Three consecutive panels manifested in the deepening twilight before Tyler.

  As the text hung in the air, a faint blue light sparked in his eyes, mirrored by a soft, rhythmic pulse of the same color beneath the surface of his skin. The grinding strain in his legs and the cold numbness in his feet began to recede, replaced by a sudden, surging warmth. The exhaustion that had weighed on his bones moments ago simply evaporated.

  His muscles felt a new sense of presence, not just healed, but firm and capable. "Whoa," he breathed, his voice steadying as the rush of relief washed through his frame before settling. "I leveled up... I leveled up three times."

  He curled his fingers into a tight fist, testing the tension in his forearm. *I feel different,* he thought, watching his hand in the dim light. "It actually happened just like in a game. I actually feel stronger... and slightly lighter."

  He stepped away from the carcass, careful to move his feet out of the dark pool of blood staining his soles. He shifted the spear from his right hand to his left. The weapon, which had felt substantial and heavy during the struggle, now seemed to have lost a portion of its weight. He looked at the smooth wood, turning it over. "This is insane. So this is what it means... when it said I'll level up and grow in power."

  The notification panels flickered and dissolved. With a thought, Tyler called for his status. The interface materialized, hovering steadily in the dimming afternoon light.

  SPECIES: HumanNAME: Tyler EvansRANK: GLVL: 4CLASS: CraftsmanHP: 36/36 MP: 36/36STR: 16 AGI: 14DEF: 13 STM: 17SKILLS: Weapon Craft-Lv1PASSIVE SKILLS: None

  *I'm level 4 now,* he thought, his eyes scanning the updated values. *Every... one of my stats has increased.* He studied the numbers, a slight sense of confusion mixing with his relief. They had jumped significantly. *Thinking back, they weren't exactly this number. If I make my calculations right, they all increased by 6... or at least that's what I think.*

  *My agility was 5, and now it's 14,* Tyler thought, staring at the number. *It more than doubled. Does that mean I'm twice as fast as I was? Or does it just mean that I'm only slightly faster? If I'm twice as fast, that would be incredible. But I don't think so. I might just be faster than before, but I doubt my speed has actually doubled.*

  He shifted his gaze to the Stamina entry. *Right now, this is my highest stat. That's great. It just means I can last a little longer doing rigorous tasks. I should be able to spend more time running without getting tired, at least, I assume that's how it works.* He let out a long sigh as the interface dissolved into the dimming light.

  He looked down at the dead wolf, his mind still working through the numbers. "Six," he muttered. "So that means if I level up once, each and every stat increases by two." He glanced at his palms, then back at the display. *Even my HP and my MP increased. I wonder how much MP is needed when I use the weapon craft skill. It didn't look like I used any, or maybe it just filled back up when I leveled up. I'm not sure.*

  As he stared at the carcass, a new system panel manifested, hovering directly over the creature and cutting through his train of thought.

  EXTRACT

  "Extract," Tyler read the word aloud, his voice flat in the quiet of the evening.

  The wolf’s body suddenly pulsed with a faint blue light. In an instant, the thick crimson hide and the sharp fangs vanished, leaving only the exposed muscle and bone behind.

  Tyler stumbled back, his eyes widening. "What the hell? What just happened?"

  A new panel appeared directly in front of him:

  USER HAS USED THE EXTRACTION MECHANISM THAT HARVESTS THE REQUIRED INGREDIENTS FOR CRAFTING ITEMS.

  "Extraction mechanism," Tyler read aloud.

  Without a deliberate thought, the inventory panel manifested in front of him. He blinked, surprised to see that the grid of spaces had expanded; where there were once four, ten slots now hovered in the air. In one of the new spaces sat an icon shaped like a sprawled bear rug. Small letters underneath labeled it: CRIMSON HIDE. In the adjacent slot, a blue icon shaped like a long, sharp tooth appeared, labeled: CRIMSON FANG ×4.

  "So they got relocated to my inventory," he said, his gaze drifting back to what remained of the wolf.

  The sight was disturbing. He had never seen a body stripped so raw, the textures of muscle and bone exposed to the cooling air. Suddenly, the entire carcass began to dissolve. It didn't rot or settle; it broke apart into wisps of black smoke that rose and vanished into the evening sky. Tyler took another step back, his eyes wide.

