# CHAPTER 4: CALL OF THE WILD
The morning on the jagged rocky cliff was deceptively peaceful. The sun did not merely rise; it conquered the horizon, flooding the "Bright Forest" with liquid gold and evaporating the heavy night dew into a mystical mist.
Alex was testing the balance of Sven's new shield, calculating the center of mass. Nearby, the red-haired giant was swinging his venom-dripping mace, the weapon slicing through the air with a low, menacing hum. They were ready for the hunt.
But the hunt found them first.
From the dense emerald thicket, a figure materialized without a sound. Sven instinctively raised his shield, muscles tensing for impact, but Alex placed a calm hand on the giant's shoulder, signaling him to hold.
It was Elias. He was a young man, no older than twenty-five, just like them, but his eyes held a profound, unnatural serenity. He wore tattered green clothes that seemed to weave into the foliage. A small azure bird perched on his shoulder, preening its feathers, and in his hand, he held a staff made of living wood.
Most strikingly, his skin possessed a healthy, faint golden hue, and his eyes glowed with a soft, pulsing emerald light.
"I was looking for you," Elias’s voice sounded different—deeper, resonant, as if the trees themselves were speaking through his vocal cords. "The Forest guided me."
Alex narrowed his eyes, scanning the guest. His analytical gaze locked onto the strange luminescence surrounding the druid.
"You're glowing, Elias. That's not just a special effect, is it?"
Elias nodded, leaning on his staff.
"This is the **Aura of Good**. The System rewards extremes. If you help the world, it grants you power. Each level of the Aura is not just a title. It is a passive amplification: **+2 to ALL Stats** and **+1 to Luck** for every level of the Aura."
Sven whistled, lowering his mace.
"So, if I'm a good boy, I get stronger than the guys who just pump iron at the gym?"
"Exactly," the druid confirmed. "But the Forest is suffering. To the east, a 'canker' has appeared. A warband of Goblins led by an Orc Boss. They aren't just hunting—they are obliterating. They fell ancient trees without need, slaughter young beasts, and scorch the earth. If we stop them, the Forest will share its power with you, too."
A System Window materialized before their eyes:
> **?? QUEST: PURIFY THE GROVE**
> **Type:** Rare / Party Quest.
> **Objective:** Kill the Orc Logger (Boss) and clear his camp.
> **Reward:** Epic Boss Loot, Significant XP, Reputation: [Aura of Good].
Alex’s eyes narrowed into slits.
"+2 to everything per Aura level... That is a mathematically superior return on investment. We're in."
He didn't even look at Sven. The decision was obvious.
"But one condition: we split the loot based on class utility. Everything else is 50/50."
"Agreed," Elias nodded. "Just... tread lightly. The Forest sees everything. If you respect it, it will reward you generously."
"As long as the trees don't attack me, I won't attack them," Alex replied pragmatically. "Lead the way."
### PREPARATION AND OBSERVATION
As they moved through the daylight forest, Elias briefed them on the enemy:
"Goblins are cowardly and stupid alone. But under an Orc’s command, they get a 'Morale Buff'. The Orc is a mountain of muscle. His skin is thick; a normal club won't even bruise him. But he is slow. And they all fear Nature Magic."
An hour later, the scent of smoke and rotting meat hit them. They reached the edge of a large, unnaturally bright clearing. It was a scar on the land. Dozens of ancient trees had been barbarically felled, their stumps sticking out like rotten teeth. The ground was trampled to mud and littered with animal bones.
In the center, makeshift huts of skin and branch stood in a chaotic circle. Scuttling between them were a dozen **Forest Goblins (Level 2)**. And towering above them all was *Him*.
**[Orc Logger (Boss). Level 5]**
He was a hulking mass of grey-green muscle, standing nearly two and a half meters tall. In his hands, he gripped a massive, crudely forged iron cleaver that looked heavy enough to split a boulder.
"FASTER, YOU VERMIN!" the Orc roared, kicking a nearby goblin, sending the creature flying. "We need more timber! More fortifications! The **Beast-Men** from the North are coming soon! We must be ready to meet them with steel and fire!"
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The trio in the bushes exchanged glances.
"Beast-Men?" Alex whispered. "Do you know what he's talking about?"
Elias shook his head, looking troubled.
"I've only heard the trees whisper about 'those who walk on two legs but wear fur.' I thought they meant bears. If there is another faction of intelligent creatures... that complicates the variable."
"Less politics, more violence," Alex shifted back to combat mode. "Sven, you are the Tank and the Loudspeaker. Elias, Crowd Control. I am Assassination. We start on my mark."
