Travone stared at his room through a portal; through the break in reality, his room was torn, its place now a den and looking at him, a VileSpine Prowler; he quivered, his blood freezing in his vines and when the creature jumped at him. His mind spun, bringing him back to reality.

The loud voices and bangs at his door woke him up, startling him and forcing his body to react in instinct; Travone grabbed the black centurain blade and faced the creature in his room. He looked right and then left, and then he lowered the thin, short sword only for a loud banging and for voices to come from the front of his sleep crate.

What are you doing? Did not you hear? They said the crate was empty.

Come on, you don't know that.

He shrugged. Remember that time we overloaded the locks, and we found that rotting foot.

He almost gagged. Don't remind me. Just do your thing.

Wait, then how are we splitting whatever the deadman left behind

You took the last crate. I will take this one.

The other man shrugged and knocked, waited, and looked back at his partner. Seems there is no one inside to override the lock.

Travone heard the wrap on the door and looked at his hand, which held the centenarian blade. Then, he backed up at his apartment before lifting the small mattress and throwing the bed underneath it. He rushed and opened the door.

Travone opened the door, peering at the mad woman, staring through the small gap. What do you guys want?

Oh shit, there is someone in there. The man jumped back.

Excuse me, we are the cleaning crew; reports show that the occupant of this place survived an expedition on the dead planet. Do you know him?

That's me, and I am still alive.

Well, just place your hand on the scanner, and it will get you out of the database.

Travone looked around through the small gap in his door and reached his hand out hesitantly. He placed it on the tablet and saw a green flash, and his name appeared on the slate pad a moment later.

What a waste of time, the man grumbled, and together with his partner, they walked away.

Travone shut the door, closed his eyes and breathed in and out, trying to come to his nerves, his memories only now flashing back to how close he had come to death; he remembered the ratling clicks of the vilespines and his weary body, yet what was more ominous was the message he got after he had been teleported back. He opened his eyes and could not believe what he was seeing; there at the bottom of his vision was a massage.

Weapon Class: Armoury Acquired.

He blinked a few more times and looked at his body, new for the first time he was a seeker.

Travone rushed to the small mirror, looking at himself, at his skin. He held his eyes open, looking at them as carefully as he could, but there were no faint hints of the metallic hue on his body.

Perhaps I have to active the Astravores

Activate

maybe another word

Start

that didn't work

Over the next few minutes, He tried all he could, all words he could think of, but nothing happened in the corner of his vision. The alert of his Weapon class was still present and becoming annoying by the minute. He had just got his class, so why was nothing happening? He thought of what the new seekers always did and, to his dismay, knew that it would not be visible.

Those rich pricks always had higher-level classes to help them, and those few who got lucky had to find guidebooks for the class gems they controlled.

I need to get a class guidebook that should help me start, although I heard they are pretty expensive, and that's what class is Armoury.

Thinking back at this time in the ruins facing the Vilespines, Travone remembered the way the Xyrr’than fought; he remembered the warrior switching from the spear to daggers and using shield abilities in his fight with the Vilespines.

Does this mean I have to buy all of them? Even guidebooks aren't that too expensive. Well, am lucky I got paid two months in advance.

Travone did not leave his sleep crate immediately; being ever so weary of the clearing crew and their questions, he placed his head out of the door and looked to the right of the platform and then to the right. Travone stepped out, placed his hood on, and scrambled to the elevator; unlike before, the people travelling between the floors were far and between.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

The twenty-fifth floor was the largest platform floor on Athens, and like the others between the tenth and thirteenth floor, the floor was filled with moderately sized housing structures. The place was filled with clean paths and polished buildings, and the people were dressed neatly in suits and dresses. With most seekers not going to the dungeon planet and business personnel were more focused on the arena fights, in essence, it was a retirement home for those who could no longer advance in their levels of integration.

If there was a place for the middle class among the seekers of the Athens platform, those with rich families lived here along with the successful Epsilon's, delta's, and Gammas. Unlike the paths on the lower floors filled with rubbish, twists, and turns, the paths were cleaned regularly, and organised turns were created, giving room for the Coliseum Arena, shop quarters, residential and industrial.

