《Ascension of a Demon Lord [Progression/LitRPG | Rewrite]》 Chapter 0: White Room

Chapter 0: White Room

I still remember that room. In the beginning, that cell was small. The walls were so close to my face that I could sense the very spiritual essence that confined me. There was nothing. Except for the faint, lingering stillness. I remember outstretching a hand, sick of the impounding barrier. The confines were suffocating. They made me feel sick; trapped in a tiny cage like a songbird. I tried to feel the cool, porcelain walls, luminescent and radiating a thick ivory. Yet, whenever my fingertips came close to brushing the light carpets surrounding me, the barriers would retreat backwards. When I pushed, they pulled. I never even got to touch the tank that ensnared me. I still remember feeling taken aback¡ªalbeit the fuzzy consciousness. My mind felt¡­ incomplete. It was as if I were floating in a pool of blinding light, drifting aloft in an ever-expanding prison cell. Days, years, maybe even centuries passed. I had lost sense of time. The once obscure, miniscule room had grown marginally, to overreaching lengths. My prison was no longer a single, smoldering cell. No, it had expanded far further into the abyss. But, I was still stuck there. I had simply been moved from a bowl to a pond. After all, no matter how big, a fish is still restricted to where the water sways. Even great whales could never escape the ocean. Fish never truly have freedom. They are limited to where the water reaches. I was that metaphorical fish. Even if I squinted my half-awoken eyes in the murky depths, I couldn¡¯t see the corners of the prison. It had stretched on so far. So, so far. And it were my hands that had done the deed. In my eternal sentence, I had pushed the walls away. At least I had my sense of direction before. Now, all my senses were gone. I had spent all of time perpetually alone. Once finite¡ªnow infinite. Nothing was clear. At some point, my memory also began to degrade. It was like hanging onto intertwined threads of identity. I was Rena Shinohara. But¡­ What else? I think I was¡­ a highschooler? No. I was twenty. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡­ Was I? No¡­ ¡­What¡­? I think I went to a private school? But¡­ I also remember living for a game¡­?

I still remember contemplating for ages in a state of comatose, a sleep of unrepentant delirium. Who¡­ am I? ¡­ ¡­ Me? My? I? I Me. Mine. ¡­ Where am I? It¡¯s so cold. ¡­

Yet, at the end, a mental coin flip was all it took.

Huff¡­ Me? Why, I¡¯m Rena Shinohara, a twenty year old high school dropout, living in her mum¡¯s basement. I drifted for a marginally longer period afterwards. Each cycle was identical¡ªa melancholic flight through nothingness, without even a hint of distinction. It was like that for such a long time. For so long. Then, something¡­ something alien happened. Something unique, unprecedented. A strange, wired hand materialised out of the light, like a warped, untextured lump of reality. It was armoured in these alien runes. I tried to tilt my head in confusion, but my eroded muscles refused to act. I was simply a corpse withered by age, a relic of a bygone era. Something so strange and illegal had never penetrated this prison of mine yet. The metaphoric hand just seemed to protrude further inwards, as I felt its firm fingers restrained my attempted elope, griping me. Wh-what? It grasped my arm, and carelessly ripped me out of the White Room. I lost consciousness afterwards.

Yeesh, only being able to talk to yourself after a bajillion years to whatever seriously messes with mental thought processing. Is that why I¡¯m way too mentally expressive?

When I opened my eyes, I was in some other sort of room. It was similar to the previous one. But different¡ªmost notably, I could feel the endings. I could see the corners. The white walls. The white ceiling. The¡­ white floor. The glossy walls were cold to the touch but left a lingering flame of warmth. My body also felt more alive. I could move more and was no longer rusted. I flexed my hands instinctively, testing out my reawakened muscles. My senses shot up. I could see clearly, and my mind was in its prime. ¡­Uh, maybe not too prime? Cause, a moment or two after, I failed to notice a trapdoor or something open underneath me. And of course, I fell down. Damn. Talk about negligence. Not very self-aware, wouldn¡¯t you say so? Eh, at least it was a soft landing. Chapter 1: Where am I…?

Chapter 1: Where am I¡­?

Rena Waking up, only darkness clouds my vision. Ambiguous, black clouds obscure the dim night. Not even a ray of light penetrates through. The moon¡ªnothing but a pale smudge in the sky¡ªseems to cower behind the clouds. I tighten the grip on my hands, and I feel the crusty texture of dead, unforsaken grass beginning to envelop my fingertips¡­ ¡­ Wait¡­ Rewind a bit¡ªand add the record sound. Wh-what do you mean, ¡®grass¡¯? Last thing I remember, I was chilling in my room¡ªor rather, my mother¡¯s basement¡ªgrinding Skyl Online! I literally vowed to never touch grass again! Cross my heart! In fact¡ªwhy the hell am I even outdoors, huh? Uh, I wasn¡¯t kidnapped, was I? No! I probably, you know¡­ fell asleep after an intense grinding session or something. Yeah, that¡¯s it! ¡­ Th-this is a joke, right? Uh-huh. Yep. One of those hidden prank cams. Well, I¡¯ll be damned. Whoever set this video up is sure gonna get a ton of views after getting a wild reaction from me! I mean, I was literally spasming around in shock a few seconds ago, like a fish out of water... On second thought, please don¡¯t post that, whoever you are¡­ Even a reclusive person like me needs some good social reputation! Well, now that you¡¯ve got the clip, I¡¯ll gladly take my leave and depart! I have to finish my hourly quest or I might fall off the podium! These days, there are too many sweats. Even missing one of those missions could lead to the end for me. ... ...This is the part where I get jumped and the cameramen laughs at me, right? ... ¡°Hellooo?¡± ¡°Anyone?¡± The only response I get is the muffled crying of the wind, as it slaps my hair sideways. Come on! This joke has gone way too far! Come out already, I wasn¡¯t joking about needing to complete my quests! As one of the Depunsctist Guilds¡¯ elite four, a little misstep could lead to my downfall! For all I know, ¡®Depunscist¡¯ isn¡¯t even a real word. Either way, joining one of the grindiest guilds leads to tons of pressure, okay? I can¡¯t fall of the podiuummmm!!!! Top three get free passes!!! So let me go back!!! ... No response. O-okay. This is getting¡­ rather creepy. Unsettling, even. And concerning. By ¡®concerning¡¯, I mean really, really concerning. This isn¡¯t heaven, is it? So... did I die from exhaustion or something? H-hey God! Listen and hear me out! I only spent twelve hours online yesterday! I know, right? What a BIG improvement! Not bad, right? Mhmm, not bad at all. Yeah, believe it or not, I managed to decrease my playtime by a whole entire twenty percent. Pretty impressive, if I say so myself! Heh. Welp, don¡¯t mind me, using my premium ticket to get to luxury class heaven! With the zero ping, infinite RAM, and 99G wifi! Huh? No? Whaddaya mean ¡®no¡¯? ¡­ Explain yourself! Where are energy drinks? Huh? You wanna fight? Alright, let''s take this outside¡­ No, but seriously, jokes and all aside, where on Earth am I? Looking around, I can confidently say that I¡¯m currently in some sort of field. Possibly... If my inner gamer tuition is correct¡­ a meadow? Well, say hypothetically, I¡¯m correct, and I¡¯m in the middle of a meadow. Then, there¡¯s gonna be an elephant in the room. Namely, one specific question: How did I get here? Look, if you were in my shoes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d have a billion questions circling you at once. You don¡¯t normally wake up in the middle of nowhere, do you? I highly doubt that someone broke into my apartment and kidnapped me, considering I live on the 23rd floor and all. Alright, ignore the bold lie. I live underground. Like those nasty moles. Actually, I think I spotted one that one time.Though, either way, I still doubt that someone broke into my mum¡¯s basement and kidnapped me. I don¡¯t see myself being a high value target. If I had a bounty, it would be 100 yen or something. But, apart from getting kidnapped, I don¡¯t see any other possible¡­ possibilities. I wasn¡¯t magically¡ªpoof!¡ªteleported into another world, was I? I mean, which otaku hasn¡¯t had that thought at least once? Sure, Skyl Online had no isekai tropes, but I read a light novel before. And a dozen or so manga volumes. Anyone with a crippling life and gaming addiction would dream of getting hit by truck-kun. I mean, look at you. Huh? Fourth wall? That¡¯s one or two fourth walls? Elaborate please. ¡­ Alright, forget about it. But¡­ Even the kidnapping scenario seems more plausible than the isekai scenario. Besides, usually when you wanna teleport from one location to another, there has to be an item or something used as a catalyst, right? Like a teleportation circle or warp stone? Haha! Ask Rena, the gaming expert on anything! My wisdom knows no bounds! I am the sole forefather of humanity! Alright, sorry for getting carried away. And, it would be ¡®foremother¡¯, not ¡®forefather¡¯. Is ¡®foremother¡¯ even a word? Don¡¯t mind me, memorising every single drop chance and crafting recipe, yet failing at simple Japanese. Whew! Kidnapped and sold for organs it is! No trucks involved, not at all¡­! Yet¡­ When I squint my eyes and look closely, I can somewhat make out the shape of two faint smudges in the sky. Not one, but two moons. Don¡¯t quote me on that though: these pesky clouds really make things harder! This IS a joke, right? You know what, I wasn¡¯t kidnapped, nor isekaied. Let¡¯s just stay with the humble it was all just a dream ploy instead. Works in any circumstance! This should¡ªno, this must be a dream. Yeah, yep. There, I¡¯ve gaslit myself. A dream¡ªnothing less, nothing more. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Gosh, my subconsciousness sure is crazy and wild, huh? Is this my edgy, emo phase? But I thought that was last year? Oh well. A phase of some sort. Like that certain boy from the certain anime who had a cringy phase in junior high, became normal in high, and somehow infatuated the chick-iest chick? I can¡¯t say the name. Copyright laws or something might send a lawsuit hurling my way. ¡­ Why not say them slightly off-brand, then? You know, Coma Can¡¯t Communicate? Huh, you don¡¯t know? Talk to me when you have some margin of culture. You know, it would be really helpful if dream me started planning for tomorrow''s grind and optimise the best, most efficient route through Crist Rukt Forest instead of waffling about who knows what. Helloooo? Subconscious? What happened to revision and planning? In fact, why does this dream feel so¡­ realistic?! I can feel the chilly wind and the grass tickling my legs. Last time I checked, dreams aren¡¯t able to convey reality to this extent. Which means¡­ this isn¡¯t a dream¡­? I even go for the clich¨¦, overused pinch on the arm to prove my point. I wince, flinching in pain. Yep, as much as I hate to admit, this probably isn¡¯t a dream. Meaning that I¡¯m actually in the middle of nowhere. Based on assumptions alone, I¡¯ve gotten reincarnated into some sort of seemingly fantasy world. Just like the crazily popular (and overused) stories that blew up on the web. You know? The ones with millions of views that we all read in our spare time. The ones with the stupidly overpowered main characters who seriously need a nerf. How did this happen? Despite the foggy memory, I can say for sure that I didn¡¯t get KO¡¯ed by truck-kun. In fact, I don¡¯t remember any death at all. ¡­ Oh! I think I know! Classic of me to connect the dots. I paint a mental image of me crouching down, grabbing a scrapped piece of paper from the bin. I then mentally open it up, reading the label. How did I get here? Reason no. 1: Died from exhaustion, reincarnated. Reason no. 2: Kidnapped, sold to shady guys for my barely functioning organs that have been scraping through, surviving on energy drinks for who knows how long. I guess I died from exhaustion after all. Even I have my limitations, I suppose. I mean, the former still seems more believable than the latter in my opinion. I furrow my brows and slump onto the crispy grass, letting out a thorough sigh. Arrggghhh! I was looking forward to the new biome update! Dammit! Hmm? Why am I not really bothered about dying and all? I¡¯m sure your average joe would collapse onto his knees and start sobbing like a madman or whatever. Maybe he¡¯ll commit suicide from shock? Well, to put it simply, and to avoid complications, I¡¯ll be direct. I¡¯m not human. W-wait! I don¡¯t mean it like that! Not literally! I¡¯m a perfect, biological human. Thank you very much. I¡¯m not some extra terrestrial spy sent to Earth to monitor the human populace or whatever¡ªI swear! I probably created more complications than the ones I negated by saying that if I were to be honest¡­ I suppose a better way to explain it would be to say that I¡­ I¡¯m detached from humanity. So, since I don¡¯t exactly fit into the criteria for social norms, I¡¯m technically not exactly human. I mean, I¡¯m basically an outcast. Certainly not some social, extroverted dude going around greeting anyone they see and such. In fact, now that I think about it, the only thing that kept me going were video games, or rather, one specific game. I was basically devout to Skyl, and my sole purpose was to play it. Yeesh, talk about a wasted life. I mean, when I was going through the nadir of my life and all, I seriously had just considered committing suicide to end it all. I think my online friends would be somewhat upset if that happened though, since I wouldn¡¯t be able to help them power level¡­ Huh? Who¡¯s using who? Wh-what do you mean by you¡¯re getting exploited? Huh?! Who are you looking at?! W-Wipe that look off your face! Don¡¯t feel sorry for me! Alright, I deeply apologise for getting all worked up again. Believe it or not, I actually managed to make it into the top three global leaderboard. Yeah. If you wanna sugar coat it, you would say I was an ¡®extreme gaming enthusiast¡¯, but in reality, I was essentially a no-lifer. ¡®Crippling gaming addiction¡¯, would be a better way to describe me. I wasn¡¯t employed and lived in my mum¡¯s basement¡ªmeaning that I had a lot of spare time in my hands. I think the longest time I stayed online was for three days straight? Maybe a bit more, but I just had to come first in the Lycandraco Event, okay? The rewards were totally worth it, even if I collapsed afterwards and woke up in a hospital bed after being in a coma for a week. Sure, I dropped off the top four in my guild, but I managed to push back up in two days, so it was fine. If I recorded that grind, maybe I could have gotten a Guinness World Record? Getting reward money or something from that accomplishment would¡¯ve been nice. I could buy a years¡¯ worth of the Guild Pass Premium if I got that cash! I mean, I did have roughly a decade worth of Premium saved up anyways, since I always came top ten in the E-sports games. I blew the prize money on the Premium¡ªbut come on, don¡¯t blame me! It¡¯s the most valuable purchase in the entire game! I did the math, and it has roughly a seventy percent higher rewards rate than raw purchases. ¡­Even now, I suppose I prioritise my virtual life over my real life. Haha¡­ I¡¯m not even worried about my current precedent. I suppose my mental fortitude must be vaulting. Ah. Sorry for getting carried away again. Back to the main question. Where the heck am I? Like I mentioned before, this place is flat, grassy, and has a dearth of trees. I only see one or two of those. If my inner gamer is correct, this place screams either ¡®meadows¡¯, or ¡®plains!¡¯ Well, these locations are usually for beginners, since they only spawn lower rarity mobs and such. ¡­ Wait¡­ mobs? As in passive animals and¡­ hostile monsters? Okay, maybe this isn¡¯t all fun and games. If there are vicious monsters out there looking for blood, then I could seriously die, you know? Though, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any immediate danger, so I guess I¡¯ll be fine for now. Ever since I got here¡­ which is, like, five minutes ago or something¡­ I¡¯ve been treating this whole place like some sort of video game, but what if there aren¡¯t any fantasy monsters? How can I be sure there are two moons in the sky? Rather, how do I know this is some alternate, fantasy world? For all I know, I could be chilling, vibing around in parallel universe Japan. Oh. There was no need to get all fretful and frolicky after all. Geez, I panicked for no reason. I bet if some passersby saw me, they would think that I¡¯m mentally constipated; goofing around like an idiot and all. You are not a clown. You are the entire circus. Well, I don¡¯t see anyone around me as of now. Although, if I squint my eyes and peer really hard into the horizon, I can somewhat make out a few murky silhouettes off in the distance. Then, I hear a howl reverberate in the air. A savage howl¡ªthe vibrations rippling into my eardrums. One that evidently shows hostility and bloodlust. The roar of the wilderness. ¡­At least I think it sounds wild? Dunno. Never been near nature. . . . Seriously, what is up with this anti-plot armour?! Even if these are just some rando wolves, I could still totally die! I thought that after getting reincarnated, I would get at least some fancy protagonist plot armour, but God just had a grudge against me. What is up with that? What did I even do? Did I waste my luck on that one-in-a-million chance drop? It was only a two star though, so it¡¯s not like those shoddy bracelets did much when I only use premium, five star gear. As I rant on stupidly, the distant howls begin to echo closer, as the once remote wolves begin closing in, filling up the gap. Now that they¡¯ve advanced towards me, I can actually make out some distinguishable features. ¡®Wolves¡¯ would be a broad term to describe these things. Sure, if you were being generous, you would consider them wolves, but really, a more accurate representation would be rabid, overgrown chihuahuas with blue fur and unicorn looking horns. These guys are totally NOT Earth animals, right? Or are they some freakish byproduct of mother nature¡¯s misconduct? Or were they conceived in some secret laboratory? Or what? Because as far as I can tell, these chihuahuas are screaming ¡®FANTASY ANIMAL RIGHT HERE!!!!!¡¯ Either way, I¡¯m in a bad situation right now. Like, is this seriously how I die? Reborn, just to get spawn killed by a bunch of rabid campers? Uh-huh. Mmm-mm I absolutely refuse to die like this! Please, someone come in and save the day! A true hero only arrives late, no? As if enticed by my distress, the rabid chihuahua-ish wolves growl louder.The skin on their snouts begin to fold, revealing an unsettling set of canines. No no no no no! GO AWAAYYY!!! I DON¡¯T WANNA DIEEEEEE!!!!!!! Suddenly, a blue, transparent door reminiscent of a portal appears before me, its faint shine emanating around the area. I squeal. Loudly. In my uncanny, panicked state, I try pushing the door frame away. However, instead of disappearing or retreating away, the door latches onto my forearms. Flinching in shock, I attempt to avert my arms, retracting them away. The door begins to consume me, sucking me in. I try fighting back, but it comes to no avail. Soon, I feel the corners of my eyes darkening, and my vision begins to morph, becoming a grim, impish haze. Not long afterwards, I feel my consciousness slipping away. Chapter 2: Saved!

Chapter 2: Saved!

Rena No way. No waaay. NO WAAAAY!! That was waaaay too close! I almost felt like my life was flashing before my eyes! Okay, maybe my life did flash before my eyes for a couple of seconds¡­ I¡¯m shivering, convulsed from shock. It feels as if my spine¡¯s been turned into an icicle, churned around, and then smashed into fragments. Only for those pieces to be collected, dumped in a cup, before slowly melting into water. And no, it¡¯s not the fear I¡¯m referring to. The other thing is the issue¡ªthe unaddressed problem. Even though my spine feels like a psychrophile¡ªcold and unmoving¡ªmy entire head actually feels hot. While the rest of my body is frozen in fear, my mind is actually boiling in delight. I¡¯m happy¡ªno, ignore the understatement¡ªoverjoyed. Oh man. This is actually crazy. I¡¯m not the type of person to easily get satisfied with things, but this is¡­ a different story. I mean, whether I¡¯d like to admit it or not, my old life was pretty pathetic. Laughable, even. The more I distanced myself from the real world, and avoided reality, the more Skyl would occupy my thoughts. It had gotten past the point of no return. I just wanted to do whatever made me feel better about my wasted, worthless life. Which, in this scenario, meant holing up in my room, playing the number one RPG game with my VR headset, and over-the-top gaming setup. No lies¡ª714 fps. Naturally, that sort of secluded lifestyle would lead to me becoming introverted. Though, the only person I could really blame is probably myself and no one else. I abandoned my real life and opted to go online instead, starting a new virtual life. Apart from my mum, no one else even knew I existed¡ªlet alone, who I was. Even online, I made few friends and stuck to people I somewhat knew. Although most of the time, they just used me as a tool to help them grind. So I was really just a solo adventurer. Kinda sad how I was able to talk to people online but not even my own birth giver. Even if the communication was limited, I still chatted with total random strangers on the web. Hey! I wasn¡¯t getting groomed or something okay? I just had to consult with the guild leader. I vaguely remember there was this guy who tried to talk to me a few times a couple years ago in class. However, I just froze up, got all mentally constipated, and stared at him blankly, unable to answer. I guess he felt embarrassed afterwards, since he eventually gave up on me, and would awkwardly waddle away after every failed interaction. Maybe he thought I was staring him down or something? I mean, the mind can wonder a lot in one or two minutes. I think¡­ his name started with ¡®R¡¯? Sure, I feel a bit bad about that, but he shouldn¡¯t have bothered consulting with me anyways! Don¡¯t you know you should leave the quiet kids alone? Well, all and all aside, here I am. Put the chapter of my past life away in a dust-covered bookshelf. Dump it in the river, and let the fish eat the pages. Because now? This is a new chapter! Being able to make a new start in an entirely different world feels¡­ almost refreshing. Like that feeling when you hold a piss for a long time, and finally get it out? Uh, sorry, bad analogy. But you get the gist, right? ¡­ Wahoo! Oh yeah! Is this the best day ever? Because from what I can tell, it totally is! YESS!!! IT TOTALLY IS!!! My spine, still frozen from shock, begins to heat up again, burning with an everlasting passion. Wait, no. That would be an understatement. My spine is currently blazing. Like an inferno. A wildfire, let loose. I rest a palm on my forehead, and brush my fingertips on my smooth skin, catching beads of lukewarm sweat. Wiping my brow, I brush my pants and stand up. Renewed. Hoo boy. I might burst from pure excitement at this rate. I feel like a child after getting praised for taking a dump without support from their parents. Oops. Another bad analogy. So sorry! Huh? Oh. Riiight, that. What exactly happened after the faint, blue door appeared? Well, it¡¯s sorta hard to explain, but I think the door was actually more of a portal of some sorts. I mean, before, remember how I said that if you wanna warp from one place to another, you have to use an item? Well, I¡¯m pretty sure the door was a teleporting ¡®item¡¯. You know? Those overused, stereotypical portals. So, I got sucked in. I woke up in this damp cave feeling nauseous and drowsy. Surveying my surroundings, I see some dangling threads of limestone. Yeah¡ªI¡¯m in a creepy, eerie cave with no idea whatsoever on how to leave. This isn¡¯t one of those dungeons, no? If it is, do I have to clear the entire dungeon before I can depart? Or can I leave as long as I kill the dungeon boss or something? Dungeons exist now. If so, this world should also have a bunch of other game-like features, right? Like a levelling system or magic. Or maybe quests? And a status menu? ¡­ Status menu sounds pretty important. How can I check my stats though? ¡°Stats!¡± Nope, nothing. Now might be a good time to insert a crow cawing sound effect. What if I try more stuff? It''s unlikely I¡¯ll master this system on my first attempt, right? Welp, here goes nothing. ¡°Statistics!¡± ¡°Status!¡± ¡°Menu!¡± No? Not even one squeak? Argh, screw it! I¡¯ll just hurl every single game-related word in my arsenal, and hope for the best! Come on! Fingers crossed, please work! Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Levels!¡± ¡­ ¡°Details!¡± ¡­ ¡°Properties!¡± ¡­ Urrgghh! Why? Tell me why nothing works! Tell meee!! Sigh. If only there was some way for me to see my own abilities¡­ Hold up. Abilities? So¡­ skills and stuff, right? And¡­ wasn¡¯t there a specific skill made just for this? Almost comically, a light bulb goes ding! on top of my head, and my eyes roll back, showing the whites¡ªonly for them to be replaced with even more flashing bulbs. Okay, not literally. I open my mouth to speak, and my tongue hangs on every syllable, quivering and shaking in anticipation. PLEASE WORK! ¡°A-Ap¡­ Appraise?¡± To my surprise, something actually happens. I jump up, giving myself a fist-bump and a proud chest thump. That worked! Yes, please! Come on, show stats! Appraisal, do your thing! Erm¡­ Isn¡¯t F the lowest tier? Why am I so weak? Wh-what happened to insanely overpowered isekai MC boosts? Shouldn¡¯t I be level nine trillion and be ranked SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS+++ or something? ¡°Great. This day just gets better and better,¡± I mumble in a low tone with a hint of angst, tossing a rock away in distress. Even if this isn¡¯t an action-packed reincarnation, I could at least be a royal princess or aristocrat or whatever! Besides, what does it mean by ¡®Unique Demon¡¯ with ¡®Base: Human¡¯ in brackets? Does that mean I¡¯m a demon, but¡­ not human? So¡­ human is, like my original species and I got reincarnated into a demon? Or is demon a subrace of human? But, I look like a normal human. But my main species is demon?! ¡­Wait. I¡¯m guessing that demons and humans look identical, then. How confusing¡­ Or is it totally something else and I¡¯m seriously misinterpreting it? You can¡¯t always rely on wild guesses, huh? Eh. Really, there¡¯s no point tossing and turning and crying over spilt milk. It isn¡¯t like I really care anyway. Though¡­ I do wonder if I can appraise¡ªno, [Appraise] some other stuff. ¡­ Wait, wait, wait¡­ Hold up one moment. What just happened? I was going to say [Ap]- rghh¡­ A- a... appraise, but for some reason it became [Appraise]? Wait, what?! I can¡¯t say [Appraise] anymore? Dammit, it got censored again! Okay. Basically, just then, I tried to say the skill [Appraise] without the capitalisation and brackets¡ªjust the normal word itself, but then it automatically became [Appraise] again. Saying it the way the system says it just feels more normal. I dunno why, but it just comes to me naturally. And saying it the other way around feels¡­ wrong. Am I feeling the aftermath of a system integration or something? Don¡¯t quote me though. I¡¯m just making bold assumptions based on the plot and lore of Skyl. I mean, calling me a crippled gamer wouldn¡¯t be far off, but the only game I actually ever played is just Skyl. I¡¯m loyal, you see? Though, useless contemplating aside, I do wonder if I can [Appraise] others. Say, I use [Appraisal] on this cave. Will it give me a bulk of information, or can I only [Appraise] living things? Or is it only limited to myself? Based on my knowledge, it should apply to everything, but it¡¯ll be better safe than sorry. Only one way to find out¡­ [Appraise] cave? Oh? So, activating [Appraisal] on abiotic factors works well enough. I shouldn¡¯t get too worked up though. Sure, I can activate it, but who knows if it¡¯ll actually initiate or not? Like, I can plug a charger in a port, but whether the phone charges or not isn¡¯t solely based on that. Well, sure. Activate [Appraisal], I guess. [Appraise]! Alright¡­ So, this is a dungeon like I originally guessed. But¡ªwhat does it mean by spontaneous? I mean, if this is a Spontaneous Dungeon, then there should also be something along the lines of Permanent Dungeon, right? That faint blue door from before¡ªwas that a gateway to this dungeon? Like a dungeon ¡®gate¡¯? Well, since the spontaneous dungeon just popped out of nowhere, I think I can safely assume that a permanent dungeon won¡¯t randomly pop out. Maybe they have a set point or something along those lines? Mhmmm¡­ If so, that means I actually ended up getting super lucky, right? By some stroke of luck, a dungeon gate just so happened to open right in front of me. Furthermore, I just so happened to force myself into it¡ªalbeit unintendedly¡ªand just so managed to save myself from utter annihilation and demise? Oh. Whew, talk about a one-in-a-million chance! Heh. As expected, my gamer luck came in clutch at the last second. Classic Rena. Well, I guess I saved myself back then, so I only have myself to thank. Thank you, me! Thank you so much! Who needs a blonde prince in shining armour with stupidly wavy hair whipping everywhere like a¡­ whip when you have me? Now that I¡¯m out of apparent danger. I¡¯m in a dungeon. What should I do? Oops. I didn¡¯t think this far ahead. My shoulders slump downwards, as I heave a melancholic sigh. Glancing around the mystical dungeon, my thoughts begin to wonder again. It¡¯s too quiet. I¡¯m getting bad vibes right now. Sort of like how those foreshadower dudes do it? A dungeon means more monsters, after all. So, although I managed to escape the ghastly grips of Death, I might¡¯ve just found myself in an even worse precedent. Do I have to clear the dungeon to proceed? Or can I leave whenever I want? Imma try out the latter. Never know what¡¯s gonna hit you, so I might as well do it, even if the chance of success is point one. Straining my muscles, I urge really hard. Nothing. The only thing that happened was a silent, gasless fart. And my body curled up for some reason. Figures. Mentally thinking about leaving the dungeon won¡¯t do squat. Clearing the dungeon is my only other option then, right? Whenever I think really hard, I can safely activate [Appraisal], so maybe I can also use other skills, items or stuff? I¡¯ll try it out, I guess. ¡°Inventory!¡± ¡­ Nope. Well, what about this? ¡°Skills!¡± ¡­ Yeaah, I think I lack familiarity with this¡­ world. I wasn¡¯t even aware of [Appraisal¡¯s] existence until I unintentionally activated it through dumb luck. In fact, ¡®[Appraise]¡¯ was a pretty specific command. Maybe I have to use a keyword to activate an ability or skill? What are some stupidly clich¨¦ and overused skills? I can¡¯t exactly think of anything in particular, but when my mind begins to wonder about spells and such, I think of one in particular. To be specific, fireball. I mean, come one! Name one game without good ol¡¯ fire magic! Or¡­ would it be¡­[Fire Magic]? Who knows¡­ ¡­ ¡°FIREBALL!¡± ¡­ Huh. Nope, I guess not. Well, a fireball should be linked to a skill, right? And I¡¯m pretty sure that I don¡¯t conveniently have a fire-based spell to boot. Maybe I should try some skills that should be intrinsic? Hmm¡­ ¡°Show inventory?¡± ¡°Reveal inventory?¡± ¡°¡­Access inventory? Please?¡± Alright, this is going nowhere at all. Should I think more basic? Think, Rena, think! What is some super simple synonym for ¡®open¡¯? ¡­ Ah. I¡¯m stupid, aren¡¯t I? I swear, if this works, I¡¯ll get mocked for the rest of my life! ¡°Open inventory!¡± Wait. Rewind. Um. WHAT¡­?! This is the insanely overpowered loot I¡¯m talking about! Yes, gimme! Give me all of it! Kahahaha!!!! ¡­ Erm. How do I equip my loot? Ah. Awkward. Maybe I tap on the little icon representing the item? Tap Well, my triumph came to an abrupt stop. Okay, okay. WHAT THE HECK? W-whadayya mean ¡®transmission failed¡¯?! Did I just lose all my god items? What the hell? So these godly Rank S items became some shoddy Rank F rip-offs? Seriously, what on Earth?! Dammit!! Gimme my loot back!!! This is a sham! Daylight robbery! NOOOOOOOOO!!!! Chapter 3: Dungeon?

