Chapter 74: Achievements

Arthur’s emotional numbness did not last long, for after just one minute he returned to his normal self, and that empty expression disappeared from his face.

He took a deep breath, then directed his attention toward the ledge before him. He had already seen what lay below it, but he wanted to confirm something.

He walked and stood at its edge, and a warm breeze caressed his body laden with scars and injuries.

He looked down, and saw the ground covered with trees extending endlessly like a sea. It was a breathtaking view, and at the same time it stirred a kind of awe inside him.

"This is very high." A slight frown appeared on his face.

By his estimates, the ground was about four hundred meters below, falling from this towering height would cause him severe damage, especially in his current physical condition.

He turned his head and looked at the dark tunnel he had come through, and murmured: "It is impossible for me to return to that tunnel network to search for another exit, and climbing down is also difficult."

His options were limited, so he did not dwell on it for long: "Tsk, it seems I am forced to jump, but, there is no need to rush, it is better to stay here for a few days until I recover."

He moved away from the ledge, and examined his surroundings very carefully.

When he confirmed everything was fine, he nodded in satisfaction, ’On second thought, this place is very suitable for me to hide in. There are many monsters and water sources in the nearby tunnels, I will not worry about hunger and thirst.’

The only problem that bothered him was safety, for after learning about the existence of invisible monsters he was no longer able to lower his guard even a little, so he kept the "Evaluation" skill activated.

This excessive caution was not only a result of the horrifying experiences he had gone through in this world, for he had always been somewhat paranoid, and faced difficulty feeling safe because of the many traumas he had been subjected to in his life.

Yes, he had possessed unyielding determination, and a positive personality, but this did not change the fact that he was a miserable man, constantly afraid of the unknown that surrounded him, and of the grim fate that refused to leave him.

Captivity? Losing a leg? Pain? These were just a few examples from the sum of what he had suffered, and yet, he was prepared to suffer and sacrifice more for the sake of survival, not because he loved life, but because he had sworn before his parents’ graves that he would live and strive for a better future.

His convictions were firm and hard to change, like a towering mountain that would not budge no matter how fiercely the wind blew against it.

In any case, after making his decision, he stretched his stiff body, and lay on the ground in a comfortable position. Even though he was still exhausted, he had no desire to sleep, or rather, he was unable to do so because of excitement.

His lips twisted in a small smile, and he directed his full focus toward the system, for since the moment it had returned to working, he had been burning with eagerness to examine the accumulated messages, and he also wanted to confirm a specific matter that had been occupying his mind lately.

"Open all unread messages." He commanded with anticipation.

[ Loading... ]

The loading bar moved across the blue screen at great speed, and the moment it reached 100%, system screens of various sizes and colors began popping up before him nonstop, accompanied by a succession of notification sounds.

Ding!

[ Congratulations

Difficult Achievement Unlocked: The Dominator

You have obtained a rare reward: Slayer’s Aura ]

[ Congratulations

Exceptional Achievement Unlocked: The Survivor

You have obtained a legendary reward: The Iron Will skill has been upgraded to Unbreakable Will ]

[ Congratulations

Legendary Achievement Unlocked: Return from Death

You have obtained a legendary reward: The bloodline skill Last One Standing ]

— — —

[ You have acquired an uncommon skill: Poison Immunity ]

[ You have acquired the Ankylo Crocodile’s skill: Iron Shell ]

[ You have acquired a rare bloodline skill: Hunter’s Eyes ]

[ You have unlocked a new evolution path: Zombied Wolf ]

— — —

[ The Primal Predator bloodline has unlocked a new effect: Predator’s Resolve ]

[ The Primal Predator bloodline has unlocked a new effect: Horde of One ]

[ The remaining effects of the Primal Predator bloodline have evolved ]

— — —

[ Error?!?: Item not found?! ]

[ Error?!?: Item not found?! ]

[ Alert ]

[ Please consume accumulated Evolution Points before they expire ]

...

When the flood of notifications finally stopped, Arthur’s mouth fell open in astonishment, and despite his composed personality, he had difficulty maintaining his calm.

"System, am I dreaming? Or are you still malfunctioning? Because I don’t understand how or when I obtained all these skills!" He asked, unable to absorb what he was seeing.

In truth, all he had been hoping for was to fulfill the conditions for ascending to the next rank, or at the very least obtaining a reward or two, and he had certainly not expected, not even in his happiest imaginings, to obtain all of this.

[ All rewards are real; they are an accumulation of everything you acquired over the past six weeks. ]

The moment he saw the system’s reply, all his exhaustion disappeared, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of energy.

His muscles tightened, and he stood up straight. How could he possibly lie there and relax after opening a priceless treasure chest?

A gratified expression appeared on his face, and he barely stopped himself from howling from the intensity of his happiness.

He controlled the many screens mentally and arranged them to one side, but, when he wanted to begin reading them carefully one by one, a sudden realization came to him.

"Wait... system, did you just say that everything I acquired during the past six weeks was accumulating? Does this include the XP and Evolution Points as well?" He asked with a suspicious smile.

[ Yes. ] The system replied tersely.

Without any hesitation, he summoned his personal status to confirm the matter himself.

[ Status ]

[ XP: 1745/1200? ] [ HP: 194/520 ]

[ ?Mana?: 0/0 ] [ EP: 40 ]

Name: Arthur Grafton

Race: Wolf?

Rank: E?

Base Attributes:

Strength: 60

Endurance: 46

Speed: 42

Agility: 33

Vitality: 52

Perception: 57

Mana Control: 11

[ — Skills — ]

Last One Standing (S) – King’s Dominion (A) – Unbreakable Will (B) – Dimensional Storage (C) – Evaluation (C) – Hunter’s Eyes (D) – Iron Shell (D) – Enhanced Senses (E) – Poison Immunity – Tracking (E) – Regeneration (E)

Bloodline:

Primal Predator (SSS)

— — —

Finally all his doubts disappeared, what he was seeing was real, and all that suffering he had gone through had not been in vain. His sly smile widened, and a faint chuckle escaped his lips.

Little by little his laughter grew louder causing his voice to echo through the nearby tunnels. His eyes grew wet with tears and an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment washed over him, and at the same time all of this seemed very absurd to him.

He had grown so accustomed to suffering that when he saw good news, he doubted his own sanity.