The pale gold orb felt cold as it sank into Cassian's chest. It settled into the secondary tab of his vision, a silent weight added to his growing library of Modifiers.
[Modifier Extracted: [Sharpness] (Rank: F)]
He looked at the training sword. The wood was already smooth from the [Regenerating] pulse, and he willed the new power into the remaining slot.
'Apply: [Sharpness]'
[Slots: 2/2]
[Modifiers: Regenerating (F), Sharpness (F)]
A secondary window expanded as the hilt vibrated in his palm.
[Modifier: Sharpness (Rank: F)]
Description: Hardens the molecular edge of the object, allowing the material to slice through weak tissue with ease.
Cassian gripped the hilt. The sword looked the same, just a blunt piece of practice equipment, but the air seemed to hiss as he moved it through a trial swing. After bandaging his arm as best as he could with a strip of his shirt, he looked down at the carcass of the rat he had killed. The stench was thick, a cloying mix of copper and wet fur that made his stomach churn. He nudged the creature's flank with the tip of his wooden sword.
With barely any pressure, the wooden tip sank into the leathery hide like a scalpel into soft clay. It was still wood, yet it cut with the ease of tempered steel. As he pulled the blade back, a translucent window flickered over the corpse.
[Loot detected. Would you like to harvest [Scavenger Rat]?]
'Harvest.'
The corpse dissolved into a flurry of grey particles. They zipped toward him and vanished into his inventory.
[Acquired: Scavenger Hide (Poor Quality) x1]
A low growl vibrated through the rigid grass behind him. Cassian spun, his boots skidding on the dirt. Another scavenger stood there. It was larger than the last, its snout dripping with fresh, dark red blood. The beast lunged as a soot-coloured blur of teeth.
Cassian stepped into the strike. He met the rat head-on, swinging the wooden sword in a tight, vertical arc. The wood sliced through the scavenger's face. The creature let out a truncated shriek, falling to the ground as the blade sheared through bone and muscle. It thrashed, its life-force leaking onto the trail in a frantic spray.
Cassian stepped forward and brought the sword down again. This time he was more precise. The sharpened grain of the wood decapitated the beast in one clean stroke.
[Level 1 Scavenger Rat Killed, +5 EXP]
[Experience: 10/10]
[Level up! All attributes increased by 1.]
[5 Stat Points awarded.]
A surge of warmth spread through his limbs. The constant, heavy fatigue in his muscles lifted, and his vision seemed to sharpen.
[Status Panel]
Name: Cassian Nil
Talents: Modifier [S]
Level: 1 (0/20)
Class: None
Titles: None
Health: 64/70 Stamina: 61/70
[Attributes]
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Vitality: 7
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 7
Available Points: 5
Cassian looked at the deep, jagged puncture marks on his forearm. He was still bleeding, the red staining the makeshift bandage of his shirt.
'I'll raise my Vitality and Agility. I don't want to die, and I can't afford to be slow if I'm caught by surprise again.'
[Vitality: 7 -> 10]
[Agility: 8 -> 10]
The warmth turned into a searing heat. He gasped, dropping to one knee as his heart hammered against his ribs. He watched his forearm as the skin beneath the blood-soaked cloth began to itch with an unbearable intensity. The deep teeth marks knit together, the flesh pulling tight and sealing itself. The throbbing agony faded. When he pulled back the cloth, only a fresh, pink scar remained.
Health: 100/100
He stood up and tested the new tension in his muscles. He felt lighter and more reactive. He was no longer a victim of the environment. After harvesting the rat, he turned back toward the village. The "Origin Village" felt like a fortress now, and he needed answers from the people living there.
The walk back was quieter. The initial screaming in the plaza had died down, replaced by a hollow, collective sobbing. Cassian passed through the gates and ignored the groups of people huddled in the dirt. He made his way toward a row of wooden stalls near the inner well. A middle-aged man with a thick, salt-and-pepper beard was busy rearranging crates of shrivelled purple fruit. He looked like a man worried about his margins.
"You look like you've been through the meat grinder, lad," the merchant said, not looking up. "New to the district? You travellers always arrive with that same dazed look, though usually with fewer bite marks."
"I'm looking for information about this place," Cassian said, his voice rasping.
The merchant finally looked up, wiping his hands on a greasy apron. "Synthetos is Synthetos. This village is just a developing patch for the Kingdom. We grow the grain, we pay the tributes to the main city, and we try not to get eaten by the strays. You're just another batch of travellers the Crown is 'recruiting' to fill the ranks, I reckon."
"Recruiting?" Cassian pressed.
