Author: SunriseCV
Date: 2022-11-15 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Science Fiction; Role Playing Games; Magic
Description: Fight, survive, adapt, and rely only on yourself. That is Derek’s creed, and what's got him through the System Integration on Earth. Everything changed when the System came. Cute bunnies and beautiful butterflies became savage killing machines. Then the Invaders arrived with a single goal: to obtain ownership of this new habitable planet. War has raged ever since. None of this mattered much to Derek, aside from making living a little more perilous. He mostly kept to himself. He was the weird guy who owned a cabin that occasionally came into town for a drink and light conversation. After System

SYSTEM CHANGE

©2022 SUNRISECV

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CONTENTS

Also in Series

Prologue: Three Years Ago

1. Into the Portal

2. Darkness

3. Out

4. Thomas

5. The Great System

6. Skills

7. Disease

8. Through the Forest

9. Escape

10. Asshole

11. Slaughter

12. Classes

13. Champion of the Void

14. Battle

15. After the Battle

16. Regroup

17. Home

18. Problem

19. Achievements

20. The Legendary Beast

21. Dungeon

22. Return

23. A Day in the Village

24. Discussion

25. Training

26. First Dungeon

27. Clear

28. Disturbance

29. Cleanup

30. Follow Me

31. Hand Feeding

32. Completion

33. Dungeon Diving

34. Preparations

35. Start of the Undying Dungeon

36. Dungeon’s End

37. Monster

38. Arrival

39. Investigation

40. Contract

41. Warning

42. Leaving

43. Torith

Epilogue

Thank you for reading System Change

Groups

LitRPG

ALSO IN SERIES

System Change

Torith

PROLOGUE: THREE YEARS AGO

Darvin took in the sights of yet another planet being inducted into the system. As the only System Overseer, it was his job to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happened when inducting a new planet.

The Malaxi Overseer swiped his hand and pulled up the information of the planetary member.

Planet: C-186

Local Planetary Name: Earth

Exterior Planetary Makeup: 71% Water, 21% Land

Main Species: Human

Population: 8 Billion

System Acceptance Rating: B-

The floating overseer sighed. “Planets with human species always have higher acceptance ratings than those of other species… except for my Malaxi. Humans could be much higher in the system hierarchy if they weren’t so impulsive.”

Darvin turned to his assistant. “Prepare for tutorial phase.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The System Overseer stared at the holographic image of C-186. “Full planetary coverage in 3… 2… 1… System coverage is in full. Preparing induction…”

Darvin swiped through his overseer menu until he arrived on a certain screen. With a small purple hand, he reached out and touched a prompt. “System induction initiated. Tutorial phase: 5 years.”

The Malaxi floated back to his seat. Another human planet inducted. They have five years to prepare themselves for full integration. I wonder if this planet will give us any surprises.

1 INTO THE PORTAL

“Derek, get ready! Five minutes until the portal is up.” Silvi was exhausting all her mana to provide one chance for Derek. One chance for him to make it to the others and just maybe save them from death or capture.

A squad of invaders had ambushed Silvi’s team while she was in the city. While rushing out, thinking of a way to save her wayward group, she ran into Derek. Derek had completed a couple of missions with Silvi and her team before, but mostly, he preferred being alone.

“Once you’re through the portal, you’re only going to have a few minutes to find them. I don’t have the mana to hold it open for long. I’m using my Mana Sense to lock on to Ali. When the portal opens, it should be close to her location.” Sweat dripped from Silvi’s brow as she put all her concentration into opening a portal to her friends.

Derek rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. How did I end up in this mess? I’ve barely even met these people. Why did I agree to risk my life to save this group? Derek shook his head. He had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment. When Silvi saw him, she had rushed over, frantically explaining what was happening. Before he knew it, he was following her out of the city to save her friends.

Derek struggled with the decision he was about to make. When the system arrived, he was alone, and by relying on nobody but himself, he had become one of the strongest individuals in this new world.

The system had even offered leadership roles to him on multiple occasions. Whether it was to establish a city or create a fighting force to defend other cities from alien invaders, he had refused. On his last refusal to establish his own base, the system had even rewarded him with a title. But, somehow, he ended up in a situation where he was going to risk his life to save a group of people he barely knew.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?” Silvi yelled at Derek. “Stop daydreaming and get ready!”

Derek jumped. Why is she so commanding? I’m the one risking everything to help her. He shook his head. Whatever… “Yeah, yeah. I’m ready whenever you are.” And he was ready. He just didn’t want to do it. Thinking about what was about to happen, he went over his stats one more time. Status, he thought, and a box of text displaying his information appeared before his eyes.

Status:

Name: Derek Hunt

Level: 79

Class: Bronze Tank

Race: Human

HP: 4750

MP: 2380

Stamina: 5790

Stats:

STR: 275 (343) [412 Solo]

DEX: 210 (241) [294 Solo]

END: 351 (491) [579 Solo]

VIT: 297 (400) [475 Solo]

INT: 177 (203) [247 Solo]

WIS: 170 (195) [238 Solo]

Free Stat Points: 0

Titles:

First of Many: Not only have you obtained your first kill, but you were also among the first on your planet to obtain a kill. +10% to all stats.

I Have Class II: You survived to level 75 and upgraded your class. +35 to all stats.

Lone Wolf III: You feel free when you are alone. You have spent so much time alone that you are better when not in a pack. +10% to all stats when alone.

Meat Shield III: You have taken an incredible amount of damage and yet continue to look for more. You have taken over 100,000 damage and lived. +15% END and +10% VIT.

Monster Bane III: You are not scared to fight the strong. Single-handedly slayed a monster 50 levels or more above your own. +10% STR, +10% END, +10% VIT.

Not Dead Yet: You have taken a fatal wound, yet you are still alive. +25 VIT +15 END.

Rare: You have obtained a Rare class. Now you can live like a one-percenter. +25 to all stats.

Slayer III: You have slain more monsters than you can count. +15 STR +10 END.

Solo King IV: You enjoy the feeling of fighting alone. You stand one versus many. +25 to all stats. +15% to all stats when fighting alone.

Stat Collector: You have acquired over 1000 total stat points. Here, have some more. +25 to all stats.

Unacceptable: You have been asked to build a safe haven for those of your kind but have refused on multiple occasions. +25 to all stats.

Uncommon: Your class is a step above most classes. +15 to all stats.

Upgraded: Somehow, you were able to upgrade an Uncommon class into a Rare class. Though not unheard of, it is still a feat. +5% to all stats.

Skills:

Glaive Mastery (3): You feel more comfortable with glaives and other polearms. Efficiency increased when using Glaives.

Heavy Armor (4): Slow but steady. The armor you wear is like yourself. Heavy armor scales based on your END stat. END stat increased when wearing Heavy Armor.

Heavy Blow (7): You put all your might into a single blow. Attack deals 70% more damage.

Heavy Weapon (5): You choose to wield weapons that most cannot even lift. Efficiency with Heavy Weapons increases by level.

Identify (8): You have looked beyond the surface of many things. You can identify targets at increasingly higher levels.

Impenetrable Skin (7): You have been battered and bruised by all sorts of weapons. Defense increased by 35% when active.

Iron Stomach: There is not much that can harm you when it comes to food. Decreased chance of foodborne illness.

Meditation (10): Become one with yourself. Recovery of HP, MP, and Stamina increased by 100% while meditating.

Wide Sweep (11): You project a sharp edge half-circle up to 15 feet in front of you.

I’ve always wondered how my stats compare to others at my level. I’d like to have a look at Jace’s status one day. Derek sighed as he examined his stats, making sure he was as prepared as possible to go on this poorly planned rescue mission. Which gave him a thought.

“This portal you’re making… it’s safe, right?” he asked. “I mean, I’m pretty durable and have survived my fair share of bad situations, but I would rather not be done in by a faulty portal.” Derek realized what he’d just asked. I didn’t just give myself a death flag, did I? Oh, God, I hope not. Maybe I should just leave.

“Yes, Derek. My portals are perfectly safe. You jump in, and it takes a couple of seconds to travel from the opening to the exit. While you’re inside, you’re in something like a tunnel made of space. Nothing will harm you while you’re traveling. We’ve used my portals dozens of times, and nothing has ever gone wrong,” Silvi explained to Derek through gritted teeth while channeling mana into her spell.

“All you have to worry about is the portal closing before you come back. If that happens, you’ll be stranded with the invaders and will have to make your way back alone. This is why you need to get everyone through the portal before I run out of mana. Remember, I can only hold it open for a few minutes at best,” she explained.

Derek watched and waited for her spell to be ready, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. Finally, with a flash, the portal fully formed. The portal was inky black in the middle with purple wisps of visible mana emanating from the edges.

“That’s it! It’s open!” Silvi shouted. “Remember, you have to be quick. We only get one shot at this.”

“I’m going in.” Derek flicked his wrist and a shiny black, full-faced helmet appeared in his hand. He placed the helmet on his head and took a step forward. Derek may have been hesitant about the plan, but when it was time to do something, he gave it his all.

Derek kicked off the ground and leaped into the portal. Inside was pitch-black nothingness, only the rapidly increasing light at the end of the tunnel was visible in the darkness. Within seconds, he was next to the light. Then the tunnel disappeared, and Derek was through.

The first thing Derek saw when he stepped out of the portal was a broken Allison on her knees, tears running down her face. Derek took a step in her direction and lifted her off the ground. He would have preferred to be gentle, but his time was limited, so without so much as a word, he threw her over his shoulder.

“N-no! Stop! W-what are you doing? Who are you?” Ali’s fists fell on Derek’s back as he moved back to the portal. “No… no, no, no, no… please don’t take me. Kill me.” Obviously, she thought Derek was there to capture her. Who knew what her fate would be if that happened? Her fists pounded harder into Derek’s back armor.

“Shit! Stop hitting me. It’s Derek… Derek Hunt. I’m here to get you back to Silvi.” Derek sighed. I can’t blame her… She must be terrified… Stepping next to the portal, Derek tossed Ali in and turned back around. One down, three… erm… one to go…

As Derek scanned the battlefield, he saw John’s head lying separately on the ground from his body. He could also make out Andrea’s lifeless body sprawled out in a pool of her own blood. A dagger had penetrated her chest and pierced her heart. Without proper endurance and vitality stats, there was no surviving that.

Finally, he saw Gerard. The older warrior was being toyed with by a handful of invaders with swords and shields. Derek gritted his teeth and shot toward the group. The warriors saw Derek approaching and prepared for battle.

Without warning, an arrow landed on Derek’s chest, bouncing off his armor. With support from their archer, two men moved away from Gerard and rushed head-on at Derek.

With his arm held out, Derek summoned his glaive from his storage bracelet and thrust forward. The first warrior never stood a chance as the gleaming black blade on the end of the staff pierced the man’s chest and continued all the way through his back.

The blade brought with it a pulse of blood as Derek ripped it from the heart of the warrior. Another arrow struck Derek as the other warrior made his attack. Derek deflected the arrow with his armored bracer before trapping the warrior’s blade between his steel-covered body and arm.

Before the invader could retreat, Derek kneed him in the gut, causing liquid to spew from his mouth. With the warrior staggered, Derek released the man’s weapon, choked up on his glaive like a javelin, and drove the tip through the back of the invader’s skull.

With both opponents down, Derek scanned the area, looking for the archer. Finally, he saw the glint of an arrow coming his way, along with the female archer standing behind, reaching for another arrow. Derek sidestepped the arrow and picked up a now ownerless sword with his dominant hand.

Derek took aim with his newly acquired shortsword. The archer’s eyes went wide as she recognized what Derek had planned, but it was too late. Derek hurled the shortsword toward the archer, and before the woman could evade it, the hand of the sword crashed into her skull, causing an eruption of flesh and blood.

Derek winced at the gory scene but continued forward towards Gerard. Before any of the invaders could kill or injure Gerard further, Derek made it to his side. “Gerard! The portal.” Derek pointed at the flickering portal. “Run, there’s not much time left. I’ll be right behind you.”

As Gerard broke away from the melee, Derek blocked a sword meant for him. Gerard hobbled toward the portal as fast as his injured leg would let him, occasionally glancing back at the fight.

Derek was chopping enemies down one by one. He split one man at the waist, while another laid legless to his side. The problem with a glaive was that it was a weapon with a long reach, and, as such, it was harder to use in a close melee—such as the one Derek was in.

As Gerard approached the portal, an increasing number of attacks landed on Derek’s armor. Occasionally, a blade would make it through a weak point and leave a cut. Derek continued fighting, but for each invader he cut down, two more appeared.

Derek glanced back to see Gerard taking his first step into the portal. Finally, he thought. The two people who could be rescued were safe, and he could finally leave. Derek looked past his enemies, only to see more people flooding over the hills. Is this an encampment? he wondered, but there was no time.

Kicking one last invader, Derek turned and fled.

The portal shimmered, and a rugged body fell out.

“It’s Gerard!” Ali screamed. “I thought you were dead… like Andrea and…” she trailed off mid-sentence. Ali and John had been together since before the system appeared, so Gerard could only imagine the grief the woman was feeling.

“Where’s… Derek?” Silvi muttered between ragged breaths. “I’m… almost… out… of mana.” Sweat dripped from her brow, and her face was pale. She was using everything she had to keep the portal open as long as possible.

“He’s not too far behind me,” Gerard answered. “Hold on for a little longer.” The last thing he wanted was for his savior to be stranded in an army of invaders.

“Can’t… keep…” Silvi mumbled, then fell to her knees. “I’m out.” The portal in front remained open but was shrinking at a rapid pace.

As Derek hurried to the portal, he could see it shrinking and turning translucent. The damage to him was minuscule and didn’t affect his movement, but he was quickly running out of mana and stamina. Finally, he arrived at the rapidly closing portal and dived in.

As he flew through the tunnel, the light at the end grew dimmer and dimmer. Just as he reached the light, it disappeared, leaving him surrounded by nothing but darkness.

“Ah, fuck me!”

2 DARKNESS

Derek’s words echoed throughout the darkness. He knew he shouldn’t have doubted the portal back then. He knew what flags were, and he created one by voicing his doubts. It’s just like when someone says, ‘at least it can’t get any worse.’ He shook his head. It always gets worse.

Looking around at what used to be the portal between the camp and the battleground, there was nothing but darkness. It wasn’t the type of darkness that takes some time for your eyes to adjust before being able to make out figures. No, it was darkness in its purest form.

There was no light, no way of finding out which way went where. Maybe I’m only going to be stuck here until Silvi opens another portal. I mean, it is her portal that I got stuck in. It has to connect to her… right? For the usually pessimistic man, it was hard to be optimistic about his situation.

With no directions or clues as to where he was, Derek sat. I might as well make myself comfortable. There’s no telling when she will make another portal. With a shake of his hand, he summoned some meat and beer from his storage bracelet. Not knowing what his future looked like, he pushed the thoughts out of his head and tried to stay positive.

And with this mindset, time passed…

* * *

A glaive sliced through the darkness at such a speed that it created a whistle as it moved. A sudden change in trajectory interrupted the whistling before the weapon stopped high in the air. Then, the whistling resurfaced as the blade fell sharply toward the ground.

Suddenly, all movement in the area stopped as a notification rang in his ear.

Glaive Mastery has reached level 8.

Finally! I’ve been swinging this thing nonstop for days now… I think. Hell, I don’t even know how long I’ve been in this godforsaken hellhole. Derek reached for his chin to caress the stubble that had appeared… no, not stubble, a full-blown beard. Damn, a beard. I can’t believe I’ve been stuck inside the portal long enough to grow a beard. It’s not even one of those little ones either.

Even during the worst days of the so-called ‘apocalypse’, Derek managed to shave his face once or twice a week. He may have been… less than social, but he still had to make some appearances, and he enjoyed the occasional outing to a bar.

Now, however, none of that mattered. From what he could tell, he was alone in the darkness. He had a certain understanding of how fast his facial hair grew, so at least with the length of his new beard, he had some idea of how long he had been stuck.

I’m not saying I ain’t already a little crazy, but if it wasn’t for my meditation skill, my psyche would be in a much worse state. Derek fumbled around with his now shoulder-length hair, wondering if it was still the same coal-black that it used to be, or if the stress of being stuck alone in the darkness with nothing more than himself to keep him occupied had introduced some gray.

With nothing else to do, Derek checked out his meditation skill.

Meditation (18): Become one with yourself. Recovery of HP, MP, and Stamina increased by 180% while meditating.

If nothing else, the meditation skill allows me to swing my glaive more, Derek thought as he checked out the new skill and title his time trapped in the portal had brought him.

Enhanced Perception (6): By not using your sight, your other senses become stronger. Your ability to use other senses while choosing not to use another enhances those senses by 30%.

A lot of good that does me. 30% of no sound is still no sound. He longed for the days of cell phones with as much music as he could handle at the touch of a button. He would never make fun of disco or country music again. Sighing, Derek looked at his new title.

Pacifist II: After countless days of slaughter and pools of blood spilled, you have remained passive for an extraordinary amount of time. +25 WIS.

“Heh, heh, heh!” Derek chuckled uncontrollably. This title gets me every time. Nothing increases Wisdom like sitting in the dark with your thumb up your ass for months on end. Eventually, Derek calmed down. He may have been losing it, but at least interacting with the system gave him some comfort. It had been months since he lost hope in Silvi being able to bring him back, so the system interactions were his only real attachments he had left.

But all good things had to come to an end.

While meditating one day, Derek’s eyes shot open with a start at a new system message.

Error… System detected host moving out of system range.

Error… Host losing connection with system-controlled area.

Error… System connection lost.

Please move into system range as soon as possible.

“What the hell is going on?” Derek was frantic. Moving out of system range? Have I been traveling the entire time I’ve been stuck? How fast am I moving? Am I moving at the same speed as I was when going between Silvi’s camp and the battlefield? How far were the portal openings from one another? It had to of been at least 75 miles. If I was moving that speed, and I remained at that speed when the portals closed, how far have I traveled?

Question after question flooded Derek’s brain. But, as he thought about it, he doubted himself. That can’t be right. Even being generous, I couldn’t have traveled more than a couple billion miles, at best. I would still be in our solar system at that distance, and I know it should be entirely covered by the system.

Then Derek had a terrifying thought. What if the traveling speed actually slowed down while the portal was open? How much faster would the tunnel be when closed? Derek clutched his head in his hands and screamed, “This sucks!”

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Okay… think… with my Endurance and Vitality stats being so high, I don’t think I have to worry about eating anymore, so I won’t starve. Let’s see… Status.

Status

Error…

Please move into system range as soon as possible.

Does this mean that I’ve lost the system, too? Derek slumped over with his face in his hands. He closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least I can still meditate. That means I should be able to use my other skills as well.

He once again slipped into his meditation and waited…

* * *

“Goddammit!” Derek threw the dagger in his hand to the ground. “I can’t even kill myself.” With no chance of being rescued, he had given up. Before, he could estimate how long he had been trapped in the darkness, but now, time completely escaped him. He was 27 years old when he was originally trapped. Now, he was unsure if he was 30, 40, or even 50. He could have been trapped in the darkness for decades. He just didn’t know anymore.

Even though the system left him, he still had all his skills and stats intact. This was both fortunate and unfortunate. His high Endurance and Vitality meant that neither his Strength nor his weapons were strong enough to cause lasting damage to him. His high Endurance meant that he struggled to inflict any wounds, and his high Vitality meant that any wounds he caused healed before the damage was serious.

Starving himself was also out of the question. He theorized it would be hard to starve with stats like his, but he tested it anyway. The results? He was miserable. Once his body entered a state of starvation, it drew its sustenance from him. Derek was able to feel his body eating itself, then his Vitality healed any part that was malnourished. It was a vicious cycle that he didn’t want to experience again.

He tried different things, but in the end, he always slipped back into meditation and simply let time go on. While meditating, years could pass in a blink of an eye. So, that’s what he did. If he couldn’t physically end it all, he would leave it to time. Nobody could escape time.

Of course, in the back of his mind, he wondered how crazy all the failed attempts at his own life made him. But he comforted himself with the thought that any rational person in the same situation would have done the same thing.

“Yep, I’m not crazy at all,” he spoke to the glaive laying across his legs. “You go ahead and keep watch. I’m going to go meditate for a while. Wake me up if something happens.” He ran his hand over the bladed end before slowly closing his eyes and slipping back into meditation.

* * *

“Huh? What was that?” Derek’s eyes shot open as he stared into the infinite darkness. He seemed to notice something… odd. However, he soon calmed down. It’s nothing… just my eyes playing tricks on me… again. Still, he stared into the distant darkness, with a vain hope that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. Then a loud pounding sounded off in the distance.

He shook his head. Hallucinations were commonplace for him—though he usually didn’t have multiple at the same time. Still, with a small amount of hope, he closed his eyes and focused his enhanced hearing on the drum-like noise in the distance. Either my hallucinations are getting worse, or there’s actually something out there. For the first time in ages, he felt excited.

The crashing sound once again thundered throughout the darkness. No longer did he have to focus to hear it. The noise bellowed again, even louder. This time, however, something in the darkness changed. A small line seemed to appear.

As Derek stared at the line, it soon formed into a crack. Then the crack spider-webbed and grew with each crash. Behind the fissures in the darkness seemed to be a light. As the cracks increased, so too did the illumination behind them.

This is it! Derek grabbed his glaive and jumped up. Finally, a chance to escape or die… or both! Either option was fine to him. There was finally a change in the darkness after countless years… decades, and he wasn’t about to miss it.

Derek summoned his armor from his storage bracelet… well, everything but his helmet. His unruly facial hair dashed all hopes of fitting his head inside. He took off toward the cracks in the darkness, prepared for any outcome, from death to freedom.

He finally arrived at the fissures. With no better idea, he jabbed the blade end of his glaive into a crack and began to pry. Something… happened. Holy shit! It’s moving. The crack grew wider as the blade entered. Then, using the shaft as a lever, Derek pushed.

His glaive had turned into a crowbar, but Derek didn’t mind. He was making headway. Slowly, pieces of darkness fell from the wall and disappeared. Hours passed as the banging continued and the pieces fell.

Derek finally removed enough pieces of darkness to see through to the other side, to see what was causing the crashing sound. What he saw was a gigantic black fist. I giant fist with claws and all kinds of other kill-me bits… awesome! If he couldn’t escape, then maybe his new friend could do him a solid and kill him. Derek tried to use the Identify skill on the creature.

Please move back to a system designated area to use this skill.

I should have expected that. Still, he didn’t care. He was going to have company soon. This gentlemanly creature was his ticket out of this hellhole, and by God, he wouldn’t look a gift… beast in its mouth.

Finally, the clawed hand pushed through one of the openings and reached into the darkness. When it pulled back, it grabbed at the edge of the crack, ripping the darkness out with its hand. It reached in again, this time with both hands, and began removing piece after piece of the darkness.

Before long, it stuck its head inside and started hauling the rest of its body in. Soon, a nine-foot-tall creature with a pitch-black body and fiery red eyes stood before Derek.

“Hey, man… or woman! Thanks for making me a door. It was really starting to get boring in here.” Derek walked up to the creature and patted it on the shoulder.

Suddenly, the back of the monster’s hand hit Derek in the center of his breastplate, leaving a fist-sized dent in the armor. Derek coughed. “That wasn’t very nice.” He viciously slashed his glaive down onto the creature’s arm with Heavy Blow.

The blade bounced off the creature’s skin with a loud ringing sound. It didn’t even break the skin. The monster glared at Derek with its fiery eyes and opened its maw, revealing a row of sharp, fanglike teeth. “Woah, woah, woah,” Derek pleaded with his hands up. “That was just a greeting where I’m from. I was only saying hello. I mean, you hit me, I hit you, now we’re besties.”

Unfortunately, Derek didn’t have time to chat with his new best friend. In his peripheral, the cracks in the darkness were slowly repairing themselves, shutting out the light once again.

“Anyway, it was nice to meet you. My name is… Silvi… yes, Silvi… with an I. Make sure you look me up if you ever visit Earth. Sorry, I couldn’t stay longer to chat, but I have to get going. Bye, Bye!” Derek dashed toward the opening, feeling the wind streak across his hair as he ducked under a blow from the monster. He dove through what was left of the opening and into the light. He was finally out.

“Freedom!” he shouted as he fell.

3 OUT

“Oomph!”

Derek landed hard and tumbled end over end down a vast hill until finally coming to an abrupt stop when his face smashed into an immovable boulder.

After moving his body upright, he surveyed his surroundings, noticing the deathly pale aura emanating from the land. Even the air blown in from the wind was stale Derek noticed as he took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful,” he said aloud as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Standing up and brushing his armor off in the process, Derek checked his system once again. Since he was finally out of the darkness and void, there was a chance the system would work.

Stat… ERROR… Please… Err…

“Ah!” Derek clutched his head in pain. It felt as if something had exploded in his brain. A massive headache threatened to overtake his consciousness. He focused on remaining awake as the pain slowly receded.

What is this? I haven’t had so much as a sniffle since the damn system took over Earth. Now I feel like I’m having an aneurysm. Why now? Derek groaned inwardly. His absurdly high Endurance and Vitality stats should have been enough to keep that from happening. I’ll just have to deal with it. If I can survive being stabbed in the heart, a little aneurysm shouldn’t cause me too many problems… hopefully.

Derek rubbed the back of his head. I do not miss headaches and migraines… He shook his head. What I would give for some painkillers right now. His body’s Endurance had kept pain to a minimum since the system took over. It had been years since he experienced pain like this for such a length of time.

The pain continued to lessen, and soon Derek could finally focus on his surroundings again. First things first. He studied the sky, which he had broken out of. Sure enough, there were still signs of what had happened. The sky was slowly healing itself. Soon, there would be no visible signs of anything out of the ordinary.

As the final break in the sky vanished, an unexpected wave of gratitude washed over him. Not gratitude for being trapped or even surviving. No, gratitude to the monster that saved him, that freed him of the endless darkness. More tears pooled in the corners of his eyes until they flowed down his cheek, following the path of his previous tears. Still staring at the ordinary sky, he inaudibly mouthed two words: Thank you.

Finally, Derek moved his attention away from the space above him and scanned his surroundings. His eyes squinted as he noticed problems with the terrain. Though there were trees and every sign pointed that he was in a forest, something seemed wrong. Everything looks… ill.

The temperature was fine, perfect even, and the sun was out, illuminating everything. All things considered, this should have been an ideal place for a forest. However, the trees and greenery were at the cusp of dying, or already dead, but it didn’t look like the cause could be from extreme hot or cold temperatures.

Suddenly, Derek heard a rustling from some nearby shrubbery. He didn’t bother turning around to confront whatever was behind him. Everything indicated that, although he couldn’t access the system, all his stats and skills were still working. If whatever was behind him was fast and strong enough to approach him without allowing him to react, he was already as good as dead, whether he turned around or not.

Derek looked down and traced his hand over the dent in his chest armor. I still have my armor on. That beast could dent it without even trying… if I have to fight something like it… He shook his head.

Finally, the rustling in the bush quieted. Light, cautious footsteps approached him, getting closer and closer. Derek turned his head, slowly so as to not startle whatever, or whomever, was approaching. His gaze finally landed on the figure behind him, and he grinned. People! I missed people…

It was a little boy, or girl, Derek couldn’t tell because of the caked-on dirt and raggedy clothes the child was wearing. Trails had formed where tears had run down the kid’s face. The child’s eyes were bloodshot, and the kid either had brown hair or that was just actual dirt, dying it. Derek considered the hair and went with dirty blond. He chuckled at his own joke.

The chuckle must have scared the child because the child’s eyes widened, and he, if Derek could count on the shriek that came out of the kid’s mouth, turned to escape.

Damn it! Derek cursed to himself. I don’t even know what I look like after all this time. Of course, I’m scary as hell. He pulled on his beard that was long enough to make a rope out of. Not to mention my armor. I had it made to look menacing in the first place.

“Boy! Stop, I’ll help you! And you can help me find out where I am!” he yelled. The boy slowed for a second, just long enough to turn his head and see Derek’s demonic-looking figure again. He then yelped and ran even faster than before.

What the hell? I even said I’d help. Kids these days. Derek shook his head. Too good to trust menacing-looking strangers. He sighed and walked after the boy. It didn’t matter how fast the boy ran. It wasn’t fast enough. At any time, Derek could catch him.

Tripping over a dead tree branch, the boy fell, making his already tattered clothing even dirtier. He reached for his knee and grabbed it with both hands. Derek could hear sobs coming from the boy. Derek was ashamed of himself. The first person I’ve seen in literal ages, and I’ve gone and made him hurt himself. He continued his walk toward the boy. He tried to approach gently, but with the way he looked, he knew it wasn’t possible.

Soon, the boy seemed to realize his mistake. If he wasn’t moving, then the giant, menacing figure was getting closer. The boy turned, only to see Derek now lumbering over his injured body. The boy shrieked, rolled onto his back, and began a feverish crawl backward on his hands and feet.

Derek fought back laughter. I feel like I’m some villain in a b-grade horror film. All I need now is a mask and a machete. Finally, with the thoughts he was having, he couldn’t hold the laughter back any longer. He let out a deep belly laugh.

The boy stared at Derek in shock and horror. A puddle of liquid soon formed underneath the boy, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He went limp.

“Uhh…” Feeling ashamed, Derek didn’t know what to do. Maybe that was a little too much. He looked down again. Damn… he pissed himself. Good job, Derek. The first person you see in… well, in forever, and not only do you scare him, but you also make him soil his clothing and pass out. What if those trousers were the last pair of pants that his grandma sewed him before she passed? Now, you’ve gone and made the kid ruin them. Real nice.

Derek bent down to pick up the boy, careful not to get any bodily fluids on his armor. He lifted the boy by the neck of his tunic with one arm and strolled back to the boulder he had previously smashed into. The two cut a striking image as they moved together through the dying forest. The image was not a good one. It could be described as a crazed demon bringing his prey back to camp to be eaten.

They don’t pay me enough for this shit, Derek complained as he sat the boy against the boulder.

Once he checked and made sure the boy was okay, Derek wandered off to gather wood to build a fire. Who knows how cold it gets here at night? He looked up at the sky. Or if there is even a night, he pondered while looking toward the sun.

Derek wasn’t subtle. Instead of gathering branches and twigs from the ground, he found a decently sized tree that looked dead enough and summoned his glaive out of his bracelet. He launched a Heavy Blow onto the tree. It was overkill, but the blade sliced right through, and the tree fell.

While watching the tree fall, the headache that had almost disappeared came back with a vengeance. It felt like someone had picked up a pair of scissors and jabbed them into his brain, then started snipping. It was worse than the previous pain by far. He couldn’t help but wonder about the cause of his new ailment.

These headaches never happened with the system before, and they didn’t happen while I was stuck in the darkness. No, wait, I did have one headache similar to this one on Earth. The day the system came. I was driving my knife into a fish when I felt it, and it lasted for a few minutes. He thought back to his previous interactions with the system.

The first headache happened when I tried to view my status after arriving on this world. The second happened after I used a system skill to fell the tree. Is the system taboo in this world? Or maybe the system is trying to integrate with this new world. The second option sounds safer. I’ll go with that. But, if that’s the case, what do I do?

Derek returned to his makeshift camp with the tree and dropped it on the ground. Summoning a dagger from his storage bracelet, he went to work shaving off some kindling he could use to start a fire. After obtaining enough shavings, he stored the dagger and summoned his glaive. This time, instead of using any system skills, he chopped the tree with normal strikes.

After chopping the tree into eight separate logs, he then split them in two. Then, he really examined the wood. Yep, it’s pretty much dead. Great for firewood, bad for forest. After arranging the firewood neatly on the ground, he continued toward the shavings, placing them down in a cleared area close to the boulder.

Next, Derek gathered stones from the area, breaking stones that were too big in two. Finally, he had enough to make a pit for the fire. He then formed the firepit and placed the kindling inside before lighting it, slowly placing the firewood onto it until a fire was blazing. Derek arranged some of the remaining firewood into a seat, sat down, and closed his eyes.

Not long after starting the fire, Derek heard a whimpering coming from across from him. He opened his eyes and glanced in the boy’s direction. The boy’s face was tear-stained, and he had a runny nose. Derek spoke as gently as he could. “It’s alright, boy. I’m not gonna hurt you. Sorry for scaring you earlier.”

The crying stopped, and the boy observed Derek, curiously. He was still frowning, but at least he wasn’t running. If anything, he seemed confused. He opened his mouth and spoke.

Unfortunately, the language was foreign, and Derek couldn’t understand it. This is going to… he thought, but a system message cut his thoughts off.

New Language Detected

Transla…

System interference detected…

Analyzing interference…

Invading system detected…

ELIMINATING THREAT

“What!” Derek screamed as everything went black.

4 THOMAS

“What just happened?” Thomas was just talking to the scary man, who he just realized wasn’t a monster, when the man screamed loudly and fell, tossing up dust as his well-armored figure hit the ground.

More curious than brave, Thomas warily ambled toward the man to check on him. Before drawing close, he scrambled back to where he was. What am I doing? He was chasing me earlier. Who knows what he planned to do to me?

Thomas made it back to the boulder and slid down into a sitting position. Realizing his situation, he frowned. Why are my pants wet? He thought back to before, when he was running for his life from the demon-like man and his menacing smile, and blushed. I can’t believe I wet myself. Embarrassed, and not just a little scared, he pondered on the situation he had gotten himself into.

Why didn’t I stay with the group? Pa told me not to leave their sight. How long ago was that? Two, three days? A rumble sounded from his stomach, and he looked down with a sad smile. I don’t think I’ve ever been this hungry before… I’m starving. It was the first time in days that Thomas could calm down and think about his situation.

My pants are drenched, my shirt ruined, my belly empty, and my mouth is so dry that I can’t stand it. Thomas sobbed again for the umpteenth time since getting lost. He was wondering if he would have any tears left if he managed to make it home.

What am I going to do? I’m alone. Thomas looked at the pile of armor and hair lying face down across the fire from him. Well, I’m not alone, but being with him may be worse than being by myself.

I don’t even know how I managed to stay alive for as long as I have. He thought about the events that led him up to this point.

* * *

Thomas was traveling with his grandfather and some residents from a neighboring village, back to his own. He wandered away from his group because he thought he recognized a medicinal herb his grandma had told him to always look out for.

When he arrived at the location of the plant, he realized it was nothing more than a common weed. Deciding to go back to his group empty-handed, he realized that he was lost. He thought he went back the way he came, but the group was nowhere to be found.

After calming down, he wanted to walk back to the weed so he could get his bearings. Unfortunately, that proved to be an impossible task as there were countless weeds that all looked the same. Thomas chided himself. He was only gone for a dozen or so minutes, yet he managed to get himself completely lost.

For the next few minutes, he walked around aimlessly, shouting for his grandpa or other members of their party. This proved fruitless. A little later he heard rustling from behind. Elated that someone had found him, he turned, only to become stalk-still. What stared back at him was a pair of scarlet red eyes full of murderous intent.

Thomas slowly shrank away, making himself as little as possible before turning on his heel and fleeing for his life. As he darted through the forest, crunching leaves and warping tree branches caught his attention, along with the light pattering of an agile beast. The sounds drew closer and closer. At this point, Thomas had lost all hope. His small stamina pool was almost drained.

His heart pounded in his ears as if on the cusp of exploding. His legs were weak and no longer able to keep up with his current pace. Like that, it finally hit him. He was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no hope for survival.

As he made this realization, he calmed down and accepted his fate. He made peace that he would never meet his family or friends again. They’ll be better off without me. It’s one less unproductive mouth for the village to feed.

As his sprint slowed to a jog, he turned his head to get a good look at his would-be murderer. It was a wolf, a beautiful wolf with jet-black fur that glistened in whatever sunlight was able to hit it through the broken and diseased forest. Saliva flew from its gaping maw as it crashed towards him through the forest. Its jaw could likely shatter his bones in one quick bite. However, if the strength of its jaw didn’t snap the bone, its razor-like teeth would have no problem stripping him of his flesh.

As visions of being eaten alive plagued him, his foot caught on a vine and he lost his balance, soon tumbling end over end. After his momentum halted, he looked around. He was on the edge of a very steep hill. If he continued on, he would likely break his neck in the fall. That thought didn’t seem so bad to Thomas. At least then, his end would be quick and relatively painless.

Gathering his courage, he glanced at the predator one last time, then hurled himself down the hill. Thomas fell, barbs from bushes ripping through his clothing, dirt and mud staining his hair and body. The fall felt like it took ages but was over in a near-instant.

Thomas lay on the flat of his back, staring up at the sky, wondering how he made it all the way down without dying. Glancing to where he fell from, he saw two glaring red eyes staring back at him. Luckily, the wolf chose not to follow him down the hill.

He shifted his aching body, struggling to right himself. After wobbling and stumbling, he was finally able to stand straight. His eyes never left the top of the hill. Please, just leave. Go find something easier to hunt. He silently prayed to himself, over and over.

It seemed like his prayers were answered. Shockingly, the head staring over the hill slowly backed away until it disappeared out of sight. It left… I can’t believe it. After shaking off the trauma from his narrow escape from death, Thomas assessed his situation. Miraculously, his body was mostly uninjured. Other than some cuts and future bruises, he was fine. Somehow, he had made it down the steep hill without breaking anything.

He didn’t know what was more insane, that he fell such a distance down an almost cliff-like hill and survived almost unharmed or the wolf choosing to leave him alone. Either way, he chose not to question it. He was alive… Alone, but alive.

That said, he was still lost, with no clue how far away he had wandered from his grandpa and the rest of the group. Would they still be looking for me? He looked back up the hill. They’ll never find me here. He fought back a sob.

All sense of direction left Thomas when he was being chased by the wolf. He didn’t know which way would lead him out of the forest, or which way would take him deeper, into the more dangerous part.

Scanning his surroundings, he found himself with the unclimbable hill to his right and diseased trees and shrubbery to his left. Surprisingly, both in front of him and behind him was clear. Only the occasional stone stood in his path.

Not knowing the best option, he went with his gut. He decided to follow the path forward, staying within the tree line to keep himself from being out in the open.

Thomas crept forward, making as little noise as possible. He moved along sluggishly as the hours passed. Eventually, the sun fell, and darkness overwhelmed his vision. He found a bush big enough to hide his body and crawled into it for the night. He knew better than to move through the forest alone at night.

Sleep never came. All the night brought him was creepy noises from the forest and a frigid chill. His eyes darted and his heart raced at every sound. He could survive like this for a few nights, but because of the cold and lack of food and water, he knew he wouldn’t make it much more than that.

The next day, the boy pushed himself forward, hoping to find something, anything, that could increase his chance of survival. He didn’t. The only thing he found was night once again. Again, he fought to keep himself awake in the freezing night air, knowing that if he fell asleep, there was a good chance he would never open his eyes again.

The next morning, he moved faster, uncaring of the noise he made. He wouldn’t make it much longer like this. The boy silenced his emotions and trudged on. Finally, he saw it.

In the distance was a humanoid figure—hopefully, human. Tears and sweat blurred his vision, keeping him from being able to see the figure clearly.

As Thomas moved closer, he was able to make out the humanoid more clearly. The figure was wearing some kind of full plate, black armor and had his head tilted back, staring at the sky above.

It has to be a human. He’s wearing armor and has hair all over his head. And he’s big. That rules many humanoid beasts and goblins. Overjoyed, Thomas crept closer to the figure, trying to be silent but too tired to care about making noise.

He got closer, close enough to see the figure clearly. It is a man. It has to be. He moved out of the bushes and toward the towering figure. Hope reignited within him.

As he approached, the man turned, glaring at Thomas. The boy stopped, appraising the man. Then, the man laughed, it was the evilest laugh Thomas had ever heard.

He felt it again, the same fear he felt when the wolf stared at him with predatory eyes. Demon, he’s a demon! Thomas couldn’t run away fast enough. At least with the wolf, I would have just died. If I get caught by a demon, he’ll skin me and eat me slowly while I’m still alive. All kinds of errant thoughts flashed through the boy’s mind.

He ran. Body bruised, tired, and hungry, Thomas ran faster than he ever had in his life. He heard the demon scream something in its devil tongue. He couldn’t understand it, so he ran even faster.

Why did he have to be so young? Why did the Great System not allow humans to level until they were 13? At this time, Thomas would have given anything to have been born a year earlier. At least then, he would have some levels and perhaps some extra stamina. But he was only 12, and he was small, even for his age. And now, he had a demon chasing after him.

The demon yelled again. Thomas turned, shocked that the demon was so close without even running. No longer looking ahead, he tripped. I’m dead, he thought. He rolled over, only to see the demon towering over him. The demon let out a thundering laugh. It was all Thomas could handle after the last few days he’d had. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

* * *

Thomas broke out of his daydream after recounting the events from the last few days. He looked over at the unconscious body again, wondering what to do. Eventually, the choice was made for him.

A screeching howl came from the forest. The same crimson eyes that haunted him for days appeared. The wolf had come. Panic-stricken, the boy looked for a way out, a way to survive once again. His gaze landed on the strange man’s body, specifically his armor. With no more hesitation, he ran to the body, and, with all he had left in him, he rolled the body over enough so that he could hide underneath. With what vision he had left of his surroundings, he saw the wolf pounce.

5 THE GREAT SYSTEM

“Ugh.” Derek groaned as something heavy landed on his armor-encased body. Derek was groggy, still in the process of waking. It had never taken him so long to get his bearings after waking. Something was wrong. His head was fuzzy, and though he could make out some noise in the distance, he couldn’t figure out what was happening because of his current state.

“Ugh, stop it. Just give me a few more minutes,” he muttered. There was a tugging on his hand that he didn’t understand. “Let go of me.” He shooed whoever was trying to pull him from his sleep, but the tugging continued, becoming even fiercer.

“I said stop!” This time, he slapped at the person messing with him. Not entirely aware, he was unable to control his strength.

A loud yelp broke through the foggy barrier of his mind.

Derek’s eyes shot open. He shifted his head around, taking in everything in sight. What the hell happened? he wondered. Moving his gaze to the beast in front of him, he got excited.

“A puppy! Come here, boy,” he exclaimed after studying the snarling creature. Derek sat up and frowned. He shifted his body and noticed the boy lying underneath him, shaking.

“It’s not that cold yet. Why are you shivering? Did you use me as a blanket?” he asked.

“N-no… I didn’t,” the boy said.

Wait! I can understand him now. What the hell? Derek was really confused now. He couldn’t figure out how one minute the boy was speaking gibberish, then the next minute, he was speaking perfect English.

“Boy! Why can I understand you now? Were you toying with me earlier?” Derek asked. His memory was still fuzzy, and all he could remember was that the boy was staring at him from across the fire before he passed out.

“I… uh… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the boy muttered.

“You were speaking a different language earlier, and now you’re speaking the same language as me,” Derek explained.

Suddenly, the wolf pounced on Derek again. He let the wolf latch on to his bracer while still staring at the boy. “Well?”

“I… we… we’re speaking the language of the Great System. It’s the only language we use because everyone has the Great System.” The boy stared at Derek incredulously. Derek was now rubbing the top of the wolf’s head with his gloved hand, treating it like a pet.

Great System language? Derek couldn’t wrap his head around it. There’s no universal language from the system. If you want to understand other languages, you need to spend an ungodly amount of time leveling up the Linguistics skill, and I certainly didn’t waste time on that. While he was processing this information, the wolf charged at his face. He quickly grabbed it from the bottom of its mouth.

Noticing that the teeth on the right side of its mouth were missing, Derek asked, “Awe, what happened to you? Was somebody mean to you?” He cooed quietly to the wolf.

“I th… think you knocked some of its teeth out when you slapped it away earlier,” the boy spoke.

“Awe… I’m so sorry… Did I hurt it?” Derek baby-talked the monstrous beast as the boy stared on in shock.

“Anyway.” Derek grabbed the boy’s attention from the beast. “What is this Great System Language?”

“It’s the language of the Great System,” the boy answered as if it was the most common knowledge a person could know.

“No shit,” Derek said. “I’m asking what it is. Why is there a system language?” The way the kid looked at him like he was a moron didn’t escape him.

“I… I’m not sure what you mean,” the boy said. “The language has been around as long as the Great System has, and nobody I know knows how long that is. I’ve heard of people talking about ancient languages, but I don’t know anything about them other than that we used them before the Great System arrived. But that’s fairy tales and myths every kid hears when they are little.”

Derek didn’t expect much information from a boy as young as this one, but he was surprised by his answer. At least the boy seemed more mature than boys of his age back on Earth. He expected an ‘I dunno,’ but he got a little information.

“Hey, kid. What level are you, anyway? Why are you so scared of this little guy? He can’t be too high of a level.” He couldn’t understand why the boy, even as young as he was, was so terrified of the wolf in front of them. Back on Earth, with the system, there were 10-year-olds who were as powerful as the wolf.

“Level? I’m level zero. I’m not old enough to use the Great System. I’m not 13 yet, so I haven’t unlocked the features. Even then, leveling isn’t exactly easy, you know?” the boy answered.

“Oh, so you can’t use the system until your 13th birthday?” Derek was interested in these new system rules. They were completely different from the system he knew.

“Yes… basically.”

“So, when you turn 13, the system just says what? ‘Congratulations, you survived 13 years without becoming monster chow, have some levels.’” Derek didn’t understand why the system would keep its people from leveling for 13 whole years, basically being defenseless the whole time.

“Kind of…” the boy answered. “When you are 13, you are given the chance to access and use the Great System. How well you use it depends on yourself. Some people never even choose a class. Some never even unlock the ability to use the system. Unlocking the Great System can be easy or impossible.”

“Oh? How does one access the system?”

“Well, everyone can pull up the interface by thinking about their ‘Status,’ even those under 13. To do more than that, you have to be over 13 years old,” the boy explained.

Listening to the kid, Derek thought about his status, just as he had done thousands of times before. Once again, after years, decades even, he was able to see his status.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 0

Class: N/A

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 4000

Mana: 1950

Stamina: 4910

Stats

Strength: 343

Dexterity: 241

Endurance: 491

Vitality: 400

Intelligence: 203

Wisdom: 195

Skills

No Skill Learned

Achievements

No Achievements

“What?” Derek screamed aloud as he did a double-take at his status sheet. “How in the hell am I 29 years old? Is this a joke to you? I was in there for decades, if not centuries. Yet, you say I was only stuck inside for two years? You can’t be serious!” He lost it when he saw his age. It meant that he had only physically aged two years while trapped in the darkness.

Of course, after his outburst, the boy was staring at him like he was a crazy person. Well… like he was an even crazier person. Derek had a long way to go in order to earn the trust of his new companion.

Derek finally calmed down. Okay… just think rationally. How could I have only aged two years? Surely, I didn’t hallucinate everything. Now, that’s not possible. Everything was too real. Maybe time flowed differently in there? No… if that was the case, I still would have aged… right? Ahh! I’m going to go crazy thinking about this. I’ll just move it to the back of my mind and circle back to it later.

After calming down, Derek checked his status again just to see what had changed.

No level yet, since I’m apparently using a new system. A new fucking system. That means there are at least two systems in the universe. For all I know, there’s an entire universe full of systems. A system universe… ugh… Derek pushed the rampant thoughts out of his head and continued inspecting his status.

Why is my race ‘modified?’ Maybe it’s because my body was changed by my old system previously. At least now I know that the system affects you on a physical level. If not, I would have lost my stats along with the system. Derek frowned as thoughts raced through his head.

Derek studied his stats. It seems like my base stats are my overall stats, including all my titles other than Solo King. It makes sense since I’m not alone right now. Suddenly, he had a thought. “Hey, kid, stay right there and don’t move.”

“Huh? Why…” the boy began, but Derek was already kicking up dust, wolf cradled in his arms. “Wh… where are you going?” the boy yelled, but Derek kept running. “So fast…” the boy muttered.

After running some distance away, Derek checked his stats again.

Stats

Strength: 341

Dexterity: 241

Endurance: 491

Vitality: 400

Intelligence: 203

Wisdom: 195

Damn! It’s the same. He had hoped that once he put some distance between him and the boy, his Solo King title would kick in and all his stats would rise by 15%. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. Dammit! So this means that I don’t actually have the titles anymore, and whatever buffs I had when I went unconscious is what my permanent base stats became. Still, for base stats, at level 0, it’s pretty awesome. Derek turned to head back to camp. He still had so many questions for the boy. Like what his name was.

The boy was still staring at Derek with his mouth agape when he got back. He sat a few feet away from the boy and snorted in his direction, causing the boy to become confused. Derek was still a little mad that he lost out on a 15 percent stat increase, but he would deal with it.

“What’s your name?” he asked the boy.

The boy let out a long breath and answered, “Thomas.”

“Alright, Tommy, I’m Derek. It’s good to meet you.”

“Thomas… not Tommy,” the boy muttered, seemingly upset.

“That’s what I said. Anyway, Tommy, you were talking about the requirements that a person has to unlock the system.” Derek didn’t care if the boy didn’t like his nickname. He was going to be called Tommy until Derek got over losing those precious stats from his title.

“It’s Thomas,” the boy quipped, but after receiving a deadpan stare from Derek, he continued. “You’re able to see your level and stats?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t know what level you are, but those that haven’t unlocked the ability to use the Great System are level 0,” Thomas explained.

Derek motioned for the boy to continue.

“Like I said, it can be easy or hard to unlock the Great System. It depends on the person,” Thomas lectured. “In order to unlock it, you have to kill something. It can be anything as long as it is above level 0, gives experience, and you are the only person to damage it.”

“All nobles have it easy when it comes to unlocking the Great System. They will have their guards capture a beast, then kill it while it’s caged,” the boy spoke with disgust. Obviously, he was not fond of nobles.

Thomas continued, “There are many adult level 0s because not all people have the courage or ability to hunt a monster by themselves, and there is no one to provide them with the same treatment as a noble. Unless there is a strong person in their circle of family or friends.”

Thomas then became excited. “My grandpa said he would find a monster that’s level ten for me to kill to unlock the Great System. That will allow me to get awarded a skill point before I choose a class. Then—”

“Hold on,” Derek cut him off. “What do you mean ‘get awarded a skill point?’” Derek had seen the ‘Achievements’ row when studying his status and was curious.

“Oh, if you kill an enemy ten levels above your own, you get an achievement called Lesser Giant Slayer that grants you a free skill point. There’s one for killing an enemy 25 levels above your own, as well. That’s the one that most nobles try to get. I’ve heard that there’s one for 50 levels, too, but it’s just hearsay. I’ve never met anyone who has actually done it,” Thomas explained.

“Really?” Derek was excited to try it out. So, the only reason I haven’t unlocked system use is that I haven’t earned any experience from a kill yet. The achievements seem to be like titles, but they give awards like skill points instead of stat bonuses. Or maybe just this one gives skill points.

“Hey, kid,” Derek said. “Can you earn achievements that give things other than skill points?”

“Of course. Though, I don’t know specifics. That information isn’t really shared among people. I heard you can earn skill, skill points, stat points… anything really. I just don’t know what to do to get them,” Thomas answered.

Derek went silent, deep in thought. So, achievements are like titles but with more diversity. I wonder… Derek tightened his grip on the wolf in his grasp and squeezed until a loud crack was heard and the beast went limp.

Thomas jumped up and backed away, falling over a log. “What?” He stared at Derek in confusion. “Why did you kill it? You were just playing with it.”

Derek found it amusing that he was standing up for the beast he was terrified of just moments ago. He looked at the boy like he was an idiot. “Kid, I thought you were smart for your age. Turns out you’re still naïve.” He shook his head. “Do you have a Beast Master class or a class with a taming skill? I sure as hell don’t. This guy was still trying its hardest to rip me apart. What do you think would have happened if I would have let it go?”

“Th… then why were you treating it so nice earlier? I thought you were going to tame it,” Thomas asked.

“No.” Derek shook his head. “It’s been a while since I’ve been around people… or beasts. I was playing with it while gauging its strength. It was fun to play for a bit, but it would have ripped you apart the second it got a chance. A beast is a beast, and if it’s a threat to someone in your party, it’s best to take care of it.” He smiled at the boy. “Now, give me a second.”

Derek noticed that there were new notifications in his vision. With a thought, he pulled them to the front.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the Great System!

Level Increased to 1

The first message that greeted him was a basic message introducing him to the system.

You have killed level 53 Forest Wolf.

82 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

From a single kill, Derek leveled up four times, increasing his level to 5. He checked the next notification.

You have earned 40 Stat Points.

Current Stat Points 50

Obviously, he received 10 stat points for unlocking the system and getting to level 1, giving a total of 50 points after the kill. It will be nice getting stats from level 1 again. He moved on to the next notification.

Congratulations! You have slain a creature 10 levels above your own.

Congratulations! You have slain a creature 25 levels above your own.

Congratulations! You have slain a creature 50 levels above your own.

Achievement ‘Giant Slayer’ Unlocked

3 Skill Points Received

Derek was excited to see what he could use these skill points on, but he noticed that there were more notifications to be viewed.

Invading system contained…

Eliminating invading system…

Failure to eliminate threat…

Suppressing threat…

Threat Successfully Suppressed

Oh shit. It wasn’t able to eliminate the other system. I wonder what would have happened if it would have. He was glad that the other system was still there, only dormant. He couldn’t imagine what the system would have taken with it if it were eradicated.

He let out a sigh and checked his new achievement.

Giant Slayer

Awarded for slaying a creature 50 or more levels higher than your own.

1 Skill Point awarded for each advancement in achievement.

“Hey, kid. What’s the name of the achievement for killing something 25 levels above you? You said that it was called ‘Lesser’ for 10 levels, right?” he asked Thomas.

“I think they call it Minor Giant Slayer,” the boy answered.

So, there’s lesser, then minor, and I got one without any modifier. If I’m guessing correctly, there should be a major and greater above the one I received if it doesn’t just stop at the third tier. He pondered the new system’s achievements.

After perusing his status again, he noticed that new tabs for experience, skill points, and stat points appeared. I don’t know enough about the system yet, so I’ll save the stat points for now. I need to see if the kid knows anything about skill points. In the old system, I could just buy skills from the System Shop, then level them by using them.

Derek was going to ask the kid about skills but was cut off by the rumbling of the boy’s stomach. He smiled. “You hungry?

“Starving!” The boy was ecstatic at his question.

Derek didn’t know how long the defenseless boy had been alone in the wilderness. “Alright, I’ll throw the wolf on the fire and let it cook while we chat. I doubt it tastes great, but food’s food.” Derek summoned his dagger, sliding it up the belly of the deceased beast, careful not to puncture any organs and taint the meat. After, he removed the innards and put them in a pile out of the way. Soon, the wolf was ready. He made a spit to hold the wolf and started roasting it over the campfire.

Derek flicked his hand, and a bottle appeared. He rinsed his hands with the water inside, then tossed it to the boy. “Drink.”

Not holding back, Thomas turned the bottle up and drank, not stopping until it was dry. He looked up at Derek sheepishly as if he had done something wrong.

“Don’t worry about it. I have plenty if I need it, but you probably shouldn’t drink so much at once like that, especially if you’re dehydrated. You’ll get sick.” He held his hand out and received the bottle from the boy. “Now, while the meat’s cooking, tell me what you know about skill points.

Thomas tilted his head in thought. “Skill points are used to buy skills from the Great System. One skill point can usually buy one skill. If you focus on the skill points, a list of available skills should show up.

“Some achievements give points, and you usually get five points every time you upgrade your class. Five points for getting your class at level 10, five for level 25, and 5 for level 50. After that, I’m not sure. I’ve never even met anyone at level 50.” The boy came to another realization. “Oh, there are two kinds of skills. General Skills and Class Skills.”

“What is the difference?” Derek asked.

“Any class can learn General Skills. Those are skills like Identify or Meditation,” Thomas replied.

“Meditation,” Derek muttered. It’s probably one of, if not, the most useful skills I used to have. It won’t be a wasted skill point if I buy it. If it’s anywhere as good as the previous one, it will be well worth it.

6 SKILLS

After focusing on his skill points, a new window appeared in front of Derek.

Current Skill Points Available to Spend: 3

Class Skills

N/A

General Skills

Alchemy

Armorer

Barter

Blacksmith

Carpentry

Cooking

…

Identify

Intimidation

…

Meditation

Merchant

Mining

…

Weapons Mastery

Weapon Smithing

Weaving

Woodworking

No class yet, so not having Class Skills makes sense, Derek pondered. Damn, that’s a lot of General Skills. Derek skimmed through the dozens, if not hundreds, of skills available for purchase. Most of the crafting skills fall under General Skills, at least the basic ones. I never was one for crafting, but it may not hurt to pick up the Blacksmithing skill later on for armor repair…

After viewing the skills, he went back to the Identify skill and selected it.

Identify

The ability to appraise objects and entities. The higher the skill level, the better the appraisal. Shields the user from other’s Identify skill.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Identify?

Not yet. Derek dismissed the skill window after reading it. That’s pretty much the same skill I had with the other system. Now, let’s find Meditation.

Derek let his eyes scroll back down the list until he found the Meditation skill.

Meditation

The ability to clear your mind and achieve a state of enlightenment. Increases recovery speed of health, mana, and stamina while in this state. The higher the skill level, the faster the recovery rate.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Meditation?

Same ol’ Meditation. Before learning the skill, he did one final sweep of the skills available. None seemed to be as useful as Meditation. Well, no time like the present. He pulled the skill window back up and focused on learning it. After receiving a prompt asking if he was sure, he agreed.

Derek closed his eyes. A small amount of energy flowed within him, leading towards his mind. Once the energy settled in, he knew the skill. It felt and acted like the same skill he knew before. I already have so much experience with this skill.

He blinked his eyes and went over the new notification that appeared in the corner of his vision.

Meditation Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 2

Derek closed the notification and activated his new skill.

Suddenly, a pain shot through his head, almost like the previous pain, only weaker. A new window forced its way into his vision.

Dormant skill similar to Meditation discovered…

Merging skills…

Skills successfully merged…

Once the pain went away, Derek opened his new notification.

Congratulations! Meditation skill has reached level 20

Upgrade Available

Spend 1 skill point for upgrade?

What? Derek was both confused and excited. So, I didn’t actually lose any of my skills. They’re just lying dormant until I get a new skill that matches. Immediately, he agreed to the upgrade.

Meditation Upgraded

New Skill: Greater Meditation

Greater Meditation

The ability to clear your mind and achieve a state of enlightenment. Increases recovery speed of health, mana, and stamina while in this state. The higher the skill level, the faster the recovery rate.

Greater Meditation allows the user to enter a lesser state of enlightenment while moving. The higher the skill level, the greater the recovery rate while moving.

Skill Points Remaining: 1

Wow! So that means that I have maxed out the regular Meditation skill, and the basic recovery rate will no longer increase. However, eventually, I will be able to have such a recovery rate applied while moving and even fighting. I only have to level the skill. I knew it was my favorite skill for a reason.

Derek closed his eyes once again and used Meditation. He easily slipped into the state and could feel it working. He also felt that if he wanted to, he could move his focus away from meditating and still receive some benefits.

He opened his eyes slowly and stood up. He could feel the power of the skill weaken, but it was still noticeably there. Derek flexed his arms and moved from side to side. The wider the range of motions he performed and the faster he moved, the less the skill was able to increase his recovery rate.

Derek stopped moving. While standing still, but still observing his surroundings, the recovery rate was almost as good as it was when losing himself completely. Derek was elated. The new skill would allow him to meditate while keeping his guard up. It was perfect.

Thomas was eyeing Derek with an odd look. “Are you okay?” the boy asked.

Derek rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. “Ah, yeah, just getting a little exercise, you know. Stretching and stuff… we’ve been sitting around for a bit, so I needed to move around.” He wondered how strange his antics must have looked to the boy, so he made an excuse and sat back down.

He reached out to the fire and checked on the roasting wolf. “Still needs a bit before it’s ready to eat.” He told Thomas, changing the subject. While talking, Derek still wondered about all his dormant skills and the possible ways for him to unlock them. I didn’t see a Glaive Mastery skill, but there was a Heavy Weapons Mastery and Weapons Mastery skill.

I did have a Heavy Weapon skill before, so that may merge with the Heavy Weapons Mastery skill from this system. Unfortunately, he only had one skill point remaining, and he didn’t want to waste it by buying a useless skill. I guess the next most useful skill is Identify. That skill will help me and help keep others from learning things about me.

Plus, my Heavy Weapon skill was only level 5. It was such a hard skill to level. Derek glanced at the roasting wolf. If that beast is any indication, I don’t currently need combat skills, but I do need information. Derek made his choice and spent his last skill point on Identify.

The same sensation fell over Derek as before. It was like remembering something that he had only just forgotten. It was already there but needed a little kick start. He looked at the boy, then used the skill. Sure enough, pain radiated through his head before another window popped up, uninvited, in his vision.

Dormant skill similar to Meditation discovered…

Merging skills…

Skills successfully merged…

Congratulations! Identify skill has reached level 8

It’s the same level as it was before. I wasn’t able to use it while trapped in the darkness, so it never had a chance to level up, unlike Meditation, which I used constantly for years or even decades at a time. Derek summoned his glaive from his storage bracelet and used his new skill on it.

Black Steel Glaive

Durability: 225/250

The Black Steel Glaive was custom made by a Weapon Smith of at least Intermediate skill. The Smith was able to draw out much of the black steel’s dormant power to allow for an increased durability.

Damn right! I paid a pretty penny for my glaive. He rubbed the bladed end of the glaive while smiling.

Thomas, on the other hand, was staring at the glaive in shock. He had seen Derek summon the dagger from his storage bracelet before, so he knew it wasn’t the storage bracelet he was interested in, it was the glaive.

Derek had to admit, his glaive was one amazing weapon, both physically and aesthetically. The entire glaive was made of black steel, giving it a demonic look. Intricate patterns were carved into the steel at both the neck and the base of the staff. The blade was long—longer than almost any other glaive or polearm he’d seen. It was as if there was a scimitar stuck on the end of a staff. The butt of the glaive had two short black ribbons fluttering the wind.

Derek noticed Thomas staring at the weapon in awe, his chin nearly touching the ground. “What do you think, kid? You like my glaive? We’ve been through a lot together, and it’s never let me down.”

“I’ve never seen a weapon like that. It’s amazing,” Thomas answered. Then he frowned. “How do you keep pulling things out of the air? Do you have a storage ring? Those are super expensive… I’ve never seen one before.”

Ah, so he noticed it. He just didn’t say anything, Derek thought. “This is a glaive. It was one of my favorite weapon types growing up. When I got the chance, I had a blacksmith make one for me. It’s custom-made. I even helped design it,” he explained. Then he pointed to his bracelet. “I don’t have a storage ring. I have a storage bracelet. It has a separate space inside that allows me to store things.”

“I’ve never heard of a bracelet that can act like a storage ring. I only know that Pa said that owning a storage ring shows wealth, and there are few other than nobles who have them,” Thomas said, shying away from Derek once again.

Seeing the boy acting strange again, Derek checked on the wolf. “It’s done enough to eat now.” He put his glaive back into storage and withdrew a dagger. He let the blade heat over the fire for a short time to sanitize it before cutting some of the meat off and putting it on a plate that he summoned from his bracelet.

He handed the plate to Thomas. “Eat.”

Thomas looked at Derek’s wrist, then his face, then the plate, then back again, his frown deepening at every glance he took.

“Spit it out, kid,” Derek commanded.

“Uh… Derek… uh… Sir, are you a noble?” the boy finally asked.

Derek gave Thomas an incredulous look, then burst out laughing. “Kid, what about me says noble? Is it my well-trimmed beard, or my flawlessly styled hair?” After laughing, he stared seriously at the boy. “Call me Sir again and you’ll take the wolf’s place,” he threatened.

Thomas audibly gulped. His eyes went wide as they shot toward the wolf hanging over the fire. “No… I… uhh…”

“Stop. I was kidding. Learn to take a joke.” Derek grinned.

Thomas took a deep breath in and quieted before picking up a piece of meat and chewing on it, lost in thought. Finally, he spoke, “It’s just… you have a storage item, which only nobles are supposed to have. And, you have custom-made weapons and armor. It all points to you being a noble.”

“Is that all?” Derek asked. “I worked my ass off to get these. You wouldn’t believe the number of close shaves with death I’ve encountered. I’m not a noble, and I’m not going to kill you like I killed the wolf. It’s good to be cautious, but you don’t have to worry.”

Thomas looked down again, staring deeply at the plate of meat on his lap.

“Kid, eat. Your food’s getting cold. Stop thinking about stupid things. You’re giving yourself anxiety over things you can’t control and worrying over nothing.” Derek was in a good mood after finding someone to talk to after his time in the darkness. It had almost broken him. Well, truth be told, it did break him. But, he had made it out alive and was slowly piecing himself back together.

