Elias sat with his sister on the couch, his belly full of pizza and cake. Kitty was loafing between them and he could feel her soft purring through his legs. It was quite remarkable that the cat was cozying up to him so much today but not that surprising, since it was his eighteenth birthday. He took this opportunity to gently stroke her soft fur.
Isabela was constantly looking towards the kitchen, anxiously waiting for their parents to bring out the birthday cake she was convinced they had bought. He had no idea how she was so sure of that, but if it were supposed to be a secret, his parents shouldn’t have let his sister find out about it. She wouldn’t shut up about it all week.
Apparently, his parents didn’t give up on the cake being a surprise though and merely adapted their strategy. Peter and Vivian appeared out of nowhere with a large cake in hand, already singing the first words of ‘happy birthday’. Their sudden appearance made both him and Isabela jump out of their seats in fright, with only Kitty remaining unfazed.
The cake looked very tasty, covered in white frosting and flakes of chocolate, with glossy cherries atop it. There were four candles lighting up his birthday cake, each one magically projecting a facet of one of the four tier 1 mana types. One candle looked like a waterfall cascading over the cake, another resembled an erupting volcano, the third swirled like a miniature hurricane, and the last projected a mountain forged from precious metals and gleaming jewels. Elias was awestruck, staring in wonder at the magical display, wondering at the work that must have gone into making such beauty.
Too soon, the candles petered out, whatever enchantment that powered them going inert. His parents had finished singing his birthday song a while ago and just set the cake down on the table so that they could all enjoy the lightshow. With it done, they both embraced him tightly as one, congratulating him once more. He even caught a quiet tear sliding down his mother’s cheeks, only for it to vanish right before his eyes; high attributes were unfair.
While the three of them embraced, Elias caught his little sister sneakily trying to steal a taste of the cake with her finger. Elias mercilessly slapped her hand away with a mouthed “mine”, not having forgotten that she was to blame for the fright he received only moments before. She glared at him, her lips curling into a pout, but he ignored her for now. She really needed to learn some patience and it’s not like she wouldn’t be getting a piece.
“Remember to be careful tomorrow, alright? It will be your first time in the dungeon and although I don’t think the monsters of the unranked zone will be a danger to you, it is important to build good habits. Besides, your Vitality is still pretty low,” Peter said as they parted from their hug. Elias just nodded mechanically, having heard these same words several times by now.
Unlike before, when the reminder of his low Vitality only served to frustrate him, it now filled him with anticipation and excitement. He would finally be able to level his low Vitality in the dungeon starting tomorrow. He’d actually even managed to raise it by another level around a year ago, despite all expectations, for a total level of four, but he still looked exceptionally sickly and weak. That would change soon.
“Don’t worry dad, I’ll be careful,” Elias replied, unable to keep a grin from forming on his lips.
Despite anything his parents might say, he just couldn’t tear his thoughts away from the fact that he could raise his Vitality by another level in only a single day of dungeon delving. The results of years of bitter training and expensive potions accomplished in a single day. Peter chuckled at Elias’ response and Vivian just gave him a resigned look, obviously sensing his actual feelings on the matter.
Elias turned from his parents with a winning smile to cut the cake and give his little sister a piece before she finally snapped. She gave him a large smile, a “thank you”, and a hug, before starting to devour her cake. It was delicious, but Elias’ mind drifted to his day tomorrow no matter how hard he tried to just enjoy the moment. He’d been dreaming of becoming an adventurer for as long as he could remember and tomorrow he would finally begin to realize his dream.
*******
It was still dark when Elias left towards the dungeon entrance, the soft glow of streetlights his only companion. Before leaving the house, he made sure to pack anything he’d need for the day, including food, water, and even a spare shirt. He wore black combat boots over black pants and a black shirt, the closest thing to a uniform adventurers wore. The design and make were extremely popular among dungeon delvers worldwide due to being cheap, resistant, and comfortable.
His parents made sure to buy him several sets for his birthday, as well as a new energy card. Due to their ease of use and typically cheap price, energy cards are the most popular method of storing the currency. Elias’ new card was a dull gray and of middling quality overall, with a storage capacity of 1,000,000 energy and capable of storing energy of up to tier 3.
