LEVEL 1

I followed after Sid as she searched for monsters. In truth I didn't want any of this. I wanted nothing in this world more than to to curl up and drown in my misery, nothing more than a bottle of alcohol, nothing more than my mother's hug. But I couldn't get any of that, so I kept moving as I gotta stay on my feet and ahead of danger and death, as stopping would certainly mean my end. This I know with a startling surety.

After kiiling a few monsters we found ourselves in the desolate part of the forest. As Sid explained, she hoped to find monsters easier here since it felt less trended, but the forest gave me goose bumps. It was not only the lack of a single sound__ like pin drop level quiet__ it was something more primal, more raw about these woods. The leaves seem greener, the trees__ mostly pole trees__ seem more alive. Yet the floor was covered in dry leaves and a cold smoke like fog covered the ground.

[The place smelled like ammonia, like stale piss.] I shivered. Something tickled at the edge of my memory but I couldn't quite remember. Yet I said nothing. I couldn't find my voice or even care to when I am in shock.

We had to cut down stubborn shrubs to advance this primal woods. We haven't found any monsters yet though, I wonder why Sid was going deeper into this forest still. "There's something above there!" She pointed answering my unasked question.

I looked up to see a hill covered in green in the distance. Atop the hill was a dome roofed building that looked like a mosque with all those towers around it. Sid turned and grinned at me. "Let's go sis, the All Power awaits," Her eyes were hollowed and bleeding black blood. Beneath the empty eye sockets the skin wriggled as insects crawled within.

[The All Power is death.] A voice said distantly.

I jerked awake. Blinking, I was sleeping with my head resting on Sid's lap while she sings me my worst song ever. Only Time. Who can say where the road goes, where the day flows; only time..... Who knows, only time.

The day was just dawning. Her eyes were closed and she looked half asleep. I sat up and she opened her eyes finally. "What happened?" I asked with a frown. Something was missing, something is wrong but I couldn't put a finger on it.

Sid's eyes brightened. "Sam!" She said in delight. "Fuck you bitch, you worried me to death!"

I was only further confused. "What do you mean?"

"You don't remember? You just suddenly collapsed when you absorbed only one orb. I was worried about you so I stopped the hunt and carried you here, you'd been unconscious since yesterday afternoon."

Yeah we'd hunted a few monsters, a sort of last run to to level up... An entirely uneventful normal hunt for a grand finale too. Except I'd fainted after I absorbed my 10th orb. Sid hard worked hard to keep me alive hadn't she? If I remember we were in the vicinity of monsters when I decided to pull that cheeky move of absorbing it before they got closer. Thank god she seem fine. On a closer look though she looked exhausted and battered, but she also had a glow to her. "Did you level up?" I asked, not knowing where that came from.

"It's the only reason I am still alive." She snorted. "While taking care of you a few monsters attacked." She pointed at her ankle where a wide gash sat. Her sneakers sat beside her. She shrugged. "Can't even walk," then she sniffed. "Anyway, did you level up? One would expect that seeing how long you were knocked out for."

I shook my head. "I don't know,"

Sid frowned. "It's not 'I don't know', just feel for it."

I nodded and closed my eyes, Er... feeling for it. Status screen, come.

[Name: Samantha Ravens]

[Serial number: 477123]

[Level: 1. 0% progress]

[Class: Assassin grade B]

[Skills: Shadowalking(weak) lv1, Archery(legendary) lv3]

[Stats (baseline): Strength 6, Speed 7, Stamina 8; Mp 5\5, HP 4\10; intelligence 9]

[Universe Rules: All Power]

[Destiny: First Voice]

[Party: Unnamed (Leader)]

I opened my eyes in excitement. "I guess I did,"

Sid nodded then sighed in relief. "What class did you get?"

"Assassin grade B,"

"Me the same,"

I nodded. "I am more worried about the destiny thing. It says first voice, whatever that means?"

Sid lifted an eyebrow. "Mine is second voice,"

"So we'd have to find the third voice don't we?" I said flippantly. As these things go there's usually a third in the series. Religion? Superstition? Order? Most things are coded in three; There's a reason trilogies are a thing after all. "Anyway, you got anything to eat? I am rather famished."

"None," she shook her head. "I couldn't really hunt like this," she pointed at her ankle again.

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"That's fair..." I sighed. "You... Thanks for everything blondie." She nodded.

The day brightened without any fanfare as it usually does. We gathered our stuffs, mostly weapons and set out. Most of our guns had ran out of ammo, only the one Sid was holding. I carried Sid on my back as we headed towards the wall.

I don't know if it's because of the level up but I felt very strong today despite the hunger and fatigue. So we covered a lot of distance.

A great roar shook the forest and a giant monster suddenly appeared before us as if coalesced from mist, immediately it finished forming, it swung its axe down at us. Somehow I jumped back, away from its range, then eased Sid down and pulled out the sword strapped on my back.

I know this monster, it was the first type monster we killed, the Bullman that similarly ambushed us the first day. A translucent bar was floating above its head. [Minotaur lv 2] I guess this is something I can see because I leveled up.

The Minotaur roared and pulled its axe back after the miss. Sid fired it with lasers but it barely did a thing to it as the gun soon went out of ammo. The creature didn't seem to care as it backtracked then charged towards her. I gasped in suprise then chased after it.

Holding the sword with both hands, mimicking a medieval warrior, I kicked off the ground and swung down at it.

There was a sharp sound as the sword cut into its back, digging in. I tried to pull the sword out but to my suprise it got stuck in the monsters body; the wound sizzling like real flesh as the lasers surrounding the blade burned at it, and a sickening sweat smell of meat filled the air.

