The pain was multiple, simultaneous. The right antler pierced his abdomen, tearing muscles, intestines, and blood vessels. The left antler struck his chest, breaking ribs and piercing a lung. Smaller points of the antlers pierced his thighs and his arms.
Kyne was lifted into the air, his body impaled at multiple points, before being violently thrown backward. He hit the ground with a dull thud, already dying.
His field of vision narrowed into a tunnel, at the center of which he saw the elk moving away, its antlers now stained red. The beast did not remain to finish the job, it seemed to consider the threat neutralized.
Kyne died in seconds, his blood flowing to mix with the waters of the river.
…
[You were killed by a Rank D Forest Elk]
[Piercing Resistance updated to Rank E-]
[You will resurrect in 3… 2… 1…]
Kyne resurrected on the same riverbank. The elk was already at the edge of the forest, disappearing among the trees without looking back.
Kyne sighed, stood up, and brushed the dirt from his back.
"Everyone is aggressive in this forest." He murmured, watching the spot where the elk had disappeared.
"How would a normal person survive here?"
The question was rhetorical but intriguing. If he, with his immortality system, died so easily, how would any other creature, human or not, survive in this world? Perhaps they were stronger, faster, and more adapted. Perhaps they had powerful magic, weapons, or armor. Or perhaps they simply knew when to retreat, when not to approach an elk over two meters tall with deadly antlers.
He turned to the river. The water was clear, flowing rapidly over smooth, rounded stones. He saw his reflection.
The same pale face, the same gray eyes, but now with a different light in them. The light of someone who had died and been reborn so many times that he was beginning to lose count.
But instead of darker, they seemed to be growing brighter and brighter. The silver of his eyes almost shining. Kyne judged himself to be better than ever in his life.
He knelt and drank a large gulp of water. It was cold, clean, and without the strange mineral taste of the lake. Flowing river water is probably safer.
Then his eyes fixed on the running water, following its rapid flow, observing the white foam where it met stones, the deep whirlpools where the current was strongest.
"Hmm." He murmured.
"Hummmm." Louder this time, as if he were talking to himself.
"Right, right." A smile began to form on his lips.
"There it is, a way I haven't tested yet."
The smile grew wider, then manic, his eyes shining with anticipation as he looked at the water.
"What will be the difference between dying drowned instead of burned?" He wondered, his voice filled with an enthusiasm that would be disturbing to any normal observer.
Without wasting time, Kyne dove headfirst into the river.
The water was cold, a chill that made him shiver instantly. The current was strong, stronger than it had seemed from the bank. Immediately, he was dragged along, his body spinning uncontrollably.
First, he held his breath instinctively. His lungs filled with air, and his muscles tensed against the cold and disorientation.
But this was not the experience he was seeking.
With an effort of will, Kyne relaxed. He stopped fighting the current. He stopped trying to reach the surface. And then, the final step.
He opened his mouth.
The water entered.
It was a strange sensation, not like drinking, but like swallowing something alive, something that did not belong there. The water ran down his throat, filling his esophagus, then his stomach.
But the worst was yet to come.
His body, desperate for air, contracted involuntarily. His lungs, already aching from the lack of oxygen, opened in a final effort to breathe.
And the water entered them as well.
Kyne had never known that lungs could feel pain like that. It was not a burn, it was not a stab. It was a sensation of drowning, of incorrect filling, of an organ trying to function with the wrong fuel.
His body twisted beneath the water, uncontrollable convulsions taking hold of him. The light of the surface, a diffuse and distorted glow through the water, began to darken. Black spots danced in his vision, then merged into complete darkness.
His consciousness persisted for a few more seconds, long enough for him to think.
'It's different. Very different from fire.'
And then, darkness.
…
[You drowned to death.]
[You received: Water Affinity (F-)]
[You received: Expanded Lung Capacity (F-)]
[You will resurrect in 3… 2… 1…]
Kyne resurrected on his knees on the riverbank. His first breath was deep, automatic, his lungs filling with air as if it were the first time.
His body was in perfect condition, and then he began to laugh.
"Water affinity." He said between laughs.
"And expanded lung capacity. Interesting."
He looked at the river again, his eyes now seeing not just water, but possibilities.
Drowning once had given him two adaptations. And if he drowned repeatedly? Would his resistance to water increase like his resistance to fire? Would he develop some ability related to water?
Kyne stood up, his mind already working on the next experiment. The river was there, offering infinite possibilities for drowning.
But perhaps there were more interesting ways to die related to water. Perhaps freezing to death, if he found a cold enough place. Perhaps being electrocuted, if there were electrical creatures in the water. Perhaps even the pressure of water at great depths.
His smile became contemplative. He had an entire river to explore. And infinite time to die in it.
But first, one thing at a time.
He took a step toward the water again.