“Of fucking course, they picked me,” Lan grumbled, tightening his grip on the stick that now felt woefully inadequate.

Inspirations filled his mind, and he could already see the best way to position himself, his path through this fight was clear. Presented to him in dots that he just had to connect.

He took a step forward, lunging out with the stick and jabbing the closest pathfinder in the eye. The man wailed, grabbing his face and dropped his flail to the ground with a clang.

Lan rolled under a sweeping longsword and grabbed the flail, smashing it into the injured man’s knee.

The man collapsed to the ground, blocking the thrust of a spear with his chest before disappearing in a red glow of light.

‘So that’s what happens to my body when I die,’ Lan noted, wrapping the steel chain of his flail around the outthrust spear and using his superior strength to drag the weapon from his opponent’s hands.

Put off balance by the sudden loss of his spear, the man toppled forward, his chin connecting with the sweeping head of the flail as Lan spun it forward.

Lan caught the man as he fell limply, using his body to block a knife that was thrown at Lan’s chest.

Just like the previous one, after the knife landed in Lan’s shield, the pathfinder disappeared. Leaving behind only a faint red glow.

Turning his attention to where the knife had come from, Lan looked over just in time to see Thea pull out a girl’s throat, blood drenching her uniform.

Lan’s eyes widened; the gory sight was so striking that he almost let a sword swinging towards his side hit him… almost.

At the last second, he twisted his body, receiving only a graze from the blade as it sliced through his robe and just barely broke his skin.

“Watch out!” Archie shouted from behind Lan.

Throwing himself forward, Lan felt wind whistle down his back. He turned around, finding the man with the Mace had crept up on him.

“Shit, these guys are too strong!” The man cursed.

“What should we do?” His companion with the sword asked, nervously backing away from Lan.

The man glanced over at Archie, watching grimly as one of the spear bearers was impaled by the glittering sabre. And as for Thea, her opponents were in an even more desperate situation.

“Ring the bell!” The man spat through clenched teeth.

“Yessir,” The sword bearer nodded, running back towards where they had been sitting when Lan first arrived.

“Stop him!” Archie yelled, rushing towards the swordsman.

“On it!” Lan shouted, rushing after the swordsman.

His chase was ground to a halt when a heavy mace smashed into the ground by his feet, cracking the rock.

“Not so fast,” The Leader growled, throwing himself in Lan’s way.

“Ugh,” Lan groaned and shifted his weight. "I don't have time for this!" He shouted, throwing the flail at the running swordsman while he bent down and grabbed the fallen spear.

The flail spun through the air, arcing like a cannonball, and it crashed into the swordman’s back. Sending him sprawling to the ground in a heap beside a rope that hung through the ceiling.

Using the spear, Lan jabbed at the leader, hitting him in the chest.

Blood bubbled up from the leader’s mouth and yet he grinned madly. “Too late!” He spat as a red glow enveloped him.

Lan felt a sinking feeling and he glanced over, just in time to see the swordsman pull on the rope with all his strength.

“Shit!” Archie spat, putting on a burst of speed and beheading the swordsman.

A minute later, Thea and Lan finished getting rid of the rest of their enemies and stood breathing heavily in the centre of the room.

“Did we get them in time?” Lan asked through deep breaths.

Archie shook his head, his mouth set in a grim line. “No, they managed to ring the bell. We’ve just got to hope David is as strong as he looks. Because half of the village will be rushing here any time now.”

Lan nodded, “We need to be quick then. Where’s the key?”

“Right here,” Archie walked over to the ebony staff that cast a reddish glow across the room, grabbing it fondly.

“Doesn’t look much like a key to me,” Thea muttered.

“Technically, a key is something that overcomes obstacles,”

“No, it isn’t” Thea interjected.

“Well pretend that it is. This is something we need to reach the dungeon, so I’m calling it a key,” Archie snapped.

“Look we don’t have time for this. Stop bickering and help me steal stuff,” Lan interrupted.

He was already over at the grooves in the wall, looting the shiniest things he could find. “What am I looking for?” He shouted, his hands blurring as he stuffed everything, he could get his hands on into his pockets.

“Anything that looks like a map, or a scroll is probably valuable,” Archie explained rushing over to the wall himself and grabbing things seemingly at random.

Lan took note of everything Archie grabbed, trying to get as many of the same things as he did. He was pretty sure that Archie knew better than he did what was valuable.

