《Reborn into a RPG?》 Prologue - Last regret This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 1
Race: High Elf Mana: 100/100
Health: 100/100 Stamina 100/100
Titles: None.
Stats
Strength: 10 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 10 Wisdom: 10
Vitality: 10 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 10 Luck: 10
Chapter 1 - To The Mines If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
TITLE Slave trader
NAME ???
LEVEL 15
Oh so it works like this as well... level 15. I¡¯m still only level 1. Worth a shot I guess Suddenly Kyros made a break for it, but before he could even get a meter away, he felt something solid hit the back of his head. The last thing Kyros saw was a -35hp in the corner of his sight, and everything then faded black. ¡°You fool...¡± he heard from behind him as the last of his conscience left him.
Kyros awoke with a sharp pain in his head, he could barely open his eyes. He first noticed upon waking up that he was no longer in a forest but an underground cave. The source of light were these weird stones that glowed with light, not comparable with anything from Earth that he knew of. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake elf. Wasn¡¯t a smart move to talk to the slave traders that way was it.¡± A deep voice came from his side. As he turned he saw the familiar face of that middle-aged man who was also caught by the slave traders. ¡°Not talking hey... well your kind are known for that. Still, your kind are usually sold to the wealthy and live a life better than even some village folk, seeing as though how attractive you all are. He must¡¯ve hated you to sell you here.¡± ¡°Where is here?¡± Kyros responded with a raspy voice. ¡°Oh, so you are talking. Well welcome to home. We¡¯ve been sold to the Mavis mines.¡± ¡°Mavis?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you elves usually stick to yourselves in the forests. Probably don''t know much about our kingdom. Mavis is one of the 12 great houses of the Callux kingdom.¡± ¡°I see... so what are we doing here?¡± Kyros responded. He had a faint idea but coming from a world where he could¡¯ve sued that man for hitting him in the head, it was clear that the way of this world will take some getting used to. ¡°You¡¯re really clueless to these things, aren¡¯t you. Lucky I¡¯m here to explain. We¡¯re to spend the remainder of our lives mining for the Mavis family. They bought you for a lofty sum and now they¡¯re going to make their money back by making you mine. Mavis makes most of their income through mining and selling the ores to the kingdom. Currently, I¡¯ve been tasked to watch over you until you¡¯re healed enough to start working. Feel free to take your time healing up hahaha.¡± This middle-aged man seemed quite jovial considering his situation. ¡°You seem pretty... careless, considering you¡¯re in the same boat.¡± ¡°Ah well, I was a servant before this, working for a young noble house. However, they went under and sold me to the mines, the traders were only paid to deliver me. So I¡¯m a veteran at this sort of thing haha.¡± Kyros usually thinks of other people as annoyances in his life, but something about this man was different. Kyros was used to being treated differently in his old life, however, this man was friendly towards him. ¡°Any way you can call me Rulf.¡± The man said. ¡°I¡¯m Kyros.¡± ¡°Well, Kyros I¡¯ll let you get back to resting, even though I said to take your time I doubt they¡¯ll let us off too long.¡± With that Rulf turned and headed off to leave Kyros to think things over. Well, slaving was real on Earth as well, but it never really affected me. Alright, first I need to heal and then start thinking of a way out of here. Kyros opened his status screen from the corner of his eye.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 1
Race: High Elf Mana: 100/100
Health: 82/100 Stamina: 100/100
Titles: None.
¡°Hmm, I can assume I was unconscious for at least a few hours, considering there were no mountains close by when he knocked me out. I lost 35 health when he attacked me, so in the span of a few hours I¡¯ve only recovered 17 health. I guess this is really real life and not a game, in my games, I¡¯d have healed back up in a couple of minutes. It¡¯s probably safe to assume I¡¯ll heal at the same rate as a normal person.¡± Kyros pondered on this for a moment until he heard footsteps outside of the cave chamber he was in. A tall sickly man appeared from the corner, he had dirt all over his body and overalls. His black hair was greasy to the point that Kyros could see it shine, however the most notable point of this man was how pale and sick he appeared. It was as if he had lived in a cave for his whole life. ¡°Heh, so you¡¯re the elf. First of your kind to be sent here. Well doesn¡¯t matter what you were, down here we are all slaves. I¡¯m the slave master in charge of our section, call me sir. You and your buddy are the newest recruits. Also, yes I am a slave as well, however, I¡¯ve been here for 23 years and worked for this position. If you work hard you could get here within a couple of years.¡± Even this man¡¯s voice sounded sickly. ¡°Yes sir, umm is there any way to earn freedom¡± Kyros usually hated conforming to authority but decided it was best to call him sir and play it safe. The previous incident wouldn¡¯t have been as bad as it was if he could¡¯ve kept his attitude in control. ¡°Nonsense, we don¡¯t live in a fairy tale, you will live out the rest of your lives here, working for the Mavis family. Speak of freedom again and you will lose foodprivileges for two days. Ah reminds me, food, you¡¯re entitled to 2 portions of food a day. However, that¡¯s only if you fill the quota. 15 copper ores a day.¡± Surely there must be a way to get freedom, I just got reborn, no way I¡¯m going to spend it living in some mine as a slave. That damned God led me on to believe that I was going to have a better life. The slave master wondered over to the corner of the room and picked up an old iron pickaxe, the pick looked as if it would break if you swung it at anything solid. ¡°Seeing as though you¡¯re well enough to talk about freedom, you can start tomorrow. Breakfast is from 6 to 6:30, miss it and you won¡¯t eat until dinner which is from 6 pm to 6:30. Breakfast will be your first and only free meal here, enjoy it.¡± The slave master threw the pickaxe on top of Kyros and left. Kyros studied this fossil of a pickaxe laying on his lap.
Old Iron Pickaxe
Type: Pickaxe Durability: 23 / 50
Quality: Very Poor
An old iron pickaxe which hasn¡¯t been looked after. Capable of mining lower quality ores.
Chapter 2 - Im The Only One? It was morning and Kyros was on his way to the mess for breakfast. The only reason he knew it was morning was because of the siren that rang out at 5:30 am, Rulf had warned him about it last night before going to bed. Last he had checked his health was at 91 and the only thing he felt was a bump on the back of his head, otherwise, he was fine. Well, fine was an overstatement, he had only gotten a few hours¡¯ sleep last night because it had taken him a while to adjust to the hard wooden bed and Rulf¡¯s snoring. It seemed the last slave quarters were full, so it was just Rulf and Kyros in their chamber, however, there were enough beds for 13 others. As Kyros entered the mess chamber he noticed how bustling it was, there were easily 100 slaves throughout the chamber eating at stone tables. What stupefied him though was that he had learned from Rulf that they were in section 52. There are at least another 50 sectors just like this, so there have to be more than 5000 slaves. Also, who¡¯s to say this is the only mine under Mavis, surely they would have multiple... So this is what Rulf meant by Mavis being a Great House. Kyros saw a huddle of men standing in line behind a man with a cauldron-like pot, assuming that was where they handed out the food, he fell in line behind the men. As he stood waiting, he had noticed how many eyes were on him, logic was telling him it was because he was an elf, however, years of bullying made him believe it was because of his feminine features. After a couple of minutes it was Kyros¡¯s turn, as he stepped up he noticed the old man giving out the food wasn¡¯t exactly hygiene friendly. Especially his hands, covered in dirt and grime. ¡°Heh heh, well ain¡¯t this rare, an elf living underground haha. Well have some of my famous stew, it¡¯ll remind you of the fairies back in your forest heh heh heh.¡± The old man held out a bowl with a shaking hand for Kyros. Kyros chose not to respond because he could tell the old man wasn¡¯t sane, so he took his stew and left. Kyros found Rulf sitting at an empty table and chose to join him. ¡°You made it, you took so long getting here you only have 5 minutes to eat that before getting to work.¡± Rulf said as Kyros was placing his bowl down. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get used to waking up so early.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn.¡± ¡°.. Hey Rulf, why can¡¯t I see any girls around here?¡± This had been bugging Kyros since he had entered the mess chamber. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. First, most woman lacks the physical strength to mine all day and second, girls are typically sent to work in the households of their owners. The pretty girls are reserved for the important figures, and the others usually used to keep the family¡¯s guards happy.¡± ¡°No way! they can¡¯t just force the girls to do that sort of thing even if they are slaves.¡± Kyros said in disgust. ¡°Hah you¡¯re really naive, our kingdom isn¡¯t the same as your elven villages. Those with power can do whatever they want, what can we slaves do about it? Those with power make the rules¡± ¡°Still... it isn¡¯t right¡± ¡°I agree kiddo, but unfortunately we were born in the wrong kingdom. There are plenty of kingdoms and empires where slaving is illegal, however, that doesn¡¯t change anything for us. Now I¡¯d finish up that stew quick before work starts.¡±
Old Mans Famous Stew
Type: Food Benefits +5 stamina every 10 minutes for 3 hour
Quality: Very Poor
Stew fed to slaves. Low-quality ingredients used to save money.
¡°Yuck¡± Was all Kyros could mutter before forcing himself to eat. After finishing breakfast without puking, which Kyros was proud of, he and the rest of the slaves entered the working area. The slaves were broken into groups of 5 and led into separate parts of the mine to start working towards their daily quota of 15 copper ores. Kyros had been put into the same group as Rulf. The other 3 with them were rather burly men, quite muscular from all the hard work they do each day. In fact the biggest of the three was level 12, it may not sound high but Kyros had been making observations on all the slaves and the average seemed to be 4-7. Making a quick mental note to himself to not anger these men, he followed behind them. Kyros was indifferent to the three as he tried to avoid interactions as much as possible, however Rulf was different and introduced himself jovially. ¡°Hey fellas, I¡¯m Rulf and this young lad is Kyros. Happy to be brothers in arms haha.¡± However, the three of them only stared at him before walking off into one of the many mine corridors. Seems like the majority of the slaves have given up hope and are only worried about whether they¡¯ll make the quota. I¡¯ve already been warned not to get lost as no search parties will be sent and no more meals will be free, even If I¡¯m injured. This is really quite dangerous.Kyros pondered as they walked further into the mine. Suddenly the three men stopped and moved towards some greenish looking rocks and started picking away at them. ¡°Well Kyros, guess this is it, let¡¯s get started.¡± Rulf said before moving over to his own rock and started swinging his pick. Guess it¡¯s my turn¡­
Copper Ore Vein
Type: Ore Durability: 20 / 20
Quality: Average
Copper ore can be acquired by mining. Ore can be used for a variety of things, however most commonly for smelting and used with blacksmithing. Can be sold to most merchants.
As Kyros stood in front of the copper ore he took note of the status screen informing him it was in fact a copper ore. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. That could be handy if I come across any other ores I don¡¯t know about in the future. Kyros readied his pickaxe and with a large overhead swing, it came down upon the ore. With a loud clang, the pickaxe fell from his hands as Kyros¡¯s hands were in pain from the sudden shock. The other 3 stared at him shortly before returning back to mining, however Rulf walked over. ¡°Haha kido, don¡¯t put so much power behind your swings. Try and only get enough power to break the ore from the rock, and also aim at the ore and not the rock.¡± Rulf walked back to resume his mining while humming a tune. No one had time to babysit him through this, everyone had their own quotas. Kyros was pretty happy that Rulf had even came over to give him the quick pointer. Man those games made this look so easy¡­ It took Kyros a few swings until finally a chunk of ore broke off, however, it wasn¡¯t the success of finally getting it right that surprised Kyros, instead it was the sudden status screen.
Skill Aquired: Mining
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Mining Beginner 1 3%
Determines how fast you can mine. Higher levels will allow user to mine moreprecious ores and gemstones.
+5 EXP
Now that he thought about it, he should¡¯ve expected this, mining was one of the most common non-combat skills in the games he had played. Wait if I level this up, then won¡¯t I be able to fill my daily quota faster, which¡¯ll give me more time to figure a way out of this hell hole. Also if I get 5 EXP after every ore, then I should level up tomorrow, I only need 100 to get to level 2. He bent over to pick up the ore and place it inside his backpack, however it felt a lot heavier than he had thought it would. 15 of these wasdefinitely going to make himstruggle on the way back. Kyros was drenched in sweat as he was mining his fifth ore, he had just finished taking a break when all of a sudden a status screen popped into his vision.
+1 Stamina
Huh, so I can increase a stat without having to invest stat points from leveling up. Actually I wonder how many stat points I¡¯ll get when I do level up. And like that he spent the rest of the day mining until he had achieved 16 ores. However, it wasn¡¯t easy, his hands were full of splinters and blisters, it was going to hurt just to hold the spoon for dinner. He also had to rest frequently too because of how often his stamina would fall. At first, he¡¯d mine until his stamina went below 20, however shortly after he crashed to the ground and struggled just to keep himself sitting up. Kyros learned he could get about 2 ores mined before he¡¯d have to rest for 30 minutes to recover, so long as he didn¡¯t drop below 20. Resting for the final couple of minutes before he had to head back to hand in his ores and get dinner, Kyros pondered over what he had just learned today. First, he could level up his mining skill to quicken his pace, as of now he had 48% mastery. Second, he gained EXP from mining, currently, he only need 20 more EXP until he levelled up. Third, he could increase stats from working them, in fact his stamina had gone up twice and strength once.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 1
Race: High Elf Mana: 100/100
Health: 94/100 Stamina 47/120
Titles: None.
Stats
Strength: 11 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 10 Wisdom: 10
Vitality: 10 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 12 Luck: 10
Kyros observed the changes in his stats and thought to himself that it wasn¡¯t a bad job for his first day on the job. Although tomorrow should be even better by the time he levels up his mining and overall level. Suddenly the three veteran miners got up indicating it was time to go hand in their quotas. Rulf and Kyros followed shortly behind. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you finished the quota kiddo, at the start I thought you had no hope. Guess we might be able to make a good slave outta you yet hahaha!¡± Rulf laughed as he gave a heavy slap on Kyros¡¯s back. Although Kyros acted normal on the surface, that slap really shook him. Although he was fine talking with Ruff, it was still awkward with someone acting so friendly to him. ¡°Hahah yeah gave myself a scare for a while. How many did you end up mining Rulf? I got 16, reckon I¡¯ll get even more tomorrow.¡± Kyros stated. ¡°Hey kiddo, I was only joking about being a good slave. There¡¯s no point mining more than needed, you¡¯ll have to turn them all in at the end of the day. You can¡¯t stack ¡®em lad.¡± Rulf lectured. ¡°What do you mean? The faster I can level up my mining, the faster I can get the quota done. You have to think ahead Rulf!¡± Kyros lectured back. ¡°Huh what do you mean level up mining? That blow to the head must¡¯ve been rough...¡± Rulf looked at Kyros in pity. Wait what does he mean? ¡°Wait you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t have a mining skill? What about your overall level? You should be level 9.¡± Kyros was trying to reaffirm. ¡°Hey kiddo, you¡¯re making no sense. Maybe it¡¯s only specific to elves...¡± Although Rulf was trying to be kind, Kyros could tell he didn¡¯t believe that. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right.¡± Chapter 3 - Harsh Reality So Rulf can¡¯t see the status screens and has no idea about levels. Does that mean he levels up without realising it? Actually those three guys seemed to have been here for a while yet they only looked a bit better than me when it came to mining. Surely they must be at least level 5 or above. Maybe levelling only has small effects, or maybe it is just me. Than can I learn skills faster than other people? Wait, that means I haven¡¯t been reborn into an RPG but in fact a real fantasy world! Well I guess it¡¯s still like an RPG just I¡¯m the only one with the RPG abilities. Well best I keep quiet aboutthis for now, and try to find out more when my situation clears up. Oh yeah what is up with this situation, I¡¯ve been here for two days and I''m already a slave. ARGHH! why didn¡¯t that fucking god or whatever he was explain any of this!!Kyros was raging in his head while still on his way to hand in hid his quota. Walking into a darker than usual area in the mine where there were less glow stones illuminating the cave, the three men stopped and turned around. Kyros was nonchalant over the situation, however Rulf wasn¡¯t new to being a slave. ¡°Kyros, be on guard. It¡¯s not uncommon for the older slaves to teach the new slaves who''s boss.¡± Rulf whisper to Kyros. Now alarmed to the situation, Kyros put aside his worries with the status screens and paid attention to the three veteran miners up ahead. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯m impressed with you newbies, most new slaves spend their first day crying about wanting to go home. I know his been a slave for a while now.¡± The middle and biggest of three spoke while looking towards Rulf. On closer observation, this middle guy was an horrendous site to look at. What drew most attention was how crooked his nose was, telling of how many fights he had obviously been in. ¡°However, the elf actually held out today.¡± He was now looking into Kyros¡¯s eyes. Kyros stared right back. To this veteran miner, it seemed as if Kyros was trying to challenge him. Ah what does this old timer want. I¡¯m exhausted and need to sleep. Kyros truly paid no heed to what he was saying, this probably would¡¯ve enraged the veteran miner even more if he knew so. ¡°Give it a week and I bet he¡¯ll be crying about how much he misses his trees haha.¡± The miner on the left said. ¡°Look at the way he''s staring at you Dwenn, looks like a tiger cub.¡± The man on the right said to the middle man with a snicker. Oh so this level 12 guy is named Dwenn. I wonder how much longer they¡¯re going to talk for... ¡°Come on guys, we''re supposed to look after our fellow miners.¡± Dwenn responded to the two. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what guys, me and my friends here will even protect you from the other miners. All you have to do is give us five ores. Each.¡± Dwenn spoke towards Kyros and Rulf in a friendly tone as if he hadn''t said anything out of the ordinary. ¡°Kyros we better do as h¡­¡± ¡°No way. Mine your own ores you lazy dicks.¡± Kyros had cut off Rulf who had been in favour of paying the extortion. ¡°Ohhh looks like this elf needs help understanding how we humans interact. Guys, why don¡¯t we give our friend here a hand.¡± Dwenn proposed to his two friends who were already wearing sinister grins on their faces as if they were hoping this would happen. Ah bloody hell. When will I learn to keep my mouth shut... ¡°Hey guys, you¡¯re right. He doesn¡¯t understand, why don¡¯t you let me talk to him for a second.¡± Rulf tried to cool the situation nervously. Wow only my second day here and I¡¯ve already found a guy willing to put his neck out for me, maybe people are different in this world. ¡°We already gave him his chance, we have to teach him some manners now instead of later.¡± Dwenn had his mind made. Nope, they¡¯re the same. As they approached, Kyros was silently observing them. Hmm level 6, 7 and 12. Alright and I¡¯m level 1. Oh shit. Kyros had backed up a step when the level 7 guy on the right suddenly swung a fist which had collected Kyros in his gut. -5hp Only losing 5 seems trivial when comparing to his grand total of 100, however the pain shook him so bad that he puked. However, this time it was the level 6 man on the left who launched a kick into Kyros¡¯s left right leg. -3hp *gak* Kyros gasped in pain. Now Dwenn was lining Kyros up for a punch square in the face, this was going to do more damage than the two hits before combined, considering his face was a vital area and Dwenn was level 12. As Dwenn was halfway through his swing, and Kyros was already on the ground ready to take the hit, Rulf had jump tackled Dwenn into an exhausted ore vein. Dwenn let out grunt as his back collided into the edgy surface of the ore vein. -42hp Woah that¡¯s even more damage than when I got knocked out.. Surely he will stop now. Rulf was immediately pulled off of Dwenn by the two lackeys who were trying to make sure Dwenn was alright.
Title: Slave
Name: Dwenn
Level: 12
Health: 198/240
Description: A slave of the Mavis family mines.
¡°That fucking hurt¡± *cough* Dwenn spat out blood in anger. Rulf seemed to have realised what he had done, it was obvious just by seeing the despair on his face. ¡°Beat that fucker an inch from death!¡± Dwenn yelled at his lackeys. "Make sure you don''t kill him though, we''re not directly allowed to kill each other, but if he can¡¯t walk, it¡¯s just as well as being fucking dead ain''t it haha.¡± You can¡¯t be serious¡­ Both the lackeys started brutally beating Rulf. It started with punches to the gut, but as Rulf lost the ability to stand, it quickly turned into kicks not just to the gut but all over, some ever connecting with his face. ¡°Leave him alone! We¡¯ll give you all our ores! Just leave us alone!¡± Kyros roared in desperation as he tried pushing them away from Rulf. However, Dwenn had different plans for Kyros as he pinned his arms and held him staring in the direction of where Rulf¡¯s now bloody body lay. ¡°Hahaha what¡¯re you so upset about elf. What did you think was going to happen when you spoke back to us. Just think, if you had just done as you were told, your friend here wouldn¡¯t be laying there right now.¡± Dwenn laughed in Kyros¡¯s ear as he spoke. ¡°Well you can keep your ores for today, but tomorrow, if you don¡¯t want to end up like that on the floor, I suggest you hand them over.¡± Dwenn finally released Kyros and started walking off with his two lackeys, their laughs echoing in the empty tunnels, along with some muttered lines about his back aching from Dwenn. Kyros hadn¡¯t even paid their words any attention as he scrambled over to Rulf¡¯s now limp and bloody body. Kyros hadn¡¯t seen anything as gruesome as this before, sure he remembered his own death, but it was actually quite a clean death. The pole pieced straight through him and he ended up dying by bleeding out. However, Rulf¡¯s figure was sickening just to look at, his nose was broken and he seemed to have a crushed eye socket. His left arm was broken in what looked to be two places.
Title: Slave
Name: Rulf
Level: 9
Health: 23/190
Description: A slave of the Mavis family mines.Currently very weak and close to death.Multiple fractures and breaks. Status effects: health won''t regenerate until fractures and breaks are healed.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
He''s alive! ¡°Rulf! Rulf! Can you hear me? Stay awake!¡± Kyros called out frantically to Rulf. *Cough* *cough* ¡°Well that wasn¡¯t too smart of me... haha*cough*ha¡± Rulf¡¯s voice sounded so incredibly weak to Kyros. However, he was happy that he was even talking. ¡°Hey conserve your strength, just wait until I get you back. No way they¡¯ll get away with this, and they¡¯ll definitely heal you up, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly kiddo. No one cares about us slaves and they¡¯re not going to waste expensive medical treatment on me. Even if I do make it back, I won¡¯t be able to work for at least a month. I can¡¯t last that long without eating... Just leave me here kiddo.¡± Rulf¡¯s voice had dropped out a few times in-between. ¡°No way am I accepting that... You¡¯re the first person to be kind to me in years, no way I¡¯m letting my mistake get you killed. I¡¯ll figure something out. First, let¡¯s head back.¡± Kyros said with determination as he lifted Rulf onto his back as well as his ores. Kyros felt as if he was going to get crushed under the weight, however, he kept walking down the tunnel, nearly tripping every couple of steps. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid kiddo, I¡¯m tired of this life anyway¡± However, Kyros kept on marching down the tunnel. Just as the old slave responsible for collecting the daily quotas was about to pack up and head to dinner after reporting the day''s results, he heard footsteps and heavy panting down one of the tunnels. Peering into the tunnel the sounds came from he could see a figure slowly making its way towards him. When this old slave saw that it was actually a young slave drenched in sweat with an obviously injured older slave on his back, it had greatly shocked him. It¡¯s not that slaves were inhuman and treated each other with malice, but it truly was a world where everyone had to look out for themselves. Yeah, they all had friends, but how many of these friends would risk their lives to help you. Well, that was happening right in front of this old slave. In this world of every man for themselves, he saw someone risking his neck out for someone else. He didn¡¯t feel admiration or anything of the sort though, if anything it was confusion, in fact he called out to Kyros. ¡°Oi, what¡¯re you doing lad? That slave obviously won¡¯t be able to work for at least a month; you''re wasting your time with him.¡± The old slave tried to lecture. ¡°Can you help him?¡± Kyros ignored the old slave''s previous lecture to ask his own question. ¡°Ah well no. It¡¯s a waste of resources to use medicine on him, he''s as good as dead lad.¡± ¡°Fine. Take these ores and let us go.¡± Kyros was already pissed with the situation, and he wasn¡¯t happy with this old man¡¯s attitude. After today¡¯s events, it really was sinking in that he was no longer in his old world. The old slave didn¡¯t like the attitude he received either, however, he had been a slave for a long time, and learned there was no point in petty battles such as this. He took the two bags containing the ores off of Kyros and quickly counted them. ¡°31 ores¡­ hmm well here¡¯s four meal tickets, two each.¡± And the old slave went back to packing up to report his findings.
Kyros had brought Rulf to their room because it was clear he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat in the mess. However, when Kyros tried to get two meals, the old cook had rejected him. Each person is handed one meal no matter the case. With anger and great reluctance, Kyros handed over both tickets for a single bowl which he had brought to Rulf. Rulf had been cleaned up now, and although he was still really weak, his life was no longer in danger. ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating kiddo?¡± Rulf looked up at Kyros in concern as he was being handed his bowl of stew. ¡°Ah, I ate mine in the mess. I wasn¡¯t allowed two at a time. So many rules here haha.¡± Kyros laughed it off. ¡°Fair enough. Hey, I know I said to leave me and that I was sick of this life... but thanks kiddo. Seriously, thank you.¡± And with that Rulf had finished his meal and went to sleep. Kyros now sat on his bed, staring at his bloodied and blistered hands. From a distance it may have looked as if he was staring at his hands in shock, however, if anyone were to see his eyes, they¡¯d be shocked. Right now there was bloodlust in them, Kyros wasn¡¯t a violent person, but what Dwenn and his lackeys had done caused his blood to boil. There was a hatred which felt foreign yet familiar at the same time, it scared him to think this anger may have always been inside him. Right now as Kyros sat on his bed, he was thinking of a way to get back at Dwenn, and thoughts of murder weren''t uncommon.
It was the next morning, after everything that happened the day before, it seemed as if nothing changed. The siren went off to signal it was time for another day of work. Kyros noticed Rulf struggling to get out of bed. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid and rest!¡± Kyros reprimand Rulf. ¡°Hey kiddo, did you forget, I still have a quota to fill.¡± Rulf stated as he still tried to get out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m going to mine for both of us.¡± Kyros said with a smile. It sounds like a small detail, however smiling while talking to another person, this definitely wasn¡¯t the normal Kyros. Which is correct, little by little, Kyros was changing his view towards people. Although he¡¯ll probably always be suspicious and doubt them until he deems them trustworthy. However, after what Rulf had done for Kyros, it was clear he was worth his trust. ¡°You only mined 16 ores yesterday, even if you put in all your effort, you¡¯ll probably come out with 4 or 5 more. Listen kiddo, I appreciate what you¡¯ve done, but now it¡¯s my turn to look after myself.¡± Rulf honestly looked grateful towards Kyros as he said that last part. ¡°Well obviously I¡¯m not going to be able to suddenly mine 30 a day, so for the time being we will split my meals. Breakfast for me so I have the energy to mine and dinner for you so you can rest peacefully through the nights.¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s to..¡± ¡°Not like you have a choice in the matter...¡± Kyros walked out to get fill himself up with a warm meal before starting a hard day¡¯s work.
They had just arrived at the mining spot for the day, and the other 3 men were snickering and making comments about how it suddenly felt lonely being one man down. However, Kyros took no heed of that, because today he¡¯s going to take the first step to his plan of revenge. To do this, the first and most important step was to level up and build a good foundation, so if his plan does have a slip up he can at least defend himself. The pain of gripping the pickaxe and reopening the wounds on his hands that had just closed overnight was excruciating but that anger inside him kept him going. After mining a few ores, Kyros finally leveled up.
Level up +1
+5 Stat Points
Okay, 5 points, good I had planned for the worst. Well 2 points to vitality, 1 to strength and 2 to agility. The extra agility should speed up the mining as well. A couple more ores after that and Kyros saw the status screen he expected.
Mining +1
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Mining Beginner 2 1%
Determines how fast you can mine. Higher levels will allow user to mine moreprecious ores and gemstones.
As he finished up for the day, he decided to check today''s progress.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 2
Race: High Elf Mana: 100/100
Health: 120/120 Stamina: 58/150
Titles: None.
Stats
Strength: 14 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 12 Wisdom: 10
Vitality: 12 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 15 Luck: 10
As he was checking his status, he heard the footsteps approaching him as he assumed would happen. Chapter 4 - Time In The Mines Kyros stopped focusing on the status screen which caused it to disappear, revealing Dwenn and his two lackeys standing before him. ¡°Don¡¯t look surprised lad. Now hand over those 5 ores and we won¡¯t have to repeat yesterday.¡± Dwenn said with arrogance. For the sake of the plan, Kyros was going to need to buy his time until he had everything ready. However, it was also not in his nature to be pushed around. ¡°Why do you even need them?¡± Kyros had been observing the three throughout the day, looking for any suspicious movements. However, what surprised him was how the three of them mined more than 15 ores, by his count alone they had mined more than 20. They were putting in a lot of effort to mine as much as they could. Kyros was suspecting that maybe they also had the mining skill, possibly even the RPG-like setup he had. Although he wasn¡¯t foolish enough that he would outright ask, he had to be subtle about it. Also it didn¡¯t explain why they were extorting him for ores; they clearly had enough to for their quota. Something didn¡¯t seem quite right to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and just hand them over.¡± I guess I¡¯ll ask him indirectly. ¡°You need to mine them yourselves if you want to level up, you know.¡± If they have the skill, they will know what I¡¯m talking about. If they don¡¯t, they¡¯ll just take it as some excuse to getting out of handing them over. ¡°Level up? What does that mean?¡± Dwenn looked confused. Gaming wasn¡¯t a thing of this world, so the concept of levelling up was lost on the three. Ah so they really don¡¯t have it. Then why are they trying to get more ores than needed? I¡¯ll have to look into that. ¡°Oh that¡¯s the¡­ the¡­ the elven word to improve your skills¡­¡± Truthfully Kyros knew less of elves than these three, however they didn¡¯t know that. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of your nonsense; any longer and we will miss out on dinner. Hand them over now.¡± Dwenn was clearly agitated. He was a simple man, never learned to read or write and had a limited vocabulary. So when Kyros used a word he didn¡¯t know, even though it was normal for him not to know elven, it had hit a soft spot and hurt his pride. Realising he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn anything more from the three of them, Kyros decided to hand over five of his ores. It didn¡¯t bother him because he knew that there was no escaping it, and also he had mined 23 ores today. The increase of skill and agility made quite a large difference. ¡°Hah, what a good lad you are¡­¡± Dwenn put his hand on Kyros¡¯s shoulder. Just you wait. I¡¯ll like to see how arrogant you are once I¡¯m done with you! As Kyros had these thoughts the hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened, and the next thing Kyros saw was a fist slammed into his gut. Kyros bowed over as he coughed up blood. While he was still bent over coughing and still trying to make sense of what happened, a knee struck him in the nose. The pain nearly made him blackout for a second, however through sheer will he kept himself conscious. ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as a bad guy¡­ it¡¯s how the world works. The weak serve the strong. You¡¯re weak and I¡¯m strong.¡± Dwenn looked down at Kyros and spoke as if he really believed he was doing only what was natural. ¡°Heh *cough* should¡¯ve figured you wouldn¡¯t just leave me alone if I handed the ores over.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡± Dwenn said. ¡°Now we best be off, don¡¯t want to miss dinner do we guys.¡± He spoke towards his friends. ¡°Dwenn. You can hit me all you want, but we both understand why you do it. It¡¯s because you¡¯re weak as well, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be a slave down here with us. In the end we are all going to die down here." Kyros spoke towards Dwenn he was about to leave. The way Kyros spoke those last words had sent a shiver down Dwenn¡¯s spine. Dwenn was about to refute Kyros, however when he had made eye contact with him he suddenly forgot what he was going to say. Something inside his eyes made Dwenn uncomfortable; it was something you usually wouldn¡¯t see inside of the eyes of someone as young as Kyros. Although for all Dwenn knew, Kyros could¡¯ve been hundreds of years old, as elves aged differently. Dwenn decided to give a final kick into the lying Kyros¡¯s gut before turning to leave and saying ¡°Let¡¯s stop wasting time with this mutt.¡± Kyros watched them leave through his teary eyes which was the result of the knee to the nose. I can¡¯t rush this¡­ I¡¯ll have to put up with it for now. Spitting out all the blood in of his mouth and dusting himself off, Kyros left the way Dwenn had to hand in his ores.
After a few minutes of walking, Kyros saw the familiar sight of the old man counting ores and handing out meal tickets. When it got to Kyros¡¯s turn the old man looked him up and down. ¡°I wonder how much longer you¡¯ll last¡­¡± The old slave said. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°With Dwenn and his men, they¡¯re an infamous bunch. Don¡¯t get me wrong, a lot of the bigger slaves will extort the smaller ones for their ores. However, Dwenn is known to go overboard. They say hiss indirectly killed 7 slaves, crippled them and left them for dead. Nothing has been done since it can¡¯t be linked to him.¡± The old slave rattled on. So he knows, yet does nothing. These mines truly are a cruel place. Kyros had already guessed most of this after the events of yesterday. It was good however to note that he has killed 7 which meant he wasn¡¯t a stranger to killing. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Kyros was by nature sceptical towards people, and he already disliked this old man because of the way he regarded Rulf the day before. ¡°Hmm why indeed¡­ maybe I¡¯m just a lonely old man who wants to talk. Or maybe it¡¯s because for the first time in 42 years, I saw a man willing to help another person even though it meant putting himself at risk. You¡¯re not the first to carry a someone back, it happens occasionally. However, they all leave when they realise they¡¯ll have to split their already small meals since the injured can¡¯t mine; self-riotous bunch they are. I was quite surprised when I saw you arguing with the chef over the meals.¡± ¡°Hey! You¡¯re worse than those self-riotous guys, you straight out told me to leave my friend to die.¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t believe the hypocrisy coming from the old slave. ¡°Never said I wasn¡¯t. How do you think I¡¯ve stayed alive so long, I look after myself. Those self-riotous guys though, they only care about keeping their conscious clean, the second it gets hard they leave them to die like the rest of us.¡± The old slave was an honest man, not only to others but himself as well. He hated how those self-riotous slaves lied to themselves thinking they were better than the rest when really they were the exact same. Hmm this old guy really won¡¯t shut up. ¡°Right... Well here are my ores for the day.¡± Kyros didn¡¯t care for the old man¡¯s rant; to him he was just another bother. The old slave was still rambling about the self-riotous slaves as he accepted the bag and started counting the ores. After he counted them all he raised an eyebrow and looked Kyros in the eyes. ¡°How many did Dwenn take off you?¡± The old slave asked. ¡°Ah 5, why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not lying are you?¡± The old slave asked impatiently. ¡°Whatever, just hand me my meal tickets.¡± Kyros wasn¡¯t in the mood to be accused of lying. He wanted to get home to rest after a day in the mines and the beating he took, also the hunger was starting to hit him. ¡°You really are talented¡­ I won¡¯t be surprised if you get out of here soon.¡± The old slave said with a hint of jealousy in his tone. ¡°To where?¡± Kyros had no idea of what the old slave was on about. The old slave looked at Kyros sceptically. However, when Kyros didn¡¯t respond he let out a sigh. ¡°The slave master didn¡¯t tell you huh? Must¡¯ve pissed him off somehow, that wasn¡¯t smart. What did you say?¡± ¡°Nothing really¡­ although he did leave pretty fast after I asked about getting my freedom. What didn¡¯t he tell me?¡± Kyros had felt he was missing something when Dwenn was collecting more ores than he needed. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°That would do it. When he first got here he was promised freedom in return for doing all the dirty work for the old slave master. He killed the old slave master and took his position once he had found out how he had been played with.¡± Answer the question old man. ¡°What didn¡¯t he tell me?¡± Kyros was impatient. ¡°Oh that¡¯s right. You know this isn¡¯t the only mine the Mavis family owns, right?¡± The old slave asked for confirmation. ¡°Uh-huh¡± Kyros nodded his head, not wanting to give the old slave any chance to get side tracked. ¡°As you know this is only a copper mine, not of too much importance to the family. They have many mines under their banner. For example iron, silver, gold and rumoured to even have an adamantine mine. Although the more precious the ore; the harder it is to mine. The gold mine only has 50 positions. So how do they find slaves capable of mining it?¡± The old man asked. Kyros was too busy processing all this new information to answer. The old slave didn¡¯t mind though because he only asked the question to build suspense. ¡°They create a system where slaves who bring in the most ores each day, thus proving their skill are selected. To get us slaves to willingly mine as much as possible is the promise of better conditions in the more precious mines. They say in the gold mine, slaves have their own rooms with pillows and soft beds, even showers.¡± The old slave had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke of this. Interesting¡­
Later that night Kyros laid in bed thinking to himself. Now I know why Dwenn does what he does, I guess I can understand him wanting to leave here. However, he will still pay for doing what he did. But if I keep handing in more and more ores, surely the higher ups will notice me and ship me to another mine. What would happen to Rulf without me here?Kyros pondered this thought for a while, until he reached an answer. I¡¯ll use Dwenn, guess that big lump isn¡¯t as useless as I first thought. Although once Rulf can look after himself, I¡¯ll carry out the plan.Kyros fell asleep shortly after this thought.