He had been broken before and managed to come back. What’s one more time? He only wondered what the new version of himself would look like once he was fixed.

As the sun set, the duo filled their bellies. The boy ate almost the whole wolf by himself. Afterward, Derek tried getting more information, but the boy was in no state to answer. It was all he could do to stay awake.

“Kid, get some sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

7 DISEASE

Thomas’s head fell, and his breathing went lax. That didn’t take long. Derek pulled a few blankets out of his storage bracelet and placed them close to the fire. He then picked the boy up and gently laid him on top of them, covering him up in the process. He must be exhausted.

After getting Thomas settled, Derek thought about what he needed to do. I don’t have much in the way of a plan. I don’t have… well, I don’t know of any enemies I need to worry about on this world. I guess I just need to level while learning more about this world. Then, he used his upgraded meditation skill as he rested by the campfire, letting the hours pass as he waited for morning.

With his upgraded skill, he was able to keep a check on his surroundings. He hadn’t bothered feeding the campfire through the night, so when morning came, there was nothing but coals remaining. He opened his eyes as the sun broke over the horizon.

Throughout the night, he heard a rustling coming from deeper in the forest. As time passed, the rustling got closer and louder. The fire had most probably kept whatever beast it was away, but since the fire was now out, it would likely make its appearance soon.

Derek closed his eyes and focused his attention on the rustling. Soon, the rustling turned into the plodding of footsteps. Whatever the beast was, it was big.

He opened his eyes to see Thomas stirring awake. “Hey, kid,” he said. “You sleep well? You were out of it last night.”

Thomas’s eyes were open, and he sat up, noticing that he was bundled in blankets. His mouth moved to talk, but nothing came out. Instead, his eyes widened, and he pointed.

Derek grinned as he knew Thomas had seen whatever creature had been stalking them throughout the night. Finally, he turned to get a good look at the beast. About 70 feet away was a giant bear lumbering toward them. Derek frowned. There was something off about the bear. Its movements were sluggish, and it was very pale.

He used his Identify skill on the new arrival.

Dark Forest Bear (Diseased)

Level 48

A bear native to a forest. A disease has set in, and it is slowly converting into an undying species.

Ew. So, a disease is converting the bear into a different species of monster. He looked around. That seems to be what is happening to the forest, as well. Derek sighed as he summoned his glaive and stood up, walking toward the bear.

Provoked by Derek, the bear roared and charged. Derek was faster, getting within reach of the bear before it was able to take more than a few steps. Within range, the bear swung its claw at his armored chest. Not wanting his armor to take more damage than it already had, Derek ducked under the claw and moved behind the bear.

It was slow—much slower than any other bear of its level he had seen. Without bothering to aim well, Derek swung his glaive in an arc, feeling it bite into flesh, then release. Derek looked at his work.

Half of the bear’s head lay on the ground before the bear could even fall. Gotta go for the head if I’m dealing with zombies. He took a step forward and gave the bear’s head one last stab. Always double-tap. He remembered one of his favorite movies before the system came.

He viewed the notification that came with killing the bear.

You have killed level 48 Dark Forest Bear (Diseased)

277 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

90/169 Experience to Next Level

He was now level 5 and had received 20 more stat points.

Derek stored his glaive after wiping it off on the bear’s hide and walked back over to the camp. “Hey, Tommy. What’s the deal with this forest? That bear was diseased, and my skill said it was in the process of becoming an undying creature.”

Thomas stared with his mouth agape. “Undying? That’s bad… real bad.” He clenched his fist. “If what you said is true, then none of the villages close to the forest are safe.”

“Okay, but surely the village didn’t get this bad with no one knowing what was going on. I couldn’t have just happened overnight.”

“It’s not that nobody noticed. It’s always been like this. I heard Pa and some of the others talking about how it’s been getting worse, but nobody knows what it is or what’s causing it—at least not that I’ve heard of,” Thomas explained. “Torith sent some high-level adventurers to investigate years ago, but they didn’t find anything. They said it was natural and that the forest would eventually die off.”

“Torith?” Derek asked.

“The closest city to the forest and villages in this area. If we have to go to a city for some reason, Torith is where we go. It takes us months to travel there on foot if it’s with a big group. I’ve never gone, but my grandpa’s been there a time or two. It’s named after the House Torith, the noble family that controls the city,” Thomas answered.

“So, do you know how something like this disease would happen?” Derek asked.

“No.” Thomas shook his head. “My grandpa or the leaders of the village may know. You can ask them.”

“Well, we can’t do anything about it right now, so there’s no sense in worrying about it.” Derek put the disease out of his mind for the time being. “We’ll leave soon to look for a village or people. Then we can get you home. But first…” Derek pulled a mirror out of his bracelet and winced at the face staring back at him.

“Holy shit!” he shouted, causing Thomas to jump. “How are you even talking to me with a straight face right now? I mean… I knew my hair was bad, but this is…” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you say anything? Could you imagine how embarrassing it would be meeting someone while looking like this?”

He was a mess, literally. His hair went everywhere, and his beard looked like a tangled bird’s nest. Oddly enough, his hair was still coal-black, with no traces of age, not even a single silver streak adorning his hair or beard.

Derek pulled a tool out of his bracelet and looked at the boy. “Do you have any mana?” he asked.

“Yeah. I have the base 10 wisdom that everyone has. It gives me 100 mana. Why? What is that?”

Derek identified the tool in his hand.

Mana Clippers

Durability: 120/125

An unknown magical weapon made by an unknown blacksmith.

Costs 5 mana per minute to use.

“This is a magic weapon that costs five mana per minute to use. You can use your mana, right?”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have a problem,” the boy answered.

“Good. Catch.” Derek tossed the clippers to Thomas. “Channel your mana into it.”

“Like this?” Thomas asked as the blade at the end glowed blue and began fiercely vibrating. The boy stared in awe at what he was doing.

“Now, focus on the metal plate on the back. It’s called a guard. Think about setting it to a quarter-inch.” Derek instructed.

In Thomas’s hand, the guard moved forward, covering the blade.

“Good, now come stand behind me.”

Thomas walked over and stood behind Derek.

“Now, run the clippers through my hair and give me a haircut,” Derek commanded.

Thomas stumbled, almost falling. “Haircut? This is used to cut hair?”

“Yup. Those are hair clippers. I never leave home without them. Now, get cutting. Move from the front to the back until all my hair is the same length,” Derek said.

He could feel Thomas’s excitement fade as he realized he was being used as a glorified hairdresser. Derek held back a chuckle.

A short time passed as Thomas shaved Derek’s hair. The boy was pretty good at it. He was careful to avoid the ears and not harm him. If things with the system don’t work out for him, he will make a good barber.

Soon, the boy finished. Derek ran his hand through his hair. “Good enough,” He commented, then took the clippers back from Thomas, handing him the mirror in return. “Hold this for me.”

Thomas held the mirror in front of Derek. Derek used the clippers to mark a spot on both sides of his head, beside each ear, then, he took care of his beard, shaving it completely off. “Thanks.” He took the mirror back from Thomas and stored both it and the clippers.

“Now, we only need to find a nice river for a bath, then we can get you home.” Derek gathered the blankets from the ground and stored them in his bracelet. “Come on. Let’s go.”

8 THROUGH THE FOREST

Thomas stood beside Derek, ready to finally go home. He missed his village and couldn’t imagine what his grandma had been going through after learning of his disappearance. When Derek began walking, he followed.

After a few steps, the man stopped and turned. “Uh… kid… which way to your village?” Thomas did his best not to facepalm.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think that way goes deeper into the forest, though.” He pointed to the side of the clearing with the diseased trees and bushes. “The wolf chased me off the top of a hill, then I walked down this clearing for a long time before finding you.”

“Alright, so up the hill we go,” Derek said.

Up the hill? We can’t climb that hill. It’s more like a cliff. “Are we going to look for a way around or find a spot that isn’t so steep?” Thomas questioned.

Suddenly, the armored man shouted, “Yoink!” and Thomas was in the air.

Derek had slung Thomas over his shoulder and was racing up the cliff-like hill. He can actually climb this thing? The ride up the hill was jarring, to say the least. After being shaken and tossed every which way, Thomas closed his eyes in order to avoid getting sick.

A few seconds later, the movement stopped. Thomas opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. He actually made it, he thought before he was unceremoniously tossed to the ground.

“Okay, we’re on the hill. Which way next?” Derek looked around, waiting for Thomas to answer.

“Um… I think we should eventually make it out of the forest if we head away from the hill. I’m not sure how far I ran into the forest, but it couldn’t have been that far.” It was the best idea he could come up with.

“Good enough for me,” Derek said as he started walking forward. Thomas hurried to keep up with the man. “So, what’s the name of this precious village of yours?”

“We don’t really name our villages,” Thomas answered.

“Why not?”

“Well, they’re really small and not recognized by the Kingdom. Really, we just call it ‘the village’ or ‘our village.’ If we need to be exact, we use the village chief’s name. Rayna is the chief of my village right now, so we would just call it ‘Rayna’s Village,’ I guess.” Thomas frowned. “Ten years ago, our chief was Darius, but he died in the forest. The names change, but if you know or knew of any of the previous chiefs, you would be able to find it.”

“Damn… why not just pick a name and stick with it? It would make things much easier in the long run,” Derek criticized.

Thomas shrugged. “Since villages aren’t recognized, they’re not really allowed to have official names. That’s just how it is. The strongest person in the village is the chief, and since they lead and protect it, it ends up named after them until the next chief.” What he was saying was common, so he didn’t have any reason to mock the tradition.

“So, this Rayna, is he strong? What level is he? What class?” Derek asked excitedly.

“Uh… Rayna… she… is very strong. She may even be stronger than you. Last I heard, she had already leveled up to 30. As for her class… I don’t know. It’s rude to ask someone about their class. People like to keep their class a secret, even though it’s likely that they have the same common class as millions of others.” Thomas’s emotions changed when he talked about Rayna. He looked up to the woman.

Derek frowned and looked at him. Thomas shrank back, not knowing what the man was thinking. What did I do? Did I say something wrong?

“Tommy,” Derek finally said, “why would you think that Rayna is stronger than me? You saw that wolf and bear, right?” he asked.

“Well, yeah. But wolves and bears are common. I’m sure Rayna has killed dozens of wolves while guarding our village or out in the forest.” Wolves were a common occurrence around the villages, outside the forest. They were common beasts of low level, usually. If he had access to the Great System, he believed he would have had a chance against the wolf that chased him. Unfortunately, his dream was crushed by Derek’s next question.

“If she’s killed so many level-50 creatures, why is her level only in the 30s? I know gaining experience isn’t the easiest task, but that many beasts of a higher level should net her a lot of levels, right?” the man asked.

“What?” Thomas stopped in his tracks. “What do you mean, level 50? Wolves are always level 10 or 15, at the most.”

“Hmm? Nope, that Forest Wolf was like, level 53, I think. That bear I killed this morning… it was level 48,” Derek said.

“Impossible… that’s impossible. This has never been a high-level forest. Sure, the farther you go into the forest, the higher the level the monsters get, but we aren’t that deep into the forest. Besides, that wolf chased me all the way from the edge of the forest. I’ve never heard of a monster at the edge of the forest being above level 20.” Thomas was frantic.

“I don’t know what to tell you, kid. The bear and wolf were both around level 50. Maybe it has something to do with the disease that’s spreading. The wolf wasn’t diseased, by the way. What if it was near the edge of the forest so it could avoid getting the disease?” Derek said.

“If that’s true, we need to hurry. I have to warn the village chief. If stronger monsters start to appear outside the forest, then the traders and villagers will be in trouble.” Thomas could no longer stand still. He took off ahead of Derek.

“Woah there, kid.” Derek caught Thomas by his collar, halting his movement. “You aren’t going to warn anyone if you run ahead and get yourself killed in the process. Besides, you don’t have the stamina to keep that pace. You’ll exhaust yourself in minutes.”

Thomas tried to calm down and keep pace with Derek.

“Don’t worry. They’ve lasted this long without knowing about it. I’m sure a few more days won’t hurt,” Derek said.

The two began their trek through the forest. Along the way, they passed dying plants and trees, but oddly enough, they never saw any more monsters. It was a silent journey. As they moved closer to the edge of the forest, the forest slowly regained life, all but confirming that whatever was happening to the forest was happening from deep within.

“It’s no wonder that healthy monsters are showing up near the edge of the forest. It’s not nearly as diseased as deeper in,” Derek commented.

Finally, the duo came upon the sound of running water.

“Let’s go!” Derek called out and picked Thomas up.

“Ahh!” Thomas yelled as his feet lost touch with the ground, and he moved through the air. Again, Derek surprised him with the speed at which he moved. Soon, they arrived at a small river.

Derek dropped Thomas. “Stay here,” he commanded and walked to the river.

Thomas watched as Derek moved away. Suddenly, the armor that covered the man’s body disappeared, revealing a black shirt and blue pants underneath. Those clothes soon followed the armor and disappeared, leaving only Derek’s toned back muscles.

However, none of that was what caught the boy’s attention. Instead, he was focused on the scars. There were so many scars. Thomas counted eight just on his back, and they weren’t little. Why does he have scars? It’s so easy for a healer to remove them. If they are healed properly in the first place, wounds shouldn’t even leave scars. Eventually, Thomas chalked it up to another one of the man’s oddities.

As Thomas watched Derek scrub away the grime, he looked down over his own body. Noticing all the dirt and grime he had picked up over the last few days, he walked toward the river to wash as well.

“Stop!” Derek yelled, causing Thomas to halt his steps.

“What?” Thomas asked, wondering what he did wrong.

Derek smiled and lifted a fish out of the water. Thomas squinted to take in the small fish, noticing the razor-sharp teeth snapping open and shut, trying its best to eat Derek’s hand.

“I don’t think you would appreciate the company,” Derek joked.

Thomas scrambled backward, any thoughts of bathing completely gone out of his mind.

“It’s okay.” Derek walked out of the river with a large bucket full of water. “You can use this. It’s not as good as a proper bath, but it’ll have to do. That river is teeming with those fish.”

Thomas thanked Derek and quickly washed himself, feeling better than he had in days afterward. Once he dressed, he was ready to go.

“Huh,” Derek said. “Who would have thought that you actually had blond hair? Really light blond, too.”

For some reason, the man decided against putting his armor back on. Instead, he wore the odd-looking tunic and pants. They were styled in a way that Thomas didn’t recognize.

The two continued their travel through the forest. When night came, Derek set up another camp, and they slept, continuing their trek the next day. At noon on the next day, Thomas finally saw the end of the forest. He was beside himself with joy. I can finally go home!

9 ESCAPE

Brandi was walking home with her mother, who was carrying a basket of wet clothing. They had only just finished washing their clothes in the stream at the back side of the village. “Do you think Dad and Chief Leon will have a good hunt?” She was always worried about her father when he went out on hunting trips. Sometimes, he would be gone for days. When that happened, the anxiety and stress would set in. But he always came back.

“They just left this morning. I’m sure they will come back soon with meat and skins—like always,” her mother answered with a smile, but Brandi could see the worry that was always in her eye ever since she heard about the beasts becoming more aggressive lately.

The duo made it home and hung their clothes out to dry. “We really do need more hides. Our old ones are pretty worn down. Maybe they’ll hunt a bear this time.” Brandi was excited at the chance to help work on making new leathers.

She had only unlocked the Great System recently. Her father had helped her unlock an achievement and earn an extra skill point, which she instantly allocated to Leatherworking. She wanted to pick a skill that could help the village. She would love it if she could make better armor for the hunters to help keep them safe.

Brandi was a squeamish girl and didn’t try to hide it. The sight of blood churned her stomach. She went an entire day without eating after she had to kill the level 10 bunny to earn an achievement and unlock the Great System. It didn’t help that the bunny was cute and fluffy. She had a stuffed animal she slept with that looked just like the bunny. She couldn’t look it in the eyes anymore.

“Do you think Dad will let me tan the hide on anything they hunt? I want to increase my skill so I can help more,” she asked her mother, hoping to get her on her side when she inevitably asked her father.

“That’s up to your father,” her mother said. “Besides, are you willing to help skin the animal? That could be considered an important part of Leatherworking.”

Brandi lost all color thinking about skinning an animal carcass. “Do you think I should have spent my skill point on something else? Did I make a mistake? I wasn’t thinking about having to touch dead animals. I just wanted to help Dad and the other villagers.” She shuddered, tears almost forming in her eyes.

Her mother giggled. “You’ll be fine, dear. You will grow used to it. You’re not the only little girl to have that reaction to killing monsters or dealing with a carcass. I wish your father didn’t go out and find the cutest beast I’ve ever seen. That was cruel of him, and he knows it.” She sighed. “But it’s not easy to find such an easy-to-kill level 10 creature.”

As the two chatted, they heard a loud crash. Their eyes darted toward the sound, only to see the village’s front gate swinging closed. Some villagers strained to keep it from opening back up. Finally, Brandi saw a man running in her direction, blood running down his chest from a fresh wound.

“Daddy!” she yelled out after recognizing the man as her father.

“Mal! Take Brandi and gather the other non-fighters and group up at the back of the villager,” her father commanded Malorie, Brandi’s mother.

“What happened?” Her mother’s gaze turned serious. She handed him a salve she had in her pockets.

“Beasts are attacking. Strong beasts. We don’t have enough time. Do what I said, and someone will meet you to let you know what to do next.” He took the salve and hugged Brandi and her mother. “Go, now!”

Brandi’s mom scooped her up and ran toward the back of the village. Brandi watched her father’s figure get smaller and smaller as they moved in opposite directions.

She watched as her father stopped and started talking with Chief Leon close to the gate. The man looked just as bad as her father, if not worse. They were both badly injured.

“Mom! It’s Chief Leon. He’s hurt, too!” she told her mom. “Dad said that there are beasts. Do you think there are a lot of them? How strong is strong?”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be fine.” Her mother placed her hand on the back of Brandi’s head, soothing her. “I’m sure your father and Chief Leon have a plan for whatever happens.”

Soon, the duo arrived at the back of the village, where others were already waiting. Among them was Sana, Chief Leon’s wife.

“Sana, did Leon tell you anything?” Malorie asked. “All Travis said before running off was that there was a beast attack, and they were strong.”

Sana pursed her lips and sighed. “Leon said that there are at least 30 beasts attacking, maybe more. All from the forest and attacking the front gate. He thinks they are all around level 20 or higher. He wanted us to gather here so we can slip out of the village and try to get away.”

“When do we leave, and where are we going?” Malorie asked.

“Marshall will be here soon. He’s going to guide us away from the village and the beasts. Hopefully, they will be too occupied with the village to come after us.” The woman clenched her fist. “We’ll head towards Rayna’s village. She should be strong enough to help us. If something happens and we can’t go that way, we will go to Phillip’s village.”

Malorie nodded. “We need to collect enough water so we don’t get dehydrated on our way there.” She looked around. “Not many of us have high endurance.”

After that, everyone went and collected water while waiting for Marshall to arrive. Brandi heard all the older people whispering to each other. Her worry for her father grew greater with every passing second. It was all she could do not to break down and cry.

Finally—after what seemed like hours but was no more than a few minutes—Brandi saw Marshall heading their way. She picked up a small water skin and hugged it to her chest, joining everyone else.

“Quiet everyone!” Marshall hissed in a hushed tone. The murmurs and whispers came to an instant halt. “Okay, listen. Things aren’t looking good. Chief Leon and the other hunters are doing everything they can to keep the gate closed and give us time to escape.”

“A few beasts have made it over the gate and were killed. If they can keep at it, they may be able to whittle the beasts down and get out of this situation. No matter what happens, we need to run so they don’t have to worry about us while fighting,” the man continued. “We are going to Rayna’s village. If we move fast enough and there are no problems, we should get there in a few days, no more than a week.”

Marshall shifted his gaze to the adults in the group. “I know there aren’t many fighters among us, and I will do my best to escort everyone, but I know that some of you can handle yourselves. If something happens, you may have to help.” He looked at Malorie and Sana and nodded.

The two women nodded back at him in understanding. Brandi’s mother used to go on hunting trips with her father, so she knew why the man was looking at her. Brandi watched her mother put her hand on the dagger fastened to her waist.

“Good. Is everyone ready?” The group nodded in silent agreement. “It’s as clear as it’s going to get. It’s now or never. Let’s go.” Marshall quietly opened the back gate. “Remember, be quiet,” he whispered back to the group, then stepped out.

The group soon followed, and they were off. They kept to a brisk but quiet pace as they escaped the village. Soon, they were far enough away from the village that the sounds of fighting were barely audible.

Unable to take it anymore, Brandi tugged on her mother’s shirt and whispered, “Momma, is Daddy going to be okay? He’ll make it back to us, right?”

“He’ll catch up to us. Now, hush,” Malorie said in a stern tone. She took Brandi’s hand and pulled her forward.

The group kept moving, and time passed. Once they were a couple miles away from the village, the tension started easing. With the tension gone, everyone was able to think about what was going on, and the gloom set in. So, though the tension eased, the quiet march continued.

It was like this for hours until one of the older female villagers finally dropped to her knees and started hyperventilating. “They’re gone. They’re all gone!” she cried out. “Andrew, Jack, they’re dead. Both dead.”

Brandi knew the lady and Andrew and Jack. She knew everyone in the village. Andrew was the woman’s son and Jack was her husband. They were both hunters who stayed back with her father and the others.

Thinking about her father, her mouth started quivering. She did her best not to break down like the older woman. She had to be strong for her mom.

Then, other villagers began to break. The children started crying out. Brandi tried her best not to think about it. She wanted to believe in Chief Leon and her father, but seeing everyone else caused her to sob. She tried to hold it back, but the tears still ran down her face. Still, she stayed quiet.

Their escape turned into a sad trudge. The morale of the group was broken. Marshall tried to shush them a few times but failed. The smaller children were the worst. Their sobs were frequent and loud.

Marshall put his hand up to stop the group, his serious face causing most of them to go silent. He turned his head to the right, causing Brandi to follow his line of sight. In the distance, there was movement in the tree line.

Brandi prayed that it was nothing. That it was only a couple of bunnies. The same that she had killed to unlock the Great System. She didn’t care about their cuteness anymore. She would watch a thousand bunnies get slaughtered if it meant that everyone was safe. Alas, her prayers weren’t answered.

“Everyone, behind me!” Marshall shouted, causing the group to shift. He drew his sword as two wolves broke out of the tree line and rushed in the group’s direction. “We’ve got two wolves. Sana, Malorie, we can take them.” Then two more wolves appeared. “Never mind! I’ll hold them off. Run!”

Marshall lunged forward at the leading wolf, thrusting his sword. It connected. The sword pierced the right shoulder of the wolf. When his momentum stopped, Marshall pulled the blade out, ripping through the skin of the wolf. He let out a sigh and confronted the next wolf.

Brandi was in her mother’s arms, being carried away from the battle. Occasionally, her mother would glance behind them at the battle. Brandi looked too.

Marshall wasn’t losing. He was holding his own with the four wolves. One wolf even had a gaping wound. Brandi let out a sigh of relief just before the other wolf jumped out of the tree line. It was so much bigger than the other four wolves.

Soon, Brandi stopped moving. Her mother sat her on the ground and looked at her with a smile. “Go along now. We’re going to go help Marshall.” She patted Brandi on the head.

“No! I’m not losing you, too!” Brandi yelled. She refused to leave without her mother.

“Be a good girl and go. You’ll only make it harder on us if you stay,” Sana said to Brandi, and her mother nodded as well.

Brandi sniffled a few times, but, in the end, she turned to run to the rest of the group.

“Let’s go,” Sana said.

Brandi watched as Sana and her mother ran back… to the wolves.

10 ASSHOLE

Derek and Thomas stepped out of the forest. Thomas sighed in relief as Derek survey their surroundings. Derek could tell that all the boy’s pent-up emotions were coming to a head. And, after the experiences he’d had over the last week, Derek couldn’t blame the kid.

“Which way now?” Derek asked.

“Uh… I’m not sure. I don’t know where we came out of the forest at.” Thomas frowned. “We could just follow the tree line until we run into a village or some people,” he suggested. “Then we can get directions to my village.”

“That’s fine by me.” Derek didn’t have any plans. Currently, it didn’t make any difference to him whether he wasted some time or not. There wasn’t anything left for him on Earth, so he didn’t even have getting home to worry about. One world was just as good as the next.

As the duo traveled, they talked about less personal things. Derek kept tight-lipped when the boy asked him about where he was from. It was better to keep what happened to him a secret until he figured some things out. Soon, they ran out of small talk and just walked along in silence.

Derek, ever vigilant, noticed some figures approaching them in the distance. They weren’t close enough for him to make out, so he didn’t yet know if it was people or monsters. “Hey, kid”—he grabbed Thomas’s attention—“we’re going to have some company soon. Stay close to me just in case they’re not friendly.”

Thomas lagged a step and fell in behind Derek. Good kid, Derek thought.

They continued on, Thomas occasionally poking his head out from behind Derek, looking for the figures Derek spoke of. “I see them,” the boy spoke after a while.

Derek nodded. “They aren’t monsters. They’re human.” Derek identified them. “Looks like a small group. Maybe traders…” There were around 15 people that Derek could make out. “No.” He shook his head. “Not traders…” He frowned. “Looks like non-fighters. I don’t see many weapons, and there are a bunch of children.”

What he did notice was that the group was closing the distance between them at a rapid pace. “They’re moving fast. Either running away from something or moving towards something. Whatever it is, it’s got them panicking.”

As the people got closer, Thomas stepped out from behind Derek.

“What is it?” Derek asked.

“They look familiar… I think I know them.” Thomas said as recognition hit him. “That’s… They’re from Leon’s village. It’s one of the villages close to my village, so we all know each other.”

At the same time as Thomas noticed who the group was, they noticed him, as well. “Thomas!” a little girl yelled out and sped past the rest of the group. “Thomas! You have to run!” she screamed as she got closer.

“A friend of yours?” Derek asked the boy while pointing at the dark-haired girl.

Instead of answering, Thomas yelled back, “Brandi!” He then ran to meet the girl.

Derek kept stride with the boy, not letting him wander too far away. He told the boy he would get him home safely, and he planned to do it.

The two kids met up, and Thomas started firing question after question at the girl. “What are you doing out here? Where are your parents? Why aren’t there any fighters with you? Why aren’t they escorting you? What’s going on?” The boy didn’t even take a breath between questions.

“Daddy… he… he’s at home. Momma… she… she…” Brandi was already crying while trying to answer Thomas’s questions. Nobody could make out what was going on.

Fortunately, a woman in the group caught up not long after Brandi. She ignored Thomas, speaking directly to Derek instead. “Our village was attacked by a horde of monsters. All the capable fighters stayed behind to give us a chance to escape. All except for Marshall, he was escorting us, but he…” The woman paused to take in a deep breath. “He stayed behind with Sana and Mal when a group of wolves attacked us. They are holding the wolves off while we escape. I don’t think they’re strong enough to…” She stopped explaining. “We have to run… now! Before the pack comes.”

Derek saw Thomas shoot him a worried look, eyes pleading for him to do something.

He sighed. “Fine, I’ll go. Be right back.” Derek walked through the group as the rest of the escapees ran past.

“Wait!” The woman from before tried to stop him. “You’ll die. We need to run.”

Thomas tugged on the woman’s shirt, getting her attention. “It’s okay. He is much stronger than he looks.”

Once he was clear of the group, Derek kicked off the ground and launched himself forward. He followed the trail left by the group, and not long after he heard the battle, then he saw it.

Two women and a man were fighting a pack of wolves led by an alpha. Each woman was fending off two small wolves, leaving the man fighting alone against the alpha of the pack. Derek studied the battle. Soon he came to the conclusion that though the three fighters were holding their own against the pack, they would soon lose.

The alpha would soon overrun the man. Then there would be nothing the two women could do. Once the man lost his footing against the alpha, their efforts would collapse like a house of cards.

Derek moved into the battle. Instead of jumping in directly, he called out to the fighters. “Mind if I join?” He’d suffer from stolen kills and reduced experience before, and it was only good manners to ask before jumping into a battle… even if the group was losing… badly.

The man with a shortsword quickly glanced Derek’s way. Eyeing him up and down. “Help would be much appreciated.”

“K,” Derek muttered. He withdrew a dagger from his storage bracelet and charged at the alpha wolf.

Seeing Derek charge, the man with the shortsword jumped back out of his way.

Derek sidestepped an attack from the beast and drove the dagger directly into the open eye of the unsuspecting beast, essentially ending the fight with the wolf before it knew what happened. The wolf fell motionless, never to move again.

“You want to go help those two?” Derek asked. “The experience is probably good for them, so I won’t interfere unless you want.” He pointed to the two women fighting the four smaller beasts.

“We don’t have the time.” The man shook his head. “We need to end it as quickly as possible.”

Derek shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He ripped the bloody dagger out of the eye socket of the dead beast and tossed it at one of the remaining wolves. He wasn’t finished yet. He summoned another dagger and threw it as well.

The first dagger struck the head of one of the wolves, instantly destroying its skull and traveling into the distance before falling to the ground, leaving the woman to fight a single wolf. The second dagger followed suit, striking down a wolf that was fighting the other woman. Instantly, the two-on-one fights became one on one.

Derek winced. “Too much power.” He hadn’t looked to see how strong the wolves were, so he used too much power in his throws, leaving him to have to go fetch his daggers off in the distance. “That should be good enough,” he told the man who was standing by his side before he ran off to fetch his daggers.

The man could only nod, staring wide-eyed at Derek.

One woman was fighting a wolf that was already injured, so she was able to finish it off before Derek made it back with his daggers. The other woman took a little longer, but the fight still ended quickly.

“Your group is waiting for you down the way. One of the girls was very worried about her mommy, which I assume to be one of the two of you.” Derek looked at the two women.

The taller woman with dark, flowing hair and tanned skin smiled.

“Let’s go,” Derek said before anyone could say anything else. The trio followed closely behind as he led the way.

As soon as they arrived at the group, the little girl, Brandi, jumped into the tall woman’s arms. “Mommy!”

“I’m fine. We’re fine.” She confronted her daughter.

“Alright… I’m taking this kid back to his village. “You’re all welcome to join us. We needed a guide anyway.” Derek pointed at Thomas before nodding his head at the man named Marshall.

“Derek… their village,” Thomas begged.

“I said I would take you home. I didn’t say I would go out of my way to save a village that very likely is already destroyed. Besides”—he looked at Marshall—“how long has it been since the attack?”

The escort looked at his feet and sighed. He looked back up. “Hours…”

Derek looked at Thomas. “See… not even their own people believe anyone is left alive. Not to mention the time it would take for us to get there.” He didn’t sugarcoat anything. “Also, with what we know about the condition of the forest, it would be in everyone’s best interest to stay away from villages that border the forest.”

“What do you mean? Were you sent to find out what was wrong with the village?” the other woman that was fighting, the one that was not Brandi’s mother, asked.

Derek put up his hand to stop the woman from continuing her questions. “I’ll explain it all one time and to Rayna. There’s no point explaining it over and over.”

He watched Thomas think. The boy was quiet as he went over everything Derek had said. Finally, Derek could see the resolve in his eyes as he spoke. “We should go anyway. Somebody could still be alive. Maybe they’re hiding. Plus, you’re fast, I’ve seen you. It won’t take you any time to get there and help. There’s always a chance.”

“Boy, that hero complex is going to get you killed one day. It may even get those close to you killed,” Derek said. “You said we should go? Do you plan on fighting, too? Can anyone else here help me fight a horde of monsters? No, I’ll be the one fighting. You want ME to help, not WE.”

“But…” Thomas began.

Derek cut him off. “But nothing. I saved your life in the forest. Then, you gave me some information, helping me, so I agreed to get you home safe. That’s our contract. I didn’t sign up for risking my life to save a bunch of complete strangers.

“Do you know why I’m so strong? Why I’m even still alive?” he asked rhetorically. “It’s because I rely on myself. I don’t put my faith in others to help me. And most importantly, I don’t go out of my way to be heroic. Every time something terrible has happened to me, it has been because I stuck my nose where it doesn’t belong.” Like choosing to help Silvi and her team… he thought.

“That doesn’t matter!” Thomas yelled. “You’re strong now. You should help people.”

Derek snorted. “Spoken like a true 12-year-old.”

Thomas snapped, “So what if you’ll be the only person fighting? You don’t need anyone else. You won’t be risking your life. Nothing around here would even be able to harm you. You’re just being an asshole!”

Derek burst out laughing. “Exactly! I’m an asshole. I’m an asshole in a world where assholes live and heroes die. Life ain’t a fairy tale, kid. One day, I hope you become a proper asshole.” He planned to go to the village. As Thomas said, there shouldn’t be anything around that could harm him. Not this far out of the forest.

He just wanted to teach the boy a lesson while he still could. There was no denying that Derek was an asshole, but being around Thomas was helping him get back to himself, and for that, he owed him.

He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Be an asshole, get strong, then be a hero. That’s the only way you can survive in a world like this. You can’t save anyone if you’re already dead.” He picked Thomas up and threw him over his shoulder.

“Wha… what are you doing?” Thomas screeched.

“What else? We’re going to save what’s left of the village. Now, be still.”

11 SLAUGHTER

Thomas had never experienced such a feeling, not even when Derek carried him up the hill. The scenery was flying by. He couldn’t even make out the trees and landmarks they passed. Somehow, he managed to keep his consciousness through the quick trip.

Soon, they came to a halt, arriving a short distance from the village. Thomas felt his feet hit the ground and staggered, doing his best to remain standing.

“Look.” Derek pointed to the village. “You wanted to come here, so here we are. Tell me. What do you see?”

Thomas looked ahead at the village. He had expected to hear sounds of fighting, clashes of swords on flesh, and sounds of ailing beasts, but he heard nothing. It was dead silent, other than the occasional snarl or yip from a beast. He realized Derek was right. They were already too late.

Still, he tried to remain hopeful. “There aren’t any sounds from humans. It’s quiet, but maybe there are still some people hiding inside. Maybe that’s why they are silent, so the beasts can’t hear them.”

Derek sighed. “I’m going to take you to the front. Then I’m going to go in and clear the village of beasts. He picked Thomas back up and moved toward the broke gate at the front of the village.

When Thomas got a glimpse of what was inside, he retched. It was a mess, a bloody mess. Not only were there blood and body parts of wolves and other beasts, but there were also other body parts—human parts. Two wolves were fighting over an arm while a bear stood over a corpse, pulling out the intestines. He retched again.

He finally knew why Derek didn’t want to go with all the others, and why he brought Thomas along. He knew it was going to be like this. He knew, and he wanted me to see it. For a boy of Thomas’s age, he was smart. He realized Derek’s intentions as soon as he was able to properly think again, after seeing the gruesome sight.

“Do you understand?” Derek asked. “This is what happens when you aren’t strong enough. This isn’t a mission to save a village, it’s a recovery mission.” Derek summoned his chest armor out of the storage bracelet he wore. “Wear this. I’m going to take care of whatever’s left in there.

He pushed the armor over Thomas’s head and pulled it down. The armor was big enough to cover Thomas’s entire body. “This too,” Derek said as he summoned a helmet Thomas hadn’t seen him wear before. Soon, most of Thomas’s vision was dark, and he could only see out of slits in the helmet.

“I doubt there’s anything around here that can get through my armor. You’ll be safe while I clean up the monsters—at least safer than staying behind with a group that can’t even handle a few wolf pups. Try to stay quiet.” With that, Derek walked away.

Thomas watched the man’s back as he got farther and farther away, replaying everything Derek had told him in his head. Then Derek removed the shirt that covered his back. Is he getting naked to fight the monsters? Is there some kind of achievement for that?

Derek removed the shirt he was wearing. He didn’t want to risk destroying one of the only proper T-shirts he had left. With what he’d seen of this world so far, everyone wore clothing that looked like something out of medieval times. He didn’t want any part of that.

He looked down, debating on whether to remove his jeans. Finally, he decided against it. I’d rather not fight in my boxers, and I don’t have many pairs of shorts left, either. I may be able to get used to some of the pants people wear here… if I need to.

Derek wasn’t worried about anything being able to seriously injure him with his stats. His current vitality meant he would recover from injuries fast enough, and his endurance made his body strong—probably strong enough to withstand a bite from anything in the village. He didn’t even think any of the wolves he’d seen previously would be able to break his skin.

He looked ahead at the mess of a village. He would look, but the chances of there being people alive, but in hiding, were slim. At least I’ll get some experience out of this. Derek flicked his wrist and summoned his glaive.

Derek surveyed the area, using Identify on any creatures that entered his vision. Well… the highest level is only 27, but most are in the low 20s. How are people who live around here not strong enough to deal with beasts like this? Have they gotten complacent after having this system for so long? Is there no sense of urgency? He had many questions and concerns, but they were for a later date.

Derek went straight for the highest-level beast in the vicinity, the level 27 Forest Bear. This time, the bear wasn’t diseased. Once beside it, with a single swing of his glaive, the beast fell. He took an extra second to make sure it was dead, then moved on to the next.

As he mopped up the monsters remaining in the village, he did his best to avoid spilling blood in a manner that would dirty his jeans. Bloodstains were hard to get out, no matter what world you lived in. Unless you found someone with a skill that could do it for you, that is. Derek didn’t know anybody like that, at least not in this world.

Derek worked his way through the mob like a hot knife through butter. Before long, he was clutching the neck of a bunny with his free hand. Noticing that it was the last remaining enemy, he squeezed, and the bunny went limp.

After finishing his objective, Derek saw numerous notifications flashing in the corner of his vision. No time for that… I’ll check them later. He dismissed them from his vision and walked back to the gate to fetch Thomas.

Derek looked down and frowned. I forgot about my boots. Though he was able to keep most of the blood from spattering on his pants, he had forgotten about his boots. With the pools of blood flowing through the village, it was an impossible task to keep his boots clean. Plus, his boots weren’t exactly comfortable to begin with as they were a part of his armor. I hope I can find someone who can make a comfortable pair of boots.

“Alright, boy,” he said as he made it to Thomas and pulled his armor back into his bracelet. “Now… we search. If there’s anyone left alive, we’ll find them.” He pulled the boy to his hip. “Stay by me and don’t venture off. The last thing we need is a monster jumping out from behind a closed door and killing you.”

The two walked through the small village, searching in every nook and cranny they could find along the way. They found no one… at least no one breathing. There weren’t many buildings in the village, but they searched them all. Once, they got their hopes up after seeing a hand reaching out from behind a bed, but when they rushed in, they found it was only a rodent dragging the body part.

Thomas retched again.

“It’s alright, get it all out. Hopefully, you won’t have to see many more of these scenes in your life.” He comforted the boy. Then, in a voice the boy wouldn’t be able to hear, he whispered, “I doubt it, though.”

They walked out of the building, and Derek sighed. “I don’t know, kid. It’s not looking good.”

“Let’s keep looking,” Thomas said. “I don’t see Chief Leon or Brandi’s dad anywhere. They were the strongest in the village. There’s a chance they could still be alive.”

Derek shook his head but continued searching with the boy.

As the duo reached the backside of the village, they heard a growl coming from just outside the back gate, the one the group of refugees had escaped through. The two rushed out, Derek still keeping Thomas within an arm’s length.

The density of dead beasts was higher in the area. The two moved through the bodies and blood before coming to a small stream. By the stream were two men being attacked by a single, small wolf. The wolf was snarling and nipping at a badly injured man. He did his best to keep the beast away, but he was in rough shape.

Derek threw a dagger and instantly ended the confrontation. He and Thomas made their way to the two injured villagers.

The older man, who was fighting the wolf, looked up, confused. Then a look of recognition appeared on his face. “Thomas! What are you doing here? Run, the village is under attack.” Apparently, it had not registered to the man that there was no longer any noise or beasts around. He also didn’t seem to notice how easily the wolf before him was taken out.

“Chief Leon! It’s okay. Me and my… friend, Derek, came to help after running into Brandi and the others,” Thomas reassured the man. “Don’t worry, Derek is really strong… like… really, really strong. He already killed all the monsters left in the village. We’ve been looking for survivors for some time now.”

Leon’s mind finally seemed to process everything. He looked over at Derek, who was currently crouched down, pulling a dagger out of a wolf. “Thank you for coming,” he said. “Was there… was there anyone else alive?”

Derek shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no. You were the only ones we found. Is he…” He motioned to the man on the ground behind Leon. “Is he alive?”

Leon sighed and shook his head. “He is… but he won’t make it.”

“That’s Brandi’s dad, Travis.” Thomas recognized the man.

Derek used his Identify skill on the man.

Human Male

Level 23

State: Dying

Time Remaining: 1 hr 15min

Derek moved his hand to his bracelet but hesitated. I haven’t seen a dying state in a while. I haven’t been in a dying state in a while. He spoke to Leon, “He’s in a dying state. Do you have a healer or potion that would allow him to recover?”

If dying states were the same in this world and system as they were in his previous ones, that is. In his former system, a dying state happened when your health dropped to zero but no critical hit was inflicted.

When entering the dying state, a timer would start. It was essentially the amount of time you had left to be resurrected. If you got the proper healing in that time, you would live and be no worse for the wear. If not, you died. Taking another hit after entering a dying state meant death.

Not all people who lost their health entered the dying state. Take a critical hit to the brain, for example. Nothing could bring you back from an exploded head. Derek’s endurance allowed for him to have less critically important spots left on his body. He could survive damage to his kidneys and even liver. Only his heart and brain were enough to take him out in one shot.

Derek had a single potion left in his storage bracelet that would be helpful in this situation, but he was hesitant to use it. Resurrection Potions were expensive in his previous system, and he had already used two others on himself.

“No…” Leon answered. “We don’t have a Healer with a high enough level for that type of recovery. No healer with skills like that would come to a village like ours. We don’t have any potions or scrolls, either. Even if I knew someone who could make the potion, buying it would be an entirely different matter. Selling the entire village wouldn’t be enough.”

Derek nodded. It was as he expected. He ran his hand over his storage bracelet again. He had the urge to pull out his remaining potion to help the man, but he was in an unfamiliar world that he’d yet to understand. Giving up such a rare potion for a stranger was just something he couldn’t do. He made his decision.

“He’s got just over an hour left to live,” Derek said. “Can you wake him up?” he asked.

Leon moved to Travis and gently shook him, causing the dying man to open his eyes slightly.

“Do you understand what’s happening?” Derek asked.

The man’s eyes opened wider, and he nodded.

“Good. I can go get your wife and daughter, give them a chance to say their goodbyes, but that is all I can offer. Would you like me to do that?” Derek asked. Some people would prefer their loved ones to not see them in such a state.

“The beasts…” the man croaked.

“All taken care of,” Leon assured the man.

Travis breathed deeply. “Please, let me see them one last time.”

Derek knew he wasn’t doing anything wrong by keeping his potion. No sane person would give something so vital away to a complete stranger. Especially if they were in the same situation as Derek. He could, however, let the man say goodbye to his family.

He handed Leon a health potion and covered Thomas in his armor once again. He had plenty of health potions left of different qualities. Using one in such a situation wouldn’t hurt him any. Besides, it would be better if Leon could fight. His armor should keep Thomas safe, but he would rather not tempt fate.

“I’ll be back soon.” If he left immediately, he should be able to bring both Malorie and Brandi back quick enough to let them spend Travis’s final minutes with them.

Derek sped off, running back to the refugees at the fastest pace he could muster. In just under an hour, he was back with the mother and daughter. He sat them down beside Travis.

“Let’s move over there,” he told Thomas and Leon. “Give them some privacy.”

12 CLASSES

Derek, Leon, and Thomas moved farther down the stream, leaving the grieving family with their privacy. Derek found a small boulder beside the stream and used it as an impromptu seat. He could tell that Thomas was having a hard time with the scene behind them.

“Kid, this happens more than you would know. It’s something you have to get used to unless you plan to never leave your home again. Even then”—he pointed at the barren village—“that can always happen.”

He wasn’t going to coddle the kid. He’d already shown him the scene at the village, so this was nothing. The only difference was that the boy was close to the family. “It doesn’t get any easier… ever. You just learn to hide your emotions from others… and even yourself, better. I know it’s harder because they are people you are familiar with and care about, but unless you’re the next person to die, they won’t be the last you see.”

“He’s right,” Leon said. “And it doesn’t get easier. You just get better at controlling yourself.”

“I know,” Thomas said. “I’ve lost before… when my parents didn’t come home. In some way, I’m envious that they get to say goodbye.”

“It’s only natural,” Derek said.

He had some questions for the boy, but he didn’t ask them. Thomas had only ever talked about his grandpa and grandma, he had never brought up his parents. If he wanted to talk about it, he would. Until then, Derek kept silent. It was none of his business, anyway. He didn’t even know why he wanted to know.

As the trio sat in silence, Derek decided to clear up his interface by reading the notifications.

You have assisted in killing level 22 Forest Wolf

You have assisted in killing level 18 Forest Wolf

You have assisted in killing level 18 Forest Wolf

48 Experience Gained

128/169 Experience to Next Level

At least I know that this system still has the same shared XP mechanic as the other. He scoffed at the system, making his life harder. Clearly, he did almost all the work when it came to killing those three wolves. He moved on to the next kill messages.

In total, he killed 32 different monsters in the village, netting him over 1,000 experience and five levels. He stopped leveling when his level hit ten.

Derek pulled up his information.

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 10 (Choose Class to Continue)

Experience: (Choose Class to Continue)

Class: (Choose Class to Continue)

Race: Human (Modified)

I wonder what I should do next. Maybe I should choose a class… Derek snorted. He didn’t want to have to choose a class so quickly, but if his progress halted until he made a decision, he would have to choose one sooner rather than later.

Derek scanned the area, making sure there weren’t any threats wandering around. Seeing that everyone was relatively safe… sad, but safe, he decided to look over his options. He focused on the class tab.

He started reading down the list but stopped once he realized that there were over a hundred classes he could choose from. Holy shit! How am I supposed to choose from this many classes? He couldn’t believe his eyes. Before, when having to choose a class, there were only a couple dozen options and most were common classes.

Back then, very few of his class options were of higher rarity, so his decision wasn’t hard. Yet, it still took him forever to choose his class. Now, with so many options, including rare and even epic classes, he didn’t know what to do.

He looked over at the kid and Leon. Thomas won’t know anything, but I bet Leon can help me. “Hey, Leon,” he said, getting the man’s attention. When Leon turned around, he continued, “I have a couple questions if you don’t mind answering.”

“Whatever you need to know, ask. It’s the least I can do for you after saving my life and the lives of the escaping villagers,” Leon said.

“Okay. If I get too personal, let me know. You don’t have to answer,” Derek said. He wanted to let Leon know that he could refuse to answer if he wanted to. He wasn’t forcing the man.

Leon frowned but nodded.

“First, if you don’t mind, when you were choosing your first class, how many classes were available for you to choose from?” Derek asked.

Leon thought for a second before answering. “Well, I had it better than most. I had around 20 different classes I could choose from when I reached level 10.”

“Oh, so 20 is a good amount?” Seeing Leon nod, he asked his next question. “Out of the classes, how many of them were common, uncommon, rare… you know, different rarities?”

“Rare?” Leon shook his head. “I only know of a few people who were able to choose a rare class—especially as their first class. I was extremely lucky to receive a single class with uncommon rarity. Most people settle for common classes their whole lives. Especially villagers like me,” Leon explained.

“In fact… from what I’ve heard, even nobles in the big cities consider it good fortune to receive an uncommon class as an initial choice. If they’re able to choose a rare class, they’re considered a prodigy,” Leon said.

“I see…” Derek said. If that’s the case, then what’s up with all these different classes and rarities? Finding something suitable is going to take me forever. Hmm… “Say, do you know what the determining factor is when it comes to class selection? Like, why the system would allow some to choose a rare class while others only get common?”

Leon’s eyes widened, and he stared at Derek in alarm.

“What?” Derek asked.

“It’s the Great System. Calling the Great System… what you called it would be considered blasphemy,” Leon said.

Derek snorted. “What’s it going to do? Smite me?” He looked at the sky. “Smite me, oh system,” he said, then looked at Leon. “See? Nothing.” He didn’t know much about systems, but he knew that whatever they were, they had better things to do than punish a single individual over some words.

Leon let out a breath and shook his head. He didn’t comment on Derek’s antics. “I’m not sure about your question. There are some theories, but they’re all above me. The only common consensus is that the Great System gives out classes that are suitable for the individual.”

“So, what the person does before selecting a class is taken into account by the system, then counts toward the classes they might obtain?” Derek asked.

Leon shrugged. “Maybe… I don’t know. People have always been discussing the topic.”

Hmm… Derek had some ideas about why he was able to choose between so many classes but didn’t say them out loud. Except for wisdom, all my stats are already above 200, which I’m sure makes me suitable for tons of different classes. So the system definitely takes stats into account. If it was only experiences, I wouldn’t have half the classes available.

I see a lot of classes that lean towards me being a tank that uses heavy weapons. Those classes should be there because of a combination of my stats, personality, and experiences… Ahh… all these classes to choose from are going to give me a headache. He sighed and asked some more questions.

“If you take a common class initially, can you upgrade its rarity later on? What happens when you hit level 25?” Derek asked.

Leon looked at him, confused. Derek understood the confusion. How could somebody as strong as him not know the basics when it came to classes? Derek didn’t bother to explain.

“Some classes upgrade in rarity as you level. Those are called growth-type classes. All classes have some form of upgrade at different levels, like at level 25, but the upgrade isn’t in rarity. It’s in Class Skills. The skills may upgrade, or you may get new skills. Sometimes, and this is what most of us do if we are lucky enough to and can do it at an early upgrade, you will be able to choose a different, higher rarity class at your upgrade points,” Leon explained.

“And how does that work?” Derek asked.

“Well, it can be a problem… switching classes, that is. Some Class Skills may be suitable for your new class and carry over, but it’s also possible to lose whole skills. If a previous skill isn’t compatible with your new class, you will lose it and every skill point you spent buying it. So you have to take careful consideration when choosing to switch classes, even if it’s a higher rarity,” Leon answered.

“Those who start out with higher rarity classes are truly blessed.” Leon’s eyes radiated envy. “At some point, the loss of skills and skill points become too detrimental to make switching worth it, even with the extra skill points. Sure, you don’t lose much if you can switch at level 25, but if you’re at level 100, would you risk losing every skill you have? You may end up only having a couple of skills to go with your new class. Switching to a rare class at level 100 would give you extra skill points to spend but only a couple of Class Skills available to spend them on.”

“Extra skill points?” Derek asked.

“Yes.” Leon furrowed his brow. “Common classes give five skill points at each class upgrade. Uncommon gives seven and rare gives ten. I’m unsure of higher rarity classes. But say you reach your level 50 or 100 upgrade, do you want to possibly lose up to 10 skill points just to upgrade from a common to uncommon class? Remember, you lose the skill points along with the skills.

“If you read the class description of the new class and it is similar to the class you currently use, then it may be worth switching classes. Your new class may be suitable for your old skills. Then you wouldn’t lose them and the skill points invested in them… or the time invested leveling them up,” Leon finished.

“I see,” Derek replied. “Thank you for answering my questions, Leon.” He was truly grateful that the older man seriously answered all his questions, even if they seemed dumb or basic.

“Not a problem,” Leon replied with a smile.

Derek inwardly groaned at the decisions he was going to have to make. Let’s see if I can sort this shit out. He pulled the list of classes back up and winced at the number. There has to be a better way. He thought, then focused on the rarity tab. The classes tab sorted itself by rarity, and he took the small win.

This is more like it, he thought, then scrolled through a bunch of the epic rarity classes. Arch Sage… nope, sounds like pure magic-based, not for me. Sword Dancer… Blade Singer… too dexterity-based. He went through the list of classes, dismissing classes that didn’t suit his fighting style or personality.

He mostly kept classes that focused on endurance and vitality. He also kept some classes in that may have some higher resistance to magic. On Earth, he was very tanky, but some monsters and enemies that used magic took a toll on him. He’d like to have some defense against magic this go around. Soon, he had the list of classes he liked down to six.

Available Classes

Class Name/Rarity

Arcane Knight/Epic (Growth)

Champion of the Void/Epic (Growth)

Elemental Berserker/Epic

Eternal Guardian/Epic

Chaos Glaive/Rare

Shadow Brawler/Rare

Derek felt he made a very compelling class list. Now, he had to thoroughly go through each class and find the one that fit him best… or made the most sense. He started at the bottom of his list, with the least rare class.

Shadow Brawler

You have become one with the darkness. Shadows can be bent to your will. Move with shadows to unleash the darkness unto your foe.

Shadow Brawler is a rare class that uses bare hands and dark magic. Three skills will be available upon class selection.

For each level, you will obtain two stat points into strength and vitality and one stat point into wisdom. You will still receive ten free stat points per level.

That doesn’t sound bad at all. If I wasn’t a sucker for my glaive, I wouldn’t mind trying it out. I do like fighting with my hands. What if one of the skills lets me hide in the shadows and move around as I wish? That would be awesome. My survivability would definitely increase with that. After viewing Shadow Brawler, he moved on to the next class.

Chaos Glaive

Your glaive is a part of you. Your will is its will. You are chaos personified. Only destruction will be known to enemies who come across your blade.

Chaos Glaive is a rare class that uses polearms as its main weapon—specifically, glaives. Three skills will be available upon class selection.

For each level, you will obtain two stat points into strength and vitality and one stat point into intelligence. You will still receive ten free stat points per level.

Hmmm… I really like my glaive… He imagined all the new glaive-related skills he would get by selecting Chaos Glaive. Still, he moved on to the next class.

Eternal Guardian

You are eternal, near-immortal. You have been ravaged by enemies, yet still live. You are your own guardian.

Eternal Guardian is an epic class that uses heavy weapons and has great vitality. Four skills will be available upon class selection.

For each level, you will obtain four stat points into strength and vitality and two stat points into endurance. You will still receive ten free stat points per level.

Derek kept his eyes trained on the class description. Now that’s what I’m talking about. Eternal Guardian checks pretty much all my boxes, except for a focus on magic defense. But it may still have it and just doesn’t say. It is eternal. With the extra endurance and vitality, my magic defense would be boosted naturally. Still, Derek wasn’t so impatient to jump the gun and choose the class without thinking hard.

Elemental Berserker

You fight. With the elements by your side, you fight. As you bleed, you fight harder.

Elemental Berserker is an epic class that uses the four elements, along with heavy weapons—specifically, greatswords. Four skills will be available upon class selection.

For each level, you will obtain four stat points into strength and endurance and two stat points into vitality. You will still receive ten free stat points per level.

You fight, you bleed… that doesn’t sound fun at all. Pass. Just because he liked the survivability of classes didn’t mean he liked getting hurt. He wasn’t a masochist. Next.

Arcane Knight

You are a Knight. The perfect balance between offense and defense. Your armor will keep you safe while your sword eradicates your foes. But you are not just any Knight; you are a Knight of the Arcane, and Arcane is magic in its purest form.

Arcane Knight is a growth-type epic class that uses swords and Arcane magic. Four skills will be available upon class selection. This is a growth-type class. There is a possibility of its rarity being increased in the future.

For each level, you will obtain four stat points into strength and vitality and two stat points into intelligence. You will still receive ten free stat points per level.

Wow. The class name sounds kind of basic, but the description is crazy. And it’s a growth-type class… Does that mean that it may become a legendary class in the future? He couldn’t help but do a double-take at the class. He would get more defense, and that would go on top of his stats from his previous system.

Also, he would get more attacking power. With his class from the other system, he had great defense, but he lagged in attack power and skills. Plus, he would be able to use Arcane magic. Even in the other system, Arcane users were legends.

But, he calmed down. There was one other class he needed to look at. He had avoided the class and saved it for last. Not because it was awesome, but because it brought back bad memories. Memories of him being trapped in the darkness… in the void. However, it was also an epic growth-type class, so he would be an idiot to reject it just because he was scared.

Champion of the Void

You have lived within the void, and the void has chosen you as its champion. Unlike others, you will no longer become trapped in the void. The void is your ally.

Champion of the Void is a growth-type epic class. Preferences for this class are unknown. Two skills will be available upon class selection.

You will receive 20 free stat points for allocation to your choosing.

Derek read, re-read, then read the class description again. What? Two skills? The other epic classes have four. I mean, what the hell? The 20 free stat points are nice, though. Really, Derek thought his choice was clearly made for him. He wanted to immediately back out and choose Arcane Knight. But something kept him from doing so. It was like an itch at the back of his mind. Almost like he had with his dormant skills.

Ahh! I just don’t know. Why is choosing a class so hard? I knew this was going to happen. It’s always a pain in the ass. Even class upgrades are a pain in the ass. He inwardly vented his frustrations, then looked back at the class description and went over the line ‘you will no longer become trapped in the void’ over and over.

He had planned to never get anywhere near the void again, but that phrase was an extra insurance for him. What if the class lets me control it? Not only would I not have to fear it, but I could use it. Still, only getting two skills is a real kick in the balls… maybe it’s a case of quality over quantity.

Derek sighed. His choice was down to the two growth classes. Finally, he made his decision. Screw it.

Would you like to select Champion of the Void as your class?

This decision cannot be undone.

Yes.

13 CHAMPION OF THE VOID

After mentally agreeing to his choice, a new window appeared in his vision.

Congratulations!

You have become Champion of the Void.

After dismissing the notification, he pulled the next up.

For obtaining an epic rarity class, you have received 15 skill points.

You have received 20 stat points.

After getting a class, he checked his information.

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 10

Experience: 375/545

Class: Champion of the Void

Race: Human (Modified)

Hmm… not enough XP for another level? I could have sworn that I made enough for at least one more level, maybe even more. What gives? Derek thought of some different possibilities. Either the XP needed to level increases after picking a class, or something else is going on. What if it’s different for higher rarity classes?

“Hey, Leon.” Derek chose to ask the older man about his problem. “You said you have an uncommon class, right?”

Leon nodded. “Yes. I have the Forrester class. It’s uncommon. It’s basically an improved version of the Hunter class. I received seven skill points at level 10 for skills. Though… there were some skills that cost more than one skill point.”

“How does it compare to common classes? Like, for leveling?”

“Of course, it’s harder to level an uncommon class than a common class. It’s well known that the rarer the class, the more experience it takes to level. My class isn’t too bad since it’s only uncommon, but it takes 50% more experience points than a common class to level a rare class. It only increases more after that. By how much? I don’t know,” Leon answered.

Of course, it’s like that. Now I have to get what, twice as much XP to level? And that’s with this system that seems super greedy. Derek was lamenting the bad luck that came from his good luck when something else that Leon said struck him. He said that some of his skills cost more than one skill point.

He looked at Leon. “How often do skills cost more than one skill point?”

“I don’t think common classes have any skills that cost more than one, but my class had two that cost two points. I can’t tell you about rare or epic classes, but I imagine there are even more for those rarity classes,” Leon said.

“Skill scrolls,” Thomas chimed in, causing everyone to look at him.

“What?” Derek asked.

“He means that there are skill scrolls that teach you skills. You can learn skills with them without them being suitable for your class, but some will cost more than one point to learn. On that subject, skill awards that you may get through achievements may also cost more than one point,” Leon explained.

“How do you get skill scrolls? Derek asked.

Leon shrugged. “Dungeon rewards or trade. The cost would be… expensive.”

“Cheap-ass system,” Derek muttered under his breath, causing Thomas and Leon to stare wide-eyed at him. Derek didn’t even notice their surprise as he was too busy thinking about something else. He said dungeons. I wonder if they’re anything like the ones that appeared on Earth. Derek looked at Leon but chose to hold off on any further questions for now.

At first, when he saw the 15 skill points that came with his class, he thought he was going to flush with them. Now, after his revelation, he wasn’t so sure. Let’s find out. He pulled up the first Class Skill available for purchase.

Channel Void

Channel the void through your body. Using void energy, enhance your attack or defense. The higher the level of the skill, the easier it becomes to manipulate the void. Also reduces the amount of mana needed for use.

Mana Cost: 200

Cost: 5 Skill Points

Derek flinched at the price of the skill. I’ll still have 10 points left after… I hope it’s worth it. Without further hesitation, he learned the skill.

Channel Void Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 10

He felt the same as he did before. There was no recognition for him like he had with Identify and Meditation. Derek closed his eyes and activated the skill like he had with other skills countless times. He didn’t feel anything immediately.

Thomas and Leon were talking with one another when they both glanced at Derek. They stared at him curiously. The longer they stared, the more their curiosity changed to concern.

The atmosphere around Derek felt extremely thick. So thick that Thomas stood and backed away until he could catch his breath. Leon continued to stare.

Soon, the thick atmosphere was sucked into Derek’s body, leaving his body with a light purple glow. The surrounding air went back to normal. Soon, the glow pressed into his body and disappeared.

Thomas crept forward. When he was within a few feet, he opened his mouth to speak.

Derek’s eyes shot open, causing the boy to stumble backward and fall. No longer did he have light blue eyes but piercing deep purple. Not only were his irises colored purple, but even the whites of his eyes were purple. The purple was so dark that people could mistake it for black at a distance.

“Come, sit down,” Leon said. “He’s learned a new skill, an elemental one, and has yet to get control of it. Don’t distract him.”

Thomas scurried back over to Leon and sighed. “Oh, that’s good. I was starting to think he was a demon again.”

“Again?” Leon asked.

Thomas shook his head and refused to answer. Leon didn’t say anything and continued watching Derek.

“Amazing,” Leon said.

“What?” Thomas asked.

“It’s clearly the first time he’s used the skill, but he seems to be learning to control it so quickly. It doesn’t look like an easy skill to control, either.”

“Ah!” Derek suddenly clutched at his head.

“Haha…” Leon chuckled. “Mana deprivation, I presume?”

“Yeah… new spell. I wasn’t thinking about my mana,” Derek replied, then offhandedly added, “200 mana a second is insane.”

Leon’s mouth fell open in shock. He leaned over and whispered to Thomas, “Did he say 200 mana PER second?”

Thomas nodded.

“What level is this man?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

Derek ignored the two’s whispers and used Greater Meditation. Four minutes later, he used his new skill again. Ten seconds later, the mana headache hit him again, and he scrunched up his face. He repeated the cycle a few more times.

To say the least, Derek was in love with his new skill. There was a power flowing within him, threatening to escape. The more he channeled the void, the more he understood it. He was able to direct the flow, focusing it all at one point. He had no clue what kind of damage it would do if used for an attack, but he knew it would be fierce.

He focused with all his willpower, finally managing to bring a small ball of purple light out of his body, into his hand. The ball was no larger than a pea, but he knew there was an incredible power sealed within. He didn’t know what kind of power, though. Fire burns, ice freezes… that’s self-explanatory. What the hell does void do? Erase? Null? He smiled. I can’t wait to find out.

He knew one thing, though. He didn’t waste five skill points.

Leon was on the verge of going insane while watching Derek. He knew exactly what skill the man was using in between his new skill. It was Meditation. He also had the skill. No self-respecting adventurer would go through life without learning the General Skill.

What Derek was doing with it, however, was terrifying. First, he casually says that he has a mana pool of no less than 2,000 MP, now he’s using Meditation to regenerate all those points in what? Four seconds? And that’s not even considering how fast he was able to fetch Malorie and Brandi. I don’t know how far away they were, but they traveled for hours. Where did this man come from?

Plus, he’s letting his mana drain to empty every time. Leon saw Derek scrunch his face time and time again, indicating the pain of mana deprivation. I already know he’s a monster. Is he a masochist as well?

“What are you doing?” Thomas interrupted Leon’s thoughts by questioning Derek. Is that Meditation?

Leon perked his ears up to listen for Derek’s answer. He was wondering the same thing. How could Meditation work that fast?

“Oh… sorry,” Derek said. “Yeah, it’s Meditation. I’m using the skill I just learned, then using Meditation to refill my mana. I’m trying to learn how to control the skill and how to best use it,” Derek explained to the boy.

That explains it… it is Meditation. Leon was awed.

“In fact,” Derek continued, “when you finally unlock the system, the first skill point you earn should be used to unlock Meditation immediately. It’s one of, if not the best General Skill. If you level it up enough, you can use it without losing your senses. Hell, if you upgrade it, you can activate it while moving. It’s even possible to fight while using it.”

Does he even know how valuable the information he just told Thomas, and by proxy, me, is? People would kill to learn something like that. Leon finally couldn’t help himself. “You said Meditation can be used without loss of one’s senses? And you can upgrade the skill?”

Derek squinted his eyes at Leon, causing Leon to draw back and begin to apologize for fishing for more information. However, before he could speak, Derek answered.

“Yes, it can be upgraded to the skill ‘Greater Meditation’. I suspect you can do the same with many skills. It takes an extra skill point and the skill being at level 20 to do it.”

