Alex woke, choking on dirt and debris. Struggling to his knees he looked around, confused and failing to comprehend what was happening. Taking a deep breath he climbed out of the hole and looked around, the tent was where it was meant to be and his truck was still off to the side, driver’s door wide open. He took a step then stopped as a screen appeared in front of him.
Welcome to the System Earth 0
System Initiation Complete
Quest - Survive the Initiation Gauntlet
Quest - Reach Level 10 - Unlock your [Stats]. Unlock your [Class]
Alex shook his head and swiped at the screen, his fingers passing right through it.
“How long was I out?”
He staggered into his tent and flopped down on the air mattress and closed his eyes.
Alex woke to the sound of tearing material, he watched as the side of his tent was opened by a set of claws. The torn material fell away, his eyes bulged and his jaw dropped. Staring into his tent, into his eyes was a-
A screen popped up in front of his eyes.
System Ability Unlocked - Scan (Level 1)
Activate to analyse objects, environments, or individuals. Reveals weaknesses, strengths, and vital statistics. Highlights clues, hazards, or resources. Mastery and complexity affect effectiveness. Scan additional objects, environments, or individuals to improve ability level for more complex descriptions.
Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1) - This Porcupine has evolved to walk on its hind legs, as the name suggests it's vicious. Sharp claws and spines. Susceptible to crushing damage
"Vicious Terrorpsine," Alex whispered to himself, "what the fuck is going on?".
The Terrorspine came through the hole it had made and charged Alex with its claws extended. Alex rolled off the mattress then dove through to the kitchen area of his tent. He grabbed a cast iron skillet that was sitting on the recently purchased camping stove, dropped to one knee as the claws swiped over his back and head, then stood, sweeping his skillet up and collecting the Terrorspine under the…
"Do Terrorspine's have chins?"
Critical Hit. Alex Till lands Killing Blow on Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1).
61 experience gained
Luckily his attack caused the beast to go over backwards so he didn't have to contend with its claws. He reached out and nudged the creature with his boot.
Do you want to loot Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1)?
"Ahh? Yes?"
Loot received:
7 C-Grade Credits.
1 C-Grade Vicious Terrorspine Skin [Perfect]
3 Terrorspine spines
"Where did the Loot go?"
No one responded.
"Loot? Bag? What do they call it in games? Inventory?"
A screen popped up in front of him, there were eight empty squares and two with items in them. Down in the corner, he saw four numbers.
7 C | 0 B | 0 A | 0 S
"I guess that answers where the credits got to."
He touched the box with what he presumed was a skin and it fell to the ground in front of him. Looking down, another screen opened.
1 C-Grade Vicious Terrorspine Skin [Perfect]
The skin of a Vicious Terrorpine, removed after the Beast took no slashing damage leaving it [Perfect].
This item will interest various crafters.
"I have no idea what is going on," Alex said, looking down at his skillet-turned-weapon, “it’s just like a fire, I need to keep going until it’s out.”
There was rustling outside the tent, looking back in the direction of the sleeping room he saw that it was now dark outside.
"More of these pricks?"
Finally taking stock of his situation Alex looked around the tent, then down at his skillet again-
D-Grade Cast Iron Skillet
Weapon Stats:
Damage: Moderate
Attack Speed: Average
Durability: High
Weight: Heavy
1 Kill
Alex looked at the skillet, then at the little cooking stove and a smile snaked across his face. Turning the stove on to a high heat he placed the skillet back on top, then thinking twice he grabbed a small kitchen towel and tied it around the handle. More rustling came from outside the tent followed by an odd and frankly unnerving chittering sound. Another Terrorspine came running into his tent and with a step to the right Alex picked up the hot skillet and swung it against the side of the beast's head. With an oddly muted crunch, the Terrorspine hit the ground and slid.
Critical Hit: Searing Strike. Alex Till lands Killing Blow on Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1).
61 experience gained.
Alex then calmly put the skillet back on the stove and waited for more Terrorspines.
Looking down he stared at the beast again.
Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1) - This Porcupine has evolved to walk on its hind legs, as the name suggests it is vicious. Sharp claws and spines. Susceptible to crushing damage and searing damage
"Searing Strike?"
Looking at his skillet again he noticed an interesting change.
D-Grade Cast Iron Skillet
Weapon Stats:
Damage: Moderate-High
Attack Speed: Average
Durability: 98%
Weight: Heavy
Special Ability:
Searing Strike: Unleashes a scorching blow, inflicting additional fire damage over time to the target.
