《The Power of Principles》


 Prologue: A second chance.

    How long had he been sitting here. Ten minutes? Half an hour? The ordeal that had transpired left him thoroughly confused and in shock. Every attempt to consider his situation left him crippled with emotion and distraught. Where was he? why had he been brought here? He was certain that he had died, but that was hardly the strangest thing that had happened. What happened after was so much stranger.


    Why couldn¡¯t he have just stop existing? By all accounts he had been an atheist, but it was obvious now that there was more to it. Although it wasn¡¯t like any afterlife he could have possibly expected.


    Carefully he recalled the events that had happened after the accident.


    He had found himself afloat in a place impossible to describe. Maybe it was nothingness, or perhaps even endlessness. The experience was utterly contradictive in so many ways. Feelings of being stuck as well as feelings of being completely untethered from everything made it hard to wrap his mind around what was happening.


    After an indeterminable amount of time a voice echoed. The voice was overwhelming, reaching every place in both the external space as well as deep inside the very core of his consciousness. It took a moment before he was able to understand the words the voice had said, but there was no sense of urgency and it seemed the voice allowed him to take his time to process it all. What had the voice said to him? Ah, that¡¯s right.


    ¡°We greet you, Kane Joyner.¡±


    The moment Kane remembered what the voice had said it immediately continued.


    ¡°Your karma is insufficient. You shall not be allowed entry.¡±


    Before Kane had a chance to respond a chorus of voices exploded.


    ¡°He is to be sent down.¡±


    ¡°His circumstances are special.¡±


    ¡°The laws are absolute.¡±


    ¡°Entry is forbidden.¡±


    ¡°A chance can be awarded.¡±


    It was hard to follow most of what was said, but Kane knew it was not said to him. Some kind of discussion had been going on. Still he felt oddly uncaring. Absorbing what was going on like a baby having a first experience.


    ¡°Kane Joyner.¡±


    Kane focused on the voice that had called out to him.


    ¡°We have reached a conclusion. A choice will be given. Choose to be judged now or to receive another chance.¡±


    Deep down he felt it was bad to choose to be judged, but it was hard to focus on why, it was hard to care about anything in this realm. Choosing another chance felt like a weight far heavier instead. Part of him wanted an easy way out, a large part. Still he reached deep inside, trying to listen to his own voice.


    Another chance. He was unable to utter it vocally, but the voices caught on right away.


    ¡°We have withheld judgement. You are to be sent to one of the abandoned worlds. Live mortal, you will receive no third chance.¡±


    And just like that, he had found himself standing on a small clearing in a forest. Back in his own body, but not back on earth. Two things made that obviously clear. One was a thin black spire far on the horizon reaching extremely high into the sky and the other a vague spot in his peripheral vision. The absurdity of it all was not lost on him. Then when he consciously tried to look at the odd spot, this absurdity quickly overwhelmed him.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kane


    Age: 26


    Race: Human (Commoner)


    Class: None


    Health: 100%


    Experience: 0


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: Average (46)


    Endurance: High (64)


    Constitution: Average (57)


    Dexterity: Low (38)


    Intelligence: Very high (81)


    Willpower: Very high (86)


    Perception: Average (52)


    Charisma: Low (35)


    Beauty: Average (42)


    Luck: Very low (13)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Class Bonuses: None


    Skills: None


    Karma: Extremely Evil (-2291)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Please choose your class:


    Farmer | Gatherer


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Everything that had happened in such a short time. Everything about his situation. It had caused him to choke. Emotions were welling up from deep inside, aiming to overpower himself.


    It was not that he lived a bad life. Unremarkable perhaps, but he had considered himself a good person. Perhaps he didn¡¯t always speak the truth when he should have, but he never outright lied. Perhaps he didn¡¯t always choose the best course of action, but he always abstained from choosing badly. If anything, his life had been guided by inaction. But where was the crime in that.


    But then that accident happened. He had tried so hard to prevent it. He had tried so hard to stop it. Unfortunately he had slipped and not only failed to prevent the accident. He had made it so much worse.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    How many people had died in that accident? Twenty? Thirty? Maybe even more? Had he killed those people? Was that even fair? Is he really a murderer?


    And now this. Brought to some other world for a chance of redemption? A chance to right whatever it was that had been wrong about his actions? And on top of that all, a choice to become a farmer or a gatherer in an unknown world that is shackled by some strange system and was dubbed to be abandoned by the Gods themselves?


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    His throat felt dry and sore as he knelt down onto the ground.


    ¡°Why.¡±


    He racked his brain trying to make sense of it all. Sorrow, despair, anger and confusement bubbled roughly on the surface of his consciousness.


    ¡°What about my friends... What about my family?¡±


    Gritting his teeth and holding back a choke he raised his head and looked towards the sky.


    ¡°What about my mother. What about my little sister! You put me here in this strange world. Give me some awful choice because you judged me evil? It was a fucking accident!?¡±


    His voice grew louder and raspier as his emotions boiled over inside of his mind.


    ¡°What would have been so wrong about just stopping to exist? What is this afterlife I don¡¯t even fucking care about? Why can¡¯t you just let me die and disappear, huh!¡±


    His hands grabbed into the soil as fury and anger washed over his face. With tears falling and snot pouring out of his nose he shouted from deep inside his core.


    ¡°Who are you to judge me!? I killed fucking nobody! It wasn¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t even a fucking mistake.. I slipped. What was I to do! Nothing! Let everything just, just¡­ just happen!? Fuck you and your afterlife, you fucking fuckers!¡±


    Kane breathed loudly, listening for an answer. Of course none came his way, only the sound of the wind swaying softly through the branches and brushes. Suddenly there was a slight crackle behind him, still furious and filled with rage he turned around and faced where the sound was coming from only to see a large cat like creature leaping from the thick brush straight towards him with its claws stretched out.


    ¡°-Fuck!¡±


    The two clashed, Kane barely had time to protect his neck with his left arm, blocking the cats jaws with nothing but the flesh on his arm. Kane roared, unable to feel pain. He was just filled with pure rage. Everything was bullshit, everything sucked. Ignoring the claws that dug into his chest and sides he repeatedly slammed his right fist into the cat¡¯s head, but it refused to let go of his arm.


    Noticing hitting the cat wasn¡¯t working he slammed his thumb into it¡¯s eye and the cat hissed loudly. The cat was much faster, but he weighed more and the struggle thus continued as the two were interlocked in the fight of their lives. Kane thought only of destroying his enemy. Roars from Kane and hisses and squeals from the cat echoed into the distance. Somewhere along the line his left arm had been broken, but so had the cats lower jaw. Kane had been close to ripping it off completely.


    Finally grabbing a split branch that had a fairly sharp point, Kane managed to dig the natural spear into the cat¡¯s chest and after a short struggle the cat had finally given up as it breathed its last.


    With his heart pounding and his body covered in deep cuts he screamed towards the heavens. His left arm hung limp at his side and his right hand was bleeding profusely from the many teeth holes. He knew he was in very bad shape. This cougar like cat had probably been aiming from him since he appeared and had stalked up close to him. All the more reason to scream at the Gods for this absurd gift. This absurd choice. This absurd world.


    ¡°I refuse!¡±


    ¡°Give me back my life! I don¡¯t accept this!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you! You hear me! Fuck you!¡±


    The strange spot in his peripheral vision was flashing brightly.


    ¡°Fuck off! Farmer? Gatherer? Don¡¯t make me fucking laugh. Fuck off!¡±


    ¡°Who gives you the right to meddle with my life so!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! Fucking¡­ Fuckers!¡±


    ¡°I despise you! I hate you! I fucking refuse!¡±


    After some more time cursing the silent heavens, a calm returned to him as he slumped down, his body starting to reel with the pain from his many wounds. Releasing the tension on his muscles and mind he breathed in deeply. His face had been plastered with spit, snot and blood.


    He had lived a boring life. Heused to haveno regrets about it in his past life, yet he regretted it all now. The things he had wanted to say to his family but never did. The times he blew off his friends, but deep down really didn¡¯t want to be alone. He had been shackled by his own devices. And now he was shackled at the ¡®mercy¡¯ of the Gods? He was dying. He shook his head. No. For the first time he had opened his eyes and stared not in confusion and shock, but with determination instead.


    He had been given a second chance at life. A shitty second chance perhaps,one that was ebbing away from him this very moment.But a second chance nonetheless. He will not live this life at the mercy of God¡¯s laws nor anyone else''s for that matter. He will create and follow his own. This time he wanted to live true to himself. A life of action!


    He really didn¡¯t want to die.


    He stood up, probably entirely on the fuel of his adrenaline, wiping his snot filled face with his blood soaked hands as he once more focused on his status screen.


    Only to find himself to be rather surprised.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kane


    Age: 26


    Race: Human (Commoner)


    Class: None


    Health: 9% (Bleeding)


    Experience:12


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: Average (46)


    Endurance: High (64)


    Constitution: Average (57)


    Dexterity: Low (38)


    Intelligence: Very high (81)


    Willpower: Very high (86)


    Perception: Average (52)


    Charisma: Low (35)


    Beauty: Average (42)


    Luck: Very low (13)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Class Bonuses: None


    Skills: None


    Karma: Extremely Evil (-2291)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Please choose your class:


    Farmer | Gatherer | Fighter |Berserker|Juggernaut|Herald of Principle


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Seeing his health drop from 10% to 9% before his eyes, heugently hovered his consciousness over the classes presented to him.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Farmer


    Grants bonuses to endurance. This class has the ability to grant various skills increasing efficiency and effectiveness for planting and harvesting crop. A skilled farmer can even find success in his craft in the most infertile regions.


    Gatherer


    Grants bonuses to Endurance and Intelligence. This class has the ability to grant various skills pertaining to knowledge of and ability to track a wide variety of useful resources. A skilled gatherer always finds what he needs.


    Fighter


    Grants bonuses to Strength, Endurance, Constitution, Dexterity, Willpower and Perception. This class has the ability to garner skill and talent with weapons and fighting styles of every sort. A skilled fighter can bring to knee the most dangerous of foes.


    Berserker (Rare)


    Grants all potential of the fighter class including skills pertaining rage and anger at the cost of intelligence. A skilled berserker is a force to be reckoned with.


    Juggernaut (Very rare)


    Grants all potential of the berserker class and grants extra bonuses to strength, endurance, constitution and willpower. A skilled juggernaut is an unstoppable force of fury and will.


    Herald of Principle (Unique)


    The Herald of Principle is both unbreakable and unbending. A force of absolutism shackled only by his own tenets. This class grants the ability to invoke a doctrine and principles holding power capable of shaking the foundations of the world.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

 Chapter 1: In a class of ones own.

