Tier 1 Gate (3)

Lanz woke stiff, his back sore from the rock he'd been leaning against. His mouth felt dry, tongue stuck to the roof, and the muscles in his arms ached from yesterday's fights. He rubbed at his eyes, stretched out his legs, and adjusted the strap of the satchel that had tried to strangle him in his sleep.

The forest didn't look much different. Maybe a little brighter, maybe not. He kept moving, aiming for the stream. Water first, then more hunting. His EXP was sitting at thirty-nine. 'I just need a couple more.'

At the distance, he saw a pack of those boars he fought last night. "Yup! That area is theirs," he muttered with a look of concern.

As he stepped over a root and neared the bank, he slowed.

Two fangwolves were already there.

One crouched at the edge of the stream, head down as it drank. The other stood close by, not drinking, just watching. It hadn't seen him yet, or if it had, it didn't react.

He dropped into a crouch and moved slowly around the undergrowth until he found another spot along the stream a few meters down. He filled his flask without taking his eyes off them, then took a quick sip. The water was cool and tasted slightly metallic, but it settled the dryness in his throat.

For a second, he thought he'd get away with it.

Then one of the wolves let out a low growl.

By the time he stood up and turned, they were already on the move. One shifted left while the other crept right, both keeping distance but closing in.

"While drinking is crazy, you know," he said to the Fangwolves. But there were no response, well duh.

The one on the right darted forward, then back again, its eyes fixed on his legs. The left one crouched, then sprang forward. Lanz tried to step back, but not fast enough — teeth scraped along his shin, just deep enough to draw blood and knock him slightly off balance.

He caught himself with one hand against a boulder and hissed through his teeth. "It's too early for this sh*t."

The two wolves paused again, reassessing. They'd seen he could move. But they'd also seen blood.

Lanz let his shoulders slump just slightly, let his dagger hand fall low, and pretended to shift his weight awkwardly. He didn't fake limping, but he let his stance look lazy.

The right one took the bait.

It lunged again, mouth open wide, teeth gleaming.

Lanz sidestepped fast and snatched a loose branch from the ground. As the fangwolf pounced, he shoved the stick under its paws. It tripped, stumbled forward into his space, and he met it halfway with a clean, upward stab through the throat.

The beast let out a strangled yelp and dropped.

The second fangwolf didn't move at first. Its eyes narrowed, its body tensed. But after a long second, it turned and disappeared into the brush without making a sound.

Lanz didn't chase it.

He dropped to one knee, wiped the blood off his dagger against a patch of moss, and ran a hand along the bite on his shin.

Then the system pinged:

[ENEMY DEFEATED – EXP GAINED: +10]

[EXP TOTAL: 49 / 50]

He blinked, leaned back against the nearest tree, and groaned into his sleeve.

"One more point."

He resecured the flask, tightened the makeshift bandage on his arm, and stood back up.

Lanz kept moving, one hand brushing aside hanging vines while the other adjusted the strap of the satchel digging into his shoulder. The faint ache in his bitten leg had dulled into a tight pull with every step, but he pushed through.

The boulder he had seen near the edge of the camp's territory, visible from the stream last night, had stuck in his head. It was massive, logged near a tree that's asking to be pushed. If things went the way he imagined, it might be the key to pulling off something bold.

He reached the base of the slope and began hiking toward the hill's crest. But before he could even reach halfway—

A shadow passed overhead.

He ducked instinctively, and a gust of wind blasted his hood sideways. A screech followed, sharp and angry. Lanz twisted around, eyes catching a Needleback Vulture, like the one before, it swooped down from the trees.

"Really? Now?" he hissed, already drawing his daggers.

The vulture dove, claws extended toward his face. He crouched and slashed, but the bird flared its wings, caught the updraft, and pulled out of reach just in time. It circled back into the branches above, out of sight.

He didn't get time to reset.

A loud snort came from the bush ahead, followed by a violent crash. A Spiked Boar tore out of the undergrowth, eyes locked on him, tusks gleaming in the filtered daylight.

Lanz didn't try to fight it head-on. He turned and bolted, keeping low as the boar thundered behind him. The terrain sloped downward, and he let it carry him into a stumble. Dirt kicked up around his boots as he tumbled, twisted, and landed in a crouch behind a thick wall of tree roots just as the boar skidded down after him.

He stepped aside at the last moment. The beast crashed into the roots, dazed, but not out.

Then came the second shadow.

The vulture dropped from his left this time, wings spread wide, claws ready to dig in. It wasn't trying to kill him, instead, it was trying to lift him. But Lanz wasn't interested in going airborne.