Chapter 3: Dungeon?

Rena After calming down, I take a deep, depressive sigh. Even the air seems to be heavy, as it weighs both me and the mood down. I¡¯m not mad! Okay? Okay? Okay. The random downgrade was pretty inconvenient, but at least¡­ I, uh¡­ At least I have some form of weaponry and armour now! Right? Heh. Right. ¡­Even if all of it is ranked F¡ªjust like me. Actually, if you put it that way, it seems balanced, doesn¡¯t it? Sure, I could¡¯ve gotten something beautiful, but it''s not like I actually lost anything. Like, say the lottery misread some numbers, and you thought you had won, but actually didn¡¯t. You¡¯ll be mad¡ªdefinitely. But it''s not like there was actually anything to lose. In fact, you probably still ended up getting free money, even if it were just compensation cash for the misunderstanding. Maybe you could sue the lottery company for negligence? Either way, you¡¯d get money that you actually wouldn¡¯t have gotten. So, although I can¡¯t say I¡¯m in the brightest mood, I¡¯m not down with the dogs yet. I¡¯d say I¡¯m neutral and in some sort of middle-ground. It is better than nothing, after all. Sort of like that old saying? Umm, what was it again? It went something along the lines of¡­ ¡­ Oh, right! You get what you get and you don¡¯t get upset. Yeah. Something like that. So, I got what I got, and I¡¯m not upset. Instead of being a pessimist, be an optimist! Being an optimist is tons better. You don¡¯t get down and stuff like that. I think there was one of those personality tests that showed if you were inherently optimistic or pessimistic? Like, the examiner dude would show a glass half filled with water. They would then ask for the examinee to describe the glass. If they said it was half full, they would be optimistic. If they said it was half empty, they would be pessimistic. Personally, I feel like that¡¯s a pretty half-assed way to measure it, but if fancy guys do it, then what can I say? From my perspective, it seems like a heretical cult full of devout followers, blinded by logicless faith and belief. What good is there in such a stupid question anyways? I¡¯m done complaining for the day. Now, let¡¯s check out what these super budget weapons can do. It might just be me, but I swear the feeling coursing through my body right now is the exact same feeling I get when I purchase cheap, very cheap items online. Like, I could buy a new VR headset for 2000 yen. I¡¯ll get so excited about purchasing the brand new model for such a steal. And what do I get? A potato. With the green shoots growing out from the corners. Oddly specific? Don¡¯t ask why. Please. Just¡­ a bit of advice¡ªdon¡¯t trust shady online sites. Well, without further ado¡­! ¡°Check item status?¡± Yeah, I figured that wasn¡¯t going to work. But, [Appraisal] should be able to work, right? I mean, I can clearly [Appraise] inanimate objects¡ªI did [Appraise] the cave walls and get a response, no? Okay, fingers crossed they can still be of some use. Guess I¡¯ll start with the¡­ stick? ¡°¡­[Appraise]¡± Fwah¡­ This just might have been far worse than I could ever imagine. I mean, damn. What is with this junk! Talk about crappy equipment! Five? Five? Five?! I take back everything I mentioned before¡ªI am upset! And mad! What about the other items, huh? Surely they can make up for the stick! It is a stick, after all! Nothing can get worse than that, can it? Sandals Rank: F Armour: 10 Durability: 150 Resistance: 10 Specials: None> ¡­Y-yep. Not good at all. These stats are¡­ copious, even precariously low, rendering all of it essentially useless. The cloth has an armour stat of zero! What good can that do? Look visually pleasing? Yeah. That¡¯s it! And the rags actually aren¡¯t much better. What can an armour point of one do? For all I know, even a splinter could get through¡­ At least the sandals are better than the stick overall, since both its durability and armour exceed the latter. Although, for the stick, it''s damage, not armour. It¡¯s a relief that the stick turned out better than I thought, at least relatively. In comparison to my clothing, it sure seems heaps more useful. Whether it¡¯s the stick that¡¯s good, or the clothing that¡¯s bad¡­ Well, that¡¯s up for me to decide. It does feel slightly weird that some straw shoes outrank my supposed ¡®weapon¡¯, the stick. I mean, sure. From a practical viewpoint, I get that a bunch of compressed straw and sticks wrapped in a light coat of cheap leather would be stronger than a thick stick that could be snapped off any branch, but isn¡¯t this a bit too much? The average Asian household prefers reliable slippers over a brick¡ªor in this case, stick. Not that I know from experience. My mum was pretty negligent, but what did I expect? I was pretty negligent as well. She simply reciprocated those emotions. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. But here¡¯s the thing that¡¯s got me going. These sandals don¡¯t have any damage stat. So¡­ can they deal damage or not? After leaning down and picking up one of the sandals, I experimentally slap myself with it. Ow. So, it does hurt after all. But¡­ the sandals have no damage stat. The only way to test out my hypothesis is by hitting myself with the stick too. Thwap! I draw my hand backwards, flinching away in response to the sharp pain. Yowch! T-the stick hurt waay more than the sandal! So, damage stat does get taken into accountability. To put it in a way that would make more sense, I¡¯m thinking that an item has to be used for its specified purpose, or there will be some sort of resistor. What I¡¯m tryna say is that either the stick increases its base damage because it¡¯s an offensive item, or the sandals have their damage resisted¡ªreduced¡ªbecause they''re not an offensive item. Still a bit confusing? Well, I suppose a better way to explain it is that either an item gets a buff if used for its intended purpose, or it gets a nerf if used against its intended purpose. You get what I mean? A gun is good for killing. For chopping cabbage? Not so much. I guess if you fired a bunch of bullets in a linear line, you could in theory cut the cabbage or whatever, but then that would cause a bunch of other problems like ¨C Ah. Forget about it. Putting it that way, the latter seems to be more liable. An item gets their stats reduced if used against their intended purpose. I mean, the damage stat exists for a reason. If armour and damage were to get constantly multiplied, well¡­ that would sort of negate the original purpose of those numbers, wouldn¡¯t it¡­? My logistics might be a bit flawed, but based on the scarce information I have access to, I feel like this is the best conclusion I can arrive at. I barely know anything about this world, after all. It took me too many attempts testing out the system to even get here! ¡­What do I do now? The only thing I can really do is clear the dungeon¡ªbut I don¡¯t really feel like I¡¯m up for the challenge. Can I really do it, being rank F and all? Besides, I¡¯m just your average uni student. Though¡­ I actually dropped out of high school and never attended university. But, age-wise, that should be where I¡¯m standing, right? Nothing wrong with that¡ªI totally didn¡¯t dump my life down the sewers. ¡­Right? ¡­ Psshhh! What are you talking about? After strengthening my resolve and boosting my morale, I¡¯ve decided on one thing for sure. It¡¯s time to clear a dungeon! Wah¡­ hoo¡­? Not the most enthusiastic group, huh? Heh. This is no place for amateurs. If you¡¯ve never gone dungeon diving, you shouldn¡¯t even be hanging around here anymore. You need experience fighting and killing monsters. You have to remember the feeling of the blade piercing through flesh. And other adventure-ish stuff. I dunno. And, no¡ªI don¡¯t mean killing virtual monsters online. I mean you need real, bona fide experience. If you haven¡¯t even killed a single monster, you¡¯re essentially pulling your life on auction. ¡­W-why are you looking at me? I¡¯m a deserter? I ran away from the first monsters I faced? H-hey! At least I¡¯ve met real monsters, okay? I¡¯m one leg above you, no matter what. It doesn¡¯t if the monsters I met probably had rabies. Kahahahaha! I aimlessly wonder the dungeon, trudging through the rugged, uneven flooring. Magical lanterns illuminate the passageways, exhorting an ominous green light. The chambers here could have birthed the primal sins. All is still. Silent. Eerie. Immuring, and abysmal. The walls¡ªtainted with age¡ªresemble ancient shrines. Every shattered crack; an engraving telling tales from oh so long ago. Musty, uncirculated air ripples, the thick stench enough to cause the face to wrinkle. Everything here seems wrong. An anachronism from the past. An oddity. Something illegal¡ªunforsaken. An anomaly. That is until an aloof figure steps down. Well, whadda know? When I¡¯m not goofing around, I become a literary talent, no? Mwahaha!, marvel at the power of improvisation and creative writing classes! At this rate, my adventure could get serialised or something! Or maybe turned into a web-novel! Hmm¡­? ¡­What¡¯s a fourth wall..? Or two? I¡¯m breaking it? How exactly? Huh? Wh-what do you mean a character can¡¯t have a consciousness outside of their story? Weeehhh¡­ This is all just¡­ so¡­ perplexing. This is the second time! I¡¯ve been walking adrift while pondering on these trivial thoughts for some time now. Striding past a rather large lump of stone on the ground, my inner soliloquy comes to an abrupt stop as I hear a distant rustling to the corner of a nearby passageway, hidden by a sharp intersection. That¡¯s got to be a monster, right? Ignoring the sensible me (as if I have one, heh) screaming to get out of there, I stealthily tiptoe closer, careful not to make any noise. They say curiosity killed the cat, but¡­ oh well. At first, I press my ear closer to the wall, but my patience runs out of steam soon enough. Furtively glancing past the turn, I dart my eyes around the bend as they fall upon¡­ ¡°¡­EEK!!!¡± An overgrown cockroach. Alright, lemme quickly get the panic out of the way so I can get all rational again. I take in a deep breath. WHY IS THERE A HUGE ROACH LOOKING THING HEREEE?!?! SHOULDN''T DUNGEONS BE FULL OF GOBLINS?!? Oh wait. Goblins would actually be worse, but¡­ NOOOOOO!! I HATE, HATE, HATE BUGS!!!!! Although I had rats living with me in the basement¡­ WHYYYYYYYYY!!! HOW CRUEL IS MY ANTI-PLOT ARMOUR???? MY NEMESIS IS STANDING TWO METRES AWAY FROM ME!!! Whew! Done. Time to start thinking straight again. I quickly [Appraise] the roach in an attempt to figure out its general ability. Hmmm¡­? Isn¡¯t that roach heaps stronger than me then? So, if it sees me, I¡¯m totally screwed, right? Like getting the royal flush after going all in? Weeeelp, shit. You see, errr¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say the roach noticed me after the first squeal. Still jesting around in my head, my eyes don¡¯t assess the situation fast enough, as the roach becomes nothing but a blur in my vision. A searing pain scatters through my body, with unfathomable amounts of it condensed near my shoulder blade. What? Nrrggg¡­? Ow, ow! Crap, this hurts! It really does! Worse than the scalding water incident a few years back! Still frozen in shock, I nudge weakly at the roach¡ªa hopeless attempt to push it aside. Then, the roach begins to move. Gyahh! W-why is it violently shaking its head?! Ngyaaah! Ow, ow, ow!!! The roach, driven by nothing but the inborn nature in its blood, suddenly jerks its head backwards. A loud pop! reverberates the dungeon. And my left arm snaps out of its sockets. WHAT IS THIS BASTARD TRYING TO DOOO?! Trying my best to mentally mitigate the pain, I latch onto the stick with my good hand. Vicing the branch, I bash at the roach¡¯s hard, almost metallic exoskeleton. Nothing happens. The roach didn¡¯t even give a reaction. Stop! Please, please, please! Stop tugging my aarm! I thrash and trash again, hopelessly pounding the stick to no apparent avail. I try attacking through a thin membrane¡ªthe eyes¡ªbut my body is convulsing too much to get a steady grip. Let alone to aim. D-damn it! I can¡¯t die like this! I cannot! I won¡¯t let some stupid, overgrown pest get the better of me! I-I wish this idiot would just die already¡­!!! Gritting my teeth so hard I feel the bone scraping and my tongue crying, I try my best to ignore the overwhelming pain. And I strike once more. A faint crack on the roach¡¯s exoskeleton. Is what awards me. I manage to break into a faint and fleeting grin amidst the agonising throbbing. The roach seems to notice the crack too. It suddenly flinches away, releasing its strapping grip on my arm. The sudden lack of pressure sends a waterfall of blood flying, and the crimson splatters onto the walls, mingling to form incantations of gore. I get sent hurtling, only to ram into the thick cavern walls. I feel cracks in several places, some bones shattered and fragmented. But despite all that. I-I can win this¡­! Without much battle experience¡ªor as a matter of fact; none at all, the best I can opt to is the clich¨¦ kicking up dust from the floor. Grabbing a handful of the withered sand, I shoot up, spraying the particles everywhere. The roach gets momentarily stunned, as it freezes in place, and uses its grotesque limbs to rub at its eyes. Utilising this window of opportunity as much as possible, I hold onto the stick again, and relentlessly jab at the afflicted area, stabbing as much as my shaking body lets me. In an act of rebellious retaliation, the roach mirthlessly attempts to throw me off. I collide with the stone walls several times, and my vision begins to waver. I ignore the slipping of my consciousness. Instead, I focus directly on the roach, without even the slightest allowance of leeway. This is anyone¡¯s game. If I can manage to hold on for long enough, my victory should be assured. Yet, if this stupid bug lands another direct hit¡­ well¡­ I don¡¯t think my tattered body will be strong enough to handle ¨C Oof! I slam onto the wall. My main weapon¡ªand only hope of victory; the stick¡ªgets flung away as I gasp for air. Slumping down on the ground once again, I try to stand up and retrieve it. My body says otherwise. I try to move a hand, but I don¡¯t even budge a single inch. Not¡­ good¡­ I have to finish this quickly! Arrgh! I don¡¯t even have enough power to smash the floor with a fist. What can I possibly do? What could I do? Am I going to die? Will I? However, one thought rings much louder than the others. I don¡¯t wanna die¡­ No¡­ I REFUSE to die¡­! Not to some dumb bug. Not to anyone. Anyone standing in my way is an enemy. Enemies should be eliminated. Chapter 4: New weapon…?!

Chapter 4: New weapon¡­?!

Rena I stagger up, forcing myself to stand upright with my good arm. I break past the pain. And I dash towards my weapon. Each step feels like a glacial chill. Devils from below bellowing, gnawing on my body, harvesting my blood and anguish. A¡­A-almost there¡­ I attempt to leap forwards to cover the distance. But I put too much pressure on my right knee, and it begins to buckle, sending me tumbling down. The jagged rocks probe at me. And worst, I just left myself wide open. The roach takes this opportunity to attack, and it swivels sideways to face me. Pouncing, it latches onto my leg. And begins tearing. Shit! This seriously hurts¡ªArrgghhhh!!!! Did it just¡­ rip off my foot? Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Pain Resistance Lv1]> Shut up! What good will that do? This is seriously gonna be the stupidest, most wasted-potential death ever! NO!! If I can still fight, then it isn¡¯t over yet! I¡¯ll make my own path to salvation even if I have to crawl the entire way! ¡­Okay, maybe not. In a last ditch attempt, I jam my hand into the roach¡¯s wounded area, and begin repetitively ripping and grasping, holding onto strands of muscle and flesh in an attempt to tear them away. Every emotion. From twenty years of solitude. All released at once. I hear another snap, and the roach roars in pain¡ªonly for its voice to crack as I rip at another strand of material. I go on again and again and again and again and again and again and again. Soon, my rage begins to cool down. But I keep on hitting. I ignore the pained clicks and screeches coming from the roach laying on the floor spasming. I can¡¯t show any mercy. Or else I¡¯ll die. I keep on tearing. And I don¡¯t stop. Not until I feel my consciousness begin to slip away. Only then, do I slow down. I feel my eyes roll back, showing only the whites. The voice whispers inside my head¡ªan ethereal chant. The words seep, wisping around like wicked willows. My fuzzy, shaky vision begins to stabilise. I feel flesh click back in place, and strands of interwoven muscles coalesce. I gasp for breath, and begin wheezing maniacally. But not long after, my thoughts begin to stabilise again. To be honest, it feels pretty weird. But I don¡¯t have time to worry about that. Because right now, I¡¯m processing all the information given to me by the system. So¡­ I got half my health healed, some ¡®Skill Points,¡¯ and some ¡®Combat Points¡¯. Then, they all got doubled because of my heroic exploit. Wait¡­ no, that doesn¡¯t add up correctly. The system said ¡®[Hero],¡¯ as in a skill¡­? Or¡­ maybe a class? Right, a class would make more sense. Or maybe a title? Well, doesn¡¯t matter what it was, all I know is that I had [Hero] something, but it got yoinked away. Uh-huh. Okay. [Hero]¡ªgone. Just like my fathe- WHAT?! Wait- HUH!? SO YOU''RE SAYING EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE PRIVILEGE ONWARDS WAS JUST REVOKED? Though I still got the doublers this time. But from now on¡­ I¡¯m normal¡­? Sure, if you put it that way, I sound pretty spoiled. But seriously, what good is an isekai without any good buffs or advantages to use as a stepping stone? I lost all my stuff? What even is with this stupid ¡®[Hero]¡¯ gig anyways? To be honest, I¡¯ve lost so many perks and items to it, that it literally feels subhuman! My rights are getting revoked! Seriously? W¡­what the hell? I lost epic and insanely overpowered loot! What even is a ¡®[Hero]¡¯? Nothing about this feels human! Discrimination! This is discrimination!
  1. Want. My. Privileges!
Is that too much of a request to ask for?! This isn¡¯t fair, not in the slightest bit! Why is this so scuffed? Huh? Cough it up and tell me. Maybe it would be better if I never had the [Hero] class to begin with? Oh. And sorry for the prior outburst. I know I gave some sort of lottery analogy beforehand, but this is a bit different. Alright. Think about it this way. Who would you feel more sorry for? A young, talented kid with a bright future ending up homeless and living on the streets, or some delinquent junkie who ends up on the streets? Obviously the kid with potential. The more you gain, the more you lose. I think I just waffled out a really nice quote! Starting off at one hundred and falling down to zero would be heaps worse than starting off at one and falling down to zero. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Really, I¡¯m just being greedy. I should be content that I even got a [Hero] buff for one level-up. But¡­ Argh, dammit. This feels¡­ Forget about it. I¡¯m happy, right? Yep! Glad I got at least something out of this! Yay! Well, end of the story! Yipee! Ugh. I always seem to have this habit of getting lost in thought and letting my mind wonder. I mean, I know my current situation is pretty dire¡ªIf I struggled this much on a single roach, how will I ever be able to deal with the dungeon as a whole? I should take this to heart and get serious. Though, maybe this mental aloofness of mine could be considered a saving grace. No normal person would be able to stay sane in my situation. Not at all. Yet, I¡¯m still all calm, sanguine, and¡­ uh, Buddha-like despite the circumstances. Why? Cause I allow myself to get distracted from reality¡­ ¡­ Putting it that way, this bad habit might be a good thing? Crap. See? Here I go again, thinking about copious amounts of useless stuff that in no way benefit me. Okay, veered a bit off track, but that¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s get this mission started! Mission 01: Survive the night. Or something like that. That roach nearly meant the end of me. But if I don¡¯t get taken by surprise, I feel like I should be able to fend off a roach one-on-one. If I get jumped by multiple roaches? ¡­Yeah, no way am I gonna get out of that alive. All I can do is pray to Lady Luck and hope it doesn¡¯t end up like that. Not that Lady Luck smiled down on me or whatever these past few hours. I mean¡ªall of this is a tad too much, even for me. Getting randomly reincarnated, attacked by a group of rabid chihuahuas, entering a dungeon full of hostile monsters before finally fighting a gigantic, mutant roach that probably had seven foreign, unseen diseases that can transfer on touch? Really?! Haha¡­ the outside world sure is scary. Makes me want to hole back up in my room and chug some energy drinks¡­! Who said anything about decency? I wanna go back and grind online dungeons and slay some online dungeon bosses. Though, I certainly don¡¯t want to be running into boss monsters this time round. My life is literally on the line! ¡­ As I said before, I¡¯m really glad it was just one roach. If I do face multiple roaches at once though¡­ well¡­ sayonara, see you on the other side. If I¡¯m lucky, maybe I get re-reincarnated back to Earth? I could go back to grinding on the leaderboard. For all I know, time could travel differently or something, and a year here is a second on Earth. Or maybe it¡¯s the other way around? Conversely, one second here could be an hour on Earth. If so, I guess I¡¯ll never see myself on the leaderboard again. Competition is too grindy. Everything went downhill as soon as the roach struck first. If I can strike first, things should turn out less¡­ gory. The stick also ended up saving my life. I¡¯m so thankful I didn¡¯t throw it away! Sorry for dissing you before, Mr. Stick! I love you! Not romantically, of course. Five attack stat for the win! Well, that said, did I get stronger after levelling up? I guess I¡¯ll also use this opportunity to see if anything else interesting happened. Alright, time to go ask the go-to-guy, [Appraisal]! ¡°[Appraise]!¡± Well, there doesn''t seem to be any visible changes, apart from the increase in level, which was expected considering the system message literally said ¡®You just levelled up from one to two¡¯ Never mind what I said before about [Appraisal] being a go-to-guy. It''s actually a¡­ useless skill, isn¡¯t it? I mean, [Appraisal] doesn¡¯t even show me my other skills¡ªI know I have [Pain Resistance], so I can use that as a sort of control to test some functions of [Appraisal]. Talking about those two skills, I haven¡¯t found anything else I can use apart from [Appraisal], since [Pain Resistance] seems to activate only when I feel the corresponding attribute. Either that, or [Pain Resistance] is passive, and is active the entire time; even now. That said, it means I can¡¯t actually test out or train any of my current skills. Not really. U-unless if I hit myself a bunch of times to level up [Pain Resistance]. Whoa. Am I a genius or what? Talk about a genius! That way, I can improve my defensive capabilities¡­ well, at least I can improve my resistance to pain, which therefore will lead to my defensive capabilities getting better. I can also improve my offensive abilities by trying out new techniques and stuff. Talk about killing two birds with stone! ¡­Except, hitting myself obviously means that I¡¯ll take damage¡ªmeaning that I¡¯ll be in a weakened state until I level up and get a fifty percent health recovery. Which means, if another roach shows up after I cripple myself¡­ Nope, never mind. Talk about a short-lived plan. Still though, I feel like I got the right idea. I have to prepare for the next battle if I want to increase my chances of survival and get marginally stronger in a short period of time. I could use some better gear to be honest¡­ I reluctantly scooch over to the roach¡ªignoring the yucky stuff¡ªand salvage its corpse meticulously, hoping to find some stuff that could be of use. And believe it or not, I don¡¯t even have to search for long. Why, you ask? Just a single glance at the roach gives it away. Some certain parts literally scream the word ¡®WEAPON!¡¯. Namely, the roach¡¯s legs. It never occurred to me before, since I was fighting with my life on the line and all, but these legs have these weird, spiky prods all over them. These outrank the stick for sure. Oh yeah, it¡¯s time for an upgrade! [Appraisal], do your thing! H-hey¡­ When I asked for an upgrade¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it like that. This sure is¡­ surprising. Not in a bad way though. It¡¯s just, these stats are way over the top! Compared to the stick, of course. Was the roach too strong, or was the stick too weak? The latter. Hopefully. But now I¡¯ve got another question. If memory serves right, the roach was rank D, right? So why did the roach leg get a downgrade and fall to rank F? I don¡¯t think I got gaslit, so what¡¯s going on? How does that work? Alright, time to think. Well, when I think about it, the roach didn¡¯t actually use its legs when fighting against me. Instead, it was mostly biting me and chomping around. So, maybe different parts of the body have different stats? Say, the roach¡¯s mouth was a higher rank than its legs. If so, then the ¡®rank D¡¯ I saw before was probably an average of its total body parts. I don¡¯t think that would work very well though. If every single body part is ranked differently and the [Appraisal] results show an average of them combined, I think it would be too complicated. I mean, how do you define a body part? Where does the head end and where does the neck start? And to measure that to utmost precision? Nah, I don¡¯t buy it. Well, I might as well try something out just to confirm if I¡¯m correct or not. Yeah, just like I thought. The mouth also ranked down. Its stats are better than the legs, but¡­ No way am I gonna carry a decapitated roach head around with me. How would I even fight like that? For convenience''s sake, I¡¯ll just stick with the legs. I¡¯ll also [Appraise] the roach as a whole. Just as I thought. The entire thing was downgraded. How the heck did it lose a rank though? Unless I have the memory of a goldfish, this guy was ranked D¡ªfor sure. Am I incognizant and forgetful? I don¡¯t think so¡­ I hope not, at least. Which means the roach really did lose a rank¡­! How on Earth did that happen? Maybe because the roach died, it''s then considered less powerful? Sure, the roach¡¯s body is still intact. Mostly. Meaning that its body is just as strong as it was a few minutes ago when it was still beating me up. But the roach can¡¯t attack me now, can it? If I were to dump this into another analogy, I think the roach would be some sort of futuristic battle mecha. The robot is dangerous and all, but without energy, what good can it do? Sure, the bot retains all of its missiles, nuclear launch codes and whatever else, but without the fuel to use them, the mecha would just be like any lump of metal. If it can¡¯t attack, the only thing that remains the same are its pure defensive abilities, like the density of the armour or something. Makes sense? So since the roach can¡¯t even do anything, it got ranked down. Still, I find it hard to believe that I got a better weapon so fast. Its damage is threefold that of the stick! Threefold! Times three more! I said it ¡®three¡¯ three times because¡­ never mind. Forget about me saying the dodgy stick was my lifeline a few minutes ago. If some random monster drops outrank it, then what good was it? I can¡¯t believe I was literally worshipping it a few minutes ago. Haha¡­ call me ungrateful or unloyal if you want, but I prioritise myself first and foremost! I¡¯ll ditch a crappy weapon any day for a better one¡­ Well¡­ Watch out, roaches! Here I come! Chapter 5: A Young Man’s Soliloquy