    Kane had no doubt as to what choice he would make. Rather, he thought there was only one class truly representing freedom of choice. And thus without a single doubt Kane made his choice.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>You have selected the class ¡®Herald of Principle (Unique)¡¯. You can only ever choose one class. Once you have chosen your class, it can not be changed. Do you wish to confirm your selection?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A pretty damning rule all things considered, but not one that concerned Kane as he confirmed with a determined ¡®yes¡¯.


    Without delay Kane found himself enveloped in a thick golden light. He felt strong magical power coursing through his entire body. Every cell tingled, energized by a strange and unknown source. He felt his body being sculpted. His wounds closed and his muscles grew dense and hard. His bones strengthened and morphed into their perfect position. Even his left arm unnaturally straightened with a popping sound. Once his physical changes seemed to finish, his mind felt at peace. With a deep sense of clarity and a tireless and powerful body, he unconsciously smiled. His entire being felt unbounded with energy and strength.


    Kane took in a deep breath. The air was refreshing and revitalising. After a moment of taking in his new body, it was time to sate his curiosity. He opened his status once more.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kane


    Age: 26


    Race: Human (High Noble)


    Class: Herald of Principle (level 0)


    Health: 100%


    Experience: 12


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Base attributes:


    Strength: Extremely high (138)


    Endurance: Extremely high (192)


    Constitution: Extremely high (171)


    Dexterity: Extremely high (114)


    Intelligence: Transcendental (243)


    Willpower: Transcendental (258)


    Perception: Extremely high (156)


    Charisma: Extremely high (105)


    Beauty: Extremely high (126)


    Luck: Average (49)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Class Bonuses: 1 attribute point per level. All attributes * 3.


    Skills: Doctrine, Invoke Principle


    Karma: Neutral (0) (locked)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Without any knowledge about this world, there was no telling how much any of this really meant. But with his body healed, at least his most immediate concern had been dealt with.


    His karma also changed to zero and became locked, but somehow he felt that dying would not solve the issues the Gods had with him. Not that he would have any thoughts of dying, now that this all happened. Still he wondered what it meant.


    One attribute point per level did not seem like much, but perhaps that was only due the bonus he received that tripled all of his attributes. As he would learn more of this world, he had no doubt these questions would be cleared up.


    Curiously, Kane took a glance at his skills.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Doctrine


    Allows you to create your own doctrine. Choose your core principle and accompanying tenets. Current limit: 1 core principle, 5 tenets.


    Invoke Principle


    Allows you to invoke a principle upon someone deemed worthy of said principle. Invokes target with a permanent principle that will grant bonuses pertaining to the principle and aid them in upholding said principle. Breaking the principle will destroy the invocation.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "How novel..."


    They seemed rather obscure and abstract at first glance.


    But whether it was due to his increased intelligence stat or whether it was due to something else entirely, he didn''t know. But it sure seemed quite powerful. Was he more intelligent then before he wondered? He noticed little increase apart from that it seemed easier to create and maintain different lines of thought. It mattered not. The power of these skills seemed to have potential to change and possibly even break the very fundamentals this of this system.


    With a satisfied grin, Kane activated his Doctrine skill.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>State your core principle.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    After a few moments of deep thought, he nodded and spoke out loud. And despite the fact his voice sounded different. Deeper and more profound, it did not shake him in the least.


    ¡°Thou shalt not bow before any one. Neither before beast nor man nor king nor God.¡±


    That was how he wanted to live his life. Screw those Gods. This life was his own.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core principle set.


    You may choose your tenets.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Still, he didn''t want to live a bad life either, he wanted to make friends and enjoy himself along the way, so after a moment of deliberation he decided on the tenets.


    He knew how he wanted to live this life. Regardless of how this skill worked, there was no reason to worry about it as long as it felt right. He proceeded to set his five tenets after which he carefully looked over his Doctrine skill.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Doctrine: Thou shalt not bow before any one. Neither before beast nor man nor king nor God. Be thine own maker.


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Thou shalt judge with wisdom and fairness. For thine world extends beyond one¡¯s self.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Thou shalt take action in the face of injustice. For an unjust world is one unworthy.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Thou shalt not look down on neither beast nor man nor king. For they are the choiceless ones.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Thou shalt not waver in the face of danger, but thrive instead.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Thou shalt not falter in the presence of pain, for it is pain that makes life worth living.</li>


    </ol>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What exactly this would do or how any of it would activate is still outside of his understanding. But it is the first step towards the life he wanted to live. The life he was choosing to live.


    Kane kneeled over the corpse of the large cat and closed its remaining eye.


    ¡°Good fight.¡±


    With no obvious direction to go in except for the strange ominous-looking spire far in the distance. Kane set out towards it. Saying things had been a rollercoaster would be an understatement. But he felt relaxed. His past life was behind him, out of his reach. The judgement of the Gods was no longer on his mind. He had only to move forward now. Ever onwards.


    With his right hand he brushed his left shoulder similar to how a man in a suit would brush off a speck of dust. His entire body was covered in crusted blood and dirt. He probably looked just like a monster from a horror movie. Kane chuckled at the thought. Perhaps he was.


    It would be good if there was a stream or something along the way. Also a clothes shop would do him well too. He had transmigrated butt naked after all.


    During his walk, he spent time trying to fiddle around with his status screen. He had 12 experience. Probably from killing the cat. However it did not seem like he could do anything with it yet. Realizing he lacked a lot of information, he racked his brain about the things he did know about this new world.


    The Gods had deemed this world as abandoned. It was hard to know what that meant, however probably it is more along the lines that they care little of what transpires here and thus giving an ¡®unworthy¡¯ soul another chance here would not make an impact regardless of whether it is successful or not.


    There is also some kind of magical computer system that revolves around his status window. One class for life seemed rather unfair. But perhaps it wasn¡¯t quite as absolute as it seemed. A farmer would no doubt profit from having the farming class, but someone without it would probably still be able to become a farmer. They would just have to rely entirely on themselves.


    It seemed that for the fighting class it was probably a little different however. A farmer without the bonuses of a fighting class might still have talent to technically become adept at fighting, but would never be able to become as strong as one with a fighting class. He experienced the buffs to his attributes after all and it was truly amazing indeed.


    Was his a fighting class though? Considering the choices he had been given, it would appear so. Perhaps it is an evolution of the juggernaut class. Or perhaps the requirements for it unlocking had nothing to do with it at all. His class was unique. Common sense would indicate the class was specifically made for him. Who made it, had the system created it automatically? In any case no one else probably ever had or ever will have this class. Are there similar unique classes though? Kane assumed so. But with people only able to choose a single class, and the fact that they probably felt pressured into taking one early in life would mean special classes are probably quite rare.


    Also, he better not be the only human in this world as that would definately suck. Though those Gods didn¡¯t seem to particularly care all that much, they would have at least sent him somewhere he would have the potential to work on karma, right? He frowned and shook off that line of thought.


    He noticed a young oak sapling, long and straight. Probably decent enough to fashion a spear out of.


    ¡°Time to Bear Grylls.¡±


    The sounds of rocks hitting rocks and eventually a rhythmic sound of a tree being struck repeatedly echoed in the forest as Kane was diligently making his first tools. With a split rock that looked like an axe head and a long spear with a sharpened point he continued his journey to the spire. He noticed no signs of civilization yet, but there were plenty of signs of wildlife at least.


    He had also picked up a follower. A lone wolf had been curiously following him from a distance. At first he had been on guard. A wolf pack would be a hassle to deal with and he probably would not get another healing miracle any time soon. But once he realized the wolf was alone, he calmed down. There was no way a wolf would attack him solo. Probably.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The forest grew thicker, but occasionally he could still catch a glimpse of the spire ahead. Was he getting closer? It was hard to tell, the spire might well be 50 kilometers away still, it was hard to judge. But he wasn¡¯t getting tired any time soon so slowly the time ticked away as he strode in confidence.


    He smiled when he came across a small fen. Muddy and buzzing with insects and all sorts of slimy little creatures, but it was still a welcoming sight. The water wasn¡¯t very cold and washing off the gunk from his body felt refreshing. It was when he was finishing scrubbing the last gunk from his hair that a low growl entered his ears.


    Slowly he turned towards the growl and saw a large brown bear walking out from the brush. Kane eyed the spear to his right that he had left on the embankment and then back towards the bear again. The bear was still sizing him up, grunting and snorting while raising its head in dominance. He could rush to his spear but it would no doubt charge at the sudden movement. Slowly Kane glided through water towards his spear. But the bear grew more restless and suddenly it had enough. It charged towards Kane. Kane swiftly leapt towards the spear, grabbing a hold of it and turning it towards the bear.


    The bear was faster and came within striking distance as the spear hit flat on its flank, its claw swiped along Kane¡¯s chest. But there was power coursing through Kane''s veins and he refused to give away even an inch. He grabbed the bear by its throat with his left hand and with unimaginable strength managed to hold the bears weight back while choking it. With a quick repositioning of his right hand on his spear, the tip sunk deep into the base of the bears skull from behind its jaws. It had instantly killed the bear.


    The raw strength of his body amazed him. Kane also realized that unlike with the fight against the cat, he had remained calm throughout the fight. He felt stable and in control. It felt like his already incredibly fit body had gotten even stronger during the fight.


    He took a glance at his wounds but they seemed fine. The swipe on his chest did do some damage, but despite the cuts being fairly deep, he wasn''t bleeding. A quick look at his status revealed his health to be at 96%, and indeed no bleeding effect. Was it due to his increased endurance or constitution? Having a wound that should by all accounts bleed but one that didn¡¯t gave him a strange feeling. It¡¯s good not to be bleeding, but when would a human no longer be considered a human he wondered. His experience also increased to 36. There still seemed to be no obvious way to use it however.


    He looked down at the bear, it was a large one and its fur was glistening and pristine. Although he knew little to nothing about skinning, he still kneeled over the corpse saying the same mantra he had said to the cat.


    ¡°Good fight.¡±


    And then slowly and rather gruesomely, he worked with his stone tool to remove the bear of its furry coat.


    Several arduous hours later as the sun was finally setting, he found sitting next to a makeshift fire. The badly skinned pelt was hanging in its smoke. Professional skinners and tanners would reel at the sight at the ruined pelt that would probably decompose in days, as there was a lot more to it than just smoking a hide. Kane however was chewing on some half burnt bear meat with a smile, thinking it a job well done.


    When darkness came and only the stars and moon provided a slight sheen on the land, Kane took notice of a pair of glistening yellow eyes. His follower had been persistent, probably eyeing the bear carcass.


    ¡°Alright then brave little one.¡±


    Kane proceeded to cut off a paw from the carcass and walked out slowly into the forest, slinging the piece of bear towards where he had seen the wolf before returning to the warmth of his fire as he slumbered into a light sleep.


