Getting Stronger

The first thing Jack does in the morning is checking the wound in his upper right arm. The health potion works like a miracle because Jack did not feel any pain from it anymore. All that's left is just a little itch and uncomfortableness in some part of it.

It reminds him that this is a reality, not a game or imaginary world. So Jack wants to make sure that his body is in perfect condition before distributing the 15 free stats points he gets from leveling up. Only God knew what would happen when he did it, so he didn't want to take an unnecessary risk.

Learning from previous experiences, Jack needs to prepare himself for anything. So after getting breakfast and making sure that his stamina has returned, Jack finds a broad place above the tree and considers how he will distribute it.

At first, Jack wanted to become a fighter that focused on Strength stats. With that, he only needed to grind levels and overpower his opponent when battling. But after facing the wolf monster yesterday, something told him that it was a wrong choice to make.

A balanced character has more chance to survive when faced with an extreme situation.

Agility stats are also very much needed. Not only to run from enemies but also to fight in actual combat. After all, being just strong is nothing if you can't even hit your opponent or dodge their attack.

As for the Intelligence stats, Jack thinks that he didn't need it for the time being. Apart from the fact that it is already considered high compared to the other stats, he did not know how to use it in real combat. He needs to learn a skill or spell first before being able to use them.

Intelligence stats influence the skill or spell's power. The higher the stats, the stronger the spells. A wizard or a sorcerer usually focuses on raising these stats.

But being a loner in the middle of a jungle requires Jack to move faster than having high Strength or Intelligence stats. He thinks that at this stage of his character development, having more agility is a wiser choice.

Almost all of his opponents are stronger than him, so he will choose to flee most of the time when a battle starts or even avoid it if he can. So for his first 15 free stats points, Jack will distribute like this.

STR: 8 -> 11

AGL: 10 -> 22

INT: 21 -> 21.

After closing his status window, Jack sat cross-legged and let out a deep breath. He didn't know what to expect, so he tried to prepare himself for anything.

His heart beats like crazy in anticipation of feeling what it's like to get stronger because of increased stats. A minute, two minutes, ten minutes passed, but the moment he was waiting for never comes. Jack started to feel impatient.

'Is that it? I couldn't tell the difference!'

Jack was a little doubtful about the whole situation, so he muttered the magic word to open his status once again. But before he sees what has changed, Jack suddenly feels a burning sensation in his left chest. Like molten lava being poured straight into his heart, painful and tormenting.

He tries to find what has caused it in the status window, but nothing has changed since he last saw it ten minutes ago.

"Sh*t! Did I do it wrong?" Jack was confused and angry.

He blamed the system because it didn't give him any guidance or instruction on how to get stronger after leveling up. A few precious minutes are wasted because of it.

But continue to blame the system won't get him anywhere. So Jack decides to try the best method he knows.

By drinking a bottle of health potion!

After it saved his life yesterday, Jack kept a few bottles around his body so he could still reach them in urgent situations like this. He used his shaking hands to pick one that he kept in his top left shirt pocket, but before he could open its lid, the pain in his chest grew.

Argh!

Jack grunted in pain. It's like his heart was about to explode by a sudden elevating power that pushed from inside, attempting to break free. The power emanated from within kept increasing, and cold sweat started to form all over his body.

Jack gritted his teeth, focusing all of his attention on his hand. After successfully opening the bottle cap, he hastily drinks all the liquid inside before sitting back in a cross legend position.

He collected himself by controlling his breathing, but it didn't work. The pain continues to flare up inside his heart with no sign of being lessened. It seems that the health potion can't heal this kind of injury.

Amidst the excruciating pain, Jack did not stop thinking of a way out. He tries to recall back all the information related to this matter, whether about gaming, novels, or even science, in a gleam of hope to lessen the pain.

'I think the same situation ever happened in a novel that I have read before. There must be a clue somewhere... Think Jack! Use your imagination.'

A few minutes passed, and Jack's heart grew heavier and heavier until he found a solution.

'Ah- Right! It is a novel about cultivation. I need to cultivate this power and make it mine.'

Jack knows the power that undulating inside him originated from a monster and contains a wild thought. So he needs to make it his own before he can use them. Jack slowly organizes his breath while focusing all of his attention on his heart.

'I will die if this power keeps trapped in my heart. I need to transfer it to every part of my body.'

Jack tried to use his mind to control that power before spreading them throughout his body using blood vessels. With this method, all he needs to do is maintain the flow while the blood slowly distributes the power.

Slowly but sure, the pain lessened. The burning sensation in his heart also decreased, spread through his whole body, made them warm and comfortable.

But the comfort didn't last long. After the power is evenly distributed, Jack could feel every cell in his body is being stabbed by millions of tiny needles. But with that pain, he also could feel that his body was getting stronger. Like his DNA was forcefully being upgraded, or more precisely, evolved.

After a few moments, the pain finally subsided.

Jack lay down his exhausted body while facing the bright sky, his back flooded with sweat. He felt the process lasted for about six hours, but in fact, barely 15 minutes had passed after he allocated his free stats.

Finally, all the pain was gone and only left an overflowing strength that Jack couldn't feel before. With all this power, he could punch through walls or break arm-sized trees with his bare hand. But obviously, he can't do it yet. At least for now.

The grueling process is finally over!

"Now it's time to deduce what really happened back there!"