That night, Lukas fell asleep, watching as his health points slowly ticked upwards and his aching bruises gradually disappeared. The next morning, he discovered that the healing had continued after he’d fallen asleep. Upon checking his health, Lukas saw he’d gained 24 health points overnight, leaving him with a total of 186/220. He still had a way to go until fully healed, but 186 was more than he’d ever had before, so he wasn’t worried.
The next thing Lukas did was take the meat he’d cooked the previous night out of his inventory. To his glee it came out warm and smelling fresh, as though he’d just pulled it from the fire. He wasn’t hungry, nor was he in dire need of health, so Lukas returned the food to his inventory to keep it fresh. He had no doubt he’d get hurt before the next time he was hungry, so he’d save the meat for when he needed it. For now, Lukas was just happy his theory about his inventory was correct.
For the next ten minutes or so, Lukas stayed where he was, wrapped in his blood-stained wolf skin cloak, staring up at the steely gray sky. He watched with bleary eyes as the thick sheet of clouds meandered across the sky. The morning air was far cooler than it had been on previous mornings, and Lukas found it hard to leave the protection of his cloak. He hoped it wouldn’t rain; the last thing he needed was for his pit to fill with water.
Eventually, Lukas got up and wrapped the cloak around his waist after dusting off what dirt he could. He looked at the dirty garment, remembering how soft and clean it had been when he first looted it. Now it was matted in several places, covered in dried blood, dirt, and grime. He would clean it one day, restoring it to its former glory, but he needed to find a way to do that first, preferably with water.
Finding water was high on Lukas’ to-do list. Not just to clean his cloak and equally filthy body, but also to find something to drink and experiment with. After his success with the meat last night, Lukas was eager to test more things. At the top of that list was experimenting with water to make some kind of tea or rudimentary potion. Lukas didn’t believe for a second that simply putting a flower in boiling water would create a potion; he probably needed herbs and other magical ingredients for that. He was just hoping to make the effects of the flowers he’d collected more potent.
Of course, while finding water was on his to-do list, it wasn’t something he could just conjure up. Lukas would have to continue exploring and mapping the area around him. He’d go on as he had been, collecting flowers and looking for a fight, but he’d keep a sharp eye and ear out for any sign of water.
Once out of cover, Lukas headed for the spot where he’d cooked the meat the night before and collected the large stone he’d used. It had been far too hot the previous night, but now it had cooled. He had considered leaving it there in his little camp, but it wasn’t like he was lugging it around on his back—he had plenty of room in his inventory. Besides, a nice heavy rock might come in handy in a fight.
The first half of the day went by uneventfully as Lukas continued mapping his surroundings, snatching up every magic plant he came across. He did have a brief fight with a beast an hour before midday, though. While he was making his way through the hilly terrain, a white, furry missile shot out of the ground and aimed for his back. The little thing had scratched him up before he could whirl around and cut it in half. It had been a long, ferret-like rodent, the size of a small dog. The creature was only level 2, so it hadn’t done much damage, but the blood running down his back told another story. Naturally, the little pest hadn’t dropped anything valuable except two Copper Mana Coins.
Annoyed, Lukas ate a few bites of meat to help heal the bleeding scratches. He wanted to save the food for emergencies, but he couldn’t walk around the forest with an open wound.
His mood didn’t improve until he found a new type of flower a few hours later. It was growing next to the stump of a fallen tree and didn’t look like much from a distance, just a pretty pink and red bloom. As he approached, he noticed the velvety texture of the petals and their strange colors: the outer ones were a deep, seductive red, while the inner petals were a fleshy pink, the color of lips. On closer inspection, it looked disturbingly like— Well, like female genitalia.
Lukas stared perplex at the strange flower before identifying it:
Amor Lily (Legendary)
Lukas’ eyebrows shot up at the rarity. This was the first legendary flower he’d found, and he hoped it was useful. Despite its name, it looked nothing like the lilies he’d picked before. Perhaps that was an effect of its legendary status?
Eagerly, Lukas crouched down to harvest the flower, sheepishly avoiding looking right at it. The moment the stem was cut, a warm, earthy, musky scent flooded his nostrils, making his hair stand on end. The effect was immediate: his pupils dilated, his blood burned, his skin tingled, and his heart raced.