The next day after he had finished work, Dwenn and his gang approached Kyros the same as they had the day before. ¡°You were working really hard today, it makes me happy to know how hard you¡¯re working to get my ores.¡± Dwenn said with a smug face. Oh how good would it feel to break that crooked nose of his¡­ ¡°Actually I mined some extra today, since I only need 15 you can have them.¡± Kyros said naively. He then followed with handing the ores over. Dwenn and his two lackeys wore shocked expressions on their faces when they saw that Kyros kept reaching into his bag to grab another ore out. By the end Kyros had handed over 11 ores. He had mined 26 today. ¡°HAHAHA¡± Dwenn laughed. ¡°Good job.¡± He spoke to Kyros. ¡°Keep the beatings light, we don¡¯t want our golden worker too hurt to keep up the good work.¡± He spoke to the two behind him while staring at an ore in his hand with greed. Kyros smirked as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the three had already left. Good. This way he thinks he''s using me to get out of here, but really I¡¯m using him. I¡¯ll give him all the excess ores I mine while Rulf heals up. And like this Kyros¡¯s days in the mine were spent. Every day he would; mine, give up his ores to Dwenn, get beaten by the two lackeys, hand the rest of the ores in, and finally sleep so he can repeat the next day.
Kyros wiped his dirty silver hair out of his eyes as he just finished mining the 186th ore for the day. His hair was longer enough that he could now see it, Kyros hadn¡¯t actually seen his own reflection since being reborn. He felt his features were different but he didn¡¯t expect how different, he was shocked when he first saw silver flash in the top of his eyesight. He now wondered what he looked like but couldn¡¯t possibly ask anybody unless he wants to be known as crazy. ¡°Starting to think the broken arm wasn¡¯t that bad haha¡± A familiar deep voice rang out from behind him. Rulf had been healed up and was back at mining for a week now. It had been two months since Kyros found out about the other mines from the old slave. Kyros had still been submitting to Dwenn however because he realised if he gets shipped off, Rulf would be stuck in this hell hole. So for the past week Kyros had been giving tips to Rulf. With just the tips alone Rulf went from 15 ores to 62 as of today. It was curious how the skill system worked, every time he levelled up it was like he had gained knowledge, the sort of knowledge one could only gain by mining for years. ¡°You can but don¡¯t be expecting me to give you any more of my meals.¡± Kyros responded to Rulf¡¯s remark. ¡°Ah well that doesn¡¯t sound too fun does it kiddo, guess I¡¯ll keep at it haha.¡± Rulf had only been joking of course; in fact, Rulf was extremely grateful towards Kyros. He would lay his life down for him if he had only asked. Rulf can mine 62 ores a day, that should be enough to move to a better mine¡­Kyros looked over at Dwenn and his two lackeys mining away over in the distance.I was worried with all the ores they were handing in now, they would get moved and ruin my plan. What Kyros didn¡¯t know was the Mavis family wasn¡¯t a Great Family for nothing. They had reports on all the slaves, so they knew these three got their ores by extortion. However, seeing as though they were only copper mine slaves, they only knew basic information about them. They had assumed that Dwenn and his gang had just increased their victims of extortion, thus explaining the sudden rise of ores. Kyros decided to check over what he had gained over the last two months.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 15
Race: High Elf Mana: 100/100
Health: 370/370 Stamina 362/420
Titles: Copper Mine Slave
Stats
Strength: 48 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 35 Wisdom: 10
Vitality: 37 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 42 Luck: 10
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Mining Intermediate 2 31.45%
Determines how fast you can mine. Higher levels will allow user to mine moreprecious ores and gemstones. Can now mine precious ores.
Finally¡­ I can start the plan. Kyros¡¯s eyes flickered with bloodlust. Chapter 5 - Change of Plans Kyros awoke to the shrill siren ringing, signalling it was the start to another day. He slipped into his dirty overalls and used a little of the precious water in his canteen to clean his face. Ever since arriving in the mines it really had hit him how precious the small things in life were, the things he would do just to shower. It had taken a long time to get used to the filth that covered his body; however, he always used some of his drinking water to keep his face clean. He had been ridiculed by other miners since he first started the habit of cleaning his face, because it was a waste of water and your face was bound to get dirty shortly after. However, keeping his face clean was his own way of rebelling as a slave; he wasn¡¯t willing to give up everything to the life of a slave. The morning was the same as any other, he got ready as soon as he could and headed to breakfast with Rulf by his side. Rulf was Rulf, talking for the sake of talking. Kyros didn¡¯t mind however, he knew everyone had their own ways of getting through these horrible days and Rulf¡¯s method was to talk of trivial things; anything to keep his mind off the hell hole they lived in. Kyros hurriedly devoured the old man¡¯s stew. When he first arrived he¡¯d gag on and choked up the stew as he ate. However, a few days of hard work and only having one meal a day made that change quickly. It tasted like nothing now, he neither liked it nor hated it. It was necessary to eat it to stay alive, that was all there was to it. Food had always been something enjoyable in his previous life, but now he ate because he needed the nutrients to keep him alive and able to get through another day of mining. Breakfast ended after some small talk with Rulf and a few other slaves who were sitting at their table. They were now heading off to their work section of the mine with the rest of the slaves from the mess. Arriving into the giant chamber where all the slaves started to split off into their groups of five to head into different tunnels, Kyros and Rulf quickly spotted the familiar sight of the three miners standing in front of their tunnel. ¡°Ready for another bountiful day of work?¡± Dwenn spoke with a smile. Although Dwenn and the lackeys still beat Kyros and Rulf daily, they had started to treat them warmly. The amount of ores they had been handing in had risen exponentially ever since Kyros and Rulf had joined the group. They truly were happy with the two new slaves; the beatings were only a way of reminding them who was in charge. Similar to how a manager would run a workplace. Treat the workers kindly but every now and then run them in to keep the workers on their toes. It was a professional relationship in the eyes of the three. ¡°Yeah ahah¡­¡± Kyros laughed timidly. ¡°Well let¡¯s not waste time, with the amount of ores we¡¯re giving in, it won¡¯t be long until we¡¯re noticed.¡± Dwenn gave Kyros a slap on the back before turning around and leading the way down the tunnel with the two lackeys by his side. ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry about it kiddo. If what you told me is true, it can¡¯t be long before they move mines. Then once they are gone, me and you will get our ticket out of here once they see the amount of ores we hand in. Just bear it for now kiddo.¡± Rulf whispered to Kyros. The way Rulf saw it, Kyros was no longer the back talking brat he had been when he had first arrived and was now submissive to the three. He pitied him, but he also knew there was nothing to be done. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kyros said absently, his head obviously being elsewhere. Poor kid.Rulf thought. However what Rulf didn¡¯t take notice of were Kyros¡¯s eyes; the focused stare and the single drop of sweat dripping down the side of head. Soon¡­ soon it will be all over. It had been ten minutes and they were a little more than halfway down the tunnel now. At the sudden increase of Kyros¡¯s mining ability, the tunnel had grown much longer then when he had first arrived. This should be it just up here¡­ I better drop back a bit. Kyros slowed his pace, dropping back to 20 metres behind the three up ahead and Rulf naturally slowed to match the pace so he could continue talking. They were nearing the spot. Just a little further¡­ The three were about to be under the spot just as Dwenn suddenly stopped. Shit has he noticed?? The two lackeys walked a bit further ahead before stopping and turning back to see why Dwenn stopped. ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you doing hanging so far back.¡± Dwenn didn¡¯t know why but he had felt a chill down his spine ever since they started this long walk down the tunnel. However, he ignored it as nothing seemed wrong, but when he noticed the two new slaves distancing themselves, he felt something was wrong. He confirmed it when he had stopped, because Kyros stopped as well. He''s up to something. What though?Dwenn thought. ¡°Ah¡­ my¡­ leg was cramping up. Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll catch up.¡± Kyros stammered for an excuse. ¡°That¡¯s no good. Don¡¯t want the two of you getting lost. Come up here and join us.¡± Dwenn commanded. Fuck. He''s suspicious¡­ What gave it away?Kyros panicked. The plan had accounted for something like this, but it was a worst case scenario. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡± One of the lackeys said. Damn it. The lackeys are clueing on as well. ¡°Hey kiddo, best do as he says.¡± Rulf felt something was up with Kyros as well. Dwenn suddenly started walking towards Kyros, and the two lackeys were about to follow. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No time, I¡¯ll have to do it now. Suddenly Kyros lashed out with a kick into the wood post he was currently standing beside. Before anyone could react, the ceiling overhead the lackeys and Dwenn collapsed. In an instant all that was heard were a loud bang and suddenly a dust cloud spread through the tunnel, obstructing the view of everyone present. The reason the ceiling collapsed over the three was because every day after Kyros got his beating, the three would leave before him as Kyros took his time to clean up. However, on the way back he had stopped one day to sabotage an area of the wooden supports. When he deemed that the supports were barely holding the ceiling up, he knew all it would take now is to remove one support and it¡¯ll collapse.
EXP +1120
Level up!
Level up!
New skill acquired -Bloodlust
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Bloodlust Beginner 1 15%
Releases a vile aura into the surroundings. Can intimidate opponents.
¡°Fuck! Where are you hiding kid? You think you¡¯ll try and kill me and live to tell the tale!¡± Dwenn¡¯s voice rang through the dust cloud. Shit. I knew it. He wasn¡¯t close enough to the spot. It seems his lackeys are taken care of though. I should be able to deal with Dwenn one on one; I¡¯m 3 levels higher than him now.Kyros didn¡¯t have time to study the new skill since the plan hadn¡¯t gone the way he had wanted. Suddenly a hand came out of the dust cloud on his left and grabbed his arm. Kyros was about to send a fist the way the hand came from until he heard a deep voice. ¡°Oi kiddo, what have you done! Damn it, you only had to hold off for a bit longer! Shit, it¡¯s too late to change anything now that you¡¯ve done it. Quick we better hurry back. Dwenn can¡¯t do anything if we¡¯re around the others.¡± Rulf whispered in a panic. No we can¡¯t do that¡­ this was supposed to look like an accidental cave collapse. If he''s alive he could obviously prove otherwise. What to do though? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No, he¡¯ll tell the others what happened here. I can¡¯t allow that.¡± Kyros¡¯s voice sounded vicious in his own ear. ¡°Kiddo, what can you do? He¡¯ll kill you if he finds you right now. Let¡¯s go!¡± Although Kyros¡¯s strength was nearly five times of what it was when he first arrived; he didn¡¯t look any different. Add in the daily beatings he took and the way he acted so submissive towards the three and it is easy to see why Rulf thought he was caught up in the heat of the moment. It seems I¡¯ll have to kill him.Was all Kyros was thinking in response to Rulf¡¯s worries. The cloud of dust was now clearing and Dwenn could see two silhouettes in the distance. He was about to shout something when he stepped on something soft and unusual on the cave floor. Looking down Dwenn saw that he was standing in a pool of blood and under his foot was an arm. Following where the arm led with his eyes, he saw the sight of the top half of his lackey¡¯s body, the bottom half was crushed underneath rocks. Dwenn had killed before; it¡¯s not as if he was unfamiliar to the sight of a dead body. This however was unlike anything his ever seen. He could tell his friend didn¡¯t die instantly by the anguish on his face, it was twisted in ways he didn¡¯t think were possible. The sight made him, a man who had killed multiple times before, to go weak in the knees and light headed. This only lasted for a moment because his brain registered now that the dust had cleared and everything was visible. He looked towards where those silhouettes had been standing before and saw two figures still standing there. One of the figures, which he made out to be Rulf, was bent over puking from the sight of the crushed body. The other figure however, Kyros, was standing there staring him straight back into his eyes. When Dwenn made eye contact with Kyros, he sensed something dangerous about him. He could feel something dangerous in the air; it seemed to coil around his body and threatening to take his life from him. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of another man. ¡°Wha- what ar- are you?¡± He managed to croak out towards this terrifying being. He received no answer; instead, saw that Kyros started to walk towards him. ¡°No.. Stay away from me!¡± Dwenn backed up; he could no longer hold it together. No reaction, he just kept walking towards Dwenn. He was now only a metre away, he could reach out and touch him. Dwenn let out a groan as he instinctively threw out a punch. However Kyros only dodged to the side, with a speed faster than Dwenn¡¯s body could follow. With his arm still out swung, Kyros grabbed it and snapped it with his now superior strength. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!!!!¡± Dwenn wailed pitifully while his now limp arm hanged by his side. Then came the barrage of fists into Dwenn¡¯s face.
New Skill Acquired - UnarmedMastery
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
UnarmedMastery Beginner 1 1%
Determines how skilful user is with hand to hand combat. Higher levels will require martial training to increase level.
Kyros paid no heed to this pop up. Right now, something inside of him was different. There was a rage inside of him, building up for two months now. He couldn¡¯t stop this rage, right now he was in trance. The feeling of his fist connecting with Dwenn¡¯s face seemed to be the only thing able to calm him down.
EXP +800
Level up!
+8% increase to Bloodlust
Kyros knew the body that lay underneath him was dead; his mind registered and knew this. He didn¡¯t stop though. If he stopped, he was afraid this anger; this rage wouldn¡¯t leave him. Just as he was about to take another swing something obstructed his hand from coming down. ¡°Stop! Kyros, he¡¯s dead. You can stop now.¡± Kyros could hear the fear in Rulf¡¯s voice. When Rulf felt the struggle from Kyros¡¯s arm go, he released it. He fell to the ground trying to catch his breath and process all of what just happened. Kyros however only stared at his fist that dripped with another man¡¯s blood. He looked at the face, if you can call it that; this thing resembled no human face he had ever seen. As he sat there, over this dead body and looking at what he had just done, he realised that he had killed another man. Sure he had already indirectly killed the two lackeys, however he was still pumped with adrenaline and also what he had done to Dwenn was caused by his own fists. Slowly a fear crept into Kyros¡¯s mind, it wasn¡¯t however the fear of what he done or what was going to happen when it¡¯s revealed what he had done. No, this fear came from the fact that he didn¡¯t feel anything. This was another man¡¯s life that he had taken, yet it felt like the feeling he had towards his breakfast that morning. It wasn¡¯t good nor was it bad, it just was. Has he always been capable of this? Even in his past life? Or was he just naturally adapting to this world? He¡¯ll most likely will never have that answer. ¡°This isn¡¯t good¡­ you might be able to hide the body, but the blood stains so far from the rock pile will give it away. I hate to say it kiddo, but your only chance is to run deep into the mines and try and find a way to survive. I¡¯ll try and stall them as long as possible. Now hurry! It can¡¯t be long before they come to check after hearing the collapse.¡± Although Rulf was afraid of Kyros, he still cared deeply for him, almost like an older brother does for his younger brother. He¡¯s right. I lost control and made a mess¡­ even if I hide the body among the rock collapse, they¡¯ll still see the signs of a fight by the bloodstains. If I run into the mines, it¡¯s nearly a guaranteed death. Guess I¡¯ll have to try and bluff my way out of this. Footsteps could be hearing rushing through the tunnel. ¡°Quickly there is a turn off not far back; you might make it if you hurry!¡± Rulf yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Kyros said with a look of determination in his eyes. ¡°Wha..t? How?¡± Rulf asked. It was too late to answer though as the owners of the footsteps could be seen now. It was a group of unfamiliar burly men, however Kyros knew the man leading in front of them. It was the tall sickly slave master he met on his first day in the mines. As he saw the disfigured body lying under Kyros and how the blood was stuck to his fists, it was clear what transpired. However, he still had to be sure. ¡°You slave.¡± He pointed towards Rulf. ¡°Explain what happened here. Why did the cave collapse and why is this elf lying over that dead slave? I want answers now.¡± The slave master demanded Rulf to answer him. ¡°Ahh¡­ you see. What happened.. is..¡± Rulf was frantically looking for an excuse. It was obvious what happened, but he wasn¡¯t willing to put Kyros in a bad spot. ¡°Answer me!¡± The slave master yelled. ¡°I killed them.¡± Everything went silent after Kyros confessed that line. After a brief pause for the slave master to compose himself, he spoke towards Kyros. ¡°What did you just say slave?¡± This time Kyros looked up into the slave masters eyes. The slave master suddenly felt the similar feeling Dwenn did before departing the world; how that vile aura twisted around his body. ¡°I said I killed him. I also caused this cave to collapse, killing the two under the rocks.¡± Kyros spoke in a tone of indifference, chilling everyone around him. ¡°I¡­ I see. Well under the rules set by the Mavis family, I will have to sentence you to death.¡± Although the elf in front of him terrified him, he had a bunch of men standing behind him making him feel confident in what he was doing. ¡°No, a slave can¡¯t judge another slave. Even if he¡¯s the slave master. Only a member of the Mavis family can.¡± Kyros had familiarised himself with the laws early on. ¡°Hah¡­ so you know the laws. No matter, it¡¯ll all be the same; you will be sentenced to death.¡± The slave master may have killed the slave master before him to get to where he was, but that¡¯s why he was so adamant on carrying out this sentence. How long would it be until this slave came after him? ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±
Outside the cave, in a grand mansion full of servants running around attending the members of the house, sat a man in the study. This man looked to be around forty, he had golden hair and green eyes, which all members of the main Mavis blood line had. He was a member from the main house, he was sent to oversee this copper mine and all the surrounding ones. On his desk was a report that he had just finished reading. ¡°Interesting. A slave openly murders three men and then asks for an audience with me. Well, let¡¯s see what he has to say.¡± The golden haired man spoke to the one who had brought him the report with a smirk. Chapter 6 - Meet The Master Kyros had lost track of time as he was forced to wait in the slave masters chamber. He had been brought here shortly after the incident with Dwenn, to wait while the slave master fetched guards to take him to the main headquarters. He was alone in the chamber; he could tell how uncomfortable the others felt around him since the incident; there were two slaves keeping watch outside however. He had long since studied everything in the room that his eyes could land on, as he tried to pass time. It was interesting to him how hard the slaves worked, just to one day be the owner of this chamber. The chamber was larger than the normal slaves quarters, however it was the equivalent size of a 2 bedroom flat from his old world. He currently sat in the guest quarter of the chamber. This was where the slave master would hold meetings with other slaves masters or figures of importance. To his left was the bedding chamber, he couldn¡¯t see inside however, because of the old and splintered wooden door that sat in the mouth of the cave entrance. On his right was the truly desirable aspect of being a slave master; the cleaning chamber. The wooden door was left open revealing the old rusted tub that sat there filled with dirty water. He heard rumours from the other slaves during meal times, that the water was replaced once a month. Such a trivial thing, yet how much it flamed the desires of these slaves. Finally, in front was the exit to outside the chamber. Footsteps could be heard approaching from the other side of the exit. The footsteps stopped right outside, followed by murmurs outside the door. From the sounds he could make out the two slaves who spoke with the slave master before standing guard outside, and the slave masters voice. So it begins¡­ Can¡¯t drop the act yet, my life is riding on this. The door swung open, revealing the slave master and two large men by his side. These large men wore leather trousers and a leather breast plate; swords hanged at their hips. He differentiated the man by their hair colour, blonde on the left; brunette on the right. Kyros noticed how fierce their stare was, he had been so used to hanging around slaves who wore the expressions of defeated men. Well, let¡¯s see what level these guard are¡­
Title Mavis Family Guard
Name ???
Description A guard for one of the copper mines of the Mavis family.
Level 28
Health 825/825
Title Mavis Family Guard
Name ???
Description A guard for one of the copper mines of the Mavis family.
Level 29
Health 845/845
No way¡­ I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against these two, and they¡¯re only guards for a copper mine. I wonder what level the guards for the gold mine would be¡­ ¡°Here he is, sirs.¡± The slave master addressed the two guards as his betters. The two of them had been staring at him the whole time, never taking their eyes off of him. ¡°Hah, no wonder this happened. You should¡¯ve seen this coming, that was a mistake on your behalf; slave.¡± The blonde hair guard reprimanded the slave master. ¡°Wha... What do you mean? How could I possibly have noticed¡­? Sir.¡± The slave master went red. It seemed that simple remark could play a big impact on his future. ¡°Just look at his eyes. Not the eyes of a slave, but of a man. I might even suggest the captain take him in.¡± This time it was the brunette guard who had answered the question. ¡°I¡­ Uhhh.¡± The slave master looked for an excuse. Kyros found it funny how arrogant the slave master acted, yet in front of these guards was treated the same as the rest of the slaves. A slave is a slave, no matter what fancy title you give them. ¡°Quiet slave.¡± It seemed the blonde hair guard was bored of that conversation, because he now turned back to Kyros and spoke. ¡°So why did you do it, elfling. I¡¯ve seen the body, if I hadn¡¯t known better I would¡¯ve thought it was the handiwork of a beast.¡± Although the blonde hair guard spoke strong words, he didn¡¯t seem phased. ¡°They were eventually going to kill me, better them than me.¡± Kyros shrugged. ¡°Well I can agree with that. However, you broke a law; you will be punished by death. The master isn¡¯t merciful when it comes to useless things.¡± The blonde hair guard said. ¡°Well, who knows; maybe he¡¯ll change his mind for me.¡± Kyros spoke with a strange tone. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up kid. Although, I¡¯ll see if my captain can put a word in for you.¡± The blonde hair guard took no note of the strange tone Kyros used. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Kyros replied. Off to the side, the slave master was almost red from anger. Not only had he been reprimanded by the guards, he was now watching this guard treat the elf with sincerity. ¡°Well can¡¯t keep the master waiting all day, it¡¯s a two hour journey from here.¡± The brunette guard took the lead this time.
The group of three: Kyros, and the two guards; neared the exit of the cave. They had taken a series of unfamiliar turns to Kyros, since he had been unconscious when he had first arrived. Seeing the natural light permeating through the cave mouth, Kyros felt a lingering he had suppressed. The fresh air that he now breathed, filled his nostrils with the aroma of the wildlife outside. ¡°Haha. So you can make expressions huh.¡± The blonde hair guard had escorted many slaves out of the mines before, and they all wore the same expression that was currently plastered on Kyros¡¯s face; happiness with a mix of longing. Oh no, I can¡¯t drop the act. Stay strong. Kyros encouraged himself. ¡°Never said I couldn¡¯t.¡± Kyros had returned to his indifferent attitude. They had now left the cave, and Kyros looked up at the sky for the first time in two months. What a serene feeling, looking into the endless blue sky with fresh air blowing his nose silver hair which reached his nose now. He turned to look back at what he called home for the past two months. The mine wasn¡¯t in some massive mountain as his imagination had guessed, it was a rocky cliff; with the cave mouth being the only unordinary thing about it.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The three of them had been walking for two hours, the only thing of notice along the way had been the guard house. It had been an ordinary stone house, being two stories tall; large enough to host at maximum fifty guards. There was also a courtyard attached to the side filled with straw dummies and weights, must¡¯ve been the training yard. On the horizon, Kyros had noticed a building in the distance. It had only looked to be a small and insignificant building in the distance, the closer he got though the larger and more grand it grew. Now only being a short distance away, the dirt road under his feet had longed turned to stone. Along the pathway, he had passed multiple houses, some of them large and others small. He had seen a number of people now, the majority of being blonde haired. There were females among them as well, it was only natural. This is the real world, I have to forget what is normal in the caves. The girls had eyed him with curiosity, for it was unusual to see an elf. Most elf slaves were sent to be servants of the main household. Also this elf had silver hair, unusual even for an elf. They thought he might be quite attractive if only he were clean. Kyros however held them in no regard, they were just annoyances. ¡°Here we are. Try not to say anything stupid in front of the master. He''s not one for a joke.¡± The blonde hair guard warned Kyros. They were now standing at the gate of the grand mansion he saw from the distance. Up close he could now see truly how grand it was, the sheer size of it was enough to shock him. ¡°This is slave No. 5672, he¡¯s the one responsible for the three murders in section 52 of the Westfield copper mine.¡± The blonde hair guard declared to the guard standing post at the gate. ¡°Very well, the masters personal servant will be here shortly.¡± The gate guard responded. ¡°Alright, this is where we split kid. As promised, I¡¯ll speak with my captain but no guarantees.¡± The blonde hair guard spoke towards Kyros. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m going to be left with a servant. What if I tried to escape?¡± Kyros knew there was no way they¡¯d be this lax, especially with a member of the main family here. ¡°You can try if you want, however even I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from that old monster. Also careful, although his title is servant, don¡¯t mistake him for a slave. He holds a position higher than my captain.¡± The blonde hair guard lectured. I guess that makes sense, I thought it¡¯d be strange otherwise. After dutifully waiting for a while, Kyros saw through the steel bars of the gate, an old man approaching. The old man walked with a sense of purpose and grace which threw out any notion of this man being a slave like himself. He had a combed head of white hair and a thick white moustache over his lip, contrasting against his black suit. He looked as one might expect from a butler. ¡°Let him through.¡± The servant ordered. The gate had opened and Kyros was ushered through the gate by one of the guards. ¡°You can leave. I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± As soon as the words had been spoken, the gate guard had already started heading back. The servant looked Kyros up and down before addressing him. ¡°You will be meeting master in a minute. You will be quiet unless spoken to and will not try anything stupid. Am I clear?¡± The servant gave Kyros a quick rundown on how to act. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyros answered. ¡°Sir. You will address me as sir and the master as master. Don¡¯t make the mistake again.¡± And with that the old servant turned and started walking away, obviously indicating for Kyros to follow; which he did so. Those guards seemed scared of this old guy, I wonder why. He¡¯s so¡­ old. I guess I¡¯ll check his level out.
Title Mavis Family Servant
Name ???
Description Personal servant to a Mavis families member.
Level 68
Health 2120/2120
Monster! Kyros was baffled, how could such an old man hold so much power. What he didn¡¯t understand was that the rules of his old world didn¡¯t apply to this world. For example, Kyros had yet to learn of magic; being old usually indicated a stronger magician. Power came in many forms, some of which he wouldn¡¯t even be able to understand lest he see it. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Remember, speak only when spoken to.¡± The old servant opened the door allowing Kyros through, shutting the door behind him. Kyros could see, what he assumed to be the master of this mansion sitting behind a study desk. He had noticed how gold his hair was and the way his green eyes were staring at him, as if staring at a bug; Kyros was no bug though. ¡°I see. I just heard from the captain that it may be smarter to recruit you. I can see from your stare that you truly have the makings to be a warrior.¡± The masters voice seemed to carry authority with it, as if his word were law. ¡°However, that same stare is dangerous. I can tell you¡¯re not afraid of me nor do you feel veneration of any sort, you look at me as if we are equals. Am I right in saying this slave?¡± The master asked. ¡°Yes, master.¡± Kyros felt for some reason that this man would be able to through his lies. ¡°I see¡­ You clearly have trouble accepting authority, that takes away any use you had of being a soldier. Taking into account with the gruesome murders you committed, it shows that you could grow to be quite a threat. I think it may be in the best interest of my family if I have you executed. What do you say of this, slave?¡± This was the part the master was waiting for. For what reason did this elf slave request to see him personally. Most slaves knew the outcome of breaking a law and would either run or accept punishment on the spot. Clearly this slave had something up his sleeve, now was the time to reveal it. ¡°I understand that you personally oversee all the mines under the Mavis family.¡± The master nodded his head signalling the statement was correct. ¡°Well I can guarantee I can mine better than any slave under your working. In two months I have gone from mining 16 copper ores a day, to just about 200. Imagine the improvement if you were to allow me to live and grow. I¡¯m sure I could even one day mine adamantine ore. So what does it matter if I killed three useless slaves, buy some more. Master.¡± This was Kyros¡¯s trump card, was he worth more to him alive than dead; he was betting on the former. The masters stare intensified when Kyros had mentioned the adamantine ore, it was only a small gesture but Kyros took note of it. Seems they really do have an adamantine mine somewhere. The master now sat there silently sorting out his thoughts. This slave really shows no respect for authority, the way he spoke to me just now should result with an execution. However, if what he says is true, then maybe he really could reach that level. Out of thousands of people, we really only have one who can mine it. Also the pay just to get him to do it is ridiculous, but if I found a slave who could do it for free than my standing in the family will rise much higher. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not lying about your ability?¡± The master inquired. ¡°Please, let¡¯s not play games. I know you keep reports on all slaves, if you just check the reports of the three I murdered; you¡¯d see how over the last two months the ores they handed in daily had increased. I arrived two months ago, I think a wise man like you understands. Master.¡± Kyros had to stand his ground, if he showed weakness than who knew what could happen. ¡°I see. From today onwards you will be moved to Iron Field gold mine, where you will hone your skills. If I see no improvement within six months, then the sentence will be carried out. Now leave my presence, slave.¡± The master had already disregarded Kyros and got back to reading reports on his desk. Kyros however didn¡¯t leave. ¡°I said leave slave, you dare disobey after the mercy I just showed.¡± The master had already thought Kyros was arrogant, but this was stepping a line he couldn¡¯t allow; no matter how great a loss for his family it would be. ¡°Sorry master, however the slave who was sold with me to the mines; his skill is under utilised on copper ore mining as well. I feel it would be best for the Mavis family to take advantage of his skill.¡± The master gave him a hard stare, how could he not know what Kyros was doing. However, it was still possible that Kyros taught this other slave, so it would be a waste not look into it. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll have my servant look into it, now leave. Disobey me again, and I WILL have you killed.¡± The masters tone was icy at the end. Kyros didn¡¯t care though as he had achieved what he came for, and now was time to finally relax after all that had happened. Chapter 7 - The Hole After he had left the masters room he had been abused by the old servant for what seemed to be the better part of an hour. The old servant must¡¯ve had super hearing, because he knew everything he had said. Kyros wasn¡¯t one to care for what another said, but this old servants reprimands were brutal; at one point he thought he saw his health drop from the abuse. After the old servant was finished with him, the servant told him he were to clean up and report to the guards to be transferred to the new mine. He was then ushered by a young female slave to a bathing area. She was cute, she had to be to work in this household. Her brunette hair was tied into a ponytail and her maid outfit seemed to accentuate her narrow waist and busty chest. Kyros had to admit that she was cute, however females were worse than males in his opinion. He had received a hard time as a child from a girl in his class who bullied him because she was jealous of how pretty he was. On the way to the bathing area she had tried to make small talk. ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never seen an elf before.¡± She said with a sheepish voice. What¡¯re you getting at girl? When she noticed he hadn¡¯t responded, she decided to continue. ¡°I heard you''re a gold class miner. That¡¯s really impressive!¡± She smiled as she tucked a few loose hairs behind her ear. I see. She likes the idea of status. He still didn¡¯t answer her. She began to pout, however still led the way to the bathing area. They had stopped in front of a door, behind which he suspected the bathing area. ¡°Here we are. Did you want a hand with bathing, since it¡¯s been so long?¡± She was now coming on stronger, seeing as how her previous attempts failed. Never has a girl wanted anything to do with me, yet now I have status among us slaves, and already one is throwing themselves at me. Useless. ¡°No, wait here. I¡¯ll be out shortly.¡± His tone of indifference and straight out rejection had caught her unexpectedly. ¡°Ye.. yes of course.¡± However, this cold attitude and indifference to her charm had only made her want him more.
Inside the bathing room, stood a naked Kyros as he stared at this bath tub. It was only used for the soldiers and slaves of this house, but he could imagine the jealousy the slave master would feel. It was only a simple metal tub, truly nothing extravagant, but the water inside was crystal clear. Without wasting anymore time, Kyros had jumped into the bath tub and started washing himself. Getting out of the tub, he had a slight feeling of guilt for the next person who was going to use this bath; as the water was black and filthy. It was only a slight feeling though, because he couldn¡¯t remember when he had last been cleaner then now. He felt wonderful and fresh now that his pores had been cleaned of all the junk blocking them, he truly felt like a new man. Getting ready to put on the clean set of clothes that had been laid out before, he saw a mirror hanging in the corner of the room. As soon as he had spotted it, he was running over to it. It was a strange feeling to not know what you look like, but now he was about to find out. Looking into the mirror, he didn¡¯t know what to expect, but this definitely was something he hadn¡¯t considered. He suddenly made a weird facial expression, to be sure it wasn¡¯t a picture but indeed a mirror. It was a mirror. How to describe it. The most noticeable point was of course his silver hair and blue eyes, as blue as the sea. That wasn¡¯t all though, his face was so¡­ pretty, but handsome at the same time. He felt like he was looking into a poster of one of those supermodels back in his old world. Although, he looked young; eighteen years old young. So this explained why he was always being referred to as lad and kiddo, he truly seemed to have grown two years younger. It was strange, he could see resemblance with his old face, but it was like everything had been enhanced. How strange it was to look at yourself but see a stranger reflected. I guess I¡¯ll get used to this face sooner or later. At least it¡¯s not as girly as I had first thought. Now no longer so caught up on his face, he looked at his body. His muscles were ripped yet lean at the same time, probably because he hadn¡¯t the nutrients to grow bigger. The mines really had changed him, but for better or worse?
This time I¡¯ll throw myself at him, I¡¯ll be damned if he can resist my charm!The maid no longer cared for the status anymore, this was about a females pride. The door to her side opened, a figure walked out. Here¡¯s my chance, resist this!She pretended to trip over and flew into the arrogant elfs arms. She purposely leaned her bountiful breast into his chest. ¡°Ohh sorry, did I hurt you?¡± She said sheepishly as she looked into the elfs face. ¡°Stop playing around. I have to get going to meet the guards.¡± He looked her dead in the eye. Wha¡­ How can someone change this much from a bath?She thought. ¡°I.. ahh¡­ yes, it¡¯s over this way, sir.¡± She had understood why her charm hadn¡¯t worked, this elf would have a wide selection of girls much prettier than her to choose from. Also because of his indifferent personality and beautiful appearance, she had unconsciously started treating him as if he were a master of the house. It seemed as if she had mistaken his attitude of indifference for arrogance, since Kyros honestly treated her this way because she was an annoyance. I see, so such a simple transformation causes such an extravagant change in attitude. Maybe this isn¡¯t so bad¡­ She¡¯s now not bothering me anymore.
