Lakeside's Experience

Roar! Roar!... The beast roared.

Mark tried to understand their strength but couldn't.

The fight was intense. The beast tricked the woman and attacked her.

He watched, scared, as the woman fell off a cliff. The Lightning Leopard stood still, its lightning fading. With a loud thud, its body dropped to the ground.

'Is that its last move before dying?' Mark wondered, trembling with excitement.

He hesitated, unsure if the Leopard was truly dead. Would finishing it count as defeating a big boss?

Cautiously, he climbed down the tree, clutching his blade tightly.

As he approached, he muttered, "Looks like I struck gold again," feeling elated.

Suddenly, he froze, sensing something watching him. Cold sweat ran down his back.

Turning, he saw a pair of fierce eyes in the forest nearby.

Even activating his Analytic Eye, he couldn't analyze them. They must be ranked as three evolved beasts!

'Why are they here?' he thought, panicked. The creature approached rapidly.

"Run!" he urged himself, fleeing until he reached a cliff, then stopped.

He turned and saw another Lightning Leopard, his partner.

'Did you think I killed the first one?' he realized, feeling guilty.

"Stay back, or I'll attack!" Mark warned.

The Leopard roared, its lightning crackling menacingly.

"Damn it!" Mark cursed, torn between fighting and jumping.

"Roar!" With a final roar, Mark leaped off the cliff.

Pain surged through him as he lost consciousness.

When he woke, he found himself in a lake, surrounded by strange plants.

He struggled to stand, realizing he'd fallen from a greater height, but survived.

Spotting a figure in the water, he approached a woman, injured but beautiful.

He couldn't leave her to be eaten by beasts, so he carried her to safety.

Hungry, he noticed fish in the water and made a makeshift spear to catch them.

Upon diving into the water, Mark felt refreshed. Despite the fast-swimming fish, his reactions were quick enough to spear a few.

He gathered wood, bark, and tinder, swiftly kindling a fire with warrior-like ease.

As the flames grew, he cooked the fish, lamenting the absence of salt but too hungry to care.

"This tastes surprisingly good," he remarked to himself.

Suddenly, the girl woke, eyes widening at the sight of Mark.

In a panic, she thrust her sword at him, narrowly missing.

"Hey, calm down!" Mark dodged, relieved by her injury.

"If I hadn't saved you, you'd be fish food!" he snapped.

Her expression softened, realizing his good intent.

"Do you want to eat?" Mark offered, cooking more fish.

She hesitated, then quietly requested one.

Mark smirked, thinking she'd ignored his earlier offer.

He handed her a cooked fish, and she tentatively took a bite.

"What's your name?" Mark asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Luo Yue," she replied curtly.

'A nice name, but she's so cold,' he thought.

I'm Mark. Are you an official warrior? He inquired, impressed by her strength.

She eyed him warily. "What do you want?"

Confused, Mark stuttered, "I just want to be as strong as you."

She assessed him, then dismissed his chances. "Your aptitude is very bad."

Dismayed, Mark pondered his next move.

As night fell, mosquitoes swarmed, irritating Mark.

Luo Yue threw strange grass into the fire, dispersing the pests with its scent.

While she rested, Mark remembered the prize he had earned for killing the warrior.

He accessed the lottery interface, hoping for a weapon this time.

""Weapons! Weapons!"" Mark exclaimed eagerly as the lottery wheel spun.

His excitement faded as the needle veered towards union coins, a common occurrence that left him disgruntled.

But just as frustration set in, the needle shifted, landing on the grand prize.

"Whoa!" Mark exclaimed in shock.

"Congratulations Master on getting the grand prize – Awe of the Phoenix!" the system announced, its voice sounding oddly pleasing to Mark's ears.

Awe of the Phoenix!? What's this? He wondered aloud.

He was taken aback as a card materialized before him.

"A skill card!?" Mark's eyes widened; only six warriors ranked and above could create such cards.

This one, made of special metal, was thin but icy to the touch. Disappointed that it was only bronze, he soon realized it had the potential to evolve.

'This is a gem ah…' Mark thought, stashing the card away.

Deciding to specialize in spears, he chuckled at Luo Yue's remark.

"What's so funny?" she questioned, her tone cold.

"Did you hear that sound?" Luo Yue asked, her gaze distant.

Listening closely, Mark heard faint footsteps nearby.

"It's an adventure team," Luo Yue explained. Worried about their intentions, she urged, "Leave!"

As they prepared to depart, Mark noticed Luo Yue's inability to move.

"You still can't move?" he asked, lifting her despite her protests.

After a tense encounter with a snake, Mark was handed a sword by Luo Yue, who retorted, "It's the sword."

Understanding her implication, Mark dropped the heavy weapon.

"What material is this made of?" Mark wondered aloud, clicking his tongue. It seemed impossible for the sword to be so sharp unless it was crafted from a special metal from another planet.

Stop talking nonsense. Lay me down and deal with it, Luo Yue commanded coldly.

Quickly obeying, Mark gently laid Luo Yue next to a huge tree before retrieving the heavy long sword from the ground and gripping it tightly with both hands.

This is heavy. How strong are those two small arms of hers? Mark pondered as he struggled with the weight.

"On your left," Luo Yue urgently called out.

Startled, Mark barely had time to react before the red-winged snake charged towards them.

The snake, spitting venom, fixated its red eyes on Mark, appearing eager for a meal.

Swinging the sword with force, Mark attempted to strike the snake, but it swiftly dodged.

"Turn and pierce downwards!" Luo Yue instructed plainly, her brow furrowed.

Following her guidance, Mark adjusted his grip and drove the sword down, impaling the snake in the middle and pinning it to the ground.

The snake writhed and attempted to bite Mark, but its movements were restricted by the sword.

"You are persistent!" Mark exclaimed in relief, addressing the snake.

Just then, the snake's head detached and lunged towards Mark, sinking its fangs into his arm.

Luo Yue couldn't suppress a smile at the scene but quickly composed herself.

"Darn it!" Mark grumbled, removing the snake's head and crushing it underfoot.

"Ding~~"

Congratulations, Master, on killing a rank 2 red-winged snake. You've gained two thousand and five hundred experience points, the system announced.

"You didn't warn me," Mark complained, shooting a glare at Luo Yue. Surely she knew the snake's head could detach!

"You didn't ask," Luo Yue retorted, her tone indifferent.

Muttering under his breath, Mark retrieved the odd crystal from the snake's head.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain where he was bitten, followed by a burning sensation spreading through his body.

"Oh no, the snake's venom!" Mark panicked.

"Cold water over there," Luo Yue suggested, gesturing towards the river.

Rushing to the river, Mark plunged in, feeling immediate relief as the cold water suppressed the burning sensation.

"Oh, it's you," the leader of the group remarked, approaching with his men.

Seeing Luo Yue was injured, Ling grinned, assuming she was defenseless.

"Get lost!" Luo Yue warned, her tone icy.

Unfazed, Ling smirked, "Don't try to scare me, you can't use any force now, can you…"