This Is Not the Life That I Imagined

(John Stats: Strength: 9 …. Agility: 6 …. Flexibility: 5 …. Vitality: 10.… Intelligence: 9)

John Talents:

1-INSANITY CHECK: Triggered when the subject faces unfavorable circumstance.

Effect 1: boosting chosen attribute to 5 points without any side effects. User can change which attribute to boost freely.

 Effect 2: boost all attributes by 5 for 40 min. Upon expiry, all stats drop by 3 and extreme exhaustion for 60 min.

2- Double Focus: Triggered By concentrating the user's attention and focus.

 Effect 1: Increase focus -- heightened senses – increase reaction Speed. Can be used anytime

 Effect 2: Heightens the user's senses significantly. Allowing him to ignore his surroundings and focus solely on the object of interest. Significantly increase eye-hand response speed. Significantly increase reaction Speed. Increase control over body muscles.

Note: "Effect 2" can only be used with insanity check fully activated.)

...

(New mission being issued ….)

(Mission 2: Kill 2 Wild-Furys.

Time limit: 3 hours.

Penalty for failing: electric shock for 10 min. Repeating the mission.

reward: 2 points for every Wild-Fury killed.)

The words 'Kill 2 Wild-Furys' flashed on the tablet, and John's heart skipped a beat. 'Two? In three hours? The hell!!'

The weight of the mission pressed on him, a heavy burden that settled into his bones. Still, he clenched his jaw, his eyes sparked with burning determination — the unwavering resolve to emerge from this jungle alive.

Shafts of fading sunlight painted the foliage in hues of gold and green, casting long shadows that danced with the gentle rustle of leaves. The jungle buzzed with the symphony of cicadas, their incessant chirping filling the air.

As the last rays of light illuminated the path ahead, John stowed the tablet in his backpack. He straightened his back, and activated effect 1 of both talents, Insanity Check, and Double Focus.

John thought while changing his attributes, 'This is the first time using my skill voluntarily. I will need to swiftly make changes in the fights, so let's start with something simple.' He started with adding in strength first (strength 9 -->12).

'WOAH, I feel sudden surge in power. It feels like I can move mountain, which of course not true. But woah, it feels weird and refreshing' John giggled in excitement as he explored his talent with curiosity.

'let's try agility' (agility 6 --> 10, strength 12 --> 9). His body felt lighter, faster. Testing it out, he darted forward—and promptly crashed into a tree. "Ouch, what did I think?!, of course agility made me more agile" John murmured as he moved away from the tree.

'Let's try flexibility' he added points to flexibility as he was moving. (flexibility 5 --> 10, agility 10 -->6).

'I am very flexible!! Maybe!! I don't know… how do I even measure that? Should I do yoga poses?! Nah, never mind, I will find out later' John was Speechless.

'let's try vitality' John thought as he shifted his attributes again, (vitality 10 --> 13, flexibility 10 --> 5). 'I feel super healthy... Nah, I am lying. I don't feel anything. Another one to leave for later' unbothered John continued.

'What about intelligence, will I be super genius??' He shifted his attributes in anticipation (intelligence 9 --> 14, vitality 13--> 10).

'My thought process is a little bit faster and … THAT'S IT?!' John sighed in dejection. 'Maybe it has some use later, never mind.' He tried to cheer himself up.

'Okey, the time taken to change between each attribute differ, and every one point of increase take more time, it's minutiae amount but still time, In battle it might be fatal. Maybe with using it more this delay will disappear but for now I have to bear it in mind' contemplate on the little test he did with his talent.

'Now what I will need in the coming battle is agility and strength. I will try to change between them as I walk' John decided as he shifted his attribute rabidly as he walked to get use to the sudden changes.

Sometime he fell, other time he jumped, rolled, launching himself forward or backward, other time he stumbles on roots and small rocks. He continued testing his talent until he felt satisfied.

'Woah, this is fun...' His excitement bubbled beneath the surface. 'Focus, John, focus... I have to fight soon.' He inhaled deeply to regulate his emotions, the air tasting of damp leaves, a moment of calm before the storm.

He added 3 points to his agility as he moved alert to the surrounding searching for Wild-Fury (agility 6--> 9). The cold wind began to blow, rustling the leaves and creating a haunting melody that sent shivers through John's unsettled nerves.

John traveled across the damp and leafy terrain for a while. Suddenly he heard the familiar yet bone chilling sound of a Wild-Fury.

