《Blood Berserker - [ A Litrpg Apocalypse]》 1 - 1. Five more minutes. Anddd swing, rotate to the left and then to the right, and thennnn swing again. Nathan sighed as he swung the cutout sign again, pretending it was a sword instead. The corner he''d been assigned to had started to become deserted. The streets were almost empty, and most of the shops around him had closed for the night. Nathan mindlessly rotated the sign again, the act so repetitive that he could execute the steps with so much flourish without even thinking about it. He didn''t need to; he''d done it so many times within the last six months of leaving High School and getting this dead-end job that he could pull it off with his eyes closed. He swung again, making another arc. The chilly breeze of the night comforted him bringing with it the knowledge that it was almost time to return the sign and get the sleep his body so desperately craved; heck, half of the reason he wasn''t cursing right about now was the fact that he''d get time off tomorrow. Which was fan-fucking-tastic, to put it mildly. He spun the sign with both hands even as his eyes glanced around the area nervously. He wasn''t expecting trouble, but that didn''t mean he shouldn''t be alert at this time of the night. brrr brrr Nathan smiled for the first time in hours ¡ª his shift was over. He pulled out his phone, which was still vibrating and couldn''t help but grin triumphantly as he saw the alarm interface on his screen. He turned it off. He''d gotten through today without any issues, which was a lot better than he would''ve hoped as it barely ever happened. It was almost as if the universe was giving him a day off to just... work, without the bullshit. Dropping the phone back in his pocket, he gripped the sign with both hands and then spun, going through the different sword forms he''d seen in the video games he played on his off days as he planned to do tomorrow. Left slash, right slash, upward slash... the whole shebang. Nathan went through the whole thing with a maniacal grin across his face. The boyish joy he got from such actions couldn''t easily be explained, and Nate probably couldn''t even if he tried. Unfortunately, though, all good things come to an end, and this was one of those times. Tucking the sign between his arms, he made his way down the street toward Mr. Wong''s shop. The man who had so graciously offered him the gig even though he could just put up ads like everyone else. Nathan himself wouldn''t complain though, seeing as that was his source of income. He looked around as he finally made his way out back to the Snorting Dragon, Mr. Wong''s fine establishment. A quick check confirmed that his bike was still chained out back, and he let out a sigh he didn''t know he''d held back. Losing the bike would hurt him ¡ª financially, that is. He walked in through the back door; no doubt Mr. Wong was somewhere doing something. The man was so often the first to arrive at the restaurant ¡ª even though he had five other workers ¡ª and the last to leave. "What you staring at?" a male voice called from within the restaurant. Nathan let out a soft chuckle as he let the door close while heading to where the sound came from. Mr. Wong stood over a table, furiously cleaning it with a rag even though Nathan could tell it was clean already; no doubt one of the other workers had already cleaned it, but Mr. Wong always preferred things extra neat. "Why you put my sign in your armpit, Nathan?" Mr. Wong said, not even looking up from the table. "We discuss and you agree stop." Shit. Nathan almost facepalmed. Of course, Nathan knew he''d been forgetting something when he stepped in but just waved it away to him being tired from the day''s work. "I apologize, Mr. Wong," Nathan said with a grimace, his five-nine frame and broad shoulders sagging as he waited for the rebuttal. "He apologizes," Mr. Wong said as he dropped the rag to look up at Nathan, making him flinch. "Apologies won''t buy me a new sign. I deduct two dollars from your today fee and will continue till you learn good manners." The thin man said while repeatedly making a pointing motion at Nathan. Nate winced at the deduction, which had messed up his pre-calculated profit and expenditure sheet back home, but he couldn''t fault the man. After all, this was like the seventh or eighth time he''d been warned. "My bad, I promise there''ll be no next time," Nathan said sincerely, receiving a snort at his response before the Asian man went back to cleaning his table. "Well, what are you waiting for? Drop the sign, get your things, and leave my restaurant," Mr. Wong said. "Your money is under the takeout bag in the kitchen; leave two dollars when you take it." Then the man fell silent. Nathan knew better than to waste his time apologizing to Mr. Wong; the man had heard him, fined him, and all was forgotten unless Nathan repeated the misconduct. Making his way into the kitchen, he dropped the cutout behind the door while making his way towards the paper bag that contained his takeout and meal of the night, courtesy of Mr. Wong''s generosity. He made sure all his staff left with food at the end of the day, and Nathan wouldn''t argue with that.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. More important was the cash that was wedged underneath the paper bag; he could see greens sticking out. He raised the bag, took out the cash, and counted. A hundred and five dollars at seven-fifty an hour, fourteen hours a day. Not bad. The cash was a combination of different denominations, so it wasn''t hard for him to pull out two ones and drop them on the counter. Nathan left the kitchen and started to head out back, taking his backpack from behind the kitchen door where he usually dropped it. He said his goodbyes to Mr. Wong, the thin man responding with a barely audible huff. Nathan sighed as he stepped out the door, the chilly air caressing him as he stepped out. He shivered a little before taking his hoodie out of the backpack and wearing it over his Liverpool jersey. Nathan rubbed his fingers together and blew hot air on them; it was almost winter. He unchained his bike before taking off, pedaling as if his life depended on it, but in reality, he just wanted to get home as fast as possible as every second he could sleep counted. He wanted to be as fresh as possible tomorrow so that he could spend the day gaming, just him and his online friends¡ªor well, friend if you wanted to be technical. Deucalion was the closest he had to a friend since leaving high school. His eyes scanned the empty streets as he made his way downtown; like he always told himself, he wasn''t expecting trouble, but it was always better to be prepared if it did come. A few cars sped by, no doubt up to no good at this time of the night. Probably a group of adults on their way to make mistakes that they''d regret by morning. Nathan followed the twists and turns till he finally made it to his apartment complex. A few druggies hung around the run-down place, but Nathan couldn''t care less; their kind usually left him and other people alone, and as far as that remained the case, Nathan didn''t care what they did. He got off the bike as he made his way towards the stairs, bike in hand. Some of the crackheads were sleeping, while others were milling about looking lifeless, no doubt their latest intake of whatever drugs they preferred was currently in their bloodstream. Nathan would''ve laughed at their pitiful state if not for the fact that his situation wasn''t looking that good either, and if he didn''t find a way out of this hell hole, that could be him with a seventeen-year-old teenager¡ªwell, eighteen tomorrow¡ªdisgusted by him. Just as Nathan was about to sigh, two hands gripped his shoulders, and a very, very disturbing face met his; a deranged-looking man''s face occupied around eighty percent of Nate''s vision, and before he could do anything to remedy the situation, the deranged-looking man shook him vigorously. "They''re coming... They''re commminggg!!!" the deranged-looking man screamed while looking at Nathan. "The stars speak to me; they are coming for us allll... pick yes!! Pick yessss when they come, or elseee!!!!" Yep, I definitely need to find another apartment. Nathan didn''t even need to do anything as the mad-looking druggie let him go, turning away as he continued to mutter things that were sounding incoherent to Nathan. Although he could pick out a few things like ''Ra'', ''crimson'', ''apocalypse''. Nathan barely paid the man any heed as he shook his head while heading upstairs towards his apartment. The government really needed to do something about the drug problem. He pulled out his keys as he fiddled with the locks, the interaction with the druggie leaving him shaken in a way that he couldn''t quite place. Half of his mind felt like there was something to be understood by what the druggie was saying. The other half was wondering what he was going to do first when he got into his apartment¡ªeat or sleep first. The door finally let out a soft click, and he entered the room, dragging his bike in. Careful not to bump his leg against anything in the dark room, he made his way to his light switch and flipped it. The fluorescent light covered the room instantly, lighting up the place. Nathan ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the mess he called an apartment. Not letting the image settle in his mind, he picked up his bike and used it to wedge the door¡ªhis little way of trying to prevent unwanted visitors at night or to at least alert him when he did get one. He picked up his backpack and his takeout and made his way to his couch, which also served as his bed, depending on the time of the day. Dropping the bag, he made his way to the bathroom, carefully skipping over the clothes and other items strewn across the floor in his small room. He eased himself in, washed his hands, and took out a soda from his mini-fridge before heading back to the dining area, which was also his gaming area, which was also his sleeping area¡ªbut it was his, and that was all that mattered. Opening up the takeout, he wasn''t disappointed by the aroma coming out of the bag. It was Chinese, not surprising really, but Nate loved to keep his mind ticking like that. He pulled out his phone and watched the last highlights of his team''s last match. As usual, they won and dominated the game too. Nathan would''ve loved to be a football player, but life had other plans. He couldn''t even remember the last time he''d been on a football pitch. The adrenaline from scoring goals as a striker was incomparable. The dribbles, the flicks, the showboating¡ªall the things that made his mind come alive. Unfortunately, all things had to come to an end. Soon enough, he was done with food and also the highlight. He glanced at his phone percent¡ª12%. Shit. He sluggishly stood up from the couch and plugged it in, making sure it was charging before making his way back to the couch. Too tired to pull off his clothes or do anything else, he laid down on the couch and fell asleep within minutes. Nathan had barely slept for a couple of minutes when he felt like the whole room seemed to be shaking, but he couldn''t be bothered to wake up. Instead, he turned on his side, tired to the core. When the rumbling persisted, Nathan grudgingly opened his eyes, ready to stand up and check what was happening when he had the craziest experience of his life. "Huh," Nathan said as a blue screen appeared before him, words already starting to arrange themselves. Successfully Identified the world. World 2737, also known as Earth, will begin Integration into Ra''ahal. Terraforming... Nathan was still struggling to comprehend what was going on when the words seemed to rearrange themselves, some letters disappearing altogether. A new message replaced the old one. Terraforming complete. Would you like to take part in the tutorial? Tutorial, Terraforming, Ra''ahal? What did any of these things mean? Had Mr. Wong slipped some drugs into the takeout, or had the druggie stealthily injected him with something during their brief interaction? What the fuck was going on? Nathan couldn''t fathom it. He tried to touch the blue screen, but his finger went through, touching the couch¡¯s backrest. I must be tripping. He glanced at the screen again. Terraforming complete. Would you like to take part in the tutorial? That was when Nathan realized that the rumbling had stopped, and he could finally go back to sleep. "Tutorial pfft, no thank you," Nathan said as he prepared to get back to sleep. Tutorial declined Transporting candidate to a ready incursion zone. Wait Whattt? 1 - 2. K o K. Nathan barely had time to curse before a bright white light enveloped him, light so bright that he closed his eyes for fear of being blinded. When the glare from the light seemed to disappear from his closed eyelids, Nathan opened an eye to peek. The area seemed clear, and his body felt little protrusions poking at it. Looking at his side, Nathan realized that he was on the floor. Not the familiar floor of his room¡ªnope, he was on bare soil. In the middle of fucking nowhere. He pushed himself off the ground, a little disoriented from whatever had just happened. "Fuck!" Nathan said as he finally got to his feet. He was still dressed in his hoodie and jeans from earlier. His clothes were covered in dirt, which was just fantastic. He looked up and could barely see the sky from where he was standing; the little bit that he did manage to see didn''t look quite right to him. The sky was purple, not purple as in a little shade of purple. Nope, the entire thing was a bright purple, which was weird because Nathan could''ve sworn that he went to sleep seeing a blue sky. Glancing around where he stood, Nathan came to two conclusions: either he''d unlocked another level of the sleep realm because of how tired he was, or he''d been drugged somehow. Shit! He already had his day off planned, and now he was probably going to spend the rest of it high as a kite and out of his mind. Turning to take in the situation, he took a cautious step forward, the purple sky barely illuminating the forest he was in. The tree¡¯s way too tall and wide to allow much light in any way. Plus, there wasn''t anything in the sky¡ªno moon, no sun, nothing. Just an endless bright purple sky. His sneakers squeaked as he stepped into what felt like shit, but with the poor lighting conditions, Nathan could barely tell what it was, and he really didn''t want to know. "Great, that''s going to cost me a few dollars to replace," Nathan said as he slowly pulled his leg out of the muck, making sure to shake off as much of it as he could. Now what? Nathan barely had a second more to drum up another thought before a blue screen popped up in his face. Ra''ahal welcomes the planet and all its inhabitants into its folds. Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 7 Days Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 7 Days Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 7 Days Strongholds: 0 Huh? What did any of these things even mean? Planet grade? Populating world? Dungeons? Monsters? Strongholds?... Tutorial he could guess. It had to be that little annoying introductory thing that happened anytime he started a new game. He always skipped those anytime he could. Pfft, who needs a tutorial? After all, tutorials were for noobs. Looking around, Nathan wasn''t so sure that he''d made the right choice, but he''d rather have more time to sleep than have what was probably going to be a lecture. Seven days huh. Might as well catch some z''s. Nathan highly doubted that this was anything serious. A good night''s sleep and he''d wake up from this... whatever this was anyway probably fresh and ready to enjoy his day off. Another thought crossed his mind, maybe he was just hallucinating from all the standing he''d had to do all day, spinning that freaking sign under the sun. Yesss, the sun must''ve done something to his brain. Nathan wasn''t buying the fact that this crap could be real. There had to be an explanation, but he was probably too tired to come to the right conclusion. Just as he was contemplating finding a place to sleep, the letters started rearranging themselves, and Nathan let out an unconscious groan. Congratulations Nathan Orion! You are one out of the 2,734,125 humans who decided to skip the tutorial. For such an act of bravery, you all have earned the very first imprint - Balls of Steel. Balls of steel - grants holders +5% courage. Would you look at that¡ªan imprint. It didn''t take Nathan long to put two and two together. He''d played a lot of RPG games, and shit like this was as common as they get. The way the thing or floating board had phrased it made it seem like he and almost three million other people had just done the stupidest thing imaginable.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. What was up with all this typing? What if he couldn''t read? Heck, his eyes hurt from looking at the freaking screen at this point. "Hello, can you speak?" Nathan said, hating himself for even bothering to participate in this charade. No answer, so typical. Nate had no idea why he''d bothered, it was foolish of him to expect something else. What to do now? Nathan turned back to face the patch of grass he''d found himself on. No point trying to find a way through the forest at this time; the entire place was barely lit as it was. He didn''t even have his phone with him, so no phone calls or videos for him to binge¡ªfantastic. He just hoped whoever was in charge of this cruel joke would let him go once they figured out that he wasn''t interested, and if he''d just been drugged somehow, then he hoped it''d wear off once he got some sleep. Glancing around cautiously, he saw what looked like a pair of eyes¡ªentirely red eyes, no pupils or anything¡ªfrom a ways away from where he was standing. Straining his eyes to confirm he wasn''t hallucinating, the two orbs of red seemingly disappeared. Nathan ran a hand over his eyes and pinched his nose. Not only was he probably trapped in the middle of nowhere, but he was also seeing things in what was probably the dead of night. With a sigh, he sat on the dirt, his hands groping around as he sought something to defend himself with in case he actually saw something. He found a loose stone, more like a mini rock. What was he even saying? Stones were rocks, and rocks were stones. Anyway, he had gotten something to defend himself with, no matter how cave-manly it made him seem. With that settled, he laid down properly, left hand clutching the rock tightly, shoulders tensed, mind alert. He definitely wouldn''t be going down without a fight, that was for sure. Nathan closed his eyes to complete the illusion that he was really asleep. If anything had been watching him, it''d probably show itself soon, and if nothing was, he''d eventually fall asleep¡ªso a win-win situation. Turns out he didn''t have to wait too long to find out if he was right, even though he''d been hoping and praying that he was wrong. He felt something tug at his sneakers, but he remained calm and maintained the illusion that he was asleep, barely. Just as fast as the pressure was applied on his sneakers, it stopped. Confusion flashed throughout Nathan''s facial features. Before he could stop himself, he opened his eyes to the sight of the most hideous thing he''d ever seen. A pair of red eyes were inches from his; an ugly looking... thing, was staring back at him. Its mouth was so close he could smell its rancid breath, its fangs peeking from underneath. Nathan didn''t know when he let out a scream... "Ahhhhhh! Ahh, get away from me!" Nathan screamed as he used the rock he had hidden to hit the thing''s head. It screeched as the rock impacted its head, jumping back with a hiss. It continued to back away before it stopped, staring at Nathan as though it was considering its options. A blue screen appeared overhead the thing. Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 1 The thing that almost kissed him was an imp. Ughh. Talk about disgusting¡ªit had red leathery-looking skin with fangs, and now that he looked at it clearly, it also had claws on its four fingers. Bat-like wings at its back, and to cap it off, a face only its mother could love. The text rearranged itself, and Nate was left looking at a message that sent chills down his spine. In simple words, the ways of Ra''ahal are easy. Kill or be killed. Shit! That wasn''t ominous at all. The imp seemed to sense his fear as its face stretched to what was probably its own version of a grin but just looked to Nathan as though the already ugly thing was constipated. It let out a loud screech, forcing Nathan to cover his ears at the pitch of the screech. He had no idea why the little shit had just done that, and he had no time to contemplate it as the imp started inching towards him. Nathan had never gotten on his feet as fast as he did at that moment, making sure to increase the distance between them, distance that the imp was steadily eating up. "Stay back!" Nathan said, holding out the rock towards the advancing imp. The words seemed to have the opposite effect than intended as the imp let out a lower-pitched screech and started rushing towards Nathan, no doubt interpreting his words as a threat. Nathan tried to put on a brave face but couldn''t help but wince at the fact that he could really lose his life to an imp... a level one imp to be specific. He''d never been the one to use his environment in the games he played online. Nope, he usually rushed and overwhelmed whatever and whoever he was fighting against with raw strength. Considering the size difference between him and the imp that looked the size of the average monkey, he didn''t see why he couldn''t use his favored tactics. Without giving a chance to his doubts and rational mind to stop him, he rushed at the imp with the rock overhead. "Arghhhhhhh!" Nathan screamed as he attacked, his pathetic war cry echoing in the awfully silent forest. The pair met mid-rush, the sneaky imp going underneath his exposed legs and climbing on Nathan''s back. Nathan, unable to stop himself mid-stride, received a slash at the back for his stupidity. He tried to shake the imp off, but the damned thing clung on for life, one clawed hand digging into his shoulder while the other slashed at another part of his back, a white-hot pain blooming from that side. Knowing that he couldn''t use the rock, he let the thing drop to the ground. Using his now free hands, he dragged the infernal imp. The sneaky bastard dug its claws into Nathan''s back for leverage, but Nate wasn''t having it. He pulled it off, gritting his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain that exploded from his back as the imp tore at his flesh, trying to hold on. Unfortunately for the damned thing, it was no match for a pissed-off and determined Nathan, who threw it over his shoulder with so much force that he himself fell face-first to the floor. Crack. Nathan didn''t feel anything at the moment, the adrenaline pumping in his veins numbing the pain that should''ve been wracking him by now. He jumped to his feet; the imp lay on the floor, probably still dazed, one of its legs seemed to be at an unnatural angle, but Nathan didn''t know what was natural and unnatural at this point. What he did know was that the system or whatever it was, had said kill or be killed, and this imp was about to get the raw end of the deal. He searched for the rock with the eyes of a madman, his chest heaving. It took a couple of heartbeats but he finally spotted the discarded rock, it lay just beside the imp. The pair of them seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time as both Nathan and the imp dove for it. Not waiting to find proper purchase on it, Nathan raised it and slammed it on the imp''s head without a whiff of hesitation blood splattering across his arms. He picked it up rock and did it again, and then again and over and over. He only stopped once a blue screen enveloped his field of vision, and for the first time since interacting with one, he heard a cold and detached voice echo the very words on the screen in his head. Congratulations on your very first kill Welcome to the Crimson Apocalypse 1 - 3. Archetype Selection. Crimson wha¡ª Nate barely had time to form his next thoughts before a voice echoed in his head, the words on the screen rearranging themselves. Level Up! The screen vanished, leaving Nathan to collapse on the floor, panting heavily, too tired to even celebrate his win against the imp or the notion of leveling up. He was way too tired and injured to be bothered about things like that. Not a second after becoming a felled log on the floor, he felt a refreshing wave of euphoria going through him. His breathing started to stabilize, and his wounds which felt like they were on fire seemed to suddenly cool down. Nathan couldn''t see the wounds inflicted by the imp, but he could tell they''d probably closed up, or something had happened to them entirely, or they''d gone completely numb¡ªsomething that Nathan couldn''t explain. The most noticeable change was his energy levels; he''d gone from being drained to becoming pumped up like he''d juiced up on something. Literally jumping to his feet, he flexed his fingers and then his muscles. It had been so long since he''d felt so... alive. He couldn''t see it, but a mad grin spread across his face. He turned back to see the body of the imp¡ªit was terrible. Nate puked at the sight that was in front of him. He''d crushed the head of the imp into pudding. Just thinking about it made his stomach squirm. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he looked around the clearing. The place was still eerily quiet. A blue screen popped up. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 2 Archetype: N/A Class: N/A Imprint: Balls of Steel Strength: 5 Dexterity: 7 Vitality: 6 Constitution: 7 Perception: 4 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 50 Free Points: 2 What in the hells was this? Nathan couldn''t believe his eyes. How, why¡ªthis had to be some kind of a cruel joke. A FOUR! in perception. He knew he wasn''t the most observant person, but come on, a four was a terrible score. If this was a game, then he''d have called the character with such a low perception a dummy, but he couldn''t now because it was him with terrible stats. Raking through the rest of the thing, he let out a sigh. Pitiful. No wonder he''d struggled against a level-one imp. His stats were nothing to write home about, although his dexterity and Constitution being the highest kind of made sense considering what he did as a job¡ªconstantly standing at a corner throughout the day flipping a sign. Let''s see. Ahan, coins. He''d gotten 50 Ra-something coins for the little bugger; at least he hadn''t done that for free. Now what exactly was he supposed to do? He didn''t think the system would take pity on him and teach him how to use it after skipping the tutorial. "Hey, show me what to do!" Nathan said to no one in particular, crossing his arms as he anticipated a response. All he was met with, however, was silence¡ªdeafening silence. Well, shit! He''d just screwed himself over. Nice. He almost facepalmed but stopped himself at the last moment. What if the system only responded to mental commands like in the books? And so he asked again, but this time he just let the question occupy his mind. The system responds to both mental and voice commands. Whoever skips the tutorial is not eligible for further guidance. A cold, detached voice echoed in Nathan''s ear or was it his head? "I''ve certainly outdone myself this time." Okay, seems like he was going to have to wing it. What to begin with? Free points to spend¡ªwhere to put them? Constitution? Probably. Or maybe strength, since he preferred to go head-to-head with monsters in games. That would seem like the best course of action. Then there was his perception and vitality to consider. Dexterity would be nice if he had something to swing, but he didn''t, so that left him with very few options: strength, vitality, and perception. Considering the fact that he''d barely noticed the imp earlier, it would be foolhardy to leave the perception stat as it was and go for the other two. Best to sort out that perception stat; the rest could wait. He simply thought about moving the free points into perception, and boom. The number immediately updated itself. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 2 Archetype: N/A Class: N/A Imprint: Balls of Steel Strength: 5 Dexterity: 7 Vitality: 6Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Constitution: 7 Perception: 6 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 50 Free Points: 0 Free points successfully utilized. 2 Free points are allocated to you for each level gained. Use them wisely. Congratulations on successfully interacting with the system. Now pick an Archetype. Be careful with your choice as it will be the foundation for which you will build yourself. Archetypes Available: Priest: Support-focused role. This role mainly entails healing and buffing up allies. Priests may obtain divine powers from good and malevolent entities. Choosing this classes grants an additional stat: faith. Berserker: Charge headfirst into battle. Berserkers live for the thrill of the battle, going toe-to-toe with their opponents; these are the front-liners in battles. Mage: Primarily casters at heart. Mages tap into the power of the universe, throwing spells about. They are capable of great offense and defense, making them formidable opponents. Choosing this Archetype grant''s three additional stats; Mana, Mana regeneration and Intelligence. Ranger: Also known as scouts for their high perception and keen tracker instincts. This archetype is perfect for those who prefer to take out enemies from afar. Rogue: An archetype for those who wish to stick to the shadows. Nicknamed the vultures, these are opportunists seeking to take advantage of terrible chaos and moments of vulnerability. Optimal archetype for soloists. You have three minutes to make a decision before Ra''hal chooses for you. Timer: 2:59 Of course, there had to be a countdown. The system seemed to thrive on chaos, and what better way to enjoy itself than by giving people a short amount of time to make a crucial decision? "Definitely not Priest!" Nathan murmured, crossing that option off his mind. He glanced at the other options he had available. Mages looked good, but he''d learned a long time ago that everyone had a weakness, and theirs would no doubt be the time it took to cast their spell if the games he played were anything to go by. So nope, no mage archetype for him then. "Seems intentionally disturbing," Nathan uttered as his eyes reread the description of the rogue archetype. It seemed like something a coward would prefer, and Nathan wasn''t a coward¡ªor a vulture either. The thought of the archetype made him squirm uncomfortably. His entire being felt repulsed at the archetype. That''s that one down. Two to go. Nathan spared a quick glance at the timer and let out a sigh. Timer: 0:57 He could''ve sworn that he''d just spent at most a couple of seconds going through his options, but the timer claimed that he''d already used up a little over two minutes. Terrific. Nathan''s eyes returned to the archetypes he''d been offered, his eyes pivoting between the two archetypes that he''d yet to analyze¡ªBerserker and Ranger. Berserkers seemed to resonate with him deeply; he loved going headfirst into frays even in the online games he played. However, this wasn''t a game, and logic was pointing towards Ranger as his safest bet. Taking out enemies from afar was surely a lot better than having them up in your face¡ªor back, as was the case with the imp. Thus the question hung over his head: to choose safety in distance or the thrill of up-close combat? Berserkers made sense for games, an easy choice. The only difference now was the feeling that he wasn''t sure there was going to be a respawn option if he chose poorly and died because of it. Of course, if the ranger archetype was similar to the ones he''d used in online games, it''d mean he''d be at a serious disadvantage in close-quarter situations as compared to a berserker who''d probably excel in such a scenario. Options, options, options... You have five seconds to pick an Archetype, or else the system will randomly assign you one. Nathan hurriedly glanced at the timer and gasped in horror. Timer: 0:05 "You have four seconds to decide," the cold, detached voice continued, oblivious to Nathan''s conundrum. Shit, shit, shit. Which is the better op¡ª Three seconds remaining. ¡ªtion. Okay, Ranger logic, Berserker heart. Heart or mind, Heart o¡ª Two seconds remaining. ¡ªr Mind. Pfft. Nate, come on, it has to be Ranger. Okay, all I have to do is ju¡ª One second remaining. ¡ªst... Oh, to hell with it. I pick Berserker! Nathan closed his eyes as the thought solidified in his mind. He hoped he hadn''t been too late. Time elapsed, Archetype chosen - Berserker. Congratulations Nathan Orion on your Archetype selection. To help you on your path, the system offers you and the 12,692 other humans who have survived skipping the tutorial your pick of weapons. 12 thousand? Weren''t we around 3 million on the first count? What had happened to the res¡ª As you have selected the Berserker Archetype, the following weapons have been tailored to suit that Archetype. Important: All weapons are common grade and are not soul-bound. If you leave your weapon behind, it will NOT return to you. Weapons Available: Sword [Common (F-grade)] Axe [Common (F-grade)] Scythe [Common (F-grade)] Warhammer [Common (F-grade)] Chains [Common (F-grade)] Nathan didn''t even have to waste time to know which weapon he was going to take; it had to be the sword. As soon as the words appeared in his mind, the sword manifested, sunken halfway into the dirt before him. Cool. Nathan looked up to see the words on the blue screen rearranging themselves. Soon, a new message hung in the air. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 2 Archetype: Berserker Class: N/A Imprint: Balls of Steel Strength: 5 Dexterity: 7 Vitality: 6 Constitution: 7 Perception: 6 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 50 Free Points: 0 Reach Level Five to unlock access to the class options. As soon as Nathan went through the last words, the screen winked out, returning Nathan to the gloomy atmosphere of the forest. He hadn''t even gotten an explanation of what the stats meant. Well, that was eventful. He thought as he pulled the sword out of the dirt, marveling at its appearance. It wasn''t all fancy, but it was a sword¡ªa freaking sword! It had a good grip, but it was the blade itself that caught Nathan''s eyes. It was sleek and slender. He slashed upward. Swoosh. Then downwards. Swoosh. And then sideways. Swoosh. Nathan didn''t know when he let out a soft chuckle. The sword felt off but yet right in his hands. The weight was unbalanced and its edges looked dull, but he wasn''t going to complain at all. He now possessed a better means to defend himself. "Shit, a freaking sword," Nathan said, still in awe. The purple sky seemed to reflect on the blade, making Nathan smile. Okay, I can work with this. Berserker Archetype¡ªhe felt a little stupid for going with his heart rather than the logical option, but what was the point of choosing an Archetype that he wouldn''t even enjoy using? He''d probably grow bored with it, become sloppy, and get himself killed because of that. Nope, berserker had to be the right option. Seemed as though he was ill-prepared either way. Speaking of ill-prepared, he wondered why he didn''t get any sheath for the sword. What kind of messed up system would give him a sword without a sheath? He pinched his nose to calm himself down. First things first: he had to figure out what he was supposed to do. Was there a task board or something like that? "Task board, board, game board. Mission... mission board?" Nathan uttered, hoping that one of them would be the prompt he needed. Nothing happened. Well, there was one phrase that Nathan hadn''t tried because it sounded way too silly to actually be the actual prompt. "Quest board," Nathan said. A blue screen appeared in front of him, and Nathan couldn''t help but smile triumphantly, the words already starting to position themselves. Active Quests:
  1. Slay 35 imps (1/35)
  2. Slay 5 Master Imps (0/5)
  3. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. Fan-fucking-tastic. Just where was he supposed to find that many imps or even a dungeon to begin with? Again and again, it seemed as though the system just wanted to take the piss. Nathan raised the sword to his face, looking at his reflection in the blade as he considered his options. Suddenly a pinprick of red appeared on the blade, and another, and then another¡ªso many that Nathan struggled to keep count. Nathan sincerely hoped that he was right about what those pinpricks meant. Turning back, he discovered the corpse of the imp he''d killed was gone. Nathan looked around for the pinpricks of red he''d seen on the blade, but he didn''t see anything. Letting out a disappointed sigh, he began to turn away when he caught a flash of red in the corner of his eyes. He faced the direction and focused intently. It was dark, but he could make out a couple of shapes inching towards him, and almost as if knowing that the jig was up, multiple pairs of red orbs appeared from nowhere. Nathan''s lips morphed into a grin. Yes¡­ I can most definitely work with this. Nathan readied himself for what was sure to come. 1 - 4. Theories vs practicals. Nathan couldn''t wait to test out his new sword. The stone had been okay, but he now had a weapon worth wielding plus foes to trial it. He did his best impression of a samurai, holding up the sword with his legs evenly spaced for balance. At least he hoped they were - he was just going off the movies he''d watched. The sword itself probably wouldn''t be that different from a cut-out sign; all he had to do was slash and he''d be fine. Probably. Scanning his surroundings, he counted roughly eleven pairs of red orbs staring back at him. They seemed to be getting closer with each passing second. Nathan should''ve been focused on those, but he had a nagging suspicion that there were still more beyond his perception. So he did what he could: stayed alert and waited for them to make the first move. No sense rushing them and getting them on his back. That many imps at once and he''d be torn apart within seconds. No, waiting was definitely the best strategy to employ. He didn''t have to wait long for the opening salvo as one of the imps launched itself at Nathan with a screech. A blue text with the words "Level One" flashed, but Nathan quickly dismissed it. He didn''t even try to dodge; instead, he put everything into a swing, trusting himself to at least badly injure, if not outright kill the imp. The sword was lightning quick, meeting the imp mid-air. He felt resistance as the sword made contact with the imp''s midsection but fully expected the sword to cleave through it without any problems like in the movies. It didn''t. The sword paused midway through the midsection of the imp, and Nathan was unfortunate enough to hear the dying screeches of the creature. The sword completed its arc, redirecting the imp back to the floor. Without waiting to see if the imp still had life left in it, Nathan put a leg on it and tore his sword free of its midsection, immediately resetting his stance as he waited for the next attack. One down, ten to go. Nathan cautiously looked around, making sure to be alert for where the next attack would come from. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins, his heart beating fast. His mind was working overtime compared to his usual job of just flipping signs - this was a huge step up. Two imps seemed to detach from the rest, one coming from his back while the other from his front. "Fantastic - Level One monsters executing a pincer maneuver." While it was a solid plan, if Nathan could say so himself, the execution was far too sloppy. Nathan didn''t know if it was because of his increased perception, but he could see the one at his back tense as it leaped at his exposed back while the one at his front intended to do the same. Unfortunately for the pair, their timing was off, and there was just enough difference between the jumps that Nathan could sidestep and deliver an overhead slash at the imp behind him. His sword dug into its skull with an audible crack, killing it instantly, while the other imp met only empty air as Nathan had already switched positions. A chime echoed in his head, but Nathan dismissed it - he needed to be 100% in the present. He pointed the sword at the other imp, making sure to keep the distance between them. The imp bared its fangs at him before letting out that awful screech that made Nathan question why he didn''t have earplugs. It launched itself at him, and Nathan happily responded by slashing upward, catching the imp squarely with his sword. Nathan grimaced at what he''d just done, throwing the body off his sword. Three down, eight to go. "Too easy," Nathan mused as he reset his stance. The other imps seemed to hesitate; instead, they started screeching at each other. Nathan would''ve found it comical if not for the fact that their screeches sounded like metal grinding against stone. It infuriated him. He couldn''t wait to cleave them and get rid of their godforsaken noise. It was at that moment that he figured out why people refrained from uttering the words "too easy." The remaining eight imps seemed to have come to an agreement of sorts as they all circled him. "Bollocks!" In a matter of seconds, Nathan had gone from confident to very, very worried. If they all attacked at once, he was doomed. Maybe he could make a run for it? The rational part of him reminded him about how dark it was and the fact that while he''d struggled to get his bearings in the darkness, these things seemed to be comfortable in it and would probably have no problem hunting him. He had the sneaking suspicion that they''d even prefer that. His best bet was to stand and fight. If that was the case then Nathan would not be going down alone, that was for sure. Nathan made the first move - he needed any advantage he could gain at this point. Instead of slashing this time, he went for a quick thrust, running an unlucky imp through with his sword. The lesser demon let out a gurgle as Nathan kicked it off his sword, immediately slashing in a wide arc to prevent a counter-attack from its kin. Four down, seven to go. Taking that one out had certainly given him better odds than he''d had a moment ago. Slashing repeatedly in wide arcs to try and keep the imps at bay, he tried to come up with something to even the playing field. Nathan did not doubt what would happen to him if they managed to close the gap. Eventually, the choice of how to proceed was taken from him when one of the imps launched itself at Nathan, who didn''t hesitate to impale it with his sword. Nathan got a bad feeling when he saw the imp giving him one of those nightmarish grins. The others launched themselves at him without pause, and it was then that Nathan figured out what had actually happened. He''d been played like a fiddle.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Oh, come on! The other six imps went for his exposed parts as he tried to shake off the impaled one, but the lesser demon clung to the sword with its clawed hands, staring straight at Nathan with venom in its eyes. Well played. He''d probably jinxed it when he''d said "Too easy." Now he had an imp doing its own version of a kamikaze. Wonderful. Nathan felt a claw dig into his back, then another slashed at his legs. He had to grit his teeth to stop himself from crying out. What exactly was he supposed to do in this situation? The infernal thing had managed to trick him, and now he was on the receiving end of a mischief of imps. A burning sensation exploded on Nathan''s back as another slash opened up there. An imp launched itself, going for his face, and Nathan, seeing no other option, let the sword drop to the floor. He was going to do this the primitive way. He balled his fists up and swung with all his might, trying not to wince as the muscles and skin around his wounds stretched to allow him movement. Crack. The imp''s skull caved in as Nathan''s fist made contact with it. To Nathan, it was like punching through cardboard - the imp stood no chance. A wave of euphoria enveloped him, but Nathan pushed it to the back of his mind as he felt his skin reknit itself, wounds closing just as new ones appeared. The imps were still relentlessly slashing at him, but Nathan had news for them. The euphoric feeling died down and with it the healing that he''d enjoyed. Nathan had probably gained another level, but he was too preoccupied to confirm that. Six down, five to go. An imp was furiously clawing at his thigh, its claws digging into his skin like a hot knife through butter. The pain would''ve been overwhelming, but Nathan was used to pain. Pain he was accustomed to as he''d conditioned himself to play football through pain in Highschool and the trick to that was simple; he just needed to shut out the sensation as best as he could and and let the adrenaline take over. Two other imps were behind him, one on his back peeling his flesh recklessly, while another was at his leg doing the same. Nathan wanted to pass out from the pain but persevered. The remaining two stood away from the fray, cautiously watching Nathan, the gears probably starting to turn in their heads. Nevertheless, Nathan focused on the imp in front of him. He punched downward, targeting its skull. The imp didn''t even know when it died, its feeble limbs still trying to claw through Nathan. Seven down, four to go. The two who stood apart from the fray let out loud screeches before rushing him, while the imps behind him clawed their way through his skin mercilessly. Nathan readied himself, getting ready to punch at the imps. He''d already thrown both fists at them when he saw them pivot mid-air, flapping what he assumed were purely decorative wings. They didn''t fly, but it was enough for them to dodge Nathan''s strike as they caught his arm mid-flight, pinning both arms down and essentially making him vulnerable. Sneaky bastards. They''d found a way to negate his attacks once again. The imps behind him hacked at him furiously, and sure enough, Nathan heard a voice in his head bearing a message that he''d been hoping he could escape. Critical Warning: Health below 25% Shit! Nathan could feel his blood flowing from his wounds just as his strength was leaving him. His strength - that''s right, a pair of imps should be no match for him. Glancing at the pair holding him down, he confirmed what he already knew: both imps were at level one, and he, on the other hand, had to be at least two levels above them. Theoretically, he should be able to pull himself out of their hold. Practically, he should be able to mop the floor with them. Nathan had always been the practical sort; he wrapped his fingers around the imps and pulled them together, smashing them into each other. Crack. The pair crashed into each other with a resounding crack. They weren''t dead yet just dazed, and Nathan had no plan to let them live. He swung his fists at the skulls of both imps, punching through them with ease. Down to the last two. He pulled his fists back, letting the bodies drop to the floor, turning to face the remaining two, his fists dripping blood, black blood hitting the dirt. Nathan had no doubt he looked like the Boogeyman at this point. The imps must''ve thought the same thing as they both stepped back; he even thought he heard a soft whine leave one of the imps. But right now, at this very moment, Nathan was going for revenge. These two had annoyed him the most, peeling his skin from behind while he had to fend off other attackers. These... demons deserved what was coming. Nathan was going full berserker mode. He rushed at both imps; they tried to scuttle away from him, but they stood no chance. One managed to let out a high-pitched screech, but that only served as fuel for Nathan''s rage. The last thing both imps saw was the fist of a human-headed straight for their face, covered in the blood and brain matter of their kin - and then covered with their own brain matter. Both bodies hit the floor with a thud. Nathan dropped to his knees, the fatigue overwhelming, but he somehow managed to stay conscious. That was until the pain started to come in full throttle, the adrenaline wearing off. Eleven down, zero to go. Game, set, and match, suckers. "ARGHHHHHHH!" Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs, the pain unimaginable. As quickly as it had come, it began dissipating, his body feeling warm and fuzzy as the euphoric feeling from earlier saturated his mind, replacing the pain. Within moments, Nathan was standing back up, his body completely healed and his fatigue gone in its entirety. He felt refreshed. That was when the smell hit him. Nathan would''ve puked if not for the fact that he''d already emptied his stomach earlier. The blood of the imps smelled terrible. As he scanned the corpses, a flash of purple caught his attention - his sword. He made his way toward it, stepping on the dead imp as he pulled his sword free. It was covered in imp blood, the black blood giving off a terrible stench. Nathan stabbed the sword into the dirt as he contemplated his next move. He needed the menu. "Menu," Nathan said out loud. No response. Nathan sighed; he really should''ve attended the tutorial. Basic things like this already had him struggling. Hmm, what else could it be called? "Status," Nathan called out. This time he was rewarded with the familiar interface. A series of notifications assaulted him. "Whoa," Nathan breathed, overwhelmed by the influx of information. Taking his time, he began to sift through them. Level Up! 2 -> 3 Level Up! 3 -> 4 Level Up! 4 -> 5 Congratulations! New Imprint unlocked - Skullcrusher. Skullcrusher - Kill five or more foes in a row by bashing their skull. [+5% damage on all hits targeted at the skull] "Whoa, pretty badass." The imprint Skullcrusher sounded rad. He wondered what Imprint he''d get if he went for their nuts instead. Nutcrusher? NutCracker? Nu¡ª A new screen appeared before Nathan''s wandering thoughts could continue: Congratulations Nathan Orion Level 5 reached, class options unlocked. Choose your class. 1 - 5. Class Selection. Congratulations Nathan Orion! Level 5 reached, class options unlocked. Choose your class. Nathan''s eyes widened at the new screen. Finally, some firepower. All classes listed here are tailored to you: Gladiator (Common): The gladiator is the embodiment of the Berserker Archetype. Fearless and relentless with their attacks, this class may wield multiple weapons. Three class evolutions are possible in this class. Receive 3 free points upon choosing this class. Choosing this class grants you the following items: - A sword (Common - Grade F) - Helmet (Common - Grade F) Duelist (Common): The duelist focuses on mastery of dual weapons, suited for ferocious attacks while abandoning defense. Three class evolutions are possible in this class. Receive 3 free points upon choosing this class. Choosing this class grants you two identical Common F-grade weapons of your choice alongside: - Leather cuirass (Common Grade-F) - Leather boots (Common Grade-F) Monk (Uncommon): Monks fight unarmed, seeking to prove that the body remains the one and only true weapon. Reliable and readily available, they fortify their bodies with chi to become the ultimate weapon. Four class evolutions are possible. Receive 4 free points upon choosing this class. Choosing this class grants you: - Monk''s Robe (Common Grade-F) - First Step of Meditation (Basic skill book Grade-E) Chain Warrior (Uncommon): Swords, axes, and fists¡ªall common and popular. A chain warrior stands out from the rest with a weapon capable of both brutal and swift damage. A weapon so heavy yet flexible, this is also the way of a chain warrior: a heavy hitter with finesse second to only those who wield swords.Four class evolutions are possible.Receive 4 free points upon choosing this class. Choosing this class grants you: - Chains (Common Grade-E) - Leather cuirass (Common Grade-E) As you are one of the 62 humans to survive skipping the tutorial, Ra''ahal has seen fit to offer you a rare class tailored specifically to you. Wait what? 62? They''d gone from millions to thousands and now to te¡ª Analyzing Nathan Orion for bloodline compatibility with rare classes... None found, offering Nathan Orion a random rare class. Blood Pawn (rare): Information on this class is limited. This class has only been handed out once since Ra''ahal''s inception. The last time this class was handed out was over a millennium ago. However, the little that is known about the class is that it meshes well with any weapon and can evolve up to seven times, with each evolution power gap vastly higher than the last. Receive 7 free points upon choosing this class. You have ten minutes to make your choice. Timer: 9:59 Here we go again, freaking timer. Nathan parsed through all his options quickly before going over them individually again. The system was right¡ªall classes it had listed were most definitely tailored to him. Even the Monk class intrigued him. After seeing the damage he''d done with his fists against those imps, he had to admit it was a viable option. Besides, having his sword used against him by the imps had left a sour taste in his mouth. He''d managed to adapt to the situation, but it was one he wouldn''t like to repeat. Deep down, he knew that he didn''t see himself as a monk; his fists could only take him so far, and it was better to have both his sword and his fists than just his fists. So that ruled the monk class out¡ªtoo one-dimensional. I''ll pass. Gladiator, one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting class listed there. As soon as he''d seen the class, his mind had taken him back to his history lessons in high school: the Romans and their gladiators. It seemed like an okay class, but like every other thing, there had to be a "but." This one was very easy to pinpoint. It was a common class with only three evolutions. Nathan didn''t know what the evolutions entailed, but he did know what "common" meant, and he was definitely not going to give himself a disadvantage because the class had a nice ring to it. I''ll skip that for now. Duelist¡ªthis was one that Nathan didn''t really know. It was also a common class, and that made him even more wary of considering it, but he might as well. Huge offense for much less defense, dual weapons¡ªin other words, a kamikaze fighter. Going all in with little or no defense. No thank you, I''ll pass on this death trap. Chain Warrior. Nathan couldn''t help but chuckle at the absurdity. Chain Warrior¡ªwhat kind of stupid class was that? The mechanics of the entire thing intrigued him though. Would he have to walk around holding chains like he did his sword, or would the chains magically appear only when he needed them?This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It was quite a mystery, but Nathan wasn''t curious enough to choose the class. What kind of barbarian walked around swinging chains? He chuckled at the mental image of Mr. Wong doing that. Hilarious, I''ll still pass though. No chains for this guy. That left him with the second most interesting class he''d been offered. Blood Pawn. Sounds a little bit ominous. The "pawn" part left him feeling a bit uneasy. Nobody wants to be a pawn. He honestly hoped that it was just a poorly chosen title and nothing more. Aside from that, the class seemed intriguing. It had only been offered one other time, and that was a millennium ago, so whoever or whatever had gotten it probably wasn''t alive anymore. Making him one out of one. A fact that brought a smile to his face. One of one. Who would''ve thought? The second thing that made this class stand out was that, according to the system, it was a rare class. RARE. That also brought to mind the casual reminders the system had been dropping about what a stupid decision it was to skip the tutorial. The total number at first was almost three million people, and now there were only sixty-two who had survived the last three hours after making that bad decision, if Nathan''s timing was correct. What had happened to the rest of them? More importantly, why did it seem like the system was trying to punish them for skipping the tutorial? Nathan shook his head¡ªthis wasn''t the time to be thinking about these things. He had a class to pick. The choice lay between Gladiator and Blood Pawn. Once again, he was presented with the Heart or Mind options. Gladiator made his heart beat faster while Blood Pawn seemed like the best option. By far. One was a common class while the other was rare. One he was familiar with, the other he''d never heard about before. So what was it going to be for him¡ªpassion or power? A class tailored to him or one randomly offered to him? "I pick... Blood Pawn," Nathan said, closing his eyes as he waited for confirmation. Is that your final decision? Time remaining is 3:42. Affirm to confirm your decision or say cancel to pick a different one. Where was all this time when I was picking an Archetype? Nathan briefly considered canceling and taking more time to think it over, but he already knew that his best bet was the Blood Pawn class. I affirm. Class successfully chosen. Integrating Blood Pawn (Rare) class into the Human (Nathan Orion)... Evolving Archetype. Please find a comfortable position. The first integration will be painful (scales up depending on class rarity). Oh, come on! Couldn''t it be pain-free? How rare was rare? Nathan didn''t get the opportunity to figure it out as his body was covered in a blue dome. Before he could look on in awe, intense pain assaulted him, instantly making him drop to the floor. He tried to move but couldn''t; he tried to scream but his vocal cords didn''t respond. He was left staring at a blue dome covering him as tears rolled down his cheeks. His body was on fire, and soon enough, black spots started to fill his vision until he fell unconscious from the pain. --- "Arrrgh." Nathan felt like his entire body had been hit with a mace, repeatedly. Pain being the first sensation he was waking up to wasn''t so strange, although he''d have to admit that it had been a while since he''d last experienced that. Red light poured through the blue transparent-ish dome that covered him entirely. Looking upward, the little patch of sky he could see looked way different from yesterday. It was brighter and a much different color. It was a light bright red compared to the purple he''d fallen unconscious to. Nathan was going to hazard a guess that this was a new day. Then happy birthday to me. Eighteen and in the middle of nowhere with a world that was now a hundred percent out for him. What worse present could he have gotten? Nothing would''ve been better than this. Nathan struggled and failed repeatedly to stand, his body too weak and raw from whatever had been done to him, but Nathan wouldn''t let pain define him. He defied his body until he was finally able to stand on his two feet, and then he poked at the dome, which disappeared immediately when his finger made contact with it. Weird. Was that supposed to be a shield? If it was, it was a poor one¡ªor maybe it was a beacon, and the damned system was trying to kill him while he slept by using the shiny dome to attract predators. Nathan shook his head; the pain was getting to him more than he''d like to admit. The rational part of him knew that he was just overreacting. The shield probably just protected things from getting in and was most likely made in a way that it dissolved into motes of light when whoever or whatever was inside made contact. Pretty neat. Nathan tried to take a step. He succeeded, and then he took another and another until he wobbled and ultimately fell on the floor, face first. He managed to roll himself and spit out the dirt and grass that he''d been unfortunate enough to have entered his mouth. "Bollocks," Nathan cursed as he contemplated his situation. Out of sheer stubbornness, he''d broken the only thing that had been protecting him, and he was too weak to defend himself. Fantastic. With nothing else to do as he tried to recover his strength and breath, he called up his status, the familiar screen filling his vision. A series of notifications seemed to be waiting for him, and Nathan was as eager as ever to find out what had happened to him. Congratulations! Successfully integrated Blood Pawn class. Nice. He looked up the next notification. Archetype Evolution complete. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 5 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprint: Balls of Steel, Skullcrusher Strength: 5 Dexterity: 7 Vitality: 6 Constitution: 7 Perception: 6 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 600 Free points: 13 Nathan looked on in awe. Archetype Evolution complete. How many Archetype evolutions could he undergo? Or was this a one-time thing? Damn earlier him for skipping the tutorial. Why did he have to make such a hasty and stupid decision? He''d always known that too much sleep would ruin him. Seven hells. Nathan shook his head as he rued his missed opportunity. The new Archetype sent shivers down his spine and at the same time made him feel... powerful. Blood Berserker. It sounded like he was supposed to become some kind of warlord or bloodthirsty beast, but Nathan felt like himself¡ªif only a little stronger. Moving on, his coins had increased, which was good. Eradicating that group of imps hadn''t been easy, but he''d done it and gotten paid afterward, which was nice. 13 free points? Nathan racked his brain trying to calculate how it had come to be. At the end of the day, it was a simple thing. He''d gained three levels after fighting the Imps, and that got him six free points. Choosing the Blood Pawn class gave him an additional seven, making it a total of thirteen free points. Aye, all that calculus is finally paying off. Next up was the most important thing; he saved it for last like it was a shiny new toy. The Blood Pawn Class, I wo¡ª Nathan couldn''t finish the thought before he was interrupted by the system. Information is available on the Blood Pawn class. Two New Skills awarded for completing integration. 1 - 6. Skills. Nathan blinked twice in confusion before rereading the new notification. Information available on the Blood Pawn class. Two New Skills awarded for completing integration. What new information could the system ''suddenly'' have discovered after he''d obtained the class? He''d have some serious questions about the integrity of the system if it turned out that it lied or told half-truths. Show me the new information. The words on the screen rearranged themselves as a cold, detached voice echoed in his head: The Blood Pawn Class is the most obscure of all classes in the system. Depending on the determination and adaptability of the wielder, this class can make the jump from Rare to Legendary. However, since the system does not have enough information on the class and the last and only wielder before now could only utilize it to reach the scale of a rare class, the system decided to use that as the makeshift ceiling. You''ve got to be kidding me, rare to lege¡ª As the name has already given away, Blood Pawn is primarily blood-focused. A good percentage of the skills in this class deals with blood, both yours and that of your foes. Of course, it has to deal with bloo¡ª hold on, what''s all this about my blood? The uniqueness of this class will hand you a massive advantage both in your world and in Ra''ahal. Two new skills awarded for completing class integration: Blood Rebellion (I): Get a 10% boost on all stats when health drops to 25%. This is a passive skill. Life Steal (I): This ability activates randomly within strikes that draw blood. Gain the chance to steal the life of your foes. 10% chance to steal 5% health on a successful strike. Most skills are upgradeable. Visit Merchants to purchase new skills and upgraded versions of owned skills. Skills can also be given as a reward by the system. With that, the screen winked out, leaving Nathan with so much information that his head ached. If he was getting this right, he''d not only gotten a rare class, he might''ve also gotten an Epic or Legendary class in the process. Unbelievable. That was the kind of luck people went to war over. Blood Pawn. The blood thing did freak him out a little, especially that part about him using his own blood. Seemed like a ritual if you asked him. Pffft. Nathan ran a hand through his long blonde hair; it fell to his shoulders and was basically him just trying to compensate for the fact that his facial hair hadn''t come out. Yet. So, this really is real. Still flat on his back, Nathan looked around as if prompted by the thought. Everywhere in the forest looked a lot brighter compared to last night, at least he believed the purple sky meant it was nighttime. The red sky was bright enough that he''d consider it daytime. Glancing around, his eyes fell on the dead bodies of the imps. He wasn''t sure, but it seemed like they''d been dead for days rather than just hours. The bodies already looked like dried-out husks, and that terrible smell seemed to have disappeared overnight. Shaking his head, he returned to the matter at hand. He''d already gone over what the class meant, so that left the new skills that he''d gained: Blood Rebellion and Life Steal. Both were passive skills and were at the early stages, but they were definitely something that''d help in future battles. Something like Blood Rebellion would come in handy against the tougher foes. Heck, he''d struggled at the end there against level-one imps. Life Steal, on the other hand, seemed like a luck-based skill. A 10% chance on each hit wasn''t high, and the return of 5% when it did activate seemed... meager. To be honest, he''d been expecting something better. They''d have to do though, and both skills had massive potential judging by the ''(I)'' beside the skills. There were a lot of what-ifs and potential possibilities to consider, but Nathan found it best to focus on the present rather than the future. He''d cross that bridge when he got to it. Status. The blue screen winked into existence: Name: Nathan Orion Imprint: N/A Level: 5 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprint: Balls of Steel, SkullcrusherThe story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Strength: 5 Dexterity: 7 Vitality: 6 Constitution: 7 Perception: 6 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 600 Free points: 13 He had 13 free points to spend as he wished. That was a lot of points considering where he started from; he''d have to spend it wisely. His strength was behind the rest, and even though it''d come up clutch against the skulls of level-one imps, he highly doubted that it''d suffice against higher-level monsters. So that needed to be improved. He also didn''t like the fact that those imps could get him down to critical health¡ªfor goodness'' sake, they were only level one. His vitality needed an upgrade for sure. The rest of his stats didn''t seem to have much influence in the fight, and right about now he could use some vitality to get back on his feet. Plus, it wouldn''t hurt to save a few points for an emergency. So this was what he was going to do: Four points to strength Three to vitality One point each to my remaining stats The blue screen flashed as the updates took place, and sure enough, Nathan was shown the updated stats: Strength: 9 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 9 Constitution: 8 Perception: 7 ## Free points: 3 A warm, fuzzy feeling enveloped Nathan, lasting for barely a fraction of a second, but it was enough to fix everything wrong with him. The tiredness and rawness were gone; he felt refreshed. His entire body was revitalized. Nathan willed the screen to shut and smiled as it winked out. That was that when it came to his stats. He walked towards his sword, which was still halfway into the dirt. He pulled it with ease; it was like picking a pin that was halfway in a mattress. He had no doubt that it was his improved strength showing itself. It became more apparent when he tried to weigh the blade in his hands. It felt lighter, or his improved strength had made him feel less strain picking up the sword¡ªnot to say that it had been heavy before. Out of sheer curiosity, he swung the sword in a wide arc. Swoosh. The sword seemed to whistle louder as it completed its arc. It was only then that Nathan confirmed that the free points he''d dropped into his strength stat had indeed not been wasted. Nathan let his sword drop to his side, his right hand clutching the hilt. It was high time he did the one thing he wanted to do since he''d arrived here¡ªit was now daytime, and he had nothing to be afraid of, after all. Picking a direction at random, Nathan began walking. Time to explore. ________ Nathan quickly got his priorities straight after his first couple of hours living in the wilderness. Food and water. He hadn''t been too concerned with the two because he''d been too busy fighting for his life, but now that the adrenaline had worn off and he was left trudging through the woods with no direction in mind, little things like that came to the fore of his mind. He''d read somewhere that people crossing the desert usually quenched their thirst with urine, but Nathan was really hoping that it wouldn''t come to that. He kept his eyes trained ahead, the tall grass swallowing up his sneakers and footprints. The hoodie and jean trousers had been turned into rags with the amount of slashes both pieces of clothing had received, but he was sure if one of those big fashion brands got ahold of this, they''d sell it for a buck load of money. Probably charging dummies more for less clothing, claiming that it was the next big thing. He didn''t really blame the brands though; he blamed the people who made such stupid things profitable for brands to keep manufacturing. He glanced up and sideways occasionally as he walked around. The trees were way too tall for him to climb; in fact, most of the trees surrounding him were as fat as him with their lowest branches way too high for him to consider trying to climb. And so he trudged on, occasionally smacking his dry lips. Wouldn''t it be funny to have invested all those points into those stats wisely, thinking that he was all set for more encounters just to die from thirst? Always with the morbid humor. Nathan chastised himself¡ªnow was not the time to be putting himself down. The direction he walked seemed to be sloping downwards, which Nathan thought was weird. Regardless, he kept on walking. He''d already come this far to turn back because of such a minor detail. Glancing around as he walked, he noticed that the trees were getting shorter and so were the grasses. He could also hear sounds in the distance. Nathan paused mid-stride. The sounds seemed to be coming from up ahead. He couldn''t quite tell what they were, but he wasn''t going to take any chances. Whether they belonged to a human, monster, or animal, Nathan was going in with his sword ready for combat. He slowly moved through the grass. The overhead canopy had grown sparser the further out he moved, the trees shorter and the grass becoming longer. Soon enough, he had grass almost up to his face. He even heard the occasional chirp from what he hoped was a bird flying overhead. Insects and bugs seemed to dominate this area¡ªcompared to his starting position, this place might as well be considered a civilization of its own. He continued walking towards the sounds anyway, pushing his way through the stalks. It had started to sound clearer. He didn''t know if it was because he was somewhat thirsty and hungry, but he could swear that it was a waterfall making that noise. The sound of water slapping against rocks seemed the most likely option, and it was coming from just a few steps ahead. Nathan trusted in his instincts, hoping that nothing attacked him while he was navigating through this grass¡ªhe couldn''t swing his sword as he didn''t have enough space to generate momentum. Nathan felt he was at the spot of the sound, so where was it, or had he just walked into an elaborate trap? Nathan pushed back the stalks of grass blocking his line of sight and almost cried with joy. Water, lots and lots of water splashing against rocks. He''d previously thought it was a waterfall, but it wasn''t. It was the sound of water slapping against rocks on the shore. A vast body of water stretched out in front of him. More than enough to drink for a lifetime. In truth, Nathan was happier because he no longer had to resort to drinking his urine if he couldn''t find somewhere to get some water. He heard another chirp from overhead, and Nathan had to share the same sentiments¡ªwater was truly beautiful. Nathan exited the stalks after spending a couple of minutes walking through shorter ones. The grass grew shorter the closer he got to the water, which Nathan found a little confusing as it was supposed to be the other way around unless someone or something else had been cutting the grass. Nathan glanced around nervously. He couldn''t see anything else apart from what looked to be a bird flying so high overhead it looked like a speck. Nathan shrugged and continued his walk to the body of water. He''d have a drink first to sate his thirst, and then he could begin analyzing the situation. He''d barely taken three steps forward when a loud chirp seemed to echo from up ahead, causing him to look up. The bird that had been circling him from above had begun a swift dive towards him. You''ve got to be kidding me. Apparently, he couldn''t catch a break. Nathan briefly considered going for a quick sip before the bird got close enough but knew that he wouldn''t make it. So he got his sword ready. Who knows? Maybe he might just be able to solve his food and water problems at the same time. What was that saying again? Two birds with one stone? 1 - 7. Imp-lications. Nathan was alert, staring straight up at the incoming missile that was the bird. He kept waiting for a blue screen to pop up and identify the animal, but nothing happened. Well, that''s weird. Is it because it''s on a higher level than me? He didn''t have much time to think about it as the bird was seconds away from impact, its beak leading the way. Nathan prepared to swing, hoping he could time it right to catch the thing with his sword mid-dive. A second before the bird got within range, Nathan slashed in an upward arc, hoping to meet it mid-swing. The absence of a sun to affect his eyes made it easier for him to achieve accuracy¡ªthe bird would fall to him. Somebody should''ve told that to the bird, because the damned thing spread its wings and banked at the last second, its talons coming out as it sought to rake through Nathan''s face. Purely by instinct, Nathan ducked. Even as he executed the motion, he felt in his heart that he wouldn''t be fast enough. Now I''ll have a scar on my face. Shit! Nathan closed his eyes to protect them as best he could, bracing for the pain as his body continued to drop into a crouch. The kicker? The pain never came. Nathan opened his eyes a fraction of a second after he felt a gust of wind hit his face. He caught sight of the bird going back up¡ªsomehow and someway, Nathan had been fast enough to escape the bird''s talons. Barely. He wouldn''t have envisioned himself ducking that last week. Unless... his dexterity stat. Unbelievable. He''d survived thanks to the one point he''d spent on the stat. Talk about whiskers. Nathan glanced up and saw the bird going higher in the sky, no doubt finding a way to repeat the maneuver. Call him crazy, but he thought that was a pelican. He wasn''t sure how big those birds were supposed to be, but this one looked the size of an oversized chicken, almost twice the size of his torso. In other words: juicy. Nathan got back on his feet and reoriented himself. He could use a ranged attack right about now¡ªoh well. That ship had sailed. Nathan let his perception and the wind work for him. Sticking a hand out, he felt the wind brush against it gently, going around his hand rather than trying to drill a way through. There. Nathan had an inkling of which way the damned bird would bank if¡ªno, when¡ªit failed to get him with its talons. All he had to do was be ready with a strike. He readied himself as the bird began its second dive. The darned thing had tucked its wings in and was diving towards him like a bullet. A bullet with a life of its own. Unfortunately for the bird, Nathan had no intentions of staying still, and he''d always prided himself as someone who was adaptable. Time to put it to the test. And... action. The bird went for the same predictable tactic as before, and Nathan dropped to a crouch to protect himself. Roll the dice. Still crouched, Nathan slashed upward in the direction he had the feeling the bird would bank to. A smile bloomed on his face as he felt his sword tear through flesh, muscle, and bone like it was wet cardboard. He barely felt any resistance compared to when he''d been fighting against the imps. The sword didn''t get stuck coming out the other side of the bird. Splat. Thud. Droplets of blood fell on Nathan as he looked to his side to see the bird that had been on the receiving end of that strike. Its neck to half of its left wing had been severed. The cut looked a little blunt and less clean than he would''ve preferred, but he''d probably attribute that to the grade of his sword. It simply wasn''t sharp enough. The blade itself was coated in blood¡ªred blood. Which probably meant that the bird wasn''t a monster or maybe a demon. Who knows, maybe only demons had black blood. To be honest, it didn''t really matter. It had attacked him and he''d defended himself, though something still nagged him: if it wasn''t a monster, then why had it even attacked? Shrugging the question away, he stood from his crouch. The adrenaline wearing off and his most important need coming back to the fore of his mind. Water and food. The latter was right beside him and the former was right in front of him. Nathan rushed to the shore, letting the blade clatter to the floor as he used both hands to cup some water. Then, he drank greedily, repeating the action until he didn''t need to. Only after he was done drinking water did he regain himself. Nathan could still smell the blood on his face and the ones that had gotten into his hair, matting it. He might as well have a swim. He probably stank as it was. Stripping to his boxers, he waded into the endless body of water. He''d made sure to pick up his sword before doing that, though.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. No telling what could be in the water¡ªNathan stayed in the shallow part. Common sense dictated that he stay far away from the deeper parts of the water body. More like a sea really. It looked endless and stretched on all sides of his vision. He''d take a walk around the land later to find out if this was more of a beach thing than an island thing. He hoped it was the former, though. With a sigh, he started washing himself as best as he could, then cleaning his sword, careful not to stay too long in the water. He was still dripping when he came out of the water, so he sat at the shore. The weather was hot enough without a visible sun that he''d become reasonably dry enough to put on his clothes within half an hour at most. That was more than enough time for Nathan to get thinking. "Happy fucking birthday," Nathan whispered to himself. It wasn''t the worst one, yet. It''d definitely be a memorable one though. Waking up in the middle of nowhere with everything trying to kill him. Yeah, definitely up there in the top ten most memorable things. So far he seemed to have gotten the good part of the draw. His cards seemed almost lucky or blessed if you''d have it. He''d skipped the tutorial and had survived this long; he wondered how many of the sixty-one other people were still alive. Had they received special classes too? Were they alone in a forest, hunted by creatures from fantasy books and movies? He''d had no family to speak of, growing up alone in the streets and having to fend for himself. Sponsoring himself through high school by participating in a couple of shady¡ªor illegal activities if you wanted to get technical. He''d burned down that part of him as soon as he could though, taking a real job at the Snorting Dragon as soon as Mr. Wong offered it. The reason for leaving that life behind was quite simple really: he''d seen what that kind of living could do to people. The older folks he''d interacted with while doing those kinds of things always seemed fidgety, constantly looking over their shoulders. They all tried to hide it, most pretending to be hard as rocks, but something always gave them away. Sometimes it was the way they had to play with their fingers, always tapping on something¡ªtheir pants or the table, just something. For some others, it was their eyes. Shifty. He was observant like that, always catching signs of fear in those folks. Nathan didn''t want to live like that for the rest of his life, always looking over his shoulder for threats, so he''d left¡ªbut it seemed like that life had found him again. No worries though, I''ll just be the strongest and then nobody will disturb me. The logic was simple: climb to the top of the food chain so that he wouldn''t have to fear anything. Unlike others who''d want power to oppress others¡ªhe''d gotten to see that in certain circles when he was younger¡ªhe just wanted enough power to be left alone. He didn''t want to fight anything or anyone, but if trouble came knocking, he wouldn''t let it in without a fight. Bold words, but can I prove them? That was the question that remained. Nathan knew it was easy to talk the talk, but could he walk the walk when the time came? Only time will tell. "Time?" Nathan breathed, a question coming to mind. Time till tutorial ends Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 6 [13:43:27] Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 6 [13:43:27] Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 6 [13:43:27] Strongholds: 0 Huh? The last time Nathan had seen that screen, it had been days instead of those numbers. It wouldn''t be too hard to decode anyway. It''d probably be days, hours, minutes, seconds. Yep, that had to be it. So he had six days left before the tutorial finished and the system got through with doing the spawning and populating thing. However, if there were only sixty-one other people who''d skipped the tutorial left, that meant billions of the people on Earth still hadn''t touched down yet. Looking at it from another angle, it meant that he''d basically gotten a headstart on the whole thing. Nice. Quests. Nathan watched as the information on the screen changed to display what he''d requested: Active Quests:
  1. Slay 35 imps (12/35)
  2. Slay 5 Master Imps (0/5)
  3. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. Not bad. He was still a ways from completing any of those tasks. The imp task was the closest, but he still needed to find another twenty-three to be done with the quest. Twenty-three of those sneaky buggers¡ªnot only were they annoying, but he found them repulsive as well. At least he was going to be rewarded for clearing them out. Master Imps were probably the leaders of the Imps, which meant they''d probably be levels higher than the ones he''d fought. He did find it a little weird how there wasn''t a leader with the group he''d dealt with. Oh well. The dungeon task¡ªquest¡ªseemed interesting. In online games, dungeons usually gave out useful loot after clearing them, and Nathan couldn''t help but imagine the rewards he could come out with. Coins were the most obvious ones, then there was the fact that dungeons were expected to have bosses¡ªbig and badass bosses. Something that would really challenge him. Nathan almost licked his lips at the thought of battle before shaking his head. He wasn''t a battle maniac; it had to be the Berserker Archetype doing this to him. However, he had to admit that the potential benefits were enticing. He just needed to find one first. Turns out the knowledge of a reward somewhere was all Nathan needed as motivation to get off his ass and get dressed. His body was still a little damp, but it was better than before. Nathan''s hoodie¡ªif you could call it that¡ªwas covered with so many slashes he might as well have been walking around with strips of ribbon. It didn''t matter though; it was better than nothing. He picked up the dead bird and began trekking around the shore, occasionally scanning his environment for threats. The further he walked, the fewer trees he saw; there were just rocks and sand¡ªfine sand. Nathan''s sneakers squeaked as he walked, the poor things had gone through a lot in the last few hours if that timer was anything to go by. Like the rest of his clothing, he had doubts that they''d survive the week. He kept walking regardless. The sea seemed to always be at his right-hand side no matter how far he walked, making him feel like there wasn''t an end to it. Nathan hoped he was wrong though. He couldn''t be stuck on an island¡ªoh, the horrors of being away from other people. He hoped he was just at the edge of a city rather than completely isolated from the rest of the world. "What is that?" Nathan muttered, a familiar smell assaulting his nostrils. Smoke. Sure enough, as soon as he faced the direction of the smell, which was somewhere to his left, he could see smoke rising from somewhere within the forest. And where there is smoke, there is fire. Where there is fire, there are humans. 1 - 8. Camping Time. The saying was actually: where there is smoke, there is fire, and where there is fire, there is civilization¡ªbut Nathan wasn''t so sure about civilization. He just needed to make contact with other humans. The smoke was coming from within the forest, which meant if he wanted to find out what was causing it, he''d have to abandon his exploration for a later date¡ªsomething Nathan had no qualms doing. He had a dead bird in one hand and a sword in the other. Now more than ever, he needed fire. He couldn''t make one from scratch as there were no matches or lighter on him. He''d watched a couple of survival videos purely by accident, but all they said about fire was to use the sun and a magnifying glass to start one. Of course, there was another way which involved rubbing two stones together, but he wasn''t that desperate¡ªyet. Nathan began his walk into the forest, noticing a few animals here and there. Nothing major, just rabbits, hares, and frogs¡ªthose kinds of things. They all looked a little different, and as much as Nathan was curious, he wanted to avoid another pelican situation, so he avoided them like the plague. Glancing up as he walked, trying to keep the haze of smoke in his line of sight. He twisted and turned as he walked, multiple trees seeming to block his advancement, but he just skirted around them, making sure to keep course. His eyes began to water the closer he got to the source of the smoke. The first thing that should''ve tipped Nathan off as he got closer to the source was the noises. They weren''t human, but Nathan was too far out and way too hungry to care about details like that. Some fire to roast this bad boy. He salivated at the thought. Hopefully, it wouldn''t be long now before he could tear into good food¡ªboy, was he famished. He was so lost in thought that he didn''t register when he stepped into a clearing. What he did register, though, was getting caught in a trap. Snap. "Oofff," Nathan breathed, his feet seemingly falling through the ground he thought was solid. A crude albeit effective trap had been used to capture him: the traditional deep hole with sticks for support at the top and leaves to hide the trap. Nathan almost cursed himself. The snap of the dry twigs had been loud enough to probably inform whoever had placed them that something had been caught, unless whoever or whatever had placed them was as absent-minded as him. Note to self: next time pay attention when scouting. He couldn''t blame his sloppiness on his hunger¡ªyeah, he was hungry, but still. Nathan contemplated his options. The hole wasn''t wide, just deep. His sword and the bird had fallen into the pit with him, so at least that gave him two options. He could, in theory, wedge himself between the walls, both of his legs on one side and his hands on the other side, and make his way out of the hole. The other, less stressful option was that he could wait to find out what placed the trap. Yeah, I''ll sort myself out. The second was definitely not the way to go, considering the fact that the pit could''ve been made by anything. Sure, it was a human-like ''invention,'' but it wasn''t something that Nathan felt he''d be comfortable with¡ªstaying in the pit and waiting for whoever or whatever would be at the other side. No thanks. The question that remained was how exactly was he going to carry his sword and the bird with him out of the pit. All four of his limbs would be busy. After a few moments of contemplating the issue, he decided that he''d leave the bird in the hole while he put the hilt of his sword in his mouth as he made his way out. Easy peasy. The climb was anything but¡ªNathan persevered. It was a plan that worked quickly and efficiently, with him getting out of the pit within two to four minutes. He rolled across the open dirt, careful not to stab himself, removed the sword from his mouth, and just lay there breathing heavily. Nathan had barely caught his breath when he began hearing footsteps heading towards his direction. He scrambled up quickly, taking his sword with him as he sought a place to hide and still have a good view of the pit. Nathan crouched behind a tree he''d chosen as a hiding spot, making sure to discreetly keep an eye on whatever or whoever was approaching. He crossed his fingers, hoping it''d be human. It wasn''t. Nathan''s vision was filled with creatures with familiar features¡ªimps. There were five imps in total, all the same size as the former ones. One of them let out a screech while pointing towards the pit. Nathan focused on the screeching imp, hoping that he''d finally gotten to see a Master Imp. A blue screen showed its details: Imp (Lesser Demon)This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Level 4 Nathan almost let out a disappointed sigh but held himself. He scanned the other four: three were level three imps, and the last one was a level two imp. Which meant the level four imp was their leader. His guess got confirmed when the imp screeched again before pointing at the level two imp and pointing at the pit. The level two imp jumped into the pit, probably as tired of the higher level imp''s screeches as Nathan was. The imp made its way out less than a minute later with Nathan''s bird in tow. The leader poked and prodded the dead bird with a clawed finger as though it expected a bird with no neck and half of its left wing missing to come back to life. The leader grabbed the dead bird before letting out a couple more screeches. Nathan didn''t understand imp screeches, but watching the other imps get to work was all he needed to know that the leader had ordered them to redo the illusion of solid ground. Nathan watched as the imps gathered twigs and leaves, tensing whenever one of the imps looked or walked towards his hiding spot. He watched them begin placing the twigs atop one another before covering them with leaves. If Nathan hadn''t watched it happen, he wouldn''t have been able to tell that there was a pit there. Smart. The darned things were smart, or at least their leader was. He''d assumed that they were brainless creatures, but it seemed like they had enough sense to lay traps. As soon as the other imps were done with the pit, the level four imp let out a short screech before turning its back and heading the way they came, the others following in tow. If Nathan was going to attack, it had to be now. He believed he could take out two before the rest realized what was going on, and even then, he highly doubted that they''d be a match for him. He''d really hate to lose that bird. Nathan got ready to attack but paused before he could burst out of his location. What if these imps could lead him to the source of fire? No doubt the smoke was coming from their camp, and if it was just these five in the camp, he could take them out¡ªelement of surprise or no element of surprise. With a plan in mind, Nathan began creeping up on the imps, following them at a distance. He had to skirt around the area where he believed the pit was; they''d done such a good job he had a hard time pinpointing the exact place it was. Higher perception should solve that. Nathan didn''t increase the stat though¡ªit wasn''t that important at the moment. He continued to tail the imps, occasionally looking up at the sky to confirm if he was right about his suspicion. He was. The imps seemed to be headed in the direction of the smoke, and Nathan couldn''t help but smile at his on-the-spot plan. Overcome and adapt. Words one of the old drug dealers had told him when he''d asked what to do if a drop was a setup. "Overcome and adapt." A crucial skill ¡ªone that Nathan had kept on having to use in his daily life even up till today. He stared straight ahead; the imps seemed to be a quiet bunch. No screeches had passed between the group since leaving the location of the pit. The surrounding area was worn out like it was a well-used path. Nathan had few spots to hide but he made do with what he did have¡ªtrees. He used the trees as cover, going from tree to tree as he continued following the imps. The place had been cleared of the unnatural grass that covered the other places he''d seen since he appeared in this damned place. Who would''ve thought that imps were one to take environmental sanitation that seriously? Pfft. Nathan had grown tired of trailing the imps and was already considering killing them and going straight to the camp himself, as that would be quicker than staying behind these slowpokes all day. Nathan was ready to dash when he saw it. Civilization¡ªjust not the one he''d been hoping to see. Lots and lots of imps dominated a large clearing. The huge trees that he associated with the forest had been cut down; terrible-looking mud houses had been constructed using the wood from the trees as support. That can''t be all the logs. Nathan glanced around the open space dominated by imps, and he saw a couple of walls being constructed. The reason he hadn''t seen it before was probably because the imps had followed the back road into the camp. While chopped logs were being used to build lots and lots of walls, three sides looked quarter-way done while the side he was approaching from had no wall being built. Instead, they had guards stationed around the area. Nathan whistled. The imps gathered there would probably exceed thirty in number, and he had no doubt that a couple of them would still be inside the shelters. The group of imps seemed to have finally made it to the guards stationed at the wall-less section. A couple of screeches were exchanged, with the leader of the group he''d followed raising the dead bird to a guard imp who collected it. The group turned back and started heading towards Nathan''s direction. A myriad of possibilities flashed throughout Nathan''s mind on what would happen to him if he was caught at the outskirts of the camp. He''d nearly been overrun by eleven level one imps; how exactly would he go toe-to-toe with the thirty-plus imps in the camp? This seemed like a job suited for a rogue or a ranger¡ªheck, a mage would have a field day with this. All of those archetypes could attack from afar. The rogue might have to be up close, but it seemed like even that wouldn''t stop someone with that archetype from excelling in this scenario. The imps he''d followed had started getting closer, and Nathan hoped for all he was worth that he didn''t get caught. That would be bad. Very bad. He stood sideways, trying to make himself as small as possible. The tree looked large enough to cover his frame; he just hoped that he wouldn''t suffer any mishaps. The imps reached his position. Nathan held his blade at the ready; at any moment, he''d be ready to defend himself from any attack. He stayed still and quiet, waiting as they passed his position. Just as he was ready to let out a sigh of relief, the lead imp stopped and sniffed the air. Nathan almost groaned. Don''t tell me these things have dog noses. He didn''t get to find out as the guard imps let out what seemed like an impatient screech, and the lead imp''s wings seemed to sag as he continued his walk alongside his squad. Hierarchy was a bitch. Soon they were long gone, and Nathan''s gaze returned back to the imp camp. Now, how am I going to deal with th¡ª Imp Camp discovered. New quest. Eradicate the Mayhem of Imps. Active Quests:
  1. Slay 35 imps (12/35)
  2. Slay 5 Master Imps (0/5)
  3. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
  4. Eradicate the Mayhem of Imps. (0/1)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. You''ve got to be shitting me! 1 - 9 Mayhem Hunting. No way groups of the little shits were called a Mayhem. Nathan almost chuckled at the term¡ªsure, they could cause a lot of trouble for some weak-willed bastard; however, Nathan was anything but. The new quest aligned with his current goals, so he didn''t really fuss over the addition. He''d been about to go on a spree either way and at least now he''d get better rewards for clearing out the entire ''mayhem'' rather than just fulfilling his quota and having to survive the rest. Alright, what to do and how to do it? Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered his options. Sure, he could go at them now. It was brighter than he''d have liked, the crimson sky brightening up the clearing. It was probably the most sky Nathan had seen, excluding the time he''d been at the shore. Nighttime. He knew that the imps themselves probably had night vision; however, nothing compared to natural daylight, so he''d have a better chance at eradicating them. Worst case scenario: there are a hundred of those demons out there. How am I going to handle them? That was the question, wasn''t it? He needed a way to win and to win fast¡ªa drawn-out battle didn''t favor him at all. Nathan mulled through his options before settling on one. That''s what''ll do. He smiled before turning his head sideways; now it was just left for the purple to come up. In the meantime, he watched the imps carefully, trying to get any advantage he could. The imps seemed to be coordinated and well-organized. He''d spotted the source of the smoke after a couple of moments of focused scanning. A couple of imps surrounded what looked like a pot; some were stirring whatever was in the pot while others were fanning the flames. Cooks. He''d looked around trying to see what they''d used to start the fire and almost facepalmed. Rocks. The bastards had used rocks. Nathan shook his head, straining his eyes as he looked closer from the tree he hid behind. He spotted a couple of chopped logs close to the cooking area that were covered in a black substance. Probably some kind of fuel. He tore his eyes off the cooks¡ªnothing important that he''d learned there. His eyes sought the other imps. Some were building walls with logs while a couple of them were guarding entrances and exits. He hadn''t seen any oversized imp that he could term a ''master imp''. They all just looked the same. This entire thing felt off though. It seemed like the lesser demons weren''t as mindless as he''d thought. Nope, they seemed more like an invading force, prepared to conquer and take over territory. They''d kill the humans too¡ªthey''d come after him when he''d first appeared here, defenseless and weak. He''d survived, and that experience was all he needed to know that they couldn''t be allowed to live. The imps wouldn''t be peaceful neighbors. They''d come after him and any other human in this forest with the aim to kill. Probably what had happened to those other people who had skipped the tutorial: they''d met something that far eclipsed them in savagery. Kill or be killed. --- Nighttime came fast. Nathan had pretty much kept his eyes peeled for danger or sneak attacks in case the imps had noticed him and decided to be subtle with their approach. Showtime. Nathan took deep breaths as he focused on his targets: the three guards stationed at the wall-less entrance. The rest of the camp seemed much quieter than during the daytime. He''d waited a couple of hours after the sky changed colors to know if the guards ever stopped... guarding. The answer: nope. The guards seemed to have shifts; he''d witnessed three swaps within the time he''d been waiting. He couldn''t tell any physiological difference between the new guards and the old, meaning that it would''ve been something he''d have missed if he wasn''t looking for it. The first step was to take out the guards, fast and quietly. He wished that he could just go berserker mode, but his brain was still fully intact and logic dictated that he wasn''t strong enough to handle that. Nathan moved through the side. He was no rogue, but he''d do his best to imitate. Red eyes stared away from his direction. He continued to creep up to them, making sure his footsteps were light. A screen popped up once he got closer to the trio. Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 4 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 6 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 4 Huh, the trio were roughly the same level as him¡ªtwo below him with one a level higher. He''d have to go for the middle one first. The two he was sure he could handle quickly. Battling the level 6 imp might take a while if it was alerted to his presence too early. Hell, it could probably hold him off while the others alerted the rest of the camp.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Swift and clean. He couldn''t give them time to breathe or screech. He had to attack fast and hard. The time for planning had gone. Time to walk the walk. Nathan began creeping up closer and closer to the imps. Nighttime or no nighttime, he was close enough that if they just turned sideways, they''d see him. All that made Nathan''s heart beat faster in his chest as he closed the distance. The spot he''d chosen to start his charge was already in sight. He was about two steps from the spot before the lead imp sniffed, walking closer to the spot before looking Nathan''s way, red orbs meeting his human ones. Overcome and adapt. It didn''t matter that the imp had spotted him¡ªit was already dead. Nathan dashed forward, his sword rising high as he slashed towards the unprotected neck of the lead imp. It tried to raise its hands but didn''t get there in time. Nathan''s sword cleaved through its head like butter, the head rolling on the floor as its body dropped. Too slow. With the biggest threat out of the way, he faced the other two who''d already recovered from their shock. One looked ready to screech but couldn''t do so as there was now a sword running right through its throat. The screech died in its throat as Nathan pulled his sword back. A feeling of euphoria passed through Nathan, but he shut it down quickly, focusing on his remaining foe. The last imp seemed to ask itself the question that all creatures did when faced with a predator higher up the chain than them. Flight or fight¡ªit chose flight. It turned to flee towards the camp. Made it three steps. It seemed to be going the fastest it''d ever gone in its life before everything suddenly blacked out. Nathan looked at the decapitated corpse of the imp. Sure, it had made it three steps; its head, on the other hand, had probably done three more steps before coming to a stop. Nothing personal. The entire scuffle had lasted less than two minutes and had been quiet enough that no other imp had noticed¡ªa fact that made Nathan smile. He stepped over the dead body as he made his way into the camp when a loud screech disturbed the silent night. Of course, it went off the rails. A single imp seemed to be looking at him in horror, but he wasn''t quite sure what horror was supposed to look like on their faces. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 6 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher Strength: 9 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 9 Stamina: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 1300 Free points: 5 Okay, a bit of a time crunch here so: 2 points to dexterity 2 points to strength Dexterity: 8 -> 10 Strength: 9 -> 11 ## Free points: 1 Nathan closed the stat screen with a thought, the fuzzy feeling starting to envelop him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He kept his eyes trained on the still-screeching imp¡ªwho needed alarm bells when you had something like that? By now he was sure the entire camp had heard the screech and would come for him. Before then though, there was something he had to do. The screeching ended as soon as Nathan''s blade finished bisecting the imp. Nathan glared at the body that had been cut in half furiously, but the harm had already been done. He took cover at the walls of the closest mud house. The other imps hadn''t yet bothered to investigate what had happened, and Nathan couldn''t really blame them. He himself knew what it meant to work all day and have someone try to disturb you when you needed rest. The irresponsibility didn''t last too long though, as a new screech replaced the silence of the night. Multiple screeches joined the single one, and soon enough Nathan heard enough footsteps heading towards the bodies to know that the camp was out. A short, loud screech filled the air, higher pitched than the rest. As soon as that screech stopped, so did the others. Nathan believed that was the loudest screech he''d heard before, so he peeked at the side of the wall. Yep, that''s a master imp alright. The imp in question was bigger than the rest. While the other imps would only get close to his torso standing straight, this one looked like it''d be Nathan''s height or just a little bit shorter. It was bigger too, with larger wings and two stubs on its head compared to the completely round heads of the other imps. It let out a couple of screeches, receiving responding screeches from the other imps gathered around it. It let out another screech and two imps pulled away from the crowd of thirty or more imps from Nathan''s rough estimate. The two dashed in different directions. It let out another screech, and a single imp was pushed forward by the crowd of imps who seemed to put a little distance between themselves and the imp pushed to the front. Nathan nearly gagged when he saw why. The master imp''s clawed hand moved forward lightning-quick before crushing the pushed-out imp''s skull like it was a pumpkin. If he were to hazard a guess, he''d say that was their head of security, and he''d probably lost his life for messing up. Reminded him of when he still pushed product for Sparrow, Black Knight, or whatever he went by these days. They all ruled by fear. I''m definitely not going to work for anyone like that again. Scratch that¡ªI''ll never work for anybody again. If Nathan thought the master imp was grim, he had a quick rethink when he saw two other master imps about to join the crowd. I sure hate to be me right about now! He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let his chest rise until it couldn''t anymore before letting it out. It was a meditation technique he''d picked up from a friend in high school, Kora. Of course, it was a girl¡ªNathan wasn''t going to do something like meditation if he didn''t like the girl. Plus, it was the way they got to spend time together. Nathan shook his head. The master imps had started to mobilize their forces, each taking ten or so imps with them and heading in the three directions possible in the camp, as the fourth led outside. Five imps were stationed there too, probably to prevent him from escaping. He highly doubted that they''d be enough to stop him though, and if Nathan was being honest, he''d rather go against the five than any of the other groups. Overcome and adapt. He''d hoped that he''d just have to battle the imps and one master imp, and the presence of three more seriously changed things. The system had said to slay five master imps. Five. If three were here, then where were the other two? He''d assumed he''d see master imps in different camps or out in the wilderness like the mayhem of ones that had attacked him. The most obvious explanation was that the imps sent out patrols on different shifts, some with master imps, some without¡ªand if the remaining two master imps weren''t here, then where would they be? Hunting. The ugly things would be hunting, and he''d best take advantage of their absence. Kill or be killed. Nathan had no interest in dying tonight, which meant that this would probably be the last night for these imps. With his sword at the ready, Nathan dashed forward. 1 - 10 predator or prey. Sticking to the left side of the camp, he hurried along, using the mud houses as cover as he tailed his prey. The Imps had a couple fewer imps than the other two groups. In his head, that made it his safest bet. The Imps seemed to be carefully canvassing the left side of the camp, even entering the mud houses to check if he was in there. At the rate they were going, it''d take a while before they''d get to the spot he''d chosen for their battle: the left wall. Nathan made sure to keep at least two mud houses between him and the hunting parties, as he was well aware of their ability to sniff him out. If the other imps could do it, the master imp probably could as well, and most likely to a better degree, hence the two mud houses. Leaving the party behind, he made his way to the extreme wall. No surprise that there were fewer houses the closer he''d gotten to the wall. After all, work was still ongoing in that part of the town. It took Nathan about two minutes to get to the left wall. From what he''d seen the imps doing, he probably had between five to seven minutes before the imps would get to his location. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 6 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skullcrusher Strength: 11 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 9 Constitution: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Ra''hal coins: 1300 Free points: 1 Huh, where are my skills? At the thought of skills, the text started to rearrange itself. Skills Blood Rebellion (I): Get a 10% boost on all stats when health drops to 25%. This is a passive skill. Life Steal (I): This ability activates randomly within strikes that draw blood. Gain the chance to steal the life of your foes. 10% chance to steal 5% health on a successful strike. This is a passive skill. Time to find out which one of you guys will become the star of the show. Quests Active Quests:
