The night in the New World was a symphony of fear. Lore lay rigid in his flimsy bark shelter, the Stone Axe/Spear pressed against his bare chest, his ears straining against the cacophony of the forest. Every distant howl and rustle was a confirmation of his vulnerability. Sleep was a luxury he couldn't afford, granted only in short, shallow bursts dictated by utter exhaustion. He endured the long hours of darkness, the terrifying sounds of the massive, unseen predators occasionally snapping and crashing through the distant underbrush, closer than he liked.
With the arrival of a weak, diffused light, a poor imitation of dawn, Lore pushed himself up. His body ached from the previous day's labor, his mind heavy with the weight of constant vigilance, but the mental drive was absolute. He carefully smothered the embers of his fire pit and scattered the ash, erasing any trace of his presence. He had to assume anything that smelled his smoke was a higher level than him.
'Survival Plan, Day Two: map the territory and gain critical experience,' Lore thought, the internal monologue cold and focused. 'The creek is a risk. I need elevation and a defensive position.'
He moved with a quiet urgency, choosing a path that led steadily uphill, navigating around gnarled roots and slick, wet stones. His makeshift bark clothing provided minimal comfort but did a decent job of breaking up his silhouette against the dense foliage. He focused his energy on observation, noting the massive trees, the direction of the wind, and any breaks in the crushing density of the growth.
The first half of the morning was spent in the relentless grind of low-level hunting. He caught a total of seven of the New World's rabbits and three squat, sluggish, flightless birds. He had to be ruthless and precise; his crude weapon demanded flawless execution. Each kill was performed with brutal efficiency, driven by the knowledge that only extreme success would provide freedom for his Original.
[Ding! Exp Gained: 10 (Small Game Hunt)]
[Ding! Exp Gained: 4 (Small Game Hunt)]
'Eighty EXP for an hour of agonizing, bloody, hand-to-hand combat with rodents,' Lore fumed internally, a wave of bitterness washing over him. 'He's probably spending those moments deciding which flavor of ramen to eat. I need a multiplier. This pace is suicidal.' His current experience bar was inching along, a pathetic crawl toward the 3,000 EXP required for the next level.
By mid-morning, he had gathered enough meat to sustain himself for two days and reached a small, exposed plateau. It wasn't high enough to see over the entire canopy, but it provided a solid, rocky foundation, making it difficult for creatures to sneak up from behind. He decided this would be his new temporary base. He spent the next two hours digging a concealed cache for his preserved meat and reinforcing his small lean-to. As he worked, he noticed a heavy, unsettling quiet settle over the area, a sudden, unnatural silence where only moments before there had been a constant buzz of insects and distant wildlife.
'The forest is holding its breath,' Lore realized, his heart immediately ratcheting up its pace. This was the universal sign of a massive predator.
He snatched up his Stone Axe/Spear and moved to the edge of the plateau, peering down into the denser woods below. He wasn't tracking; something was tracking him. The smell of his fresh blood from the morning hunts and the faint residual scent of the extinguished fire must have drawn it in.
He saw it emerge from the gloom: a creature of terrifying majesty. It was a massive ursine beast, easily the size of a small truck, covered in thick, dull black fur that absorbed the light. Its sheer bulk was intimidating, but what terrified Lore were the details: its razor-sharp teeth were bared in a silent, predatory snarl, and three thick, jutting horns of pure white bone crowned its massive forehead. Its eyes, small and utterly pitiless, were locked onto him. This was the Level 8 multiplier he was looking for, and it was about to multiply his death.
[System Alert: High-Threat Monster Detected]
[Monster Found: Horned Forest Ravager (Level 8)]
Lore felt a cold wave of existential dread. 'Level 8! That thing is mathematically designed to turn me into paste! I don't even have armor!'
His legs felt like stone, and his mind screamed the command to flee, but his hands tightened around the wooden shaft of his weapon. Flight was impossible; the beast was too close and too fast. This wasn't a choice; it was an execution.
'This is it,' he thought, bracing himself. 'This is the verifiable life-or-death scenario the system requires.'
[Ding!]
[Trait Activated: Brave]
[Stat Boost: Strength increased by 15%]
The surge was electric, a sudden, raw shot of energy that wiped away the fear and replaced it with a burning, desperate clarity. His muscles tensed, his grip solidified, and the world seemed to slow down by a fraction. The 15% was barely enough to bridge the gap between Level 1 and Level 8, but it was something.
The Horned Forest Ravager roared, a sound like grinding stone, and charged up the last few meters of the slope. Its powerful legs ate the distance, and its horns were lowered, aimed straight for Lore's chest.
Lore didn't panic. He moved with the borrowed, enhanced focus of the Brave trait. Instead of retreating, he took one frantic step to the side as the Ravager lunged. The horns scored the air inches from his skin. The monster's sheer mass carried it past him, creating a momentary opportunity.
With every ounce of his adrenaline-fueled, 15%-boosted strength, Lore swung the heavy Stone Axe/Spear, aiming for the Ravager's exposed hind leg, right at the Achilles-like tendon.
The impact was bone-jarring.
CRACK!
