A dribble of spit hung from Drake's mouth until he slowly wiped it away, exhaustion clear in his eyes as he recovered from the nausea eventually standing upright. He rolled the crystalline stone between his fingers, feeling the smoothness.

 Why had this appeared after he killed the Ape? Was it a drop? Why did it happen only this time and not the other? Does that mean it’s a random drop? And what are these Trees the description mentioned, there was one as a reward for the kill quest as well. Drake’s mind bounced question after question inside his head, exacerbated and reminding him that he just didn’t know enough.

 Speaking of the quest, Drake looked to his peripheral to see a new notifications blinking. Mentally, he opened up the notifications one at a time.

 [You have subjugated Vampiric Ape Level 1] [Experience Earned, 10 Tutorial Points rewarded.]

 [Congratulations! You have increased to Mage Level 2] [14 Free Stats have been awarded]

 [1 of 20 Vampiric Apes Subjugated]

 Drake cleared the notifications, feeling a little more melancholy than he should have about the increase in level. His mouth still tasting of bile from earlier and he was starting to feel hungry.

 It was still bright out but Drake didn’t have anything on him to tell the time with, he hadn’t had his phone or watch on him when he was swept away so the only thing he could use to guess the time with was the sun in the sky.

 Looking up the sun was bright and high in the sky, shooting down warm rays through the trees. If Drake had to guess he would say it was probably a little after noon, with the sun being directly above him.

 Remembering one of his online friends pestering him to watch an anime about camping, he slightly smiled and relaxed a bit, thankful for it. Knowing just from the show that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. So he was pretty confident in his time assessment. 

 Digressing, Drake held the crystalline stone up in the air, wondering where he should put it. It was a couple of sizes bigger than the die he was given in the introduction that he was keeping in his pocket, but after the struggle he just had with the Ape he was worried that he may lose both of the items sooner than later.

 There’s probably an inventory system, right? I mean they didn’t hand me a bag for it, so. Bag? Inventory? He thought as a new window popped up in front of him.

 The new window displayed a blank humanoid silhouette on the left, a staff in one of the boxes covering a hand, the other darkened out. There were other slots covering the silhouette’s parts. There was one for the head, shoulders, chest, legs, wrists, feet, and even extra slots for what he had to guess were accessories. Two for his ears and two for his fingers and finally one for a necklace.

 Drake placed his hand to his mouth to think but then quickly shook it away. Somehow forgetting that there was still blood on it. He shook his head wearily and looked over the rest of the window.

 There were boxes to the right of the silhouette. Counting he saw that it was a 10 by 5 space, underneath that space there were 4 separate boxes that he wasn’t sure what they were for.

 Ok inventory found, but how do I use it? I’m guessing it just works like this..? Drake thought, mentally thinking of putting the stone and die into the slots.

 Amazement covered Drake's face as both the die and the crystalline stone vanished from his pocket and hand, suddenly occupying their own respective slots in the window. He was also pleasantly surprised that he could identify the items while in his inventory, making it so he wouldn’t have to take out items in the future to do so if he was in a hurry.

 Drake began to hear rustling in the trees as he closed his inventory. His hands gripping his staff once again. He looked to the treetops seeing movement but no Apes yet. He again was surprised, this time by the strength in which he gripped the staff.

 He had just finished the fight with that Vampiric Ape not long ago but Drake felt fine and ready to go physically. Was this a side effect of leveling up and his stats increasing? He would have to worry about it later, as he was sure he didn’t have time to look at them right now, even with his free points sadly still needing to be distributed.

 Drake pushed his back against another nearby tree, cursing that he hadn't moved further away from the fight. He was slowly realizing this wasn’t a game but after going through his notifications it had slipped his mind again. The scent of blood was surely the reason he had been found by more beasts so soon.

 His eyes darted around the branches of the trees looking for the Ape or Apes that may be there. He could hear the rustling getting closer in multiple directions.

 Damn it, so it is more than one this time. He cursed.

 He again desperately wished that he had worked out how to use his magic before he darted off into the forest. He was a damned mage that had gotten his first kill by brutally beating the shit out of an ape with his staff. 

 Trying to think quickly about the Basic Mana Bolt Skill as the rustling drew closer and closer, but he was simply just drawing blanks.

 In the next moment Drake heard a rustle of leaves aboe him, an Ape lunging down at him from one of the tree branches above. Drake hurled himself out of the way falling into a roll, desperately avoiding the Ape. 

