Chapter 3: The Encounter with Lina

Under the dim sky of the mysterious forest, Shion stood still, staring at a giant tree that looked as if it had grown since the dawn of time. The forest buzzed with strange, eerie sounds, and Shion was still adjusting to this new world. Suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled, and a scream echoed from deep within the trees.

He sprinted toward the source of the sound, his heart racing. He didn't know what he would find, but he felt compelled to act. When he arrived, he saw a young girl with dark brown hair standing on a high rock, surrounded by strange wolves with glowing red eyes.

"You! Run!" Shion yelled, but he quickly realized the girl was doing something unusual. In front of her floated a blue square, similar to the one he had, but it looked slightly different.

"I can't run now!" the girl shouted, her eyes locked onto the square before her.

Shion opened his own square quickly and read through his skill list:

[Skill: "Explosive Storm" available. Duration: 3 minutes. Mana consumption: 30%.]

Without hesitation, he focused his energy and unleashed the skill. A fiery wave erupted, incinerating the wolves around the girl. But the wave wasn't enough as more wolves began emerging from the forest, surrounding them from every direction.

"Do you have any skill that can stop them?" Shion asked as he approached her.

"I'm trying!" the girl said, concentrating on her square.

[Skill: "Crystal Shield" available. Duration: 5 minutes. Mana consumption: 50%.]

"A shield?! Use it now!"

As soon as she activated it, a shimmering, transparent dome appeared around them, blocking the wolves' attacks.

"Finally… Thank you!" the girl said, catching her breath.

The two sat inside the temporary shield, which gave them a moment to talk.

"What's your name?" Shion asked.

"Lina. I've been stuck here for weeks, hiding from the giant dinosaur and these creatures. I didn't expect to find anyone else."

"I'm Shion. I just arrived in this world, but how did you get that blue square?"

Lina looked at him in surprise. "You have one too? The blue square appeared to me a few weeks ago. It said it would help me survive here, but I haven't made much progress because of the monsters' strength."

"It seems like this thing is something we share. Maybe it's the key to understanding this world."

As they spoke, the wolves began emerging from the forest again, surrounding the shield from all sides.

"It seems like this shield won't last much longer," Shion said. Then he looked around, focusing on one idea: duplication.

He gathered a handful of small stones from the ground and smiled softly.

"Do you see these little stones? I have a special ability."

His fingers touched the stones, and in an instant, the small handful became piles of rocks covering the ground. "Don't be surprised just yet; I'm not done."

He doubled the stones again, this time fast enough to create a massive wall around the shield. Using his newly enhanced body, he hurled the large rocks at the wolves, causing a massive collapse that killed most of the surrounding creatures.

"What is this ability?!" Lina asked, astonished.

"My ability allows me to duplicate anything. And this is just a simple demonstration," Shion said with a smile. "But this is only the beginning. What I can do goes far beyond this."

The two exchanged glances, realizing that their partnership might just become legendary.