Adyr continued progressing through the narrow corridor, guided by the dim glow of the crystals embedded in the walls, while carefully following the trail of footprints.
The deeper he went, the more numerous the prints became—and among them, a few were fresh, clear signs that he would soon encounter a skeleton.
And soon enough, he did.
At the end of the corridor, he spotted a faint shadow cast against the wall. Something was waiting just around the corner to the left.
Adyr didn't know what sense a skeleton has and how powerful one can be, so he decided to be cautious.
He slowed his steps, softening his movements as much as possible to suppress any sound, creeping forward with silent precision.
When he finally reached the end of the corridor, he saw it— the prey he had been tracking all this time, now in plain sight for the first time.
Compared to Adyr's height of 1.70 meters, it appeared significantly shorter, no more than 1.40 meters tall.
Its skeletal structure differed slightly from that of a normal human: the skull was unusually round, the neck bone was short, causing the head to lean forward, and both the arms and legs were proportionally longer than usual.
In its right hand, it held a broken, half-length spear.
Despite the bones appearing faded and moldy in color, their structure looked surprisingly solid and durable.
I might need a weapon, Adyr thought.
If it were a proper living enemy, he could find a weakness, strike from behind, or choke them into unconsciousness. But this opponent was nothing but bones—and the only way to defeat it was to shatter them.
Unfortunately, the only equipment he had was his pajamas—no shoes on his feet, and not a weapon in sight, not even a large stone he could use as a blunt instrument.
No... there's a weapon I can use, Adyr thought with a faint smile, already plotting his first kill in this game world.
Moving as silently as he could, he crept closer to the skeleton. Like a spider stalking its prey, he closed the distance inch by inch.
When he finally reached striking range—and confirmed the skeleton still hadn't noticed him—he lunged forward, grabbing it from behind by the ribs and yanking backward with all his strength.
Caught off guard, the skeleton couldn't resist the sudden force. It stumbled, lost its balance, and crashed onto its back with a hollow clatter.
Without hesitation, Adyr pressed his foot down hard onto the skeleton's ribcage, pinning it in place. As he did, he quickly snatched up the broken spear that had fallen from its hand.
The spear's tip was old, rusted, and worn, much like the skeleton itself. But beneath the decay, the metallic core still held firm, solid enough to break bone if used properly.
Without wasting a moment, Adyr raised the spear and drove the sharpened tip straight down toward the struggling skeleton's skull.
The weapon struck, but fell short of his expectations. His raw strength wasn't enough, and the spear only left a visible crack across the bone.
Still, the force of the blow stunned the skeleton, leaving it dazed and motionless for half a second, long enough for a second strike.
Crack!
This time, the spear smashed through. The satisfying sound of splitting bone echoed through the air, quickly followed by a series of system messages:
[Talent Recognition: "Tracking(Lv1)" confirmed.]
- Talent has been identified based on following and interpreting environmental traces.
[Talent Recognition: "Stealth(Lv1)" confirmed.]
- Talent has been identified based on silent movement and successful ambush.
[Talent Recognition: "Tactics(Lv1)" confirmed.]
- Talent has been identified based on strategic engagement and enemy control.
- Proceed with registration to the Status Panel?
- Cost: 1 Energy per talent
- Reward: 1 Free Stat Point per talent
Adyr first made sure the skeleton was truly dead—broken beyond recovery—before turning his attention to the new system messages.
"No loot or experience points?" He muttered, disappointment clear in his voice.
He chose not to register [Tactics], knowing he was limited to only five talents. Since he understood how talent progression worked, he preferred to register only the ones he could advance the easiest later on.
So he spent 2 [Energy] to register [Stealth] and [Tracking], feeling the same sensation of siphoning some unknown energy within him. At the same time, he earned 2 additional free stat points.
After a bit more thought, he decided to spend 1 free stat point to increase his [Physique].
Just moments ago, he had failed to crack the skeleton's skull with a single blow, clearly due to a lack of strength. Besides, it wasn't hard to guess what [Physique] represented, so he decided to upgrade it and personally experience the effects.
The moment he increased the stat, a sudden warmth surged through his body.
His muscles, tendons, and even his internal organs twitched and spasmed in response.
It wasn't painful—just unsettling. But the discomfort faded quickly, replaced by something else.
A rush of strength. It felt almost unreal.
He could sense every fiber of his body tightening, solidifying, filling with a new, unfamiliar power.
Feels good... too good, he muttered under his breath, savoring the strange, addictive rush.
[Physique]: 2 → 3
[Will]: 3
[Resilience]: 3
[Sense]: 2
[Energy]: 7 / 10 → 7 / 11
[Registered Talents]: 3/5
[Sparks]: Complete your first evolution to unlock.
[Sanctuary]: Complete your first evolution to unlock.
[Free Stat Points]: 2
Adyr summoned his status panel to review the changes and immediately noticed something. When his [Physique] increased by 1, his maximum [Energy] had risen by exactly the same amount.
He had suspected it before, but now he was nearly certain: [Energy] wasn't a separate stat of its own—it was the sum of all his other attributes combined.
He glanced back at the motionless skeleton, slowly reaching out to touch its rough, worn bones.
There was no blood to spill, no flesh to tear, no eyes to dim—just a pile of bones. It was almost hard to believe this thing had been moving around just moments ago.
Yet, a strange clarity lingered in Adyr's dark brown eyes.
He had to admit— he kind of enjoyed it.
But still... no loot. He sighed, staring at his only prize: a broken spear.
Not satisfied with just that, he decided to search the remains more thoroughly. And sure enough, tucked deep inside the skull, he found something: a small purple crystal, faintly glowing, embedded directly into the bone.
It was almost fused into the skull. Using the sharp tip of the broken spear, Adyr carefully pried it free.
The crystal was tiny—even smaller than the tip of his little finger—and didn't look particularly valuable.
Yet something about it was... strange.
As he stared at it, a strange hunger stirred within him. For a fleeting moment, the crystal looked almost delicious—irresistible in a way he couldn't explain.
Finding the sensation both bizarre and intriguing, he hesitated for only a second before raising the crystal to his mouth, curious to taste it.
It had no flavor. But the instant his tongue touched it, the hunger intensified. His stomach even let out a faint growl.
"Okay... what's the worst that could happen? It's just a game, right?" Adyr reasoned, shrugging to himself.
Without wasting another thought, he tossed the crystal into his mouth.
He tried to chew it first, but it was far too hard, and before he could resist, an instinctive swallowing reflex kicked in, sending the crystal sliding down into his stomach.
For a moment, he simply waited, curious about what might happen.
Then it hit.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy flooding into his body. The sensation was strangely familiar—except this time, it was the opposite of what he had experienced when registering talents.
Back then, energy had been pulled out of him; now, it was pouring in, filling him instead of draining away.
Before he could fully process the sensation, a familiar green system message appeared before him:
[You have consumed an Energy Crystal (Lv.1). Your Energy has increased by 0.1.]
[Energy]: 7 / 11 → 7.1 / 11
Just like that, Adyr had discovered a way to replenish his [Energy].