Roughly a month passed in the village after the night of endless rest as it had come to be called.

Things were normal for the most part, despite the introduction of enough mana to perform magic. Some tried to figure out the ways in which to manipulate the esoteric force, but oddly they hadn’t gained any sort of sense for the stuff. Everything was like before and there attempts usually ended in a beet red face from extreme concentration.

The apothecary, which Drake had now learned went by the name Aela, had become a sort of advisor to the whole village. She began to explain some of the workings of magic, how it might affect the villagers, and tried to start lessons about the manipulation of mana.

However, she quickly realized even her own use of mana had been shut down, despite her constant use for the past decade. This quickly led to the realization that the wave of mana had more to it than raw force; soon measurements began, and it was found that the density was already hundreds of times the normal and climbing.

Sighing, Drake resumed his wood chopping. He was a logger’s assistant, usually one of the few professions to enter the forest to get timber. The recent events however meant that he was confined in the walls for fear of a beast attack. Things would remain this way until they got a notice from the empire giving details on what was going on.

Drawing his axe back into the air, Drake brought it smashing straight down onto a waiting log splitting it open with a *ping* sound.

Wait…ping?

And suddenly things began to change.

In front of Drakes face was a small screen that read.

Drake Verity Class: None Level: N/A -- 0% Strength: 4 Constitution: 5 Agility: 7 Dexterity: 6 Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 4

Abilities

Extreme Mana Affinity

Blessing For Humanity

Skills

Rune of Regeneration

What…is this? Drake thought, bewildered.

Could this be another part of that wave of mana? But Aela didn’t mention anything like this…

While wondering about the origin of the odd window that seemed to be floating in midair, another one suddenly came into existence, overlaying the first.

System reinitialized, due to lasting absence tutorials will be reimplemented.

Welcome to the System! A service available to worlds with an abundance of mana to allow balance with the monsters of the world. As a new member of the system you have minimal stats each averaging 5 with deviations based on your physical and mental attributes.

Drakes mind was reeling from the information and implications it could have. First on his mind was the fact that monsters were practically guaranteed based on what this ‘System’ was saying.

Thanks to the tutorial certain aspects of the System will be explained upon inspection by users.

Taking a few minutes to try and wrap his mind around what was going on, Drake shook his head and decided to let the ‘System’ do the talking. It seemed it would give him explanations for things it deemed important. Testing this out, Drake focused on his highest stat AGI.

AGI represents agility and the ability to move at high speeds, also slightly increasing cognitive speeds.

Seeing a reasonable, succinct answer had Drake nod before inspecting his other stats.

STR represents strength and the ability to exert maximum force when lifting or striking.

CON represents constitution and the ability to take more damage without injury as well as increased regeneration from physical wounds.

DEX represent dexterity and the ability to better control movements as well as improving reaction times.

INT represents intelligence and the ability to memorize and recall, also slightly increases cognitive speeds.

WIS represents wisdom and the ability to learn and apply new information, also affects mana regeneration.

Thinking over the new information Drake understood what each represented though certain parts seemed a bit odd. Were these increased through training? Or would he be able to increase his strength with the system and then suddenly be able to lift more?

Stat Gains

Upon receiving a class every individual receives 5 points upon reaching a new level, which they can allocate to any of the statistics. Additional points may be garnered from abilities.

Drake had many more questions, like how one was able to get a class, but the rising commotion made him realize it might be best to gather to the center of the village to get more answers.

Before heading straight to the center of the village Drake headed to Liz’s house to go with her. He felt more comfortable going with someone and she was the best friend he had.

Reaching her house, he opened the door directly sans knocking to be greeted with Liz holding a knife and staring at him intently. Momentarily worried, her continued lack of motion told Drake she was probably looking through the system pages like he had been doing. She had likely been cooking and hadn’t put the knife down before poring over the new information.

Drake realized he had done the same with his woodcutting axe and sheathed it in the small holster on his right hip he had made a year ago. He had never been much for crafts, having little patience to spend doing something so mind-numbing. He supposed some could find peace in the action, and he was at least a little happy with how his product had turned out, but he didn’t see himself become a tradesman anytime soon.

