Chimera ascension

The last of the beast's cries echoed throughout the forest as it fell to the ground. A wave of dust spread in every direction while its body writhed in the final throes of its existence. Still awake but barely, Connor felt the weight of the world pressing on his shoulders, his vision flickering between clarity and darkness. The chains that had bound the beast flickered and dissipated into the air, their magic spent. The adventurers had succeeded.

But it had come at a cost.

A torn leg lay in a pool of blood across the jungle. Connor stared at it. What followed was a sudden notification.

Ding!

You have leveled up!

Ding!

You have leveled up!

Ding!

You have leveled up!

Ding!

You have leveled up!

Ding!

You have leveled up!

Before anything else could be heard, their vision began to fade as a group of adventurers rushed toward them. By the time the adventurers arrived, they had already fallen unconscious.

The world faded to black, leaving Connor and Jacob in a void of silence and darkness. Time felt meaningless; a fleeting moment stretched into eternity. When consciousness finally clawed its way back, Connor's mind swam with disjointed memories—the beast's guttural roars, the searing pain of loss, and the haunting image of their severed leg lying in the pool of blood in the jungle.

In the jungle there were a group of five people around a campfire walking around and communicating. Underneath a tree lay someone on the ground." Aria could be heard calling out, 'You've been over there for three whole days. You can relax; that's an order!' The man she spoke to looked flamboyant, with long hair and a coat, holding a bow while gazing into the distance.

Another, more easygoing man could be heard saying, 'You think they're going to make it? We lost good men to that damn beast. Do you really think listening to Aria and helping them out was a good idea?' The group fell silent at the remark.

A faint light flickered, breaking through the abyss.

"Hey! They're waking up!" a voice called out, distant but growing clearer.

Connor groaned, his body aching as if it had been hit by a bus. Every fiber of his being felt strained, and even the smallest movements were a struggle. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing a shady portion underneath a huge tree. The tree's canopy stretched above them, blocking most of the sunlight. Only faint rays of light filtered through the dense foliage. The scent of herbs and smoke hung thick in the air, and the sound of burning flames could be heard." He wasn't alone. Jacob stirred beside him, murmuring as if lost in a fever dream.

"You two are lucky to be alive," said a figure seated by the two of them. A woman, clad in battered armor, with blond hair and a slim figure, leaned forward. Her stern expression softened, relief evident on her face. "That thing nearly killed you both. We barely managed to save you."

Connor tried to sit up, but pain lanced through his body, forcing him to lie back down. "The… leg," he rasped.

The woman's eyes darkened. "It's gone.

Jacob stirred again, his eyes slowly opening. "Jacob's face lit up with a faint, delirious grin, unlike Connor's. "We leveled up," he muttered, almost gleefully. "So many times..."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Leveled up?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

Uhhh...uhhh, well, he's a cheerful one. Did he even realize he'd lost his legs? Connor stared at his brother in disbelief. He seemed very jovial and innocent while staring at the other side of the body; his brother, who was attached to the jovial boy at his chest, had an expression that was the exact opposite of his.

Well, that's an interesting bunch for sure. She thought while looking at the not-so-jovial boy.

Connor clenched his fists, his mind racing. The battle with the beast had left them scarred, but it also marked the beginning of something far greater. With every level gained came new strength and new possibilities. But for now, survival was all that mattered.

He closed his eyes again, his determination simmering beneath the surface. The hunt had left them broken, but the fight was far from over.

Meanwhile, Jacob was focused on other things. I just leveled up, and he was thinking, Ohhhh my god, I want to see my stats automatically as if the world was responding to him.

Skill activation: Menu

A huge blue screen appeared with the following information.

Sweet! Jacob thought to himself while taking a look through things.

Jacob Orwin

Race: human

Class: Summoner: Lvl 5

Field of discipline: Unassigned

Soul Ability: Soul Flame Eternal Link

[Bars]

Health (HP - Hit Points): {+20}

Mana (MP - Magic Points): {+20}

Stamina (SP - Stamina Points): {+20}

[stats]

Strength (STR): +5

Dexterity (DEX): +5

Intelligence (INT): +5

Wisdom (WIS): +5

Defense (DEF): +5

Armor Class (AC):

Luck (LUK): +5

Speed (SPD): +5

Charisma (CHA): +5

Endurance (END): +5

Perception (PER): +5

Vitality (VIT): +5

While Jacob was looking through the screen, a glee could be seen on his face, and Connor started taking notice of the boy. What are you doing now? "Jacob," Connor said with a sigh of annoyance. Confused as to why Jacob was staring into the air while having a huge smile on his face.

Confused as to why Jacob was staring into the air while having a huge smile on his face

"Jacob," Connor called out. "Stop being weird. What are you doing?"

Connor's arm with surprising strength for someone who had just woken up from near-death. "Try saying 'Menu.' Just say it!"

What the fck?* he thought to himself. Does he think this is a video game?

"Life is not a video game, Jacob," Connor said.

What the f*ck are you even looking at? "Do you understand what this means? I don't even have a f*cking leg. What do you think is going to happen? Do you think these people are just going to have us around? We're already crippled people. Look at us—crippled and broken—and yet you're worried about some stupid game mechanic!

What good is leveling up if we can't fucking walk?

I'm sure there's a way. Maybe we can find a healer, or—"

Jacob said, glancing at the woman standing over them. The woman looked back with a somber expression, and it felt gut-wrenching to Connor. Jacob opened his mouth to speak but faltered, the words catching in his throat.

He was sad, but not for himself. He was happy with things, and right now he wasn't foolish; he knew that they were crippled and things were bad, but what else was he supposed to do? He was trying to lighten the mood, hopefully bring his brother out of what was an awful mood, but he seemed to have only made things worse; the camp fell into an eerie silence.