Hunter ignored the rapid notifications as his running skill quickly leveled. He also earned an Active Skill for Sprinting and another for dodging. It was little payment for the fact that he was running for his life.

A spectral fireball blasted near his feet and detonated the surrounding area in a flash of light. He was thrown from his feet, and he tumbled to the ground in a heap of limbs. He groaned as the Archive warned him of damage.

WARNING! You have sustained 75 Fire Damage. You are at 25% Health. Drink potions to recover or go to the nearest Sanctuary.

Hunter didn't need the notification to let him know that he was burning. He could smell the acrid scent wafting from his crumbling overcoat and waterproof trousers. Sensing danger, the teenager rolled over quickly and narrowly dodged another lobbed projectile. He still caught more damage, and his newly revealed health bar was pulsing red. He noticed that he wasn't actually on fire. Only his outer clothing had been damaged. Even a glancing blow from the concussive force and the heat he felt from his burning outer layer of clothing was enough to reduce his pitiable health. He quickly realized that this didn't bode well for his chances against the imp.

He saw a green and blue bar underneath his health, and that made him groan in defeat. If he had to worry about becoming tired, he knew he would probably die on this mountain. It wouldn't make sense that he wouldn't become fatigued, but he had held out some hope that this game-like interface would give him capabilities beyond the average human.

The manic cackling of the Greed Imp roused him from his study. He frantically stripped off his overcoat and trousers as the Archive notified him that he had gained a new Passive called Fire Resistance.

If I have a mana pool, then the imp does too, he realized. He only had to kite the imp before getting away. He wasn't sure about his enemy's level, but in every game he played, imps were the lowest of the low. It was high enough of a level to kill him despite that fact. He was discovering how far he needed to go.

Cleared of his burning clothes, Hunter scrambled to his feet and began running once more. More fireballs hurtled toward him, but he leveled his dodge a few more times as he kept out of their path. His maneuvers weren't very graceful. Each leap felt like he was straining to prevent a basketball from going out of bounds. He was on the knife-edge of his ability, but it got a fraction easier every time.

When he had cleared the fourth fireball, there was a pause in the imp's behavior. Hunter looked over his shoulder as he continued to sprint and saw that the diminutive creature was scowling at its palm. Hunter cheered, and the noise caused it to glance up at his swiftly departing back. Hunter could hear its growl as it loped after him on its goat feet.

A spike of alarm shot through Hunter as he saw that he was being pursued. Even though the imp was running on goat feet, it was significantly slower than the long strides that Hunter could take. He turned his head forward and activated his Sprint skill. It was nothing more than thinking about the skill before its effects were immediately apparent.

With a burst of speed, he quickly outpaced the imp, but he saw his stamina bar starting to drain away. With an aggrieved sigh, he deactivated the skill and returned to his normal jog. He looked back at the imp that was now more than a football field's distance away and considered his options.

As he was doing so, his foot caught an obstruction in front of him, and he stumbled painfully. He hissed through his teeth as whatever he tripped over banged into his shin.

Congratulations! You have earned the Passive Skill: Pain Resistance Lvl 1!

He ruefully rubbed his shin and then checked to see what he had tripped over. He saw an expensive hiking pole that someone had left on the mountain. He picked it up and was surprised at how light it was compared to the amount of pain it caused. It was a black carbon fiber model with a sharp metal point. It resembled a miniature harpoon. The Archive helpfully identified it for him.

Ultralight Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole (Lvl 0): This trash-tier hiking pole is used to assist hikers while trekking. Its sharp point will add minimal damage. Due to its length, it is categorized as a stabbing sword instead of a spear.

Hunter frowned at the notification. It seemed like this new world relied on swords and magic rather than guns. He wondered if he could get back to town once he escaped this Rift and buy himself a real weapon. He didn't have any cash, but he figured his grandparents would be good for it. After all, at the end of the world, what good was a savings account?

He hefted the trekking pole and glanced behind him to find that the imp had nearly caught up to him. He felt a little better about having a weapon, flawed as it was when facing the demonic enemy. He had no illusions that he would be able to kill it, but he might be able to damage it enough that it stopped chasing him. He glanced at his health bar. It was still dangerously low.

It seemed that regeneration in this new plane was barely a thing. He had been fleeing for a few minutes now, and his health had barely climbed a single percent. He could probably look into that further with a few thoughts, but staring at his status screen seemed like an easy way to die.

Fuck it, he decided.

He needed to take a chance. If he continued to run without thinking, he would probably stumble into another imp, and then he would be out of luck. He could barely hold off one enemy, much less two.

Snarling, he activated sprint as he turned toward the imp. Its eyes widened as the predator quickly became the prey. Hunter closed the distance and used his hiking pole to stab at the small chest of the imp. He felt as the tip of his rod slid off the creature's ribs and gouged a long line in its skin. Black blood gushed from the wound, and the sight of it surprised both the imp and Hunter.

They stood there in shock for a half-second before the imp narrowed its eyes. In that brief moment, the Archive made itself known.

Congratulations! You have earned the Passive Skill: Sword Mastery Lvl 1!