The crude stone axe head, stressed beyond its capacity, shattered into a dozen pieces, and the wooden shaft snapped instantly. But the attack landed. A massive, deep gash opened on the Ravager's leg, and the beast stumbled, roaring in pain and confusion.
'The weapon is gone! Retreat!' Lore thought, scrambling backward, dropping the useless remnants of his weapon.
But the Ravager, enraged and wounded, was faster. It whirled its colossal paw, catching Lore across the chest. The meager bark armor splintered instantly, offering no protection. Lore felt a searing, unbelievable pain as he was flung backward, slamming hard against the boulder. He collapsed, blood soaking the torn remnants of his improvised armor. Several ribs felt cracked, and his left arm refused to move. The fight was over. He had failed.
The Ravager lumbered toward him, its jaws open, ready to deliver the final, crushing bite.
Then, the final, desperate surge of the Brave trait took hold.
Lore grabbed the jagged wooden stub of his broken spear and, with a ferocious, animalistic scream, he plunged it upward with his working hand. His 15% strength boost focused into one final, desperate thrust. The wooden spike slipped past the Ravager's massive teeth and found the soft, unprotected tissue beneath its jaw.
The monster froze, letting out a horrific, gargling shriek as the wooden spike buried itself deep into its neck. It thrashed once, spraying gore, and then collapsed silently, crushing the vegetation around it.
Lore lay under the shadow of the massive, terrifying creature, unable to move, his entire body screaming in agony. He had won.
[Ding!]
[Monster Slain: Horned Forest Ravager (Level 8)]
[Exp Gained: 4500]
[Exp Transferred to Original: Lee Jun-Ho]
[Ding!]
[User Level Up: Clone Lore reached Level 2]
[Stat Update: New base stats acquired by Original User: Lee Jun-Ho]
[System Status: Clone Critical]
[System Alert: Emergency Retrieval Initiated]
Jun-Ho was still on his couch, having just brewed a cup of ramen, when his personal System screen exploded with notifications.
[Exp Gained: 4500]
[Ding! User Level Up: Lore reached Level 2]
Jun-Ho shot up, nearly sending his ramen flying. "Four thousand five hundred EXP! Holy cow! What did that maniac kill?!"
He checked Lore's status panel, grinning maniacally at his proxy's success. He felt a phantom surge of power, not immense, but a distinct tightening of his muscles and a subtle sharpening of his vision. He had leveled up!
Then his eyes locked onto the final, stark message at the bottom of the screen.
[System Status: Clone Critical]
[System Alert: Emergency Retrieval Initiated]
'Critical?!' Jun-Ho thought, the ramen forgotten. 'No, no, no! The EXP is safe, but if he dies now, the high-stress memory transfer might be corrupted! I need the detailed combat data of the last few minutes to know how he killed a Level 8 monster!'
He frantically looked at the blue screen. "System! Can I manually pull him back now?"
[Ding!]
[System Message: Affirmative. Clone: Lore is currently flagged for Emergency Retrieval. Begin Manual Teleportation?]
"Yes! Now! Do it!" Jun-Ho shouted, throwing his hands out.
A shimmering golden Magic Circle flared to life on his apartment floor, right where it had been before. A moment later, a sickening thud echoed through the room.
Lore appeared, still completely naked but now soaked in sweat, mud, and dark, viscous monster blood. He was twisted in an unnatural position, breathing shallowly, his left arm dangling uselessly, and his chest bruised black where the Ravager had swiped him. He looked utterly broken, but he was alive.
Jun-Ho stared in horror at the grotesque sight of his near-dead proxy.
Before Jun-Ho could even process the extent of the injuries, the System chimed again, this time with a booming, celebratory fanfare that filled the small apartment.
[DING! DING! DING!]
[Achievement Unlocked: Speedy Return]
[Criteria: Successfully retrieve a Traveler/Clone from The New World within 24 hours of initial deployment (21 hours, 42 minutes elapsed)]
[Reward: 50,000,000 Achievement Points]
[System Unlock: Achievement Points (AP) system unlocked]
Jun-Ho gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief, quickly cycling through elation, shock, and greedy excitement. "Whoa! I got an achievement! Fifty million points! Is that a lot? It has to be, right?" He bounced on the balls of his feet, feeling like he'd won the lottery.
[Ding!]
[System Unlock: System Shop unlocked]
Jun-Ho took one thrilled step toward the screen to check the shop, but then he forced himself to stop, his conscience, or perhaps just the sudden, graphic sight of Lore's mangled state, winning out. He turned his attention back to his clone, kneeling beside him.
Lore, struggling to breathe, used his good hand to slowly, painstakingly raise his middle finger at Jun-Ho. The motion was slow, painful, and entirely deliberate.
With a mocking, wheezing imitation of his Original's voice, Lore managed to force out the words: "The chances of spawning in a forest are 'zero.' Zero, my ass."
Jun-Ho immediately coughed, looking sheepish. "My bad. Seriously, my bad. Let's get you some clothes and a hospital."
'I need to start treating him better,' Jun-Ho thought, even as a greedy smile returned. 'He's worth more alive than dead. Fifty million points!'