《Assassin's Child》 No1: KidKiller I walk to the front desk hurriedly. The knife strapped to my side wiggling slightly. The woman doesn¡¯t even look up she just points to the right. I don¡¯t try to make conversation my throat is too dry to form words. Guards are along the wall their faces completely covered they are guarding the entrance to the most dangerous place in the world, called by many the steps to hell, and the place god fears to step. The Dungeon. No other name is used to describe it and the name is not used to describe anything else. For a few it is where you train yourself and hone devastating powers. For me and every other human being on earth it¡¯s are last resort before we either go to crime or start begging. I stop in front the entrance. The guard next to me ask me the same thing that everyone else has sense I got up this morning. ¡°Do you really have to do this.¡± He didn¡¯t state it as a question so I know he is always forced to say this. ¡°Sir,¡± I say,¡±I think you know I don¡¯t have any other options up here.¡± I push the giant metal door open and take my steps down the biggest stairway I have ever seen. My name is Zero. I no longer have a last name. I¡¯m a white caucasian male who has brown hair, brown eyes and tattered shirt, jeans and shoes. I¡¯m only 15 years old and I may not see the next morning. The life band on my wrist itches slightly. It doesn¡¯t help save my life or anything like that no It just reads whether or not I¡¯m alive. I reach the bottom of the stairs. The corredor is dimly lit with only one hallway. This part of the dungeon has only three rooms in a straight line and each room has a door blocking off the next. I take a deep breath. This is it. This part of the dungeon is called Kid Killer. This is where they send kids like me who have nothing up on the surface to go back. The odds of dying in here are ninety eight percent. I¡¯m going to be the two percent that survives. I draw my blade and run towards the door. I position myself next to the door. It has handles on it and it looks made out of wood. I¡¯ve been researching the dungeon for the past two weeks devising a strategy. The survivors of the Kid Killer all say the same thing rushing the rooms is the best way. Trying to wait out the mobs just makes you weaker. My knife is over my chest. I look up at the ceiling. ¡°God I have never believed in you, but if you¡¯re up there. Help me get out of this.¡± I jerk the door open using it as a shield. A small goblin rushes through the opening. I grab it by its head and slit its throat. Then the next one came through, a berserker goblin. It swing its warhammer at me which I dodge then I jab my knife through the underpart of his jaw stabbing into his brains. I grab what little shirt it has on to keep it up as a goblin shield. Three arrows sprout out of its back. I survey the rest of the pack. Three are still alive a archer, a mage and another berserker slamming his warhammer on his dead friend¡¯s head. With a sickening splat the thing¡¯s brains explode out. I toss the body at the goblin making him lose his balance. I tackle the goblin in his side stabbing it in it¡¯s chest and abdomen. I don¡¯t stick to him long. Another arrow wizzes by missing me by inches. I run forward to the two left. The archer is staring down its sights at me, but I don¡¯t move. The mage is preparing to cast his spell. Woosh! I dodge the arrow at the last second. It¡¯s notching another arrow, but I don¡¯t give it time. I rush it swinging my dagger. It tries to block with its bow, but its weak and breaks under my strength. It tries to bite me, but all it does is open its neck for an attack. I jab into its neck severing its jugular and its windpipe. I toss it to the ground turning towards the mage, it¡¯s staff is inches from my chest about to fire a fireball. I try to dodge, but I¡¯m too close it hits me on my side. I drop to the ground. The mage tries to use the butt end of its staff to crush my brains, but I manage to trip it. It lands just above my head, I jab upward, but it grabs my arm. ¡°ARGH.¡± It bares its fangs at me. It lets go of its staff to try and scratch me but I manage to catch it with my other arm. That side of my body is numb and weak. I¡¯m not strong enough to keep it up its pushing me down. ¡°ARGGHH.¡± It tries to bite my face. ¡°AHHHH.¡± I head but the thing, it barely feels it. ¡°COME ON YOU DAMN THING DIE!¡± I use all my strength to push upward, then jab my knee into its privates.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°URGK!