Two weeks passed in a blur of effort and strain as Hector pushed his body under Adaptive Conditioning. The gains were impressive, but they had begun to slow.

  When he was not training, he hunted. Juvenile Hogzillas still roamed the forest in small numbers, and he learned their habits well enough to bring them down efficiently. He also discovered deer-like creatures that could stand upright on their hind legs like humans. Something about them was deeply unsettling, enough that killing them felt justified. Thankfully, the venison they provided was edible, and surprisingly good.

  Adaptive Conditioning had increased his stats steadily, though it did not grant levels on its own. That still required combat experience, and as Hector began to outpace the local wildlife, those gains slowed. Even so, he had managed to push himself two more levels higher. Sitting near the fire as breakfast cooked, he quietly pulled up his stat sheet.

  [Stat Sheet]

  Name: Hector Renegade

  Core Tier: Mortal Core

  Level: 12

  Class: Field Medic

  Stats

  Strength: 21

  Agility: 20

  Endurance: 27

  Vitality: 17

  Intellect: 17

  Spirit: 22

  Perception: 5

  Free Stat Points: 6

  Resources

  Health: 213 / 213 (100%)

  Mana: 243 / 243 (100%)

  Regeneration

  Health Regeneration: 1.7 HP per minute

  Mana Regeneration: 3.3 MP per minute

  Skills

  Emergency Heal (F) Level 15

  Pain Suppression (F) Level 10

  Combat Assessment (F) Level 8

  Adaptive Conditioning (F) Level 12

  Vital Focus (F) Level 15

  Analyze (F) Level 7

  Inventory (F) Level 1

  "I think this is called a success if we are just going by what numbers went up."

  Between training and constant healing, his body felt denser, more responsive. He had begun to understand his healing in a way he never had before. He could feel the difference between pushing too much power and guiding just enough.

  The combination of Vital Focus and Emergency Heal had become the backbone of his progress. He used them daily, carefully stacking regeneration and controlled recovery. The problem was obvious though. Sitting still and breathing through pain was one thing but doing it while dodging horns and claws was something else entirely. He finished eating, packed his supplies, and checked his inventory.

  “Stay safe while I’m gone,” he said to the empty hollow, then he left.

  The monsters near the river and his shelter had grown too weak to challenge him. If he wanted to improve, he had to move outward. He stopped at the lake and refilled his water supply. Over the past two weeks, he had collected additional Hogzilla bladders. Five in total now. Each would last roughly a day.

  “That should be enough,” he said.

  He looked around, uncertain.

  “No map,” he sighed. “Guess we will let fate decide.”

  He snapped a branch from a nearby tree and tossed it into the air. When it landed it faced south past the river, so he started walking. After several hours, he found his first target.

  [Analyze: Roaming Jackalope]

  Roaming Jackalopes are small but extremely aggressive.

  They utilize high-speed jumps, reinforced kicks, and horn-based attacks.

  Jackalopes are herd animals. When threatened, they become highly coordinated and lethal.

  The creature looked nothing like a harmless rabbit. It was the size of a large dog, with legs thick with muscle. Its horns split into three sharp points on each side, polished smooth from use. Hector funneled Emergency Heal into both fists, pushing them to the edge of Overheal before pulling back. Control mattered, once he felt enough power had been built up, he lunged.

  The world exploded into fur and pain. His fist missed its mark, and the Jackalope smashed into his face with terrifying speed. Pain flared across his nose.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Bastard!”

  He pressed the attack anyway, trading blows with the creature. His output was too low. He realized too late that some of his healing energy was bleeding into the Jackalope itself.

  “Wrong setting,” he growled.

  The creature dodged his next strike. Hector followed through with a second punch, dumping every ounce of controlled energy he could muster.

  POP.

  The Jackalope’s skull ruptured like a water balloon, spraying gore across the forest floor as Hector staggered back. His hand was mangled...again. He healed it quickly and looted the corpse. The creatures yielded a pair of horns, a pelt, but no meat.

  “Unfortunate,” he muttered. Pork and venison were getting old.

  As he stood there, bruised and aching, an idea struck him.

  “I need to heal while moving,” he said slowly.

  The forest answered him; he heard leaves rustling then ten Jackalopes emerged from the brush, muscles coiled and horns lowered.

  “Shit.”

