《Lonely Apocalypse: Left Out By The System》Chapter 4. Eat, Arm, Explore.

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***Velgo the Shadowborn***

"You are the last, Nenny." Velgo sneered as he looked at the smallest kobold of their Tribe.

Nenny, who was only 4'5'' tall, couldn't stop trembling. The tiny kobold could still clearly remember how more than two dozen of his kinsmen had been slaughtered under their Chief's orders. Their corpses were still within this hall, slowly but surely disintegrating under the high Essence Concentration resulting from the proximity to the Core.

Nenny knew better than anyone else that he was the weakest of the Shadowbark tribesmen. Why would their Chief need someone so useless?

Velgo approached the little guy who was paralyzed by fear.

"W-wait. . ." Nenny whimpered.

"There's no time to wait, my little friend." The Shaman raised his stuff as he stepped close enough to the frightened kobold to block his line of sight entirely.

Nenny closed his eyes, hoping that the Chief would be merciful enough to give him a quick death. Instead, he felt that something gently touched his forehead. The kobold instinctively opened his eyes only to see the Shaman grinning at him.

"As I said, you are the last to become my Minion, Nenny." Velgo proclaimed.

Powerful Essence entered the little kobold's body as a semi-transparent message appeared before him.

By becoming a Minion of a Dungeon Keeper, you have been Connected to Genesis System. Connection type: Monster Minion.

"Did you think I would kill you just because you are a weakling?" The Chief shook his head in denial. "I can always help you to grow stronger. What I care about is loyalty. Out of our entire Tribe, a whole twenty-seven kobolds weren't completely satisfied with my position as the leader. They challenged my authority either with actions or words. This is why they had to be disposed of. You, though? You are different."

The Shaman placed his hand on Nenny's shoulder. "I remember you, boy. When the previous Chief asked the Tribe who would like to support me as his successor, wasn't it you who was the first to raise your hand? Wasn't it you who always told others that we need a wise leader, someone like me?"

As he realized that the Chief hadn't intended to take his life but, instead, had given him power and even remembered him personally, Nenny couldn't help but be extremely touched. He could barely hold back his tears of happiness.

"Y-yes, Chief!" he exclaimed. "I always knew that no one could lead our Tribe to glory better than you!"

Velgo gave a satisfied nod. "Yes, this is the spirit our Tribe needs! I want you to know, Nenny, that even though you are the last to become my Minion, it doesn't make you the least of them. As you all know, each monster linked to the Core has his own Zone of Control, the small area they should be assigned most of the time to absorb Essence. Even if you are killed within the Zone, you are going to revive within five days with your memories intact, though slightly weaker than before. For you, I assigned one of the safest Zones—the place that is above the floor where the entrance is placed."

The short kobold was pleasantly surprised by this revelation. The fastest way to get power as a monster in a Dungeon was obviously killing the intruders within your Zone. But of course, it wouldn't be possible for someone as weak as him unless he was assigned to a group. He personally preferred another way—absorbing the Dungeon Essence slowly but steadily in safety.

When someone entered the Dungeon, they would obviously aim for the Core and the Keeper. In most cases, the intruders wouldn't waste their time going in the opposite direction. And this was exactly where he was assigned! Though the Essence Concentration wouldn’t be as high as near the Core, it still would be enough for him to catch up with his brethren.

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"Don't relax too much, though," the Chief warned. "I have a mission for you and other weaker tribesmen assigned to the higher floors. Well, just in case, I’ll also send Alger to protect you bunch if something happens."

Nenny's face turned serious. Even if he considered himself incompetent, there was nothing he wouldn't do for his Tribe's sake. No matter what assignment he would be given, he would give his utmost effort to accomplish it.

"From what I know, the System transfers away the Natural Sentient Races of a newly Fused planet to complete the Tutorial. According to Lycanian Sages, they will start returning here only after at least three months, so we have some time to prepare. In the meantime, I'd like you guys to thoroughly explore the Dungeon. I can vaguely sense some familiar scents on the upper floors, you see. . ."

The kobolds, who had silently listened to the Shaman until now, started to exchange glances and whispers as they heard the sudden revelation.

"The thickest scents are that of chemicals and of monkeys, of course. I assume that at least one of the Natural Sentient Races of this planet are monkey-like beings. But other scents I can sense are different. . . One scent reminds me of our enemies whom I hate with all my being. And the other scent is very close to our own. It's really a rather peculiar situation, and I want you to find out the truth behind it!"

Velgo chose a dozen of the kobolds who were assigned a Zone on the higher floors of the Dungeon, including Nenny, and left this mission to them.

"The rest of you can go and check out your Zones of Control. We don't have time to lose. I want each of you guys to cultivate your Essence at least to Level 15 before we have our first intruders in a couple of months, understood?!"

"Yes, Chief!" the whole tribe replied at once.

As everyone started to follow the commands they were given, the corpses of their former tribesmen were completely forgotten. Soon, Velgo and five of the stronger kobolds who were assigned to the Core Hall as his bodyguards were the only ones left.