  "It disappeared," he whispered.

  He looked down at the grass where the pool of blood had been, then quickly lifted his foot to check the sole of his shoe. The deep red stains were gone. The ground and his clothing were perfectly clean, as if the struggle had never happened at all.

  The realization hit him with a sudden, jarring weight. "Just like in a game," he said, the words hanging heavy in the quiet forest. He paused, his mind racing to reconcile what he was seeing with his sense of reality. *This reality... everything is like a game. Just how the hell is this real? How is this not a dream?*

  He looked toward the horizon, where the sun was sinking fast, pulling the last of the light with it. *Right. I have to get out of this forest. I ran into a level three earlier, and then a level 15. If I run into something else, or something even higher... I might not survive.*

  He scanned his surroundings, but the trees were so dense they seemed to form a solid wall of trunks and leaves, obscuring his vision in every direction. The interior of the woods was growing darker by the minute. *Where the hell do I go? How do I get out of here?*

  He looked up at the canopy. *Maybe if I climb a tree, I can actually see where I am. I can see the landscape. Maybe I can see where the forest ends.*

  He looked around, but most of the nearby trees didn't seem tall enough to give him a clear view. Even the one he had used to escape the wolf wasn't high enough to see over the surrounding growth. He turned and began to walk forward at a brisk pace, his eyes darting between the trees.

  After only a few steps, a system panel flashed into existence before him.

  ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FIRST KILL.THE USER HAS KILLED THEIR FIRST MONSTER. CONGRATULATIONS.REWARD: +1 EXTRA STAT POINT.

  Immediately after, a second panel layered itself over the first.

  ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: THE IMPRESSIVE KILL.THE USER HAS KILLED A MONSTER THAT IS 15 LEVELS ABOVE THEM. THIS IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE FEAT.REWARD: +3 EXTRA STAT POINTS.

  Reading the panels, a small grin pulled at the corners of Tyler's mouth. *Wow, I got a total of four points for the achievement.*

  *Well, the second one was just luck,* he thought, glancing back at the spot where the wolf had vanished. *I only dealt a critical hit because I hit its eye. Even with a basic weapon, the eye is a weak point for every living thing. If anything is sharp enough, a target can lose it.*

  The achievement notifications dissolved, and his status panel manifested in their place. Tyler rubbed his chin, his eyes moving over the numbers. *Hmm. Now, where should I put my stats?*

  His gaze settled on his Defense. *My defense is the lowest one. I'm guessing this is what helps me take attacks. It helps me get tougher. But right now, what I really need is speed. I don't know what kind of monsters I'm going to face.*

  He made his decision. "One in Defense," he muttered, "and three in Agility."

  As he confirmed the allocation, he felt a subtle shift ripple through his frame. It wasn't as explosive as the level-up, but there was a distinct sharpening of his senses. He gave a small, experimental jump, his feet leaving the dirt with surprising ease. He felt even lighter than he had moments ago. *So three points must be where the changes start to feel significant.*

  The system panel faded away. Tyler began to walk forward again, his eyes scanning the dense undergrowth. *I need to see if I can find those branches again. I think I might need backup.*

  He lifted the spear to check its condition and stopped in his tracks. Small, jagged cracks had formed around the head of the weapon, with another thin fracture running through the center of the shaft. *What is this?* he thought, his brow furrowing. *It's not acting like normal wood.*

  As he stared at the damage, a small, translucent bar manifested alongside the spear's length.

  DURABILITY: 52%

  "Durability, it decreased all the way down to 52%," Tyler said, his voice tight with shock. *Was it because of the increased body weight when I jumped? I did use a lot of force. Nonetheless, this thing doesn't have great durability. It's wood, but still, it looked pretty strong.*

  He let out a heavy sigh. *Yeah, I'm going to need to look for other branches.*

  He continued through the trees, his footsteps crunching on the darkening forest floor. "I wish the requirements weren't so specific," he muttered. "I’d be snapping any branch I could find. If it combined those branches earlier, why can't it just combine smaller ones too?"

