The point of Evelyn Reed's sword was a sharp, unwavering declaration of intent. Lucas Thorne didn't move. His mind, a cold engine of analysis, instantly processed the situation. Threat: Level 12 Blademaster, a player whose raw power was exponentially greater than his own. Variable: she was wounded, her stance unsteady, her breathing ragged. Objective: the [Wildheart Berries] behind her.
Kael, the small wolf pup, let out a low, protective growl, a brave but ultimately futile gesture.
"I said don't move," Evelyn repeated, her voice tight with pain. "Those berries. I need them."
"So do I," Lucas replied, his own voice calm and even. He kept his hands open, away from his staff, a clear sign of non-aggression. A direct fight was a losing scenario. Therefore, a direct fight was to be avoided. He needed more data.
He focused his will, subtly activating [System Insight] on her. The green, coded text that only he could see shimmered over her form.
[Player: Evelyn Reed | Level: 12]
[Class: Blademaster]
[Status: Health Critical (22%), Stamina Depleted (15%)]
[Active Debuff: Crimson Toxin – Healing effects from standard potions reduced by 50%. Duration: 2 hours.]
The puzzle pieces clicked into place with a satisfying, logical snap. The Crimson Toxin could only have come from one source: the Crimson Quillboar he had just bypassed. She had tried to solve the problem with brute force, and the ruthless algorithm of Arcadia had punished her for it. Her standard healing potions would be nearly useless. She was in far more trouble than she was letting on.
He now had leverage.
"The toxin from the Quillboar's quills is a nasty one," Lucas stated, not as a question, but as a fact. "It halves the effects of healing potions. You're bleeding out faster than you can heal."
The shock on her face was his confirmation. The proud, untouchable Blademaster, the server's rising star, was completely vulnerable, and the "Tamer Trash" she had dismissed was the only one who knew the precise nature of her problem.
"How…?" she began, her voice faltering.
"I understand systems," he said again, the words now carrying a new, undeniable weight. He slowly reached into his own inventory and pulled out a simple, green herb. A [Silverleaf Herb]. To any other player, it was a common, low-level crafting material. But he had seen its code.
"This herb is an alchemical stabilizer," he explained, holding it up. "When mashed into a poultice with a standard healing agent, it purges minor toxins. It will counteract the debuff."
He laid out the terms of his deal, his voice the calm, rational tone of a man proposing a business transaction. "I will give you the herb and show you how to use it. In exchange, I take half of the berries from these bushes. We both get what we need, and we go our separate ways. It is the most logical, mutually beneficial solution to our current situation."
Evelyn stared at him, her fierce pride warring with the grim reality of her rapidly draining health bar. He could see the calculations in her eyes. To accept help from him was a humiliation. To refuse it was death. In the unforgiving world of Arcadia, the choice was simple.
With a final, frustrated sigh, she lowered her sword. "Deal," she bit out, the word tasting like ash in her mouth.
After he had helped her prepare the antidote and she had healed, she honored their bargain. She gestured to the bushes. "Half," she said. He gathered his prize, a dozen of the small, glowing berries. Then, with a final, complex look that was a mixture of gratitude and renewed rivalry, she disappeared back into the woods.
Lucas looked at the [Wildheart Berries] in his hand. He had the catalyst. But when he checked Kael's status, the other requirement was a stark reminder of the work ahead.
[Evolution Requirement: Reach Level 5 (2/5)]
Kael was only Level 2. The real grind was about to begin.
For the next two days, the forest became their entire world. Lucas's life devolved into a grueling, repetitive, and utterly essential cycle of hunting, trapping, and surviving. Leveling in Arcadia was a brutal, unforgiving process, and for a Tamer, it was an order of magnitude harder.
He and Kael worked as a single, coordinated unit. Their primary targets were the Level 2 [Giant Spiders] and Level 3 [Gloom Fungi] that inhabited the deeper woods. Each fight was a meticulous, time-consuming operation. Lucas would spend a half-hour setting up a series of snares and small pit traps. Then, Kael, with his superior agility, would act as the lure, darting in to draw the attention of a single monster and leading it on a chase through the prepared kill zone.
There were failures. A snare failed to trigger, forcing them into a desperate, messy fight against a spider that nearly killed Kael. A patrol of higher-level boars stumbled upon them, forcing them to abandon their traps and hide in a thorny thicket for a painful hour, the lost time a gnawing frustration for Lucas.
But with every success, their synergy improved. Lucas learned to anticipate Kael's movements, and Kael learned to read Lucas's silent hand signals. When Kael took a hit, Lucas was there, applying a healing poultice, the shared hardship strengthening their bond far more than any easy victory could have. Kael's [Loyalty] stat slowly ticked upward with every shared meal and every patched wound.
[You have defeated a Gloom Fungus. +4 EXP]
[Your summon, Kael, has reached Level 3.]
The notification was a small, quiet triumph in the vast, hostile forest. They were progressing, one hard-won point of experience at a time. The work was a monotonous, exhausting grind, but Lucas's mind was constantly working, optimizing. He learned which traps worked best on which monsters. He discovered that a specific type of tree sap was flammable, allowing him to create crude torches that could scare off nocturnal predators. He was not just grinding; he was building a library of survival knowledge, a database of the world's hidden rules.
Finally, late on the second day, after a perfectly executed trap and takedown of a Level 4 [Carrion Crawler], the notification he had been bleeding for appeared.
[Your summon, Kael, has reached Level 5.]
Lucas sank to the ground, a wave of profound exhaustion and relief washing over him. He looked at Kael. The wolf pup, though still small, now carried himself with a new confidence. He was battered and scarred, but he was a survivor.
Lucas pulled the glowing [Wildheart Berries] from his satchel. He had done the work. He had paid the price in sweat, blood, and sheer, stubborn persistence.
Now, it was time to claim his reward.