### THE BATTLE FOR THE GROVE
Alex picked up a rock and hurled it into the bushes on the opposite side of the camp. The goblins turned their heads at the noise.
"NOW!"
Sven launched himself from the bushes like a siege engine. He slammed his new **Shield of Wolf Guard** into the nearest goblin.
*Ding!* **[Effect Triggered: Wolf's Howl!]**
Spectral eyes of an Alpha Wolf flared on the shield’s surface. Four goblins shrieked in terror, dropping their weapons and scattering.
The Orc Boss roared, raising his cleaver, but Elias was already chanting.
**[EARTHEN GRASP!]**
Thick, knotted roots burst from the soil, wrapping around the Orc’s massive thighs like pythons. The Boss bellowed, straining against the magic, his veins popping.
Alex, utilizing his high Agility, blurred into motion. He didn't engage the fodder. He sprinted past the goblins, jumped off a stump, and landed on the immobilized Orc’s back.
**[Skill: Anatomy. Target: Carotid Artery.]**
The bone knife plunged deep into the thick neck muscle.
**[-55 HP! CRITICAL HIT!]**
The Orc thrashed with such violence that Elias’s roots snapped like dry twigs. The Boss threw Alex off and swung the massive cleaver in a horizontal arc intended to bisect the boy.
"BLOCK!" Sven ignored the goblins hanging off him and dove in between.
*BOOM!*
The iron cleaver collided with the Wolf Guard Shield. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing. Sven skidded back three meters, his boots carving furrows in the earth. His HP bar dropped by 40% in a single hit, but he stood firm.
"Hey, ugly!" Elias shouted. Electricity crackled around his staff. **[CALL LIGHTNING!]**
A blinding white bolt struck the Orc in the chest, scorching his leather armor and stunning him.
Alex capitalized on the second of paralysis. He lunged, driving his rusty iron rod directly into the monster's eye.
The Boss froze, then slowly, like a felled oak, crashed to the ground.
The remaining goblins, seeing their leader fall, shrieked and fled into the dark woods.
### EVOLUTION AND POWER DISTRIBUTION
The clearing fell silent. The three victors stood over the Orc's corpse, chests heaving.
Suddenly, the air around them filled with shimmering golden dust. The Forest was rejoicing.
*Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!*
System windows flooded their vision.
> **? QUEST: PURIFY THE GROVE — COMPLETED!**
> **[Bonus for "Restoring Balance"]: +500 XP to each player!**
Alex felt a wave of heat wash over his body, rewriting his cellular structure.
> **?? CONGRATULATIONS! LEVEL 3! (Alex)**
> **[Attribute Points Gained: 5]**
> **?? CONGRATULATIONS! LEVEL 3! (Sven)**
> **[Attribute Points Gained: 5]**
But that wasn't all. The golden light condensed around their hearts.
> **? ALIGNMENT SHIFT: GOOD!**
> Your actions have saved a part of the Forest.
>
> **[Acquired: AURA OF GOOD (Level 1)]** (Alex, Sven)
> **AURA EFFECTS:**
> ?? **+2 to ALL Base Stats** (Strength, Agility, Intellect, Vitality).
> ?? **+1 to Luck.**
"Time to allocate," Alex said, his voice steady. "The System allows us to sculpt our bodies to fit our function."
**Sven** opened his interface.
"I'm taking everything into **STRENGTH**. I need to block hits that would break a rock."
He dumped all 5 free points into Strength. The Aura bonus applied on top.
The transformation was instant and visceral. The fabric of Sven's tunic tore at the shoulders with a loud *rip*. His traps expanded, his biceps swelled, becoming as hard and knotted as ancient wood. Veins the size of ropes bulged on his neck. He no longer looked just like a strong man; he looked like a young bull.
"Whoa..." Sven clenched his fist, and the air cracked. "I feel like I could rip a tree out by the roots."
**Alex** took a different approach.
"Brute force is good, but precision is lethal."
He put 3 points into **Agility** and 2 into **Luck**.
His transformation was subtler but equally terrifying. His muscles didn't balloon; they condensed, becoming wiry like steel cables. His posture shifted—he stood less like a human and more like a predator ready to pounce. His fingers grew visually longer and more dexterous, perfect for dismantling mechanisms or throats. In his emerald eyes, a strange, almost magical glint appeared—the mark of high Luck.
**Elias** also received his share. He absorbed the magical essence floating from the Orc.
> **? ELIAS: AURA OF GOOD INCREASED TO LEVEL 2!**
> **TOTAL AURA BONUS:**
> ?? **+4 to ALL Stats** (+2 per level).
> ?? **+2 to Luck** (+1 per level).