The sky was beginning to brighten when Elias arrived at the dungeon entrance, giving him a view of an impossibly gigantic bearded fig tree. The tree towered over everything in the small town, standing at over five hundred meters in height. Thousands of vines hung down from its crown, seeming to stretch endlessly to reach the ground. To its sides stood four stone pillars standing at about two hundred meters tall, their surface carved with glowing runes.
The areas containing dungeon entrances are known as Temples—special zones within the dungeon where monsters cannot enter or spawn, offering adventurers a safe haven for rest. Interestingly, most known Temples are located deep within the dungeon, with new ones being discovered from time to time. However, the Temples on the surface are special, as they housed what were known as Monuments—magical structures that enabled adventurers to undergo their awakening. This process allowed anyone with all attributes at level ten who touch the Monument to unlock their Skills and attain the rank of Beginner.
The concrete of the sidewalk Elias walked on abruptly turned into a field of grass as he entered the clearly demarcated boundary of the Temple. He kept walking towards the tree itself and soon passed by one of its several hanging vines, which brushed against the grass gently. Already, he could spot thin roots in the grass, even though the base of the tree was still hundreds of meters away.
The tree's roots became increasingly thicker as he approached the base of the tree, turning into a complex network of bridges and tunnels that people used to transit to and fro. Elias even passed by one of the four pillars, this one glowing a fiery red, with hanging vines interlaced all throughout its length. Even at this hour, Elias saw a girl his age touching the base of the pillar from atop a root and smiling, likely having just undergone her awakening.
Beneath the bearded fig tree, its roots digging into and sprawling over it, was a large stone pyramid. People were already entering into the small tunnels leading into the pyramid and Elias followed suit, entering the one closest to him. The tunnel was lit by softly glowing crystals interspersed along the tunnel walls, allowing him to proceed down it unhindered.
Elias walked down the tunnel at a relaxed pace for several minutes until it opened up into a sprawling jungle within an expansive cavern. More glowing crystals lined the walls and ceiling, illuminating the whole zone. The tunnel came out of the cavern wall into a large clearing, its edges ending in a wall of thick jungle vegetation. A few adventurers could be seen preparing for their dungeon delve, but he walked past them as well. He unwaveringly stepped into the wall of vegetation, leaving the safety of the clearing to enter the first zone of the dungeon.
As the monsters of this zone were level ten at most, it was affectionately referred to as the newbie zone, though it was technically classified as an unranked zone. The Beginner, Novice, and Journeyman rank zones also followed the same jungle theme, with slight variations and increasingly stronger monsters. In fact, all the zones directly beneath a dungeon entrance followed the theme of that Temple, which only changed at the Expert rank zone.
Having lived his entire life in this town, specifically preparing to become an adventurer for most of that time, Elias knew almost everything there was to know about this zone. Most relevant at the moment was the fact that the monsters became stronger and more tightly packed as one ventured towards the zone’s center. Therefore, he decided on sticking close to the cavern walls since his attributes were still low, and he did promise his mom he’d be careful.
Elias slipped through the gaps in the dense foliage as best he could, using his hands to brush large leaves and hanging vines aside. As a result, bits of vegetation were quickly accumulating on his skin and clothes, and he still hadn’t found a single monster. The frustration was beginning to set in when Elias finally heard something: a blend between the call of a songbird and the hoot of a monkey, sounding out four times before going silent.
Elias perked up at the sound, immediately recognizing the sound as the call of a monster, and it was close by. He turned in the direction of the call, slowly so as to not give away his own position. He moved as stealthily as he could, hoping to catch the monster by surprise and get an easy kill. Soon, he spotted a small monkey hanging by its tail from the branch of a tree. It had an abnormally long neck and a small head, with a beak instead of a mouth and a pair of wings tucked close to its body. Elias used Analyze on the monster, though he already suspected what he was dealing with.
