With 30 points poured into Strength, Kael felt a subtle but definite thrum under his virtual skin, a latent power waiting to be unleashed. He squared up to the iridescent beetle. It was barely knee-high, its shell shimmering with oily rainbows, its mandibles clicking softly. For a normal Level 1 player with a wooden staff, it would be a trivial, albeit slightly annoying, first kill. For Kael, Level 3 but effectively unarmed and unarmored, it felt like facing a small, angry rock.
He lunged, swinging a clumsy fist. His knuckles connected with the beetle's carapace with a surprisingly solid thwack. The creature hissed, staggering back slightly, a faint crack appearing on its iridescent shell. Kael felt a jarring impact travel up his arm, but also a thrill – that hit harder than he'd expected.
Before he could follow up, the beetle scuttled forward, ramming its head into his shin. Pain, sharp and real through the haptics, flared up his leg. [-8 HP] flashed in his vision. Eight hit points from a starter mob! Without armor, his defense was nonexistent. His higher level likely gave him a larger health pool than a standard Level 3, but it wouldn't last long if he traded blows like this.
He dodged sideways as the beetle lunged again, its mandibles snapping where his leg had been. He needed to end this fast. He planted his feet and threw another punch, aiming for the crack he'd made. CRACK! The sound was louder this time. The beetle convulsed, its legs twitching.
[System]: Iridescent Beetle defeated! +40 EXP!
As the creature dissolved into shimmering particles of light, a small object materialized where it had died – a shard of its carapace.
[System]: Loot Drop: Beetle Chitin x1
Before Kael could even register what it was, the purple light of Absolute Assimilation pulsed around the chitin shard. It dissolved instantly.
[System]: Beetle Chitin detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +15 EXP!
[System]: Total EXP Gain: 55 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +165 EXP!
His EXP bar jumped visibly. Level 3: 165 / 900 EXP.
He rubbed his bruised shin, grimacing. Killing it was possible, even fast with his Strength, but painful. And that loot… gone in a flash, converted into a decent chunk of bonus experience. It was exactly as the skill described: potent, but costly.
He looked around. Other players were now tentatively engaging beetles or oversized rats nearby, whacking them with staves and rusty daggers. One player cheered as a beetle dropped a chitin shard, eagerly picking it up. Kael felt a pang of… something. Not quite envy, but a stark awareness of his difference. They were playing the game as intended; he was on a bizarre, alternate track.
"Hey, you alright?" a female voice called out. Kael turned to see a player with bright pink pigtails and basic leather armor wave at him. "Saw that beetle ram you. Need a hand? And uh… where's your gear?"
Kael hesitated. Explain his unique, probably unbelievable skill? No chance. He activated the skill's utility.
[System]: Activating Veil of the Novice. Displayed Level set to: 2.
"Uh, no, I'm good," Kael mumbled, trying to sound casual. "Just… messing around with the settings. Lost my stuff somehow. Bug, maybe." He sidestepped away before she could ask more questions. He couldn't afford interaction, couldn't afford scrutiny.
He needed EXP. Lots of it. He scanned the Whispering Glade, identifying clusters of beetles and a few lumbering Giant Rats near the edge of the treeline. Kill quests were out, collection quests impossible. His only path was the grind.
He moved towards the rats, larger and presumably tougher than the beetles. His first punch landed solidly on a rat's snout. It squealed, biting back ferociously. [-12 HP]. Definitely hit harder. But his Strength was formidable. Three punches, focusing his power, and the rat dissolved.
[System]: Giant Rat defeated! +55 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Rat Tail x1
[System]: Rat Tail detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +10 EXP!
[System]: Loot Drop: Coarse Fur Scraps x2 [System]: Coarse Fur Scraps detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +8 EXP! (4 per scrap)
[System]: Total EXP Gain: 73 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +219 EXP!
Level 3: 384 / 900 EXP
He killed another rat, then another. Each fight was a risk, chipping away at his health. But the EXP flowed like a river. After the fourth rat:
[System]: Congratulations! You have reached Level 4! +15 Stat Points available. Health and Mana fully restored.
The familiar warmth of the level-up washed over him, instantly erasing the accumulated damage. This was the key. He could fight recklessly, pushing his limits, as long as he leveled up fast enough to heal. It was a dangerous, exhilarating loop.
