Lone: The Wanderer

Book 1: Chapter 5: Skill-slot and Apology

Lone barely had the time to glance at two system messages that had appeared before he had to madly jump out of the way while trying his best to not hurt or endanger Sophie.

The host has developed the passive skill: Physical Pain Resistance

Passive Skill: Physical Pain Resistance

A skill that allows the host to resist physical pains while still being aware of their existence.

All physical pain shall be weakened by 5%.

Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

For all its speed and strength, the massive boar had no finesse. If it was even slightly nimble on its hooves, then Lone wouldnt have successfully dodged the thing this time.

"Hey! Can you move?!" he shouted at Sophie while he tried his best to ignore the searing heat at his side.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that he was used to enduring physical pain. Something to thank his old man for, he thought in a rare bout of cynicism.

Sophie, instead of answering him, continued to scream and cry in terror. Certainly not very helpful but given the circumstance, Lone neither had the time nor the energy to be upset with her.

The boar was steadying itself after its failed attack and preparing for another.

Thankfully for Lone, at the same time, one of his other skills went into action and removed one of his current worries, the injury that was oozing blood and guts.

Congratulations! The host's unique skill [Basic Regeneration] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

The skill didn't have the power it needed to fully close his gaping wound within a few seconds, unfortunately, but it was good enough to stop the bleeding and numb his discomfort if only a bit.

Lone's flesh was wriggling and squirming about, and to be frank, it both looked and sounded beyond disgusting.

It was as if he was an alien trying his best to maintain his humanoid appearance. A creepy skill but one that was saving his life, nonetheless.

Regardless, he had more important things to care about right now than the grotesque nature of his Basic Regeneration skill.

Without giving Lone another second to think, the boar raced towards him once more. He made a split-second decision and threw Sophie away as far as he possibly could.

He couldnt fight the thing while holding her and it seemed dead set on killing him first. If it turned to go after her then Lone had no idea what he would do. Right now though, he had no other choice.

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Perhaps due to her smallness or perhaps the adrenaline flowing through his veins, hed managed to toss the girl ten or so metres away from him and the beast.

Unfortunately, the boar had closed the gap in the small time that hed used to decide on throwing her away and actually doing so.

"Ahhhhh!" Lone screamed as his chest was directly pierced by both of the boar's tusks.

He was ripped clean off of the ground as he became a live kebab skewered by the ivory tusks.

The creature twisted its head about and tore through Lone's organs, making his mind go blank.

He dropped the spear quickly and grabbed the boar's tusks in a futile attempt to push himself off of them.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Physical Pain Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Physical Pain Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Physical Pain Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Physical Pain Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.

Lone ignored the notifications and kept thinking through the pain. Basic Regeneration was trying its best to keep him alive but it couldnt out-heal the damage that was being inflicted upon him every passing second by the boar.

How could he get out of this? Was he going to die here? He couldn't concentrate properly.

"Ge... Get off of him!" a high-pitched and shaky voice shouted.

Lone looked to his side only to see Sophie picking up his spear and jamming it as hard as she could into the boar's skin.

The weapon pierced its flesh and the creature jerked its body around violently, scaring the life out of the girl, forcing her to let go of the weapon and topple over.

'Fuck! I need to do something, now! This fucker is gonna kill both of us! What can I do though?! My regen power is barely keeping me togeth- That's it! My powers!' Lone thought in revelation.

"I've chosen one of my powers! I want an ability that can kill anything that threatens me!" Lone roared to the heavens with the remainder of his strength.

Are you sure you wish to use a [Soul Slot] on [an ability that can kill anything that threatens me]? Do be aware that restrictions will be applied and the resulting skill may not do exactly as was requested.

Yes! Im fuckin sure! Lone screamed in response.

Confirmed. Creating desired skill. Implementing Restrictions. Unique Skill [Mental Destruction] created.

Unique Skill: Mental Destruction

A skill unique to the host, Lone Immortus.

Grants the host the ability to destroy another being's mind and soul.

Can only injures the mind of those up three ranks stronger than the host. Current affected rank limit: F-rank. Will not work on those highly resistant to magic-based damage or soul-based damage.

Can only be used once per day per rank of the host.

Current uses per day: 1.

Cannot be used unless the host feels threatened.

Cost:N/A Mastery:N/A

The host has four remaining soul slots.

"Mental... Destruction..." Lone said weakly as he felt his eyes closing and his body going limp before he lost consciousness.

The waves of the ocean rolled peacefully against the sand while the bright orange glow of the setting sun illuminated the area.

Lone lifted his groggy body up and held his head in both his hands. "I... I'm alive?"

