He breathed a sigh of relief, retracting his Razorlink chain and wrapping the other around his forearm. Slumping onto the ground he took deep, relieving breaths. I'm really missing being able to heal from a level-up. I wonder how close that got me?

"Hey! You up there! Would that have been a full level-up?" Expected silence greeted him. "Okay, do you have any healing pills or potions or anything? This place is feeling a lot like a D&D campaign - suspiciously so - think you can toss a few healing or rejuvenation potions into the mix? I'd even take a Potion of Enhanced Perception or Invisibility at this point."

He played with the twigs on the ground around him, fully expecting the non-answer he got. "You're a real help, I just want you to know that. How long do I have left?" He started when 6 days, 20 hours, 18 minutes appeared in his vision. "Okay, not sure if you did that or it was a System prompt, but it's something at least. Any hints on how many creatures I have left to kill?" He started again when 280/301 appeared in his vision.

"Holy shit, don't know why I didn't think to ask that before! Hey - please provide a map of the area and the creatures." He waited, knowing he was giving in to false hope. "Fine, didn't expect it to be that easy. Guess I have to figure that part out myself." He climbed to his feet, shaking the soreness out of his arms. He didn't know how much his body cared about pre-System muscle fatigue and how much was psychosomatic, but it felt real to him. He decided to follow his own advice and go by his health bar. "100%. Guess I'm just being a baby."

He sent out another Identify seeker, this time setting it to find the biggest thing it could find. He wanted to get a good picture of what he was facing out here and wanted a break from taking on groups. He was hoping that whatever was big would be alone. Even if it's not, better to know as soon as possible. Don't want to fight the biggies when I'm weaker. Think I'll save the Wisps for last.

It returned in minutes and this time Zavier walked there, wanting to take the time to recover. He thought as he walked, pondering what he'd done with the pen. He hadn't watched the Arcane Scamperers enough in the beginning to be familiar enough with their skills, but somehow he had managed to inscribe the skill anyway. It wasn't a skill path he knew anything about, and reaching out to the pattern made him realize that he hadn't touched on any skill paths related to lightning or the Arcane.

How did I do that? Can I do that with anything? He wanted to explore this more - maybe after he cleared the forest.

"God," he mumbled, "even when I leave home I'm stuck killing weird creatures in the woods." The slow pace let him recover and he found himself stopped, surrounded by huge trees. He looked around, not finding anything that looked like a threat. "What the hell?" he murmured. "Where are you?"

His danger sense was on high alert as he scanned the area in a slow turn. "Hey! Where are you? WHAT are you?" Nothing showed itself. He cast his Identify orb again and it moved quickly to a tree in front of him, more massive than the others.

"HOLY FUCK!" He leapt back as the branches lashed out at the light, scattering it in a burst of color. He didn't move fast enough and another branch caught him in the ribs, hurling him against a tree. Before he had a chance to move a root shot from the ground, wrapping itself around his ankle and lifting him into the air. Branches swung in from multiple sides, batting at him like a screaming piñata.

Zavier twisted in the air, his heart hammering in his chest as the treant's roots tightened around his ankle. His ribs burned from the blow, but he managed to keep his head clear. His chains, still wrapped tightly around his wrist, felt like dead weight.

The massive tree-like creature loomed above him, its bark-covered skin looking like ancient wood, dark and gnarled. Eyes appeared between cracks in the bark, glowing with a deep, sinister green. Its branches writhed and snapped in a sharp staccato, each blow punishing.

With a growl of frustration, Zavier's chains lashed out, striking at the thick, twisting roots that had him ensnared. The razor-sharp edges cut deep into the bark, but the root didn't even flinch. A sharp pull and the root yanked harder, lifting him higher, throwing him further off balance.

"Fuck this," Zavier muttered, using his free hand to activate Fara's Gift and increase the weight of his chain. He pulled hard, letting the increased mass give the chain more force as it slammed into the root. The impact was immediate - he could feel it through the metal, the force of the blow reverberating through the creature's body. The root loosened, just enough for Zavier to drop back to the ground in a roll, narrowly avoiding another branch that swung for his head.

The treant bellowed a deep, rumbling growl, clearly enraged. The ground beneath Zavier trembled as the creature's massive roots dug deeper, shuddering with unnatural power. Zavier knew he didn't have much time - he had to hit it fast, and he had to hit it hard.

With a swift motion, he swung the Razorlink chain upward, the metal links catching the light in a deadly arc. The chain wrapped around one of the treant's branches and Zavier yanked with all his might, pulling the heavy limb down. The branch came crashing toward him but he had already anticipated the move. Zavier sidestepped, avoiding the swing by inches, and he was on the offensive again before the treant had a chance to recover.

