Kicking its oblique, smashing his fist against its skull, flipping, and flicking his foot up at the bear’s chin, Edward splattered shattered teeth and pieces of pink flesh onto tree canopies. Its HP dropped to 50%.

Edward tried to dash backwards, but the bear retaliated, smothering his form with its shadow. Big black claws slashed burning wounds across his chest and arms, blasting blood across Edward’s body, and ripping a shriek out of his throat.

His HP fell to 40%.

Gasping for breath, Edward chewed the inside of his mouth and tried to ignore the boiling pain that smothered his body. He yelled and plunged his fist into the arctotherium’s stomach, hunching its torso, ripping out a squeal and some drops of blood out of its muzzle. Edward then spun, swung his leg up, and smacked his foot against the bear’s head.

More teeth and clumps of blood splashed out of its mouth. Continuing to spin, Edward snatched the beast’s arm with both hands, and channelled the momentum into lifting the arctotherium off of its feet, into the air, and then down onto the ground. Its back smashed against the muddy grass. The cracking of bones and spine rattled through the air, bringing a smile to Edward’s face.

It’s HP fell to 25%.

But it wasn’t enough. The beast rolled and jumped to its feet. It rushed at Edward. It covered his vision with its fang filled muzzle, and snapped it down on his shoulder.

He tried to duck but, he screeched whilst the bear clenched teeth into his arm and torso, pulled him off his feet, and swung him from side to side. It then threw him at a tree. His back smashed against it. He slid down the bark, tumbled onto the mud, and pooled blood onto it from his battered mouth, ruined torso, and chewed shoulder.

His HP plummeted to 10%.

Edward groaned and grimaced as he dragged himself to his feet with trembling arms and legs. Once he finally staggered to a stand, the arctotherium loomed over him. But before it could thrust its bloody fangs at his neck, he crouched and rushed towards it.

Edward smashed his shin against its knees. The cracking of bone whispered over the tumult of the monster’s roar and the booming of its body crashing against the ground. He then ran at its writhing and bleeding body and flung his foot at its face, twisting its neck. He then finally smashed his fist down on its forehead. Bone cracked and blood splattered.

It’s HP fell to 0%.

‘ding’

[Congratulations! You have killed a Level 5 Arctotherium]

[Reward: 250XP]

[Progress to Level 10: 50%]

Pooling blood onto the grass, Edward fell onto his back again and stared up at the sky. Grimacing and gasping for breath, he waited for his HP to regenerate to 100%.

He decided. Direwolves were much easier and efficient to farm for XP than arctotheriums. Glancing at his HP again and sighing with frustration, he knew that to be a fact.

After Edward fully regenerated his HP and stamina, he jumped to his feet and crept into the shadows of the cave. He was curious about its contents, wondering if it would be the location of the King Arctotherium and Queen Direwolf - the location of his Dream Quest. Whilst he knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat them, he at least wanted to know where they were.

So he delved deep into the tunnel and eventually came across a turn. The orange lustre of fire glowed across the rocks. He walked towards its source and found torches line the rocky walls. But he gasped and stepped away when he saw that Level 10 to 15 arctotheriums and direwolves slept under them, or trotted past them.

So Edward hopped back around the cave wall and hid. If a level 15 spotted him, he wasn’t sure if his agility would be high enough to escape them. So he couldn’t let them see him. He assumed that deep within the cave would be where he’d find the King Arctotherium and Queen Direwolf. But if he could barely defeat a Level 5 Arctotherium, then there’d be no chance of defeating the Level 10 to 15s, let alone the King or Queen.

As a result, Edward jogged out of the cave, ventured back into the forest, climbed up a tree, and hopped between branches, searching for more Level 5 direwolves. Once he could comfortably defeat Level 10 direwolves, then he’d head back to the cave.

After 2 hours of hunting Level 5 direwolves, shrieking in agony from the injuries he incurred, resting to recover his HP and stamina, and suffering the same thing over and over again…

‘ding’

[Congratulations! You have killed a Level 5 Direwolf]

[Reward: 250XP]

[Progress to Level 11: 5%]

‘ding’

‘ding’

‘ding’

[Congratulations! You have levelled up!]

[You are now Level 10!]

[You have been given +3 Stat Points!]

[You have recovered 100% of your HP and Stamina!]

[You have learnt a new Class Ability: Dream Touch!]

Level: 10

Stat Points: 3

Strength: 18 | +

Defense: 17 | +

Agility: 13 | +

Magic: 8 | +

Edward smiled at the sight of the new Class Ability. He got one at Level 5 as well. Did that mean he’d get a new ability every 5 levels? Regardless, before he read the ability’s effects, he allocated his stats, adding 3 points to agility.

Level: 10

Stat Points: 0

Strength: 18

Defense: 17

Agility: 16

Magic: 8

Then he read the Dream Touch ability.

His smile widened, and a thrill shook him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Edward immediately began to de-activate his ‘Dream World’ ability; he had to tell Charlotte and Richard about it. He hoped he’d get an ability like Dream Touch before, but it was just a hope. He didn’t think he’d actually get something so useful.

Because the ‘Dream Touch’ ability allowed him to bring anyone that he touched into his ‘Dream World’.