Chương 6: Chapter 5

"Hmm…" Mei tapped her chin thoughtfully with one hand while holding a stick in the other. Spread out across the dirt in front of her was a very rough map of their surroundings, drawn by the same stick she held.

"Rough" was putting it generously. To the north, a jagged, squiggly triangle represented the mountain. To the east, a wobbly blob with uneven lines resembling waves was apparently the sea. The west was marked by scattered dirt mounds that looked like tiny ant hills meant to be sand dunes. And to the south… She hadn't drawn anything. She had just used the actual grass.

"Let's see," Mei said, gesturing at the map with her stick.

"We can't climb the mountain to the north. It's way too steep without gear. The boundless ocean to the east is a no-go since we don't even have a raft. The west is all dry and sandy, and I hate sand. It gets everywhere." Adam gave her a look but didn't interrupt.

"That leaves the forest we're in now," she continued, "and the big grassland to the south." She looked up at him with a bright grin.

"So, where do we begin our conquest?" Adam dragged a hand down his face and sighed.

"I knew I expected too much from you…" He shook his head.

"It's not conquest. It's survival. That's what we should be focusing on."

"Okay, fine," Mei said easily.

"Where do we have the highest chance of surviving?" Adam crouched slightly and looked over the map, despite its… artistic limitations. They had spent the last few hours running around the edge of the forest to get a lay of the land. Luckily the forest wasn't very large, only a few miles across in each direction. The map drawn in the dirt was the results of that expedition.

"Like you said, north and east are basically off-limits for now. The west is too dangerous without a reliable source of food and water. And the south…" He hesitated.

"Too open. No cover, and no idea what lives out there." He straightened up.

"For now, we stay here. We find the safest place in or around the forest, set up a base camp, and start picking off goblins in small groups to level up." Mei nodded along, surprisingly attentive.

"Then let's head north," she said.

"Maybe we'll find a cave near the base of the mountain." Adam paused for a second, then nodded. It was a solid plan. As solid as a plan could get while attempting to survive an unsurvivable tutorial… — — — As they made their way north along a path they had already traveled once during their exploration, they didn't run into any more goblins. That didn't mean the forest was empty. They passed several small creatures along the way.

Level 1 rabbits darted through the underbrush, while level 2 deer grazed quietly in small clearings filled with flowers and butterflies. All of them were passive. Even the occasional wolves they spotted, ranging from level 2 to 3, kept their distance. They watched from afar but made no move to attack. It was… peaceful. Beautiful even. Far more peaceful than either of them had expected.

For a brief moment, it felt less like they were trapped in an Impossible difficulty tutorial and more like they were on a casual camping trip deep in a forest untouched by humans.

"This looks like a good area," Mei said eventually, pointing ahead. They had reached the base of the mountain. Adam followed her gaze, scanning the area carefully. The cliff face stretched upward, steep and imposing. High above, several large nests clung to the rocky outcroppings. Judging by their size, they likely belonged to birds of prey. Eagles, maybe. Below, carved into the base of the mountain, was a dark cave entrance. Adam frowned slightly.

"I don't know," he said.

"We don't have flashlights, so we won't be able to go very deep into the cave. And whatever made those nests up there might not be friendly."

"Use magic to make a light," Mei replied without hesitation.

"And I'm pretty sure those nests are abandoned. There aren't any feathers around." Adam considered that.

"… Maybe." They desperately needed a safe spot, and a cave was the best for keeping out of the elements. Plus backing out now would just make him look indecisive. He raised his staff and focused. Having learned his lesson from last time, this time, he was more careful. Because unlike last time, even if he created another Legendary spell there likely wouldn't be an achievement that would save his life. He would simply die from mana exhaustion. He imagined a gentle sphere of light.

Without destructive power, and with no impact force. Just simple illumination. A soft white orb formed at the tip of his staff, glowing steadily like a lantern. When he glanced at it, a system panel appeared. [Light Ball] Creates a sphere of light to illuminate the caster's surroundings. Sustainable for 30 minutes Adam narrowed his eyes slightly. Seeing the floating orb sparked an idea. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. If he could make light…

Then— The white glow flickered. It shifted, deepening in color as it transformed into a swirling reddish-orange sphere. Heat radiated faintly from its surface as the light gave way to fire. Another system panel appeared. [Fire Ball] Creates a sphere of fire that can be hurled at enemies. Inflicts burn damage over time to targets struck by its flames. Castable: 3 / 4 Adam stared at it, a slow grin forming. Now that was more like it. He dispelled the fireball, letting it shift back into a soft white light.

