"PS: If you find any mistakes, please leave a comment."
Shrouded in darkness and decay, sunlight seldom graces this underground city.
Massive pipelines pour industrial waste into the rivers, blending with the stench of sewer sludge. Amidst it all, a towering monstrosity of steel looms, tarnished with rust, shrouded in smog, and spewing green alchemical fumes.
Zaun, an industrial labyrinth pieced together with iron and steel, teems with smugglers, marauders, and outlaws. Forbidden alchemical experiments, unethical human trials, and reckless science flourish here. The only law is enforced by ruthless gangs, the revered Chem-Barons, and the influential families from Piltover pulling strings behind the scenes.
The slums of Zaun, Inner Harbor District, the slaughterhouse.
The factory floor is divided into twelve sections, dominated by the relentless clatter of cable cars transporting goods amidst deafening machinery.
On the docks, a group of workers hurriedly unloads smuggled cargo—untaxed goods from Piltover, including crates of poultry.
A young, muscular man with black hair sits at a workstation. His hands deftly grab a rooster from a nearby crate, pinning it down with practiced efficiency. The so-called "workstation" is merely an oversized sink, with raised edges to prevent waste from spilling. Below, plastic pipes channel the collected chicken blood into wooden barrels—nothing goes to waste in Zaun.
With a swift motion, the young man slits the rooster's neck using a sharp blade. Blood sprays forth in spurts, with only a few droplets landing on his face. The bird lets out a final, piercing squawk before collapsing lifelessly.
As he plucks its feathers, a message flashes across his vision: [One-Handed Weapon Proficiency +1. Current Skill Level: 48/50.]
Dressed in a coarse apron and a threadbare shirt, the man's lean, muscular arms reveal the wear of labor. His wheat-toned skin glistens with sweat, and a scruffy beard and tied-back black hair give him an air of maturity.
"Durin," a raspy voice interrupts. An elderly man approaches, puffing on a brass pipe. His left hand rests on Durin's shoulder—a mechanical hand, crafted from bronze and gears.
"You feeling ill today?" the old man asks.
"No," Durin replies curtly.
"Good. Get back to work. Slacking off will earn you a beating from the gangsters—and they'll dock your pay. Three silver gears a month isn't much, and losing even a day's wage—ten copper rings—would hurt."
Durin sighs, his exhaustion showing.
The elder chuckles and changes the topic. "Tomorrow's your day off. Come with me to Fugen's Tavern in the Black Alley for a drink. Heard about the explosion in Piltover yesterday?"
Durin's interest barely flickers. "What happened?"
"Some kids from Zaun blew up a building in Piltover's Academy District! A whole damn building! The Piltover enforcers have been running around here like headless chickens trying to track them down."
The old man laughs heartily, but Durin remains unfazed.
"Doesn't concern me," Durin mutters, returning to work.
The bustling city of Piltover—known as "Upper City"—sits atop the cliffs above Zaun, thriving off the cheap labor of the underground. While it represents culture and innovation, the people of Zaun harbor only disdain for its opulence.
Durin's priority isn't politics or revenge. It's survival.
A former optimist with lofty dreams of adventuring and wooing champions, Durin now carries only the crushing weight of reality. His world is one of relentless toil, where every coin counts toward escaping the slums and moving to a better life in the Middle Plaza.
Durin's journey to Zaun began in the most peculiar way: he wasn't born there. He was an ordinary young man from another world, unexpectedly transported to the harsh reality of Runeterra. A motorcycle enthusiast, he blacked out one evening while gearing up for a ride. When he awoke, he was lying in a pile of trash, surrounded by Zaunite beggars.
They mistook his unfamiliar attire for that of a Piltover noble and treated him with a mix of fear and deference. He quickly realized his predicament—he had not only crossed worlds but landed in one of the most unforgiving places imaginable.
Armed with only a smartphone (useless without internet) and his riding gear, Durin bartered his belongings for survival. The local junk dealer scoffed at his phone but paid decently for the motorcycle suit. The seven silver gears he earned were just enough to rent a room and secure work at the slaughterhouse.