¡± I stick the dagger into its heart. It takes a few seconds for it to die. I push it off of me. I lay there for a second wondering if my body is still whole. I don¡¯t want to, but I have to look at my side. Its bad the shirt is completely burnt off and so is the skin, but it¡¯s not lethal, not yet anyway. I force myself to get up. Standing is hard, but I can do it. I look at the next door it¡¯s the exact same as the last one. The things over there will probably try to rush the opening door like these did. I look back at the berserkers and jog over to their dead bodies and grab one war hammer with my other hand still gripping my dagger. I can¡¯t wield this in battle I¡¯m far too weak, but I can manage one swing. I drag the hammer to the next door. I formulate a quick plan. Then immediatly set it in motion. I need to keep my adrenaline up so I don¡¯t feel my wound. I grab the door handle with my dagger hand and swing it open. A wolf is already lunging at me its mouth open fangs aimed to kill. I crush its skull with the warhammer. Another one, this one has jumped higher, is almost at my throat. I stap it through the side of its head slamming it into the wall. Pulling my knife out I search the room. One left and its twice the size of the first two. A dire wolf. I leave the warhammer I can¡¯t swing it fast enough to hit the thing. We both stand still staring each other down then we start sprinting at each other. We collide in mere seconds, but it felt like longer. It tried to rip my throat out like the one before, but I used my arm as a shield. It knocks me down to the ground knocking the wind out of me. It bears down on my arm making it hurt like hellfire. Then it stops suddenly going limp on top of me. My knife directly under its jaw the tip barely sticking through the top of its head. I roll it off of me. ¡°AHG!¡± I grab my arm. Its bleeding bad and I think it may be broken. I can¡¯t treat it here. The only way for my to live is beat the boss and get what I came here for. I roll over to my good arm, but bad side and push myself up. I walk quickly to the door my arm swinging uselessly to my side. From all the records I¡¯ve read there are three options for the floor boss. A giant wolf, a goblin chief and¡­. I open the door. A young orc. A true orc would be ten feet tall and take several real men to take down, but this one is only a little taller than me. It wears nothing, but a simple loincloth and its only weapon is a two wooden handed club. I can¡¯t wait long so I follow my plan and rush it. The orc looks at me dumly not recognizing its being attacked. I¡¯m glad orcs stupidity is not just myth. It raises its club over his head. And slams it down where I was seconds before. The impact cracked the stone floor. Crap this is a one shot kill match for me. I slide to the side of it slashing at its ankle severing its achilles tendon. ¡°ARRRRRRRR!¡± It drops to one knee yelling its lungs out. It looks at me with pure hate in its eyes. It swings at me throwing himself to the ground. I use this opportunity to severe his other achilles tendon. It roars again. Trying to get up it breaks both his feet almost completely cutting them off. I quick step back a few steps. The orc screams some more then locks back on me. Using the little brain power it has it starts crawling towards me leaving its weapon behind. This room is half the size of the other ones making evading hard. Mobs take forever to bleed to death so just waiting for it to die is improbable and also. The blood trailing down my arm flings across the wall as I dodge the persistent orc. I¡¯m in more danger then he is in bleeding out. Think Zero what are orcs most known for. They have strength, battle prowess and insanely high health. I¡¯ve severely disabled it¡¯s ability to walk move and it can¡¯t use its club effectively. Wait I can lead it back through the other rooms getting the warhammer and. Shoot! The door is closed and there¡¯s no handle. Thud! The orc slams its fist to the wall next to my head. It crazes me slightly causing a bright red blood to run down my face. It stings but nothing major. I slash at its arm causing barely any damage. I run to the opposite side of the room still trying to formulate a plan. I can¡¯t keep this up for long, I need a knockout hit now, but how the only thing in here is the club. The club! That¡¯s it. This is a do or die moment if I fail I die, but if I sucede. It will allow many doors to open up for me. I sprint towards the club the orc right on my heels. I jump over the club stopping where I landed. The orc launches itself at the club picking it up and swinging. Causing its body to become unbalanced slightly raised in the air. Instead of jumping back I jump forward knife first aiming directly at the jugular. Slish. I HIT IT! Its blood pours onto me, but I got it I won. BAM! I strong impact hits my good side. The orc screams at me saliva going everywhere. It¡¯s not dead yet. It hits me again even harder I hear my ribs breaking unimaginable pain soaring through my body. Is this it, am I going to die here under this orc. Time slows down the orcs mouth moving very slowly. Images pass through my mind. Manly the ones that let me to this situation. But one sticks out above all the others the one with me and him. The promise I made. I can¡¯t die here not under this thing. Time starts speeding back up. Fire in my eyes I grab my dagger with a firmer grip. Then I start stabbing like crazy. With no order or plan. Somehow I ended up on top of it. My dagger is completely destroyed, but the orc is much worse. I fall to the ground next to it breathing heavily. I did it. ¡°Haha.