“So, you have this Greater Meditation? Can you meditate while moving?” Leon asked. He knew it was rude to ask questions like this, but curiosity got the better of him.

Derek smiled but didn’t respond.

Leon cast a self-deprecating smile. He knew that was all he was going to get out of the man, so he stopped asking questions. He’d already learned more than he had any right to. He would have considered himself to have gained a great deal this day if not for the fact that it was mired in tragedy.

He looked over at Travis and his family. His time is almost up.

After ignoring Leon’s question, Derek focused on his next new skills. Channel Void was such a surprise that he couldn’t wait to test the next one.

Void Call

Call to the Void

Cost: 7 Skill Points

What kind of description is that? And it costs seven points… this greedy system is trying to rob me blind. Derek frowned. All his dreams of buying the General Skills that correlated to some of his previous skills were vanishing before his eyes. It has to be amazing, though… right? If a skill that seems as good as Channel Void does costs five skill points, then one that costs seven has to be even better…

He no longer complained about the previous skill costing five points. All his frustration was on the new, nondescript skill. He shook his head and bit the bullet, spending the seven skill points.

Void Call Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 3

What a hit. Derek inwardly groaned at his remaining skill points. Especially with the skill having next to no description. He was heartbroken.

Okay… no time like the present. He checked his mana to make sure it was topped off before casting Void Call.

He once again felt his body fill with the now-familiar void energy. This time, however, his mana bar was not depleting. That’s strange. He seemed to be unable to control the void energy that came with his new skill. What really worried him was the pressure. The pressure from the void energy was building within his body at an extremely alarming pace. He felt as if he were a soda and someone had just shaken him up to the point of explosion.

From the outside, he looked the same as when he was getting control of his other skill. The atmosphere was tense and heavy, and a purple glow radiated from his body.

The longer Derek held the pressure in, the worse he felt. He tried to take control of it, but it moved on its own, all towards his head. The glow on the outside retreated from the rest of his body and moved up. His body was now normal from his shoulders down, but an intense, almost blinding glow emanated from above his shoulders.

Soon, the glow thickened around him, then shot, like a beam from a cannon, into the sky. The beam passed through the clouds, then disappeared. Derek slumped over, exhausted.

Derek was not unconscious, however. He was in a deep meditative state, healing himself. As the pressure from the void energy built up, it caused damage to his organs, specifically his heart, lungs, and brain. Luckily for Derek, he had a vast amount of vitality and endurance, and pressure was unable to cause fatal injuries. In fact, Derek had already entered Greater Meditation before the void energy left his body, and the injuries the energy had caused were mostly healed already.

Whew… He sighed. Things got pretty hairy for a moment, he joked to himself. He was relieved he was still alive. Then, he realized what happened, or rather, what didn’t happen. Nothing happened. What the hell was that skill even for? It’s bullshit! It tries to kill me, then shoots into the sky, doing nothing. He clenched his fists in anger.

“Derek… what was that?” Thomas asked.

“I’d like to know, too… I was testing a new skill, like the other one, but then what you just saw happened. The energy built up in me, then shot into the sky. I don’t even know what the skill is good for; the description sucks ass. And on top of it all, it damaged me just casting it. It’s a scam, a total scam.” Derek let the other two know his feelings. Then he looked up at the sky and screamed. “Give me my skill points back, you asshole system!”

Not seconds after Derek’s yell, a loud pounding came from the sky. “Oh, you’ve finally done it. You have blasphemed the Great System one too many times, we’re doomed!” a terrified Leon barked out.

While Thomas and Leon were out of sorts, Derek was actually happy. He had heard that pounding before. It was the same pounding that led to him escaping the void. This pounding was the most soothing symphony ever played. It was the sound of freedom, the sound of escape.

As he expected, a part of the sky, where the void energy had passed through, began cracking. The cracks stretched out like spiderwebs, then splintered off, creating holes in the sky. A dark fist with long claws came out from one of the holes. The hand was smaller than the one Derek remembered but looked just as menacing as before.

Derek was ecstatic. I can’t believe this. Is Void Call a summoning spell? Am I able to summon one of these creatures from the void and command it? He was giddy with excitement as he watched the beast break its way out of the void.

“Th-That’s… that’s a… a Void Beast!” Leon uttered in fear.

Meanwhile, Derek was thinking of all the help the monster would be. He was no longer angry with the system scamming him. I wonder what I’ll call it? Leon called it a Void Beast. I think I’ll call it Asher. Yeah, it looks like an Asher. All dark and gray with those same kill-me bits. Derek was already treating the Void Beast like it was a new pet he picked up at a shelter. It’s a little smaller than the other one, but I can work with it.

The three stared at the sky. One ecstatic, one terrified, and one confused. Derek’s and Leon’s reactions were in complete opposition.

“H-he’s smiling? He’s crazy!” Leon muttered. “Thomas! Where did you find this madman?”

Before the boy could answer, the dark beast made it out of the void and began its descent. As before, the cracks in the sky seemed to repair themselves instantaneously. By the time the Void Beast had landed, the cracks were barely visible.

“We’re going to die!” Leon shouted at the top of his lungs. His day had been one full of ups and downs. His village being attacked and ravaged left him in despair, but Derek and Thomas arriving and saving him had given him hope.

Seeing his best friend’s family getting to say goodbye was bitter-sweet. Then there was everything that had happened with Derek. That was a new ride altogether, one filled with confusion, elation, and now utter terror.

He reached over and grabbed Thomas. “Come on! We’ve got to get out of here… now!” He pulled Thomas to his chest and sprinted towards Brandi and Malorie.

“Stop!” came a yell from Derek. He was looking at the duo. “Everything is fine.” He pointed toward the Void Beast, who was beginning to stand after crashing to the ground. “It’s fine. It’s not going to hurt anyone. We’re safe.” Derek comforted Leon and Thomas.

Leon remained skeptical. Derek acted like he was in control of the Void Beast, but he had never heard of anyone being able to control one. There were a few people who could fight with one, but to control a Void Beast, Derek had to be insane. Then again, I’ve only heard stories of Void Beasts. It’s not like I’ve ever been able to study or research anything about them. Who am I to say that he can’t control one?

Then a thought suddenly struck Leon. Was that void energy that Derek was channeling earlier? When he shot that beam of energy into the sky, was he summoning the Void Beast? Now Leon knew that Derek was insane, but insane in a completely different way than before.

The only magic Leon knew of that used void energy was portals. But it was taboo to use portals. In the early days, portals were widely used to quickly travel a long distance. The skill was easily learnable and didn’t cost many skill points. Many mages invested in the Create Portal skill.

Soon, though, the Void Beasts began to exit out of open portals. It was then realized that the portals connected to the Create Portal skill were connected to the void. And the void was where the Void Beasts lived.

So now, seeing that Derek actually used a legitimate form of void magic, Leon’s nervousness lessened a great deal. “Are you saying that you can control a Void Beast?” Leon asked.

“I’m pretty sure. I think the skill I used before summoned it. Besides, I met another Void Beast a few days ago. It wasn’t a bad fellow at all, in fact, it helped me out a great deal. You’ve got nothing to fear,” Derek answered as he stood up and walked forward to the awaiting Void Beast. “I knew this skill was going to be awesome. Oh, Great System, I’m sorry for doubting.”

Derek walked toward the creature, and the Void Beast lumbered in his direction. When Derek was in range of the beast, he opened his arms and spoke to the beast. “Welcome, I’m going to name you Asher. Is that OK with you?” Derek reached out to pat the creature on its shoulder.

Seeing nothing bad happen when the man touched the beast, Leon sighed in relief.

That was when the monster backhanded Derek in the chest with its hammer-like fist and razor-sharp claws.

A crimson liquid flew out of Derek’s mouth as he sailed through the air. Landing 20 feet from the monster, Derek looked up, blood dripping from his lips. He turned his head towards Leon and Thomas and yelled, “Run!”

14 BATTLE

That’s the last time I ever believe in this greedy system. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted it. Derek stood, wiping the blood from his mouth. Bastard hit me when I wasn’t ready… made me bite my tongue.

He turned his head, watching Leon gather the others to escape. The man picked up the almost dead Travis.

“I’ve got him. We have to get as far away from here as possible!” he told the others, who fell in behind him and began their retreat.

Derek smiled, seeing the others making their escape. Good, they won’t get in the way now. He cracked his neck. He was worried when he took the hit, but afterward, he realized the smaller Void Beast was nowhere near as strong as the one he met before.

Nowhere as strong but still strong enough for him to take seriously. The problem was that it only hit him with a casual strike. He still didn’t know what the beast was capable of. With that, though, he touched his bracelet.

He soon adorned his full set of black steel plate armor. It was made of the same material as his glaive. He ran his hand over the dent in the breastplate and frowned. Then Derek waved his hand one more time, equipping his helmet.

Now battle-ready, Derek observed the creature before him. The monster stood a good eight feet tall, with dark red eyes promising death. It had fang-like teeth on both the top and bottom parts of its mouth. With those teeth, Derek expected a snout, but its face was more human than canine.

The monster’s arms were long, much longer than a human’s. On the end of both arms and legs were the same razor-like claws. Muscles seemed to threaten to break out of the beast’s dark gray skin. It was quite a sight to behold. The creature looked like a misshapen werewolf with no fur.

This bastard definitely never missed a day at the gym. Derek looked down towards his own abdomen in comparison, seeing the giant dent in his armor left by the other Void Beast. “Looks like I get to take the anger over my armor out on you. That’s good because your friend helped me out, and I don’t really want to fight him.” Yup, that’s why I don’t want to fight him. Not because he’d kill me in one hit, but because he helped me.

The Void Beast, hearing Derek talking to it, tilted its head in confusion, almost like it was wondering why the ant it had crushed was still alive. Then, as if coming to a decision, it let out a screech and readied itself to charge.

Identify, Derek thought, wanting to get a bit more information before the fight began.

Unknown Entity

Unknown Level

This creature is not of the Great System. Destroy it for further information.

Say what now? How the hell did Leon know it was a Void Beast if the system doesn’t even know? Derek had some questions for Leon later, but now, it was time for a fight.

The beast’s screeching stopped, and it charged. Derek advanced.

They met. Derek drove his closed fist into the beast’s gut, while the beast swiped at his chest. He took the impact, trusting in his armor. The impact sent Derek sliding back a few feet before coming to a halt. His strike seemed to be ineffective.

Derek, however, was reeling. The strike didn’t penetrate his armor, but the impact was absorbed throughout his body. His organs were shaken.

Okay, so trading blows with an apparently legendary monster wasn’t the smartest idea, Derek thought as he backed away. He dove in again, this time doing his best to dodge any incoming strikes. He ducked under a strike and delivered a liver blow with his left hand. Other than some pain from his hand, he received no other results.

Dammit, that hurt. This bastard probably doesn’t even have a liver, Derek complained internally. Well, if that’s as fast as this thing moves, I’ve got it beat on speed. Derek had been observing the beast’s actions during their brief encounters, hoping to get a gauge on its strengths and weaknesses.

Derek shot away, out of range of the beast’s next attack. Okay, so it’s strong as shit, and fast to back it up, but slower than me. It has crazy endurance and possibly vitality. I can’t even damage it with my strength. Luckily for me, it doesn’t seem to have any magic, unless it just hasn’t decided it needs to use magic yet. That would just be great. Derek summoned his glaive in preparation for his next assault.

Derek moved until his glaive was within range of the monster. The distance was just out of the creature’s long reach. Good, Derek mused. Derek moved clockwise, doing his best to dodge and attack with his glaive. Swipe, dodge, swipe, dodge. This attack pattern continued for a short while.

This isn’t getting me anywhere. Derek was getting tired. The Void Beast was standing still, only using its arms to attack Derek. It was as if Derek was a fly, but the beast did not want to spend the energy to kill it. Derek looked at the results of his work. He had repeatedly sliced at the same spots with his glaive, but other than leaving some marks, he hadn’t even broken the skin of the beast.

Dammit! I can’t get any power behind my attack if I’m worried about dodging all the time. Derek made a decision. He gripped his glaive with both hands, stepped forward, and swung towards its neck with all his might. He knew a blow was coming from the Void Beast, but he had to trade another blow, just to see if he could even break past the monster’s defense.

Derek watched as his blade fell toward the creature’s neck, time seemingly in slow motion. Then he caught the look on the face of the monster. Is that a… grin? Oh, shit! Thoughts instantly raced through his mind.

The Void Beast moved faster than it had before. With its left hand, it caught the glaive at its blade, chipping it in the process. It pulled, sending Derek flying into its range. The beast’s right arm wrapped around the armored Derek and squeezed. Luckily for Derek, his armor held strong.

Finding that it could not squeeze the human to death, the Void Beast roared in rage. Derek was pinned. He could move neither arm, and his legs were dangling off the ground. He tried kicking the beast, but he couldn’t muster enough force to do any harm. The beast, though intelligent for a monster, seemed to have no thought of what actions to take next.

Finally, much to the dismay of Derek, the Void Beast came to a conclusion. It used its head… literally. It bashed its steel-like head into Derek’s helmet, and Derek’s brain rang like a bell. His helmet held, but the impact on his brain worsened with each crash.

Derek released the end of the glaive he held, allowing his right hand to be freed. He balled his fist and tried punching the beast in the face. When that failed, he played dirty.

He took his thumb and aimed for the opened eye of the beast. He strained, putting in as much effort as he could to gouge the creature’s left eye. The Void Beast screamed in pain and tossed the glaive to the side. It grabbed hold of Derek’s right arm and drew it away from its eye. It was pissed. An ant had injured it.

The head bashing continued, this time fiercer and faster. Derek was on the cusp of losing consciousness. He knew that the moment he blacked out would be the moment he never woke up. He had to come up with an idea, a plan.

The first thing he did was enter Greater Meditation. He had not tried meditating while in a fight, but he was mostly still, so he thought he might have a chance of succeeding. The stars must have aligned because he could sense the recovery effect kicking in. It was repairing the damage to his brain.

The recovery was great, but it could only just keep up. It couldn’t repair the damage already caused. This, at least, gave Derek more time to think of a plan. Maybe if I play dead, it will get tired and throw me away. Like a baby with an old toy. Yeah, that’s not happening. He had enraged it, and it would not stop until he was dead.

Derek focused on his stats. He had points to spend, and they could possibly help him out of his situation.

Stats

Strength: 343

Dexterity: 241

Endurance: 491

Vitality: 400

Intelligence: 203

Wisdom: 195

Stat Points Remaining: 110

More vitality will help Greater Meditation recover my injuries. He gritted his teeth and spent 60 points on vitality. He felt his regeneration kick it up a notch. Now, with the help of his increased vitality, Greater Meditation was not only able to repair the damage he received from each headbutt but also some of the previously sustained damage. His HP was slowly increasing.

Alright, so I should be good on injuries as long as my helmet can hold out. Derek tried to move around in the monster’s arms. I can move my legs and my left arm below the elbow. Even if I escape, I still need to be able to either damage him or run away. Derek was still looking at his stats.

I don’t think more strength will make a difference. He looked down and saw his three remaining skill points. There’s an idea. He raised his head and looked for his glaive. It was on the ground a few feet away from him. He thought about all the training he’d done with his glaive while trapped in the void. I hope this works.

He did a quick search through General Skills until he found Heavy Weapons Mastery. In an instant, he spent a skill point and learned it.

Heavy Weapons Mastery Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 2

Come on! Do it! He waited for the same message he got when selecting Meditation and Identify. Finally, a notification came, but it was not what he expected.

Multiple dormant skills similar to Heavy Weapons Mastery found…

Merging skills…

Skills successfully merged…

Multiple skills? What? Derek thought back to his previous skills. It must be Heavy Weapons and Glaive Mastery. That’s the only possibility. Then he checked the next message.

Congratulations! Heavy Weapon Mastery skill has reached level 17.

Damn… that’s a hard skill to level up. It leveled faster when used against an opponent. He thought all the time he spent swinging his glaive in the void would have earned him a max-level skill he could then upgrade, but it didn’t. It’s better than nothing. Now to find a way to get free of the bastard.

His eyes fell on his new skill, Channel Void. Let’s see if it was worth all those skill points.

He concentrated, channeling the void within him. The Void Beast’s forehead came crashing down onto his helmet. Derek lost his concentration, unable to keep Channel Void and Greater Meditation active at the same time.

Dammit! What now? Greater Meditation had been integral in keeping his brains from coming out of his nose, but it would still take too long for the skill to fully heal his previous injuries. Maybe if I upped my vitality more.

Derek could feel the protection provided by his helmet waning. When the beast first started bashing its head into him, it held up perfectly. Now, it was on the verge of breaking. Judging from what I know, my helmet isn’t going to last much longer. Derek sighed and spent his remaining stat points on vitality.

With his vitality reaching 510, it became Derek’s highest stat. In fact, breaking 500 stat points made Derek feel like he had broken through a threshold. His new vitality, plus his Greater Meditation skill, greatly increased his current rate of recovery. He could sense his previous head injuries healing at a rapid speed. That might do it. Derek’s health was rapidly climbing up to 5100 HP, having already passed his previous health pool of 4000 HP.

With his health nearing full, he waited for the perfect time to use Channel Void. The creature’s head crashed into his own. Immediately after, he stopped Greater Meditation and channeled the void through his body. His left arm was semi-mobile, so he moved as much of the element as possible into his fist.

Here we go. Derek’s fist, coated in a dark purple glow, was driven into the abdomen of the beast. The punch was much lighter than his previous attacks as he could not get the leverage for a decent strike.

The Void Beast paused mid-headbutt, confusion plastered on its face. Then it made a low, almost imperceptible growl.

He didn’t know what his void-covered strike did, but it caused the beast to cease its attack, if only for a moment. Derek, still with seven seconds left of mana, continued striking the beast in the same spot, over and over.

In the entire ten seconds it took for Derek to spend all his mana, the beast never attacked once. Derek slipped back into Greater Meditation to recover his mana and observed the beast. He was just able to look down and see the location where all his strikes landed. Nothing, not even a mark. What the hell is going on? Confusion set in. The beast’s abdomen looked completely healthy, but its actions contradicted that analysis.

Bringing his head back up, Derek looked at the Void Beast’s face. There, he could see the small droplet of blood rolling down the cheek of the beast. So, it’s being injured internally. Now, Derek only needed his mana recovery to outmatch the Void Beast’s health recovery.

A few minutes later, Derek’s mana was fully recovered, and he channeled the void into his fist again and struck. The previously small amount of blood dripping from the monster’s mouth was now flowing in an almost steady stream.

About halfway through Derek’s next attempt at recovering his mana, it seemed to Derek that the creature had come to a decision. The beast roared, and Derek’s view changed from him looking at the creature to staring at the sky. Then he was slammed full force into the ground. Pain ran through his body as his organs were shaken.

The follow-up attack Derek expected never came. He raised his head and looked around. The beast had its back to Derek and looked as if it wanted to run. That’s not going to happen, Derek thought. He jumped up, out of the imprint his body had made in the earth. The beast ran.

Derek took a small detour, grabbing his glaive before chasing after the creature. It didn’t take long for him to close the distance. The beast jumped over the small stream, and Derek followed. Seconds later, Derek was within striking distance. He was anxious to see how his new mastery skill improved his use of the glaive.

He struck out, the glaive falling between the beast’s shoulders. When the blade connected, Derek felt the tearing of flesh, not the dull ring of metal on metal as he heard before. Finally. He let out a sigh of relief. He could finally hurt the beast. The fight was no longer impossible.

The Void Beast turned and lunged at him, no longer attempting to flee. Derek smiled cruelly. Payback’s a bitch. He moved, sidestepping the beast’s continuous attacks. Between each successful dodge, Derek struck with his glaive.

He continued to circle the enraged beast. The longer the fight continued, the more cuts appeared on the beast’s body. The cuts weren’t deep, but they made up for it by being numerous. With so many wounds, the loss of blood would soon slow the creature down. Sure enough, not long after, the beast was panting heavily.

Exhausted, the beast could no longer attack rapidly, which led to Derek landing even more attacks in succession, on top of being able to put more power into his strikes. The injuries built, new wounds overlapping old.

Derek soon encountered a problem of his own, though. He was running low on stamina.

The toughness of the beast’s skin meant it must have had a massive amount of endurance, which meant a massive stamina pool and stamina recovery. Derek couldn’t hope to match it unless he used Greater Meditation, which he couldn’t do and continue to move so much. He would lose his advantage.

Derek was only alive because of luck and negligence by the beast. If it had followed up after driving Derek to the ground instead of fleeing, their situation would be reversed.

His helmet was on the verge of falling apart, and his glaive was cracked. The battle had been a costly one. He had to finish the fight soon.

The beast seemed to pick up on Derek’s stamina issue. It withdrew into itself and completely stopped attacking, focusing only on defense. The damage from Derek’s blows lessened. His light attacks barely scratching the beast; his heavy attacks just breaking the skin. Dammit! What now?

Derek looked over his health, stamina, and mana pools. His health was fine as he hadn’t really been damaged since being slammed to the ground. His stamina was dangerously low, below 20%. He had half of his mana pool left, enough for five seconds of channeling the void. The skill said I can channel the void into my attacks. Does that mean I can project it into my glaive?

With a last-ditch effort, Derek channeled the void. I have five or six seconds to get this right. He moved the void from his body into his hand, then he pushed. The glow halted for a second, then moved to the staff before moving up. Soon, the purple glow appeared around the glaive. Derek was elated.

Panic flashed in the beast’s eyes, and Derek smiled. It understood that the same glow appeared on his fist before attacks ravaged its insides. The beast ducked even further into itself, protecting all its vitals.

Derek swung the blade down, aiming for the beast’s chest and presumably its heart. The Void Beast turned to block the blow with its arm. The blade struck flesh, then… did nothing. It barely even left a scratch. “Dammit!” he cursed aloud.

Then, while Derek was still inwardly groaning, the beast’s arm fell limply to its side. What? What just happened? He was confused, but he wasn’t going to let this chance go. He still had a few seconds left of the skill, and he was going to use it.

Derek swung again. Once again, the beast blocked, but with its other arm. Again, the arm went limp, hanging to its side.

Derek smiled. He had time for one more attack, and the creature’s chest was wide open and impossible to miss. Derek let one last attack fall. The blade landed on the beast’s collarbone, then moved down towards its abdomen. Derek ran out of mana just under the beast’s chest, and the skill automatically canceled.

The familiar faint feeling and headache returned to Derek as he experienced the pain from mana deprivation once again.

The battle turned quiet, neither the beast nor Derek making a move as they stared at one another. Then, as if a puppet with its strings cut, the beast fell face-first. On the ground, blood pooled below the Void Beast, coming from every orifice, turning the dirt into bloody mud.

Derek looked at his felled foe. Then at his glaive. Dammit… how am I going to fix this? There was a small chip in the middle of the blade. He looked back at the monster. Serves you right. The beast let out one final breath, then died.

Derek received a notification.

You have successfully destroyed a creature not belonging to the Great System.

Achievement Unlocked

15 AFTER THE BATTLE

Derek was excited to see that he would get something new from slaying the Void Beast and that it was not all for nothing. I hope it’s a passive increase. I really miss the titles from the other system. That system was so nice. I wouldn’t mind something else cool, though. A new skill or something wouldn’t be bad. Or a new weapon… Derek looked at his glaive. Seeing the chip on the blade saddened him. No, not a new weapon. This one is just fine.

He viewed his new achievement.

Lesser Slayer of the Unknown

You have slain a creature unknown to the Great System. This is a rare feat only accomplished by a few. Not only are Unknown Entities strong, but they are rare to encounter. You will be awarded the following:

1 Skill Point

20 Stat points

3 Skill Upgrade Points

Automatic Level Up

Slay more Unknown Entities to advance the achievement.

Something seemed off about the achievement. That’s a much better explanation from the system than I’m used to receiving. He wondered if the system had a vested interest in those creatures. If it did, it would make sense why it had finally properly explained something.

The rewards aren’t bad, either. Skill points are always needed… same with stat points. He rolled his eyes at the level-up reward. It would have been better to receive that later when levels were hard to obtain. As of right now, he could sneeze and gain a new level.

He was most intrigued by the skill upgrade points. Neither the boy nor Leon had said anything about them. He focused on the points and read the description. It was self-explanatory.

Skill Upgrade Point

Choose any skill you currently own and upgrade it. This upgrade will boost the skill by one level.

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 3

He had the compulsion to stick all three points into Heavy Weapons Mastery right then and there. Eventually, he calmed down and thought about it. That would be dumb. I should save these for higher-level skills like Greater Meditation. I’m sure Heavy Weapons Mastery won’t take too long to level if I focus on battling with my glaive. Derek put the new skill upgrade points out of his head and moved to the next notification.

Congratulations! Heavy Weapon Mastery has reached level 18.

Yup… no sense in spending points on it. He moved to the next message.

Congratulations! Channel Void has reached level 3.

Two levels in one fight… not bad. He didn’t completely understand what the skill did. He had his suspicions, but no matter what, he knew it was powerful. Derek pulled the skill information up, wanting to see how the levels upgraded it.

Channel Void

Channel the void through your body. Using void energy, enhance your attack or defense. The higher the level of the skill, the easier it becomes to manipulate the void. Also reduces the amount of mana needed for use.

Mana Cost: 184

There was no change in the description, but the mana the skill used lessened. It could have been better, but I can’t complain. It’s already a powerful skill, so the longer I can use it, the better.

Derek wanted to get a better idea of what the skill actually did. He looked down at the slain creature. Reaching down, he rolled the Void Beast’s corpse over onto its back. He looked at the faint mark drawn down the creature’s chest, the one left by his final blow. Didn’t even puncture the skin, he thought.

Derek took a dagger from his bracelet and tried to slice the chest open. He couldn’t get the dagger to cut. Holy shit! The skin is still as strong as it was before. Derek had thought that the creature may have been enforcing its skin with a skill. He’d seen it before.

Most creatures with great defense had some kind of passive skill supporting their endurance. But once the monster died, that passive skill would disappear, making the creature much easier to dismantle.

I wish I would have picked up the Dismantle skill a long time ago. He’d always gotten by using his strength and dexterity to carve materials from the beasts. The process wasn’t pretty, and the materials didn’t come out as good as they would have if he’d used the Dismantle skill, but they still sold for a good amount. He never really needed the skill.

Now, he was second-guessing himself. If he had the Dismantle skill leveled even a little, he could probably carve the beast. The skill gave the user buffs when it came to dismantling a corpse. It also helped the user correctly remove the vital materials.

It was such a basic skill that cost little, yet he never picked it up. I’m such a dumbass. I could have bought the skill from the system shop at any time, yet I refused to buy it because it didn’t seem necessary. He shook his head. Well… I’m not making that mistake again.

Derek pulled the list of General Skills up and looked until he found the skill.

Dismantle

Dismantle is a General Skill used to skin, dismember, and dress deceased organic life forms. Precision and ease of dressing a life form increased with each level increase. The higher the skill level, the better chance to preserve materials.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

He immediately learned the skill.

Dismantle Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 2

Damn… now I’m running low on skill points again. He took his dagger and tried to slice the beast’s chest open again. Still, he was unable to get through. He wasn’t disappointed, though. It can’t be helped. I can’t expect a level 1 Dismantle skill to help that much.

Derek gave up on his impromptu autopsy and stored his weapons. He then reached over to the Void Beast and stored its body before looking back to where the village was. Before I leave, I’m going to gather as many beast corpses as I can so I can level the skill.

With his new plan in mind, he viewed his remaining notifications.

Congratulations! Void Call has reached level 2.

“Go screw yourself.” He moved on to the next notification.

Level Up

That must be the reward for the achievement. He dismissed the window and viewed the last notification.

You have killed Unknown Entity

Entity not part of Great System

No Experience Gained

0/600 Experience to Next Level

You’ve got to be kidding me. Stingy-ass system. No XP? None? What’s this 0/600 shit? Don’t tell me that the Automatic Level-Up reward just filled up the amount of experience I needed to get to the next level. He was livid. He continued cursing the system for a while before he calmed down. Whatever… I shouldn’t expect anything less from this scam of a system.

He viewed his status.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 11

Experience: 0/600

Class: Champion of the Void (Epic)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 5100

Mana: 1950

Stamina: 4910

Stats

Strength: 343

Dexterity: 241

Endurance: 491

Vitality: 510

Intelligence: 203

Wisdom: 195

Stat Points Remaining: 40

Skills

Channel Void Lv. 3, Dismantle Lv. 1, Greater Meditation Lv. 1, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 8, Void Call Lv. 2

Skill Points Remaining: 2

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 3

Achievements

Giant Slayer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown

Not bad. Derek enjoyed comparing his stats to his level. Pretty good for a lowly level 11.

Derek walked back toward the abandoned village. When he reached the back gate, he went inside. Whistling as he strolled through the area, he stored corpse after corpse in his storage bracelet. Bunny… bunny… wolf… wolf… bear… no, too big. He ended up storing 23 corpses in his bracelet. When he finished, he focused on his bracelet and frowned. Looks like it’s getting pretty full.

He walked out of the front gate, his gaze moving in the direction of the refugees. I still have a kid to find and take home.

16 REGROUP

Thomas was anxious. He didn’t quite understand what was happening, but from Leon’s words and Derek’s seriousness, he knew it was bad. He’d never seen Derek act so seriously before, so when the man shouted to run, he ran.

The group of five had traveled a good distance away from the battle. They made sure to flee in the same direction as the others. Eventually, Leon stopped running and stilled. Thomas, seeing Leon as the leader, at least until Derek got back, stopped too.

“What are we doing? Why did you stop?” The first to speak up was Malorie. Thomas watched as she anxiously shifted her body from side to side. “Is it…” She trailed off and didn’t continue.

Leon gave her a sad smile. “Yes… he’s gone.” Travis, being held by Leon, had finally succumbed to his fate. “I’m sorry.” Leon laid Travis’s body on the grass.

Thomas took in the somber scene as Brandi ran over to her father and fell to her knees, weeping uncontrollably.

The scene reminded Thomas of losing his own parents. The difference was that Brandi had gotten to say goodbye, but Thomas didn’t even see their corpses. All he knew was what he was told.

Two years ago, his parents had both reached 24. They were warriors of the village and had gone to a nearby dungeon to obtain some rewards. The dungeon was for those who were level 25 and under and offered a variety of common skills, and even some better ones, as a reward upon completion. It allowed no more than five people in at once and was considered one of the easier dungeons, even among villagers.

Rayna, the current village leader, had even gone by herself and solo’d it when she was at the correct level. She didn’t have a problem. So, with his mother and father going together, there was no worry in the village.

Unfortunately for Thomas, the two never returned.

Thomas snapped out of his daze and continued watching. He looked over at Leon, who had backed away to give the mother and daughter some space. Then he approached.

“Chief Leon?” he asked.

“Yes?” Leon turned away from the grieving pair and gave his attention to Thomas.

“That thing from the sky, you said that was a Void Beast? And Derek summoned it? Is that even possible? Do you think Derek is okay?” Thomas couldn’t control himself and rapidly spat out question after question, his anxiety and stress increasing with every new question.

“Slow down, boy,” Leon replied, halting Thomas. “Now, I don’t know much about your ‘friend’ Derek.” Thomas could see wariness from Leon when he mentioned Derek. “Legends describe how Void Beasts appear and leave. Usually, they come through an open portal, then leave by breaking the void in the sky and entering. I don’t know how it happened, but the Void Beast we just saw broke the void to get out.” Leon gulped. “This means that portals aren’t the only ways for a Void Beast to appear.”

Thomas could see the fear in Leon’s eyes when talking about the Void Beast. “But… do you think that Derek will make it out okay?”

“Boy, I don’t know. If he doesn’t, it serves him right. He had no business messing with things he doesn’t understand.” Leon took a deep breath. “Even if he lives, it’d be better off if we never saw him again. A man like that will only bring the village trouble.”

“Is that so?” a voice from behind the two rang out. They both spun to see Derek standing behind them.

* * *

Once Derek left the abandoned village, it didn’t take long to catch up with Thomas and the others. After seeing the deceased Travis, he waited to approach, not wanting to disturb Malorie and Brandi. He casually eavesdropped on the conversation between Leon and Thomas.

He heard Leon’s words and felt the apprehension in his voice. Well… I guess I can’t blame the guy. His village was destroyed, and he lost most of his people. Also, he probably knows that I could have saved Travis, and even if he understands why I didn’t, it would give him some reservations about me. And to top it all off, I summoned a legendary monster from the void that is known for its destruction. Derek shrugged. I’m sure he’ll get over it.

Leon stared at Derek with shock and embarrassment. Derek smirked.

“Derek! You’re okay!” Thomas ran forward, hugging Derek at his waist. “The way Leon talked about that monster made it sound like there was no chance.” Thomas’s eyes were reddening, and tears threatened to form.

Derek hadn’t expected this outburst of emotions from Thomas. He had observed Thomas as emotionally strong. Well, except for when he was sure that I was going to kill him. But even an adult would have had a hard time in that situation. Derek peeled Thomas off. “You okay, kid? You seem a little… off.”

“I… um… I’m just happy you’re alive.” Thomas backed off, his cheeks turning rosy from embarrassment.

Derek looked at Leon, who was standing off to the side, brow furrowed. Looks like he’s trying to figure out what to say. Derek’s smirk turned into a smile. “Sorry to disappoint you. I somehow made it back.”

Leon’s eyes widened. “No, I’m not disappointed. I was just speaking without thinking. I’m sorry.”

Derek had never seen somebody backpedal as fast as Leon was. He chuckled. “It’s okay… I understand your reservations. Earlier was my bad. Your Great System gave me a new skill with a very unhelpful description. I shouldn’t have tested it with other people around.

“Just know that I don’t plan on doing anything like that again. At least not with that skill—and definitely not around other people,” Derek finished, trying to calm the man down.

Leon let out a sigh. “No, I was still wrong. You saved me, and you saved Thomas. Hell, you saved everyone who is left from my village. You didn’t…” Leon looked towards Thomas, then to the body of Travis. “Couldn’t save Travis, but that’s not your fault. I’ll trust that you will control your new skill and won’t endanger anyone. You’ve done much more good to us than harm. I’m sorry for what I said.”

So he did guess that I had a way to revive the man… Leon’s words confirmed Derek’s suspicions. Derek looked over at the grieving pair. “Would you like me to store his body so he can have a proper funeral later?”

Leon was taken aback. “You would do that? I’m sure Mal would be grateful.”

Derek nodded. With a pitying smile, Derek walked over to the pair. “You’re Malorie and Brandi, right? I’m sorry for your loss. If you’d like, I can store his body so the two of you can give him a proper send-off once we get somewhere safe.”

The little girl sobbed, but Malorie looked up at Derek and nodded. “Thank you. We would like that very much.”

Derek kneeled next to the body and placed his hand on top of its chest. He looked at Brandi, who was still clutching Travis’s hand. “You’ll have to let go now,” he said gently.

Brandi let go, and the body disappeared.

“Okay, everyone, it’s time to catch up with the others. The longer we’re here, the higher the chance of something bad happening to them. And you’ve all already lost enough people for one day,” Derek warned, letting them realize that what he said was true.

“I’ll take the lead,” Leon said.

Derek looked at Leon skeptically. He was still injured from before, and it would take some time before he was fully healed. “No, it would be better if I led. You’re still injured.” Derek thought for a second before taking a small container out of the bracelet and tossing it to Leon. “Here, apply the paste to your wounds and you will heal faster.” He’d given the man some potions earlier, but the man still had many visible wounds.

Leon caught the container. He looked inside, then nodded. “Thank you.”

Brandi, seeing the healing supplies, started to say something. Seeing this, Derek knew what she was going to say. “It’s not enough to bring someone back from the dying state. It’s only good enough for superficial wounds like cuts and bruises.” Brandi nodded and chose not to speak.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

It was already evening when the group of five set out, so night soon fell. Derek led the group through the night so they could catch up to the remaining refugees. The children could not keep up, so Derek carried Thomas for most of the night, while Leon and Malorie took turns carrying Brandi.

Derek could have arrived much sooner if not for the group, but at the pace they were setting, it was not until the next morning that they came across the remaining villagers.

After arriving at the group, Derek decided to camp for some time so the children could rest. With him there, they wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked. While doing so, he let Leon explain the events that had taken place to the villagers. Derek couldn’t help but be saddened by the atmosphere of the crowd after Leon’s information.

Looks like almost everyone lost somebody there. He looked over to see Leon with his wife, Sana. They looked happy to be together, but Derek could see the guilt reflected in their eyes. That’s going to be tough on Leon for the foreseeable future. Survivor’s guilt was a crushing thing.

Later, Leon and Sana came and sat close to Derek. Thomas had already awoken from his nap and was beside Derek.

“So, what happened to that monster?” Thomas asked.

It surprised Derek that it had taken so long for anyone to ask about the Void Beast. He had expected the question to come from Leon, but his conversation from earlier had probably put a halt to any questioning.

Both Sana and Leon perked up their ears after hearing the question. “Oh, that thing? It was nothing. I’m sure that there are a ton of people around that could take care of one. Once it saw that it couldn’t do much damage to me, it jumped back into the sky and broke back into the void.”

Derek paused for a second, giving the group some time to digest what he had said. “I think the legends are a bit overrated. Sure, it’s tough, and hits like a trai… hits really hard. But I don’t think it’s worthy of a legend. I’m sure a high enough level person would be able to slaughter them by the dozens. At least if they are all the same strength as the one I fought.

“I have seen one that appeared to be stronger than the one I fought, so maybe we got lucky, and I only summoned a weak one. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m not planning on using that skill again for a very long time,” Derek explained.

“It left? Just like that?” This time, it was Leon asking the question.

“Yup. Just as soon as it knew it couldn’t kill me. Pretty smart if you ask me.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Derek noticed Brandi stirring from her slumber. “Okay. Since everyone is awake, it’s time to get going.”

17 HOME

The group hurriedly packed up their camp, which took very little time as they had left their village in a hurry and couldn’t bring much. Once everyone was ready, Derek took the lead and continued walking in the direction Leon had given him.

They were making great time with Derek in the lead as they no longer had to move cautiously. Without having to worry about ambushes and fights, it would only take them a few days to travel to Rayna’s village.

As Derek was walking, he was getting more and more bored. He had wanted to use Greater Meditation to level it up, but he decided it would be best to wait until he was not leading a group of survivors. Then he thought about channeling the void through his body to level his Channel Void skill. But after looking at Leon, he figured that the man would lose his mind if he saw him channeling the void again.

He finally decided to level the Dismantle skill. He pulled a rabbit out of his bracelet and began the process of skinning it. With a quick and fluid motion, he removed the head and feet of the rabbit. Then made a cut down the front of the body, making sure not to puncture the stomach. With one tug, the skin of the rabbit was off. Huh, that was way smoother than before. And that was while walking. He looked at the rabbit in one hand and the skin in the other.

I really don’t want this stuff taking up the space in my bracelet. He looked down beside him to see Thomas looking at the rabbit. “You want this, kid?” he asked.

“No, I was just surprised to see you do that all of the sudden.” Derek realized he had misinterpreted Thomas’s gaze.

“Oh, well, what should I do with this?” He motioned to the skin and the rabbit. “I guess since we don’t have much food, we can cook up the meat the next time we stop, but what about this?” He held up the skin.

“I… I… Can I have it?” a shy voice sounded out from behind the two. Derek turned to see Brandi walking close behind them with her head down.

“Don’t see why not. I’m not going to use it. Heads up.” Derek tossed the skin to Brandi, who was barely able to bring her head up in time to see the rabbit skin flying towards her face. She shrieked and raised her hands, stopping the flying skin just before it hit her in the face.

Derek put their dinner back inside the bracelet and took out another corpse, this one a small wolf. He soon made quick work of it. When he was finished, he heard the shy voice again.

“Can I have that hide, too?” Brandi asked.

“Sure.” Derek was going to toss the wolf hide over, but he stopped after seeing her small stature. He held his hand out. “Here, give me the rabbit hide.”

The girl pouted and slowed her pace.

“I’m not going to keep it. I’m just going to store it. I’ll give it back when we get to Thomas’s home.” After the clarification, the girl regained her spirit and gave Derek the skin back. “Why do you want the skins, anyway?” Derek asked.

“I… I put my skill point in Leatherworking, I want to help make armor for the village so that…” She stopped, tears forming in her eyes. “So that they can be safe,” she finished.

Derek smiled. “Well, you’re in luck. I have a bunch of these things, and I didn’t know what to do with them. I guess when you get settled, I can just give the things to you.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yup, they’re yours if you want them.”

* * *

The group continued at a brisk pace. During travel, they had only come across two small packs of low-level wolves, which Marshall made quick work of, and a single level 18 bear, which Derek allowed Leon and Marshall to handle. Derek used Dismantle on the wolves and bear to gain more experience with the skill.

When the final corpse in his bracelet was dismantled, the familiar notification popped up in Derek’s vision. Derek focused on it.

Congratulations! Dismantle skill has reached level 4

I guess getting the skill to level four in this short amount of time isn’t too bad. I doubt it will help much with the Void Beast’s body yet, though. Since Derek was out of things to Dismantle, he just stayed up front and focused on getting the refugees to the village for the rest of the trip.

Their pace was quick, and without having to travel cautiously, the estimated week-long trip only took a little over three days.

* * *

Thomas was giddy with excitement when he saw his village in the distance. He’d tried to maintain his calm, but the closer the group got to the village, the more he felt like he was going to burst.

He had only been away from his grandpa for less than two weeks, but it had felt like ages. With all that he’d experienced, he was ready to be home. Mostly, he wanted his grandma and grandpa to know that he was safe. He was sure that his grandma would be sick with worry.

Finally, unable to contain himself, he took off in a sprint toward the village. If someone would’ve asked him earlier, he’d have said that he didn’t have the energy to run after the long days of travel. He made it to the front of the village, where there was an open gate. He dashed in.

“Thomas?” He heard a voice coming from the gate, but it wasn’t the voice of his grandpa or grandma, so he ignored it and kept running. Soon, he was in the middle of the village. He changed directions and made a B-Line to a small residence, made from mud and brick.

Thomas slammed the door open and ran inside the home. “Grandma! I’m back. Where are you?” he called out. The residence was small, with only two bedrooms and a common area. His eyes instantly shot to a lady sitting on a bed in one of the rooms.

Her hair was just graying. She had only a few wrinkles, but the bags under her eyes made her look much older than she was. It seemed she had been suffering from a lack of sleep recently.

Seeing his grandma in such a condition, Thomas ran over and enveloped her in a big hug. She hadn’t been able to say anything from the moment the door swung open to the moment Thomas was in her arms.

After a long hug, the two finally regained clarity. “Thomas! I’m so glad you’re okay.” The woman’s face was already drenched in tears. “Where have you been? How did you get back?” the woman asked.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell everyone later,” Thomas replied. “Where’s Grandpa? I have to tell him I’m okay.” He paused for a couple of seconds. “And we have guests.”

The woman wiped her tear-stained face with the back of her hand. “Your grandpa has been worried sick. As well, he should. He should have never taken his eyes off you.” The woman reached over to her right shoulder with her left hand and then moved her right arm in a circle. “I gave him a good beating when he showed up without you.” She smiled. “He should be meeting with Rayna right about now. And what do you mean guests?” she asked.

“You’ll see, c’mon, we’ve got to go.” Thomas grabbed his grandma’s hand and pulled her up from the bed. The two exited the house, and Thomas raced to the chief’s residence, his grandma struggling to keep up.

Thomas barged into Chief Rayna’s house too, not spending any time on etiquette. Three heads turned at the commotion. Two men and a woman. On recognition, one man jumped to his feet, grabbed Thomas, and lifted him into the air. He spun him around once before holding him out in front.

“Thomas! Thank the Great System, you’re alive! What happened? Why did you run off?” The man peppered Thomas with affection and questions.

“Put me down.” Thomas struggled against his grandpa. “Put me down,” he said again. He was finally released from his grandpa’s grasp. Thomas’s cheeks turned rosy from being embarrassed in front of the chief of the village.

Thomas turned to Chief Rayna and cleared his throat. “Chief Rayna, Chief Leon should be arriving at the village soon, with the…” Thomas’s words trailed off, and he looked toward the ground. He looked back up at Rayna with a frown and finished, “With the remaining survivors of his village.”

The attractive woman with pale skin, long blonde hair, and green eyes pursed her lips and squinted. “Survivors? What happened to the village?” she asked.

“They’ll be here soon. They know more than me,” Thomas answered. He was still shy around Rayna, but the days with Derek and the others had hardened him, and he had grown.

“That’s fine. Let’s go.” Rayna stood and walked out of the residence. Thomas, his grandparents, and the other man trailed behind.

* * *

After Thomas took off at a sprint toward the village, Derek dropped back beside Leon. “You know the people here, so you can go ahead now.” Derek fell in behind Leon, with the rest of the group. He ended up walking beside the little girl who wanted the hides.

“What level are you?” he asked.

Startled that Derek would talk to her, she answered shakily, “I’m only a level one. I just turned 13 recently.”

Derek smiled. “I see. Well, you’re going to need to level up. Who knows, maybe the Great System will reward you with some kind of Leatherworking or crafting class.” Derek felt sorry for the little girl who had lost her father, and he was impressed at her drive to help her villagers.

“It will be a long time, but I will definitely be able to help my friends and family someday,” Brandi said with resolve.

Behind the two, Malorie could only smile a sad smile.

* * *

The group soon reached the gates of the village, with Leon in the front. When they arrived, they found five people there waiting for them.

Derek looked over the people. There were two men and two women. Thomas was the fifth. He was standing in between the older man and woman, while they all seemed to yield to the beautiful blonde in front.

Making no small talk, the woman got straight to the issue. “Leon, what happened?”

18 PROBLEM

Leon shuffled nervously from one leg to the other. He had been going over in his head what he was going to say when he arrived at Rayna’s village. When he was finally asked the question, he froze, unable to answer.

Leon knew the answer. He knew what to say, but once it was said out loud, it would all be real. The man took a moment to gather himself. He took a deep breath in and let it out. Finally, he slowly raised his head to look Rayna in the eyes.

“I failed. The village is gone.” The simple statement summed everything up. “A horde of monsters attacked.” Leon turned, and his gaze fell over each of the surviving villagers. “This is all that’s left. Nobody else made it out.”

He could see the pitying look in Rayna’s eyes, but he said nothing. “Rayna, will you take us in? Our village is lost, and our people are dead. We have nowhere else to go.” The hard part over, he waited for Rayna to give her reply.

Rayna examined the group of survivors, taking in everything that Leon had said. She’d been put on the spot, but there was really only one answer. “Of course. You are all welcome here.” She saw the relief wash over many of the refugees in the crowd. There weren’t many survivors left, so adding them to her village would not be a problem.

“Thank you so much. I will forever be in your debt,” Leon said, then lowered his head as if ashamed.

“Raise your head. There is no reason to feel shame. There will always come a time when you must rely on others.” Rayna consoled Leon while scanning the crowd again. There was a man that she noticed earlier that seemed off. What a strange dress, she thought while examining the man’s odd clothing.

It looks like he is daydreaming. Almost like none of this concerns him. The oddly dressed man was staring with his head tilted up. Occasionally, he would furrow his brow or nod to himself. It doesn’t seem like he’s interacting with the Great System. Maybe he’s slow. She stared directly at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. That has to be it. Though I don’t remember anyone like that from Leon’s village.

Derek was standing in the middle of the refugees, letting Leon and Rayna talk. None of what was going on mattered to him, anyway. Hmm… So, leveling is slow with this scam system, and there seems to be a sharp drop-off in experience when killing higher-leveled beasts.

I do need to find something over one hundred levels above me to kill so I can get the next Giant Slayer achievement. I bet it’s just another Skill Point, but I need every point when it comes to this stingy system. He furrowed his brows, then relaxed. I bet if I go deep enough into the forest, I could find something one hundred levels above me. He nodded his head, not noticing the stare that he was receiving.

I should probably do that soon, he thought, then he frowned again. I have to be careful, though. I really want to go do that dungeon Thomas was talking about. To do that, I need to stay under level 25. Dammit, I don’t even know if Identify will be able to show me the levels of anything over level 100. It’s level 8, so I think it will only show me enemy levels up to 80, plus my current level, so… 91. I’m going to need to level it. I guess I can just wander around and Identify different things until it gets to level 11 or so.

Derek nodded his head twice now that he had somewhat of a plan. I wish that Void Beast would have had levels. It was definitely above level 100. He finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked around. He saw Thomas standing beside who he guessed were his grandparents. Maybe I should take the kid to that dungeon when I go. If it’s the way it sounds, there shouldn’t be a problem with the two of us entering together.

The discussion between Leon and Rayna seemed to have finally concluded. The woman turned around. “Follow me. We’ll find a place for you all,” she said as she walked back into the village.

Derek watched the pretty blonde woman as she fell in beside Leon and began chatting. “What’s with the oddly dressed person in your group?” she whispered to Leon, but Derek was close enough that with his stats, he could hear the conversation if he focused.

“Oddly dressed person?” Leon looked back, and his eyes fell on Derek. A slightly surprised look appeared on his face as he turned back around. “I think you’re talking about Derek. That’s another thing we have to discuss, but I would prefer to do so in private,” he said.

“Very well, though I don’t see why we need to discuss it in private. He looks odd, and he was staring out into space earlier when we were talking about the future of your people. Is he slow? Mentally challenged?” Rayna let her suspicions be known.

Derek’s eyelid twitched at that statement. Mentally challenged? I’ll show her mentally challenged.

Leon had turned just in time to see Derek’s facial expression change. “Slow… No! No, he’s not slow at all.” Leon moved even closer to Rayna and whispered something as lightly as he could. This time, Derek could not make out what they said, but he could guess by the reaction Rayna made.

Her head rapidly turned back to look at Derek. This time, a look of shock appeared on her face. He could not stop himself from smirking ever so slightly. Hmm… Serves you right for calling me slow.

* * *

The group eventually stopped, about midway into the village. Here, Rayna made an announcement. “Okay, everybody, listen up. Davis here”—she pointed to the other man that had been with the group that greeted the villagers—“is going to help you all get situated. We’ll figure out more in the coming days.”

“Okay, follow me.” Davis led the refugees away, leaving only Rayna, Leon, Derek, Thomas, and Thomas’s grandparents.

With the six of them alone, Rayan spoke. “My residence is just up this way. I think we have a lot to discuss. Leon, Richard”—she paused and looked at Derek—“Derek, if you will follow me.”

The older woman reached for and grabbed Thomas’s hand to lead him away. “Let’s go, Thomas. I’m sure they have very important things to discuss.”

“Wait!” Derek called out. “The kid needs to come too. I need to talk to him once we’ve finished.”

The woman frowned and looked at Rayna, who slowly nodded her head.

“Relax, the boy will be fine. You’re his grandma. You might as well come, too,” Derek said, to the older lady’s relief.

Rayna led the group to one of the bigger buildings in the village. Once inside the building, she showed them to a meeting room of sorts. Eight chairs surrounded one big table. “Let’s all have a seat,” she said and gestured toward the furniture.

Without ceremony, Derek pulled out a chair and let his body fall into it. “Whew, actual furniture. It’s been a while.” He moved around on the chair. “Though it could use a cushion or something,” he remarked.

The others stared for a moment until Rayna took the initiative and sat down at the head of the table. The rest, including a very nervous-looking Thomas, soon followed.

The six people sat at the table in silence. Derek was waiting for someone else to speak. Finally, Rayna broke the silence. “Derek, you already know Leon and little Thomas.” She gestured to the man and boy. “Beside Thomas is his grandpa, Richard. He is one of my aides and the head trader in the village. And beside Richard is his wife, Delilah, who is Thomas’s grandma.”

Derek looked over and nodded at the two.

“I’m sure the both of them will be very grateful to you by the time this meeting is over,” Rayna continued. “From what Leon has told me, which is not much, you are the reason that both Thomas and the survivors of Leon’s village are still alive. This was all I could get out of him. It seems that you have made quite the impression.” Rayna looked over at Leon and smiled.

Derek chuckled, amused at the way Leon was acting. He had been very reserved with Derek ever since he came back from fighting the Void Beast. He focused his attention on the chief. “Well, there’s not much of a story to tell. I was in the forest when Thomas ran into me, apparently after being separated from his companions. He was being chased by a wolf, which I took care of.”

“After that, Thomas helped me out a bit, so I agreed to bring him home.” He looked over at Richard. “You have quite the grandson, by the way. We made it out of the forest, and soon after, we saw the small group of villagers. Thomas knew them, so he asked me to help. I did, and now we are here.”

Leon looked as if there was something more that he wanted to add, but he did not make a sound.

“That’s it?” Rayna appeared doubtful at Derek’s words.

“Yeah, pretty much. There were some beasts and fights in between, but other than that, that’s all. Found the kid, saved what was left of the village, and brought them here. That’s the cliff notes,” Derek replied.

“Cliff notes?” Rayna asked.

Derek laughed. “Don’t worry about it, it’s just a saying where I come from.”

“And where do you come from?”

“That’s a good question, but I have a better one.” Derek paused for dramatic effect. “What do you plan on doing about your forest problem? If what I’m thinking is correct, it won’t be long before all the villages in the area end up like Leon’s.” He stared deep into Rayna’s eyes.

“The forest problem? Do you know what’s going on with it?” Rayna blurted out. Derek could see the intrigue swelling in her eyes.

“I have some ideas,” said Derek. “First, I’m sure you all have noticed that monsters are migrating toward the edge of the forest.”

“We have, and it is very odd,” Richard replied.

“You must have also noticed that the creatures near the edge are advanced in level, at least compared to before. Right now, it seems to be creatures at around level 20, but I have a feeling that this will soon change.” Derek stopped talking, allowing what he had just said to sink in.

Rayna was the first to respond. “What makes you think this?”

Derek looked to where Richard and Delilah were sitting. “You heard that Tommy here was chased by a wolf, correct?” Derek waited for the two of them to nod. “What you haven’t heard is that the wolf that chased him was level 53,” he explained.

Hearing that, the room went silent. Nobody could believe what they had just heard. Finally, Rayna broke the silence. “Thomas, how far into the forest did you go?”

Thomas startled but answered, “W… well, I didn’t go very far at all. I thought I saw some herbs for medicine and went to look at them. Then the wolf came and chased me deeper into the forest.”

Rayna looked at Derek. “So, you’re saying that a level 53 wolf chased Thomas from the edge of the forest, all the way to where you were? How was he able to escape from a wolf of that level?” Derek could hear the skepticism in her voice.

Derek snorted, amused. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask the wolf. Maybe it enjoyed the hunt, or it was full and just toying with him. All I know is that it ended up in our stomachs.” He patted his belly as if he was stuffed.

Rayna scoffed. “Okay, let’s say you’re right, and it was level 53. Why was it so close to the edge of the forest?”

“Now that’s the million-dollar question.” Derek paused. “I believe that the stronger creatures are being driven to the outer parts of the forest, which also drives the weaker monsters completely out of the forest. The ending result is a horde attacking villages and villagers for food. That’s what I believe happened with Leon’s village.”

“Fine, so something is causing all of this, then? Do you know what it is?” Rayna asked.

“Well, I know part of what is causing the beast’s problem.” Derek looked at Thomas, then spoke. “When the kid and I were getting ready to head out of the forest, a bear attacked our camp. It was a higher level, just like the wolf, but it looked sick. After inspecting the bear, I learned it was diseased and was on the verge of turning into an undying creature.”

He let the others digest the information before continuing. “Now, I know that a disease is spreading throughout the forest, but I don’t know what’s causing it. I’m not a native to this region, so I don’t have a lot of information, but I have a couple of guesses about what’s happening.”

Rayna looked at Derek, her face now completely serious. “If everything you’re saying is true, then we have a big problem. No, not just us, even City Lord Torith will have to get involved.” She took a deep breath. “What are your theories? What do you believe is causing all this?”

Seeing such an intense atmosphere, Derek decided he had messed around enough. He’d been acting haughty ever since he heard the woman call him slow. He leaned forward in his chair and looked directly into the village chief’s eyes. “From what I heard from Thomas, this city lord of yours dispatched some adventurers to look into the problem, correct?”

Rayna answered. “Yes, they poked around in the forest for a bit and questioned a few villages, but from what I gather, they couldn’t find any genuine problems.”

“Interesting. Either the adventurers that took on the mission were complete idiots and awful at their jobs, or they didn’t even bother trying to figure out what was happening. The second I arrived here, I could tell there were some serious issues with the forest, and it only took me a day to figure out part of it. Surely, the adventures that came were high enough of a level to take out some monsters at level 50, right?” Derek asked.

“From what I know, there were three of them, and they were all level 50 or higher. We know this because of all the bragging they were doing,” Rayna answered.

“Well, it was most likely the latter… they didn’t even try.” Derek shook his head. He wasn’t a big fan of helping people, but if he took a mission or made a promise he kept it—or at least tried to. He changed the subject. “So, I have two ideas about what is going on. The first is that some kind of undying creature wandered into the forest a long time ago, and it has taken this long for the disease to spread.”

“That’s… a possibility,” said Richard from across the table. “It seems unlikely. If something like that happened, the disease should have spread much faster. And the monsters would have become diseased first, instead of the forest.”

“And this leads me to my second guess.” All the eyes in the room were staring at Derek. “A dungeon.”

“What?” Rayna questioned. “If there was a dungeon, we would have known about it.”

“That may be so, but who says that there can’t be new dungeons?” he questioned, then looked at Richard, who seemed to be the most knowledgeable of the group. “Is it possible? Can new dungeons just appear?” He stopped for a second, thinking. “And what happens to a dungeon if it isn’t cleared for a long time?” In the system that Derek came from, dungeons could appear anywhere except for safe zones. If a dungeon wasn’t cleared in an appropriate amount of time, it would overflow.

Richard didn’t respond for a while. Finally, he nodded his head. “New dungeons appearing are rare but not unheard of. It is possible that a well-hidden dungeon could have spawned deep in the forest, where few adventurers go.” He paused. “If that were to have happened, and it was left alone, it could have caused an overflow after some time. If the dungeon is one with undying properties, it would explain everything that is happening.”

“So, we possibly have a hidden dungeon that has overflowed, leading to disease spreading throughout the forest. This is driving the healthy monsters away from the dungeon and toward the edge of the forest, which is driving the lower-level creatures out of the forest and causing them to attack villages.” Rayna recounted all that she had heard. “It seems far-fetched, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

Derek nodded. “Now that you understand your situation, you should know how dire it is. You need to either find a way to fix it or talk to someone who can. Who knows, maybe this city lord of yours will send someone competent this time.” Derek made to get up. He’d finished his explanation and let the villagers know how serious of a problem they had. It was time for him to leave the village and go find something 100 levels higher than him to kill.

“Wait!” Rayna spoke up. “You’re strong—at least level 90. Why don’t you help us? It should be easy enough for you.”

“Level 90? What made you get that idea?” Derek asked.

“I can’t Identify you. Which means that your Identify skill is higher than mine, and mine is level 6, or you are at a higher level than I can Identify. I can see up to level 91, and you are just question marks. Either way, it means that you’re strong,” Rayna explained.

“That may be so, but I have no reason to help you further. I already saved your refugees and let you know of the forest problem. Hell, the only reason I did this much is that I find the kid over there”—Derek nodded at Thomas—“interesting. Besides, you don’t need me. This is a problem that the city lord will want to see eliminated… and fast. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” With that, Derek finished standing and walked to the exit of the house.

“Tommy, walk with me. I need to find out where that little girl ended up.” He motioned for Thomas to follow him.

* * *

“He’s right, you know,” Richard said after Derek and Thomas exited the building.

“I know, but he doesn’t have to be so upfront about it,” Rayna said. Her mind was still racing while thinking of all the new information she had received. “We need to figure out what to do and do it fast.”

“Our only option is to send someone to the city to report to the lord. Derek was right in that regard,” Richard replied.

“I’ll send Davis. He can take a few hunters with him. They should be able to make the trip relatively quickly.” This was all Rayna could do in their current situation. What she really wanted to know was how powerful Derek was. She looked at Leon. “Leon, you’ve spent a lot of time with that man. Now that he’s gone, what’s your take on him?”

“I don’t know. He’s sarcastic, funny, and moody. And he asks a lot of basic questions. I can’t figure him out. But he’s strong, much stronger than you think.” Leon paused as if debating on what to say next. “I think he can control the void.” He dropped a bombshell.

“What!” Rayna was shocked. “How is that possible? Are you sure?”

“I saw him experimenting with his elemental powers. It was an element that I have never seen before.” He paused again, then sighed. “I think he accidentally summoned a Void Beast, too.”

Rayna didn’t know what to think. She was surprised by Leon’s first statement, but the second made her speechless. Luckily, Richard spoke up.

“Did he open a portal?” Richard asked.

“No. He channeled his element, then shot it into the sky. After that, a Void Beast broke through,” Leon responded.

Rayna could finally speak. “If a Void Beast was there, how did any of you make it out alive?”

“Well, that’s the thing. He stayed back to fight it and sent us away. Soon after, he caught up, no worse for wear. He said that he chased it away, which makes sense according to what I know of Void Beasts. But I don’t know. I think he may have killed it,” Leon finished.

The room was silent until a voice that had not spoken rang out. “What does he want with my Thomas?” Delilah asked.

* * *

Derek and Thomas were walking through the village. “So, kid, when will you unlock the system?” Derek asked.

“I turn thirteen in around a month,” Thomas replied.

“What are your plans? Do you plan on staying in the village?”

“I don’t know. I wanted to be a trader like my grandpa. But with everything that has happened, I want to get strong. I want to protect people, and I don’t want to have to be protected by others,” Thomas answered.

Derek could see the fire in Thomas’s eyes as he spoke. “If you want that, you’ll have to leave. You’ll have to adventure, fight, and kill. Are you up for it? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a nice, peaceful life in the village?” Derek pushed.

Thomas halted his steps. Derek turned and waited for his reply. “I’m sure.” This was the only response that Derek received. The pair continued walking.

Soon, Derek saw someone that he recognized. “Davis, right?”

The man stopped walking and replied, “Yes?”

“You took the refugees somewhere. I need to find that little girl and her mother. Brandi and Malorie.”

“Oh, they’re just up ahead,” Davis said, pointing.

“Thanks.” Derek and Thomas started walking again.

Soon, they found the girl and her mother. “Did you get settled?” Derek asked.

Malorie’s head darted toward Derek. When she saw Derek and Thomas there, she smiled. “Yes. We will stay in this residence with some others for the time being.”

“That’s good,” Derek replied. “Do you have a place for me to put him?” he asked.

“This way.” Malorie led Derek over to a blanket spread out on the ground. Brandi and Thomas followed.

Derek focused, and Travis’s body appeared in his arms. He gently laid him on the blanket.

“Thank you,” Malorie said.

Derek nodded and looked at Brandi. “And these are for you.” He summoned the hides from the monsters he had dismantled and laid them on the ground.

Brandi looked at the pile of hides with wide eyes. “Thank you so much.” She ran up to Derek and hugged him. A tightness formed in his chest, but he ignored it.

He patted her head, and she let go. “It’s fine.” Then he turned to Thomas and summoned the Mana Clippers. He handed them to the kid. “Take these and practice. I expect an amazing haircut when I get back.” He walked away, looking over his shoulder, back at Thomas. “Oh, and don’t unlock your system until I get back, okay?”

“Okay!”

19 ACHIEVEMENTS

After saying his goodbyes to Thomas, Derek left. Once he passed through the gates, he surveyed his surroundings. I guess I should just go into the forest. Maybe I can find some high-level creatures close to whatever is causing the disease.

He traveled toward the tree line until he was at the edge of the forest. Before he began his ‘mission’, he did a quick check on his stat points.

Hmm… 40 stat points, two skill points, and three skill upgrade points. Derek remembered the extra boost of regeneration he felt after his vitality broke 500 points. I really like having spare stat points for worst-case scenarios, but maybe spending a few won’t hurt. Derek looked at his stats and contemplated how to spend his points.

First, he spent five points in Wisdom, just to round it off at 200. With that, he received a notification, which he promptly ignored. Next, he rounded out the rest of his stats as the odd numbers bugged him. He spent two points on intelligence, four points on dexterity, and two points on strength. He knew he probably shouldn’t do this, but the numbers were driving him crazy.

Finally, he spent nine stat points on endurance. After spending that, he received another notification on his screen which, again, he ignored. Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it in a minute. Okay, so… I have 18 stat points left. Derek frowned. Well, whatever. He had never been too compulsive about his stats with the old system—how could he with the percent increases titles had given him. With the new system, however, he did not have any percent increase titles, so he was in full control.

After finishing up with his stat points, he checked the two notifications he had received. He thought it was odd to receive a notification for spending skill points.

You have successfully increased all your stats to at least 200 points.