Durin's only solace lies in his mysterious system interface. Though basic, the system grants him incremental boosts in proficiency, a faint glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak existence.
"Someday," Durin mutters to himself, "I'll rise above this."
[Name: Durin]
[Level: 3]
[Base Attributes: Vitality 4, Control 2, Endurance 4, Cunning 2, Social 2, Intelligence 2]
[Allocated Skill Specialization Points: One-Handed Skills 4, Running Skills 3]
[One-Handed Skill Proficiency: 48 points; Running Skill Proficiency: 36 points]
[Acquired Feats: Grip Wrap, Physically Robust]
Durin's special ability revolves around a character sheet that organizes six core attributes: Vitality, Control, Endurance, Cunning, Social, and Intelligence. Each of these attributes encompasses three related skill categories.
For instance, the Vitality attribute covers concepts such as strength, explosive power, and nerve reaction speed. Its associated skills are One-Handed Weapons, Two-Handed Weapons, and Polearms.
When using these weapons in combat, Durin gains proficiency in the corresponding skills. The rate of skill proficiency improvement is directly influenced by specialization points and attributes.
Specialization Points: These are used to increase the proficiency gain rate of a single skill. They offer significant boosts, with one point awarded per level. However, each skill can only be allocated a maximum of five specialization points. Attribute Points: These are even rarer, directly enhancing the efficiency of all skills under a specific attribute and increasing the proficiency cap. Unlike specialization points, their impact on skill gain rates is more modest. Players earn one attribute point every four levels, with a maximum of 10 points per core attribute.
Beyond Vitality, the descriptions of the other five attributes are as follows:
Control: Covers reaction speed, strength, and observation. Skills: Archery, Crossbows, Throwing. Endurance: Encompasses strength, resistance, and immunity. Skills: Riding, Running, Blacksmithing. Cunning: Relates to observation, reaction speed, and perception. Skills: Scouting, Tactics, Rogue Techniques. Social: Covers charisma, perception, and mental acuity. Skills: Charm, Leadership, Negotiation. Intelligence: Includes perception, intellect, and mental focus. Skills: Management, Medicine, Engineering.
When Durin first arrived in this world, his character level was 1, with two unallocated attribute points and five unallocated specialization points.
After carefully studying the system, he decided to focus on the Blacksmithing skill, aiming to become a respected blacksmith and achieve financial freedom in this world.
In Zaun, blacksmiths enjoy exceptional status and respect. A local saying goes:
"In Zaun, never provoke these three kinds of people—blacksmiths, doctors, or alchemical barons."
Senior blacksmiths are often treated with courtesy by even the most dangerous gangs. A well-crafted longsword can fetch as much as 160 copper coins, equivalent to a month's rent for a modest home in the lower district.
Unfortunately, Durin's lofty plans were quickly thwarted.
A burly blacksmith, with arms thicker than Durin's head, drove him away upon learning of his ambitions. The blacksmith warned him never to return.
In Zaun, high-paying and respected professions like blacksmithing are strictly hereditary. Outsiders and undocumented migrants are barred from learning the craft. Only those born locally, and raised within the culture, are grudgingly allowed entry into such trades.
The blacksmith eventually mentioned a possible exception: Durin could pay an apprenticeship fee of 18 silver coins, at which point his application might be reconsidered. However, he also expressed skepticism about Durin's frail physique, doubting his ability to forge even a single decent blade.
Though initially disheartened, Durin did not give up. He took the blacksmith's advice to heart. Starting with a job at a slaughterhouse, he allocated his two free attribute points to Vitality and Endurance, while dividing his five free specialization points between One-Handed Skills and Running Skills—both potentially useful for a blacksmith's career.
Over the next eight months, Durin focused on slaughtering poultry, steadily increasing his One-Handed and Running skill proficiencies to 48 points and 36 points, respectively. His character level also rose from 1 to 3, earning him two additional specialization points, which he again invested in these two skills.
With his One-Handed Proficiency at 48 and Running Proficiency at 36, Durin's physique and strength improved significantly. His muscles became more defined, and he even grew taller, now standing at a robust 1.8 meters in height.