Chapter 4: Help

Eluc wiped the sweat from his brow. Hands on his hips, he looked up hoping to see the night sky, but the trees blocked any chance of a meeting. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, thinking over the events of the last hour. For his own survival, he took the life of a harmless creature of the wilds and he knew that doe wouldn’t be the last.

Opening his eyes again, he looked down at the corpse he brought back. The arrow was still midway through his anterior chest cavity and the slice on its neck was perhaps too deep, nearly chopping through the spine towards the back. Its blood was on his hands. He sighed as he realized he just smeared it on his white pants, imprinting his hands in dark crimson. Secretly, he was glad that it wasn’t his own this time.

Planning his next move, Eluc thought it would be smart to head into the White Room to see if there were any tools. His hands were incapable of tearing the flesh of the deer and his swords too long to be wieldy. Wiping his hands on the grass below, he then pushed upon the door to head back down the three hundred steps.

[Reminder: 1 Level Up obtained.]

The resonant voice sounded in Eluc’s head again as he walked down to the White Room. Gentle and calm, it delivered the information before disappearing into silence again.

“Thanks,” he said, voice echoing across the walls. He searched his memory and remembered that a message like that appeared after killing the deer. As for what a [Level Up] was, he recalled reading something like that on one of the many screens in the past couple days but he hadn’t paid too much attention then. Now that it was relevant, his curiosity surged at the thought of the mysterious function. Even though all of these screens were foreign to him, they only ever served for his betterment.

“Level Up!” Eluc yelled. Voice bouncing in the stairway’s hall, a status screen appeared in response.

♢ Status ♢

Name: Eluc

Level: 1 [0/25 EXP]

Class: [Locked until Level 10]

Title: None

Skill Points: 2

World Points: 6

HP: 110/110

SP: 40/110

MP: 15/15

♢ Statistics ♢

VIT: 10 [+]

END: 10 [+]

WIS: 10 [+]

STR: 10 [+]

DEX: 10 [+]

INT: 10 [+]

Eluc took in the information in front of him and was surprised at the many small changes that took place across everything. It was difficult for him to associate the screen and his own tangible existence but this really was a statistical representation of himself. At first thought, this seemed convenient as everything about himself could be monitored in a concise and convenient way. However, thinking more deeply about it, was it not invasive and eerie?

Regardless, it was another necessary evil. Based upon his understanding, these [Skill Points] could be allocated into the [Statistics] at the bottom, indicated by the [+] button next to each stat. The urge to press the button to figure out what happened was there, but Eluc ignored it. He didn’t know how important these [Skill Points] would be in the future and he did not want to make an uninformed choice that would mess up his future. Long-term thinking would be essential.

The last option that intrigued him was the [World Points]. Realizing he would not be able to figure it out himself, he decided to actively seek out help from the system.

“What are [World Points]?” Eluc said aloud. Dead silence hung in the air as he waited for a response. Moments later, a screen visualized in front of him.

World Points - 6:

A numerical representation of the user’s impact on “The World.” Can be used with the [Help], the [Locked until Level 20], the [Locked until Level 40], the [Locked until Level 60], and the [Locked until Level 100] functions.

“A [Help] function? You couldn’t have told me about this from the start?” Eluc yelled, but no response ever came from the system. Instead, the [Help] menu appeared, which Eluc perceived as the system’s hope of reconciliation.

Help:

Allocate [World Points] to receive an answer to a question.

The screen floated in the air, silent and unmoving as Eluc pondered a question. There were almost too many to ask now that he found the opportunity presenting itself. He first started with an easy, immediate question.

“How should I cook the game I caught?” Eluc said.

[How many [World Points] do you wish to allocate?]

“Hmm… Let’s go with one.”

[1 World Points used.]

[Answer: Head down to the White Room.]

Eluc stood still, dumbfounded. Was that not his plan in the first place? Maybe there was something special down there he could use, but what if the system only meant to use one of the daggers on the racks to carve the meat and then make a fire from the wood outside? The directions were much too vague, but that reason was probably due to the fact that only one world point was used. Now that he understood the [Help] function’s basic principles, he should go with a more difficult question.

Clearing his throat, which was sore from all of the talking, he said, “What should my next step be? Where should I go from here?” The question was full of meaning and had an immediate impact on his survival so any guidance would be accepted. Questions like ‘Why am I here?’ or ‘Who am I?’ could always be saved for the future.

[How many [World Points] do you wish to allocate?]

[Warning: Current [World Point] Threshold exceeded. The system may be unable to assist the user.]

Now, an interesting situation was before Eluc. It seemed like his question was too much to ask for with only five points remaining. Obviously, asking the question had very little chance at yielding any results, but Eluc was in a tough bind at the moment. Even if the system only pointed him in a direction, he could still make use of that information. He decided it was worth the gamble.

“Use the five points I have left,” he said.

[5 World Points used.]

An unusual lull took the space between the system’s acknowledgment and its answer. Sweat fell from Eluc’s brow as he felt like he might have made the wrong choice, but it was necessary. He really was clueless and needed any and all help. Before he knew it, he might get attacked by the dire wolf again and then he wouldn’t even be alive to use the saved up points. With a ring, the voice spoke again.

[Best course of action found: Survive.]

Pursing his lips, Eluc knew he lost the gamble. He could only let out a swear as he continued his walk down to the White Room.

