Before Ray's eyes, the place where he stood shifted rapidly, disorienting him. In an instant, he was somewhere unknownโa dense jungle, trees surrounding him. The abrupt transition nearly made him faint, but he forced himself to stay conscious.
As the shift completed, the air grew heavy for a moment, an unseen pressure locking his body in place. He struggled, unable to move for several seconds.
Then, a transparent popup window appeared in front of his eyes, glowing faintly.
> ERROR ERROR ERROR >
๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ธ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ท
> ERROR ERROR > RECALIBRATING >
๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐ ๐ด ๐๐ด๐๐ผ๐๐ธ ๐๐น ๐๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ท
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ธ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ท.
๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ท๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ธ๐๐ธ๐๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป.
๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐ธ๐๐ผ๐๐บ ๐ด๐ ๐ด ๐๐ธ๐๐.
"What is this? Where am I?" he muttered to himself as he read the strange green message flashing across his retina.
Ray Valehart
Level: 0
Race: Human
Job: None
Title: None
Strength: 12/12
Agility: 15/15
Health: 10/10
Stamina: 10/10
Mana: 135/0
Magic: 135/0
Ray stared in confusion. Then, his eyes widened in realization. The word magicโsomething he had only seen in anime and novelsโstood out on the screen.
His breathing quickened. Panic surged through him.
A rustling sound behind him made him spin around. Footsteps in the bushes. At first, he thought it was a humanโbut then it emerged.
A monstrous deer-like beast, covered in brown fur with glowing runes etched across its body. Its piercing gaze locked onto himโmurderous intent radiating from its form.
It approached.
Ray turned and ran.
He had always been fastโa star football playerโand now, survival depended on it. He sprinted faster than ever, darting between trees.
Ray's chest heaved, his body trembling.
He didn't wait to see if it survived. He turned and ran, deeper into the jungle.
The hunt wasn't over yet.
Finally, he hid behind one, holding his breath as the beast moved away.
When the danger passed, he grabbed a thick piece of wood, pulled the knife from his backpack, and fastened it to the topโcreating a makeshift spear for safety.
As he continued forward, another danger struckโa crow-like beast swooped down toward him.
Ray thrust the spear forward, driving it straight into the creature's face. With a single hit, the crow collapsed.
Then, a notification appeared.
> YOU HAVE KILLED LEVEL 1 SHADOW CROW.
ย A SCROLL HAS APPEARED NEAR THE SHADOW CROW.
Slowly, golden particles rose from the Shadow Crow's body, drifting toward Ray.
He could feel the energy increasing. A new message flashed before his eyes.
> YOU HAVE ABSORBED LEVEL 1 SHADOW CROW.ย
> YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 1.
>YOUR STATUS HAS INCREASED.
A surge ran through him, his body suddenly feeling weightless.
"Does this mean every time I kill a beast; I gain its power?" Ray wondered, a mixture of fear and awe creeping into his thoughts.