The Druid seemed to glow brighter. He looked perfectly harmonized with the world, his movements leaving faint trails of light.
"The Forest thanks you," Elias said.
They divided the loot.
1. **[Butcher's Cleaver (Rare)]** — Sven took it as a backup heavy weapon.
2. **[Heart of the Forest]** — Consumed by Elias.
3. **[Resource Sack]** — Alex took it (filled with nails, rope, and rare herbs).
### MEANWHILE IN THE FOREST...
While the clearing celebrated victory, other survivors struggled to find their place.
**Leo's Group** was facing a crisis. They had turned the roots into a "fortress," but resources were dwindling.
"We need to hunt, Leo!" Bruno thundered, pacing in his chitin armor. He was itching for a real fight.
"Too dangerous," countered Oliver, cowering in the corner. "Did you hear that roar? Something massive just died out there."
Tension was rising. Leo knew he would soon have to choose between safety and starvation.
**Tina**, the small Summoner, sat high on a cedar branch. She saw the golden pillar of light over the Orc's clearing.
"Someone is doing good work," she whispered to her Forest Cat.
She was changing too. Her pupils had narrowed into vertical slits. Her bond with nature granted her night vision and silent steps. She was weak in direct combat, but she saw things others missed.
But none of them, not even the wise Elias, knew about the "Beast-Men" marching from the North, or that this victory was merely the opening move in a true war for territory.
***
### ?? FULL CHARACTER STATUS (End of Chapter 4)
*Note: Base stats for everyone started at 20. Base Luck is 5. Each Level grants 5 points.*
#### ?? MAIN PROTAGONISTS
**1. SVEN (Level 3)**
*Class: Tank / Warrior*
*Aura of Good: Level 1 (+2 Stats, +1 Luck)*
| Attribute | Base | Allocation (Lvl 2+3) | Aura | **TOTAL** | Effect |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :--- |
| **?? STRENGTH** | 20 | +10 | +2 | **32** | Destructive power, heavy armor usage. |
| **?? AGILITY** | 20 | 0 | +2 | **22** | Basic mobility. |
| **?? INTELLECT** | 20 | 0 | +2 | **22** | Basic comprehension. |
| **?? VITALITY** | 20 | 0 | +2 | **22** | Health pool and regeneration. |
| **?? LUCK** | 5 | 0 | +1 | **6** | Slightly above average. |
**2. ALEX (Level 3)**
*Class: Rogue / Engineer*
*Aura of Good: Level 1 (+2 Stats, +1 Luck)*
| Attribute | Base | Allocation (Lvl 2+3) | Aura | **TOTAL** | Effect |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :--- |
| **?? STRENGTH** | 20 | 0 | +2 | **22** | Basic physical power. |
| **?? AGILITY** | 20 | +6 | +2 | **28** | High speed, acrobatics, crit rate. |
| **?? INTELLECT** | 20 | 0 | +2 | **22** | Fast analysis, crafting. |
| **?? VITALITY** | 20 | 0 | +2 | **22** | Basic survival. |
| **?? LUCK** | 5 | +4 | +1 | **10** | **Double the Norm!** Rare loot, critical craft success. |
**3. ELIAS (Level 3)**
*Class: Druid*
*Aura of Good: Level 2 (+4 Stats, +2 Luck)*
| Attribute | Base | Allocation (Lvl 2+3) | Aura | **TOTAL** | Effect |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :--- |
| **?? STRENGTH** | 20 | 0 | +4 | **24** | Enhanced by nature. |
| **?? AGILITY** | 20 | 0 | +4 | **24** | Vine-like flexibility. |
| **?? INTELLECT** | 20 | +10 | +4 | **34** | **Magic Power**, elemental control. |
| **?? VITALITY** | 20 | 0 | +4 | **24** | Endurance of an oak. |
| **?? LUCK** | 5 | 0 | +2 | **7** | Blessing of the grove. |
#### ?? ANTAGONIST (Missing from Map)
**4. REN (Level 4)**
*Class: Berserker*
*Aura of Evil: Level 2 (+4 Stats, +2 Luck)*
| Attribute | Base | Allocation (Lvl 2-4) | Aura | **TOTAL** | Effect |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :--- |
| **?? STRENGTH** | 20 | +10 | +4 | **34** | **Physically Dominant.** |
| **?? AGILITY** | 20 | 0 | +4 | **24** | Fast but clumsy. |
| **?? INTELLECT** | 20 | 0 | +4 | **24** | Cunning instinct. |
| **?? VITALITY** | 20 | +5 | +4 | **29** | Tank without a shield. |
| **?? LUCK** | 5 | 0 | +2 | **7** | Devil's luck. |
