Chương 4: Apex Predator

Zander reflected on the System's final words for a few seconds but didn't pay them much mind. Assuming intergalactic threats would take time to reach a newly integrated planet, he pushed the warning aside. That would be a problem for later. He chose instead to focus on his class skills, as the System had advised him.

Unfortunately, out of his three class skills, he could only try one: [Scarlet Gauntlet] was unusable because his Blood Well was empty, and since his Health was at maximum, [Blood Infusion] would have no effect. So naturally, he turned his attention to [Mind's Dominion]. He should be able to transfer 10 points of Will to increase his Might or his Resilience by 5 points. He focused on his task and started shifting the points.

He expected a fast, even instant transfer, but was quickly disappointed; the transfer was painfully slow. When he finally managed to transfer the 10 points of Will to Might, raising the latter to an impressive total of 19, he only had 47 seconds left on the countdown. So it had taken him about 4 minutes to transfer the 10 points, meaning 2. 5 points per minute. Given the concentration required, he would never have time to do a full transfer in the middle of a fight.

Will I be forced to do this at the start of every fight? Yeah right, of course my opponents would wait for the transfer to finish before attacking me, he thought sarcastically. It was then that Zander felt his Might drop abruptly back to 14. What the hell? Do I have to stay focused on the transfer to maintain it? He didn't have time to think about it further, as the last seconds ticked away and his return to Earth began. * Zander had the unpleasant sensation of falling into the void.

But before he had time to panic, he found the ground beneath his feet again. After taking a few seconds to gather his wits, he looked around to try and see the changes the System spoke of. It was still the middle of the night, of course. The change in visibility was stark. Before going to bed the day before, he could clearly see the moon in the sky, but now, he could barely see the light of the celestial body through the foliage. From the little he could see, the vegetation was much denser.

A look around revealed that his backpack and sleeping bag were both there, much to his relief. He retrieved his bag and was about to open it when he got a notification from the System: If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Congratulations! You meet all the requirements to unlock a new quest. Quest unlocked: Apex Predator You are in a forest where predators abound.

At the top of the food chain sits a predator unique in its kind, just like you. Defeat it, and earn the title of Apex Predator. Whenever you focus on this quest, you will get a general idea of the direction in which the apex predator is located. Rewards: Secret. PS: The forest is sealed until you complete this quest, or until you die. No human will be able to enter or leave until then.

"Really? And not even a hint about those rewards?" Zander said out loud before catching himself: he should be careful not to attract the attention of said predators. The System, however, did not reply. So Zander tried to focus on the quest, and exactly as the System had said, he got an indication of the direction to go to reach his goal. Deciding to come back to it later, Zander continued searching his bag and took out his mobile phone. It indicated that it was 3: 17 AM.

He tried to go on the internet, but there was no signal; it remained to be seen if it was because he was in the middle of a forest or if the System had something to do with it. He considered for a moment turning on his phone's flashlight to better see what the forest looked like, but decided against it to avoid attracting the attention of some creature; the lit screen of his phone was already a risk. He took a moment to think about how to proceed next.

Since there was no network or internet anymore, he decided to put his phone in ultra power-saving mode; that way, using his power banks, he would at least have access to the time and date for a few weeks. Also, he was going to spend the rest of the night up high in a tree. So he rummaged through his bag using the light from his phone screen and took out a rope. Thank God, I came prepared.

It was dark, but the rare moonbeams filtering through the vegetation allowed him to climb a tree and settle on a branch somewhat high up. He strapped his bag to the branch using the straps and used the rope to tie himself to the trunk. It wasn't comfortable, but not as bothersome as he would have thought. Before letting himself drift off to sleep, he marveled once more at the absence of any pain; he was truly rid of his old daily companion. * Zander woke up a few hours later.

It was daylight, and he could see the changes the System spoke of more clearly. He had settled on one of the lowest branches of a gigantic tree that was topped with very dense foliage, which explained the very reduced visibility at night. Trees of the same species stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. Apart from these giant trees, the ground was covered in dead leaves, with small plants in places that would likely reach his waist, and potentially hide deadly dangers.

Zander decided to check on his Blood Well. He focused on it and discovered it was now at 149. Phew! Seems like I have an answer to my question: my Blood Well regenerates on its own. Why did it stop one point shy of the total, though? He focused on this resource, and a few seconds later, the total climbed to 150, before immediately dropping back to 149. What now? Is my Blood Well leaking somehow? He kept looking for a couple of minutes, and it kept doing the yo-yo, going to 150, and right back to 149.

At least it's not going under 149. I can work with that. Then, he untied himself from the tree trunk and retrieved his bag. He was stowing his rope inside it when he suddenly spotted movement in his direction. He barely had time to put his bag between himself and his attacker before the impact. The contact sent him tumbling out of the tree, along with his backpack.