Preparation Before the Journey

Days slipped by quietly, one after another, marked only by the shifting light through the thick canopy and the steady rhythm of the waterfall's thunder behind Ren's camp. Despite the steady pull of the glowing path beneath his feet—the one that Seraphina had traced all the way toward Newvale—Ren did not move.

He could have left at any moment. The way was clear, the destination marked. Yet something inside held him back—an uneasy stillness, a quiet warning that whispered beneath the surface of his thoughts:

You're not ready yet.

So he stayed.

Not out of fear. Not out of hesitation. But because the wild around him called for more than mere survival. It demanded mastery, a deeper understanding of the world and himself before he could face what waited beyond these woods.

The clearing near the waterfall became more than just a camp. It grew into a training ground, a forge for his growing strength and skill. The roar of the falls filled the air, steady and unrelenting, like the heartbeat of the forest itself. Here, Ren trained not just to live—but to thrive.

Between towering trees, he carved a path for his Dash skill—a narrow slalom course he sprinted again and again. At first, bursts of speed sent him careening into bark and branches, bruising his arms and scraping his ribs. But every stumble refined his movement, taught him how to bend his body to the skill's raw power. His progress was tangible. Dash now stood at level 4.

He moved next to magic.

His fingers traced circles in the air, gathering the elements like threads of power.

Water Ball shimmered to life first—an orb condensed above his palm, sparkling droplets suspended within. He aimed it at a mossy stump and released. The splash and spray became his rhythm, each cast refining the spell's velocity and form.

Wind Cutter followed—sharper, faster. A blade of invisible air sliced through branches, severing leaves mid-flight. He learned the twitch of the wrist, the breath timing, the whisper of control.

Earth Stone proved rougher. It required more than mana—it required will. His fingers dug into the soil, calling forth jagged spears from the ground. Crude, but deadly. When he struck a fallen log and split it in two, he smiled faintly.

Then came Lightning Ball—raw, unstable. Sparks danced up his arm as the orb took shape, buzzing like a caged storm. He hurled it too soon once, and it exploded prematurely, singing his sleeve. But each retry brought better control, better arcs, less feedback.

And then—

He unlocked Fireball.

At first, it was nothing more than a flickering ember in his palm. But it responded to his intent. With practice, it grew—a small, roiling sphere of flame, dense with heat and hunger. When he flung it at a dead tree, it struck with a burst of flame and an echoing boom that sent birds scattering from the treetops.

He trained it again. And again.

A charred ring of impact scars began to form at the far end of the training clearing.

"Seraphina," he muttered one morning, brushing soot from his fingers, "you think this fireball's big enough to cook something?"

"It could incinerate your dinner before it hits the plate," she answered drily.

"Perfect. Saves on prep time."

He laughed—and fired again.

Fireball – Level 2.

More stable. More destructive. The flame's inner core now pulsed with a second layer of red—a sign of compression, she explained. A sign of mastery.

But it wasn't just about casting spells.

Ren used Analyze almost obsessively.

At dawn, he crept through tall grass toward a clearing where a pack of fang lizards rested beneath the sun. He whispered the command.

[Analyze – Target: Fang Lizard]Tier 1 Beast – AgileHP: 64/64Weaknesses: Fire, Spinal StrikesVenom Glands: ActiveBehavior: Solitary unless provokedDrop Rate: 22% for Fanged Venom Sac

A second later, a blue overlay pulsed across his vision, highlighting the weak points in red. He watched its movement patterns, its weight distribution, its turning speed.

The more he observed, the more the Encyclopedia filled in.

When he finally attacked, it wasn't a scramble. It was a textbook takedown—Fireball to the ribs, Twin Slash to the neck. Done before the lizard could scream.

He knelt, studying the smoldering corpse, and muttered, "You learn more from every fight than every book I ever read."

"Experience is the curriculum," Seraphina noted.

The Encyclopedia grew rapidly, now holding full categories on:

— Creatures— Herbs, minerals, and volatile reagents— Terrain notes on root-burrowed wetlands and volcanic plains— Tools and traps, each annotated with tips he learned the hard way— Locked lore entries, shimmering faintly beneath system seals

Fireball's burn radius was added. Analyze's retention memory was extended. Even the way the encyclopedia displayed entries had shifted—now showing combat simulations based on Ren's fighting style.

He had become a scientist of survival. A scholar of battle.

And still—more creatures came.

The worst of them was the night the Thornhide Warg entered his territory.

The beast towered above wolves, its hide covered in armored brambles, yellow eyes glowing faintly.

Ren didn't run.

He watched. Analyzed.

[Analyze – Target: Thornhide Warg]Tier 2 Beast – Armored VariantHP: 480/480Resistances: Piercing, EarthWeaknesses: Fire, Underjaw, Rear LegsAbility: Thorn Burst (Area of Effect)Aggression Level: 92%Drop: Thornhide Pelt (Rare), Warg Core

"Alright," Ren muttered, fireball forming above his palm, "let's test theory."

He circled wide. The Warg lunged.

He dashed—narrowly evading—and slung a Fireball toward its rear legs.

Impact. Burn. The beast howled.

Then he hurled another, followed by a Water Ball to the eyes. Steam erupted in a hiss of rage.

Wind Cutter tore across its face.

He lunged, enchanted daggers flashing, and drove a Twin Slash into the exposed underjaw.

The beast collapsed after a final scream. Its brambles smoked. Its fur smoldered.

Ren stood over it, breathing hard.

[Thornhide Warg Defeated. EXP Gained.][Level Up x2 – Attributes +10 | SP +500][Skills Improved:]— Fireball → Level 3— Analyze → Level 5— Dash → Level 5— Water Ball → Level 4— Wind Cutter → Level 6

He wiped his blade clean.

"…I'm not the same guy who arrived here," he whispered to no one.

But Seraphina answered anyway.

"No. You are evolving."

That night, as stars drifted over the canopy, Ren sat beside the fire with the glowing interface of the Encyclopedia floating in front of him.

He pulled up his profile:

Ren – Classless | Explorer Rank D

Primary Skills— Fireball: Level 3— Water Ball: Level 4— Wind Cutter: Level 6— Earth Stone: Level 4— Lightning Ball: Level 2— Analyze: Level 5— Dash: Level 5— Twin Slash: Level 7— Weapon Enchantment: Level 3— Search: Level 5

Passive Enhancements— Magic Affinity— Magic Mind— Tactical Awareness (gained through Analyze usage)

His eyes lingered on the path Seraphina had drawn.

A golden thread of light shimmered faintly at the far end of the forest, still waiting.

But for the first time, he didn't feel like a runaway clinging to stolen tools.

He felt like a force.

"I'm ready," he said quietly.

Seraphina didn't answer. She didn't need to.

Tomorrow, he would walk the path.

And this time… the world would be the one unprepared for him.