Chapter 17: Changes

Few hours later

(What....What happened?) I woke up, not being able to lift my eyelids up. I tried several times, until eventually I gained enougth strength to do it.

With my eyes barely open, I began looking around and saw nothing else, but destruction everywhere I looked.

At first I checked the ground, full of burned out black spots and pools of dried up blood. Higher up were collapsed trees, destroyed by Titan Bear.

Then, I focused on the most noticeable thing, my enemy's body, laying there like a huge lifeless rock. Seeing this enormous beast finally dead gave me a feeling of relief.

"I survived." I said it without any happiness in my voice.

I knew that my survival was pretty much pure luck. I wasn't the one that slayed this beast, I was only a spectator.

With all of those thoughts clouding my mind, I mindlessly got off the ground in order to retrieve my lost sword.

I found it near the tree that stopped my flight, and picked it up, before moving towards the bear's head.

After reaching my destination, I stood motionless, staring blankly at my fallen enemy.

It took me some time to wake up from this state, but when I did, I raised my sword with both hands and abruptly swung it down...

*******************

*BANG!*CRIES OF BIRDS!*

Deep in the forest at the outskirts of the Kingdom of Udela, a loud sound rang out. It disturbed the peaceful atmosphere of this place, making every bird in its proximity fly away in fright.

It came from a peculiar clearing that didn't match the forest itself. It was full of tree stumps and one newly cut down tree.

Standing in front of this tree was Alexander, with sword in both of his hands and sweat running down his body.

"Another one bites the dust."

As a way to officially finish my daily training, I checked my system.

[Name: Alexander Lambert

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Health: 100%

Mana: 32%

[Stats]

Strenght J+ (J -> J+)

Resistance J

Dexterity J+ (J -> J+)

Intelligence I- (J -> I-)

Agility J+ (J -> J+)

Constitution J+ (J -> J+)

[Skills]

Talents:

- Basic Swordsmanship Lvl 3 (6 -> B3)

- Basic Marksmanship Lvl 2 (4 -> B2)

- Dagger Proficiency Lvl 4 (1 -> 4)

- Basic Stealth Lvl 1 (5 -> B1)

- Hand to Hand combat Lvl 9 (3 -> 9)

- Pain resistance Lvl 14 (9 -> 14)

- Poison resistance Lvl 3 (1 -> 3)

- Tracking Lvl 7 (2 -> 7)

- Basic Cooking Lvl 5 (5 -> B5)

Magic:

- Earth Magic

-....

- Lightning Magic

-....

Abilities:

- Analysis

- Luck

- KIlling Intent [Inactive/Inmature] (New!!!)

[Inventory]

- Preservation dust (Half)

-.... ]

All of these changes made me recall the past 3 months of my life.

After my fight with Titan Bear and events that transpired there, I knew that I needed to change. So, I devoted myself to fulfilling this goal, abandoning any other thoughts.

In these last 90 days I focused on killing, learning and recovering from the events of that day.

This recovery wasn't only about physical damage, but also about meeting with my 'demon'.

Memories from that day haunted my mind for a long time, at times they even stayed in my brain for couple of days straight. It was like repeating some kind of mantra, but in the procces I learned a lot about myself.

It showed me what I was lacking, the truth hidden deep in my mind that I didn't want to admit. And it made my path moving forward just a little bit clearer.

(Maybe that nightmare was really a blessing in disguise.)

With my thoughts sorted out, I headed to my cave base. (But, can I really call it a cave base at this point?)

Just minutes later, I arrived at the entrance, and what greeted me wasn't the same cave I found the first time.

In front of me stood a sealed stone gate, preventing anyone unwelcome from trespassing.

Seeing it, I smiled, knowing full well that this was just the beginning of the changes.

I used Earth Magic to pry it open, before entering through it and closing it behind me.

On the other side of this gate was a spiral staircase, light up by the torches impaled in rectangular spaces inside the wall.

After arriving at the top, I meet a wood entrance, leading to the true interior of my base.

When I walked past it, I saw my greatest achievement in the past 3 months. My true base, a home that I builded with my own hands.

It has dark wooden floors and walls with dark green accents, with a few exceptions being kitchen and the bathroom. It also has a dome like ceiling with modern lighting all around it.

