Luke awoke to the beeping of his alarm clock next to him. Instinctively he rolled over and put a pillow on his head to muffle the sound, although a second later he opened his eyes to see the sun shining through the curtains of his room.
Luke groaned and tossed the pillow off his head before rolling over and hitting the top of his alarm clock to stop its endless beeping.
Getting out of bed he stifled a yawn as he wandered to his closet and began to get dressed in a simple shirt and some shorts.
Walking down the stairs he saw Matthew, already dressed as if he was about to go out to town, sitting at the table eating buttered toast. A steaming cup of coffee was set next to him.
"You're finally up," Matthew noted as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Finally? You just wake up early." Luke retorted, rubbing his eyes. He walked to sit down at the opposite end of the table.
Matthew glanced at the ticking clock on the wall. Luke followed his glance to read the hands of the clock. It was 10:15.
"You woke up early," Luke repeated.
Matthew just rolled his eyes. "By the way." He gestured to the kitchen. "Why do you have a coffee maker if you don't drink coffee?" He took another sip of coffee.
Luke shrugged. "Same reason I have an oven and stove even though I can't cook. It's just part of the acetic."
"Well anyways," Matthew took another sip. "There was a knock at the door; the weapons you ordered?"
Luke muttered. "Probably" before wandering off towards the door.
Luke came back shortly after, setting a shipping box on the table, and beginning to open it like a child with a Christmas present.
Finally, he pulled two wrapped packages, sliding one in front of Matthew.
Setting his food down, Matthew unwrapped the package. Inside were two halves of a spear that could be screwed together. The spear was made completely of metal but was considerably lighter than his prior weapon. He tapped the side of the spear's shaft as a low clang rang out.
"Hollow?" Luke asked, beginning to get more smaller wrapped packages out of the box.
"Yep, that's what E-rank stuff will get you," Matthew explained. "Won't be half as durable as the old one you'd got me."
Matthew screwed the two halves of the spear together until finally it clicked into place. Almost immediately he heard a ding as a golden screen appeared in front of him.
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[Iron Spear]
[Rank: E]
[Attack: +10]
[Description: A simple iron spear made of reinforced metal. It is relatively brittle compared to higher-ranked weapons]
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"Can't be that bad?" Luke mumbled, glancing at the screen. He began opening all of his small packages. In each one were separate parts of a revolver which Luke began to fit together. Once the final part had clicked together another ding rang out as a red screen rimmed with briars opened.
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[Revolver]
[Rank: E]
[Ammunition Cost: 1 MP]
[Attack: +10]
[Description: An old western-style revolver that fires bullets of mana. A reliable weapon, but not very durable]
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"Ammunition cost?" Matthew asked, glancing at the screen.
"Yeah... firing magical ammunition costs mana, normally it wouldn't be a problem... but-" he trailed off as he opened his status window to his side.
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[Name: Luke Sirius]
[Level: 1]
[Job: None]
[HP: 50/50]
[MP: 25/25]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Vigor: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Sense: 10]
[Faith: 10]
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"I only have 25 mana. Which means 25 bullets." He looked at his gun.
"I mean.... it's better than nothing right?" Matthew said with an amused smile as he got to his feet, took one last bite of his food, and placed the empty plate in the trash. "Plus, If you run out of bullets, I can be there to save your life." He chuckled.
"Anyways, best get ready in.... actual gear," he said in a more serious tone, gesturing to Luke's clothes. "And let's head to that gate. Wouldn't want to be late on your first day as an E-rank, would you?" He said with a smirk.
"Alright alright," he began towards the stairs. "Can you get those boxes off the table while I'm changing?"
Matthew just waved his hand as Matthew disappeared upstairs. "Yeah yeah."
***
Luke and Matthew flashed their licenses to the officer as they stepped into the restricted area of the subway tunnel.
A section of the subway tunnel had been cut off by the authorities due to the appearance of the gate; only awakened were allowed inside.
In the early days of the gates, before the regulations had been set in America, Matthew remembered a story of a group of unawakened high school students wandering into a D-ranked gate. They were later reported missing, and several days later a group of hunters found their corpses in the dungeon... all but one of them who had somehow survived and was escorted out of the dungeon. Matthew didn't remember the story after that, but if he remembered correctly that kid had ended up awakening inside the dungeon but nothing after.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
As the duo wandered deeper into the depths of the subway tunnel they came across the gate, a swirling mass of light and dark blue energy.