Roaring, the Minotaur spun and knocked me away with its hand. I was sent flying to collide with a tree, knocking the wind out of me. The fact that without guns we would never have survived till now was never clearer.

I staggered to my feet though and looked at the direction the creature ran to but couldn't find Sid. The only consolation I had was the giant looked just as confused as it wheeled around roaring in rage.

Head spinning and splitting in pain, I stumbled over and picked up my sword where I had dropped it___ it had came off the creature's back after the blow it gave me. Let's end this, I think, and ran towards the Minotaur.

The Minotaur sniffed this way and that suddenly before lifting its axe up to swing at empty air. But I closed the distance before it did. Aiming for the back of its leg, I swung my sword as I slid forward past it, leaving a shallow cut. It was enough to make the giant lose balance and fall backwards.

Rising to my feet, screaming at the top of my lungs, or roaring a battlecry, I mounted the monster and stabbed my sword in its left eye. "Bullseye," I growled. The creature spasmed for only a moment, its good eye so human as it widened in terror of death, then it broke in a shower of light abruptly, making everything seem like it had been an illusion.

I fell suddenly, my knees smacking against the forest ground as the weight I was kneeling atop vanished abruptly. Groaning I forced myself to stand on shaky legs and looked around. "Sid!" I called.

"Here!" She said close by. The air shimmered and she appeared right beside me.

Startled, I lifted an eyebrow. "Skills?"

"Quite useful ain't it?" She shrugged. "Been practicing, it is called Shadowalking,"

"I have that one too," I replied as I went to pick up the monster orb.

"That one? Too? You have two skills?"

"Yeah," I turned. Her eyes were wide. "There's archery? You don't?"

"I have only this one," she frowned. "Maybe sleeping that long was not all bad.... For you,"

"Wish it was you don't you?" I gave her a dirty look. "Well let's go on," After pocketing the orb I stooped lower so she could climb on my back. I grunted when she did though as my rib hurt from the blow I received from the Minotaur.

I piggy backed her for hours before I stopped at an area to let 'us' rest, then went out to hunt alone. Before I left though I had Sid teach me how to use Shadowalking. It was rather easy as I only had to think about it___ to activate it like I did the status screen___ to fade from view. The skill is not indefinite though, it eats MP so I had to cancel it until I really need it.

I scouted the area, made sure no one's nearby to bother us as I searched for game. When I saw a hare skittering in the distance I crouched low and activated [Shadowalking] after observing it briefly. The world turned blurry and twisty around me, a confusion of information filled my head. I felt like a boat in a storm with danger at all sides. Yet I steadied on sea, rocking, but still afloat.

I took a step and I was several meters away in an instance. The hare was closer now. I took another step and went past its position entirely. Fuck, this is legit superpowers! Super speed and Invisibility together. Turning, I steadied myself and measured my pace. The next step was successful as I appeared directly in front of the animal.

The hare sniffed the air adorably as it went about its business, none the wiser of looming death. I swung the sword down cutting off its head in one smooth motion. I took a deep breath then dispelled the skill.

[MP 2\5]

After another successful hunt__ which depleted the rest of my MP__ I went to the river we had found earlier to wash the innards, then I skinned the games with a dagger, planning to make things special today in the only way I could: cleaner meat. I found Sid dozing off against a tree when I returned. The sight of her weary and dirty form made my heart ache. She came to in panic, eyes wide and bracing for an attack.

"You treated that wound?" I asked motioning to her leg as I walked past.

"With what?" She said leaning back against the tree and taking deep breaths to calm herself.

I made a fire, and as the game roasted I pulled the dagger I stuck in the flame and walked over to her. She scowled at me. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I think you know," I said. "Come on, your wound needs to be 'sterilized'."

"It's gonna hurt,"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it's gonna hurt. Stop being a baby, except if you want to die of infection, either way it's none of my business."

"Fuck!"

I sighed and looked into her fearful eyes. "Do you trust me Sid?"

She frowned. "You are a bully,"

"What does that got to do with this? Do you trust me or not?" I was a little irritated to be honest.

"You know I do___ it doesn't change the fact you are a jerk though,"

"Well this is not the time to point that out,"

"It's the only time you wouldn't kill me for telling you. Just saying, you should fix that and you'd be a better person,"

"Are you sure about that?" I sneered pressing the hot dagger down on her wound. Sid screamed 'bloody hell' and knocked my hand away, but I'd already done the job. "Sorry," I said smiling. "Saying something?"

"Fuck you Sam, you bitch!"

I grinned. "Yeah that's the spirit blondie, you are strong and healthy now and ya got ol' doc to thank for it," I ignored her glare and the middle finger she gave me and went back to the meat on the fire. I turned it then took out the monster orb the Minotaur had dropped from my pant pocket. "What do we do with this? Do we absorb it too? But they only told us to level up to 1. Anyway, I will just keep it for now."

Sid said nothing, still sulking.

As night fell, we curled around the fire and closed our eyes. But I couldn't sleep, maybe I'd slept too much the past days. Troubled thoughts filtered through my head. The faces of those I killed hunted me in the dark, and I ran from them into murkier darkness. A cold alley in a foreign country, a record playing Enya's Only Time, and a kind old man; I squeezed my eyes tight as tears fell. Forget I couldn't sleep, I didn't want to, too afraid of my 'nightmares'.

Tomorrow we'd probably reach the wall and then another life begins. I have no idea how hard it's gonna be but I made peace with one thing. No matter what happens I'd keep me and Sid safe, even if it means killing more people. That's the only thing I am ever good at.

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