Sleeping on a cold, hard floor, even next to a cozy fire, is a terrible idea. That much becomes obvious when I wake. It becomes obvious without even the slightest trace of doubt remaining, as a divine whisper greets me, the moment I come to.


    [*Ding!* You slept terribly! Health reduced by 1! No Mana regenerated!]


    I groan and sit up, while pondering that message. Before I can do much actual thinking though, my stomach decides to let me know that it is not really satisfied with yesterday''s food situation either via an embarrassingly loud rumble. I groan again and shake my head to clear it of the last cobwebs of sleep.


    Even worse, it isn''t even properly morning yet. It still is dark outside. And the fire has, of course, gone out too. At least the coals are still softly glowing.


    I grab some of the finer kindling I have gathered yesterday and, after some trial and error, it catches on fire. A little later the fire is burning again and providing some light as well as warmth, even if that is only a small comfort.


    Although I''m a little loathe to do it I grab my left over bread and eat half of it for breakfast. I empty my water bottle in big, greedy gulps too.


    I''ll either have to find civilization quick or I''ll have to start to forage. It can''t be too hard, right? I''m in a forest. There should be wild berries and mushrooms. I''ll just have to find them. With my [Identify] skill I might even be able to avoid poisoning myself. Or maybe not. I''m really not sure.


    Damn, I might as well get up. Considering the earlier notification, I don''t want to find out what sleeping in under these conditions might result in. Besides, I need to refill my water bottle anyway. Thankfully the ruined tower does come with a well of sorts.


    I take a moment to stretch and light my makeshift torch, or what is left of it anyway. It''ll do for now. This is only a short trip down the stairs after all. After putting one last piece of wood on the fire, to make sure it doesn''t go right back out again, I start my descent, with the torch in one and the water bottle in the other hand.


    I don''t expect any trouble, but I take great care to be as quiet and careful as possible anyway. Briefly my steps falter. Should I draw my sword instead? In the end I decide against it. I doubt anything nasty could have snuck in during the night. And anyway, if I keep my eyes open I should have plenty of early warning should trouble rear its head.


    My efforts pay off before I reach the flooded basement. Not because I actually run into trouble, but because of the series of divine whispers at the back of my mind.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Stealth has leveled up to level 5!]


    [*Ding!* Your skill Spot has leveled up to level 5!]


    Two in a row. Nice! By my estimate I should be close, so very close, to another level up now. I wonder if I''ll be proven wrong or right. I guess I''ll find out soon enough.


    I''m careful, as I continue my descent down the winding stairs. Just because I haven''t run into any more trouble doesn''t mean that there is none. Thankfully everything stays quiet though. Thus I can refill my water bottle without trouble.


    As I''m already here I take a moment to freshen up a little too. I regret the decision almost immediately. Sure I knew that the water is cold. You can''t exactly refill a water bottle without getting your hands wet after all. Yet the cold hits me a lot harder, when I splash two hands full of fresh water into my face.


    Cold! Very cold!


    I gasp for breath as a shudder runs down my spine. Only at the last moment do I manage to brace myself against the curved wall to keep from falling in. Gods and goddesses, I don''t even want to think about how that might feel. It might even be bad enough to give me a heart attack.


    The refreshing experience makes me long for a real bath all the more. Especially as I spent the night in my clothes. A few more nights like that and I''ll really need a good bath. I''ll need to do laundry too.


    I sigh. Those are all bridges I''ll have to cross eventually. For now I''m done down here though. Time to get back upstairs. I don''t have time to waste either. The makeshift torch is burning down quickly after all and I don''t want to climb these stairs in the dark.


    By the time I reach my makeshift camp there isn''t much left of the torch and I deposit it in the fireplace. I take a moment to warm back up too. Damn, but the water really was cold.


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    Eventually I''m ready to start the day, except, it still is dark outside. A quick glance out the partially barricaded doorway tells me that much. I grab the rest of my sparse belongings anyway, since going back to sleep really isn''t an option.


    Should I tear down the barricade in the doorway? No, I don''t really feel like it. In the spur of the moment I decide to leave the same way I got in. Up to the rooftop I go!


    I still move with great care as I ascend the stairs. By the time I reach the rooftop the sky in the east is barely lightening ever so slightly, the stars fading in turn. There is no divine whisper, but I have the feeling that my [Spot] skill is improving a little again, as I take in the nighttime vista like this.


    It is a good thing that I''m up here now. Any later and I might have missed the thin smoke column in the direction of the sunrise. Is it a remote farmhouse? Or a campfire? I have no clue. I''m pretty certain though, that this means that I''ll be able to find people that way.