He barely managed to shove the flower into his inventory before doubling over, steadying himself with a hand on the fallen log. His sword was gripped tightly as he groaned, trying to control his breath.
Forcing himself to stand, Lukas found the sensation less than comfortable. Clenching and unclenching his fists, shaking his arms—it all made things worse. Every movement sent thrills through his hypersensitive skin. Gritting his teeth was the only thing stopping him from making mortifyingly embarrassing sounds.
‘What kind of fucked-up plant makes someone this horny?’
The flower’s energies overtook Lukas’ entire body, turning every move into a euphoric experience. The sensations clawed at him, leaving him powerless to resist.
And it didn’t stop at his body. The flower’s magic wormed its way into his mind, filling it with thoughts and temptations he could barely discern from his own. But he had one thing left: self-control.
The Amor Lily could flood his mind with urges, but it couldn’t make him act. In the end, it was a battle of wills, and Lukas would be damned if he gave in to this fucked-up magic. Yet, his resolve weakened rapidly, and he did the only thing he could think of.
He ran.
He had to work the energy out of his body before he gave in. As he stomped through the forest, Lukas swung his sword with all the strength he could muster. Each blow was so powerful, he felt like he could chop down any tree around him.
There was a problem with all this movement, though—the feeling of pleasure that rolled through him with the slightest action. It only made things more difficult, but it would’ve been worse if he had just sat still. At least this way, he felt like he was doing something, occupying his mind with movement.
Time passed in a haze as Lukas charged through the forest, his mind so clouded he had no idea where he was going. Had he been in his right mind, he would have quickly realized he was lost, wandering out of familiar territory without tracking his movements.
Not even stopping for flowers or magic plants, Lukas’ foggy mind had no room for anything other than pushing forward. He had no idea how much time had passed. By the end of the first hour, he was drenched in sweat, heaving for breath. His arm was tired from all the swinging, grunts and groans escaping through clenched teeth.
Before long, a creature was attracted by all the noise Lukas was making. It probably wondered what the sweaty weirdo was doing stomping through the forest. Unfortunately for the creature, one positive side effect of the Amor Lily was that it heightened Lukas’ senses to an extreme. Without pausing to identify the beast, Lukas slaughtered it in a blur of violence, completely unaware of its level.
Without concern for his well-being, Lukas launched himself at the monster. All he remembered was a flurry of blows, both given and taken. He hacked, stabbed, and slashed mindlessly, like an animal, but it got the job done. The fight was short, and soon a fresh corpse lay at his feet. Lukas, covered in both his and the beast’s blood, didn’t stop to loot the body. He didn’t even notice his new wounds, which should have hurt but instead pulsed with a strange pleasure that made him feel like a masochist. He just kept marching through the forest, still bleeding.
Hours passed, much like the first, with Lukas tearing through the woods like a man possessed. He fought more monsters, paying them no more mind than the first, simply treating them as obstacles to remove. Each fight became more brutal than the last, with Lukas taking increasingly dangerous risks for a single hit. He was willing to let claws tear through his flesh to strike his enemies.
Despite all the blood loss, Lukas still felt warm, as though his body were on fire. He never once checked his health or stamina—his only focus was on moving forward. Over time, the terrain changed from small hills and valleys to larger, more rugged ones. Cliffs and jagged rocks became more common, as did dense plant life. What had been a light scattering of magical flowers was now a full forest, reminiscent of the one near his home.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
After over five hours, Lukas felt ragged, but the effects of the Amor Lily still hadn’t let up. It didn’t matter much to Lukas, though, because he was facing a new enemy. He stood at the bottom of a rocky outcropping, moss draped over its weathered face. A hole the size of a compact car gaped at its base—not a cave, but a burrow. And outside the burrow sat a creature.
It looked like a gorilla, but with horns like a ram’s curving back over its head and tusks like a boar’s jutting from its mouth. The creature was the size of a car, though not as muscular as an actual gorilla, it still looked like it could crush Lukas’ skull.