Chapter 5: A Young Man¡¯s Soliloquy

Ray I am weak. I had thusly known from a very young age. Ever since, the firm belief has been embedded into my head, paved like concrete. And because I, myself, am weak, I had to surround myself with others to hide and suppress that weakness. I lived under a mask. Being the school idol. The ¡®popular¡¯ kid, if you will. I was friends with everyone, the teachers loved me, and I aced all my exams. Everyone knew me as the social, optimistic type. And that was a persona created to hide my true self. I am terribly, almost laughably incompetent. At everything. And I had tried my best to cover that truth. They say sadness and isolation increases the speed of which the brain matures. Perhaps that is why I am who I am now. If my friends¡ªcould I call them real friends?¡ªfound out about my true outlook of the world, I was sure to get shamed for being overly serious. It¡¯s hard to connect when you see the world through a broken lens. Back then, I would cower¡ªslinking into the shadows, too afraid to come to terms with my weakness and scared to face reality. Yet not long afterwards, another horror would come by and overwhelm my brooding sense of tentative self-identity. Though still etched inside my mind, my weakness now only covers a small portion of my thoughts, residing only in the furthest corners. Because I don¡¯t have time to fret about myself. Not after that day. That horrid, horrid day. But before that, I should explain what made me who I am today. It all happened many years ago. I was young. But I found out about secrets that never should have even been whispered or uttered to life. My father was a renowned businessman. My mother, a loving housewife. Father was overseas most of the time. He would only come back on holidays, and only for a few days at once. Sometimes, for scarce hours. But he made good money. The three of us were a happy family. Every day would bring along banquets of joy. It was nice. Happy. As all things should be. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Father was cheating on Mother and had established a second family in America. I had a sister I had never met, a brother alien to me, and¡­ a second ¡®mother¡¯. My life shattered at that exact moment. When I clicked on the hard drive and browsed the photos, my naivety cracked. I saw the world through a second angle. Every truth became a distorted fracture of my perceived reality. I no longer¡­ I- I¡­ no longer¡­ ¡­ No. Even now, such hateful words should not be spoken. Later that week on Christmas Eve when Father returned, I didn¡¯t run towards him like I usually did. I didn¡¯t want to feel him cup me up, wrapping his ¡®loving¡¯ arms around me. I stayed in my room. The house we lived in was rather big, a large portion of it thanks to Father¡¯s earnings, and a lucky crypto investment. From outside my window, I saw Mother come running up towards Father, hands outstretched. When they kissed, I looked away. Not from embarrassment though. Not this time. I looked away in disgust. Red was all I saw. But I bottled up my feelings and swallowed them down. Even if Father was¡­ a traitorous bastard, I wouldn¡¯t allow it to get in the way of Mother¡¯s happiness. I had to lie. And act incognizant. Eventually, I reluctantly dawdled out of my room, and sloppily staggered to the yard. ¡°Hey Ray, what took you so long? Don¡¯t you miss daddy?¡± I was staring down at my feet. Even though Father had done something wrong, Mother didn¡¯t know yet. Back then, we all had the right to be happy. I didn¡¯t want to ruin the perfect family¡ªeven if it was all a fa?ade¡ªFake like plastic. And fragile. Like a painting protected by nothing but a thin layer of glass. Oh, so trivially fragile. So I had to step in and act like a second wall of protection. I had to keep our family together. For Mother. And so, I forcefully dragged my body up and a crocodilian smile grew across my lips. I ran up to him, and gave Father a big, long hug. I squeezed with all my strength. But I wasn¡¯t strong. Father had misinterpreted my hateful hug as one of passion. Like intended. ¡°Sorry Daddy, I was playing in my room! I miss you so much! Can you stay for a week this time? Pleaase?¡± Later that night, the beef wellington was tasteless. It was a favourite of mine¡ªa British dish that I would never be able to eat in Japan if it weren¡¯t for Father¡¯s exquisite cooking. The stains of the sauce were in the likeness of a little bird. The cloth covering the spruce table was a few centimetres uneven. I tried to focus on little things like that. I had to distract myself. Mother and Father were in deep conversation. Usually, I would try to butt in and somehow weasel into the conversations¡ªin hope of earning the once heartwarming chuckle from Father. But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it that time. I lifelessly poked the beef with my chopsticks. I prodded, and the tender beef slightly jiggled. ¡°Hey Ray, you sure everything¡¯s good? You can talk to Mummy and I if you want!¡± ¡°Helloooo~? Earth to Ray?¡± I snapped out of my comatose state. Shooting up, I instantly answered. Perhaps a little too quick, as Mother and Father glanced at each other before starting. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Ray, if anything¡¯s wrong, be sure to tell us, okay?¡± I broke into the sweetest smile. I was practically beaming with light as I replied. But, where light shines, there will always be a shadow. Underneath the grin, I was flooded with discomfort. ¡°No, Mummy, everything¡¯s alright!¡± My mother sighed in relief, before returning to her meal. ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine, my precious baby!¡± ¡°Muuuummy!! I told you not to call me that!¡± I was only eight. But it was exactly then when that faker was born. I didn¡¯t want to shatter the bonds we had created, so I acted as if nothing had happened. But soon enough, reality caught up with me. I just couldn''t¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep up the act anymore. I was secretly taking anti-depressant pills by the time I entered junior high. Every time I returned to my room and closed the door after wishing a good night, I would instantly slump onto bed, sobbing into my sheets. Thus, my personality essentially split in two. I wasn¡¯t bipolar¡ªthe switch could be controlled. I was cheerful and optimistic by day. And an empty shell at night. But amidst my suffering, a bonfire of justice had erupted. I strongly fought for what I believed in to be good. Because I couldn¡¯t bear thinking that another child would go through the same experience as I. The flames of justice burned brightly. And many times, it would lead to me doing whatever it took to make things ¡®right¡¯, even if it meant getting into many fights. Throughout junior high, I didn¡¯t have many friends. In my second year I stopped taking meds, but the drawbacks meant that I suffered for months afterwards. After the third month, I couldn¡¯t handle the restless nights and ran back to the pharmacy to buy more anti-depressants. But it was too late. I had already changed, and was almost always grumpy. Oh, many, many fights I got into. Eventually, Mother was called into the principal¡¯s office. They warned her that if I got one more negative incident, it would lead to my expulsion. And if that got into my record, even getting into a public school would be difficult, let alone a prestigious private school like the one Mother and Father had planned for me to attend during my senior years. She broke down into tears on the spot, and began sobbing, begging for me to end my rebelliousness. And the sight broke my heart. I wanted to make Mother happy. Instead, I had broken her. When my senior years started, I decided to utterly reform my image. The school I went to was slightly further away from my hometown so no one else would know who I was. It was the perfect opportunity for me to change and get a second chance. So, I studied hard, made friends, and batted my eye to avoid fights. Everyone loved me¡ªteachers included. Soon afterwards, I stopped taking meds. And the drawbacks were minimal. I still knew I was weak. But, those thoughts had stopped haunting me. I had come to an acceptance with myself. I was invited to many parties, had my fair share of girls, and aced all the mock exams. I would always come at least top thirty in the nationals. My network extended further, and everyone at school knew my name. I was friends with everyone¡ªalbeit one aloof girl who stubbornly ignored me whenever I tried to make contact. It was a good life. Even if I never opened up to the closest of my friends, afraid they would reject the incoherent mass I really was. But I had grown from the hopeless, hapless loser burdened by the pressure of pretentious acting. Every day, I lived under a mask. But the mask had changed from abject to just inadequate. Now, onto the main story. It was just like any other day. I woke up. Nervous and groggy. Here came another day where I hid my true identity¡ªa cowering of nothing¡ªand act like someone society would perceive as perfect. Every day. Every single day. I took a deep, depressive sigh and wiped the drool off my cheek. Rising out of bed like a zombie, I robotically dressed up. Undershirt. Pants. Belt. Shirt. Blazer. The one too many pins signalling my achievements. I went to the mirror, and looked at my gloomy self. Putting a finger on each cheek, I pressed upwards to form a (lousy) smile. Quickly brushing my teeth, I marched downstairs to pack my bag. Grabbing the textbooks I would need for the day, I sneakily snatched my phone and wallet, before quickly darting outside the house, careful not to make any noise. Going to a school further away meant that the walks were long. Therefore, I found it necessary to wake up early in the morning in order to maintain my perfect attendance. My mother was a light sleeper. I wouldn¡¯t want to wake her up¡ªhence, the secrecy. Stepping outside the door, my gloomy face suddenly lighted up, as I beamed with fake joyousness. As I walked through the mundane, lifeless streets where even the break of day hadn¡¯t enveloped fully, I came to a stop at my usual convenience store. Walking in, I paid the cashier 1,000 yen. In return, she handed me two onigiris¡ªone smoked salmon, the other teriyaki chicken. I thanked her and gave a polite bow before strolling away. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a poor, homeless man squatting on the streets, begging for money. The sight broke my heart. According to¡­ Father, homelessness was common and widespread in America. But in Japan, a man on the streets was a rare sight indeed. From the bushy beard and the torn clothes, I could presume that he had been like that for a long time, treated like nothing but a piece of garbage. Scanning my surroundings, I noticed many a passerby guiltily eyeing him, before quickly hurrying away. Not me. I walked up to him, leaning down to pass him the two onigiris I had purchased. Searching my wallet, I yanked out a 5,000 yen note and passed it to him. The unfortunate man stared up at me in disbelief. ¡°T-thank you so much, young man!¡± he replied, as he tuged on the hems of his clothing. His voice was full of both passion and gratitude, and his widened eyes gaze directly at me. Many people glazed past us, and I noticed subtle whispering. But I paid no heed. ¡°No problem, sir. Happy to help¡± I sat down with him for a while, as I slowly delved into his woeful story. I quickly scribbled down a phone number, before passing it to him. ¡°My father¡¯s number. I¡¯ll see if I can get you to work for him,¡± I commented, glad to give the man¡ªRyuuen¡ªa second chance. ¡°Anything, young man! Even cleaning!¡± he stammered, before fretfully shaking my hand before I excused myself to go to school. Even if Father is an innate bastard, just like me, he also has a second face¡ªan outward appearance. I was sure he would accept Ryuuen. Whenever the two of us talk, it feels like a game of charades. All fake, each one trying to get atop the other. Though, I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t seen through my fa?ade. Only I see the conversations that way. For him, it is a normal chat between father and son. On my walk to school, a beautiful girl caught my attention. But her looks were not the main thing that had captivated me. You see, this was the one girl who I had failed to befriend. It would be hard to describe her in a single word. A quick look would make you assume Rena was serious and aloof¡ªshe always had an uninterested expression, and her eyes seemed to phase through anything in her sight. But sometimes she would blurt out childish comments. Most of the time, however, she would keep to herself. No one knew her well. She always seemed to be lost in thought in class. When I was frantically scribbling down notes to keep up pace with our homeroom teacher, she was looking outside the window and yawning. I spent restless nights studying. Hundreds of hours to come first in every exam. And while she did nothing but sloth around, she was always in the top ten without even focusing during the lectures. Still dazed in thought, I noticed it far too late. Rena was crossing the road, her eyes glued on her smartphone. Although the pedestrian light was green, a rogue car burst out past an intersection. The driver didn¡¯t notice Rena, probably because the streets were usually packed with people. Perhaps he was negligent enough to not notice a lone girl. In fact, the driver sped up, his face contorted with worry. Perhaps he was late for a meeting. But now, such little facts don¡¯t matter. My body moved on its own. Though my mind was frozen in shock, my muscles twitched, as if spurred on by something intrinsic. Primal, even. On instinct, I sprinted up to her, and shoved Rena as far away as I could. Rena let out a squeal, as she suddenly tumbled sideways, her headphones bouncing onto the ground. I looked up and saw the car advancing towards me. I heard the rev of the engines. The thick smell of gasoline filled my nostrils. It made my face wrinkle. However, amidst all of it, I broke out into a genuine smile. . . . I had done good. I saved someone¡­ . . . Sacrificing my own, pathetic life in the process¡­ Chapter 6: And thus, a [Hero] was Born

Chapter 6: And thus, a [Hero] was Born

Ray ¡­Two months later, I woke up in a firm bed with no bounce. Confused, I glanced at my surroundings, only to see walls of white. I noticed a metallic glint, and saw an IV bag strapped up, the nozzle dripping fluids into my arm. I was hurt badly, but well and alive. I burst out of bed, almost ripping the IV syringe from my arm, and quickly asked the first nurse I saw if Rena was fine. She averted her eyes and dragged her feet along the chalky floors. She called my doctor over to explain. I had a severe concussion and a few broken bones when the paramedics arrived. But in the bigger picture, I was alive and well. Rena, on the other hand, died a gruesome death. When I first heard the words slip out of the doctor¡¯s mouth, I shook my head and let out a nervous chuckle. This has to be a joke, right? I thought to myself. But the doctor looked dead serious. And so, his explanation began. Shock overwhelmed my body. Then piles of immeasurable guilt. Guilt. So much guilt. So much of it. It was suffocating. All of it came pouring towards me at once, like a wave that had burst the dam. And I collapsed on the spot. My fake smile shattered. I fell down and burst into wretched tears. My face contorted, and I had difficulty swallowing. Covering my anguished form with my hands, I shook, sobbing and trembling. Was this justice?! The doctor leaned backwards, surprised by the sudden outburst. Eventually, he left me to be. According to the doctor, the driver was distracted by an incoming call. After I had pushed Rena, the driver suddenly noticed me. He made a ¡®good,¡¯ call in the situation, and quickly channelled the car sideways in an attempt to avoid me, swivelling to the left¡­ ¡­Where Rena lay on the hard gravel, dazed and confused, with no idea what was happening. The car ran over her, squishing her like a bug. She was treated like roadkill. Her ribs were crushed instantly. Yet¡­ at that point, she was still conscious. She was suffering, like a fish out of water, slowly dying with no hope¡ªonly the knowledge of eventual death. Apparently, she lay there, unable to move or even scream in pain. Her spine was shattered and her entire body was paralysed. When the paramedics came, it was already too late. The loss of blood and total amount of injury was far too great for a possible recovery. The only ¡®good¡¯ news¡ªthough I¡¯m not sure it can be considered good due to circumstance¡ªwas that after a few minutes of suffering, Rena¡¯s brain entered some state of trauma-rejection and erased the memory from her mind. However, the post MRI scans had shown that due to the damaged neurons, other memories were removed as well. Small puzzle pieces, gone. But a puzzle can never be completed if even one piece is missing. Perhaps in the afterlife, she would have lost sense of herself. Maybe she forgot more than intended and lost her identity? At least she would have forgotten about the gore of the incident. At least she would not have to witness such an abhorrent sight. However, that did not change the fact that¡­ it¡­ it was I who killed her. If I had done nothing, she would be fine. The driver would have noticed her. He would have quickly avoided her. Minor charges would have been pressed, but no case of manslaughter. No deaths. I was the killer. What sort of accursed justice did I uphold? The result of my futile attempts was misery to both parties. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Forget about Father. I am worse. Far worse. I became a murderer. The worst kind. I held the knife, but pointed fingers at the driver. I slipped out of the palms of justice, and put the blame elsewhere. On someone else. I had to atone. So, as a final act of punishment and atonement, I decided to take my own life and forge chains that would permanently bind my soul into the depths of hell. I didn¡¯t want people to know it was suicide. I didn¡¯t want it to end flashy. Too many people would be hurt. Traumatised by a public execution. I decided to kill myself through overdosage of sleeping pills. That way, Mother would be less hurt than if she was informed I jumped out the building. I was no stranger to pills. And the pharmacist knew me well. She gave the bag to me without batting an eye. In my room, I got ready. But willingly swallowing something I knew would end me was difficult. I stood there for a while, motionless. The world seemed so small beneath my feet. I was contemplating whether to do it or not. I considered chickening out at the last second. A cynical laugh escaped my lips. But I bit my tongue down, and carried out the order. I let my will win out. The wind rushed by me. The apartments(...?) flew past in a kaleidoscope of colour. The ground rushed up to meet me. And thus, I fell into an eternal sleep.
After that, my memory becomes vague and puzzling. I was in a room with expanding walls. Whenever I was about to touch the walls, they would retreat backwards. It felt like I was drifting aloft in lukewarm water. ¡­And then¡­ my eyes shoot open. ¡°The summoning was a success!¡± chants an unfamiliar voice. I immediately shoot up and scan my surroundings. Bewilderment, then confusion. Yet amidst my perplexion, I notice a miniscule detail: for some reason, the man¡¯s words don¡¯t sync with the movement of his mouth. ¡°Hero!¡± I hear the man applaud. My eyes finally zone in properly, and I get a good look at the man. His overall attire: a combination of ebullient green cloth with neon outlines through the centre flaps, as well as a grey, hooded robe with runic engravings etched inside. His getup reminds me of the Mage class in the four dimensional VR game Skyl Online. What happened¡­? Why¡ªwhen I wish to end my life, do I wake up in some strange, foreign place? I move my head around, analysing and critiquing my surroundings. The walls surrounding me are covered with runic scribbles reminiscent of the writing on the mage¡¯s clothes. For some unknown reason, my vision blurs for a moment. The same blurring effect I feel when getting up after laying down. Seconds later, my vision returns to normal. Only then do I realise that the once runic text is translated into Japanese. Summoning Chamber ¡­Occultists? After the translation, more questions flood into my mind than ones answered. Summoning Chamber? But in what unlikely situation would I have to be in to commit suicide, only to wake up in a¡­ summoning chamber? I wasn¡¯t resurrected like a zombie and bought here, was I? Confused and utterly bemused, I manage to ask my yearning question in nothing but short stutters. ¡°Where am I?¡± The words slip out of my mouth, unrestrained. Like a leaky tap. The mage collectively answers my question. ¡°[Hero], I, the Court Mage Kequak, have been summoned from your world to ours in order to fend off an upcoming Human-Demon war.¡± Still confused, I pressure him for more information till I become content with the responses. This world¡ªTravia¡ªhas a certain situation going on. Allegedly, there has been profuse tension between demonkind and humankind since the beginning of recorded history. Demonkind is governed by the [Demon Lords], who rule over the territory as a single mass. Humans on the other hand, are divided into five major kingdoms. The kingdom I was summoned to being Alzania, the one adjacent to the borders between the two races. And King Braiher¡ªthe one who rules over this kingdom¡ªfears that the situation will get out of hand soon. Although no major conflict has occurred yet, both parties have been discreetly preparing for war. I am told that the demons already have tens of thousands of troops ready for battle at a moment¡¯s notice. Yet, there may be even more that King Braiher¡¯s spies have not sniffed out yet. Because the demons run as a single body while the humans are split into fifths, Alzania alone cannot stand up to the entire demon populace. Although we are getting reinforcements from the four other major kingdoms, King Braiher, along with the other Kings unanimously voted that individuals with immense power were needed to successfully win the upcoming war. After all, the seven [Demon Lords] each have power to or equal to that of the Court Mages. There are only five Court Mages¡ªthe strongest from each kingdom. From a pure statistical vantage point, that would leave two more [Demon Lords] left. That is where the [Heroes] come in¡ªone in each kingdom. Powerful individuals with the power to surpass Court Mages. And so, I was summoned here. To save as many lives as possible. I am weak. I am a monster. A murderer and a coward. All of the above I will admit to without even a hint of reluctancy. Yet, people can change. People atone. And gods forgive. I will live this new life of mine in order to atone. I will show obsolete power, and wipe demons off the face of this planet. And finally, the human race will be able to live in peace without fear. True happiness. Awarded. Chapter 7: Understanding Rankings!

Chapter 7: Understanding Rankings!

Rena Alright. So, I¡¯ve been wandering around the dungeon for quite a while now. Every now and then, some roaches seem to pop out and harass me. Sure, it was annoying dealing with them, but compared to the first roach, those bugs were heaps easier to deal with! Yeah. They were all rank F and only level 1 or 2, but I¡¯m sure my new weapon also played a major role in my massive power boost! Literally, this roach leg (the one that looks like a spiked bat) does threefold the damage of the stick! Ah. The stick? Bah, forget about that thing! I totally threw it away after I was done with it! ¡­Totally didn¡¯t splinter it into pieces when I was mocking and defiling the body of that first stupid, abysmal roach. Okay, fine. I was pretty salty, so I kept on bashing it with the stick until it became barely recognisable. And after a few hits, boom! The stick just snapped in two. Maybe durability is more important than I thought¡­? I mean, I¡¯m kinda scared the roach leg will also splinter mid-fight now. Bah, forget about it! Live young, die fast! ¡­Or something along those lines. Not die fast, though. I want to live for as long as I can. Hmm¡­ Live in the present, not the future. Yeah, that works better. Well, that aside, I found out something cool. I never noticed when I first got here since I was totally panicking and not thinking straight, but you know when I first popped in here, right? I wasn¡¯t wearing my usual musty pyjamas that only get washed per month. NO, I WASN¡¯T NAKED!!! WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT?! I spawned in with the default clothes or whatever. And guess what? The basic clothes actually have better stats than the shitty, downgraded loot I got from the [Hero] pack. I mean, just look at the two different sets of shirts as a comparison! Can you believe it? Even the greatest painting is nothing but a splotch in the distance. The numbers might not seem like much. But relatively? Those miniscule number changes mean the world to me! I mean, the change in the armour stat is tenfold! Times ten more defence! Yeah, can you believe it? Can you? I feel a lot more relieved now. I mean, I was literally walking around with a bunch of rags before! Like, I had to strategically tie them in order to hide certain parts. A single misslip, and this would get an R-rating on the spot! Talking about that, changing is also pretty easy. For example, if I just press and hold on the icon for my pants, then¡­ ¡­One moment¡­ ¡­ . Aaaand, Viola! My pants changed, just like that! It works the same way for weapons and other items, so I can just store the roach leg in my inventory and pop it out whenever I need it. Pretty handy, since holding onto the prickly thing got really annoying. Imagine carrying around the stem of an uncut rose barehand! And then amplify the size of that rose to the size of a cricket bat. Yeah, I had to go around gripping that before I figured out I could store the roach leg inside my inventory. Also, I accidentally found out that my inventory can only store a maximum of five items. I was stocking up on roach legs in order to see if there was some sort of ¡®craft¡¯ or ¡®fuse¡¯ option that would let me fuse the legs together and get a better weapon. The idea was pretty short lived though. Why? Because I got some system notification saying that my inventory was full or something. I tried jamming the sixth leg in, but I totally got denied access. Sigh, I guess I have to use my inventory space sparingly. Right now, I have three items in my inventory. All of which I have no use for. [Rags], [Cloth] and [Sandals]? Nah, get out! ¡°Empty inventory!¡± And so, the useless pieces of unwanted scrap just lifelessly flop onto the ground. Who needs trash, revealing armour when you can get slightly better, covered armour? And I even got a roach leg¡ªtons better than some random stick I could pick off the floor! ¡­I really gotta stop calling my primary weapon ¡®roach leg¡¯. Sure, it¡¯s an accurate description, but it doesn¡¯t sound very cool. It also can get pretty misleading and confusing. In fact, it sounds downright wrong! And weird to the boot. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I¡¯ll just call it a¡­ errr¡­ Axe¡­? No. ¡­S-spear? ¡­ Sword. I¡¯ll stick with ¡®sword¡¯, I guess. Still misleading? Yes. Do I care? No. I wander around for a bit longer, until a challenger suddenly approaches. Uh-huh. I see, higher level than the other contestants. That¡¯s cool. I¡¯m still confident that I can beat the living daylights out of it though. The gap between rank F and D must be pretty huge. Oh yeah. Apparently, the system just skips rank E, so it goes straight from rank F to rank D. Seriously, for only being a single rank up, the first roach was such a menace compared to the others! The roach rears up and begins snarling. Sidestepping, I dodge its mindless charge before striking it down with my sword. Using the accumulated momentum from the leap as a foothold, I jam the sword up the roach¡¯s backside. The roach spurts out some blue blood before its body goes limp. I clear my throat. Ladies and gentlemen, did you see that epic display of magnificent swordsmanship? It seems like I, the undefeated champion, gets to keep her title as minimum wage bug exterminator of the month! The crowd goes wild! Cheers erupt everywhere! Oh no! Someone fainted! Haha¡­ This is pretty stupid, isn¡¯t it? But, come on. You can¡¯t blame me for getting cocky after accumulating a winstreak somewhere in the tens? Oh wait. I spoke early. I think I only knocked the roach unconscious, because it got back up again. Except, its legs can¡¯t support its weight, and the bug collapses onto the floor again, writhing in pain. Time to end its misery¡­? Crunch. Whew, about time! I was killing quite a lot of these F-ranked roaches, so I felt like another level-up was bound to happen sooner or later. Who can¡¯t appreciate a nice reward? Besides, I even got a new skill! Let¡¯s see what it does¡­ <[Stab] (passive): A skill that increases damage from attacks with a piercing attribute. Bonus damage increases as skill levels up> Hmmm¡­. ¡­Fancy words aside, the effect is pretty straightforward. It just lets me, well, stab better. Useful, since literally all of my attacks are stabby. This is actually pretty useful. My entire offense got boosted from just that one skill! I also gave [Pain Resistance] a little check-up not too long ago. Similarly, the skill does what it says it does. It allows you to resist pain. Amazing, right?! ¡­ Since I¡¯m already doing analytical stuff, I might as well sort things out now. Alright, let¡¯s see¡­ As far as I¡¯m aware, I¡¯ve currently got three skills¡ª[Pain Resistance], [Stab] and [Appraisal]. The first at level 2. The second, level 1. And I don¡¯t actually know what level [Appraisal] is yet, since the system hasn¡¯t said anything about a level when talking about [Appraisal]. My level as an individual is three. And, alas, I am but classless. Hey, was that classy? Get it? Classless and classy¡­? ¡­Sorry for the bad joke. Alright, I think I got a bit off track. Time to steer back in motion. So in this presumably fantasy world, rank seems to be much more important in determining an individual''s strength than level. This seems to apply to monsters, people, and even items. Take my sword for example. My current sword is ranked F. And the stick was, similarly, ranked F. Yet the difference in stats is almost threefold. Yet, the two are still categorised under the same rank. From this, you can assume there¡¯s a large range in each rank, right? Furthermore, say that the strongest F ranker has the exact same specs as the weakest D ranker. At that point, you could essentially say that the two are intertwined, no? After reaching that point, rank F and rank D would theoretically be the same. I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s when the secondary factor¡ªlevels¡ªcome into play. This is all hypothetical, but if what I said above is true, then levels would be similar to stairs, allowing one to move up from one rank to the other. If a rank F¡¯s level reaches a certain number, they would ¡®upgrade¡¯ to rank D, and their level would get reset. That way, there would be a clear and distinguishable line between ranks in order to separate them and avoid an overlap. However, I don''t know what that deciding level is. Meaning I cou¡ªhuff¡­.. huff¡­. wheeze¡ªAh, sorry. Not used to talking smart. As I was saying, that means I could get cocky and face a rank F roach close to rank D thinking of it as an easy fight. And get absolutely beat up, like that robber who tried to fight a team of rugby players with fists only. Seriously, the robbers face was beat into the ¡®:|¡¯ emoji! Yeeaaahhhh¡­. I can¡¯t see things ending pretty like that. The higher level a roach, the closer they are to ¡®upgrading¡¯. Since I don¡¯t know what exact level a monster needs to be in order to evolve, I guess I¡¯ll stay away from rank F roaches if they exceed level 10? I mean, levels are still quite an unpredictable variant. I ain¡¯t gonna gamble on anything when my life is at stake. Of course, this is just pure speculation. For all I know, the ranking system could be totally different to what I envisioned it to be. Pure statistics aside, classes also seem important. I don¡¯t have any numbers I can use for pinpoint analysis, but in video games, each ¡®class¡¯ gives different perks, skills and such. If I want to get stronger, picking a class would probably be a necessity. What class would suit me¡­? With the current path I¡¯m taking, I¡¯ll probably wind up stuck with a sword wielding class. You know? Those big meatheads that rush in while yelling childish lines like ¡°RRAAAAHHHH, Take this! Holy Sword Strike of Holiness used to Exterminate Evil and other Bad Things like Blue Cheese!¡± I personally don¡¯t really wanna wind up like that. In fact, with my slim physique, I don¡¯t think becoming a meathead sword wielder would even be possible! I¡¯d much rather stick with daggers, and be an assassin class, ninja class, or some other class that uses daggers. I guess [Stab] can also be applied to daggers? So I can still go down the dagger path right now, since no skills that bind me to swordsmanship have bloomed yet. But if I keep on using this¡­ sword, then I¡¯ll eventually end up with so many sword-based skills that I¡¯ll have to go down The Way of the Katana. Aw man¡­ I wish I could go back and scavenge some parts from the D rank roach corpse to create a set of daggers. Except, the premium corpse is, well¡­ unsalvageable after the atrocities and war crimes I did to it¡­ That aside, goal time! Goals are perfect for motivation! I¡¯d say my super short term goal is to find some decent daggers, or at least something that can take me down The Way of the Kunai. Kunai¡¯s aren¡¯t even daggers, but forget about that. My short term goal is to escape this dungeon, and rack up some respectable power along the way. My mid term goal is to find a good class, And my long term goal is to¡­ ¡­Dunno. What happens in isekai? Rise to godhood? Not too sure about long term, but my other goals are now set in place! Super short term goal is definitely completable. I just need to find a roach with the same or higher specs than the D ranked roach. If I get lucky, I might even get an actual mob drop or something. Though at this point, I¡¯m convinced mobs don¡¯t drop loot. You¡¯d think I would have gotten at least a rank F drop by this point, but¡­ nope. Nothing so far. This isn¡¯t a game after all. I guess I need to think within the frame of reason. When I kill a monster, I get a corpse. The monster doesn¡¯t just evaporate into nothingness after they die. Evaporating monsters usually mean monster drops. You know, the fantasy clich¨¦s? So since monsters don¡¯t evaporate, looting them is crossed out. Though looting monsters is technically possible, it¡¯s just more tedious since you have to salvage raw materials and give them to a blacksmith to forge into a sword or whatever instead of getting items after a kill. So, a more realistic system. Sure, no problem. I¡¯m fine with that. Not sure how long my short term goal will take though, since I have no idea how dungeons operate. Do I just have to kill the boss to clear the dungeon? Or maybe a set number of roaches¡­? Or is it like those games where I have to survive a number of nights? Who knows. I just hope I don¡¯t regret playing aggressive and jumping into every fight after a quick [Appraisal]. [Appraisal] is handy though. I can guess the guise of strength pretty well, so I know when to run away. If the roach exceeds level ten, RUN! Uh-huh. Easy. Aw man, did I just foreshadow something bad? Chapter 8: Who’s Hunting Who?

Chapter 8: Who¡¯s Hunting Who?