2 Kills
"Interesting."
Alex extended a boot and tapped the beast, looted it, ending up with the same items and credits again. Looking at his inventory he was pleased to see that they filled the same slots. Suddenly two Terrorspines were in the room, Alex stepped to his right again, picked up the very hot skillet and lashed out hitting the second in the back of the head. He wasn't as lucky with the first, it had moved faster than he expected and managed to slice the back of his left arm from the wrist to the elbow. However, hitting the second propelled it into the back of its mate, impaling the dead beast on the sharp spines.
"Wow, that's just really unlucky," Alex said as the unlucky Terrorspine lost its footing and fell on its front, unintentionally causing the dead Terrorspine on its back to be impaled further.
Walking over Alex swung down and smashed the struggling Terrorspine in the back of the head.
Critical Hit: Searing Strike. Alex Till lands Killing Blow on Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1).
61 experience gained.
Level Up
Alex Till reaches level 2
Critical Hit: Searing Strike. Alex Till lands Killing Blow on Vicious Terrorspine (Level 1).
59 experience gained
"That wasn't too bad," Alex said, hastily looting both beasts. "The same loot again? Surely that's weird?"
He picked up a first aid kit, put his skillet back on the stove and wiped the blood from his arm, preparing to try not to scream when he disinfected the wound. Pulling the wipe away he saw no sign of the injury where the beast had torn into his arm.
"Maybe the level-up healed me? That's helpful."
Looking around himself he noticed a small flashing light at the corner of his vision, looking down a screen popped up.
Quest - Survive the Initiation Gauntlet, Reach Level 10 - Unlock your [Stats]. Unlock your [Class]
Progress - 8%
Level Up - Reach Level 10 to unlock [Stats] and [Class]
Name: Alex Till
Race: Human (Earth 0)
Class: Reach Level 10
Level: 2
Attributes:
Strength:
Agility:
Intelligence:
Constitution:
Wisdom:
Charisma:
Total -
Skills:
Searing Strike: Unleashes a scorching blow, inflicting additional fire damage over time to the target
"8%! Come on. I've killed four of them… OK, so they're worth 2% each and they go down in one hit. So I need to kill a lot more and I'm getting less experience now that I'm level 2. Standing here looking at these bodies and talking to myself isn’t going to help."
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Alex looked in the direction of his air mattress and Map Tent, going over his options and trying to make a decision.
“What would the professor do?”
With that, he headed out into the darkness and collected all the dry wood and scrub he could get his hands on, then built a fire in front of the tents.
“Might as well speed this up."
With the fire lit he went inside and connected a new gas canister to the stove and arranged a couple of additional canisters close by. Faster than he would’ve liked he heard the odd chittering noises in the distance. The rustling that accompanied it could only mean he was going to be dealing with a lot more Terrorspines. Taking a deep breath he gripped his skillet and got ready. The tents, while larger than average, would still limit the number of beasts that could get to him, unless they opened up another entrance. Thankfully the fire had been set just beside the makeshift entrance. Then he heard the roar.
“I think I’ve made a big mistake,” he whispered, gripping the skillet tighter, enjoying the feel of the warmth that soaked through the towel.
Then he set to his grizzly task.
Progress - 54%
Thankfully the level of the Terrorspine’s went up as well.
Vicious Terrorspine (Level 5) - This Porcupine has evolved to walk on its hind legs, as the name suggests it's vicious. Sharp claws and spines. Susceptible to crushing damage
Level Up - Reach Level 10 to unlock [Stats] and [Class]
Name: Alex Till
Race: Human (Earth 0)
Class: Reach Level 10
Level: 6
That’s when the biggest Terrorspine yet arrived. Presumably, the number of dead beasts reached a tipping point and the System arranged for a loftier challenge.
Tyrannical Feverspine (Level 8) - This Porcupine has evolved to walk on its hind legs, it leads lesser members of its nest into battle. The spines and teeth of this variant are poisonous, while it’s brethren are mindless beasts driven b the need to please the leader, the Feverspine plans each attack. All poison damage done is returned as healing. Susceptible to crushing damage
The resulting battle had been brutal, compared to the Terrorspine, the Feverspine was smart, it studied Alex’s attacks and even when he did damage he received some for his trouble. A worrying image of a human body with three green streaks and a symbol appeared at the upper right of his vision. It didn’t take a genius to work out that he had been poisoned.
