Zeke sat next to his slain foe, and even a few minutes after he’d ended the battle, his breathing was still labored. Or perhaps it was just excitement due to his massive gains. It had been a while since he’d really looked at his status, and he couldn’t help but stare at the screen in disbelief. However, before he could talk himself out of it, Zeke quickly allocated his free points into strength. With his battle with the troll warlord – and his struggles with doing enough damage against it – he knew that was his best bet. He had been head and shoulders above the troll in agility and dexterity, but he hadn’t been strong enough to do much lasting damage.

Name

Ezekiel Blackwood

Class

n/a

Level

9

Race

Human (G)

Alignment

Isphodel

Achievements

First Blood, Hasty Evolution, Above and Beyond, Genocide, Overachiever, Completionist

Martial Path

Mace – Novice (early)

Strength

154

Agility

106

Dexterity

122

Endurance

107

Vitality

96

Intelligence

94

Wisdom

91

Unassigned Attribute Points

15

His stat gains had been monstrous. In strength alone, he had gained nearly seventy points, almost doubling the stat. And while that was his biggest gain, the others weren’t too far behind. Agility and dexterity had increased by nearly forty points, endurance and vitality by almost thirty, and intelligence and wisdom by only slightly less. And Zeke was quick to see why. Most of the stats came from three new titles:

Genocide – You are a bloodthirsty one, aren’t you? You have driven a unique species to near extinction. So, good job. +25 Str, 5% Str.

Overachiever – You have managed to kill an evolved being before level ten! Continue to shoot for the stars! +10 Str, Agi, Dex, +5 Int, Wis, +5% All

Completionist – You have searched high and low, slaughtering everything within your beginning dungeon and completing all optional quests. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You might just choke on it. +15 All Stats, Upgrade of Beginner Quest Reward

Zeke could only stare at achievement sub-menu in disbelief. The flat stat gains were phenomenal, but by this point, he had also gained a few percentage increases that would hopefully continue to pull their weight even as he gained more levels and power. But as pleased as he was with the achievements, he was more concerned with the new line on his status page, which was simply labeled “Martial Path.” He navigated to its sub-menu.

Martial Path: Mace – Novice (Early): You have begun to glimpse a tiny fraction of the vast tapestry that is true Martial Insight, concentrating on blunt weaponry. +5 Str, Dex.

Zeke read and re-read the notification a dozen times over, but he still wasn’t certain what it meant. It didn’t take him long to figure out that discovering this martial path was what he’d felt toward the end of his battle with the troll warlord, and he certainly liked the extra stats. But his instincts told him that the stats were merely icing on the cake, so to speak. The real reward for discovering this path was the qualitative increase in his combat prowess that he’d experienced towards the end of the fight with Makazith. He only had a vague idea of what the martial path really meant, but he was more than a little eager to experiment.

Until this point, Zeke had felt like his only real talent was his ability to take a beating, to endure pain. Sure, some of his skills with a baseball bat had transferred over to this new world, making the transition a little easier for him. However, he’d never felt like a real warrior. In fact, he had long seen himself as something akin to a caveman swinging his club around, an image supported by the crude appearance of his mace. But now? He’d achieved something not via superior stats, but rather through the development of his fighting ability. And it felt good, especially when it was acknowledged by the Framework.

It was only the first step, though. He was no genius, but Zeke could easily infer the meaning behind words like “novice” and “early”. He didn’t know what the stages were, but judging by how long it had taken him just to take that first step told him that he had a long, difficult road ahead if he wanted to achieve something resembling true mastery.

But he was very happy with his progress.

And he had to admit that having reached the top of the cave system had brought with it mixed emotions. He’d lived in the Caracoa caves for close to two years, and aside from the brief exchange with the troll warlord in which he’d been called a monster, Zeke hadn’t spoken to another being in all that time. So, the prospect of being thrust into an entirely new world where he’d be forced into social interaction was a little intimidating.

He'd never been a social outcast or anything. Zeke had had plenty of friends and teammates. He’d even dated a few girls, even though they’d been what his father considered “distractions”. Even so, he found that he was a little frightened of what lay outside the caves, which was why he sat there, chewing on an old piece of fish, long after he’d recharged his batteries.

It wasn’t something new. Throughout his tenure in the caves, Zeke had often fallen into the habit of deep introspection. There was just something about being alone for such an extended period that brought everything into sharp focus. His old life. His new path. The knowledge that the entire history of humanity had already come and gone and begun its rebirth. But as existentially terrifying as that was, it was a far-off issue, and he could only barely wrap his head around the philosophical implications. However, what he chose to hold onto were the events that had led him to the moment when he’d awoken in that cave. And with the absence of any other real stimuli, Zeke had dwelled on them far more than was probably healthy.

He remembered Tommy, his little brother and his struggle with his health. Even through all the pain and struggle, he’d been a happy kid, and he was probably the only person in all the world who Zeke had ever felt truly close to. Zeke missed him more than he really wanted to admit.

When he thought about his mother, bitterness washed over him. She hadn’t been an active participant in his father’s abuse, but she’d never tried to stop it, either. Zeke knew that it was a complicated situation, and that his father probably hadn’t always been the man he’d known, but he couldn’t help but resent his mother for ever being with the horrible man. Zeke loved her, and he knew she was probably just as much the man’s victim as Zeke himself, but there was also a part of him that hated her as well.