¡± I laugh quietly.¡±Ouff.¡± I cough blood leaking out the sides of my mouth. Still can¡¯t rest need to finish what I came here for. It takes me a few seconds to get up, my body hurting really bad because of it. But I don¡¯t have to move far, right there at the back of the room. A glowing crystal of pure gold radaits. I walk towards it my body hunched over, blood being trailed behind me. I stop in front of it. A smile is still on my face. ¡°Well god,¡± I say.¡±This is going to be the last time I pray to you. Goodbye and thanks. I still don¡¯t believe in you though.¡± I rest my good arm on the crystal my vision immediately going dark. Now I can rest. No2:Fathers Last Words A month before. Sitting in a chair near a hospital bed Zero looks towards the patient. A man with brown and grey hair sleeps fitfully. Zero doesn¡¯t have an emotion on his face he¡¯s just staring at the man waiting for something. ¡°Quit looking at me like that,¡± says the man in bed. His eyes are still closed and his body hasn¡¯t moved a inch.¡±I¡¯ll be dead soon enough you can wait five more minutes.¡± Zero bites his tongue.¡±Yes father I will wait,¡± he says in a neutral voice. ¡°Haha OUG OUG,¡± the man erupts into a coughing fit violently shaking the bed he is on.¡±You know something when my father died I didn¡¯t even bat an eye, just like you. Though I was the one who put a sword through his chest. I guess that¡¯s something I gave to you, that coldness.¡± He opens his eyes for the first time, they¡¯re black as night with only a hint of separation between the pupil and cornea.¡±Yet your not as cold as me no not by a long shot.¡± He goes into another coughing fit this one lasting longer.¡±I suppose you¡¯re wondering what¡¯s going to happen to you once I finally head to hell.¡± Zero doesn¡¯t say anything he just sits there. ¡°Well I¡¯ll give you one thing your self control is levels ahead of what I had at your age.¡± The man looks up at the ceiling thinking about something.¡±You will have enough money to last a month then you¡¯ll have a choice. Become a criminal or,¡± the man pulls something out of his dresser next to his bed.¡±Pay for the rest of this.¡± A sheet of paper filled to the brim with words with only a line unfilled. One used for a signature.¡±No I¡¯m not going to send you to that state test bull, your smart, but not that smart. No these are your options the ones you feel in your soul.¡± The man grabs Zero¡¯s arm, strength still in his dying body. Zero freezes unsure what to do.¡±son when you die don¡¯t go out like his, die with honour, die after you¡¯ve given life hell and everyone around.¡± He pulls Zero closer.¡±Die after you¡¯ve truly have lived.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. He slumbs back into the bed, this time truly unmoving. Zero lifts his hand up closing his father¡¯s eyes. A ringing sound fills the room followed shortly by doctors rushing in, but its too late. The man is gone. The doctors try to consul Zero saying everything will be alright. But Zero isn¡¯t paying attention, he¡¯s reading the piece of paper. Three days later. There are only two people at his funeral Zero and a preacher. The preacher is a very old man who has known Zero for most of his life. He has just finished his last words and has given the signal to start lowering the casket. ¡°Boy I know what your father gave to you and I¡¯m begging you to reconsider.¡± The preacher says standing next to Zero. ¡°And do what. My father was right I won¡¯t be able to pass the test to get into the school and I¡¯m not spending the rest of my life sitting in a church lessening to someone preach. No offense to your profession.¡± ¡°None taken I was a traveling priest for a very long time before I was forced to settle down. But, you know the odds of survival for that damn place. I won¡¯t pretend any longer I hated your father immensely, but to give you this it defies every believe as a parent. And who says you have to do any of that you could be a construction worker. It doesn¡¯t pay well, but atleast its in honest and undangerous living.¡± Zero stays quiet for a moment looking at his descending father¡¯s coffin. ¡°Because preacher I actually want to do this. I know that I¡¯m not the strongest, but in the dungeon.¡± He stops for a moment.¡±In the dungeon I think that¡¯s the only place I will be truly free of this bastard.