Clenching my teeth, I lit yet another match. Armed with nothing but bitter determination, I slowly moved forward, delving into the empty, dark corridor.

I tried to walk carefully but also quickly as I had only a couple of matches left in my pocket. After that… Let’s not think about it for now.

Focusing on the task at hand, I continued through the newly uncovered tunnel that stretched on and on without an end in sight.

At least I won't get lost... I chuckled, trying to find humor in this shitty situation I found myself in.

I was well aware that exploring an unmapped tunnel alone without any proper gear was tantamount to suicide, but at this point, I didn't really care, willing to grasp any chance, however faint, that could bring me back home.

Yet before long, my worst fears had manifested, and the last of my matches ran out. Great… now what?

I carefully turned around, but no matter where I looked, there was nothing but pitch-black darkness.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, briefly weighing my options before I decided to continue. There really was no point in turning back now, so I might as well see this through to the end, whatever horrors may wait for me on the other side.

With a shiver running down my spine, I braved the all-encompassing darkness, always keeping a firm hold of the tunnel wall so I wouldn’t lose my footing.

I had already lost count of how many steps I made a while ago. So, I resigned myself to simply watching my legs slowly trudge across the uneven terrain.

But then, a certain realization dawned on me, and I paused in the middle of a step. Wait... How come I can see?

I blinked a few times, incredulously watching the eerie tunnel being bathed in a pale blue light. Had I finally lost it?

After noticing that the source of the strange light was coming from somewhere ahead, I increased my pace, being urged forward with a sense of morbid curiosity, despite the rational side of my brain screaming at me to turn around and run away as fast as possible.

Yet before I could begin second-guessing my ill-fated decision, the tunnel abruptly ended, and as I emerged from it, I froze.

I found myself standing in a spacious hall. All around me, pieces of ancient machinery were haphazardly scattered across the floor, along with various broken tools, indicating that this used to be some sort of laboratory.

Usually, such wondrous discoveries would bring immense joy to the face of any scavenger, as one could get extremely rich by selling all this metal for recycling.

Yet I paid the precious scrap no attention as my eyes were firmly glued to the very center of the ancient room, where, on the remnants of what looked like an elaborate work table, stood a weird-looking object.

It was a pure black piece of... Rock? Crystal? Whatever it was, its surface was adorned with peculiar symbols, and more importantly, it was also the source of the strange blue glow.

Seeing that it shone without any obvious power source, I couldn't help but gawk at it in awe, as this could mean only one thing—magic!

"I'm gonna be so rich!" I exclaimed, not giving a damn if someone - or something might hear me as I hurried to take a closer look.

The crystal was a perfectly polished piece of semi-transparent black stone about half a meter in diameter. However, as I was approaching it, I paused, suddenly overcome with a weird urge to touch it.

I shook my head, grimacing, trying to get rid of the strange feeling, but the closer I got, the stronger the urge became.

What is this weird-ass thing? I tried to resist, battling against this invisible pull, but it soon became unbearable. Then, to my horror, my hand moved seemingly on its own, touching the glassy, smooth surface.

I tensed, preparing myself for something disastrous to happen, yet nothing changed - at least not for the first few seconds.

But then, the strange symbols lighted up, momentary blinding me. The air around me started buzzing, and after a brief bout of dizziness, everything went dark.

***

When I finally regained consciousness, I was floating in a vast ocean of impenetrable darkness.

Panic set in as I realized I couldn't see, hear, or even move my own body. It was as if I had been swallowed whole by the void itself, my entire existence reduced to a helpless speck in its very depths.

What is happening? Where am I? I desperately shuffled around, trying to find an answer to what was going on.

Yet before I fully succumbed to despair, I paused, realizing there was something else here with me.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Focusing on the all-encompassing emptiness around me, I shifted, trying to pinpoint the source of this weird feeling, but then I froze, widening my nonexistent eyes.

A short distance away, I could perceive a beautiful white crystal gently floating about, bathed in incandescent light.

It shined brightly yet subtly at the same time. The contrast of the light and the darkness created a mesmerizing spectacle, and I found myself strangely drawn toward the said crystal.

I was attracted to it like a moth to a flame; I couldn't quite explain it, but it was as if the crystal itself was calling for me. Like it was always there waiting for me - or someone like me.

But as soon as I came into contact with it, there was a flash of light followed by an intense, piercing headache that came without any warning and which threatened to consume my very being. "...!" I screamed with all my might, yet there was no sound to be heard.

Meanwhile, everything around me began to spin, and right when the pain was becoming unbearable, and I thought I was surely going to die, it suddenly stopped.

