That night, Hulk couldn't sleep. His blood was steady, but his mind wouldn't settle.
Fighting orcs in the tribe was one thing—but hunting out in the Blood Forest? That was true battle. Fists break bones, but in the forest, one wrong step and your guts get eaten. Even warriors like his father, Chieftain Grond Bloodfang, carried scars from that place.
For someone like Hulk, this was the start of true strength—or death.
He spent the whole night preparing traps, weaving vines together, sharpening stakes, setting snares. But while his hands worked, his eyes kept flicking to the panel, hoping for a new quest.
Nothing.
Five traps later—still nothing.
Seemed like the panel didn't hand out rewards just for busy work. Hulk figured quests came when real fighting was about to happen.
Opening the panel, Hulk checked his stats:
[Name: Hulk][Race: Orc][Level: Standard][Age: 12 years][Height: 7 feet][Weight: 500 pounds][Strength: 14 (orc average: 10)][Agility: 5 (orc average: 5)][Intelligence: 8 (orc average: 3)]Title: ChampionSkills: Intermediate Hand Combat (Muay Thai, Wrestling), Basic Brawler MasterySpecial: Path of Evolution
Path of Evolution. It meant one thing: if he survived long enough, fought hard enough, he'd grow into something greater.
His height was normal for now, but his body was hard muscle from fist to foot. And while others swung clubs or carried cleavers, Hulk's weapons were fists, elbows, knees, flesh, and bones.
Not bad for a runt born with two fists and no blade.
While cleaning blood off his knuckles, ding—a message appeared.
[Newbie Quest Triggered: Hit 10 enemies from a distance to unlock Basic Throwing Mastery]
"Easy," Hulk grunted.
He picked up a rock, aimed at an ant crawling across the dirt, and smashed it flat.
Progress bar? Still at 0/10.
Figures. The system doesn't hand out strength for crushing bugs. This was for real fights. Real prey.
The next morning, Hulk rose before dawn. No fancy armor. Just scars, fists, and hunger. Around his waist, beast's hide was tied with a rough rope.
The Bloodfang Tribe ruled a small part of the Blood Forest—roughly a hundred kilometers around their camp. Hulk didn't dare go too far yet, keeping close. Ten kilometers in, already, the forest stank of sweat, rot, and death.
This was the proving ground.
He stalked forward, weight balanced, just like his old coach on Earth taught—light on the feet, never flat, always ready to twist, dodge, or drive an elbow home.
Soon, he spotted his first prey: a lone elk grazing by a dead tree.
But elk weren't stupid. Hulk's heavy footstep made the beast's ears flick, and with one twitch of muscle, it bolted like lightning.
"Fast," Hulk muttered, narrowing his eyes.
[Beast: Elk][Level: Standard][Weight: 470 pounds][Strength: 4][Agility: 12][Stamina: 5]Traits: Quick-footed, sharp senses, fragile in close combat.
No way Hulk could outrun it.
Didn't mean he couldn't outfight it.
Next time, he moved slower, low to the ground, creeping in like a crouching panther. Thirty meters out, the elk twitched again, sensing him.
It leapt.
Hulk's arm shot back, hips twisting, knees driving power upward like a boxer throwing a perfect cross—but instead of a fist, he flung a sharpened bone spear.
Thunk!
Right through the neck. Dropped dead before it hit the ground.
1/10.
Not bad.
With a sharp bone in hand, Hulk ripped into the elk's hide. Fresh, warm meat—still steaming in the morning chill. No cooking. Raw, just the way a beast should eat.
He ripped out strips of flesh with his teeth, swallowing heavy mouthfuls until his gut was full.
Twenty pounds of raw meat later—another ding.
+1 Strength.
[Newbie Quest Triggered: Drink 10 gallons of fresh beast blood. Reward: +1 Strength]
"Blood, huh?"
He stared at the elk's torn throat, hot red blood spilling out. Didn't even hesitate.
He drank.
The warm metallic taste coated his tongue, dribbling down his chin. Orc blood or beast blood—it was all fuel for strength. His ancestors drank blood before battle. Made sense.
By the time he was done, his whole lower face was dripping red. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his hands, muscle and sinew tight beneath green skin.
He grinned. This was the start.
He wasn't some spear-thrower, wasn't some weakling hiding behind steel. He has fists. Elbows. Knees. Teeth. Bone and blood, hand-to-hand.
This forest didn't know it yet.
But soon, it would know The Hulk.
ht, Hulk barely slept. His blood was steady, but his mind… unsettled.
