The law of the strong

A beautiful world like no other, a big forest with a fortress like city in the background, mountains and plains till the eye can see all showered by light from the sun, the sound, nothing to see with the one from his world, not empty but full of acoustic contamination I've never heard before, like an harmony, the smells, everything is so different is as it called you as if it was begging you to go and explore it… Is… such a wonderful world

-(I guess you haven't been formally introduced yet, right? Welp, welcome to Iffrni Gawko… okay now jump, don't worry there's water down there, dirty sewers water but water in the end)-

"I was having a moment, now I'm back to hating you"

-(Stop complaining and do it! Plus that hurts I love you lots)-

"Oh shut up" I said as I jumped

Now in solid non-sewery ground I could definitely see… that this was indeed a forest, though the trees were at least 10 times taller than me, there were some berry bushes in the entry to the forest, but besides that and all of this water there wasn't much to appreciate, so I just moved out of the water

-(Come on. come on, the future awaits for no one, plus you hungry?)- Reverie asked while we were entering the forest near the berry bushes of various colored berries

"Do you know which ones are edible?"

-(... Maybe the red ones)-

"I'll pass thank you"

-(Your loss)- As we entered more and more into the forest Reverie seemed more calm, and started saying things that made no sense -(You should kill a mimic, it would be useful, maybe there's a dungeon in here)-

"So while we walk, how about you tell me stuff? Like what are you? What can you tell me and what can you do? Are you sure I don't have schizophrenia?"

-(First of all don't enter a dungeon if we encounter one, you are too hurt and weak to ever dream of beating one, secondly, I can't really tell you anything about me, and finally I'm very knowledgeable in magic and other various areas, so I can be like your teacher)-

"Great no info, no data, and no anything, well then show me that magic of yours then, If we want to survive is better than anything, but when you say magic you mean like Kamehameha and Exploooosion?"

-(I have no idea of what are you talking about, but don't worry about the information, we don't need it, now about magic, first stop walking, now then mana is the essence of magic, is all around you and within yourself, your level and intelligence is what determines your capacity to contain mana, and assimilating this concept already augments your intelligence and thus your mana)-

[+1 Intelligence]

"Yeah okay I got 1 of int, now what?"

-(Feel the mana, just like your blood but as if you had control over it, try to make it flow into your leg, and then strength it, if we are lucky that should fix it up for the time being)-

"If we are lucky right." Closing my eyes I started feeling my body, my heartbeats, the wind caressing my skin, my hair, my blood pumping in my ears, and then there was something more, something like liquid power deep within me, but at the same time as if it was on the verge of exiting my interior, I made it move, first slowly, then faster and faster until it reached my leg, I could already feel my leg stopping to hurt, then… I forced it into solid state

-(W-ait! Don't make it like that! You wasted so much mana doing it so fast and without practice!)- Some kind of blue mass surrounded my leg, and disappeared, just like the pain, I tried to move it and it was as If I had never jumped through a window into a freaking cathedral -(Geez, just, don't do this every time you are hurt, it will cost so much mana in the future)-

"Well for a first time it is not too bad, magic is really awesome isn't it?"

-(Yes, yes, very cool, now tell me, how would you move in this forest?)- Looking around we were already deep enough in the forest that I couldn't see the point where I entered anymore

"I guess if anything goes, flying, although parkouring through it would be more efficient especially if we were to find someone hostile in here"

-(Well count me as impressed, you got it almost right, you just need… a more three-dimensional view of things, I'll teach you a fighting style for close spaces or open with obstacles, go to that tree in front of you)-

"Aye aye, you know shit ton of stuff huh?" I walked until I was in front of a big and robust tree, at least bigger than the others "Kay now what?"

-(Well I learnt from the best, anyways think of this tree as the ground and then your back becomes the sky, and everything rotates, get it?)-

"... Come again?"

-(Is eaaaaasy just do it with a big bum and then bazaam the wall is the ground)-

"... Imma try to move my perspective" And so I tried to run up the tree as if it was just the ground, I ran up to the tree and… It all went more smoothly than expected, I felt as if my feet had some suction to the tree and was able to do a few steps up the log before jumping away to evade the pulling of the ground

[Acrobatics_lvl1 acquired]

[+2 Agility]

-(Oh not bad, you even won some stats, pretty good for a newbie hehe)-

"Wait stats? There's stats here?!"

-(Hm? Yeah of course dummy how if not we would be able to tell the difference in power between two persons, since we are already on it let me give you a little rundown through stats and the functionment of Appreciation.. But start walking! I don't wanna live in the forest Gawko!)-

"Okay okay geez" As I started walking through the forest I asked Reverie more about what she said "So you were saying?"

