Simon didn't move for several minutes after the system dropped him into the clearing. It wasn't fear holding him still. It was awe—and calculation.
The clearing was surrounded by sloped hills and dense forest, and the sky above was too vibrant to be real. The grass beneath his boots was soft but springy, like it had been grown for balance. The air was clean, rich, just slightly cooler than expected. No buzz of traffic, no distant hum of electricity. Just wind. Birdsong. Leaves.
And the numbers still burned quietly at the edge of his thoughts.
He brought the status screen back up with a moment of mental focus. It returned with a soft flicker, floating neatly in his vision.
---
SIMON GRAYE
Level: 1
EXP Bank: 0 / 1,000
Combat Class Slots: 9 (Unused: 9)
Production Class Slots: 8 (Unused: 8)
Active Classes: None
Skills: None
---
No skills. No equipment beyond his clothes. No idea where he was.
But Simon wasn't panicking.
He wasn't a soldier. Wasn't a gamer. Wasn't some genius strategist. But he was good with systems. With patterns. With watching, testing, and drawing conclusions from what others overlooked.
So he started walking. Slowly. Purposefully.
He crouched at the edge of the clearing and ran his fingers through the dirt, feeling its grain, its moisture. There were faint prints—some kind of paw, maybe. He took mental note of how many claws, how deep the indent. Then his attention moved to the plants nearby: wide leaves with serrated edges, short stalks of purple buds along the base of a log.
He focused on everything.
Chime.
---
New Skill Gained: [Observe Environment I] (Trash)
You actively process your surroundings and extract relevant data.
+2% perception-based identification.
+1 EXP gained
---
Simon froze.
That was it. That was the moment.
It hadn't come when he entered the world. It hadn't come from the system's arrival. The first EXP he earned came not from violence or drama, but from simply noticing.
He turned slowly on his heel, scanning the landscape again—but this time looking rather than seeing. He noticed the slight bend in the trees on one side. The gentle curve of the terrain that created a dip where water would pool. The way moss grew thicker on the stones closest to the shadows.
Chime.
---
New Skill Gained: [Pattern Recognition I] (Uncommon)
Your mind identifies logical trends and structures in the environment.
+4% efficiency when interpreting system-linked patterns.
+8 EXP gained
---
Eight. That was... interesting.
Different skills gave different experience values. Observe Environment only gave one, but Pattern Recognition gave eight. That had to be linked to rarity.
So skills had rarities, just like classes.
And gaining them gave EXP, directly into the bank.
Simon began walking again—down a slight hill, across a patch of damp grass. He moved carefully, regulating his stride, testing how his boots gripped the soil, adjusting his breathing as he went.
No sudden motion. No distractions.
He moved like he was being watched, even though he saw no one.
Chime.
---
New Skill Gained: [Controlled Breathing I] (Trash)
Regulate breath to improve stamina and focus.
+2% stamina recovery rate.
+1 EXP gained
---
He kept walking—carefully, deliberately. When he came to a cluster of rocks, he stepped up onto one and tried to move silently. Toe to heel. Weight balanced. Avoid shifting gravel.
It took effort. More than he expected.
Still...
Chime.
---
New Skill Gained: [Silent Step I] (Trash)
Reduced footstep noise while walking or running.
+5% to stealth-related movement.
+1 EXP gained
---
"Four," Simon muttered under his breath. "Four skills in what—twenty minutes?"
The system was reactive, not predictive. It didn't tell him how to play. It just rewarded intent.
He moved again. Climbed over a root. Paused by a fallen log. Studied mushrooms growing on the side of a moss-covered stump. Three species, three colors, one glistening in the light. He sniffed, checked the underside, made a mental comparison between texture and shape.
Chime.
---
New Skill Gained: [Flora Recognition I] (Trash)
You can identify basic flora and their uses or dangers.
+3% chance to identify edible, toxic, or medicinal plants.
+1 EXP gained
---
Five.
This was working.
And it was deeply satisfying. No tutorials. No false urgency. No cheesy combat music kicking in. Just a world that said: "Pay attention."
Simon did.
He reached the base of a hill, sat down on a flat stone beside the stream that curved along the edge of the woods, and reviewed everything in his mind. Every tree he passed. Every bird call. The terrain gradient. The humidity shift. The wind angle.
Then the system rewarded him again.
---
New Skill Gained: [Mental Mapping I] (Common)
You retain spatial awareness and environmental structure.
