[New passive skill unlocked!]
[Balance of Nature - Level 1]
[When the player is in a natural environment, all stats increase by 20%.]
Paul stared at the blue prompt, eyes wide, realising he'd just earned his first skill by… standing still.
At the same time, Adam walked over to the apples lying on the ground, picked up the one he'd half buried, and covered his left eye.
"Item status."
A system tag blinked over the Green Apple.
[Apple of Nature - Rare]
Seeing it, Adam's mouth curved in a small smile. He hurried to gather the remaining apples and stow them in his inventory.
"Did we unlock that skill because of these green apples?" Paul asked, watching Adam tuck them away.
"Yes. Didn't it occur to you why they were so expensive compared to Red Apples? During the beta we discovered a simple rule: if an item has an irrationally high price or an odd look, it probably has a hidden use," Adam said calmly, sliding the last apple into his inventory.
"You're telling me someone decided to lay out four apples in a square bury one, put one in the sun, the others in shade and then drip water on the lot from a waterskin?" Paul arched a brow. "I'd genuinely question that person's state of mind."
Adam snorted a quiet laugh.
"No… it wasn't that random."
"During the beta, a handful of players five of them didn't fight at all. They studied the world. They tried to understand how the system thinks. The Five Observers were the ones who discovered the game reacts to environmental balance when light, shadow, water, and earth are in harmony, the system notices."
He glanced at the hand that had just held the apple.
"The green apples are one of the items that carry what they called a Nature-type catalyst. The system uses them to recognise a 'state of nature'. They're the key to this skill."
Paul frowned and looked at Adam's hand, where the green apple had been moments ago.
"So basically a bit of water, a bit of soil, and a sunbeam and the system marks us down as eco-warriors?" His voice held irony, but also a touch of awe.
Adam smiled at the corner of his mouth.
"You could put it that way. But this game isn't only about combat. Let's say the system is watching. It rewards players who do something unusual, odd or outright extraordinary."
"Sounds like a prize for lunatics and eccentrics."
"Maybe a little. But look at it differently most players chase monsters and gold and treat the world like a board. I'd rather watch how the board reacts," Adam said, tucking the perforated waterskin into his inventory.
"And that's why you end up with skills, while the rest get killed by butterflies and other pretty things," Paul snorted.
"Speaking of skills there's another one we can pick up here," Adam said, that familiar smile returning.
"Don't tell me it involves apples again."
An awkward pause. Adam scratched the back of his head."Ehm…"
"You're kidding me. Did the dev have an apple obsession?" Paul grumbled, already imagining another fruit ritual.
"Are you any good at shooting?" Adam asked suddenly, changing tack.
"That's one thing I'm absolutely sure about. FPS games are my domain I've logged thousands of hours," Paul replied, a touch of pride in his voice.
"Good. We'll need it. Come on."
Adam looked toward the forest of giant trees and set off at an easy pace. Curious why shooting mattered, Paul jogged up beside him, and together they moved deeper into the woods.
***
"Brilliant. Just brilliant…"
Back in the starting square, a tall man with the nickname RinKast materialised.
[Synchronisation complete. Welcome to Hundred Floors.]
"Six months waiting, and the power cuts today of all days. Truly, a splendid start," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as if to scrape out his irritation.
Before he could move, three players popped in beside him two lads and a girl.
"Bloody hell, what were those butterflies?!" one of them yelled Leno, according to the name over his head.
"Did you see them? They were so pretty and murderous! Even those gold flowers burned us like boiling water!" squeaked the girl, Mira, waving her hands.
"I told you not to charge in first!" snapped the third, KryzysPL, with the air of someone repeating himself for the hundredth time. "But nooo, because Mira always knows best! And look dead, all of us!"
"Oh, don't exaggerate!" she shot back, offended. "I didn't do anything!"
"What do you mean 'nothing'?! Because of you those damned butterflies shredded us! We lost thirty percent experience right off the start!"
"Hey, hey, enough!" Leno cut in, trying to separate them. "We all messed up no point blaming each other now."
"Shut it, Leno!" KryzysPL barked, pointing a finger. "You always defend her, and it always ends the same way… with a corpse!"
RinKast watched with a stone face, then sighed deeply.
"First minute in-game and we've got a soap opera."
With a thin, sarcastic smile, he walked past the squabbling trio, toeing a loose pebble along the way. Ignoring the crowd, he headed for the glass-walled building crowned with the pulsing golden 100.
Inside, he gave the system interface a quick once-over and, without fuss, bought a short sword, a bow, arrows, green apples, provisions, and a waterskin.
"Thirty, maybe fifty minutes late and it's already Black Friday," he grumbled, making for the south gate.
Crossing it, he stepped into a broad, golden meadow.
[Player has left the Safe Zone][New Area: Wild Meadow][PvP Mode: Active][Monster Activity: Moderate]
"All right…" he sighed, giving the short sword a lazy swing. "At least the scenery won't kill me."