  Hector dropped into a stance and charged. Green light tore through the trees as he met them head-on. Three of the Jackalopes intercepted him immediately. Hector tried to use his agility to slip past them, but only one attack missed. Horns from the other two slammed into his shoulders, punching through flesh and driving the air from his lungs. Pain flared hot and sharp.

  He grabbed both creatures by their horns and heaved. The force of the throw sent them tumbling back into the herd. One Jackalope landed cleanly on its feet, already recovering. The other crashed into a third, impaled through the torso. It screamed, wounded but still alive.

  Hector staggered backward, forcing Emergency Heal through his body at a low output. Green light pulsed beneath his skin as his wounds began to close slowly. Not fast enough. Two more Jackalopes charged, screeching as they closed the distance. He dodged the first and snapped a quick one-two into the second, his fists cracking against its chest. The creature howled and skidded back, ribs shattered, but it stayed standing.

  Then the rest of the herd came. Horns lowered and muscles coiled as killing intent flooded the forest. Excitement surged through him. His hands shook as adrenaline dumped into his system. He was not even sure if adrenaline still worked the same way, but it felt familiar enough.

  The next ten minutes blurred together into motion and pain. He dodged, punched, healed, and dodged again. Emergency Heal stayed active at a low output, just enough to keep him moving, but the strain built steadily. Fatigue crept into his limbs. His breathing grew ragged.

  Four Jackalopes fell during the exchange, but none of them went down easily. He was kicked, gouged, and gored across nearly every inch of his body. One of the creatures left a horn embedded in his side after a healing-charged punch tore through its torso. Hector ripped the horn free, flooded it with healing energy, and hurled it at the next Jackalope mid-charge.

  POP.

  A fist-sized hole exploded through its chest, dropping it instantly.

  “Five more,” he thought as he steadied himself.

  Pain spiked suddenly. Blood began to leak from fresh lesions across his skin. He had pushed too far. The familiar warning signs of Overheal crawled through his nerves as his own body began to break down under the strain. A warning flared in his vision.

  [Low Mana: 15%]

  Without hesitation, he dumped his remaining free stat points into Intellect. Power surged through him as the stat locked in, his mana pool stabilizing just enough to keep him in the fight. The Jackalopes did not give him time to think. One slammed into him horn-first, sending him skidding across the forest floor. He shoved Emergency Heal into the creature on instinct. Instead of damaging it, he accidentally healed it.

  “Crap!”

  He slammed the Jackalope into the ground, dazing it for a split second. That was all he needed. He loaded his fist until the familiar bubbling sensation filled his arm and punched. Before the green energy was discharged, he felt it. The crunch of ribs collapsing under the raw force of his Strength, then the creature went limp. He tore both horns from its skull and charged them with healing energy. Two more Jackalopes leapt at him at the same time as he threw the horns. The horns pierced both creatures’ mid-air as a loud echo sounded.

  SQUELCH.

  Their heads detonated in twin bursts of gore before their bodies hit the ground. He barely had time to register the event. The last two Jackalopes came at him together, they were faster and stronger than the other ones he had faced.

  Hector kept Emergency Heal running, but his control was slipping. His body screamed in protest. He darted forward, unleashing a flurry of light jabs into one of the creatures. Small holes ripped through its body as Overheal detonated on impact, and it collapsed, now only one remained.

  His vision swam as the fight continued. The Jackalope drove its horns straight through his torso. Pain exploded as the impact nearly lifted him off his feet. Instead of pulling away, Hector grabbed the horns with both hands. The creature thrashed violently, tearing his wounds wider, but he held on. He forced healing energy into his fists until the bubbling sensation reached its peak, then he struck. Green light flooded the creature’s body in rippling waves.

  POP.

  Hector yanked the horns free and collapsed to the ground. He was barely conscious as blood soaked the earth beneath him. Pain throbbed through every nerve, but he could not stop smiling. System messages began flooding his vision.

  [LEVEL UP]

  [LEVEL UP]

  [LEVEL UP]

  [Pain Suppression has reached Level 15]

  [Emergency Heal has reached Level 20]

  [Combat Assessment has reached Level 12]

  [Deviation Threshold Met]

  [Skill outside the individual’s path has been earned]

  [Title Earned: System Deviant]

  [Mortal Core has been altered]

  [The System Observes]

  “What the hell?” Hector whispered.

  Then the world went dark.

  daily chapters through 1/14/2025 as part of the launch.

  If the story is clicking for you, a follow or rating helps a lot and keeps it visible.