The system notifications attacked his senses, the influx of information causing him a slight headache.

  “First things first,” he muttered. “Let’s see what all that was worth.”

  He approached the nearest Hogzilla and placed a hand against its hide. The moment he did, a prompt appeared.

  [Would you like to loot Hogzilla?]

  “Yes,” he said aloud.

  [Items received:

  Juvenile Hogzilla Meat (F) ×5

  Hogzilla Bladder (F) ×1

  Hogzilla Hide Fragments (F) ×3

  Hogzilla Tusk Shard (F) ×1]

  “I wonder if the meat’s edible.”

  He focused on it.

  [Juvenile Hogzilla Meat (F):

  Dense muscle fiber rich in nutrients.

  Proper preparation required to avoid illness.]

  “Alright,” he nodded. “Fire it is.”

  Next, he examined the bladder.

  [Hogzilla Bladder (F):

  Thick elastic membrane naturally resistant to tearing.

  Once cleaned, suitable for carrying liquids such as water or alchemical substances.]

  “That’s promising.”

  An idea struck him. He carried the bladder to the nearby water source and carefully rinsed it until the blood and residue were gone. Once clean, he filled it with water. After a moment of hesitation, he cast Emergency Heal at the lowest output he could manage. A faint green glow flowed into the bladder and through the water. Seconds later, the light dispersed outward in a soft shimmer, like glowing dust drifting away as he analyzed it again.

  [Hogzilla Bladder (F):

  Contains water purified through healing magic.

  Safe for consumption.

  Mana regeneration increased by +1 per minute while consumed.]

  Hector smiled.

  “Yeah. That’ll do.”

  The hide fragments and tusk shard appeared less immediately useful, but he stored them anyway. He looted the second Hogzilla and received similar items, filling the bladder once more and purifying it again. Food and water were secure, but he needed to find a way to cook the meat, he didn't think Emergency Heal would be of much help in this case.

  “I’m guessing this follows the same rules as pork,” he said. “Which means I really need fire.”

  The sun was already drifting toward the horizon. He refilled the bladder, stored everything, and started back toward the hollow beneath the tree. Night was coming fast, and navigating the forest in the dark was not a risk he wanted to take.

  As he moved, he scanned everything around him, searching for anything that might help him make fire. He was almost back when something caught his eye. Clusters of red and white flowers grew in small patches where sunlight reached the forest floor. They looked vaguely like tulips.

  [Ignis Bloom (F):

  Ignis Bloom grows in areas exposed to sustained heat.

  Tickling the base of the flower produces flame.

  Flame strength is influenced by the heat source where it grew.]

  [Analyze has reached Level 5]

  He crouched and gently brushed a finger along the back of one flower. A small jet of flame burst forth, no larger than a lighter flame. It lasted only a few seconds before fading, and the flower withered immediately after.

  “That’s perfect,” he said, grinning. “I can only imagine what these do near a volcano.”

  He carefully collected ten blooms and stored them. When he reached the hollow, he gathered dry wood and stacked it neatly. One Ignis Bloom was enough to ignite the pile, the flame catching quickly. Using a Wampus Cat claw, he sharpened a thick stick and skewered several strips of Hogzilla meat, roasting them over the fire.

  "I cannot wait for this to finish, I am starving!”

  When the meat was ready, he ate eagerly. The flavor was surprisingly good, rich and smoky, with a familiar bacon-like taste. Warmth spread through his body as energy returned to his limbs. The last few days had pushed him closer to death than he ever had been, but sitting by the fire, fed and warm, something else settled in its place.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  He leaned back, listening to the crackle of burning wood. The danger had been real, but he couldn't help but smile thinking about the current situation. Battle was exciting, watching numbers go up was addicting.

  “I haven’t felt this alive in years,” he said quietly.

  He stared into the flames, exhaustion finally catching up to him. Tomorrow, he would need to spend his stat points, plan his training, and decide where to go next, but for now, he let himself rest. As sleep took him, a faint smile lingered on his face. For the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to what came next.

  Morning came fast as sunlight slipped through the opening of the hollow. Hector rubbed his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, a spark of excitement running through him.

  “Alright,” he said. “Day three. Time to figure out how to get stronger.”

  Physical training was familiar territory. Years as a forestry firefighter had pushed his body through heat, exhaustion, and long days with no margin for error. Conditioning. Endurance. Mental grit. All of that translated well. Combat training, though, was another story.

