The Druid of Malice

It began as a normal day. The sun rose, traffic jams clogged the streets, and millions of people scrolled mindlessly through their phones, unaware of the monumental shift about to take place. Falin Turner was one of them, sitting in his cramped apartment in New York City, watching the news with a half-hearted interest. The usual chaos of the city swirled outside his window, but inside, his life was still the same: mundane, predictable, and suffocating.

He leaned back in his worn-out chair, staring at the small terrarium on his desk. Inside, a cluster of succulents grew lazily under the fluorescent lamp. His apartment might have been a concrete box, but this tiny patch of green reminded him of the wilderness he had never really known. A reminder of the primal connection to nature he craved but couldn’t reach.

Falin’s life had never been what he wanted it to be. He had grown up in a small rural town, surrounded by nature, but those were distant memories now, buried beneath years of city life and dead-end jobs. His parents had been naturalists, passionate about the environment and its preservation. They had lived off the land, instilling in Falin a deep reverence for nature, but after their death in a freak accident, that life had slipped away. He was thrust into a foster system that didn’t care about his connection to the wilderness. The city swallowed him, and the natural world became nothing more than an idealized memory, a dream he could never fully reclaim.

Falin was now twenty-six, living in a world of concrete and steel, with no way out. He had tried to escape—majored in environmental science in college, hoping to connect with something that resonated with his childhood. But opportunities were scarce, and life had its way of crushing dreams. He worked an office job that barely paid the rent, his apartment a claustrophobic space filled with remnants of a life he longed for—succulents, a few nature magazines, and a faded map of national parks pinned to the wall.

That was when everything changed.

**SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.**

The voice wasn’t audible in the usual sense; it resonated directly in Falin’s mind, clear and impossible to ignore. He jumped, nearly knocking over the terrarium as he scrambled to his feet. The room shifted, the air buzzing with an unfamiliar energy. His eyes widened as a translucent screen materialized in front of him, hovering in mid-air like some kind of augmented reality game.

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**Welcome, Falin Turner. You have been selected to participate in the global tutorial.**

** Rank: Dirt**

**Class Initialization:** *Choose Your Class*

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“What the hell…” Falin muttered, heart pounding. He stared at the screen in disbelief, wondering if this was some elaborate prank or hallucination. But before he could process it further, the world outside his window began to change. Traffic noises faded, and the buildings shimmered, their rigid forms softening, bending, as if reality itself was unraveling.

He rushed to the window and gasped. The streets of New York were transforming. Asphalt cracked as massive tree roots erupted from the ground, wrapping around cars and lampposts. Skyscrapers groaned and creaked as vines spiraled up their sides, breaking windows and weaving into steel frames. People on the streets panicked, scattering in every direction, but Falin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight.

**SYSTEM ACTIVATION: EARTH TUTORIAL PHASE BEGINS. SURVIVE.**

His mind spun as the translucent screen updated.

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**Choose Your Class:**

*Warrior* – A frontline fighter, specializing in melee combat and defense.

*Mage* – Master of elemental forces, capable of manipulating fire, ice, and arcane magic.

*Druid* – Guardian of nature, wielding the forces of the wild to defend the natural world.

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Falin’s eyes settled on the third option—*Druid*. His heart raced as memories of his childhood flooded back. His parents had always spoken about the balance of nature, the delicate dance between life and death, growth and decay. He felt a connection to it, a pull toward the wilds he had longed to return to.

His mind made up, he chose the Druid class.

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**Druid Class Selected**

A basic connection to the forces of nature has been established. Your abilities will grow with time and experience.

**Title earned

*Nature’s Apprentice* – You have chosen the path of the Druid. Nature’s forces are now at your disposal.

New Skills Unlocked:

- *Summon Roots* (common): Summon roots from the ground to bind and trap enemies.

- *Healing Bloom* (inferior): Release a burst of natural energy to heal minor injuries over time.

- *Wild Instinct* (inferior): Heighten your senses, improving your perception of danger and surroundings which is crucial to a druid.

---

As the system completed his class initialization, Falin felt something stir deep within him—a faint connection to the earth beneath his feet, the air around him. The world felt different, more alive. The roots and vines outside seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat, as if responding to his new connection with nature.

But the system didn’t stop.

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**Quest: Survive the Tutorial. Objective: Adapt to your surroundings.**

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Falin took a deep breath, stepping away from the window. His heart still pounded in his chest, but there was a strange calm beneath the fear. He had always longed for something more, and now, it seemed the world was giving him a chance—a chance to reclaim the life he had been denied.

But this wasn’t a dream. The streets were chaos. He could hear distant screams, and something in the air felt wrong. The city was no longer safe. Nature wasn’t just reclaiming its space; it was mutating, growing hostile.

**Adapt to your surroundings.**

The system's directive echoed in his mind, pushing him to act. He turned back to the terrarium, where his succulents swayed under the fluorescent light. With a thought, he activated *Summon Roots*. He felt the surge of power ripple through him, and the small plants in the terrarium responded, their roots snaking out of the soil to wrap around his fingers.

He grinned, feeling the rush of control. This was power, real and tangible. No longer was he trapped in the mundane routine of city life. He was part of something bigger now, connected to forces that were reshaping the world.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the hallway outside his apartment. His head snapped toward the door, adrenaline spiking. He wasn’t alone. Whatever was happening outside had reached his building.

He hurried to the door, pressing his ear against it. There were voices—panicked, desperate. Then, a scream.

Falin’s heart pounded, and he clenched his fists. He had to get out of here. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t going to stop.

With his new powers still fresh and untested, he opened the door cautiously. The hallway was dark, the overhead lights flickering. The scent of damp earth filled the air, and the floor was cracked, with roots creeping through the gaps.

Ahead, he saw movement—someone running, chased by something large and twisted. Falin froze. The creature looked like a wolf but distorted, its limbs too long, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light. It snarled as it chased the fleeing man.

Falin’s instincts kicked in. He wasn’t a fighter, but the system had given him tools. He raised his hand, summoning roots from the cracked floor. The vines surged forward, lashing out and wrapping around the creature’s legs, pulling it to the ground.

The wolf-like creature snarled, snapping at the vines, but Falin didn’t stop. He focused, pouring more of his will into the spell. The roots tightened, holding the beast in place long enough for the fleeing man to escape.

But this was only the beginning. Falin’s world was changing, and if he wanted to survive, he would need to master his new powers—and fast.

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**Quest Updated: Survive the Tutorial. Objective: Corrupt 10 living creatures. Progress: 0/10.**

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Falin’s eyes widened as the new objective appeared. **Corrupt?** He hadn’t chosen the path of malice. At least, not yet. Something stirred within him, dark and potent. The system, it seemed, had plans beyond his initial choice.

As the wolf struggled against the vines, Falin felt a pulse of energy—a temptation. The power to corrupt, to control. It was there, just beneath the surface, waiting for him to reach out.

But that was a choice for later.

For now, he needed to survive.