Rena I run. I keep on sprinting, and don¡¯t even spare a single moment to look back. Not even the slightest glance. I can¡¯t afford to. Beads of sweat pour down my face, but I don¡¯t have the luxury to wipe them away. Even with the adrenaline pumping through my body, I still feel the sprains in my tendons. With every heavy step, my muscles scream in fatigue. Beyond the point of soreness, every step is a challenge in itself. Behind me, I hear the discombobulating screech of many roaches. The cavern walls rebound the screeching, the echoes magnifying to produce Hells Symphony. My soul, my mind, and my body all wail the exact same thing, syncing together in a euphoric suffering. ¡°Run! There is no way in hell you can win. Not a chance at all. Keep on running, and don¡¯t let them catch up!¡±
¨C A few hours earlier ¨C
Ugh, I¡¯m sooo bored. Why is this dungeon so empty? I¡¯ve literally been waltzing around for¡­ how many hours was that? Forgot. Well, I¡¯ve been walking around for a couple hours, but I have not seen a SINGLE damn roach yet! That¡¯s right¡ªnot ONE mob in this entire freaking labyrinth of a dungeon has popped out and said ¡®hello, please kill me!¡¯ yet! Is this place deserted or what? Aw man, an empty dungeon now? What a letdown. ¡­Wait. Wouldn¡¯t it actually be more beneficial to me if there were no mobs around? Less roaches means less fighting which means a lower chance of death, right? Sure, I won¡¯t get as strong that way, but me wanting to get strong was just a byproduct of me wanting to survive. My survival is my first priority. Getting stronger just so happened to align with my goals of not dying. So, yeah. No mobs! Yes please! Empty dungeon for the win! So, this is an abandoned dungeon with a scarce number of enemies, yeah? Mhmm. Sure, no complaints here¡­ ¡­ Wait¡­ if there¡¯s a dearth in monsters, wouldn¡¯t that mean one overpowered boss to compensate for the lack? Heh heh¡­ NOOO!! I TAKE IT BACK!! Dealing with swarms is easier than dealing with a power creep! I mean if it¡¯s just a hoard, I could simply use guerilla warfare tactics to slowly whittle down the numbers. But, if it¡¯s one super potent boss, cheap tricks like hit and run won¡¯t work as effectively. And head on, I don¡¯t think I can beat any bosses as I am now. If I struggled on a rank D roach that was probably just a goon, then any big boss roach is gonna be way out of my league. Besides, killing lots of enemies means that I can slowly progress and get stronger on my way to the boss. By the time I face that theoretical boss, I would be much stronger and would probably stand a chance. If I jump straight to the boss without levelling on weaker opponents? Well, my best bet would be praying for a second isekai. Wehhh¡­ I wanna fight a swarm! I keep on walking around, this time sticking to the left wall like all good adventurers do. If I get lost, I can just retrace the route I took this way, since all my turns are uniform! Also, the once super rocky and hard to traverse landscape has become a bit more even. Instead of having to take painstakingly wide strides, I can walk at a comfortable pace. The ground right now is¡­ similar to a long time unmaintained gravel road? Yeah, something like that. After some time, I found this huge gaping hole. At first, I thought there was just a break in the road since all I saw was emptiness. But when I peered down¡­ BAM! Huge crater! It¡¯s so deep that I can¡¯t even see the bottom of it! Looking down, all I see is black. Nothing more, nothing less¡­ Wait. If I squint reaalllyyy hard and change my angle, I think I can make out¡­ Glint! W-Whaa?! I go wide-eyed and I rub my eyes in disbelief and scratch my temple. I saw¡­ something reflecting light at the bottom of the pit? I squint again, this time so hard that I feel the beginnings of tears swell up near my eye ducts. If I squint at the¡­ bottom of the pit, it seems to be¡­ moving? And once in a while, I see that shine come from random directions. I try giving the shiny pit an [Appraisal]. ¡°Eek!¡± You idiot! It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t see the bottom of the hole¡ªthose are a bunch of pitch black roaches in such a magnitude that they cover the whole freaking floor! The roaches notice me and a cacophony of screeches ensue, the jumbled octaves overwhelming me. As they start to move, the whole floor seems to tremble in unison. Since the ¡®floor¡¯ was just a multitude of roaches lumped together, the ¡®floor¡¯ quite literally begins to move, as the roaches start chasing me. And so, I sprint away as fast as my legs allow, a tidal wave of impending death looming behind my back.
Present time¡­
Huff¡­ Wheeze¡­ Keep¡­ on¡­ running¡­ No matter how hard, no matter how long, no matter how much I run, the sound of ruinous scuttling and clicks always follow behind me. I¡¯ve run to the rocky part of that path once again. I start to lose my footing, and constantly stumble between strides. HURRY, YOU IDIOT! STOP STUMBLING! I cry inside my head, straining my mental voice in aggravation. I want to run. My mind is screaming for me to take those steps¡­ But¡­ my body¡­ My body has already given up. It¡¯s a miracle that I¡¯m still managing to move at this point. Every action feels rough and improper. My knees buckle whenever my foot hits the ground. The adrenaline is slowly leaving my body. I¡¯m decelerating. At an alarming rate. I take a split second to glimpse behind me. From the original swarm¡ªroughly a few thousand, only a dozen continue in pursuit. But I¡¯ll still lose if I stop. If I don¡¯t keep moving, I''m dead. I¡¯m still outnumbered, and I don¡¯t think my current level of strength will be enough to push past all these roaches. Worse of all, the roaches are catching up. It doesn¡¯t take long before I feel a bite on my leg. My cold blood trickles down my leg, looking almost blue from the lack of oxygen circulation. GODDAMNIT! If I can¡¯t run, I¡¯ll fight. ¡°Materialise weapon!¡± An ebony sword suddenly materialises in my hand. Using it, I strike down onto the roach. Sapphire blood spurts out from the crevices in its exoskeleton, falling down and mingling with my crimson blood. Despite the satisfaction of hearing the crunch, I haven¡¯t killed it yet. I stab once more, before double-checking with [Appraisal] to see if the roach died. However, I¡¯ve got no time to celebrate. The other dozen swarmed me in the time it took for me to kill the first roach. Flanked from all sides, the roaches begin to screech and click louder, as if moved by the death of their comrade. I quickly [Appraise] all of them. Most of them have the same specs as the roach I had just killed, but there¡¯s one roach that stands out as a main caution. Level 23¡­ 13 levels above what I deemed as dangerous. Luckily for me, the stronger roach doesn¡¯t seem all that aggressive, as it stays behind the crowd, doing nothing but looking at me narrow-eyed. The rest of the roaches, however, all simultaneously leap towards me with bared fangs. I blindly thrash around, flailing my sword to and fro like a maniac. I grab at anything I get my hands around, before violently stabbing the gripped matter. ¡­The roaches are clearly overwhelming me. Sharp, searing pains envelope my body. And I have no way to defend. I hate roaches. I really do. It¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? Just then, I was panicking, my life flashing before my eyes. Yet now, in the face of doom, I feel strangely¡ªeven oddly¡ªtranquil. My heart was moving to the pace of an everlasting rainfall, each droplet being a beat. I was unable to contain my emotions and burst like a balloon. I feared death¡¯s grasp. I was scared. Now? Now I feel numb. No¡ªnot numb. That wouldn¡¯t be the right word. My emotions are still as real as ever. I¡¯m not ignorant of an impending death. I know it¡¯s coming, and I know the reaper is coming for me. A more accurate way to describe it would be that I have in fact, accepted it. I¡¯ve got nothing to lose, so I might as well fight recklessly in a last ditch attempt. I know for a fact that winning isn¡¯t a possible outcome, but I still want to be the salty guy and dwindle down the population of these stupid roaches, even if only by a smidgen. If I remember correctly, I had gotten two other things from my level-up notifications. Namely, Combat and Skill Points. I had tried to use them but gave up shortly afterwards, having failed once. After that, I didn¡¯t bother. But in a now-or-never situation? Might as well try finding out what they do or die in the process¡ªliterally. If I can somehow use them, I feel I¡¯ll get a lot stronger. If not, then¡­ ¡°Skill Points!¡± ¡°Combat Points!¡± Nothing happens, just like before. Still shaking off as many roaches as possible, I go for an alternative attempt. ¡°Allocate Skill Points!¡± Why is nothing working?! I was talking big before¡ªI don¡¯t wanna diee!!! What about Combat Points? Combat Points will work, right? Please, work! Surely I¡¯ll manage to allocate them! ¡°Allocate Combat Points!¡± I recoil in surprise, only for my fall to be cushioned by the bodies of dead roaches. I¡¯ve killed two. But ten more still persist. Still stunned, I fail to avoid a roach flinging itself right at me and take the brunt of its force as its fangs sink into my flesh. With momentum backing it up, the chomp goes in deeper. Much deeper. I yawp noticeably louder before and get snapped out of my paralysed state. Lukewarm blood trickles down my shirt. This isn¡¯t good. Although my body is fighting on instinct while my mind is wandering, instinct isn¡¯t enough. I need to draw my full attention to the battle in front of me without getting distracted. If I keep on half-assing, I¡¯m as good as dead. I need to do this system thing quickly. <15 Combat Points Health: 7 Mana: 5 Damage: 8 Defence: 5 Speed: 6 Which attributes do you wish to increase?> Seriously now? So many options¡­! Alright, change of plans. I¡¯ll put all of my attention into selecting how to distribute my Combat Points so I can quickly get back to the battle without making a bad decision. I suspected I was weak, but these flimsy stats seem¡­ too low. No wonder I¡¯m getting overpowered so easily. My sword alone does twofold the damage of my raw attack stat. Right now, survivability is my top priority, meaning I need to distribute these points carefully so I can get the upper edge in battle. Okay. Quick listing time. Health¡ªI need this. Health will let me tank more hits and increase my overall ability to persevere. High priority. Mana¡ªthe key stat for using magic. Seems cool, but I have no idea how to use or activate magic whatsoever. Out. Damage¡ªImportant. Increasing damage lets me hit harder and kill faster. Damage will definitely improve my offensive abilities. High priority. Defence¡ªImportant. Higher defence will let me take more hits, similar to health. Will improve my defensive abilities, but so will health. Mid priority. Speed¡ªVery important. Agility can be used both as an offensive and defensive countermeasure. Speed means I go faster. I hit more times. And I can dodge. Very important, this is definitely top priority. ¡­ ¡­ On something that could be called a whim, I decide to allocate my Combat Points to health, damage and speed. Confirmed. I feel power surging through my body. Okay, quick! I went all serious again for some fast calculations, but now I need to focus on the battle again! ¡­But, with my speed literally three times higher than before, the roaches¡¯ attacks seem to slow down. Not to the point where I can dodge every single attack, but certainly to the point where this ¡®onslaught¡¯ has become more of a fair battle, where both sides have a chance of winning. I flex my free hand, testing things out. Compared to before, this is much more of an improvement. I see another¡­ no, sorry. I see the same roach that jumped at me before rearing up, ready to jump me again. Seriously, is jumping headfirst all these bugs can do? I would expect cockroaches to scuttle or something. Well, with this new ability to dodge the roach¡¯s attacks, things get much easier. I mean, faster agility also means things around you seem to slow down, right? Speed really is the best. It¡¯s an all rounder that can be used to increase my offensive output as well as minimising damage by being able to see and dodge attacks. I mean, individually, I had no trouble with these roaches, even before I used my Combat Points. It was sheerly the copious amounts that gave me trouble. Thank you, Combat Points! I will forever be in your debt! The roach finally jumps, but I use its acceleration against it. I quickly latch onto one of its legs, before redirecting that momentum sideways. Using the roach as a cricket back, I smack down another roach, sending it skidding a few metres backwards. And with my other arm, I use my sword to mercilessly cut down the roach I grabbed. After killing it, I quickly hurl the body away, before moving onto the next bug. <[Stab Lv1] has become [Stab Lv2]> In no time flat, I make quick work of the roaches. The satisfying churn of level up and new skill notifications soothe my soul. I feel tears stitch themselves up, my body reverting to its original state. Ah, this is bliss! I might get addicted to this feeling! But a much louder, more aggressive screech brings me back to my senses. Behind the pile of corpses, I see the level 23 roach. Unlike those weak ones, this roach gives off an intimidating aura. Even more than the first roach I met. Seriously? This guy is only ranked F, so it should be weaker than my first roach encounter. Yet the vibes it gives off are totally different. This one seems battle hardened. An experienced fighter. Bad news. And it charges straight at me. Chapter 9: I Think the Roach Took Steroids…?

Chapter 9: I Think the Roach Took Steroids¡­?

Rena I quickly dodge to the right, and in the corner of my vision I see the sharp canines land right beside me, crunching down on nothing but hard rock. The stone splinters. After seeing that display of power, my brain shifts. Immediately, I go back to battle mode. W-wait, not yet! Abort! Abort! I gotta allocate my new Combat Points first! <10 Combat Points Health: 14 Mana: 7 Damage: 15 Defence: 9 Speed: 20 Which attributes do you wish to increase?> Huh?! I thought levelling up only gave +1 to each stat. So why did health, defence and speed grow by an extra two, and why did damage increase by an additional three?? Do stats grow in a different way than I thought? Is it affinity based instead? SHUT UP! Focus on the battle, dimwit! Ah. Sorry, me! Mhmm. Confirmed. Alright, nice. Everything already feels much lighter. What about my Skill Points? Could I access a shop or something? I mean, I know I was rushing myself before, but this roach seems to be waiting for me to make the first move after I dodged. Might as well gaslight it by getting into a cool fighting stance and stall for as much time as possible. And then I can use that stolen time to quickly do some last-second point allocation. Skill Points have to do something. I can¡¯t accept them being some useless, aesthetical feature. Maybe I had insufficient Skill Points before, so I was too broke to access the Skill Point menu¡­? I avert my eyes from the blue screen to the roach. Good, it still seems tense in wait. Allocate Skill Points! Pleeasee! Um, what? That¡¯s a lot to process. I quickly skim through, deciding on either [Run] or [Reparation]. [Run] makes me faster and increases my speed. That in itself is already pretty helpful. However, the only method of healing I have available to me right now is through levelling up. Which, as it suggests, isn¡¯t very reliable. Besides, [Run] is a skill I need to mentally activate. At the cost of stamina, while [Reparation] is for free. So yeah. [Reparation] seems waay more useful. [Reparation], please! Yeah. Sure. Besides, I¡¯m in a hurry. The roach seems to be running out of patience. Okay, you can come out now, battle mode! The roach finally runs out of patience. It makes the first move, charging at me head on at full force. I simply reciprocate the action and return the favour. We sprint at each other, with full killing intent. Once I get close enough to strike, I go straight for the roach¡¯s neck¡ªthe one place unprotected by its hard exoskeleton. I swing my sword forwards. But in the time it took for me to make that move, the roach had already sidestepped, shifting to my left in order to dodge my swing. It had its fangs outstretched, pointing straight at my torso. Unable to withdraw my sword and defend in time, I make the split decision to dodge. Rolling sideways and out of danger, I feel the electricity of the adrenaline burst into every single muscle in my body. Already, I can tell that this will be an intense fight. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The two of us are now distanced by a couple of metres. The roach rears up, beady eyes looking straight at me with undeterminable bloodlust. From what I can tell, this is probably going to be an even matchup. And this fight just got started. The roach charges towards me again, closing the distance in mere seconds. When I get inside its jumping range, the roach leaps forwards at me again, its jaw unhinging to form a perfect one-eighty degree vice. Lunging back , I try to stab at its exposed backside. But¡­ I stop for a moment, frozen in awe¡ªmy sword simply got reflected off the exoskeleton without making as much as a scratch. I go for the same shot again, but the slippery shell makes it hard to even get a direct hit in. This keeps on going for a few seconds. Eventually, I¡¯m forced to retreat again, my onslaught bearing no fruit. Seriously, what is up with this roach¡¯s armour? It¡¯s like trying to grab a ball covered in oil! The roach repositions itself. So do I. It¡¯s now or never. I can tell that the next exchange is about to get really serious. We dive towards each other in a similar fashion. Going for a full frontal attack, I charge at the roach, swinging my sword in a windmill pattern. I strike the roach on its exoskeleton again. However, instead of harmlessly sliding off, my sword makes a loud banging noise. The roach flinches backwards, aborting its attack as the echo reverberates through the battlefield. Interesting. So it seems that blunt attacks are more effective when dealing with the lubricated surface. However, the roach quickly repositions itself, and lunges towards me once again. Without time to prepare for the advance, I flail and fumble back in the nick of time as I feel cold fangs skim the skin on my torso. Hot blood trickles down from my wound. It isn¡¯t anything life-threatening, but it seems even after enhancing my speed stat, this overlevelled roach is still faster. Even if only by a tiny bit. From the prior interactions, I already get that this guy is no joke. First of all, it''s a much higher level. And hence, it should also have significantly higher stats. But that¡¯s not the only problem. The other thing is bothering me a lot more. Namely: the attack patterns of the roach. The other roaches would mindlessly charge towards me. Sure, this roach also mainly attacks by charging, but it has spatial awareness to some extent and positions itself properly. It even adds feints into its attacks to try to catch me off-guard. For instance, the roach feinted left before, but quickly swivelled to the right in an attempt to attack my unguarded side. Sure, I knew what was going on, but if roaches also get smarter as you climb up the scale, I might have quite a lot of troubles later on. Seriously, what?! Why is this guy way smarter than the other roaches¡­?! Alright. Calm down and start to consciously assess your surroundings. I can tell the roach is trying to bring me to a corner. It also knows it has the upper hand in this battle. Must be an instinct thing. And so, I do something that the roach doesn¡¯t expect. Instead of backing down despite the loud and intimidating clicking, I push forwards. Lunging, I catch the roach as it stands there unmoving¡ªstill processing my move. Having not expected the sudden advance, the roach slightly flinches and recoils as it recollects its thoughts. Unable to fully counter my blow, the roach goes for a kamikaze attack. (Un)gracefully gliding through the air, I put a lot of power into the next slash and strike at the roach¡¯s exoskeleton again. I would prefer going for the neck, but I would need a really precise shot to hit that part. My sword makes contact. But only a miniscule crack forms on the roach¡¯s exoskeleton. Certainly not enough damage to be worth the risky manoeuvre. I grimace, noticing the roach¡¯s own attack about to connect. I feel my body shake. Seconds later, my vision creates many duplicates as I get sent flying away. I skid backwards, before staggering up, using the wall as a support beam. I take the moment to recollect my directional bearings. Shit. Maybe I should have retreated into the corner. No. If I backed into a wall, I wouldn¡¯t be able to utilise my speed effectively, as I would only be able to move left and right¡ªnot backwards or forwards. I can¡¯t win this fight. Maybe I should just turn tail and start running again. Retreating might be the best possible option available to me right now. NO! I refuse to run. I have my own pride to live up to, after all. Running away doesn''t suffice. Not now, not never. I don¡¯t want to do something so cowardly. I want more. I want power and strength. No, I need it. To survive this dog-eat-dog situation of mine. And none of that can be achieved by fleeing whenever a single scale tips out of favour. I will not run away from this confrontation. No matter what. I sprint towards the roach and grab its antennas with my other hand. It tries to fight back, and bites down on the arm I used to grab it with. With an immense force. Up to 400 PSI. My arm begins to uncontrollably convulse and spasm, but I break past the pain. True to its word, the pain in my arm subsides slightly, making it slightly more bearable. Barely bearable, but still bearable. I grit my teeth to stop myself from letting out a pained groan. My right arm begins to go numb from the pain. And the roach is currently occupied, as it tries to tear my arm off its sockets with violent shakes. Perfect. With the roach solely focused on my arm, it has to contract its neck out in order to tug and pull with force. And I take the opportunity to strike at the unarmoured nape of its neck. My sword cracks the light and malleable exoskeleton permeating around its neck. The blue, gooey blood bursts out, and a fountain of otherworldly liquid erupts out like a burst volcano. The roach responds by immediately letting go of my arm. That same arm that just flops around lifelessly afterwards. I try to move it, but it seems my motor neurons don¡¯t agree with me. So, I¡¯ve lost control of my right hand. ¡­ Screw that¡­! [Reparation] can heal me later. Right now, I have to push past my temporarily crippled state and kill this roach! Once again, the roach and I are mere metres apart. It glares at me. I return the gaze. It snarls. I grunt. And we both come running towards each other at full speed, killing intent so solidified that it could cause an entire room of people to waver. This time, the roach doesn¡¯t even use its back two legs to steer and feint. It just rushes in a straight line. Predictable. But I¡¯m not fast enough to make a counterattack. All I can do is hope I get the first hit. The roach leaps at me, its jaws outstretched. I can see smaller sets of teeth lined beneath the large fangs. And the thick stench of blood eludes from its mouth. What a malodour. Time seems to stop. No¡ªnot stop. Just slow down at such a rate that any changes around me are difficult to make out. I yell. Though, the yell really just sounds like the groan of an old man since everything is slowed down. I watch as the grip of my blade begins to change, though rather lagged. Everything is moving at a pretty leisurely pace, after all. I opt to reeling it in as I hold it like a spear. And then, everything returns to the state of normal. I smirk. The roach¡¯s eyes go wide in fear. Its pupils dilate as it stares in shock. The roach breaks into a cold sweat. Good game, well played. Half a second passes, before I hear a satisfying crunch. I had pierced my sword right into the roach¡¯s mouth¡ªthe most unprotected area. I mean, it was asking for the stab when it opened its mouth so widely! And that named sword is now jutting out from behind the roach¡¯s head. And¡­ Ew. Is that brain matter leaking out? Yuck. The voice rings soundlessly within my head. I feel my arm twist back in place with a gnarly snap. All my cuts close, and clotted blood begins to pool out. Quite a¡­ disturbing approach to recovery, honestly. Well, at least most of my wounds got mended back together. There¡¯s still the occasional scratch and tear, but I¡¯ll leave those for [Reparation] to deal with. Afterwards, I leisurely take my time to carve out some basic (yet decent) looking daggers using the sharp point at the front of the roach¡¯s legs, before dumping them into my inventory. [Appraisal] results show that they¡¯re weaker than my current sword, so I won¡¯t be using them until I manage to get my hands on a better pair of daggers. Besides, there¡¯s no such thing as over-preparation, right? Making some backup weapons won¡¯t do any harm after all. Better safe than sorry. Having defeated the steroid roach, I bask in the sunlight of glory. That roach sure was no joke! Really, I¡¯d say the two of us were pretty evenly matched, with the scales ever-so-slightly tilted in favour of the roach. I sure am glad I caught it off guard with the direct spearing, or I probably wouldn¡¯t have won. My moment of peace is, however, cut abruptly short as another roach stumbles upon the scene. SERIOUSLY?! Are you kidding me or what? This is one fight after the other at this point. And¡­ this guy is rank D. Which means, at minimum the same strength as a level 25 rank F if you factor my prior assumptions into the equation. This guy even has a class and all! Well¡­ Yeah, sure. If I can kill this guy, I¡¯m guaranteed at least one or two levels. It really comes down to whether I win or not¡­ Er¡­ ¡­Hellooo~? Has the roach not noticed me yet¡­?! Wait¡­ why does it look¡­ weakened. I mean, it¡¯s covered in a bunch of cuts and other wounds¡­ Well¡­Third party time? Chapter 10: A Chat With a Mage

Chapter 10: A Chat With a Mage

Ray I divulge in discussion with the mage for a while. His name is Kequak¡ªone of five Court Mages and King Braiher¡¯s trusted aide. I have also come to realize that the names of this world are¡­ rather odd sounding. However, the reason behind this is perfectly understandable. You see, I was reincarnated into this world through an advanced summoning spell. My soul was essentially pulled out of limbo. Once extracted, my soul would take the shape of the previous vessel it had inhabited and materialise from the spiritual to physical plane. To be honest, the lengthy explanation above that Kequak gave me had borne no fruit. I¡¯m still confused on the specifics, and not sure why Kequak found the explanation necessary. Back on track: once I got reincarnated into this world, I automatically met the conditions to gain the [Hero] title¡ªa rare title only accessible through the summoning spell discreetly taught to Court Mages, and only Court Mages. Along with the [Hero] title, I got gifted the extra skill, [Auto Translation]¡ªa skill that removes any language barriers, as everything I hear or see gets filtered directly into Japanese. Reversely, anything I say is translated into the language most familiar to the hearer. Being the ¡®common tongue¡¯ in this case. Due to the nature of this translating effect, names and such would seem rather¡­ out of the ordinary. As they cannot be directly translated into Japanese, these names are instead converted phonetically. This is also why Kequak¡¯s words do not sync with the movement of his mouth¡ª[Auto Translation] does not change the movement of the tongue to form sounds, nor does the skill affect the reverberation of sound waves. Allegedly, the skill simply changes the way my brain processes such related sounds. Although, that in itself, is rather impressive. For a skill to casually alter the way the mind interprets select vibrations is¡­ simply breathtaking. ¡°Ray, I am aware that you have only been here for a trivial amount of time. A day and a half, was it?¡± questions Kequak, his words cutting my trance short. I give him a courteous nod. Satisfied with my response, Kequak continues. ¡°Ho-ho-ho! Yes, it seems I was correct. It has been less than two days since I summoned you here. I would advocate for you to learn more about this world and our society before you step into public grounds. Most customs similarly resemble that of ¡®Earth,¡¯ but it would be better to be safe than sorry. You see, although you probably don¡¯t fully understand the situation, you are a beacon of hope to the people. Once the [Heroes] are officially revealed to the public eye, you will be under heavy scrutiny. It would be best to maintain an agreeable reputation.¡± I see¡­ I had not considered what Kequak just noted, but I understand his point. I wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally disrespect someone out of ignorance. That would reflect badly on the King, since I am essentially a representative of the kingdom whether I like it or not. Besides, having beta knowledge of world history and such would be helpful. However, one main part of his explanation catches my attention. Specifically, Kequak said [Heroes]¡ªplural. Having collected my thoughts, I decide to insert the question in later. I start. ¡°Well then, Kequak, is there any knowledge I should prioritise?¡± Kequak raises an eyebrow and looks at me in amusement. ¡°Unfortunately, dear Ray, I do believe I am qualified to teach you such things. I¡¯m a mage, not a teacher! Ho-ho-ho! If you want some information to enlighten you, I suggest you try the royal library.¡± With a wave of his finger and a light chant, the quill pen resting on the tea table suddenly spins to life. It quickly scribbles some foreign runes on a piece of paper, before returning to its unmoving state. Kequak hands me the paper. ¡°A list of books I personally recommend.¡± I take the sheet from his hand. Looking at it, the runes suddenly blur. Once the paper stops blurring, the words transform into Japanese. To be honest, the slight delay makes things a bit confusing . Luckily, there seems to be no lag with sound, only with text. I would thank him, but some other thoughts probe in my head. ¡°An animation spell¡­?,¡± I muse, baffled by the sight. ¡°Ho-ho-ho! Oh, Heavens no! No, unlike your world where magic is specific, the spells here are far more vague and can be altered to liking,¡± chuckles Kequak, clearly amused. ¡°I used [Wind Magic] to create currents, levitating the pen midair before controlling those air currents to move the pen in a formation suitable for writing.¡± ¡°That seems¡­ a lot more complicated,¡± I comment. It seems that spells act less like spells, and more like¡­ with lack of a better term, freestyle commands¡­? ¡­Spells are a lot more simplistic than I imagined. No¡ªnot spells¡ªbut magic. After some quick debriefing, I think I understand magic to some extent. In Skyl, Wind Magic was broken into several sub-spells such as Gust Cannon, Typhoon, and so on. Here, [Wind Magic] has no such restrictions and limitations. [Wind Magic] lets you create and control wind. Simple. Thus, spells such as Gust Cannon are possible, but [Wind Magic] is open to a lot more variety. For example, I could control the wind to lift me up and levitate me for fraudulent flight. I say so, because I can infer from Kequak that magic is still limited by an individual''s mana capacities. The higher one¡¯s mana stat, the more variety one has access to, or so Kequak says. But now, I have something much more pressing to ask. ¡°Kequak, there are other reincarnations, right?¡± I suddenly blurt out the question, unable to contain my curiosity. After all, Kequak had mentioned the word ¡®hero,¡¯ as a plural. And now, he has demonstrated at least some knowledge about Earth. Kequak responds with a nod of affirmation, and I notice a subtle grin twitch into place. ¡°Ho-ho, perceptive aren¡¯t we? Young Ray, you are correct. You are not the first visitor from Earth. Out of the five major human kingdoms, you were the fourth [Hero] to be summoned.¡± He takes a deep breath, before continuing. ¡°No major conflict has broken out yet; only some minor brawls in towns adjacent to the borders. However, a major war is predicted to explode in a few years. This information is reliable, I can assure you. Madam Kolina, a famous oracle with [Future Prediction]¡ªthe higher class of [Future Insight]¡ªhas seen the outbreak in her visions. Vividly, I might add. Usually, her visions are blurry past a week. To have such accurate insight years in the future is¡­ unnerving. Although this has not been revealed publicly yet, it has caused distress upon many a King. And so, the other major kingdoms have decided to summon their own respective [Heroes]. I can arrange for the four of you to meet later if you wish.¡± My eyes light up in anticipation. ¡°Yes! Yes please, Kequak! When can the appointment be scheduled?!¡± ¡°Soon, Ray. However, you must be patient. There is still much to learn¡ªthe royal library can be found near the King¡¯s garden. But for now, I will tell you about the perks of the [Hero] title.¡± That makes sense. I had gotten too caught up in the moment to think rationally. From what Kequak said, I can tell that I am the second last¡ªor fourth¡ª[Hero] to be summoned. The others might have gotten an early head start. I should understand my situation, my powers, and my role in this world before I can proceed. ¡°First, you have the [Hero] title. The fact that we can communicate despite a language barrier is clear evidence of that. However, there are many other benefits to this title. First of all, this title allows for the doubling of progress. Your Combat Points and Skill Points will automatically be increased twofold per level up, and you will gain proficiency and experience at twice the pace of a normal man. Combat Points can be used to increase your base stats, while Skill Points can be used to purchase Skills in the Skill Shop.¡± Kequak stops for a moment, allowing me to process the information given to me. After a minute, he carries on. ¡°The title also gifts you three additional Extra Skills¡ª[Auto Translation], a heavenly virtue skill most suited to you, and a unique, unprecedented reincarnation skill special to each individual. You will also be given a set of S ranked items.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I stare at Kequak in utter disbelief. ¡°¡­All of that, just for me¡­?¡± I doubtfully question, shuffling my feet in response. Kequak merely shrugs it off, stating that he didn¡¯t pay for any of it, and that it was simply the effects of the [Hero] title. Of course, his explanation was accompanied by his Ho-ho-ho! chuckle. Even so, I still give him my thanks as a sign of respect. ¡°Here, check your status with this pendant. It has a special ability that allows the user to use the [Inspect] skill,¡± explains Kequak, as he tosses me a necklace with a small stone tinted with light shades of purple. ¡°Now, I should explain what [Inspect] can do. The skill allows the user to see their own status along with the status of items. Nothing more. Only you, and items within the field of vision. Please remember that.¡± I bob my head alongside his explanation. ¡°Oh, right. You can keep it if you want.¡± He leans outwards, and passes the amulet to me. ¡°Thank you so much, Sir!¡± ¡°Ho-ho-ho! No problem, Young Ray. Being the kingdoms [Hero], you are essentially royalty.¡± Kequak, once again, brushes my thanks aside. He says I should focus on what¡¯s in front of me right now. Metaphorically, of course. Listening to Kequaks orders, I strain my head while constantly thinking ¡®[Inspect]¡¯. True to his word, I get a sudden flow of information. I take a moment to take all of it in. After reading the results aloud to Kequak, he gives another approving nod. Further following his instructions, I then [Inspect] the two unknown skills. <[Second Wind] (active): Ray Tanaka can instantly recover any damage done in the past three seconds at the cost of a large sum of mana. Mana cost will scale along with recovered damage. [Worthiness] (active): Sacrifice half of maximum health to gain a massive temporary boost in all stats.> These skills seem immensely powerful, and I can foresee a powerful combo with [Second Wind] and [Worthiness]. I assume that [Second Wind] is my personal skill while [Worthiness] is my Miracle Human skill. Firstly, [Second Wind] is directed at me. My name is explicitly in the skill name, from which I can infer that it is a skill only I have. And I presume [Worthiness] is derived from one of the seven heavenly virtues. Which, as the title name suggests, is humility. After all, that suits me, doesn''t it? I have accepted my weakness and learned to live with it. I glance at Kequak and see that he is there sitting patiently while sipping a cup of tea. Its gold outline and marble coating resembles one of many antique tea sets in my grandmother''s kitchen. He notices my glance, places his cup of tea down, and gets ready to leave the room. "Young Ray, it seems you have a lot to discover. I shall leave you to your own devices and allow you to learn yourself. If you wish to meet me, I will be in the royal study." "See you later and thank you so much for helping me." "No need to thank me. It is my duty as Court Mage to assist you in finding yourself and understanding this world." With thanks, he leaves, the door quietly snicking behind him. I see a note on the table adjacent to the list of books he had suggested. I take a double-take, surprised that Kequak managed to create the list without me noticing. It has an array of commands and what to do. I test out the first one. ¡°Open inventory¡± With gleeful eyes, I [Inspect] my items. W-wow¡­. It seems there is no end to my astonishment. Every corner I turn, I get more and more shocked simply by the sheer amount gifted to me. According to the note, if I tap on the icon corresponding to the item, it automatically equips. I tap all four items and fully deck out before checking my status with [Inspect]. Interesting. It seems all my base stats were significantly increased due to the effects of the equipped items. I don¡¯t know about the norm in this world, but I feel like these stats are far above average. Next, I go to the royal library to learn more about this world. Sitting in the children¡¯s section, I awkwardly glanced around both sides through my peripheral vision before quickly swiping some picture books. I admit it¡ªI am new to this world, and do not know much. For people who were born here, my knowledge is probably preschool content. In fact, these picture books contain a lot of information. After reading some and getting confident that [Auto Translation] works, I start searching for the books Kequak had suggested. Half an hour of fruitlessly searching the library passes, and I resort to asking the librarian for help. Eventually, I return to my temporary room (it seems King Braiher is currently finding a house for me) with a stack of books, I begin opening them and reading the contents inside.
I close the book and delve deeper into my mind to create a mental summary. Classes are permanent, meaning that I must choose wisely before I select one. Furthermore, you can level up by killing monsters. With every level up, you get 20 skill points and 5 Combat Points, as well as a +1 to every stat. For me, I get 40 skill points and 10 Combat Points, along with a +2 to all stats. Skill points can be used to purchase skills. The price of skills widely vary depending on the rarity of the skill, and your affinity with it. For example, a swordsman could buy a sword related skill such as [Swordsmanship] for a cheap price, but a magic skill of the same rarity would cost more since most physical attackers lack power in the magical area. Combat Points can be used to increase the base power of any stat. Self-explanatory. And finally, the ranks. An individual can be either one of five ranks: rank F, rank D, rank C, rank B or rank A. These ranks have been integrated into the Adventurer¡¯s Guilds ranking system. However, instead of using letters for scales, the Guild has opted to ¡®badges¡¯, and an individual can be either one of five badges: Bronze badge, Silver badge, Gold badge, Diamond badge or the legendary Mithril badge. Below are the average stats of each rank. Rank F: 1 - 50 Bronze (D): 100 - 749 Silver (C): 750 - 1,499 Gold (B): 1,500 - 2,999 Diamond (A): 3,000 - 4,999 Mithril (S): 5,000 - 9,999 However, rank S does not exist. One cannot be born rank S, and is therefore unattainable on the status screen. The rank of S is only accessible for weapons and gear. It is possible, though, for an individual to be born with a stat of 4,999. Afterwards, a simple level-up would push them to the theoretical rank S. This is all theoretical, you see, because one cannot ¡®rank¡¯ up. The rank you have on your status will be there permanently. Even if a rank F somehow managed to get to stats of 100, they would still be rank F. Just rank D theoretically. As I said before, a technical ¡®rank up'' is impossible. Only theoretical ¡®rank ups'' are possible. The Guild simply made the ¡®Mithril badge¡¯ since their ranking system is, as mentioned, merely theoretical. Because of the Guild¡¯s use of an alternate ranking system where a person may ¡®rank up¡¯, or in this case, ¡®climb a badge¡¯, their ranking system has been widely popularised and is used even in common speech. A rank F is almost certainly guaranteed to never attain a Bronze badge due to the 50 stat gap. They are denied access to joining the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The reasoning for this is actually pretty simple. You see, one only increases each stat by 1 every level-up. And since the required experience for levelling is cumulative, it is actually very hard, if not impossible to power level and drastically increase the stats allocated to you at birth. According to the book, an average adventurer only climbs 30 or so levels before retirement, after all. Because of the near unfeasible possibility of pushing past and climbing a rank, rank F¡¯s are not allowed to join the Guild in order to minimise the casualties. They are the weakest of the weak. Oh, right. And this badge system was created by the great hero,¡ª¡®Hero King¡¯ Lam. Hero King Lam was a resident of this world, and did not have the [Hero] title. However, his accomplishments still made him worthy of a title such as Hero King. Having sparked my interest, I file through the pile of books searching for books mentioning this great hero. Chapter 11: Knowledge is Power!!

