Emerging from the darkness of the night, Evander returo the familiar solitude of his dome, the cool air and warm glow of the interior washing over him like a wele home embrace. His heart rate was still fluttering in his chest from the night's events, the thrill of it all etg a ghost of a smile onto his face.

  A familiar hum filled the air as he activated the built-in shower. Warm water rained down on his weary frame, casg over taut muscles and washing away the grime and dried blood, remnants of his enter with the creature.

  His body ached in protest with each move he made, an indication of the physical exertion he had pushed himself through. But rather than feelied, a sense of satisfa led in his chest. It was worth it, he thought, looking at the faintly glowing magical stoing nearby. He was no longer unarmed, and he had discovered a way to earn his keep in this new world.

  After the mueeded shower, he padded his way bato the main room, toweling his hair dry. The digital clock dispyed the te hour, and he could feel the pull of sleep tugging at his eyelids. The rge bed in the er of the room beed invitingly. He had a few hours of reprieve before the bustle of the new day would demand his attention.

  Settling down onto the plush mattress, he exhaled deeply, a final release of tension from the night's adrenaline-charged events. Above him, the ceiling s dispyed the inky night sky, a digital vas of twinkling stars and swirling gaxies that added to the tranquility of the dome.

  It was then that he remembered the peculiar sensation from earlier - the ohat felt like a door had been unlocked in his mind. With a furrowed brow, he closed his eyes, turning his attention inward. He searched for the sensation, like feeling in the dark for a light switch.

  His mind buzzed with the day's events, but he silehe noise, fog on the sense of opening that lingered in the back of his sciousness. It was as elusive as smoke, slipping through his mental grasp every time he thought he had it.

  With a renewed spark of determination, Evander pushed himself deeper into the uncharted territory of his mind. He plunged headlong into the hidden recesses, a tidal wave of focused i sweeping him forward. Then, like a burst of light slig through the veil of darkness, he found himself standing in a vast, sterile room, bathed in a soft, ethereal white glow.

  In the very heart of the space, a holographic image of himself hovered, rotating slowly. Around it, data points floated iill air, each pointing toward a different part of his digital body. The numbers were hauntingly low, all less than one, save for intelligence.

  'Strength 0.8. Dexterity 0.6. Stamina 0.4. Intelligence 1.2.'

  Evaook a moment to prehend what he was seeing. Each statistic, he realized, was an attribute, a measure of his capability in this new world.

  'Strength' stood for raw physical power, a measure of his ability to move heavy objects, swing a on, or hold his own in bat. The '0.8' o it indicated that he was slightly below the average human norm. His physical strength was just under par, it seemed.

  'Dexterity', oher hand, denoted agility, precision, and coordination. The figure of '0.6' implied that his nimbleness was a tad more wanting than his strength.

  'Stamina' indicated endurance, his body's capacity to exert itself and recover. With a '0.4' beside it, it was the attribute he was the most g in, making him realize how quickly he had been worn out by his earlier escapade.

  And then there was 'Intelligehe oribute he seemed to exceed the norm in. A measure of itive abilities, problem-solving, memory, and learning. The '1.2' beside it stood out among the rest, implying that his intelligence was slightly above average.

  Gazing at the holographic depi of his body, Evander sighed. His current physical state was a refle of a lifestyle left behind, one devoid ur exercise and filled with the venienodern living. A lot of work ahead, indeed, he thought ruefully.

  Yet, he found so the fact that he had started to improve. His nightly adventure and daily exertions were already having an effect, as small as it was.

  As Evander cluded his assessment of his virtual avatar, the room around him seemed to respond to his silent readiness, intuitively sensing his progression through this unexplored realm of his mind.

  From the vat whiteness of the floor, a sculpture took form, materializing like a phantasm. The figure was familiar to him, a small replica of the wyvern-vulture hybrid he had felled earlier that night. Every detail of the creature was meticulously recreated iatuette, from the reptilian scales on its wings to the gnarled beak on its grotesque face.

  Then, in a blink, the formless room ged once again. The figurine of the beast dissolved, its intricacies evaporating into a bright shaft of light that floated in mid-air, akin to ahereal, lumi bar. A wave of text cascaded into view, h above the luminous pilr, words f from thin air, as if painted by an unseen hand.

  The words made it clear: the luminesce held the potential to augment his statistics, to initiate a skill tree of enhas, a blueprint of growth. A tangible reward for his first kill, a way to vert his victories into personal development.

  This...this ges everything. The realization dawned upon him, the ers of his mouth curling into aruck smile.

