Thomas’s head fell, and his breathing went lax. That didn’t take long. Derek pulled a few blankets out of his storage bracelet and placed them close to the fire. He then picked the boy up and gently laid him on top of them, covering him up in the process. He must be exhausted.
After getting Thomas settled, Derek thought about what he needed to do. I don’t have much in the way of a plan. I don’t have… well, I don’t know of any enemies I need to worry about on this world. I guess I just need to level while learning more about this world. Then, he used his upgraded meditation skill as he rested by the campfire, letting the hours pass as he waited for morning.
With his upgraded skill, he was able to keep a check on his surroundings. He hadn’t bothered feeding the campfire through the night, so when morning came, there was nothing but coals remaining. He opened his eyes as the sun broke over the horizon.
Throughout the night, he heard a rustling coming from deeper in the forest. As time passed, the rustling got closer and louder. The fire had most probably kept whatever beast it was away, but since the fire was now out, it would likely make its appearance soon.
Derek closed his eyes and focused his attention on the rustling. Soon, the rustling turned into the plodding of footsteps. Whatever the beast was, it was big.
He opened his eyes to see Thomas stirring awake. “Hey, kid,” he said. “You sleep well? You were out of it last night.”
Thomas’s eyes were open, and he sat up, noticing that he was bundled in blankets. His mouth moved to talk, but nothing came out. Instead, his eyes widened, and he pointed.
Derek grinned as he knew Thomas had seen whatever creature had been stalking them throughout the night. Finally, he turned to get a good look at the beast. About 70 feet away was a giant bear lumbering toward them. Derek frowned. There was something off about the bear. Its movements were sluggish, and it was very pale.
He used his Identify skill on the new arrival.
Dark Forest Bear (Diseased)
Level 48
A bear native to a forest. A disease has set in, and it is slowly converting into an undying species.
Ew. So, a disease is converting the bear into a different species of monster. He looked around. That seems to be what is happening to the forest, as well. Derek sighed as he summoned his glaive and stood up, walking toward the bear.
Provoked by Derek, the bear roared and charged. Derek was faster, getting within reach of the bear before it was able to take more than a few steps. Within range, the bear swung its claw at his armored chest. Not wanting his armor to take more damage than it already had, Derek ducked under the claw and moved behind the bear.
It was slow—much slower than any other bear of its level he had seen. Without bothering to aim well, Derek swung his glaive in an arc, feeling it bite into flesh, then release. Derek looked at his work.
Half of the bear’s head lay on the ground before the bear could even fall. Gotta go for the head if I’m dealing with zombies. He took a step forward and gave the bear’s head one last stab. Always double-tap. He remembered one of his favorite movies before the system came.
He viewed the notification that came with killing the bear.
You have killed level 48 Dark Forest Bear (Diseased)
277 Experience Gained
Level Up
Level Up
90/169 Experience to Next Level
He was now level 5 and had received 20 more stat points.
Derek stored his glaive after wiping it off on the bear’s hide and walked back over to the camp. “Hey, Tommy. What’s the deal with this forest? That bear was diseased, and my skill said it was in the process of becoming an undying creature.”
Thomas stared with his mouth agape. “Undying? That’s bad… real bad.” He clenched his fist. “If what you said is true, then none of the villages close to the forest are safe.”
“Okay, but surely the village didn’t get this bad with no one knowing what was going on. I couldn’t have just happened overnight.”
“It’s not that nobody noticed. It’s always been like this. I heard Pa and some of the others talking about how it’s been getting worse, but nobody knows what it is or what’s causing it—at least not that I’ve heard of,” Thomas explained. “Torith sent some high-level adventurers to investigate years ago, but they didn’t find anything. They said it was natural and that the forest would eventually die off.”
“Torith?” Derek asked.
“The closest city to the forest and villages in this area. If we have to go to a city for some reason, Torith is where we go. It takes us months to travel there on foot if it’s with a big group. I’ve never gone, but my grandpa’s been there a time or two. It’s named after the House Torith, the noble family that controls the city,” Thomas answered.
“So, do you know how something like this disease would happen?” Derek asked.
“No.” Thomas shook his head. “My grandpa or the leaders of the village may know. You can ask them.”
“Well, we can’t do anything about it right now, so there’s no sense in worrying about it.” Derek put the disease out of his mind for the time being. “We’ll leave soon to look for a village or people. Then we can get you home. But first…” Derek pulled a mirror out of his bracelet and winced at the face staring back at him.
“Holy shit!” he shouted, causing Thomas to jump. “How are you even talking to me with a straight face right now? I mean… I knew my hair was bad, but this is…” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you say anything? Could you imagine how embarrassing it would be meeting someone while looking like this?”
He was a mess, literally. His hair went everywhere, and his beard looked like a tangled bird’s nest. Oddly enough, his hair was still coal-black, with no traces of age, not even a single silver streak adorning his hair or beard.
Derek pulled a tool out of his bracelet and looked at the boy. “Do you have any mana?” he asked.
“Yeah. I have the base 10 wisdom that everyone has. It gives me 100 mana. Why? What is that?”
Derek identified the tool in his hand.
Mana Clippers
Durability: 120/125
An unknown magical weapon made by an unknown blacksmith.
Costs 5 mana per minute to use.
“This is a magic weapon that costs five mana per minute to use. You can use your mana, right?”
“Yeah, I shouldn’t have a problem,” the boy answered.
“Good. Catch.” Derek tossed the clippers to Thomas. “Channel your mana into it.”
“Like this?” Thomas asked as the blade at the end glowed blue and began fiercely vibrating. The boy stared in awe at what he was doing.
“Now, focus on the metal plate on the back. It’s called a guard. Think about setting it to a quarter-inch.” Derek instructed.
In Thomas’s hand, the guard moved forward, covering the blade.
“Good, now come stand behind me.”
Thomas walked over and stood behind Derek.
“Now, run the clippers through my hair and give me a haircut,” Derek commanded.
Thomas stumbled, almost falling. “Haircut? This is used to cut hair?”
“Yup. Those are hair clippers. I never leave home without them. Now, get cutting. Move from the front to the back until all my hair is the same length,” Derek said.
He could feel Thomas’s excitement fade as he realized he was being used as a glorified hairdresser. Derek held back a chuckle.
A short time passed as Thomas shaved Derek’s hair. The boy was pretty good at it. He was careful to avoid the ears and not harm him. If things with the system don’t work out for him, he will make a good barber.
Soon, the boy finished. Derek ran his hand through his hair. “Good enough,” He commented, then took the clippers back from Thomas, handing him the mirror in return. “Hold this for me.”
Thomas held the mirror in front of Derek. Derek used the clippers to mark a spot on both sides of his head, beside each ear, then, he took care of his beard, shaving it completely off. “Thanks.” He took the mirror back from Thomas and stored both it and the clippers.
“Now, we only need to find a nice river for a bath, then we can get you home.” Derek gathered the blankets from the ground and stored them in his bracelet. “Come on. Let’s go.”
