The bird pecked the leaves in front of it, eating the bugs inside with relish. The rain had just cleared up and the insects had come out, then the things that ate the bugs, followed by everything another step up the food chain. Unfortunately for the bird, humanity had learned to cheat the food chain long ago. It was choking down a particularly large beetle when the arrow pierced its side, killing it instantly.

“Excellent shot Ms. Gillian, your archery is coming along nicely. Did you feel the energy you absorbed from the kill?” Vork asked.

“I think so? Kind of a low buzzing in my... core? Is that the word?” Samantha answered, pressing a hand to her chest with a frown.

The blue alien smiled. “This particular lesson has much to do with the soul, so words will fall short more often than not. It is indeed in your core as you call it though it is called by many other names, the soul-heart by our own people. Likewise, the energy is also called by other names even within the System, as it sees no issue in renaming things for a culture to understand better. We just call it energy, though I am given to believe humans have something called experience?”

She shrugged. “That’s what it says. The people on the news said a bunch of stuff about it “being shaped by humanities collective consciousness”. Any truth to that?”

“I have no idea.”

Samantha brow furrowed at the response. “You’re here teaching us all this stuff, but you don't know how it works?”

They laughed, hands on their knees as they wiped their eyes. “Ms. Gillian, no one knows how it works, and anyone who claims they do is either crazy or trying to sell you something. The System is old, and was old long before the suns of my home world had even ignited. There is an old saying for questions like yours, so I suggest you remember it well: ‘The System is older than time, larger than space, more complicated than reality and stranger than a duck’.”

“...Why a duck?” Samantha asked after a moment, confused.

“Why indeed?” They replied, laughter in their eyes.

“Ok, so we have the experience, just because. But do we really have to do this?”

“You were the one who asked for extra lessons. You’re one of the more promising students, so I agreed. Or are you upset with the extra training?”

Every animal was affected by the System, so every animal could be a danger if it caught you by surprise. To prevent a constant stream of little problems, barriers had been placed around the town and the farms in the area. They weren’t particularly strong, just enough to drive off small monsters that would make themselves pests in town, but those were exactly what they were out looking for. A ranger had to learn to hunt after all.

So they’d found their way to a small meadow beyond the protections the town offered, and were hunting for small game. Samantha had already learned how to look for signs of passing animals, now it had been time to put it into practice.

Samantha shook her head. “No, I'm glad you’ve come out to help me Vork, I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own, it’s just that is this really- hold on, I see one.”

Her teacher nodded in approval before talking quietly. “Good, you spotted it, now as we discussed, if you haven’t seen something before, identify it first.”

She raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the furry creature hopping through the grass. “I've seen a rabbit before Vork, they’re harmless.”

“Oh? And when did you see a rabbit?” he asked.

Sighing, she answered her teacher. “Before entering the system, so it doesn’t count. I remember the lessons. Fine, I’ll identify it.”

-Grey Hare. Level: 4-

“Its level 4!” she exclaimed with a whisper. “Why is a damn rabbit twice my level?”

“You currently fight to better yourself and grow, it fights to survive. That is a constant battle, and why monsters can grow out of control if left unchecked long enough. But it is still an animal, and you are a hunter.”

Nodding and taking a deep breath, she drew an arrow and notched it. Pulling the string back as she sighted her target and called up her mana, the unfamiliar feeling almost making her let go by accident. Getting it back under control under her teacher’s watchful eye, she checked her target, and released as she activated the first skill she’d unlocked as a ranger.

“Power shot!”

The arrow lit up with blue light as it left her hand, accelerated by more than the bow and screaming towards the target. The hare had flinched at the shout, but it wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way entirely, being struck deeply in the back and pinning it to the ground.

“I got it!” Samantha shouted excitedly.

“Just.” Vork said disapprovingly. “You almost lost it when you readied your ability, and again when you activated the ability aloud. Both are the habits of children, which, given how long you’ve been in the System, I suppose you are, but they are habits you must break.”

“I’ll try, but couldn’t you at least say something positive? You know, ‘job well done’ that kind of thing?” she answered with a huff.