  Driven by curiosity and an inkling of excitement, Evander reached out to the bar of light. His fingers never made tact, yet the room respoo his iion. He directed a fra of the light towards his 'Strength' statistic.

  The room hummed in response, and the 'Strength' bar pulsed, abs the lumi energy. As the light dispersed, he saw the numeric value beside the word 'Strength' flicker, and then ge. It increased by a small, yet signifit margin, moving from '0.8' to '0.9.'

  A surge of etion coursed through him. The thrill of his victory resurfaced, now magnified by the tangible gain it represented. Not only could he survive in this world, but he could also grot, and enhance himself with each quered foe.

  For the first time in this ence, Evander didn't just feel like a man flung into an unfamiliar world. He felt like a pyer in an exhirating game.

  In the vast sea of his mind, Evander found himself pting the universe of skills he could potentially harness. No sooner had the thought emerged than the oy white room before him blossomed into an array of thousands of is, each signifying a different skill. Like a virtual steltion, they shone against the backdrop of the room, waiting to be explored.

  Each i held an allure of its own, shimmering with possibility and potential. It was a staggering sight, a universe of capabilities open for exploration. Like a child in a dy store, Evander was brimming with anticipatiohe daunting array also held a of intimidation. Where do I even begin?

  Driven by a mixture of curiosity and y, he reached out to a handful of the many skill is that floated in the space before him. As his virtual hand passed over each symbol, they responded, unfurling into intricate trees of advahat spread out in casg branches, eerily simir to the skill progression interfaces of the fantasy games he used to py in his old world.

  One symbol caught his eye - a solid, ched fist that suggested strength. As he selected it, the symbol morphed into a plex tree. The 'Strength' skill tree branched out into numerous paths, each leading to further abilities. 'Raw Power' promised an increase in his physical prowess, the ability to lift heavier objects, or strike with greater force. 'Fortitude' seemed to enhance his resilience, allowing him to endure more physical punishment. 'Brutal Efficy' caught his attention with the promise of perfeg the use of brute strength, enabling him to use his power in the most effective and effit manner.

  Another symbol, a blurred silhouette implying speed, unfolded into a simir web of options. 'Quick Reflexes' promised an increase iion times, 'Sprinter's Spirit' suggested faster sprinting speed, while 'Agility' held the potential for more nimble and fluid movements. 'Lightning Strikes', a skill further dowh, promised faster attack speed.

  Awe ed him as he browsed through the possibilities, each more tantalizing tha. It was as if he had been granted access to a wellspring of power, each droplet promising to mold him into something more, something beyond his human self.

  This... this is incredible.

  Time passed in an unknowable flux withiark white room. For what felt like ay but might have been mere minutes or hours, Evander delved deep into the vast steltions of skill trees before him. The seemingly infiions danced in his mind, their potential twinkling like stars in the endless night sky. Each tree bore its own tantalizing fruit of power, a promise of being something more, something greater.

  Yet, as he navigated through the swirling nebu of skills, a realization began to dawn on him, a flicker of uanding in the vast darkness. All of these skills are incredible, but they all seem to enhance or depend upon my basic attributes.

  Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Intelligehese were the foundations on which all else was built, the bedrock upon which the t structure of his abilities would stand. As fasating as the myriad of advanced skills were, Evander uood that they would be meaningless without a solid foundation.

  With a certain decisiveness, he navigated back to the stat s. The holographic dispy shimmered, the figures fshing as if anticipating his touch. Each stat was like a pilr, each crucial to his survival and growth in this world. He had already itted himself tthening these fual pilrs, and it was time to a that itment.

  His gaze fell onto his Strength stat. A lean but solid 0.8 gred back at him. Could be better. Evahought, remembering the siderable effort it took t down the wyvern-vulture creature. He recalled the strain of his muscles, the way his body screamed in protest as he tried to pee the creature's thick hide with his improvised dagger. If he was to survive in this world, he o be stronger. siderably stronger.

  With newfound resolve, he fuhe experience points he'd obtained from his first kill into his Strength stat. The figure quivered, then increased to a sturdy 0.9. A surge of energy pulsed through his mental proje, a feeling of subtle, yet undeniable empowerment.

  Strength 0.9 Dexterity 0.6 Stamina 0.4 Intelligence 1.2

  He surveyed the updated stats with satisfa, a small smile pying on his lips. He was still far from being a formidable for this world, but it was a start. The beginning of his evolution. As he finally pulled himself away from the interfad the white room of his mind dissolved into the f darkness of his dome, he felt more prepared.