As soon as the window appeared, Steve heard a breeze behind him. After just a fraction of a second, Ha, his cat instincts kicked in and he pushed himself to the side. A moment later, his paws landed on the snow again, but lost their grip on the ice, causing him to tumble to the side. He barely saw the bird's claws scrape against the ground where he had been just before he began to tumble.
When he slipped and fell to the side, Steve slid further and reached the slope. Instead of slowing down, he began to speed up, rolling down the slippery slope with a wild scream. . Every time he fell to the ground, he would feel a slight impact on his health. He stretched out his hands to stop himself. Finally, after a few times, his claws found support on the ground. However, he felt no snow under his paws, but wet grass and soft soil.
He entered the forest, the canopy of the first few trees hanging protectively above his head. Every part of his body ached, and he meowed softly in protest, but stood up and walked farther into the shield of branches.
To be honest, he was feeling a little sour as he limped forward, and the whole "grace period" might have been a bit of a scam, but then again, he could certainly consider himself lucky that he received a mission . He muttered under his breath and continued walking deeper into the forest until he heard another beep.
[Random mission "Escape from Bullet Eagle!" Complete.
Reward: 50 experience points]
[upgrade! ]
Feel much better. He quickly checked his status again, scanning the numbers.
status:
|Unnamed|
Level: 1 -> 2
Type: Common Mopava
title:
HP: 8/13
MP: 4/4
Time: 11/17
Strength: 4 -> 5
Vitality: 6 -> 7
Agility: 7 -> 8
Agility: 8 -> 9
Intelligence: 3 -> 4
Wisdom: 4 -> 5
Willpower: 2 -> 3
Luck: 8
Ability points: 3
Almost all of his attributes were increased, which was nice, but on top of that, his health was restored. He was sure the temperature had been below 8 after his fall, but he wasn't 100% sure what it was.
[Lv.: Abbreviation for level, this value shows the player's growth status. It will increase with experience. After upgrading, some ability points will automatically increase and 3 ability points will be awarded. Additionally, half of an individual's resources will be regenerated. Sharing experiences between parties. ]
This...he felt some primitive part of his brain saying it could work with this. He was still bitter about the whole situation and a little annoyed, but he knew this was an opportunity to change his life for the better.
Before any big dreams can come true, though, he needs to find a place to sleep. ha
He was more awake now, and he knew the night wouldn't bother him, but if time passed here like it did on Earth, he might only have sixteen or so good hours.
Walk deeper into the forest. At the transition between the snow and the woods, there is a little clearing and favorable terrain. Fields usually meant rats, and he could certainly deal with them better than the forest. Maybe falling down the mountain is better than you think!
Just as the thought entered his mind, he felt pain in his sides and shoulders return. The shock of being dashed off a flat surface momentarily drove away the pain, but it soon returned, albeit much smaller. It's something he can walk through fairly easily, even if the scrapes hurt a little when he moves.
His mind wandered as he walked deeper into the forest. Still, it wasn't too far away, and he didn't want to consider the full implications of reincarnation just yet.
This is his first day, a strange day, and he wants to think more about what he wants to do in the future.
First of all, he has MP value. It represents magic, the key word is magic. Sure, Steve may have been 36 when he died, but the idea of doing real magic was still magical to him.
Maybe it's a summoner or a beast master, so he doesn't have to be too close to the enemy. He certainly has little interest in fighting monsters like those seen in the game. What exactly exists in this place? vampire? demon? Terrible gods? He tried to get his mind off the thought as quickly as possible.
Construct. Being a cat would be a bit inconspicuous, so being a thief is certainly an option. But he was in the forest now, and stealing skills would do him no good. He had always liked the idea of magic crafting.
Before he could spend the points, however, he felt his stomach growl. Yes, in this case, food comes first, then magic.
- - -
Soon, Steve began to appreciate his new sight. It took him a while to spot a small mouse running along the edge of the forest, but once he spotted it, tracking it was effortless. The mice were also running around carefree and seemed not worried about anything, which meant there must be very few predators around. Little did it know, it was about to be caught.
Steve slowly stalked towards his prey, his chest close to the ground. The mouse stopped and sniffed the air, and he saw his opportunity. His legs bent to jump, and he jumped—
I saw the mouse flying away in the air. Do you smell him? He made a face. Defeated by rats. But it's okay. He has a game-like system, so he'd better take advantage of it. His condition improved rapidly, and he invested all three points of his latest level into agility.
