Lucien took a deep breath as he adjusted his bag, scanning his surroundings. Ebonshade Forest was as ominous as its name suggested—thick black trees, twisted roots, and a constant eerie mist that clung to the ground like a second skin. The only sounds were distant growls and rustling leaves, sending a clear message:
Everything here wants to kill you.
[Welcome to Ebonshade Forest! Where you're not at the top of the food chain, and the locals are… well, bitey.]
Lucien sighed. "Can't you ever be helpful?"
[Sure. Here's some advice: don't die.]
"Thanks, genius."
[Hey, that's Sir Genius to you.]
Ignoring his sarcastic parasite, Lucien gripped his sword and moved deeper into the forest.
Encountering the First Monsters
It didn't take long before he ran into trouble.
Rustle. Rustle.
From the bushes, two low-ranked monsters emerged—a pair of F-rank Razor Wolves. Their black fur bristled, and their yellow eyes gleamed hungrily as they circled him, fangs bared.
Lucien frowned. "You guys are just F-rank? This almost feels insulting."
[Careful, they might get offended and call their A-rank cousins.]
Lucien ignored the system's nonsense and dashed forward, blade flashing.
The first wolf lunged—Lucien sidestepped, slashing its neck in one smooth motion. Blood sprayed, and the beast collapsed.
The second wolf growled and pounced. Lucien calmly extended his free hand—
FWOOSH!
A small but precise fireball shot from his palm, hitting the wolf square in the face. It yelped, rolling on the ground before Lucien finished it with a downward stab.
[Congratulations! You just bullied two weaklings.]
"They were trying to kill me."
[So you say. But maybe they just wanted to be friends?]
Lucien ignored the comment and continued deeper into the forest.
Climbing the Ranks
As the hours passed, Lucien encountered stronger foes.
E-rank Boulder Boars – Slow but tanky. He used his fire magic to cook them alive. D-rank Shadow Spiders – Annoying, but their weakness to fire made them easy prey. D-rank Ironfang Wolves – Tougher than the Razor Wolves, but a few well-placed sword strikes took them down.
By evening, Lucien had fought at least a dozen creatures and had the wounds, dirt, and exhaustion to prove it.
[Status Updated!]
Stats:
Strength: 14 (+1)
Agility: 20 (+1)
Endurance: 22 (+1)
Skills:
Swordsmanship: Level 3 (+1)
Elemental Control (Fire): Level 4 (+1)
Lucien slumped against a tree. "Finally… an improvement."
[Look at you. Barely surviving Day One. You must be so proud.]
"I swear, if I ever get the option to mute you—"
[You'd never do it. You'd miss me.]
Lucien groaned and pulled out a small ration bar from his bag. As he ate, his mind shifted to the real problem.
He still hadn't found an A-rank monster.
And time was running out.
Tomorrow, he would have to go deeper into the forest.
Where the real danger awaited.
To be continued…