Complete silence.
The boy and the girl looked at Julio. Then at the smoking weapon in his hand. Then back at him.
"Mister," the boy said slowly, "what's that? Is it magic?"
Julio stared at them. His dark eyes cold. Unreadable. The gun hung at his side.
He thought for a moment. "Yes," he said. "It's a magical weapon. Only I can use it."
The boy opened his mouth to ask another question. Then he stopped.
He looked at Julio's face. The sharp jaw. The crooked nose. The scar cutting through his eyebrow. The cold, dark eyes that did not blink. The blood on his shirt.
The boy took a step back. The girl did the same.
They did not go close to him.
Julio ignored them. He limped toward a large tree, his leg burning with each step. He turned and let his back slide down the rough bark until he was sitting on the ground. His leg stretched out in front of him. The wound had stopped bleeding heavily, but it still throbbed.
He reached into his inventory. Pulled out the packet of cigarettes. Took one out. Put it between his lips. Pulled out the lighter. Flicked it. The small flame danced in the darkness.
He lit the cigarette. Took a long drag. The smoke curled up into the moonlight.
Julio focused on the system.
A new message appeared.
[COMBAT COMPLETE]
ENEMY DEFEATED: Shadowfang Wolf (Level 5)
REWARD: 50 EXP
BONUS: First kill +25 EXP
TOTAL EXP GAINED: 75
[LEVEL UP]
LEVEL: 1 → 2
STAT POINTS: +5 available
[QUEST UPDATE: SURVIVE]
You have survived your first encounter.
Reward: 50 System Coins
Julio stared at the screen. Level 2. He had gained a level from killing one wolf. The god had said this world was dangerous. If one wolf gave him this much, the stronger creatures would give more.
He looked at the stat points. Five of them. He could distribute them anywhere. Strength. Dexterity. Constitution. Intelligence. Craft.
He left them unassigned for now.
He looked at the system coins. Fifty. The shop was still locked until Level 5. He needed three more levels before he could buy anything.
He closed the screen and took another drag of his cigarette.
The boy and the girl were still watching him.
Julio looked at them. "What are you watching?"
The girl straightened her purple robes. "We were here to kill this Shadowfang wolf. But you killed it." She paused, as if measuring her next words. "Therefore, by rights, the reward is also yours."
Julio said nothing. He looked down at his wounded leg. The bleeding had slowed, but the cut was still open, still raw. He reached down and ripped a strip of fabric from his slacks, just below the knee. The black cloth tore with a sharp sound. He wrapped it tightly around the wound, tying a knot with practiced efficiency.
The girl watched him. Her green eyes narrowed.
"Can't you use healing magic?" she asked. "It's one of the basics."
Julio tied the knot tighter. The fabric bit into his skin. It would hold. For now.
"No," he said. "I can't."
The girl exchanged a glance with the boy. The boy shrugged.
"You're strange," the girl said.
Julio got up. His leg ached, but the makeshift bandage held. He looked at the dead wolf, then at the two young fighters.
"How about you take this wolf," he said, "and as return, you take me to your city."
The girl opened her mouth to respond, but stopped.
Julio raised his hand. The gun was in it one moment. The next, it was gone—vanished into thin air. Back into his inventory.
The boy's eyes went wide. "Where did it—"
"It's gone," the girl whispered.
They stared at the empty space where the weapon had been. Then at Julio. Then at the empty space again.
"Magic," Julio said flatly. "My magic. Only I can use it. Don't ask again."
The boy closed his mouth.
Julio took a step toward them. They did not step back this time, but they did not step forward either. He stopped a few feet away.
"Let's start with names," he said. "I am Julio."
The girl blinked. Recovered. Straightened her robes.
"I am Liana," she said. "This is Dorian."
The boy—Dorian—gave a small nod. His hand was still on his bow, but his grip had loosened.
"Julio," Liana repeated, as if tasting the name. "I've never heard a name like that."
"You've never seen a weapon like mine either," Julio said. "Take me to your city. The wolf is yours."
Liana looked at the Shadowfang's massive body. Its dark fur. Its amber eyes, now empty. Its teeth, still long and white.
"The pelt alone is worth a month's wages," she said quietly.
Dorian nodded. "The fangs too. And the heart, if it's still intact."
Julio lit another cigarette. The flame flickered in the darkness.
"Then we have a deal," he said.
Liana looked at him. Her green eyes studied his face—the scar, the cold eyes, the smoke curling from his lips.
"Deal," she said.
She turned to the wolf and began her work.
Julio watched her for a moment, then looked up at the moon through the trees.
...
After a while, they were walking through the damp forest.
The ground was soft, muddy, sucking at their boots with each step. The trees pressed close on all sides, their branches heavy with moisture. Moonlight struggled to reach the forest floor.
Julio walked at the rear. His leg throbbed with every step. The makeshift bandage had soaked through, dark with blood. He did not complain. He did not slow down. But his limp was obvious.
Liana glanced back at him. Then at Dorian.
"What is up with him?" she whispered. "He killed that wolf in one strike. Yet he can't even walk properly."
Dorian shrugged. "Maybe the wolf clawed him deeper than he let on."
"Maybe," Liana said. But her eyes lingered on Julio.
They had been walking for four hours straight.
Julio's leg burned. His mouth was dry. His head felt heavy. He focused inward, calling up the system screen.
RESOURCES
HEALTH: 80/100
ENERGY: 24/100
His health had dropped from 100 to 80. The wound was still bleeding, slowly, seeping through the cloth. Not enough to kill him. Enough to weaken him.
His energy was low. Walking for four hours on an empty stomach, with an open wound, had drained him. He had no food. No water. Nothing but cigarettes and a lighter and a gun with fourteen rounds left.
He closed the screen and kept walking.
Liana fell back until she was walking beside him.
"You're bleeding again," she said.
"I know."
"Can't you use healing magic? It's one of the basics."
Julio was silent for a moment. Then he spoke.
"When I was little," he said, "I was attacked by a demon. It cursed me. I can't use any magic. Not even the basics."
Liana stared at him. Her green eyes wide.
"A demon cursed you?" she repeated. "That's... I've heard of such things, but I've never met someone it happened to."
Julio said nothing.
"Does it affect anything else?" Liana asked. "Your health? Your lifespan?"
"No," Julio said. "Just magic."
Liana studied his face. The scar. The cold eyes. The cigarette smoke curling around his head.
"That's terrible," she said finally. "To be born with magic and have it taken away."
Julio looked ahead.
Liana knelt beside him. "Lay back. Lemme help."
Julio involuntarily backed up.
Dorian raised a hand. "Relax. She isn't gonna kill you. She's a great magic user. Tier 3."
Julio's eyes narrowed. What the fuck is a Tier 3?
Liana reached for his leg. She untied the cloth, placed her hands over the wound, and green light bloomed. Warmth spread through his flesh. The second time he had felt magic.
He glanced at his system screen.
RESOURCES
HEALTH: 80/100 → 85/100 → 90/100
ENERGY: 24/100 → 28/100 → 32/100
Both were climbing. The green light pulsed. His flesh knitted. His energy returned.
After a minute, Liana pulled her hands back. The glow faded.
"Done," she said.
Julio looked at his screen one last time.
HEALTH: 92/100
ENERGY: 40/100
He stood. His leg held.
They walked.
The trees thinned. The sky lightened. And ahead, rising from the mist, stood a city of white stone and glowing blue spires.
Julio stopped walking.
Arthenia. Finally.