Arin slowly opened his eyes. He tried to avoid chilling wind from directly hitting his face by turning. But his boot landed on fractured concrete, his knee buckling due to sudden shift of balance.
He stumbled backward, his hand instinctively braced for impact while falling on his butt. As he fell, he looked upwards.
The sky above was washed out gray. The light of sun bleeding through broken clouds as they drifted.
His breath came out as a ghosty mist. And as he breathed in the cold air he could feel his lungs getting a little cold as well. He slowly stood up and looked around.
He concluded that he was on some kind of rooftop of some building. There were numerous broken solar panel and gutted ventilation ducts. A garden patch has overgrown in the corner of the rooftop and quite a few debris from fallen boundary of rooftop.
As the winds blew, it sounded like as if the someone was whispering something.
"With all due respect and pun, atmosphere here is quite chilling" Arin muttered as he breath in thin cold air.
As Arin was thinking what to do next. He heard a familiar chime, but this one Little more mechanical that last one.
[Mana detected in atmosphere. Trial Guide starting up.]
Arin felt something vibrating near his chest. He checked inner pocket of his jacket. It was the dataplate.
He took out and stared at dataplate.
[Start-Up completed. Linking with candidate.]
[Hello! Candidate #11249. I'm trial guide AI, here to help you with your exploration.]
Arin could hear the words or know them without hearing any sound or actually seeing them. It was quite a weird feeling.
So should I type my question or just say it, Arin wonder.
[You don't need to do eithe, just think. I'm linked to you.]
Arin was surprised receiving the response but still nodded.
"So, what do I have to do in the trial?", Asked the Arin.
[Check you Quest tap]
Answer the T.G (Trial Guide).
Arin did as instructed and different panel greet him.
________________________________
[Main Quest : The Initial Survival]
Description :
Your world is endangered. But it's end is not yet written. To save you world, you need to learn to survive yourself first.
Objective : Survive for 14 days or Escape.
Reward : Performance based
Penalty : None
________________________________
Arin read it twice, just to make sure he didn't read it wrong.
Just stay alive for 2 weeks. It doesn't seem very hard. Arin thought as he looked around.
"So I just eat, sleep and repeat?" Asked Arin.
[Yes. That's bare minimum to survive.]
Arin nodded hearing T.G , but then realisation hit him. What would I eat or drink for 2 weeks?
T.G answered without any delay.
[That's why, you have to start exploring]
Arin slowly nodded deep in his thoughts. Before he asked his doubt T.G answered again.
[Notification for receiving quest and other things are off. Do you want to toggle them on?]
Arin nodded. And started to walk around the rooftop. He walked to edge and looked down to see how tall was building.
The building was very tall. He could hardly see anything on the ground moving.
Well, I don't think elevator will still be functional in this building. Arin sighed. I guess, it's a leg-day then.
Arin started to walk toward a staircase room. But his attention was attracted toward moss and flora on the corner of rooftop.
He went there and started to observe every little vine, plant and flower.
I wished, I had knowledge of these beautiful things. Arin thought inwardly.
T.G responded immediately.
[Do you want me to scan it?]
"If you know what it is, just tell me." Arin said. He still felt it weird to just communicate telepathically, so voiced his thought this time.
[I have data about almost everything in this trial but you have to let me scan to provide any relevant information.]
"Ok then. Go ahead and scan." Arin said. He thought this rule must be set to encourage exploration.
[Hold me like you are taking picture of it.]
Arin did as told. A light came out from back and started scan. Just as light passed through a plant with red berries. Arin saw something move.
As he paid close attention to it. He discovered it to be some kind of lizard with it tail roll in.
"Is this a chameleon?",Arin asked himself but T.G answered it.
[Yes]
As if it got agitated from the light that scanned it. It slowly started to look for the source of it's disturbance.
"Umm... And is it normal for it to be this big", Arin slowly started to step back. It's size was little intimidating to him.
[For your world no. But for this world yes.]
Just as answer came. The chameleon noticed him and moved toward him. Maybe due to it's abnormal size, it was slow. So, Arin just stood there watching slow lizard inching close.
Maybe it's friendly, thought Arin. But just as it was still a little far, chameleon attacked him with it's tongue.
Arin watched tongue closing in with his wide eyes. What surprised Arin wasn't just the sudden attack but the tongue was on fire.
Startled, he tried to avoid attack by jumping to side but his foot slipped due to cracked concrete and fell, his head hit the concrete.
Arin whined in pain as he started to stand up. May be i should have just stood still. That tongue would have been less painful.
Arin put the T.G in his pocket and ran trying to get away from the fire tongue chameleon, but it followed Arin.
Chameleon wasn't very fast, so Arin just kept running in moderate speed to keep the distance. But just in few minutes Arin started to get little tired. So he tried to think of any plan to get rid of the chameleon.