Hunting wasn't the same as sparring. Training with Borzak or testing himself against tribe warriors was just muscle and bruises. This… this was survival. Blood. Bone. Kill or be killed.
Even his father, Chieftain Grond Bloodfang himself, bore scars earned in these wilds.
For a novice like Hulk, a single mistake could see his guts scattered across the ground.
So, instead of sleeping, he spent the night preparing. Sharpening the stone tip of his hunting weapon.
As he worked, he couldn't help but glance at that strange glowing panel hovering faintly before his eyes.
Would it offer him another quest? A task to help him grow faster?
But even after laying five traps, no new task appeared. It seemed the quests only came for deeds worthy of orcs, not for weak tricks or careful waiting.
Hulk finally opened the panel and checked his attributes:
[Name: Hulk]
[Race: Orc]
[Level: Standard]
[Age: 12 orc years]
[Height: 6'8"]
[Weight: 480 pounds]
[Strength: 14 (average orc strength: 10)]
[Agility: 5 (average orc agility: 5)]
[Intelligence: 8 (average orc intelligence: 3)]
[Title: Survivor]
[Skills: Intermediate Cleaver Mastery | Basic Spear Throwing Mastery]
[Special: Path of Evolution]
[Path of Evolution]: As a survivor in this world, your strength will grow naturally with age and battle. But ambition unlocks faster growth through trials and quests.
Hulk's build hadn't changed much yet, but his strength was already beyond most Orcs his age.
He cracked his knuckles. Still not enough. For an orc, power was everything—and he wasn't here to be average.
While he was cleaning the spear with a strip of hide, the panel suddenly flickered—and a fresh line of quest appeared.
[New Quest Triggered: Strike a living enemy 10 times with thrown spears to upgrade to Intermediate Spear Throwing Mastery.]
Good. Hulk grinned. Easy enough.
He glanced at a crawling insect nearby. Raising the spear, he flicked it at the tiny thing with precision, pinning it to the dirt.
But when he looked back at the panel, 0/10.
"Tch. Doesn't count. Gotta be real blood."
Clearly, these quests didn't reward tricks. They wanted real danger, real prey.
After a restless night, Hulk set out at dawn.
The Bloodfang Tribe held a patch of land east of the Blood Fang Mountains, spanning about a hundred kilometers. But Hulk wasn't going to test his luck deep in the wilds—not yet. Ten kilometers from camp was far enough for now.
This was his first true solo hunt. He felt that familiar tension—half fear, half thrill. This was how an orc grew into a warrior.
And if he brought home a fresh kill, his parents would surely approve. Even Gorrka might grunt a respect.
Soon enough, he spotted a movement—a lone elk grazing by a frost-covered stream.
Elks are weak, but fast.
Hulk shifted his stance, creeping forward—but his large size gave him away. The elk's long ears twitched. It bolted before he was even close.
Hulk scowled and studied it.
[Beast: Elk]
[Level: Standard]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 12]
[Stamina: 5]
Traits: Gentle, high vigilance, strong legs. Speed is its greatest strength.
With that much agility, chasing it down was pointless.
But the Blood Fang wilds weren't empty for long. Soon, another elk wandered nearby.
This time, Hulk crouched low, controlling his breathing. Thirty paces. Closer… closer—
The elk twitched, muscles tensing to flee.
"Now."
Hulk hurled his spear with savage force. It tore through the chill air like a thrown bolt—and struck home, punching through the elk's throat.
The beast tumbled, dead before it hit the ground.
[Quest Progress: 1/10]
Hulk marched forward, retrieving his spear, and carved free a thick slab of meat. Raw. Bloody. Real.
In his past life, Chris wouldn't have dreamed of eating this way. Now? An orc's belly knew no complaints.
The first few bites were tough. Metallic, warm, unfamiliar.
But after a few mouthfuls, his jaw worked like a predator's, tearing flesh, swallowing hunks of muscle, sinew, and fat.
By the time he tore through 20 pounds of meat, another chime rang in his skull:
[Quest Complete: Strength +1]
Then another appeared right after:
[New Quest: Drink 10 gallons of fresh beast blood | Reward: Strength +1]
Hulk wiped his mouth, considering. Blood. Figures. Orc blood runs stronger with it.
No hesitation. He gripped the elk's throat and drank.
Warm copper filled his mouth, coating his lips, his tusks, staining his chin red.
By the time he was done, he looked like a proper monster—like the kind of human cubs whispered about in stories.
But Hulk didn't care about appearances. What mattered was the strength pulsing through his limbs.
Tomorrow, he would hunt again.
And soon, the monster beasts would know his name.