“Hey”

Liz looked up after a few seconds, mouth open, obviously confused and probably more than a little scared. She was like that, mischievous yet emotional, always toeing the line with pranks so they bring more joy than harm.

“What is- are you seeing this stuff?!”

“Yea, I can’t make much sense of it, so I figured we would be better off going to the village center where I’m sure people will begin gathering.”

“Oh...yea you’re right”

“That’s why you keep me around isn’t it?”

She looked at me with a beleaguered look.

“Don’t say that, you’re more family than anyone else I know”

Taken by surprise at the honest feeling, Drake could only silently open and close his mouth before signaling that she should follow him. The two began to wordlessly walk towards the center of Corsel, Liz still tinkering with the floating screens.

What she had said was very true, her father was someone she had never met, and her mother was now a part of the empires army, only sending money back but never visiting. To Drakes knowledge it had been almost two years since he had seen the woman, and then she had been so terse and formal he could only stand quietly to the side as the two women regarded each other.

Most years birthday gifts were sent, but never on time. He could understand why she disliked her family, but he could also see the strain her mother was going through not knowing how to raise a child. She was loved but loved in a way she did not understand. Drake and his father had helped fill the hole in her heart, being there for her, eating meals with her, and making memories.

He wondered how the empire and the army were doing I these times – if beasts were bound to sweep through the country then they would have their hands full. Shaking his head, he turned to Liz who was still poring through screens.

“Aside from what the stats mean I didn’t look too hard into the ‘system’, did you find anything cool?”

“Mm, I’ve been looking through all sorts of things – skills, attributes, but I’m really interested by the Blessing for Humanity. According to the info from the system it was a part of the seal that was put in place to stop the monstrous horde. Soma grand sage something or other put his life into this thing, and it grants some pretty sweet bonuses if I understand right.”

Drake decided to check out the thing that Liz was gushing over.

Blessing for Humanity

Using the life of grand sage Albrecht Becker, a blessing was fused into the mana of the seal used to seal the monster horde. Upon its release all humans will receive this blessing.

+10% Experience gain

Ability to effectively communicate with all humans

Minor Resistance to Fear

“Based on the experience gain it seems we are supposed to raise our level? How are we supposed to do that? I hope it doesn’t involve fighting the monsters that are apparently coming.”

“I didn’t really get a clear answer on that one, apparently this system is lie a way we can interact with mana as a resource from…somewhere else, didn’t tell me where. By using mana in certain ways, we can raise our level, I think by making things or absorbing more mana.”

“Ehh I’m not so much into the whole crafting thing but I suppose with whatever benefits the system brings along I could get into it”

“I’d guess killing monsters would also do it, since they are super saturated with mana”

“Where do you read that?”

“I just focused on the monster’s part of the massage from the blessing”

Monster

Beings intrinsically linked with mana, having been born from and molded by it. They possess strength on par with the amount of mana they contain which can be increased with time.

“So, these things are just going to pop into existence now that mana has been introduced to the world?”

That thought rewarded him with another message.

Introduction of Monsters

Due to the low density of mana in the world, only the weakest will be able to enter until the density reaches a certain level. Points of high concentration may form dungeons which will have higher level existences.

Current density: 10%

…

At the new message Drake scrunched his face and went silent.

“What is it? Or should I say how bad is it?” Liz asked at seeing his expression.

“You should probably look for yourself, focus on the introduction of monsters”

After just a moment Liz had a face that mirrored Drakes earlier expression.

“This is really important information, we need to make sure Aela and the Elders know.”

“Yeah”

Having been roped into the system scouring, Drake continued to look through screens as they walked.

Abilities

Passive boosts that can represent nearly anything. These can be gained through a multitude of means.

Skills

Skills require action to be used and most often involve the use of mana. These can be gained through a multitude of means.

Extreme Mana Affinity

Your use of mana comes naturally, and you perform far better than others. Cannot be upgraded further.

Mana control +100%

Mana recovery +50%

Rune of Regeneration

A small rune carved on the body capable of regenerating wounds based on the amount of mana utilized. Can be upgraded further.

