining a hidden title)
[Skills]
[Skill Name]: Basic Projectile Mastery
[Description]: Through repeated practice and countless thrown projectiles, you have developed a fundamental sense of aim, control, and trajectory.
[Effects]:
- +5% increased accuracy when throwing small objects (stones, daggers, makeshift weapons).
- Improved trajectory prediction, allowing for slight mid-air adjustments based on environmental factors (wind, distance).
- Reduced stamina consumption when continuously throwing projectiles.
[Additional Notes]:
- This skill only applies to non-enhanced projectiles (no Force-based or Aether-enhanced attacks).
- More advanced versions may unlock with continued training.
[Force Progression]: 1%
[Equipment]: None
Not sure how to train his Constitution, Kei decided to start with something he at least understood flexibility and dexterity.
He dropped into a series of stretching exercises, working through his limbs with careful motions. If there was one thing he remembered from old training videos, it was that proper flexibility improved movement efficiency. And movement efficiency? Vital in combat.
Kei stretched his fingers apart before flexing them into a fist, rolling his wrists in slow circles to loosen them. His arms followed next, moving in controlled arcs as he focused on how his muscles responded.
He twisted his torso side to side, feeling the tension in his back adjust before moving into slow squats—each one more precise than the last. When he felt his balance shift, he experimented by raising his heels off the ground, balancing on his toes for a few seconds at a time.
At one point, he even mimicked the exaggerated breathing exercises he'd seen in old martial arts movies, trying to find some sense of control over his body.
"If I work on Dexterity first, it should help with my overall control… and if I work on my control, the rest of my training should go smoother."
It was a logical approach, but one thing still bothered him.
How the hell do I train Constitution?
Endurance training made sense in theory, but without a proper benchmark, he had no way of gauging progress. Would running long distances help? Holding his breath underwater? Taking hits until his body adapted?
"That last one sounds terrible." Kei grimaced at the thought of intentionally getting smacked around for the sake of stats.
Still, he knew he had to figure something out soon.
For now, he kept going through the motions, stretching and moving with intent, letting his body grow familiar with each adjustment. It wasn’t much…
But it was a start.
Feeling a bit more loosened up, he ran through several ideas that might benefit his Constitution training, almost tempted to invest his stat points into Constitution just to make it easier.
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Meanwhile, the Fangcub, munching on one of the hares, lazily watched Kei as he trained.
Typically one to mock such absurdity, the fact that it had lost to the human still rang true in its mind.
Noticing the wolf continuing its meal, Kei took quick stock of the surrounding environment.
Gathering Aether toward himself, his Force surged out in all directions. As if to practice control, he started with a small radius around himself.
Eyes closed, mind taut, he focused on his senses through the wind.
The greenish-blue, slightly overgrown grass swayed back and forth, the movement of tiny critters scurrying below, the subtle resistance in localized areas likely representing rocks.
He focused on the feedback he was receiving in that moment, slowly extending his reach outward… until his Aether ran dry.
[Aether: 0/30]
Plop.
Kei collapsed flat on his back, staring at the sky.
"Don’t let Aether run out, got it."
While the exercise wasn’t just a means of training his Force, it also served to gauge his Aether consumption. The weakening sensation he experienced raised more questions he’d have to explore later.
For now, his hunger was still a problem.
Jumping to his feet, he summoned his Beginner Sword and walked toward one of the remaining uneaten hares.
Kei knelt beside the oversized hare, gripping his Beginner Sword with uncertainty.
"Alright… how hard could this be?"
Schlk.
The blade sank into the furred belly, but instead of a clean incision, it snagged halfway, meeting unexpected resistance. Kei gritted his teeth, adjusting his grip.
Squelch.
He yanked the sword back to try again—this time, cutting deeper. The flesh gave way in an uneven, jagged line, spilling warmth onto his hands.
He grimaced.
"Ugh. That’s… a lot more blood than I expected."
Trying to peel the skin back, he grabbed a fistful of fur and pulled.
It did not budge the way he thought it would. Instead, it stretched, clung, and refused to separate.
Riiiiip.
When it finally tore free, it did so in chunks, leaving messy patches of fur-stuck flesh behind.