"Aye. Though the Captain at the training yard would know more about that than a simple fruit-seller," the man jerked his thumb toward the spear-wielding instructor. "Just a word of advice, foreigner: don't get too comfortable. The Evaluation starts in three days. The main city doesn't like paying for dead weight."
'An evaluation?' Cassian's brain started spinning at full power trying to understand what that could mean, but he soon stopped. 'I should just go ask the Captain as the merchant told me instead of wasting time thinking what it could mean.'
"Thanks, I'll go now."
Cassian turned, but before he started walking, a girl reaching his shoulders grabbed onto his arm.
"Hey wait dude, what is this game? What's happening?" She was scared, and after seeing Cassian so calm, she had decided to ask him.
"This is no game. We're just stranded here with no way to go back apparently. Try surviving on your own, I'm as busy as I can get right now." After saying that, he freed himself from her grip and continued walking toward the training camp. His only objective was the Captain.
The girl was left stunned. This was the first time someone had straight up left after she was the first to strike a conversation. Her ego dropped instantly and she felt a fresh wave of fear toward this new world.
Cassian soon reached the same man leaning on a spear and asked, "Where can I meet the Captain?"
"That's me kid, what do you want?"
"What's the Evaluation? Do you know why are we here? Can we go back?"
"Slow down with your questions kid. Somebody told you about the Evaluation, I see... There's nothing much to it though. Synthetos is just going to evaluate if your world is worth being kept in the records or better off deleted, so do your best. You're here because your world reached the quota to being registered in the Origin Records. Think of it as a library full of books where each book is about something. Even you have a book about yourself in that library now. I don't know if you can go back, kid. I'm not a traveller; I was born in this world. Any other questions? I don't have much better to do anyway."
Cassian absorbed as much as he could from what the Captain said. "I see. How do I get stronger? Even a rat in this world threatened my life."
"HA... HA.. HAHAHAHAHA! You're really a weird kid." After laughing his guts out, he continued. "My name is Alex. If you really want to get stronger, there are three main ways in this world. Increase your level. Once you increase it enough, you will be able to pick a class that will give you a path to real strength. The class I picked during my youth was Warrior. I've long since branched into the Spearman path. The warrior class is your best bet if you don't have any talent other than your body."
"What are the other two ways?" Cassian interjected, stopping the Captain from rambling.
"The other two ways? They're not for everybody. You either have to be rich or hella lucky. The most feasible one is Equipment. That sword of yours looks special compared to when I gave it to you. I'm pretty sure you're a lucky one, but don't worry, I won't take it back. The other method is Origins. There are some items in this world that will allow you to change everything about yourself, for the better or for the worse, so be careful. I've only seen a few Origins in my life and one of them was sold for over 10 million gold coins, and it was just a C-tier one. Don't focus too much on it. Try looking to get some money and buy better gear for yourself, then try reaching level 10 before the Evaluation. Housing is free here at the training camp for travellers like you."
"I see. Thanks Captain Alex. My name is Cassian. Do you have anything you want me to do so I can get some armour at least?"
"You are really sly for a kid. How old are you?"
"Twenty one, sir."
"Good, at your prime. Well, I'll give you some leather bracers so you don't get bit as hard anymore," the Captain pondered while looking at his forearm, "but I want you to break two dummies in a row for it. I want to see if it was all luck earlier."
[Quest Received: Luck or Skill?]
[Objective: Break Straw Dummies in a row 0/2]
[Reward: Squire's Leather Bracers]
Cassian turned toward the Straw Dummy without saying anything. He inhaled and swung with all his might in a horizontal slash, cutting the dummy in two.
[Modifier Detected: [Regenerating] (Rank: F)]
Source: Imbued Training Dummy. Would you like to extract?
'Extract.'
"Nice one, do it again now." The Captain was watching intently.
Without taking a break, Cassian walked to another dummy. He prepared himself and this time went for a diagonal slash, from bottom left to top right. It was more precise than before. The top part of the dummy slid off and left the Captain stupefied.
[Modifier Detected: [Regenerating] (Rank: F)]
Source: Imbued Training Dummy. Would you like to extract?
'Extract.'
"You're better than I thought. You should really pick Warrior as your class. You'll be able to blaze through levels very fast with it and I think you'll even be able to become a knight for the kingdom if you keep it up."
"Thanks, I'll take your advice to heart," Cassian replied before receiving the bracers that he promptly equipped.
"If you go out of town again, be careful of the goblin area. There's a dangerous Boss there for people without a class like you. Be careful, Cassian." The Captain smiled for the first time since they met and they waved each other off.
Cassian decided it was time to level up and get stronger, but before going out of town, he applied [Regenerating (F)] to both bracers.