*******
Tamarin Macaw
Common
Level 5
*******
Elias cheered mutely, pumping his fist in quiet celebration of his luck. These small winged monkeys were a blessing to the well informed adventurer, serving as a way to locate other monsters easily. They posed no threat to adventurers directly, but typically stayed close to other, stronger monsters. Therefore, they always nested in areas with a higher than normal concentration of monsters.
Elias spent a few seconds scanning the area, trying to spot the other monster he knew was close. A rustle of leaves made his heart skip a beat, as the Tamarin Macaw let go of the branch it was perched in, spreading its wings wide. It flitted about with impressive agility, using its wings to maneuver in the air from one branch to the next, and its tail and legs to quickly change direction. Soon, it landed in another branch and settled, cawing out four more times and proceeding to hang upside down by its tail once more.
Suppressing a sigh of relief, not wishing to alert the monkey-bird of his position, Elias resumed his search for the second monster. This task was made a lot easier by analyzing the path that the Tamarin Macaw took as it flitted about. Though its flight seemed random, the creature consistently stayed within a specific area, and sure enough, he spotted the second monster right at the heart of it.
Burrowed in a small hole in the ground, the long snout of an armadillo-like creature could just barely be seen. The hole was mostly covered in fallen leaves and its dirt brown hide served as camouflage as well, making spotting the small monster a difficult task. Not recognizing the monster, Elias used Analyze.
*******
Slingshot Armadillo
Common
Level 4
*******
For a moment, Elias was dumbfounded by how on-the-nose the creature’s name was, guessing that it was likely able to launch itself at high speeds, like a slingshot. Still, he chose to be careful and keep in mind that he didn’t actually know what its abilities were. After all, even though the monsters of this zone hardly posed a threat to even inexperienced adventurers, they could still hurt him, especially with his low Vitality.
Elias grabbed a few stones from the ground and began to slowly approach the small armadillo monster. He positioned himself right in front of a particularly thick tree and flung a couple of stones at where the creature was burrowed. After a small delay, the monster launched itself at him like a cannonball, having curled itself into a ball.
Having been prepared for exactly this, Elias managed to narrowly duck under the living projectile, despite its incredible speed. It crashed against the hard tree with a dull thud, followed by a wheezy grunt, as the beast uncurled itself to fall on its back right at his feet. With a wicked smile, he punched down as hard as he could, hitting the small monster in its exposed belly. Then, he continued to strike at the vulnerable creature until his vision was briefly filled with a notification.
You have gained 80 exp.
Instead of celebrating, Elias quickly gathered himself and scanned the air for the monster he knew would be trying to ambush him. Sure enough, he saw a winged monkey already swooping down at him, and grinned, swiftly throwing the remaining stones he’d gathered into its path. The flying obstacles caused the fast-moving creature to lose control of its flight trajectory, causing it to collide with the ground with a pained cry. With that, its fate was sealed, and Elias finished it off just as he had with the Slingshot Armadillo.
You have gained 100 exp.
As soon as it died, the monster began to disintegrate, its edges flaking off into dust until there was nothing left except a tiny, translucent crystal. He held the small gem against his eyes, but there was nothing inside it other than the blue glow of unaspected energy. Unlike the energy crystals he’d held before, which contained a lightning bolt dancing within, or a wave crashing down, this one seemed flavorless.
Done examining the tier 0 energy crystal, Elias held it against his energy card, and the energy trapped in the crystal began to flow into it. After the transfer was done, the crystal crumbled to dust in his hand just like the monster’s corpse. Then, after a bit of searching, he found the crystal dropped from the Tamarin Macaw and added its energy to the card as well.
He was satisfied to note that the crystal did not glow as the energy was added to it. This was one of the main features of this model, which prevented others from guessing at how much energy it had stored or using Analyze on it.. That is, unless they were touching it directly, like he was right now.
*******
Cloaked Energy Card
Rare
Energy Storage Device
9/1,000,000 Energy
Effects:
-Energy Storage
-Cloaked
*******
With a straight back and head held high, Elias continued his trudged through the jungle in search of more monsters. While he hadn’t gained much from this engagement alone, he felt very satisfied with his performance, considering it was his first time fighting against dungeon monsters. His eyes gleamed with determination, knowing that he still needed to kill another hundred or so such monsters if he wanted to raise his Vitality by a level. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was confident he would succeed.
