As I make my way to the door the minotaur emerged from, Monty follows close behind. Inside, we find a single chest and a stairway leading deeper into the dungeon. The moment we step through the doorway, a system alert appears:
Congratulations! You are the first delvers to defeat the minotaur without a firearm. This achievement warrants a reward! In the chest before you are two rare-quality class scrolls. When you spin the wheel to receive your class, you are guaranteed a rare or higher designation.
I glance at Monty and say, "I don''t know if it''s worth the pain, but it''s something at least." I open the chest, taking one scroll and handing the other to Monty. Peeling the wax seal off, I unroll the parchment—and suddenly, I’m transported to a white void, standing before a massive spinning wheel.
The wheel is divided into colored sections: blue, purple, orange, and white, each inscribed with class names. I scan the ones within reach—Grenadier, Combat Medic, Merchant… Tank Hunter? I step forward and give the wheel a spin. It whirls so fast I lose track of the individual labels. After a long, agonizing fifteen minutes, it finally slows and lands on a blank white section.
Before I can start cursing at the system, the wheel vanishes, replaced by two smaller wheels and a new message:
You have landed on a combination wedge. Spin both wheels to create your unique class.
I stare at the message. "So I get a unique class… I don''t know if that''s good or not. ''Unique'' doesn''t necessarily mean ''good.'' Now I have the chance to be a…" I look at the bottommost options on each wheel. "Machine Gun Botanist? What good is that going to do?"
I take a deep breath. "Alright, no point stressing over ''what-ifs.'' I get what I get."
I spin both wheels. Again, fifteen long minutes pass before they stop, the needles settling on a blue and a purple wedge.
Congratulations! The classes Scavenger and Survivalist have merged to form:
Scavenger Pioneer
This class combines the resourcefulness of the Scavenger with the survival instincts and combat prowess of the Survivalist. You can efficiently gather and locate valuable items while enhancing your ability to endure harsh conditions. Cooldown: 24 hours.
A new message appears:
Full system access granted.Stolen story; please report.
Checking my status, I notice the descriptions are now more detailed. I can even see my exact health and stamina.
<hr>
Status
Name: Grant Larsen
Race: Human
Title: Dungeon-Summoned Hero
Class: Scavenger Pioneer (Lv. 1)
Attributes:
<ul>
<li>Vitality: 93/217</li>
<li>Stamina: 139/253</li>
<li>Mana: 6/6</li>
<li>Strength: 72</li>
<li>Agility: 93</li>
<li>Intelligence: 23</li>
</ul>
Status Ailments/Debuffs:
<ul>
<li>Bruised Lung (Minor): -20 Stamina</li>
<li>Internal Bleeding/Cracked Bone: Right arm mobility decreased</li>
<li>Twisted Ankle: -5 Agility</li>
<li>Dislocated Left Shoulder: Movement drastically decreased</li>
</ul>
Abilities:
<ul>
<li>Minor Luck Enhancement</li>
<li>Fast Recovery (Lv. 2)</li>
<li>Fire Resistance (Lv. 1)</li>
<li>First Aid (Lv. 1)</li>
<li>Scavenger’s Intuition (Lv. 1)</li>
<li>Item Weight Reduction (Lv. 1)</li>
</ul>
Skills:
<ul>
<li>Powered Strike (Lv. 1)</li>
<li>Weapon Handling (Lv. 1)</li>
<li>Identify (Lv. 1)</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Curious about my new abilities, I focus on Scavenger’s Intuition, and for the first time, the system responds:
Scavenger’s Intuition (Lv. 1): Leads you to the most valuable location within 100 feet, or, when used in a location, points toward the most valuable object. Cooldown: 4 hours.
So the system answers questions now? Alright. What about Item Weight Reduction?
Item Weight Reduction (Lv. 1): Reduces the weight of carried items by 10%.
Might as well check out Weapon Handling while I’m at it.
Weapon Handling (Lv. 1): A jack-of-all-trades skill. You can wield all weapons at an adept level. Gains experience from every weapon used, but requires twice the experience to level up.
With all my new abilities reviewed, I close the system. The white room fades to black, and I find myself back in the dungeon.
Monty, now sitting on the chest, smirks. "Took your time. Did you get something good? I got a rare class—Gunslinger."
"Yeah, I got a unique class: Scavenger Pioneer. It focuses on survival and scavenging."
Monty nods. "Sounds useful. You ready to head to the second floor?"
"Not yet. Give me the medkit—I need to wrap my ankle."
Monty hands me the kit, and I take out a compression bandage, securing my ankle for better support. "Alright, now I''m ready."
The stairs aren’t long, but they’re annoying to walk down with an injured ankle. As we reach the second floor, I immediately notice a difference—the ceiling here is much higher.
I stop Monty. "Hang on, I want to try something." I activate Scavenger’s Intuition, and the ability pulls me down a corridor. After some walking, we find a house embedded in the dungeon walls—unlike the previous floor, where we only saw doors, this time the entire front of the building is visible.
We cautiously enter. The interior is eerily normal. No monsters. No traps. Nothing out of place.
"Why did my ability lead us here?" I wonder aloud as we check the last room. It’s empty.
I turn to Monty. "If we barricade the door, this place could be a decent place to rest for now."