First encounter

[10:58]

Delvin was walking at a brisk pace with a look of irritation on his face; hanging vines and large shrubbery had made him switch paths three times already.

His rugged spear made for little assistance in cutting down the overgrown forest's many obstacles so Delvin decided to place it in his inventory.

So far he hadn't encountered any living beings apart from plant life, a fact that slightly worried him.

"Where are the forest critters and insects. Are they hiding because the mana wave will hit soon?" Delvin wondered while he swung himself of a tree branch onto the floor, finishing with a somersault.

The effects of Delvin's Android Physique were showing for the past half hour. The added flexibility made him dip and dive through the forest as he moved around like a professional gymnast.

Del also noticed his Stamina bar wasn't dropping even though he was moving around the forest like some monkey; another perk of the Android Physique skill.

His view was filled with a cacophony of pale-blue coloured rectangles due to using Inspect without pause.

< Fagus Caerulea (C) >

< Shocking Poke (U) >

< Triccoil (U) >

The only information he received from Inspecting the various plants was their names.

"Why isn't it revealing anything?" Del paused for a second because he wanted to try something

"I've gotten Inspect because of my action, so maybe," He leaned forward, his hand plucking the flower out of the ground. "I just have to follow some set of actions before-" His thoughts were stopped by a pleasant sound.

"Bingo"

*DING*

[Due to your actions of observing a multitude of plants, flowers and herbs you have been awarded the skill Collect Herb (C)]

< Collect Herb > (Common, Tier 0)

Effect: Grants the user knowledge of various herbs and allows precise identification of many Common herbs. Recognise herbs at a glance. Herb collection speed +5%

Cost: Stamina/Mana

A myriad of natural treasures come in the form of natural herbs, use this skill well and you might just end up finding one or two.

Level 1/5

---

Delvin's theory regarding skills was some-what confirmed. Doing certain actions over time will result in the system quantifying your effort in the form of a skill.

He figured this method of discovering and unlocking skills would only work for lower-rarity ones as unlocking an android physique didn't seem possible by simple repeating a certain set of actions.

Del immediately tried testing his new skill on the plucked flower.

< Azalea Tulip > (Common)

-Material (Herb)

Birthed by the coming of Mana, these pastel-pink coloured flowers are commonly found in the newly-created Blossomwood Forest. Crushing up the petals into a fine powder makes for sugary addition to any dish.

---

"So this place if the Blossomwood Forest eh," Del paused while looking around the mystical looking forest. "I'll add a marker to this place when my Map is more detailed."

"It seems certain skills can be unlocked just be following some set of moves; this idea has to be researched further." Del said as he continued moving along the forest, using Inspect at all times.

"Probably something like Sprint or Climbing; maybe even something as basic as resting properly…" Del was talking with himself about potential skills which could be unlocked as easily as Inspect or Collect Herb.

He called the Journal function and started reciting things down which the system conveniently wrote down for him.

Some 10 minutes later, Delvin had written down various facts and ponderings in his Journal which already had seven full pages of various questions, assumptions and predictions regarding the system.

…

8. How to win skills and influence the system(only weak skills unlockable??)

- Unlocked: Inspect, Collect Herb. How? Due to actions, time required or effort put in(Both?)

- Potential: Climbing, Sprint, Camping, Resting, Swimming, Fishing, Sleeping?! maybe some spear skills(test in safe zones… if I find it) Mana-related skills(spells?)

-Available research and data insufficient to draw any conclusions!

---

He also picked some flowers which apparently, when processed correctly, regenerated Health Points; these flowers were poppy-red, a shade of pink which stood in contrast with the pink background of the forest.

Delvin's heart skipped a beat when he heard a sudden *snap!* sound behind him. He whirled around, eyes wide and scanning the are for any signs of danger.

He quickly retrieved the spear from his inventory as he knew he needed to prepared for anything that might come his way; a wise decision, Delvin thought when he noticed the beast that emerged from a shrub.

"Remove all Inspect screens, focus on the beast's info." He commanded to the system.

< Plague Hopper > (Common)

Level 2

HP: 30/30

The Inspect skill was raised to level 2 when Del traversed the forest, its effect now saying: "Able to display basic information on Tier 0 monsters"

"A rabbit...no. This creature can't be called a rabbit anymore." Delvin thought whilst observing the monster.

Twice the size of a normal rabbit, the monster's dark green fur was thick and bristling with venomous spines. Its eyes were small and beady, gleaming with a malevolent intelligence. Its front teeth were razor-sharp, and it had a long, sinewy tail that ended in a barbed stinger.

"It has more HP than me but it seems to lack intelligence, I should be able to kill it." Del said as he braced himself for the fight ahead.

The rabbit made a screeching sound and made a sudden dash towards him, the 8m gap between Del and the plague hopper was being reduced instantly.

Delvin stood firm, waiting for the hopper to get closer.

A second later the hopper was upon him, Delvin stepped forward feinting with his spear to draw the rabbit in, then he quickly pivoted and appeared on the hopper's right side.

"Now, Slash!" Del called and the spear made a deep dash across the hopper's body.

"SCREEEEEE!" The monster didn't seem to like that.

HP: 20/30 (Minor bleeding)

"Almost all of my stamina for a third of its HP… wasn't I supposed to deal 10% more damage." Delvin was correct, but he failed to consider the hopper's thick fur which reduced some of Thrust's efficiency.

[Lunge: 73% efficiency]

[Thrust: 72% efficiency]

Delvin also wasn't pleased by only having a 70% efficiency rate. "Maybe if I achieved a 100 the bastard would've already been dead.

The rabbit jumped forward, aiming to rip Del's throat with its sharp fangs. Del dodged the attack by diving forward.

He positioned the pointy end of his spear upwards which eviscerated the hopper's torso, causing intensive bleeding and needed damage.

HP: 14/30 (Medium bleeding)

The hopper was trashing and writhing on the floor as Delvin sprinted towards it in an attempt to end its life, but the hopper wasn't having it. The barbed stinger on its tail suddenly shot off towards Delvin's head.

If the monster had any sentience it would have aimed for his stomach or legs; Delvin easily dodged the stinger by simply moving his head. Maybe if he didn't have android physique skill the stinger would have pierced his forehead.

Del jumped in the air dodging another bite of the hopper as he called another skill; his Stamina barely keeping up with flashy moves he was doing.

"Thrust!"

The spear pierced the rabbits head causing blood to overflow from its facial orifices. It stumbled down on the ground and with a final, silent shriek sound the plague hopper was no more.

Delvin's body was rejuvenated by a sense of spirit and vigour when the monster died and a wave of golden dust formed around his body, swirling around him and for a short while before vanishing back into thin air.

[You have slain a Lvl.2 Plague Hopper(Common)]

[You have received 102% exp]

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 1]

[Awarded 5 Status Points(SP)]

[You have unlocked the skill Dodge(U)]

Delvin's body was healed from the level-up but the mental energy needed for that short but intense fight caused him to crashed down to the ground. "Fuu, I really need more Stamina, being able to use my techniques only once per battle is a major hindrance."

"Add 3 points to Endurance and 2 to Vitality." Delvin said and moved closer to the monster's corpse. "Let's see what that 'Loot' function is all about."

[11:41]