January 8th, 2022
***
['Goblin Level 6' killed. XP awarded]
[Level up! You have reached level 9. Attribute points awarded]
Richter sat beneath a tree. He hunted patrolling goblins for a couple of hours after leaving Cain; no other dungeons had been found on his travels. In all, he had killed twenty of them between levels five and six. Reaching level 9 took a lot longer than he thought. If he could see how much XP he needed, and how much a goblin gave per kill, he might have changed his mind.
For now, it was time to open his status and use his attribute points. Even at level one, he was far above a regular goblin, and not too far below Dru in any given category. This left him scratching his head. If the average person had between eight and eleven in all stats, then they were matched or above their goblin foes in every way. Maybe the lack of training was too detrimental to regular people.
He gazed at corpses littering the street.
'Too cruel...' he thought. His insides churned. Individuals, couples, and even families were commonplace throughout the area.
"Status."
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[Name: Richter Maier || Mana: 100%/100% || Level: 9 || Unused Attribute Points: 24]
[Class: Swordsman (intrinsic)]
[Attributes: Strength: 14 || Agility: 15 || Constitution: 13 || Magic: 11 || Intelligence 10]
[Abilities: Transcendent Bloodlust (innate), Transcendent Sense (innate) || Skills: None]
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Truthfully, he was kind of afraid of using the points. He had spent so long honing his coordination and intuition with human limits. If the higher stats threw that off, it could prove dangerous.
He decided to spread the points evenly, with a focus on Strength, Agility, and Magic. The fireball Mira used left a deep impact on him. His other excuse was just intuition. Mana sat in a neat ball just below his heart. There had to be something to it since he directed it there without any skills, but he didn't want to experiment until he was safe and well-rested.
A notification appeared after using 12 points.
[Congratulations on reaching level 5. Your first class ability has been unlocked. Please select your first Skill]
[Ice Type: Utility - Mist || Fire Type: Undefined - Sunder || Mana Type: Defensive - Mana Body]
Richter barely registered two of the skills shown, He selected Sunder immediately. Utility and Defense skills sounded lame. It wasn't Richter's thing.
['Sunder' has been chosen. Check your 'Skills' section for more info.]
Then he finished adding the rest of his attribute points.
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[Name: Richter Maier || Mana: 100%/100% || Level: 9 || Unused Attribute Points: 0]
[Class: Swordsman (intrinsic)]
[Attributes: Strength: 19 || Agility: 22 || Constitution: 15 || Magic: 18 || Intelligence 13]
[Abilities: Transcendent Bloodlust (innate), Transcendent Sense (innate), Swordsman's Tenacity (passive) || Skills: Sunder]
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Richter clicked on his new goodies.
[Swordsman's Tenacity (passive) - Greatly increases the durability of swords for the Swordsman class. Always active.]
[Sunder (undefined) - Condenses mana into a highly volatile fire sphere. Very versatile. No mana cap. Common use: damaging the sphere may cause it to explode. A well executed slice will instead direct the pressurized fire outward.]
Sunder sounded like a handful. He would have to start small when he practiced.
Richter stretched his body and swept through a couple of sword routines. The changes weren't too overwhelming, and the nostalgic sense of growing stronger and faster made him smile. Fond memories of working out with his dojo's former Sensei played through his mind. Such a great time during Richter's life, when Swordsmanship was thriving.
He sighed. It was time to get moving.
His goal now was the governor's office near the heart of the city. The governor was one of the 'astute' business individuals who profited off of Richter's success. They struck a deal to split the profit, leading to Richter's current wealth. His office sat on the outskirts of a red-light district, quite telling of where he spent his free time. Richter borrowed a nearby bike and pedaled his way downtown.
***
After half an hour, he dropped the bike behind a bush off the main path. The upcoming streets were bustling with activity, albeit a very different atmosphere. Cliques of people paced the roads, eying the signs and swaying to the whispers of makeshift vendors. Unlike before, the people wore weapons and serious expressions. A variety of dazzling swords, maces, hammers, shields, and staffs drew greed from less fortunate bystanders. They avoided any contact and kept conversation to a minimum. The once bustling downtown still bustled. But the loudest sounds were uneasy footsteps.
The signs and vendors portrayed two extremes. A sense of desperation or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Some offered an exchange of real money for healing potions, claiming they had a dying loved one. Others offered to buy copper and silver for real money. But one stand had a crowd far larger than any other, enough to span the entire width of the street.
He crossed the small bridge separating him from the crowds and began the final trek. Countless vendors were shouting at the new arrival.
"My sister... she's dying! Could you spare me a Healing Potion?"
