New portal

"Fireball!" Jack exclaimed as he hurled a ball of fire at the armadillo. The creature grunted, and the fireball fizzled out shortly after impact. The armadillo searched for its attacker, while Jack leaped down and waited for the creature to make a move. He knew that attacking from a distance was pointless, as the armadillo's skin was much softer than its tough carapace.

The armadillo transformed into a ball and began to roll towards Jack, who deftly dodged its attacks. Jack realized that the vulnerable spot on the armadillo was its underside, which was protected by its carapace when it rolled. To hit the vulnerable underside, Jack needed to get to its side and throw it off balance. He achieved this by kicking the armadillo, causing it to stumble. As the creature tried to stand up to roll again, Jack took advantage of the opportunity and stabbed it multiple times with his spear.

[ + 126 exp ]

Once he had gotten confirmation he went around hunting some more before going back to collect them and bring them home. One went missing and Jack guessed that some hobgoblins took it. No matter he went back home.

He didn't know if there was a specific way to cook the meat to make it taste good. As long as there was food he was still grateful, the thing he was really going for, was the shell. If he managed to make a hole through the shell he would be able to get a shoulder and head protection.

"Irony, isn't it? Using a shell as armor, but to use it, I need to make a hole," Jack chuckled to himself. By the end of the day, he had managed to cut the armadillo's shell to the size he needed and fashioned it into shoulder pieces and a helmet. Jack thought he looked funny wearing the armor, but he knew that if it worked, it worked.

Jack realized that he had spent more mana than he had anticipated, so he decided to spend the next day recovering his mana at home. As it was too late to go hunting, Jack spent the rest of the day compressing his mana. He managed to compress it into a very small amount, which he realized was slightly more powerful than the same amount of uncompressed mana.

Jack had once attempted to rush the process of compressing his mana, and it turned out to be a bad idea. His mana veins were stretched more than usual, and he could barely handle the strain. However, now he felt that it was finally time to increase his mana capacity.

As Jack began to absorb mana, he could feel a change in his body. It was as though everything was moving a bit faster than usual, although it may have just been his imagination. As he continued to work on increasing his mana capacity, he received another achievement for passing the 1,000 mark. Although the achievement didn't offer any tangible rewards, Jack felt a sense of satisfaction in knowing that he had another achievement.

Jack realized that although he could go on a killing spree every two days and potentially increase his stats, his body couldn't keep up with the pace of his growth. While his body was slowly catching up to its current level, the rate at which he was growing was not very helpful. It was more like he was forcing his body to grow, rather than training it in a natural way.

With the help of an inanimate object, such as a stick, Jack could reinforce it to some extent and use it in battle. However, he knew that his body had its limitations. Even with reinforcement, he would never be able to achieve his top speed or deliver his strongest punch. His bones and skin would break if he punched with all his might, and his tendons and other body parts would probably give way if he tried to reach his top speed. Jack realized that he needed to develop other attacks besides relying solely on his physical strength.

One option was to use magic, which could help him deliver powerful attacks even if his body was physically weak. Jack understood that he needed to develop his magical abilities to supplement his physical strength. He needed to find alternative ways to make up for his physical limitations and become a more versatile fighter.

"Well, that should be enough," Jack said as he stood up and stretched. He realized that dwelling on the negatives all the time was not productive. Instead, he needed to focus on his training and increase his resistance to poison.

Jack had a feeling that there was something inside him, although he wasn't sure what it was. He had an idea of what it could be.

…

Jack began to focus more on increasing his resistance to poison, even though it was risky. During his weeklong stay, Jack brought enough food to sustain himself and remained inside the area where the poisonous smoke was present.

Despite the risks, Jack noticed that no animals passed through the area when he was there. He would leave the space once or twice a day to get fresh air and stretch his legs, but he made sure to return quickly to continue his training.

The week spent in the presence of the poisonous smoke was challenging for Jack as he was coughing all the time, but he persevered. He knew that the experience would help him develop his resistance to poison.

Jack's weeklong stay in the presence of the poison smoke paid off, as he managed to level up his poison resistance skill an impressive 36 times in a short amount of time. However, this progress came at a cost, as he lost some health in the process.

[ Health 68/100 ]

"We were so close to perfection" Jack joked around as he coughed some light pink smoke. After spending almost a full week in the presence of the poisonous smoke, most of what was in Jack's body was poison. Despite his improved resistance to poison, the toxic substance still affected him greatly, causing him to feel ill and weak.

Jack realized that he could leave the area for a week or two and return to repeat the process until the poison became almost ineffective against him. However, he felt that this would be a waste of time, and he decided to recover his health fully before exploring the area further.

He planned to return to the area once he had recovered, and he intended to explore it fully and leave no stone unturned until he found what he was looking for, or until he had explored every inch of the place.

Jack was looking and feeling terrible. Although he wasn't feeling any pain, he was experiencing a lot of soreness and weakness throughout his body. His physical state was poor as well, with his skin appearing pale, and he had bags under his eyes that made him look exhausted and weak.

Despite his weakened state, Jack attempted to eat fish, but he ended up vomiting later in the day. He then tried to eat some meat, but he struggled to keep it down and felt nauseous. Eventually, he settled on eating fruits, which were easier on his stomach and provided him with some much-needed nutrition.