Achievement Unlocked

Oh? Now that’s unexpected. Derek looked at his new achievement.

Jack of All

By spreading your stat points through all stats, you have shown that you understand their worth. You are awarded the following:

2 Skill Points

15 Stats Points added to each stat

Note: This is a one-time achievement and will not be upgraded.

Derek clicked his tongue. Not bad. Sucks that I can’t upgrade it, but that was almost five free levels, plus some skill points. After seeing this achievement, Derek couldn’t wait to see what the other notification was for. He focused on it.

You have successfully increased both your endurance and vitality to 500 points.

Achievement Unlocked

That grabbed Derek’s attention. This is going to be great. He checked the new achievement.

Meat Shield

You thrive on the physicality of the fight. You are a glutton for punishment. In order to survive your masochistic ways, you have focused heavily on defense and recovery. You are awarded the following:

One Defensive Skill (Please Choose)

One Restorative Skill (Please Choose)

Note: This is a one-time achievement and will not be upgraded.

Derek looked toward the sky. There is a god! Actual combat skills! Derek was beside himself with joy. After the flop that was Void Call, he’d been stuck with only one usable non-General Skill. Sure, he wasn’t getting a new attack skill, but a defensive skill would be nice, and he knew that the only reason he had been able to use Greater Meditation during his fight with the Void Beast was because of the unusual circumstances. He excitedly viewed his possible defensive skills.

Current Available Skill Points: 5

Note: One skill point is required to unlock any of the skills below. If you do not have any skill points, you may choose to unlock a skill at a later date.

Available Defensive Skills

Counterattack

Guard

Harden

Magic Resistance

Physical Resistance

Reflect

Stoneskin

Taunt

Thorns

Transfer Damage

Oh, ten skills to choose from. Derek was a little irritated that the skills were not free, but he expected it from the stingy system. He read through the list of skills one by one, hoping to find the perfect skill. Counterattack… Nope, not something I would use. Guard… Requires a shield, pass. Harden… Maybe. Magic Resistance… 1.5% per level, passive… Maybe. Physical Resistance… Same… Maybe.

Derek went on reading the list in his mind until he settled on four skills: Magic Resistance, Reflect, Thorns, and Transfer Damage. He took a closer look at them.

Magic Resistance

Increase your natural resistance to all magic-related skills. Each level will increase the resistance by 1.5%.

Passive

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Magic Resistance?

Damn. That’s 30% full magical resistance at level 20. If it can be upgraded after level 20, then I could become practically immune. He looked at the next skill.

Reflect

Reflect a certain amount of damage back at the attacker. The higher the level, the greater the damage is reflected.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Reflect?

Not bad.

Thorns

A small amount of damage is dealt to your attacker for every attack received. The higher the level, the greater the damage dealt.

Passive

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Thorns?

Derek looked at Thorns, then he did a double-take. That says passive. That Void Beast probably would have killed itself if I would have had that ability. After confirming the ability, Derek was very interested in it.

Transfer Damage

Cast this upon an ally to transfer the damage they receive to yourself. The higher the level, the more damage you can transfer.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Transfer Damage?

Ooh, I could save so many people… Nope. Not my kind of skill. After thinking, Derek was considering either Thorns or Magic Resistance. Ah, man, both are perfect for me. Thorns would add a ton to my offense, but Magic Resistance would increase my survivability by so much. Finally, Derek came to a conclusion. I sure hope I’m able to choose more of these later. He chose Magic Resistance.

Magic Resistance Learned Successfully.

Skill Points Remaining: 4

Derek felt the familiar feeling of learning a skill but not much after. What would I expect? It’s a defensive passive. I wonder if Harden or Stoneskin would have combined with my old Impenetrable Skin skill. Oh well, I need magic defense. With his new defensive skill learned, he looked at the restorative skills.

Current Available Skill Points: 4

Note: One skill point is required to unlock any of the skills below. If you do not have any skill points, you may choose to unlock a skill at a later date.

Available Restorative Skills

Cure

Heal

Life Leech

Rejuvenation

Remove Curse

Wait, why are there only five skills on this list? Derek sighed. Stingy system. Derek looked through the list. How is Life Leech a restorative skill? Damn, these skills seem too basic. He frowned. He wanted a skill that combined well with his fighting style, but he didn’t like how basic the skills were. I guess the defensive skills were kind of basic too, but they fit well with me.

Derek first ruled out Cure. Only cures poison, waste of a skill. Don’t need Remove Curse either. Finally, after a bit of thinking, he crossed Heal off his list. Too much mana for not enough healing. After that, it left him with Life Leech and Rejuvenation.

Life Leech

After casting on a user, a percent of any damage dealt will be returned to the user as health. The higher the level, the more health will be returned, the longer the spell will last, and the less mana it will cost.

2% Damage Returned as Health

Skill Lasts 30 Seconds

Costs 250 Mana

Cooldown: 5 Minutes

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Maybe. Derek looked at Rejuvenation.

Rejuvenation

After casting on a user, the user will receive a percentage of health restored over a set period. The higher the level, the higher the recovery, less cost, and less cooldown.

5% HP Recovered Over 30 Seconds

Costs 250 Mana

Cooldown: 5 Minutes

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Rejuvenation?

Derek really wanted to get Life Leech, but he could see how Rejuvenation could become extremely powerful after leveling up. This decision was harder than his previous one. Well, either skill is better than none. What really made his decision for him was the percent heal from Rejuvenation.

Learn.

Rejuvenation Learned Successfully.

Skill Points Remaining: 3

I hope I don’t regret this. Derek thought about how he would level his new skills up. Rejuvenation should be easy, but I need to find a monster that uses magic to help me level up my resistance. Hmm… Maybe the kid will get a sorcerer class or something.

With all of that settled, Derek viewed his new status sheet.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 11

Experience: 0/600

Class: Champion of the Void (Epic)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 5250

Mana: 2150

Stamina: 5150

Stats

Strength: 360

Dexterity: 260

Endurance: 515

Vitality: 525

Intelligence: 220

Wisdom: 215

Stat Points Remaining: 18

Skills

Channel Void Lv. 3, Dismantle Lv. 4, Greater Meditation Lv. 1, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 8, Magic Resistance Lv. 1, Rejuvenation Lv. 1, Void Call Lv. 2

Skill Points Remaining: 3

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 3

Achievements

Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Meat Shield

Well… only three skill points left… I think that’s enough spending for one day. Let’s go look for some prey.

20 THE LEGENDARY BEAST

Derek walked into the forest, thinking about his achievements and new skills. For the most part, he was happy with his new skills. Still, he wished that he could have picked more than one from each category. Really, he missed his Heavy Blow and Wide Sweep skills. He could use the skills, albeit with a massive headache, when he first arrived on the new planet, but ever since his new system suppressed the old one, he lost access.

He wanted to gain a chance to get a heavy weapon skill… an offensive one. By his calculations, his Wide Sweep skill would be level 20 or at least closing in on it by now. If he could find the right skill to combine with it, he may be able to receive another upgraded skill, and this time it would be an area of effect attack skill.

But all of that would have to come at a later date. For now, he had a plan. He needed to increase his Identify skill and find something over 100 levels above himself to kill. He figured that if he found any injured creatures along the way, he could cast Rejuvenate on them to help level his new restoration skill. Or is it a spell? They both take mana to use, but some sound more like spells than skills. Oh well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Derek continued walking, casting Identify on everything he could. He was identifying trees, plants, rocks, everything he could find. If he didn’t remember using the skill on it, he tried to Identify it.

For a long while, he didn’t find anything other than rocks and flora. Though he knew from experience that some plants could be as dangerous as any monster. Finally, a little bunny hopped in front of him. He quickly used Identify and was baffled by what he saw.

Horned Rabbit

Level 54

A rabbit native to forests and other lush areas.

Damn, what are the odds that the first monster I come across is level 54? And it’s the legendary horned bunny. It must be fate. Derek approached the bunny cautiously, but it had already taken note of him. However, it did not flee or move.

Soon, Derek was within arm’s reach of the creature. He squatted down. “Hey there, little fella, what are you doing out here in these big rotten woods?” He reached out to pet its head, then the bunny jumped.

“Ow! Shit!” Derek jumped back, holding his nose. It had launched itself at him the moment he reached his hand out. He hadn’t taken much damage, but getting head-butted in the nose by a level 54 jumping animal at full force still hurt, and it was not like he had any increased pain tolerance skills.

Derek removed his hands, checking them for blood. Seeing that there was not any, he looked at his HP. Ha, 26 points of damage to me. To Derek, this was nothing. But then he thought about Thomas and shivered. That would have been over a quarter of his health. No, he doesn’t have any endurance, so that probably would have one shot him. If I end up taking him anywhere, we’re going to have to be extra careful.

Derek thought about everything that he’d learned so far. The fact that his bunny is as near to the edge of the forest as this is crazy. I’m not even sure that Ms. Village Chief herself could take this little girl on…

He shook his head and kept walking. After about 50 meters, he felt something hit him in the back. He turned and saw the bunny sitting there, looking up at him. Does it have a grudge against me? Derek walked forward for some time before the rabbit hit him again. He looked at the cute creature again and chuckled before continuing.

It wasn’t long before Derek came across another creature. It was a level 34 fox. Derek kept walking, not bothering to be stealthy. The fox raised its head to look at him. It seemed timid but not afraid enough to run. Then, it seemed to notice the bunny hopping along behind him. Instantly, the fox was terrified and fled for its life.

At that time, a little gray rocket flew past Derek. “Woah!” He laughed out as the bunny caught up to the fox. Holy shit. He watched as the bunny landed in front of the fleeing fox and, with no hesitation, launched itself at the fox’s head. It was a one-hit knockout.

Derek scanned the fox again and noticed that it wasn’t dead but only incapacitated. He waited to see what the bunny would do. Sure enough, the bunny backed up and flew toward the unconscious fox. This time, the fox was not as lucky, and it died on the spot.

“This little thing’s a daredevil,” he said out loud as he watched the scene in front of him, the little gray bunny ripping into the fox, tearing out chunks of flesh. I thought rabbits were supposed to be herbivores, he thought, then he remembered the condition of the forest. Maybe it has had to become a predator to survive in a diseased forest. That would explain why it has such a high level.

I wonder if it injured itself at all. He cast Rejuvenate on the bunny. The bunny hopped backward and shook its head. Then it turned and looked at Derek. It tilted its head, cautiously approached its kill, then looked back at Derek, who did nothing, before continuing to gorge itself.

Instead of continuing, Derek waited until the bunny finished. Soon, the bunny hopped away, and Derek walked over to the animal carcass. No sense in letting this go to waste. He quickly dismantled what remained of the fox and stored what was left of the hide in his bracelet. I bet that girl would want this.

He left the rest of the fox there and continued his trek through the forest. Soon after, he heard rustling from behind a bush. He turned and looked, ready to use Identify, but when he saw what it was, he laughed. The bunny was sitting there, staring at him. I guess this thing is going to keep at me then. He walked forward, and the bunny flew at his face again.

This time, instead of taking it on the nose, Derek tilted his head and avoided the flying rabbit altogether. “You’re going to keep trying to take me out, huh? Did I murder your family or something?” Like this, man and bunny traveled deeper and deeper into the forest, his bunny nemesis constantly trying to smash into his back.

Hours later, the sun went down. Derek didn’t have any problems traveling at night, but it was harder to see, and therefore, Identify. Anyway, he wasn’t in much of a hurry. His only plan at the moment was to unlock the next level of his Giant Slayer achievement and level up Identify. He didn’t want to take much longer than a month because he wanted to help Thomas unlock his system. Besides, he doubted it would take more than a month to find something at a high enough level for him to hunt.

Derek made a small clearing to set up camp before lighting a fire. Once the fire was roaring, he took a bird carcass out of his storage bracelet.

I can’t believe that damned bunny launched itself high enough in the air to take out this hawk. Just thinking about the flying bunny head-butting a bird out of the air caused Derek to chuckle. Once the hawk died, Derek rushed over and stored it in his bracelet before the bunny could mutilate it like it had other monsters.

The creature had not taken kindly to Derek stealing its prey, so it launched a series of attacks on the man, which Derek took in full.

Other than the entertainment, there were some more pluses to traveling with his hot-blooded companion. His Dismantle skill reached level 5, and his Rejuvenation skill had leveled all the way to level 3. He had to admit, the bunny was an idiot. Most monsters were dumb, but the bunny was a special kind of dumb.

It would attack any living thing it saw—which was clearly demonstrated by it taking on a level 60 boar. Derek was sure it would have died if he hadn’t hit it with multiple Rejuvenation casts during its fight. This was also how he found out that he would not share in the experience gain of something he healed during a fight. He didn’t know if this was because he had no intent to kill the other creature or if it was just because he didn’t have a healing class.

Either way, it allowed him to be quite liberal with Rejuvenation, which was why it was already at level 3. Not to mention that the skill already recovered 15% HP over 30 seconds. With his calculations, Rejuvenation would completely recover one’s health when it reached level 20. Also, the skill would be extremely cheap to use in terms of mana. His only problem with the skill was the long cooldown timer, though this may also become shorter.

Derek removed the feathers from the hawk and put it on a spit over the fire. The gluttonous bunny was looking back and forth between the roasting bird and Derek. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll let you have some, too.” He was enjoying traveling with the creature, especially after it stopped trying to murder him every two seconds.

Soon, the bird finished roasting, and Derek took a bite. Ah… tastes like chicken. Man, I’ve really missed chicken. Derek took another bite. Then the bunny flew into his shoulder. “Yeah, I know, I didn’t forget. Stop being so damn impatient.” He ripped a big chunk of meat off the roasted hawk and tossed it to the bunny. “That’s all you’re getting. If you wanted more, you should have killed a bigger bird.”

With this, the two enjoyed their meal. Once he was finished eating, Derek slipped into Greater Meditation. He’d spent more nights like this than he could count, especially after his stint in the void. In fact, he preferred spending most nights like this as it left him refreshed and helped him level his skill.

Apparently, the bunny decided that this would be a good time for it to sleep, too. Soon, cute snoring sounds could be heard from the clearing. Derek smiled and continued meditating. The night would soon pass, and his adventure would continue.

* * *

Derek rose from his meditative state at sunrise, breathing deeply while stretching. Meditating is so much better than sleeping. It’s much easier to enter a meditative state than it is to fall asleep. Plus, if I were to enter deep enough, I could sit there for days or weeks without feeling time passing by. Derek couldn’t help but appreciate his Greater Meditation skill. It was his favorite skill and the one that he couldn’t do without.

After stretching, he looked around at the clearing he made the night before. Of his campfire, only smoking coals were left; the fire was no more. The bunny was already up and bouncing around. It surprised Derek that the creature had chosen to stay rather than up and leaving. It probably thinks of me as an easy meal ticket, he pondered.

Finally, Derek began his slow trek through the forest once again. The horned rabbit fell in behind him, and they walked. Soon, they fell into a rhythm. Derek would Identify anything he saw, while the bunny would attack. Then he would heal his makeshift companion. If needed, he would help the bunny out if she were struggling in a fight. As long as he didn’t damage the monster, directly or indirectly, he would receive no experience. After the fight, he would Dismantle what was left of the bunny’s opponent.

Derek made sure that he was constantly heading into the part of the forest with the most disease. With the pair taking their time, days passed, then weeks.

* * *

Two weeks after entering the forest, Derek received the notification he’d been waiting for.

Congratulations! Identify skill has reached level 10

Finally! Now I can be sure that a monster is at least 100 levels above me. With the skill reaching level 10, he could finally Identify any system creature at level 111 or lower. This meant that if question marks came back, the enemy was over one hundred levels above him, and he could go for the kill.

His Dismantle and Rejuvenation skills also leveled up in his two weeks of travel—Dismantle leveling all the way up to level 8, and Rejuvenation hitting level 5. So far, this trip has been super successful. Two new skills, and a lot of skill levels. Now, all I have to do is get the damn achievement, then I can get out of here.

Derek used Identify on the horned rabbit again.

Horned Rabbit

Level 59

A rabbit native to forests and other lush areas.

I can’t believe that this little fella has already gained five levels. He could tell that the rabbit was hitting harder based on the occasional thud he felt on his back. Maybe the little fellow invested some stat points into Intelligence. She hasn’t been acting near as stupid as she was before. He smiled and shook his head, then kept trudging through the forest.

As Derek walked, he could feel that he was getting closer to the center of the diseased area, and his rabbit companion had begun acting timidly. It was no longer hopping along happily but cautiously following behind. He could tell that something was making it wary.

For the past days, Derek hadn’t run into any animal that didn’t have a ‘diseased’ modifier attached to its name. The monsters were, however, of a much higher level than before, the highest one so far being level 94. The bunny was smart enough to not want anything to do with these diseased monsters, opting to stay far away.

Derek also avoided the higher-level monsters, not because he was afraid but because he didn’t want to accidentally gain any more levels, making the achievement he was going for all the harder to unlock in the process.

Unexpectedly, the sound of the rabbit that was usually behind him stopped. He turned and looked. The horned rabbit was just sitting there, not moving. “Are you coming?” he asked. The rabbit made no moves. Derek sighed. Looks like I finally hit the point in the forest where it will no longer follow.

It pained Derek to lose his travel companion, but he had known that their partnership would not last long. He had no beast taming abilities, and the rabbit liked to headbutt anything it saw. If it was to follow him out into civilization, it would commit a massacre by complete accident.

He turned back and headed deeper into the diseased forest. He heard the rustling behind him and took a glance. The bunny had fled back the way they came. Good luck, buddy.

He was alone again. His chest tightened, and anxiety and nervousness threatened to overwhelm him. Calm down… He took a deep breath in and let it out. You’re not trapped anymore. You’re alone, but only because you want to be. He repeated the mantra until he relaxed. The longer he was out of the void, the faster the anxiety crept up when he was alone.

He felt it separating from the villagers, and then once again separating from the bunny. It was the exact opposite of the happiness he felt when he met the first Void Beast, or when he came across Thomas. I hope I can get over that soon. He shook his head and continued forward.

As he went on, he surveyed the forest. Withered, dead trees had fallen everywhere. There wasn’t a non-diseased plant in sight. In fact, the forest had been nothing but shades of gray and brown for days now. It was a wonder that the horned rabbit stuck with him as long as it did.

It was quiet. There were no birds chirping or animals rustling. It was like he had been moving closer and closer to the eye of a hurricane. The closer he got, the quieter it was. It seemed like something straight out of a horror film. He had a feeling like something would pop up and try to kill him at any second.

Derek didn’t like that feeling, so he increased his speed. After days and weeks of walking through the forest at a turtle’s pace, he sped along, not caring about any noise he made along the way. Previously, he was avoiding any contact with monsters because he didn’t want to accidentally earn experience. Now, there didn’t seem to be any monsters for him to avoid.

He rushed past wilted shrubbery and jumped over fallen trees. Then he saw it. A pale gray ball of… something. The sphere was the size of a giant beach ball from his old world. The sphere was floating about half a meter off the ground, moving in changing patterns, never rotating the same way for too long.

At first, Derek thought the ball of what he assumed was some kind of energy was a portal. But after studying it for some time, the differences between the portals he had seen on Earth and what he was seeing now were as clear as night and day. Derek was sure of one thing though, this object was the cause of the disease in the forest.

Really wish I would have gotten more information about dungeons before I took off. If this is a dungeon entrance, then it is nothing like the entrances to the dungeons that I am used to. Derek made a note to find Thomas’s grandfather and get any information about dungeons that he could from the man. Rookie mistake, Derek… rookie mistake…

With the way Richard had explained the dungeons and their overflow, Derek had just assumed that they would be similar in looks. Hell, I don’t even know if this is a dungeon or not. My theories and hypotheses from before may have just been completely wrong.

He tried to use Identify on the orb, but it had no effect. Why can’t things ever just be easy? Now, I’m going to go over, and it’s going to suck me in and make me spend years trapped in a space again. He shivered and removed the scary thoughts from his mind.

Derek calmed himself and worked up the courage to move forward. He slowly approached the floating orb, cautiously proceeding, step by step. When he was near it, he was able to make out an almost imperceptible humming sound coming from it.

He finally got within arm’s reach and slowly stretched out his right arm, all the while chanting in his head. Don’t trap me, don’t trap me, don’t trap me. Finally, his hand hovered inches from the orb. He held his breath, then rested his hand on it.

Huh… Nothing? And here I was, expecting to be sucked in or blown away. The oddest thing about the whole situation was that the ball was still rotating below his hand, but he could feel no movement. It was like his hand was on a solid surface.

Well, that was a letdown. He released his breath and pulled his hand back… or at least tried to pull his hand back. His hand was stuck and couldn’t move. Dammit! I knew something was going to happen as soon as I relaxed.

He was stuck. No matter how hard he pulled or moved, he couldn’t get his hand off the orb. Finally, he stopped resisting and thought about what he was going to do. I wonder if my high vitality can grow back limbs. He looked at his right hand and shuddered. Let’s keep that as a last resort. Why is it only my right hand? Why can my left hand touch it without a problem? He reached out and rested his left hand beside his right, just to compare the differences.

While he was deep in his thoughts, a system message was forced before his eyes.

Dungeon Countdown Timer Depleted

Participants 1/5

Derek Hunt: Level 11

Please Choose an Option Below

View Dungeon

Enter Dungeon

Leave

Oh. Well, that’s much less scary.

21 DUNGEON

Derek viewed the dungeon information.

Dungeon Status

Dungeon Level: 100

Dungeon Type: Undying

Dungeon State: Extreme Overflow

Dungeon Rewards: Unknown (Never Completed)

Max Participants: 5

Oh, that’s informative, he thought as he viewed the different aspects of the dungeon. Level 100. Derek frowned. I wonder if the adventurers that Torith is going to send will be able to do a level 100 dungeon. I wonder what the levels actually look like in a big city. Surely, the lord has to be at a super high level.

Well, at least it’s an undying dungeon—just as I thought. I wonder if my Rejuvenation spell hurts undying creatures. It didn’t say anything about being a holy spell or anything, so I doubt it. Derek made a note to check it out later, if possible.

So, it’s level 100 and undying. That’s going to make it much harder to complete for whoever goes in. It’s probably packed full of enemies too, based on the extreme overflow. Derek felt bad for the adventurers that were going to be sent.

At least I know I should be able to find something over level 100 around here. If it’s that overflowed, something strong has to have come out. Derek looked at the final two pieces of information. I wonder if the first person to complete a dungeon gets anything special. Maybe every participant will get something good. Derek was tempted to enter the dungeon and complete it.

Damn, I wish I didn’t care about my level right now. I’d probably come out a level 50 or something if I solo’d it right now, he lamented. No sense in dwelling on it. I’ll just look for something to kill. Derek left the dungeon alone, for now, to do what he had set out to do in the first place.

He closed the window, and the dungeon interface appeared back in his vision. This time, he focused on the leave option, and just like that, the interface closed, and his hand fell free from the orb.

Before Derek did anything else, he noticed a new notification at the bottom of his vision. Hmm… I wonder what this will be.

You have discovered a previously undiscovered dungeon.

Achievement Unlocked

Oh, sweet! I never expected a new achievement to come out of this. This system seems to be just giving them away. Maybe it isn’t as greedy as I thought. Then Derek thought of everything that had happened since he arrived. No, you’re still a super stingy system. I won’t fall for your blatant attempts to win me over. Derek dismissed his notification and looked at the achievement.

Lesser Explorer

By being the first to discover an important location, you have proven your love for exploration. You are awarded the following:

New Skill

Continue exploring to advance the achievement.

Nice! I hope I can choose from some excellent skills this time. Derek focused on the new skill.

Enhanced Movement Speed

The ability to move at a faster pace while out of combat. One percent increase in movement speed per level.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Enhanced Movement Speed?

What? Hell, no! What a useless skill. You want me to spend a precious skill point on being able to walk a little faster when there isn’t anything around me? I mean, if I could use it while running for my life, it would be different. Derek narrowed his eyes. Good one, System. You almost had me. I would rather spend the skill point on Cooking. Derek closed the notifications. The skill remained with the Award. If he ever decided that he wanted it, it would still be there.

Derek turned around and walked away from the dungeon. Okay, time to find this elusive high-level monster. He circled the area close to the dungeon, making as much noise as possible as he moved outward. This method had some decent results, as many diseased beasts approached him. There were bears, wolves, bunnies, and all kinds of other animals, all decaying.

Derek made sure to Identify every living, or nonliving, thing that approached him. So far, the highest-level creature he had found was a level 102 Forest Wolf. So close. Just ten more levels. Derek really wished that he could help the wolf level by helping it kill all the monsters that had gathered, then kill it for the achievement. But alas, there was only one dumb bunny.

Derek continued his ridiculous strategy for some time. The sun had already set, but he was in no position to rest. He had to keep at a fast pace to avoid the horde of monsters now trying to kill him. Solo, none of them would be a challenge for him, but if they all jumped him while he was meditating, yes, he may escape, but he would definitely not escape uninjured.

A couple hours after sunset, he got a notification after using Identify on a new addition of the horde telling him that the skill had reached level 11. That’s better than nothing.

It was now dark, and Derek was still running around. His massive amount of endurance made it so he wasn’t even close to being exhausted. Fighting was much more taxing on him, but he could run around for hours.

Finally, his eyes caught onto a glowing yellow pair of eyes slowly approaching him. Another bear? he wondered. Derek used Identify on the new beast.

Acidic Ghoul

Level 115

A monster spawned from an Undying Dungeon, then released due to overflow. The Ghoul is always hungry, always looking for fresh flesh to consume. Because of its condition, acid has begun seeping out of its pores.

That’s what I’m talking about. Derek had finally found his target. It was stumbling towards him. So, a zombie then. Derek glanced at the wave of monsters still following him. Better make this quick. Let’s go for the head.

Derek held his right arm out, and his glaive appeared in his hand. He took off toward the glowing set of eyes. When he got within five meters of the ghoul, it lunged. Whoa, it’s quick. Instead of cutting off the creature’s head as planned, he could only swipe at its chest. Shit, I wasn’t expecting that.

There was no way that this creature was as strong as the Void Beast, but he had been too lax. He finally decided to take it seriously—especially since the horde of monsters was drawing closer and closer. Derek focused on his bracelet, and his armor appeared on his body, all except for his helmet as it was in a poor condition and he could barely see out of it.

He touched his chest and felt the dents caused by the Void Beast. I’ll have to repair this eventually too. He dashed back in, this time focusing. The Acidic Ghoul swiped. This was what he was waiting for. He stepped backward. The ghoul’s hand slid across his chest armor, and Derek channeled the void into the end of his glaive.

Once the ghoul ended its attacking motion, Derek attacked. A purple glow streaked through the pitch-black night as the glaive flew toward the head of the ghoul. The blade met with the left ear of the ghoul. Derek felt a slight resistance, but the blade continued. Soon, the blade was freed from that rancid head. It hadn’t been sliced off, but it was enough. Derek saw the notifications stack up at the bottom of his vision.

Not wanting to stay around, Derek stored his glaive and was about to dart through the forest. However, before he could, he felt a sharp sting on his chest. What? Was the acid that potent? Derek decided that the chance for a quick kill was worth the risk of the acid on his armor. He hadn’t expected the acid to eat through his armor at all, much less this fast.

He did a quick take and grabbed the first diseased animal he could find, which was a wolf with dim red eyes. He brought it up to his chest and used it as a makeshift napkin. The wolf wailed as he tossed it aside and ran. He stored his armor, not knowing its current state. Then he removed his shirt and wiped his chest, tossing the remains into the forest.

That’s another T-shirt down. I really don’t want to have to wear one of those damn tunics. Derek could still feel the acid eating into his chest. Even with my endurance, it’s doing this shit. He did a quick view of his HP. Holy shit! A thousand points already. Now that was unexpected.

Derek had only channeled the void for a couple of seconds, so he still had plenty of mana. He cast Rejuvenation on himself. I’m glad I got some levels in this before I got here. At 25% health over 30 seconds, he would recover over 1300 HP. He could feel himself healing, but he could also feel the acid still eating away.

Dammit! This is ridiculous. Derek had been running at full speed through the forest and had lost the horde of monsters by now. 30 seconds passed, and Derek looked at his health again. It was at 4,800 and ticking down fast.

He found a still-standing tree and sat with his back to it. Let’s see if this works. He entered a meditative state and activated Greater Meditation. He could feel it working just like Rejuvenation, but he didn’t have to worry about Greater Meditation ending. After ten minutes, Derek checked his health status again.

It was full, so he left his meditative state while monitoring his HP. It’s still going down but at a much slower rate. Derek let out a deep breath. Whew… That sucked. He cast Rejuvenation, then slipped back into meditation to continue healing. He wanted to feel his chest with his hand but didn’t want to chance getting any of the acid on his fingers.

Ten minutes later, he sat up and checked on everything again. His health was full and no longer going down. Derek looked around, not seeing much in the dark, but also not seeing any monsters. I’ll rest here until morning. I have to go back to the dungeon tomorrow anyway, so I can get my bearings and figure out which way to go to leave this forest.

He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.

* * *

Derek got up the next morning after a restful night of meditation. With the sun finally out, he could make sense of all that happened. First, he did a quick once over of his chest to see if there was any residual damage remaining. Fortunately for him, either his multiple Rejuvenations or his Greater Meditation had been able to fully heal him, allowing no scarring to occur.

In fact, as he looked over his chest, he realized that there was actually less scarring than there used to be. I guess the acid ate through the original scars, and when the healing fixed my chest, it went ahead and put me together anew. Damn, I actually like having the scars. I’ll definitely have to watch out for creatures that use acid from now on.

Next, Derek decided he had to do what he’d been dreading since last night. He had to see the damage caused to his chest armor. With a shake of his hand, his chest piece was on the ground beside him. With his hand, he flipped it over to view the front side.

Dammit! he cursed internally. Not only was the chest piece terribly damaged, but the acid was still on it, eating through. If he couldn’t think of something to do, the armor would become an irreparable piece of scrap metal. For the time being, all he could do was store the armor again to prevent further damage. Derek grabbed the shoulder of the armor and it vanished back into his bracelet.

Derek looked at the different things stored inside his bracelet. He needed to know if he had something that could help. He had some rags, bedding, and clothes, but he knew based on his shirt from the previous night that trying to wipe the acid off with cloth would have next to no effect.

Eventually, he decided he would wait until he could find a stream to wash the acid off. With his armor taken care of, for now, he pulled a fresh shirt out of his storage. It was another solid black, cheap cotton shirt, one that he used to buy for just a few dollars at any supermarket. I wish I would’ve bought more of these. Derek imagined himself in the same style tunic that Thomas was wearing and shuddered.

Now it’s time to reap my rewards. Derek began going through all the notifications he had received after killing the Acidic Ghoul.

You have killed level 115 Acidic Ghoul.

4,345 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

680/965 Experience to Next Level

Wow, that was a quick five levels. I could probably hit level 80 in no time here. Derek wanted to stay under level 25 so he could enter those dungeons for their rewards. He shook his head and checked his next notification.

Congratulations! You have slain a creature 100 levels above your own.

Achievement Updated

He checked out the achievement.

Greater Giant Slayer

By slaying a creature 100 levels above your own, you have shown courage and skill beyond comparison. Your current achievement has been updated. You receive the following:

1 Skill Point

1 Skill Upgrade Point

Oh? I thought I was only supposed to get the one extra skill point. Another upgrade point is a big surprise. Derek thought that possibly losing his armor wasn’t going to be worth the reward, but with the extra skill upgrade point, it made the blow hurt much less.

Hmm? Why do I have more notifications? Derek was confused. He couldn’t think of a reason he would have more notifications other than maybe a skill leveling, but he could still see multiple messages waiting for him to read. He opened the first one.

You have assisted in killing a level 84 Forest Wolf (Diseased).

1509 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

163/1170 Experience to Next Level

Huh? Derek was speechless. He thought back to everything that he remembered happening. Finally, it hit him. The washcloth. Of course, Derek was thinking about the wolf he picked up and used as a makeshift wet wipe. Holy shit! I’m glad the shirt I threw didn’t land on a monster. How come it’s hard to get levels when you need them but easy when you don’t want them?

Finally, Derek opened the last notification.

Congratulations! Greater Meditation has reached level 2

Now that’s nice. He still couldn’t help but imagine a time when he could fight with Greater Meditation active.

Overall, I would say it was a very profitable trip. He was sad about his armor, but when he thought about how it was made by a level 125 Blacksmith from some planet in the other system, it made sense that the acid would damage it. Hell, I’m lucky that it held up against that Void Beast. It had to have been around level 150 or something. Now that he had fought a true level 115 beast, he could finally compare something to the Void Beast.

Finally, it was time to return to the village. But, in order to return, Derek had to make his way back to the dungeon so he could recognize the way he came. He trudged slowly toward the more diseased part of the forest—the same as he did when he was initially going in.

Soon, he found the gray orb again. He checked his surroundings, looking at the damage he had caused the night before. He chuckled. Looks like a tornado hit the place. The area was destroyed more than it had been previously. The damage was all in a circular pattern from when he used his ‘farming mobs’ strategy.

He had wondered why he had seen no one other than himself implement this strategy yet. It was a well-known method in RPGs to gather and kite around as many monsters as possible before killing them all at once. It saved a ton of time, and he had been using the same method since he first received the system. Of course, the Wide Sweep skill had a great part in the strategy working for him. I guess everyone doesn’t have a suitable area of effect skill or the speed to make it work.

While looking at the damage, he saw something in the distance. Oh, is that the ghoul? It was odd because, while it seemed to be at the right distance, there seemed to be more than the ghoul there. He went over to see what had happened.

To his surprise, there were at least a dozen dead beasts laying at or around the body of the Acidic Ghoul. Derek trembled with horror at the amount of experience that could have very well gone to him. I dodged a bullet on that. It seemed like the beasts had run over the acid-covered corpse while chasing Derek after he dispatched the ghoul. He would have tried to dismantle some corpses, but the potent acid had made the hides unsalvageable.

Derek stopped thinking about it and walked back over to the dungeon entrance. From there, he looked around and got a good idea of which way he had come from. All he needed to do was move away from the disease and he would eventually find his way out of the forest. From there, it would be easy to find Thomas’s village once again. Then, he began his long trek back. I wonder if that damned bunny is still hanging around here.

He decided that there was no need to hurry because there was plenty of time remaining before the boy’s birthday, so he traveled leisurely, still using Identify every chance he got. The higher the level the skill was, the less he had to worry about anyone discovering his actual level.

Hours later, he found one of the fire pits he had made the night before he found the dungeon. Not seeing a reason to waste it, he gathered wood and started up another fire. Derek took a flask out of his bracelet to relieve his thirst, then closed his eyes and entered meditation. Halfway through the night, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

In the morning, he opened his eyes and looked at the sun beaming through the trees. Then he looked past the dead fire to see a little bunny snoozing on the ground. “Hey! Wake up!” he yelled at the stupid rabbit. The bunny shot at least ten feet into the air before landing and looking over at Derek.

He could see that the rabbit didn’t find his antics funny. After staring at him for a moment, the bunny shot over the fire pit directly into Derek. This time, instead of Derek dodging, the bunny hit him in the chest and bounced off. “You better cut that shit out. I need a level 50 monster to take back with me, and right now, you’re looking like the prime candidate,” Derek warned the little rabbit.

He didn’t know if the bunny understood, but it hopped a few feet away and waited. “Now, you can stay with me while I’m in the forest, but when I leave the edge, you will have to stay in the forest,” Derek told his companion, but the bunny just stared back at him dumbly. “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” It just stared at him.

Derek let out a sigh. “Well, I’m tired of calling you bunny, rabbit, and dumbass. Let’s give you a new name. What do you think?” Silence. Derek shook his head and thought about a name. “Hmm, we can call you Snowball or Bella.” Derek laughed at the names. “Yeah, I know, there is no way I would give anything such a generic pet name. Let’s see. You’re stupid, have silver-gray fur, and are always trying to kill me… Ding Bat? No…” Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Derek’s head. “I got it, the perfect name. From henceforth, the bunny known as dumbass will now be referred to as… Silvi.”

With that, Derek stood up and began walking through the forest. “Come on, Silvi, there are things that need head-butting.”

The man and beast continued their journey through the forest.

22 RETURN

It had been over a month since Derek left on his quest to upgrade the Giant Slayer achievement. Now, he could tell that he and the bunny were drawing closer and closer to the edge of the forest. During their travels, Silvi was just as aggressive towards any creature as before. However, she had relented and no longer attacked Derek.

Derek had done a remarkable job of not earning any more experience since leveling to 18. In fact, he was so worried about getting more experience that he didn’t support the bunny in her fights as much as usual.

What troubled him most was the level 25 dungeons that he wanted to complete. At level 18, he wasn’t sure if he could enter and complete more than one, maybe two, before out-leveling them. Of course, he didn’t know how many beasts he would have to slay in a dungeon, but he figured it would not be a small amount.

As the pair traveled, the forest slowly became lusher and more vibrant. They had reached the point in the forest where the undying disease had had little impact. Other than the creature struggling under his arm, the levels of the surrounding creatures were now only in the mid to upper 20s. This wasn’t much for the bunny anymore, but she did not seem to care, still attacking any and all other beasts. Derek did not mind this either as he was able to increase his Dismantle skill at a rapid pace.

In fact, Derek had made substantial progress in the last couple of weeks. His Dismantle skill had leveled up to 10, Identify had made it to level 12, and Rejuvenation had leveled again, making it level 6. He could now actually cut into the Void Beast’s corpse with his dagger. He hadn’t dismantled it yet, though, as he wanted to do it in a quiet place with no possibility of being interrupted.

As he approached the edge of the forest, he wondered how Thomas had been while he was gone. Though, thinking about it, his interest in the kid was irrational and unlike him. But, for some reason, he wanted to get back to the village and the villagers, too. He was there for less than a day, but he was strangely excited to be returning.

When he left the village initially, it was with his previous mindset. Sure, he planned on returning to help the kid get a few extra skill points, and maybe run him through a dungeon or two, but as he traveled alone again, that anxious feeling seemed to latch on deeper in the pit of his stomach. At times, the feeling made him uneasy and even almost caused him to panic. He had decided to just ignore it and try not to think about it.

Finding the bunny and traveling with it had lessened the weird feeling he had, but it hadn’t gone away. The reason he was thinking about this now was that the feeling seemed to lessen with every step he took towards his return. For the first time in over a month, he actually picked up his pace.

* * *

Thomas had had a very interesting month. After Derek left, leaving him the Mana Clippers, his grandpa had come to find him. For the second time in a single day, he had found himself in the village chief’s residence.

There, he had been asked question after question about Derek. Now, he didn’t actually know much about Derek, but even answering the most basic questions left him feeling slimy. Eventually, he decided to answer with ‘I don’t know,’ or he just shook his head.

During the light interrogation, Rayna and the others had spotted the Mana Clippers in his hands. He flat-out refused to let anyone handle them. Of course, if the others wanted, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep them. Luckily, dropping Derek’s name was enough to cause everyone to back off.

After leaving the interrogation, he spent his days playing with the magic weapon and counting down the days to his birthday. He had given himself the same haircut that he gave Derek when they first met and had kept cutting his hair every few days. Also, he had talked his grandpa and some other villagers into allowing him to cut their hair.

His greatest accomplishment was talking Brandi into a haircut. She had so much hair, and he could experiment with the clippers over and over before she had run out. He still winced when thinking about the slap he received once Brandi looked at herself in a mirror. He had to admit, he had gotten carried away. That was two weeks ago, at least, now. She had a modicum of hair back, but she was still close to bald.

Right now, Thomas was sitting on a small bench outside of Brandi and her mother’s residence, watching Brandi experiment on a hide. This was a hobby of his. When he was bored, he would always come and watch her work. Even with all the hides that Derek had left, she’d gone through them multiple times, taking previously completed works and deconstructing them, then making something else out of the material.

He had asked her what her Leatherworking level had risen to, but she only answered him with a gleaming smile and shook her head. He knew that if she could ever make it to level 10, there would be some kind of Leatherworking class waiting for her. And once she could get her hands on a crafting class, she could level up based on her work instead of killing monsters.

Thomas had fun messing around with the Mana Clippers, but he couldn’t help but feel envious of the passion she had for her craft. She was so focused on Leatherworking that he had seen her miss meals and completely ignore anything happening around her. Thomas shook his head and sighed.

He had turned 13 two days ago, but Derek had yet to return. On his birthday, his grandpa had brought him a level 11 frog to kill, but he refused. Sure, he wanted to unlock the Great System as soon as possible, but he promised Derek that he would wait until he returned. He knew it disappointed his grandpa, but he held a certain amount of faith in Derek.

A smack to the back of his head pulled him out of his daydream. He turned to look at the culprit and was surprised to see Brandi standing next to him. “Why did you stop crafting?” he asked her.

Brandi frowned at his question and pointed to her crafting area. “I think I’ve done everything I can with the hides Derek gave me. I’ve deconstructed them to death. I don’t think I have a single hide left that would survive another try.” She sighed and continued. “What about you? Why are you moping around here?”

Thomas could see the frustration in her eyes. I don’t know what she’ll do now that she can’t craft anymore. “I’m just wondering when Derek will get back. He told me to wait on him to unlock the Great System, but I don’t know how long that will be. What are your plans now that you’re out of hides?”

Brandi pouted. “I don’t know. I need to level up, but it’s scary out there right now. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get a class.” She seemed genuinely worried about that possibility.

“It’ll be fine. If your mom isn’t able to help you, I’m sure Grandpa will. Or Chief Rayna will. She’s nice enough, and it would be much easier if she helped.” He knew that, without her father, she would have to rely on others to help her reach level 10.

“Mhm, I’m sure you’re right.”

* * *

At this time, Derek had finally made his way to the edge of the forest. He walked out of the tree line and breathed in a deep breath while looking at the sky. Finally, he thought, then looked at the chipmunk squirming in his arms, then at Silvi. He could tell that she had been angry at him ever since he captured the chipmunk instead of letting her kill it. She can’t come to the village with me. She’ll cause a massacre.

“Silvi!” he yelled at the dumb animal to get its attention, “stay in the forest.” He pointed towards her as she had not left the forest yet. He started walking forward. Good, it seems like she doesn’t want to leave, anyway. He walked farther and noticed that the bunny had still not moved. He nodded and yelled at her. “I’ll come back in a few days. If you’re still here, you can keep following me.” He stared at the bunny and waited. Soon, Silvi turned and hopped back deeper into the forest.

Hmm… Maybe she’s smarter than I thought. Derek surveyed the area. “This way,” he said and started walking. Luckily, he was able to exit the forest close to where he had entered. This was made possible because of all the camps that he had made along the way.

It hadn’t taken long at all for Derek to see the village gates. As he got closer, he noticed the gates were closed tight. I guess that makes sense, especially with everything that’s going on.

He saw some guards looking out from the top of the gate. They had not spotted him yet. He continued walking until one of them saw him. He saw the two discussing something, and one of them climbed down.

“Halt!” the remaining guard yelled. “Who are you? What do you need?” There was no contempt directed at Derek. The guard was just direct. He answered.

“I’m Derek. You may have heard of me. I’m back for a bit. No need to go through the trouble of opening the gate.” Derek spoke, then jumped from where he was standing, landing next to the guard on the gate. The guard jumped in shock and nearly fell. Derek chuckled and patted the guard on the shoulder. “Keep at it,” he said and jumped down into the village.

After surveying the village, Derek took off towards where Brandi had been staying. First, I need to empty my storage.

When he arrived at the residence, it surprised him to find Thomas there. The boy was sitting on a bench with his back turned to Derek. Oh, I wonder who that boy is. It looks like Thomas has a friend. Derek looked at the shorter boy patting Thomas on the back. It seemed that he was trying to comfort him.

Soon, Derek’s face had an odd expression. They seem to be kind of… close. Hmm… I never suspected… The boy with the shaved head put his arm around Thomas and sat beside him. Derek chuckled. Well, whatever, good for him. Finally, he made his appearance known.

“Oi! Thomas. I’m back.” With that, the two boys jumped off the bench and turned around. He saw Thomas’s face as normal, but when the other boy turned around, he realized who it was. Holy shit, Thomas! What did you do to the poor girl? As soon as he recognized Brandi, he knew Thomas must have gone wild with the Mana Clippers.

Pushing down his laughter, he tried to act as casually as possible. “Uh, Thomas… Brandi… How are the two of you?”

Thomas was clearly excited to see him, but the nearly bald Brandi was the first to act. She ran up to Derek and began telling him about the last month. “Guess what? I got my Leatherworking skill all the way up to level 5. That’s almost the highest in the village. I ran out of hide, but I was able to break my crafts down and reuse them over and over. I can’t do that anymore because their durability is gone. Even so, isn’t that great? It is, right? Right?”

Brandi unloaded on Derek. He listened attentively until he could finally get a word in. “Oh? That’s fantastic! You didn’t have a hard time working with the higher-level hides?”

“Oh, that? Well, I did. But after straining and finally completing a craft, my skill leveled, and it became easier for me to work. I don’t have any good knives, so I had to go slow in the beginning until the skill leveled,” she answered with enthusiasm.

“Ah, I should have thought about that.” Derek shook his hand, and one of his many knives appeared in his palm. “It’s not made for Leatherworking, but a level 85 smith made it, and it’s sharp, so it should help you for now.” He handed the common-looking knife to Brandi. “Be careful,” he warned.

Excited, she ran over to one of her finished products and tried cutting it. It sliced through the odd-looking pants like it was nothing. “Oh, wow!” she exclaimed. “This is amazing! It’s so sharp.” She looked back at Derek. “Can I really keep it?”

“Of course, I gave it to you, so it’s yours.” Derek smiled. “Besides, it will probably help you a lot with these.” He shook his hand, and a pile of hides appeared on the bench she was previously sitting on.

“No way!” She ran over to the hides. “I can have them? Really?” After looking at all of them, she asked. “What level are they? More 20s? Maybe 30s?”

Derek shook his head, seeing her running around with the knife. He had told her to be careful, but seeing how excited she was, he didn’t say anything. “There may be a few 20s or 30s.” He paused, seeing the sparkle in her eyes, then dropped the bomb. “But most are around level 50, and there are some 60s and even a level 70 one.”

The sparkle in her eyes turned into a greedy gleam as she sucked in a breath and stared at the hides. Finally, she came back to herself and ran over to Derek, this time giving him a big embrace. He quickly moved the creature in his hand away from the girl. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she cried out.

Derek felt the knife stab his thigh, but it didn’t break his skin, so he said nothing. Well, some people like wearing jeans with holes in them. Beggars can’t be choosers. Brandi finally broke away, and he spoke, “I’ll tell you what. If you can get your Leatherworking skill above level ten, I’ll help you get a class. Then, once you have a crafting class, I have a special project you can help me with.” He stuck out his hand. “Deal?”

“Deal!” The girl grabbed his hand and vehemently shook it with both of hers.

Finally, Derek looked over at Thomas. “What about you, boy? You’ve been really quiet over there.”

Thomas woke up from his trance. “Ah… Uh… I’m fine,” he said.

Then Brandi chimed in. “He’s not fine! His birthday was days ago, but he’s been sulking because he was waiting on you to get back to unlock the Great System. Also, he’s a maniac.” She pointed to her head. “This is a trim! He said that I had so much hair that I wouldn’t miss a little. By the time he was finished, this is all I had left. And I’m not the only one.”

Derek watched as Thomas’s cheeks turned red, and he looked at the ground in embarrassment. “I said I’m sorry. I got carried away, is all,” Thomas mumbled while staring at his shoes.

“Well, what’s done is done.” Derek got closer to Thomas and bent down to whisper in his ear. “Never mess with a woman and her beauty. You’re lucky you can even walk after pulling that,” he warned.

Thomas nodded his head in understanding. “Don’t worry, never again. It was really scary,” he whispered back.

Derek backed away and gave Thomas a serious look, and the boy’s eyes widened in surprise at the change. “Did you think more about what we talked about before I left?” Derek asked.

“Yes,” Thomas replied with no hesitation. “I’m going to become an adventurer. I have to get strong. I can’t stay in this village forever.”

“Good.” Derek nodded. “Follow me.” He looked at Brandi. “We’ll be back soon. Have fun.” He walked toward the closest village wall. Luckily, it was not too far from where they were.

Once at the wall, Derek picked Thomas up and jumped over. Then he ran.

* * *

Five or six miles away from the village, Derek stopped running and put Thomas down. This is as good a spot as any. He backed away to let Thomas reorient himself.

When Thomas was finally stable again, Derek spoke. “Thomas. You’ve made it clear that you plan to leave the safety of your village and grow stronger. I’ve been alone for a very long time, and honestly, it’s getting pretty old.” His hand unconsciously reached towards his chest before he realized it and ceased its movement. “When I leave, would you like to come with me?”

Thomas was in shock. Adventure with Derek? Is he serious? He was very emotional at the moment. What would Grandpa say? What about Grandma? Finally, Thomas reined in his emotions. “You would let me travel with you?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if that weren’t the case.”

“I… I… Of course.” How strong could I get with his help? The possibilities were flowing through Thomas’s mind as he spoke.

“Good. But before that, there are some things that we’ll need to agree on.”

Thomas stared at Derek, waiting for him to speak. Derek nodded his head.

“Traveling with me, you will learn many secrets about me and other things. I need to know that you won’t share these things with anyone without my permission,” Derek said seriously.

“Of course,” Thomas agreed.

“No, I don’t think you understand. The things you may learn will be world-shaking. I don’t want some half-assed answer. Really think about it. You may learn some things that others will kill you for.”

Thomas thought for a bit. What kind of things does he know? It doesn’t matter, he can help me get strong. “I want to go with you.” This time, Thomas said so with resolve.

“Another thing, I will help you, and I will try to save you when needed, but you will need to fight and kill like you’re by yourself. I don’t want you relying on others. The only person you can count on in this world is yourself,” Derek warned.

“I know. I want to get stronger so I won’t have to rely on other people.”

“Good. If I tell you to do something, you do it. Is that understood? No questioning me.”

Thomas did not reply immediately. He was thinking about whether Derek could ask him to do something bad. “Don’t worry. I’m not evil. I’m not necessarily good, but I’m definitely not evil. If I tell you to do something, there is a reason for it,” Derek said.

This comforted him more. “Okay.”

With that, Derek took out a dagger and tossed it on the ground in front of Thomas. “Pick it up. It’s made by the same person who made my glaive.”

Thomas slowly reached down and picked up the blade. When he had the blade in hand, he looked back at Derek. “Now what?”

Derek chuckled. “Now, we unlock your system.” He held out the chipmunk-like creature. “But before that. Derek cast Rejuvenation on the monster. “Got to top it up, so it has full health when you kill it.”

After 30 seconds passed, Derek held the creature up with both hands. It was struggling but not enough to hurt itself. “Kill it.”

Thomas nodded. He didn’t waste any time and drove the dagger into the chest of the creature. It wasn’t easy. Even with the sharp blade, once it pierced the skin, it moved slowly. Pushing with all his might, the dagger finally broke through the creature’s defenses.

Soon, Thomas let go of the blade. He looked up at Derek in stunned silence. “Well, did it work?” Derek asked.

Thomas slowly nodded. “I-it was over level 50. H-how was I able to kill it?”

Derek smiled. “Like I said, that blade was made by the same smith that made my glaive. It’s my sharpest one.” Derek pulled the blade from the chipmunk and proceeded to Dismantle it. “So, how many skill points do you have?”

“I have three,” Thomas replied happily.

“Good, you’re only going to have one soon,” Derek said, confusing Thomas. Derek smiled. “Like I said, do what I say. One point on Meditation and one on Identify.” He waited.

After a couple of minutes, Thomas finally replied, “Okay. It’s done.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad. Meditation is one of the most powerful skills available in the system, and Identify lets you keep your stats private.” Derek was trying to cheer Thomas up.

“Now, do you know what kind of class you want? Tanky with big weapons and armor. Swift and agile. Mage. What are you thinking?” Derek asked.

Thomas was silent for a while. “I want to be fast. To be able to hit things and not be hit back.” This was his answer.

“Oh, alright. Then you should spend your last point in Light Weapons Mastery. This will let you be more proficient with knives, daggers, and even short swords. But make sure that is what you want. You won’t be able to change it. Though you will probably end up with a few extra skill points down the line, it is still better to try not to waste any.”

Thomas nodded his head. “I’m sure that’s what I want. I want to use daggers.”

“Oh, plural? You want to dual wield?” Derek asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, there’s no dual-wielding mastery in General Skills, so you’re going to have to hope for a good class for that. Now, you’re level three. Put 15 points in vitality and in endurance. You need to survive before you can kill. This isn’t a video game. You can min-max, but not at the beginning,” Derek said with confidence.

“Video game? Min-max?” Thomas stared dumbly.

“Uh, don’t mind that,” Derek said. “Once you’re done, we’re heading back to the village.”

Thomas took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Not long after, he let it out. “Woah… Okay, I’m done.”

Derek smiled. “Those first stat points invested are a hell of a thing, huh? An instant increase of over two times is quite the feeling.” Derek remembered the first stat points he invested. He had only gained one level, so it couldn’t have been as dramatic as what Thomas felt, but it was still memorable.

Thomas smiled back at him. “Yeah, it was something. It’s almost like it’s easier to breathe.”

“Yup, that would be the endurance and vitality working on your organs. Your heart is pumping better, and your lungs are filtering better. It’s a pretty neat feeling when it first happens,” Derek explained. “Anyway, we better get back before we give your grandma a heart attack.”

“Ah… Yeah, that would be bad.” Thomas walked up to Derek.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked.

“Aren’t you going to pick me up and take me back?” Thomas seemed confused.

“Haha, no. You have some endurance now, so you need to get used to it. We’re running. Keep up.” With that, Derek took off at a slow jog back toward the village.

23 A DAY IN THE VILLAGE

The pair soon arrived by the village wall. Derek looked over at Thomas, who had his hands on his knees, gasping for air. “Oh, come on. It was just a few miles. You should have been able to handle it fine, much less with your new stamina.”

“It… would… have… been… fine…” Thomas panted between words. He took a deep breath in, then fired the rest out like a shotgun, “If you wouldn’t have run so fast.”

“Eh. Whatever, let’s go in.” With that, Derek grabbed Thomas and brought him back over the wall into the village. They soon arrived back at Brandi and her mother’s residence, only to find a commotion.

“What do you mean, ‘he took him?’” Thomas’s grandma had her hands placed on Brandi’s shoulders. She was upset and seemed to be in a state of panic.

“He’s fine. Derek took him to do something. I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” Brandi said, comforting the older woman.

Behind the two, watching the scene, were Rayna, Richard, and Leon. Richard had worry in his eyes, while the other two were standing there with their brows furrowed.

Thomas ran forward after seeing the scene. “Grandma, I’m okay. You don’t have to worry. Why are you here, anyway?”

Rayna was the one to answer. “Well, a guard came running and notified us of someone at the gates. When we arrived at the gates, the other guard, who is still scared by the way, let us know that someone jumped over the gate and ran into the village. From what he described, the individual seemed to fit Derek’s description.” Rayna looked over at Derek.

Richard took over from there. “Since Thomas hasn’t been able to stay quiet about your return, we figured that you may have come over here. It looks like we were correct.”

Derek put his hand on the back of his neck and chuckled a little. “I acted a bit on impulse with Thomas. I wanted to help him unlock his system, so we were a little impatient.” Derek looked at Delilah and continued. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I should have left a note or something.”

Richard’s ears perked up at that. “You said you helped him unlock the Great System?”

Thomas ran over to his grandpa. “Grandpa, you’re not going to believe it. I got three skill points from the Giant Slayer achievement… Three!” he excitedly said.

“That’s…” Richard trailed off.

“Yeah, the monster was over level 50. How amazing is that?” Thomas continued.

Finally, Delilah calmed down and spoke to Derek. “I guess that’s fine. Gave me another scare is all. Be careful with him, he’s just a child.”

“Grandma. I unlocked the Great System. I’m not a kid anymore. I could try to become a city guard if I lived in the city,” he said, correcting his grandma.

“Ah phooey.” She spat. “You’re always going to be a child to me.”

At this time, Malorie came from around the corner of the residence with a basket of clothes. “Oh, hello. Chief Rayna, Chief Leon.” She looked around at everyone until her eyes landed on Derek. “Derek, it’s good to have you back. Brandi has been working hard and talking about you nonstop.”

Brandi’s face flushed red. “I haven’t talked thaaat much about him,” she countered. Then, her eyes shot toward the pile of hides and she ran to them. “Look! He brought me new hides to work with. He said that some of them are even level 70.” She ran her hand over the top hide in satisfaction.

“Thi-This is too much, Derek,” Malorie said.

“Huh? It’s fine. I don’t have a use for them. They were just taking up room in my storage, so she might as well use them to increase her skill. Who knows, maybe she will get a good crafting class when she levels to 10,” he answered.

Malorie spoke again. “These hides are too precious for her to ruin. If you went to the city, they could fetch a very high price.”

“Well, I haven’t had the need for any money lately. Besides, if need be, I can always go hunt more. Just let her have them. You can think of it as an investment,” Derek said. He watched as different thoughts went through the group’s heads.

Rayna’s voice rang out again, “Anyway. Derek, what are your plans now?”

I see she’s still wary of me. “Well, I thought I might stay and rest a few days this time if you have room. There are some things that I should probably discuss with you later. But first, I wouldn’t be opposed to a warm bath. One can only wash themselves in streams so much.”

Before anyone else could answer, Brandi yelled out. “Thomas, come fetch water with me.” She looked at Derek. “You can have a bath in our house. We’ll prepare the water. Let’s go, Thomas.”

The kids took off running. Derek shook his head and looked over at Malorie. Before he said anything, she spoke. “It’s fine. It’s the least we can do for you.”

“Thank you.” He nodded to the woman, then looked back at Rayna. “That fine with you? Talk tomorrow?”

Rayna released a long breath and squinted her eyes. “What’s with the new attitude? You’re asking for permission now?”

Derek laughed. “Well, you haven’t called me mentally challenged today.”

Rayna stared wide-eyed at Derek. “Y-you heard that?”

“Yup. Anyway, meeting tomorrow?” he asked again.

Rayna nodded. “That will be fine.”

With that, everyone left. Only Malorie and Derek remained. “Come on, I’ll show you to the bath,” Malorie said.

They headed to her home.

* * *

Derek was standing in a small room with a wooden bath inside, watching as Thomas dumped the final bucket of steaming water into it.

Thomas looked up at Derek and smiled oddly. “We may have heated it a little too long.”

“No worries, this is perfect,” Derek said.

Before he began undressing, he heard Malorie’s voice from the other room. “If you give Thomas your dirty clothes, I’ll go ahead and wash them.”

“You think she would mind washing more than one set?” he asked Thomas.

“If she does mind, Brandi wouldn’t.”

Derek nodded, and three shirts and two pairs of jeans fell onto the floor in a pile. Then he removed what he had on and sat in the steaming bath. Thomas began picking up the clothes. “Ah, hold on.” Derek shook his hand, and a small pod appeared. “Have them use this for the wash. It’s called a laundry pod where I come from.”

Thomas nodded and put it in his pocket. Then he gathered the rest of the clothes and left the room.

Derek laid his head back and checked his stats.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 18

Experience: 163/1170

Class: Champion of the Void (Epic)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 5250

Mana: 2150

Stamina: 5150

Stats

Strength: 360

Dexterity: 260

Endurance: 515

Vitality: 525

Intelligence: 220

Wisdom: 215

Stat Points Remaining: 158

Skills

Channel Void Lv. 3, Dismantle Lv. 10, Greater Meditation Lv. 2, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 12, Magic Resistance Lv. 1, Rejuvenation Lv. 6, Void Call Lv. 2

Skill Points Remaining: 4

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements

Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer

Not bad. Hopefully, I can get one or two dungeon runs in before I pass level 25. He wanted to use his stat points to level all his stats to at least 500 after he unlocked an achievement for endurance and vitality earlier. Dex and strength should give me some kind of attack skill, and wisdom and int’ would surely give me attack spells or buffs. Hmm… what should I do?

Derek sighed and closed his status. For the first time in a long time, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep instead of meditating.

* * *

Derek opened his eyes, unaware of how long he had been asleep. The water in the tub was room temperature, so he guessed it had been a while. He quickly summoned some soap and washed. After, he got up, dried off, and dressed in a fresh set of clothing, which was another black tee and a pair of jeans.

He walked into the living area and saw Malorie stirring something in a pot. “Dinner is in twenty. I hope you like rabbit stew. Could you go fetch Brandi and tell her to wash up?”

“Uh, okay,” Derek replied awkwardly.

He went outside and around back to see his laundered clothing drying on some wire. He found Brandi hanging up a hide. “How long was I out?”

Brandi jumped, then turned around. “It’s been a few hours. Your clothes should be almost dry. What was that soap? It smells sooo good.”

“It’s just some soap specially made for clothing where I’m from.” Derek looked up. It would soon get dark. He walked over to his hanging jeans and felt them. After seeing that they were dry, he stored them in his bracelet.

“Oh, what are you doing with the hides?” he asked, motioning to the hanging hide.

“I’m trying out tanning them. Last time, I used the hides raw. I couldn’t wait to tan them because it takes too long. Now that I have more, I wanted to try it,” she answered.

“I see. Good luck,” he replied. “Malorie said to go clean up. Dinner is almost ready,” he told the girl.

“Ah, are you going to eat with us?” she asked, unable to hide her excitement.

“Uh, I think so,” he said.

“Oh, you’re going to love it. My mom makes the best food. She has the Cooking skill at a really high level.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” he said. I really could use something good to eat.

* * *

Derek leaned back in his chair after finishing the stew in front of him. “That was great. The best thing I’ve eaten in years. After that, I may have to pick up the Cooking skill.” He could feel his vitality surging after the meal. Must increase my health regeneration by a small amount.

“It wasn’t that good. My skill is only level 8,” Malorie replied with a smile.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said. Then he stood. “Thank you for the meal. I think I’m going to get going. I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.” He excused himself and then looked at Brandi. “I’ll come by tomorrow and see how your Leatherworking is coming along.

With that, he walked to the door. “Have a good night.”

He walked back around the house, sat on the bench, and sighed. He had noticed that Malorie was hiding behind her smile during dinner. She was definitely taking the death of her husband harder than Brandi. Brandi had something to focus on in her Leatherworking.

Derek shook his head. Let’s see. Thomas said that there was a place to stay in the center of the village. He stood up and walked that way.

He found the building Thomas had talked about. It was still only one floor, but it was wider and longer than the surrounding buildings. He walked in and looked around. One side had a few tables and a small bar, while the other side was a hallway with what he assumed were rooms. Quaint. He chuckled. There weren’t many villagers inside.

He walked over to the bar. A tall, balding man behind the bar squinted. “What you need?” the man asked.

“Well, I guess I’m looking for a room for a night or two.”

“Six copper a night,” the man answered.

Oh, yeah. Money. Derek looked through his storage. Finally, he spotted the skin of the creature Thomas had killed. He pulled the hide out. “You take trade? Level 52 small hide. Pretty good condition.”

The man looked at Derek skeptically. “Hold on,” he said, then walked through a door to the side. After a few minutes, he came back out with an older lady by his side.

“That it?” The lady pointed at the hide in Derek’s hand. The man nodded, and the woman looked deeply at the hide. “He’s not lying, level 52.” She nodded to Derek, then turned to the man. “Now, leave me alone.” She walked back through the door.

The man let out an embarrassed laugh. “My old lady.” He leaned forward and whispered, “That’s her being nice.” He leaned back. “What do you want for it?”

Derek smiled at the man’s antics. “Dunno. Is it enough for a room for a few days? Maybe a drink or two?” he asked.

“Not going to lie. You could get a few silver for it in the city, but I don’t need it. Ol’ Tristen would probably give you a couple of silver if you went to him. He’s the local Leathersmith,” the man said.

“Too much trouble. How about I give it to you, and you give me a tab of one silver? That work?” Derek asked.

“If you’re okay with that, it’s fine,” the man said.

Derek gave him the hide. The man put it somewhere under the bar, then held out his hand for a handshake. “I’m Bart. The local”—he looked around—“Innkeeper? Bartender?” he said as if he did not know. “The guy who runs whatever this is.”

Derek let out a hearty laugh and took his hand. “Derek. The non-local guy who I’m sure you’ve heard about by now.”

“Ah, that Derek. For the most part, it’s all good things. Nice to meet ya,” Bart said. “Let me show you to your room.” He walked out from behind the bar and took Derek to the other side of the big room. He walked to one of the doors and opened it. “Here you go. It’s not much, and it will probably get loud later.”

“Fine by me,” Derek replied. “I think I’ll just call it a night for now. The noise won’t bother me. It was nice to meet you,” he said, then walked into the small room. It was about two and a half by two meters. Just big enough for a small bed and table beside it.