Agility: 9 -> 12
The effect was immediate, it became lighter. His body responded faster to his commands and his movements became more fluid. Well, yes, he'll get used to it.
Steve remained mostly silent and focused on his surroundings as he searched for the other rat.
After walking for a while, he noticed that his Sp dropped by one, but he also locked onto another mouse, this one a little fatter than the last one. It was also munching on a fallen apple and seemed distracted by the food. Perfect prey.
Steve remembered something else as he slinked between the trees, careful to avoid sticks or leaves on the ground, careful to make sure he landed when he was within jumping distance. sprint. Well, Agility and Sprint have been increased, it's time to put both of them to the test. use!
In the blink of an eye, the kitten jumped forward, stretched out its claws in the air, and quickly plunged into the mouse's body, holding it firmly in place while the mouse struggled to escape. It was over with a quick bite on the neck.
[Kill a mouse. Obtained: 5 experience points, 1 gold coin]
He did it! He has killed his first prey! This should help ease his hunger now, it's time for a snack! Surprisingly, mice taste very good. Sure, it's not a five-star meal, but it's totally edible. Well, except for the fur and guts, which he quickly dusted off when he was done. No self-respecting cat would eat these, he knows this instinctively.
Still, having something in his stomach made him feel better, and he forced down the more disgusting, more human parts of him. This was Cat Town now, and his part needed two more things: water and a place to sleep. Thirst, now is less important because the rat's flesh also has some blood in it.
But the sun had set, and he wanted to find a place to rest before it rose again.
He was very surprised that instead of darkness, the world became dim. He could see exactly where his eyes were pointing, almost as if he had two small flashlights hanging from his pupils.
He used the top of the hill to get his bearings, walking to the left without going up or down too much. There are not many animals here, only the occasional mouse or rabbit running around, and countless insects buzzing. He also heard a chirping sound, but it was deeper than any bird song he was used to. He encountered his first larger animal when he stumbled upon a small pond with a stream flowing from the mountains.
There was actually a bear in front of the pond. A huge black bear. A true adult, with muscles bulging beneath protective fat. Seeing this scene, he was stunned and his heart skipped a beat. The idea that he was in some sort of "beginner's zone" fell apart right then and there. Steve turned immediately. Nu-uh. There was no way he could do that. No, not this time. Of course, dying from a bear is probably better than choking on cafeteria food,
As he was sneaking away, he heard a slight ringing in his head.
[Acquire skills through specific actions. ]
He quickly glanced at the moment the notification disappeared, feeling a little panicked. The timing of this ability couldn't be more perfect! And it’s still passive! Astonishing!
He leaned on his skills and made a bold escape, sure to tread among branches and dry leaves. Once he made it far enough, he let out a long sigh that left his mouth clueless.
His human mind longs to go home, just to lie in bed or on the couch, and get back to his spuds. Thought he was undone by the very thing that inspired him. Didn't he just reincarnate as a dragon of the highest level? He could have garrisoned the army, ruled over things or something like that! Instead, he sought shelter in the forest.
Luckily a suitable place was quickly found. It was an old hollow log, lying flat on the ground and hard to spot with all the grass surrounding it. The place isn't exactly fancy, but at least it will keep out the rain,
That means it's good enough for now. There's a water source nearby, too, although he'd rather go there when the bear population is significantly lower. In the future, he'll have to scout the area around the logs and lake, but for now, he just wants to check his identity again.
HP: 9/13
MP: 4/4
SP：13/17
He was still a little tired, so he jogged occasionally to enjoy himself.
But he also upgraded today. This means he must have certain skill points. "Meow?" he asked, trying to open the skill shop.
As soon as he thought of this, a new window popped up, which was a little different from the previous one. It had a search bar and multiple categories and seemed...kinda fitting for what he knew? In addition to this, he can scroll down. There seem to be endless skills hidden on the windows, each skill stacked on top of each other. However, at the bottom corner of the window, he saw something else.
[Skill Points: 100]
His score is exactly 100 points. Fortunately, most skills seem to be priced around multiples of 100. He now... wants to avoid this. His cat brain seems well suited to swatting and biting things up close, but his human part strongly disagrees.