The minutes turned into hours as Elias relentlessly accumulated experience, one monster at a time. With practice, he even got better at finding the beasts, or rather letting them find him. As it turned out, making noise and traversing the jungle quickly was a pretty good strategy to get the monster to attack you; then, all you had to do was kill them first–easy. Still, it took until late afternoon to finally gain the 9,000 exp he needed to raise his Vitality by another level.
Congratulations! Your Vitality is now level 5.
Elias’ eyes grew heavy with emotion and tears sneakily tickled his cheeks as he read the notification. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to re-center himself, his arms hanging stiffly by his sides. Fourteen years of pain, suffering, and training until he could no longer move, all to raise his Vitality to a measly level 4. Now, in a single day, with hardly any effort, he was able to increase his Vitality again.
For the first time, Elias dared to truly acknowledge how angry and bitter he felt over being born with such a weak and unattractive body. Hope blossomed in his chest, the end to his suffering health and sickly constitution was finally in sight. For long moments, he allowed himself to feel and process how hurt he’d felt at the looks he received when he went out, or the not-so-quiet comments he heard when he walked past. Then, with a long exhale, he began to let go of it all.
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He stood there for what felt like minutes, simply breathing in and out, reminiscing on the difficulties he’d had growing up. With every breath, he felt like a weight was being lifted off his shoulders. He recalled Melinda’s laughter when he asked her out, the unspoken disgust in her face, and how hurt and humiliated he’d felt. This time, however, the pain was dull, a shadow of what it used to be, and he felt it recede further every second.
“Ah!” Elias yelped, his eyes opening wide in shock as his legs were suddenly yanked out from under him.
Looking down at his legs, Elias saw that a vine had wrapped itself around them all the way up to his knees. The thing was pulling hard enough to drag him across the ground and he traced the length of the vine with his eyes to a small sapling. The innocuous monster stood waist high and four vines flowed from its crown, one of which was grabbing his legs. Elias cursed himself for his carelessness, for letting the monster sneak up on him while he was distracted.
*******
Hanging-Tree Sapling
Common
Level 6
*******
Up ahead in the direction that the sapling was pulling him into, Elias saw an opportunity to turn the situation around. He was about to be dragged past a fairly thick tree, just slightly to its left side, so he jerked himself to the right by digging his feet into the ground for a split-second. As a result, he shot by the tree’s right side instead, the cord-like vine making a half loop with its trunk, abruptly arresting his momentum. Using the brief moment of respite, he hurriedly uncoiled the vine from his legs, freeing himself.
Elias growled deep in his throat and grabbed at the now-loose vine with his hands before it could escape. Using the large tree as leverage, he began to pull at the monster’s vine like a game of tug of war. He pulled at the appendage with all his strength until the Hanging-Tree Sapling began to bow and creak. Then, with a scream of adrenaline imbued rage, he pulled one last time and the sapling popped out of the ground.
You have gained 120 exp
Letting go of the monster’s now-disintegrating vine, Elias began panting from the effort of the fight. His blood pulsed in his ears like the beat of a drum, more a testament to the fright he received than his exertion. His face started to heat up from the outrage and embarrassment of having been caught so unawares. At that very moment, he made a silent vow that the trees of this dungeon would rue the day one of theirs crossed him.
His heart full of righteous rage, Elias returned to hunting monsters. This time, however, he made sure to double check anything around him that seemed suspicious, not wanting to commit any more careless mistakes. He had actually planned on returning as soon as he leveled his Vitality but didn’t want to end his first day on such an embarrassing note. Either way, it couldn’t hurt to gain a few thousand more exp.
Already, the new level to his Vitality was showing its worth, letting Elias push on way past dinnertime without tiring too much. He still had plenty of energy in his muscles, allowing him to keep going if he really wanted to, but chose to leave for the day instead. His stomach had already begun to complain and he’d much rather have an actual meal back home, instead of the sandwich he had in his backpack. Plus, while he gathered upwards of 13,000 exp throughout the day, killing over a hundred low level monsters, he was still far from raising his Vitality to level 6.