    At first light Kane ate his fill from the bear and glanced around his makeshift camp. His offering had been taken and the wolf was definitely gone this time. Thankful that he didn¡¯t get any surprises during the night, he worked for a bit on his shabby pelt, holding a cut out piece before him. He nodded to himself. He had fashioned a barbaric looking kilt out of it. It wasn¡¯t much, but at least it would allow him to keep some modesty should he run into any humans. By now he also realized he probably ruined the pelt so he left the rest behind.


    He was gaining ground on the spire. He should reach it today.


    His chest wound was healing quite fast as well, it had closed up just fine as dark red lines streaked across his now much cleaner chest.


    With a bloody spear in hand and his axe head tucked in his kilt he continued his walk towards the spire. Not much happened in the few hours it took for him to near the tower, but about an hour before he would reach the tower, he found a rather alarming footprint. He stood over it in awe for some time, pondering what creature could possibly leave such a track.


    It had all the resemblance of that of a bird¡¯s foot, except it was about half a meter long.


    ¡°...Dinosaurs!?¡±


    The word came out more excisted than horrified. Certainly it looked just like how he imagined the footprint of a large dino would look like.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    From then on, Kane moved more silently. But the look on his face would betray most expectations. He did not look afraid or even worried. Instead he had a permanent smile and his eyes were brimming with excitement.


    To Kane¡¯s disappointment, though probably for the best, he had not seen the dinosaur before arriving at the spire. The spire had a slick sheen to it and looked to be made out of a deep black stone It was perfect in its symmetry. It was only about 8 meters in diameter at the base yet reached unimaginably high into the sky as if made from some indestructible material.


    More surprising however was that there were signs of civilisation at the base. There was one opening into the spire and laid out in front was a clearing with an abandoned carriage and a path leading out into the forest. There was also some abandoned stalls that looked like people would use to sell wares perhaps. But the most obvious sign of civilisation would probably be the two people standing near the spires entrance. Dressed in medieval looking knight armor complete with helmets and sleek steel swords at their waists.


    Kane stepped out of the brush and onto the clearing. The knights took notice of him quickly. One even drew his sword after letting out a squeal before the other calmed him down.


    ¡°Who goes there!¡±


    It was an odd experience, he definitely heard him speak english, yet Kane knew intuitively that that wasn¡¯t the case. Some magical force seemed to translate what the man had said. Weirder still, if he would try to read their lips, it would still seem english to him. It seemed almost perfect, yet felt slightly off. It would probably get some time to get used to that. Kane shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He walked towards the two guards while holding up his hand with a friendly gesture.


    ¡°Greetings good sirs. My name is Kane.¡±


    The squealer still looked unsure of himself, standing slightly behind the other. The one who had spoken seemed more confident about himself and continued after giving Kane a good once over with his eyes.


    ¡°By the Gods man, what is that thing you are wearing and where in damnation did you come from?¡±


    ¡°A long story, let¡¯s say I happened upon this place by chance without so much as clothes on my back. Could I bother you with some questions?¡±


    ¡°He could be a savage.¡± The squealer whispered.


    ¡°Ever met a savage that talked like him? Don¡¯t be a fool.¡± The other replied.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Carl, this here is Dippy.¡±


    ¡°Muh-muh.. Mark! It¡¯s Mark not Dippy.¡±


    ¡°Everyone calls him Dippy.¡±


    Dippy sighed with a frown.


    ¡°Sure Carl¡­ And Dippy. It is a pleasure meeting you.¡±


    ¡°So, Kane was it, what was it that you wanted to know?¡±


    Carl had realized that he probably shouldn¡¯t underestimate Kane. Not everyone just wanders around the forest alone and manages to survive. The wound on his chest was also quite alarming, it was obviously from a bear. To let one up close like that and survive, that was quite something indeed. As for the skirt, Carl would rather not think about it.


    ¡°The way to the nearest village for one.¡±


    ¡°The path over there leads straight to Arkahn. It goes circles roughly in the direction you came from though. It¡¯s about a days travel.¡±


    ¡°Really? I might have walked right past it then. Strange.¡±


    To think he had ¡®spawned¡¯ quite close to a village surprised him a little, couldn¡¯t the Gods have just put him inside of it? But he shouldn¡¯t linger on those thoughts. If things hadn¡¯t played out as they did, he would¡¯ve probably chosen the gatherer class by now.


    ¡°And why are you two here then?¡±


    ¡°We are assigned to guard here. Normally it is a bit busier here but people have retreated on account of a traveling merchant spotting a Drake in the area.¡±


    Dungeon? Drake?


    ¡°A Drake?¡± Kane wondered, was it related to the tracks he had spotted? Most likely. ¡°And what are you guarding here then?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What are you guarding?¡±


    ¡°What? Are you blind? You¡¯re not blind, right?¡±


    ¡°No I can see the spire, I wondered what it was.¡±


    For a moment the two guards looked at each other in surprise.


    ¡°What rock did you crawl out from under?¡±


    Kane scratched his neck and chuckled.


    ¡°Quite a large one, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s obviously a dungeon. There are so many of them. It¡¯s¡­ Rather strange to think you have never seen one.¡±


    ¡°A dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Wow, is he dumb?¡± Dippy remarked only to be hit on the helmet by his companion. ¡°Quiet you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you came from, but you seem decent enough folk, despite your¡­ Whatever that is you are wearing. Why don¡¯t you join us for some food, it¡¯s getting pretty boring here without people around and Dippy here keeps getting on my nerves. I can tell you a few things you want to know.¡±


    Luckily Carl was quite forth coming during their lunch. He seemed to enjoy talking a lot while Dippy remained silent on the side. Kane appreciated that Carl did not pry much into his past. Kane learned some interesting things about this world. He also received a pair of trousers and some worn out boots. Carl had to apologize for not having any more extra clothes, but that did not matter to Kane. He was well on his way to civilization now.


    As for the things he had learned.


    Dungeons are places that gather negative energy. They prevent nature and local wildlife from becoming corrupt and transforming into powerful monsters. Basically they kept the ecosystem stable, Kane surmised. And with that energy it creates a dungeon beneath it where all sorts of monsters roam about. Dungeons should never be left alone for long periods of time however, or they might break and release all their negative energy. The surrounding lands would be engulfed in terror and destruction.


    Therefor people called adventures with fighting or survival classes delve deep into these dungeons. Kane was glad to know he was not the only one with a status window and a class, but it did not seem like you could see another person''s status or class. The reason for adventuring in dungeons is to keep the dungeon from growing out of control.


    Adventurers do so not just out of the goodness of their heart of course, it seemed delving into a dungeon was quite rewarding. Also various countries guard and try to monopolize their dungeons. There was no need for many guards here however, because apparantly this dungeon is smack in the middle of the kingdom of Luania. So there was little to no concern for outside forces to come in and raid the place clean.


    The nearest village Arkahn turned out to be the capital city as well. It makes sense considering the importance of dungeons in this world, but he had been walking in a straight line. To think he blew right past a large city felt awkward. Also, for being smack in the middle of a country, wasn¡¯t this place far too underdeveloped? Kane had asked why they didn¡¯t build their city right here, but apparently settling near a dungeon is a surefire way to overflow the dungeon with negative energy. So that was why the forest had appeared so remote and devoid of civilization.


    Kane had felt comforted however at the fact that this world still had plenty of people living in it. And the existence of dungeons and strange monsters certainly peaked his interest as well.


    ¡°About that Drake, do you know what kind of footprints they leave?¡±


    Carl peered for a moment at Dippy before both of them shrugged.


    ¡°No, I have never actually seen one. And hope not to either to be fair. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Kane roughly drew the footprint he had found in the forest into the ground. ¡°Roughly an hour in that direction I spotted a footprint that looked like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite big.¡± Dippy interjected.


    ¡°Yes it is.¡± Carl stated with a slight frown.


    ¡°I believe it might be left by the Drake, probably.¡± Kane smiled gently.


    ¡°And you found it an hours walk from here?¡±


    Kane nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite big.¡± Dippy interjected once more.


    ¡°Over in that direction?¡± Carl pointed.


    ¡°Yes, quite nearby really.¡± Kane nodded once more.


    ¡°It¡¯s really quite big.¡± Dippy interjected again.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Hey Carl.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Dippy?¡±


    ¡°We have to guard the dungeon right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do.¡±


    ¡°But no one says we have to be outside of it right? ¡°


    ¡°You are correct.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll guard it from inside the entrance.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great idea, Dippy.¡±


    Finishing up lunch Carl and Dippy gathered their things and unapologetically walked towards the entrance.


    ¡°Wait. Could I go inside the dungeon as well?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry, unless you are registered at the adventurer¡¯s guild, we can not allow you entry, unfortunately.¡±


    Kane had felt quite dissapointed. But seeing Carl''s sincerity, he had no intention of forcing the issue.


    ¡°It¡¯s super big.¡± Dippy murmured.


    ¡°I see. I think I might just go and do that then.¡±


    ¡°I wish you good luck, Kane. Stay safe.¡±


    Dippy also nodded while measuring out a length with his hands. ¡°So big¡­¡± before the guards both disappeared into the entrance of the dungeon.


    Kane took in a deep breath and turned towards the path. Seemed like the presence of the Drake had rattled Carl and Dippy quite a bit. It would probably be a good idea to try and avoid it, for now at least.


    Onwards with a smile, Kane set out for the city Arkahn.

 Chapter 2: Venturing to become adventurer.

    Kane had started to jog towards the city. It felt as if his body craved for it, and it was so easy. His steps felt so extremely light.


    The clouds had broke into a light shower. Yet he wasn¡¯t cold or uncomfortable at all. Being alive felt so utterly refreshing. Never before had he experienced life like this.


    He wasn¡¯t all out sprinting, it was really just a casual jog. Still he felt saddened at the prospect of quickly reaching his destination. He wouldn¡¯t mind to keep jogging for the rest of the day instead and so he was already looking around for anything of interest. A couple of hours into the run, he came across a set of footprints.


    A bear had crossed the path and the tracks seemed very fresh on account of dry dirt having been uprooted from the damp top layer. Half an hour old, an hour at most he reckoned. With a grin he gripped his spear and headed off the path in the direction of the tracks.


    After some time however he started to wonder if he had lost the bear. He was no tracker by any means and since the tracks on the path, he had found no other signs of the bear. He started backtracking a bit and zig zagging around in the hopes of running into the bear. After an hour of meticulous random searching, he finally succeeded. He could hear the bear growl in the distance. Was it fighting with something perhaps?


    If he was to tell the story of how he hunted a bear, he would¡¯ve said he was stealthy like a ninja until he was right upon it. The cracks of the twigs echoing the forest that originated from beneath his shabby boots told a different story. However, as it seemed the bear had something else to concern itself with, it did not matter anyway.


