Zeke desperately wanted to familiarize himself with his new skill – primarily because he was sorely lacking in information, and [Inspection] seemed like it would provide just that – but he’d also taken quite a few wounds during his battle with the horde of croco-rats.

So, he muttered, “First things first,” before bringing up his primary status window and allocating his free points, five each in endurance, strength, and vitality. Once he’d confirmed his choices, the familiar wave of energy arced through his body, healing most of his superficial wounds. However, he’d also collected a handful of more serious lacerations, bites, and even what he suspected was a fractured bone in his foot. Those would take more than a level surge to heal, so he sat down, ignoring the pain as he set about familiarizing himself with [Inspection].

He glanced at one of the croco-rat corpses, willing himself to identify it. But to his surprise, nothing happened. Was there some trick to it? Or did it simply not work on corpses? He had no clue, but a spark of intuition told him that he just wasn’t doing it right. So, for the better part of an hour, he pondered a method of skill activation.

“God, I’m stupid,” he breathed, at last realizing that he already had an example to study. His [Leech Strike] was a skill, right? Even if it was more passive, it could at least give him some clue on how to activate [Inspection]. With that in mind, he focused on his hands, but to his distress, nothing happened. Did it take a life-and-death struggle? He’d activated it on pure instinct before, so that made sense. But again, he experienced a surge of intuition that told him that he wasn’t seeing the big picture.

He stared at his hand for almost thirty minutes before something clicked into place. Suddenly, the familiar red cloud bloomed into existence while the subtle runes on the backs of hands came into being. Again, he marveled at the intricacy of the designs, and even then, he knew he was only seeing a fraction of the complexity. There were layers upon layers of symbols embedded in each rune, and he suspected that they went down to a microscopic level. He could’ve stared at them for an eternity and only grasped the tiniest bit of what made them tick. Luckily, he didn’t need to understand the runes to accomplish his goal.

For the next few minutes, the runes, along with the clouds, flickered in and out of existence as he activated and deactivated the ability. It was all about focus. Without it, a mental command did nothing, but the moment he was properly focused, that was all it took. And while it was moderately difficult to maintain that level of focus, he had ample experience doing just that. It really wasn’t so different than the mindset he adopted when stepping into the batter’s box, something with which he was intimately familiar.

As he toggled the ability on and off, he studied the flows of energy that made it possible. The energy itself emanated from that core inside him, though it was subtly different from what accumulated with each kill. When Zeke turned his attention to that ball of power, his focus drilling past the more nebulous cloud that was left over after his level, and soon, he found a miniscule sphere densely packed with energy. All of his pathways led to that core, and it was the source of whatever powered his abilities.

For hours, Zeke sat in that cave, accompanied only by the corpses of the croco-rats as he focused inward, trying to get a feel for what he could do. His first discovery was that, now that he’d familiarized himself with the mechanics of the Framework, he found that activation of [Leech Strike] was easier than it ever had been. It didn’t require quite as much focus, and the ability asserted itself far more quickly than it had before.

This newfound ease of activation allowed him to study the way the energy flowed through him as he initiated it over and over. Over time, he came to recognize the current of energy as it pushed through his pathways, and he even found that he could influence it to some small degree. It only sped up the activation by an instant, but his brief experiences in fighting the croco-rats told him that such an advantage could mean the difference between life and death.

His study of his pathways gave him one final discovery, as well. The runes never truly went away; in fact, they were embedded deep within the pathways on his hands, invisible and unnoticed until he mentally triggered them. While his instincts told him that was important on its own, it also gave him an idea for how to activate his other ability. If the runes associated with [Leech Strike] were always there, then so too should the ones for [Inspection] be there as well. So, with that in mind, he began to search his pathways for irregularities.

