Vol. 2 Ch. 4: A .md file

Author's Note:
Recurring Characters:
Peter: The protagonist of this novel. 

Mariah: Mother of the Protagonist.

Edited and Proofread by Snazzycub.
---
Peter carefully observed her actions and smiled. Even though she hadn’t spoken a single word so far, she was slowly showing signs of recovery. Being able to eat on her own was one such sign.

Peter focused on her and pulled her status using his inspect skill. A blue transparent window manifested in front of him.

[

Inspect...

Name: Mariah
.

.

.

Status: Mental Trauma lv.3 Mental Corruption lv.5

]

Peter nodded, noting the lack of a soul injury in her status. “The soul is the mana furnace. If the mortal body can have self-healing capabilities, why can’t the soul?” he said, rubbing his chin. Waving the window away, Peter studied his mother intently.

She stopped eating and stared back at him after feeling his gaze. She tilted her head, raised her hand, and offered the half-eaten jerky to her son. Her eyes showed signs of intelligence, unlike the hollowness from the previous morning.

Peter shook his head, “I’m full. You eat.”

Mariah stared for a few more seconds before giving him a curt nod. She slowly brought the jerky to her lips and began nibbling on it again. Giving her a final look, Peter opened his IDE.

He created a new empty file named ”Priorities”. Putting the cursor on a new line, he started to write.

[

TO DO list:

Top priority – heal mother

Possible Solutions:

• Summon an entity capable of healing her – Failure due to -500 karma and Deathknell.

• Create a skill capable of healing her

  • Possible skills

    • Skills related to Avaris—Creating such a skill might earn the attention or worse, the wrath of the Goddess.

    • Mental Manipulation—it could help heal her, but might require a high level and a lot of practice.

    • Healing skills that use mana as fuel—make sure to search for an ideal skill in the skill library

    • Create an area of effect healing and defensive skill that can expand the effects of Undying Vitality and defensive skills beyond myself.

]

“I need to cover my weaknesses,” Peter mumbled, remembering the scenes from the cursed night. “I need to get my hands on magical knowledge as soon as we reach the city. This cannot be delayed any longer,” he whispered, his eyes filled with regret.

[

Secondary Priorities:

• Create a magic skill

]

He looked at the window, briefly considering what else he might need. “A communication skill would be great too,” he said, writing it down.

[

2. A communication skill—A fully end-to-end encrypted mode of communication using mana.

]

‘Now that I think about it, a skill that can intercept communication signals will be a good addition as well. It can help with information gathering and sabotage.’ Peter thought, his eyes shining with excitement.

[

3. A communication intercepting and sabotage-capable skill.

]

“Mana sense is great, but it is no replacement for a true sight skill,” Peter said, looking at his skill window. “It lacks range and provides too much sensory information.”

[

4. A sight skill—a multipurpose sight skill that could be a combined version of night vision, heat vision, far-sight and a few other sight skills.

]

“I need to get a movement skill. I can’t just keep relying on mana reinforcement. It is a massive waste of resources,” Peter grumbled, looking at his legs. “A stealth skill would be good too—a group stealth skill, even,” he added, glancing at Mariah.

[

• A movement skill

• A stealth skill

]

Peter nodded in satisfaction, looking at his latest TO DO list before closing the skill window. He changed his posture and observed the animals. The horses were tied to a wooden pole near the carriages beside the sheep. Once in a while, they would lean down to lick the morning dew from the grass.

“I need to find a stream as soon as possible,” Peter said, his voice low. His gaze lingered on the horses, his lips pressed into a thin line. He sighed, ‘Sheep can survive without drinking water for a few days, but horses need it daily. Green grass and morning dew can only do so much.’

Peter strolled to the last carriage. The hens were safely kept in a cage inside it, in the right corner. Five wooden barrels filled with water occupied the rest of the carriage. Peter climbed inside from the back and started to shake the barrels. Each of them was big enough to store a hundred litres of water without leaking. Two were already empty, one was half-full, and the rest were filled to the brim.

“This’ll only last them a day or two at max,” Peter muttered. He crouched and grasped the half-empty barrel. With a grunt, he heaved it up, muscles flexed, and legs steady under the weight. Step by careful step, he made his way to the back of the wagon before hopping down. Water sloshed violently inside the barrel, but none spilt.

Peter exhaled, ‘Forty-five strength and fifteen dexterity—no joke.’ He carried the barrel to the horses and put it down. Opening it, he carefully distributed the water equally among them. He left them to graze and carried both of the sheep to the third carriage.

The carriage was half-filled with more water barrels. All of them were reserved for the sheep. The remaining area was for them, along with the newly cut grass as their rations during the journey. Both of the carriages were tied to the leading one in a straight line.

The horses were tasked to pull all three carriages together. The front carriage had things like clothes, utensils, food items, weapons and space for Mariah to rest. During the journey, Peter would drive and Mariah would sit behind him.

During the night, he would park the carriages in a circle, keeping Mariah and the animals inside it near the campfire. He would keep watch at night, relying on his skills. His eyes showed no signs of fatigue, but he hadn’t rested them once since the journey began.

