Lasa didn't see any of it. She ran when the portal opened, so she's safe.
The portal closes, but five Sals are approaching on the road behind me. I don't care to learn their ranks. I have to leave before they start asking questions.
I run.
One Sal calls after me, Stop! What happened?
I look him in the eyes and say, I don't know. I was with a friend, then a portal appeared, and after that I don't remember.
Where is your friend? he asks.
I point toward the potion shop and the Sal lets me go. I play dumb, but the truth is I understand almost nothing.
Who was the scarred man? What did he want with my father? Who is he at all? And what exactly is this system?
Back home, I open the system again.
Today's training plan appears:
20 push-ups
Stare at the moon for five minutes
The moon task strikes me as weird.
I do the push-ups at 1:00 PM after sleeping through most of the day. I'm buzzing with curiosity about level 2.
I poke around the system, checking every menu item.
Hours drain away. 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM. I keep busy with TV, training, and food.
Around 9:00 PM I look out the window and there it is, the moon. I stare at it for five minutes like the system told me to.
A notification pops up.
Daily Quest Completed, 20 EXP
Level 1 complete
Level 2, 100 EXP to level up
Two rewards appear:
Claim? Yes or No
Claim? Yes or No
I press Yes for both.
Reward 1: 20 Level Points
Reward 2: A message
The message reads:
The wolf is a powerful animal. It fights in a pack. Therefore, here is your pack.
Attack learned: Pack Bite
Pack Bite? I wonder what that even does. Moonlight pours over my bed as I whisper, I don't know what the future holds.
I sleep.
There's a knock at the door.
A Sal stands there, Rank A it looks like, holding a letter.
Welcome, Mike Tyl, he says. You will be trained as a Sal over the next three years, from age 14 to 15, 15 to 16, and 16 to 17.
Let me explain how this works. Today, on your first day, we will test your strength and knowledge. After that you will be assigned a room and given a full tour of the facility. Finally there will be a small tournament. Understood?
Understood, I reply.
Good, he says. Come with me.
We drive for hours. Five hours later we take a boat to an island.
At least thirty other kids are already there. One of them catches my eye, a girl with silver hair. Our gazes meet.
The Sal raises his voice, Silence. You are here to be trained for the next three years on that island. It is hidden. Ordinary humans are not allowed to set foot here. But you are not ordinary. You want to use your power. You've made a smart choice. You're not lazy. You're active. That is a good start. You may call me Commander Zeil.
I find a seat on the ship. A boy sits down near me and asks, Hey, what's your name?
I nearly answer, Why should I tell you? But I don't want a bad first impression, so I say, Mike, Mike Tyl. And yours?
Giel, he says proudly. I have the power level of a Sal Rank 2. Yeah, that strong.
Okay, I think, and what do you want from me?
He grins and says, Hey Mike, let's spar sometime. What rank were you placed in?
I hesitate. I haven't been ranked yet.
Giel looks disappointed for a second but then smiles. No worries, he says. I hope you get strong. If anyone gives you trouble, tell me.
The system pops up.
Giel Level 4, stronger than you for now. Accept friend request?
I tap Yes.
New Friend Added, Giel Tus
Level 4, HP 2000, Strength 70, Stamina 80, Magic 40
I say, Alright, let's be friends.
Giel sits down beside me and asks, So Mike, what are you doing here?
I look at him. I want to become an S-rank Sal.
He hesitates. Isn't it all just luck, he asks.
Maybe, I think. But now I can level up, maybe it's not all luck anymore.
Oh right, I remember. I still have two stat points to spend. I put them into Health and Strength.
Strength 35, Health 105
Something stirs inside me, like a coil tightening.
Giel points. Three bullies are cornering a Sal Rank -1 and roughing him up.
We should step in, Giel says. I nod.
This will be my first real test fight.
I tell Giel, Can you just watch this time?
He looks at me like I lost my mind, then shrugs and says, Alright.
I shout, Hey, let him go!
The bullies laugh. One grabs me by the collar and says, Want trouble? Run now or we'll beat you later.
I twist his wrist hard and break free. Two quick punches and he drops. I rush the second guy and kick him down. The third backpedals, stunned, and shouts his name, Julius, son of Tastus the rich guy.
Tastus? I raise an eyebrow. Who cares?
I ask the bully straight in the eyes, What rank are you?
He laughs. Sal Rank 2, he says.
That catches me off guard. The other two are Rank -1 or 0.
The kid they were beating speaks up from the ground, He's really strong. Be careful.
Giel calls him over. The kid collapses at Giel's feet.
A system prompt appears.
Quest: Mike vs Julius, Accept?
Info: Your opponent is strong but beatable. If you defeat him you will receive a full level-up to Level 3, a recipe for your first weapon, and 20 level points.
Starting in 3, 2, 1
I surge forward and drive a punch straight at Julius's face. He blocks it with both hands and counters with a blow to my gut. It lands, and the air leaves me. It hurts. Bad.
I refuse to stop. I keep pushing. Hit after hit after hit. On the third strike I break his defense. My fist connects with his face. He staggers. I grab his arm and sling him against the ship's railing.
Someone on deck mutters you could have tossed him overboard, you know. The bullied kid starts to finish the sentence but Giel yells, Mike, behind you.
Floating above Julius are five crystal shards, razor sharp and glittering. They launch like knives. I leap. I dodge the first one, but the second slices across my leg. Pain explodes through me.
I open the system.
HP 80
If it hits zero, what happens? I do not want to find out.
Then it clicks. Pack Bite. I concentrate.
Two shadow wolves tear into being at my side, jaws huge and hungry. Strange heat floods my mouth. I glance down and find my own teeth changing. They are longer, sharper, wolf like.
Should I charge too? Hell yes. I run with them.
The first wolf sinks its teeth into Julius's leg. The second clamps down on his shoulder. I bite his arm with everything inside me.
Giel is busy bandaging the bullied kid, probably did not even see. After the strike the wolves vanish like mist. I tear a strip of Julius's sleeve with my teeth. He stares at me, wide eyed and trembling.
What are you, he whispers.
My eyes glow red. My fangs show. I do not answer. He turns and runs.
Quest Complete Mike versus Julius
You receive a full level up, a weapon recipe, and twenty level points. Level 3 is loading. Weapon recipe saved.
A new menu appears, Weapons. I tap it. One blueprint is available.
Clawblood