Chapter 11: Knowledge is Power!!

Rena The voice of the system mindlessly chants in my head. Not long after, many tears begin to close up. Coagulated blood softens before getting washed away, and the contaminated blood in my system pools out before another scab forms almost instantly, peeling off to reveal a clean layer of skin underneath. Holy crap! What just happened?! Not just the healing process, but also the battle I just fought. Sure, the Soldier Roach was totally already beat up, but it still fought¡­ almost scarily well. I¡¯m even surprised I won that. The Soldier Roach was significantly more powerful than the level 23, even in its weakened state. Since it was so strong, the whole battle was quite a blur. I was so focused and there was so much adrenaline pumping through my veins that I wasn¡¯t even thinking at all. In fact, there wasn¡¯t any time to fight at all! I fought purely on instinct. I mean, the Soldier Roach had its own species and even a class. Not to mention, the battle techniques it used were even more complicated than the moves the level 23 pulled off! The level 23 had feints. The Soldier Roach? Yeesh, don¡¯t even get me started! It had its own personal agenda of fighting moves and stuff like that. Most notably, the roach was using its prickly legs to fight as well. It was swinging the two front legs around like a maniac, and I couldn¡¯t even get close enough half the time! I would¡¯ve certainly died if the Soldier Roach wasn¡¯t already injured. In fact, why did it look beat up? Was there a brawl or something? Well, either way, I managed to make it out alive with a huge haul. No point overlooking the past! Instead, let¡¯s focus on the immediate future. Why? Because I just levelled up and got a truck load of Combat Points, that¡¯s why! Oh yeah, allocation time! <10 Combat Points Health: 17 Mana: 10 Damage: 23 Defence: 16 Speed: 27 Which attributes do you wish to increase?> Hmm... My mana and defence are comparatively low, but if I wanna survive this, I feel like I have to focus on improving my strengths rather than trying to fix my weaknesses. Being some half-assed all rounder won¡¯t let me make the cut. So... speed...? And maybe some damage? But my health is actually quite low as well. For some reason, my speed and damage increase more per level-up than health, so maybe I should start pouring more Combat Points into that for a bit more balancing. Yeah, that seems about right. Wait... should I put even more into health? I mean, I take a lot of damage during my battles. In all of the fights where I come out on top as an underdog, I always sustain massive injuries everywhere. What is with these roaches and ripping my arms?! I''m sure that isn''t good for my health. In fact, the only way I reliably heal up right now is through level-ups. But levelling up seems to be getting a bit slower. Maybe it¡¯s cumulative? If so, levelling heals won¡¯t be as reliable further one. I haven''t put [Reparation] to use yet, and since it¡¯s pretty low levelled, I don¡¯t exactly wanna go around taking damage and healing at an impervious slow pace with [Reparation]. Which means... Yeah. I''m not entirely confident this is the best choice, but I¡¯ll still do it Well, I¡¯ll be damned! Although it was only a few days ago, it feels like ages since I had stats averaging at 3! Seriously, the dopamine I get after allocating my Combat Points always hits HARD! Although, I still get this feverish feeling that although I¡¯ve gotten relatively stronger, I¡¯m still weak in the big picture. I mean, the Soldier Roach was rank D, yet it was still tons stronger than the level 23 roach. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Maybe you have to get to level 50 or something before ¡®upgrading¡¯ a rank? ¡­ .. . Uughh, increasing my rank is gonna be so painful if that''s the case! My gear is all ranked F, just like me! And before my very recent power-levelling session, most of my loot outranked my stat-wise. Yeesh, talk about getting handed the short hand of the stick. Forget about big fish and small ponds, I¡¯m probably none lesser than the sorriest sea slug in the ocean¡­ The only area where I outrank these roaches is probably in smarts. Like, they¡¯re all brawn, no brain? But even then, I don¡¯t think I would have beaten so many enemies out of my league. So something must have played a considerable role in helping me beat foes substantially stronger than me. Now, the question is, what helped me win all those battles? The only thing that really comes to mind are skills. Like, how much extra damage does [Stab] give to me? Arrggg!! If only I had some way to [Appraise] it¡­ Yeah, I know [Stab] gives me bonus damage. But HOW much bonus damage? Information like this would come in handy. An [Appraisal] shows this: <[Stab] (passive): A skill that increases damage from attacks with a piercing attribute. Bonus damage increases as skill levels up> But it doesn¡¯t mention how much increased damage I get, or at what rate the bonus damage increases as the skill levels up. In fact, none of these [Appraisal] results give me hard, concrete numbers! What is up with that? Who knows¡­ The only time I get solid numbers are when I [Appraise]... well, physical things. Like myself, or my sword. Take this for example. I get a number¡ªmy level. But I want to know more! Like, what does ¡®Unique Demon¡¯ and ¡®Base: Human¡¯ mean? Someone tell me! I really, really wanna knowwww¡­. Er¡­ I feel like I¡¯m accidentally unravelling something very deep right now. I mean, there¡¯s an uncanny amount of lore in this. Way, waay too much lore! In fact, this [Appraisal] result seriously answers less questions than the amount created! And, [Appraisal] does not do that! In fact, I¡¯ve even scouted two key terms: [Demon Lord] and [Hero]. What does it mean by a ¡®failed byproduct¡¯ though? ¡­I¡¯ll be sure to do some more research on that later. Moving on, I discovered something else wicked just then! Back-to-back [Appraisal]! If I [Appraise] something, I can also [Appraise] the information given to me from that [Appraisal]! Wahahaha! Finally, at last! I have attained godhood! Wahahahahaha!!!! Sorry, I got caught up in the moment. Well, since I can do double [Appraisals], I might as well get to the roots of this right now. <[Hero]: True and virtuous souls rumoured to be summoned from another world in times where darkness is said to overtake. [Hero] (title): Upon receiving this title, the user is gifted a skill based on the closest corresponding virtue (Mercy, Charity, Perseverance, Humility, Temperance, Diligence, Chastity), as well as a skill unique to the individual. All passive progression will also be doubled as an aftereffect.> Huh. So this ''[Hero]'' is essentially another reincarnation, just like me? But unlike me, I guess they''re going around playing Hero or whatev - wait¡­ playing [HERO]? Didn''t I get some [Hero] thing revoked from me not too long ago? So¡­ because of my bad, (slightly) sociopathic personality and not having the power of friendship, I get thrown away and turn from a ¡®[Hero]'' to a freaking ''Demon''? WHAT THE HECK? Sure, I don''t care at all about saving people, but those bonuses would be all worthwhile! I''d go around playing [Hero] if I could get such awesome benefits! Yeah! And then I would force the townspeople to pay for my services and get rich! And with a good reputation, I could also easily start a pyramid scheme for that cash! ¡­You got a problem? Geez, this really pisses me off. I guess I''ll pry deeper into this and hopefully distract myself. Next up, I can back-to-back [Appraise] [Demon Lords], right? Yeesh, having two bracketed terms next to each other sure makes it look yucky and unappealing. <[Demon Lord] (title): For the truly villainous. Upon getting the [Demon Lord] title, a skill that corresponds with the user''s closest sin (Greed, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, Envy or Pride) will be allocated. Those with this skill are said to have fated to become [Demon Lords]. [Demon Lord]: One of seven supreme rulers of Demonic territory.> Huh? Am I going to become a queen of something? Nooooo, I hate, hate, hate politics! I don¡¯t wanna rule over people!!! Well, a Unique Demon is essentially a reincarnate with the [Demon Lord] title, right? Which means I DO have some super-secret, stupidly overpowered seven-deadly sin skill right? Oh yah! I''m all pumped up now! I''m gonna become absolutely broken! Hahah! Roaches, do your worst! Nothing can get past me now! ... Which sin am I allocated in though? Personally, I think I would either be Sloth, Pride or Greed. But I feel like I might be tied up with Wrath. I mean, I kind of always lost it when fighting these pesky roaches. Like, I attack them like madmen now. It¡¯s their fault, though! Those clowns should have let me be and leave me alone instead of attacking me! I don''t really seem like the type to hold a grudge anyway. I''m not the hateful type¡­ ...Well, at least I hope I''m not. What is my hidden sin skill, then? Maybe I can''t explain the way my stats grow because of my hidden skill? I mean, usually there must be some sort of algorithm for how stats grow per level-up, right? But my stats increase at random intervals, and I don¡¯t see any pattern present. Nothing Sloth based can explain this. A Sloth related skill would probably exponentially increase my passive regeneration or something. Pride-based skills? I don''t see how pride will let my stats grow faster. Something Pride-based would make me immune to debuffs, I think? You know, since I¡¯ll be so much of an egomaniac that I can¡¯t tell when someone¡¯s trying to shoot a debuff spell my way or whatever. Which nails it down to Greed. I can totally see me stealing my enemies stats once killing them with a Greed based skill. Greed is all about taking things from others and wanting more! Hmmm¡­ But couldn''t Gluttony also have the ability to steal stats? Like, you ''eat'' them, not just metaphorically, but literally¡­ you consume and steal their stats. Ew. Now I¡¯m imagining eating a raw roach corpse¡­ Why do I feel something rising up my throat?! Urp. No no no no, go back down, go back down!! ¡­ Phew, almost had me there. I HATE you, stupid imagination! Well, back to the topic, I''m not a glutton¡ªfood was never a priority¡ªso my [Demon Lord] title probably gave me a Greed related skill. Does that mean that every time I fight and kill, I get stronger? That probably explains my rapid growth. In just a few days, my stats have taken massive leaps beyond cognitive recognition! So, for now, I¡¯m assuming that my skill is Greed or something, and that it lets me steal stats after getting kills. If so, I guess I should go around attacking roaches as much as possible to rack up a bunch of power? I mean, either way, I¡¯m going to be fighting a lot of roaches from now on. Even if my skill isn¡¯t what I think it is, fighting and levelling up is a necessity either way. So far, Combat Points have been a huge help to me! Before, I just kind of waddled around hoping to find lone roaches, but maybe I should go back to that massive roach nest and pick off a few weaker roaches one by one? Ah¡ªcrap. I got too distracted by my thoughts again. I do spend way too much time contemplating, huh? Well, [Demon Lords] and [Heroes] are basically fated to go and fight each other at some point, right? Sure, it¡¯s pretty clich¨¦, but the only reason it''s such a common stereotype is because the matchup, well¡­, works pretty effectively. Besides, the over-excessive lore is seriously hinting at some sort of eventual battle between these two sides! And since my species is Unique Demon, I¡¯m also bound by fate to fight some [Hero]. I didn¡¯t even get to choose a side¡­ Oh well, even if I could choose, I¡¯d probably go with the [Demon Lords]. No take-backs. I mean, villains have way better backstories. So some guy¡¯s donut gets stolen, and he goes on a mission to kill every person and wipe humanity off the face of Earth. Tons cooler than some guy who finds a donut on the floor and goes on a mission to give everyone a donut. Well even so, personal preferences aside, I still couldn¡¯t give one or two damns about what other people think of me. I mean, my outward appearance gives cool, serious vibes. And I try to publicly act that way. It helps that my face is naturally¡­ pensive. If going with [Demon Lords] will make me stronger, than sure, I¡¯ll choose that path. Just hopefully no politics and kingdom-ruling stuff. I hate politics. Did I mention that? That aside, I¡¯ve confirmed that I¡¯m actually just a subspecies of demons, yet I look exactly like I did before I died; a human form. So demons and humans actually look identical. Maybe demons also act like humans? For all I know, demons might not even be that bad! Chapter 12: Pest Control…

Chapter 12: Pest Control¡­

Rena I was pretty busy [Appraising] everything, and I totally forgot about the Soldier Roach corpse that was beside me. Well, since the corpse is just lying there and practically begging to get made into a weapon, I might as well honour the roach¡¯s dying wish. It should be of much better quality than the corpses I rummaged before. I mean, sure, the corpse of this roach is also F, but the roach itself was on a league at least two levels higher. Inspecting the roach, I yank off all the remaining legs. Hmm¡­ the two front legs end in these long, sharp bits. I definitely see weapon potential. A bit of crafting and cutting here and there, and I¡¯ll be able to make out the shape of our favourite weapon; daggers! I guess these would be...long daggers? Just normal daggers, but with around double the range. Yeah. I want those. Using my sword in hand, I carefully dislocate those two sharp bits from the rest of the leg, before fine-tuning them a bit. I use the impenetrable stone wall as some sort of cutting tool, and chip off bits of the exoskeleton here and there to get a sharper edge. After doing that for a while, I cut off the roaches'' two antennas and measure a good length, before wrapping them around the long-dagger-scythes, making a pretty comfortable grip. Looking proudly at my makeshift long bladed daggers, I [Appraise] them. Whoaa¡­ ...My craftsmanship was so good that I made a legit, bona-fine weapon?!?! I mean, the system itself recognises it as a pair of ¡®daggers¡¯, not ¡®Soldier Cockroach longer pointy leg part¡¯ or whatever else. Hell yeah! FORTY FIVE FREAKING DAMAGE! These daggers are overpowered as heck! I guess these are the rewards I should savour for beating an enemy that I shouldn''t have been able to defeat. I admit, it was a stroke of luck, but still managed to kill a rank D monster! I return to the corpse to see what else I can salvage, but after taking a single glance at it¡­ I don''t want to go near that horrid thing. A pile of blood, pus and froth formed a large puddle over there, you know? No way am I touching that shit. With weapons like this, I''d say I have the right to get cocky and all egocentric! I guess I¡¯ll head straight to the nest and cause a mass genocide! Here comes the bug exterminator! Watch out, little roaches!
So, remember how I got swarmed before? Turns out that crater was a breeding ground or something, because as soon as I went past it, I got flanked by a bunch of roaches¡­ again. Sure, I mentioned farming there for a bit, but the thing is, I wanna actually get past the crater and see what''s on the other side of the path! I feel like I¡¯ve been getting swarmed a lot lately. In fact, I¡¯m getting a very strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu right now. Right after seeing the swarm start screeching incoherent things, my muscle memory just kicks in, and I dash away as fast as my legs will carry me, but¡­ the roaches. Why are they so¡­ so slow? Last time I got too close to the nest and got chased away, I swear these roaches were way faster than they are now! The anticlimactic ending to my adrenaline anticipation sort of kicks in, and I just halt instantly, before turning to face my backside¡­ Yeeah, those level 1 rank F roaches are really lagging behind. I guess Combat Points and levelling really do make the world. I guess I¡¯ll be able to put up a pretty decent fight, huh? Well, I guess I¡¯ll face these roaches head-on. A roach lunges at me. Reflexively, I bring up a dagger to cut the approaching roach. And my attack kills it instantly. My dagger literally glides through the roach, having no concern whatsoever about the hard exoskeleton. That too, gets sliced like butter. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± The roaches stare deeply at my eyes, frozen in both awe and fear. While I do nothing but simply return the undying gaze. These roaches certainly have some level of sentience, since they clearly recognise me as that weakling from before. Perhaps they were with the original few thousands that broke off from the group. D¡¯oh! This is the perfect chance to utilise my Greed based skill (if I have one). Unlike last time, the roles of hunter and hunted have obviously been reversed. No longer, am I the mouse. No, I¡¯ve become the eagle circling from above! Wahahaha, is this what they mean by walking along the palm of the gods?! Oops. The roaches have broken away from their initial state of stagnant, frozen shock, and are starting to run away, having been obviously outranked. Not happening. Come back here, juicy meat-bags of experience! Even if they hastily scuttle away, I can easily catch up. After all, Speed is the stat I specialise in. I run up to one of the roaches, before jumping ahead of it. The roach panicky tries to halt, but it fails to totally negate its accumulated momentum, and comes slowly skidding towards me with nothing but the shadow of fear rearing through its shiny, glimmering eyes. Aaaand, CRUNCH! Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Once again, my dagger glides through the roach¡¯s opaque outer shell like paper. Okay, two down. Eleven left to go. SHINGGG! CRUNCH! Skill [Stab Lv5] has become [Stab Lv6]> Oooh, Nice! Whenever I smack the roaches with the flat side of my dagger, I always get this satisfying crunching sound. Maybe because the roaches all have these crispy exoskeletons? I mean, right now, it kind of feels like I¡¯m just scouting out a leaf with the most crunch-potential rather than killing a bunch of mutant roaches. Well, since stabbing and slicing are my most effective methods of attack, another level-up is actually pretty nice. Wahahaha! Come back! Weaklings! CRUNCH!! Shunk. CRUNCH!! SHIING!! I loll off the head of another roach while admiring how light my new blade is. Having killed four, there are only nine roaches left. With minimal effort, I off three more roaches with practised ease¡ªa series of consecutive stabbing and slashing at concentrated areas. To be honest, I feel¡­ kind of¡­ bad doing all of this. It takes quite a bit of imagination to envision it, but I see myself brutally cutting down a bunch of children screaming in terror. I may be morally degraded, but I¡¯m not going to stoop that low, no matter what! The only reason I¡¯m continuing is because it only takes a little thought to realise that these roaches are nothing close to human children. Besides, it was the roaches who first came to seek me out! They thought I was still weak like before, and believed I was an easy target. So, whose fault is it now, huh?! These roaches deserve this ruthless killing! Who likes roaches anyways? Never mind giant, tiger sized versions! And even before that, I got swarmed by a bunch of rabid chihuahuas! Monsters like those clearly don¡¯t even have a single shred of humanity floating aloft in their veins. It¡¯ll only make sense to reciprocate, right? Why should I hold back and refrain from killing these bugs if they attacked me first? Y-yeah! This is just self defense! Eventually, only a single, lone roach remains. It looks at me with dread in its eyes. Can this roach even perceive the emotion ¡®dread¡¯, or is it just its instincts talking? Well either way, it¡¯s clearly in a reclusive state of fear. The corpses of its companions lay around it, limp. The roach tries to retreat, but it hits a wall. It frantically scrapes at the wall to no avail. Aw man, now I feel really bad about doing this. If the roach just turned towards me and started attacking, I would just kill it without a moment''s worth of hesitation. But now? ¡­I - I kind of want to spare the roach. Ugh, this feels so wrong!¡ªboth options, that is¡ªkilling the roach would make me feel bad, but at the same time, letting free XP run away also feels like a total waste. Bah! I can¡¯t make the decision myself! Okay, fine. I¡¯ll resort to underhand techniques to make a choice. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but I¡¯ll have to do the forbidden¡­ ¡­ ¡­Eeny, meeny, miny, moe Catch a tiger by the to¨C What¡­?! You got a problem with me? Huh¡­? ¡­ ¡­If he hollers let him go¡­ ¡°...Okay, you live.¡± Well, would you look at that! Someone got lucky! I start walking backwards while still facing the roach, while trying to put emphasis on my footsteps. It looks at me with a stupified and baffled expression. Maybe exasperation? Nah, no way would it be feeling exasperated. After marching a reasonable distance away so the roach feels safe (or whatever the zoo people do it for), I turn my back to the roach and begin to walk away. As soon as I turn around, I hear the roach frantically scrambling away. And the steps seem to be¡­ ¡­Getting closer¡­? I quickly pivot my head, and see the roach in the middle of a leaping position, its jaws half unhinged. I stare at the roach in irritation. The roach stares back with the expression of a dead man. Seriously? I let this guy live, and the second I turn the other way, it comes running towards me with killing intent? ¡­ Okay, now I¡¯m actually really pissed. In a single swing, I slice the roach to death without even leaving a comment or remark. I guess a monster will always be a monster, huh? Alright. From now on, these roaches are getting no mercy. ¡­To be honest, that battle was kind of¡­ too anticlimactic for my liking. I mean, I killed those roaches way too easily! Like, one cut is all it takes. Although I do suppose that should be expected since the stat gap was pretty large. Not to mention, I got a new pair of weapons and all. That was quite the let down¡­ The only way I can check my stats is after I get Combat Points, so I¡¯m not exactly in the prime position to check how much power I stole from those bugs. I guess if I just saved one Combat Point at all times, then I would be able to continually check my stats whenever I want to by cancelling the Point usage after it shows my stats. Although, I¡¯m here to survive. This isn¡¯t some nice and cozy five star vacation and all¡ªeven a single Compat Point could mean the whole entire world to me. If this were some single-player game, I could just simply save the game and retreat to the previous save file if things went wrong¡­ But, this ain¡¯t no game. I take back what I said before when I was eccentric about my reincarnation. This isn¡¯t something I can take lightly¡ªmy life is on the line. I¡¯ll do what it takes to survive. I will grow strong. And then, only then, once I become unrivaled in power, will I take the leisure to relax. Okay, maybe not the last part¡­ Clap! I clap my hands together, breaking the ominous mood that was starting to brew up, and take a deep breath. All super shady and negative stuff aside, I think that I''ve found a way to get stronger faster. I can utilise that crater-like nest and farm levels off the weak, newborn roaches. Once I get strong enough, I¡¯ll try clearing the nest and continue down the broken path to see what¡¯s ahead. Seriously though, getting such a free monster spawner right next to me feels almost like cheating! Really, I feel like I¡¯m exploiting some loophole. I wonder how strong I can get by farming these roaches. Giving the crater an [Appraisal], I get a sudden flood of information burst into my head. The current of knowledge hits my head hard like a wave smashing down a dam. To be honest, this information overflow is nauseating. Yet at the same time, my head actually feels amazing. Once I get a grip and look at all the info at a different angle, it all starts to make more sense. Like, my initial [Appraisal] gave me a bunch of info just all jumbled up. But now that I put the puzzle together? Wow. I feel so overwhelmed! It¡¯s like that feeling when you get butterflies in your stomach. So¡­, within the swarm of roaches, there are roughly five hundred or so baby roaches. I thought that the number would be in the thousands, but I guess since I was super agitated last time, I didn¡¯t do my math¡¯s right. Then, there¡¯s this Queen Roach¡ªlevel 39, rank D. And of course, the Queen is protected on all sides by a group of Soldier Roaches. Three of them in total do nothing but loyally follow the Queen like some lap dogs. In fact, why the hell does this roach society function more like ants?! I mean, queen ants?! Soldier ants?! Baby ants?! I do some more back-to-back [Appraisals] to get a better understanding of things. Well, apparently the main nest is close by. How do I know this, you ask? You see, after [Appraising] the ¡®Queen Cockroach¡¯ species and doing more continuous [Appraisals] by selecting keywords from the results, I¡¯ve basically got a good envisionment of how this Spontaneous Dungeon operates. So, the main nest consists of a King Roach, accompanied by seven Queen Roaches. The main nest is connected to four ¡®sub nests¡¯, each one smaller than the main nest and consisting of only one Queen. Well, this crater here has got to be one of those sub nests, right? It fits the description pretty well. No, it perfectly matches the description provided. Past the crater, that is, the other side of the road, probably leads to the main nest. Seems like I¡¯ve got a rough idea of how I¡¯ll be moving along now. Clear this sub nest, then head for the main nest. Should I clear the sub nest now? No. Charging in would be stupid and reckless. I mean, I struggled so much on an injured Soldier. There¡¯s no saying what would happen if I went up against a lone, uninjured Soldier, let alone seven paired along with a Queen. Maybe I should resort to guerrilla warfare and slowly dwindle the number of baby roaches while growing stronger in the process before attacking the Queen? I¡­ dunno. Hmm¡­ I toss my dagger up into the sky (well, barren stone ceiling), and watch as it plunges down, tumbling a bit before finally resting still. And, the dagger points straight at the sub nest. Haha! The gods have spoken, guerrilla warfare on the sub nest, it is! Impulsiveness for the win! Chapter 13: Guerrilla Warfare!

Chapter 13: Guerrilla Warfare!