“Perhaps, but not until the job is done.” He replied, taking a knife from his pocket and offering it to her.

Taking it, she examined the blade. “What’s this for? New lesson?”

“Did you feel the energy from your kill? You did not, because the hare you struck still lives. A hunter must never cause unnecessary suffering in their prey. That way leads to darker thoughts and worse actions.” They said seriously.

Taking the knife firmly in hand, Samantha swallowed hard, nodded and approached the hare. It lay panting on the ground, bleeding profusely from its wound, already having given up on escape. She lifted the weapon, hesitated for a moment then struck, ending the creature.

“...sorry.” she said to it quietly as the experience flowed into her, giving a small surge of energy as she pushed through to level three. She turned back to her teacher. “Like I was saying, is this really what we have to do? Is killing things the only way to get stronger in the System?”

Vork smiled sadly. “A good question to have. A person can gain experience from many things but it’s generally put into four groups. The fastest is to kill, and take part of their energy for your own, and as a ranger it’s the most efficient for you. Quests give large amounts, but are very rare, since they only happen when the System needs something done, though some powerful beings pay for service in energy so that’s an option. Producing something, repairing or generally adding to the universe gives some, it’s how production classes like your parents level up, safe but slow. Lastly is living.”

“Living?”

“Time passes for all things, and as it does, we soak up tiny amounts of energy from the System around us. The older you get, the stronger you’ll get, until you die. Most powerful people in the universe are in a sort of race with death, needing to gain power to extend their lifespan, which in turn gives them a bit more power. They never win though, no one lives forever.”

She nodded. “So then hunting is...”

“A necessary evil I'm afraid, unless you want to be left unable to protect yourself from those that kill happily. Now, keep the knife, as I’ll show you how to harvest useful parts from your prey.”

“Gross.”

~

He felt a twitch of guilt over it, but with the squirrels survival rate compared to the predators around it, he’d started tracking time by how long they lasted, currently he was going through almost five Squeaks a day.

He’d come up with his brilliant idea three Squeaks ago, when his companion had raced down his leg for a drink from the river and hadn’t made it back. Leaves had been thrown into the suddenly roiling waters as the squirrel vanished, but looking at the floating objects inspired him.

If he was going to keep following a river, why was he walking?

“Come Mr. Squeaks, I have a cunning plan... Oh, right. You shall be missed 24th, or was it 25th?”

Finding wood in a forest should have been, Marcus assumed, an easy task. But with things being as lush as they were all he could find were sticks that were too small, or logs almost entirely made of squishy mould, hardly useful building materials.

“Maybe try a canoe then? Those are simple enough right? You take a tree, and you...make a canoe out of it.” He pondered, looking around at the trees around him. “With the tools, knowledge and skills I don't have, yeah that’ll totally work. If I needed a shopping mall to float down the river, that I could start on, but a boat? Not so much.”

Thinking about what skills he did have he remembered he did have some according to the menu. He’d been trying to avoid dealing with it as much as he could, the connection between it and his isolation too strong to ignore. But he was going to have to suck it up and get used to it eventually, so he thought he might as well start now.

Finding a large tree he walked over to it and laid a hand on it. “Ok, here we go, focus on Green Touch, focus on the tree aaand...be a boat!”

~

Waking up in the dark, Marcus had no idea what just happened, he’d just touched the tree and then...

“System!” he complained. “Why must you betray me at every turn? What do you have to say for yourself?”

-You have activated Green touch on a plant with a substantially higher level that yours. Mana expenditure increased.-

-You have attempted use an ability with zero remaining mana causing severe backlash-

-Warning! 60% health remaining-

He coughed embarrassedly. “Yes, well, I guess this one was entirely your fault system. I will excuse this time. Now, how does a guy go about getting mana?”

Finding the same tree again, he put a hand on it yet again, gingerly this time in fear of immediately blacking out again, and tried using a different ability.

“Hey there tree, fancy giving a neighbour a cup of mana?”

-You have received 2 mana from Datovian red oak using Share the Burden-

A trickle of warmth flowed through his palm, running through his body before settling deep in his chest.