Standing outside the gate were 3 hunters.
One of them was dressed in white robes. His hair was pitch black and slicked backward except for a few stray strands. Golden cloth gloves were covering both of their hands. Under their arm was a thick book with a cover that looked like it had been tapped together several times.
Another hunter wore heavy plate armor with a shield nearly as tall as them strung across their back. On a loop of their belt hung a thick mace with small blades sticking from the side of its head. The hunter had long golden hair and a slim figure, even with the armor. Although it was clear she still had the physic to wield her equipment well.
Finally, the third hunter wore a light, sky-blue, mage's robes. His hair was thick and as white as snow. In his hands was a spiraling wooden staff with a blue mana crystal at its tip.
The mage in blue was the first to notice them.
"Ah, the E-ranks correct?" He asked with a smile as he walked forward, spinning his staff slowly as he walked.
"'Yes'" both hunters said with varying levels of enthusiasm.
"Good good," The mage turned to the two hunters behind him who were now looking at the newcomers. "Oh yeah," the mage snapped his fingers. "Introduction."
He turned back to Luke and Matthew and stuck out a hand. "Names' Darion; C-rank Mage." He pointed his thumb back to the heavily armor woman. "That's Lillian; D-rank Tank." He pointed to the white-robed man. "And that's Horris; D-rank Healer."
Each hunter waved as they were introduced; Like and Matthew waved back.
The girl on the armor spoke up. "You're the two E-ranks right?" She asked, stepping up to them.
It was then that Matthew noticed how tall she was. While he wasn't all that tall himself, Lillian stood nearly two heads above him.
Lillian scanned over the two of them. Then she just turned away and walked back to the group. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. Just stay in the back and take out any stragglers." She ordered.
Darion forced a chuckle. "Alright Lillian, I get they're kinda on the low side of the ranks but, c'mon, we need them to fill out the party quota."
Lillian just waved her hand absentmindedly.
Darion quickly turned to Luke and Matthew; Luke of which had an annoyed scowl on his face. "Sorry about her, we've had a rough few gates recently. Don't worry she shouldn't be all too big an issue."
He pointed to the two hunters. "Luke and Matthew right? Ranger and Fighter?" He asked pointing to the respective hunters. Both hunters nodded.
"Alright, good good." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "We've covered the bases. So here's the plan for how we're gonna be going through the dungeon." He pointed to Lillian. "Matthew, you're upfront with Lillian. Try to get as many kills on the grunts as you can, but if you lack the strength to kill them reliably we'll be in the back to pick them off." Dorian pointed between himself and Luke. "And Horris," he pointed to the white-robed hunter. "Will be in the middle to keep you and Lillian up on your feet- and me and Luke if we need it." He added.
Dorian walked forward and clapped his hands, getting the attention of the other hunters. "Alright, now that we all know the marching order and all of our roles I think it's about time we head in. The mining team will be here about 2-or-so hours after we enter. Also, be sure to tell them- them-we're-leaving," he clapped after each word, primarily to Horris. "Don't want to have a close call like what happened last time."
Horris cleared his throat and turned away. Matthew noted that his face had turned slightly red at the statement.
At the mention of entering the gate, Matthew pulled out the two ends of his spear from his backpack and began to screw them together.
Likewise, Luke pulled his revolver out of the holster on the back of his waist.
Horris stepped to the mouth of the swirling gate. The rest of the raiding party stood behind him, weapons at the ready.
"Everyone ready?" He glanced behind him, seeing all the hunters with serious expressions on their faces. All but him who wore a confident smile. "Good, now let's go kick some magic beast ass."
***
Stepping through the portal, Matthew immediately felt the feeling of stone under his feet.
He looked down to see a crudely paved stone road that was wet with what he assumed was rain just moments prior.
The party had appeared in an abandoned medieval town. The sky was pitch black; except for a larger-then-normal moon hanging above them. In the dark town, it was the only source of light.
"Alright, let's move quickly. Judging by the theme of this dungeon, I'd guess the boss is in the center." Dorian stated.