The Shaman Chief cast a couple Shadowbolts to get rid of the dead bodies faster and then sat down on the improvised throne that his followers had made out of the office chairs found in the rooms nearby.

Velgo closed his eyes and, for the first time since arriving at this new world, relaxed.

It was a mistake.

***Lex Lurker***

Hoping to get something that would increase my chances for survival, I opened the Perk selection screen for my only Title.

[Pioneer Of The New World]—As the first of your Progeny Type to complete the Tutorial and come back to your home planet, you have been given the opportunity to choose one of three special Perks of extreme Rarity! With great power comes great responsibility—never forget this simple truth. Make your choice wisely as it will affect the future of your kind.

Perks available: Beacon of Humanity (Mythic), Guardian of Humanity (Legendary), Shadow of Humanity (Legendary)

As I carefully read the description of each Perk, I couldn't help but crease my brows in a deep frown.

Hey, I’m not ready for this! What is the System even thinking? Some of these bonuses affect not only me but humanity as a whole! Why did it decide to give me, of all people, such a troublesome choice? It's just not fair to all those outstanding individuals who are way more competent than I am!

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My limited knowledge of the role-playing games allowed me to guess that Mythic was better than Legendary. This was reinforced by how insanely good this particular Perk was:

Beacon of Humanity (Mythic)—You are the one who shall guide your people to Glory. As long as you are not the highest-leveled individual of your Progeny Type, you gain 100% more Experience. On the other hand, as long as your level is the highest, the rest of your kind have a 1% chance to gain the same bonus momentarily when slaying a monster. Additionally, it allows you to create an S-Grade Guild for free. Everyone in your Guild (you included) deals 30% more damage to all Boss-type beings. This Perk also passively increases the effect of your Fate Attribute by 30% and increases your affinity with the Glory Concept by 20%. This Perk is only active as long as your name (or Title) is within the Hall of Fame (Mirror Earth Type Y). Choosing this Perk locks you onto the Path of Harmony, converting you into a Truthwalker even if you don't meet the requirements. The Perk becomes unavailable if you choose to follow another Path. Improves with your advancement in Rank. Can become a Title of its own.

From my understanding, the System called us earthlings "individuals of the same Progeny Type". Couldn't it just call us humans? Probably not, it had already hinted to me that there were distinct human species living in other worlds.

In any case, it was obvious enough that this Perk's effects were completely broken. As long as I remained the sole person with the highest Level out there, every human would get a small chance to increase the amount of Experience they gain. I wasn't sure why the System didn't just give everyone a constant 1% boost, as in practice it would be the same thing.

A one percent increase might not seem like a lot, but if everyone gets it, it's rather absurd. In other words, just this sole effect gives humanity as a whole almost eight billion percent bonus Experience. Or if you consider it as one-hundredth of what one person earns, this sole Perk is equal to the Experience gained by eighty million people. Of course, that’s only if we assume that everyone is working equally hard. I remember that the System said that only a chosen few would remain Players. I doubt that the rest whom it called Civilians would kill any monsters. . . Hmm. . . I also don't know anything about the Path of Harmony or Truthwalkers. It's hard to make a choice considering all this missing information.

The other two Perks had more down-to-earth effects and weren't so hard to evaluate. The "Beacon of Humanity" was good, but I couldn't help but hesitate to take it. First, it required me to stay in the limelight to keep it active, and I wasn't sure that I was ready for that. Second, it seemed to oblige me to become a leader of people, if not the leader of our whole species. In the end, I decided to put the choice on hold until I figured out more about Concepts, Paths, and how they worked.

Suddenly the holographic screen before me sounded an alarm and changed automatically.

*Ding!*

Warning!

The difficulty of the Shadowbark Kobold Nest has increased from Easy to Normal.

So, the whole thing just became harder for some unknown reason? I think I still can deal with Normal. Though didn't it say that this was a five-person Dungeon? Maybe even Easy was already too much for me. In any case, if this works just like in video games, then I can just find the exit and escape without fighting anything. Since it's just me, then sneaking around shouldn't be much of a challenge.

As I couldn't decide my choice of Perk for the time being, I checked the last unexplored part of the Menu.

Quests Available:

[Dungeon: Shadowbark Kobold Slaying - Part 1] (Common)

Quests Taken:

[System: Moderation Team Enrollment] (Special)

[Novice: The New Beginning - Part 1] (Common)

Unexpectedly, I already had two Quests accepted for me, in addition to the one currently available that was related to the Dungeon.

[System: Moderation Team Enrollment - Part 1] (Special)—The Gamma Administrator suggested you as a candidate for the position of Moderator. What a big honor! First, prove your raw fighting power.

Objective: Slay any Elite Boss. Solo, i.e., with you being the only contributor to its death.

Reward: 1 Lesser Moderation Token

Difficulty: Nightmare

Time Limit: 1 standard year cycle

Failure: Your Connection Type will be changed from Player to System Servant for the next 100 standard year cycles

Haha, how funny. . . It says that if I don't kill a thing with a very dangerous-looking title within a year, I will be enslaved by the System. Luxuria sure knows how to prank people! I bet that if I look at the description again, it will have changed. . .