Rena Okay. I gotta focus. I need to approach the nest carefully. Stealthily. If I misstep, I might accidentally¡ªEeek! For some F rank weaklings, these baby roaches certainly have a stupidly high level of perceptive abilities! Is it an intrinsic trait or something?! Not that it really matters in the end. I manage to lure out four roaches with ease, making sure to do that fake limping while painstakingly keeping my pace slow enough so that the roaches are always close to catching me, but are never quite able to actually catch up. Man, these roaches are way too weak! There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m calling them ¡®baby roaches¡¯ now! If you couldn¡¯t tell, I wasn¡¯t doing it for shits and giggles. The roaches that I once struggled with are¡­ literal babies. Newborn, rank F roaches. In fact, none of them even exceed level 5! Maybe that level 23 was actually an adult roach or something? Wait¡ªwhy didn¡¯t it rank up though? I¡¯m starting to seriously suspect that you can¡¯t rank up. Bah, I¡¯ll just have to be patient and see! I hop away from the nest, trying my hardest to pretend to be some poor, injured soul. And these stupid roaches just follow in pursuit, scuttling towards me at their laughably slow maximum speed. Ah, such idiocy! You¡¯d think animals would be able to sense the looming shadow of death with instinct or whatever, but these guys are so damn oblivious. Once I get a safe distance away from the nest, I suddenly stop limping. And I slowly snick my head. I feel an insatiable, creepy grin crawl up my lips. The roaches recoil in fear. Their instincts finally caught up and are probably screaming for them to run, but logically, all they see is a weak, easy picking of a target. Uncertain whether to trust its instincts or not, one brave roach decides to leap at me. I purposely get hit just to gauge their strength. Ouch! ¡­But.. That¡¯s it? Only an ¡®ouch?¡¯ Although I got bit directly, and the roach¡¯s fangs sunk into my flesh, the wound only draws a bit of blood. Sure, the roach wasn¡¯t fighting at full power and was just testing the waters with a premature bite, but this is still underwhelming. The roach still clamped onto my arm freezes in place. Maybe from fear, since it did so little damage? Unfortunately for the roach, its siblings have come to a different conclusion. Because from their point of view, I reacted too slowly to the attack, as if I were lagging behind. The taunting clicks and screeches give away the roaches'' inner thoughts: we can win this! The three other roaches form a pincer attack, flanking me from all directions. Having seen its sibling go on the offensive, the roach that originally bit me quickly gains confidence, and joins in on the attack. And they all leap concurrently, leaving me no room to retreat¡­ ¡­Nowhere but up. I hurdle upwards, before rapidly slicing at one of the roaches with swift incisions. Its exoskeleton tears apart without resistance, and blue, navy blood slushes out. The remaining roaches synchronously charge at me. Unable to react to the sudden outburst, all three of them assault me at point-blank range, ravaging and chomping at my body. Or so they think. In reality, I¡¯m just trying to farm a bit of proficiency for [Pain Resistance]. And, I can also farm some proficiency for [Reparation] during the aftermath of the battle. Honestly, [Reparation] is pretty useless now, but who knows? It might turn out to be insanely useful in the future. However, there are also downsides to this kind of strategy. First off, purposefully getting hit is a risky move and can lead to unprecedented situations, no matter how weak the attack is. Which is exactly why I moved a safe distance from the sub nest before going on the offensive. Another downside, obviously, is that it hurts like hell to get hit a bunch of times. No normal person would willingly subject themselves to this type of borderline torture just to get a little bit stronger. I mean, even inconsequential stinging can accumulate to mass pain if there are enough bite marks, tears, and wounds! Think of this kind of ¡®skill training¡¯ as cutting yourself with a pocket knife. Sure, it¡¯s not life-threatening after only a few slashes, but it still hurts and stings a lot. After more cuts, the afflicted area really starts to throb, and your arm might start to convulse or something. There¡¯s a reason why cutting the wrist with a pocket knife is so effective! Skill [Pain Resistance Lv3] has become [Pain Resistance Lv4]> Well, what do you know? Speak of the devil. Is it just me, or do skills level up incredulously fast? Oh well. I got the skill I wanted to level up, and I think I¡¯ve sustained enough damage to call it a day. I¡¯ve actually lost quite a bit of blood since I got an artery burst. Yikes, who knew bite-mark related injuries would look so¡­ creepy? Wasn¡¯t there a phobia for this? Trypophobia, was it? In fact, aren¡¯t all humans inherently somewhat affected by it? Who cares? I should finish this soon. I can''t be too cocky and reckless. I kill off one of the scourges instantaneously. With the pincer formation ruined, I bolt out and backstab another roach, leaving sublime crevices in its outer shell. I turn and face the final remaining roach, and our eyes lock together. With a prompt final slash, I finish the roach off. Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Slash Lv1]> This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Uh¡­ that was unexpected. Okay, thanks for the skill, I guess? Frankly, I was sort of inwardly hoping for another skill since my current arsenal is rather limited. But¡­ geez. I wasn¡¯t expecting it to happen so soon. Not that I¡¯m gonna complain anyway. Apart from farming proficiency for [Pain Resistance], I also got hit a bunch of farm proficiency for [Reparation]. I think I skimmed through this explanation before, but elaboration won¡¯t hurt, would it? I can''t use magic, but passive healing is nice. Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t exactly been able to test out the healing capabilities of [Reparation], but I think I can hypothesise it to be roughly 1 HP every 5-10 minutes. It is a low levelled skill, after all. Er, so¡­ ¡­ Rinse and repeat, I guess? Honestly, this guerrilla warfare strategy is working a lot better than I expected. I mean, from just a dozen baby roaches, I already got a new skill. It might not sound the most impressive, but I need you to consider it took less than five minutes to kill the entire miniature hoard¡­ ¡­Hopefully my skills weren¡¯t just close to the required proficiency and just so happened to reach the required amount during that battle. Realistically, I highly doubt that I progressed super fast and got a new skill in the span of five minutes. I have been slashing in previous fights. And I also have been gritting past the pain a lot. Unreal¡­ my skills were really about to reach required proficiency, weren¡¯t they? Next time, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to progress that fast. Eh, just a lucky break. Really, ¡®tis fine, ¡®tis fine! I¡¯m still growing stronger at a fast pace. Just not as fast as I hoped. But fast nonetheless. Fast is still fast. Fast¡­ what am I even waffling on about?! Forget it. Back to that sub nest, then! I amble trot back to the sub nest while whistling a catchy tune. After four minutes, the daunting abyss of a crater stares at me. No¡ªnot really. Just a figure of speech. Things are looking pretty good right now. I haven¡¯t gotten noticed, and I¡¯m not on some hit-list. That god I won¡¯t become roach food¡­! Wait¡­ what do these roaches eat? I mean, as far as I can tell, this entire dungeon is full of roaches. Nothing else, just those stupid jet-black roaches. Are they cannibalising?! No. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. These roaches have strong familial bonds (or whatever, I can¡¯t relate) since they all get super mad and predictable after I kill one of their fellow roaches in front of them. Although, that isn¡¯t always the case. Just the usual outcome. I mean, with those baby roaches before, they all ran away without regard to protecting each other. Huh. Self-preservation does overdrive every other instinct, it seems. So¡­ do these roaches not have to eat or drink? As a matter of fact, I haven¡¯t seen even a single puddle lying around. Or do the roaches have some cool evolutive function that lets them drain water from the soil or atmosphere? Is that why the air always feels un-humid?! If so, that¡¯s cool. But it still doesn¡¯t answer the question. What are the roaches eating? In fact now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been in this dungeon for a minimum of three days. And my stomach hasn¡¯t rumbled even once. Nor have I gotten thirsty! What is up with that? All of this has no use to me, so why am I even bothering? I can uncover the mysteries and lore later when I escape the dungeon. Now¡¯s simply not the time. I turn past the sharp intersection while fake limping. Predictably, one of the baby roaches notices me. It clicks its teeth and calls for its closest roach buddies. Less than a minute later, this huge swarm of roaches around 20 in quantity all start making that discombobulating bug sound. I guess the roach that caught me is an extrovert or something? Or maybe some other baby roaches decided to join the squad? Either way, this will be a nice way to grind¡ªfor sure. Apart from the group aggressively screeching at me, there are also quite a few roaches watching in the sidelines, unsure what to do. I¡¯m actually really satisfied with this swarm, so I should go ¡®hop¡¯ and ¡®limp¡¯ away before I end up biting more than I can chew. The stupid babies mindlessly follow behind me. Once I fake-limp a safe distance away, I turn around and begin killing the babies. However, here¡¯s an interesting turn of events¡ªas usual, the roaches broke formation and started scattering as soon as I killed the first roach without breaking a sweat. Everything got out of hand for the roaches until this one brave roach started clicking really loudly. I exactly don¡¯t know what it said, but since it got all the roaches to go offensive and charge at me, I feel like it said a motivational speech or whatever. Maybe it was referring to how I was stupidly outnumbered? I don¡¯t know what happened, but here we are. I duck down and dodge another bite, before quickly breaking into a sprint to escape a hurdle of approaching roaches. I stop to take a breather, but another roach launches itself straight at my face. I quickly grab it with my free arm before materialising my daggers from my inventory. And, of course, I cut it down. Yet behind me, I feel multiple teeth sink into my flesh. I shake the roaches off, before returning to offense. Despite the profuse effort the roaches are putting into this assault, it still isn¡¯t really life-threatening. I mean, the difference in stats is probably the main reason why, but I can¡¯t stop myself from feeling really good about this. I mean, to me, it¡¯s like playing a game. It¡¯s amazing what a tiny bit of leadership can do. These roaches are actually¡­ strategising! Not really well, but strategising nonetheless! For example, the prior roach jumped at me and served as bait so another roach could sneak up behind me. I honestly wouldn¡¯t recommend such a strategy since it didn¡¯t do much, but the sacrifice deserves respect, I guess¡­? Not that I respect these roaches. Not in the slightest. It¡¯s just amusing to see their difference under leadership. Another bundle of roaches hurl themselves at me. I can¡¯t simply just cut through the whole swarm. In groups like this, I can only attack them individually. And the roaches seem to have noticed as well since this is their favourite attack method. They¡¯re just stalling for time, though. I mean, sure. They waste another five seconds. Then what? What good will that do? Eventually, only the leader¡ªthe one that rallied up the roaches¡ªremains. The rest of the roaches lay lifelessly on the floor, each with a long, smooth gash across their shells. The leader doesn¡¯t even look scared. It looks like it¡¯s already accepted its demise. Yeesh, what type of leader are you? You know you sent all of your comrades to their graves, right? Truthfully, I respect this leader guy the least. It just hid behind other roaches and yelled commands¡­! ¡­Actually, that is a good idea. If leadership dies first, then the entire formation falls apart¡­ Bah, who cares! I still hate this guy! The roach doesn¡¯t even resist as I slice its head off.
¡­Oops. I think I got too carried away. Another week has passed. I haven¡¯t levelled up yet, and neither have any of my skills. But I¡¯ve got a good reason! After killing that swarm with the administering roach, I decided to call it a day. I made this make-shift base and took a quick nap. Never in a million years would I imagine what happened. When I woke up and decided to go back and check up on the nest, the baby ants were all clustered together, protected by the Soldier Roaches! Well, two of the three Soldiers. The other one is out there trying to hunt me down. In fact, maybe I should say two Soldiers and one Guard? Because although the three of them are the same species, one of the Soldier roaches has ¡®Guard¡¯ as its class. Dammit! So the leader roach actually had a plan and decided to sacrifice itself, along with its mates just to stall for time so they could send a message to the nest! I tighten the hold on my daggers in a fit of frustration. Ugh, I totally underestimated those roaches! Dammit! I mean, I can still lure out some roaches if they stray too far out from the protective circle formed by the Soldiers, but my progress has taken a massive setback! I mean, I can only manage to off two or three roaches per day now. Plus, the Queen pumps out at least ten more baby roaches a day! Besides, the whole ¡®giving birth¡¯ process is¡­ weird and uncanny. Basically, the Queen shits out a pile of eggs. After a few hours, the eggs begin to hatch. The newborn roaches that come out are initially white, believe it or not. But after a second or so of exposure, they suddenly darken at a rapid pace, before getting that trademark jat-black inky exoskeleton three or four minutes later. Yeah, pretty weird, right? I don¡¯t even think roaches lay eggs, but who knows? Despite looking like roaches, these are more like ants wearing the skin of roaches. Like, their social hierarchy and even behaviour do NOT resemble that of a cockroach! These are fire ants or something! I continue entertaining some thoughts as I toss my daggers in boredom, waiting for some idiotic baby roach to get close enough to lure away without notice. Chapter 14: A New Beginning

Chapter 14: A New Beginning

Ray ¡°One million years ago, back when the sands of time were still fresh, our planet¡ªTravia¡ªflourished. With both peace, and prosperity. The bountiful profuse lands were inhabited by one of three humanoid species: the elves (known as ¡®Aeri¡¯ in the ancient tongue), dwarves (known as ¡®Rourn¡¯), and the beastfolk (known as the ¡®Lirana¡¯). Elves, recognised by their gracefulness, populated the lush forests of the north. They thrived in the thick woods and lived a nomadic lifestyle. Rugged dwarves resided deep underground. Their tunnels were rumoured to have reached every corner of the world. Although most of these bygone tunnels have collapsed, I am sure you have heard the common colloquial term for these underground systems¡ª¡®Labyrinths¡¯. And finally, there were the beastfolk. They mingled among both elves and dwarves, and also established their own communities. For example, the Cat-people were known to live within the elven communities and many became mages¡ªthe elven specialty. Mole-people lived amongst the dwarves, and were known to help with the construction of their tunnels. And other sub-species of the beastfolk such as the Bird-people built homes within trees of the south. Honestly, I personally believe that categorising all sub-species into a single species¡ª¡®beastfolk¡¯¡ªis rather crude. The beastfolk truly were an exotic race. However, half a millennia ago, this prosperity and innocence was shattered. You see, gods had descended upon our land. One good, one bad. One holy, one sinful. One saviour, one destructor. In the ancient tongue, the two were known as ¡®Gahd¡¯ and ¡®Seytonn¡¯ respectively. Now, we know the two as ¡®God¡¯ and ¡®Satan¡¯. Unfortunately for us, there are no written records telling of the origin or purpose of these two gods. Only an oral story, although I too, am sure that a verbal story is sure to have changed over time. There are many variations, but from the most common one, this much can be inferred: One day, without incident, these two gods suddenly descended to our world. Both were tattered and weakened from some sort of divine battle. A young elf saw the two fall down from the heavens, and took them to his local village, where they were treated. During the recovery process, God told the elves many fantastical tales. Eventually, he decided to repay the elves'' hospitality with knowledge. Knowledge from the heavens. Knowledge¡ªand secrets¡ªabout magic. God told the elves how to draw upon the ambient mana within the atmosphere, and how to convert that mana into the miraculous miracle known as magic. God taught the elven village how to use magic without an accompanying skill. It was clear that the realm the two gods came from was not lorded by the system. However, Satan was greedy, and wanted to hoard all the knowledge to himself. Eventually, the greed consumed him, and when God was away, he massacred the entire village. God was furious. And thus, The Great War began. It is said that Satan created seven minions on that day¡ªeach one representing one of his unholy sins. His first minion¡ªPride. Accompanied by Wrath, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth and Envy. As the gods clashed, the amount of minions owned by Satan only began to increase. In response, God created his own children as well. The spawn of both gods sprawled across the entire world, and many battles were fought. One century later. The evil god, Satan, is defeated. But God also dies in the process. However, even though both gods were deceased, their scourge and children respectively still remained. The war had heavily impacted the native humanoids. Beastfolk¡ªextinct. Elves¡ªtheir whole population living in a forest. Dwarves¡ªretreating to the eastern caves. Nowadays, elves still live in the northern forests. Although the secrets of magic God had taught have been forgotten to time, the entire race still studies and pursues magical skills within the Java Forest. Dwarves, however, have abandoned their bygone homes¡ªthat is, the ¡®Labyrinth¡¯¡ªand are now widely known as excellent artisans and blacksmiths. However, the dwarves were not only hit hard by the Great War, but also by the following minor wars, cleanup, and finally, the Human-Demon war. And here stand two dominant species: Humans (known as ''Hareian''), and Demons (known as ''Muumuu''). Even now, there is major conflict amongst the two races. However, no major conflict has arisen for more than 1,000 years. After the Human-Demon war; one that lasted decades, Mistress ¡®Kutona¡¯ Sloth and the late ¡®Hero King¡¯ Lamm formed a treatise. Neither side shall start a war.¡± King Briaher takes a moment to catch his breath¡ªalbeit in a graceful manner nonetheless¡ªbefore continuing his speech. ¡°But, since then, tensions have once again formed. Everyone from the warring generation has died. People have forgotten to fear. The Demon Lord reigning over the borderlands, Lord Wrath, has already begun to mobilise an army. Luckily for us, there has been a sudden stop in the transportation of soldiers, allegedly. We do not know why the Demon Lords have stopped sending soldiers to the borders, but many of our spies have predicted some sort of issue within the demonic ranks. Namely, an unidentified figure has been attacking and raiding some of the demon''s secret military outposts. Something about the vigilante using daggers and [Dark Magic]. None of our spies have managed to discern anything regarding the matter, but at least this will buy time for us to prepare. Fear not, we have now successfully summoned a great [Hero] from the otherworld; Ray Tanaka!¡± The king raises his left hand. This action is accompanied by an uproar of cheers. The usually tranquil palace gushes with excited roaring and whistling. After a moment''s worth of celebration, King Braiher calmly lowers his hand, and the cheering fades away accordingly. ¡°We, along with the four other kingdoms that govern humanity, are preparing an army. We already have elite soldiers with years of experience. However, ¡®more¡¯ is always a welcome term. Anyone interested in applying for the army, please remain after this speech! We have four [Heroes] in total, each one with enough potential to stand side to side with the famous Court Mages after training! In two years time, we will march forwards and eliminate the demeanoring threat¡ªhorrid scourge of Satan¡ªfor once and for all!¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Once again, many a hurrah sound within the palace. Ten minutes later, elated chatter still buzzes around. Only half an hour later does the crowd begin to thin out. Although, ¡®thin¡¯ would be a proportionate term. 500 or so excited young men still stay in the hall, most likely wishing to join the royal army. Honestly, I would expect more people here. Usually, getting into the royal army is an achievement deemed almost impossible for common folk; apart from skill, social standing also comes into play during the selection process. However, king Braiher is now allowing anyone in with open hands as long as they pass a physical examination. Although I do suspect a lot more people will be signing up soon, as the king has only started his enlisting campaign. These young men will be trained for two years, before going down into the battlefield. I idly watch the young men get weighed and measured, before deciding to head out. It had been a week since I was summoned into this world. During that time, I had learned much about this world, its current political precedent, and my role as a [Hero]. I have already gone to the Class Church, underwent a sporadic classing ceremony, and gained access to a rare class¡ª[Magislade]. It is essentially a combination of the [Mage] and [Swordsman] class. And within this week, I have come to learn that I am¡­ nothing short of an absolute monster. In this world, strength is evaluated by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s ranking system. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild, a major¡ªalbeit nonpolitical¡ªpowerhouse containing many powerfully adept individuals has a system to precisely determine measured power through the assessment of rank, level, achievements and affinities. Apparently, as of now (with gear), I am a high Diamond badge, second only to the rumoured Mithril badge. Add in a few proficient skills, and I scrape to low Mithril. And the number of Mithril badges can be counted on the palm. What would I be, if not an absolute monster? However, there are also other monsters out there just like me. And today, I am fated to encounter them. A meeting with three other [Heroes] is scheduled later this afternoon at a tea shop owned by one of the king''s loyal retainers. Other people, from Earth. Just like me. Incidentally, it seems that the fifth major country¡ªGuntii¡ªhas failed the summoning spell. Apparently, a misfired spell leads the summoned individual to end up somewhere random, meaning that there is another Earthling out there somewhere, lost and bemused. I yearn to help such an individual. Yet, I, admittedly, am incapable of such a thing. The world is such a vast place, after all. Which is why I will help those I can instead. In these two years, I will train profusely and prepare for the second Human-Demon war. If temporary suffering and genocide can lead to a permanently prosperous future, I will gladly accept that trade-off. As I saunter outside the royal palace, I take notice of the orange and red leaves fluttering down from the trees as they graciously land on the smooth, marble walkway. They dance around like little spirits, wisping around to form subtle shapes and patterns. It is predicted that it will begin snowing in a month or so.
Finally time. I stroll towards the rendezvous point in a lax manner without much urgency. Eventually, I found a store matching the description that Kequak had given me; a small tea shop squeezed between two larger stores. And I must say, from just viewing the outside, I suspect the interior to be absolutely lovely. However, a prompt sign hangs on the door. CLOSED. I narrow my eyes, suspectful. Inside the tea shop, I can make out the smudged, dim silhouette of a person. Curious, I knock on the door. The person inside begins to move, and after a brief moment, the door swings open, and an elderly woman greets me. The owner of the shop, perhaps? As I proceed to enter, the woman blocks my path, hastily bowing. ¡°I am terribly sorry sir, but The Elk has been reserved today as per request of an established figure,¡± she says while shuffling her feet. She huffs. ¡°One of my mage friends has told me that only four people I do not recognise are allowed to enter. Each of them, one of those mighty [Heroes]! ¨C¡± She pauses and begins to scrutinise me while glimpsing at her notebook. ¡°Hmm¡­ black wavy hair, tall, young man, sharp look¡­ Ah! You must be Ray Tanaka! So sorry, my mistake! This way please!¡± The woman takes a single step back, before outstretching her hand and prompting for me to enter. She leads me inside the establishment. Articulate paintings cover the walls, and in my peripheral vision, I notice some writing neatly scribbled on the windows. Today''s special: Duramine cookies topped with Pokrey sauce¨C 20 copper Chef''s recommendation: Milked tea with black tapioca¨C 5 copper Favourite dish: Red Widow leaves in boiled Sumarti Tea¡ª3 copper I look around. The store itself is, well¡­, frankly, pretty small. Six tables are geometrically sprawled across the shop, each table made out of some smooth, sanded oak. On the corners of the tables, I make out some intricate etchings resembling some foreign fairy tale. Chairs, made in a similar fashion, are neatly lined up in accordance with the tables. And one large, orange light conjuring illuminates the entire room. Seated on one of the tables are three figures. A big burly man with minor scars on his forearms and an outgrown buzz cut, a slender woman with black¡­ no, darkly shaded purple hair that covers her ears, and a young boy no older than thirteen who literally radiates with positivity and excitement. While the woman awkwardly sits in an uncomfortable silence and shuffles on her seat, the burly man has his arms crossed together and stares at the ground with a stern expression¡­ ¡­Except anyone can easily see past his fa?ade; he also nervously squirms in his seat. One would think that the room would be stilled with silence. However, an inexcusably loud slurp cuts the thread of tension with ease. ¡°Oh damn, I didn¡¯t know they had milk tea! Milk tea! Seriously, this tea store is like those fine dining restaurants! ¡°Milked tea with black tapioca¡± they said! This is boba tea! Man, I miss this drink!¡± Amidst his monologue, the young boy looks up and takes notice of me. He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it and hurriedly chews on the tapioca pearls before swallowing with an exaggerated, almost practiced gulp. He jolts up from his seat and poses in a strange manner¡ªperhaps an act of goodwill? ¡°Whoa, you look super cool! Are you the fourth [Hero]?!¡± he briskly comments. I simply nod in response. ¡°Yes,¡± I say, as I hold out my hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Ray¡ªRay Tanaka. I was born and raised in Japan, although my¡­ father had American heritage. Third year in Fujikawa high." Perhaps my introduction was a bit rushed. Luckily for me, the young boy seems to pay no heed, and accepts the handshake. ¡°Uhh, since you already introduced yourself, I suppose we should do the same?¡± asks the young boy as he looks back at the other two for confirmation. For a tense moment, another wash of awkwardness envelopes the room, but the gruff man quickly clears his throat before starting. ¡°Frankly, I think it would be rude if we kept quiet and failed to introduce ourselves. Now, shall we start?¡± Chapter 15: Patience is Key!

Chapter 15: Patience is Key!

Rena At last! I¡¯ve been in this dungeon for weeks, slowly building up strength. And after another seven hours of suffering from boredom, I¡¯ve managed to catch some big fish! Not just the (rare occurrence of the) usual one or two, but a whole entire brigade of baby roaches! ¡­Well, eight to be exact. That¡¯s a lot proportionately, though! Sure, a flock of eight might not have been a good haul before, but now that the Queen has increased security and started a game of cat-and-mouse, eight is a lot! Being careful not to stray too close to the sub nest, I continue fake-limping around. C¡¯mon! Notice me! After a painful, almost unbearable half-minute of awkward hopping that I¡¯m definitely unaccustomed to, I finally catch the curiosity of the roaches. They look at me before furtively checking the safety of the ring formed by the Soldiers. And a cacophony of clicks and screeching ensue. "NONONONO!" I half whisper, half scream, "KEEP QUIET! DON''T ATTRACT ANY ATTENTION!" The roaches pipe down, to my surprise, by at least two dozen decibels before (in)discreetly discussing something amongst themselves. And then a wave of heads ripple towards me. Malicious intent? Definitely there. But they still seem reluctant to attack me. Okay, time to increase the effectiveness of my lure technique by a notch! I need these guys to think that they stand a chance against me, or they might retreat and call for backup. And I really don¡¯t need an entire stampede of roaches chasing me around. Especially not those soldier roaches. Hopefully these baby roaches get cocky and chase after me without backing up. I continue limping in circles, before ¡®tripping¡¯ down¡­ ..Nope, the roaches aren¡¯t buying it. Still as hesitant as ever. What? Do I smell like dead roaches or something¡­? Ugh, I really don¡¯t wanna lose this catch of eight roaches! I can¡¯t just grab them away with force, since they¡¯ll start screaming for help for sure. Not this close to the nest, no. As I slowly pace away in retreat, I ¡®trip¡¯ and ¡®tumble¡¯ on the floor once more before ¡®struggling¡¯ to get up while making those weird whining noises you hear animal wranglers make. ¡­Arrg! Dammit, these roaches aren¡¯t buying it! I guess I¡¯ll go a bit overboard, since I really don¡¯t want to lose this catch. Using one of my daggers, I make a shallow incision on my forearm. The cut instantly forms and liquid red starts oozing out. Shit, that actually stings like hell! ¡­Seriously? Why aren¡¯t these roaches buying it yet? I¡¯ve fumbled and flopped around like a fool, and I¡¯ve even cut my own arm! I stab even deeper into the skin. GYAHAH! Holy crap, that hurts!! This time, ruby blood bursts out of my arm as if a floodgate were burst. And my face contorts with morbid pain. ¡°Oops. Think I hit an artery¡± is what I probably would have said, but¡­ It actually hurts so much! I- I can heal later! I¡¯ve got [Reparation]! The roaches take note of my baneful suffering and one of them finally inches closer. The other seven follow in unison. Yes! I steadily limp away from the nest with a face contort of pain. I just want to kill all the roaches right now and quickly treat my reckless and impulsive cut, but I have to get a safe distance away from the nest. I can¡¯t risk facing a Soldier. Steadily stumbling away, I eventually get a safe distance from the nest. It should be safe now. I hurriedly turn around and face the roaches with a murderous gleam. Now¡¯s not the time to hold back! I wanna get this over and treat my wound! I dash forwards. I grip my daggers tightly in my hands and slash at the roaches adjacent to me. The momentum from my run-up, paired along with the momentum from the roaches still chasing me, allows me to cut through two roaches at once. The other six roaches instantly shoot up on high alert and scatter around me. Dammit, stop stalling for time! I¡¯m dying here! Skill [Pain Resistance Lv4] has become [Pain Resistance Lv5]> See?! Even the system agrees with me! Exploiting the break in formation, I tackle the remaining roaches one-on-one. And after what felt like an eternity of carpet burns on my arm but was probably less than ten minutes, eight lifeless roaches lie beside me. I get to work without any delay, and remove the thin membrane coating a roach¡¯s shell, before wrapping it along my injured arm. The pain subsides a bit. Not anything marginal, but still noteworthy. Whew, these roaches have pretty convenient anatomy! It¡¯s almost like their bodies were made to get scavenged and looted¡­ That aside, today I made decent progress. [Pain Resistance] levelled up and all¡­ except, that was more of a cause because of me rather than the roaches. I am never inflicting self-harm on myself ever again. Maybe a few shallow cuts here and there to bait out the roaches, but never again will I cause a deep cut. Honestly, I should just find another sub nest to raid. There are four of them, after all. And the security on this sub nest is too tight for my liking. No baby roaches wander around the tunnels either, since they¡¯re huddled up together. Though, this leads to another major issue: how, and where will I find other sub nests? I simply stumbled upon this one through sheer luck, and I have my doubts about such an event occurring again. I feel like if I stray too far away in search of another sub nest, I¡¯ll get lost and never find my way back. Heck, for all I know, I could end up stuck here for eternity if I don¡¯t find and kill the dungeon boss! ¡­Yeah. I¡¯ll admit it: I¡¯m too chicken to venture out too far. I think I¡¯ll stay comfortable near this nest. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I mean, life here isn¡¯t that bad. Mostly since I¡¯ve found a bunch of ways to entertain myself. Ahh, the beautiful life of solitude¡­! Maybe I should become a paragon of mental fortitude? ¡­ I¡¯m bored. I¡¯ve been staving out that boredom, but I don¡¯t think I can handle it much longer. There are only so many times you can T-pose on dead roaches before it gets old. But I¡¯m certainly not strong enough to clear this dungeon. No, not as I am now. Fighting significantly weaker opponents for minute amounts of experience within my metaphorical safety net won¡¯t help me power up at breakneck speeds. I¡¯ve already figured out that fighting marginally stronger opponents and coming out on top is the fastest way to progress. Whenever I fought the roaches that gave me a hard time and a run for my money, I would always leap wonder away level wise. ¡­ I think I¡¯m ready to fight a Soldier ¡­ Buuut, where do I find one? I know that there¡¯s one soldier ant out there hunting for me, so should I shout and squall until I catch its attention? There isn¡¯t much else available for me to pick from, so I guess I¡¯ll scream like those crackhead hobos? I yell in my most disfigured, gruntled voice at the top of my lungs¡­ only to end up in a coughing fit seconds later. However, as my coughing begins to fade away, I hear a loud, ear-piercing screech. Not far from me either. And not from my rear, but from up front. Which means this newfound menace didn¡¯t come directly from the nest. And a ¡®screech¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be the most accurate word. More like a howl, for lack of a better word. But far, far more corrugated. And in front of me, stands a soldier roach. It stands tall, almost as if it had broad, muscular shoulders. It looks like the other soldier roach I encountered before¡ªbut with one main difference. It¡¯s legs. The front ones are a bit shorter, and don¡¯t have the serrated spikes common to most roaches. Alternatively; lean and profound. Like scythes. And those ¡®missing¡¯ spikes are instead sprawled across the roach¡¯s back. Its exoskeleton is encrusted with jagged thorns, making it hard to even land a decent hit. It snarls at me, revealing an unsanctimonious set of horrid fangs. I gulp audibly. And I [Appraise] it. Just as I thought. Bad news. I can already tell that this guy is bad news. An aura of death perpetually looms over it. Excuse me, Mr. Roach, what are you exactly? The harbinger of Death? Its class is also different to the prior Soldier I encountered. The one I mentioned before¡ªGuard. Probably one notch above Soldier. I have to face the facts. There is no way, no way in hell I can beat the Guard. I swallow my pride, turn back and pace away cautiously. But right at that moment, another stampede of baby roaches appear from the direction of the nest. Shit. Before, when I thought the roaches were contemplating on chasing me or not, they were actually informing the other roaches to set up an ambush trap for me? MOVE IT! I slash away, killing the baby roach advancing towards me. I keep on attacking. On and on and on. Wounds start to rupture around my body, and blood starts leaking out from the cut on my forearm. I just ignore the pain and force the adrenaline to mitigate it. I keep on slashing and stabbing, until I can make out an open path. Yes! I can break through the front and escape the Guard! I thrust my arm down at the final roach in front and ignore the ones gnawing at my sides. But right before my dagger connects and hits flesh, my arm goes flying. Literally. The sudden pang of excruciating pain causes me to moan out in agony. S-SHIT! I forgot about the guard! I feverishly look back in befuddlement. And the Guard greets me with a forbidding, minatory smirk, its scythe-like leg doused in vermillion liquid. I have to get away! I run. Against a beast like this, it''s the only thing I can do. I can¡¯t win. For sure. I scamper away, pushing and dicing the baby roaches obstructing my runway. I hear loud thuds resonating directly behind me. Stupid legs, move faster! Fuck fuck fuck! Fuck. If I keep on running like this, I¡¯ll just run back to the nest, where even more adversaries will lie in wait to greet me. Wait¡­ there was a fork in the road. Yes! I just have to keep on going forwards! I continue sprinting. Ignore the constant wobbling and lack of balance. Ignore the burning. Ignore the screaming of my lungs. Ignore the aching legs. Ignore all of it. NO! Don¡¯t slow! The guard roach lurks right behind me. It doesn¡¯t pace faster, nor does it jog slower, as if in perfect unison with my own speed¡­ ¡­Is the roach purposefully matching my own pace? The roach¡­ i-is it really toying with my life? Life¡­ it isn¡¯t something you play with. Despite my hatred for these roaches, I still kill them all swiftly. I don¡¯t sequester roaches for the fun of it, making them know that they have no hope of calling for backup. No, I do it as an act of insurance. Even I know the base value of life. But now isn¡¯t the time to start talking crap with soliloquies. Suddenly talking about yourself is one of the top ten signs that you¡¯re about to die. You know that, right? Clearly, even if I wanted to run and escape, it would come to no avail. This Guard definitely outspeeds me. I have to think rationally. I should use this egomaniac¡¯s ego against it. I steadily slow down to a jogging pace to conserve energy. As expected, the roach does the same, and slows to match my current speed. And I continue jogging, making sure to keep a lookout for the landmark that I had set previously. I keep my current speed until I make out the faint smudge of the landmark I had put aside. It wasn¡¯t really intended to be used as a landmark, but you don¡¯t need to know about that. Soon, the figure of the other roach comes to view. I keep on scurrying away, but this time, I count the steps I take. One, two, three, four, FIVE. Now! I dive into a small corridor, slipping in without much effort. But the roach struggles to follow, the tight walls obstructing its path. The roach pushes at the walls, and manages to jam its front in¡ªat the expense of having limited movement. Unable to bite freely in a confined area, the roach does all it can; swing its scythe-like legs at me and chomp at the empty air. Yet, that act in itself is capable of doing serious damage. Too bad you can¡¯t hit me now, hahaha! The roach heaves at the earth. For a moment, a shiver runs down both my metaphorical spine and the corridor. And the Guard snarls at me once more, its putrid breath a mask wrapped around my face. I try to kick at the roach, but quickly discard the thought and retreat further inwards. And the scythe hacks downwards. I feel the air ripple in response. A light breeze of nasty roach breath gets me smack-bang in the nose. When was the last time this thing brushed its teeth?! Oops. Right, my life¡¯s on the line. I scurry even further back, though I don¡¯t get far before I feel a cool screen hinder me. Shit, I already hit the wall?! The Guard swings its legs again. I feel a shudder sprawl up my spine. Instinctively, I spasm backwards and kick my feet¡ªexcept, I can¡¯t go backwards any more. I watch wide-eyed in fear, unable to do anything but pray for the roach to miss. A lock of hair plummets to the ground. Long, strands of hair¡ªcut. And I subconsciously release the bag of air I had held in my lungs, before gasping for another breath of air. I shudder as the putrid smell enters, yet I can¡¯t stop feeling relieved. That was close. Too close. But the roach still missed. Who knows what would have happened if I got hit by the scythe just then? I¡¯d probably be sliced into two pieces, cut perfectly in half. Why did I bring daggers? A spear would be much more helpful right now. If I wanna use my daggers, I need to get close to the damn Guard! Right now, I don¡¯t want melee. I need some ranged means of offense! If only I salvaged some more makeshift weapons and stored them in my inventory¡­ Well, I clearly can''t get close to his guy. One step forward, and shiing!, head falls off, dead. What can I do? They say people think the most rationally in times of crisis. Do I believe that claim? Maybe. Why? Cause I just had a sudden burst of inspiration. Since the Guard is wider than it is tall, it has to slide in at an oblique angle. And even then, it can¡¯t fully fit itself inside. Like mentioned before, the roach can only manage to cram in its front two legs¡ªthe ones that end in scythe-like figures. And in such a cramped space, the roach¡¯s movement is severely hindered. Whenever it stretches its legs out in an attempt to cut me up, it¡¯s momentarily incapacitated from doing anything else. I slowly lurch forwards, carefully and steadily. I need to time this correctly, or else I¡¯m a goner for sure. But¡­ if I just stay here and do nothing but cower, I¡¯m guaranteed to die. I¡¯ll have a higher chance of survival this way. I stare intently at the scythe. Slowly, the roach raises it... Chapter 16: I’m… Alive?