    When finally in sight, he saw the bear digging up the ground. Near the bear he spotted a distressed wolf that was pacing around nervously while growling at the bear. It seemed the wolf was trying to get the bears attention, but it didn¡¯t care, it clearly had other prey in mind and the wolf was no match for it. Putting two and two together, Kane understood what was going on and felt his body tighten. Power surged through him once again as he switched into a sprint with his spear at the ready.


    He had prefered to attack face to face, but time seemed of the essence. The wolf had already seen him approach, but the bear was too preoccupied to notice. He plunged the spear into the bears flank with a bellowing roar.


    The bear whined and turned wildly, causing the spear to snap in half. Kane slammed the broken half against the bears head like a club, but that was not enough. The bear reeled towards him and Kane lost his footing at the same time. The bear locked its jaw onto his shoulder and teeth sunk into his flesh. Kane in turn bit on the bears ear and ripped it clean off. He roared where its ear had been. The bear probably sensed that letting go would be bad, so it hung on Kane¡¯s shoulder while growling. Trying to shake and twist Kane¡¯s flesh..


    But Kane was strong, possibly even stronger than the bear and in the struggle he had managed to pin the bear on its back. He felt more power surge. Kane reached for his makeshift axe that he had pocketed in his trousers and slammed it into the bears skull. The bear tried to move and right itself, but Kane prevented it from doing so. He hit it again and again until the bears skull cracked under his assault. Still the bear hung on, its growls seemingly turned into screams. Once more Kane roared like a beast himself and finally the piece of stone struck deep into the bears brains, breaking its skull apart. The bear slumped and died.


    Kane found himself sitting on the bears chest, he gave it a couple of taps with the flat of his hand.


    ¡°Good fight.¡±


    He took a glance at his status.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kane


    Age: 26


    Race: Human (High Noble)


    Class: Herald of Principle (level 0)


    Health: 89% (bleeding)


    Experience: 58


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Base attributes:


    Strength: Extremely high (138)


    Endurance: Extremely high (192)


    Constitution: Extremely high (171)


    Dexterity: Extremely high (114)


    Intelligence: Transcendental (243)


    Willpower: Transcendental (258)


    Perception: Extremely high (156)


    Charisma: Extremely high (105)


    Beauty: Extremely high (126)


    Luck: Average (49)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Class Bonuses: 1 attribute point per level. All attributes * 3.


    Skills: Doctrine, Invoke Principle


    Karma: Neutral (0) (locked)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh, he was bleeding a little bit. It didn¡¯t look that bad though, at the rate at which his body had healed the swipe from the previous encounter, he wasn¡¯t particularly worried.


    Looking around he saw the wolf staring back at him, it was cautious, but also seemed thankful. He figured this was probably the same wolf he had met before. Peering to where the bear was digging, there was a small hole. And from within the hole tiny yelps could be heard. Kane smiled at the wolf and raised his thumb.


    ¡°So you were a mother?¡±


    The wolf remained unmoving, simply waiting it out.


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Ignoring the wolf he started to dismember the bears back legs, there was a good amount of meat on them. He would leave two legs for the wolf this time, there seemed to be quite a few mouths to feed after all.


    As for the rest of the bear, perhaps he could sell it in the city, this time it would be better not to try to remove its hide first. Probably.


    He threw both legs towards the wolf and suddenly remembered his second skill. Now was a good a time to test it out.


    The wolf eyed the legs and the den as well for a moment before calmly returning its sight on Kane. Certainly she looked quite wise.


    In his mind he activated his invoke principle skill and he felt a strange power surge through his body. He slammed his right fist into his left palm +and spoke towards the wolf.


    ¡°Stand proud as a supreme leader of one¡¯s kin and powerful protector of one¡¯s children. As a true queen. Be dominant and wise yet loving and gentle!¡±


    A golden light enveloped the wolf¡¯s body as the principle was invoked upon her. Within a mere moment she grew in size, standing even taller than Kane himself. Confused for but a moment she quickly adjusted herself. She no longer felt fear towards Kane and walked out with a confident gait that definitely befitted a queen. Her eyes shone with intelligence and her bearing was that of one who would refuse to bow down.


    Invoke principle was definitely a magical skill. And though its power was abstract, it was clearly very powerful.


    The wolf had feared the bears, but would no longer need to fear them. The wolf walked up to Kane and proceeded to lick his wounds clean with a demeanor of a mother treating her child. Kane did not mind and patted her on her neck.


    ¡°Thanks girl, but it¡¯s fine.¡±


    He hoisted the bear by its front paws on his back. Glancing at the wolf once more, who was calmly seeing him off.


    ¡°The best of luck to you and your family, I¡¯ll be taking this with me though. Stay safe.¡±


    Of course the wolf did not answer. But her eyes and posture seemed to be that of understanding. And just like that, a queen was born that day.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The weight wasn¡¯t too bad. But being very top heavy, keeping balance was slightly annoying over the rough terrain. Before long however, he had found the path again and headed towards the city. He mulled over his immediate future. Perhaps after selling this bear, he could buy a weapon that wouldn¡¯t break after only two uses.


    When the city came into view, he was a bit surprised. It wasn¡¯t his idea of a capital city at all. The city laid on a raised u-shaped sloped land formation, towards the higher end stood a large castle and in front of the were strewn out houses. Fifty, sixty, a hundred at most? How many people would live here, five hundred, a thousand maybe? Way too small to call a city.


    At least the city was gated it seemed. Or rather, a more appropriate term would be fenced? Where were the grand cities from lord of the rings?


    The castle sure was pretty large, but it didn¡¯t even look all that impressive. Rather it looked bland and boring. Grey and rough.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    On the way to the gate he walked past a farmer that gave him a curious look. Kane waved his hand at which the farmer reacted to by quickly going back to work. He hoped they weren¡¯t too xenophobic here. His run in with Carl didn¡¯t suggest so, but that might have just been Carl¡¯s nature.


    He was let in relatively easy. After stating his intentions, the guards opened the gate for him and even told him where he might be able to sell the bear. They had looked at him strangely, but it didn¡¯t seem like they had any intention to bar entrance at least. Strangely, they seemed to lack motivation altogether. A rather odd and uncomfortable atmosphere hung around this city like a deep invisible fog.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he stood before a place that smelt particularly bad. Suddenly the door sprung open and a man burst out of the door.


    ¡°Ah a hunter! Nice catch, nice catch. Come inside, come inside!¡±


    And as quickly as he came out, he went back in. He could at least have held the door for him. Kane shrugged and slugged himself and the bear through the large doorway.


    ¡°Put it on the table in the back over there.¡±


    The man was already preparing all kinds of tools. Shouldn¡¯t he try to buy the bear first? What was his business anyway and by the Gods what was this smell.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to sell the bear.¡± Kane said as he placed the bear on the large table. ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Finally the man turned towards the table with a shocked expression on his face.


    ¡°Whe- whe- whe--- Where is the rest of it!?¡±


    ¡°I cut of its hind legs.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no.. Oh no, what have you done to it, oh no..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Just a dead bear. Sir.¡±


    The man gave Kane a look that could probably kill, but then composed himself.


    ¡°Of course, yes. Of course. My apologies. A bear this size though. I would¡¯ve bought it from you for 20 silvers if it was in tact. Now though. I can give you 3 -¡±, as the man continued the inspect the bear, ¡°no, 4 silvers at most. Ah! What happened to your shoulder!¡±


    ¡°Bear teeth.¡± Kane animated the scene with his right hand with a faint smile at which the tanner¡¯s jaw simply dropped.


    ¡°Fine, you are the strangest hunter I have ever seen. But no matter, here¡¯s your coin, go buy a shirt with it. Now goodbye. I have got work to do.¡±


    Kane took the silver coins and studied them, a kingly imprint marking one side. They were fairly well made, he noted.


    ¡°Certainly, I have received my pay. I bid you a good day.¡±


    ¡°Shoo, shoo.¡±


    With how terrible the smell here was, he didn¡¯t have to say that twice. Even though he did say it twice. Kane swiftly left the tanning house.


    ¡°First things first.¡±


    The people moving about mostly ignored him, giving him only a couple of stares at most. But when he asked for directions, they would swiftly explain whatever he needed to know. And thus he stood before the adventurer¡¯s guild. He hadn¡¯t expected much of it after having seen this town, he steeled himself for disappointment and entered the building.


    But he was surprised by the scene that met his eyes. There was a low area furnitured like a common tavern, groups of interesting looking people were sitting at many of the tables and the atmosphere was lively. Rowdy even. A woman wearing a robe who had a long exquisite looking staff with a glowing gem caught his eye. Also a large man wearing way too much armor for being indoors had an oversized mace leaning against his table.


    Even more interesting was a small statured broad shouldered man with a long beard, merrily drinking his ale like it was water. And another man that seemed to have scales running up his neck, and was that a tail hanging out beneath? Over at the bar there was even a young waitress girl serving out drinks who had animal ears! And a furry tail! Half humans existed in this world!


    Hmm, he had seen only humans out in the street though. Maybe they were rare then. Still, this was exactly how a world with magic and dungeons should be like. With a smile plastered across his face he let out a pleasing sigh. Few also took notice of him, but quickly lost interest.


    Off on the other side was a large panel with papers hanging from it and a small waiting area as well as a reception. A sign with a large shield emblem marked its location. That was probably the adventurer¡¯s guild area. Kane walked towards the man sitting behind a desk.


    ¡°What can do for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to sign up. Go on quests and grand adventure!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Name?¡±


    ¡°Kane.¡±


    ¡°Age?¡±


    ¡°26.¡±


    ¡°Race?¡±


    ¡°Human¡±


    ¡°Class?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Herald of Principle.¡±


    ¡°...Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Herald of Principle. That¡¯s H E.-¡±


    ¡°No, no, wait. We¡¯ll do this the easy way. Follow me.¡±


    The man stood up and entered a backroom, Kane followed, he understood his class would probably be unknown, but he also figured lying about it probably wouldn¡¯t help either, so he expected as much.


    ¡°Place your hand on this orb, it will allow me to see your class.¡±


    Interesting.


    ¡°Will it show attributes as well?¡±


    ¡°No, though there are ways to be able to measure someone''s attributes roughly, there is no way to test someone for them accurately unfortunately.¡±


    So there are ways to see other peoples status after all, albeit with limitations. Kane placed his hand on the orb.


    ¡°Hooooh¡­ You really weren¡¯t lying. Level 0 still, but what kind of class is it? Is it a fighting class? Usually rare classes are pretty strong, but is this one like that as well, or is it useless? Is it a very rare class perhaps, or maybe even legendary?¡±


    The clerk¡¯s eyes shone brightly. So there were legendary classes as well. Kane¡¯s was unique though, He wondered how they would compare.