"Your body fixed itself." The soft and calming voice of Sophie entered his ears.

Lone looked around and saw the corpse of the boar a few feet away from him. Sophie was sitting on the beach as she held her knees to her chest, and she looked visibly upset.

Lone glanced at the beast's body once more before he asked, "It actually died?"

"Yeah... You... You were bleeding so much... Are you immortal? It's not normal to survive wounds like that," Sophie asked with a certain sadness in her voice.

Lone stood up and began closely examining his body. When he was satisfied, he approached the boar. "No. It's one of the powers I got from that 'God', or whoever the fuck the people are that brought us here."

"I see," Sophie replied stoically.

A silence reigned between the two. Lone was carefully checking the corpse of the boar to see if it was usable somehow, and Sophie continued to hold her knees tightly.

"I'm sorry..." Sophie suddenly whispered just loud enough for him to hear her.

Lone gazed at the small girl and asked, "What for?"

"I... I'm sorry I froze like that. I could have gotten us both killed... I should... I should have teleported the boar into the ocean or up in the sky... I... I was so scared..." Tears slowly rolled down the girl's eyes.

Lone sighed and walked back to her side. He sat next to her and gently placed a hand on her back. "It's okay. You think I wasn't scared as well?"

"But... But I was useless... I could... I shoul-"

Lone interrupted her mumblings with a soothing and powerful voice. "We're both alive and the boar is dead. What else matters? I'm just glad you weren't hurt. You can't heal like I can, right?"

"... Yeah..." Sophie replied with a slight sniffle.

Lone got back up onto his feet and he rubbed Sophie's head lightly. "Then it's fine. Just try better next time, okay? You're a badass who killed God, aren't you?" he said with a charming grin.

Sophie wiped away her tears and smiled. "Thanks, Lone. I'll do my best," she claimed with a firm resolve.

She then mumbled a few words that Lone could barely even hear, "Though... I only managed to kill him because he ran out of power trying to kill me back when I was still immortal... so it's not really fair to call me a 'badass'..."

After a few moments had passed, Lone asked, "Wanna help me with the boars carcass?"

"Huh?" Sophie looked confused.

Lone knelt down next to the beast's body and ripped the spear out of its flank before he stated, "We might be able to use its hide to make some blankets or warmer clothes, and the meat needs to be preserved before it gets spoilt. I'm not an expert on this stuff though since I rarely researched this shit on the web."

"You swear a lot..." Sophie replied. Also, whats the web?

"I'm Scottish, it's in my blood," Lone shrugged. And, uh A tool to communicate information with people? Its like a big brain almost anyone can ask questions to.

And it answers? Sophie asked in amazement.

Lone nodded. Yup. Pretty cool, right? Though its also used to spread misinformation. Anyway, the carcass?

The small girl got up and walked around the boar. "I was taught about this stuff when I was still a mortal. I can help... I think. I, uh I dont remember much from back then."

"It was a long time ago, right? I get it, Lone said before asking, But still, a kid like you needing to go out and strip dead animals for meat and skin? Colour me surprised.

Sophie blushed lightly. "It was almost 1,000 years ago. I haven't needed to hunt since I was nine."

"Was that when you became ageless?" Lone inquired.

A pained look entered Sophie's eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Sorry," Lone said apologetically.

"Mmm," Sophie mumbled.

The two moved on and refocused their attention on the dead creature in front of them.

It wasnt long before Sophie had caught sight of something strange. "Lone, is that a dart?"

"What?" Lone looked at the part of the boar which Sophie was pointing at, and his eyes narrowed.

"I was wondering why this fucker was so pissed off. Do you think it was drugged?" Lone questioned as he carefully took the small piece of wood out from the boar's hide.

"I dunno," Sophie answered honestly.

Fair Howd you even see it anyway? I dont mean to grill you but, uh, youre blind, arent you? Lone questioned.

It was something hed been wondering about since yesterday and it honestly bugged him a lot.

Surely her other sense could only help her so much, right? Shes hadnt even been touching the boar when she discovered the dart.

I can see but not with my eyes, Sophie explained vaguely.

Huh He didnt press on further. That could wait until later.

Lone placed the small dart right in front of his left eye and he focused his gaze on it intently. "There's a tiny hole in this. Looks like a mini needle or something. I guess it was filled with a substance as suspected. Now, the question is, who shot the boar and pointed it towards us?"

"Do... do you think we're not alone on this island?" Sophie asked with a tremble in her voice.

"I'm not sure," Lone replied. A determined gaze filled his eyes and he said, "But if were not and if the other people here aren't friendly - which they probably won't be - then we're in trouble."