¡°I don¡¯t believe it. Not only do you escape a death punishment, you get promoted to a gold class miner.¡± Kyros was now back with the blonde hair guard, it seemed the same two guards were going to be delivering him to his new mine. ¡°Actually I was hoping your captain would¡¯ve pulled through for me, a soldier is better than a miner.¡± Kyros responded to the blonde haired guard. ¡°I respect that kid. However, don¡¯t be too upset, even though you¡¯re still a slave; being a gold class miner is quite the status.¡± The blonde haired guard explained. ¡°Also care to explain how a simple bath changed you so much. Oh the things I¡¯d do if I looked like you¡­¡± ¡°Wait, so does a gold class miner have higher status than that slave master back in the copper mines?¡± Kyros was curious to this question but mainly just wanted to avoid talking about his appearance. ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t even joke. A gold class miner is worth more than all the slaves in that mine.¡± The Blonde hair guard said haughtily. ¡°Wait, no way... there has to be over 5000 slaves in that mine!¡± Kyros hadn¡¯t expected it to be this big of a difference. ¡°Think of it this way, out of the tens of thousands of slaves working under the Mavis family; only a little more than 200 can mine gold.¡± ¡°Wait, than an adamantine miner would be worth even more.¡± Kyros¡¯s mind wandered. ¡°That¡¯s just a rumour. However, let¡¯s say the family did. Well that miner would be by himself worth more than all the slaves combined.¡± Kyros knew it wasn¡¯t a rumour though. ¡°Now we best be going, you want to make it to the mines sometime this year, do you not?¡± The guard joked. ¡°Actually before we go, do you know anything about any other slave getting transferred?¡± Kyros inquired. ¡°Yes actually, from the same sector as yourself. A silver class miner they say, apparently he had been extorted for ores and only found now. Quite rare for a gold class and silver class to come out of the same sector. I imagined you¡¯d be getting famous, now lets go.¡±
Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Back in the copper mine, a story had been spreading like wild fire. It told of how a slave murdered three other slaves, sending chills down the spines of the listeners; but becoming a gold class miner straight after, causing veneration in the eyes of the listeners. Being a gold class miner was the dream of all miners. After spreading throughout the copper mine, it started to spread through the surrounding ones as well.
They had arrived at the new mine, to get there they had to pass through a military camp where questioning was done to be sure they weren¡¯t spies. This gold mine was a high source of income for the Mavis family, they weren¡¯t going to take chances and be lax with it. Standing in front of the gold mine really showed Kyros how small he was compared to the rest of the world. The mouth of the cave was ordinary, however the mountain was larger than he knew possible; Mt Everest of his previous world would pale in comparison. ¡°I can never get used to how big this bloody mountain is.¡± The blonde hair guard spoke to Kyros and the brunette hair guard. Over the course of the trip Kyros had gotten familiar with these guards, turns out the reason they treated him differently was because they respected his stare; the stare of a soldier they said. ¡°Tell me about it. Who knows one day we might get posted here.¡± The brunette hair guard replied. ¡°Haha quit dreaming, with your talent you have no chance.¡± The blonde hair guard had joked. Kyros had noticed that all the guards around here were level 40 and above, he even saw a captain at level 58. ¡°You can talk.¡± ¡°Hey guys, is that camp really necessary? I mean would anyone openly attack a high income source for the Mavis family?¡± Kyros had no idea at the state of affairs in this kingdom he lived in, but he suspected there must be tension between the twelve great families. ¡°Ah well yeah, there is always the risk of being attacked by another house or being raided by bandits. Although the main job for the guards here are to keep you safe.¡± The blonde hair guard replied. ¡°What, keep me safe? Are the other families trying to kill the miners?¡± Kyros thought that was an odd notion. ¡°Hahaha of course not. If anything they¡¯d want to kidnap you. Back on topic though, the guards stationed here are tasked to protect you miners, from the mountain.¡± ¡°The mountain? It¡¯s just a mountain. Isn¡¯t it?¡± It was ridiculous to believe a mountain could try and kill you. ¡°No you idiot. The creatures inside. A mountain as grand and rich in ore as this is bound to have all sorts of monsters living inside. The real issue are the cave goblins, but every now and then a golem might pop up. Damn hard things to kill a golem.¡± The blonde hair guard was passionate about this, all he wanted was to be promoted to fight these monsters with his brothers. Monsters¡­ I should have known since I¡¯m an elf, not even human¡­ but monsters. This won¡¯t be like sitting on the other side of a screen and clicking buttons, will I be able to keep my composure if I run into one?Kyros thought to himself. He had never had the time to consider what to expect in this world, as he was always exhausted from mining day in and day out. ¡°Alright you guys, stop scaring the new recruit.¡± An older man had come over. He looked to be in his fifties as he had a head full of white hair and his face was starting to see signs of wrinkles. ¡°So you¡¯re an elf, don¡¯t think we¡¯ve had one of your sort down here before. I¡¯m Lewys by the way, your new slave master. Now we best get going, it¡¯s nearly nightfall and the goblins grow restless over the night.¡± It seemed Lewys wasn¡¯t in the mood to stay and chat with the guard. ¡°Right, well we best be off as well. Stay strong kid, I¡¯m sure one of these days they¡¯ll see the warrior blood inside you.¡± With a slap on Kyros¡¯s back, the two guards started to leave. ¡°Ah thank you! I mean for talking to your captain for me.¡± Kyros yelled to their backs as they left. He had grown to quite like the talkative blonde hair guard and the more silent brunette one. Although he never did learn their names¡­ ¡®Don¡¯t mention it. We have to look out for our own, don¡¯t we.¡± This time they were leaving for good. ¡°Quite friendly with the guards¡­ Not bad. Connections are needed in this place.¡± Lewys stated. ¡°Connections?¡± Kyros inquired. ¡°Come let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± Kyros started to walk beside him and into the cave mouth. ¡°This mine will be much different to any of your last. Here you will get three meals a day, regardless of how much you mine. You¡¯re also permitted to clean yourself once a day. You will have your own room with a soft bed, well soft for us slaves. However, it is very competitive between fellow slaves.¡± Lewys was lecturing. ¡°Competitive?¡± Kyros questioned. ¡°Yes, here everyone¡¯s weekly ore contribution is tallied and released; so we can keep track of how we compare to our fellow miners. Why does this matter? Well it¡¯s because the higher up you are on the list, the better treatment you¡¯ll receive. Not only that, if you stay on top for 10 weeks in a row you¡¯ll get your freedom.¡± Kyros started to keenly pay attention at the mention of freedom. ¡°Of course you won¡¯t be able to leave the mines. However, they¡¯ll pay you for your work, and when you can no longer mine; you¡¯ll be able to leave with all your money you have earned. Quite the dream for us slaves.¡± They were now in the slaves mess, everyone was looking at him. Was it because he was an elf? or because of his beautiful appearance? or maybe it was because he was the first gold class miner in a long time. Either way, Kyros didn¡¯t like it. The mess was much better than the one in his copper mine. Here the tables were wooden as well as the seats rather than the hard and edgy stone he had to sit on before. He also noticed how guards were a constant presence around the slaves, in the copper mine the slaves were left to themselves. Also the aroma of the food had drifted over to him, and he couldn¡¯t help but salivate. Such a difference¡­ Hmm what¡¯s that?Kyros noticed in the middle of the chamber was a hole, probably 5 metres in diameter. It was a weird sight because it was right in the middle of the chamber. ¡°Hey Lewys, what¡¯s that hole over there?¡± Kyros inquired. At mention of the hole, Lewys smirked. ¡°I knew you were going to ask that, all new recruits do. They say the hole has been here longer then the mine itself, that they built this chamber around it. They¡¯ve tried sending people down but no one ever returns. So it¡¯s used for executions, you might see it happen at some point. When guards leave their post because of monsters or the rare case a miner breaks a law, they¡¯re sentenced down the hole. Realistically, it¡¯s probably just a hole to nowhere and at the bottom lays a series of corpses. But, some people say they hear noises down the hole¡­¡± Lewys was intentionally trying to scare Kyros, it was an initiation of sorts. All new recruits were curious of the hole, and once they find out; they feared it. Kyros however didn¡¯t feel fear of the hole, but something told him to stay away from it; instinct. It was like how Dwenn could feel his aura of bloodlust, however this was much more dangerous. This aura had an ancient feel to it.
Acquired New Skill -Perception
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Perception Beginner 1 2%
Determines how well you can perceive. Higher levels will allow you to see things others cannot.
Something is down that hole¡­ Something dangerous. Chapter 8 - What Are You? *Eeeoooeeeooo* The siren rang out through the mines, waking Kyros to the start of his first day working in the new mines. I guess this is the one thing that will never change. Kyros slipped into one of his many choices of overalls, such a thing was not a luxury back in the copper mines. He went over to his tub of water and splashed some onto his face, waking himself up. He had a hard time getting to sleep the night before, for how much he hated and resented the copper mine; he had grown accustomed to it. Although one thing could be said and that was for the first time since being in the new world, he had slept in a proper bed. He studied his new pickaxe that had been in his room when he arrived.
Steel Pickaxe
Type: Pickaxe Durability: 200/200
Quality: Good
A steel pickaxe, it is very sturdy and capable of mining most ores.
Leaving his room he headed to the mess chamber which he had already seen the day before. He looked around and saw the difference in atmosphere compared to his last mine, the workers all sat in groups and chatted as they heartily ate the food. I preferred the quiet in the copper mines¡­ Kyros didn¡¯t need to line up as he collected his food and headed over to an empty table, far away from the others. Sitting down he inspected this new food.
Stale Bread
Type: Food Benefits +6 stamina every 10 minutes for 1 hour
Quality: Poor
Common food for low birth citizens.
Ham Soup
Type: Food Benefits +10 stamina every 10 minutes for 1 hour
Quality: Average
Soup with ham throughout it.
Hmm there¡¯s a world of difference between this and the old man¡¯s soup. Although the bread looks to be about five days old.
+2% Perception
So it works like that¡­ Maybe this could be useful. It doesn¡¯t seem to be hard to train anyway. After eating his food and waiting until it was time to get to work, he filled his time with inspecting everything to increase his perception. He was noticing how one of the guards off to the side had a limp, indicating he had hurt himself; that increased his perception. Within fifteen minutes of sitting there looking around, he had already raised his perception two levels. With each level he raised it, he could see things he hadn¡¯t at first. For example: before he had only perceived the guard to be injured but after rising his level twice, he could now see signs of blood on his upper thigh of the left leg. The guard obviously had a wound of some sort on his thigh, whether it was a training wound or from a battle with a monster; Kyros couldn¡¯t possibly perceive that at his current level.
It was time to go and start the day mining; it had a similar set up with the copper mine. They all arrive into a large chamber with many tunnels branching out, however this time Kyros only partnered up with two others. One was a tall burly red-headed man, he also had a thick beard. If only he wore a kilt, I would¡¯ve sworn he was Scottish. The other man was a skinny older guy, probably mid forties if Kyros had to guess. Nothing unusual about the man, apart from the fact that he looked to belong in an office bookkeeping and not in a mine swinging heavy pickaxes around. ¡°Hahaha so we got tha youngin hah. Don¡¯t yee worry yah self chap, we¡¯ll look afta yah.¡± The Scottish looking man spoke poorly. It wasn¡¯t the first time Kyros had encountered this, a lot of slaves came from poor villages where they hadn¡¯t learned academics. ¡°Ah quite right you are, Henry. As you just heard, this big oaf of a man is Henry, and I¡¯m Charles. Pleased to make you acquaintance.¡± The skinny man announced himself. Kyros tried not to laugh as these two men spoke just the way he had pictured the two. ¡°Right. I¡¯m Kyros, shall we get started.¡± As Kyros said this, he was already inspecting these two men; doing anything to raise his new skill. ¡°That¡¯s tha spirit chap! follow me den.¡± Henry spoke in a booming voice as he led the way down their tunnel.
They now stood in front of a series of rock faces covered in gold ore, he had never seen such a rich ore vein before. Henry got straight to work on the gold mining, Kyros noticed how his mining technique differed greatly to his own. Henry seemed to use his great strength to break the gold ore off the rock, it wasn¡¯t neat or as effective as Kyros technique but it did get the job done. Kyros was about to get started when Charles walked over to his side. ¡°Don¡¯t copy Henry, he¡¯s only good for his strength. Let me give you a tip, aim for the weak points of the ore¡­¡± Charles then went on to explain and point out what these weak points looked like. After his explanation ended, Kyros discovered something.
Knowledge of mining has increased. +24% in Mining.
Mining has levelled up.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
MiningThis tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Intermediate 3 3.26%
Determines how fast you can mine. Higher levels will allow user to mine moreprecious ores and gemstones.
Can now mine precious ores.
So skills can be increased this way as well¡­ Looking at the ore in front of him, Kyros using his perception skill could see all the weak spots in the ore. When he struck one of these weak spots, the ore would break off easily afterwards. All of a sudden his rate of mining had increased exponentially.
+25 EXP
+4% increase to Perception.
+0.5% increase to Mining.
Wait, is using perception with mining essentially a cheat skill? It seemed almost too good to be true. He also wasn¡¯t the only one to notice, the other two with him had seen what was going on. ¡°Hah doncha think yah should slow down there chap. Your gon make us two look bad.¡± Henry stated. ¡°Yeah, maybe I should have you give me a few tips. Haha.¡± Charles joked. Normally Kyros would¡¯ve thought them to be joking, but with his new perceptive skills he could notice certain things about the way they said it. I see, Lewys did warn me it was competitive. They had first thought me to be a naive kid, which must¡¯ve been why they were kind before. I think they might try something later. ¡°Ah I think it¡¯s just beginners luck.¡± Kyros responded as if he didn¡¯t know what they were up to.
Like that Kyros had managed to mine 120 gold ores in the day, baffling to the other two older guys who only mined around 50 each. When they had first arrived they could only mine about 10 ores, it had taken them weeks to grow accustomed to gold ore mining. Kyros had also levelled his perception to intermediate level 1. Although after doing so he stopped getting increases to the skill, he assumed it must take less obvious things to level up from now on. His mining levelled up once as well making it level 4 and he was close to levelling up his overall level which would make him level 19. It had been a bountiful day, he was especially happy with his mining. The increase of skill when mining copper was so low it was almost non-existent, gold ore however was much better.
He had been following the two veteran miners when they suddenly stopped, and turned around to stare at him. I feel like I¡¯ve seen this before¡­ where? ¡°Hey Kyros, seeing as though we helped and were good seniors, isn¡¯t it only fair of you to split your ores with us?¡± Charles spoke. Oh that¡¯s right. Dwenn and his lackeys, guess I should¡¯ve figured this would happen. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll keep them. Thanks for the tips though.¡± Kyros had learned not be as rash as last time, where he had jumped straight to insulting which had caused everything to escalate. ¡°Now now, Henry and I here would like to offer you a contract. 50% of your ores will be going to us, in exchange Henry with his great strength will protect you from the others like us.¡± Charles offered. Ahh I see, he¡¯s the brains and Henry¡¯s the brawn. Also it was quite a professional offer as well, Dwenn could¡¯ve learned from these guys. Could¡¯ve. ¡°No, I think I¡¯m alright. Thanks for the offer though.¡± ¡°I see. I thought you were smart, seeing as how quickly you picked up my mining technique and improved it. I¡¯m disappointed. You better convince him.¡± Charles had honestly looked disappointed. He had pegged Kyros for a smart man like himself, he would¡¯ve been willing to drag him into the business in time; after he had showed him that he was the boss of course. ¡°That wasn¡¯t smart of yah, but doncha worry yerself. I¡¯ll be sure tah teach yah tah correct answer.¡± Henry walked over while cracking his knuckles. Kyros stood his ground though, not taking a step back. Henry and Charles just took this for arrogance of a child though. Henry was now in swinging distance of Kyros, when he reached out and placed his hand on Kyros¡¯s shoulder. He started to squeeze down on his shoulder. Kyros just smiled though, admittedly it was actually hurting; but for the sake of future issues he had to seem as strong as possible now. When Henry noticed nothing happened, he tried squeezing even harder. Kyros however just reached up and gripped Henrys wrist. Kyros then suddenly used his own strength to squeeze on Henry¡¯s wrist. ¡°Argh!¡± Henry, this somewhat over 6¡¯ foot tall man fell to his knees and yelled in agony. This caused shock not only to the pain struck Henry, but also to Charles who was standing arrogantly in the distance. Kyros¡¯s strength was now 54. His stats had only been split between: Vitality, Strength, and Agility, seeing as though he currently had no use for the other stats yet. Also his strength was higher than his overall level allowed because of the bonus increases from mining. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to discuss?¡± Kyros directed his question to Charles, still gripping Henrys wrist. ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­ that¡­ will be all.¡± Kyros noticed that Charles still hadn¡¯t given up. The perception skill was really handy in this moment. Why force me to do things I don¡¯t want to do¡­ *Snap* ¡°ARGH!!!!! MA WRIST!!¡± Henry yelled in agony. Kyros had broken his wrist. ¡°How dare you! Just wait until the guards hear of this!¡± Charles couldn¡¯t believe what had happened. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Kyros now took the lead.
Back where they handed in the ores from the days work, stood Kyros. He could see the guards helping Henry and calling for a healer. Guess they mean a medic. No, quite quickly a man wearing a robe came running out. He put his hands over Henrys wrist and muttered something that Kyros couldn¡¯t make out, then a green glow came out of his hands and surrounded Henrys wrist. Kyros saw how Henrys health had climbed all the way back to full health, and then Henry started flexing his wrist before thanking the robed man. What! This is definitely magic! I assumed there would be because of the intelligence and wisdom stat, but now I know! How do I learn it though¡­ While he was contemplating, Charles had pointed out to the guards the culprit of the incident. Two guards immediately came over and addressed Kyros. ¡°You slave! Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re a gold class now that you can get away with this! You¡¯ll receive punishment.¡± One of the guards barked at Kyros, however the other looked as if he was trying to figure something out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but they had been the ones to start it. They had tried to extort me for my ores, I merely defended myself.¡± Kyros tried his best to sound innocent. ¡°Then how come he¡¯s the one with the broken wrist and you¡¯re over here twiddling your thumbs.¡± The guard was obviously sceptical of Kyros. ¡°Simple. He was weaker than me. If I didn¡¯t show him that, he¡¯d never given up otherwise.¡± Kyros stated straightforwardly. ¡°Ah, well..¡± The guard hadn¡¯t expected such an answer. Clearly Kyros had went overboard but didn¡¯t do anything wrong. ¡°Oh now I know who you are! You¡¯re that slave everyone¡¯s going on about.¡± The other guard finally spoke. ¡°Sorry?¡± Kyros didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m sure it¡¯s you. They say an elf murdered three fellow slaves, and not only that; one of them was so horribly disfigured that no one could identify him. I had a friend who worked in that part of the mine, saw the scene, told me he wouldn¡¯t want to fight the person who did it.¡± The guard told his story loud enough for everyone to hear. You have to remember that stories will always be exaggerated as they expand, because Kyros surely wouldn¡¯t be able to fight evenly with a guard. Suddenly the whole chamber started to fill with whispers as the slaves were all looking at Kyros and talking about him to their friends. He also saw the looks of horror on both Henrys face as well as Charles, they had realised they were playing with fire just before. ¡°Oh¡­ Well, we¡¯ll let you off this time, another incident like this though and we will punish you. Now get going.¡± The first guard obviously didn¡¯t want to deal with him but still had to show his dominance.
It didn¡¯t take long for Kyros to reach the mess hall for dinner. As he was walking through he could hear the whispers and see the directed glances his way, also how they all avoided eye contact with him. Yes, this is much better, now I know there won¡¯t be any more annoyances. He was now sitting at the dinner table, when the hole in the middle of the chamber attracted his attention. I wonder if I will be able to notice anything different now. He looked at the hole and studied it, looking for anything different. He now noticed that dangerous aura he had felt before, however it kept growing stronger and stronger. He suddenly felt choked up and struggled to breathe. ¡°HMM WHAT¡¯S THIS?¡± An ancient voice rang out in Kyros¡¯s head. The pain. It felt as if his head was going to explode. ¡°HOW INTERESTING. SO WEAK, YET YOU CAN SENSE ME. OHHHH. YOUR AURA ISN¡¯T THAT OF HUMAN, BUT SOMETHING ELSE. ALMOST SIMILAR TO AN ELF, BUT DIFFERENT. WHERE DID I HAVE THIS FEELING BEFORE¡­?¡± Kyros was now clutching his head with hands, not caring about the now growing onlookers. ¡°AHHH THAT¡¯S RIGHT, IT WAS A COUPLE THOUSAND YEARS AGO. A HIGHBORN. HAHAHA A HIGHBORN ENSLAVED BY HUMANS, JUST IMAGINE WHAT THE ELVES WOULD DO¡­ I CAN ALREADY TASTE THE DESTRUCTION.¡± This ancient voice had a sense of madness about it, something about it made him fear what would come if he were to ever meet the owner. ¡°YOU¡¯RE WEAK FOR A HIGHBORN, I COULD END YOU RIGHT NOW WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER¡­ BUT WHERE WOULD THE FUN BE IN THAT?¡± What.. What are you?Kyros questioned in his thoughts. ¡°OHH CURIOUS ARE YOU? JUST COME DOWN AND FIND OUT HAHAHAHAHAhahaha¡­¡± The voice faded out. Strong¡­ too strong. Chapter 9 - Sensing The Worlds Presence It had been a little over a week since Kyros encountered the voice down the hole, he hadn¡¯t tried to sense its presence since the last time. He still feared whatever it was that was down there, because it truly could have killed him like an ant as it said it could. The results for who mined the most ores of the week had already came out, unexpectedly Kyros sat at number two. Which surprised Kyros because he thought with his cheat skill of perception and mining together, that he¡¯d be unstoppable. Although he was only 70 ores lower than the top miner, so it wouldn¡¯t take long if he continued to increase his skills. To the other miners this was ridiculous though, it usually took everyone a couple of weeks to even get used to mining the gold ore here. His progress over the weeks work hadn¡¯t been too bad, a lot better then when he was still in the copper mine.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Mining Intermediate 6 28.21%
Determines how fast you can mine. Higher levels will allow user to mine moreprecious ores and gemstones. Can now mine precious ores.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Perception Intermediate 1 12%
Determines how well you can perceive. Higher levels will allow you to see things others cannot.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 21
Race: High Elf Mana: 100/100
Health: 520/520 Stamina 412/490
Titles: Gold Class Slave
Stats
Strength: 58 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 46 Wisdom: 10
Vitality: 52 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 49 Luck: 10
He would have been pretty happy with this progress, however he was too busy trying to figure a way out of this place. Although he could gain his freedom by staying on top for ten weeks in a row, he¡¯d still be worked like a slave down here in the mines until retirement. Also he could see through this scam the Mavis family put up, as soon as you couldn¡¯t work anymore they¡¯ll kill you and take their money back; while all the slaves would think you were out enjoying life. Kyros didn¡¯t have any evidence to this claim but he was starting to grow accustomed to how this world worked, and wouldn¡¯t take a chance at testing if he was wrong. No matter how much he thought though, he couldn¡¯t figure a way out, this mine was so tightly guarded that it was practically impossible to escape. Seeing as though he couldn¡¯t do anything about escaping yet, he decided that he would meet that robed man and try to learn magic from him. Kyros was the same as any person from earth, at the mention of magic he couldn¡¯t help but picture himself shooting fireballs out his hands. He had two reasons for wanting to learn magic: The first being that it would be a handy skill to have for when he tries his escape, and second being out of curiosity. Now how could a slave request a meeting with a magician? He couldn¡¯t. He had already asked around and found out that the magician has a very high status, and the only one who could order him around was the guard captain. Also it would be suspicious for a slave to do so, obviously making his intent clear to learn magic. Slaves didn¡¯t need to know these things and only needed to know how to mine from the Mavis family viewpoint. So how will Kyros meet this magician to get his plan started? quite a simple method actually. Okay, you can do this. I have to do this if I ever want to get out of here!Kyros was working himself up. With a quick glance behind him, Kyros saw Henry and Charles with their backs to him still mining; they had left him alone ever since finding out his past. Okay go! With a big swing, Kyros threw his arm into an ore that was sticking out. It collided heavily into the rock. -60 hp
Status Effect: Right arm is severely bruised, will take longer to heal.
Fuck!!! Fuck!!! Fuck!!! God that hurts! It¡¯s not even broken¡­ Argh! I can¡¯t do this again¡­. No I have to! With yet another big line up, Kyros threw out his already damaged arm. As soon as it came in contact with the ore, he heard a big *Crack* similar to the sound Henrys wrist made a week back. -80hp
Status Effect: Right arm is broken. It won¡¯t be able to be used while this status is in effect and healing time will take longer.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Argh!! Fuck!¡± Kyros finally lost his composure and screamed out, startling Henry and Charles who were in the distance. God fucking dammit! I better learn something after this.Kyros knew that they would get the magician to heal any wounds that would put the miners out of working, seeing as though they were essentially losing profit while the worker was healing. ¡°Whacha screaming about dere lad?¡± Henry asked. ¡°What do you fucking think? Look at my arm, it¡¯s broken. I¡¯m heading back to see the healer.¡± Kyros was in a lot of pain and was not in the mood for these two. ¡°Oh is that right¡­¡± Charles was obviously scheming something in his head. Kyros knew that this may have happened. Never show the enemy your weak side, which he had just done. ¡°Henry, maybe we should be good seniors and help our junior out.¡± Charles seemed to be planning to strike. I¡¯m not in the mood for this right now. ¡°Fuck off.¡± Kyros spoke in the most sinister way he could manage, all the while releasing his bloodlust aura into the surroundings.
7% increase to Bloodlust.
Bloodlust has levelled up.
¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± Charles felt something in the air, something that warned him if he tried anything; he could lose his life. Kyros not paying them anymore attention, started heading towards the nearest guard to get help.
¡°Why aren¡¯t you mining slave.¡± The guard asked. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell by my limp arm, it¡¯s broken. I¡¯ll need the healer.¡± Kyros hated stupid questions, they just wasted his time. The guards eyes narrowed, he didn¡¯t like being spoken to like that especially by a slave. However, he could tell that the slaves arm was broken, so he told Kyros to wait while he fetched the healer.
After roughly ten minutes of waiting, he saw the guard coming back with the robed man. ¡°Oh that is quite a nasty break you have there.¡± The old magician spoke in a friendly tone. ¡°How can you tell without looking at my arm?¡± The old magician was standing a couple of feet away when he had stated this. Kyros knew he was a magician but he didn¡¯t see the magician cast any spell. ¡°Please, I¡¯ve been healing for over fifty years. If I couldn¡¯t even notice a broken bone, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be very good at this job. Now let me take a look.¡± The old magician ordered. Kyros went along with the order and stuck out his arm. The old magician grabbed the arm right at the break, yet it didn¡¯t hurt. He was feeling around the break and pushing down on some spots, yet was so gentle that Kyros barely felt anything. The old magician stopped feeling around Kyros¡¯s arm, and started studying Kyros¡¯s face. ¡°I see. Guard, I¡¯ll be taking him back to my chamber to heal him. He won¡¯t be required to work for the rest of the day.¡± The old magician ordered the guard. ¡°You. Follow me.¡± He now ordered Kyros. Kyros was pleased with this though, because he didn¡¯t realise a guard would have been standing close by; so he couldn¡¯t ask about the magic.
Kyros had just entered this magicians chamber, and honestly it had disappointed him. He had hoped to see potions or maybe a magicians circle on the ground. No, he would have thought himself to be in the library had he not seen a bed in the corner of the room. I guess this is the reality of being a mage. ¡°Speak lad, what do you want?¡± The old magician asked. ¡°Sorry..? You brought me here to heal.¡± Kyros was unaware of what this old magician wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a fool. You obviously broke your arm on purpose. Now was that because you thought you could get out of work for some reason? Or did you want to see me perhaps? You will tell me now. Don¡¯t lie.¡± This old man is smarter than I thought. First I¡¯ll try and inflate his ego. Should make things easier later on. ¡°You¡¯re right sir. I¡¯m amazed by your abilities to discover that I broke my arm on purpose.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me and get on with it.¡± The old magician hurried Kyros. Ah he''s also not so shallow to be swayed with compliments, this could be harder then I had hoped. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be straight. I want you to teach me magic.¡± Kyros told the old magician his desire. ¡°No.¡± It was a clean and straightforward answer, leaving no room for debate. ¡°I want you to teach me magic¡­ please>¡± Kyros tried again. ¡°No.¡± The old magician was firm in his answer. Fuck, I can¡¯t let this go. ¡°Why not?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Why do you think lad? Are you trying to get us both killed? What do you think would happen to me if they found out I was teaching the slaves magic?¡± Damn, he''s also cautious. This is going to take a lot of convincing. ¡°I¡¯ll be quiet about it, I won¡¯t speak a word of it. It¡¯s just a hobby to practise when I¡¯m not mining.¡± Kyros pleaded. The old magician creased his forehead and started frown. ¡°A hobby! You think the majestic art of magic can be treated as a hobby!¡± The old magician started to shout passionately. Oh no, wrong thing to say. Quick back peddle. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean a hobby. I meant that it would give me a greater purpose in this life of mining ores every day. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a magician. Please can you imagine not being able to practise the noble art of magic?¡± A lie. But a white lie, he won¡¯t soften up otherwise. The old magicians face softened up as he sighed. ¡°Be that as it may lad, I just can¡¯t do it.¡± Fuck, why is he so firm in this! ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ever pass down your knowledge? Do you really want to die and leave nothing behind in this world?¡± Kyros tried a more personal approach. The old magician frowned and the crease returned to his forehead. Oh no, I¡¯ve made him mad again. ¡°Argh damn it. You really know how to hit a soft spot don¡¯t you?¡± The old magician seemed more frustrated rather than mad.¡°Alright, I suppose I can teach you something.¡± The old magician finally had relented and given into Kyros¡¯s constant pressing. Yes!! I was worried I had gone through that pain for nothing. ¡°You mean it?¡± Kyros was excited. Quite different from his normal tone of indifference, but who wouldn¡¯t be excited at the prospect of learning magic? ¡°Yes I mean it! A magician never turns back on his word, you¡¯d best remember that if I¡¯m to teach you anything.¡± The old magician grumbled. Ah so he does have an ego. ¡°Yes, of course. So what am I going to learn first?¡± Kyros asked, no longer sounding as excited as before. It was rare for him to show excitement in the first place, it was unlikely to last long. ¡°I¡¯m not teaching you any spells.¡± The old magician declared. ¡°But¡­ You just said...¡± Kyros was at lost for words, the old magician literally just told him that he doesn¡¯t go back on his word. ¡°I know what I just said, I may be old but I¡¯m not senile yet. I won¡¯t teach you any spells yet. I understand that you can gain your freedom through mining, am I correct?¡± The old magician wanted clarification. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kyros already knew where the old magician was going with this. ¡°Good. I won¡¯t teach you any spells until you can achieve this. That way they shouldn¡¯t have problems with me teaching you, since you¡¯ll no longer be a slave. Deal?¡± The old magician was firm with this. Fuck, that¡¯s at least ten weeks away. Better than nothing though. ¡°Deal.¡± Kyros agreed dejectedly. ¡°Alright don¡¯t look too down. I can teach you a little trick to train your powers, that way it won¡¯t be too much of a waste of time.¡± The old magician said spiritedly. ¡°Really?¡¯ Kyros was excited for the second time today. ¡°Yes, but first you will have to start addressing me as master.¡± The old magician said almost shyly. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Kyros responded. The masters face went a slight tinge of red. *Ahem* ¡°Well, let me heal your arm before I show you this trick. Hold out your arm¡± His master ordered. Don¡¯t make me call you it, if you¡¯re going to get embarrassed you old fool¡­ Kyros complied with the order and held out his arm for his master to heal. His master only hovered his hands over Kyros¡¯s arm, when he saw that green aura like light come out of his hands. It surrounded Kyros¡¯s arm at the break. This feeling¡­ It¡¯s so warm and comfortable. It¡¯s like everything is alright even though I clearly know otherwise. As quick as it came, it left. ¡°Alright, sit.¡± His master ordered. ¡°On the floor?¡± Kyros didn¡¯t know if he meant the chairs over to the side. ¡°Yes the floor, now hurry up.¡± Kyros sat on the floor cross-legged. ¡°Good now close your eyes.¡± He followed the directions. ¡°Good, good. Now comes the important part, the test to see if you have any talent.¡± His master suddenly declared. Waita minute, so what if I don¡¯t have any talent? ¡°Keep your eyes closed. Clear your mind of all unnecessary thoughts. The only thing you want to feel is yourself and the world.¡± His master explained. ¡°How will I know?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Well you¡¯ll never know if you don¡¯t shut up and focus. Trust me, you¡¯ll know. It can¡¯t be explained, it has to be felt. Now focus. Since this is the first time it can take anywhere between an hour and a lifetime. Now I¡¯m going to study, stay here and focus. Call out to me when you sense it.¡± Kyros heard footsteps grow quieter until they faded completely. Alright I¡¯m alone now. Just me and myself. Focus. Focus¡­¡­.. I wonder how Ralph is? Damnit, focus¡­. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to shoot lightning bolts? No, stop thinking and focus¡­. This continued for about 10 minutes, when Kyros felt something. What is this? It¡¯s everywhere. Kyros could sense ¡®particles¡¯ everywhere around him. Particles seems the best way to describe it, it¡¯s as if Kyros could sense everything around him. The old magician wasn¡¯t being lazy when he said you couldn¡¯t explain it. It¡¯s so large, I seem so small and insignificant. Hmm what¡¯s this? It seems to be clinging to me¡­ Wait am I absorbing it? I wonder what happens If I keep absorbing it¡­ So Kyros sat there for another hour absorbing the particles. Until¡­
+1 Wisdom
I see so that¡¯s how it works! ¡°Ah master!¡± Kyros called out. ¡°What is it? I told you to focus, keep at it!¡± The master reprimanded him. ¡°Oh it¡¯s just that I think I can sense it!¡± Kyros yelled back out. Next minute Kyros could hear a chair topple over and frantic running, until he saw his Master come around the corner running towards him. ¡°What did you just *puff* say?¡± The master was quite tired from that run. ¡°That I think I could sense it¡­¡± Kyros was starting to grow sceptical because of the way his master was acting. ¡°Quick, explain what you felt.¡± His master ordered him. ¡°Oh that is¡­ Um¡­ It¡¯s like I felt everything¡­ I saw how small and insignificant I am in this world.¡± Kyros tried his best to explain the unexplainable. ¡°Aha.. ahaha¡­ Hahahaha¡± His master slowly started to laugh until breaking into a roaring laugh. ¡°A genius! My first apprentice is a genius! Sensing the Worlds Presence In a little over a hour! ¡± His master cheered. ¡°A genius?¡± Kyros had never been called such a word in his both of his lives. He knew the meaning, but couldn¡¯t accept it. ¡°I know I said takes an hour to a lifetime, but it¡¯s rare for anyone to be able to sense it on their first day. It took me until my third day to get it, and I was considered good enough to get sponsored by the Mavis family.¡± His master explained to him. I see, this big of a reaction¡­ I better not tell him I sensed it even earlier. Chapter 10 - Mistake Kyros hadn¡¯t seen his master in over a week now, obviously people would get suspicious if a slave kept meeting up with a magician. He also wasn¡¯t willing to break his arm every time he wanted to see his master. So for the duration of the week, Kyros had spent his time on: Mining, trying to find a way to escape, and lastly, sensing the worlds presence. He had a good harvest this week: Levelling his mining, now immediate level eight; Increasing his wisdom stat, currently nineteen; Also ranking number one for most ores mined. However, he was still troubled on the issue of finding a way to escape. His master wanted him to earn his freedom through mining and then he could come out and show the family his magic talent; thus, allowing him to get sponsored by the family as a magician. Sure, this was a possible way for Kyros to get out. There were two reasons why he was against it though. One, because once he became sponsored by the family; it would be so much harder to escape. At the moment he was only a gold class miner, he may have status among slaves but there were over 200 gold class miners. They wouldn''t go through too much trouble to hunt him down. If they were to invest in him however, they¡¯d obviously keep closer tabs on him. Second, because the family has enslaved him and treated him terribly. Why would he want to work for them? So he was still looking for a way out, but also trying to earn his freedom just in case he couldn¡¯t find a way out. Other than all this, his life had been pretty uneventful over the last week. All the slaves now knew what Kyros was capable of, so they intentionally kept their distance from him. They were miners, not warriors. How could they possibly go against Kyros? Kyros was currently in the mess chamber with the rest of the slaves, they were all standing in a line ranging across the chamber. Supposedly someone of the main family was coming to inspect the mine. Not that this mattered to Kyros, he just wanted to get back to working on the stuff that matters and not hanging around to probably see some old man. Kyros looked to both sides of the chamber, and saw how there were two groups of guards on either sides; standing in an organised fashion. ¡°Attention!¡± A roar erupted in the chamber. At the mention of this word, all the guards who were standing at ease now straightened up and put their legs together. Very similar to the military in his old world. Kyros looked to where the voice came from, which was the entrance to the mess chamber in front of where he currently stood. He saw the owner of the voice, the guard captain. He was level 58, to the current level 23 Kyros; he was an impossible enemy to defeat. Beside the captain was the master who had sent him the gold mine, the owner of the mansion. He no longer seemed as arrogant as before. Behind the master was that old monster of a servant, the butler. He looked to be as graceful as ever. They were all men who were powerful in their own way, however these men were currently submissive to the lady who stood in front of them. She was young in appearance, maybe a little over 30. She had long and beautiful blonde hair, that draped halfway down her back. You could tell she had a tight body by the way her above knee-length dress hugged onto her body. Her black dress accentuated her green eyes, the symbol of a Mavis family member. As soon as all the surrounding slaves saw her, they started to fidget and some had even gone red in the face. Even Kyros thought she was beautiful. She had mature charm about her, just in the way she held herself. ¡°This is all of them, right Victor?¡± She spoke in a commanding tone, as if to announce she was in charge here. ¡°Of course sister, not one is missing.¡± Victor or otherwise known as the master, spoke in a subservient tone. ¡°I see¡­ Shall we inspect them than?¡± ¡°Yes sister, let me lead the way.¡± Victor ushered his sister to one end of the line, opposite of where Kyros was standing. Kyros couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying, but she was walking down the line inspecting the slaves one by one. She would look them in the face, yet all the slaves would send their eyes downcast; not willing to make eye contact with this beauty. He had stopped paying attention to the beauty, and started inspecting how everyone else was acting. Of course, he wasn¡¯t accustomed to the ways of this world and its traditions, so maybe he could learn something from watching the others. While looking over the guards he noticed one guard looking a bit odd, he was way too nervous. Everyone was nervous here, not only was this woman a beauty she was also a very powerful person by the seems of things. However, this guard was suspicious. He was overly sweating and trying to look in another direction, as if to hide his face. Kyros tried to look at his status screen, see if he could find out anything.