*WARNING* Due to internalizing the rune, its affects cannot currently be manifested outside of the user’s body

*WARNING* Due to severe damage the rune will have very reduced efficacy

Upon inspection of his active skill he was met with multiple warning. He wasn’t even sure what the rune was or where he had gotten it from.

“Hey, do you have any…runes? Or active skills at all?”

“No, I don’t have anything in my skills section, and what’s a rune?”

“I don’t know, but for some reason it says I have one inside of me and it’s badly damaged”

“We should ask—”

Suddenly the ground began to shake, Drake and Liz both half-walked half-fell to the wall of a shop and began to look around wildly as the rumbling grew.

It was but a moment before they learned the cause of the rumbling as the Eastern wall veritably exploded, sending shards of wood dozens of meters into the sky. Through the splinters and the dust cloud hundreds of shapes could be seen charging, ranging in size from a toddler to a two-story house.

The speed at which the monster horde was moving was the scariest part, Drake could tell there would be no chance of outrunning it, so he grabbed Liz by the hand and pulled her to the side of the building. In coordinated fashion he hoisted her onto the roof before climbing on himself.

As the stampede got closer he could tell two things, they were avoiding the building in lieu of speed and open space, and they were failing miserably. The sheer number of monsters pushed those in front and jostled them round until they smashed into numerous building, larger monsters levelled a house, smaller ones punched holes through walls.

The sight of two humans clearly excited some of them as he followed the gazes of a few that began growling, screaming, or whooping.

Realizing his position would soon be forfeit, he motioned to Liz and began running along the roofs, generally heading towards the center of the village but more so looking for anywhere safe.

Looking over his shoulder at the monster horde, he widened his gaze to look past the head of the pack. What he saw gave him some hope.

On the ground several monsters were lying still, too injured to move or dead. But beyond that, near where the wall had been, he saw humans. Some of the guard were actively fighting with the beasts.

While he could tell the guards were having a tough time of it, the fact that they were able to fight meant this wasn’t an unescapable tragedy.

Looking again in the direction he was headed he saw the center of the village, crowded with people but with many beginning to stream towards the Western aisle. A few of the brae ones had taken some defensive positioning with whatever they could find: he saw blacksmith hammers, tongs, and fair amount of kitchen knives being wielded.

Being on the roofs meant he and Liz had an advantageous position, they were able to both see the horde more clearly as well as bypass the crowd that was pushing and shoving below. Choosing to take advantage of the fact, they continued into the Western aisle. It was there they were presented with a problem.

Being the richest part of the village, many of the houses near the village center had two stories. While climbing up would not be a problem, a fall from this height could very well be fatal and the horde was gaining.

Drake thought grimly that the crowd in the village center might slow them down, but the weight and number of monsters would eventually overrun them.

They decided they didn’t want to be on the ground for when the horde made its way through.

Now high enough to see beyond the walls they were running towards, and subsequently high enough to be severely injured with a fall, Drake could see what few were lucky enough to make it out of the walls. A good number of them were gathering around some of the caravans positioned alongside the stables by the edge of the village. Some were also continuing their mad dash into the fields to the west, likely intent on running all the way through to the closest villages.

He wasn’t sure if those villagers were fairing better if they faced the same dangers Corsel was currently facing.

“The caravan, it’s leaving!!” Liz’s shout alerted him to the fact.

“If we sprint we should be able to catch up before it gets too far.” Drake reassured her.

They decided to pick up the pace, going from a comfortable jog to a run, burning some of their stamina for the prospect of safety. Risking a look back Drake made sure their situation wasn’t dire.

Many monsters had indeed been held up at the crowd in the village center, a few had broken out, but most were far from them. However, Drakes blood froze when he saw what looked like a giant leopard staring directly at them now only a few hundred feet back.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT” Drakes voice quickly elevated from a near whisper to a full-on shout prompting Liz to look back and blanch.

“Sprint! If we can make it to the wall it might slow down and give us time to escape” Seemingly the only plan with any chance of success the two took off across the roofs, now only some 200 feet from the edge of the wall.

