Chapter 2 - Heaven Offered Me a Choice
The first wolf lunged.
I threw myself sideways and hit the dirt hard enough to lose my breath.
A second wolf snapped at my ankle.
I grabbed a broken branch and swung.
It snapped too.
Great weapon.
The system opened another window.
[SKILL: DEFIANT BREATH]
[Cost: 1 Defiance Point]
[Effect: Draw qi through damaged meridians for 30 seconds.]
[Warning: Pain will be severe.]
Thirty seconds of qi was more than I had ever possessed.
I bought it.
Fire ran through my chest.
I screamed.
Then the world changed.
I could feel the air.
Not wind. Qi.
Thin threads of silver drifting through trees, rocks, even the wolves.
I inhaled.
My cracked meridians tore wider.
Power flooded my arms.
The nearest wolf jumped.
I punched it.
Its skull hit a tree.
I stared at my fist.
[Wolf defeated.]
[First kill achieved.]
[Body Tempering progress: 7%]
The other six wolves stopped.
So did I.
Thirty seconds.
Twenty-two now.
They charged together.
I ran toward them.
When the skill ended, I was bleeding from my nose, one wolf was dead, two were limping, and the rest had decided I was not dinner.
They fled.
I fell to my knees.
A reward window appeared.
[FATE EVENT DEFIED]
[Reward: 10 Defiance Points]
[Bonus: Map fragment unlocked.]
A red line appeared across my vision, leading away from the safe road.
Straight toward the Bone Pit.
Then the system added one sentence.
May you like
[Your next opportunity expires in 19 minutes.]