Title Mavis Family Guard
Name ???
Description Guard posted in the Iron Field gold mines.
Level 52
Health 1450/1450
What? This guard is obviously too strong to be a mere guard. By this level, he should be one of the lieutenants under the captain. At the minimum. Something is definitely not right with him, I¡¯ll have to look into it. ¡°What¡¯s this? The slave dares to not pay attention to me.¡± A feminine voice rang out to the side of Kyros. Turning his head to look back in front of him, he saw the beauty and her gang of powerful followers behind her. ¡°Oh¡­ he''s an elf, a pretty one at that. Victor, why haven¡¯t you sent him to the main household yet? With his looks we could flaunt him in front of the other families.¡± The beauty asked of Victor. It was common for the Great Families to show off their assets, trying to prove that they were the better family. ¡°Ah sister, this was the slave I was telling you about. The one with potential.¡± Victor stated. She now returned to look him in the eyes, however lifted an eyebrow when she saw how Kyros returned her stare. ¡°You were right when you said he was arrogant Victor. You think you¡¯re equal to me, don¡¯t you slave?¡± She directed her question to Kyros. Better remain silent, lest I say something stupid. The monster of a servant suddenly came forward and struck Kyros in the gut. -140 hp *cough**cough* Kyros had coughed out blood. This monster had only lightly struck him, yet he was already in such a state. ¡°Answer her!¡± The servant demanded of him. Kyros wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he stood up straight and looked her in the eye. ¡°Yes. I do.¡± Kyros answered with determination. He knew he should¡¯ve just lied and said no, however that would be betraying himself as that was not who he was. There were somethings he could put aside, but his dignity wasn¡¯t one. Gasps had rung out across the room, not only from slaves but guards as well. Who was this person to claim to be an equal of the first daughter of the Mavis family? Of course Kyros didn¡¯t know her or her status, he just knew she was powerful. However more so than he realised. *Crack* -180 hp Kyros¡¯s whole body was sent tumbling to the ground from the monster of a servant. Kyros hadn¡¯t even been able to see what happened. From his point of view, one moment he was staring at the beauty and the next he was lying on the ground and his shoulder in excruciating pain. ¡°Shall I kill him, Mistress?¡± The old servant asked the beauty. ¡°No¡­ If what Victor says is correct, he''s worth more alive than dead. Also, I want him to live and learn that not everyone are born the same. We are not the same.¡± She directed that last part at Kyros, smirking down at him. It was a cruel thing, she was such a horrible person yet all Kyros thought at the moment was how beautiful she looked when she had smirked. The old servant just stared down at Kyros, as if he was a bug. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. That bastard! He seriously would have killed me given the chance to. He wasn¡¯t acting this way at the mansion¡­ He must be trying to gain favour with this lady. Is he doing it for himself or on his masters order though¡­? The group no longer paying attention to Kyros who was still laying on the floor, started to move on and inspect the next slave.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 23
Race: High Elf Mana: 190/190
Health: 320/540 Stamina 484/500
Titles: Copper Mine Slave
Stats
Strength: 61 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 49 Wisdom: 19
Vitality: 54 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 50 Luck: 10
Kyros checked his status screen, to check how much health he had left. A little over half¡­ This should give me a reason to visit master again though.
Apart from the scene with Kyros, nothing had happened out of the ordinary. She had inspected the conditions and spoke of small matters regarding the mine with Victor, before moving on leaving the slaves to get back to work. Kyros however wasn¡¯t heading to work, but to get healed by his master. He had followed the same direction his master had taken him last time. He passed a few guards along the way, however he just lied and told them he was ordered to go get healed. Apart from the guards who were standing watch, the rest were there and saw what had happened to Kyros, so they asked no questions and let him continue on his way. Arriving in front of his masters room, he knocked on the door and waited for his masters response. He could hear a series of footsteps and objects clattering around until his master opened the door. ¡°Ah Kyros! What happened to you?¡± His master hadn¡¯t been at the assembly for whatever reason, so he didn¡¯t know what had transpired. ¡°Oh I had a run in with that lady from the main house.¡± Kyros sounded bitter. ¡°What? You didn¡¯t. Count your lucky stars you¡¯re alive lad.¡± His masters eyes were wide with surprise. ¡°She¡¯s that bad, huh?¡± ¡°She¡¯s worse than bad. Antonia Saville Mavis, first daughter of Sir Duke Aetius Felix Mavis. She is a very powerful person in the whole of the kingdom of Calux. Particularly known for her arrogance. She¡¯s had many suitors over the years, yet none are worthy enough for her. Not one to make an enemy of.¡± His master explained to him. ¡°Oh¡­ Well, too late to go back now.¡± Kyros didn¡¯t care for the speech. Ever since arriving in this world, everyone has wanted to harm him in some regard. What does it matter if he adds a duke¡¯s daughter to the list. ¡°Lad, it¡¯s one thing to be brave and another to be stupid. Don¡¯t be the latter. Now come over here while I heal you.¡± That heavenly feeling washed over Kyros again, as he watched his health rise all the way back to 540. He noticed his master was sweating a bit after finishing up. ¡°It¡¯s not easy healing you up. Try and behave from now on. Also have you been sticking to your meditation?¡± His master asked him. ¡°Yes master. One hour before work and two after.¡± Kyros had been waking earlier to focus on sensing the worlds presence. ¡°Good, good. Once you get your freedom, we can..¡± *Knock**knock* Suddenly there was knocking on the door. ¡°Quick lad, hide!¡± His master whispered to him. Kyros followed the instruction and had hidden behind one of the bookshelves. ¡°Who is it?¡± His master called out once he affirmed that Kyros was hidden. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± A deep voice echoed from the other side of the door. ¡°Ahh captain, what can I help you with?¡± His master had opened the door to the guard captain. ¡°It¡¯s the mistress. She wants you to report on your studies. Now let¡¯s go. She¡¯s already in a bad mood because of some ballsy slave.¡± The captain grumbled. ¡°Ahh yes, I heard of it. What a foolish slave indeed. You¡¯d have to be an imbecile to anger the mistress.¡± His master announced unusually loud. He still hasn¡¯t let go of that huh. ¡°Tell me about it. Just puts her in a foul mood, making our jobs harder. Now we best get going.¡± The captain and his master had left, leaving Kyros alone in his masters chamber. Well, I better get going before someone finds me in here. Kyros was about to leave when he looked over to his masters desk, his curiosity peaking. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be all right if master doesn¡¯t find out. He headed over to his masters desk and started to look through the books and scrolls laid about on it. Strangely enough he could read what they said. That also brings up the point of why he could also talk and understand the language of this world. It was either they used the same language on this world, or for whatever reason he was able to understand this new language. Either way it didn¡¯t matter since he could understand it. Although he could read what were on the scrolls and in the books, he couldn¡¯t make sense of it. The books were filled with detailed explanations of all sorts of things, such as the relation between the fire-breathing sphinx and the ice Phoenix. The scrolls however had those complex magic circles he always saw in his games, however never understood. He was sorting them out and was about to give up. Hmm what¡¯s this?
Class 1 spell - Fireball.
Scroll with detailed analysis of the class 1 spell - Fireball.
He started to read through the scroll and try and make sense of it, however he was having no luck. Dammit, I don¡¯t know how long they¡¯ll be gone for. I better go. Kyros tucked the scroll into his overalls and then snuck out.
Kyros was now on his way back to the mines, so he could finish work and then hurry back and try to make sense of the scroll he had acquired. On the way back however, he saw that nervous guard looking around suspiciously before heading down a tunnel. He''s definitely up to something, what though? Guess there is only one way to find out. So Kyros also looked around to make sure no one was watching him before he went down the same tunnel. He was cautiously following this guard, always sure to have something to hide behind. Which was good, because the guard would look behind him every now and then. The guard finally stopped at a random point, turned to look around before pulling out a blue crystal from his pocket. What¡¯s that? The guard brought the crystal to his mouth, where he seemed to whisper a few words to it. The crystal suddenly started to glow when a voice came from the other side. ¡°Report.¡± ¡°Yes, father. Currently Antonia is here at the mines inspecting things. I¡¯m trying to keep a low profile for now. She¡¯s only seen me once, but if she remembers then the whole operation will fail.¡± The guard reported. ¡°Hmm, good work. Stay low and hidden, remember your duty to the family son. Good luck. Out.¡± The voice faded and the glow around the crystal disappeared. Of course. He must be a member of another Great Family. This could be useful information, I better leave now before he finds me. Kyros started to back away when his foot kicked a small rock, making it roll. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The guard was now alerted, looking in Kyros¡¯s direction. Shit. I better come out and explain things. Kyros stood up and out from behind the rock he was using to hide. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°I know, who are you are. What¡¯re you doing here?¡± The guard cut him off. ¡°I was coming back from the healers, when I got lost. I overheard you talking with someone. You¡¯re a spy. Aren¡¯t you?¡± Kyros decided he would take a chance. ¡°Shit. Why did you have to overhear that? I take no pleasure in reaping such a young life.¡± The guards eyes suddenly steeled and released a thick bloodlust, even thicker than Kyros¡¯s. He took a step towards Kyros and started to draw his sword. Fuck. Fuck. This was a mistake! Chapter 11 - The Spy ¡°Hey, calm down for a second.¡± Kyros tried to reason. The guard just kept walking forward, his sword now in hand hanging by his side. ¡°Wait. Listen to me.¡± ¡°There is nothing to listen to. Now die!¡± The guard lunged forward with a horizontal slash across Kyros. -20hp Kyros had luckily saw signs that the guard was about to strike, so he jumped back. Yet even knowing that the guard was going to attack, he had still been to slow to fully dodge the strike. He had received a small slash across his chest. It wasn¡¯t large enough to hinder him in anyway, yet was still enough to cause a stinging pain. Fuck. There is no way I can defeat him in a fight. No! I refuse to believe this man can¡¯t see reason. All or nothing I guess. Kyros suddenly stood up straight and rose his arms up, as if to say he surrendered. ¡°Wait! You can obviously kill me at any point, but at least hear me out. Alright?¡± Kyros pleaded. Holy shit. This is intense. Please don¡¯t kill me! Even Kyros couldn¡¯t keep his calm in this situation. It was a scary thing to know death could come at any moment. He was no longer like his old self from his old world, where he didn¡¯t fear death. He now had things he wanted to do, like learn magic. His old self had nothing, he just wasted away playing video games; such was the reason why he didn¡¯t care for his life. The guard suddenly rose his sword high in the air, threatening to bring it down. With a swing with his arm, he brought the sword down about to strike Kyros. Kyros closed his eyes. Shit! Well at least I tried¡­ I wonder if I¡¯ll meet that weird guy who put me in this situation again¡­ ¡°Open your eyes.¡± The voice of the guard rang out. Kyros had opened his eyes, and what he saw was a sword hanging just above his head. I see¡­ He was testing my resolve. I wonder what would¡¯ve happened had I tried to dodge¡­ Kyros shuddered from the thought. ¡°Talk. Make a sudden move or try to call in alarm, and my sword will finish its swing.¡± The guard threatened. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± Kyros felt the pressure of the sword hanging over his head. ¡°You were there today, when that old servant had beaten me just for saying I was equal of that lady.¡± ¡°Yeah, was an amusing sight to see the great Antonia be spoken down to by a slave. Continue.¡± The guard had interrupted Kyros with a smile hinting on his face. ¡°Well, think about it. Why would I want to do anything that would help out this family? We¡¯re on the same side.¡± Kyros reasoned. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. However, maybe you realised how stupid it was to make an enemy of Antonia, and you could use my identity to fix that.¡± The guard retorted. Fuck, he''s cautious. Guess that¡¯s to be expected of someone of his occupation. ¡°No. I¡¯d rather die than do anything useful for her.¡± Kyros stated while looking the guard in the eyes, refusing to look away. Of course that statement was a lie. Depending on the situation, Kyros might do anything. He was smart, he knew sometimes you¡¯d have to do things you don¡¯t like to achieve your goal. There were a few things he wouldn¡¯t do though, such as throw away his dignity. The guard held his stare, for what seemed to be a minute. Before finally cracking a smile on his face and lowering his sword. ¡°Hahaha well thank god for that. Never really been too fond of killing. I¡¯ll do it if I have to, but I¡¯d rather avoid it. That¡¯s why I chose this path rather than be a soldier like father wanted of me.¡± The guard suddenly became quite jovial and talkative. Wait isn¡¯t this too much of a personality change. ¡°So wait, does this mean you trust me?¡± Kyros sceptically asked. ¡°Why? Would you rather I don¡¯t? Haha¡± The guard joked. ¡°Ugh, well no of course not. It¡¯s just that¡­ you¡¯re acting pretty different then before.¡± Kyros didn¡¯t know how to take this man. ¡°Oh that whole act. It¡¯s a serious job you know, being a spy. Hardly ever get to sit down and have a laugh.¡± The guard admitted. Is this guard stupid or does he somehow know for sure that he can trust me? Either way, it¡¯s a good outcome for me. Thought I was dead for a second there¡­ The guard was still talking and laughing about some random things, seemed as if he could talk nonstop had he have an ear to talk to. Looking closer at this guard, he seemed to be in his mid thirties. He had thick brown hair and a bit of scruff around his jaw, indicating he hadn¡¯t shaved for a few days. At first he looked to be a rather serious man, however on closer inspection Kyros could see the laughing wrinkles around this mans eyes; making him seem friendly. He looked to be an honest man, it was a wonder to Kyros how he pulled off being a spy. Than again he had just thought this man was going to kill him. Scary. ¡°And then you just looked her in the eyes and said ¡®Yes. I do.¡¯. Hahahaha nearly had me blow my cover from laughing. That¡¯ll be a good story for when I go back home.¡± The guard was recounting the story of how Kyros spoke back to Antonia earlier that morning. ¡°Wait, did you just say that you were going back home?¡± Kyros suddenly perked up. ¡°Aye lad. Can¡¯t be stuck here forever now, can I? Already been away from the missus and kids for too long.¡± The guard answered. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°When are you going back?¡± Kyros asked. The guard looked at Kyros sceptically before answering. ¡°About a months time, why¡¯s that? You¡¯re not trying to get more information out of me to report back, are you lad?¡± The guard said warily. ¡°No, of course not. Actually do you think I could come with you?¡± Kyros asked hopefully. This was the perfect chance for Kyros. ¡°Ah¡­. I¡¯m sorry lad. It¡¯s easy for me to disappear by myself. To take a slave with me though, that¡¯s another thing.¡± The guard answered with a look of pity in his eyes. ¡°Please? I need to get out of here.¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t give up just like that. ¡°Do you know how tightly guarded this place is. I can come and go in this place, but you¡¯re a slave lad. A slave can only leave the mine with a signed note from one of those Mavis family scum.¡± The guard said the last part with venom. I see¡­ Guess it was to much to hope for. Kyros wasn¡¯t stupid, everything the guard said had made sense. It might be worth a shot from Kyros¡¯s perspective, but if the guard was caught trying to help Kyros escape than his cover would be blown. The guard wouldn¡¯t risk everything for a slave. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just the way things are. The only time security here is lax is when the cave goblins start a large scale raid. However, that hasn¡¯t happened ever since they collapsed that part of the mine¡­¡± The guard was trying to make sure Kyros didn¡¯t cling to any hope. Ah forgot there were cave goblins in here. They are held back by the guards, away from us¡­ Wait, cave goblins¡­ Guards¡­ That¡¯s it! ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a guard right?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°And here I thought I did well with this disguise haha¡± The guard joked. ¡°No, I mean you¡¯re a guard. So you know the layout of the mines, right?¡± Kyros was starting to get impatient. ¡°What¡¯re you trying to get at lad?¡± The guard could see Kyros was up to something. ¡°So you do. Than you would know where all the common areas the cave goblins attack from, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°I suppose I do. What of it?¡± ¡°Alright, hear me out.¡± Kyros went on to explain his plan to guard.
A couple of minutes later when Kyros had finished his explanation, the guard had been quiet trying to ponder over the idea. Kyros was starting to grow nervous, because if the guard agreed it would mean Kyros would have a shot at escaping. Suddenly the guard looked at Kyros, with a smile growing wider on his face. ¡°That¡¯s a mighty plan, you thought up there. I think it could work. We could cause a blow to the Mavis family while escaping, and they wouldn¡¯t know a thing. aha..hahaha..HAHAHA¡± The guard slowly built up to a roaring laugh. Yes! He bought it. Now I just need to get the map of the cave layout and get to work. ¡°Alright, first I¡¯ll run this by my father. Tomorrow morning meet me in the mess chamber, I¡¯ll slip you the map layout.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you think you should do it at a less conspicuous spot?¡± Kyros thought it would be a bad idea to do something so shady in front of so many guards and slaves. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. I¡¯ve been doing these things for a while now, trust me.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Kyros didn¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter. ¡°By the way, lad. What¡¯s your name?¡± The guard asked. ¡°Kyros.¡± ¡°Kyros. Fine name. After you escape from here, you¡¯re welcome a spot in my Nerva family. Could always use smart minds like yours.¡± The guard suddenly declared. ¡°Thanks, but for now I want to focus on getting out here.¡± Kyros hadn¡¯t thought of what to do after escaping. ¡°Fair enough. If you ever do want to join us, just tell them James referred you.¡± James said. James left first, and after a couple of minutes of waiting Kyros had left as well to return to work.
Kyros was now back in his sleeping chamber. No one has suspected anything for why he was gone so long, Henry and Charles tend to keep their distance from him if they could help it. So the rest of his day he impatiently mined waiting for the day to end. Now that he was back in his room, he had locked his door and reached into his overalls and pulled out the scroll that was hidden underneath them. He unrolled the scrolled and started to read it. ¡®The spell fireball, is one of the least difficult spells to transmute under the fire category.¡¯ Transmute. What does this mean? What am I changing? Don¡¯t tell me I need some magic powder or something to change into a fireball¡­ Kyros sat on the questions for a while before discovering he had absolutely no clue. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll figure this out on my own. I¡¯ll have to ask master about it, in a way that he won¡¯t suspect anything though¡­ Kyros drifted off to sleep late that night. He had a lot of things going on right now, and was going over them in his head to make sure he hasn¡¯t missed anything.
Somewhere else in the mines, deep underground. There was a chamber with no door, no way to enter or leave. It was pitch black in this chamber, apart from a very dull light that shone into the middle of the room from a hole in the ceiling that seemed to run up for miles. ¡°So my little highborn is trying to escape and leave me all alone¡­ How interesting¡­¡± A feminine voice rang out. Chapter 12 - Training Kyros had woken up with a strange feeling, as if something had been watching him sleep. He shrugged the thought off as him being paranoid though, since he had a lot to be paranoid over lately. First, he was conspiring with the guard over the newly thought up plan. Second, he had been fretting over his master perhaps knowing that Kyros had ¡®borrowed¡¯ a scroll off his desk. He was in the mess chamber now, sitting at his regular table eating his breakfast. He was looking for any signs of James, as James had said he would give him the map of the cave layout at breakfast. He had seen no signs of James among the guards currently standing around. He hasn¡¯t possibly backed out has he? He did say he needed to run it by his father... Maybe his father turned the plan down. Shit. Finished with his meal, he had started to head off to get to work with the mining. Along the way someone had bumped past him from behind, Kyros had turned to see who it was. All he saw though was fist flying into his jaw. -36hp Argh! Who the fuck is it? Kyros looked up at James who was standing over him. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going, filthy slave!¡± James shouted at Kyros, attracting quite a lot of attention. ¡°¡­Sorry?¡± Kyros was seriously confused at what was going on. ¡°You dare to talk back to me!¡± James had bent over and picked Kyros up by his overalls. Kyros felt something slip into the side of his overalls but had no time to consider what it was because James had thrown another fist into his stomach. -23hp ¡°Oi, Connor stop it. You know how the higher ups react if we damage their workers.¡± One of the other guards had ran over and held James back. I see, Connor is his alias here. ¡°I know. Just hate being stuck around pathetic scum like them, you what I mean.¡± James sounded as if he was honestly disgusted by slaves. Quite a lot of the slaves who were watching the commotion, were now looking at James with hatred. ¡°I know, I know. Let¡¯s go calm down.¡± The guard dragged James off. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for there to be tension between the slaves and the guards. The guards would take it out on the slaves whenever they were treated like shit from the higher ups, it was the snowball effect. The master would come down on the captain, who would take it out on his lieutenants. The lieutenants would then come down onto the guards, but who could the guards take it out on? The slaves. Quite a believable performance¡­ I¡¯d still have rather done it without getting hit. Kyros rubbed his jaw as he got up, joining the rest of the slaves as they headed to work. A few of the slaves had approached him and shared their hatred of the guards with him. It seemed that they felt a sense of familiarity with him after that exchange, seeing as though they were no longer scared of him. Kyros however remained silent and only stared at them, and shortly the surrounding group had dwindled until it was just him left over. That¡¯s much better¡­
Kyros was now in the mine, he turned to make sure Henry and Charles were a good distance away before he pulled out whatever James had slipped into his overalls, which he expected to be the map of the cave layout. Opening up the folded piece of paper revealed that his assumption was correct on thinking it was the map, however James had written something at the bottom. ¡®**Hey sorry about you jaw, had to make it a believable performance. It would also be good for the others to think there is tension between the two of us, just in case. Get started with the preparations today, however meet me at the same place as yesterday at around 4pm.**¡¯. What does he want to meet up for¡­? Anyway I¡¯ll work here until midday, I¡¯ll then duck off and start with the preparations. Finishing with meeting up with James.
It was now past midday and all the slaves were heading back to work from lunch. Halfway up the tunnel Kyros turned to Henry and Charles to give them an excuse for why he was ducking out. ¡°Oi you two. I feel like having a nap, you two won¡¯t say anything, will you?¡± Kyros unleashed his aura of bloodlust, which was currently beginner level 3. ¡°Ah.. N-no of course not. Have a nice nap.¡± Charles responded. Charles was a smart man, he knew it was best not to do wrong by Kyros. He was also hoping that Kyros grew lazy, because that way he would drop from the top spot of mining and give the others a chance at getting to the top.
Kyros had arrived at the marked spot on the map and started to slowly mine into the wall of rock, until the appointed time he had to meet with James.
He was leaning against the cave wall when James had arrived. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, Conrad, one of the other guards wouldn¡¯t shut up. haha¡± James was his jovial self. ¡°It¡¯s alright. What did you want to meet for?¡± Kyros inquired. ¡°When we escape, I want there to be as little mess ups as possible. So for the next month, I¡¯ll be meeting here to train you.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ train me? What about your duty?¡± Kyros hadn¡¯t planned for this. ¡°I have the night duty, and if anything comes up I¡¯ll send you notice with the same method I used the morning.¡± James had a wicked smirk as he said that. ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t hold back¡­¡± Kyros rubbed his sore jaw. ¡°Had to make it believable. Also it was payback for spying on me. Hahaha¡± James laughed. How petty. ¡°Enough of that now. Only have a limited amount of time, let¡¯s get to training.¡± James dropped his sword belt to the ground and took off his leather chest plate. ¡°About that, what¡¯re you going to train me with? sword fighting?¡± Kyros had a hint of longing in that last part, he was already picturing himself with a sword in hand and a slain dragon underfoot. ¡°Don¡¯t kid yourself, it takes longer then a month to learn sword fighting. Also you wouldn¡¯t be able to just carry a sword around with no questions asked. No, I¡¯ll be teaching you how to defend yourself.¡± James declared. ¡°How to defend myself? That¡¯s so lame.¡± ¡°Lame. You think it¡¯s lame? Tell you what, throw a punch at me.¡± James was annoyed at how Kyros had disregarded his training method. ¡°No way, you¡¯ll just hit me.¡± Kyros wasn¡¯t stupid. ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll only defend myself.¡± James had arrogance in his voice. Kyros was still sceptical, but followed suit and threw a large fist towards James¡¯s face. However, James simply stepped to the side and grabbed Kyros¡¯s arm and swung him over his shoulder. -16 hp
Status Effect: In a state of confusion for 10 seconds
Huh, what¡¯s going? Why am I looking at the ceiling¡­? Wait that¡¯s right. ¡°Hey you said you wouldn¡¯t hit me!¡± Kyros climbed back up and accused James. ¡°Hahaha I did no such thing, that was all defence.¡± James said smugly. ¡°Same thing¡­¡± It really was to Kyros. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. Martial arts techniques are split into three sections: movement, offence and defence. Offensive techniques are used for the sole purpose of injuring your target. Defensive techniques are for the sole purpose of keeping yourself uninjured. However most defensive techniques can also cause injury. Which is the reason you usually start with the defensive and then move onto the offensive.¡± James had gone into teaching mode. ¡°Wait, but if defensive techniques can be used as a means of offence. Than doesn¡¯t work the other way around?¡± Kyros was still hoping he could learn some sort of cool fighting technique, like in the martial art movies he watched as a child. ¡°Hahaha you¡¯re annoyingly clever. Yes, you are correct. However, it is vastly harder to do so. Only once you have a sort of mastery over the martial art can you do so.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyros was dejected over having no way to retort. ¡°Stop sulking and be grateful I¡¯m teaching you in the first place.¡± James reprimanded him. ¡°Yes. Alright, what technique are you going to teach me first?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Hahahaha not the sort of technique you¡¯re thinking of.¡± James laughed and answered ambiguously. ¡°¡­ Than what are you teaching me?¡± Kyros was growing wary because James had reached down and picked up his sword sheathe, holding it as if it were a sword. ¡°Kyros, what do you think the most dangerous thing for a fighter is?¡± James asked, while doing some practice swings with the sheathe. It seemed as if he was trying to find the right amount of strength for the swing he wanted. ¡°Hmm¡­ being weak?¡± ¡°No. The most dangerous thing for any fighter, a grandmaster or a disciple is one thing. That is fear. Fear of the enemy, fear of death, fear of pain. Fear can make you tense up and put your mind in a state of disarray. As fighter it is important to always be nimble and calm. Now I can¡¯t train you in the first two, but I can do something about your fear of pain.¡± As soon as James finished his sentence, he unleashed a strike with the sheathe against Kyros¡¯s shin. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. -6hp ¡°Argh!!¡± Kyros screamed out. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Kyros had grown accustomed to a beating since his time in this world, however this pain was unreal. ¡°Stand up. The technique I¡¯m using won¡¯t leave any lasting damage, but it does increase pain. You closed your eyes when I hit you. Keep your eyes open. Always be alert. Don¡¯t give the enemy a chance to blind side you.¡± This time he struck Kyros in the gut with his sword. -8hp ¡°Guh!¡± ¡°You closed your eyes. Again.¡± The strikes just kept coming, never slowing down. It had grown even more painful for the longer it dragged on because James started to hit in the same places, as there were no unharmed spots left on him. Kyros still couldn¡¯t keep himself from closing his eyes, however he had learned to stop making any noise. When he had though, he gained a new stat.
New Stat Acquired: Perseverance. Unable to increase with status points.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 23
Race: High Elf Mana: 230/230
Health: 387/540 Stamina 476/500
Titles: Gold Class Slave
Stats
Strength: 61 Intelligence: 10
Agility: 49 Wisdom: 23
Vitality: 54 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 50 Luck: 10
¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to sleep tonight from guilt if we continue anymore Hahaha¡± James had quickly reverted to his normal self. How can you just laugh it off¡­ Look at me! Kyros wasn¡¯t being dramatic. He may not have been able to see his whole self, but he saw the blood dripping down all over his body. He was afraid that¡¯d he pass out from blood loss. Although by the end he had increased his new stat to four. It had helped a bit with the pain. ¡°Alright, well we can continue this tomorrow.¡± James was putting on his sword belt and leather chest plate. ¡°Ah James, how do I explain why I look like this?¡± Kyros was secretly shuddering inside thinking of tomorrow. ¡°Oh yeah, that. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m friends with the healer, I told him I was going to be training up a slave and if he wouldn¡¯t mind healing him up. Don¡¯t worry, you can trust him.¡± James explained. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re friends with master?¡± This was news to Kyros. ¡°What do you mean master?¡± ¡°Well he sort of promised to teach me magic haha..¡± Kyros figured it wouldn¡¯t matter telling James. James however just looked at Kyros in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re serious¡­ Learning magic and martial arts. Hahahaha don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew lad. Now I have to get going, otherwise I¡¯ll be late for duty. Remember, here tomorrow.¡± James ran off laughing. Bite of more than I can chew, huh¡­ Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the luxury of taking it easy. Kyros started to make his way to his master, wincing with every step he took. Now that Kyros had the map of the cave layout, he could take a more secret route to his masters chamber.
Kyros knocked on his masters door, waiting for him. The same hurried footsteps could be heard from last time, as his master opened the door. The master squinted at Kyros, trying to make him out. ¡°I thought he said he was training you, not trying to kill you.¡± His master said, worry in his voice. ¡°Ahh master¡­¡± Kyros said in a light tone. However, his masters eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. ¡°Is that you Kyros!?¡± ¡°Yeah..ahah¡± Kyros scratched his head, and winced in pain from doing so. ¡°What¡¯re you doing learning martial arts for?! You should be focusing on meditating!¡± His master furiously reprimanded him. Shit, I knew he was going to act like this. ¡°Well, you see master. It¡¯s common for the stronger slaves to extort the weaker ones for the ores they mined, so if I can¡¯t defend myself I¡¯ll never be able to earn my freedom.¡± Kyros lied. None of the slaves would dare try and extort Kyros. His master studied him warily. ¡°Fine. I guess that makes sense. Now come in so I can heal you.¡± Kyros walked in and sat down on the ground, like he usually did. His master came over and casted his healing spell onto Kyros. After the feeling of bliss left him, he decided to try and find out some information from his master. ¡°Hey master, I have a question about magic.¡± Kyros stated. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of asking me to teach you a spell.¡± His master already shut down that line of questioning. ¡°No, actually it¡¯s about how magic works. How can you possibly make something from nothing?¡± Kyros asked. His master looked down at him and smiled in a grandfatherly way. ¡°I remember asking my master that very question. Let me explain. To others it may seem we can make a rain of fire from nothing, but that¡¯s not the case. In fact you already have the most essential ingredient for magic.¡± His master told him. ¡°I do?¡± ¡°Yes, the World''s Presence. It¡¯s actually the most basic form of everything. Even you yourself or this mighty mountain we currently reside in, all of it can be reverted back into the World''s Presence. The reason we meditate is to collect and absorb the World''s Presence. Think of yourself as a container, the more you meditate the larger the container grows. What fills this container? the World''s Presence.¡± His master paused to catch his breath and let that last part sink in, before continuing. ¡°So how does the World''s Presence become these many things? That¡¯s where we come in. We use our knowledge of all things in this world, to transmute the World''s Presence into whatever we want it to be. To do so, you must have vast knowledge on what you want to transmute it too. Even the weakest mage is a genius compared to a normal persons knowledge. It¡¯s why I accepted you as a disciple, I could see you have the inner workings to be a magician. Also I should mention, it takes a while for you to recover used up World''s Presence, so don''t go using it all up at once.¡± His master explained. The scroll Kyros stole made much more sense to him now. ¡°So than as long as you had enough World''s Presence, you could make anything?¡± Kyros wondered. ¡°Hahaha of course not. Unfortunately, we are bound to our affinities.¡± ¡°Affinities?¡± ¡°Yes, how well you relate with the elements. The elements are grand and majestic powers, they cannot be understood with mere knowledge. It has to do with who you are.¡± His master tried to explain, however failed on Kyros. ¡°Who I am? What does that mean?¡± Kyros asked in confusion. ¡°Haha don¡¯t worry child, I still ask myself the same question. Let me use an example. Fire is erratic and causes destruction; so usually a person who is quick to anger and has no issue with destroying things has a high affinity with fire. A person with a high affinity with wind is bound to never stay in one place and known for their mood swings. It has to do with how well you subconsciously relate with the elements.¡± ¡°Than what affinity do you have master?¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to brag, but I have high affinity with both water and light magic. It¡¯s why I can use healing magic, you need both water and light. I also have a low affinity with fire, I¡¯ve been trying to study it actually but seemed to have misplaced my scroll¡­¡± His master started to ponder on that last part. ¡°Hahah¡­¡± Kyros laughed in guilt. ¡°Than how do I find out what affinity I have?¡± ¡°Well, we would need to test you for that. I don¡¯t keep that sort of equipment though. Don¡¯t worry, once we get your freedom sorted, I¡¯ll take you to the magic academy to get you tested. Being an elf, I¡¯m sure you have a dual affinity as well.¡± His master tried raising his hopes. ¡°Magic academy?¡± Kyros said with bright eyes. ¡°Hahaha. Most magicians learn magic from their master, however a select few are talented enough to study at the Royal Magic Academy in the capital. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re talented enough, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get there though. Now it¡¯s getting late, you don¡¯t want to miss dinner. Also remember to do you mediation!¡± Kyros however was going to skip mediation in favour of studying the fireball scroll with his newfound knowledge. Chapter 13 - Fireball Kyros had just arrived back to his room, and the first thing he did was to lock his door. He then ran over to sit on his bed and hurriedly pulled out the fireball scroll from under his pillow. Opening it up, he read over the parts that didn¡¯t make sense. So I now know what it means when it says to transmute¡­ but how do I change the World¡¯s Presence into a ball of fire? ¡®Fire is the result of a chemical reaction, called combustion. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapour, oxygen and nitrogen¡­¡¯ The scroll went into a very in-depth and complicated explanation of many things that had to relate to the Fireball spell. Whoa¡­ this is¡­ intense. Kyros rubbed his eyes as he tried to make sense of what he read. He had actually been very smart in academics in his previous life, however due to reasons he ended up secluding himself in his room playing games. So although he was very smart, his brain was still rusty in regards to these things. He studied for a few hours, totally forgetting about sleep. It had been worth it though, because he eventually made sense of a part of it. I see! So that¡¯s what it means when it says that. So if I were to ¡­ and do ¡­ Kyros started to do some practise experiments in his head, and when he figured it out¡­
Improved knowledge. +1 Intelligence
Ah so it works like that. Wait, did this scroll just get easier to read? I wonder. Unfortunately, it¡¯s late, and I better get to sleep and figure this out tomorrow.