Feverspine Venom - Resistance to poisons reduced. Poison damage received increased. Stamina reduced. 3 damage per minute
Each streak on the body matched where he had pulled a spine from his body, through his palm, his wrist and upper arm, all on his right, the arm wielding the skillet. He heard another roar in the darkness and his shoulders sagged. Not only were the Terrorspine still attacking, but there was also another Feverspine ready to lead another nest against him. Reaching up he ran a hand over the burn on his face and squared his jaw. He didn’t give up then and he wouldn’t now. Gripping his skillet harder he ducked and rose quickly, connecting with the underside of the Feverspine’s chin, just as he had with the first Terrorspine. The crack confirmed that there was a chin in there. The beast toppled backwards and Alex leapt forward raining blows down on it’s head.
Critical Hit: Searing Strike. Alex Till lands Killing Blow on Tyrannical Feverspine (Level 8).
227 experience gained
Level Up
Level Up
Level 8 Reached
Reach Level 10 to unlock [Stats] and [Class]
“Yes, yes, I’m trying! Back off System.”
With a deep breath, Alex looted the Feverspine.
Loot received:
32 B-Grade Credits.
1 B-Grade Tyrannical Feverspine Skin [Damaged]
7 Feverspine spines
2 vials Feverspine Venom
“Lovely…”
D-Grade Cast Iron Skillet
Weapon Stats:
Damage: Moderate-High
Attack Speed: Average
Durability: 49%
Weight: Heavy
Special Ability:
Searing Strike: Unleashes a scorching blow, inflicting additional fire damage over time to the target.
31 Kills
"49%, hope it lasts. Something tells me skillets won't be easy to come by."
Checking himself over and confirming a lack of injuries Alex looked towards his tent's new entrance, the fire had burned down to embers and with the beast's around he wasn't venturing out in the dark. Placing his skillet on the stove he crouched down while watching the flickering fire light play across the tent material. After the accident that turned him away from archaeology, he hadn't trusted fire, even while in the department he'd tried to control it, to subdue it. Now? The fire calmed him, his clothes were torn, his blood had dripped onto the floor and he had creature blood on his face but the fire calmed his racing heart.
64%
The chittering came again, followed by another roar, standing he reached for his skillet and took a deep breath, there were more this time. He could see their silhouettes through the tent's walls. The light from the flames had died down slightly. He came to a decision, walked to the entrance the first Terrorspine had cut into the tent, planted his feet and prepared himself.
----------------------------------------
Panting, Alex dropped to his knees, his skillet had broken with two Terrorspines and the final Feverspine remaining, he'd been forced to use it as a shiv. The flashing symbol at the corner of his vision had changed colour before that but he hadn't had a chance to stop and read the message.
"That was brutal," he whispered to himself.
Taking a deep breath he stood and looted the creatures then walked through to the Map Tent and dropped into his chair before pulling up the quest information.
Quest - Survive the Initiation Gauntlet
Quest Complete
Quest Rewards
200 C-Grade Credits
100 B-Grade Credits
Quest - Reach Level 10 - Unlock your [Stats]. Unlock your [Class]
Quest Complete
Quest Rewards
Class Screen Unlocked
Stat Screen Unlocked
Title Earned - Planetary Frontrunner 100
One of the first hundred on Earth 0 to reach Level 10
Each stat is increased by 2 after Class Selection
Bonus Quest Unlocked
Quest - Kill Tyrannical Feverspine x2
Kill Vicious Terrorspine x50
Quest Complete
Quest Rewards
400 C-Grade Credits
200 B-Grade Credits
100 Terrorspine Spines
50 Feverspine Spines
20 vials of Feverspine Venom
Bonus Quest Unlocked
Quest - Complete Initiation Gauntlet Solo in under 12 hours
2:54:23 remaining
Quest Complete
Quest Rewards
Class Upgrade Token
Companion Nexus Cube
Unique Professions Unlocked
That was a lot. Sitting had been the right idea.
Name: Alex Till
Race: Human (Earth 0)
Class: Select Class
Title: Planetary Frontrunner 100
Level: 11
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 5
Constitution: 6
Wisdom: 5
Charisma: 4
Total - 33
Available Stat Points - 23
“Stat points? This is a lot. System, explain stats?”
Stat points are the numerical representation of an individual’s attributes. Humans from Earth 0 have a baseline of 5 in every category. As Adventurers progress further within the System they level up and unlock additional stat points. Levels 1 to 10 provide 2 stat points per level, 11 to 50 provide 3 points and 51 and above provide 5 per level. Classes provide certain complimentary benefits to stat points.
