I stand in a corner of the settlement, back pressed against rough timber. The clerk is done with me for now, and I clutch my pouch of coins and the artifact fragments like they're my only anchors to something better. I've spilled blood and fought through filth just to reach this point. No sense wasting it. My mind settles, and I call up my status. A blue panel blooms into view, letters pulsing in my vision.
[Status Window]
Name: Cid Tassadin
Class: Battle Summoner (Tier 1)
Level: 4
HP: 90/90
MP: 40/40
Stamina: 100/100
Strength: 14
Agility: 12
Vitality: 15
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 10
Luck: 8
Titles: None
Active Effects: None
Attributes Unassigned: 2 Points Available
Skills & Abilities:
Summon Undead Soldier (C-Tier):
Summons a single undead warrior. HP and damage scale with Summoner's level and Intelligence. Current Max Summons: 1.
Basic Swordplay (Passive):
Slight increase to hit accuracy and damage with simple blades.
Analyze (Basic):
Inspect foes, revealing approximate level and weaknesses.
Inventory:
Battered Longsword (Common)Patched Leather Armor (Common)Wolf Pelts (3)Bone Fragments (Several)Rusted Sword (1)Old Amulet (Quest Item, no current use)Artifact Fragments (2)Coins: 70
Quests:
None Active
Summons:
Undead Soldier (C-Tier) [HP: 50/50, ATK: Moderate, DEF: Moderate]
A gentle hum drifts around me, and I try not to think too hard about how that status window hangs in empty space. I have two attribute points. Assigning them could mean the difference between life and death next time I face something nasty. Leveling from 1 to 4 so fast came with risk and luck. Maybe I should invest in Vitality to survive heavier hits, or Intelligence to boost my soldier's strength. After a brief thought, I sink both points into Intelligence, hoping it'll help my summon hit harder. The panel updates:
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 10
Luck: 8
The undead soldier stands at my side, silent, sword ready. Nothing fancy about it. Just a heap of bone and metal held together by whatever magic I wield. I need better summons. Stronger units. But summons must be earned. This artifact fragment might lead me there, if I find enough pieces to form a proper artifact. The settlement's small guild barely acknowledges me now. I must push outward, into harder territories, find new dungeons or contracts that reward fragments.
A handful of adventurers pass me, glancing at the soldier with sidelong looks. I hear one mutter, "He got that from the crypt quest, didn't he?" Another scoffs. They know I'm new, but they also see that I've survived something many wouldn't dare attempt so soon. Let them whisper. I lean away from the wall and take slow steps toward the quest board again, searching for something that can offer more than scraps. Most tasks look too easy or too pointless. Collecting herbs, thinning out low-tier beasts—nothing that would grant the rare treasures I need.
I lower my gaze to a notice pinned near the bottom of the board. It mentions a place called Thorne's Gulch. The paper's edges curl, and the ink is barely legible. "Seeking adventurer: Retrieve Lost Pendant from Depths of Thorne's Gulch. Expect hostile creatures and magical hazards. Reward: Coins, EXP, chance of artifact material." That last phrase snags my interest. "Chance of artifact material." No guarantee, but it's better than nothing.
Before I commit, I consider buying supplies. The crypt nearly ended me. Without a healing item, I'm one unlucky strike away from a shallow grave. I find a small stall selling basic potions. The merchant eyes my soldier warily, but sells me two weak healing vials for 20 coins total. Expensive, but I can't argue. I pocket them. At least now I can recover if something bites too hard.
I step away from the stall and scan the overmap signboard. Thorne's Gulch is west, beyond some broken ridges. Selecting the route shifts my surroundings. Soon I stand at the entrance to a twisted canyon. Jagged rock walls, a thick silence hanging over everything. The undead soldier stands close, sword raised. I feel a tightening in my gut. The crypt taught me that even lesser creatures can take me down if I'm careless.
