Chapter Two: Beyond the Red Portal.

With a jerk, Rory sat bolt upright. Cold sweat dripped down his brows as he glanced about himself in fright. He was sat on what appeared to be a cold stone floor in a dimly lit cavern, the only illumination a weak blue light given off by sparse patches of moss throughout the cavern.

With his vicinity seemingly clear of monsters, Rory threw up all over himself. Confused with why he was still alive, Rory examined himself, noting that apart from the vomit all over his chest, he was all in one piece. His eyes had reformed, and he had no visible wounds or broken bones. Sighing to himself, Rory wiped off as much vomit as he could before he laid down to try to collect himself. It had all felt so real. The pain, the fear, even the people who he had been in the induction room seemed so real, not just vague images like his dreams normally were.

“Had that all just been a dream” Rory muttered to himself.

A man sighed before replying, “no kid, that was very much not a dream.”

The man's voice made him jump and only then did he realise that he wasn’t alone in the cavern. There were about thirty other people in the cavern with him, he hadn't seen them earlier due to his shock of being alive. They all seemed subdued, and all seemed to be huddled together in groups, and most appeared as frightened as he was. Their proximity made him acutely aware of his nakedness, and he covered his privates with his hand.

“How am I still alive then?” Rory exclaimed.

“Check your bloody notifications buddy, I know fuck all as much as you do,” grunted the same man as earlier.

Rory was still shaking and traumatised from his experience earlier, but he managed to pull himself together enough to will his notifications to appear and what he saw shocked him further.

Ding – first person from earth to be reduced to one HP and live, title Cheater of Death received.

Rory hadn't realised that the shock wave he experienced while carrying the old women had been so close to killing him. If he hadn't increased his attributes, he would have surely died. Curious about the title he had earned, he concentrated on it and it expanded to give more information.

you are no stranger to close encounters; once per week withstand an attack that would normally kill you, restoring your health to 10% of maximum and negating all damage for three seconds. slightly increases the chances of receiving favourable outcomes.

The next notification he received killed his curiosity.

Ding – you have defeated [human (classless) - level 1], experience received. error.... due to user participating in tutorial induction experience earned nullified.

‘What!’ Rory thought to himself, from what he had just read apparently the old lady he had been carrying had indeed died but even worse the system seemed to think he'd killed her, even though it had been the shock wave that had knocked her off his back. Maybe the system classed him as having killed her, as she might not have died if he hadn't been carrying her. Whatever the systems reasoning, he was just glad his stomach was empty as he felt like being sick again.

Ding - first person from earth to kill, title first kill received.

you stand out among your peers, while others fail to come to terms with their new reality, you have been decisive and taken the first step towards power +5 to all stats.

Rory shuddered at the “reward” he had received from apparently killing the old lady, but was also worried by the fact that this system they were now part of, rewarded people if they killed each other.

Ding - Lightning resistance earned - lvl 1.

Throughout the ages races innumerable have been fascinated by lightning, its destructive power and beauty beyond compare. Whether through accident or on purpose, you have witnessed this destructive beauty first hand... and your body has learnt to adapt to it.

Each level reduces damage from lightning and explosive based sources by 0.5% per level. (Warning – excessive level disparity will nullify resistances effectiveness)

Ding - Lightning resistance earned - lvl 14

Ding – Flame resistance earned – lvl 1

Fire! Friend and foe alike. Source of warmth and light, destruction and pain. While this incredible power has uplifted countless civilisations, it has destroyed just as many. You have experienced this power first hand, gaining familiarity and with it a natural resistance to it.

Each level reduces damage from fire and heat-based sources by 0.5% per level. (Warning – excessive level disparity will nullify resistances effectiveness)

Ding – Flame resistance earned – lvl 12

While it gave Rory a small amount of comfort that he would now receive less damage if struck by those elements again, he had no desire to do so as it had been the most extreme episode of pain in his life and no where did the skills state that they would make the attacks any less painful.

Ding – Received a wound that would normally kill you, Cheater of death perk activated; health restored to 10% of maximum.

Though Rory’s memory of his agonising ordeal was rapidly fading, such was the horror of the situation, he still vividly remembered the warmth that spread though him and it seemed the perk had been the only thing that had kept him alive by restoring part of his health and thankfully removing the pain.