 Drake got to his feet quickly but unfortunately, the second Vampiric Ape dropped from above onto his back. Drake yelped in surprise only for the Ape to seemingly snicker as if it had caught a small animal in its grips. The next second the Ape sunk its two large fangs into Drake's shoulder.

 "Fuck! You little bastard! Get off of me!" Drake howled in pain, trying to swing the staff in his hands at the Ape. The angle of his swings were awkward and he couldn't build up the strength to do any damage as he flailed around wildly.

 The Ape responded by sinking its teeth again into his shoulder, more blood spurting all around in a steady stream. The blood starting to drip from the mouth of the Ape. As Drake howled in pain.

 Drake was in serious danger now, he looked up to the top left of his vision seeing the green bar turn yellow as it looked to drop to a little above 50%.

 Fuck! Am I going to die here because I can’t use this stupid fucking spell?! Maybe I should have just gone with that Chris guy! Drake shouted internally, his mind racing as he began regretting, but the Ape on his back wasn’t the worst of it. The Ape from earlier wasn’t sitting idly as it started charging toward Drake. The personification of a hungry man rushing to his dinner, its mouth nearly opened vertically. Its two large fangs were ready to invite themselves into Drake's throat.

 "No! No! No! I refuse to die here damn it!" he shouted desperately, propping his staff up as a makeshift spear to stop the charging animal.

 The Vampiric Ape had built up so much momentum that it couldn't stop itself and charged its open mouth right into the front end of the staff.

 "Serves you right, you stupid little bastard!" shouted Drake in joy of his small victory over one of the Apes but it hadn't killed the Ape, as it began chomping down and grabbing at the staff, trying to rip it from Drake’s grasp.

 "You’ve got to be kidding me!" yelled Drake despairingly.

 The Ape on his back bit down again into his shoulder reminding him that it was still there. Bellowing in pain, his health dropped down yet again, this time he saw it turn red and looked like it was just above 10%.

 "Come on! Please just work, anything. I’m begging! It shouldn’t be that complicated! It’s just a basic spell! Why didn’t that bitch tell me how it worked!?" screamed Drake, as he continued to ramble in quick succession.

 "Anything, please! Mana Bolt! Basic Mana Bolt! Come my power, Mana Bolt!" Drake continued, even resorting to more chuunibyou anime-like chants, just hoping to strike gold.

 "Manifest my power, Mana Bolt!" he finally rattled off, but this time he could feel something release from his whole body as if energy had just been taken right out of him. The staff that was still being bitten into by the Ape suddenly glowed in a light blue radiance, something that Drake could only call a Magic circle rotated around the end of the staff, encompassing the head of the Ape that had bitten into it.

 The next second a loud bang emanated from the end of the staff blowing a huge hole through the back of the Vampiric Ape’s head. It hung limp at the end of the staff, its mouth still around the tip.

 Drake’s mouth opened wide in surprise, he had actually talked so fast that he had luckily found the right combination of words in time. And he wasn’t the only one. Drake felt the Ape’s grip on his shoulder loosened. Apparently, its mouth fell agape at what had just been done to its comrade.

 Drake’s health was still dangerously in the red and wouldn't let the Ape releasing him go without punishment as he grabbed over his back, throwing the monster to the ground with a grunt.

 Pointing the end of his staff at the face of the surprised Ape, it frighteningly looked to its side at its limp companion. It looked back at Drake, waving its hands in front of it as if to beg for its life.

 "Ooo Ooo Ee ahh Ooo, Monkey Man! Manifest my power, MANA BOLT!" Drake shouted as he smiled, only for his face to grimace from the pain in his shoulder. The light and magic circle formed again around the staff’s tip, temporarily illuminating the Vampiric Ape’s confused bat-like face. Then a second later, shooting the Mana Bolt right between the eyes of the Ape, killing it instantly.

 Drake fell on his ass and chuckled, blowing the end of his staff like a smoking gun.

 He wasn’t out of the woods yet though, looking at his health it was still dangerously low. And he was still bleeding from his shoulder as he touched his hand to the bite.

 This was a pretty shitty situation. He thought.

 He needed to get away from this fight before more monsters showed up. Doing his best to use the short staff as a crutch he managed to get up to his feet.

 After which he was forced to slump over like an old man as his staff was barely half his size. But there was nothing he could do about it.

 He looked down at the two Apes in front of him waiting momentarily. Two motes of light eventually came into existence and winked out just as fast, leaving two small crystalline stones.

 Drake smiled as he scooped up the stones and placed them into his inventory.

  It was always nice to get loot after a fight. Drake thought, grinning widely.