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  He walked on, his eyes constantly searching for a taller tree. *Where should I go?* he wondered. The system offered no response. "What's the point?" he said, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet. *Maybe if I had my phone...* He shook his head. *Nah. The system said I’m in an alternate universe. Even if I had it, I doubt I could call anyone. It might have been useful as a torch to see where I was going, but then again, a light would just attract more monsters.*

  Up ahead, a particularly tall tree came into view. His gaze sharpened as he spotted several limbs that appeared to meet the system's criteria. *Finally.*

  As he stepped toward the tree, a sudden jolt of adrenaline surged through him. A hard, heavy force struck the side of his shoulder, the impact shoving him violently to the side. He hit the ground and rolled through the dirt.

  He scrambled back to his feet, his breath coming in sharp gasps. A system panel manifested in his line of sight:

  SLIME ACTIVATED SKILL: BASH.

  In front of him, a translucent blue slime the size of a basketball was bouncing in place. With every hop, it emitted a soft, high-pitched chirping sound. A label hovered above it: **SLIME LEVEL 10.**

  Tyler winced as a flare of agony radiated from his shoulder. *It hurts. It feels like it’s been dislocated.* The pain was a sharp, throbbing heat. He used his good hand to steady himself, his fingers digging into his shoulder as he backed away. He scanned the ground behind the creature. *My weapon... where is it?*

  The spear lay several feet away, on the other side of the slime. *Shit. How the hell do I get it? Can I fight this thing without a weapon? My strength is higher now, so maybe...*

  In an instant, the spear vanished from the ground and materialized directly in his hand. Tyler gasped, his fingers instinctively curling around the shaft. *The spear... it's in my hand again.*

  A new panel appeared before him:

  THE USER CAN SUMMON ITEMS BACK TO THEM OR THE INVENTORY IF IT IS WITHIN A 50 METER RADIUS.

  As he read, he saw a rounded blue blur passing through the translucent text. His eyes widened and he threw himself to the side. The slime lunged past his ear, and for a split second, he felt the wet, firm texture of its body. It collided with the tree behind him with a heavy, jarring strike that sent a vibration through the wood.

  Tyler rolled to the side, his heart hammering against his ribs. His breath was ragged as he forced himself back up to face the creature.

  A system panel flickered into existence before Tyler’s face, displaying his status: HP: 28/36.

  *It took eight points,* he realized, his mind quickly calculating the loss.

  The display vanished, and Tyler, acting on a surge of adrenaline, decided to stand his ground. He charged at the blue sphere as it sat on the dirt. With a guttural grunt, he lunged, thrusting the spear downward to impale the creature. The slime reacted with surprising fluidity, rolling out of the way like a rubber ball.

  Tyler’s spear struck only the ground, the impact jarring his hands. Before he could pull the weapon back, the slime launched itself again. It struck him square in the center of his chest, the weight of the blow knocking every bit of air from his lungs. His eyes widened as the world tilted, and he fell backward, rolling across the uneven forest floor.

  He curled into a ball, gasping for air that wouldn't come, a fit of coughing racking his frame as he struggled back to his feet. "That... hurt," he wheezed.

  The system panel reappeared. His health had dropped again: HP: 24/36.

  *If I don't defeat this thing, I'm going to die,* he thought, panic starting to claw at his throat. *Or should I just run? With my agility, I should be able to escape.*

  The slime jumped in place, a short, bouncing movement that felt almost like a taunt. A notification flashed:

  SLIME LVL 10 HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: BASH.

  The creature shot toward him, propelled by a sudden, invisible force that made it move far faster than its previous hops. Tyler reached out, summoning his weapon. It manifested in a burst of blue light, and he immediately threw the weight of his body into a desperate forward thrust.

  The spearhead pierced the translucent surface of the slime. The sharp tip drove deep into the jelly-like mass until it struck a solid, marble-like center. The slime emitted a thin, high-pitched cry before it suddenly incinerated, its body dissolving into a cloud of fine black dust.

  The internal core, now devoid of its liquid shell, dropped and settled into the dirt with a soft click.