Ding – you have been hit by a bolt of lightning and not only survived, you have been empowered by it. As the first being from earth to experience this phenomenon, you have been granted the blessing Child of Lightning.

While most would find shelter at the first sign of lightning, you have chosen a different path. While your body seized, and your heart stopped, your mind awakened to the raw primal power of lightning. 25% reduction in lightning and explosive damage received. You have a greater understanding of the lightning element and it more easily bends to your will, costing 25% less mana to control and inflicting 25% more damage. 10% increase to intelligence and wisdom. While most require aids to generate this frightening power, you have been blessed with the ability to generate it at will.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Ding – you have been hit by a ball of fire, while a little crispy you have survived and benefitted from the experience, for being the first of your peers from earth to do so, you have received the blessing Child of Flame.

You have become more intimate with fire than most people would find reasonable and in doing so, have been gifted with its power. 25% reduction in fire and heat damage received. You will learn to control fire and heat more efficiently; they cost 25% less mana to influence and does 25% more damage. 10% increase to intelligence and wisdom. Ability to generate the fire element without the aid of Orbs of Power.

Ding – you have defeated [Rak'Silof – The Plague Spreader level 523] you have killed a being 500 levels or more above you. Additional experience received. error.... due to user participating in tutorial induction experience earned nullified, rewards upgraded to compensate.

Ding – first person from Earth to destroy a being more than 500 levels higher than themselves, title Prodigy received.

You are the front runner of your kind, you have done the impossible, completing on your own what normally takes an army. Title reward upgraded to a unique variant due to increased difficulty of completing during the tutorial and below level 10. Title benefits locked until resolution of the tutorial.

Ding – body entered the induction room exit portal while on the verge of death. Body suspended pending result of quest.

Congratulations! System quest complete! You have managed to escape from the induction room, due to unforeseen circumstances death and injury have occurred. We apologise for the inconvenience. As a reward for more than 80% of your group surviving this unintentional situation, all injuries will be restored. Please note death is permanent and cannot be restored.

Have a nice day!

Rory buried his face in his hands due to what he had just read. It was all just too overwhelming. In less than an hour, he had nearly died multiple times. Had more pain inflicted on him than he thought possible and to top it off, the system seemed to be an ass.

Sobs shook Rory’s body as he sat there trying to come to terms with his ordeal, each sob sending phantom pain coursing throughout his body as his newly healed body was tender and raw. After several minutes, he managed to calm himself enough to think straight. Glancing around, he noticed that the cave he was in was quite large, luminous moss hung to the walls and hundreds of small stalactites hung from the ceiling. There was only one visible exit to the chamber he was in. however it was shrouded in darkness.

Out of ideas on what to do and with no one else seeming eager to get up and explore, Rory concentrated on a flashing icon on the edge of his vision. The notification that appeared different from previous ones, as it actually gave him a choice.

Ding – rewards received from defeating Rak'Silof – The Plague Spreader

DO you accept these rewards?

Yes/no

Bonus! - two bonus items received in lieu of experience points

As soon as Rory had finished accepting the rewards something about the size of his hand slapped on top of his head, grabbing hold of the object was not a pleasant experience as it squelched in his hands while leaving a trail of slime connecting his head to what appeared to be a bag made out of oozing skin.

In disgust Rory went to throw the piece of skin away. however just as he was about to do this, he found himself blanketed in a soft material that completely smothered him. Thrashing about, Rory was able to reach the edge of the material and pull it off of his face and onto his lap. As soon as he had done this, another object hit him in the head and bounced down onto his lap. Luckily, this one wasn’t overly large or covered in oozing puss but was a ring. Figuring these were the items the system had rewarded him with, Rory decided to look at the least objectionable item. The ring.

two bands of metal spiralled around each other, one of silver the other gold, until they ended in two hands holding each other. As he was examining the ring, words seemed to float off of it, giving Rory a short description about the ring and what it did.

ring of protection (rare) (inert)

Description: given as a gift in times gone by to protect loved ones who lacked the talent to protect themselves magically.

channel mana into the ring to create a weak magical shield - consumes one point of mana for every point of damage absorbed. Shield receives normal damage from all attacks, ignoring the user's resilience and affinity.

