Elias Vale woke to soreness.
Every muscle ached. His ribs still burned from the hunter spider's strike, but at least the bleeding had slowed. He sat up beneath the hollow of roots, his webbing sagging across the entrance like a half-melted door. The crystal shard in his hand pulsed faintly, steady and warm.
The System's cold voice followed.
System Alert[Path Selection – 20:18:44 Remaining]
Options:
Threadbearer's Path – webs, traps, agility.
Predator's Path – strength, venom, ambush.
The numbers ticked down, second by second. No pause. No reprieve.
Elias grimaced. "So the clock never stops."
The thought was sobering. He had less than a day to decide the kind of fighter he would become. A wrong choice might mean death later.
He clenched his shard tighter. Then I can't waste time.
Examining the LootElias pulled the remains of last night's fight into his lap.
Skitterwolf Hide: tough, flexible.
Thorned Brow Spikes: sharp enough to pierce stone bark.
Skitterwolf Fangs: curved, clean, carving quality.
The System chimed when he focused.
[Basic Crafting Unlocked]
Threadbearer Bonus: Silk durability increased in composite items.
Elias pulled hide strips across his lap, weaving silk stitches into seams. Hours passed, fingers bleeding but steady, until a crude chest wrap and bracers took shape. Light, ugly—but better than bare skin. He knotted spikes into a trio of throwing darts and slung them in a silk loop at his waist. The fangs he tied to his reinforced shard, teeth gleaming from its jagged edge.
He studied the mess he'd made and smiled faintly. "Not pretty… but I'll take it."
Training ThreadsHis first goal was control.
Elias stood before a tree, pressed his hand against the bark, and released. Sticky energy spread, anchoring him fast. He climbed slowly, legs trembling, ribs aching. His grip slipped once, but the adhesion pulled him back.
Halfway up, his arms burned, sweat dripping down his face.
He forced himself higher.
"Don't… let go," he muttered.
He reached the branch and hauled himself onto it, gasping. His whole body shook, but pride flickered in his chest.
He snapped his wrist. A thread shot wide. Another—too short. A third—perfect. It latched onto the next tree. Elias tugged, momentum pulling him forward.
He swung. Unsteady. Awkward. But he landed in a crouch.
A laugh broke from his throat. "Yes… I can work with this."
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Wall Adhesion Lv. 2]
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Basic Thread Projection Lv. 3 → Lv. 4]
Threads stronger. Range extended.
He practiced for hours, firing lines, swinging between trees, and weaving crude nets. Most collapsed immediately, his silk breaking under strain. But little by little, he improved.
His ribs screamed, his body trembled, but the System's cold chimes marked progress.
Thread Sense TrainingAs he rested, Elias focused inward. The vibrations pulsed faintly in his awareness—the scrape of beetles under bark, the soft patter of chitin rabbits in the brush.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to listen.
At first it was noise. Then patterns emerged—light, fast vibrations for smaller prey; heavy, sharp tremors for predators.
A faint twitch to his left. He fired a thread blind. When he opened his eyes, a fat insect was struggling in his silk, wings buzzing angrily.
Elias grinned. "Got you."
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Thread Sense Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
Range increased to 20m. Accuracy improved.
The GrindThe next hours blurred into a rhythm.
Hunt. Kill. Learn.
He snared three more chitin rabbits, one after another. Each squeal twisted his stomach, but each kill kept him alive.
He tested venom on his shard blade, coating the edge with a single drop. The next strike against a rabbit killed it instantly, the poison searing through flesh.
He reinforced the carapace shard with silk wrappings, giving it a crude handle. The weapon no longer slipped from his hand, though it still felt clumsy.
He wove crude nets between trees, testing their strength against struggling prey. At first they broke quickly—but as his skill grew, they held longer.
Every victory earned a System chime.
[Level Up! → Level 3]
+1 Strength, +2 Agility, +1 Vitality
[Skill Acquired: Web Weaving Lv. 1]
Can create simple nets or traps. Durability limited.
By the time the pale moons rose again, Elias's body sagged with exhaustion. But his heart beat steady. His hands no longer shook with panic, but with determination.
He was still weak. Still fragile. But less helpless than yesterday.
The TimerAs he sat by his fire gnawing stringy meat, the System chimed again.
[Path Selection – 18:04:12 Remaining]
The glowing numbers mocked him. He was stronger, but nowhere near ready. And time kept slipping away.
Elias clenched his shard, staring into the flames. "Threadbearer or Predator… which one will keep me alive?"
Thread Sense pulsed suddenly—far in the distance, a heavy vibration rippled. Too big to be a rabbit. Too steady to be a spider.
Something else.
Elias froze, staring into the darkness beyond the trees. His heart hammered.
The forest wasn't done testing him.
[Status Screen – Elias Vale]Level: 3
Race: Human (??? – Synchronization 38%)
Condition: Exhausted but Stable
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Vitality: 6
Intelligence: 7
Perception: 8
Skills:
Basic Thread Projection Lv. 4
Wall Adhesion Lv. 2
Thread Sense Lv. 3
Web Weaving Lv. 1
Titles:
[Survivor of the First Hunt]
Loot:
Venom Gland (Intact)
Reinforced Carapace Shard (Crude Weapon)
Hunter's Arachnid Core (Sealed)
Pending Choice: Path Selection [18 Hours Remaining]