Kyros was on his way to go train with James, however he really wasn¡¯t looking forward to it. It turned out he had stayed up way to late last night, studying the scroll. He woke up resembling something closer to a zombie than that of a person. He had a very strenuous day yesterday, with being beaten by James and all, so he had really needed sleep. It wasn¡¯t all bad though, he made good gains with his mining today. He was now level 9 intermediate mining, only 2 levels away from the next rank. Also he levelled his overall level, now being level 24, however he hadn¡¯t spent the 5 status points yet, he had a plan with those. Kyros saw James leaning against the cave wall, waiting. ¡°You¡¯re late, anyone would think you weren¡¯t excited to get your beating hahahaha¡± James stood with sheathe in hand. Kyros grimaced at that comment. ¡°Of course not, how could I not be excited. I''m just a bit tired, had little sleep is all." Kyros replied sarcastically. ¡°Ah well that wasn¡¯t smart. Lucky I¡¯m here to wake you up.¡± James started his practise swings already. This sadistic bastard, he¡¯s totally enjoying this. What Kyros didn¡¯t know was that this was the first thing all new students learned from their master. James had only been 8 when he had started the training, it was true agony. James was having fun being on the other side of the sheathe now, all masters did. Finally able to dish out the pain, instead of receiving it. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not feeling to well ahaha¡­ I think I might sit this one out.¡± Kyros scratched his head and said sheepishly. James however had gone into instructing mode, no longer his smiling or laughing self. Kyros noticed a flicker in James¡¯s eyes. Ah it was worth a shot¡­ -5hp And so a repeat of yesterdays events continued until James would suddenly stop and return to his normal self. ¡°Well, that should be enough for today. I don¡¯t want to be late for work hahaha¡± James laughed as he started to get ready for his duty. Kyros however was currently laying on the ground, blood dripping all over him. His perseverance stat was now 6 and it did help with the pain, but only at small degrees with each stat point. He did feel he was getting used to being hit, however he still couldn¡¯t stop himself from closing his eyes whenever he got hit. It was a natural instinct to do so, to try and stop it was going to take a lot of work. James had said that the passing grade was when Kyros could do so. ¡°Okay lad, I have to get to work. Say hey to the healer for me. Remember, same time tomorrow¡­ I can¡¯t wait already hahaha¡± James ran off laughing. I better make sure I never make an enemy out of James¡­
Kyros was now standing out front of his masters door, waiting to be let in. The door opened revealing his masters frowning face. ¡°I swear Kyros, you better be practising your meditation more so than this fighting business.¡± His master said. ¡°I am master, I think I¡¯m starting to build a good foundation of World¡¯s Presence.¡± Kyros wasn¡¯t lying, he now had 24 wisdom which equated to 240 mana. How much 240 mana is compared to this worlds standards, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Haha is that right¡­ Well, let¡¯s get you healed up and then we can test how much progress you¡¯ve made.¡± His master was now noticeably happier since he heard his student was practising diligently. ¡°Wait, you can test that? I thought you said you didn¡¯t have the equipment.¡± Kyros was excited at the prospect of having his affinities tested. ¡°Affinity testing and testing for World¡¯s Presence are two different things Kyros, and why would I need affinity testing equipment when I already know my affinities.¡± His master explained. ¡°But then why didn¡¯t you test me for my magical powers in the beginning?¡± ¡°What use would that do? You¡¯re not born with World¡¯s Presence inside you, you have to absorb it. Now let me heal you.¡± Kyros however was born with World¡¯s Presence inside of him, otherwise known as his mana stat. Only a few species are born with World¡¯s Presence inside of them, giving them an advantage in magic. Not even Elves are born with World¡¯s Presence inside of them, thus why his master made his assumption. Elves were known to be one of the best with magic, but actually they held no innate advantage over other species apart from having stronger affinities to their element. The reason Elves seemed to be so advanced with magic was because they held near immortal lives, thus giving them plenty of time to meditate and study. Kyros decided not to mention about being born with the World¡¯s Presence inside of him. Sometimes knowledge could be a deadly thing, and although Kyros trusted his master there were still too many things that could go wrong. While Kyros pondered on this, he had walked into his masters chamber and sat down while his master healed him. After that feeling of bliss left, Kyros noticed how weak his master now looked. He had drops of sweat running down his forehead and he was breathing raggedly. His master tried to take a step but his leg didn¡¯t have the strength and he dropped onto his knee. ¡°Master! Are you alright?¡± Kyros stepped up and supported his master. ¡°Ahh I¡¯m quite alright. Take note, this is what happens if you drain your World¡¯s Presence to its empty point. This happened because I was doing a few experiments earlier today and already drained quite a bit.¡± His master even in this pitiful state was still lecturing. ¡°But wait, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re not born with World¡¯s Presence. So why would it effect you to this state from simply draining it?¡± ¡°Fine question. Remember Kyros, as soon as you gain your first essence of World¡¯s Presence it becomes ingrained into your very being. It becomes just as vital as your stamina. This is why we must meditate, to give us more energy to not run out.¡± His master answered. Kyros stared at his master fondly, as his master was meditating to help himself recover some World¡¯s Presence. He clearly didn¡¯t have to heal me to full health, he could¡¯ve left himself some World¡¯s Presence so he didn¡¯t get in this state. Yet, he still chose to do it¡­ Kyros had grown to think of his old master as a grandfather type figure. Although they hadn¡¯t even known each that long, deep bonds are formed quickly when in a master and student relationship. The old master had even gone the extra mile to make sure Kyros hadn¡¯t felt any reoccurring pain from his wounds, at the expense of himself. ¡°Alright, well that was rather embarrassing of me. Let¡¯s get to testing how much World¡¯s Presence you¡¯ve managed to collect.¡± His master seemed to have regained some of his strength as he got up to go fetch the equipment.
His master came back carrying a small glass orb. It had a small amount of a dirty white coloured mist rolling through it. ¡°Here it is. We call it a mages orb.¡± His master announced. ¡°So how does it work master?¡± Kyros was intrigued. ¡°Simple, it measures how much World¡¯s Presence is inside you and reflects it by showing it with the colour and amount of mist. Now take it.¡± His master handed it to Kyros. As soon as it left his masters hands and fell into Kyros¡¯s hands it changed from the small white mist into a slight larger amount of a very smokey grey. ¡°No way.¡± His master said with a look of disbelief on his face. ¡°What is it master?¡± ¡°I knew you were talented with how fast you sensed it, but this is something else. You really are too talented to learn under me Kyros.¡± His master said with a hint of sadness or self-pity in his voice, Kyros couldn¡¯t quite make it out. ¡°Don¡¯t say that master. I¡¯d never have even gotten this far without you teaching me.¡± Kyros truly did feel gratitude to his old master. ¡°Haha kid, no need to try and console me. I¡¯m just upset at how talentless I am, but you are what every master wants. A talented disciple to take my knowledge and improve on it.¡± His master smiled fondly at Kyros. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯ll try master, but I feel it may be tough to get your level of knowledge.¡± ¡°Talented and humble, truly I am lucky to have you as a student.¡± ¡°But master, how much World¡¯s Presence is this? I don¡¯t understand how this works.¡± Kyros asked, since he had no clue what the colours or amounts signify. ¡°Haha it takes a while to get used to how this works. Basically the colour signifies what class magician you are, and the size shows how far into the class you are. Once the mist fully fills the orb, it¡¯ll then change into a slightly purer colour but return back to a small amount. By your colour, you already have the necessary amount of World¡¯s Presence to go for the class 1 exam.¡± His master explained. ¡°Wait, than is this a lot?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Is that a lot? Seriously kid, if only I had your talent. It took me around 1 year studying under my master until I was around a similar level.¡± ¡°1 year¡­¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t believe how fast he had progressed in terms of ability. It had to be known though, that Kyros was born with 100 mana and had only risen it by 140 points in 8 days of training. So really, 1 week of training was roughly 8 months of training for his master. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky though, every class takes much more World¡¯s Presence to achieve than the last did. I might only be a class 6 mage but even if there were 50 of you, than just maybe could your combined World¡¯s Presence equate to mine.¡± His master was looking very smug, something he''s quite known for when talking about magic. ¡°50¡­¡± Kyros was now astonished. Wait 50 of me, I have 20 wisdom stat points, than¡­ does that mean master would have a wisdom stat of 1000? No way right? that¡¯s ridiculous¡­ he has to be exaggerating. Kyros was quite sceptical of that comment, because in no game he ever played did someone have a stat of over a 1000. It was just unheard of. Also looking at his master, his level was only 47, so there was no way for that to be correct. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised with just that though, I¡¯m not even worth a hair to some of the old hermits out there. Some of those freaks use a different sort of mages orb, supposedly even a class 10 mage barely registers on it. At their level, they are no longer given classes but have their own unique titles. That¡¯s how fearsome they are¡­ An example of one is the queen of your people child, she has been alive for a long time, and they say her magic is at a terrifying level. Supposedly she was born with World¡¯s Presence already inside her.¡±
Kyros had returned to his room shortly after that, still trying to figure out all the new information he just found out. Especially the part about the Elf Queen, he had to meet her because he now suspected her of being a high elf. While he was sorting out the information, he saw a bit of the scroll sticking out from underneath his pillow, jolting him into remembering what he had planned. Oh yeah that¡¯s right¡­ Kyros pulled it out and studied it again, and as he thought there were still a few parts he couldn¡¯t make out. He now opened his status screen.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 24
Race: High Elf Mana: 240/240
Health: 540/540 Stamina 500/500
Titles: Gold Class Slave
Stats
Strength: 63 Intelligence: 11
Agility: 49 Wisdom: 24
Vitality: 54 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 50 Luck: 10
Perseverance: 6
Alright, my intelligence is currently 11. Now let¡¯s see what happens when I put those 5 status points I got today into it.
Stats
Strength: 63 Intelligence: 16
Agility: 49 Wisdom: 24
Vitality: 54 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 50 Luck: 10
Perseverance: 6
Kyros now tried studying the scroll again. Huh, this part makes so much more sense now. And this part, If I were to do this... and then that¡­ Ah so that¡¯s how it works! It makes so much more sense
Improved knowledge. +1 Intelligence
New Skill Acquired - Fireball
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Fireball Class 1 1 0%
Shoots a ball of fire. Standard temperature is 450 Celsius. -50 mana per cast. At the cost of more mana, flame size and temperature can be increased.
Yes!! I finally did it! Let¡¯s try it out. Kyros had finally figured out this scroll, if his master had known how quickly Kyros had figured it out, he would¡¯ve probably gone crazy from jealousy. Although it¡¯s not like Kyros was amazing smart, yes he was smarter than most but it would have taken him a lot longer to figure the scroll out without his cheat like ability. Kyros held his hand up towards the wall, striking the pose of a jedi using the force. He used his new skill without needing to say a chant or anything, however it did take some time while he transmuted his World¡¯s Presence into a fireball; about 15-20 seconds. What shot out wasn¡¯t a small ball of fire but a giant fireball of about half a metre in diameter, capable of doing serious damage or even killing a person. The ball shot through the small space of his room instantly and slammed against the cave wall, making massive shockwaves throughout the cave. A massive heatwave slammed through the room and into Kyros, making him sweat almost instantly. The part of the wall which had received Kyros¡¯s vicious attack was now charred black, differing to the natural earthy colours of the rest of the wall. Kyros could hear the slaves in the other chambers start to cry out in alarm, some even screaming that it was an earthquake. Okay, not a good skill to use underground¡­ It¡¯s powerful though. It¡¯s only a class 1 spell as well, I wonder what stronger spells look like as well. I also received some experience towards the skill, which means it can level up. I wonder how that works.
Deep down underground in that chamber with no doors, stood a figure in the dark. ¡°So the little high born has only just learned magic, he must be recently born¡­ How fascinating.¡± That feminine voice spoke to itself. Chapter 14 - Windsense It had been a little over a week now since Kyros had successfully learned the Fireball skill, however he hadn¡¯t practised it yet at all due to how conspicuous it was. However, he had notable gains over the week, mainly his perseverance stat which was now at 11, it had slowed down as Kyros was getting used to the pain. He was also nearing his next mining level up, which would put him at intermediate level 10, only 1 level off the next rank. Due to diligent meditation he had also risen his wisdom stat to 31, which Kyros was pleased with its growth rate. Aside from these things Kyros¡¯s week had gone by pretty quick, although he¡¯d be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t mentally fatigued. He would spend the first half of the day doing his slave duties, then he would sneak off and mine for a couple of hours to sort out his plan which was now only 3 weeks away. Finally, his day would end with a beating from James and a quick heal up from his master, which then he¡¯d go home meditate for 2 hours and then sleep and repeat. It was a pretty tedious process really. However, the tedious program was starting to pay off.
Kyros was currently with James for his routine scheduled beating. However, this time was different, Kyros was able to stare James in the eyes without flinching while each strike had struck him. That¡¯s not to say the pain wasn¡¯t there, although it was noticeably a lot less since rising his perseverance stat, but it was that Kyros had finally learned to stop his natural instinct of closing his eyes. When James had seen this, his brows furrowed a bit and Kyros could¡¯ve sworn the following strikes were harder than the rest. Once James noticed Kyros had continued to stare him in the eyes, he dropped his sheathe to the ground. ¡°Ah so you passed¡­ Thought you may have taken longer¡­¡± James spoke glumly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that your student improved?¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t believe how much James had looked forward to the beatings. ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡­ All that pain master had inflicted on me, and now I lost my only release¡­¡± ¡°Seriously? It was painful, but it wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get arrogant lad. This was an improvised style training, I didn¡¯t have my proper tools. This was training, those tools will make it torture. There¡¯s a difference lad, you hear me?¡± What did they do to this guy, he is seriously scarred from whatever it was. ¡°Yeah right¡­ Well, we should move onto the next part of training don¡¯t you think?¡± Kyros decided it was in his best interest to avoid all possible discussions of the torture training method. ¡°Hahahaha you¡¯re quite right lad, well let¡¯s get on with it.¡± James was back to his jovial self again. How does he change so quickly¡­? ¡°Alright lad, this time we¡¯re moving into some actual technique training. Before I start, you have to promise to never pass on the agility technique.¡± ¡°Ah yeah I promise and all that, but James, are you sure you should be teaching me than?¡± Kyros was starting to like James, so he didn¡¯t want James to get any sort trouble because of himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I still haven¡¯t given up on trying to get you to come stay with my family hahaha¡± ¡°Actually I thought about it James, and I think I might take you up on that. I actually have nowhere else to go¡­¡± It was the logical decision, after all. ¡°Hahahaha that¡¯s the way! Our family is pretty big and it¡¯s easy to get lost but you can stay with me and the missus. She cooks great food and I know the kids will love an extra person around the house.¡± James had a goofy smile on his face as he spoke about his wife and kids. Just like that it seems my future has been planned¡­ He¡¯s a good guy, James, at first I was only going to use him but his been looking out for me this whole time. I have to train harder to make sure everything goes to plan! ¡°That sounds great James. We better start with the training though, we only have 3 weeks left. We can talk about this once we¡¯ve escaped.¡± Kyros urged James. ¡°Oh you¡¯re right. Sorry hahaha I just lose myself when I think of my love and how adorable my little guys are, they¡¯re just¡­¡± ¡°James!¡± Kyros interrupted when he saw that James was going off track again. ¡°Okay. Serious now. For real. So you promise not to leak the technique out?¡± James back-stepped and reaffirmed. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyros confirmed. ¡°Alright, as I stated before, there are three types of techniques: offensive, defences and agility.¡± James reiterated what he said a few days earlier. ¡°So I¡¯m going to teach you an agility and defensive technique. That way, whatever happens you can escape and defend yourself.¡± James explained. ¡°Hmm¡­ I kind of want to be able take some out and not just defend myself and run.¡± Kyros said grudgingly. ¡°Stubborn bastard you are. Unfortunately for you, you don¡¯t have a say in this. I¡¯ll take care of anything unexpected, all you need to do is not die while I do so. We clear?¡± James eyed Kyros. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, we¡¯re clear.¡± ¡°Hahaha good. Alright the two techniques are called Windsense and Shadow Step. I¡¯m sure you can figure out which is which.¡± ¡°Okay, but is one defensive technique enough? it can only cover so much.¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t understand how one technique could defend such a wide variety of attacks. On Earth you would need to train in multiple defensive techniques to be able to defend against different varieties of attacks. ¡°Well it wouldn¡¯t be a good defensive technique if it only covered half, now would it?¡± James looked at Kyros as if he were stupid. Wait, it was stupid to try and compare martial arts from this world to Earth. There are already so many things in this world which were unexplainable when compared to what was common on Earth, it¡¯s only obvious martial arts would be different as well. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right ahaha¡± Kyros just scratched the back of his head and laughed it off. ¡°You can be a pretty weird guy at times¡­ anyway, getting back to it. The main point of Windsense is as the name implies, it¡¯s about being able to sense the changes in the wind. They say that if you can master this technique, you¡¯ll be able to sense someone attacking you from behind dozens of metres away from you. Think of the advantage of always knowing when someone is about to attack.¡± James explained to him. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s just¡­ unfair¡­¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t wrap his head over something that crazy. ¡°Well that¡¯s only if you can master it, which I doubt hahaha. Remember the faster someone can strike, the harder it is for you to sense the changes it causes to the wind. I just want to get you to a level where you can sense the attacks of these guards. Although getting you to that level will be tough and is going to be intense¡­¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can take. But, you said not to leak the agility technique, however this defensive technique seems way to good to be leaked as well.¡± Kyros honestly didn¡¯t know why James didn¡¯t include this technique in the promise. ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry about. Don¡¯t get me wrong the technique is extremely good but is already rather widespread whereas the Shadow Step is unique to our family. Now for Shadow Step, it¡¯s not as fancy as some of the other techniques out there but it is effective.¡± James said. ¡°Okay so I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s about being silent¡­¡± Kyros stated the obvious. ¡°Yep. It¡¯s pretty awkward getting use to the different feet positions but it minimises noise and gives a pretty good boost your speed for close distances. Now let¡¯s start with Shadow Step. Copy me.¡± James went on to demonstrate 16 different stances. Kyros tried to copy along but failed miserably, the stances were using different legs muscles than his body was use to associating with that sort of movement. ¡°Alright those are the stances, go home tonight and practise them. Try and get to a point where I can start to teach you, because what I just saw was atrocious hahaha.¡± James mocked Kyros. ¡°That¡¯s really not that encouraging, you know.¡± Kyros had his normal look of indifference but he was fighting back the embarrassment that was threatening to show itself. ¡°Oh lighten up lad.¡± James gave Kyros a slap on the back. ¡°Alright, the reason I want you to practise Shadow Step at home is because we¡¯re going to have to get you to focus on Windsense.¡± ¡°Wait, is Windsense hard to practise?¡± Kyros asked while being surprised the slaps from James no longer hurt. Guess that perseverance stat is pretty useful. ¡°Hahaha you could say that¡­¡± James said ambiguously, while once again picking up his sheathe. ¡°Wait wait.. I thought you said we¡¯re done with that part of training.¡± Kyros panicked. ¡°Oh we had, this is different haha.¡± James had now pulled out some dirty looking cloth from his pocket. Who knew where it had been or what it was used for. ¡°Alright, use this as a blind fold.¡± James ordered as he passed Kyros the blind fold. ¡°What¡¯re you up to?¡± Kyros said warily. ¡°Christ sake lad, man up and do it so we can get to the fun part hahaha¡± James criticised. Kyros could only do as he was told, and blindfolded himself. ¡°Alright, what now James?¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t see anything and had a real bad feeling in his gut. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°James¡­?¡± -9hp Argh! What the fuck? Is he seriously doing this?? No way¡­ Kyros had received a strike right in his gut which clued him onto what James was up to, so he started to listen to any clues that would warn him of an incoming strike. -7hp Fuck this shit! ¡°James, how the fuck am I supposed to dodge while I¡¯m blind folded.¡± Kyros had cracked. He was use to James¡¯s inhumane training methods but this just seemed ridiculous. -3hp This time the strike collected him on his left shin. A strike to the shin doesn¡¯t cause much damage to Kyros but it hurt a shitload. ¡°Stop talking. Start listening. Listen to the wind, the way it bends to my sword. My current strike speed isn¡¯t even half of what these guards are capable of.¡± James¡¯s voice drifted into Kyros¡¯s ears from what seemed to be behind him. Fuck this¡­ No I have to at least try. Kyros steadied his breathing and he stood as still as he could. He focused on his hearing, any sounds that would alert him to an incoming strike. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wait, what¡¯s that? Kyros heard a twitch in the wind to his left. He focused on that sound. He heard another twitch and tried to jump backwards, however a sword collected him his left hip before he could even take a step. -5hp However,
New Skill Acquired - Windsense
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Windsense Disciple 1 1%
The talent of hearing the abnormalities in the wind.
Kyros wouldn¡¯t notice this until he took his blindfold of course. Halfway through the practise James had noticed something. Did he just get faster at catching on? no way, that¡¯s a bit too quick to catch on isn¡¯t it?James thought to himself however he increased the speed of his swings anyway.
¡°Hahahah well that was fun, you can take the blindfold off now.¡± James laughed. Kyros took his blindfold off angrily, he felt as if he hadn¡¯t achieved anything this session.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Windsense Disciple 1 37.5%
The talent of hearing the abnormalities in the wind.
Wait, what? So this means I did actually learn the skill. However, what is with this rate of improvement¡­ it¡¯s so slow¡­ However what Kyros didn¡¯t know was that although this skill was widespread not many would practise it due to the difficulty of improving the skill. However due to Kyros¡¯s cheat like skill he had an advantage over others when it came to improving his skills. Chapter 15 - Early Finish Kyros was now sitting in his masters chamber, being healed. ¡°So Kyros, are you number one this week?¡± His master asked. ¡°Ah... No master, I dropped back to second because of the training.¡± Kyros said with guilt. He knew his master was still hoping for Kyros to earn his freedom and then receive proper tutelage. However, Kyros was already planning on escaping with James. This was weighing heavily on Kyros¡¯s mind, because he felt he owed his master. ¡°Oh... I see.¡± His master had a hint of disappointment in his tone. ¡°When do you think your training will finish?¡± ¡°We decided on a month, so three more weeks from now.¡± Kyros stated. ¡°Well than, it¡¯s not that bad. If you¡¯re ranked second while mining a couple hours less than the others then you¡¯re sure to keep the number one spot when you get back. Haha have patience my boy, think of it as practise for training, a main part of being a magician is patience.¡± His master tried to lift his spirits, however, he mistook Kyros¡¯s guilt for impatience. ¡°Yeah.. aha..¡± Maybe I should let master in on the plan¡­ However, it¡¯s not just me but James who would receive the backlash if anything were to happen. Kyros had been struggling with these thoughts for the past week already, and will probably continue for the next three weeks until he either figures something out or just leaves. If Kyros was escaping by himself he¡¯d let his master in on his plan, but Kyros had to think about James¡¯s position in this. Putting the thoughts to the back of his head, Kyros decided to change the subject. ¡°Master, have you ever travelled outside of Callux?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to, of course I have.¡± His master said smugly. ¡°Do you think you could tell me about it?¡± Kyros asked. Kyros would¡¯ve preferred to ask about the Callux kingdom, since that was where he was stuck. However, it would sound pretty ridiculous to ask about your own kingdom. ¡°I suppose I could. What would you like to hear about? The Holy Athearan Empire or The Great Republic of Mercenaries.¡± Kyros struggled with a decision as both sounded pretty amazing. ¡°The Holy Athearan Empire.¡± Kyros decided. ¡°Ahh good choice, much more graceful people than those barbaric mercenaries¡­¡± His master seemed to hold a grudge of sorts. ¡°Well, The Holy Empire is much more a religion than an empire. A religion that gained so much power that it can rival that of many kingdoms and empires.¡± Kind of like christianity on Earth I suppose, they had their own state. ¡°Well how to describe it¡­ It¡¯s a very beautiful empire. A lot of artists from around the world go there to practise their abilities, and in doing so the streets are filled with art. The empire is run by the Church of Piety, meaning instead of an emperor they have a Pope. The empire is split into seven provinces, each ruled by an arch bishop except the province that holds the capital city; Exdarr which the Pope runs. What else¡­ That¡¯s right, just because it¡¯s a religious empire, don¡¯t underestimate their military. A prerequisite to be a priest is to be proficient with light magic, and they also have the order of the Templar¡¯s and above them are Paladin¡¯s.¡± His master went into lecturing mode. ¡°Wow¡­ How many Popes have there been?¡± Kyros asked out of general curiosity and it would also give him an estimate of how old the empire was. ¡°One.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. ¡°Just one.¡± His master repeated. ¡°Then how old is the religion?¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t believe that an empire could be formed in one persons lifetime. ¡°No one knows how old the religion is, but the empire is a couple of thousand years old.¡± ¡°Then how could the pope still be alive?¡± ¡°Kyros, what is the World¡¯s Presence?¡± His master suddenly asked of him. ¡°Ah... It¡¯s everything.¡± Kyros answered. ¡°Exactly! the World¡¯s Presence is the very essence of the World. Through absorbing it, we are actually extending our life.¡± His master lectured. ¡°Wait, then how old are you master?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Well I¡¯m 148, however I still have quite a few more years in me haha.¡± His master returned to his smug self. ¡°148¡­¡± Kyros was astonished not only because of his masters age clearly defying human life expectancies, but it also said something about the Pope¡¯s power. ¡°Ahahaha you¡¯re finally realising how impressive your master is, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way of putting it.¡± Kyros replied. After a couple of more minutes of talking with his master, Kyros left for dinner otherwise he¡¯d miss it.
Back in his room, Kyros was lying on the floor. He had just collapsed practising Shadow Step. Muscles he didn¡¯t even know he had were aching. He had been ecstatic when he finally saw the status screens he was waiting for though.
New Skill Acquired - Shadow Step
Skill Name:Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Shadow Step Disciple 1 2%
By moving your legs in the unique way of Shadow Step, it is possible to greatly reduce sound and to improve speed.
But he collapsed shortly after seeing this status screen, because his legs truly couldn¡¯t hold up any longer. After a couple of minutes of lying down he finally found the energy to roll over and get into a seating position to start meditating, for which he would do for two hours until he went to sleep.
Another week had passed by, apart from his training and levelling up a few skills and stats; nothing of importance happened. James was still the cheerful guy who didn¡¯t suit the spy persona and his master was still being smug yet caring. Kyros had come to the conclusion that even though he was currently a slave, he was happier than he ever was when he was alone playing his games in his previous life. He himself had yet to notice, but slowly he was changing. Sometimes he would have a joke with James or other times he would let an expression show on his indifferent face. It was about 1:30pm and Kyros was in a different part of the mine, digging out a tunnel for his plan. It was tedious work, just digging. However, he had experience with tedious work, his old self use to spend hours farming on monsters to raise his level. Actually he had grown to appreciate the mining part of his day; it was the only time he had a break from all the training. Kyros swung his pick as he routinely did, however, his pick broke through the wall of rock and interrupted his rhythm of mining. Pulling out his pick, he could see a hole with light permeating through, illuminating the dark tunnel he was currently in. Kyros peered into the hole and saw a large tunnel with glowstones along it, however the tunnel seemed different from the ones he was use to. It didn¡¯t have the organised look to it, it seemed as if it were a naturally formed tunnel. Well I guess this is the tunnel James was talking about, which means the plan is ready. So now we¡¯re only waiting on whatever James has to do. Suddenly the sound of a rock skidding along the floor broke Kyros out of his reverie. ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡± Kyros shouted. ¡°..¡± ¡°..¡± There was no answer so Kyros backtracked up the tunnel, trying to find the culprit of the sound. Unfortunately, Kyros didn¡¯t have glowstones on him as he dug out the tunnel so it was pitch black and he couldn¡¯t see anything. He tried really hard to see through the darkness for any signs of life as he ran.
+4% Perception
¡°SO YOU FINALLY NOTICED.¡± That voice which Kyros associated with danger rang out in his head. Kyros felt like his head was about to split open. ¡°PLANNING TO ESCAPE, ARE YOU SURE YOUR PLAN WILL WO.. ¡± Kyros shut off his perception just as quickly as he activated it, he didn¡¯t want anything to do with whatever monster that voice belonged to. However he could still feel the aura of it, that feeling that made him struggle to breathe. How? I¡¯m not even near the hole, surely it can¡¯t sense everything in this mine¡­ can it? After a couple of minutes, the aura no longer felt threatening but he could still feel it. It was as if there were giant eyes watching him everywhere he went. He ran to the spot where he meets up with James.
¡°James!¡± Kyros called out. ¡°Hahaha well aren¡¯t you early, starting to look forward to my training?¡± James responded cheerfully. ¡°Hey, do you ever feel as if you¡¯re being watched?¡± Kyros asked with a pant in-between, ignoring James''s question. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, do you think someone has caught onto our plan?¡± James asked seriously. ¡°Ah no, it¡¯s just that, I get the feeling that whatever is down that hole is watching everything we do.¡± Kyros said. Kyros felt close to James so he had nothing to hide. ¡°Hahaha so even a smart person like yourself can fall for that fairy tale. Don¡¯t worry lad, The Mavis family purposefully had that story spread to the slaves and guards to instil fear.¡± James responded. ¡°Seriously James, there¡¯s something down that hole. I swear.¡± Kyros said seriously. ¡°Okay, maybe there is something down there. It could be a prisoner of the Mavis family or something similar, either way it doesn¡¯t affect our plan. Don¡¯t worry about the hole, and focus on the plan.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right...¡± Kyros still had a bad feeling about it, however he felt glad James believed him. ¡°Oh that¡¯s right James, I broke through into the tunnel. It¡¯s ready to go whenever.¡± Kyros had suddenly remembered about it. ¡°Hahahaha I had my doubts you could get it done, but you even finished it 2 weeks early. If that¡¯s the case, we can start using more time for training.¡± James laughed. Maybe I should¡¯ve kept quiet about it, and just used the extra time to relax¡­Kyros had instant regrets. Chapter 16 - Oh No Kyros was currently standing in a tunnel, blindfolded. Left. Kyros stepped to his right, dodging an incoming strike to his left by mere centimetres. Silence. ¡°..¡± Behind. He rolled forward and quickly gathered his feet, not knowing when the next strike could come. Left. Front. Above. Left. Right. Below. Above. Kyros skilfully dodged a series of strikes. ¡°Hahahaha not bad, not bad indeed. You¡¯re a fast learner kid.¡± James said jovially, returned from his instructor mode. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all because I had a great teacher.¡± Kyros said with a smile as he pulled off his blindfold, revealing James standing in front of him with a sheathe in hand. ¡°I like the compliments, you should do it more often haha.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do haha.¡± Kyros said with a laugh, before his expression went serious. ¡°So tomorrow is it huh? Goodbye tobeing a slave for good.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. You know what that means, it¡¯s now time to initiate the plan. I¡¯ll come grab you when it¡¯s time.¡± James said seriously. ¡°Yes, I know what I have to do. But James¡­¡± Kyros dragged off at the end. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± James prodded Kyros. ¡°Well, actually it¡¯s about master¡­ I feel bad about just leaving without saying anything.¡± Kyros expressed his worries. ¡°I see what you¡¯re saying, the healer is a good man. However, we can¡¯t risk it. He is loyal to the Mavis family due to them sponsoring his studies.I¡¯m sorry lad.¡± I already knew this¡­ I guess I¡¯ll go with plan B. ¡°I understand James. Just wanted to check.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, if you¡¯re destined to meet again, you will. Now I have to go finish my last night doing this shitty guard work, I won¡¯t be missing it when we leave hahahaha¡± James started to run off to work. Finally, no more training.Kyros had a peaceful look on his face.Now let¡¯s see what I gained over the past month.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 28
Race: High Elf Mana: 480/480
Health: 542/590 Stamina 523/580
Titles: Gold Class Slave
Stats
Strength: 72 Intelligence: 21
Agility: 63 Wisdom: 48
Vitality: 59 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 58 Luck: 10
Perseverance: 14
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Windsense Disciple 5 31.25%
The talent of hearing the abnormalities in the wind.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Shadow Step Disciple 6 64.32%
By moving your legs in the unique way of Shadow Step, it is possible to greatly reduce sound and to improve speed.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Fireball Class 1 1 2%
Shoots a ball of fire. Standard temperature is 450 celsius. -50 mana per cast. At the cost of more mana, flame size and temperature can be increased.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Mining Master 1 2.32%
Determines how fast you can mine. Higher levels will allow user to mine moreprecious ores and gemstones. Can now mine precious ores. Can now mine mythical ores.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Perception Intermediate 1 32%
Determines how well you can perceive. Higher levels will allow you to see things others cannot.
Kyros looked over all of his status windows, rather pleased with everything he had gained since first becoming a slave. However, there was something bugging him. Looking at his stats alone, Kyros figured his true level was closer to 52, however it was clearly only 28. This wasn¡¯t the part that bothered him though, since it wasn¡¯t uncommon to get additional stats in some games he used to play. What was weird was the fact that the additional stats didn¡¯t stop incurring, usually there was a cap on the amount you could gain outside levelling. This issue led to many questions, such as: Is there no cap? or is it that he just hasn¡¯t reached the cap? If he could gain additional stats without affecting his level, does that mean others could as well? Aside from that, he had reached master rank in mining. It said he could now mine mythical ores, which he figured was Adamantium. He didn¡¯t care much for that though, because tomorrow his mining days were over. Well, better go see master for the last time¡­ First I got to run back to my chamber and grab that.