The sounds of clashing metal and sharp screams echoed down the ladder, sounding warped and distant.

“Looks like that’s our Cue, let’s get going,” Archie grunted, his pockets bulging with all manner of treasures.

Lan followed him towards the ladder, grinning as he pocketed a vial of neon orange liquid that he hadn’t seen since he first died.

The group of four quickly began ascending the ladder.

“Hey, how come George didn’t do anything in that fight? Is he really as strong as you said?” Thea asked sceptically. Her face and clothes were now completely spotless, all the blood having disappeared.

“Now’s not the time, Thea. We can discuss that when we get out of here,” Archie snapped, leading the group up the shaft.

As they climbed higher, the temperature finally began to cool, and the noises of fighting grew louder. Lan could make out a strangled scream, followed by the snap of wood.

“Faster,” Archie shouted, speeding up until they finally jumped out into the hut… Or where the hut had once been.

Lan looked up, noticing that he was now beneath the pitch-black sky that signified it was night.

The only light around the hut came from the faint glow the path gave off, and the reddish hue of Archie’s staff.

Painted by the red glow, David looked like an evil bear. Picking up a boy by his throat and flinging him through the wall of a hut with ease. A devasting spray of splinters and blood flew into the air.

“Are you okay!?” Archie shouted.

David turned around and nodded slowly, his school uniform still unscathed.

“Over there!” A bellow came from down the street, followed by the thud of boots.

“Quick, follow me. Their reinforcements are coming,” Archie hissed, bursting into a sprint as he ran along the edge of the cliff, skirting around the edge of the crafters’ village.

“And keep quiet,” He threw a pointed glance at Thea who flushed angrily.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” She hissed back, her attempt at whispering barely quieter than a shout.

“Oh. My. God. I hate you,” Archie whispered, slipping between two huts to avoid a crafter that rushed by.

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Thea shot back.

“Guys, do me a favour and shut the fuck up. Why can’t you take a leaf from George’s book?” Lan whispered angrily, pointing to George who was keeping up with them easily.

“If I took a leaf from George’s book, we would still be trapped beneath the hut. That guy didn't lift a finger to help us!” Thea grumbled.

“That’s not important right now. What is important, is how the hell are we going to get out of here?” Lan glanced at Archie pointedly.

“Haha, I have a plan for that of course,”

“Good, because for a second there, I was worried that you hadn’t realised we wouldn’t be able to escape through the forest because it’s night,”

Thea’s eyes widened, “Oh shit, yeah. Even I am not dumb enough to think I can take on those insect things,”

“Not to fear, I have an escape route planned out,” Archie smirked confidently.

As they ran, Lan couldn’t help marvelling at how quiet David was when he moved. ‘How does he run that quietly?’ The big man barely made a sound as he slipped between the crowded houses of the town like a ghost.

They followed the coast around the town, hearing more and more crafters rushing in panic towards the hut they had just escaped.

Suddenly, Archie raised his fist and turned to face them. “Shh,” He placed one finger over his lips and pointed forwards slowly.

Lan nodded, and they followed him as quietly as they could.

Voices drifted out across the night air.

“What should we do sir?”

“Split up into two groups. One goes to the treasury, the other need to get to the path as quickly as possible and block their escape.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Yessir,”

“And remember, Do. Not. Kill. Them!”

“But sir…”

“I said don’t kill them. Even if you have to die to do it, detain them. If they escape and tell everyone where the treasury is we’re finished,”

“… Okay. Let’s get going guys,”

Lan crouched behind a nearby hut as the group of what were presumably vultures split up and ran past them, making a beeline to the only path leading out of the village.

“This escape route better be good,” Lan muttered ominously.

“Just wait,” Archie thumped his chest confidently.

They darted across the street and continued sneaking between the houses. All the while, they were nearing the forest.

Outside the faint glow of the path, it was a pit of darkness. And as they got closer, Lan began to hear it…

The chirping.

He rubbed his neck uncomfortably, remembering how he had died the last time he heard that noise.

Finally, they reached the edge of the houses, grinding to a halt in front of the waiting forest.

“So… Where’s this escape route?” Lan said grimly, turning to glare at Archie.

Archie smirked and gestured grandly towards the forest.

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Thea screeched, grabbing him by the collar of his robe and shaking.

“Nope, but- can you stop that for a second!” Archie shouted, pushing Thea away. Smoothing his robe angrily.