  1. Slay 35 imps (16/35)
  2. Slay 5 Master Imps (0/5)
  3. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
  4. Eradicate the Mayhem of Imps (0/1)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. Nathan let the screen wink out with a thought; his prey was about to get within range. They had another thing coming if they thought they were the ones doing the hunting tonight. Nathan didn''t even bother with a stance¡ªthis wasn''t a movie, this was real life. Nathan stared straight ahead, leaning on the quarter-finished wall. It was almost as though he was sitting if he was honest. His expression was the most noticeable thing: he had the typical ''come get me'' look on his face. Looks could be deceiving though. Nathan''s heart started to beat furiously as the imps finally made their way to the left wall. Immediately upon spotting him, the Mayhem started to screech out loud while advancing towards him. Oh boy! Nathan stopped leaning, standing straight as he prepared for the bloodbath. A blue interface popped up in his vision. The imps were all between levels three to six¡ªall except one, the master imp. Master Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 8 Nathan gulped audibly. Him alone against about fourteen imps including the master imp; their claws were so sharp he could understand why they wouldn''t need weapons. It was certain that blood would be shed today, a lot of it. Nathan found it a little bit inconvenient as he''d have to wash at the sea when he was done here. Ughh. A loud but short screech silenced the Mayhem. The master imp''s eyes met with Nathan''s¡ªdemon''s to human''s, pure red to Nathan''s blue eyes. For a moment, Nathan feared Big Ugly was going to charge at him. Instead, the Master Imp pointed a clawed finger at Nathan and let out a short screech. Four imps detached from the Mayhem, baring their fangs as they advanced on Nathan, the master imp content to watch. No doubt not considering him a threat. Nathan focused on the four. Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 4 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 3 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 5 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 3 All four were below him in level. One-on-one he''d dominate them; heck, two-on-one would still be reasonable, but four-on-one might just be a tad too many imp lives for the master imp to throw away carelessly.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. With a demonic grin to match the confidence, Nathan charged. The Berserker Archetype showing itself in this moment. Two launched themselves at him. Nathan ducked, rolling under as he went for the other two. Caught off guard by the weird response from Nathan to their kin''s attack, they could hardly do anything before Nathan touched them one at a time. He bisected the first imp at the torso, his blade going from side to side. He could see the horror in the second imp''s eyes as Nathan''s sword tore out the other side of the first imp. Without stopping, Nathan''s arc continued with momentum as he went for its legs. The blade slashed through both legs, completing the downward arc. The imp let out a blood-curdling screech at the loss of its legs. Fortunately for it, Nathan ended its pain by decapitating the imp. A clawed hand raked across his back for his troubles; it was like trails of fire were being left as the claw tore through his back like a knife through butter. Nathan gritted his teeth as he used his free hand to pull the imp off his back. New rule: Never turn your back on an enemy. Nathan stepped backward, giving himself more space and also allowing him the ability to keep both remaining imps in his field of vision. The throw hadn''t broken anything in the imp as he''d hoped, maybe given it a few bruises but nothing substantial as it was already back on its feet and staring at Nathan with venom in its eyes. As though sharing the same mind, the pair lunged at him. Nathan responded in kind, cleaving one of the imps before it even understood what was happening while sidestepping the attack of the other. The single imp seemed to look at him in fear before turning to look at the Master Imp nervously, who stared back at it impassively. It tried to turn back to look at Nathan but found out it couldn''t, and everything went black. Nathan stared at the severed head of the imp. That was a terrible thing to do, turning your back against an enemy that could kill you within seconds. A euphoric feeling went through him, his back healing, but Nathan tuned out the sensation as he faced the master imp squarely. Maybe it was the glow of the purple sky on the imp''s face or his adrenaline-pumping body, but he could see the beginning of a grin starting to form on big ugly''s face. It let out a short screech and the rest of the imp squad went for him¡ªnine in total¡ªthe Master Imp content to watch. Nathan focused on them as they advanced quickly, closing the distance. Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 5 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 5 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 4 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 3 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 6 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 4 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 5 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 6 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 4 Nathan winced at their levels. It definitely wasn''t going to be a walk in the park; he''d need his A-game. He tried to think strategy, but his blood was way too hot for him to think straight. Maybe he could stop being conservative and just go at it like an actual berserker¡ªtake the cuts and deliver his swift retribution. Go time. Nathan knew he couldn''t afford to let them drum up a strategy, and if they already had one, then he couldn''t let them get into positions to start executing it. His best bet was to disrupt their game plan. He rushed at them, hoping his suicidal run would catch them by surprise¡ªit did. Nathan managed to kill two imps and badly maim one before the rest attacked, toppling him as they clawed him. Warning: 75% health remaining Nathan had never felt so much pain. He''d hoped to pass out from the pain so they could kill him, but he hadn''t, and so Nathan had to fight his way out. Take the cuts and deliver your retribution. Nathan pushed them off him as he allowed his Berserker Archetype to claim him. For every slash he delivered with his sword, he got a couple of claw marks on his body. Blood dripped on his face as a couple of imps had managed to claw him there. Somehow they''d missed his eyes, and Nathan was grateful for that. He lashed out with his sword in wild arcs, dismembering and outright killing imps here and there. Warning: 50% health remaining Shit! Just a couple more. Nathan knew he was almost at the cusp of another level. Jumping back, he put distance between himself and the remaining imps. There were just three of them left. The site of their battle was covered in blood¡ªboth Nathan''s and the imps''. It reeked, and it reeked badly. If he wasn''t fighting for his life and if he actually had any food in him, Nathan would''ve puked. As it was, he was struggling to stay upright. He could feel his health ticking down even without new wounds. The wounds he''d gotten had him bleeding out. He badly needed the healing that would come with the next level. Nathan focused on the imps that had survived. Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 6 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 3 Imp (Lesser Demon) Level 6 "Oh come on!" What were the odds of the only two-level sixes in the Mayhem surviving his rampage? Just his luck. He wondered why they hadn''t attacked him yet until he realized: the clock was ticking for him. They''d be just fine, and he''d get weak and die from blood loss if he didn''t do something. Smart! He had to give it to the ugly buggers¡ªthey were smart. No need to risk their lives when Nathan could stupidly stand there and do all the work for them. Solid thinking if you asked him. Unfortunately for them, they hadn''t understood one thing: the human in front of them was a madman, and the only thing scarier than a madman was a madman with a plan. Right now, they were the last thing stopping him from fulfilling his plan. Nathan charged at the imps; they scattered. No doubt they''d already come to the same conclusion as him. Unfortunately for them, Nathan was faster, taller, and had more reach than them. He slashed horizontally, his sword bisecting the level three imp. The remaining two seemed content to keep their distance from him, always fleeing anytime he got close enough. Normally he should''ve been able to catch them easily and put them to the sword, but he''d been feeling himself slow down and become sluggish the longer the fight wore on, while they still seemed to be at full strength. Nathan feared that if he couldn''t come up with a way to fight them, he''d die soon. He was very sure his health was fast approaching twenty-five percent; the only reason he didn''t think it had gone lower than that was because he hadn''t seen any notification informing him about Blood Rebellion activating¡ªthe skill that would give him a ten percent boost on all his stats. Wait a minute, my stats! Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 7 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skullcrusher Strength: 11 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 9 Constitution: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 5050 Free points: 3 Two points to vitality Vitality: 11 ## Free points: 1 Nathan closed the stat screen. A wave of new energy flooded his body as he increased his vitality, which in turn increased his health pool. It wasn''t going to last though, as he was still bleeding out¡ªit was like putting more water in a bucket leaking from the bottom. Until he healed, he''d keep losing health. He faced the imps; they hadn''t bothered him as they''d stuck to their plan of waiting for him to die of blood loss. The Master Imp watched the scene impassively, the grin that had been forming on his face gone. Nathan charged at the imps. Even he himself hadn''t expected it, and neither had the imps. They''d tried to dodge as that had worked so well before for them, but it was different this time. Nathan thrust his sword through the neck of one of the imps, running it through before pulling back the sword. Almost there, I can feel it. The last one let out a fearful screech just as Nathan''s sword cleaved through it. The imp died mid-screech. Nathan turned to face the master imp, who was still about twenty steps from where he was. He tried to move towards him but fell to his knees as the familiar feeling of euphoria passed through him. He reveled in the feeling this time, allowing it to wash away his fatigue as it healed him completely. Level 8, sucker. 1 - 11. Big Ugly 2. The euphoric feeling wore out within seconds, but Nathan was now whole. The multiple claw marks on his body had healed up, leaving no scar behind. He ran a hand over his face and confirmed that no scar was there. It''d been difficult finding a girlfriend with this face; imagine having a scar to make it worse. Speaking of ugly faces, he glanced up at big ugly. The master imp had stood there watching Nathan with a repulsive grin on its face. Nathan couldn''t wait to wipe that stupid grin from its ugly face. The damned thing would regret not killing him when it had the chance. Thinking about the Master Imp''s weird behavior as he stood up, he came to the conclusion that Big Ugly just wanted to use him to level up. He didn''t know how monsters leveled up, but it had to be the same or similar to the way he did. So if Nathan was correct about his assumption, Big Ugly had thrown its subordinates at Nathan with the aim of helping him level just so it could kill Nathan and level up itself. If Nathan died while fighting the other imps, it would still be a win. He had to hand it to the Master Imp¡ªit had a very shrewd mind. Sacrificing those below it for the chance at power. Shaking his head to get his mind back in the game, he pointed his bloody sword at Big Ugly, whose response was a short screech. The damned thing just stood still, waiting for Nathan to make his move, and Nathan stood still trying to decide if it was a trap. Nathan shrugged; the imp had time on its side, but he didn''t. No point dawdling here and becoming unfortunate enough to face two or, God forbid, three master imps at once. Nathan pushed off the ground, running towards the still-grinning imp, and slashed. He didn''t know what he was supposed to expect when his sword made contact with the imp''s scaly skin, but he hadn''t expected it to bounce back, the imp completely unharmed. Shit! Nathan was so thrown off balance by the outcome of his attack that he couldn''t raise his sword in time to block the clawed hand that reached for his unprotected head. It clutched Nathan''s head with two hands like his head was a juicy orange. It felt like the Master Imp wanted to crush his skull like its kin had done to another imp earlier. The imp probably didn''t know that Nathan was thick in the head, at least that was how his literature teacher had put it. While it definitely hurt, it still gave Nathan time to try other things¡ªlike stabbing the imp in the eye. It was almost comical to see the focused look of the Master Imp morph into confusion and then pain as Nathan''s blade poked its left eye out. Armored skin or no armored skin, an eye was always going to be an eye. Nathan had guessed the Master Imp had been utilizing one of its skills. Hardened skin meant hardened skin; it wasn''t hard for Nathan to put two and two together. Considering the imp had both hands on Nathan''s head and was confident enough in its impervious skin to shrug off anything Nathan could do, it made it way easier than it should''ve been for Nathan to take an eye out of the equation. Big ugly let go of Nathan''s head as it screeched out in pain, one clawed palm covering its eye as it mourned the loss. Nathan wisely put space between the two of them, wincing at the screech. Well, that''s going to attract unwanted attention. The Master Imp bared its fangs, letting out a hiss at Nathan. Barely concealed hatred oozed off it, the scene in front of him making his hairs tingle. Uh oh. Big ugly barreled towards Nathan, its eye shining with bloodlust as it made its way towards him. Nathan sidestepped from the charge at the last second, slashing at the exposed back of the Master Imp and drawing blood, his sword going two inches before stopping. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice, Nathan jumped back, putting space between him and the raging imp. Maybe it''d be less angry if Nathan could show it pictures of a Cyclops to make it feel less bad about itself. Nathan pushed the stupid thoughts away as he considered the important thing. His sword had bitten into big ugly''s skin, meaning that the skill the Master Imp used before had two limitations that he now knew: the eyes weren''t covered by insurance, and it couldn''t fortify its skin when on the move. At least that was what it seemed like. Nathan had no idea if the imp was so angry that it had forgotten to activate its buffs. Well, his chance to find out was nigh¡ªthe outraged imp had turned back to face Nathan before charging at him. Note to self: never go full berserk mode. Rather than sidestep this time, Nathan decided to go head-to-head with the imp. They met midway, with Nathan being thrown away like a rag doll. He landed a few feet away from the already advancing imp; his chest was burning with pain. Nathan looked down to see four new claw marks now decorating his chest. Aww man. This was no time to be a pretty boy though. He took it on the chest and stood to his feet. He could feel that he''d lost a significant amount of health to that one slash. He had to be careful with how he dealt with the imp. They might both be at the same level, but the imp had been on level eight way longer than him, so he had to play his cards right if he wanted to have some roasted bird later.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Maybe I could go for the other eye. It''d sure make everything easier. Nathan tried to move back as the imp moved forward, trailing him. Of course, going for the eyes sounded easy in theory; in reality, he didn''t think there was a version of the shrewd imp that was going to stand still and let him poke its second eye out. On the other hand, the imp had just lost an eye¡ªthat meant that it should be a little disoriented. Probably why it''d been taking him head-on. It was up to Nathan to figure out a way to attack from its blind side. How exactly he was going to achieve that, he didn''t know. On a whim, Nathan rushed the imp, who was more than happy to meet Nathan charge for charge. Nathan sidestepped to its blind side at the last moment. It was the wrong move as the imp seemed to have anticipated it. A clawed hand ripped through his side. Warning: 75% health left Damn, that much health was lost after three exchanges¡ªhow powerful was this thing? It was almost as if it''d thrown its whole stats into strength while Nathan had spread his evenly. Not giving time for Nathan to respond, the imp went for another slash with its right hand. Nathan bent his head, ducking under the swing¡ªit was a feint. Nathan felt rather than saw the imp''s left clawed hand tear through his exposed back. He felt the claws narrowly miss his spine as the imp pulled back its hand. Tears threatened to fall from Nathan''s eyes at the fiery sensation spreading at his back, but he persevered. The good thing about the new pain was that it strengthened his resolve and cleared his mind to his next course of action. Nathan thrust his sword towards the imp''s remaining eye; two clawed hands shot up to cover the eye just like Nathan had expected. Shifting the trajectory of the blade a little, Nathan watched as the blade tore through what remained of the damaged eyeball, heading straight into its brain. Feint for feint. It took almost dying for him to realize that he could do feints followed by an attack instead of always sidestepping, but Nathan had learned that lesson the hard way. He watched the imp carefully; both clawed hands were still covering the working eye, so Nathan wasn''t sure if the imp was dead or maybe it didn''t even have a brain and he''d just stabbed his blade into empty space. After all, he didn''t know what their physiology was like. He didn''t have to wait too long to find out¡ªthe big imp started to tilt towards his direction, and Nathan quickly kicked it while holding the sword as the imp fell in the opposite direction. One down, four to go. While Nathan hadn''t leveled up after killing the Master Imp like he''d hoped, he was still sure that he''d hit the next level pretty soon. He was midway close to the next level; he could feel it in his... uhm, let''s just say he could feel it. Nathan hated the fact that there was nothing to loot on the damned imps. He''d been hoping for some armor, clothes, or something, but none of the imps seemed to have any of those¡ªthey didn''t even have weapons. Whatever the system had in store for him as a reward for clearing up these filthy beasts better be worth it. Heck, his clothes were almost drenched in black blood. No time to complain though; he still had a couple more imps left for him. With a sigh of exasperation, he pulled up his stat screen with a thought. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 8 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skullcrusher Strength: 11 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Stamina: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 5,450 Free points: 3 What stat should I invest in right now? Dexterity? Stamina? Naah, probably strength. The hits I managed to land on big ugly didn''t even go that deep. I can''t have that repeating itself. Two points to strength Strength: 13 ## Free points: 1 Quests Active Quests:
  1. Slay 35 imps (29/35)
  2. Slay 5 Master Imps (1/5)
  3. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
  4. Eradicate the Mayhem of Imps (0/1)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. Nathan closed the status screen with a thought. He''d made improvements on his strength, and it''d have to be enough for the hunt for the other two groups. He casually began his walk back towards the extreme end of the clearing. The next group should be somewhere around there. Nathan evaluated his fights with the imps as he walked. They were certainly smart and adaptable, coldblooded when they needed to be. He''d seen two Master Imps killing their subjects: one had done it directly while the other had used Nathan to do it in hopes of gaining a level after it killed him. Bollocks. The whole situation made no sense to him. Why were demons here, and if these ones were the lesser demons, then what were the normal or higher demons supposed to look like? Nathan wasn''t even sure if the other demons had made it to Earth. From what he could tell, the system was still populating the world, and if Nathan''s guess was correct, it''d started by spawning weak monsters first¡ªhence the squad of level-one monsters that had nearly killed him. More importantly, what was the end goal of all this? What did the system hope to achieve by bringing this apocalypse onto Earth? What had it called the apocalypse again... Crimson Apocalypse. The name certainly fits his experience so far; it wasn''t an apocalypse that gave out fluffy rabbits and teddies. No, this was something else entirely. High risk, high reward system. Nathan shoved that line of thought to the back of his head; he couldn''t be thinking about things he had no idea about. He should be thinking about how he was going to handle the other Master Imps. The eye trick had been nice, but he didn''t think that it''d work all the time, so he''d better come up with a reasonable plan. Brute force against the master imps was out of the question. They were the same level as Nathan, and they''d probably have the same skill as Big Ugly. Nathan''s constant thoughts must''ve somehow alerted the Master Imp at the extreme end of the camp, as he couldn''t understand why he turned sideways to see the big imp staring straight at him. First off, creepy. I''ll call you big ugly 2. 1 - 12. Blow for Blow. Nathan stared right back at the Master imp. Other imps surrounded it, and he really hoped that Big Ugly 2 would send forth a couple of them to help him grind through a few levels. It didn''t. Where Big Ugly had let its squad handle Nathan before jumping in the fray, Big Ugly 2 seemed to have a lead-by-example kind of approach. It charged straight at him, other imps in tow. Nathan focused on big ugly as it charged. Master imp (lesser demon) Level 8 The distance between them was about forty steps, and Nathan considered turning around and making a run for it. Big Ugly 2 didn''t seem like the type to mess around, and Nathan wasn''t sure he could take on Big Ugly 2 and all its twelve imps at once, something that was looking like the most probable scenario with each step the imps made. I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Nathan repeated the words as many times as he could, preparing himself for what was going to be a tough fight. With his sword out and mind focused, Nathan met the charge on his terms. Some of the smaller imps were now at the forefront of the charge, screeching for his blood. Nathan could let them score a few cuts, but they''d pay with their lives. Wide arc. Nathan''s sword flashed out, cleaving through the first three imps leading the charge. He hadn''t bothered finding out their levels¡ªhe had to kill them regardless of what level they were¡ªand so he hacked and slashed viciously, his new strength aiding him, the Berserker in him half-unleashed. Nathan had managed to mow down about five more imps before his sword was stopped mid-swing. Big Ugly 2 had joined the fight proper; the remaining four imps formed a semicircle at the other side, probably their little way of discouraging him from fleeing. An act that Nathan thought was sweet because if he had a choice between four imps and one master imp, the four would be dead before they realized it. He tried to pull his sword back, but the damned demon held it with an iron-clad grip. Nathan received two slashes from imps behind him for his stubbornness. While the claws raking through his back had hurt, he could tell that he''d lost less health than usual. Probably his higher Vitality stat in effect. Nathan let big ugly 2 have the sword as he released it, going for a sucker punch. Crack. Nathan felt something shift or break in his fist as it connected with the Master Imp''s face. The imp itself seemed a little unperturbed at the attack, if only a little dazed¡ªmore from surprise than anything else, though. Surprise he could work with. He gripped his sword and pulled with ease, taking it from the shocked imp. His fingers protested as he wrapped the injured hand around the hilt of his sword. Nathan''s respite didn''t last long though, as Big Ugly 2 and the other imps attacked him as one. "Fuck me," Nathan muttered as his back, thighs, and legs sported new cuts while he defended big ugly 2''s overhead slash, his sword blocking both clawed hands, barely. Every second that Nathan spent trying to win the battle of strength between him and the Master imp was a second where the other four slashed at his exposed parts. I have to get rid of those four. Warning: 50% health remaining. Rats. It was now or never. Having his back exposed while he fought with the Master imp was just him fighting a losing battle. In fact, it was him assuring the imps their victory. He had to handle the ones behind him first, which meant he had to turn his back on Big Ugly 2. Fuck it. Nathan spun around, cleaving through the first three imps with ease. He couldn''t believe that he hadn''t done this earlier. It would''ve saved him a bucketload of pain. Just as Nathan''s sword thrust through the remaining imp, he got a refresher on why he hadn''t done it earlier. Bigger claws, by the feeling of the tear, tore gashes in his already bloodied back, the force behind the swipe tossing him a few feet away. Nathan almost cursed¡ªhe was a claw or two away from twenty-five percent health. However, the good side was that his gamble had paid off and now he could face off against the Master imp. More interesting was that he could feel himself almost breaking into the next level, and the means to do so was staring right at him. Blood poured from Nathan''s back; he needed to end this and to end it fast. Big Ugly 2 seemed to have a different tactical approach to killing him than the last group he''d met. While Big Ugly had let his imps try their hands and fail, giving Nathan the chance to heal up, Big Ugly 2 preferred to go for the kill without hesitation. It hadn''t even used its imps as meat shields. It had fought amongst them and would most definitely die beside them. For that, it had Nathan''s deepest respect¡ªit was, for all intents and purposes, a proper leader.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Nathan charged at the imp who''d decided to stand still, watching and calculating. As expected, Nathan''s blade bounced off its skin without doing any harm. It had tried to catch Nathan, but after confirming his fears, he''d jumped back, putting some space between them. He hadn''t escaped unharmed though; blood poured from a very small tear he''d received as the tip of one of the imp''s claws made contact with his arm. I''m getting sluggish. There was no need to deny the obvious¡ªhe was getting slower as he lost more and more blood. He couldn''t even stop to put his remaining point into his vitality; big ugly 2 didn''t look like it was going to afford him the chance to do that. The Master Imp rushed at him. If it won''t let me spend my points, I might as well. Nathan rushed the imp, slashing at it with his sword while it defended with its clawed hands. The difference in strength between the pair was marginal, but the Master imp currently had the upper hand when it came to that stat. Nathan just needed a little boost to close the gap completely. He pulled back and went for the eye, missing as the imp tilted its head to let the blade fly past, their trademark creepy-ass grin spreading on its face. Uh oh. A clawed hand raked through Nathan''s chest, tossing him to the side. It felt like his chest was on fire. Blood had already started flowing out of the wound. This was it, it had to be. Critical Warning: 17% health remaining. Blood Rebellion triggered. Gotcha. A simple smile blossomed on Nathan''s face as he stared at the screen before closing it with a thought. He''d already started to feel the effects of the ten percent boost the skill gave his stats. It was almost as if he''d added one point to his stats, and in other words, he was probably as strong as a Level nine monster. He would''ve said ten if he was at full health, but he had seventeen percent health and it was dropping. The boost to his Vitality would clear his mind and energize his body, but he''d still be leaking blood. Meaning he needed to end this fight fast. The imp had already started walking towards him, no doubt taking the smile as Nathan''s acceptance of his death. Nathan, on the other hand, had started to push up from the floor, grasping for his sword where it had fallen during their scuffle. He wasn''t going to lie down and die if that was what the Master imp expected. With renewed strength, Nathan rushed at the imp, slicing with one hand. Big ugly 2 raised one arm to block the attack, not stopping in its stride as it knew this was the dying attack of a human¡ªa persistent human, but still a human nonetheless. Unfortunately for Big Ugly 2, Nathan wasn''t the same person he was a couple of moments ago. His sword slashed through the arm from its elbow down, tearing through flesh, tissue, and bone alike. The cut was jagged as if it was only raw strength empowering the strike, the blade itself not sharp or quality enough to deliver a clean cut. The Master Imp looked at the new stump where its clawed hand was once attached in shock, and Nathan did the same. An ear-piercing screech filled the air, the imp wailing at the loss of part of its arm. Nathan, on the other hand, took advantage of its distraction, pulling back and slashing at its torso in a bid to bisect big ugly 2. The blade went halfway in before losing momentum. Life steal triggered. Nathan let out a breath as he felt his health bump up. The skill description had said five percent, and he''d gladly take the five. Nathan pulled his sword out and jumped back, hoping to avoid any "I might die but I''ll take you with me" tendencies that the imp might have. Nathan watched as the imp dropped to the floor on both knees, its one hand clutching at its torso while it looked at Nathan, demon eyes to human ones. It dove for him with its remaining clawed hand, trying to take his legs. Nathan didn''t want to find out if the imp would succeed or not. His sword cleaved through the imp''s neck, killing it instantly. It had lived like a warrior and died like one, and most importantly, it had been a worthy foe, a good leader to its kin. That... Nathan could respect. A wave of euphoria enveloped Nathan, healing his wounds and numbing the pain, but he suppressed the feeling in honor of a fallen warrior. A question did come unbidden to his mind: did he get the euphoric feeling when he leveled up because he was a Berserker and something like other Archetypes like mages felt smarter after leveling up, or rangers felt sharper? Or maybe everybody else just felt the same euphoria he did? It made for quite the question, but Nathan shrugged it off. He needed to be alert and present right now. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 9 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher Strength: 13 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 8,250 Free points: 3 His fight with Big Ugly 2 had confirmed that strength was his most important stat as a Berserker, followed by vitality. His Vitality might come into question and might explain why he became sluggish after losing too much blood. Maybe a few free points chucked into vitality would make him immune to the sluggishness that came with losing blood, but until he had enough to spare, he wasn''t going to waste the ones he had right now. This meant he''d have to prioritize his strength stat right now; the rest could wait. A higher Vitality would also allow him to take more hits without losing much health. The other stats weren''t that important, although dexterity did seem intriguing. He''d file that one off for later. Two points to strength: Strength: 15 ### Free points: 1 Nathan closed the status screen with a thought, a warm fuzzy feeling going through him to signify the change had taken place. Level 9. Quite the step up if you asked him. Blood rebellion had since deactivated by itself as soon as he''d healed past twenty-five percent, at least that was what he thought, as the skill had seemingly lost its effectiveness somewhere during the euphoric feeling. He did have a little conundrum though: what would happen if he dropped below twenty-five percent, triggering blood rebellion, then while fighting he managed to use life steal to get back up to twenty-six percent? Would he lose the blood rebellion boost then? Probably. Nathan shook his head to dispel his idle thoughts¡ªhe still had more master imps to hunt. 1 - 13. Treasure or trash? Logic dictated that Nathan should be able to easily go head-to-head with the remaining Master imp at the camp. The minions following the Master Imp shouldn''t even be worth mentioning at this point. At least he hoped so, as he''d finally located the remaining mayhem of imps¡ªor if you wanted to be technical, they''d located him. No doubt the multiple screeches had drawn the imps to come to investigate and die at Nathan''s hands while doing so. Nathan was way too eager to test his new strength that he didn''t even wait for the imps to attack because he no longer had to. He should have the upper hand now, and these imps wouldn''t know what hit them. For the first time since getting his class, Nathan began a fight by going full berserker mode, charging straight at the imps that hurried to get into formation or something that faintly resembled that. His blood pumped faster and his mind felt alive as he unleashed the primal version of himself. He cleaved through the minion imps at the front line, decimating them. Within seconds, the mayhem of thirteen imps had only one left. Nathan had a few tears on his skin where a couple of imps had managed to claw at him before ultimately losing their lives. Nothing major there though¡ªhe still hadn''t gotten a message informing him that he''d dropped below seventy-five percent, so that probably meant the damage had been minimal. Nathan watched the Master imp with intensity. The Master imp, or big ugly 3 as Nathan would nickname it for the time being, seemed to be inching away from him, which made Nathan chuckle inwardly before he refocused on the imp. Master imp (lesser demon) Level 8 The imp''s level wasn''t a surprise to Nathan; he''d already expected something like that to be the case after all¡ªthe other imps were the same level. Big ugly 3 looked ready to bolt, and Nathan wouldn''t blame the demon. To it, Nathan probably looked like the Grim Reaper, covered in black blood as he was, his hair matted with the stuff. He still wasn''t going to let it go though; he''d witnessed what could happen when you let an enemy live. Those kinds of enemies often returned to claim their pound of flesh. Nathan rushed at the demon, sword already beginning its arc. The demon crossed its hands in an X against its chest and stayed completely still, probably trusting that its skin-related skill would be enough to save it from Nathan''s blade. Good. Nathan wanted to know if he''d actually become strong enough to break through that skill. His sword completed an upward crescent. Two clawed hands dropped to the floor even as Nathan''s sword tore a little into the imp''s chest as it completed its crescent. Big ugly 3 let out a blood-curdling screech, the sound carrying into the forest. Only this time, Nathan suspected it was more of a cry for help to the other imps absent from his visit. He appreciated the effort to help him, he really did. If its screech alerted the other imps to return to camp, it''d save him a lot of trouble. He still went for the kill though. A new corpse joined the rest of the imps¡ªa headless one. Nathan watched as the head of the Master imp rolled to a stop a few feet from where he stood. Kill or be killed. Nathan wouldn''t be on the raw side of that deal, ever. Nathan heard footsteps heading in his direction. Had the imps already made their way to him? He sure hoped so. He couldn''t wait to put the experience behind him. Turning to face the direction of the footsteps, he discovered that it was just the imps stationed at the gate that had come to answer the call. Nathan mowed them down within seconds, a little disappointed that they weren''t the imps he was expecting. With the knowledge that the only living thing in the camp was him, Nathan let out a breath that he didn''t know he''d been holding in. His entire being quaked in exhaustion. Not bodily exhaustion, but more of the mental type. He''d have loved to say that he was a weak-hearted person who was new to killing, but the truth was that he wasn''t. He''d seen a lot of death back when the world was still normal, and to be honest, it was something that Nathan didn''t want to think about. He moved away from the dead bodies. The smell had already started to get to him, adrenaline wearing off and all. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 9 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher Strength: 15 Dexterity: 10Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Vitality: 11 Constitution: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 10,900 Free points: 1 His stats weren''t bad. He¡¯d probably increase his constitution the next chance he got. Those claws might not have drained much of his health at the end there, but they''d still hurt. Prevention was better than cure after all; he''d rather avoid unnecessary pain¡ªhe wasn''t a masochist. Running a hand through his face, he pulled it back; his hands felt slimy. Blood. Lots and lots of it coated his face, which was to be expected if he was to be honest. He''d done a lot of pest control tonight. Some of the blood was even his. Where he''d had his face raked by claws earlier, it''d healed up leaving no scar behind, but the memory still made Nathan wince. Nathan''s stomach rumbled, reminding him that he was famished. Now he had to wonder if it was rage that had been fueling him or hunger. The question caused him to chuckle, but seriously, he needed to eat. He hoped the imps hadn''t already eaten his bird; if they had, he''d follow them to hell and kill them again. With nothing else to do as he waited for the remaining imps to return to camp¡ªeither because of the alarm or for a shift change¡ªhe decided to search the camp. Hopefully, they had some good stuff here. The first place he sought to look through was the big huts he''d seen the two Master Imps come from. The huts were devoid of any sort of furniture, which was surprising since he''d been expecting to see thrones of fire with white-hot lava pouring through them, as they belonged to demons after all. In place of the lava thrones he expected, there were mud chairs, five in total¡ªone for each Master imp if his guess was correct. Nathan''s eyes roved the throne room, as he''d instantly dubbed it, seeking treasures or anything valuable, but it seemed as though the imps were just as broke as him. It was difficult for Nathan to even see well, as the only source of light was a hole in what passed as a ceiling, letting the glow of the purple light fill the chamber. The place held the stench of imps. Nathan highly doubted that it''d clear out anytime soon. If I was an imp, where would I keep my treasures? Probably not in my throne room and definitely not in a shared throne room for that matter. Nathan himself wouldn''t do something like that, which meant that they probably had a vault. No, vault was too advanced¡ªmaybe a storage room, or maybe it was just in their living quarters. Nathan exited the throne room and began to canvas the area, searching for any mud building that looked like a storage space or personal quarters. The search was quite... interesting, for lack of a better word. He went from mud building to mud building, seeing things that could''ve traumatized him. During the period of his search, he''d come across horrors. Any environmental inspector would''ve burned this place to the ground. It was a hovel; all the mud buildings reeked of imps. He had a hard time thinking about how he could even live in such a place. His nose felt like it would fall off, and he wondered how exactly the imps themselves had survived living in this filth¡ªthey had better noses than him. Surely they had to have come to the same conclusion as him, or did they just not care at all? Nathan couldn''t tell. Perhaps sanitation wasn''t a thing for them, but Nathan couldn''t judge too much as he probably smelled worse than shit with all the fluids that covered him. So far he''d managed to find their restroom¡ªthe sight of it was something that would haunt him for a while. He''d also found their mess hall (the kitchen was out in the open), a massive sleeping area for imps, and a place that looked suspiciously like a shrine. Nathan got out of that place as fast as he could; it gave him the creeps. The smell of blood was powerful there. He didn''t doubt for a second that those imps had been into some weird shit. Demons making sacrifices was quite the clich¨¦. He made his way into a large hall¡ªhe assumed it''d probably be a hall considering the size of it. But when he stepped in through the main door-like opening, he saw five more door openings across the hallway. Jackpot. He''d hopefully found the living quarters of the Master imps. The fact that they lived together made it quite weird. Well, that was irrelevant; what was important was searching for hidden things in the rooms¡ªvaluables to be specific. He wasn''t interested in finding trash items. He went to the first room, rifling through it. The only thing he managed to find was a metallic token with the image of a demon etched into it. Unlike the Master Imps which only had stubs, this one had two horns protruding from its head. The token itself was almost the same size as his hands. He had to curl his fingers around it. He focused on the details of the token. Token of a demon lord Demon lord:? Artifact (Grade: ?)] Very helpful. Nathan snorted at the notification from the system. It certainly hadn''t told him anything useful or anything he hadn''t been able to put together by himself. Token of a demon lord. Nathan held onto the token in hand as he searched for more valuables. After a couple more minutes of searching, he turned up with nothing. Four more to go. Nathan kept his hopes up and headed to the next room, beginning his search. He soon finished that before going to the next, and then the next, and then the next until he was done. Nathan exited the building with four more tokens, identical to the one he''d seen as the first. The system only gave him the same description as the first time. It wasn''t helpful at all¡ªtoken of a demon lord, okay. What demon? What kind of artifact was this? These were the kinds of questions that Nathan needed the answers to. Nathan chucked the other four into the hallway; he only needed one, and it wasn''t as though he could carry them all. His hoodie had turned into ribbons, and the pockets on his pants had been ripped up too. Meaning he''d have to carry the token in one hand and his sword in the other. With all the searching done, he supposed that it was time he found something to eat. Where did those uglies drop my bird? A loud rumble filled the air, and Nathan looked at his stomach¡ªsurely that sound couldn''t have come from his belly. A screech followed the rumble. Nathan turned in the direction of the screech. Two Master Imps stood at what was roughly the wall-less entrance, their squads with them, fangs bared, looking in Nathan''s direction. Nathan glanced at both Master imps, their red eyes meeting his. Then their eyes dropped down to what was clutched in Nathan''s hands, and they let out what would pass as an outraged screech. Shit! Nathan dropped the token like it was a hot potato. The way their ugly faces changed when they spotted him with it wasn''t good. 1 - 14. whose gaze? Screeches echoed around the clearing as multiple hostile Imps gathered at the entrance of the camp. Nathan ran a quick head count¡ªthe tally was twenty-four imps, including the Master Imps. Nathan didn''t have any idea how he was going to handle this. Yes, he was stronger than them, but even enough rats could take down a human, and the imps certainly were dangerous. They had the numbers on their side; sometimes quantity over quality was the best option. Not even waiting for Nathan to drum up a plan, they charged at him. While he''d never believed himself to be a coward, he certainly wasn''t going to intentionally get into a losing battle. In that vein, Nathan turned and ran into the camp. He ran as far as he could, the mayhem hot at his heels. Divide and conquer. Nathan needed them to separate into groups¡ªit''d be easier for him to kill them that way. Unfortunately for Nathan, the Master Imps seemed to have the same line of thinking, chasing him through the camp. He almost cursed his luck; the Imps were hot on his heels, and the head start he''d gotten was starting to become less and less obvious as they gradually closed the distance. He needed to make a stand, and he knew just the place. Nathan ducked into the Master Imps'' quarters, standing a few steps inside the entrance, his sword pointed at the incoming mayhem. The reasoning behind the choice of location was quite simple: the hallway wasn''t wide enough to let more than three imps in at a time. A detail that made the incoming mayhem seem less deadly. The Master Imps stopped, letting their minions run around them headed straight for Nathan¡ªheaded straight to their deaths. The first set of imps that tried to get Nathan were four who attempted to squeeze through the doorway, their bodies getting stuck in the rush. Nathan''s sword cleaved through the four easy targets as he freed up the doorway for others to try. He was more than midway through to the next level; he could feel it. The other imps seemed to have learned from the mistake of their predecessors as only three tried to get into the hallway. Nathan''s sword tore through their bodies like they were Swiss cheese. A mad grin spread on his face¡ªof course, the right strategy would make things vastly easier. As it was, none of the imps had managed to score a single hit on him before being taken down. Something that Nathan knew wouldn''t have been the case if he had decided to fight in the clearing. Right now, they were literally throwing themselves at his blade. More imps replaced the ones he''d killed, and others replaced the replacements until Nathan was left looking at the remaining two Master Imps from afar. Master Imp (lesser demon) Level 8 Master Imp (lesser demon) Level 8 Neither one looked like they were going to come for Nathan; they looked uncertain. He''d just have to goad them into coming into the hallway. Stepping away from the bodies that had started to pile at the doorway, Nathan made space for the Master Imps to battle him. He''d taken advantage of his surroundings, making them pay for their loss of self-control. He waved his sword at the Imps with a beckoning motion. The purple glow of the sky streaming through the hole in the ceiling reflected off his blade. The Master Imps exchanged screeches between themselves, probably discussing tactics before battling the madman. Nathan, on the other hand, was already secure with the knowledge that taking down any one of them would level him up. The screeching came to an end, and they both rushed in through the doorway one after the other, their feet stomping upon their fallen minions as they made their way to Nathan. Nathan slashed at the first Imp; it dodged the swing. Sidestepping Nathan and getting behind him while the second was in front of him¡ªa smart move if Nathan was still level seven, but as it was, he was at nine heading for ten. Nathan put his back to the side wall, trying his best to keep both Imps in his field of vision. He swung his sword at the Imp on his right, thinking it best to start with the one facing the exit. It tried to put up a hand to defend itself, but Nathan''s sword cut through that and its torso, killing it instantly. Euphoria passed through him, but he dismissed the feeling. Nathan had been half expecting to receive a clawed attack from the other imp, but it seemed to have gotten on its knees, grasping for something at the far end of the hallway. Nathan couldn''t tell what, and he didn''t care¡ªhe began walking calmly towards the Master Imp on the floor. It seemed to have found what it was looking for. It faced Nathan, still on its knees, as it raised a folded clawed hand in his direction and started to screech loudly with its eyes closed. Something shiny must''ve been within its grasp as Nathan saw purple glinting off whatever was within it. He couldn''t be bothered that much though; the imp was going to die regardless of its screeches. Nathan was prepared to swing when he felt an oppressive heat envelop him, with yellowish light flooding the entire hallway. It seemed to be coming from the imp''s clawed hand.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. What the hell? Hell was right¡ªNathan felt like his entire body was on fire. What had the imp done? You are currently within the gaze of Demon Lord Taloth. Demon Lord Taloth has cast a 20% stat debuff on you. You have suffered a 20% penalty on all stats for two minutes. Timer: 1:59 With those parting words, the notification disappeared, and so did the yellow light and the oppressive heat. In its place was a now standing and grinning Master Imp. Ah, shit! A twenty percent debuff on all skills would mean that he was probably at level six to seven power¡ªwell below what he needed to fight this damned thing, and it knew it. It wasn''t looking good for him. On the flip side, the system had given him a lifeline: all he had to do was survive two minutes with the Master Imp, and he''d be back to full strength. Nathan had to put space between himself and the Master Imp. He made it two steps backward before the Imp charged at him, claws flashing out. Nathan tried to dodge, as he was well aware that he couldn''t possibly defend himself from that slash¡ªthe power gap between them was no longer in his favor. It was as if Nathan was watching it happen in slow motion. The claws raked through his chest; he''d gotten too comfortable with his faster reflexes. His dexterity couldn''t keep up with the slash as his timing was way off, the debuff throwing him off balance even before the claws tore through him, the force behind it throwing him onto the floor. He landed atop the piles of dead imps, their slick blood slimy against his back. Nathan struggled to stand up but almost fell because of the slippery black blood on the floor. He scrambled to get to his feet desperately¡ªhe needed to get away from this monster. Nathan wasn''t proud of what he did next, but he had to survive, and he didn''t think the Imps would mind that much. Nathan picked up dead bodies from the pile, hurling them at the incoming Master Imp. Some of the bodies had been cut in half, courtesy of Nathan, of course. It made chucking them at the Master Imp much messier than it should''ve been, but Nathan didn''t mind¡ªhe needed this to get messy and hopefully drag out long enough for him to lose the debuff. Guts and blood poured out from the dead imps'' bodies as he kept throwing them at the Master Imp, who batted away the bodies with ease. It let out the trademark horrible screech he''d come to associate with imps before charging straight at him. Nathan hoped and prayed that the imp would slip and fall from all the blood and viscera that littered the floor¡ªit didn''t. Nathan received an upward-clawed slash from the Master Imp. The slash started at his belly button and went up to his chest, the power behind the attack tossing Nathan completely out of the Master''s quarters, his body hitting the dirt outside with an audible thud. Warning: 75% health remaining The claws hadn''t gone deep enough to rip his guts out, but it still hurt like crazy. Nathan had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming. Pain wracked him from head to toe, and it was all Nathan could do to get on his feet. Somehow he''d managed to keep his grip on his sword. The blasted thing was more useless in this battle than he was, and more than once Nathan contemplated throwing the damned thing away and using his fists for the battle. He stopped himself though¡ªit wouldn''t do to survive the two minutes and then be without his sword for payback. The Master Imp stepped out of the Master''s quarters with a certain swagger he wasn''t aware the infernal monsters could possess. An ugly grin plastered on its repulsive face, the imp''s claws dripping with blood¡ªNathan''s blood. It walked up to Nathan''s defiant form slowly, eager to humble him. Nathan couldn''t even run; he''d be caught within seconds. His best hope of surviving this was to allow the damned thing to gloat in its own way. He''d be smart to allow it to feel powerful. It was toying with him, and as much as Nathan hated the fact, it was his best shot at outlasting the debuff. He rushed at the Master Imp, sword poised for an overhead strike and head raised in defiance. The imp sidestepped the attack, both of its clawed hands digging into his back. Nathan''s body was flung a couple of feet forward, his back on fire. Warning: 50% health left Nathan was on the losing side of this battle, and he needed something to urgently change, or he was doomed. Timer: 0:47 He just needed to survive forty-six more seconds, and he''d lose the debuff. The Master Imp probably realized that it was quickly running out of time to end him. It started a charge at Nathan, and this time he didn''t think it wanted to just injure him¡ªit was going for the kill. Nathan had started to acclimatize to his debuff, so this time when the claws came, he dived on time. The claws caught him in the legs. The imp didn''t give Nathan the chance to get on his feet though. It went for another slash on his body on the floor. Nathan barely managed to raise his sword in time, using both hands to support the blade as it intercepted the clawed hand going for his throat. Nathan felt tremors pass through his body as sword and clawed hand met, the power behind the imp''s attack rattling his teeth. Nathan watched in horror as the Imp raised its other clawed hand and slashed at his exposed chest. Nathan''s life flashed before his eyes as the claws descended unimpeded. There was no way he was going to be able to dodge that. He could almost see the white light that people said they saw when on the brink of death. The claws dug into Nathan''s chest, the power behind them making him feel like his chest was about to cave in. The imp pulled back its claws, ready to deliver the killing blow. What a run he''d had¡ªNathan was ready to give up when a familiar blue screen popped up. Critical Warning: 23% health remaining Blood rebellion triggered Debuff on all stats reduced to ten percent Go time. Nathan wished he had his phone with him so that he could take a picture of the imp''s face when he flashed it a weak grin, its confusion a sight to behold. He felt his strength flooding into him¡ªten percent of his stats had been released back to him, courtesy of blood rebellion. He unwrapped his second hand from his blade and delivered a punch straight at the Demon, satisfied with the resounding crack that echoed around the clearing. The punch threw the imp off him. Nathan scrambled to get back on his feet, sword pointed at the Imp when a new screen appeared in front of him. Timer: 0:00 Debuff dispelled, 20% penalty removed. 1 - 15 Showtime. Showtime. Nathan did something that he hadn''t ever done in his life¡ªhe cackled. Not a shy and reserved one, no. He cackled like a madman, his laugh echoing in his brain. The tides of battle had turned in his favor. He''d gone from a 20% debuff to a 10% buff on all stats. The interesting part was that Nathan wouldn''t even need the 10% buff from blood rebellion to take care of this bozo. His normal stats at level ten were enough for him to chop this monster up like it was a filet. The buff was going to make it seem like overkill, but he wouldn''t mind. Nathan charged at the Master Imp, hatred burning in his eyes. The damned thing had tried to kill him, and now there''d be hell to pay. It tried to scramble back, sensing the power shift, but Nathan was way faster now. He swung his sword, cleaving through the legs of the Imp. Its mouth opened to presumably let out a screech, but Nathan didn''t let it¡ªhis sword flashing up and decapitating the Imp before its stumps could even hit the ground. Pathetic. Nathan looked at the Imp in disgust; it had decided to toy with him rather than go for a swift kill. A mistake that he''d punished without hesitation. When you come for the king, you better not miss. Nathan''s facial features went from dead serious to relaxed in seconds; he even let out a low chuckle at the line he''d quoted from somewhere. He couldn''t remember the exact source, maybe a movie or a book he couldn''t pinpoint. Shrugging off the question from his mind, he took a step towards what he''d identified as the kitchen area when the blue screen appeared in his vision. Active Quests:
  1. Slay 35 imps (35/35 - Reward available)
  2. Slay 5 Master Imps (5/5 - Reward available)
  3. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
  4. Eradicate the Mayhem of Imps (1/1 - Reward available)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. Receive all available rewards? Nathan stared at the screen a little dumbfounded. Rewards, just like he''d hoped. The system would reward him for fulfilling his quests. Hell yeah. A wooden chest appeared in front of Nathan out of nowhere, almost half the size of a crib. He approached it warily; no locks were visible on the chest, so Nathan used his sword to flip it open, just in case. Nathan went to look into the box when nothing seemed to attack his sword. At first glance, he noticed that the big chest only contained three items. One for each completed quest, he surmised. He had no idea why he''d been expecting many more rewards, but the system seemed to have a 1:1 ratio¡ªat least for these quests. In the chest was what looked to be a book with a weird cover, a bag which was empty by the looks of it, and the final item was a pair of trousers. Nathan had to check again to confirm; yeah, the system had given him trousers. He wondered which of the quests had given him this seemingly useless yet useful item. With a sigh, Nathan picked up the book. The cover was made with a material he had no idea of; he tried to focus on the details on the cover, and a notification popped up. Skill book That was the only information the system gave him on the weird-looking book. He couldn''t even understand why it had even bothered. Bracing himself to open the book, another notification filled his vision. New skill Available Basic Analyze (I): Analyze foes, friends, or objects between levels one to thirty. This skill requires you to focus on your target intently to analyze and receive a report on them. Do you wish to learn this skill? Hell yeah. Nathan felt it as new information poured into his brain. Like he''d just finished reading a dictionary and learned all these new words and concepts, the feeling subsided in a moment. The skill book had disintegrated into nothing, and Nathan was left looking at his empty palm. The system probably didn''t want multiple people to utilize a skill book that one person would be rewarded with. Pretty harsh if you asked him; humans would grow much faster if they could share their resources, but rules were rules, and the system had found a way to enforce its own. Nathan''s eyes switched to the bag, intently focusing on it as he hoped to test out his new skill. Bag of holding (common): This bag is a pocket space storage where whoever holds it can deposit items for storage. The bag cannot take in live entities, and neither can it harbor you.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The bag will immediately reject items that are too large and will not allow in any more items when it is full. To put an item in the bag of holding, simply put the item in the mouth of the bag and watch it disappear if it doesn''t trigger any constraints. To recall any item thrown into the bag of holding, simply stick a hand in while envisioning the item you wish to recall, and it should be within your grasp. Nathan let out a triumphant smile at the information displayed by the system. Turns out his new skill might be more useful than he thought; the bag, on the other hand, had high potential¡ªit''d certainly save Nathan a lot of stress. At least he now had a way to store the blade. He''d gotten quite tired of having to lug around the sword; it wasn''t that it was heavy, but a couple of hours holding even a straw in hand while walking about would tire anyone out. Nathan pulled out the last item in the chest. The pants looked roughly his size; they might''ve been a little big in the waist, but he could manage. His current pants couldn''t even be called that at this point¡ªthe clothing he''d arrived here with had been turned to ribbons, courtesy of the imps. He focused on the pants, letting his new skill work. Traveler''s pants Magic pants that reknit themselves back to pristine condition every 24 hours. This item can be stolen from the wearer as it is not soul-bound. Of course, there was a but. The pants seemed to solve one of Nathan''s most recurring problems. He''d been leaving fights with less and less fabric than he went into them with, so this made life a little easier for him. The only niggle in the item was the fact that it could be stolen from him. With how the world worked, he was pretty sure that it would be something worth killing for. He did find it a little intriguing that the pants didn''t have a grade attached to them, no "common" or anything like that. It probably meant that the pants weren''t upgradeable. Nathan quickly stripped, taking off his pants and, after a second thought, his hoodie too. The clothing had lost its use as it''d been torn to shreds by the Imps. For the first time since getting here, he got to look at his body; not only had he gotten stronger, but he''d also added more muscle mass. He hadn''t been in bad physical shape since he''d been a starter on his high school football team, but he''d grown a little lax after leaving school. His abs had become less visible as he had less time to exercise and less motivation to do so anyway. Right now, his body looked like he''d been training for a year straight. His abs were not only visible but also well-defined, the same with his chest and biceps. The muscles on his legs made it look as though Nathan hadn''t skipped leg day for the last three hundred and sixty-five days. His traps were huge. Nathan was in shock¡ªwhen had all these changes even happened? He''d gone from average physical features to beginning bodybuilder stature. Putting a hand on his face, he realized that he''d even lost some of his baby face fat. At least I''ll look good when this is over. With a shrug, Nathan put on his new pants, wondering what it''d take to get magic underwear and a shirt. Maybe a new hoodie too. Something like that would definitely fetch him a lot in the markets when the government fixed whatever was going on. The blue screen flashed as a new notification popped up. New Soul Imprint acquired - Demon Slayer For slaying fifty-plus Demons, you have received the soul imprint - Demon Slayer. As the first of your kind to achieve this feat, you receive maximum buff against demons. +10% boost to all attacks directed at Demons Now that''s what I''m talking about. Nathan almost did the griddy at the badass imprint he''d just acquired: Demon Slayer. The fact that he was the first to achieve it wasn''t bad at all. He wondered what the next person would get as a boost, and then the next after that person. Would the system stop giving boosts after the third person, or was everyone going to be a winner? Nathan''s eyes widened as the text on the blue screen was replaced. You have killed many followers of Demon Lord Taloth, eradicating his outpost on earth and earning his ire. He shall seek recompense for the loss of his followers. All followers of Taloth will attempt to kill you on sight. Of course. Nathan couldn''t even believe what his eyes were seeing¡ªthese things had been followers of a demon lord, and it would be coming after him. If the minions of this demon lord were the same level as him, what would be the exact level of the demon lord himself? He couldn''t bother himself too much though; he''d cross that bridge when he got there. Nathan dismissed the notification. He had more pressing issues to sort out right about now, like doing something about his rumbling belly. He was famished, and so Nathan began walking towards where the imps'' kitchen was, the wooden chest already disintegrated into nothingness as soon as he''d taken the pants out of it. It didn''t take him long to make it to the cooking area as he''d already been there before. He searched the place, finding a couple of buckets of that black tar, some firewood, a few weird-looking mango-shaped fruits, some stuff that looked and smelled like spices, and¡ªsurprise, surprise¡ªhis bird. Feathers already plucked and already washed, just waiting to be cooked. Nathan didn''t need any more motivation. He searched for water, finding a vat in a corner of the kitchen. He took a pot, poured water into it, and took it outside where his nest waited for him, starting a fire with a rock. The Imps had already implemented a working system, so all he needed to do was chuck in a few more pieces of firewood and pour some tar on them after arranging them in a rough circle. He took the bucket of tar far away from the fire, not sure how flammable it was. Picking up both rocks, he set them close to the tarred wood and struck them together. Fire erupted, and Nathan couldn''t help but smile¡ªstep one complete. He put the pot on the makeshift burner the imps had made and left it to boil. Making his way back to the kitchen, Nathan used his sword to cut up the bird. Working for Mr. Wong had taught him a few things about preparing poultry. Within moments, Nathan had the bird boiling in the water, and against his better judgment, he picked up the spice-looking powder and tossed it in for flavor. Hopefully, he wouldn''t come this far to die of food poisoning. Then Nathan sat as he watched the bird cook, his hunger getting worse the longer he stared at the pot. Nathan wished it could boil faster; the fruits in the kitchen looked tasty, but he didn''t know what they''d do to him if he consumed them. After a minute or two of staring at a boiling pot with his stomach growling, Nathan decided to wing it, making his way into the kitchen for the fruits. ________ While Nathan considered what he was going to do about his hunger, a demon lord couldn''t fathom what the system was telling him. 1 - 16. Demon Lord. Demon Lord Taloth paced around his throne room, furious. The outpost he''d been building on the baby world that had just begun integration into Ra''ahal had been destroyed. He couldn''t even believe it when the system had informed him that his followers had been completely cleared out. Taloth was at court with the other five demon lords and ladies when he''d first been sought out. They were six in total at the lord and lady rank¡ªnot six individual lords and six individual ladies, no. Just six demon lords and ladies: four lords and two ladies. The demon princes and princess were also in attendance. Five princes and one princess, and to complete the court, a single demon ruled above all: Demon King Zephyr. The 6-6-1 configuration had been maintained throughout demon history. There could be no king and queen; only one demon could rule all of Hell at once, be it a queen or a king. Taloth had felt one of his minions praying to him for help while at the court and almost dismissed it. But he could tell it was one of the tokens he''d given his Master Imps before sending them to meet the smaller imps in the baby world. On a whim, he divided his attention¡ªone part of his mind paying attention to Demon Prince Sayen''s words, the demon prince giving a report on his war efforts on another world. At the same time, he listened to the lesser demon calling for him, using the token it had used to contact him as an anchor to launch part of his consciousness to the other realm. The moment his consciousness solidified, he found in front of him an alien, probably the inhabitant of that world, drenched in black blood, a sword by its side, equally covered in blood. The ground around the creature was littered with the bodies of his followers. Anger quickly seeped into his mind, and he activated one of the few skills the loopholes they''d found in the system would permit him to do there. [Malevolent Gaze (IV): Cast a 20% debuff on all stats on an enemy for two minutes This skill can only be used once every 24 hours You must be 10 levels higher than the target for the skill to work] The moment he felt the spell take hold, he withdrew himself from the world. No doubt the system would soon have booted his consciousness away from the world. As a higher-level entity, he wasn''t allowed to be in the world, yet. The system took its time when it came to populating baby worlds. A seven-day spawning protocol was the usual thing for new worlds. During this period, the system would offer world leaders the chance to send their kin into the new world. The system tried to be merciful to its host, only allowing lower-leveled creatures into the world at first, as it would give the inhabitants of the world time to settle down and acclimatize before the real heavy hitters could land. What this meant for Taloth and the other demons gathered there was simple. They wouldn''t be able to gain access to the new world immediately by themselves. However, they could act through proxies, and that was what Taloth had done. Sending those imps to build him a territory in the new world, he needed them to prepare for his coming. He''d been picked by the Demon King himself to ensure that the demons gained a foothold on that planet, and he would not fail. Taloth broke the wooden round table in his throne room in a fit of rage. He''d sent the other demons away just so he could vent. The loss of his outpost would set him back days'' worth of predictions. Not to talk about all the Ra''ahal coins he''d lost sending those muscle-brained imps into the world. He''d known that he should''ve waited a little while for the level restrictions to be raised and then sent harpies instead of those brainless imps, but he didn''t. What did it matter which demon he sent? The world''s inhabitants were still in tutorial mode; the system had said so itself. Only those foolish enough to skip the tutorial would be out at this point. Those who''d done that should''ve been no match for his imps, even as foolish and worthless as they were to him. In the numbers he''d sent them, he was sure that nothing would challenge them and survive. But that... thing had. It eradicated his presence in that world, setting back his progress bar. No worries though. The next teleportation array was scheduled to send more of his demons in the next five days. He already had its face down and a spiritual lock on the thing¡ªand the thing probably didn''t even know. The only good thing was that his shrine was still intact at the outpost, so it''d be easier to just send his followers there and give the commander the means to track down that creature. That damned thing better not get in his way of ascending to demon prince. Taloth needed a strong base for when he''d eventually go over to the world. He needed it to grow stronger so that he''d be able to challenge a demon prince for its position. To lose would mean death, and Taloth didn''t lose. I never lose. The thought calmed him down. He stepped away from the destruction he''d wreaked on what was formerly his round table, making his way towards his throne where he sat, all regal-looking. He''d started learning to comport himself as a future Demon Prince. After all, no one would respect a demon prince who whined and damaged properties whenever things didn''t go his way. No, he needed to command respect and equal parts fear, lest his commanders seek to usurp him when he ascended.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He raised his chin, overlooking the empty throne room. He wouldn''t be brash; he wouldn''t be a muscle-brain. He''d use the most important thing that had gotten him this far up the ladder: his cunning. The creature would pay for its insolence. --- Nathan stared at the weird-looking fruit in his hand as he contemplated if it was safe to bite. His face scrunched up as he looked at the fruit intently, hoping that a blue screen would pop up. He didn''t even need the system to tell him if it was a special fruit; he just needed to know if it was poisonous or not. He might as well have been staring at the dirt. It would take the bird about thirty minutes to become ready for eating, but Nathan was ready to eat right now. His entire being was shaking because of how famished he was. All the while, the answer to his question could be in his palm¡ªall he''d have to do was take a bite. The thing was that Nathan wasn''t himself when he was hungry. He wasn''t so smart when his stomach led the way instead of his brain, and this was one of such times. Nathan bit into the fruit. The juices filled his mouth as a flavor exploded in it, but Nathan was too hungry to savor it. He consumed the weird fruit without pause, the fruit having neither seed nor pit, making it easy for Nathan to consume. Still chewing, he brought a second to his mouth, biting into it with less vigor than the first. He was still hungry, but the feeling had begun to subside. Nathan finished the second within moments, only feeling reasonably sated after consuming a third fruit. His belly felt a little weird from eating the foreign fruit, but at least he wasn''t doubling up in pain or puking. Which probably meant that the fruit itself wasn''t poisonous¡ªa fact that relieved Nathan. His stupidity came with the clarity that a sated stomach left him. Well, that was dumb. It was, it really was. Nathan could''ve died because he didn''t want to wait thirty minutes more for the bird to be ready (actually twenty-seven minutes if you were being technical). He couldn''t blame himself, though. He''d been fighting for almost two days on an empty stomach, having emptied his stomach even before his first fight. He''d have to do better next time, but right now a treasure trove sat before him. Considering the lack of pain that should''ve come, Nathan had just found an alternative source of food. A crib-like structure was used to store massive amounts of the fruit, and judging by its height and weight, he assumed that the crib itself was probably holding about two to three hundred fruits. Nice. Nathan couldn''t help but smile at his current predicament. Now all he needed was a place to store the fruit to prevent it from rotting. An idea started to form in his mind, and he was way too giddy to put it to the test. Picking up a fruit, he took out his bag of holding, slipping the fruit through the mouth as he imagined storing it. Poof Just like magic, the weight of the fruit disappeared from his palm. He pulled out his hand and confirmed that the fruit was gone, sticking his hands back into the bag until it¡¯s seams. The fruit had really gone into the storage space. Time for test two. With his hand still in the bag, Nathan envisioned the fruit in his mind, and voil¨¤! He could feel something weighing on his palm. Pulling it out, he saw that it was the fruit. This could work. It was quite simple. Nathan would chuck the fruits into the storage thingy and keep the bag on his person, ensuring that he always had food on him. The bag itself was actually a sack, and Nathan supposed it should''ve been called the "Sack of Holding" instead. He wouldn''t judge, though. The sack, as empty as it had been, could be easily folded and kept in the pockets of the magic pants he''d been given without appearing too obvious. Time to get to work. In theory, chucking almost three hundred fruits into the magic storage space would be simple. In reality, it was way more stressful than imagined. Nathan started by going one fruit at a time, which was a drag before he discovered that he could stuff the bag with as many fruits as it could hold. Then he''d imagine them going into the storage space, and voil¨¤, empty sack. The sack could only contain thirteen fruits at once, so it was tiring. However, since he had a working formula now, all he had to do was rinse and repeat. Over and over again, he repeated the motion until he no longer had to. Three fruits remained at the bottom of the crib, and Nathan was way too tired to repeat the monotonous motion he''d been cycling through over the last few minutes. Instead, he did what every other teenager would''ve done in the same situation: picking up the fruits one by one, tossing them into his mouth, and chewing them one after the other¡ªand he wasn''t even hungry. I wonder if I can see what''s in my Bag of Holding. Nathan hoped the thought would provoke the system into providing him with a screen that would show him what was available to him. It didn''t. Oh well, you can''t win all the time. Nathan rolled his eyes at the thought, his brain already calculating his next moves. He needed to see what quests he had available. Quests Active Quests:
  1. Conquer a dungeon (0/1)
Special Quests: N/A Locked till level 50. Nathan wasn''t surprised at the response to his query. He''d been hoping that he''d get new quests since he''d completed the three others, but it seemed as though the system didn''t work like that. With a shrug, Nathan dismissed the stat screen. Leaving the kitchen, he made his way to where his bird was cooking outside. The liquid was already starting to calm, indicating that the bird was ready. Nathan couldn''t find a spoon or fork to eat, so he decided he''d wait for the bird to cool down before digging in as it was in the pot. In the meantime, he''d rather not let the fire go to waste. He''d already thought about it and had come to the conclusion that this place could become his base. However, he wasn''t going to live in any of the current buildings that had been constructed by the imps. For one, he didn''t trust their craftsmanship. The second reason was more of an aesthetic one: Nathan didn''t see himself sleeping, eating, or relieving himself in any of those buildings that strongly smelled of imps. Plus, there were the imp bodies and blood to consider. He''d have to burn the whole place down to the ground, and he knew the perfect place to start. The shrine. 1 - 17. Conversion. Burning up the place wasn''t that hard; heck, it was the easiest thing Nathan had done all night. He simply chucked the black tar into the buildings with a cup-like thing he''d found in the kitchen. Repeating the process until he''d finished dousing the liquid tar, he moved all the remaining buckets of the black tar to the edge of the clearing where he was certain fire wouldn''t reach. Then he went to the spots within the clearing that had dead bodies of imps on them, making sure to dump the black tarry liquid on each body. Next up was fire¡ªhe took out a hot firewood and used another from the kitchen to replace it. The rest was quite easy. While he felt like eyes were falling upon him as he chucked the burning firewood into the shrine and watched it burn up, Nathan simply shrugged it off as paranoia. He did the same to the next building and the next until all the buildings were on fire. He repeated the motion on the bodies, and soon smoke filled the clearing, leaving Nathan no choice but to relocate to the edge where the buckets of tar-looking liquids were. Nathan watched his handiwork, the flames illuminating his face and making him warm. The smoke stung his eyes as it rose through the sky. The scene was a good representation of how the world as he''d known it had gone¡ªup in flames. With finally a moment of peace with no pending tasks or monsters coming after his head, Nathan sat on the dirt floor. His eyes roved his surroundings for threats, but he didn''t find any. With the scan completed, Nathan felt more at ease to let his mind wander. While he didn''t have a family, he did have a couple of friends¡ªif two friends could pass as a couple. Deucalion and Kora... he wondered what the pair would be up to now. Would they have gone for the tutorial, or were they now...? Nathan let out a breath; he hoped they were alright. A swift check confirmed that the fire wasn''t spreading towards other parts. Not that he cared that much¡ªif burning down this forest was what it took to get the government agencies to find him, then he might just do it. Ridiculous. Were there even any government agencies left? They''d all be in the tutorial right about now, and those who didn''t go for it would probably have more pressing issues to deal with than finding strays like him. He had to accept that he was on his own for the time being. Maybe when the tutorial ended, the system would send other humans his way. Nathan shrugged¡ªtoo many variables swirled around his head, and right about now, he just wanted to relax and let his body rest. Crossing his legs as he assumed the lotus position that Kora had taught him, he closed his eyes to meditate, letting the warm wind caress his skin. He took a deep breath in, letting his chest rise until it could no longer, and then let it out. The absence of any disturbance aided in the process as Nathan sought to balance the yin and yang in his system. He''d done it so many times with Kora as he''d tried to win her over by participating in things she liked. Nathan had done it so many times over the last six months in school and the few times in the last few months to know that it was purely for show on his end. It did bring a little bit of calmness anytime he did the exercise, but that was it. He didn''t feel as enlightened as Kora claimed the exercise did for her. He was getting ready to end the meditation when he felt something¡ªa weird sensation in his body. That''s weird. His brows furrowed even as Nathan''s eyes were still closed; he''d never felt anything like that before. He continued the meditation, feeling the oddness starting to saturate his body. Nathan could feel something; he was almost at the cusp of something. Just a little longe¡ª "RARRRRRRGH!" Nathan''s eyes flashed open, sword at the ready as he jumped to his feet. The sound jolted him from the meditation as he scanned the crowd, searching for the source of the noise. "RARRRRRGH!" It was coming from behind him. Nathan turned quickly, slashing in hopes of catching whatever foul thing was coming after him. His sword met nothing but air. Nathan stared into the darkness, confused, the flames behind him. What had roared? "RARRRRRGH!" Nathan listened intently, the sound seeming to come from somewhere deep in the forest. The realization allowed him to relax a little. He was in the middle of a forest with monsters he didn''t even know about, and he was wasting his time meditating while leaving himself exposed with a fucking bonfire. Fuck! Well, that was a little dumb. Nathan ran a hand over his face; he needed to acclimatize faster to this new world. He couldn''t get so far within these past few hours and die because of a silly mistake like that. Meditation would have to wait for the time being. He had to keep himself alert at all times, and perhaps it''d be best for him to move further away from the fire in case any monster was drawn by the bonfire he''d lit in the middle of a fucking forest.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Nathan wouldn''t necessarily term setting the imps and their buildings on fire a dumb decision¡ªthe place could be a proper base once he got to building. Plus, when he did think about it, there''d never be a good time to burn up the place. The monsters here didn''t care about day and night, and he shouldn''t either. More than anything, he needed to lose the idea of ''this is how things usually worked'' before he ended up losing his life. The world was changing, and he''d better change with it than be swept up in the currents, as nothing could truly be really stagnant. His first move was to back away from the fire he''d created, far enough that it wasn''t reflecting on his skin but close enough that he could still see it from where he hid. That night confirmed to Nathan what he''d been suspecting for a while now. The imps weren''t the only alien entities in the area; he saw animals that looked vaguely familiar yet so different, like what looked suspiciously like hyenas but the entire pack of them had red glowing claws. They sniffed around the area, entering into the burning camp, which Nathan thought was stupid. They did whatever they wanted to. It might''ve been Nathan''s imagination or poor perception stat, but he almost swore that they came out looking fresh and unharmed as though they were fireproof. One look at those claws made him feel like he was on to something. The system wasn''t just changing the land; somehow it had begun mutating the native animals and flora. Nathan thought it was a little weird, but maybe the system didn''t think that only humans held the right to evolution or mutation. He himself was proof that the system was actively mutating things¡ªhis newfound strength, perception, and other stats. His unexplainable physique after just a day and some hours was another indicating factor. Heck, the biggest tip-off had to be the new skills the system had given him: Blood Rebellion and Life Steal. Surely that was enough evidence that the system was actively seeking to make them stronger, but for what? Not for the first time since waking up in the middle of nowhere, the million-dollar question played around in his mind: What does it want from us? Dollars wasn''t even the currency here; those stupid ra-something coins were. It was difficult to realize that all the money he''d been saving up in his shoebox at home had suddenly turned useless overnight. A little part of him wished that the system could do a currency exchange; he''d happily turn in his dollars for some ra coins right about now. A weird thought crossed his mind, and Nathan almost blanched at it. Was he even on Earth right now, or had he been transported into a different plane of existence entirely? If the answer was yes, then it''d explain a lot of things like the purple sky at night and the crimson one during the day. The weird animals and the weird everything. Was this even Earth? Nathan quickly dispelled the notion of being on another world; the system had clearly stated that it had terraformed Earth. From the little geography classes he''d actually bothered to attend, he knew it probably meant something about changing the land. Plus, it''d said something about populating the Earth, which explained the aliens. The hyenas¡ªor those things that looked like hyenas¡ªweren''t the only things that looked through the camp. Nathan was too far away for his analyze skill to work, at least that was what he assumed as he had to squint to see the monsters rifling through the burning camp from this far out. Some monsters came alone. He managed to see a black-furred animal or monster that just sat on its hind legs watching the fire before going on all fours and padding away. It looked like it belonged to the cat family; the swagger and the gait made him certain. Cats always seemed unbothered about everything, always. The animal or monster was as big as a black bear, if not bigger. The funny thing was that Nathan didn''t actually know how tall or big a black bear was; he just assumed that if there was one next to the big cat, the bear would be smaller. He rifled through his memory, trying to figure out which animal that could be, eventually ending up labeling it a panther. For one, panthers were solitary creatures, preferring to stay on their own and hunt alone, they had black fur, so it pretty much made sense for Nathan. Black fur, alone, and a cat equaled panther unless the system proved him wrong. Land creatures weren''t the only ones who paid a visit to the burning site that night; he saw a couple of weird-looking birds scan the area from the air before moving on. A few actually got to the ground before leaving and going their own way. All in all, Nathan was pretty glad he''d decided to get up and go far away from the flames; there was no telling how many fights he''d have had if he''d stayed put at his first spot. The panther alone looked like it''d be able to take him on with no problem, probably injuring him in ways he''d rather not have right about now. He just imagined struggling against the panther and then having those hyena-looking creatures jump in, and then maybe he''d have to fight multiple creatures at once, all seeking to take a bite out of his tasty flesh. He was a little miffed though. Were they hunting him because they thought he''d taste good, or maybe because they wanted to use him to level up? Did the system work the same way for him as it did the monsters, or did they have a different one from his? Nathan didn''t see how that would work out really; they all probably had the same system. However, when it came to them hunting him, it could be because of any of the other two. When he''d fought the pelican-looking bird, it hadn''t shown a level, meaning it probably didn''t have a system of its own. However, Nathan had already classified it as food before he''d even landed his first attack. That meant that they could be hunting for food or level up just the same as Nathan. Heck, if Nathan didn''t have those fruits from the crib, he''d have had to hunt tomorrow for food, plus he still had his bird. The bird. Nathan winced¡ªit was still in the camp. It had probably burned to a crisp right now, more likely it would''ve turned to ash. He pinched the bridge of his nose, not even bothering to berate himself; the bird was gone. He closed his eyes at the thought and ultimately fell asleep to it. __________ When Nathan awoke, he saw that the fire had died down overnight; it was morning now. He could tell because the sky had turned crimson. The air smelled of ash, and the grounds around the clearing were charred. He got to his feet and stretched, having fallen asleep in a weird position the previous night. A couple of pops here and there, and Nathan felt good. He started to make his way to the camp when a notification popped into his field of vision, the words giving him pause. Outpost successfully destroyed. Would you like to claim an outpost and convert it to a stronghold? 1 - 18. Naming. Stronghold? Nathan looked at the message in confusion, but the system''s words still confused him. He blinked to make sure he wasn''t hallucinating, but yep, the words were still there. Outpost successfully destroyed. Would you like to claim an outpost and convert it to a stronghold? He scratched at his chin, beard still yet to start coming in as he was only eighteen. He tried to put two and two together from the information he had on the ground. The imps'' base was called an outpost if he read the information correctly. The second thing that bugged Nathan was why. Why had the system waited until morning before giving him the notification? There''d been ample time between when he killed the last of the imps and when he''d fallen asleep. More than enough time for the system to inform him that he''d destroyed the outpost. The only reason Nathan could come up with was that the buildings themselves held more significance than he''d known, or maybe he needed to occupy the building for a specific amount of time before he''d be offered the option. What even was a stronghold? Nathan hoped that the system would aid by answering that question, but nothing changed. The same question from earlier still hung in the air as the system awaited his answer. A stronghold probably meant a base, and seeing as he already planned to turn the imps'' outpost into a base, he might as well take the system up on the offer. "I''d like to claim and convert." Nathan waited for a moment, watching as the words of the system disappeared, leaving an empty blue screen hovering in the air. He felt a little jittery at the possibility of owning a base of his own. Plus, if it was one recognized by the system itself, then it''d most likely be better than anything that he''d built by himself. [Conversion started. Name Stronghold to proceed.] Nathan looked at the screen, his confusion apparent on his face¡ªname his stronghold? He hadn''t even thought that far. With a sigh, he started thinking up names, drumming them up and discarding them. "Gosh, is this what parents go through while naming a child?" Let''s see. Brick Wall? Nah. Nathan''s Block? Nah. Blood Shelter? A definite no. So far, Nathan had managed to come up with only the stupidest names imaginable. He felt like he''d want his stronghold to strike fear and yet hope. Maybe something with "guard" in it, or "blade." Nathan wanted to take his time to name the stronghold as he had a strong feeling that the system wouldn''t let him change it once he confirmed his choice. For the longest time, Nathan just stayed still, his mind doing the most work. He continually shifted through his options until he came up with two finalists: Blood Rock¡ªbecause of his Blood Pawn class, or Crimson Wall¡ªbecause it sounded a little rad. Ultimately, Nathan didn''t really think it mattered though; as long as he had a place to rest his head, he''d be fine. "I''ll name it Blood Rock." Name assigned to stronghold: Blood Rock As the Lord of this stronghold, you are responsible for upgrading, building, and maintaining the stronghold until you pass the duties to another or pass away. Conversion Complete! Nathan couldn''t believe it¡ªjust like magic, the stronghold was now officially his. Then his eyes hit the other words. Lord? Since when had that happened? He had no idea what that was supposed to mean. The stronghold by itself was just ashes right now, and there wasn''t anyone or anything to lord over, which just made Nathan feel like the system was trolling him and making jest of his situation. The blue screen winked out after he read the last word, but he still had the message stuck in his head. He was apparently responsible for building, upgrading, and maintaining the stronghold, which felt a little unnecessary for the system to state. Like, who else was supposed to take care of his property if not him? The building part did confuse him if he was being honest with himself. How exactly and what exactly was he going to build? Were there requirements for things or a sort of blueprint he was supposed to follow, or could he just freestyle it like he''d planned to earlier? The plan from the start, even before the system had started this crap about strongholds, was to just build himself a little wooden cabin, or at least something like that, with some of the felled logs that still hadn''t been carried into the camp¡ªhence they were spared from the fire. He didn''t have a hammer or nails and such, but he was pretty sure that he could make something work using just his bare hands. It probably wouldn''t be amazing or spectacular, but it''d protect him from the elements for the time being.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it It had already started to get colder up here, and Nathan wasn''t really surprised considering that when he''d last been in his own house, it was almost wintertime. So how exactly was he supposed to go about this? He highly doubted that the system let him convert the outpost into a stronghold just to give it a name or just for the sake of it. He just needed to find the right command for the system to aid him. Going on a whim, Nathan thought of the most generic term associated with this kind of thing. Stronghold status? Nathan crossed his fingers and hoped that the system would respond to that thought. If it didn''t, he had zero ideas on how he was going to make the infernal thing pull up information on the stronghold crap. Turns out "stronghold" had been the magic word as the familiar blue screen popped into existence, words already filling the screen. Blood Rock Lord: Nathan Orion Delegate: N/A Buildings: 0 Traps: 0 Population: 1 Ra''ahal coins: 0 Nathan winced at the screen that was displayed to him¡ªthis was worse than humble beginnings. This was ground zero; it certainly reflected what the stronghold looked like right now. If Nathan was uncertain that the system had been mocking him when it used the word "stronghold," he was certain at this point. The words on the screen were nothing to write home about. The only one on the screen was in the population section, and even that was just the system counting him as the sole occupier of his make-believe stronghold. He reined in his thoughts as he''d concluded that they''d begun to go haywire. Thinking like that right now wouldn''t solve any problems for him. He''d just be delaying getting to the main issue of the day. He might as well get to it. After all, he had planned to do it without the system, and he shouldn''t let the poor stats get to him. Speaking of stats... Nathan let his eyes rove around the stats that were available to him concerning the stronghold. The name Blood Rock had taken hold on the place, and Nathan was kinda glad he''d gone with that instead of Crimson Wall. Mostly because there was no wall, and he had zero idea how he was going to construct one without any nails. Blood Rock, on the other hand, wouldn''t be difficult for him to explain. All he''d have to do was take a rock, beat some dumb monster over the head with it, and voil¨¤¡ªBlood Rock. He could even build a museum in the stronghold and claim that was the very rock he''d used to kill his first monster, and it was what had inspired him to name this place Blood Rock. There were a couple of half-truths in there, but he doubted that anyone could fact-check him, and he couldn''t fathom that anyone would care that much about a dumb rock when they were busy fighting for their lives. Regardless, Nathan still let out a chuckle at the off-the-bat illusion that he''d just cooked up. Just a few moments after being referred to as a lord, and I''m already thinking like a politician. Nathan snorted at the thought. No doubt the world wouldn''t go back to the way it was before. He wondered what would fill the power gap that would open up with the loss of government and the politicians. With the way he saw things, purely using the master imps as a case study, the world would probably operate on a "the mightiest rules and the weak follow" kind of arrangement. It was certainly primitive, but Nathan couldn''t argue with the logic behind something like that. That was low-key how the world had always operated, just that they''d gotten a little civilized with it. Those countries with nuclear weapons at their beck and call often led the ones without and the ones with less. All the system had done was take them back to the dark ages where you actually had to be strong to rule, not just cunning with access codes to nuclear weapons that you could hold over everyone else''s head. But he digressed, looking at the next stat, he let out a low whistle. Lord: Nathan Orion. It was nothing but a fancy title right now, but Nathan would take anything he could get at this point. Besides, he couldn''t deny that it had a certain ring to it. Moving on, he went to the next stat. Delegate. That one was self-explanatory, at least that was what Nathan thought. It wasn''t that difficult to come to the conclusion that it was probably talking about the person he''d leave to handle his stronghold while he went out for... any reason. Buildings. Nathan wondered what this one meant. Don''t get him wrong¡ªhe understood what the word "building" meant, but in this context, he felt like he was out of the loop. Was it a way for the system to label whatever he built with his hands, or what? Shaking his head, he moved on to the next stat. Traps. This one was pretty much clear to him; everybody knew what traps were, and most especially Nathan. Trust him, he''d know¡ªafter all, he''d fallen into one made by low-level imps. He however wasn''t sure that was what the system was talking about, but he''d dissected the stat as best as he could with the information he had. Population. This one made Nathan chuckle, this one made Nathan wince, and this one made Nathan crazy. There was just a number one, indicating that there was only one person in the stronghold, which was pretty much just a burnt-down clearing if Nathan was being honest with himself. He briefly wondered if strongholds were supposed to be like all those kingdom-building games he''d played when he was much younger. It seemed like it from all the things Nathan had read so far. He''d seen a couple of things like these in those games he played online. With a shrug, he focused on the last stat. Ra''ahal coins. Nathan wondered what the actual pronunciation was; he just called it Ra coins. No point trying to murder a name he couldn''t pronounce properly and one that he''d never heard before. Heck, the system itself had never said it out loud to him before, so he didn''t know what exactly he was supposed to call it. For all he knew, it was a guttural sound instead of a word, and his mind was just trying to make him think it was a pronounceable word. Shaking his head, he took his mind back to the main topic at hand. Ra''coins. He wondered what the schematics were for this particular stat. Was it to tell him how much the stronghold had in its treasury, or was it a way for him to keep count of the taxes he''d impose on his subjects? Heck, maybe it could even be a way for him to purchase things for the stronghold. Wait a minute. A new thought popped into Nathan''s mind unbidden¡ªwhat if the coin count here was actually linked to his coin count on his own status screen? Had he somehow spent all his coins by converting the outpost to a stronghold? A shiver ran down Nathan''s neck at the thought of losing all the coins he''d worked for just to name a burnt piece of land. With a thought, he pulled up his stat screen to confirm, fingers crossed. Status. 1 - 19. The Discovery (I). Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 10 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher, Demon Slayer Strength: 15 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 8 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 16,400 Free points: 3 Nathan let out a sigh of relief after confirming that his coins were still intact. He still had no idea how to spend them or where he was supposed to, but it would hurt to have all those coins drop to zero considering all the grinding he''d been doing. The question of what to do with the coins brought up an important message the system had given him earlier, but he was too distracted to analyze it. When he''d gotten his first skills¡ªBlood-Rebellion (I) and Life-Steal (I)¡ªit had said that he''d be able to purchase skills and skill upgrades from merchants, but Nathan didn''t think he''d seen a single merchant in this... place. Heck, he''d barely seen anything that didn''t want to kill him on sight. He might attribute that to the fact that the system was still populating the world. Of course, he still hadn''t explored the place he was at right now. Maybe there might be a merchant and even a civilization further in the forest. He''d have to explore today; a stronghold would have to wait for the time being. Nathan glanced at his stats. He seemed to be leaning heavily on his Strength stat, with Vitality the second in line. He could easily defend Strength by pointing out that he couldn''t fight higher-level monsters without improving it. The stat helped to level the playing field somewhat. After all, his Dexterity and Perception could only take him so far if he couldn''t land successful hits on the monsters. Vitality was also straightforward¡ªit increased his health pool, and what that did in turn was self-explanatory. What was really bugging Nathan was the fact that he knew he couldn''t keep tossing free points into Strength over and over again. With everything he''d learned from the system, it surely couldn''t be that simple. He''d eventually have to share the points around¡ªmaybe not equally, but still, it couldn''t just be Strength. The only stat other than Strength and Vitality that Nathan thought would be really helpful in a fight was Constitution. Not Perception to enhance his vision or Dexterity to improve his agility. Nope, he needed plain old Constitution; he needed better defense. His defense was currently lacking by far. Just because he could take the cuts didn''t mean that he should. The smart thing for him to do was to make his body tougher and harder to pierce or breakthrough. Imagine common level four and five imps still being able to rip through his skin at will. Not only was it bad for the optics at level ten, but it was also bad for him as those cuts hurt like crazy. With the decision made, Nathan simply had to move points to Constitution. Two points to Constitution. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 10 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher, Demon Slayer Strength: 15 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 10 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 16,400 Free points: 1 Nathan both saw and felt the update, the system screen replacing the figure attached to his Constitution stat while his skin felt like it was... tightening, for lack of a better word. It did feel like it''d be harder to break through now, and the hope was that if something did manage to break through, it wouldn''t do too much damage. The memory of the imp almost ripping his guts out with its claws was still vivid in his mind. It was so close that Nathan was sure he would''ve died if it had managed to do that. The only reason it''d even been able to do that was because of the 20% debuff he''d been suffering from at that time, which was quite the bummer because that debuff alone had knocked him down at least two to three levels. So powerful.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Nathan wondered what the actual fuck the master imp had been calling on for help. Whatever it was, Nathan had zero interest in going head-to-head with it¡ªimproved Constitution or no improved Constitution. The yellow light that had spilled forth from the amulet felt more like an eye that was watching him. Then the debuff was cast on him, and the rest was history. He had a feeling that it wasn''t going to be history though; things like these rarely ended up staying buried. Nathan just had to be ready if and when something popped up coming for him. With a start, Nathan realized he''d just been standing still doing nothing all day when he was supposed to be out exploring wherever this place was. He glanced around the stronghold; the ash-covered ground was definitely going to take a while for Nathan to clean up, and he certainly wasn''t going to take all day doing that, which meant that he''d probably have to let that task sit until he was ready for it. No biggie. After all, it wasn''t as if the stronghold would disappear and run away if he didn''t clean up immediately. Nathan wondered how many other strongholds had been erected by now. If there were other survivors, he couldn''t see why they wouldn''t have advanced to the point of having their own strongholds. Only one way to find out. Time till the tutorial ends? Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 5 [7:23:29] Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 5 [7:23:29] Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 5 [7:23:29] Strongholds: 4 Four. There were four new strongholds¡ªwell, three if you excluded Blood Rock. The fact that there were three other strongholds apart from his confirmed that there were at least three other humans who''d survived skipping the tutorial. While it didn''t make for a good statistic, as they''d numbered closer to three million who''d skipped the tutorial at the beginning, that was a whole lot of people who had gone MIA. Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn''t be dumb right now and do stupid shit. The system wasn''t here to play and hand out cool weapons and skills for fun; it was here to evolve mankind into something else. If building, upgrading, and maintaining the new world were all the things that Nathan had to do to have a chance in the new world, then he''d do it. Just as soon as he finished exploring his surroundings¡ªhe needed to know what he should protect himself from. Closing the stat screen with a thought, Nathan took one last look at the stronghold, his stronghold. Blood Rock. He mulled over the name for a second, rolling it over in his mind before picking a random direction and walking. He had to find out what and where exactly this place was. ___________ The further he walked, the more Nathan confirmed his thoughts. The forest as he''d known it was certainly getting noisier, which meant that the system hadn''t lied when it said it was populating it. He just needed to figure out what it was populating it with. But he highly doubted that the noises he was hearing were all alien sounds; some of them reminded him of Earth animals, which begged the question: where had they been when he first appeared? Was the system taking animals for their own tutorial, or were the animals so scared that they ran and hid, staying silent for fear of losing their lives? As crazy as it sounded, either of the two options could be quite right really. Nathan had no idea what was to be considered crazy and what wasn''t. Luckily for him, none of what made those sounds had come out to attack him, so that was a plus. He''d happily avoid them if they looked like anything close to the panther that had visited the burning camp last night. The more Nathan walked, the more he felt like it took more effort to keep walking, and it was getting harder to breathe¡ªnot harder as in he was struggling to fill his lungs with air, just harder the way it''d be when you were walking up a hill. The dirt under his bloodied sneakers had begun to change into rock; heck, the entire landscape was changing the further he walked, and he had the striking suspicion that he was walking upwards. The trees surrounding the area seemed to get shorter and shorter with every step that Nathan took. If this kept up, he was pretty sure he''d see a climbable tree. The glow of the crimson sky poured through this part of the forest as the tall trees that were usually blocking the light were becoming fewer and fewer. Normal-height trees now replaced them, and even those were few and far between. The more he walked, the sparser the trees became, and Nathan felt a little bothered by the sight in front of him. Nathan was now trudging upwards on rocky ground instead of the dirt he''d become so accustomed to. The trees soon gave way to the secret they''d been hiding: a bare peak. It looked like the summit of whatever this was¡ªactually, if Nathan was being honest, it looked like the bald head of his geography teacher, uneven with bumps here and there. Nathan made his way until he was standing atop the summit, and then and only then did he accept the fact that it was a mountain. Shit! Nathan couldn''t even enjoy the view because it confirmed one of his topmost fears, just below dying a virgin. The fucking system had tossed him into a freaking island. Turns out he might end up dying as a virgin because the freaking system had just screwed him over. On the flip side, the view was pretty amazing, and the breeze felt good on his skin, his magic pants ruffling in the wind. The kind of scene he would''ve happily traded any of his working days for if not for the fact that he knew the reality of his situation. The water stretched out from across the island from all sides, and Nathan could barely make out the next land mass after the island from where he stood. "I''ll not make it there by swimming." He highly doubted he''d be able to, even if he mustered all the courage and determination in the world. The distance meant he''d spend at least five to six days at full swim to get to the nearest land mass, and he honestly had no idea if that too was an island. The second issue was the fact that land animals were already being mutated, and even random monsters were popping up here and there. Was he really going to swim in such a large body of water where God knows how many things had already been mutated and how many new monsters the system had seen fit to place in the water? Hell no. He''d take his chances with the land animals; at least he could fight on solid ground, which he was way more accustomed to than water. With his location cleared, Nathan scanned his current surroundings. No surprise¡ªtrees were what dominated his vision. Those weren''t the only things though; he could see a couple of rock protrusions spread around the mountain. There were very few that he could see: four at his first glance and six on the second scan. Nathan wondered what they were. Probably caves. With his work done at the summit of the mountain, he had to determine his next course of action. He was torn between heading back to Blood Rock and beginning the cleanup he so needed to do, but the curiosity in him wanted to explore more. "One cave and that''s it." He promised himself he''d only check out one cave and then he''d get to cleaning up his stronghold. He just needed to find out which one was the closest so he could get back as soon as possible. He glanced again; the closest one was somewhere to the east. With a direction in mind, Nathan started walking and was soon swallowed up by the trees, totally oblivious to the creature observing him. The walk down was much easier than the walk up¡ªprobably gravity at work. After almost thirty minutes, he came to the spot he''d spied from the summit and, yep, it was a cave. Nathan couldn''t be bothered to waste his time ogling the thing; he was on a time crunch. A quick look around should sate his curiosity and he''d be out. He took a step into the mouth of the cave and let out a sigh as a notification popped up in front of him. Dungeon Discovered 1 - 20. The Discovery (II). Dungeon Discovered Dungeon Name: Shadow Den Dominant Species in Dungeon: Shadow Wolves Dungeon Rank: F To clear the dungeon: Defeat the Alpha. Fully stepping past the threshold means you accept the challenge. Dungeon challengers are NOT allowed to exit dungeons before fulfilling clearance requirements. Step back if you do not wish to undertake this challenge. Nathan stared at the blue screen in confusion. The quest itself was easy to deduce, but the dungeon rank had him a little confused. What was the F supposed to mean¡ªwas it a level range, and if so, from what level to what? He honestly didn''t have to find out immediately. He could finish cleaning up Blood Rock and find his way back here whenever he was ready, but Nathan was the curious type. Step forward or step back? That was the question right now¡ªwould Nathan rather get into a dungeon or do a little cleaning? Like every other sane guy, he chose the obvious option: Nathan stepped forward. Welcome Challenger. The Shadow Den awaits. Dungeon is locked and will remain locked until you fulfill the clearance requirement. Clearance requirement: Kill the Alpha of the pack. First things first. Nathan turned back to see a transparent-ish blue barrier blocking the cave mouth, which meant there''d be no escape for Nathan today. He''d have to fight to the very end. He turned to face the cave itself, dark and gloomy, and considering the name the system had assigned to the dungeon, Nathan had a feeling it wasn''t going to get brighter anytime soon. Walking into the cave, he realized there was glowing moss sticking to the floor and walls¡ªnot bright enough to actually light the path but enough to indicate where a wall was. The place wasn''t much better than he imagined. Nathan raised a hand to his face and could barely make out the vague outline of his hands in the darkness. Was he really going to fight a pack of wolves¡ªshadow wolves to be precise¡ªin this kind of darkness? I have to increase my Perception. It seemed like it was time to use the emergency free point he''d been saving up; this was definitely going to turn into an emergency if he didn''t use it. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 10 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher, Demon Slayer Strength: 15 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 10 Perception: 7 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 16,400 Free points: 1 One point to Perception. Perception: 8 ## Free points: 0 Nathan closed the status screen, the change already taking effect. Holding up his hand to his face, Nathan checked the difference. He could now see a clearer outline of his hand¡ªno specific detail, but still, it was better than nothing if you asked him. "Alright, time to see what hole you jumped into this time." He walked slowly through the cave, trying his best to be sneaky even though he knew it''d be useless. If imps could sniff him, then wolves would probably be able to pinpoint his location within seconds. They had all the cards right now. I just need to be smarter, that''s all. With the confidence of a madman, Nathan resumed walking. The cave seemingly looked like a tunnel the more Nathan walked; it seemed to be sloping downwards rather than just being level ground as he''d assumed. Nathan soon came into what was probably supposed to be a cavern or a hall within a cave¡ªNathan wasn''t that good at geography. The moss by his sides had split in different directions, illuminating the confines of the cavern. It was a big hall if the moss wasn''t deceiving him, and other than that, he couldn''t pick out anything as his eyesight wasn''t that good. Nathan wouldn''t have been fine with not being able to see anything, but not being able to hear anything left Nathan feeling nervous.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. This place was supposed to house a pack of wolves. He had no idea how many wolves usually made up a pack, but he highly doubted it was one, and even if it was one, where was it? Why hadn''t he heard it growl or howl? The silence was making him feel uneasy, and Nathan was starting to question why he''d even entered the stupid dungeon. At the time, he just wanted to feel the thrill of battle. Right now, he wasn''t so sure that he''d made the right choice between cleaning up and dungeoneering. Now he was stuck in a dungeon with predators in their natural habitat stalking him, and the worst part was that he''d done it of his own volition. He hadn''t been forced, coerced, hoodwinked, pulled the wool over his eyes, or whatever phrase his English teacher would''ve used to explain this situation. Since standing at the entrance wouldn''t get him any answers, Nathan decided to walk towards the other end of the cavern. Maybe the challenge lay there. Nathan had barely gotten to the center of the cavern before he felt claws digging into his back, causing him to yelp in surprise. The claws hadn''t gone that deep, and it was nothing but a surface wound. He glanced around the darkness, squinting as he saw multiple dark blurs corralling him. It''s a trap. The wolves had been there the whole time, deliberately letting him walk himself into a corner. The exit had already been blocked, and they either didn''t know that or they were just creatures of habit¡ªluring him into a false sense of security before revealing themselves to him. Nathan almost applauded the tactic but remembered that he had a sword in his hand, a sword that he''d happily swing instead. With a grimace, Nathan pointed the blade at where the attack came from, waiting for the next one to arrive. He could see shapes moving about in the darkness, but he would''ve been hard-pressed to identify any one of them. Identify any one of them. Nathan focused on the dark blurs at the edge of his vision, waiting for his Analyze skill to kick in. [Shadow Wolf Level 7] [Shadow Wolf Level 6] [Shadow Wolf Level 8] Shadow Wolves are pack monsters. The shadows are their biggest strength and light their greatest weakness. Huh. Nathan looked at the notification in confusion, staring at it like the words were alien to him. His lack of focus was punished by him getting clawed in the legs. Light. He needed light, and he had zero ideas on how he was going to get that. If he could somehow manufacture light or get a light source in here, then he''d immediately have the upper hand in the fight. As it was, he was struggling to see what was attacking him, but did he need to see to attack? Nathan charged at a blur, trusting in his senses to deliver the wolf''s head to him. That was the wrong move as he tripped over a paw, and the three wolves pounced on him, trying to tear his skin to shreds but only succeeding in giving him flesh wounds on his back. When he''d fallen, his sword had bounced away, leaving Nathan defenseless¡ªnot really defenseless, more like without his primary weapon. He still had what the Monk Archetype had referred to as the most reliable weapon: his fists. He''d have to admit the Monk Archetype hadn''t lied about the fists; if he survived this, he''d love to fight with a monk, just to see who would win and what their fighting style looked like. Another claw went for his back, making Nathan realize that he was deep in thoughts mid-battle. To be honest, he didn''t blame himself¡ªhe blamed his upgraded Constitution. It''d made attacks by monsters like these seem like paper cuts compared to what he''d had to endure from the system. Biding his time as he tried to find the pattern of how the wolves were steadily clawing his back with their paws, he pounced, catching one''s paw as he stood up, dislodging the rest from his back. Time to test my Strength, eh? Nathan''s other free hand found purchase on another paw. The wolf tried to bite at him, going for his neck, but Nathan made it a lot more uncomfortable for the wolf, stretching its two legs in opposite directions even as the other wolves bit and clawed at him. One even tried to bite his thigh, but its teeth couldn''t penetrate deep enough, the act feeling like needles poking him. He had his full focus on the shadow wolf in front of him; even though Nathan couldn''t see it because of the poor lighting, he could tell that it was certainly feeling the effects of being pulled apart slowly. Crack! That was the first sound Nathan heard before he pulled it apart completely, the wolf not even getting the chance to let out a whine before it was torn in half¡ªat least Nathan hoped it was in half; he wasn''t quite sure how that panned out. Throwing the two halves of the corpse to different sides, he focused on the other two. Their deaths came much more swiftly than the one that had come before them. Nathan punched downward, catching one of the blurs in what was probably the head, his fist taking the head with it to the cavern floor as he turned it to mush. Pulling back his fist, Nathan got ready for the last remaining wolf. It was the one that had been biting into his thigh, the wolf still at it despite the death of its kin. Maybe it even knew but probably didn''t care enough to stop what it was doing, probably believing itself the one that was going to take Nathan down, or maybe it just didn''t want to let the sacrifice of its kin go to waste. Nathan hated to be the bearer of bad news, but he was going to have to inform the wolf that its efforts were in vain, and he delivered the news the only way he knew how to¡ªwith his fists. Two punches tore into the wolf from both sides, killing it instantly. Nathan had to pry its jaws open as the thing had died with its canines still embedded in Nathan''s thighs. A subtle wave of euphoria passed through Nathan after the death of the last wolf, signifying an upgrade in level. He felt the little cuts he''d gotten on his skin from the scraps with the three wolves close over. He did think it was a little odd how the euphoria that usually came with a level-up was somehow less powerful than the usual waves he got¡ªwas it because he was in a dungeon, or because he had way fewer injuries than usual? Either way, Nathan couldn''t dwell on that; he needed to get his name in the game. The cavern had gone silent with the only source of sound being Nathan''s breathing, making him wonder: if the three wolves were all the minions left in the cavern, then what exactly would the alpha be at this time? Nathan tried to scan around, but he could barely make out anything. He needed to upgrade his Perception if he wanted to finish this fight. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 10 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher Strength: 15 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 10 Perception: 8 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 17,450 Free points: 2 Let''s see what I''m going to do about my Perception. Nathan had to decide between putting all his available free points into the Perception stat or leaving one behind for an emergency. In the end, he had to concede that his present situation constituted an emergency. Two points to Perception. Perception: 10 ## Free points: 0 It was almost as if Nathan was out in the moonlight when Earth was still Earth. He could see even though it was still dark; he could almost see his fingernails right about now. Time to find that elusive wolf. Shit! Nathan noticed about eight to twelve wolves blocking the exits behind him, watching him without so much as a growl. A big and bad wolf in the center of the back was baring its fangs at him. Nathan wanted to pretend as though he hadn''t seen anything, but the wolves must''ve sensed the change because the one Nathan had identified as the alpha let out a loud howl that seemed to shake the cavern before charging at him, the rest of the pack in tow. Bollocks. 1 - 21. What Pack? Nathan braced for impact as the wolves crossed the distance between them within seconds. The alpha and another wolf stopped mid-charge, settling to watch from behind¡ªfar enough to observe but close enough to join in within seconds. He was left with nine wolves, all larger than the three that had attacked him earlier, charging at him. Those were scouts. Nathan had a feeling that those three had been sent to probe him, to find the chinks in his form. The wolves seemed well-organized, just as the imps were, each having their own strategy for taking out problems like Nathan. With the attacks closing in, Nathan focused intently on the nine wolves, hoping to find something to tip the power scales. What he got instead was a notification indicating their levels: [Shadow wolf Level 8] [Shadow wolf Level 9] [Shadow wolf Level 8] [Shadow wolf Level 8] [Shadow wolf Level 9] [Shadow wolf Level 10] [Shadow wolf Level 8] [Shadow wolf Level 9] [Shadow wolf Level 9] Oh, come on! Nathan couldn''t help but lament at the levels of the wolves. They were levels higher than his first attackers, with the least of them about the same power level as the Master imps, making this somewhat of a challenge for him. Challenge or not, Nathan was here, and he might as well take advantage of this opportunity. Leave it to me to call a suicidal situation an opportunity. The first wolf that got to Nathan received a fist aimed at its snout as a reward. The punch only managed to knock a few teeth out of its mouth and daze it. While Nathan would''ve hoped for a one-attack kill, it seemed like these wolves were going to be a tough nut to crack¡ªbut no worries. He was the Nutcracker after all. More like a skull crusher. More like Skullcrusher! Nathan had already repositioned his arm, waiting for the next in line to get there. This time, he aimed for the skull of the charging wolf. Crack! Nathan''s fist hadn''t even broken through the skin on the wolf''s head, but he was pretty sure he''d taken it out of the fight for the time being. A crack like that coming from its skull area probably didn''t mean anything good for the wolf. He couldn''t dwell on it. The other wolves seemed to have slowed down mid-charge, watching Nathan and letting out low growls. They circled him, the seven of them. He was tempted to lash out at one but restrained himself, as that would leave him open to the remaining six, and he had the feeling that their canines would do a lot more damage. Nathan kept his fists at the ready, the knuckles already bleeding again as he braced himself for the next attack. His fists might''ve been his most reliable weapon, but he''d rather use them as a last-gasp approach rather than from start to finish like he was doing. The area around them was raw, and he doubted it''d be good if he broke his hands fighting these things¡ªhe needed his sword back. There. The sword was a few paces to the right of the alpha, meaning that even if he managed to break out of this circle, he''d have the Alpha to contend with. He wasn''t even close to breaking the circle as it was, with the wolves keen on taking their time analyzing him while the alpha and the other wolf beside it did the same. Alpha and Beta. That was Nathan''s conclusion¡ªthe pair had to be the fabled alpha and beta hierarchy in the wolf structure, the leaders of the pack, per se. They seemed to watch him without doing anything themselves. If Nathan were to hazard a guess, they were probably trying to get their pack mates to level up. Nice. Nathan wasn''t planning to die here though, so they were probably going to be on the raw end of that plan. He couldn''t stand and wait for them to figure out a strategy¡ªno, he had to attack. And he did. A flying fist made contact with one of the wolves circling him, breaking it out of formation and tossing it away from the circle as it rolled to a stop a few paces away. It was already starting to get back on its feet, making Nathan glance at the other two who''d survived his initial attack. They''d stayed down wisely, one probably having a skull fracture, the other already had its fangs knocked out, essentially turning it into a dog.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Just how strong are these things? Nathan didn''t have to wait long to find out. Multiple claws latched onto his back, pushing him to the ground face-first as they tore into whatever part of him was exposed¡ªwhich was all parts of him at this point. His pants were being shredded just like his skin. Claws and fangs alike tore into his body, opening new wounds and causing Nathan to do something he hadn''t done in a while: scream. "Arrrgh!" Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs. [Warning: Health below 75%] Nathan couldn''t even see the system message properly; he had tears streaming down his eyes as the wolves continued to tear into him. He''d barely managed to cover the back of his neck with his hands, and even that defense wasn''t going to last long. If he didn''t do something, one of these wolves would kill him, maybe by finally tearing through his neck or by biting off his nuts. [Warning: Health below 50%] He couldn''t lose his nuts, not today at least. With the mental image of such a loss to motivate him, Nathan stood up, shaking off the wolves with a growl of his own. "Rarrrrrrgh!" One bit into his thigh, the fangs going deeper than the last wolf that had tried that. Nathan handled it like he always did¡ªhe punched downward, his fist not missing from such close range. Crack! His punch connected with the wolf''s head. The others had already started to close in, but Nathan was outraged at the dumb beasts'' attack on him. The others howled, growled, clawed, and bit at Nathan, but he focused solely on the wolf that had bitten into his thigh. He pounded on the wolf''s skull until it turned to mush, his brain going into overdrive. With each and every punch, he said a word in his head:
  1. Will. Not. Die. Today.
Life-steal triggered He didn''t pay any attention to the notification. Nathan had fully given in to his Berserker urges, and now he wasn''t going to hold back and be civilized by going the strategic route¡ªnot when he could just punch and punch these damned beasts until they were done. Nathan picked out another wolf at random and continued his mindless onslaught even as the other wolves continued to attack him. He had barely finished destroying the skull of the second unlucky wolf when a notification hit his screen¡ªthe notification he''d unconsciously been waiting for: [Critical Warning: Health below 25%] Blood rebellion triggered "Hahaha!" A maniacal laugh left Nathan''s lips as he felt himself become stronger, faster, tougher, and most importantly, his eyesight became sharper. It was over for these wolves. Nathan pounced at the remaining wolves, his rage fueling him, making him oblivious to all the cuts and wounds that were opening up on his body. He couldn''t care less at the moment¡ªhe had targets in front of him, and Nathan wouldn''t rest until they were all down for the count. Where Nathan''s punches had failed to pierce skin before, they now went through easily like it wasn''t there, ripping through their skulls as if they were made of foil. Full Berserker mode made Nathan feel good with every kill he completed. One of the wolves that had survived his punch the first time around had managed to sneak up behind Nathan, but he didn''t even bother going for it with his fist¡ªhe simply booted it toward the alpha and beta. Crack! The ribs of the wolf had probably broken on contact with Nathan''s shin, the wolf coming to a stop before the Alpha and Beta. The second wolf, which he assumed was the beta going by its size compared to the alpha, let out a growl at Nathan as it got ready to charge. A clipped growl from the alpha was all it took for the beta to relax, its eyes tracking Nathan as though it wished to rip his throat out with its claws. You can try. Nathan focused on finishing off the rest of his opponents, their claws struggling to pierce through his tougher skin, their movements seemingly sluggish when they''d been faster before. The most important change, though, was the clarity that his temporarily improved eyesight provided. The best thing was that he knew he was close to another level. He only needed one of those stats to take on what was left of the attack squad. A fist here and a fist there, and all the other wolves were dead. Nathan''s ragged breathing once more became the only sound that disturbed the silence of the den. The alpha wolf had sat on its haunches throughout the fight¡ªwatching, learning, calculating¡ªbut the beta wolf had been on all fours since he''d booted the wolf to them. The sight of the wolf brought a maniacal smile to Nathan''s face; he''d definitely riled it up, which would probably make it rash. Good. Rash, Nathan could work with. Calculating and cunning, he''d have to watch out for. The alpha seemed unperturbed by what Nathan had just done to its kin, and it made Nathan feel a little uneasy. Just what kind of monster was this? The Alpha showed no emotion of its own; it had just watched with a passive face, its eyes the only thing that had moved throughout the fight, if you excluded the one time it let out a clipped growl to restrain the beta. Nathan shrugged off the unease as best as he could. His adrenaline had started to wear off and with it the Berserker rage that had helped him mop the floor with those wolves. He tried to keep hold of the rage but felt it slipping away as his rational mind came to the fore. The first thing his rational mind made him do was focus intently on the two wolves. [Shadow wolf (Beta) Pack Member Level 11] [Shadow wolf (Alpha) Level 14] Shit. Both wolves seemed to be of a higher level than him¡ªlevel eleven for the beta and level fourteen for the Alpha. No wonder the Alpha hadn''t felt threatened by Nathan; it probably knew that it outclassed him. The beta, on the other hand, was close enough to his level that he felt he could go toe-to-toe with the wolf and come out alive if he was smart enough. Nathan''s eyes drifted to his sword a few paces from the Alpha. He didn''t know if the alpha would let him take his sword; after all, it had been really chill for the past few minutes. He took a step toward his sword, his eyes trained on the Alpha. He watched in fascination as the muscles of the wolf tensed, his improved vision helping him pick up on all these new details. Nathan took another step and watched the wolf relax its muscles as it continued to stare at him. Okay, no sword for me. That would certainly make things a lot harder than they had to be. The sword would''ve given him a little edge, and the alpha probably knew that too. The thing was smart and calculating. His health pool was still dropping, and Nathan could feel himself slipping. The blood rebellion didn''t take care of his wounds; it just gave him a boost. The damned thing was waiting for Nathan to die on his own. That was clever as fuck¡ªNathan had to applaud its fight-adverse tactics. Time was on its side, and it knew it. If Nathan wanted to leave this place, he''d have to do something and do it fast. Seeing as the alpha wasn''t planning on allowing him to retrieve his sword, he''d have to boost himself the only way he knew how¡ªhe had to level up. With the beta in his sight, Nathan charged. 1 - 22. True Darkness The plan was to take out the beta wolf, heal, level up, and then try to take out the Alpha, but when had things ever gone to plan? Both wolves leaped for Nathan, meeting his charge head-on. The Alpha was going straight for his torso while the Beta was attacking from the right side. Nathan had no idea what this tactic would be referred to in military terms, but there was a word for it in literature. Screwed. Nathan was most definitely screwed by all accounts. Any one of these wolves could kill him one-on-one, and they''d decided to attack him simultaneously, his already terrible odds seemingly getting lower with every millisecond that stretched between the three as they charged. 1 percent chance, 99 percent faith. As best as he could time it with his blood rebellion boost aiding him, Nathan threw himself to the side of the Alpha at the last moment. His body very narrowly escaped being mauled. Bingo! He tucked into a roll as he stretched a hand, grabbing his swords with a hand as he sought to get back on his feet. The sword hadn''t balanced the scales by any means, but Nathan hoped he''d tipped the scales a little in his favor. There was a little part of him that had hoped that both wolves would''ve collided with themselves at his last-minute maneuver, but it didn''t happen. Nathan watched that dream of his turn to smoke before his very eyes. The Beta fixed its angle mid-stride to avoid barreling into its Alpha. It wasn''t all bad news though, as his gamble had paid off, and he''d gotten his sword back. The gap he''d managed to exploit had only been due to the weird attack angles the wolves had chosen. He would''ve thought that the pincer maneuver would''ve been the best way. Instead of finding a way to kill them, I''m here finding a way for them to kill me. Nathan shook his head. The wolves had already turned around and were now facing him. He, on the other hand, was on his feet with his sword pointing between both wolves. The reach of the sword was certainly better than just using his fists. With his health rapidly dropping without even exchanging blows due to his old wounds, Nathan didn''t have time to spare. He charged again. The Alpha stayed behind while the beta rushed forward. The change in attack pattern relieved Nathan; one-on-one was way better than two-on-one right about now. Nathan swung as soon as the wolf got within range. The beta nimbly went under the strike as it charged for its crunch. Fangs closed around his shin, the fangs went deep into Nathan''s shin. He could feel teeth touching the bone. "Rarggggh!" Nathan let out a scream of pure pain. He stabbed downwards, his sword aiming for the wolf''s neck. The blade didn''t sink more than an inch deep. No matter how much strength Nathan put into the stab, it didn''t go deeper. He pulled the sword out and started swinging it like a bat, anything to ease the pain. The shin felt like it was about to snap. Rats. The beta pulled back with its fangs still lodged in his leg, the action throwing Nathan on the floor as he followed the motion, trying to avoid the thing snapping his shin. The wolf pulled its fangs out of Nathan''s shin and stood at his feet before looking back at the Alpha, probably for approval to go for the kill. His gaze shifted to the Alpha who''d chosen to stay away from the fight after the first dodge had gotten Nathan his sword. No doubt the weapon back in his hands had affected the variables in the Alpha''s mind. The Alpha let out a clipped growl, its gaze meeting Nathan''s. Its eyes were cold and calculating, lifeless if you asked him. Lifeless like I''ll be if I don''t figure out something. The Beta took a couple steps back, which made Nathan let out a sigh of relief. That was until it ran towards him, the same malice from earlier returning to its eyes. The beta leaped up, its jaws spreading wide as it sought to rip his neck out with its fangs. Nathan felt transfixed for a moment before he had to force himself to move, executing a last-grasp attempt at saving himself. "Oompff," Nathan breathed as the air was knocked out of his lungs. The beta''s body had landed on his chest while he was still on the floor. The weight pushed him deeper into the ground as his sword held the beta''s head in the air, the wolf unmoving. Nathan had thrust his sword at the last moment at the beta''s open jaw, the sword going through the tender flesh till it hit something that Nathan assumed was probably its skull. The kill solidified Nathan''s belief that all the constitution in the world wouldn''t save anyone or anything from being killed if he went for the right part. Not a moment too soon, a wave of euphoria passed through him. Nathan pushed it down as he kept his eyes on the Alpha. He threw the body of the beta off of him and his sword as it was starting to get heavier with Blood Rebellion deactivated. He scrambled to his feet. It might''ve been the loss of the boosts that he enjoyed from blood rebellion, but Nathan thought he could see shadows actively coalescing around the Alpha as though they were alive. I''m trippin''. Nathan shook his head. He needed to use this time to upgrade his strength stat; he had a feeling he was going to need the increase.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 11 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of steel, SkullCrusher, Demon Slayer Strength: 15 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 10 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 21,900 Free points: 2 Strength was the stat Nathan needed to throw his free points into. It was just a question of how many points. Nathan took a look at the Alpha, which seemed to be gradually getting covered in shadows. ALL, I have to throw it all in. Two points to strength. Strength: 17 ## Free points: 0 Nathan closed the stat screen immediately. New strength seemed to flood him, but he only paid attention to the threat in front of him. Or at least the threat that was supposed to be in front of him¡ªwhere the Alpha was, there was only darkness, pure and impenetrable. The heck? Alpha of the Shadow wolves has cast Cloak of darkness(I). Cloak of darkness: this is an area-of-effect spell. All entities within 30 meters of the spell will suffer a five percent debuff on their perception. Those with a higher perception than the Alpha will be unaffected. Duration: 5 minutes. Timer: 4:59 And this is supposed to be an F-ranked dungeon? Nathan dismissed the notification with a thought, his focus redirected towards finding the elusive Alpha. Nathan couldn''t see his feet right now; the entire place seemed to have become blanketed in darkness. Something that he was sure suited the Alpha just fine. Nathan clutched his sword tightly as he took a step and almost tripped before catching himself. The beta''s body had been in front of him. How was he supposed to fight in these kinds of conditions? The Alpha could be anywhere close to him, and he wouldn''t even be able to tell. Nathan walked the opposite way from the beta''s corpse, his blade swinging side to side in the darkness. His wide arcs predictably not catching anything, but Nathan wasn''t deterred. He made sure to kick at the air before stepping to avoid another repeat of the beta''s corpse. Maybe it still thinks I''m injured. That was a possibility. Maybe the Alpha wanted to wait for him to fall over and die, but what if it didn''t? Then again, there was its skill. Nathan didn''t think it would''ve used its skill if it thought he was going to die on his own. Nope, it''s biding its time. The wolf was certainly less reactive than the rest of its pack. It was calculating, probably waiting for Nathan to step into some kind of an ambush or for him to trip and fall, just so it could pounce on him while he was defenseless. Come out and play, you sneaky bas¡ª Something barreled into Nathan, hard and fast, tossing him to the side with so much force that he heard a rib or two crack. His body flung like a rag doll, but he still made sure to hold onto his sword as he was thrown off his feet. It wouldn''t do to lose his sword in this unnatural darkness. He''d be left having to fight the Alpha with his fists¡ªa death sentence. At least with his sword, he could hope to replicate the same attack he''d used to end the beta. "¡ªard," Nathan uttered the last part of his thought. Warning: health below 75% The sword left flesh wounds as it made contact with his skin. He''d happily take the surface wounds if it meant he''d get to keep hold of his sword right about now. He scrambled to his feet as soon as he could, sword pointed in the direction he''d been tossed from. He ignored the blooming pain coming from his side, courtesy of his broken ribs. He waited for the follow-up, but the Alpha didn''t seem to be in a rush. Blasted tactician. The wolf was doing as it wished, the darkness was its strength and apparently a weakness for Nathan. He just needed to be alert and ready to return attacks at a moment''s notice. He wasn''t sure the Alpha was going to let him outlive the five minutes. Speaking of which. Timer: 3:42 Nathan winced at the remaining time. Still enough left for the Alpha to maul him to death. He didn''t even have the luxury of turtling up for the time remaining. The Alpha would definitely rip into his defenses as if they weren''t there. He couldn''t sit back and defend; no, he needed to attack. But how could he attack what he couldn''t see? Alternative. He might not be able to use his eyes, but there was something else that might help him¡ªthe wind. It was something he used when he''d had his normal job as a sign flipper. Using the flow of the wind to execute cheap tricks that earned him applause once in a while. Let''s put it to the test. Nathan stretched his free hand into the darkness, feeling as the wind caressed his fingers, silent but still present in the darkness. He could feel how calm it was, the wind gently going around his outstretched hand, till it wasn''t. Something was coming. He could feel it in the way the wind seemed to rush in his direction. Nathan tried to turn and slash in the direction the wind hinted at, but he was too slow. Crack! Nathan was flung again, using more willpower than strength to hold onto the sword as he sailed through the air. His ribs on his other side probably cracked because of the force of the Alpha''s attack. Fiery pain went through Nathan''s body even as he struggled to keep breathing, his entire body feeling the effects of having broken ribs on all sides. Warning: health below 50% He got up to his feet, defiance shining in his eyes in the face of overwhelming darkness. Every breath sent waves of pain rippling through his body, but he wouldn''t bow down, not now when he finally had a glimmer of hope. Nathan repeated the motion, the same as last time. His sword hand was ready to move at a moment''s notice. The wind soothed his nerves as it went around his finger, caressing it. There! Nathan dropped to a crouch and pointed the sword at what he hoped would be eye level at the last moment as he met the Alpha''s attack. Squelch. The wet sound of an eyeball popping was all Nathan needed to know that his attack had been successful. His sword went through the eye and into the brain, stopping at the back of the skull, unable to break through. The act killed the Alpha instantly. A series of notifications assaulted him, and Nathan unwrapped his fingers from the sword and fell on his back, euphoria overtaking him as his body healed up. One by one, Nathan went through the notifications as the oppressive darkness began to dissipate. Cloak of darkness(I) dispelled Clearance requirement met: Dungeon unlocked. New Imprint gained: Bronze Dungeoneer - third to enter and survive a dungeon in your world. + 5% boost to all stats when in a dungeon. Nathan smiled at the new Imprint. At least he''d gone out of here with an advantage until the next notification hit and his eyes widened. Dungeon cleared: Dungeon rewards available. A loud thud echoed around the cavern, and Nathan raised his head from the floor to see a box within a few feet of where he lay¡ªa wooden box. 1 - 23. Loot-O-clock Nathan leaped to his feet, his refilled health and curiosity aiding him in getting up in record time. He took a moment to admire the Alpha''s corpse before pulling his sword out of its brain. He shifted his vision to the star of the show right now¡ªthe chest. The wooden chest, to be precise. If this was to be a game, Nathan would bet his life that this was the lowest grade available. He started walking towards the chest, his mind whirring with the different possibilities of what could be inside. He had a couple of things that he''d have loved to possess like yesterday. Like a magic shirt or sneakers. His old shirt and hoodie he''d thrown away as they''d failed to hold up in the new world. His sneakers, on the other hand, were something that was on its last legs, literally. They''d been soaked with blood from different monsters and now felt a little weird whenever he walked. Right about now, Nathan was considering going barefoot. Okay, time to see what''s in this chest. As Nathan got to the chest, he pushed his expectations to the back of his mind as wariness came to the fore. He didn''t know how dungeons worked here, but it''d be pretty comical if he finished off a pack of shadow wolves just to lose his life or hands to a booby-trapped reward chest. He raised his sword to where the slit was on the chest and thrust forward, leveraging his strength to pry it open. It came open without a fuss. Nothing untoward happened, which relieved Nathan as he settled his nerves and took a look at the contents. "Whoa." There were three items nestled in the chest: a crystal, a vial, and a flask¡ªa water flask. Nathan had assumed that he''d get a single item for completing the dungeon like he''d gotten a single item for each quest completed, but it turned out the reward system was different for dungeons. With his curiosity dominating his mind, Nathan focused on the items as he used his analyze skill to bring up descriptions. Stat Crystal (Grade: Minor (+1 free point)) Stat Crystals appear randomly in reward chests across all dungeons. They are an alternative source of free points. You don''t say. Something like this would definitely come in handy, especially when he needed all the advantages he could get. If he could clear all five dungeons he''d spotted at the summit, he''d get five free points easily. Nathan''s excitement died down as he re-read the description in hopes that he wasn''t wrong about his assumptions. He was. The description had said that stat Crystals appeared randomly in dungeon reward chests, meaning that he might not even find another crystal in the other dungeons. Bummer. Nathan shrugged in defeat as he moved his gaze to the next item beside the Crystal, the vial of glowing red liquid. Health Potions (Minor) Health potions help to regain lost health. The lowest tier is minor grade, which grants +25% health per vial consumed. Cool, a way to regain his health when in a pinch. Not everything needed him to get injured to the point of blood rebellion triggering. He''d avoid having his health drop that low if he could. Better to get used to fighting with full health than always relying on a boost that only activated when his health was at a critical point. Nathan glanced at the last item in the chest. He already knew what it was at a glance¡ªa water flask. However, he was a little curious to find out how the system would describe it, so he analyzed it. Flask: Store item for later use. Huh. Everything was pretty bare. The system hadn''t even bothered to call it a water flask or even mention the word water in its description. Nathan had to begrudgingly accept that the system wasn''t going to coddle him. It had given him items that would help; it necessarily wasn''t by force to show him how to use it. Maybe the system wouldn''t mind him storing piss in there. Nathan pulled out his sack from his pocket. The storage bag had survived the fight without a single tear, which Nathan was very grateful for. He scooped up the items, tossing them inside the bag, and watched in fascination as they disappeared into nothingness. He then folded the bag and put it in his pocket. I''ll never get used to that. Loot claimed. Dungeon destabilizing in 2 minutes. All entities should exit the dungeon before the dungeon collapses into Ra''hal. Nathan didn''t even get the chance to question anything as the cavern had already started to rumble. Loose stones were already dropping from the ceiling as the chest disintegrated. "Race you," Nathan said to the Alpha''s corpse as he high-tailed it out of the dungeon, running as fast as his legs could take him, with his sword at his side. For him, it wasn''t a matter of if he''d make it on time, but if he''d make it to the other side without a car-sized rock dropping on his head. Heck, he didn''t even know if he''d be conscious enough to make it out of the dungeon if that did happen, assuming he survived the rock in the first place.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Luckily for Nathan, he didn''t have to find out how strong his skull was as he got to the cavern mouth. A few errant rocks had dropped on him, but they weren''t anything he couldn''t shrug off. He spared a glance at the threshold and confirmed the transparentish blue barrier wasn''t there before crossing over to the other side. Timer. Time till the dungeon destabilizes: 0:23 Nathan stepped away from the cavern, trying to put enough distance between him and the collapsing structure but still be able to see it. While he wondered what would happen when the timer got to zero, Nathan was pretty much busy trying to draw in breath as he hit the hands-on-knees pose. The dash out of the cavern had left him almost breathless. A new overlay popped up after a couple of breaths. Dungeon destabilizing in 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Dungeon destabilized As soon as the count hit zero, a loud thud echoed around the forest. Nathan watched in fascination as the cavern collapsed inwardly, dust and debris shooting up into the air and clouding his vision. He shut his eyes to avoid getting particles in them, content to wait a little to find out what had happened to the dungeon. After a couple of heartbeats went by, Nathan cracked open his eyes a little. The scene before him caused him to open them fully as he wasn''t sure what he was seeing. His jaw went slack, and his mind struggled to comprehend what was happening. Where Nathan had expected there to be chunks of rocks and debris from the collapsed dungeon, there was nothing. No rock, no debris, no nothing. It was just a clear expanse of land surrounded by trees. If Nathan hadn''t seen and heard the dungeon fall, he would''ve assumed that nothing had ever been there. Small grass had started to grow, and the beginnings of trees were popping up in the empty land. Nathan estimated that in about five to seven hours, the place would be identical to other parts of the forest, covered with towering trees. Cool. Nathan had to accept that what the system had just done was actually kind of cool in a sense. It was almost as though the dungeon hadn''t ever existed. The only proof he currently had were the rewards from completing the dungeon and the claw marks that decorated his pants¡ªclaw marks that would probably disappear whenever the pants'' 24-hour reknit kicked in. With a shake of his head, Nathan climbed back to the summit. The walk was somewhat easier as he knew what to expect when going uphill or, in his case, up a mountain. As always, the view was splendid, but that wasn''t what Nathan was here for. He was at the summit searching for his patch of burnt ground, the site that would become his stronghold¡ªBlood Rock. Nathan spotted it, the blackened clearing standing out amongst all the green. He''d have to do something to rectify that. Probably get himself dirty cleaning up all that ash. With a sigh, Nathan began his descent back into the forest, the trees covering him as he began navigating his way to Blood Rock. His location skills¡ªor if there was even something like that¡ªcould use a lot of work. What better way to get better than by doing? The walk back to his stronghold took a couple of minutes. It wasn''t as calm as one would''ve expected. A couple of noises erupted around him as he walked, and Nathan, trusting his judgment, decided not to investigate. Instead, he kept his sword at the ready as he continued to make his way back to Blood Rock. More noises echoed around the clearing, but Nathan stayed steadfast in his resolve. He wasn''t going to branch off into some kind of side quest that would leave him badly injured and on the precipice of death. It was really hard to stay steadfast, though. With some of the noises sounding a little alien to him, the explorer in him wanted to find and analyze them. But the rational part of him just wanted to get home. Home. Nathan chuckled at the thought as he continued walking. His home was supposed to be a crappy-ass apartment downtown, but now he''d thrown the word loosely around a barren piece of land that didn''t even have a single structure built on it yet. It kind of summarized his terrible living conditions back in the old world. The trees had started to become sparser the longer he walked, and soon enough Nathan was left standing at his clearing. Black ash dominated the camp that had formerly belonged to the imps. Now, it was Nathan''s to do as he wished, and he made a solemn vow to himself that he''d make it a hundred-fold better than his apartment downtown. A hundred-fold. Nathan took in a deep breath and let it out. He''d have to get to work and get to work fast. The crimson sky seemed to have hints of purple seeping in, which probably meant nighttime was around the corner. With the amount of visitors the camp had gotten last night, he''d have to build something that could withstand an attack if any did return. What to do, what to do... He glanced around the camp, wondering how exactly he was going to clean up the entire camp. It wasn''t as if he had a vacuum cleaner on him. Overcome and adapt. Or in this case, improvise. Nathan made his way into the camp, heading for the logs that had survived the fire. Those that did were at the extreme end of the camp, just before the wall. As he walked, an idea with much potential sprang up in his mind, one that he was eager to put to the test. Getting to the stack of felled logs, Nathan put his sword into his bag of holding and stared at the logs with so much determination he was sure he''d have looked like he was constipated to any other person. Let''s see. The logs were about the length of a yellow school bus and about the width of a tire. That didn''t deter Nathan, though. Trusting in his new strength, he picked up the topmost log, barely sweating as he laid it on the floor. A grin split his face at the ease with which he''d picked up the log. Now it was time to test his theory. Nathan pushed the log against the floor littered with ashes and the like. The other side of the log pushed back the dirt, ashes, and whatnot. Within an hour or two, Nathan had completely cleared out the ashes and debris, using it to form a kind of fourth wall at the previously wallless entrance. Nathan had just finished pushing the last of it when he stood straight, sweat dripping from his jaw to his already sweaty torso. His gaze locked on the new makeshift wall. With a grunt, he appreciated his work. He reached for his bag of holding to take out a fruit when a notification popped up. Clean up completed Blood Rock is now eligible for complete system integration. Does the lord of Blood Rock wish to integrate the stronghold fully with the system? 1 - 24. Lording 101. Clean up completed. Blood Rock is now eligible for complete system integration. Does the lord of Blood Rock wish to integrate the stronghold fully with the system? Nathan didn''t even need to read the notification twice; what else was there to dissect in the missive? "I accept, I approve, I confirm, I-" Commencing Stronghold integration¡­ stronghold fully integrated. Blood Rock Grade F. This stronghold does not meet the minimum requirements to qualify for a higher grade. Grade F Buildings can now be purchased from the system stronghold shop. Nathan stared at the screen in triumph. He''d successfully found a way to integrate Blood Rock into the system. More like the system seemed to have found Blood Rock instead, but he didn''t really care about details like that. I''m in. There would definitely be a huge advantage when it came to having the system helping him build than him doing it himself. Heck, Nathan didn''t even know how to build anything. He''d taken a carpentry class in middle school, but it didn''t cover anything advanced like building a freaking house, and now Nathan didn''t have to do it himself. Rereading the information, he confirmed that his thoughts had aligned with his new reality: the system had just informed him that he could purchase buildings, and Nathan was aching to find out what exactly that meant. "Uhmm, shop." Nathan''s eyes widened as a list of buildings appeared on the screen, with a video depicting the type of building in the middle of the list, and a price tag at the extreme end of each row. He scanned through the list, which seemed inexhaustible, his eyes going from building to building. There were buildings like forges, houses, taverns, med bays, and other buildings¡ªall were rudimentary looking. There were a couple of higher-grade buildings, but the prices attached to those were in the millions. Nathan couldn''t even fathom how he was supposed to get a million gold coins right about now. With a sigh, Nathan returned to what he could actually purchase, which turned out to be only two buildings. His coin was either not up to the amount needed to purchase other buildings. or the grade of his stronghold wasn''t enough. Either way, only two buildings weren''t grayed out. The two buildings were a cabin and a med bay, both looking bare and quite rudimentary from the video assigned to them. The cabin didn''t have any furniture in it, just two rooms, a bathroom, and nothing else. The med bay had a single cot in it and what looked suspiciously like a first aid kit, just without the red cross. Decisions. The cabin would cost him about 17,360 Ra''ahal coins, while the med bay would cost him 15,530 coins. Either purchase would solve his where-to-sleep problem right now, but Nathan needed to think long-term. Yes, the med bay was cheaper than the cabin, but what other advantages did it have? A cot he could sleep on and whatever was in the box to treat his wounds. The cabin, on the other hand, looked like it was fit for living. Yes, it was currently empty, but he could make a sort of kitchen in one room and use the other as his sleeping area. Plus, the video showed a bathroom. Nathan had no idea if the system would grant him access to water or not, but he''d prefer to do his business in private. Luckily for him, he hadn''t had to do any of the two recently. With all the running about and fighting he''d been doing, his body had probably forgotten to remind him to take out the waste. The two options were certainly good, but right about now, Nathan would rather take the cabin, cot or no cot. There was no telling what exactly the box in the med bay contained, and Nathan wasn''t about to waste a huge chunk of his coin to find out. That meant the cabin was going to be his first purchase, and with his mind set, he willed his intentions to the system. The building could not be purchased due to insufficient coins in Blood Rock''s account. Blood Rock Ra''hal coins: 0 Coins needed to purchase building: 17,360. Sufficient coin detected in Blood Rock''s lord Nathan Orion''s personal account. Would you like to fund this purchase from your personal account? Nathan hurriedly unpacked the information that the system was tossing his way. Apparently, he''d been correct in his earlier assessment that his personal coins weren''t linked directly to Blood Rock''s. The confirmation of that feeling gave him pause, while it relaxed him somewhat, it also brought with it questions of his own. According to the system, he was supposed to buy skill books and skill upgrade tomes from merchants¡ªmerchants whom he hadn''t crossed paths with since the start of this¡­ apocalypse. Would purchasing the building leave him with less to empower himself with more firepower when he did cross paths with a merchant? And if so, was he really benefiting from being a lord?The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Splitting already limited resources seemed like the fastest way to ruin, especially since Nathan had no idea how expensive skill books were. Making the potential purchase of a cabin either a good deal or an extremely foolish one. A growl tore through the air, snapping Nathan out of his thoughts. The sound had come from afar, and glancing at the sky, he noted that purple now dominated the sky. It was nighttime now, and with that knowledge came the clarity that Nathan needed. He couldn''t be hoarding coins for an encounter that he didn''t know when to expect. It was quite simple really: he had a cabin he could get now or a skill he could get later in the future¡ªif he managed to survive the monsters that roamed the forest and the elements. The weather had been getting colder the closer they got to winter. The night before the apocalypse, he''d estimated that he had about 5 days before the new season set in. As it was, three out of the four days had been spent, leaving him with only two to get ready. It really wasn''t a choice right about now; the decision was clear. "I approve funding from my personal account." Coins were deducted successfully. Choose a site for placement of the building. Nathan saw a red square roughly the size of a small cabin a few feet from where he stood, and moving his eyes, the red square followed him. Cool. That would definitely come in handy. Nathan scanned around the clearing, trying to determine the best placement site. His eyes roved around, the red square in tow. Eventually, Nathan settled on placing the cabin at the center of the stronghold. The reason was that any monster that wanted to attack him would have to scale over a wall and run towards the cabin without any cover to shield its approach, making it visible to him. With his mind made up, Nathan willed his decision to the system, and it responded just using a notification. The site that Nathan chose was suddenly dug through, foundations being laid, and a cabin was erected before his very eyes. Materials appeared from thin air to complete the building. Neat. It really was. There was no debris or wood dust as expected from the activities that had just taken place in front of Nathan. Instead, there was a clean porch with the door into the cabin open. From where he stood outside, he could see the fireplace crackling as a fire was already lit there, lighting up the cabin, which in turn had light seeping out into the open clearing. Rolling his shoulders, Nathan went up the three steps to the porch. It didn''t creak, which was a sign of good craftsmanship if his carpentry teacher''s words were anything to go by. Warmth already met him outside from the open door, but the feeling only got stronger when he stepped in and closed the door. Out of common sense, Nathan stared at the fireplace with a dubious look. A fireplace in a wooden cabin didn''t seem too wise. But the more he looked, the more his worries started to fade away. The wood that surrounded the fireplace sported etches on them, signs and symbols that he couldn''t understand. The etches gave him the feeling that they made the wood surrounding the fireplace fireproof, which made Nathan''s head ache at the thought. Turning away to avoid burning up from the questions, he glanced at the rest of his immediate room. "Room" was more of a stretch. Nathan would have termed it the receiving area for guests¡ªyou know, the place you''d watch movies at, not necessarily sleep in. The place was bare, with no rugs or anything. Well, there was a curtain for the two windows on opposite sides, but apart from that, the place was¡­ meh. Already done with the receiving area, Nathan decided to go into one of the two places in the apartment that had a door. One would probably be the bedroom, and the other the restroom. So, two bedrooms. Nathan chuckled at the thought as he opened the door and stepped into the room. It turned out to be the bedroom, just without the bed or anything like that. It was without any furnishing, but Nathan wouldn''t complain. The room was slightly less warm than the first one, as it didn''t have a fireplace of its own, but at least it was warmer than outside, which was a good sign. Stepping out of the room, he went through the second door. It was the restroom. No shower for Nathan, but a bucket and a toilet at one edge. A faucet was on one side, and Nathan crossed his fingers in hope as he turned on the faucet. Pristine water fell to the floor, going towards a drain that Nathan hadn''t noticed earlier. Nice. With his living arrangements figured out, Nathan set himself to analyzing his recent fights. Sitting in front of the fireplace, Nathan gazed into the crackling flames as his mind wandered. His first flashback involved the imps. The way that he''d been lucky enough to encounter either battle-mad or egotistical Master imps was something that had saved his life. Their reluctance to go for a swift kill when they had the chance was the only thing that had saved him from certain death. Then there was the one whom the Master imps had sought help from: the system had named him Demon Lord Taloth. A being capable of shackling him with a 20% debuff while not even being physically present. The thought of the scale of such an attack sent a shiver through Nathan''s spine. He hadn''t really thought about it back then, but if the Demon Lord was the Master of the Master Imps, would it come for his head as retribution? More importantly, if the outpost had belonged to the Demon Lord before, would it have gotten a notification from the system when Nathan converted it to a stronghold¡ªhis stronghold, Blood Rock? Nathan wasn''t sure, but he might have just made himself an enemy¡ªan enemy that he couldn''t even quantify the magnitude of its strength. Maybe he was just overthinking it. The Demon Lord probably had tons of outposts scattered around Earth. The loss of one probably wouldn''t even bother it at all. Yes, that made way more sense. Nathan had just been deceiving himself, thinking himself more important than he was. The Demon Lord probably didn''t even know someone like him existed. Secure in the knowledge that he was afraid for no reason, Nathan made his way to the bare bedroom. He was more mentally tired than physically, and a good night''s sleep would cure him of his tiredness. With everything in order, Nathan dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, eager to go to sleep. His mind was grateful for the chance to shut off for once; the constant adrenaline had messed up his brain waves. Within moments, Nathan had fallen asleep. 1 - 25. The hunt begins. Demon lord Taloth was wide awake, fury burning hot in his veins. Veins had bulged so much you could pop them with a needle if you had one. Cracks began to spread out around his armrests on the throne as his clawed hand gripped them with great force. Taloth was seething before releasing his aura. The room''s pressure descended on the lone messenger, crushing the lowly demon to a pulp. The smear on the floor relaxed the Demon Lord somewhat. His veins began receding as a calm and relaxed demeanor replaced what had been moments ago. A malicious smile spread across the demon Lord''s face as he reined in his aura, with only a smear on the floor as evidence of his lack of control. Taloth stood up from the throne, letting his brain whir as he tried to come up with a reasonable report to give to the Demon King who''d just summoned him. Whatever had attacked his outpost on the "baby world" had destroyed his shrine, breaking the teleportation formation on that side. This meant he would not send his troops within the expected three-day mark to cover the Imp''s disaster class. That a sole native of the baby world had cleared his Imps so easily and thoroughly was a thought to mull over, but Taloth had more important things to consider, like which half-truth he could tell the demon lord that wouldn''t end up with him becoming a smear in the demon king''s throne room. I''m screwed. He really was. With a sigh, Taloth bent the law of hellfire, using his will to transport himself to the doors of the Demon King''s court. Two Delizats stood guarding the doors, their entire demeanor sending chills through Taloth''s spine even as he bypassed the pair of abominations that were hideous even by hell''s standards. The King''s court was the second most important building in the Demon King''s Stronghold¡ªObsidian Claw, second only to the King''s quarters. Obsidian tiles decorated the floor and walls. The level of craftsmanship probably cost an arm and a leg, but the demon king was way beyond such expenses. As Taloth crossed the midway mark of the throne room, he fell to his knees, blowing with his forehead touching the floor. That was the custom of the court, a way to humble the subordinates and let them have no doubts about the status quo. While they may be lords, ladies, princes, or princesses in their own respective domains, before the demon king, they were nothing more than fleas, easy to get rid of at a moment''s notice. "Rise and sit," a deep, almost guttural voice echoed around the throne room. The source was seated regally on the throne¡ªDemon King Zephyr the VII. Those who managed to claim the throne stripped themselves of all names and would be known as Zephyr, with the number signifying how many monarchs had come before them. Demon Lord Taloth rose to his feet, showing no emotion as he walked to take his place at the seats reserved for lords and ladies in the throne room. The court was not in session at the moment, so it was just Taloth face to face and alone with this being who was a demon to all other demons¡ªthe strongest of all demons in hell, allegedly. "What is the update on the new world Earth?" the Demon King uttered in a booming and clipped tone. The demon went straight to the heart of the matter, as he wasn''t one to waste his time. A character trait that all demon monarchs seemingly possessed. Seven hells. Taloth tried not to dawdle, but it was pretty difficult, seeing as the creature looking at him impassively could kill him without moving. Yet, like all demons, Taloth hoped to deceive the demon king by putting up a facade of false bravado. "My king, I have run into a little issue in my outpost on Earth. I, however, assure you that the issue will be resolved as soon as possible," Taloth said. His words were laced with honey and flattery, with the truth serving as a nice little bow. Crack! Pressure descended upon Demon Lord Taloth, his head, and shoulders bearing the full weight of the King''s aura that seemed to target him alone. Such control the king possessed that he could impose his aura on a specific spot. Taloth''s right shoulder hung loosely at his side, the pressure had broken it. He could sense the second one on the verge of receiving the same fate when the pressure eased up. The Demon King himself hadn''t moved a muscle, nor had his face even so much as twitched at what he''d just done. "Try again. I''d advise you to speak the whole truth this time." Devil nuts. Taloth sucked in a deep breath¡ªthe shoulder he could easily heal, but he''d rather not do so, lest the Demon King deal with him permanently. "My outpost on Earth was destroyed by a native of the world, my shrine alongside it, the act severing the teleportation formation between both worlds," Taloth said through gritted teeth. "I intend on sending stronger demons to reclaim my lost outpost. Within two months, I shall have recovered my outpost and will personally lead the charge to conquer the baby world." Taloth carefully watched the expression of the Demon King, his hands already preparing to summon his soul blade. He might not be able to reach the king on time, but he''d die trying rather than on his knees begging for mercy.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Good," the Demon King said. The single word bounced off the walls and into Taloth''s brain. For the first time since he''d come into the throne room, the demon king looked at him straight in the eyes, a malicious smile cutting through his formerly stoic expression. "You understand what happens if you fail, correct?" "Yes, my King. I swear that I will not fail you," Taloth said with an audible gulp. "For your sake, I hope you don''t." --- Nathan bit into a juicy fruit he''d gotten out of his bag of holding. It was his third of the morning. Crimson light spilled into the bare bedroom as he sat on the floor, munching up the weird fruit. Surprisingly, he hadn''t been attacked all night, and the fireplace hadn''t set the cabin on fire¡ªtwo things he was quite grateful for. It had been nice to get a good night''s rest after all these days of fighting. His mind felt fresh, his body in pristine condition, if you discounted the cramps he had from sleeping on the cabin floor. Wood or dirt, sleeping on the floor would always leave one sore. With a lot of reluctance, Nathan got off the floor, folding up his bag of holding and tucking it in his pants pocket. The magic pants looked fresh under the crimson light, no doubt having re-knitted themselves while he was asleep¡ªwhich was a shame, as he''d hoped to see it re-knit in real-time. Stretching his limbs to shake out the kinks and dents in his body, Nathan set out to figure out what he was going to do today. One option was to build furniture, which Nathan had no idea how to do. At most, he might carve up a log into a chair with his sword, but he had no idea how to do that either. I could learn. He could if he did enough trial and error, but the real question was whether he''d rather spend his time trying to make himself more comfortable or trying to level up as fast as possible. Then there was the fact that the next upgrade available for the cabin actually had basic furniture, and it was bigger. The catch was that it was almost two-point-five times more expensive, which meant Nathan would have to work two-point-five times harder or smarter to get the coins needed. Smarter, not harder. Closing the door as he left the cabin, he decided on the strategy he''d rather employ. He''d work smarter, not necessarily harder. Working harder meant building a cabin like this on his own without the system. Working smarter meant squeezing the system for every resource it had to offer. He knew which decision held more merit. After all, he wouldn''t have thought about building a cabin with a fireplace, and even if he had, he probably wouldn''t have managed to execute it as well as the system had. From this moment, Nathan had decided to make the system work for him by all means and routes possible. Nathan looked around his stronghold, which only had a single building¡ªthe cabin. The rest was a clearing in each direction, with his cabin in the middle. From the look of things, Nathan estimated his stronghold to be the size of at least two and a half estates put together. So much land just for him. Not like I can use it for anything. He glanced around the clearing, squinting at the three wooden walls. Each of them had a means of exit: the eastern and western walls had small gates for foot traffic, while the southern wall had a bigger gate that a car could probably use to get in. The fourth or northern wall was something Nathan had discounted entirely, as it was just mounds of dirt and debris he''d pushed to the edge of the clearing, using it to complete the fencing of Blood Rock. Meaning that the makeshift wall possessed no means of exiting or entering the stronghold¡ªit was just a plain wall, and he didn''t mind, to be honest. With a smile, he began to analyze what exactly he was going to do for the day, as he was free. Dungeoneering or free hunting? Dungeoneering seemed the safer of the two, with fewer variables to consider. But at the same time, he still didn''t have any idea about the level caps of dungeons. The boss of the last one he''d entered was at level 13, with a badass skill of its own, and it was an F-ranked dungeon. He had no idea what to expect if he did eventually decide to get into another dungeon. Would there be higher-level bosses in F-level dungeons? Probably. He estimated that at the F rank, the max range of the bosses should be around level 15 to 20, with level 20 being the system wanting to mess with humans. Or maybe he was going about it all wrong. In games, dungeons were usually undertaken in groups or parties. If so, the fact that he''d soloed a dungeon and survived probably wasn''t a small feat. He''d gotten lucky. The next time he''d get into a dungeon, he''d have to be at least at level 15¡ªbetter if he was higher, or he''d be in a group. This meant he''d have to avoid dungeons until he met other humans, which he assumed would be soon. Time till the tutorial ends? Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 2 [15:32:27] Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 2 [15:32:27] Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 2 [15:32:27] Strongholds: 4 Apparently, Nathan had a little under three days before the rest of the human population was released into the new reality¡ªa reality he''d been dealing with for the past three and a half days. At least I won''t be alone. The possibility of finally reuniting with other humans was like a cooling balm on Nathan''s head. He hadn''t known how much he''d been missing seeing other humans. The lack of human interaction had almost driven him nuts, and he was an introvert at heart. Shaking his head, he replaced the screen with another. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 12 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Demon Slayer, Bronze-Dungeoneer. Strength: 17 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 10 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 5,240 Free Points: 2] Nathan closed the screen with a thought. The fight against the wolves had taught him that it was always valuable to have free points available. With his mindset and his free points at the ready, he made his way to the southern gate. The hunt begins. 1 - 26. Friend or Foe (I) When Nathan left Blood Rock, the plan had been quite simple: hunt. The problem with such a plan was that it was often so broad and vague that it could be interpreted in many ways. He walked for close to thirty minutes before he realized that he didn''t have a beast in mind to even fight. The forest that had recently begun to brim with life now seemed like a dead forest, almost as if every life form knew that a real predator was out to hunt. I wonder what level of gaslighting this is. Nathan chuckled at the wayward thought, keeping an eye on his environment even as he did so. He''d had way too many situations where he''d fallen prey to a trap or an attack because he daydreamed while he was out in the open. Chirps sounded out from multiple locations up in the trees, no doubt foreign birds were making their nests in them. The other foreign animals seemed to be out of sight, even though Nathan managed to pick out a couple of potential attackers based on sound. Some stepped on twigs, some on dry leaves. Either way, the random sounds alerted him to the fact that he wasn''t alone, no matter what his eyes tried to show him. The thought sobered him up as it brought a question mark to his earlier assessment of the situation. Perhaps the forest had really sensed a real predator walking around; it just wasn''t Nathan. Interesting. He''d been unable to catch a glimpse of the creature tailing him. Even with his random glances, the creature or creatures hid away from him. Nathan would by far prefer a single attacker right about now; fighting against groups had lost its appeal. He continued to walk, feigning ignorance as much as he could. Part of him hoped that he would find an ideal ground to battle whatever trailed him. A flash of white passed by him in a blur, running past him so fast the wind from its passing ruffled Nathan''s pants. Huh. Nathan stopped in his tracks. It seemed as though whatever was trailing him had either decided he wasn''t worthy prey¡ªwhich made Nathan feel a little hurt¡ªor it had decided to lay an ambush for him. An ambush that Nathan was most definitely not going to walk into with his open eyes. Picking a different path, he turned and walked, hoping to avoid whatever that was. He wanted to hunt, not be hunted. Besides, he wasn''t going to put himself in situations he could avoid. More snapping of twigs and crunching of grasses was enough to tell Nathan that his gambit hadn''t paid off. The fur of white that appeared a few feet ahead of him more than solidified his suspicion. Whatever had been following him hadn''t let him off the hook because of a change in direction. It''d turned back to follow Nathan''s direction and made it ahead of him on the new path, stopping a few feet in front of him as it stared at him. Weird. That was the first thought that popped up in Nathan''s mind: weird. The creature wasn''t some kind of apex predator like Nathan had initially assumed. No, the creature in front of him, from what he could see, looked like a rabbit. Heck, Nathan would say it was a rabbit. It certainly had all the characteristics of one: long ears, white fur, short legs¡ªits teeth were hidden, though. The bunny looked so cute and cuddly with wide eyes, so innocent looking that Nathan didn''t even bother analyzing the bunny. With his sword in his right hand, he stooped down to pet the cute-looking creature with his left. Crunch! "Arghhhhhh, get off, get off me!" Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs. The damned creature had canines instead of the two teeth that he knew bunnies to have. The canines had torn through his left wrist like he didn''t have any points in constitution. Nathan tried to pull back his now broken wrist, but the bunny did not budge, and his strength didn''t seem up to the task of freeing him. Crunch! [Warning: health below 75%] Shit! Nathan tried to hold back the tears. The infernal bunny was trying to eat his wrist; his blood had started to pour on the bunny, but it looked unconcerned. With the most recent bite, his survival instincts kicked in, and Nathan stabbed at the bunny. The household pet released its death grip on his wrist and hopped back, its deceptively cute facade restored. The ruse was only marred by the sight of blood on its mouth area. It stared at Nathan with a look that said, "That was your fault," and he couldn''t agree more. He should''ve kept his hands to himself.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Nathan immediately glanced at his mangled wrist, blood seeping out of the broken skin at an alarming rate. Not waiting to see if the bunny would jump back in for a follow-up attack, he stood to his full height. The bunny tilted its head to watch him. Its eyes stayed glued to his form, and Nathan tried his best not to make any sudden moves before analyzing it. Once he did analyze it, though, his eyes widened, and he thought he saw the bunny sport a smug expression. [Neran Rabbit Level 14] Level fourteen. He couldn''t even believe what the system message was telling him. No way was a damned rabbit two whole fucking levels higher than him. This had to be a cruel joke. Nathan was out here grinding for levels and risking his life, and there was a fucking rabbit that was higher in level than him. It''s not fair. He couldn''t help but whine. It really wasn''t. Even the damned thing seemed to know that it outclassed Nathan by a distance. It just stared at him with the look human scientists would give a newly discovered species of fish. Nathan didn''t know how to feel about it, but what he did know was that he wasn''t going to stand around looking at a creature that could mangle his hands that badly. Very slowly, he turned and was ready to take the first step. His foot had barely gotten to complete the first step when the bunny bit into it, its movement a blur of white¡ªits dexterity probably way higher than Nathan''s. "Shittt!" He completed the step. The bunny hopped back before his foot hit the ground. Nathan wanted to curse a lot more than that but held his tongue. The bunny didn''t want him to touch it and also didn''t want Nathan to leave. Gritting his teeth at the additional injury, Nathan slowly turned around to face the bunny. "Well, what do you want?" Predictably, the bunny didn''t respond. He didn''t know if the animal could understand him anyway, but it just stayed still, watching Nathan with its puppy-like eyes. What the heck am I supposed to do now? Was Nathan going to be the first person to die standing still or the first person to be killed by a rabbit? Either cause of death would be very embarrassing, especially if anything was watching right now. It wasn''t like he supported animal abuse, but right about now he was considering booting the damned bunny and making a run for it. The only thing stopping him really wasn''t his moral compass but the fact that the damned thing would probably catch him before he could get that far. If the rabbit was pretty chill right now, he definitely didn''t want to see what an enraged version of the bunny looked like. He''d take his chances of standing still and hoping that the bunny would get tired and leave. After what felt like a couple of minutes passed with the bunny still staring at him patiently, Nathan''s mind started to get creative. The injuries he''d gotten from the brief scuffle with the bunny served as fuel for his mind. The image of him being killed by a rabbit didn''t seem that good. Not like Nathan wanted to die, but if it was going to happen, he''d rather it be against a mythical creature in a hard-ass battle rather than against a bunny that he was scared to throw a punch at. A couple of options popped up in Nathan''s head, but he rapidly shot them down until he got to one that just seemed feasible. Very slowly, Nathan let his sword clatter to the floor and, standing still to let the bunny know he didn''t mean any harm, he began to slowly reach into his pocket, pulling free his bag of holding. Moment of truth. Like in an action movie when the good guys were slowly lowering their weapons, Nathan reached into the bag. The item he''d visualized appearing in his palm, he pulled it out of the bag and tossed it at the bunny with his fingers crossed. Please, please, please. The bunny seemed to tense, which in turn made Nathan tense before it sniffed at the item he''d tossed at it. Seemingly satisfied with what it was, it gobbled it up in one bite, its mouth stretching unnaturally as it consumed the weird fruit. Its gaze returned to him when it was done. "Okay, I have a lot more where that came from." Repeating the motion he used to pull out the first, Nathan chucked three more fruits at the bunny. For his generosity, he got a front-row seat to watching the bunny''s mouth stretch unnaturally again, consuming two at once before gobbling up the third. When it was done, it stared at him before turning and hopping away, probably finding Nathan''s tribute satisfactory. "Whew!" Nathan couldn''t help but breathe out. It was way too weird of an encounter. He just dropped to the floor, way too shaken to continue his hunt. The bunny¡ªor Neran Rabbit, as the system had labeled it¡ªprobably wasn''t even from Earth, and if it was, it had probably undergone a lot more mutation than he could fathom. The rows of sharpened teeth and the unnaturally wide jaw were something that would probably give Nathan nightmares for a while. Its teeth marks were still evident on his legs and his wrist. Maybe it was just Nathan, but the wrist didn''t hurt that much anymore. Another possibility was the fact that his nerves were beginning to get used to all the pain that he was putting them through, and he didn''t know if he was supposed to be concerned if that was the case. He dislodged the thought with a snort. His issues should be more on finding edible food. The fruits were all nice and good, but they wouldn''t give him the much-needed protein that someone like him would require. They might sustain him and stave off the pangs of hunger, but other than that, Nathan doubted that he''d gained any additional nutrients from eating the fruit. That''s it. I have to go hunting. Either for food or to level up and get more coins, either way, he had to get on his feet and see out the task he''d given himself for the day. With a groan, Nathan got to his feet, narrowly avoiding pushing up with his now mangled hand as it was almost second nature to him to push up with both hands. A quick jump up and down confirmed that his leg wasn''t that bad. The wound was still there, but it wouldn''t necessarily affect him right now. He''d either have to level up or drink his healing potion to take care of it and his mangled hand. Although he wondered if the potion would do well against a fracture or if it would regrow a lost limb. I hope I never have to find out. Hoping that it was the universe that had set him on this new path by sending the weird bunny, Nathan decided to continue going that path. After all, nothing could be weirder than the bunny he''d just paid tribute to. Heck, he doubted that he''d see anything that could top that in his lifetime¡ªat least he hoped he wouldn''t. 1 - 27. Rats So far, Nathan''s hunt had been totally uneventful if you exclude the exchange with the rabbit. Most of the creatures in the forest seemed to be actively avoiding him, or at least that''s how it looked from his perspective. Or the bunny is still following me? A shiver ran down Nathan''s spine at the thought. Of course, he was hoping that the bunny would have gone its separate way after having eaten about four of the weird fruit, but he honestly couldn''t tell. What he could tell was the fact that he needed to heal. The bite on his wrist wasn''t healing, and neither was the one on his leg. Which meant that there was no special regeneration stat that was hidden from him. It did make for a good thought to bounce around his head though: would the system let him die from the wounds if it got infected? Best not to find out. Worst-case scenario, Nathan would find his way to the nearest dungeon and take a dig at it if he couldn''t find any monsters out in the forest. He did doubt that it''d come to that though, as there were sure to be monsters that would like to try their luck with the lone human walking through the forest alone. A couple of steps forward Nathan rotated his sword absentmindedly, letting the little action keep his sword at the ready in case he was attacked while trying to navigate the forest. His mind trying and failing to split itself between keeping track of his current surroundings and trying to daydream. A skitter broke through the monotonous walk, causing Nathan to glance around the forest, his sword now stationary as he anticipated an attack. Whatever had skittered around him had been fast, very fast, but it definitely wasn''t faster than what his enhanced perception could catch. That''s a tail. A rat''s tail to be specific. It wasn''t covered in fur and actually had the looks of a rat''s tail, which was enough for Nathan to come to that conclusion. With a smile on his face, he faced the last place he saw the rat hiding. The tip of its tail was poking out behind a tree. Gotcha. Nathan charged at the tree, sidestepping at the last second to strike at what was behind the tree. His sword pierced through what felt like flesh with ease. The beast behind the tree let out a dying shriek. Then and only then did Nathan go ahead to get a good look at the beast, his gut telling him he was only a handful of kills from the next level. Yeah, that''s a rat alright. The... everything of the beast filled the requirements for being checked as a rat. The entirety of its frame seemed to be swollen up though, the rat was probably the size of a shopping cart right about now. "Mutation," Nathan spat out the word with disgust. He''d just finished uttering the word when a lot of chittering broke out in the previously moderately quiet forest. Hells. Nathan didn''t even need to turn behind to know that there were rats behind him, rats probably the size of a shopping cart if this one was anything to go by. He did turn around though to a sight that left his jaw hanging open. Shit. Rats, a couple of rats had seemed to pour out of nowhere, their beady black eyes staring at him as they chittered incessantly. From what he could see, there''d probably be about seven rats out there. A semi-circle had been formed, seven facing him while a dead rat was behind him. Before deciding on a fight or flight response, Nathan did the one thing that had been on his mind since killing the first rat, something that had immediately made him feel a little bad after killing the first in one strike. He analyzed the rats. [ Bala Rat Level 7 ] [ Bala Rat Level 9 ] [ Bala Rat Level 9 ] [ Bala Rat Level 7 ] [ Bala Rat Level 10 ] [ Bala Rat Level 12 ] [ Chief Bala Rat Level 15 ] A grin spread across Nathan''s face at the information provided by the system. This was exactly what he''d been looking for, an easy chance to level up. Well, the first rat he''d killed had probably been on par with the weakest of the bunch, but even the strongest rat he''d be able to handle if he could quickly take out the smaller fry and handle only that rat with his full attention. A level-up right about now would be helpful. Nathan charged at the rats, the chittering getting higher in pitch as they rushed to meet his charge. He made sure to avoid the apparent leader at level fifteen, instead going for the others at the lower levels. They stood no chance.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The level seven''s couldn''t even leave a scratch on him, his constitution too high for their claws or teeth to leave a dent in. Within two quick strikes, Nathan took them out of the equation, a little more hurriedly than he would have liked, as something was gnawing on his feet, already having torn through his sneakers. Fucking rat. It was a level nine rat that was trying to bite his legs off. The other rats joined in on the attack as one other rat went for his second leg. His already bloodied and worn-out sneakers, which had served him for over three months and had almost made it through five days of a literal apocalypse without falling apart, were now in tatters. "Rarggggh!!" With a roar of vengeance, Nathan swung at the nearest rat with unbridled fury. How dare they pick apart his sneakers! The sword went about a quarter way through the side of the rat''s side before losing momentum, but Nathan wasn''t going to be deterred by such an inconsequential detail. He pulled out his sword and thrust downwards at the exposed neck of the oversized rat, his sword going through the other side and killing the damned rat that was still trying to tear through his feet in its dying gurgle. The rat had managed to achieve minor levels of success on that front before it was no more. Three down, four to go. Four to go? Nathan looked around to see the level ten and the remaining level nine rats trying to take him down, while the level twelve rat stared at him with its beady eyes. But that wasn''t what worried him. Where was the chief rat? Where was the damned thing hiding? "Oompff" [Warning Health below 75%] The breath had been knocked out of Nathan''s lungs, falling face-flat on the ground with the rats that had been going at his feet managing to scuttle away before his fall. Nathan pushed off from the floor in record time. The chief actively participating in the battle while its underlings were still alive was something Nathan hadn''t expected. Shit. He''d finally paid attention to the system notification informing him of his health lost after the clash with the chief rat. It''d taken a quarter of his health pool out with a single attack. He''d have to figure out something when it came to all the high-level monsters that just barrelled into him whenever they felt like it. Right now, Nathan charged at the rat that had so far stayed away from the fight. He ignored the other rats as his sword flashed upwards, beginning its arc as he swung for the level twelve rat. He''d rather fight the chief rat with the level nine and ten rats as its support rather than the level twelve. Predictably, Nathan''s sword bounced off the fur of the level twelve rat, not even leaving much of a mark. But he was already on the move, delivering a punch straight at the skull of what was probably a rat with a smug expression on its face. Crack! [Life steal triggered] Nathan''s fist had caused the rat''s face to ripple. The force behind the punch broke something in the rat''s face, and he hoped that it was its skull. Before he could confirm, though, he was hit from the side, tossing him away from the level twelve rat. Thud! [Warning Health below 50%] His body hit a tree with a sickening thud. His right side exploded with agony. Nathan grunted as he raised his head, staring at the chief rat that was beside the level twelve rat. Its snout sniffed around the rat that still hadn''t stood up from Nathan''s punch. A grim smile cut across his face. The level twelve rat wasn''t dead, but it was certainly out of the fight. Four down, three to go. Gritting his teeth, Nathan grasped for his sword that had fallen from his hands, getting on his feet when he had the hilt in his right hand. A grimace on his face as the pain intensified as he took a step. Something was busted on his right side. Come on! He waved his sword at the two other rats in the pack. He needed them dead to get himself to the next level. Else the chief rat had good odds of killing him, blood rebellion or no blood rebellion. His goading seemed to work as the pair charged at him. The chief rat, preoccupied with checking up on its second. Nathan was relieved at the charge. He couldn''t do one of his own as it pretty much hurt like crazy to just breathe, so he stood and waited for the rats to get within range. His sword arced as soon as the first of the rats got close enough. His blade caught the first rat through the neck, cleanly cleaving through the damned thing even as his injury flared up with the movement, making him grit his teeth to prevent himself from screaming. The pain muddled his abilities so much that Nathan couldn''t reset his stance before the second rat barrelled into him. Pain exploded in his right side as the rat made contact with the area. And even though its force wouldn''t have been enough to throw Nathan off his feet, it still did as he had to avoid aggravating the injury. With desperation, Nathan launched a wild haymaker. His fist connected with the rat, going through its head like it was a balloon. The rat''s body dropped to his lap even as euphoria passed through Nathan. His ragged breath stabilized as the level-up healing took care of his injured side, his wrist, and his leg. He would have fallen on the ground and rested, but he had a chief rat that seemed it was done checking up on its second. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 13 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Demon Slayer, Bronze-Dungeoneer. Strength: 17 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 10 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 7,940 Free points: 4 He''d struggled against the last two level fourteen monsters he''d come across. Both monsters had ripped into his flesh like it was nothing, with the wolf barrelling into him like a ram and tearing out massive amounts of his health with each hit, just like the level fifteen rat had been doing with ease. Nathan had so far been fortunate to avoid being bitten by the chief rat so far. He had no doubts that it''d do far more damage with its teeth than the bunny had done with its canine. He needed to improve his constitution as fast as possible. Strength was nice, but what was the point of having overwhelming strength when each attack he took tossed him aside like a rag doll? Constitution it is. Three points to constitution, One point to strength. Constitution: 14 Strength: 18 ## Free points: 0 Nathan jumped to his feet as he faced the chief rat. The rat seemed pissed enough as it charged at him. With his sword poised at his side, Nathan stood as he braced for the charge. Dumm! The rat''s forehead met Nathan''s torso and bounced off him, rather than tossing him like the previous time it barrelled into him. Nathan barely moved, his feet sliding a little bit backward. The chief rat shook its head in confusion before trying to close the small distance between them, its jaws opening up as it went for a bite. Nathan''s sword flashed upwards, going for its exposed mouth as he sought to pierce through it, only to be slapped away by a paw. The rat put distance between them as it carefully considered him and the change in situation. Glancing behind Nathan, it let out a fearful chitter and bared its teeth in his direction before turning and running back into the forest. "Yeah, better run, you coward." Well, that was close. 1 - 28. The Discovery (III) It really had been. He wasn''t so sure who''d have won out between him and the chief rat if it''d stayed to see the fight through. High defense against a high attack. It could''ve gone either way, but Nathan felt like he would''ve found a way to kill the chief rat anyway. Level 13. Nathan turned as a smile lit his face. Slowly but surely, he was climbing up the metaphorical ladder, and a little part of him wondered what he''d see at the top. Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled, letting his idle thoughts leave with the exhaled breath. With his self-assigned quest for the day done, Nathan had two choices: return to Blood Rock or do some more exploring. He decided on the latter. Glancing at his shredded sneakers with a sigh, he took off the darned thing. At this point, it had paid its dues and definitely wouldn''t be useful anymore. Shore. It seemed like it''d be a good place to go, at least that was where he''d got his first meal from before letting it burn to ashes in the clearing. The damned incident had not been one of Nathan''s greatest moments, but maybe today he''d get a chance to get another bird or a fish. Fish sounded good, especially since he was stuck on an island with bodies of water surrounding him. He was pretty sure that he''d be able to catch a couple. With a direction in mind, he started walking, making sure to keep an eye on his surroundings. An act he''d seemingly started to get better at with each passing day. More because of his situation than choice, but if the unofficial skill saved him, then he wouldn''t complain that much. The walk to the shore was pretty much uneventful, that was until Nathan began seeing dried corpses¡ªcorpses of different animals that had turned to husks. Like the liquid content of their bodies had been sucked out of them. It wasn''t his first time seeing this, though. The Imps had exhibited the same type of degradation as these corpses, turning into husks after a couple of hours. Probably the system''s way of making the place habitable for other creatures. Nathan said that because the corpses themselves didn''t smell. No doubt they probably had hours ago, but now they were just husks. There were six corpses littered around the area where Nathan stood, each the size of a bull. The creatures were so far degraded that he couldn''t tell what they were. Heck, he wasn''t sure he would''ve been able to identify them if they were still fresh. The six corpses probably belonged to creatures that weren''t even from Earth. Using his sword, Nathan prodded at the closest corpse. The minimal contact with the corpse caused the skin around the area to flake off, indicating the level of desiccation the creatures had undergone. Huh, I''ll have to be more careful then. "I wonder what did these," Nathan muttered, crouching to get a better look at the closest corpse. It had a couple of cuts around it, but the killing blow was probably the one that had left a prism-like hole in the creature''s chest, making him wonder what weapon exactly had made the wound. From the shape, there were limited options, and the only one Nathan could think of on the spot was that it was probably a spear that had done that. He stood up and glanced at the other five corpses scattered around him. Sure enough, two more corpses sported prism-like wounds, while the remaining three seemed to have died from contact with a blunt and hefty weapon. That has to be a hammer or mallet at the very least. The sight of the last three corpses caused Nathan to grimace. It wasn''t a pretty sight in the slightest. Where the former three sported multiple slashes with the eventually killing blow, these ones looked like their skulls and different parts of their bodies were caved in. Not all had their skulls caved in¡ªone seemed to have avoided that fate. Its back had been on the receiving end of a similar attack, though. Even with their bodies becoming husks, the damage the wielder of whatever blunt weapon that was had done was a sight to behold. The single creature that had managed to avoid being killed on the spot had probably died slowly with the impact that seemed to have broken its spine. Uggh. "...arion, that cheeky bastard." Nathan almost cursed at the voices. Taking his time to find an appropriate hiding place, he rushed towards the closest he saw, a small underbush that wouldn''t fully cover him but at the very least it''d be better than nothing. "I''m telling you, Talas, the bastard has us patrolling the grounds in hopes that some random monster on a baby world is going to kill us." Nathan carefully peeked at who''d spoken from the underbush. The thing was green with wrinkled leathery-like skin. Kinda like the Grinch if you ask him, but shorter and bulkier with a way uglier face. It wasn''t alone, though. A second followed him, and it looked quite human, even if it was just a bit shorter, with a comical hammer that looked like it weighed more than the bearded shorty wielding it.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. No way. "Bahhh, that sleazy bastard can try, but it ain''t goin'' to amount to nothing," the shorty with the Warhammer rather seemed to say through his beard that hid his lips. Curious and curiouser, Nathan analyzed the one who''d just spoken. [ Dwarf Level: 15 ] Shit but Cooollll. He couldn''t believe that he was face to face¡ªwell, in the presence¡ªof one of the most popular mythical creatures. He was a little confused, though. Weren''t dwarves supposed to be like blacksmiths? What was this one doing out? Irrelevant. Bringing back his mind to the present, Nathan analyzed the second creature. The one with the green leathery skin and pointed ears. [ Gremlin Level: 17] Nathan''s eyes widened at the level of the gremlin. Level 17? It made absolutely no sense how a monster this strong was being sent out to do patrols. If it was out here doing patrols, then what was the level of the chief or commander of these guys? "So you say, Talas, but wild cards alw¡ª" the gremlin paused mid-speech before pointing his weapon at one of the corpses. "I think something messed with that corpse. It''s got broken skin." Nathan winced at the observation. The pair was already close to his hiding spot, a little farther from the corpses he''d inspected. Finally getting a good look at the gremlin''s weapon, he was able to identify it now. It was a pickaxe, the kind miners used in, well, mining. "So, it''s probably just the system doing its thing with the bodies," Talas grunted, the dwarf disinterested in the matter. "Then why don''t the other corpses have skin falling off them?" "Look here, yer little shit, I''m already tired of this damned patrolling. I could have been in there mining and getting myself some Tora for free, but I''m out here playing guard in a fucking forest," the dwarf said, his pitch rising with every sentence. "Let''s just go back to camp. Our shift is almost over anyway." If Nathan hadn''t analyzed the pair earlier, he would''ve assumed that the dwarf was the stronger of the two. And while that could certainly be the case going by the levels, the gremlin was two up. "And whose fault is it that we aren''t allowed in on mining Tora right about now, huh? Who got caught trying to smuggle Tora into his private stash, and who also ratted me out when he didn''t have to?" The gremlin growled with a pointed glare at the dwarf, who had his hands up in mock surrender. "I''ve already apologized for that. Ratting you and the two other dumb dumbs that trusted me to keep a secret like that is the only reason I''m working patrol and not six feet under by now." The gremlin continued to glare at the dwarf for a moment before letting out a sigh and turning away from Nathan''s direction, walking away as he muttered. "Shittiest apology I''ve ever heard." The dwarf let out a triumphant smile at the back of the gremlin before carefully scanning the area, his eyes stopping at where Nathan hid. "You coming, rat?" The gremlin called out, already putting distance between the pair as it kept on walking. "Yes, yer lout!" The dwarf uttered, still staring in Nathan''s direction before turning and hurrying to meet the gremlin, muttering something under his breath. Well, that was close. Nathan let out a silent sigh of relief at the retreating forms of the pair. It''d been a close one, but luck had been on his side. He wanted to mull over the information he''d just heard, but it definitely wasn''t much to go by, and he was more distracted by the fact that he''d finally seen creatures that could speak properly. He just had to figure out if they were friends or foes, and the chance to do that was currently slipping away from him. Blood Rock would have to wait for the time being. Nathan got up on his feet and began creeping up behind the pair, making sure to keep enough distance between him and them in case they spotted him. The hope was that even if they did manage to spot him, he''d be able to outrun the pair, considering they were both short with stocky legs built for holding ground rather than running. The pair talked as they continued to walk, and he managed to catch a few words like ''sarion'', ''Tora'', and something that sounded suspiciously like ''ale'', but Nathan couldn''t be too sure. As he continued to follow them, Nathan started to think about the things the pair had been talking about. Apparently, they were part of a mining crew that had been mining something called Tora. Nathan had no idea if they''d been mining it on the current island or if they''d been mining on their home world before they were caught stealing and were sent out to patrol the area. With each layer he tried to piece together, the more the little he''d heard started to make sense to him. The fact that the pair were currently out on punishment meant that the normal patrols probably wouldn''t be as high-leveled as the pair, which relieved Nathan a bit. He''d loathe to have to fight more creatures like this. As it was, Nathan was struggling with fighting bunnies and rats. How would he fare against creatures that could actually think? He had a very hard time believing that even the alpha or master Imps, as smart as they were, could measure up to the cleverness behind the eyes of the pair. Definitely a step up. It was, it really was. If the rest at wherever the creatures were staying were as high-leveled as the pair, Nathan might as well jump off a cliff. With a snort, he dislodged the thought. His seemingly minuscule action seemed to cause the pair to stop, with the gremlin looking back at where Nathan previously stood. The Berserker had wisely decided to hide as soon as the pair paused in their tracks. The gremlin scanned the surrounding area before muttering something to the dwarf, who just shrugged. Nathan had to stop himself from letting out a sigh of relief when the pair continued their walk probably deciding not to pursue the source of the sound. With two close calls, he didn''t need a scholar to tell him that if he messed up again, he''d probably be caught. The third time''s a charm and all that. Getting up from his hiding spot, he began to follow the pair, making sure to add distance between them. When Nathan raised his eyes to glance ahead of where the pair were walking, he stifled a gasp. There seemed to be an entire civilization there, with gremlins and dwarves alike seeming to be moving in and out of a cave. Miners! [ Incursionist Camp discovered. New quest are available.