Starting form the left, I looked at the L shaped kitchen. With wooden cabinets, drawers and stone worktops taking left and back wall of the kitchen. I also added some modern elements, like a stove, a fridge and a sink.

[Reference Images]

On the other hand, right wall of the kitchen had a window looking out at the balcony, with a glass sliding door on the wall next to this window.

[Reference Images]

Opposite the entrance was a living room with my most priced possesion, Titan Bear's texidermed head. It was right above a big TV, making it the first thing you saw when entering my home. Next, we have the rest of the living room, with a fireplace under TV and a small round wooden table in front of it. To top it up, I added a half circle black couch.

[Reference Images]

On the right of the living room was a half wall, separating it from my PC corner. It consisted of a rounded desk occupying the whole corner, a 3 monitors and a comfy gaming chair.

Beside it stood a large, almost empty bookshelf with stairs leading up to my bedroom.

[Reference Images]

Bedroom itself was quite simple, with a king size bed and a rounded window.

[Reference Images]

And last but not least was my next goal, the bathroom. Instead of a typical bathtub, I decided to make a small pool with stone slabs covering the ground and walls around it. Near it, I placed a fully funcinal shower, a sink with a mirror and a hole in the wall leading right to the room with a toilet in it.

[Reference Images]

"Its always amazies me that I was able to create all of this with my magic, and system shop." As it turned out the system shop not only posses items that aid me in battle, but also all sorts of different stuff.

Starting from mana generators that create electricity and water, to materials which I used to build this place.

After undressing, I walked up to the pool and saw my reflection. I don't know exactly why, but in these 3 months I was able to gain a surprising amount of muscles.

(The only reasonable explanation I found was that mana infused bodys must work differently from the ones in my last world.)

I admired myself some more, before entering the hot bath that washed away dirt and stress from my whole body.

Done with my bath, I headed upstairs to my bedroom and laid down, when a sudden wave of melancholy washed all over me.

With it came memories of Oliva, Amelia, Lydia and the time we spent together.

Soon, I realized that I miss them.

"I didn't see them for a long time." I closed my eyes, trying to recall time we spent together.

It didn't take long for those moments to influence my feelings, and with them desire to return quickly followed.

"I spent enough time in this world. Tomorrow, I'm going back."

*******************

Next morning

I appeared in a familiar, yet distant room. It was like coming home, yet it was like a completely unknown space.

"Weird."

I knew that something wasn't right, but I ignored it and moved downstairs.

Halfway through my way towards the main door, I heard a sound, a footstep. It came from the kitchen, so I turned in its direction.

There, I saw Mira staffing a half eaten sandwich into her mouth, but when she noticed me, she swallowed last bits of it, before getting petrified.

I just stared at her, with expressionless face.

Right away, Mira noticed that something was off. This feeling must've made her uncomfortable, because she spoke first.

"He...Hey."

I just glared at her face, ignoring her greeting.

Alter seeing it, Mira wasn't sure how to behave, but still stayed calm, while forcing a nervous smile.

"Is something wrong?"

It was like her question never reached me.

I turned left, and proceeded to leave the house.

When I was reaching for the handle, I got interrupted. Mira slipped right in front of me, blocking the exit.

I thought she wanted to ask more questions, but when I gazed at her face, I saw a shocked expression.

"What happened to your eyes?"

"I had enough of you. Get out of the way!"

I didn't know why her words iritated me, but I grabbed her shoulder, before pushing her away and finally leaving.

Soon, I walked forward, without any specific goal in mind. My head was empty, deprived of everything.

I just moved, no feelings, no thoughs, nothing.

I wandered through various streets, while passing by different types of places, shops, restaurants, even a red light district.

It took a couple of hours, before I run across a familiar place. Seeing it born an idea, something I missed throughout my whole walk.

(Park?) It was the same park from my last escapade.

I focused my vision on this place, and heard glass shattering, before I felt like something inside my mind cracked.

"Is everything alright?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out behind my back, and with it came a hand that gently touched my shoulder.

My first reaction was to turn around, and grab that person by the throat, choking him out.

In that moment, I realized what I was doing, and I wasn't only taking about choking a person.

I took a deep breath, and finally woke up from the this numbless state.

With my mind no longer covered by fog, I looked at the person I grabbed by the throat.

Unfortunately, what I got in return had me wondering it that fog really disappeared.