Kyros had already been back to his chamber and got what he went back for. He was now standing in front of his masters door as he routinely did, and waited for his master to let him in. The door swung open. ¡°Ah Kyros, you¡¯re later then usual.¡± His master said standing in the doorway. ¡°Yeah, I had to quickly run back to my chamber.¡± Kyros replied. ¡°Well that explains it. Now come inside and let¡¯s get you healed up.¡± His master was already walking inside. Kyros followed suite and sat down where he usually did, cross legged on the floor. His master stretched out his hands and started his healing spell. Kyros hadn¡¯t been hurt like he did at the beginning of his training, so the healing was no longer as strenuous as it used to be for his master. The spell was finished without so much as a drop of sweat on his master. ¡°Alright, so today should have been youe last day with the training right?¡± His master asked. ¡°¡­ Yeah, today is my last day.¡± Kyros answered with a statement that had two meanings. ¡°Hahaha fantastic! Then you can get your freedom and we can finally get to teaching you the fun stuff.¡± His master was in a really good mood. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kyros replied. ¡°Come on, aren¡¯t you excited?¡± His master asked. ¡°Of course I am master, it¡¯s just... surreal I guess¡± Kyros was troubled. ¡°I know how to lift your spirits. How about we test how much World¡¯s Presence you have stored up?¡± His master offered. ¡°Yes!¡± Kyros blurted out almost immediately. Although he had his stats to tell him how much he had, he still got excited at the prospect of how his World¡¯s Presence compares to this worlds standards. ¡°Hahaha I knew that would do it. Let me go get the Mage¡¯s Orb.¡± His master walked off to go get the orb. Alright now! Kyros quickly got up and ran to his masters desk, where he pulled out the Fireball scroll from his overalls. He grabbed the quill from the desk and dabbed it in the ink, before he started to write on the back of the scroll. Kyros for whatever reason could read the language of the world which means that he knew the characters of this worlds language, however he had never practised it. So what he wrote probably looked like it came from a 10 year old. Kyros could hear his masters footsteps starting to approach the corner. He quickly finished scribbling the last sentence and placed the scroll among the others on the desk. ¡°Ah Kyros, what¡¯re you doing at my desk?¡± His master asked. ¡°I was just curious as to what you were studying master.¡± Kyros lied. ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t want to bore you with that.... However, I did read something interesting the other day.¡± ¡°What was that master?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Well it was very vague, however it had to do with your people Kyros. Well not actually elves, something higher. It didn¡¯t give them a name and only referred to them as highborns.¡± His master stated. ¡°What!? Please master, explain what it said.¡± Kyros asked frantically, since he had been referred to as a highborn by the thing in the hole. ¡°I can understand why you¡¯re interested. Unfortunately,it was very vague. The scroll itself dates back many years and a lot of the information has faded out, however one passage could be read. It read ¡¯The leaders of elves, the highborn, aren¡¯t born from any living being on this planet; but from nature itself.¡±. However, don¡¯t take too much of that to heart Kyros, I¡¯ve never heard of anything like a highborn before and I¡¯ve studied much of the elves.¡± His master said. Wait! That explains why I just randomly appeared in the middle of the woods¡­ but how can I be born from nature. That doesn¡¯t even make sense¡­ I¡¯ll have to visit the elves at some point. ¡°Anyway, enough of that Kyros. Let¡¯s get to the testing.¡± His master said, breaking Kyros out of his reverie, while he held out the Mage¡¯s orb. Kyros observed how the colour of the orb was the same as it was when he last saw it held by his master, maybe the mist was a bit larger but it was near impossible to tell. Kyros held out his hand to take hold of the orb, and his master dropped it. Suddenly the mist that was in the orb retracted into a nearly minimal amount and changed into a smokey grey, however not as dark as it was the last time. ¡°Hahaha!¡± His master suddenly laughed out loudly. ¡°I thought so. You¡¯ve already reached the necessary World¡¯s Presence storage to be ranked a class 2 mage. Now if you only studied some spells and improved your knowledge you could pass the test easily.¡± His master was overjoyed at his disciples talent. ¡°Test?¡± ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t just claim to be a rank 2 mage just because you have the necessary World¡¯s Presence. You have to take a test at the Mage¡¯s Guild, which are usually in most populous cities.¡± His master claimed. ¡°Mage¡¯s Guild?¡± Kyros asked with bright eyes. ¡°Haha I thought you might be interested in the Mage¡¯s Guild, kind of surprised you¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± His master said. ¡°Well, I only lived in the woods until I got enslaved, so I¡¯m new to a lot of this.¡± Kyros explained. ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Well the Mage¡¯s Guild has enough power to rival that of most kingdoms or empires on this planet, however it doesn¡¯t belong in one land or province. It has influence in most kingdoms and empires, however it will never side with any power. The guild is open to anyone who is the pursuit of knowledge and not the material benefits of the world. Even I¡¯m a member, although I hold some power here in Callux, I¡¯m powerless in the grand scale of the guild.¡± His master explained. ¡°¡­¡± Kyros thought on it. ¡°Then who¡¯s the leader?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a leader, but a council. Although there is the head of the council, he represents the Mage¡¯s Guild; He''scalled the Sageking.¡± His master spoke with reverence. ¡°Sageking¡­ is he that strong?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Strong yes, unbelievably so. However, he''sknown for something else.¡± His master said. ¡°What than?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°You still remember how I told you that there is a rank above class 10? Where you get your own title.¡± His master looked for confirmation. ¡°Yes master, I still remember.¡± ¡°Good, well how do you think we differentiate between class 10 and having a title?¡± His master asked. ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Let me tell you the dream of most mages. If you can ever absorb enough World¡¯s Presence, then the World itself will gift you with a power. A different sort of magic, separate from elemental magic. It is what makes them so terrifyingly strong. Kyros, his power is believed to be illusions.¡± His master suddenly said something unbelievable. ¡°No... way¡­¡± Kyros said in disbelief. ¡°I only say believed to be¡­ Though they say he can make you see things so real that your own mind believes it. If you get killed by his illusions, you¡¯ll die in real life. It¡¯s something that no normal mage can combat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ unbelievable. Wait, then the Pope you told me about the other week, he should have his own class of magic right?¡± Kyros wanted to confirm. ¡°Yes, he does. Although his type of magic is openly known. His magic is an even higher form of light magic, it is Holy magic.¡± ¡°Holy magic¡­ what¡¯s the difference?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°I truly do not know, most likely only himself and a few others do.¡± His master said. ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyros felt the desire to improve his magic, he wanted to know what his magic would be. After a few more minutes of idle chat like he usually does with his master, it was time to go. ¡°Alright, you better get going so you don''t miss dinner.¡± His master said. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going.¡± Kyros got up and went to the door. ¡°Also master.¡± ¡°Hmm what is it?¡± His master asked. ¡°I just wanted to say thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± His master replied. ¡°No seriously, thank you master. I understand you¡¯re putting yourself at risk by doing all this, I appreciate it.¡± Kyros said with gratitude. ¡°Haha well it would be a shame to let someone of your talent waste away as a slave. Now get going.¡± ¡°Goodbye, master.¡± Kyros said before leaving the room. Well, it¡¯s time to start the plan. I better get going.Kyros thought before heading off to the tunnel he had completed two weeks ago.
Kyros was now standing at the end of the dark tunnel, facing the cave wall that had the hole in it which he hadcaused. He looked down at his steel pickaxe which felt as comfortable to him as a sword feels in a knights hand. I guess after this it¡¯ll be goodbye between the two of us as well, thanks for everything until now.Kyros may hate the life of slaving but he grew to feel comfort in mining, in doing so hegrew to appreciate his pickaxe. Well, here we go. With one large swing with all his strength, Kyros struck the wall in front of him with his pickaxe. The wall crumbled leaving an opening wide enough for seven men to fit through side by side. Once the dust cleared, Kyros stepped through into the much larger tunnel. Okay, time to go. Kyros started to walk down the large tunnel, looking to attract the reason he came into the tunnel. The further he walked down the tunnel, the more spaced out the glowstones were. He had also walked past a lot of connecting tunnels, however he stayed on path. He had been walking for a while now, no doubt missing dinner. The glowstones were so spaced out in this section of the tunnel, giving it an eerie feeling. The sound of footsteps. Kyros stopped walking and stared down into the dark tunnel. The footsteps were louder, yet also sounded of the footsteps of a child. Kyros peered even harder into the darkness, where he saw a small silhouette that was about the height of a 13 year old. After a couple of intense seconds, the silhouette stepped into the light, revealing itself. It was a hideous creature. It had a greenish-grey skin tone with a hunched figure. It wore only scraps of cloth to hide its genitalia, otherwise the rest of its dirty body was bare. The most hideous part of the creature was its terribly disfigured face, enough to strike fear in Kyros. It also held a sword by its side, well a sword for a goblin but more like a dagger.
Title Cave Goblin
Name ???
Description A lone cave goblin.
Level 34
Health 540/540
The goblin started to make a screeching sort of sound when it noticed Kyros. Dammit, just the one¡­ I need more. The goblin started to run at Kyros with its sword overhead, showing no caution as all. Kyros¡¯s hairs stood on end, this was going to be his first fight since coming to this world and he was against an armed enemy. Okay, time to prove the practise wasn¡¯t for nothing. The goblin was now only a couple of metres away, yet it jumped suddenly, launching itself at Kyros. Shit! -38hp Kyros jumped to the side, yet still received a slash on his upper left arm. He quickly turned to face the goblin, ignoring the bloodflowing down his arm and dripping off his finger tips. The goblin had already turned around and sent a slash at Kyros¡¯s stomach. However, the goblin was way more crude with the sword than James was, allowing Kyros to easily sense the changes in the wind. So Kyros had easily dodged the slash, however the goblin didn¡¯t give up and just kept the strikes coming. Kyros was stuck in a stalemate with the goblin, as he could easily dodge the goblin yet couldn¡¯t harm it. Fuck, I really didn¡¯t want to use this.Kyros resolved himself. The goblin sent a strike towards Kyros¡¯s shoulder, however Kyros easily jumped to the side a couple of metres and prepared his spell. The goblin had immediately started chasing him, however Kyros kept dodging and waiting for his spell to be ready. It was ready. Kyros jumped back and held up his hand. The goblin chased after, ignoring what Kyros was doing with his hand. The goblin was so close to Kyros now, that it jumped at him, much like its first attack. Kyros unleashed his spell - Fireball. A ball of fire, scorching hot was immediately sent flying out of Kyros¡¯s hand and into the incoming goblin. The goblin was set on fire, filling Kyros¡¯s view with status screens. -48hp -48hp -48hp -48hp The goblin was screeching in a wailful cry, until it¡¯s voice was no longer heard and it crumbled to the ground.
+1700 EXP
It was dead. However, at the same time all of this happened, the fireball Kyros had fired was still travelling down the tunnel at an angle. The fireball travelled for a long time until it collided into the cave wall, causing massive vibrations throughout the tunnel. Once the vibrations came to a stop, it went deathly silent. Kyros had a bad feeling in his gut. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly the familiar sounding screech of the cave goblin rang out, but this time it was coming from many sources and in many different directions. Oh no. I think the plan is starting early. Chapter 17 - Goodbye Kyros frantically turned around and started sprinting in the direction he came from. The sound of his footsteps and ragged breathing couldn¡¯t be heard over the high pitched screeching coming from behind him. Kyros started to prepare a fireball spell, because he suspected cave goblins may be in some of the caves up ahead of him. The screeching was getting louder and closer. Kyros had been sprinting for a few minutes now and was dripping with sweat, yet the adrenaline and knowledge of what awaits him if he were to stop was keeping him going. He looked over his shoulder for the first time since sprinting, however the lighting in the cave was poor and he could only see a few dozen metres into the distance. He knew though, that currently there were a number of ferocious cave goblins chasing after the cause of the disturbance they just felt. Suddenly a deep growl reverberated throughout the entirety of the cave tunnels, silencing the screeching of the cave goblins. Kyros had instinctively stopped running when he heard the growl, it filled the air of danger. The worst part though, was the source of the sound came from the direction he was running in. Kyros had a rough idea of where he was and figured it was about halfway to his tunnel, so the source of the sound must be in one of the split off tunnels along the way. The screeching of the cave goblins returned, breaking Kyros out of his reverie. The screeching from behind him was louder, due to him stopping from the growl. Thinking logically, Kyros had no choice but to continue going forward, so he started to sprint. A few more minutes of running and Kyros figured he was fairly close to his tunnel and exit. Luckily he hadn¡¯t seen met the source of the growl nor had he heard it again, he hoped that he already passed whatever tunnel it was in. Kyros hadn¡¯t noticed the heavy booming sound that gradually grew louder, he was too focused on escaping this mess. The sound of the booms were now loud enough for Kyros to register it over the screeching, and he started to feel vibrations in the cave. He had a bad feeling about it the vibrations, because whatever was causing it was bound to be big. The further he ran, the louder the booms and the stronger the vibrations that accompanied the booming sound. The booming eventually built up until it was nearly deafening and the vibrations were strong enough to see the tremor in the cave walls. He also heard a low deep growl accompanying the booms and tremors. Kyros knew that whatever it was, it¡¯s close. He believed he knew which cave it was in, he could see it in the distance. It was obviously close to the exit of the tunnel, which would then block Kyros¡¯s path. He knew it was going to be a close call, who would get there first? Kyros put his head down and mustered everything from his agility stat and Shadow Step skill. What made things worse was that he could see the silhouettes of numerous cave goblins in the darkness behind him. He could not afford to be delayed by whatever it was in the tunnel. Kyros was nearing the tunnel, however the tremors were so strong now that he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the cave collapsed. He was only a few metres away now. Suddenly a giant arm made of rock started to exit the cave, threatening to catch Kyros. Some of the creatures head was now outside the tunnel mouth but Kyros didn¡¯t have the time to register it, as he used all the strength in his legs to leap. He closed his eyes, as this was all he could do now. Either he makes it past or gets squashed by the giant arm of rock. Kyros felt the wind rustle his hair as it whistled by his ear. He felt as if time had stopped or that this was one really big jump. Suddenly he felt a heavy blow on his side, and then felt himself crash into the hard surface of the wall. Kyros instinctively gasped for a deep breath after being winded when he collided with the wall of the cave. He felt a sharp, jarring pain in his left arm that was on the receiving end of the blow. Kyros opened his eyes. -134hp
Status Effect: Due to a fracture in the left arm, you won¡¯t be able to use your left arm for anything strenuous.
Kyros ignored the status tabs that lingered in his eye sight though, because he felt nauseous and dizzy. Kyros tried to get up however crumbled when he subconsciously used his left arm to help himself up. -18hp With a grunt due to the pain, Kyros picked himself up, avoiding using his left arm this time. He heard a deep growl. Turning around Kyros nearly jumped back in surprise. Standing there was a 8-9 foot tall humanoid creature, what shocked him wasn¡¯t its size but the fact that it was made of pure rock. Also its eyes¡­ were just empty pits of black.
Title Rock Golem
Name ???
Description A giant rock creature, lives under the earth and in caves.
Level 51
Health 2000/2000
Kyros was astonished. He could handle cave goblins and elves, however this golem was made of rock. How did it function? Maybe the inside of it was flesh and had blood flowing through its veins, then Kyros could understand it. He was a logical thinker, and this didn¡¯t adhere to any logic he knew. The golem let out a deep growl and started to move towards where Kyros now lay. In response, Kyros held up his hand and unleashed his strongest and only attack, fireball. Heat filled the cave almost instantly once the fireball fired through the cave and collided into the golem. -62hp The golem only hesitated for a second after it had been struck, before it returned to its slow movement towards Kyros.
Title Rock Golem
Name ???
Description A giant rock creature, lives under the earth and in caves. Sturdy defence and a strong vitality, also strong against fire.
Level 51
Health 1938/2000
Kyros noticed how the description changed as his knowledge of the creature expanded, which he took note of. However, he didn¡¯t have time to think on it because right now he was in real danger, seeing as though he didn¡¯t have enough mana to combat the golem. Kyros looked into the distance and saw behind the golem that the cave goblins were getting closer, he could now see their filthy, small bodies. Then it dawned on him, the cave goblins were behind the golem. Which meant he was in front of it, he wasn¡¯t trapped. Not wasting any time, Kyros started to sprint off, while the golem had no hope of keeping up. After he felt he had acquired a safe distance, he turned to look over his shoulders. He saw the cave goblins about to reach the golem. However, it seemed they ran around it and none wanting to be within its reach. Suddenly a goblin had veered too close to the giant golem, and it was splattered almost instantly. A giant fist of rock slammed down on it, sending blood and guts everywhere. A few of the cave goblins had started to eat the guts that were splattered in the distance, they were cannibalistic. Kyros resisted the urge to puke while he turned forward again and focused on getting out.
Kyros had just turned into his cave where he picked up his pickaxe and tried to collapse the entrance. However, the goblins were getting closer and the cave wasn¡¯t collapsing. He looked into the distance and knew that he had maybe a 2 minute advantage on them. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Screw it! Kyros threw down his pickaxe and started to run, no longer following the plan, as the situation didn¡¯t allow for it. The plan was supposed to be to collapse the tunnel and then the enraged mob of cave goblins would collide into the makeshift fort the guards had made up ahead in the tunnel. That way the guards would have to call for reinforcements, thus lowering the security and making an easy getaway. However, now the goblins could bypass the fort and enter directly into the undefended part of the mine.
Kyros was now running to his room, as that was the planned meeting area for James to pick him up. Right now the screeching was as loud as ever and the goblins were maybe only a hundred metres behind him. Kyros just turned a corner where he ran into a guard. After picking himself up almost immediately, Kyros started to run again. He didn¡¯t have time for this. ¡°Oi slave! How dare you just run away! Also what¡¯re you doing in this part of the mine? And what is that screeching sound?¡± The guard yelled after Kyros. Kyros stopped, realising the fate of the guard if he were to just idly stand there. ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t have time! Goblins! Quick run!¡± Kyros shouted out before running, leaving the guard to his own fate. ¡°What do you mean goblins! There is no way for them to be ¡­ My god¡­¡± The guards voice faded as Kyros wasn¡¯t slowing down to listen to him. Kyros turned to see if the guard was chasing after, however he turned just at the moment a tiny sword pierced his neck from a goblin that launched itself at him. He also noticed the three dead goblins that laid lifeless by his feet. The guard had chosen to stay his ground, probably wanting to delay them and expecting Kyros to warn the others. Kyros felt as if his heart had just been stabbed. He might be able to be cruel to those he wanted to harm, however, this guard was innocent as far as Kyros was aware. He knew he was responsible for this mans death, and most likely many more to come. He knew it had to happen, however, it didn¡¯t make him feel any better.
Kyros had just ran into the mess, the slaves were frantically running around and the guards were drawing their swords. A couple of minutes ago, Kyros had ran past a group of 5 guards that started to shout warnings, alerting everyone. The group of 5 chose to confront the goblins, however, they were most likely dead now. Kyros¡¯s conscious just grew heavier. He didn¡¯t stop running when he got behind the safety of the guards, and instead kept running until he reached his chamber. He now laid in exhaustion on his bed, rolling over the image of the man being stabbed through the throat in his mind. It¡¯s my fault. That man most likely had a family, kids even. Now because of one selfish action, those kids will grow up fatherless¡­ No. I can mourn after, I have to focus now. And so Kyros just laid in his bed, listening to the distant shouts of a battle.
After the better part of a hour, his door flung open. Kyros jumped up from his bed, frightened by the sudden sound. James stood in his doorway, sword in hand and green blood stains on his leather armour. However, James had an expression of relief on face. ¡°Thank god. I was afraid something had happened to you when I heard about the commotion.¡± James said with relief. ¡°Yeah, sorry James. It got¡­ complicated.¡± Kyros said dejectedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it lad. You can¡¯t expect everything to go your way, be happy you¡¯re alive.¡± James said. ¡°Yeah, I know. But James, because of my mess up, innocent people are dying right now.¡± Kyros replied with guilt thick in his voice. James stared at Kyros before he smiled reassuringly at Kyros. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Kyros, it¡¯s good that you hold yourself accountable for your own actions. I would be worried if you didn¡¯t feel anything because of this. However, you did what you had to. Remember Kyros, your sole priority is your own wellbeing. Now are you alright to do this?¡± James said gently. Kyros just listened quietly and let the words sink in. ¡°You¡¯re right. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m focused.¡± Kyros replied. Although he felt tense about escaping, what if he were to be caught? ¡°¡­¡± James just kept staring at Kyros, slowly he cracked a smile. ¡°What?¡± Kyros was curious and annoyed at the same time. ¡°You¡¯re quite the flashy guy. The plan was only to give the guards some trouble but you decided to start a war instead hahahaha¡± James said with a laugh. ¡°Jeez, you know it wasn¡¯t on purpose.¡± Kyros said. James walked over and gave him a slap on the back. ¡°Do I?¡± James said with a stupid grin on his face. This guy! I swear even in the most serious of situations, he still finds the time to crack a joke. How can he be a spy? ¡°Hahaha alright, let¡¯s ditch this dump for good.¡± James walked out, indicating for Kyros to follow. This is it. Finally. Goodbye to being a slave. Huh? I don¡¯t feel tense anymore after James told his stupid joke. I wonder, did he do it on purpose? Surely not, no way he¡¯s that competent. Kyros followed James, without turning back to look once to his room. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Well I had a plan. It was a good one to, but your decision to create chaos has thrown it out of the window hahaha¡± James said. ¡°Wait. So you don¡¯t have a plan?¡± Kyros asked seriously. ¡°Nope. Don¡¯t need one. I daresay nearly every guard in the mine is either fighting the goblins or guarding the slaves. We can practically walk out hahaha¡± James said jovially.
Kyros was walking behind James for a while now, however James had suddenly raised his arm to block Kyros, indicating him to stop. Kyros followed the order and looked to James to see what the issue was. ¡°There is a guard just up ahead.¡± James whispered. ¡°Alright, is there a way around?¡± Kyros asked in a whisper as well. ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry, if I couldn¡¯t handle this, then I wouldn¡¯t be a very good spy hah.¡± James whispered and tried to hold back his laugh. ¡°You¡¯re going to take him out?¡± Kyros whispered. However, James didn¡¯t respond but walked around the corner and insight of the guard. ¡°Hey brother, how¡¯s the situation with the goblins?¡± The guard asked once he saw James walking to him. ¡°It¡¯s pretty messed up at the moment. I actually have a report for the captain.¡± James said seriously. ¡°Shame. Real Shame. Those fuckers just came out of nowhere. If only I could fight as well rather than guard this shitty spot.¡± The guard said with anger flaring on his dirty face. ¡°I know. I wanted to stay down there too but the boss is making me take the fucking report. Otherwise I¡¯d be down there slaughtering those bastards.¡± James said out of character to his usual jovial self. ¡°We share the same pain brother. Alright, you¡¯re good to go.¡± The guard said. However, by now James was right by the guard. Suddenly James hand flashed and then the guard collapsed, unconscious. What! I could barely see his hand move! That¡¯s way to fast. I wouldn¡¯t even last 10 seconds against him with that speed. ¡°Alright, come on out!¡± James called out to Kyros, acting as if he hadn¡¯t done anything amazing. Kyros walked out and started to follow James. ¡°Hahaha only a short distance until we¡¯re gone now.¡± James said. ¡°James¡­ that strike just now was¡­ way to fast.¡± Kyros said still amazed. ¡°Ah that¡¯s nothing. Wait until you see what some of the old timers in the family can do, I wouldn¡¯t last a round with some of those freaks haha.¡± James said with his usual laugh. ¡°Old timer? Surely you wouldn¡¯t lose to someone old.¡± Kyros stated. ¡°No, I would. Don¡¯t judge by age or appearance. They have been training for many years more than you or me, and their skill is at a terrifying level. Also even just their strength and speed would beat me.¡± James revealed. ¡°No¡­ way.¡± Kyros said in astonishment. The exit of the mine was now in sight, Kyros could see the daylight permeating into the cave. There were no guards in sight though so Kyros and James just took it easy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it though. You have some serious talent, when we get home I¡¯ll train you up properly and with the food my wife cooks¡­ well you¡¯ll overtake me in no time hahaha.¡± James said with a laugh. Kyros shuddered at the thought of more training. Suddenly a silhouette of a body appeared in the cave exit, casting a shadow into the cave. ¡°Get behind me.¡± James said seriously, no longer jovial. Kyros didn¡¯t hesitate to follow the order. ¡°Hmm well this was certainly unexpected.¡± A familiar voice rang out. Where have I heard this voice before. The silhouette walked into the cave, no longer having the sunlight blinding him, Kyros could now study the silhouette. The man wore a fitted black suit and moved with grace yet purpose as well. He had combed white hair and a thick white moustache on his upper lip. He looked identical to a butler.
Title Mavis Family Servant
Name ???
Description Personal servant to a Mavis family member.
Level 68
Health 2120/2120
No. James facial expression went grave. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± James asked. ¡°Hmm I really hate this place, she¡¯s always watching everything you do in here.¡± The old servant said while arrogantly ignoring James¡¯s question. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be with your master.¡± James still wore his grave expression. ¡°I was. However, we received a report about a slave mining a separate tunnel from another slave. He was an interesting slave actually. Way to smart for mining, even if he is a gold class miner, so I took him as my personal slave. What was his name¡­ ah Charles. Not bad for a slave.¡± The old servant said with arrogance. Charles! But when?Kyros scanned his memories for anytime Charles could have followed him.That¡¯s right! Back when I first discovered that the monster in the hole was watching me. I had actually heard him kick a rock but forgot about it because of the monster. Fuck. This is my fault. ¡°James, I¡¯m..¡± Kyros tried to apologise but was cut off by James. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it lad, I like a challenge haha¡± James said with his stupid laugh but Kyros could see that James was putting on a facade. ¡°Hmm I warned master that you were trouble¡­ Guess he¡¯ll want to deal with you.¡± The old servant spoke to Kyros, however turned to James afterwards. ¡°You won¡¯t be necessary to make an appearance.¡± The old servant started to approach James. James however turned to give Kyros an uplifting smile before dashing at the old servant, so fast that Kyros couldn¡¯t follow with his eyes. The old servant lifted an eyebrow when he noticed how fast James was before he dashed forward as well, also too fast for Kyros to follow. Kyros could only see after images of the two fighting but he felt every clash they made. The wind pressure alone nearly threatened to knock him over. Fuck, this is my fault and I can¡¯t even do anything!Kyros started to prepare his fireball spell, waiting for the perfect moment. He hadn¡¯t wanted to use it because it could get his master in trouble but if necessary he would. Suddenly a body was sent flying into a wall, so hard that the Kyros thought the cave would collapse. It was James. He was in a sorry state, his leg was twisted in a horrible way and he had spat blood out. ¡°Haha interesting, interesting. You¡¯re a spy, from one of the other houses I¡¯d imagine. With your skill you could possibly even be better than the captain here.¡± The old servant said. He hadn¡¯t looked any different apart from a dirt patch on his left leg, indicating James got a hit in. James however just got to his knees and coughed up more blood, he couldn¡¯t even talk. ¡°Stay away!¡± Kyros threatened as he put himself in-between the two. ¡°Oh the cub thinks it can play with the adults.¡± The old servant said with sheer arrogance as he continued to walk forward. Kyros didn¡¯t wait give a second warning, he immediately unleashed his fireball. The fireball slammed into the wall, hitting nothing. Where?Kyros lost sight of him. ¡°Magic huh? I wonder¡­ did you always know it or is the magician here doing unnecessary things? I¡¯ll have to investigate that.¡± The old servants voice rang out from behind Kyros. Turning around Kyros saw the old servant standing behind James¡¯s kneeling body. ¡°No.. Get away from him!¡± Kyros screamed, completely losing control of his indifferent self. ¡°Kyros¡­ run¡­¡± James voice was so weak. Kyros ran towards the two, charging his spell. Please! Let me make it! Please!!! The old servants hands flashed. No! James dropped to the ground, his neck twisted to the side, broken. Kyros stopped running, disbelief that he didn¡¯t make it. Kyros just stared into James¡¯s lifeless eyes, waiting for him to crack a joke and hear his trademark laugh. Kyros waited. Wasn¡¯t he the main character in the game like world, shouldn¡¯t he be able to save someone right at the last minute? ¡°Well this has worked out well.¡± The old servant said however Kyros just continued to stare at James, still waiting. ¡°Hey James, stop playing around, alright?¡± Kyros was now talking to James. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please... James. We have to go. Your wife and kids are expecting you¡­¡± Kyros said, his voice starting to break. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic. He¡¯s just trash from another family.¡± The old servant said, using his shoe to rub James¡¯s face as if he were standing on trash. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Get your foot off.¡± Kyros said in a weak voice. The anger was building up, he usually tried to hold back this anger but he had no desire to do that now. The last time he let this anger out he had mutilated Dwenn. ¡°Hmm what did you say slave?¡± The old servant asked while still keeping his foot on James¡¯s face. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I SAID TAKE YOUR FUCKING FOOT OFF HIS FACE!!¡± Kyros roared, louder than his ever been in this life or his last.
Bloodlust Levelled Up
Bloodlust Levelled Up
Bloodlust Levelled Up
Bloodlust Levelled Up
Bloodlust Levelled Up
The old servant immediately took his foot off and jumped a dozen metres back. He had a serious expression on as he looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the vile and threatening aura. Where did this come from? There shouldn¡¯t be anything this threatening around here apart from her. Where is it¡­ No way, it¡¯s coming from the slave boy. That¡¯s not possible¡­ Something isn¡¯t right about this slave. I know master has his plans but this slave is a ticking time bomb¡­ I¡¯ll get rid of him now. Master will be mad, but he won¡¯t be excessive. The old servant thought to himself. ¡°Sorry slave, but I decided you¡¯re going to have to die as well.¡± The old servant returned to his arrogance once he realised the dangerous aura was coming from the slave who couldn¡¯t even follow his speed. ¡°¡­¡± Kyros didn¡¯t respond but just stared venomously at the old servant. The old servant took a step towards Kyros, however Kyros lifted his hand up in response and fired his spell. However, this wasn¡¯t a normal fireball. It was one that drained all of his mana but the size of the fireball was four times larger and the heat was many times more intense. The old servant lifted an eyebrow, however, he dodged the fireball with his ease. Kyros dropped to his knees, exhausted. The old servant now stood beside Kyros. ¡°That was a pretty powerful spell. I¡¯m impressed. It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re fighting me though.¡± The old servant said to Kyros, however Kyros just continued to stare with hatred at the old servant. Kyros tried to throw a punch but was too exhausted. ¡°Don¡¯t want to talk, hmm well have it your way. Die.¡± The old servant kicked Kyros in the ribs, launching across the room. -210hp
Status Effect: Due to internal bleeding, health regeneration will be ceased until healed.
Kyros didn¡¯t pay any attention to that though, because he had landed right beside James. He could now see his lifeless face up close, the way his eyes were blank. Kyros took notice of the ring on James¡¯s hand, undoubtable his wedding ring. Kyros took the ring off James¡¯s still warm hand. I¡¯m sorry James¡­ I promise I¡¯ll get this to your wife and kids. Kyros started to crawl towards the exit, only focused on getting James¡¯s ring to his family. Kyros noticed the old servant standing beside him but payed him no heed. ¡°This is why slaves disgust me. None of this would ever had happened if you just accepted what you are, a slave. You know, your friend here. He was actually quite strong, probably could have escaped if he wanted to. However, he knew that you had no chance, so he actually tried to fight me. He¡¯s pathetic as well, he should have known he had no chance.¡± The old servant was cruelly playing with Kyros¡¯s emotions now. Although Kyros no longer had any idea what was going on around him, focused on slowly crawling towards the exit. ¡°Hmm well, time to¡­¡± The old servant was about finish Kyros off but stopped because a violent aura suddenly flared. Hmm so she wants him¡­ Well as long as he¡¯s dead, I don¡¯t care.The old servant thought as he kicked Kyros in the head, knocking him out. The old servant picked Kyros¡¯s body up and put him over his shoulder as he started to walk into the cave.
The old servant now stood in the mess, right beside the hole. ¡°Well I have to give it to you slave. You made a pretty big mess around here.¡± The old man spoke to himself as he looked around at the many bodies that littered the ground. The old servant no longer caring, threw Kyros¡¯s limp body down the hole, where it kept falling until it faded into darkness.
Deep underground, at the bottom of the hole laid a figure, beside that figure was a slightly larger and taller figure. ¡°You¡¯re finally here¡­ You¡¯ve kept me waiting.¡± The female voice said. Chapter 18 - Change Kyros was currently unconscious, lying on the hard surface of the floor. He rolled over and onto his broken arm that had yet to heal, he let out a groan and started to wake up. He opened his eyes and only saw black, he could barely make out his arm which laid by his side. Where am I? Why am I so sore? And why am I holding a ring?Kyros thought as he got up. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± A sweet voice rang out. The voice was to sudden causing Kyros to jump back, but that movement had been to much and caused him great pain in his ribs. ¡°So much energy hehe¡± The voice let out a giggle, which would have been cute if Kyros wasn¡¯t on edge at the moment. ¡°Wh..re.. am I?¡± Kyros was surprised at how weak and broken his voice was. ¡°So you forgot. Well it was such a traumatic experience for you, just thinking about it makes me smile. Ah and that aura you gave off¡­ Still makes me shiver hehe¡± The sweet voice giggled. ¡°Wha..t are you talking about? Where are we and why is it so dark?¡± Kyros was growing frustrated with the owner of the sweet voice. Not only did he have a splitting headache, it was getting close to the time he had to escape with James, the last thing he remembered, he was waiting in his room for James. ¡°Oh alright, I¡¯ll show you. Follow my voice.¡± The sweet voice ordered. Kyros didn¡¯t move though, he didn¡¯t know why but he was instinctively on guard from whoever was behind that voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know where you are? You won¡¯t find out if you don¡¯t follow¡­¡± The sweet voice was trying to intrigue Kyros into following. I don¡¯t trust her, but I have to hurry back to my room. So Kyros followed the voice as best he could, however he was surprised by how weak he was. ¡°Alright, stop. Now look up.¡± The sweet voice ordered and Kyros followed suite. Kyros had to squint his eyes so he could make out what he was seeing. He could vaguely make out a hole that ran up endlessly, and he noticed that the further up the hole, the brighter it was. ¡°Argh!!!¡± Kyros dropped to his knees clutching his head, images rolling through which had been suppressed. ¡°Hahaha that¡¯s right, remember the pain. Remember the anger.¡± The sweet voice laughed. Kyros didn¡¯t pay any attention to her right now though, because right now his head was splitting. So many images were popping up in his head. James and himself talking in the room. Another image of James taking out a guard. Then another image of the two of them happily chatting as they were at the cave mouth. The next image struck fear in Kyros as he saw the old servant. He remembered James attacking the old servant, shortly after being thrown into the wall. Kyros remembered the fear and anxiety he had at that moment, as he tried to place himself in-between James and the old servant. Kyros himself hadn¡¯t noticed but his cheeks were wet with tears, as if his body already knew the outcome before his brain had. He saw the image of the old servants hands flashing, and then the image of James¡¯s body dropping to the ground, lifeless. Then his memory went black and all he felt was a terrifying anger, however the memory blank ended with himself being thrown into a wall, landing beside James. He now knew why he was holding the ring¡­ it was because he decided he would bring it to James¡¯s family. The tears that had wet his cheeks were now flowing endlessly, seeming as if they were never going to stop. Kyros couldn¡¯t remember the last time he cried, however right now he was crying for everything he had been holding back. In his chest he felt something rapidly expanding, causing so much pain that if it wasn¡¯t released it would destroy Kyros mentally. Kyros tilted his head back and let it out, a scream of both anguish and anger. He screamed until his lungs emptied of air and his scream no longer made a sound. That scream had contained so much pain and anger Kyros had suppressed. The pain of knowing that he would never, ever see his family again. The pain of James being gone, and it was his fault. The anger at the Mavis family, at the old servant. The anger towards this cruel life, and towards the god who put him here. But mainly, it was the anger at himself. If he just chose to stay a slave and not selfishly drag James into his issues, then James would still be alive. Because of one selfish decision, James would never return to his home and kiss his wife or hug his children. All because of Kyros. ¡°Stop being dramatic.¡± The sweet voice said with annoyance in her tone. Kyros didn¡¯t answer though, he just kneeled and sobbed. ¡°Turn your grief into anger.¡± The sweet voice continued when she heard no response. Just more silent sobbing. ¡°Are you serious, all this because your friend is dead. Your friend died because he was weak, not your fault. Pathetic really, how small and weak those humans are.¡± The sweet voice said. As soon as Kyros heard these words, that hatred inside of him flared. ¡°Shut your fucking mouth!¡± Kyros roared in the direction of the voice, cheeks still wet from tears. ¡°Hahaha Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re mad because I called him pathetic. He was. He wanted to save you but sealed both your fates hahaha.¡± The sweet voice laughed and seemed to be having too much fun. Kyros felt his Bloodlust skill activate and fill the dark chamber. ¡°One more fucking word. One more!¡± Kyros wasn¡¯t thinking straight. If he were thinking logically he would know he had no chance against the monster in the hole, but he wasn¡¯t thinking logically. ¡°Pa..the..tic.¡± The sweet voice purposefully pronounced each syllable. ¡°Argh!¡± Kyros immediately shot a fireball in the direction of the voice, illuminating the dark chamber. However what Kyros saw had shocked him greatly. The owner of the voice was a beauty. She had black hair flowing down her back and over her shoulders, which was a perfect contrast on her pale white skin. She was fairly tall, maybe only slightly shorter than himself. She wore a flimsy black dress that hugged her breasts and revealed the curves of her body. Kyros had never seen such a beautiful girl in his life. However, her eyes were blood red. However it wasn¡¯t her blood red eyes or alluring figure that put him in shock, it was in her small white hand, she was currently holding his fireball. The fireball seemed to stick to her hand and make it her arm a torch, illuminating the chamber. Even the old servant chose to dodge his fireball, however this girl was currently using it as a torch. Also the chamber was full skeletons, most likely those who were sentenced down the hole. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty cute little highborn.¡± The woman smiled alluringly. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kyros had to take a second to regain his composure. ¡°My name is¡­ Lilith.¡± Lilith still smiled alluringly, making Kyros slightly uncomfortable. Kyros still felt off about this girl, so he decided to check her status screen out.
