The dawn light filtering through the cracks in his hut's walls felt different. It wasn't a herald of another day of failure, but the starting gun for an infinite race. Every ache in Kael's body was no longer just a reminder of his defeat, but a data point in his first experiment with the Architect's Blessing.
He sat on the edge of his cot and pulled up his status. The single, glowing Epiphany Point was still there, a silent sentinel of his potential. But today, his focus was on Essence.
[Reallocate Essence?]
[Current Distribution: S:4, A:3, V:5, I:6, Sp:1]
[Available Essence from Daily Reset: 0]
He had a plan. A simple, dangerous plan that required specific tools. The forest was unforgiving, and his body was fragile. He needed to be able to take a hit and spot resources—or threats—from a distance.
He selected his Agility: 3 and moved the point to Vitality. The now-familiar wave of heaviness settled over him. His limbs felt like wood, but the persistent ache in his ribs faded to a distant murmur. His Health ticked up. [Health: 24/30]. Good. Durability was key.
Then, he looked at his Intelligence: 6. It was his highest stat, the one that allowed him to comprehend the system itself. But for today, raw perception was more valuable than academic comprehension. He selected one point from Intelligence and moved it to Spirit.
The effect was subtler than the physical shift. The world didn't change, but the feel of it did. The air seemed to hum with a faint, previously unnoticed energy. The dust motes dancing in the sunbeams held a tiny, shimmering life of their own. It was mana. He was perceiving the barest whisper of the world's magical fabric. More importantly, his focus sharpened. The gnawing anxiety in his gut receded, replaced by a calmer, more observational state of mind.
[Current Distribution: S:4, A:2, V:6, I:5, Sp:2]
He had crafted his body for the day: slower, sturdier, and more perceptive. It was a crude, temporary build, but it was his choice. The power, even in this limited form, was intoxicating.
He spent the morning gathering his meager supplies: a worn skinning knife, a coil of rough cord, a waterskin, and a small pouch for anything he might find. He avoided the main paths, slipping into the shadowed eaves of the Whisperwood like the ghost he was becoming.
His new stat distribution was immediately tested. His lowered Agility made him clumsy, his feet catching on roots he would have normally avoided. But his increased Vitality meant he didn't twist an ankle, merely stumbling with a grunt. His heightened Spirit allowed him to notice the subtle signs he usually missed: a patch of Sun-Kissed Thistle hidden under a fern, its leaves glowing with a faint golden light to his mana-sensitive eyes; the disturbed moss that indicated a game trail.
For hours, he grunted. He gathered herbs, his movements slow and deliberate. He set simple snares, his fumbling fingers taking twice as long as they should. It was mundane, back-breaking work. There were no notifications, no EP rewards for picking flowers. This was the reality of the grind beneath the system's glamour.
It was near midday when he found it. A Moss-Rat, a creature barely the size of a loaf of bread, was nibbling on a tuber. It was considered a pest, not even worthy of a hunter's arrow. Its stats, he imagined, were as pathetic as his own. But it was a monster. And slaying monsters granted EP.
His heart hammered against his ribs. This was it. His first real test.
He tightened his grip on the skinning knife. The Moss-Rat, sensing his presence, turned. Beady black eyes locked onto his. It didn't flee. It was as used to being ignored as he was.
Kael lunged. Or rather, he made a slow, heavy lunge. The point in Vitality had cost him dearly in speed. The Moss-Rat squeaked and easily dodged, skittering to the side and hissing, its fur bristling.
It was faster than him. Of course it was.
He adjusted his stance, remembering Rolf's telegraphed swings. He wasn't a Blade Dancer; he was a rock. He waited for the rat's next move. It darted in, teeth bared, aiming for his ankle.
His higher Spirit and the focused calm it brought paid off. He saw the trajectory. Instead of trying to jump back, he simply shifted his weight and brought his heavy boot down.
He was too slow to crush it, but his stomp landed beside the creature, startling it. It froze for a split second. That was all the opening he needed. He drove the knife down, not with finesse, but with the determined force of his 4 Strength.
The blade sank into flesh and bone. The Moss-Rat went still.
Kael stood there, panting, his knife embedded in the forest floor. The fight had lasted less than ten seconds, but it had taken every ounce of his concentration and his specially tailored stats.
A prompt, beautiful and serene, appeared.
[Moss-Rat slain. Experience gained.]
[Epiphany Points (EP): 2]
He hadn't gained a point. He had gained a fraction of a point. The system didn't even deign to specify the decimal. It simply updated his total when a whole number was reached. The grind was even slower than he had feared.
But as he stared at the '2' next to his EP, a fierce, wild joy surged through him. It was the most significant number he had ever seen. It was proof. He had taken a life, however small, and been rewarded. He had used his power strategically and won.
He had killed a Moss-Rat. A pathetic creature. And he felt like a king.
He looked up from the tiny corpse, through the canopy of trees, towards the distant, invisible mountain of 10 EP. It was still impossibly far. But he had just placed his second grain of sand.
The journey was infinite. But he was moving.
---
Kael's Status
Name: Kael
Race:Human (Latent)
Titles:None
Health (HP): 24/30
Mana (MP):5/5
Attributes:
· Strength: 4 (Below Average)
· Agility: 2 (Deficient) [Temporary Daily Allocation]
· Vitality: 6 (Average) [Temporary Daily Allocation]
· Intelligence: 5 (Average) [Temporary Daily Allocation]
· Spirit: 2 (Crippled) [Temporary Daily Allocation]
Essence (Stat Points): 0 (Daily Reset Used)
Epiphany Points (EP):2
Active Quests:
· The Grind Begins: Earn 10 EP. Reward: Pathweaver's Insight Perk.