  He leaned heavily on his spear, the base of the weapon digging into the dirt as he used it to stay upright. A single drop of sweat tracked down the side of his face, and he swallowed hard, his throat feeling like sandpaper. He stared at the small sphere resting in the dirt. A system panel hovered over it: SLIME CORE*.

  "I actually defeated it," he rasped, his voice thin.

  *I feel so thirsty,* he thought. He forced himself to move, crouching down to retrieve the sphere. It felt remarkably smooth against his palm, possessing a texture similar to polished glass, yet it was not cold. Instead, it radiated a steady, comforting warmth. The color was a deep, charcoal grey that bordered on total blackness.

  The core pulsed with a faint blue light before vanishing into his inventory. *I don't know if this is going to be useful or not, but I have to take it just in case.*

  He turned his attention back to the tall tree. He released his grip on the spear; before the weapon could strike the ground, it dissolved into blue light and returned to his inventory. Tyler began to run.

  The sudden rush of his own Agility was almost overwhelming. He felt unnaturally light, his feet barely seeming to touch the earth as he moved. He was moving faster than he ever had, yet he knew he wasn't even pushing himself to his full speed. He reached the base of the tree in seconds.

  Without breaking his stride, he leaped. He caught a sturdy branch high above the ground, a low grunt escaping his throat as he hauled himself up. He moved from limb to limb, climbing higher into the canopy.

  As he climbed, he noticed the strange details of the tree. The leaves were long and dark, casting deep shadows against one another. The bark beneath his hands felt unnaturally smooth, lacking the rough, protective texture he expected from such a large trunk. He pushed the observation aside, grounding himself with a single thought: *This is another world.*

  He continued climb and pulled himself onto the highest sturdy branch, breaking through the upper canopy. He took a long, deep breath, the air at this height feeling thin, cool, and sharp compared to the stagnant humidity below.

  The vista before him stole what was left of his breath. The forest was a vast, undulating carpet of green that seemed to have no end. The canopy was so thick it swallowed the earth, leaving nothing but an unbroken sea of leaves in every direction. A heavy weight settled in Tyler's chest, a sharp pang of disappointment that threatened to drown his lingering hope.

  "No way," he whispered, his gaze scanning the horizon. "Where the hell does this forest end?"

  Far in the distance, at the very edge of the sea of green, he spotted the faint, bluish silhouettes of mountains with white, frosted peaks. To his right, a river cut through the greenery. It made a sharp, jagged turn before straightening out, its surface remarkably clear. As the sky continued to darken, the water began to shimmer, reflecting the first few stars that were pricking through the atmosphere.

  Careful to maintain his balance on the unnaturally smooth branches, Tyler shifted his grip and slowly rotated his body to look behind him. He froze, his eyes widening.

  A thin, grey pillar of smoke was rising steadily into the twilight from a point far in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, straining to make out the source. Beyond the river, he could see a structure that looked like a camp. It was far away, but he could distinguish a perimeter of tall, brown logs and the silhouette of a large tent rising from the center.

  A smile broke across Tyler's face, and a low, breathless chuckle escaped his lips. The tension that had been coiling in his gut since he arrived began to ease.

  *People,* he thought, his heart lifting. "There are actually people out here."

  "I need to go there," Tyler whispered, his eyes fixed on the distant pillar of smoke. "Maybe they can actually help me."

  He reached for a branch to begin his descent, but his hand stopped, hovering over the unnaturally smooth bark. *Wait.*

  He pulled himself back up to the very top of the canopy. If he was going to make it to that camp, he couldn't afford to walk blindly into another ambush. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the gaps in the green carpet below.

  To his far right, a ripple of movement caught his attention. A group of blue slimes was moving through the undergrowth together like a small, bouncing troop. In the center of the pack was one that looked twice the size of a football, double the scale of the one he had just killed. They shifted in a synchronized rhythm, their translucent bodies catching the fading light.

  He turned his gaze toward the far left. Something was shifting there as well, a larger creature moving beneath the heavy leaves, but the density of the forest obscured its shape.

