Ultimate Level 1

Max’s legs burned as he ran past the last few farms toward the safety of the trees.

Fear kept him going. Never stopping, always moving, even if, at times, he had to walk.

Every step for the last few miles had been filled with pain in his legs and chest. The exhaustion he felt was overwhelming, but worse was the realization that everything he had dreamed of was gone.

I have [Baker]! Why couldn’t they just let me live with my parents? Why were they going to take me away?

None of it made sense as he weighed those questions. Worse was the question he really didn't want to think about.

Do they just kill people who are like him?

Suddenly, his legs seized up mid-stride, and his body shook.

“Mother-loving goblin crap!”

The pain he felt when he realized what had happened left him even more breathless.

[Stamina Check]

*****

Stamina: 0/20

*****

Lurching to a stop, Max bent over, resting his hands on his thighs.

Damn chicken legs!

Having avoided physical work left him a lot weaker than others. Even his sister had more muscle than he did.

Stopping for a few minutes, Max looked around before he began walking slowly, letting his stamina recover a few points. The non-stop running had drained his stamina faster than he remembered.

Thankfully, no one was around here to see him walking around like a gimp. Everyone that was physically able to go had gone into town to watch the ceremony. That fact now panged his heart as he realized everyone in his hometown believed he was unskilled and had escaped.

Panic took over, and all he could think about was getting deep enough into the woods and getting a fire going. He still needed to see what was in the pack his sister and Caleb had given him. Then, he would have to figure out where to go.

Trudging through the fields, his mind reminded him that he was headed in no particular direction.

I’m such an idiot for not paying more attention in class. I have no clue which way I should even head.

Max knew there were major towns in all four directions, with smaller villages as well, but which one was the best to choose?

He was simply running southwest, away from his parent's place, as he figured they would check there first. Actually, he had run this way because Caleb and his sister had led him this way in town, no doubt having thought about that ahead of time.

Nearing the trees, he slowed down once more as he glanced at the sun overhead.

There were three hours, maybe four tops, before the sun would set.

The woods were still sparse but would soon be thick and block out all of the light the sun provided. He felt the dryness of his throat and could not swallow his fear. Dropping his pack, he looked to see what they had actually given him.

Bread, cheese, dried meat, a knife, and a water skin!

Yanking it from the sack, he began gulping down the water, almost choking on it before slowing down. After a few more swallows, he put the stopper back in the skin and returned it back in the pack.

Pulling the knife out, he noticed it was the one Caleb had always carried on his hip when they were exploring. Eight inches long, it was more for cutting meat or skinning an animal than the one they had used for whittling.

Holding it tight in his hand it made him feel better.

Safer.

Not that he was good with a bow or a sword, but Max wished for a longer, more powerful weapon as he stared at the trees and the way the light seemed to vanish under them.

Am I trading death at the hands of the people in town for mutilation by some creature or animal?

A shiver ran through him as he took a deep breath and let it out.

He had butchered sheep and other animals in his life and even managed to kill a few deer and a single boar while hunting.

I need reach. Something longer…

Focusing his mind on the task ahead, he forged a path through the trees, doing his best to leave as little of a trail as possible.

A good thirty minutes later, he found himself drenched in sweat again but had found a spot deep enough in the woods that he felt he could safely build a fire and not worry about the light of it being visible from the road or fields.

The sunlight barely broke through the canopy of leaves, and the forest's darkness felt heavy against him. Thick wooden branches with large leaves covered the sky, and gnarled roots created a ground filled with tripping hazards.

He had found a sapling that felt strong enough and was the length he desired for a makeshift spear. Hacking off all the branches and peeling off the bark, he sat down and whittled it, creating a sharpened point.

The greatest treasure in the pack had been some flint. Caleb remembered he had never been successful at starting a fire without one.

Stolen novel; please report.

The pile of tinder was ready, and stacked near it were smaller branches and a few larger sticks to help get it going when he would finally light it. With those two tasks done, he began building a barrier to help protect him from more than one side, searching for logs and other large rocks to stack.

As he moved a smaller log, a three-foot green snake, a slickback, slithered out from the log and began to hiss at him. Jumping back, he grabbed his spear from the ground and stabbed at it, missing it the first time. It took two more stabs before he managed to pin it in the dirt.

With its body immobilized, he slowly slid his hand down the shaft of his spear and pulled out the knife, hacking the head off in one swing.

A weird, cold sensation filled him when he killed the snake.

[ 5 Hitpoints Consumed ]

He felt his eyes widen when he saw the notification.

Max quickly checked to see what had happened.