¡± The preacher doesn¡¯t say anything more, he just puts his arm around Zero. Who has streams of tears running down his face. Zero stayed at the church for the the next week, then he took a train to Megalopolis the dungeon city. He stayed at a hotel at the bottom and most outskirts of the city and during the day he would go to the library to search anything and everything about kid killer. Then the day arrived. He received a free dagger from the office and was told where to go. No3:The Paladin I felt my body be put on the cold hard ground. I laid there for a few minutes enjoying my sleep. Then I awoke calmer than I had been for weeks. I now had beaten my first obstacle and I was going to enjoy it. My body feels different, all my wounds were healed, but there was more. The system has accepted me. My body is still my body it¡¯s just connected to something now. I open my eyes and get up. My shirt is basically gone with only a few scraps left. The life band is still on my wrist no worse for wear. I¡¯ve been deposited at the start of the dungeon the stairs going back up to the world. I take no look back as walk up the stairs. They seem shorter now as I walk up then. I push open the giant metal door. The guards seem shocked to see me, I¡¯ve probably been the only one to come back up for a while. A hand rest itself on my shoulder. The same guard as before looks at me, his helmet off. He¡¯s an older man with pure white hair. His smile is the biggest I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°Congratulations young man. You¡¯ve survived.¡± All the guards come forward to shake my hand and congratulate me. When I walk past the lady at the desk she gets up and hugs me. Tightly I thought she would crush me. I walk back to my hotel immediately taking the curious glances of people wondering why my clothes look like crap. When I finally step into my room, I show my true emotions. Tears of joy run down my face as I relish the feeling of being alive. I take a long shower then dress myself. Itching at where the band had been. It¡¯s only been two hours since I left so I have enough time to go to the office to get my first official screening. I skip to the elevator where a family has just got on. I don¡¯t mind and squeeze in with them. ¡°Well that stick that has been up your butt finally been removed I see.¡± Says I boy my age grinning. I guess I was a little sour the last few days. ¡°Alexander!¡± His mother screeches.¡±You don¡¯t tell people that.¡± ¡°Sorry mother, but it¡¯s true,¡± he says. Then turning back to me.¡±What was your problem anyway you looked mad stressed out.¡± ¡°Oh I just cleared Kid Killer.¡± The mother gasp and the father who has been quiet this whole time looks at me. ¡°You beat Kid Killer!¡± Alexander ask loudly, the sound bouncing off the elevator walls.¡±What is the dungeon like? Is it true that you get into the system once you clear it?¡± ¡°To answer your second question first yes. I¡¯m going to the office right now to get my first reading. Now to answer your first,¡± I have to think for a moment. It was scary as hell, but it was also exciting. The door opens before I come up with a answer. The mother grabs Alexander and pulls him out the door saying they have urgent business. The father looks at me walking behind his family. I don¡¯t really think about it my mind preoccupied with the future and the sights of Megalopolis. Megalopolis is the city built completely around the dungeon. The dungeon is what I just beat or part of it. There are several entrances to the dungeon these are called side dungeons because they are not connected to the main dungeon. The main dungeon entrance is at top of Megalopolis. The dungeon is shaped like a mountain with a plateau on top. Megalopolis is the city built on top of the dungeon and around its base. There is a total of 1,200 side entrances to the dungeon and only one main entrance. The lower levels of the dungeon are considered the easiest, though I wouldn¡¯t call Kid Killer easy, while once you start going higher the dungeon gets much more challenging.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I walk inside the office. Hundreds of people are packed in here moving around doing their own thing making a deafening combined noise. The office is the bank, the guild and basic equipment shops all in one place. I have a vague idea of where to go, the administration. I just need to locate it. I push into the crowd heading for the center thinking somebody there will be able to guide me. It¡¯s like fighting a tidal wave that¡¯s moving in every direction. When I try to rush forward someone bumps into me almost knocking me down. Which in this mess can be lethal. So I move with the crowd until someone hits be in the back nocking me to the ground. No one stops to assist me just to step on me. The breath gets knocked out of me repeatedly, then someone steps on my head making me go dizzy. I cup my hands around my crotch protecting the all important groin. I try to push myself back up but can¡¯t. Then I feel myself rise into the air being placed back on my feet. Standing next to me with their hand gripping the back of my shirt is a tall knight dressed in plated armor with a yellow color scheme. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you with me for the time being. I do not want innocent blood staining these floors,¡± he says in a deep voice muffled by the helmet he is wearing. ¡°Okay that sounds like a plan to me.¡± I yell over the noise. The knight moves quickly half dragging me along, his hand never leaving its place on my shirt. People move around the knight making its pase much faster than mine. I look at the walls trying to see if there are any name plates. Yes right in front of us is the administration door with people walking in and out orderly.