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In the middle of the forest, all alone—technically not all alone.
Alex had just encountered an advanced-tier Savage Bear.
Crashing through the trees and snapping branches like twigs, its muscles rippled under its thick fur, and its red eyes stayed locked on Alex.
"Crap, crap, crap!" Alex tightened his grip on the sword. His hands trembled—he had never fought for his life before.
The bear roared, then charged.
Alex barely rolled aside in an attempt to evade the attack. The ground where the bear's claws struck was destroyed. Dirt rose into the air.
The Savage Bear lunged again. Alex swung his sword in desperation, metal scraping against the beast's thick hide. The sword felt like it bounced back—barely a scratch.
"Are you kidding me?!" Alex's arms ached from the impact.
The bear's paw slammed against his side, sending him sprawling. Pain filled his ribs as the world around him spun.
[HP – 87%]
"Damn it…" Alex groaned, forcing himself up. Blood dripped down his lip.
'Recommendation: Target weak points—eyes, joints, or throat. Direct strikes to hide are ineffective,' AI chimed in coldly.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Alex staggered to his feet.
The bear roared again and charged. Alex timed it, heart pounding, and dove sideways at the last second. This time, he swung upward toward its eye.
Slash!
The beast howled, stumbling back with blood pouring from its left eye.
[CRITICAL STRIKE]
"Yes! Got you!" Alex gasped, adrenaline surging.
But the victory was short-lived. The enraged bear thrashed wildly, forcing Alex back. His stamina burned; his limbs screamed in protest.
[STAMINA – 42%]
He tripped on a root, crashing to the ground. The bear loomed over him, jaws gaping wide.
"What the hell am I to do now?" Alex panicked.
[CONGRATULATIONS]
[INTENSE EMOTIONAL REACTION TRIGGERED AETHER FLOW]
[AETHERIAL RESONANCE ACTIVE – LVL 1]
[This grants an additional 5 stat points to each stat]
'What the hell is all this?!' Alex screamed in his head as the bear went in for a bite.
All he could make out from the messages was that he got an additional 5 stat points to all stats, which was not only a physical boost but a mental boost. He began to maneuver and evade the bear's attacks, leaving him with only a few scratches here and there.
"AI, what exactly just happened?" Alex asked in his head as he kept focus on the bear.
'You subconsciously accessed Aether, the world's core energy, to empower your body. A full explanation is recommended when you are no longer in immediate danger.'
Circling the Savage Bear, Alex slid under it and thrust into its thick skin, leaving a cut.
The beast roared aggressively. With the opening, Alex stood up quickly, jumped, and slashed down the neck of the bear. As he was about to land the hit, Alex felt an increase in strength.
[CRITICAL STRIKE]
As he landed, without wasting any more time, he delivered the finishing blow on the weak point he had created.
The beast gurgled, convulsed, and collapsed with a thunderous crash.
*Ding*
*Ding*
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[45 ETA GAINED]
[ADVANCED TIER CRYSTAL OBTAINED]
[20 EXP GAINED]
[CONGRATULATIONS]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL 1 – 5/5]
[+5 STAT POINTS]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL 2 – 10/10]
[+5 STAT POINTS]
[LEVEL 3 – 5/20]
Notifications kept flooding in as Alex lay on the ground, gasping. His hands shook violently, his sword slick with blood.
"…I actually… killed it."
Alex clenched his teeth, both relieved and terrified. "Yeah… this world is definitely gonna kill me."
'I would advise we get moving as quickly as possible, given how much commotion you caused during your battle with the Savage Beast.'
"We would, let me just rest a little," Alex said as he opened his notification tab on the system screen.
'At least I got more cash to spend, and a crystal… what am I supposed to do with this?' Alex thought.
'Well, there are a list of things which can be done with it.
First—you could give it to a blacksmith to craft weapons or armor.
Second—you could sell it for Eta or trade it for another crystal.
Last—you could check what you could buy with it on the system store.'
'So the system has a store? I didn't see that earlier, and I still can't find it,' Alex said.
'You have to reach Level 5 to unlock it.'
'And I'm currently at Level 3. Two more levels to go then. Ouuu, I got 10 stat points, and from what happened in this last fight, I know where to put them,' he said in his mind as he opened his stats menu.
[STATS]
Strength – 5 + 2
Speed – 6 + 1
Stamina – 6 + 2
Agility – 6 + 1
Durability – 7 + 4
'Wait, what happened to the +5 stats each?' Alex asked.
'Apparently you activated Aetherial Resonance without knowing. Because of the fear you experienced, it triggered you to subconsciously tap into the Aether Force.
This is usually a natural occurrence that happens to humans around the age of 12, from which they learn how to control and manipulate Aether. Now, Aether can be used in many ways, and what you did during the fight was using Aether to enhance your body. This action is what is known as Body Empowerment.'
'This is hella complicated, but if it's something that can make this any easier, I'm willing to learn it,' Alex said as he put his sword back in his inventory and stood up.
He opened his system and clicked on the map.
"From what I can tell from the map, there's a little village to the east. We should get moving—it's starting to get dark."
As he was about to move—
Swoosh.
A slick black blade pierced the ground right in front of the place he was about to step.
Out of shock, he quickly stepped back.
[SYSTEM EVALUATION]
[Weapon Type: Black Beetle Katana]
[Tier: Elite]
[Condition: 79%]
He quickly looked to where it came from, and he saw nothing. Then, a heavy breeze blew, and the next thing—a female silhouette quickly grabbed the blade and held it to his neck.
"Who are you, and who were you talking to?"
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