Thanks to the artificial lighting of the cavern, Elias had no trouble finding the way back to the clearing he arrived at. The jungle was just as bright during the night than during the day. It also didn’t escape his notice how monsters seemed to be easier to find at night, likely due to there being less people in the dungeon. He thought it might be a good idea to start arriving and leaving later in the day to maximize his gains.
Just as he could spot the clearing up ahead, Elias was broken out of his thoughts by a rustle in the foliage behind him. He froze, looking all around him in alarm as a figure wearing all-black, mask included, stepped out from behind a tree. He groaned and raised his guard, ready for whatever was to come and keeping a lookout for a chance to escape. If he could make it to an open area like the clearing, he would likely be safe.
“Give me all your stuff. No one needs to get hurt tonight, friend,” the robber said hurriedly, his voice betraying a nervous edge. “Drop your weapons on the ground and put your hands up. Slowly.”
Elias immediately took off running towards the clearing as soon as the man finished talking. He should have probably taken off earlier but had chosen to take stock of the situation first, mainly to determine if the man was truly alone. He heard the would-be robber curse under his breath and take off running after him, but he was unlikely to get caught with how close they were to the clearing. That was why he was so surprised when he was hit in the back of the head after taking only four steps.
“Ouch–”, Elias began, only to have his startled scream cut off by a hand pressing against his mouth firmly. Then, before he could do anything, his legs were swept from under him and he was slammed to the ground on his back, the impact making him lose his breath. To make matters worse, the man slapped his palm against his chest and a rope of translucent blue mana shot out to bind him fully.
That was the moment that Elias truly understood that he had screwed up. The robber had to be at the Beginner rank if he could use the Bind (Common) Skill. Even his years of combat training couldn’t bridge the gap created by Skills and much higher attribute levels. He had never stood a chance and now he couldn’t even yell for help, with the rope of mana binding his mouth.
Shock and realization filled Elias’ thoughts as he lay on his back, but his robber had no such inner turmoil. As soon as the man ascertained that the rope was binding his mouth properly, the beating began. Punches came down on his stomach and face repeatedly, making him grunt in pain and rage, but there was nothing he could do about it. His vision soon began to darken at the edges, and consciousness left him.
Elias woke up with a startled gasp, quickly getting up despite the pain he felt and assessing his situation. Thankfully, he was at the edge of the jungle, right next to the clearing, and hadn’t been attacked by any monsters while he was unconscious. On the other hand, a quick inspection showed that his belly and face were very swollen and bleeding. Furthermore, all his stuff was missing, other than the clothes on his back, including his left boot.
“What kind of person steals a single boot!?” Elias hissed with no small amount of outrage coloring his tone.
Now that he determined that he wasn’t in any immediate danger, Elias noticed that he was shaking. His overexcited muscles settled down as the adrenaline, fear, and anger began to leave him, but that only left him tired and sad. What was worse, was that this incident doused the excitement he’d been feeling over his first dungeon delve, disheartening him. He had been looking forward to this day for many years and was excited to share it with his family, but his optimism now felt like a joke.
Elias began to make his way back to the surface, trudging through the clearing with his head hung low, refusing to look up at any of the adventurers he saw. He dragged his feet as he traversed the length of the tunnel, arriving at the exit of the stone pyramid to the unceasing droning of raindrops. They stung his injuries as he walked on the gigantic roots of the bearded fig tree, mixing with his blood, sweat, and now-flowing tears. They also cleansed him, however, removing all the grime and foliage that was stuck to his skin.
By the time he arrived at the edge of the temple, Elias already felt a lot lighter than before. He wasn’t exactly sure when his eyes had stopped tearing up, or when they’d started, but they had run dry by now, with only the rainwater to moisten them. He stopped walking a single pace away from leaving the Hanging Vines Temple, right where the grass transitioned into concrete. He stood there for long minutes feeling profoundly dejected, with only the rain and his injuries to keep him company.