  1. Destroy Incursionist portal (0/1)
Portal? 1 - 29. Home. Nathan was fixated on the single word, "Portal." It didn''t seem that important, but at the moment it bounced around in his brain. Portal The damned apocalypse was shipping creatures to Earth with portals, which, if Nathan was being honest, seemed like something straight out of a fantasy book. Grudgingly accepting his new reality, he did a once-over on the system notification. Incursionist Camp discovered. New quest is available.
  1. Destroy Incursionist portal (0/1)
The quest the system had assigned him had Nathan feeling a little suspicious, there was no way he was going to walk into the camp and tell whoever was in charge that he wanted to destroy their portal and they''d let him, which meant blood was probably going to be shed. However, taking away the influence of the system, these guys were certainly a threat to Blood Rock. A disaster just waiting to happen¡ªthis many creatures on an island with only him as the single opposition didn''t sound good to Nathan. They already had patrols up and running. How long would it take them to decide to start expanding their operations? More importantly, how long before they''d come for Blood Rock and then him? With a grim smile, Nathan realized what the system was trying to protect him from. As a basic rule, he had to have it on the back of his mind that anything not human was probably going to be hostile. Heck, even fellow humans were going to be hostile too, but Nathan could try to reason with them rather than creatures who''d seen Earth as a harvest ground. Nathan dismissed the notification and focused on the Incursionists as best as he could. The way they''d set up in the open with temporary shelters made Nathan suspect that they hadn''t been on the island for more than a couple of days, two at most. That meant that they probably hadn''t really hit the ground running. He stared at gremlins and dwarves alike leaving and entering the caves, some with wooden crates filled with something Nathan couldn''t identify from this far out and others carrying pickaxes, presumably to mine whatever was in that cave. Suspicious. It really was, but he couldn''t dwell on the feeling. He had a quest, and even with all the logic in the world telling him that he should handle the threat as soon as possible, Nathan''s morals were winning the battle of his next course of action. Unless any of them attack me, I''ll let them be. There wasn''t any need to go all murderhobo on creatures that were clearly sentient. If they stayed away from him, he''d stay away from them. The island was big enough for both parties to thrive. After all, if he went down this path of senseless killings at a system prompt, what exactly did that make him? With his mind made up, Nathan took a good look at the camp, making sure to memorize any detail that would help him if push came to shove. He looked up and tried to form a rough longitude and latitude in his head using the little part of the summit of the mountain he could see peeking out from the high trees. Bingo! Very carefully and slowly, Nathan started backing away from the camp. He''d gotten all the information he needed at this point, and from what he could see, he couldn''t complete half of those quests at the level he was at right now. They far outnumbered him, and their individual quality was probably going to be on par with his. When he felt like he''d put enough distance between him and the camp, he ran. Heading for Blood Rock, his navigation skills getting better and better with each exploring session. Soon enough, Nathan was at the Western gate of Blood Rock, the sky already having hints of purple splotches. With a sigh of relief, Nathan went through the gate, making a beeline for the only building in the stronghold¡ªthe cabin. A simple sigh wasn''t enough to showcase his relief at the outcome of his exploration today. He''d managed to get away unseen and without any fights, which was kind of a first for him. A step in the right direction, and definitely something that he was grateful for. A level seventeen gremlin and a level fifteen dwarf¡ªhe''d have struggled against those two alone. They were just miners, not even the real guards. Their levels were probably so low in the commander''s eyes that he''d sent them on patrols hoping that they''d be killed by creatures of the Forest. Shaking his head at the cunningness of the commander¡ªwhoever they were¡ªhe sat back against a wall, resting his body from all the running he''d just done. Taking out his bag of holding, he took out a fruit and plopped it into his mouth. He munched on the fruit as his mind began to whir, different thoughts and strategies already bouncing around in his skull. Yes, Nathan had said he wasn''t going to stay out of their way, but it didn''t mean that he was naive enough to assume that they''d stay out of his.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He needed to be strong enough that they''d be too discouraged to even try attacking him. Like he''d been when he''d been attacked by the bunny. Nathan let out a chuckle at the thought, almost choking as a piece of fruit went in the wrong direction. One for the history books. It certainly was, but Nathan had way more important things to think about, like figuring out exactly how he was going to level up and level up fast. The quickest way was a dungeon, but while it was fast, it certainly had high risk attached to it as he couldn''t even try to escape before fulfilling clearance requirements. Freestyling in the forest had turned out to be a hassle on its own, with random monsters that were higher-leveled than him starting to pop up. The system was already gearing up for the end of the tutorial, releasing creature after creature into their world to wreak havoc¡ªand mine. If you counted the bunny''s actions too, you could add bullying to the list. Taking out a second fruit, he bit into it absentmindedly, juices flowing down his chin. After heading out into the forest with hopes of free-balling it and getting some actual food, he was left with the opinion that dungeons were way safer than the free forest. Dungeons were still dangerous, yes, but it was the kind of danger that Nathan could work with. The system would provide him with some kind of information before he would step in, allowing him the luxury of deciding if he wanted to go in or not. The opportunity to pick his battles was an advantage he''d lose out on if he decided on free-balling it in the forest instead. Decision made, Nathan got up on his feet and, for the first time since getting into the cabin, decided to take his bath. He had zero idea about where the water in the cabin''s bathroom came from, but he wasn''t really interested in finding out. He undressed and got into the shower, the cool water washing away all the grime, blood, and dirt that coated his body. When Nathan stepped out, he felt fresh and relieved, his skin neat and his body probably smelling nice. He wore his pants and was about to go to sleep in the bare bedroom before he realized that he''d been forgetting something. My dungeon rewards. He had been too busy running away from the collapsing dungeon at that time to really pay attention to what he''d been given. Instead, he''d chucked them into the bag of holding, running for his dear life. Changing directions, he made his way to the receiving room¡ªor what he was probably going to turn into his living room at some point¡ªand sat down cross-legged, pulling out the three items. He placed them before him and analyzed them for a second time. Stat Crystal (Grade: Minor (+1 free point)) Stat Crystals appear randomly in reward chests across all dungeons. They are an alternative source of free points. Health Potions (Minor) Health potions help to regain lost health. The lowest tier is the minor grade, which grants +25% health per vial consumed. Flask Store item for later use. The flask''s description was the funniest amongst the trio. It was also the easiest to piece together, though. Picking up the stat crystal, he stared at it. The information given about the crystal was also straightforward. It was a really lucky find, and Nathan wouldn''t take it for granted. Right now, he just needed to find a way to utilize it, so he stared at the information on the crystal, hoping to find some clue on how to use it. But he didn''t see anything. That didn''t mean he was going to give up, though. The system seemed to have a very easy-to-use interface or something like that anyway. Nathan decided to try using the stat crystal like he used his free points. Only this time, he envisioned moving the point in the stat crystal to his free point stat. Free point: 1 A triumphant grin spread across Nathan''s face at the notification informing him that he''d successfully transferred the free point. He glanced at the stat crystal, which had already started to glow. Nathan considered chucking it out the window before it dissolved into motes of light. Poof! Nathan stared at his palm in childlike awe. He wondered if he''d ever get used to things like that. With a half-shrug, he focused on the health potion. The 25% refill seemed valuable, as he could imagine a couple of scenarios where it could come in handy. Blood Rebellion was a nice skill to have, but it put him closer to death''s door than he''d rather be. He chucked the potion into his bag of holding before moving on to the last item before him¡ªthe water flask or just the flask, as the system said. What to do with you? Even as the question popped up in his head, Nathan already knew the answer. Regardless of what the system claimed it was, it wasn''t more than a water flask, and he''d treat it as such until such a time that he could use it for something else. The first order of business with the flask would be quite easy to solve. Getting on his feet, he made his way to the bathroom, turning on the faucet and filling up the flask. While some would argue that it was unsanitary, Nathan couldn''t care less. He was lucky enough to get fresh water instead of the salt water he''d had to drink at the shore. He wondered how people without strongholds would survive if they were in a similar situation. Thankfully, he''d not have to find out as he currently owned one¡ªBlood Rock. The name brought a smile to his face even as he turned off the faucet, closed the flask, and put it in his bag of holding. He''d gone from leasing a rundown apartment downtown to having his own little cabin. Sure, it was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by creatures he couldn''t identify, and had been delivered to him by a system that had brought a literal apocalypse to Earth, but yet Nathan didn''t care much. He''d develop this place as best as he could. It''d be his home. Home was a word that Nathan hadn''t used in a long time, but he''d finally found a place worth the label and he''d do everything in his power to protect the place, morals be damned. With the task with the flask done, Nathan headed to the bedroom, lying on the floor as he watched the sky from the bedroom window. Clear purple sky. He knew it was an alien sight, but still, it was beautiful, even without a moon. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? 1 - 30. Fear Factor. Time until the tutorial ends? Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 1 [18:43:27] Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 1 [18:43:27] Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 1 [18:43:27] Strongholds: 5 Huh. The tutorial was set to finish in roughly two days, which meant the rest of humanity would be thrust into this new world. Nathan hoped for their sake that they were better prepared than he was because the world was way worse than when he''d started. The monsters that now roamed the forest would have finished him on the first day in one strike. Heck, a half-strike would have done the job. Another way to think about it was the fact that maybe the system had transported him to a more monster-concentrated area¡ªa suspicion which Nathan immediately dismissed, a snort of derision leaving him even as he trudged through the forest. His eyes roved the notification as he searched for the next interesting item¡ªstrongholds. Apparently, another one had been created since when last he checked, which was pretty nice if you asked him. Humans had started to fight back, claiming territory for themselves. Dismissing the screen, he focused more on his direction. The path was already sloping upwards as he made his way to the summit of the mountain. The reason behind that was that he''d decided to scout the remaining dungeons closest to the summit, find out their location, and see if he could maybe benefit from a couple. The most important part of this exercise was getting the information on hand. He needed to know the ranks of the dungeons and then decide which ones he''d attempt. The gremlin and dwarf company had shaken him a little bit. Now, more than ever, Nathan needed to grow stronger, and he needed to do it fast too. With the looming threat hanging over him, he''d obviously picked his quickest route to power: dungeons. As his feet hit the peak of the mountain, Nathan felt at ease. The wind all over him was like an old friend, blowing whichever way it wanted. The feeling brought a smile to Nathan''s face. The wind had always signified freedom for him. It was always moving, never staying in one place, restless like him. Unlike him, it did whatever it wanted whenever it wanted, while he stood at a corner and flipped signs. Ughhh, now I''m getting philosophical. The boredom that came with isolation was starting to bug him a little. It wasn''t like he needed human company, but sometimes it was nice to eavesdrop on conversations and spot other people surrounding you. His current situation was both a blessing and a curse. Shaking his head, he got back to the matter at hand. A couple of rock protrusions told him the where. What Nathan needed to know now were their ranks. Descending off the mountain at a record pace, he began his investigation. He counted six dungeons close to the summit. The dungeons ranged from rank F to rank D, with D being the highest. Five out of six dungeons had the generic "kill the boss to complete the dungeon" notification. The odd one was the rank D dungeon which required him to kill two bosses. As soon as Nathan saw the plural form, he peacefully stepped back to avoid accidentally activating the dungeon. No thanks. He still loved his life right about now. The investigation had pretty much cleared up one of Nathan''s earlier suspicions: dungeons were meant to be handled by groups or parties. A high-level person could solo it, but to him, it looked a little less safe. Strength in numbers and all. After all, it wasn''t like the dungeons got easier with each higher rank. A simple survey around the area revealed that monsters were practically non-existent around surrounding dungeons. A fact that Nathan filed away for later. While he couldn''t tell why forest monsters avoided dungeons like the plague, he was pretty sure that such information would come in handy. Alrighty. With his investigation done, Nathan was currently standing at the entrance of a dungeon. An F-ranked dungeon to be precise. He had to hold his lips with his fingers to avoid jinxing himself before the battle would even start. Holding his lips didn''t stop him from thinking about it, though. Easy peasy. A grin covered Nathan''s face as he took a step into the dungeon, not stopping to read the already familiar notification once he crossed the threshold. He paused to read the next one when he was fully in the dungeon. Welcome Challenger. The Nagas'' lair awaits. The dungeon is locked and will remain locked until you fulfill the clearance requirement. Clearance requirement: Kill the Naga Queen. Uggh. Nathan dismissed the interface with a thought. Nagas were probably the snake women, half woman, half snake. The thought of it made him want to puke. Hell, the thought of snakes made him squirm, his skin crawling with the mental image. That was one animal that Nathan couldn''t even consider spending a day in a locked room with. Sure, lions and hippos could kill easily, but snakes on the other hand just outright freaked him out. And it seemed like he''d just stepped into a lair belonging to a bunch of them. Time to conquer my fears. Nathan gulped audibly at his reality before calmly looking around the dungeon. Unlike the shadow wolves'' den, which seemed to be a cavern underneath the dungeon, the Nagas'' lair gave Nathan the impression he''d been transported into another realm. For one, there was a free open sky with the familiar yellow light streaming into the creepy-ass-looking temple that was the dungeon. Sunlight. It felt like it too. He could feel the warmth in the air. He''d thought he''d never see the familiar sight again. Who''d have known he just had to step into the nearest dungeon to get the normal experience? Hiss Hiss Hiss Hiss Ughhh. A shiver crept up Nathan''s spine at the sounds. Turning around to face the direction of the sound, he wasn''t disappointed to see that there were seven snake-looking ladies with one obviously bigger than the rest by far¡ªNagas. Not wanting to waste time, he quickly analyzed the seven. [ Naga Level 10] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Level 10] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Queen Level 14] Easy peasy. The rats he''d met out in the forest would have been more trouble than these... things. Since Nathan was pretty much on a time crunch at the moment, he charged. With his sword at his side, he hoped to get this fight over within moments. He had more important things to do today. Hiss Hiss Thwack! Zzzzzsss! Two of the snake ladies shot a vile-looking green liquid from their fangs. Nathan had to throw himself at the last second to avoid the attack, whatever it was. It turned out that listening to his gut feeling that had told him to dive was one of the smartest decisions. The cobblestones he''d been running on moments before were dissolving before his very eyes. Wherever the liquid touched, it ate into it like acid. Shit, they have acidic venom. Nathan couldn''t be doing this right now. This was supposed to be an easy in and out. Why the hell would snakes need acidic venom? Wasn''t venom already bad enough? Hiss Hiss Hiss The snakes hissed at him, all displeased that he''d dodged the attack. But it was all seven that charged at him. With what Nathan had seen a couple of seconds ago, he quickly scrambled to his feet and began putting as much distance between himself and them as possible. He needed to re-strategize. He nee¡ª Thwuck! Thwuck! Thwuck! Thwuck! Nathan watched as the vile green acidic venom from four Nagas landed a few feet in front of him. While the sight of the acid eating up the stone was a little concerning, he was more focused on the fact that he''d gotten the first crucial information of the battle. The Nagas couldn''t shoot venom past seven meters, at least the ones he''d seen. The Queen Naga hadn''t participated in the attacks, so Nathan didn''t know her range. He''d probably put it at around ten meters, but he''d stay a minimum of twelve away from them just to be safe. It made his skin crawl watching the Nagas slither towards him with their lower snake body. The upper half itself wasn''t anything to look at. He almost puked at the sight of green scales that covered their entire body. Ughh. He rapidly increased the distance between him and them. No way was he going to get up close and personal with those things. Yes, his constitution might be able to handle the acid, but Nathan didn''t really want to use his skin to experiment right about now. Hot water left bruises and red marks on his skin. He wondered what acid would do. Improved constitution or not, he kept backing away till he hit a wall. Shit. Nathan had successfully backed himself into a corner. The Nagas had forced him backward almost back into the entrance of the dungeon. Meaning his only option was going for swift kills right now or to change trajectory and keep backing up until he hits the dungeon barrier. The Nagas were probably not going to make it easy for him as they were already spreading out, making sure he knew what his only options were. Either through them or be pushed to the wall till he''d be taken care of, permanently. It was a no-brainer for Nathan. He had to stand and fight. He just needed to know which angle to go from. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 13Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Demon Slayer, Bronze-Dungeoneer. Strength: 18 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 13 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 5,240 Free points: 1 It seems like it''s time for that dexterity boost. One point to dexterity. Dexterity: 11 ## Free points: 0 Nathan knew it wasn''t much in terms of stat increase, but it was all he had and it''d have to do until he leveled up. The monsters here would at the very least push him to the next level. With a thought, he closed the screen, his focus returning to the advancing Nagas. Here goes nothing. Nathan picked out the target at the extreme right, dashing as the Nagas spat out more venom at him. His improved dexterity helped him evade most of the acid, but a few droplets got on his skin, eating through it slowly. He didn''t pause or slow down. Instead, Nathan gritted his teeth and willed himself to go faster. A little pain now and victory later. Shriek! The first Naga let out a shrill shriek as Nathan''s sword divided her into equal parts woman and snake. The Berserker was already moving on before the two halves hit the floor. Nathan accepted the venom with reluctance. It hurt like crazy, but he wasn''t going to escape this battle without acid touching him. Maybe he''d have had a chance if he could execute ranged attacks, but he couldn''t at the moment. That wouldn''t stop him from making it work with what he did have¡ªa freaking sword. The closest Naga tried to execute multiple actions at once, hissing, spitting venom at him, and dodging Nathan''s attack. Ultimately, it could only execute the first before its head rolled to the floor, its acid venom unable to launch itself. Nathan kept an eye on the Queen Naga even as he began decimating the rest of its kin. He might have been going as fast as he could, but that didn''t stop multiple attacks from landing on his skin. He could feel the acid eating into his body but held on to the faith that he''d be able to completely heal soon enough. [Warning health below 75%] The Queen Naga seemed to have distanced itself from Nathan''s wild attacks. His entire being thrummed with conviction as he downed the fifth Naga with a swift thrust at where the heart presumably was. He made sure to swipe up his sword, tearing through muscle and breaking through the Naga''s collarbone as he ripped it free from the Naga. A wave of euphoria went through him even as he slashed at the sixth Naga, his sword diagonally dividing it as his wounds healed up. Nathan stared up, panting heavily. His entire visage at that point was the accurate poster for what a Berserker was supposed to look like. Blood covered him from head to toe. With his blood still boiling, the thrill of the battle fueling him, Nathan charged at the Queen Naga, who was chanting something incoherently. But that didn''t deter him. That thing had to die. Queen Naga has cast Dead Weight (I). Dead Weight (I): This is an area of effect spell. All entities within 30 meters of the spell will suffer a five percent debuff on their dexterity. Those with higher Dexterity than the Queen will be unaffected. Duration: 3 minutes. Timer: 2:59 Here we go again. Time until the tutorial ends? Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 1 [18:43:27] Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 1 [18:43:27] Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 1 [18:43:27] Strongholds: 5 Huh. The tutorial was set to finish in roughly two days, which meant the rest of humanity would be thrust into this new world. Nathan hoped for their sake that they were better prepared than he was because the world was way worse than when he''d started. The monsters that now roamed the forest would have finished him on the first day in one strike. Heck, a half-strike would have done the job. Another way to think about it was the fact that maybe the system had transported him to a more monster-concentrated area¡ªa suspicion which Nathan immediately dismissed, a snort of derision leaving him even as he trudged through the forest. His eyes roved the notification as he searched for the next interesting item¡ªstrongholds. Apparently, another one had been created since when last he checked, which was pretty nice if you asked him. Humans had started to fight back, claiming territory for themselves. Dismissing the screen, he focused more on his direction. The path was already sloping upwards as he made his way to the summit of the mountain. The reason behind that was that he''d decided to scout the remaining dungeons closest to the summit, find out their location, and see if he could maybe benefit from a couple. The most important part of this exercise was getting the information on hand. He needed to know the ranks of the dungeons and then decide which ones he''d attempt. The gremlin and dwarf company had shaken him a little bit. Now, more than ever, Nathan needed to grow stronger, and he needed to do it fast too. With the looming threat hanging over him, he''d obviously picked his quickest route to power: dungeons. As his feet hit the peak of the mountain, Nathan felt at ease. The wind all over him was like an old friend, blowing whichever way it wanted. The feeling brought a smile to Nathan''s face. The wind had always signified freedom for him. It was always moving, never staying in one place, restless like him. Unlike him, it did whatever it wanted whenever it wanted, while he stood at a corner and flipped signs. Ughhh, now I''m getting philosophical. The boredom that came with isolation was starting to bug him a little. It wasn''t like he needed human company, but sometimes it was nice to eavesdrop on conversations and spot other people surrounding you. His current situation was both a blessing and a curse. Shaking his head, he got back to the matter at hand. A couple of rock protrusions told him the where. What Nathan needed to know now were their ranks. Descending off the mountain at a record pace, he began his investigation. He counted six dungeons close to the summit. The dungeons ranged from rank F to rank D, with D being the highest. Five out of six dungeons had the generic "kill the boss to complete the dungeon" notification. The odd one was the rank D dungeon which required him to kill two bosses. As soon as Nathan saw the plural form, he peacefully stepped back to avoid accidentally activating the dungeon. No thanks. He still loved his life right about now. The investigation had pretty much cleared up one of Nathan''s earlier suspicions: dungeons were meant to be handled by groups or parties. A high-level person could solo it, but to him, it looked a little less safe. Strength in numbers and all. After all, it wasn''t like the dungeons got easier with each higher rank. A simple survey around the area revealed that monsters were practically non-existent around surrounding dungeons. A fact that Nathan filed away for later. While he couldn''t tell why forest monsters avoided dungeons like the plague, he was pretty sure that such information would come in handy. Alrighty. With his investigation done, Nathan was currently standing at the entrance of a dungeon. An F-ranked dungeon to be precise. He had to hold his lips with his fingers to avoid jinxing himself before the battle would even start. Holding his lips didn''t stop him from thinking about it, though. Easy peasy. A grin covered Nathan''s face as he took a step into the dungeon, not stopping to read the already familiar notification once he crossed the threshold. He paused to read the next one when he was fully in the dungeon. Welcome Challenger. The Nagas'' lair awaits. The dungeon is locked and will remain locked until you fulfill the clearance requirement. Clearance requirement: Kill the Naga Queen. Uggh. Nathan dismissed the interface with a thought. Nagas were probably the snake women, half woman, half snake. The thought of it made him want to puke. Hell, the thought of snakes made him squirm, his skin crawling with the mental image. That was one animal that Nathan couldn''t even consider spending a day in a locked room with. Sure, lions and hippos could kill easily, but snakes on the other hand just outright freaked him out. And it seemed like he''d just stepped into a lair belonging to a bunch of them. Time to conquer my fears. Nathan gulped audibly at his reality before calmly looking around the dungeon. Unlike the shadow wolves'' den, which seemed to be a cavern underneath the dungeon, the Nagas'' lair gave Nathan the impression he''d been transported into another realm. For one, there was a free open sky with the familiar yellow light streaming into the creepy-ass-looking temple that was the dungeon. Sunlight. It felt like it too. He could feel the warmth in the air. He''d thought he''d never see the familiar sight again. Who''d have known he just had to step into the nearest dungeon to get the normal experience? Hiss Hiss Hiss Hiss Ughhh. A shiver crept up Nathan''s spine at the sounds. Turning around to face the direction of the sound, he wasn''t disappointed to see that there were seven snake-looking ladies with one obviously bigger than the rest by far¡ªNagas. Not wanting to waste time, he quickly analyzed the seven. [ Naga Level 10] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Level 10] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Level 11] [ Naga Queen Level 14] Easy peasy. The rats he''d met out in the forest would have been more trouble than these... things. Since Nathan was pretty much on a time crunch at the moment, he charged. With his sword at his side, he hoped to get this fight over within moments. He had more important things to do today. Hiss Hiss Thwack! Zzzzzsss! Two of the snake ladies shot a vile-looking green liquid from their fangs. Nathan had to throw himself at the last second to avoid the attack, whatever it was. It turned out that listening to his gut feeling that had told him to dive was one of the smartest decisions. The cobblestones he''d been running on moments before were dissolving before his very eyes. Wherever the liquid touched, it ate into it like acid. Shit, they have acidic venom. Nathan couldn''t be doing this right now. This was supposed to be an easy in and out. Why the hell would snakes need acidic venom? Wasn''t venom already bad enough? Hiss Hiss Hiss The snakes hissed at him, all displeased that he''d dodged the attack. But it was all seven that charged at him. With what Nathan had seen a couple of seconds ago, he quickly scrambled to his feet and began putting as much distance between himself and them as possible. He needed to re-strategize. He nee¡ª Thwuck! Thwuck! Thwuck! Thwuck! Nathan watched as the vile green acidic venom from four Nagas landed a few feet in front of him. While the sight of the acid eating up the stone was a little concerning, he was more focused on the fact that he''d gotten the first crucial information of the battle. The Nagas couldn''t shoot venom past seven meters, at least the ones he''d seen. The Queen Naga hadn''t participated in the attacks, so Nathan didn''t know her range. He''d probably put it at around ten meters, but he''d stay a minimum of twelve away from them just to be safe. It made his skin crawl watching the Nagas slither towards him with their lower snake body. The upper half itself wasn''t anything to look at. He almost puked at the sight of green scales that covered their entire body. Ughh. He rapidly increased the distance between him and them. No way was he going to get up close and personal with those things. Yes, his constitution might be able to handle the acid, but Nathan didn''t really want to use his skin to experiment right about now. Hot water left bruises and red marks on his skin. He wondered what acid would do. Improved constitution or not, he kept backing away till he hit a wall. Shit. Nathan had successfully backed himself into a corner. The Nagas had forced him backward almost back into the entrance of the dungeon. Meaning his only option was going for swift kills right now or to change trajectory and keep backing up until he hits the dungeon barrier. The Nagas were probably not going to make it easy for him as they were already spreading out, making sure he knew what his only options were. Either through them or be pushed to the wall till he''d be taken care of, permanently. It was a no-brainer for Nathan. He had to stand and fight. He just needed to know which angle to go from. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 13 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Bronze-Dungeoneer. Strength: 18 Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 13 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Ra''hal coins: 5,240 Free points: 1 It seems like it''s time for that dexterity boost. One point to dexterity. Dexterity: 11 ## Free points: 0 Nathan knew it wasn''t much in terms of stat increase, but it was all he had and it''d have to do until he leveled up. The monsters here would at the very least push him to the next level. With a thought, he closed the screen, his focus returning to the advancing Nagas. Here goes nothing. Nathan picked out the target at the extreme right, dashing as the Nagas spat out more venom at him. His improved dexterity helped him evade most of the acid, but a few droplets got on his skin, eating through it slowly. He didn''t pause or slow down. Instead, Nathan gritted his teeth and willed himself to go faster. A little pain now and victory later. Shriek! The first Naga let out a shrill shriek as Nathan''s sword divided her into equal parts woman and snake. The Berserker was already moving on before the two halves hit the floor. Nathan accepted the venom with reluctance. It hurt like crazy, but he wasn''t going to escape this battle without acid touching him. Maybe he''d have had a chance if he could execute ranged attacks, but he couldn''t at the moment. That wouldn''t stop him from making it work with what he did have¡ªa freaking sword. The closest Naga tried to execute multiple actions at once, hissing, spitting venom at him, and dodging Nathan''s attack. Ultimately, it could only execute the first before its head rolled to the floor, its acid venom unable to launch itself. Nathan kept an eye on the Queen Naga even as he began decimating the rest of its kin. He might have been going as fast as he could, but that didn''t stop multiple attacks from landing on his skin. He could feel the acid eating into his body but held on to the faith that he''d be able to completely heal soon enough. [Warning health below 75%] The Queen Naga seemed to have distanced itself from Nathan''s wild attacks. His entire being thrummed with conviction as he downed the fifth Naga with a swift thrust at where the heart presumably was. He made sure to swipe up his sword, tearing through muscle and breaking through the Naga''s collarbone as he ripped it free from the Naga. A wave of euphoria went through him even as he slashed at the sixth Naga, his sword diagonally dividing it as his wounds healed up. Nathan stared up, panting heavily. His entire visage at that point was the accurate poster for what a Berserker was supposed to look like. Blood covered him from head to toe. With his blood still boiling, the thrill of the battle fueling him, Nathan charged at the Queen Naga, who was chanting something incoherently. But that didn''t deter him. That thing had to die. Queen Naga has cast Dead Weight (I). Dead Weight (I): This is an area of effect spell. All entities within 30 meters of the spell will suffer a five percent debuff on their dexterity. Those with higher Dexterity than the Queen will be unaffected. Duration: 3 minutes. Timer: 2:59 Here we go again. 1 - 31. Snakebite Nathan''s newest advantage had just been taken away from him and then some, but he wasn''t going to back away. He circled the queen Naga, who stayed still at her chanting spot, her two black orbs with yellow slits fixated on him. He could charge immediately, but the problem with that plan was that he had no idea how far the Naga could spit her venom. He needed to play it safe and smart, while his skin could take the hits, his sword wouldn''t last against acid like that. He continued circling the Naga, who didn''t even bother to turn as Nathan faced her exposed back, the action making his nerves stand on edge. That was the problem with snakes: never predictable, always swift and ruthless when it came to fights. So why is she staying still? A valid question, some might even say a crucial one. Nathan wasn''t "some," and so he charged at the Naga Queen''s exposed back. His sword was at the ready, his hand poised to deliver an overhead strike. Smack! Faster than he could see, the Queen''s tail whipped out, sweeping a charging Nathan off his feet with a thud. Nathan couldn''t even take in a breath to replace the one he''d just had knocked out of his lungs before he felt a stinging sensation on his legs. Looking down, he saw the Naga''s fangs on his legs, the snake injecting him with venom before slithering away. Snakebite(I) You have been Poisoned by a Naga''s Queen bite. You''ll lose one percent of your health every two seconds that passes. To Neutralize venom: kill the Naga Queen. That''s three reasons why I have to kill that bloody snake now. If you thought Nathan didn''t like snakes before, you were right because he outright hated the slithering creatures right about¡­ now. The notification had messed up the three-minute timer that Nathan had been hoping to outlast. At this rate, the venom would kill him faster than the time would run out. Getting to his feet was easy, almost as if he wasn''t even losing health, which made Nathan glance at the fang marks on his right leg. A deceptively small wound was right now wreaking havoc across his entire body, and the worst part was that he wasn''t even feeling it. Meaning he could probably be on his last legs and he wouldn''t even know it. Imagine trying to charge at the Queen Naga and falling mid-charge and dying because the venom had run its course unimpeded. Unimpeded. Nathan didn''t know how the system stats worked, but the usual advice one got after being bit by a venomous snake was to keep calm to slow the spread of the venom. He could take that route as he was going to need an adrenaline pump to handle the snake queen. Enough thinking. With the knowledge that time was not on his side, Nathan charged at the Naga, its entire form unconcerned by the creature charging at it. The queen probably labeled him as dead the moment its fangs delivered the venom into his bloodstream. Notwithstanding, he continued his charge, watching for the tail so he wasn''t caught off guard when it swept at him. He jumped over it, turning mid-air and striking at the tail with his sword. Shriekkkk! A smile crested Nathan''s face. He''d been a little scared that the Naga would have impenetrable scales like the imps when unmoving, but lady luck seemed to be with him as his sword got through a good quarter of the Naga''s tail. Without wasting time, Nathan ripped his sword free of the Naga''s tail, skipping back and narrowly missing fangs that were inches away from his neck before he''d jumped back. That was close. He had no idea if snakebite was a stackable attack. One bite was already terrifying; what would two bites do to him? Probably hasten the spread of the venom in his system by halving the time. [Warning Health less than 75%] Venom! Nathan felt bile rise to the back of his throat. Apart from the sweeping tail he''d fallen victim to earlier, he hadn''t received any other physical blow from the Naga, which meant that it was the venom that was actively draining his health. Time wasn''t on his side; it was on the queen''s, and he couldn''t stay back to hide this time. Nathan dashed forward, sword at his side, as he prepared to deliver a slash aimed at the Queen''s belly. His sword met empty air as the Naga had anticipated his move and was already beginning its own counterattack, rearing its head for a strike. No, you don''t. Nathan dodged the head, and a counter of his own followed shortly. The Queen let out a terrible shriek as his sword cleaved a quarter way through her midsection, with Nathan using the momentum of his slash to roll away from danger. A quick glance behind him confirmed that the Naga Queen was livid at him. Good, come to me. A calm opponent was ninety percent of the time the bigger threat than a hotheaded one. Nathan needed the Naga to become irrational, and wild even with her movements. He needed the Naga to attack him wildly with the fury he could see burning in her eyes; he needed her to give him openings.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. [Warning health below 50%] Okay! He needed to be the calm one right now, even though he was the one with everything to lose at this moment. With a goading smile, Nathan stood still, provoking the Queen Naga to charge at him. He didn''t move an inch as the Naga began angrily slithering towards him. Instead, he let his eyes do all the work, picking out potential weak points. Eventually, he settled on the one that he was sure would handle the Naga once and for all. A piercing shriek hit Nathan''s ear as the Naga got into range. As he''d predicted, the Naga switched tactics. Instead of attacking with her tail like she''d done before, she attacked with her fangs, much to his delight. Thud! The head had managed to get a little close to Nathan with snakelike speed before it was separated from its neck by Nathan, who''d already anticipated the move before she''d even begun to slither. He sidestepped and let the body hit the ground with a thud. Ugh! Snakes. He was very grateful to have finished off the last of them. The sight of the things would probably give him nightmares for a night or two. Snakebite (I) Neutralized. Clearance requirement met: Dungeon unlocked. Dead weight(I) dispelled. Nathan stared at the notification in triumph, not because he''d managed to kill the Nagas and their queen, more because he''d found a way to do so without having to utilize blood rebellion. An act that signified growth, he could now handle F-ranked dungeons. A thud to the side made Nathan turn, and his smile widened at the sight before him. A wooden box had landed. Walking towards the box with a calm and relaxed demeanor, he flipped it open with ease, with no fear of booby traps as he was no longer a noob. Definitely, some growth happening. He stared at the box, and his smile extended still. In the box were three items, but only one pulled his gaze: a glowing rock. It was pulsating with white light. It''d do nicely as a night light. Even with a purpose in mind for the rock, Nathan analyzed it anyway. Tora Ore. This ore has been transformed into a vessel to hold Tora, the very power that makes up the Universe. Nice, a magic rock. At least it looked like a magic rock. Who knows, maybe Nathan might just put it in a museum if he ever got one and claim it was the rock upon which Blood Rock was truly made. Nah, I''ll stick to using it as a night light. Nathan gazed at the other items remaining in the box, analyzing them as he did so. Leather sword sheath (common) This sheath cannot safely hold swords above the common grade. Any attempt to do so is at the owner''s risk. Rope The leather sheath solved one of Nathan''s most obvious problems: where to store his sword when not in use. While his bag of holding was indeed useful, he couldn''t really say that sticking his hand into the bag anytime he needed to pull out his sword was ideal. He''d definitely prefer to keep his sword where he could easily reach it. For the last couple of days, he''d kept the sword in hand when walking, afraid that he''d be too slow pulling the sword out of the bag and lose his life to something that silly. Hell no. The rope, on the other hand, made him question the reward system of the... system. It had just given him a universal night light, a sword sheath, and now a rope. Out of three items, that was currently even useful to him at this point. The highlight was nice, but come on, for goodness'' sake, he was in a fucking apocalypse. Something like a flaming sword would''ve been nice. With a sigh, Nathan picked up the glowing rock¡ªTora ore¡ªand the rope and tossed them into his bag of holding. Then, securing the leather sheath around his waist, he did so with a lot more enthusiasm. Loot claimed, dungeon destabilizing in 2 minutes, all entities should exit the dungeon before the dungeon collapses into Ra''hal. Nathan stared at the new notification. Without any need to dilly-dally, he dashed towards the exit, his improved dexterity showing itself as he ran faster than the last time. Soon enough, he was outside and far away from the dungeon and barely out of breath this time. The cave entrance shuddered with each passing breath, but Nathan just watched on until the notification he was anticipating hit his screen. Dungeon destabilizing in 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Dungeon destabilized Nathan watched as the cave shuddered for one last time before collapsing in on itself. The collapse sprayed dirt and debris into the air, which forced him to close his eyes to avoid particles getting in. And sure enough, when he opened them, the cave was gone. In its place, an empty clearing remained. "Interesting." He shook his head as he stared at the empty clearing. This was the second time he had seen a dungeon disappear after being cleared, but he still wasn''t used to it by any stretch of the imagination. The rocks and debris would''ve been able to build a stone replica of his cabin at Blood Rock ten times over. Where exactly had the system dumped those rocks, and why hadn''t it just left the debris lying around? Questions. Nathan couldn''t dwell on those right about now. He had to clear a couple more dungeons before the day was over. Turning around, he started heading toward the closest dungeon he''d identified. As usual, he replayed the events of his next fight even as he continued to walk. The Naga Queen hadn''t been spitting venom at him like the others because it had a different attack. The snakebite ability had pretty much shortened the timeline of the fight, throwing Nathan''s game plan of time-wasting into the bin. He''d overcome and adapted to the situation, though, which was kind of nice from his own angle. He was getting better and faster at making crucial decisions. Good ones too, it was something that he''d struggled with earlier on, but experience was teaching him how to handle that. Experience. A person could read all the books in the world, but someone with live experience was always going to be better than someone who''d just read a couple of books. The chain of thought led him to wonder what the others were learning in the system tutorial. Shrugging his shoulders as he couldn''t figure out what they were doing, he looked up to see he was at the next dungeon. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 14 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Demon Slayer, Bronze-Dungeoneer. Strength: 18 Dexterity: 11 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 13 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 11,840 Free points: 2 Nathan closed the screen with a thought as he focused on the dungeon, having decided against utilizing his free points right away. He might need them in whatever messed up challenge this dungeon had for him. Alright, time to get shit done. 1 - 32. Camp Commander. Camp Commander Sarion Bjorn gritted his teeth at the report that had been provided to him three days ago by the head supervisor of the mine. He had over two hundred miners in the Tora vein in the godforsaken mountain, and for some mysterious reason, they still weren''t hitting their daily quota. A quota that he''d personally set way lower than the forecasted ore that could potentially be mined in the vein. It hadn''t been a generous act on his part, something to ease the workload of his miners¡ªno. Sarion had a handful of miners smuggling Tora ore out of the mine to him, a little treat for himself, off the books of course. The problem came when he realized that he wasn''t the only one diverting ore from the mine. As it was, their mine was having a shortage of about 20% in the quota he''d told the head supervisor to set. Not only were the miners stealing from him, they were bold with it. He''d begun making examples in the camp, though, sending out the few miners he''d caught to ''patrol''. A little cunning act from his end: if the miners didn''t return from their ''patrols'', he could put out an order for a search party to find them. Peradventure they were discovered dead in some part of the forest, all he''d need to do is deliver a little speech, and the rest of the camp would be ready at his signal to clear out the surroundings. A win-win situation, except for the fact that he wasn''t meeting up with the quota he''d informed Relas Touch that he''d have ready. Those little bastards are stealing from me. He needed to handle it urgently before the matter would devolve into something else entirely. A hard hand would need to be enforced, but Sarion was wary of turning the miners against him. Fear could only go so far when it came to miners. Thud! Sarion''s meaty palm came down hard on his desk, rattling the entire thing. He was the only one permitted to ''steal'' Tora, as he was the one organizing and protecting these buffoons from whatever evil lurked in the forest. Stroking his beard, he got off his chair and stared at his office mirror, his dwarven frame barely filling the frame. Hardened muscles covered the entirety of his frame, his brown beard reaching his chest while the hair on his head was tied into a neat ponytail. Sarion wasn''t like the other dwarves who liked to fight or forge weapons in oppressive heat. No, he had a different path than most, one that had made him sort of a social outcast in his own clan. They didn''t say anything when Sarion made his decision to let his system-given Archetype of a Berserker go dormant while he followed the path of a miner. Instead, they began to edge away from him, ''forgetting'' to invite him to social gatherings and the like. Eventually, Sarion made his peace with it and joined the closest Mining crew¡ªRelas Touch. It was a mining guild filled with gremlins and other outcasts like himself, working to make a name for themselves while avoiding bloodshed. At the time, he''d thought he''d finally found a way to beat the system at its own game, but it turned out that the system always won. Sarion glanced at his palm. It was clean right now, but he knew the truth. His hands were stained with the blood of innocents. This was his seventh baby world in the span of ten years. Each world the heads of Relas Touch sent him to hardened him. He killed the surrounding inhabitants of any mine he discovered as soon as he could. He liked to tell himself he was dealing with a potential problem before it could materialize, but it was just a way for him to drown the guilt. It was logical still. He''d seen what could happen when native inhabitants discovered the use of Tora ores. He''d been nothing but a greenhorn in the 128th company when they''d been attacked by native inhabitants. The natives managed to kill a couple of them by surprise, but in reality, they stood no chance against the higher-leveled amongst them. It was a massacre. He''d had the fragile mindset of peace stripped off of him after watching his friend die that day. The worst part was that it could have been him dying in some backwater baby world. Since then, Sarion made the solemn vow to be cold and ruthless. He killed on a whim. He needed but a stray thought to move him into action. His sprees improved his Berserker Archetype and, by extension, his Gladiator class. Reports of him were sent to the head offices, which began Sarion''s ascent upon the steps of hierarchy, eventually making his way to camp commander. It wasn''t an amazing title in the grand scheme of things, but at least he didn''t have to mine anymore. All he had to do was fill out a couple of paperwork and sign some shit he didn''t care about. He looked focused and relaxed when talking to his miners, but in truth, he was itching for a fight. A rap on the door shook him out of his thinking. "Come in," Sarion called out, taking his seat behind the desk. Nikit walked in, the gremlin shorter than Sarion by a good bit, which made him feel a lot better about himself. After all, it wasn''t that often that he got to see someone who was shorter than him. "Nikit, how can I help you?" Sarion asked his head supervisor.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "My Commander, I am afraid our issue of theft is getting worse by the day. At this rate, we''d have to reduce the quota before the week runs out," the gremlin timidly said. Sarion hid his true feelings on the matter behind a facade of indifference, stroking his beard as he pretended to consider the issue. He couldn''t show weakness to anyone. Childish rage was looked down upon more than anything. It was best to remain calm and unpredictable. "Is that so?" Sarion mumbled rhetorically, receiving a nod from the trembling head supervisor regardless. His current punishment would have to suffice. Maybe he could tweak the parameters a little bit, but nothing that would seem too unreasonable to the miners. Something that''d make them think twice before stealing but at the same time prevent them from rioting at his orders. "Let them know that whoever is caught stealing will be cut off from food rations for a week and also be sent further out into the forest to patrol," Sarion said with a bored tone. "I will, sir!" "Fantastic. Anything else?" Sarion asked the head supervisor who''d still not asked to take his leave. "...No, sir!" Nikit said. Sarion could tell that the head supervisor wanted to say something but had held himself back at the last minute. But he couldn''t be bothered to press it out of the man''s throat, especially with the facade he was currently putting on. "Good. Dismissed." He watched with a bored expression as the gremlin exited his office, closing the door behind him. His expression morphed as he heard the click that came with his door closing. Veron''s clangers. These miners were going to wreck him if he didn''t do anything fast. The absence of a battle in his last baby world seemed to have diluted his bloodthirsty reputation. They weren''t afraid of him; they didn''t respect him as their better. He needed a show of force, and he needed it like yesterday. Running a hand through his head, he considered the options he currently had at his disposal. Publicly executing a couple of thieving miners would solve the fear problem, but it''d probably reduce productivity, which would still negatively affect the fulfillment of the quota. Giving them some heartfelt speech wouldn''t even leave a scratch on the ruthless minds of his miners, most of whom were fighters like himself, eagerly waiting for a reason to let loose. The last option seemed like the best course of action: give the people what they wanted. He''d give them a battle if it was all it''d take to help let loose some of that tension and at the same time make them realize why it''d be futile to go against his orders. I just need scapegoats. Getting off his arse with a grunt, Sarion left his office and began heading to the mines himself. Sometimes it was good for people to see true power walk amongst them, plus he thought it wise to have his war hammer by his side for this particular ''stroll''. With a thought, his massive war hammer was within his grasp. The true identifier of a dwarf was the hammer. It didn''t matter which class or Archetype they belonged to¡ªthe hammer was their identity as a race, and those who opted for other weapons were looked down upon, not that Sarion would judge, considering his own experience with judgment. As he walked amongst the tents and hastily made-up ''buildings'', he received greetings from all around. He made sure to respond in some fashion, preferring to nod for the most part, but he also exchanged words with a couple of others as he made his way to the mine. While the camp itself mainly comprised miners, it also had a couple more additions to it. He had the patrols, the cooks, the logistics people, and a couple of others that were all under him. The commander. Sarion''s smile widened at the thought, even as he walked through the camp. The promotion had happened two years ago after he''d been recalled back into the Relas Touch branch in his home world¡ªMoctera. It was after he''d stepped up to lead his company that had been assigned to handle a baby world after their commander had been assassinated in his sleep. Not that uncommon when it came to mining expeditions. Deaths happened, and the higher-ups rarely cared about the location or the how. They just replaced and replaced, keeping the chain of command going so that they could continue the flow of Tora back there. This was a piece of information that had troubled Sarion at the time, but he''d been too excited for the promotion to think it through. And even with all the terrible information he had now on what being an official commander meant and the risks that came with it, he wouldn''t change his decision. The only painful niggle in the equation was that he''d had to give up drinking ale ever since the promotion. He''d kept a clear mind since the day after celebrating his promotion in a tavern back home. From that day to the present one, he''d avoided ale like it was the plague, preferring to keep his mind sharp in case of attempts on his life¡ªand yes, there had been attempts, multiple. Each of them had ended the same way, with his assailants publicly executed. Power was everything in the new world, and people did anything to get it and went even further to keep it. Same as him. If sacrificing taking some ale down was all Sarion needed to do to keep his life and his new status, then he''d do it without batting an eyelid. The mine was within his sight, and he calmly watched gremlins and dwarves alike moving crates of the precious ore into storage as he walked. The crates were filled to the brim with the glowing rock. His eyes met theirs, and they greeted him, receiving a nod in return as he focused on his destination. A soft pressure pushed on his senses as he stepped into the mine proper. The place was darker than the rest, as it''d been picked till only a few Tora remained to light the way. He continued making his way into the deeper parts of the mine, clangs echoing around as gremlins and dwarves alike used pickaxes to get the ore out, the latter race swapping out their hammers for pickaxes to work. Sarion stared at the work going on in satisfaction. The miners around him greeted him before returning to work. He stared across the mine in equal parts greed and cunning. While the mine would fill his pockets, a battle would quench his bloodlust. I just need scapegoats. 1 - 33. Friend or Foe (II) Nathan grumbled as he looked up at the sky, which was fast changing to purple. As much as he wanted to continue clearing out dungeons, he had to admit that he''d done the most he could within the time period. He''d managed to complete two other dungeons, both F-ranked, which meant he''d cleared out three dungeons in total today. The dungeoneering in F-ranked dungeons had become less... interesting. Not only that, it was now harder to level up in those dungeons than it had initially been. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 16 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Demon Slayer, Bronze-Dungeoneer. Strength: 19 Dexterity: 12 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 14 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Faction: N/A Ra''hal coins: 19,690 Free points: 3 Nathan had only managed to crank out two more levels, and even that was a close thing as the boss of his last dungeon was what gave him the last push to level sixteen. With level increase came the familiar free points; he''d gotten six from the three dungeons he''d hit today. Three points had been spent in his last two dungeons¡ªhe''d assigned a point each to his strength, dexterity, and constitution stats. A decision he was satisfied with as his muscles became more defined, tougher, and easier to flex. Those weren''t the only new things though; as usual, he''d gotten his normal loot from completing the dungeon. "Normal" might have been a stretch¡ª"useless" was probably the word he''d have used to describe the loot the system had given him for completing his last two dungeons. He''d gotten mundane items like the rope, probably the system''s way of telling him he''d outgrown F-ranked dungeons and he should probably be getting ready to move on to a higher rank. He''d have to admit that it was a pretty damn good strategy from the damned thing if that was its end goal, as Nathan had already gotten tired of diving into dungeons that barely gave him a push forward. The next dungeon he''d enter would probably have to be an E-ranked dungeon; anything lower would just be him bullying the weak monsters in the F-ranked dungeon. Letting out a sigh, Nathan began trudging through the dirt, to his destination: Blood Rock. He had no idea what the monsters in the forest thought, but he wouldn''t put it past them to instinctively know that nighttime was playtime. And I''d rather not be the plaything. His sword was sheathed, but Nathan kept his eyes on the lookout. He was a few minutes from his stronghold by his estimate¡ªplenty of time for some random monster to pop up and challenge him, something that he was pretty much looking forward to. A rustle alerted him to something trailing him; whatever it was was clumsy. Nathan could tell how fast it was and its location with ease. Facing the direction of the rustle, he let his perception get to work. The findings after discovering what had made the noise and analyzing the monster made Nathan''s lips curl in a smile. Well, hello there. [Neran Rabbit Level 15] Nathan wasn''t sure if it was the same rabbit that had bullied him earlier when he''d been trying to hunt food, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was. God forbid we have a bunch of these hopping around. The rabbit had figured out it had been found out as it came out from behind the tree it''d been hiding and stared at Nathan like a lost puppy. But he wasn''t going to fall for the same trick twice. At the same time, he was really tempted to see how he''d fare against the bunny this time, so he reached out to pet it. The bunny went for his wrist, its jaws opening up to show rows of sharpened teeth as it bit down on his exposed wrist. Nathan braced himself for a pain that never came. Looking closely, he let out a chuckle¡ªthe bunny''s teeth had failed to puncture his wrist. His improved constitution neutralized its biggest advantage. No more bullying for you. The bunny still continued to bite on his wrist, which Nathan found hilarious. From what he could feel around that region, it was as if the bunny''s teeth were blunt pencils trying to pierce his skin¡ªannoying but nothing serious. What was serious, though, was the fact that if this really was the same bunny as before, it''d gone up in level, which meant that monsters could level up as well.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. How? If monsters could level up themselves, then it''d clearly explain why they were actively hunting him. This bunny was just a reminder that the majority of the real deals hadn''t considered him a threat to them or even a worthwhile level-up source, just like the F-ranked dungeons he considered a waste of his time. The rabbit''s antics were getting annoying at this point, so Nathan simply pulled it off with his free hand. The bunny looked at him with what suspiciously seemed like smugness. His hand that had pulled the bunny off was now covered in a slimy, clear liquid. Paralytic Slime (I): You have become paralyzed for one minute. All limbs will remain inert till the paralytic toxin has run its course. Timer: 0:59 Shit! Nathan couldn''t even let out the curse with his mouth; his entire body seemed to have frozen up, going numb as he fell to the ground like a mannequin. He couldn''t even move his eyes; they were left staring at a bunny that still looked at him like a lost puppy, which infuriated Nathan right about now. He watched in horror as the bunny made its way to his head and saw from the corner of his vision as the bunny''s mouth stretched unnaturally as it sought to fit his entire head in its mouth. It failed. He felt the blunt pressure of its teeth vanish as it presumably unclamped its mouth from his head. If Nathan could''ve let out a sigh of relief, he was pretty sure that he would have. The bunny had tricked him but probably hadn''t known that he had a thick skull. The bunny wasn''t discouraged, though; it hopped to somewhere around his foot. Nathan couldn''t see that part of his body, but he could very much feel it when the bunny tried to bite off his left foot, having the same level of success that it''d had with his head. Eventually, the bunny seemed to have conceded the point that it couldn''t eat Nathan and so it just hopped within his field of vision and waited¡ªan act that made him realize that there was an actual timer on the paralytic toxin running through him. Timer [Timer: 0:13] Thirteen awkward seconds¡ªthat''s how much time Nathan had to spend looking at a bunny that had just tried to kill him. The bunny itself was looking at him like it''d done nothing wrong¡ªsomething that he''d make sure the bunny realized when the paralysis wore off. [Timer: 0:00 Paralytic Slime Neutralized] Nathan let out a gasp as he felt the connection to his limbs returning to him¡ªhis hands, his legs, his everything coming back slowly to him. He''d never been happier to have control of his limbs. He pushed off from the floor as soon as he could, glaring at the bunny on his way up and even when he stood straight completely. The bunny, on the other hand, looked at him with innocent eyes¡ªan act for sure, but one that was certainly working on Nathan as his glare began to falter. Nathan thought it was quite unfair how the bunny could just use that look, and he''d immediately feel bad that the bunny hadn''t been able to eat him. It wasn''t like he could''ve done the same to the now-dead Master Imps, and they would''ve let him go. But Nathan wasn''t the Master Imps; he was human and he was reasonable. He''d let the darned bunny live, for now. Giving the bunny his best impression of the mother of all glares, he turned to walk away. He''d made it a couple of steps before he heard the bunny move, hopping in tow. You''ve got to be kidding me. Nathan whipped around so fast he wasn''t sure how his spine was still connected to his body. "What do you want from me?" Nathan growled. "You lost, scram!" The bunny looked at Nathan like he''d just told it to pose for a picture; its innocent-looking gimmick had started to get on his nerves. Hoping that his point had been passed across, he turned around to continue walking towards Blood Rock when the bunny repeated its action¡ªit hopped after him. Nathan seethed inwardly but pretended not to notice the killer bunny trudging after him as he headed to camp. His anger began to seep out of him as rational thinking got back into his head. Was he really about to lead a rabbit that had tried to kill him twice to his stronghold? It sure seemed like it. A part of Nathan realized that he might as well let the rabbit head up to Blood Rock¡ªrabbit roast would pretty much be good for him right about now. Shaking his head, he dislodged the thought. For one, Nathan wasn''t a monster, and two, the bunny was. If it was anything like the Imps, he didn''t want to know what would happen when he did kill it. Would it start decaying while he roasted it? It was certainly a possibility; the system seemed to hasten the degradation process of corpses. Besides that, it was a monster, and he didn''t know what eating something as foreign as that would do to his body. At this moment, he wasn''t desperate enough to risk finding out¡ªhe still had a lot of fruits on him. Fruits. Nathan almost facepalmed at the easy fix to the bunny that had been following him as he made his way back to Blood Rock. Turning around, he faced his innocent-looking stalker. Hating himself for even wanting to share his fruits with this monster that had almost killed him, he pulled out his bag of holding and took out four weird fruits, chucking them at the bunny. It didn''t even sniff the fruit; just consumed them all at once by spreading its jaws in an unnatural way that made Nathan wince. The act of not sniffing before eating the fruit pretty much confirmed the fact that this was the rabbit he''d seen before, or at least one that had eaten the weird fruit before. He''d stick to his initial assumption, though. He stared at the bunny after it''d finished munching on the fruits, expecting it to turn away and leave, but it looked at him as though he owed it something. Alright, one more. Nathan took out another fruit from his bag of holding and chucked it at the bunny as an acknowledgment of its new level. The bunny''s mouth stretched unnaturally as it caught the fruit before it could even hit the ground. When the bunny was done, it gave Nathan a once-over before turning and hopping away. "You could''ve at least said thank you," Nathan muttered. It was irrational, but Nathan believed he deserved that much, considering all the options he had at his disposal when it came to the bunny itself. It was over now, though, and it was best to get home before an actual monster met him out here. He got into Blood Rock through the northern gate and made his way to the single building located at the center of the stronghold¡ªhis cabin. He immediately noticed something off in the sands that surrounded his cabin: there were paw prints. Nathan crouched down to inspect the paw print. A single paw print was the size of both his hands with a little space left, which meant whatever had gotten into Blood Rock was going to be massive. He unsheathed his sword as he went up to the porch, alert to battle whatever this was. After a brief search of the cabin, he came to the conclusion that the porch was clear and so was the cabin. Whatever had visited Blood Rock hadn''t bothered to get into the cabin itself, so Nathan got back outside where it had been to track the paw prints to where they''d started from in the stronghold¡ªthe southern gate. The monster had probably jumped over the walls, and the possibility of it doing it again was high, which meant that Nathan wasn''t that safe in his stronghold right at this moment. He needed to do something about this intrusion, and he had an idea on how to solve this... problem. Traps. 1 - 34. Debut Trapper Nathan gazed at the new interface the system had given him at his request for traps. Like buildings, the traps there went from Grade F to S, which confused him a little as he''d assumed that the highest grade should have been A, but apparently, the system thought differently. Shrugging at the conflicting opinions, Nathan began shifting from the thought back to the most important thing of the moment: the traps. The Grade F ones seemed to be mundane-level traps, shit that could be used to trap bears. The list started to get much more interesting the further he read into the various options. By the C grade, the traps went from mundane titles like "Graco claws" to almost all traps above their grade having the suffix "formation flag" attached to them. Azure formation flag. Nathan focused on the grade C trap, the price attached to it making his eyes widen in shock¡ªalmost two hundred thousand Ra''hal coins for a trap. Reining in his disbelief, he read through what the trap could do and had to accept that it was definitely a magical trap with a magical price. The gist of it was that the Azure formation flag could securely trap any entity below level 150 and continuously bombard anything that was trapped in the formation with lightning for five minutes non-stop. The catch was that it was a one-use trap. Pretty neat. Shaking his head, he scrolled to the traps that he could actually afford. There were five options for him, and after going through the list, Nathan decided to go for a moderately priced one: Sebalos hand. Sebalos hand (Grade F) This trap can hold entities below level 50. Please note that no trap is truly unbreakable; with a sufficient strength stat, this trap can be broken through. Price: 4,000 Ra''hal coins. Four thousand Ra''hal coins was a significant chunk of money, but it was better to be safe than sorry at this point. With a thought, he transferred the money to his account and bought the trap. A sack materialized in front of him, and all the information on how to set up the trap flooded his brain. Nathan couldn''t explain it, but even as he opened the bag to see the disassembled trap, he knew exactly where each component was supposed to slot in. The question right now was if he was going to set up today or tomorrow morning. It was already pretty late right about now, but Nathan still preferred the former. No point buying a trap he wasn''t going to set up immediately, especially since whatever had toured his stronghold when he was gone could easily return when he was asleep for a more thorough tour. Leaving the sack on the floor, he went around the cabin searching for where the monster''s paws were dominant¡ªin other words, the places the monster had spent the most time canvassing. It didn''t really come as a surprise to Nathan, who''d gone around the stronghold, to come to the conclusion that the cabin had been the focus of the monster. But the specific spot that had multiple paw prints was about two feet away from his bedroom window. The monster had probably been drawn by Nathan''s dominant scent, as that was the place where he spent the most time. That takes care of the set-up location. Nathan hauled the sack towards the window and got to work. The way his fingers moved on their own was kind of creepy, but he was also kind of interested in finding out how the system had gotten him to learn how to put together a trap he''d never seen before in a couple of minutes. Sebalos hand was just a fancy name for a bear trap, although it did have a few funny-looking additions that Nathan had no idea what function they served. With his trap fully set up, he got up to inspect his work. Too visible. After a few moments of staring at the trap for a couple of seconds, he came to the conclusion that the trap was way too visible¡ªeven he himself wouldn''t make the mistake of stepping into that trap. That made it almost useless, the reasoning being if he could see it during the night, the monster would definitely be able to see it whenever it came by to say hi. Unless it was blind. If that was the case, then Nathan didn''t think he''d need to do anything more, but he highly doubted that it was so. He set out to figure out what he could actually do about the placement of the trap. The location of the trap was excellent, but the visibility was something he''d have to sort out. He mulled over different ideas on how to go about it until he finally decided to go for one that he was very, very familiar with.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. A pit. It didn''t even need to be a deep one¡ªsomething shallow that could hide the trap and at the same time let it be completely unhindered when it came down to doing its job. With an idea in mind, Nathan started putting together a list of items he''d need to get his pit ready. So far, he''d come up with four: a shovel, sticks, a tarp, and sand. I''ll have to improvise. He didn''t have a shovel or tarp on hand, so he''d have to figure out a quick improvisation. He could use his sword to soften the ground and use his hands to scoop out the dirt, solving that problem. For the tarp, he could just use the sack the trap came with. Solutions found, Nathan got to work. The first thing he did was slice off thin strips of wood from a log he had lying around the camp. Then he set to digging; the sword had comically slow but still did the job, so he didn''t fuss. When he was done digging a hole wide enough to hide the trap and high enough to reach his knees, Nathan got out of the hole, gently laid Sebalos hand at the bottom of the hole, and then laid the sticks like he''d seen the imps do. Next up was laying the sack over the sticks and then gently pouring sand over it, making sure to go slow so he didn''t have to redo the trap or worse, be trapped in Sebalos hand. Luckily, his plan so far hadn''t gone astray. He spread the rest of the loose sand from the hole around the hidden trap to make it seem even. Glancing around the trap-hiding trap, Nathan wouldn''t say it was a perfect illusion, but it was certainly better than having the trap out there in the open. On the plus side, he actually thought the illusion had a seventy to ninety percent chance of catching whatever had visited Blood Rock. Ninety percent if the monster was a dumb one¡ªand by the heavens, he hoped it was. Confirming the chances of his trap catching something, Nathan shook off the dirt on him, heading into the cabin as he was finally done with the day''s activities. The warmth that embraced him as he stepped into the cabin was enough to let the stress begin to seep away. Closing the door behind him, he got into the bathroom and had a bath¡ªa luxury that he certainly deserved after the day he''d had. Stepping out of the shower, he dried off and went into his bedroom. Pulling out his bag of holding, he took a fruit out, biting into it with joy as the flavor exploded in his mouth. He reveled in the taste a little longer before focusing his thoughts on the events of the day. His stalker rabbit had once again "run" into him in the forest, although Nathan didn''t really think that two times was enough to label the little bully a stalker per se. Although he did feel like the odds of running into the same monster twice within a couple of days was a little "meh," while he''d admit that the island itself was small, it wasn''t that small. Shaking his head, he began turning his brain power towards much more important things than a freaking bunny, even if he secretly found it a little cool. The dungeon. The last dungeon he''d entered before calling it quits with rank-F dungeons had given him three useless items: another rope (if you could believe that), a skillet which Nathan found weird, and finally an axe. All items that Nathan had no urgent use for at the moment, although the skillet could serve some purpose if he could actually find something to hunt that wasn''t a freaking monster on the island. Taking a deep breath, Nathan calmed himself before pulling out the axe from his bag of holding. While he wasn''t a fan of the weapon itself, he had to admit it was pretty nice to have a backup weapon just in case things went south with his sword. He''d already been dispossessed of his sword in fights a few times as it was. With a sigh, he analyzed the axe. [Axe (Common)] Pretty drab description if you asked him¡ªit was almost as if the system was saying that this item wasn''t worth its time, and Nathan couldn''t really argue with that logic. I might as well. Since the weapon was already out of the bag and in his hand, Nathan thought it''d be a waste to put it back in without giving it a spin. So he hacked and slashed and cleaved through imaginary enemies, careful not to embed the axe in the walls of his room or in his body. Yeah, I''m not feeling it. The axe didn''t give him the same thrill he got from swinging his sword. The weapon felt barbaric more than anything¡ªless elegant, much heavier, and less favorable than his sword. All these things pretty much cemented the fact that the axe had no chance whatsoever of displacing his sword as his primary weapon. It could have been a contest if the axe was of the uncommon grade, but at the moment, the axe and the sword were at the lowest grade¡ªcommon¡ªand Nathan would pick the sword ten times out of ten in every fight he''d had so far. With a sigh, Nathan returned the axe to his bag of holding while taking out another fruit and biting into it as his mind whirred. He unsheathed his sword and dropped to the floor, laying the sword within reach while he gazed out the window. His thoughts wandered to his first day on the island when he''d been thrust into an apocalypse. It wasn''t ideal, but Nathan was a survivor, and more than anything, if he was being honest with himself, he liked the new world. There probably wouldn''t be any rich, pompous brats trying to downplay his hard work because they were born into a wealthy family with a trust fund in place, while Nathan was left spinning signs for Mr. Wong''s Snorting Dragon. Day and night, trying to pay his bills and still have enough time to play video games and have a childhood. This new world was much better¡ªtrust funds didn''t mean shit to the system; only raw power made a difference. Nathan wasn''t going to sit back and relax, no. He''d work twice as hard as anyone, ten times even if that was what it took to get to the top. The apocalypse had at first been nothing but a bad dream for him, but right now he knew what it truly was. My chance to change the status quo. One thing was certain for Nathan: he had been given an opportunity, and he wasn''t going to let it slip through his fingers because of anything. He''d work hard, he''d make good use of this second chance at life. Heck, he''d made it this far and already had a class that could make the jump from rare to legendary¡ªsomehow, he had managed to get his hands on a class that could climb to the pinnacle of all classes. "Legendary" Nathan loved the way the word rolled out of his mouth. Just the thought of evolving his class to that level made him giddy. "What do you know, life really does begin at eighteen." 1 - 35. Let Him Cookkk The cascading waves that Nathan saw at the beach were enough to make him smile; it was a peaceful atmosphere. The reason he was back here was simple: he needed meat, and since the non-mutated animals had decided to avoid him like the plague, Nathan had no other choice but to head to shore. While he wasn''t a fisherman in any sense of the word, he fully believed that he could catch a couple of fish. How hard can it be? Rolling up his pants, he waded into the sea, his sword by his side, ready to thrust into any fish that was unlucky enough to get within range. The shallow part of the sea was pretty much see-through, so it wasn''t that hard for Nathan to conclude that he wasn''t going to catch any fish standing at that part simply because he couldn''t see any from where he stood. Unless they have an invisibility skill. While very much within the realms of this new reality, Nathan wasn''t entirely convinced that was the case. The way he viewed it, most of the smaller fish that would have normally dominated the shore had either been picked off by bigger fish, birds like the pelican, or any of the million other things that dominated the surrounding body of water. I''ll have to go deeper. Even though Nathan was a little scared at the prospect of wading deeper into the sea, he convinced himself that there''d be nothing that could harm him this close to shore. The bigger fish baddies would probably be at the deeper end of the sea. "Here goes nothing." Nathan began moving deeper into the sea where his perception of what lay beneath looked murky. Blurry even, he stopped once the water got to his neck, deciding that he''d rather leave the water if he couldn''t catch anything at this point than risk himself by going completely underwater. His feet rested on fine sand beneath the water while his head was above it. Nathan scanned as best as he could, his gaze going from side to side, hoping to catch a fish in action. He didn''t. Something caught him instead or brushed past his leg. Rather, Nathan thrust at the spot with all his strength, but his blade caught nothing. Whatever had brushed past his leg had moved on quickly; it hadn''t tried to bite off his leg or harm him in any way¡ªit simply just brushed past his feet. That''s got to be a normal fish. If Nathan was reading the movement of whatever had brushed against him correctly, he''d say that it had been heading deeper into the sea rather than to the shallower part, which kind of made a little bit of sense as he hadn''t seen anything at the shallower part. There was much to consider before making a move, but Nathan didn''t really like going deeper than he already had. Heck, half the reason he''d come this far was only due to the absence of aquatic life in the shallow part. Going deeper meant that he''d have to sacrifice either his head above water or his feet touching the sea bed, and he wasn''t comfortable with either option. With sort of an impasse reached, Nathan decided to stick to his earlier resolve: he''d stay away from the deeper part for now. If he couldn''t get fish today, he''d still be alright since he had fruits remaining. With a sigh, he turned his back on the deep sea, just about to start lamenting about how tiring it was becoming to eat the same fruit over and over again when he felt the water current around his legs sway as though something was heading towards him. His sword at the ready, Nathan timed it as best as thrusting at the direction the sensation came from. His sword felt a minuscule amount of resistance before it pierced through whatever that was, the water at the surface of the area turning red. In equal parts excitement and wariness, Nathan raised the sword out of the water to see what he''d caught, and to his relief and a rumble in his stomach, he''d caught a salmon. From the looks of it, the salmon hadn''t mutated and turned into a fish with human teeth and hair¡ªit was just a regular old salmon. I better get out of here. Nathan wasn''t an expert on marine life, but he was pretty sure that there were a couple of aquatic animals that were attracted to blood. And if the system had spawned a couple of monsters in the sea, he definitely didn''t want to be anywhere near here when they came to investigate. So with his trophy on his sword¡ªthe salmon¡ªNathan hastily made his way out of the sea, content with his single catch of the day. He sported a grin the moment he''d made it completely out of the sea without any complications. The salmon was right in his face as Nathan stared at it like it was the most interesting thing he''d ever seen. He was about to start heading back to Blood Rock, eager to get cooking, when he stopped mid-stride. He was holding a sword with a dead salmon on it. The smell of blood would probably attract things that Nathan would rather not deal with right about now.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I could try the bag. The bag of holding, that is. He didn''t know the schematics of how the bag actually worked. Would it affect the salmon negatively if he threw it in the bag? Would the salmon get its blood on the rest of the stuff he had in there? He had absolutely no idea, but he was willing to try. And that was what Nathan did: he tossed the salmon into the bag, hoping it wouldn''t be rejected, and let out a triumphant grin when it disappeared into nothingness. Probably joining the rest of his items in the magical storage space the system linked the bag to. With that done, Nathan put his sword in the shallow water, washing the blood off of it. When he was satisfied with the outcome of his clean-up, he sheathed the sword and began making his way to Blood Rock, this time he had nothing to worry about. Certain in his abilities to handle anything that''d get close enough to trouble him. Stepping in through the southern gate, he carefully observed for any sign of yesterday''s tourist, trying to see if whatever had visited Blood Rock when he was gone was currently here or had returned. But from what he could see, only the old tracks remained. Can''t be too sure. Unsheathing his sword, he walked towards his cabin calmly. There wasn''t anywhere to hide, so it meant that for the most part, he was left looking at only one building¡ªthe cabin. It also meant that the only other place the beast could be was the other side of the cabin, which Nathan couldn''t see from this angle. He walked on anyway, eager to allay his fears or at the very least put the beast to the sword. He''d reached the point where he didn''t fear anything on land; on water, he was a little bit cautious as he wasn''t experienced, but on land, he didn''t care what it was¡ªit would fall to his blade. Nathan chuckled once he got to the front part of the cabin, which had been obscured from the angle he''d walked in from. There was nothing there, and all the motivational monologue he''d given to himself just felt a little bit silly at the moment. It was a dope monologue though. Shaking his head, he made his way into the cabin, staring at the blazing fireplace with joy. Somehow it wasn''t too hot or too meh¡ªit was just the right temperature no matter what time of the day it was, which Nathan thought was pretty neat from the system. It was like the thing had its own personal thermostat to regulate the temperature of the room. Something that made Nathan''s life a lot easier in the wilderness than he''d initially thought it''d have been, and if he was being honest with himself, he kind of dug the entire apocalypse vibe. It gave him a feeling of joy that he had forgotten he could feel. The monsters, the quests, the skills, everything about the system made Nathan feel a rush of dopamine. Compared to standing around and flipping signs, this was the real way to go. He felt like he was making a difference with every monster he killed, and he could actually see himself making progress with every quest he completed, every monster he bested. He''d begun living life to what seemed to be the fullest: a cabin in the middle of nowhere, a forest, a sea with plenty of fish, and a mountain too he could relax on. Call him crazy, but Nathan would call this a great vacation¡ªthe kind he''d have rushed to write an essay about before his English teacher could even dump that century-old routine task. Plus, the system had given him a sword, a freaking sword which by any stretch of his imagination was pretty cool. Nathan twirled the sword in his palm, content to move it back and forth as his mind pieced together his thoughts on his new reality. Something kept bugging him even as he stood by idly watching the fireplace as he moved his sword from hand to hand. The fish! Nathan''s stomach rumbled at the thought, and he couldn''t help but roll his eyes at how dramatic his body was being in regard to some fish. With a start, he shook himself out of his stupor as he tried to decide the best course of action. He could skewer the fish with his sword and thrust it into the magical crackling fireplace, or he could go with setting up a fire outside the house and using the dungeon-given skillet to get cooking. The former had a lot of question marks on it as he wasn''t sure if the fire could actually roast the fish or if it was just for show by the system. The second issue was that he didn''t know how durable his sword was, and sticking it in fire¡ªmagical or not¡ªwas most certainly going to have an adverse effect on the lifespan of his sword. A sword that was already dull and of inferior quality to begin with, so with that in mind, it only left the latter option¡ªthe skillet. Nathan made his way outside, cursing himself for forgetting where he left the black tar. It certainly would''ve come in handy right about now. The last he''d seen it, he''d pulled it far away from the fire and kept it somewhere near the forest, but he didn''t just know where exactly. Oh well, guess I''ll have to do this the old-fashioned way. Nathan set about chopping up his leftover logs into firewood and then taking a couple of them and arranging them in a rough circle. Taking two with him into the cabin, he made his way to the fireplace, watching in fascination as the two pieces of wood immediately caught fire. Pinching off the intriguing scene, Nathan pulled out the two pieces of wood just before they burned into nothingness, hurriedly making his way out of the cabin in hopes of avoiding a house fire. Gently dropping the burning pieces of wood on opposite sides in the rough circle, he watched with satisfaction as the fire began to spread, and soon enough the whole circle was on fire. Time for the skillet. Nathan took out the skillet and held it above the fire for a couple of moments before tossing the salmon into the hot pan, his mouth salivating as the meat sizzled. He flipped it with his sword when he felt like enough time had passed, as he didn''t necessarily have kitchen utensils on hand. Soon enough, the fish was ready, and within moments there was nothing but an empty skillet and a burnt piece of land where the fire used to be. Nathan''s body rumbled in appreciation rather than hunger this time, and he had to admit actual food had an impact on him. Finally having sated his need for protein, he decided it was high time he got his arse up and off to do some actual work. Time to hit that E-ranked dungeon. 1 - 36. Dead End. Dungeon Discovered Dungeon Name: Lich Tomb Dominant Species in Dungeon: Skeletal Warriors Dungeon Rating: E To Clear Dungeon: Defeat the Lich. Fully Stepping Past the Threshold Means You Accept the Challenge. Dungeon Challengers Are NOT Allowed to Exit Dungeons Before Fulfilling Clearance Requirements. Step Back if You Do Not Wish to Undertake This Challenge Last chance to turn back. Nathan glanced at the information with full focus; this wasn''t the time to joke and play around. The facts were laid down: he''d grown too strong for F-ranked dungeons to improve him fast. At most, he''d have to clear three or four F-ranked dungeons to receive a single level up at this point, while still risking his life in the process, as nothing was hundred percent certain. E-ranked dungeons, on the other hand, would offer him a challenge¡ªone that would probably involve him risking his neck to clear. He would''ve stepped through the threshold if not for a little issue that had been bugging him since he''d begun walking up to the closest E-ranked dungeon he''d found during his exploration. He''d outgrown F-ranked dungeons, yes, but had he grown to the point where he could challenge E-ranked dungeons and get out alive? Maybe. His mind whirred around the possibilities, letting him know that if F-ranked dungeons had monsters from around level 5 to 15, then E-ranked dungeons at the very minimum would have monsters anywhere from level 16 to 30. Or even higher. Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered the scenario, eventually coming back to a simple conclusion. He needed to get stronger fast, and this was the place. It had high risks, sure, but it also had high rewards attached¡ªmainly the level-ups He didn''t know if the system would offer him an uncommon skill for completing this dungeon. I hope not. Unsheathing his sword, Nathan rolled his shoulders, giving himself a pep talk before walking past the threshold and into the dungeon proper. Welcome Challenger. The Lich''s Tomb Awaits. The dungeon is Locked and Will Remain Locked Until You Fulfill Clearance Requirement. Clearance Requirement: Kill the Lich. Nathan willed the screen to close with a thought, focusing on what the actual dungeon in front of him looked like. Of all the dungeons he''d entered since the start of the apocalypse, this one was the one that looked the most like a dungeon. Fantasy-like torches hung on the wall in what looked to be a fighters'' pit, with a throne at the extreme end of the pit. Oh my! He couldn''t help but chuckle at what sat on the throne: it was a skeleton with a crown on its head, its eye sockets two hollows of blackness while its jaw balanced on a bony hand facing the entrance to the dungeon with a... dead expression. "How am I supposed to kill what''s already dead?" Nathan mused, looking around the pit as he began walking towards the throne. Creak! Nathan had barely made it three steps forward when he heard an ominous creak coming from the throne¡ªthe kind of creak a skeleton made. Focusing his gaze on the throne, he almost let out a curse. Where there''d been a very dead skeleton seated haphazardly on the throne, there was now one seated much more regally, its hand no longer supporting its jaw, orbs of fire replacing the emptiness he''d seen in its eye sockets. Do they just keep all these monsters in hibernation mode? Nathan pointed his sword at the skeleton, which was presumably the lich, getting ready to charge when it pointed a bony finger at him and opened its jaws to let out one of the most bizarre sounds Nathan had ever heard. It was like someone had gone into a studio and made a song that combined the noises of a creaking wood board, metal door against stone, and something that Nathan couldn''t even find a comparison for. "Uhm, yes. I, Nathan Orion, have come to challenge you." He had no idea if that was what he was supposed to say or if he was even supposed to respond to the confusing noise the lich had made, but as soon as the words left his mouth, patches of dirt around the pit began to tremble violently. A white skeletal hand burst out of one of the patches, the hand trying to leverage the ground around it as it sought to pull out the entirety of its skeleton. "Ahh!" Nathan was more shocked than hurt when the scream left his mouth, and while he wasn''t proud of what he''d just done, he couldn''t really blame himself. While he''d been busy looking at a hand trying to pull the rest of itself out of the ground, another hand had burst out just a foot from where Nathan stood and had clamped on his left leg. Creepy. Nathan slashed at the bony hand, noticing with trepidation how it took more effort to break through the bone holding his leg than it had been to cleave through the nagas. This was certainly going to be a hard fight¡ªone that meant he''d have to be smart about how he approached it.