Title ???
Name Lilith
Description The girl who lives in the hole.
Level ???
Health ???
What! I can¡¯t even see her level. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I already know your name. Kyros.¡± Lilith held her smile. ¡°What are you?¡± Kyros knew she wasn¡¯t human. In fact, while making eye contact with her, he had to resist every urge to listen to his instincts that were telling him to run. ¡°Well you might be cute but you certainly don¡¯t know how to talk to a girl.¡± Lilith said playfully. ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me.¡± Kyros already disliked Lilith by the way she spoke of James. ¡°Or what. You¡¯re going to make me stop? I could squash you like a bug. So you better do your best to entertain me hehe.¡± Lilith said something terrifying with playful voice. ¡°It¡¯s not like I care.¡± Kyros said nonchalantly. He was a broken man. He tried, he really did, however his plan failed and got James killed. What was the point of it all. Kyros had already reverted back to his nonchalant mindset of his previous life, where death didn¡¯t frighten him. Lilith frowned. ¡°Jeez.. You were so much more fun when you running around and trying to escape.¡± Lilith was disappointed. She had thought she would finally find a toy to keep her interested in her prison, but it turned out otherwise. ¡°Whatever.¡± Kyros walked over to the green cave wall and sat against it. He hadn¡¯t even questioned why the cave wall was green. Lilith just stared at Kyros with a frown, before she started to complain to herself, nonstop. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You¡¯re such a bore. Here I was thinking you¡¯d be consumed by your anger¡­ yet you sit there all depressed. Your friend really died for such a wimp.¡± Lilith complained. That was the last straw, Kyros had lost his temper. ¡°Shut up! Why don¡¯t you try and find a fucking way out of here then!¡± Kyros shouted. Lilith turned around to Kyros, with a smile growing on her face. ¡°Oh it was that easy. After hundreds of years I never came up with the idea of trying to escape. Where do you think we¡¯re trapped?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Why don¡¯t you try digging a tunnel or something, just shut up.¡± Kyros answered. ¡°Hmmm If I wasn¡¯t so bored, I¡¯d kill you for talking to me like that. Not like it matters anyway, you¡¯re already dying.¡± Lilith said with her alluring smile. What dying? What does she mean? Kyros opened his status screen.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 28
Race: High Elf Mana: 434/480
Health: 112/590 Stamina 463/580
Titles: Gold Class Slave
Status Effect: Due to a fractured arm, multiple broken ribs and internal bleeding, health and stamina regeneration will be 0. Due to internal bleeding, health will be deteriorating at a rate of 2 points every 10 minutes.
¡°Hah.. hahah¡± Kyros laughed to himself. I don¡¯t even have 10 more hours to live¡­ I guess this a fitting end to my pointless life. ¡°Hey did you hear me, you¡¯re dying..¡± Lilith repeated herself. Kyros was silent in response. ¡°Haha you¡¯re so strange.¡± Lilith was amused at Kyros¡¯s reaction of being told he was dying. Lilith suddenly had an idea. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re pathetic, just sulking here.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m pretty pathetic.¡± Kyros replied nonchalantly. ¡°I wonder what your friend would think, seeing you like this.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t think, he¡¯s dead.¡± Kyros replied. ¡°Hehe suppose you¡¯re right. I wonder who is at fault for that?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Me.¡± Kyros answered. ¡°Is it? I thought that old man killed him.¡± Lilith responded. Suddenly a thick aura of bloodlust filled the air, however Kyros remained quiet. Just a bit more¡­ haha this is so more much more fun.Lilith thought ¡°Yep it was definitely that old guy¡­ just thinking about how he stepped on your friends head. It was so¡­ cruel.¡± Lilith spoke in mock pity. Kyros knew what she was doing, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel his hatred flare.
+0.5% increase to Bloodlust.
It was his fault. Everything would have been perfect if it wasn¡¯t for him, James and I would be on our way to James¡¯s home. No, it wasn¡¯t just him. Charles as well. The whole damn family. I swear, I will fucking destroy that messed up family.Kyros was feeling the desire to live again, but this time it was for revenge. Right now he was filled with hatred, so much anger. Kyros suddenly became aware of the ring he was holding.I will also deliver this to his family. I owe him that much. ¡°How do we get out of here?¡± Kyros suddenly asked Lilith, with resolution shining in his eyes. ¡°Ha..haha¡­hahahahaha¡± Lilith suddenly broke out laughing. ¡°What¡¯re you laughing at?¡± Kyros asked in annoyance. ¡°Hahaha¡­ That was too easy. Now this is much more entertaining!¡± Lilith had to pause and laugh some more before continuing. ¡°See how fun this is? All I had to say were a few words and suddenly you have the desire to live again. Yet you¡¯re stuck in this prison, bound to die.¡± Lilith was taking pleasure in Kyros¡¯s misfortune. She¡¯s crazy. Just how long has she been stuck in here? I refuse to believe there is no way out¡­ the hole. ¡°How far up does the hole go?¡± Kyros asked, ignoring Lilith¡¯s previous comments. ¡°Nope, won¡¯t work. I can¡¯t even break the spell, so you¡¯ve no chance.¡± Lilith said with a smile. ¡°Spell?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Mhmm the hole only works one way. You can come in but you can¡¯t leave.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Well we can just dig out.¡± Kyros suggested. ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°What?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Look at the wall, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Well, yeah. It¡¯s green.¡± Kyros replied. ¡°Exactly. Do you really think I could be trapped in a chamber of rock? No. That¡¯s adamantium. No way of breaking it¡­¡± Lilith said with a smile, as if it were amusing that they were both stuck. Kyros however immediately stood up, well as best as he could with his injuries. He then started to pace around the chamber, looking for something. ¡°What¡¯re you looking for hehe¡± Lilith pestered Kyros. Kyros didn¡¯t answer though, he just continued to limp around, looking. Come on¡­ There has to be at least one piece¡­ Kyros had nearly walked around the whole chamber and was just about to give up when he kicked something. Kyros looked down to see what it was and surely enough it was a chunk of adamantium ore. It was only the size of his hand but it had a jagged edge, which was important. Kyros fitted the ore into his hand with the jagged edge sticking out, he then walked over to the wall. Kyros started to swing the jagged piece of ore in his hand into the wall, using the jagged edge as a pick. Obviously though the ore wasn¡¯t a pick, and nothing was happening. Kyros just continued to swing it. ¡°Hahaha it¡¯s not going to work, but keep trying.¡± Lilith laughed from the side. Kyros didn¡¯t respond and just kept swinging the ore into the wall. His hand was aching and blood was starting to drip from his hand but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Hehehe..¡± Lilith had been giggling the whole time until something unexpected happened. Kyros had finally broken a part of the wall off, only a hand size rock, but it meant escape was possible. ¡°No way¡­¡± Lilith stared blankly at the new piece of adamantium ore lying on the ground. ¡°That old man actually gave me the key to escaping... Hurry! Keep mining.¡± Lilith no longer seemed as crazy. Kyros however dropped the ore and leaned against the wall. ¡°No, it won¡¯t work.¡± Kyros said, annoyed. ¡°What do you mean?! I promise I¡¯ll take you with me, just mine.¡± Lilith had started treating Kyros like a person and not a toy for the first time. ¡°Have you forgotten, I¡¯m dying.¡± Kyros said. He wasn¡¯t lying, because he was taking damage with hand as well, so death would be imminent if he tried mining his way out. He was pissed off, he had a way out but would die before getting out. It was cruel. Lilith furrowed her brow as she looked at Kyros. Hmmm¡­ Father told me not to¡­ but I will be stuck here for who knows how much longer. He¡¯s also a highborn, but that shouldn¡¯t have any effect¡­ should it? It¡¯ll be fine if father doesn¡¯t find out.Lilith thought to herself. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± Lilith ordered. ¡°Wha¡­t?¡± Kyros looked at Lilith warily. ¡°I said open your mouth, you want to live don¡¯t you?¡± Lilith repeated, annoyed that she had to repeat herself. She doesn¡¯t seem as dangerous as she did before¡­ and I¡¯m dying anyway, why not.Kyros ended resolving himself. Kyros opened his mouth. Lilith held her wrist over his mouth and then slashed her wrist with her other hand, instantly showering Kyros¡¯s mouth with her blood. What the fuck. Kyros immediately started spitting out the blood in his mouth, before he could swallow it. He understood that there might be some lifesaving medicine in her blood, maybe, this is a different world from his. However, he instinctively spat it out because who wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Argh! You ungrateful little¡­¡± Lilith complained when Kyros spat out the blood. She grabbed Kyros¡¯s face with the hand. Kyros tried to free himself from her grip, however, he found that he couldn¡¯t move a single centimetre. Lilith then raised her bleeding wrist and pressed it to Kyros¡¯s mouth. He couldn¡¯t help but think that this was the most contact with the opposite sex he has ever had. Once Kyros felt the first drop of blood drip down his throat, he suddenly thirsted for more and started to suck the blood from her wrist. ¡°Alright, enough.¡± Lilith let go of his face and removed her wrist from his face. ¡°Well it¡¯s up to you now, hopefully you¡¯ll survive and get me out of here.¡± Lilith said. ¡°What?¡± Kyros looked up at Lilith in confusion. However, he never heard her answer because almost instantaneously he was in agony. The pain started from his stomach and rapidly expanded until he felt it everywhere. He felt as if he was being ripped apart and then placed back together continuously and endlessly. The pain was so much that he started to scream out in agony, breaking past all of his pain training with James. The pain was so intense that he slowly blacked out, however he saw one last thing before going unconscious.
RacialTransformation beginning.
Announcement Hey guys, I know I kinda promised to release a chapter weekly. Well, that''s before I found out my new work schedule. I don''t want to just disappear with no explanation, I owe you better. So I''m actually in the Navy and currently just posted on deployment, and will be working 6-7 days a week, 0600 to 1800. If I can get a chapter out, I will, otherwise I can''t promise anything. Sorry guys, I honestly wish I was further in the story before pulling this but I have to prioritise work haha. Announcement - Im Alive Hello readers, it has been a long time since I''ve delievered any new content. For that I apologise. The last thing I left with you guys was the news that I was deployed. Well, I ended up doing a back-to-back deployment. I''ve been back for a few months now but I have used that time to go on a holiday and just generally relax. I understand if I''ve lost a lot of readers from this break, however, I hope to be able to gain you back and a lot more in the future. Sofrom today onwards, I''m starting to work on the story. Yesterday, I went through and edited all the old chapters. I changed a few major things and a lot of minor things in the story. First up, I went through and fixed a lot of grammar mistakes. I''m not saying there won''t be any in the previous chapters now, but it should read a lot smoother.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Secondly, I changed the prologue a bit. It still follows the same events, but I changed how the characters read and a few other little things. It has no change on the story, so don''t feel the need to go back and read it. Thirdly, I changed the status box. This is the major change I was talking about. I removed the fame and infamy stats, as I decided they had no impact on the story. I also removed the leadership stat and replaced it with dexterity, which will come into play soon in the story. Overall, I simplified the table. That should sum up everything I did yesterday. Now for the future of this story, I will have no scheduled releasing. One week I might release a chapter a day, and the next I might only release one. I just wanted to clear that up incase everyone thinks I disappeared again if I don''t release a chapter for a few days haha. Alright, enough with the boring stuff. I shall release the new chapter. Chapter 19 - Escape Kyros awoke in the same pitch black chamber, unable to see anything. He had wished this whole ordeal was a nightmare, but he knew better than that. This was the real world.
Body has successfully undergone racial transformation
Due to the nature of both races, only one can be in effect at a time. Race will change depending on user¡¯s emotions and mental state. Race is currently set to: High Elf
¡°You actually survived¡­ now that IS interesting.¡± Lilith¡¯s voice carried into Kyros¡¯s ear from somewhere ahead of him in the pitch black room. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Kyros asked back. ¡°I should have killed you. Technically anyway. How fascinating. You¡¯re still clearly a highborn, but I can also sense the Fae blood deep within you.¡± ¡°Wait, what? What do you mean Fae?¡± Kyros had no clue on what Fae was, only being in the world for just over a month and a bit, all of that spent in the mines. ¡°You really are newly born, to not know of the great Fae race. Fae is what I am, and what your part of now.¡± ¡°But how can I have two different races? That doesn¡¯t even make sense¡± Kyros¡¯s head was spinning from just trying to make sense of it. ¡°That¡¯s why this is so interesting. When you mix two different racial blood, the stronger blood should absorb the weaker blood and thus changing your race. Or in your case, with your highborn blood should have fought against my Fae blood, until your body exploded from the two different energies. However, that¡¯s clearly not the case. What exactly are you?¡± Kyros shivered at that last question, his inner instincts telling him that he needed to get as far away as possible from her. However, his current situation doesn¡¯t allow for that, and even if it did, there would be no way he could escape her. ¡°I don¡¯t know that myself. I suddenly woke up in a forest somewhere around here, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Kyros explained, knowing if he can¡¯t run, that he must entertain her. He knew she wouldn¡¯t kill him while they were both trapped in here, but once he mined the way. Well who knows, Kyros hasn¡¯t been able to read Lilith at all. ¡°Hmm. You said you awoke in a forest around here?¡± Lilith emphasised the word around. ¡°Well somewhere in this kingdom.¡± Kyros had only been out for a day when he got transported from the forest to the mines, so he obviously couldn¡¯t have travelled far. ¡°I see. Well that just makes you an even larger mystery¡­¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that a mystery?¡± Kyros remembered his master telling him about high elves being born from the forest, so that should make sense. However, Lilith seemed to know more about the subject than his master. ¡°Because your kind are only birthed in the holy forest, Elanor, home of your people. Either you¡¯re not really a highborn or you¡¯re lying to me, and you weren¡¯t born here.¡± Lilith¡¯s voice was icy at the prospect of Kyros lying to her. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t lie! I really did just wake up in a forest around here.¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t explain it to Lilith but he knew 100% that he was a high elf, as his status screen shows that. ¡­ Silence filled the chamber, making Kyros nervous, wondering what Lilith was thinking. He still needed to get James¡¯s ring to him, but he needed to survive Lilith to do this. After he got the ring to James¡¯s family, he didn¡¯t really care beyond that. ¡°Hehe what¡¯re you so nervous for?¡± Lilith¡¯s voice took a 180 and went back to how she was when he first woke up, no longer seeming so terrifying. ¡°Um so you believe me?¡± ¡°Of course. Any way things are much more entertaining this way!¡± Lilith spoke unbefitting for someone thousands of years old, more like a school girl in his old world. All he could think was this girl had crazy issues, and he better do his best not to set her off. ¡°Entertaining?¡± Kyros felt Lilith knew something he didn¡¯t, and ever since he arrived in this world he has been short of answers. ¡°Yep! If I¡¯m right about you, things should be getting a lot more interesting soon. First we have to get out of here, so get mining hehe.¡± ¡°Wait! You know something about me. What do you know?¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t help but get excited at the prospect of getting some answers. ¡°It¡¯s. A. Secret. Now mine.¡± Lilith¡¯s voice said teasingly. ¡°Please, tell me!?¡± Kyros didn¡¯t let up. ¡°I told you to start mining.¡± Lilith did another 180, her voice icy and sharp. Fuck, what does she know? And why won¡¯t she tell me? I learned somethings though, like I should have been born in that forest called Elanor. So the question is why was I born outside of it? Or maybe that¡¯s the wrong question. What if I was born in Elanor? and I¡¯ve forgotten for some reason. ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t mine in the dark.¡± Kyros knew that right now he had to just do as Lilith said, her personality change was too sporadic. Who was to say the next change wouldn¡¯t end up with her killing him. She seemed crazy enough to him. ¡°Better?¡± Suddenly the whole chamber was lit up, a white ball sitting in the middle of the chamber, illuminating the whole area. ¡°Ugh why do you stay in the dark if you could do this?¡± Kyros also made note that he should learn a similar spell, it would be convenient. ¡°Why would I? Fae can see perfectly in the dark. You should be able to as well¡­ It seems the Fae blood that is buried within you, is unable to manifest any of its inherent abilities.¡± Well she¡¯s right, it seems at the moment I¡¯m still a normal high elf. I wonder how I change into a Fae? The ability to see in the dark alone is convenient enough. No longer thinking on it, Kyros picked up the sharp piece of ore that he was using as a makeshift pick, and headed over to chamber wall. He started to mine into the wall, figuring the faster he can get out, the faster he can get away from the psycho who was humming to herself behind him. After a few minutes of relentlessly smashing the ore in his hand into the wall, a chunk of adamantium broke off the wall.
+100 EXP
+0.25% increase to mining
Woah, that much experience for just mining off a chunk of ore! If I were to mine this whole chamber, I¡¯d get at least 10 levels! However, I don¡¯t think Lilith will just let me mine all over, she¡¯ll make sure I¡¯m not wasting time. ¡°Hahaha I can just imagine their faces when they realise they willingly gave me the key to escape.¡± Lilith was laughing in joy as she saw Kyros yet again mine another piece off the wall.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Um actually, why are you trapped down here?¡± Kyros asked out of curiosity, as well as to distract himself of the pain in his hand, which was starting to bleed. ¡°Well long story short, I¡¯m a prisoner of war.¡± ¡°Oh right¡­ then how long have you been here?¡± Kyros suspected her of being here for thousands of years, but if she was a prisoner of war, then surely she wouldn¡¯t be kept around for that long. They¡¯d either sell her back to the enemy or torture her for intel and then execute her. ¡°I think it¡¯s been a little over 30 thousand years now. It¡¯s hard to keep track in here hehe.¡± Lilith laughed normally, as if she hadn¡¯t said anything outrageous. ¡°Wha-what?! 30 thousand years, why would the even keep a prisoner for that long?¡± Kyros wasn¡¯t one to get worked up easily, but just living for 30 thousand years was enough to send his mind reeling. ¡°It¡¯s not that long¡­¡± Lilith smirked at Kyros as she spoke mysteriously. ¡°Anyway, those puny humans know they can¡¯t harm me. Unless they want to start the next world war, that is.¡± An arrogant tone to her voice. ¡°Oh¡­ right. So you¡¯re someone important than?¡± Kyros continued the conversation, his hand now burning. ¡°You could say that¡­¡± Lilith went silent, Kyros realising she no longer wanted to speak. So Kyros continued to mine into the wall, until he had to stop from the pain. He¡¯d rest for a few hours and continue. This is how he spent his days.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 35
Race: High Elf Mana: 480/480
Health: 521/610 Stamina 343/640
Titles: None
Stats
Strength: 79 Intelligence: 21
Agility: 63 Wisdom: 48
Vitality: 61 Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 64 Luck: 10
Perseverance: 19 Unused: 35
Kyros was still mining the wall, however, he had mined a tunnel a few metres long now. His stomach was aching in hunger, his mouth felt as dry as a desert. He couldn¡¯t tell the passage of time down here, but he figured it¡¯s been at least 14 days. With knowledge from his previous world, he knew he should have long ago died from dehydration. He figured it¡¯s either got to do with being a different race or maybe his vitality stat affected how long he can go without. He had noticed that he was regaining health and stamina slower and slower though. How thick is this fucking wall! I¡¯m going to drop dead without getting through this ore! He had built up quite a few stat points from levelling up, however he wasn¡¯t going to blindly spend them. He knew now that he had to be smart in the use of them. His mining skill had levelled up twice now, making it master level 3. However, it didn¡¯t seem to speed up how fast he mined the adamantium ore. He assumed that this was because he didn¡¯t have an actual pick and the ore itself was just too hard. Argh fuck this wall! Kyros raged and smashed the ore into the wall. This wasn¡¯t the first time he lost it at the wall and pointlessly wasted his strength. However, he continued to do so because he felt himself going crazy and needed to relief the anger that was building up inside of him. Lilith had been growing more silent the further he mined into the wall, her face growing serious in contemplation. Seems like even she has things that weigh down on her. At least she- Kyros cut his thought off there, he felt his piece of ore break through the piece of adamantium and into a stone wall behind it. ¡°Keep swinging! Don¡¯t waste any time!¡± Lilith suddenly commanded, a slight anxiousness to her voice. Fuck she¡¯s bossy. Doesn¡¯t even thank me or anything for getting to this stage. Kyros complained in his head, not daring to voice it out loud. ¡°I said faster!¡± Lilith was right behind him suddenly. Kyros could sense something was wrong, so he picked up his speed, smashing through the wall even faster.
Thousands of miles away, in the Holy Athearan Empire¡¯s capital Exdarr. ¡°Your Holiness, we¡¯ve received reports that there has been demon activity in the south. Arch bishop Joseph has directed a squad of paladins to investigate.¡± The man was one knee and spoke in reverence to the man standing in front of him. ¡°Stand bishop Simon. Keep in touch with Arch bishop Joseph, and report any findings to me.¡± ¡°As you command, your Holiness.¡± The bishop bowed, before quickly hurrying off to follow his command. The man now stood alone in his vast hall. He had long flowing blond hair, and yellow eyes to suit his hair. He wore a beautiful white silk robe, trimmed with gold. The man was the pope of the Athearan Empire, one of the most powerful men in the world. The pope was standing there with his eyes closed, when his face suddenly twitched. This feeling¡­ No! That shouldn¡¯t be possible! I don¡¯t have the time to inform the others. The pope suddenly waved his hand and gold wall of light suddenly appeared in front of him. The pope walked into the wall of gold, disappearing from the hall.
Kyros had just smashed another piece of the ore off, judging the size should be enough for a person to fit through. Now he just had to mine his way through the rock, which won¡¯t be to hard. Mining rock was like digging through sand for him now, almost no resistance. However, as he was about to start mining through the rock, Lilith¡¯s hand grabbed onto him and pulled him behind her. Suddenly she released an aura of power so strong that Kyros struggled to breathe as he stood behind her. ¡°So you¡¯ve arrived Michael.¡± Lilith suddenly said, Kyros still struggling to breathe behind her. ¡°Lilith. I strongly advise you to stay within your prison.¡± A voice suddenly echoed in the chamber, soft yet powerful. Kyros looked around the chamber but couldn¡¯t find the owner of the voice. ¡°As enticing as you make that sound, I think it would be rude of myself not to come up and greet you.¡± Lilith spoke back to the voice, Kyros wondering what the fuck was going on as these Lilith and this mysterious voice conversed. Suddenly Lilith pointed a finger to the gap in the wall Kyros had made, and the next thing that happened left Kyros¡¯s jaw hanging. A black beam a few metres wide shot out from her fingertip into the rock no longer protected by the adamantium ore. The beam disintegrated the rock and suddenly Kyros could see a massive tunnel running miles upwards, and the bright sky at the end of the tunnel. This show of power was something that completely baffled Kyros. Lilith turned to stare at Kyros, her blood red eyes gazing deep into him. ¡°This is where we part. For now.¡± Lilith no longer looked terrifying, but loving in Kyros¡¯s eyes. However, suddenly his vision went black as he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Lilith looked down at him one last time, before turning and floating up the tunnel she had made. She breathed in the first breath of fresh air for what was over 30 thousand years. However, she didn¡¯t have the luxury to relish it. She now hovered thousands of metres in the air, the vast mountain below her. She looked at the blonde haired man floating just a few dozens of metres from her. ¡°How¡¯d you escape Lilith?¡± He suddenly asked. ¡°Not even a how are you after all this time Michael. For such a holy man, you surely are rude.¡± Lilith responded with a smirk. ¡°You know I can¡¯t let you leave.¡± Michael declared. ¡°Good. I haven¡¯t been able to stretch my body in soooo long.¡± Lilith playfully said. ¡°I see. Let¡¯s not waste any more of each other¡¯s time.¡± Michael raised his arm above his head, where a gigantic golden sword materialised above him, tip aiming towards Lilith. ¡°You religious men really don¡¯t know how to treat a lady.¡± Lilith giggled, as she materialised a pitch black spear into her hand, only a few metres long. Suddenly the gigantic golden sword started to fly towards Lilith with the intention to impale her, however she hurled the black spear into the sword. Chapter 20 - Setting off [Completion of Slave Arc] Kyros opens his eyes, still feeling a bit dizzy. Why does it seem like I¡¯m always waking up this way? Kyros asks himself in frustration. Looking around he realises he¡¯s still in the prison chamber, however it¡¯s no longer pitch black but illuminated by light permeating through the tunnel Lilith created. Looking at it though, the tunnel seems a lot shorter in distance than he initially thought. He could¡¯ve sworn it ran a few miles up before surfacing, however the tunnel in front of him was only a few hundred metres. The last thing I remember was Lilith gazing at me, and then I seemed to have passed out. Safe to assume that¡¯s by her doing. Well I should consider myself lucky that she didn¡¯t just kill me, guess even she knows how to repay someone. At the top of that tunnel is freedom, but I can¡¯t just go running out there. So the plan is to find the Nerva family and return James¡¯s ring. To do that first I need to escape here and somehow find my way to the Nerva family. Assuming the guards are doing patrols, I can¡¯t just run out there either. Maybe I can find a way to get in contact with master, and maybe he¡¯ll help me get to the Nerva family. It¡¯s a lot of maybes, but I don¡¯t have much of a choice right now. Making up his mind, Kyros picked up as many pieces of the adamantium ore he could carry, deeming them to be valuable. After collecting a few pieces, he started to climb up the tunnel which was at 45-degree incline. His body still lacking strength as he hadn¡¯t eaten or had any water in a little over two weeks now. He was nearing the top after about an hour of climbing. He quickly ran the plan through his head. First, he was going to sneak out and avoid being detected from any guards. Then he was going to find a way to contact his master, finally he would head off to the Nerva family. Reaching the top, he pulled himself out of the tunnel and took a deep breath of fresh air. The air felt cool against his sweaty skin. However, he didn¡¯t feel any joy in the breath of fresh air, he was too shocked. The surroundings were completely foreign to him, looking nothing like when he was first brought to the mountain. In fact, the humongous mountain that bested Mt Everest in his old world was no longer even half the height it was before. The top half of the mountain had been broken off, smashed into thousands of boulders that littered the ground. The ground was even worse off than the mountain. All the surrounding trees within a few miles were blown over or snapped in half, crevices webbed along the ground. The sight was akin to a bomb going off but x100, as just the size of the destruction alone was something only an atomic bomb from his previous life could replicate. Master! Kyros suddenly realised the damage to the mountain would have caused the majority of the mines to cave in, his master could have been trapped in it. Forgetting any notion of his previous plan, Kyros sprinted to the entrance of the mountain. The guard checkpoint was in tatters, dead bodies littered throughout it. Kyros ran over to the dead bodies, and inspected them. He found some bread that was covered in dirt and canteen half filled with water. Kyros stuffed the bread into his mouth, swallowing it despite the taste of dirt. He used the water to help get the bread down and then sculled the rest. Kyros then stripped a guard that was of a similar build and wore his armour. He also armed himself with a short sword and a dagger hidden in his belt. Kyros deeming there was nothing of use left, headed off into the direction of the mountain entrance. He was only 100m from the entrance of the cave when an arrow flew towards him and landed only a metre to his side ¡°Halt! State who you are and what you¡¯re doing here?!¡± A voice screamed from inside the entrance. Kyros¡¯s vision was already superior to a normal human, but with the skill perception, he could see a group of guards hustled up at the entrance. There were only 6 of them and they were covered in minor wounds, and their armour broken in various places. They looked pitiful. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m a guard for the Mavis family as well! I was stationed at the checkpoint.¡± Kyros shouted back, he had to think quickly and that was the most believable excuse he could come up with. ¡°We already inspected the checkpoint! There¡¯s no way anyone survived that!¡± The guard shouted in suspicion. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there when disaster struck! I was out in the woods on an errand when I heard an explosion, I¡¯ve only just rushed over! What happened here brother?!¡± Kyros continued the act. ¡­ The guards were silent for a few minutes, Kyros could still see the bows directed at him though. ¡°Alright! Come over!¡± The guard finally shouted. Kyros then promptly started to head towards the entrance. Kyros arrived in front of what seemed to be the guard leader.
Title: Mavis Family Guard
Name: ???
Level: 31
Health: 398/545
Description: A guard employed under the great Mavis family.
¡°Sorry about the distrust brother, but as you can see things have become chaotic.¡± The leader said wearily. ¡°I can see. What happened while I was gone?¡± Kyros figured Lilith had something to do with it. Kyros also noticed one of the guards was contemplating something while staring at him. ¡°Ah there were reports of a gigantic sword hovering over the mountain, when it suddenly collided with a black object. The shockwave alone caused multiple cave ins. We decided to bunker down in secure chambers and to wait for whatever it was to pass. However, it continued for hours and until it just suddenly stopped.¡± The leader took a breath and then continued, the guard behind him still staring strangely at Kyros. ¡°We went to the other secured chambers to find they had all collapsed or the tunnels leading to them were sealed off. I¡¯d be surprised if more than 50 people survived that on blast. You were lucky to have not been here.¡± The leader patted Kyros shoulder, a genuine look of relief to see another brother in arms had survived the ordeal. ¡°You¡¯re right, sounds like the next couple of weeks are going to be tough once the Mavis family representatives arrive.¡± Kyros continued to play his part. ¡°Aye, maybe surviving wasn¡¯t a mercy.¡± The leader grinned. ¡°What of Master Atilius?¡± Kyros finally asked what he had come for, using his master¡¯s real name. ¡°He was out, handling matters. They say he went to make a complaint to the family head after he heard of that slave that had tried to escape and was executed. There¡¯s rumours that he had taken the slave on as an apprentice. Honestly, I think there¡¯s merit to the rumour If you ask me, he was to enraged for there to have not been a deep connection between those two.¡± The leader answered. Thank god, he escaped this! To think he would actually go to the family head over what happened to me¡­ Kyros felt even more guilty for not placing any trust in his master. Who knows, maybe if he had, James would still be alive. ¡°Ah I knew you were familiar!¡± The guard who had staring at Kyros suddenly drew he blade and pointed it towards Kyros. ¡°What¡¯re you doing Henry?!¡± The leader suddenly enraged by his subordinate¡¯s sudden action. ¡°Don¡¯t you see boss, he¡¯s the slave.¡± Henry accused, never taking his eyes off Kyros. ¡°That¡¯s preposterous! The slave had been banished down the hole. No way he survived, let alone escaped!¡± The leader defended. The other four guards standing around, not quite sure what to think. Kyros was silent throughout this, seeing how it played out. If the leader could convince the guard named Henry, that would be for the best. However, he had his fireball skill charged up, ready to release at a moments notice otherwise. ¡°I know that! However, how many elves had been employed as guard? I remember four of them, and this guy isn¡¯t one of them!¡± Henry still didn¡¯t relent on his accusation. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± The leader continued to defend Kyros. However, Kyros could tell Henry was not going to give up. ¡°He¡¯s right. I am in fact the slave that tried to escape.¡± Kyros openly admitted. ¡°See, I told you!¡± Henry shouted, his sword still directed at Kyros. ¡°Why does it matter though? This mine is no longer functioning. If you stay here, you will most be punished by the family for failing your duty. You¡¯ll live out the rest of your lives doing the shit work for them. Why not leave? They wouldn¡¯t even hunt you down, they¡¯d just think your bodies are crushed somewhere underneath.¡± Kyros had no clue if they would be punished if they did stick around, but neither did they. All he was doing was voicing their insecurities. Five guards started to shift, obviously thinking through their options. Henry however had no change, clearly his loyalty to the Mavis family ran deep. ¡°Don¡¯t try and twist things you scum!¡± Henry lifted his sword, ready to swing down on Kyros. Kyros sighed at that, because he truly didn¡¯t want to kill these men if he didn¡¯t have to. They seemed like genuinely good men, maybe aside from Henry. But even he was just doing what he believed was right. Kyros readied himself, able to shoot the fireball at Henry within a second. Another sword intercepted Henry¡¯s though, Kyros stopped his spell at the last second. ¡°What are you doing Gerald!?¡± Henry screamed at the leader, Gerald. ¡°The boy has merit to his words!¡± Gerald retorted. The other guards started to look at each other nervously, realising they had to take a side. Kyros still remained standing at the same place the whole time, neither speaking nor helping. He was waiting for the right moment. ¡°What¡¯re you waiting for guys!? If we kill him and present him to the Mavis family, we can expect a reward!¡± Henry realised Gerald¡¯s mind was set, so he switched his targets to the four onlooking guards. The guards were still nervously looking at each other, until three of them made a silent decision and split of to stand beside Henry. ¡°Don¡¯t be fools you lot! Nothing awaits for us if we stay!¡± Gerald realised his situation was growing dire. ¡°Where else are we to go!?¡± One of the nameless guards who sided with Henry shouts in retort. ¡°Aye, we don¡¯t have much of a choice!¡± Another nameless guard shouted in agreement. ¡°Personally I just never liked you Gerald haha¡± The final nameless guard spoke with an evil smirk across his face. ¡°You lot are blind, can¡¯t see the truth of the situation! What of you Birch?¡± Gerald directs his question to the final guard who had yet to have taken a side. Birch completely ignored Gerald¡¯s question, gazing directly at Kyros, everyone was awaiting the answer. Gerald was strong enough to rival two maybe even three of the other guards, if Birch was added in that it would become a stalemate. Obviously this was assuming that Kyros was a normal slave who had no combat ability.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Birch took no heed to the silence or the importance of his upcoming decision, still focused on Kyros. ¡°You.¡± Birch said towards Kyros. Kyros held his gaze, ¡°Me.¡± He said in response. ¡°Something inside of me is screaming for me not to go against you¡­ Why am I getting this feeling from a slave?¡± Birch furrowed his brow.
Title: Mavis Family Guard
Name: Birch
Level: 30
Health: 398/545
Description: A guard employed under the great Mavis family.