    ¡°I guess it is probably fairly special, it isn¡¯t legendary though. And I can handle myself, I killed a couple of bears on my way here. No problem.¡±


    Learning that it wasn¡¯t a legendary class seemed to disappoint the clerk a little.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take your word for it. Do know you have holes on your shoulder by the way? Are you sure you had no problems with those bears you defeated?¡±


    Kane glanced over his status. 88%. It did drop a percentage, but the bleeding had stopped, probably nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Just a little roughed up, nothing to worry about. I didn¡¯t have a decent weapon you see.¡±


    The clerk raised his eyebrow. ¡°I see. Well then, I¡¯ve filled out the required paperwork. Take this.¡±


    He gave Kane a copper tag. ¡°Now hold it in your hands and say the word activate.¡±


    ¡°Activate.¡± The clerk took the tag back and said ¡°Confirm¡± The tag lit up with a magical sheen for a moment before looking utterly ordinary again.


    ¡°Here you go, don¡¯t lose it. Now you are copper ranked and can take on copper ranked requests. Prove yourself worthy and you might just rise in rank. There are a total of four ranks. Copper, iron, silver and platinum. Though considered a rookie now, when you reach iron you will be considered to be a capable adventurer. At silver you are considered to be professional and platinum rank is reserved only for the strongest and most capable of adventurers. Please be aware of your limits and do try to adventure together with other people as it raises your chances of survival. When you pick out a request, note the location of the requester and always go to them first to officially request the quest. Your reward is also handled by the requester. If you would rather go to a dungeon, you can sell any raw materials you might find, you can do so at the back of the guild house. Any more questions?¡±


    ¡°No, that should be fine. If I can think of anything, I will be sure to ask.¡±


    ¡°Good, welcome to the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Kane hung the tag around his neck. Now that he had his tag, Carl would probably let him inside that dungeon. But perhaps he should first look over the requests, see if anything would pop out at him. Which reminded him.


    ¡°Oh right, I noticed it is pretty busy upfront, they are all adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I would venture a guess to say that they are, yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was just wondering, since it is in the middle of the day.¡±


    ¡°Most of them have come from other places to gather together for the drake extermination request. A few might simply be waiting for the dungeon to reopen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a drake hunt. Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Sir, you only just signed up here, I would strongly oppose joining them. Drakes are even dangerous to kill for platinum adventurers. But, the scales are worth a lot, and there are always people willing to risk their necks for a bit of gold.¡±


    ¡°Ah but I am allowed to accompany them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your life you are throwing away, it would be different on a dungeon or specific request where things revolve around good teamwork as well. But I doubt anyone would be in the way on a drake slaying quest. An extra target might give the rest a couple more seconds.¡±


    The clerk smirked rather evilly. But Kane understood it was sarcastic and rather meant as a warning.


    ¡°I see, thank you.¡±


    At the request board, Kane read through the papers one by one. Ironically, almost all requests were gathering requests. Was gatherer considered an adventurer class after all? The drake request looked real fancy, it started by stating it was by the king¡¯s request. The reward seemed to be 20 gold coins split between all adventurers and no limit on the amount of adventurers that were accepted. 20 gold is probably a lot, but wouldn¡¯t this cause issues? There was a date on it, the fifth of tempest. That was when the expedition would set out. Without knowing what date it was now, there was no telling when that would be. So Kane turned around and faced the rowdy tavern area.


    ¡°Greetings good people, my name is Kane. May I ask what date it is today?¡±


    Kane spread out his arms invitingly hoping for a response, only to be met with several glares before the mage woman finally replied. ¡°Sure cop. It is the 4th of tempest today.¡± Kane was certain her smile was meaningful to say the least, so he gave her wink in return.


    ¡°One more day until the drake expedition!¡±


    Although the dungeon was definitely alluring, adventuring with a group of actual adventurers on a grand quest such as this was so much more alluring.


    ¡°Seems like I came just in time.¡±

 Chapter 3: Good prep is half the battle.

    Kane¡¯s statement received more then a few chuckles from the crowd.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise, laddy? Few foes as dangerous as drakes out there.¡± The dwarf said while stroking his beard.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t look kindly on a leecher trying to get some coin.¡± A more shady looking fellow responded. ¡°Go kill some rats instead, scrub.¡±


    ¡°You worried about the actual quest reward? Are you a rookie yourself or something?¡± The heavily armored man interjected facing the shady looking fellow. ¡°-the scales alone would be a couple hundred gold split for the survivors. I say let him come. We kill the drake while he keeps it busy being eaten and all. Ha ha ha!¡±


    ¡°It is settled then, I am looking forward to cooperating with you all.¡± Kane cared little for the mockery, he had only one thing on his mind. Tomorrow he would go out and slay a freaking dinosaur.


    The shady looking fellow harrumphed. ¡°Fine, see if I care.¡±. Kane smiled at him. It was he that seemed to mock him the most, but Kane had a feeling this man was having good intentions.


    A quick glance at the mage woman yielded no results, seemed like she was completely ignoring him. Kane had thought he was a decent judge of character, but perhaps there was still much to learn.


    The scaly guy at her table waved him over however, an invitation he gladly accepted.


    ¡°Kane was it. So you¡¯re a copper, huh.¡±


    ¡°¡®¡¯Nother round, lassy!¡±, the dwarf barked loudly.


    The catgirl hurriedly set down a number of filled mugs on the table.


    ¡°I just joined the guild a moment ago. Cheers.¡± Kane gulped down some grog. It was warm, but not as terrible as he imagined it would be. It reminded him of some of the more darker beers back on earth.


    ¡°I see, at least you do seem to have some fighting experience.¡± He glanced at the wounds on his shoulder and the scar along his chest. ¡°Fighting bears a lot, are we?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, I suppose so. Yes. And wow. You are all silver adventurers. Amazing! I can not express in words my admiration for you all.¡±


    Kane looked over the table at each of the occupants. The scaly man looked slender and agile, a swordsman by the looks of it. His movements were a testament of someone truly well in control of his own body. He seemed like some kind of dragon or lizardkin, yet his face was still very human-like.


    The dwarf seemed more occupied with his drink than with Kane, but still gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Thanks laddy.¡±. There was little to note about him, aside from the fact he pretty much looked exactly like Kane thought a dwarf should look like.


    The third man looked a bit scrawny. He was wearing a light set of clothes and had a small mace hanging on his side. Other than that he didn¡¯t look very impressive at all, if not for the silver tag hanging on his neck, one would think him a beggar. And then there was the mage woman sitting next to him. Her robe wasn¡¯t quite as exquisite as he first thought it was, there was definatety some wear. But it was definitely far from simple rags either and it fitted her well. She also seemed to take exceptional care of her looks. Her hair had a magical luster to it unlike he had ever seen, except maybe in l¡¯oreal commercials. No doubt her beauty and charisma attributes were quite high. Unfortunately she had been strangely ignoring him since he had winked at her, but now that his eyes had fallen on her again, suddenly she turned and leaned in towards him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a strange one, cop. I wonder, what is your position, hmm?¡±, the woman trailed her finger along one of the claw marks on his chest. Kane had no idea how to read this woman. Was she trying to flirt with him or not? Baffling, but there was only one way to find out.


    ¡°My position, huh? Well¡­ Silfee-¡±, the woman glared strongly at his attempt to call her silfy. Clearly she was not trying to come on to him. ¡°ehh... I would love to answer your question, unfortunately I have absolutely no idea what you mean by position.¡± Kane shrugged in defeat. Her reaction had pierced like needles, it was probably a good thing he had not mentioned anything about being top or bottom.


    ¡°The extension of your class, lad. When in a group, where do ya fight? Frontline, backline, that sorta thing ya know.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. I have never fought in a group so, frontline I suppose.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your class then?¡± The scrawny looking man joined the discussion.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s supposedly an odd one. It¡¯s called Herald of Principle.¡±


    The occupants on the table all gave him an inquisitive look, a few careful listeners around him also turned to look him with some interest.


    ¡°I suppose I rather keep most details about it to myself, but at the very least I am probably a pretty capable fighter. Unfortunately, I do not know how I compare to you all.¡±, Kane nodded.


    ¡°Really, what¡¯s its rarity?¡± The dwarf attempted to whisper in a voice that unfortinately did not lend to sounding soft.


    ¡°It¡¯s not legendary if that¡¯s what you mean.¡±


    Quickly many eager listeners turned around once more as if instantly losing interest. Kane wondered what would happen if he would tell them it was a unique class.


    ¡°Alright then, still, even rare classes are often considered to be quite valuable. So what¡¯s your gear like then? What weapons are you proficient in?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Kane pondered for a moment. ¡°I guess, whatever I can get my hands on.¡± His gaze had drifted towards the mage woman, realising way too late the inappropriateness of that action in conjunction with his last statement. Luckily for him, the woman seemed unperturbed by it.


    ¡°Well, what about now, what gear do you own?¡±


    ¡°Everything I own is on me currently.¡± Kane said with a sense of pride in his voice.


    The scrawny man who had been sitting quietly with a bored look on his face burst out into laughter.


    ¡°This guy, really. Frontlining a Drake bare chested with nothing but his fists. Really, haha, I¡¯ve not heard a better joke in my life!¡±


    The others also chuckled in disbelief.


    ¡°Ah, my last weapon was a spear, but it got destroyed in my fight with the bear.¡±


    As calm returned to the table, the others gave him an understanding nod.


    ¡°I see, laddy. Well, a spear is not a bad choice facing a Drake. Good reach and piercing, few other things can harm a drake. Say, you got some money on you to buy a new one?¡±


    ¡°I own 4 silvers, though I do not know if that would be enough.¡±


    ¡°Doubtful, not any decent ones anyway. A spear at that cost, you¡¯ll probably just break it again.¡± The scrawny man replied.


    ¡°Perhaps I really should go to the dungeon first, huh. I¡¯d hate to miss out on the drake hunt though.¡±


    ¡°Listen laddy, why don¡¯t I lend ya some. I can give ya 5 gold, if ya go up and die I loot yer corpse and if ya survive ya simply pay me back in scales, eh? With interest of course.¡±


    Although Kane was hesitant to become indebted to someone else, this was still a dinosaur hunt they were talking about. After a moment of careful deliberation he nodded.


    ¡°Sure, I would be ever thankful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then, what do ya think guys, consider him part of Iron Wheel?¡±


    Iron Wheel seemed to be the name of their little group. The scaly man just shrugged and the scrawny guy nodded. The woman swayed a moment before responding. ¡°Sure, that might be quite interesting. Mmh?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Then, he is Scales, I¡¯m Beardman and that''s Monkey. The lady¡¯s name is Elle. Welcome to Iron Wheel¡±.


    ¡°My name is K-.¡±


    ¡°No-¡±, Elle interrupted, ¡°your name - is cop.¡±


    That nickname having a meaning in his old world made him a little uncomfortable. As he glanced around the table it was obvious how the three other guys got their nicknames. So it was all her doing. Despite seeing the other guys shrug it off however, he felt a strange power well up inside of him and turned back towards Elle.


