Noah woke to a series of howls far too close for comfort. He slowly lifted himself from the ground, searching for the wolves that disturbed his sleep. The grey beasts were a few dozen yards away, eating the fallen deer that littered the ground. Too close. Noah took stock of his body, finding it was far too damaged for another drawn-out fight. Needing a boost, he pulled up his status sheet to see the results of his fight.


    Name: Noah Denter


    Race: Human


    Grade: E


    Domain: Proximal


    Caste: Copper


    Gate: 2


    Path: Journeyman


    Level: 59


    Strength: 146


    Dexterity:146


    Constitution: 158


    Intelligence:11


    Wisdom: 13


    Willpower: 14


    XP: 57,108/1000


    Essence: 0


    Stat points available: 0


    57,000? Noah was shocked by the gravity of the number but also confused about the math that got to it. Hadn’t there been hundreds of those beasts? He tried to recall the System messages that he had received. Ah. Most of them were low-level beasts. If he hadn’t been so close to death he would have been disappointed but as it was he could hardly complain. He considered his options, part of him wanted to hoard his XP for his next Grade advancement but he was also feeling his lack of power at the moment as he looked out at the predators. Can I make it past them? He glanced at the wolves again, then back at his wounds. He couldn’t take the chance. He converted his XP into 57 levels and assigned his free points to constitution. Then he pulled his relevant stats.


    Level: 116


    Strength: 374


    Dexterity:374


    Constitution: 329


    He gasped as his body underwent a massive change, his physical stats more than doubling. His wounds itched as they began to heal at an accelerated rate, and his muscles felt like coiled springs, ready to erupt into action. He suddenly felt lucky for his surprise encounter, the brush with death a faint memory. If he could level like this then he could surely hold the hordes at bay. No longer concerned about the wolves’ presence he moved to the body of the white stag and threw it over his shoulder before turning in the direction of his camp. The wolves, whether satisfied with their meals or stunned by his power, kept their distance as he began to jog away from them. It took him some time, but he made it back to the camp to a very bored Ta’Ku.


    “Any trouble?” Ta’Ku asked, eyeing Noah’s shredded gear. Noah scratched his head.


    “Yes and no. I was attacked by a small herd of beasts, but I also got some major benefits from it. Lost my hammer though.” He explained. Ta’Ku nodded.


    “I guess that is the way of the new world.” Ta’Ku agreed. “Also, I have regained feeling in my legs so that seems like progress.” Noah shook his head and chuckled. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    “Healing in this new world is insane. You would have been down for months if you survived in the old world.”


    “I’m not complaining though,” Ta’Ku responded with a grin. Noah stoked the fire and started prepping the deer. The beast’s constitution seemed to preserve the majority of the meat from the blunt force damage, and he found himself salivating as soon as it started cooking. His experience with advanced beasts showed that this would be a particularly delicious meal. Noah wondered if there were chef options in the non-combatant path and if so, what they could accomplish with this kind of ingredient. If I didn’t have the weight of the world on my shoulders… He finished cooking the meat and attempted to help Ta’Ku sit up. They learned quickly, however, that he would not be doing that kind of motion any time soon. Instead, he was forced to watch as Noah did his best to hide his intense enjoyment of the meal.


    The next few days proceeded in a similar fashion, Noah took the opportunity to try his hand at leatherworking in an attempt at modesty. Ta’Ku stared patiently at the sky, slowly regaining his mobility with each passing day. It was on the fourth day that they finished off the stag, and Noah went out to find something more for their upcoming journey.


    He returned with one of the untouched deer corpses that had remained from the battle, now frozen. Ta’Ku was now able to eat and maneuver around camp, and he gave pointers to Noah on preparing the hides. After a week, Ta’Ku was back on his feet, but he struggled to move for an extended duration. Noah endeavored to keep him company and stave off the boredom as they slowly approached the finish line. Ten days after the battle, they were finally ready to set off. They packed their few belongings, cooked meat, and began their trek down the mountain.


    Noah had shed the fur dress that Matt had made him and donned his new custom-made gear: the white stag-hide poncho, and the deer-hide skirt. He knew if looked in a mirror he would hardly recognize himself. His face had a messy blonde beard that he hacked at with his knife when it got too long. His hair was a gross clump on his head, and he desperately wanted to wash it and comb it out, but he knew that it would be cut off as soon as someone with trusted hands was nearby.


    Perhaps Julie. The realization that he would likely be seeing them soon had an odd effect on his heart. He did want to see them but he also felt like he was a changed person after their time apart. Will they recognize me? The blood of his many foes weighed on him at that moment. They were beasts but they still bled, they were aware in a sense and they were fighting for a place in this new world. At least they weren’t people. He had been spared the very real possibility of having to kill other sapient beings, and he dreaded the day that the choice would be forced upon him. He wanted to save his people, but he wasn’t so naive as to think that everyone in this new world would go along with his ideals.


    He did his best to reign in the feelings of defeat as they made their way down the mountain, though something about not pressing forward irked him. It didn’t help that there seemed to be a physical resistance to his descent, sapping a bit of his strength. In his mind, he knew that taking a break from the chaos would serve them in the long run, but it was hard to convince his heart of that notion. He sighed and caught up to Ta’Ku who had jogged a bit ahead.


    They ran at a pace that would have been hellish on their way up but now felt leisurely with their new stats. It would still take at least a week to reach the orc village, but this time they wouldn’t be slowed by monster swarms. With each day, Ta’Ku regained his remaining strength and was now fully recovered from his injuries. The last two weeks had served as a potent reminder to them; to the right enemy, they were still just as fragile as they had been on their homeworlds.


    Ta’Ku was relieved as they ran down the mountain; rest was finally in sight. As they made their way, he daydreamed about what awaited him. To his friends in the village, he would be like a great berserker, mightier than the chief, and an orc of legend. He snorted, causing Noah to glance questioningly in his direction. He shook his head. To the villagers, he was something special, but Ta’Ku knew better. Compared to Noah, or even Recter, he was still a youngling. He had a lot of work to do, and he would do it after he basked in the glory for a while.


    They passed out of the colder region and once again tread on the black earth of the mountain. Various beasts began to pop up along the stream but they seemed unwilling to disrupt the two travelers. Noah was relieved, as he quite liked the idea of showing up in a relatively presentable state and not covered in unwashable grime. They made good time, and on the sixth day, they were able to make out wisps of smoke rising steadily below them. They bathed in the stream and made themselves presentable before making it the rest of the way down to the village.


    They were surprised to see the changes as they approached, black walls rose around a solid metal gate, all protruding at least 20 feet from the ground. Large spikes adorned the defenses and scouts were already waving their arms from atop the walls and yelling down to people in the town. The gates began to groan and open up before them, revealing a small crowd waiting within. With genuine joy, they stepped through the gates, into the welcoming embrace of their kinsman.