  *Damn it, I can't see clearly,* he thought, his jaw tightening. *I can see there are slimes, but I don't know what that thing is. I can't make out what it is. I'll just have to avoid it.*

  He focused on the landscape, burning the positions of the threats into a mental map. He traced the path from his current position, past the river, and toward the rising smoke. *Great. I’ve mapped out where it’s coming from. Now I’ll just break off some more branches and make more weapons.*

  As he began his descent, a wave of irritation washed over him. Based on his new perspective, he realized he had been walking in the complete opposite direction of civilization the entire time. To reach the camp, he would have to backtrack past the very spot where he had first been teleported into this world.

  He moved lower into the branches, his hands searching for the specific wood he needed for his craft.

  He began to break the branches, stripped away the small twigs sprouting from their sides until the wood was bare. He watched as the first few pieces vanished into his inventory. Checking his storage, he noted the space. *With these pieces, I’ll only be able to create one more... or at least one at a time.*

  He looked at the grid in his mind, calculating the room he had left. *I can just remove some of the items in here to create space for the branches andcraft the spears, and then put weapons back inside. The only problem is I'm at the top of this tree. I should just break some and drop them, but that might cause too much noise and attract something.*

  He let out a quiet sigh. *I’ll just remove the slime core for a second.*

  The dark, warm sphere materialized in his hand. He carefully placed it in his mouth, biting down slightly to hold it in place between his teeth. It felt smooth and strangely warm against his tongue, freeing up a single slot in his inventory.

  He reached out, his muscles working as he broke another branch, then another, and a third. Once he had four in his inventory, he focused his mind. *Craft wooden spear.*

  This time, there was no loading bar. The confirmation flashed instantaneously: CRAFTING SUCCESSFUL.

  *That was fast,* he thought, surprised by the lack of delay. He looked at the new icon sitting in his inventory slots. *Great, I have two wooden spears now, and I still have enough space to craft more. That’s exactly what I needed.*

  He moved further along the limb, breaking more branches and stowing them. Some were too long, requiring him to use his strength to snap them down to the correct size. He triggered the skill again, and the panel appeared abruptly: CRAFTING SUCCESSFUL.

  He now had three spears in his possession. He scanned the surrounding limbs, but couldn't find any more wood that met the criteria for the skill. He reached up, took the slime core from his mouth, and watched it shimmer back into its inventory slot.

  With his weapons prepared, he gripped the trunk and began the long climb down.

  He reached the base of the trunk and dropped the final few feet, his feet striking the dirt with a muffled, heavy landing.

  *Right, I’m running there,* he decided, his eyes darting through the gloom. *I've already spent too much time in this tree and it's just gotten darker.*

  The last of the sun’s rays had vanished, leaving no light to guide his path. The forest was now blanketed in a deep, total darkness. *I need to get there fast.*

  He looked up at the sky. The stars had fully emerged, glittering in vast, dense clusters. They looked familiar at first glance, but as he studied them, he realized their patterns were entirely alien, constellations he didn't recognize in positions that felt wrong.

  He turned his head to the far left and froze. The moon had appeared, looming so large and bright it felt as though it had manifested in a single heartbeat. It seemed impossibly close to the world. Tyler’s heart hammered against his ribs as he stared at the celestial body. It looked strange, unnatural. A perfectly round crater sat at the very center of the moon’s face, and from that point, five distinct lines carved outward in every direction. The pattern was symmetrical, looking more like a deliberate design than a natural landscape.

  He took a sharp breath and shook his head, tearing his gaze away. *I need to focus. I need to get going.*

  He pushed off the ground, finally unleashing his full Agility. His legs pumped with a rhythmic, powerful force, propelling him forward with a speed that far surpassed anything he had felt before. The trees and the surrounding shadows became a dark, streaking blur. His footsteps were a rapid, heavy beat against the forest floor.

  As he sprinted, a system panel flashed abruptly into his field of vision.

  LV 7 SLIME HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: BASH.

  Tyler’s eyes widened. He dug his heels into the dirt, his body leaning back as he skidded to a jarring stop, his shoes tearing through the grass.

  A rush of air whistled past his back, the force of it tugging at the fabric of his jacket. Tyler spun around, his eyes locking onto two translucent blue shapes in the dark: a Level 7 slime and a smaller Level 4 companion.