The shops Travone passed by were filled with all sorts of things, from pieces of rocks to alien artifacts, seeker weapons and nano suits. What is most loathsome morally are the shops dedicated to the seekers; the prices of most things are costly, and worse, the power gems cost an arm and a leg.

Yet he has no choice. In order to understand his new power, he needs the guidebooks written by the founders, so he slips into the cheapest-looking shop on the floor.

The bell rung at Travones entrance, much to his irritation, and the well-dressed man behind the desk greets him formally before looking up and giving him a disgusted look before quickly musking it.

How can I help you the man cleared his throat.

Am. I am looking for class guidebooks.

How many books do you need?

All of them.

The man froze in step and looked at the dredge guidebooks; so did someone send you.

Yes, they need all the guidebooks, Travone said, going along with man's version of thought.

If that's what you're looking for, then the Founders Collection is what you are looking for. She placed the box on the desk counter.

How much does this cost?

This collection of knowledge will set you back for seven thousand credits.

What that's too expensive is just books Travone made to leave.

The man shook his head. Listen, I see you kind of come here every once in a while, and if I am not wrong, you got lucky and found a power gem. He looked at the Travone. Seeing that you aren't denying it, I will give you some advice, the. The guilds and The UNE keep track of every dredges who comes up here.

No, they don't. They can't do that.

It's the com drive. If they see you buying a book, they will keep track of your file, he said, placing the collection away.

If this is too expensive, my advice is to go to the underground; that way, you get what you want, and it's off the record.

Of the fifty floors, the floors below the forty-fifth were neither monitored by the guilds nor the United Nations of Earth. The shops were dark and gloomy, and the paths were lined with tents and garbage from the upper floors; most of the denizens of the lowest floors huddle around the heating pipes and the shops are the majority of the structures in the central quarter.

Travone pushes open the tarp of a broken-down shop and looks inside. Unlike the upper floors, the shopkeeper here keeps a list of all the items his selling.

Travone felt his nerves tense as he looked from the man to the broken Pilate of iron he used as a board.

You, what do you want? The gravely voice asked.

Looking for nothing, just want a guidebook, Travone said, trying to play off his interest.

You are looking for nothing or a guidebook, which is it.

Just give me a guidebook, and I will be out of your hair.

The bushy-haired man looks him up and down. Sure, which one.

A shield class guidebook or a general class guide, Travone said, further feining his lack of interest.

The man looked at him with narrowed eyes, so another dredge got lucky. Here. the man placed a torn, unkempt book on his countertop.

Travone grabbed the book, but before he could take it in his hands, the man grabbed his hand. Did you get a class gem? Then don’t answer. I can see it. He looked Travone in the eye. Yeah, you did.

Fuck off, it’s none of your business Travone groaned, pulling his hand back.

The man raised his hand in mock surrender your right not my business, but the books gonna cost you six hundred credits. The man smiled, showing his blackened teeth.

For Travone, he didn’t like the man’s line of questioning, and after a slight bit of hesitation, he placed his credit stick on the table and left with the book, trying not to look back.

Back on the thirty-third floor, Travone made it for his sleep crate, the class guidebook hidden in his pants, and his credit account that had two months' pay had been reduced to four hundred credits, which would be spent on his mother and his sleep crate, leaving him with a few credits to himself.

The way back to his sleep crate had been rather odd ever since he left the shop in the underground. Travone felt the odd feeling of someone's eyes watching him; he took as many twists and turns as he could take before quickly taking the elevator to his room.

Travone stepped into his room, and as soon as he closed the door, he felt the hair on the back of his neck and turned to see a man standing in the corner of his room, the light bouncing off his skin, shimmering metallic faintly. A zeta

You know people don’t just visit the come to the underground unless they're very desperate the man said.

What do you want?

Me nothing, I just want your class gem. The man smirked. It’s hard enough to get one from real seekers.

I don’t got what you want.

Nah, Nah, Nah, that’s wrong. In an instant, the man moved towards Travone, grabbing his neck with both arms and pushing him against the wall.

Where is it? He pulled and banged Travone against the wall. Where is it? Did you absorb it well? Then we have to just get it out of you.

Travone punched him, and the man just smiled at him, throwing him down before squeezing even harder. Travone felt his consensuses fade little by little, and the more he fought, the weaker his arms got.

I can’t die like this. No, not like this, he thought after coming so close I can't go like this.