Leveling Up My Bow In The Apocalypse

I pulled my knife out of the fallen Irontusk boar. It was the same kind I had faced before when I was still with my group. Back then, the level 10 beast was a huge challenge for all of us. But this time, the victory was mine, and alone. Not that it was easy — I still had to use more than twenty arrows to bring it down — but in the end, the creature fell. It was undoubtedly the toughest beast I had ever faced.

Like its siblings, this boar was surrounded by a pack of small level 1 and 2 boars. However, they were not a problem. They fell quickly during the fight.

The Irontusk was strong and fast, a real wall when it came to withstanding blows. But its strategy was simple: charge back and forth, trying to stomp on me. All I had to do was provoke it, forcing it to collide with obstacles until its body couldn't take it anymore.

However, my reason for attacking this specific group of boars wasn't just for the sweet experience of combat. Before it all started, I had spotted something in my Perception Sphere, hidden inside a hollow log right at the center of the clearing where the pigs were.

There, in the log, I found a small box. It wasn't one of those beautiful jewelry boxes, but a simple bronze box. Using Identify, I confirmed it had nothing special about it, at least at first glance:

["Magic Bronze Box (Common)"] – A magical security box created by the system, enchanted with the ability to block any attempts to spy inside before it is opened.

I wasn't in a position to complain. Beggars can't be choosers, right? I opened the chest and found a small round object inside. It looked like a stone coin. Without wasting time trying to guess what it was, I used Identify again.

["Tutorial Equipment Upgrade Token (Common)"] – Upgrade any basic starting tutorial item to common rarity.

It was something that seemed to have come straight out of a game. A direct upgrade token. I, of course, wasn't disappointed. The idea of improving my cloak or bow was very welcome.

I didn't even consider upgrading my knife, despite using it frequently. After all, my goal had never been to rely on it unless absolutely necessary. A stronger bow, on the other hand, would allow me to eliminate enemies more easily.

My quiver was also out of the question, since it was already of common rarity. That was fairly self-explanatory.

So, I was left between the bow and the cloak. I looked at the cloak, ragged and heavily damaged, and wondered what effect upgrading it would have. If it was repaired in the process, it might almost be worth it.

The bow, in turn, would probably increase the damage I could cause. But my increased strength was already starting to make it less efficient, as I now drew it with ease. I even feared it might break at some point. However, the bow was holding up, and I didn't feel that its durability had reached its limit yet.

In fact, it seemed like the bow was becoming more resilient along with me, as if it adjusted to my higher stats, keeping the string taut and the wood resilient. It was something like modern compound bows with adjustable draw strength, but, of course, in my case, magic or the "system" was behind it.

In the end, what really mattered was that my bow still fully supported my combat style. So, I decided to upgrade my cloak. I took it off and laid it over a rock while holding the token, trying to figure out how to use it. That's when a window popped up.

Use [Tutorial Equipment Upgrade Token (Common)] on [Fatal Shot Cloak (Unranked)]?

I quickly agreed, and the token turned to dust, carried away by the wind. At that moment, my cloak began to repair itself, becoming completely clean of blood and dirt. It looked brand new. Visually, it didn't seem to have changed much, except for what looked like a dry cleaning.

However, when I touched it, I realized that the fabric was much less rough than before, and it was far more comfortable to wear. I focused on it and used Identify.

["Fatal Shot Cloak (Common)"] – A cloak given to the Tutorial, now improved with a token. Made of resilient fabric that is resistant to cutting attacks. Enchantments: Self-Repair.

["Requirements: Tutorial participant. Fatal Shot class"]

Although it was less impressive than my bracers, the self-repair enchantment made it totally worth it. Finally, I didn't have to walk around looking like a murderhobo. Well, it still looked a bit like a murderhobo, but at least now I wore a presentable cloak.

Also, it was a relief not to have the constant smell of sweat and blood in my nostrils. Feeling refreshed, I decided to explore a bit more, looking for other chests. I didn't find anything, and I realized it was starting to get dark. I opened the tutorial panel to check the time.

["Tutorial"] 

["Duration: 62 days 15:22:58"] 

["Total survivors remaining: 965/1200"] 

["CP collected: 7335"]

It was around noon when I entered this place. With the timer showing 15 hours now, that meant it was probably around 6 PM or so.

I thought about what I would do during the night. I didn't feel tired at all until that moment; my enhanced stats were working well. Additionally, I took short breaks between battles. Physical effort was important, but mental exhaustion was the real killer, and I needed to stay sharp.

Hunting at night was certainly an option, but I had no idea how the beasts would react. They didn't seem very active, but I doubted they would leave me alone if I started attacking them. The problem would be finding them hidden in the shadows of the trees.

My Perception Sphere was incredibly useful for exploring the immediate surroundings, but it didn't give me any advantage in seeing much further ahead. That's when I remembered the caves I had seen earlier while searching for items. In an enclosed space, my sphere would be even more useful, and the total darkness would probably benefit me more than the beasts living there.

Of course, caves weren't the ideal place for someone with a ranged combat style like mine, but I decided to try anyway. Besides, what better place to hide chests than a cave?

Before that, though, I still had daylight to take advantage of, beasts to hunt, and loot to… well, loot.

I spent the next few hours searching for boxes and killing beasts, but quickly realized the problem of finding higher-level creatures. There was still that deer I left for later, but it gave me a distinct sense of danger.

I tried to ignore anything below level 8, but ended up killing a few. Soon, I realized another big problem: humans.

Several groups were still standing, walking through the forest in packs. I avoided them like the plague, but this caused me to miss several hunting opportunities. I had no intention of attacking other humans. I'd already killed a good handful of them, but always in self-defense. Okay, maybe I lured some to attack me, but technically, it was still self-defense.

Anyway, I wasn't going to turn into a full psychopath and start hunting people. So, I kept hiding.

When the moon rose and darkness took over, I realized I had barely killed anything. I didn't find any chests, nor reached any levels.

The only positive thing was that my new cloak turned out to be amazing, especially when combined with my bracers. They were incredibly durable, and even a level 9 badger that tried to bite them couldn't fully pierce them.

My cloak suffered some tears and small holes during the hunt, but they quickly repaired themselves. That was a relief.

Now, I was sitting on a root leaning against a tree, conjuring more arrows. It was too dark to hunt efficiently, and the beasts seemed to be getting idle. I saw a group of deer that appeared to be sleeping.

I decided it was time to explore one of the caves I had seen embedded in a hill earlier. It was too late to hunt more. Or maybe "hill hole" would be a more accurate description, since it didn't seem to be made of rock.

....

1405 Words