Chapter 18: Village Below the Mist VI
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John remained seated beneath the tree for hours, watching the forge lights glow brighter with the setting sun. The villagers sent a small bundle of food with one of the older children. Dried meat. Bread. A flask of boiled tea. He accepted it with a nod.
As night settled, he walked the boundary of his land, tracing the invisible line with one hand.
He had taken his first step. Not just toward survival. But toward control. And in the distance, in a forest he did not yet know held danger, someone else was already planning how to test it.
John met some villagers who were going back home after working on the fields and he talked with them for a while.
After the villagers left and the area fell quiet, John lingered near the boundary steps, watching mist uncurl through the valley like a waking breath. His body was still, his mind far from still. He had just turned toward the home again when the familiar sound of the System returned, uninvited and unmissable.
[System Notification- Congratulations. You have managed to awaken the system one year earlier than optimal synchronization and programming. As a reward, the System will now present you with one of two potential companions.
Choose wisely. This decision is irreversible.]
John’s brow lifted slightly. "A companion." He had been alone for too long to dismiss the idea. "The system wants to give me a gift."
[Option One: Beast Class Companion
Name: Unknown
Type: Wild Mount