“The lack of Advil in this world is unreal.” Cyrus thought to himself as conscious greeted him once more. The world was a blur around him, his eyes felt heavy and his body was… bound? His arms were restricted of free movement, rendering him unable to do anything but squirm in place. His vision slowly began to return and his surroundings were not what he expected.

Cyrus was tied up in what looked to be a hut, the smell inside was repulsive and there were beast skins scattered all over but it was a hut no less. A quick glance around told that Peluna was not with him, whoever tied him up would probably have done the same to her. He could only wonder if this was just another way to die and he would be served on a platter for the denizens of the dungeon. At least if he was going to be cooked, they better do it right.

Memories of the fight against Serence flooded back to him all at once. He had been completely overwhelmed by his blades without being able to attack a single time himself. More shocking than him being tied up was the fact that the fall itself wasn’t fatal. Given that he had no way of moving until the inhabitants came back, Cyrus pulled up his stat screen and notifications.

*Title: Defiance – Return from the brink of death, congratulations on your survival. +10 luck*

That wasn’t alarming at all; the title answered at least one of Cyrus’s many questions. The fact that the fall basically killed him and someone actually saved him instead. While the lack of cuts was a kindness, it didn’t change the fact that he was still bound by the rope.

Name: Cyrus Rainer

Race: Outsider

Level: 19

Class:

Titles: Beginner, First steps, Survived the Void, Herb Lover, Slayer, Defiance

Strength: 44

Dexterity: 38

Constitution: 41

Intelligence: 33

Charisma: 18

Luck: 34

Free Points: 0

While his stats hadn’t had a major increase from the beginning it was at least a start. The addition of a few new titles also helped his case. That was provided he survived whatever ordeal this was.

Cyrus was broken out of his thoughts when he heard movement coming from outside the hut. In the distance someone was getting closer to him and there was a voice he couldn’t make out. Make those two voices. His eyes were glued to the fabric covering the entrance, readying to greet whatever monstrosity walked through. The fabric was moved by a small hand and in came through… Peluna.

Not the monster he had been expecting but she was far more of a welcome sight. Behind her a robed figure walked in as well, he was tall and seemed to be carrying no weapons on the outside. Regardless, if the number of beast skins in here was anything to go by than he was far more dangerous than he seemed.

“Good morning sleepyhead, glad you finally decided to join us. Was sleeping for 3 days not enough for you?” Peluna greeted him.

“I was asleep for 3 days? I didn’t know I could even sleep that long. Why am I tied up again?”

“Coming back from the brink of death is no easy feat; you may have died even with my healing. Many come back as nothing but a zombie, but it appears your willpower is stronger than most.” The stranger answers, moving towards Cyrus to undo the ropes.

“Thanks for healing me I guess, where are we anyways?” Cyrus asks while slowly standing on his feet. Peluna rushes over and helps to keep him steady, assisting him to one to one of the logs for a seat. When they sat down, he couldn’t help but notice Peluna’s expression. She looks pained, not in a physical way but this entire experience clearly killed her spirits. Not that it was doing wonders for Cyrus either. Up until he woke from his slumber, Cyrus had been furious at the betrayal he suffered and resigned his fate to the abyss. Now he wasn’t sure how to feel, or what he was supposed to do with those lost feeling.

The whole thing started weighing down on his heart the more he thought about it. Cyrus wanted to be angry, to get revenge on those who wronged him. Lucky for him, he was too weak, too powerless to do anything about it. The guild master was likely far stronger than someone like Serence, he’d be like a bug in comparison. If he found a way to return to the surface, the target on his back would come back to haunt him. That was provided he could even get back to the top, opposed to dying in this hell hole.

“You and your companion are in my home, in the depths of the dungeon. Peluna already gave me the basis of your battle; you are welcome to stay here until you are able to return to the surface. My name is Albus, I am a black sorcerer.” Albus goes on to prove his point by materializing a shadowy sword in his hand. With small waves of is hand, the sword shifts into a scimitar. His ability was clearly miles above Cyrus. Unable to help his curiosity, he attempts to check the sorcerer’s status.