Thoughts of failure and hopelessness filled Elias’ mind, poisoning his prospects and dreams of adventure. Before he knew it, his hands had curled into fists and started to shake, his frustration finally getting the better of him. His breaths came heavier and faster as his indignation rose, the trembling in his hands spreading to the rest of his body. The pressure in his chest rose to an overwhelming degree and he took a deep breath, releasing it to the falling rain in a scream of defiance.
Everything was supposed to be different now! When I can finally raise my crappy attributes and become stronger, something like this happens? No, this will not be how my very first dungeon delve ends, I refuse to accept this outcome! I spent my entire life training for this and nothing is going to stop me!
I am going back to the dungeon to grind the monsters to dust and exp. I am going to level my attributes and become stronger. I am going to become a Beginner rank adventurer and obtain Skills myself. I am going to become more powerful than that bastard, find him, beat him up, and steal his boot!
Mind made up, Elias turned around and marched back the way he had just come from, determined to kick some monster ass. He resolved to only leave the dungeon after he raised both his Vitality and his Strength by another level. In fact, he even decided to increase his Strength first, since it was now his lowest attribute, at level 4, and raising it would make killing stronger monsters possible. It only required 9,000 exp to level and he had already accumulated nearly 5,000 exp since increasing his Vitality to level 5.
The first thing Elias did when he arrived at the jungle was to angrily remove his remaining boot. He glared at the footwear resentfully for several moments before throwing it to the side with all his strength. Admittedly, it didn’t go very far, but his spirit felt lighter, the simple action returning some of his optimism. Then, he put one bare foot in front of the other, heading deeper into the dungeon in the opposite direction.
Elias walked at a slower pace this time around, stepping carefully so that bits of wood and small rocks wouldn’t dig uncomfortably into his feet. On the bright side, he moved quieter than before, allowing him to spot the wild boar-looking creature before it noticed him. The monster had a pair of tusks protruding from its mouth and horns jutting out of its head like a bison. Not one to waste the initiative, Elias positioned himself carefully in front of a particularly thick tree and threw a stone at the monster.
It squealed loudly and charged at Elias without hesitation, clearly intent on ramming him with its tusks and horns both. Far from agile, the monster trampled the vegetation in front of it as it charged, drawing a smirk from Elias. He jumped up when the beast was about to reach him, grabbing onto a branch and pulling himself up. The boar collided powerfully with the tree behind him, its tusks and horns getting stuck to the bark.
Elias dropped down from the branch he hung from and began to viciously kick at the monster’s legs repeatedly. The boar squealed in pain and redoubled its efforts to free itself, but its fate was sealed with every broken leg. Soon, it could only wiggle on the ground pathetically, a single tusk still stuck to the tree. Elias then grabbed a stone twice the size of his fists and began to hit the swine on the head repeatedly until it died.
You have gained 80 exp.
Having lost his energy card, Elias collected the energy crystal that the monster dropped and put it in his pocket instead. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the beast’s blood, which practically covered him from head to toe, turned to ash and flaked off his skin. He already stunk of his own blood and sweat; he could do without monster blood making it even worse. Grabbing the rock he used to bludgeon the monster, he stared at it with furrowed eyebrows, coming to a decision.
The unranked zone of the dungeon was the best place for adventurers to practice delving in a relatively safe environment. It let them hunt and kill monsters that were all but guaranteed not to be deadly, in an environment that wasn’t too hostile to them. It was a place where they could try out different moves and strategies relatively risk free, in preparation for entering the ranked zones of the dungeon. Therefore, it was important to fight in this zone with the same weapons they planned on using deeper into the dungeon.
As a pugilist, Elias was his weapon, but it was much harder to make this combat approach work without Skills. His fists simply weren’t as durable as a sword or a spear, nor would they hit as hard. He was sure they would eventually, when he evolved his Skills to fit his fighting style, or earlier if he acquired some kind of pugilist weapon. For tonight though, he decided on using sticks and stones, aiming to gain exp faster by fighting stronger monsters.
Stone in hand, Elias ventured deeper into the jungle, where the monsters became more tightly packed and higher in level. Not only were they easier to find there, but they even provided more exp on average when they died. As a result, his exp gathering rate more than doubled, allowing him to level his Strength in short notice. In turn, this allowed him to better deal with the injuries he was accumulating due to fighting stronger monsters.