Archie grabbed the staff from behind his back, the red glowing amber was covered by a scrap of cloth torn from an old uniform.

Slowly, he began to unwind the cloth, the red glow intensifying. It seemed to beat back the darkness as it grew brighter, and the chirping quieted.

Grinning madly, Archie pulled the final strip of cloth off the staff and shouted, “Follow me, or die!”

Lan watched anxiously as Archie strode into the forest, hacking at low-hanging branches with his sabre.

“Shit!” He said through gritted teeth, following after Archie.

Thea turned her head, the noise from the town was only growing. ‘It looks like the third wave ended already, more will be coming soon,’ she realised, turning back to the red glow that was fading into the forest.

“Agh, fuck it!” She yelled, running into the forest.

George glanced at David who nodded. Without words exchanged, the pair reached an agreement and ran after Thea, chasing down Archie.

Lan caught up with Archie quickly, grabbing the boy by the shoulder, “Does that staff do what I think?” He asked nervously.

“If what you are thinking is, holds off the bugs, then yeah,” Archie smirked, flourishing the staff.

Shaking his head, Lan crept closer to the staff, not wanting to be outside its area of effect.

“Hey!” Thea shouted as she caught up to them, “Why didn’t you tell us about the staff before we got here?” She punched Archie in the arm, making him stagger.

“I didn’t want one of you to steal it and run off,” Archie explained, glaring pointedly at Thea.

“I-I wouldn’t do that… probably,” Thea didn’t meet his gaze, looking down at her feet.

Leaves rustled behind them, and the trio whirled around, brandishing their weapons in expectation of a fight.

So, when David’s huge, bearded face broke through the foliage, they heaved a collective sigh of relief. George followed shortly after and the group was reunited, setting off into the forest.

“You looked pretty scared there,” Thea teased.

“Shut up,” Archie snapped.

“I bet you thought your little night light wasn’t working,” Thea grinned.

“It’s not a night light, it’s a cool staff. Also, this is unrelated, but I hate you,” Archie sighed, looking up at the sky as though he were asking God… Why?

“So where are we headed, anyway?” Lan asked, interrupting them before they could start bickering again.

“The door to the dungeon only appears in one specific spot, during the night. Which is why we need the staff to get there. If we follow the coast for a few miles, until we reach the rock with two faces, then we should turn to where the second face… Actually, you know what, I’ll just explain when we get there,” Archie stopped himself.

“Oh, come on, why not just tell us,”

“Because you might kill me if you know the way to go,” Archie pointed out.

“No, I- I wouldn’t do that…” Thea licked her lips, her eyes shining “Right guys?”

David suddenly found the ground incredibly interesting, whistling as he stared at his feet. While George began examining his nails closely.

“Lan?” She looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

“You would totally kill him,” Lan said, his face stone cold.

“Yeah, I would. Still might… Actually-“

“Stop that, just come help me cut through the bushes, will you?” Archie grumbled.

“Yessir,” Thea saluted and giggled, running up ahead of the group.

“Archie,” Lan muttered.

“Yeah?”

“Could you not have found someone less annoying?”

David and George nodded in agreement, shooting questioning glares at Archie.

“If only…” Archie once again looked up to the sky, his eyes questioning. “Alright, let’s go,”

***

The Fighting Town, Third Wave.

The prince pulled her sword from the lizard’s corpse, blue blood splattering the ground around her feet. Her face was blank, almost robotic.

“That big one sure was tough! I can't believe Milord killed it after such a tough battle!” One of her companions exclaimed.

‘Was it? I suppose I should look tired then,’ She realised, feigning that she was out of breath. But no matter how she pretended, her pristine uniform betrayed how easy the fight had been for her.

It hadn't suffered a stain or scratch since she arrived here. And it would not receive a single ounce of damage while she still lived. This uniform was a symbol, a direct signifier of her excellence.

She would not damage it like that brute with the scythe ‘The farmer,’ She thought grimly, just imagining his face soured her mood.

One of her henchmen approached her nervously. ‘I suppose this one wants something from me as well,’

“Um, Milad- A thousand pardons... Milord. What shall we do with the prisoners?” The henchman wiped the sweat from his brow furiously.

“Ah, the crafters… Release them. We need our weapons serviced after all,” The Prince said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Of course, Milord, I will get right on that,” The henchman bowed graciously, as though it was an honour to receive such a task.