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Stepping away from the still trembling areas, Nathan made his way to the only place other than the throne in the pit that didn''t have literal skeletons pulling themselves out of the ground¡ªthe center of the pit. He had half a mind to attack while the skeletons were still pulling themselves out of the ground, but he restrained himself because they were way too close together for that plan to work in his favor. All it''d take was a couple of bony hands to hold him down, and he''d be food for the skeletons. Although Nathan doubted that the skeletons ate meat or anything else by the looks of it¡ªpretty bad look for the lich. What kind of leader didn''t feed his followers? One that wanted to be killed. Nathan dispelled the jokes; it was time to be serious, dead serious. With a glance, he saw that a skeleton had pulled itself free of the earth, others in suit. Giving it a once-over, he confirmed that it''d certainly pass for a model in his biology classes. [ Undead Skeleton] The information that had come after Nathan had gotten his act straight enough to analyze it was concerning: the undead didn''t seem to have a level attached to it. Hoping it was just a mistake on the system''s part, he glanced at the other ten skeletons pulling themselves out of the ground, some with more success than others. [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] [ Undead Skeleton] Each and every other undead skeleton apart from the lich on the throne had no level attached to them. Nathan didn''t even know how to feel about this. Turning his head to the throne, he analyzed the one undead he hadn''t. [ Lich Level 22 ] TWENTY-TWO!!! Nathan couldn''t believe what he was seeing, so he had to check it again. Yep, it really was twenty-two. To put it in context, Nathan was at level sixteen, meaning the undead that sat on the throne before him was a whopping six levels above him. SIX! And the worst part was that he wasn''t even going to be able to level up with its minions as they seemed dead to the system. Shit! Nathan wanted to curse out loud but held his tongue for fear of angering the lich lord into ordering its minions to kill him. He considered trying to reason with the lich but that would probably be like trying to have a conversation with a dead man. Instead of hoping for a miracle, Nathan decided to create one. He charged towards the lich lord on the throne, hoping to bypass the five skeletons that were between him and it. He managed to get past the first one with no issues, sidestepping its blow with a little twist at the right moment, just to get sucker-punched in the face by another skeleton who''d rushed from the side. Crack! Geez Louise! For things that had been labeled undead with no levels of their own, Nathan had been surprised when his head rocked back from the punch, the contact breaking his nose. His mouth tasted tangy, something like salt and iron¡ªblood. The skeletons had drawn first blood, and Nathan couldn''t wait to repay the favor. Changing targets from the lich lord to the undead that had punched, he slashed with unmatched vengeance. Crack! His sword arced upwards as it broke through the offending arm, going up until he broke its collarbone, making that entire side of its skeletal structure drop to the ground. The undead stared at him, unperturbed, already reaching to punch him, and Nathan wasn''t surprised; he''d be dead stupid to be. A focused slash cleaved through its bony neck through its skull, making the rest of its body fall to the ground with a thud. Nathan barely got a chance to gloat at the one-punch undead before he was barreled into by a skeleton pushing him toward the other group of skeletons around the exit. That group sent their own skeleton to barrel into the still-spinning Nathan, who fell to the ground with an "oof". A bunch of skeletons had just used him to play¡ªhim, a whole lord of Blood Rock. Slowly getting off his feet, Nathan waved his blade at the remaining nine undead. "Y''all are going to be wishing that you stayed buried." He charged at the closest skeleton, an overhead strike breaking through its skull and stopping at its empty abdomen. Nathan kicked the skeleton off his blade as he rushed to meet the charges of two skeletons who''d presumably come to avenge their comrades. Too bad, Nathan didn''t have any plans to let them. He executed a horizontal slash as soon as the undead skeletons got within range, his sword making a terrible noise as it broke through bones with a lot more resistance than he''d have liked. Thud! The bisection didn''t seem to do the trick, as he could still see the pair of undead crawling towards his legs. With a shout of rage, Nathan broke both skills into pieces with his sword, ending their feeble struggles. "Come on, make this interesting!" Nathan said as he tried goading the seven undead that remained standing. His antics seemed to have struck a nerve¡ªor something in the skeletons¡ªas they charged at him, the undead that had clamped on his legs before the main fight began leading the charge. The absence of a hand almost helped Nathan identify it. He wasn''t going to play favorites, though. First or second, his sword was ready to sing, and so it did. Overhead strikes seemed to be the fastest way to end the imitation of life these undead enjoyed, so he didn''t even bother going for fancy slashes and maneuvers. He just went for barbaric overhead slashes, his sword breaking the skull of the lead undead, instantly snuffing out its imitation of life. He couldn''t get all of them, though. As soon as his sword made contact with the lead undead''s skull, he received a punch from another undead at his abdomen. Pain exploded around the area, but Nathan persevered and finished his attack, ending the lead undead. [ Warning:health below 75%] Bollocks Pivoting, he struck at the undead that had punched him, bisecting it and two other skeletons standing beside it with a horizontal slash. He didn''t even use his sword to deliver the killing blow to their forms still crawling towards him¡ªno. He crushed their skulls with his bare feet, ending their attempts as he returned his focus to the three others that were left. "Rarrgh!" With the confidence of a madman, Nathan charged at the remaining three undead, his chest heaving as he broke their skulls apart like they had gold in them. His sword came down mercilessly on their heads like it was a Warhammer. When the last of the undead fell, Nathan turned to the lich sitting on the throne, with madness in his eye. He pointed his sword at the lich and roared like a barbarian, the berserker in him coming alive. The lich simply pointed a bony finger at Nathan and let out the same bizarre noise as at first. Shlunk ! Creak! Shlunk! Creak ! Shlunk ! Creak! Shlunk! Creak! Shlunk ! Creak! Shlunk! With a terrible sense of dread, Nathan turned back to see that all the undead he''d just put an end to had been reassembled back into one piece and were very much alive. Freaking liches. 1 - 37. Bone Armor. Nathan wanted to curse out foul play, but he held himself together, barely. A single bony finger pointed in his direction had undone all his hard work. The lich hadn''t even stood up from its throne, content to watch him suffer against its minions that wouldn''t even help him level up. It''s like a time loop. He almost cried at the realization. It was almost like a time loop, and Nathan wasn''t even being refreshed, while the undead on the other hand looked like they hadn''t all just kissed his blade. The annoying part was that they''d managed to take out 25% of his health in their last exchange, something Nathan would''ve grudgingly parted with if it meant he''d get the lich one-on-one. His sacrifice had gone in vain because he''d have to fight undead skeletons he''d just ended. So be it. Nathan didn''t charge right away this time. No, he surveyed the pit, trying to organize his thoughts as he stood still, hoping to avoid an attack from the re-risen undead. The most important task he had on his hands was to kill the lich as fast as possible. If he did anything other than that, his efforts would be a waste. Killing the undead wouldn''t even change the tide of the battle as the lich could just reanimate them as soon as he was done. That''s going to leave a couple of cuts and bruises. With sort of a plan in mind, Nathan charged at the lich, slashing at the first undead trying to block his path, his foot already crushing the skull as he made his way to the next undead. He split its skull to pieces with an overhead strike, already moving on to the next, even as others charged at him from behind. His eyes scanned the surroundings as his sword arched upwards, tearing through the neck of the next unlucky undead and breaking its skull from the jaw up. Three punches at his back sent him flying forward, rolling to a stop a few feet from the throne. Nathan''s grin knew no bounds as he scrambled to his feet and rushed at the lich on the throne, ready to put this farce to bed. Nathan thrust his sword through its bony ribcage, at least he''d hoped to. The point of the blade bounced back on contact as if he''d tried to stab at a metal wall. Before he could draw back his sword for a second strike, a bony hand caught hold of the sharp end of the blade, stopping the drawback. If this was a contest of strength, then Nathan would''ve been declared the loser by now. His entire arm went taut as he tried to use it to pull back his sword, but the lich''s grip did not budge. Instead of Nathan pulling his sword, it was Nathan himself who was reeled in by a surprise tug in the blade. The tug pulled his entire form up close to the lich, a lich that so quickly released his sword and punched him in the face in one fluid motion. Crunch! [Warning: health below 50%] If Nathan''s nose wasn''t broken before, he was pretty sure it was now. The force behind the lich''s blow messed up his nose and tossed him back into the midst of the skeletons with an audible thud. As he struggled to catch his breath, he did the one thing he could to improve his dire situation. Status Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 16 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Bronze-Dungeoneer Strength: 19 Dexterity: 12 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 14 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Ra''hal coins: 15,690 Free points: 3] Two points to strength One point to constitution. Strength: 21 Constitution: 15 ## Free points: 0 A fuzzy feeling enveloped Nathan, as strength rushed into his body and his skin grew taut. His reasoning behind the specific increase in strength and constitution was simple: he needed to hit a lot harder, as it was he couldn''t even chip the lich''s bone. It was sad to note, but at the moment he was doing his best to rectify that flaw. Constitution, on the other hand, was him trying to avoid permanently losing his nose in this fight. Plus, his vitality was the only other stat he could think about increasing right now, and even that wouldn''t help him in this fight. After all, what point was there in having massive vitality if he could just be popped like a balloon? "Ugh" With a groan, Nathan got to his feet. The undead had formed a circle around him. This basically made him the middleman in what was technically a dead business. All Nathan knew was that circle or no circle, these minions shouldn''t be a threat to him if he was seriously going to fight the lich on the throne. Resolve shone through Nathan''s eyes as he charged at the closest undead, his blade carving through it like it was made up of Swiss cheese rather than bones.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. He crushed the head, and from there Nathan became nothing but a Berserker, a frontliner¡ªthe frontliner. His sword sang as it broke apart different bones like they had offended it. His blood felt on fire as the thrill of barbaric battle soothed his soul. Nathan hacked and slashed, breaking skulls like he intended to re-earn his Skull Crusher imprint, his blade blurring as it ended the struggles of undead after undead. Pieces of white bone flew about the pit as he delivered retribution. "Rarrrrrrgh" With a barbaric roar that made his vocal cords go raw, Nathan charged at the last four undead, delivering a single overhead strike that divided the unlucky undead into two rough halves. He used the flat of his blade to bash the skull of another, the force behind the strike breaking the skull even as it ripped it off its bony neck. Nathan''s sword whistled as he bisected the remaining two undead, his sword crushing the skull of one while he booted the skull of the other at the lich on the throne. His aim was true as it struck the lich square in its face, the skull shattering on contact. I still got it. He didn''t stay to revel in his ability to still shoot accurately, though. He rushed at the lich on the throne, making it five steps before it did something that gave Nathan pause. The lich stood, taking its crown and dropping it on the seat of the throne before walking off while pointing a bony finger at Nathan. The intensity of the flame in its eyes was way less than the first time he''d gazed into them. It let out that bizarre sound. Shit, I wasn''t fast enough. Lich has cast Bone Armor (II): The bones of a lich''s undead army have come to serve him again even at their re-death. An armor formed from the bones of its minions, giving the wearer a 10% boost on all stats No, that can''t be right. Nathan had been about to turn around and fight against the undead as he''d expected that to be what the bizarre sound the lich had made meant. When the notification appeared and he gave it a quick once-over, he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. The damned thing has its version of Blood Rebellion. He watched in horror as the bones of the fallen minions rushed at the lich like they were magnetized toward it. With his new reality setting in, Nathan quickly pulled out his minor health potion and consumed it in one gulp, not even tasting it as it went down his throat. The potion worked quickly, and Nathan could feel his health receive the 25% add-on, his nose fixing itself as the bleeding stopped. He estimated he was above 65% in health but not quite 75%, but the improved health had helped his marginal chances. Before the potion could drop to the ground, Nathan charged at the lich. Its bone armor had already been completed. The lich stood still, waiting for him to attack it. Shlunk! Nathan''s sword whistled as it broke through the first layers of the bone armor with ease, stopping at the skeleton of the lich itself. He was sure if the lich could''ve grinned, it would''ve. Instead, it settled for raking him across the chest with its skeletal fingers, the slash pushing him a few steps backwards. At least it''s not my nose. The lich charged at him before he could even get his footing, and it was all he could do to raise his sword to block the strike. The hand of the lich came down on his blade with so much force that it rattled his bones. With a weak groan of protest, Nathan managed to push the lich away from himself and immediately put distance between the pair. The lich was not deterred, though. It charged at him like a clingy lover, sidestepping Nathan''s hasty swing as it delivered a haymaker to his right side. [Warning: Health below 50%] Pain exploded around that region, and it was all that Nathan could do to avoid crying out as he was knocked off his feet. The lich didn''t even stop its attacks, even as he was on the floor. If anything, it intensified its efforts, likely sensing a quick victory. "Ommff" Nathan breathed as the air was knocked out of his lungs. The lich had stomped on his downed form, its skeletal foot meeting his chest with way more force than something as frail-looking as that should''ve had. His breath felt hot; it was difficult to even breathe with the foot on his chest. Nathan almost let out a sigh of relief when it pulled back its foot, just for it to kick him at his left side. "Ahhh" Nathan screamed as he felt a rib break as he was booted away like a ball. [Critical Warning: health below 25%] [Blood Rebellion triggered] Checkmate. It wasn''t quite checkmate yet, but Nathan could feel the temporary boost take hold in his stats. It''d been a while since he''d used Blood Rebellion, and he was going to make sure he utilized it like a madman. Scrambling to his feet, Nathan rushed at the lich, sword in hand, as he intended to make the lich pay in full for all the damage it had wrought upon his body. A simple slash at the side sheared off a good portion of the lich''s bone armor, with him receiving a punch in return. Nathan barely felt the impact of the punch, but he was certain it affected his health pool as he could feel it reduce with every hit he received. Without letting the lich repeat the attack, he pulled back his sword and delivered an overhead slash, aiming to split the stupid skull of the lich. Turns out the lich wasn''t stupid. It used both bony hands to catch Nathan''s sword mid-strike, trying to pull the blade out of his hands. With a growl of defiance, Nathan got both hands on his hilt and pressed the attack, hoping to overwhelm the lich. Soon enough, it became a contest of strength which the lich was clearly still winning, even with his Blood Rebellion boost. Nathan did the one thing that he knew would work: he let go of the sword, pulling his right arm and punching at the already unbalanced lich who hadn''t expected him to release the sword. Where there''d been a chance of the lich remaining standing after Nathan had left the blade, his punch had made sure that the lich fell on its arse, his sword clattering to the ground. Seeing his opening, Nathan punched downwards with all the strength that he could muster. His fist hit the lich''s skull, only leaving a crack, but he didn''t mind as his second fist was already on it, hitting it with so much force that an audible - CRACK! - echoed around the pit. The lich tried to swipe at him, but its attack was weak, and Nathan paid it no heed as he punched again, breaking through the skull and ending the lich''s imitation of life. He wasn''t satisfied with just breaking the skull, no. Nathan began ripping apart the skeleton of the lich with fury, tossing the various pieces in different directions. He only stopped when there was nothing left. Nathan stood to his full height, breathing heavily as his wounds ached all over. He waited for the feeling of euphoria to envelop him, but it didn''t. It took a breath or two before he noticed why. The bones he''d just disassembled were starting to come together slowly, the pieces coming back to the spot where he''d crushed the skull. No! No, no, noooo. Nathan dove for his sword as he began letting his mind whir. What exactly had he been missing? He kicked away the bones trying to reattach themselves as he tried to piece the problem together, but the bones were getting together faster than he could pull them apart. How did you kill liches? By destroying their phylactery. The answer¡ªa hope on Nathan''s part of how this was supposed to end¡ªcame from all the books and games he''d played. The torso of the lich had almost completed itself before he broke it apart, but it just started to reattach itself faster than before. He needed to end this, and he needed to end this fast. Scanning the pit for anything that could be the phylactery, he realized the only reasonable thing was the throne, or more precisely, what was on the seat of the throne. With his sword raised high, Nathan rushed at the throne, raising his sword as he struck at the crown that sat on the throne. Here goes nothing. 1 - 38. Wrong Underdog. As soon as Nathan''s sword made contact with the crown, a flash of light enveloped the pit. An unseen force blasted him away. He was flung through the air like a rag doll, his body bouncing off the ground several times before it came to a stop. When he finally did, he let out a weak grin. Bone Armor (II) dispelled Clearance requirement met: Dungeon unlocked. Dungeon cleared: Dungeon rewards available "Rest In Peace Lich" Nathan couldn''t help but laugh at how his knowledge of liches had saved his life. He certainly wasn''t going to be able to go another round with the lich in his condition; his health was way below 25%. A very intense feeling of euphoria enveloped him as he contemplated how busted up he was, his wounds closing up and his health going back to max levels. His mind felt refreshed, and his body felt like he''d just jumped on his couch after spinning signs. This, this is what Heaven must feel like. All too soon the feeling was gone, but he didn''t really get to dwell on that as a chest dropped on the floor a few feet away from him, causing Nathan to forget about the loss of euphoria. As he walked, he kept his mind blank on the possibilities of what could be in the chest. The system had pretty much toyed with his emotions on the last two dungeons he''d run, so he was going to take this a lot slower. Flipping open the chest, Nathan was glad that he''d kept his mind blank. The item in the chest gave him a lot more joy than if he''d actually expected it. In the wooden chest on a velvet pillow lay a sword, just like the one he currently wielded, just nicer, sturdier, and sharper-looking. Holyyyyy Picking up the blade, Nathan couldn''t help but marvel at its composition compared to his current sword in his other hand. This one just beat his old sword at everything that could be used to compare swords. The weight was still off, but it was definitely better than his first sword. It was a lot sharper too, from the looks of it. He needed to find out exactly what this sword was, so he analyzed it. Sword [Common (B-grade)] Nathan whistled at the information on the sword. Common grade - B might not be much, but it was a hell of a jump from a Common F-grade to that. He briefly wondered what a legendary sword was supposed to look like before he dismissed the thought. No point thinking about what I can''t have. Loot claimed, dungeon destabilizing in 3 minutes, all entities should exit the dungeon before the dungeon collapses into Ra''hal. Huh, the system gave me more time. The addition of a minute to the collapse countdown wasn''t something Nathan really expected. But considering the fact that he''d almost died fighting the lich, it might''ve just been the system giving him some time to mentally patch himself up before heading out. As far as he was concerned, he didn''t need the one minute. So with one last look at the lich that now became a pile of broken bones, Nathan rushed out of the dungeon, a sword in both hands. The purple sky illuminated the forest as Nathan turned around and began to walk, not even waiting to see how the dungeon collapsed. Something like that only amazed for a while before it became redundant. He walked for quite a bit, heading towards Blood Rock, when he came to a conclusion. This isn''t working. Walking while holding two swords that is. Eventually, one would have to go into his sheath and the other in his bag of holding. He just had to figure out which. Nathan was a rational person; his old sword was still in good condition, so he didn''t really see any need to swap it out for the new one. Yes, the new one was better in every aspect, but he wasn''t expecting any monster that was going to require him to break out his new sword. So that made the decision clear. Whipping out his bag of holding, he put the sword in and was about to put the bag back in his pockets when he heard something hop behind him. Please be a frog or a kangaroo even. Nathan''s wishes weren''t meant to be because when he located the source of the noise, he realized that it was the bunny, the stalker bunny. The rabbit had done enough to earn that title right about now with the way it kept finding him after his dungeon runs. He stared at the bunny who stared back at him with its cute and cuddly eyes, but of course, Nathan knew better than to believe the facade. The damned thing had tried to bite his head off but had failed woefully and now it was here, probably waiting on him to give it some of his fruit. He wanted to walk away, but the last time he''d tried that, the damned rabbit had tried following him till he settled it. He might as well just let it have some fruit and save himself the stress. [Neran Rabbit Level 16.] The damned thing had leveled up. Nathan wanted to pretend like he didn''t know how something that little and cute could level up so fast, but he''d seen what the bunny could do firsthand. "You think you''re so special because you leveled up, guess what? I leveled up too!"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Nathan hated himself as the words left his mouth, but they were true. Any third party would''ve found it weird that he was out in a forest competing with a damned bunny, but there was nothing normal about this bunny. Keeping an eye on the bunny, he called up his stat screen. Status A series of notifications filled the screen and Nathan quickly went through them. Level Up! 16 -> 17 Level Up! 17 -> 18 Level Up! 18 -> 19 Level Up! 19 -> 20 Congratulations New Imprint acquired - Wrong Underdog. Wrong Underdog - slay a foe five or more levels above you solo. [+5% Willpower] Nathan couldn''t believe his eyes. Not only had he gained four levels for killing the Lich, but he''d also earned a new Imprint. Talk about a cherry on the cake. Although if he was being honest, Nathan wouldn''t really say battling the lich had given him four levels as he''d already been on the cusp of level 17 before their fight. With a smile on his face, he checked out the screen he''d initially requested. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 20 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Bronze-Dungeoneer, Wrong-Underdog Strength: 21 Dexterity: 12 Vitality: 11 Constitution: 14 Perception: 10 Dao: N/A Ra''hal coins: 16,790 Free points: 8 Eight free points. He grinned at the number. Eight points wasn''t much, but it''d allow him the chance to address other areas he''d neglected for his strength. He would''ve waited to get home before allocating points, but there was nothing wrong with doing it now, especially if he was just alone with the bunny that wouldn''t attack him unless he went after it. Okay, let''s see which of you buggers need the most points. Nathan glossed through his stats one by one, no longer the naive level one berserker. He now knew which stats were more important to him at this point. He''d been in enough battles to know which stats could turn the tide in the blink of an eye and which stats were more of a luxury at this point. Strength Constitution Vitality Perception Dexterity That was the priority order for Nathan. Strength was his most obvious choice as it''d saved him more times than he could count. Constitution was fast becoming a crucial stat the more he fought; it meant he could take more hits while receiving less damage, something that a berserker like him would highly benefit from. Vitality was nowhere close to constitution for Nathan. The stat was only useful with an enhanced constitution; on its own, it was nothing more than a fad. Dexterity and perception were both stats that Nathan''s archetype didn''t really mesh with. A Berserker was supposed to hit things hard; both stats didn''t aid the archetype per se. With his priorities in order, Nathan began distributing his free points. Three to strength Two to constitution One to the rest Strength: 24 Dexterity: 13 Vitality: 12 Constitution: 16 Perception: 11 ## Free points: 0 Nathan watched as the system carried out his command without pause, his free points counting down until there was nothing left. After his fight with the lich, he had to admit it was good to have emergency points, but at this moment he didn''t plan on heading into any dungeons for the main time. And if push came to shove, he could always hit a couple of F-ranked dungeons for easy points. With his mind made up, he closed the screen. The face of a fluffy rabbit replaced the emptiness the system screen had left in its absence. For a brief spell, the pair stared each other down before Nathan folded and took six fruits out of his bag of holding and chucked them at the rabbit. Not waiting to watch its unnatural jaw, Nathan faced the direction of Blood Rock and resumed walking. For a moment, there was nothing but the sounds of far-away monsters roaring and making whatever sounds they could, and birds and insects chirping. Sounds that Nathan could appreciate, and for a good while when he walked, everything was as it should be. You''ve got to be kidding me. Nathan had half a mind to unsheathe his sword and battle right there, but he restrained himself and kept course. The damned rabbit was hopping after him, but this time he had no intentions of bending to the rabbit''s whims. It was free to follow him to Blood Rock if it wanted. The bunny couldn''t hurt him even if it tried; its paralysis skill was useful, but it wouldn''t give it anything to work with when it came down to actually killing him. So he trudged through the forest, paying no heed to the bunny that was hopping behind him, his mind set on getting back to the cabin and getting a good night''s rest. Nathan was so enthralled by the idea of a good night''s sleep that he missed when the hopping sound stopped. About Time. He didn''t turn back, but he assumed that the bunny had given up on following him and was now doing its own thing, which was something Nathan could appreciate. After all, nobody liked a stalker, no matter how cute it was. Bunny aside, the notion of time did remind him of something he''d forgotten to check up on. Time till the tutorial ends? Planet Grade: F Populating World... Time till completion - 0 [11:54:27] Spawning Dungeons and Monsters... Time till completion - 0 [11:54:27] Tutorial Ongoing... Time till completion - 0 [11:54:27] Strongholds: 5 Nathan read the information with a half-focus as he continued to walk, dismissing the screen once he got the gist of it. By the looks of things, the tutorial would probably be over by the time he woke up tomorrow. He wondered what that''d mean in general for Earth as a whole, what it would mean for the dungeons and monsters still spawning. Would it be the end of them or the beginning? That was the question. Nathan was about to begin mulling over it when he heard a pained roar, one that seemed to be coming from his stronghold ¡ª Blood Rock. Clearing his thoughts, Nathan unsheathed his sword and ran toward Blood Rock, running through the southern gates when a bizarre sight hit him. Something was in front of his cabin, roaring in pain. Walking slowly and carefully, Nathan got close enough to identify the monster who stopped roaring as soon as he entered its field of vision, the eyes tracking his every movement. Nathan analyzed the black-furred animal with haste. [Okare Panther Level 27] "Whoa" The monster was way higher than he''d initially thought, and Nathan wasn''t sure he''d have been able to take the panther down in the open. But with Sebalos'' hand on one of its paws, he might just have a shot. The monster must have read his thoughts because it let out an ear-piercing roar before charging towards Nathan, one of its paws still in the clamp even as it headed for him, he knew that had to hurt like crazy. Do panthers have phylacteries? 1 - 39. The Big Cat. Nathan had initially wanted to stand still and meet the Panthers'' attack head-on, but from the way he saw it, it wasn''t planning on just barreling into him. The panther was going to try and bite him in half. The size of the thing and the way its fangs looked under the glow of the purple sky was enough to make Nathan change his decision. Nathan ran hard and fast, changing directions as often as possible, with the panther letting out frustrated roars anytime Nathan changed direction. Well, I''m not going to stay still and let you kill me. The only reason why running was working for him so far was quite simple to deduce: the trap from Sebalos'' hand was firmly clamped on one of the panther''s paws. While the trap was strong and heavy enough to catch and hold down a bunny or even a master Imp, he highly doubted that it could hold down the panther. Hell, he was watching the panther run even with a clamped leg, and while Sebalos'' hand didn''t carry out its task as best as he''d have liked, it was still the only reason why he was breathing right now. The clamp on the front left paw was obviously slowing it down, but even with the handicap, the panther wasn''t more than a few feet behind Nathan. It chased him like he was something that belonged to it, and Nathan ran like he did have something that belonged to it. Eventually, Nathan began to flag, and so did the panther, judging by the way its breathing had changed and its roars had gotten quieter with each random turn Nathan took in the open clearing. The entire thing reminded Nathan of the bull and the guy who held the red cloth that made the bull charge. He''d often shake his head, but he couldn''t do that now as he was both the red flag and the man at the same time. In other words, Nathan was nothing more than a moving target. I have to make a stand before I trip. A very valid concern if you asked the still-running Nathan. The difference between running in a straight line and zigzags was quite alarming. The possibilities of falling over his own feet were even more concerning, and he''d rather stand and fight on his own terms than fall to the ground and have to fend off a pissed panther on his arse. Pivoting on a whim, he turned and faced the panther with a grim smile on his face, his concentration at the maximum levels he could afford right now. The panther seemed to appreciate Nathan''s bravery in the face of certain death as it let out a much louder roar at the sight of him standing still, rapidly eating up the distance between them. The sound rattled Nathan''s bones, but his mind was unaffected, and that was important in battle¡ªa calm and sound mind. His fears faded into the background as an unnatural calmness enveloped him. Calmness was nice, but he didn''t need nice right now; he needed rage. So he called upon his rage, and it answered like it had been waiting all along. With his sword, Nathan met the panther''s charge with a slash. An awkward paw slapped his sword out of his hand, the force tossing Nathan a distance away. His body bounced off the clearing ground before coming to a stop. At least I didn''t lose 25% on one strike. Nathan internally chuckled at his sense of humor before spitting out the blood in his mouth to the side. A brief inspection confirmed that nothing had been broken, which was a way better outcome than he could''ve hoped for at the start. He quickly scrambled to his feet, spying his sword lying at the place he''d been rag-dolled from. The panther was charging at him awkwardly, probably trying to avoid putting too much weight on its injured front left paw. Nathan didn''t think about it too much, as he was simply trying to figure out how he was supposed to get his sword. The simplest way was just to run the panther around in circles and pick up his sword as soon as possible. That was what he did, much to the annoyance of the panther, who had assumed that Nathan would have stood still and fought him like a barbarian. No thanks. He couldn''t even consider using his fists to try and fight something like that. At best, he''d break his fists against its tough skin; at worst, it would bite off Nathan''s fist. Those were two outcomes that he''d rather avoid. Circling the panther, which was hot on his heels, he swooped down and grabbed his sword as fast as he could and got into a sort of stance, waiting to meet the panther''s charge. Nathan thrust his sword at the face of the panther as soon as it got within point-blank range. The panther''s momentum was too much to allow it to change the position of its big head. The blade and the point of his sword met. Crack! The sound echoed in the clearing. His sword had begun to sport cracks that spiderwebbed from the point of his blade that had met the panther''s forehead¡ªa terrible foreboding of what was to come. Nathan could do nothing but watch as his sword broke into pieces, all the iron apart until he was left holding nothing but the hilt of his first-ever sword. Shit! Shit was right, as the panther didn''t hesitate to capitalize on the latest change. From close range, it opened its mouth wide as it bit at Nathan. All he could do was put his left arm in the way, hoping that it would be enough to protect him from the bite. It didn''t.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Crunch! Snap! "Arghhhhhh!" Nathan let out a heart-wrenching scream as the fangs of the panther tore into his arm like it was an apple, snapping the bones as it clamped down and multiplying the pain tenfold. It threw him away, using the injured arm as leverage. "Oompf" [Warning: health below 75%] He landed on his side, cradling the injured arm with the uninjured one. He''d thrown away the hilt of his sword as it was as useless as his injured arm. As fast as he could, he pulled out his new sword from his bag of holding. Please give me a better chance. Letting his injured arm dangle on its own, Nathan gritted his teeth as he pushed back the pain into the deepest part of his mind, letting calmness replace the fury and pain that had been bubbling up since the start of their fight. Yin and Yang. Nathan sought the balance that Kora had so often told him about¡ªthe balance that would make his entire mind and body become one, the balance that would give him equal parts fury and equal parts calmness. He could feel something within his soul begin to stir, but Nathan pushed it down. He couldn''t afford to use the toilet right now if that was what his body was trying to inform him about. Mentally crossing his fingers and hoping that he wouldn''t shit himself mid-battle, Nathan rushed at the panther that had begun casually walking towards him. The limp in its step, where Sebalos'' hand made its steps uneven, was the only thing that spoiled its gaze¡ªthe only thing that made the picture of a predator heading towards its prey less appealing. Nathan had no idea which attack he was going to execute that would leave a mark on the panther, but he''d rather raise his blade and attempt to end the damned thing than kneel and usher it forward to bite off his head. No. There would be no kneeling on his path. If the panther wanted his head, it would have to defeat him to get it. "Rargghhhhhh" Rapidly closing the distance between him and the panther, Nathan let out a barbaric roar¡ªone that had equal parts fury and equal parts calm. One that brought into sound how he felt in the moment, one that fueled Nathan''s charge. When Nathan''s blade met the panther''s forehead, which didn''t bother to dodge this time, it sang a good two inches before coming to a halt. The panther slapped the blade away with a paw, backing away from Nathan with a roar of pain. Not so cocky are we. His new blade had shown the difference in quality with the old. The sword sank two inches into the panther''s flesh where the other had broken in contact with the forehead¡ªto be fair to his previous sword, it had seen a lot of battle, which had probably weakened it. The slash at the panther was probably the calm before the storm. Resetting his stance, Nathan decided to calm down and think before pressing the attack mindlessly. Sometimes the panther already had a head start, its eyes tracking each movement he made. Both he and the panther were losing blood to their wounds: him because of the bite that had mangled his left arm, and the panther because of Sebalos'' hand on its front left paw. He could tell that the trap was draining the health of the panther just like the wound on his arm did him. The panther seemed to have tired of the wait as it charged at him, but Nathan was ever ready, his stance set as best as he could. His sword arched diagonally, starting from the sky as he hoped to slash at the panther''s exposed head. Hope blossomed in his heart that he could end the battle in one strike, even when he knew he was just being delusional. Delusional he could work with¡ªafter all, confidence was a close sibling to it, and he needed as much confidence as he could get to see this battle through. His sword completed its arc, meeting nothing but air as the panther side-stepped the attack, running past Nathan instead of counter-attacking. Weird. That was the only thought that Nathan could manage on the matter before an overgrown panther load of force hit him from behind, tossing him into the air. He hadn''t been ready for it, but he held his sword tightly as he was flung through the air. His entire body ached as he landed roughly a few feet away. This was the fourth or fifth time that he''d been rag-dolled within a handful of hours. The lich and the panther seemingly preferred to manhandle him rather than fight with honor and dignity. Nathan would have laughed at the stupid scenarios his mind was drumming up if not for the notification that flashed in his face before disappearing. [Warning: health below 50%] Quickly scrambling to his feet, he ignored the protest by his body as he reset his stance. The first strains of uncertainty started to seep into his mind as the new information brought to light the fact that he wasn''t sure if Blood Rebellion would be enough to handle this beast. Maybe I can go for the eyes. It was a cheap trick as far as tactics went, but if it could work as it did against the Alpha and win him this battle, then Nathan wouldn''t mind in the slightest. An end to this battle by any means that would see him the survivor was what he needed to achieve. Eyes it is. Nathan charged at the panther, the inkling of a plan boosting his steps as he prepared to strike. Getting within range, he thrust at the left eye of the panther¡ªa last-gasp attempt to end the battle quickly. The panther batted the sword away mid-thrust, throwing its aim off as it barreled into him, knocking him off his feet. His sword clattered a stone''s throw away from his position. Bollocks. [Critical Warning: health below 25%] [Blood Rebellion triggered] Faster than he could move, the panther pounced on him, its jaws going for his throat. However, he wasn''t going to stay still and watch. With the knowledge of Blood Rebellion triggered, Nathan threw a wild haymaker at the panther. His strike connected cleanly, doing nothing but pushing the panther a finger away and enraging it. Oh oh. The panther went for another attempt at biting off his throat. Even as Nathan tried to pull back his hands for another punch, he knew he wasn''t going to be fast enough. Blood Rebellion had failed. Just as he was contemplating what he could do, a flash of white entered his field of vision. Nathan watched in amazement as the ball of white hit the panther with as much effect as a marble hitting a door. It bounced back like it had hit a solid wall, but its attack seemed to have had its intended effect¡ªone that might have just saved his life. 1 - 40. Friend or foe (III) Nathan couldn''t focus on the ball of white¡ªnope. The panther simply glared at the offender who hopped a few feet away before opening its jaws to bite out his throat. He watched with crossed fingers as the panther seemed to freeze mid-attack, its hot breath hitting his face. Yeah, I''ve been there before. The memory of his body seizing up after touching the bunny was enough to make Nathan involuntarily shudder. The motion caused him to get back in the game. Quickly pushing the panther off of him, he watched it fall to its side without a sound. Its muscles probably weren''t going to respond to such commands even if it had wanted to be vocal about its displeasure. As soon as he was on his feet, he dashed for his sword, sparing a glance at his savior¡ªthe bully rabbit. The bunny stood a couple of feet away from the panther with a look of innocence on its face. Shaking his head, he made his way back to the panther, raising his sword with his uninjured hand gripping it as he hacked and hacked. His sword only went about three inches deep no matter which part of the panther''s body he hacked. This is bad. He didn''t know if the bunny''s increase in level meant that the skill it used to incapacitate him that day¡ªParalytic Slime¡ªhad seen an increase in duration. But if it hadn''t, he had only seconds before the skill wore off. This is a bad idea. Even as he got into position, Nathan knew it was a bad idea¡ªnot that it wouldn''t work against the panther, it probably would. The bad part about the idea was that if the bunny was smart, it''d probably use this tactic the next time it used its skill against him. Fuck it. Nathan thrust his sword through the eyes of the panther. An audible¡ª*Squelch*¡ªechoed across the clearing. The blade easily slid into its eyes killing the beast. A wave of euphoria passed through him, but Nathan kept his eyes on the bunny, quickly pulling his sword out and watching it carefully just to see if it''d attack him. It didn''t. It just looked at him, as though waiting for something. "Alright, thanks for saving my life." The bunny didn''t seem interested in the acknowledgment from Nathan, and he didn''t know if it had been because he''d said it begrudgingly. While words might have failed, he had a good idea of what wouldn''t. With his free and now fully healed hand, he took a fruit out of his bag of holding and tossed it at the bunny, his sword in his hand just in case it had other ideas on how the night should end. Turns out his fears were unfounded as the bunny simply gobbled up the fruit before hopping away, probably back into its lair of bones. Huh, you really wanted that additional fruit. Nathan was left facing an empty direction as the bunny had already disappeared into the night. How it had entered his stronghold, he still had no idea. Sighing at the unanswered question, he turned to face the panther. Its body was much more massive than he''d initially imagined when he''d been fighting it. Now dead, he could settle down and look at it properly without the thrill of battle clouding his senses. He went around the corpse, poking at it from different angles. A picture of its muscles was definitely something to hang up on the wall of a gym. The damned beast was ripped, unnaturally so¡ªprobably the system bulking it up as it did him whenever he added to his strength stat. Nathan rubbed his arm, the cold getting to him as his adrenaline faded. Winter was almost here. He stared at the corpse, trying to decide if it''d be worth it to make a coat out of the panther''s fur, but stopped himself with a short chuckle. For goodness'' sake, he didn''t have any idea how to skin the damned thing, let alone make a fur coat. Plus, there was the fact that the system degraded corpses much faster than usual, and he had no idea how to preserve anything like that. He let out a sigh at the lost opportunity. A fur coat would definitely serve him well when winter fully began. The fireplace in the cabin worked pretty well, but he highly doubted that he''d be in the cabin all that much. He had to level up fast and simultaneously get enough coins to build up the defenses of Blood Rock. "Level Up" Status Level Up! 20 -> 21 Level Up! 21 -> 22 Level Up! 23 -> 24 A triumphant grin spread across Nathan''s face at the notification. He''d leveled up seven times this night alone. A wild part of him thought about marking this day down as something special, but he didn''t have his phone on him, and he didn''t really think it should matter much. I plan to level up way more times than this.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Seven was impressive, but it wasn''t anything special in the grand scheme of things. If the system was sending the weakest monsters first and this panther was already at level 27, then Nathan had a lot of work to do to catch up and surpass whatever monster was of the highest level right now. He poked at the panther some more, trying to figure out if he should wing it and just experiment with eating the meat. Maybe he might even gain some extra levels just by eating up the monster. Of course, there was the chance that he''d not be able to actually survive eating the food and he''d die from food poisoning, or maybe he''d eat it and it''d mutate him in some weird way by giving him something like whiskers or claws. Claws would be cool though. I''m not so sure about whiskers. He imagined how weird he''d look walking around with whiskers. A human with cat features¡ªwhat would be terrible about him mutating like that was that it''d be a lot harder to explain it to other humans. He was pretty sure if he saw something human-looking with only the difference being whiskers, he''d attack. No questions asked, maybe a few questions asked after he''d neutralized it as best as he could. Too many uncertainties. Eating the panther had the probability of doing more harm than good to him at the moment. Yes, he had fruits, but it wasn''t infinite. Three hundred fruits wouldn''t last him through two months, and he had way less than three hundred fruits right now. Then there was the issue of having another mouth to feed. Freaking bunny. The killer bunny had probably seen fit to mark Nathan down as a free source of food. With what had just transpired between them, he''d be heartless not to share. A bunny saving his life was definitely not one of the things that he''d expected when he''d finally accepted that the apocalypse was real. His new reality had started to sink in around two days ago. This was the new world, and he was more than prepared to make the apocalypse nothing more than his playground. Grow stronger beyond till nothing could bother him¡ªthat was the path of the introvert. Path of the introvert. Nathan chuckled at the name, but that was his reality. Like every other introvert, he just wanted to be left alone. If the monsters stood between him and achieving that goal, then they''d be dead before they even knew it. Shaking his head, he dismissed the notification as he called forth his stats. [Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 24 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Bronze Dungeoneer, Wrong Underdog Strength: 24 Dexterity: 13 Vitality: 12 Constitution: 16 Perception: 11 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 16,790 Free Points: 6 He glanced at his stats. While the battle against the panther had taught him that he was still a long way from being ready to take on the heavy hitters, the stats here would probably help him close the gap a little. Right now, he was thinking about holding off before he''d make a hasty decision. I''ll do it tomorrow. Nathan dismissed the screen. He couldn''t make a crucial decision like this right after a big fight like this. The fight against the lich had him fight logically, using his head to piece together tactics on the fly. The fight¡ªif you could even call it that¡ªbetween him and the panther had been scrappy. He''d been desperate for anything. He had no sense of direction or a particular tactic that he could have even applied. The power gap between the two of them made it difficult for him to even visualize something remotely workable. A power gap that had made him feel the need to up his game. The apocalypse wouldn''t toy with him. He''d toy with it. He''d make sure that whoever was responsible for overstepping on human territory would regret that decision. Exactly my point. Nathan shook his head to clear his bloodthirsty thoughts. He was definitely not going to make the right decision allocating the points he had. As it was, his entire body just wanted him to chuck all the free points into his strength stat. It didn''t sound bad for a Berserker to want to throw all their stat points into the most utilized stat by the archetype, but Nathan just wasn''t any Berserker. He was smart¡ªat least he thought he was. Sure, he''d made a couple of dumb decisions here and there, but nobody was perfect. Plus, he was young; he''d learn, and he''d learn fast. What little experience he had right now was telling him that dumping all his points into his strength stat would be nothing more than a huge mistake. One that only an amateur would make, and Nathan was no noob. Even when he was playing a game, he never considered himself a noob. For him, the apocalypse was nothing more than a very elaborate game¡ªone that he was going to dominate until he found the off switch and flicked it. "I wonder what Deucalion is doing right now." He''d never met the person behind the nickname on the game server, but they''d spoken a couple of times over multiplayer games, and he seemed like a pretty chill guy. There was also Kora, and if he had to hazard a guess, he''d say the short girl had probably gone for the Monk Archetype. With one last look at the corpse, Nathan headed up into the cabin. The warmth from the fireplace enveloped Nathan as he closed the door behind him. Normally, Nathan would have gone to have his bath immediately, but right now he was way too tired mentally to bother. Sitting on the cabin floor and looking at the magical fire as it crackled, he tried to put a stamp on what he actually planned on doing about addressing his current problems. For one, a single trap that had already been used on the panther wasn''t going to protect the entire place. There was a good chance that the trap could be reusable, and he''d check tomorrow once the corpse had degraded enough for him to easily take it off the panther''s paws. That was a step, but like he''d already realized, he needed way more in the way of protection than a single trap. The system had offered him one way, but that wasn''t the only thing he could do. Sebalos'' hand had cost him four thousand Ra''hal Coins, and he''d had to disguise it himself. It was certainly much more advanced than anything he could have made himself, but he didn''t really need an exquisitely made trap. He just needed traps¡ªlots and lots of traps. I''ll try doing it myself. With that settled, Nathan stretched out on the cabin floor, and for the first time since building the cabin, he slept beside the fireplace. He''d slept for maybe a handful of hours at most when a loud chime echoed in his head. Nathan groggily woke up to check what was happening, running a hand over his face he cleared his eyes enough to see what was happening, and a grin spread across his face at the new notification. [Tutorial Period has Ended] 1 - 41. Flamethrower. Ciara backed against the tower wall, panting heavily. The damned goblins had managed to take out three members of her makeshift squad within the last seven days. Even though she knew that it wasn''t technically a bad number if you considered the squad had consisted of eleven people when this whole fiasco had started. "Tasha, draw their fire. Ruben, make a run for the chief. I''ll try to cover you." She couldn''t blame Ruben for the look in his eyes when she''d called out the order, but how in the hell was she supposed to get them out safely if they weren''t willing to risk their lives? Drats. She''d barely turned eighteen before the whole world seemed to have gone to shit, a weird screen popping up in her face while she was at the school dance. She''d thought it was an elaborate prank at the time, plus it could''ve been easily explained by her being high out of her mind. She liked to think that the rebellious nature of teens was to blame for that. "No way I''m going a step closer to that thing," Ruben screamed from his own cover. Coward! The lot of them¡ªshe wasn''t one to judge, but every single one of these fellow senior men and ladies who''d been at the party with her were, for lack of an uncouth vocabulary... cowards. The only reason they''d even survived this long was because of her guidance and leadership, not to brag of course, but it was nothing but cold hard facts. Most of the others that had scrambled away after stupidly accepting the chance of this freak show of a tutorial were dead. "What kind of Berserker are you?" Ciara screamed in frustration. Part of her frustration came from the fact that their remaining squad of nine wasn''t even up to the task of an up-close battle. They had two priests, three rangers, two rogues, a mage¡ªher¡ªand a dead berserker if Ruben didn''t get his ass moving. "Uhmm... the sane kind." She wanted to curse at him but held herself back so as not to beat down on the already six-foot-deep squad morale. Her father had always said that morale was the most important thing for soldiers, more so than ammunition, and she was starting to see the sense behind it. More than half the squad had chosen their archetypes because it sounded cool or because their friends chose the same one. Heck, some picked their archetype based on video games they''d played. The funniest or most frustrating part of these actions, depending on how she looked at it, was the fact that most of them didn''t even know how to use their weapons. The people who had ones that required little to no IQ were too scared to even try. A good example was Ruben, who was supposed to have gone berserk yesterday. Like seriously, how hard was it for that wimp to swing a sword? "Tasha, Daniel, cover me. Pirlo, you''re with me. The rest of you guys make yourselves useful," Ciara ordered, her squad mates already moving. "Oh, and Ruben. Go to hell." The boy audibly gulped, but she couldn''t care less. Their lives were on the line, and he''d rather hide in a hole than fight a couple of level seven goblins. To his credit, the chief goblin was a level ten monster. Tasha and Daniel were their best rangers. They weren''t good shots by a long mile, but they were the best she had, and it was all she could do to flash them a weak smile as they got into position. Pirlo was already on his way to her. The rogue was something of a wildcard; he seemed to take a good liking to their new reality in a way that freaked her out as a person but pleased her as a squad leader. He was, for lack of better words, an intense person who rarely spoke, preferring to keep to himself unless spoken to. The daggers by his side were short, shorter than the swords Ruben had so graciously gotten from the system upon choosing his archetype. Ciara wouldn''t compare, though. Pirlo had been far more competent with his pair of daggers than Ruben with his sword. Never lose sight of the enemy. Her father''s knowledge as a top-ranking officer in the military was coming up clutch for her right about now. A little part of her crumpled inwardly as she stared at her fellow civilians looking up to her for leadership. Excluding her and Pirlo for some weird reason, the rest of the squad wasn''t mentally equipped to deal with the horrors of a battlefield. Heck, even she wasn''t, but she''d been raised by someone who''d lived that life, so it was a bit of a one-sided comparison. Duty had found her, and she''d lead and lead as best as she could. Peeking over the little wall of cover, she focused on the goblins at the other end of the room. [ Goblin Level 6 ] [ Goblin Level 7 ] [ Goblin Level 7 ] [ Goblin Level 6 ] [ Goblin Level 5 ] [ Goblin Level 6 ] [ Goblin Level 5 ] [ Goblin Level 7 ] [ Chief Goblin Level 10 ] I should''ve just gone to military school. Maybe then she''d actually have a chance, surrounded by competent people who''d been drilling day and night for fights. Goblins weren''t what military schools were built to teach, but at the end of the day, he who was taught to fight would figure out how to adapt and overcome any obstacle. Adapt and overcome. The system had directed them to the nearest tower, which just looked like something right out of a goth person''s dreams. It looked worse from the outside; the appearance screamed death, but it was a party plus there was a system threatening to throw them into ready incursion zones if they refused to comply. The moment they''d gotten within range of the tower, things that she''d never known before began to flood her brain. New information that she couldn''t explain.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Everything about the system seemed to make sense to her, how to command it and how to utilize it to its full potential. It was like an apocalypse for dummies had been implanted in her head when she wasn''t looking. A whole dictionary and bestiary dropped into her head with all the names and images of weird monsters and objects. It went through her mind so fast that she doubted she''d actually learned anything at all. Her regular scans on the goblins were enough to let her know that she had. Whatever the system was, it hadn''t come to play. It had basically given them a crash course on the apocalypse and thrust them into towers so as to learn by doing. In other words: learn fast or die still trying. Ciara had no plans to die anytime soon; she''d just turned eighteen for goodness sake. "You ready?" Pirlo asked with that intense tone of his. "A moment. Diane, Jack, buff us," Ciara said as she stood to her feet, staring at the Goblin party with as much confidence as she could muster, for her sake and theirs. A warm feeling enveloped her, and she could tell the same had happened to Pirlo because he looked a lot less intense. She felt her skin tighten up as Diane buffed her up. The feeling probably meant that she''d used her Iron-skin(I) skill. When they''d gone over skills, Diane had said that it gave a five percent boost on constitution, making her a little bit harder to hit. As a mage, Ciara was very grateful for the boost, as up-close fights were the obvious weakness of the Mage Archetype. She''d chosen the spellcaster class once she''d hit level five and the system had offered it to her. It was an uncommon class but better than the others on the list like enchanters, and warlocks. Plus, it came with two skills, which was one more than the common classes that Diane and Jack had gotten. Pirlo had remained tight-lipped on his class, only informing them that he''d chosen the rogue Archetype. At the time, Ciara had really wanted to press the information about what his class was as she was trying to identify their strengths and weaknesses, but she let it slide wisely. He was their only heavy hitter. The other rogue, Yola, was just as scared as Ruben, but at least with Yola, it was easier to comprehend since she was of the rogue Archetype, or vultures, as the system had labeled them. As soon as the warm feeling faded, Ciara nodded to Pirlo, and he nodded back. There wasn''t any need for the pair to communicate. The plan was simple: he''d try to take out the chief as fast as possible while she''d cast her two skills¡ªFireball (I) and Flamethrower (I)¡ªto split the goblins'' focus, and the rangers behind them would try to take out as many goblins as they could. Adapt and overcome. Pirlo charged, daggers by his side, and Ciara couldn''t help but glance at Ruben cowering behind a wall. Their eyes met. She didn''t even know what her eyes said, but whatever he must''ve seen in them made him look at the ground sheepishly. Bloody civilians. Ciara spun and followed suit way behind Pirlo, who''d eaten up enough distance that she wasn''t sure she''d get into position before they ganged up on him, but somehow she managed. Arrows whistled by her ears even as she began to cast¡ªa chantless cast but still one that took time. The result, though, was worth it. Ciara chucked fireball after fireball at three goblins who were looking to intercept Pirlo, the fireball eating through their skin a bit before going¡ªpoof. Shriekkkk! The sounds the monsters made were an abomination to her ears. Heck, it sounded like the kind of music a couple of her high school friends had listened to. If they survived, she''d certainly recommend a party with goblins to them. She had a five-second delay between every fireball, and while something like that would''ve cost her her life if she was alone, it didn''t while she was in a group. The goblins didn''t even get to finish shrieking before more pain came their way, multiple arrows whistling past and hitting them. Ciara winced at the sight, though. Her rangers needed to get better with their accuracy. So many arrows had clattered uselessly against the ground while a few had met their mark. She wouldn''t complain, though. It was better to have them distracting the goblins while she recast some more fireballs, chucking them at the still-shrieking goblins. From the corner of her eyes, she watched in equal parts amazement and concern as Pirlo dismantled his foes. The goblins he''d had to take on alone numbered six, including the Chief Goblin, who seemed content to let the battle play out, only letting shrieks to probably order around its minions. Whatever it was doing definitely wasn''t working, though, because Pirlo was cutting through them like butter. His daggers were coated in black blood as they flashed again and again, tearing at the skins of the goblins relentlessly even as their own rusty daggers bit into his skin. He''d already downed four goblins; it was only a matter of time till the chief remained, and she had to be ready to help when the time came. Refocusing on her own battle, she threw a fireball, hitting a goblin straight on its face, and watched with triumph as it fell to the ground, trying to put out the flames before going still. A moment had barely passed between her taking down that goblin before an arrow embedded itself through the eye of another. Lucky shot. Ciara snickered but flashed a thumbs up to the rangers somewhere behind her before taking down the last goblin with two fireballs to the chest. With that done, she faced Pirlo, who''d already finished slaying the minions. The scrawny kid, probably her age, was going blow for blow with the chief goblin, although from where she was standing, Pirlo wouldn''t last much longer with the way the chief''s club was battering him. No curses, I''m a lady. She really wanted to curse but didn''t, not even internally. With a sense of urgency, she dashed towards the chief, her skill already being cast. "Get out of the way," Ciara screamed to Pirlo. The wiry boy didn''t even waste time getting out of the way, content in the knowledge he''d played his part. Satisfied with the distance that Pirlo had put between himself and the chief, Ciara let her second skill rip¡ªFlamethrower(I). Oppressive heat left out her two palms facing the chief, who''d decided to walk towards the source rather than dive out of the way. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and much to Ciara''s despair, the chief Goblin did not stop. It kept advancing till it was within range to swing its club. Thwack! That was the sound the club made as it met her skin, the blow disrupting her skill and making pain explode on her right thigh, which had been on the receiving end of the attack. She tried to stay strong for her squad mates, but her body betrayed her. She fell to the ground with a thud. Iron-skin(I) had done its best against the force of the swing, but it wasn''t going to save her if the chief goblin completed the new blow it had coming for her head. Spurt! Thud! Ciara let out a gasp of relief as soon as the body of the chief dropped beside her, a dagger protruding from its neck while a wiry boy stood looking in disgust at the dead goblin. A wave of euphoria passed through her at the death of the chief, and Ciara let it wash through her, healing her injuries as the same happened to Pirlo. The boy took out his dagger as though he didn''t care about the euphoria the same way she did. To each his own, I suppose. Status. Level up 6 -> 7 Name: Ciara Rone Moniker: N/A Level: 7 Archetype: Mage Class: Spellcaster Imprint: N/A Strength: 5 Dexterity: 6 Vitality: 7 Constitution: 6 Perception: 5 Intelligence: 8 Mana: 30 / 70 Mana regeneration (per minute): 0.3 Dao: N/A Ra''hal coins: 450 Free points: 2 Ciara was still trying to figure out what to allocate her new points to when a new notification came in¡ªone that intrigued her because she''d heard Pirlo gasp¡­ Pirlo. Looking at the new notification, she could understand why. [ Tutorial Period has Ended ] [ Distributing tutorialists to incursion zones in 5 4 3 2 1 0 ...] 1 - 42. Self- development. On a scale of one to ten, Tristan didn''t know how high he was supposed to place the freaking apocalypse that had come out of nowhere, shattering his life into a dozen pieces. He''d just finished applying what he''d learned in a couple of personal development courses, simply because he hadn''t liked the way he''d been in high school and middle school. Shy and reserved is how his friends would often put it, but he really just preferred to be on his own. Still, Tristan knew that no person could really be an island, and so he strived to bridge the gap, getting out of his comfort zone as he began to improve his social life. Meeting more people and interacting with as many people as he could in a day. Young, old, stranger or not¡ªTristan didn''t care much. For him, it was just a way to train his brain to be more comfortable around people until he didn''t need to sit at the back of the class during lectures. It''d all been going great for him. He was currently in his first year of college and he''d already had more friends than back in high school and middle school combined. Proof of growth for Tristan¡ªthat was until the system had come to destroy everything about seven days ago, talking about a tutorial and whatnot. He''d scoffed at the time, and so had the other five people he''d been with. It seemed as though a mass prank was being orchestrated by someone somewhere, and most of them in the room had been prepared to dismiss the offer of the tutorial when a couple of "what ifs" echoed across the room, and they all eventually ended up accepting the tutorial. It had been a big mistake. A way bigger mistake than him forgetting to take his PB sandwich to school, a way bigger mistake than eating a lot the morning before gym class. They''d immediately gotten directions to what the system called a Tower rift. At the time, he hadn''t known what it was, but right about this moment, he wished he hadn''t had the chance to find out. The weird system had told him¡ªand probably the rest of those in the room, by the looks on their faces¡ªthat they''d be booted from the tutorial if they didn''t head up to the nearest tower. For a moment, they''d tried to contemplate the matter before ultimately deciding to check out the tower rift. If the elaborate invite to the party wasn''t on the level of the actual path, he and his friends would bounce. I wish I had known. I would''ve called my mom and brother. Tristan wanted to say he was smart, but looking back at that moment, there were a couple of regrets he had. Maybe he should''ve refused to go with the crowd and actually declined the tutorial. He''d probably be at his home sleeping or something. The option of being booted out of the tutorial was seeming more and more like the best option with every passing second in this freaking tower. I can''t imagine anything worse than this. They were on the fourth floor of the tower, but they weren''t alone. Lots of other people were on the floor with them. Their little group of six had lost two people. He''d lost two friends, Mara and Zion. The pair had died on the first day, and Tristan couldn''t even believe it at that point. He''d hoped that it was a joke, but at the end of the day, it wasn''t. Their corpses turned to husks before the next day, decomposing so fast you''d have thought they''d been dead for weeks. They grieved and mourned their dead friends, but at the end of the day, they had to move. More than half the people they''d met on the first floor had moved up higher, battling the goblins that seemed to dominate every floor¡ªtheir levels higher the more they climbed. It took the deaths of Mara and Zion for the rest of his friends to sit up. Everyone was alert and pissed off at the same time, and there was no better place for them to seek revenge than in that tower. The goblins on the first floor were level one to two monsters according to the system, but in the numbers that they came in, they were hard to kill¡ªespecially since most of the humans in the place didn''t even know how to coordinate themselves. Most of the attacks meant for goblins hit other humans. The large group of different people caused more mayhem amongst themselves than the goblins could''ve ever done. By the time they''d headed up to the third floor on the fifth day, more than half the initial people who had been on the first floor with them didn''t make it that far up. They''d died fighting goblins that seemed to never run out of energy or manpower¡ªthe two things that the makeshift human company couldn''t compete with. The system had thrown them a lifeline, though, giving them the chance of getting Archetypes and weapons after hitting level two. It''d helped for a while before it started to cause problems within the camp. Around a hundred people cramped up on a tower floor with swords, axes, bows, daggers, and whatever weapon you could think about was bound to cause problems. It''d been minuscule at first, nothing more than a few clashes that they''d termed "play fighting." But Tristan knew better, and he told his friends¡ªDarius, Rose, Sebastian, and Lisa¡ªnot to even consider joining the measurement contest going on. The breaks between waves of monsters allowed the adrenaline junkies in the crowds ample time to do stupid things like that. A little part of Tristan was begrudgingly grateful to the system for preventing them from feeling hunger or thirst in the tower. Something like that would''ve totally destroyed the fragile unity of the humans. A single source of food or water would cause competition between all in the tower and that would, in turn, lead to something that Tristan would''ve loved to avoid.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But I had to be stuck with power-hungry fools. Tristan had a hunch that the system had done all it could to prevent infighting between the humans when they were in the tower, but one thing it hadn''t accounted for was a power tussle¡ªone that had been brewing since the first floor but didn''t materialize till when they cleared the second floor two days ago. Classes. That was the ignition for the power tussle. People started getting their classes on the second floor. At least two-thirds of the people who made it to the second floor got their class there, and so had Tristan and his friends. He''d gone for the Ranger archetype as he preferred to watch things from afar and he''d picked the sniper class¡ªan uncommon class that made him deadly with his bow. The weakness with the class was that he needed intense focus before he could let the arrow fly, and in something as scrappy as the tower floor, he was limited to taking out a few goblins at once. The good part was that he only needed one shot to take them down. He''d wisely opted to stay out of the power tussle when it materialized once the second floor was cleared, and so had his friends. Their trust in his judgment was a boost to his self-confidence. Their decision had led to them getting front-row seats to watch humans be humans, even when an extinction-level event was taking place. More than five different groups were jockeying for the right to lead the other people in the tower, and he couldn''t just understand why. Everyone else was trying to survive, and here were a couple of bozos trying to become dictators in the middle of an apocalypse. Tristan shook his head that day as he watched them bicker amongst themselves. The clearing out of the second floor had made it a safe zone. I''m stuck in a tower with morons. More like muscle-brains. It''d barely been a minute since the thought before the bickering escalated to physical blows, as expected. Arrows whistling, skills going back and forth¡ªit was all Tristan could do to stop himself from outright trying to get them to stop. I''ll let them work it out. His thoughts probably resonated with whatever other person not part of the scrap was thinking. Personally, Tristan wouldn''t mind all of them killing themselves at this point. If there were people already like this in a tower that had monsters that could take them down easily, then what would these people do once they finally got out of this hellhole and got a stronghold for themselves, like the system had teased in its brief tutorial lecture before tossing them into the actual tutorial? They''d become dictators. Tristan made his heart as cold as he could, watching impassively as the groups killed each other. A couple of other spectators puked, and he was actually more interested in that than the fight. They hadn''t eaten in days, so what were they throwing up? Shaking his head, he focused back on the free-for-all. A single person was eliminating the competition with ease: Jaros, the "Silver Bull" as they''d nicknamed him amongst themselves. The man looked like he was in his mid-twenties and had the trait of recklessly charging headfirst into fights. His Berserker Archetype was a good fit for his personality. The Silver Bull took on and killed more people than Tristan could count since he''d turned his gaze to the fatty who''d apparently decided to use his size to his advantage. Those who¡¯d mocked him on the first floor no longer could because the Silver Bull was way higher than them in level and was petty enough to actually take a life if he so much as smelled an insult intended for him. He wasn''t the only big shot on the floor, though. Sarah Lee seemed to be holding her own against three opponents at once. Tristan had pretty much written her off as dead the moment he saw she was against three opponents simultaneously. A mage class was low-key a support class¡ªmaybe it could be more at higher levels, but right now she was just waiting to be picked apart by any one of the three that could land the killing blow. Tristan relaxed from watching the fight. It wasn''t like he really cared about who won the fight. He had no plans to play second fiddle to anyone right about now. When he got out of this hellhole of a tower, he''d get a stronghold of his own and make it a sanctuary for the weak. Apocalypse politics didn''t seem like anything nice; heck, it might be a lot more bloody than regular politics. Heck, it definitely is. Within a couple of moments, the battle was over. Tristan wasn''t quite sure what had happened because while he''d been expecting only one survivor from the collection of morons that had decided to battle with other humans and reduce their collective might in the middle of an apocalypse¡ªand a tower, for Christ''s sake¡ªhe hadn''t been expecting two survivors: Sarah Lee and Jaros, the Silver Bull. The pair seemed to have come to a truce of sorts as they were the only ones still breathing from the initial group. Tristan couldn''t care less, though, as he made his way past both competitors, heading into the next floor with his friends and the remaining humans in tow. The fight on the third floor had been going on for an hour nonstop, but they were finally close to clearing out the chief goblin. Throughout the battle, he''d caught the gaze of both Sarah and Jaros a couple of times, and the pair seemed to be harboring a grudge against him, but he hardly gave a flying shit right about now. With a calm breath, Tristan drew on his bow as he readied himself to release the arrow, his target the only goblin left on the third floor¡ªthe chief goblin. It was currently battling against Jaros and Sarah Lee at once, with the other humans backing away from the trio. Steadying himself, he loosed the arrow, layering it with one out of the two skills he got for choosing his class¡ªPiercing Strike (I). The skill added 5% power to all arrows he applied it to, and a satisfied grin appeared on his face as his arrow found its mark with unerring accuracy. Thwack! Thud! Headshot. The body of the chief goblin dropped to the floor with an audible thud. The pair that had been battling him turned to him with venom in their eyes. Tristan didn''t hesitate to get another arrow ready and pointed in the general direction of the pair¡ªSarah and Jaros. "We had it covered, you slob!" Jaros roared at him. Before Tristan could respond in words or action, a notification popped up in his face¡ªone that made him drop the attack as he re-read the notification. [ Tutorial Period has Ended ] [ Distributing tutorialists to incursion zones in 5 4 3 2 1 0 ...] 1 - 43. Preparing for Guests. The tutorial Period has Ended. Nathan stared at the screen, still grinning. He''d survived seven days without the freaking tutorial. Meaning he''d kept his streak of skipping tutorials even in the face of death, and his gamble had paid off. Yeah, that''s right, tutorials are for noobs. He briefly considered the fact that the tutorial would have been more brutal than his seven-day island stint, but he quickly discarded the thought. The tutorial had probably been nothing but a lecture on do''s and don''ts. Rolling his eyes at the errant thought, he was prepared to close up the screen when a new screen popped up. Distributing tutorialists to incursion zones in 5 4 3 2 1 0 ... Huh. Nathan couldn''t even believe what he was seeing. It seemed like the system was about to start spreading those who''d attended the tutorials across the world like rice. He chuckled at the thought; he probably wouldn''t have had his free day off even if he''d accepted to go to the tutorial. He''d declined, and it''d ''distributed'' him like he was a packet of rice. From the looks of things, the system wasn''t done dumping tutorial information on him as the words on the screen began to rearrange themselves, a new message replacing the old. After the conclusion of the tutorial, dominant native inhabitants of World 2737, labeled as Earth, have had their average level documented. The average level of the dominant species on Earth¡ªhumans¡ªis level 9 Level 9. That was poor by any stretch of his imagination. The panther had been three times higher in level than that. Even if they had outliers that had been pruned during the collation of the average, those who attended the tutorial probably didn''t have anyone above level 15. A feeling of warmth enveloped Nathan at the realization. While he''d have loved to lie and say the new information didn''t make a difference to him, it did. He was levels above the average level, and what this meant was that he was currently keeping pace with his dreams of becoming strong enough to be able to stay in the forest and live like a hermit without being disturbed by anything or anyone. A quick chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it. He''d initially drawn the short straw, but that short straw had magically extended the harder he worked. Nathan had no plans to stop working hard. Average level or not, some people were monsters, and it wouldn''t take long for determined people to start closing the distance. He smiled with his best resolve, turning around and watching the screen for new information. The words seemed to just hang before the screen winked out entirely. Well, I suppose that''s that. Lots of shit to unpack there. Looking out the window, Nathan almost cursed. The sky still had patches of purple, which meant that the system had woken him up earlier than he''d have liked. Shaking his head, he started to unpack the information the system seemed to have just dumped on him. Every advantage he could wring out from the information he would¡ªlike they said, information is power, and Nathan needed all that he could get. The ''distribution'' sounds interesting. Discarding the funny thoughts, Nathan focused on trying to pick apart what this meant for him. The closest he could come to decoding it in relation to himself was that he''d probably have visitors coming to the island within the next couple of hours or days, depending on how fast it took the system to sprinkle people around like a salt and pepper shaker. Nathan wasn''t one to be greedy, though. There was enough land on the island for anyone who wanted a place of their own. As far as they didn''t attack him or his, he wouldn''t bother them. At the end of the day, life really was that simple: if they don''t poke the bear, he stays away. Simple. The rest he''d already dissected, so it didn''t make sense going over average levels and whatnot. With a grumble, Nathan got off the floor, stretching his cramped-up bones with a squeezed face. The floor had done a number on him over the course of the night. I guess constitution doesn''t handle awkward naps. It was early, but he could still do a couple of things before the sky would fully turn red. Like, start working on an idea for a man-made trap¡ªor Nathan-made trap, as he''d labeled it in his head. The thing about making traps was that he had no prior knowledge of the subject, excluding the imp pits¡ªpits he could build to a reasonable degree. But as they said, variety was the spice of life, and Nathan certainly needed to spice up Blood Rock''s defenses. Stronghold status. Blood Rock Lord: Nathan OrionUnauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Delegate: N/A Buildings: 0 Traps: 0 Population: 1 Ra''ahal Coins: 0 Nathan was looking for one thing in particular when he''d called up the system: his trap count. The outstanding zero beside it was disheartening, but he''d already kind of been expecting it since he''d seen the panther caught in it. God forbid that the system allowed him to reuse traps that could make leveling up way easier. A part of him had already started analyzing how he could be setting traps like that around the forest and checking up on whatever they had caught. Alas, the system had decided to burst his bubble, ushering him back into reality. If he wanted something, he''d have to work for it, and that was something he had no qualms doing. Traps were out. The one-use policy meant it''d be very expensive to lay that many traps around the forest. He''d just have to stick to setting a couple around his stronghold. Dispelling the screen with a thought, Nathan started by getting himself refreshed. A hood bath had handled that. Within a couple of moments, he was back at the fireplace, his body drying up under the warmth of the cackling fire. No damned TV, and I''m left looking at a fireplace like a freaking caveman. The thought gave Nathan pause on how his life had changed so much, but it had upsides too. With a shrug, he took out a couple of fruits from his bag of holding and began munching on them, staring at the magical flames. Something had started to itch at the back of his mind, and he was stylishly letting himself remember it before he ran mad trying to figure out what he''d forgotten. For some reason, his mind kept taking him back to the image of the dead panther, which was probably still outside right about now. Free points! If Nathan were a scientist, then that probably would''ve been his eureka moment. So many different thoughts popped up in his head, but he''d finally sifted through enough to get back to the bone of contention: his stats. He''d decided to leave it till he was clear-headed before allocating his free points. Status. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 24 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Bronze Dungeoneer, Wrong Underdog Strength: 24 Dexterity: 13 Vitality: 12 Constitution: 16 Perception: 11 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 16,790 Free Points: 8 His stats were as solid as could be. Strength was leading the race and rightly so. Constitution was second, and the rest were irrelevant to Nathan at the current moment. His close shave with death last night had made him feel like tossing all his points in strength was the best course of action, but after a good night''s test, the holes in that strategy had started to show themselves. While strength was primarily his most effective skill in battles, it wasn''t the only one that had saved his life when in a pinch. His Vitality had come up clutch once, and so had perception against the shadow wolves and dexterity against the Nagas. Proving that while the apocalypse didn''t need an all-rounded stat, it should at least be close to each other. He could have seventy-plus points in his strength stat at the expense of one point in constitution, which would mean that something like a glancing blow from the dead panther just outside his cabin would''ve been more than enough to kill him ten times over. Well, twenty-seven actually. Nathan sobered up at the quiet admission. He needed strength, but at the same time, he needed to reasonably balance out the rest of his stats, or else he''d risk being caught off guard at the wrong time. So, two points to strength, two to constitution, two to vitality. Strength: 24 Constitution: 16 Vitality: 14 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 16,790 Free Points: 2 Nathan closed the screen after confirming his allocation, stepping out shortly after. His eyes roamed the stronghold in the early morning sky glow, the combination of red and purple in the sky casting a beautiful glow on the stronghold. While it was no doubt beautiful, Nathan actually had another thing that had taken him outside for the day: the panther. The corpse of the monster had become a husk like he''d predicted. Most of its muscle mass had disappeared, and it seemed to be reducing in size like a leaky balloon. He searched for the other item that would''ve served him well if the system hadn''t been too greedy with its materials: the trap. Even though Nathan knew from his stronghold status that the trap had been disabled, he still hoped that the system would''ve at least left the scraps of Sebalos'' hands. It didn''t. The paw that had been caught in the trap still bore the wounds, but the trap itself was gone like it hadn''t ever been there. Probably the system disposing of it like it did with dungeons. A part of him was interested in finding out where exactly the system dropped those items and things, and the rational part of him suggested that it might be recycling the items as best as it could. Shaking his head, he stared at his empty stronghold, the cleared piece of land shown in its full glory under the morning light. He''d probably have to plant some trees in the place. It lacked any at the moment. Somehow, the lack of trees in his stronghold put him off a little, considering the fact that trees dominated the other parts of the forest, making this an odd patch in the rest of the forest. I''ll figure out something. He''d have to if he wanted to achieve something that could change the way Blood Rock''s grounds were just bare. With a sigh, Nathan headed back into the cabin, dropping to the floor as he''d been in the middle of a nap before the system alarm had woken him up. It took a while for him to get back to sleep as it was a wooden floor, and he''d just woken up a couple of minutes ago, but Nathan found a way. A couple of moments after finding the perfect position to sleep on the floor, he dozed off. The next time Nathan woke up, it was morning proper. The red sky dominated the sky, crimson light spilling into the cabin through the window in the first room and illuminating the place far better than the fireplace managed. A stretch and a sigh had Nathan out the cabin door and on his way out of the stronghold. The reason was quite easy to deduce: if the average level of those who''d attended the tutorial was nine, then they''d struggle a lot against the monsters that''d taken residence at the island. Assuming they get here today, or get here at all. That was another matter entirely, and while both thoughts were valid, Nathan would at least try to scout for other new humans and shepherd them from the big baddies till they could stand on their own. He wasn''t jockeying for a leadership position, but he''d offer as much help as he could to anyone who''d be unfortunate enough to be stuck on this island at level 9. Where to start? The shore seemed like the best place to start, but it was technically an island, so the shore could be anywhere. He needed to start from a single location, and one, in particular, stood out to him. The Incursionist settlement. 1 - 44. Wildcard. "What do you mean you can''t portal my army to the shrine?" growled Demon Lord Taloth. His right clawed hand was wrapped around the neck of the shade, hoisting it off the ground. Even though the shade was nothing more than a soul doomed to serve in the deepest pits of hell, presented in a ghost-like form, nothing more than a featureless form of their former selves. Their unique form made them immune to attacks by most demons, but Demon Lord Taloth wasn''t just any demon. He was a Demon Lord, one of the six to command the armies of the Seven Hells United. This shade was nothing different from an imp to him. He could crush it like a bug if he so wished, but he had to exercise control and poise in this crucial stage of his plans. With minimum effort, he threw it on the ground, fixing his stance to regain the look of a dignified demon lord¡ªmore like Demon Prince, but he didn''t want to jinx it before his ascension materialized. So he clamped down on the errant thought and focused solely on the lesser demon before him. "I asked you a question," Taloth growled. "Speak before I end your pitiful existence." He watched with a facade of indifference as the lesser demon scrambled to its feet. The rest of its kin had deserted it when they''d sensed him coming, content to let this unfortunate shade take the fall for their incompetence. "My lord, we''ve lost connection to the shrine on the baby world Earth. As far as we can tell, your shrine no longer exists there," the shade said hurriedly. Taloth pretended not to notice the fact that the lesser demon was stylishly trying to inch away from him. Instead, he focused his thoughts on the new information. The human. After his last meeting with Demon King Zephyr the VII, Taloth took his time combing through the information he had on the baby world. Even though the information was bare, he''d managed to piece together a few tidbits that explained the current situation of the world, plus he''d gotten reliable information from an old friend about the average level of the world. Nine. Taloth had thought his friend had been pulling his horns when she''d told him about the average level of the world, but she''d been adamant that she wasn''t lying. The grade of the planet certainly did enough to make the report seem reliable. "When the rest of your kin returns, tell them that they''d better serve under Celebian''s banner for his next conquest." Taloth watched the weight of his words sink into the shade. Even though it lacked a face, he could feel the waves of horror wafting up from it at the casual death sentence he''d just handed its kin, and that was enough for him. Turning on his heels, he started making his way back to his throne room, his facade falling apart as he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. At first glance, it looked so simple, but there was always the risk of a wild card in baby worlds. A measly F. The combination that the baby world had been given practically meant that they were screwed in the grand scheme of things. A planetary grade of F and an average level of nine probably meant that they''d be nothing more than fodder when the real heavy hitters showed up. Knowing how the system liked to operate, it''d probably be a while before that could happen, but it definitely would, and when it did, they''d be screwed beyond all doubt. Just like he was going to be if he didn''t find a way to get his troops back in the world to meet the deadline that he''d set for himself before the presence of the Demon King¡ªtwo months. He had two moments to mobilize his troops and get out of hell. Staying beyond that time frame meant kissing his life goodbye. Taloth watched as his two nightmare guards pushed the doors to his throne room open for him to walk through. Not even bothering to acknowledge the pair, he did just that, the door closing behind him as he made his way to the dais where his throne was. With less dignity than he''d have liked to admit, he flopped down on the throne, his thoughts trying to paint a rough sketch of his problems. First off, he had to get his priorities straight. Getting out of hell was number one. The second he was yet to decide on, mostly because he couldn''t fathom how a single human could''ve cleared his outpost and then destroyed his shrine all by itself. The human most likely hadn''t even attended the tutorials based on the time frame and yet had still known how to sever the link between his portal there and the one here. My first chance, and I might''ve just encountered a wild card. Just my luck. Taloth let out a grumble at the thought. It was technically a bad omen to meet a wild card in a new world, but he''d hardly been able to get what all the fuss was about. Yes, everything he''d learned about wild cards like that human suggested that they were to be avoided like the plague. At the same time, everything he''d learned on the subject had been from stories told by battle-hardened Demon veterans who''d probably embellished the details a lot more to make their ''feats'' of defeating wild cards all the more commendable, but Taloth didn''t buy it.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Even though this was his first campaign as Demon Lord, Taloth had been in a lot of other campaigns on other worlds before his rise to Demon Lord. He''d fought against foes he couldn''t even describe. He''d been nothing more than a foot soldier, but he had a reasonable enough experience on the subject matter to dismiss the claims of wild cards being anything serious. The loss of his shrine certainly was, though. His rough estimate of having to delay his next troop portalling by four days seemed like it''d have to be extended to twenty days at the earliest, although that would mean him allowing the system to open a portal in a random location on the baby world. While he wasn''t experienced with these things, what he was sure about was the fact that he needed all the advantages he could get at the moment. One such advantage at the moment was the spiritual mark that he had locked onto the human that had invaded his outpost. The information he''d gotten from the incompetent Master imps he''d sent there was that the place was nothing more than an easy island. Taloth had let out a rare smile after receiving that report. An island was a very good place to house an outpost. It was isolated, meaning it had fewer inhabitants to worry about, and it was going to be easy leveling up for his troops. In other words, even with the date of transporting himself to the baby world using the marker he had placed on the human a lot further along than just being randomly teleported in the world, Taloth would very much prefer the locked-on human. At the end of the day, he was a demon, and while the isolation stuff worked in his favor, the opportunity to put down the human who''d tried to disrupt his path to ascension was very enticing. He licked his lips at the thought of running the human through with his sword. Maybe if he was bored enough, he''d claim the human was a wild card in the tales he''d tell when he''d return from his victory. Nothing in the baby world should be able to stop him. He''d run riot amongst the inhabitants of his soon-to-be playground. Of course, that all depended on if the Demon King didn''t get into a mood before now and then, killing him before he could even begin the incursion proper. It was rare that the king got into a mood, though. The demon rarely ever showed an expression other than boredom, as though he had better things to do than running the whole of hell. Such power. Taloth was sure he wasn''t the only demon that dreamt of sitting on the obsidian throne someday. Heck, his current throne had subtle similarities to the obsidian throne. Sitting up straight, he got his act together as best as he could. For one, he had to begin preparing to portal to the human''s location. While the system wouldn''t technically portal him right next to the human, it''d drop him and his troops somewhere close by, and since it was an island, there was a limited amount of land mass it could drop them at. With a satisfied smile, Taloth sat back on his throne, his form regal as he overlooked the empty throne room. Soon enough, he''d have to move to a bigger throne room, one made for a Demon Prince like he planned to become.
