There was a hum in the air again, and another blue circle had appeared on the arena floor. Only one this time, but bigger than the last two. It was already glowing, the air above it quivering as something started to take form.

  Nate barely noticed. The pain in his leg was gone, no longer a distraction. But his eyes were wide with confusion as he tried to process what he was seeing.

  A split second after that last notification, his vision had filled with text. It was everywhere, a mirage of colors, letters, and numbers, some of them scrolling, others spiraling. It was an overwhelming wash of information, far more than he could absorb or make sense of. It was like standing in the middle of a crowd of shouting people while trying to pick out what any one of them was saying. It was too much. He needed it to stop.

  Even as he thought that, there was an odd, almost tactile click in Nate’s consciousness. The text vanished, leaving the world as it had been before. What was happening?

  The System Sight will adapt intuitively based on your needs, Trini said in his mind. Her voice was different, more solid than before. There is no time to dive deeply right now. But I will guide you in the basics. A new challenger emerges. Focus your intent on it and seek answers.

  Nate had no idea what that meant, but Trini was right about one thing. A new monster was materializing, almost fully formed now, from the swirl of congealed air. The blue circle vanished, and Nate faced his next fight. His first impression was of feathers and long legs. He focused. And was shocked by the results.

  The text didn’t stop there, though Nate’s eyes began to glaze over at the sheer volume of information. There was a section detailing the variations of this type of monster, with reference to the worlds the templates were drawn from, a section of the evolution paths the monster could take at higher levels, and on and on. There was even a section on the mating habits of these creatures in the wild, something Nate definitely didn’t feel the need to know.

  What the fuck was he seeing?

  Nate was snapped out of his reverie by a rush of movement. He cursed and lunged sideway, barely in time to dodge a thrusting beak that glittered with razor sharp teeth. Nate shuddered. Birds should not have teeth.

  Nate rolled as he hit the ground. As he came up, he was already throwing. He launched a glass orb at the bird’s head with all his strength.

  The bird’s neck, long and covered in grey scales, ducked aside like a viper. Nate’s orb sailed harmlessly by. Nate was momentarily stunned. It was the first time one of his throws had missed.

  As he watched the bird bob around, he was distracted as more text appeared.

  Nate had no idea what any of that meant, and he didn’t have time to think about it. While he hesitated, the bird struck out again gnashing teeth snapping for his throat. Nate danced back, feeling the rush of air as the beak snapped shut inches from him. He jerked his dagger free, lashing out and awkwardly, trying to catch the monster before it could recover from its lunge. It dodged away again effortlessly, but he did succeed in forcing it back a step. He didn’t hesitate. He turned and ran, making for a row of pillars off to his right.

  The crowd booed at Nate’s flight, but he paid them no heed. He could hear the heavy beat of the monstrous bird’s feet as it gave chase, but he didn’t waste time looking back. He dashed at speeds that would have been impossible back on earth, kicking up a cloud of sand in his wake. There was an iron ring sticking out from the side of one of the pillars, and Nate made for it. As he ran, a box popped up displaying text and numbers, apparently information about the ring itself, but with a thought Nate made the notification vanish. He didn’t need the distraction.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  He leapt, arms outstretched, and caught the ring. He used his momentum to swing himself upward, feeling his weight twist, then let go, launching himself high into the air. He landed on the narrow, flat top of the stone pillar, only just managing not to overbalance and go tumbling off the side by windmilling his arms around. There was an appreciative murmur from the onlookers at his acrobatics display.

  Nate looked down and saw that he had made him move none to soon. The bird was skidding to a halt just below, having almost caught him before he leapt at that ring. He remembered the text about its passive skill, and he made a mental note not to try to outrun the thing in a straight line again. Hopefully it wouldn’t be necessary now. He was a good three feet above the bird’s head, and it didn’t seem to have any ranged attacks.

  Nate dug into his pouch, pulling several acid-filled orbs. He didn’t have an unlimited supply of the things, but it was the only tool he had to strike from distance. He hurled two of them in quick succession, aiming for the bird’s body this time, hoping that would make it harder to dodge.

  The ostrich danced gracefully to the side. Both orbs cracked against the ground, their contents sizzling in the sand. Nate cursed.