They locked eyes for only a moment before the battle began. Neither was deterred by what they saw in the other: the crazed look of a madman on the brink of death or the feral territoriality of a wild beast. They launched at each other simultaneously, the gorilla-like monster faster and stronger than Lukas. It lowered its head, intending to crush him with its horns.
Even in his frenzied state, Lukas knew that blow would be his end. Even if it didn’t kill him outright, it would leave him vulnerable enough for the beast to finish the job. Lukas didn’t plan on letting that happen. He veered to the side, hoping to plunge his sword into the creature’s chest, but the beast reacted quickly.
One thick arm shot out to grab Lukas, forcing him to divert his strike to block the attack. Despite the unnatural strength he felt coursing through his muscles, Lukas couldn’t completely block the blow. However, he left a deep, jagged cut on the beast’s arm as he was thrown back, tumbling across the rocky forest floor. Both combatants let out grunts—one of pain, the other of twisted pleasure.
Lukas didn’t stay down for long, but when he stood, the beast was already upon him. Its massive fists were raised above its head, ready to crush him into the ground. With a roar, Lukas rolled forward, slashing across the monster’s stomach as its fists struck the ground, causing the earth to tremble. The monster howled in fury as Lukas leaped out of range.
The beast didn’t give him time to recover. Lukas was immediately forced to dodge a barrage of enraged attacks. He tried to counter and land his own strikes, but his efforts were futile. All he managed was a few shallow cuts on the creature’s arms as he attempted to deflect or redirect incoming blows.
In the end, Lukas was overpowered. The monster’s thick arm batted him away, hitting him square in the chest and knocking the air from his lungs. He was sent flying, only stopping when he slammed into the rocky outcropping. His already mangled back was crushed against the rough surface, and his head smashed into the stone with a sickening "KONK," leaving him dizzy and nauseous.
The blow left Lukas in a dire situation, but it did have one benefit. The force of the impact, combined with the sudden lack of air, lessened the effect of the Amor Lily, giving Lukas a moment of clarity. But that didn’t matter to the monster—it was already charging at him again, ready to finish the fight.
Lukas had only a split second to act. He raised his hand, not in a feeble attempt to stop the beast, but to pull something from his inventory. Grabbing the Life’s Bane flower, Lukas held it out like a ward. The skin on his fingers began to burn painfully, and if he weren’t struggling to breathe, he would have gagged at the flower’s awful stench.
The monster wasn’t so lucky. It barreled straight into the flower and immediately recoiled as if it had hit a brick wall. With a wretched cry, it fell to the ground, vomiting violently. Blood poured from its eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Its fur fell out in clumps, and the patches that remained curled and shriveled as though burned. Black spots spread across its body, like a curse from a vengeful god.
Lukas watched in horror as the flower’s putrid power devoured the monster. But he couldn’t stand idly by—the effect was slowing, and the beast’s vitality was fighting back. Forcing himself to move, Lukas shoved the flower back into his inventory and stood on unsteady legs. His head swam, his vision blurred, and nausea fought against the lingering effects of the Amor Lily, all while he struggled for breath.
It wasn’t easy, but Lukas hobbled toward the monster. It screeched and thrashed in agony, still vomiting. He was hesitant to get close, fearing a stray blow, but he couldn’t leave the creature alive. If he waited, it would recover enough to be a serious threat. He had to land the killing blow now.
He waited for an opening, and only a moment later, he found it. The monster slammed its fist into the ground, leaving its neck exposed. Without hesitation, Lukas raised his sword with both hands and brought it down on the beast’s neck, killing it instantly.
The forest fell silent, save for Lukas’ labored breathing and the dripping of blood onto the ground. A surge of warmth and power filled him, greater than anything he’d felt before. He stood over the ruined body of the creature for a few moments, trying to collect himself. Clarity returned to his mind, and he fought to hold onto it. Even the surge in power couldn’t help—it was taking all his strength just to stay standing.
Taking a few deep breaths, Lukas stepped back from the body. The first thing he did was pull some cooked meat from his inventory and shove it into his mouth. He wasn’t hungry, but he knew he desperately needed the healing. Without even looking at his health, he could feel how dangerously close he’d come to death.