“Have a good night,” Bart said and walked away.

Derek shut the door, then sat on the bed and meditated.

24 DISCUSSION

Derek opened his eyes and looked around the small room. He stood up and stretched, letting out a deep breath in the process before checking the system for the time. They should be awake. Might as well go get this meeting business over with early. Derek opened the door and headed to the bar.

Bart was wiping the bar down with a rag, and there was a young woman setting the tables and moving the chairs into their positions. Derek walked over to Bart, and the man looked up. “You wouldn’t by any chance have coffee, would you?” Derek asked.

Bart looked at him questioningly. “Coffee? Never heard of it.”

“Damn, figures. You got any boiling water?” Derek asked.

“Of course.” Bart walked to the back and brought back a steaming kettle-like pot. He sat it on a cloth on top of the bar.

Derek let out a sigh. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” he muttered. Then he brought out a small pot and a coffee canister from his bracelet. He poured the water into the pan and scooped some coffee grains into it. He immediately covered the pot with a lid. While camping back on Earth, he had made coffee like this many times. It wasn’t the best or cleanest way to make coffee, but it got the job done.

While he was doing all of this, Bart was staring at him with confusion in his eyes. Derek laughed. “Got a couple of cups?” he asked. Bart nodded and walked to the back again, bringing out what looked like a bigger version of a teacup.

While waiting, Derek asked Bart a couple of questions. “So, what are people saying about me?”

Bart looked up from the pot. “Mostly nice things. I think I’m the first local that’s met ya. It’s mostly the villagers you brought in that talk about ya. How you saved them and brought them here.”

I guess Leon or the others haven’t said anything about the Void Beast yet. I guess that’s good. “The only person I really saved was Leon. I think Marshall would have bested the wolf that attacked them,” Derek lied. “They probably could have made it here without much danger.”

“Did you really give a little girl a bunch of high-level hides?” Bart asked.

“I mean, I gave her hides, but they aren’t really high level. The highest was around 70.”

“Ha. Level 70 and not a high level.” Bart scoffed. “A level 70 could become a silver-ranked adventurer at the Adventurer’s Guild in the city. We’ll be lucky to get a couple of level 70s for this dungeon problem in the forest.”

“Oh? You know about the dungeon?” Derek was surprised. He thought that Rayna and the others would keep quiet about it until they knew for sure.

“I know about it. And a few others outside of Chief Rayna and Richard know about it, including you. That’s all, though. I guess you could consider me an elder in this place,” Bart answered.

Well, if some level 70s go to the dungeon, I guess there will be fewer adventurers in this Adventurer’s Guild. Derek checked the pot. “Look like it’s ready.” He took a ladle out of his bracelet and filled the two cups. “I guess this is your first cup of coffee. I like it black, but many people prefer it with sugar and milk,” Derek explained to Bart.

“Not much of a sweets person myself,” Bart answered and picked up the cup. He took a sip and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes and nodded. “Now that’s some good stuff. Better than any tea I’ve had.”

“Yup, I’ve never been a big fan of hot tea. Unfortunately, I only have a couple of cans left.” Derek shook his head. “I wish I had some seeds to grow the plants. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a long time before I go back home,” Derek muttered.

“Where’s home?” Bart must have heard Derek.

Derek shook his head. “Where indeed?”

Derek finished his cup of coffee and poured another. He downed the second cup. “You have something to pour the rest in?” He motioned to the pot.

“You can just put the rest in the kettle. I’ll have Sam clean it out later. You sure ya wanna leave the rest?” Bart asked.

“Yup, enjoy. I got to get to the chief’s. Tell her where the dungeon is,” Derek answered. He figured that since Bart knew about what they had discussed last month, there was no need to keep quiet about the dungeon.

“Oh, you found it?” Bart finished pouring the coffee out.

Derek took his pot and ladle back. “Yup, it’s probably going to be a pain in the ass for the city to maintain.” He stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll be back tonight. Maybe I’ll try some of your finest alcohol.”

Bart grunted. “I got ale, and there ain’t nothing fine about it, but you’re free to try it,” Bart said as Derek walked out the door.

* * *

Derek walked to the same residence where he’d met with Rayna and the others before. He had waited a while at the bar with Bart just to give them some extra time. He walked to the door and knocked.

After a few seconds, the door swung open. It was Richard. “Ah, Derek, welcome. Come in.” As the two walked, he continued. “Thomas won’t stop talking about getting three skill points from that achievement. He told me you had him invest in Meditation and Identify?”

Derek smiled. “Of course, those are two of the most crucial General Skills one can get. I’m sure Leon told you about my Meditation skill, right?”

They reached the table where Rayna was already sitting. “Please, have a seat,” she said, and the two sat.

Richard continued their conversation. “He did. It’s still hard to believe that a skill can upgrade like that. At least I’ve never heard of it. I’m sure some nobles have, but nobles have a way of keeping secrets.” He spat the last part out.

“Oh, that’s the same tone Thomas has when he talks about nobles.” Derek smiled. He saw Richard’s eyes widen. “Don’t worry. I told Thomas when we met, I am not a noble.” He watched Richard let out a breath. “But, yes, my Meditation skill can recover my health, mana, and stamina in minutes. If one is serious about surviving as an adventurer, using Meditation and Identify every chance you get is a must.”

Derek paused, then continued. “In fact, yesterday was the first time I’ve slept in months. Get Meditation high enough and it leaves you more refreshed than a good night’s sleep. As for Identify”—he looked at Rayna—“I’m sure you know that if the skill is high enough, it will block others from using it on you.” Rayna’s face contorted a bit. “Yeah, I know the look people get when they use the skill and it doesn’t work.” Derek smiled. “You probably know, but people are more dangerous than any beast. Having Identify leveled can help keep the trash from trying something.”

Derek watched as both put on a sad expression. “I’m guessing neither of you thought Meditation was worth the point?” he asked.

Rayna nodded. “Yes. Now I wonder if it will still be worth getting it.”

“Sure it will. Just use it every chance you get. Losing all your senses is disturbing at the beginning, but you start getting them back as it levels. Just have someone nearby to break you out of the trance when needed,” Derek explained.

“Now, is this it? Should I begin?” he asked.

Richard answered, “Leon should be here soon. Let’s wait for him.”

Derek nodded, then asked something that had been on his mind for a while. “Rayna, why are you not at a higher level? You’re what, level 31? There are tons of level 25 creatures around the outside of the forest right now. I don’t know what class you have, whether it’s common or epic, but anyway you look at it, you could have gotten like five levels easy in the month I was gone. From what I know, you could get a level just by killing 20 or so monsters at that level.” Derek was judging this based on the kills he had gotten in Leon’s village.

Rayna was silent. She looked like she was in deep thought. Finally, she answered, “My class is Tempest Blade. It is a rare class, so it takes longer to level than others. Until recently, the creatures at the edge of the forest would barely even give me experience if I killed them. My blade has seen better days, too.” She motioned to a broken sword in the corner of the room. “The swords made in the village don’t last long against higher-leveled creatures, especially when I channel the wind through them. Trust me, I want to level, but I am the chief of the village, and the information you brought has left me wanting for time.”

“I don’t know. You can’t really do anything about it. You have to wait for that guy to deliver the message in the city. You might as well go level. Nothing under level 30 should be much of a challenge.” Derek paused. “You said wind? So you can use magic?”

“Uh, yes?” she said quizzically.

Derek pulled a sword out of his bracelet. He had kept an arsenal with him at all times—mostly coming from the invaders he had slain. If the weapon looked good, he would take it. In fact, the reason his bracelet was always nearing full capacity was because of all the weapons he had. He even had a couple of spare glaives, though neither was nearly as good as his custom one.

The sword wasn’t as good as his glaive or many of his daggers, but it was made of the same black steel as his glaive, which meant it was durable enough to channel low-level magic through without damage. Derek spoke. “I’m planning on doing a little training with Thomas for the next couple of days. This is yours if you come train with us. Your skill will be very important to me.”

Rayna finally picked her jaw up off the ground. She reached and gripped the hilt of the sword. “Really, just come train with you and I can have it?”

“Yup, it’s yours. Also, if you have any spare skill points, buy Meditation. You’ll need it for training,” he said mysteriously. Seeing her eyes still on the sword, he spoke again. “You can take it.” He gestured for her to take the sword. “And you will probably benefit from this training, too.”

She hurriedly picked up the sword and ran to the corner, where she took the sheath from her old sword. The new sword fit almost perfectly. She strapped it to her waist and answered Derek. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

About that time, the front door opened and closed, and Leon walked into the room. Richard spoke. “Alright, let’s get this meeting started.”

Leon pulled out a chair and took a seat. Now sitting at the table were Derek, Rayna, Leon, and Richard. Derek could still see the glow in her eyes that she had from receiving her new sword. Rayna turned to Derek and spoke. “You wanted this meeting. The floor is yours.”

Derek nodded. “First, I wanted to ask you all something.” Derek waited for the group to nod before carrying on. “I had an interesting conversation with Bart earlier. While we were chatting, he informed me that the most likely candidates to be sent from the Adventurer’s Guild will be of silver rank. Is that correct?”

Richard was the one to answer. “That is likely the case, yes. And that is if Davis gets lucky in convincing them that the need is dire. It is also possible that he ends up returning with adventurers of the bronze rank.”

“Hmm…” Derek trailed off. “If that’s the case, then they will die.”

“What do you mean, ‘they’ll die?’” Rayna asked.

“Well, on my journey, I found the dungeon. I say that the silver-ranked adventurers will die because the dungeon was level 100,” Derek explained.

With that, the room was quiet. They did not appear to be shocked, but the looks on their faces said it all. This was a worst-case scenario.

Leon broke the silence. “Gold. We need a team of level 100 gold-ranked adventurers.”

“Davis has most likely made it to the city by now. He may already be on his way back to the village,” Rayna said.

Derek spoke. “I fought one of the creatures that came out of the overflow. It was an Acidic Ghoul at level 115. I’m not sure of the levels inside the dungeon, but it makes sense that it was at level 100 when it broke out and leveled up outside the dungeon. If there are more of these monsters in the dungeon, and they are at level 100, even a full group of gold-ranked adventurers will have a problem.”

“Ghouls,” Richard muttered. “So, it is a dungeon with undying properties.”

“Yes, and it is in a state of extreme overflow. That means that there are likely more undying creatures outside of the dungeon. Though, it will probably be pretty clear around the dungeon for a while. The fight between the ghoul and me ended in quite a few casualties,” Derek responded.

“Anyway, you have the information. Do with it what you will. I suggest sending whatever adventurer comes back to the city to request aid. Though I don’t know if they will believe anything you tell them without proof.” Derek hoped the adventurers would heed the warning, but he seriously doubted it. From what I know of most adventurers, they won’t give any thought to what ‘lowly’ villagers say. Hopefully, there won’t be any noble adventurers sent out.

“That’s all we can do for now.” Rayna sighed. “Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”

“Actually…” Derek looked at Richard. “You wouldn’t by any chance have a map of the surrounding area? Maybe one with dungeons on it?”

“I do. It’s not very detailed, but it has some of the level 25 and 50 dungeons on it. I’ve also marked where the villages are on it, too. If you give me a few minutes, I will go get it,” Richard responded.

Derek nodded. “Go ahead.” Richard stood up and dismissed himself. While waiting, Derek spoke to Rayna about their upcoming training session. “Did you have enough skill points to purchase Meditation?”

“I did. My class allows for some extra skill points on upgrade, so I’ve been saving a couple of them. I hope this skill is worth it,” she answered.

“Oh, it will be.” Derek thought for a moment. “You use wind magic, correct? Are your magical skills at an advanced level?”

“I’m not sure what you would consider advanced, but the three that I have are at level 5 or 6.”

That was slightly disappointing but still fine for what he was planning. “That’s good enough, I guess. You’ll probably benefit more than anyone with what I’m planning.”

“Oh, and what is it you’re planning?” Rayna asked. Derek just gave her a mysterious smile.

“Wait!” Leon interjected. “Training? What are the two of you talking about?”

“Oh, I just invited the chief here”—Derek motioned toward Rayna—“to a little training with me and Thomas.”

“Thomas, too?” Leon asked. Derek could feel the worry radiating from the ex-chief.

“Don’t worry, they will both be fine. In fact, I’m sure that they’ll both appreciate it.” Derek tried to assuage Leon’s concerns. “The kid wants to use daggers, so I figured I’d see if he has what it takes to not die in such close range. I found out Miss Chief over there has some wind magic, and it will be rather useful to me.”

Leon stopped speaking. He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he had no choice but to accept it, anyway.

About that time, Derek heard the door open. Richard entered the room with a rolled-up parchment in his hands. This time, he was not alone. Thomas was trailing behind him. “Thomas wanted to know if I had seen Derek today. I told him you were here, so he insisted on coming along.” Richard laid the map on the table and spread it out.

“That’s fine. I was going to look for the kid once we were finished here, so bringing him just saved me the trouble of hunting him down.” Derek gave Thomas a knowing look. “Though I suspect it wouldn’t be hard to figure out where he was.”

Richard smiled at that. “Not hard at all. He’s spent more time with that little Leatherworker than he has with me or Delilah since he got back.” Both Derek and Richard chuckled at Thomas’s red face. “Here is the map. As you can see, it’s not the best in the world, but it has been useful to me over the years.”

The map was crudely drawn but easy enough to make out. Derek saw the markings showing the villages. There were a few with lines through them. “I assume that these villages no longer exist?” he asked. Richard scrunched up his face and nodded.

Derek found Leon’s destroyed village, then found the one he was currently in. “Is this map to scale? Is the distance used in the forest the same as what is used between villages?” He made his question clearer.

Richard nodded. “Yes, though, as you can see, there is only a portion of the forest on the map as it is vast.”

The map had most of the right side covered with forest. It ended a little before reaching the bottom of the map. At the bottom was a drawing that said ‘Torith’ over it—the location of the city. There were small, filled-in circles dotted throughout the map, drawn in after it was originally purchased. These were the nameless villages. Surprisingly, there were fewer than Derek thought.

Closer to Torith were a few house-like drawings. They also had names. These had to be the villages that were recognized by the City Lord. Then, there were red ‘X’s with some writing underneath. Derek focused on these markings.

Derek looked at the one closest to Rayna’s village. 25… Insects… Support Skill… 6 People… Derek read the words. “So, I assume this is a dungeon?” he asked. After receiving a nod, he continued, “So, it’s level 25 with insect monsters, and the reward for clearing it is a support skill?”

“Yes, that is one of the favorite dungeons for adventurers. The insects are easy to fight, and the reward is great… if you have the skill points to buy it after unlocking it. It’s also the dungeon that I lost my son to.” Richard spoke the last part with a waver in his voice. Derek looked at Thomas to see his eyes filling with tears.

“I see.” Derek pulled out a red marker from his bracelet. “May I?” He motioned to the map. Richard nodded. Derek focused on Rayna’s and Leon’s villages to get a sense of the distance. Then he traced his hand into the forest, remembering the directions that he traveled to get to the undying dungeon. Finally, his hand stopped moving, and he marked it with an X. Underneath, he wrote: 100, Undying, ???, and 5. “This should be pretty accurate, but I may be off by a little.”

“No worries,” Richard replied. “The ones that I have marked are only estimates, too.”

Derek pulled out a large sheet of paper and began placing marks along it. The size was smaller than the map, but he reduced his drawing to scale the best he could. Under the dungeons, he only wrote the level and rewards. He was no artist, so the result of his drawings looked like something a parent would hang on their refrigerator. But others didn’t have to understand it, only he did.

“Well, it’s the best I can do. It will have to do until I can get to the city and buy a real map,” he said, embarrassed, after seeing Richard looking at his art.

After thinking for a minute, Derek asked a question to the table. “So, I imagine, other than a few rich people or nobles that are carried, few people can complete more than one dungeon. At say, level 25, if you go into a dungeon, you would surely level up while inside. I mean, it takes what, 10 kills of something the same level as you to level up if you have a common class? So, how do dungeons with shitty rewards keep from overflowing?” He pointed to a dungeon which read: 25, beasts, lesser mana potion.

Richard smiled at that. “Lesser mana potions are still somewhat valuable to mages. But I get what you’re saying. The Adventurer’s Guild gives out quests to clear those dungeons every once in a while. Since the adventurers will be giving up the opportunity of clearing a dungeon with a greater reward, the rewards that the guild offers are usually quite nice.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Derek stored his makeshift map inside his bracelet. “Well, is there anything else?” he asked everyone.

“Nothing that I can think of,” Richard answered. “Thank you for the information… and for that.” He pointed to the new marking on his map.

Derek stood and looked at Rayna. “Are you ready for some training?”

25 TRAINING

Rayna stood along with Derek. “I hope I’m not going to regret this.” She mused.

Derek looked at Thomas. “Are you ready to see if you really want to use daggers? It’s much easier to get yourself killed with short weapons like that. One mistake and…” Derek ran his thumb across his throat.

“I’m ready.” Thomas seemed resolute in his decision.

“Okay, let’s go then.” Derek led the group out of the residence. Then he turned back to Rayna. “Uh, we should probably not do this inside the village.” Then he looked at Leon and Richard. “Or with an audience.”

Rayna nodded, then turned to Richard and Leon. “You two go try to think about what we’re going to do about the dungeon. I’ll be back when we finish. If you need me, we’ll be…” She paused and looked at Derek.

Derek understood what she was asking. He pointed in a direction. “We’ll be a few miles that way.” Leon and Richard nodded.

Richard put his hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “Be careful.”

Thomas smiled. “Don’t worry, Derek’s going to be there.” That didn’t seem to reassure Richard, but he nodded.

“Okay, let’s go.” Derek walked toward the gate and his two trainees followed.

* * *

“Aright, this should be good enough.” Derek halted his steps. They were two or three miles away from the village. They could still make it out in the distance, but this would be good enough for their training.

The land had short grass and was relatively flat. “Okay, what is this amazing training that you want to do?” Rayna asked.

Derek smiled. Well, I don’t want to destroy my clothes. “Turn around for a second,” he said. Derek checked his bracelet’s storage space. Ah, that will work. Rayna shook her head, then turned around. Quickly, he swapped out his current clothes for a pair of shorts that he happened to still have. “Okay, you can turn back around. It’s PG-13 again.”

Rayna turned with a face full of confusion, then the confusion turned to shock after seeing Derek. He was standing with nothing but a pair of red basketball shorts. “W-what are you wearing?” Rayna said.

He looked down at his piece of clothing. “Um… shorts?” he responded.

“But why?” she asked.

“So I don’t ruin any more clothes that I like.” He spoke as if it was such an obvious reason. Before letting anyone else speak, he pulled a small stool out of his bracelet and sat it on the ground. He pointed at Rayna. “You’re going first. Thomas, have a seat.”

Thomas walked over to the stool and sat.

Derek went over to Rayna. “Okay, first, what magic-based skills do you have?”

Rayna furrowed her brows. “Wind Blade, Wind Walk, and Razor Edge.”

“And what do they do?”

She sighed. “Wind Blade allows me to send a blade of wind at an opponent. It’s level five. Wind Walk lets me channel wind into my feet and walk on air, but it takes a lot of mana. It’s also level five. Razor Edge is a weapon buff that makes my sword sharper. It’s level six.”

“Alright, we won’t need Wind Walk or Razor Edge for this. How much mana does Wind Blade use? How much mana do you have? Does it have a cooldown?” Derek asked. He figured that since she already revealed everything else, she wouldn’t mind revealing this.

“It costs 40 mana per cast, and it doesn’t have a cooldown.” She paused. “I have 1200 mana…”

“Oh, so you can use the skill around 30 times. That’s good. What upgrades when it levels? Mana cost?” he asked.

“No, activation speed, velocity, and damage,” she answered.

Derek nodded. “Good.” He jumped backward. “Ready?”

Seeing Derek retreat a distance, Rayna wasn’t sure what he was planning. “What would you like me to do?” she asked.

“It’s simple. Attack me with your Wind Blade until you run out of mana,” the man replied.

He’s crazy, she thought. “Are you sure?” Seeing him nod, she let out a breath. “Okay, here I go.”

With that, Rayna drew her new sword and activated the skill. A blue-green glow appeared on the blade. She slashed down in an arc, not using her full force. She wasn’t sure of Derek’s defense, so she held back as best she could.

A blue-green crescent flew from her sword towards Derek. Even with her holding back, the spell still moved at a rapid pace. Within a fraction of a second, it reached the man. He crossed his arms to block.

The wind magic collided with Derek’s arms. He held strong, not even being pushed back an inch. Soon, the magic waned, and the crescent blade grew smaller and small until it vanished. Rayna looked at the man who so casually took her magic. She was shocked. She didn’t know his level, but even high-ranked adventurers would not dare take a magic blade with no form of defense.

Derek rubbed his arm before looking down and smiling. Rayna could barely make out a small line on his forearm. The spell wasn’t even enough to break his skin. He’s a monster.

The man looked back up at her. “That’s good. I’m guessing that wasn’t the best you can do either. Now you know you don’t have to hold back. Come on, hit me with your best shot. No holding back.”

Rayna felt a tinge of irritation at the man’s words, but she did as he asked and loosed another blade, this time swinging with all her heart. Derek didn’t choose to block this strike with his arms. Instead, he took the full blow to his chest. A small smile lingered on his face the entire time.

Again, the spell left but a mark. “You don’t have to stop. Keep them coming,” he said.

Rayna began launching Wind Blades one after another. In minutes, she found her mana empty, and a terrible headache formed from lack of mana.

“Out of mana?” Derek asked.

Rayna flinched and nodded her head.

“Okay, trade places with the kid. Use Meditation until you’ve recovered. Once you’re full up, we’ll continue.”

Rayna thought about saying something but gave up. She went over to the now-empty seat and sat down. She tried Meditation for the first time, trusting that Derek wouldn’t let anything happen while she was out.

Derek watched as Thomas moved to where Rayna previously stood. “W-what are we going to do?” the boy asked.

“Well, you’re pretty persistent about using daggers, so I thought we’d see if you’re any good with them.” With that, Derek summoned two daggers from his bracelet and tossed them at the ground in front of the kid’s feet. He laughed as Thomas jumped back. “Pick them up.”

Thomas walked forward and picked the daggers up. “Now, come on. Do your best to kill me,” Derek commanded.

Thomas stared wide-eyed. “Kill you?” he asked.

Derek sighed. “You literally just saw me take 30 Wind Blades to the chest. What, you think that you and your puny strength will be able to hurt me?” Derek shook his head. “Your ‘training’ is going to be much tougher than hers. Now, come on, kill me.”

Thomas finally seemed to understand. With daggers in hand, he ran up to Derek. Using the dagger in his right hand, he slashed in a wide, clumsy arc. Derek watched as the blade came towards him, then… missed. “Oi, kid. Are you serious? You missed a still target.” He was flabbergasted. He didn’t have a problem stabbing the monster. Is he just this bad at fighting? Derek wondered.

“S-sorry,” Thomas said with a face full of embarrassment.

“Don’t be sorry, do it again. With a swing like that, you’d already be dead. If you don’t take this seriously, I can take you back home right now,” Derek threatened.

“N-no. I’ll do my best,” Thomas replied.

“Then attack me.”

Thomas moved forward again. Swinging his blade in another wide arc. This time, the blade barely touched the motionless Derek. Still disappointed, Derek lightly backhanded Thomas on the back of the head. Thomas stumbled to the side and fell over. “What are you doing? You want to use daggers, but you’re too scared to get in close? Get up and go again.” Derek’s hit caused little damage to Thomas, but he cast Rejuvenation just to be on the safe side.

This left Thomas staring at Derek again. “A healing spell?” he blurted out.

“Yes, now get up and come on.” He motioned for the kid to stand again.

Thomas stood and tried again, but he still balked when he got close. “Kid, I don’t think ultra-close ranged weapons are for you,” Derek said. Then he retrieved a short sword from his bracelet. “Try this instead.” He tossed it down in front of Thomas.

“But I want to use daggers,” Thomas complained.

“Remember what we discussed? Do as I say.”

Thomas sighed and picked up the short sword, giving the daggers back to Derek in the process. The two sparred again. This time, Thomas did much better. After a while, Derek pulled a different weapon from his bracelet, a longsword.

The two continued sparring. Occasionally, Derek would have Thomas change weapons to see what he was best at. He would also punish Thomas occasionally when he got the feeling that the boy was taking the training lightly. After some time passed, Rayna finally opened her eyes.

Derek pulled the spear away from Thomas and stopped the boy’s attack. He looked at Rayna. “You ready to go again?”

“Yes,” the chief answered.

Like this, the trio fell into a routine. In between training sessions, Derek would venture out into the forest and bring back a mid-level beast for Thomas to kill. He wanted Thomas to have a class before he took him anywhere. They did this for days.

Rayna had thanked Derek during this time. She had told him that her Wind Blade had grown two levels, and her Meditation skill had already reached level 3.

He had focused on Thomas and learned that, though the boy wasn’t good with daggers, when a short sword was put into his hands, his attacks remarkably improved. The same was true of a spear, too. Other weapons weren’t suitable for the kid, though. Glaives and halberds were too robust for him to use accurately, and Derek could swear that the boy wouldn’t be able to hit a house with an arrow from two feet away.

Unfortunately, Thomas kept insisting on using daggers throughout the entire training process. Derek later found out from Richard that Thomas’s father had used daggers and guessed that this was the reason for the kid’s stubbornness. Derek just hoped that when it came time to choose a class, the system would offer Thomas a decent class for swords or a spear, and the boy would have no choice but to change his mind.

Finally, that day came after Thomas killed a creature that Derek found in the forest. Derek was excited to see what options the system gave Thomas. This wasn’t only because he wanted the boy to get a good class, but he also wanted to see how their actions had affected the potential outcomes.

“Okay, you’re level 10. It’s time to choose a class. Make sure you pick the best one. It’s always a good idea to look into the higher rarity or growth classes. If you need help, ask me,” Derek explained to Thomas. “Got it?” he added.

“Got it,” Thomas replied, then closed his eyes.

Derek stared as he watched Thomas’s face go through a range of emotions. He remembered what it was like when he first had to choose a class. He had accrued quite a few titles before he had to make his decision, which led to him having to sift through multiple bad classes just to get to some that he felt had worth.

Then, he had to do the same thing upon arriving in this new world. Luckily, he had a few epic classes available that made his decision much easier. As he watched Thomas, he hoped that the system would give him an excellent class, preferably one that used short swords or spears.

Finally, after a few minutes, Thomas opened his eyes. He had an excited look on his face. “Well, what did you get?” Derek asked.

“I was able to pick the Rogue class! It’s uncommon, and the same class as my father.” Thomas seemed very excited, but Derek could only sigh in disappointment.

“So, a Rogue class. Then I can assume that you didn’t have any higher rarity classes? Or any growth-type classes?” Derek asked.

Thomas looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact with Derek. “Don’t tell me you could have chosen a rare class, but instead, you chose an uncommon dagger-wielding class.” If this was true, then Derek would have to rethink his opinion of the kid. He had thought the boy was very mature for his age, but if he chose a much lesser class just because ‘my dad had this class,’ then Derek had been wrong about him.

After that, Thomas finally broke. “I didn’t have any rare classes, but I had an uncommon growth-type class. But it used a spear, and I don’t enjoy using spears. Besides, I have Light Weapons Mastery. If I had chosen a spear, it would have meant a wasted skill point.”

Derek nearly facepalmed. “I could get you extra skill points.” He couldn’t believe Thomas was being this hard-headed. “And from what I know, an uncommon growth-type class is probably better than a rare class. I mean, you would’ve had the possibility of ending up with an epic class or even legendary. What were you thinking?”

“I-I remembered how cool I thought my dad was. He loved his daggers. I wanted to be like—”

Derek cut Thomas off before he could continue. “Your dad is dead. His class is probably the reason he died.” With that, he saw Thomas flinch like he had just been punched in the face. “A Rogue class in a forest or dungeon is almost worthless. Are you going to steal from a squirrel? Assassinate a tree?” Derek stopped for a second. “Does the class at least have any bow skills?” he asked, hopeful. At least archery would be useful out here.

Thomas had tears rolling down his cheeks, but Derek was not sorry in the least. “N-no, it doesn’t. I have Sneak and an out of combat movement passive.”

Derek sighed and shook his head. I should’ve had him tell me his choices. I just didn’t think that I would have to hold his hand throughout the entire process. “I honestly don’t know if I should still take you with me. I’ve been treating you like an adult. I guess I forgot you were just a boy.”

“N-no! Please, you have to take me. I need to become strong. I have to protect people,” Thomas pleaded.

“With what you did just now, I don’t even know if I can trust you to keep any of my secrets. Secrets you will learn while traveling with me.” Derek said, still deep in thought. Maybe I’ll just travel around with Silvi. Her class is probably better than Rogue.

“Please!” Thomas fell to his knees. “I-I… I swear on the Great System that I will keep your secrets and tell no one about them.”

A notification flashed in front of Derek’s eyes. He viewed it.

An oath to the Great System has been made by Thomas Stewart. This oath is binding until death. If broken, Thomas Stewart will lose all classes and skills obtained from the Great System, labeled Oathbreaker, and he will never have access again. Stats will remain as is at the time of breaking the oath.

Woah, this is like the Contract skill from my previous system. Though this is much harsher. I guess you aren’t able to set conditions, and it doesn’t seem like I’m able to alter or cancel the oath. Derek stared at Thomas. “Why would you ever do that? Are you really that desperate?”

“Yes!” Thomas urgently nodded his head. “I want to follow you. I have to.”

Derek sighed again, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. “Fine, but you already have one strike. I won’t hesitate to bring you back home in the future. And don’t expect me to create some oath about making you powerful. I don’t believe in that kind of shit.”

Thomas let out a deep breath. Then he wiped the tears away with the arm of his tunic. “What now?”

“Well, I think I’ve spent too much time in this village as it is. Though I do enjoy the crappy ale, I think it’s time we headed out. Let’s go see Brandi and find out what kind of armor she has for you,” Derek said as they walked back to the village.

He was happy with his progress in training up his Magic Resistance over the last week. It had actually reached level five already, giving him a 7.5% natural magic resistance. He even increased his Rejuvenation by a level, making it level 7 and increasing its healing to 35%. Not bad at all, Derek thought.

Rayna had done very well, too. He was not sure how much she had improved, but he knew she had made significant progress in Meditation, and her Wind Blade was hitting him harder and faster than before. They hadn’t trained today, so she was still in the village doing her chiefly duties.

Soon, the pair arrived at the village gates. It was common to see the two coming and going, so the guards opened the gates for them with no hassle. Once inside, they headed towards Malorie’s residence to talk with Brandi.

Once there, they found Malorie hanging some clothes to dry, and Brandi was working on her Leatherworking like always. “Hey, Mal, how’s it going today?” Derek asked.

“Oh, it’s the same as always. Just been washing clothes and helping around the village. Rayna still hasn’t been able to find all of us refugees something to do.” Then the woman motioned to Brandi. “I’m having a harder and harder time getting this one to stop for a meal. All she does is work, work, work.” She smiled at the end.

Derek, not wanting to interrupt Brandi, continued conversing with Malorie. “Yeah, that’s why we’re here. She’s been making Thomas some armor, and we’re here to see if it’s ready. It’s about time for us to leave.”

“Oh? I still can’t believe Delilah was okay with Thomas going with you,” Mal said.

Derek looked at the boy. “He can be very… stubborn, and I think she knew that.”

About that time, Derek heard Brandi shout, “You’re leaving already?” as she ran over.

Derek put his hand on her still-buzzed head. “Yup, can’t stay here forever. Gotta get stronger, make enemies and such. Besides, we won’t be gone too long this time, and I’ll have more hides for you to destr… work with. You just need to focus on getting your skill to level 10. Then, if I’m around, I’ll help you get your class.”

“Thank you,” Brandi said. “I’m finished with his armor, too. I had to make it out of one of the weaker materials since I’m not strong enough to truly craft with the higher-level stuff yet. But it should still be good for level 20 or so.” Brandi ran over to the bench and picked up the armor. “It’s rawhide. There hasn’t been enough time to tan anything yet. Besides, rawhide is stronger, it just isn’t as flexible.” Brandi moved to Thomas and handed him the armor.

Seeing Thomas receive the armor, Derek said, “Go on, put it on. I want to leave before it gets dark.”

Thomas nodded and hurriedly equipped the armor. Overall, it was a good fit, but it was a little loose on him. It would allow him to grow a little before it needed to be replaced. It definitely wasn’t the best-looking or the best defensive armor Derek had ever seen. But that was to be expected by armor created by someone who only had the skill and didn’t yet have a class.

“Good. Now go tell your grandma goodbye. I’m going to head to the chief’s place before we leave,” Derek said. Thomas assented and ran towards his grandma’s place after giving everyone a quick goodbye.

Derek looked at Malorie. “Mal, thanks for the dinners and all the washes. It’s been nice having something to eat that isn’t roasted on a spit.”

Malorie smiled. “You are always welcome here. I hope you have a good trip.”

Derek turned to Brandi. “You focus on getting your skill to level 10 before I get back.”

“I will,” she replied.

Derek turned and left for Rayna’s place. Soon, he was there, and surprisingly, the chief was waiting outside. “You leaving?” she asked.

“Yup, I have a sort of plan. Probably going to get the kid to his second class, especially after what he chose today,” he said.

“Oh, poor decision?”

“Yeah, he had a chance at an excellent class, but he chose Rogue because it reminded him of his dad. I thought he was more mature than that.” Derek shook his head.

“He may act smart and mature for his age, but he’s just a kid,” she replied.

“Well, when I’m done with him, he’ll either be back here and I’ll be traveling alone, or he’ll be smart enough not to do dumb shit like that.”

“Good luck with that,” said Rayna.

“Well, I just wanted to let you know that we’re leaving. Our training sessions will have to be put on hold. They helped me a bit, so thank you,” Derek said.

“Yeah, and they helped me a lot, so thank you,” she countered. “You plan on coming back?”

“Yeah, probably within the month. I have a few plans, but they shouldn’t take long.”

At that time, Thomas came running over.

“You ready, kid?” Derek asked, and Thomas nodded. “Let’s go.”

26 FIRST DUNGEON

After the pair left the confines of the village, Derek stopped, pulled out his makeshift map, and looked at the various dungeons. Hmm… This dungeon gives a support skill. Maybe I could get a beast-taming skill or something, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about Silvi killing everyone we meet. We’ll probably only be able to run two of the level 25 ones before I out-level them. Derek put the map away. He seemed to have made a decision.

We’ll go to the support one first, then the skill point one if I haven’t broken 25 yet. After that, there is the level 50 scrolls dungeon. That could give anything from a one-time-use spell to a hidden skill. Derek looked at Thomas. “Follow me. We’re moving fast, so try to keep up.” He started jogging, which was basically a sprint to Thomas. “We’re going to make use of every last point that you put into dexterity.”

The dungeon they were traveling to wasn’t too far away from Rayna’s Village, and it wasn’t in the forest. It was to the northwest, supposedly in the grassy plains. It was also the dungeon where Thomas’s parents had met their doom. According to Richard, the city led expeditions twice a year to this dungeon for the nobles and others who paid. It was quite the popular dungeon.

Luckily, it was not time for the expedition, so the chance of running into any others looking to complete the dungeon was small. What he was most worried about was people claiming a dungeon and charging for use. Derek had seen this too many times on Earth. When he mentioned his concerns to Richard, the man assured him he didn’t have to worry. As long as he was in the Kingdom of Cydaria, it was illegal for an individual or organization to use a dungeon to profit off others.

The only time there would be guards around a dungeon would be to prevent an overflow from wiping out the surrounding areas. So this only happened with relatively high-level dungeons. Derek also found out that dungeons could be completed more than once, but one would only receive the completion reward for their first completion, and the enemies in the dungeon would not give full experience to those who had already completed it.

People who completed the dungeon couldn’t ‘carry’ others through it, either. If there happened to be somebody who had already run the dungeon in a group, the entire group would fail to receive a reward at the end. This was just another thing that Derek chalked up to the stinginess of the ‘Great System.’

Derek also found out a bit about the kingdom during his downtime in the village. The kingdom’s name was Cydaria, along with the capital city of the same name. Torith was only a sub-city within the kingdom. It was currently in a state too big to be considered a town and too small to be a city.

Throughout the kingdom, there were six cities, and twenty-two sub-cities, along with one capital city. Teleportation circles connected each city to the other cities, and the sub-cities were all close enough to a city that they did not warrant a costly teleportation circle.

Being a sub-city, Torith only held branches of different guilds and organizations, with the headquarters being in the nearby city. Derek also learned that the lord of Torith was one of the weakest among the lords, but because of his father, who was an official in the capital, no one said anything.

After traveling at a quick pace for seven hours, taking only two breaks for Thomas in between, they arrived at the dungeon. It was as Richard had said. There was nobody else around. “We’re here,” Derek said. He turned to look at Thomas, only to see a range of emotions play on his face. I guess he figured out where ‘here’ is.

“W-why are we here?” Thomas asked, his voice cracking.

Derek smiled. “Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to run a dungeon,” he said, and Thomas’s sadness seemed to evaporate, being replaced by shock and confusion.

“We?” he asked. “How are you going to run a level 25 dungeon?”

“Remember those secrets that you can’t tell anyone? Well, you’re about to see the first one. Come on, place your hand on the sphere,” Derek said, then he walked over and put his hand on the dungeon orb. Thomas hurried over and place his hand on it too.

The two waited until the notification popped up.

Dungeon Countdown Timer Depleted

Participants: 2/6

Derek Hunt: Level 18

Thomas Stewart: Level 10

Please Choose an Option Below

View Dungeon

Enter Dungeon

Leave

Derek chose “View Dungeon.”

Dungeon Status

Dungeon Level: 25

Dungeon Type: Insect

Dungeon State: Stable

Dungeon Rewards: Skill (Support)

Max Participants: 6

So this is what an already completed, normal dungeon looks like. He put away the dungeon status, then spoke to Thomas. “Are you ready?”

“H-how? How are you only a level 18? There’s no way,” Thomas interjected. Then the boy mumbled incoherently to himself for a moment. He seemed to think of something, then it was as if a bright light went off in his eyes. “This means you can run all the lower-level dungeons. And at your strength, there won’t be any trouble.”

Derek grinned. “Who said I was going to be the one running them? I’m just watching. You’ll be the one doing everything. No better training than fighting something that will kill you if it has the chance.” Derek laughed as the boy’s eyes dimmed, and the glee he had before changed to horror.

“I will be fighting?” Thomas asked.

“What are you so scared of? You’re carrying high-level daggers, and you have armor on that was made from higher-level hides. And if you’ve been listening to me, which I’m not sure you have been, after your little class selection fiasco, you should have enough vitality to survive a couple of clean hits. Don’t worry, I need to raise my Rejuvenation skill, anyway. So, it’s a win-win for both of us.” Derek chuckled. “So, are you ready?”

Thomas seemed to blank out, but after a few moments, he finally nodded.

“Okay, here we go,” Derek said, eager to see what a dungeon in this new world was like. He focused on ‘Enter Dungeon.’ A message popped up, asking if he was sure. He selected yes, and a new notification appeared.

Participants Ready: ½

Derek Hunt: Ready

Thomas Stewart: Not Ready

“Focus on ‘Enter Dungeon.’ Let’s go,” Derek commanded. Soon, Thomas’s status changed to ‘Ready,’ and a countdown began.

Entering Dungeon in 3… 2… 1…

A white light flashed, and the pair disappeared.

* * *

After the blinding light, Thomas found his footing. He looked around to see Derek standing beside him, acting like nothing had happened. They were standing in a cave-like chamber. It was warmer inside the dungeon than it was outside. Thomas could see well enough with the glowing stalactites. The chamber was around 20x20 feet and connected to a door directly in front of them.

Beside him, Derek spoke. “Don’t forget to use Inspect on everything you can. It’s an excellent skill to level.”

Thomas could only nod at that. I can’t believe he expects me to clear this dungeon, he thought. Thomas was still shaken because of the weird day he was having. First, he disappointed Derek, which led to some harsh words. Then he found out that Derek was only level 18, which he still couldn’t wrap his head around. Now, he had to fight in a dungeon 15 levels above himself.

“You will probably gain levels quickly in here. So, the first thing I want you to do is figure out how you want to spend your stat points so you don’t get caught with your pants down and you are always as strong as possible,” Derek explained.

Thomas assented and began to think. I definitely need more health in the beginning. I already get four dexterity and three endurance per level. For the future, I think I’ll go two strength and three vitality with my free points. “Okay. I know what I’m going to do,” Thomas explained his plan to Derek. After earlier, he didn’t want to disappoint him even further.

Derek nodded. “Mhm… that’s fine. Now, check your equipment. Make sure everything is properly equipped and doesn’t hinder your movement much.”

Thomas did just that. The hide armor was a little loose, so he tightened it the best he could. He drew his two daggers from his hips. Then he looked at Derek. “I think I’m ready.”

“Okay, I’ll go through the door first, just to make sure there are no traps to instant kill you, but after that, the rest is all yours.” Derek walked up to the door and pushed it open. Then he disappeared inside. After a second, he poked his head through the door. “Seems fine to me.” He smiled that menacing smile that always sent chills up Thomas’s spine. “Man, you are going to have so much fun in here.” He chuckled and disappeared from Thomas’s sight once again.

Thomas took a deep breath and walked forward. He walked through the door into the next room, nearly squealing at what he found waiting for him. The cave was much bigger than the one he started in. This time, though, it was full of enemies. Black ants were crawling along the floor, and beetles crept along the walls. Other than the clicking noises being made by the beetles, the most disturbing thing was the size of the insects. The ants were the size of both his fists together, and the beetles were twice that size.

Thomas gulped, then felt a slap on his back. “Like I said, you are going to have so much fun.”

* * *

Thomas reached for the daggers on his hips. With slow movement, he drew them from the sheaths created by Brandi. Looking at the disgusting insects creeping and crawling ahead of him, he tightened his grip on the weapons. Thomas’s thoughts were racing, so much so that the boy himself could not keep track of them.

He was going to have to fight these things. Derek was only there to protect him from catastrophe. Thomas knew that there was almost no chance of him dying, but the chance of him being hurt or injured was great. In fact, looking at the bugs, he knew he was going to be injured. He also knew that he would be healed, then injured again. Just thinking about what he had gotten himself into sent chills down his spine.

He looked over at Derek, who was still standing there with a smirk on his face. “A-are you r-really not going to help fight?” he asked, a small tinge of hope still in his voice. He was looking for reassurance—reassurance that Derek would help him before it came to injury. Before he got hurt.

All he got in return was confirmation that he was basically on his own. “I told you before. This is your fight. Like I said, you will not die, but you will suffer. And, because of your choice of weapons, and ignoring my advice, you will suffer greater. You will not be able to rely on reach with your daggers, as you would have been able to with a spear. You will have to get in close, and with the way you swing your daggers and the bad habits you have when fighting close, you will get hurt. But I will not allow you to die, and you will go in, again and again, until you clear the room,” Derek said.

“Now, I already think we will be in here for a long time. Who knows, if you take too long, all the work you do may respawn. You don’t want that, do you? Suck it up and fight. The quicker you fight, the quicker you get stronger, and the faster we get out of here.” Derek’s words made sense to Thomas, but he still had a hard time bringing himself to initiate the attack.

Thomas breathed in deep and let it out. He surveyed the room, looking for an opportunity to attack. Soon, he found it in an ant that had wandered away from the group. He used Identify, which was currently level 2, on the ant. The skill allowed him to see the insect’s basic information. Level 21 Soldier Ant, Thomas read.

If he could have gripped his daggers any tighter, he would have. The ant being 11 levels above his own didn’t seem like a giant hurdle when he thought about it, but when he thought about how it was over double his level, he was scared. No, he was terrified. He would be relying on his equipment and basic training, or beatings, that he had gone through with Derek.

“What are you waiting for?” Thomas jumped at the voice, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Finally, Thomas summoned what courage he could and slowly paced toward the lone ant, not noticing Derek shaking his head in disappointment behind him.

Soon, he arrived at the insect that was almost 10 inches long and half that in width. Up close in the dimly lit cavern, he could make out the fuzz covering the ant’s body. Luckily for Thomas, the ant seemed to have not noticed his approach.

This is a chance. Thomas lunged forward at the unaware monster. Thinking this the opportunity he was looking for, a slight smile formed on the boy’s face. Unfortunately, with Thomas’s lunge came noise, and with noise came vibrations, which alerted the ant.

His dagger was inches away from the abdomen of the creature when it reacted. It turned faster than Thomas could’ve imagined, and Thomas’s weapon, which was about to make contact, missed the abdomen of the ant and sliced through its antenna.

He was off-balance after delivering the blow. Thomas had been expecting his dagger to bite into the creature, so when there was no tension with his blow, he lost his footing. Soon, Thomas was face down on the cold floor of the cavern. Realizing his mistake, and the ramifications, he quickly rolled to his side.

Staring directly at his face was the ant. The giant mandibles protruding from its head made Thomas scream internally. The ant dashed towards Thomas’s face. Again, surprised by the speed of the creature, Thomas could barely raise his arm up to block.

The ant didn’t care what it met. With its antenna cut and senses a mess, it was pissed. The bite found purchase on Thomas’s armored forearm. The armor did well in not allowing the mandible to break through, but it wasn’t able to prevent the pressure of the mandibles coming together.

The crack of his arm breaking rang throughout the room, and a blinding pain shot through Thomas. He screamed. Frantically, he gripped the dagger in his left hand and stabbed at the ant. He stabbed over and over, well past the notification appearing in his vision. He was still screaming when his body was lifted in the air and then dropped.

The pain was still blinding, but he was finally able to return to his senses. He surveyed the room. Both of his weapons were on the ground beside him, and Derek was leaning against the door with a frown on his face. That was when he noticed he was in the room they first spawned in.

Embarrassed at his performance, but more concerned about his arm, Thomas grabbed at his injury. Greenish brown liquid coated the armor on his forearm, which confused Thomas. Still, he grabbed at the armor and loosened it, only to see a monstrously swollen forearm. He touched it and whimpered.

Derek was looking at the boy, whimpering over his broken arm. He had expected an injury like this to happen eventually, but the speed at which Thomas accomplished it was mind-blowing. In fact, he didn’t know where to begin when thinking about the ‘fight.’ On a scale of ‘A’ to ‘F,’ I would have to give the kid an ‘F.’ And that’s only because the scale doesn’t go any lower.

The boy chose the lone ant as his first opponent. This was the only good decision that he made. The reason Derek was shaking his head as soon as the boy began his approach was that he had not even thought to activate his Stealth skill. If he would have done so, even with his clumsy lunge, Stealth would have reduced the vibration and sound coming from him, and he still would have landed a blow.

Then, he thought about the placement of the blow, which was on the abdomen of the ant. Sure, the dagger was big enough to deal serious damage if he would’ve hit, but Derek didn’t believe that it would have been instantly fatal. Derek knew some ants could live on for hours, even days, after losing their abdomen. The ant still would have been able to turn and attack, unless Thomas got lucky and pinned the creature. Thomas should have gone for one of the connecting points of the ant.

If he would have aimed between the thorax and head, it would have died instantly if he connected. But none of that mattered because the boy missed.

Thomas was so sure of his hit that he put everything he had into it. This was a fatal mistake that caused him to fall and allowed the ant a counterattack. Then, Thomas took too long on the ground, letting the ant, which wasn’t even 10 inches long, attack his head. Derek could only shake his head.

If the falling wasn’t enough to get him killed, then the scream he released because of his injury was. What Thomas obviously didn’t see was the attention he attracted because of it. While the boy was stabbing away at the ant’s corpse, a dozen more ants, and even a few beetles, had gathered around him. That was when Derek finally stepped in and saved the boy.

The boy was still whimpering and holding his arm. A broken arm which barely caused him any damage to his overall health, only crippling him a bit for the battle. Derek figured this had gone on long enough. “Stop crying,” he said. Then, he cast Rejuvenation on the kid, and the bone healed right away. With Thomas’s current vitality, it would have only taken 10 or so more minutes before it healed naturally, anyway.

The pain must have stopped because the boy started moving his arm and no longer sobbed. He looked up at Derek. “Now, we are going to go over that spectacular performance you just gave. Really, it was top-notch.”

Thomas furrowed his brows, but before he could say anything, Derek spoke again.

“What do you think is the first thing you did wrong?”

“Uhm… I put too much into my swing?” Thomas answered.

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“T-telling you. Yes, I put too much in my swing, which left me off balance when I missed.”

“You are wrong,” replied Derek. “You were wrong before you even got to the ant. You have the Stealth skill, yes?” Derek waited for Thomas’s nod. “Why didn’t you use it? Were you waiting for some grand reveal? What do you think skills are for? You were approaching a single enemy from behind. There is no better opportunity to use the skill, but you just dove right in.”

Thomas’s jaw dropped. “I-I forgot I had it.”

“You forgot about the only actual skill you have? From the class you chose against my suggestion? Are you serious?” Derek was indeed flabbergasted.

Thomas said nothing. He just looked at the ground.

Derek shook his head and continued. “Well, you won’t forget about it again, will you? But yes, the other thing wrong was your swing and choice of attack. The ant’s abdomen is vital, but they can survive for a very long time without it. They can survive without a lot of things, so, with a sneak attack, you really need to make sure you go for the right place.”

“Finally, after you started screaming, do you know what happened?” Derek asked.

“No, I was just trying to get my arm back,” Thomas replied.

“Oh, then you didn’t see the dozen other insects coming to kill you then? Good vigilance, kid. Top marks,” Derek said sarcastically. “Okay, good review. Time to go again.”

Thomas paled.

27 CLEAR

Thomas sat with his back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. He had almost grown numb to everything over the last few days. The armor that Brandi had painstakingly crafted him was no longer in good condition. There were holes and cuts where the mandibles of the ants had finally broken through.

He thought the ants were going to be tougher than the beetles, but after fighting the first one, he realized his mistake. As long as he could sneak up on a beetle, it wasn’t a problem to deal with it, but if he made a mistake, which he did often, the outcome was painful.

The beetle, while not fast, had great acceleration. And, unfortunately for Thomas, it had a very sharp horn on its head. Thomas had properly used his Stealth skill on the first few beetles he targeted. He was able to take them down without much effort. But eventually, he slipped up.

He’d been slowly approaching one beetle, not noticing the other hidden behind a stone close by. He stabbed both daggers through the creature’s head and received the kill notification, causing him to relax. As he turned to look at Derek, the previously unknown beetle caught him directly in his side.

The beetle was around a foot and a half in length and two-thirds that in girth. The rhino-like horn on its head was at least 10 inches long. When it hit him, the horn penetrated his armor and burrowed into his side. The armor slowed the beetle down, but over half of the horn still ripped through.

If Thomas thought the ant breaking his arm was painful, then he couldn’t even describe the pain caused by the horn ripping through his kidney. Luckily, Derek was there, and he made short work of the beetle and had used his healing spell almost the moment the attack was complete.

The attack by the beetle had been a wake-up call for Thomas. He had settled into a rhythm and became too comfortable, letting his guard down. This was another lesson Derek allowed him to learn the hard way.

As Thomas sat against the wall, he could only reflect on everything that had happened so far. He had entered the dungeon as an inexperienced level 10 child that couldn’t even face a single ant, which he overpowered, without almost dying. Now, as he looked at his stats, he was level 17 and had faced death dozens of times, only to be saved at the last second by Derek.

In the last few days, he began berating himself because of his stupid class decision. He’d woken up. No matter how many insects he killed, he couldn’t feel himself growing stronger with the daggers. His overall ability had grown stronger, but when he slashed or stabbed with his weapons, the action still felt foreign to him. The only thing he liked about the class he so foolishly chose was the Stealth skill.

But, after all the sneaking and assassinating the insects, he knew it wasn’t for him. The closer he got to an enemy, the harder his heart beat, and the harder it was for him to stay calm. Stealth would be great for him to escape an enemy or trek through the wilderness undetected, but he wasn’t cut out for assassination.

He had come to two conclusions over the last few days of torture. The first was that he wouldn’t be missing out on anything when, not if, he changed his class at level 25. The second was that Derek completely changed when he became serious about something.

On the second day in the dungeon, Thomas had cried and begged Derek to bring him out and take him home. Derek refused, saying that he was willing to stay in the dungeon for weeks or even months, waiting for Thomas to clear it. Thomas had actually gotten angry at Derek then, yelling and throwing a fit. It was something that he would feel embarrassed about for the rest of his life.

Thomas was finally able to work himself back up enough to continue after his tantrum. It wasn’t until two days later that he realized how valuable this experience was. Every time they made it back to the spawn room, Derek would explain to him, in detail, everything he did wrong and right. Now, he was nothing but thankful.

He was thankful that the pain was numbing instead of the previous agony. The same broken arm he had on the first day that basically rendered him unconscious was nothing to him now. He could even fight with his broken arm if needed. He hadn’t known what to think when he received an achievement for all his suffering. It was a lesser award and only offered two skill points, but it was a sign that everything he was doing was not for nothing.

When he had told Derek about the achievement, and how it was awarded for greatly increasing his pain tolerance, Derek just laughed and mumbled something about never being able to get it.

About that time, Derek walked over. “Are you ready? You got all the insects in two rooms, and I think all that’s remaining is the boss in the next. It’s a level 25 Zephyr Mantis. I’ll let you have a go at it, but I’m pretty sure it could slice your head off in one swipe, so I’ll end up killing it. Just make sure you get a hit on it, so we split the experience. I don’t want it all.”

Thomas nodded his head. “Alright.”

The duo walked through the two empty rooms. Thomas looked around. He was relieved that no more enemies spawned in after being killed. Soon, they made it to what they thought was the door to the final cavern. Derek pushed the door open and walked in.

Thomas followed him. As soon as he entered the room, a wind blade, not unlike the one Rayna used, hummed towards him at a rapid pace. Derek stepped in front of the blade, and using his bare arm, batted it away. He turned to Thomas. “Actually, I’m going to hold it, you hit it, then I’ll kill it. No sense in taking the risk.”

With that, Derek dashed toward the five-foot-tall mantis. He sidestepped the two blade-like arms that came together like a guillotine. Then he was behind it. He held it in a bearhug, pinning both of its arms to its sides. “Hit it!” he commanded.

Thomas ran up to the mantis and slashed at its thorax, just above the creature’s arms. Because of the quality of daggers, he did massive damage. After the blood started flowing, he heard a snap. A notification popped up, and Derek dropped the bug to the floor. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I get to leave this hell.

Derek dropped the corpse to the ground and turned to see an orb of light appear. I guess that’s the dungeon exit. He had stayed in the dungeon longer than he wanted, but Thomas needed it, especially after his showing in the first few days.

The boy’s growth didn’t impress him. If anything, it was average. But Thomas’s mindset had improved, and that was something Derek could work with. He was still a little envious of the pain tolerance achievement that Thomas had received. Thinking about his current pain tolerance, he didn’t believe that he could increase it much more.

He was happy that he was able to increase his Rejuvenation skill to level 8 and his Dismantle skill to level 11, though, with the latter, he could only get some carapaces from the beetles. He wasn’t sure if they would be of any use to Brandi.

His biggest gain in the time they were in the dungeon was with Channel Void. He hadn’t used it to fight, other than secretly killing a bug or two while Thomas was resting, but he used the skill every chance he got. Exhausting his mana repeatedly. He had received more than a few confused looks from Thomas over it.

“Well, looks like it’s time to leave.” Derek walked up and patted Thomas on the back. “It was a pretty nice vacation, eh?”

“You call that a vacation? That was hell. Do you know how many bones I broke?” Thomas shook his head.

Derek laughed. That was another thing that improved over the near two weeks in the dungeon. Thomas addressed him much more casually, and his constant stuttering was all but gone. It was a nice change. “Ah, stop being so whiny. I’ve broken a hell of a lot more than you. Besides, you got that Lesser Pain Tolerance Award.”

“Are we going to another dungeon?” Thomas asked.

“No, I had planned to, but that took longer than I thought. Brandi may have her Leatherworking skill up to 10 by now, so I’m going to keep my promise. Besides, I’m sure your granny is worried sick about you. Luckily, my Rejuvenation keeps scars from forming. Could you imagine her face?” Derek snickered.

“Yeah, if I showed up with a back full of scars like you, she would have a heart attack. You still haven’t told me how you got them, by the way.”

“And I don’t plan on it,” Derek said. “It’s time to get our rewards and leave the dungeon.” He stopped, thinking for a second. Then, he put on a leather armor set from his storage. It wasn’t great, but it was something he had worn in the past and didn’t look too different from what he had seen in this world. He also pulled out two facemasks. “Put this on. We’ve been in here for two weeks. If anyone is outside waiting for us to leave, I don’t want to show our faces.” He handed one mask to Thomas.

“Let’s get our rewards.” Derek walked up to the orb and placed his hand on it. Thomas did the same. A notification popped up.

Dungeon Complete…

Assigning Rewards…

Congratulations, you have received the skill Cure Toxin.

“Dammit!” Derek cursed.

“What happened?”

“I got a skill I don’t want. What did you get?” Derek asked.

“I got Haste. It seems pretty good. It increases all my movement, not just my speed,” Thomas said, excited at the skill.

“Yeah, it’s good. I know people with it. It’s worth leveling.” Derek looked at the next notification.

Cure Toxin

The ability to remove poisons and toxins from yourself and others. The higher the level, the better the skill. This skill is not limited to poisons and toxins. Once leveled, it can help cure other infections and contaminations.

Cost: 1 Skill Point

Would you like to learn Cure Toxin?

Uh… Yes…

Cure Toxin Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 3

That is much better than I initially thought. It may even remove the acid from my armor after being leveled. Derek wondered if the system had given this skill to him because of what he experienced, or if it was indeed random.

“Did you learn Haste?”

“Yes, I had points from my achievement,” Thomas replied.

“Good. Are you ready to leave?” Derek asked.

“Yes.”

Derek looked at the dungeon interface and mentally selected ‘Leave Dungeon.’ A countdown began, and in five seconds, the blinding light reappeared in his vision.

28 DISTURBANCE

The blinding flash faded away, and Derek looked around. There was a group of seven people gathered in the area around the dungeon orb. They were staring at Derek and Thomas with different emotions. Some were frowning, and some were surprised. One, a level 47 whom Derek supposed was the leader of the group, was looking at the pair with a face filled with confusion.

I’m glad I thought about wearing these facemasks. I’m guessing that man tried to Identify me, and it failed. Derek looked at the confused man, nodded, then picked Thomas up and took off before anyone could say anything. He ran at a moderate pace, for him, which was blazing fast for most people.

“This should be good enough,” he said as he dropped Thomas. The boy, to his credit, stood up and brushed himself off without uttering a word.

“Did you get the achievement for completing the dungeon?” Thomas asked.

“Oh, is that what that notification is? I haven’t bothered to look yet,” Derek answered, then he pulled up the notification.

You have completed your first dungeon.

Achievement Unlocked.

Derek went to the next message.

Lesser Dungeon Explorer

By completing your first dungeon, you have earned the following:

2 Skill Points

Explore more dungeons to advance the achievement.

“Oh?” Derek looked over at Thomas. “That’s not a bad achievement. Already receiving two skill points for the first tier. It’s almost like I didn’t have to do anything for it, too.” He laughed. “Well, anything but train my Rejuvenation skill. Hehe…” Derek was trying to get a rise out of Thomas, but it didn’t work.

Well, I also leveled Channel Void and got a better understanding of what it does when used to attack. When Derek secretly killed a couple of insects with the skill after leveling, it turned out that the projection of the void on the weapon could slip through any defenses and specifically target the insides of whatever he attacked. Derek was happy with the newfound realization. After thinking about what happened to the Void Beast, it all made sense.

If the void could do this at such a low level, he could only imagine how powerful it would be once it grew. At its current level, level 5, he was able to make the purple projection stretch from a quarter-inch to more than double that. Increasing its level also made him able to channel the void more efficiently and lose less mana per second.

If I could turn this into a ranged attack… Derek had an idea of attaching the void to a projectile like a dagger, then throwing it. The current problem was that he didn’t have enough control to keep the void on an item that he didn’t have direct control of. But, he figured that if the skill leveled high enough, he would gain the control.

“Are we going back home?” Thomas broke him out of his thoughts.

“Mhm… I think we should. The other dungeons aren’t going anywhere. I think we can do two more before we out-level them,” Derek replied. Maybe three, if the rarity of my class lets me level slower. “Okay, let’s go.”

* * *

Six or so hours later, the village was in sight. They were walking while chatting about spears. Thomas had decided to change his class and had earned some of the respect he had lost back from Derek. “So, you finally understand why I didn’t want you to use daggers.” Derek smiled. “Good, I have a great spear you can use when you change classes. Its former owner doesn’t need it anymore.”

“Thank you,” Thomas replied as they kept walking.

Soon, they arrived at the village gates. Strangely, the guards that were usually at their posts weren’t there. Derek frowned. That’s odd. Why is nobody guarding the front gate?

Thomas seemed to have the same thoughts. “There should be guards here. Is something going on?”

“Let’s go find out,” Derek said. He picked Thomas up and jumped over the gate.

After landing, he looked around. There weren’t any kids running around like usual. In fact, it seemed like a ghost town. “Something’s up. Let’s see if Mal is home.” The two ran towards Brandi’s residence. When they were close to the residence, Derek spotted a bit of blood leaving a trail through the street, but he didn’t think Thomas saw it, so he said nothing.

When they arrived at the courtyard Brandi used for leatherworking, all emotion left Derek’s face. He looked at the woman and girl sprawled out on the ground.

“Brandi!” Thomas yelled and ran to the girl.

“Shh… Stay quiet.” Derek reminded. He used Identify on the girl.

Human Female

Level 1

State: Unconscious

“She’ll be fine. She’s just unconscious,” Derek told Thomas, then shifted his focus to Malorie.

Human Female

Level 18

State: Critical

Time Until Dying: 13 Minutes

Derek hurried and cast Rejuvenation on Malorie’s body. He viewed her status again and confirmed that her state had changed from ‘Critical’ to ‘Unconscious.’ He let out a breath and spoke. “They are both going to be fine.” He picked Malorie up and laid her on the bench, then had Thomas do the same with Brandi.

“Thomas,” he said. When the boy turned to him, he summoned two red vials from his storage and handed them to the kid. “Keep using Identify to make sure neither of their states drop to ‘Critical.’ Your skill should be leveled enough to do so. If either of their states slip to ‘Critical,’ pour the potion in their mouth. If they both awaken, just give them the potions for good measure. It may be a good idea to move them into the house if they are able.” After seeing Thomas nod and accept the vials, he spoke again. “I’m going to see what’s going on.”

Derek went back to where he had spotted the blood. Looks like someone was dragged from here. I bet they’re all at the chief’s place. He didn’t waste any more time and took off down the street. When he got to the bend leading toward the chief’s residence, he stopped.

Down the street in front of him was a crowd. With his vision, he could see Rayna on her knees, her clothing in tatters. A man was facedown next to her. Richard was roughed up but standing in the crowd.

A group of six adventurers was standing around Rayna. One was standing behind her with a sword, and the others were all facing her. Derek slowed his pace at this scene as he continued his approach. Soon, he was close enough to hear what was going on.

“You think you’re great because you are the chief of some unknown village?” The man in front of Rayna slapped her. “I told you nicely that it was none of your business, but you had to stick your nose where it didn’t belong.”

A surge of anger flashed through Derek when he saw the man slap Rayna. Soon, he was close enough to use Identify.

Human Female

Level 31

State: Critical

Time Until Dying: 25 Minutes

After seeing Rayna’s status, he was happy that she was not ‘Dying,’ but it still incensed him that things had gotten to this state. He focused on the man on the grown. It was Davis. He checked the man’s status.

Human Male

State: Deceased

Derek’s good mood from earlier had been completely erased. From everything he knew about the man, Davis was a good person. Derek used Identify on the man who had slapped Rayna.

Human Male

Level 94

He squinted at that. Why is a level 94 in the village? Derek Identified the others that were standing around. The lowest level was a level 84 female. Is this the group of adventurers that was sent to run the dungeon? If it is, they were way off at the levels that the guild would send.

“Enough!” the apparent leader of the group spoke. “I’m tired of this.” He looked at Rayna. “By the noble house of Gracefall, and for the crime of disobedience. I, Wallace F. Gracefall, sentence you to death by beheading.” He looked at the man standing behind her. “Well, get on with it.”

The man nodded. He raised his sword to the side and started to bring it down, then… his head exploded.

Derek, after throwing the rock, was still walking forward at a slow pace. He watched as the five remaining people went into a frenzy. At that time, Rayna lifted her head, and their eyes met. She smiled at Derek, then fell forward, finally losing consciousness.

