Chương 3: Growth

His eyes drifted back to the faint glow of the message still waiting for him. [Level Up Available] Mark swallowed once and hesitantly reached out. Let's see what happens if I press this. As his finger pressed the button, the first screen vanished and was replaced by a completely new message. [Level Up] Character: Mark Level: 1 +5 Stat Points Awarded Skill Unlocked: Rapid Assessment (Level 1) Title Earned: First Kill ◈ ◈ ◈ [Skill Acquired] Rapid Assessment (Level 1) Allows: • Quickly evaluate immediate threats.

• Identify useful resources and opportunities at a glance. • Maintain clearer judgment during life-threatening situations. ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark looked at the screen. It was like a game; he had stats and skills. This was important, significant even. But at the same time it didn't actually tell him anything useful. He was hoping for a little more information than that. As if responding to him, the screen shifted.

[Character Sheet] Level: 1 XP: 0 / 150 Health: 80 / 80 Stamina: 60 / 60 Attributes Strength: 6 Agility: 5 Vitality: 8 Intelligence: 9 Perception: 10 Skills: Rapid Assessment (Level 1) Titles: First Kill +5 Stat Points Available ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark leaned forward slightly as if studying the screen in more detail. Okay, that was more like it. This he understood. It wasn't that different from the games he used to play. He had numbers and stats, which meant progression.

But there was a difference this time; he could not just turn off the game like he could before. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. His eyes then flickered to the bandage he had wrapped around his arm. The pain had finally dulled some, and the bleeding had stopped entirely. Okay, my health is full now. So either that bandage worked a lot better than I expected or leveling up restores health. Or maybe a combination of the two?

He frowned slightly; it would be good to know which of the two had healed him up. Then his attention returned to the attributes. He had strength, which made him stronger. Agility he guessed would make him more flexible, maybe faster even. Vitality had to affect his health. This one was going to be important. Would intelligence let him be smarter, or did it do something else? And then perception may be the ability to see things around him better. Maybe spot danger before it found him.

His Intelligence was already higher than most of his other attributes. Was that linked to his previous life and his problem-solving skills he had gained over years of work? His perception was also high; he had always been able to spot problems before they were out of control and find a way to fix them. But how would these skills change the life he would have here? Would it make a difference? He then looked at his skill list. Did he gain that because of the fight? That didn't seem likely. He had done a terrible job.

Maybe it was because of his quick thinking or a need that he had to think through problems faster. Then finally he looked at the title. First kill, that one he was not so proud of. He had never killed before, and he really did not want to kill again. But that rabbit did not give him a choice. Mark's attention finally shifted to the final line. +5 stat points available. Mark stared at it for a moment, his expression tightening.

"Alright," he said quietly.

"What do I actually need?" His mind went back to the fight. The speed of the rabbit. The sudden impact. The pain he felt. How close it had been. His eyes moved to Vitality.

"I was way too close to dying to something that small." And he assigned two points to Vitality.

"Not happening again." He had not even seen the thing coming. His eyes shifted to Perception. Maybe if he had noticed it sooner. He then added two more points to Perception. That left one point. He hesitated. He had been too slow. So he added his last point to Agility. The screen flickered slightly. [Attributes Updated] Strength: 6 Agility: 6 +1 Vitality: 10 +2 Intelligence: 9 Perception: 12 +2 ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark exhaled slowly. That should help some. Not enough, but something. His eyes drifted back to Rapid Assessment.

Quickly evaluating threats and opportunities... that would have been useful earlier. If the skill really helped him make better decisions under pressure, it might keep him alive long enough to use everything else the System was throwing at him. He nodded to himself as the notification faded. Then his attention shifted to the First Kill title. Before he had even finished the thought, another message appeared. [First Kill] Effect: +5% XP gain for the next 10 kills ◈ ◈ ◈ Mark stared at the new text for a moment.

That title was not that impressive to him, but every little thing would help, so he would take it. Even a small advantage was still an advantage. The screen then faded, leaving him alone in the clearing once more. The quiet returned, and he stood there for a moment just looking around. His mind was already turning things over. If that rabbit was the weakest thing out here, Mark was in trouble. He exhaled slowly.

"I'm going to need more than this." His grip tightened slightly.

"A lot more." Mark stood in the clearing for a moment longer, turning slowly as he took in his surroundings. Surviving the rabbit had been luck. He knew that, but luck wasn't something he could rely on. He needed a plan. As he considered where to start, his lips felt dry as he ran his tongue across them, suddenly aware of how thirsty he was. That fight, the adrenaline, the healing. It had taken a lot out of him.

"Alright," he muttered.

"Think. Water first. That had to be the priority." After that he would need food. More rabbits, maybe? More of his arms being eaten? There had to be a better way to get food. He needed a way to gather it and prepare it. He needed shelter. How could he make one out here? Was he alone? What else was out here that wanted to eat him? He needed to find or make some weapons. He needed tools. How did he cook at home? He would have used the stove. He didn't have those conveniences anymore.