Chapter 16: I¡¯m¡­ Alive?

Rena The moment the roach swings its scythe down, I dive forwards. The roach roars (howls?) and savagely chomps around in an attempt to grasp me with its fangs. However, I utilise this momentary incapacitation to the best of my ability. I furiously slash at the ligaments connecting the scythe area to the rest of the leg. The Guard once again roars in distress, and tries to pull its leg back. Using its momentum against it, I thrust down. The ligament cracks, and the gaunt scythe part of the leg flings off, tearing. Skill [Slash Lv1] has become [Slash Lv2]> On instinct, the Guard retreated after feeling pain and tried to pull its leg back towards its grotesque form. I utilised that opportunity, and used the roach¡¯s high stats against it, effectively mirroring its power in order to rip the scythe part off. Haha! Marvel at the brilliance of the human mind, you stupid cockroach! Now you¡¯re like me, one-armed and crippled! Except, my arm will recover when I level up, but you¡¯re gonna die! I break out into an ear-to-ear grin. Good. Now, things are looking very favourable for me. The roach only has one scythe left to attack me with. Moreover, the Guard has become cautious by god knows how much. Since it¡¯s now paranoid, I don¡¯t have to deal with ruthless onslaughts. Although that might actually be a bad thing, depending on how you see the situation. I mean, that reckless attack was what allowed me to catch it off-guard! No pun intended. Sorry about that crappy joke. But, here¡¯s the most important thing; I¡¯ve acquired one of the roach¡¯s scythes! Meticulously cutting off any sharp shards or residue from the scythe, I rip off a piece of cloth and wrap it around the ligament section, making a pretty decent long-bladed dagger. I mean, this thing is at least twice the length of the current daggers I have on me! Although I described the ending of the roach¡¯s legs as scythes, the only scythe part of it is, well¡­ the scythe part of a scythe. Okay, nevermind. That makes no sense at all. Hmm¡­ You know what the frontal legs of praying mantis look like, right? I would describe those as total scythe-like. But the Guard only has the sharp, weapon-y part of the scythe. And turns out it works well enough as a dagger. Both relatively and proportionately, it isn¡¯t even that curved. More like the curve on a katana than the curve on a dagger? Oh well, it doesn''t matter. To be honest, this scene kind of has the likeness to that of the Her-curly¡¯s and the Nemean Lion story, right? I don¡¯t know much about Greek mythology, but I¡¯m pretty sure it went something along the lines of buff western dude fights lion with impenetrable skin, so buff western dude uses lion¡¯s own claws against it and skins lion. Well, that same underlying irony applies here, no? I¡¯ve got the upper hand, but I don¡¯t think that instantly gives me the privilege to start carelessly blabbering without focusing on the fight. No matter how cautious and ambiguous the roach tries to be, its moves are now significantly more transparent and predictable since it can only attack with one scythe-leg. I manage to evade all of its strikes through a combination of squirming to different corners and parrying when the scythe gets too close. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m totally safe, though. Even just directing the scythe away from me is super difficult! Good thing I learned the art of angling one¡¯s own blade to deflect an attack! (even if it was just on Skyl)¡ªNo way in hell could I block a head-on strike when the roach swings with such raw power. Misdirecting its swings is the only realistic thing I can do. In fact¡ªHuh?! The roach tilts further sideways until it reaches a precariously steep angle. And then it scuttles further inside the corridor, its right legs on the ceiling while its left legs bustle on the floor. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. I¡¯m actually fucked right now. What sort of stupid bug willingly enters a tight, confined space when its opponent has a decently ranged weapon?! I can¡¯t even retreat backwards. Still, the Guard is seriously disadvantaged right now. Evidently, it can¡¯t attack while crawling. Not when it¡¯s sloping at a ninety degree angle, it can¡¯t. It probably has to stop before attacking, vice-versa. It also moves towards me at an outstandingly¡­ slow¡­ pace. ¡­Was there actually no need to panic? I prod one of the roach¡¯s eyes with my makeshift fencing style¡ªI can¡¯t afford to get into the roach¡¯s striking distance¡ªand the Guard wails in response. Its eyes suddenly bulge outward for some reason, and the rotten odour eluding from the roach¡¯s mouth only grows stronger. Then, I hear the roach make an all too familiar grinding sound within its throat¡­ T-that¡¯s the sound old men make before they spit something out! That throat-clearing sound! It¡¯s not going to spit at me, is it?! The roach spits. Some pink, gooey thing comes out of its mouth. Without context, it might look like a yummy dessert, but¡ª Guh? ACID?! W-what? What the hell? Flesh starts to peel. Boils form so fast that my mind doesn¡¯t even process the pain yet. I feel my good arm burn hot. Very hot. Like an inferno. Yet, I feel a shiver up my spine, and my head feels surprisingly cool. Something yellow¡ªpossibly pus¡ªstarts to seep out of the wound, followed by a gush of blood. Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Resist Acid Lv1]> The roach opens its mouth and begins to gurgle once more. No! No way in HELL will I allow you to fire that acid again! The roach attempts to start once more, and it shoots out a second volley of deathly mucus¡ªor at least it tries to. With both of my arms incapacitated, I do the only thing I can¡ªkick. I boot the roach¡¯s lower jaw, clamping its mouth shut. The roach tries to squirm in protest, but I force myself to push past the pain, and I jam the long dagger into the soft part of the roach¡¯s lower jaw that connects to its stubby neck. I grunt in the process, but manage to force the entire dagger in. The roach thrashes even more violently, and scrapes at the dagger with its legs. Unfortunately, the Guard lacks dexterity, and fails to remove the dagger clamping its mouth shut. Azure lifeblood drips out of the Guards eyes, and similarly, blood pools out through gaps in the roach¡¯s mouth. With nowhere to go, the mucus must have eroded the inside of the roach¡¯s mouth. Knowing firsthand how devastating the acid is, I can tell that it did significant damage. I guess its stomach had resistance to the acid, but its mouth didn¡¯t. The roach, temporarily blinded and frantic from the pain, chaotically slashes around itself in a futile attempt to hit me. I-I have to¡­ I have to utilise this opportunity! But I can¡¯t use this chance. As much as it pains the efficiency-based part of me, one of my arms is lopped off, and the other is slowly deteriorating due to the acid. All of my muscles are already numbed. But I can¡¯t waste an opportunity like this! I raise up my rotting arm and try to slice the roach, but my arm suddenly bends at an unnatural angle and convulses mid-swing. Then, my whole body begins to spasm. F-fuck!! I scream in pain and start rolling on the ground like a madman. The roach, equally¡ªif not, further pained¡ªlocks eyes with me. It glares with such intensity that it makes me lose my usual swagger. Green pus, mixed along with navy-blue blood seeps out of its mouth, and I see the roach similarly spasm in pain. Since its frame is so large, the surrounding walls capture its violent trembles, creating something like a miniature earthquake. Yet, it still crawls towards me. I can¡¯t run. I can¡¯t even think properly. I¡¯m pitching and lurching like crazy. Skill [Pain Resistance Lv5] has become [Pain Resistance Lv6] Proficiency has reached required level. Skill [Resist Acid Lv1] has become [Resist Acid Lv2]> Slowly, the Guard staggers forwards. Inching closer and closer, centimetre by centimetre. The roach and I haven¡¯t broken eye contact since the initial locking. The two white, marble eyes¡ªnow dyed a gory blue¡ªare ignited with such ferocity. I.. haven¡¯t seen eyes like that for a long time. Not since my dad laid eyes on me. After minutes that felt like days, if not, weeks, I finally fell into the roach¡¯s striking distance. And for the last time, it brings its scythe down. Yet for some reason, I can¡¯t help but calmly assess it all. The roach¡¯s struggling form. The heavy breathing from both parties. The lukewarm blood dribbling down my chin. The buckling of my legs, acting on intrinsic thoughts in an attempt to escape. All of it. Even my death. Hello, Reaper. ¡­ .. . Then, right as the roach raises its scythe, it gives out one final feverish shiver. Its eyes lose the life inside them, and the raised scythe drops down lifelessly, mere centimetres from my battered chest. A final trickle of thin, diluted blood spills out of its clamped mouth, highlighting battle-hardened scars on its way down. And a blanket of froth erupts out, as if to shadow the odious sight. Skill [Melee Lv1] has become [Melee Lv4]> ¡­What? All my wounds begin to heal at a miraculous pace. The stumped ivory bone from my ¡®amputated¡¯ arm swells violently. Moments later, the bone suddenly surges forwards, accompanied by a procession of veins, nerves and capillaries. Some of the vessel¡¯s warp in disquieting patterns. These twisted vessels lump, and large chunks of flesh grow unto them. The bones keep on extending, until it violently jerks, splitting into five separate intervals. My fingers? Probably. Once all the bones, muscles and nerves fall into place, my lost arm suddenly stops healing¡ªand it causes me to fall into a panic. W-wait! What about my skin?! Hello?! Mr. System?! I think you forgot to give me my missing skin!!! And after the brief pause, skin sprouts out. ¡­Really? That gave me way too much of a fright. But even with that aside? I think I might need therapy¡­ I mean, it¡¯s not every day you witness your missing arm suddenly sprout back out. Seriously, if this was the old, un-reincarnated me with no prior experience to gore, then I think that sight alone might¡¯ve gotten me passing out and all. I really thought I would go out dying a cool death and all, buuuut, since I¡¯m still alive and all, we¡¯re just going to pretend nothing happened. Just turn a blind eye¡­ please? Jokes aside, I hate that roach! I mean, really? Can¡¯t you show basic human decency by respecting life? Why toy with it? And then, when you¡¯re about to die, you glare at me?! The audacity! Stupid Guard, it deserved it for underestimating me! Sure, its stats were probably higher by a significant margin, but it got cocky and willingly put itself into a disadvantageous situation. I know how I act and all, especially since I¡¯m so¡­ emotionally expressive, but guys that play with life really tick me off, you know? These roaches aren¡¯t human so they don¡¯t count, but even I¡¯ve got a code of morals to follow!
  • Don¡¯t randomly kill people
  • Don¡¯t use life as a plaything
Sure, the list is a bit lacking, but at least I¡¯ve got a conscience. Setting that aside, ¡­ Woohoo! First off, I levelled up FOUR times! A whole FOUR levels! Woohoo! That means I can allocate an entire 20 Combat Points on whatever I like! Not to mention, I probably also got a truck ton of Skill Points. Maybe enough to purchase another skill? Well, I have my priorities, much like anyone else. First things first: Combat Points! Chapter 17: [Heroes]

Chapter 17: [Heroes]

Ray The burly man puts his hand behind his head, his muscle rippling in the process. ¡°Name¡¯s Matt. Born, and raised in ¡®Merica, before¡­ well, before I came here. I worked in the navy, but died¡­ in the field of work.¡± Despite the lax attitude, I notice a slight fog of gloominess hanging over Matt. He shifts position, before extending out his left hand¡ªwith many scars overlapping the skin on his forearm¡ªfor a handshake. I respond, and he grasps my hand with a firm grip. He releases, before sitting back down, arms crossed. He gazes around the room, his bushy eyebrows snapped together. ¡°Huh? We¡¯re already starting to introduce ourselves? Err¡­ well, okay!¡± comments the boy in a strange voice similar to a falsetto. And even worse, I¡­ don¡¯t get the reference. Perhaps the seamlessly immeasurable time I spent in that white room had diminished some of my culture. I chuckle. When was the last time I even had a thought similar to the one that had trailed into my conscious mind? ¡°So¡­ names first, right? Hello, I¡¯m Raphael. Nice to meet you, [Hero] Ray!¡± he gives a polite (yet rough and clearly unpracticed) bow, before continuing. ¡°Although, you can just call me Raph. Actually, please call me Raph. I prefer it a lot compared to Raphael or Ralph. Uh¡­¡± Raph stares into space for a moment, as if trying to remember something. For a snap second, the room becomes unearthly quiet. That is, until the young boy¡ªRaph¡ªbreaks the silence. ¡°¡ªOh, right! So I grew up in Spain, but moved to Australia before I also¡­ arrived¡­ here¡­¡± His voice suddenly loses its previous zest, and his ending sentence is composed of only illegible muttering. For some reason, the life seems to drain out of Raph, and his face turns a deathly pale, his expression one of a dead man. One of solitude, grief and regret. For I, too, was once like that. Raph quickly shakes his head in an agitated and feverish manner. ¡°You know what, how about we just don¡¯t talk about it?¡± he declares, falling into an awkward chuckle. Sitting next to Matt, the two are juxtaposed almost perfectly. Raph¡¯s pale skin contrasts with Matt¡¯s darker, tanned tone. Matt¡¯s huge frame towers over Raph¡¯s smaller one, and Raph¡¯s slightly permed, bushy brown hair opposes Matt¡¯s light, blonde, short and neatly trimmed hair. However, the differences do not just end there. While Matt is covered head-to-toe in armour and chainmail, Raph wears virtually no gear. Except for a large bow that slings across his back and a pouch filled with arrows tied to his waist, he has no other equipment. Matt? He wears matching pairs of bronze knuckles¡ªalthough they clearly aren¡¯t made of bronze, but some other material¡ªand a long broadsword made out of the same foreign material sits snugly in a sheath that he carries on his back like a backpack. However, amidst the observing of my fellow [Heroes], I notice that all heads have unconsciously turned towards the purple haired, ear-covering woman. What a bizarre description¡­ ¡°¡°¡°... ¡­ ¡­¡±¡±¡± The three of us soundlessly wait for the woman to begin talking. However, instead of speaking up, the woman just lets our stares roll right off her. ¡°Er, hello? Melony, you¡¯re not sleeping, are you?¡± questions Raph as he tilts his head and zooms in towards the silent woman, noses almost touching. So her name is ¡®Melony¡¯, I presume? ¡°I mean, sure, secretly catching Z¡¯s in nice, but this meeting is still serious, isn¡¯t it? Ray hasn¡¯t met any of us yet, I¡¯m pretty sure. In fact, I barely know you! You also came recently. I only met you once, but that was a week ago and it wasn¡¯t anything formal and¡ª¡± Suddenly, the woman seems to erupt, and sends a finger flying at Raph, poking him in the forehead. Raph lets out an exaggerated yelp, and falls back. ¡°I would prefer if did not stand so close to me, loquacious boy. I will not talk about my past.¡± she utters in a calm yet obnoxious tone, without even bothering to lift her head up. ¡°What I will say is that my name is Melony. I come from Korea.¡± ¡°Yeesh Melony, way to ruin the mood¡­¡± counters Raph while pouting weakly. ¡­ Honestly, the woman¡ªMelony¡ªhas not given me a good impression. Yet, I have no power or skill in judging others. If the system found her worthy to be a [Hero], then I will keep quiet. However, from her brief (and evidently ambiguous) speech, I have figured something out; it is likely that all of us have checkered pasts. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Matt likely has a traumatic life experience, working in the navy and all. Raph, as much as he tries to hide it, is awfully emotionally expressive, and from just the short interaction, I can also guess that he would prefer not to talk about his past. Melony¡­ too, likely has her own forsaken ordeals. ¡°So¡­¡± I begin, attempting to ease the once-again formed tension in the room, ¡°what classes did you all select?¡± Seeing this as an opportunity to cut the tension, Raph suddenly pipes up. ¡°What class I picked? Well, I chose the [Marksman] class. Basically, it¡¯s a better version [Archer]¡ªit improves my aim, hand-to-eye coordination, focus and other archery related stuff. Oh, right, I also got [Reduce Distractions] as an Extra Skill. Although, don¡¯t you think¡ª¡± Raph continues, but flails his hands at the bow slung across his back ¡°¡ªthat the bow and arrows give my class away? I wish Travia had handguns or something!¡± ¡°An upper tier version of [Archer], you say?¡± I question inquisitively. ¡°Yeah, [Archer] only applies to bows and such, but with [Marksman], I can apply that aim and concentration anytime, as long as it involves me shooting or throwing something. But higher tier classes are rarer than the more mundane ones.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Seeing that the conversation had died down, Matt takes initiative and tells us about his class. ¡°I elected the [Brawler] class. S¡¯ a combination of most of the melee classes, and increases my damage and health, as well as giving me [Melee] as an Extra Skill.¡± Matt explains, his armour rattling as he makes hand signs. I nod along, listening intently. However, all I get is a brief, one-worded response from Melony. ¡°[MagiMage]¡± she mutters. Closing my eyes, I take a moment to clear my mind and think properly, before addressing my problem to my fellow [Heroes]. I press on the amulet, and no less than a second later, a voice devoid of emotion yet so human sounds in my head. ¡°I am classless, and I¡¯m not sure which class to choose. There are one too many¡ª¡± Raph shoots his hand forwards towards my mouth and quickly interjects. ¡°You choose, Ray. I mean, you¡¯ve only been here for how long? Two weeks?¡± ¡°A week¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly! It took me a whole three weeks of thinking to decide on what class to choose, since once you select a class, you can¡¯t revert back. I don¡¯t regret it, though!¡± ¡°Raph¡¯s got it right, I betcha! Best not to rush a choice like this, Ray. A decision like this takes time¡ªmost people spend their entire childhoods deciding what class to pursue, and ye¡¯ only got a week''s worth of contemplation.¡± I nod my head along to Matt¡¯s explanation. He is right, after all. Choices like this are best not to be rushed. Raph actually turns out to be surprisingly considerate, and seemed unexpectedly mature just then. Already, I can make out each person¡¯s personality. Raph, the youngest, and by far most laid-back looks thirteen, maybe fourteen at best. Having someone like him here certainly brings good company and cuts the tension. Mat, the oldest, and by far the most serious, has a straightforward and sincere personality. Compassionate yet tough, maybe? A good and reliable man in times of crisis. To be honest, I cannot derive much from Melony''s demeanour. All I can tell is that either she is a woman of few words, is stuck-up, or has something to hide. I narrow my eyes as I take a closer look at Melony¡ªno, not in a perverted way. And she catches my glance. ¡°What?¡± asks Melony in a voice somehow between a bark and a hiss. Flustered, I quickly avert my gaze before responding. ¡°No¡­ nothing¡­¡± ¡°Jeez, have some people skills, Melony! So¡­ Ray, what did you get from your [Hero] pack?¡± Raph inquisitively puts a finger on his chin, and mentions at Matt¡¯s weapons before continuing. ¡°I mean, I got a bow and arrows, Melony got a¡­ staff, I think? And Matt got a bunch of weapons! Apart from the I¡¯onit knuckles and the broadsword, he¡¯s also got a chain and sickle stored in his inventory! In fact, why do we all get different items?¡± Matt cuts in, voicing his idea. ¡°Perhaps our items vary to suit the user? ¡®Ah know we got our items before choosing a class¡ª¡± he gives me a quick glance ¡°¡ªbut don¡¯t you think our classes were pre-determined for us? I mean, each of us only got one rare class variant. Almost as if we were being guided down that class route.¡± Raph opens his mouth, lets his jaw slack down for a moment, and then promptly closes his mouth. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t argue against that. But maybe this means that our gear also have different stat values?¡± ¡°Well, that hypothesis should be easy enough to test.¡± I say, ¡°without any gear equipped, all my stats are at 1,000¡ªand I¡¯m still level 1. With gear, all my stats get boosted at an average of 3,500 stat points for each attribute, leaving me at an average of 4,500 on each attribute.¡± I half expected Raph to mutter something about becoming a myth-buster, and I also half expected Matt to take the initiative to go next. What I did not expect: Raph staring at me dumbfounded, Matt sweating profusely but trying to act cool by whistling in admiration (with his voice being an octave higher than usual), and Melony¡ªMelony¡ªgoing wide-eyed. I nervously chuckle. ¡°Um, what?¡± Chapter 18: Skills Undercovered!

Chapter 18: Skills Undercovered!

Rena I gulp audibly. As of now, allocating Combat Points is the only way I can check my stats. Last time, they averaged at around 30, with mana being the runt of the litter. Compared to last time, how much stronger did I get? Each level-up should give me +1 on all attributes in theory. But for the sake of my hypothesis, let¡¯s say that stats differ when increasing according to affinity. The highest increase I¡¯ve had so far is a +3 on damage. So say by some miracle, I get that +3 for each of my four level-ups. That would leave me with +12 on all stats, so I would therefore average at stats of 42 on each attribute. If it¡¯s anything over-the-top, then something fishy is definitely going on. Like a Greed-linked skill, maybe? <20 Combat Points Health: 61 Mana: 34 Damage: 73 Defence: 57 Speed: 69 Which attributes do you wish to increase?> Holy¡­ Okay, okay, okay. Definitely a skill. No way four level ups would let my stats increase by this much. Seriously, what?! Plus forty for damage and speed? Unreaall. Hmmm¡­ I¡¯ve discerned that this rapid growth of mine is the doing of some sort of skill that comes along in a package deal. By being a Unique Demon, I also get some overpowered cheat skill? Yes! Yes please! Though, there''s a bit of a problem now. Namely: what do I do with this information? I¡¯d like to say that I should start going super aggro, but that¡¯s basically what I¡¯ve been doing this whole time. I¡¯ve just been careful not to step past the line and die. And I¡¯m honestly not even that shocked, let alone excited, since I sort of suspected such a thing even in the beginning. It¡¯s kind of like that feeling when you¡¯re so confident about a theory that instead of anticipating excitement about proving it correct, you¡¯re scared of getting let-down if the results don¡¯t satisfy you. So really? Meh. Sure is nice to get statistical confirmation, but¡­ still pretty anticlimactic in my opinion. I suppose the smart way would be to carry on with these tests? So far, I think I can safely say that my damage stat has been increasing the most, and mana has been increasing at the slowest rate. For the most part, I¡¯ve been spamming all my Combat Points into speed, yet damage seems to always prevail. This pattern has to be linked to mystery skill in some way, right? I can think of three primary reasons for this. Either mystery skill increases stats based on my affinity with each attribute, has a set ratio when increasing, or increases stats based on the stats of my opponent. The first possibility is pretty self explanatory. Say I¡¯m naturally a hard-hitter, so my damage increases the most. But I suck at magic, so my mana barely increases. And the other attributes are somewhere along that line between 0 and 100 based on my own affinities. The second possibility basically means that the skill I have increases my stats at a set rate. Like maybe 3:4:6:2:6:1 or something? So damage jumps up the most since it has the most ratio points allocated towards it, while mana doesn¡¯t really go up since it only gets a tiny portion from the overall stat pool. I can¡¯t change that set ratio, and it has nothing to do with my affinities¡ªsimply the skill itself. Or, the third, and probably most logical probability: the stats I get are a direct ratio based on the stats of the opponent I killed. I mean, these roaches hit pretty hard, but I haven¡¯t seen a single one use magic yet. So say the roaches themselves have high damage and low mana. By killing them, I simply get a smaller portion from their overall stats. And, honestly, this clause sounds the most liable. I mean, it would make more sense this way, and wouldn¡¯t you expect some badass sin skill to be more useful than increasing based on a determined rate? So the third option it is. But as of now, my options are well, ¡­rather limited. I¡¯ve only got roaches to kill, okay! Meaning that even if I wanted to, I won¡¯t be able to even out my stat pool. It¡¯s not really a big issue right now since damage and speed seem to be the ones that increase the most exponentially, but maybe later on, say, I want mana to perform magic, then I could go and kill some monsters with high mana stats. Though, without further ado¡­ Yeah, I guess that looks about right. I would just go all in, +10 damage and +10 speed, but since damage already increases at the fastest pace, I might as well spend some Combat Points on my third most favourable attribute: health. Yeesh, would you look at that. Rena Shinohara used Bulk Up! It¡¯s super effective! Rena has ascended to godhood! Oops, might have slipped a bit into the wrong genre. I¡¯m not going to be climbing steps that increasingly put pressure on my ki core or whatever! Sorry, but no xiaxian or cultivation here. Just pure grinding! The way LitRPG was intended! Who cares about the fourth wall?! (Rena Shinohara is grabbed by some hand from the sky, before getting duct-taped to the cavern wall.) Okay, nevermind. I do care about the fourth wall. Man, getting duct-taped really sucks! Trust me, you never wanna experience that in your life. Imagine being that ¡®modern art¡¯ banana that sold for a million or something¡­ Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. That aside, I¡¯m kind of wondering how exactly I beat a roach that was light years ahead of me in terms of power. It has to be that acid, right? I mean, just because the Guard produced some acid, doesn¡¯t mean it''s immune to its effects. Same goes for humans, actually. If you had a hole in your stomach and your digestive acids suddenly leaked out, you would be as good as dead. So maybe it produces the acid in some special gland and secretes it outwards by spitting to form a makeshift projectile? I don¡¯t exactly know the science behind it, but that acid was absolutely devastating. I got super lucky then, to be honest. I just tried to clamp the roach¡¯s mouth shut so the acid wouldn¡¯t get to me, but I ended up making the roach deal way more collateral damage than intended, so it all works out in the end. Speaking of the roach¡­ How am I going to get out of this cramped corridor with the huge frame of a dead roach blocking my pathway?
Having heaved the roach out, I puff my chest out in satisfaction as I admire my work from a distance. For a second, I really thought I was gonna get trapped in there! Good thing I had the bright idea to shovel at the already damaged parts of stone in order to make the corridor slightly wider. Alright, now that I¡¯m done with the physical labour, I guess I should get back to the theory side of things. Before, when I spontaneously level upped, two things had caught my attention. Some title called [Underdog], and some skill called [Melee] that fused with [Slash] and [Stab]. <[Underdog] (title) Condition: Defeat a foe deemed marginally stronger and impossible to beat. Effect: Deals extra damage based on the difference in rank.> Hmm¡­ If it were a difference in level instead of difference in rank, I¡¯m sure this title would be a lot more useful, but it doesn¡¯t seem that good right now. I mean, once I reach a certain level, I should rank up from F to D, right? So the skill gets less useful the more I progress. And most of my enemies are rank F. The highest being Queens, Guards, and probably also the King. I probably won¡¯t get that much bonus damage if the opponent is just one rank higher than me, but if it were levels, they¡­ Okay, both ways, [Underdog] doesn¡¯t seem that good. But the unlocking condition seems pretty hard to get, so this should be a rare or powerful title, right? Well¡­ being pessimistic sucks, so let¡¯s just be optimistic and say that the ¡®extra damage¡¯ scales pretty high per rank. Even if it doesn''t, extra damage is still extra damage, so I¡¯ve got no room to complain! Yeah! That¡¯s the spirit! I already used to kill the baby roaches in a single hit before, and since my stats took a massive leap forward, I¡¯m even more certain that they¡¯ll pose no trouble to me anymore, so [Underdog¡¯s] bonus damage won''t allow me to squat there. But I¡¯m planning on wiping out the sub-nest, meaning that I¡¯ll be up against the Queen and some more Guards, so the bonus damage might mean the world there. In fact, speaking about baby roaches, I¡¯m definitely far stronger than them, yet we¡¯re still under the same rank. Like, based on my personal evaluation, no way are those baby roaches even near the same league as I! Uh, is there really such a thing as a cap, or is it just impossible to rank up? I¡¯m getting unnerving suspicions that ranking up is impossible¡­ N-no, it should be fine. ¡­ Well, regardless of whether ranking is possible or not, I also got some other skill called [Melee]. For some reason, both [Slash] and [Stab] got integrated into [Melee], so I¡¯m assuming that [Melee] is probably some advanced, superior version of the former skills. They¡¯re totally compatible. I mean, why else would they fuse together?! The proficiency from [Stab] and [Slash] also boosted [Melee] up to level 4. Which seems weird, since [Stab] was level 7 and [Slash] was level 3. But for some reason, [Melee] wound up level four instead of level ten. Maybe some of the proficiency was lost during the conversion? You know? Basic science? 100% energy efficiency is impossible, because some energy is lost on the way? Same logic? Probably. <[Melee] (Passive): Adds bonus damage to any melee-based attacks. Also gives the user fundamental knowledge of all melee-based arts.. Bonus damage and battle knowledge increase as skill levels up.> Oh? So, like, I can do kung-fu and skillfully wield my daggers now? I¡¯ve got a fundamental knowledge base of all melee arts, haven¡¯t I? I move around experimentally, having no idea what to do. In fact, I¡¯m really drawing a fine line between pure flailing and technique. Yet, halfway through my hapless movements, some sort of instinct just takes over, and I end up doing a 360 roundhouse kick on the wall left to me while minimising the recoil damage done to my foot. Well, if [Underdog] wasn¡¯t good, this sure makes up for it! Another massive boost to my offensive capabilities, for sure. My only attack methods all fall into some subcategory of melee battle, so all by attacks get boosted, it seems. Not only that, but did you see me move just then? Yeah, the movements felt a bit rough around the edges and unrefined, but if managing to pull a roundhouse kick out of my ass counts as ¡®fundamental knowledge¡¯, then I bet I could do way more! Except, against these roaches, martial arts won¡¯t do jack shit, so I¡¯ll have to lay off the kung-fu for another day. Good thing it says all melee arts. So I can probably wield my daggers the way an assassin does now. Probably not. But probably reasonably better than before. Probably. Hopefully. Using the dagger I had wiggled out of the Guards jaw, I experimentally move around, sidestepping at random intervals and swinging my dagger while ducking¡ªbasically the things I saw on anime. Interestingly enough, my movements feel a lot smoother, and instead of gruffly shifting from one position to another like before, I instead transition between movements fluidly without that usual jerky movement. Small things change ever-so-slightly. But most notably: my pose and footwork, which was virtually redundant before, have gotten some form. Like how I now subconsciously stand with my feet shoulder width apart for balance, and how my thumb now rests on the side of the handle for control and precision. I mean, damn! Damn! Dayum! I totally love this new skill! All hail [Melee]! Next, it totally makes sense to salvage the Guards corpse to make even better daggers! I¡¯ve already made a really nice one from one of the roach¡¯s scythe-like extensions, but I can always make a second one with the other scythe part! And even better: This guy retains its rank! Even after dying, it¡¯s still rank D! Which means, naturally, the body parts I loot from it will also be ranked D! Wahahahaha!!! This catch is gonna be tons better in quality than the others!!! I¡¯ll make a killing!!! Do I sound like a black-market organ trader? Because I totally think I do. Using the long-bladed dagger as a saw, I manage to yank off the other scythe-like leg. The length of the scythe/katana shaped blade is in-between that of a shortsword and a dagger. So what do I call it? Short-shortsword? Longdagger? Honestly, I think I¡¯ll just stick with ¡®dagger¡¯, since y¡¯all know that ¡®dagger¡¯ refers to ¡®long-bladed dagger¡¯ from now on. Well, until I find myself a better pair of weapons. Cutting off the antennas, I wrap them around the ligament section of the scythes. It creates a pretty comfortable grip. I take a step back and look in awe at my 5-minute crafts daggers. ¡­You know what? I think I¡¯m gonna put more effort into these. After roughly an hour later, I once again take a step back and look at my fine daggers in marvel. Along with the two main daggers from the roach¡¯s scythe extensions, I also made four throwing knives from the other leg parts, although those are far cruder than my main daggers. Haha!, even artisans would be jealous of this beauty! Looking proudly at my makeshift daggers, I [Appraise] them. Whoaa¡­ ...My craftsmanship was so good that I made a legit, bona-fide weapon?!?! I mean, even the system registers them as actual daggers! Hell yeah! ONE HUNDRED FREAKING DAMAGE! These daggers are overpowered as heck! I guess these are the rewards I deserve for beating an enemy that I shouldn''t have been able to defeat. I¡¯ll go see what else I can salvage from the corpse. Well, I would, but¡­ I don''t want to go near that gross body anymore. A pile of blood, pus, froth, and who knows what has formed a large puddle over there, you know? No way am I touching that shit. Forget about cutie beauties, that thing probably comes straight out of sleep-paralysis hell. Chapter 19: Roaches be Gone!