[Status Check]

*****

Max Hoste

18-Year-old Human Male

Level 1

Exp 0/1000

HP: 27/40

MP: 20/20

Stamina: 20/20

STR: 3

DEX: 4

CON: 4

INT: 4

WIS: 4

Skills:

Baking - Common

Consume - Rare

*****

I gained five hit points by killing the snake. Why would I gain health like that?

A moment passed as he realized what had happened.

Isn’t consume an eating skill? Or is it more…

A flood of thoughts and questions assaulted his brain as he considered what that meant. No experience was gained, which was weird. He knew people gained experience in different ways either by killing creatures or monsters, completing quests, and other tasks. He should have at least gotten one point of exp.

Too tired to focus on that right now and needing to finish up before the light of the day faded completely, Max returned to the other task at hand.

When the sun had finally set and having sat in the darkness, letting his eyes adjust, Max slowly worked his tinder and flint, getting a fire going in no time. As it grew, he added just enough logs to keep it lit without making a bonfire that would signal where he was.

A sigh escaped his lips as he sat there cooking the snake he had slain with nothing more than a stick running through it and a fire.

“What I wouldn’t give for some seasoning and fresh herbs,” he muttered as he listened to the meat pop and sizzle. The [Baker] skill in him yearned for so many different ways to make this snake taste better. Knowledge he shouldn’t know but somehow did. Lessons he had learned during the time spent with Nancy and the other bakers came to his mind.

It felt like he was being cheated. He had gotten the skill he had wanted, but how did he get two skills? He wasn’t a noble. And why had that older man been so upset when he saw that he had two skills?

Touching it with his fingers, he shook them from the slight burn he felt on his fingertips.

Lost in thought about his skill, he found himself making mistakes he normally wouldn't.

Even without the [Baker] skill, one knew enough about cooking, and putting one's fingers on freshly cooked meat was not smart.

Waving the stick in the air, he hissed before sucking on the tip of his fingers.

“Focus, you idiot!” he chided himself and then closed his eyes a moment before taking a deep breath.

Blowing on his dinner, he glanced at the area around him. The woods were darker than he had imagined, and he knew he needed to make a decision.

The barrier he built wasn’t that tall, and the realization that he was deep in the woods with no one to help him left a bad taste in his mouth, and he had yet to even eat the unseasoned snake.

Glancing up at the tree, he knew his options were to sleep on the ground or in the tree. It would be a better night's rest on the ground, but anything could come up to him while he slept and easily kill him.

The tree would be a little more dangerous if he fell and not be near as comfortable, but it would be safer except for the bugs.

He took a bite of the snake and immediately began sucking in the air to help with the pain of the hot, juice-flowing heat burning his tongue.

Chewing fast while inhaling, he gulped down the piece of meat and felt the burning chunk go down his throat.

Closing his eyes, Max was overwhelmed.

Today had gone nothing like he had planned. Everything he had hoped for and bet on was crushed like those muffins on the street.

It was all due to the second skill he had been given.

Sitting on the ground, leaning against a small log, feeling the pain in his mouth from the burning flesh he had swallowed, his brain finally reminded him of something he had forgotten.

[Skill Description - Consume]

*****

Consume - Rare Skill: When killing a person, creature, or monster, the skill holder has a chance to consume some of the essence of the one defeated. Health, Stamina, Mana, Stats, and Skills have a chance of being gained. Stats consumed cannot be acquired if current stats are higher. Skills can be upgraded if a higher skill is consumed. No experience may be gained by killing creatures or others. No experience is gained via quests.

*****

Max shook his head a few times, unable to believe what he was reading.

He had a rare skill! Only nobles and heroes ever got rare skills without leveling. How could that happen? Surely, the adventure guild advisors would change their minds if that were the case!

As he began celebrating for a moment, his brain considered what he had just read again.

It sounded overpowered and weak at the same time. He couldn’t gain experience by killing monsters like a normal adventurer. There was no way for him to rank up. Even if he joined the adventurer guild, how could he improve?

Blowing on his snake dinner, he tested it this time carefully with his fingers and realized it was finally cool enough for him to eat without suffering pain and injury.

As he gobbled it down like a starving piglet, he returned to the description again.

Health, Stats, and Skills have a chance of being gained.

That must have been how he gained those hit points when he killed the snake!

Swallowing the mouthful he was chewing, he realized he was stuck on a path he didn’t like.

He had to fight to get stronger and hopefully be able to find a way to live safely somewhere else, or he would die to those hunting him or a creature.

Groaning, he finished the last bite of his snake, tossed the stick in the fire, laid back against the log, and played with the spear in his hand.

The choices before him were easy.

Get stronger or die.

Rising to his feet, he tossed two logs into the fire and looked up at the tree branches.

Getting stronger could start tomorrow. Tonight, he wanted to sleep and try not to worry about dying.