And then I heard a weird mechanical voice in my head.

[Seed acquired! Initializing system...]

The crystal produced a single profound pulse, almost like a heartbeat, and then everything was drowned by pure light.

[Fusion complete! Establishing a domain...]

***

Coming to my senses, I found myself lying on a cold, hard surface. I tried to move my stiff limbs only to realize that every single muscle in my sore body was hurting like hell.

It hurt so much like that one time when I first tried to steal a loaf of bread from a market stall and got caught in the act... Let's just say the owner wasn't too happy about it.

Grimacing, I chased away the unpleasant memory and tiredly lifted myself up, still feeling a bit dizzy.

But as the piercing headache slowly subsided and I took in my surroundings, I couldn't help but widen my eyes in fright.

Where am I? Looking around, I immediately discovered I was in a very strange, unfamiliar place.

It was a large dome-like structure that looked almost like a natural cave - not that I've ever been in one, but I've seen illustrations.

The air gave off a sulfurous odor that reminded me of gunpowder, and the walls were jagged and rough, looking as if they had been ripped from the depths of the Earth itself and haphazardly placed back together.

Everything was eerily quiet, and the only sound I could hear was the echo of my own footsteps.

As my eyes traveled inward, I noticed that at the very center of the dome stood a simple pedestal made out of stacked flat rocks, and on it was the same radiant, white crystal that I had seen before in the void.

It sat there motionlessly, illuminating the whole place with cold, incandescent light, almost like a miniature sun.

I wanted to take a closer look at it, as it was the only interesting feature in this barren landscape, and I hoped it would give me some clues about how to get back.

But before I could take the first step toward it, I came to a sudden halt, looking in amazement as strange glyphs suddenly began appearing right in front of my eyes, assembling into perfect rows like some sort of mysterious message.

Am I going crazy? I thought somberly before trying to focus on the glowing symbols, and for some strange reason, I could understand them perfectly.

[Name: Jayden] [Race: Human]

[Level: 1 (Soul Essence: 0/100)]

[Class: None] [Skills: None ]

W-What? Is this Magic?

To say I was taken aback by this sudden development would be an understatement of the century. I tried to make sense of the text before me, but then I registered a few more glyphs at the bottom.

[Proceed to Class selection]

Huh? I can pick my own Class? Back in the orphanage, we were taught that the Class is bestowed upon you based on the Ability one awakens. Were they lying to us?

Feeling overwhelmed with everything that was happening, I decided to save all of my burning questions for later and tried to focus on the bottom line of symbols to see what would happen.

The glyphs then lit up, transforming into more text.

[You possess an Aptitude for the following classes:]

[Scout]

[Merchant]

[Scavenger]

I stared at the few lines of text for a long while as the corner of my mouth twitched.

What is this crap!? Where is the [Knight]? and the [Paladin]? I furrowed my brows, invoking the names of some of the most famous and sought-after classes I knew from the legendary tales the nuns at the orphanage used to tell us before bed.

...or at least a [Brawler], I added with a bitter smile. Well, I guess I never was much of a brawler in the first place. Grimacing, I chased off another unpleasant memory before once again focusing on the shabby selection before me.

[Scout - The scouts are among the most agile and stealthy explorers, which allows them to blend seamlessly into their surroundings. They can move quickly and quietly in any environment, and their keen eyes are specially trained to spot danger from afar as well as gather valuable information about their enemies.]

[Merchant - The merchants are well-versed in the art of trade and bartering, and their trained eyes are always on the lookout for rare and valuable goods. They are also skilled negotiators who can talk their way out of almost any situation while using their quick wit and knowledge of the market to their advantage.]

[Scavenger - The scavengers are the ultimate survivors and are most well-known for their resourcefulness. They can make use of even the most mundane items and turn them into valuable tools and equipment. Where others see only scrap, they see treasure, and they are often seen combing through the ruins in search of the said treasure.]

Looking at the ambiguous descriptions I was provided with, I wasn't any wiser about their actual capabilities.

But one thing I knew for sure - the [Merchant] was an instant pass. Although the promise of wealth seemed more than enticing, I was well aware that in a world overrun by monsters, the absence of any substantial fighting ability would be an instant dead sentence.

The same went for a [Scout]. The ability to move unseen seemed kind of neat, but after experiencing Carson's ill-fated expedition, the idea of delving headfirst into danger was nothing but horrifying to me.

So that meant I was left with the [Scavanger] ...Although I wasn't twice happy about it either, it at least said that the scavengers are experts at survival, and from where I come from, survival is all that matters.

[You have selected your Class. Processing...]