Chapter 19: Roaches be Gone!

Rena Another two weeks of ¡®hit and run¡¯ had passed. And, within those weeks, I had been practicing in order to perfect my perfect run. I sidetrack my way back to the main nest. After attaining [Melee], I had tried out a few new techniques, from the art of knife-throwing to the mastery of karate. In fact, I¡¯d say I¡¯m probably a lower brown belt on a good day? Totally not dan levelled yet though. But, the thing is, right now, with a massive stat boost and offensive upgrade, I¡¯m feeling cocky. Like, I wanna just barge into the sub-nest and yolo it! But obviously, that would cut the story short. Roaches, beware! Your contractor just called in an exterminator! And no, not the ones that just barge in and spray the house with gas. I¡¯m talking about the types of exterminators that carefully lay traps and kill roaches with strategy. Knowing my own impulsiveness, I would probably choose the former option if I could. Unfortunately, I¡¯m nowhere near the scale of power needed to pull that off. So, strategy it is! The babies don¡¯t pose any threat to me, but the Soldiers do. Even if a Soldier is likely to be a notch below the Guard, it doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t dangerous. Q: how do I draw the attention of these Soldiers? A: KILL BABY ROACHES!! So that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ll be doing. I¡¯ve already planted a few traps here and there as leverage in case I find the situation getting out of hand. I idly walk along the pathway before making my way back to the sub-nest. And, while making as much noise as possible, I throw my throwing knife with utmost precision. It cleaves through four baby roaches without a hind of delay, before slowly losing velocity and coming to a stop at eight babies. The other babies all halt their activities at once, and turn to face me. I materialise another knife from my inventory, and get ready to throw it in hopes of dealing as much collateral damage as possible. However, instead of all rushing me, the babies break out into frantic screeching. And a loud, growl-ish screech silences the yelping. The babies cease their screaming, and scuttle away, forming some pathway. And I can¡¯t help but mutter¡ª ¡°¡ªWhat¡­?¡± Erm, excuse me? Why does it feel like I¡¯m getting VIP treatment? Why are they rolling out a metaphorical red carpet for me? Why? The babies begin to click their fangs, forming a wicked chant. More like a jeer, actually. A sleek roach pompously glides along the line. It cockily looks at me, and I could totally imagine the roach sneering at me while saying something like ¡®Hmph! Know your place, girl!¡¯ They bow down. Well, if you count lowering their front legs, and keeping their back legs up high as bowing. It looks more like a downward dog. Eh, it''s the thought that matters, right? The roaches scuttle backwards, making room for an imposing figure. A [Queen Cockroach]. The Queen. Master of the nest. Bah! What is this, royal pride? Jokes on you I''m going to shatter that conceit and make you look up in defeat! Ooh, that rhymes. I guess I should be serious about this, but with meticulous planning backing me up, I can¡¯t help but feel confident. Why, you ask? Tsk tsk tsk¡­ Don¡¯t underestimate the power of continual back-to-back [Appraisals]! I know these roaches better than they know themselves! Sure, it took hours of trial-and-error to get the results that I wanted, but I¡¯ve managed to find out the battle style and general stat distribution of not only the Soldiers, but also the Queen. I even knew that the babies would bow¡ªit was just the grandiose of it that took me by surprise. The Queen Roach. Although it¡¯s a rank D, its stats aren¡¯t actually that high. Purely stat-wise, the Queen still outranks me, but if you take skills, planning and spatial awareness into the equation, then I¡¯m confident I can beat a Queen one-on-one. Queens are the only roach species that specialises in magic. Although, that magical expertise is still pretty crude. They use [Disease Magic] to inflict damage. [Disease Magic] is a rare skill only accessible to the Queen Cockroach species, and it will continue to feed off the target until either the Queen runs out of mana or dies. And even worse, the spell cannot be evaded. Once a target is set, dodging is impossible. Sounds deadly, right? Wrong! Why? Simple: [Disease Magic] takes an immense amount of casting time. And once cast, the spell still takes a long time to deal fatal damage. I mean, diseases are meant to be slow and painful. Not fast and concise. Which is where the Soldiers come into play. Their main goal is to stall for time, and their specs centre around health and defense¡ªthe inverse of Guards, who specialise in damage and speed. But even though speed isn¡¯t their area of expertise, they¡¯re still faster than me. Which is precisely why my speed attribute is so important¡ªif I get significantly outspeeded, then I¡¯m basically done for, so I have to boost my speed to match the pace of stronger opponents. Luckily, I had managed to brew some concoction to slow down the Soldiers. Although, by ¡®concoction¡¯, I just mean using the corpse of a baby roach as a mortar and pestle to make a glue-like substance. What exactly is this substance, you ask? A mix of roach intestines, antennas and blood. I don¡¯t get the science behind it, but I stumbled upon an aged corpse. Usually, the corpses disappear after a few days, and there¡¯s really only one answer behind that: cannibalism. There are no scavengers or decomposers¡ªonly roaches. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. But for some reason, that corpse wasn¡¯t eaten. And when I went to poke it with a throwing knife, the knife sunk into the organic matter pretty easily. But, boy, oh boy, was it a pain to take out. A natural adhesive! Can you believe it? I feel like the guy who stumbled across penicillin by accident! So, I splotched the adhesive at strategic locations, such as turnways and narrow corridors. One might think it would be difficult to lure the Soldiers out of the nest, but it¡¯s actually pretty easy. You see, once [Disease Magic] locks onto a target, distance is no longer an issue. So from the roach POV, they would actually be putting me at a disadvantage by pushing me away from the Queen. Stupid roaches. As expected, the two Soldiers follow behind the Queen, before moving forwards to protect her from both sides. Actually¡­ is the Queen an it or a her? I mean, unlike a ¡®Guard roach¡¯, I can actually assume gender when it comes to ¡®Queen¡¯ and ¡®King¡¯ roaches. ¡®Her¡¯ it is, then. I lock eyes with the Queen. The inky darkness glares back at me with ferocity. No, not ferocity¡­ hate? She probably sees me as the bastard who killed her children and a loyal vassal. And I too, see a bastard. The mother of all bastards, in fact. Makes me wanna scream ¡®WOMP WOMP!¡¯, but that''s gen A stuff. Suddenly, I feel an uneasy feeling resonate within me. Et tu, Queen? Are you giving me cancer? Right as I feel [Disease Magic] attack my body, the Soldiers on the Queens side lunge me. Soldier 1 jumps right towards me. I parry the bite with one of my daggers, and redirect the momentum back to it with a kick while leaping up, and slicing its exoskeleton to form a clean ¡®X¡¯ shaped incision. Soldier 1 almost recoils shock, but quickly regains composure and clicks its antennas. Soldier 2 responds with its own click, and second later, the two roaches circle me like sharks ready for a meal. Aw man, teamwork? Not happening today! Before they can close up any openings, I make a break for it and dart away from the sub-nest, the Soldiers following in pursuit. Unlike the Guard, these guys aren¡¯t toying with me, and are actually fighting at full strength, so they¡¯ll catch up to me pretty soon. While sprinting like a chicken caught near KFC, I notice a circle in the distance. Good. The blood landmark. I¡¯m gaining traction! I glance back, and see the roaches advancing towards me, closing the gap a few centimetres at a time. They¡¯re getting too close for comfort. I materialise a knife from my inventory, quickly spin it by the blade, before throwing. It hits Soldier 1 smack-bang in the forehead, and it screeches in pain, frantically scrubbing the blade with its stubby legs. Using the attack as a distraction, I dash to the O and quickly leap over a large boulder before scrambling up some rocks. Oh yeah, Soldier 2 managed to help Soldier 1 pull the blade out while I was rock climbing. This is the first landmark. A large overhanging boulder that leads to a wall with footholds impossible for a roach to climb but easy enough for a person. So I¡¯ve got the high ground right now, the roaches can¡¯t reach me, and I have a stash of throwing knives piled up, each one sharpened to perfection. Even an idiot would be able to read the room. But the roaches don¡¯t. Maybe it¡¯s anger blinding them? Aw man, I can¡¯t help but feel so cocky! As the dynamic duo charge at me, it begins to rain knives. I¡¯m prioritising quantity over quality right now. If I were to take my time to precisely aim every single shot, the Soldiers would eventually realise that they¡¯re disadvantaged. And if they retreated, I would have to follow them back to the nest if I didn¡¯t want [Disease Magic] to get to me. But if I keep on applying pressure on them? Sure, the stock might run out faster, but the stress won¡¯t let the roaches think straight. Since they¡¯re much stronger than me, any chip damage I can manage to get in here would be helpful. I¡¯m not wasting my four remaining D rank throwing knives though. I¡¯ll just use the F rank ones from the pile, since I¡¯ll probably need the good daggers for later. The hail continues droning on for another two minutes. The Soldier¡¯s hard shell protected them from most of the damage, but every now and then, I managed to hit a weak spot (like a soft membrane or something). Overall? Pretty worthwhile. But now I¡¯m out of daggers. And the roaches seem more annoyed than agitated. I-It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ve still got the glue trap! Hopping down from the ledge, I throw one more knife at Soldier 1 before breaking into a short sprint. The roaches follow in pursuit, yelling curses or whatever in their language. I get that I¡¯m not exactly taking this seriously, but with preparation, no opponent is too strong. I kick a pebble upwards. It hits a roach corpse, causing the limp body to slightly loll to the side. And with the weight shifted, the mechanism activates, and a pseudo catapult fires sticky gunk at the roaches. A bit crude, but with all due respect, I only had access to two materials: slabs of stone and roach bodies. So I¡¯m actually impressed with my handiwork. Sure, I didn¡¯t create a semiconductor or anything, but hey, a glue trap is pretty neat, no? Soldier 1 pulls its legs violently, only for the sticky, elastic substance to tang! back. The sudden tug causes the roach to stumble and fall even deeper into the glue. Heh. Idiot. And so, I immobilise my opponents and win. The end. Or so I would say. Unfortunately, miracles like those don¡¯t always occur. The glue wasn¡¯t even that sticky anyway. Only when the glue accumulates, goes it get unbearably adhesive. Soldier 1 does get caught in the trap, but the glue really only lowers the roach¡¯s speed and nothing else. Soldier 2¡ªthe smarter one¡ªhowever, dodges the incoming volley, and makes a beeline for me while howling in rage. Its antenna¡¯s even twitch to match its roars. Maybe it can somehow sense that the glue is made of its brethren. Oh well. Anger, though a good method for boosting raw power, severely hinders one¡¯s logistical processing. There¡¯s a reason why taunts are so effective and considered dirty play. Because it baits out the enemy''s irrationality. Sure, this provocation was accidental, but it works in my favour, no? Soldier 2 charges at me, and I barely dodge by swinging to the side. The roach becomes a blur in my vision, and I parry a strike in the nick of time. The echoes from the impact reverberate around the cavern. Then; silence. Before the storm. Soldier 2 uses some sort of skill, and its strikes become noticeably more accurate and well timed afterwards. It takes all my effort to dodge. The roach, seeing by right wide open, lunges at me, only for its legs to get restrained by an invisible force. It was only a matter of due time. If I came unprepared, I probably would¡¯ve lost by now. But I had considered the worst-case scenario and prepared accordingly. What, you think I¡¯m an impulsive idiot? ¡­Okay, maybe I am slightly impulsive, but I¡¯m not an idiot! You see, the glue bomb from before was actually a distraction. The synthetic glue was actually a weaker, more diluted variant. I had the whole floor laced in glue. And everytime Soldier 2 darts around, the existing glue only sticks harder to the pre-prepared glue. There was a reason why I was staying on the defensive and moving as little as possible. So I wouldn¡¯t get super-glued to the damn floor! Maybe ¡®clumsy¡¯ Soldier 1 was actually the smarter one? I mean, Roach 1 isn¡¯t really incapacitated. Retracting would be a smart move for it. Buuut, this Soldier 1 we¡¯re talking about! The buffon that always got the brunt of my attacks! The fool! The clown! The circus! That one asylum member who paid way too much for placebo therapy! Predictably, it just charges at me. However, even in its paralysed state, Soldier 2 manages to growl/screech/click something out, causing Soldier 1 to freeze in place. Soldier 1 weakly counters with something, but Soldier 2 barks out the same sound as before, Soldier 1 visibly flinching in response. Sulkily, Soldier 1 scampers away from the fight, while Soldier 2 resigns to its fate. Aw man, why does this seem like a sibling talk? You guys are gonna make my cry! ¡°Stand back, lil¡¯ bro! Go tell the Queen! I¡¯ll stall time for you!¡± ¡°N-no! Brother, I can¡ª¡± ¡°SHUT UP!! Do it, Soldier 1!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think Queen Roach sucks at naming?¡± ¡°SHUT UP!! Don¡¯t go off script, even if this is all wholesome(?) dialogue is in that crazy glue girl¡¯s head!¡± ¡°Okay. Bye bye, now I get the TV remote and legos all for myself!¡± (Soldier 1 happily skips away from the scene while whistling catchy tunes.) Something like that? Except Soldier 1 clearly has fear engraved in its eyes. Does Soldier 2 think it can stall for time? Well, I¡¯m not stupid. Since Soldier 2 is already immobile, I can just hunt down Soldier 1 and get Soldier 2 later. I should be able to catch up. Although the soldier roaches have higher raw stats, the glue should hinder Soldier 1¡¯s movement. But what if Soldier 1 also goes berserk? I don¡¯t have any convenient glue traps anywhere else, and the other traps only extend down the corridor. Since Soldier 1 is running back to the sub-nest, I don¡¯t have any more traps to back me up. Oh well, Soldier 1 was already damaged from prior attacks. I¡¯ll probably be able to win. Probably. Maybe. Likely. Definitely. Chapter 20: The Summoning Spell

Chapter 20: The Summoning Spell

Ray The awkwardness returns to the room once more. Not even Raph, with his undying enthusiasm and morbid curiosity, manages to squeak a word. An air of silence hovers over us. To my surprise, it is Melony who first speaks up. She holds a stone in hand¡ªone likely conjured with the [Inspect] skill¡ªand stares at the air in front of her. For some reason, system notifications and status results are only visible to the user, and no one else. She lifts up a finger, hovering above some invisible numbers. ¡°4,500? Four thousand, five hundred?¡± she mutters, clearly speaking to herself but a little too loudly. ¡°But I trained so hard, and my stats barely border 4,000!¡± I read between the lines. ¡°I worked so hard for this, but some nobody outranks me?!¡± Melony puts her hands on her head and tugs her hair in a frustrated manner. However, the dramatic reaction from Melony seems to be a cue for Matt, and he suddenly butts in to save us from the drama queen. ¡°Really, Ray? 4,500? Raw stats, alongside equipment, push my stats up to 3,000.¡± ¡°Same!¡± Raph exclaims, chirping in. ¡°Maybe you are a true Hero?¡± The sudden, fifth voice startles me, but I regain composure after recognising the owner of the voice. The man who had reeled me in and shown me the ropes, nonetheless. ¡°Kequak?¡± I stammer in composed surprise. Raph¡¯s eyes go a bit wide, and he points a finger accusingly at Kequak. ¡°R-Ray? You know that geezer? The big boss of the best mages in all five kingdoms? The top dog Court Mage? What about you, Sir God Almighty Lord King Conqueror Deity¡ª¡± Raph gasps for breath, and continues ¡°¡ªEternal All Powerful Emperor Kequak, do you know Ray? ¡± "Ho-ho-ho! No need for formalities, young Raph! Yes, I was the one who summoned Ray. I apologise for overhearing your conversation, but I bear no ill will. I had already planned to come here, and simply stumbled upon the discussion by pure chance. But back to the topic, I suspect Ray may be a true Hero. When I summoned Ray, something felt amiss. I had spoken to the other Court Mages who had summoned [Heroes]¡ªMy summoning took a massive 4,500 mana. Theirs, only 3,000 mana.¡± ¡°W-wow! So wise! And smart! And cool!¡± praises Raph, before quietly muttering something about Kequak laughing like Santa Claus. I tilt my head in confusion. ¡°Raph, why do you seem so¡­ stiff, for lack of a better term?¡± However, my reaction just causes Matt to chuckle in response. ¡°Heh heh¡­ Back when Raph was first summoned with me, he started testing out his magic right off the bat, and ended up causing quite a¡­ large ruckus. Then Mr. Kequak beat some sense into him.¡± Noticing my confused glance, Matt quickly elaborates ¡°The Tasuta and Sonep Kingdoms are very close, so Court Mage Zari and Court Mage Quam had done the summoning spell together.¡± Makes sense, I suppose. However, this brings up two prominent questions. Firstly: ¡°Kequak, you mean to say your mana stat exceeds 5,000?¡± Here I thought I was abnormally strong, and frankly, Melony¡¯s reaction only strengthened that theory. Yet Kequak casually waves around his stats like nothing. ¡°Ho-ho-ho! Yes, indeed, Young Ray! In fact, my mana attribute exceeds 7,000, if you wish to know. However, the rest of my stats are centred around a humble 5,000 each. But¡ªdo not be let down! The number of Mithril badges such as I can be counted on one palm, and yet all of you are so close to that already. Not just Young Ray, but also the rest f you.¡± Raph mutters again. Something along the lines of ¡°What is this senile guy waffling about? Who cares? What does he mean by ¡®rest of you¡¯? Are we getting third wheeled?¡± Kequak gives Raph the side-eye, having evidently heard the silent complaint, and Raph salutes soldier style before letting out a war cry. ¡°Ugh, this is getting nowhere. I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Now, now, young Melony, no need to get impatient. And you, young Raph! Follow Young Ray¡¯s example!¡± Although Kequak says all of this in a joking tone, he somehow alludes an aura of authority that makes me feel uneasy. Is this like those animes where one is so powerful that even their aura can be sensed? Melony snorts, but still stays on her seat. ¡°I do admit, the sound of Mithril badge sounds promising.¡± Mat comments, ¡°but what did you mean when you said Ray was a ¡®true Hero?¡¯ Not a [Hero], but a Hero?¡± Kequak pauses for a moment, seemingly regathering his thoughts and thinking of a simple way to explain it to us. ¡°I will be with you briefly. This, as I¡¯m sure you expect, is a complicated matter and I will need some time to deduce a manner in which explanation will be simple and easy to follow along.¡± The four [Heroes] idly sit around, waiting for Kequak to start. Not long after, Kequak clears his throat, and begins his explanation. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I suppose I should begin with the basics. The summoning spell, originally invented by the first Court Mage¡ªHero King Lam¡ªsends a ¡®hand¡¯ from the material plane to the spiritual plane. Now, you should understand what the ¡®spiritual plane¡¯ exactly is. This spiritual plane is largely unknown and is still the victim of many mysteries, but one thing stands certain; the spiritual plane exists as a separate, non-physical dimension that connects different worlds together. Not only that, but it is home to the spirits that some unique skills are capable of contacting. Through this spiritual plane, the summoning spell connects with your ¡®Earth¡¯. I¡¯m not sure why this specific planet, but the late Lam had mentioned something about it being the ¡®purest¡¯ planet. Do you all follow along so far?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. We all passively nod our heads. Except for Melony. She grunts. ¡°Well, this ¡®spell¡¯ is actually unstructured magic¡ªmagic without the use of skills.¡± ¡°As in, the same magic that God taught the ancient elves?¡± ¡°No, not exactly. God did not teach the ancient elves the summoning spell, but instead, the use of magic without skills. Though, I do suppose the two are more closely related after inspection. Since we humans are the children of God, we bear the closest connection with elves compared to all other humanoid races.¡± ¡°That is, nothing at all¡± utters Melony Kequak ignores Melony and continues pacing around the room whilst explaining. ¡°As you all know, elves are a solitary species who live in tribes in the northern forests. They rarely communicate with other species, yet the Alzanian kingdom has few records from the time. Apparently, God had taught the ancient elven tribe whom we now call Dryads two primary forms of unstructured magic: dimensional magic and mind magic. Two types of magics that cannot be found anywhere in the Skill Archives. Magic that is not within the system. This spell is a hybrid of structured [Summoning Magic] and unstructured dimensional magic.¡± ¡°So, does having unstructured magic essentially mean more skills after the 3 skill cap? Can I learn some dimensional magic?¡± quips Raph as his hand darts up. ¡°Next time, put your hand up before asking a question!¡± scolds an amused Kequak. ¡°But to answer your question, no. To begin with, unstructured magic is impossibly difficult to master. Think of the system as a support beam. Trying unstructured magic at my level is already similar to walking a tightrope without that support. At your level, expect a raging storm and billowing winds. Even if you somehow learned unstructured magic, you would only be limited to the summoning spell. After all, all unstructured spells are baseless.¡± Raph, the enthusiasm draining out of him, slumps down on his chair. ¡°All of them are baseless?¡± he questions in defeat. ¡°Seriously? I¡¯m already struggling to make an original spell with [Wind Magic], but you¡¯re saying the spell is baseless and isn¡¯t even linked to an actual skill?¡± Kequak nods affirmatively. Base¡­less? I meekly raise my voice. ¡°Um, what do you mean by ¡®baseless?¡± I ask. Kequak raises an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Young Ray, did you not finish all the books I had suggested to you?¡± ¡°W-well knowing you, you probably gave Ray an entire twenty page legal document!¡± Awkward. Though, Raph is right. Kequak had given me a huge stack of suggestions. No¡ªnot the books. Just ten pages of book titles. Ten pages. I¡¯m trying to get through all of them, but I¡¯m only up to the seventh page right now. Kequak considerately considers for a second. ¡°Well, Young Ray, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt me to inform you what a baseless spell is, no? After acquiring a magic skill, some simple spells correlating to that magic automatically register into your brain. These spells require no training to use, and are essentially intrinsic. Intrinsic skills such as these are ¡®based¡¯, meaning that they have a solid foundation and can be used by anyone with the skill. For example, if you acquire [Wind Magic], you can cast sharp winds on the spot. However, apart from that one wind spell, everything else is baseless¡ªmeaning that they do not come naturally and require training.¡± Raph follows along Kequak, looking smug as he brandishes his knowledge like a sword. ¡°Magic, by default, is baseless. I mean, you can¡¯t exactly say you have an arsenal of spells if all you can do is shoot wind, right? But, that¡¯s only thinking about it as a technical term. If only one spell was based, and everything else was baseless, it would just be kind of stupid.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± praises Kequak. ¡°You see, many generations of mages have perfected certain spells to the point that they can be considered based if executed correctly. So now, the common definition of a based spell is: a spell that optimises mana efficiency. Although these spells are not learned on instinct, they can be taught reliably to others, meaning that with the right training, these spells can be mastered. Hence, they are also based, as they can be taught and passed through generations, and are not mana-excessive like many baseless spells.¡± Interesting. So, I assume a ¡®baseless¡¯ spell would be an ¡®original spell¡¯ like Raph had mentioned before? A spell that has been created solely by an individual, and is exclusive only to them. No wonder why Raph seemed so let-down. Although I was originally enticed by the promise of ¡®limitless¡¯ magic, I realise that is only in theory. In practice, it is much more difficult to conjure infinite amounts of spells. Creating such a baseless spell is likely much harder than it seems. After all, you must begin from scratch with nothing to build upon. Even if the baseless spell is created, it will probably be imperfect and rather wasteful on mana. ¡°Then, Kequak, is the spell you showed me before also baseless? The one where you used [Wind Magic] to control the pen to write?¡± ¡°Affirmative, Young Ray. I had made that spell up myself. My body is far too old for all the paperwork Braiher gives me! Ho-ho-ho!¡± ¡°Yeesh, what a power freak¡­ creating a damn baseless spell just cause you were lazy?!¡± Raph whispers to me. If based spells were like walking into a test with a formula sheet, then baseless spells are probably like walking into a test only knowing that 1+1=2. Kequak draws the attention back to himself with some flashy yet controlled [Fire Magic]. ¡°As I said before I got carried off, the summoning spell is a mixture of [Summoning Magic] and dimensional magic. Essentially, the spell uses the spiritual plane as a portal of sorts, and searches for suitable candidates within the White Rooms of Earth.¡± My gaze shifts to my fellow [Heroes]. White Rooms, huh? I vaguely remember such a place, which would mean¡­ all of us had died? ¡°However, as the spell cannot function indefinitely to search for the perfect candidate, a user must before the mage runs out of mana. The spell grabs onto the largest soul with the best affinities¡ªhence, your selection. This means that if the spell cannot locate a perfect candidate, it will settle for the second best. However, Ray is a perfect candidate. His wavelength matched perfectly with the spell criterias. Because of this, more mana was required to summon him.¡± ¡°How so?¡± asks a curious Matt. ¡°As Ray¡¯s wavelength was identical to that of the spell, it drew out more of the spell''s latent power, meaning more mana was required to pull him out from the soul pool.¡± ¡°Is that why his armour has higher stats than Raph and I? Because part of the spell¡¯s inner power was used to boost Ray even further, since he¡¯s a perfect candidate?¡± ¡°Exactly so,¡± confirms Kequak. ¡°Whoa! Do I need to call you Mr. [Hero] now?¡± Raph asks teasingly. ¡°No¡­ No, I¡¯d rather not be so formal. Ray should be fine,¡± counters Matt. I¡¯m about to open my mouth to support Matt, but Melony gives Kequak a comment that, once again, brings the room to a deathly quiet. ¡°The largest soul with the best affinity to the system, huh? And how exactly does this ¡®summoning spell¡¯ differentiate between virtuous and unrighteous? What if one of you Court Mages accidentally summoned someone evil?¡± Kequak¡¯s eyes instantly narrow.