The wall was made of wood, processed by a craftsman and layered until it stood about 15 feet in height and 3 feet in depth. It surrounded the village and was the greatest source of defense for the village. The monster horde not just breaking through but shattering the east gate likely crushed the confidence of villagers.

Between the last house and the ramparts around the wall there was a gap of about 12 feet, with a height difference of somewhere between 8-10 feet the house being higher.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline but both Drake and Liz jumped immediately, landing securely on the platform near the top of the wall. He helped her climb to the wall where she pulled him up and together they dropped to the ground.

Breathing hard they slowed to a quick jog for a few seconds to get some energy back. The caravan was just barely in sight, the last few members beginning to crest a small hill.

Drake kept glancing back at the wall as they moved, worried about he monsters ability to surmount the wall. This meant he saw an incredible feat.

The leopard was easily twice as large as normal and had an abnormal look to its pattern. The normal spots on a leopard were more spaced out and black arcs that looked to be a part of its fur jumped back and forth between the spots like lightning. This gave it a feeling that it was always moving with incredible speed. That speed was no longer up for question as the beast cleared the wall in a single jump effortlessly.

Feeling an even larger rush of adrenaline he yelled to Liz and pushed himself to top speed, intent on getting close to the caravan for protection.

Unfortunately, the leopard was far too fast for them to win a footrace. They were still nearly 150 feet out when Drake realize they would not make it.

Keeping an eye on the predator behind him he waited as long as he could before he turned to face it, drawing his woodcutters axe for what little protection it would offer him. He heard some commotion from the caravan, so he knew they saw him.

Liz was smart, and he heard her yelling for help, waving her arms and he thought he heard her choking up a bit.

Focusing all of his attention on the creature that was now preparing to pounce on him, Drake tuned out the noise of his potential saviors. It was somewhat dangerous he knew, they might call to him at some point with advice, but this was the way he always was with sports or fights – drowning out all thoughts but what was in front of him.

From the leap before he could tell this thing was faster, stronger, and quicker than he was. Therefore, he resolved to dodge preemptively rather than reactively. Knowing he needed to keep its attention on him he also bent down to grip a handful of dirt and stone, ready to throw it if the thing so much as looked at Liz’s fleeing back.

His gaze intensified as he tried to take in all of its movements, strengths and – hopefully - weaknesses. He was rewarded with another blue screen, somewhat up and out of the way so it didn’t hinder his view of his foe.

Lightning Leopard Lv. 21

Usually a stealthy predator, that have quick movements and high attack power but relatively poor defense.

All of this was information he had gleaned from its movements earlier, but it was good to know it had some sort of weakness if Drake could find a way to exploit it. Its level was also crazy high, given how no human had a level higher than 1.

Unfortunately, the time for thinking was over as the leopard had reached a range where one jump would be enough to reach Drake. Without a pause it leapt towards him with a preternatural grace, rivaling a bird’s grace in the sky.

However, Drake had also begun moving, rolling to the right while simultaneously tossing the dust soil and rocks he had picked up earlier into the space he was formerly standing. He made sure to dodge extra far, fearing it might change direction in air to hit him.

It did indeed flail its claws in his direction but missed by a few inches, and instead collided face first into the cloud of debris tossed by Drake. Momentarily disoriented it began to shake its head to clear the dust from its eyes.

In that space Drake decided to attack. Had he though about it, running probably would have been the better option to keep his own life intact, but he was already in battle mode and an opening meant an attack. He got one big strike with the axe, cleaving some ways into the flesh of the beast – but not nearly as far as he had hoped having run into the tough muscle and sinew of this apex predator.

Face hardened Drake attempted a follow up attack, but suddenly had the wind know out of him as the leopard instinctively swatted him with the back of its paw. He flew five feet and skidded to a stop, keeping his eyes on the creature but staying down for a moment to catch his breath.

Both he and the beast recovered at the same time, once again facing each other as opponents having learned from the first exchange. Drake once again had a handful of dirt and dust which the leopard eyed warily.

At this time another loud splintering echoed out as the western gate was smashed to smithereens. From the wreckage a large body could be seen with numerous smaller ones streaming out in front. The system alerted him they belonged to and ogre and goblins respectively, creatures that often lived in a symbiotic relationship.