Ciara''s idea of being distributed wasn''t just the system tossing her in a random place. By the looks of it, she was at shore¡ªan endless sea stretched across the horizon no matter which direction she looked. "I think it''s given us a vacation." Ciara almost face-palmed at the voice that echoed behind her. Turning around, she somehow managed to keep the disappointment off her face as she stared at the people who had been thrown here too. Apparently, the system had thought she and her group back at the tower were a package deal and had decided to throw them wherever the hell this was supposed to be. "Did you even read the notification?" Ciara calmly asked the Berserker she''d been unfortunate to be stuck with. More like a sissy, a fake Berserker this guy. The sight of Ruben seemed to be like dry logs thrown into the flames of her crankiness, making it harder and harder to keep the emotion down, but she managed. "Of course, it said it was distributing us into zones. It probably gave us a beach to blow off some steam," Ruben said, stupidly grinning at her. She tried not to chuckle as Pirlo, who was behind the boy, rolled his eyes at Ruben''s take on their current situation. The rest of the squad looked awkwardly at the pair, a little bit of hope in their eyes as they wished that their nightmare was finally over. While she''d always try to buoy squad morale, she wasn''t going to lie to them when she didn''t have to, especially when she suspected that deep down, every one of them, excluding Ruben, knew the truth of their situation. "An incursion zone, Ruben," Ciara sighed. "It''s an incursion zone, not a vacation." She watched as the others in the squad deflated at her words, but not Pirlo. The wiry boy seemed to be content keeping himself busy by using the blade of one of his daggers to scrape out the dirt and grime from underneath his fingernails. The boy was totally unconcerned with whatever was going on with the rest of them. "Oh, so exactly what does that mean?" Ruben sheepishly asked. Of all the morons in the world, I had to be stuck with this one. This was like the kid in class who kept asking obvious questions during lectures, and while she''d often laugh at dumb questions during classes, she wasn''t in a humorous mood right at this moment. They were literally fighting for their lives, and Ruben didn''t even know it, or his mind was trying to deny that fact. "What it means, Ruben," Ciara started, "is that the system has taken off the training wheels, and we''d have to get into the real world and survive on our own." She watched the boy gulp audibly as the meaning of her words unraveled itself in his brain. Ciara fully faced the rest of the squad, with Pirlo looking up as he sensed that the stupid part of the talks was over. She took a deep breath as she tried to find the words to give them hope, but just before the words could leave her mouth, a couple of rumbles echoed, the sound startling her. 1 - 45. Quantity vs Quality. Ciara almost died of embarrassment; the rumble had come from her. She hadn''t been sure the first time, but the second time her belly rumbled, the rest of her squad looked at her. From their faces, she could tell that they were struggling to hold back laughs¡ªtheir way of showing her respect as the de facto leader of the group. In the end, not everyone thought that was enough reason to hold back, as she heard a hardly subtle snicker exit Pirlo, the wiry kid looking at her with a rare grin. If whatever monster in this forest doesn''t kill me, I''ll probably die from embarrassment. "It seems like the need for food has returned," Ciara said, keeping a facade of indifference as though her belly hadn''t just embarrassed her. "You don''t say," Ruben chuckled, the sound of his voice irritating her. "Hey, what do you think about our chances of finding a fast-food restaurant on this beach? I''d sure kill for a burger right about now." The other seven members of their mismatched squad let out snickers and chuckles at the Berserker''s words, and Ciara wouldn''t blame them. Only moments ago, before they were enveloped by a white light and sent to this beach, Ruben had been the same person who had refused to fight for his life. How in the hell was he going to kill for a burger? Maybe food might force him to toughen up. "Sure you would. Anyway, the first order of business: we need to source food," Ciara said, looking into the eyes of her squad mates as the words left her lips. "Now, I have no idea what we''re going to find in this place as it''s all unfamiliar territory, but I need you all to stick together. I need you all to listen to me if we want to survive. Do you guys understand?" Her eyes went from person to person, receiving a nod in confirmation that they did understand what they had to do. Sticking together was their only chance to accomplish something, anything at this point. Hunting for food wasn''t going to be easy; hopefully, they''d get some fruit. Alternatively, Ruben is right, and there''s a restaurant down here. "It''s quite simple: stay together at all times. Your weapons should be armed. Priests in the center of the formation. Rangers at the back, rogues at the front," she said before turning to Ruben. "Our Berserker here can do whatever he wants. Keep the formation tight and say something if you see something. Let''s move." The squad organized themselves in what vaguely looked like a diamond formation but with three at the front. Pirlo, Ciara, and Grant¡ªthe other rogue¡ªled the squad while the rest followed in tow. They were making their way into the forest, hoping there would be some kind of establishment present here. At this point, even an abandoned building would do, somewhere they could easily defend on their own. As it was, they were putting themselves at enormous risk by actually being out in the open, but what other choice did they have? Twigs snapped and dried leaves made crunchy sounds as they stepped over them. The noises made Ciara wince, but she couldn''t blame the squad for not having survival instincts like her. She''d been sent to military youth training programs by her dad, the man hoping that seeing other children of military backgrounds and relating with them during military exercises would make her see that life in the military wasn''t so bad. It hadn''t. The program had solidified the fact that she''d rather be a civilian. The people who actually joined the military sacrificed a lot to serve their countries. They sacrificed their own freedom just so that others could have that; they trained hard and barely had that much privacy. Ciara would always praise their choice, but it just wasn''t the one for her¡ªsomething that her dad had still yet to come to terms with. Her decision not to join the military had driven a wedge between the two, one that time still hadn''t fixed. At least I''m better prepared for an apocalypse than these guys. "Try to watch where you''re stepping. Too much noise and we''d attract attention," Ciara whispered. Her words seemed to have an effect as the sounds of leaves being stepped on and twigs snapping reduced in frequency. It wasn''t the best she would have hoped for, but it''d help their chances of getting something to eat without attracting trouble. One thing that had stood out to her since they''d begun their exploration into the forest was the height of the trees; they were way taller than the trees back home. The absence of a sun in the sky had started to become unsettling. She''d assumed that it was the light from the system teleportation that had been affecting her eyesight, but it wasn''t. There really was no sun, and for an unknown reason, the little bit of sky she could see from underneath the canopy of leaves was red, an unnatural red just like what she''d seen at the shore. "I haven''t spotted a single living thing since entering this forest. It''s a little creepy," Tasha muttered. She had to agree with the ranger''s assessment, and judging by the mumbles of the others in the squad, she had to assume that they felt the same. "Maybe it''s just deserted," Ciara said. It was highly unlikely, but the only other reasons why a forest would be this deserted was either if there was a big bad monster that had killed every other living thing present or there was one within their vicinity stalking them. "Keep your guards up just in case. Attack to kill as fast as possible."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Her words seemed to quieten down the rest of the squad as they continued to walk in silence. A couple of insect sounds and bird calls occasionally pierced through the curtain of silence, but apart from that, nothing else did. Ciara wasn''t an expert on man management, but she was pretty sure that her squad had started to suffer from an acute case of fear¡ªnot just any fear, even they suffered from the worst kind of it. The fear of the unknown. A glance to her right confirmed that even Pirlo was feeling the effects of the awfully silent forest. His face was still stoic, but his grip on his daggers had tightened. The same thing was true with Grant on her left. The other rogue was much easier to read, and she could clearly see the fear and uncertainty painted on his face. They were all scared, and it was on her to make sure they weren''t. It was on her to make sure they were safe. Real safe¡ªnot the fake sense of security that would make them lose trust in her words when the illusion shatters. No, it''d be best to let them experience the fear, especially Ruben. The Berserker more than anyone else in the squad needed to sit up. He was supposed to be the one leading the squad, but he was too weak to do so, and Pirlo didn''t seem to have an interest in leading, so the responsibility was now on her shoulders. She''d lead in her own way, her own style, and her own tactics. If the silence wasn''t broken by anything attacking them, then there was a good chance that the rest of them would acclimatize to the change in environment, because right now it was starting to freak them out. "I see something," Pirlo whispered to her, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "What?" Ciara made sure to match his tone as she kept moving, even as a bit of hope seeped through her voice at the question she''d just thrown him. "It looks like a town, but my perception isn''t high enough to make out what it really is," Pirlo muttered. "Should I scout ahead?" A town? "No, just lead us in that direction. We have to stay together." No way was she letting her best fighter scout ahead in what was an unsettling forest. If anything attacked him while he was out there alone, then that''d mean that he''d be on his own. It was a foolish plan. Pirlo was indispensable at the moment; she didn''t have a better offensive fighter in the squad as it was. The wiry boy nodded in affirmative before focusing on the forest and moving a few feet further than her, just enough to alert her to the direction they were supposed to head and at the same time make sure the rest of the squad had no idea what was going on. For that, she was grateful. They''d walked for a couple of minutes, with her stylishly following Pirlo''s lead while the rest followed hers. In front of her was the faint outline of a settlement. She turned her gaze to the back of the silent rogue, wondering how he''d even managed to see that minutes ago. As it was, she had to squint to make out the vague details of the place. Satisfied with the evidence of life based on the moving pinpricks, she raised a fist¡ªtheir wordless signal to stop. "Thank God, my legs were killing me. I was wondering if the rest of you guys had special legs or something," Ruben whined. His voice echoed a little bit but he seemed unperturbed as he dropped to his arse with a less than grateful thud, a couple of her squad mates doing the same. "It''s not a rest break, Ruben. We''ve actually found signs of life," Ciara said with a sigh. The Berserker was turning out to be a bad influence on the rest of the squad. "In other words, get your arses up, and let''s find out whatever that could mean for us," Pirlo said. "And Ruben, try to shut up for five minutes." Ciara watched in amusement as the people that had dropped to the floor stood up with grumbles underneath their breaths, no doubt none of them wanted to risk pissing off Pirlo. Huh, power really is power. She filed that for later as she began leading them towards the settlement for real this time, her eyes now able to see their destination. It took them an additional five minutes before they got to within a reasonable distance of the settlement that had caught her eye. A couple of gasps echoed around the group, and Ciara could hardly argue with the reaction. The place was crawling with two races of creatures she couldn''t quite recognize. Some looked vaguely human but were also comically short with beards that were an overkill. The others were a little bit green; she couldn''t tell much apart from that from this angle. "What do you think, Pirlo?" she asked the rogue to her right. Ciara waited for an answer as she watched the rogue stare at the settlement from afar with a thoughtful expression. With a sigh, he turned to face her, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Duck!!" She dropped to the ground as soon as the words left his lips, Flinching as something wet and hot splattered on her face. Horror spread on her face as a body with a crushed head dropped to the floor just beside her ¡ª Grant. Thud! "Bah, missed one." Ciara glanced up to see a short-looking man holding a Warhammer disproportionate to his size with an overkill of a beard standing over her. He''d already recalled the finished strike and was about to swing at her with the massive Warhammer. She did the one thing that she could¡ªcast a fireball. That split-second decision seemed to have bought her enough time to scramble away from the short man and get away from him. Sparing a quick glance to check on the rest of her members, she almost cried. Another member of her squad was already down, a green-looking creature pulling what looked like a pickaxe away from the corpse of one of their priests¡ªJack. "Hold, Talas. We''d get much more for turning in these trespassers than outright killing them. Perhaps Sarion might even pardon us," the green creature said while casually cleaning its pickaxe on Jack''s sweatshirt. "You''re such a killjoy," the other grumbled. The scene seemed to remind her of the way apex predators played with their prey before dismembering them. She focused on the pair, shock appearing on her face at the information that was displayed to her. [ Gremlin Level: 17] [ Dwarf Level: 15] Unbelievable. Ciara blanched at the information. Both assailants could clear out their entire squad alone. She couldn''t even believe what she was seeing. Pirlo seemed to have come to the same conclusion as he was clearly preparing himself in some sort of last-stand defiance. "Call me whatever you want," the gremlin muttered to the dwarf before turning to the rest of the squad. "You could surrender now or resist, and I''ll let my friend here have his way with you all. Your choice." I should''ve just joined the military. 1 - 46. Vultures. The tension was palpable, and Nathan couldn''t resist exercising his shoulder in a rotating motion. No doubt the stiffness of that part of his body was due to his sleeping arrangements. I probably should''ve gone with the cot. With a barely concealed sigh, Nathan continued trudging through the path. Deep down, he knew that he''d made the sensible decision by choosing the cabin. The decision had offered him warmth, water, and a potential place to place a bed if he could somehow figure out a way to construct one from scratch. Plus, he pacified himself with the fact that everything that had an advantage had a disadvantage. It was simply the way the world works; the best way to pick was often to weigh the pros and cons at the moment, and he''d done that as best as he could. Besides, no matter how often he complained about the cabin floor cramping up his body, he was still satisfied with the purchase overall. Humming a random tune, he continued to walk towards the Incursionist camp, sword in hand. The chirps of the birds and sounds of other insects obliterated the silence he''d witnessed on his first days on the island. Of course, Nathan wasn''t going to be bothered if the forest was silent; he had gotten used to things like that. He highly doubted that there would be anything or anyone on the island that would be able to go toe to toe with him and survive. Even if there was one, he''d either kill it or find a way to escape with his life. Just like he''d done with the Incursionists. They''d been higher leveled than him the last time he''d seen them, and his common sense had told him to avoid them. An action that he''d nearly failed to execute multiple times but had eventually made it back from scouting relatively unharmed and unidentified. Two things he''d need if he planned to attack the settlement later; for now, though, he''d just stick to scouting. If the system hadn''t dropped off the newest batch of humans at the settlement¡ªwhich he suspected was the case¡ªit would''ve dropped them somewhere close by. Meaning that if they weren''t at the camp, they should be somewhere close to it. Nathan hoped he could get a chance to talk to them before the monsters on the island did. An average level of nine surely wasn''t going to be able to compete with the monsters he''d been seeing on the island. Heck, the bunny would have no problems biting off their heads if it so wished. These were things that passed through his mind as he continued to walk towards the settlement. While Nathan had no interest in leadership, he had to at the very least give the humans a chance at survival. He''d tell them to steer clear of the Miners if they weren''t already in their clutches, and if the stars aligned for him, they''d exchange information. Nathan would give them all he had on the locations of the F-ranked dungeons, and they could help him out with information they''d gotten from the tutorial. If everything went according to plan, he''d send them on their way, and everyone would stay on their own little part of the island. The Miners mining whatever it was that was inside the cave, the humans doing whatever they wanted to do¡ªpreferably away from him¡ªand him, on the other hand, finding ways to get stronger while simultaneously improving Blood-Rock. Where did the sound go? He didn''t pause in his steps as the question came unbidden to the core of his mind. Instead, he kept on walking. The sounds that had dominated the forest before seemed to have receded to nothing but a muted sound. His footsteps were the only thing that tore through the silence of the forest as he walked. An unconscious grin spread across his face. Every time he''d encountered something that could really quicken his pulse and give him a challenge, the forest was silent. If Nathan was reading the mood right, there might just be a fight in store for him very soon. A couple of minutes later, Nathan understood why the forest had become silent. A fight seemed to have broken out somewhere close by; he could hear voices from where he was, and the curious cat in him couldn''t wait to find out what was happening. Going in the direction of the voices he heard, the voices became much clearer, and he was a little unsurprised to find out who the voices belonged to: the dwarf and the gremlin. "Just one more kill, please," the dwarf begged. "Remember, you owe me one for putting me in this mess, and I say they remain untouched unless they choose to fight," the gremlin responded. "But the girl burnt my eyebrows off," the dwarf whined. Nathan tuned them out and instead focused on the important things. For one, he''d not thought about it earlier, but it seemed like for some reason he could perfectly understand what the creatures were saying, even though he''d bet his life that the pair weren''t speaking English or anything close to it by the pitch of their voices. The second thing he saw was the humans that were currently being held hostage¡ªif you could even call it that. The situation seemed a little off to Nathan. There were seven humans against the two, and by the looks of things, the humans seemed to have given up. Looking around, he spotted why. Two other humans were on the floor, dead. One looked like its skull had been crushed, probably courtesy of the dwarf, while the other had a clean but yet lethal-looking hole in its neck, probably the gremlin''s handiwork. The demoralizing part of the endeavor for the other humans must have been having to watch their two assailants publicly bicker on what strategy to employ in handling them.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Boy, talk about arrogance. He was behind a tree line a couple of yards away from the confrontation, but he could tell that the humans certainly weren''t a match for the pair, even with their overwhelming numbers. This meant that the dwarfs'' and gremlin''s display of outright arrogance was merited. As it was, they were still at least a couple of minutes'' walk from the settlement, which meant Nathan could try to save the other humans without fearing that the pair would call for reinforcements. He sure hoped that the gremlin and dwarf had insurance; they''d need to because they''d pay for taking human life. With a certain swagger that Nathan didn''t know he possessed, he walked out from the tree he''d been using to spy on them and headed towards the bickering pair. Surprisingly, it wasn''t them who noticed him first; it was a wiry boy holding a dagger in each hand while gritting his teeth and looking at the bickering pair as he planned on killing them with his eyes. Touch¨¦. "Gentlemen, why don''t you pick on someone your own size?" Nathan said. He watched as the pair turned to face him¡ªheck, everyone else who was there turned to face him¡ªbut he kept his eyes on the two. Satisfaction flooded his being at the fear that flashed through their eyes as they focused on him, probably analyzing him in the process. The emotion was fleeting, though, as both creatures'' faces settled into one of grim determination. No doubt they''d realized he was higher leveled than the both of them, but instead of running away, they''d decided to stay back and fight, probably fancying their chances in a two-on-one. Nathan wasn''t scared one bit; hell, he was looking more towards fighting the pair more than he''d known. The urge to test his new stats was at the back of his mind, and it was all he could do to keep his mind clear and his sword at the ready for the attack. "Bahhhh!" Predictably, it was the dwarf that led the charge, the gremlin right behind him. Not doing its temper any favors, the dwarf swung its hammer, aiming for his head, but he simply sidestepped the attack, avoiding it completely. That''s my dexterity check completed. The dwarf had overextended itself in the attack, leaving it open to a counterattack, but Nathan didn''t go for it. Why? The gremlin''s attack soon followed. An upward strike, the gremlin probably aiming to give him an uppercut with its pickaxe. Clang! Nathan''s sword met the pickaxe mid-strike, the strength behind his strike dislodging the pickaxe from the hand of the gremlin. Shock spread across its face at the sudden loss of its weapon. That wasn''t Nathan''s concern as he turned to face the red-faced dwarf heading for him. Like the first time, it was going for an overhead swing, hoping to crush his skull or at least stun him long enough so that the pair could easily take him down. But Nathan had no plans of giving them hope. He was going to utterly and ruthlessly crush them to the point that they''d come to the conclusion that they were outclassed just before they died. The dwarf was the brash one amongst the two, and he knew that he''d rather deal with it first than with the gremlin. An attack fueled by anger or humiliation was always easy to evade if one knew what they were doing, and Nathan certainly did. He took a step to the right, leaning in that direction, as he watched the dwarf''s massive Warhammer meet nothing but air. As was like the last time, the dwarf had overextended, putting in the kind of force that would unbalance the person behind it if there wasn''t any contact¡ªsomething that Nathan had every intention of capitalizing on now. With a casual swing of his sword, he cleaved through the dwarf''s arm with ease, his strike cutting through flesh, muscle, and bone without pause. Thud! Nathan watched as the arm that held the massive Warhammer fell to the floor alongside the weapon. The dwarf looked at the severed limb in disbelief, his gaze shifting between the severed stump leaking blood and the arm on the ground. The dwarf opened his mouth to let out a scream, but only a wet gurgle came out. Nathan''s sword had pierced through its throat, killing the dwarf instantly, and he didn''t have any regrets about it. The dwarf had just killed a human like him and had been arguing with the gremlin for a chance to take another life before he stepped in; it deserved to die. Thud! Nathan watched the body hit the ground, his face expressionless. Turning around, the gremlin had a very easily identifiable expression on its face: rage. "Graaaahh!" The gremlin screamed as it charged at him. Apparently, somewhere along the line when he was fighting the dwarf, the gremlin had recovered its weapon¡ªnot that Nathan thought that it mattered. The weapon wasn''t going to help the gremlin in the slightest. He stood still and let the attack meet him, much to the surprise of the gremlin. The pickaxe sank a good two inches into his side before stopping. A scoff escaped Nathan''s lips as he stared at the offending gremlin, his sword blurring as it cut off the wrist that held the pickaxe. "Grahhhhhhhhh!" He wasn''t for one second bothered by the cries of the gremlin. His sword flashed again, cutting off the gremlin''s legs from the kneecaps, its body falling to the ground. With a stoic expression, Nathan pulled out the pickaxe still embedded in his right side. With a look of disgust, he discarded the pickaxe and hand still attached to the side, crouching down to get in the face of the terrified gremlin. No hint of emotion on his face. I bet I look badass right about now. Nathan had to prevent himself from outright chuckling in the face of the dying goblin as he tried to maintain the serious and tense atmosphere. Somehow he managed. "How do I take down the Portal in your settlement?" Nathan asked the gremlin in a clipped tone, going straight to the point. "I-i ra-t-thhe¡ªr di-e th-an hel- p yo-u." What was it with henchmen and dying breath loyalty, like this was supposed to be the best way for them to screw over their boss with no repercussion whatsoever? Nathan was still trying to think of how to force the dying gremlin to give up the information when a shadow was cast upon him. Before his mind could catch up with what he was seeing, two daggers flashed and embedded themselves in the gremlin''s throat. "Then dieeee!" Nathan looked at the culprit, which turned out to be none other than the wiry guy who had not only disrupted his chances of getting crucial information but had also stolen his kill. Nathan managed to maintain the same expressionless facade he''d shown the gremlin, but inside he was a second away from attacking. Vultures. 1 - 47. Typical Rogue. "What did you do that for?" Nathan asked in a calm tone. Maintaining eye contact with the teen who looked like he wanted to bring the gremlin back to life just to kill it again. Besides that, he didn''t think that the rogue, from the looks of it, had any right to steal his kill considering the fact that he''d just saved him and his entire squad from death or even worse captivity by what were basically aliens. "They mocked us, toyed with us, and killed two others!" The rogue had uttered those words evenly, pulling out his daggers from the gremlin''s neck ¡ªso much bravado for someone who hadn''t been able to make a difference till he stepped in. Typical rogue. Nathan hadn''t met a rogue before, but he assumed that this was how they all behaved. Heck, even the system had referred to them as vultures, and this guy in front of him was doing nothing to clear up that accusation. "Yes, but I''d handled them and I had my reasons for keeping him alive," Nathan said, his voice rising an octave. "Oh yeah, reasons like what?" "I don''t answer to you." Nathan glared at the rogue and the rogue glared back at him. Both young men were now on their feet, daggers and a sword at the ready. He couldn''t even believe he was really doing this; the rogue had messed up everything for him. Eventually, the absence of these two creatures that they''d killed would be noticed, and no matter the crimes the pair had committed, there would be a search party out. At least there should be. One that wouldn''t hesitate to report the dead bodies when they found them. Something Nathan had been expecting when he''d joined the fight, but he''d drawn out pros and cons on a legal pad in his head, and the pro was that he''d get information about the settlement. Unfortunately, he''d had the opportunity of meeting a rogue. "You owe me," Nathan said, pointing his sword at the offending rogue. "I don''t owe you shit!" Nathan''s morals held him back in more ways than he could count. Why had he gotten entangled in a mess like this only to meet up with someone like this? "Boys, I don''t think this is the place to have a ¡­ measuring contest," a feminine voice spoke out. "Pirlo, stand down." He didn''t break eye contact with the vulture until the lady told the rogue to. Pirlo, if that was even the guy''s name, seemed to huff at him before walking away to stand behind the lady. Nathan had to clamp down on his feelings when he saw her; she was calm and collected while he was like an enraged bull. If they were going to have a meeting leader to leader, then he''d need to tame his anger. Nathan watched as she said something to Pirlo, the rogue mumbling something inaudible before walking to check out one of the corpses of their comrade. Clearing his mind, he stepped up to the lady, clearing his thoughts as he tried to appear calm and confident. "Hi, I''m Ciara," she said, holding out a hand towards him. "Sorry for my second''s behavior; he can be a little bit intense." Nathan stared at the outstretched fingers before taking it. No point in losing two sources of information because of a single rogue. The first thing he noticed after clasping hands with the lady ¡ª Ciara ¡ª was that she had an iron-clad grip, not one that could do any harm to him considering his high constitution, but certainly one that was firm and tight. Guess it''s still a contest after all. He didn''t let his emotions show, and neither did he squeeze back on her fingers. He simply let her figure out that she wasn''t his match before pulling back his hand. Trying and succeeding in hiding the smile that threatened to spill on his face, mostly because he could tell that she''d come to the conclusion that he was way higher up the ladder than her ¡ª something that the fight with the gremlin and dwarf should''ve been enough to prove. She tried to hide it, though, but Nathan had always been a good reader of people. He could tell when someone was trying to mess with him or hide things from him, courtesy of his buried lifestyle. "He sure is intense," Nathan said after a moment had passed between the pair. "True," she said. "On behalf of my squad, thank you for saving our lives. I''m sure Pirlo appreciates what you did for us too; he''s just been under immense stress like the rest of us." Stress. What kind of stress was the lady even talking about? They all looked a little beaten up, but for Nathan, they weren''t even as bad as his second day on the island. Their clothes were mostly intact, and their shoes too. They barely had anything on them that suggested that they''d suffered anything remotely close to what he''d endured for the last seven days, and yet she wanted to talk about stress.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. If Pirlo thought he was stressed out because he attended some silly tutorials that simply got him a lecture on what they were supposed to do in what was apparently their new reality, then he was loath to find out what would actually happen after the rogue spent two days on the island. "Suuuure, you''ve all been under stress," Nathan said, barely resisting the urge to snort. "We need to leave this place. Let''s walk while we talk?" "I agree. Excuse me. I need to speak to my squad." Nathan hadn''t even nodded in agreement before she''d turned to meet the rest of her squad, not like she worked for him or anything. He watched as she comforted the rest of her squad, seven in total including her. The two bodies had been brought together, and they were apparently speaking a few words to the corpses. Tears were streaming down a couple of their faces. Pirlo''s face was devoid of tears; in place of it was something much worse, something that Nathan had seen in the mirror back when the world was still normal ¡ª determination. Raw and unmistakable determination. The rogue was probably blaming himself for the lives lost today, a feeling that he hadn''t experienced himself but could understand. Ciara, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. She wore her facade so well that Nathan would''ve been fooled even with experience with things like that. She looked calm and collected as she went around the squad, patting shoulders and wiping away tears, probably offering words of comfort. At least he thought that she was offering words of comfort; he couldn''t tell from where he stood. Stand he did, even though he wanted them to get as far as possible away from the bodies of the gremlin and dwarf. Nathan wasn''t as heartless as to leave the bodies in a rush, especially when they hadn''t seen the settlement itself, when they hadn''t experienced the real horrors of the island as he had. Rushing them would just turn the entire squad against him, not in a physical fight kind of way, but more of a psychological way. Plus, there was the fact that any input he had on the matter of forcing them to move right now would mean he was trying to override and undermine the power of their de facto leader, which was Ciara by the looks of it. Politics. A shiver went down his spine at the thought, but Nathan didn''t let it bother him too much. It wasn''t like he planned to form something permanent between him and the group; they''d simply exchange information and everyone would be on their way. Huh, they''d decided not to move the bodies. "We are ready," Ciara called out. Nathan stared at the cute girl, trying to figure out if this was a power play on her end or if it was just her trying to notify him that they were done and ready to move. Shrugging off the question, he nodded as he got to the squad, taking his place at the fore of the group, hoping to discuss matters with Ciara as they walked. The squad leader seemed to have guessed the arrangement as she stepped right beside him, and for a single moment, their steps were in sync. If this is a package deal, then it''s a terrible one. He almost groaned when he noticed that Pirlo had also come to the front. Ciara on his right and Pirlo on his left. The rogue was seriously getting on his nerves, and he hoped the bugger would bug off for a bit, but he didn''t. The rogue just kept staring ahead as they continued to walk. Ciara, on the other hand, looked like she''d eaten a sour grape, and he had an inkling that she didn''t exactly approve of Pirlo''s man-marking. "You got a destination in mind?" Ciara asked. "Yeah, my place. It''s a lot safer than out here in the forest." "Okayyyyy." Nathan pretended not to notice the snort that left Pirlo, and to the rogue''s credit, he pretended that he hadn''t even snorted, looking around the path as they walked, daggers in a tight grip. In a way, he was starting to see why Ciara had said the guy was intense. The rogue wasn''t jumpy intense, just a focused kind of intense that Nathan felt he could relate to a little. He definitely wasn''t that interested in killing anything and everything, no questions asked, which was probably what someone like Pirlo did. "So what was your deal with the gremlin?" Ciara asked. He didn''t look, but he could feel the rogue perk up at the question, which was good. Pirlo would have to learn how his actions had ruined a reasonable plan. Sorta reasonable. "There''s an entire settlement of those two. I was trying to get useful information on the settlement before someone decided that I didn''t need it," Nathan said in a clipped tone. The flash of a wince he saw in the face of the rogue was enough to make him relax and in a way let the guy off the hook a little. Maybe the teen wasn''t as cold-blooded as he''d thought, but the mistake had already been made, and the cost Nathan would have to deal with. "Oh, we saw a settlement from afar; couldn''t quite tell what it was," Ciara said while sucking in a deep breath. "Sorry for killing your would-be informant." Nathan had to resist the urge to go, "He did it, not you. Let him apologize for his misdeed." Instead, he just let it slide, nodding in acceptance. After all, he highly doubted that the rogue would apologize to him. A win is a win. It was technically a bigger win than he''d expected because the de facto leader conceding that the kill by the rogue had been a mistake made Pirlo''s actions look even stupider now, something that the rogue wouldn''t shrug off in a flash. "Yeah, that information would''ve been crucial considering the fact that they''d find the dead bodies. Hopefully, they''ll assume that the four killed themselves rather than suspect there were others that had survived," Nathan said, not mincing his words. As far as he could tell, burying the bodies wouldn''t have done them any good either, so they were screwed. "It''s why we left the bodies, bless their souls," Ciara said in a somber tone. Some of the squad mates behind her grumbled and mumbled, but Nathan paid attention to the path and soon enough he was rewarded for it. Blood-rock. "Welcome to my place," Nathan said. Pushing the way into the eastern gate, they skirted around the corpse of the panther, no questions asked, which Nathan found a little weird. Regardless, he led the way into his stronghold, a little nervous about what their thoughts would be on it. That feeling quickly turned to dust as they made their way to the porch and his eyes settled on the fluffy animal on his porch. The bunny. "Oh, you have a bunny. He''s so cute," Ciara said wide-eyed. A bunch of oohs and aahs came from the rest of the squad, excluding Pirlo ¡ª no surprise there. Before Nathan could respond to the statement, Ciara brushed past him, her hands going to pet the bunny. Shit! 1 - 48. Q & A session. A myriad of thoughts went through Nathan''s head. The bunny was quite unpredictable, and he wouldn''t put it past the hopping disaster to bite off Ciara''s hand. And we were just about to start sharing information. His hand reached out to try and pull her back, but she was too far gone, and all he could do was look at the bunny in equal parts fear and hope. It''s over now. I doubt health potions can fix a bitten-off hand. He resisted the urge to shut his eyes when her fingers touched down on the fur of the bunny, fully expecting the killer in disguise to snap at the hand with its sharpened rows of teeth. You sly bastard. It hadn''t, Nathan couldn''t believe his eyes. The bunny behaved just like any household pet, letting Ciara pick it up and run her fingers through its coat. Worse off was the fact that the sly rabbit was staring straight at him while Ciara petted it, cooing alongside the others who''d brushed past him to get to the bunny. He had to admit that the bunny had mad survival instincts if it was only putting up a front because it had seen other humans with him, but he knew from the way it was currently staring at him that it just wanted to mess with him. "Pirlo, isn''t he cute?" Ciara asked. Nathan turned and watched as the rogue who''d been the only one to stay back while the rest pandered to the rabbit rolled his eyes. For the first time since meeting the rogue, they''d agreed on something, not that he was going to tell him that. "I''d drop him if I were you," Nathan said. It''d taken him a minute to get back his voice after the shocking scene he''d just witnessed, but if he knew anything about the bunny, then the danger hadn''t even remotely passed. "Why?" Another member of the group asked. Nathan had to resist uttering the words at the tip of his tongue. These guys hadn''t seen what the actual forest was like; they didn''t know that everything was a threat. Compared to him, all of them were noobs. Besides, with how harmless the bunny was acting, he was pretty sure that none of them would believe him if he told them it was a ticking time bomb. Ah, fuck it. "No reason, carry on," Nathan mumbled. After all, the bunny had saved his life unwittingly, even if it was just to collect its complete tribute. Maybe they''d get to be best friends, or maybe it''d wake up one day and hop into the forest never to be seen again. Either way, Nathan knew which option he preferred. Pushing his way through his crowded porch, Pirlo behind him, he brushed past the rough circle of bunny ogglers and made his way to the door. "Come in," Nathan said, walking into the living room, the fireplace cackling with magical fire. Pirlo was the first to follow, which wasn''t that surprising, considering the fact that the rogue had stayed away from the bunny, not bothering to go through the all-fawning process that the rest of the squad. And Nathan couldn''t really hate on it. They''d just lost comrades or friends, and if a bunny that could kill them all based on an errant thought was all they needed to get their mind off things, then so be it. Hopefully, it doesn''t go all murderhobo in my cabin. In his defense, it was a nice cabin. A bachelor''s cabin with fewer things than a closed-down restaurant, but he still made it work. He took his eyes off the fireplace to see Pirlo staring right at him, an indecipherable expression on the rogue''s face. Creepy. Luckily, Nathan didn''t have to confront the rogue. He''d really hate having to fight in the cabin. His bloodlust settled as the other members of the squad began walking in through the door. Ciara had handed over the bunny to another member of the squad ¡ª a guy with a sword. Probably a berserker. Part of him hoped the guy was. He couldn''t be stuck with Pirlo as the only other person of the opposite gender. They were more likely to murder each other than have a civil conversation. "So, you got a couch hidden somewhere, bro?" The guy holding the bunny asked. "Ruben!!!" Ciara and three others said exasperatedly. "What, I was just asking a question," Ruben said defensively. "Unfortunately, I don''t," Nathan chuckled, showing that it was all good. Without waiting for the next question, he sat cross-legged on the floor, satisfaction adorning his features as the rest of the squad joined him on the cabin floor. The bunny was left to sit in the middle of their somewhat rough circle, the furry killer making Nathan a little bit fidgety with his sword, but he clamped down on the feeling.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "To begin, I''m sorry for your loss," he said solemnly, looking each member of the squad in the face. The loss had definitely been unexpected and probably was an eye-opener for the rest of them in the squad. His words seemed to resonate with the feeling as they all held solemn looks like him. The weight of the statement settled on their shoulders. From what Nathan could see, all of them here were probably in their late teens like him, or their early twenties at most. "May their souls rest in peace," Nathan finished. Murmurs of agreement echoed around the circle, with each member of the squad saying a little prayer for the departed souls in their own little way. A moment of silence stretched within the cabin until the squad''s de facto leader broke it. "On behalf of my squad, I want to thank you for saving us from those two. It would''ve been a bloodbath if you hadn''t stepped in," Ciara breathed, maintaining eye contact with him. Nathan nodded his head in agreement. Thanks or no thanks, he was always going to step in to defend them. They were humans just like him, and he wouldn''t be worse off than a mindless beast if he just hid and watched them get decimated. Heck, it could''ve been worse with him turning away when he saw the pair of Miners corralling the group, but he hadn''t because, from the moment he stepped out of Blood Rock in the morning, he already had it at the back of his mind that he was going to defend mankind that day. "You''d do the same for me," Nathan said with a shrug. He hoped they would have. Pirlo seemed like the type that would have left him to die if the roles were reversed, but Nathan wasn''t going to condemn a group of people for a single person''s actions. "Sorry to cut into your conversation, but we pretty much just got on this resort a couple of hours ago, and we kind of were hoping to find a fast-food joint. Have you seen any?" Ruben asked. Nathan watched with amusement as Ciara''s right eye twitched before the squad leader smoothed out her facial features. Loudly clearing her throat to get her squad mate back into order. Well, if they think they''re finding fast-food joints and Wi-Fi, they''re in for a rude awakening. "No fast-food joints as far as I can tell, man," Nathan gently said. "And this is anything other than a resort. At the base level, it''s just an island." More like a massive death trap or the ultimate playground. A couple of disappointed sighs echoed across the room at his statement, but Ciara and Pirlo perked up at his last words. "Island??" The pair asked simultaneously. "Yep," Nathan replied with a wince. He could see the gears starting to turn in the pair''s heads while the others were still considering the effects that the lack of fast-food restaurants would have on their ability to survive in the wild. "We can''t be stuck on the island. How are we supposed to contact the rest of the world? Swim?" Ciara lamented. "I wouldn''t even advise you to get into the water if you were in a swim team. That place has to be riddled with more monsters than the island itself," Nathan said. It probably was. The body of water surrounding the island stretched further than the land itself and was way deeper too. "That''s not the only option, though. We could find a stronghold and buy a beamer," Pirlo said quietly. Nathan''s face scrunched up in confusion. A beamer? He hadn''t seen anything like that and couldn''t even figure out how he was supposed to find it. By Probably in the stronghold shop. "If that''s the case, then I have good news for you guys," Nathan said with a grin. "You''re in a stronghold." He watched as the squad exchanged looks at each other, their eyes taking in his bare living room, each gaze making Nathan wince, but he persevered. The system had called it a Stronghold after all. "This... this is a stronghold?" Ciara asked in disbelief. "Yep, welcome to Blood Rock. I know it doesn''t look like much, but I''m still getting a hang of this system thing," Nathan admitted. "Speaking of which, you guys have information on the beamer thing from the tutorial, right?" "So you''re a lord?" Pirlo asked in a monotonous voice. Nathan had to resist the urge to look smugly at the rogue who''d been trying to shit on him since their first interaction, mostly because he still needed the information that they probably had. "Yep, so the beamer thing?" Nathan asked again. Ciara looked at Pirlo, and they seemed to have one of those wordless conversations. He didn''t get how people could communicate without words or signs, but the pair managed to do so to a reasonable degree. "We do," Ciara said, finally breaking eye contact with Pirlo to stare at Nathan. Okay, so this exercise in hero mode wouldn''t be a total waste of time, not that Nathan thought that saving lives was a waste of time. He just thought it was nice to be actually rewarded for good deeds once in a while. "Soooo..." Nathan drawled, waiting for them to provide the information. "We are grateful that you saved us, we really are," Ciara started. "But here''s how this is going to work: a question for a question. Do we have an agreement?" A question for a question. Nathan had half a mind to usher them out of his stronghold and let them have a Q&A session with the monsters in the forest. But just as he was about to make his thoughts known to the squad that was stepping on his goodwill, the bunny hopped towards him, staring at him with what looked like innocence to the others but leashed violence to him. Taking their side, are you? He stared at the bunny for a moment before letting out a sigh of acceptance. He owed his life to the bunny, and the squad owed their lives to him. So if the bunny wanted him to parlay with them, then he''d parlay with them. "You have an agreement. So the beamer?" Nathan asked for the third time. The bunny hopped back to the center of the circle after his statement, basking in the attention it received for its looks. He gave it a half glare before facing the pair of Pirlo and Ciara, who were yet to respond. "The beamer is kind of a communication tower that sends messages between strongholds. Advanced beamers can even teleport people at the later stages of their evolution. I believe you can purchase it in your stronghold shop... that is if you really are a lord," Pirlo said calmly. The nerve of this guy. What exactly was the problem that Pirlo had with him? Yes, they''d gotten off on the wrong foot, but the type of vibe he was bringing into their conversation right about now was making Nathan consider reneging on their agreement. But he didn''t. "Play nice, Pirlo," Ciara said. Turning to Nathan, she asked, "Our turn. What are the things we should look out for on the island?" 1 - 49. Introduction Where do I even start? So many things were on this island that could pick apart her squad like they were nothing but ants. The panther would''ve ranked in the top three on that list, but he''d already killed the monster, so it''d have to be taken off the list. Let''s see: Miners The sea Errant monsters in the wild That''s actually not much to go by. I could add the bunny? Nathan stared at the bunny at that last part; the damned thing had played its cards like a pro, so his words might not have the intended effect. "First off, the entire island is out to get you, but for specifics, I only have three things that you should by all means avoid," Nathan said. "The miners, the sea, and errant monsters... oh, and dungeons above the rank of F." The rank D dungeon still left a sour taste in his mouth. Sure, he''d survived the dungeon and gotten a good enough bump up in levels, but it still felt like he''d been played by the system. How did it give the Lich minions that he couldn''t even use to level up? That was just vile and deadass terrible. "Miners, like the ones we just fought?" Ciara asked. "Yep, so what was the tutorial like?" Nathan had wanted to disregard the follow-up question and just wait for her to ask it again when it got to their turn, but it wasn''t worth it. She might turn frosty with her replies if he did that, and Pirlo looked like he''d be worse to converse with. "Kinda like a tower climber, heck, it was a tower climber," Ciara started. "We moved from floor to floor clearing monsters and advancing to the next floor. Apart from that, the system basically thrust a bunch of random information in our heads before tossing us into the towers." Nathan couldn''t understand what he was hearing. The fact that the system had tossed them into a monster-infested hellhole from the get-go didn''t sound right to him. Because it''d done the exact same thing to him, and he was head and tails higher than them. Unless the towers had very weak monsters, weak like the level one imps he''d seen on his first day. Probably. "Tell me more about strongholds," Nathan asked. The subject was one that he had no idea about. The concept was familiar yet foreign, and he''d be wise to use this opportunity to get all his confusion out of his mind. "Strongholds are more like forts or towns that can be upgraded to become a Kingdom at the highest grade. It''s basically a civilization officially recognized by the system. The benefits include buying buildings from the building and upgrading them using the system, purchasing utilities and other things like traps too." Just like I thought. The cabin had been what had tipped him off to the fact that strongholds were just a town-building exercise with the system as a cheat code. Of course, it was pretty expensive to build, but at the same time, it was way better than anything that Nathan could''ve built by himself. It was a prime example of how better the system was at producing things out of nothing. He''d simply spent the coins, and the cabin had been built right in front of his eyes, complete with a magical fireplace and a bathroom to boot. A bathroom with water too. "You said something about dungeons. Explain... please," Pirlo asked. Nathan was surprised that the rogue hadn''t butted into their conversation in a while. The wiry teenager, probably his age, still had his daggers in a white-knuckled grip. His eyes seemed to shine with determination even as he asked the question. What really caught his attention was the addition of the word ''please'' ¡ª that was the equivalent of "here''s a bag of a million Ra''hal coins" coming from someone like Pirlo. "Yep, dungeons would probably be the equivalent of a tower level if I understood your earlier explanations of towers right," Nathan said, staring at the rogue. "The difference is that it''s a single floor, and once you''re done with the clearance requirement, you collect your loot and scram before it collapses on your head." Huh. Saying the words made him consider the situation a little more closely. Towers and dungeons were way too alike. With a rough sketch laid out in his mind of what the two were like, he had a suspicion that dungeons were prototypes and towers were the end result. But what he couldn''t understand was why the system would have the two present on Earth at the same time. He wasn''t an engineer by any stretch of the world, but he assumed that they''d obviously throw away their prototypes after getting the final form of whatever they were working on. Or are we a trial run?Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. That was a heck of a possibility that the system was trying to use them as guinea pigs to try out its new toys. He wasn''t sure of his theory, but that was what it looked like from his perspective. "Do you guys know what the system is doing here on earth?" Nathan stared at the pair of Ciara and Pirlo as they glanced at each other. The feeling he got from that interaction was that they probably didn''t have any ideas on what the system had in store for them. "Not really, no, but the system did say to prepare to fight for our survival. I have no idea if that was it talking about the monsters that it has spawned in our world or there''s something much worse coming," Ciara said. He listened attentively and was already picking apart the information before she had even finished her sentence. With everything that Nathan knew about the system, he wouldn''t put it past the infernal thing to have something way worse planned for them. Like the demons. While he''d been able to singlehandedly eradicate the presence of demons on the island, he had an odd feeling that it wasn''t the last he''d see of the race. Then there was the fact that one of the master imps had managed to contact a higher power for help during its fight with him. Whatever it''d contacted had been able to cast a hefty debuff on him from wherever it was. 20% on all stats. That debuff had been enough to turn the tides against him in a battle he''d have won handily. The worst part was that the entity hadn''t even stayed back to watch ¡ª it''d disappeared after casting the buff like a fight between Nathan and the master imp wasn''t worth watching. He''d have to hope that the demons didn''t return, but he''d train like hell was after him just in case. The monsters were already getting stronger, and the miners on the island already had a foothold and a portal to God knows where. The feeling was that they were most likely using the portal to transport whatever they mined to their own world, but he had an inkling that they were using it to add to their workforce and manpower. Great, more reasons to take down that portal. Brrww! A rumble cut short his musings. Looking around, it was easy for him to pinpoint the source ¡ª it was Ruben. The guy was rubbing a hand at the back of his head as he sheepishly looked in Nathan''s direction, asking a silent question. "Oww, sorry. I haven''t had company in a while," Nathan said apologetically as he reached for his bag of holding. Pulling out a couple of fruits, he tossed them at the others, then tossed three at the bunny, who left them untouched and still stared straight at him like it was his responsibility to feed it. Can''t you just go outside and do whatever it is you do to level up and eat whatever you kill? Nathan was sure the bunny wasn''t a herbivore, after all, it''d tried to bite his head off after immobilizing him. That didn''t mean it didn''t eat fruits, though. Just like humans, the bunny seemed to be an omnivore, and he knew that no matter how much fruit he fed the bunny, it''d still hop out to kill something. With a sigh of exasperation, Nathan chucked three more fruits at the bully of a bunny, much to the delight of the said bunny and the rest of the squad who had been watching the exchange in amusement. Pretending as though he hadn''t just folded to a bunny, he analyzed the rabbit. [Neran Rabbit Level 17] Interesting! The bunny seemed not to have leveled up from the last time that he''d seen it, which was a first since the sly rabbit had always gone up at least a level every time they met. That wasn''t the only interesting thing, though. Ciara and her squad mates were gobbling up the fruits like their lives depended on it. Even Pirlo wasn''t as nonchalant when it came to decimating the fruit. Ruben, as always, turned out to be the odd one out ¡ª the guy was trying to fit two fruits at once, which could''ve been a testament to how hungry they all were. Nathan decided to let them take their time consuming the fruit. It seemed like they''d had a rough couple of days, and the chance to unwind was certainly something that would do the squad much good. Pirlo was the first to finish with his fruit, the rogue wiping off the juices running down his chin with the sleeve of his shirt. Ciara followed, and soon enough, the whole squad was done. "Ohhhh, what the heck was that, bro? It was amazing, man," Ruben said. "The best thing I''ve tasted in... days. Thanks, man." He half-expected the squad to lash out at the guy, but it seemed as though they all agreed with the sentiment. He could see a little blush starting to envelop the faces of the ladies in the group, no doubt their actions a while ago had left them feeling a little bit abashed. "Don''t worry about it," Nathan said to Ruben. "I think it''s high time we had a formal introduction... nothing too personal, just first names and archetypes." He sat still and watched as the squad had one of those non-verbal conversations. Ciara and Pirlo more so than the others. Ciara seemed to have won the eye contest because he could clearly see the rogue let out a sigh of exasperation. "Sounds good, I''ll start," Ciara said. "Ciara, Mage." That made a lot of sense, as he hadn''t seen her with any weapon. He assumed that she''d either be a priest or a mage. Most likely a mage because priests couldn''t realistically be frontliners like she''d been. He turned his gaze to Pirlo, who was openly glaring at him for some reason until Ciara nudged him and gave him a look. "Pirlo, Rogue." Now was that so hard? That was what Nathan wanted to say, but he opted to nod towards the rogue instead. No point fueling the emotion that was clearly affecting the rogue. The next was Ruben, and he crossed his fingers. "Name''s Ruben, the best Berserker you''ll ever see," Ruben said with much confidence. Jackpot. A couple of snorts and chuckles left his squad mates. Their non-verbal response to his claim didn''t seem to bother the berserker. "Tasha, Ranger," the girl next to Ruben said, still chuckling. "Diane, Priest," the girl after Tasha muttered. "Daniel, Ranger," a tall guy said in a bored tone. "Yola, Ranger," another girl mumbled, her voice barely audible. Hell, Nathan had barely even remembered that she was there. She wasn''t small in stature, but she was the kind of person that was usually swallowed up in a crowd. His eyes went back as he noted the names and archetypes of Ciara and her squad. Assigning face to name, it seemed as though the group consisted mainly of ranged attackers. The only frontliner was Ruben ¡ª the Berserker. Other than that, the rest were archetypes that were usually at the back. The fact that they''d survived this long with a single Berserker on their team either spoke volumes about the competence of Ruben or the competence of the rest of the squad as a whole. "Errm, errm," Ciara coughed loudly. "It''s your turn." Right, just name and archetype. 1 - 50. Foundation. "Nathan, Nathan Orion. Berserker." Nathan said. Even as the words left his lips, Nathan knew that he was proud, first of all of how far he''d come, and secondly, because he''d chosen the Berserker Archetype. It''d make no sense to anyone else, but to him who''d come from spinning signs to swinging swords, it just made so much sense that he appreciated where he was, even if it was in the middle of a forest. "Sweet, another Berserker," Ruben said triumphantly. "Another?" Pirlo asked with a raised eyebrow. He could hear a couple of snickers after the rogue''s question, and for goodness'' sake, he couldn''t tell why they were picking on their only frontliner. The other Berserker seemingly deflating with the question, even Ciara let out a snort at the question, making it seem a little bit weird. Well, I''ll just chalk it up to it being an inside joke and I''m an outsider. Out of curiosity, Nathan ran his eyes over the squad. There was something that he''d been forgetting to do and his mind kept itching. It took a while, but he finally figured out what it was¡ªthe squad still bickering about Pirlo''s question. I haven''t analyzed them. Nathan hadn''t analyzed them since he''d come in contact with them, and in some way, it actually made a lot of sense, considering that he only used the skill to check out monsters and items. The humans in front of him fit into neither category, so he hadn''t even bothered, but since he had the time now, he might as well. He scanned the squad, trying to pick out who interested him the most. All of them were obviously weaker than him, and they''d already told him their names and Archetypes, but he really wanted to see what the interface would look like. Singling out his target, he analyzed her. Name: Ciara Rone Moniker: N/A Archetype: Mage Level: 7 Nathan tried his best not to show any emotion after seeing what level the de facto leader of the squad was. Hell, he couldn''t even fathom how low-leveled the monsters in the tutorial were for the leader of a squad to have such poor stats. He took a quick breather, maybe he was wrong and Ciara had been chosen for her leadership skills rather than her actual stats. He panned his gaze to the second in the squad, hoping that the frustrating rogue would give him something he could work with. Name: Pirlo Vox Moniker: N/A Archetype: Rogue Level: 9 The last stat caused him to raise an eyebrow. How exactly had the rogue managed to have two levels on Ciara? He almost couldn''t believe it, almost until he remembered how the vulture had stolen his kill. The gremlin he''d basically incapacitated had been finished off by the rogue. He had no idea how the system decided who got the bonus for killing a monster, but he assumed that he''d either lost his XP to Pirlo or he''d been forced to share it with the vulture. Probably shared it. The system would probably chalk it off to it being group work, something that Pirlo would definitely be the beneficiary of. The wiry guy hadn''t even done anything till Nathan had made the gremlin useless. Running a hand through his hair, he made off to the next, letting his rising anger simmer down. With clarity restored, it was easy for him to come to the conclusion that Pirlo had probably mooched off Ciara the way he had him. The rogue was nothing more than a living embodiment of the nickname the system had given to the Archetype as a whole. Vultures. With a subtle inhale and exhale, Nathan let the matter go as he started analyzing the rest of the squad, trying to decide if they were doomed or if they had a wild card in their squad. They didn''t. Name: Tasha Silco Moniker: N/A Archetype: Ranger Level: 6 Name: Diane Argent Moniker: N/A Archetype: Priestess Level: 5 Name: Daniel Perez Moniker: N/A Archetype: Ranger Level: 6 Name: Yola Moniker: N/A Archetype: RangerThe tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Level: 5 From what he could tell so far, they were all disappointing. The only reason why he hadn''t stopped analyzing them was the fact that he hoped that they had a wildcard on their hands. When he got to Ruben, who was the last of the bunch, he hoped for their sakes that he was their wildcard. Legs already crossed, fingers already crossed, Nathan had no choice but to whisper a quick prayer before analyzing the berserker. Name: Ruben Reid Moniker: N/A Archetype: Berserker Level: 5 Shit! They were all below par, and the bunny that they were all being cuddly with could''ve probably killed them all without breaking a sweat¡ªif bunnies even sweat. He watched them bicker, and it felt like a hand tightened on his heart. These guys weren''t going to survive on their own. As it was, they barely had a high enough level to take on a Master imp on their own. The bunny would have a field day with them, and the panther probably wouldn''t even have visited them. Probably. He''d come to the conclusion that he had to rethink his earlier plan to send them on their way after exchanging information. They''d probably not last the day on their own. Nathan managed to hold back the sigh that threatened to leave him. He was at a moral crossroad. Send them away or house them? That was the question. This was the moment he''d have to decide what kind of place Blood Rock would be. Would it become a safe haven for those in need, a sanctuary of sorts, or would it be his hiding place where he barricaded himself away from the rest of the world? First of all, he loved being on his own, away from people, but should he be taking that decision at the expense of the lives in front of him? He stared at the squad, the members making fun of Ruben, who was just spluttering as he petted the bunny. Heck, even Pirlo was laughing. Darn it. He couldn''t make that decision. Blood Rock would be a place for the weak, a place where everyone would feel welcomed and protected. Free to come and go as they pleased, provided that they kept the peace. He ran a hand through his blond hair. Morals weren''t the only things he''d have to consider. At the base level, there was also going to be logistics, food for one. Water they could get from their magic supply in the cabin. He mulled it over. The provisions for such a large group weren''t present, but at least they had fruits that could probably last for two days, three if they ate sparingly, and they had a place to sleep, so anything else they''d have to source. We''ll have to hunt. He couldn''t go hunting with them as they were now. It was certainly going to end with someone getting maimed or mauled. No, he''d have to take them on a dungeon run. Thinking about their levels, he had to scratch that¡ªhe''d have to take them on a couple of runs. Look at me, planning like I''m their father. This time, Nathan couldn''t hold back the chuckle, and it escaped his lips, earning him a couple of raised eyebrows. The conversation of the squad dying down as they looked at him in askance. "So, what''s your plan right about now?" Nathan asked. He wasn''t going to pressure them into joining him in Blood Rock or make it seem like he was desperate to have them stay back. If they decided that they''d be better off on their own, then he wouldn''t force them to stay back. Free to come, free to leave. "We don''t really have much of one right now," Ciara said sheepishly. Nathan had to admit that it was the first time he''d seen the de facto leader seem so uncertain. She was usually so calm and confident, so it took him longer than it should have to process the answer. "If you show us where you got these fruits, it''d be nice," Ruben said, eyes on the hopping bunny. "Oh, and a place to crash by for a while too." It was very hard for Nathan to miss the grimace on Ciara and Pirlo''s faces at the blunt request by their squad member. The Berserker earned a few glares for his request, but he seemed to be totally captivated by the bunny that had just started hopping and rolling around in their rough circle. The circus act elicited a few laughs from the other squad members. Nathan, on the other hand, had to tamp down the smile that wanted to appear on his face. The Berserker had been out of line to ask like that, but it didn''t bother him at all. In fact, he was a bit grateful to skip the back and forth that would''ve ensued if someone like Ruben hadn''t been on hand to quicken up the process. He shifted his gaze to Ciara to see her showing him an apologetic look. He shrugged to show her that it was okay before organizing his thoughts and then speaking. "Unfortunately, the fruits were a parting gift from the previous occupants of this land. I doubt that we''d see any more of it on the island," Nathan said. "As for a place to sleep, you guys can stay in Blood Rock for as long as you want." He wasn''t sure the reaction he''d been expecting when he''d told the squad that they could crash at his place, but it certainly wasn''t the one they responded with. They burst out laughing. Well, most of them did. Ciara chuckled lightly, Pirlo rolled his eyes, Ruben grimaced, and the rest were clutching their sides while laughing. For goodness'' sake, Nathan couldn''t understand why they would be laughing at his invitation for them to stay over in his stronghold. He had the unfortunate experience of having to sit and watch a couple of strangers laugh at him for a reason that he couldn''t understand, but he let them enjoy the moment which ultimately still came with it. With the end of such a reaction came the answer to his silent question. "You named your stronghold Blood Rock?" Daniel asked, wide-eyed in disbelief. Nathan winced internally. At the time, Blood Rock had sounded like a pretty rad name. Plus, it pretty much gave a hint to his class, something they were oblivious to at this point. It probably hit him a lot harder since the group was pretty much around his own age. If they were older, he''d have chalked it off to them being... older. "Yes, it''s a cool name," Nathan replied defensively. Ciara shook her head at the answer, and so did Ruben. He had to admit that without context, the name did sound a little bit cocky and silly, but he knew what it meant to him, and that would just have to be enough for the meantime. In the near future, he''d turn it into something worth the name¡ªa place that was feared and respected at the same time. Till then. "Do you have a faction?" Ruben asked. The change in topic relieved Nathan of the ongoing joke. He hadn''t even understood the question immediately; he was just glad that the attention had been taken off how he''d named his stronghold. "I don''t. What are factions even?" Nathan asked. Lots of groans echoed in the room at his question, but the groans weren''t directed at him, but rather at Ruben. The other Berserker tried to crumple inwards at the attention. He wondered why they were frustrated about a simple question. "Those who build strongholds or claim them are eligible to create factions. Factions that lose their strongholds are immediately dissolved. Just like strongholds, factions are officially recognized groupings of people, hence there are benefits to forming a faction and being in one," Ciara reluctantly said. Huh, that seemed like it''d be pretty neat. He wondered why they hadn''t wanted to give him that information before he''d asked but shrugged it off. The better question was how exactly was he supposed to make one. "How do I create a faction?" 1 - 51. Blood Army. A Faction. Based on what he''d heard so far about the word, he was tempted to believe that it''d become something crucial in the future. Plus, it certainly made it quite intriguing how Ciara and the rest of her squad were acting all fidgety about a simple question. He could tell from the expression on their faces that they''d rather not tell him how to set it up; heck, Pirlo looked like he was ready to lunge for Ruben. The other Berserker seemingly crumpled under the immense pressure the rogue''s focus was setting on his shoulders. Ciara, on the other hand, tried to keep all emotions off her face. At the surface level, she looked all calm and relaxed, like she was just thinking about how to phrase the answer, but Nathan was sort of an expert on the matter of decoding people. The face was the best feature to utilize when one wanted to sell a lie; his previous illegal activities before turning straight had taught him that. The greatest tell-tale sign of when someone wanted to pull a fast one on you were the eyes, and right now he focused on that sole feature ¡ª her eyes. A face that held nothing but thoughtfulness at a glance, but she had eyes that showed hesitation. He could spot it clearly; she might''ve known how to use her face to claim that she was thinking, but the eyes would always give the inexperienced liar away. And she''s pretty inexperienced; Sparrow would''ve killed her for this. Nathan pushed down the murderhobo thoughts. He wasn''t his old boss. If they didn''t want to tell him how to create a faction, then they could leave. Sure, it might seem harsh to send them away with their current levels, but he would rather send them away than kill them for withholding information. Especially when they''d agreed to share information like that, especially when they''d eaten his fruit, and especially when they were currently in his stronghold pissing on his gesture of goodwill. All these different thoughts ran rampant in his head, but he made sure to keep a straight face and a blank eye¡ªsomething that working for Sparrow had taught him. "So, how do I create a faction?" Nathan calmly asked again. He made sure not to make his voice rise or let his frustration seep in. It''d be their choice to decide if they wanted to give him that information. After all, the faction thing probably meant that he needed people in it to make it a worthwhile endeavor. Ciara nudged Pirlo, who broke his scathing gaze at Ruben, looking at the de facto leader warily. If Nathan wasn''t sure before, he was now: they were definitely afraid of handing over that piece of information. A piece of information that the rest of the world probably knew because they''d attended the tutorial. Wait a minute. "Hope you guys know that the rest of the world already knows how to make a faction. Heck, there''d been five strongholds already built the last time I checked." Nathan said with a ''gotcha'' smile. It was pretty much weird; five strongholds had already been formed since the last time he''d checked. Meaning right about now, a couple must''ve probably popped up. He wondered how exactly he was supposed to find out; in the end, he just decided to wing it. How many strongholds are on Earth? Planet Grade: F Strongholds: 13 Thirteen! It''d only been hours since the tutorial had ended, and they already had thirteen new strongholds on Earth. Sure, most people had IQs that''d make him seem like a toddler, but still, it should''ve taken them more time to settle down. Or it could''ve been the handiwork of the others who skipped the tutorial. That too was a very reasonable suspicion; the others who''d skipped the tutorial and survived could theoretically be behind the emergence of the eight new strongholds. Inhaling deeply, he let the thoughts dissolve with an exhale. The pair of Ciara and Pirlo seemed to be done with their silent conversation. "It''s not all that complicated. To create a stronghold, all you have to do is simply think the words ''Faction initiation protocol zero''. The creation wouldn''t work unless you know the magic words." Ciara said in one breath. Nathan was a little bit skeptical about the words she''d just said, but what exactly could he do about the matter? Digesting the information, he concluded that the system wanted to punish those who''d skipped the tutorial by adding specific keywords that they probably wouldn''t be able to guess on their own to the creation process. The words that Ciara had just said seemed a little bit far-fetched and something right out of a sci-fi movie, but he missed the tutorial, so there was no way for him to confirm if he was wrong or right. He stared at the squad, looking into their eyes rather than their faces to see if this was any ploy by them to somehow sabotage him. A brief nod by Ruben comforted him somewhat. Still sitting cross-legged, Nathan quietly sucked in a deep breath before letting it out. Here goes nothing. Faction initiation protocol zero.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Scanning Lord Nathan Orion for Faction Creation requirements¡­ Requirements met. Name Faction¡­ Nathan glanced at the screen in surprise; it was such a short message. Three lines in all, and the most important of them all had been saved for last ¡ª Name Faction. A single name popped up in his head immediately after he saw the question. Of course, it would probably be what would strike enough fear into the hearts of those who wished to oppress them. At the same time, Nathan was a little bit concerned about how silly it''d sound to the group once he told them what he''d chosen as the name of his faction. Let them laugh; it''s a personal decision. That was pretty much how it was supposed to go. They might laugh, but he''d be the one with the stronghold and faction at the end of the day. With his mind set, Nathan told the system the name of his faction. My faction shall be named Blood Army. A moment before telling the system his choice on the matter, he''d felt like changing to something else but had ultimately decided to stick with Blood Army. Sure, Scarlet or Crimson Army sounded a lot less murdery, but at the end of the day, they were all inferior to the attention the name of his Faction commanded. Faction name assigned - Blood Army. Creating Faction¡­ Time till Faction Creation is completed - 2 [23:58:22] Three days to create a faction! Nathan stared at the screen in confusion; he wasn''t sure how long this was supposed to take, but it seemed like three days was a lot of time to simply confirm a name and all that. With an audible sigh, he closed the screen and faced the squad who had been eagerly waiting on him. Ciara and Pirlo looked tense, while Ruben was at ease. The rest of the squad were busy playing with the bunny that could easily molt the floor with them. "So how was it?" Ciara asked. Nathan pondered on how he was supposed to answer that question. Should he tell them everything or just use the single word ''fine'' to explain his current situation? In the end, he decided not to be childish and actually talk instead of holding grudges. "It''s good; I met the requirements," Nathan said. "Although it seems like it''d take three days before the faction is fully formed." "Yeah, that''s the standard time according to the information the system gave," Ciara said with a nod. "What rad name did you choose for your faction, bro?" Ruben asked. The Berserker seemed to actually be interested in knowing rather than just wanting to change the topic or diffuse the suspicion in Nathan. "Blood Army," Nathan said with a childish glee. "Ughhh¡­ Blood again. Don''t you have something else that excites you?" Ruben said in exasperation. "There are other reasons other than that," Nathan chuckled. "And before you ask, no, I''m not going to tell you what they are." Ciara and Pirlo seemed to look at him with what he assumed was grudging respect, but he couldn''t be too sure. The possibility of getting another ace up his sleeve might have been messing with his focus at the moment. "So is there anything else you guys think I should know?" Nathan said, deliberately facing the only other Berserker in the room. If anyone was going to fold and give him information that was going to be crucial to his survival, then it''d certainly be Ruben. The Berserker had dropped a couple of good-to-know information for him. "Nope!" The three said in unison. Well, there goes that plan. Either the Berserker had been sufficiently cowed by the rest of his squad, or the squad really had no other crucial information that could aid him right about now. Regardless of which of his suspicions was true, he knew that he wouldn''t be getting any more information from the trio ¡ª or squad at large. "To be clear, we can still stay here for the time being?" Ruben asked. "I don''t think I''ll be comfortable out in the grass all night, plus it''s cold too." Nathan marveled at how outspoken the Berserker was. It was as if Ruben''s brain didn''t process social cues and etiquette the way the rest of theirs did. Even Pirlo had a little bit of restraint when it came to conversations; the Berserker, on the other hand, just seemed to let his mouth speak his thoughts before he even considered the words and what they meant. But he gets the outcome he wants. "Yep, you guys are still welcome to stay as long as you''d like. Food might be a problem, though, but hopefully, we''ll find a workaround to sort that out." Nathan said. "You have something in mind?" Pirlo asked. It was more of a statement than a question in reality, but the rogue had done his best to mask it as a question, so Nathan didn''t hesitate to respond. "Yep, you guys are way too low-leveled to go out hunting in the forest." Nathan gently said. "True. I assume you have a solution to that?" Ciara asked. Of course, I do¡­ depends on if you guys can actually survive an F-ranked dungeon on your own. He didn''t say that, though. He had to pretty much lead them by the hand like they were children now. Looking at the squad members still playing with the bunny, he had the sinking feeling that some harsh lessons would have to be learned. Hopefully, ones that wouldn''t leave anyone maimed, mauled, or dead at the end of the dungeon run, but still, lessons would be learned. There was no way that the entire squad would exit the dungeon unharmed. The monsters in there would definitely be higher than the ones they had faced in the tower, judging by their levels. Heck, the wolves would give them a heck of a challenge as they were. However painful it might be, Nathan couldn''t and wouldn''t stand in their way of progressing in the new world. He''d shepherd them from afar, but that would be the extent of his oversight. He wouldn''t micromanage them. "Dungeons. You guys would benefit from a dungeon run," Nathan said. The cabin went silent. Those who had been playing with the bunny stopped and looked up; his words seemed to come down like a hammer on the room''s playful atmosphere. All of a sudden, every member of the squad was focused and interested in what he had to say. "I don''t think there''s any C-ranked dungeon that can challenge us," Ciara said, uncertainty lacing her voice. C-ranked dungeon¡­ Nathan had to resist the urge to burst out in laughter. He himself had barely survived the last. "If a challenge is what you guys are looking for, you''d all be lucky enough to get out of an F-ranked dungeon intact," Nathan said. He hadn''t minced his words in the slightest; they would struggle in an F-ranked dungeon. It was on him to make sure they got out alive, and he''d do his best. "I believe you. Could you lead us to the closest F-ranked dungeon?" Pirlo asked. 1 - 52. Babysitting. Getting the group to the closest F-ranked dungeon was the easy part. Having all of them get in was the hard part. Some of them, like Ciara, Tasha, and Pirlo, were raring to get into the dungeon. The others seemed like they wanted to bolt at a moment''s notice, and at the end of the day, it took Nathan telling them that they''d either fight whatever was in the dungeon or fight him. It wasn''t like he was actually going to go through with it, but the threat of facing him was the best he could come up with at the spot. Lady luck and common sense seemed to interfere, and those who wanted to bolt calmed enough to actually listen to reason. He''d brought out his sword from his bag of holding¡ªjust for show. It''s for their own good. That''s what he''d told himself at the moment, and to be honest, it kind of made sense. He didn''t need the F-ranked dungeon; they did, even if they couldn''t figure out why they''d risk their lives in a dungeon. He''d hoped that the actual squad leaders would''ve chipped in with a word or two, but Ciara and Pirlo seemed disinterested in motivating anyone to get into the dungeon. The pair having an intense gaze in their eyes, no doubt the information about the threshold restriction already in their minds. So the task had fallen to Nathan, and he''d reluctantly played nanny to a bunch of scared kids. At least he''d started by playing nanny before realizing the big bad bully persona would work better, so he switched to that one. Its success was more of a matter of time than a question of effectiveness. The rest of the squad folded, swallowing up their complaints and questions as they prepared to get into the dungeon. For the most part, Nathan was trying to decide if he was even supposed to get into the dungeon alongside them. They were having their first go at a dungeon, and he was pretty sure it was a step up from the tower they''d gone to during their tutorial session. F-ranked or not, the monsters here were level six and above, and from the information he had on the ground, most in the group weren''t even up to level five. Leaving them alone to battle entities that were would basically be him indirectly sending them to their deaths, so he''d have to follow. My competitors are out there leveling up while I''m here babysitting teenagers. Nathan resisted the urge to groan at his reality. Those who would compete with him for the top spot¡ªif there was anything like that¡ªwould probably be battling creatures that would crush Ciara and her squad like bugs. And that''s why I''m doing this. He conceded the fact that they wouldn''t survive long without him, so this would be the first step. With two weeks at the minimum, he should''ve been done with babysitting them. Pirlo and Ciara had that hunger and desire to grow stronger, so it seemed. No doubt the weight of responsibility and the deaths of their squad mates weighed heavily on their shoulders. "Alright, time to get in. Remember to stay calm and level-headed. Your lives are in your hands," Nathan said. His words ended the bickering between the rest of the squad, excluding Ciara and Pirlo. The pair standing at the threshold with burning focus, one that seemed comical to Nathan considering how beneath him the foes they were about to face now seemed. While those two stared into the abyss that was the dungeon with focus, the rest of the squad gazed at him, fear and anxiety clear in their eyes. They didn''t find the succor they were looking for in his eyes as Nathan maintained a stoic expression. The only person he felt bad for was the priestess in their midst¡ªDiane. While she wasn''t well-equipped to deal with battles on her own, Nathan believed that she would benefit from participating in the run. I''ll keep an eye on her. "When you step up to the threshold, you''d be offered a choice: step forward and accept the challenge or turn around and leave," Nathan''s voice boomed. "I assure you, anyone who turns back would have to face me, and I don''t mind going against all of you at once." It''s for their own good. Nathan kept repeating those words in his mind. He wasn''t doing it to bully them or oppress them; they needed this run more than they realized. If they decided not to do the run and he just let them be, they''d still meet a monster in the forest that was way higher-leveled than them. Heck, the bunny that had stayed behind at Blood-rock was a prime example. "So what''s it going to be?" He asked rhetorically. As one, the rest of the squad that were hesitant to do the dungeon run let out murmurs of protests before crossing the threshold, Pirlo and Ciara ahead of them with Nathan right behind them. He didn''t even bother reading the system information on which kind of monster was in there or what the clearance requirement was; he just stepped in there confident in his ability to handle every and anything there. Besides, I''m just here to chaperone.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. If everything went to plan, he wasn''t supposed to lift a finger. At most, he''d keep an eye on the priestess and make sure that whatever monster was in the dungeon would play fair. Of course, that meant hoping that Ciara and her squad were competent and organized enough to clear out the dungeon. The setting seemed dark, not all that much to him, but he was certain that the squad would be affected by the poor lighting conditions. Just like the wolves, he expected the inhabitants of the dungeon to be very familiar with moving in the dark, which meant that for the most part, the squad would be at a small disadvantage. "If you got free points, chuck a few into perception. You''re going to need it," Nathan called out. A couple of grumbles echoed in the dark space, but Nathan didn''t care. He''d given them his two cents on the matter; it was up to them to allocate their points however they saw fit. Leaving them to their decision, he looked around the dark space, his enhanced perception piercing what was supposed to be oppressive darkness with ease. It''s like I have night vision goggles on. Except instead of the green interface he saw in movies, he could actually see clearly the dungeon they''d stepped into, just as he''d be able to see in a dimly lit room. It wasn''t optimal, but his eyes could pierce through the darkness his brain told him was there. The place seemed to be a round hall with the exit behind them, just a couple of feet in front of the group were a couple of short-looking monsters wielding what looked to be daggers. Nathan was torn between alerting the group to the presence of these monsters as they still hadn''t figured it out, but he decided to keep shut. Let them get the full experience. He stood still and watched as the rest of the squad continued to walk towards the monsters in front of them, oblivious to the threat. Out of curiosity, he decided to scan one of the monsters. Monsters who''d started to spread out, forming a sort of semi-circle with a monster Nathan assumed was the leader at the helm. [ Kobold Level 7 ] Nathan resisted the urge to snort at the information. Level seven was light work¡ªfor him. Regardless, he stayed on his guard, keeping one eye on his surroundings and the other on the priestess, which had unsurprisingly been placed at the center of the group. The rest of the squad protecting Diane from all angles. "Diane, buff me," Ciara called out. The order had been called out a couple of moments before they''d stepped into dashing zones with the kobolds. Judging by the way Ciara''s head was tilted towards Pirlo, it was safe to assume that the rogue had been the first to spot the kobolds. From what he could see, their makeshift formation was kind of solid: Ciara and Pirlo at the front; Ruben at the left, Diane at the center, and Tasha at the right; Daniel and Yola brought up the rear. It was a little bit surprising to him that Ruben wasn''t upfront with Ciara and Pirlo, but he wasn''t going to question their tactics if it was one that worked well for them. Well, it seems like it''s time for the two o''clock show. "Rargghhhhhh," a voice that sounded suspiciously like Pirlo''s echoed before the rogue himself charged at the nearest kobold. Metal on metal echoed in the hall as dagger met dagger, and as expected, Pirlo''s second dagger came down like lightning, killing the kobold before it even had the chance to realize that it had been played. A fireball stole the spotlight from Pirlo¡ªliterally. Apparently, Ciara wasn''t going to be outdone by her squad mate, so she''d thrown a fireball at a kobold trying to creep up Pirlo''s side. The fireball illuminated the room for a brief moment before it made contact with its intended target, burning off the skin of the unlucky kobold who let out a frustrating shriek. Can''t these monsters have nice voices? What''s up with all these screeches and shrieks? Nathan knew he was just being an asshole. Shrieks and screeches didn''t bother him right about now. His fight seemed to now be between mostly silent and sentient creatures like the panther or goblins and dwarves. He shook his head. With a glance, he did a quick head count of the amount of kobolds still remaining, coming to a disappointing twenty-two. There wasn''t going to be enough kobolds to level up the squad that much. It was then that Nathan discovered the problem with going for dungeon runs in groups. Sure, it was way safer than doing it alone, but at the end of it all, each individual would come out with little gains compared to someone who soloed a dungeon. Heck, he''d be surprised if anyone in this squad would gain up to three levels at the end of this dungeon, and if there was anyone that was going to exceed his expectations, it''d be the rogue¡ªPirlo. Dispelling the thoughts, he continued watching the battle, an eye on the fights and an eye on the priestess. Ruben seemed to have been given the role of protecting the priestess, and while it was something Nathan didn''t quite agree with, he could respect it in some ways. Leaving who was supposed to be your frontliner behind to protect a single member of the squad when he could''ve been in front of the squad leading the charge made no sense to him. If it ain''t broke, don''t fix it. If this was how they handled their problems in the tower, then it made a lot more sense why they had decided to keep on using the same formation. It''d worked, and for them, it''d probably be wise to stick with something that they had experience with. So far, Ruben hadn''t been tested, but the berserker stuck close to his charge¡ªDiane. The rangers, on the other hand, had their hands full¡ªliterally. Arrows were being launched at the kobolds at an alarming rate. All three archers, firing and reloading as fast as they could. It took Nathan a few moments of watching them and their shots to come to the conclusion that they were shit rangers. More than two-thirds of their volleys didn''t hit the kobolds, and the ones that did hit didn''t land on any vitals. To be honest, he was quite surprised how they''d managed to avoid shooting themselves or their squad mates, for that matter. Looking at their faces, he chastised himself a bit; his perception was good enough to pick out the fear on their faces even in the poor lighting. They were scared, and that was probably having an effect on their accuracy. Finally. Keeping an eye on the priestess had paid off after all. A couple of kobolds seemed to be headed straight for her, and the only thing in their way was Ruben. Nathan resisted the urge to charge straight at the daring kobolds, instead waiting to see how the berserker would handle the situation. The same berserker seemed to be lost, as he wasn''t making any moves towards the kobolds that were fast eating up the distance. Ruben seemed to have frozen at the sight of incoming threats, so Nathan did the only other thing he could do besides joining the fight: he yelled. "DO SOMETHING, RUBEN!!!" Nathan yelled from where he stood. 1 - 53. Recoil. "DO SOMETHING, RUBEN!!!" Ruben heard the words loud and clear, but he was way too scared to even twitch a muscle. His eyes were unfocused at the sight of three kobolds heading straight at him. He knew he had but a few moments to make a move before they were upon him, but he couldn''t quite bring himself to. Inwardly, he cursed at Ciara and Pirlo for leaving him with the task of protecting someone who he was barely better than in a fight. Both of them were dead weights in this fight, or at least he was. Diane did her part by buffing up Ciara, and his role was to protect her in turn. A role that had been pretty neat back in the tower as there''d been way fewer monsters and more humans fighting. Now he could tell from the movements of the dark shapes in the darkness that he was their primary target. They''d run him over with those daggers in their hands if he didn''t get his act right. All right, I can do this. I can do this. Whoosh! Sucking in a deep breath, Ruben let out a rushed and clumsy horizontal slash. The strike hadn''t made contact with any of the incoming kobolds, but it had made them halt their charge. For a brief moment, Ruben had enjoyed a reprieve from the attack. Tying his nerves into a ball and stuffing it into the back of his mind, Ruben focused on the trio, tuning out his own fears and the prayer he could hear Diane muttering. [ Kobold Level 6 ] [ Kobold Level 7 ] [ Kobold Level 6 ] Shit. Ruben wanted to dig himself a hole and hide from the figures that were slowly creeping up towards him. His earlier erratic slash had made them wary of a dash. Fight or flight was the question at the moment, but Ruben knew that he was currently reaching the point whereby he''d soon become a real dead weight to the squad. Diane had an excuse as to why she couldn''t directly participate in fights; he didn''t. Plus, if he did decide to run, he''d be leaving her ¡ª an even worse fighter ¡ª to the kobolds. That was just something that didn''t sit right with him. He might act stupid and playful at times, but he was always thinking, always considering, and always on guard. This was one of the few times where he needed to bin the three; he didn''t need to think, consider, or be on guard. If he did any of those three, his mind would probably come up with a dozen reasons why he should flee and hide in a corner till the rest of the squad cleared the dungeon. No, I''ll stand and fight. Ruben hadn''t had to fight a single monster on his own since the crimson apocalypse started. He''d had the rest of the squad to do that for him. All he did was just make the minimum amount of effort not to be kicked off from the unofficial squad, and that had worked for some time. But right now, he needed maximum focus. He''d fight, and he wouldn''t be doing it for the approval of his peers. Nope. He''d be doing it for the priestess that had been unfortunate enough to be stuck with him as her bodyguard. "Zaaaaaa!" Ruben screamed as he rushed at the closest kobolds. His sleek Archetype gift sword was in his right hand, his mind cleared of any and all thoughts. Ruben wasn''t charging with a plan of his own; no, he was going full berserk mode. Clang! The sound of his sword clashing with the hastily drawn-up dagger by the kobold was swallowed by the action ongoing in other parts of the dungeon. Ruben didn''t give himself time to think or consider; if he let himself get rational for a second, he''d be dead. As quick as lightning, Ruben pulled back. His footwork was clumsy, so he almost tripped and fell over his own movement, but somehow he managed to stay standing. His breathing had already turned ragged, eyes frantic. The other kobolds had started to close the distance with their kin that he''d just engaged, meaning that Ruben was running out of his window of opportunity if he didn''t do something quickly. Gritting his teeth, he charged at the same kobold, hoping to take it out of the equation as soon as possible. Sword raised for a comical overhead strike, Ruben descended upon the kobold like it was the cause of all his problems, pre- and post-apocalypse. Clang! Shriekkkk! Once again, the dagger intercepted his strike, the kobold using both hands to support the dagger that was preventing Ruben from cleaving it in half. The situation seemed to be a stalemate, the kind that meant you had to think. While Ruben was wary of losing the small courage he''d built up to even confront the kobold, with a brief moment of hesitation, he let his mind go brrr. Surely not. It took him less than a fraction of a second to come up with a stupid but yet plausible idea. And while Ruben would''ve preferred to analyze and dissect the idea, poking and prodding for the holes that he was sure were there, he knew he couldn''t. The rest of the kobolds would soon be upon him, and so he put into motion the single most common mode of attack hated and feared by men. He kicked the kobold between the legs, with as much force as he could muster.