Again, he found himself in something of a trance as he mentally explored his pathways, his focus far exceeding anything he’d ever been capable of in his old life. Perhaps that was a function of his increased stats. Or maybe it was the new world. He sat there, his eyes closed as he continued his search, hardly aware of his surroundings. Time passed, hour after hour, as he explored every inch of his conduits of power embedded within his body. He started with his right hand, making his way up his arm. When that proved unfruitful, he inspected the opposite arm. Then his legs. His torso. And finally, after what was probably more than an entire day, he found what he was looking for.

The runes themselves weren’t nearly as intricate as those associated with [Leech Strike]. Certainly, they were dizzyingly complex, at least on the surface. However, they weren’t as deep; it was a simpler skill, but as he studied the runes, he noticed some similarities in the patterns. He didn’t understand what any of it meant, of course, but he felt like, with enough time, he could crack the puzzle. That instinct was so powerful that he spent almost as much time studying the runes as he’d spent searching his pathways, and he probably would’ve gone longer if the rumble in his stomach hadn’t dragged him from his meditation.

Zeke’s eyes flickered open, and after pushing his hunger aside, he focused on one of the croco-rat corpses and activated [Inspection]. It wasn’t difficult at all to push the energy into the rune, and instantly, the familiar floating text flashed across his eyes.

Caracoa Troll Larva – Level One (corpse)

He’d focused on one of the smaller creatures, and he was surprised to see that it was only level one. A quick inspection of the other corpses told him that each of the other, smaller creatures were of the same level. However, the bigger, occasionally-bipedal ones were a level higher. It was a sobering discovery, finding that the dangerous creatures were so weak. What would happen if he ran into something a few levels higher than him? Certainly, he wouldn’t live through such an encounter. No – he needed to get stronger if he wanted any hope of survival. A lot stronger. Luckily – or perhaps unluckily, depending on perspective – the cave system seemed designed to do just that. He had a suspicion that he’d have to kill a lot more of these troll larvae before he managed to satisfy his quest and escape the caves. In fact, he fully expected to be forced into combat with adult trolls, too. And they would be far more dangerous than the juveniles he’d found so far.

Bemused, Zeke shook his head as he contemplated his situation. He was fighting literal troll babies. And while there was a part of him that found his actions repulsive, it only took one look at the vicious creatures to dispel any sense of revulsion. Despite being infants, they were more than capable of ripping him to shreds. His scarred body was living proof of that. So, moral quandary of killing babies aside, it was kill or be killed. And he knew precisely which one he preferred.

On top of that, he needed to get stronger. In the few days since he’d been reborn, Zeke had had a chance to think about what he wanted out of his new life. Certainly, he had every intention of surviving; that was a given. And he would fight for that, tooth and nail. However, he knew it wasn’t enough to simply keep living. He needed a goal. He needed something to shoot for.

Oberon had said that this new world needed heroes, implying that there was a battle of good versus evil overlaying everything that happened. He’d even intimated that there were higher planes. Was it possible that Zeke could become one of said heroes? And more, he wondered how strong he could become. In only a few days, his strength and grown by leaps and bounds. What would he look like in a few years? A decade? Imagining that kind of power was addictive in its own right, and knowing that it was within his grasp was very nearly motivation enough to push him forward.

More than any of that, though, was the thrill of battle itself. While he had been terrified every step of the way, Zeke had never felt more alive than when he faced off against the troll larvae. They had pushed him in a way he’d never experienced, and when he’d come out victorious, it had been intense, addictive, and very nearly overpowering. It was a rush unlike anything else, and even now, as he sat in the cave, he found himself wanting more – not because he was some sort of adrenaline junkie, but rather because he’d always loved pushing himself to the limit. And winning, of course. Emerging victorious from a life-and-death battle? It was easy to get caught up in that kind of thing.