Strength represents an Adventurer’s physical power and muscle.
Agility represents speed, reflexes and nimbleness.
Intelligence represents intellect, knowledge and problem-solving capabilities.
Constitution represents endurance, resilience and overall health.
Wisdom represents perception, intuition and insight.
Charisma represents charm, persuasiveness and general social abilities.
“So, they’re my attributes? General social abilities… four! That’s a little harsh,” Alex paused and looked around himself, “but fair. So I have twenty points for getting to level 10 and an additional three for getting to 11. That helps. Classes provide benefits as well. System, explain classes?”
Similar to a pre-System profession, a Class represents an Adventurer’s occupation. They provide unique skills, abilities, stats, strengths and weaknesses. They typically fall into three categories.
Tank - a defender, high constitution, low damage, limited magical abilities.
Damage dealer - an attacker, lower constitution, high damage, varying magical abilities.
Healer - support class, low constitution, low damage, high magical aptitude.
There are exceptions to every class, specifically the damage dealer which can be a melee, close-quarters fighter, ranged, fighting from a distance, or caster (magical damage dealer).
Each class choice provides different stat allocations and requires stats in different areas. Most classes can be upgraded to provide additional benefits. Level 10 to 19 allows access to basic classes, level 20 provides the first chance to upgrade a class to a specialist variant or to choose a completely new class.
“That’s a lot as well. Might as well get it over with.”
Alex accessed the Class screen and froze when he saw the sheer amount of information.
Earth 0 Class List
Filtered by All
317 Class Options
“System, filter classes by Available.”
Earth 0 Class List
Filtered by Available
42 Class Options
“That’s still too many. System, filter classes by Available and…,” Alex looked through the open flap into the sleeping and eating areas of his tent and saw the bodies and his weapon. He jumped up and ran through to the eating room and collected his cold skillet handle. “... and melee damage dealers.”
Earth 0 Class List
Filtered by Available Melee Damage Dealers
3 Class Options
Warrior - Warriors are fearless melee combatants wielding heavy weapons and sturdy armour. With devastating blows, strong defence, and inspiring leadership, they dominate the battlefield, protecting allies and striking fear into enemies. Embrace the path of the Warrior and leave a trail of victory and carnage in your wake.
+2 to Strength per level
+1 to Constitution per level
Monk - Monks embody discipline, agility, and spiritual mastery. Armed with unarmed combat techniques and specialised weapons, they strike swiftly and with precision. Monks harness inner strength to deliver devastating blows, evade attacks, and possess healing abilities. Embrace the path of the Monk and balance body, mind, and spirit in battle.
+2 to Agility per level
+1 to Constitution per level
Rogue - Rogues are nimble and stealthy assassins. Masters of deception, they strike swiftly and vanish into shadows. Armed with deadly precision, they excel at high burst damage, evading attacks, and unlocking secrets. Embrace the path of the Rogue, lurking in the darkness and unleashing chaos upon unsuspecting foes.
+2 to Agility per level
+1 to Charisma per level
Select Class?
Alex stared at the screen, then down at his broken skillet’s handle. Lifting it up he looked at the scratches in the metal and the leftover blood.
“System, select Warrior Class.”
Warrior Class chosen
Class Level Stat Points Allocated
Name: Alex Till
Race: Human (Earth 0)
Class: Warrior
Title: Planetary Forerunner 100
Level: 11
Attributes:
Strength: 31
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 7
Constitution: 19
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 6
Total - 78
Available Stat Points - 23
Alex groaned and sagged into his chair, looking down he watched as his muscles warped and twisted under his skin, then his skin visibly changed before his eyes. Every blemish except the burn running over his shoulder and down his chest disappeared. That burn lost its coarse texture but shimmered then took on an ethereal silver colour. Running a finger over the right side of his jaw, touching the burn he had gotten used to, now it felt smooth to the touch.
Pulling up the stat screen he allocated 9 points to Strength, 11 to Constitution and 3 to Agility. Being able to dodge and move quickly while fighting the Terrorspines and Feverspines had saved his life several times.
Name: Alex Till
Race: Human (Earth 0)
Class: Warrior
Title: Planetary Forerunner 100
Level: 11
Attributes:
Strength: 40
Constitution: 30
Agility: 11
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 6
Total - 101