“Only two?! But you’re huge! I'm just a stick and I can hold six thousand! How much do you have left huh? A thousand? A million? Let’s see what the last of the Systems tricks has to say about your selfishness!” he said rudely while triggering Greensight before becoming immediately overcome with vertigo.

He could see the tree still, right in front of him, his hand still on it, but he could also see himself, a hazy green figure standing next to him, with a hand on his trunk. Marcus struggled to tell exactly where his body ended and the tree began, able to feel it like any other limb, not something he’d prepared for at all.

-Datovian red oak. Level: 23-

-This type of tree is the common across Datov growing quickly in abundance thanks to the strong life force presence in Datov.-

-Health: 460/ 460 Mana: 1/3-

“Who names something Greensight when it has almost nothing to do with seeing?” he groaned, still leaning on the tree as he processed the unfamiliar feelings. “But also... sorry tree, you were giving me most of what you had, and I still whined like a child. Thanks for the two mana.”

Before he took his hand off, he felt something else pass through, not the warmth of mana, but more of a feeling, it felt like... forgiveness?

-Greensight has increased to level 2. Information can be processed more easily. Increased communication with stronger vegetation.-

Marcus smiled, happy with the implications of the message. “So I might have been crazy for talking to the trees before, but now they can begin to talk back? Does that make it less crazy or even more? Well you might have been nice enough to give me all you could spare, but I don't think two is gonna be enough. Let’s see if anyone else is feeling generous.

~

By the time the sun had risen, he’d collected a little over three thousand mana, but more importantly, felt reinvigorated. As he’d kept at it, reaching out to every tree and bush he’d passed, he’d felt more connected to them, felt like he belonged. The constant practice had increased his skills even further, his Greensight having levelled several times, the trees now passing feelings of greetings, curiosity and happiness. One particularly old tree had managed to complain about a rock wedged in amongst its roots, and while it had taken effort to pry free, it gave him a true sense of accomplishment. Both abilities had reached the point we’re he didn’t need to actually touch the plant to connect to it, though trying to do two plants at once still sent him to the ground.

While his current shoulder resident, Mr. Squeaks the 27th, was still a valued companion, getting a response in a conversation was making his life bearable.

Thinking he’d have enough mana for his goals, he bowed to the forest in general.

“Thank you all for letting me borrow some of your mana, but now I need one thing more. Could I ask for one of you to spare a limb?”

Checking with each tree along the shore in turn, he found one that signalled it would be ok with it, the limb in question having grown too much and causing problems for the rest of the tree.

“Ok then, let’s try this again without passing out. Birds, get out of the way please, it’s boat time.”

Trusting it to work better this time, he pressed his hands on to the offending branch, and activated Green Touch. He could feel the mana in him being burned up, fuelling the changes he was causing in the wood beneath his hands. The trunk widened and rolled in on itself, leaves being pulled back in as it slowly melted into the image he was concentrating on. Rather than putting a further burden on the tree, the extra material came from the mana itself, creating the matter from seemingly nothing.

Eventually the weight became too much for the tree to support, so Marcus had it break off, separating the limb cleanly, and dropping his new boat on to the shore. Using the last of his mana to clean up the break on the tree, he looked proudly at his work. It was only a rough, misshapen dingy but he’d successfully grown a boat.

Grinning, he pushed it into the water, watching it bob as it floated with the current already starting to pull it downstream.

“I’d call myself a genius, but I should have thought of this a week ago.” The newly minted captain Marcus said giddily to his first mate, Mr. Squeaks the 28th.

As he hopped in, the boat wobbled slightly and sat slightly lower in the water, but it worked, and with a push he began floating freely. As the current gripped it firmly he began to pick up some speed, not much faster than his own lengthy strides, but much more relaxed. Laying back with his arms behind his head, he began to doze as the rocking waves lulled him to sleep, before sitting upright in panic.

“Shit, oars! How do I turn, or stop?” he cried.

Looking at the river in front of him, unchanging for as far as he could see, as it had been all week, he shrugged.

“Meh, problems for later.”

And with that decided, he went to sleep.