'I don't want to do this… I really don't.' He thought in apprehension as he advanced towards the source. Every step was cautious, the unease written on his face deepening with each movement, a silent testament to his internal struggle.

As he edged closer, he saw the silhouette of the horrific monster ahead, moving with an unnatural gait, growling intermittently, adding a chilling undertone to the surroundings.

'I will do it… I can kill it' John self-assured himself as he increased his agility to the maximum that his talent allowed, embracing the nimbleness that came with it. {agility 9 --> 11.}.

'All I have to do is using speed for a momentum then the moment I reach the monster change to strength and bam, kill it with one blow… easy enough. Let's do it 'John strategized in his mind.

In a swift dash, he ruthlessly Swung his sword at the Wild-Fury. The monster reacted instinctively, blocking the slash with its hand as it roared in pain. A long cut appeared on the monster unsightly limps, but it was not fatal as he hoped it would be.

The monster other hand aimed to struck John, but he blocked it with trembling hands. A thud echoed in the surrounding as john Stumble backwards awkwardly.

'Shoot! The concept felt simpler when I imagined it … I underestimated the difficulties of shifting my attributes swiftly mid-action 'John thought in dismay and fright as he shifted his distributed attributes.

With Abrupt heaviness but soaring strength, he blocked the creature's attacks. (strength 9-->14, agility 11 --> 6).

The monster, in its frenzy, unleashed a barrage of attacks, each one more explosive than the last. Parrying and clumsily retreating, John gritted his teeth in frustration at the missed opportunity. Knowing that he can't afford using the second effect of his talents in this situation. He defended with everything he has, looking for an opening.

With the creature big structure, every claw swing was devastating. Forcefully deflecting or blocking the attacks, John kept retreating and circle Wild-Fury.

when opportunity presented itself, He hacked and stabbed it number of times as counterattack. However, the monster unaffected by these minor Injuries as it only fueled its fury. The raging Wild-Fury intensified its onslaught, and John did everything he could to cope with the changes.

Each swing of it reverberated through his arms, a reminder of the raw power of the confrontation. The sunset vailed the jungle with its darkness, as the leaves' shadows and the blowing wind became the witness of brutal struggle.

The background noise become fainter with the passing seconds as the clangs of the fight scared the insects away. Only the rhythm of the battle and groaning of effort intensified.

'Mother of peaches… I need to change to agility again to evade' John thought as he deflected an attack, pushing the monster backward for a moment. Shifted 3 points agility in hast with the sudden nimbleness he jumped backward. (strength 14 --> 9, agility 6 --> 9).

The monster lunged on him again with its claws. As he sidestepped the razor-sharp claw, the air whistled past, and he could almost feel the lethal intent in the monster's movements. The jungle fought against John as much as the monster did. The ground riddled with roots threatened to betray him with every movement, and the dense foliage became an unpredictable ally or enemy.

A low-hanging branch disrupted his line of sight, a momentary blindness that forced him to rely on instincts to survive. The monster lunged forward aiming for John heart, with a savage swing. In a tense moment, John barely evaded its claws grazed him, but it was with consequences as it left a long bloody wound on his stomach area.

"Aghaaaaaa!" John screamed, cliched teeth from pain. the Wild-Fury lunged again, John ducked under its arm, rolling to the side. In one swift motion, he shifted his stats, pouring everything into strength. (strength 9 -->14, agility 9 --> 6).

Power surged through his veins as he rose to his feet, his sword already arcing toward the creature. The blade met flesh with a sickening crunch, cleaving into the Wild-Fury's side. The monster howled in pain, its movements growing more erratic. John didn't hesitate. He yanked the sword free and struck again, this time aiming for its neck.

"Die your hideous monster! "With a final, violent swing, John severed the Wild-Fury's head. The creature's body crumpled to the ground, twitching once before falling still.

With a shaky hand and trembling legs, the sword escaped his grip—dropping to the ground. Groaning in pain, John collapsed on the ground with a thud, his exhaustion evident in every labored breath. With the monster dead, John's focus shifted from the adrenaline-fueled battle to the harsh reality of his wounded body.

"Ouch, ouch, aghaaaa! That hurt," he groaned, wincing, as he fumbled to open the backpack and retrieve the first aid kit. He took antiseptic ointment and bandages from it. And applied the antiseptic ointment carefully on the bleeding wound while grimacing. His jaw clenched against the pain while bandaging his waist.