In Zeke’s junior year of high school, his team had advanced to the state championship. And with the game still scoreless in the ninth inning, he’d come up to bat against one of the top pitching prospects in the country. Zeke had faced him before, and up until that moment, had failed to get a hit. But this was a game where if a hitter was successful thirty percent of the time, he went into the Hall of Fame, so when he stepped into that batter’s box, he was still confident that he could come out on top. The at-bat quickly progressed, with Zeke getting two strikes on him. However, on the third pitch, the pitcher made a mistake and left a ball over the middle of the plate. Zeke jumped on it, and as soon as the bat connected with the ball, he knew he’d done it. He had won not just the at-bat, but the game itself. He didn’t even need to watch the ball sail over the fence. He just knew.

Winning against the troll larva had felt like that, only magnified a thousand times by the stakes. And he craved more. So, all of that coalesced into a burning desire to forge ahead, to win, to push himself past his limits and into new territory. It was the most powerful feeling he had ever experienced. And, in his mind, it cemented his path.

Zeke knew that everyone wouldn’t feel that way. The veil of mediocrity hung heavy over humanity, and he knew that most people would only do just enough to get by. He had experienced it himself when the majority of his teammates had only done the bare minimum. Most hadn’t even worked outside of practice. He’d never been given that choice, which was the one thing about his relationship with his father for which he was grateful.

With that in mind, he rose from his meditation and looked around the cave. His night vision hadn’t gotten any better, so he didn’t see much besides the stalagmites and everpresent mushrooms. And the corpses of his enemies, of course. Those hadn’t gone anywhere, and they were starting to smell, too.

Zeke ignored it, instead focusing on one the nearby mushrooms. As he activated his skill, the floating text identified the fungus.

Caracoan Blue-Spotted Mushroom – Consumable. +1 Vitality. Various Alchemical Uses.

One point to vitality? Was the effect permanent? If so, he’d just hit the jackpot, because there were hundreds of the things within the cave. No wonder the fight had lasted so long; the troll larva had been munching on the mushrooms when he’d arrived. No doubt, they had insane vitality. Suddenly, Zeke didn’t feel so bad about struggling with the juvenile trolls. However, it did foster a little doubt about what he would face against the adults he suspected were closer to the surface.

He pushed that aside, thinking that if the trolls were empowered by the mushrooms, then he would be, too. That would even the odds a bit. So, without further hesitation, he reached down and plucked one of the hand-sized mushrooms from the rocky terrain. As soon as Zeke touched it, he felt the glow of bundled energy within. He took a bite, and that energy surged through him. A quick check of his status told him that it hadn’t affected his stats, though, so he continued to eat the thing. It wasn’t until he’d swallowed the last bit, stem and all, that he was rewarded with the statistical bonus. Grinning to himself, he ate another. Then another. He gobbled each of them down, barely chewing. They didn’t taste horrible, but they weren’t good either – not that he cared. He only wanted the increased vitality.

However, after he’d scarfed down the eleventh mushroom, he found himself disappointed when it didn’t result in the expected stat increase. Was it defective? Perhaps it hadn’t accumulated enough energy or something? But it had felt the same. It wasn’t until he ate another that he came to the conclusion that he’d reached some sort of cap. Still, he wasn’t too disappointed, because he’d just increased his vitality by quite a bit.

With his hunger – both for sustenance and power – briefly sated, Zeke began exploring the cavern. It was about the size of a football field, but it felt much smaller because of how enclosed it was. Aside from the crevasse through which he’d entered, there were a handful of other exits, but he wasn’t ready to leave. On top of that, the only other prominent feature within the cave was the small stream cutting through the center. It was the source of the sound of running water he’d heard earlier.

Suddenly, he became very aware of just how thirsty he was. It shouldn’t have been surprising, given that days had passed since he’d been reborn, and in that time, he’d yet to drink a single drop of water. Clearly, his body’s improved constitution had mitigated his need for water or food, at least to some degree, but it hadn’t eliminated it altogether. So, it was with renewed eagerness that he quickly knelt beside the stream, cupped his hands, and withdrew a palmful of water.