There¡¯s nothing special about his status¡­ This guy must have something similar to perception. Kyros deduced. ¡°Hahaha! Have you gone crazy Birch? The boys just a slave.¡± Henry and his entourage of guards chuckled at Birch¡¯s statement. ¡°Are you going to side with them?¡± Kyros asked Birch, ignoring his previous question. ¡­ Birch furrowed his brow yet again, battling logic against this mysterious feeling telling him not to cross Kyros. ¡°Something must be wrong with me¡­¡± Birch said to himself with a sigh as he walked over to stand beside Gerald. ¡°Birch you traitor!¡± Henry and the other guards slung insults his way. ¡°Won¡¯t you guys just let us leave? We served together, I¡¯d rather not have to kill brothers in arms.¡± Birch asked the opposing guards, a weary look on his face. Gerald beside him slightly nodded his head, signalling he agreed with the statement. Two. More than I expected¡­ They both are pretty competent as well, should be enough to help me find my way to the Nerva family. Kyros wasn¡¯t expecting any of the guards to side with him, so he was surprised to see two join him. ¡°What brothers in arms? Any lot that sides with a slave ain¡¯t a brother of mine!¡± Henry yelled back, his sword at the ready. ¡°You.¡± Gerald said towards Kyros, ¡°Stay behind Birch and I, things might get a bit messy.¡± Kyros paid no heed to what he said though, he started walking forward. He wasn¡¯t walking slowly or fast, just a leisurely pace. Gerald went to grab hold of Kyros and pull him back, about to ask him if he heard what he had just said. However, Birch¡¯s had grabbed a hold of Gerald first, telling him to leave it. ¡°Look at this! The little slave came to present himself to us! Haha¡± One of the nameless guards laughed. Kyros continued walking directly towards the guard who had just spoke. The guard may be an idiot but he had seen plenty of battles in his time, he could feel something was wrong. ¡°Oi slave! Stop there alright!¡± The guard ordered. Kyros continued walking towards him. ¡®Fuck it, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re dead or alive!¡± The guard took a step forward and swung his already drawn sword towards Kyros. Their skill is nothing compared to James¡¯s, I could dodge these strikes with my eyes closed. Kyros thought to himself calmly, as he never took his eyes off the guard¡¯s eyes, not even staring at the blade. The guard started to get a cold sweat running down his spine, this boy in front of him was too strange. Kyros using his windsense dodged the sword by stepping to the side with a slight shift of his body, dodging the sword by centimetres. Kyros then released his bloodlust skill while still staring the guard in the eyes. What the fuck is he! I have to run! Move body! Fucking MOVE! The guard roared at himself mentally, but the fearsome aura of the boy in front of him had petrified him. Kyros pulled the dagger from his belt, and with a speed so fast that the other 3 guards standing around couldn¡¯t react to, he sliced the dagger across the guard¡¯s throat.
+2850 EXP
Immediately after he sliced the guards throat open, he lifted his hand an aimed his fireball towards the other two nameless guards who were standing close to each other. The skill had already been charged, so there was no delay in the firing. A metre-wide fireball shot out from Kyros¡¯s hand towards the centre of the two guards, striking them both of them on their shoulders and chest. The two guards went flying from the force and smashed into a wall with enough force to create fissures on the wall where their bodies had hit.
+5138 EXP
Level up!
Kyros paid no heed to the blue screen which popped into his vision, he turned to stare Henry in the eyes. Henry was suddenly under Kyros¡¯s aura of bloodlust, cold sweat dripped down his spine. ¡°Pl-please spare me!¡± Henry shouted in fear towards Kyros. Kyros continued to stare at him, contemplating in his mind. He was only doing his job, he doesn¡¯t deserve to die just because he went against me¡­ But I can¡¯t afford for him to give anything away about me. Am I really going to kill this man, who hasn¡¯t done anything fitting to deserve it? I already killed those other 3, did they deserve to either? Kyros had killed before, but he did that out of hatred. This was different. Kyros felt no ill feelings towards these men, this would be cold blooded murder. The other three he had done in the heat of the moment, but he had calmed down and was forced to think about it. Henry started to see a glimmer of hope as he saw Kyros was undecided on what to do. He might be terrifying, but he¡¯s just a boy. If I continue to play weak and defenceless, he might succumb and let me go! I swear after this is over I¡¯m going to get a simple job around home and look after my ma, find myself a nice wife ¡­ huh? Henry was broken from reverie when a hand grabbed his face and slid a dagger across his throat. Henry¡¯s body dropped to the ground as he tried to cover his throat with his hands, however, the blood kept pouring out until his eyes grew dim and his hands dropped to his side. He died. Kyros watched the whole ordeal, he understood it was the right decision, but it still left him feeling uncomfortable. ¡°It had to be done boy.¡± Birch stood behind Henry¡¯s listless body, wiping the blood off his dagger with a piece of cloth. ¡°He¡¯s right lad. They may not have deserved it, but we have to do what¡¯s best for us.¡± Gerald stood beside Kyros and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I know. Next time I won¡¯t hesitate.¡± Kyros¡¯s promise was directed at himself. ¡°It¡¯s normal to hesitate the first time lad, it¡¯d be worrying if you didn¡¯t.¡± Gerald said, to which Birch slightly nodded his head in agreement. They seem like good men, or I can trust them for the time being at least. ¡°If you two have nowhere to go, how about joining me?¡± Kyros propositioned. ¡°Hmm¡­ What¡¯s your plan?¡± Gerald asked. ¡°I¡¯m heading towards the Nerva family.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ve actually got connections in that family?¡± Gerald was slightly surprised. ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± Kyros was rather ambiguous about answering, in case they decided not to follow him if they knew he had no living connections now. ¡°Well I have nothing holding me back any longer. Guess I¡¯ll tag along for now.¡± Gerald declared. ¡°You?¡± Kyros now asked Birch. ¡°Something tells me that I should follow you. My instinct has yet to fail me.¡± Birch used a roundabout way of saying he¡¯d follow. ¡°Alright then. First up, do either of you know how to get to the Nerva family?¡± Kyros asked. ¡°Wait. You don¡¯t even know how to get to the Nerva family but you have connections there?¡± Gerald asked, Kyros realised he must look stupid right now. ¡°Essentially, yes. It¡¯s a long story.¡± Kyros responded. ¡°Ah, if you say so lad. Well it¡¯s no guarded secret where the family is situated. Did you want to head now?¡± Gerald was eager to leave sooner, rather then later. ¡°Kyros. My name is Kyros. Also no, first I have something to do.¡± Kyros replied.
¡°Holy shit lad! If what you say is true lad, then we¡¯re rich!¡± Gerald couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise. Even the silent Birch had a glimmer in his eye as he looked around the chamber coated in adamantium ore. ¡°Yeah it¡¯s all adamantium ore. However, I can mine this all but there¡¯s no way we can carry it all between the three of us.¡± Kyros voiced his concern. ¡°Aye. There¡¯s no way we can leave this all here though. Me and Birch will make a trip to closest village and pick up a wagon, and you stay here and mine it.¡± Gerald offered up the option. ¡°How long will that take? I don¡¯t want to hang around here any longer than a few days, lest the Mavis family arrives.¡± Kyros agreed it would be a waste to leave it all, but it wasn¡¯t worth risking being caught again. ¡°It¡¯s a three day round trip lad. Do you think you can mine it all in that time?¡± Kyros pulled out the arm length metal pole he had grabbed before and a sharp piece of adamantium ore. Using a rope he tied the ore to the pole, and made a makeshift pickaxe.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Crafting Beginner 1 15.00%
Determines how well you can craft objects. Higher levels will add bonuses to crafted items.
Crudely Crafted Adamantium Pickaxe
Type: Pickaxe Durability: 100 / 100
Quality: Very Poor
An adamantium pickaxe crafted using the simplest of methods.
¡°Yeah I should be capable to do it, if I use this.¡± Kyros only had been able to use a fist size chunk last time, but with a pickaxe his previous speed wouldn¡¯t even be able to compare with his current speed. ¡°Alright, stay here and lay low alright? We¡¯ll be back as fast as we can.¡± Gerald patted Kyros¡¯s shoulder and Birch gave Kyros a slight nod. Kyros watched them leave, and then turned around and started his work.
Gerald loaded the last of the ore into the wagon, and wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s the last of it. We best be off while we still have a few hours of light.¡± Gerald declared. Kyros gave the broken mountain one last stare. This is it. I¡¯m finally taking my first step into this world. Master, thank you for everything, one day I will find you and thank you in person. Rulf, I promise I will find where you¡¯re kept and free you. James don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get your ring back to your family and make sure they know what happened. Kyros finished his goodbyes to this stage of his life. Turning around he walked into the forest, Birch and Gerald by his side, and the wagon being pulled by two horses behind them.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Mining Grand Master MAX MAX
You have reached the pinnacle of this skill, a grand master. There is no ore or gem under the sun that you cannot mine. +20 to all stats
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 39
Race: High Elf Mana: 680/680
Health: 810/810 Stamina 840/840
Titles: None
Stats
Strength: 99 Intelligence: 41
Agility: 83 Wisdom: 68
Vitality: 81 Dexterity: 30
Stamina: 84 Luck: 30
Perseverance: 39 Unused: 55
Skills List
Grand Master - Mining MAX
Beginner - Crafting 1
Beginner - Bloodlust 6
Disciple - Windsense 5
Disciple - Shadowstep 6
Intermediate - Perception 2
Beginner - Unarmed Mastery 3
Spells List
Class 1 ¨C Fireball 1
Completion of Slave Arc Chapter 21 - Gorilla The pack of wolves surrounded the unsuspecting travellers that had unknowingly entered their territory, not bothering to hide their presence as they were the king in this area of the woods. Although these beasts are named wolves, they made the wolves from Kyros¡¯s old home ¡®Earth¡¯ look like domesticated dogs. They were nearing 1.6m in height and weighed a monstrous amount of 200kgs, all lean muscle that held a terrifying amount of power. ¡°Just 12 of them. These beasts think too little of us.¡± Gerald said as he drew his sword from his waist, eager to battle the wolves. Birch silent as usual, drew an arrow and readied his bow for the upcoming battle. Gerald faced the direction with the most wolves, 5 of them to be exact, and Birch had claimed the direction with 3 of the wolves. That left Kyros to guard the rear, where four of the wolves had stalked up. Kyros hadn¡¯t made a move to draw any weapons, opting to stand calmly as the wolves slowly crept forward. The wolves were creatures of instinct and knew immediately that their prey had suddenly became threats. They bared their fangs and let out vicious growls, saliva dripping from their jaws. The sight was enough to instil fear on any untrained warrior. Unfortunately for the wolves, two of their prey were guards who had faced worse and Kyros had already faced numerous beasts the past week. Gerald who had taken the position of the leader as the group had given Birch the nod, who responded by releasing the arrow he had readied into one of the wolves eyes, killing it instantly. As soon as the arrow was released, the wolves unanimously pounced towards their prey, letting out vicious snarls. Birch easily rolled out of the way, while drawing another arrow mid roll and releasing it into another wolfs throat. Gerald also easily dispatched the wolves, his blade flashing across their bodies and throat. Kyros still hadn¡¯t moved from his position even as the wolves were pouncing on him. Once the four wolves were close enough to his liking, he raised his hand and shot out the fireball that he had readied from the start. The fireball was nearly two times as large as the one he had released in the mines, and far hotter. The fireball which was nearly 2 metres in diameter, shot into the four wolves which had been near each other. The wolves were sent hurdling metres into trees, their bodies alit. They had instantly died.
+2450 EXP
Fireball has levelled up to Class 1 ¨C level 6
Kyros turned around to see if the other two needed a hand, he wasn¡¯t surprised to see the ground littered with wolf carcases, some with arrows protruding and others with long bloody gashes along their bodies. Kyros was positive that he was more powerful than either of his two companions, however, if it came to a fight he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d win. They had one thing over him, experience. He had learned how valuable that was when Kyros had let his guard down against an earlier pack of wolves, only coming out uninjured due to Birch¡¯s arrow hitting the wolf that was about to strike his back. ¡°Ah no matter how many times I see it, it¡¯s still impossible to believe that the Mervis family had a magician working for them as a slave¡­¡± Gerald said after witnessing Kyros¡¯s spell. ¡°I¡¯m not a mage yet¡­ I just learned a few things from master. Anyway, it¡¯s you two who are pulling most the weight.¡± Kyros replied humbly. The way he saw it, yeah he might have a lot of destructive power, but he wasn¡¯t as capable as either of his two companions. ¡°Lad, don¡¯t underestimate your power. Birch and I may be killing more efficiently then you right now, but if we run into a beast that¡¯s hide is too thick, we¡¯d be relying on you.¡± Gerald gave Kyros a pat on the shoulder as he walked past him, finished with what he had to say. ¡°He¡¯s right. Your potential for pure destructive power is¡­ frightening.¡± Birch suddenly said, causing Kyros a slight shock that the usual quiet man spoke. ¡°Yeah I know mages are mighty, I just want to start pulling my weight.¡± This was especially true the first few encounters, where he¡¯d only hand a single beast at a time. Birch didn¡¯t care for his reply though, as he walked off to dissect the wolves and collect loot. Kyros had long gotten use to Birch¡¯s behaviour, in fact he liked it as he wasn¡¯t very talkative himself. Although ever since he had arrived in this new life, Kyros had been starting to open up more and more. Kyros walked over and helped dissect the wolves as well, seeing as though he had nothing else to do. He collected the teeth, fur, and cuts of meat from the wolves. The three of them finished collecting their loot, placing it into the wagon, they got back on their way, while the sun was still up. The three of them would take watches on who had to be on lookout while the other two got to relax in the wagon. It was Gerald¡¯s watch, so Kyros and Birch sat in the back. Birch had closed his eyes immediately and drifted off to sleep, leaving Kyros to his thoughts. Kyros was salting the wolf meat they had just collected and hanging it out, to make jerky. They had passed through so small villages where they had traded meat for spices and salt. Kyros had been disappointed on seeing his first village though, with all the fantasy and magic of this world, he assumed the village would have been exciting. However, all that he saw were men and woman struggling to find food to stay alive, sheltering themselves in wooden and clay houses. He had figured being a slave was the worse it could be, but those villagers didn¡¯t have it much better aside from the freedom. The worse thing was that there was nothing that Kyros could have done about it, how was he going to accommodate 100 people when he himself didn¡¯t even have place to call home. With Gerald¡¯s agreement, the best he could do was leave as much meat as they could, which had brought many tears and a lot of cheers from the villagers. After they had left, Kyros had started to question Gerald on what the kingdoms living conditions were like, having realised that he knew nothing about the kingdom he currently lived in. Gerald loved to talk, so he happily chatted with Kyros about some the details about the kingdom. The kingdom wasn¡¯t that different from what he imagined a kingdom would be. There was a clear set of social classes, ranging from the peasants he had already seen to the nobles who ran the country. He also found out there was a royal family, the Callux family, of which the kingdom was named. However, it was common knowledge they had long been made into figureheads by the 12 great families who truly ran the kingdom. Also he now knows that his located in the far north of the kingdom, and that his destination is in the east. Gerald approximated that it¡¯d take around 2 months of travel until they reached the Nerva family¡¯s main headquarters. However, there were a few large cities that¡¯d they were to stop at during the trip, the first only being a few days away. After finishing off hanging the jerky out, Kyros started the routine he was following the past few days to ease the boredom of travel. First he¡¯d sit on the edge of the wagon, and shoot fireballs off the end, levelling up his skill. Once his mana started to run low and he felt dizzy, he¡¯d shuffle back into the safety of the wagon and mediate. After mediating he¡¯d usually relax by crafting a few arrows using sticks as the shaft, the massive wolf fangs as the head and feathers he collected from birds that Birch had shot down. The crafting wasn¡¯t training but a hobby to him, as he couldn¡¯t spend the whole day training. He felt the process of making the arrows soothed him and made him train even more effectively. Also Birch had started the use the arrows he made. At first, Birch wouldn¡¯t even give them a second glance. But now that his crafting is level 7, the arrows he made had passed Birch¡¯s standard. So he¡¯d repeat this cycle endlessly, even when he was on watch, stopping only when he needed to sleep or eat. At first Birch and Gerald gave him weird looks when they saw him shooting fireballs into the sky. Gerald had finally outright asked him what he was doing, but Kyros just responded by telling them it was mages training, which wasn¡¯t necessarily a lie. It¡¯s wasn¡¯t how normal mages trained, but it was how he trained. The following days were spent training, and dealing with beast encounters along the way. Although the most threatening beasts they came across were the wolves which were also the most common. Kyros enjoyed it though because he could visibly see the effects the training was having on his magic.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
It was Kyros¡¯s turn to be on watch, so he sat on the front of the wagon and continued his training, using his perception skill to keep an eye out for any sign of hostility. He was training more vigorously then usual, because both fireball and crafting mastery had reached level 10 and were getting close to hitting the next stage. He was excited for his crafting, but he was mainly focused on his fireball skill. He wasn¡¯t an idiot, he could guess that when the spell levelled up once more, it¡¯d move up to a class 2 spell. He was excited to see what changes would occur to spell once that happened. As he was mediating, waiting for his mana to replenish, he could hear a faint sound. Focusing a bit more he could make out that someone in the distance was shouting, but he wasn¡¯t able to make out the words. The shout was coming from the direction he was heading, so he stayed at full alert, reading to warn his two companions who were most likely sleeping in the back. ¡°run!¡± Kyros could barely make out the word run. He guessed that there must be someone in trouble in the distance, most likely being attacked by wolves. ¡°Someone, help! Please!¡± This time the shout was audible, Kyros could hear the distress in it. After a few seconds of hesitation, he made his mind up. ¡°Gerald! Birch!¡± He shouted into the back. ¡°What is it?! Are we under attack?¡± Gerald almost instantly rushed out, sword in hand. ¡°No. Someone¡¯s in distress and needs help. I¡¯m going to go see if I can help, can you watch over the wagon?¡± Kyros couldn¡¯t turn a deaf ear to someone¡¯s cries for help. ¡°Ah lad, you can¡¯t be too soft-hearted, sometimes you need to let nature run its course.¡± Gerald tried to dissuade him. Gerald was an ex guard leader, he was use to making tough decisions. ¡°I know you¡¯re right. Logically it makes sense not to. However, something tells me I have to.¡± Kyros not wanting to be dissuaded, runs off In the direction of the cries for help. *sigh* ¡°You better follow him.¡± Gerald said with a sigh. ¡°I know.¡± Birch had already intended to, however, he followed at a distance. He had his own intentions rather than going to help some random people. Kyros had no clue that he was being followed, he thought he was alone. If he had used his perception skill, he¡¯d be able to find Birch, however, he was in too much of a rush and forgot to use it to check his surroundings. The cries were getting louder and louder, until Kyros could see the origin of the shouts. Ahead of him was a massive clearing in the forest, dozens of trees had been snapped at the base and fallen over. Following the shouts, he could see a young man in his twenties dressed in a thick leather armour. Beside him was a female who matched him in age, she wore a similar armour but obviously made for a females figure as it accounted for certain body proportions. Cuts and abrasions covered their body where the armour didn¡¯t protect, they had looks of absolute terror on their faces as they ran in Kyros¡¯s direction. Behind them, was a massive gorilla which seemed to have been made from stone, the cause for the surrounding destruction. It stood a massive 6m tall and would easily weigh over 2ton. Kyros couldn¡¯t help but be fascinated with the creature. How can something made of stone be alive? Although Kyros didn¡¯t have the time to ponder on an answer, because the two had seen Kyros and started to run towards him. ¡°You have to run!¡± The young man shouted towards Kyros, seeming to worry for his safety. The girl beside him just ran with tears in her eyes, unable to shout anything coherent. Noticing Kyros hadn¡¯t started running, the young man bit his lip and resolved himself. ¡°Please friend. Take her with you and run. I¡¯ll hold it back. Now go!¡± He held his sword as he faced the massive oncoming stone gorilla, although Kyros could see the mans hands were shaking in terror. ¡°No! I won¡¯t leave you!¡± The girl latched onto the mans arm, refusing to be shacked off. ¡°Damnit Jean, we don¡¯t have time for this!¡± He shouted in anger, but there was also a sense of relief to his voice, happy that she hadn¡¯t just ran off not caring about him. The girl, Jean, went to retort when a bright light suddenly flashed over her head, bringing a great wave of heat with it. ¡°Wha¡­t?¡± The man confusedly said as he witnessed the ball of fire crash into the stone gorilla in the distance. However, the gorilla just let out a roar filled with rage as it shook off the fireball and started to charge faster. The man realising what¡¯s going on quickly turned to Kyros. ¡°You¡¯re a mage! Quick, use another element apart from fire! The stone has high resistance to the fire!¡± The man shouted towards Kyros. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s the only spell I know.¡± Kyros said, somewhat awkwardly. The man and female just looked at Kyros in amazement. It wasn¡¯t unusual for a magician to only have one element affinity, but they¡¯d have multiple spells. Kyros could see the hint of disappointment in their eyes, and couldn¡¯t blame them. He had given them a sense of hope to only rip it away in front of them. Of course they¡¯d be disappointed. ¡°You two, start running. I might not be able to kill it, but I can hold it back for a while.¡± Kyros figured he should at least be able to draw the gorillas attention. Not waiting around to hear those two protest, he started to circle around the gorilla. The gorilla had immediately forgotten about the other two, and chased Kyros, knowing it was him that had shot the fireball at it. Kyros continued to circle around it, dodging its strikes and reply with a fireball towards it. He was anxious at first, but realised the beast was terrifyingly powerful, but also really slow. Kyros had already made sure the man and girl had left, so he figured he¡¯d distract it for a little bit longer to give them time to run, and then he¡¯d leave. So for the next couple of minutes, Kyros would dodge the gorillas strike, cast a fireball and then run around the beast, doing it all over again. He started to relax, why would he fear something that couldn¡¯t hit him? A few more fireball strikes and he finally decided that was enough time for those two to run. He was starting to get tired from the lack of mana, so he cast one last fireball and turned to leave. However, when he dodged he was met with a giant rock fist this time. The gorilla was a slow beast, but even it would learn if given enough time, which Kyros had generously done. -380hp Kyros was sent flying, smashing through a tree trunk, causing the tree to collapse almost on top of him. -260hp Luckily the tree had missed him narrowly, but he was still in a terrible state. Kyros coughed up bloody, the cough causing agony in his body. He could tell a few of his ribs were broken, and most likely suffering from internal bleeding. Fuck, I got careless. Such a stupid mistake! Kyros berated himself. He could feel the tremors in the ground as the stone gorilla neared towards him. Shit! I refuse to die to some fucking stone for brain ape! Kyros angrily resolved himself. Crawling up to a tree stump, he pulled himself up and leaned against the stump, groaning in agony. He looked up at the gorilla which was angrily charging towards him. The strike had sent Kyros tumbling over 100 metres, so the gorilla was still a little way off. Kyros aimed and shot most likely his last fireball, as his mana was too low at this point. The fireball flew off and resulted in the same as every other fireball, the beast just shook off, growing angrier.
Congratulations! Fireball hasreached max level!
The class 2 spell Firebolt has been created using your vast knowledge of Fireball as the base.
Skill Name: Skill Rank: Skill Level: Skill Experience:
Firebolt Class 2 1 00.00%
The evolved version of the class 1 spell, Fireball. Compacting the size of Fireball into a smaller bolt while using more power, has created a vastly hotter and more destructive spell.
Fuck, why couldn¡¯t this have happened earlier! Kyros didn¡¯t have the luxury of being happy about his new skill. Kyros opened his status screen to see what he was working with.
Status Screen
Name: Kyros Level: 40
Race: High Elf Mana: 32/930
Health: 370/810 Stamina 3400/840
Titles: None
Fuck! That¡¯s not enough to even cast a fireball! Fuck! This stupid fucking gorilla, I swear after this I will slaughter your kind on sight! Kyros decided to make a last ditch plan. He closed his eyes and focused on everything he had, hopefully making this 32 mana worth something. He felt the mana rush towards his hand as he chanted the spell in his mind, he felt his body go weak, barely holding on. However, he ignored it and continued to draw more mana, making sure he had done everything he could have after this was over. Barely able to stand, Kyros decided he had drawn everything he possibly could. He felt the vast amount of power in his hand, he finished his chant and he released. Faintly opening his eyes, his eyes could barely follow the bolt of fire that shot out and through the gorilla. The bolt had burned a 1m diameter hole in the middle of the gorilla. The gorilla was launched off its feet by the power of the collision, sending it onto its back, where it¡¯d never move from again.
Overdrawn mana! Proceeding into unconscious state.
Kyros had failed to see that far ahead though, he had already passed out. Chapter 22 - Ranking System Shortly after Kyros had fainted due to the excess of mana consumption, Birch flew down from the trees to land beside his body. Birch had watched the entirety of the fight. While he¡¯d be hard pressed to defeat the gorilla, it¡¯d be simple for him to grab Kyros and escape. So, he had opted to stay in the shadows and watch Kyros battle. Near the end, he had been ready to swoop down and pick up Kyros. However, he was stunned when Kyros had suddenly released a spell that he could only assume was class 2, maybe even 3 spell. Birch couldn¡¯t figure out why he would wait so long to use such a strong spell. I felt something special about him from the beginning, but now he suddenly used a class 2 spell. There¡¯s definitely something up with him. Maybe, just maybe if I continue to follow him, I might have a chance. Birch thought to himself, as he scooped up Kyros¡¯s body and flashed off into the distance.
Kyros awoke to the wind rustling his hair. He was slung over a man¡¯s shoulder, judging by the frame he could deduce it was Birch, as Gerald had a much wider back. His surroundings were just a blur, Kyros was surprised at how fast they were travelling. He had assumed Birch would be fast as he seemed to have been working as a scout under the Mavis family. However, this current speed surpassed what Kyros had initially expected. Kyros would be hard pressed to move this faster using his shadow step. ¡°Ah, Birch?¡± Kyros wanted to alert Birch that he was awake. ¡­ Birch ignored him. Did he just ignore me? ¡°Birch! Let me down!¡± Kyros shouted this time, wiping away any possibility that Birch just couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°You¡¯re too weak. Slow. This is faster.¡± Birch¡¯s deep voice sounded out, as his speed didn¡¯t slow down a bit. This bastard! Who¡¯s weak! Kyros struggled to free himself, yet, Birch¡¯s ironclad grip held onto his body. Kyros continued to wiggle around, seeking freedom. But no matter how hard he struggled, Birch continued to keep his grip on him.
¡°Damnit let go of me, Birch! I¡¯m warning you!¡± Kyros¡¯s voice could be heard in the distance. ¡°Hahaha, this is them here.¡± Gerald laughed as he spoke to the young man and woman who had run into him as they were escaping. Jean and Ethan were nervous, as they didn¡¯t know the intentions of this purportedly friendly man. They weren¡¯t fools, they knew there were all sorts of characters that could be found around here. The man had told them to wait around with him as he waited for his companions to return. Ethan was weary, as he kept his hand near the hilt of his sword. He was ready to buy as much time as he could, so Jean would have a chance at escape. Damnit, this was only supposed to be an F rank quest. First, we ran into that crazy ape and now this! Ethan cursed internally. Birch could be spotted in the distance of where the earlier shout came from, moving at a blinding speed. Who the fuck are these guys? Would I even be able to hold them off for a minute? Ethan could only hope they were friendly, as he knew he¡¯d be helpless against them. Birch who had been running in the distance had finally slowed down as he reached them. Ethan was surprised to see another person slung over the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let go of me, Birch! Argh!¡± Kyros used all his strength to push himself off Birch but was shocked as Birch released his grip. Kyros fell off and landed on the ground with a thud. Kyros looked up to see Birch smirking down at him, uncharacteristic of his normally expressionless face. ¡°Bastard did that on purpose.¡± Kyros grumbled to himself as he picked himself up and cleared the dirt off himself. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s you¡± Jean suddenly yelled out from beside Ethan. Ethan had also been surprised to realise it was the young mage who had helped them. ¡°My name¡¯s Kyros, not you.¡± Kyros was in a bit of a foul mood due to Birch man handling him. ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Jean looked down, she didn¡¯t mean to upset her saviour. Kyros stared at the downcast Jean and felt a bit guilty. What¡¯s wrong with me? Since when did I care about other peoples feelings? Kyros sighed after concluding his thought. ¡°Forget it, how were you supposed to know.¡± Kyros said, causing Jean to look up with a smile as if she was never upset in the first place. Did she just play me? ¡°You¡¯re looking a bit wobbly at the knees lad¡± Gerald interrupted. ¡°Oh. Yeah, used a bit too much mana.¡± Kyros said nonchalantly.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Mana?¡± Gerald had a look of confusion, as did the others. Oh yeah, they wouldn¡¯t know what mana is. ¡°Magic. I used too much of my power.¡± Kyros clarified. ¡°Ohhh right, makes sense. Must have been a tough beast.¡± Gerald said. ¡°Yeah, after all those wolves I was disappointed in how weak the beasts were. But this one took my all to kill.¡± Kyros had pictured deadly dragons or hordes of goblins when he was first warned of the beasts in the forest. But the most dangerous thing he had fought was the pack of wolves. ¡°Wait! You killed it!?¡± Jean and Ethan shouted in unison. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah.¡± Kyros was caught by surprise by the sudden shout. ¡°Really?!¡± Ethan asked for confirmation. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyros grew a little annoyed he was being doubted. ¡°Ah, I meant no offence. It¡¯s just a little unbelievable. The stone gorilla is a C- beast.¡± Ethan said, a look of amazement in his eyes. ¡°Oh, a stone gorilla! Good on you lad.¡± Gerald also looked a little surprised, only Birch didn¡¯t seem to care as he drifted into the background. ¡°Umm C-? What¡¯s that?¡± Kyros asked. He suspected it must be a grading of beasts but the only way he would know was if he asked. Everyone looked at Kyros in amazement yet again, even Birch lifted an eyebrow, which was a big deal for him. ¡°Lad, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know about the Adventurer¡¯s guild?¡± Gerald questioned. ¡°Um¡­ Should I?¡± ¡°How can you not?! It¡¯s the Adventurer¡¯s guild!¡± Gerald shouted in wonder. Everyone else looked a little taken back. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really from around here.¡± Kyros made an excuse. ¡°Where are you from? The guild covers pretty much all of the World!¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like the Mage¡¯s guild?¡± Kyros linked the two. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of the Mage¡¯s guild but not the Adventurer¡¯s¡­ Just what in the world. Lad, the Adventure¡¯s guild is arguably the strongest faction in this world. The Mage¡¯s guild is terrifyingly powerful, but there¡¯s no comparison to the Adventurer¡¯s guild. Why do you think that is?¡± Gerald fell into a full-blown lecture. ¡°Um¡­ the Mage¡¯s guild is a part of the Adventurer¡¯s guild?¡± Kyros assumed something like that would make sense. ¡°Close, but not quite. The Mage¡¯s guild isn¡¯t a part of the Adventurer¡¯s guild, but it¡¯s members double up as adventurers and mages.¡± Gerald corrected. ¡°Oh, that makes sense. Does that mean all of you are adventurers?¡± Kyros was quite excited. He was similarly excited when he heard of the Mage¡¯s Guild. It¡¯s what he expected from a fantasy world. ¡°Of course, Birch and I are both C ranked.¡± Gerald declared with a hint of smugness to his face. Kyros turned to Ethan and Jean, gesturing for them to state theirs. ¡°Oh¡­ yeah. Jean and I are both F ranked.¡± Ethan was a bit surprised to find out that those two men were C ranked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all low ranked?¡± Kyros had yet to grasp social queues, so he just spoke what he thought. He didn¡¯t know the details of the ranking system, but it didn¡¯t take a genius to know a C rank would be far below an A rank. ¡°Low?! Those two are C ranked!¡± Ethan couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise, he couldn¡¯t believe that the guy in front of him who seemed around his own age was saying C rank was low. ¡°Oh. That''s not low?¡± Kyros scratched the back of his head as he asked. ¡°C ranked is quite respectable. Those two could find work pretty much anywhere.¡± This time it was Jean who voiced up. Kyros turned to look at Birch and Gerald, a little confusion in his eyes. ¡°If you two are so impressive, why were you guards?¡± Kyros had always assumed being a guard was kind of like being a slave with just more freedom. ¡°Oi, you brat. We weren¡¯t just some guards. We were guards employed under the great Mavis family.¡± Gerald reprimanded, dissatisfied that he was being looked down upon. Kyros noticed that both Ethan and Jean were shocked when they heard that. Seems like my initial impression on the Mavis family was wrong. If just their guards are this prestigious, then the family itself must be even more powerful than I thought. This will make things tough. ¡°Alright, I apologise. I¡¯m still unfamiliar with these rankings. Do you mind explaining them?¡± Kyros was intrigued by the rankings. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t know any of this¡­ First up, the ranking system used by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is the main method the world uses to classify power levels. It ranges from G all the way up to triple S.¡± Gerald explained. ¡°Oh. So what level would the wolves be ranked at?¡± Kyros interrupted the explanation. ¡°Wolves are only G ranked beasts, but when the pack together they rise to an F rank danger.¡± ¡°So, the both of you would be able to hold your own against a pack of wolves?¡± Kyros asked Ethan and Jane this time. ¡°Um, by ourselves it would be tough. Together it would be pretty simple though.¡± Ethan responded for Jean as well. ¡°Wait, so then what rank is that old servant who followed the Mavis master around?¡± Kyros suddenly asked, remembering who his target was. ¡°¡­ Oh, you must mean Giles. He¡¯s a B ranker, pretty strong for a B rank as well.¡± Gerald responded. ¡°What! Only B ranked? I thought he¡¯d be at least A rank.¡± Kyros was quite surprised by this, he figured Giles would have been in the upper echelon of strength. ¡°Lad, don¡¯t be underestimating a B ranker. Most people won¡¯t even reach C rank on their road for power. As for an A ranker? It¡¯d be around 1 in 500¡¯000 adventurers might reach that level. A rankers are the top of society and would be welcomed by any kingdom.¡± Kyros could hear the respect in Gerald¡¯s voice as he spoke of an A ranker. ¡°Wait then what about the S ranks?¡± If an A ranker was so amazing than the S ranks must be something else. ¡°The S ranks? Lad, there¡¯s no chance of reaching that level. You know what makes a great family great? Each one has an S rank within the family. As for an SS rank, well that¡¯s another world entirely. Having an SS rank is what turns a power into a superpower, in fact, our kingdom doesn¡¯t even have one. The closest one would be the Pope of the Holy Athearan Empire.¡± Wow, never realised there would be such a vast difference between ranks. I wonder what that would make Lilith? I¡¯d guess somewhere around S or SS. These guys would probably freak if they knew I helped such a strong being escape. I wonder what she¡¯s up to these days now that she''s free. Wait, he didn¡¯t mention the SSS rank. ¡°You forgot the SSS rank.¡± Kyros reminded. Everyone¡¯s expressions went dark at the mention of the SSS rank. ¡°Lad, that rank is used to classify beings of such strength that they hold the fate of the world in their palm. Whenever these beings have been sighted, disaster always follows. The dragon god Vakuik is such a being.¡± Gerald described with a pained look. Kyros didn¡¯t continue his line of questioning even though he had more to ask, he could tell no one was up for talking. He could tell there was more to it, but Gerald nor the others seemed to be up for talking. The only one who seemed normal was Birch, but he wouldn¡¯t talk willingly in the first place. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re only 2 days travel from the city.¡± Gerald slapped the backside of one of the horses, to which it started pulling the wagon forward. Kyros stood still as watched the others head off. Hmm to think there''s an Adventurer''s Guild as well. It would be beneficial if I actually joined them. There''s no saying the Nerva family will accept me just because I knew James, but if I held a high rank, well then that might bring some merit to my name. Kyros set off after them, his mind made up to join both the Adventurer''s and Mage''s guild.