    ¡°By the time the hunt is over, you will know of my name.¡±


    It had blurted out almost automatically. He had not inteneded to sound threatening, or anything like that either. It had been a simple statement. It caused Elle to frown curiously at Kane. His response had been rather surprising to her. After a moment''s pause she responded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Cop.¡±


    The three guys were visible sweating at that interaction.


    With that the dwarf handed him some coins.


    ¡°There¡¯s a general store down the road that should sell all kinds of gear, you¡¯d likely find what you need there. We¡¯re leaving at first light tomorrow, prepare well laddy.¡±


    ¡°To a bright future.¡± Kane held out his mug and downed the rest of it before making his exit.


    Walking into the general store, Kane wondered if he stumbled into someone''s messy garage. This store definitely did offer things of a very generic nature. Browsing around leisurely, Kane spotted all kinds of odd little bits and bobs. Everything did seem practical however. From standard equipment like ropes and lanterns all the way down to nails and keyrings. Weapons were randomly strewn about. From daggers and swords to odd looking maces and even knuckle dusters.


    Kane picked up a nice looking falchion that seemed to come straight out of Aladdin, at least from Kane¡¯s memory. Of course those were kilij swords and not falchions and this sword was actually more like a scimitar if anything. Unfortunately Kane had no deep knowledge of swords. Regardless of his lack of knowledge, the sword looked quite beautiful. The blade was rather thick, but perhaps this was due to the difficulty of forging proper steel and the inability to forge reliable thin blades.


    Was it even steel, he wondered. It looked more like aluminium, but that would be silly as aluminium would be a terrible metal to use for a weapon. Kane might not be an expert when it came to metals, but he knew at least that much. It also felt super light, but weight was hard to judge with his boosted body.


    A squeaky voice sounded from down below as Kane was inspecting the sword closely.


    ¡°Interested? A fine mithril sword it is. Only 10 gold and it is yours my friend!¡±


    Kane turned to the voice and looked down, amazed at the sight of seeing a 40 centimeter high human standing at his feet and a mature looking male at that. Definitely not a human with short stature syndrome either. Proportions where rather strange for that to be the case.


    ¡°Oh, hello, I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±


    ¡°Happens all the time.  Don¡¯t sweat it.¡±, the shopkeeper waved it off like he was used to it. ¡°What about the sword though, looking good eh? It is imbued not to lose its sharp edge, maintenance free! An adventurer¡¯s wet dream, eh? Hehehe.¡±


    A magical mithril sword. This world was amazing. Still Kane put down the sword and shook his head.


    ¡°Actually no, I am looking for something with a little more reach, like a spear.¡± Kane looked around the shop, but unfortunately didn¡¯t spot any.


    ¡°Ah, I have a couple those in the back. Follow me!¡± The little guy turned and walked swiftly towards the back as Kane followed, still gazing around the items on display, but nothing in particular caught his eye.


    In the back the shopkeeper moved over a stool, climbed onto it and grabbed several spears from a shelf.


    ¡°Here are the sp-woooaah¡±, the little guy had trouble lifting all the spears in his tiny arms and almost lost balance. Luckily for him, Kane grabbed onto the batch of spears and helped him down.


    ¡°Phew, thank you. There are many advantages being a gnome, unfortunately lugging around big items isn¡¯t one of them.¡±, the gnome gestured as if to wipe the non-existent sweat from his brow and proceeded to explain his wares.


    ¡°These two are pretty low quality, but this here is a fine spear, carved from elven wood, durable and flexible. And the tip, although made from iron, has been imbued with strengthening magic. A pain to maintain but very effective nonetheless!¡±


    ¡°And this here is a fully forged adamantium spear. It hasn¡¯t been imbued with anything, but that¡¯s hardly an issue when it comes to adamantium, hehehe. Extremely durable and holds its sharpness for a long time! The elven spear is 10 gold. This here adamantium spear I can let go for a measly 8. What do you say, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Only 8 gold?¡±, adamantium seemed like an expensive metal.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what the creator had in mind, but unfortunately adamantium is rather heavy, it is also a metal that is extremely hard to reforge or reuse for anything else really. It would have been a far better spear had it been something like an elven or maybe even ancient wood with adamantium tip. It¡¯s also badly balanced Hmm. Wait a minute! What are you doing to me!?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I would never talk about the negative points of my wares like this! Are you a charm magician? I¡¯ll let you know I don¡¯t take lightly to being charmed!¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I have not put you under any spell.¡±


    At least Kane didn¡¯t think he did. Was this maybe a side effect of his high charisma?


    ¡°Certainly I don¡¯t feel charmed and we gnomes have an uncanny sense of magical things. Strange. Perhaps I am just tired of lugging around this dumb spear and unconsciously want it gone. So what do you say, will you take it off my hands?¡±


    Kane lifted the spear in his hand. It did feel a little weighty, but definitely not unwieldy. As for the balance. Well, he had no idea on how to tell. It had a black metal finish and was forged without any sense of artistic beauty. It looked simplistic, but that was an attractive point for Kane. It had a practical quality to it. Also, it seemed unlikely to break easily.


    ¡°How about 4 gold?¡±


    The gnome clearly looked offended and crossed his arms while glaring. ¡°Only 4 gold? What do you think I run here, a charity? 7 Gold.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, like you said, although it¡¯s durable, it is still essentially a badly designed spear, right? I¡¯ll have some use for it, but I can¡¯t go higher than 5 gold, really.¡±


    ¡°6 gold, that¡¯s as low as I will go, take it or leave it.¡±


    Kane sighed, his wealth amounted to 5 gold and 4 silver right now. He simply could not afford it and he didn¡¯t want to be rude and continue haggling. As he was placing the spear back in order to look at the others the gnome suddenly shouted, ¡°5 gold and 5 silvers!¡±


    With only 1 silver away from his price. It was hard to not come with a counter offer, but trying to haggle any more seemed really rude as well. Kane sighed and laid out his money before the gnome.


    ¡°5 gold and 4 silver, I realize it is rather rude, but unfortunately it is all I have on me at the moment.¡±


    For a moment the gnome glared at him, but then let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Fine, fine, it¡¯s a deal. The spear is yours.¡±, just like that with a wave of his tiny hand, he waved Kane off. Without any more money in his pocket, the gnome would have no reason to try and sell anything else to him.


    On his way out of the shop he did remember Beardman saying something about armor. But how important could that possibly be. As every self respecting RPG player would know, a weapon was obviously far more important.


    He had spent the rest of the day wandering around town. Although the adventurers seemed like a rowdy and lively bunch, the local people were lackluster in comparison. He took it upon himself to make some small talk with people here and there and all had been kind enough to respond to him. But generally their answers were rather bland and emotionless and almost none really seemed all that interested in him.


    It was hard to imagine what life was like for the people living here. His modern standards obviously didn¡¯t apply, but at the very least it was clear that life here was worse than what the people were capable of imagining. One man had apathetically spoken of their lazy king when Kane had inquired about the castle, but it was hard to judge whether those were just the ramblings of a random guy or if it had any real meaning to it.


    When night fell, he had chosen a random porch and simply slumped down with his back against the wall in order to get some sleep like a vagrant. Some people had glared at him, but none had spoken out against his actions. Without money for an inn, it wasn¡¯t like he had much choice anyway. And while the people here did not seem particularly unkind, there also did not seem to be much hospitality to go around. Not that Kane cared much, he hadn¡¯t slept in a bed since he had been sent to this world and his body felt no worse for wear because of it.


    Thus at dawn, with nothing but a pair of worn out boots, bland trousers with empty pockets and a long dark spear in hand. He walked up to the gathering of adventurers. Every single one of them was now fully kitted out in their gear. Most were checking on some of their gear, others were sharpening their weapons. Every single one of them looked like a proper adventurer in Kane¡¯s eyes. Even Monkey wore a sleek looking properly maintained leather armor. Same for Scales, his leather armor seemed of even greater quality than the one monkey was wearing and Beardman was wearing an impressive looking plate armor set and wielded an ornate but amazing looking battle axe, double sided with a large blade on one side and a powerful looking spike on the other. Elle was much the same as he had seen her in the tavern though.


    Kane walked up to them and with a glorious smile he planted his adamantium staff on the ground.


    ¡°Gods! What the hell is that!?¡± Beardman exclaimed as he grabbed hold of the spear. Kane allowed it as Beardman took a practice swing with it.


    ¡°This is pure garbage, you spent all the gold on this? A spear¡¯s supposed to be slightly forward balanced, this thing here is¡­ Is just heavy. Also it¡¯s not even perfectly straight. What evil smith would dare craft a weapon like this. Awful! Listen here laddy. You best not die on the hunt you hear, I want my gold back and not some unsellable piece of scrap metal!¡±


    Scales and Monkey simply shrugged, it wasn¡¯t their gold so they cared little. Elle also let out a little chuckle. ¡°haha, very interesting indeed.¡±


    As for the other adventurers, most looked at him like he was some kind of bare-chested retard, but no one really cared about his presence. Even the shady looking guy who Kane had deemed was probably secretly quite a nice guy had an apathetic and defeated look on his face whenever he glanced in his direction.


    Kane simply shrugged it off and looked towards the forests while taking in a deep breath. His smile was broad, filled with childish spirit.


    ¡°This is going to be awesome."

 Chapter 4: A heros folly.

    Kane intended to quietly follow his seniors and simply enjoy the whole experience, so he wondered how had he ended up leading this rabble of seasoned adventurers? He did not know. And by the looks of the faces of said adventurers, neither did they.


    When he had mentioned he had spotted tracks likely belonging to the drake while drawing the footprint in the sand, a burly man claiming to have the hunter class insisted on him leading them to those tracks immediately. Apparently his class gave him a skill allowing him to track any trail, even if they were weeks old. Really useful. As long as he could find said trail.


    But Kane pondered about that though, couldn¡¯t drakes fly? Apparently however it seemed that those were dragons and not drakes. Drakes were land creatures. But rather than being disappointed, Kane made a fist with childish excitement. Dragons exist! And this drake must be a dinosaur! Maybe even a t-rex! Could this possibly get any better? No, that was simply impossible.


    At least he was certain he could find the tracks again by going to the dungeon first. And while it had been a boring and uneventful day traveling to the dungeon, from there it was Kane¡¯s job to lead the adventurers.


    Carl had even crawled out from the dungeon to wish him luck before swiftly going back inside.


    However one hour turned in two, and then into three.


    ¡°Where the heck are these tracks, rookie. You better not be bullshitting us!¡± Jack, the arrogant tank like man exclaimed.


