A Good Meal

After acquiring some new clothes from an unattended washing line, which fit his now leaner frame much better than his previous rags, Vell found a relatively quiet park. 

He sat down, leaning against the smooth bark of a tree. He watched children chase each other near a fountain, their laughter a distant, cheerful sound. Birds fluttered between branches overhead. With his enhanced senses, the subtle rustling of leaves and the warmth of the afternoon sun on his skin felt more vivid than he remembered anything feeling for a very long time.

He had taken a moment to quickly wash himself at a public water tap before changing, removing the worst of the grime from the dumpster and the street. He still felt a bit out of place, but at least he no longer smelled like a refuse collection.

A black rectangular screen materialized in his vision. He had become accustomed to its presence.

[Name: Vell] 

[Level: 1 (Newly Awakened)] 

[Title: None] 

[Class: Beast Forger (Dormant)] 

[Mana Cores: 3 (Stable)] 

[Strength: F+] 

[Agility: F+] 

[Stamina: F+] 

[Mana: D-] 

[Skills: Beast Forge (System Interface), Evolution Forge (Rank 1 - Limited to targets weaker than or equal to user level)] 

[Beasts: None] 

[Credits: 0]

He looked at the 'Credits: 0' line with a neutral expression. 

'That will need to change,' he thought. 

After a few moments of observing the peaceful park scene, he finally spoke to the system. "So, your primary function is beast taming, then?"

[Yes, that is my main specialty, master.]

"Beast taming," he repeated, his voice quiet. "I will admit, I am a little disappointed. I was hoping for something more offensively direct. However, I suppose it could still be a very useful ability if you can tame genuinely strong monsters." He remembered the E-rank monster Kana had fought; taming something like that would certainly be advantageous.

[Allow me to elaborate, master. My main function is indeed taming, but I possess several sub-skills that stem from this core ability. One such skill is the Evolution Forge. This skill allows for the evolution of any beast or monster into a stronger version of itself. I have many other functions, but for the present, you can only utilize the Evolution Forge, and even its use is currently limited to monsters that are weaker than you or of approximately the same level.]

He considered this. "Hmm, that is actually not bad at all. Evolving creatures could be quite powerful." He paused. "I would like to head straight for a dungeon to test this, but I suspect that is not how these things typically work for someone at level one with no equipment or local knowledge. Perhaps I should go to that Player association building I have heard people talk about. It is usually in the larger cities, is it not?"

[The regional Player Association headquarters is indeed the best and safest location for a newly awakened individual in this region. However, it is quite far from our current position. How do you intend to get there?]

"What do you mean how?" He asked, a slight upward quirk to his lips. "I will run, obviously."

[You are going to run approximately 120 Miles?] The system's text seemed to convey a hint of digital surprise.

"Yes," he confirmed, pushing himself up from the base of the tree. "This will be a good opportunity to test my new capabilities. I am feeling restless just sitting here. There is so much power flowing through me, and I feel an urge to expend it immediately. But I should exercise some patience. First, I need to find something to eat. A proper meal." His stomach chose that moment to rumble audibly, reinforcing his point. He had no money, which was a familiar problem.

After a moment of thought, he headed towards a commercial street.

He located a small mini-market. He entered and ordered fried chips, two small sugary drinks, and a large sausage roll from the counter. 

A young woman with a bright, friendly smile served him. "Here you go, sir. We added a little extra for you; we appreciate you supporting our small business." 

He looked at her, then managed a slight, stiff smile in return. "Thank you. By the way, do you happen to have any beef pies?" 

"Let me check that for you right away!" she said, her smile unwavering as she hurried to the back of the store. 

A few minutes later, she returned with an assortment of pies for him to choose from, but Vell was no longer in the shop. 

"Sir?" Her smile faltered as she looked around. Realizing he had vanished, she gave a nervous laugh. "A thief… a really handsome thief, though… Oh no, I am going to get fired for this…" Tears welled in her eyes, but her distress would not change the situation.

Vell was already well outside the town, sprinting along the main road at a speed that would have been impossible for him just days before. He felt remarkably light, almost as if he were floating. Each step covered a greater distance than any unenhanced human could manage. The power in his legs, augmented by his mana, propelled him forward with increasing speed.

[If you continue to expend your mana at that rate, you will run out before you are even halfway to your destination.] 

"Is that so?" He replied, a hint of challenge in his tone. "Would you care to make a wager on that?" 