"You think you're the only one with reach?" Zavier growled, twirling his chain to gather speed. He whipped the chain out, the pen taking it in the creature's glowing green eyes. The chain struck with a crack, sending splinters flying. The treant let out another howl of fury, shaking its branches in retaliation. He lept backwards, out of reach. "What are you?"

Name: Treant Level: 16 Description: Ancient, sentient trees with the ability to manipulate plant life. Their vast age grants them profound wisdom, but their temper can be as harsh as their branches. Some may ally with Zavier, while others see him as an intruder and threat to their domain.

Abilities:

Nature's Grasp:

The treant can command plants to ensnare, trap, or immobilize enemies, using their long limbs and roots to control the battlefield.

Barkskin:

Their bark is as tough as armor, reducing incoming physical damage by a significant amount.

Weaknesses:

Fire Vulnerability:

The treant is highly susceptible to fire, which can quickly weaken or even kill it.

Slow Movement:

Despite their power, their massive size makes them slow to react and prone to being outmaneuvered by faster enemies.

"Okay, that gives me something to work with. Time to go all lumberjack." Zavier's eyes gleamed as the chain sang through the air, wrapping around the treant's uppermost limb. He pulled, using all his strength to drag the creature toward him. The treant leaned forward, its bark groaning and creaking under the strain.

Zavier's grip tightened around the Razorlink chain and, in the same moment, sent the pen directly into one of its glowing eyes, channeling all the lightning he could call into the strike. The air around his chain began to crackle. A bolt of Arcane Lightning surged through the chain, coursing up its length and into the treant. The creature screamed as the arc of raw energy slammed into its body, lighting it up in an explosion of sparks and burning wood. He poured even more into it, eyes going wide as the lightning traveled back down the chain and into his body. He felt the current burning his skin, his muscles - his very cells. With an effort of will he redirected it, wanting to ground it out. Lightning traveled through his other arm and up his Razorlink chain. The sharpened links began to glow blue, the electricity adding even more cutting power to their already-deadly edges.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He screamed and pulled harder, the sudden release in pressure sending him backwards in a roll as the branch-limb fell to the ground with a heavy thump. In his elation he missed the next attack, another root spearing up from the ground to wrap around his ankle again, this time pinning him to the ground. He dodged and swayed as the branches came for him, memories of martial arts movies giving him a blueprint for dodging and deflecting.

He sent his body on autopilot, devoting a large part of his concentration to channeling the lightning coming from the chain. He could tell it was running low and wanted to take full advantage of it before it ran out.

The onslaught continued but Zavier was prepared now. He pulled his pen back, sending that chain to knock away branches while channeling the energy into his Razorlink chain. Everywhere it landed it carved smoking gashes in the bark, the smaller ones being lopped off to drip sap-like ichor onto the ground.

Dodge. Deflect. Strike.

Dodge. Deflect. Strike.

Dodge. Deflect. Strike.

He had no room in his mind for anything else. The attention it took to operate both chains with synchronicity while channeling the lightning took his full attention. He didn't even have the attention to spare to check how the fight was going. He was all reaction in this moment, nothing else mattered.

He began to realize that the strikes were coming less often, he was deflecting less. The situation crystallized in his view as he refocused his attention and he realized how bad of shape the treant was in. Every limb within reach had been severed, the stumps waving uselessly in frustration and pain. Zavier swiped the razored chain down to sever the root holding him in place. When no more appeared he stepped forward with a limp.

"You're a tough bastard, I'll give you that." He sent the pen into the treant's other eye, the last of his lightning surging into the tip. It landed with the sound of a water-filled balloon popping and thunk of metal on wood, then exploded in a shower of splinters.

Zavier stood panting, the crackling of the lingering energy in the air the only sound. He wiped his brow and surveyed the fallen creature, its bark smoking and cracked, the once mighty form now reduced to a heap of charred wood and broken branches. Zavier sat on its fallen body, patting it. "You put up a good fight, buddy. Let's hope you're the worst thing out here."

"IT WASN'T THE WORST! IT WASN'T THE WORST!" Zavier screamed as he ran through the trees, throwing his chains behind him randomly. Skittering legs ticked across trees as the spiders leapt, others kicking up leaves and dirt in their rush to overcome him. He heard a sound he'd come to loathe and fear in equal measures and ducked instinctively, a knot of webbing narrowly missing his head to splat against a trunk in front of him. He recalled the creature sheet that had gotten him into this mess.

Name: Giant Spider Level: 10 Description: These massive arachnids are terrifying hunters, able to spin webs that span entire trees and move quickly through the canopy. They are experts at setting traps and ambushing their prey, using their webs to entangle and immobilize foes before delivering a lethal bite.

Abilities:

Web Spinning:

The spider can create large, sticky webs that can immobilize enemies or form traps in strategic locations.

Venomous Bite:

Its bite injects potent venom that causes paralysis and significant damage over time.