    ¡°Ehehe, sorry, I am certain it was somewhere around here.¡±


    His sense of direction wasn¡¯t that bad, was it? Everything in this forest looked so alike though. It wasn¡¯t like the forests he was used to. You know, the planted and square kind. This forest was utterly confusing.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been going in circles, man. This is bullshit. Arnald! Any luck so far?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m picking up tracks, but mostly from other wildlife. There is also a bear trail, so keep your eyes peeled.¡± The hunter said.


    Elle then spoke up. ¡°Hey, mister Arnald. Couldn¡¯t you track Cop instead? He was around here a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh.. Ah, I hadn¡¯t thought of that. That¡¯s a good idea!¡±


    Kane felt like this should probably put a dent in his pride. But at the prospect of finding the Drake quicker, he had to admit this was a great idea and gave a thumbs up towards Elle, who in turn shook her head which a faint smile.


    And as quickly as it was said, it was done. Within the hour they had found Kane¡¯s old tracks and before long the hunter had caught on to the Drake¡¯s tracks as well. Though they were fairly old, Drakes were unlikely to leave their area if it still had enough prey in them. Drakes were rather lazy creatures, sometimes sleeping for days or weeks even. Caught on the trail, it was only a matter of time before they¡¯d find its lair.


    The group had grown quiet ever since they had been following the Drake¡¯s trail, moving about stealthily with heads held low and eyes peeled. The forest was almost entirely void of unnatural sounds, apart from the occasional¡­


    -snap!-


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Shhh!.¡±


    -snap!-


    ¡°My bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Gods¡­¡±


    Honestly though, Kane couldn¡¯t care less. While his traveling companions were all tense and quiet, his body was brimming with excitement. The feeling on his skin was electrifying and every step he took felt like it happened exactly one step too late., His mind reeled, thoughts like ¡®bring it on already¡¯ and ¡®I can¡¯t wait much longer¡¯ swirled around inside of his skull.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait very long. The hunter raised his hand into the air to signal the group to halt. There was movement far in the distance, it was large. Kane¡¯s feet dug into the ground as he gripped his spear tight. With a steel grin on his face he exclaimed in a low voice.


    ¡°A dinosaur, it¡¯s actually a fucking dinosaur..¡±


    -Elle¡¯s pov-


    Cop had surprised her at every turn. This young man seemed to brim with boundless energy like the fool he was. Part of her did somewhat regret taking the rookie along, but she had already decided she would keep him safe.


    It was more likely that he would be scared shitless anyway once they encounter the drake. Drake¡¯s are dangerous and imposing creatures. Powerful and agile and quite large to boot. She would do anything to see that smug and confident look on his face melt away into terror. Yes, that would be a fun sight to behold.


    The group consisted out of a total of 24 adventurers, at least 15 of which were very capable, she knew little about the other 8, but they were at least not as useless as Cop.


    The group didn¡¯t lack a strong and sturdy vanguard capable of pinning a drake nor lacked the ranged capability to bring it down. A few might die, but such is the life of an adventurer. The group at least didn¡¯t have any glaring weaknesses. If one fell in any position, there were plenty to take their place.


    And while drakes were sturdy. Unlike dragons, drakes were still fairly susceptible to magic. As long as the vanguard gave her enough time, she felt she could probably kill it with her spells alone.


    It had required every fibre in her body from not bursting into laughter seeing his reaction when she suggested tracking his own tracks. Seeing his face go from a frown into a smile, and then that thumbs up.


    Though he talked well, he was definitely simple in the head. At least it was refreshing. He brought an air of excitement with him that she noticed wasn¡¯t lost on any of the other adventurers either. He probably reminded them of the time they all started out as an adventurer.


    Being an adventurer brought a fair amount of status with it after all. It was seen as an honorable and glorious profession and sold as much to young men and women alike. The truth was of course quite a bit more grim. Seeing friends perish and good people die to monsters was a regular occurance. It was hard not to become jaded, maybe even impossible.


    So seeing this young guy. Wearing nothing but his pants and his spear while grinning from ear to ear. it made them all reminiscent of their own pasts and the glorious dreams they once had shared.


    The hunter held up his arms, it seemed like it was time. While checking her gear a final time, her mana potions at the ready and her mind resolved for the fight, she¡­


    ¡°A dinosaur, it¡¯s actually a fucking dinosaur..¡±


    Mmh? Elle wondered what Cop meant, she had never heard of that word before. And what¡¯s up with his face and postu- No way. What is he¡­


    Kane suddenly bursted out into a sprint towards the drake. What was he thinking! Aside from the fact that charging ahead alone was pure suicide, he completely gave away the element of surprise. His run was far from stealthy, every step resounded with the cracks of broken twigs and churned up ground. But by the Gods, he sure was fast.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Cop! Stop!¡± She frowned and shouted and all the other adventures were also at a loss of what to do. Shit, shit, what a god damned fool, so much for trying to keep him alive.


    ¡°Beardman, Scales, Monkey¡­ With me!¡± She shook her head, but it wasn¡¯t within her to do nothing, even if this was going south faster than an elven arrow. She couldn¡¯t just stay still. As she and her companions advanced, she at least sighed in relief that the other adventures, though grim-faced, also nodded and moved up with her. However, catching up was already impossible. Cop had ran faster than she had ever seen anyone run. Taking into account their formation, they¡¯d need at least three times as long to move up safely. It was already impossible. He would surely die. She shook her head again and steeled her resolve.


    ¡°What an idiot.¡±


    -Normal pov-


    The Drake was feasting on the corpse of a bear, but was quick to notice Kane¡¯s advance. As it turned to faceKane it roared like a true dinosaur. So very deep and menacing. Yes. That was exactly how a dino should be, Kane thought. It wasn¡¯t as big as a t-rex. But not far off either. Also, unlike an actual dinosaur, it didn¡¯t have tiny forearms but tiny wings instead, clearly unusable for its size. Kane was also glad to see that their legs were looking powerful and quite alike to real dinosaurs and its head was proportionally big, just like a he imagined it would be. Yes, this was it, this was amazing!


    ¡°Rrrraaawwwwrrrrr!¡± Kane roared in response as if to say to bring it on and again he felt torrents of power starting to course through his entire body. He was certain now. This power came from his doctrine and tenets.


    Thou shalt not waver in the face of danger, but thrive instead!


    The drake charged towards Kane, it¡¯s lizard body powerfully swaying, while its head remained eerily stationary, its forward facing eyes focused on Kane. Another roar bellowed from its throat and was met with a roar from Kane in return.


    Their distance shortened quickly and as they were almost upon one another. Kane lifted his spear above his head, a stance unlike any spear stance known to man. The Drake put more power into its legs as it launched itself forwards. Kane also pushed off the ground with the full power of his body and jumped.


    Time seemed to slow for him as he flew, higher and higher. Three meters from the ground, then four, and five. The drake¡¯s maw opened wide, but Kane flew even higher, reaching his pinnacle even higher than the Drake itself.


    Thou shalt not bow before any one. Neither before beast nor man nor king nor God!


    With his spear held in both hands he slammed it down, plunging the spear into the drakes head. The drake had aimed for his center mass but was forced to bite down on his left leg instead due to the sheer amount of downward force applied by the spear strike. The awkward position forced Kane to let go of the spear that was lodged deep into the drakes bones. The drake shook him wildly, it¡¯s maw clamped shut on his left leg with the force of a thousand men, shattering Kane¡¯s bones with a loud crunch.


    Thou shalt not falter in the presence of pain, for it is pain that makes life worth living!


    Kane roared with a fury and stabilized himself by grabbing hold on one of its teeth with his left hand, with the right he made a fist and slammed it with all his might into the side of the Drakes head with a loud crash, nearly causing the Drake to fall on its side.


    -Elle¡¯s pov-


    She had seen him leap straight towards the Drake. What kind of tactic had that been. How fast did the fool want to die? There was still way too much ground to cover. Still she was amazed with how far he had jumped. Never before had she seen such a feat of strength. And even though he held his spear in a strange way, she had seen it plunge into the drakes head. A glimmer of hope streaked on her face.


    Only to immediately disappear. It would have been a miracle had that strike been an instant kill after all. Kane was hanging from the beast''s maw and was slung about like a piece of meat. Her heart trembled. Though it was certainly a story they would retell for the rest of their lives. The young man that had challenged a drake by himself and even struck it true. But it was still a sad story. A story that she could have, should have, prevented.


    ¡°Damn it all. Avenge the rookie!¡± She had shouted. The other adventurers had also seen what she had seen and nodded in unison, steeled resolve plastered on their faces.


    -Drake¡¯s pov-


    The drake was confused, the piece of meat it held on to just wouldn¡¯t rip apart, it was tough unlike any meat it had ever bit into before. And this creature was still lashing out. Like it was still in control of the fight, like it still had the upper hand. A second time the creature had slammed into its head, pain reeled through its body. It had never experienced this, it didn¡¯t understand. The creature was so small, it didn¡¯t understand. It took its entire focus just to keep standing up.


    Again it shook the creature and bit down even harder. Tear off, it thought, tear off! A tooth had broken clean off, another shot of pain coursed through its body. It slammed it¡¯s head into a tree, but the creature would not budge. A third time it struck its skull, this time it felt its left eye burst in its socket. It gurgled a terrified roar. Should it let go. No! it would never let go. It didn¡¯t understand!


    It ran and twisted and turned, doing everything in its power to shake this creature dead. It wasn¡¯t working. It didn¡¯t understand. It roared and gurgled. Then the creature struck a fourth time. Its bones cracked under the pressure and its mind reeled. The power in its legs was the first to go. What was happening. It didn¡¯t understand. Was it falling. Was it time to sleep.


    It didn¡¯t understand. It felt right to sleep. It felt comforting to sleep. Yes, it was okay to sleep. It would be over then.


    It would go to sleep, it was over now.


    It was alright now.


    -Normal pov-


    Kane unclamped the jaws from his leg, a large hole resided within it leaking blood like a tap. It looked mangled and not at all straight as a leg should look. He noted this was definitely the biggest hole yet, as he stood up on his good leg he looked towards the others who had finally arrived at the scene. It looked like they were seeing a ghost or something.


    ¡°Haha! Did you guys see that! This is a good day! The best!¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ dead?¡±, Jack asked.


    ¡°Hmm. Probably?¡± Kane hopped around the drakes head towards his spear and twisted it out from the drakes skull with a gory sound, the drake wasn''t showing any signs of life. Planting the spear on his left side for support, he curiously checked his status while juggling a large broken tooth.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kane


    Age: 26


    Race: Human (High Noble)


    Class: Herald of Principle (level 1)


    Health: 74% (bleeding)


    Experience: 374


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Base attributes:


    Strength: Extremely high (138)


    Endurance: Extremely high (192)


    Constitution: Extremely high (171)


    Dexterity: Extremely high (114)


    Intelligence: Transcendental (243)


    Willpower: Transcendental (258)


    Perception: Extremely high (156)


    Charisma: Extremely high (105)


    Beauty: Extremely high (126)


    Luck: Average (49)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Class Bonuses: 1 attribute point per level. All attributes * 3.