On the positive side, he now understood the first answer as returned home. There was no mistaking it this time: a new door was here. Eluc carefully studied the room after the last situation with the armory, so he knew for a fact he had not just missed this other wing on accident. Connecting the dots, he knew what would show itself when he opened this new door of the White Room.

♢ ♢ ♢

Before long, the limestone steps were drenched in blood, as was the stretch of flooring from the entrance to the eastern wing. It was a surprise that the doe could produce as much blood as its corpse tracked, but the vitality of the Forgotten Forest’s creatures was outstanding. Had this doe been only a few years older, more than one arrow would have been required to take it down. Sounds of cutting and chopping could be heard from this new room as Eluc worked hard to butcher the creature.

The kitchen was fit for a master. Tools dressed the walls and were packed tight in the drawers of the counter. It was a shame that the one utilizing them was but a beginner at the art of carving. His stabs were either too weak or too forceful and his knife tore at the hide in a messy manner. Fortunately, Eluc had changed out of his hunting gear and into some spare clothing as he was now drenched head to toe in blood. At the end of a long session of butchering, he at least had some salvageable meat to show for it.

Meat in his palm, he walked over to the stove. It was saturated with blood, dripping to the ground to stain the floor in red. In any other situation, he would have let it dry, but his hunger was overwhelming. He placed the food in a pan and set it atop the stone stove. From his amnesia, Eluc did not know how to use one of these, but he could guess by the piles of wood and coal beside it that he had to gather some of those and throw them in the compartment beneath.

It was a little late, but Eluc wondered just how the White Room constructed itself. A concept like this was fascinating, and even more so that it functioned so well. More impressive was how it procured its materials. Did it make those too, or did it retrieve them from somewhere? Even if that was the case, he didn’t know how that would explain the sheer amount of coal. There was too much of it sitting in the corner of the kitchen, so much so that it detracted from its otherwise regal, ancient appearance.

Eluc had not started a fire yet, but he was able to clumsily figure it out with the material provided. Once the fire started, he began to throw coal inside until it seemed like it would be enough to cook the meat. The whole process was scuffed, from the inexperienced fire-starting to the meat sticking to the pan. Only the fact that a piece of charred meat sat on the plate in front of Eluc made up for the trouble. Its texture was more like bark than meat, the sinew was tough to tear apart, and an overbearing gamey flavor assaulted his taste buds, but his stomach could care less. Even Eluc himself cared little, as he almost choked as he scarfed the food down. Thankfully, he put more meat on the pan while he ate as he felt the strong urge for seconds.

Proficiency Obtained: Butchering [Lvl 1]

The user has a higher chance of material yields from animals, can perform field gathering, and is faster at performing the act.

Proficiency Obtained: Cooking [Lvl 1]

The user can utilize basic cooking ware, can successfully make beginner dishes, and has a higher understanding of food and recipes.

Eluc spent that night in satisfied bliss. After filling himself until he began to feel drowsy, he collapsed in the bed, still stained a deep red. Hours flew by in what Eluc perceived as seconds as his eyes opened again, ready for another day.

Wiping his groggy eyes, he pushed himself up, taking in the beautiful surroundings. He never took the chance to admire the White Room before, but its design was one to marvel at. The crafted stone was crafted along the wall in an elegant manner, its twists and turns gentle but profound. Some of the walls even had artwork carved into them. One painting depicted a woman sitting by a river in the foreground with a wolf perched upon a rock in the back, staring at the defenseless damsel with fiery eyes. Another was a battleaxe, hilt buried in the stone as its pointed tips aimed at the sky. The last one illustrated a magnificent tide, crashing through the coast of a town. Its water flooded into every house as a man stood atop the wave, hands raised in a spell.

The engravings felt lifelike enough that Eluc would have believed they existed right in front of his eyes. Only the white color of the carvings separated their reality from his. Rather, the alabaster created a certain atmosphere in the room, adding a purity and stillness to the room. It felt as if the White Room was separated from the rest of the world, untarnished by its fierceness and crimes.

“Speaking of tarnishing, wasn’t there deer blood all over the floor last night?” Eluc distinctly remembered the sticky feeling of his shoes as he would step in a puddle gore. Through the night, it seemed as if someone came through with a mop and cleaned up the entire room. Even a look at his clothes revealed no stains or remnants of the last night.

Thinking this was odd, Eluc left the bed and headed to the kitchen. Hoping to save some of the carved meat for later, he had stored it on the drying rack, conveniently provided by the White Room. Last night, the kitchen had looked like a slaughterhouse, blood decorating each wall, the ceiling, and the floor. Instead of that scene of horror from yesterday, a refreshingly white hue replaced the distasteful crimson. Picked clean, the discarded parts of the carcass had disappeared with the blood, but the useful parts remained. Captivated by the phenomenon, Eluc walked over to the drying meat, waiting for a drop of blood to leave the flesh. As it had taken the night to dry, very little remained inside the meat so ten minutes went by before enough blood gathered to fall on the floor. Before long, the blood absorbed into the White Room without leaving a trace.

Eluc didn’t see any practical application to this anomaly except having the freedom to live like a slob, but it was interesting to know. It was as if the White Room was a living, breathing creature, feeding on the trash Eluc brought in.

Slightly disturbed but used to putting these thoughts to the back of his mind, Eluc headed to the armory, preparing to go adventuring for the day. From what he has learned so far, this world relied on a leveling system. In order to make progress, Eluc has to raise his abilities to meet thresholds in order to utilize weapons, abilities, and who knows what else. All of this brought him to one conclusion: he needed to get stronger.