¡±I¡¯m heading to the administration room,¡± I yell to the knight. ¡°Good that is where I am heading. The lord has blessed us with this meeting,¡± he says stoically.¡±And please refrain from shouting the mask does not hinder my hearing.¡± I nod wondering if he can¡¯t hear the noise in the room. We make it to the door the knight basically cutting in front of everybody trying to enter. The inside is much less chaotic than the outside. With people actually forming rows and organized sitting. ¡°Is this your first time being screened?¡± He ask finally letting go of my shirt. ¡°Yes,¡± I say adjusting my shirt.¡±Just past Kid Killer a few hours ago.¡± The knight seems to straighten more. ¡°I see,¡± he says walking to one of the lines this time not cutting. I follow seeing how he¡¯s helped me so far.¡±I shall worn you now to keep you from attracting the wrong crowd. Restrain from mentioning you went through Kid Killer the usually patch that comes from that dungeon are sociopathic in nature and tend to die in a sword fight with guild law enforcement.¡± Oh, that would explain the family in the elevator. I nod thanking him. The line moves slowly with people being sent off in every direction. When it¡¯s finally the knights turn the person at the desk ask him to take off his mask for clear identification. I thought he would look like the essence of a hero with short hair with mabey a scar going down the side of his face which was weathered by years of battles. The real person under the mask had a few years to them yes but not so much that I would call them old, they had no scars and long black hair. And he¡¯s a women. A she. She says her name which is Zenobia Artimisia a paladin and her coordinator is Mr. Johna. The person behind the desk tells Zenobia to take a seat and wait till Mr. Johna arrives. She walks off leaving me to face the person behind the desk. ¡°I just got the system today,¡± I say. ¡°That means you¡¯re going to wait for a while until a coordinator gets chosen for you. A coordinator is your assigned guide and advisor. The usually wait time is forty minutes. In that time please fill out this form¡± I nod turning around running into the plate armor of Zenobia. She looks at me funny.¡±Are you a sociopath?¡± She ask bluntly. ¡°No I¡¯m just cold,¡± I say walking over to the chairs. That isn¡¯t the first time someone has ask me that. People who met my father thought I¡¯d be just like him so they stayed away from me. Others saw my eyes and were scared. Honesty I never mind munch, it kept people from talking to me. But now I don¡¯t think I have a choice. Zenobia followed me to a seat forcing someone to get up for her. I feel slightly uncomfortable with her gaze, but I don¡¯t say anything. No way someone who can walk with that armor on is someone I can take in a fight, not yet. No4: The Coordinator The minutes slowly tick by with her gaze not once leaving me. The other people who were sitting near us cleared out almost immediately. My uncomfortableness slowly changes to fear. Not regular fear though. One of the few things my father taught me is the differences between the different types of fear. The first type is the natural type like walking in the dark or hearing the sound of a rattlesnake¡¯s rattle. The second type is the mechanical type where you know something is far superior than you and they wish to do you harm. The third is exponential type that is when fear completely overwhelms a person and causes them lose all bodily function. This is type two fear I¡¯m feeling the type I¡¯ve only felt around my father. I show no emotion though, I won¡¯t show weakness. The minutes continue to tick down until finally her gaze subsides.¡±You are not a sociopath,¡± she says. My body is finally released from her pressure giving me a feeling of sitting down really heavy weights.¡±Your path is open to both sides though I encourage you to pick the right side.¡± And at that moment her coordinator Mr. Johna walked in calling her name. She leaves instantly not bothering to explain herself. I stare at where I last saw wondering what she meant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it man,¡± I guy says a few chairs over.¡±Paladins are always like that. Preacher and saying weird things best to just ignore them.¡± I nod at the man going back to my mind. In the end it took over an hour for a coordinator to come to me. In that time I filled out the sheet and gave it to the person behind the desk. My coordinator is a overweight middle age man in a tie and suit named Mr. Kibitzer. I was happy to get out of my head and to follow him. We didn¡¯t speak until we arrived at his office where he began to lecture. ¡°Adventuring,¡± he says getting into his chair.¡±Is a very dangerous profession. For every time you go into the dungeon you face death at every second. I won¡¯t give you the crap about its okay to leave, you would have stopped long before you met me if you believed that. No I¡¯m going to give you the best chance of survival I can give you with the knowledge I have. Now give me your right arm I will show you something,¡± he extends his arm out. After a few moments of hesitation I give him my arm. He nods.