"I've got two thousand in assorted currencies with your name on it! All you have to do is trade me 20 copper. What a steal!"
"I've got unique drops from a high-level dungeon, now half off! Hurry before they're all gone!"
"You fucker!"
'Hmm?' Richter paused. 'You fucker?' That's not a good way of getting customers.
At once, his Sense relayed three pieces of information.
There was a short man trying to punch him, dozens of people had gathered to watch, and the short man's fist was strong but slow.
Richter lazily dodged to the side and kept walking. Turning around would only exacerbate the situation. So he quickly disappeared into the crowd.
***
The short man took a deep breath. "That bastard."
He clenched his fist and walked back to his stand. The companion who managed it with him laughed lightly.
"Quit trying to fight because people ignore us. You're attracting the wrong kind of attention."
"I would of hit him had I used mana." he complained.
"Probably, but that's such a waste."
The short man widened his eyes. " 'Probably'? You think I could miss with such a fast punch?"
"Hmm..." The scrawny individual scratched his chin. "Against him? Yes. But it's just a feeling. Maybe next time he comes you could issue a challenge. Be a good way to blow off steam and promote our items. "
"You implying he might be an unknown ranker?"
"Kind of," His forehead creased.
"My intuition is sending too many mixed messages. It was far more reliable in-game. Guess I need to continue practicing."
The short man snorted.
These two were the ones trying to sell items from a high-level dungeon, and very few had approached them let alone bought anything. With the action over, the crowd dissipated. It was so endlessly boring. The short man went back to shouting out advertisement, anxious for a customer.
Meanwhile, the scrawny man was lost in thought. Endlessly replaying the scene where an unknown nobody, effortlessly dodged a punch he couldn't even see.
***
Richter had reached the extra-crowded vendor stand. He could pick up more and more words from a man standing on top of it. He was preaching some kind of message.
"-outrage! While mages get to enjoy a privileged life, using mana as they please; Us other classes are left to suffer! Unlike mages, The other classes don't have mana regen. We are stuck scraping together bits of copper just to afford a mana potion. But that's not even the worst part; all classes are capped at two-per-day from the store! While a mage can level-"
The man went on and on, but what he said dug under Richter's skin. Was it true? He hadn't used mana yet, so he wouldn't know. But if it was...
'Fine, may as well buy them anyways,' though Richter was uncomfortable being easily influenced. He had saved up 70 copper from all the goblins. He bought two mana potions and shoved them into his pocket.
Richter walked through the entrance of the building. The secretary recognized him at once. She had a lovely smile, black hair, cherry red lipstick, and wore a dark blue dress.
"It's a pleasure Mr. Maier, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you. Head right inside."
"Thanks," Richter awkwardly made his way inside. The room was lavish; covered in decorative trim, velvet furniture, and expensive alcohols. A large man sat behind a desk opposite two chairs and a sofa. He grinned from ear to ear.
"Ah, I knew you would come. Always so dependable!" He barked.
Richter sighed, "How are things?"
They shook hands. "Information is still flowing in, roughly 4000 deaths so far. Several types of monsters have been reported."
Richter took a seat on the sofa. "Any particular problems?"
The man gave his a strange look. "It's been less than a day Richter. I have no idea."
"Hmm, well I'll be back tomorrow morning incase you learn of anything."
"Ah I get it, you want information on uncleared dungeon don't you? We'll see what happens."
Richter smiled and leaned forward. "How are the citizens handling it?"
"Honestly, surprising well." The man took a sip of tea. "While not proficient fighters, they can handle a group of goblins on average. Though..." The man paused and looked out the window behind him.
The crowded stand could still be seen, captive to the guy shouting and waving his arms wildly.
"Some idiots are more of a liability."
***
The two finished discussing a couple things, and Richter gained a useful bit of information. He made his way to an inn a couple streets apart. Everyone called it 'Pleasure Inn' because of the frequent guests who brought companions from the red-light district nearby.
He locked his door, showered, and climbed into bed.
"Status."
Richter double-tapped his level, and a new gauge appeared next to it.
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[Name: Richter Maier || Mana: 100%/100% || Level 9: 0% XP || Unused Attribute Points: 0]
[Class: Swordsman (intrinsic)]
[Attributes: Strength: 21 || Agility: 22 || Constitution: 15 || Magic: 18 || Intelligence 13]
[Abilities: Transcendent Bloodlust (innate), Transcendent Sense (innate), Swordsman's Tenacity (passive) || Skills: Sunder]
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Now, he should be able to see how much XP he earns per kill. He closed the screen, laid his sword beneath his pillow, and shut his eyes. A sinking feeling in his stomach made it hard to fall asleep. It had been a long day.
***