THE SKILL TREE

In a vast forest, the trees towered high above, twice as tall as any Rave had ever seen in his previous world. The air was alive with the howls of distant beasts and the songs of strange birds. It was totally a stark contrast to the eerie silence of the rift he had just escaped. But amidst the lively sounds and dense forest, black smoke curling upwards from below.

Underneath one of one of the the giant trees, a fire crackled, roasting an enormous piece of meat. It looked like rabbit meat, but this creature was far bigger, with a horn jutting out from its head.

Sitting on a thick branch that tree, Rave leaned back, resting while tearing into a chunk of the roasted meat. His stomach groaning in satisfaction, but as he chewed, his face twisted in disgust.

"Ugh... so tasteless," he grumbled, tossing the half-eaten piece into his mouth. "I need to find some spices." he thought while hardly muching the tastless meat.

As suddenly a thought crossed his mind, a question popped up. "Wait... are there any human settlements around here?" He realized that finding people was now a top priority, especially after he recovered a bit more from his injuries.

His body still ached from the brutal fight with those labyrinth rats. The wounds were deep, and his skills cannot fully heal them. But he was slowly treating them using his Vital Surge with his new passive skill, Stone Body.

A grin spread across his face. "This passive skill is amazing. It doesn't drain my energy at all," he muttered, impressed by its continuous effect.

Feeling excited, Rave opened his inventory. His eyes widened as he saw the numbers: 209 Lesser Tier Beast Cores from the metal claw rats. He also had a few from the herbal slimes and the horned rabbit, he was eating now. His heart raced with anticipation as he quickly pulled up his skill tree panel. Four skills were displayed, but his attention was locked on three.

"It's time to level up," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he tapped on his very first skill, Swift Steps, and a prompt appeared before him:

[64 Lesser Tier Beast Cores required to upgrade Swift Steps to Tier 2.]

Without a second thought, Rave hit the '+' symbol next to the skill name. The screen flickered, and a new message flashed:

[Swift Steps upgraded to Tier 2.]

Suddenly, a wave of energy coursed through him, pulsing in its own rhythm and affecting his body. His muscles tightened and became stronger, his legs felt lighter, and he was way faster. Along with these changes, a deep understanding of his new skills filled his mind, like he had trained for years in just a second. A warm feeling spread through him, giving him a sense of new power.

[Completed. +20 Speed]

Rave took a deep breath, feeling the difference in his power instantly. "This is incredible," he murmured, his lips curling into a board smile when he saw another 2 skills both of same - tier 1.

A crazy idea popped into his head. "What if I leveled up two skills at the same time?" Without hesitation, he used 128 crystals from his inventory.

Two different energies rushed into his body—one refreshing and invigorating him, the other strengthening his muscles. He felt his body changing, the effects blending together in a way unlike before. Suddenly, a prompt appeared.

[Vital Surge and Stone Body skills merging]

Rave's eyes widened. "Wait, what? It can do that?" His mind raced with excitement while imagining the future possibilities. "Haha! With this, I could become unstoppable!" He watched the system panel, where the progress bar showed the merging process.

10%... 25%... 63%... $%…@$%…. Error Error. System's Skill Fusion function still not unlocked. Unlock before merging skills.

Rave froze, his excitement shattering. He stared at the error message, pointing his finger angrily at the screen. "Why the hell do you even show it to me?!" His frustration boiled over. "Hey! Say something! How the hell do I unlock it?!" But the system stayed silent, mocking him with its stillness.

Before he could curse it any further, a noise from below caught his attention. He looked down to see a pack of seven wolves circling the roasting meat, their eyes locked on the food. They were drooling, unaware of his presence. Their fangs gleamed under the dim light, and their bodies were scarred, dried blood staining their fur, giving them a vicious look.

A new prompt appeared:

[Vital Surge and Stone Body leveled up to Tier 2]

[+17 Defense, +8 Attack]

Rave's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Perfect timing. Let's see what these new upgraded skills can do." He quickly checked the stats of the wolves.

Name: Mire Stalkers.

Tier: Lesser Tier - Peak

Attack: 21

Defense: 11

Speed: 14

Skills:

Frenzied Maul – A wild assault using claws and fangs, ripping through enemies with brutal force.

Pack Ambush – Coordinated attacks from all sides, leaving no room for escape.

Rave's eyes gleamed with determination. "Alright, let's start the fight."

He leaped from the branch, landing on the ground with a thunderous crash that echoed through the forest. The wolves, once fixated on the roasting meat, snapped their heads toward him, eyes wide with shock. Their faces twisted with confusion and anger, as if questioning where this intruder had come from.

"So, you're at the peak of the lesser tier beasts?" Rave's lips curled into a daring smile. "Let's see what you're made of." Excitement surged through him as he felt his newfound power coursing through his body. His muscles tingled, brimming with energy.

Without a moment's hesitation, he launched himself forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he propelled himself toward the wolves. In a blur of movement, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint trail of light behind him.

