Blinding light receded as Max gradually appeared in the small white room. Looking around, he couldn't spot anything that stood out. Gradually, his focus shifted from the room to himself. Dressed in a beige linen tunic over a light-colored shirt and matching trousers, barefoot, he looked like a peasant from medieval times.
A couple of seconds passed in silence as a now-familiar blue screen appeared in front of him again.
[ THE BARREN PATH ]
User Confirmed: Max Shevchenko
Planetary conditions recognized.
Aetheric saturation levels rising.
Global expansion event underway.
Earth's diameter will increase twentyfold. All life within range of atmospheric shift will be subjected to prolonged Aether exposure.
This is not an anomaly.
This is not a test.
This is the stage that follows growth, or extinction.
Each world is reached in time. Each species is given its moment.
This is Earth's.
Tutorial Phase: 30 Days
Survival and adaptation during this period are your responsibility.
No aid will be provided.
No judgment will be passed.
The Barren Path does not guide.
It moves forward.
Become strong — or die.
System access available at all times via spoken or internal command: Status
After reading the message, Max understood clearly that all of this was real.
Haha, this is just what I was missing. No bullshit work, no serving in the army, no more normal society — only myself. I can grow stronger, and stronger, and maybe one day I will be the strongest! I just need to persevere and challenge myself, he thought.
"Haaaaa," he exhaled in exhilaration and composed himself. "Alright, let's get started. Status."
Name: Max Shevchenko
Affiliation: Independent
Titles: None
Realm: Apprentice
Aether Affinity: None
Weapon: None
Coin Balance: 0
Known Skills: None
"Of course. No weapons, no skills, and no shoes. A perfect start to an epic journey." said Max resentfully. "I'm literally a blank slate."
He stopped his train of thought. Level playing field between everybody? Maybe. But some of us know how to fight dirty.
At that moment, the white light blinded him again, cutting off all five senses.
Slowly, Max opened his eyes, finding himself standing amidst towering trees whose leaves shimmered with a surreal intensity. The sun hung high in the sky, casting golden light through the branches. His clothes fluttered softly as the wind carried the scent of earth and blooming flowers, tinged with a delicate sweetness. Beneath his bare feet, the grass was lush and cool, gently tickling his skin. In the distance, faint cries of unseen animals echoed, weaving a subtle symphony that felt both wild and intimate.
Here starts my adventure, he thought.
He inhaled and exhaled slowly, subduing his raging emotions and forcing himself to stay calm and analytical — as he had been taught in the army, especially after one of the soldiers tossed him a dead rat as a joke and he screamed like a banshee.
[ System Message ]
Skill: [Calm Heart]
Origin: Self-Developed
Mastery: Novice – 1%
Effect: Passively enhances emotional stability, reduces panic effects, and improves focus under duress. Strengthens resistance against fear, confusion, and emotional manipulation.
"Damn, I didn't expect it to be so easy to create a skill. It would've been useful back in the day." he said calmly. "Now, the first thing I should do is check for any potential threats."
And so he did. Slowly walking around the spawn location, he looked for any tracks and listened for any indication of danger. After 15 minutes, he mapped the potential danger zones.
So far, the closest threats are from the east and south. I saw some tracks. One pair was rounded, maybe left by a feline and other ones were bigger hoofprints, maybe an elk. If anything is like the novels I read in the past, it could be dangerous to face them like this. I should probably get a weapon first, he thought. If I were to choose a weapon, it has to play to my strengths. I was alright with handling a knife in the army, but nothing special. Plus, I'll have to fight animals and monsters, so I don't want to be close to them if anything unfamiliar happens.
A couple of seconds passed as he slowly assessed what he was good at.
"I know. Sniping and archery are kind of similar. They both attack from a distance, plus I was really good at shooting," he muttered. "A bow it is, then. A longbow, specifically — so I can shoot from farther away."
With the decision made, he moved through the forest in the opposite direction from the animals, looking for materials for his bow. It wasn't easy to find them — the wood had to be flexible yet strong. The bowstring was especially demanding. Arrows were easier: Max had already found some good twigs, sharp stones for arrow tips, and feathers from some flying critters.
After a couple of hours of searching, Max finally found a young tree with a straight branch that fit his needs. He carefully tried to cut it down using a sharp rock he picked up along the way. He had to apply nearly all his strength to do it.
Why is it so hard? pondered Max, as he took a close look at the stick in his hand. Maybe this is what the system meant by changing Earth. Everything is going to get tougher. That probably means the animals will, too. Then what about humans?
He focused on his body, trying to feel anything that had changed.
"I feel like I'm exhausting less and feel slightly stronger than when I got here, but why?" he muttered. Then it clicked. "Of course. Aether. I guess it's similar to mana from novels."
He concentrated on his body, breathing slowly and deeply. Then he felt it — a feeling of freshness entering through his nose, followed by warmth appearing all over his body with each inhale and a slight tingling sensation on his skin.
"Damn, I was right," said Max excitedly. "Does this mean I can get stronger by absorbing Aether?"
He thought for a moment, then exclaimed:
"That's not all. I can also grow stronger by training physically. Maybe I can even train both at once."
With this thought, he started walking back to spawn, thinking about his next steps.
I still need to find a bowstring. I remember reading somewhere that tendons can work as bowstrings. That means I need to find an animal and kill it. Plus, I'm already a bit hungry, and I wouldn't say no to a nice steak. he thought, his mouth watering at the idea of eating one of those animals
Lost in thought, he didn't notice as a big figure appeared from behind the bushes until it was too late.