  “Fighting fires is not the same as fighting monsters,” he muttered.

  He snorted. “Still kind of annoyed the system didn’t give me fire resistance.”

  Before he started, he pulled up his status sheet.

  “First things first. These free points aren’t doing me any good just sitting there.”

  His build needed everything, Mana, Health, Speed, Strength, Regeneration, hell even perception, as much as he disliked the stat. For some reason it just didn't click with him, maybe he just didn't understand the stat quite yet.

  “No point overthinking it.”

  [Strength +10]

  [Strength is now 18]

  [Perception +2]

  [Perception is now 4]

  [Title Earned: How Perceptive of You]

  [You allocated points into Perception. For being so perceptive, you gain +1 Perception.]

  [Perception is now 5]

  Hector froze.

  “What?”

  He stared at the message, then laughed once under his breath.

  “I honestly can’t tell if the system is mocking me or congratulating me.”

  Shrugging, he pulled up one of his newer skills.

  Adaptive Conditioning (F)

  Type: Passive

  Activation: Always active

  Description:

  Adaptive Conditioning allows Hector’s body to reinforce itself through deliberate physical strain, controlled injury, and supported recovery. Repeated stress combined with proper healing is converted into permanent physical adaptation over time.

  Training does not grant immediate gains. Progress accumulates through sustained, intentional exertion and healing used to stabilize and recover the body during or after strain.

  Effects:

  ? Enables gradual permanent stat growth through training

  ? Gains are minor but persistent

  ? Healing used during training increases efficiency

  Rules:

  ? Stat gains are capped per character level

  ? Growth requires fatigue and physical stress

  ? Passive activity does not contribute

  ? Healing without strain provides no benefit

  Scaling:

  At higher levels, Adaptive Conditioning allows training to influence regeneration efficiency, healing control, and deviation growth.

  Pantheon Note:

  Adaptive Conditioning is rare among healers.

  Most rely on spells.

  Only a few deviants choose to harden themselves.

  “Minor stat growth through training,” Hector said quietly. “That I can work with.”

  He glanced around the hollow. It was roughly half the length of a track.

  “About eight laps for a mile,” he estimated. “With agility this high, I might as well see what happens.”

  He started running. He started slow but quickly increased his pace. Minutes blurred together, sweat poured off him, but his body never gave out. His legs kept moving long after they should have failed. Four hours later, he finally stopped.

  He leaned forward with his hands on his knees, breathing hard.

  “If my math is right,” he said between breaths, “that was around twenty-five miles.”

  He laughed, shaking his head.

  “I used to hate running.”

  [Agility +2]

  [Agility is now 18]

  [Adaptive Conditioning (F) is now Level 3]

  The rush of satisfaction hit immediately.

  “Alright,” he said. “What’s next…I think vitality or health may be my best move, should help me stay alive longer, at least I think it will, but how do you even train that?”

  An idea surfaced, a bad one, he left the hollow and made his way toward the patch of vines that had drained him before.

  [Analyze: Vampiric Tendrils of the Nothing]

  When touched, these tendrils drain health and mana to accelerate their growth. Dried husks of victims are commonly found nearby.

  Hector swallowed, “That is absolutely horrifying.”

  He hesitated for only a moment before plunging his hand into the vines. Pain exploded up his arm. His health and mana dropped fast. When his health hit fifty percent, he yanked his hand free, as strong pain shot up his hands before his anti-pain skill took effect.

  “I really hope this is worth it.”

  He sat down immediately and began to meditate, activating Emergency Heal at a controlled output. Green light flowed and the pain receded. His health climbed back to full, then he did it again. By the time the sun dipped toward the horizon, his body trembled with exhaustion.

  [Vitality +3]

  [Vitality is now 13]

  [Health increased to 163]

  [Health Regeneration increased to 1.3 per minute]

  [Emergency Heal has reached Level 12]

  [Adaptive Conditioning is now Level 6]

  [Vital Focus is now Level 5]

  Hector stared at the notifications, breathing hard.

  “So, healing during training really does amplify results.”

  The realization sent a thrill through him.

  “If I keep this up,” he said quietly, “there might not be a hard limit anymore. Just time.”

  He leaned back against the tree, muscles aching in a way that felt earned.

  "Well, I have to say today was quite productive."