As Tarni sprinted through the trees, his boots barely touching the earth, he caught sight of a small pack of goblins led by a hulking hobgoblin. They were heading in the same direction he was, their guttural chatter masking the sound of his approach.

They never saw him coming.

In one fluid motion, Tarni closed the distance and drove his sword deep into the hobgoblin's kidney. The creature's roar of rage and pain split the air, echoing through the valley. Tarni ripped the blade out sideways, hot blood and coils of purple intestine spilling to the dirt. The hobgoblin staggered, swayed once, and crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Backstab – Critical Hit [You have slain a Hobgoblin (Lv. 3)] +35 EXP

Tarni barely had time to wipe the blade clean before the three goblins spun toward him, their yellow eyes wide and teeth bared.

They were smaller than the hobgoblin, chest-high and wiry, but fast—each one clutching a crude weapon: a rusted cleaver, a bent spear, and a jagged shard of metal that might once have been a machete.

They hissed and spread out, circling.

Tarni tightened his grip on the sword, keeping his weight low. The System message still hovered in the corner of his vision, but he ignored it. No time for that now.

The first goblin lunged, stabbing forward with its makeshift spear. Tarni sidestepped, the tip missing by inches. He caught the shaft under his arm, twisted, and pulled the creature off balance. Before it could recover, his knee slammed into its face with a crunch.

The goblin crumpled, hissing blood through broken teeth.

The second came from behind, screeching. Tarni dropped low, feeling the whoosh of the cleaver pass where his head had been. He spun and sliced upward in one smooth motion, the edge of his sword opening the goblin from hip to shoulder. Purple blood sprayed across the dirt.

[You have slain a Goblin (Lv. 1)] +10 EXP

The last goblin hesitated for half a heartbeat—then shrieked and charged, both hands gripping its jagged blade. Tarni planted his feet. He didn't back away this time.

The goblin swung wide. Tarni stepped into the arc of the swing, slammed his shoulder into the creature's chest, and drove his sword straight through its sternum. The momentum carried both of them to the ground, Tarni landing hard on one knee as the goblin twitched and went still.

He yanked his sword free and stood, panting.

[You have slain a Goblin (Lv. 2)] +20 EXP

Tarni looked down at the bodies, breathing hard. His heart hammered in his chest, but the adrenaline made him feel light—sharper somehow.

He had not wanted to use too many skills before he knew what was going on up ahead, where people were still screaming.

He sheathed his sword and started running again, pushing his 30 in dex and 20 in str to there limits.

Max was on his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks as he pulled at his dad's arm. "Come on, Dad! You're not dead—you need to get up!"

Kaitlyn stood just behind him, her voice breaking as she yelled, "We need help! Is there a doctor… or a healer here?"

For a few terrible seconds, there was only chaos and the distant sounds of fighting. Then a young woman—maybe twenty, with short brown hair—came running toward them, panic written all over her face.

"I got a Healing Touch skill from this crazy system!" she shouted.

Max's heart leapt. A healer. The words hit him like sunlight through storm clouds. He scrambled back out of the way as his mum grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her toward his dad.

The healer didn't resist—she dropped to her knees beside Liam, placing a trembling hand against his chest. A soft blue glow spread from her palm, light washing over his body.

For a moment, Max dared to believe it was working. But then nothing happened.

The glow flickered, dimming, while the strain on the healer's face deepened. Her breathing quickened; sweat rolled down her temples. Max's hope faltered as the light sputtered and went out entirely, leaving his dad motionless on the ground.

That's when Max's mum started chest compressions

Tarni burst out of the treeline, moving faster than any human should. The sudden appearance made several people scream and stumble back before someone recognized him and shouted, "Tarn—is that you?"

He'd found what was left of the main group from the twins' birthday party—the ones who hadn't fled or been killed. The scene froze him for half a second: Emma on her knees, doing chest compressions on her husband—the mayor—while the twins clung to each other, crying uncontrollably. Around them, terrified townsfolk stood in disarray, watching the treeline and waiting for another attack.