Slowly, they began to move forward, just as they'd been told: Lillian and Matthew in the front, Luke and Dorian in the back, and Horris in the middle.
It didn't take long for them to encounter danger. Suddenly, a blur flew out of a window on one of the buildings, shattering the glass as the blur slammed into Dorian, knocking him from his feet.
Luke quickly turned and aimed his gun before seeing the creature. It was a human... or what was left of one. Its skin was heavily decomposed down to where he could see its bones on some parts of its body. A few inches above its head was a small screen reading [Stalker Zombie].
Luke didn't have time to process the words before he fired three bullets into the creature's back, making the creature fall limp.
[MP: 25/25 > 22/25]
At the edge of his vision, Luke could make out his mana slowly draining as he fired his gun.
Then another screen briefly opened.
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[Quest: Feller of Beasts]
[Rank: E]
[Objective: Slay 10 magical beasts]
[Progress: 0/10 > 1/10]
[Reward: +3 attribute points, 1 E-Rank item of your choice, 1 random skill]
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"Guess that would count," Luke mumbled to himself.
Dorian tore himself off the ground with the help of Horris. "Well, that one came out of nowhere." He said dusting himself off. He had a small scratch mark on his cheek where the zombie had attacked him, but he looked generally unharmed.
He was about to speak again when several pained groans rang from the depths of the town.
Everyone quickly exchanged glances. Then turned to Luke.
"What? Did you expect me not to fire my gun at the creature?" He defended.
"It's fine Luke. Everyone get into positions, Matthew, get over here," Dorian pointed in front of him. "Luke, you guard Lilith and soften the zombies before they get to her."
The two Hunters moved into position.
On either side of the group stood two buildings that provided a funnel for any creatures to pour in on either side of the party where Lilith and Matthew were guarding respectively.
It didn't take long for several walking corpses to come funneling out of the building and around corners that had gone unseen.
Over their heads, Matthew noticed letters upon their head in a faint yellow hue: [Rotted Zombie].
Many of them were taken down by spikes of ice that were hurled into their skulls, complimentary of Dorian.
Others, however, closed into the spearhead distance. Soon after the tip of Matthew's spear stuck from their chests. However, the spear was noticeably more dull than his previous one. If he still had it, he could simply stab into their chest and create a hole a third the size of their torso.
Several zombies fell as Matthew impaled them with his weapon. Some tried to run past him, but he knocked them down with the shaft and stabbed them from above.
Then a plethora of dings rang out.
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[Leveled-Up]
[Leveled-Up]
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Matthew's eyes widened slightly at the screen just as another appeared.
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[Quest: Savior of the People]
[Rank: E]
[Objective: Save people from mortal peril 10 times]
[Progress: 0/10 > 6/10]
[Reward: +3 attribute points, 1 E-Rank item of your choice, 1 random skill]
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For just a brief moment, Matthew stopped swinging his spear. He was surprised he'd made so much progress for the quest in such a short time. He glanced toward Luke who also had a small crimson screen appear before him every time he filled a zombie with bullets.
Suddenly, a loud growl sounded dangerously close to Matthew's ears. He turned just in time for a zombie to leap onto him, nearly tackling him to the floor.
The corpse swung its arm and hit the hunter directly in the side of the head with more force than any normal person could've mustered.
Matthew was sent tumbling onto the floor, nearly losing grip of his spear in the process. The zombie went to lunge for him again, but an explosion of ice shard showered its face and its head became frozen solid.
Dorian quickly helped Matthew from the ground as he waved his staff to make a small burst of ice toward another oncoming zombie. "Don't go dying so soon." He said with a forced smile.
Matthew got to his feet just as a small screen flashed in front of him.
[HP: 60/60 > 45/60]
Matthew's face contorted in confusion for a moment as he stabbed his spear into another zombie that rushed towards him.
His HP had increased. At first, he thought it odd. But then he remembered another screen he'd seen just a moment prior. He'd leveled up.
Matthew stabbed his spear into another zombie as it shambled towards him.
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[Leveled-Up]
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At that, Matthew looked back to his HP.
[HP: 50/65]
A smile crept across his face as he impaled another zombie. This time he noticed it was slowly getting progressively easier to pierce their skin for a final blow. He was getting stronger... faster... sharper.
He impaled another zombie.
'I'm going to like this System' he thought.