Mostly, though, he’d thought about his father. He owed a lot to the man. Without him, Zeke would’ve never survived the caves. It wasn’t the skills he’d forced Zeke to develop, though. Rather, it was the pain the man had put him through. The mental strength that had come from enduring one expletive-filled tirade after another. The bruises from spending one day after another squatting behind home plate as his father skipped baseballs at him. The knowledge that, regardless of what he achieved, he’d never be good enough for his father, and the epiphany that he’d experienced early on that he didn’t have to live up to his the hateful man’s standards. Instead, he had to live up to his own. That had led him down a road that eventually ended with him enjoying improving just for the sake of the improvement, and not some outside approval. It had been invaluable during his trek through the cave system, and Zeke knew it would be instrumental in his survival moving forward.

But he was tired. Moreso than he’d ever been in his entire life, and not just from the physical exertion of his battle with the warlord. It was something deep in his bones, and it had taken root in his mind as well. Until now, he hadn’t let himself even acknowledge it, but the constant battle and stress had certainly taken its toll. But he couldn’t rest. Not now. Not yet. So, he heaved himself to his feet and, after taking a deep breath, he continued on his path.

Zeke didn’t have far to go – just an hour or so – before he came to the cave’s exit. It was night outside, but even then, it seemed unnaturally bright. Zeke shielded his eyes as he stepped outside, but he didn’t have much of a chance to take in his surroundings before he felt something shift behind him. He wheeled around, expecting an attack, but he was surprised to see that where the yawning opening that led to the cave system had been, there was only a huge slab of solid granite.

Panic gripped Zeke’s heart as he reached out to touch it, half expecting some sort of illusion. But when his hand connected with the rock, he knew it was absolutely real. He didn’t have much time to ponder, though, because a moment later, he received a new notification.

Congratulations! You have completed the quest [Escape from the Caracoa Cave] with a grade of [S]. Reward(s) have been upgraded and expanded. Awarded [Stewardship of the Crimson Tower]. Choose: Knowledge, Skill, or Power.

Zeke suppressed a scream as he felt something burning into his chest, but it passed quickly. When he looked down, he saw that on the upper part of his left pectoral, he had a tattoo which consisted of what looked like a silhouette of a chess rook surrounded by a Celtic circle. It only took a glance for him to understand that it was far more than simple body art. Instead, beneath it, etched onto his soul was the most complicated rune he had ever perceived. When he brushed against it with his mind, another notification sprang before his eyes.

Do you accept [Stewardship of the Crimson Tower]? This role is irreversible. [Y/N]

There was a part of Zeke that wasn’t entirely prepared to make irreversible decisions, especially when he didn’t have any information on what that choice would entail. However, The Framework wasn’t likely to give out detrimental quest rewards. So, he clicked yes. Immediately, a new notification spread across his vision.

You have accepted [Stewardship of the Crimson Tower]. It is a unique treasure which will grow with you. However, this growth comes at the cost of a small portion of your experience. The cost is miniscule next to the benefits.

Zeke frowned at the notification. The last thing he wanted was to give up some of his own experience. Leveling was slow and difficult enough as it stood, so losing even a small bit might turn out to be a huge deal. But as he turned his vision inward, concentrating on the rune, Zeke completely forgot about the cost of stewardship. Instead, he only saw the benefits.

In his mind’s eye, he saw a square room. Right now, it was completely empty, but his new role as the tower’s steward came with an innate understanding of how it worked. He took a piece of fish out of his satchel, then concentrated on moving it into the room. An instant later, the piece of fish appeared in the square room. It was a storage space that only he could access, and judging by how little room the fish took up, it was about a thousand square feet.

But as miraculous as that was, Zeke knew that the Crimson Tower was far more than a simple storage space. With a thought, Zeke accessed another of the tower’s functions, and a small hut sprang into being. It was barely more than a stone hovel with a thatched roof, but Zeke knew that it would eventually grow into a commanding tower. In fact, he suspected that the tower already existed on some level, and he could even picture it in his mind – a huge, oppressive thing made of white stone streaked with red that made it look like the very walls bled.

However, as happy as he was with the tower’s abilities, Zeke was incredibly thankful for one, very simple reason – he could finally discard his disgusting satchel.

As he quickly transferred his meager belongings into his new storage space, Zeke dismissed the hut. Once that was done, he threw the human-skin sack as far as he could, and given his much-increased strength, it ended up sailing a good distance away.

Finally, Zeke turned his attention to his other reward. It seemed that he had a choice before him. Knowledge, skill, or power.

“Couldn’t be any more cryptic, could you?” Zeke mused.

The only one that seemed straightforward was the final option. Power was fairly self-explanatory, and while he had no idea what form that power would take, Zeke was pretty sure that it would increase his combat capability. It was a strong draw – especially considering that he was about to set out into an entirely new world. While he hadn’t been comfortable in the Caracoa caves, Zeke had known what he was dealing with. But now? He was entirely in the dark, so any extra power would be greatly beneficial.

But skill seemed enticing as well. Would it be an actual skill? Or did it refer to something else? He had no idea. And that, ultimately, was the problem. He hardly knew anything, and what knowledge he possessed was mostly inferred from the various menus. Which brought him to the last choice: knowledge.

If he knew what he was up against, would he really need a boost to his power? Zeke couldn’t be sure, but he suspected that he was pretty strong already. After all, he’d just defeated a level twenty-two monster, and it wasn’t his first, either. He’d been killing creatures with higher levels for two years. But things would’ve been much easier if he’d just had a little more information. He’d been stumbling along, entirely ignorant. And he was desperate to change that.

So, Zeke made his choice, and as his reward spread out in his mind, he realized that it wasn’t anything like what he had imagined.