Soon, the group noticed Derek. They had all turned and were staring daggers at him. The leader of the group began to speak. “Who do you think you…” was all he got out before a booming voice cut off his own.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” He hadn’t yelled, but the bass in his voice was able to shake the insides of lower-leveled people. The leader opened his mouth to speak, but Derek didn’t let him. “It was rhetorical. I don’t give a fuck who you are.” Derek stopped, then smiled evilly.

“By the power of me, and for the crime of hurting a young girl and her mother, for killing a good man, and for trying to murder the chief of this village… I, a person who is a fuck ton stronger than you, sentence the six… five of you, to death,” he spoke. “Now, who’s first?”

“Kill him!” the leader yelled, and two men sprinted towards Derek. Derek, in his usual black tee and jeans, closed his fists and waited. A purple light flashed in his eyes for a split second before disappearing.

The man on the left held a spear, and the one on the right a sword. But before they got within reach of Derek, he dashed forward, shocking them. He lightly jabbed the two in their chests with his fists, which had a purple glow.

At the same time, an arrow reached him. He plucked it out of the air and returned it to the sender. The woman was not prepared, and soon, the fletching of the arrow was all that could be seen sticking out of her head. She fell.

A jet of fire crashed into Derek, and he smiled at the increase in Magic Resistance. Maybe I should keep him alive… He quickly got rid of the idea. Being at a distance, he decided to just throw another dagger. It took the mage in the chest and forced him to the ground.

Now, all that was remaining was the leader. The man backed up as he approached. Soon, Derek was before him, clutching the man’s throat with his right hand. He lifted him off the ground.

Richard, who was standing beside watching, said, “D-Derek. You can’t. He’s a noble and from the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Derek, hearing Richard speak, looked at him. “Oh, so he’s a noble. In that case.” He squeezed his hand, and the adventurer’s neck snapped. “Whoops, my hand slipped.” The man’s body fell limp to the ground.

29 CLEANUP

After taking out the trash, Derek used Rejuvenation on Rayna. It pulled her out of the unconscious state, but she still looked pitiful. He walked over to her and crouched down, turning her unconscious body over, and pulled out another health potion. With one hand, he tilted her head back, and with the other, he poured the potion into her mouth.

After checking and seeing most of the wounds on her body visibly healing, he stood. He walked to each corpse, putting them into his storage bracelet. Finally, he got to Davis. He looked up at the quiet crowd, spotting Leon and his wife within. “Leon, take Davis away. We’ll decide what to do with him once Rayna wakes up.”

Walking back over to Rayna, he picked her up in a princess carry. He looked over at Richard. “You, follow me.” He walked back to where he left Thomas and the others. He paused, turning to look at the still silent crowd. “You probably know already, but it would be for the best to not talk about anything. I imagine there will be a village meeting later today, or tomorrow at the latest, when your chief is better. Until then, go about your day as if nothing happened.”

Derek began walking, and Richard followed.

“You killed a no—” Richard began, but Derek cut him off.

“Not here.”

Richard nodded his head solemnly and continued following behind Derek.

Before long, they arrived at the courtyard, where he left Mal, Brandi, and Thomas. It was empty. Remembering what he told Thomas, he walked over to their residence and opened the door.

Inside the living area, Thomas was standing with his daggers drawn. Brandi was awake and holding the unconscious Malorie in her lap while looking toward the open door.

Derek smiled after seeing Thomas in his battle stance. “It’s just me. I’ve taken care of everything. I brought Rayna back here to recover.” He turned to Brandi. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, but Mom…” she trailed off.

“She will be fine. She’s not critical anymore, and her body is mostly healed. She’d probably wake up now if you tried, but I suggest letting her rest,” Derek explained as he walked to an open space and laid Rayna down.

Brandi let out a sigh of relief, then started sobbing. “It’s my fault… I didn’t know who they were…” she began.

Derek furrowed his brow and stopped Brandi. “No sense in talking about it now. Calm down and gather yourself. We’ll all talk after everyone wakes up. For now, just tend to your mother.” Derek walked over to an empty corner and sat with his back against the wall. He motioned to Richard. “Either sit or go home for a while. I’m sure Delilah is worried. It will be a bit before she wakes up, and Thomas is safe, as you can see.” Derek told Richard to follow him so he could show him that Thomas made it home in one piece.

Richard nodded. “Mhm. I’ll go let Delilah know that everyone here is okay and that Thomas is safe. Please, let me know when they awaken. I would like to be here for the discussion.”

“Sure. I’ll send the boy after you and Leon.” He dismissed the older man.

After Richard left, the house went quiet. Not having anything else to do but wait, Derek checked his notifications.

You have killed a Level 87 Human Warrior…

3451 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

1159/1415 Experience to Next Level

Dammit! I don’t like where this is going. Derek moved through to the next notification.

You have killed a Level 85 Human Warrior…

3410 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

1599/1710 Experience to Next Level

Shit…

You have killed a Level 85 Human Warrior…

3780 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

1789/2070 Experience to Next Level

Derek moved the notification away, looking at the next.

You have killed a Level 84 Human Archer.

4079 Experience Gained

Level Up

3798/??? Experience to Next Level. (Must Choose or Upgrade Class to Level Beyond 25)

There go all those level 25 dungeons. Son of a bitch. Derek was angry that he wouldn’t be able to get the rewards for completing extra dungeons, but as he thought about it, the one he was looking forward to the most was the level 50 dungeon, so it wasn’t a huge loss. Besides, even if he would have been thinking about his levels at the time, he would have killed the group all the same.

But still, now I have to mess with my class again. At least upgrading a class is a lot less trouble than initially choosing one. After thinking that, it was like a lightbulb turned on in his brain. Does this mean I get to upgrade my class from epic to legendary since it’s a growth class? With that thought, Derek rushed to see his options.

Champion of the Void

You have lived within the void, and the void has chosen you as its champion. Unlike others, you will no longer become trapped in the void. The void is your ally.

Champion of the Void is a growth-type epic class. Preferences for this class are unknown. Two new skills will be available upon class upgrade.

You will receive 20 free stat points for allocation to your choosing.

Derek was disappointed. Nothing changed other than him receiving two new class skills. He also looked into the class change options, but they were all the same as before. He really did like Channel Void, and he didn’t want to lose it, so he immediately put the thought of switching class out of his mind. Hopefully, the next two skills I unlock will be good and not like Void Call.

Derek stopped hesitating and upgraded Champion of the Void.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your class.

As an epic rarity class, you have received 15 skill points.

He hurried to the next notification.

Level Up

1525/2500 Experience to Next Level.

Of course.

You have killed a Level 89 Human Mage.

You have killed a Level 94 Human Mage.

13231 Experience Gained

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

Level Up

3154/3675 Experience to Next Level.

Damn, six kills to go from level 18 to level 30. It may be hard for others to level with this system, but it’s terrifyingly easy for me. Now, let’s see those two new skills. Derek pulled up the first skill.

Void Shift

Become one with the void. Using your control over the void, shift yourself from a corporeal state to a void state. Once shifted, move through the void and out of time and space.

Mana Cost: 500

Cost: 7 Skill Points

Would you like to learn Void Shift?

What a high mana cost, he thought before learning the skill.

Void Shift Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 13

Derek was itching to try his new skill, but he thought about what happened last time and decided to wait. Let’s see the other skill.

Void Sense

Your familiarity with the void has increased. You will feel the void wherever you are. Also allows one to sense abnormalities in the void.

Passive Skill

Cost: 6 Skill Points

Would you like to learn Void Sense?

Interesting. He purchased the skill.

Void Sense Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 7

A massive amount of information flowed through Derek’s senses. There were ripples in the surrounding space. It seemed that if he wanted, he could grab a ripple and rip the space open. Some areas looked more solid than others. He felt that no matter what he did, he couldn’t make a dent in those areas.

This is crazy. It’s a complete sensory override. Derek closed his eyes to filter out all the distractions, but when he did, he could hear the undulations of the void. One thing he knew was that if he was ever trapped in a void tunnel again, he would have no problem finding a weak point and breaking out.

As he calmed down, he realized that his new senses were not as distracting as they first appeared. The more he focused on other things, the less he sensed the void. And, after an hour of experimenting, he could turn down and tune out the void if he so desired.

I’m not entirely sure how useful this will be, but at least it’s a passive and will level up without me doing much. After everything was settled with his new class, Derek checked his updated status.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 18

Experience: 3154/3675

Class: Champion of the Void (Epic)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 5250

Mana: 2150

Stamina: 5150

Stats

Strength: 360

Dexterity: 260

Endurance: 515

Vitality: 525

Intelligence: 220

Wisdom: 215

Stat Points Remaining: 398

Skills

Channel Void Lv. 5, Cure Toxin Lv. 1, Dismantle Lv. 11, Greater Meditation Lv. 2, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 12, Magic Resistance Lv. 6, Rejuvenation Lv. 8, Void Call Lv. 2, Void Sense Lv. 1, Void Shift Lv. 1

Skill Points Remaining: 7

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements

Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer

Wow. Not bad at all. Oh, I have enough stat points to bring both my strength and dexterity up to 500. Derek looked around and saw that Mal seemed to stir. I’ll do that soon. If it’s going to be anything like when I got vitality and endurance to 500, I’ll need to spend some time picking the right skills.

“Mom!” Brandi’s elation at her mother’s waking brought Derek fully out of his thoughts. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need more healing?” Brandi rapidly fired question after question at her recently awakened mother.

Seeing Mal looking disoriented after rising, Derek spoke. “Give her some time to get her bearings.”

Hearing his voice, Malorie’s unfocused gaze shifted to Derek. “Derek? What are you doing here? The nobles… they… are they gone?”

“Yes, they are gone,” Derek said. At that time, the commotion seemed to rouse Rayna from her slumber. Derek looked over at her as she sat up.

“Thank you,” Rayna said as soon as their eyes met.

“No problem. They ruined my good mood.” He laughed.

“What ended up happening?” the chief asked.

“They all spontaneously died. It was weird. I mean, first they were alive, then they weren’t,” Derek joked, but Rayna didn’t seem to be in a humorous mood.

“He was a noble, Derek. If others find out, the entire village will be dead,” she said in all seriousness.

“Then don’t let them find out. Besides, I already have somewhat of an idea of what to do to hide it from others. You just have to get the village to keep their mouths shut. Shouldn’t be too hard seeing how if they talk, they die.”

“Thomas!” Derek called out. “Go fetch your grandpa and Leon.”

Thomas jumped up and ran out the door. A few minutes later, he returned with Richard and Leon. The small room was getting cramped, but Derek didn’t care.

“So, what exactly happened?”

The first to answer was Brandi. She had been suppressing herself from speaking since her first outburst, so when the opportunity came, she spoke up. “It was my fault. They wanted the hides you gave me. B-but I wouldn’t let them.” She ducked her head. “They took them anyway, so I…” She trailed off. “I tried to take them back. The bald man hit me. I don’t know what happened after that.”

“For hides?” Derek asked. “Really? The highest was only around level 70.” Are the nobles really that petty? Derek couldn’t believe what he heard. He shook his head.

“Many nobles are like that. That young Gracefall was just more so. It was our bad luck that he was the one that accepted the mission,” Richard explained.

“Oh?” Derek motioned for him to continue.

Richard sighed. “Their noble surname was not always Gracefall. They were once known as Searidge, and they were the city lords of Torith, then Searidge, before their fall. As for what happened, I’m unsure. It happened over a century ago, and only those nobles involved will know the full details. But, when a noble house falls, they are given a new, shameful surname from the king, such as Gracefall or Honorless.”

“They’re not stripped of being nobles?” Derek asked.

Richard shook his head. “They get to keep their status as nobles, but they are demoted to lower-class nobles. Usually, there are two types of people from a fallen noble house. One that wants to restore glory and honor to their name, and perhaps even restore their house name in the process, and one who takes their shame out on others. Unfortunately, the Gracefall you met was the latter.”

Derek sighed. “I feel like the former should outnumber the latter. Is there a history of houses being restored?”

“There are few who have been restored, but it has happened. But it’s much more common for a fallen house to stay down, eventually losing their nobility altogether. With that Gracefall’s actions, I suspect the only thing that has kept them from losing their status entirely is their strength with water magic. Even if the leader of the house is good, which I’m not sure about, having a son like that…” Richard trailed off and shook his head.

“Yeah.” Derek snorted. “The water mage had such great strength.”

Richard opened his mouth but closed it again, seemingly unsure of what to say. Finally, he spoke again. “His class was at least rare. It’s just, against you, he never had a chance to use it…”

“He was arrogant. He thought his posse could take me. When he finally understood his situation, it was already too late,” Derek said. It’s a shame. He may have been able to increase my Magic Resistance even more. “Enough of that. Why was Rayna involved, and why did Davis die?”

Rayna answered. “When they arrived at the village, Davis ran ahead so I could greet them. We were on our way when I heard the commotion in the courtyard. I got there as they hit Malorie. Brandi was already on the ground. I lost my cool seeing them kick Mal after she was unconscious and her state changed to ‘Critical.’ I shot a Wind Blade at the man as he was going to kick her again.”

She sighed. “They roughed me up pretty good, then dragged me through the street. I guess they wanted to gather a crowd. As for Davis, he jumped in front of a fist meant for me. It hit him in the neck. He was most likely dead before he hit the ground.” Tears filled the bottom of her eyes, threatening to fall.

“What are we going to do now? If the nobles find out what happened, the entire village is done for,” Leon said, finally joining in the conversation.

“I have an idea, but it’s not watertight.” He looked toward Brandi. “Brandi, what level is your Leatherworking?”

Everyone in the room stared at him oddly, but Brandi answered, “It’s level 9. The high-level hides helped sooo much, you don’t even know. I think I would have made it to 10 today if everything didn’t happen.”

“Mhm.” Derek looked through the bodies in his bracelet and was surprised to find the noble wearing a ring. He took the ring out and infused it with mana. Sure enough, it had the hides in it. He took them out. “Here, take these and go hit level 10 as soon as possible.” He gave the hides back to Brandi and stored the storage ring. Brandi didn’t ask questions and hurried outside with the hides.

It seems that my storage bracelet works differently than the storage devices from this system. In his system, he couldn’t store a storage device within a storage device. When he stored a body, the device would be left on the ground.

He retreated from his thoughts and looked at Rayna. “Okay. First, you are going to need to hold a town meeting and get everyone to keep quiet. It shouldn’t be too hard if they know their lives depend on it. The story, if anyone is asked, is that the adventurers came in, got the map from Richard, and went to the dungeon. They were barely even in the village.” Derek looked at Richard. “Sorry, man, you’ll be losing your map…”

Richard smiled bitterly but nodded his head.

“Next, I’m going to need an oath from Brandi, Rayna, and…” He looked around, and his gaze settled on Malorie. “And Mal.” He looked at Richard and Leon. “I would like one from you two also, but it isn’t required.”

Rayna scrunched her face up. “What kind of oath?” she asked.

“The same oath that Thomas took before we traveled together,” he answered. “That you will tell nobody about any of my secrets that you learn unless I okay it.”

Both Richard and Leon furrowed their brows. Derek noticed. “The reason I don’t require an oath from the two of you is that you are both non-essential for what I have planned, and you both have significant others that you don’t want to lie to or hold anything back from. If you give your oath, that’s great, but if not, this is where you leave the discussion. Either way, there will be things the others learn that you will not.”

“Why us?” Malorie asked.

“Well, I know Brandi’s personality, and I trust her enough. Plus, she should benefit greatly from what I plan. Rayna will do what is needed for the village, and you will do what is needed for Brandi,” he explained.

After he said that, Rayna gave her oath without hesitating.

An oath to the Great System has been made by one Rayna West. This oath is binding until death. If broken, Rayna West will lose all classes and skills obtained by the Great System, be labeled Oathbreaker, and will never have access again. Stats will remain as is at the time of breaking the oath.

After some hesitation, Malorie also gave an oath.

After seeing the two women give their oaths, Richard spoke. “I must speak with Delilah about this before I decide.”

“I have to do the same with Sana,” Leon said.

Derek nodded, and the two men left. Derek stood and headed to the door, too. “I guess I’ll go see if Brandi agrees,” he said and walked out and over to the courtyard. The three others followed.

When he got there, he saw Brandi busily shaping some hide. He waited until she was finished before he asked. “Brandi, will you swear an oath to the Great System to not reveal my secrets unless I say you can?”

“Of course.” She was a little stunned, but she didn’t even ask why. “I swear on the Great System that I will not reveal any secrets I learn about Derek unless he allows me.” She nodded, then turned back around. “I think I’m about to break through. Can I get back to it?”

Derek saw the oath notification come through. He laughed at the girl. “Go ahead, we won’t bother you anymore.”

At that point, the sun was already going down. It had been a long day for everyone. “I’m going to head to the inn and get some rest. You all should, too. We’ll talk more tomorrow after the village meeting.”

With that, Derek left and went to the inn. He nodded his head to the bartender and went straight to his room. He then sat on the bed and slipped into meditation.

* * *

Early the next morning, Derek got up and went straight to Rayna’s place. They chatted a bit while they waited for Leon and Richard to spread the news of a meeting. A few hours later, they walked out, and the entire village was gathered. There were more people in the village than Derek originally thought.

As Derek scanned over the village, he noticed Brandi in the crowd. She had bags under her eyes, and she was doing her best not to nod off. Malorie elbowed her and said something. Brandi looked up and met Derek’s gaze. She flashed a wide smile and gave him a thumbs-up. I guess she hit level 10. He chuckled to himself.

Soon, Rayna walked in front of everyone and addressed them. She explained what happened and the troubles they faced. She told the village what she expected them to do—and the consequences if they didn’t listen. Overall, Derek considered it a good speech, and if the nobles didn’t investigate too hard, he could see the plan working, especially given the evidence he planned to leave.

After the meeting, everyone but the seven from the previous night left. Both Richard and Leon had come to the same conclusion about the oath. They would prefer to not lie to their wives, and they didn’t want their significant others having to make an oath as well, so they chose not to give one. After explaining it to the others, they left.

Derek, Rayna, and the others went inside her residence and sat at the meeting table. “So, are you ready for the plan?” he asked.

“What are you thinking?” Rayna asked.

Derek laughed. “Well, Mister ‘Noble’ Gracefall, with his strength, was able to lead his group through the level 100, undying dungeon. Thanks to them, the overflow of the dungeon has stopped, and with proper dungeon control, the disease will stop spreading.” Derek gave a mysterious smile. “Unfortunately, his team was wiped out in the dungeon, and he suffered a fatal wound from the final boss. He was able to escape, but he bled out and died before he was able to receive help from anyone. He died a hero. Or at least that is what all the investigations will say after my plan.”

“What?” everyone in the room asked at the same time.

30 FOLLOW ME

Derek smiled at his audience and shrugged. “Well, I figured I can knock out a few plans all at once after all of this happened.” He stared directly at Rayna. “How long do you think we have before the noble house or Adventurer’s Guild thinks that something is wrong?”

“If it was a noble house from the capital, they would probably already know that one of their own was dead. But seeing that it is Gracefall, we most likely have weeks before they get suspicious and check on anything. I’d say at the minimum, two weeks,” she answered.

“That’s plenty of time,” he said. It will also let me run a couple more experiments. As he thought this, he looked at Brandi. “Okay, we better get to it then.” He looked back at Rayna. “Let Richard know that you’ll be back in a few weeks and bring his map back with you. Don’t forget to remind him that the noble came in, got his map, and headed to the dungeon. That’s all he knows. When you’re finished there, meet us at the front gate.”

With that, Derek stood up and walked out. “Come on.” Everybody but Rayna followed. They were clearly confused but still listened. Thomas was the only person who acted like he knew anything.

Malorie finally could not hold her questions in. “Where are we going? What are we doing?”

He looked at her. “Do you trust me?” He could see her slight hesitation before she nodded. “I’ll explain it to you when we get to our first destination. Just know that every one of you will come back better off. I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” he said as they approached the front of the village.

They waited at the gate for Rayna. Soon, she was there, Richard and Leon in tow. Seeing the two following her, Derek gave them a quick reminder. “You know what to say if we’re not back and people come to investigate?” he asked. They both nodded. “Okay, well, we’ll be back soon.”

Derek took the map from Rayna and glanced at it, picking out a few places. “Okay, I’ll carry Brandi. We’ll be moving as fast as the slowest person.” He looked at Mal and Thomas. “Let’s go.” He took off at a jog. Seeing everyone able to keep up, he increased his speed. Hmm… Still seems like Thomas is the slowest. He had expected Malorie to have the slowest speed out of the bunch, but she surprised him.

After running away from the village for a few hours, Rayna spoke. “This… Are we going where I think we’re going?” she asked.

Derek, still running while carrying Brandi, smiled. “I imagine so.” She was the village chief in this area. Of course, she knew where the different landmarks were.

Later, Malorie started slowing. Looks like Thomas has better endurance. “We’ll stop here for a minute to let everyone’s stamina recharge. “Do you have Meditation, Mal?” he asked.

She shook her head, still panting after the long run. “I don’t.”

“Any spare skill points?”

“No,” she said.

He nodded his head and pulled out another potion from his bracelet. This time, it was yellow. He still had a bunch of spare potions from his time on Earth. He had chided himself for overstocking, but now he was glad he did. He tossed the vial to Mal. “Here, drink this. It’ll restore your stamina.”

The woman caught the vial and gulped it down.

“Is it a level 50 one?” Thomas asked out of the blue.

“Yeah. Those adventurers were all around level 90. Looks like we won’t be able to do what I wanted to, but this works too,” Derek said, confusing the rest of the group.

Thomas squinted, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. “Will I have to…”

Derek knew what he was asking. “No, I’ll hand feed you and Malorie for the first one. We’re on a timer, so we have to move relatively fast.”

“What about Brandi?” Thomas asked.

“I want to experiment. Try to get her a bunch of achievements before her first class. Who knows, she might give us all a pleasant surprise.” Derek laughed.

Finally, Rayna couldn’t take it anymore. “What the hell are the two of you talking about? Why are we running towards a level 50 dungeon? Quit talking about us like we’re not here.”

“And what do you mean that you’re going to ‘hand feed’ me?” Mal jumped in.

Derek broke out in laughter. “I was wondering how long it would take before someone broke.” When answering Thomas, he had been vague. He was watching the others’ curiosity grow and grow. He had expected Brandi to break first, but with Rayna knowing that they were heading towards a dungeon, it made sense that she broke first.

“It’s not funny,” Rayna said, blushing with embarrassment.

“It really is,” Derek replied. He looked at Thomas, who was doing his best not to burst. “I’ll answer all your questions when we get there. It’s easier to show you instead of telling you.” He looked at Mal. “Your stamina good?”

She nodded.

“Alright, we’re not far now. Put these on.” He gave Mal a black robe with a hood, Rayna a ski mask, and Brandi a facemask like the one he and Thomas had. I wish I had more facemasks.

Thomas pulled out his facemask and put it on without asking any questions. Derek put his leather armor and facemask on. Brandi, seeing their actions, put her facemask on.

“What is this?” Rayna asked while fiddling with the ski mask.

“I ran out of facemasks, so you’ll have to make do with that,” Derek said, then looked at Mal. “Sorry for making you wear a robe. I’m out of face coverings. You’ll have to make do with the hood.”

“I like it,” Malorie said as she put the robe on. Once it was on, her eyes widened. “It’s… What’s with this robe?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s level 70. It has good mana regeneration and decent armor for a robe. I figured you would need some kind of armor,” he said.

Excitement flashed through Rayna’s eyes as she hurriedly slipped the ski mask on. Derek saw her frown afterward. “What is this? Is it doing anything special?”

Derek laughed. “Yup, it helps keep your face from getting cold.” Anyway, let’s go. He picked Brandi up and took off before anyone could say anything.

The group broke out of their stunned state and hurried to follow.

Soon, they were in sight of the dungeon orb. This was the dungeon that rewarded scrolls upon completion. It was the level 50 dungeon that he was most excited about.

He scanned the area. It seemed like his group was the only team around. He approached the orb. “Alright, everyone, you said you trust me. Time to show it.” He placed his right hand on the orb.

“But…” Rayna began to protest, but in the middle of her words, Thomas reached the orb and placed his hand on it. She sighed and walked closer. After a brief hesitation, she also reached out to the orb.

Brandi was next, then finally Malorie.

Once Malorie’s hand made contact with the dungeon orb, a notification popped up in everyone’s vision.

Max Participants Reached

Participants 5/5

Derek Hunt: Level 30

Thomas Stewart: Level 17

Rayna West: Level 31

Brandi Fields: Level 1

Malorie Fields: Level 18

Please Choose an Option Below

View Dungeon

Enter Dungeon

Leave

Of course, Derek chose ‘View Dungeon.’ He wanted to confirm everything before jumping into the dungeon.

Dungeon Status

Dungeon Level: 50

Dungeon Type: Beast

Dungeon State: Stable

Dungeon Rewards: Scroll

Max Participants: 5

“H-how? How are you only level 30? Your level is less than mine. It doesn’t make sense,” Rayna muttered.

Derek chuckled. “You basically just quoted Thomas the first time he saw it, too. Well, you now know one of my biggest secrets. You see why I wanted an oath?”

“I do. This is crazy. You have to tell me how,” Rayna said.

“Maybe… one day,” he said. “Anyway, ready up. We got a dungeon to run.” Derek went back to the previous screen and focused on ‘Enter Dungeon.’

“Everybody, focus on ‘Enter Dungeon.’ You don’t want to get left behind. We can’t come back out for you until after the dungeon is complete.” Soon, everyone’s status changed to ‘Ready,’ and the countdown began.

Entering Dungeon in 3… 2… 1…

A white light flashed, and the group disappeared.

* * *

Derek blinked, and his vision returned. He looked around. The group seemed to be in a sparse cabin. The room was about 15 by 15 feet, and there was a bench against the back wall and a few candles lighting up the area. That was it. In front of them was a wooden door.

It looks like what everyone said was correct. The first area is always a safe room. I don’t think I would have done this if it wasn’t for this. He looked at his team. “Okay, so here’s the plan,” he said and got their attention.

“First, what I meant about hand feeding you is that I will go and bring back monsters for you to kill. I’ll do this until you get to a respectable level. I’m thinking somewhere around level 30.” He looked at Mal and Thomas. “Mal, I’m not sure what your class is, but I suggest looking at all your options once you hit level 25. If you can get a higher rarity one, it would be for the best. Thomas, you know what you’re going to do, right? I don’t need to say it?”

“Yes. Hopefully, the class will still be there,” the boy said.

Derek turned to Rayna. “You should be able to fight enemies when they are alone. You’ve quite the skill with your wind magic. If you have problems, I’ll toss some enemies your way after I injure them. If all else fails, I’ll do the same with you as I do with Thomas and Mal. Got it?”

“Yes,” Rayna replied. She seemed excited.

Finally, he turned to Brandi. “You…” he said, “will do nothing.” He pulled out a few of the higher-leveled hides and put them on the bench. “Might as well practice your Leatherworking,” he said. Seeing the girl pout, he continued, “Don’t worry, you will be the one to benefit the most from this adventure. Just not in this first dungeon.”

Derek looked over the room again. “Alright. Everyone knows the plan. Time to get to work.”

31 HAND FEEDING

After walking outside, Derek scanned the area. The dungeon was a beast-type dungeon, and he could see different wolves, bears, and other beasts roaming around. Unlike the previous cave with insects, the area he was now in had a sky instead of a ceiling. Derek couldn’t help but wonder about how the dungeons were created.

He was standing on a hilly plain area, and an occasional tree or boulder could be seen in the distance. I guess this dungeon is a completely open area. He didn’t see any entrance to the next chamber. His guess was that the beasts would come in waves. As he wiped out the first wave of beasts, the next would come, and finally, the dungeon boss would appear. Though he believed that likely, it was still only a guess. I’ll just have to find out for myself.

Before jumping into battle with the beasts, he looked at where he came from. Sure enough, there was a small log cabin sitting in the middle of the plain. Derek had a thought and walked back to the cabin. Standing next to it, he pulled his fist back, then struck the building with a small amount of power. Seeing that the assault didn’t damage the structure at all, he pulled his fist back again and struck out with a bit more power.

Again, the structure was completely intact after his assault. He summoned his glaive and slashed the cabin. Nothing happened. Finally, using most of his strength, he sliced again. This time, the cabin took some minor damage as a cut appeared where his glaive struck, but the cut rapidly healed before his eyes.

With this, Derek could at least know that his group would be completely safe from anything inside the dungeon as long as they stayed inside the safe zone.

He walked over to the door and opened it. Poking his head inside, he looked at Rayna. “You ready? The surrounding area is pretty safe for now.”

Rayna nodded her head and walked over to the door. Derek pulled it wide open, and she walked outside with him. “It’s nice out here,” she muttered.

Derek didn’t respond to that. Instead, he told her the first part of the plan he made after surveying their surroundings. “The wolves are roaming around in packs of five.” He pointed at a group of wolves. “I’m going to aggro a pack, then kite them back here.”

Rayna frowned. “Aggro? Kite? What does that mean?”

It wasn’t the first time he had confused people by using these kinds of terms. He just laughed it off and continued. “I’m going to get a pack of wolves to chase me back here. Then, I’ll leave one to you, while I take care of two or three of them, depending on their strength. I will subdue the remaining wolf or two and have Thomas and Mal come out and finish them.”

A flash of understanding went through Rayna’s eyes. “That really is ‘hand feeding’ them.” She laughed.

“Okay, get ready.” Derek ran toward the closest pack of wolves. Once he was close enough, the wolves noticed him and began their chase. He ran back, keeping a small distance between him and the pack. Once back at the designated area, he slowed and turned around. The wolves all pounced.

He didn’t fight back and just let them attack him. They could make it through the leather armor he was wearing but nothing else. Once their teeth reached his skin, they couldn’t pierce through.

“Now,” he said, motioning to Rayna.

Derek watched as she ran in, and choosing the wolf farthest from the assault, she slashed out with one of her Wind Blades. He noted the damage the skill caused and nodded. It wasn’t able to instantly kill the wolf, but it caused severe damage. One or two more and it will die. And it did. On the third strike, before the wolf could even close in on her, it died.

“Good!” Derek yelled. Then, not wanting to get full experience for a kill, he kicked a wolf Rayna’s way. The kick almost killed the monster, so when it landed beside the woman, crippled and unable to move, she drove her sword through the base of its skull.

“Nice.” Derek grabbed the leg of one of the wolves going for his face, then tossed it at Rayna’s feet. It was still feisty, even with an injured leg, but it was slow, and two Wind Blades made short work of it.

Derek quickly grabbed the remaining two wolves and held one under each arm. He was careful not to injure them before as he wanted the full experience to go to Thomas and Malorie.

Rayna approached him with shining eyes. “I just got over 1,000 experience in that short amount of time and increased my Wind Blade skill level.”

“Mhm.” Derek nodded. “I thought you would like to fight one on your own to increase your fighting skill. And I would rather not level up too fast, which is why I gave you the others. Do you like this setup?” he asked.

“Very much,” she replied. “Thank you for this.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s as much for me as it is for the rest of you,” he said. “Now, go open the cabin door and have Thomas and Mal come out.”

Rayna nodded and went to the cabin. She opened the door and spoke a few words. Seconds later, the small boy and Brandi’s mother cautiously came out of the safe zone.

Derek approached them, then spoke. “Okay, these pups are your kills. Thomas, give Mal one of you dagg—” He paused. Actually, if Thomas plans on switching classes, there isn’t any sense in him killing with daggers. “Hold on,” he said.

Derek looked at Malorie. “What is your best weapon? The one most comfortable for you to use?” he asked.

“I’ve only ever used small weapons and the occasional sword. My class is common, and weapons weren’t easy to come by in my village, so the stronger warriors got the better ones,” she answered.

Derek nodded and closed his eyes. He was searching through all the weapons he had stored in his bracelet. Soon, an amazing scene occurred before everyone’s eyes. Weapon after weapon fell to the ground.

There were tens of weapons on the ground, and they were all different. There was a crossbow, spellbook, katana, spear, whip, wand, and many other weapons. There were even some advanced scientific weapons he had gotten off invaders, such as a photon pistol and a heat saber.

Thomas didn’t show as much surprise as the others. Derek had actually made him train with many of the weapons on the ground. Derek spoke to the boy. “Pick one of the spears—find the one that feels the best.”

Derek watched as the boy walked over and rifled through the spears one by one. Soon, he made his choice. None of the weapons Derek had picked up were of poor quality, so it really was down to preference. The spear Thomas chose had a shiny silver metal shaft with vein-like red patterns running along it. Where the spearhead was attached to the shaft, the red pattern formed a solid color. The spearhead was more like a double-sided blade than a regular spearhead. It was more like a dagger was attached to the spear shaft.

Derek nodded at Thomas’s choice. It wasn’t a bad spear. “Okay. Now come and kill this dog.” The wolves were still squirming around in his arms.

Thomas walked up to Derek and the wolves. He thrust out his new spear, and the blade pierced directly through the throat of the beast. Derek laughed at this. “Even after all that time with your daggers in the dungeon, you are still more accurate with a spear.”

Thomas’s face turned a little red. “I know. You don’t have to keep rubbing it in.”

Suddenly, Derek felt a powerful crash on the side of his right knee. Looking down, he saw the leather armor burned away and smoking, and his naked knee was visible. He turned to see Malorie with wide eyes and the Photon Pistol laying at her feet. Realizing what happened, he thought, Maybe I should have explained to them what everything does.

He looked at the embarrassed woman. “If you don’t know what something is or does, please ask me before using it.”

Soon, it was clear that Malorie was hesitant to use any weapon like the pistol or the heat saber. After observing her for a while, Derek could see that she clearly had a knack for using a staff. “Do you like the staff?” he asked her.

She hesitated. “I do, but I don’t think I could do very much damage with a blunt weapon like this.”

Derek nodded and walked over to another staff on the ground. With his free hand, he reached down and picked it up. He handed it to Malorie. “Try this one.”

She took the staff and performed some moves. “It’s good, but it’s still the same,” she said, confused.

Derek smiled. “See that button on the shaft?” he asked. The woman looked over the shaft until she saw the button. She nodded. “Push it in.”

She did, and a straight blade came out of both ends. “This…”

“It’s a bladed staff. You can use it as a regular staff, but if you need… hehe.” He laughed. “Push the button in again and the blades will retract.”

She did, and the blades disappeared. The great thing about that particular bladed staff was that once the blades were retracted, there were no signs of blades ever even being there.

Fascinated by the weapon, Mal spoke. “I can have this?” she asked.

“Of course. If there’s anything I lack, it isn’t weapons.” He then continued, “Is that your pick? I’m getting pretty tired of holding this dog.”

“Oh… Yes, I want this one.” Malorie pushed the button in, causing the blades to extend out of the staff. Like Thomas, she aimed one end at the throat of the remaining wolf and thrust. It wasn’t an instant kill like Thomas’s, so she thrust again. The wolf died in Derek’s arms, and he dropped it.

Derek thought for a second. “Do any of you have the Dismantle skill?” he asked the group.

Surprisingly, Malorie replied, “I do. I helped my husband with his kills a lot, so I ended up purchasing it.”

Derek nodded. “Thomas, give her your daggers. You won’t need them anymore.” Then he spoke to Malorie. “Take the daggers. They’re quite sharp. You can Dismantle the kills and give the hides to Brandi later.”

Malorie nodded, and without asking, Thomas walked around, collecting the wolf corpses and taking them into the cabin.

Derek smiled. “Okay, you two go inside. We’ll come get you when the next group is ready.” Derek collected all the spilled weapons. He then turned back to Rayna. “Ready?”

Rayna nodded.

After waiting for the cabin door to close, Derek and Rayna got to business. Soon they fell into a pattern. Derek would aggro a pack of wolves, Rayna would take one out alone, they would share XP on two, and then they would leave the remaining two wolves to Malorie and Thomas.

It wasn’t long before the area was completely bereft of wolves. They had decimated seven packs already. The wolves ranged from level 44 to 49. Luckily, Derek only shared half the experience for 14 wolves, earning him just over 3,200 XP and a level.

Rayna, on the other hand, was making leaps and bounds. As she only had a rare class, the experience points she needed to level were much less than what Derek needed. She had killed seven beasts by herself, along with sharing 14 kills with Derek. She had leveled up twice and was on the verge of leveling again. She was currently at level 33.

As for Thomas and Malorie, Thomas was at level 22 and Malorie was level 23. They were both closing in on their next class decision.

Derek surveyed the area. He could see a pile of wolves laying outside of the cabin. As they were moving quickly, Malorie couldn’t Dismantle fast enough to keep up with the supply.

“What now?” Rayna asked.

“There are only a few bears and some critters left. Do you think you can take the bears by yourself?” he asked her. The bears had a much higher defense than the wolves did. He wasn’t sure that her Wind Blade would be able to cause as much damage to them as it did the wolves.

“I can give it a try. If not, we can just go in and share the experience on them. The others won’t be able to get anything from the bears, but you can always capture the smaller monsters for them to kill,” Rayna suggested.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go,” Derek said, and the two headed out toward the closest bear. When the bear was finally in Rayna’s striking distance, they stopped.

“I’m going to start from a distance and see if I can cut it down before it gets to me. If it gets too close, I’m in your hands.” She flashed Derek a bright smile. He just shook his head and laughed.

Rayna took up a stance, and a blue-green glow appeared on her sword. She slashed. The blue-green crescent flew towards her foe, hitting it on the back of the neck. It drew blood. Rayna scoffed. “Not deep enough.” She brought her sword back to its original position with a motion, sending another blade of wind at the now angry bear.

Derek watched, entranced, as the beautiful woman used her arm like a whip, sending a crescent of wind at the bear with every motion. Blade after blade flew at the bear. There was almost no downtime between Wind Blades. The creature never stood a chance. Before it was even halfway to them, it collapsed to the ground.

Rayna was breathing heavily. “14. It took 14 Wind Blades to take it down,” she said.

Derek almost felt sorry for the bear. Not only was it hit with blade after blade, but the accuracy Rayna exhibited was also astounding. Most of the blades hit the bear in previously injured places. One blade may not have dealt severe injuries to the monster, but three blades all placed at the exact same spot, sure as hell did.

“How’s your mana?” he asked.

“I still have more than half. I can kill one more before I need to meditate,” she responded.

They went after the next bear. It only took 12 Wind Blades to kill it. After the battle, or slaughter, Rayna meditated while Derek kept watch.

Soon, all eight remaining bears were dead, and Rayna was a level 35. She could actually kill one of the bears in seven strikes toward the end.

With the bears dead, Derek hunted down and caught the few remaining smaller beasts. He brought them back for Thomas and Malorie to kill. It turned out to be more than enough XP for the both to level to 25, leaving one monster left in the zone. Derek hoped that the mass killing of enemies over double their levels would lead to some good class options.

He held a squirrel-like creature and went into the cabin with the rest of the group. Derek watched Thomas as the boy closed his eyes. He saw a frantic look appear on the boy’s face. “What is it?” he asked.

“T-the growth spear class is gone,” Thomas said, defeated.

Derek let out a sigh. “That’s okay. Sort your possible classes by rarity and see what you get.”

The other three watched Thomas with bated breath. Malorie was adamant about waiting for the boy’s selection before she began with hers.

Soon, a sigh of relief came out of the boy’s mouth.

“What is it?” Derek asked.

I have another spear class. I don’t have any growth-type classes this time, but the new spear class is a rare class. It’s called ‘Soul Spear’ and focuses on piercing damage.

Derek nodded his head. “That’s good. Not a bad class.”

Thomas nodded and closed his eyes. Soon, a light flashed over the boy, and he opened his eyes again. He sighed. “I’m going to miss Stealth.” Soon, he smiled. “I get three strength, two vitality, and ten free stat points per level. I also got ten skill points and access to three skills.” Thomas then frowned. “But the skills are really expensive. For all three, it costs eight skill points. Oh well, that still leaves me two free skill points for general skills.”

“Are your skills good? Better than your other class?” Brandi asked the question on everyone’s minds.

Thomas smiled. “Yes, they are. I have Soul Spear, it’s the same as my class name. It lets me send a projection of my spear forward in a thrust that deals extra piercing damage. I think it’s like an extension of my spear. I also got Flurry and Spear Specialist. The first lets me release a flurry of attacks for a mana price, and the other is a passive skill that increases my spear mastery.”

Derek nodded. “Definitely not a bad class.” He remembered his first class, which only had an uncommon rating. In fact, his class from the other system was not great at all. All his power came from the titles he had received and their rewards.

Derek turned to Malorie. “Your turn.”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes. Her face went through a variety of emotions as she was looking through her possible classes. Soon, her facial expression stayed on what looked like confusion.

Seeing her confusion, Derek spoke. “What is it?”

“I don’t have any rare or better classes, but I have an uncommon growth-type class. Only, I’m not sure about it,” she answered. “It’s called ‘Ohm’s Fury.’ It’s a staff-type class, but it doesn’t have many descriptions. 12 free stat points to use, but only one class skill. I mean, it’s a growth-type class, so I should pick it, right?” She looked at Derek.

“I mean, I would. If you like using the staff and aren’t afraid of losing your current skills. Who knows what it could upgrade into?” he replied.

Mal let out a breath. “You’re right. I actually don’t have any class skills, only general skills. I wasn’t hunting or anything, so I never saw the point. I preferred the lifestyle skills… but since I need to be able to protect Brandi…” She closed her eyes again.

Soon, a blinding green light fell over the woman. When Derek was able to see again, he saw a fire-like green glow fading into Malorie’s body. “Woah, that was cool for an uncommon class,” he said and chuckled.

“T-this skill…” Malorie muttered.

“What?” Derek asked.

“It’s called Ohm’s Might. It… It’s amazing… I think. It doubles my strength and endurance stats for two minutes but leaves me exhausted and out of mana after use.”

“Almost like a berserker skill,” Derek said. “Still, it’s a great trump card. And, you can use it in combination with Meditation during training and level both of them at the same time.”

Soon, Malorie frowned again. “It costs eight skill points. The class only gave me seven. If it weren’t for the extra skill point from the Minor Giant Slayer award I got earlier, I wouldn’t even be able to buy it.” She sighed. “Here goes nothing.” She closed her eyes and learned the skill.

“So. How does it level? Does it say? Increase duration?” Derek asked. He was very intrigued by the woman’s class.

“Actually, it says it increases duration and buff as it levels,” she said, surprised.

“Damn. Who knows, you may be able to get a tenfold increase by the time you level it all the way. Congratulations,” he said. “I don’t need to tell you how to distribute your stat points, right?” he asked.

“No. Seems pretty obvious. Strength, endurance, vitality, and a little dexterity, in that order. Luckily, I haven’t been spending the points for these levels.”

Derek nodded. “Sounds good.” He looked back at Rayna. “You ready for round two?”

“I was waiting for you,” she said.

The two walked out. Before closing the door, Derek held the squirrel-like creature up. “Thomas, you mind giving this guy a farewell?”

A spear was thrust from inside the cabin. It went through the little creature’s heart. It was an instant kill. “Thanks.” Derek tossed the monster inside the cabin and closed the door.

Soon, pillars of light started popping up everywhere. One after another, beasts spawned. This time, there were no little creatures, and after using Identify on some of the monsters, Derek realized that every one of them was level 50. No more, no less.

The most common creature was still the wolf, but they were nearly twice as big as the ones before, and they were in packs of seven instead of five. They looked like dire wolves. There were also huge boars with rhino-like horns growing from their heads.

“Unicorn pigs?” Derek asked, flabbergasted. I wonder if the bacon tastes like candy.

A few hawks were also flying around. There were only three that he could count, and he didn’t see any in the few trees around. Derek walked over to a small boulder and bashed it. It broke into smaller pieces. He threw the stones at the flying creatures. He didn’t want Rayna to get hurt because of a flying monster swooping down.

He hit two but missed the third. I’m going to have to pump a few points into dexterity. Kill notifications popped up for the two that he hit. The third hawk changed its flight trajectory and flew towards him. Perfect. Seeing the last hawk coming his way, he picked up another stone and threw it. The final kill notification popped, along with a level-up alert.

He was now level 32. Luckily, by sharing all the experience, his level wasn’t growing as much as it could have.

Not bad. He looked at Rayna. “Wolves first. Get ready.”

32 COMPLETION

The pair marched through the second phase of the dungeon with as much ease as the first. The new wolves, though bigger and tougher, still fell to Rayna’s Wind Blade. It took a couple of extra casts, but they still had less defense than the bears from wave one.

The group had been in the dungeon for less than a day, and everyone, other than Brandi and Derek, was making rapid progress. Soon, Malorie used her blade staff and killed the last remaining wolf. Rayna, from just the wolves, had gained two more levels. Derek, because of the XP share, had even leveled again.

Thomas had leveled to 27 and Mal, because of her uncommon class, had made it to level 28. As both of them had been putting stat points into endurance and vitality, Derek almost felt safe letting them stay out of the cabin and fight like Rayna. After debating for a while, he decided to wait until they were both at least level 30. He had faith that Thomas’s spear skill could handle a wolf easily, but Mal didn’t have any skills other than Ohm’s Might.

Besides, all that was left in the dungeon were the boar and some panther-like creatures. Luckily, the majority of the boars were solitary and wandered around on their own, and the panthers were the same. Derek figured that Rayna would have no problems with taking out the boars—and depending on reaction speed, the panthers too.

They approached a boar just as they did the bear from the previous wave. When they were close enough, Rayna began her assault. Sure enough, with only four strikes, and before the beast could even charge, it was dead. Seeing the ease at which she was able to take out the beast, they increased their clearing speed. In no time, they slaughtered all the boars. Derek stored a few of them in his bracelet for future meals.

Next were the panthers. They took the same approach as they did with the boar, but before Rayna could get within a comfortable range, the panther noticed them and charged. Rayna let out a Wind Blade, but the panther sidestepped it and continued its approach.

Derek didn’t intercept the beast. While Rayna had good firepower, her class was actually more speed-based. He wanted to see how she handled herself against an enemy that seemed to be even more agile than she was.

She didn’t disappoint. The fight lasted much longer than usual, but the victor was the woman. He finally saw the woman use her other skills in battle and was surprised at how well she could integrate the Wind Walk skill into her combat. Instead of using it to escape from battle, she used it to propel herself forward at the unsuspecting monster and simultaneously, with Razor Edge activated, cleanly thrust her blade through the skull of the creature.

The recovery after the battle took longer than usual because of the mana usage, but Derek didn’t mind taking a little extra time. They continued their slaughter. Rayna got more and more comfortable fighting the panthers, and she finished the final one before it could even attack.

As soon as the last monster fell, a bright pillar of light flashed at the center of the area. When it faded, a piercing howl rang out through the dungeon. Derek saw a giant white wolf in the distance, standing at least 15 feet tall. He used Identify on what he assumed was the boss.

Canis Cyclonis

Level 65

A boss monster spawned in a low-level beast dungeon. A wolf with the power of wind coursing through its body.

“Hmm… I think I’ll take this one,” Derek said while looking at Rayna. “You should probably get back to the cabin.”

“No complaints from me.” She smiled as she retreated.

Derek ran toward the beast. He expected it to charge him the moment he was discovered, but to his surprise, the wolf only glared at him with its keen blue eyes.

Then, out of nowhere, the wolf raised its paw and swiped down. He was waiting for a wind blade or something to fly at him, but instead, the wind picked up. Soon, it was a gale. Finally, the wind formed a tornado and began closing the distance between them. Derek stood still, interested in the attack.

Soon, the tornado engulfed him. The wind lifted him off his feet, and the force of the rotation caused him to spin uncontrollably. Even with all his stats, it was still a dizzying experience. The wind blades he looked for before appeared inside the tornado. They sliced through his leather armor one after another, leaving it in tatters. Shit. Why didn’t I remove it before the fight? Oh well, maybe Brandi will be able to at least repair leather armor.

Soon, the notification he was waiting for appeared, showing that his Magic Resistance had reached level 7. Not liking the feeling of being tossed around by the wind, Derek decided that enough was enough. Now, how do I get out of this?

Ah. I know! Derek activated his new skill, Void Shift. His mana took a giant hit because of it, but all his surroundings paused, and everything changed to a transparent shade of purple. Uhh… Everything was still, but he was still floating in midair, and his mana was draining rapidly. Derek focused, letting the Void Sense he had pushed to the back of his mind move back to the front.

Again, he could see the ripples in space. This time, they were more prominent. He reached toward a ripple, and when his hand made contact, it moved through, disappearing. He quickly pulled his arm back out. Uhh… Is this like a portal? After observing the process, he realized that was not the case. He was not opening anything or causing a disturbance. He was just interacting with the void that was always there.

The ripples were everywhere, and while he was shifted into the void, he could interact with and use them somehow. Derek focused more on his Void Sense. He could feel the ripples more than see them. Again, he reached into the ripple in front of him. He suddenly felt a change in another of the ripples. He looked over and was taken aback when he saw his arm sticking out of it.

He hurriedly pulled his arm back and grabbed his hand. He then focused on a ripple that was close to the ground and put his hand through the one beside him. Sure enough, his hand appeared through the other ripple. Holy shit! He really wanted to experiment more, but his mana was almost out.

Derek moved his arm that was poking out of the other ripple and felt around. When he reached the edge of the ripple, it felt solid. He took a deep breath, only to realize that he couldn’t and had not actually been breathing. He used the solid foundation to pull his body through. It worked. If he focused on a space, he could use it to move around.

It was almost like he was in a space with zero gravity, except when he stopped pulling himself, his body came to a complete halt. It didn’t continue in motion. Soon, his entire body was through, and he was out of the tornado, floating only a couple of inches above the ground. He focused on one of the solid spaces and pushed himself up, righting himself above the ground. He then pushed on the space above his head, and his feet found purchase on the ground. This is going to take a lot of getting used to.

Everything happened in seconds, but it still seemed longer than his 2150 mana pool should have allowed. Four seconds of using Void Shift should have been his limit, but he was definitely in it for longer than that. Remembering that he had not been breathing but still felt perfectly fine, he thought of a possibility. Maybe the mana in my body also paused along with everything else—or at least diminishes slower. Seeing his mana at less than 10%, Derek made a note to investigate further, then canceled the shift.

His surroundings started up again. The tornado was whirling behind him, and the wolf was standing in front. Seeing Derek appear out of nowhere, a flash of shock glistened in the wolf’s eyes.

Derek, feeling the mana headache that came from using up most of his mana, didn’t feel like playing around anymore. He summoned his glaive and jumped forward before the wolf could react. Reaching eye level with the beast, he drove his glaive with both hands into the blue eye of the creature. The angle was such that the glaive penetrated the eye and broke out from the top of the skull.

Derek landed back on the ground and dismissed his glaive, the wolf’s body falling seconds later. The wind died down, and eventually, everything was calm again. Derek momentarily slipped into Greater Meditation to replenish some mana to ease the headache. A couple seconds later, his mana was above 15% and the headache was gone.

He let out a sigh, thinking about all the ways he could use his new skill and the potential dangers of it. One thought was, what would happen if he was in the middle of transitioning between ripples and he ran out of mana? He shuddered as he thought about his body lying in two halves. Let’s not test that theory.

Another pillar of light formed in front of Derek. When it disappeared, the dungeon orb was floating in its place. I guess that means the dungeon is complete.

He walked back to the cabin, dragging the corpse of the giant wolf behind him. He turned the knob of the door and opened it. “Okay, you can all come out now. The dungeon is finished. It’s time to get our rewards and head to the next one.”

33 DUNGEON DIVING

Derek took a quick look at his kill notification while waiting for his group.

You have killed level 65 Canis Cyclonis

1728 Experience Gained

1986/4900 Experience to Next Level

The others soon came out of the cabin, and he dismissed the window.

“Woah! Was that the last boss of the dungeon?” Brandi yelled.

“Hmm… Oh, yeah. I figured it would be fun for you to make something out of a hide so big.” Derek looked at Mal. “You want to Dismantle? Or should I?”

She shook her head. “I think it’s better for you to do it. My skill isn’t very high yet.”

Derek made quick work of the task and soon had the hide in his storage bracelet. He also went ahead and kept all the other hides that had been accumulated.

“Okay. Let’s get to the orb. I really want to make sure Brandi gets the rewards, even though she never left the safe zone.” He led the group over to the dungeon orb.

They all arrived at the orb and placed their hands on it. A notification popped up for Derek.

Dungeon Complete…

Assigning Rewards….

Congratulations, you have received a Scroll of Restoration.

Scrolls materialized in front of Derek and the others. Derek grabbed the one in front of him and examined it.

Scroll of Restoration

Upon activation, this scroll will fully restore any being to its previous perfect state.

Note: Does not work on those in a ‘Dying’ state.

Derek sighed. He was disappointed in his reward, but he hadn’t expected much in the first place. He looked around and found that everyone, including Brandi, was holding their own scrolls. Oddly, Malorie seemed to be staring at her scroll with tears in her eyes.

“What wrong?” he asked.

She sniffed but kept her voice from breaking. “I got a Scroll of Resurrection.” She shook her head. “If only I’d had this before…” she trailed off.

Derek checked on the scroll she was holding.

Scroll of Resurrection

Upon activation, this scroll will pull a being out of the ‘Dying’ state and fully heal them.

Damn. This system really likes to fuck with people. He sighed. He asked the others what scrolls they received.

Rayna was the first to speak. “I got a scroll for a skill called ‘Chain Strike.’” She held the scroll out for him to see.

Skill Scroll: Chain Strike

Upon activation, the user will learn the sword skill ‘Chain Strike.’ As this is a skill from a scroll, no skill points are required, and it will not be forgotten upon class change.

Derek was impressed with Rayna’s luck. He assumed that Skill Scrolls were quite rare in lower-level dungeons like the current one.

Next was Thomas’s turn. The boy sighed after hearing about Rayna’s scroll. “I got a Scroll of Restoration.”

Derek nodded at that. He looked at Brandi. “What about you, kid? Anything good?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “It said it was a beast-type Contract Scroll.”

That caught Derek’s attention. He identified the scroll.

Contract Scroll: Beast

Upon activation, the user will be able to bind a beast to themselves. As this is a contract, the beast must also agree to the contract.

Note: This is not a skill. Once bound, the beast will become soul bound to the user and will grow accordingly.

The first thing Derek thought about after reading the window was the Horned Rabbit, Silvi. He had hoped for some type of Beast Tamer skill in the first dungeon, but he came out of it with the Cure Toxin skill. He never expected there to be a scroll like this in this dungeon.

Now, he was in a predicament. He really wanted the scroll, but he was having a hard time bringing himself to ask the child to give it to him. Finally, his shamelessness prevailed. “Uh… Brandi. Do you mind if I take that scroll? I… uh… have a use for it.”

“Of course. Here you go.” Brandi handed the scroll over with no hesitation.

Derek held the scroll in stunned silence.

Seeing his awkwardness in asking for the scroll, everyone in the group laughed. Malorie spoke. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. All you have done is give to us. Of course, we want to find a way to pay you back.”

Derek shook his head and put the scroll away. I guess I was overthinking things. I hope Silvi is still close to where I left her. It has been a while. He looked over at the group. “Alright, everybody, put your masks on.” He focused on Mal. “Or in your case, the hood on the robe.” The group did as told. “Time to leave.” He focused on the ‘Leave Dungeon’ tab, and the countdown began. Five seconds later, the bright light flashed, and they were out of the dungeon.

They all appeared standing around the dungeon orb. Derek scanned the area. This time, there was no one outside waiting to enter the dungeon. He wanted to immediately look for Silvi, but, knowing that her level was in the 60s, he worried she wouldn’t be able to enter the dungeons, and he didn’t want to find out if that meant he couldn’t enter too.

Instead, he pulled out his map and looked it over. After coming to a decision, he put it away and picked Brandi up. He motioned to his group. “This way, let’s go.”

This time, the group lasted a lot longer before they had to take a rest. While they were running, he could feel Brandi’s stomach rumbling. He hadn’t thought about it since he really didn’t have to eat much, but they had been in the dungeon for hours, and it had taken some time to reach it, too. Of course, everyone would be tired and hungry. He decided to stop. It was almost sundown anyway.

“Here is good for now. Let’s set up camp. We can continue our dungeon runs tomorrow,” he said. Everyone agreed it was a good idea, and they all broke off to do different tasks. Not long after, there was a fire built, and Malorie was cooking up something delicious in some of the cookware she borrowed from him.

The meal, as expected, was delicious. Even if it was only meat. With the group full, they all talked a bit before night fell. Finally, they all turned in. Derek let them know he would keep watch so they could have a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, as they were packing up the camp, Derek joked, “Too bad none of you were able to get some kind of Water Mage class. It would be nice to have as much fresh water as we could use at all times,” he finished as he poured some water from a flask into his hand and rubbed it on his face.

Soon, the camp was packed up, and they were all ready to go. “Which one are we going to now? I never asked,” Rayna said.

“I figured it would be a good idea to do the skill point dungeon. They seem pretty common, but, as we have learned, it’s always a good idea to have as many skill points as possible,” he replied.

Everyone nodded. Malorie and Brandi had been happy to get the extra skill points from the achievements they unlocked after running their first dungeon. Malorie was especially happy. She had no clue how many skill points her next skills would cost, and just the skill points from the class upgrade would most likely not cover them.

Finally, the group of five took off toward their next conquest.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the dungeon orb. Again, the area was vacant, so there was no worry about being discovered.

Soon, all the members placed their hands on the orb, and they were transported into the dungeon.

The new dungeon was a fire affinity dungeon. When the group got their bearings, they were able to look around and see the cavern walls around them. It wasn’t unlike the first dungeon that Derek and Thomas had completed, with the only real difference in the safe room being the red veins flowing through the stone. The glow of the veins was enough to light up the room.

“Okay, same plan as before. I’m going to go check it out first,” Derek said as he opened the cavern door and stepped out. The surrounding cave was enormous. There were pools of lava scattered around the area, along with a few different kinds of beasts. The most prevalent was a large black lizard with red stripes. There were also groups of crab-like creatures in shells that wandered around the lava pools, and there was what Derek could only assume were fish in the small lava pools.

After Derek surveyed the area and formulated his game plan, he went back to the safe zone and brought back Rayna. Her Wind Blade should easily take the lizards out, and if Derek could get the crabs to chase him, they could dispose of them, just like the wolves from the previous dungeon.

Derek told Rayna the plan, and they set off. The same strategy worked like a charm, and everything went without a hitch. They settled into a rhythm and began clearing the dungeon at a rapid pace. Thomas and Mal would pop out and get their kills when needed, and Rayna would take care of most of the rest. She could also solo kill the fish in the lava pools.

Before long, the first cave was clear. Everybody moved up, Derek and Rayna moving to the second cave, and the rest staying safe in the first. Other than the higher levels, there were few differences from the first cave to the second. It fell just like the first.

Derek went alone to the third monster cave. After the last two boss monsters, he decided not to even risk having someone with him. The boss turned out to be a rock giant, which died even faster than the previous boss. For the fight, Derek channeled the void into his hands and struck the giant in what he guessed to be its vitals. He still didn’t know if his guess was right, but the boss died, nonetheless.

After the fight, everyone received their dungeon reward and exited. Soon, they were on their way to the next dungeon.

Like this, the group spent the next week and a half clearing the surrounding level 50 dungeons—even the ones with poor rewards. Rayna hit level 49 during the fourth dungeon run. As she leveled and gained combat experience, she was able to kill more and more enemies without the aid of Derek. But when she leveled to 49, she stopped her progress so as to not level to 50 and begin the class upgrade.

Not only did she want to have more accomplishments before the class upgrade, but she didn’t want to accidentally out-level the dungeons. One couldn’t enter a dungeon with a class upgrade available, so she decided it was best to stay at level 49.

Still, this was an opportunity for both Thomas and Malorie. With Rayna no longer fighting, they could take her place and soak up all the XP, other than the boss, in the remaining fourth dungeon and the fifth, and last, level 50 dungeon.

After finishing the fifth dungeon, Derek looked over his new stats.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 41

Experience: 4,458/10,500

Class: Champion of the Void (Epic)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 5250

Mana: 2150

Stamina: 5150

Stats

Strength: 360

Dexterity: 260

Endurance: 515

Vitality: 525

Intelligence: 220

Wisdom: 215

Stat Points Remaining: 618

Skills

Channel Void Lv. 6, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Greater Meditation Lv. 2, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 14, Magic Resistance Lv. 8, Rejuvenation Lv. 9, Void Call Lv. 2, Void Sense Lv. 2, Void Shift Lv. 3

Skill Points Remaining: 11

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements

Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer

Not bad. Now, all that’s left is to spend some stat points before going to the Undying Dungeon. After collecting the dungeon rewards, which were just different lower-ranked potions, Derek decided it was best for him and his group to stay in the freshly cleared dungeon while he prepared for the level 100 dungeon dive.

34 PREPARATIONS

After looking over his stats for a few minutes, Derek had a general idea of what he wanted to do. Vitality and endurance would always be his go-to stats, but with the mana costs of his void skills, wisdom was going to be a must if he ever wanted to use them consistently. He wasn’t sure how much intelligence modified the strength of the skills, but everything he used void on seemed to die almost instantly, so intelligence was the least of his worries.

After getting the achievement for raising his endurance and vitality to 500, he wanted to have all his stats at 500, eventually. He actually almost had enough stat points to do it now, but he was still missing a few.

The first thing he did was use 140 points to increase his strength to 500. The feeling, just like when he initially reached it with vitality, was a rush. It felt like his strength was on a whole new level. In fact, when he looked down, the armor he was wearing was tight on him, and his muscles felt much tauter than before. He sensed that, if needed, he could use an explosive amount of strength.

Next, he used 240 points to raise his dexterity. The explosive power remained from his strength, but with the dexterity, his body size shrank back to his old size, albeit much more toned. He could still erupt with great strength, but now he felt that he could control it much better. Derek shuffled from one foot to the other like a boxer would. He couldn’t imagine the speed at which he could now run.

The notification he had been expecting was there. He ignored it for now and spent more of his stat points. He used 235 points to bring his wisdom to 450. His mind felt clearer overall, but he definitely didn’t feel the breakthrough that bringing a stat up to 500 brought with it.

Finally, with his stat points settled, he moved through all his new notifications.

You have successfully increased both your strength and dexterity to 500 points.

Achievement Unlocked

Offensive Powerhouse

You look to finish the fight in the shortest time possible. One hit kills are your normal. In order to maintain your explosive ways, you have focused your stat points on strictly offensive stats. You are awarded the following:

Two Offensive Skills (Please Choose)

Note: This is a one-time achievement and will not be upgraded.

Derek had been waiting for this ever since the previous achievement. Because of his lack of offensive class skills, offensive skills were what he felt he needed most. Unable to wait any longer, he focused on the offensive skills.

Current Available Skill Points: 11

Note: One skill point is required to unlock any of the skills below. If you do not have any skill points, you may choose to unlock a skill at a later date.

Available Offensive Skills

Augment Projectile

Enhanced Strike

Glass Cannon

Lightning Pierce

Mastery (Choose Weapon)

Multi-Strike

Phantom Blade

Rapid Movement

Sweeping Slash

Whirlwind

Derek looked over the list of skills available.

Augment Projectile was an ability that let him increase the strength of a projectile weapon. Using it would allow a dagger or arrow to fly faster, farther, and would also increase its penetrating power. Derek had been using projectiles often lately, but they would never be a part of his primary focus. Also, there was a chance that he could eventually attach void to a projectile with his current skills, so he dismissed the skill.

Enhanced Strike seemed like his previous Heavy Blow skill. It focused his attack into a single strike, increasing his damage. He hadn’t been missing Heavy Blow very much, so the only reason he would get this skill would be the possibility of the two skills combining.

Glass Cannon was very interesting. The skill would bring his endurance down to 10, effectively eliminating his stamina and lowering his overall defense. Afterward, the skill would distribute half of his endurance to strength and half to dexterity.

Lightning Pierce was an instantaneous skill. It was more based on dexterity than strength. The skill would project him and his weapon forward at an insane speed. The skill moved in a straight line, and it would take some time getting used to attacking at the same time. Derek could see how someone without a high dexterity would never be able to adapt to the skill.

Mastery was a passive skill—just like a Weapons Mastery skill. What Derek liked was the fact that the bonus would stack on top of his Heavy Weapons Mastery skill. He also wondered if the skill would combine with his old Glaive Mastery skill. His previous mastery skill had combined with Glaive Mastery earlier, so he didn’t expect to get lucky and combine it twice.