He moved quickly, positioning himself beside the stunned boar. He waited just long enough for the vulture to commit to the dive, then took a sidestep and ducked.

The vulture slammed into the boar's ass just as the beast reared in confusion. He heard a bone crunched, and saw wings bent at the wrong angles.

The boar stumbled, disoriented.

Lanz didn't give it a second chance.

He surged forward, both daggers and basic sword up, and drove them down hard into the top of its skull. Once, twice, again. The hide was thick, but the blades bit deeper with every strike until the resistance stopped. The boar slumped to the side, lifeless.

Lanz didn't smile, but his grip on the dagger tightened with quiet satisfaction. 'Let's f*cking go!' he exclaimed in his thoughts.

Lanz pulled his dagger and sword out of the boar's skull and wiped the blade on the grass. A familiar chime rang out inside his head, and this time, it didn't make him flinch.

[ENEMIES DEFEATED – EXP GAINED: +7]

[LEVEL UP! – Level 6 Achieved]

[NEW UNLOCK: Skill Upgrade Token Received]

[EXP: 6 / 60]

The moment it hit, his body felt lighter. Not in a dramatic, magic-surge kind of way—just a small shift. Less ache in the arms, less tension in the legs. So yeah, maybe one could say in a "magic" sort of way.

He opened the stat menu, eyes landing on the blinking icon for the Skill Upgrade Token. Feint Step was right there, waiting. One tap was all he was needed to boost it.

"Not yet. I'll need it more when the camp fight starts," he muttered, closing the window.

Instead, he scrolled to the stat section. Three free points were lined up, and the temptation to slap them into strength was strong. But he stared a little longer.

"…Let's go with Intelligence!" he said, thumbing in all three.

As soon as he confirmed, the system flickered. A new meter popped into place below his stats:

[MANA: 15 / 15]

Lanz blinked at it, surprised.

"So, five mana per point. That's cool I guess, would've been better if it was more, but I don't care, I appreciate you already, System-Chwan," he said, rubbing his chin.

No immediate use for it yet, but the system wouldn't give him mana for no reason. He'd figure it out later.

For now, he took one last glance down the path, already thinking about the boulder and the goblin firelight beyond it.

He returned near the camp to where he was scouting before, the firelight from the goblin camp flickered below, dancing across the tents and bone-framed shelters like a warning sign that never turned off.

Lanz crouched low behind the same bush and peered through. The camp was busy in a messy kind of way. Some goblins were wide awake, sharpening weapons or kicking at each other over food scraps. Others had clearly given up on the day, lying sprawled around the fire, limbs tangled and bellies rising and falling in uneven rhythm.

The scent from up here was faint, but it still carried smoke, burnt meat, and something that reminded him of wet dog and spilled liquor.

He focused on the movement. Patrols were still making rounds, but slower now. Less tight in their rotations. One nearly walked into another, and neither seemed to notice.

His gaze drifted to the far side of the camp. The same boulder he'd seen earlier sat there, half-covered by moss, its surface sharp and slightly tilted. Close by, the stream curved behind the camp's edge. It wasn't deep, but it was narrow in places, tight enough to force anyone through a single file.

Lanz watched for a while longer. Each time a goblin walked past the stream, a few pieces fell into place. His thoughts sharpened.

He adjusted the strap on his cloak and slowly stood from the brush, keeping low as he backed away from the ridge.

"Tomorrow night," he said, quiet but certain. "It will be quite an explosive event."

End of Chapter 9.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 6

EXP: 6 / 60

Next Unlock: Skill Slot Unlock + Bonus Feature (Level 7)

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 4 | AGI: 4 | VIT: 3 | DEX: 1 | INT: 3 (NEW) | WIS: 0

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[New Derived Stat — MANA: 15 / 15]

Skills:

[Basic Footwork Lv.2]

[Blade Control Lv.1]

[Parry Timing Lv.1]

[Feint Step Lv.1] (Active Skill)

[Reflex Sync Lv.1] (Passive Skill)

[Combat Awareness Lv.1] (Passive Skill)

[Skill Upgrade Token Available]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Goblin Dagger (Looted – Rusted, Jagged, Minor Bonus to DEX when equipped)

Spiked Boar Tusk Shard (Trophy Item – No bonus, kept as memento) (NEW)

Lightweight Chest Padding

Boots of Basic Mobility

Fingerless Gloves (Basic)

Starter Cloak: Faded Black

Training Ring (+1 VIT)