The One Branch of The Tree

I continued running through the forest, my breath becoming heavy. My feet felt hot, and tree branches whipped at my face and arms, leaving thin scratches.

Behind me, I could still hear the sound of footsteps. They were really chasing me, not to scare me, not just to chase me away; they were intent on killing me.

I chuckled amidst my ragged breath.

“Great.”

“Just moved to another world, and already made an enemy.”

When I think about it, my life has consistently not been about giving tutorials. Kevin's voice came from behind.

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

It was so noisy, I jumped over a fallen tree trunk, almost slipping on the slippery ground. Damn, this body did feel a little stronger than it used to be, but I was still no athlete. 

I glanced around and saw three people at the front approaching. Kevin, Reno, and a kid named Dimas, the Archer. The annoying combo of fire, lightning, and arrows was not good for my long-term health.

“Shoot him!” Kevin shouted.

The sound of the bowstring being pulled was heard, my reflex moved, I dropped my body to the side.

HAPPY!

An arrow whizzed past my cheek, dangerously close. I rolled to the ground and immediately got back up. Okay, they're serious! I gritted my teeth. If this kept up, I'd be caught, and if I was? It was over. No save points, no respawns. I had to find a quick way to glance at my status.

Name: Raka

Class: One Tree Branch

Level: 1

Skill:

Devour Root (New)

It's just one skill, and I don't even know how it works yet. It's great, a truly hardcore game. I tried to focus on that skill, and as soon as I thought about it, the information would automatically appear.

Devour Root

The ability to absorb the essence of targets that have been killed by the user.

Effect:

Absorbing some attributes

Absorb some energy

Chance of acquiring certain traits

I almost stopped. What? I reread it. Absorbing the power of the target I killed? My eyes widened slightly. Okay, this isn't weak, this isn't weak at all, this is absurd and broken. It doesn't make any sense. 

There's only one problem: I have to kill something first, preferably something weaker than me. 

Second problem: I don't know if there is anything weaker than me, a very extraordinary situation.

As the footsteps drew closer, I turned sharply into a darker area. The deeper I went, the denser the trees became, the ground became rougher, and the air felt colder. It was strange: the birds' voices began to fade, and the forest felt different—it wasn't normal. 

But perhaps this was my chance; dangerous areas usually make normal people hesitate. Unfortunately, Kevin didn't seem so normal.

“He went deeper!”

“Chase!”

The amateur killer's dedication was remarkable, and I finally arrived in a more open area. A small depression was filled with a thin mist, tree roots crawling everywhere, and something was moving in the middle. 

I stopped immediately. A monster? Finally, the creature was small, about the size of a dog, with a body like a mix of a wolf and a lizard, with gray skin, red eyes, too many teeth, and frankly, it was unpleasant to look at.

A notification appears.

Gray Fang Cub Lv.1

I almost smiled. Level 1? Perfect. The monster also saw me, letting out a low, aggressive growl. Good, we need each other. I gripped my branch. It still felt absurd that my first weapon was just a tree branch. 

The monster lunged at me faster than I expected, and I reflexively dodged to the left. Its claws barely grazed my arm.

“Ah, damn!”

I quickly retreated, and the monster turned around, ready to attack again. Okay, my focus was lighter than before, and my reflexes felt better. It was probably a new world effect, or adrenaline mode. The monster attacked a second time, and this time I waited a little longer.

NOW.

I twisted my body to avoid it and hit the monster's head with my branch.

TOK.

...

It was quiet, I stared at the branch, the monster stared at me, we both looked offended.

“That's embarrassing,” I said.

The monster looked angry. I agreed. The attack barely did any damage, but at least I learned something. My strength was pathetic, so I had to get creative. The monster charged again. I retreated behind a tree. The monster chased after me, just as it circled the trunk. I stabbed a branch into its eye.

SQUELCH.

The monster screamed, a critical attack, and finally, I couldn't wait, I stabbed again and again. A wild, inelegant, uncool move, just a survival move, but it worked. 

After a few seconds the monster finally fell, its body stopped moving. Silent, I was panting, my hands were shaking, I had just killed something.

For the first time, the feeling was... strange. There was no heroism, no drama, just relief. Then, the stalk in my hand glowed a faint green. Small roots sprouted from its surface, piercing the monster's body. I instinctively recoiled.

"What else now?"

The roots absorbed something from the monster's corpse, and a thin stream of light flowed up the branches and into my body. Warm energy flowed throughout my body, my fatigue lessened, and my wounds healed slightly.

A notification appears.

Gray Fang Cub has been absorbed

Strength +1

Agility +1

EXP gained.

Level Up!

Level 2 reached.

I widened my eyes.

“Oh this is crazy.”

Not only can I absorb it but the effect is immediate and real, I feel my body a little stronger, a little faster, my heart beats faster not because of fear but because of enthusiasm. 

I looked at the stalk, its shape had changed slightly, just a little. The surface of the stalk looked darker, harder, and sharper at the tip—a small improvement, still ugly, but promising. 

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Oh, right, I wasn't alone. Kevin and the others appeared from behind the trees. They stopped when they saw the monster carcass and me still alive. Kevin narrowed his eyes.

“You killed that?”

I smiled a little.

“Yes.”

Kevin didn't seem to like seeing me calm. Good. Reno took a step forward.

“I'm done playing around.”

A small bolt of lightning appeared in his palm. Oh, good, the battle royale continues. I gripped the pole tighter. I was now level 2, still weak but no longer helpless, and most importantly, I knew this class wasn't trash. This class was a monster, I just needed time. Kevin drew his sword, and flames erupted.

“Kill him.”

Five people started moving I smiled faintly.

"Okay."

I take a position.

“If you keep insisting…”

My gaze swept over them one by one.

“…I'm going to start thinking of you guys as resources.”

Their expressions changed slightly. Good, let's start the real game.

[END CHAPTER 2]