Stupid Berries

Lying on the grassy ground was young man with short brown hair. His brown eyes abruptly opened up, as a bestial roar rang through the forest, waking him up from his peaceful sleep. Blinking his eyes, he looked around, not recognizing where he was. There was also an annoying screen right in front of him, no matter where his head turned.

[Please select your class.]

[Artificer][Barbarian][Bard][Cleric(Locked)][Druid][Fighter][Monk][Paladin(Locked)][Ranger][Rogue][Sorcerer][Warlock(Locked)][Wizard]

After swiping his hand at the screen, he managed to remove it, but another followed afterward.

[Fighter has been selected.]

[Weapon Proficiency – Axe(Novice) added to Skill list.]

[Rolling for a random Skill.]

[Insight(Novice) added to Skill list.]

"What the hell?" He asked as he slowly stood up. Looking down at himself, he was still in his sleepwear, but his sleeping bag was nowhere to be found.

"George, this ain't funny mate." He called out to his friend, who brought him out here to camp. The only response he received was another bestial roar in the distance.

"What the fuck? Am I hallucinating?" He started questioning his sanity. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten those berries!" He simply had no other explanation for what was happening.

A few days ago, his best friend George convinced him to go camping in a foreign country. He much preferred staying in his home and playing videogames, but George somehow managed to persuade him. At first, it hadn't been that bad. The wilderness was more enjoyable than what he assumed. Excluding the bugs, his legs that started throbbing soon after they started hiking, the lack of internet… well, maybe it was that bad.

"George! I already freaked out, you can come out now." He called out again. At this point, he honestly just wanted to pack his stuff and return back to England in his safe space. He definitely did not sign up for this!

After receiving no response once more, he looked around, trying to figure out where their camp was. However, the trees around him looked all the same. Though, they were slightly bigger than he remembered, but he figured that was probably due to the berries he ate. If he hallucinated floating screens, why not bigger trees a well. Picking a random direction, he started walking that way, the grass tickling his bare feet. He was also starting to feel cold, so he hoped he would find their camp soon.

Moving past a tree, he froze in place as his heart stopped beating. His eyes widened and he lost all capabilities of breathing after seeing what's in front of him. Grey fur, and menacing yellow eyes, standing almost as tall as him. That was the biggest wolf he had ever seen, not that he had ever seen one before, but they shouldn't be able to grow this large!

He was hoping, praying to any gods he knew off that the wolf would simply turn around and walk away. No one answered his prayers, as the beast took a step towards him, with its mouth opening up slightly, revealing the razor-sharp teeth hiding inside it. Instantly, he understood he was nothing but prey to the mighty beast in front of him.

"Oh fuck!" He cried out, turning around and booking it. His legs moved faster than they have ever before. To him, it seemed like he had been running for hours without stopping, but it was no more than a few seconds. A massive weight dropped on his back, and he toppled down with the wolf standing on top of him. A sharp pain in the neck was the last thing he felt before everything turned into darkness.

A bestial roar rang through the forest, waking him up from his peaceful sleep. Blinking his eyes, he found himself in the very same spot he woke up during his dre… nightmare. The same floating screen was also right in front of his vision, no matter where he looked.

"There's… what is going!?" This just didn't make sense. Nothing made sense!

Taking a few calming breaths, he looked around. He was definitely in the same place he woke up in his nightmare. His eyes focused back on the screen, and this time, he didn't simply wave it off. The classes offered to him were the standard ones someone got to pick when starting most videogames. Cleric, Paladin, and Warlock were locked for some reason, which he couldn't understand. Why where they even offered in the first place if he couldn't choose them.

A bestial roar rang through the forest, making him remember the wolf that had ended his life in his nightmare. He couldn't stand there and wait for his death, so he quickly made a decision. He was in a forest, which he knew nothing about, so the obvious choice was Ranger.

[Ranger has been selected.]

[Weapon Proficiency – Bow(Novice) added to Skill list.]

[Rolling for a random Skill.]

[Survival(Novice) added to Skill list.]

"Bow? Seriously? Who even uses them in this day and age besides Olympic Archers. How am I even supposed to get a bow?!" He was definitely not happy with what he received. However, Survival might be useful, depending on what it did. How was he supposed to even check that?

"Status?" He questioned out loud and was happy to see another screen pop in front of him.

[Johnathan Williams]

[Class: - Ranger(Lvl.1)]

[STR: 5

DEX: 5

CON: 5

INT: 5

WIS: 5

CHA: 5]

[Weapon Proficiency – Axe(Novice)

Weapon Proficiency – Bow(Novice)

Insight(Novice)

Survival(Novice)]

"Okay. Okay." John repeated. He had the basic five stats of a videogame character and a list of four skills. In the moment, John completely forgot that two of those skills shouldn't even be there since there was something else that he was focused on. The stats he didn't need a description for, but he needed to know what his skills did. Focusing on the first on the list, another screen popped over.