  The bird lunged forward, ramming the pillar he stood on with its chest. A tremor ran through the stone, and Nate lurched, almost losing his feet again. He looked around, then steeled himself before jumping with all his might. He landed on another pillar, a few feet away, one-footed, using his momentum to launch himself again at the next. There were a half dozen of the things lined up in a neat row of ascending height, like a bizarre set of stairs. He jumped across them, whipping out his arm again as he did and hurling another acid orb. The bird paced him below, and this time he almost hit it. It dodged aside at the last moment, and some of the splash must have caught the things leg, because he heard it hiss in pain.

  Nate knew he was no expert fighter, but he was only just realizing how poorly suited he was for this kind of combat. His armor was light, his only real weapon was a dagger, and he doubted his acid had the punch to really disable anything stronger than an angry porcupine. Even as he dashed, he cast around for something, anything, that could give him an edge. Each leap took him higher, but each pillar ended in a narrow top, giving him less room to balance. Three more jumps and he would have nowhere left to go. He needed a way to do more damage.

  You just leveled. You have skill points.

  Trini’s voice sounded, with that new substantial quality that made it seem like she was sitting right next to him, whispering in his ear. His heart sored at the words, but quickly fell again. Another leap. He didn’t have time to sort through the endless list of skills and find a good one.

  Take dagger dart. It will take all your skill points, and it requires mana. But it is strong.

  Nate didn’t have time to question the advice. Splitting his concentration, he focused on pulling up the skill list. A scrolling table of skills swam past his vision. Nate focused his mind, thinking about the skill he wanted, and the list stopped scrolling. The option appeared, and he quickly selected it.

  There was a faint flush of warmth. When it passed, the knowledge of how to use the skill was there, like something Nate had always known. He grinned grimly.

  The stone below his foot rocked even as he leapt. The ostrich had struck the pillar again, and if Nate had been even a moment later with his jump, it might have knocked him off balance. The stone he landed on was only twice as wide as his foot, and there was only one left. He was at least a dozen feet off the ground now. No space to stop and catch his bearings. He touched down for only a moment before launching himself for the final pillar, twisting as he did.

  He threw another of his dwindling supply of acid orbs, deliberately aiming a bit wide. The bird, still pursuing him, dodged to the side easily, almost contemptuously. Directly into the path of a dark, streaking blur.

  Launching a dagger dart had only taken a thought and a twist of concentration. There was a feeling, like a flare in Nate’s chest, as he tapped into his mana pool for the first time. Then a dark grey blade was streaking through the night like an arrow, far faster than he could have thrown it. He had cast it at the same moment he threw the orb, aiming for the spot the bird would have to dodge to.

  His magical blade struck the ostrich full in the chest. It evaporated in a puff of dark smoke, but not before taking its toll. The beast stumbled back as blood spurted from its new wound. It made an odd screeching noise, somewhere between pain and rage. But the hit had stopped its momentum, leaving it vulnerable.

  Even as Nate’s foot struck the last pillar, he made the most of the moment. He launched two more dagger darts, and hurled an acid orb in their wake for good measure. Then he was flying through the air. Of, more accurately, he was falling. There was nowhere left to run.

  Both blades struck true, and the monster threw back its head in pain and terror as more dark blood ran from its body. A split second later, the acid orb took it full in its narrow face. There was a sharp crack of breaking glass, and then the bird was writhing on the ground, blood and feathers darkening the sand all around it.

  Nate only had a few heartbeats to revel in his victory. Then he struck the ground. Hard. He teeth snapped shut with the impact, nearly catching his tongue, and his body crumpled to the ground as pain tore through him. He tumbled across the sand a few feet before coming to a jarring halt.

  For a moment, he was too stunned to move. Too stunned to think. Everything hurt. But the sound of the bird squealing in pain nearby forced him to his knees, then his feet. He couldn’t afford to give it time to recover.

  Nate stumbled over to where the bird lay in the sand. It was rubbing its face on the ground, trying to clear away the acid, and blood welled from its chest. It didn’t even notice Nate’s approach. With a ragged breath, he drew his dagger and plunged it into the bird’s side. Once. Twice. On the third thrust, the beast shuddered. Then it went still. Immediately it began to shift, the body turning to a faintly glowing vapor.

  Nate stood, breathing hard, and flinched at the pain in his legs. He was afraid he might have broken something. He’d been hoping for another level to heal him from this kill, but no such luck. He wondered how close he was to Level 4.

  In answer to his thoughts, a notification appeared.

  “Trini, what the hell is going on with all these notifications?” he whispered.

  Focus on the fight. There will be time to explain later.

  And she was right. With a groan, Nate saw that another blue circle had already materialized on the arena floor. It was larger than the last, and the air was already shimmering as the next combatant was summoned.