Out of habit – he’d been using his ability every chance he could, if for no other reason than to practice – he inspected the water. He didn’t expect to be able to identify it, but inspecting everything seemed like a good habit to cultivate. So, he was more than a little surprised when it worked.

Mana Water – Consumable. +1 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence. Various Alchemical Uses.

Zeke couldn’t help but grin as he excitedly drank the water he’d collected. However, he was disappointed to see that it didn’t have any effect on his stats. Figuring that he needed to drink more – or perhaps it was just how thirsty he was – he scooped another handful. Then another. And another after that. Finally, on the fifth, it seemed that he’d crossed some threshold, and he saw the increased intelligence and wisdom that he’d hoped to see. Still, he kept going until well after he’d gotten ten points in each. But no matter how much he drank after that, he didn’t see any more increases. Instead, he reasoned that he’d reached the same cap he had with the mushrooms.

Not that he was complaining, of course. He’d just gotten two levels worth of statistics, just for eating and drinking. It almost felt like he’d found some kind of cheat code. But he wasn’t satisfied, either. He had no idea what the mechanics of the world really were, so he didn’t know if he’d reached a hard cap on how many stats he could get from the mushrooms and mana water or if he simply needed to wait for his body to effectively reset. So, he settled down to wait, using that time to wash some of the gore and viscera from his scarred body. The water was soothing, even when it was only applied to his wounds, but it didn’t result in any extra stats.

Once he’d overcome the worst of the filth, he sat down and continued his study of the runes associated with [Leech Strike]. He sat there, mentally examining them for hours until he finally decided to try again with the mushrooms. If there was a timer he needed to wait out, surely it would’ve passed by now. So, he pushed himself back to his feet, marveling at how much better he felt. It hadn’t been that long, but even the worst of his wounds had healed, by this point. However, most of them had left angry, red scars – evidence of his struggle that he wore like badges of honor.

Quickly, he picked a few mushrooms, but he wasn’t willing to brave the earthy taste without a little help. So, he crossed back to the stream, hoping to use the mana water to wash it down. When the two mixed in his mouth, though, he experienced a jolt of energy that almost felt like a physical blow. Reflexively, he spit it out, his mouth burning with the concoction.

“W-what the…”

He stared at the bits of mushroom on the rocky, now wet cave floor, the pain in his mouth fading. Something had obviously changed, and initially, he thought that it was his body rejecting the energy it couldn’t use anymore. But one bite of a mushroom by itself put the lie to that.

Then it hit him. Alchemical uses.

Had mixing the two created something more than the sum of their parts? That seemed like the most reasonable explanation. But if that was the case, was the resulting mixture helpful or harmful? What would happen if he drank the mushroom-infused water?

His rational mind told him to simply move on. There was no reason to take such a risk. It would have been different if he had some way to mix the two and inspect it, but [Inspection] didn’t work when he floated a few pieces of mushroom in a handful of water. No – if he intended to take his rudimentary potion, it would be without a safety net. For all he knew, it was a poison. Certainly, the burning of his mouth suggested as much.

But his every instinct screamed at him that he should do it anyway. It wasn’t that he had some sixth sense about it. He had no clue what it even was. However, he felt like he couldn’t get ahead without taking chances. Perhaps it was an opportunity to get a head start.

Or maybe he was looking too much into it, and it really was poison. He had no way of knowing.

“Go big, or go home,” he muttered to himself, his throat scratchy from lack of use. Nobody ever got ahead by playing it safe. So, having decided on his course of action, he didn’t hesitate to get started. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be smart about it. Over the next few minutes, Zeke gathered ten more mushrooms, then set about tearing them into mostly equal pieces. Then, he divided the results into twenty, mostly equal piles that he estimated would give the mixture of mana water and mushrooms something approaching a one-to-one ratio.

Once everything was prepared, he sat beside the stream, steadying himself before gathering the first pile of mushroom pieces. Holding them carefully, he dipped his cupped hands into the stream, letting the improvised container fill. Then, without another thought, he imbibed the concoction, ignoring the pain as the mushroom-infused liquid burned a path through his mouth and down his throat.

