Sky followed the wounded wolf through the thick trees until it vanished into a dark cave entrance. Without thinking twice, he stepped inside. The air was cold, the ground damp. The smell of blood and fur filled the air.
He walked deeper until the system screen popped up.
[New Mission: Hunt all the wolves in the cave, including the boss.]
[Rewards: World Map, 100 Gold, Random E-Rank Equipment]
Sky smirked. "That's what I'm talking about."
He didn't even check the difficulty. He charged straight inside. Ten wolves appeared in front of him, growling. Sky gripped his scythe tightly, then swung.
Upward slash. Downward slash. Left, right, then a final horizontal cut.
All five swings hit their mark. The wolves fell. A system message appeared.
[Skill Acquired: Five Consecutive Slash]
Sky grinned. "Not bad."
Before he could rest, another pack appeared—fourteen wolves, led by a larger black one with glowing red eyes.
[Black Wolf - Lv.10]
Sky froze. "Haha… I'm doomed."
The wolves surrounded him. He breathed heavily but kept swinging. One, two, three at a time, his scythe tore through fur and flesh. After a few minutes, the smaller wolves lay scattered, but Sky was exhausted, his breath ragged.
The black wolf charged. Its claws glowed with faint energy. Sky steadied his scythe, grinning weakly. "Got you, puppy."
He raised the weapon. "Let's test this skill."
[Skill: Tormented Reaping]
The scythe began to glow white like frozen steel. Sky swung once, releasing a gust of icy wind. He swung again, snow burst out. Then the final downward strike smashed into the ground, releasing a massive wave of frost.
The boss was pierced by shards of ice, and the nearby wolves froze solid.
[Mission Complete]
Sky dropped to one knee, drenched in sweat. "That… was strong."
He opened the reward screen.
[Reward: 100 Gold, Map, Random E-Rank Equipment - Frostrunner Boots (+10 Agility, +5 Stamina)]
He grinned. "Four levels in one fight. Nice."
He distributed his points into Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Mana, then sat to drink a potion. Opening the map, he saw the world for the first time.
[World Map Unlocked]
Kingdoms:
1. Ardenfall – Central human kingdom, vast plains and cities.
2. Valdric Empire – Military power in the north.
3. Saren Dominion – Forest kingdom ruled by elves.
4. Tirnvale – Desert kingdom known for merchants.
5. Eldgar Kingdom – Mountain territory, home of dwarves and miners.
Current Location: Lunaris Forest – dense and dangerous wilderness.
Nearby Village: Grayhaven, within Ardenfall territory.
Known Danger Zones:
Blackmist Swamp
Ravencrown Peaks
Abyss Rift
Crimson Valley
Frostgrave Tundra
Wailing Ruins
Safe Zones:
Grayhaven Village
Eastwind Outpost
Moonveil Lake
Lysara City
Sky closed the map and checked his stats again. His power had grown fast. He smiled, feeling proud.
As he wandered deeper through the forest, he found a tall mountain. Out of curiosity, he climbed. It took him an hour, but when he reached the top, he froze at the sight. The sunset spread across the sky, glowing gold and red.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
He sat and watched. Then, remembering scenes from the novels he read, he crossed his legs and started meditating. He tried to control mana, guiding it through his body like the characters he admired.
An hour later, a new notification appeared.
[Skill Acquired: Meditation Mystery Lv.1]
[Effect: Enhances mana flow through veins, increases focus and stability.]
Sky felt warmth spread through his body. He clenched his fist, focused mana into it, and punched a nearby rock.
Boom!
The stone shattered. He grinned. "So this is mana."
He then tried channeling mana into his scythe. Sweat ran down his face as he struggled to keep the energy stable. The system guided him through Meditation Mystery, preventing mana deviation. After half an hour, his scythe was covered in a faint blue glow.
[Skill Acquired: Scythe Aura]
[Effect: Coats scythe with mana, doubles damage output.]
Sky panted. "Too hard… I need more control."
He smiled faintly, sitting on the mountain peak as the sky darkened. "I'll get stronger. Just you wait."