Multi-Strike was one skill that Derek was interested in. It was a pretty basic skill. When activated, a strike would hit twice. It would be like stabbing someone in the exact same spot two times. Even though it was basic, with his strength, the strike would be devastating, especially if used in tandem with the void. And, as the skill leveled, the cost would decrease, and the possibility of more strikes would be added. He favored this skill greatly over Enhanced Strike, even with the skill combination with Heavy Blow.

Phantom Blade was a feint type of attack. He could see its uses for speed-type fighters, but for him, it wasn’t very useful. It projected an attack towards an opponent when you attacked, which left it up to the enemy to try to figure out which attack was real.

Rapid Movement was nice. It increased all movement while in combat. It was very much like Haste, but it was a passive skill. When it recognized that the user was in combat, the buffs would automatically activate. How it recognized when one was in combat, Derek did not know. He guessed it was based on the user’s mindset. The overall increases in movement were not near as much as Haste, but, being a passive skill, there was no cooldown, and the ability was always active.

Sweeping Slash seemed to be just like his Wide Sweep skill. It was actually the skill that Derek was missing the most. When he used the skill, it would project a crescent-like blade one meter out from his weapon. Of course, that would increase as the skill leveled, as would the damage inflicted. It was a perfect area of effect skill for someone like him.

Finally, Whirlwind was a skill sort of similar to Sweeping Slash. But instead of the half-circle in front of him, it would attack the full 360 degrees. After the attack, a residual attack would circle around him for five more seconds. It was a nice skill. It would be great if he were surrounded by enemies.

After breaking down the pros and cons of each skill, Derek narrowed it down to Mastery, Multi-Strike, Rapid Movement, and Sweeping Slash. Luckily, he could choose two of the skills. After a bit more consideration, Sweeping Slash was a must for him. It may not be the best skill of the bunch, but it was a skill he was used to and it should start out at a higher level.

Soon, Derek eliminated Rapid Movement from the list. He just hadn’t needed to move any faster than he already did, and with his new stats, he didn’t even know how much his movement had increased. He figured it was already more than enough for his fighting style.

This left his choices down to Mastery and Multi-Strike. The extra mastery for using his weapon would be great, but at the same time, his strength and dexterity were already super high. Not to mention that his Heavy Weapons Mastery was already very close to reaching level 20. Multi-Strike would be an outrageously powerful single-target skill. If he could combine the skill with Channel Void or Sweeping Slash, he couldn’t imagine the destruction that could be wrought by it.

After a few minutes of debating himself, Derek let out a sigh and selected Sweeping Slash and Multi-Strike. He confirmed his choices.

Sweeping Slash Learned Successfully.

Skill Points Remaining: 10

Multi-Strike Learned Successfully.

Skill Points Remaining: 9

Soon, a tinge of pain flashed in his head, and a notification popped up in his vision.

Dormant skill similar to Sweeping Slash discovered…

Merging skills…

Skills successfully merged…

The pain was not even a distraction anymore. He opened up his notification to see how his new skill had leveled.

Congratulations! Sweeping Slash has reached level 18

He nodded, happy with the skill combination. He viewed the skill in its entirety.

Sweeping Slash

Your slash creates an arc in front of you, damaging enemies up to 9 meters in front of you, causing damage up to 90% of your normal attack. Level the skill to increase damage and range and reduce cost and cooldown.

Cost: 160 Mana

Cooldown: 30 Seconds

Derek smiled. He wondered if he could augment his glaive with void before activating Multi-Strike, then using Sweeping Slash. He couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. He looked at his other skill.

Multi-Strike

Upon activation, your next attack will be dealt twice. Level the skill to increase the number of attacks and reduce cooldown.

Cost: 500 Mana

Cooldown: 10 Minutes

Derek was content with his new status. He was prepared to go run the new undying dungeon. He looked over his new stats.

Stats:

Strength: 500

Dexterity: 500

Endurance: 515

Vitality: 525

Intelligence: 220

Wisdom: 450

Stat Points Remaining: 3

Derek closed the window and addressed the group. “Okay, the next dungeon we’re running is the level 100 undying dungeon. On the way there, you have to be careful. I’ll take care of Brandi, but the rest of you must stick close to me. Or I can take you back to the village. It’s completely up to you. Just know, getting there won’t be as safe as everything else has been.” He had to warn the group. Derek knew he shouldn’t have a problem protecting them, especially with his new stats and skills, but he wouldn’t give them any false promises. Going to the next dungeon was something they would have to decide for themselves.

“Of course I’m in,” Thomas said. “Who knows if there is an achievement for being the first team to complete a dungeon, or even finishing a level 100 dungeon? Not to mention the possible rewards for such a high-rank dungeon.” His eyes glowed just thinking of the possibilities.

Rayna didn’t hesitate, either. “I’m fast enough that I should be able to survive the trip there, especially if we are stealthy.”

“We can go,” Mal said. “But you have to keep Brandi safe above all else.”

Derek nodded. “The dungeon is farther away than all the others, but I picked this dungeon as the last because it was closest.” The dungeon they were currently in was around a third of the way between the village and the level 100 dungeon.

Of course, the group wouldn’t mess around like he did when he was alone. They would go straight to the new dungeon at a brisk pace, avoiding what enemies they could. Derek expected them to arrive within a week.

“Okay, masks on,” he said, and everyone covered their faces. “Let’s go.”

The group all placed their hands on the dungeon orb and Derek chose ‘Leave Dungeon.’ The orb glowed, and the bright light overtook their vision. Soon, they were standing around the entrance to the dungeon.

Derek looked around and, seeing that no one was there, picked up Brandi and moved deeper into the forest. The others all followed. They traveled like this for days.

* * *

In Torith, inside a noble manor, a middle-aged man with graying hair was sitting at a desk in his study. He looked up from a stack of papers. “Bronson, is that brat back from his quest yet?”

“We have not heard from him since he left, master,” a man wearing a classic butler uniform answered.

The older man sighed. “That damn kid. He’s probably messing around, causing another mess that I’ll have to clean up. Why can’t he be more like his older brother?” He waved his hand and a stack of coins appeared in his palm. He handed the coins to Bronson. “Take these, and go see Maria. At least make sure that Wallace is well.”

Maria was a commoner who had worked her way into the noble’s good graces. She had gained her reputation as a Lesser Sibyl. She couldn’t see the future per se, but she could feel out the wellbeing of others. If anyone needed to know the status of another, they could bring a possession of the one to her, and she could check his or her basic status.

Bronson stopped by Wallace’s chambers and grabbed a tunic he had seen the young master wear. With that, he left the manor and walked through the noble part of the city before arriving at the upper-class commoner region that bordered.

He walked up to a well-off residence and knocked on the door. A young lady answered. “Can I help you, sir?” she asked.

“Ah yes, I was looking for Miss Maria. I have a task that I would like her help with,” Bronson answered.

“Yes, sir. I will inform Miss Maria that House Gracefall would like to meet. Please come in.” The young lady, seeing the house insignia, motioned Bronson to have a seat. “I will be right back.” She turned and went up the stairs.

Soon, a black-haired woman in a lovely blue dress walked down the stairs into the living room. “Bronson, how nice to see you today. It’s been too long,” she said as she walked to a seat across from the man.

The man smiled. “Miss Maria, you are as lovely as ever.” He stood while waiting for the woman to have a seat. She sat, and he soon followed. “Unfortunately, today’s visit is business. The young master has been out on a mission from the Adventurer’s Guild for a while now, and the master is worried.” He placed the tunic and stack of coins down on a table between them.

The woman smiled. “Of course, I would be happy to help.” She reached over and grasped the tunic and closed her eyes. Squeezing it, her hand started shaking from the force. The smile eventually turned into a frown as her eyebrows creased. Soon, her eyes opened, and a look of sadness filled them.

She looked up at Bronson. “I am sorry, Bronson. I can feel no future from your young master. I’m afraid that he is no longer of this world.” Maria broke the news.

Bronson’s face turned stony. “Are you sure?” he asked. Seeing Maria nod her head, he reached over and took the tunic from her. He stood. “Thank you for your time. I must go inform the master.” He turned to the door and headed out.

Maria looked at the closed door and sighed.

Back at the manor, Bronson made his way to the study. He stood in front of the man and waited for him to look up.

After some time, the man finally raised his head. “So?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, master. It seems that the young master is no more.” He broke the news.

The older man sighed. “I knew that his arrogance would get the better of him one day. I had hoped he would break his habits as he grew.” The man shook his head and looked Bronson dead in the eyes. “Go. Go to the Adventurer’s Guild and find the information on the quest he took. Then, find out what happened to him. You have one month.”

Bronson nodded his head and left. He made his way to his servant’s quarters and replaced his butler uniform with shining battle armor. He then strapped a giant great sword to his back and retrieved a golden Adventurer’s Guild Badge and strapped it to his arm. Soon, he opened the door to the manor and left toward the Adventurer’s Guild.

* * *

The group hadn’t actually run into any problems other than a bear attack on the first night they set up camp. Rayna had easily taken care of the level 62 monster. After that, it was smooth sailing for the team of five. Thomas, Malorie, and Rayna stuck as close to Derek as possible while he kept Brandi in his arms. He had started to feel like he was just her personal taxi at some point. They made good time.

Six days after leaving the previous dungeon, Derek and his group finally arrived at the area where no plants were even partially alive. The area seemed to have gotten even bigger since the last time he was there.

Brandi and Thomas were looking around in awe, while Rayna had a look of contemplation on her face. “This is what will happen to the entire forest if the overflow isn’t cleared soon,” the woman said.

“I imagine so. It seems that once the disease is rooted, it spreads even faster. The patches of diseased plants and trees from the outer parts of the forest were probably from when partially diseased animals made contact with them. I don’t actually think that the disease will spread on its own from there,” Derek answered. “Once the overflow is taken care of, I think the orb will stop radiating with the disease, and the forest will start healing. That is, of course, if the dungeon is properly maintained afterward.”

Rayna just nodded and didn’t answer back.

“Come on. We’re close, and I don’t know how long it will take for me to clear this dungeon,” Derek said as he led the group farther into the forest.

Soon, they arrived at the dungeon orb. Brandi looked around and let out a gasp. “Why are there so many bones over there?” She pointed past the orb to a giant pile of bones and rotted animal carcasses.

Derek smiled awkwardly. “Uh, that’s where I had a fight the last time I was here. The monsters didn’t take kindly to me running around making noise.”

“Oh,” Brandi answered. It seemed like after traveling together and completing dungeons, no one was surprised when Derek said or did anything unbelievable anymore.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.” Derek motioned to the group, and they all walked to the dungeon orb together. They reached their hands out and touched the orb.

Max Participants Reached

Participants 5/5

Derek Hunt: Level 41

Thomas Stewart: Level 32

Rayna West: Level 49

Brandi Fields: Level 1

Malorie Fields: Level 33

Please Choose an Option Below

View Dungeon

Enter Dungeon

Leave

Derek viewed the dungeon to make sure everything was still the same.

Dungeon Status

Dungeon Level: 100

Dungeon Type: Undying

Dungeon State: Extreme Overflow

Dungeon Rewards: Unknown (Never Completed)

Max Participants: 5

Nothing had changed since the last time Derek was there. He backed out of the status screen. “Okay, here we go.” He selected ‘Enter Dungeon,’ and the countdown began.

35 START OF THE UNDYING DUNGEON

The blinding light disappeared, and Derek found his footing. His first thought was to make sure that they were all in a safe room as this was the first level 100 dungeon they had explored. Derek looked around. They were all enclosed in a stone room.

The air was still, and there was a gloominess that sent a chill down his spine. “Alright, everyone, you all stay safe in here. Don’t open the door after I close it. I’ll come get you when I’m finished.” Derek waited for a moment, and seeing that there were no objections or complaints, he made his way toward the room door.

He placed his hands on the door and slowly slid it open. Once the door was opened a crack, he peeked through and shivered. They were in a graveyard, and the so-called safe room was actually a tomb.

I guess I should have figured as much. It makes sense that a dungeon with undying monsters would have a setting like this. Derek scanned what surroundings he could see through the crack. Oh, good… Skeletons. Even with his time on Earth, Derek had never fought against skeletons. He had, however, heard horror stories from people who had.

The unfortunate thing about skeletons, if they were the same as the ones on Earth, was that only magic could completely kill them. Fire magic was best, but any magic worked. Of course, physical attacks could still render them useless. If one were to separate a skeleton’s head from its body, it would only be able to control its head. The only way to vanquish a skeleton was to extinguish the soul flame behind its eyes.

Derek let out a sigh. If it had been earlier, before he unlocked his void magic, he would have been useless in this dungeon. He started thinking about the ghoul he killed. It had bright eyes. I wonder if it had the same traits as the skeletons. It might be lucky that I used the void in my final attack on it.

Derek used Identify on one of the skeletons.

Skeleton Warrior

Level 100

A monster spawned in an undying dungeon. Due to being dead, a skeleton cannot be exterminated by physical means. This skeleton is a warrior type and has upgraded physical stats.

It seemed like skeletons were all the same. Derek identified multiple other skeletons. There were Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Archers, and Skeleton Mages. What made Derek sigh was the number of enemies he would be facing. There were dozens of skeletons, and they were all level 100. There were also Vampire Bats flying around at extreme speeds. He suspected that if anyone other than him were to walk out, they would be executed immediately.

I’m definitely going to be level 80 or more by the time this is over. I guess the Extreme Overflow is causing the enemies to be packed so densely. Derek turned to his team. “Make sure no one opens this door. Not even a crack,” he reiterated, this time in a more serious tone.

Here we go. Derek pulled the door open quickly and stepped out. Immediately, he turned and closed the door. As soon as the door was closed, a Vampire Bat flew into the stone door. Holy shit! If he had been any slower, his entire group would be dead.

He quickly reached over and grabbed the stunned bat and squeezed it with his newfound strength. The bat turned to mush almost immediately, and he threw the corpse away. For this fight, Derek was wearing his most worn-out pair of jeans and shirt. None of the armor in his bracelet would be effective against anything at level 100, so he went with comfort.

Derek summoned his glaive, wincing at the chip in the blade. He knew he wouldn’t have enough mana to take care of everything, so he decided to disable as many skeletons as he could before gathering their heads and finishing them.

He ran past tombstones to get to the first skeleton. His aim was strictly at the neck. Before the Skeleton Warrior could turn around, he swung his glaive. With a smooth cut, its head disconnected from its spine. Bones crashed to the ground as Derek kicked the head towards a relatively unpopulated area of the graveyard. That’s one.

The disturbance caused by the first kill drew aggro from the surrounding undead. Another bat swooped in to bite Derek, but he slapped it out of the air. He then continued his charge through the skeleton horde.

His upgraded dexterity allowed him to dodge the incoming spells and arrows with ease. Slash after slash, more and more skeletons fell. Derek always tried to move their heads away from their bodies so they couldn’t rebuild. More and more bats swooped in, all being killed in the process.

Eventually, Derek noticed he hadn’t had to kill a bat for some time. He looked around as he went after a Skeleton Mage and found that he didn’t see any more flying around. I guess that’s the last bat. With the bats gone, he could play a little more recklessly. He moved faster, occasionally using Sweeping Slash towards groups. The still-standing skeletons dwindled down one by one until Derek was the only thing left standing.

Derek began gathering the skulls from the disabled skeletons, moving them all to one area. Damn, I hate fetch quests. Soon, all the skulls with soul flames were gathered, and Derek began channeling the void.

He activated Sweeping Slash while also channeling the void, and the normal white projection from the slash took on a purple hue. The slash hit the pile of skulls and went through them. Notification after notification appeared in the corner of Derek’s vision. Derek took a quick look at his status. His level paused at 50 and was calling for a class upgrade.

Derek sighed and continued using the void to finish the skeletons. When he finally got to what looked like the final skull with a soul flame, he stopped. He moved the skull to a solitary location and walked back to the tomb.

He slid the tomb door open to see his team all in a battle stance. As he walked in, he nodded his head in approval.

“What happened?” Rayna asked.

“Shit ton of skeletons and bats. What you would expect from a graveyard. I leveled to my next class upgrade, so I figured it would be best to do it now, just in case something unexpected happens later. I left one ‘alive’ so the next wave doesn’t spawn,” he answered.

Derek sat on a stone bench on one side of the tomb and focused on the ‘Upgrade Class’ option. Skimming through all the class change options, Derek found that there really wasn’t anything new. He then looked at his Champion of the Void class upgrade.

Oh? His eyes went wide as he looked at his next upgrade.

Legend of the Void

You have lived within the void and used the void as you see fit. You have become a void user of legend. Unlike others, you will no longer become trapped in the void. The void is your ally.

Legend of the Void is a growth-type legendary class. Preferences for this class are unknown. Two skills will be available upon class selection.

You will receive 30 free stat points for allocation to your choosing.

Holy shit! He had never suspected that his growth-type class would upgrade so quickly—and into a legendary class at that. Derek was a bit disappointed that the legendary class only gave two new skills, but the ten extra stat points per level more than made up for the limited class skills. Who knows? By the time I leave this dungeon, I’ll probably be able to have all my stats at 500 and probably much more.

At level 49, Derek had already earned enough stat points to get his wisdom stat to 500, and he needed less than 200 more points to complete the process. Six levels, with the new free stat points. All I will need is six more levels. One thing that did scare him was the amount of XP that he would need to level up a legendary class. He could already tell that the amount of XP he needed for his epic class was at least twice as much as someone with a common one.

Derek looked at the final level-up notification he had received.

You Have Killed level 100 Skeleton Mage

69,455 Experience Gained

Level Up

31,205/??? Experience to Next Level (Must Upgrade Class to Level beyond 50)

Derek took a deep breath, then upgraded his class. A deep purple glow shot out from his body, startling everyone in the room. If they thought Malorie’s class upgrade was special, the phenomenon that Derek caused was otherworldly. Even they could see the disturbance in the void caused by his class upgrade. The disturbance lasted for several minutes before it finally calmed. Derek finally opened his eyes, but instead of the normal blue color that everyone was used to, they were a deep, darker purple, and it did not seem like they would turn back.

Seeing everyone staring at him, Derek spoke. “What?”

“Your eyes, they’re purple,” Thomas answered.

Derek frowned and closed his eyes. He made sure that his Void Sense was turned down and checked his body to make sure he was not channeling any void. Afterward, he looked up and asked. “What about now?”

Thomas shook his head. “Still purple.”

Derek inwardly cursed. He had really liked his blue eyes. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it. New notifications manifested after the upgrade, and he opened one.

Congratulations! You are now a ‘Legend of the Void.’

For obtaining a legendary rarity class, you have received 25 skill points.

You have received 30 stat points

Derek smiled. I like that… Now, Derek just needed to see how much he had leveled from his slaughter and what his two new skills were.

Derek calmly cycled through his kill notifications. He stared at the notifications in stunned silence. Almost 1.5 million XP… plus, I’m level 64 now… will I even be able to get out of this dungeon below level 100?

Derek didn’t know what to think about all that. The scary thing was that he had to go back in for a round two, and who knew if the dungeon would even end after two waves. One thing that he could confirm was that he needed way more experience to level as a legendary class than as an epic class. 187,000 experience just to level from 64 to 65… He pulled up his information.

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 64

Experience: 135,548/187,000

Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)

Race: Human (Modified)

He checked his skills and was thrilled that the fighting had actually leveled up his Channel Void two whole levels, and Identify had even been bumped up one. Looks like I don’t have to worry about getting enough stat points to bring intelligence and wisdom up to 500 anymore.

Next was to check on the new skills that came with his upgraded class.

Absolute Nullify

Your void power has increased to the point where very few have ever seen. Using your strength of the void, you are able to nullify any and all magic spells for as long as you have the mana. Absolute Nullify creates a wall in front of the user that absorbs all spells into the void where they will eventually cease to exist.

As the skill level increases, mana cost decreases, and spell size increases.

Mana Cost: 800

Cost: 11 Skill Points

Would you like to learn Absolute Nullify?

Derek read the skill over and over. It was, of course, a great skill for him, but something in the back of his mind kept annoying him. Why the hell do I need Magic Resistance when I have this? But, as he thought about it, he realized that having both would actually be good. I guess it’s good if I get sneak attacked or run out of mana. Just thinking about the time it’s going to take to level everything up gives me a headache, though.

Derek confirmed that he wanted to learn the skill.

Absolute Nullify Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 23

Derek moved on to his other new skill.

Void Storage

Create a space within the void to store your items.

Mana Cost: N/A

Cost: 6 Skill Points

Note: This is a unique skill that does not level up. The size of the storage is based on the user’s intelligence and overall level.

Would you like to learn Void Storage?

Hmm… Well, it never hurts to have more storage, and I can see the benefit of a non-item-based storage system. Derek learned the new skill.

Void Storage Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 17

Derek wasn’t disappointed in his upgraded class or skills. Absolute Nullify was one of the strongest defensive skills that he had ever seen. Void Shift was also an amazing skill that could be used both offensively and defensively, but it would take Derek a long while before he was comfortable using it.

With the way all these skills are, I’m going to have to start speccing into more of a mage build than my tank build. Derek shook his head.

Okay, next thing is to get the Award for Intelligence and Wisdom. He had thought about waiting to use his stat points for the achievement, but with the dungeon and his reliance on magic to complete it, he thought it best to use some of his stat points and hope for a powerful spell. Derek spent 330 of his stat points and increased his two remaining stats to 500.

The instant his wisdom hit 500, Derek’s mind cleared. He had thought that he kept a pretty clear head before, but now, it was in an entirely different realm. When his intelligence increased to 500, his ability to process information hit a new milestone. Before, he felt like using Void Shift would take a great toll on his mind, having to process all the ripples with Void Sense, then move accordingly, but now, Derek felt like it was something he could do in his sleep.

Derek also channeled the void into his fist to see if there was a difference. It was near-instant. Before, he had to start the skill up, then move the void accumulated inside his body to his fist or weapon. Now, with his intelligence and wisdom, he was able to directly channel the void into his fist, and the glow from the void was much deeper and bigger. I should have done this a long time ago.

With all that finished, he viewed his new achievement notification.

You have successfully increased both your intelligence and wisdom to 500 points.

Achievement Unlocked

He dismissed the notification and checked the next one.

Magical Glass Cannon

Throwing caution to the wind, you have ignored other stats to focus on your magical output. You have become a magical weapon of mass destruction. You are awarded the following:

One Active Magic Skill (Please Choose)

One Passive Magic Skill (Please Choose)

Note: This is a one-time achievement and will not be upgraded.

Derek focused on the active skill choice.

Current Available Skill Points: 17

Note: One skill point is required to unlock any of the skills below. If you do not have any skill points, you may choose to unlock a skill at a later date.

Available Active Magic Skills

Acidic Spike

Chain Lightning

Shadow Orb

Fiery Tempest

Life Siphon

Derek looked at the five available skills to choose from. He wasn’t overly excited by the skills, but he couldn’t complain much. At least it isn’t Fireball and Water Gun, he mused.

Acidic Spike was an earth-type toxic spell. It pulled a piece of earth from the ground, shaped it like a spike, and launched it into a foe. Oh, and the spike just happened to have acid on it, so it would corrode anything it came into contact with.

Chain Lightning, which had always been one of Derek’s favorite spells from the video games he played, was a lightning skill cast over an area. It was not as damaging as a lightning bolt-type spell, but once it hit an enemy, it could jump from enemy to enemy, eventually covering everyone. That was, of course, at a higher level as there was a limit on how many targets the spell could affect at once.

Shadow Orb was weird. It was literally just a dark orb launched at a target dealing dark damage. Derek was sure that the ability would have its uses, maybe against light-type enemies, but he couldn’t see the current need for it.

Fiery Tempest was a mix of fire and wind elements. It sounded almost like a fire tornado, but instead of constant rotation, it spread out in all directions from the user. Derek shuddered as he thought about how much damage would be caused if he used the spell in a forest.

Finally, Life Siphon was a skill like Life Leech, only magical instead of physical. Casting the spell would shoot a beam at a target and siphon HP from it and direct it back to the spell user.

After viewing all the skills, Derek didn’t find it challenging to decide. Shadow Orb didn’t seem useful, and Life Siphon was cool and all, but not what Derek needed. Fiery Tempest was way too destructive to be useful, and he already had enough single target damage, which got rid of Acidic Spike. That only left Chain Lightning. Derek chose the skill and confirmed his choice.

Chain Lightning Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 16

Derek smiled, then moved on to choosing the next skill.

Current Available Skill Points: 16

Note: One skill point is required to unlock any of the skills below. If you do not have any skill points, you may choose to unlock a skill at a later date.

Available Passive Magic Skills

Discerning Eyes

Depth Diver

Enhanced Perception

Magic Sense

Physical Resistance

An odd expression fell over Derek’s face as he viewed his choices. He hadn’t thought that Physical Resistance would be on the list again. I wonder if Magic Resistance would be there if I hadn’t chosen it before.

Discerning Eyes was an ability that allowed the user to read texts and ancient languages. It was definitely an explorer’s dream ability. Derek, however, had no need for it as the system language was more than enough for him.

Depth Diver let the user hold their breath longer and move more freely in the water. It was a good skill to have if you were in an ocean environment.

Derek laughed at the Enhanced Perception ability. It was the same ability he had learned just before his old system was cut off. It brought up some bad memories. Of course, it would still be a great skill to have.

Magic Sense was a skill that let the user pinpoint magic. It would help keep the user from being magically ambushed and could also be used in investigations.

Of course, Physical Resistance was still the overpowered skill that he wished he had been able to choose earlier on. He had great defense and regeneration already, but with the Physical Resistance skill, it would go up another notch, and he could focus less on his endurance and vitality without feeling bad about it.

In the end, Derek narrowed the choices down to Enhanced Perception and Physical Resistance. The only reason that he wanted Enhanced Perception was so it would auto level because it was a skill he already had. However, Physical Resistance was just too good to pass up, so he selected it and confirmed his decision.

Physical Resistance Learned Successfully

Skill Points Remaining: 15

With that, Derek smiled and stood up. It was time to finish the dungeon.

36 DUNGEON’S END

Derek approached the tomb door and opened it. This time, he didn’t have to worry about an enemy pushing inside. There was still the one remaining skeleton he had not previously taken care of.

He stepped out and closed the tomb behind him. He then walked over to his battleground and found the one skeleton that still had a soul fire burning. Lifting his hand, he cast Chain Lightning. Small streaks of lightning flew from his fingertips toward the target. Because of the low cost of the skill, Derek thought it wouldn’t deal much damage. He was mistaken.

The cost for the skill was only 25 mana per second, and it didn’t have a cooldown. As long as his mana could sustain it, he could cast it. With Derek’s mana pool, he could channel the spell for over three minutes, and that was if he didn’t combine it with Greater Meditation.

Seeing the soul fire of the skeleton extinguish in seconds, all that Derek could think of was his intelligence stat. If 500 Intelligence gives this spell that much power, what will it do to my costly void skills?

Derek snapped out of his thoughts as glowing pillars began forming all around him, covering the entire graveyard. I wonder what the next enemy will be. He waited for the pillars to fade before he could finally see the new monsters. Seeing what had spawned, he sighed.

Acidic Ghoul

Level 110

A monster spawned from an Undying Dungeon. The Ghoul is always hungry, always looking for fresh flesh to consume. Because of its condition, acid has begun seeping out from its pores.

I should have guessed. He looked around and identified the other creatures. All ghouls, just different types. Every enemy was level 110. There were Acidic Ghouls, Toxic Ghouls, Putrid Ghouls, and others. This is going to be a pain in the ass.

Derek prepared for the fight by rushing to a relatively open area with a wall behind him. At this point, he was happy that he pumped up his stats for the achievement. With dozens of Ghouls around, he decided that keeping his distance would be the safest option.

Of course, when he ran to an open area, he did not do so stealthily. He had already drawn the attention of dozens of ghouls. Here goes. Derek first began his meditation while keeping his awareness. Then, while concentrating on maintaining his Greater Meditation, he cast Chain Lightning at the closest approaching ghoul.

It wasn’t easy keeping Greater Meditation activated while fighting. The only reason he could do it now was that Chain Lightning didn’t require active aiming or even moving, and he could count on the wall behind him to keep his enemies up front.

The blue streaks of lightning flew from his fingers and hit the closest ghoul. After settling on the target for a second, the lightning jumped to the next enemy, then the next. Currently, three enemies were the limit, but Derek was counting on his intelligence to amplify the strength of the spell.

Four seconds… that’s how long it took for the first ghoul to fall. The lightning jumped to the next closest ghoul, and the slaughter commenced. Derek looked at his status and noticed that his meditation could keep his mana from depleting too fast. With the regeneration rate, the cost came out to him losing around 5 mana per second, which allowed him to continuously cast the spell for over 15 minutes. Of course, this was only if he didn’t get overrun.

With the screeching of the ghouls and the popping of the lightning, Derek guessed that just about every ghoul had already been alerted and was on their way.

Notifications were flashing across his vision rapidly as he killed ghoul after ghoul. He ignored them. The focus it was taking to keep both skills activated was already causing a headache, and he couldn’t imagine doing it with any less wisdom than he already had.

Oh? Derek saw one of his lightning chains jump to an extra ghoul. Must have leveled. He wanted to check the skills level, but instead, he kept calm and focused.

Minutes passed, and the skill must have leveled multiple times because the pressure of being overrun decreased greatly, and the field in front of him was just a string of blue lights. Of course, the multiple bodies piled up in front of him had also slowed the charge by quite a bit.

The strain on his mind also lessened too, leading Derek to think that Greater Meditation had leveled up too. He looked at the 20 or so still-standing ghouls and counted. 6… 7… The skill can already flow to seven enemies at a time. He checked his mana and was surprised to see that it was at max—it kept falling to 4,995 and then jumping back to 5,000.

That’s badass. He chuckled. Derek canceled Greater Meditation and jumped forward, over the pile of bodies in front. He spread his arms out and aimed the lightning. The ghouls died one after another as he slowly brought his hands together, laughing evilly all the while. When his hands reached one another, the final ghoul in front fell. Toasty!

While laughing at his own dumb joke, a giant pillar beamed down into the middle of the graveyard. The glow disappeared, and Derek recognized the enemy in an instant. It was a skeleton in a black robe with a weird, glowing necklace hanging from its neck, floating half a meter above the ground. It held a bone staff with a purple crystal in its left hand.

Soon, the crystal began to glow. Derek looked around him at the dead ghouls that were beginning to move. “Oh, fuck that!” he yelled and dashed forward, his hands glowing a deep purple.

He flew forward at breakneck speed and slammed his right hand into the Lich’s face. A crater formed below them as he slammed the skeleton’s head into the ground. He smashed its face with his void-covered fist while yelling at the monster: “No… Way… In… Hell… Are… You… Doing… That!”

The Lich’s skull crumbled to dust. Derek reached down and ripped the necklace from what was left of its neck. “I’ve played way too many games and read way too many novels to not know what this is.” He placed the glowing three-dimensional star-shaped decoration in between his void-laced hands and squeezed until it crumbled. “Dumbass, wearing your phylactery around your neck.” He shook his head. “You’re supposed to hide it, it’s liching 101.”

Derek dropped what was left of the necklace and looked up at the glowing orb coming into existence. I guess that’s it. Derek looked around at the carnage he let loose. Magic is pretty neat.

He turned back to the tomb and walked back over. Opening the door, he poked his head in. “Hey, guys, you can come out now. All the bad people are gone.” He backed away as Rayna walked out, followed by the rest of the group.

Derek watched as they looked around at the two enemy piles and one crater. He walked over to the pile of ghouls and searched around until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the arm of an Acidic Ghoul and ripped it off. He then placed it inside his bracelet. He turned back around to his team, who were giving him odd looks. “What? It’s part of the plan.”

“Ah!” Brandi gave out a cry. Derek looked over and saw her picking up the bats. “These will make great materials.”

He shook his head and took all but one of the bodies of the adventurers out of his bracelet. He took what money he could find off them and tossed their bodies into the pile of ghouls. “Part one of the plan, done,” he said. “Now, let’s go see what the reward is.” He motioned for the group to follow him.

They all walked toward the dungeon orb. When they arrived, they reached out like they had time after time and placed their hands on it to receive their reward. The message that followed was a happy surprise.

Dungeon Complete…

Assigning Rewards….

Congratulations, as you are the first to complete this dungeon, rewards are doubled.

You have received Storage Ring x2

Everyone gasped. Derek looked at them as they clutched their storage rings. “What? Is it that good?”

Rayna answered. “Storage rings are rare but can still be bought by rich people and nobles, but a dungeon that gives them as rewards…” She shook her head. “When they find out, everyone is going to want to run it. People will come from other cities, maybe even the capital.” She sighed. “I don’t know if this will be a boon or a calamity for our villages.”

“I see,” Derek replied. He fiddled with his rings and injected mana into one. He frowned. Not even half as big as the space in my bracelet. Oh well, it will be a good way to hide that my bracelet is a storage device.

“So much space…” Thomas said. “Do storage rings usually have this much room?”

Rayna paused and looked at the ring she was holding. After a couple of seconds, she sighed again. “They’re large storage rings, too,” she said. “That will cause an even greater commotion.”

Derek furrowed his brows. He reached out to Rayna. “Can I see the one you looked in?” He had already confirmed that both of his had the same amount of storage space. Rayna was taken aback but nodded and handed him her ring. He looked inside. It was the same. He handed it back. “So you consider this a big storage ring?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

I wonder what they would think if they saw inside my bracelet. He shook his head and laughed. He looked around. “Okay. I’m going to need one ring from you. Who wants to give one up?” he asked.

Instantly, Mal, Rayna, Thomas, and Brandi all held out one ring to him. He chuckled and took the one from Thomas. “This is fine.”

Brandi seemed to get an idea at about that time. “I’m going to go collect all the bats in my storage ring,” she said as she ran off. Thomas followed her.

Derek chose that time to deal with all his notifications. Holy shit! he thought as he went through everything. When he finally dismissed the last window, he viewed his new status.

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 76

Experience: 365,118/590,000

Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 5250

Mana: 5000

Stamina: 5150

Stats

Strength: 500

Dexterity: 500

Endurance: 515

Vitality: 525

Intelligence: 500

Wisdom: 500

Stat Points Remaining: 643

Skills

Absolute Nullify Lv. 1, Chain Lightning Lv. 9, Channel Void Lv. 8, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Greater Meditation Lv. 3, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 15, Magic Resistance Lv. 8, Multi-Strike Lv. 1, Physical Resistance Lv. 1, Rejuvenation Lv. 9, Sweeping Slash Lv. 18, Void Call Lv. 2, Void Sense Lv. 2, Void Shift Lv. 3, Void Storage Lv. N/A

Skill Points Remaining: 16

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements

Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Magical Glass Cannon, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer, Offensive Powerhouse

Derek closed his status and prepared for the next step.

37 MONSTER

The group waited for Brandi and Thomas to return with the bats. While waiting, Derek pulled Gracefall’s storage ring out of his bracelet and went through it. There was some good stuff in the ring, but Derek could only sigh because he knew he would be keeping none of it.

“I goooot them,” a small, feminine voice rang out behind them. When Derek turned around, he saw Brandi and Thomas back from their task. “That was hard. They were scattered everywhere,” Brandi said.

Derek just nodded and smiled. “It’s good that you thought to collect them. They are all level 100. You should be able to make some good stuff.”

Brandi’s eyes shone. “That’s great.”

“Okay, it’s time to go. We’ve been away from the village for too long already. I’m sure that someone probably thinks that the adventurers ran into trouble by now,” Derek said, and the rest of the team agreed.

“Let’s go.” He walked forward and placed his hand back on the dungeon orb. The others followed, mimicking his movement. Soon, the orb found that everyone was there and gave him the options. Just to make sure, he checked the status of the dungeon. The status had changed from ‘Extreme Overflow’ to ‘Stable.’ Relieved, he let out a breath.

Rayna also looked happy as she must have also checked the dungeon status. “Now, we can only hope that this stops the spread of the disease,” she said.

Derek nodded and focused his attention on ‘Leave Dungeon.’ The countdown began, and before too long, the light overtook them and they disappeared.

The team soon found their footing, and they were back at the dungeon entrance. A notification appeared in Derek’s vision, but he promptly ignored it to focus on what had to be done next. He looked around for the best place to use for his plan. Not far in the distance, he found a tree. Actually, upon looking, he could tell that the tree had already begun to heal itself, and the dreadful aura that had been emanating from the dungeon orb had lessened considerably. It was now almost nonexistent.

Derek walked over to the tree. After a shake of his hand, the noble’s body appeared. He gently set the body down, leaning it against the tree. Then, he took two storage rings, one of his own and the one Thomas gave him, and laid them on the lap of the corpse.

Following that, Derek pulled the storage ring that belonged to the noble out. He began pulling out health potions that the man had stored. Bringing one to his mouth, he tested it to make sure that it was a healing potion. He removed some empty flasks from his own bracelet and emptied all the healing potions into his own vials. No sense in letting all this go to waste.

After emptying all the noble’s health vials, he dropped half of them on the ground beside the corpse. Then, he took about a third of what he assumed were mana potions from the noble’s ring. Verifying their contents, he stored them in his own bracelet. Got to make it look like he at least used up some of his supplies while in the dungeon.

Derek continued doing small things like this for around ten minutes. Soon, he found that everything looked ready. Grabbing the hand that the ring was originally worn on, he placed the ring back on. It pained him that he was going to be losing three storage rings at once, but with his new Void Storage, it made it somewhat easier.

Now for the final steps. Derek poured mana into his storage bracelet once again. This time, the severed hand of the Acidic Ghoul appeared. Carefully, he took the tip of the blade-like fingernail and cut a small slit into the side of the corpse’s neck. The acid began doing its thing immediately.

Why did I have to break this guy’s neck? It would have been easier if he would have died of internal injuries. At least then I could have let the acid run rampant in his body without having to worry too much. Derek carefully watched the acid spread. Soon, it was through the body’s neck and began eating away at its spine. The break in the neck soon vanished.

Here goes. Derek began casting Cure Toxin on the acid. The acid visibly slowed but continued eating through the body. Soon, he cast the spell again, then again, then again. After a few more casts, the acid slowed to a crawl. At this rate, it will be weeks, maybe even months, before the acid will spread through to the rest of the corpse.

Based on his previous experience with the acid, Derek had made it look like the healing potions and the few poison cures he found had healed the man long enough that the spread of the acid had been reduced. Unfortunately, the adventurer seemed to have run out of potions before the acid ran its course.

Other materials lay beside the noble, making it seem like he tried everything he could to remove the acid. There were remains of clothing where he had tried to wipe it off, only to spread it further. It was too bad that in his panic, he never thought about cutting the toxin out. If he would have done so before it spread, he would have been able to heal himself from the self-inflicted surgery.

Or at least, this is what the carefully laid story seemed to tell. Derek looked down at his finished project and nodded. I think this is as good as I’ll be able to do. Hopefully, they don’t send someone out who investigates things like this for a living.

After finishing, Derek turned and looked at the others, who had been quietly watching him all the while. Rayna visibly shuddered when his gaze caught hers. “Remind me not to piss you off in the future,” she said.

Derek laughed. “Noted.” He then continued, “Brandi, come here. The rest of you, make your way out of this clearing. I don’t see or hear anything, but you should still be careful. I’m going to cover our tracks, then follow you out.” The group all consented, then began slowly moving back into the forest.

Derek lifted Brandi up and began removing the traces of their team from the clearing. Soon, they were all back in the forest, and Derek had caught up. “Alright. It’s time to head back to the village. Let’s see if we can’t get this girl to level 10 while we’re at it.”

With that, the group’s dungeon farming was over. It was time to head home.

* * *

One week later, a group of tired individuals stepped out of the forest. They had hurried back and had not gotten good rest in the last week—well, they hadn’t gotten good rest for far longer than that, but the anticipation of returning home had made them all fidgety and kept them from having a good rest while in the forest.

“Finally! We’re out!” Brandi jumped for joy. She had been level 10 for over four days now, but Derek had talked her into waiting until she got home before choosing her class.

“Almost back. I hope the village has been doing well while we were gone,” Rayna said. She was clearly nervous about her village. She and Derek had gotten a lot closer during their time in the dungeons. She didn’t act anywhere near as cautious around him now as she did before. She had actually hit level 50 too and was waiting to return before upgrading her class.

“A bath. That would be nice,” Thomas said. Derek was happy with the boy’s progress. He had matured quite a bit since the first dungeon he ran with him. He’d taken to the spear quite nicely. It was almost like the weapon was made for him.

“Something other than monster meat would be good, too,” Malorie spoke up. She had never expected to reach level 30 in her lifetime. Now, she was the second strongest person in the village, and even though fighting wasn’t what she wanted to do, she still loved using the bladestaff.

“I’m just disappointed that the unicorn boar meat tasted identical to regular pork. Don’t get me wrong, I love bacon and pork chops as much as the next guy, but I was hoping for something… magical,” Derek replied. Derek had actually had quite a bit of fun on these dungeon runs. It was the first time in a long time that he felt good in a group. He actually looked forward to chatting a bit with the bartender back in the village.

“It would be nice to sleep in an actual bed,” Derek said. He had been the lookout the whole time they were gone, so he spent most of his time in meditation. It was about time for him to actually get a good night’s sleep.

Soon, the group arrived at the outskirts of the village. Rayna sighed in relief at the sight. “Whew. At least it’s still standing,” she said as they walked toward the front gate.

Two guards were waiting in their positions when the group approached. The gates opened without a word, and the team walked inside. The guards greeted Rayna before closing the gates behind them and getting back to their duty.

“Finally! Come on, let’s see what I get!” Brandi yelled and began sprinting to her residence.

Derek smiled and jogged behind. This was something that he was quite interested in, too.

When Derek turned the corner at Brandi’s residence, he saw her sitting on the bench in the courtyard. He stopped, standing there silently, awaiting her class choice. The others soon arrived behind them.

“I’m going to find Leon and the others and see if anything has happened since we’ve been gone,” Rayna said before walking away.

Derek nodded and looked at Thomas. “You better go check in with your grandma.” He smiled. Thomas agreed and left.

Now, it was just him, Malorie, and Brandi. He watched as Brandi’s facial features went from frustrated to surprise to awe, and many other emotions. She was taking a much longer time than any of the others. Derek was proud of this. It meant that she was being much more serious about her decision than Thomas had been.

He knew that he really shouldn’t play favorites, but even with Thomas maturing while in the dungeons, she was surpassing him in every way except for fighting. In fact, he had a plan for the girl if she were to unlock a powerful class. It was actually the reason he brought the mother and daughter with him. Rayna, on the other hand, well, he had grown to enjoy her company.

Time slowly passed. Damn, she is really taking her time. Derek figured she was going over every possible class, no matter the rating. That was something that he did for his first class from the other system, so he could respect it.

Finally, she opened her eyes with a frown on her face. “Derek?” she asked. “Could you help me?”

“Huh?” He was surprised, but happy, that she would ask for his help. “What do you need help with?”

“After looking at all the classes, I have two that I want. One sounds amazing, but the other is… well… odd,” she said.

“Oh? What are your choices?”

“The first class that I want is called ‘Talon’s Protégé.’ It’s an amazing Leatherworking class. It is an epic rarity…” She paused as Malorie let out a loud gasp. After her mother calmed down, she continued. “Apparently, Talon was a legendary Leatherworker from a long time ago. The class comes with 20 stat points per level and five unique skills when unlocked.”

Derek cursed the system again. Why does her epic class get five skills when I only get two? This is unfair. He thought about it a little longer and calmed down. I guess she really won’t have any combat skill with it.

Derek asked the girl more about the class. “You said that he was a legendary Leatherworker? Does that mean that the class is a growth type and your class will eventually become a legendary class, too?”

“Mhm,” she said. “That’s what the description says. But it isn’t a growth-type class. It says that…” She paused and seemed to focus. “‘As a protégé, you will never be able to surpass your master while under her wing.’” She read the exact description from the class select.

“It’s an epic class! That’s amazing, honey.” Malorie couldn’t help herself and blurted out, “It doesn’t matter if it won’t become legendary.”

Both Brandi and Derek ignored her outburst. Derek spoke. “So, that means that as long as you have the class, it will always be epic.” Derek thought for a minute. “So, in order to surpass the epic rating, you would have to switch classes at some point, and that is if one is ever offered, and you would risk losing any exclusive class skills.” Derek nodded his head.

Rare was the bare minimum class for my plan, so this is already great, Derek thought. “I imagine that a lot of the skills you learn will be usable across several Leatherworking classes. It’s really not a bad choice. What is the other class?”

“It’s called ‘All Smith.’ It’s rare and a growth class,” she said.

“Woah, the name isn’t great, but, being a growth class, it will end strong. What does the description say?”

“Umm… It says, ‘Become an All Smith.’ That’s it. That’s what’s odd,” she replied.

“Does it say anything about skills?”

Brandi shook her head. “Nothing. Other than the one sentence, it doesn’t say anything.”

“Well, the name is pretty self-explanatory. I imagine it is a class that can use multiple crafting professions. You will probably be a Leathersmith, Blacksmith, Tailor, and maybe more, who knows? It’s rare at the beginning, so it will be easier to get initial levels,” Derek explained.

She nodded. “That’s what I thought. Which should I choose?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It’s your decision. I will say that ‘All Smith’ will probably be amazing. You probably won’t ever have to worry about material for leveling either. If you run out of hides, you can use bones for armor or weapons. If you run out of that, there are plenty of plants to use for cloth. This is only my opinion, but if it were me, I would choose ‘All Smith.’ The other one will be good too, especially if you really want to focus on Leatherworking. But, in the end, it is your decision,” Derek replied.

The girl scrunched her face. “You’re no help.” She pouted.

Derek just shrugged and gave an odd smile.

Brandi closed her eyes again, and Mal and Derek waited anxiously for her decision. Finally, Brandi let out a breath, then promptly fainted.

Derek dashed forward and caught the girl before she hit the ground.

“Brandi!” Malorie screamed as she ran forward.

Derek scanned the girl and used Identify. Seeing that she was in good health and was only unconscious, he let out a sigh of relief. “She’s okay. I think she was just overwhelmed with the class information. I think she chose ‘All Smith.’”

“Let’s get her inside,” Malorie said.

Derek nodded and picked her up. He followed Mal around the corner and into the residence. He laid Brandi down in the common room and sat with his back against the wall. Then they waited.

A couple of hours later, Brandi opened her eyes and sat up from her mother’s lap. She seemed to be in shock.

“Brandi! Are you okay? How do you feel?” Malorie said.

“I… I’m fine,” she answered as she looked around.

“That’s great,” Thomas said. Derek was still sitting against the wall, but now the boy was back and sitting next to him.

“So, do you know what happened?” Derek asked.

The girl nodded her buzzed head. “The skills. I got them.”

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“The skills, they were free. Picking the class automatically unlocked them. I didn’t get any skill points,” she clarified.

“Oh? That’s okay, I guess? Was it ‘All Smith’ that you chose?” Derek asked, and she nodded in agreement. “Well, it’s a bit of a rip that you don’t get any extra skill points for general skills, but not having to pay to unlock them is good. How many skills did you get, five? Ten?” he asked.

Brandi shook her head. “Four… Forty-two,” she answered.

The entire room was dead silent. They couldn’t believe what they just heard. This girl had chosen a rare class and unlocked 42 skills all at once. After a while, Derek finally reeled himself in.

“How? Just what can you craft? What did you learn?” he asked.

Brandi closed her eyes and focused as if trying to put things in order. “I’m able to craft a lot of things from Armorsmithing, Weaponsmithing, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Alchemy, Woodworking, Sculpting, Brewing, whatever Engineering is, Enchanting, Gemsmithing, and Runesmithing, and I got some Cooking, Mining, Herbalism, and Painting skills. I don’t know why I need Painting.” She shook her head.

This is crazy. She could literally become an unkillable monster with just the stuff she crafts. Enchanted cloth and leather armor with enchanted weapons and drenched in accessories. While having a cooking buff and downing potions. Using runes as weapons—if they work like they did in my old system. I want this class… AND SHE CAN MAKE BEER! Maybe even beer that can give me a buzz. That ale that tastes like piss couldn’t do anything to me with my endurance and vitality. Derek was beside himself. I have to change my plan and put more into this girl. She’s a national treasure.

Derek shook the excitement off. “Don’t tell anyone about your class. If anyone asks right now, you got a rare crafting class that lets you dabble in different crafts. I’ll think of something else later because that plan will only last while you’re at a low level. The main thing is that you have to get strong enough so nobody messes with you. I’m not going to always be around to protect you.” Derek thought about something after that. “What about stat points? Did you get 15 like a normal rare class?”

Brandi frowned. “I don’t have any stat points to use. Let me check my stats.” She focused in front of her. Her eyes shot open in surprise. “I got four points into everything. My dexterity and endurance are a little higher than everything else now because of the points I spent before to get a good class, but it looks like everything increased by four.”

Soon, Brandi jumped up. “I’m going to go use my new skills to make something.” She ran to the door, then outside, leaving everyone sitting in the room in stunned silence.

Eventually, Derek stood up and walked back to the courtyard. Brandi had her knife, which was now glowing, cutting into one of her hides. She was extremely excited. She turned and saw Derek and held up her knife. “This sharpens my knife and lets it cut smoother. I can also use a skill on the hide that works with my will to help prevent bad or uneven cuts. I have another one that lets me up the quality at the end of a leather craft. Those are my only three Leatherworking skills, but I think I can use one of the Tailoring skills to help with Leatherworking, too.” She went on gushing about her new class.

Monster, she’s going to be a monster. Derek sighed. “Well, remember what I said, and don’t let anyone know about your class. And I know I told you all before, but keep your storage rings hidden for now.”

“I know. Thank you, Derek. I would have never gotten this far if not for you,” she said and ran over and hugged him.

Derek patted her head. “It’s fine. Work hard. I’m going to go get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Brandi released him, and he turned to walk away. Then he stopped. “Maybe with your newfound skill, you can make me some new T-shirts.” He chuckled and continued walking.

38 ARRIVAL

The next morning, Derek woke up and went back to the courtyard. He thought he had risen early, but Brandi was already at it with her Leatherworking. He walked up behind her and waited for her to reach a stopping point.

“So, found anything else out about your class?” he asked.

She jumped as she had been focusing all her mind on her craft. Turning around, she replied, “I did, actually. I hit level 11 earlier. Instead of getting four points into everything like before, I got three. I don’t know why or if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Hmm… Well, if you were to get four points into everything at every level, your rare class would be getting more points than an epic class, even competing with a legendary one. It makes sense that there are restrictions. In two levels you have gotten, what, 42 points? An epic class only gets 20 per level. Rare is 15,” he said, remembering his previous epic class and Rayna’s rare one.

He continued. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if you only got two points per level next time. It makes sense that the class is distributing the points evenly, though. Strength and endurance would be ideal stats for things like Weaponsmithing, wisdom and intelligence would be for Enchanting or making runes, and dexterity is definitely for the more precision crafts. I’m not sure about vitality, but it would suck to not be able to withstand an alchemy explosion, so it’s good to have it too. Just make sure to watch your stats over the next few levels and see if you can find the pattern.”

Brandi nodded her head. Then she looked at Derek with an intense gaze. “You said that it would almost be competing with a legendary class. How do you know what a legendary class is like?” She looked with hopeful eyes.

Derek smiled. “Well, you can’t tell anyone anyway, but I would prefer for you to keep it to yourself.” He leaned in close. Brandi drew near. He whispered, “I used to have an epic class.” Then he backed up and let Brandi piece it together.

“Used to? Then you don’t anymore?” She paused. “Growth class? Is it a growth class? Like mine?” she asked.

Derek just winked at her. “You go back and keep doing what you’re doing. You should level everything you can. I know it will be hard with all your skill, and the fact that you don’t have any equipment for some crafts, but focus on what you have.”

She assented and turned back around to continue her work.

Derek smiled and walked back to the bench to sit. Soon, he slipped into deep thought. What should I do next? He looked around. I think my time in this village is over. The dungeon is completed, and Rayna is strong enough to deal with any leftover beast hordes still in the outer edge of the forest.

I guess I could go and get level 100, but I didn’t see many enemies at level 100 or higher outside of the dungeon. There are supposed to be some powerful creatures even deeper in the forest, but strong to these people is like level 50. I’d rather not spend a lot of time traveling just to go on a wild goose chase. Derek sighed and looked over his stats.

Well, at my current level, my stats, including my free points, are that of someone with a rare class being at like level 240. He closed his eyes and did some more calculations. Hell, someone with an epic class would need to be at least level 180 to even get close to my stats. Though, with my current distribution, and not focusing on any one skill, they could still beat me in their special areas.

Derek thought about it for a minute, then he put 200 points into his strength, endurance, and vitality. He didn’t feel the big boost that he got when making a breakthrough, but going up 200 points at once was still a leap, and he would need to get used to it again. Magic is fun and all, but endurance and vitality got me to where I am and kept me alive. It’s also nice to have extra strength.

Happy with his distribution, he thought about his plans. I need to go see if that dumb bunny is still anywhere around here. Though I’ve always wanted a mount, so I could go look for something cool instead. He shook his head. No, I’ll stick with the bunny if I can find it easily. If not, I’ll take the other route.

He continued looking over his status sheet, then stopped when he got to the achievements. So that is what they were all talking about. He had dismissed his new achievement for being part of the first team to complete a new dungeon. The others had brought it up, but he didn’t bother with it before as it was not something that he could currently use.

Lesser Dungeon Traveler

You are the first to complete a newly formed dungeon. Your skill and courage to explore the unknown is astounding. You have received the following:

+10% Experience Gained in Dungeons

+10% Increase in Dungeon Reward Rarity

Continue to explore new dungeons to advance the achievement.

I mean, it’s not a bad achievement, especially for me. I’ll be able to complete level 100+ dungeons solo and fast, but the problem is finding them. Derek looked around again. I guess the plan is to find the bunny, then go to the city. I’ll see if I can find a map of other dungeons or get directions to a different city that has them. He frowned as he thought about it. I do want to make sure no one caused trouble to the village because of that noble, though. I’ll stay a bit longer just to see, but after that, I’m out.

With his plans set, Derek waited in the village for some time. During that time, Brandi got to level 14 and found out that she got four, three, then two stat points into every stat before it rolled back over to four. All in all, it turned out to be 18 points per level, which was in between a rare and epic class’s distribution.

He also told Thomas that he would be leaving sometime soon and made sure the boy still wanted to go with him. Of course, he did. He made sure to drill it into the kid that any more blatantly dumb mistakes would get him a one-way ticket back to the village. Thomas seemed to be very embarrassed about his past mistakes and promised that he would be smart.

* * *

A few days later, at around noon, Derek was chatting with Bart at the bar. Bart was right about one thing, there really was not anything fine about his ale. Derek slammed the mug down and sighed. “I guess there’s no point in even trying to get a buzz.” At least on Earth, he could purchase alcohol from the system that was strong enough for him. I guess I’ll have to wait for Brandi to make some good shit.

Bart sighed apologetically. “It’s strong enough for the villagers, but I guess it ain’t nothing special for ya.”

“It’s not your fault. It was good to drink something different, anyway. Even if it tastes like piss from a boot,” Derek replied.

About that time, the front door swung open and Thomas ran in. “Derek. There’s someone here. He has a GIANT sword strapped to his back and a Gold Adventurer’s Badge.”

“Oh, I wonder if he is here for the Adventurer’s Guild or for the nobles.” Derek dropped a few coins from his storage ring onto the bar, then stood up. Fortunately, the storage rings from the dungeon were basic black bands and looked exactly like the one the noble he killed was wearing. It was easier for Derek to explain than his bracelet as he had asked around, and everyone had only ever heard of people using rings. Of course, he only kept some basic things like money and hides in it. There were a couple weapons too, but nothing anyone would question if he ever had to show anyone the contents.

Derek exited the inn and leaned up against the wall beside the door with his arms crossed, waiting to get a good look at the new stranger. If he was heading to Rayna’s residence, he would have to pass in front of him.

Sure enough, a man with light brown hair tied in a ponytail soon made his appearance. He was wearing a shiny silver set of armor, and his greatsword was giant indeed. To Derek’s surprise, he was not acting like everything was beneath him. He was looking around, taking the sight of the village in like any normal traveler would. Hmm… Maybe he’s a representative from the Adventurer’s Guild.

Soon, the man’s vision landed on Derek, who was wearing his usual blue jeans, black shirt, and combat boots. The man furrowed his brows, then his eyes shot wide open in surprise. Derek smirked. The man paused for a second but soon continued forward, past the inn and toward Rayna’s residence.

* * *

Rayna was sitting at her meeting table waiting for the man. Richard had informed her of his arrival at the same time that Thomas informed Derek. Needless to say, she was a bundle of nerves, but she was doing a good job hiding it.

The last few days had been great for her. She finally looked at her class upgrade, and though there was no epic class to choose from, she was able to change her class from the rare Tempest Sword to a rare growth-type class called Zephyr’s Gale. She was especially happy that she could keep all her old skills. She had spent most of her time in the dungeon casting Wind Blades, and it seemed that the Great System must have taken note as her new class was more of a wind swordsman that focused on range. It suited her perfectly.

Soon, there was a knock on her door. Richard jumped up and went to answer. She had been waiting for this day. Derek told her that if all else failed, to shift all the blame onto him, but she would hate herself if she had to do that, even if he could handle it.

Richard came back. Behind him was the warrior. Rayna stood and spoke. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting company. How can I help you, mister…” She waited for the man to cut in.

“Bronson,” the man said.

“Mr. Bronson. Please have a seat.” She motioned to an empty chair and took a seat herself.

The man touched his greatsword. “I think I’ll stand.”

This ravishing blonde village chief surprised Bronson. When he used Identify, it came back as a level 50 warrior. Sure, seeing level 50s and better was normal in Torith, but in a village such as this one, he hadn’t expected it. In fact, he was still reeling from the oddly dressed, cocky man with haunting purple eyes that smiled at him earlier.

His level 12 Identify had failed when he tried it on the man. There were only three possibilities. Either the man had Identify and it was at a higher level than his, his combined Identify and level was higher than his, or he had an extremely high level. All that he knew was that the man was strong.

“I… see,” the woman said. “Well, my name is Rayna, and I am the chief of this village. How can I help you today?” she asked.

Bronson cut right to the chase. “A group of adventurers should have made their way here not too long ago. They were on a task from the guild to find and clear a possibly newly found dungeon around here.”

Rayna nodded. “Yes, the group stopped by here. They didn’t stay long before leaving, though,” the woman said.

Bronson frowned. “They left right away?”

“Yes. They came here and stol… borrowed Richard’s map of the village and surrounding dungeons.” She nodded at Richard, who winced ever so slightly.

Bronson noted the slight disgust in the woman’s voice and the emotion from the man when she mentioned the map. Well, that sure sounds like the boy. The map is probably a precious thing out here, and Wallace must have swiped it. He shook his head. He looked directly at Rayna. “One of those adventurers was a noble from House Gracefall. I am both the head butler and guard of the house. I have come here because the boy is… missing.”

He was watching the woman’s expressions as he spoke. She frowned slightly when he mentioned the boy was a noble. Bronson squinted his eyes and continued. “I find it strange that the team wouldn’t stop for a break after traveling all the way here.”

The woman visibly held her breath. She seemed to be thinking of what to say. She let out a long sigh. “They probably would have stayed,” she said. Bronson motioned for her to continue speaking. “They were creating a… ruckus… It disturbed Derek. He… asked them to be on their way.”

When she finished speaking, Bronson immediately thought of the man he passed in the street. “Who is this Derek?”

“We don’t know much about him. He’s been here for a little while now, and he seems to have taken a liking to Richard’s grandson. All I know about him is that he’s strong and sometimes he gets in a mood,” the woman said.

Bronson looked at Richard. “Your grandson?”

The older man nodded and shook his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into the boy. He keeps talking about becoming the man’s apprentice. He goes off and trains with him sometimes. The boy is already at a higher level than me.”

Bronson got the feeling that the man did not approve of this ‘apprenticeship.’ If this man is as strong as he feels, the boy should thank the Great System that he took an interest in him, unless the man is… unsavory. “This man, deep black hair, weirdly dressed, and purple irises?” he asked.

They both nodded.

I guess I have to go talk to this ‘Derek.’ Bronson turned around. “Thank you for the information. If you think of anything else before I leave, please let me know.”

* * *

Derek was still leaning against the wall of the inn when he saw the man coming back from Rayna’s residence. Right on time, he thought.

Soon, the man stopped about 15 feet from him and stared. Identify didn’t work on the man, but he could guess that the man couldn’t use the skill on him either by the way he looked at him in the beginning. His badge showed him as a Gold Ranked Adventurer, so his level should still be under 150. Derek wasn’t worried about having to face someone around that level. Plus, Torith wasn’t a full city, and he doubted there was anyone even close to the platinum adventurer’s badge. Derek would put this man at level 130 at most.

Derek pushed himself off the wall and walked to the middle of the street. We’re going to have ourselves a good ol’ fashioned standoff. He stopped and stared at the man. He pointed at the sword on the man’s back. “Can you use that?” he asked.

“Do you want to find out?” the man asked.

Derek chuckled. “You compensating for something?” he asked, seeing if he could rile the man up. The man just looked at him quizzically. Dammit! He didn’t get the dick joke… “Well, come on then, I don’t have all day. That inn has some of the worst ale you’ll ever drink, and I want another.”

The warrior furrowed his brow and reached for his sword. “Fine, it’s your fault if you die.” The man rushed forward with his greatsword drawn. Once within range, he slashed down with both hands.

This can’t be all he’s got. Derek thought as he casually raised his hand and grabbed onto the moving blade. The sword stopped in its tracks like it had hit an immovable wall. The man stared at Derek, dumbfounded.

Derek let go of the sword and turned back to the inn. He started walking. “Put that butter knife away and come join me for a drink.”

Inside, Derek shook his hand and looked at his palm. The slight cut, not enough to draw blood, was almost healed. Decent strength. Too bad the greatsword doesn’t have much of an edge to it. It would be a good weapon if it was sharper. He walked to the bar and sat on a stool. “Two ales,” he said to Bart.

Soon, the man walked in, his greatsword nowhere to be found. Derek turned his head to look. “So, you wear that dull knife on your back as what, intimidation? Don’t you know it’s better to hide your weapons until you need them?” he said as he turned back and picked up the mug.

The man sat beside him, surprise still in his eyes. “Who… Who are you?”

“Hmm? Me? I’m Derek. Who are you?”

The man opened his mouth to speak but closed it right after. Then, finally, he said, “I’m Bronson.”

“Hello, Bronson, have a drink.” Derek slid the other mug over to the man. Bronson picked it up and took a swig. The face he made was priceless. “Told you it was bad.”

“What is someone of your strength doing in a village like this?” Bronson asked after setting the mug down… far, far away.

“Found a boy running from a wolf. Brought him home. Liked the peacefulness, decided to stay for a bit before heading to Torith.” Derek answered like he had nothing to hide.

Bronson frowned. “Did you see a group of adventurers come through here?”

There it is, Derek thought. “Yup. A bunch of assholes and a spoiled noble. Shouting noble this, noble that. If someone doesn’t teach that kid how to act when his daddy isn’t around to protect him, he’s going to get himself killed,” he said and took another drink.

Bronson looked at Derek, surprised. “So you didn’t kill him?”

“Kill him? He’s dead?” Derek asked, and Bronson nodded. “That’s odd.”

“Why would that be odd?” Bronson asked, confused.

“Well, he had to have completed the dungeon. The disease has lessened greatly these past couple of weeks. I would have done it, but it was only level 100. You know how it is,” Derek replied.

“He completed the dungeon?”

“Yeah, surprised me too. Didn’t think the prissy noble had it in him.”

Bronson didn’t seem to get hung up on how Derek addressed Wallace. “You’ve seen the dungeon?”

“Of course. I thought the disease was interesting, so I followed it. Turned out to be a low-leveled dungeon. Disappointing.”

Bronson scoffed. “Low level…” He shook his head. “I guess I need to go to the dungeon and take a look.”

“Good luck with that. That asshole kid took the only map, and the disease isn’t as easy to follow anymore. I took a look earlier and was surprised by how quickly the plants were recovering.” Derek paused and acted like he was thinking for a moment. “I guess I could take you, but you have to do me a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yeah, I’m leaving for Torith soon. You can show me around when I get there. Nothing like having a local guide.”

“That’s easy enough… though I don’t know how long this is going to take.”

Shouldn’t take too long, buddy. “That’s fine. Let’s go before it gets late.” Derek looked down at Bronson’s legs. “Can you move fast, or did you pump all your points into your muscles?”

At this point, it seemed that Bronson was already used to Derek’s rude remarks. “I can move fast enough.”

“Good, come on.” Derek walked out of the inn and toward the gate. Bronson followed.