    An all too familiar, weird tingling sensation drives away any elation I might have felt at the discovery. Instead I''m on edge right away. The hair at the back of my neck stand on end. Someone or something just used an identification skill on me.


    My hand shoots to the hilt of my sword, as I turn right to face the offender. I don''t finish drawing the weapon though, as I notice the source of the skill that has me on edge.


    “Woo? Hoo?”


    It is an owl and not even a particularly big one. A barn owl maybe? Except there aren''t any barns to be found here. It is sitting up in the broken rafters, apparently pretty much without a care. I relax again and take my hand off the sword hilt again.


    “My, you gave me quite a scare. Never mind me though. I''m just about to leave.”


    The nocturnal bird tilts its head, apparently not scared or intimidated by me in the slightest. Maybe it isn''t impressed by the results its version of [Identify] provided? It''s probably a good thing that I''m a tad larger than the average mouse.


    “Shoo. Hoo.”


    My left eyebrow twitches. I don''t exactly understand owl, but that suspiciously sounded like it wants me to get lost. Ha! I really shouldn''t be surprised. I''m probably scaring off its actual prey.


    “Shoo. Shoo.”


    The owl speaks up once more, as I begin to edge my way out onto the branch to the tree I climbed to get up here yesterday. Silly owl. I need to focus on the climb first and foremost though.


    It is a good thing that I''m pretty used to the whispered notifications by now, because before I can even reach the trunk of the tree, while still balancing across the thick branch, I receive one.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Balance has leveled up to level 3!]


    And this one, just as expected, is quickly followed by another and the clatter of dice too.


    [*Ding!* Your class Scoundrel leveled up to level 8!]


    [*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 5!]


    This level up isn''t entirely like the others before. Like before I can feel the mental fatigue fade, as my Mana reserves refill. There is something more this time around though. My health seems to recover too. What little bruises and scratches I have from yesterday fade too. Even my aching back gets better. It is a marvelous feeling.


    This recovery effect is something well worth keeping in mind for the future.


    I would cheer, except now really isn''t the right moment. Instead I just grin like the fox that found its way into the chicken coop. That dice roll turned out pretty good for a change too. Very nice!


    I finish my balancing act and hug the tree close for a second, before I begin to climb down. There is no notification this time around, but I feel like I got a little better at [Climbing] anyway. Climbing down the tree most certainly isn''t giving me the same trouble it did yesterday. It almost doesn''t matter by now that I can''t properly see all the handholds below me.


    Once I have solid ground under my feet once more I take a moment to stretch. Then I walk along the top of the cliff, into which the tower is partially built, until I can make out the thin smoke column again, which I spotted earlier. It is already getting harder to spot. I do my best to get the right direction anyway.


    I go as far, as to plan the path I''ll take to the best of my abilities. Of course I can''t really account for every eventuality. I can only see so much from up here after all. There will probably be plenty of obstacles, which now are still hidden under the forest''s dense foliage.


    There is no notification this time around, but I''m pretty sure that planning ahead like that will boost my [Survival] skill ever so slightly.


    I don''t set out right away though. First I wait a little while longer for the sun to properly peak out from behind the horizon.


    Climbing down that one tree in the twilight of early morning was one thing. Climbing down the cliff would be another entirely. It would be a risk I don''t want to take, as I don''t really have to.


    After a while the sun is high enough though and with my mind made up and the next target of my journey chosen I get going.


    First I climb down the cliff face. I don''t do so in the same spot where I climbed up yesterday though. No, I pick a route that is just a little more challenging today. Sadly the effort doesn''t seem to be worth another full skill increase. I still feel like I made some progress anyway.


    I dust off my hands, orient myself, to the best of my abilities, and resume my trek downhill through the woods. I move with much greater care this time around. Not only to avoid being noticed, but to notice possible threats sooner too.


    That isn''t all either. I keep on the lookout for any plants that seem edible as well. I don''t dare to get my hopes up, but who knows, maybe I''ll get lucky.


    I don''t even bother to luck for edible roots, something like wild carrots or the likes. Since the edible part usually grows below the earth I would, in all likelihood never even notice those.


    Instead I keep an eye open for mushrooms and wild fruit of any kind. Those are easier to find anyway, as they usually want to be found. It is how these plants spread, or at least that is what my sparse knowledge in that regard suggests.


    And once I spot something, [Identify] will hopefully keep me from killing myself. Oh, and I can even work a little on the next level of that achievement while I''m at it!