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Shriekkkkkkk! Thud! It was dark, so Ruben couldn''t see the expression on the kobold''s face as his shin made impact, but he could tell from the thud and sudden disappearance of the resistance to his sword that his gambit had paid off. The dagger hitting the dungeon floor had probably been what had made that sound. Without an ounce of hesitation, Ruben pounced at his foe''s poor decision-making. His sword flashing up before descending with an audible squelch. The kobold had died before it even finished lamenting. Ruben stood still, in equal parts horror and disgust at the kill he''d just made and the warm blood of the kobold that had splattered on him. Shivers went down his spine as he gazed at the darkened form still anchored to his sword, which had stuck somewhere around the kobold''s mid-section after tearing through its shoulder. It could''ve so easily been him on the receiving end of that attack. It could''ve so easily been him who would''ve been kicked between the legs. "Ruben, watch out!" Diane cried out. Huh. He didn''t get more than a second after the warning was called out before he realized why Diane had thought it necessary. Pain exploded from his right thigh where a dagger had pierced his skin. Ruben looked down to see a dark form of a kobold right in front of him. The pain brought tears to his eyes, and Ruben couldn''t even think straight. He just did the first thing that came to mind. Thwack! His free hand flashed, striking the offending kobold on the cheek. New information flooded his brain as his palm made contact with its cheek. The kobold''s skin was leathery and wrinkled ¡ª the irritating combination of those two made him recoil involuntarily, but the effect of his attack left him more stunned than the kobold who''d been on the receiving end of the weird attack. You don''t say. The slap seemed to have more of an effect on the kobold than he''d have ever expected. Where the normal result of such slaps was a sway of the face, the kobold had taken two steps in the direction of the slap and had also let go of its dagger. A dagger by which Ruben had no qualms pulling out with a grimace and chucking away from their area, leaving the kobold unarmed and, in other words, dead. It just hadn''t hit the floor yet ¡ª a milestone Ruben had no hesitation in helping the kobold achieve. With a huff of exertion, he kicked the dead kobold''s body off his sword. The body hadn''t even hit the floor before Ruben was swinging at the kobold he''d slapped moments ago. In its defense, the kobold had tried to scramble away once it was unarmed and potentially up against a foe that could easily end it. Ruben watched in contempt as the kobold tried to scramble away. It only made it four steps before his sword whistled. The tip of the blade cutting into the retreating figure that was the kobold. Shriekkkkkkk! Ruben''s look of contempt quickly morphed into one of confusion as a trail of fire erupted at his back. Stifling a scream, he turned back to see the other remaining kobold holding back its dagger as it jumped away from him. The monster had slashed him. Chicken nuggets. He was trapped between two kobolds, although now that he thought about it properly, "trapped" wasn''t even the right word. One kobold wasn''t even armed, and the other was very close to losing its dagger hand if Ruben got a hand to it. Discarding his earlier plan to finish off the unarmed kobold, he dashed straight at the armed one, sword in tow. His movements weren''t crisp or comic book worthy, but they worked, and he hoped they wouldn''t fail him now. Clang! Dagger met sword in the air, sparks flew by as the two weapons fought for dominance. Seeing that that method was a dead end, Ruben hopped back, already readying himself for another attack. The berserker confidence was growing with each passing second that the battle lasted. His heart was beating faster than it had ever done in his life. His eyes were frantic, and his adrenaline was on an all-time high. Ruben couldn''t believe the rush he was currently experiencing, living at the edge of death. What had seemed so scary before now had a certain thrill to it now that he was going against monsters alone. Shluck! "Arrrrrrghhhhh!" Ruben screamed. He''d just been stabbed in the butt, and it wasn''t even the armed kobold that had stabbed him because he currently had his eyes on that one. That meant it was probably the other kobold that had stabbed him. But how? He''d disarmed the kobold and thrown away its weapon, unless... Fuck me! The unarmed kobold had simply armed itself with the dagger of its fallen comrade. Ruben didn''t even know how he hadn''t remembered that there was a literal dagger lying on the floor. The kobold pulled back the dagger and scrambled backward. The pain from the attack made him feel quite uncertain about the whole "living on the edge" thing. Right now, he was paying the price for stupid thoughts like that. Fury overtook Ruben in an inadvisable amount. He turned and thrust at the scrambling kobold. He overextended to the point that his newest injury protested the attack, but he persevered. His blade running through the kobold with a satisfying squelch. A refreshing wave of euphoria passed through him as the kobold died. I guess that''s a level up. He, like the rest of their squad, had quickly come to associate the euphoric feeling that enveloped them with level-ups. The euphoric feeling brought with it complete healing and maximization of stamina. Right now, the only thing that was going to suffer from such a boon was the remaining kobold. Ruben sported a slight smile as he approached the vague figure of the kobold. He knew where it stood, and it knew where he stood, but races stared at each other in the oppressive darkness. Innately knowing that this was going to probably be the last stand if they were being honest with themselves. I hope you guys said your prayers because it''s night-night for y''all. With his renewed strength, Ruben charged at the kobold, sword going for an overhead strike. As anticipated, the kobold raised its dagger over its head in hopes of deflecting the attack. It would''ve been the right move if Ruben had any interest in completing the attack, but he didn''t. The overhead strike had been nothing more than a feint, and Ruben changed his direction when he got within range. His sword curved around its head and raised arms, cutting into its side. The attack not quite bisecting it, but the kobold died to the strike regardless. A loud shriekkkkkkk echoed in the dungeon as the kobold let out its last protest. With a kick, Ruben dislodged his sword from the body, watching as the body dropped to the floor with a thud. "Wooo!" "Bravo!" "Look who''s manned up!" Catcalls and cheers echoed around the dungeon as his squad mates applauded him. Apparently, he''d been the last one fighting, and they''d all watched. The various catcalls brought a blush to his face. 1 - 54.The Gaslighter. Nathan grinned as he watched the rest of the squad heap praises on the other Berserker. Hoots, woos, and cat calls echoed around the dungeon, and while he couldn''t see clearly enough the face of the Berserker, he could tell that the teen was probably smiling at the praises. Heck, even Pirlo threw in some words of praise. Of course, the rogue''s words contained hints of mockery, but he highly doubted that Ruben would be able to piece it up within the moment. And even if he did, it could just be interpreted as a little friendly ribbing. Which was ironically going to be the only way that the rogue knew how to share in the humor. And while Nathan personally wasn''t a fan of all these social interactions, he''d do his best to acknowledge the steps that Berserker had made, later. As for now, the dungeon was supposed to spawn the loot, and they''d get their asses out of dodge. Thud! The sound echoed in the dungeon, causing the cheering to stop as all members of the squad rested their stance in anticipation of a fight, daggers, swords, and bows at the ready. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the unnecessary action. "No need to be scared, it''s loot," Nathan chuckled. "Go ahead, open it." His words seemed to alleviate some of the tension in the room as weapons were relaxed. Well, most of them were. Pirlo had stuck to keeping his daggers at his side, ready to stab at any time. A little stabby stabby, aren''t we? He chuckled inwardly as he watched the squad approach the box like it was a time bomb. Even with his words that had been said to calm them down, they were still wary, which, all things considered, was actually a good thing. No need for him to make them feel safe. The tension would build them up faster than he could ever. With that in mind, Nathan just stood a little ways from the entrance¡ªthe same spot he''d stood at since the fight began. He hadn''t moved a single step in any direction, which meant that the squad had passed his hidden test with flying colors. Meh, more like a D+. They''d done alright, but they still could''ve done better. Especially since theirs was kind of a group work, their coordination was weak. Archers were poor. Ruben almost got himself and Diane killed. Pirlo and Ciara, the supposed leaders of the squad, forgot about the rest of the squad immediately the battle started, meaning that their already terrible coordination got worse. Watching them bicker as they opened up the box only made his concern for them grow. In the box were three items. He couldn''t quite tell what they were as he was far away from the loot and it was dark as well. What he could tell was that three items divided by seven people wasn''t such a nice math. More and more, the problems with being in such large squads were beginning to show themselves. Safety in numbers was the pro; a slower progression was the con. Most people would pick safety over progression. Nathan wasn''t most people. Plus, whoever does that is dumb. More bickering ensued between the squad, but Nathan tuned it out to let his thoughts solidify on his decision. Safety was one of the things humans frequently sought out. Heck, in the entire history of human evolution, the need for safety had propelled man forward. Not the coward''s definition of safety¡ªstaying back and finding a rock to hide under. No. The kind of safety Nathan sought was the type that would ensure that he was untouched when the new world order becomes established. The strongest shall rule, and the weak shall follow. These words were burned into the back of Nathan''s mind, and he''d already told himself that after his stint with Sparrow and the gang, never again would he be a follower. Heck, he didn''t even want to be a leader. If the world would allow him to be a hermit, he''d happily take that option. But right now, the new world offered no in-between. Loot claimed, dungeon destabilizing in 2 minutes. All entities should exit the dungeon before the dungeon collapses into Ra''hal. Nathan dismissed the new notification with a thought. The information had disrupted his thinking, and maybe it was for the best. Overthinking didn''t solve anything as far as he could tell, and trust him, he was an overthinker, constantly blowing up situations out of proportion. "Alright guys, unless you want to be turned into ground beef, I suggest you meet me outside the dungeon," Nathan said. He''d already turned his back on them after uttering the last word. No need for him to stay put and try to convince them to make haste. When the stones and debris start falling from the ceiling of the dungeon, they''d figure out their way out. It took him but moments to get out of the collapsing dungeon, and the good part was that he wasn''t out of breath by the time he got out. His breathing was barely uneven, which meant he''d improved since his last time in an F-ranked dungeon. With that knowledge came a kind of blissful smile. He hadn''t been living on the edge for nothing. The gains he''d gotten from risking his life had started to pay off.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Dividends. More like return on investment, Nathan chuckled at the thought. His feet moved on their own accord as his subconscious seemed to want him a good deal away from the destabilizing dungeon. He went with the flow. No point staying back. He''d lost awe of the mechanics of the dungeons. But they haven''t though. I should probably stay here and get them back to Blood Rock. Less than a few seconds after the thought, the squad came rushing out. Pirlo had a good lead on the rest of them. The rogue probably invested much of his points into Dexterity, plus on the other side of things, the rogue was also the strongest member of the group¡ªa fact that probably wouldn''t have been obvious to an outsider. Ciara led, and the rogue followed. Who between the pair the rest of the squad really followed, he had no idea. But at surface level, Pirlo was the strongest, Ciara was the leader. The thought gave him a little pause, but he shook it off. Instead, he waited for the squad to get to him so they could get moving. Pirlo was the first to reach his spot, the rogue hunched over trying to catch his breath. The singular act made Nathan chuckle inwardly. The rogue was good, but he definitely wasn''t Nathan''s match by any stretch of the imagination. Heck, he had a feeling that if he gave the right kind of coaching to Ruben, the Berserker should be able to handle the rogue one-on-one¡ª"should" being the keyword there. Or Pirlo would just kill him to get rid of the dead weight. Nathan had the sinking suspicion that Ruben hadn''t been an actual Berserker for the squad¡ªa feeling that was confirmed today when he was assigned the task of protecting Diane and when he froze when the attack did come. He wasn''t sure if it was his yelling that had done the trick or the knowledge that the rest of his squad mates wouldn''t save him if he couldn''t handle the Kobolds on his own, but Ruben had stepped up. Speak of the devil. "Weren''t¡­ we¡­ supposed to¡­ have been¡­ teleported¡­ out the dungeon?" Ruben asked between pants. The last of the squad had got there, and with the Berserker came the talking. Nathan didn''t bother to answer the question as it wasn''t important. And judging from the lack of silence from the rest of the squad still catching their breaths, they probably thought so too. Turning away from the squad, he fixed his gaze upon the collapsing dungeon awaiting a particular notification. Dungeon destabilizing in 10 9 8 7 ¡­ Bingo! "You guys better look up for this," Nathan said. Sure, he''d gotten used to it, but for the rest of the squad, something like this was probably going to be their first time seeing the system terraform. One by one, the squad members began stretching to their full height, looking at the destabilizing dungeon in confusion. ¡­ 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Dungeon destabilized. That confusion quickly disappeared as soon as the dungeon collapsed, spraying dirt and debris around its surroundings. That was the mundane part. Nathan gave it a few more seconds, and sure enough, the reactions started rolling in. "You''ve got to be kidding me." "Yo, Tasha, are you seeing this?" "Somebody pinch me, this can''t be right." "I think Daniel just sucked in all the dungeon debris through his nose." "Pfft¡­ more like the debris was probably relocated to fill Ruben''s empty head." More back-and-forths like that continued, and Nathan didn''t do anything to break it up. Why would he? The conversations they were having with each other right about now were the kind he low-key wished he''d had with someone else when he''d first watched a dungeon collapse. They were all teenagers, though, and soon enough, the clearing lost its appeal and intrigue. The squad had thrown a couple of jokes about the subject matter within a few minutes that the subject had turned mundane for them, in record time. Okay, maybe I was lucky enough to be alone to witness my first. The fact that he''d been alone to see his first dungeon collapse wasn''t so bad now, considering the fact that the squad had pretty much turned what had been a spectacle for him then into another meh moment. He''d been lucky enough to enjoy the first and second time; it had only grown mundane for him after the third time¡ªsomething that they wouldn''t understand. So, yep, there were definitely upsides to going at it alone. Looking back with all that he knew now, he wasn''t quite sure he''d pick the tutorial. This path had hardened him faster and given him an edge the tutorial couldn''t match. A win is a win. Nathan smiled at the thought before tuning in to the animated conversation the squad seemed to be having. Apparently, Ruben was giving the squad a live-action replay of his fight with the Kobolds. While Nathan could easily tell that the squad wasn''t really interested in the other Berserker''s story, Ruben seemed to be oblivious to that fact. The teen even exaggerated some parts of the story that just made Nathan chuckle. "¡­ I''m telling you guys, three against one, and I took them all like a champ, zero hesitation. My sword was whistling death, pretty as I mowed them down like this," Ruben said, running the motion of slashing at invisible enemies. To the Berserker''s credit, the squad seemed to perk up at his words. Some probably spotted the outright lie of him not hesitating, but they unanimously decided to let the matter rest, which Nathan thought was a nice decision. The squad mates might not quite agree with Ruben''s version of the story, but their singular act of not interrupting the Berserker who was on a roll was thoughtful to say the least. Hopefully, that act would help build up the Berserker''s confidence so that the next time they''d actually get into a fight, the Berserker wouldn''t hesitate one bit. "¡­ And then I executed an overhead feint, just like in the movies," Ruben said while demonstrating. "My sword curved and tore into that Kobold like a cake. My feint was perfect without any flaws." Perfect without any flaws? The attack had been okay at most, but to call it perfect without a single flaw was wild to say the least. He almost had the urge to slap the stupid smile off the Berserker''s face, but thankfully Pirlo stepped in before he could do anything rash to the blabbering Berserker who was still going on like an entry-level marketer selling their first product¡ªwhich was technically comparable since it was probably the Berserker''s first solo kill. "Where to now?" Pirlo asked, interrupting the Berserker''s incessant blabbing. "Blood Rock. We head back to Blood Rock." 1 - 55. Field trip. Nathan and the squad had hit four more dungeons before he begrudgingly accepted that they were strong enough to go for a hunt. He didn''t really want to take them on a hunt, but at the end of the day, the fruit the demons had left behind had decreased significantly, and if what his subconscious was telling him was right, then they pretty much had less than fifty fruits remaining. So, after four days of clearing F-Ranked dungeons, he''d decided that they needed to find an alternative source of food before the fruit he had stashed in his bag of holding was exhausted. As it was, the squad were all standing outside Blood Rock, waiting for him to start leading the way into the forest, but a little part of him wanted to hesitate. Instead, he decided to analyze them to convince himself that he wasn''t making a mistake. [Name: Tasha Silco Moniker: N/A Archetype: Ranger Level: 11] [Name: Diane Argent Moniker: N/A Archetype: Priestess Level: 9] [Name: Daniel Perez Moniker: N/A Archetype: Ranger Level: 12] [Name: Yola Moniker: N/A Archetype: Ranger Level: 11] [Name: Pirlo Vox Moniker: N/A Archetype: Rogue Level: 15] [Name: Ruben Reid Moniker: N/A Archetype: Berserker Level: 12] [Name: Ciara Rone Moniker: N/A Archetype: Mage Level: 13] Unsurprisingly, it was none other than the rogue who led the way in levels at the end of their dungeon runs. A solid level fifteen was where the rogue now stood. The other teen head and shoulders above the rest of his peers, his single-minded focus showing end product. What surprised him was actually Ruben''s rapid growth. The Berserker had somewhere along the second and third dungeon decided to take a place at the front of the squad ¡ª like a real Berserker. For his troubles, he''d earned himself a massive boost in levels and confidence too. He''d started composing himself better, and Nathan could tell that the other Berserker''s mind had started to tick better. His growth from a measly level five to a meh level twelve was still applaudable. Ciara''s growth was second only to Pirlo''s. The female mage had begun taking more of a support role with the emergence of a new Ruben. Of course, from time to time she still popped up at the frontlines to take some of the heat before dishing out hers in kind. But between the last two dungeons, she''d had enough time to head back into the security of the rangers and recast her spells. So all in all, the new Ruben''s influence had been felt all over the squad, with multiple members still praising the blabbering Berserker. Another improvement that caught his eye was that of the priestess ¡ª Diane. She''d managed to get four more levels in their last four dungeons, meaning she was at a 1:1 ratio at the moment. How priests and priestesses leveled up he had no idea, and it was something he was probably going to ask about later. But right now, he''d rather not seem clueless asking mundane questions like that all the time. The rest of the squad had seen a couple more improvements on their own end. Excluding the priestess, the rest of them were in double figures for levels, and while he didn''t know if it''d be enough, he really hoped so. "All right, so the hunt is today," Nathan said, clearing his throat. "Whatttt areee you waiting for, lead the way, bro. I can''t wait to stab something not dungeon-related," Ruben said ecstatically. Nathan did his best to keep his expression smooth as both Ciara and Pirlo, who were beside the other Berserker, rolled their eyes at his child-like anticipation. At least they aren''t laughing at him anymore. That was at the very least one point in the childish Berserker''s favor. Now he could openly speak about wanting to slay a monster, and his squadmates wouldn''t snort or chuckle at his words. Usually anytime he said anything like that ¡ª Ruben had talked like that a lot in the past few days ¡ª at most he''d get a couple of eye rolls, but his words now carried a little bit of weight to back them up.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Hold your horses, Ruben," Nathan said, raising a palm to stop the Berserker''s incoming tirade. "Has anyone seen our furry friend?" Murmurs broke out amongst the group, but Nathan knew what the most likely answer would be. Still, he waited, not quite sure which of the two answers he wanted to hear, but he waited for the murmurs to settle, and with order came his answer. "Nope, we haven''t seen the bunny since two dungeon runs ago," Yola said sadly. The quiet ranger rarely ever butted into conversations, and Nathan could count on one hand the number of times he''d heard her speaking. It seemed the bunny had left quite the impression on the ranger. Either way, the bunny hadn''t returned in a while, and Nathan didn''t really know if he was supposed to be happy or not. He and the bunny shared a much weirder relationship compared to the rest of the squad. The bunny seemed to be a docile house pet when around the rest of the squad, but he''d seen what it could do, and he was pretty sure that it knew that he knew what it could do. That was why they hadn''t gotten along like the rest of the squad. Doesn''t matter, hopefully he''s somewhere safe and he figures out a way to hunt for his own food. The thought was harsh, but Nathan was running out of fruit, and the absence of the bunny helped conserve the little fruits they had. To be honest, Nathan could think of a couple of people that would''ve killed the bunny by now if they had the same power he had right now, but Nathan wasn''t them. He was his own man, he was Nathan Orion. "All right, let''s move," Nathan said as he picked a random direction and began walking. It was quite weird to be leading people when even he didn''t have a definite direction in mind, but he did so anyway. Not like he''d actually seen a group of monsters anywhere, excluding the miners, that is. As he walked, he tuned out the conversations going on behind him, Ruben''s voice seemingly dominated the talks. No doubt the Berserker was having another pointless conversation, and Nathan pitied whoever was unlucky enough to be exchanging words with a blabbermouth like Ruben. Ha! He doesn''t even need anyone to reply. The Berserker often failed to pick up on social cues, and it had Nathan wondering if perhaps Ruben had been homeschooled or partially isolated from social gatherings as a child. Not only did the Berserker not know how to speak, he didn''t know when to speak or when to shut up. Any normal person would shut up when they realized that the others weren''t listening or paying attention to whatever they were saying, but not Ruben. He never shut up. He just talked and talked and talked, most times to himself, which Nathan found a bit weird, but he wasn''t going to judge. While the Berserker''s fighting prowess had seen minor improvements, the social side of the Berserker desperately needed one, and Nathan cursed the fact that there wasn''t a stat for that. "Ruben?" Pirlo called out to the yapping Berserker. "Yep," Ruben answered, perking up at the chance that someone wanted to talk to him. "Shut up," Pirlo said. "Or you''ll scare away anything that we''re supposed to hunt." "Oh yea," Ruben said sheepishly. With that came the end of the blabbering and a peaceful silence that Nathan was grateful for. That wasn''t the only good thing that had come out of Pirlo''s interruption; he could tell that the rogue had added those extra words to let down the Berserker gently rather than run him into the ground. Which also meant that the rogue himself was improving on his social cues, and if someone like Pirlo could take such a step, then surely there was going to be hope for Ruben to do the same. "Sssss" Nathan really, really hoped that that sound wasn''t coming from what he thought it was. His run-in with the Nagas in the dungeons still gave him nightmares sometimes, and a snake was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment. Hisss The sound seemed to be coming from up above, which was kind of bad considering the fact that up above were the branches of so many tall trees that littered the forest. The branches had somehow interwoven themselves and now formed a canopy of sorts. Crimson light still spilled through, but Nathan knew that he''d have a hard time pinpointing the exact location of the monster. Still, he tried to. Shit. Nathan barely had enough time to process the incoming threat before he threw himself to the side. The spot he''d previously been standing at was now sizzling as whatever venom the snake head carried had been sprayed at the spot he''d been at moment''s ago. "Everyone, get back!" Nathan yelled, already scrambling to his feet as he sought the snake he knew was up in the trees. He''d seen the green scales that the snake had ¨C perfect for camouflage considering their current environment. The rest of the squad didn''t need any more warnings before they hopped back by themselves. No doubt the still sizzling floor had given them a glimpse of just how terrible the monster that they were about to face was. Nathan would''ve given them the order to retreat back to Blood Rock, but he wasn''t sure that they''d make it back before they''d be picked apart by the snake. Ironically, the same dexterity that he wasn''t sure the rest of the squad possessed to make a clean break away was almost certainly the same stat that would make fighting whatever monster that was up there an indirect death sentence for some of the squad members. No, I''ll not stand idly by. No one is going to be losing their life today. Nathan wasn''t one to make idle convictions. Everything he''d said he was going to do, he''d done it. Even cutting himself off from a gang lifestyle that paid more than Mr. Wong''s ever did, he''d done that. This snake wasn''t going to be any different. No way was it going to take any of his people when he was still breathing. It''d have to kill him to get anyone else. Unfortunately for the slithering monster, Nathan had no plans to die today. "Get into formation, keep close to your squad mate. Rangers, eyes up for danger and shoot on sight," Nathan ordered. "Attack to kill." Nathan didn''t know where half of the things he was saying was coming from. Might''ve been from books or movies, but he couldn''t think about that now. All he knew was the words sounded right for the moment, and though a little part of him felt bad for snatching off the reins of command off of Ciara and Pirlo, he still wasn''t going to give it back to them until the current threat had been erased. Plus, it wasn''t like anyone else had complained, so he also had to go with the flow right about now. "Ciara, your fireballs should be at the ready. Diane, buff her. Pirlo and Ruben, stay back if possible. I''m not sure that is something you can get up close and personal with right now." Their dungeon runs had given him an idea of their strengths and weaknesses, and at the moment he was using that information as best as he could. Ruben and Pirlo probably weren''t going to be strong enough to lay a crucial hit on the monster purely judging by the size of its head only. If the pair even tried to get close to the monster to get hit, there was a good chance that they''d lose their lives. Hopefully, it doesn''t come to that. Thud! Nathan resisted the urge to curse out loud at the massive figure that had just dropped off from the trees above entirely. The snake seemed to have given up on a sneak attack and had now ungracefully dropped to the ground, showcasing the full length and breadth of its body. It was almost as long as a yellow school bus, and its width was more than half of his torso. It had reared up its massive head and was staring right at them. It was currently a few yards away from where they stood, but Nathan did not doubt that it could close the distance in a heartbeat. "Shit." The curse came from someone behind him, but he wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment. Shit! 1 - 56. Rapid. When Nathan said he wanted to hunt, he meant hunt animals like deer, birds, or any other thing that wouldn''t give him nightmares for days. The universe, or whatever controlled this shitty apocalypse, decided to deny him his silent request and instead toss him a snake¡ªand it wasn''t even a little snake, no, it was something that vaguely seemed like an anaconda. Of course, Nathan didn''t really believe that''s what it was. At least I hope not. Right about now, the two opposing sides had neither attacked nor fled. Nathan knew he''d probably be able to make it if he decided to flee, but he''d basically be sending Ciara and the rest of the squad to their deaths. Considering it was him who''d decided that they were somewhat ready enough to go on a hunt with him, it''d be very unkind of him to abandon them. So far, they''d been lucky enough not to have been attacked by the snake since it dropped to the floor, and Nathan was hoping that his next action wouldn''t be the inciting incident. With bated breath, he analyzed the monster. [ Rapid Soza Level 22 ] Huh, not bad. While he was a hundred percent sure he could take on the Soza in his own, the reality was that he''d come into this fight with many people who were incapable of going toe to toe with the Soza snake. Nathan wrinkled his forehead, trying to keep perfectly still as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to handle the Soza on his own. Level 22 meant that both Pirlo and Ruben were both ruled out of the fight, so was the priestess and the rangers, meaning that the only other person that could make a difference in this fight was the Mage. He had no idea if the fireballs he''d seen the Mage chuck at other monsters would have an effect on the current monster in front of him, but he''d take all the firepower that he could get. Plus, she could attack from range; he, on the other hand, had to get close and personal with the Soza. "Everyone, stay back. You''re all... You guys can''t take on this monster. If possible, run, run and don''t look back," Nathan said. He''d had to stop himself from calling them useless. Sure, in the current situation they''d be of no help, but with a couple more dungeon runs, a monster like this should be prey to their squad as a whole. Well, I''ve done my best. I''ll leave the rest up to them. Nathan''s mind raced in anticipation of the fight he was about to begin. He''d spent his last five dungeon runs doing nothing but supervising kids his own age. They''d come out smiling, happy in their newfound strength, but with the encounter with this snake, he had no doubts that a resolve would bloom inside the others to grow stronger. Note to self: Try not to get any acidic venom on you. He charged at the head-bobbing snake, a hiss leaving its lips at the sudden movement from the Berserker. A little part of him had been raring to exercise, to feel the thrill of battle¡ªan impulse he''d had to stomp out when in the F-Ranked dungeons. Hiss. Droplets of sizzling venom flew towards him, but Nathan had been on the lookout for the attack, so it was easy for him to change directions. The little movement he made of changing the direction of his charge had been enough to evade the attack of the snake, which Nathan was supremely grateful for. Acid getting on his skin wouldn''t kill him immediately, but it''d hurt like crazy if he ever got that sizzling venom on him. The encounter with the Nagas in an earlier dungeon rang a few bells before he dismissed the thought entirely. He had to give his utmost focus to the snake, especially since he had a couple of easy targets behind him. The moment Nathan got within range, he raised his sword up for a slash, but the damned snake just moved backward, faster than his swing could connect. Ah, you sly creature. Nathan had been careful not to overextend himself during the strike and that seemingly routine attack. The simple decision from him had probably saved his life as the snake reared back its head to strike him, but he easily jumped back, evading the counterattack. You sly, sly creature. They''d disengaged for the moment. Nathan had his sword at the ready, and the snake¡ªwell, the snake was its own weapon: head, body, tail. What really made him tick was the fact that the snake had just tried to seduce him into a false sense of security in his opening strike. Now that he could see it clearly, he might''ve been able to catch the snake a little with the tip of his sword if he''d extended, and then he''d have fallen into the sly creature''s trap. Overextending like that would leave him unbalanced, and an unbalanced Nathan against a monster that had the word "Rapid" in its name was as good as a free bite¡ªa tasty, Berserker-defined treat. But nonetheless, he''d decided not to overextend, a decision that had been purely instinctual at the time but definitely one that played a crucial role in his ability to breathe right now.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. You can''t teach that. Nathan inwardly rejoiced at the fact that he was gradually becoming fight-tuned. The fact that his mind was already calculating his moves on a subconscious level was mind-boggling to say the least, but it also spoke to the fact that he''d begun growing in a way that wasn''t stat-oriented. He was getting better at his decision-making during fights, and he didn''t know if it was because he''d spent a lot of time over-analyzing the stupid decisions that the squad made at times during their dungeon runs. Maybe watching Ruben make cringe-worthy decisions during fights had forced his brain to think smarter and faster before he could move his sword. The synergy between the body, mind, and sword was yet to come, but he''d welcome any improvement he could get at this point. The tail. "Rarggggh!" Nathan charged at the snake, and unlike the other monsters that preferred to reuse tactics against him that had already failed, the Rapid Soza decided to do things a little differently, which was like a fresh breath for him. Instead of attacking with its head and fangs, the Rapid Soza decided to try and batter him away with its tail. Unfortunately for the monster, Nathan had been expecting that move. His mind was whirring like it''d been waiting for this moment to go "brr," and to be honest, he''d been seeking a fight for a while. With barely restrained glee, he slowed down his charge as he waited for the Soza''s tail to get within attacking range. Swoosh! A maniacal grin split Nathan''s face as his blade whistled through the air, the motion promising nothing but unrestricted and savage violence¡ªthe kind you associated with horror movies. Hiss! The snake''s version of a cry echoed around the forest as Nathan''s sword tore into its skin with reckless abandon. The sword did not make it all the way through, but it was more than halfway there before Nathan pulled back the blade and hopped back, already anticipating a retaliation of sorts from the now-injured snake. The situation would be funny to any onlooker, purely from a visual standpoint. The odds that the snake would be the first one to suffer a crippling blow were very low compared to Nathan and the rest, but somehow he managed to find a way to defy the odds. His victory was short-lived, though, as the snake seemed to have decided that Nathan wasn''t going to be an easy prey. Considering what he''d just done to its tail, he could understand why. Its next move, though, was completely uncalled for but at the same time completely expected. It shot forward towards Nathan, who threw himself to the side. The strike was too sudden and too reckless from the injured monster for Nathan''s still-improving brain to have thought it a real possibility. But when the Soza didn''t pause its charge after Nathan got out of the way, alarm bells started going off in his head, causing him to scramble to his feet. The attack at him had been nothing but a feint; the snake was going for Ciara and the squad. Not on my watch. "Ciara, chuck fireballs at it! The rest of you, scram. You''re probably dead if its venom touches you," Nathan yelled. The Mage didn''t respond, but he ignored it. For her sake and the rest of the squad, he hoped that she''d heard him. He felt a niggle at the back of his mind and had to resist the urge to check his wrist¡ªof course, he wasn''t wearing a watch. Shaking the loose thought from his head, he began charging at the exposed behind of the Rapid Soza. By now, the snake had already eaten up a lot of the distance he''d put between him, it, and the squad. The damned monster had a head start, and it was way faster than him, too. So it was all he could do as he watched the monster rear up its head to attack the mage, which only had a single other person beside her, Pirlo¡ªthe rest had wisely taken his advice and had hidden behind one of the numerous trees. Hell, he wouldn''t even judge if they were halfway to Blood Rock by now. This idiot. Ciara chucked her first fireball at the Soza snake. The attack hit the snake square in its face. He was pretty interested in finding out if the Mage''s fireball would have an effect on the snake. It did. The snake''s head rocked backward at the fireball that had been chucked at it. Other than buying them some time, Nathan couldn''t really see any use of the attack. The Rapid Soza barely sustained any visible injury from the fireball, and now it was rearing its head up. Without warning, it went for the head of the idiot in question, Pirlo. Fear gripped Nathan''s heart as he could do nothing but watch as the Soza''s mouth got close to the Rogue''s head. The wiry teen gritted his teeth and raised both his daggers in defiance as he faced off against something that Nathan was sure could kill the rogue with ease. Block head. Nathan had already been preparing the words he''d speak over the rogue''s dead body when a second fireball flared into existence, the ball of fire catching the Rapid Soza at the side of the head. The snake let out a hiss at the attack, and Nathan had a sneaking suspicion that it was born out of frustration rather than pain of any kind. Regardless of whatever sentiment was behind the hiss, it had bought them more time still. You''ve got to be kidding me. Instead of Pirlo getting out of the way and celebrating his second chance at life, the block head had decided that it was a wise idea to attack the snake that was doubly pissed. His daggers struck the neck of the snake. The distance between the pair hadn''t been much to begin with, seeing as the Rapid Soza hadn''t pulled back after the failed attack. Are you happy now? As expected, the rogue''s dagger did no damage to the monster. His attack had done nothing more than add fuel to the Rapid Soza''s ire. However, Nathan did get a front-row seat to watch the spectacle that was Pirlo''s face as the rogue realized that he''d made a stupid mistake. The rogue tried to dodge the retaliation by the snake, but Nathan knew that it''d take a miracle for the teenager to escape the attack. Ciara had already thrown her second fireball, and by Nathan''s estimate, she''d need a second or two before she could recast the spell. Luckily for the rogue, though, Nathan was already in position to settle the scores. With a lust for blood, Nathan''s sword flashed by, decapitating the head of the Rapid Soza, which was almost the size of his torso. Thud! A wave of euphoria passed through him, but he pushed aside the feeling, instead focusing on the glee that the look on Pirlo''s face brought him. "That''s it. Either you guys hit a Rank E-Dungeon with me, or you handle some F-Ranked ones by yourselves," Nathan said, trying to catch his breath. 1 - 57. Free will. Nathan''s words seemed to have snapped the rogue from his brief spell of being frozen. The fear that had been so apparent on Pirlo''s face morphed into a blank one as the rogue took a step back from the monster corpse and went to stand beside a tree a few feet away. Pirlo''s face was impassive, but his eyes were unfocused, as though the rogue was lost in thought. Look at that, I must''ve struck a chord. Pirlo''s open defiance to his order could have been due to a myriad of possibilities. Maybe he felt an overwhelming sense of loyalty for Ciara, maybe he just wanted to piss Nathan off, or the biggest maybe of them all: maybe he assumed that Nathan just wanted to isolate Ciara away from her squad so that when she''d be killed by the Rapid Soza, Nathan could just take over the reins of leadership. I''ve got news for you, buddy. I ain''t interested in leading you guys. Was what Nathan wanted to say, but no one had asked a question, so he kept his words to himself. A second to mull over the accusation his subconscious had thrown at him made him realize that indeed there was a little bit of weight behind the unspoken accusation. If Pirlo hadn''t been beside Ciara, maybe the mage would''ve been dead by now, as Nathan only got there because Pirlo had served as a distraction. What am I even doing? Nathan ended that line of thought with a grunt. At no time had he envisioned himself putting Ciara in a situation that could hundred percent kill her. Maybe that was how it seemed, but he''d never callously waste a human life like that. It simply wasn''t something he was cruel enough to do. He snapped out of it. While Pirlo had isolated himself after Nathan''s quick jab at the group as a whole and his undisguised grin at the look of fear in the rogue''s eyes, Ciara was already on the move, gathering her squadmates and giving them pats on the back and words of encouragement as she sought to comfort them. Yin and Yang. Maybe he loves her. "Helllll yeahhhhhhhhh, did you guys see that?" Ruben said excitedly. "I thought for sure Pirlo was a goner." The other berserker''s words caused him to discard the line of thought, the squadmates gathering around the corpse of the monster he stood over. "Same, it looked grim," Yola said quietly. "Naahh, a damned snake isn''t going to be what will kill Pirlo," Daniel said with a grin. "He''s too bull-headed for that. Maybe a bull with the ego he has would actually get the job done." Nathan resisted the urge to chuckle at the group''s input on the matter. It relieved him a little to see that they hadn''t been ultimately crushed by the disparity in strength between them and the Rapid Soza. Sure, he''d expect them to step it up a notch, but losing their personalities entirely because of that would be terrible. "At least he did something, you mocking cowards," Tasha chipped in, judgment seeping into her tone. "The rest of you guys did nothing but hide, like house cats." House cats? It took a moment for him to realize what the female ranger actually meant, and when he''d finally clocked it, he had to resist the urge to chuckle at the insults which clearly left Ruben and Daniel red in their faces. "We-ll, we didn''t see you try to do anything," Ruben stuttered. The berserker was only saying that to try and save face, but he could tell that most of the squad actually agreed with him. The Tasha that was judging the rest of the squad had been the first to hide behind a tree. Throwing stones at others when she lived in a glass house, Ruben''s words seemed to have struck a nerve as the ranger huffed audibly before keeping mute, glaring daggers at the dwarf. Too bad she doesn''t have laser eyes. That would''ve certainly helped against the Rapid Soza, but alas, the system hadn''t designed it necessary to mutate them to the point that they could shoot burning hot lasers from their eyes. Maybe it could happen in the future, hopefully. "Stand down, everyone," Nathan said, trying to close the rift. "You guys made the right decision by hiding. Ciara wasn''t going to be able to protect you all if you were clumped together." He couldn''t even imagine a best-case scenario if that had happened. Surely by now they''d have been mourning the loss of a member or two, but they were all intact, if just a little bit shaken at the moment. Nathan''s words seemed to be enough to close the gap that was starting to open up within the squad. "All you guys have to do now is get stronger," Nathan said. "And you have to do it fast. So are you guys going to hit an E-ranked dungeon with me or an F-ranked one by yourselves?" As far as he was concerned, he was done babysitting. They could handle the least dungeon by themselves, so he no longer had to watch over them while they fought. Of course, if they did decide to hit the E-ranked dungeon with him, he''d have to do a little supervising before he focused on improving his own growth, which he''d been neglecting for some time.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Speaking of growth, status. Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 25 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Demon Slayer, Skull Crusher, Bronze Dungeoneer, Wrong Underdog Strength: 26 Dexterity: 13 Vitality: 12 Constitution: 18 Perception: 11 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 19,490 Free Points: 4 He had quite the urge to chuck some of his free points into his Dexterity but suppressed it. The monster who''d been behind the urge was already dead without the increase in the particular stat. The realization caused Nathan to question if the ability to look at his stats somehow took away the opportunity to utilize his full potential. With a subtle shake of his head, he dismissed the screen, coming back to the present where the squad was throwing light banter amongst themselves. Ciara was looking intently at him, her eyes uncertain. A raised eyebrow from him seemed to alert her that he''d dismissed his stat screen, which was no doubt what everybody thought he''d been fiddling with when he''d zoned out. "We''ll take the F-ranked dungeon ¡­ alone," Ciara said firmly. Her words cut straight through the nervous chatter that the rest of the squad¡ªexcluding Pirlo¡ªhad been partaking in. The impression of her words left was louder than the words themselves. Eyes flitted between mage and berserker, everyone waiting with bated breath. Nathan turned to the rogue who''d isolated himself from them. Pirlo seemed to have heard what Ciara had said clearly and had the look of someone who wanted to protest the decision. Instead of doing that, the rogue let out a dramatic sigh and muttered something under his breath that Nathan''s ears couldn''t pick up. Well, it''s their funeral. "Sure," Nathan said with ease. "Okay, so has anyone ever had snake meat? Because I am tiredddddd of eating fruitsssss," Ruben said. The words of the berserker cut through the thick tension that threatened to suffocate them. Nathan had never been more grateful to hear the blabbermouth speak than at the moment. A couple of chuckles left the lips of the others, and a smile appeared on Nathan''s face too. "I haven''t tried it," Nathan admitted with a shrug. Murmurs of agreement echoed around the clearing, but a couple of squad members kept their mouths shut. He found out why in a second. "It''s actually kinda nice. My grandma taught me how to make it," Yola muttered. Just like that, cheers exploded amongst the group. They might not have agreed on the way forward when it came to leveling up, but everyone was pretty much looking forward to eating something that wasn''t a fruit. After all, variety was the spice of life. "Uhmm, are we supposed to eat monster meat?" Nathan asked uncertainly. It had been one of the first questions he''d debated on after being dropped on the island by the freaking apocalypse general or whoever or whatever had dumped him here. The rapid degradation of the corpses and the fact that they were alien entities made Nathan wary of eating anything, so he''d stayed away from anything like that. For the most part. "Desperate times, my man," Ruben said. "Plus the system told us that as long as we''re fast enough in preparing the meat, we should be able to avoid it degrading to the point it becomes inedible." "Ohh." A few chuckles rang out at his response, but Nathan didn''t mind one bit. The earlier tension had dissipated into the wind, and now the atmosphere had turned lively. Even Pirlo let out a laugh at his ignorance with Ciara, using a fake cough to disguise her laughter. "How are we going to get it back to Blood Rock, though?" Diane asked. Nathan couldn''t help but smile at the question. It was the first time someone else had called his stronghold that without a hint of mockery seeping into their words. The priestess had said it like it was a normal name, not something silly. "Yeah, Ruben''s head is spacious, but I don''t think we can force the entire thing in there," Daniel said with a chuckle. Ruben turned bright red at the subtle jab that had been thrown at him by the ranger. The rest of the squad seemed to laugh at the joke, reveling in the berserker''s discomfort. Nathan, on the other hand, was brainstorming ideas until he came to one that left him feeling a bit peckish, but the idea was still a solid one. "We''ll cut it up into pieces, and I''ll chuck it into my bag of holding," Nathan said grimly. The rest of the squad didn''t seem to share his sentiment. In fact, most of them were openly joyous that a solution had been found to their immediate problem. So without any other thing left to be said, they got to hacking apart the monster. When Nathan said "they," he meant himself. The rest of them weren''t strong enough to land hits that could pierce the monster''s skin, even though it was dead. It reminded him a little about the time the bunny had incapacitated him but couldn''t kill him. Another reminder for the smart ones. Blood erupted as he continued to slash and hack apart the dead monster into pieces. He was sure the minds of those who were overthinkers like him would be whirring by now. They should''ve come to the conclusion that even if the snake had stood still and done nothing, they still wouldn''t have been able to harm it. Which said a lot about their current abilities. "And that''s that for that," Nathan panted as he rose to his full height, blood covered his arms and sword. Without waiting for any acknowledgment, Nathan started chucking the chopped-up pieces into his bag of holding, his mind a little bit relaxed at the monotonous nature of the activity. Soon enough he was done, and some of the squad members were staring at him, eagerness shining in their eyes. "To Blood Rock," Nathan said. Cheers rose up from the squad, and he couldn''t resist the childish grin that covered his face. He had people cheering him on, and it felt pretty good. Of course, he knew that it was only the promise of food that was behind the enthusiasm, but still, a man could dream. The walk to Blood Rock was fast and chatless, mostly because of the anticipation that had been building up since they''d agreed to eat the monster. The moment they got into the cabin, preparations were made, and within moments, the Rapid Soza was sizzling over a fire. Jokes were being tossed around, and Nathan didn''t know if it was the conversation or the smell of the burning meat, but a monster had decided to come crash the party. "Of course you showed up," Nathan said with a sigh. He glanced at Yola''s face, and their chef seemed to be battling with multiple emotions. Even Ciara seemed like she was ready to shoot up the floor she''d been sitting on at the sight of the monster. 1 - 58. Picnic. Talk about a freeloader. Nathan resisted the urge to grumble at the sudden reappearance of the Neran Rabbit. Heck, at this point, he might as well give it a name since it seemed quite intentional about mooching off him as often as it could. Hmm, naah. He glared at the bunny, but it wasn''t bothered as it was being stroked by the ladies in the group who let out coos at the innocent-looking creature. "Looking" being the keyword there, and that was part of the reason why Nathan had decided not to even continue down the train of thought of naming a killer bunny. Ruben had stayed back this time, and Nathan was curious as to what was holding back the Berserker from fanboying over the rabbit that had just returned. On a whim, he decided to analyze the bunny. [Neran Rabbit Level 19] Awww, come on! That was really unfair¡ªwhile he''d been out here supervising the others, the bunny had leveled up, twice! Nathan felt a little envious and then a little ashamed because his envy was directed at a freaking bunny¡ªan apocalypse bunny, but still, a bunny. Pirlo hung back also, and Nathan hadn''t really expected anything else; the rogue wasn''t one to show emotions. This time, the wiry teen''s cold and distant demeanor was somewhat overwhelming. Probably his close shave with death had already put the rogue''s focused mind in overdrive, and while Nathan could respect someone who was all about the grind, he had to admit, people who became all about the grind were often unpredictable¡ªand it was the bad type of unpredictable. Hopefully it''s the good kind for him. "I want to hit the E-Ranked Dungeon with you," Pirlo muttered. And there it is. He''d seen the look on the Rogue''s face when Ciara had said that the rest of the squad would hit F-ranked dungeons on their own. The rogue had opted out of protesting the decision at the moment and had gone into a level of brooding that made Nathan question if the teen had any emotions other than murderhobo and brood-o-bo. "No," Nathan said as he bit into his own serving of the roasted Soza. He wasn''t going to make the already strained relationship he was beginning to have with Ciara grow worse; she clung to her leadership position like... well, any other leader. He understood in a sense that Ciara taking them to an F-ranked dungeon without him there would be a way for her to stamp her authority once more. What Pirlo was suggesting right now in the absence of the rest of the squad¡ªexcluding an eager-eyed Ruben¡ªwas going to be enough to jeopardize Ciara''s plan before she could even enact it, which was a no-no for him. "I want to hit an E-ranked dungeon with you too, bro," Ruben whispered. It seemed like the answer he''d just given the rogue moments ago had gone over the Berserker''s head. Or maybe it hadn''t¡ªeveryone else was at the other side of the stronghold with the bunny; just these two were still with him, which made him wonder if this discussion had been planned. "Let me think about it," Nathan said, feigning a thoughtful expression. "Nope." Ruben and Pirlo shared a look at his answer, which somewhat confirmed his thoughts of the two being in cahoots¡ªwhich was pretty weird seeing as the two guys were polar opposites and the fact that Pirlo hadn''t been buddies with Ruben when he first met the squad. "Ciara says you guys are hitting an F-Ranked Dungeon," Nathan said. "If you don''t agree with her decision, talk to her, not me." The words that the pair wanted to utter were swallowed up by his quick addition to his earlier answer. He could tell that the two teens wanted to press him into overriding Ciara''s authority¡ªwhich he could very well do¡ªbut he wasn''t going to. Ruben grumbled at his answer, but the rogue just glared at him like he''d destroyed his childhood dreams of getting into an E-ranked dungeon. Oh wait, I did. While Nathan was a little bit remorseful for what he was about to do, he did it anyway: he flashed the guys a bright smile, which only seemed to aggravate the pair. But at the end of the day, none of them could hurt him. That cockiness on its own was a message¡ªa very important one. They had to be as strong as him to contest his decision. Pfft, at this rate, it''ll take them two to three weeks to match up. That was if Nathan decided to neglect his own improvement like he''d just done the past five days; if anything, he needed to sit up as fast as possible. These guys weren''t his competitors by any sense of the word. That was the truth, and the level lead he''d built over time had started to vanish. The E-ranked dungeon was the best route, and the lack of dead weight in his next run¡ªthanks to Ciara''s statement¡ªmade him sure that he''d be leaving the dungeon with something.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Well, that''s plan A in the mud," Ruben muttered. Naturally, Nathan was interested in the words that had just left the Berserker''s lips. What in the nine realms did Ruben mean by saying that Plan A was in the mud? His thinking bore fruit as a singular thought occupied his mind about what Plan B or, God forbid, Plan C was. Nahh, they''re both blockheads, but they both can''t be that stupid. He had a sneaking suspicion that this deadly pair of dumbasses were going to attempt hitting an E-Ranked Dungeon with or without him. Pirlo''s expression had gone from impassive to grim at the words of the Berserker, making him wonder how close to the mark his suspicion was. "You two dumbasses better not be planning to do anything stupid," Nathan said pointedly. "Us, anything stupid?" Ruben asked as though Nathan had asked the most outlandish question. "Yes," Nathan said in a clipped tone, his voice like iron, unyielding in his accusation. "You guys are the only frontliners the squad has. Abandoning them even in an F-Ranked dungeon is highly irresponsible. Plus, if anyone dies or loses a limb because you decide to be rebels, then it''s on you two." That actually felt good. He could tell his words had hit home as Ruben was looking a little bit too guilty, and Pirlo couldn''t even meet his eyes, which was weird because the rogue normally glared at him every chance he got. The feel-good part of the conversation was how he''d gotten to berate both teenagers; for a minute there, he''d sounded so wise he couldn''t even believe the words had come from him. The additional feel-good aspect was the fact that he''d literally dropped the weight of leadership on the shoulders of both men. Now they''d have no choice but to stay back and support Ciara''s decisions. The lives of their squad were now in their hands, and they''d think twice before going through with any stupid alternatives their minds had come up with in case they couldn''t pressure Nathan into taking them with him. Checkmate, noobs. "No fair, you can''t d¡ª" Ruben paused mid-whining, his eyes flashing up a little higher than Nathan''s head. The footsteps that his ears had been picking up during their conversation came to a stop. "What''s his name?" Yola asked. You can''t name a wild animal; people don''t go out naming wolves and bears. That was the line of thought the question sparked in Nathan''s mind¡ªthe bunny was a feral beast or was semi-feral as far as he was concerned. "I haven''t decided on a name for him," Nathan replied. More like Wildebeest 2.0. "Oh, I could help you with that," the Ranger offered. "Nah, I''ll get to it later. Besides, I don''t think the bunny would take too kindly to getting a stupid name," Nathan said. He''d said it to escape the soft trap that the ranger had set for him, but as far as he could tell, the bunny could have its own way of understanding human words, or maybe it just inferred the meaning from their pitch. If a dog or cat didn''t like the name you tried to give it, they''d nip at you or make their respective sounds. On the other hand, he was loath to find out what the bunny would do to the squad if they tried to assign it a stupid name. It''ll probably eat them all. At the moment, the bunny was level nineteen, three levels below the Rapid Soza that they''d fought. In other words, Nathan didn''t believe that there was anyone in the squad who could take on the bunny solo¡ªmaybe Pirlo, but that was a big maybe. If it managed to paralyze them, he had no doubts that its teeth would tear into their skin like a knife through butter¡ªthey were all lower leveled than the Bunny. It''d make for a good trailer for what not to do during an apocalypse. Nathan left a gentle smile on his face even through the morbid possibilities that his mind sifted through. He''d done it mostly for the sake of the Ranger, who was looking a little deflated. "Oh, well, I better go tell them that," Yola said, her shoulders sagging as she turned away to meet the rest of the squad that had formed their own little picnic away from Ruben, Pirlo, and Nathan. Apparently, Nathan had forgotten to factor in the most important candidate when he''d been considering who between Pirlo and Ciara the squad would follow. Turns out the bunny was leading the poll by far; all the infernal thing needed to do was get a translator or, better yet, learn how to speak human, and it''d be the leader of the squad. Imagine if it gets the voice of an old man, all wise and all-knowing. Nathan rolled his eyes at the thought before focusing them on the two dumb-dumbs facing him. Ruben had gone back to tearing into the roasted Soza like a barbarian; the Berserker seemed to have lost interest in pursuing the conversation, which made him grin triumphantly. His gaze flitted to the Rogue¡ªPirlo, too, seemed to have turned his focus to his food, the wiry teen biting into his own serving of the Rapid Soza with grace, which was surprising since the Rogue was one who didn''t like to waste time. He seemed quiet and calm, like a wolf in sheep''s clothing. In that regard, he and the bunny are alike. Crazy how it was always the silent ones that were the most dangerous. People like Pirlo usually kept so good a facade that you couldn''t tell what was going on behind their eyes, and while Nathan was experienced with people like that, Pirlo was fast turning into someone that he couldn''t read easily. An enigma. Shrugging his shoulders, he returned to his own roast, grateful for the silence as all involved had wordlessly decided to drop the matter of changing dungeons. Call him a child or not, Nathan was pretty much looking forward to having the rest of tomorrow to himself, even if it mostly involved him risking and fighting for his life in whatever messed-up dungeon was unfortunate enough to be paid a visit by him. This is probably how parents feel when they hand over their children to babysitters or their grandparents so they could have some time off. "Yo, Nate," Ruben called out suddenly. The sound of the Berserker had already started to irritate him to a weird degree. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was expecting some alone time tomorrow, or maybe because the berserker had broken the comfortable silence. "Yessss," Nathan said. "Not to be that guy, but you should really get some spices. This roast is pretty bland," Ruben barreled on, paying no heed to Nathan''s tone. Nathan wanted to say something rash but kept himself in check because he kind of agreed with the Berserker''s observation. Either way, he wasn''t going to fall for the Berserker''s trap and start going back and forth about spices. Instead, he let out a grunt, and that signaled the end of the conversation, much to the disappointment of the berserker. I can''t wait to be done with today. Nathan stood up from where he sat and began chucking the leftover roast into his bag of holding¡ªboth the one he''d had leftover from his serving and the one that had purposefully been left aside for later. His eagerness to get through the day was quite understandable because tomorrow he was going to go on a dungeon run. Alone. 1 - 59. Bonfire. Weaklings. That had been Commander Sarion''s thought immediately after he''d been informed that the search party he''d ordered had yielded results in the form of two corpses belonging to miners he''d sent out to patrol as punishment. They''d stolen from him, siphoning Tora ore which was worth more than both their hides combined. While the punishment had been issued to those who''d been caught stealing from him as nothing more than a deterrent to the rest, he hadn''t really expected any of his people to die on this planet¡ªa baby world. He was so sure that nothing would be able to challenge his miners in this baby world that he''d initially shrugged off the report given to him by the chief patrol officer stating that the pair hadn''t checked in after their patrols. As far as he was concerned, the pair wouldn''t be the first to rebel against being punished and eventually desert the camp. The truth about the world was that not everyone liked being told what to do and how to do it, and there was an order that was more highly detested by the masses than the previous two: being told what not to do. Obviously, people would chafe at his orders telling them not to steal from him, and there were some who''d rather desert the camp than work for him ever again. To those, he wished the best of luck in their endeavors. This planet wouldn''t remain a baby world forever; sooner or later, monsters like him would start popping up¡ªnative inhabitants who''d begun understanding the ways of the system. Those who would excel amongst their peers in what was basically a massive free-for-all. Then they''d probably lose their lives to such monsters or native inhabitants. They might''ve grown a little on their own, but at the end of the day, most of the miners were nothing but cowards who only preyed on the weak inhabitants of baby worlds. A vast majority of them never improved themselves enough to go past level twenty. Color me surprised. The scene in front of him threw aside all his knowledge on the subject matter; it completely upended his theories and speculations as to what had happened to the deserters or would-be deserters. Commander Sarion wasn''t sure if the mismatched pair¡ªthe gremlin and dwarf¡ªhad actually intended to desert the camp, considering the fact that they''d died within the area they''d been assigned to patrol, according to the chief patrol officer beside him. "Give me space," Sarion commanded. The small contingent of guards backed off, allowing Sarion to examine the corpses. There were four in all: two belonged to his camp, and the other two were aliens. The more he thought about it, he realized that the husks probably belonged to the native inhabitants of the planet. So that''s what they look like. Sarion dropped to a crouch, inspecting the bodies. Sure enough, all four corpses had turned into dried-out husks. Poking at the corpse of the dwarf with a finger, he watched as the skin flaked off at the contact. He wasn''t surprised though; he''d started out as a foot soldier miner before making his way to his current position. While he''d seen fewer scenes like these in recent times, it still wasn''t new to him. Five days. He mulled over the information. According to the report, the miners hadn''t been seen since five days ago. From what he could tell, the corpses were at least that old, meaning they hadn''t actually tried to desert the camp. He scanned the husks of the natives. One seemed to have lost its head due to a bash from a warhammer. It was something of a gruesome kill, but Sarion was well familiar with the sight¡ªafter all, he himself wielded a warhammer. The other corpse sported wounds that he assumed were inflicted by the pickaxe belonging to his gremlin. That takes care of that. Analyzing what and how the native inhabitants had been killed was the easy part; the hard part was figuring out how his own men had died. The dwarf seemed to have lost an entire arm, nothing but a stump remained at that part of the dwarf''s anatomy. The arm in question didn''t lay too far away from the body; it had already dried up like the corpses. He found it a little bit interesting how clean the severing had been. Apparently, the arm that had been cut off by what was presumably a sword had been the dwarf''s hammer-wielding hand¡ªthe weapon was still in the clutches of the fingers of the severed arm. Although "clutches" was a bit of a stretch considering how the arm had degraded at this point. The dwarf hadn''t lost only its arm; by the looks of things, it had lost its head and subsequently its life to the sword strike. Its head had been cleanly decapitated. The sight ruled out any possibilities that the attack on his men had been anything lower-leveled.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Tearing his gaze away from the dismembered corpse, he turned to an even worse one¡ªthe gremlin''s. The corpse of the short bugger was way worse than that of the dwarf; its pickaxe-wielding hand had been cut off from the wrist, both its legs had been severed from the knees, which meant the gremlin had probably drawn the worst lot. That''s interesting. Commander Sarion stood and walked closer to the gremlin''s corpse, staring straight at its upper body. A couple of focused gazes on the corpse revealed the information that he so desperately sought¡ªeven if he didn''t know it at that point. Right there on both sides of the gremlin''s neck were two identical blade wounds. Probably a dagger. A sword definitely wasn''t what had left those marks on the gremlin; it had been stabbed by two daggers, probably at the same time if Sarion''s gut was right. Which meant there''d been at least two different weapons used in finishing off the gremlin. Luckily for him, there were also two native inhabitants'' corpses. Keeping an expressionless face, he walked away from the corpses of his miners, heading towards those belonging to the natives. If he could find the murder weapon there, then he''d be done with this colossal waste of his time. Really, the only reason he was here was because the tension between him and the miners was getting worse by the day. Already the subpar mining rate was seeing a silent decline, which was unironically the miners'' way of expressing what they thought about him and his rules. The head supervisor of the mine had suggested that he visit the scene to show that he "cared" about the miners under him. The gremlin had said something along the lines of the gesture being able to win him some goodwill amongst the miners, but he saw it as nothing but a waste of his time. A colossal waste of my time. Eager to get the show he''d been putting on for the miners that had been part of the small contingent over, he glanced for weapons on the native inhabitant corpses. Twin daggers were near the corpse whose head had been crushed; the other corpse seemed to have no weapon on it, which gave Sarion pause. The absence of the sword that had clearly done the majority of the damage in the fight made him feel a little uneasy. While he wasn''t scared of the possibility that there was a native inhabitant somewhere in the same forest who had been able to easily take down a pair of his miners, by the looks of things, the corpse with the daggers seemed to be the one to have delivered the killing blow to the gremlin. But whoever or whatever had wielded the sword had run riot on the dwarf and the gremlin. It''s not adding up. The entire scene felt like he was missing details¡ªkey details. Was there a dead party who''d come in and taken the sword off the unarmed native inhabitant? Sarion couldn''t tell. As it was, he''d already wasted a lot of time contemplating the deaths of the gremlin and dwarf, time he could''ve used to get through a sizeable amount of the paperwork that was on his desk at the office. Wait a minute, paperwork. Sarion had to resist the urge to burst into maniacal laughter at the thought¡ªmostly because it''d be unseemly, especially with miners present. What better excuse would he get when it came to shoving away paperwork than the one right in front of him? The two morons had done him a greater service dead than they''d ever done for him while they''d been alive¡ªthey''d gifted him a route to earning back the miners'' respect. It was quite simple really: he could claim that there was an attack on the camp and these two dead buffoons had repelled the attack, dissuading the other attackers from continuing. Sure, it was a leaky story with a lot of holes that any sensible person would be able to poke through, but at the moment, tension was at an all-time high at the camp. All he''d have to do was say the words, and the bloodthirsty amongst the miners would take care of convincing the rest. So in a way, the head supervisor had been right about his appearance here winning him some goodwill. It''ll probably do more than just give me some goodwill; I''ll earn their respect once more. "Brothers," Sarion said, standing to his full height, his poise and voice commanding attention. "These two amongst our ranks have fought valiantly, defending us from what seems to be a probing attack by the enemy." Whispers traveled amongst those gathered around him, which caused Sarion to smile inwardly. If he played his cards right now, he''d have a straight route to battle and getting his camp back in order, in one swoop. Sarion cleared his throat loudly; as a dwarf, his vocal cords were superior to the point that him clearing his throat was louder than the murmurs. But at the end of the day, he was only interested in the results that his action brought¡ªthe crowd quietened down. "Their sacrifice for this camp, for you and me, shall not be in vain," Sarion said solemnly. "I tell you that we shall not sit idly by and waste the time given to us by the deaths of our comrades. We shall avenge them!" Cheers erupted from the small group, and he couldn''t help but let out a bloodthirsty smile to match the new vibe. Where they''d been dull and stiff towards him moments ago, they now cheered at his words, the bloodlust shining in their eyes like a bonfire. A bonfire that would fuel his ascent, a bonfire that would fuel his need, a bonfire that would make them his puppets. When it came to battles, the warriors only needed one thing: the location. While he didn''t have one in mind at the moment, it was something that could be easily solved by a little scouting. The manpower at my disposal should make this as easy as clearing the first floor of a tower. "Before we avenge them, we must first send our comrades to eternal rest," Sarion boomed, his voice cutting through the cheers and cries for blood. "Exeter, light their path to eternity." Sarion turned to the mage who''d accompanied them to the scene, a short gremlin even by gremlin standards, but it didn''t seem to bother the gremlin who walked up to the two corpses. With an exhale, the gremlin gestured to the two corpses, the squad going quiet as two orbs of fire left the mage''s outstretched hands, striking the dried-out husks. Then the fire did what fire did: it consumed the corpses with reckless abandon. Commander Sarion did nothing but watch, quiet as he let his thoughts figure out what exactly his next move was going to be. For sure, he was going to find whoever did this and put them in their place, but to the gods, he hoped that they weren''t alone and they''d give him and his miners a good exercise. Watch out wherever you are; your life is forfeit. 1 - 60. The Ideal Monster. "Finally," Nathan breathed. He couldn''t remember the last time he''d been by himself in the past week. While he wasn''t objecting to the presence of the squad at his stronghold, it was still common knowledge that too much of everything was bad. Too many people in such a small space could work for a short period of time, but for longer periods, it was an ill-advised setup. As expected, they''d started to get on each other''s nerves. The jostling for power and the silent picking of sides had begun. Nathan wasn''t worried too much about that. The only power that meant anything to him was the one that ensured he could protect himself and his loved ones if the need ever arose. Lording over a bunch of teens was definitely going to be more work than it was worth. He''d done his best to ensure equal footing between him and the squad, and deep down, he was hoping that the decision wouldn''t come back to haunt him. Hopefully, Ciara gets stronger fast. Between the three of them ¡ª him, Pirlo, and Ciara ¡ª the mage was the best equipped to deal with the management of the squad. Both he and Pirlo weren''t suited for real leadership, and it showed. The pair were the kind of people that charged into every problem headfirst, not bothering to consider their various options. Alright, seems like it''s time to dive headfirst into another situation. Nathan had stood at the entrance of the E-ranked dungeon for a minute, letting the thoughts he''d locked away while with the rest of the squad come to the fore of his mind. They weren''t all bad ones or judgmental; some were kind of nice, but he wouldn''t dwell on those. He''d pretty much turned off his burners when it came to leveling up since he''d met the squad, and while the rapid soza had been enough to give him a little bit of cardio, it hadn''t been a dungeon, and it had stressed him mentally ¡ª having to worry about the safety of people who were as old as him. He grimaced at the thought, pushing it back into the strongbox at the back of his mind and shutting it. No more delays. With childlike anticipation, Nathan stepped past the threshold, ignoring the first system notification that probably gave him the generic warning. He stopped at the second though, wise enough to want to know what he''d be facing in this particular dungeon. Welcome Challenger. The Web awaits, Dungeon is locked and will remain locked until you fulfill clearance requirement. Clearance requirement: Kill the Spider. Nathan did a quick once-over at the notification that had been given to him by the system. Apparently, this dungeon was called The Web, which was a name Nathan found quite amusing. The clearance requirement was what kept him from chuckling at the name that had been assigned to the dungeon. Spider. At the word, Nathan instantly thought of the little insects that sometimes chose to room with him in his run-down apartment, nothing but quiet neighbors always looking out for him by killing other bugs and insects that tried to crowd his little space. Of course, on a fear factor level, he wasn''t quite fond of spiders, but he respected them and could, to a degree, tolerate them as far as they stayed off of him. Which Nathan thought was a pretty good deal as everyone and everything involved got to keep to themselves. Now I''m willingly going to walk into a spider''s web. Somehow he doubted that this was going to be his friendly roommate of a spider, but all the same, he kept his hopes up. Maybe luck would shine on him and it''d be nothing more than a small spider like he''d had as a roommate. He resisted the urge to snort at the line of thought as he dismissed the notification, fully stepping into the dungeon, eager to swing his blade and sate his hunger for level growth. Of course, it wouldn''t be termed a dungeon if it isn''t dark and ominous. Nathan rolled his eyes at the look of the interior of the dungeon, all gloomy and dark. The lich and Naga dungeons were the only ones that had been properly lit. The rest had all been dark and gloomy like it was a prerequisite before a dungeon could really be called such. Although the darkness wasn''t going to bother him that much with his improved perception, the points he''d spent on the stat had begun showing their use. Shaking his head, he kept his eyes peeled for danger and his sword at the ready for any attack that would come. Nathan didn''t know much about spiders, but what he did know about them made his skin crawl, literally. They could walk on almost all surfaces, had an uncomfortable number of eyes, and they shot this slimy sticky thing called webs that didn''t really make them any more likeable. Regardless of what his thoughts were on the matter, he''d have to battle whatever type and size of Spider was currently occupying this dungeon with him, and he wanted to do it as soon as possible. He had more dungeons to clear and more levels to gain; as far as Nathan was concerned, he was going to make his time count.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. If I was a spider, where would I be? At this point, Nathan seemed to have walked past the middle of the sphere-like dungeon, a structure that seemed to be the go-to for the system. His improved perception pierced through the darkness like it wasn''t even there, and no matter what side and angle he glanced at, he couldn''t quite spot the Spider that was supposedly here. A morbid thought crossed his mind: that the spider he was supposed to fight might actually be the size of his thumb. The thought wasn''t quite as relieving as he''d assumed it would''ve been, especially if the spider in question carried some kind of paralytic like the bunny. Then it being that small would be the worst thing ever. With a grim smile, Nathan stood still as he settled down to survey the dungeon, hoping the spider didn''t have a cloak of darkness skill like the alpha did. He confirmed once more that the spider wasn''t on the walls, which left him only one more place to look: up. With trepidation and a beating heart, Nathan glanced upwards to the most horrifying sight he''d ever witnessed. Up there, under the camouflage of darkness, was the widest web he''d ever seen, webs that were probably half the size of a standard football pitch. What was worse was what had actually made the webs; the monster responsible for the monstrosity was currently perched up on the web looking down at Nathan with beady black eyes ¡ª seven eyes if his count was correct. Stalker alert. The monster was the size of... he couldn''t even find an accurate thing to compare it to. All he could say was that the spider was huge, huge and bulky enough that it could crush him if the webs holding it up gave way. Nathan couldn''t even fathom what exactly he was supposed to do. He couldn''t get up there as he had no means of doing that; he couldn''t even handle it from afar as he had no ranged attack. So for the first time since leaving the squad behind, he actually wished that they were here ¡ª the ranger coupled with Ciara would''ve peppered the spider with enough attacks that it would''ve dropped to the floor by itself. Seems like I thought too soon. The realization had barely registered in his mind before the spider scuttled away, and Nathan presumed that the spider was about to fight him on ground floor. His assumption seemed to have held some weight as it scuttled until it landed on the floor, balanced on eight spindly legs. Seven beady eyes fixed on him, and there were probably six other things that Nathan couldn''t pick out in the moment. Now, he''d always prided himself on being a practical person, but if there was anything he''d learned from all his dungeon runs, it was this: don''t give monsters time to think. Surprisingly, this little mental note worked in his favor since he preferred to go berserk mode on them, and at that moment, he held himself back, opting to analyze his foe before letting loose all his pent-up fight urge. Lilith Spider Level 26 Well, Nathan had no choice but to whistle at the name of the spider, and the level too. It was quite impressive ¡ª level 26 was no small feat. Heck, the panther that had given him a massive boost in his level had been at level 27 at the time, which meant that the spider would be a good test of how far he''d come since the near-death experience with the panther. The more that Nathan thought about it, the more he realized that the scrap with the panther had been his closest shave with death; the rest didn''t really come that close. He''d been saved by a freaking rabbit, which was hilarious to say the least. Dispelling his thoughts which had begun running amok, he said a quick prayer before charging at the monstrosity before him. Spindly-legged and nimble as it was, it scuttled away from his charge erratically, the movement of the spider making Nathan''s charge look silly ¡ª just like a bull charging at a teasing red cloth. Without letting the movement by the spider dissuade him, Nathan pivoted, following the spider to its new position before suddenly pausing. Seems like every monster wants to put me in a trap. Nathan mused. The thought hadn''t been an idle one. While he wasn''t sure if the monster actually had any intentions of luring him into an already prepared trap, it certainly wouldn''t be a first. So he stood still, watching the monster which hadn''t once attacked him since he''d stepped foot in the dungeon, its beady eyes watching him with the intelligence of a silent predator watching foolish prey. He grunted at the thought. Sure, charging headfirst into his battles had always been his thing in the games he''d played online, but this wasn''t a game. This wasn''t a game; this was real life, and the monsters he''d encountered in this apocalypse weren''t mindless beasts ¡ª they were just as intelligent as they were barbaric. He shook off the mental image of the master imp crushing the skull of one of its minions. Nathan knew he had to be smart about how he handled things. Sure, being a Berserker meant he''d always be at the forefront, but that didn''t stop him from using his brain to put two and two together. After all, if all Berserkers were just mindlessly charging into fights, it''d be nothing more than the system implementing its own version of natural selection. He held his sword in front of him as he looked at the spider that had paused its retreat to stare back at Nathan. It had been awfully quiet compared to the other monsters Nathan had fought in recent times, and to be honest, he found it a little nice ¡ª the absence of screeches, hisses, and shrieks was highly welcomed. Finally, a monster that doesn''t want to burst my eardrums. That was the only reasonable trait he was glad the spider exhibited, and even then, the hairs on his arm were tingling, almost in warning. The feeling reminded Nathan of a saying that he often thought about, most times not word for word, but the gist of the saying was: fear those who are silent more than those who boast of their own prowess. So far, the imps, goblins, kobolds, and Rapid soza were all loud creatures, noisy during his confrontation with them but at the end of the day easy to put down. On the other hand, the lich and the panther had both been quiet for the most part but were the monsters he''d struggled against, which lent credence to the saying. And if the saying was to be trusted, then he''d be in for a long, long fight. "Well, come on, you lazy bum," Nathan yelled. "Come on, do something!" He was intentionally provoking the spider, waving his sword at the creature like a complete moron, but if the end justified the means, then he would''ve done it again in a heartbeat. Why? The formerly reserved and fight-averse spider had just begun scuttling towards him at full speed. Time to get this party started. 1 - 61. Kabash. "Leave," Taloth said, waving a clawed hand towards the messenger shade. The lesser demon exited his presence in haste, and Taloth couldn''t help but chuckle. Of course, any demon that had been unfortunate enough to deliver messages to him would thank the Devil himself for being able to escape with their life. Taloth breathed in silently, letting the thoughts of the shade exiting his chambers dissipate from his mind. Instead of focusing on such trivial matters, he turned his thoughts to the message that the messenger had brought him. "My lord, the Demon King requests your presence, immediately." Of course, that was only the gist of the matter, as the shade had mostly been nothing more than a blubbering fool, stuttering and mumbling through etiquettes. The fear and quakes had been apparent in the mannerisms of the shade. It''d been a drag, but Taloth hadn''t once lost his cool, hadn''t once butted in, and hadn''t once let out a whisper of a word or emotion. Too scared. I''ve never been that scared. Sure, Taloth had done his own fair share of cowering before his betters as he''d risen up the ranks, but at the moment, he didn''t know a single demon that would make him feel fear¡ªreal, genuine fear. He''d far outgrown such childish and pitiful emotions; he was a demon that had been truly forged by the trials of hell, beaten and bruised but well on his way to the top. And I''ve repaid every single demon that belittled me, a hundred times in their own coin. Taloth grimaced at the grotesque mental images his mind brought forth at the thought of those who''d offended him. Their lives wasted because they''d decided to mess with the wrong demon. Taloth clicked two claws together, thinking. He hadn''t gotten all of those who''d offended him, but very soon he''d make the rest pay. Very, very soon. Pivoting to the matter at hand, he wondered what had prompted the Demon King to seek his presence. As far as he could tell, he''d secured leniency from the King himself, granting himself more time to get him and his army on the baby world. By his estimate, he still had about three more weeks before his period of grace elapsed, and Taloth was working as best as he could. The teleportation formation should be ready in about a week, and he was already well within the level bracket that the system would allow to step into the baby world. So as far as he could tell, everything was going to plan. Unless... no. Taloth didn''t like the current thread his mind was pursuing, but he followed it anyway. Some demon out there must''ve sought an audience with the king and had probably said something to undermine his war efforts. Someone out there wanted him either off the baby world conquest or dead. I might just be becoming paranoid. Taloth shook his head as he dispelled his worries. With a grimace, he stood up from his throne, bending the first law of hell to do his bidding. Within a heartbeat, he was at the corridor leading to the Demon King''s Court¡ªteleportation by any form was warded against at the court. Straightening himself to his full height and posture, he began heading towards the court, keeping his thoughts and emotions in the back of his mind. He''d done so well in the past week concerning keeping a calm facade that he almost chastised himself when his eyes widened after seeing the demon that was approaching him, the demon that was just leaving the Court¡ªDemon Prince Kabash. Seven hells. Taloth inwardly cursed at the sight of the demon approaching him. The demon lord was notorious for a level of backstabbing that''d make most demons look like saints compared to him. While he loathed to cross paths with the Demon and had done all he could possibly do to avoid him as best as he could, it looked like there was no means to avoid the Demon this time. "Demon Prince Kabash, I greet you," Taloth said, lowering his head in respect to his superior. Taloth¡ªstill bowing his head¡ªheard the demon grunt in response, brushing past him as though he didn''t think Taloth was worth wasting his time on. He couldn''t care less, but at the moment he kept his head bowed, only raising it when the footsteps of the Demon Prince had become faint. Seems like the feeling is mutual. Discarding the interaction with the Demon Prince, Taloth straightened up his posture, regaining the regality he''d been forced to do away with at the face of his superior. Very soon I''ll no longer have to. With a barely audible huff, the demon lord continued on his journey, making sure not to pay any attention to the Delizats guarding the doors to the throne room. The pair of abominations were unholy even by hell''s standards, and the brief sight of them made Taloth''s skin crawl, but he did away with the emotion, instead focusing on steadying himself for whatever he''d encounter in the court. Feeling as confident as he could be, he walked in through the door held open for him by one of the Delizats.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Without wasting much time, he observed court etiquette, bowing until his head hit the obsidian floor. The Demon King made no move to acknowledge the gesture, but Taloth knew that the King rarely ever did, and usually when he did, the demon going through the etiquette didn''t survive past the end of the Court visit. "Rise and sit," the Demon King''s voice boomed finally. That''s a good sign. Taloth rose to his feet, quickly walking to the seats reserved for lords and ladies before taking one for himself. The Demon King seemed as bored as ever as Taloth went through the motions of having a sit. "When do you plan to invade the baby world, properly?" Zephyr VII asked in a disinterested tone. Taloth resisted the urge to answer immediately; the Demon King Zephyr the VII was infamous for turning seemingly innocent questions into traps that whoever answered them would find themselves in. "In two weeks'' time, my king," Taloth said. He''d spoken truthfully, no half-truths, no quarter-truths¡ªjust truthfully. The memory of his broken shoulder still fresh¡ªas a Demon Lord, he rarely got injured. Besides, he had a feeling that the demon king had a lie detector-related skill. Of course, rumors like that had spread throughout the seven hells, but there was no evidence to actually back it up. "Too long," Zephyr the VII said after a few heartbeats. Taloth immediately wanted to point out that it had been fine to the Demon King a couple of weeks ago but stopped himself. Words like that would earn him more than a broken shoulder; in fact, words like that would probably cost him his life. Hells, the King wouldn''t have to lift a finger to snuff out his life. So he did the reasonable thing and kept quiet, waiting for the Demon King to get to the point, and like a well-written contract, the Demon continued on like he hadn''t just paused the conversation. "A Demon Prince has found a way to get you back on the baby world within the next three days." Three days? Taloth felt a little bit of unease start to creep in at the Demon King''s words. If his line of thinking was correct, Kabash was most likely the demon prince that had made the suggestion, and if it was Kabash, then it probably wouldn''t be good for him even though it seemed like it would be at the beginning. At the top of his head, he could imagine that the Demon Prince would take credit for conquering the baby world if Taloth was successful with his conquest. Which wouldn''t be a problem if that was the only thing the demon prince would seek; as far as Taloth knew, Kabash could request a share of his loot, or access to the most promising Towers and dungeons in the baby world, and he''d not be able to refuse because the Demon King was the facilitator of the sneaky demon''s negotiation. Negotiation. Taloth resisted the urge to scoff at the word. Kabash had, in a sense, tied his hands; the only decision was to go through with whatever foul plan the sneaky demon had cooked up with the Demon King. To refuse was to forfeit his rank and, most importantly, his life. "That''s wonderful news, my King," Taloth said. While indeed it would''ve been wonderful news to a dumb demon, to those who''d risen to his rank and beyond, something was off about the entire thing. As a demon, he was well versed in subtle manipulation, enough to know that all the pieces didn''t fall into place perfectly unless there was a sinister plot in mind, one that he was sure the demon king knew about. After all, the King''s rise to power was way more interesting than his. King Zephyr the VII, the Conqueror of Worlds. "It is," the king said. "Relas Touch shall facilitate your transfer to the baby world." Relas Touch? Taloth''s mind started whirring at the name that had been given to him; he knew he''d heard about them somewhere. A couple of demons in the Prince and Princess rank frequently dealt with them. He rolled the name in his head as fast as he could until it clicked for him. There. Relas Touch was the Mining Enterprise, known for invading baby worlds at the earliest stage of integration and gaining access to valuable Tora before anyone could contest with them for the precious ore. As far as he could tell, the enterprise and the demons had a sort of alliance, and this was going to be his first time interacting directly with the Enterprise¡ªor their representative. "Thank you for this opportunity, Your Highness," Taloth said after collecting himself. The Demon King hadn''t even looked at Taloth throughout the conversation, and he had to wonder if the King was really all there sometimes mentally, but he never said anything to anyone, and neither did anyone say anything to him. The power the King possessed was so much that demons would rather not imagine that someone with a fractured mind possessed such... power. "Good, and one more thing." Taloth''s demon ears perked up at the words of the King. If the Demon King had been reading off of an invisible script the entire time, then this would be the moment when the king went off the script. The tone and demeanor of the king had changed entirely as he stared straight into Taloth''s eyes. "You''ll only be able to bring ninety-nine demons alongside yourself," the king said. "Let me be clear, you will lead that charge, and you will get me that world. Dismissed." Taloth stood up from the seat and bowed to the king, his dismissal meaning that he wasn''t to say another word. With a troubled heart, he exited the court, not paying attention to his surroundings as he mulled through the new information he''d just been given. Ninety-nine demons. A hundred if you included him, but still, it was an awfully specific number, making him wonder if the mining Enterprise had put a limit on how many demons they''d allow to pass through, or the Demon Prince had been the one to make the request, maybe to try and sabotage him. After all, with how much background work the Demon Prince was putting in, if Taloth was to fail in his task, the continuation of the incursion would fall to the Demon Prince. Sneaky. He wasn''t sure, but that seemed like a reasonable conclusion, but when it came to Demon Prince Kabash, one could never be too sure. Taloth''s entire form was tense as he set to putting together what exactly was going to be the ninety-nine other demons that were going to come with him through the Portal. The brief interaction had thrown his meticulous planning into the mud, then the number of demons he''d be allowed to take with him wasn''t even up to a fraction of what he''d have taken with him before. No pitiful demons then. 1 - 62. Fasterrr. Yes Lilith, faster. Nathan mentally willed the scuttling spider to rush towards him faster, his blood as hot as could be. The past few days had left him aching for a battle¡ªa solo battle where he didn''t have to care for a bunch of low-leveled teens. Now he could finally let loose, could finally fight without wondering if anything or anyone else got hurt. With his sword at his side, Nathan let his thoughts run rampant, the hidden rage and urge for isolation coming to the fore of his mind at the best possible moment. In front of him was a monster scuttling towards its death. A big creepy monster, but still, Nathan wasn''t going to discriminate between monsters. Technically he had with the bunny, but the infernal thing was a different case¡ªthe Lilith. Thwack! The first attack had nearly caught Nathan by surprise. The spider hadn''t even gotten into range before it shot one of its webs straight at him. Much to his credit, Nathan managed to dodge the surprise attack, his dexterity helping him as he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. Great, another variable. He didn''t know about other teens, but Nathan really, really hated variables¡ªthe hate born out of his failure when it came to advanced calculus. Now the spider had just added a twist to the little problem, no biggie though. He was here as pest control and the spider was the pest; he''d do his part, variable or no variable. I really need to work on my monologue. Realizing that he could not stand still and give the monster time to fire more webs at him, Nathan charged at the spider in a zigzag pattern, making sure to make his moves as random as possible. Sure, it was a little impractical, but if it kept the spider from latching onto him with its webs that were as thick as thieves¡ªwell, contact with that thing would surely be bad for him. Spider webs were like mild adhesives, but with how large the Lilith spider webs were, Nathan doubted that it was just going to cause him a little inconvenience. Slash! Nathan was way too pissed and battle-hungry to resist the urge to slay the monster. His blade arched upwards, descending like a crescent moon at his prime target¡ªthe spider. The creature blocked his strike with one of its eight legs, and he had to hop back to avoid being caught in the new web it had shot towards him. Close. He shook off the distraction as he rushed in for more. The monster was most likely beneath him in every way, and for some weird reason, his sword had failed to pierce through its armored legs¡ªarmor that he hadn''t noticed earlier because it was his first time seeing a spider this large. It didn''t matter though; he was already on the offensive. His sword went for the eyes, and the spider scuttled away in the same direction it had been trying to lead him into before. The action made Nathan pause. He wouldn''t follow the spider into whatever trap it had most likely set for him, and at the same time, he couldn''t let it waste his time like it had been doing for the last few moments. While the dungeon did not have a timer before he''d either be expelled or turned into mush, it had still locked him in with a monster. He didn''t know if the spider needed sleep, but he did, and a battle of attrition would most certainly not be in his favor by any means. I need to be smarter, I need to be human. Nathan stopped letting his emotions dictate the tempo and instead let his mind go berserk. By the stars, he hated complex situations, but sometimes you need to work smart, not hard, and right now the spider was certainly working smarter than him, trying to tease him into following it wherever that was. "Two can play that game." Every monster he''d ever encountered had a weak point; the most common was the eyes, and the spider had a lot of those. However, Nathan doubted that the spider would let him get anywhere close to its weak point. At most, it''d use its lightning-quick legs to block any strike he''d try to land on it. The second option was its underbelly, which meant Nathan would have to get close and personal with the spider¡ªsomething he would have preferred to avoid. Nathan stared at the beady eyes of the spider as he considered his options. Sure, he''d rather not put himself in such a terrible situation, but if it meant he could be done with this farce of a battle, then why not? He wasn''t going to charge yet; if he did, he had no doubts the spider would continue scuttling back, trying to lead him into whatever was back there. No, he couldn''t have that. He needed to lure it away from that direction, and so he repeated his earlier move from the start of the battle: he retreated towards the entrance of the dungeon, goading the spider to attack him with every step he took. "Come on Lilith, I know you want me," Nathan said.