After passing through the front gate, Derek took off to the edge of the forest at about three-quarters of his fastest speed. Once at the tree line, he waited. Finally, Bronson arrived beside him. “So, fast enough means slow, I guess.” Derek shook his head.

The other man glared at Derek with his mouth open, not saying anything.

“Well, let’s go then. We should still be able to make it back by dark. Even at your speed.” Derek took off, this time slower than before. Derek was right. Without a team, and with someone who had high endurance and decent speed, they were at the dungeon within hours.

“Here it is.” Derek stopped. The dungeon orb was about ten meters away, inside the clearing. Derek looked around. “Even this area has already healed quite a bit.” Derek walked to the orb, while Bronson looked around.

Derek put his hand on the orb and pulled up the dungeon description. ‘Enter Dungeon’ was still there, as he was under level 100. “Whoa, would you look at that?” Derek said, catching Bronson’s attention. “It’s definitely been cleared, but the reward is quite good.” He looked at the man and smiled. “It gives storage rings.”

The man rushed over as Derek removed his hand from the orb. Soon, the man put his hand on it. “This is going to be big.” Bronson removed his hand and continued to look around.

It wasn’t long before he saw the tree with a decaying body underneath. He quickly rushed over. Derek slowly walked behind him. Here we go.

39 INVESTIGATION

Derek stood behind and watched as Bronson inspected the body. He walked a little closer as if to have a better look. “Oh, are those the storage rings from the dungeon?” Derek quickly swiped one of the rings before Bronson could react. Bronson stared at him. Got to keep you from focusing too hard on the body.

“That’s not too bad. There is definitely a good amount of room in here. If they are all like this, this dungeon will be quite popular,” Derek said as he tossed the ring back onto the body. Derek inspected the body to see how the acid had reacted after he left. Not surprisingly, it had done its job quite well.

The acid had almost completely eaten through the boy’s neck and was working its way up his face and down towards his chest. It was at the point where it was moving very slowly. The right hand of the corpse that Derek had placed over the acidic wound before he left had also been eaten through quite thoroughly. As the acid had done with him, so too did it do to the corpse. Blood was almost nonexistent as the acid made quick work of liquid.

As Derek viewed the scene, he prided himself on a job well done. Luckily… or not, no monsters or beasts had approached the scene, leaving everything intact. I don’t know, maybe it would have been better if a monster would have come around.

Bronson stood up.

“So, what do you think?” Derek asked.

“It seems that Wallace was either the only adventurer to make it out of the dungeon, or the others left. I’m thinking the former. It looks like he used every recovery item he had in his storage ring trying to resist whatever this”—he pointed at the slow-moving acidic effect—“is.”

Derek looked over the wound and the bottles beside the body. “Hmm… Too bad. I don’t know how potent this stuff is, but moving this slowly, it seems that he was almost able to treat it. A couple more recovery items and he’d have been okay.” Derek took his hand and ran a finger over the wound, coating his finger with some of the remaining acid.

He held his hand out, and both he and Bronson watched as it reacted. A long time passed before it could make even the slightest dent in his skin. “At this rate, someone like him could have lasted plenty long enough to get back to the village at least. It must have been much stronger before.” Derek cast Cure Toxin on his hand and the substance disappeared, along with the mark it had created.

Bronson sighed and stored the corpse away in his storage ring. All that remained were the potion bottles and the three rings.

“You mind if I take these bottles?” Derek asked, confusing Bronson. “I mean, you can never have enough storage containers.”

Bronson just shook his head. “Go ahead.”

Derek stored them, then looked at one of the rings. “Is Richard’s map in there?” Bronson grabbed the ring, then nodded his head. “You should return it once we get back. He’s been pretty salty since losing it.”

“Salty?” Bronson asked.

“Oh, upset,” he clarified.

“Fine by me.” Bronson stood after collecting all the rings and putting them in a pouch on his side. “There’s nothing else. Are you ready?” the man asked.

“In a bit. I want to check something,” Derek said. “This dungeon was in an extreme overflow state when I was here last time. There’s got to be some monsters from inside hanging out around here. I want to look for one. You can go ahead and head back if you want.”

Bronson widened his eyes. “That sounds like a good idea. We can get a sense of what’s inside and maybe what causes Wallace’s death. I’ll help.”

There is no way that only one monster escaped during this entire process. If they could find another Acidic Ghoul, it would strengthen his frame job.

Derek took off deeper into the forest. The first ghoul he found had come from the direction farther into the forest, so he guessed that if there were any more, they would be in that direction, too. He looked behind him to see Bronson following.

Their journey continued for half an hour, avoiding aggravating other creatures while looking for an undying type. Their pace was much slower than before because they were looking out for the monster. Finally, Derek spotted a ghoul. It had made it all the way to level 120. Unfortunately, it was a Toxic Ghoul, not an Acidic Ghoul. Derek frowned but approached it anyway.

“Hmm… A Toxic Ghoul that came from an overflowing dungeon. It looks like it’s done well for itself while out here,” Derek said. He rushed forward and appeared in front of the monster. Instead of killing it, he allowed the monster to swipe and cut his forearm. He jumped back to Bronson and held out his forearm for the man to examine.

“It’s not the same, but it’s strong. If you decide to send people in to complete the dungeon, I suggest taking a ton of cure toxin potions. It wouldn’t take long for this shit to kill a normal adventurer,” Derek said before casting Cure Toxin. All in all, it took three casts to remove the toxin from his system. “Wow, three casts. You should warn them to take a hell of a healer with them, too,” he suggested. “If you don’t believe me, you can give it a shot.”

During the entire conversation, Derek and Bronson were dodging attacks from the ghoul. “I’ll take your word for it,” Bronson replied, then summoned his greatsword and slashed down. It crushed and cut through the ghoul from its right shoulder all the way to its groin.

“Undying man… you got to go for the head,” Derek said. Bronson walked over to the struggling creature and stepped on its skull, crushing it. “You should take it with you so anyone you send to the dungeon will know what they are getting themselves into.” He motioned to the freshly exterminated ghoul. “The levels of the enemies won’t be as strong as this one, but it will be a good example, at least. And, we know that there has to be more than just this kind because that toxin was definitely not what killed that kid.”

Bronson nodded and stored the corpse inside his storage ring. “What now?” he asked.

“I was hoping to maybe find the monster with whatever acid killed the kid, but it’s getting late and I have a hankering for another shitty ale,” Derek said, and Bronson shuddered. “What? You get used to it.”

Bronson shook his head. “I guess we head back then.”

The two began their short trip back to the village. They held a quick pace but moved slower than they had on their way so Derek could hold a conversation. “So, Gracefall, eh? What kind of fuck up does it take to get that kind of surname?” Derek asked.

Running beside him, Bronson almost tripped when he heard the question. After steadying himself, he spoke. “That… is not for me to say. You would have to ask Master Gracefall or access the library in the capital.”

Derek egged him on. “Oh, come on. We’re all friends here. Spill.”

Bronson just shook his head.

“Fine, fine. What about that sword? It seems pretty decent. You know a blacksmith that can craft some good shit? I’m tired of using my hands.” Derek wasn’t lying. His body had greatly surpassed his glaive. He hated to say it, but his favorite weapon was being nothing but a paperweight. Of course, he would never throw it away because of what it had gone through with him.

“I don’t know him. He is a friend of the master. My sword was a gift from Master Gracefall,” Bronson replied.

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll have to talk to this master of yours. I could bring him some ale from the village. I’m sure he’d like that.” Derek spoke like it was the best idea he had ever had.

“No! Don’t do that,” Bronson interrupted.

“Relax, I’m just kidding. That shit’s almost as toxic as that ghoul,” Derek said, laughing all the while. He was enjoying chatting with Bronson. The man tried to be serious at all times, so Derek did everything he could to get him to break. It was fun. He was glad that Bronson seemed to buy into the staged death. He really didn’t want to kill the man and was happy that it looked like he wouldn’t have to.

“So, are all the noble in your house as… noble as that kid?” Derek asked out of nowhere.

Bronson sighed. “No, Wallace was extra… conceited. The name Gracefall seemed to be too heavy for him. The master always feared that his actions would do him in. His older brother is the hope of the family, which caused him to be jealous and act out. Who would have thought that the boy would die doing something noble instead of inciting the wrath of a strong enemy?” Bronson shook his head.

Yeah… who would have thought it? Derek kept himself from laughing. They really had that noble’s personality down pat.

Nearing the edge of the forest, the two men suddenly stopped. Out of nowhere, a flying gray ball headed straight for Bronson. Surprised, Bronson summoned his sword and made to cut the object in half. Just before his sword made contact, Derek jumped in front, and the sword fell on his back, the gray ball hitting him in the chest at the same time.

“Damn, I really liked this shirt.” Derek clicked his tongue as he looked at the bunny in his arms.

40 CONTRACT

Derek looked down at the struggling gray rabbit in his arms and smiled. Well, now I don’t have to run around looking for you, he thought. He quickly used Identify on the bunny and was surprised to find it at level 64. “You’ve been working hard since the last time we met, huh?” Derek spoke to the Horned Rabbit as it turned its head in confusion.

“You… know this creature?” Bronson interrupted the reunion. He had already put his greatsword away and was watching the two with curiosity.

“Of course, this is Silvi. We met a long time ago when I was first looking for the dungeon. She has a tendency to fly headfirst into… well… everything. The disease caused her to get the taste for flesh, so she became a pretty good hunting partner, and we traveled together for a while. When I came to the village, I made her stay in the forest because she’s an idiot and would’ve probably slaughtered the entire thing by now.” Derek spoke as if it was the most natural thing.

“I… see…” Bronson replied. “What are you going to do with… Silvi?” he asked.

“Well… Now that I’m getting ready to head into the city, I won’t be able to see her as much. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use this…” Derek pulled out the Contract Scroll from the storage ring he was wearing. “But I like the creature, so it won’t be too big of a waste.”

Bronson’s eyes flashed. “Is that a Contract Scroll?” Derek nodded. “And you plan on using it on a… rabbit?”

“Is there a problem with that?” Derek asked.

“I guess not. It’s just that they are extremely rare. If I recall, there is a dungeon around this area that drops scrolls, and as far as I remember, it has only dropped two Contract Scrolls since discovery,” Bronson replied.

How lucky is that little girl? Derek had assumed that the ‘Contract Scroll: Beast’ was a normal drop from the dungeon as one out of five in his party had received it.

Bronson continued talking after seeing that Derek wasn’t responding. “You could contract a Wyvern or Direwolf or something. You could contract a Lightning Hawk and use it as an aerial mount. I know where a few hang out. Wouldn’t all that be better than a… a bunny?”

Derek furrowed his brows. “What good would that be? I move fast as it is, not to mention the teleporters in the cities. Plus, I like the bunny. Who’s to say I end up liking another beast?” Plus, it’s small, and I can take it with me if I ever go back to my other system. Derek got lost thinking about having a dragon for a second, but he tossed that idea, too. The problem was that, unlike tamers and summoners, beasts from contracts couldn’t be ‘put away.’

“If you say so,” Bronson said and then remained silent.

Derek sat the bunny down in front of him. “Okay, Silvi, this scroll is a contract scroll that will allow us to communicate and you to grow with me. I’ll initiate it, but you have to accept,” Derek explained, but the bunny just stared at him dumbly.

Whatever, here we go. Derek unbound the scroll, but before he could initiate the contract, Silvi jumped up and put her paw on it.

Level 64 Horned Rabbit has requested to make you its contracted beast.

Do you accept?

Derek stared at the window in stunned silence. He didn’t know what to think. This little fucker. He glared at the bunny, but the bunny looked back at him like a master waiting for a child to decide whether or not to become a disciple. When I don’t accept, will it use up the scroll? There was no ‘if’. Derek was definitely not accepting.

He sighed and mentally rejected the offer. To his relief, the scroll didn’t disappear, and he initiated the contract this time.

You have initiated a contract and requested that the Level 64 Horned Rabbit become your contracted beast. Please wait while it makes a decision.

Derek looked at Silvi, who looked back at him with squinted eyes. What the fuck is wrong with this rabbit? That’s it. If it doesn’t accept, I am not trying again. Derek waited a while to let the bunny decide. Finally, the next window came, and the scroll split in two, one half going into the bunny, and the next flowing into Derek.

Congratulations! You have successfully made a contract with Level 64 Horned Rabbit. As part of the contract, you are required to name the beast.

Does that mean that Silvi would have been able to name me if I would have accepted the contract? Derek shuddered at the thought. At the message, he focused on the name ‘Silvi,’ and a new notification surfaced.

Level 64 Horned Rabbit has been named Silvi.

Derek checked his status to see if anything had changed. It had. In between his ‘Stats’ and ‘Skills’ section, a new section called ‘Contracts’ had appeared. Derek viewed Silvi’s status.

Silvi’s Status

Personal Information

Name: Silvi

Age: 6

Level: 64

Experience: N/A (Growth Based on Contract Holder)

Class: (Initiate Bond)

Race: Horned Rabbit

Health: 1400

Mana: 300

Stamina: 2000

Stats

Strength: 100

Dexterity: 155

Endurance: 200

Vitality: 140

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 30

Skills

Charge Lv. 13

Poor Silvi, having to get by with the 10 points from a basic class. Derek couldn’t help but mourn for the bunny’s bad stats. His sight went back to ‘Initiate Bond.’ What is this? I thought we were already bound. He focused on it.

Would you like to initiate a bond with your contracted beast, Silvi?

Note: You can only bond with one beast at a time.

Well, that was always the plan. Yes, he commanded.

Bond initiated. Please share your blood with the contracted beast.

What the fuck? I have to feed it my blood? Whatever. Derek took a dagger out of his storage bracelet and jabbed his finger before realizing that the dagger could no longer cut him. Fuck. He put the dagger away. He searched his storage for anything he could use. His eyes fell on the arm from the Acidic Ghoul, but he quickly scrapped that idea.

Goddamnit. I hate it when I bite my tongue. He worked up his courage and bit his tongue. A metallic taste flooded his mouth, and he wiped his bloody tongue on his index finger. I hope this is enough. He thought as his tongue had already healed. He stuck his finger out in front of Silvi. The rabbit hopped a little closer and sniffed his finger. Finally, the bunny licked it.

A thunderous crash rang out throughout the forest, and the sky began turning purple. The wind picked up as a bolt of purple lightning struck Silvi. Once the bolt made contact, however, it did not disappear. A sphere of purple began growing around Silvi, the bolt feeding the sphere as it grew bigger and bigger.

Finally, the lightning withdrew, and the surroundings calmed. All that was left was a solid purple sphere floating above the ground in front of Derek and Bronson.

“What is that? What’s happening?” Bronson asked, his greatsword already drawn. He was in a combat stance, ready to attack or defend at a moment’s notice.

“I initiated a bond,” Derek explained.

Bronson looked at Derek, dumbstruck. “You used your bond on the rabbit? Using a contract scroll is one thing, but using your only bond on a level 64 bunny… Are you insane?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Of course, there’s something wrong with it. If… If the bunny dies, it will injure your soul. Why would you share a Soul Bond with something that can die so easily? Sure, with the bond, it will get much stronger because of your strength, but still, it’s a bunny.” Bronson couldn’t understand Derek’s actions.

Soul Bond? It didn’t say it was a soul bond. What happens if my soul is injured? Inwardly, Derek was panicking, but he didn’t let it show on the surface. Besides, I’m pretty strong, so surely this bond will increase the survivability of Silvi. “I’m sure everything will be fine. Just watch,” Derek replied confidently.

Bronson took a breath. “I’ve seen a few bonds before, but I’ve never seen anything like this occur. Maybe you’re right. Usually, nobody wants to risk it because of the possible soul damage, so there aren’t many high-level people with a bonded companion. They usually settle for the normal growth that comes with the contract,” the man explained.

That’s what I thought I was doing. Derek screamed inside while maintaining a stony expression on the outside.

They waited. Minutes passed, then an hour. The longer Silvi stayed in her purple cocoon, the more agitated Bronson became. “How is this possible? Most bonds take seconds, a few minutes at most. The longest I’ve ever heard of is half an hour.”

Two hours later, the void ball cracked. One crack turned to two before it eventually spider-webbed into numerous cracks. A bright glow shot out of the cracks as pieces fell. The fallen pieces of void turned into particles and vanished before they reached the ground. Yes! My Pokémon has finally evolved! In such a situation, all Derek could think about was one of the games that he grew up with.

When all the pieces disappeared, Derek was shocked at what remained.

Floating down from where the purple cocoon vanished from was not the little bunny Derek expected to see. Staring at the new beast, Derek was beginning to wonder if the horned rabbit actually had some kind of relation to an actual unicorn.

The creature finally landed on the ground, and Derek got a closer look. The bunny’s previous gray, puffy fur had flattened everywhere other than its mane. Silvi had grown a small mane around her neck, not unlike that of a lion. The flat part of Silvi’s coat was bright, shining silver, while her new mane was a dark purple flowing into silver locks. Also gone was the fluffy ball that made up her tail, replaced by a longer, smoother-haired tail. Small flashes of void lightning were still crackling around the body of the creature.

The small horn that Silvi used to have was now much more pronounced, standing at around two inches tall. Now, that may not seem to be big, but on the bunny’s small body, it drew a lot of attention. Previously, the horn was dull and short, almost like a bump on her head, but now it was sharp and long. The sheen of the silver horn wrapped in a purple spiral was a sight to behold.

Honestly, if Derek hadn’t double-checked and made sure that Silvi still had her paws instead of hooves, he would have thought she had become a legendary Kirin. Luckily, she still had a bunny face instead of a long horse-like snout. Her eyes had taken after Derek’s own and become dark purple.

Bronson’s mouth was hanging open as he looked at Silvi. Derek couldn’t blame the man. The change was just that great. Derek looked at Silvi’s new stats to see what all had changed.

Silvi’s Status

Personal Information

Name: Silvi

Age: 6

Level: N/A (Bonded)

Experience: N/A (Bonded)

Class: Legendary Void Companion

Race: Void Rabbit

Silvi

Health: 5440

Mana: 3750

Stamina: 5360

Stats

Strength: 525

Dexterity: 375

Endurance: 536

Vitality: 544

Intelligence: 375

Wisdom:375

Skills

Active Void Shift Lv. 1, Charge Lv. 13, Void Lightning Bolt Lv. 1

Derek had thought he created a monster when he saw Brandi’s class, but this bunny was something entirely different. Stunned at the status of his new companion, he decided to see if Bronson could help him clarify some things.

“Hey, Bronson. What kind of stats do bonded companions usually have, you know, compared to the bond initiator?” Derek asked.

Breaking out of his stupor, Bronson replied without much thought. “Umm… it depends on class rarity. Common and uncommon get around 30% stats of the contract holder, rare and epic get half. If the bonded companion has a higher stat than what it would get, it will keep that particular stat, and that stat will grow naturally or until the percentage of the contract holder’s stats outpace its natural growth.

“That’s why most people choose a companion with a different set of stats than themselves. A mage would choose a tanky companion, a tank would choose a companion with attack-oriented stats or support skills, and such. It’s why a… bunny… doesn’t make much sense.” Bronson hesitated when speaking the word bunny after seeing the evolution of Silvi.

“That’s what I thought,” Derek replied. It seemed like, because of his legendary class, the bunny had gotten an entire three-quarters of his stats. He half expected that Silvi was already one of the strongest pets in this world.

‘Who’s a pet?’ a voice went off inside Derek’s mind. ‘We kill human? Meat will be tough. Doesn’t matter. Chewy meat is good.’

Derek looked back over at Silvi, only to see the beat staring at Bronson with squinted eyes. He was unsure of how to communicate with her, but as she had picked up on him thinking of her as a pet, he assumed it wouldn’t be hard. He focused his thoughts and tried to push them to his companion. ‘Silvi, is that you?’

‘Yes? You dumb? Can we eat?’ Silvi answered him.

‘We are not eating Bronson. No, we are not eating any humans,’ he directed. He swore he heard a scoff in his head afterward. Man, this is going to take a lot to get used to, he thought to himself, hoping to maintain his private thoughts as long as he didn’t direct them toward Silvi. Either she ignored those thoughts or it worked because she didn’t respond.

Silvi’s communication left Derek more dumbfounded than her physical changes. In the end, he could only chalk it up to her extreme improvement in both wisdom and intelligence, plus her evolution into an entirely new race.

About that time, there was a rustling in a bush behind them. Derek turned to see that it was only a low-level boar, though, before he said anything, a small orb formed above Silvi’s horn, then a bolt of purple lightning streaked out at the monster. The monster fell immediately. The bolt left no physical marks on the boar’s body. It looked as if it had only passed out. Then, Silvi hopped forward through one of the ripples Derek could always see. She instantly appeared next to the corpse and began tearing into its flesh.

Looks like I don’t need to ask to see what those two extra skills do. I’m a little jealous of her ability to shift instantaneously… though, I think my Void Shift would be better during a real fight. He looked over at Bronson, who had also witnessed her actions. The poor man was visibly shuddering, a hint of fear showing in his eyes. But the fear was not directed at Silvi. No, he must have already put together that the bunny had a portion of Derek’s stats and abilities. If a fraction of his stats could allow a monster to do what Silvi had just done, then what about the man himself?

At that time, Silvi began complaining: ‘Disgusting. Terrible taste. Needs more flavor. You cook it. Like before,’ she commanded.

‘Cook it yourself. You’re smart enough now,’ he replied.

‘Can’t cook. No thumbs. Dumb human.’

Derek had turned his head back to his new companion while they were communicating. At her last thought, she raised a paw up as if showing that she couldn’t cook the meat. He chuckled at that. ‘Well, I’m sure you could figure something out. Too bad we can’t get you the cooking skill. Maybe you could learn a way to cook with your paws.’ At that thought, a notification popped up.

Would you like to teach your beast companion (Silvi) the skill Cooking?

Note: Two skill points will be consumed upon teaching the skill.

Derek stared at the message for some time. I guess it takes double the amount of skill points to teach a general skill. Fuck it. I have 16 skill points. Yes, Derek thought, watching Silvi all the while.

Congratulations! Your beast companion (Silvi) has learned the Cooking skill.

Skill Points Remaining: 14

‘This? Me… Cooking?’ Silvi’s thoughts and questions raced through Derek’s mind. With every skill he had learned, Derek could have a basic feeling and understanding of what to do. He hoped it would be the same with this skill.

‘Need fire. Human, make fire. I will cook.’ Derek laughed at the bunny’s commands and gathered a small amount of dried wood. As the forest had been rather dried up from the disease, it was easy to find easily burnable wood. He placed the wood close by, and using Chain Lightning, he caused a fire to erupt.

Derek watched as Silvi did her best at cooking a boar. The butchering process was both disgusting and hilarious. She even tried to use a spit in the beginning but failed. She ended up cooking the boar directly on the fire. Finally, after she got the boar to start cooking, she sent out a thought asking for seasoning. Derek had already written the experiment off as a failure, but he suspected the bunny would continue down this road.

Finally, the show was over, and his companion began digging in. ‘Delicious. Much better. Human, want some?’ Derek was actually touched that she was offering him some of her hard work. Disgusted but touched. ‘Pay. You give storage ring. I give meat.’

‘It’s fine. I don’t need any meat. I’ll get you a storage ring later, though. Just not now.’ If this was going to be his constant travel companion, he might as well go all out.

Derek looked back at Bronson, who had been watching the scene quietly in rapt attention. “Hey, Bronson?” Derek asked.

“Huh?” Bronson came to and shook his head. “Yes?”

“How much for one of the storage rings? I’m running low. I gave my extra one to that kid in the village.” Derek asked.

“I can’t sell them. You will have to ask the master once we return to Torith.”

“Figured as much,” Derek said. He watched Bronson, who looked like he was hesitating to say something. “Is there anything you need?”

After some hesitation, Bronson spoke. “This beast. Did it just try to cook?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I had cooked some food for her earlier and she really enjoyed it. She wanted me to cook the boar, but I refused. I got her the Cooking skill and told her to try it herself.” Derek motioned to the mess in front of them. “This is the result.”

“You spent two skill points to teach a beast the Cooking skill?” Bronson shook his head. “Never mind, don’t answer that. Of course you did.” He paused. “Why do you need another storage ring?” he asked.

“She asked if she could have one, so I decided to get her one,” Derek said. Bronson stared, speechless. “What?” Derek asked.

“I’m wondering if I should have become your contracted beast instead,” Bronson answered without thinking. When he realized what he had said out loud, his face turned red in embarrassment. He quickly changed the subject. “Well, it’s late, don’t you think we should get back to the village?”

Derek looked up at the darkening sky. “You’re right. Let’s go,” he said, then he communicated to Silvi. ‘Come on. There are some people that I need to introduce you to.’ With that, Derek put out the fire, and the three made their way back to the village.

41 WARNING

The two men and the bunny made their way to the village. It was the first time Silvi was going to go to a human village without being attacked or killing, so, after understanding what was going on, she was very excited.

‘How many humans? Can we kill? We can’t eat, but can we kill?’ Silvi was rattling off question after question. Derek was doing his best to answer and explain.

‘It’s a human village, so, although there aren’t a ton of people, there are a lot. No, we shouldn’t kill any of the humans there. Of course, there will be times when we have to kill other humans, but that time isn’t now. Before you ask, no, you can’t eat any of those humans either. It just doesn’t sit right with me. Also, you’re not eating any other bunnies or rabbits from now on, either.’ He communicated his thoughts to the bunny.

‘No fun,’ she sent.

Because they hadn’t been far from the village when they ran into Silvi, it didn’t take long before the front gates appeared in their vision. Walking up to the gate, they waited for the guards to acknowledge them and let them in. They went forward, and the gate shut behind them.

“I’m going to introduce Silvi to a few people, then I’ll head to the inn. You can go and do whatever. If you come there, I’ll buy you a drink.” Derek smiled as he saw Bronson visibly shudder. I don’t know if he will ever be able to get over the taste of that ale. Being from Earth, and being a former student at a university, Derek had tasted some truly awful alcohol, so, to him, the taste didn’t matter as long as it was cold and he was in good company.

“I may keep you company, but I don’t think I will partake in the ale this time,” Bronson answered.

‘Ale? What is ale? Is it food?’ Silvi chimed in. It was interesting to Derek, knowing that she was actively listening to their conversation. Or at least to the conversation when it sounded like they were talking about food.

‘You’ll learn about it later,’ Derek answered. I mean, she is 6, so in rabbit years, she’s what? 30? Definitely old enough to drink.

“I’ll see you later,” Derek said as they closed in on Brandi’s courtyard. “This is me.” He and the bunny turned to the left and walked toward the courtyard. Bronson nodded and kept walking farther up the street toward the inn.

Arriving at the courtyard, even with the sun down, Derek could see Brandi toiling around with her newfound skills. Thomas was sitting on the bench, his gaze never leaving the girl.

Soon, she finished what she was working on and turned around. “Derek! You’re back!” she exclaimed.

“Sure am, and”—he motioned towards Silvi—“I brought another friend. This is Silvi. She’s my bonded beast companion.”

Brandi stared at the purple bunny with wide eyes. “She’s so cute! Is she a bunny?”

“Yup, I bonded with her, so she took on some of my features. She used to be a Horned Rabbit.”

“That’s awesome!” Thomas chirped. “So, that’s what happens when you bond with a contracted companion.”

Derek nodded. “Alright, I just wanted to come around and introduce you all to Silvi,” he said, then his tone became serious as he looked at Thomas. “If you still plan on traveling with me, make your preparations tonight. I think we’ll be leaving sometime tomorrow. I talked to Bronson. He’s the guy the Gracefall family sent to look for their missing noble. Found his body lying dead by the dungeon, so he’ll be heading back to Torith.” Derek looked deeply at both kids when he said the last part.

“Anyway, I talked him into being our guide to the city, and he’s agreed to show me around a bit once we get there. He seems like a pretty decent guy for someone from a noble family, even if he is just their employee or whatever.” He chuckled.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?” asked Brandi.

Derek nodded. “Yeah, I’ve stayed here too long as it is. There are some things I need to find out, too.”

“A-are you going to come back?” she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

“Of course I am. I don’t know how long it will be, but I can’t just leave Miss Master Smith by herself. I have big plans for you—if you agree.” He patted the girl on her head.

“I agree! I agree!” she yipped.

Derek burst out laughing. “Settle down. It’s going to take some time for me to get everything in motion. Plus, I haven’t even told you what my plans are. What if I wanted to sell you to the highest bidder? Huh? I don’t think you would like that, would you?” he jested.

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“True, but you need to be less trusting towards people, especially with all the secrets of your new class. Remember that,” he reiterated. “Anyway, even if I’m not able to get everything set up like I want in Torith, I’ll still stop by before going to another city to check-in.”

“Okay, you better,” she said.

He turned and looked at Thomas. “You better go spend some time with your grandparents. If everything goes well, it will be some time before you’re back in the village.” Thomas nodded and took off running towards his place.

He turned back to Brandi. “Have a good night and try not to work yourself to death. Remember to take breaks and get a proper rest. You are no use to anybody if you wear yourself out.”

Derek left the courtyard and headed up the street to the inn. He planned on having a drink or two, then getting a good night’s sleep.

Walking into the inn, Derek saw that the place was a little livelier than usual. This was probably prime time for the village, so it made sense. All the times Derek had spent here before, he either came in really late and went straight to his room, or he was there too early for the bustle.

In any case, none of that mattered. His normal seat at the bar was still open, and Bronson was on the stool next to it. He walked over and took a seat. While waiting for Bart to make his appearance, he snuck a glance at Bronson trying to force down a spoonful of what looked like stew. Derek had eaten the inn’s stew before, and while it wasn’t as bad as the ale, it was not good by any means. It was edible, at least.

“You nobles and your fickle taste buds,” Derek said.

Bronson finished swallowing the stew and looked at him. “I’m not a noble. I’m the guard captain and master’s personal butler,” he replied.

“That’s an odd combination of jobs,” Derek commented.

“It is what it is. The master trusts me, so he made me his personal butler,” he said matter-of-factly.

Silvi suddenly hopped onto the bar and sniffed around. She made her way to Bronson’s stew and sniffed so close that she almost dunked her nose in it. ‘This food? Doesn’t smell like food. Taste good?’ she transmitted to Derek.

‘It is food. It’s called stew. It’s not very good stew, but it’s edible and will at least keep you full,’ he explained.

Bronson looked at the Void Bunny and removed the spoon from the stew. Then he slid the bowl to the spot in between Derek and himself. “Go ahead. I’ve had my fill.”

Silvi cautiously stuck her tongue out and had a taste. ‘Better than raw boar. Not as good as cooked boar. Can we cook it?’ she asked.

If Derek had been drinking anything at the time, he surely would have spat it out at that question.

Seeing Derek burst into laughter, Bronson questioned him, “What happened? What is so funny?”

“Silvi asked me if we could cook the stew to make it taste better,” he said, chuckling all the while.

Bronson cracked a grin at that, too.

“I’m sorry that my stew isn’t up to yer… pet’s standards.” Bart rounded the corner of the bar.

“Well, she said that it was better than raw boar, so there’s that.”

Bart shook his head. “Well, what can I get ya?”

“Two ales. Put one in a bowl for the rabbit,” Derek said.

Bart frowned but didn’t ask questions. He poured two ales, one in a mug and one in a bowl, then slid them to Derek and Silvi.

Derek took a big gulp. “Just as bad as ever. You’ve really outdone yourself. People will come from all parts to get a taste of this ale… Well, that and the storage ring reward for the dungeon.”

Bronson frowned when Derek so casually mentioned the dungeon rewards.

“What? There’s no use in hiding it from the villagers. You’ll be able to send a squad or two at most before the others realize something is up. I like the people here, so I may as well give them a heads-up.” Then Derek’s tone shifted, and he stared daggers into Bronson’s eyes. He activated Channel Void, and his eyes turned purple entirely. He entered a Void Shift and pulled himself to the open seat on the other side of Bronson.

Bronson jumped out of his seat and turned. Derek had disappeared before his eyes and was now behind him.

“Remember,” Derek said, “I like the people here.” Then his usual tone returned, and he reached over to his mug. He took a swig and set it back down on the bar. “Just a heads-up.”

42 LEAVING

Bronson retired to his rented room in the village inn. Normally, the small undecorated room with an even smaller bed would have made him scoff. Currently, though, his mind was racing, and it didn’t even pick up on the state of the room.

What was that? He was, of course, referring to the obvious threat that Derek had given him. Bronson thought back to all the time he spent with Derek throughout the day. The man’s attitude and personality had switched constantly. He couldn’t put his finger on which was the ‘real’ Derek. One thing is for certain, he is a dangerous man.

What about his beast companion? What kind of class and level would one need to have to get that kind of result bonding with a regular Horned Rabbit? That thought made Bronson shudder. He had never seen a purple element before. At first, he thought it was a more powerful lightning-type element, but when he saw the bolt of lightning hit the boar, his opinion changed.

The boar had died on impact, but the skill hadn’t left a mark on its body. Bronson even paid attention to the boar while the bunny was ripping it apart. There was no apparent damage to the boar internally. It’s almost like the attack extinguished the soul of the creature. It was the only possibility that Bronson could think of. The only reason he even knew that souls existed in the first place was because of Maria and her powers.

Before the bunny attacked, Bronson had thought that Derek had a class that focused on physical ability. How else would he have been able to stop his greatsword with one hand? Up to that point, Derek had given no indication otherwise. He had, of course, used some type of healing or restoration spell on his hand, but Bronson figured the spell could have come from a scroll or dungeon.

Then he saw the bunny’s transformation and its attack on the boar. Still, Derek had shown none of his personal skills. Well, until his threat at the bar. His purple irises had stretched to cover the entirety of his eyes. Looking into them, Bronson could only imagine his soul shuddering.

Then there was the teleporting. He wasn’t even sure if he should call it teleportation. There was no time between when he was in one chair, then the other. Bronson had seen people teleport before, and it was never as instantaneous as what Derek had displayed.

Above all else was the pressure from Derek’s aura that Bronson felt when Derek gave his warning. Bronson had only felt a pressure like that once in his life, when the City Lord’s father visited from the capital and brought a guest with him. That guest was another advisor of the king.

Bronson sat on the small bed in the cramped room and went over what he was going to report to his master. At this point, the death of Wallace and the birth of a dungeon that rewarded storage rings had been moved to the back of his mind. That night was one of the most restless nights in his life.

* * *

Derek opened his eyes and sat up. He reached out his arms and yawned while he stretched. I haven’t slept that good in forever. After leaving to his room the night before, he had slept like a baby. After stretching, Derek looked back at his pillow. Silvi was curled up, snoozing against the headrest. She had basically slept on his head the previous night.

Derek transmitted Silvi a message to wake her up. ‘Wake up. It’s time to go. We’ve got a lot of travel ahead of us.’

Silvi opened her eye and glared at Derek. ‘Can’t. Must sleep. So comfy,’ she sent back.

‘Nope, no sleeping in today. Come on,’ Derek said. The bunny stared at him before giving up and rousing itself awake. Then she flew into his arms.

‘You carry. I will allow. I sleep,’ she said.

Derek shifted Silvi into his left arm and left his room. He looked at the room that Bronson stayed in the previous night and wondered if he was still there. He walked over to the bar and asked Bart, “He left the inn yet?”

“Nope, you’re the first one up,” Bart replied.

“That’s good. I have some things to take care of before we leave. By the way, I’ll be headed to the city with him today. I don’t know how long it will be before I come back.” Derek stuck out his hand for a handshake. Bart grabbed it. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You’re welcome here any time,” Bart said.

Derek nodded. “When he wakes up, tell him I’ll meet him at Rayna’s place.”

“Will do.”

Derek left the inn and walked towards Mal and Brandi’s place.

He rounded the corner to the courtyard and saw that either Brandi had worked all night, or she woke up very early. She was in the middle of making some piece of clothing. Derek waited for the girl to finish what she was doing.

Brandi held up the small shiny cloth over her head so the sun could catch. She nodded her head and released a breath. “What’s that?” Derek asked from behind her, startling her out of her daydream.

After calming down, the girl spoke. “It’s a cloak for Silvi. She’s just so cute. I thought she needed something more.” She handed the cloth to Derek.

Derek took the cloth. The cloth was smooth, almost like a mix between silk and cotton, and purple—almost the same shade as Silvi’s mane but darker. “How did you get the color?” he asked.

“Oh, that’s one of my Alchemy skills. It lets me take any plants and make dyes the same color. The tricky part was getting the black hide to brighten up so I could make a color other than black. Finally, I just made a white dye, then used the purple dye after. It worked pretty good, right?” she asked.

“Very good. I’m sure she will love it.” He smiled, then took Silvi and sat her down on the bench.

‘Why? Was so comfy,’ she sent as she woke back up.

“Look at what Brandi made you.” Derek held up the small cloak. Silvi sniffed it and asked what it was for. “It’s a cloak. It will keep you warm and give you a little extra protection.” He took the cloak and tied it around Silvi, just under her mane. ‘Well, what do you think?’ he asked.

Silvi hopped around the area. The cloak rose and fell with each hop. ‘I like. Am I elegant?’

Derek laughed at her question. ‘Yes, very elegant indeed.’ He looked over at Brandi and gave her a thumbs-up. “She loves it.”

“That’s great!” Brandi said. “Hold on, I have to go get yours,” she said and ran inside the house.

Oh, I wonder what she made me. It wasn’t long before the little girl came running back out holding two identical pieces of clothes.

“You said you were running low.” She held out two dark black T-shirts. They seemed to be made of the same material as the cloak Silvi was wearing. She had gotten the shape and form very close to the shirts that Derek usually wore. “I couldn’t get the feel any closer. I don’t know what material whoever made yours used. I made these out of the bats I picked up. The hides had to be softened, so I used my tailoring skills a lot. They lost a lot of armor because of the skill, but I figured you don’t care a lot about the armor, so I used the skill until they stopped getting softer.”

Derek took the shirts and examined them. “Thank you! They’re great!” He wasn’t being overly kind, either. He really was running low on T-shirts, and he was genuinely thankful for the girl’s gifts.

Brandi beamed. “You’re welcome!”

Derek couldn’t imagine what another Leathersmith would think about the girl using hides over level 100 to make shirts like this. His shirts were even softer than Silvi’s cloak, so she must have used whatever tailoring skill she had much more on his. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Soon, the mood changed, and Brandi started pouting. “Do you really have to leave?”

He patted her on the head. “I do, but I will be back.” Then he moved in a lot closer. “And if things go like I hope, I can bring you with me.”

“Really?” she asked in surprise. “What about Mom?”

“Her too. It would be better that way,” he answered. “But first, I have to make sure that it’s safe. Remember, you have to keep your skills a secret. The storage rings, too.”

Brandi nodded.

“I’m going to go say bye to your mom, then Rayna. After that, I’ll be off to the city. You be good,” he said as he walked to the front door of the house.

He knocked and waited for Malorie to answer. The door opened, and she invited him inside.

Not long after, Derek walked out of the house with a steaming hot biscuit in each hand. And, since there was food, Silvi had once again made an appearance.

After some begging, Derek finally relented and gave one of the biscuits to Silvi. According to her, it was the best food she had ever tasted. It took Derek some time to convince Silvi that she still had to follow him and that she could not stay with the ‘Wonderful. Beautiful. Delicious lady.’

After that, he headed to Rayna’s residence to say his goodbyes to her. That was also where he planned to meet back up with Bronson. He would stop by Thomas’s house on his way out of the city. He wanted to give the boy as much time as possible to say his goodbyes to his grandparents.

When Derek arrived at the village chief’s house, Rayna was already at the door waiting for him. “Come on in,” she said, then she turned to lead him inside.

Entering the meeting room, Derek looked around to see some familiar faces. Richard was there, along with Leon and his wife, Sana. Delilah was not there, but Derek figured she was spending every second she could with Thomas. Surprisingly, Bart had made his way from the inn to the meeting room, too.

Derek looked over at the small group of people. “This is surprising,” he said. “I was only expecting Rayna. To what do I owe this honor?” he jested.

Sana stood and spoke first. “I heard you were leaving and possibly not coming back. I know I thanked you before, but I needed to thank you again for saving Leon and all the other survivors.” She bowed at that.

“There’s no need for that,” Derek said, quickly raising her back up. “I was there. It was well within my power to help, and there were no downsides to doing so. Also”—he looked at Richard— “I’m not trying to make light of your tragedy, but it was a good learning experience for the kid. He was naïve—and still is to a certain extent. What happened to the village opened his eyes to some more of the dangers in this world.”

Leon laughed. “Here I was going to thank you, too. After that speech, I don’t feel the need to anymore.” He walked over and stuck his hand out. Derek shook it. “I’ve had my reservations about you, especially with the… monster thing. But, from everything else I’ve learned about you—which still isn’t a lot, by the way—you seem to be a decent man.”

This ‘meeting’ was uncomfortable for Derek, to say the least. He was caught off guard by the people, then even more by the gratitude they were showing. He typically avoided situations like this, but he powered through.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Derek answered. “But you need to do what you can to help Rayna and Richard run this village after I leave. It won’t be long before the city, and others, catch wind of the storage rings rewarded from the new dungeon, and with this village being the closest to the dungeon, I’m sure it will become lively. Though I don’t believe there will be very many people coming back from the dungeon.” He smirked.

Derek was really the only person who had experienced the dangers of the undying dungeon. Sure, the other four had been there, but they didn’t see the number of ghouls and couldn’t understand the dangers of the acid and poisons they could inflict. Derek didn’t think the skeletons would prove too much of a challenge to adventurers at or around level 100, but once the second wave began, he suspected they would realize that they had bitten off more than they could chew.

Eventually, word would get around about how hard the dungeon actually was. Who knows? Maybe someone would even come out alive. For all Derek knew, there could be a scroll that would allow a person to leave a dungeon instance without completing it. But when word got around, especially to the Gracefalls, Derek needed to have built up a certain reputation.

It wouldn’t take long for everyone to figure out how unlikely it was that Wallace actually completed the dungeon, even if he died in the process. And when that secret was out, Derek, and this little village, would become the first suspects. Hell, Derek wasn’t even sure of how much of everything Bronson bought into.

After thanking Derek, Leon and Sana both left. They said their goodbyes and wished him safe on all his travels. With that, the room was left with Rayna, Richard, Derek, and Bart.

“Well, hell. I just wanted to see ya off. Not often that I run into someone who can keep the ale down and maintain a conversation at the same time. I’ll let yous three have at it. Yer always welcome at the inn.” Bart got up and patted Derek on his shoulder. “Take care, ya hear?”

Derek chuckled. “Will do. And be careful of whoever you sell that piss to. Wouldn’t want you dying over some noble choking to death.”

Bart just snorted and left the three of them behind.

“And then there were three,” Derek said.

“I don’t exactly know what you and the others did while you were gone, but seeing their strength and knowing about how Wallace Gracefall saved the forest, I have some ideas. Hell, the boy is stronger than me now. I couldn’t discipline him even if I wanted to,” Richard complained.

Derek smiled at that.

Richard then became serious. “He’s been talking about going with you all night. I don’t think Delilah or I got a lick of sleep because of it. I know we’ve let him wander around with you, and he’s all the better for it, but we always knew he would be back—and soon. Now he’s saying that you’re both leaving, and he doesn’t know when he’ll be back, if ever…” Richard’s serious tone broke, and he began showing emotion.

“Just promise me you won’t let anything bad happen to him. Take care of our boy,” Richard said. “And when you see Delilah before you leave, do your best to reassure her. She’s going to be more broken up than anyone else.”

“I can’t promise you that nothing bad is going to happen to the boy. Hell, I can pretty much assure you he will go through a lot. What I can promise you is that I will do my best to keep the boy alive. That’s not to say that I won’t let him get hurt because I will. I may even be the one to hurt him. But I will keep him alive to the best of my ability,” Derek replied. He would not lie to the man.

With that, Richard stood and walked by Derek before turning around and saying one last thing, “And if you do ever decide to come back, see if you can’t bring me a new map.” He left the room.

Derek laughed out loud. “He’s still worried about that map.” He shook his head and looked at Rayna. “Should I tell him that Bronson retrieved it and plans to give it back to him before we leave? Or should I just let Bronson keep it?”

She giggled. “That would just be cruel. Taking his grandson and his beloved map.” She shook her head. “Nope, you have to make sure he gets it back before you leave.”

Rayna then looked down at Silvi, who had been surprisingly patient throughout the meeting. “I guess that this is your companion that Thomas told Richard about.” She bent down to pet the void bunny, but Silvi disappeared and reappeared on the table behind Rayna and snorted. Rayna’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“Yup, this is Silvi. She doesn’t speak, but she’s every bit as intelligent as a normal person. Not to mention that she could probably destroy everything and everyone in this village—and that’s including Bronson,” Derek said.

“That strong? Is it because of your special… condition?” she asked.

“You can say that. When you bond with a companion, it seems as if they get a percentage of your stats based on your class rarity. 75% for my legendary class. Though Bronson said that if your bonded companion dies, it damages your soul, and I don’t really know what that means, and I didn’t ask,” Derek explained.

Rayna did not bat an eyelash at his casual mention of his legendary rarity class. “So, a legendary class gives a whole 75%?” Rayna mumbled, thinking about something. “So, you’re saying that this little bunny has three-quarters of your strength?” The absurdness of that idea finally hit her. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed.

‘I the best. So strong. Almost strongest,’ Silvi communicated to Derek.

‘Yeah, ALMOST the strongest. And don’t you forget it,’ he said.

Rayna snapped out of her daydream. “I’ve heard a bit about broken bonds. The ‘soul damage’ is actually worse than it sounds.” She narrowed her eyes at Derek. “For most people, at least. It probably won’t be too bad for you. When your soul is damaged, your body can’t output all its strength, and you lose XP based on how bad the damage is.”

“Okay. So you just need to earn the XP back?” Derek asked.

She shook her head. “It’s not that easy. The problem is that your level will stay the same. Say your soul damage reduces your overall strength to half. The problem with that is that when you are a certain level higher than your target, you will no longer get any XP. So, your strength is reduced to half, but you still have to fight enemies that are around your level to get XP. In your case, I don’t think it would be a problem, but for a normal adventurer, it’s devastating.”

She was right. It wouldn’t be a problem for Derek. If his stats were reduced to half, he would still be stronger than basic monsters at his level. It may take some time to get the XP back, especially with a legendary class, but he would eventually get everything back.

“Anyway, the reason I came here, besides saying goodbye.,” Derek broke the silence. “is that I hadn’t thought that Bart would come before me, so you may already know. I’m pretty sure I scared the shit out of Bronson last night and gave him a pretty clear warning. I don’t think anybody, at least from the Gracefall side, will cause you any trouble. But err on the side of caution.”

Rayna nodded her head. “Bart said that you pulled some neat tricks last night.”

Derek chuckled at that. If only they knew. He then spoke again. “Also, keep an eye on Brandi. She’s a bit too excited about her class. Try to keep her contained. Only a few people know about her class, and it needs to stay that way. I would rather not come back to find that someone has kidnapped her to work as a slave for some noble house that would soon cease to exist. I plan on making nice with some people, intimidating others, and possibly worse, just to have a place for her to practice her craft without worry.”

After that, Rayna hugged Derek without warning. “Thank you for saving everyone. Thank you for saving me. And thank you for everything else you’ve done. If the village runs smoothly after everyone finds out about the dungeon, or if the king decides it’s best to send an overseer to take over because of the valuable dungeon, I may go with you when you come to get Brandi… If you’ll have me.”

Derek smiled. “Of course. You would be most welcome.” He hugged her back. There wasn’t anything between the two. In fact, Rayna reminded Derek more of a sister than anything else. She was just about the only person who would scold him and didn’t constantly look up to him in reverence. “Now I have to go. I heard Bronson arrive a couple of minutes ago. He’s waiting patiently outside.” With that, Derek turned and walked out of the house.

43 TORITH

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Derek said to Bronson as he walked out of the house.

“It’s fine. Are you ready to go?” Bronson asked.

“Yup, everything’s done. Just got to make a quick stop on our way out and pick up my sidekick.”

“Oh? So, you are taking that boy with you?”

“Yeah… Oh, and his grandpa is the guy with the map. You should return it when we see him. I’m pretty sure that thing was like a second grandson to him.” Derek chuckled. Bronson frowned for a moment. Seeing the frown, Derek continued, “What? Will it really be that hard to remember where the dungeon is and put it on a map when you get back? Are you really that daft? Sheesh…” Derek shook his head. “Fine, if your memory is that bad, I’ll put it on the map for you.”

Bronson shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just that Wallace…”

Derek cut him off. “Will no longer be needing a map. Well, won’t be needing that map at least.”

“You’re right,” Bronson muttered, then produced the map and handed it to Derek.

“Of course I’m right. When have I ever been wrong? I say the map belongs to Richard, and it belongs to Richard. I say the ale tastes like piss… and guess what? It tastes like piss.” Derek patted Bronson on the shoulder.

The pair continued walking. Soon, they reached Thomas’s residence. “Wait there. I’ll go fetch the kid,” Derek said. He walked up to the door and knocked.

Delilah answered. She looked at Derek with squinted eyes. “Derek,” she said, then sighed. “Come in. Thomas is almost ready.” He followed her inside and shut the door behind him.

Delilah took a seat, but Derek only nodded at her and kept going to Thomas’s room. Inside the room was Thomas, standing with an outrageously big sack full of stuff, and Richard standing in the corner shaking his head.

“Remember what I said,” Richard said as Thomas walked out with his sack. Thomas nodded his head, and Richard sighed.

Derek turned to Richard before leaving the room. “I believe this is yours,” he said as he moved the map out of his storage ring and tossed it over to Richard.

Richard’s eyes went wide as he held his map. “This… Thank you.”

“It was yours to begin with.” Derek walked out of the room.

Back in the living area, he was greeted by the sight of Delilah giving Thomas a big hug. “And you listen to Derek. He said he’d keep you safe.”

“Alive,” Derek said, interrupting the two. They both turned their heads and looked at him. “I said I’d keep him alive. He won’t grow stronger if he’s always safe.” Just as with Richard, Derek would not lie to Delilah.

The older woman sighed. “As long as he’s alive and can come back home.”

Derek nodded. “That, I can promise you.” He looked at Thomas. “Now’s your last chance to choose to stay here with your loving family and friends. You won’t have that if you follow me. Are you sure you want to go?” He gave Thomas one last opportunity to stay.

“I’ve made up my mind. I can’t grow as fast here. I have to go with you,” he replied.

Seeing the resoluteness in the boy’s eyes, Derek nodded. “Okay. Let’s go. Bronson is waiting outside.” With that, the two joined Bronson and began their journey to the city.

* * *

They traveled for half a day before they stopped. Both Derek and Bronson had gotten some entertainment out of Thomas and his sack of stuff. Thomas had no problems lugging it around, but because the sack was almost as big as the boy himself, he was having a hard time not dropping or dragging it. Honestly, Derek had no clue what the boy carried that would be so difficult to store.

The three of them and Silvi had been moving toward the city at a slow pace. It was Derek’s first time in the city, so he wanted to familiarize himself with his surroundings more and not just rush straight in.

“I guess this is as good a place as any,” Derek said. They were on some moderately flat land that would be a good place to set up camp. Not that they actually needed a good place for camp. With Derek, Bronson, and Silvi, Derek would feel sorry for anybody or thing that had the nerve to ambush them.

The group made camp and got settled. They all chatted for a bit as Silvi went to the forest, returning a couple of hours later with some blood staining her face. Apparently, she didn’t think about sharing whatever she found with the rest of them. Afterward, they all turned in for the night so they could get an early start the next morning.

They got up the next morning and dismantled their campsite, gathering their things and getting ready to leave. Derek and Bronson watched as Thomas struggled to get his pack righted. Derek shook his head. He turned to Bronson. “I can’t take it anymore,” he said, then yelled to Thomas. “Tommy, are you an idiot?”

“Huh?” Thomas asked, bewildered.

“You’ve been carrying that pack for an entire day. I’m starting to think that the older you get, the dumber you become,” Derek said, shaking his head.

Thomas stood there, confused.

Derek was having fun at the boy’s expense. The last conversation he had with the boy about the storage ring was to not show it to anyone, so it made sense that the boy wasn’t using it. Derek let out a big sigh. “Why aren’t you using the storage ring I gave you?”

Thomas stared at Derek for a moment. Derek saw the moment it all clicked for the kid. Thomas’s face went red. Bronson would most likely think it was from embarrassment for forgetting about something like a storage ring, when it was most likely anger and embarrassment from Derek not telling him he could use the ring.

“Could you please stop calling me Tommy?”

“Sure… I’ll stop as long as you stop doing dumb things,” Derek said. “Sound good?”

Thomas nodded as he fished the ring out of his pocket and placed it on his finger. The boy put his hand on the pack and it vanished.

“Isn’t that much easier than carrying it around all day?” Derek teased.

Thomas looked at Derek, then turned his head away.

‘Storage ring. I want. When do I get mine?’ Silvi’s thoughts flowed into Derek’s head.

‘I’ll try to find one soon. We’re heading into the city. I’ll see if I can get one of the dungeon ones from the head of the Gracefall house. I’m sure he’s a smart man, especially after Bronson gives him a report,’ Derek explained to the bunny.

‘Fine. I’ll share meat next time.’

Derek chuckled and shook his head.

Bronson broke into laughter. “I have to say. You have definitely chosen a… special apprentice.”

“Yup. He never ceases to amaze me,” Derek agreed. “You should have seen him the first time I took him out to train. I found some really low-level ants and had him fight them one on one.” Derek began laughing. “The first one… He almost died fighting the first one. He had a wrestling match with a four-inch-long ant, and he almost lost. It broke his arm, and he passed out.”

Bronson shook his head. “Kids today… Always so pampered. Wallace made it all the way to level 30 without a real fight. Just had servants hold monsters in place. It’s probably why he died the way he did.”

“Well, hopefully I broke Thomas from those bad habits. I promised his grandparents that I wouldn’t let him die, but I didn’t say that he wouldn’t get hurt. If he gets complacent again, I don’t mind seeing him suffer some,” Derek said.

Bronson nodded his head. “That’s good.”

With the camp cleared, the four of them continued on their journey.

The group traveled for two weeks at a scenic pace. Through their travels, they ran into very few beasts. The small number of monsters showed that the forest was healing at a quick pace. The few beasts that they saw were all very low-level and would pose no danger to any of the villages around the area.

They did, however, run into two groups of bandits. It was a familiar situation for Derek. He had always believed that people were much more dangerous than monsters. The system coming to Earth only reinforced his ideals.

The bandits weren’t much, only level 15 to 20. However, neither Bronson nor Derek fought them. He used the attacks as an opportunity for Thomas to gain experience. Killing his first person was one of the hardest things he had done on Earth after the system, and he knew Thomas needed that same experience.

Oddly, Thomas seemed to get over the experience pretty quickly. Derek guessed it was because of the difference between people being raised in the system and people being raised pre-system.

Bronson surprised Derek after the second bandit attack. He captured one of the bandits and forced him to lead the group to their camp. It was a small camp. Bronson made quick work of it and freed the few people being held against their will. They left after, with a small group of survivors following them. They were already close enough to the city, and Derek didn’t mind having the group following behind them. Bronson occasionally tossed them some food and water to keep them satiated for the trip.

A few days later, they arrived at the gates of Torith. The city walls were outstanding. They made the walls around the village look like a white picket fence. The guards identified Bronson and let everyone in, with the survivors going their own way.

“This is Torith,” Bronson said. “What do you think?”

Derek looked around. “Smells like shit.”

EPILOGUE

IN THE CENTER OF THE SYSTEM UNIVERSE…

Darvin was floating back and forth. With his just over four-foot-tall form, he hovered inches off the ground. He had news of the system’s actions, and he was waiting for his guests to arrive.

Darvin was a System Watcher. No, he was THE System Watcher. He had been alive for millennia and had been the System Watcher for centuries. According to the records, which only he had access to, there could be only one System Watcher alive at a time. When he was offered this legendary class at level 250, he hadn’t known what to think... The final class upgrade was suppose to be at level 200. Of course, he accepted. With his acceptance came information.

Information passed down from previous System Watchers. If he were to say that he was the second most knowledgeable person from the system, no one would claim to be first.

He stopped pacing and looked into a mirror. He was a member of a race of psionics known as the Malaxis. Before the system arrived in his land, he and many others had already unlocked their psychic prowess. Adjusting to the system was no great feat. His race thrived during the five-year tutorial phase. And when their five years were up, they were already considered a powerful force in the system.

Darvin was a typical Malaxi. Humanoid with a small stature, purple skin from head to toe, and no hair to be found. His solid green eyes stared back at him from the mirror. He was wearing his usual green dress robe with purple trim.

Darvin checked his system to see the time. Would it kill them to arrive early for once? There was an anomaly in the system, so he had called a meeting of the heads of various system regions. A meeting of the strongest or most respected.

He had called a meeting like this once before, centuries ago, but that was to organize a system-wide tournament. This was to discuss a problem with the system that he had never seen or heard of before.

Finally, he heard the familiar hum of the teleporter ring out. He relaxed. At least someone has some decency to show up on time. He moved to the head of a table with 11 seats. He had invited ten figures to discuss the problem, and one had finally arrived.

He stared at the teleporter. Finally, it flashed, and a giant of a woman stepped out. She stood nearly nine feet tall with a head full of dark hair. Her skin seemed to almost glow a fire red. She was a member of the Ascarian race. He had to admit, she was as beautiful as she was intimidating. “Ah, Amelia, you are the first to arrive. Welcome. Please have a seat while we await the others.” Darvin offered the woman a seat toward the head of the table.

She nodded and sat down, not saying anything.

The two sat in silence, waiting for the others to arrive. Soon, the teleporter flashed again. This time, a creature with eight legs stepped out. The creature had a black exoskeleton and mandibles. It was a member of one of the insectoid races.

“Xephos. How nice to see you again,” Darvin greeted the creature.

“Darvin, it’s a pleasure, as always.” Xephos strode forward toward the meeting table. He shifted his body as he crawled into a chair. He looked at Amelia. “This must be the beauty, Amelia. It’s an honor.”

Amelia gazed at the insectoid and nodded.

As time went by, more and more figures arrived. Soon, a total of nine beings, including Darvin, had taken a seat in the meeting room. On Darvin’s left side were Amelia, the Ascari, Holcom, another Malaxi, the lizard-like Wri, the Ulaixian, and Awery, the Centaur.

On the right side of the table sat Xephos, the Ul’oc, Kelvin, the Human, the cat-like Briya, the Taji, and a blue humanoid Trischa, the Ivali.

Darvin waited for the other two to arrive. He kept checking his system time. He was becoming impatient. After some time, Kelvin spoke up. “Can we get on with it? I’ve things to do.”

Darvin sighed and nodded. “Jakis is young and may not know the importance of such a meeting, so he may have ignored the summons. Cuthos, however, is not. He will need a good explanation to avoid punishment.” He picked up a remote from the table in front of him and pushed a button. The teleporter in the room shut off. “So we aren’t interrupted.”

“Alright, first things first.” Darvin hit a button on his remote, and the table changed to a screen. He moved his hand to the screen and pushed a sequence of buttons. When he finished, a hologram shot up from the table.

Darvin signaled to the hologram. “As you may know, this is a model of the entire system universe.” He spun the hologram to give everyone a good view. Afterward, he hit a few buttons, and the model expanded. “As you can see, over the centuries, the system has expanded at a constant rate in all directions—”

“We know this. What does it matter?” Kelvin interrupted.

“I’ll soon get to that. Please be patient.” Darvin motioned again, and the expansion of the model stopped. “This is the amount of the universe that the system had covered as of a few weeks ago.” The model was a perfect sphere. The system seemed to have a perfectly uniform expansion.

“Now watch as I show you these past weeks.” Darvin motioned again, and the uniform expansion stopped. Then, a portion of the sphere began growing at a rapid pace. “This is the anomaly that I brought you all here to discuss.”

“How interesting,” Xephos mused. “It seems like by focusing all its energy in one direction, it’s able to grow at an extreme pace. But the question is, why?”

“It’s hunting,” Amelia spoke up for the first time.

“Oh, would you elaborate?” asked Xephos.

Amelia looked at Xephos, then at Darvin but said nothing.

Darvin nodded at Amelia. “I believe Amelia is correct. As for what it is hunting, I do not know. But, in the days that I have monitored the situation, I have found what may be a clue.” Darvin spread his arms, and the model disappeared.

He made another motion, and a picture of a human male popped up from the table. The man had coal-black hair and light blue eyes. He was wearing black steel armor and holding a glaive in his right hand. “This human is Derek Hunt. He is from planet C-186, which the residents call Earth.” Darvin motioned again, and a list of Derek’s stats popped up.

“Hmm. Level 79. If I remember correctly, this ‘Earth’ is under my territory.” Kelvin spoke up. “It’s not a bad level, but Earth’s five years is almost up. The strong should be at least level 90 by now.” Kelvin paused for a moment. “I will say that he has magnificent stats compared to his level. Can we see his titles?”

“We cannot. My power is limited to any being’s level and stats. I cannot show their titles or skill unless I am within a certain range of them, and even then, it is limited,” replied Darvin.

“So what’s the big deal with this human?” Kelvin asked.

“He vanished almost two years ago. What you are seeing is his status from then,” said Darvin.

Xephos spoke. “There’s nothing strange about someone vanishing. It’s possible for a being to leave the system’s range. I know a few who have.”

“You are correct, and two years ago”—Darvin moved his hands and another image with Derek’s face on it popped up—“the system designated him as ‘Out of System Range.’ Now, when a person is out of range of the system, the system can offer no more ‘help,’ but it can still locate the general direction of a person.”

Darvin then brought up another image. “This is Derek’s system status as of now.” The ‘Out of System Range’ had changed to ‘System Suppressed.’ “I have no clue what this means, but the day his status changed was the day the system began growing exponentially in a singular direction. This could be a coincidence, but I do not believe so. I have scoured the system records, and I could find nothing related to this anomaly. I think the system is hunting Derek Hunt—or whatever it was that suppressed it.”

A fairy-like voice rose up. “This is interesting. Do we know what happened to the human in the first place? How did he leave the system range? It may be easy for some, but his planet was still in the introductory stage. There should not have been many ways to leave the planet, much less the system.” Trischa made her thoughts clear.

Darvin sighed. “Yes.” He looked over at Kelvin. “It seems that humans still jump head-first into things without a modicum of research. I mean, really. ‘Things to Avoid in the System’ is basically free in the system shop, and the first chapter is all about portals.” Darvin shook his head, and Kelvin giggled. “A female human named Silvi Jacobs has been particularly lucky with her portals. Not a single beast has broken through. Though after she lost most of her team and her portal closed with Derek Hunt still inside, she has not done much of anything.”

“Oh? So he was trapped in the void?” Holcom, the other Malaxi, spoke up. “Two years in the void. I wonder how he’s still alive. How long would that be for the person inside?” he asked.

“We do not know. Time in the void is always fluctuating. It could have been days or decades,” Darvin replied. He turned to look at Kelvin. “Kelvin, once the introductory phase on this ‘Earth’ is over, you are to gather Silvi Jacobs and the remnants of her team and find whatever information you can on Derek Hunt.”

“Very well.” Kelvin tapped a few times on a device fastened on his wrist. “I will go personally in two months when ‘Earth’ finishes its introduction.”

* * *

The story continues in book two, Torith.

Derek’s Final Status

Status

Personal Information

Name: Derek Hunt

Age: 29

Level: 76

Experience: 365,118/590,000

Class: Legend of the Void (Legendary)

Race: Human (Modified)

Health: 7250

Mana: 5000

Stamina: 7150

Stats

Strength: 700

Dexterity: 500

Endurance: 715

Vitality: 725

Intelligence: 500

Wisdom: 500

Stat Points Remaining: 43

Contracts

Silvi (Bonded Beast): View Status

Skills

Absolute Nullify Lv. 1, Chain Lightning Lv. 9, Channel Void Lv. 8, Cure Toxin Lv. 4, Dismantle Lv. 12, Greater Meditation Lv. 3, Heavy Weapons Mastery Lv. 18, Identify Lv. 15, Magic Resistance Lv. 8, Multi-Strike Lv. 1, Physical Resistance Lv. 1, Rejuvenation Lv. 9, Sweeping Slash Lv. 18, Void Call Lv. 2, Void Sense Lv. 2, Void Shift Lv. 3, Void Storage Lv. N/A

Skill Points Remaining: 14

Skill Upgrade Points Remaining: 4

Achievements

Greater Giant Slayer, Jack of All, Lesser Dungeon Explorer, Lesser Slayer of the Unknown, Magical Glass Cannon, Meat Shield, Lesser Explorer, Offensive Powerhouse

The story continues in book two, Torith.

THANK YOU FOR READING SYSTEM CHANGE

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Also in Series:

System Change

Torith

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