¡±Good you are untrustworthy of strangers that will be very useful in the dungeon.¡± He takes a stone out of his desk and sets it on the underside of my forearm. Marks appear all over my arm. My eyes widen I try to read the marking but they are in a language I don¡¯t understand. ¡°You are a calm one Mr. Zero,¡± Mr. Kibitzer says.¡±These markings are your Statius or stats as they are commonly referred to. They are written in the language of the system and only coordinators can read them and tell you about the specifics of what they say.¡± He moves the stone to the right causing them to move off my flesh and into the air. He writes them down in english. After he is done, he takes the stone off my arm which makes the markings go back and disappear. He then shows me the paper explaining everything on there. ¡°Your level is zero which is because you have no class. You have no titles and no blessings. Your stats are strength: 6, dexterity: 6, endurance: 6, agility: 6, vitality: 6, intelligence: 6. These will change extremely after you first start going into the dungeon, but will level out after about a week. Then you will actually have to start to train in order to increase your stats. The specifics of these stats are going to take a long time to explain if you wish to leave right now and go into the dungeon that is alright.¡± My eyes widen again.¡±No,¡± I say,¡±I need to know what each stat represents and how I can use it.¡± Mr. Kibitzer nods at this.¡±Good the people that take that offer are always the ones that die on the first day.¡± He looks at another piece of paper next to his desk. It¡¯s the form I filled out in the waiting room.¡±It says here you received all A¡¯s while in middle school, I¡¯m going to assume this is true. Then why didn¡¯t you use the money you used to pay for Kid Killer and try your hand at the america¡¯s state test. You may not have gotten the highest, but you would¡¯ve gotten in.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I thought you were going to explain my stats.¡± I don¡¯t like it when people question my life. ¡°I am I just wanting to satisfy a curiosity that I have.¡± He responds not indicating in the slightest he will continue. I narrow my eyes at him.¡±My father paid for half of the cost of the pass to go to Kid Killer then left me with just enough to pay for the rest. He also said before he died that it would be a waste for someone like me to go to the testing. I think he believed that they were rigged.¡± He thinks for a moment before asking his next question.¡±You said before he died. Why would a father in his last moments tell his son not to receive an education then practically force you to go into the dungeon the most dangerous place in the world.¡± I clench my jaw.¡±Because I think he knew this is what is meant for me, even though I hate to admit it. And before you ask yes I dislike my father and no you will not know the specifics on why.¡± Mr. Kibitzer is silent for a few moments.¡±Okay I¡¯m satisfied. Back to your stats you are right to be curious about the stats because they are more intertwined than you think. Take strength and agility for example. Strength is the power a muscle has and agility is how fast someone moves. Agility is primary associated with the legs, but the legs have muscles too does strength not apply to them?¡± I think for an answer after a few minutes of being unable to think of one I give up shrugging. ¡°Yes,¡± he says,¡± it does. Agility is how fast the muscle flexes and strength is the power behind flex. So if two stats are combined effientently¡­.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll maximize how fast someone can run and how fast a weapon can be swung.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mr. Kibitzer says.¡±The other stats can be similarly combined. Moving on dexterity is the flexibility of the body, endurance is the amount of stamina one has, but do not confuse it with energy which is the amount of stamina you use suddenly. Do you understand?¡± I nod. ¡°Vitality is the amount of damage you can receive before dying. I say it like this because certain injuries are fatal no matter how much vitality you have. And intelligence is the amount of processing power your brain has don¡¯t confuse intelligence for wisdom there is a big difference believe me.¡± After that he tells me to regurgitate what he just said. I do summoning down what he said into simpler terms. He nods.¡±Good Mr. Zero,¡± he puts the stone back on my arm the marks appearing in the air again.¡±This will be the most important part of your day Mr. Zero. Choosing your first class. The options are nomad, survivalist and scavenger. I can already tell you aren¡¯t suited for nomad so I suggest you pick from survivalist and scavenger. A survivalist has higher vitality and endurance, but lower stats all around, a scavenger has higher agility and dexterity, but lower stats all around. The skills each class provide are basically the same with only a few differences that we will take about at another time. I can¡¯t chose the class for you nor can I force the class on you. You may take all the time you need, but from what you said earlier I don¡¯t think you have the money to be thinking. He¡¯s right my hotel room is over tomorrow and I only have have thirty dollars in my wallet. ¡°Does the class I chose now decide other classes I can get in the future?