Even though I wasn't familiar with the terms mentioned in the Quest, like System Servant, Nightmare difficulty, or Elite Boss, I could guess just from the names that they all meant trouble. On the other hand, Moderation Token didn't sound like something that should be given to a Player in a game, so maybe the risk was worth the reward, but the problem was. . . I hadn't asked for it!

This is really unfair—who the hell gives a person an extremely hard job without even asking for their consent?!

It proved a very disturbing fact—the Genesis System had close to absolute control over my life and freedom. Nothing could stop it from giving me an impossible Quest, the failure of which would mean death or slavery. I was completely at its mercy, and I didn't particularly like it, but. . .

It also means that someone like an Admin or Moderator has an incredible amount of influence over everyone else. And, based on the Quest's name, I can become one if I work hard enough, right?

Obeying rules wasn't something new to me. For as long as I could remember, I always was someone who would rather follow a well-defined guideline than think for myself. It was easier that way. Now, though, I felt some sort of resistance towards the idea of being someone's puppet. Was it because I had died once already? Or because I had been left out as the only human on Earth?

It didn't matter what I thought, though. The System hadn't given me a choice, after all. Instead of worrying about something I couldn't change, I decided to check the other Quest.

[Novice: The New Beginning Part 1] (Common)—If you want to get stronger, you need to be ready to get your hands dirty. To incorporate the Essence into your body and soul—to transform it into a usable form—you need but a little push. Just a tiny bit of Experience. . .

Objective: Kill something to earn your first EXP

Reward: Novice Class, Essence Conversion (unlocks Concept Menu)

Difficulty: Trivial

There was no "time limit" or "failure" section in the description, which implied that there were none. It would be unfair beyond a reason if the System suddenly gave me a message saying that I failed a Quest I didn't know even existed and that the failure meant death.

Feeling mentally tired from all this new information, I closed the holographic screen and slumped down in my seat.

"What a day it has been. . ." I whispered absent-mindedly.

"Huh? It seems my vocal cords got better. . ."

This unexpected finding made me check my Status window again.

Health: 91%

Physical Fatigue: 3%

Mental Fatigue: 17%

Status Effects: Malnutrition, Weakness, ???

It seemed that some of my Health had been restored. Was that what healed my throat? No matter how you looked at it, my healing was way too fast. Wasn't my Health equal to 86% only an hour ago? Recovering a whopping 5% within this time frame meant that it would take me only twenty hours to completely restore my health to full from zero. Of course, that didn't mean that my regeneration speed wasn't linked to my condition. . . I really doubted that I could regrow a hand in a couple of hours.

That would be too good to be true, right? It's not like I want to find it out through experience, though.

Feeling too much weight on my shoulders thanks to my Perks that could affect all of humanity, and the Quest that could decide my fate, I decided to take a stroll through the building.

I took a half-meter-long kitchen machete from one of the shelves with me, just in case. While my physical state still was far from satisfactory, being armed was always better than having no weapon at all.

For the next half an hour or so, I scouted the whole floor I had been staying on, finding nothing in particular other than the stairs and an elevator that didn't seem to work, which was strange. After all, there was no problem with electricity. Was it a restriction that existed because it was a Dungeon?

After not encountering any living beings throughout my little journey, I started to relax. No longer was my heart beating with tension each time I opened a new door.

Usually, I would already be going to bed when it’s this late in the evening, but I don't feel sleepy in the slightest. Though that’s not unexpected at all, considering how much time I just spent dreaming.

Hoping that no monsters waited for me on the lower floors, I descended the stairs. I wasn’t sure if the architecture of the building was rearranged or if it was so strange from the beginning, but instead of a staircase allowing me to ascend or descend through the whole building, there was only one stairway leading to the floor below. Each floor entrance also had a door, but none were locked. There was still one more stairway that led up the building, but I logically guessed that the exit would be at the bottom, not the top. I didn't plan to leave just yet but exploring my path to escape seemed like a priority for the time being.

With this in mind, I sped up the process of checking each floor. Instead of slowly walking through the whole place and checking each room, I just jogged through the corridors, making sure that there was nothing requiring my attention.

In less than an hour, I searched through five floors. Each of them seemed to belong to the same private hospital and were equally empty of anything of concern.

When I arrived at the next floor, which was sixth counting down from my own, I noticed an obvious change. Just with a glance, it became obvious that this was a reception area. This meant that there should be a security room nearby. And a security room meant guns!

Or not. . .

"Is this a joke?" I shouted in frustration. "Where's my gun?! What kind of American security officer doesn't have a gun?!"

No matter how hard I searched through the emergency room security office, I couldn't find what I was looking for.

"Wait. . . could it be that all the guns were equipped on the guards when they were transported? And there are also no spares lying around? It seems that I need to settle for a taser. . ."

I had no choice but to postpone my dream of showing some monster the power of firearms.

Suddenly, a tiny sound interrupted my disappointed thoughts. "Meow!"

I strained my ears to make sure that it wasn't a hallucination. Sure enough, I could vaguely hear some sort of disturbance near the stairs. With the taser in my right hand and the machete in my left, I cautiously made my way towards the unknown.

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