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He was doing his best to bait the monster, but the creature just stared at him from afar, its beady eyes locked onto his form like he was the most important thing in its life. Even then, the spider didn''t make a move¡ªit just stood still and watched him impassively. No doubt its brain was already trying to find Nathan''s angle. The thought caused him to almost chuckle at a stupid assumption he probably wouldn''t have entertained before. Do spiders have multiple brains? Definitely a stupid question, even by his standards, but at the same time, he couldn''t help but wonder, as spiders always seemed to have things in multiples. Shaking his head to get rid of the loose thought, he continued to taunt the spider, waving his sword at it even as he backed away. He had to resist the urge to charge when the spider began scuttling towards him. It took all of his mental fortitude to wait for the spider to get into range, his eagerness to test out his idea feeling like hot coals on his feet at the moment. Bingo! Nathan charged at the spider, his legs going so fast that he was afraid they might come off. He raised his sword for a horizontal slash and, as he''d predicted, the spider raised its two front legs to block the attack. Its armored legs met nothing but air as it had been an elaborate feint by Nathan. The berserker dove into the opening the two raised legs had provided. By the time the spider had caught on to what was about to happen, its life had become forfeit. From the moment he''d stepped past the threshold, he''d already known that whatever monster was in there would die by his sword, and that was exactly what happened. Spurt! Monster blood rained down on Nathan as he thrust his sword through the underbelly of the spider, his blade arching as he tore through chitin like it was nothing. The blood of the monster smelled terrible, and at least Nathan could say that all monsters smelled terrible. "Not so quiet now, are you?" The spider chittered incessantly as Nathan''s sword sought to split it in two. Of course, his sword wasn''t big or long enough to do that, but Nathan had managed to land a fatal blow, and he was going to milk the blow until the spider could chitter no more. Its legs, that had been trying but failing to pierce his skin, were losing their pressure. Time to duck out. Without waiting for any more signs of the imminent collapse, Nathan ripped his sword from the dying spider, scrambling out from underneath it just in time too, as the spider collapsed in a heap, nearly taking his foot in a last-gasp attack, but he managed to evade it. A wave of euphoria passed through him, and Nathan let the feeling wash over him, enveloping his every being as he stared at the monster which had served as a source of level up. I wonder what its own skill is. Nathan mused at the thought. Sure, he''d seen a lot of last-minute skill activation by many monsters he''d fought in dungeons, but this was the first time he was slaying one before it could do any damage. Heck, Nathan hadn''t even known that was possible. Such knowledge would have saved him the stress of having to be on the receiving end of a lot of lethal skills he''d faced over the last few days. A lot of unnecessary skills he''d had to face since the apocalypse started. It seemed like information was always going to be power, and more so in this world than ever. A power struggle would begin in time, definitely not anytime soon, but a power tussle would happen, and it''d be those with information that would win. Those with information¡ªreal information¡ªwould be the ones to lead humanity to the new age, and Nathan didn''t think knowing you could kill a dungeon monster before it activated its skill was valuable information. Heck, it''d become immediately... meh to him after he''d realized it. He was still going to fight the damned monsters anyway, and any monster he could kill before it activated its skill probably wasn''t worth his time. Heck, any monster he could kill without breaking much of a sweat wasn''t worth his time. The Lilith Spider had been a level above him before he''d played it, but the fight with the eight-legged monster hadn''t done enough to sate his battle lust. Fighting the monster felt wack¡ªa feeling he only realized after he''d slain it. He missed the thrill of fighting monsters way above his level. Monsters that could crush him in an instant if he wasn''t careful enough. "I''m getting reckless, too reckless." Nathan frowned at the thought. Sure, he''d survived those fights, but most of them had been close calls, and the one with the panther had been the closest. There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and at the moment, Nathan didn''t know which side of the line he stood on. Sure, the apocalypse was a high-risk, high-reward system, but at the same time, he didn''t have to risk his life every time. Sometimes it was best to stick to fighting monsters that weren''t going to be much of a threat to him, like the rapid soza or the spider that had just been slain. Thud! Nathan didn''t know when he''d pumped his fist in the air at the sight of his newly revealed loot box¡ªa wooden box. He also didn''t know why he''d pumped his fist; perhaps some part of himself felt happy being rewarded. He shook off the childish feeling. This was life and death. He wasn''t a child receiving dessert because he''d finished his lunch. Nope, he was a berserker getting his loot, and it was time to begin acting like that. "Yeah, I definitely need to work on my monologue." Nathan chuckled at the part of himself that ever considered that he''d actually be a serious-minded person. While he could respect someone who''d lose their entire personality, becoming a robot because of an apocalypse, he wouldn''t be that person. He wouldn''t become like Pirlo, too focused on improvement often at the expense of the collective, often alone brooding, thinking about the next level up. No, Nathan would live life because if he lived like Pirlo, then he''d have killed himself before the apocalypse would get a chance to. "It''s always the internal battles." Shaking his head, he opened up the wooden box, peering into it to find out what was his prize for clearing out the dungeon. Apparently, the system had seen fit to give him a glowing nightlight rock called ''Tora'' and a minor health point. Those were the only two items in the box, and while Nathan was a little bit disappointed, he consoled himself with the fact that he''d only entered the dungeon to level up¡ªeverything else was a bonus. With a sigh, he chucked the loot items into his bag of holding. [Loot claimed, dungeon destabilizing in 3 minutes. All entities should exit the dungeon before the dungeon collapses into Ra''hal.] "Whelp, seems like it''s time to hit other dungeons." 1 - 63. Rocky Alliance. Level 30 Nathan munched on a piece of fruit. His stash of the damned thing must''ve been close to empty by now, but the Berserker didn''t mind at all. Worst case scenario, he''d have to resort to eating monsters. It wasn''t going to be ideal for him, but he''d rather have that option than nothing at all. With a grimace, Nathan swallowed the chewed-up fruit¡ªnot because of the taste, but mostly because of how he''d been thinking about things the past three days. Apparently, the squad had opted to remain independent when it came to dungeon hunting, and while Nathan had initially celebrated the decision, right now it seemed like they were trying to phase him out. Or prepare for life without me. It might''ve just been his overthinking mind making up scenarios, but still, he had to admit that his assumptions held a little bit of weight to them. The last three days had him dropping back at Blood-Rock and having to catch up with the events of the day. Sure, Ruben blabbed on about what had transpired in their fights, but the rest seemed less inclined to chat with him. Unnaturally so, almost as if they''d been told to be careful of what they said around him. Worse off was Ciara. The female mage had become somewhat cold towards him¡ªnot outright hostile, just less interested in having a conversation with him. She answered any direct questions he threw at her but evaded any questions about her personal life or what she''d been up to before the apocalypse happened. Nathan had no idea why the behavior bothered him at all, but it did. He let his mind wander as he walked back to Blood-Rock, his feet trudging through the dirt as the purple sky lit up the forest, its glow illuminating his path. Somehow it seemed like the forest was quiet tonight, like the whole ecosystem held its breath in anticipation of something that Nathan had no idea about. Maybe he was just tripping; the last dungeon had done a number on him, but Nathan didn''t really mind. He''d hit level 30, and while that wasn''t a significant number to most, to him it was worth having a mini celebration. He was growing and rising, getting better in every sense of the word. Hopefully within a month or so, he''d be able to relax and live like a hermit. Who am I kidding? This freaking system would just throw some random monster to kill me. Nathan huffed at the realization, but he couldn''t fault the thought¡ªit was a reasonable one, after all. The system seemed like it wanted to build a food chain, and it wasn''t interested in which species ended up at the top. He didn''t know about the rest of the squad, but he knew that he wouldn''t settle for anything less than the top, if only to be able to keep his independence. "The grind continues," Nathan sighed. Blood-Rock was soon in his field of vision, and so Nathan sucked in a quick breath before heading to his stronghold. He heard their voices even as he made his way up the porch; heck, even Pirlo seemed to occasionally chip in with a word now and then. Nathan hesitated to step into the cabin as he already knew what would happen. Isn''t it crazy, being an outcast in my own stronghold? He resisted the urge to chuckle at his predicament. Sure, he was the Lord, but he was having a firsthand experience of how even a lord could be isolated from his people¡ªnot that the squad were his people. The realization gave him pause. It felt like Nathan was missing something; he had to stay still and try to follow the train of thought. Like a caveman discovering fire, his eyes lit up when he figured out what he was missing. Faction. Congratulations Lord Nathan Orion. Faction successfully Created - Blood Army. KABOOM! Nathan stared at the notification with a grin. Sure, he was a little surprised that the system hadn''t notified him when the three days it had scheduled for the creation of his faction had elapsed, but he chalked it up to either dismissing the notification because he was probably in battle or not paying attention when the system had dropped the notification for him. He didn''t fully understand what the benefits of owning a faction were, but he was pretty much satisfied with the fact that he was making strides. Plus, the squad had initially wanted to gatekeep the information from him, but they''d let up once Ruben had slipped up. Pirlo had done his best to silence the Berserker, but he''d still found out about the feature. Warmth hit him in the face as he was still contemplating his thoughts; it was only then he realized that the door to the cabin had been opened, bright orange light spilling from the open door. Speak of the devil. "Are you planning to stand outside all night?" Pirlo said. Nathan briefly wondered if his thoughts of the rogue had somehow alerted him to spring into action. Sure, it was a stupid and irrational thought, but Nathan still considered it for a moment before discarding it. The rogue looked at him pointedly before Nathan let out an audible sigh. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "I was just about to step in, thanks," Nathan said. Walking into the living room, Nathan could tell that it hadn''t been long since they''d returned from their own dungeon runs for the day. Ciara had stuck to the safe route, and even after three days, the squad had stuck to completing F-ranked dungeons. Nathan wouldn''t really judge the mage, as the lives of her squadmates were in her hands, and one wrong or selfish decision by her would see someone dead. Pirlo and Ruben still let out the occasional grumble, but both young men had stayed back with the squad, and Nathan could tell their presence had been appreciated even if the rest of the squad hadn''t noticed. Ciara had. The mage was perceptive like that, and that was one of the few things that he liked about her. Click. The rogue closed the door behind him, and the entire cabin seemed to have gone quiet at his arrival, which Nathan had totally been expecting. After all, it was a pattern that he''d connected and one he had no interest in disrupting, even if it felt a little bit awkward. A lord isolated in his own stronghold. It''s an apocalypse, and I''m still... "Yo, Nate! You wouldn''t believe the monsters we fought today, bro!" Ruben said excitedly. At least some things haven''t changed. Even if the rest of the squad wanted to act distant yet courteous, Ruben had no interest in picking sides. As usual, the Berserker liked to defy social norms, and this was one of such times. Nathan took a seat on the floor, nodding to the others in the cabin before preparing himself for the verbal onslaught the Berserker was about to release at him. "Bro, I''ll skip all the jibber-jabber and tell you about the coolest monster we fought today," Ruben said animatedly. "Any guesses?" Oh golly, now I have to participate in this re-enactment. When it came to the guessing game, Nathan wasn''t so good, and Ruben was asking him to guess which monster was the coolest one they''d slayed today. Considering the fact that Nathan didn''t even know all the kinds of monsters on the island, it was as though the Berserker had asked Nathan to figure out the exact word in his mind¡ªsomething that was a very stupid ask to make. "I don''t know, a cockroach?" Nathan asked in a dry tone. Like the fire burning up in the Berserker''s body had just received more logs, Ruben''s face lit up like a bonfire, the Berserker turning to face Ciara in an ''I told you so'' manner, to which the mage rolled her eyes. Sure, Nathan wasn''t privy to any discussion on what they''d assumed he would say, but the reaction from the mage made it seem like he was close to the mark. Surely not! "Told y''all he''d get it," Ruben said triumphantly. "It was this huge roach, almost as big as the cabin!" Loud groans left the lips of the members of the squad. Sure, Nathan hadn''t been there, but he was pretty sure that the Berserker had been exaggerating by the reaction of his squadmates. Ruben didn''t seem to be deterred, as the Berserker launched into a tirade, painting a very vivid and disturbing image of what the fight with the roach had been like. Somewhere during the Berserker''s animated reenactment, Nathan stole a glance at the mage. He had to keep his cool when he realized that the squad leader had also been looking at him. Their eyes met for a second, and in those eyes, he saw uncertainty, but just as quickly as he''d seen it, the emotion was phased out as she became stoic, her eyes becoming hard and guarded. Nathan wasn''t interested in stressing over what that meant, so he faced Ruben and actually listened to the blabbering Berserker. Maybe this isn''t so bad. --- Camp Commander Sarion seethed at the order before him. He resisted the urge to use his hammer to smash the barbil wood table the missive was resting on. It was a test of his self-control; he very badly wanted to smash something. With a dissatisfied rumble, Sarion did a quick once-over of the information contained within the missive. These cheeky bastards. Every second he spent looking at the words felt like a second that he would go crazy. The higher-ups in the Mining Enterprise he worked for¡ªRelas Touch¡ªhad seen it fit for some reason to form a partnership with demons that''d see them use his portal to get into this world. To the seven hells and back, it wasn''t a new thing for Relas Touch to partner up with demons to solidify their hold on a baby world. After all, people like Sarion were only miners at heart, and even though they''d bay for blood and kill hapless native inhabitants of baby worlds, when it came to holding up against those of the same native inhabitants that would rise up in power, Sarion and the rest would fall. At least that was what he''d been told was the reason before the new additional pact. Sure, Relas Touch and demons did business with each other¡ªunofficially. To anyone who paid attention to the inner workings of the big shots Ra''hal, it was a poorly kept secret, if it was ever intended to be a secret at all. Relas Touch would send low-level miners to invade a baby world, get a foothold on it, and establish a portal in it, just like the one he had built in the camp. Then when things started to get hot, they''d partner up with a desperate race¡ªusually to the disadvantage of said race¡ªand they''d give them a faster way to get on the baby world. Time is coin, after all. Sarion pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn''t the timing of a standard alliance transportation. It was way too early, which meant that someone was moving the pieces on a board that he couldn''t comprehend. Not like he had enough brain power left to actually think about things like that. Right there on his desk sat his own little problem. Sure, letting the demons through wouldn''t be a problem, but he''d been told he''d have to accommodate them for a week as they built their own settlement, which was annoying to say the least. If there was any race Sarion would rather not deal with, it''d be the demons. The cunning and scheming bastards always made his skin crawl whenever he encountered them on any world. He let out a sigh; today was the D-day for the arrival of the demons. The missive had said so the first time he read it¡ªwhich was three days ago. Every day after that had left him looking at the missive, hoping that he''d misread some important details, but he hadn''t. ...And now I''m stuck here about to play host to a bunch of slimy creatures. Sarion heard someone knock at his door, and he pretended not to have heard the sound, hoping the person would leave, but they didn''t. The knocking continued until he called for the person to enter, dreading the message that was about to be delivered to him. "Camp Commander, there''s incoming from the portal!" 1 - 64. Rocky Alliance (II). Pitiful. Demon Lord Taloth stared at his hand-picked ninety-nine demons. Due to the pitiful amount of soldiers he''d be allowed to bring through the Portal, he''d had to pick only demons he could trust, especially since Demon Prince Kabash had a hand in the planning of his transportation. With a grunt, he rubbed the token in his left clawed palm. He didn''t want to be killed by an infiltrator, after all. Normally, no being would try to murder him in his stronghold, but when demons left hell, the already lax rules became virtually non-existent. Usurpers usually rose up during campaigns on other worlds¡ªdemons looking to make their own name. Taloth would rather pick the weak demons who''d followed him before he''d turned Demon Lord than those who''d been merged into his army after his ascension. Sabmire''s toes, these lot aren''t even worth of mentioning Those who''d followed his journey from a lowly demon weren''t the type of demons that someone of his stature should be using as a mini army, considering the army limit he had. At the same time, Taloth didn''t believe that the numbers and their relative weak strength would matter all that much; he''d simply be required to build a base before bringing in more of his troops. His orders had included that he''d be required to stay back at the miner''s settlement where the portal was located, and he was also supposed to give a detailed report on the camp commander and how the day-to-day running of the camp went. An errand that Taloth highly believed was beneath him by all means, but his thoughts and feelings weren''t considered in the decision. Demon Prince Kabash had given him the order, and there was nothing else he could do to contest that decision. That wasn''t the only thing the Demon Prince had for him; Kabash had also handed him a token, one that had the Demon Prince''s face on it¡ªa hideous thing to look at no matter which medium he saw it in. He grunted at the image that had been given to him. He''d thought about leaving the cursed item behind but had held onto it just in case he''d have need of it in the future. Right now, he stared at his ninety-nine demons, as quiet as they waited for his words, as they waited for him to rouse them into battle, and that was what he''d do. "Demons of the Seventh Hell, kneel before your lord!" Taloth said. All ninety-nine demons immediately fell to their knees, regardless of their race, size, or color. As one, they waited for their lord to speak; his word was law to them. "You march into a new world for me! You sharpen your claws for me, and you kill for me!" Taloth declared. "Now I ask you, Demons of the Seventh Hell, will you die for me?" he asked. Of course, it was a no-brainer question¡ªany demon that would give a negative answer to the question would lose its life on the spot, and Taloth wouldn''t even be the one to kill the said demon. The others around the defier would do so to showcase their loyalty to him. "Yes, Lord Taloth!" the demons screamed in unison. "I ask you Demons of the Seventh Hell once again, are you ready to die for your Lord?" "Yes, Lord Taloth!" "Now rise, my demons. Rise and prepare to serve me!" The demons rose to their full heights, with most of them gathered in the Portal hall not reaching up to his chest, his growth spurt having been fueled by the Zarzu Elixir that had been gifted to him by Demon King Zephyr the VII. "My Demons, prepare to CONQUER!" Grunts, growls, shrieks, and screeches rang out in the hall as each demon showed their enthusiasm at his words. Taloth wasn''t moved; until they returned from their conquest successful, their words did not mean a thing to him. He raised up a fist, the action silencing the gathering of demons. They waited for him to utter the very words that would signal their exit from hell¡ªthe very word that would mark his first incursion as a Demon Lord. "Activate the PORTAL!" The growls, grunts, and shrieks that erupted at his words were muted by the overwhelming blue light that filled the Portal Room, the light forcing him to close his eyes as he felt his body vibrate unnaturally. His skin stretched in opposite ways until finally everything stopped. Taloth opened his eyes to a new sight. Crimson sky had replaced the monotonous black of Hell, the air smelled strongly of wood and earth, and his feet found purchase on even dirt. He gazed around quickly, finally finding the missing piece of information he''d been looking for: right there before him was the dwarf he''d been told to keep an eye on¡ªthe camp commander. The dwarf was so short that Taloth had missed him on his first glance; only a polite cough from the dwarf had alerted him to its presence. The Demon Lord felt a little disgruntled that he''d have to have a conversation with a creature that was well beneath him¡ªboth literally and figuratively. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Demon Lord Taloth, I presume?" The dwarf asked, to which he nodded in affirmative. "Welcome, we''ve been expecting you. As an honored guest of Relas Touch, our resources are available to you to help you build your base as fast as possible." Taloth detected a bit of grumbling in the dwarf''s tone, something he''d have killed the pesky creature on the spot for, but alas, he''d received direct orders not to harm the Camp Commander¡ªjust to observe the dwarf and the way he operated the camp, reporting back after a week on the information he''d been able to pry from the dwarf. "As expected," Taloth rumbled. The dwarf seemed to have a vein bulge at his words, but Taloth couldn''t care less. This interaction was a farce, and both parties knew it. He didn''t like the dwarf, and the dwarf didn''t like him either; theirs was an alliance imposed on the pair by their higher-ups. Already, Taloth''s ire was beginning to build up at the sight and mannerisms of the creature before him. The subtle jabs the dwarf had been leaving in his words had not gone unnoticed by him. Ordinarily, Taloth wouldn''t take such slight lightly; any creature that sought to toy with him would have its skull crushed by his foot. Taloth grunted at the thought. This dwarf might survive the week, but he wasn''t sure that it''d survive the month with both of them sharing an island. The Demon Lord was certain that he''d be able to find a loophole that''d let him kill the insolent dwarf. Maybe he wouldn''t even kill the dwarf, just maim him and send him back to lead his camp. "Well then, follow me. We''ve prepared dwellings for you and your ilk," the dwarf said through gritted teeth. Taloth let out a bloodthirsty grin at the dwarf''s words. Fear was the dominant reaction on the faces of the five others that had accompanied the dwarf to welcome him into the camp. The dwarf, on the other hand, seemed like he was doing his best not to attack the Demon Lord with his warhammer that was way too big for the dwarf''s small stature. "Lead the way," Taloth said haughtily. Of course, he''d have loved to fight the dwarf right there and then, but duty held him in check just as it did the dwarf. The creature huffed at his words, mumbling something under its breath before turning to lead the way. Taloth couldn''t hear what the dwarf had said because it was too short, and so if it didn''t speak up, he''d be unable to piece together what had been said. Taloth looked back to confirm that his demons were intact and only began walking when he confirmed that they were. As low as he was on troops at the moment, he couldn''t risk losing any of them. More importantly, he wondered where exactly the little pest that had destroyed his first camp was; his spiritual tracker had it somewhere close by. He''d have to pay the creature a brief visit and take the heart of the creature and any others around. Taloth pushed the thought into the back of his mind¡ªhe still had to settle in here before he started delivering vengeance to the creature who deserved it, but for now, he had a duty to perform. --- Camp Commander Sarion grumbled inwardly at the attitude of the Demon Lord. Sure, he was a lot taller than him, but that was no reason for the demon to look down on him. He led the way to his office with anger boiling inside of him; the demon had publicly spoken to him like he was nothing but a messenger, and while it wasn''t so far from the truth when one thought about it, at the moment Sarion was the Camp Commander, the highest Relas Touch representative on this world, and a Demon Lord had seen it fit to mess with him. The thoughts made him seethe. Sarion was level 33 and the demon was level 41, and while the difference in level was worth a mention, he still felt like he could take on the demon. The ninety-nine other demons behind it were going to be an issue of their own, and so he''d held himself back¡ªbarely. The order from above to welcome the demons with open arms had also done a chest load of good for the demons. Wait, I don''t even have to do this. "Nikit, show the demons to their dwellings. Send in Palvo and Gagoro on your way there," Sarion ordered. "Yes, sir," the gremlin said. "Please follow me." Sarion watched the Demon Lord closely, his grip tightening around his hammer as he hoped¡ªnay, prayed¡ªthat the demon would give him a reason to attack, but the cunning creature didn''t. With an impassive face as though it didn''t care who led the way to the dwelling, the demon followed his head supervisor¡ªthe gremlin. The four others followed the gremlin, keeping a wide berth between them and the other demons who''d been unnaturally quiet since they''d arrived. The demons were of all shapes and sizes; some had wings, some had horns, and some didn''t have anything special about them, but the one thing that all demons had in common was that they were ugly¡ªthe kind of ugly that would make a dwarf lose interest in drinking ale. Hopefully, I don''t see any of those faces in my dreams. With a sigh of disappointment at the fact that the Demon Lord hadn''t given him a reason to attack, Commander Sarion made his way into his office, closing the door behind him. Sure, the demons coming into his camp left him quite annoyed, but at the same time, their presence in the camp would only intensify the feeling of unrest the miners had begun exhibiting in recent days. He''d promised them a battle, and he was yet to deliver. Even if it was only one native inhabitant he''d find on the island, he''d fight it in front of his people, using it as a spectacle to cool down their temper. But in the meantime, he had to find the native inhabitant that had escaped after killing his people, else he feared that the miners would unleash their bloodlust on the demons, and he wasn''t quite sure the miners would be able to handle the consequences of such an action. With bated breath, Sarion relaxed in his chair; just like his desk, the frame of the chair had been made from barbil wood. Expensive but yet worth every single coin he''d spent on the piece of furniture. He let his mind wander until he heard a knock. Finally. "Come in," Sarion ordered. He watched with a stoic face as the pair stepped into his office¡ªone a dwarf and the other a gremlin. The pair were both rangers who''d defied that path to become miners, but right now Sarion didn''t need miners; he needed rangers. "Camp Commander, ye called for us?" the dwarf said. "I did. Find me the native inhabitant that killed our brothers," Sarion said. "Scour the entire island if you have to, but neither of you should return until you have information on the creature. Dismissed." "Sir, yes sir!" the pair said in unison. Sarion watched the pair leave with a blank expression; the conversation had been short and straight to the point, just how he liked it. The creature wouldn''t escape the pair, and that was something Sarion would bet his life on. Soon, I''ll smash your head with my hammer. 1 - 65. It gets deeper. Bullseye. Tristan grinned as his arrow whizzed through the air, striking his target dead in the eyes, the sharp metal arrowhead superior to any defense an eye could provide. He let his bow drop to his side as he began walking towards his dead target. He whistled a tune as he calmly put one foot in front of the other, paying no attention to the nervous looks his squadmates shot him at the cold-heartedness he''d just displayed. Without a shadow of a doubt, he''d been seen by the rest of them as nothing more than an unfeeling beast let loose, but he didn''t care in the slightest. If a beast was what they made of him, then let them¡ªafter all, he was unfeeling. Popularity contests had never been his strong suit; he was an introvert by nature and had started to become an ambivert before the apocalypse came and decided to return him back to default settings. Even as he took another step towards his fallen prey, Tristan''s mind brought on more and more thoughts, but he only latched on to one: he knew that they were only following him because he gave them a feeling of security, but Tristan didn''t care about them. If push came to shove, he''d abandon them in a heartbeat. He''d protected them from the rabid humans in the tutorial, but he wasn''t going to protect them now. They were on their own, and the faster they got that into their thick skulls, the better for them because he''d already started figuring ways to ditch the dead weight. Speaking of dead weight, Tristan looked down where his dead target lay, arrow still sticking out of the eye. With a grimace, he ripped out the arrow from the man''s eye. A little part of him chafed at the fact that killing the man hadn''t been enough to earn him the next level. He was so close to level 20, he just needed a little push, and this dead man hadn''t even given him that. I just wasted my time and arrow on this buffoon. The woman whom the man had been trying to force himself on looked at him fearfully, but Tristan couldn''t care less. He''d just used the attempt as an excuse to kill the man; an arrow to the legs or even the man''s privates would''ve been a good enough deterrent, but Tristan didn''t shoot to injure¡ªhe shot to kill. Turning away from her, he glanced carefully at the man, crouching down and rifling through the man''s pockets in search of anything that could help. At the moment, their phones didn''t work; they''d also been teleported into a rural city that Tristan couldn''t identify, and most of the other humans seemed content just to kill other humans, loot, or engage in stupid acts like the man that lay before him dead. Pigs. The lot of them were nothing but pigs. Monsters were abundant, but some humans still stuck to preying on the weak, like the man had just done. Tristan preferred to hunt monsters as they tended to be worth the effort, but in a city¡ªeven as rural as the one he was currently in¡ªhuman nature had begun to rear its ugly head. The apocalypse had brought with it lawlessness, the kind of lawlessness that one only saw when society had failed as a whole. From what he could tell after his first two weeks in this shithole of a city, it seemed as though local gangs had begun joining up to become the new order. They weren''t the only ones though; a couple of goody-two-shoes had begun collating their own forces. He''d even heard rumors of a stronghold from one of the humans unfortunate enough to draw his gaze. He''d killed the human shortly after, of course. That was one of the few times that Tristan hadn''t preferred to do his business from far; he''d gone up and personal with the lady. The things he''d seen her do with the little children was enough for the little bit of morality in him to return. The woman deserved every broken bone that she received courtesy of him. She was disgusting, and she deserved everything she got. The lady had been a priestess by Archetype; she''d been sacrificing children like they were animals. Tristan might claim to be cold-hearted to the others, but he wasn''t that cold-hearted. He''d seen her murdering children and couldn''t contain the rage that had filled him up at the sight. She''d tried to fight him, but she was no match for Tristan, even if he hadn''t been as angry as he''d been then. He''d utterly and ruthlessly beaten her down, stomping on her offending hands out of sheer disgust. The Priestess didn''t respond how the others he''d slayed responded; she''d had a crazed expression on her face as she stared at him as if he hadn''t just broken her four limbs. He could still remember the very last words that the woman had said: "...My cult shall repay you for this interruption of Demon Prince Kabash''s Feast. The Cult of Kabash shall find you, and your blood shall be ours. Prince Kabash shall emerge into earth. Our Stronghold shall rise to..." Tristan hadn''t heard the rest of the lady''s statement as she''d given up the ghost. A little bit of regret tried to rise up in him at the sight of all the dead children, but he crushed the feeling. It wasn''t his fault that the children had died; if the people of the world had actually taken a second to take care of the defenseless amongst them, then this wouldn''t and shouldn''t have happened. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The fault had laid on the lady, the lady who''d been so desperate for power that she''d sacrificed children for it. By the looks of things, the lady''s sanity had long left her. All the power she''d gotten hadn''t been enough to leave a scratch on him, and he wasn''t even that high leveled. The thought gave him pause, but he shook it off; the words spoken by the woman before her last breath was the main thing he should''ve been thinking about. Demons. There were demons out there handing out power to desperate priests and priestesses in exchange for lives. The disgust Tristan felt tripled at the thought. He turned to look at those who''d lost their lives to the crazed Priestess of... Kabash, was it? The blood had begun to soak into the cobblestones as the woman had chosen to perform her ritual in an open space, just beside a deserted fountain. The amount of blood should''ve bothered him, but it didn''t; even the smell of blood should''ve caused him to gag or puke, but it hadn''t. The apocalypse had brought out another side of him that he hadn''t even realized he had¡ªa bloodthirsty side. His indifference had started to return to him, the last thought laced with emotion was hoping that the dead rested easy knowing that they''d been avenged by him. While he wasn''t going to bury them, he hoped that his little deed would count for something. A demon Prince, A cult, and a stronghold. A stronghold with demon worshipers seemed like the kind of thing that Tristan ought to look into, and not because they were dirty, stinky bastards¡ªno, more because everyone else would turn a blind eye to him slaying every one of them. Those who stooped so low to serve demons for power. He scoffed at the thought. After everything, he had actually been right; the biggest threats that humans were going to fight against would be other humans. It was just simply the way the world worked¡ªso many people harbored dark thoughts just waiting for the power to materialize them, and the apocalypse had just given them the power to do just that. Shaking his head to rid himself of the memory, he looked at the woman whom he''d just saved as she cowered away from him. I wonder which part of the fence I''m on? --- Pavlo grinned at his fellow ranger¡ªGagoro. After three days of senseless scouting, hoping that they''d pick sight of the native inhabitant that had killed their comrades, they finally had a lead. No, that wasn''t right¡ªthey didn''t just have a lead, they''d found them. Them. The Commander had said it was only one more native inhabitant that had escaped, but Pavlo saw seven. The group looked like the corpses that he''d seen when he and Gagoro had been part of the group to follow the commander to see the dried-out corpses. "...Slashed...the...brook..." Pavlo couldn''t believe how easy it''d been to track the group once he''d caught sight of them¡ªnot really sight, as Gagoro had heard rather than seen them. The one with the sword had been talking since, and the native inhabitant had been the one with the voice that Gagoro had heard and pointed out to Pavlo, leading the two to tailing the group from afar, of course. They watched as the group walked. The one with the sword kept talking and talking, with the occasional word from a member of the rest of the group, and Pavlo wondered how stupid the native inhabitants had to be, walking in the forest at night, talking without a care for what could be following them. Or are they that strong? Pavlo resisted the urge to snort at the thought. First off, he wasn''t an amateur who''d make such a noise when tracking, and secondly, he didn''t believe it would matter, especially when the bloodthirsty miners came for their heads. Seven natives wouldn''t be a problem for them; right now, he and Gagoro were trailing them to find out where they slept. As scouts, he and Gagoro needed to find out the total numbers of the group. While he didn''t think that there were more than the ones he''d currently seen, he wouldn''t mind if there were more of them that he was yet to see. A part of him wished to Veron that there were more of them yet to be seen. The more the better, in his opinion. He knew he wasn''t the only one who wanted to use his hammer to crush something. Mining Tora in the settlement was mind-numbing work, repetitive and boring. Pavlo had never been so excited to take on scouting as he was at the moment. "Pay attention, Pav. Gate ahead," Gagoro said. He''d been paying close attention to the group, so he''d seen the gate, but there was no point in getting into an argument with Gagoro. Instead, he grunted his acknowledgment of the information and continued creeping up to the group, Gagoro beside him. The gremlin was the quiet type, and so was he; they rarely had to exchange words, and he could tell that both parties appreciated that part of the agreement. "...Nate...today...run..." Pavlo listened as closely as he could, but that was all he could pick up before the squad got in through the gate. He''d considered following the group through the gate but stopped at his cover; at the moment, he and the gremlin were still a ways from the gate that the group entered. Gagoro copied his motion, the gremlin stopping in his tracks as he stared at him. "Too risky, we go back and report," Pavlo whispered. The gremlin nodded in agreement. Without another word shared, the pair turned back and began walking back towards camp. They''d barely made it five steps before a flash of white fur ran past them, the animal pausing to look back at them before continuing towards the gate. Pavlo shook his head at the questioning look in the gremlin''s eyes before they resumed their walk back to the settlement. It took the pair about two hours of nonstop walking to get to their destination. From there, it was only a matter of moments for them to get to the Camp Commander''s office. Pavlo rapped at the door while the gremlin stood still beside him. "Come in," the commander''s voice echoed from the other side. Pavlo didn''t hesitate one bit, opening the door as both he and Gagoro walked into the commander''s office, which was just a big tent. The gremlin closed the door behind them. "I believe you have information on the whereabouts of the loose native inhabitant," asked the Camp Commander. "Native inhabitants, sir," Pavlo corrected respectfully, "and yes, sir, we do." 1 - 66. Giddy up. Nathan glanced at the rogue with a question in his eyes. "What do you mean you were followed?" he asked. "That we were followed," Pirlo replied in a dry tone. Nathan had half a mind to smack the nonchalant rogue in the face with his sword, but he instead held himself together. Violence wasn''t the only solution, especially right now when the rogue might have information that could benefit him. "You''ve already said that. I am asking you what you were followed by and why you didn''t kill it or alert the rest of the squad," Nathan said. The rogue seemed to be having an internal war with himself before he let out a low mutter that Nathan couldn''t pick up, the wiry teen rubbing a hand at the back of his head sheepishly as he sought the words to reply to Nathan with. Dear God, I hope that he hasn''t done anything stupid. "A gremlin and a dwarf, if my guesses are right," Pirlo said with a wince. Nathan decided to keep quiet, not responding immediately to the rogue''s words. He didn''t trust himself not to launch into a tirade like Ruben, so he let the information stew in his head while he looked straight into Pirlo''s eyes to make sure the rogue knew that Nathan considered him a fool for such a decision. "So let me get this straight: you saw a bunch of miners trailing you all and you didn''t say anything? Rather, you led them straight to MY stronghold?" Nathan asked calmly. "Yes." "Why?" Nathan hoped that for the rogue''s sake, he had some kind of excuse¡ªno, not just some kind, but a reasonable excuse that could fly in Nathan''s eyes. Else Ciara would have to find a new second because the one standing in front of him was very close to losing his head. "Well?" Nathan asked the still-quiet rogue. "I wanted a real fight. Hitting F-ranked dungeons has been a waste of time for me. I don''t know about the rest, but I''m tired of fighting against low-leveled monsters," Pirlo said quietly. This idiot. "You moron, is that why you led two miners to my stronghold, so that they could return to attack us?" "Yes," the rogue replied, still wincing. While Nathan could very much understand the rogue''s frustration at being forced to play nanny to the others in dungeons¡ªbecause he himself had done the same¡ªNathan wasn''t going to side with the rogue on this one, no way. Pirlo had multiple options when it came to handling that issue. Off the top of his head, he considered the fact that the rogue could''ve met Ciara and told the mage that F-ranked dungeons were no longer doing it for him, and the mage would''ve figured it out for him. On the off chance that the mage declined the rogue''s request¡ªwhich Nathan highly doubted¡ªPirlo could always leave the squad and go solo in an E-dungeon. After all, Nathan had been around the same level when he''d hit his first dungeon. Heck, the rogue was higher than he''d been then. He quickly analyzed the rogue: [Name: Pirlo Vox Moniker: N/A Archetype: Rogue Level: 19] The rogue''s growth rate had slowed down by far compared to his earliest days on the island when he''d been jumping from level to level, and both teens knew the reason why: F-ranked dungeons weren''t doing it for the rogue anymore. He needed a bigger challenge. Too bad that the rogue, whom Nathan had begun to rate highly, had made such a stupid and selfish decision. "You do know that if those miners were scouts and they return with more of their kind, there''d be bloodshed?" "Yes." "Do you also know that some of your squad mates are... terrible at this apocalypse thing?" "...Yes." "So you do know, and yet you decided to risk their lives by letting those miners go?" "I... yes." What more was he supposed to say to this buffoon who''d just risked the life of everyone else in the stronghold just for the thrill of battle? Pirlo seemed to have little regret about what he''d done, but at the same time, the rogue wasn''t apologizing for anything he''d done or not done, as the case was. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "I''ll tell you what I''ve told you before: if any member of your squad dies because of your stupid decision, then it''s on you¡ªonly you," Nathan said sternly. He turned away and left the rogue, walking away from the spot where the rogue had pulled him to have their private conversation. Nathan seethed inwardly; the rogue seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, so Nathan couldn''t believe what he''d just heard. Just for the thrill of battle. The rogue had done all that just for the thrill of battle, and Nathan wasn''t even sure there was going to be one. Maybe the miners had deserted the camp that he''d seen them with, or maybe the miners had started acting on one of his earlier assumptions and they''d started expanding¡ªnobody knew. Right now, Nathan was trying to figure out what he was going to do. A part of him just wanted to turn around and kill the rogue for such an act, but he held himself back. After everything was said and done, Pirlo was their second-best frontliner in the stronghold, the first being him, Ciara third, Ruben fourth¡ªthe rest of the squad filled up the quota. It''s just up to me to decide if I''m going to let them come to me or if I''ll go to them. While Nathan had hopes that the miners Pirlo had seen were nothing more than deserters, his experience with the apocalypse convinced him that he had to think the worst: they had to be scouts, and if they were scouts, he had to get everything in order for their eventual clash¡ªand he had to do it as fast as he possibly could. "This moron has just put me in a pickle jar," he muttered to himself. Nathan walked towards the cabin. The rest of the squad were still in it since it was the late hours of the night. Ruben, as always, was retelling his own side of his fights in whatever dungeon the squad had completed today. Funny enough, he''d come to like the late-night berserker blabberings; it helped alleviate the tension amongst the group. Ruben was no comedian by any stretch of the imagination, but he was certainly a fun person to be around when he wasn''t fighting for his life. A fun one, that one. He rolled his eyes even as he climbed up the steps to the porch. No doubt the berserker hadn''t been the most reliable person at the beginning, but he was starting to see a new side of Ruben that he respected. The berserker seemed to have taken to his new reality slowly, but he''d adapted over time, and now the berserker was well-regarded amongst his squad. His respect for the berserker doubled because of the fact that Ruben hadn''t changed after he''d adapted to what an apocalypse was. He hadn''t become cold and distant like Pirlo, or stoic and calculating like Ciara. No, the teen had remained the same as before: jovial and talkative. While some might argue that such things might get the berserker killed, he''d reply that life isn''t worth living if a person had to change everything about themselves to live it. Look at that, Lord Nathan turning into a philosopher. Nathan chuckled at the thought, taking a moment to bask in the humor before clearing his thoughts and his throat, and then pushing the door of the cabin and stepping in, warmth from the fireplace enveloping him as he shut the door behind him. "...And I thrust it with my sword like it was a kebab..." Ruben said before pausing to look at who entered the cabin. "Oh hey, Nate, I was just giving them a rundown of my fights. Wanna hear?" Now why would I want to do that? "Not tonight, bro. I''m afraid I have bad news for you guys," Nathan said. Click. He didn''t need to look back to know that it was the rogue who''d entered the cabin. His intuition proved correct as the wiry teen walked past him to sit on the floor like everyone else, his head downcast. Nathan was the only one left standing and pretty much decided to remain so. The news he was about to drop wouldn''t be pleasant to the ears, but the squad needed to hear it, and he was going to deliver it as best as he could. "So while I was coming back from my dungeon run..." Nathan began. He replaced Pirlo with himself and pretty much twisted the retelling as much as he could to cover up for the rogue''s screw-up. There was no point dividing up the squad in what was going to be the most crucial period of them being together. Nathan wasn''t afraid that they''d judge him for not killing the scouts since he claimed he''d known that they''d been following. All the members of the squad knew he liked to avoid potential problems and neither was he scared of confrontation, so if he said that he left them for a reason, he knew that they''d believe him. But if Pirlo had said the exact same words, most of them would''ve been skeptical of the rogue''s words, and so Nathan chose to be the fall guy, this time. You can show it on the battlefield. He didn''t bother to acknowledge the look of gratefulness on the rogue''s face. If Pirlo wanted to thank him, then he better be in tip-top shape when they eventually had to go toe-to-toe with the miners. The rest of the squad had very different reactions to his words: the rangers had worry painted over their faces, the priestess had fear on hers¡ªrightly so. Ruben had a grin on his face as though Nathan had just told him the best news ever; Ciara was nonchalant, the de facto squad leader just taking up everything he said without a reaction. "...Now I believe that we should expect the worst. We''d either get ready to fight them at their own turf or let them come to us." "So either way, we''re still going to fight them?" Daniel asked. The ranger had immediately spoken up after Nathan uttered his last words. No doubt the tall teen was hoping that Nathan had a way for them to avoid the confrontation with the miners. To be honest, the only way he could think of that they''d be successful enough to avoid clashing with the miners was if they got a boat to get off the island, and as far as he was aware, they had no boats and no way to safely get off the island. Hiding wasn''t even feasible, as the miners by far outnumbered them, and it would only be a matter of time before they''d be found and killed. "No, there''s no avoiding this. It''s going to happen no matter how anybody feels about it," Nathan said. "How soon, my man? I can''t wait to put my sword to good use," Ruben said giddily. Nathan resisted the urge to chuckle at the different reception he''d gotten from the information he''d just dropped. The majority seemed like they''d rather avoid it, but Ruben¡ªand Pirlo by extension¡ªseemed to be itching for a battle. "Depends on if we are the ones attacking first," Nathan said. "If we decide to wait, then it''s up to them, but if we want to take them by surprise, then we have to hit them tomorrow or the day after. We can''t give them time to mobilize and organize themselves." Ruben pumped his fist at the response, earning him a glare from the tall ranger. Ciara, on the other hand, had closed her eyes, seeming to mull over his words before she opened them abruptly, looking him dead in the eyes before speaking. "I think we should hit them first, and if we are going to do that, then there''s only one thing that I can think of that''ll improve the odds of everyone here surviving the attack," she said. Pirlo looked up, his eyes widening like saucers at the mage''s words. "I believe that we have to join your faction." 1 - 67. Blood Army (II). So we''re back to that. The entire cabin went quiet at the mage''s words. At the moment, only the bunny made any sort of movement¡ªthe innocent-looking killer hopping about, totally uninterested in the discussion that was currently ongoing. Luckily, the bunny wasn''t the target audience, so no one really paid attention to its antics. Everybody was waiting for the next words of whoever would speak between Nathan and Ciara. Eventually, it was none other than the rogue who broke the brief spell of silence. "Are you sure?" Pirlo asked Ciara. The question caused him to look at the squad leader, and suddenly she wasn''t the stoic, emotionless robot she''d been acting like. He could clearly see her biting her lower lip as she probably thought her words through. Nathan, on the other hand, was patient¡ªhe wasn''t desperate for anyone to join his faction, and whether they wanted to or not, he wouldn''t do anything to influence their decision. "Yes," Ciara said. "He checks out. Plus, if we''re going to go against a camp of Miners, then we''re definitely going to need all the boosts we can get." So I''m just being used as a boost... nice. While Nathan could''ve walked away from the conversation after hearing those words, he stayed put mainly because of the rangers and the priestess. They wouldn''t survive without him. Maybe Pirlo, Ruben, and Ciara would be able to hold off the potential attack on their own for a while; perhaps they''d even escape and survive for a couple of days before they''d be hunted down and killed. Even he didn''t think he''d be able to handle the entire mine camp on his own without help, and so he begrudgingly accepted that the best course of action for all parties involved was to remain together. Ciara was certainly onto something with making their alliance official by involving the system. "Okay, so what''s the procedure?" Nathan said after a moment had passed. "Wait a minute, Ciara, you might want to rethink this," Tasha said, the ranger clearly panicking. "There''s nothing left to think about¡ªhe''s passed the test," Ciara said. "Besides, we''re out of options, and none of you have to join me as I swear fealty to him and join his faction." Fealty... I know that word. Nathan racked his brain for the definition of the word. He wasn''t really that proficient in English, but he''d heard the word once or twice¡ªhe''d just need a moment to parse through his memories. The grim tone of the mage made him realize that she was about to make a life-altering decision. It can''t be. The puzzle suddenly started to fall into place for Nathan: why the squad had been reluctant to let him in on the way to set up a faction and why they were alarmed by Ciara''s words. The mage was thinking about swearing fealty to him. "But that''ll bind you to him! You''ll be his faction member and will suffer severe debuffs from the system if you try to leave without his permission," Diane said quietly. "Would you rather live like that?" Nathan turned to look at the mage. The words by the priestess had a heavy weight to them, one that he himself didn''t want to impose on the mage. So he kept quiet and just watched, eager to find out her response to the question thrown at her. "Nate is a good guy. I trust that he won''t abuse his power as Lord. Besides, he passed the cold shoulder test with flying colors, so yes, I''m sure," Ciara answered. "Now I am going to ask the rest of you: would you rather die because you don''t want to take a chance joining his faction?" "You don''t have to ask me anything. Nate''s a bro, so where do I sign?" Ruben said with a grin. "I can''t believe I am saying this, but I''m with Ruben on this one," Pirlo said hesitantly. "Screw this, I''m staying independent," Daniel said. Ciara simply nodded at the ranger''s decision before turning to look at the others who still hadn''t picked a side: Diane, Tasha, and Yola. The quiet ranger seemed to be staring at the bunny intently as the rest of them conversed, but Nathan knew that she''d heard every word they''d spoken. "I''ll join too if it means I''ll survive," Yola said quietly. "I really, really hate you guys. I''m in," Tasha said begrudgingly. And then there was one. Nathan looked at the remaining member who''d yet to pick a side: Diane. The priestess was the lowest in level when compared to the rest of the squad, and Nathan pretty much thought it was nailed on that she''d join his faction. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "I''ll stay independent," Diane said guiltily. A part of him could understand why the priestess would feel guilty for choosing to be independent. After all, she''d had to rely on the others for protection in every dungeon run and even outside of dungeons too, but Nathan wouldn''t judge. If his assumptions of the matter were accurate, then it really was a personal decision, and the priestess wasn''t to be pressured on what to do with her life¡ªliterally. "Aye, no biggie, Diane," Ruben said. "It''s totally your call, and we respect it." The berserker was the last person that he''d expected to speak up at the moment, and apparently so had everyone else, as they all looked at the blabbermouth of a teen with varying degrees of surprise. Diane''s was expected, as Ruben had been the one protecting her from the get-go of the apocalypse, and his quick approval had surprised her but at the same time had relieved her too. "Okay, Nathan, are you ready to become a real lord?" Pirlo asked. The look in the rogue''s eyes was something that was pretty surprising, and to be honest, Nathan wouldn''t ever have thought he''d see it in the teen''s eyes: uncertainty. It seemed more like he was asking for his own sake than Nathan''s, as though he was somehow hoping that Nathan would call off the whole thing and they''d no longer have to go on with this entire charade they had going on. "Yep, what do I have to do?" Nathan asked for the second time. "Nothing but accept our fealty." "Alright." Well, that sounded off, but he wasn''t going to comment on it. The entire group seemed to steal glances with each other, everyone hoping that someone else would come up with a good reason why they all shouldn''t continue on with this madness. The mage was the first to look at him, eyes shining with determination. Her eyes seemed to gloss over, which probably meant that the mage was interacting with the system¡ªan intuition that was proven true when he received a notification. [Ciara Rone wishes to swear fealty to you as the Faction Leader of the Blood Army. Accepting her pledge would mean that she will join your faction. Do you accept?] Nathan gazed at the screen, going through the information twice before actually thinking about the words on the screen. Apparently, Ciara was going to join the ranks of his faction if he chose to accept her fealty. The whole thing had been done wordlessly too, which was something that he''d have to think about later. Yes, I accept her fealty. [Ciara Rone successfully added to Blood Army.] And so the rest continued¡ªnotification upon notification of the squad members who wished to join his faction, Blood Army. It took about three minutes to finish the whole process, and when Nathan was done, he felt like his brain had run a marathon, like he hadn''t slept in ages, and like he''d been solving calculus for an hour straight. Both the priestess and the tall ranger¡ªDaniel¡ªhad chosen to stick to their earlier decision of being independent even though everyone else had chosen to join Blood Army. He wasn''t bothered by the decision at all, and to be honest, he was glad that it wasn''t a case of everyone simply following the crowd. Everyone who''d joined his faction had done so of their own volition. Sure, there''d been a little bit of cajoling by Ciara, but the mage hadn''t twisted their arms until they''d agreed to join. No, each and every person in the Blood Army had made that decision by themselves. For the most part, Ruben looked to be thrilled with his decision, purely judging by the way the teen had been trying to blab everybody''s ears off with the fact that he was part of Nathan''s faction. Which was honestly kind of nice from the berserker, if Nathan was being honest with himself. Ciara looked relieved, and a part of Nathan thought it was because she''d finally had the weight of leadership removed from her shoulders¡ªthat weight now rested on Nathan''s shoulders. Their lives were now his responsibility, officially. He''d be the one to lead and guide them to the new era of Blood Rock, and when he said them, he also included Daniel and Diane. He''d protect them too until they decided to really be independent and leave Blood Rock for good. Till then, the pair were still his responsibility. Pirlo was quiet as ever, the rogue''s demeanor spoke of a single-minded focus, and Nathan could in many ways relate to that. Despite the weird relationship he shared with the rogue, he was pretty glad that he''d have someone as ruthless and savage as Pirlo on his side. Besides, his loyalty to Ciara also made Nathan think more highly of the rogue now that they were officially on the same team. Tasha and Yola had both returned to playing with the bunny. The Neran Rabbit didn''t seem to mind¡ªin fact, from what Nathan had understood from what he''d been seeing the rabbit do all these days, he could tell that the damned thing liked all the attention, and more than that, it seemed to have bonded with the quiet ranger¡ªYola. "And boom, the newest members of... wait, what''s the name of your faction again?" Ruben asked sheepishly. "Blood Army." "This calls for some champagne, or fruits in your case, Nate," Ruben said with a wink. Nathan chuckled at the words of the berserker, no doubt the teen was trying to lighten up the mood and make the best of the serious decision that they''d all made. With a grin on his face, he pulled out a couple of fruits from his bag of holding, tossing them out to everyone in the cabin, including the bunny. He was just about to bite into his fruit when a system notification popped up on his screen. [Congratulations Blood Army Faction Leader Nathan Orion, you have received one new skill for successfully getting followers for your faction. Stronger Together (passive): All members of your faction shall receive a 10% boost to all stats provided that they are within 100m of you. To upgrade your faction skills or buy new ones, visit a merchant.] Holy mollly. "Are you guys seeing this?" Nathan asked. "Seeing what?" Ruben replied. "This 10% boost to all members. Heck, I wish I was a member," Nathan said in disbelief. His words caused chuckles to ripple across the crowd. Nathan didn''t know why they were laughing at his words¡ªa 10% boost was at least like a temporary three-level boost for all members of the faction, considering it was two points per new level. "We already knew that from the tutorial," Ciara said. "All new lords are given that skill by the system when they get their first member of their faction. It''s simply the norm." Of course, missing the freaking tutorial still left its mark, but Nathan shook his head to the side. They''d attended the tutorial, and that was all fine and good, but at the end of the day, he was the one with a stronghold, a faction, and the cherry on top was that he was stronger than every single one of them. "What next?" Pirlo asked, the rogue eager to move the conversation along. "Now, we discuss tactics for tomorrow," Ciara said, looking up to Nathan. 1 - 68. The Reunion (I). Distraction. That was all the entire plan hinged on, Nathan grumbled as he walked towards the front gate of the Miners'' Settlement, alone. The rest of the squad would follow soon; some would go from the sides, while the weaker members would follow in the wake of destruction that he planned to leave behind. Status. [Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 30 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Demon Slayer, Skull Crusher, Bronze Dungeoneer, Wrong Underdog Strength: 30 Dexterity: 15 Vitality: 14 Constitution: 20 Perception: 13 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 34,750 Free Points: 2] It had almost been a month since the apocalypse began, and Nathan''s growth was commendable but worrying¡ªhis level growth rate had seen a steady decline with each level he climbed. Of course, most of that was his own fault, but at the end of the day, this Miners'' Settlement was going to shake things up a bit. Grinning at the thought, Nathan closed the status screen just in time because up ahead were the patrols: two dwarves and a gremlin. Whistling a tune, he casually strolled towards the guards at the gate. They''d just spotted him, and the dwarves were saying something to the gremlin, who kept shouting at the pair. Eventually, they all fell quiet as soon as Nathan got within range. The dwarves held up their warhammers for a swing while the gremlin said something to the pair on his arrival. [Dwarf Level 13] [gremlin Level 14] [Dwarf Level 13] Pitiful. Nathan internally scoffed at the information the system had provided after he''d analyzed the trio. In the dwarves'' eyes, he saw bloodlust, but in the gremlin''s eyes, he saw uncertainty. While Nathan highly doubted that Plan A would work, he might as well test it now. "...I pull rank," the gremlin said before looking up at Nathan. "Hold. What is your business here?" "Stop asking it questions, Vafir. It''s a native inhabitant, and we should kill it where it stands," one of the dwarves growled. Nathan shook his head at the words of the guards, his action only seeming to infuriate the already pissed-off dwarves, but he didn''t care one bit. The trio would have better luck trying to get water out of a rock than blood out of him. Either way, he was running out of time, and it was time to implement Plan A. "Step aside. I need to destroy your Portal, and then I''ll be on my way," Nathan said. "...Step aside... for you... to¡ª" One of the dwarves hunched back in laughter. The other joined while the gremlin chuckled uncertainly until its eyes glossed over and then widened like saucers. No doubt it had just analyzed him and now knew he was at level 30. Nathan was only one level away from becoming unanalyzable to anyone with the skill Basic Analyze(I). Well, there goes Plan A. Time for Plan B. Kill ''em all. Almost lazily, as if he couldn''t be bothered to rush his attack, his sword arched up, bisecting the gremlin that had just been about to call out a warning to the still-laughing dwarves. His sword tore through the body of the gremlin like it was made of dough. Blood erupted like a fountain from the lower half of the gremlin''s body as the upper part fell off, spraying against his body and face equally, falling on the faces of the dwarves. Not so funny now, eh? Nathan grinned. His blood-covered face would''ve been perfect for a live-action horror show, but he''d have to settle for an apocalypse. With two swift strikes, he dispatched the two dwarves. They hadn''t even been able to call out for help or pull back their hammers for a swing before Nathan''s sword bit into their necks a little too greedily, the blade exiting from the other sides without pause¡ªa swift and clean decapitation. The heads dropped to the floor, and the bodies soon followed with an audible thud, the sound the only thing to disturb the silence at the gate. Nathan stared at the bodies in disgust; it had been way too easy for him to slay the guards, making it clear how far ahead he was compared to them. They''d been so beneath him that he could tell they''d barely helped him progress to the next level. He needed more, and the apocalypse had literally dropped a feast for him. He''d tried to parlay, so now he was switching to the gory side¡ªhe wouldn''t feel bad about it. In fact, he felt pretty good about it. Nathan stood still, the corpses on the dirt at his feet, blood dripping off his blade as he waited for the other miners to figure out that their guards had been killed. As if the apocalypse was trying to fulfill his every thought at that moment, a gremlin ran out to the front, staring at him in horror. "You... you''re a... monster," the gremlin stuttered. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Nathan did nothing but flash the gremlin a toothy grin, which wouldn''t have been out of place at a movie premiere. But out here in the middle of nowhere in a freaking apocalypse, with blood coating him from head to toe, Nathan had no doubts that he looked like the boogeyman. He watched as the gremlin turned and ran back into the Settlement, its short legs almost reaching the back of its head as it ran for all it was worth, no doubt probably on its way to inform whoever was in charge of the Settlement about the monster outside their gates. That would suit Nathan just fine; after all, he was to act as a distraction, and what better way than to let them come to him? A loud horn sounded from the settlement, no doubt their way of signifying they were under attack. Fantabulous. This is about to get interesting. The cries of alarm that rose from the settlement made Nathan''s grin stretch wider, making his already disturbing face even worse. He twirled the sword by the hilt, patiently waiting for the miners to organize themselves into something of a reasonable size that might be worth his time¡ªmaybe. He highly doubted there would be anyone or anything in the settlement, apart from the so-called commander he had yet to meet, that would cause him to sweat. The rest were going to be sword practice for him. Time to start swinging, I suppose. Nathan thought as he stopped twirling his sword, instead holding it in a firm grip as he prepared for the incoming horde. Even though he''d hung back and waited for them, the miners hadn''t seemed to take advantage of his gift. Instead, they were rushing out in droves; no doubt they planned to overwhelm him with their numbers, but that plan wasn''t going to favor them as much as they thought. The group that reached Nathan numbered roughly thirty from a rough head count. Dwarves and gremlins made up the numbers, and they seemed bloodthirsty, their bloodlust showing in their movements as they charged towards him. He randomly analyzed a few even as he prepared to clash with them. His brief check revealed no one above level 18; sure, he hadn''t analyzed every single one of them, but he''d done enough to gauge their relative strength. Fodder. They weren''t going to be a challenge to him in any form or fashion. The words he''d uttered in jest after killing the guards might just be true¡ªmaybe he was just going to have a little bit of sword practice today. Of course, he didn''t put it past the system to throw up some surprises, but until it did, he was going to have a little bit of fun. Maybe a lot. "Rarrrrrrgh!" Nathan yelled as he charged. "Graaaahh!" The group yelled in response as they spread out while still charging at him. Slow motion. That''s how everything felt to Nathan; his mind processed everything a lot faster than them, and it showed. The unfortunate gremlin who''d been the first to be killed by Nathan in the charge had died without even being able to swing its pickaxe, which wasn''t surprising considering how fast he''d mowed down the guards. This was going to be like a stroll for Nathan. It was. Nathan''s diagonal slash tore through the gremlin, starting from the left collarbone to its right hip, the Berserker moving on to the next would-be attacker before the gremlin''s body could even hit the ground. That attacker was lucky enough to pull back her hammer for a swing before her hammer and the hand wielding it fell to the dirt, his sword already arcing to the side, decapitating the dwarf before she could let out a horrified scream. Thwuck! Nathan felt something pointy try and fail to pierce his side, his constitution way too high for the puny gremlin wielding the offending pickaxe to pierce. The look of displeasure on Nathan''s face was the last thing the gremlin saw before its skull was crushed by Nathan''s free fist. The gremlin was only the first to land a hit; soon enough, more followed¡ªhammers and pickaxes alike. Nathan thought he saw a pair of daggers, but he couldn''t be too sure. While there were definitely different weapons being used to attack him, he could say that all attacks by the miners had one thing in common: they had little to no success in harming him. Sure, the occasional blunt hammer hit to his skin caused it to rattle, but even that still didn''t hurt him at least as much as his strikes hurt the group. Nathan hacked and slashed, system notifications popping up in his field of vision as euphoria filled him, but he dismissed both, focusing on tearing apart the few miners that had survived his rampage so far. [Life steal triggered] It wasn''t the first time the skill had activated during the fight, and to be frank, Nathan hadn''t needed it. From what he could feel, his health hadn''t even dipped lower than ninety-nine percent since the fight started. Sure, the miners were many, but they weren''t experienced fighters. No doubt they''d been hoping to find a dumb and powerless human they could bully with their numbers; unfortunately, they''d been visited by the Blood Berserker himself, Nathan. Five. Scratch that¡ªfour. That was the number of attackers that remained from the initial group of thirty, and even then, the number dropped by one as Nathan''s sword whistled through the air, tearing through the kneecaps of a sneaky gremlin that had hung back during the fight, trying and failing to nick him with its blades. I knew I saw daggers. The gremlin didn''t last longer than the thought, his fist already completing the work that his blade had started, brain matter splattering on the floor as Nathan''s fist pushed out the contents of the gremlin''s skull, emerging from the other side before Nathan pulled it back. [Life steal Triggered] Nathan dismissed the system information as he faced the other three. He could see the fear in their eyes, but still, regardless of the obvious emotions on their faces, they charged at him, all at once. For such bravery, Nathan did them the honor of killing them swiftly and cleanly, his sword commending them for their courage as it whistled through the air, tearing through the necks of the closest two. For the last one out of reach, Nathan thought about finishing it off with his fist but held back. He had promised them a quick, clean death, and he planned to deliver on that promise. He let the gremlin''s pickaxe hit his bare chest, the metal bouncing off his skin, but even before then, they had both known the attack was futile. For its effort, Nathan swung his blade, decapitating the gremlin and watching with a grim smile as the body and head dropped to the floor. "What a waste." Status [Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 35 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Demon Slayer, Skull Crusher, Bronze Dungeoneer, Wrong Underdog Strength: 30 Dexterity: 15 Vitality: 14 Constitution: 20 Perception: 13 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 58,650 Free Points: 12] Okay, I don''t really need to do this but: Two points to constitution Three to strength Four to vitality [ Strength: 33 Constitution: 22 Vitality: 18 ## Free points: 3 ] Confirming his updates, he closed the screen with a thought. He hadn''t really needed to upgrade his Vitality, but he had points to spare, so he might as well. Glancing to the side, he looked for the signal that Ciara was supposed to send when they got into position to do their own thing. "Come on, where are you guys?" Nathan muttered to himself. Bingo! Shit! A fireball shot up from somewhere deep in the settlement, heading for the crimson sky before it fizzled out. The problem came when a second quickly followed after the first, fizzling out after making it around the same distance up in the sky. One meant they were in position; two meant they were in position and currently needed help. Nathan turned and was about to head in that direction when he heard a sound, a sound he''d almost forgotten. Screech! "You''ve got to be kidding me," Nathan mumbled. Turning to face the direction of the screech, he couldn''t believe his eyes. Rushing towards him were demons¡ªa lot of demons¡ªand behind the variety of different demons he''d never seen before was one that stood out among the rest, towering over them even as they charged towards him. It had to be a good three feet taller than him, and the mace it wielded in one hand made him wince. It had horns, and its face looked familiar to Nathan as if he''d seen it somewhere. They were still far out, but once the demon noticed that he''d seen their charge, it let out a loud roar that carried to his ears, causing him to grin. "Finally, something worth my time," Nathan said with a grin. 1 - 69. The Reunion (II). The problem with having such a large horde charging straight at him was that it discouraged him from even bothering to analyze them. It didn''t really matter either way because whether he decided to analyze them or not, he was surely going to fight the incoming wave of demons. From the get-go, he could identify one variety from the demons arrayed before him¡ªthere were Imps in the lineup. Master Imps. Nathan chided himself for the little omission, rolling his shoulders as he tried to shake off any knots or muscles that hadn''t been put to use with his earlier sword practice. The demon with the mace seemed to be the leader of the horde, and the big bad demon had decided to halt its charge, which caused Nathan''s grin to drop. Now he''d have to stomp through a group of demons that probably weren''t worth his time. He highly doubted that any Master Imp would be worth his time at the moment, but he was willing to give the incoming horde of demons the benefit of the doubt. He wished they''d be worth the effort though¡ªhis exchange with the miners had left him feeling like a bully. "Psst, I see dead demons," Nathan grinned bloodthirstily as he charged. Yep. He''d been right about the demons not being worth his time, but he shook the thought away. He couldn''t become complacent and slip up; he needed to thoroughly crush these demons until the point that the big one joined the fray. He briefly wondered if there was a Decapitator-related Imprint and why the system hadn''t given him it if there was one, as the head of the first demon his sword kissed fell to the floor. He dismissed the thought as pinpricks of pain exploded at his side. The creature that had done that jumped into the air, a couple more like it joining it, bat-like wings furiously flapping as they hovered above. Ten of them corralled Nathan even as the ground demons did the same on land. He was surrounded, and looking at the cold, calculating eyes of the huge demon that had opted to stay out of the fray, he could tell it was thinking about the same exact thing. But he was surrounded by appetizers, and he''d clear them so that he could get to it. [Harpy Level 27] [Harpy Level 28] [Harpy Level 27] [Harpy Level 26] [Harpy Level 24] [Harpy Level 27] [Harpy Level 24] [Harpy Level 27] [Harpy Level 27] [Harpy Level 28] Well, that explains a lot. Their ability to nick him was annoying to say the least. It had been long since he''d been vulnerable; the claws of the harpies were black with pointy tips, certainly sharp enough to rip out guts, but his constitution was way too high for them to handle, so they could only get skin. Aerials were always one of the worst things to deal with, and he had ten of them hovering over him while still being surrounded by other demons on the ground. It sure wasn''t looking good right about now. The thought caused Nathan to smile¡ªfinally, he''d get a proper warmup. It had been a while since there was something at stake in a solo fight. While he certainly doubted they''d be able to kill him combined as they were, he did know that they could cause significant damage, something the demon watching the fray was definitely going to capitalize on. The decision now made him wonder if he should go for the ground demons or the aerial ones first. Mehh, I''ll wing it. Faster than their little demonic brains could process, Nathan moved. His sword streaked through the air, silver catching the crimson glow of the sky even as blood covered it¡ªnew, fresh blood belonging to an unfortunate Master as his sword cut through it like butter. His strike was fatal; the Master Imp was dead before it even knew what had hit it. He mowed down about twenty more, waves of euphoria going through him as Life-steal triggered, but he dismissed those. He also weathered the aerial assault by the harpies dismissively until an attack hit a little bit too close to home. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Shit! Nathan gritted his teeth as fresh pinpricks of pain exploded around his neck. Two of the hovering harpies had sought to take advantage of his distraction and maybe cripple him by damaging his spine. Fortunately for Nathan, his constitution made his skin tough enough to resist any meaningful attack. All the harpies had done was score a few flesh wounds and make Nathan realize that it was on him to protect his eyes. It would be ironic that he''d risen so fast because he always went for the eyes of monsters above him in level, and he''d lose his life to the same thing¡ª Thwuck! Thwuck! Thwuck! One harpy took an arrow to the chest and was still struggling to keep hovering. Two other harpies dropped like flies to the ground; they both had an eye missing, and in its place was an arrow. The moment he''d seen that, he''d instantly known that the follow-up squad had gotten to the settlement. The follow-up squad consisted of Diane, Tasha, Yola, Daniel, and the bunny which was with Yola¡ªthe weakest members of the group that had the lowest chance of survival if things went south. The plan was that they''d follow behind Nathan, who was supposed to clear out the majority of the force in that part of the settlement before they arrived. Well shit! He hadn''t expected there to be demons present, and these guys would be able to smell the weakness of the squad members behind him. The only question was if they''d trade taking a shot at him in exchange for going for easy prey. He didn''t have to wait too long to find out¡ªa fraction of the demons that had surrounded him split to handle his incoming reinforcements. It was all he could do not to run back and protect the squad from the demons heading over to kill them, but he held himself back. This was their chance to deal with trouble alone, and he wouldn''t take it from them. Thud! The body of the third harpy that had been hit dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, no longer able to keep itself hovering. The demon was ugly beyond belief, but Nathan didn''t discriminate between demons¡ªhe simply swung his sword, dividing it into halves before going for his next victims: more harpies. Considering the attack he''d received to the back of his neck, he believed that harpies were most definitely the biggest threats he was currently facing, second only to the demonic specimen which had just been observing them, mace in tow. [Life-steal Triggered] Nathan dismissed the message as he shook off the harpy that had been unfortunate enough to have been run through by his sword. He''d thrust at it while it was still in the air, his sword catching it even as he pulled it down and killed it on the spot. That was the clearest memory Nathan had before everything became a blur to him. Black blood rained on him as he indiscriminately killed and maimed demons in his path. Every swing of his blade brought with it the promise of death. The Berserker had fully gone berserk, slaying demons without a care in the world, and to be honest, Nathan didn''t have a care in the world. He simply hacked and slashed and kicked, his sword bypassing the weak constitution of the demons like they didn''t even possess the stat. Eventually though, he came to a halt, not because he was tired¡ªno, it was because the big bad demon who''d hung back the entire fight had decided to join in, the insanely tall and huge demon letting out an infuriated roar. "Kill the others, this one is mine," the Demon said. [Demon Lord Level ?] Bollocks. Nathan quickly dismissed the notification. He''d analyzed the Demon on a whim, and he was right¡ªit wasn''t just the regular kind of demon. It was way above the others in the pecking order; it was a demon lord. The only question was if it was that demon lord. Status [Name: Nathan Orion Moniker: N/A Level: 39 Archetype: Blood Berserker Class: Blood Pawn Imprints: Balls of Steel, Demon Slayer, Skull Crusher, Bronze Dungeoneer, Wrong Underdog Strength: 33 Dexterity: 15 Vitality: 18 Constitution: 22 Perception: 13 Dao: N/A Ra''hal Coins: 58,650 Free Points: 11] Screw this, I''m going all in: Five points to constitution Five to strength One to Dexterity [Strength: 38 Constitution: 27 Dexterity: 16 ## Free points: 0] Nathan dismissed the screen with a thought. Already the smaller demons who''d previously surrounded him were heading for the others, leaving him alone with what was definitely a humanoid bull on steroids with a demonic visage¡ªa demon lord. "You destroyed my outpost on this forsaken world, you slayed my minions... twice, and you still openly defy me," the Demon growled. "For that, I, demon Taloth, will crush you, and I promise you that the others behind you will suffer a worse fate when you fall." Yep, it''s definitely the same Demon. Nathan didn''t know if he preferred the demons that actually couldn''t talk, considering how this one was blabbering on about¡ªNathan''s relaxed expression suddenly turned serious as he clocked the last words the demon had uttered. It had just teased a fate worse than death to those behind him, and he couldn''t have that. "Over MY DEAD BODY!" Nathan yelled as he charged at the demon. His sword arched upwards as he aimed for an overhead strike. The tip of his blade would only be able to reach the jaws of the demon, but he didn''t mind¡ªas long as the demon fell to his blade, he didn''t care about anything else. Clang! The sound of sword hitting mace rang out in the forest. The demon had moved so fast with the weapon as though the mace, which Nathan knew had to weigh a ton, weighed nothing. The demon doubled down on the block, causing Nathan to use both hands to grip the sword to avoid dying by his own blade. The movement by the demon had been nothing more than a setup. With its free clawed hand, it swiped at Nathan''s exposed side, its claws going deep enough to scrape the meat of his ribs. Pain exploded in Nathan''s side, causing the Berserker to wince. [Warning: 72% health remaining] "You will die by my hands, and I''ll enjoy torturing those who foolishly followed you," the Demon Lord growled. It pulled back its claws only to deliver another swipe to his belly. Nathan resisted the urge to scream as the skin on his belly was flayed, blood leaking from the open wound. [Warning: 44% health remaining] "Pathetic," Taloth growled. "I might even take my time after all." [Demon Lord Taloth has failed to cast Malevolent Gaze (IV) on you, requirements to cast skill were not met] Nathan wasn''t sure what the requirements were, but he sure was glad that he''d escaped the skill. Still gritting his teeth, he took the opening that the skill gave him. He did the thing that would give him a chance to strike back¡ªhe pulled back his sword and let the mace hit him. The blunt weapon hit his left shoulder like a battering ram. Thud! [Critical Warning: 28% health remaining] [Blood Rebellion Triggered] 1 - 70. Farewell. "Graahhhhhhhh!" Nathan let out a scream fueled by adrenaline and desperation as he made a move so foul that he''d have been declared the loser if this was a gentleman''s duel, but it wasn''t and so he swung his sword between the legs of the demon lord. He had no idea if it was the boost from blood rebellion or the fact that the demon lord had obviously skipped his constitution stat in favor of strength, maybe it was a combination of both, but Nathan didn''t care. With rage, pain, and desperation fueling Nathan''s attack, the demon''s badly tempered body stood no chance as Nathan''s sword tore through the fragile resistance it tried to put up. He grunted as his sword struggled to go higher than the demon''s chest, already having split it from between its legs to its chest. The pause didn''t matter; the demon lord looked at Nathan in shock before pulling out a shiny object from thin air, mumbling something even as blood poured out of its mouth as it pointed the shiny object in its clawed palm at Nathan. He got a brief feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu at the motion, but unlike the last time a demon had done that, nothing happened this time. A look of realization crossed the demon''s face, but it didn''t matter as it fell on both knees, staring at Nathan like the berserker was the monster. It tried for a weak lunge at him, but the attack could barely reach him before its head was caved in by Nathan''s flying fist, the shiny object in its hands dropping to the floor as Nathan kicked the demon off of his sword. "Who''s pathetic now?" Nathan said. A wave of euphoria enveloped him, but he dismissed the feeling, opting to turn his eyes to the back. So far, the fraction of the squad behind him had been doing well. Yola seemed to be injured with the bunny protecting the downed ranger. Daniel locked eyes with him, the ranger nodding to let him know that they had everything under control. Nathan nodded back. With a sharp intake of breath, he faced front and dashed into the settlement¡ªhe had to find the other fraction of the squad. He went in the direction he''d seen the fireballs come from, and soon the battle site was in view. He was coming from the back while the trio¡ªPirlo, Ruben, and Ciara¡ªwere at the front holding off the miners that had stayed back in camp and a dwarf who seemed to be giving Pirlo a run for his money. In front of him though were lots of miners¡ªabout seventy to eighty¡ªcheering on the others. Nathan hated to be a party crasher, but right now he had to be just that. With rage still fueling him from the demon lord''s words, Nathan cut through the miners like they were carrots. Life-steal triggered and waves of euphoria enveloped him, but he didn''t stop until it was just him¡ªa berserker soaked in different colors of blood¡ªwith Pirlo, Ruben, and Ciara still battling the single dwarf who was doing an excellent job of keeping the trio at bay. At sighting the berserker charging towards him, the dwarf''s eyes widened like saucers before he raised his massive warhammer for an overhead strike, the hammer hitting the ground with an audible thud. Dust rose up from the ground as a mini earthquake rocked the forest; the dwarf had most likely used a skill, but that didn''t stop Nathan from charging straight through the debris to find... nothing. He stood alert, still waiting for the dust to settle. When it settled down reasonably, he saw the short, stocky dwarf running away. Nathan badly wanted to catch his breath, and a quick glance at the others told him that they too wanted to do the same. "Quick guys... he''s going to the Portal hall!" Ciara coughed. Gritting his teeth, Nathan dashed forward, running towards the dwarf who had a sizeable lead at the moment, one that Nathan was steadily closing with each step. The dwarf ducked into a huge hall, and Nathan soon followed, a blue light causing him to pause at the center. The hall didn''t have a ceiling, but what was interesting was the glowing blue circle hovering vertically in the air¡ªthe portal. Nathan wanted to dash forward, but he knew that he wouldn''t be able to make it considering how much of a lead the dwarf had on him, so he did the next best thing. Reaching into his bag of holding, he picked up an item he thought he''d never use, steadied himself, and then threw it at the exposed back of the fleeing dwarf. Thwack! Thud! Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. His aim had been true, and the force behind the throw sufficient enough to make the axe not only sink into the dwarf''s spine but also toss the dwarf to the floor. The commander wouldn''t be going anywhere anytime soon. With his foe downed, Nathan rushed forward, getting to the dwarf who was now trying to crawl towards the portal. "What are you mining here and why is it so important to you?" Nathan asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "I''ll... never... tell... you... anything. Relas Touch... will... avenge me.... I¡ª" Another monologuer. Nathan frowned, crouching down as he pulled the axe out of the dwarf''s back and in one swift motion chopped off the head of the cowardly dwarf. His sword nor fist would be tainted by the blood of such a coward. Standing to his full height, Nathan spat on the corpse before heading over to the portal. Disabling it only took a moment as Ciara and the rest of the squad had gone into detail on how easy it was to disable a portal, bringing back the urge to slap himself for skipping the portal. Shaking his head, he dismissed the feeling as he pulled up his notifications which had been going off during the massacre he''d just carried out on the miners. The words on the screen caused him to regain his grin¡ªcovered up in blood as he was, he was definitely a nightmare-worthy poster. [Level Up! 39 -> 40 Level Up! 40 -> 41 Level Up! 41 -> 42 Level Up! 42 -> 43 Level Up! 43 -> 44 Level Up! 44 -> 45 Level Up! 46 -> 47 Level Up! 48 -> 49 Level Up! 49 -> 50 Level Up! 50 -> 51 Quest completed - 1. Destroy Incursionist portal (1/1) Receive reward?] Yes A thud echoed in the cave as a chest dropped to the floor. Without hesitating, Nathan opened it up to find a skill book resting on the plush velvet pillow in the chest. Like a child getting a new toy, Nathan quickly picked up the skill book and opened it. [New skill Available Blood Boil (I): Burn off 10% of your foes'' health. This skill requires you to have a higher Vitality than your targets and for them to be within 20m of you, for you to be able to boil their blood. You can utilize this skill on a maximum of three foes at once. This skill can only be used once every 24 hours.] Do you wish to learn this skill?] Yesssss New information flooded into his brain as the skill book disintegrated. Just like that, he''d gotten an area of effect skill that could potentially change the way he fought. He was feeling pretty good because of the new skill until he checked the next notification. [Congratulations! You are now eligible to begin your First Class evolution; Estimated time to evolve class: 10 hours. Do you wish to begin evolution to Blood Baron now?] Uhmm... No. He''d immediately wanted to say yes but had held himself back. His faction was still out there, and if this was anything like his class integration, then he couldn''t pass out right now¡ªhe needed to be alert. He closed the screen with a thought, not even bothering to check his new stats; his class evolution would have to wait. Sighing at the personal decision, he made his way out of the hall. The entire squad was outside, and the mood was somber. "We won, guys. What''s with the long faces?" Nathan asked. Before anyone could answer though, he saw it. Right there on the floor was Yola¡ªthe Ranger was dead. The bunny was still at her side even in death. Already wrinkles had started forming on her face, which meant the system was starting to degrade her body. Ultimately what worried Nathan was the fact that maybe he could''ve saved her if he''d stayed back, but he hadn''t. "She died bravely. We were waiting for you to show up before we give her a peaceful eternal rest," Ruben spoke up somberly. "I¡ª" Nathan started. "It''s okay, we understood the risks but we took them anyway. Ciara?" Pirlo said. "Yola was one of the best people I''ve ever met even though we''d only spent a few weeks together. She was quiet and kind," Ciara said, receiving nods from everyone. "She deserves the peace that the afterlife will provide her, and I''m honored to send such a sweet soul on her way." Sniffles broke out amongst the teens, but Nathan couldn''t be bothered to check who was making the noises¡ªhe was too busy trying to keep his tears in. Like the bunny understood what was about to happen, it hopped away from the corpse, and the rest of them spread out. Without another word, the mage chucked a fireball at the body of the ranger, the magical fire consuming the body greedily, and all Nathan could think was that this was all on him. She''d died because he hadn''t been smart enough, strong enough, and fast enough. That was all Nathan could think as his eyes focused on the flames. If you can hear me, then this is my promise to you, Yola. I''ll get better. I''ll work twice as hard. I''ll do better, I swear it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "My king, Taloth has failed in his task," Demon Prince Kabash said. "The upstart finally met his end, I see," Zephyr the VII said in a disinterested tone. "Very well, the task to deliver the baby world now falls to you, Kabash. I trust that you will not fail me." "I will never fail you, my King." "We''ll see."