Tarni took it all in at a glance, then raised his voice to carry across the clearing. "Look on the ground for any little red bottles! They're healing potions!"

For a moment, no one moved—then several people dropped to their knees, frantically scanning the dirt and grass.

Max grabbed Tarni's arm, eyes wide and desperate. "Is that true, Mr. Walker?"

Tarni placed his free hand—the one not holding his sword—on the boy's shoulder and gave a firm nod. "Yeah, mate. It is."

Max spun around. "Kaitlyn, help me look for a—"

But Kaitlyn suddenly gasped, eyes going wide. "Wait—" She took a shaky step back, tripped over her own feet, and started to fall. Tarni lunged forward, catching her before she hit the ground.

She clutched at his arm, breathing hard. "I'm… I'm in the System," she whispered, eyes wide and unfocused as if staring at something only she could see. "I've got a level—and… oh my god, I've got a Title!"

Thinking fast, Tarni spoke in a clear, no-nonsense tone—the kind Kaitlyn would instinctively respond to from her private school days.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Kaitlyn, please turn your System screen toward me, like you'd show me your mobile."

Without thinking, she spun her System interface around, allowing Tarni and Max—who were both standing nearby—to see what it said.

SYSTEM MESSAGE Congratulations, Kaitlyn Smith. Your world (Earth) has been fully initialized into the SYSTEM.

A Random Skill has been selected for you. Due to the efforts of five champions, you have been granted 3 levels, and the following global integrations are now active:

Skill proficiency now increases through use

Party system unlocked

Map system unlocked

Item drop rate increased

Safe Zone created

(future Safe Zones can be established)

Bag of Holding added to loot tables

Job Classes and Crafting Skill Sets added to Skill Tree

Guild & Quest System unlocked

Soul-Bond Companions

(1 in every 100,000)

Quality-of-life improvements to the System interface

You have 9 points to spend.

Class: Basic Human +3 Points per level Level: 3

Stats Strength: 4 Dexterity: 7 Constitution: 5 Intelligence: 8 Wisdom: 5 Charisma: 7

Titles: First Born! Congratulations—you are the first to reach 16 years of age after full System initialization. (+1 to all Stats per level until level 10)

Skill: Basic Healing Touch — Active skill. On touch, for a moderate mana cost, perform a basic full-body heal.

Gear: Nil

Stats after Title (First Born!) have been applied: Strength: 7 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 8 Intelligence: 11 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 10

You still have 9 points to spend.

Tarni stared at the glowing screen in disbelief. The Title acted retroactively—boosting her stats from the three free levels everyone had apparently received, likely thanks to Zane's insane actions.

He glanced down at Emma, still performing chest compressions on Liam, then back at Kaitlyn's stats—especially her new healing skill and Intelligence score.

In that same clear, commanding voice, he said, "Kaitlyn, your healing skill scales off Intelligence. I believe if you put all your points into it, you might be able to heal your dad."

Then, in his normal tone, softer but urgent, he added, "That's a might be able to heal him, Kat."

Kaitlyn could still read her own System message even though she was sharing it with Tarni and Max. Biting her lip, she reached up with a shaking hand. Without looking down at her mum and dad, who were in the corner of her eye, she added all nine points to Intelligence, taking it all the way to twenty.

Then she dropped to her knees across from her mum and laid both hands on her dad.

She whispered, "Basic Healing Touch."

The glow that spread from her hands was almost blinding—far brighter than the soft blue light from the other healer nearby. The radiance washed over Liam's entire body, covering him completely. For long, endless seconds, nothing happened.

Emma, who had stopped chest compressions when the light first appeared, leaned forward to resume—

—but just before she could, Liam's body flexed like a bow being drawn tight. Kaitlyn and Emma both fell back as he arched, then he gasped—a huge, ragged breath—and started coughing.

The sound made everyone nearby exhale in pure relief. Emma and Kaitlyn lunged forward, hugging him, patting his back to help dislodge whatever was caught in his throat. Max took a step forward to help—only to freeze as his own System message appeared before his eyes.