He immediately opened his status screen. 15 new points. Strength was tempting, but getting chunked for 10-12 HP by starter mobs was unsustainable. He needed survivability. He allocated 5 points to Strength, bringing it up to 35, and dumped the remaining 10 into Vitality. His health pool visibly increased on the UI.
For the next hour, Kael became a whirlwind of bare-fisted destruction in the starting zone. Beetles, rats, the occasional Bloated Glowfly – anything that moved became EXP fodder. He ignored the other players who were now cautiously exploring deeper paths or gathering quest items near the Glade's entrance NPC. He saw them occasionally glance at the strange, under-dressed player relentlessly punching low-level mobs, his displayed level stubbornly stuck at '2'. He probably looked like a lunatic or a griefer testing system limits.
He hit Level 5, pumping more points into Strength and Vitality (8 Str, 7 Vit). He hit Level 6 (8 Str, 7 Vit again). Each level-up was a full heal, a surge of power, a confirmation that this crazy skill worked. The constant transmutation of useless monster parts – fangs, scraps of fur, cracked shells, gooey cores – added a significant, steady stream on top of the tripled kill EXP.
By the time he reached Level 7 (now allocating 9 Str, 6 Vit), he felt significantly tougher. His punches hit like hammers, often staggering or killing mobs in one or two hits, and their return attacks, while still unblocked, took smaller chunks out of his larger health pool. He'd cleared most of the initial spawn area and was pushing towards a denser patch of woods where shadows stretched long.
There, he saw them – Young Forest Wolves. Leaner, faster, and meaner-looking than the rats. A pair of them sniffed the air, yellow eyes fixing on him. According to the chatter he'd overheard, these were typically Level 4-5 challenges, often handled by duos or players who'd acquired slightly better gear from introductory quests.
Kael felt a flicker of apprehension, but the hunger for EXP drowned it out. This was the next step. He checked his EXP bar – about halfway to Level 8. He needed the push.
He charged the nearest wolf, leading with a straight right. The wolf dodged with surprising agility, snapping at his flank. [-18 HP]. Ouch. Faster and stronger. He spun, landing a glancing blow on its ribs. It yelped but didn't falter, circling him while its packmate began to flank him.
Fighting two at once without armor was suicide. He focused on the one he'd hit, ignoring the second one closing in. He poured his strength into another punch, connecting squarely with the wolf's jaw. CRUNCH.
[System]: Young Forest Wolf defeated! +80 EXP!
[System]: Loot Drop: Wolf Fang x1
[System]: Wolf Fang detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +25 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Tough Hide x1 [System]: Tough Hide detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +20 EXP! [System]: Total EXP Gain: 125 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +375 EXP!
His EXP bar surged forward. Just as the second wolf leaped, claws extended, aiming for his throat—
[System]: Congratulations! You have reached Level 8! +15 Stat Points available. Health and Mana fully restored.
The healing wave washed over him, negating the panic. The second wolf's claws raked across his chest – [-22 HP] – but his health bar was full again. With a roar fueled by adrenaline and the sheer absurdity of his situation, Kael met the second wolf's attack head-on, grabbing its forelegs and using his immense Strength to slam it bodily into a tree trunk. It landed with a sickening thud, stunned. A final, brutal punch finished it.
[System]: Young Forest Wolf defeated! +80 EXP!
[System]: Loot Drop: Wolf Pelt x1
[System]: Wolf Pelt detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +30 EXP! [System]: Total EXP Gain: 110 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +330 EXP!
Kael stood breathing heavily, virtual sweat beading on his brow. He was still just wearing underwear, standing amidst the fading light particles of defeated monsters. His knuckles throbbed faintly. His actual level was 8, maybe 9 by now with that last kill pushing him close again. Most players were probably just hitting Level 4 or 5, cautiously doing quests.
He looked at his flashing notification: 15 Stat Points available. He felt the pull, the addiction. More Strength. More Vitality. Faster kills, faster leveling. The lack of gear, the inability to interact with the economy, the forced solitude – it all faded slightly against the raw, tangible gain of power.
This was Genesis now. His genesis. Bare fists, raw stats, and an insatiable hunger for EXP. He allocated the points – 10 Strength, 5 Vitality – and pushed deeper into the woods, seeking his next fix.