He lay back on the cold stone and fell asleep under the stars.
While Sky slept on the mountain peak, his dream began to twist.
He saw his mother. Her voice echoed softly, calling his name.
"Sky… Sky…"
He tried to reach her, but no sound left his mouth. No matter how he shouted, she didn't hear him. When he stretched out his hand, her figure began to fade. The last thing she left behind was a smile.
"Mom… wait!"
He woke up, gasping and sweating. His heart pounded hard.
"That… was a dream?"
He looked around. Morning light covered the mountains. The wind was cool and fresh. The sight helped calm him.
After stretching his arms and shoulders, he smiled faintly. "Alright. Let's hunt."
Sky packed his things, checked his potions, and started moving through the forest again. Wolves and goblins appeared, and one by one, he cut them down. After two hours of nonstop hunting, the system window appeared.
[Level Up: 15]
"Status window."
The screen appeared in front of him.
---
Name: Sky
Level: 15
HP: 950 / 950
Stamina: 180 / 180
Mana: 140 / 140
Strength: 45
Agility: 50
Endurance: 35
Intelligence: 28
Skills:
Cross Slash (Rank E)
Five Consecutive Slash (Rank E)
Tormented Reaping (Rank D)
Meditation Mystery (Rank D)
Scythe Aura (Rank D)
Equipment:
Iron Scythe (Rank E+)
Leather Armor (Rank D)
Frostrunner Boots (Rank E+)
Traveler's Cape (Rank E)
Recovery Ring (Rank D)
---
Sky distributed his points carefully.
+5 Strength, +5 Agility, +3 Endurance, +2 Mana.
After finishing, he sat under a tree and ate dried meat while checking his inventory. "So much junk… but this armor and cape are decent."
Now equipped and covered by the dark cape, Sky looked more like a wandering mercenary than a player.
He ventured deeper into the forest one last time before heading to the village. The ground began to shake. A roar echoed through the trees.
"Great… what now?"
A massive brown bear appeared, its fur darker than the rest, eyes glowing faint red.
[Steelclaw Bear - Lv.20]
[Mission: Hunt the Steelclaw Bear]
[Reward: 500 Gold, Skill - Shadow Step (Short-range high-speed dash with a horizontal slash)]
Sky smirked. "A big one this time. Fine, let's do this."
He tightened his grip on the scythe and drank a potion. The moment he dashed forward, the bear swung its paw, crushing the ground where he stood a second ago.
"Fast for that size…"
He slashed at its leg, cutting deep. The bear roared and slammed its paw again, making the ground shake and Sky lose balance. Before he could recover, the bear's next attack hit him, throwing him to the side.
His arm trembled. "Tch… strong bastard."
He used Cross Slash on its legs, slowing it. Then Five Consecutive Slash tore open its hide, spraying blood.
The bear went wild, its roar shaking the trees. The shockwave froze Sky in place for three seconds. The next punch sent him crashing against a stone wall.
"Damn it…"
He drank healing and stamina potions fast, his breathing rough. "No choice…"
He raised his scythe. "Tormented Reaping!"
The weapon glowed white-blue, air freezing around it. The downward swing released a wave of frost and wind, cutting through the bear. Ice spread from the wound, freezing its body mid-roar.
The beast fell. The system chimed.
[Mission Complete]
[Level Up: 15 → 17]
[Reward: 500 Gold, Skill - Shadow Step (Rank D)]
Sky dropped to his knees, sweating and breathing hard. "It's getting harder to level up…"
He smiled faintly, looking at the frozen corpse. "Still worth it."
He checked his new skill.
[Skill: Shadow Step (Rank D)]
[Dashes forward with extreme speed and executes a horizontal slash. Damage +120%. Cooldown: 8 seconds.]
Sky grinned. "Perfect for escape or killing blows."
He wiped his sweat and stood up, healed by the system's recovery after leveling. "Guess it's time to visit the nearby village."
He turned toward the path leading down the mountain, the wind brushing against his cloak as the sun began to set behind him.