Weaknesses:

Light Sensitivity:

The giant spider is weak to bright light, which can make it retreat or disorient it.

Low Defense:

While its webs are strong, the spider itself is relatively fragile compared to larger creatures, making it vulnerable to direct attacks.

He spun mid-run, chains impacting chitinous mandibles that were too close for comfort. He'd stumbled across the nest of spiders - well, he'd been looking for them, if he was being honest, but the way they'd erupted from the ground all around him had activated a primal fear that even his Intelligence stat couldn't dismiss. Flashbacks of his first day in his garage played across his mind, making him regret his perfect recall.

Another blast of webbing came at him and he rolled under it, happy to see it hit a spider that had been falling to where he had been running a moment before. The spider spun away in a roll, the sticky webbing locking it up. He knew it wouldn't last long - these things had some sort of ability that kept them from getting stuck in their own webbing. It made sense, he guessed. Sucks, but made sense.

Zavier was on his feet again, leaping over the webbed spider, Fara's Gift splitting it open with a squelch and splash of green goo. Five down, three to go. He shot his chains out into a tree, pulling himself into a flying horizontal arc around the tree to slam into the closest one with a double kick. It hit a tree with a cracking sound but was on its feet a second later.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE??"

He released the chains mid-air, launching them at another tree to swing around it. The spiders were agile and could climb and jump with frightening speed. The giant spider he had kicked into the tree quickly righted itself, its multiple eyes glinting with unnerving intelligence. Zavier whipped his chains out again, but this time, the spider anticipated it, darting sideways in a blur of legs and mandibles. Its speed was unreal, and Zavier barely dodged the sharp tips of its limbs as they sliced through the air.

The other two had been busy spitting webs between the trees, trying to trap Zavier in this space. The webbing, sticky and thick, began to form behind him in a sprawling net, constricting tighter as it spread across the trees. One false move, and he'd be caught like a fly in a trap. He couldn't afford to let that happen - if he got stuck, the spiders would swarm.

With a sharp curse, Zavier swung his chains wildly, clearing space around him. One of the chains wrapped around a thick branch above, and he yanked hard, propelling himself upward. The air was thick with the spiders' shrill hisses, their legs clicking on the trunks as they moved quickly, always keeping their distance, waiting for the moment he would slip.

Zavier landed lightly on a lower branch, feet barely touching before he shot off again, his chains striking in all directions as he moved. The spiders were relentless, moving in perfect harmony with each other as they adapted to every new strike. The net of webbing closed in around him.

"DIE, DAMN YOU!" Zavier roared, swinging his chains down with the full weight of his frustration. He could see one of the spiders, the largest of the group, winding itself up, preparing for a high leap.

The air was heavy with tension and fatigue. Zavier's mind raced for a plan, something that would break the cycle, something to take the fight to them. His chains shot out, faster this time, wrapping around two trees and pulling them closer to each other. The ground trembled as the spiders' movements increased, sensing the trap being set. Even with the warning, they weren't ready for what he had planned.

As one of the spiders leapt toward him, mandibles snapping, he twisted sideways, just narrowly avoiding a collision. His foot found purchase on the trunk of a nearby tree, and he jumped, catching hold of a branch just in time to avoid the venomous bite that followed. He swung into the air, giving himself the momentum to sling his chains toward the charging spider.

It was the one he had been waiting for, the one he knew would be the most dangerous. Two spiders leapt, one on each of the trees he was pulling towards himself. He released the chain and, with a loud, resounding crack, the spiders were flung from the trees, shot like from catapults. They flailed into the distance and Zavier lost track of them. He checked the monster count and inhaled a sharp breath of relief when it decreased by two..

The final spider, sensing its allies' defeat, hesitated. That was enough. Zavier seized the moment, launching himself forward, his chains now growing heavy from Fara's Gift. They came down in tandem, shattering and bursting the final spider in an explosion of sticky ichor.

Zavier stood, breathing heavily, his chest tight from exertion. He had won - barely - but the victory was hollow. He could still feel the residue of fear gnawing at the edges of his mind, the lingering sensation of being hunted by creatures far faster and more deadly than he could have imagined.

But they were dead now.

Zavier wiped his face with the back of his hand, wiping away the sweat and grime from the fight. The forest around him seemed quieter now, the hum of energy still crackling through the air as his chains swung in their loops, swaying slightly.

"How in the fuck am I going to do this?" he panted. "There's too many. Too much." He lifted his head to the sky. "YOU HEAR THAT YOU SADISTIC FUCK? IT'S TOO MUCH!"

Tears leaked from his eyes as he slumped to the ground for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Too many." He sat like that, studiously choosing not to think about the fact that this was just the beginning of his trial. The intrusive thoughts won out in the end.

How in the hell am I going to do this??

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.