‘I suppose I should appear grateful,’ The Prince smiled faintly, patting the man on his shoulder.

His face lit up and he ran over to where the crafters were tied up, skipping like he had just won the lottery.

‘For how long I have been pretending?’ She looked at her sword. The blade was pristine, flawless steel that was so clean it looked as though it had never been used.

Her blank face was reflected back. Black hair tied in a bun, brown eyes, her skin was smooth… not like a boy’s, not like it should have been.

Ever since she could remember, the Prince had been… Pretending. Probably even before she could remember.

Perhaps that was why her talent wasn’t with the blade that she so treasured. The system had given her the talent of, Actor.

‘I suppose it’s ironic, that the strongest fighter here is actually a crafter. Still, as far as talents go, it has its uses,’

“How’s the leaderboard?” She asked her aide.

“You still top both the points and sheer steps leaderboard Milord,” Her aide appeared behind her, pushing glasses up his nose. His face was narrow and bookish.

“Any changes?”

“It would appear, someone conquered the second step. They broke into the top 100 in the sheer steps rankings,”

“During the beast waves?”

“Yes…”

“Their name?”

“Unknown. That’s their name I mean,”

“I see, what of the guards I placed?”

“They stopped 23 deserters in total, but this, Unknown fellow managed to sneak through.”

“Remove them, and find someone else,” The Prince said, her eyes cold and unwavering.

“But Milord…” The bookish man tried to object.

“Do I accept anything less than perfection from myself?” The Prince stared into the aide's eyes.

“No, Milord,”

“Then why should I expect anything less than that from my henchmen?”

“Of course, Milord, I will find someone else,”

The prince nodded slowly, sheathing her sword and turning her attention to Kyle, the Farmer. He was celebrating with his companions, or as he called them, farmhands.

They were grinning and hugging each other, standing over a lizard corpse around the same size as hers.

“Did he kill that by himself?” She asked, her gaze intent.

“Y-Yes, Milord,” The aide stuttered, knowing that Kyle really got on her nerves.

“I see…” The Prince turned away from them, gripping her sword’s hilt in her sheath. “Then I will be heading to the steps now,”

“But Milord, you haven’t slept,” The aide called out weakly.

“I’ll sleep when I’m done,” She replied, striding through the carnage of the battlefield, her brow furrowed.

There was but one question on her mind ‘How does he keep getting stronger? He has none of the advantages I have… so how?’

***

Rachel knocked on Lan’s door. She had been standing outside his hut nervously for a few minutes before eventually working up the courage to go up and knock.

No response.

“H-Hello?” She called out weakly.

No response.

She knocked again, louder this time.

Nothing.

‘Maybe he’s not in,’ she figured, hoping he wasn’t simply ignoring her.

Her mind wandered, showing her images of Lan sitting in his hut, pretending not to be there so she would go away.

Rachel took a shaky breath and calmed herself down, ‘I am in control,’ She repeated over and over again.

That was her mantra. Whenever negative emotions overwhelmed her, she repeated this to herself until she had them under control.

“Hi,” A quiet voice appeared from right behind her.

Rachel was so shocked she nearly jumped into the air like a cartoon character, whirling in the spot to find a young… Boy? Girl? She wasn’t sure.

They had extremely short white hair and their skin was pale and soft. It looked like they’d never worked a day in their entire life.

The eery glow the path cast upon their face should have been sinister or intimidating. But for some reason, Rachel couldn’t bring herself to be scared.

“H-hi” She stuttered.

“Are you looking for Lan as well?” They asked, pointing to Lan’s hut.

Rachel nodded.

“Is he in?” Morgan asked softly.

Shaking her head, Rachel knocked on the door again, getting no response.

Morgan sighed and kicked a stone across the street, “Ah well, I was going to ask for his help with something,”

“W-What I-is it?”

Morgan glanced around nervously, checking that nobody was listening, “Recently I got really close to this second-generation pathfinder. And she let it slip that she knows where a dungeon is,”

Rachel’s eyes widened cartoonishly, “D-Dungeon!?” She exclaimed.

“Shh, keep your voice down. If someone hears us talking… It won’t end well,” Morgan hissed.

“Well anyway, I have this feeling that tomorrow morning, she’s going to go to the…” Morgan glanced around before saying the next word, “Dungeon. And I have reason to believe this dungeon needs two people to complete.”

