When he woke up and saw that his Hit Points were at maximum, he thought to himself that something was wrong: this System that was now manipulating his life, launching him into this monstrous survival game, had clearly altered the regenerative capacities of the human body.

What was its goal? How would it end?

He would find the answer later: he had rabbits to kill and a tiger to avoid.

The first rabbit he surprised suffered a critical hit, which apparently meant that he had hit sensitive enough points to triple the damage. However, having become impatient, he had aimed poorly and it had taken a second hit to finish off the monster, which had not waited passively and had retaliated with a violent bite, inflicting a loss of 4 Hit Points.

He was now on the last rabbit. Only one more and, in all probability, he would temporarily escape this hell. Perhaps to plunge into something even worse, his pessimistic side told him. But his optimistic side wanted to believe that rest areas would be provided between the tests.

Suddenly emerging from a bush to attack the final prey, he was too clumsy and barely scratched it. The rabbit's merciless gaze fixed on his, promising him death...

“That's it, you filthy beast! I'm almost at the max of my life: prepare to perish, rabbit!”

That's it: he was going crazy. Now he was speaking out loud to taunt an animal! Perhaps taking refuge in a little madness allowed him to retain a little common sense in this crazy world?

You inflicted 13 damage

You received 5 damage

You inflicted 11 damage

You defeated a "Level 1 Wererabbit"!

You received 10 XP

You gain a level!

Current level: 2

Experience needed for next level: 150

A warm feeling passed through him. He felt like he was glowing as his wounds healed and a sense of power shook him. Two new windows appeared:

"Rabbit Hunt"

Quest Successful

Reward: You have reached level 2 and can choose a class from the categories offered:

Tank

Warrior

Scout

Healer

Magician

Floor 1 cleared

Would you like to go to the waiting room on floor 2 now?

YES / NO

Yes, of course: he wasn’t going to stay in this hell filled with evil rabbits and… yes, it sounded terribly pathetic when he thought about it. Anyway, it seemed like there was a waiting room, a safe place between trials.

Before pressing “Yes,” Jules glanced at his stats to see what the level had given him:

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Status:

Name: Jules Dupont

Race: [Human]

Class: NONE; Level 2

Hit points (HP): 60/60

Vigor: 10/10

Armor: 0

Current experience: 100

Experience needed for next level: 150

Abilities:

Strength: 5

Agility: 4

Stamina: 5

Intelligence: 4

Points available: 1

Attributes (0):

Skills (3):

Observation (F) (Supernatural Power) [Allows you to obtain information on targets using the System [Allows you to see the target of the focus from afar; allows you to protect your information from an "Observation" skill of equal or lower level]]

First Aid [F] (Natural Power) [Allows you to treat minor injuries and stop bleeding. Requires equipment. Allows you to heal up to 1 health point outside of combat.]

Unassigned

Unassigned

Class Skills (0):

ACTIVE EQUIPMENT:

Beginner's Sword [F] […]

INVENTORY (3):

4x Mana Stone [F] […]

EMPTY

EMPTY

So, his life had increased, his vigor had doubled, he had an additional "unassigned" skill as well as a new characteristic point in the same case. Next to each characteristic, a small button flashed with an arrow, indicating that points could be added, well only one in this case.

Maybe he should increase intelligence, to better understand what was happening? Or strength to hit harder? In any case, if his average characteristics were around 5, that would mean that an additional point was a huge advantage. He would take more time to think about it.

Concerning the class, he had the same hesitation and, by summoning help, obtained more details:

Tank: A protector who can take hits and distract monsters on him. Develops the Tank’s skill arc.

Warrior: A powerful fighter who can deal significant damage. Develops the Warrior’s skill arc.

Scout: An agile fighter who focuses on dodging and precision in his attacks. Develops the Scout’s skill arc.

Healer: A mage who specializes in healing. Grants a bonus skill of “Magical Healing”. Grants one Mana Point. Develops the Healer’s skill arc.

Magician: A mage with a wide range of powers. Grants a bonus skill of “General Grimoire”. Grants one Mana Point. Develops the Magician’s skill arc.

Healer and magician were tempting opportunities. However, these classes were very weak in most stories, only becoming strong through the magic of the “Main Characters” or possibly the “Antagonists” … At least, in the stories he had seen. And then, couldn’t he develop powers later by going through a warrior career? Become a sort of warrior-mage?

In fact, this career tempted him. He didn't see himself as a lightning-fast scout, crossing the battlefield like an arrow or setting ambushes, his experience against rabbits having been enough for him, nor as a big, muscular and indestructible guy who would draw blows to him. By becoming a warrior, he could do more damage.

Well, he could think about it later: he pressed the button to go to the waiting room.

You must select a class before you can advance!

Ah? Okay. Couldn’t they have said it before?

So, he selected “Warrior,” then pressed the button again. A blue glow surrounded him and he found himself in a room similar to the initial one. In the center, on a pedestal, were a few objects.

Class:

Warrior

Class Skills (1):

Feint [F] (Natural Power) [You can trick your opponent. By spending 5 Vigor Points, you gain a 10% chance to reduce your opponent's accuracy and increase your own]

You have 5 minutes to equip yourself before being sent to the waiting room on floor 2.

There was a sword there that looked better, but not much different from the one he already had except for its name. There was also a new healing potion as well as a fairly light armor, consisting of a few plates protecting the upper torso and a single shoulder as well as a part of the corresponding arm. Once he had put it on, it appeared in his inventory as:

Novice Armor (F) [+1 Armor] [Chest Armor]

His armor increased by 1 and a new "Armor" characteristic appeared on his sheet, at "0 (+1)". However, he could not increase it with his unassigned point.

Five minutes having passed, he found himself once again surrounded by the blue sparks announcing a teleportation.

The room seemed identical to the previous one. Perhaps there were a few more lines decorating the columns and making them look less bland? But the biggest change was the presence of other humans.

Looking disturbed, dressed in everyday clothes, sometimes mixed with a few new pieces of equipment, they all looked at each other with a mixture of fear and relief. Jules thought that he must have an identical attitude right now and tried to relax a little.

He counted twenty-eight people, including himself. There were both men and women, but no old people or children... Those, if they had ever been taken by the Tower, would not have survived...