For a moment, disappointment bloomed in his mind as nothing happened. But then, there was an explosion in his core. It was violent and unrestrained, containing more energy than he’d ever felt before. He’d half expected the improvised potion to poison him, and he wasn’t terribly far off the mark. A little energy is good, but too much can easily kill a person. Zeke found that out firsthand as the energies raged through his pathways, scorching them down to nothing.

But he had a plan, and he wasn’t going to let something so small as unrelenting, agonizing pain stop him. Not when he could feel the power coursing through him. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind, and with trembling hands, he made another mixture, and a second later, a second stream of energy joined the first. The pain became exponentially worse, and he could feel the tears pouring down his cheeks.

He couldn’t stop, though. In fact, he could barely think. So, mechanically, he kept going, imbibing one improvised potion after another until he’d taken everything he’d prepared. But it wasn’t enough. Maybe it never would be.

Even as the agony scorched his pathways, Zeke’s resolve never wavered. He never doubted the instincts that told him to keep going. Instead, he doubled down, crawling to another batch of mushrooms and gathering them as best he could. Once he had, he retreated to the stream and alternated between tossing back mushrooms and handfuls of water, letting them mix in his mouth. Predictably, as the energy rampaged through his body, stronger with each swallow, his mouth became a mass of blisters. It was like drinking acid, and amidst the pain, Zeke lost the ability to think rationally. Instead, he retreated inside of himself, going into a trance.

Over the next few hours – or it might’ve been days, for all he knew – Zeke continued to eat the mushrooms and drink the water. He never stopped, even when the inside of his mouth was liquified by the constant corrosion. He didn’t have a tongue. His teeth were worn down to nothing. And his gums were a bloody mess. But he persisted because, inside, he was fighting a completely different battle as he tried to wrangle the energy.

It was wild. Foreign. It did not belong inside of him. And for the longest time, Zeke found himself fighting a losing battle. He knew something was missing, but he was flying blind. He had no idea what it could be. Until something clicked within him, and he started infusing the energy with his own mana.

Imitating the way his [Leech Strike] snatched the life force of his enemies, he mentally did the same to his own core. At first, he only brushed against the energy within, but after a few tries, he managed to drag a thread loose. As soon as he released it, it retracted back inside the core. But with that small success, Zeke redoubled his efforts. After a few more attempts, he could reliably drag it loose every time he tried. But with the energy stampeding unchecked through his pathways, he knew it was only a small victory. He needed more.

So, hour after hour, Zeke bent his will toward mastering that energy. And bit by bit, he managed a little more control. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he managed to open the floodgates and release the energy within. With a deft touch, he guided his mana through his pathways, flooding them with everything he had. The core emptied at an astonishing rate, making Zeke wonder if he even had enough to do what he wanted to do. But the core was more densely packed than he expected, and soon, his pathways were completely infused with his mana. The mana surrounded the rampaging foreign energies, limiting its damage, but Zeke knew it wouldn’t hold for long. Thankfully, he didn’t need for it to.

Exerting every ounce of his willpower, Zeke contracted his mana, strangling the foreign energy. A new level of agony erupted within his mind, but Zeke persisted. Anything else, and he knew he would die right then and there, forgotten and alone. Even if he managed to see his plan through, he knew the chances of death were high. But that was the whole point, wasn’t it? Nothing comes for free, and he suspected that was doubly true in his new world. True progress didn’t come without a significant risk. And he’d just risked everything for what he hoped would be an increase in his power.

Suddenly, something snapped, and his mana swallowed the energy, merging with it. That’s when Zeke lost control. In fact, he lost consciousness altogether. But as the darkness closed in on him, he couldn’t help but smile a bloody smile. His lips and the better part of his face were ruined by the acidic concoction, but he’d managed a victory nonetheless.