He set off along the field path, passing golden chrysanthemums and butterflies glittering in the light.
After a few minutes, something unusual caught his eye a shimmer on the road ahead. He slowed, eyes narrowing.
In the middle of the track lay a half-eaten piece of honeycomb, with dozens of colourful butterflies circling it. Nearby, scattered like trophies, were starter weapons: swords, bows, arrows, shields.
RinKast stopped.
The butterflies hovered lazily, intent on the honey in the centre of the path. He stared for a few seconds; his face hardened.
"No…" he whispered. "Someone did this on purpose."
His hand tightened on the sword hilt as he gazed at the quiet, glittering cloud of wings.
Silence stretched, then he threw back his head and bellowed:
"Bloody hell! When I find you, not even the system will bring you back!"
His shout ricocheted across the golden flowers; the butterflies leapt skyward like a wave of sparks.
For a heartbeat it looked almost magical… until RinKast spat on the ground and strode through them in a fury.
"Not all is lost," he growled under his breath. "There's still the west gate."
He paused, catching his reflection in the blade: brown eyes, short black hair rumpled, like his whole body simmered with anger.
"What a cursed day," he hissed, turning back toward the city.
***
Meanwhile, in the deep forest, Paul and Adam left eyes covered studied a boar-like beast.
At first glance it looked ordinary: a massive body under dark grey bristles, legs like stumps, two curved yellowish tusks jutting from its jaws. But the longer they looked, the clearer it was that something was off.
The air around it seemed to tremble.
Its coat rippled faintly, as if unnatural muscles moved beneath; breath steamed from its nostrils despite the cool air.
Its eyes weren't animal at all they glowed with a muted amber light, like lit coals.
Each step made the ground crack slightly under its hooves, as if it were heavier than it should be.
A system tag flickered in their view:
[Forest Boar - Level 3][Hit Points - 100/100]
"A boar's a boar, this one just looks like someone pumped in two kilos of steroids and a few spells for flavour," Paul muttered, hand already on his bow.
"Don't underestimate it," Adam said evenly, eyes narrowed. "If you misjudge it, one charge erases your HP in a second."
Paul's expression shifted then he noticed Adam lift two fingers to his lips and whistle, hard.
Swish.
The boar raised its head toward the sound, nostrils flaring. Its gaze locked on the boys.
It rumbled low and launched into a full charge. Its hoofbeats rolled through the trees like thunder.
"What are you doing?!" Paul yelled, staring at the onrushing mass.
"Haha! You'll learn combat faster in practice than crouched in bushes," Adam called, laughing.
"Remember on steroids or not, it's still a boar. It only knows how to charge straight. Dodge the rush and hit it from the side," he shouted, meeting the beast's amber eyes.
Paul froze, trying to process, as Adam blurred forward to meet the charge.
A split second before impact, Adam rolled hard to the right, dropping out of the boar's sightline.
The beast thundered past and smashed headfirst into a tree. The crack sent bark and leaves flying.
"Go on, Paul! Now!" Adam cried, springing to his feet and darting aside.
Paul snapped up his bow, drew, and loosed. The arrow hissed and struck the boar's flank.
[–8 HP]
The boar howled, wheeled on him, and ploughed forward through brush and saplings alike.
It screamed louder than Paul expected; the echo rang through the trunks as the earth shivered under its charge.
This time Paul didn't wait. He took one step back, dipped his body, and threw himself sideways at the exact moment the bulk roared past.
For an instant there was only the scent of soil and rot; then dust and bark chips slapped his face.
The boar slammed into a boulder and toppled, bellowing.
Paul was already up. He drew deep and sent a second arrow low, aiming for the leg.
[–11 HP]
[Effect: Bleeding (Low)]
The beast staggered, tried to rise its leg failed.
"Not bad!" Adam shouted, darting in and slashing at the nape.
The bristles were tough as armour, but the metal bit through at last.
Adam tried to drive the blade deeper; the boar roared and heaved, hauling him with it.
"Damn...!" Adam lost his footing, but instead of breaking off, he dragged the blade along in an arc down the beast's neck.
Luminous blood burst out, like molten lava.
[–19 HP]
Snarling with pain, the boar snapped around to ram him.
Adam slipped aside; the bulk missed by a hair and split a tree into two with a deafening crack.
Shards flew; the impact boomed through the forest.
Adam didn't waste the opening. He stepped back in, half-turned, and drove the sword between the shoulder blades, right where the bristle armour had been broken by his earlier cut.
[Critical hit! – 52 HP]
[Effect: Bleeding (High)]
The boar gave a hollow roar, staggered, tried one last step. Its legs failed as blood pumped from its wounds, draining the last of its life.
Adam sprang back. The beast crashed onto its side.
It twitched for a moment, then its body dissolved into blue motes of light.
[Kill Confirmed]
[Target: Forest Boar - Level 3]
[Gained: 230 EXP]