“I-I’ll go with y-you,” Rachel blurted.

Morgan’s eyes widened and they looked at her gratefully, “You would do that? It might be dangerous you know,”

“I-It’s ok, I’m ssstronger t-than I l-look,”

Hesitation passed over Morgan’s eyes and Rachel’s heart stopped. She knew just how valuable a hidden dungeon was and this might very well be her only opportunity to enter one.

Finally, Morgan nodded, and Rachel let out the breath she had been holding.

“Fine, but what’s your power?” Morgan asked.

Rachel looked him in the eyes, sending her thoughts directly into Morgan’s brain.

I can do this, as long as I’m looking into someone’s eyes. Recently I’ve been able to stun beasts with my telepathy, and then I can kill them before they fight back.

“Does that work on humans?” Morgan asked, morbidly fascinated.

I don’t know, I’ve never tried.

“I see, well that certainly is an interesting power. Let’s do this thing. Follow me if you dare,” Morgan spun on their heels and began walking towards another part of town, Rachel following close behind.

She felt slightly guilty that she hadn’t told Morgan she could read emotions. But people seemed to be put off by the knowledge their thoughts and feelings weren’t private.

And when she had felt Morgan’s emotions, they hadn’t felt nervous like she had expected. Despite their small frame and weak appearance, Morgan was excited.

***

The deeper they went into the forest, the less effect the staff seemed to have.

At first, they had been standing a few metres from Archie and were safe, bathed in the glow of the light. But after a night drone nearly took off George’s head, they collectively decided to huddle together like penguins.

This meant that they were safe, but was also incredibly awkward.

In a last-ditch effort to relieve the tension, Lan asked Archie a question that had been on his mind since earlier that day.

“I know this might not be the best time but tell me this. How many babies could I beat in a fight?”

“Seriously?” Thea rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Yeah, I’m serious. I wanna know.”

Archie scratched his chin thoughtfully, looking Lan up and down. “I would say… 11000 babies. But the number could fluctuate depending on if you have eaten well or not,”

“11000… that’s a lot of babies,” Lan muttered, trying to imagine a situation where he would ever need to fight a singular baby, never mind 11000 thousand of them.

“Psh, 11000 babies, I can take on 14000 easily,” Thea waved haughtily.

“So, you already asked him,” Lan pointed out.

“Ah, well. You see… I was in the cave with him for ten minutes, and there was nothing to do, do…” Thea mumbled.

Lan laughed, fully believing that she was stronger than him, for now anyway. The gruesome way she had killed those vultures in the treasury was chilling.

“Is there anything else your power can do Archie?” Lan asked curiously.

Archie sighed, “Not right now I’m afraid. All I get is a basic idea of how many stats someone I’m looking at has. But in the future, when my talent evolves, I will be able to see a lot more than that.”

“Talents can evolve?” Lan asked dumbly.

“What rock did you crawl out from under?” Thea asked.

“Eh, I slept through that class I guess,”

“Leave it be, Thea. It’s not a big deal,” Archie said,

“Talents are an extension of our life experience and the more we use them, the more we experience them, and the stronger they get. Eventually, there’s a watershed moment, where your talent will improve drastically and rank up,”

“Will the Epiphany title help with that?” Lan asked thoughtfully.

“It will actually,” Archie said smugly. “When my talent ranks up, I will eventually be able to see stat distributions in detail, and then people’s talents and then even their weaknesses,”

“Wow, that sounds really useful,” Lan said appreciatively.

“It is a useful talent, but it’s not without its drawbacks. Because my family can see people’s weaknesses, we are feared and hated throughout the bridge.

As a precaution, once I leave the tutorial, I will have to wear a blindfold. So that people know I’m not prying into their deepest secrets as I walk past them on the street,”

“I guess I could understand why it would be upsetting to know that someone had figured out your greatest weakness at a glance,” Lan mumbled,

“But surely you don’t need to wear a blindfold, why not just sunglasses? As long as people can’t see your eyes, they won’t know what you’re doing,”

“… Ehhhh,” Archie almost stumbled in excitement. “You’re right!”

“Shh, I hear something,” Thea cut off Archie who was fist-pumping the air in celebration.

In the distance, a thundering rumble echoed. Its source was hidden within a tight grove of trees.

“We’ve found it,” Archie grinned manically, rushing towards the sound.