Arin ean amidst the broken solar panel to hide and his plan worked due to chameleon no being very tall it's vision was limited.
As Arin thought what to do next, he heard soft chime.
[New Quest Received ]
He hastily opened quest page to see new quest.
_________________________
[Quest : First Prey]
Type : Trial Tutorial
Description :
You are being hunted by the creature of similar strength. Prove yourself by hunting it alone.
Objective : Hunt the creature hunting you alone
Reward : One Basic Harvesting skill
Penalty : none
_________________________
"You want me to kill that thing? It has elemental range move. And i can't even run for a while without getting tired. How am I similar strength to that creature?", Arin asked the quest panel.
He closed the quest panel and peeked to look where the chameleon went. May be it had also got tired and left.
Nope. That devil of Chameleon was still there looking for Arin.
That thing is a newbie killer for sure. If I get close, I'll be cooked. thought Arin trying to think of plan to complete quest or atleast not die.
After a long session of thinking Arin came to conclusion. I can't get close to it, so maybe I should make some kind of trap.
Just as he was thinking, he noticed chameleon coming toward him. Maybe it Already found him.
Arin picked up broken pieces of solar panel and throw it towed chameleon and ran to other side.
Chameleon quickly reacted by attacking with it's tongue and destroying it, but it cannot hit all the items he threw at it.
Arin noticed it and a plan started to formulate in his brain. One of the most difficult thing about Chameleon is, it's fire tongue but if he somehow take care of it. It will be easier to survive for him.
He started to collect all type of things like metal shards and broken glass from rooftop.
After collecting for a bit he started to throw these things at chameleon one by one.
As he threw things at chameleon he noticed ,after every strike of tongue it needed to pause before striking again.
So, it's tongue is not all powerful weapon afterall, it needs around 1.5 second cooldown before each use. Arin concluded inwardly.
As Arin kept throwing things at it. Maybe it's tongue started hurting or it started to get tired because pause between each strike became longer and longer.
Arin became quite pleased with his assessment. Now, let's move to last step. thought Arin.
For the final move Arin picked a heavy piece of debris from fallen boundary of rooftop and a big piece of broken solar panel.
As chameleon came closer Arin first threw big broken pieces of solar panel. And get ready to throw heavy piece of a debris.
It happened just like he planned chameleon attacked piece of solar panel. And just as it attacked solar panel, Arin also threw big piece of debris toward it head.
It was like art to Arin as he saw his plan worked. Chameleon first strike solar panel piece and as it's tongue was retreating in it's mouth, a debris fell on it's head. Ready to crush it's skull and end it's life.
But reality is often cruel.
Debris did landed on its head but it didn't end it's life. Leaving chameleon with it's head stuck beneath the piece of debris.
Arin watch it, absent mindeded. His plan worked perfectly but chameleon was still alive.
What should I do? What would a gentleman in my shoes will do? No, it's no place to be a gentleman. Then, what would a bad person do in my shoes? Arin pondered for few moments then thought. Maybe stab it?
Yes!Yes! Stab it. I do have a knife. with that thought he pulled out his knife from scabbard attached to his left side.
He inched close to now stuck chameleon. A thought crosses his mind. His lip curled up as he said,"Do you not have a step brother to ask for help?"
Arin chuckled to his own joke. He stood behind it, ready to strike.
He took few deep breaths but still after few minutes, he couldn't bring himself to act.
"You know what, I don't need to get my hand bloody. I have an another idea", Arin said to no one but himself as he put the knife back in it's scabbard and moved toward the debris again.
He lifted a big piece of debris and walk toward chameleon.
"Well, It's been very unpleasant knowing you.", Arin said to chameleon one last time and threw the piece of debris with all of his might. Well, all the might he could muster with 4 points in strength.
With a sound similar to a popping balloon, one side of chameleon ripped open. All of it's innards and blood now laid out in open, for display.
Seeing all blood and gore, Arin was about to puke when he heard familiar chime.
[Mutated Chameleon(Fire) : Unranked Creature Slain]
[Exp +20]
[Quest Completed : First Prey]
[Claim Rewards?]
[Yes/No]
Arin read through all the notifications with hand on the mouth. Trying not to puke out his dinner.
He decided to claim the rewards and answered "yes."
[Quest Reward: Basic Harvesting skill recieved]
[New Skill Learned : Material Extract]
Arin read new notifications and opened skill panel.
_________________________________
[Skill : Material Extract]
Type : Active
Mastery : Novice
Description :
You can harvest materials from slain creatures. Using this skill consumes whole body. Chance of getting material depends on level of mastery.
Cost : Depend on target geting harvested
________________________________
Just as he finished reading he heard another chime.
[New Quest Received]