The system did not respond immediately. It seemed to understand that betting against someone who had demonstrated his level of willpower during the forced awakening might be unwise. 

After just one hour, he had covered more than 30 miles. He was not tired, nor did his mana reserves feel significantly depleted.

[Your mana utilization is unexpectedly efficient for a novice. Most newly awakened individuals take weeks, or even months, to learn how to enhance their bodies with mana so effectively. You are doing it as if you have done it before. It appears to be as natural to you as drinking water.]

'Perhaps I was a genius all along and just never had the right tools,' he thought with a touch of dry amusement. He knew the system had called him stupid before.

"Okay, this spot should be fine for a break," he said aloud, veering off the road towards a large, collapsed skyscraper that was a relic of some past monster attack. He found a relatively sheltered corner inside the ruin. Sitting down, he began to eat the food he had acquired. 

His expression was a mixture of simple enjoyment and a strange, distant sadness. It was as if he was on the verge of tears but also simultaneously overjoyed; his taste buds had not experienced anything this flavorful in many months. He consumed the food quickly, finishing everything in less than five minutes. Feeling full, he soon became sleepy.

"Ahh, that was so good," he murmured. "Now I think I need to nap for a bit. One cannot run effectively on a full stomach, after all."

[Is it not usually the other way around?] the system inquired. [And are you certain that sleeping out here in an unsecured ruin is a good idea?]

"It is fine," he said, already settling down. "I will only sleep for about an hour, I prom—" He trailed off, his breathing evening out as he quickly fell asleep. 

His promised nap of one hour stretched into five. As he shifted in his sleep, his enhanced hearing picked up the faint sound of whispers approaching. The voices drew closer, but he remained still, feigning sleep.

"Boss, are you sure this is a good idea?" a gruff voice whispered. The man sounded nervous. Vell could hear the metallic click of a weapon being handled.

Beside him, another person, presumably the leader, replied in a lower tone. This one was a tall, thin man with spiky hair, holding a weapon that looked like it had been haphazardly modified.

"Shut up, or you will wake him, you idiot," the leader hissed. "Just go over there and choke him quietly or something. We cannot afford to waste bullets right now." 

The larger man, who had a prominent scar across his face and was clutching a large, old-fashioned firearm, nodded. He moved cautiously toward Vell, stretching out a hand to grab his neck. 

His attempt backfired spectacularly. Vell moved with sudden speed, shooting up from his resting position and delivering a precise double kick to the man's face. The force of the impact sent the large man crashing heavily to the ground, groaning in pain.

Vell yawned, stretching his arms and legs as if he were merely waking from an ordinary nap. He ignored the stunned leader for a moment and glanced outside. He noticed it was already dark. 

"Crap," he muttered. "I slept for too long. Now I will have to run during the night." 

His gaze then shifted back to the leader. He walked toward him with a completely blank expression. 

"You know," he began, his voice calm, "there is one thing that annoys me more than almost anything else—" 

The leader interrupted him by firing his strange weapon, which discharged a bolt of crackling energy. Vell sidestepped the projectile with ease. Before the leader could react or fire again, Vell was standing directly in front of him, staring into his eyes with a cold, piercing gaze that made the man flinch.

"As I was saying," he continued, his tone unchanged, "I truly dislike being woken up from my sleep. Could you not have been polite and simply waited until I woke up naturally?" 

The leader began to shake. Unlike Vell, he was just an ordinary person, likely a scavenger or opportunistic thief, trying to survive in a harsh, unforgiving world. 

"We are… we are sorry?" the leader stammered, his bravado gone. 

But that did not change the fact that they had disturbed his nap. Vell allowed a small smirk to touch his lips. He grabbed the leader's face with one hand, lifted him a few inches off the ground, and then casually tossed him across the room. The leader landed in a heap near his fallen subordinate.

"B-Boss!" the big man managed to gasp, attempting to rise and prove his loyalty, or perhaps just foolishness. He lunged towards Vell. 

This time, he ensured the man would not get up again by delivering a swift, hard kick to his groin. The man collapsed, making a strangled sound. 

"Haah," he sighed, looking at the two incapacitated men. "I do not have time for this sort of interruption." He then noticed a small pouch tied to the leader's belt. "I wonder." 

A few minutes later, the ruined skyscraper was far behind him. He was once again running, and in his hand, he now held a small pouch containing two hundred credits. 

'Well,' he thought, 'at least the nap wasn't a total waste of time. And it seems politeness really doesn't pay.'