He only considered a few skills. Something for buffing, ranged fight or flight. Maybe it was calling, but after a quick price check, the category was temporarily dismissed. Over 1000 points. coin.
And even if he could afford it, he couldn't buy it now.
the reason is simple. In order to obtain troops for his army, he must defeat them. The rat wasn't exactly his ideal image of a soldier. No, what he needs is far from that, what he needs is a sense of security. So, he chose. He didn't know what this skill could bring him, but he could deduce it from the title.
Specifically, it was carving, which he knew he could do with his claws. What if the system could read his mind, calm him down, and merge his thoughts with the cat's?
[Acquire skills from the skill store. ]
Now,!
All right. So, uh, what exactly are runes?
[Rune: the letters of the magical language. When carved into an object and imbued with magic, they can enhance the object's properties. Runes are classified by level and level. The higher the rank and level, the better the rune. Levels range from 1 to 10, and levels range from low to high. Example: Inferior level 3 rune. The individual currently knows the runes:,]
It felt weird reading that last part. As he thought about them, Steve realized that he did recognize the runes. It's like he's always known them too, which obviously doesn't make sense. Do they come with skills? So, probably.
He took a moment to clear away a bit of moss, then carefully placed his paws on the inside of the bark and began to trace the pattern in his mind.
The runes are relatively simple so far, and when he starts carving, the skill automatically activates. After moving slowly and carefully for a few minutes, making sure that every line was smooth and connected correctly, another prompt appeared, and with it, he could feel his energy being sucked away by the runes. For a moment it glowed softly, then returned to sculpture.
[Successfully carved a lower-level strengthening rune. Gain: 10 experience points]
Looking at the exp notification, his eyes widened a little. This is unexpected. He'd thought he'd probably only be able to level up through killing, but apparently that wasn't the case. Knowing that this would help him level up, Steve wanted to carve another rune right away, but remembering the gutters, he checked his resources first.
MP: 0/4
ah. Excellent. That's really bad. It also caused him to lose focus and keep his paws up for so long. It was a bit annoying, and the emptiness of his mana being drained made him a little irritated, but it was bearable. It's just uncomfortable, but he'll have to get used to it, he grumbled inwardly.
[MP: Abbreviation for Mana, this value shows the amount of magical energy in your body, which you can use to cast spells or use other magical abilities. It passively regenerates by absorbing mana from the air. Maximum capacity depends on intelligence. Regeneration speed depends on wisdom. ]
Well, then he should at least try to spend this time productively and look at his unique skills. "Meow," he said.
A new window opened immediately. This looks very similar to the skill store, with multiple tabs and a search bar at the top, a scrollbar on the right, and his currency at the bottom. The number of gold coins he currently holds in his hand is unbelievable, jaw-dropping, dumbfounding, and shocking.
But there is one difference, there is a shopping cart on the right. Ah, then it must be drag and drop. He immediately tried it and randomly moved an item on the shopping cart icon, then was asked how many he wanted to buy. This way he can select as many items as he wants and pay at checkout. It's at least convenient, and seems to respond to mental commands. Now, what are tabs?
Consumables, ingredients, armor, weapons, tools and more.
Now the skill looked very, very good, so he took a moment to look at the items inside. They are sorted alphabetically, although he can change the order in which they appear. So, how much does the first one cost?
100 000 gold coins. Every item on the first page is over 100,000. He blinked in confusion, then shook his head and told the store to rearrange the order, displaying the cheaper items first.
… Steve was a little annoyed, and maybe a little angry, when the cheapest item in the entire store was a small life potion for 100 gold. It heals 5 Hp. Essentially, this amounted to a few scratches, for which he had to kill 100 rats.
He tried clicking his tongue in frustration, not quite successfully, but he got the gist. He grunted, tired again, tapping his paws against the wall. He almost immediately regretted this decision, as it cost him another point of precious health. ha
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, but he was annoyed inside, it felt very unforgiving.
At least, after venting his anger, he felt better. In any case, there is no point in being depressed and he has to accept that it may not be useful in the near future. He had nothing to do now and it was still far from bedtime, so he just curled up until he got comfortable and decided to give it a try. It’s time to do some systematic research!