"Wow… maybe you were right," Adam admitted, watching the glow steady itself.

"This is actually kinda fun." Mei smirked.

"See? I told you."

"Yeah, yeah. You were right, I was wrong," he said, waving her off as he stepped toward the cave entrance.

"Come on. Let's see what we can find." Once inside, the sunlight vanished almost instantly. The cave swallowed the light behind them, leaving Adam's floating orb as their only source of visibility. He quickly realized it only illuminated a small radius, about six feet in every direction. Not great. He frowned and focused again, adjusting the spell in his mind. Instead of spreading the light outward, he compressed it and directed it forward. The effect changed immediately.

The orb stretched into a focused beam, cutting through the darkness like a flashlight. The illuminated distance extended to roughly fifteen feet, though now only in a straight line. A new system panel appeared. [Light Beam] Creates a cone of light in the direction of the caster's pointed staff. Sustainable for 15 minutes Adam nodded to himself. The drain had doubled, but the effectiveness had more than made up for it.

"Nice," he muttered. The beam swept across the cave interior, revealing rough stone walls and scattered debris. Then it stopped. At the far end of the cave sat a large mound of dirt, just barely illuminated by the [Light Beam]. Adam frowned.

"Why is there a mound of dirt in here?" Mei's eyes lit up instantly.

"Maybe it's hiding treasure!" Before he could stop her, she skipped forward, practically bouncing with excitement. She crouched down and plunged her hands into the mound, trying to scoop up a handful. Then she froze.

"Eh…?" She tilted her head.

"Why is this dirt so soft… and warm? Kinda feels like cat fur…" Adam's stomach dropped. The mound shifted. A faint ripple passed through it, like something breathing beneath the surface. A blood red name tag flickered into existence above it. Cave Bear - Lv. 11 Adam's blood ran cold. That wasn't dirt.

"Mei! Run!"

"Huh?" She was too close. Too low to the ground. And from her angle, she couldn't see the name tag hovering above it.

"It's a bear!" The "mound" moved. In a single, explosive motion, a massive paw swung backward and slammed into Mei's chest. The impact sent her flying. Her body crashed hard against the cave wall, the sound echoing through the cavern. She groaned, stunned, but still conscious. Adam didn't feel relieved for long. The bear rose to its full height, towering over them as it let out a deep, thunderous roar that shook the cave walls. Then it charged.

"Mei!" Adam moved without thinking. He rushed forward and planted himself between her and the incoming beast. His staff slammed into the ground as he gripped it tightly, bracing himself. For a split second, an image flashed through his mind. A lone figure standing against an unstoppable force.

"Shield!" he shouted. A translucent barrier burst into existence in front of him, shimmering with condensed magic. [Shield of Protection] A magic shield conjured to defend others using all of the caster's magic. Class Skill: +50% Effectiveness Castable: 0 / 1 The drain was brutal. He felt his magic ripped away in an instant, like something had reached inside him and emptied everything out. The only thing keeping him upright was sheer focus. He knew, instinctively, that the moment the shield broke…

He would go down with it. The bear's massive paw came crashing down. It was larger than his entire body. The impact slammed into the barrier with overwhelming force. The shield rippled violently, warping under the pressure. But it held. A shockwave of force rebounded outward. The bear's arm snapped backward from the recoil, bending at an unnatural angle with a sickening crack.

"RAAAGH!" The beast howled in pain, its voice reverberating through the cave. Its eyes burned red as rage overtook it. Then something changed. A crimson aura ignited around its body, flickering like flames. Its muscles bulged, its frame expanding as it grew noticeably larger in an instant. Cave Bear has activated [Berserk] [Berserk]: Increases Strength by 1 rank and decreases Constitution by 1 rank Adam's grip tightened. The situation just got so much worse.