    Skills: Doctrine, Invoke Principle


    Karma: Neutral (0) (locked)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Please select an attribute. (1)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Interestingly, his class had leveled up, but there were no obvious extra bonuses. What a sham he thought. There was still also no obvious way to spend his experience points. At least he got an attribute point. He pondered where to spend his attribute point?


    Luck seemed logical, but no, he didn¡¯t want to rely on luck. Average sounds just about right. Beauty? No. Charisma? He already felt like he had an unwanted effect on people as it was, so definitely no. Perception? He couldn¡¯t find his away around the forest as it was, clearly perception did fuck all. Willpower maybe, it was already his highest stat, but it didn''t feel necessary. Intelligence also made little sense. Although he did have a sense of increased mental capacity, clearly it was more abstract than that. He had the feeling he would not be able to fully utilize the attribute.


    Looking over all the stats he supposed strength would make the most sense. If he had been stronger, he might have been able to pierce through the drakes entire skull after all, or at least killed it with one less punch perhaps.


    Kane selected strength and watched his strength points go up by 3.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s with all the grim faces guys? Isn¡¯t this what adventuring is all about?¡± Kane grinned pleasantly. Elle finally let go of her tension and burst into laughter.


    ¡°Hahaha, yes¡­ Yes, this is exactly what it is all about¡­ Kane.¡± She grinned.


    Beardman, Scales and Monkey gave each other a telling nod. Then the rest quickly followed up, bursting into laughter and cheers.


    ¡°To Kane! The drake slayer!¡±


    ¡°To Kane!¡±


    ¡°Long live Kane!¡±

 Chapter 5: The Sword Saint.

    In the great hall of Arkahn¡¯s castle, an intimate meeting was held. Two knights stood guard near the entrance. On the stone throne sat the aged King Henric Allond XIII and next to him stood his trusted aide Theodore. A man older still with a bleak expression. In front of them stood a man wearing high quality light armor, his beastly ears and fluffy tail gave away his race. From his right hip hung two swords and on his left a third sword more. A glistening platinum tag hung around his neck. This man was known as The Sword Saint. He was regarded as the strongest in Allond¡¯s Kingdom, Allond¡¯s only platinum adventurer. At only 30 years of age, he - Rodan - was still at the peak of his life.


    A while back he had been charged to raid the nearby dungeon for its resources by decree of the king. An odd request, but he had done so until the dungeon was locked down due to the drake sighting. He was here today to inform them of his knowledge of the dungeon, while his team went out with the expedition.


    ¡°My king, I inform you that the dungeon does indeed show signs of breaking.¡±


    He was a man of few words, he cared little for politics and was alien to the concept of coating things with sugar. The king however merely frowned. Even his aid did not seem perturbed.


    ¡°So it would seem. This certainly complicates things. But no matter.¡±


    Rodan inwardly sighed at the king, who tore a piece of jerky.


    ¡°Also, the food is getting terrible. Is the drake expedition done already? They better hurry up.¡±


    Theodore nodded at the king. ¡°Yes, my liege, the expedition should return any moment with good news, I am certain.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. I can¡¯t stand the local drab. Rodan, be sure to spend on food on your next venture. That fruit, what¡¯s it called again? Oh yes, mango fruits, get some of those. And plenty of good meats as well.¡±


    Rodan frowned, the situation was dire and still the king told him to spend his experience points on luxuries.


    ¡°My king, I am not sure you heard me correctly, creatures within the dungeon are starting to disregard their boundaries, populations on the floors are increasing. The situation is severe.¡±


    ¡°Then redouble your efforts, no dungeon has broken in a thousand years, I have faith you can prevent it.¡±


    The truth however was that Rodan and his team were already giving it their all. As soon as they had noticed the signs, they had been going at it hard. Redoubling their efforts? Such a thing was simply not feasible. And their efforts seemed to have had no impact on reducing the signs. If anything, they had increased. And now that the dungeon had been left alone for two weeks due to the drake showing up. There was no telling how much damage was already done.


    Rodan glared at the king and raised his voice.


    ¡°Then at least hire the adventurers that had come for the drake slaying request to also venture the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. If word got out about the dungeon showing the signs¡­ No, no, the dungeon will remain closed to all until you have dealt with the situation.¡±


    ¡°My king!-¡± Rodan started. He unconsciously gripped on one of his hilts.


    ¡°-Enough!¡± Henric bellowed. ¡°Do you want to stain the honor of your father and your forefathers before him!¡±


    Rodan gritted his teeth. The atmosphere had instantly become dire. A knight at the door had grasped his own weapon tight. Rowan didn¡¯t know what to do. This king before him cared more for his own image than any consequences. Theodore was supposedly a wise man, but he stood there grim-faced and unmoving. Like a man defeated. The knight¡¯s reaction, was it in anger towards his useless king or was it out of loyalty directed towards Rodan instead? He could not tell.


    What the king was saying was ludicrous. Not much was known about a dungeon breaking other than that it was truly terrible. Part of him wanted to slay the king where he stood. Something had to be done. But that was not what he was taught. What was he taught? He directed his anger inside and remembered his past as calm returned once more to him.


    He flashed back to many years ago.


    --


    He found himself sparring with his father. During the spar his father kept asking complicated questions that he had to answer swiftly, all the while concentrating on defending his father''s attacks as well as trying to attack him. It was gruesome training and once more he landed on the ground with another bruise to his name.


    ¡°Fighting must come as natural to you as breathing, son. You¡¯re still not ready.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    His father frowned,


    ¡°But father, I¡¯m already fifteen!¡±


    His father had chosen his class when he was fourteen. The fact his father still had not allowed him to take his angered him.


    ¡°You want to take a class so badly? Why then? What is it that you want to do with your life?¡±


    ¡°I want to become a great adventurer! Like you!¡±


    ¡°For what reason!¡±


    ¡°To become strong!¡±


    ¡°Wrong, for what reason!¡±


    ¡°To slay monsters!?¡±


    ¡°Wrong, for what reason!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand!¡±


    ¡°You dreams are still like a young boy¡¯s, son.¡±


    His father pointed his wooden sword to the map that hung from the wall.


    ¡°Do you know what that is.¡±


    ¡°A map of our world?¡±


    His father chuckled. ¡°Yes, but that it only half correct. See here to the north, south and east the land is surrounded by water. But to the west here lies a great mountain range.¡±


    His father moved the point of his sword far beyond the mountain ranges and pointed at the empty wall, outside of the map.


    ¡°What about here?¡± His father had asked. The boy simply flicked his ears at his father, looking confused. Obviously there was nothing there.


    ¡°A long time ago¡­ There was a great kingdom. The strongest of them all. Right here, in the ancient forests of Kor¡¯Tarra¡­¡±


    Their homeland, he had heard about that before. A land were both beastkin and elves lived together. Fighting the darkness in the west on the largest battlefront known to man while protecting their allies at their backs for millenia. The strongest of warriors resided here. It was a story of glory and honour that inspired the young boy.


    But also a tragic story of how their nearest ally grew envious. A story of a greedy and jealous king that wanted more.


    It was a small kingdom, one that was enclosed in between the glorious kingdom of the elves and beastkin, and the mountain ranges on their east. They had little resources to spare and almost all of their talent went to Kor¡¯Tarra. Little is known about what exactly happened, but it was known that they started an ill conceived war with no hope of even winning, not against the forces of Kor¡¯Tarra. In the process of the war they had allowed their one dungeon to break.


    The poor kingdom was swallowed in darkness. The dwarven tunnels that bore through the mountains were demolished and all lands beyond completely cut off. The fate of Kor¡¯Tarra has been unknown since.


    Eventually even maps were redrawn like they never even existed in the first place. But his family knew, his father knew. This young boy now also knew, and he would never forget his father¡¯s words.


    ¡°We fight not for the glory. We fight to protect. Our families and our lands. Do not ever forget.¡±


    The young boy grabbed a second sword. Now wielding a wooden training sword in each hand with renewed vigor he faced his grinning father once again.


    --


    He dismissed himself from the king¡¯s presence and left the castle. What was the right course of action, he wondered. Could he stop the breaking of the dungeon by himself? He was a confident man, but he felt he was dealing with power beyond his ability. He was told to remain silent, every possible action he felt he should take would mean treason, he considered himself honourable and loyal, but he was of two minds. Where did his true loyalties lie. He wanted to protect the lands, the people. This world.


    He could hear his deceased father yell at him to stop being a fool and chuckled. He had no idea what course of action would be less foolish. While wandering around he came upon of large stake with a drake¡¯s head propped up on top. A large specimen indeed, it seemed the hunt was successful. He was glad for that at least. Laughter and cheers were coming from within the guild¡¯s house.


    He scratched his ear as he walked towards the door. He wanted to ask them, but should he? Could he? To place such a burden on his fellow adventurers, he wasn¡¯t sure. Regardless, his feet still took him inside, as he glanced around he found his companions alive and well and sighed in relief.


    ¡°Hey Fluffer!¡± Elle¡¯s yells were almost drowned out by the rambunctious crowd ¡°You missed out on one hell of a hunt!.¡±


    Iron Wheel had been reunited. Perhaps his worries could wait until after he enjoyed some drink with his friends.


    After learning that most of the adventurers would hang around for a while with plenty of coin to their name, Rodan decided that he would take his team once more into the dungeon, to dive deep. If things would still escalate, then screw the king, he would release the information regardless of the consequences in the hopes. Although it was just a halfway measure. A compromise of sorts. In his mind this was the right course of action.


    So now it was dawn, he and his team had once more gathered in order to set out for the dungeon.


    A beastkin swordsman with a glistening platinum tag and four silver adventurers. A stout warrior dwarf, a lizardkin fencer, a scrawny priest and a beautiful female mage¡­


    ...And some random guy with a copper plate and a broken tooth hanging on his bare chest while wearing a pair of trousers with one leg torn off. His body covered in scars and a dumb smile covering his face.


    ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve invited Kane into Iron Wheel, it¡¯s fine, he can come along. Right?¡± Elle suggested.


    ¡°Kane? That¡¯s a strange nickname, is it because of his spear?¡± Rodan glanced at Elle who seemed to blush a little.


    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Kane, it¡¯s my actual name. So you are the team leader, huh! Is that real platinum? Cool. So you are really strong, huh?¡±


    ¡°His¡­ Real name?¡± Rodan pretty much ignored him while frowning at Elle.


    ¡°Ehehe.. Yeah. When any of you kill a drake by yourself, I might consider using your real names too.¡± She teased.


    Rodan had of course learned that the drake had basically been brought down by one guy, stories were often inflated of course and really he was just glad the hunt was a success. To think that it was this guy¡­ Unbelievable. Really unbelievable.