¡± ¡°No, but they do favor abilities used by specific classes. Many people hoping to get into rogue class start out as scavengers and those thinking of trying their hand at magic go to survivalist. But like I said it doesn¡¯t determine it.¡± I nod thinking deeply. ¡°I choose scavenger.¡± I say. ¡°Okay touch this marking right here,¡± he points to one that appears to be just like the rest.¡±And say ¡®I Have Chosen The Class Of Scavenger.¡¯¡± ¡°I Have Chosen The Class Of Scavenger.¡± The mark glows bright red then morphs into a new one. Several other marks change but I don¡¯t know into what. ¡°This completes you first meeting with me. My advice for you is to take one of the pamphlets from the office and go into a dungeon with a good record. I won¡¯t lie to you most people especially ones your age die on their first day. I am not expecting you back Mr. Zero, but I do hope you do return.¡± He takes the stone off. I¡¯m almost out the door by the time the marks are completely gone. His words made me realize something. No one is expecting me back. No5: First Set Of Armor I take a pamphlet like Mr. Kibitzer said. I read over it choosing a low spawning dungeon fifteen blocks away. I use whats left of my money to buy a light meal before going inside. There are buildings constructed around every dungeon entrance. Reinforced with magic imbued steel and concrete these checkpoints are meant to keep the monsters from spilling out onto the surface if they ever try. The clock on the wall says it¡¯s three thirty most parties seemed to have packed it in for the day. There is a big lobby around the dungeon¡¯s entrance hole. Big steel doors just like kid killer. I see a few people sitting at tables veterans waiting for someone. I walk straight towards those big doors. They are the same steps too. A party of armor wearing sword carrying adventurers walk out as I walk in with my t-shirt, jeans and nikes. Just like kid killer earlier today, but now I have the system. I see one of the party members point back at me then make a line across is neck. His friends laugh. I ignore them I need to concentrate. When I reach the bottom my senses go on full alert. There are no loose rocks for me to use as a weapon, but there are boulders for me to hide behind. This dungeon is bigger with caverns instead of rooms. The boss is twenty caverns ahead of me so I take a left to avoid him all together. I fast walk to boulders looking for any monster weapons. This dungeon has goblins, imbs and kobolds each uses a form of natural weapon made by the dungeon. The imbs use a form of fire magic, its low level but it can still hurt me bad. After a half an hour I finally find a natural weapon. The only problem is is that it¡¯s in possession of a lone goblin. It has a red streak across its back so it¡¯s probably a survivor of a group that got destroyed by some party. It has a strong grip on it. It¡¯s shaped like a knife that has been chiseled out of stone. After a few minutes of stalking it finally makes a mistake. It set the knife down to pick up some dungeon moss. I rush forward grabbing the knife then I jab it into the things neck. It went back into the dungeon almost instantly in a black smoke leaving behind a tiny blue orb the size of a marble. I put it in my pocket then continue my hunt. I hunt down five more goblins sneaking away from big groups of monsters. When I walk back up the steps I see people handing money over to people. I flip them off. ¡°Hahahaha sorry kid,¡± one of them calls,¡±but hay,¡± he holds up a bag of coins,¡±I was one of the ones who believed in you.¡± I¡¯ve been dungeoneering for about a month now. I moved from the hotel to a small apartment next to the dungeon I go to. Like I said it¡¯s small with only a room and bathroom, but I like it. When I cashed my first orbs in the bank, the gems that drop from monsters, they told me most dungeoneers take it in coin because it¡¯s easier to manage finances that way so that is what I did. I got only a two hundred Files, but It was enough for the down payment for this apartment. Rent is do weekly at fifty Files and they only take three days late then they assume I¡¯m dead. Also you aren¡¯t allowed to walk into the dungeon whenever you want to. You have to schedule days and then sign in. The lady manning this area chewed me out for it. I¡¯m schedule to go in on monday through thursday. Today is friday my day off, and the day I actually get dungeoneer clothes. The ones I¡¯ve been using right now have been my street clothes which do nothing when faced with knives. And I¡¯m getting a real knife because this natural weapon is nearing the end of its life. I walk into the office pushing my way through the crowd towards the shopping section. I¡¯ve learned the best way to move through this knot of people is to just push your way through and stopping for people who are obviously stronger than you.