SYSTEM MESSAGE Congratulations, Max Smith. Your world (Earth) has been fully initialised into the SYSTEM.

You have successfully rolled for a Soul Bond Companion. Companion must be based on local fauna.

Mammals

Kangaroos and Wallabies:

A diverse group of marsupials, ranging from large kangaroos to smaller wallabies and pademelons.

Koalas:

Tree-dwelling marsupials that primarily eat eucalyptus leaves.

Wombats: Stout, burrowing marsupials.

Platypus and Echidnas:

Australia's only monotremes—egg-laying mammals.

Possums and Gliders:

Includes sugar gliders and other species that glide between trees.

Bandicoots and Bilbies

: Small, omnivorous marsupials.

Quolls:

Carnivorous marsupials such as the spotted-tailed quoll.

Flying-foxes:

Fruit bats that play a vital role in pollination.

Birds

Kookaburras

Parrots and Cockatoos

Honeyeaters

Wedge-tailed Eagles

Emu

Reptiles

Goannas

Thorny Devil

Snakes

Other

Frogs

Insects and spiders

A random creature from the above list will be selected and added to the System as your Soul Bond Companion, and granted a random skill.

A Random Skill has been selected for you.

Due to the efforts of five champions, you have been granted 3 levels, and the following global integrations are now active:

Skill proficiency now increases through use

Party system unlocked

Map system unlocked

Item drop rate increased

Safe Zone created

(future Safe Zones can be established)

Bag of Holding added to loot tables

Job Classes and Crafting Skill Sets added to Skill Tree

Guild & Quest System unlocked

Soul-Bond Companions

(1 in every 100,000)

Quality-of-life improvements to the System interface

You have 9 points to spend.

Class: Basic Human +3 Points per level Level: 3

Stats Strength: 5 Dexterity: 6 Constitution: 5 Intelligence: 6 Wisdom: 6 Charisma: 7

Title: Second Born! Congratulations—you are the second to reach 16 years of age after full System initialization. (+1 to all Stats per level until level 8)

Skills:

Create Light

— Summon a small glowing orb that can attach to anything, illuminating the area.

Soul Bond Companion: Wallaby Companion Skill: Basic Shadow Walk — Your companion can cloak your movements for 30 seconds, as long as neither of you is in direct sunlight and you don't move faster than a walk.

Gear: Nil

Stats after Title (Second Born!) applied: Strength: 8 Dexterity: 9 Constitution: 8 Intelligence: 9 Wisdom: 9 Charisma: 10

You still have 9 points to spend.

Max's mind was racing. Soul-Bond Companion? Create Light? His stats looked incredible, and he still had nine points to spend. But before he could think too hard about it, his attention snapped back to his dad—Liam was standing now, trying to reassure everyone that he was okay.

Then Kaitlyn let out a sharp cry and clutched her stomach. "Arrgh, I'm so hungry—my whole body aches!"

Max blinked, realizing he felt hungry too—but nothing like how bad she looked. Emma and Liam exchanged panicked glances.

Emma turned to Tarni. "Is she like this because she did so much healing?"

Tarni thought for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "No—it's because she got an awesome Title and spent all her points at once. She's going to be about three times hungrier than everyone else."

As the panic in the crowd began to fade, murmurs spread—others were feeling unusually hungry too.

At that, Tarni raised one finger. "Wait right here."

Then he was gone—just a blur of motion.

Emma and Liam had barely started organizing the group when Tarni reappeared, running back with the huge birthday cake in his arms. He set it down in front of Kaitlyn, who was still sitting on the ground, clutching her stomach.

"Here, Kat. Start eating," he said, stepping back.

She only stared for half a second before grabbing a handful of cake and shoving it into her mouth. Everyone else stopped and stared as she devoured it.

Tarni scanned the treeline, checking that nothing was sneaking up on them, then turned back. "Max, Liam, Emma—you guys need to eat too. Dig in like your life depends on it."

He winked. "Because it probably does."

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