Jack knew that he needed to take care of himself and recover fully before he could continue his training and exploration. He decided to rest and focus on recuperating his strength.

After his ordeal with the poison, Jack decided to take a break and focus on recovering his strength and health. He spent two weeks resting and recuperating, while also working on increasing his mana capacity.

During this time, Jack managed to regain some of his lost strength and health, and his health level improved to 73, which was a good enough level for him to continue his training and exploration. Despite his health not being at its peak, his appearance improved, and he looked much better than he did before.

…

As Jack continued to explore the area, he came across something that left him feeling perplexed and intrigued. He stumbled upon mushrooms that were the size of a human foot. Several of them were consuming an armadillo, while the rest emitted poisonous smoke or appeared to be doing something else entirely.

As Jack observed the giant mushrooms, he noticed that some of them were patrolling the area, possibly to protect their queen. He realized that there was a system at play in their little civilization and that they were likely feeding the queen, who was a 3-foot-tall mushroom at the center of everything. Above her, there appeared to be a portal of some sort.

Curious, Jack decided to appraise the mushrooms and found that they were relatively weak. He then made a quick decision to run past them, squishing some of them along the way. As he ran, the mushrooms emitted a darker poison smoke, which caused irritation and itchiness to Jack's eyes and skin. Despite the discomfort, Jack ignored it and focused on his goal.

Finally, Jack made it to the queen and without hesitation, he jumped headfirst into the portal above her.

When Jack crossed to the other side, a tree greeted his face. Jack stood up in pain and had only one thought. 'another forest'.

Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as he looked around the forest on the other side of the portal. It seemed that he had landed in yet another forest, just as he had before.

He remembered the feeling of disappointment that he had experienced when he first landed in the forest after he had died, and then again when he had gone through the first portal. Now, as he took in his surroundings, he couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration. It seemed that he was stuck in an endless cycle of forests.

Jack looked at the portal to see how much time until he got back. It ended up being the same with a week left. He then looked at the quest he had been assigned.

[ Kill the bandits terrorizing the route from Wealdstone to Eldham ]

Jack was going to do the most logical thing and first was to try to find a settlement. From there he could either find the place with a general direction given. Going to a city also worked. For now, he chose to just walk in a general direction.

As the hours stretched on and the sun began to dip below the treetops, Jack realized that he was no closer to finding a settlement. With a deep sense of weariness, he decided to rest for the night. He searched for a sturdy branch and climbed up, settling in for a restless sleep.

The next morning, Jack woke early and set off once again, his mind fixed on his goal. The forest seemed endless, and the same sights and sounds greeted him at every turn. As the days wore on, Jack felt his spirits flagging. He began to doubt whether he would ever find his way out of this strange world.

But on the fifth day, something out of the ordinary happened. Jack was walking through a particularly dense part of the forest when he heard a low growling sound. He spun around and saw three red wolves emerging from the underbrush.

Jack stayed alert and aware of the wolves and decided to take action before they could surround him. He didn't feel fear, but he knew that being surrounded by three wolves was not a situation he wanted to be in. With a quick burst of speed, he made a run for it, hoping to put some distance between himself and the wolves.

Once he had created enough space between them, Jack used his mana tentacles to immobilize the three wolves. However, when he tried to pierce them with the thorns he soon realized that all three of them had unusually thick skin that was resistant to his attacks. Jack quickly drew his spear and aimed for the brain of the nearest wolf, before the wolf could get away from his grasp, he delivered a fatal blow.

After dispatching the first wolf, Jack quickly moved on to the other two.

After defeating the three wolves, Jack considered taking their bodies with him but ultimately decided against it. He knew that carrying extra weight would slow him down and make him more vulnerable to attack.

On the seventh day of his journey, Jack stumbled upon a road. It was a welcome sight, as he had grown tired of trudging through the dense forest. He chose a direction at random and followed the road, hoping that it would lead him to civilization.

The road wound through the countryside, passing through fields and forests. Jack walked for hours, his eyes fixed on the horizon. As the sun began to set, he began to worry that he wouldn't find anything before nightfall.

But on the eighth day, his luck changed. As he rounded a bend in the road, he saw a small village in the distance. Relief flooded through him, and he quickened his pace.

As Jack entered the village, he asked if he could speak with the chief. The villagers agreed to pass on the message but didn't offer him a place to stay.

Feeling restless, Jack decided to explore the village on his own. He soon realized that there weren't many people his age around. Unlike the previous village he had visited, where young people worked in the fields alongside their elders.

After exploring the village and learning about its history, Jack sat down outside the chief's house to rest and recover his mana. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, allowing his energy to replenish itself.

About an hour later, the chief returned and invited Jack inside his home.

" Saul nice to meet you," said the old-looking man.

"Jack the pleasure is all mine," said Jack as they both sat down and started their conversation

"Sorry for our lack of hospitality, we normally don't get visitors so we don't have extra rooms available all the time"

"It's fine, I came unannounced so it's good to even be able to have a conversation with you"

"Okay, Jack tell me what you want to talk about."