-(Yes yes, okay so some people are known to be born with Appreciation as an innate ability like my case, is one hell of a useful ability specially if you are a combatant, the reason of why some people have it and some not is still a mystery but the functioning is easy, is an ability capable of understanding the simple cognitive presence of items and peoples, for example it can give you the name of something you don't know what it is like an old spellbook or a rare mineral, as long as there's a group of people or an existence into cognisance of that item you will learn the name and depending of the item a whole lot of other things, you follow?)-

"... Appreciation tell me rock is rock because people know rock is rock me understand, continue"

-(Okay then but when you use it on a living being its effects change dramatically! Using it on an enemy will give you things like its name, his life and mana reserve, additionally when battling someone you will be able to rationalize his stats passively in base to things like how strong his attacks are or how good the enemy can withstand an attack, BUT! Appreciation has another use! It can understand the full strength of a being even if it can't tell you! You have already experienced that, right?)-

"You mean like with the small princess in the castle?"

-(Exactly! Appreciation can understand the total power of a being based on things like his stats, his abilities and her innate capabilities, whenever you can appreciate someone it means they are either on the same level than you or close, but when you can't is because that person is too strong to handle, additionally if you use it in yourself you can see your own status, although there's rumors of people that can even see other people status with their own Appreciation)-

"My status?"

-(Yeah like specie, stats, name, titles and abilities, let's use it later it would be bad if we were attacked while you are distracted)-

"You say of being attacked but we've already been a while here and we haven't seen a soul"

-(Well lucky us then, just keep walking! I have to thing about some things so I'll talk you later)-

"Great now I'm left alone with my thoughts"

-(Nah, I still can hear them!)-

":.. Greeaaaat…"

What seemed like a few hours passed before Reverie talked again, the forest didn't have much to offer besides trees and more suspicious berry bushes

-(Gawkooooooooo I'm boreeeeeed!!!)-

"Eh, what do you want me to do about it? Find something to entertain yourself geez"

-(There's nothing here come on, only you that chipmunk, you and the boar about to charge you from the left)-

"THE WHAT NOW?!" I tried to dodge but I was to late, luckily the tackle only left me some bruises, the boar was getting ready for another charge… and boy is it massive and why does it have tusks?! I'm not ready for this!

-(Come on turn the tables! Fight back! Go Go Gawko Go!)-

"Damn it Reverie!" I ran to the boar before he could do anything and grabbed both his tusks I flipped his ground "If I apply what I just learnt this is no different from some Judo" The boar fell upside down letting a cry out

-(Uuuuuh that's gotta hurt, oh get ready he is getting up)-

Before he got up I tried to punch him on the side without much effect

-(That's not gonna do the trick, his defense is pretty high, try to dodge or make a run for it)-

"What I'm supposed to do if his defense is too high then?!"

-(Dodge and do what you did to that guard, but you better don't get hit he is using mana for this one)-

The boar started charging as his legs were enveloped in mana going faster, I got ready and dodged in the last second hitting him in his parts "I'm sorry…" The boar took on the full hit in addition to his own attack and fell to the ground screaming in pain "Okay we won this"

-(Hahaha not bad you may have some talent to kick balls, anyways now just take anything whatever and stab it! Kill it!)-

"There's no need for it he was probably just defending his territory we can leave him be, plus I think he already understands who's boss here"

The boar tried to get up and started to go away limping without looking back, it was kinda sad

-(And the level? You need to level up and get stronger if you wish to prospere. How much do you think you will be able to survive in the forest without getting stronger? That's how things are Gawko is kill or be killed, the law of the strong! Hmpf)-

"Geez, level this, level that. See if I care! If I don't kill you will have to find a way to get me stronger without killing no? We are together in this right?)-

-(That's besides the point! Why won't you kill it? Is just a fucking wild animal it doesn't even have a name! And he started the fight!)-

"Yes and I won! So I get to choose what to do with his life, and I choose not to kill it, is that easy, this was his territory, I'm just an intruder!"

-(Gawko… I appreciate you, I know we barely been together for a day but I really do appreciate you so please don't make me repeat it again… Kill.It.)-

Giving my back to the boar I started walking away "Stop it already Reverie, I'm not going to kill it and that's the end of it!"

-(... I just want you to know you made me do it)- I felt something weird in my back and then a small light followed by a screen

[You leveled up 2 levels]

"REVERIE WHAT DID YOU…" Turning back I saw the boar… his skeleton to be exact, it was the only thing remaining "...do…?"