Swearing Drake immediately turned and ran towards the woods to the side of the path he caravan was following. The leopard had turned at the loud noise, so Drake got a few dozen feet on it before it turned and began to chase after him. Using that time Drake spared a glance at the caravan which had continued to move with only a few people hanging back with bows in an attempted defense. He now realized there were a few arrows scattered near where he had battled before, obviously in an attempt to help but shot by incapable individuals.

Now with ogres and goblins approaching the people in the caravan they couldn’t spare any more time on him and were again moving at top speed away from the village. The goblins all had low levels, so he figured they could handle the immediate threat, plus they were drawing things away from him which was good.

The bad news was the leopard was almost on him again as he raced into the thicket. Perhaps not the best place to fight a nimble foe, the woods served to avoid the view of other monsters. Provided he could kill or escape from the leopard he could have some time to work out a plan.

None o the trees around were worth climbing and he figured the leopard was good at climbing, so he simply continued deeper into the dense foliage. Along the way he managed to grab a nicely shaped branch that were serve as another weapon in the rushed combat.

Realizing he could no longer hear the leopard’s steps he peeked back to find the thing was gone. Only then did he remember that it was supposedly a stealth hunter and would find the heavy vegetation a perfect place to sneak around.

Knowing that it was faster than him, Drake decided he would find a place as open as possible to face the ambush. Hurrying along it only took him two dozen steps to reach a clearing made by a small pond; it was only about 30 feet across and knee deep, but it would be perfect for giving him time to react to the leopard reemerging from the tree line.

Standing, knee deep in the water was the most stressful thing Drake had ever done. For three stressful minutes he stood silently, waiting for what could be his death. Every rustle of leaves was suspicious and every shadow suspect. Drake continued to spin around, making sure there was never enough time for the leopard to sneak behind him.

Finally, the leopard revealed itself, abandoning the sneak tactics upon realizing Drake had found such an open space. Pausing at the edge of the pond, it tensed up in preparation for leaping at Drake, its eyes watching his every move.

Then it pounced.

Being in water Drake knew his mobility was cut, but so too would be the leopards after the first leap. Or so he thought. By dropping back flat into the water he managed to dodge the claws that were aiming for his throat. The leopard flew by, continuing its momentum all the way to the other side of the pond 30 feet away.

Now drenched, the cold water calmed some of Drakes nerves and forced him to think. Taking his axe, he cut off his shirt and dunked it in the water, making sure it was dripping wet. Keeping an eye on his foe, he spread the shirt out as far as possible in preparation.

Again, the leopard leapt, this time aiming a bit lower, willing to wet its paws in exchange for a kill. The low jump allowed for even more speed, it moving fur looking every bit like black-gold lightning.

As it leapt drake tossed the shirt in the air before stabbing it with the stick he grabbed earlier and throwing it into the path of the leopard.

Tearing out with its claws the shirt was destroyed along with the stick, but his goal was accomplished. The wet shirt had wrapped around its front paw, its weight causing the leopard to be knocked off balance, spinning into the water. The fall soaked its fur and the sudden temperature change stunned it momentarily.

Drake used this opportunity to attack.

Learning from his last attempt he knew that despite its apparent weakness in defense Drakes own lack of offense could not properly pierce its body. So, he aimed for the head.

Drake began moving before it had even landed, jumping into the air, and raising the axe above his head with both hands. Envisioning the head as another log of wood, Drake struck the same way he had countless times, but with much more force.

The air faintly whistled as it cut through the air, its dulled blade offering enough resistance to be felt. Drake only swung harder.

The moment it made contact Drakes whole body shook, combined from the force and the emotional shock. The handle of his axe snapped leaving him holding a broken nub.

But his attack had worked, the blade was now embedded some two inches into the skull of the monstrous predator. It thrashed for a moment before going still blood oozing out of the wound and dying the pond red.

Drake fell to his knees, he could feel himself crying from the emotional burden that was now lifted, all his exhaustion coming back. It was all he could do to crawl to the shore before passing out, his feet still submerged.