*Human – Level ???*

Albus raises his eyebrow at Cyrus, “I see your System has an identify skill, that’s a rare trait amongst individuals with a class and even more so those without one.”

“I thought that all Systems were able to identify people or items? It doesn’t matter in this case; I can’t see your level.”

“Of course not, I’m far above your level so you won’t be able to see it. Identify skills usually only come with certain class progressions. Even then, the skill is supposed to only work within the realm of your classes’ purpose. For example, an alchemist can identify herbs and potions. A swordsman can identify the make, durability and traits of his weapons.”

“The more I learn about the System the more I realize how little I know about it. What else alters the uses of the System?”

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

“Your race is another factor in the System; certain attributes are race specific and as such will only affect that race. As a fellow human, you should have been granted the tutorial page with these details.”

“Also your level and titles are supposed to grant opportunities from the System to unlock new pages.” Peluna pitches in for the first time.

“I never received the tutorial page; my race is Outsider. I only started using the System about a week ago at this point. So my information is lacking.” Cyrus informs them.

This comment gets a rise out of Albus, his brows rising in surprise and he looks far more interested in the conversation then he had before. Even Peluna perks up, her broken expression turning to one of curiosity. “An outsider, what’s that Cyrus?” Peluna asks.

“Even I have never heard of the race Outsider, while normally I might be skeptical of you, my Inquisitor skill tells me you’re telling the truth. Therefore I am also curious about your race.” Albus questions while getting up. He moves to one of his tables and begins pouring himself a cup of murky looking water. While it could be tea, there was little chance someone could be making it down here.

“If it’s all the same to both of you, it’s not a topic I’m really looking to expand on. That line of questions only brings up bad memories for me.” Cyrus responds in turn.

“If it bothers you that much Cyrus, it’s not good to keep that sort of thing bottled up. Maybe if you talked about it, you’ll feel a bit better.” Peluna encourages him, placing her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“I said I didn’t want to and I meant it!” Cyrus snarled; bits of anger he didn’t know he had seethed out of him like gas. While he hadn’t intended to lash out, the idea of talking about it proved too much and he shrugged her hand off of his shoulder.

A flash of hurt flickered across her face and she pulled the offered hand immediately. She moved over a few inches from him on the log, retreating from how close she once was. Cyrus thought for a second he might regret having done that to her, but he was far too miserable to care. Albus looked on at the pair without saying a word, letting Cyrus work out his own thoughts before speaking.

“Perhaps it might be prudent if we took a break, then we can talk about getting you both out of here.” Albus mediates, wanting to break the tension in the room.

“T-that sounds good Albus, let me make you more tea.” Peluna replies, getting up quickly to take her mind off the previous topic. The weight of their near-death experiences making her shoulders sag even more as it comes back to her.

“I need to get some air.” Cyrus simply states. On his way out the fury radiates off him as if it would burn you by getting close.

The emotions were like turbulence inside of him, cruel thoughts ran rampant in his head. Cyrus wanted to take revenge for all this suffering. The past two months had sucked and he had never really admitted it to himself until now. The truth was, when he first got here and even to the point when he went to the guild, he had been putting on a strong front. That whole persona was crumbling down and being replaced with emptiness. Maybe he wasn’t empty; it felt more broken, lost even. At first, he had a purpose; it was simple and easy to focus on. This world was far more complicated than he bargained for, getting stronger wasn’t enough.

Looking around outside the hut, the area looked far more… home like than he had been anticipating. The hut was surrounded by a small water way, just a few inches deep but it looked fresh and serene. The walls had some sort of blue glowing moss on them, they weren’t bright and left just a hint of darkness around them, just enough for someone to see but not too dark either. There were a few tables set up outside as well, clearly this Albus had been living here for some time or there would be no reason to set all this up.