Congratulations! Your Strength is now level 5.
Groaning and gritting his teeth, Elias pushed on into the night, determined to raise his Vitality by another level before going home. He was well aware that continuing his delve while tired, hungry, and emotional was pretty stupid, but his determination never wavered. By the time he finally killed the last monster he needed to raise his Vitality, he was already dead on his feet. Thankfully, the level up brought a wave of warmth radiating from the base of his spine, revitalizing him slightly.
You have gained 120 exp.
Congratulations! Your Vitality is now level 6.
Bouncing on his feet, Elias arrived at the clearing once more with a smile on his face, the energy crystals in his pocket jingling with every step. He was still dirty, bleeding in places, heavily bruised, barefoot, and significantly poorer than when he arrived, but he was satisfied. This sure as hell wouldn’t be the last time he would face setbacks, but he came out on top this time around. It filled him with hope for his future prospects as an adventurer; he felt like nothing could bring him down.
That was, of course, the exact moment he spotted Melinda walking toward him, prompting a groan to rise from his throat. Their relationship had only deteriorated over the years, to the point that Elias dreaded every encounter. Whenever they met, it seemed like she became more arrogant and self-centered. It honestly broke his heart to witness his childhood crush transform into someone so narcissistic.
Although their relationship had not matured well, her looks certainly had. Her light brown hair framed a beautiful long neck, an adorable beauty mark decorating full cheeks, just below honey colored eyes. She wore clothes styled similarly to his own, though they did little to hide her athletic frame and gentle curves. A rapier was strapped to her side, swaying in time with her hips, her right hand resting on its pommel.
Melinda was dragging along a large man, who smiled awkwardly at Elias when their eyes met. John was a good natured fellow with an honest look and natural charisma about him that made him hard to dislike, all bulging muscles and charming smiles. He carried a large spear on his left hand and a heavy-looking metal shield on his back. Elias honestly felt it was a pity the man had fallen in love with Melinda, who was obviously leading him on to feed her own ego; he deserved better.
“Dear lord Elias, you look like you’ve been beat up and robbed! What happened?” John exclaimed loudly, making Elias’ eye twitch involuntarily. Just then, Elias decided that it would be best not to tell the pair that, in fact, that had been exactly what happened. The genuine worry in John’s tone made it hard for Elias to actually get upset, but he doubted Melinda would be so compassionate.
“Nothing like that,” Elias lied. “I guess I just ventured a bit too deep on my first day. It’s hard not to get carried away with finally being able to level my attributes, you know?”
“Don’t I know it? Though, at least I managed to keep my boots on my first day” the larger man said with a hearty laugh, looking directly at Elias’ feet, who laughed back sheepishly. Just when he was beginning to think that maybe this meeting wouldn’t be so bad, Melinda spoke.
“That’s embarrassing,” she said with a snort, making Elias sigh while John cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down. Sensing the shift in mood, Melinda raised an eyebrow and continued defensively, “What? This is the newbie zone. How weak do you have to be to have trouble handling the monsters here?”
“You know what? If you want to say something, just go ahead and say it. Today is my first day for heaven’s sake and you know that my attributes are low level,” Elias said, resolutely standing up to the girl’s provocation, resigned to the conflict it will incite.
“Fine! I think that you’re weak and an embarrassment to everyone who aspires to be an adventurer. Just give up and go home if you can’t even handle the weakest of the dungeon monsters,” Melinda said venomously, causing heat to rise into Elias’ cheeks.
“Well, we both know that the monsters become a lot stronger deeper into the zone. I ended up venturing pretty far in order to gain exp faster,” Elias countered. He hadn’t gone deep into the jungle at all, but she was making an unfair argument anyways. Not only were his attributes incredibly low still, but he was also an unarmed fighter.
“Oh please, how deep into the jungle could you have possibly gone for the monsters to stop being pathetically weak?” Melinda asked smugly, clearly unconvinced. Elias remained silent for a long moment, swallowing thickly before answering.
“I went right up to the border to the core area.”