Weak magical shield. One size fits all. Self-repair.

Charge: 0/1000

Eager to have a means of protecting himself, Rory hurriedly picked up the ring and jammed it onto his right-hand ring finger. It was far too tight, but as soon as it started going over Rory's finger, it expanded to the perfect size.

The problem Rory discovered with the ring is that he had no idea how to channel mana to charge the ring. No matter what he did, nothing worked, from imagining his mana as a well of power to trying to connect the ring to his mana channels... if that was a thing.

Frustrated, Rory moved onto the next item, which looked like a tent with a camouflage design.

combat onesie (uncommon)

Description: the tactical patterns adapts to match your surroundings, lined with Merino sheep wool, not only will you be kept warm and comfortable, everyone will be sure to be impressed by your stylish choices.

Minor self-repair. One size fits all. +5 vitality

Someone had to be trolling Rory as the onesie had come in a size that was just ridiculous. He knew it would most likely resize itself but the onesie in its current size would more likely fit a car than himself. Sighing in defeat, he rummaged through the fabric till he found the zip to the onesie and unzipped it and climbed inside of it. Nothing happened at first. It wasn’t until he found the hole where his head was supposed to be placed and he put it through that the onesie started to rapidly shrink. The rapid shrinkage of the onesie caused a small wind to whip around the cave, catching the few people's attentions who had not already noticed Rory’s circus act.

When the onesie was done with its transformation, it fit Rory like a warm and soft heated blanket. The onesie had a hood and ended at his wrists and ankles, so while it kept most of his body satisfied, it did little for his poor cold feet. Even given the harrowing situation, Rory chuckled to himself over the next discovery as the onesie had pockets! Several of his past girlfriends would have been ecstatic due to the fact it had pockets.

Rory had put it off for last, but he was now forced to check out the most disgusting thing he had received.

Holding up the dripping piece of skin, Rory started to read.

Rak’Silof hide pouch (legendary)

Description - the hide of a Primordial is a rare and powerful thing no matter how weak the said primordial may be. Through the wonders of the system, a pouch has been created where items can be placed and protected from harm.

Warning - item unbound, please provide a sample of blood to bind to a new owner.

Indestructible. Demensional storage. Self-cleans.

Capacity - very large

While Rory was fascinated by the pouch as it was straight out of a video game, the stereotypical main character hording a pharmacy's worth of potions just in case or pulling out a horse to ride on from seemingly nowhere, the fact that the pouch was self-cleaning but apparently still oozed liquid out of it was a major sticking point... thankfully it at least didn’t smell.

He had no idea what all the different ranks meant, he had received three different items all of a different rarity, the games he had played had all had a rarity system similar to what this new system seemed to have, however he didn’t know how large the scale was. For all he knew, there could be a hundred different rarity types, and he had the three lowest or it could be the opposite and there were only three types, he supposed time would tell.

Sighing, Rory picked at his upper lip until it was sore and started to bleed and let a droplet of blood land on his new “bag of disgusting holding”. Nothing seemed to happen when the blood hit it. however when he concentrated on it again, the text had changed.

Warning – item bound, only death of user will grant opportunity to claim the contents of this item.

With the dire warning also came knowledge of a vast space that was completely empty. It was impossible for Rory to come to any kind of volume of space as he had nothing to reference it against. The knowledge of his pouch's storage space was unobstructive and could be minimised or expanded at will, no matter if the pouch was attached to him or on the floor. He still had a mental image of the storage pouch.

Desperate for something or anything to do so that he didn’t have to think about the awful experience he had had in the induction room, he did the only thing he had left to do. He checked his status page.

Status page:

Name: Rory Richardson

Class 1: level 1 - None

Attributes:

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 16

Endurance: 17

Vitality: 22

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom: 15

Available points: 0

Health: 220/220

Stamina: 170/170

Mana: 156/156

Blessings:

Child of flame

Child of lightning

Titles:

Cheater of death

First kill

Prodigy (locked)

Resistances:

Lightning resistance - lvl 14

Flame resistance – lvl 12