That begged the question, why the hell would someone choose to live so far underground in a dungeon? Surely it would be dangerous, even for someone with a level in the triple digits. On top of that, he was being rather nice to both him and Peluna, but that could be short lived. He was probably just waiting to betray them just like their previous party had.

Cyrus snapped out of that train of thought. It would have been illogical for Albus to heal him and Peluna if he was just going to kill both of them in the end anyways. Surely, he had the power to do it without either of them putting up a fight.

Looking ahead, there was only one path in and out of the small cavern he found himself in. There was a small pathway that narrowed farther ahead, it was more brightly lit then the area directly around him. Cyrus felt all the cascading emotions crashing down and walked over to the small river, sitting down at the edge of the waterway. All he found was his reflection looking back. While there was little else to expect when looking at water, he had hoped to find something else.

Out of the corner of his vision Cyrus saw Albus taking a seat a few feet away from his, making him jump. Cyrus hadn’t even heard the robed man walk over to where he sat, let alone felt someone walking nearby. Was he really that quiet, or was there something else that made him so stealthy? That question would have to wait as Albus interrupted his inward thinking.

“It’s peaceful down here. The world below is far simpler than the world above. Monsters down here want to kill you, that is a fact and there is little need to spare their lives. Above, the monsters are hidden under a façade, only striking when you’re at your most vulnerable.” Albus stared at the river as well, matching his figure to Cyrus.

“You are a victim of betrayal that much is evident from the look in your eyes. The latest one is clearly not your first.”

“Is there a point you’re trying to make here Albus? Not that I don’t appreciate you saving my life, but it would have been easier if you to just let me die.” Cyrus remarked snidely.

“All I’m saying is that you should be more wary of those around you. At the same time, not everyone needs to be treated as an enemy either. I am not your enemy; Peluna is also not your enemy.”

“What makes you so sure?” Cyrus turns to face Albus for the first time since he had arrived; his eyes were shaking with anger. Despite this, Albus remained calm and patient, his voice soothing and filled with empathy.

“I can’t tell you what to believe and feel, I can only reassure those raging thought of yours. I believe I have a way to help you. What do you say about making a deal with me?”

“A deal can only be made when the trade between the two parties is of equal value. I have nothing to offer you; therefore I can’t receive anything from you either. You have no reason to help me Albus.” Cyrus didn’t even know why he was refuting the offer; it just didn’t feel right to accept anything from anyone. What if it was held over his head at a later date?

“While that is true, my term would make it an equal trade in my eyes. I won’t be able to tell you that term however, until a later date. Is it not for the beholder to determine the worth of his end of the deal?”

Albus had him there, it was frustrating to him that the robed man was able to easily dance around the dark thoughts in his head. “You’ve made your point, what did you have in mind?” Cyrus asked with a reluctant sigh.

“For my end of the bargain, I will train you so that you will be able to get out of this place alive. At the very least, I will ensure you get a class and assist you with using it. If you get a class, I’m confident you’ll be able to get out of this place just fine. You will need to skill and ability in order to fight your way out after all.”

The deal sounded almost too good to be true. Someone of a high level willing to train him? Bullshit. “And what do you get out of this? Surely this would just be a waste of your time.”

“At the end of your training I will give you a task, I won’t tell you until that day. But you will swear to complete it on your blood. This will bind you to complete the task or the blood oath will kill you in time.”

Cyrus paused at his words. This was now beginning to sound fairer, but he was left with far more questions than answers. The deal was good for him, great even. There would be little to no chance of Cyrus escaping the dungeon without help from Albus and whatever training he was offering. The blood oath gave him little concern; he had brushed fingertips with death already, what was once more? As long as he was able to complete whatever task was given to him, then it would go away anyways.

Albus had been patient while Cyrus weighed the deal offered to him. There really shouldn’t be any reason to think about it any longer, so he made up his mind and looked the robed man right in the eyes. “I accept your deal, train me and I’ll do whatever task you ask me to.”