This time, there was no struggle to control his speed. No awkward stumbles. His body moved with perfect precision, every muscle in harmony with his intentions.

The wolves, who had first seen him as nothing more than easy prey, now watched with horror as he closed in on them. Their eyes widened, panic flickering in their gaze. But before they could react, before they could even think to defend themselves, Rave's fist connected with the face of the nearest wolf.

With a pained roar, the wolf's body flew through the air, slamming into a tree trunk with a bone-rattling impact before crumpling to the ground. The other wolves, who had been growling at Rave, fell silent, their eyes wide with shock. Even Rave's own eyes widened.

"It's still alive?" he muttered, disbelief washing over him. "I gave it my best shot, and it's not dead?" But his surprise quickly turned into determination. "Well, if one punch isn't enough, I'll just hit it twice."

Without wasting a second, he dashed toward the same wolf. The creature was barely recovering from the first blow, its skull visibly dented, its body trembling as it tried to get back up. But before it could even regain its senses, Rave appeared before it, moving so fast that even its heightened agility couldn't track him.

In the next heartbeat, Rave's fist crashed into the wolf's head again.

[Lesser tier Mire Stalker Killed. Lesser tier beast core obtained]

The notification echoed in his mind as the wolf's body went limp. A dangerous smile played on his lips. "That's it... and neeext…" His voice was low, stretching the word as he turned toward the remaining six wolves, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The wolves trembled, their bravado shattered. Fear overtook them as Rave vanished from his spot and appeared before another one, his fist driving into its side with all his strength.

A sickening crack echoed as the wolf's ribs shattered. It coughed up blood before being hurled across the clearing, its body bouncing lifelessly on the ground.

[Lesser tier Mire Stalker Killed. Lesser tier beast core obtained]

Rave's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh... That was fast. Is that its weak spot?" He glanced at his fist, realization dawning on him. But his thoughts were cut short by a sharp pain in his arm.

He looked down to see another wolf clamped onto his forearm, its razor-sharp fangs digging in. But despite the vicious attack, its teeth didn't pierce his skin. They merely held him in place, unable to break through.

A mocking laugh escaped him. "You really thought that would work? Don't underestimate my defense." With that, he drove his fist into its side, hitting the weak spot he had just discovered.

[Lesser tier Mire Stalker Killed. Lesser tier beast core obtained]

The wolf's body went limp, releasing his arm as it collapsed. Rave looked at the remaining three wolves, their bodies trembling, eyes wide with terror. Their leader was dead, and three others had fallen within moments.

Panic set in, and without a second thought, they turned tail, sprinting in different directions, desperate to escape. Rave watched them run, his heart still pounding from the fight. He let them go, knowing he couldn't catch all of them at once—not yet, at least.

"Consider yourselves lucky," he muttered, his gaze sharp as he watched their forms disappear into the dense forest.

Rave let out a long breath and sat back down on the ground, stretching his sore limbs. "I should heal my wounds first. I really hope this upgraded skill does a better job," he murmured to himself before closing his eyes and activating Vital Surge.

The moment he did, an intense mix of cold and warm energy surged into his body, sending a sharp jolt through him. His muscles tensed, his breath hitched—this was completely different from before.

"Hah—this energy is strong!" he gasped, barely able to handle the overwhelming rush of energy flooding his veins. Last time, it had been gentle, smooth, and warm, almost comforting. But now? Now it was wild, forceful, and uncontrollable raw power that pushed through his body like a raging river.

Within seconds, his depleted energy, the strength he had spent fighting the wolves was completely restored.

"I need time to adjust to this," he muttered, trying to steady himself. But before he could fully process what was happening, something strange caught his attention.

Rave's eyes snapped open, and he froze in shock.

Glowing energy particles swirled all around him, bright like tiny fireflies. They moved in a mesmerizing pattern, circling his body, trying to force their way in.

"What is this…?" he whispered, reaching out toward the flickering lights. His instincts kicked in, and he focused inward, trying to understand what this energy was doing.

And then, realization struck.

The energy wasn't just surrounding him, but it was healing him. And that in a fast pace.

His wounds stitched themselves closed at an unnatural speed, leaving behind smooth, unmarked skin. The pain from those wounds was slowly fadind away, replaced by a refreshing warmth spreading through his body.

Rave didn't hesitate. He shut his eyes and focused completely on the process, letting the energy do its work.

For nearly an hour, he remained still, absorbing the power, allowing his body to recover. When he finally deactivated the skill, he stood up and stretched, rolling his shoulders and moving his arms.

Not a single scratch remained. His body felt lighter, stronger like a brand new.

"Hah… this is insane," he muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Upgrading skills might actually be worth it after all." But as he checked his remaining beast cores, he frowned. "I should have saved some for my cultivation…"

Just as he was thinking this, a sound reached his ears.

A rustling.

A movement.

Something—or someone—was approaching through the trees.

His expression hardened, his body tensing. "Don't tell me those wolves came back for revenge…"