The wood-shed was exactly as advertised: a low, dank lean-to against the palisade wall, smelling of rot, moss, and old sap. A pile of roughly cut logs took up one side. On the other, a thin pallet of musty straw had been thrown down. There was no door, just an open arch facing the yard, offering no privacy and ensuring every sound he made would carry.
Ali sat on the straw, the rough material prickling through his pants. The bowl of gruel sat heavy and warm in his stomach, a stark contrast to the deep, pervasive chill of the shed and the sharper chill of his situation. Torchlight from a bracket on the longhouse flickered across the yard, painting moving shadows. He could see Bryn taking up a watch position on a small platform near the gate, his silhouette sharp against the starry sky. He wasn't just watching the forest; he was watching the shed.
Alright, Ali thought, the exhaustion in his mind giving way to a focused, desperate need to understand. I'm inside. Now I need to know what 'inside' really means.
"System," he whispered, the sound lost in the night. "Full analysis. This place. The people. Kaelen, Elara, Bryn. What can you tell me? Can you see their… capabilities? Their skills? Give me everything you can parse without them noticing."
The interface glowed softly in his vision, a private ledger in the public dark.
[Command Acknowledged: Environmental & Biometric Analysis of 'Blackridge Steading.']
[Scanning: Passive visual/auditory data only. No active probing possible. No metaphysical sensors available.]
[Analysis is extrapolative, based on physiological markers, movement patterns, tool wear, and environmental adaptation.]
A. Location Analysis - Blackridge Steading:
Construction: Palisade is 3.5 meters high, logs aged 5-7 years, sharpened tops show recent re-trimming (within last month). Defensive priority: medium-high. No machicolations, no dedicated watchtowers (only simple platforms). Layout is purely functional, not militarily optimal.
Resources: Longhouse chimney shows efficient draw (skilled masonry). Tool handles in yard show specific wear patterns: repetitive chopping, digging, skinning. No anvil sounds detected, suggesting limited metal-working. Soil in small vegetable plot is poor, heavily mulched—subsistence-level agriculture.
Threat Posture: Gate bar is substantial. Night watch is posted immediately at dusk. Animal pens inside walls are empty; animals likely secured in a sheltered barn (attached to longhouse). Conclusion: This is a community under constant, managed threat. Their existence is a continuous act of sustained defense and marginal production.
B. Personnel Analysis (Visual Assessment Only):
1. Kaelen (Male, approx. mid-40s):
Physique: Dense, powerful build. Muscle development indicates lifelong heavy labor (lifting, chopping) combined with combat training (balanced shoulders, stable core). Right arm dominant, but left shows significant development (shield-bearing?).
Movement: Economical. No wasted motion. When he stood, he was balanced instantly. His grip on the axe was relaxed but positioned for a swift transition to strike or block.
Skill Inferences (Probable):
[Axemanship - High Tier?] Tool/weapon is an extension of his body. Wear on haft indicates thousands of hours of use in both woodcutting and combat stances.
[Frontier Survival - Advanced Tier.] His assessment of Ali's state was instantaneous and accurate. He understands this environment on a visceral level.
[Leadership - Basic/Advanced.] Command is unquestioned. Decisions are made with pragmatic, group-survival logic.
Threat Assessment: Extreme. In close quarters, your probability of survival measured in seconds. Do not provoke.
2. Elara (Female, approx. late 30s):
Physique: Lean, wiry strength. Hands are scarred and calloused from fire, blade, and textile work. Posture is perpetually braced for labor.
Movement: Quick, precise. Her delivery of the bowl and water was efficient, her retreat faster. She is always observing, calculating resource use.
Skill Inferences (Probable):
[Provisioning - Advanced Tier.] Manages food, water, and medical (basic) resources for the steading under scarcity.
[Perception - High Tier.] Notices details (berry stains, fabric quality, body language). Likely primary internal security.
Threat Assessment: High. Not a frontline combatant, but strategically dangerous. Controls resources and holds significant social sway. An enemy here.
3. Bryn (Male, approx. early 20s):
Physique: Agile, endurance-based build. Less brute power than Kaelen, more stamina. Eyes constantly scanning.
Movement: Restless energy contained. On watch, he is still but not static—his head moves in slow, regular arcs.
Skill Inferences (Probable):
[Scouting/Tracking - Basic/High Tier.] Likely responsible for perimeter checks, hunting forays.
[Spear/Scythe Proficiency - Basic Tier.] Weapon care is evident, but wear pattern suggests more use as tool than dedicated weapon.
Threat Assessment: Moderate-High. Less experienced than Kaelen, but younger, faster, and vigilant. Would raise alarm long before engaging directly.
C. Answer to User Query: Skill Level Comparison & Progression.
You asked about the gain per level, comparing your [Hiking] to a professional from your world or this one.
The System's Function is Optimization, Not Implantation.
I do not add arbitrary "points." I observe your body and mind in action, identify inefficiencies (wasted kinetic energy, poor respiratory rhythm, suboptimal neural pathways for a task), and provide micro-corrections. You consciously feel this as a "nudge" toward a better form.
Your [Hiking (Level 2, Tier 0 / Rank F- | Lesser)]:
What Level 2 Means: You have reduced your caloric expenditure per kilometer by approximately 8% compared to your initial, panicked stumbling. Your stability on uneven terrain has improved by ~12%. Your conscious mind no longer needs to focus on "where to place foot next" on clear paths—it is becoming autonomic.
Compared to an Earth Professional: A world-class thru-hiker operates at what I would classify as [Hiking (Level 25+, Tier 3 / Rank B | Advanced)]. Their energy efficiency is >300% better than your current state. Their muscle adaptation, joint resilience, and mental fortitude for the task are of a different ontological grade. Your Level 2 is the first step on a very long road. You are a toddler taking steady steps compared to an Olympic marathoner.
Compared to a Blackridge Inhabitant: Kaelen or Bryn likely possess a skill akin to [Woods-Running (Level 15+, Tier 2 / Rank C | High)]. It is a specialized variant of Hiking that includes stealth, threat awareness, and navigation. Their efficiency in this specific environment is likely >200% better than yours. They move without thinking, reading the forest floor like you once read a game minimap.
Progression Curve: Early levels (1-5) show rapid relative improvement as I correct glaring flaws. Progress slows dramatically thereafter, requiring dedicated, repetitive practice to squeeze out fractional percentage gains. "Leveling up" is not becoming suddenly stronger; it is the quantification of you becoming incrementally less incompetent.
In Essence: You are not gaining "power." You are slowly sanding down the rough, wasteful edges of your being. A native of this world, raised in its hardness, has far fewer edges to sand. Their baseline is your distant goal.
The blue text faded, leaving Ali in the cold dark with its implications. He wasn't just physically weak. He was fundamentally unevolved for this reality. Every skill he might painfully earn, they likely possessed from childhood, honed by necessity.
The shed's chill seeped deeper. The watchful silhouette of Bryn was a constant reminder: his probation wasn't just about labor. It was about whether someone so inherently, quantifiably deficient could be anything other than a liability or a curiosity to be disposed of.
He pulled his hoodie tighter, the iconic sigil now feeling like a target painted on his chest. Tomorrow, he would have to work. And he would have to be more than just willing. He would have to prove his body could learn, could adapt, could become marginally less of a burden.
It was a daunting calculus. The System had given him the numbers. Now he had to live up to them.