Kael moved with purpose now.
Days had passed since he first began hunting with intent. He had grown used to the forest, its rhythms and dangers. More than that, he had grown stronger.
His status screen reflected it.
---
[Level: 10] Unallocated Stat Points: 0
---
Strength: 30
Dexterity: 25
Endurance: 24
Intelligence: 55
Perception: 45
Willpower: 45
Luck: 1
---
Kael had spent all twenty-seven points earned from leveling up. The changes weren't drastic, but they were noticeable.
With a Strength of 30, he felt slightly stronger than the average fifteen-year-old. Not enough to lift trees or crush boulders, but enough to swing a branch or stone club with more force and control.
Dexterity at 25 gave him better coordination. He could dodge faster now, move through the brush without snapping every twig underfoot. It helped him aim and react during fights.
His Endurance of 24 let him stay active longer without tiring. He could travel further, recover more quickly, and keep his body moving through the grind of survival.
Intelligence, always his strongest trait, now sat at 55. His thoughts flowed sharper. He could reason through complex uses of his skills more quickly, store more sensory data, and learn faster.
And Perception, boosted to 45, gave him clearer vision through Omni-Vision. He could tolerate longer sessions and pick out finer details. Threads of motion, sources of sound, faint traces of magical energy—they all stood out more clearly now.
He hadn't encountered people yet. No cities, no roads, no signs of civilization. But he didn't feel alone.
The forest was alive with danger.
And he was learning how to survive it.
Today he killed another scaled rabbit with a rock dropped from above, using Omni-Vision to track its erratic movement. He harvested what he could and set the rest aside for scavengers.
Every night, he meditated beside the fire. He analyzed his battles, planned for the next day, and stretched his abilities further.
He wasn't strong yet, but he was growing.