I advance slowly. A prompt appears:
Encounter: Rock Scorpions (x3). Engage? Yes/No
I have no choice but to get stronger. I select "Yes." The world slows into that familiar turn-based rhythm. The scorpions scuttle forward, dark shells scraping stone. One lunges first, its sting lancing across my arm. HP: 75/90. I grit my teeth and swing my longsword, chipping its shell. The soldier strikes, cleaving off a scorpion's pincer. Another scorpion slashes at the soldier, dropping it to 45/50 HP. The last scorpion tries to stab me, but I dodge, losing just a few points of HP from a glancing scratch. I retaliate, slaying the first scorpion. The soldier dispatches the second. The third tries to flee, but I cut it down before it scuttles away.
Victory!
+40 EXP
Loot: Scorpion Carapace (1), Poison Gland (1)
No artifact fragment. As expected. I press on. After two more minor skirmishes, I spot a small cave entrance that must lead deeper into Thorne's Gulch. The parchment said the pendant lies within. Probably guarded. I hold my sword tighter and confirm entry:
Enter Thorne's Gulch Lower Tunnels? Yes/No
I say "Yes." The tunnel smells damp and old. I feel something shift in the darkness ahead. Another prompt:
Encounter: Cave Serpents (x2). Engage? Yes/No
I'm no fool. I engage. The serpents lash out, one biting deep, dropping me to 60/90 HP. I retaliate, slicing one in half. The soldier corners the other serpent, trading blows until it collapses. Another win, more small gains:
Victory!
+35 EXP
Loot: Serpent Scale (2)
No healing items from these foes. I sip one of my weak healing vials, raising HP to 80/90. The soldier recovers a bit each time I level, but not mid-dungeon. We must endure.
At a fork in the tunnel, a faint glow pulses from the right path. I risk it. The corridor narrows, forcing me to crouch. The soldier has to stoop as well, scraping its helm on the rough ceiling. Suddenly, I step into a cavern lit by faint crystals. A figure stands by a stone ledge—a tall shape, robed and masked. It turns toward me, chuckling.
"Another fool seeking trinkets?" it says, voice muffled behind the mask. A prompt appears:
Sub-Boss Encounter: Masked Cultist (1)
Yes/No
I swallow hard and select "Yes." Turn order flashes above us. The cultist moves first, hurling a bolt of crackling energy at my soldier, dropping it to 35/50 HP. My turn. I swing, but the cultist dodges gracefully, taking only minor damage. The soldier attacks, scoring a better hit. The cultist staggers, then curses and summons a lesser spirit at its side. Now I'm outnumbered. The spirit claws at me, knocking me to 65/90 HP. I strike the spirit first, removing it before it causes more trouble. The soldier presses the attack on the cultist, carving through robes and flesh. The cultist retaliates, slashing me with a blade hidden in its sleeve. HP: 50/90.
I grit my teeth and swing harder. My blade lands true this time, cleaving a deep wound. The soldier follows, finishing the cultist. A hollow laugh escapes the defeated foe before it dissolves into code-like shards.
Victory!
+120 EXP
Loot: Pendant of Thorne's Gulch (Quest Item), Minor Artifact Fragment (1)
That's three fragments now. A whisper in my mind suggests that combining enough fragments might form a lesser artifact to rank up my soldier. It's a distant goal, but I'm inching closer.
I open my status window again to confirm the changes:
Level: 5 (Just leveled again from the cultist kill)
HP: 100/100
MP: 45/45
A new skill flashes as unlocked:
Summoner's Command (Passive):
Increases summon HP by 10% and minor increase to summon damage.
The undead soldier stands a bit taller now. It looks slightly more stable, as if my presence strengthens it. With the pendant in hand, I can return to the settlement and claim my reward. But what I crave isn't simple coin or a blade—I need artifact fragments. Power flows upward, each victory giving me another piece of something greater. The path is clear. Fight, collect fragments, raise my summons into something unstoppable.
I leave the cavern with the pendant, heading back toward the surface. The soldier follows, silent as always. The settlement might not have changed since I left, but I have. I have more levels, better stats, more fragments. Soon I'll have enough to transform my soldier from a C-Tier scrap into something more. Until then, I'll keep cutting down anything that stands between me and the strength I was promised the moment I woke in this hard and hungry world.