[Weapon Proficiency – Axe(Novice): Your ability to wield an axe. The higher the skill, the easier you can use the weapon and the more damage you do with it.]

"That makes sense." John muttered, but he hoped for something more. The other Weapon Proficiency gave him the same description, but for bows. However, it was the other two skills that interested him.

[Insight(Novice): Your ability to determine the true intention of others, be it through body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms. The higher the skill, the more clues you can pick up on.]

[Survival(Novice): Your ability to follow tracks, hunt wild game, identify safe to eat food in the wilds, find the correct path in the wilderness, or even predict the weather. The higher the skill level, the easier time you will have surviving in the wild.]

With this skills, John had a chance to survive and possibly find his way to safety. As long as he gets away from this godforsaken forest, he won't ever go camping, no matter how much George tries to persuade him. Thinking about, where even was his best friend. He should've been with him, but then again, maybe this was just one very terrible nightmare, all caused by the stupid berries, which had been very tasty.

A growl alerted John to the fact that he was by no means safe. Looking to the side, he was met with the very familiar menacing yellow eyes. The wolf was prowling towards him, step by step, intending to have a very tasty and easy meal.

"Oh fuck!" Once again, John tried booking it, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't get far before he was pushed to the ground, followed by the wolf's sharp fangs piercing his neck.

A bestial roar rang through the forest, waking him up from his sleep. John quickly got up, looking around with fearful eyes. The screen was floating in his vision, asking him to select a class, but getting as far away from his current location was a priority. The mighty demon was lurking nearby, and he did not wish for a repeat of what he dreamed. Picking the direction opposite of the wolf, he took off running without hesitation. John's hands touched one of the classes while he was running for his life.

[Rogue has been selected.]

[Weapon Proficiency – Dagger(Novice) added to Skill list.]

[Rolling for a random Skill.]

[Deception(Novice) added to Skill list.]

'Fuck you!' John cursed the stupid scream in his mind, not daring to open his mouth, less he drawls the mighty demon towards him. He ran past trees, zigging and zagging like his life depended on it. Shortly, a small river came into John's view, with a massive brown boulder next to it. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but going over to the other side of the river seemed like a good choice.

However, John soon found out that what he assumed was a boulder, was anything but that. It was a massive bear that was twice as large as him while it was crouching down, taking a sip from the river. The last thing John saw was the monstrous beast raising its paw, and then darkness followed after.

A bestial roar rang through the forest, waking him up from his sleep. John was terrified as he quickly got up from his spot on the ground. 'This just doesn't make sense. What the fuck is going on? Am I stuck in some time loop?' He didn't even dare say anything out loud, knowing what was lurking in this forest.

'And what the fuck is wrong with those beasts? I've never seen a life bear or wolf, but I'm sure they aren't supposed to grow that big!' John took a few deep breaths, trying to figure out what was going on. However, no matter how he looked at it, this just didn't make sense. The only explanation that he had was that he was somehow no longer on Earth. But how did this even happen?

'It was the berries! I never should've eaten them!' That was it! There was no other explanation to his predicament.

John took another deep breath, remembering that there was a wolf lurking nearby. He couldn't stay in this location for long before it found him. Taking a look at the classes, he made a quick decision. So far, all the classes he had picked, some not really by his choice, were all physical ones. However, there were a few magical classes in his list, so maybe, just maybe, one of them could save him. And since he was in a forest, there was one that stood out among the rest.

[Druid has been selected.]

[Druidic Spellcasting(Novice) added to Skill list.]

[Rolling for a random Druid Spell.]

[Gust added to Spell list]

[Rolling for a random Skill.]

[Rolled Survival(Novice). A small amount of experience has been added to the Skill as you already have it.]

'Gust? Seriously? Oh, that would be so helpful against a wolf almost as tall as me. And Survival? I already have that one!' John mentally complained in frustration.

'Wait, why do I already have it? Do… the skills carry over even if I die? Then… I'm really stuck in some fucked up time loop.' John was starting to realize exactly what was his situation, not that it made him feel any better. No matter how he looked at it, he was utterly fucked.

John quickly checked his new Spell list and his newly acquired spell, just to make sure it wasn't as useless as he assumed.

[Gust: You seize the air and compel it to create a small blast of air.]

Yep, it was as useless as he initially assumed it was. What was he supposed to do with it? Clean the fur of the beasts in this forest? Or maybe freshen them up and hope they take it as a sign of friendship?

A growl from his right alerted John that he had spent way too much standing in place and thinking about his situation. At least he will get the chance to test his theory and see if he could befriend the wolf by freshening its fur.

John raised his hand, pointing it at the beast. Instinctively, he knew how to cast his only spell, and he seized control of the air around him. He felt powerful, having the ability to manipulate an element, but that sense of power disappeared as soon as he saw the effect of his spell. The wolf didn't even flinch as the blast of air ruffled its fur.

"I'm so fucked." John said, accepting his fate as the wolf jumped him. The only thought on his mind being. 'Curse those stupid berries.'