  *More monsters,* he thought. The wooden spear materialized in his grip, its weight familiar and solid. *Damn it, I thought I was avoiding these things. Am I going the wrong way? No, I must have just missed them.*

  The Level 4 slime launched itself at him. Tyler reacted with a quick, decisive thrust. He noted the creature’s movement felt slower than the previous encounters, or perhaps he was simply faster. The spearhead pierced through the jelly-like body, striking the core at the center. The slime disintegrated into a fine cloud of black dust instantly, and a small core struck the ground with a sharp, clear sound.

  The Level 7 slime bounced once in place. Instead of launching a second attack, it immediately pivoted and began to bounce away from Tyler, retreating into the dense undergrowth.

  "Huh?" Tyler muttered, his fingers tightening around the shaft of the spear as he lowered his guard. *Is it retreating?*

  He watched until the blue shape disappeared into the bushes. He walked forward, retrieving the small slime core, which shimmered and vanished into his inventory. *Does that mean these monsters actually feel fear? That must be it. They're living things, after all.*

  His weapon dissolved into light as he turned away. He pushed off into a run once more. *My stamina is really helping me,* he thought, his legs moving with a steady, rhythmic power. *If this was before I increased my points through leveling up, I think I'd be too exhausted to keep running. But here I am. I feel tired, but I can still keep going.*

  As he sprinted through the dark, a new sense of caution took hold. *I need to keep my guard up. I couldn't see those other creatures because of the trees.*

  His pace slowed, his strides becoming heavy and uneven. He finally came to a halt, bracing his hands against his knees as his chest labored to draw air. His clothes felt heavy, the fabric soaked through with sweat and clinging to his skin. His throat was a desert, every swallow feeling like a rasp against dry bone.

  *Damn it. It’s so far away,* he thought, a fit of coughing threatening to break through his ragged breathing. *Am I even going to make it? I might not get there until morning at this rate.*

  A sudden sound cut through the silence, the heavy, rhythmic beat of massive wings. Tyler froze. He slowly turned his head to the right.

  Standing in the dim starlight was a creature unlike anything he had ever imagined. It possessed the long, spindly legs of a flamingo, but its body transitioned into the vibrant, feathered tail and elongated neck of a peacock. Even its head bore the distinct crest of a peacock, but the scale was massive. Its feathers and legs were a shocking pink, yet from its chest down to its thighs, the plumage shifted into a deep, iridescent blue.

  *That has to be a monster,* he thought, his pulse quickening. *I have to be cautious.*

  He moved with agonizing slowness, keeping his eyes on the bird-like entity as he circled far to the left. He didn't stop until the pink and blue silhouette was swallowed by the darkness behind him.

  He took a deep, shuddering breath and forced himself into a run again. He hadn't gone far when a new vibration reached him from the left. It was a rapid, drumming rhythm, the sound of hooves striking the earth with the force of a galloping horse. The sound was closing in fast.

  Tyler pushed his legs to their limit, his eyes darting toward the source. *Shit, shit! It’s heading straight for me. No, I can’t avoid it. I’m too slow!*

  He summoned his spear, the weight of it snapping into his hand as he skidded to a halt to face the threat. Just as he turned, a shrill, piercing cry erupted from the brush,a sound like a hog, but deeper and more guttural. A system panel flashed:

  LV 10 HEXHORNE HAS ACTIVATED SKILL: CHARGE.

  Before Tyler could set his feet, a massive, solid force slammed into his lower legs. The impact launched him into the air, his body spinning helplessly before he crashed hard into the dirt.

  A jagged scream tore from his throat. He clutched at his leg, the pain white-hot and absolute. It felt as though the bone had been snapped like a dry twig. Panicked that his voice would draw more predators, he slammed his left hand over his mouth, muffling his agonized gasps.

  He forced himself upright, his eyes blurring with tears he fought to hold back. Standing a few meters away was a beast that resembled a boar, but far more formidable. Instead of two tusks, six jagged horns lined its snout to its eyes. It exhaled, thick clouds of steamy breath huffing from its snout in the cool air.

  Its yellow eyes were fixed on Tyler with a predatory focus . The beast lowered its head and dug its front hoof into the dirt, carving a furrow in the ground as it prepared to launch itself again.