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! When I walk into the shop there is mess of people just like outside. There are signs above each area marking what they sell. I go to the armor section first searching for the scavenger area. The store is laid out like a maze with armor in crates all over the shelfs, sometimes spilling out. There doesn¡¯t seem to be sections just piles of armor where they sit. I go up to the checkout to see if they can help me. There¡¯s two people in front talking with one of the salesman haggling with the price I go to the saleswoman with my question. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I say,¡±I trying to find some scavenger armor is there a particular section its located?¡± She shakes her head.¡±No sorry everything is scattered around. I can help you find some if you wish.¡± ¡°I think that would be for the best-.¡±¡±Oh Zero it is you!¡± Says a familiar giant female. Zenobia stands next to me,wearing her plate armor, with another female looking like her younger sister.¡±Buying some armor I see the starter set finally worn out?¡± ¡°Started set?¡± I ask. ¡°You know the set the office gives to starting adventures your coordinator should have told you about it.¡± She looks at my confused face.¡±They didn¡¯t tell you did they.¡± I shake my head. Now that I think about that would make sense. ¡°What have you been using for a weapon then?¡± I pull out the natural weapon, I¡¯ve been using my belt loops as an improvised sheath.¡±I got it from a distracted goblin on the dungeon I go to.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Said Zenobia¡¯s sister. ¡°JOAN ARTIMISIA! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!¡± ¡°Uhgg fine.¡± Joan rolls her eyes then goes back to haggling. The sudden outburst makes me take a step back. Zenobia shakes her head then goes back to talking to me. ¡°Joan is buying her first armor too. It seems like god is putting us at a crossroads yet again.¡± She looks at the saleswoman.¡±Do not worry my lady I shall show him to his destination. Joan meet me at the bank entrance when your done.¡± Joan just nods. Zenobia leads me back into the maze of armor. ¡°How many Files have you acquired from your ventures?¡± She ask. ¡°I have six hundred and fifty Files, but I need fifty to pay rent, so I can only spend six hundred.¡± After my first day in the dungeon it became harder to find lone goblins walking around, I said in the pamphlet that kobolds walk around alone, but they¡¯re deeping in the dungeon which I wasn¡¯t prepared to venture into. So each day I¡¯ve only managed about one to two kills with the cores which are only worth about twenty five Files. ¡°That should be enough for scavenger starter gear. I believe I saw a set near aisle 4.¡± She leads me through the maze where people were busy fighting for pieces of armor. The set she showed me was definitely beginner, but it was better than what I had on. The chest piece was designed to only protect the chest leaving my stomach and sides exposed there was elbow armor too, the pants had armor on the knees and the boots were a couple of sizes too big. I wasn¡¯t expecting the goggles apparently their fog resistance and an essentially for any scavenger. ¡°Did your coordinator not tell you this?¡± She ask while I tried on the goggles. ¡°No,¡± I say tightening the goggles.¡±I think he wanted me to survive the dungeon before he bothered to explain more to me. Actually tomorrow will be the first time I¡¯ve seen him cense I told him I survived.¡± She nods.¡±I see.¡± I pick the armor and go to check out. ¡°The blacksmith down the hall can set it to your measurements. Thank you for buying at the office.¡± I begin to head over to the blacksmith saying bye to Zenobia. The blacksmith is a gruff man with soot all over is body, his office is in the corner with a team of sweepers ready at a moments notice to clean the soot he tracs. It takes him seconds to shrink the boots and fit the other parts more seemily. He said he gets paid by the office so I don¡¯t have to worry about paying him. I begin walking out of the office wondering what I¡¯m supposed to do for the next three days. Normally I just lay in my apartment because I have no money to do anything. But that gets boring quick. Maybe I can get another job somewhere else to help bring in more money. It will help me out alot. ¡°Zero!¡± Zenobia calls my name. She and her sister walk by me throwing my something. I catch it examining it balancing the box with one hand. It¡¯s a dagger way better than the one I was given at kid killer. ¡°I can¡¯t accept this.¡± ¡°Who said you are given a choice,¡± said Joan carrying her own box. I continue to resist, but I¡¯m thoroughly crushed. ¡°You are the most persistent pair of sisters I¡¯ve ever met,¡± I sigh,¡±Thank you I will use it well. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Joan says as I walk away.