"This is so much harder than it looks."
Ignoring his lack of technique, Kei hacked at the joints, but instead of cleanly separating the limbs, he missed every weak point entirely.
Thwack. Thwack. Crack.
"Why won’t it just… come… off!?"
After three unnecessary swings, the leg finally snapped loose—accompanied by a wet pop and a gritty crunch that suggested he had mangled the joint beyond recognition.
Blood pooled around his hands, dripping from the blade onto his lap.
He stared at his work.
It was a disaster.
He had wasted a ridiculous amount of meat, left the bones shattered instead of cleanly cut, and was pretty sure he had punctured something he definitely shouldn’t have.
The Fangcub watched the entire process in absolute horror.
Kei sighed, flicking bits of fur and meat off his sword.
"This is the worst thing I’ve ever done."
The Fangcub rolled its newly healed eye.
Without looking up, Kei muttered, "Still not sorry about that."
Sighing, he nudged the ruined meat toward the Fangcub.
"I guess this is your piece, seeing how you had no issue eating my skull."
The Fangcub whimpered in protest.
"Meh, not like PETA is here to defend you or anything." Kei shrugged nonchalantly.
Seeing the blood pooling, Kei dipped his index finger in it.
Taking a glance at the white fur of the hare, he drew his finger across the fur’s surface.
"I wonder if there’s anything like Calligraphy Force out there. That’d be neat."
The Fangcub paused mid-bite, curiosity piqued.
With practiced strokes, Kei continued drawing. Soon, he was finished.
追い (Oi)
Grinning, he turned toward the cub’s questioning gaze.
"Hehehe… Oi."
The Fangcub tilted its head before nodding in vague approval, watching as the human grinned to himself.
Then, losing interest, it trotted back toward its half-eaten hare.
Continuing with the dissection of the Hare in what seemed like an arduous labor intesnese process, Kei managed to secure himself some edible portions of the Hare.
Although more than half of the meat had been ruined with fragmented bones and fur, after taking his time to learn from his previous failure, he managed to succeed to some extent.
Glancing at his work, he unsummoned his sword which lost some durability during the process.
Taking note of his hunger, he walked over to the tree to take stock of suitable branches that can be used to make a fire.
Securing suitable firewood, he was left with only one other endeavor, How to start a fire.
“Any idea Bitey”
The cub unaware of what Kei meant, sat next to him as if to help him brainstorm.
The issue with this scene? Both of them are idiots trying to solve a critical solution.
Over the past 110 minutes, Kei tried everything he could think of
Furiously rubbing two sticks together
Using two rocks to clank against each other to produce a spark
That’s it, that’s all he could think of
Kei sat cross-legged on the ground, the oversized hare in front of him, and had zero clue how to cook it.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
His hands cupped towards each other; Kei engaged in mental exercises. Imagining an ever-flowing energy making its way toward the centre of his
His Force, Breeze, wasn’t attuned to fire, but that didn’t mean Aether couldn’t generate heat.
Fire is energy.
Aether is energy.
If I focus Aether into a single point… could I force it to combust?
With that thought, Kei cupped his hands together and began drawing in Aether.
It flowed naturally, yet aimlessly—like a constant stream of wind with no direction.
He focused. Redirected. Compressed.
Rather than letting it disperse, he pushed the gathered Aether to the centre of his palms, trying to concentrate it into a single, dense point.
At first, nothing happened.
The Aether whirled and twisted, struggling against his control.
He adjusted. Tightened his focus.
Aether wasn’t something that followed force—it needed guidance.
He imagined it spinning tighter, pressing in on itself.
Then—
A spark.
A flicker of warmth.
His hands tingled, the air between them shimmering faintly.
It’s working.
The sensation grew hotter. His palms began to sting as if tiny embers licked at his skin.
He opened his eyes.
A faint red glow pulsed at the centre of his cupped hands.
It wasn’t fire—not yet—but it was close.
His control wavered.
The glow flared for a brief second—then dispersed.
Kei exhaled sharply, feeling a rush of exhaustion as the Aether left him.
[Aether: 3/30]
He stared at his hands. They weren’t burned, but a slight heat lingered on his skin.
He grinned.
"Okay… I can work with this."