+5% to movement efficiency and environmental memory.
+4 EXP gained
---
Another four points.
He glanced at his status again. The EXP number had jumped.
---
EXP Bank: 16 / 1,000
Skills: 6
---
Only six. But he knew he'd triggered more. He'd slipped on a root earlier and caught himself—no skill. He'd spent several minutes testing his balance over rocks—no skill. He even tried climbing a tree.
No reward.
Simon narrowed his eyes and focused. The corner of his skill list had a faint, gray indicator:
> [Daily Skill Acquisition: 6/??]
Not bold. Not obvious. But definitely a mechanic.
A daily cap on new skill acquisition. Not improvements—he still leveled [Observe Environment] just by repeatedly applying it—but learning new skills? That had a limit.
"So it wants me to specialize," Simon murmured. "No spam grinding everything at once."
Good. That made sense.
He stood, stretched, and kept moving—this time with the goal of improving what he already had. Silent Step. Controlled Breathing. Observe Environment. He alternated them. Stepped softly. Watched with focus. Breathed like a meditation exercise, syncing pace with terrain.
---
Skill Leveled: [Observe Environment II] (Trash)
+4% perception-based identification
+1 EXP gained
Skill Leveled: [Silent Step II] (Trash)
+10% stealth-related movement.
+1 EXP gained
Skill Leveled: [Controlled Breathing II] (Trash)
+4% stamina recovery.
+1 EXP gained
---
The skills tracked progress intuitively. They didn't need input or grinding bars. The system simply knew when he'd improved.
And each level granted another point of EXP.
He checked again:
---
EXP Bank: 19 / 1,000
---
Still a long way to go. But now he knew how to move forward.
Simon spent the next few hours cycling between techniques. He refined foot placement by walking different terrain—wet stones, angled dirt, pine needles. He practiced recognizing plants, not just once, but repeatedly—trying to guess medicinal uses by color, structure, proximity to water.
Even without new skill unlocks, existing skills leveled:
[Flora Recognition II]
[Silent Step III]
[Controlled Breathing III]
[Pattern Recognition II] (Uncommon)
Each time, the EXP bank ticked upward. Another 1 point for Trash. 8 for Uncommon. 4 for Common. His system was slow, but fair.
By the time a red-orange tint touched the clouds overhead, his EXP bank sat at 96 / 1,000, and the corner of his screen flashed softly.
---
Skill Synergy Detected.
Class Prerequisites Met.
Class Option Available: [Forest Hunter Path] (Trash)
Would you like to view?
---
Simon opened the class panel.
A single class blinked green in the otherwise massive list of grayed-out options.
---
Class: [Forest Hunter Path] (Trash)
A novice attuned to the land, movement, and observation.
Requirements Met:
[Controlled Breathing]
[Observe Environment]
[Silent Step]
[Flora Recognition]
Unlock Cost: 100 EXP
Combat Slot Available: 9 → 8 upon unlock
---
He stared at it for a long moment.
It felt too early.
He wasn't ready. He didn't even have a weapon. He hadn't met another person yet. But still… this was the goal, wasn't it? Progress. Concrete, tangible progress. Earned by intent and clarity.
And now, finally, within reach.
Almost.
He still needed 4 more EXP.
Simon took one last walk—calm, quiet, efficient. He used everything he had. Repeating each skill, pushing it just a little farther. He tracked a fox's trail, noticed scratch marks on a tree, tested breath retention while moving in total silence.
And one by one, the skills ticked again.
---
Skill Leveled: [Observe Environment III] → +1 EXP
Skill Leveled: [Silent Step IV] → +1 EXP
Skill Leveled: [Controlled Breathing IV] → +1 EXP
Skill Leveled: [Flora Recognition III] → +1 EXP
---
EXP Bank: 100 / 1,000
Just enough.
He selected Forest Hunter Path and pressed Unlock.
---
Class Unlocked: [Forest Hunter Path]
EXP Deducted: 100
Remaining EXP: 0 / 2,000
Combat Class Slot 1 of 9 occupied.
Class Level: 1
Class Passive Acquired: [Hunter's Poise]
---
A shift rippled through his body. Not power—alignment. His feet felt more stable. His hearing clearer. His heart slower.
The world didn't welcome him. It acknowledged him.
Simon Graye was a Forest Hunter now.
And that was enough for today.