While Peter was preparing for the journey, a presence entered the range of his mana sense. He narrowed his eyes and looked to the left side of the road. Running to the front carriage, Peter quickly grabbed a spear and surged forward to meet the presence. He wouldn’t allow it to approach the road.

On Peter’s command, Deathknell separated from his shadow and glided across the ground. It melted into the front carriage’s shadow to safeguard the others in his absence.

‘It has been a few days, and almost all of my stats have been assimilated. Let’s see what I can do now, without relying on mana reinforcement.’ Peter decided, a predatory smile on his face.

He entered the forest after circling a large tree. The ground shook beneath his feet, disturbing the twigs and dry leaves. The vibrations steadily increased in intensity as the unidentified creature approached. It was already within the range of mana sense, so Peter knew exactly where to look.

It emerged from a large shrub, finally revealing itself. At once, they locked eyes. It stood at a good height of six feet. With a beak larger than Peter’s head, the bird looked at Peter with predatory eyes.

Peter had never seen a creature like this before, but he’d heard rumours about them. A wild one, at that. While Peter was busy admiring the monstrous bird, it took a step forward. The snap of a branch breaking under its weight awoke Peter from his admiration. It raised its head to let out a shriek sharp enough to disturb the camp behind Peter.

Peter frowned, tightening his hold on the spear. The terror bird tilted its head, studying him from where it stood. Peter decided that if it showed any sign of approaching, he would have to kill it. The bird looked past him, its gaze settling on the horses in the camp.

Turning toward Peter, it let out another shriek. Its short wings spread wide in apparent excitement. It moved toward the camp, its powerful legs pushing forward with ease.

“No, you don’t.” Peter barked, his jaw clenched. He aimed his spear forward and raced to block its path. Gaining momentum with steps lighter than feathers, Peter met the bird in the middle. The bird stopped a few steps away from him and squawked in protest.

It inflated its lungs and spread its wings wide. Peter guessed that it was an effort to appear more intimidating. When that didn’t work, it surged forward with its beak wide open to bite him in a fit of rage and arrogance. Peter welcomed the assault with a smile.

Peter was agile enough to lunge to the side, and he counterattacked. He stepped forward, his spear slicing through the air, raised to point at its looming figure. The tip of the spear easily entered the open beak of the bird and dug into its tongue. The bird withdrew, squeaking with pain and anger.

Peter followed, spinning the spear in a full circle before aiming at its chest. The bird jumped to dodge the attack in a surprising show of agility and pure leg strength. The jump was higher than its body length. Peter watched as it opened its left talon, eight inches long with sharp nails, and aimed it at him as it came down.

‘Not head-on,’ Peter thought instantly, sliding to the side to dodge. The bird was bigger and stronger. Besides Weapon Mastery, he was only relying on his stats. He could heal, but he hated the pain.

Before the bird could turn to attack again, Peter thrust his spear in a precision strike aimed at its left wing, drawing blood. Weapons Mastery worked wonders. Despite never using a spear before, the skill gave him similar proficiency with the spear that he had with the sword. The skill provided him with multiple avenues of attack.

Peter found it much easier to control the flow of battle with the spear’s length. He retreated a few steps and fired a quick Inspect at the creature. He decided to take his time with this one.

[

Inspect...

Species: Terror Bird

Level: 32

Health: 476/530

]

‘More mana would have revealed a more detailed overview, but I don’t need it right now,’ Peter mused, watching fresh blood paint its feathers. The bird squealed from the pain, tormented by the wound he inflicted. The wound knitted itself, bit by bit. Peter stared at the process with fascination, ‘It’s like time flowing backwards.’

Once the wound disappeared completely, the bird narrowed its beady eyes at him. It turned around to face him, rushed forward, and reared its head back to slam its triangular-shaped beak at him in a vicious peck.

Peter dodged to the side, retaliating with a precise thrust to the chest. From this distance, the strength of the thrust allowed his spear to easily slide inside and damage its lungs. He struggled to pull the weapon back out, finding it stuck between the bird’s ribcage.

Peter yelped, letting go of the spear to dodge when the bird kicked at him. Rolling to the side, he dodged a peck from the bird. Peter smiled, creating some distance between them. He breathed evenly, not a single drop of sweat on his body. His eyes followed the bird as it circled him.

‘It’s mad,’ Peter noted, looking at its face before glancing at the spear lodged in its chest. He exhaled and released the hold on his mana. With his will, he guided it to Weapons Mastery. The skill understood his desire, switched its focus from spear to body, and reinforced him. Mana flowed into every inch of his flesh—his skin hardened, muscles tightened, bones toughened.

Peter leaned forward, his lips closed in an icy smile, his boots dug into the earth. He rushed toward the bird, fist clenched in anticipation.

...End of Chapter...

This was just using the IDE, similar to a notepad, to organise thoughts, in case someone is wondering. We will explore skill making, don't worry. 

If you notice any errors, please kindly point them out to me fix them.