On the fourth death by drowning since he had encountered the fish, something different happened.
He dove in, consciously allowed the water to fill his lungs, and waited for the darkness. And it came.
But when he resurrected…
…
[You drowned to death.]
[You will respawn in 3… 2… 1…]
Kyne opened his eyes, lying on the riverbank. The system message was short, direct, and incomplete.
No adaptation. No rank increase. Nothing.
He remained motionless for a moment, processing. Then he slowly sat up, a strange expression on his face.
"This…" he began, his voice laden with discovery.
"This was the first death that caused no adaptation."
He looked at the river, then at his own hands, as if expecting to see some physical change that the system had not registered. Nothing.
"It seems I've reached the limit of what this river could offer." He concluded, his mind working.
"My Water Affinity and Lung Capacity must have reached a plateau for common drowning deaths. Maybe I need something more extreme, greater depth, freezing water, or more powerful aquatic magic."
It made sense. The system rewarded adaptation to new threats or the intensification of existing threats.
Drowning in a common river, when he already had significant resistance, was no longer a new or sufficiently intensified threat to generate progress.
Kyne took a deep breath, feeling his lungs fill completely, a capacity that was now several times greater than when he had arrived in this world. Then he said, in a clear and intentional voice.
"Status."
The translucent screen appeared instantly before him, floating in the air as always. But now, the information was substantially different from the first times he had consulted it.
————————————————————
[Immortal Adaptation System — Status]
Name: Kyne Fritz
Age: 18
Talents: Immortal Adaptation (Unknown Rank)
Rank: F-
[Adaptations] (-)
{Spatial Pressure Resistance (A-), Fire Resistance (D-), Shadow Resistance (D-), Fire Affinity (E-), Water Affinity (E-), Expanded Lung Capacity (E-), Piercing Resistance (E-), Slash Resistance (F+), Impact Resistance (F), Fall Resistance (F), Poison Resistance (F), Mana Affinity (F-), Parasite Resistance (F-), Water Resistance (F-), Basic Immunity to Bacteria (Rank F-)}
[Skills]
{Fire Manipulation (E)}
————————————————————
Kyne studied the status for long minutes, his eyes moving from one entry to another, absorbing the progress he had made.
From an ordinary human on Earth, fragile and limited, to… this. Someone who could survive stabbings, falls, poisons, and common fire. Someone who was beginning to interact with magic. Someone who was slowly becoming less human.
And beneath it all, the most important question. Existential Rank F-. The most fragile and basic form of existence, according to the system.
Despite all his adaptations, all his resistances, he was still classified as F-.
How does one increase an existential rank? By dying to more powerful things? By collecting more adaptations? Or was it something different, something he had not yet discovered?
Kyne closed the system screen with a thought, his eyes still reflecting the ranks and adaptations that now composed his existence. The larger sun was beginning its descent on the horizon, tinting the sky orange and purple, and the river continued to flow, indifferent to his progress or his deaths.
It was in that moment of distraction that the sound appeared.
It was not a loud sound. It was not a roar, nor a scream. It was a whisper of leaves being pushed aside with excessive care, an almost imperceptible rustling.
He turned, but it was too late.
The first spear came from the left, from among the dense shadows of the forest. It was made entirely of wood, a thick and irregular shaft that ended in a sharp tip hardened by fire. It was not a refined weapon, but it was efficient.
The spear struck his left leg with enough force to completely pierce the thigh muscle and exit on the other side, embedding itself in the ground and effectively pinning him in place.
Kyne fell to his knees with a dull thud, the sharp and familiar pain piercing his consciousness. But before he could react, before he could even fully process what had happened, the other two spears arrived.
The second pierced his abdomen, entering just below the ribs and exiting through his back. The third struck his right leg, mirroring the first.
In less than three seconds, Kyne was immobilized, three wooden spears pinning him to the ground like an insect in a collection.
"Ah!" The cry escaped involuntarily, more from surprise than pain.
He then realized where the movement was coming from. From the shadows of the forest, three figures emerged.
They were humanoid, but short, no more than one meter and twenty centimeters tall. Their skin was a mossy, uneven green, as if they had been born from the forest itself. Pointed ears protruded from disproportionately large heads. Narrow yellow eyes gleamed with a primitive intelligence.
But what drew the most attention were their expressions. Hunger. Drool dripped from mouths full of irregular, yellowed teeth, while toothless grins spread across faces that knew neither kindness nor compassion.
The three emitted a sound, not words, but a series of guttural grunts and clicks that seemed to form a rudimentary language.
One of them pointed at Kyne with a dirty finger and blackened nails, saying something that made the other two laugh, a hoarse, wheezing sound that was more frightening than amusing.
Kyne, still pinned by the spears, could not contain a smile of recognition.
"Aah, so they're goblins!" He exclaimed, his voice mixing pain and fascination.
The goblins stopped for a moment, confused by his reaction. They expected screams, cries, and pleas. Not recognition followed by a smile.
Kyne tried to move, but the spears held him firmly. Any movement made the wooden shafts tear further into his flesh, sending waves of pain that, even for him, were intense.
His blood flowed freely, forming small red pools on the blue grass.
The goblins approached, now with less caution. They saw that the prey was neutralized. Two of them grabbed his arms, their hands surprisingly strong for their size, with fingers that seemed capable of crushing bones.