The glowing blue screen still shimmered faintly in front of Lucas's eyes. His heart thumped with a strange rhythm — half fear, half exhilaration.
He had awakened.
But he couldn't relax yet. Not with that thing still alive and snorting beneath the broken tree.
He needed to escape. And to do that, he had to kill the boar first.
As Lucas's gaze locked on the creature, another blue window appeared before him.
[ Boar (F)]
[ Level: 2 ]
"A level two?" he whispered, eyes narrowing. "I think… I can handle that."
His pulse quickened. He opened his status again, focusing on the only skill he had.
[ Weapon Resonance (Lv.1) ]
[ Type: Active (Toggle) ]
[ Mana Cost: 1 Mana per minute ]
[ Cooldown: None ]
[ Description: Focuses the user's innate magical energy (Mana) into a currently held weapon. ]
[ Effect: Strength and Agility +5 and grants the weapon a dull, strengthening magical aura. ]
Lucas's lips curled into a determined grin. "Alright… let's test this."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rock — small, rough, and something no one would ever call a weapon.
But his job title was Weapon Master.
And anything he considered a weapon became one.
"Let's see what you can do," he murmured, activating the skill.
The rock shimmered faintly in his hand — a soft, silver aura wrapping around it. The air around him vibrated with a low hum, like a heartbeat echoing through the ground.
"First, let me try this on the rock."
Lucas aimed carefully, drew back his arm, and threw.
The rock shot through the air with a whistling sound and slammed into the boar's side with brutal force.
Thud!
The creature staggered, letting out a sharp, guttural squeal of pain. A small, glowing mark spread across its hide where the rock had struck.
"It hit… it really hit!" Lucas blinked, stunned. "That must be the 100% proficiency bonus."
But his victory lasted only a moment. The boar bellowed in fury, its eyes glowing red. It charged again — faster, harder, angrier than before. The ground trembled as it crashed into the tree, sending leaves raining down around him.
Lucas's grip tightened on a broken branch above him.
He couldn't wait any longer.
"I need to finish this fast!"
He broke the branch free, jumped down, and landed squarely on the boar's back. The creature squealed, thrashing, but Lucas was already moving. He activated Weapon Resonance again — mana flaring around the makeshift weapon.
The branch glowed faintly blue, humming in his hands.
"Go down!" he shouted, driving it into the creature's neck with all his strength.
The boar let out a strangled cry before collapsing to the ground with a dull thud. The blue screen appeared again, glowing brighter this time.
[ You have killed a Boar. ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ You have gained 3 Undistributed Stat Points. ]
[ You have obtained 10 Coins. ]
Lucas panted heavily, staring at the fading screen. "I… killed it," he whispered in disbelief. "One strike… it must be the power of Weapon Resonance."
He stepped off the corpse, looking down at the creature that had almost ended him minutes ago. Its body was still warm, its hide glistening faintly under the moonlight.
"I can sell the hide for at least five coins," he muttered, catching his breath. "And the meat… yeah, I can eat that when I get home."
A small, tired smile appeared on his face. "Guess I'll finally get to taste meat on my birthday."
He tied the boar's legs with a rope and began dragging it toward the edge of the forest. The journey back felt longer than ever, his muscles aching from exhaustion and adrenaline.
After about five minutes, the treeline thinned, and the faint outline of the Safe Zone came into view.
That's when he heard it.
Boom!
The explosion tore through the night — a deep, echoing roar that shook the ground beneath his feet. Lucas froze, staring at the distant wall of the Safe Zone where smoke and fire were rising into the sky.
"What… what was that?" he whispered, dropping the rope. His eyes widened. "The Safe Zone… it's under attack!"
Panic gripped his chest. Without thinking, he abandoned the boar and started running — branches whipping against his arms as he sprinted toward the glowing fires ahead.
He didn't care about the meat anymore.
He didn't care about the coins.
He had only one thought.
My home. My mother's picture. It's the only thing I have left.
When Lucas reached the Safe Zone gates, the smell of burning wood and blood filled his lungs. The once-bustling market streets were in chaos — people running, crying, screaming. Buildings were torn apart. Craters marked the ground.
And then he saw it.
A massive creature crouched in the center of the street, eight long legs twitching in the firelight. Its eyes gleamed like molten amber, reflecting the flames that consumed the walls around it.
The monster turned its head — and Lucas froze as a blue window appeared before his eyes.
[ Mutated Spider (F)]
[ Level: 3 ]
The spider's mandibles clicked as it devoured a fallen man, blood dripping from its fangs. Then its many eyes swiveled toward Lucas.
He barely managed to breathe out the words—
"Oh… crap."