After stuffing another mouthful of meat down his gullet, Lukas checked the damage:
Health: 22/360
Stamina: 29/260
Mana: 260/260
He stared at the numbers blankly, not just because he’d once again come dangerously close to dying, but because his maximum stats had taken a significant jump. That could mean one of two things: either he’d finally gained a level, or he’d earned a new title. He wanted to check right then and there, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet—literally. His health had stopped dropping from the bleeding and was slowly ticking back up thanks to the meat, but he was lost. Truly lost. He had no idea where he was.
Before, when he knew where he was, he’d kept track of his movements so he could find his way back to his pit or even the glade where he’d woken up. Now, though, he was disoriented and exhausted. The idea of finding a safe place to rest was appealing, but going out might mean running out of stamina completely. He wasn’t sure what would happen if it hit zero—he’d never experienced it—but judging by how bone-tired he felt, he guessed he’d pass out. That would likely result in getting eaten.
The best option for now was to hunker down where he was and recuperate as much as possible. He didn’t like the idea of staying in the beast’s burrow, but he didn’t have much of a choice.
With a tired sigh, Lukas limped over to loot the body, feeling the strange pulses of pleasure still rippling through his body with each movement, though mercifully, the sensation was dulled. After looting the corpse, he put away his sword and sat down against the rocky outcropping, finally allowing himself to check his notifications. Surely, after everything he’d killed today, he must have leveled up.
You have slain [Sky Glider - lvl 3] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.
You have slain [Duskbody - lvl 7] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.
You have slain [Teran Beetle - lvl 2] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.
You have slain [Rusker - lvl 4] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.
You have slain [Kluma - lvl 6] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.
You have slain [Pine Brute - lvl 10] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.
Title earned - [Indomitable Wyrm]
You have looted [Pine Brute].
10 [Copper Mana Coins] have been added to your inventory.
Lukas sighed as he skimmed through the notifications. He’d killed a lot of things, but he barely remembered half of the fights, thanks to the Amor Lily. Even now, he was fighting off its lingering effects. He was just relieved it seemed to be wearing off, giving him a chance to breathe.
Still, he was annoyed. After all the creatures he’d killed today, he hadn’t gained a single level? Sure, he’d earned another title, but how hard could it be to level up? He felt like ranting, but instead, he pushed the thought aside and checked his new title. The huge boost he’d felt earlier could only be from that.
Title: [Indomitable Wyrm] - In the end, even a worm will turn. You stand at the beginning of a long and arduous path, one you haven’t even taken the first step toward. Yet that does not stop you from taking on enemies significantly more powerful than yourself. Due to your ability to kill an enemy at level 10 or above while at level zero, you have proven yourself to be an indomitable wyrm—one that will not run or shrink in the face of adversity. +10 to all stats. +10% to all stats.
Lukas didn’t know what was considered a good title, but he was pretty damn sure this was a great one. He didn’t even know what you gained from earning a level, but judging by the strength he’d gained from his titles, he doubted gaining a level could compare. If that were the case, it would defeat the point of levels, right? Either way, titles seemed to be the key to his progression, at least for now. He doubted he could rely solely on them forever, but until he figured out how to level up, they would have to do. He had a feeling he’d earn another title for killing something at level 15, just as he had for level 5 and level 10.
After these gains, Lukas quickly checked his status screen:
Lukas Hellstrand
Race: Human (Outworlder [Unique]) - Level 0
Class 1 - SEALED
Class 2 - SEALED
Health Points: 24/360
Stamina: 30/260
Mana: 260/260
Stats:
Vitality: 36
Endurance: 26
Intelligence: 25
Wisdom: 26
Agility: 27
Perception: 25
Toughness: 26
Strength: 28
Willpower: 28
Free Points: 0
Titles:
Prodigious Dimensional Traveler, Unkillable, True Heart of a Warrior, Indomitable Wyrm.
Abilities:
Race abilities: (Dimensional Traveler), (Tribute of the Fallen), (Steel Gut), (Tongue of the Multiverse), (Stranger in a Strange Land).
“Not bad,” Lukas croaked.