“Liar! John and I are a hell of a lot stronger than you and not even we have begun delving into the core area of the zone yet, but you expect me to believe that you did? Though, I can’t say that I’m surprised you would lie about something like this. You were always the weak duckling, weren’t you, Elias? If I had to guess, the level 5 monsters in the outskirts of the zone proved too much of a challenge for you.” Melinda giggled cruelly, her eyes mocking him with exaggerated glee.
“"Maybe I just pushed harder than you, Melinda. If I remember right, your attributes are more than high enough to handle the monsters in the core area. It's fine though—you were never a fan of working hard, after all,” Elias shot back. Melinda narrowed her eyes at his words, staring at him intently before giving him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"I work hard enough, and as you can see, my efforts bear fruit," she said, giving a slow twirl that showcased her alluring figure—a striking blend of beauty and danger. It took every ounce of his willpower not to stare, yet his gaze still wandered over her tight frame. Finished with her performance, Melinda walked over to Elias slowly, leaning close and whispering in his ear softly, "It’s okay, Elias, you should take a good look. After all, that’s as close as a loser like you will ever get to being with a girl like me."
“Don’t fool yourself. The only advantage you ever had over me was being born with higher attributes, and that will stop mattering soon enough,” Elias said through gritted teeth, his long standing frustration and pain bleeding into his voice.
“You’re the one who is fooling yourself if you think that you will ever be stronger than me,” Melinda said coldly.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I’m already a better fighter than you and I’m going to catch up to you in attribute levels too. Who knows? I might even make it to Beginner rank before you,” Elias said tauntingly.
“You’re a better fighter than me? Don’t be delusional,” Melinda scoffed, as if the thought of him being better than her at anything was offensive.
“You know what? You don’t have to believe me, you’ll see the truth eventually,” Elias said flippantly, shrugging to show how little he cared for her opinion.
“Is that how it is? You don’t have to be so cold, you know? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re still holding onto a grudge because I rejected you,” Melinda said, an icy glint entering her eyes, once more needling his sore spot.
“You’re the one who’s delusional!” Elias scoffed incredulously. “That was years ago, get over it already.”
“You’re the one who should learn your damn place,” Melinda sneered, finally snapping. “You think that you’ll ever be better than me? Dream on. I’m so out of your league that it’s not even funny and I’ll keep on reminding you of that until you understand; I’ll always be better than you. So yeah, take a good look, because this is something that you are never going to have.”
Finished speaking, Melinda turned around and kissed John deeply, grabbing man’s hand and placing it on her breasts and rubbing herself against him. However, her eyes were wide open, making direct eye contact with Elias as she made expressions of pleasure and moaned exaggeratedly. It was an obvious attempt to evoke desire within him, purely to feed her ego and humiliate him. It worked too, a small pang of hunger intermingling with the disgust he felt for her behavior, infuriating him.
His mood ruined, Elias didn’t wait for Melinda and John to part, walking away without a word and making his way back home. He knew that things wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t talk back, but he refused to let her walk all over him. That was actually the reason why their relationship had gone sour, as she took to putting him down in front of others to raise her own status. Worse yet was that she even badmouthed him to others, making his already poor social life suffer.
By the time he reached the house, his fuming over his encounter with Melinda had been reduced to a mere huff. The sun still hadn’t fully risen yet, but it was already bright, allowing him to see his mom sitting on the porch and staring at him angrily. He grimaced, his steps catching for a split second, but he continued walking towards the front-door. He tried to maintain his calm and go for the door, doing his best not to look to the side, but she spoke before he even touched the door handle.
“Get inside and take a shower. We’ll talk afterwards,” Vivian said briskly. Elias’ calm facade crumbled immediately and he hurried to obey his mother’s request.
He’d never actually seen her get angry, and he definitely didn’t plan on today being the first time he did. From how his dad spoke of what she was like when mad, it was something to be avoided at all costs. So, he walked to the bathroom and took a thorough shower in record time. Then, he arrived at his room to find both his parents sitting on his bed, clearly waiting for him.
“Sit down son, we need to talk,” Peter said calmly.