"That was dangerous, almost got me killed…. Aghhh! It hurt so much." John mumbled in trembling voice, a testament to the vexation and bitterness bubbling within him.

As he took the tablet from the backpack to check the remaining time for the mission, a notification flashed:

(You got 2 points for killing a Wild-Fury.

Current mission: kill 2 Wild-furys.

Time Remaining: 2 hours).

"I searched and killed one in an hour, most of the time wasted on the searching part. But not bad me, I Knew from the very beginning I can do it… I may be lying, but who is here to correct me?" John muttered to himself in an encouraging tone.

"Now theoretically speaking, if strength increase strength, and agility increase agility, duh! Vitality is supposed to increase my vigor and the body healing capabilities. so, let's try it out" John did exactly what he murmured.

(strength 14 -->9, vitality 10 --> 15).

John felt like he is in a video game, similar to the other games he played. Stats screen, a talent, a sword, and fighting monsters. Everything felt so real and hallucinatory at the same time. The reality he knew was stripped away from him. He has no idea who is testing him, and why.

Is it some evil organization making schemes behind the scenes? Does he have these talents from the beginning, or did they inject something into him to test the effect of the drug?

As John's mind pondered various questions, a sudden tingling sensation from his wounds jolted him, disrupting his thoughts "Ouch, NO, NO, No… This itch agha! "John groaned as he twitched in agony.

'Is this like the novels, you will feel like ants crawling all over you when your wounds heal faster? …. Oh Lord, I didn't anticipate this… Aghaaa! Can I have the healing fast part without the itching? 'John twitched in agitation as the relentless itch tormented him.

it took a few minutes until John got used to it. 'I need to keep moving and start searching for another Wild-fury to finish the mission… I don't want to get electric shock for no reason' John thought as he stood up from the ground and organized his belonging. The tablet blinked with the remaining time, urging him to press on.

(Time remaining: 1 hour 43 minutes)

He hanged the sword to his waist," Another monster and we are done, easy … right?!! I already killed two. Sure, I can kill three" John mumbled in encouraging tone.

'I better leave the vitality stats up as I walk to make my fatigue go away, and my wound heal faster.'

John's mind pondered over the last fight as he moved carefully through the vegetation. 'My first attack in my mind and in theory was awesome … But not much so in reality. To change from extreme agility stats to extreme strength took nearly a second and half. It was dangerous, life-threatening mistake. With sufficient training, I could execute it in the blink of an eye, but in my current state, it feels out of reach.'

John continued his reflection while staying alert, looking for any sign of another Wild-Fury. 'So, what other moves could I do to end the fight fast? I want a one-hit kill. I absolutely don't want to wrestle with any monster. Should I sneak up on the monster's back? Can I do it without being discovered? Let's try it. I wouldn't lose a thing. If I get discovered, it will be just another fight, right?'

Vibrations occurred at ten-minute intervals on the tablet, urging him to move quickly.

As John ventured deeper, the air thickened with tension. He could sense the presence of another Wild-Fury, its distant growls reached him through the forest.

With every passing moment, the anticipation of the approaching challenge intensified. John crouched behind the thick foliage, peering through the leaves to catch a glimpse of the monster. The Wild-Fury's hulking silhouette moved in and out of the fading light.

"I have to time this perfectly," John whispered to himself. 'Wait for the right moment, when it's distracted, then strike.'

The minutes ticking away. John steadied his breath, feeling a surge of excitement and fear intertwine. 'This is it.'

As the Wild-Fury turned away, distracted by a distant noise, John seized the opportunity. With the agility stats already heightened (agility 6-->11, vitality 15-->10), he moved like a shadow, carefully navigating the terrain to approach the monster's rear.

'Easy, easy,' he urged himself, inching closer with each passing second. The adrenaline coursed through his veins, and the anticipation of the impending strike hung in the air.

As he closed the distance, John raised his sword, ready to strike. But just as he prepared to deliver the blow, a twig snapped beneath his foot. The sharp crack echoed through the jungle like a gunshot.

The Wild-Fury whirled around, its eyes locking onto John. Time seemed to freeze for an instant. then chaos ensued. The Wild-Fury, now fully aware of John's presence, lunged forward with startling speed. John reacted quickly evading the initial onslaught.

The battle had begun, but the element of surprise was lost, and John found himself in a dance of agility and strength, desperately trying to outmaneuver the enraged beast.